Thoughts on New Shows: Fall 2012

Sorry that this blog has been updated in a while. But I thought that you might enjoy the reviews of the new shows I've seen so far this season.

Thoughts on New Shows

 

Revolution: This NBC drama airs at 9:00 Central on Mondays. In it, a world has existed for fifteen years where electricity (supposedly) no longer exists anymore. A band of survivors try to make their way in this new world with what remains of the old one. It has already received a full season order, so the network has some faith in it. I think that it is an interesting concept that I'm surprised no one has come up with yet. So I think that it is worth your time. Grade: A-.

 

Partners: This show that airs on CBS at 7:30 Central is a comedy. If I understand this correctly, it has two roommates, once gay and one straight, as well as the people they are romantically involved with. It is by the creators of Will and Grace, which I've barely seen. This show is kind of interesting, but based on the episode I saw, it was very lame. It might not exist in a day where homosexuality wasn't as accepted as it sort of is today. It has its moments and isn't that bad. But I wouldn't give it that good a score either. In fact, I never would have watched it if it didn't have a good lead-in program. But since it did, I decided to watch it. Grade: C+

 

Ben and Kate: This show that airs on FOX at 7:30 Central is about a brother and sister in a strange blended family. It seemed both poorly written and poorly acted. I don't even quite know what it is about, but I would probably never watch it again. Grade: F.

 

Go On: This NBC comedy that airs on Tuesdays at 8:00 Central is about a man played by Matthew Perry who joins a support group dealing with loss in life. It is actually quite humorous given its rather grim concept. I think that this show is good. Grade: B+.

 

Vegas: This CBS drama on Tuesdays at 9 Central is about a famous sheriff from Las Vegas. It is a historical drama with period crimes, outfits, and anything else. When I saw it, I didn't understand how it was the most watched new drama. To me, it seemed dull. They could have easily made this a present day drama without having to have all the constant changes that they have to make in order to make it seem like the past. I was unimpressed. If I knew who these people were, then maybe I would like it. But I have no reason to tune into this in the future. Grade: D.

 

Emily Owens MD: A quirky new CW show about a neurotic doctor that is a mixture of both comedy and drama. The main part of this show is that even though high school is over, it can continue in your new job. I think it is great for everyone who hates school. I also think that it has a great place on a network that normally goes under the radar and may be the first medical drama that I could stay into all the time. So it will probably get cancelled since it is too good. But since CW shows can get away with low ratings, it has a better chance than others. Grade: A+.

 

The Neighbors: This is a comedy about aliens living in human form on earth and going through culture shock. It airs on ABC at 7:30. The concept isn't original (Similar shows are Mork and Mindy or 3^rd Rock from the Sun, neither of which I have seen), but the show does have its moments. I don't think that it is bad and it would only air on a network known for its strange comedies. I don't know if it will last or not, but I think that it is good enough to stay. Grade: C.

 

Arrow: The CW drama is about the comic book character Green Arrow. I have never read any of those stories, so I don't know if it is accurate or not to the source material. What I saw made it seem interesting enough and this network does need another hit. Grade: B.

 

Last Resort: This ABC drama at 7:00 Central is about treason and how it affects the country they were from and the country they turn to for help. After watching the first episode, it was hard to tell what the overall plot was or where they were going with this. It seemed overall dull and a waste of time. I will probably never watch it again as it moves too slowly to made sense or gather a following. In fact, it seems like ABC only would have created this show so that the set from Lost wouldn't be wasted and they could do more shows with it. Grade: F.

 

Elementary: This CBS drama that airs at 9:00 Central is another look at the Sherlock Holmes franchise. Watson is female for some odd reason. But the show, although Americanizing a British hit (which almost never works out for anyone), is probably a bigger hit than most people would think. Hopefully, it will work in the end and last a long time as I wouldn't mind watching it every week. How it will attract non Sherlock Holmes fans will take a while to see and there are already many classic Holmes fans who probably already hate what's been done to the show, such as turning Watson female. But I see it lasting a long time. Grade: A.

 

Made in Jersey: Never saw an episode and it got cancelled, the first of the season. Any fans of the show are probably upset, but any hashtags were used to promote it no longer are used. It might be burned out in the summer on Saturdays in primetime where the show will never be promoted or watched, but at least there is a hope for some of it to air. At least other new CBS shows get a chance to be a success, as most midseason replacements are normally dead on arrival on this network. That's why Undercover Boss is such a hit. See CBS curse, an earlier blog post on more information about why it failed. Grade: none

 

How twitter is changing television

 

How often have you been watching a show and seen a strange mark that's advertising the show? Like, when you are watching The Mentalist and you see this: #thementalist. Well, TV is changing and everyone knows it. If you have a twitter like I do (@IamAdamDecker) than you may have seen these strange marks known as hashtags. Everyone on television is starting to use them. The official accounts of each network create the tags in order to see what people are talking about. These tags can be subjected to bashing and thus clog up all the official feeds. And shows can get cancelled as well as tags only existing for one specific episode. But these feeds are used in order to help promote the shows and get people talking about anything online. It appears that twitter has become the next useless thing that everyone goes to like wikipedia already is. But I hope that you enjoy the useless conversation, provided you have an account. It might be worth your time. Sorry this isn't a more in-depth blog post. But I'm sure that news and people like it have already written better stories about it. I'm still hoping that local TV critics in my area are writing articles about it. They can do a much better job about it than I'm doing right now. If you want to hire me as a critic, I'm available. I don't have anything better to do with my life. Send me a tweet sometime. I might be open, depending on if you're a real person or not. There are a lot of frauds out there on the web. You might even think that this account is fake. But I blog about whatever and figure that somebody would read it and like it.

 

Also, I have a blog about the reality show Survivor. You can find it through a google search.

Late Night Shows

Late at night some popular shows exist. I haven't seen all of them outside of network television, but I know enough about most of them. Almost all of them are talk shows, unless you are watching a syndicated show or not network television. Women are virtually non-existent at Late Night talk shows. I'll tell you about most of them.

 

Nightline is a half hour news show that airs on ABC right after the local news (if your region has local news on ABC). It covers news of current interest that is mostly national. It can be interesting sometimes, but it isn't always that good. I honestly don't know what a fair description of it is. But I normally watch this as an alternate to what I normally watch. Otherwise, I never would have seen it. In fact, the only reason that I've ever watched this show is because I was waiting to see what was on after it. But it can be good sometimes. Grade: B.

 

The Tonight Show is currently hosted by Jay Leno. A lot of people like him, but I don't find him very funny that much. Whenever there is a change of hosts, there is some great controversy which puts one of the hosts on another network. You'll find it on NBC after the news and was a great success when it started and was virtually unopposed for a while. I don't know if there have ever been guest hosts since Jay took over. But it isn't funny with him and he is too normal to be a talk show host. Grade: D.

 

The Late Show is currently hosted by David Letterman. It is on CBS after the news competing with The Tonight Show. From what I understand, the ratings are almost tied. It helps that they have different political views to catch different viewers which is why some people don't like this show. Also, some of the jokes tend to be repeated and you can get the impression that the live studio audience doesn't normally watch the show. It is, however, funny and can poke fun at stupid people and events (read, celebrities and politicians). The only person who has hosted a talk show longer than him (during the late night schedule, at least) was Johnny Carson, and by now that record will probably be outlived anyways. Grade: A.

 

Jimmy Kimmel Live is hosted by its namesake. It might be live or it could be almost live so the host doesn't do anything objectionable that can't be edited out. You can tell by the newness of everything on the show that he's talking about stuff that just happened. It is ABC's late night talk show which starts around 11 Central, although the time slot might be changing soon. It makes a nice alternative for me when other talk shows aren't on. The sketches are nice sometimes. I haven't seen it enough, but I think that it's good. The only problem is how it is on half an hour later than the others which suckers you in to Nightline which might interest you so it might not matter. Grade: B.

 

Late Night is currently hosted by Jimmy Fallon, the third host, although a different show aired before this one with other hosts. It is on NBC after the Tonight Show. It is interesting, but I haven't seen enough of it to know how good it might be. I think that it makes a good alternative, but I haven't seen a full episode to date. Grade: C.

 

The Late Late Show is currently hosted by Craig Ferguson, also the third host of the show. It is a CBS creation of David Letterman to compete against Late Night and might be winning. Craig is very good and might even be better than David Letterman (I said might). He mostly does improv, but some writers do help with something. Sometimes he has puppets do some jokes and his sidekick is a robot skeleton that says random stuff. He doesn't have a band and likes it that way. He also includes an email segment from everyday viewers. This show has to exist late at night or he wouldn't be allowed to be on basic television. I think that you should watch if you are still up that late. Grade: A.

 

Saturday Night Live is probably the last remaining variety show and sketch show. It has been on since sometime in the 70s when Gerald Ford was president. A lot of it is hit and miss. It continues the fact that every late night show is weird and couldn't exist nowadays on network television during the day. Some is good and some isn't. If you like it, then watch it. The cast is always famous even if you don't know who they were before the show which you normally don't. It will never die as any competition will not take more viewers away. But I do fear for the future of the show when Lorne Michaels dies. With NBC's luck, they will keep it going, but will finally launch a successful competition on another network as when Johnny Carson left The Tonight Show. The cast is also always changing and most of the humor is sex related. But it has its moments. Grade: B-.

 

Daytime Talk Shows

A talk show has one or more hosts talk about current issues, mostly having actors talk about their recent works or musicians playing their music. Depending on the show, there may be human interest stories. There is a mixture of genders, with some of them being hosted by men and others being hosted by women. A select few have one of each. Honestly, almost every talk show during the day hosted by a guy who's not Anderson Cooper isn't worth watching, although I haven't seen enough of them to know for sure. All I know is that The Jerry Springer Show was ranked as the number one worst TV show ever. Maury is almost as pointless and Dr. Phil may be good, but I don't know for sure. I will now tell you about some of them in no particular order.

 

The Talk: Where to find it- 1:00 Central on CBS. Edit as needed for your time zone. What's it like- It's an interesting talk show hosted by five women. It actually airs live unlike most talk shows which are filmed live, but have editing applied before it airs. They talk about current issues as well as interview guests. Notable People- Julie Chen, the host of Big Brother, is a co-host. Sara Gilbert from Roseanne is the creator of the show and a co-host. Sharon Ozbourne is also a co-host. Pros- This show can be quite amusing. It is much better than The View, although comparable to it. Cons- Like all talk shows, it can lose its edge when the guests come on. Since the show is only on CBS, they tend to favorite guests on CBS shows. Some of the issues addressed are quite trivial to anyone without a www.twitter.com account. Outcome: A great show that you might find interesting. It's my favorite talk show with an A+.

 

The Ellen DeGeneres Show: Where to find it- It is syndicated so you'll find it at different times on different channels but it might not be in your region. What's it like- This is also another good talk show which has won awards featuring people with their moments of fame, celebrities, and strange games played by the audience or guests. Pros- This is a good talk show where no one is the victim of the jokes. It is very funny and normally always appropriate. Also, the guests are almost always interesting unlike other shows where the coolness of the show ends when they come on. Cons- You might not like the political views that sometimes pop up or the gay rights views. Also, it is very random sometimes and hard to keep up with if you don't watch it all the time since there are constant references to other episodes. Outcome: Watch it if you like it. I give it an A-.

 

The Dr. Oz Show: Where it find it- It is syndicated and a spin-off of Oprah. What's it like- The famous doctor talks about health problems that you may not know about and what you should do about it. Pros- You might learn something. Cons- It's hard to know what really a problem worth worrying about or not is. Outcome: Not worth your time. I give it a D.

 

Live with Kelly: Where to find it- It is syndicated and is aired and filmed live at 9:00. It might be in your region. What's it like- Kelly Ripa hosts this show although they are looking for a co-host to share the hosting duties with her. For some odd reason, it has to be a guy and can't be a woman like her. It's first half has no break; its second half has short segments and lots of breaks. Pros- You might like it. It has a certain beat to it from show to show where almost nothing changes. Cons- The format is annoying. If you missed an episode, you'll probably never see it again. It is mostly geared at women and not men. Outcome: Take it or leave it. I give it a B-.

 

The 700 Club: Where to find it- It is syndicated so you'll have to search for it or you may not have it at all. What's it like- Pat Robertson as well as other people, host a Christian show full of the wonders of God and other interesting stories with guests, some famous. Pros- You hear great stories about miracles and how some people were turned to Christ. Cons- I used to watch this, well, religiously, but haven't seen it in a while. Their political views are off-putting to those of the other party. Sometimes it seems less like a confession of faith and more like the rants of a crazy man. Outcome: Take it or leave it. I give it a C+.

 

Here is the winner of the worst show on television for the 2011-2012 Season

 

Worst show on television: Work It

PBS

Here is information relating to PBS and shows found on it.

PBS offers a great variety of shows that are on at different times throughout the season. Some of it remains constant from time to time and others change. It offers a different feel than the other networks and you'll feel much better watching it then somebody getting murdered, reality shows, or what people think is funny. I will now tell you what is available.

 

McLaughlin Group: Description- A panel of people discuss current political affairs. It is filmed in Washington DC. There is the main person and two people for each political side. Pros- There is political discussion from both sides. The bickering can be quite funny. Cons- It is not for people who don't like to discuss politics. They are actually biased towards the right which although hard to notice, once I did I stopped watching the show. Recommendation- Watch it if you like it. I think that it is pretty interesting. Prediction- This show will never leave the air. Grade: B.

 

Nova: Description- This is an educational show about science. There are different versions like Nova Science Now and others. Pros- You can learn a lot from this show. Cons- It isn't for everyone because you could find it boring. Recommendation- Watch it if you like it which you might. Prediction- It will stay forever like it has to this point. Grade: A-.

 

Nature: Description- Basically, a show about nature, mostly animal life. You might find similar things on the Discovery Channel. Pros- It is very interesting to some people and might be to you. Cons- Some of what is shown is a bit gruesome. Recommendation- I like it and think that you should watch it if you have the time. Prediction- It will last forever. Grade: A.

 

Antiques Road Show: Description- It is a show about old objects and how much they are worth. Pros- You can learn a lot if you have something that you'd like to sell. Cons- It can be very boring at times. If you aren't interested, you won't like it. Recommendation- Take it or leave it. Prediction- Like everything on PBS, the moment it is cancelled is the moment that the world ends. Grade: B-.

 

American Experience: Description- This is a show about history that has happened in America. Pros- It is very interesting to those who are interested in American History. Cons- It is not interesting for those who don't. Recommendation- If you like it, then watch it if you can find it. Prediction- It will last forever. Grade: A.

 

Washington Week: Noteworthiness- It is a half-hour long show that is the longest running of its type on PBS. Description- This is an informative show on current political affairs and other news. Notable People- Gwen Eiffel hosts the show and the team is recognizable as well. Pros- The people talk about politics in a civilized way, without any bickering. You can learn a lot. Also, you here from both sides. Cons- Other good shows tend to be on at the same time. It can be hard to stay into week to week. Not interesting to those who hate politics. Recommendation- Watch this show if you can and you like it. Prediction- It will stay the longest running show on PBS of its type. Grade: A.

Network Talk, The CBS Curse, and the Worst Shows Last Season

Consider this a holy trinity in Blog Updates. I will post talk about each of the major networks, more of this CBS Curse I mentioned last time, and the winner of the Golden Huckleberry Awards for the worst TV shows last season. I will post the absolute worst show in the future, unless you can already guess what it probably is.

The CBS Curse

 

    I mentioned in my last blog post about what I called the CBS Curse. I will now explain more about that. CBS is too good a network. The network is so good it is bad for the network. They once cancelled a show with 11 million viewers because it wasn't enough! That can create a curse for new shows and even for existing shows. The network is number one in total viewers. It may not do so well in certain demographics like FOX does, but at least it keeps shows for a long time, depending on how well they are doing and they don't throw their latest hits in the garbage like FOX does. (Between the two of us, when a hit ages on CBS, they put it in bad timeslots where it soon loses viewers and gets cancelled or miraculously gains viewers for being in a slot not normally watched. But it doesn't matter because new hits come along and should stay on TV for awhile.)

 

CBS shows tend to fall into a certain category each season. Midseason replacements are always dead on arrival and the last one that was any success was a reality show that first premiered after the Super Bowl and will be a midseason replacement again this coming season. If you don't have a full season of 22 episodes or more on this network, you are basically considered cancelled unless you luck out like CSI: New York did. But that show won't last long in future seasons unless it can survive being on the bubble a third time. The other certainty about the CBS curse is that if the season of a show ends before May Sweeps than it is certain to get cancelled. So far Rules of Engagement has survived the curse numerous times, but since the network doesn't even like the show and only keeps it around when there's an empty time slot, I wouldn't give it any credit. Whether you are a fan of CBS or not, you should know of their failures. They tend to show a lot of successful shows and even air their failures on Saturdays during the summer. Time will tell if the curse goes away. But you can still watch quality programming not seen typically on other networks. One can wonder if CBS will have a serious fall from grace like some networks have. There is no other network that seems as good as CBS. Just remember that it has this curse.

 

Network Talk

 

ABC

 

ABC- If they could make up their mind more often, then it would be a better network. Of the main networks not including PBS, this might be my favorite and I would watch it more if I have the time. But it also has a habit of cancelling a lot of good shows immediately once it gets them. It handles a lot of different types of shows. With FOX, they cancel a lot of shows because they order a lot and are constantly changing some of their schedule. However, some of it does remain the same from time to time. I would watch this network more if CBS didn't have good shows. Its popular reality show is Dancing with the Stars and people tend to flock to it more than most scripted shows on the network, even if you don't know who half the "stars" are. During daytime, they show soap operas and other shows, some unique to the network. At late night, they show the popular news show Nightline and Jimmy Kimmel Live. Grade: C.

 

ABC Run Down- News: They have great investigative news always digging for the truth. Good Morning America is their morning news/talk show. 20/20 and Primetime are ones on once a week, even though their ratings are starting to fail. Nightline is the only national nightly news on five days a week which is actually higher rated than any other late night program. I think that their news is the best. Comedies: This network isn't that good at comedies. For proof, go to www.youtube.com and look up a promo of the show Work It. At least they're unique. Their longest comedies are mostly new: Modern Family and The Middle. Their most popular is Modern Family. Dramas: As with comedies, ABC doesn't do well with dramas either, but has a better success rate. About 25% of it tends to stay around. Their longest running drama is Grey's Anatomy. Their most popular, however, is most likely Castle. Reality: This is probably the best network for reality shows with mostly all of them doing pretty good. Unless you count America's Funniest Home Videos, their most successful and probably longest running reality show is Dancing with the Stars. Soap Operas: This network is catching the cancellation fever with Soaps and is getting rid of two of them at around the same time. The age of the Soap Opera is ending. Game Shows: I don't think that ABC has any game shows at all. Normally the ones they have on in the summer in primetime and tend to be very lame, so lame, in fact, that I'm not sure why they ever existed in the first place. Some good ones do show up from time to time. Talk Shows: All they have is the View during daytime and Jimmy Kimmel Live during late night. Summer Shows: ABC goes overboard with their summer shows practically getting rid of reruns except for their most popular shows. But it is mostly a waste of money and airtime as CBS can beat them in reruns.

 

More about ABC- Fans: The fans of ABC are around the same as other networks where it manages to find fans all the time despite screwing their viewers a lot. Specials: ABC owns the rights to the Charlie Brown or Peanuts franchise. They tend to air a lot of different ones like the Oscars and special news segments. Boneheaded Decisions: ABC was one of the networks that passed on the CSI pilot. The show Cavemen was a horrible decision. Airing Who Wants to be a Millionaire five nights a week in primetime lost viewers for a good while. Good Decisions: I don't know exactly what good decisions they made are, but I'm sure they've made some. Sports: ABC doesn't show sports that much. Commercials: These tend to last a very long time, much more than any other network. In fact, you'll probably want to throw your remote at the TV because it is taking too long to get back to the main program. What I'd Change: I'd probably scale back the networks orders on shows and make sure that all the other ones ordered would be good.

 

CBS

 

CBS- Arguably the best network, I have seen every show on it. They mostly do mystery shows and other hits. It is the most popular network, was one of the first three channels. The time slots change the least, which is why it was a surprise when they move shows around. That might have been a bad decision as fans didn't stay at that time slot or follow to the old show's new one. Shows that are no longer a part of the schedule before the end of the season are pretty much cancelled in almost every case I've seen. It also cancels the least shows except for the CW. In fact, CBS owns half of the CW, which is why you might see advertisements for CW shows on CBS. I watch CBS more than any other network. The daytime shows are mostly unique to this network. It has good late night shows. You will find reruns on this network but not of reality shows (except for Undercover Boss). Grade: A.

 

CBS Run Down- News: The news on this network is liked enough, but for some odd reason, doesn't get as much viewers on at least the early morning show. 60 Minutes is their longest running show and 48 Hours is the second longest running. Comedies: The comedies on this network tend to be at a 50/50 success rate. You may know Two and a Half Men, The Big Bang Theory, and How I Met Your Mother, but none of the others. The longest running comedy is currently Two and a Half Men. That and The Big Bang Theory are popular comedies. Drama: TNT knows drama, but CBS is the master at it. Drama, most commonly mystery shows, is the network's signature and although they don't advertise it, what makes their network the most watched. The longest running drama is currently CSI. The most popular is NCIS. Reality: CBS was the first to air a primetime reality show. They tend to only stick with what is well liked and keeps reality TV to a minimum. What is rare is seeing a show where the fans decide the competition. The longest running reality show is currently Survivor which is the most popular, (I think). Soap Operas: These shows are starting to fade from this network being the first to get rid of them. That has actually helped them get better ratings in some cases with the new shows that have replaced it. Only two remain and could be the oldest parts of the network and probably existed on radio before television. They are The Young and the Restless and The Bold and the Beautiful. Game Shows: Everybody probably knows what The Price is Right is which is their longest running game show and sometimes the only one. It still seems to do well even though the host is different. Their other game show is Let's Make a Deal. Talk Shows: Except for The Talk, none of their talk shows are just part of their network (unless you count CBS: This Morning, which is more of a news show). The Talk is the longest running talk show on their network and probably the only one unique to their network. They do, also, have two late night talk shows that have been on a long time. Summer Shows: CBS rarely has new shows during the summer as no one is really watching. But they do have Big Brother and reruns of returning series. They also try their hand at normally lame reality shows that aren't typically remembered. (Remember Same Name?)

 

More about CBS- Fans: The fans of CBS tend to be older audiences that never stop watching. In fact, it is possible that death is the only way CBS loses viewers. Because older people have more time to watch TV, that makes CBS the most watched network. Specials: CBS shows more specials than any other network. Most of them, however, tend to be forgettable as specials can be. Most of them are award shows and a hidden camera show (I Get That A Lot). Boneheaded Decisions: Like all major networks, CBS has made dumb movies. The last season of Roseanne that wasn't supposed to exist was not good. Airing a teen orgy episode of Without a Trace got a hefty fine from the FCC as did partial nudity in a Super Bowl airing. Most of their bad decisions have been kept to a minimum and one hasn't happened in a good while. But the number one network could have a fall from grace in the future. When you are so high up, there's no place to go but down. Good decisions: Although it made three other networks look stupid, picking up the CSI pilot was a very good decision for CBS. Also, when NBC cancelled JAG after just one season on the air, CBS fed off of the older demographic and aired another nine seasons producing the hit spin-off NCIS. Sports: CBS likes to air the Super Bowl and seems to get it every other year. It is the major home of March Madness. The problem is the football they show on Sundays. It delays the normal programming by as much as forty five minutes which can be annoying and causes cancellation of the shows on at the latest slot. Commercials: Not really that different from other networks. Other: They air segments called CBS Cares where people that normally work for the network talk about important events in the world which tends to get preempted by other commercials. What I'd change: I'm not sure that I would change anything. This network is too popular for its own good. What they need is a lesser network for the shows they want to keep but can't get rid of. I'm not sure, however, that the FCC would allow such a thing.

 

CW

 

CW- If only more people watched it (and they had better shows), then it would be more popular. There is even an unspoken argument as to whether or not this even counts as a major network. They do a variety of shows and you'll actually find things that aren't on other major networks because it is too good for them. It is the least watched major network. There used to be two networks called UPN and the WB. They were both the lowest watched networks on major television and some people don't even classify it as that. Most shows resemble soap operas in primetime. CBS owned UPN, thus they own half of the CW. The two networks decided to merge and form this one. Most of the shows are inspired by something else or remakes. It was so bad at comedies; they don't show any on the network anymore. It is generally bad at reality shows, but it does have America's Next Top Model. Because the shows on this network perform so badly, they normally don't get cancelled because there are much worse shows on the network. In fact, if any of these shows were on a different network and had the same rating, they would have been cancelled a long time ago. You can find unique shows on here for a while. During daytime hours, you will find syndicated shows. They also show syndicated shows during late night. Reruns are seen a lot. This network is constantly in fifth place and if it ever came in fourth, it would be a success unheard of for the CW. It gets worse ratings then some cable channels original programming. Also, when a show it aired had the lowest premiere in American television history, it still aired more episodes because it is that bad off (and the episodes were already made in the Canadian series that aired here). Grade: B.

 

CW Rundown- News: The CW shows no national news but does have local ones. Comedies: A total of six comedies have ever aired on this network with all but one of them airing on other networks. Three of them were on UPN before they merged and only one was from the WB which should have stayed ended. The Game was cancelled by this network and picked up by BET, the only survivor. They don't show any comedies anymore because they were really bad at them. Drama: Whether it is supernatural, a teen drama, some other type of show, or a combination of the three, that is pretty much all you will find on the network. The longest running is Supernatural, which was on a season on the WB before it came on this network, and the most popular is The Vampire Diaries. Reality: The CW sucks at reality shows. I don't know why they keep trying. The longest running is America's Next Top Model, a leftover from UPN. That is not only the most popular, but nothing else tends to last. Soap Opera: There is not a single Soap Opera on the CW, unless you count some of their primetime shows. Game Shows: All the game shows on this network are syndicated. Talk Shows: What applies to game shows also applies to talk shows on this network. Summer Shows: These are mostly reruns of shows but some new shows also air sometimes.

 

More about the CW- Fans: The fans tend to be young women. In fact, that is the main demographic that they look for. Specials: Not a single one airs that I know of. Boneheaded Decisions:
Continuing trying to find a second reality show is stupid. Not picking up Moonlight when it would greatly benefit the network was also dumb. Other than that, it hasn't really made any besides picking up 7^th Heaven after it was supposed to end and costing another show it's chance at ever being aired. Good Decisions: Merging with another failing network was a good choice. Also, getting into the vampire frenzy also helped the network. Sports: Although sports do show up from time to time, it is on very rare occasions. Commercials: They seem to end as soon as they begin so that you don't leave the network. Other: The only original part of this network happens at primetime or is the local news. What I'd Change: I don't really know how to improve the network, but I'd probably pick up cancelled TV shows like UPN used to do.

 

FOX

 

FOX- It is the least liked network among people and most shows even make fun of how much this network sucks. They show animation (adult cartoons) and dramas with a few comedies. Their live action shows don't do as well as their animated shows. It was not an original network. It only shows two hours of primetime programming, the only official network to do that (since the CW isn't an official network). They aren't very popular among some people and tend to cancel a lot of shows yet they also have popular shows which tend to cancel the other ones out. Since their shows change so much, it is hard to tell what is on when. I'm not sure why people like it as they only care about the shows that perform well and treat the rest like crap. It could be because they allow more creative freedom for writers, but even that isn't real. Their primetime is anything, but mostly dramas or animation. Their daytime is all syndicated. Their late night is also syndicated, but they might try a talk show in the future. You can tell it is FOX because they throw their latest hits in the garbage almost the moment that they get them. Grade: D.

 

FOX Rundown- News: No national news except Sunday unless you turn to its cable counterpart. There is a huge argument as to whether FOX News is actually news. Most of it is heavily biased towards the right, but according to them, they are the only news that is truthful and honest. Comedies: In terms of failures it's hard to tell if FOX or ABC does worse. It does have the successful animated comedies, but I don't count them as you don't find them on any other major network. What typically happens is they have one good sitcom and absolutely nothing to pair it up against. But they have had successes in the past. In terms of their more successful animated comedies, The Simpsons has run the longest and is the most popular along with Family Guy. In fact, there is no primetime scripted show that has lasted longer than The Simpsons Drama: FOX does come out with a good drama every now and then. My favorite of all time is Drive. Their longest running is Bones and that is also their most popular. Reality: If it weren't for American Idol and So You Think You Can Dance?, then there wouldn't be a single good reality show on this network (if you even like those). They are also the most popular shows which always bring back the viewers at midseason. Soap Opera: Not a single soap opera has ever aired on this network. Game Shows: This network has had some good game shows which are now syndicated. Other than that, it really doesn't have any without causing a whole lot of controversy. Talk Shows: I don't think they even show a syndicated talk show on this network. Summer Shows: Like most networks, it doesn't like reruns during the summer except of its most popular shows like its animated shows.

 

More about FOX- Fans: The fans of this network are put through constant depressions with their favorite shows getting cancelled but finding new faith in another show that just gets cancelled as well. I don't think we'll ever stop to realize how stupid that is. Specials- FOX airs very few specials. It's anniversary special barely drew any viewers and that's another reason most people stop watching the network. Boneheaded Decisions- It's very existence could be described as stupid as television has gotten along without it before and could do it again. Besides, the network has a habit of throwing its latest hit into the garbage when something better comes along. It's special Who Wants to Marry and Multibillionaire caused a lot of problems and caused the network to claim that they would never air a reality show again. They lied. But since no live action show has lasted more than ten years in recent history, it could be further described as a dumb network that people still come back to like a bad drug. Good Decisions- I don't know if FOX did something especially important, but they did prove that a fourth network could exist on television. If you actually like American Idol, then that was a good decision. Sports- FOX airs too many sports that have been known to preempt certain programs. They normally have good schedules on Sundays to avoid CBS's problem of delaying their programs until the end of sports. But it can be aggravating not knowing when these shows are on. Commercials- FOX seems to air a lot of Hardees commercials, so what they air is sexist typically. Other- What makes this network different then the other three is that there is no morning news show, there is no late night show, there is only two hours of primetime, there is few syndicated programs, and their best shows never make it that long. What I'd Change- Well, I would probably stop changing the schedule so much and stop screwing shows like this network does more than any other, if the others even do that.

 

NBC

 

NBC- This network probably has a head-banging wall over the bad decisions that they have made over time. They show any possible show that they can. It was doing so badly that it merged with Comcast, a cable giant. Their somewhat recent Tonight Show fiasco was rated the number one blunder in television history. More shows have been cancelled from this network and picked up by another network than any other network. They show a lot of different shows in all varieties that change constantly. Daytime is both unique and syndicated. It has more programs late at night than anyone else. That has also caused the most problems for the network. Grade: C.

 

NBC Rundown: News- I haven't really seen much of the news, but it doesn't matter to me. Comedies- This is where NBC dominates and they have better comedies then most other networks. They are the master at comedies and they can't really do much without them. Most of their comedies are on Thursdays, their most successful night. But expect to see more as they have the best comedies. Their longest running comedy is The Office and all of them are arguably popular. Drama- I'm not really sure what to say with their dramas. Sometimes they get a good hit that lasts an incredibly long time. Law and Order: SVU is not only their longest running drama, but it is the only primetime drama to premiere last millennium, lasting longer than any other network's primetime dramas. They are slowly searching for other hits, but haven't had much success recently. But it should come soon. Reality- NBC does a lot of reality shows that seem like experiments. They don't seem to last long even in the primetime slots. But they have The Voice, even if there is nothing else. Soap Opera- NBC does great with Soap Operas and still has some great shows that have lasted a long time. They will not disappear any time soon. Game Show- NBC does a lot of strange game shows. Most of them are primetime and don't spend that much time on the air. No daytime game shows exist outside of syndicated shows. Talk Shows: The Today show might count as their only talk show. It lasts a total of four hours, but doesn't have much news in it. That show is considered their only hit, outside The Tonight Show. Summer Shows- NBC has a crazy summer schedule and airs very few reruns. But I don't bother finding out what the shows are because they get cancelled anyways it seems.

 

More about NBC: Fans- The fans of NBC must like the network for some reason, but I don't know who they are and why they haven't been watching much lately. Specials- NBC normally airs the Olympics but doesn't air many other specials. Boneheaded Decisions- Poor NBC has done the most boneheaded decisions, most of which have to do with their late night programming and cancelling JAG after just one season. (JAG would be picked up by CBS and have a spin-off known as NCIS). But NBC should prosper, if only they can come up with a better way of doing shows. Good Decisions- We'll see what more of their good decisions are when they actually make them. Sports- NBC airs the typical sports of any other major network. Their Sundays are always sports the first half of the season. Commercials- The commercials don't seem that bad or good and seem like those on every other network. Other- NBC is struggling at the time. Whether it will succeed in the future is another thing. Back in the days of radio, it had two channels and had to sell off their less successful one now known as ABC. It was the first of the major three radio channels to premiere on TV. What I'd Change- I'd stop cancelling good shows which give other networks a chance to do better.

 

PBS

 

PBS- This is the best network and should always stay, if nothing else, for its educational shows. It is completely owned by the government and mostly survives through viewers' donations. It is very different from other networks because they don't show commercials. They show historical, educational, and musical programs as well as the popular kids block that it on weekdays. Its daytime children's block is filled with the best and most popular kids' shows. Even if the show isn't producing any new episodes, they can be in reruns for a long time. In fact, some have and got more, new episodes a long time later. Their primetime and other slots are nice as well. The problem that arises is the fact that there tends to a lack of consistency with their schedules from weeknights and some weekdays. The only counterpart to PBS I know of is National Public Radio (NPR). It also has the least biased news whose basis in truth telling can get it accused of liberal biased and threatened to take away funding. I recommend it as a great wildcard as you are sure to find something great on at some point. In fact, if you start watching something, you won't want to change the channel or you'll probably miss something. It has more nationwide affiliates than any major network that is considered a major network. (It beats the next by over a hundred.) Grade: A.

 

Golden Huckleberry Awards (for the worst TV shows)

 

2011-2012

 

Here are the winners of each category along with the nominees for the worst shows on television.

 

Worst cliffhanger resolution: CSI

 

Worst ending to a TV series: Missing

 

Worst acting: How to Be a Gentleman

 

Worst writing: The Bachelor/The Bachelorette

 

Worst plot: Work It

 

The good riddance award: Work It

 

Why do people care award: Glee

 

Worst idea for a show: Work It

 

Biggest waste of time: Rules of Engagement

 

Most forgettable: How to Be a Gentleman

 

Bonehead decision of the season: Work It

 

Worst pilot: Work It

 

Worst drama show: Glee

 

Worst comedy show: Work It

 

Worst new show: Work It

 

Why is it still on award: American Idol

 

Most overrated show: Glee

 

Weakest Characters: How to Be a Gentleman

 

Worst Reason to Cancel a Good Show: 2 Broke Girls

 

Why was it created award: Work It

 

What were they thinking award: Work It

 

Why do people like it award: 2 Broke Girls

 

Jumped the shark award: The Simpsons

 

Worst show on FOX: American Idol

 

Worst show on ABC: Work It

 

Worst show on CBS: How to Be a Gentleman

 

Worst show on NBC: The Office

 

Worst show on the CW: Gossip Girl

 

Worst show on every other network: Jersey Shore

 

Worst syndicated show: The Jerry Springer Show

 

Worst show on television: American Idol, Work It, How to Be a Gentleman, The Office, Gossip Girl, Jersey Shore, and The Jerry Springer Show

 

Stay tuned for my next post.

Cancelled and Worst Shows

Not every show lasts. It doesn't matter how long or short it lasts on the air. Shows do end up getting cancelled or ending of their own free will. Here is my review of these shows, whether you've seen them yet or not.

 

NYC 22: Description- A bunch of new cops have interesting adventures. Why I've Seen It- It was on CBS and nothing else good was on at the time. Pros- Not many shows are like it. Cons- There's not enough in it. Recommendation- Since the show got cancelled and might not ever be seen again, I don't know what to say about whether you should watch it or not. I say, go ahead if you can find it. Let me know where it is. Cancellation Reasons- It fell victim to the CBS curse. It premiered late into the season and garnered very few viewers. There was no reason for people to watch a new show this late into the season. I don't even know if they'll finish airing the show on television or not, but they probably will. Similar Shows: Rookie Blue. Grade: B-.

 

Terra Nova: Description- A dying world in the future goes into an alternate past filled with dinosaurs to save the world. Not only do they have to deal with dinosaurs that could easily kill them, but also an evil group of people that came back with them. Why I've Seen It- I thought it was the best looking new show on television this season. Noteworthiness- This show had the most expensive pilot in television history. They did not order a pilot but thirteen episodes, a very rare move. Pros- You do not see many sci-fi shows on television for that long. It was probably the best new show this season. Few shows like this exist. Cons- It's not as good as other sci-fi shows are. It can be boring and the plot moves too slowly, yet at the same time, too quickly. Not enough happened in it. It should have been a movie instead. Recommendation- They'll probably release it to DVD, but even if they don't, you might still like it. Cancellation Reasons- The critics hated it. It was way too expensive. Shows like this should just be movies instead. Similar Shows: none. Grade: B-.

 

House: Description- A doctor named House uses any method to save his patients. Why I've Seen It- I was trying to find a medical drama to watch that has good enough ratings. Pros- The show is interesting to some people. Cons- The show is boring. Recommendation- It doesn't matter if you watch it anymore since it will be ending. I only ever watched it because there is nothing else good on at the time for the whole entire hour. Cancellation Reasons- I don't exactly know every reason why it ended; it had simply run its course. Similar Shows: none. Grade: C.

 

How to Be a Gentleman: Description- No one cares. Why I've Seen It- It was on CBS. Pros- It got cancelled. Cons- Everything else including the fact that it even existed. Recommendation- It will never be seen again which is a very good thing. Cancellation Reasons- The show was crap. The acting was crap. The writing was crap. So much of it was crap. I don't know why it even existed in the first place. Similar Shows: none. Grade: F. It got replaced by Rules of Engagement. If you care about it, the remaining episodes are being burned off on Saturdays.

 

The Secret Circle: Description- A group of teenage witches develop their powers in a small town. It is based off of a book series by L. J. Smith, the same writer of the Vampire Diaries book series. Why I've Seen it- Devotion to watch at least one new CW show this season. Pros- The recurring storyline can keep you interested into what's happening. Cons- The show looks like an attempt at the network to recreate something else. The plot moves too slowly and it can be uninteresting. Recommendation- I don't know what to tell you. The books were probably better so just read them instead of wasting your time watching TV or reading blogs. Cancellation Reasons- I don't know what exactly happened to cause the show's demise, but it didn't really add much to television that wasn't already there. Similar Shows: none. Grade: C-.

 

A Gifted Man: Description- A great medical doctor sees his dead ex-wife and starts caring more about other people. Why I've Seen It- It was on CBS, the best network. Pros- A drama like this is very unusual and not typically seen on television. Cons- The dead ex-wife angle was very strange and didn't add much to the show. Recommendation- It was good while it lasted. I don't think it will reappear on DVD, but that remains to be seen. Cancellation Reasons- It was the lowest rated drama on CBS. It was on Fridays. They took it off the air before the regular season ended, thus making it a victim of the CBS curse. Basically, no one cared about this show. Similar Shows: none. Grade: B+.

 

Awake: Description- After a horrible car accident, a man finds himself living in two different realities where they both seem like dreams, but both seem real. Why I've seen it- I thought that it looked good and I vowed to watch one midseason replacement on NBC. Pros- It is incredibly unique and not many shows like it are ever made. The critics seem to love it. Cons- The dual storylines can be very complicated. It is hard to know what is really real, if any of it is. Recommendation- I don't know if it will be released to DVD, but I still like the show and think that it should have lasted longer. Cancellation Reasons- I don't really know why people didn't tune it and watch it, but it apparently was too great for television. Similar Shows: none. Grade: A-.

 

Missing: Description- A ex-CIA mother looks for her missing son in Europe. Why I've seen it- The premise sounded intriguing and I wanted to watch a midseason replacement on ABC. Notable People- Sean Bean known mostly for his work on Lord of the Rings was a cast member. Pros- It is full of a lot of suspense and drama. It can be hard not to watch. There aren't any other missing person's dramas on television. Cons- It is kind of a rip-off of Taken, with gender swapped roles. There are too many twists and it can be hard to keep track of. Recommendation- Since it is getting released to DVD (I think), you might as well get it, if you don't mind the cliffhanger ending. It is possible that more seasons will be made internationally. Cancellation Reasons- The critics hated it and seemed like it was ridiculous. Too much competition seemed to kill it. It was hard to follow, and should have just been a movie instead. There were too many twists in the plot. Similar Shows: none. Grade: B.

 

Rules of Engagement: Description- It is about the adventures of a long married couple, an engaged couple, a single "ladies man," and his assistant. Why I've Seen It- I forgot why I've ever started watching it in the first place. I must have thought it was interesting then. Notable People- Patrick Warburton, known for his voice acting on different shows and movies, is Jeff. David Spade, known for his work on Saturday Night Live, 8 Simple Rules, and various movies, is Russell. Others might be present. Pros- It can be funny at times. Cons- It was rated by someone at TV.com as the worst sitcom currently on television, even though he hasn't seen a whole episode. Although I wouldn't agree with him, he's not far off. Recommendation- Don't watch it. Maybe if nothing else good is on you could watch it, but even then the TV is better off. Special Note- This might not really be cancelled, but the network hates the show and doesn't normally have it unless there are problems with other shows on the air. I give it an F+, but think that even if it does continue, it won't last that long and you shouldn't even bother. CBS hates the show and only has it around when nothing else good is on.

 

Minute to Win It: Why I've seen it- Randomly caught an episode. Description- It is a game show where two people compete for money by doing weird tasks in sixty seconds. Notable People- The host is Guy Pierce. Pros- An interesting game show to some people. Cons- If you don't get into it, you'll never watch it. Recommendation- Something else better might be on, so watch that instead. If you do like this, then there's no reason to stop. Cancellation Reasons- All primetime game shows either get cancelled or become syndicated or daytime shows. Since most people never knew when it was on or that it even still existed, then it doesn't matter that it got cancelled. But, at least it has a tie-in board game. Similar Shows: none. Grade: D.

 

Alcatraz: Why I've seen it- Decided to watch it because nothing else good was on and to fulfill my promise to watch a midseason replacement on FOX this season. Description- Criminals from a famous prison suddenly reappear as if nothing has happened since it closed to start committing new crimes. Pros- It is unique. Cons- It is very boring. Recommendation- No one liked it and I didn't care much for it. Cancellation Reasons- It wasn't very good and that's all I can think of. Some might have thought it was too violent. I say that it was very pointless. Similar Shows: none. Grade: C-.

 

Unforgettable: Description- A woman cop has a memory where she cannot forget anything. She is also trying to solve the death of her sister. Why I've Seen It- It was on CBS, the best network dedicated to quality programming. Pros- It's a very unique type of show that doesn't show up that often. Cons- It can seem unrealistic at points. The show doesn't really end and probably won't be picked up by another network (but it could still happen, even if it's unlikely). Recommendation- It was fun while it lasted, but it isn't on anymore. Cancellation Reasons- There just weren't enough viewers for whatever reasons. I guess the unforgettable show is something they'd rather forget. Similar Shows: none. Grade: C.

 

Ringer: Description- Strange circumstances force a woman to assume the identity of her identical twin and everyone has their secrets. It was originally supposed to be a CBS show. Why I've Seen It- It came up in a dream and I decided to watch when nothing else was on. Pros- Not many shows are like it. Cons- It sure seemed to follow every stereotype in the book. It is somehow both over and under dramatic. Recommendation- I wasn't very into it and I don't think that you would be either. Cancellation Reasons- Probably, problems with advertising the show and what it was supposed to be on CBS and ended up being on the CW. Similar Shows- none. Grade: D.

 

CSI: Miami: Why I've Seen It- My brother was into it and I started watching sometimes as well. Noteworthiness- It is part of the CSI franchise, the second one to air. It was originally created to be the first "rip-off" of the successful CSI. Description- A team of CSIs investigates murders and other crimes in Miami. Pros- An interesting crime show for those that like typical crime shows. Cons- People have said that it doesn't represent how CSI really works. Some episodes are weird and leave you wondering why they were made at all in the end. Not enough females are represented in the cast. Recommendation- Watch it while you can as it is likely to get cancelled very soon. There are two other CSI shows on television that you might like more. Cancellation Reasons- It got taken off the air before the regular season ended on CBS, thus, making it a victim of the CBS curse. It was on their most hated time slot. The viewership must have dropped too far. Fans consider this the worst CSI. As to why NBC, ABC, or FOX, networks that passed on the original CSI, haven't picked the show up is probably its long running time on CBS. It is the longest running show to get cancelled this season (that I know of). But there still might be a follow-up movie (CBS Films needs a hit) or a new CSI that will eventually take its place on television. Similar Shows: CSI and CSI: New York. Grade: C.

 

Rob: Description- Based loosely on the life of Rob Snider (if I'm spelling his last name right), we see what happens when a lifelong bachelor suddenly gets married and meets his Mexican in-laws. Why I've Seen It- There was nothing else good on and I like CBS, the network it was on. Notable People- Rob Snider and Cheech Marin are in the show. Pros- The in-law sitcom has been proven to work on television. It can be funny at times. Cons- The show relied too heavily on stereotypes. The acting could use some work. It lasted too short. Recommendation-It was probably good, if you ever found time to watch it. But now, it is sitting on a box on a shelf gathering dust. Cancellation Reasons- It was a CBS midseason replacement. It didn't last long so people couldn't get used to it. A lot of people hate the main actor. There weren't enough viewers. Basically, it barely got a chance and thus, couldn't last. Similar Shows: none. Grade: B-.

 

Cougar Town: Description- I honestly have no idea what the show is about. Even the creator of the show hates its name because it doesn't work. It was once tied with The Middle and Modern Family as ABC's longest running sitcom, despite its short time on the air. Why I've Seen It- Nothing else was on and a friend recommended it. Notable People- Courtney Cox from Friends is on the show. Pros- No other show like it exists on television. Cons- It can be very stupid and pointless. Recommendation- Not worth your time. Special Note- The show may be over on ABC, but it will continue on TBS. I'm not sure if ABC cancelled it, but it will cost less to make on TBS. Similar Shows: none. Grade: D+.

 

And now a complete list of all the cancelled or ending shows this season and why they are gone now (if any are missing then I apologize)

 

Desperate Housewives (ended of its own accord), One Tree Hill (ended of its own accord), Work It (if you've seen it or previews of it, you'll understand not only why it was cancelled, but also wonder why it was picked up), Man Up (sexist), The Playboy Club (forget why), Allen Gregory (stupid), Free Agents (also stupid), H8r (CW reality shows never last), Prime Suspect (I'm not sure, but there weren't enough viewers), Expedition Impossible (seemed too much like The Amazing Race), In the Flow (stupid), Chuck (NBC wanted it gone for a long time and finally got their wish), Friends with Benefits (stupid), Love Bites (had no plot), Take the Money and Run (dumb idea that didn't work), 101 Ways to Leave a Game Show (doesn't work well here, but does great internationally), Charlie's Angels (unoriginal idea, I guess), Breaking In (it was already cancelled once and all the network did with a second season was make viewers hate it even more), I Hate My Teenage Daughter (read the name of the show and try telling me why it didn't last), The Frame (there was so little interest in this show, not a single episode was even made), Same Name (if you remember this show existing, you will remember that it doesn't exist anymore because of so little interest. CBS didn't even bother to officially cancel it and two episodes didn't even air), The Firm (the advertisements made it seem like a continuation of something else and if you weren't into that, then the show wouldn't work and it aired mostly on Saturday), The River (people just aren't that into a horror TV show), Pan Am (sexist, I think, and no one knew what it actually was about since we never heard of Pan Am around here), GCB (I have no idea why it aired and I guess people didn't want to watch anything after the lowly rated Desperate Housewives that made fun of what their religion might be), Napoleon Dynamite (it was a stupid movie and a show based on it is even worse), The Sing-Off (there were too many shows like it already so viewers have one less reality show to be mad at for taking up airspace), Harry's Law (the number of viewers weren't much in the 18-34 demographic, making it good television but bad for advertisers who want irrational people watching shows), Extreme Makeover: Home Edition (not exactly sure why it's gone, but at least viewers have one less reality show to hate), America's Most Wanted (gone from FOX but continues on Lifetime), Bent (a failure of the struggling NBC network), BFF (another failure of NBC), Are You There, Chelsea? (yet another failure of NBC), The Finder (this spin-off of Bones was isolated to Fridays by FOX, thus ensuring its cancellation).

 

The next list is another list of reasons certain shows got cancelled.

 

Shows the network forgot they picked up (In the Flow, Friends with Benefits, Same Name, Napoleon Dynamite, How to Be a Gentleman, NYC 22, Rob), Shows that have run their course (House, One Tree Hill, Chuck, Desperate Housewives, CSI: Miami, America's Most Wanted), Shows that the network wished were popular but weren't (Terra Nova, Prime Suspect, The River, The Sing-Off, Harry's Law, CSI: Miami, Awake, The Secret Circle), Shows ruined by advertisements (101 Ways to Leave a Game Show, Allen Gregory, Work It, Man Up, Take the Money and Run, Charlie's Angels, How to be a Gentleman, The Firm, Pan Am, Napoleon Dynamite, GCB, Rules of Engagement, How to Be a Gentleman), Shows never advertised (The Playboy Club, Free Agents, H8r, Chuck, I Hate My Teenage Daughter, Love Bites, Same Name, The Sing-Off, Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, Bent, BFF, The Finder, Minute to Win It, The Secret Circle), Shows too awesome for television (Terra Nova, Expedition Impossible, Chuck, Missing, Awake), Cancelled because they were new (Man Up, The Playboy Club, Allen Gregory, Free Agents, H8r, Prime Suspect, Expedition Impossible, Breaking In, How to be a Gentleman, Same Name, The Firm, Pan Am, Napoleon Dynamite, Bent, BFF, Terra Nova, Awake, Are you There, Chelsea?, The Finder, Rob, Ringer, Unforgettable, Missing, The Secret Circle, NYC 22), Ended on their own terms (House, Desperate Housewives, One Tree Hill, Chuck), Shows that never should have existed (Work It, I Hate My Teenage Daughter, How to be a Gentleman, Man Up, Pan Am, GCB, Napoleon Dynamite), Screwed shows (Breaking In, The Finder, Harry's Law, NYC 22), Unfortunate cancellations (Chuck, Harry's Law, CSI: Miami, Awake, Missing, Terra Nova, Rob, Unforgettable, NYC 22), Expected cancellations (Work It, I Hate My Teenage Daughter, How to be a Gentleman, Same Name, A Gifted Man), Finally cancelled (Desperate Housewives, One Tree Hill, House, Rules of Engagement), No one cared (How to be a Gentleman, Breaking In, Charlie's Angels, The Frame, 101 Ways to Leave a Game Show, Take the Money and Run, Love Bites, Chuck?, Work It, Prime Suspect, Free Agents, Allen Gregory, The Playboy Club, Man Up, H8r, In the Flow, Friends with Benefits, I Hate My Teenage Daughter, Same Name, The Frame, Pan Am, The Firm, The Finder, Rob, Unforgettable, A Gifted Man), Surprise Cancellations (CSI: Miami, The Secret Circle), Fridays (Chuck, The Finder, A Gifted Man), Competition (The Playboy Club, Prime Suspect, Chuck, Charlie's Angels, Terra Nova, How to be a Gentleman, Awake, Missing), Negative reviews (Work It, Friends with Benefits, I Hate My Teenage Daughter, Terra Nova, Missing, Rob), Bad title (Work It, I Hate My Teenage Daughter, Free Agents, In the Flow, Friends with Benefits, Love Bites, Breaking In, Man Up, The Frame, How to be a Gentleman, House, Same Name, GCB, Pan Am, Bent, BFF, The Finder, Cougar Town), Saved from cancellation (Cougar Town moves to TBS, America's Most Wanted moves to Lifetime), Expensive (Terra Nova), Stupid show (Desperate Housewives, One Tree Hill, Work It, Man Up, Allen Gregory, In the Flow, Friends with Benefits, I Hate My Teenage Daughter, How to be a Gentleman, GCB, Pan Am, Same Name, Cougar Town, Rules of Engagement), Summer Show (Love Bites, Friends with Benefits, Take the Money and Run, 1001 Ways to Leave a Game Show, Expedition Impossible, In the Flow, Same Name), Shows the network hated (Breaking In, Rules of Engagement, Cougar Town), Never got a chance (The Frame), Barely got a chance (Terra Nova, Prime Suspect, H8r, Same Name, Awake, NYC 22), Shows the network no longer cares about (House, One Tree Hill, Desperate Housewives, Chuck, CSI: Miami, Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, America's Most Wanted), Unique (Prime Suspect, 101 Ways to Leave a Game Show, Breaking In, Same Name, The River, The Finder, Cougar Town, Ringer, Unforgettable, Alcatraz, Missing, Awake, A Gifted Man, Terra Nova), Rip-offs (The Frame, Expedition Impossible, Napoleon Dynamite, Same Name, Rules of Engagement)

 

Golden Huckleberry Awards (for the worst TV shows)

 

2011-2012

 

Since movies have the Razzie Awards for the bad movies, why not give TV awards for bad shows? Well, I've decided to start doing that. Here are the nominations. Expect the winners shortly.

 

Worst cliffhanger resolution: CSI

Worst ending to a TV series: Missing, CSI: Miami, Unforgettable, Awake

Worst acting: 2 Broke Girls, How to Be a Gentlemen, The Bachelor/Bachelorette

Worst writing: The Bachelor/The Bachelorette, Jersey Shore, The Real Housewives Series

Worst plot: Work It

The good riddance award: Work It

Why do people care award: The Jerry Springer Show, Jersey Shore, Glee, Dancing with the Stars, The Real Housewives Series

Worst idea for a show: Work It

Biggest waste of time: The Vampire Diaries, American Idol, Glee, Rules of Engagement, American Dad, The Cleveland Show

Most forgettable: How to Be a Gentlemen

Bonehead decision of the season: Work It

Worst pilot: Work It

Worst drama show: Glee, The Bachelor/The Bachelorette, Gossip Girl, 90210

Worst comedy show: 2 Broke Girls, How to Be a Gentlemen, Work It, The Tonight Show with Jay Leno

Worst new show: Work It, 2 Broke Girls, How to Be a Gentlemen

Why is it still on award: American Idol, America's Funniest Home Videos, The Celebrity Apprentice

Most overrated show: The Office, Glee, American Idol, Dancing with the Stars, The Tonight Show with Jay Leno

Weakest Characters: 2 Broke Girls, How to Be a Gentlemen, The Bachelor/Bachelorette

Worst Reason to Cancel a Good Show: 2 Broke Girls

Why was it created award: Work It, I Hate My Teenage Daughter, Man Up

What were they thinking award: Work It

Why do people like it award: 2 Broke Girls, The Office, Gossip Girl, Glee

Jumped the shark award: The Vampire Diaries, The Simpsons, Pokémon

Worst show on FOX: American Dad, American Idol, Glee, The Cleveland Show

Worst show on ABC: Work It, The Bachelor/The Bachelorette, America's Funniest Home Videos

Worst show on CBS: 2 Broke Girls, How to Be a Gentlemen, Rules of Engagement

Worst show on NBC: The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, Last Call with Carson Daily, The Office

Worst show on the CW: Gossip Girl, 90210, H8r

Worst show on every other network: The Real Housewives Series, Jersey Shore, Pokémon

Worst syndicated show: The Jerry Springer Show, Maury, Entertainment Tonight, Extra

Worst show on television: nominees pending

 

Mondays on TV

I realize that I've been forgetting to post why I've ever seen any of these shows, so I will include that reason from now on. I probably won't get to Tuesdays and Thursdays until the next season. Hopefully, I will be able to get to them at some point. Also, expect cancelled shows from this season at some point in the near future.

Mondays is actually a pretty uninteresting night on television. NBC doesn't normally show that interesting shows although that has probably changed now that Smash is on the air. ABC airs Dancing with the Stars in the spring and fall, The Bachelor in the winter, and The Bachelorette during the summer. The Bachelor series was voted at www.tvseriesfinale.com at the number one popular series that should be cancelled. Castle ends the ABC schedule during the main year. CBS shows its main comedies and ends with a drama. CW shows otherwise uninteresting shows. FOX has been known for showing their most popular dramas at this time. Of the few shows I've seen this night, I will give you my rating for them.

 

How I Met Your Mother: Status- Currently on at 8/7 Central on CBS on Mondays. It is also in syndication on various networks. In addition to the current season, there will be at least one more season after this one. Why I've seen it- My brother watches the show and sometimes I did too. I slowly got into it as it progressed. Description- A man tells the story of how he met his wife and the adventures his friends and he had during this time. Notable People- Jason Segal, known for some movies like The Muppets, is Marshall. Neil Patrick Harris, known for his movies, hosting award shows, and Dr. Horrible Sing-Along Blog is Barney. Bob Saget, known mostly for his work on Full House, has an uncredited role of the narrator, but he is not the main character. Pros- It is an interesting show that has good plots and a recurring storyline. It has some better planning on what has happened and what will happen on the show, although it messes up sometimes like all shows. It is probably the most well thought out show. They constantly reference the past in case you didn't see it. Cons- The main point of this series has still not been answered. Some of the sexual references are weird. If you aren't into the show, it can be hard to stay into it as the show has a recurring storyline which is easy to miss. It can be too drawn out with its story arcs. Recommendation- Watch it if you like it. Prediction- It might find a natural end at the end of the seasons that are currently ordered. How long can it last? Grade: B-.

 

Bones: Status- Currently on at 8/7 Central on FOX on Mondays and in syndication. It has gotten renewed for another season which will make it FOX's longest running drama since House is ending. Why I've seen it- Randomly watched certain episodes. Description- A different type of drama, it investigates crimes where not much of the body remains. Pros- The chemistry between the two leads is interesting enough for the writers to give them a child on the show. The opposites seem to attract. Cons- The timeslot keeps changing, which makes it hard to catch. Recommendation- I haven't seen enough of it at the time, but it has my interest and I'll keep watching. Prediction- I see no reason why it will leave the airwaves anytime soon, but you'll never know what might happen. Some may say that it jumped the shark this season. Grade: Withdrawn from consideration at this point in time.

 

2 Broke Girls: Status- Currently on CBS at 8:30/7:30 Central on Mondays. New this season, it replaces last season's Mad Love. Why I've seen it- The opportunity to watch it once to see if it was any good and my devotion to the CBS network. Description- This show is about, well, two broke girls. Pros- This show won the People's Choice Award for best new comedy. Cons- The acting is crap. The characters are weak. The transition music is stupid. The show is otherwise pointless. Recommendation- There is no reason you should watch it. Prediction- It might last because most people who have seen this don't have my opinion of it. Grade: F.

 

Two and a Half Men: Status- It is currently on CBS at 9/8 Central on Mondays and syndication on various networks. Why I've seen it- Curious about what it was like. Noteworthiness- It killed off the former main character when the actor who portrayed him went crazy. It is currently the longest running comedy on CBS. Description- I honestly don't know what the point of the show is or the basic plot. Notable People- Ashton Kutcher, known for his movies and That 70's Show, is the main actor. Chuck Lorre, known for shows like Dharma and Greg as well as The Big Bang Theory, created the show. Pros- It is a popular comedy that can be funny at times. Even the change of main characters keeps the show in basically the same format and it might now be slightly better. Cons- There is too much sex and crap like that. The change of main characters brought no change to the show. Recommendation- It is kind of interesting and the old show that I liked is now gone. Prediction- Since this show is still the best in the demographic, this will stay on the air until people stop watching. Even if CBS passes on more episodes in the future, another network might give it a shot. Grade: C-.

 

House: Status- Currently on at 9/8 Central on FOX on Mondays. It is on its last season right now. Why I've seen it- Peer pressure, the fact that I hadn't seen it, and the need to find a medical drama to watch all the time. Description- A doctor named House uses any method to save his patients. Pros- The show is interesting to some people. Cons- The show is boring. Recommendation- It doesn't matter if you watch it anymore since it will be ending. I only ever watched it because there was nothing else good on at the time for the whole entire hour. Grade: C.

 

Mike & Molly: Status- Currently on CBS at 9:30/8:30 Central on Mondays. It was new last season. It replaced The New Adventures of Old Christine. It was once the most watched new comedy. Why I've seen it- Curious about the show, plus my devotion to CBS. Description- An overweight couple finds romance with each other. Notable People- Chuck Lorre, creator of The Big Bang Theory and Two and a Half Men, is not the creator, but he is an executive producer and probably helps with a lot of the episodes. Pros- Finally a love story for fat people. The characters that you know are going to be together actually get together. A lot of it is Emmy material. Cons- The acting and writing could use some work. About half of it is complete crap. Arguably, the only reason it is on is because it is after Two and a Half Men. Recommendation- You can watch it if you want to. It's better than nothing. Prediction- I don't know how long it will last, but it could last a while. Grade: C-.

 

Castle: Status- Currently on ABC at 10/9 Central on Mondays. Why I've seen it- Recommended by my brother and not that great a devotion to any other show at the time. Noteworthiness- Two tie-in novels under a character's name that are referenced on the show have been published in real life. Because it is on right after Dancing with the Stars throughout 2/3 of the season, that helps the show's ratings. Description- A writer of novels assists the police in solving murders and other crimes in New York City. It is also about the love of the two main characters who work together and will stop at nothing to solve any case. Notable People- Nathan Fillion, known for his work on Firefly, and other shows, is the title character, Richard Castle. Pros- It is a semi-unique drama with good comedy and recurring storylines. If you like The Mentalist, you might like this show. Cons- It can take a while for some plots to be returned to in the storyline. Basic plots get repeated constantly. Recommendation- Watch this show. It is very good. Prediction- The network would be a fool to ever get rid of this show so let's hope that they are not foolish. I see it lasting for a good time and think that another network would love the show on its network if ABC is, in fact, foolish enough to cancel it. Grade: A.

 

Hawaii Five-O: Status- Currently on CBS at 10/9 Central on Mondays. It occupies the old CSI: Miami timeslot and replaced Cold Case. It was new last season. Why I've seen it- Devotion to the CBS network and curious about what the show is about. Noteworthiness- It is a remake of an old, popular show. It started out as the most watched new drama on television. It has already been sold into syndication, which is rare for a show this new. There have also been crossovers between it and NCIS: Los Angeles. Description- An elite crime fighting team works in Hawaii to solve cases. Notable People- Alex O'Loughlin, known for his work on Moonlight, Three Rivers, and some movies, is McGarrett. Daniel Dae Kim, known for his work on Lost and other shows, is a cast member as well. Pros- This show is actually filmed where it set. It is an interesting drama. The bickering between the two leads is entertaining. Cons- Some of the methods the characters use to catch the perps are unethical. It is a remake, and thus could just be considered trying to reclaim what it once was. Recommendation- Watch this if you don't watch Castle or record it for later. Prediction- It will last awhile. Grade: B.

 

Smash: Status- Currently on NBC at 10/9 Central on Mondays. It has been renewed for another season. Why I've seen it- It sounded interesting and the critics love it. Noteworthiness- It is a musical drama, one of currently only two. Description- It is the behind the scenes look at the making of a Broadway play. Pros- This is a good idea and an alternative to Glee, if you need one. It has good ratings. The songs are actually original. Cons- It is a rip-off of High School Musical (the movie), like Glee is. The morals are bad. Recommendation- I think that it is good enough to watch, but not important enough to watch all the time. Prediction- It's a hit and should stay around. Grade: B-.

 

Friday Shows

Finally, I can post something new. I realize that I forgot to post the reason that I ever watched any of these shows in the first place, so they will be included from now on. I hope that I will be able to update the rest of the days of the week in the future.

Fridays are the least competitive nights on television although there are some good shows out there. Viewers aren’t regular, but those that are and even those that aren’t, give the show these ratings. It only seems like CBS and the CW care about good programming on this night although it doesn’t always catch on. ABC handles the night best with stand alone episodes of reality shows. The CW shows Supernatural and Nikita. CBS is showing Blue Bloods, Undercover Boss, and CSI: New York. ABC shows 20/20, Primetime: What Would You Do?, and Shark Tank. NBC shows Dateline and Grimm. FOX shows Fringe. FOX hates its 8 pm time slot on Fridays, but there tends to be good shows on at this time sometimes. I will now tell you about what I’ve seen that isn’t cancelled. Beware that most of the shows come here to die and they are only here right now to enjoy them before they are gone.

Undercover Boss: Status- Currently on CBS at 7 Central on Fridays. It was a midseason replacement this year despite airing two previous seasons. It replaced A Gifted Man in a way. It has been renewed for another season. Why I’ve seen it- It looked interesting. Noteworthiness- Cameras are used by explaining that the person in the show is competing with someone else or to see if they would be chosen for the job. Nobody is seen on camera in more than one episode, except for maybe the pretend competitor. Description- Head people of different companies, some well known companies and some not as much, go undercover in their own companies at entry level positions. Pros- CEOs are shown to be actual human beings. The everyman is helped. The incompetence of the bosses in entry level positions is quite humorous. Cons- Editing could be better as some minor things that are referenced later on are not explained. If you’ve seen one episode, you’ve seen them all. It could be said that the bosses are only on the show to promote their own business. Recommendation- Watch it if you have a chance. I think that it is very good. Prediction- It will last a long time. Grade: A.

Shark Tank: Status- Currently on ABC at 7 Central on Fridays. Why I’ve seen it- Flipping channels, stayed here because it seemed interesting. Description- A reality show where a group of rich sharks, as they’re called, decide whether or not to buy into a business of young business person. Pros- The segments are short and the decisions are interesting. It can be very intense. These are actually proceedings among people which makes it more real. Cons- You may not like their decisions. It is hard to find a rerun. You might not watch unless you’re a regular viewer. Recommendation- Take it or leave it. I like it and you might but whether you should watch or not is up to you. Prediction- It will stay on as it gets good ratings on Fridays. Grade: C.

Nikita: Status- Currently on the CW at 8 Eastern/7 Central on Fridays. Why I’ve seen it- Looked interesting. Noteworthiness- It is the remake of another old series. Remakes are popular on this network as well as shows based on pre-existing things. In fact, it is hard to find a completely original series on this network. Description- A former female spy seeks to stop the place that trained her. Pros- A good drama that keeps you interested in the storyline. Cons- I don’t see it lasting that long. It can be very confusing and if you miss episodes, you’ll be lost to the storyline. Recommendation- Watch it if you can. Prediction- It is more than likely going to get cancelled with its low ratings. Grade: B+.

CSI: New York: Status- Currently on CBS at 8 Central on Fridays. It is the third addition to the CSI franchise. It almost got cancelled last season. Why I’ve seen it- Regularly watched CSI: Miami and decided to watch this as well. Description- A team of Crime Scene Investigators in New York City helps solve crimes. Pros- It is a different CSI if you don’t like the other two. The cast from this show has changed the least. Cons- Like the other two, women aren’t represented well in it. The plots can be dark. Recommendation- Take it or leave it. Prediction- If it does get cancelled, another network could be interested since they are in need of their own ratings hits which it would be if it weren’t on CBS. With two other CSIs on CBS, it’s likely that they’d keep at least one of them. The Friday night time slot isn’t helping them. It doesn’t have a full season which is normally a death sentence for a show on this network. Also, with its low ratings it’s unlikely to last much longer. Grade: C.

Grimm: Status- Currently on NBC at 8 Central on Fridays. I think that there will be another season of the show because it got renewed. Why I’ve seen it- Promise to watch a new NBC show this season. Description- A police officer discovers that he is a “Grimm,” a person who can see fairy tale people in real life. It is more of a police drama with a twist than a fairy tale drama. Pros- Since it is on Fridays, it doesn’t matter that it has worse than usual ratings. It is pretty interesting. Cons- It airs at a bad time. The fairy tale angle is unoriginal. Recommendation- I haven’t seen enough to give you a good rating, but I like it and watch it when I can. Prediction- Toss-up, but it will have at least one more season, I think. Grade: B.

Primetime: What Would You Do?: Status- Currently on ABC at 8 Central on Fridays. It is a spin-off of 20/20. ABC news helps with this show. Why I’ve seen it- Commercials made it seem interesting. Cancellation of The Good Guys helped me decide to watch it. Noteworthiness- It is the first hidden camera show I’ve seen that wasn’t out to exploit people for laughs. It is actually very serious. Description- Different situations are set up to see how people react to them. The point is to get people to react to a situation and get them to help people out. Very serious situations are acted out using issues such as coming out, unwanted pregnancy, racial issues, gender issues, and more. Pros- It shows the good side among people and how they actually help sometimes. It is very interesting and could make good teaching material. There are different segments in each episode to keep you interested. It probably is a more realistic version than any scripted show could come up with. Cons- Some segments are better than others. A certain amount of deception is involved with the people. All the shooting locations tend to be in New England. One can question the legalities of this show. Recommendation- Everyone should watch this show. This is the best show currently on television. Prediction- It should be on until they run out of ideas, which is unlikely that they will. Whether it will stay around is for the viewers to decide. I think that it will last a while. Grade: A++.

Blue Bloods: Status- This is currently on CBS at 9 Central on Fridays. It was new last season, replacing Miami Medical. Why I’ve seen it- It is on CBS. Nothing else good was on. Description- This is a cop show where the cops are related. It is set in New York City. Notable People- Pretty much everyone who works on the show is famous in some way. Tom Selleck is present, but is not the main character. Pros- Something good exists on Friday nights for you to watch. A partial family aspect is added to the show. Cons- The ways the officers catch and interrogate some of the suspects/criminals is unethical sometimes. It can be like a lot of other dramas. Some episodes are better than others. Recommendation- Take it or leave it. I like it. You might too. It makes you think sometimes. Prediction- It is renewed for another season and will hopefully stay for much more. Grade: B-.

20/20: Status- This is currently on ABC at 9 Central on Fridays. It is the longest running primetime news show on ABC. Why I’ve seen it- It looks interesting, depending on the news story. Description- This is an in-depth news show regarding issues relating to current events or just anything like a murder mystery. Pros- Can be quite interesting if you don’t watch anything else at that time. Cons- There’s a show like this on every network. Virtually no re-runs exist. Some episodes are better than others. Recommendation- I like it, but don’t watch it unless I know that I want to. Maybe you’ll like it or consider it a complete waste of time. Prediction- It will last forever. Grade: A.

Dateline: Status- This is currently on NBC at 9 Central on Fridays. It is the longest running primetime news show on NBC and sometimes airs twice in one week. Why I’ve seen it- Nothing else on and it seemed interesting. Description- Pretty much an NBC version of 20/20. I don’t know which came out first. Pros- It can be interesting. Cons- It can only be interesting if you like it. I haven’t seen enough of it to find out how different it is from other networks versions of this show. Recommendation- Take it or leave it. Prediction- It will last forever. Grade: A.