Fridays in Primetime Version 5

Fridays are the least competitive nights on television although there are some good shows out there. Viewers aren’t regular, but those that are and even those that aren’t give the show these ratings. The CW shows Dynasty and Life Sentence. CBS is showing Blue Bloods, MacGyver, and Hawaii Five-0. ABC is showing 20/20, Once Upon a Time, and Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. NBC shows Dateline, Taken, and Blindspot. FOX shows mostly reality shows, shows that are ending, or shows that they don’t strongly care about. Beware that most of the shows come here to die and they are only here right now to enjoy them before they are gone, although some shows have thrived here since they have never really seen another night throughout most of their run.

MacGyver: Status- Currently on CBS at 8/7 Central on Fridays. Why I’ve seen it- I typically always watch a CBS show once and I honestly wasn’t interested in anything else at the timeslot when it first started airing. Noteworthiness- This is a remake of a show by the same name. Description- This show is about a man who uses whatever he can to do cool spy things. There are also other people in the cast as needed. Notable People- George Eads, who was in CSI, plays a character on this show. Justin Hires, who was on the Rush Hour TV show, is another character. Pros- It has the same type of interesting quality that you’d see in spy dramas like it. Cons- I’ll admit that some of it seems predictable and cliché. Note to Parents- This has the standard amount of what would be considered objectionable to kids concerning sex and violence. Recommendation- I think that you should watch it as I think it is good. My Viewing Habits- I know that I haven’t seen every episode, but I have seen it since the first episode. Prediction- It is doing good, for now, so we’ll see if it stays that way or not. Reception: generally negative. Grade: A.

Blindspot: Status- Currently on NBC at 8/7 Central on Fridays. Why I’ve seen it- I was interested in the idea of it. Description- For mysterious reasons, a woman has amnesia and tattoos all over her body and there are crimes solved based off of this. Pros- The show is intriguing and interesting. Cons- The show may seem a bit scatterbrained and it seems like they are trying to do a female version of Jason Bourne. The show can seem similar to other types of dramas in a way. It can also be more violent than it needs to be. Note to Parents- I’d say that this is something that teenagers can watch, but not any younger than that. I think that all the episodes I’ve seen thus far were TV14. Recommendation- I’d say that this is worth watching. My Viewing Habits- I will watch this when I can. I had problems keeping up with it when it was on its second season and reception problems also hamper the problem of keeping up with it. The way it stands now, I’ll probably keep watching it until it ends. Prediction- It seems likely to last for now. We’ll see if it lasts long or not. Reception: positive. Grade: B+.

Once Upon a Time: Status- Currently on ABC at 8/7 Central on Fridays. Why I’ve seen it- General interest in the whole fairy tale genre. Description- The world of fairy tales are trapped in our world (a world of “pure horror”). Well, the show has evolved since then, but that was the original purpose of that at least. Notable People- The creators of Lost also created this show. There might be others in there as well in addition to them. Pros- A captivating drama, it keeps you interested with the writers’ take on fairy tales. It can be hard to stop watching. Cons- One could wonder if the show moves fast enough. Due to the frequent use of flashbacks, one could wonder also if they can keep their stories straight and avoid continuity errors. Plus, it could be too much like a soap opera for those of you who don’t like that genre. Its biggest problem is being too confusing. Note to Parents- It’s borderline wondering whether or not younger people can watch this show. There’s enough in there that you might find objectionable, but most of it might be considered okay to watch with your family. Recommendation- It is a good show, if you don’t mind the other shows at the same time. You should watch it sometime. My Viewing Habits- While I do miss episodes frequently due to poorer reception of this network in my area, I have more or less watched this since the very first episode. I plan to stick with it until the very end when I can watch it. Prediction- It is officially on its last season right now. We’ll see how it ends soon. Reception: positive. Grade: A.

Dynasty: Status- Currently on the CW at 8/7 Central on Fridays. Why I’ve seen it- I try to watch every CW show once, if I can. Noteworthiness- This is a remake. Description- A family has to deal with changing dynamics and working with their respective companies. Notable People- Alan Dale, who had a role on NCIS for a bit, is a character on this show. Pros- The plot works for the most part. It is interesting enough to keep some people into it. Cons- The characters are bad people so it has that against it. There could be more to this. It seems too strange. Note to Parents- There are some of the usual problems like sex and violence. There are gay characters. Recommendation- While I might watch this at times, I’d put this as a toss-up in terms of if people should watch this. My Viewing Habits- I’ve seen little of this thus far due to scheduling issues, although I might watch more in the future should it air at a better time. Prediction- I have no clue how long this will last. It will be on the schedule for next season. I don’t know if it will last beyond that, although this does have a pretty sweet deal with Netflix, so it will probably last elsewhere if it doesn’t last here. Reception: mixed or average. Grade: B-. New review

Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: Status- Currently on ABC at 9/8 Central on Fridays. Why I’ve seen it- Interest in the Marvel world after having seen various superhero movies based on their works. Description- This show is about an organization that deals primarily with superheroes and becomes heroes of their own, although mostly people without powers. Notable People- This show is done by Joss Whedon, who is known for creating science fiction shows that enjoy cult status and are typically not always enjoyed by everyone. Examples include Angel, Firefly, Dollhouse, and Buffy the Vampire. Pros- It is considered a good show to some people. You don’t have to be a fan of the rest of the Marvel world to understand this show. Cons- It felt like there could be more in it. It seems to be lacking the heroes and the action of the movies as well as the drama content. There is also a connection between this and the rest of the Marvel world that can confuse people who don’t see the movies. Note to Parents- This is a bit questionable in terms of content for kids, mostly due to the violence of the show. Recommendation- Take it or leave it. Watch it if you like it. Prediction- It seems likely to end this season, although it might surprise people and stay longer. Reception: somewhat positive. Grade: B+.

Hawaii Five-0: Status- Currently on CBS at 9/8 Central on Fridays. Why I’ve seen it- Devotion to the CBS network and curious about what the show is about. Noteworthiness- It is a remake of an old, popular show. Description- An elite crime fighting team works in Hawaii to solve cases. Notable People- Alex O’Loughlin, known for his work on the TV shows Moonlight, Three Rivers, and various movies, is on this show as the main character. Jorge Garcia from Lost is in this as well. Pros- This show is actually filmed where it set. It is an interesting drama. The bickering between the two leads is entertaining. Cons- Some of the methods the characters use to catch the perps are unethical. Since it is a remake, it could just be considered trying to reclaim what it once was. Note to Parents- I’d say maybe on this, although it is probably better to not let your kids watch this unless they are teenagers. Recommendation- Watch this if you have the time to. My viewing habits- I have watched since the first episode, although I have not seen every one yet. Prediction- It probably will last, but there is a chance that it could end in the future. Reception: positive. Grade: B.

Life Sentence: Status- Currently on the CW at 9/8 Central on Fridays. Why I’ve seen it- Whenever it works out, I watch a new CW show. Description- A woman finds out that she is cured of cancer and has to deal with her carefree lifestyle from when she thought she was dying. Notable People- Dylan Walsh, who was from Unforgettable, is a character on this show. Pros- The plot works. The situation seems to work for the most part. Cons- This show seems to have the usual flawed characters (only they aren’t as bad as other shows are). Note to Parents- This has the standard amount of what is and isn’t acceptable for kids and teens to watch. Recommendation- Watch it if you care, otherwise, don’t bother with it. My Viewing Habits- I missed some of the earlier episodes, but do plan on watching it until the very end of the show. Prediction- This seems very likely to last only one season so enjoy it if you care or don’t get into it if you don’t. Reception: mixed or average. Grade: C+. New review

Dateline: Status- Currently on NBC at 9/8 Central on Fridays. Why I’ve seen it- Nothing else on and it seemed interesting. Noteworthiness- It is the longest running primetime news show on NBC and sometimes airs multiple times in one week. Description- Pretty much an NBC version of 20/20. I don’t know which came out first. Pros- It can be interesting. Cons- It can only be interesting if you like it. I haven’t seen enough of it to find out how different it is from other networks versions of this show. They mostly only do murder mysteries from real life. The promos for it make it seem like if you watch TV on your own, you are better off without it. Note to Parents- This show is gruesome a lot with what they show on it. They even promote it in a way that implies that the squeamish shouldn’t watch it, at least by themselves. So you probably shouldn’t let your kids watch this. Recommendation- Take it or leave it. My viewing habits- I watch at times but normally don’t care enough as I don’t like true crime shows that much, although this does catch my interest at times, but not always. Prediction- It will last forever. Reception: mostly positive. Grade: B.

Blue Bloods: Status- Currently on CBS at 10/9 Central on Fridays. Why I’ve seen it- It is on CBS. Nothing else good was on. Description- This is a cop show where the cops are related. It is set in New York City. Notable People- Tom Selleck from Magnum PI and movies, is a character. Donnie Walburg, who is in the band New Kids on the Block, is a character as well. Pros- Something good exists on Friday nights for you to watch. A partial family aspect is added to the show which makes it more relatable. They rarely deal with murder and seem to deal with every sort of crime and problems that you might hear about in real life. Cons- The ways the officers catch and interrogate some of the suspects/criminals is unethical some of the time. It can be like a lot of other dramas. They have made some questionable off-camera choices regarding at least one actress who works on the show. Some episodes are better than others. There have been some episodes which use unfair stereotypes for villains. Note to Parents- This is better in terms of what is acceptable to show your kids than a lot of shows are. Recommendation- Take it or leave it. I like it. You might too. My Viewing Habits- I have seen most episodes and watched this from the very first episode. Prediction- It will stay around for a while unless they decide to end it. It could wind up on the chopping block with little to no warning. Reception: mostly positive. Grade: B-.

20/20: Status- Currently on ABC at 10/9 Central on Fridays. Why I’ve seen it- It looked interesting when I first saw it. Noteworthiness- It is the longest running primetime news show on ABC and the longest running ABC show in primetime at least. It premiered when Jimmy Carter was president. Description- This is an in-depth news show regarding issues relating to current events or just anything like a murder mystery. Pros- Can be quite interesting if you don’t watch anything else at that time. Cons- There’s a show like this on every network. Re-runs rarely exist. Some episodes are better than others. It can be hard to watch all the time. Note to Parents- If you typically let your kids watch the news, then this is something you can let them watch. Although, I’d honestly stay clear of letting most kids watch this as it is far too grim for them. Recommendation- I like it, but don’t watch it unless I know that I want to. Maybe you’ll like it or consider it a complete waste of time. My Viewing Habits- I don’t watch all the time, but I do when it works out although I tend to avoid the murder mystery episodes. Prediction- It will last unless something weird happens. Reception: currently positive, although the first episode was panned which lead to a retooling of the good show we know today. Grade: A.