Summer Shows 2015

Well, it’s about time that I review the shows that are airing or have aired during the summer of 2015. I’ll begin the reviews with thoughts on certain new shows on the schedule. I will continue posting with reviews of other shows that have existed previous seasons. Some of them will be reviews you’ve seen before, but others are pretty new.

Zoo: Show Description- Animals seek to take over the world. Behind the Scenes- This is based off of a novel written by James Patterson. My Thoughts- I didn’t think that there would be much to this show or anything about it that would make it good. Well, it turns out that I was right. This show is pretty terrible and boring. I give it two out of five stars. Long Term Prospects- I haven’t checked the ratings of this show, but I don’t see it lasting beyond a first season. Would there even be enough material? Where to Find- On CBS at 9/8 Central on Tuesdays

The Island: Show Description- A reality show, the Island is about a bunch of men who are isolated on an island while seeing if they can form a society. Behind the Scenes- There’s not much to add here except that this is a reality show about forming a new society. There’s no competition aspect to it. My Thoughts- I thought that the show was interesting. It wasn’t supposed to have eliminations, but people seem to keep getting out every episode. It’s unknown if they could actually script this show. Without an actual competition happening, then it could be and probably is scripted. But the show stays interesting since it shows real people with important things to do. I give it three out of five stars. Long Term Prospects- I doubt that this gets a second season. It could, but I find that idea to be unlikely. Where to Find- Not currently on schedule

The Briefcase: Show Description- Two families are given a briefcase full of money and they have to decide whether or not to keep all the money, give all the money away, or a combination of the two. What they don’t realize at first is that there is another family making the same decision and they are deciding whether or not to share money with each other. Behind the Scenes- It’s hard to describe what type of show that this is. When people are tricked like this, some would call it a hidden camera show, but it technically isn’t, even if it’s close enough to it. My Thoughts- I find this show to be pretty interesting. I do wonder what happens with extra money since there seems to be more money in the briefcase then is considered to be kept or not. There also problems that could be caused with families since there are always two people on each family that have to make decisions. Anyways, I believe that the show is pretty good and can lead to nice decisions. I give it three out of five stars. Long Term Prospects- Since the show was revealed to the public, it seems unlikely that they could keep doing this without people figuring out what is really going on. Now that people know what the show is, I don’t think that it can get a second season. Where to Find- Not currently on the schedule

The Astronaut’s Wives Club: Show Description- This show is about the wives of various astronauts, set in the 1960s. Behind the Scenes- This show is based on historical events so it has a true story angle to it. It is also based off of a book. The show also stars JoAnna Garcia Swisher, who, before she was married, starred on the show Reba, before going on to have important roles on other shows like Better with You, Animal Practice, and Privileged. My Thoughts- I don’t know what spoilers one could learn about this show by looking up the history about it. I don’t know what of it is accurate. The show is interesting and pretty informative. I give it three out of five stars. Long Term Prospects- The show could be limited in a sense. It could last for more than one season. I don’t know yet if it will. I think that it could, but I don’t know yet if it will or not. Where to Find- On ABC at 8/7 Central on Thursdays

Boom: Show Description- A game show, Boom is about people trying to cut the right answers to questions to avoid exploding a sort of bomb. Behind the Scenes- Nothing to add here, except that this show is based off of a foreign game show. My Thoughts- I really like this show, even if it has me yelling at the TV at times. It can be quick in the format so you can’t tell at times if someone is going to fail, unless promos gave it away. I like that people are playing as a team and you get more than one mistake that you can make. But, it is a problem that you can’t walk out with your total earning prior to the final question with the toughest bomb. Regardless, I still like the show. I give it four out of five stars. Long Term Prospects- Of the new summer shows that I’m reviewing, I think that this might be the most likely one to survive into a second season. Where to Find- On FOX at 8/7 Central on Thursdays

New summer shows I’m reviewing: Zoo, The Island, The Briefcase, The Astronaut’s Wives Club, and Boom

Now you get to see standard reviews for TV shows that air during the summer. You’ve probably seen these reviews before since I’ve probably posted some before. But, if people even read this blog in the first place, then I’d be worried about needlessly repeating myself. If I were worried about needlessly repeating myself, then I wouldn’t needlessly repeat myself. I just hope that someone starts reading this blog again, if people did that in the first place. Anyways, here are the long term reviews of summer shows, even if they are mostly just repostings of old reviews.

Rookie Blue: Status- It airs on ABC on Thursdays at 10/9 Central. Why I’ve seen it- There was nothing else to watch during the summer so I watched this. Noteworthiness- This is a Canadian show that airs sometimes in America. Description- A bunch of rookie cops (or, at least they were rookies when the show started) solve a bunch of cases. Pros- The show gives you something different to watch on TV sometimes. Cons- It’s hard to know when this is on making it easy to miss. Recommendation- This show is pretty good and you should watch it. Prediction- It has lasted a good amount of time so far. Whether that means it will keep lasting a while or if it will end soon is unknown. I heard rumors that it might end soon but don’t know if those rumors are true. Reception: mixed. Grade: B.

Primetime: What Would You Do?: Status- This is an ABC show. It is a spin-off of 20/20. ABC news helps with this show. It airs on Fridays at 9/8 Central. Why I’ve seen it- Commercials made it seem interesting. Cancellation of The Good Guys helped me decide to watch it. Noteworthiness- It is the first hidden camera show I’ve seen that wasn’t out to exploit people for laughs. It is actually very serious. Description- Different situations are set up to see how people react to them. The point is to get people to react to a situation and get them to help people out. Very serious situations are acted out using issues such as coming out, unwanted pregnancy, racial issues, gender issues, and more. Pros- It shows the good side among people and how they actually help sometimes. It is very interesting and could make good teaching material. There are different segments in each episode to keep you interested. It probably is a more realistic version than any scripted show could come up with. Cons- Some segments are better than others because some segments are just pointless. A certain amount of deception is involved with the people. All the shooting locations tend to be in the same locations. The Would You Fall for That? segments are pretty dumb. One can question the legalities of this show. Recommendation- Everyone should watch this show. This is the best show currently on television. Prediction- It should be on until they run out of ideas, which is unlikely that they will. Whether it will stay around is for the viewers to decide. I think that it will last a while. Reception: positive. Grade: A++.

Hollywood Game Night: Status- Currently on NBC. It airs on Tuesdays at 10/9 Central. Why I’ve seen it- I generally like to watch game shows and there was nothing else to watch during the summer when this first started to air on TV. Description- Two regular people compete in a game show of various competitions. Each has a set of three celebrities (six total) that help them with the game. Notable People- Jane Lynch, from Glee, is the host of the show. Sean Hayes from Will and Grace helped create the show. Many of the guest are obviously famous (notice how I do not say all because fame is relative) but since they always change, I would not be able to mention all of them. Pros- It’s fun to watch the show to see the various antics played out by everyone. As usual, the celebrities are competing for charity instead of themselves. There are different games each week to keep things interesting. Cons- Not all of the games seem fair in every way. Recommendation- I’d say that you should probably watch this if you ever have the time to do so. Prediction- Right now, it seems like a show that fills any gaps in scheduling. Things typically don’t end well for those shows, even if they do last long and always wind up airing instead of possibly getting cancelled. But this could always wind up becoming a daytime game show like most good games shows are. (Typically bad primetime game shows get cancelled and good primetime game shows become daytime game shows. This is not always the case as bad daytime game shows can be around for quite some time. But, more often than not, that’s the case.) Now I cannot say that will be the case with this show. But I will say that I expect it to stay around for a while, provided that they can keep getting celebrities to do this show. Reception: positive. Grade: A-.

Masters of Illusion: Status- It airs on the CW at 8/7 Central on Fridays. Why I’ve seen it- It first aired right after a show that I normally watch. Noteworthiness- Looking up the history of this show, I found out that it has aired off and on various networks in recent history. That means that if it ends, it could be brought back. Description- Simply put, this show has various magicians doing performances for people. Pros- A lot of stuff happens in one episode. Tricks and magicians always change so you know you can expect something different in each episode. The show happens quickly and this isn’t something that you always have to watch as the episodes are always standalones. Cons- Well, some of the pros can also be cons. They seem to focus on putting too much in a single half-hour. A lot of the tricks are things you’ve seen before. Recommendation- I would say that you should watch it if magic is the type of thing that interests you. Prediction- I think that this show will last a good while and if it ever ends, it can come back again as it has in the past. Reception: somewhat negative, although, it was hard for me to find a good place that mentioned the reception that the show got. Grade: B. New review

Are You Smarter Than a Fifth Grader?: Status- It airs on FOX at 8/7 Central on Tuesdays. Why I’ve seen it- I forget why I first watched it in its original run. It was probably because I found the show idea to be interesting. I watched it after it returned to TV because I liked the original version and not much has changed. Noteworthiness- The show was originally in primetime before, but then moved to syndication for a while. After a hiatus from new episodes, the show has returned this summer. Description- This is a game show where adults compete with the help of real fifth graders to answer questions found in actual grade school textbooks. Notable People- Jeff Foxworthy, a well-known redneck comedian, formerly of Blue Collar TV, is the host of the show. Pros- The show is quite interesting to watch. It is funny seeing adults fail at basic questions. Cons- The show seems to have a set format which can make things, like whether or not someone succeeds in the show, predictable when it airs. Recommendation- I think that this is a good show to watch. Prediction- I think that this might last awhile now that it has returned and it might even get upgraded out of the summer schedule. Besides, if it were to end, it could always be brought back again. Reception: positive. Grade: B. New review

Penn and Teller: Fool Us: Status- It airs on the CW at 8/7 on Mondays. Why I’ve seen it- It being a magic show interested me enough into watching it. Noteworthiness- Originally, this was a foreign series that had lasted a single season and was cancelled. It aired in Britain, but not in America for a while. After it aired in this country, the show was brought back for a second season. Description- Various magicians compete for a chance to be an opening act for Penn and Teller. They get to do a trick for them and get to be the opening act if Penn and Teller can’t explain how the trick was done. Notable People- Penn and Teller, famous magician duo are not the hosts of the show, but they are panelists of a sort who judge the trick and reveal whether or not they were fooled. Pros- With a standalone format, this is the type of show that you don’t have to watch every week. The tricks are entertaining, regardless of if Penn and Teller are fooled. You get to see them perform a trick at the end of the show to keep things interesting. Cons- Whether or not Penn and Teller are fooled, we don’t know what the secret is behind the trick. So, basically, if people don’t fool Penn and Teller, we still don’t know how they aren’t fooled. I will say this, though, the tricks that fool tend to be better. Recommendation- If you can watch it, then you probably should. Prediction- I think that this show will last a while, although it will obviously end if something happens to Penn and/or Teller. Reception: positive. Grade: B-. New review

Under the Dome:  Status- Currently on CBS during the summer. It airs at 10/9 Central on Thursdays. Why I’ve seen it- I like the CBS network and nothing else was really on during the summer. Noteworthiness- This is based off of a book by Stephen King. He helps with this show. This was first pitched to the Showtime network which passed on it and gave it to CBS. Description- For some odd reason, a dome traps people in a small town underneath it. Notable People- Dean Norris, from Breaking Bad, is on the show. There are probably others. Pros- The show is interesting science fiction. It keeps you into the show. The secret lives of the characters are pretty good storytelling. The mystery of the show is gripping. Cons- A lot of people don’t like it. It seems to drag on without a real purpose to it. One wonders what the point of it is in the end. Recommendation- I think that this show is pretty good and worth watching all the time. Prediction- If it keeps the good ratings that it has, it should last a while, even if it airs during the less watched summer. However, if the general negativity of this show continues, then I don’t see it lasting much longer than it already has. Reception: mixed. Grade: B+.

Big Brother: Status- This CBS show airs in three hours of primetime during the summer and on live internet feeds at www.cbs.com. The three primetime hours are basically split into the mostly live show where people are voted out, the show where people get nominated to get voted out, and the show where people compete to possibly change the nominations on the show. Basically, you’d have to watch the average week of shows to get the way it airs. The current airing schedule has it on Sundays at 8/7 Central, Wednesdays at 8/7 Central, and Thursdays at 9/8 Central. Why I’ve seen it- A parody of it on the Talk interested me in watching the real thing. Noteworthiness- There are many versions of it in other countries, most of which work very differently than ours. In case you were wondering, we were not the first country to do this show, although we were the first country to use the format that it has in almost no other country’s version of it. Description- A group of people, normally strangers, but sometimes not, are put into a house where they are recorded 24/7 and competing for a money prize. Notable People- Julie Chen, formally of CBS’s the Early Show and current co-host of the Talk, is the host of this show. She has hosted this show longer than any other host in any other country’s version of this show. Pros- While it may seem similar to other reality TV shows, it is very different to the usual. You can see whatever you want to online since CBS has live feeds of what goes on inside the house. Cons- Okay, I should warn you that this cons section might be misleading since, although I like the show, I can think of a lot of cons about it, but not that many pros. You have to devote a lot of time to watching it to not miss anything important. The live internet feed gets cuts a lot making it seem like the people that air the show is hiding something. Tons of controversies have arisen on the show, whether they were caused by contestants on the show or the people who make the show. The live shows make you wonder if contestants don’t follow the rules of the game. The live aspect of the show makes the editing of it strange since one doesn’t know what will happen. Information about what happens on the show can be known before it even airs. Recommendation- Despite the rather lengthy cons section that I just mentioned, this show is a pretty good show to watch. Prediction- It will probably last a long time, although it just as easily might not. Reception: mixed. Grade: B-.

Last Comic Standing: Status- Currently on NBC at various times throughout the summer. I’m not sure of the time this season. Why I’ve seen it- Originally, I watched this because my aunt was in the live studio audience of one of the episodes and we wanted to see her in the audience (we did). Since we didn’t know when she’d appear, we started watching at the beginning of the second season and we were too interested in the rest of the season by the time we got to the episode my aunt was in so we kept watching. I haven’t seen much of other seasons so I don’t know what all has changed. Noteworthiness- This show has been cancelled twice and brought back twice so if it ends again, it will more than likely come back later. Description- A bunch of people compete for a comedy deal of some sort. This is a reality show. Notable People- The hosts and judges of the show constantly change, but are typically notable. I’d mention who they are, but you would have better luck just looking up the information for yourself. Pros- The show can be quite good, especially if the contestants are good. Cons- The jokes are only as good as the person who makes them meaning if a contestant isn’t that good, then you won’t be amused. The format is a bit confusing, although they might have improved on it from when I used to watch. Recommendation- If you have time to watch it, then you might as well tune into it. Prediction- It should last a while and, like I said before, if it doesn’t, then it will come back anyways at some point in the future. Reception: somewhat mixed to slightly positive. Grade: C+.

Extant: Status- Currently on CBS at 10/9 Central on Wednesdays. Why I’ve seen it- I thought that it would be interesting, plus my devotion to the CBS network. Description- It is hard to tell what this show is about, but it’s a science fiction show that involves aliens and a pregnancy of a human by an alien. There are also side stories with robots as this is a show set in the future. Notable People- Haley Berry, who is famous for movies, is the star of the show. Grace Gummer, who is one of Meryl Streep’s daughters (and famous in her own right) is a character on the show. Pros- The storyline of what they have told us is pretty good. It is interesting. Cons- With an unexplained mystery behind the show, it can be hard to tell what the real point of it is. Recommendation- I say that you should probably watch it. Prediction- I have no idea how long it will last. It could stay around, but might not. Reception: generally favorable. Grade: B. New review