Summer Shows 2017

Well, it is finally time that I start doing the reviews of summer shows. As always, I will start with my reviews of new shows before switching to reviews of existing shows whether you have seen these reviews before or not. This may not be the only batch of summer shows that I’m reviewing this time around. You should see the other sets later.

Hooten and the Lady: Show Description- A shady man and a woman seeking artifacts go on strange adventures together. Behind the Scenes- This is a British TV show that is airing here in America for the first time. My Thoughts- It is a fun and good show that seems mostly realistic. It may run the risk of having crazy plots, but it seems pretty good for now. I give it four out of five stars. Long Term Prospects- This will last on Sky 1 for as long as British people want it. Whether it lasts here on not is unknown at the time. I’d guess that it might not last, although it could. Just know that British shows tend to last shorter than most American shows do. Where to Find- On Thursdays at 9/8 Central on the CW

Live with Kelly and Ryan: Show Description- A continuation of the Live talk show, this has Kelly Ripa and Ryan Seacrest hosting a talk show. Behind the Scenes- I should note that this isn’t really a new show as it is mostly just the continuation of an existing show. After Michael Straham left Live, they needed a new, regular cohost and they have one now with the former (and soon to be current again) host of American Idol. My Thoughts- There’s not really much to add here except that if you liked the version before, than you’ll like the version now. You can check the archives for reviews of previous versions. I give it three out of five stars. Long Term Prospects- This show will keep lasting regardless of the host changes unless they somehow lose both hosts at once. Where to Find- This TV show airs during the daytime hours around 9 in nearly all time zones, to my knowledge

Salvation: Show Description- A meteor is coming to strike the earth and wipe out mankind, but some people are trying to stop it while it seems the government or someone is trying to cover things up to make it seem like it doesn’t exist. Behind the Scenes- There’s not much to add here so I won’t say much more than this. My Thoughts- I’ll admit, this seems unoriginal. But it still seems kind of interesting. I do hope that we see more character development in the future. I give it three out of five stars. Long Term Prospects- This more than likely won’t last as it seems too limited a premise to maintain a multi season show. Where to Find- On Wednesdays at 9/8 Central on CBS

Steve Harvey’s Funderdome: Show Description- Entrepreneurs with similar ideas compete against each other to fund their projects. Behind the Scenes- This is hosted by the talented Steve Harvey who also hosts Family Feud. My Thoughts- This is pretty entertaining. But, it does have some flaws. It seems like ABC has enough of these types of shows already. Plus, the idea that someone could wind up with nothing or someone could cash out and miss out on the prize they would have gotten seem pretty dumb. Still, I give it four out of five stars. Long Term Prospects- I’d say that this has a good chance of lasting for now, but I don’t know how long it could stay around. Where to Find- On Sundays at 9/8 Central on ABC

The Gong Show: Show Description- People compete in a talent show where bad acts get the gong and are taken off stage. Behind the Scenes- This is a reboot of a popular former show. My Thoughts- It can be dumb at times as a lot of the acts are hit and miss. Plus, in the current format, only one person has to hit the gong to get someone to stop their performance, which doesn’t seem far when there are three judges. I give it two out of five stars. Long Term Prospects- I’d have to guess that this probably won’t last. Where to Find- On Thursdays at 10/9 Central on ABC

Candy Crush: Show Description- Teams of players compete in different versions of this game in order to win money. Behind the Scenes- This is based on the popular Candy Crush app. My Thoughts- It seemed crazy yet kind of good and interesting. The puzzles could use some work on, but I think that it could be good. At least it isn’t another reboot. I give it three out of five stars. Long Term Prospects- I don’t think that this will last. Where to Find- On Sundays at 9/8 Central on CBS

Love Connection: Show Description- In this show, a person goes on a date with three other people and the audience votes in advance of learning about the dates who had the best connection. If they guess right, the person wins money and the date. If they guess wrong, the person has to choose between money and the date. Behind the Scenes- This is yet another reboot. My Thoughts- It seemed kind of lame to me, another in a long string of largely uninteresting reality shows made to exploit people’s desires to be with one another. I give it one of out five stars. Long Term Prospects- I have no idea. It could last; it might not. I have the feeling that it won’t last. Where to Find- On Thursdays at 9/8 Central on FOX

Superhuman: Show Description- Different people who have extraordinary abilities compete against each other for money. Behind the Scenes- This was based off of a one-off special that they did on the network before. Kal Penn, who currently stars in Designated Survivor, is the host of the show. Mike Tyson, who is a controversial wrestler, is one of the three judges. My Thoughts- It seemed pretty cool and interesting to see people show off their strange abilities. I’ll admit that the people seem too perfect as I have yet to see someone fail and their difficult task. I give it three out of five stars. Long Term Prospects- This might last or it might not. It all depends on whether or not the network likes it enough to keep it around longer. Where to Find- On Mondays at 9/8 Central on FOX

Battle of the Network Stars: Show Description- Different celebrities compete in weird games. Behind the Scenes- This is a reboot. Joy. My Thoughts- This didn’t seem to offer much of anything. It seemed about as lame as the average sport game. I give it two out of five stars. Long Term Prospects- I don’t think that this will stick around. Where to Find- On Thursdays at 9/8 Central on ABC

New summer shows I’m reviewing for this blog post: Hooten and the Lady, Live with Kelly and Ryan *, Salvation, Steve Harvey’s Funderdome, Superhuman, Candy Crush, Battle of the Network Stars, The Gong Show, Love Connection

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. My Viewing Habits- I haven’t seen much of it yet, but I might be watching more of it in the future. 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+.

The $100,000 Pyramid: Status- Currently on ABC at 10/9 Central on Sundays. Why I’ve seen it- I was interested in it and didn’t really have anything else to watch at the time. Noteworthiness- This is a reboot of the pyramid game show. Description- 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. Notable People- 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. Pros- The show is fairly entertaining and funny to watch. Cons- 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. Note to Parents- This is mostly acceptable outside of potential sexual things said. Recommendation- I’d say that people would like and watch this. My Viewing Habits- I don’t always watch but do whenever I can see it. Normally I watch when I can. Prediction- 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. Reception: good. Grade: B. New review

Hollywood Game Night: Status- Currently on NBC at 8/7 Central on Thursdays. 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 and sometimes appears as one of the players. 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. A lot of the show is redundant by the same games being used over and over. Note to Parents- Some of this is questionable, but most is okay. Recommendation- I’d say that you should probably watch this if you ever have the time to do so. My Viewing Habits- I don’t always watch, but I like to when it works out. 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 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-.

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- 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 current 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. My Viewing Habits- I try to watch this as often as possible, although I know that I miss it a lot. I watched the original version when it was on too and plan to keep watching it until it ends. 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+.

American Grit: Status- Currently on FOX at 9/8 Central on Sundays. Why I’ve seen it- I was going to watch it when it first aired, but I felt I didn’t have enough time for it then. Now, I’ve decided to watch it some this time around. Description- Four teams of four compete to get a prize by doing various tough competitions. Pros- If you like most reality shows that air on network TV, then you’d probably like this too. Cons- It falls victim to far too many reality clichés (people fighting, self-centered people) and doesn’t seem as tough for people as other reality shows are. Note to Parents- This may be good in some ways but bad in others. You’d have to watch to know for sure. Recommendation- I’d put this at a toss-up right now. My Viewing Habits- I don’t know how much of this I’ll watch, but I could see it more than I have. Prediction- I don’t know if this will last or not and think that it would lean towards cancellation. Reception: good. Grade: C-. New review

Zoo: Status- Currently on CBS at 10/9 Central on Thursdays. 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. My Viewing Habits- I watched the pilot and then never saw the show a second time. 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-.

Penn and Teller: Fool Us: Status- It airs on the CW at 8/7 on Thursdays. 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. My Viewing Habits- I haven’t always watched this compared to other shows. I do watch it if there is nothing notable I feel competes with it, which it doesn’t at the time. 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-.

To Tell the Truth: Status- It is currently on ABC at 10/9 Central on Mondays. Why I’ve seen it- I was interested enough in it to watch. Noteworthiness- This is a reboot of the same show by the same name that has been around every so often. Description- Celebrity panelists have to guess who there is really who they say they are and not just pretending. Notable People- Anthony Anderson, who currently stars on Black-ish is the host of this show. Pros- It can be funny at times. Cons- It can seem pointless. There should be more to it in the modern version. Note to Parents- This may be the standard amount of what you’d find objectionable so I’d say that you should watch an episode for yourself to see if you think kids could watch it. Recommendation- If you aren’t watching anything else at the time, you’d like this. My Viewing Habits- I’ll probably watch this when I can. Prediction- This could last a while, but I don’t know for sure if it will or not. It will be on during the fall. Reception: good. Grade: C. New review

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. My viewing habits- It can be hard to stay into this show although I do watch it at times, but not always. 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. 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- 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. Note to Parents- I’d say that teenagers can watch this. I wouldn’t go with much younger 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. My viewing habits- I got into this late and for varying reasons don’t know yet if I’ll watch it again. Prediction- It will probably last a long time, although it just as easily might not. 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. 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. My viewing habits- I haven’t always watched this in the past but always watch it now whenever I have the chance. 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++.