Saturday, July 30, 2016

Syndication: What it is and why it’s used

This is my 100th post of this blog. I decided to do something that related to the theme of 100 in television by posting about syndication. I use terms in this blog that I'm not sure that everyone actually knows about even though I talk about it a lot. For instance, I was talking with my aunt and uncle who are living most of the year in Ghana about the regions of DVDs and they had no idea what I was talking about. I shouldn't assume that everyone knows terms that I use, so here's one about syndication. Also, you'll notice that this weekly posts are now on Saturdays instead of Fridays. I was posting on Fridays until another roll of a Survivor episode would post something on a different day. Saturdays, like Fridays, was an open day of the week for me to post in this blog. Since the month is over, there will be no more Friday updates unless it somehow becomes occupied with more Good Wife things to post about. You will be seeing Saturday posts until at least sometime next month, depending on if I start posting on a regular day of the week or not. Sorry for the long introduction. Now on to the blog post!

If you ever see me talk about syndication, you might not know what it is. Then again, you might know enough about it to get the gist of it. Basically, there are various purposes that syndication has so I might as well tell you about them.

A lot of what syndication is and means is basically getting reruns of previously aired primetime shows. Now these primetime shows are sometimes still on the air producing new episodes and other times these primetime shows have ended. Syndication can basically keep shows that have ended production on the airwaves forever. That’s the theory, at least, although a lot of shows don’t stay in syndication forever. One of the problems with syndication is that shows are always edited in some way. Typically the edits are minor, although a person like me who has seen both versions typically always notices these edits. In fact, a big compliant regards Saturday Night Live which losses about 30 minutes worth of sketches in syndication. That show goes from its original running time of 90 minutes to just 60 minutes in reruns. Most shows, or at least sitcoms, lose at least an overall minute when they are edited for syndication.

There are some shows that exist exclusively in syndication. Those are typically talk shows or game shows. They air on various networks at various times throughout the day, except primetime and times that would conflict with other shows. Typically, daytime hours and late night hours (remembering that late night on TV is considered everything after primetime and before daytime) are the only times that you’d see syndicated shows on.


I’m not sure what else there is to say regarding syndication. Just remember that if it is a drama or a sitcom, you will never see new episodes in syndication. You might see episodes that you haven’t seen before or episodes not previously in syndication before such as the most recently aired seasons of shows. I will admit that sometimes syndication can be annoying as it can just skip around from episodes from season to season and not air in any logical order. Typically, the air in the right order from beginning to end (or the end of the most recently syndicated season at least) and then repeat the order, but various things can mess this up. That’s my main problem with it at least. If you can buy shows on DVD, that’s problem the better option anyways. Just hope that your DVDs are the complete season or they might not have the original versions of the episode and instead just be the syndicated versions of the episodes you want and not the full version. I'm not sure if most people know or care about this.

Friday, July 29, 2016

My Planned Viewing Habits: Fall of 2016

Before the fall TV shows start, I might as well post what shows I will still be watching and which new shows I’ll be watching as well. This is one of my three updates where I tell you what I plan to watch each season. Remember with the new shows that I might only watch it once. I could easily wind up watching shows not mentioned and I might not watch all of what I plan to. It all depends on how the schedule works and changes over time.

Now in what is a great thing and terrible thing for me at the same time, I have ways of watching multiple shows at once. I have done three shows that air at the same time using a combination of live watching, recording on a TV tuner, and using a good old fashioned VCR. If all goes well, I could start using a second VCR to record three things at once. But let’s not label the preference of shows that I watch (something I’m not sure if I’ve ever done yet, but might in at least once blog post in the future) and just get to which shows I might watch in the future.

First, let’s cover the returning shows that I will be watching on each of the various networks. These will only cover the returning shows that will be on the schedule during the fall season. On ABC, I’ll be watching Fresh off the Boat (which I wasn’t able to see as much last season because I didn’t originally plan on watching it before I discovered that I liked it), Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., Modern Family, Grey’s Anatomy, Once Upon a Time, and Quantico. I will occasionally watch 20/20, Shark Tank, The Goldbergs, and The Middle, although I might watch The Middle long term if I can fit a fourth show at once in my schedule. On CBS, I’ll be watching The Big Bang Theory, Scorpion, NCIS, NCIS: New Orleans, Survivor, Code Black, Hawaii Five-0, Blue Bloods, NCIS: Los Angeles, Madam Secretary, and Elementary. That’s a lot of shows. I’ll also be watching 60 Minutes whenever it works in the schedule.

Continuing with the CW, I will be watching Jane the Virgin, The Flash, and DC’s Legends of Tomorrow. I might watch Arrow now, either online or on tape if I can get a second tape figured out. I watched Supergirl when it was on CBS and I will be watching it on its new network as well. On FOX, I will be watching Gotham, New Girl, Brooklyn Nine-Nine, The Simpsons, Family Guy, and The Last Man on Earth. I will watch Bob’s Burgers sometimes. On NBC, I’ll be watching Law and Order: SVU, The Blacklist, and Grimm. I might watch Blindspot online or record it on tape. It will be a choice between that or Arrow to record on the potentially possible second VCR. I might just watch them both online. I might also occasionally watch Dateline.

Now, I’ll tell you about the new shows I’m planning on watching. On ABC, I’ll be watching Conviction, Designated Survivor, and potentially Notorious. On CBS, I’ll be watching Kevin Can Wait, Bull, and MacGyver. I’ll also be watching The Great Indoors, Pure Genius, and Man with a Plan when Thursday Night Football ends. The observant will note that these are all the new CBS shows. I tend to watch everything new on CBS at least once, if it works out.

I’m also planning on watching all new show on the CW network in the future. Speaking of which, the CW I’ll be watching are No Tomorrow and Frequency. Since Supergirl is new to the network, I might as well mention again that I’ll be watching that as I was a fan of it when it was on CBS. On FOX, I’ll be watching Son of Zorn and that’s about it. I honestly can’t think of other new shows that I’m interested in on FOX right now. On NBC, I’ll be watching Timeless and The Good Place since it has a CSI: Cyber alumni in it. I will now watch any show I can with CSI: Cyber or Good Wife alumni in it when I can. I’ll explain more about why I’m doing that in the cancelled shows post this season.


This is all that I can think about mentioning for this blog post. You’ll see based on future reviews what I am able to watch. There will probably be shows that I wasn’t originally planning on watching that I will like and watch in the future. I know that with comedy shows especially, if I watch half of the hour time slot with one show, it seems likely that I’ll wind up watching the other show at least once. (Honestly, I tend to dislike comedies more than disliking other types of shows. And a lot of shows that I dislike are just based on watching one single episode.) I’ll also tell you in the midseason show post which of the new shows I’m still watching and which returning midseason shows I’ll still be watching.

Friday, July 22, 2016

Cancelation Predictions for the 2016-2017 TV Season

For the moment, I will be updating this blog every Friday. The only potential hurdle to that is that I have to write the blog posts that I'm going to post. I actually have a lot written already, but they aren't the right ones, if that makes sense. At the moment, Friday is not the only potential day for me to publish new blog posts on. I could do Saturdays and Mondays in the future as well. Plus, I might publish on other days of the week. If I add another day of the week as a regular update time, then I might get rid of Fridays at the end of a month. So we'll see what happens regarding that and I'll be sure to update you on the future. Now, let's get to the blog post that I have a lot of fun doing.

This is one of my favorite posts to do and look back at once the season is over. I love in my post before the season starts having a look at the upcoming season and thinking about what shows will end. I think that I’m getting better at it than I have been in the past and I’m not entirely sure that I was ever that bad at it.  Of course, there’s always stuff that I’m bound to get wrong. I know that not all of my predictions will be cancelled and I know that shows I don’t predict will be cancelled. As always, this is an overestimation of what will end. But if any of them do, you will have read it here first.

ABC shows prediction

Conviction: The post Dancing with the Stars timeslot has never produced great ratings in the end. That alone is why I’m putting it here. There may be nothing against this show, although it does seem like a common idea for a show that doesn’t have much new to offer.

American Housewife: This show looks terrible and I just don’t see it lasting long. Plus, hasn’t society evolved past the point of needing housewives? Also, I’ve never been that impressed by the acting skills of the lead in this show and I just don’t see long term success in its future.

Repeat after Me: This show existed once then never returned to the future. If it does come back in the end, that in and of itself would be a bit of a surprise, but it is more than likely going to get cancelled if it does. If it doesn’t come back, then it is cancelled even if they never say otherwise. Come to think of it, this is probably already cancelled as it hasn’t been renewed or put on the schedule for future seasons, so I’m just going to mention that it did exist, in the main season too, and was never officially cancelled somehow. If you remember this, you’ll know what I was talking about. If not, then just ignore this part of the post.

The Real O’Neals: I honestly haven’t yet seen the show so I don’t know if it’s as bad as all the promos for it make it seem. I’m more hoping that it will be cancelled than thinking that it actually will be. How can something this terrible be on, anyways?

Speechless: Once again, we have a show that looks horrible that I just can’t imagine lasting long. Sure, maybe some special needs people and their families are jerks, but we don’t need a show centered on that. If this isn’t among the first cancellations of the season, something is seriously wrong with the world. How did it get green lighted?

Designated Survivor: As much as I love the idea of what I hope this show is and can be, I don’t always think that shows this great will last. That reasoning of mine is for many different reasons: among them being that people tend to hate these shows that I think are among the best. So I hope that this lasts at the moment, but I’m not sure that it will.

Last Man Standing: This has been struggling in the ratings for a while and should have enough episodes to enter syndication by now. Plus, the show hasn’t really been good in a while (if it ever was in the first place) and lower quality tends to mean less people watching.

Dr. Ken: Many people hate this show, me being one of them. Some may be surprised that it has lasted as long as it has, but that could probably just be because it gets better ratings than they might think. Regardless, I still think that it’s safe to say that this will end.

Secrets and Lies: What kind of show just randomly disappears from the schedule for a whole season? The fact that it didn’t air at all this previous season and is just now coming back for season 2 is a very red flag. Only shows that networks don’t care about wind up off the schedule a lot so I don’t see this as doing well at all. I'm a bit surprised it is even coming back.

Downward Dog: Here’s an example of what I like to call the bad title rule. Basically, it’s a tried and true rule saying that any show that has a bad title could be a victim of cancellation by the end of the season. Will this follow the rule? I have no idea as I only know the title of the show and nothing else about it. This means that it could be a great show, but I have no idea for sure.

Imaginary Mary: I’m also putting this under the bad title rule and like the previous show I mentioned, I have no idea if this will actually be cancelled or not as I know nothing else about the show. Maybe it will be good and everything about it will work out. But I could be wrong about this and know that not all of my predictions will be cancelled.

Still Star-Crossed: For the rest of us who have suffered through our high school and teenage years by being forced to read the overrated Shakespeare and his play Romeo and Juliet, we can tell that this show gets the ending entirely wrong by having the Montague family and Capulet family still feuding with each other after the death of Romeo and Juliet. How can they get a clear and cut ending wrong? I have the feeling that this pisses off too many purists and won’t work on TV. Meanwhile, for those of you who haven’t read Romeo and Juliet, if you ever have to, don’t. Don’t read the play. It isn’t worth your time. If your English teacher tells you to read it, know that they are crazy. All English teachers are crazy (some more than others). I can tell you the plot right here and now: Most of the cast dies, including the main characters who kill themselves because they can’t live without each other in one of the dumbest and most depressing endings I’m familiar with. If the love of your life dies, there’s always someone else who can work for you. Plus, should we really be forcing teens who hate life to read stories where people are convinced that suicide is the right answer to something? Suicide is never the right answer.

Time after Time: It seems that more often than not, shows that have time travel as a central theme just don’t last. I’d come up with a list if I could remember more than just Terra Nova. But this is another one that I hope that I’m wrong about as the show looks quite good and interesting.

The Catch: This wasn’t that much of an illogical renewal for this coming season, but it is close enough to that that it falls under the illogical renewals won’t cheat death twice rule. This could only have gotten the renewal based off of Kerry Washington’s pregnancy affecting Scandal and ABC loves them Shonda Rhimes. If this continues to get subpar ratings, it won’t last.

Beyond the Tank: ABC just doesn’t care about this show and it always just slips through the cracks whenever there is a gap in the schedule. If there is never a gap, then this show won’t last long and might not even return. Shows that aren’t cared about tend to be cancelled.

Grey’s Anatomy: While it might actually be a bad idea to constantly put the longest running drama of a network on the list, it still doesn’t seem like all that bad an idea in the end. Those shows tend to get too expensive to produce that the network would be saving money by cancelling it, even if it still has decent ratings. Another thing this show has against it is the high number of Shonda Rhimes shows already on this network. It might not be a bad thing, but it is more of a reason to throw out an aging show in place of new stuff that could work instead.

Scandal: Maybe it was only 30 Rock that failed in ratings after the main star’s pregnancy affected the airing of the show. But, if it has happened once, then it could easily happen again. That’s the only thing that I see against this show right now as it doesn’t really have anything about it screaming cancellation. It is probably still quite popular.

When We Rise: Here’s another example of the bad title rule. Will it apply again or mean nothing? I honestly don’t know just yet. It could be a good hit or it could mean absolutely nothing. It’s hard to tell that right now. But I still think that it is safe to have this listed as cancelled.

What I think is safe: Dancing with the Stars (I’m not sure why this is as well liked as it is, but I don’t see that changing any time soon), The Middle (while it may not be as flashy as other shows on this network, it is still as good as ever), Fresh off the Boat (this show remains popular at the moment so it won’t yet die), Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (this show is still quite good in the ratings and I’m not sure what could kill it just yet), The Goldbergs (nothing about this has potential signs of failure just yet)

Safe predictions continued: Modern Family (even if critics are starting to hate it for whatever dumb reason they have, this show is still quite popular), Black-ish (magic season 3, critical acclaim, and good ratings are why this show will probably last), Notorious (I don’t see this new show as failing since ABC hasn’t had a failure on Thursday nights since the spin-off of Once Upon a Time aired), How to Get Away with Murder (this show is still quite popular, even if it has never had a full season), Shark Tank (there’s no reason to think that this show will ever end), America’s Funniest Home Videos (I’m not sure how this has lasted as long as it has, but it might never die, even though nothing about it is good), The Bachelor (for reasons I’ll never understand, people like this show and watch it)

CBS shows prediction

Elementary: Sadly, this great show now occupies the 10/9 Central time slot on CBS’s Sunday schedule. Shows at that time slot always get cancelled. Another nail in the coffin is the fact that this season will give it 100 episodes meaning that if it doesn’t still get good ratings (which it hasn’t been doing that well in the first place) there will be no reason to keep it around much longer.

NCIS: Los Angeles: It being moved to Sundays can be a bit worrisome. That, and it would seem that if any of the three NCIS shows were to end, that this would be the most likely of the three. It might stick around for a while still as the 7 Central timeslot hasn’t been that bad for CBS Sunday shows, but I just can’t keep giving it high hopes all the time.

Man with a Plan: CBS does not have the good a record with comedies in terms of quality. They may have good ones every now and then, but a lot of them tend to suck. Now I don’t know for sure if it will suck and it’s likely to stay around a long time like other shows that I hate. CBS never seems to have the right number of comedies on the air and they either overestimate or underestimate the number of shows that they need that last half an hour. This might not be in any danger and it might not be bad. But I just don’t see it lasting that long. What is it even about?

Criminal Minds: Beyond Borders: There doesn’t seem to be a long term plan for this show just yet. Maybe there is, but I don’t see it as lasting as long as it could be. It has lasted longer than a lot of midseason replacements on CBS, but it could easily not last as it would be on the main schedule instead of yet another replacement for something on the main schedule.

Pure Genius: I probably do want this show to succeed, but I just don’t see it as happening. It appears to be too high concept of a show meaning that it could be too great for television and won’t last. Other than that, it is premiering too late into the season, even though it is technically a fall show.

Training Day: Midseason shows on CBS have done quite terribly in the past. I’m not entirely sure if those days are over just yet. Maybe they are and this will last longer, but maybe it won’t. Outside of that fact, I haven’t actually done any research into the show so it could last a long time.

Ransom: The later we learn about a show existing, the less likely it is to succeed. Why do I say that? Well, typically most unannounced shows don’t last long. This could be an exception or it could fail like them. But if it doesn’t last, it wouldn’t come as that much of a surprise to me.

Doubt: This is also here because midseason shows on CBS haven’t done well in the past. Plus, this does have a bit of the bad title rule in here which is given to shows that could be cancelled based off of a bad title alone. That doesn’t always mean something will be cancelled, but sometimes it does.

The Great Indoors: This is mostly here for the bad title rule. It could be a bad show as bad shows tend to be put on after The Big Bang Theory. Of course, a Big Bang Theory leading probably means that it will have too high of ratings despite the bad quality it may otherwise have.

The Amazing Race: Why is this randomly downgraded to midseason replacement? It doesn’t actually make a lot of sense. Maybe there is not enough space on the schedule for it at first. Now it could not actually be in any danger of cancellation. But they don’t put long running shows they care about off the schedule for a while. Of course, it could replace a quickly cancelled drama on CBS. It’s been a while since a drama show has truly failed on this network.

Kevin Can Wait: Kevin James has not had a critical or financial success since The King of Queens ended. It will only briefly have The Big Bang Theory as a lead-in and then will be expected to hold its own for the rest of the season. I can’t understand what the plot of this show might be and the promos don’t seem to make this look like anything worth watching. I’ll have to see for sure if it would work or not because it looks like a lot more terrible things are on the schedule on other networks.

NCIS: New Orleans: With this losing the NCIS lead-in, it could lose a bunch of ratings and then be in danger of cancellation as a result. Of course, with this being on its third full season in a row (magic season 3), it probably won’t be in danger of ending, this season at least. We’ll see if there’s actually a decrease in ratings with the move for next season or not.

2 Broke Girls: This is well past the point of syndication. It is also not owned by the CBS network. If the last season taught us anything, it’s that CBS is quick to get rid of any show that’s not owned by the network. That actually covers a lot of their existing comedies. We’ll see if that actually happens or not as it probably remains too popular in ratings to justify cancellation.

The Odd Couple: I say that this show is nothing without its Big Bang Theory lead-in. Without that popular show being paired with this one, it seems likely that it will no longer have good ratings and will be cancelled as a result.

Life in Pieces: This show has already defied the odds and lasted a second season despite being a single camera comedy on CBS instead of their usual multi camera comedies. But, I don’t see it getting good ratings without The Big Bang Theory being in front of it. It just won’t last anymore.

The Big Bang Theory: Why is this here? Haven’t I just been saying how great ratings this has continued to be getting? Would this popular comedy really be in danger of cancellation? Well, this is probably the least likely of all my predictions and I really don’t think that it will end anytime soon. I’m just a bit worried that CBS will get rid of a show that they don’t own like they have in this past TV season.

MacGyver: Remakes tend to not be successful in the present. Hawaii Five-0 has proven us wrong about that. But I can’t think of another remake, on network TV at least, that has actually stuck around for a while. Most of them tend to be one season shows. Plus, they don’t care about stuff that’s on Fridays and the last CBS show that aired new at this timeslot was the first show of the season to be cancelled.

Hawaii Five-0: This show has been struggling in the ratings for a while now and it is pasted the point of syndication, meaning that it could end at any time without the need to create more new episodes of it. I just don’t know if it can keep staying around.

Blue Bloods: While this show has been successful despite almost always airing on Fridays, it doesn’t seem likely that this keep staying around season after season. Sometimes shows keep staying around time and time again even if the ratings are getting lower and lower. I say that this is not going to stay around much longer.

Code Black: This was an illogical renewal for this season and most of those shows don’t tend to stay around for that long a time. They get the next season and they shouldn’t have gotten, but then end after that. As much as I like this show, it won’t last.

Mom: Basically, if CBS keeps turning on shows that are not owned by CBS, then this will be the next of the group that will be offed by the network. With it being as close to syndication as it is, I doubt that it will actually end, but you’ll never know for sure. I mean, we wouldn’t have guessed that some shows would be treated so badly by this network last season.

What I think is safe: Madam Secretary (magic season three and the fact that it has been doing well in the ratings makes this a likely prediction to stay around and certain people believe that this would have to stay around to support future President Hilary Clinton), Scorpion (this will also be on the magic season three and has no problems in terms of ratings), Criminal Minds (this show has never been in danger of cancellation that I know of and I don’t see that as likely to change any time soon), Undercover Boss (despite always just filing holes in the schedule, nothing about this screams cancellation)

Safe predictions continued: 60 Minutes (this show will never end), 48 Hours (even a Saturday exclusive show does well that it won’t be ending anytime soon), Thursday Night Football (it has already been renewed for next season and the only thing against it would be problems with the new partnership on NBC, although it seems likely to last in some way in the future, just maybe not this network alone), Bull (this is the only new show that I have enough hope for on this network basically because it will air after NCIS and it doesn’t seem to have anything against it just yet), NCIS (this is already officially renewed for another season, so it won’t be ending this season)

CW shows prediction

Supergirl: Actually, if this gets anywhere close the same ratings it got on the CBS as it does on the CW, then it will be in no danger of being cancelled as it will be the highest rated show on its new network. This is more on here due to the fact that if it was cancelled once then it could be cancelled again. Some people, including me, dispute the fact as to whether or not it was actually cancelled as it seems like it was destined to have a second season regardless of if it would be on its old network instead of its new one. That’s what was said at least, but it could have just been CBS’s way of saving face.

iZombie: This show was an illogical renewal for this season. As much as I love this show, I just don’t see it lasting. It didn’t make sense that they renewed it so it makes sense that this new season will be its last. It doesn’t have the magic season 3 argument that some shows will have going into next season. It sadly won’t last.

Riverdale: New midseason shows on the CW tend to do very poorly. They tend to premiere too late into the season and, thus, have trouble finding enough viewers before burning off for most of the summer. This might not happen, but it is more likely than not to happen.

Crazy Ex-Girlfriend: This is another illogical renewal and those shows don’t tend to last for another season. Plus, they rarely, if ever, put shows they care about on Fridays so it being moved there doesn’t bode well for its long term chances.

Reign: It’s possible that this is the lowest rated show in all of primetime going into its next season. If obscure cable shows are getting better ratings then this show, then it seems unlikely that it will keep getting renewed even on a happy go lucky network like the CW. However, since its fourth season that it’s going into will probably have less episodes than previous seasons, it may be able to cheat death one last time so it can meet the bare minimum standards for syndication. But outside of that, it’s time to start betting on it getting cancelled.

Whose Line is it Anyways?: Last season, the network fumbled around the airing of this show a lot. This season, they didn’t air it at all until the summer except for the rare and unusual rerun. With the CW having far too many shows on its schedule, they may wind up caring less and less about it making its end all the more certain.

The 100: With this show never having a full season thus far, you have to wonder how far a limited run series like this will continue on. (I don’t think that they are planning on ever doing a full season of this show, although I could be wrong about that.) It seems that the quality of the show is starting to suffer and that can only be bad in terms of ratings.

No Tomorrow: This show may be good and it may not be. It can always be hard to tell that for certain before the show actually airs. But it doesn’t seem to have that long term a plan in terms of plot. So I don’t see this lasting long.

Frequency: Having all the new shows on this network as likely to be cancelled may be a bit of a stretch for me. But this show is likely to not to last since the longer a show is on a network means the more likely it is to stay. That means new shows are less likely to stick around.

The Originals: This show will be at midseason for the first time in its history. That makes it less likely to stick around in the long term. However, like Reign, it is close enough to syndication that it may keep lasting. Plus, I doubt they would cancel both this and The Vampire Diaries in the same season so if it came down to the two of them, this would probably last once more instead of being cancelled.

The Vampire Diaries: I heard rumors that this show will be cancelled next season so that’s enough for me to put it on my list. If they had to choose between this and the Originals (because I don’t see them cancelling both in the same season), this would be the more likely one to be cancelled. Some shows last when they lose their lead, but it might be time for them to let it run its course instead of keeping on with it for each new season.

Masters of Illusion: It can be hard to say for sure why this show has lasted as long as it has. Even if it does end, it could easily return on another network in the future like it has in the past. But it reruns far too much and what show doesn’t air new episodes in primetime? They seem to care very little about this show on the CW so I doubt that it will keep lasting.

What I think is safe: Jane the Virgin (magic season 3 and critical acclaim is why I don’t see this show going anywhere), The Flash (I just don’t see the highest rated CW show ending any time soon especially since it will be entering magic season 3 where renewal equals syndication), Arrow (this show still remains too popular for it to end), Legends of Tomorrow (I don’t see the Arrowverse losing any members just yet), Supernatural (CW’s longest running show could end, but I just don’t see it as likely anymore), Penn and Teller: Fool Us (this show is too popular, I believe, to end any time soon)

FOX shows prediction

Bones: This one is my only freebie this season: It was announced that this new season would be the final season for the show so it won’t be lasting past this season. To not include this in my list would be to get an obvious choice wrong.

Scream Queens: It’s a bit of a stretch that this show has even survived into this next season. It’s not actually unexpected in a way, but it won’t last much longer if it continues to get subpar ratings. Plus, the show seems kind of strange in a way.

Lethal Weapon: This is here due to the remakes and reboots won’t be successful rule. Look at the last season and name any new shows that followed that rule that are still on the air in this new season. Well, if you couldn’t think of any either, than we know that this won’t last.

Son of Zorn: The comedies on FOX tend to come and go as if they are just like a person you know who is always in a new relationship. Sure, a lot of these shows do last and are successful. But a lot of them fail and this looks more like a potential failure than success. I might like it, but shows I like tend to get cancelled each and every season.

The Last Man on Earth: I might sound too glum about this show all the time, but it has mostly been a bubble show this last season. While it could change with improved ratings, I’m just not sure that this will last or not. I don’t think that it will just yet.

Sleepy Hollow: For reasons I don’t understand, many people have hated every season of this show except the first one. I don’t know why that is. But they could keep this around longer in hopes that there will be enough episodes for syndication. Even then, it seems surprising from season 2 onward that this show has gotten renewed to this point and they tend to keep changing what it is like and about.

American Grit: This show was on the schedule from the last season and then wasn’t announced as part of the new, upcoming season. That means that this show is probably already cancelled. So this is more me pointing out a show that never had an announcement regarding its cancellation was cancelled than it is me saying that it will returning and be cancelled as it won’t be back anyways.

So You Thank You Can Dance?: Why are they retooling a show that’s still on the air by making it about a new generation? I can’t tell if the original show has lasted or not. Is this replacing it? It’s hard to make sense of it and I believe that it could end at any time.

Superhuman: Based on the name of this show, it is probably another in a long line of superhero shows. If this were on the CW, then I wouldn’t bother with this prediction as I would think that it is safe this upcoming season. But I don’t see a lot of FOX’s unusual shows sticking around. They never tend to last and I don’t see this as being any different.

You’re Back in the Room: This is here due to the bad title rule. I’m not sure what else the show is about as I don’t always do as much research into shows as I should. But, this is still as much as a prediction as the rest of them.

24: Legacy: Did you know that they are bringing this show back without Jack Bauer? That sounds like a recipe for failure to me. Reboots don’t tend to be successful and this may only be a short time plan anyways like the show’s last reboot was.

APB: What the heck is this about? All I can get out of the title is three letters and I’m not entirely sure what it means. I’m guessing this is a war related show of some sort, but I have no idea for sure if it is one or not. Remember GCB? No? Exactly. I suspect that this will go the same way.

Kicking & Screaming: There was a movie called Kicking & Screaming. I don’t know if this is a TV show version of that show or not. If it is, then this is filed under the remakes and reboots won’t be successful rule. Outside of that, this would be under the bad title rule anyways.

Pitch: This is a show about a woman in baseball. I won’t watch it do to being uninterested in sport shows and the like. While I hope it is a success, I’m not sure that it can or will be considering how sexism is still a huge and unfortunate part of our society.

Star: So many potential shows have bad titles in a way. I don’t know if this will last or not. I’m starting to sound like a broken record in these paragraphs and am not sure that I should be giving each of these shows at least a three line paragraph. Oh, well. I’m done with this one.

Prison Break: I don’t know why FOX is bringing back so many different shows that they had in the past. Maybe they are longing for the days before their ratings collapse last season. I don’t know why FOX felt the need to act like a cable network when they do why better in ratings than cable networks do. I guess they wanted the low ratings of cable too. Remakes tend not to work.

Making History: A time travel comedy like this could be a surprisingly good thing like how The Last Man on Earth proved that the genre it was could have comedies as well. But I’m not sure if this will be good as a lot of FOX comedies sadly suck. Maybe this will work, but I don’t have high hopes for it right now. We’ll see if this lasts or not.

Wayward Pines: This show was already over before FOX decided that they wanted more of it. If it is on the schedule for future seasons, it could clearly end for real this time. If not, then this is another dumb prediction of mine.

World’s Funniest Fails: It’s possible that this show isn’t around anymore already. But I think that it is still around, although I don’t see this lasting much longer. It aired early into the season and was never heard from again. I don’t see this returning long term. It may already be cancelled. I haven’t seen it on the schedule for the next season and it wasn’t renewed so it was probably already cancelled.

The Exorcist: This sounds like it is based off of a horror TV show. I don’t know if there has ever been a successful horror TV show or not. Grimm might be concerned like that, but I don’t know if that’s the only exception or not. This will probably not last. Plus, narratives on Fridays are shows that FOX doesn’t care about in the slightest.

The Mick: Who names a show The Mick? What the heck is a mick? This will be a short lived show if people can’t understand what it is about. Maybe it will last. I might have thought that a seemingly obscure show like Rosewood would have not lasted either. I just don’t see this as lasting.

My Kitchen Rules: This is probably the last example of the bad title rule on this network at least. Do we really need another kitchen based reality show on FOX? They have far too much of it already. Of course, that could mean that this fits in with it perfectly. So we’ll see what happens with it or not.

What I think is safe: The Simpsons (outside of potential problems with a death of a major cast member sometime in the future, this show is likely to stick around for quite a while more than it already has), Bob’s Burgers (it was renewed for another season past the one that we will get this coming season, so it is safe), Gotham (magic season 3 is in the show’s future and it remains popular), Lucifer (this show is well enough liked for now that it will probably stay around), Brooklyn Nine-Nine (nothing about this screams cancellation just yet and they’re likely to keep this around for syndication purposes even if there is a ratings drop), New Girl (FOX’s longest running live action comedy still on the air is likely to keep going strong)

Safe predictions continued: Empire (potential problems with Tarija P Henson aside, this show is going to keep lasting), Rosewood (this show was popular the first season and while that could change for season 2, I’d still say that it is safe for now), Hell’s Kitchen (I honestly can’t remember just how long this show has been around, but it will stay around for a long time), Family Guy (cancelled twice and still going strong, it seems unlikely that this show ends any time soon)

Safe predictions continued: Home Free (if it has lasted past the first season with people knowing what the show is about, it could last forever as a summer show), Hotel Hell (while this show may not ever seem to air based on how it was always in and out of the schedule, one thing is sure is that it is always around), MasterChef (this show is good enough in FOX’s eye to rerun a lot in place of new programs that it could be airing so it will keep lasting), MasterChef Junior (FOX loves Gordon Ramsey so all of his shows are staying on their network until he dies), Shots Fired (I don’t see police dramas failing at the moment), Coupled (I’m not sure why it has lasted this long, but it could keep lasting if it will be around)

NBC shows prediction

Timeless: Here’s another time travel show and they always tend to become part of the, er, past. They are in and out regardless of how good they are (or aren’t). Maybe this show will last and maybe it won’t. We’ll see what happens.

The Night Shift: This went from being on the midseason schedule in the main season to being on the summer schedule. While I normally don’t predict summer shows in this blog post, when shows randomly drift there for no good reason, those shows tend to be either cancelled or never brought back despite a lack of official cancellation.

This is us: Here’s yet another example of the bad title rule. Now sometimes bad titled shows last quite long. Look at 24. Who would have thought that a show named after the hours in a day would last a long time. This could be like 24, but I’m not sure yet if it will be or not.

Blindspot: The last show to go from the post Voice timeslot to a Wednesday timeslot got low ratings and was cancelled. It seems like NBC is the one network that cannot for the life of it find a show that gets good ratings to start the night on Wednesday. Every other network has the beginning of Wednesday figured out. But nearly every show, if not all of them, gets cancelled at this timeslot.

Law and Order: SVU: Sooner or later, this show is just going to get to be too expensive to make. It has already been on the air longer than any of the other primetime dramas still on the air and with a new part of the franchise on the horizon, then this could end if that works better.

The Good Place: The plot of this show is what worries me and the fact that NBC has been having a problem with comedies recently that even the CW would find terrible. With little to no comedies airing on this network anymore (something that is strange, given its former great track record with popular comedies), I just don’t see this as lasting.

Caught on Camera with Nick Cannon: How can there be a primetime version of the stupid format of person talking about web videos at the like on network TV? I know that there are a lot of stupid syndicated shows that air late at night (typically, in my region at least) that follow that format like Dish Nation, Inside Edition, Ridiculousness (which is actually a cable show), and probably more that I can’t remember right now. This show will end, hopefully sooner rather than later. Shows like that just don’t last on network TV in primetime.

Law and Order: True Crime: The last two new installments of the Law and Order franchise seemed to die fairly quickly after premiering. Now I’m not sure that this franchise is dead just yet. Like many shows with multiple installments on the air (NCIS, The Vampire Diaries), I’m fairly certain that they would only cancel one part of the franchise in a single season and not more than one. Who knows? This could wind up soaring and becoming the next greatest hit on TV. If not, then they will certainly keep the still pretty popular SVU over this.

Grimm: I heard that they might be cutting back some of the airing of this show by reducing the standard number of episode orders. This show is in a bit of a bad place already since it hardly, if ever, airs a rerun. Typically, shows that are cared about more air reruns. With this past 100 episodes, they could cancel this at any time and it would have enough episodes for syndication. I don’t know if this is still as well liked as it was originally. But when they start messing with a successful format, bad things happen for the show that they are now messing with.

The Carmichael Show: Maybe it is just because I don’t like it based on promos I saw for it while watching Allegiance episodes online (despite the fact that I’ve never actually seen it to know if it is bad just yet), but I don’t see this lasting long.

Hollywood Game Night: When shows randomly disappear from the schedule for no good reason, one can be surprised that it is actually returning in the future. If they are willing to just off this at any moment in time, then it clearly won’t longer than it already has.

The Celebrity Apprentice: The network got along with this show just fine last season. With all the controversy regarding the old host and the fact that fans may not like the new host is reason enough to think that this show will end in the future.

Great News: Despite the word great being in the title, this is actually a bad title for a show. Maybe it is a good show in the end and would work as a show. Maybe people will just want to watch their favorite news instead of this.

Powerless: This is also filed under the bad title rule. Now what can I say to waste your time for the rest of this paragraph? There once was a man named Adam who liked to say and do a bunch of random stuff and thus this blog was created. Cool, right?

Marlon: Here’s yet another example of the bad title rule in action. Marlon sounds like a black person name, but I have no idea if it is or not. I don’t know much, if anything, about this show. I know that black people have different styles of shows than other people, so I don’t know if this will actually be a hit like Empire and Black-ish, or a failure like other shows I can’t remember.

The Wall: This is even more of the bad title rule. Now that I don’t have anything else to say regarding that, let me just tell you that you can call me Adam, Adam Decker, Mr. Decker, or even Screening, but you shouldn’t call me Decker. I don’t like that and I ignore all people who call me that.

Better Late Than Never: I know that this is actually airing during the late summer schedule so I’m not sure if this prediction is right or not to include. I just know that it doesn’t sound like a long term plan exists for this show just yet.

First Dates: Maybe this will actually work if the title sounds like giving us an interesting premise of an idea of some sort. But this still is a bad title. In case you couldn’t figure it out, I’m less certain about these shows I’m putting in here on the bad title rule than other shows.

Taken: This is a prequel to the movie Taken. It could actually be quite good and I hope that it is. I just don’t have high hopes for it considering how it should have just been one movie in the first place. Maybe it will work as a show, but remakes and reboots don’t tend to work as shows.

Emerald City: So many delays with this show already, plus the fact that it has already been cancelled once makes me think that it won’t last in the future, if it even airs at all. Maybe it will last as I find this idea to be interesting, but I’m not sure if it will.

Midnight Texas: So many of the shows on my prediction list have some sort of bad title for some odd reason. These shows could all work and none of them might end up cancelled. But it is hard to have hope for this one because who calls a show Midnight Texas? What the heck is that about?

What I think is safe: The Voice (this is NBC’s most popular show and arguably the reason why FOX cancelled American Idol so it will stick around longer still), Chicago Fire (the first part of Chicago franchise has gotten many spin-offs already and potentially many more so this will continue to last for now), Chicago P.D. (this show will last), Superstore (NBC needs at least one comedy that will last so this will probably stick around unless something else comes along), Chicago Med (this will probably not end anytime soon even if there are a lot of these shows on the air), The Blacklist (still going strong, nothing could change that except for maybe a decline in quality or change in plot), Dateline (this show will never be cancelled, considering how NBC needs it to fill any and all holes it ever has in its schedule), Little Big Shots (this seems popular for some reason so I say that it lasts)

Safe predictions continued: Shades of Blue (maybe this won’t last if people get too fed up with negative portrayals of police officers, but other than that, this show should remain a popular show), Trial & Error (this may seem like a random thing to call safe, but I just don’t see it going anywhere just yet), Chicago Justice (this franchise is so popular somehow that Dick Wolf is going to be getting tons of money for it decades after he dies), The Blacklist: Redemption (I see no reason at the moment that a spin-off of the popular Blacklist show will fail), Thursday Night Football (potential problems with the partnership with CBS won’t end Thursday Night Football as this will certainly air on some channel in the future.)


Well, this was a long post and it is probably the most fun I have doing a post all year. We’ll see as the season goes along which of these shows will actually get cancelled, which ones won’t, and what shows I thought were safe actually weren’t. These were just predictions and a lot of them I’d probably like to stay around for future seasons. What will happen? We’ll see.

Friday, July 15, 2016

Sliver Globes Award Winners 2015

I have not been able to update this blog as much as I've wanted to in the past. So, I'm probably going to ignore an OCD habit of mine for a while and update this blog more regularly. This will last for a while, but I'm not sure how long. Hopefully, if all goes well, you'll see more of me on Fridays for the near future and I could even post on other days of the week.

Well, I’m back with the winners of the Silver Globe Awards that I do. I created these awards so I could give them to what I felt was the best of television from any given year. The nominees for each reward were given earlier. I’ll be back later with my pick for the best show on television from 2015.

Main Awards

Best new show: iZombie

Best one season show: Allegiance

Best cancelled or ending show: The Late Show with David Letterman

Most screwed show: Allegiance

Best theme song: CSI

Best idea for a show: Parenthood

Best series premiere: Quantico

Best series finale: Parenthood

Best cliffhanger ending: Jane the Virgin

Best cliffhanger resolution: NCIS

Best cast: Parks and Recreation

Best writers: Parenthood

Best editing: Big Brother

Most interesting show: Allegiance

Best music in a show: Hart of Dixie

Time well spent award: Parenthood

Most memorable: Hart of Dixie

Most underrated TV show: CSI: Cyber

Best retooling of a show: The Blacklist

Shouldn’t have been cancelled award: Allegiance

Why was it a midseason replacement award: Allegiance

Best comedy-drama: Hart of Dixie

Groundbreaking show: The Last Man on Earth

Best comedy: The Big Bang Theory

Best drama: Parenthood

Best PBS special: Celtic Woman: Destiny

Best show on CBS: The Late Show with David Letterman

Best show on ABC: Marvel’s Agent Carter

Best show on the CW: Hart of Dixie

Best show on NBC: Allegiance

Best show on FOX: Minority Report

Best show on any other network: Community

Best syndicated show: The Ellen DeGeneres Show

Best show on television nominees: The Late Show with David Letterman, Marvel’s Agent Carter, Hart of Dixie, Allegiance, Minority Report, Community, The Ellen DeGeneres Show


Other Section

Best villain: Grant Ward from Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.

Best hero: Jeremy from Survivor

Best bromance: Ryan and Colin from Whose Line is it Anyways?

Best anti-hero: Dr. Harrison Wells from The Flash

Best facial expressions: Keegan Thompson on Saturday Night Live

Best badass: Leroy Jethro Gibbs from NCIS

Best shocking moment: Other Phil Miller has a dark side from The Last Man on Earth

The dearly departed award: Bob Simon

Best story arc: The fight against Bait Fish from NCIS: New Orleans

Best character transformation: Grace Florrick from The Good Wife

Best new character: Mike from Survivor

Most underrated character: Ellie Bishop from NCIS

Best finale song: The Heart from Hart of Dixie

Best original song: Everything’s Bigger from Whose Line is it Anyways?

Best season yet award: The Blacklist season 3

Friday, July 8, 2016

Summer Shows 2016

Well, it is time for me now to review various summer shows on TV. This will exclude shows that are burning off their last new episodes like Rush Hour or Angel from Hell. I’m also not including any shows that started in the main season and are still airing now. First, let me start with the new shows this summer that I’ve seen for whatever reason.

BrainDead: Show Description- A political drama with supernatural twists, this show steals from Invasion of the Body Snatchers by having alien bugs taking over the brains of politicians. This replaces Under the Dome. Behind the Scenes- Robert King and Michelle King, who both created The Good Wife, are the creators of this show as well. Tony Shaloub, who is most notable for Monk, is a character on the show. My Thoughts- The show is interesting and different. While it may point out some of what is wrong with the writers who created it, it also shows what is nice about them. The show may be slow moving and built around a mystery that might not be revealed. It can be strange. But I feel that it is worth watching. I give it three out of five stars. Long Term Prospects- I honestly don’t have high hopes for it right now. I could be wrong, but I don’t see it lasting. Where to Find- Mondays at 10/9 Central on CBS

American Gothic: Show Description- I don’t fully understand the plot of the show, but it relates to a serial killer and rich people with potential motives to being the killer. It replaces Extant. Behind the Scenes- There’s nothing to add here so you might as well ignore this section. My Thoughts- I didn’t find much interesting about this as I felt this show was another unoriginal take on the rich people with dark intentions cliché. I found the show to be boring as well. I give it two out of five stars. Long Term Prospects- CBS used to do better with summer shows. This could mean the end of that era, or it could last. I don’t think that it will. Where to Find- Wednesdays at 10/9 Central on CBS

Maya and Marty in Manhattan: Show Description- This is a variety show largely featuring Maya Rudolph and Marty Short. Behind the Scenes- This show features a lot of people from Saturday Night Live in it besides the two main hosts. My Thoughts- The main flaw of this show is that it seems so similar to Saturday Night Live that you have to wonder why you aren’t just watching that show instead. But, the show can be quite good and funny if you can watch any of it. I give it four out of five stars. Long Term Prospects- Sadly, I don’t see this as lasting for long simply because it doesn’t seem to be a long term plan. Where to Find- Tuesdays at 10/9 Central on NBC

Match Game: Show Description- This is a game show where two ordinary people try to match their answers with those of celebrities. Behind the Scenes- Alec Baldwin, well known actor who has hosted Saturday Night Live the most times, appeared in 30 Rock, and has a notable movie career, is the host of the show and there are various celebrities who help with the show. I don’t know yet if they will always make use of the same celebrities or not. I also believe that this show is a revival of sorts. My Thoughts- This show is quite entertaining as it can be funny a lot. Although, some of the questions are strange and one can wonder why they are as suggestive as they are. Plus, they seem to have a strange format by combining two half-hour shows into one all the time. One can question if some choices are easier than others. But, I like this show a lot. I give it four out of five stars. Long Term Prospects- I say that this probably will last for a while, although it is hard to tell since I don’t have a website to look at for summer show ratings. Where to Find- Sundays at 10/9 Central on ABC

The $100,000 Pyramid: Show Description- This is a revival of the game show pyramid. People have to get various questions answered by the other contestant. The current format has a regular person paired with a celebrity and they compete against another team like them. Partway through the game, the regular person is then paired with the other celebrity. Behind the Scenes- Michael Strahan, who used to cohost the Live talk show and still helps with sports commentary, is the host of this show. There are famous guests who help each show. My Thoughts- Like the previous show, it is weird that they always put together two halves of a show into one hour long show instead of just making this one half hour show while finding other things to air. Parts of the format are a bit strange and don’t entirely seem fair in a way. But, the show is fairly entertaining and funny to watch. I give it four out of five stars. Long Term Prospects- This could last and it might not. Whether it does or it doesn’t, I’m not entirely sure of. If it doesn’t last, it will probably still be revived at some point anyways. Where to Find- Sundays at 9/8 Central on ABC

New summer shows I’m reviewing: The $100,000 Pyramid, Match Game, Maya and Marty in Manhattan, BrainDead, and American Gothic

Here is where we transfer to the existing shows that air during the summer. Some of these reviews you may have seen before, but others are new or updated reviews to this blog. Any show not starting its first season this summer will be reviewed by me here if I’ve seen it. These reviews are next.

Celebrity Family Feud: Status- Currently on ABC at 8/7 Central on Sundays. Why I’ve seen it- I was able to catch a rerun. Description- This is basically the same as Family Feud, only the people competing are from famous families and competing for charities instead of themselves. Also, winning people wouldn’t be back on future shows like in the regular game show. Notable People- Steve Harvey, well known comedian and current talk show host who also currently hosts the regular version of Family Feud is the host of this show as well. Pros- Everything that you’d love about the regular Family Feud is in this show as well. Celebrities are competing for charity so it is all for a good cause. Cons- To make this an hour, they cram what are two half hour shows into one episode, which I find strange and unnecessary. A lot of the questions relate, intentionally or otherwise, to sex. Note to Parents- You might have some stuff to worry about for the really young ones, but other than that, it should be fine. Recommendation- I’d say that this is worth watching. Prediction- This show comes and goes already so even if it ends, it could come back. I’d imagine that it will probably stay as a long term summer show for a while. Reception: somewhat positive. Grade: B+. New review

Whose Line is it Anyways?: Status- Currently on the CW on Mondays at 9/8 Central. Why I’ve seen it- I liked the original show and am a general fan of improvised comedy. Noteworthiness- It is the remake of an ABC show and retains much of the original cast. Description- A group of comedians make up stuff and make us laugh while competing for meaningless points. Notable People- Ryan Stiles, who has a recurring role as Herb on Two and a Half Men, is one of the original people returning to this show. Wayne Brady, who had a recurring role on How I Met Your Mother, used to host the primetime version of Don’t Forget the Lyrics, and hosts the daytime show Let’s Make a Deal, is another original person returning to this show. I think that they were both on the Drew Carrey Show, but I’m not sure who was on both shows, although I know that some people were. There are guests from certain shows that are noteworthy, whether they are the fourth member of the group (which changes) or a different special member. Aisha Tyler, who helps currently cohost the Talk, is the new host of this show. Pros- This is more or less the same great show that we all knew and loved when it first aired. Most of the original cast is back. Even though everything is made up, it still manages to be really funny. Cons- There are normally guests on the show that tend to slow things down and take away from the talent of the true part of the show. There tends to be some sexual related things that come up often enough. Note to Parents- Some of the humor is not things you’d want your kids watching, but most of it is okay and shouldn’t cause any problems if they watch it. Recommendation- You should probably watch it. I don’t know why one wouldn’t like this. Prediction- This should last a very long time, provided that the cast can stay together throughout the run of this show. I’m pretty sure that the cast not being able to stay together is what killed it the first time, although low ratings didn’t help. Reception: positive. Grade: A+.

Zoo: Status- Currently on CBS at 9/8 Central on Tuesdays. Why I’ve seen it- I always watch a new CBS show once whenever I can. Noteworthiness- This is based off of a book by James Patterson. Description- Animals seek to take over the world. Pros- This show is different by presenting a man versus beast story not typically seen on television. Cons- 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. Note to Parents- From the promos and what I remember, I think that this show is pretty gruesome for kids so teens can maybe watch this, but not much younger than that. Recommendation- I’d pass. It isn’t a good show. Prediction- This could last a while longer, but I’m honestly not sure yet if it will or not. I’d say that it’s just as likely to be cancelled as it is to stay around for future seasons. It’s hard to guess. Reception: good. Grade: D-. New review

Wayward Pines: Status- Currently on FOX at 9/8 Central on Wednesdays. Why I’ve seen it- I had a dream about it. Noteworthiness- This is based off of a book. Description- It is hard to describe the show. It appears to be set in the future of a fake happy town where sinister things happen but there are evil things outside of the town as well. Notable People- M Night Shavalyan, famous horror director, helps work with the show. Pros- It actually works as a horror TV show. Cons- It isn’t all that interesting. Note to Parents- It airs with a content advisory warning, so that’s all you need to know regarding that. Recommendation- It’s not my type of show so I don’t actually recommend it, although you might if you like this type of show. Prediction- Having once aired what they called a series finale before being brought back for another summer season. That could happen again, so I don’t give it that much in long term success rates. Reception: mostly favorable. Grade: D. New review

Penn and Teller: Fool Us: Status- It airs on the CW at 8/7 on Wednesdays. 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. Note to Parents- Anything potentially offensive in this show is relatively minor compared to most other shows. 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-.

BattleBots: Status- Currently on ABC at 8/7 Central on Thursdays. Why I’ve seen it- I was interested in it. I’m not entirely sure why I was. Noteworthiness- This was once on Comedy Central briefly before ABC made it fuller season show. Description- This is basically killer robots fighting to advance to become the best killer robot. Pros- The show is actually quite interesting. Cons- The format can be a bit strange. The edit doesn’t seem as good as it should be. There might be too much build up and not enough fighting. Note to Parents- If you don’t want to let your kids watching robots fighting, then don’t let them watch this show. If you’re like me, you wouldn’t see any problems this would be for kids. Recommendation- I’d say that you should probably watch this if you can. Prediction- I see this lasting a while, actually. It could fail again, but I don’t see that happening. Reception: generally favorable. Grade: B-. New review

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. Note to Parents- Some segments might be okay for kids and others are not. I’d say that it depends on your mood to be honest. 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++.

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. Note to Parents- There isn’t too much in here that would be worrisome for kids to see. All one would have to worry about is mild innuendo every now and then. 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.


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. 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. Note to Parents- I’d say that teenagers can watch this. I wouldn’t go with much older than that as the typical episode can have enough objectionable things in it. 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-.