Thursday, December 25, 2014

De Facto Cancelled

Sometimes, shows are never officially cancelled even though they obviously are over. I decided to do a quick list of these shows that might not be listed as cancelled in most places. A show like Cosmos is considered an event series that wasn’t supposed to last many seasons so it wouldn’t be on a list like this. Remember that there is a difference between an event series and a limited run series. While we are on the topic of Cosmos, I have decided to go off on a tangent. People complained that Cosmos didn’t talk about the religious side of things in the show. But it’s a show about science. Science doesn’t typically allow stuff like that in the first place so I don’t know why they were complaining. I also don’t know why this show existed on a FOX network, among various other networks all airing it at the same time, since it isn’t their type of show and they made it seem like a bigger deal than it could actually be in the end. Meanwhile, if I wanted to watch a show to better understand the universe, I’d watch Nova instead of an obvious rip-off like this. I never bothered to tune in simply because the network didn’t even say it would be a part of the schedule in the first place. Only when a show is a summer show or that good do I end up watching it. I do not like shows like that. But, don’t think that you’ll see it in my bad awards show list because I’m done complaining about it now.

Now’s a good chance for me to include another note regarding the cancelled shows from last season. You see, FOX aired something called animation domination hi-def. They aired it late at night on Saturday leaving it with few viewers. So, basically, stuff that wasn’t advertised that you didn’t know existed was cancelled due to low ratings. The only surprising thing about it was that it was even news in the first place. Also, this list may contain a lot of shows, none of which anyone probably cares about. It might be a while before I post anything in this blog so you may see a lot of shows here from a long time ago depending on when this is finally updated.

This list will mostly be various summer shows that never were officially cancelled because most main season shows do get officially cancelled. Whodunit left the airwaves with no future season to call its own and no official cancellation notice. I would post a review of it, but I only saw one episode and it aired too long ago anyways. Oh, Sit never aired again this season so it is officially over even though the network never bothered to end it. The Million Second Quiz is also a victim of this. Nobody cared enough to even announce that it was over. Splash, the ABC reality show about simply diving into a pool was appropriately cancelled even though no cancellation was ever made official. I’m sure that I’m missing a lot of different shows from recent TV shows. Oh well. That’s all for now. I know that I’m missing shows so if you can remember some unimportant show that ended with an official cancelation notice, then let me know because it might not be important to some, but it matters to a few. I am probably missing more shows on this list. For the future, I will try to remember what they are and put them with the cancelled shows update list. Of course, I would if I ever bothered watching them and if they were ever worth mentioning. I’m pretty sure this post may be a waste of time. I know that there are more shows cancelled that I missed mentioning here.

Well, since there’s still more stuff to talk about, in my mind; I decided to add how you know that a show was cancelled. This list mostly applies to network TV. The rules normally apply to any show should any of this happen to a show that you watch. There may be exceptions, but I’ll tell you what different things that happen to a show mean that it’s cancelled and not coming back. These rules apply whether an official cancellation is ever made or not. 1- It has been over a year since this show last aired a new episode. 2- A show is pulled from the schedule with unaired episodes and no set return date. 3- Every new episode has finished airing and there are no plans to make any more. 4- A new show is moved to Fridays when it didn’t used to air there. 5- A new show’s episode order is cut. 6- They ever air new episodes on Saturdays. 7- New episodes are only available online. 8- The show is no longer on the schedule at all. 9- No new episodes are produced anymore. 10- No promos for this show happen anymore. 11- The show that is not a limited run series does not get an order for more episodes. This rule does not apply should the show be a midseason replacement as it is not customary to receive an order for more episodes in that case. Also the rule normally only applies to new shows since returning shows can have shortened seasons at times and not be in danger of being cancelled.

I would mention a network officially cancelling a show, but that obviously means that a show has ended and then you wouldn’t have to worry about anything like this. There might be other ways of knowing that a show is de facto, but not officially cancelled. There might be others of them that are notable that I can’t think of. But I included this list and these rules so you would know for sure in the future. I’ll also try to post these cancelled shows in the lists that I do every year. (In case you are wondering, there is a show currently on television, Mulaney, that is currently de facto cancelled. It’s not the only one actually. If you don’t think that it will be, I assure you that it will be cancelled by the end of the season, if not sooner. If it returns for future seasons, feel free to rub that in my face. But it won’t.) I think that now I might actually be at the end.

Thursday, November 27, 2014

Tuesdays in primetime version 2

Tuesdays are a competitive night on television. Except for CBS and the CW, all networks have an hour of comedies at this time. Well, ABC might not have any at the moment, but they have at some times. It is also when some of television’s most popular shows are on. The only problem is that the shows are so good, you won’t be able to watch them all.
The Flash: Status- On the CW at 8/7 Central on Tuesdays. Why I’ve seen it- General interest in shows like it. Noteworthiness- This is a spin-off of Arrow, although I’m not entirely sure how these shows related since I don’t have the time to watch Arrow anymore. This show is based off of a comic book series. Description- This show is about a person who is struck by lightning and gains the power of super speed. It is not ordinary lightning. Pros- I thought that this show was pretty good. It seems interesting. Cons- It can be hard to tell where they are going with this. It may seem similar to other superhero TV shows. Recommendation- I think that this is probably worth watching all the time. Prediction- This will probably last a good while. I haven’t heard problems with ratings so I think it will do well. Reception: positive. Grade: B+. New review
NCIS: Status- Currently on CBS at 8/7 Central on Tuesdays and syndication on networks like USA. It is the most watched drama on television and has two spin-offs that are still on the air. Why I’ve seen it- My brother and the rest of my family liked the show and I thought it was good enough to watch all the time. Noteworthiness- It is a spin-off of the show JAG. At least at the beginning, the cases on the show were inspired by real cases. I don’t know if they still are. It has two spin-offs. Description- A team of federal agents solves murders of marines and navy members as well as other crimes relating to them and other people. Set in Washington DC. Notable People- Donald Bellisario created this show. Although no longer the head writer, he is still an executive producer. Mark Harmon is Leroy Jethro Gibbs. David McCallum is Ducky. Michael Weatherly is Tony. Pauley Perette is Abby. I can’t tell you how they are famous, but most of their current fame is with the show alone. Pros- It stays fresh despite its long time on the air. The humor is quite interesting and the cast doesn’t change much. Cons- It is running out of steam. The creator of the show is no longer the head writer. Recommendation- It is one of my favorite shows. I say watch it if you have the chance too and aren’t already. Prediction- It will last a while more. Reception: very positive. Grade: A+.
New Girl: Status- Currently on FOX at 9/8 Central on Tuesdays. Why I’ve seen it- I thought that it might be good and I like the actress who plays the main character. Noteworthiness- This show is the longest running FOX live action comedy. That probably says a lot about the success of lack thereof of FOX sitcoms. Description- After breaking up with her live-in cheating boyfriend, Jess, the new girl, moves into a new place with four guys. Also in the cast is Jess’s best friend. Notable People- Zooey Deschanel, known for being in various movies, is the main character. Damon Waynes Jr., known for Happy Endings and other things (like his famous father) is another character. I’m not certain who else is noteworthy or not. Pros- The show is quite funny most of the time with the quirky characters that it has. Cons- As usual, bad morals are present like sex and stuff like that. Some of the acting is over the top, but that’s more due to the personality of the characters of the show instead of bad acting. Recommendation- I’d say that you should watch it if you have the time. Prediction- It will last 100 episodes and probably longer. Reception: generally positive. Grade: B.
Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: Status- Currently on ABC at 9/8 Central on Tuesdays. Why I’ve seen it- Interest in the Marvel world after having seen various superhero movies based on their works. Description- This show is about an organization that deals primarily with superheroes and becomes heroes of their own. Notable People- This show is done by Joss Whedon, who is known for creating science fiction shows that enjoy cult status and are typically not always enjoyed by everyone. Examples include Angel, Firefly, Dollhouse, and Buffy the Vampire. Pros- It is considered a good show to some people. You don’t have to be a fan of the Marvel world to understand this show. Cons- It felt like there could be more in it. It seems to be lacking the heroes and the action of the movies as well as the drama content. Recommendation- Take it or leave it. Watch it if you like it. Prediction- I don’t know if it will last or not, but it’s possible that it will even on a network that is known for screwing with its shows and cancelling more than any other network (I think). Reception: somewhat positive. Grade: B+.
NCIS: New Orleans: Status- On CBS at 9/8 Central on Tuesdays. Why I’ve seen it- I watch the original so I figured that I should watch this as well. Description- This is a show about an NCIS team set in New Orleans. It replaces Intelligence and thus, also Hostages. Noteworthiness- It is a spin-off of NCIS. This show is actually filmed in New Orleans where it is set. Pros- There are plenty of good things about the show. It is as interesting and good as most dramas are. It keeps the charm of NCIS even with a different cast. The different filming location probably helped it. Cons- Some people have been annoyed by the fake accents of the characters. Plus, it may not be as interesting or good as the original NCIS is. Recommendation- I saw that you should probably watch it. Prediction- I think that it will probably last a while. Reception: mostly positive. Grade: A. New review
The Mindy Project: Status- Currently on FOX at 9:30/8:30 Central on Tuesdays. Why I’ve seen it- There must have been nothing else good on at the time. Description- A doctor of some sort (I think) has some sort of adventures with her friends. Notable People- Mindy Kaling, from the Office, is the main character of this show. Pros- It has a good lead-in and can be funny at times. Cons- Not much good or interesting things happen on this show a lot. It can be quite a bore. Recommendation- I’d pass on this show and not watch it. Prediction- I don’t see it lasting much longer. Reception: positive. Grade: D.

Person of Interest: Status- Currently on CBS at 10/9 Central on Tuesdays. Why I’ve seen it- I thought that it looked good so I started watching it. Description- People work outside the law to stop crimes before they happen. Well, sometimes the law helps them with their cases. Notable People- Jim Caviezel, notable for films like the Passion of the Christ, is the main character. Michael Emerson, from Lost, is another character. Amy Acker, from various TV shows like Drive, Dollhouse, and other shows and movies, is a main character as well. Pros- It lives up to the hype that people like the show. It is interesting and keeps you watching. Cons- The show can be ridiculous at points with its plots and a lot of it is unrealistic. Recommendation- I’d say that you should probably watch it since it is good. Prediction- It will last a while if it keeps the good ratings it has, unless CBS thinking that it would do better on a night that it would do badly at. Reception: very positive. Grade: B.

Thursday, November 13, 2014

Primetime on Thursdays version 2

Thursdays are the most competitive nights on television. All the networks put all their best shows on the same night. It is impossible to watch everything good at this time, unless, of course, you record some things to watch later or watch what you can’t see online. NBC is mostly comedy. CBS also shows comedies and a drama. ABC shows all dramas. FOX has a constantly changing lineup. The CW shows the popular Vampire Diaries. There are no losers and every network seems to win in their own right. The reason this night is the most competitive is the high demand of advertisers that movies and other people want on TV. I can’t believe that I didn’t know that before, but know you do too. I have seen a lot of these shows so here’s my views on them:
The Big Bang Theory: Status- Currently on CBS at 8/7 Central on Thursdays. It has also been sold into syndication. Why I’ve seen it- General interest in the show from the moment it first aired and a bit before. Noteworthiness- It is one of the most popular shows on television. The cast has more female characters than it used to. When Two and a Half Men ends this season, this will become the longest running sitcom on CBS. Description- This show is about the adventures of nerds, a female neighbor, and other people in their lives. Reruns can be different than how the show is currently portrayed. Notable People- Chuck Lorre, who created Two and a Half Men, also created this show. He has created other shows as well, but I’m not sure they are worth mentioning. Kayley Cuoco from 8 Simple Rules and Charmed is Penny. Others are famous, some from being on the show. If they were famous before the show, then I don’t know who they are unless I just mentioned them. Pros- This is a really funny comedy. Everyone loves Sheldon, the Obsessive-Compulsive roommate. Some people can watch reruns over and over again and still find it just as funny as they did the first time. Cons- Sex and other bad stuff can be present a lot. Recommendation- I say that you should watch it if you like it. Most people do like this show. If you don’t laugh after watching an episode, then it isn’t for you. But, it is one of my favorite shows and I highly recommend it. Prediction- This show will last a very long time. Reception: mixed then positive. Grade: A-.
Bones: Status- Currently on at 8/7 Central on FOX on Thursdays and in syndication. Why I’ve seen it- Randomly watched certain episodes until I started watching every episode. Noteworthiness- This is the longest running FOX drama, although it also airs on syndication on various other networks. It is based on cases done by a real person who is a producer of some sort on the show. Description- A different type of drama, it investigates crimes where not much of the body remains, although the murder cases are similar to most TV dramas. Pros- The chemistry between the two leads is interesting enough. The opposites seem to attract. Cons- The timeslot keeps changing, which makes it hard to catch. It doesn’t really separate itself from other shows in this genre despite the few differences that it does have. The show might have been better earlier based on comments I’m reading online from those that call themselves fans (but might not be). Recommendation- I recommend it, even if earlier seasons are supposedly better. Prediction- I see no reason why it will leave the airwaves anytime soon, but you’ll never know what might happen. Reception: generally positive. Grade: B.
Grey’s Anatomy: Status- Currently on Thursdays at 8/7 Central on ABC. Why I’ve seen it-Desire to find a medical drama to watch all the time on a regular basis. When I realized that I liked medical dramas, I also realized that they always cancel the ones that I like, so I figured that I should watch this since it isn’t going anywhere anytime soon. Noteworthiness- It is the longest running drama on ABC. Description- A medical drama featuring a large cast of doctors of both genders solves medical problems that sometimes relates to their own team. I’m not really sure how to describe it that well so you might understand it better if you watch an episode yourself. Notable People- The only notable person I can think of is Patrick Dempsey, who does various movies. There are a lot of people who are and were with the cast that are famous, so I can’t keep track of them all. Some of them are famous from being on the show. Pros- This show is pretty interesting and humorous. Most of the large cast is focused upon most of the time. The medical aspect is well-done. It isn’t always about the same characters all the time. Cons- The show can be quite complicated and hard to understand and follow, especially if you don’t watch every week. If you don’t like soap operas, then this show probably isn’t for you because of the format it uses. There’s too much sex in the show as well and most people wouldn’t like the morals present. There are too many characters to keep track of on a regular basis and sometimes a lot of the cast isn’t in a certain episode. Recommendation- Take it or leave it. If you don’t like it now, you never will. Prediction- This could last a long amount of time, but I think that it could potentially end in the near future as well. Reception: somewhat positive. Grade: C+.
The Vampire Diaries: Status- Currently on the CW at 8/7 Central on Thursdays. Why I’ve seen it- Void in life after the cancellation of Moonlight and I didn’t watch anything else at the time it was first on my schedule. Noteworthiness- It was inspired by a book series that existed before Twilight. The show is comparable to Twilight, in a way. Description- A teenage girl learns of the existence of vampires and other supernatural creatures. The story has since progressed into something much more complicated that would take too long to get into. Plus, I don’t watch it anymore, so I don’t know what it might be like anymore. If you really care, look it up somewhere or watch an episode. Pros- Although it is a teen drama like everything else on the CW, this has a twist that draws in other fans. The storyline is gripping to the audience. Cons- Inappropriate stuff is present as usual. There may be no human characters in the end of the series. The same stuff tends to happen in different ways. It follows a soap opera format and thus never really seems to end. You’ve seen one episode, you’ve seen them all. The show drags itself on and on with new storylines all the time. Recommendation- While I used to enjoy this show, I don’t want to see it anymore. Whether you feel the same way or not is your decision. Prediction- Since it is the most popular show on the CW, it will last a long time. Reception: mixed then positive. Grade: D+.
Mom: Status- Currently on CBS at 9:30/8:30 Central on CBS. Why I’ve seen it- If you didn’t know already, I like to watch every CBS TV show, even if it is just once. Description- A woman deals with the issues of single motherhood and various family problems. Notable People- Alison Janey and Anna Farris, both known for movies, are two main characters on the show. Chuck Lorre, who created Two and a Half Men, The Big Bang Theory, and helps with Mike and Molly, helps with this show, although I’m not sure if he created it, which he might have. Pros- People like it, based on comments I’ve seen online. Cons- All the show is about is a bunch of immoral people and I don’t know why we should care about something like this. Also, it is far from being funny. Recommendation- Don’t watch it. The fact that people like it completely baffles me. Prediction- Toss-up. Reception: somewhat favorable. 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, although it is ending this season, so it won’t hold that record for long. Description- I honestly don’t know what the point of the show is or the basic plot. It doesn’t even have two and a half men anymore. 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. The show got better after Charlie Sheen left and it was finally worth watching for a while. Cons- There is too much sex and crap like that. There’s so much bad with this, you probably wouldn’t get anything good out of the episodes that you do watch. The show has lost its main purpose and with a half woman instead of a half man, this show is once again bad. Recommendation- If you liked it better with Charlie Sheen, then you shouldn’t watch anymore. If you’re a fan of Ashton Kutcher and like the new show, you might like it. Ultimately, since so much of the show is bad, I’d recommend not watching any of it. Prediction- It is officially ending this season although it probably should have ended sooner. Reception: positive to mixed. Grade: D+.
Bad Judge: Status- On NBC at 9/8 Central on Thursdays. This show was cancelled. Why I’ve seen it- With it paired with A to Z, I watched this too because I needed to. Description- This comedy is about an unconventional judge. Notable People- Kate Walsh, known for Grey’s Anatomy and Private Practice, is the star of this show. Pros- It is better than one might expect. It actually has a person looking out for the everyman. Cons- It is far from realistic. They should have worked more on the actual humor aspect of the show. Recommendation- I like it and think that it’s much better than some people give it credit for. That means you should watch it, by the way. Prediction- With it officially cancelled, there is not much else to say here. Reception: negative. Grade: C. New review
Reign: Status- Currently on the CW at 9/8 Central on Thursdays. Why I’ve seen it- I realized that it would be in my best interest to watch it considering how it would air at the same time of something else that I watched at the same time would get cancelled soon. Description- This is a historical fiction show about Mary, Queen of Scots. From what I understand, this may not have much to do with real historical events, so it may not be the best show to watch for a history lesson. Notable People- Anna Popplewell, who is most notably for her appearance as Susan in the Chronicles of Narnia movie series, is a character on this show. Pros- The show is unusual, so it has that in its favor. With it being a different type of show, you can find something much better than the usual. Cons- With the show being mostly made up, some people don’t like the fact that it has some real, historical characters. Recommendation- This is probably worth the watch. Prediction- It might last a long time or it might not. I don’t know for sure yet. Reception: mixed. Grade: B. New review
The McCarthys: Status- On CBS at 9:30/8:30 Central on Thursdays. It replaces Bad Teacher as well as The Crazy Ones. Why I’ve seen it- As usual, it is because I typically watch everything on CBS at least once. Description- This is another one of those sitcoms about a family. Pros- It can be a bit different than the usual, so it has that in its favor. Cons- I had the feeling that I probably wouldn’t like it before I saw it and I was right. One would have to wonder why they made the rest of the show after the poor quality of the pilot. They somehow did too much and not enough in a single episode. Basically, what makes it bad is terrible writing and lack of humor, which you never want to have in an actual sitcom. Recommendation- Don’t watch it as it isn’t that good. Prediction- I have the feeling that this won’t last very long, but I’ve been wrong before. Reception: mixed. Grade: D-. New review
A to Z: Status- Currently on NBC at 9:30/8:30 Central. It has been cancelled so it won’t last there much longer. Why I’ve seen it- I thought that I would like it. Description- This show is about a newly formed relationship and friends that go along with it. Notable People- This show stars Katey Segal from shows like Sons of Anarchy, Futurama, 8 Simple Rules, and Married with Children. She plays the narrator of the show and does not have an on-screen role. It also stars Cristin Milioti who played the mother on How I Met Your Mother. That role is one of the leads. Pros- It seems quite interesting. The show is very charming and unique. Cons- It’s hard to tell what exactly it is about. The show can be very strange and odd. They might have to work on the humor. Recommendation- I think that this show is overall worth the watch. Prediction- Since this show was officially cancelled, there is nothing more to add here. I hope for a good ending. Reception: generally favorable. Grade: B-. New review
Elementary: Status- This CBS drama airs at 10/9 Central on Thursdays. Why I’ve seen it- I generally like mystery shows, even if I’m not that familiar with this famous detective. Noteworthiness- This is another look at the Sherlock Holmes franchise set in modern day New York City. Description- Sherlock Holmes helps the police solve crimes in the present time. Pros- It can appeal to those that aren’t already fans of Sherlock Holmes. It is a bigger hit than most people would think. The show is pretty interesting. Cons- Not everyone would like the new interpretation of it such as Watson being female for some odd reason, it being set in the modern day, or it being in New York City instead of London. It can also be described as Americanizing a British hit (which almost never works out for anyone). Recommendation- Hopefully, it will work in the end and last a long time as I wouldn’t mind watching it every week. Prediction- It will probably last a decent amount of time, but I don’t know if it will be as long as people want it to. Reception: positive. Grade: A.

Parenthood: Status- It is currently on NBC at 10/9 Central on Thursdays. Why I’ve seen it- Commercial made it look good, so I decided to see if it was any good. Noteworthiness- This is based off of a movie and a short lived TV series, making this quite possibly the only remake of a failed show to be a success. Description- A family drama, in a sense, we see the trials, big and small, that an extended family goes through. Notable People- Lauren Graham from Gilmore Girls is in it. Mae Whitman, who voices Tinkerbell among other roles, is also in the cast. There are probably others too. Pros- It has an intriguing plot that keeps you coming back. The storytelling is pretty good. Cons- Basic plots tend to get repeated, including season long story arcs. Other good shows are on at the same time. You shouldn’t watch it if you won’t tune in every week or you’ll easily get lost to the plot. Recommendation- Watch this show if you get a chance to. Prediction- It is officially ending with this season. Reception: generally positive. Grade: A.

Thursday, November 6, 2014

New Shows 2014-2015

At long last, here are my reviews of some of the new shows this season. Some of them have already been cancelled and they are noted by being crossed out. I decided to include them anyways. I will go into more in-depth reviews of all the shows as time goes by. I also suggest that more people read this blog or I might stop doing it all together. I'll let you know when the last post will be. Or, I'll just stop altogether. Comment here if you want me to continue. Meanwhile, I'm hoping that the counts for each blog post is bad since it says that nobody has read a lot of my blog posts. I will continue writing posts for a while. I just don't know yet when I'll be able to post any. I haven't figured out any good time for that. But, keep reading this blog and I will write more. I'm sorry if anything in this post is outdated.

Introduction: Okay, here are the reviews for the new shows of this television season. As always, I’m only going to review the new shows that I’ve seen at least once. Midseason shows will wait until later to be reviewed by me. I hope that you like my reviews even if you don’t agree with them. I just need at least one person to read this blog post and all the others that I’ve ever written or ever will. It was the midseason shows of last season that is the most recently ignored blog post, so I strongly suggest that people read it if they want me to do more of this blog post. Of course, that is probably why people won’t read it. L

Utopia: Show Description- This show has contestants, known as utopians, trying to create a new society. It can be described as similar to Big Brother and Survivor. The main difference is that people are replaced with different people once they leave. This show has already been cancelled. Likewise, I’m still reviewing it. Behind the Scenes- This is a reality show based on a foreign show like many reality shows are. The host is mostly a background person/narrator and not actively in the show as other hosts are. My Thoughts- It’s hard to know how I’d rank this show. On one hand, it seems like just the type of show you would expect: a bunch of strangers with different backgrounds constantly clashing with others. This is the type of reality show that could be scripted. On the other hand, it seems like a pretty interesting type of show that can entertain us for good reasons. I give it three out of five stars. Where to Find- On FOX at 8/7 Central on Fridays

Madam Secretary: Show Description- This show is about a woman who becomes secretary of state and all the drama that unfolds with it. It momentarily replaces Undercover Boss (the show it replaced will return). Behind the Scenes- One wonders if the show is a caricature of Hilary Clinton. I’ve wondered, for instance, if Veep is supposed to be a representation of Sarah Palin, but I’ve never actually seen Veep to know for sure. Regardless, this show is fiction. To say that this show was made to help Hilary Clinton get elected is ridiculous. I have heard rumors of that, but they aren’t true so I don’t know why I’m bringing this up. I guess I couldn’t think of anything intelligent to say so I said this instead. My Thoughts- This show is pretty good. I don’t know if it runs the risk of getting too political based on the undisclosed parties the people are part of. (They probably won’t say who is from what party, although they could.) Plus, like other shows, it is in the strange situation of being in a reality that is both real and made up instead of a completely made up reality which would probably be better for it. I ultimately think that it is worth the watch. I give it four out of five stars. Where to Find- On CBS at 8/7 Central on Sundays (unless delayed due to sports)

Scorpion: Show Description- This show is about Walter O’Brian and a team of geniuses that he leads. It replaces two sets of comedies, Friends with Better Lives and, at the moment at least, Mike and Molly (Mike and Molly will return). It also replaces How I Met Your Mother and We Are Men. Behind the Scenes- This show is actually based on true events, although how much truth remains in the show is unknown to those who aren’t familiar with the actual story since I’m sure I’m not the only one who had never heard of these people before. Robert Patrick from the Unit is on this show. My Thoughts- It’s hard to think of bad things to mention about this show. Well, it can be overdramatized. But, other than that, it’s a pretty interesting drama. Not being the typical drama makes it better. I give it four out of five stars. Where to Find- On CBS at 9/8 Central on Mondays

NCIS: New Orleans: Show Description- This is a show about an NCIS team set in New Orleans. It replaces Intelligence and thus, also Hostages. It is a spin-off of NCIS. Behind the Scenes- This show is actually filmed in New Orleans where it is set. I don’t know if we should be worried about a disaster of some sort hitting it in 2015 (one has hit in 2005 and 2010), but only superstitious people would probably worry about it. My Thoughts- Some people have been annoyed by the fake accents of people which I don’t notice and don’t know why people would even care about such a thing. There are plenty of good things about the show. It is as interesting and good as most dramas are. The different filming location probably helped it. I give it five out of five stars. Where to Find- On CBS at 9/8 Central on Tuesdays

The Flash: Show Description- This show is about a person who is struck by lightning and gains the power of super speed. It is a spin-off of Arrow, although I’m not entirely sure how those shows related since I don’t have the time to watch Arrow anymore. I might watch Arrow again if I ever had the chance to get back into it long term. Behind the Scenes- This show is based off of a comic book series. My Thoughts- I thought that this show was pretty good. It can be hard to tell where they are going with this. It may seem similar to other superhero TV shows, but I think that it is good enough to always watch. I give it four out of five stars. Where to Find- On the CW at 8/7 Central on Tuesdays

Stalker: Show Description- This show is about helping victims of stalking. At the moment, it replaces the Mentalist (that show will return, only to end). Behind the Scenes- The show has Maggie Q from Nikita and Dylan McDermott from Hostages. Actors who were on cancelled shows are said to doom their new shows. This show has gotten bad reception by some people so we’ll see if this turns out to be true or not. My Thoughts- This show is much better than some people would think. The show may be a bit over the top. There are more crimes than just stalking. It is hard to tell how, if it is realistic or not. But I still think that it is better than people think. I give it three out of five stars. Where to Find- On CBS at 10/9 Central on Wednesdays

Bad Judge: Show Description- This comedy is about an unconventional judge. It has already been cancelled. Behind the Scenes- Kate Walsh, known for Grey’s Anatomy and Private Practice, is the star of this show. This show hasn’t been getting the best reception. My Thoughts- It is better than one might expect. It actually has a person looking out for the everyman, even if it is far from realistic. They may need to work on the actual humor aspect of the show. But I like it. I give it three out of five stars. Where to Find- On NBC at 9/8 Central on Thursdays

A to Z: Show Description- This unusual show is about a romance? It’s hard to tell what exactly it is about. A newly formed couple in love is the best description. Is it better than the cliché plot makes it sound? We’ll see. It has already been cancelled. Behind the Scenes- This show stars Katey Segal from shows like Sons of Anarchy, Futurama, 8 Simple Rules, and Married with Children. She plays the narrator of the show and does not have an on-screen role. It also stars Cristin Milioti who played the mother on How I Met Your Mother. This role is one of the leads. My Thoughts- The show can be very strange and odd. I’m a bit worried for the overall plot of the show. Yet, it seems quite interesting. They might have to work on the humor. But I think that this is overall worthwhile. I give it three out of five stars. Where to Find- On NBC at 9:30/8:30 Central on Thursdays

Cristela: Show Description- This is a show about a Hispanic woman and her family. Behind the Scenes- Gabriel Igneous, well-known comedian known as being fluffy, is a character on the show. He is not the main character, which should be evident of the show’s title. My Thoughts- In my mind, of the different shows that I watched this season, this is one of a few duds. It isn’t any good. I only watched it due to it airing with Last Man Standing. But I’m not going to watch that anymore. I mean, it can be different than the usual show and it has that in its favor. But other than that, it is pretty much worthless. I give it two out of five stars. Where to Find- On ABC at 8:30/7:30 Central on Fridays

Celebrity Name Game: Show Description- This game show is about people trying to identify various celebrities to win their bank and a shot at more money. Behind the Scenes- Craig Ferguson, who will soon retire from hosting the Late Late Show on CBS, is the host of this show. There are also various celebrities that help with the game. Who they are and how famous they varies based on each episode. My Thoughts- I like this show. It seems pretty interesting and mostly fair. Well, some of what they do in this game doesn’t seem entirely fair for both teams or any of the contestants for that matter. But I think that it works in the long-run. I give it three out of five stars. Where to Find- This TV show is syndicated meaning that it will air at different times on various networks. It might not even air where you live. But, it is probably going to air in the daytime hours on the TV schedule.

The McCarthys: Show Description- This is another one of those sitcoms about a family. It replaces Bad Teacher as well as The Crazy Ones. Behind the Scenes- I’m not sure what to add here. My Thoughts- I had the feeling that I probably wouldn’t like it before I saw it and I was right. It wasn’t as bad as you think it could be, but you do have to wonder why they made the rest of the show after the poor quality of the pilot. They somehow did too much and not enough in a single episode. I give it two out of five stars. Where to Find- On CBS at 9:30/8:30 Central on Thursdays.

Gotham: Show Description- A story set in the world of Batman that largely focuses on Dan Gordon helping fight crime back when the characters were much younger. Bruce Wayne is young and is not yet Batman. Behind the Scenes- The show can best be described as a Batman origins story, even though he’s not in it as much as he could be. I heard that a show like this was supposed to be created before they wound up doing Smallville instead. I don’t know if that rumor is true or not, but we have this show now. Bruno Heller, the creator of the Mentalist, also helped develop this show. My Thoughts- I like this show for the most part. It is pretty interesting. It does seem to fail on other parts. It seems more police procedural than actually about the Batman characters we know and love. Some of them aren’t as recognizable as others. I’m sure that Batman not being as big as he probably should be. But the show is always interesting and can probably keep you interested even if you aren’t that big a Batman fan. I give it four out of five stars. Where to Find- On FOX at 8/7 Central on Mondays.

Friday, October 31, 2014

Back to School Commercials 2014

I hope to be posting more regularly in the future. I just don't know when to update this blog. I'm concerned that no one is reading this blog. I wouldn't think that if google didn't say that the view count for so many of the summer blogs posts that I did was zero. So someone, if you are reading this, then read every blog post starting in May. In fact, you don't have to read it. Just click on the link for the post and that should add to the view count. If I don't get view counts soon, I may discontinue this blog with no warning. Now while I have to keep track of the Christmas commercials from year to year (already started the count this year), I am also starting a new tradition with this blog post as evident by its title. I am going to keep track of the number of back to school commercials from each year. I'll start with this year's number and continue from year to year. So if I can stop delaying the point, I'll get to the number of back to school commercials.

I have decided to keep track of the number of back to school commercials that have aired this year from the ridiculous time it begins to the ridiculous time that it ends. I will have the total number for this year and hope that people will enjoy this random meaningless list. In 2014, the official count of back to school commercials started on June 30, 2014 with the first back to school commercial. The official count before Independence Day is 1. The official count before August is 48. The official count before September is 158. The official total is 170. I saw the last back to school commercial of the year after I had seen the first Christmas commercial of the year, which speaks madness for both types of commercials. Check back here and you’ll see a new update every year. Keep in mind that, unlike the Christmas commercials that I count, this list will contain every back to school commercial instead of going to a certain cut-off point like the Christmas commercials have. Believe it or not, the last back to school commercial aired on September 29th.

Tuesday, September 30, 2014

Cancellation Predictions for the 2014-2015 Season

Introduction: Okay, before the next season of television starts, I might as well do a bunch of predictions as to which shows will get cancelled throughout the season. This is a gross overestimation so don’t expect everything to be cancelled (not that I’d be right on everything anyways) even though I put it on the list and I’m sure that shows will be cancelled that aren’t on the list. This will include all shows and not just new shows, although you can expect to see more new shows on the list than other shows. I’m also including midseason replacements as well. But you should already know that. For clarity’s sake, this list will be put into the more serious predictions and the less serious predictions. Plus, I’m also going to list some of the shows that are already announced as ending this season since we all know that they are going to end anyways and to not include them on a list of cancellations this season, even if they are just ending and not really cancelled. I’m not really sure if some of the stuff in one list should actually be in the other list, but I think they’ll be cancelled nonetheless. Also, there may be a lack of midseason shows on the list since I couldn’t find that much information on them at the moment.

More Serious Predictions

Utopia (this reality show social experiment seems like it probably wouldn’t be long term, although it could last longer than some may expect due to the network probably having big plans for it), Mulaney (this show looks like crap and I’m betting on an early cancelation, but not with money, of course due to many reasons like the show being a Seinfeld rip-off and if promos make it look bad, then it will be bad), Scorpion (it might be too soon to know for sure, but liberties with the truth may make it less likely to succeed), Jane the Virgin (the idea sounds too strange to work and sounds bad enough that it will probably be cancelled right out of the gate), Manhattan Love Story (this sounds too strange to work and may be prepared for early cancellation), Marry Me (shows with bad titles are normally cancelled regardless of the quality of the show), Forever (supernatural shows don’t always work and it could be short-lived like New Amsterdam), Stalker (many people are betting on this show’s early cancellation, and it could very well be among them since it looks too dark, serious, and over-the-top to work as a long term show), Black-ish (another show that falls under the promos make it look bad so it will be bad rule and like Lone Star, just because the critics like it, doesn’t mean it will last long), The Mysteries of Laura (my local TV critic gave this show the worst rating out of all the new shows that immediately premiere, since midseason shows will be reviewed later, so I will think it gets cancelled too), The McCarthys (this looks like the absolute worst of all the new shows, or at least the new CBS shows), Bad Judge (bad title normally means cancellation and I can’t think of any shows at the moment that mention something negative in their title and the show lasted long, although I hope that I’m wrong about its cancellation), State of Affairs (people not liking the lead may help, but the show is mostly negatively reviewed so that would help even less), How to Get Away with Murder (probably not as likely to get cancelled as others, the bad title rule could still apply, although I’m probably going to be wrong about this one), Cristela (this could be bad, but I forget why I put it on this list), Battle Creek (probably another lowly rated show I’ve read about), The Odd Couple (many people hate this already and CBS midseason shows are normally always cancelled), Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt (see bad title rule), Weird Loners (also bad title rule), The Mentalist (this show cheated cancellation last season, so don’t get your hopes up about the next season), Beauty and the Beast (this show may have become television’s next Fringe where a lowly rated show keeps getting renewed for seemingly no good reason and while it might keep cheating death, I say that it is more likely to be cancelled than not), Hart of Dixie (I heard rumors that this might be the end this season and I don’t know if they are true or not, but I still think that things aren’t going well for this show anyways)

Less Serious Predictions

Law and Order: SVU (I heard that this show might be getting too expensive to make, but it is still doing well for the network, it probably won’t be as likely as others), CSI (now that it has moved to CBS’s worst timeslot, Sunday at 9 Central, normally later, it could be in more danger of being cancelled, even though it probably won’t be), The Blacklist (this is a bit of a random choice, considering how it was NBC’s highest rated show last season, but that also described two other shows that only lasted for two seasons, one of them airing right after the Voice before it lost its great timeslot and ratings, something that this could wind up doing, but probably won’t), NCIS: New Orleans (it might relay too much on connections with NCIS to fly on its own, but I don’t really think that it will be cancelled), Bones (this falls to show being on too long has to end rumors since it gets too expense to make it, but since the ratings aren’t suffering, then it probably will last a good while), Grey’s Anatomy (for the same reasons as Bones and SVU, this is on the list and it is pretty much nothing to worry about), CSI: Cyber (this falls under the CBS midseason replacement show which says that all midseason replacements on CBS will get cancelled, but this isn’t as likely to happen as all the other cancelled series since spin-offs get extra edge than other new shows), Madam Secretary (while this show will probably last, new things on Sundays don’t normally do well for some odd reason that I don’t know and the football delays on this network probably wouldn’t help), iZombie (it’s hard to know for sure what will happen with random midseason shows like this, but it sounds like an already done concept that could easily fail), Marvel’s Agent Carter (this may not be what people would expect/want out of a show like this over a character that I’m not really sure falls under most people’s interest, although the network probably has too big plans to get rid of it easily and it could avoid becoming what Once Upon a Time in Wonderland did)

Already Been Cancelled

Two and a Half Men (this show may might me go off on a rant about various things relating to the show, including things that have yet to air, basically, many people are glad that this show is ending and some people liked it at one point but it probably wasn’t ever good in the first place, all I can say is that I won’t be watching any of the last season, expect with the possible good show airing right after it making it best for me to record both since it would be easiest that way, they want to marry the two male characters even though they are terribly straight throughout the whole series to the point where you have to wonder why none of the have gotten STDs or any other sexual problems to the point that I think that the gay community would be insulted over it, many people think that the show was good with Charlie Sheen and it turned bad when Ashton Kutcher took over when it was actually bad with Sheen and better with Kutcher, but not to the point where any of the show was good long term, and people get mad at Ashton Kutcher for replacing Charlie Sheen when they don’t seem to realize that they would be mad at anyone who replaced Charlie Sheen and it was entirely Charlie Sheen’s fault that Charlie Sheen was fired from this show, so you should actually be mad at him for getting himself fired in the first place and needing replaced when if he retained his sanity, then he wouldn’t have been fired in the way that he was and he would still work with the show, if you were wondering, when the show lost Angus T Jones, the show lost me and any sense of decency that the show might have ever had which it definitely didn’t have when Charlie Sheen was on the show), Parks and Recreation (I honestly don’t know why this is getting cancelled, but it might be that NBC is having a “replace all our sitcoms” tendency that most networks have all the time, CBS had it around the time that Two and a Half Men started, CW had it to such an extent that there were no comedies on that network for a long time when they brought it back starting with Whose Line is it Anyways? which made them attempt other terrible comedies, FOX does this on a regular basis, it seems, and ABC’s most recent attempt at total sitcom replacement happened when Modern Family and The Middle both started for the first time, and now that I’m done with this random bit of television history, I might as well say that I’m sorry this show is leaving the airwaves as it was pretty good, even if the name of the show was a misnomer), Glee (this show ending will bring many people glee as it was terribly overrated and I’m not entirely sure why it is ending either so it is just ending, I guess), Parenthood (as I probably stated before, this show couldn’t stay lowly rated and on the airwaves forever so it will be getting what I hope is a fine send-off this season), Hieroglyph (FOX cancelled it before it even aired because they didn’t like where it was going and figured that they couldn’t fix it)


Okay, that’s all the information that I have on that subject for now. I should be returning with similar regular posting but probably not as often as I could do. I just haven’t figured out a good time frame of when I should post new things. I don’t know when to update it, but this has always been updated sporadically anyways. I’m just hoping that people actually start reading this blog because if I still have zero reads for all of the blog posts I did this summer (all must have just one reader to make me happy), then I don’t know if I can keep posting here with absolutely nobody reading it. If people continue to not read it, then I might stop. But, I’ll probably keep continuing these blog posts anyways. The point is, read as much as you can of this blog. If not, then you might not see this as much as somebody might want me to. Also, if something has been cancelled, it might not be on the list since I haven't seen if anything is yet this season besides the long running shows that are ending.

Monday, August 18, 2014

Read Past Blog Posts

Okay, I'm done with this blog for a while. According to the records on google, there is literally no one reading this blog. I have zero readers on many blog posts for the extensive number of posts that I've done during the summer. Maybe I'm not promoting this blog enough. But it says that nobody has read my thoughts on the midseason shows for the 2013-2014 television season. And reading of blog posts since that has been pretty much nothing with some few exceptions. So I'm not going to post new blog posts for a while since nobody is even reading these. I'm not done posting forever. I plan on returning to this blog at some point. If you do want me to continue with this blog, feel free to comment so I know that someone is actually into this. I hope that someone, anyone, even if it's just one person, can read this blog. I don't know why people aren't doing that. Maybe I don't post this on too regular a basis. But, I keep updated with this blog as much as possible. You will see more blog posts on this blog, just not for a while. For now, this is Adam Decker, signing off.

Saturday, August 16, 2014

Cancelled Shows 2013-2014

Here’s a list and review of every cancelled show from this television season. Sorry that it took so long to publish, but since some of the summer shows aren’t announced as cancelled until later (if they are even officially cancelled at all) then it can take a while to know if the list has every show on it. I’ll list as much information as possible.
Cancellation Reasons (for simplicity’s sake, only includes primetime shows): bad ratings (Save Me, Nikita, Lucky 7, We Are Men, Ironside, Welcome to the Family, Back in the Game, Sean Saves the World, The X-Factor, Breaking Pointe, Raising Hope, Mind Games, Once Upon a Time in Wonderland, Almost Human, Dads, Rake, Enlisted, The Carrie Diaries, Star-Crossed, The Tomorrow People, The Neighbors, Super Fun Night, Suburgatory, Community, Growing Up Fisher, Revolution, Crisis, Friends with Better Lives, Hostages, Intelligence, Bad Teacher, Dracula, Surviving Jack), bad reviews (The Michael J Fox Show, Once Upon a Time in Wonderland, Dads, Star-Crossed, The Neighbors, Super Fun Night, Revolution, Hostages, The Crazy Ones, Bad Teacher, Surviving Jack), ruined by advertisements (Save Me, We Are Men, Welcome to the Family, Back in the Game, Mind Games, Dads, Rake, Mixology, Super Fun Night, Growing Up Fisher, Friends with Better Lives, Intelligence, Bad Teacher, Surviving Jack), never advertised (Nikita, The Goodwin Games, Murder Police, Us and Them, Breaking Pointe, Enlisted, The Neighbors, Revolution, Dracula, Betrayal), bad title (Save Me, Camp, The Goodwin Games, Lucky 7, Murder Police, We Are Men, Ironside, The X Factor, Breaking Pointe, Rake, Killer Women, Mixology, Trophy Wife, Super Fun Night, The Crazy Ones, Bad Teacher, Surviving Jack), barely existed (Save Me, Camp, The Goodwin Games, Lucky 7, Murder Police, We Are Men, Ironside, Welcome to the Family, Us and Them, Back in the Game, Breaking Pointe, Mind Games, Rake, Enlisted, the Carrie Diaries, Killer Women, The Neighbors, Super Fun Night, Growing Up Fisher, Revolution, Believe, Crisis, Friends with Better Lives, Bad Teacher, Betrayal, Surviving Jack), bad timeslot (Nikita, Welcome to the Family, The Michael J Fox Show, The X Factor, Raising Hope, Mind Games, Once Upon a Time in Wonderland, Almost Human, Rake, Enlisted, Mixology, Trophy Wife, The Neighbors, Super Fun Night, Community, Believe, Crisis, Hostages, Intelligence, The Crazy Ones, Bad Teacher, Dracula, Betrayal, Surviving Jack), hated by network (Save Me, Nikita, The Goodwin Games, Murder Police, Us and Them, Almost Human, Enlisted, The Neighbors, Suburgatory, Community, Revolution), crappy show (Save Me, American Dad, We Are Men, Welcome to the Family, Back in the Game, Sean Saves the World, The X Factor, Mind Games, Rake, the Carrie Diaries, Mixology, Trophy Wife, Super Fun Night, Friends with Better Lives, Intelligence, Bad Teacher, Dracula, Surviving Jack), retooled (Ironside, The Neighbors, Community, Revolution), uninteresting (Save Me, American Dad, The Goodwin Games, Lucky 7, We Are Men, Welcome to the Family, Back in the Game, Sean Saves the World, The X Factor, Mind Games, Rake, Enlisted, The Carrie Diaries, Killer Women, Mixology, Trophy Wife, Super Fun Night, Suburgatory, Growing Up Fisher, Revolution, Believe, Friends with Better Lives, Intelligence, Bad Teacher, Dracula, Betrayal, Surviving Jack), reality (The X Factor, Breaking Point), summer (Save Me, Camp, The Goodwin Games, Breaking Pointe), Fridays (Nikita, Raising Hope, Rake, Enlisted, The Neighbors, Dracula), midseason replacement (Save Me, Nikita, Camp, The Goodwin Games, Raising Hope, Mind Games, Almost Human, Rake, Enlisted, Killer Women, Star-Crossed, Mixology, Suburgatory, Community, Growing Up Fisher, Believe, Crisis, Friends with Better Lives, Intelligence, Bad Teacher, Surviving Jack), dead on arrival (Save Me, The Goodwin Games, Lucky 7, We Are Men, Ironside, Welcome to the Family, Us and Them, Back in the Game, Mind Games, Rake, Killer Women, Super Fun Night, Growing Up Fisher, Believe, Crisis, Friends with Better Lives, Bad Teacher, Betrayal, Surviving Jack), bad lead-in (Mixology, Super Fun Night, Crisis), competition (Nikita, Lucky 7, Welcome to the Family, The Michael J Fox Show, Raising Hope, Mind Games, Once Upon a Time in Wonderland, Almost Human, Dads, Rake, Enlisted, Star-Crossed, The Tomorrow People, Trophy Wife, Community, Revolution, Believe, Crisis, Hostages, Intelligence, The Crazy Ones, Bad Teacher, Betrayal, Surviving Jack), low network budget (Suburgatory, Revolution, The Crazy Ones), left on its own term or wasn’t cancelled (How I Met Your Mother)
Cancellation order: Save Me (NBC-0), American Dad (FOX-0*),  How I Met Your Mother (CBS- 0), Nikita (CW- 0), Camp (NBC- 0), The Goodwin Games (FOX- 0), Lucky 7 (ABC- 1), Murder Police (FOX- 0), We Are Men (CBS- 2), Ironside (NBC- 3), Welcome to the Family (NBC- 4), Us and Them (FOX- 0), Back in the Game (ABC- 5), Sean Saves the World (NBC- 6), The Michael J Fox Show (NBC- 7), The X-Factor (FOX- 8), Breaking Pointe (CW- 0), Raising Hope (FOX- 9), Mind Games (ABC- 10), Once Upon a Time in Wonderland (ABC- 11), Almost Human (FOX- 12), Dads (FOX- 13), Rake (FOX- 14), Enlisted (FOX- 15), The Carrie Diaries (CW- 16), Killer Women (ABC- 17), Star-Crossed (CW- 18), The Tomorrow People (CW- 19), Mixology (ABC- 20), Trophy Wife (ABC- 21), The Neighbors (ABC- 22), Super Fun Night (ABC- 23), Suburgatory (ABC- 24), Community (NBC- 25*), Growing up Fisher (NBC- 26), Revolution (NBC- 27), Believe (NBC- 28), Crisis (NBC- 29), Friends with Better Lives (CBS- 30), Hostages (CBS- 31), Intelligence (CBS- 32), The Crazy Ones (CBS- 33), Bad Teacher (CBS- 34), Dracula (NBC- 35), Betrayal (ABC- 36), Surviving Jack (FOX- 37), and possibly more. Others: The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, Late Night with Jimmy Fallon; America Now, Bethenny, Judge Alex, The Test, Trisha, Katie, The Arsenio Hall Show
We Are Men: Why I’ve seen it- Devotion to the CBS network and the fact that nothing else good was on at the time. Description- A male centric show about failed relationships and other shit like that that most people don’t care about. Notable People- Kal Penn, known for acting on House and working for the Obama administration, plays a character on the show. Jerry O’Conner, known mostly for Sliders, but also a star of The Defenders, was also on the show. Tony Shaloub, known mostly for Monk, is on the show. Pros- Its time on television was short. Cons- This show was incredibly bad and I don’t know why anyone would like it. It’s just garbage. Recommendation- I’d tell you that you shouldn’t watch this series, but most of you didn’t anyways since it appropriately got cancelled. Cancellation reasons- This show was horrible garbage and was a waste of airtime. I watched the first episode and knew that I wouldn’t ever want to watch anymore. Most people could tell it would get cancelled early even before they saw it. Just trust me if you’ve never seen it. This show sucked. Similar shows- Two and a Half Men and Last Man Standing, although both are considerably better than this show. DVD suggestion- Don’t buy it, although I doubt they’d release it. A Saturday burn-out might happen or have already happened depending on when this blog update is posted. Reception: somewhat negative. Grade: F. This show was replaced by Mike and Molly for a while and will ultimately be replaced by half of Scorpion.
Nikita: Why I’ve seen it- Looked interesting and my brother was into the series. Noteworthiness- It is the remake of another old series and movie. 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- It can be very confusing and if you miss episodes, you’ll be lost to the storyline. Recommendation- Watch it if you can. Cancellation reasons- It was always lowly rated so cancellation was inevitable, even on a little watched network like the CW. There were various other problems with watching the show such as the network not advertising it as much as they should and constantly changing its time slot with little to no warning that it was on at a different time or even still on. Plus, a Friday night time slot was more than likely going to kill it anyways. It has been sold into syndication, but that doesn’t always last so watch while you can if you are interested in it. Similar shows- Person of Interest, Revenge, and Arrow. DVD suggestion- I suggest that you’d buy the DVDs, but only if you have previous interest in the show. All the seasons have been released. Just don’t confuse this with the movie or the original series. Reception: positive. Grade: B+.
How I Met Your Mother: Why I’ve seen it- My brother watched 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 to his kids and the adventures his friends and he had during this time. Notable People- Jason Segal, known for some movies like The Muppets, is Marshall. Alyson Hannigan, from Buffy the Vampire Slayer, is Lily. Neil Patrick Harris, known for his movies, hosting award shows, and Dr. Horrible’s 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- 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 recurring storylines which is easy to miss. Even though it tries to be great at avoiding continuity errors, they still happen. It can be too drawn out with its story arcs. The show has gotten very strange near the end and could be said to be running out of steam and of poorer quality. The ending to the show wasn’t well received by that many people. Recommendation- Watch it if you like it. Cancellation reasons- This actually wasn’t cancelled. It left the airwaves on its own. It might have actually overstayed its welcome on television anyways. Everyone who did the show wanted it to end so they figured that they should probably leave soon and wrap everything up. There was a potential spin-off planned called How I Met Your Dad, but I don’t think that will be made. Similar shows- The Big Bang Theory, Family Guy, and New Girl. DVD suggestion- If you liked the show, you’d probably want to get the DVDs if you can’t watch it in syndication. If you haven’t seen it or don’t like it, then obviously you shouldn’t get it. But I recommend buying the DVDs, provided that you can’t borrow them from someone else who has them instead. Reception: positive. Grade: B-. This show was momentarily replaced with Friends with Better Lives and ultimately replaced by half of Scorpion.
American Dad: Why I’ve seen it- I watched Family Guy so I figured that this might be good as well. Description- A CIA agent’s adventures including a talking fish and an alien with different identities he creates. Notable People- Seth MacFarlane, most well-known for Family Guy, created the show as well as doing some of the voices. Pros- Weird storylines keep this show fresh. Cons- Like every other show on FOX, it has a lot of smut that is bad for people that have real morals. It’s not as good as some other shows. Recommendation- I don’t like this show, but you can watch it if nothing else good is on or so you don’t have to watch just the second half of another TV show or turn the TV off. Special note- In a semi-regular move, this show will be leaving the airwaves on its original network, in this case, FOX, and continuing their episodes on another network, this time being TBS. So it is sort of cancelled, but not really. The official term is called network change if you want to wikipedia it. The show is also in syndication on some channels. Similar shows- Family Guy, The Simpsons, Two and a Half Men, and Last Man Standing. DVD suggestion- I’d say that you shouldn’t buy them unless you were really into them. Reception: positive. Grade: D+.
The Tonight Show with Jay Leno: Why I’ve seen it- David Letterman was on reruns at the time and I wondered if this was as good as some people say it was. Noteworthiness- A version of this show has existed on NBC for quite some time, making it the longest running late night show of any kind. I don’t know how many hosts they’ve had, but it has had a lot, including all the temporary ones that not everyone would count. Jay Leno himself was a permanent guest host until he started hosting every night. There has also been a lot of controversies from this show. Description- Jay Leno hosts a standard talk show with other events that made it his own. Pros- It follows the same format as most good talk shows so there isn’t much you won’t expect. Cons- This show isn’t that funny or that good. Most of the jokes fall flat leaving a viewer like me wondering why the audience is laughing. Recommendation- This is probably a good thing to be off the air nowadays. Cancellation reasons- For the second time, NBC is making a controversial decision by replacing Jay Leno. They have done numerous controversial decisions regarding the Tonight Show before including: wiping many of the original episodes including almost all of the Jack Parr era and the first ten years of the Johnny Carson era (and there’s probably many other missing from earlier hosts), making Jay Leno the host instead of David Letterman which prompted David Letterman to compete against them for a change and proved that there could be successful competition against this show, and putting Jay Leno in primetime. If this decision proves to be stupid as well, then you should probably expect NBC to slip out of the ratings even more so than they already have. Some people might think that the countdown to his return will start the moment he leaves, but he could really be gone this time. Similar show- none. DVD suggestion- Don’t buy the nonexistent DVDs that would never be released. Reception: mixed. Grade: D-.
Last Call with Carson Daley: Why I’ve seen it- I stay up too late at night and don’t always turn the TV off right away. Description- A strange format for a talk show, I’ve never quite understood it and I can’t really describe it for you. Pros- It is different than the average and usual talk show. Cons- It doesn’t really stand out as something that people would be into that much. Recommendation- Turn your TV off and go to bed or find another show to watch if you must be up this late. This show isn’t any good. Cancellation reasons- It wasn’t poor ratings (which would be understandable this late at night), but the person who did this show wanted to move on to other projects. We have yet to hear if it will continue in some other form with a different host. Similar show- The Arsenio Hall Show. DVD suggestion- They don’t do DVDs for this sort of show because that would be unrealistic. Reception: negative. Grade: D. Okay, I’m not entirely sure whether this is really cancelled or not. But I am still including it in the list in case it really is cancelled or does it appear in future seasons. Besides, you aren’t missing anything if it really isn’t cancelled and I wouldn’t mind posting a repeat review of this show.
Late Night with Jimmy Fallon: Why I’ve seen it- Craig Ferguson’s show was on reruns at the time. Description- Saturday Night Live veteran Jimmy Fallon hosts a talk show with various guests and skits. Pros- The show is quite different from the usual and has fresh view on many of the issues that talk show hosts frequently talk about. Jimmy’s bubbly personality keeps things quite interesting. Cons- The guests on the show aren’t focused on as much as they should be. More time is taken on games and random bits than one might like on the actual show. Recommendation- I’d say that you’d probably like this, but I can’t tell you to watch it anymore since the show will have ended by the time this review is posted online. But if his hosting of the Tonight Show is any similar to how he hosted Late Night (which it is), then you’ll be in for a treat when you watch it. Cancellation reasons- With Jimmy Fallon moving to the Tonight Show, he could no longer host this show an hour later. This show is instead being hosted by a different SNL alumni named Seth Meyers. Similar shows- The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson, Jimmy Kimmel Live, and Live with Kelly and Michael. DVD suggestion- I don’t know why I have this topic mentioned here since there aren’t and probably never will be DVDs for talk shows. You’d probably like them if there were, but since there aren’t, then you’re out of luck. Reception: positive. Grade: B-.
The Cleveland Show: Why I’ve seen it- I like Family Guy and figured that I would probably like this under the right circumstances. Description- A character from Family Guy (Cleveland Brown) moves to another town and his adventures are viewed here. Notable People- Seth MacFarlane, most well known for Family Guy, the show it span-off from, created this show and voices some characters. Pros- It keeps some of Family Guy’s format with a different set of characters. Cons- It can be uninteresting, inappropriate, and otherwise unentertaining. They use Family Guy cameos as a marketing gimmick. Recommendation- You can watch it if you want and like it, but I’d pass. Special Note- This show was actually already cancelled last season, but since no official word about it happened (not the only cancelled show to never be officially cancelled, by the way), I didn’t include it with cancelled shows from last season. This is why I’m mentioning it in this list instead. I say better late than never. Similar shows- American Dad, Mom, 2 Broke Girls, The Mindy Project, Family Guy, and Bob’s Burgers. DVD suggestion- I’d say that you’d probably be better off not watching this TV show on DVD so don’t buy it. But if you see it in syndication and have different views about it, then feel free to buy it on DVD for yourself if you want to. Reception: mixed. Grade: C-.
Sean Saves the World: Why I’ve seen it- I forget why I watched it the one time but it could have been problems with watching one of the shows that I actually did want to watch so I decided to watch this instead. Description- I’m not sure how to describe it except for a work place comedy mixed with family comedy about a single dad who is gay, but apparently wasn’t when he became a dad. I won’t get into a touchy subject like that here. Notable People- Sean Hayes, from Will and Grace and possibly other shows or movies, is the main character of the show. Pros- It follows a similar format to most other TV shows. Cons- It isn’t very good due to bad writing and overall poor quality. Recommendation- I’d say you should skip this show, but you probably already did since it is cancelled now. Cancellation reasons- It was poorly rated and most people hated the show so it getting cancelled was inevitable. Similar shows- American Dad and Mom. DVD suggestion- There more than likely won’t be any DVDs which is good since they wouldn’t sell good anyways. Reception: mixed. Grade: D.
The Michael J Fox Show: Why I’ve seen it- I like the actor and figure that a show he was on was probably good. Noteworthiness- In an unusual decision, the network that did this show forwent a pilot and ordered a full season. Description- A man with Parkinson’s disease goes back to work as a newscaster and we see his adventures as well as his friends and family. Notable People- Michael J Fox, famous for various TV shows like Spin City, Family Ties, and possibly his recurring role on The Good Wife as well as Back to the Future, which is, in my opinion, the greatest movie trilogy of all time, is the main character of this sitcom. Pros- This comedy is pretty good with mostly interesting plots and humor that is clean. Cons- The format can be strange. The basic plots for each episode are unoriginal. Most people don’t like it. Recommendation- I’d say this is probably something that you should watch if you find it interesting. Cancellation reasons- The show got some bad reception but what probably got it cancelled was the bad ratings. This proves once again that they probably shouldn’t skip pilots. Similar shows- The Millers, The Simpsons, and Bob’s Burgers. DVD suggestion- If there are DVDs which there probably won’t be, I think that you should buy them. While I limit myself to one cancelled show from each of the regular networks, you don’t have to and should buy it. I’m hoping that the rest of the episodes will air at some point, like they have in Australia, but I don’t think that they will, although I’d probably have to watch on Saturdays to know for sure. Reception: mostly positive. Grade: A-.
Raising Hope: Why I’ve seen it- I had free time on my hand at the time. I also promised to watch a new FOX comedy at the time. Noteworthiness- Believe it or not, this was actually the longest running FOX live action sitcom despite its relatively short time on the air. That kind of thing shows you what happens with the typical FOX live action comedy. The new longest running sitcom on FOX is now New Girl. Description- A young man finds himself raising a baby with various family and friends of his. Notable People- Greg Garcia, well known for creating My Name is Earl and The Millers, is the creator of this show. Some of the actors might be noteworthy too, but it’s hard for me to tell you where else they are from. Pros- It’s a unique comedy. The grandmother’s craziness always leads to laughs. Cons- The show is pretty weird a lot of the time and not the type of weird that people would like. The morals are bad as usual. Recommendation- Watch this show if you can. It’s actually pretty funny. Cancellation Reasons- It had low ratings and was generally being screwed with by the network. Moving it to Friday nights might have been the final nail in the coffin. Similar shows- The Simpsons, Family Guy, Bob’s Burgers, Mom, The Middle, Modern Family, The Millers, and Two and a Half Men. DVD suggestion- If you could only get one cancelled show from FOX this season, then get this one. Reception: positive. Grade: B.
Mind Games: Why I’ve Seen it- I thought that it might be good so I tuned into the first episode. Description- Two brothers and their team change people’s mind without them knowing it. Notable People- Christian Slader, who is known as a cursed actor (actor or actress who seems to only be on short-lived shows) was on this show. The creator of Awake also created this show too. Pros- The show isn’t like the average show. Cons- This show was pretty dull. I don’t know if they’ll even air the rest of the episodes. It sounded like it could be a good show, but that isn’t what I saw when I watched it. It seemed pretty pointless. I didn’t understand what it had to give me that other dramas didn’t. Recommendation- This isn’t worth watching, but you can’t see it anyways. Cancellation reasons- The show got cancelled due to a general lack of interest. Poor quality of the show also helped as well. Similar shows- none. DVD suggestion- Don’t buy it, although I don’t think that they’ll release it anyways. Reception: generally positive. Grade: D.
Once Upon a Time in Wonderland: Why I’ve seen it- I watched the original show (Once Upon a Time) so I figured that I should watch this as well. Plus, unlike some people, I like Alice in Wonderland. Noteworthiness- This drama is a spin-off of the popular Once Upon a Time; I heard that they’ll be at least one character crossing over to the other show. Description- Alice escapes from a mental institution to look for a love with characters from Wonderland and various other made-up stories. Pros- The show is interesting to those who may or may not be familiar with these stories or not. From what I understand so far, you don’t have to watch both shows if you don’t like the other show. Cons- I’ll admit, like most TV shows, the special effects aren’t all that good. It has the same problem as the original (Once Upon a Time) as being too complicated for most people to understand. Recommendation- I suggest that you watch it, but not if you aren’t into Once Upon a Time, although it is mostly separate so far so you don’t have to watch both shows. Cancellation reasons- Low ratings are mostly the reason why it was cancelled, but people generally not liking it didn’t do it any favors either. Similar shows- Once Upon a Time, Beauty and the Beast, and Grimm. DVD suggestion- If you could get only one cancelled ABC show from this season, this should be the one. I just hope that they release it, but you’d think that they would. Reception: somewhat positive. Grade: B-.
Almost Human: Why I’ve seen it- I am generally into science fiction, even on a network notorious for screwing with shows like that (and yet, writers keep selling those shows to them and they keep making them). Description- In the future, cops have to work with robot in order to solve futuristic crimes. Notable People- Michael Irby, who used to work on the Unit (I think), is a character on the show (although I never found where his character was). Pros- This is a rather interesting drama that isn’t just the usual cop show. The science fiction elements made it more interesting. Cons- The viewers would be confused by the futuristic aspects on the show that appear and make it more confusing considering how many of it has never happened yet. Recommendation- I’d say that you should probably watch it if you aren’t doing anything else at that time. Cancellation reasons- Since it premiered too late into the fall season (it actually wasn’t a midseason replacement, believe it or not) it might not have done that well in the ratings as a result. Plus, for no good reason, the episodes were aired out of order, causing confusion to the people that did watch. Similar shows- Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. and Person of Interest. DVD suggestion- I would suggest that you buy the DVDs given these two things: 1- they release a DVD of this show and 2- you don’t mind possible unresolved plots. Reception: mixed. Grade: B.
Dads: Why I’ve seen it- I thought that I might like it, even if the vast majority of people don’t. Description- Two male best friends have to endure their fathers moving in with them. Other friends are in the cast. Notable People- It has Seth Green (known for Robot Chicken, Family Guy, and various movies among other things) and Brenda Song (known for The Suite Life of Zack and Cody). Seth MacFarlane (creator of Family Guy, American Dad, and The Cleveland Show, among other things), works on the show, but he didn’t create it. If there are other famous people, then I’m not familiar with them. Pros- It is pretty humorous and mostly good. Cons- There are bad stuff that pop up, like the typical sex and jokes in poor taste in most TV shows, that might turn people off. Most places I’ve read don’t like the show. Recommendation- If you keep an open mind when you watch it, you might like it. If not, then you probably won’t want to watch it. Cancellation Reasons- Well, few people liked it and the viewership wasn’t that great. Some people are surprised it lasted as long as it did. Similar shows- Family Guy, Last Man Standing, Glee, and 2 Broke Girls. DVD suggestion- While I don’t think that they’d even release it to DVD, it probably wouldn’t be worth buying anyways. Reception: critically panned. Grade: C+.
Rake: Why I’ve seen it- I have a general interest in legal dramas and thought that this could be good. Noteworthiness- It’s a remake of an Australian TV show of the same name. Description- A lawyer uses unconventional methods to be a lawyer. He also has his own set of problems. Pros- This show has some good parts. Cons- This show is crap. They crammed so much into the first episode that not much was really accomplished in the end. Recommendation- Don’t bother watching it. Cancellation reasons- It had low viewership. Similar Shows- none. DVD suggestion- They probably won’t release it, but if they do, don’t waste your money. Reception: somewhat mixed to positive. Grade: D.
Enlisted: Why I’ve Seen it- I pretty much had to watch this since it was paired with another comedy that I watched. Description- It is a comedy about people in the army here in the United States. Pros- It isn’t bad. Cons- It can be hard to tell what the real point of it is. The episodes aired out of order. Recommendation- It’s your choice whether to watch it or not, I don’t really care. It isn’t bad if you want to watch it, but it isn’t really that good either. Cancellation reasons- It had a late season start, which is never a good sign, low viewership, and aired on Fridays. Similar shows- NCIS and NCIS: Los Angeles. DVD suggestion- It’s your choice, but since there won’t be DVDs anyways, then it might not matter in the end. If I’m wrong and there are DVDs, then I don’t know what to suggest. It wouldn’t be a waste, but it wouldn’t be that good a use of money either. Reception: critically acclaimed. Grade: C.
Crisis: Why I’ve seen it- I thought that it might be good. I wanted to see a new NBC midseason replacement show this season. Description- While a group of students from Washington DC, including the president’s son, are supposed to go on a field trip of some sort, they are all kidnapped and held hostage causing a nationwide crisis. We then see FBI agents get into the case to try to fix things or otherwise figure out a way of solving the case for the better. Notable People- Max Martini from the Unit is in this show. Pros- This show can be interesting and gripping. Cons- This show is unrealistic such as the fact that the kidnappers get the parents of these children to do a bunch of crazy things to get their children released while trying to accomplish their various evil plots (the kidnappers are). Recommendation- The show could be better than it is, but it works in some ways. I’d say that it’s a toss-up of whether or not one would want to watch it or not. Cancellation reasons- Low ratings were pretty much the main problem with this show. If it were of better quality, it might have made it. Similar shows- Person of Interest, Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., Criminal Minds, and CSI. DVD suggestion- Take it or leave it. A DVD release might be unlikely, but it could happen. I don’t think it would be that good, but it’s your choice. Reception: generally favorable. Grade: C-.
Star-Crossed: Why I’ve seen it- I promised to watch a CW midseason replacement and thought that this might be good. Description- It is about aliens living among humans in the future. It is inspired by racial events in American history. Pros- This type of show fits in quite well with the rest of the network since it is similar to everything else that they air. One can be very interested in the characters and overall plot. The show gives an updated version of racial dramas, even if the cast isn’t as racially diverse as one might like. It is among the good science fiction show that television gives us sometimes. Cons- It ended on a cliffhanger. It doesn’t always keep your interest. As usual, bad morals are present. Recommendation- I say that it was pretty good and you might like it. But given its lack of an ending, I’m not sure that you should get into it. Cancellation reasons- As usual, bad ratings are what ended it. Similar shows- Grimm, The Vampire Diaries, and Beauty and the Beast. DVD suggestion- While I don’t think that they’ll release it to DVD, it might be worthwhile if they do. It’s your choice in the end. Reception: mixed. Grade: B-.
Revolution: Why I’ve seen it- I thought that it looked good. Description- 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. Pros- This is an interesting concept that I’m surprised no one has come up with yet (although I could be wrong about that). Cons- The show is strange, dark, and hard to comprehend. It can also be hard to stay into. Recommendation- I think that it is worth your time. Cancellation reasons- Low ratings were probably what did it in. Plus, it wasn’t that well liked critically either. Similar shows- none. DVD suggestion- Toss-up. If you liked it then get it, but I don’t think I’ll miss anything by not having it. Reception: somewhat positive. Grade: B-.
Suburgatory: Why I’ve seen it- I forget, although it was probably a lack of alternative programming at the time. Description- I don’t know what it is about except life in the suburbs after living in the city and culture shock involved with that. Critics like it. It isn’t bad. Cons- I don’t get what it is about. I don’t understand it. Recommendation- It can be good sometimes, but you certainly aren’t missing anything by not watching it. Cancellation reasons- Pretty much low ratings were mostly the reason this show ended, although a lower budget didn’t help things. Similar show- The Middle. DVD suggestion- You might like it and you might not. I, personally, wouldn’t buy them, but if you have a different opinion, then you might like them. Reception: mostly positive. Grade: C-.
The Tomorrow People: Why I’ve seen it- Promise to watch a CW show since the others I watch aren’t on a regular basis at the time this first appeared. Noteworthiness- It is a remake. Description- This show is a science fiction show about an advanced race of humans with special powers, the people that are against them by hunting them, and the main character who is a double agent trying to help his kind. Pros- The show is very interesting. You don’t have to watch all the time to keep up with the storyline (although it does help to always watch it). Cons- This show seems like a lot like of the other shows and movies in this genre. Recommendation- If you have time or like the network then you might want to give it a chance. If you don’t like science fiction, then don’t watch it. Cancellation reasons- As usual, it was low ratings that did it in. Similar shows- Sleepy Hollow and The Vampire Diaries. DVD suggestion- If they ever release this to DVD, then I’d suggest that you get it. If I could only get one cancelled show from the CW this season on DVD, then I’d get this one. Reception: mixed. Grade: B-.
Super Fun Night: Why I’ve seen it- I’m not sure if it was a mistake of some sort or I wanted to watch a new ABC comedy. Description- I think that this has the adventures of a woman and her friends with an enemy as well that complicates things. Although, I’m not really sure what the show is about and you probably wouldn’t understand it either if you watched it. Notable People- Liza Lapira, who starred on NCIS as a recurring member and had roles both minor and major in various cancelled shows like Dollhouse, Traffic Light, Super Fun Night, and Don’t Trust the Bitch in Apartment 23. Pros- The show is unique. Cons- This show is terrible. First of all, my main problem with comedies and why I don’t like them are that they aren’t funny when they are supposed to be. I’m not certain what the plot of the show is. Recommendation- Don’t bother watching it although, you probably didn’t in the first place and that’s why it was rightfully cancelled. Cancellation reasons- Poor reception and viewership is what did it in. Similar shows- The Big Bang Theory, The Mindy Project, and New Girl. DVD suggestion- There probably won’t be DVDs, but don’t bother with them anyways if there are. Reception: mixed to negative. Grade: F.
Community: Why I’ve seen it- It got my interest and the show I normally watched was showing a rerun. Description- This is a show about people at a community college and what unusual things happen there. Pros- The show is pretty interesting and not the type of thing typically shown on television. Cons- It’s hard to understand all of it and missing out on the earlier seasons make it feel like you missed out on something good. Recommendation- I’d say that you should watch it. Cancellation reasons- The network loved to screw with it so when that caused the ratings to suffer, they cancelled the show because of it. Similar shows- The Simpsons and Family Guy. DVD suggestion- I’d say that you should probably get them. If you can get only one cancelled show from NBC on DVD, then this should be the one. Reception: mostly positive. Grade: B. UPDATE: While still cancelled by NBC, there will be new episodes airing online. I hope that this doesn’t affect the DVD releases and it will still be available to buy on DVD. It won’t be free online. It was free on TV since every show on network television is. My DVD recommendation stays the same, however, even if you can’t end up buying the sixth season. The strangeness about this cancellation might change my rule of only one cancelled show per season per network so that I can get the two great cancelled shows from NBC next season that I know that I would want. (Those shows are Parks and Recreation as well as Parenthood, which you will read more about in the next season’s cancellation blog post.)
The Neighbors: Why I’ve seen it- Interested in a show like this, though I’m not exactly sure why. Description- This is a comedy about aliens living in human form on earth and going through culture shock. Pros- The show’s unique humor makes it good. Cons- The concept isn’t original (Similar shows are Mork and Mindy or 3rd Rock from the Sun, neither of which I have seen. Both shows ended a long time before this started). The show can be quite weird and strange to those that aren’t used to that sort of thing. Plots are easily abandoned and it didn’t have an ending even when they knew it was going to be cancelled. Recommendation- I’d say watch it, at first, but not anymore. Cancellation reasons- No one, including the people who wrote it, seemed to care anymore about it. Them airing it on Fridays probably helped kill it, although everyone knew that it was going to be cancelled. Similar shows- The Simpsons, Family Guy, and American Dad. DVD suggestion- This probably isn’t worth the money, even though it started as somewhat good. I don’t think that there are DVDs of it anyways and don’t expect there to be any. Reception: mostly mixed. Grade: C.
Trophy Wife: Why I’ve seen it- Everything I normally watched was on reruns. Description- I have no clue what the show is about. Pros- It has a popular fan base. Cons- The show is nowhere close to being entertaining, funny, or good. Recommendation- Skip this show. Cancellation reasons- I forget why exactly it was cancelled, but it could have had something to do with its title and probably just had low ratings. Similar show- The Mindy Project. DVD suggestion- I wouldn’t bother with it, not that it would be on DVD anyways. Reception: very positive. Grade: D.
Friends with Better Lives: Why I’ve seen it- I watch everything on CBS that I can so I watched this. Description- This show follows stereotypical groups of friends that have different relationships and are at different points in their lives, each thinking that others have it better. Notable People- Brooklyn Decker (who I’m not related to), who is a notable model, stars on this show. Pros- This follows standard sitcom procedure, so you know what to expect. Cons- It has a watered down premise. This show is just the dumb type of thing people make out shows with this plot to be. The show offers nothing new to the television world and just gives us a bunch of old, worthless stuff we’re already used to getting from other shows that were all appropriately cancelled. Recommendation- Don’t bother with it. Cancellation reasons- Like other shows with this bad idea, this one followed suit in getting cancelled. Similar shows- New Girl, The Mindy Project, and The Big Bang Theory. DVD suggestion- Don’t bother getting DVDs that probably won’t be released anyways. Reception: positive. Grade: F. This show will be replaced by Scorpion. It should be noted that Scorpion is an hour long drama and this is a comedy. Mike and Molly, another comedy, is not on the fall schedule and will also be replaced by Scorpion until it returns, replacing something else.
Hostages: Why I’ve seen it- I like shows on CBS so I watched this one. Noteworthiness- It is based on an Israeli show. Description- This show is about a family being held hostage while the captors try to get the mother of the captive family who’s a doctor to kill the president. Pros- The show is complex and interesting. The drama keeps you watching week after week. The ending was quite good. Cons- A problem I can tell you right now is that if you haven’t started watching now, the longer you don’t watch, the harder it will be to understand what has happened so far. It is hard to tell the motives of characters and it is uncertain as to who the good guys are, if there are any. It is confusing and probably not realistic. Recommendation- While some people don’t like it, I think that it’s a good show and think that you should watch it. Cancellation reasons- Since this was called a limited run series (which means a limited number of episodes a season and never a full season of 22-24 episodes) and it was the lowest rated CBS show, it got cancelled. Similar shows- Grimm, Arrow, NCIS: Los Angeles, and Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. DVD suggestion- I’d suggest getting it, but there might not be DVDs in the first place. Reception: mixed. Grade: B+. This show was momentarily replaced by Intelligence and will ultimately be replaced by NCIS: New Orleans.
The Crazy Ones: Why I’ve seen it- I like the main actor and the comedy he’s normally in. Plus, it’s CBS. Noteworthiness- It mentions in the opening credit that this show is inspired by what happened to a real advertiser. Description- A man, his daughter, and other workers are part of an advertising agency and humorous antics ensue. Notable People- Comedian Robin Williams, known for comedy specials, movies, and the TV show Mork and Mindy, is the main character. Sarah Michelle Geller from Buffy the Vampire Slayer is also in it. If there are other famous people, I don’t know who they are. Pros- The actors are allowed to improvise and that typically adds humor to the show that we otherwise wouldn’t see. Robin Williams proves that he is still good at comedy and the other actors are good as well. Cons- The plots for the episodes aren’t always good and there isn’t any continuity between episodes to keep people interested in it. Most people don’t like it. Recommendation- I think that this show is worth your time. Cancellation reasons- Probably low viewers and bad reception are what killed it. Plus, airing on a highly competitive night like Thursdays may have helped kill it as well. Similar shows- Two and a Half Men, Last Man Standing, Brooklyn Nine-Nine, and Bob’s Burgers. DVD suggestion- If you could get only one cancelled show from CBS from this season, then this should be it. Reception: mixed to negative. Grade: B-. This show was momentarily replaced by Bad Teacher and will ultimately be replaced by The McCarthys once Thursday night football ends.
Intelligence: Why I’ve seen it- When this show premiered, there was nothing better on. Notable People- Marg Helgenberger, formerly from CSI, is on this show. Description- This show is about a man with a computer chip in his brain. Pros- It had its fans. Cons- “We’ve given a man information only found in a computer,” is more or less the plot of every episode. You can’t expect much from the show. This show is generally boring and uninteresting. There was not much there and barely any of it was remotely good or entertaining. Recommendation- Don’t bother with this. Cancellation reasons- Nobody watched it and as a CBS midseason replacement, it was doomed anyways. Similar shows- none. DVD suggestion- They probably won’t release it, but it isn’t worth buying if they ever do that. Reception: mixed to somewhat positive. Grade: F. This show will be replaced by NCIS: New Orleans.
Bad Teacher: Why I’ve seen it- I watch shows on CBS at least once to see if I will watch them long term. Noteworthiness- This show is based off of a movie with the same name. Description- This show is obviously about a bad teacher. Pros- It had a short time on television. Cons- As usual in a bad show, the characters are dull and pointless leaving no satisfaction as to why one would be interested in watching this show again. I’m certainly not going to bother tuning in again. This show isn’t even funny. Recommendation- Don’t bother with it. Cancellation reasons- It was a CBS midseason replacement so it was probably already dead on arrival. It had bad viewership and bad reviews. Similar shows- Glee, The Vampire Diaries, New Girl, American Dad, Family Guy, The Simpsons, and Bob’s Burgers. DVD suggestion- While I doubt that there would be DVDs of this show, don’t bother buying them even if there are DVDs of it released. Reception: mixed to negative. Grade: F. This show will be replaced by The McCarthys once Thursday Night Football is over.
Dracula: Why I’ve seen it- No longer into a different vampire show so I wondered if this would be any good. Description- Dracula is in the present day, I think. He’s a vampire, if you didn’t already know that. Pros- Critics like it. Cons- This show is boring and sucks quite literally. Recommendation- Don’t watch it. Cancellation reasons- Low viewership was pretty much what killed it. Similar shows- Supernatural, The Vampire Diaries, and The Originals. DVD suggestion- I wouldn’t buy them, not that they’d be released anyways. Reception: positive. Grade: F.
The Arsenio Hall Show: Why I’ve seen it- I haven’t really seen it, but, basically, the good talk shows were airing repeats. Description- A person is really bad at hosting a talk show. Notable People- Arsenio Hall, presumably from the better, original version of this show, is hosting this. I don’t know what he’s known for besides this show. Pros- Someone who isn’t a white guy gets to host a talk show. Now it’s a black guy’s turn. Cons- The show is so bad; I find it quite hard to sit through a whole episode. I’m not sure what the farthest I’ve ever gotten through an episode is. Its lack of humor is embarrassing. I don’t know why the audience is laughing at all. Recommendation- There are plenty of other interesting things on and I’d rather go to bed than watch this. Cancellation reasons- Low ratings pretty much did it in, although it was originally going to have a second season before things went badly for them. Similar show: none. DVD suggestion- There won’t be DVDs, but if there are, then don’t buy them anyways. Reception: mixed to negative. Grade: F.
Other Noteworthy Cancelled Shows: Save Me (This NBC show was about a woman who heard messages from God about things she should do. This show looked bad and if it’s any indication of how it went, I was never able to sit through a whole episode to find out for sure if it was. This show could probably offend Christians and Atheists at the same time, for completely different reasons of course. Like many other shows done by Hollywood, this show totally got Christian views wrong. The promos made it look terrible and it is no surprised that it didn’t last long.), Brooklyn DA (This CBS documentary was about a Brooklyn DA. Now you wouldn’t think that a documentary series would do well on network television and you’d be right. Plus, the network never promoted it either before it aired or while it was airing. I don’t think that it was ever announced as part of the schedule. Like many shows, it just showed up with no warning. And it left just as quickly.), The Choice (I don’t know what this show was about. But I can quickly and easily sum up why it was cancelled: this was a summer CW show that was never advertised.), The Next: Fame is at Your Doorstep (CW summer show that was never advertised got low viewers and then got cancelled.), Ready for Love (Another summer failure.), Camp (This NBC show was about people at a summer camp. Like most summer shows, it was low rated and then cancelled.), The Goodwin Games (It’s never a good sign for a show to premiere as late in the schedule as this show did which is why nobody watched it and it got cancelled. In fact, I heard that this show was cancelled before it even aired anyways, although airing it didn’t change anything. FOX lost another show.), Lucky 7 (The first cancellation of the fall season, this show probably didn’t work due to how uninteresting it seemed. It was an ABC show.), Murder Police (This animated FOX show was cancelled before it even aired.), Ironside (This NBC remake of a successful show didn’t last that long. The original is on Me TV if you find that to be better.), Welcome to the Family (This NBC sitcom was about a family that had to deal with a teenager daughter’s unexpected pregnancy. This overused and bad plot didn’t make for a good show and it didn’t last that long.), Us and Them (This FOX show was cancelled before it even aired an episode. I’m not sure why that was, but this network is typically douche bags anyways.), Back in the Game (This ABC sitcom was about a family and sports somehow related to it. I can’t make it sound better and if it was, then it wouldn’t have gotten cancelled.), The X-Factor (This seemed like an American Idol rip-off with a judge formerly from American Idol on the same network that airs American Idol. This, however, was based off of a British show of the same name. Regardless, it is the reality crap that most people hate. Somehow, this didn’t last a long time like all the others have due to low ratings. So this gives us one last reality show to hate, if only for a moment, since we know they’ll be more.), Breaking Pointe (This is pretty much summed up as a CW show that you didn’t know existed not surprisingly getting cancelled.), America Now (This syndicated news show didn’t really have anything going for it so that’s probably why they cancelled it.), Riot (You’ll see more mention of this show later, with next season’s shows.), Believe (I’m not sure why this science fiction show was cancelled and I didn’t really understand what it’s about, but it’s cancelled whether you like it or not.), Hieroglyph (This was supposed to air with the next season so it being cancelled before it airs could put it with this season’s cancellations, but I will talk more about it later). Bethenny (This was another lame talk show that got cancelled. I never heard of it before it got cancelled and with it being with a host from a reality TV show that most people hate, then it would only help it get cancelled.), The Carrie Diaries (This was a Sex and the City prequel and many fans were in denial about the fact that it would get cancelled. That denial meant nothing as the show eventually ended after getting ratings too low for even the CW.), Growing up Fisher (This low rated NBC show got low ratings and then got cancelled, plain and simple.), Judge Alex (This syndicated judge show got cancelled, but there are plenty more of them on TV so this shouldn’t cause any problems.), Mixology (This ABC show took place all on one single’s night at a bar and was too high concept, and lowly rated, to work.), Surviving Jack (People didn’t want this show picked up and when it was, it got terrible reviews. That might have lead to low ratings that got this FOX show cancelled.), The Test (I’ve never heard of this show which explains its cancellation.), Trisha (This lame syndicated talk show was definitely on the worse side of daytime talk shows, and it got cancelled because nobody likes it.), Killer Women (This show had a terrible title and low ratings so ABC lost yet another TV show.), Betrayal (Maybe it had to do with the fact that it was a new show on Sundays and Sundays can actually treat new shows worse than any other night. In the fall, it was the only new show to air on Sundays and the only one that wasn’t midseason that actually aired to get cancelled on Sundays, although one might count American Dad as cancelled even if it lives on another network. Plus, this show seemed like a rip-off of Revenge that aired on ABC immediately after Revenge. The only surprise about this cancellation, when you think about it, is that it took so long for them to make it official since they never even ordered more episodes for a fall show which always means a show is cancelled.), Backpackers (you’ll read more about this CW summer show in next season’s cancellation.), Seed (as with other summer shows that I don’t find a part of this season, I will mention more about their cancellation next season.), Black Box (This ABC drama was probably cancelled after premiering too late in the season. Plus, it seemed like it was only a last minute replacement to what should have been more Scandal episodes before the season’s episodes were cut when its lead got pregnant. I have a problem with it since it was an unannounced show, although the promos didn’t make it look any good and I might have watched it otherwise.), Famous in 12 (A CW summer and reality show failure, I’ll mention more of its cancellation in the next season’s blog post about it.), I Wanna Marry “Harry” (This was a terrible idea from the start: get females to believe that they were in a reality show to marry the prince of England, when the guy is just a lookalike. You’d think you’d expect more from people, but it was FOX after all. I’m not even sure that they aired all of the episodes, not that people would watch anyways. The point is, we all knew that this show would be cancelled. But, I’ll mention more of it next season, since I consider it a part of that season and not this season.), Katie (I never made time to see this syndicated talk show hosted by Katie Couric, formerly of the Today Show and CBS Evening News. I might have been good, but it must not have been good enough since it is over now.), and more that isn’t worth mentioning.
Note on similar shows: When I do my reviews of shows that were cancelled this, or any, season of television, I mention something called similar shows in a review for one. What I mean by that, is if you are a fan of the show I reviewed that was cancelled, then the other shows I mentioned are like it and could fill the void of the show that was cancelled. For example, if you were a fan of Nikita, then the three similar shows I mentioned might be something you’d be into if you aren’t already watching it because they are similar to Nikita. I mention shows that are still on the air, regardless of if I’ve seen them, they are on the same network, or if I even like the show. I just think that they are similar in some way to another show you might like if you were a fan of the cancelled show. So keep that in mind if a show you like gets cancelled and I mention a similar show that you haven’t seen, then you might want to watch it and you could like it to replace the cancelled show you like.
Original reviews of NBC late night shows from an older blog post. Keep in mind that some of it is now outdated like a lot of my blog posts are.
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.
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.

                (In case you are interested in more facts about the upcoming CBS network schedule, since Undercover Boss and The Mentalist are not immediately on the schedule, I thought that I should tell you what show they are being replaced with at the moment. Undercover Boss will momentarily be replaced by Madam Secretary. The Mentalist will momentarily be replaced by Stalker. And Thursday Night Football is going to air for a while before the regular Thursday shows premiere. The Big Bang Theory will air on Mondays for a while but will move back to Thursday on October 30 when the regular Thursday shows will start. Before that Thursday, you will have to see a lot of football which will probably delay the news and there might be even more weird things happening if you live on the west coast, provided that you do not see the same football on time delay. 2 Broke Girls will not air for a while, but will be back on Monday when The Big Bang Theory goes back to the regular time it has on Thursday. You do have to wonder how long CBS has this football deal and if they’ll ever use it to launch new shows later into the season, besides the comedy they are doing this upcoming season.)