Ranking the ABC Shows I’ve Seen: 2020 Edition

 

This will be my last post of the year as I have to yield Tuesday to a different blog instead. I like to rank different network’s shows at times each year. This is happening later so I could include a show that did not premiere until November. Also note that this will be a possibly shortened and simplified version since I am not giving myself enough time to do this post. I am also unsure if I have every ABC show mentioned since not all of them might have shown up on where I did the search for them. I also might have forgotten which shows I’ve seen and they aren’t even included on the unranked shows.

 

Every ABC show that I’ve seen: American Idol, 8 Simple Rules, Agent Carter, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., Full House, The Goldbergs, Grey’s Anatomy, Home Improvement, How to Get Away with Murder, Nashville, The Neighbors, Pushing Daisies, Quantico, Roseanne, Matlock, The Middle, Modern Family, What Would You Do?, Shark Tank, Scandal, America’s Funniest Home Videos, Sabrina: The Teenage Witch, Black-ish, Body of Proof, Castle, The Conners, Dancing with the Stars, Designated Survivor, Family Matters, 101 Ways to Leave a Game Show, According to Jim, 20/20, The Alec Baldwin Show, Batman, Battle of the Network Stars, BattleBots, American Housewife, Better Off Ted, Big Fan, Big Sky, Cougar Town, The Crossing, Celebrity Family Feud, Card Sharks, Fresh off the Boat, Don’t, Dr. Ken, The Drew Carey Show, The Gong Show, The Good Doctor, Station 19, For Life, The Forgotten, The Flintstones, How to Live with Your Parents (for the Rest of Your Life), Happy Endings, Imaginary Mary, Inhumans, The Jeff Foxworthy Show, Last Man Standing, Last Resort, Malibu Country, The Lawrence Welk Show, Laverne & Shirley, The Muppets, Missing, Press Your Luck, Notorious, Notes from the Underbelly, Pyramid, The Quest (a 2014 show), The Real O’Neals, Reef Break, The Odd Couple (original), Of Kings and Prophets, Off the Map, Once Upon a Time, Steve Harvey’s Funderdome, Stumptown, Suburgatory, Revenge, The Rookie, Rookie Blue, Single Parents, Take the Money and Run, Schooled, Who Wants to be a Millionaire?, Whodunnit?, The Whole Truth, Whose Line is it Anyways?, Wipeout, Ten Days in the Valley, Crumbs, The Astronaut Wives Club, Better With You, To Tell the Truth, Time after Time, The Toy Box, and Trophy Wife.

 

What isn’t ranked and why: American Idol (since I have not and probably never will see the ABC version of this show, I can only give you the FOX rating of it which I have seen which ranked as 80 out of 85 shows in terms of that network), Roseanne (I never saw what wound up becoming the final season of this show and the one episode that I saw of it seems too random so I don’t think that I can rank it fairly as a result), Family Matters (I don’t remember this show that well so I won’t rank it as a result), Designated Survivor (while the show jumped from place to place at times, the fact that I don’t know how this ended by seeing any of the final season that aired on Netflix means that I won’t know which ranking would be fairest)

 

Continued: According to Jim (since I never saw how this ended, then I don’t know how to rank it as a result), The Alec Baldwin Show (I’ve seen too little of this so a ranking would be unfair as a result), American Housewife (I stopped watching this after a role was recast so I decided that the quality of this wasn’t effected and it wouldn’t be ranked as a result), Better off Ted (I don’t remember this that well and don’t feel that it is fair to rank it as a result)

 

Continued: The Drew Carey Show (it has been too long since I have seen this and it doesn’t make that much sense to me), Laverne & Shirley (I can’t remember much about this other than the fact that I saw this), Of Kings and Prophets (too little of this aired for me to see any of it), The Flintstones (it has also been too long since I’ve seen this for me to rank it fairly or at all), Revenge (while I know that I sort of saw an episode, I wasn’t really paying attention to it and should not even count this as a show that I watched), Who Wants to be a Millionaire? (There have been enough versions of this that I can’t rank this fairly against itself, much less other shows), The Forgotten (I haven’t really seen the end of this yet and am unsure how or if I could, so I can’t rank it as a result)

 

The bad shows

 

Dishonorable mention: Work It- Despite having never seen this show, I feel like ranking it worse than all of the other shows as I would be doing a disservice to all of the ABC shows that I have seen not to rank this as worse than them. I’m honestly surprised to this day that it aired more than one episode. Its problem wasn’t so much the cross dressing as it was the outright sexism of the show. It remains a highly controversial show and never should have been made or seen the light of day if it was.

 

The Real O’Neals: The worst ABC show that I’ve seen, it forever ruined a random sports song that was also used in the promos for it. I hated this show before I ever saw it and when it finally worked out for me to when everything else that I wanted to see wasn’t on (and it was paired with a comedy that I did like and watch), it did nothing to change my opinion of this horrible show. I can understand why the gay community does not want the Christian community to attack them. But if Christians can’t attack gays, then gays can’t attack Christians. It is only fair. This is one of the many ways that this show failed to do well in terms of entertaining me and I’ll forever be baffled that this got a second season.

 

Dr. Ken (every actor except the lead sucked on this show with writing so horrible, you’d have to wonder how they found jobs in Hollywood), The Gong Show (what makes this show displaying bad people’s talents even more dumb by the fact that it is supposed to be bad), Battle of the Network Stars (this was a very dumb and pointless show), Last Man Standing (your party sucks! Ha ha ha ha ha. No, your party sucks! Ha ha ha ha ha. This might have been a good show at one point, but it got politically stupid with no humor anymore), America’s Funniest Home Videos (why does getting hurt equal comedy for so many people?), Wipeout (this is only better than the last show for being competitive and not being about the hurt people so much as the things people will do for money), Downfall (this game show did not work, even with them doing replicas of prizes)

 

Continued: Trophy Wife (why do people like this show? I want to be part of the cool mom’s club and not be subject to these women’s rumors. Seriously? This is a good show?), Single Parents (they were unlikely to make this premise work, even though they easily could have)

 

Continued: Cougar Town (this also aired elsewhere, but never left that big an impression with me), Black-ish (this is such an overrated show based on the one episode I saw of it as no one should care whether or not someone is black enough), The Neighbors (they gave up on this show and didn’t care about it as much, making the worseness of the other shows its only saving grace), The Crossing (all you had to do was have an ending, but you failed)

 

Continued: Notorious (they could have done more with this than they did, which was a problem), The Odd Couple (original) (it didn’t have much to it based on what I saw of it), Off the Map (it was good in some places, but its lack of an ending is why it ranks low for me), The Conners (unless I saw the wrong episode, it wasn’t that great or that funny)

 

Continued: Last Resort (this was far too slow moving and boring), Missing (there was enough wrong with this outside of the sudden lack of ending that THEY COULD HAVE EDITED OUT!), Reef Break (only watching the series finale makes this not as much a waste of time as it otherwise could have been), Stumptown (this was too random and did not leave a lasting impact me), Time after Time (it was very good before its finale, which is why it isn’t much lower, but its finale puts it on the bad shows list)

 

The average shows

 

How to Live with Your Parents (for the Rest of Your Life) (it was too random and didn’t make that much sense), Big Fan (this Jimmy Kimmel game show didn’t have much to it or even last that long), Malibu Country (pretty much a wanna-be Reba, it didn’t last that long as a result), Take the Money and Run (this largely didn’t work, but at least had a point not to commit crimes), How to Get Away with Murder (I never really understood this show ever), Sabrina: The Teenage Witch (this show also aired on the WB and is lower on this list for abandoning plots a lot and screwing over the ending recurring plot by putting her with someone else), Beyond the Tank (this component to Shark Tank doesn’t have that much to it which puts it as low as it is)

 

Continued: 101 Ways to Leave a Game Show (there wasn’t much they could do to make this adaptation work in this country and we never saw all the ways), BattleBots (this has aired on other networks too and if they could fix the competition rules, it would rank higher), Steve Harvey’s Funderdome (it had some good ideas in some places, but wasn’t that well in others), The Whole Truth (if only the cases were more sided for both sides, then we could get more out of this that we couldn’t from other shows), The Toy Box (this is a whole lot of work for just one toy each season)

 

Continued: To Tell the Truth (if this went back to its older roots, this current version which is ranked would be much higher), Suburgatory (this comedy had some good ideas, but just wasn’t that great or worth watching most of the time), Pyramid (this is as middle of the road as you can get), Whodunnit? (It was hard to make sense of some of it, but it worked for the most part based on what I saw of it), Better With You (it went with a now overused premise which explains why it didn’t do so well)

 

Continued: Crumbs (sadly, it never got much time to grow and I nearly forgot about this show entirely), Card Sharks (one of the newer shows that I’ve seen, it doesn’t have much to it, but it works well enough), Notes from the Underbelly (this comedy didn’t even air all of its episodes in the US, but did elsewhere, and I liked it in many ways, just not enough to rank it any higher)

 

Continued: The Quest (a 2014 show) (this reality show was a nice competition, even if parts of it were over dramatized in some ways), Quantico (this drama worked better in some seasons than it did in others, which is why it ranks lower than it does, even though it could have ranked higher), Dancing with the Stars (I am liking this show more since there was not much else to watch this year when it aired, but can’t rank it higher as there is not much to it)

 

Continued: Big Sky (I almost didn’t include this show in the ranking as it is too new, but I waited this long until I could see it. I think that if it can have enough material, this would be much higher in future rankings), 20/20 (this only ranks low for largely focusing on stories that I don’t care about as it is much better when it airs actually interesting content instead of murder mysteries)

 

The good shows

 

Happy Endings (there could have been more to this and the fact that it was unfocused by abandoning its original premise is what made it much lower than it could otherwise be), Press Your Luck (while I do still believe that this looks easier than it actually is, I would more than love to be on this show and only have it ranked here due to how much better other shows are), Agent Carter (it may have been old fashioned and might not be on here if a different show hadn’t resolved its cliffhanger, I still like what we got out of this show and what it added to the MCU)

 

Continued: Imaginary Mary (honestly, while the gimmick of an adult having an imaginary friend was what got me into this show, it would have worked much better without it in the end and was a decent show either way), The Lawrence Welk Show (largely known for its reruns on PBS, it is the reason that they should do more variety shows today)

 

Continued: The Jeff Foxworthy Show (while I have not seen that much of the show yet, if ever, I do think that it is pretty good), The Muppets (with this being a more updated version of the show, featuring the characters in a mockumentary, it never seemed to gain the audience that some would have liked for it and many weren’t fans, but I liked it), Scandal (while I only saw parts of the final season of this, I felt that it was pretty good in the end), Body of Proof (they need to focus on MEs more and this show was proof that it could work pretty well)

 

Continued: Inhumans (this might be more of a controversial pick on my part to have it this high on my list, but I loved this show and enjoyed seeing what I could of it), Shark Tank (quite a simple show, this has plenty of interesting things going on in every episode), Station 19 (while there is a lot of wrong that they do with this show, there’s enough good about it that works and will always be worth seeing), The Rookie (this is still new enough and we won’t know for sure what might happen with it, but I will enjoy seeing this for a while since it works well enough)

 

Continued: Schooled (I don’t like that this didn’t last that long and never even got to film the rest of its second season, but I do like what I saw of it and can only hope that this isn’t ruined by the parent show it span off of), Batman (this Adam West classic may be campy, but that was the point and it made him a household name to this very day, may he rest in peace), The Kids are Alright (its biggest problem might have been the fact that it was too similar a premise to what one could see from other shows on the air were like, but it was still good)

 

Continued: Castle (if only this had a better ending, then it might be much higher on the list, but it did well enough and I still like and watch this show despite what happened with it in the end of this show), The Astronaut Wives Club (while it was only meant to last one season, we learned a lot about the history of the space race from the wives of those who were in it), Rookie Blue (while it was a Canadian show that aired here due to the writer’s strike, it still left a lasting impression and did quite well for its time here on American airwaves)

 

Continued: Home Improvement (while it is hard to remember this show that well, it is a good show still in my mind that lasts quite well in the American lexicon), For Life (this is such a good drama that we need more and more today considering the fact that we may never win the war on racial justice but can only hope that we as a society gets better), Don’t (this game show is quite awesome and something that most of us all want to see)

 

Continued: Once Upon a Time in Wonderland (while this never gained much of an audience among people and it only lasted one season as a result, I love the fact that it did what it did and showed quite a nice story, expanding on the universe of this show), Trust Us with Your Lives (while this might only seem like a poor man’s version of Whose Line and could never rank higher than it, it was still a nice show to watch even with its short time on the airwaves)

 

Continued: Fresh off the Boat (I was quite glad that I got into this show in the end as I might not have if it didn’t air with something that I liked and can only hope that it can improve the perspective that we have of Asian Americans), Full House (quite a good show, we see a cast ensemble that is often missing in the hits of today), Pushing Daisies (despite only lasting two seasons, the latter of which was kind of screwed with its airing, I believe that this remains one of my favorite shows since we often don’t get to see a man talk to the dead for a minute to see who killed them)

 

Continued: Nashville (this show also aired on CMT and proved to be quite wonderful in many ways and in how it proved that a fan campaign can actually save a show every now and then), The Goldbergs (perhaps the modern day sitcom that I’ve missed the most of that I want to see at some point, I can only hope that over time, I will see more as it is great, even if it constantly focuses on a era before my time), Whose Line is it Anyways? (This is now airing a newer version on the CW with a different host and it will always be a better show to me than a lot of others), Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (This was a great tie-in to the rest of the Marvel world, even if it didn’t link up to it much during the last two seasons, that it ranks the highest of the Marvel shows on ABC and just short of the top ten)

 

The top ten

 

Modern Family: Despite constant plot holes with the way it was filmed versus how it was written and set up, this show was otherwise pretty good and worth keeping up with in many ways all the way until the end of the show. I plan to keep up with this show for quite a while as long as it lasts in reruns, even though it is over now.

 

Celebrity Family Feud: This will be the highest ranked of all of the game shows. It is hilarious and always fun to watch, if you feel that you want to spend your time with it. But why wouldn’t you? This is just as good as the regular version of the show where even the wrong answers are awesome.

 

Ten Days in the Valley: The shortest lasting of the shows to rank this high, it was fun to see a complex set of mysteries all going on at once with a great cast of characters mixing the whole thing together. I quite like this show and even think that it was made better by only lasting one season.

 

The Middle: Seeing such a great and simplistic set of characters all together proved that shows can have a nice setting and not have to deal too much with its own egos or something else like that. We need to see more shows like this in the end.

 

Once Upon a Time: Despite being a mixing all of Disney characters in the ultimate fan fiction (something that they admitted to doing), we got to see such a great, complex set of characters that we never had seen that much of before in other ways. The plot was always evolving, keeping people interested, and it never strayed from its main fairytales ways.

 

Grey’s Anatomy: Wonderfully written and greatly acted, it isn’t hard to see why this is ABC’s longest running drama to still be on the air (I have no idea if it is the longest of all time). It shows no signs of slowing down from what I know right now. And it has the help of a new spin-off to keep more and more plots coming in the years to come.

 

The Good Doctor: It is almost hard for me to rank much else as better than this, but I feel that this is a good place to put it as few shows can be this well done today like they should be. I will be disappointed if Freddie Highmore never gets an award for his performance on this show.

 

Matlock: This show that also aired on NBC is one of the greatest dramas of all times. Its simplicity is missed in today’s TV shows. It didn’t rely on recurring storylines or other gimmicks that are far too common in today’s shows. But it is still nice that it lasts in some way.

 

8 Simple Rules: One of my favorite comedies, it was due to a misfortune that happened and the way that they handled it that lead me to ranking it very high to this day. Never has a comedy that I’ve seen tackled such serious issues in a better way, making me glad that I saw this show in the end.

 

What Would You Do?: Not only is this my favorite ABC show, this remains my favorite show of all time. It is not afraid to have real people address serious issues that they come across, even if they are just the scenarios being played by actors. You want to see people step up and do the right thing while also being exposed to a whole variety of situations.

 

The complete ranking: The Real O’Neals, Dr. Ken, The Gong Show, Battle of the Network Stars, Last Man Standing, America’s Funniest Home Videos, Wipeout, Downfall, Trophy Wife, Single Parents, Cougar Town, Black-ish, The Neighbors, The Crossing, Notorious, The Odd Couple (original), Off the Map, The Conners, Last Resort, Missing, Reef Break, Stumptown, Time after Time, | How to Live with Your Parents (for the Rest of Your Life), Big Fan, Malibu Country, Take the Money and Run, How to Get Away with Murder, Sabrina: The Teenage Witch, Beyond the Tank, 101 Ways to Leave a Game Show, BattleBots, Steve Harvey’s Funderdome, The Whole Truth, The Toy Box, To Tell the Truth, Suburgatory, Pyramid, Whodunnit?, Better With You, Crumbs, Card Sharks, Notes from the Underbelly, The Quest (a 2014 show), Quantico, Dancing with the Stars, Big Sky, 20/20, | Happy Endings, Press Your Luck, Agent Carter, Imaginary Mary, The Lawrence Welk Show, The Jeff Foxworthy Show, The Muppets, Scandal, Body of Proof, Inhumans, Shark Tank, Station 19, The Rookie, Schooled, Batman, The Kids are Alright, Castle, The Astronaut Wives Club, Rookie Blue, Home Improvement, For Life, Don’t, Once Upon a Time in Wonderland, Trust us with Your Lives, Fresh off the Boat, Full House, Pushing Daisies, Nashville, The Goldbergs, Whose Line is it Anyways?, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., Modern Family, Celebrity Family Feud, Ten Days in the Valley, The Middle, Once Upon a Time, Grey’s Anatomy, The Good Doctor, Matlock, 8 Simple Rules, What Would You Do?

 

Well, sorry that this is posted so late in the day that this might not count as Tuesday anymore as it took me this long to write it all. Also sorry if I forget to mention any shows that I have seen that should be on this, but aren’t. I tend to count posts that should be on the previous day that the new blogger might not count anymore in some places as the right day even if it really wasn’t. But this shouldn’t matter too much in the end and I can only hope that this doesn’t become more of an issue in the end than it has already been for most of the time.

The Overall Whiteness of Hollywood

To this day, I will always find it strange that once in my sociology class in college, the professor had wondered if anyone was upset by the fact that there is a Black Entertainment Television (BET) when there is not something like that for white people. Oddly enough, people agreed with him. I tried to argue that there already was a white entertainment television. He disagreed, although he made it seem like the two that came closest were either Fox News or Lifetime. I honestly don’t know what was up with that class because the networks that are for white people are called every other network. 

Let’s face it, there is never really that much about Hollywood in terms of television without finding a whole lot of white people on it. Most of the programming on all of network TV will focus on a cast that is largely white. It will probably not be entirely not without non white characters. There will be some of the characters that aren’t white. Sadly, it may just be one for the show’s entire run like The Big Bang Theory. While that character was in every episode of the show, that’s 12 years to only have one of the main characters not be a white person.

Why is Hollywood so white? Well, there’s not much to say about it. Part of it is just demographics where there still tends to be more white people than other races in this country. Thus, they are still more able to easily get roles in part due to having a number’s advantage. But there are other issues too that also prevent non whites from getting roles that they should get.

Casting might be part of the issue. For whatever reason, some casting notes may just say that they are for white actors alone and not for others. You wouldn’t think that this should happen most of the time. The only times where it should happen would be if you want to adapt a story based on a true story with someone who looks like the person in question. Other times, what a character looks like as described in other works that are adapted may be ignored.

This leads to the biggest problem in Hollywood, affecting both movies and TV shows. This problem is referred to as whitewashing. This is when a white actor is cast to play a role that was previously not white in the original work. This happens so much, it would be hard to even list all the number of times it has happened, even if it happens more in film.

Of course, there can be issues when a person is there just to represent races that would not otherwise be represented typically. Does one want to just be token representation? Is diversity for diversity’s sake a good thing? Is it good if someone is there who isn’t white just to be a representation of another race or culture? You can be the judge of that. Some may not like a perceived forced diversity while others may be glad that they are represented at all.

Ultimately, there isn’t much one can do to combat this. Shows can introduce more main characters that aren’t white and hopefully do it well. Other shows can make sure that more people who aren’t white are cast in the first place. Representation is a good thing and we need more of it.

When Actors and Others on a Show Get Fired and How Fans Adjust

I should warn you in advance that this post is on old news that I just haven’t gotten around to covering yet. I still think that it is relevant in some ways so I might as well get to it. I am largely doing this post in reaction to Hartley Sawyer getting fired from his role as Ralph Dibney from The Flash. But there is more to the post to cover as well so I’ll do that too.

His firing can seem dumb in some places. I mean, I can understand tweets getting someone in trouble. But these tweets were made before he was hired on the show. Why do they suddenly care about it now? I didn’t want to delete any old tweets of mine, but now I will because there’s some stuff that I don’t want to stand by or let get me in trouble that I might regret already. His account was deleted and he was apologetic about it. Was he even given a chance to explain?

When an actor is fired from a show, that would obviously leave a gap behind with the character that they played. How would The Flash continue without Ralph? Admittedly, this should be easy for them to solve with the character being a shape shifter. But they might have other plans that couldn’t just be explained with a recast. Still, there is a lot with this character and a potential love interest which will now forever be unresolved as a result. They plan to make use of the woman that was part of his life in some way in the future. But will things work out well?

You see, there always tends to be issues when actors are lost between seasons of a show. They tend to be handled poorly. Once Laurence Fishburne left CSI between seasons, they largely ignored what had happened to his character, leaving that cliffhanger poorly resolved. Private Practice fired an actor between seasons and once this last season started, it was hard for me to get behind the character’s death, largely due to not really seeing the show before. Hawaii Five-0 also handled the departure of two of its characters poorly, leaving lots of plots unresolved, especially with the husband of one of the characters, and they wouldn’t have had to deal with this if they paid these actors a fair pay in the first place. Instead, we had to awkwardly just continue with new people and throwaway lines as to what these characters were doing now.

The only case that I know of where a season of a new show started with a major casting change that was handled well was the fourth season of the original Charmed. With Shannon Doherty gone for possibly still unknown reasons after it, the show had to move on with a new sister replacing her. While it was not a perfect episode in every way, it was still pretty good in tons of ways that I have yet to see in any other show thus far, the upcoming season of The Flash still unknown.

What I do recommend for fans that don’t like the firing is to not give the new character or whoever plays this person any crap. It still makes no sense for so many people to hate Ashton Kusher over him replacing Charlie Sheen on Two and a Half Men. Someone had to replace Charlie after he dared the show to move on without him and it did for quite some time. Only if he was a reasonably minded person and didn’t deserve firing at all would he not be fired from the show. Only Charlie is to blame for his own departure from the show as it wasn’t Ashton’s fault that Charlie needed replaced.

Another example of the type of change that can happen is with showrunners or those who are in charge of the show. It can be hard to explain or notice the change once new showrunners take over. A lot of the time, one can notice and tell right away if a showrunner is different. Other times, the show is improved in a way that it wouldn’t have been otherwise. Too much of Designated Survivor was different due to all of the showrunners changing throughout the show. The fourth season of Community was done without its main writer and many fans hate it more than any other one.

Fans may have different issues trying to move on from such a change in writing with either a character gone or the actor who played said a character being played by someone else instead. They may not move on or be able to deal with it in various ways. I suggest that if you want to abandon a show due to a recast (even if it had nothing to do with a firing), then you should. If you want to keep complaining about a show, then you are dumb. I mean, I guess that there are some things that you can complain about, but don’t constantly be a dick about things. Fans will hopefully deal with things in a good way, but it can be understandable if they are not. I hardly went through all of the examples that I could have with this, but I feel like this is a good place to end this post.

Fall Shows 2020 Part 2

Well there is not much of this year left and I need to write at least one major blog post in the future. Since I still have to do a part 2 of the fall shows, since I haven’t done it yet, then I might as well get to that now. I may not have that much time to write certain posts that I’m wanting to, but hope that I can get the big post of the year which I have to do this month since otherwise I can’t do it at all since this year will be over. I’ve written more posts for this blog this year than all the other years. I try to do this for every blog, actually. But let’s get to this post.

Connecting: Show Description- Friends try to stay connected during the pandemic. Behind the Scenes- This was a show that was obviously inspired by the biggest news story and event of this year. My Thoughts- While it presented itself as a comedy, it probably would have worked better as a drama. Other than that, the show worked for the most part. I give it three out of five stars. Long Term Prospects- It has already been cancelled and aired all of its episodes. Where to Find- The complete series is available for free (plus commercials) at Peacock TV

Big Sky: Show Description- Two girls and another woman wind up kidnapped with various others in the cast here and there. Behind the Scenes- This is effectively the only new fall drama that ABC is airing this year. My Thoughts- While I don’t think that the bad cop angle will be well received due to recent events, I do think that the rest of this is pretty interesting and worth keeping track of, although I have no idea what the name is supposed to mean. I give it four out of five stars. Long Term Prospects- It seems likely to last now, although I have no idea just how much they could milk out of this show in terms of plot based on where it is now versus where all it could go in the future with their plots. Where to Find- On ABC at 10/9 Central on Tuesdays 

B Positive: Show Description- Inspired by a true story, supposedly, a divorced man needs a kidney and a woman from his past who has personal problems decides to be one. Behind the Scenes- This is produced by Chuck Lorre, who does a lot of producing for CBS comedies. My Thoughts- The show seems to work for the most part, although I’m unsure how it will evolve in the future. Long Term Prospects- It seems likely to last for now. Where to Find- On CBS at 8:30/7:30 Central on Thursdays

Coronavirus Changes 3: The Coronavirus Storylines

With shows delayed for as long as they have been due to coronavirus, a lot of them have finally come back to air future seasons. More still are waiting for their return dates as they were never meant to come back sooner this time around due to all of the delays that take place. But there is one notable change that is worth discussing that is happening much to the chagrin of people who were wanting to watch shows to escape the pandemic. That change is quite clear based on the title of this post.

It only seemed natural that such a thing would happen. Sure, some shows probably went back to what they had planned to do before the shutdowns at least starting out. But then they felt that they had to something about one of the biggest stories of the year. Plus, some of them might have honestly just wanted a reason why the characters would be in masks a lot of the time so they have to worry less about the risk of infection on the show.

Plus, it would be hard for a medical show not to talk about the biggest medical crisis this world has seen since the invention of the television itself. Other shows would want to target the issue as well. I mean, even with everything else going on in the world, you’d still want to cover the pandemic. I know that there has been racism against those perceived to Chinese as a result of this. I’d imagine that a show like Grey’s Anatomy could cover the aspect of medical treatment to someone affected by this pretty well while a show like S.W.A.T. has already covered some of the police aspect of it when a main character’s mother was affected by this sort of thing.

What other aspects could be covered? It is hard to tell just how many shows will cover it and a lot of shows might not actually cover it at all if they would rather discuss other things instead. I’d have to imagine that some do want to try to escape from the pandemic by not focusing on it at all. Others aren’t even set in this world so they wouldn’t need to put in real world issues. Some would be better off not focusing on issues like it. And reality competition shows don’t really need to cover them since their focus is on something else instead. They might put in fake crowd shots like in The Masked Singer. Other shows are set before this pandemic happened. Others still were set to air earlier so there’s no need for them to do subjects about it unless they are renewed for future seasons.

One of the most important things that needs to be done is coordination between shows. For instance, now that NCIS: New Orleans has set some of this show during the pandemic, pretty much every other show still on that’s part of the franchise will now have to put this in the storylines. For instance, NCIS is set to, I believe, at some point in the future. NCIS: Los Angeles must as well, although they still might be covering the planned episodes from the previous season first.

Both MacGyver and Magnum P.I. will also have to cover the pandemic as well. Otherwise, we’ll have to split the canon of those shows into two different aspects where one covers the pandemic and the other doesn’t. I do believe that MacGyver might have been the show that lost the most planned episodes so they may take the longest to write the pandemic onto the show provided that they don’t just start over and repurpose this for later. Some scripts and planned plots could be put in new stories.

Honestly, there isn’t much else to cover about this just yet. Some shows have been better off and have ran as usual on TV. Whether or not they will address the pandemic is currently unknown. How much we will see of it on other shows remain unknown at this point in time. As for how a franchise plans to cover it has to be made clear as one show can’t cover it without all the other shows forced to as well. Let’s hope that there is some coordination between the showrunners as a result. As for all of the plots that we will see, I plan to watch as usual and hope that they are good.

A Recap or a Common Courtesy

Maybe it is just because now that shows have been gone for quite a while, when they come back, they can be confusing in some ways. But I think that something good can be done easily to help viewers. It is often done, but since it isn’t, it is good to remind people what it is and how helpful it is. All that we need is a simple recap to keep track of what’s going on with the show.

While some might be annoyed with shows that always begin with a recap, this seems strange to me. But that might not be the case. I like recaps. I can get annoyed when I miss them. I also get annoyed at times when they aren’t there.

It isn’t too bad when recaps aren’t there provided that they have never been part of the show. Thus, you aren’t too annoyed when they never happen because they aren’t part of the show much in the first place. But when they are there, even rarely, you can get annoyed when they aren’t.

What’s especially annoying is that some shows that have recaps don’t keep doing them. Once a staple of the show Survivor, recaps have disappeared in recent seasons. And they don’t even have a theme song anymore either. When recaps disappear from shows, that is especially annoying.

But the most annoying things about a lack of recaps is when a new season starts after a long gap of time has passed between seasons without a basic courtesy of what happened before the show went away. Even during a simple hiatus of a show with a long stretch of time between episodes in the same season, it would help to remember what happened even if we have seen all of what happened before the break. That is why we need recaps in the world of television.

Wish List for the Final Season of Supergirl

I had thought of this idea for a while now, but it was too late to do it in previous season’s posts. Now that I know that the upcoming season of Supergirl will be its last, I might as well do a post on all of what I want to see from the show’s final season. I doubt that they will follow all of them, even if they had any control over it. But these are some of the things that I want to see from this show’s final season. Expect there to be more of these for final seasons of shows that I watch.

1: Don’t kill off Supergirl at the end. Considering how you just did the same thing with Oliver Queen last season, I’d have to recommend against this. She could still appear in other shows in the franchise if you avoid killing her off. If you want to signify her story coming to an end, maybe give a good reason why she would give up her powers, move to another planet full time, or otherwise retire from being the superhero that she is in the end.

2: Set up some links to Superman and Lois. Since this newer Arrowverse show is clearly there to be like this old show and would have different links to it in the end, this is the only time to include all of the Easter eggs that you can between the two shows, even though it might be likely that there won’t be an official and big crossover between both shows ever instead.

3: Make an appearance or otherwise do something relating to Oliver Queen. While he is dead in the show, it is hard to say goodbye to the known trinity of this show the way things are now already. There could be more with them or perhaps a hand off to a new trinity would work as well.

4: Resolve things with her new journalist friend. I forget his name, but they introduced him in the season before the upcoming one as what I felt could be a possible love interest. They also seemed to sow the seeds that he knows her true identity or could easily figure it out. If she is to go out with a love interest, this would be the time to do it in the end. And he’ll make more sense than anyone else.

5: Do a what if Leviathan won episode. I doubt that they could actually have this group wipe out ¼ of all life on earth. It could be interesting to see considering how it would have major affects on the whole universe of this show, but it just shouldn’t be done for real. But, there could be a special way that they take care of this potential plot point by putting Supergirl or someone (perhaps a group of people) in the world where Leviathan wiped out ¼ of the world’s population just to see what that would be like.

6: Keep Lex alive this time. While killing him off only seemed temporary in the season finale of this show’s earlier season and the potential for him to be the season’s final big bad (unless someone else has been announced as that already) is a big urge for them, I want to see his dynamics with Superman that we won’t get to see otherwise if he stays on this show all the time and he dies forever this time.

7: Have Lena switch to Superman and Lois. It would be good to set up the changes that would happen to the shows that are connected like this if we see at least one of the characters from this show switch to the other at some point in time. While that isn’t always feasible depending on what happens with the actors and other people on the show (I mean, I thought that some people from Arrow might be put on other shows and they still could be, especially if they make Green Arrow and the Canaries in a show), it would still be nice to have at least one character from this show move on to a different one.

8: Give Brainy and Nia a happy ending. They or at least someone deserves to see this in the end. There have been a lot of ups and downs in their relationships thus far, which is all the more reason that they need to be good in the end and stick together.

That’s all that I want to see from the final season of this show. I can only hope that it happens in the end. Now some of you might have gotten tired of Arrowverse related posts in this blog since I had talked a lot about Arrow after it ended. But they won’t be over as I got a lot more of Supergirl to share about and discuss in the future, although I plan to wait until after the show is over and, like last time, only do one a month. I also plan to cover another Arrowverse related post in the end probably next month. As for what else I want to do with this blog, you’ll have to see what happens when I write them and I honestly don’t know what will happen for sure. I do hope to get a post on the cancelled shows of this previous season done soon with special notes on things that could go wrong. Until then, stay tuned.

Saturdays in Primetime Version 4

It isn’t often that I review shows on Saturdays as it isn’t often or long that shows air then. In fact, the one new review that I’m adding might already be done airing, but I feel like including it anyways in case it isn’t over just yet. Now let’s get to the reviews.

Manhunt: Deadly Games: Status- Currently on CBS on Saturdays now. Why I’ve seen it- I watch every new CBS show at least once despite the fact that this isn’t really a CBS show. Noteworthiness- This is based on true stories. Part of this is based on the story of Richard Jewel. This also previously aired on cable before it repeated these episodes on CBS to make up for production slowdowns due to covid19. Description- Law enforcement tries to find the person or people who did a bombing while a man has to deal with being falsely accused of the crime. Notable People- It stars Desmond Harrington who was also on Elementary for a season. Pros- This seems pretty good and interesting even if one can be spoiled to what happens by simply looking up what happened in the past. Cons- There could be a bit too much in there at once while also dragging things out for a while. Note to Parents- Teens can watch this, but kids should not. Recommendation- I like it feel that it is good to watch and keep track of. Prediction- There are no plans for any more of this after what airs as it is meant to air for only one season. If they use the title of this again, it would likely cover a different story as they have already done in the past. Reception: possibly positive. Grade: A. New review

48 Hours: Status- Currently on CBS at 10/9 Central on Saturdays. There are times when it fills gaps in the schedule caused by cancellations on CBS, although that hasn’t happened in a while. Why I’ve seen it- I guess it was just me wanting to watch something that was on, although on occasion, I was interested in what the episode was dealing with. Description- A true crime series that is basically a documentary type show exploring a criminal case. Pros- The episodes are typically quite interesting. Cons- It airs at a bad time. It can also be gruesome and drawn-out. Note to Parents- Don’t let your kids watch this. It is far too dark for them. Recommendation- I guess that this is worth watching from time to time, although I don’t’ typically go out of my way to watch it typically. My Viewing Habits- I have seen this at times, but don’t tune in most times as it isn’t my cup of tea. Prediction- Somehow it has remained a long time on the air despite it typically airing on Saturdays all the time. I imagine that it will continue to last a while. Reception: positive. Grade: B.

Wednesdays in Primetime Version 7

Wednesdays can be good with television. This is the day of the week I’m most likely to miss shows on a regular basis whenever church gets in the way during Advent and Lent. There are some interesting shows and it has some of my favorite shows. ABC shows comedies before ending with a drama. NBC often shows the Chicago franchise all night, but not just yet. The CW shows Devils and Coroner. CBS shows various shows right now. FOX is airing The Masked Singer and I Can See Your Voice.

The Goldbergs: Status- Currently on ABC at 8/7 Central on Wednesdays. Why I’ve seen it- The first time was because I was unable to stop recording a tape after a different program stopped airing which recorded a whole episode of this show. I watched more episodes because I thought that it might be good after watching that particular episode. Noteworthiness- It is somewhat based off of true events. Description- It is about a man’s life growing up in the eighties when he was a kid and is based on details that actually happened (although I’m not sure just how much). Pros- It can be pretty good and funny sometimes. Cons- It doesn’t make a lot of sense sometimes and can be a bit odd. Plus, there are normally always errors when setting things in the past. Note to Parents- This is borderline over what is and isn’t acceptable so I suggest you watch for yourself to make your own decision. This is a whole lot better in terms of content than you see in most shows nowadays. Recommendation- It is a good show to watch. My Viewing Habits- While I like this show, I normally don’t watch it since too many other things I like air at the same time. I might see more in syndication in the future, when Survivor is on break, or various other reasons that I would like to watch it. Prediction- It will keep lasting like it has already. Reception: mostly mixed. Grade: B-.

Devils: Status- Currently on the CW at 8/7 Central on Wednesdays. Why I’ve seen it- I tend to watch a new CW show at least once. Noteworthiness- This is a British show that has aired in the US. Description- I don’t quite understand the plot of it. It relates in some way to banks. Notable People- This stars Patrick Dempsey who is a movie star and also starred in Grey’s Anatomy. Pros- This show is ordinary so one would know what to expect from it. Cons- I couldn’t make much sense of this and didn’t like it as a result. Note to Parents- This is probably not good for kids. Recommendation- Don’t bother with this. Prediction- I have no idea if it will last here or there, but know that it probably won’t here even if it does there and don’t care if it lasts here or not. Reception: good. Grade: F. New review

The Masked Singer: Status- Currently on FOX at 8/7 Central on Wednesdays. Why I’ve seen it- It turns out that Shad Moss, whose career I follow for a blog, was on the show so I watched it to see what it was like. Noteworthiness- This is adapted from a South Korean show and is the first non Asian adaptation of the show. Description- Different celebrities in masks compete on a singing show where the loser gets unmasked. While all get unmasked at some point, the winner goes the longest without this fate. Notable People- Ken Jeong, from Community and Dr. Ken, is a judge on the show. Pros- This doesn’t have as bad a voting problem as other reality competition shows since what we see is always pretaped. Even if they aren’t professional singers, they can still be good. Cons- Some have complained that the results of voting is too random and can eliminate great professional singers from the game. Too much of this seems wasted on the banter between the judges and host or trying to guess the identities of the singers. Note to Parents- I haven’t seen enough of this to know if it is bad, but my guess is that this is something the whole family could watch. Recommendation- I think that it is a good show in the end and worth keeping up with if you don’t care much about anything else. My Viewing Habits- I saw this once and don’t know yet if I will see it again due to scheduling conflicts. Prediction- This will probably last quite a while since it is said to be the most watched show now. Reception: somewhat mixed. Grade: B-. New review

The Amazing Race: Status- Currently on CBS at 8/7 Central on Wednesdays. Why I’ve seen it- It was originally something that my family was into. Description- Teams of two different people race around the world to hopefully win a million dollars. It is a reality show. Pros- There is a different group of people each season, in case you don’t like one. It has some interesting moments and is hard to get out of once you start watching on episode. The critics love it and give it awards. Cons- If you don’t get into it soon enough, it won’t interest you. The problems that happen to the contestants that lead to a commercial break tend to be solved when it returns before a minute has past. It can be hard to stay into the whole season sometimes. Every episode follows the same basic premise and can get predictable. It isn’t as interesting as other shows are. It can be a bore sometimes with the redundancy of what always happens in every episode. There have been times where they hired contestants who have already worked on other reality shows. It can still be seen as a work in progress despite it being on the air a long time. Contestants have regularly gotten screwed in challenges on the show. Note to Parents- This is probably acceptable for your kids to watch, although it is borderline on that front. Recommendation- Take it or leave it. Like most reality shows, you may not like it, you may loathe it like every reality show, or you can’t live without it. My Viewing Habits- I used to watch this all the time, but stopped watching as I felt it couldn’t do anything it hadn’t already done. While I don’t watch this anymore, I still like it. Prediction- I’m not really that sure about what will happen with this anymore. It might be approaching the end of its life on TV. Or it might stay around for longer. Reception: positive then more negative. Grade: C-.

American Housewife: Status- Currently on ABC at 8:30/7:30 Central on Wednedays. Why I’ve seen it- It aired with a show that I liked and nothing else that I cared about was on at the time. Description- This is more or less your average sitcom revolving around a family of people. Notable People- This show stars Katy Mixon from Mike and Molly. Pros- This is better than what one might expect. Cons- Some of it is dumb and way to similar to other shows. Note to Parents- There is enough in here that will be bad for kids, although a lot of shows are way worse. There are lesbian characters. Recommendation- Take it or leave it. I like it, but I know that it isn’t for everyone. My Viewing Habits- I started watching it into its first season, but never cared that much about whether or not I tuned in a lot. I have missed parts of it at times due to me choosing other shows at the time. Prediction- This might be in more danger since it moved to Fridays, but could last longer. Reception: mixed. Grade: B-.

Coroner: Status- Currently on the CW at 9/8 Central on Wednesdays. Why I’ve seen it- I tend to watch a new CW show at least once. Noteworthiness- This is a Canadian show that is airing in the US. It is based on the Jenny Cooper book series. Description- This is a murder mystery show largely shown from a coroner’s perspective. Pros- What I’ve seen of it thus far is pretty interesting and worth watching. Cons- It can be odd in some places, hard to follow and understand in others. Note to Parents- This is probably not something that kids should be exposed to, but teens are okay to watch this. Recommendation- I would have to say that one should watch this. Prediction- Whether or not it last doesn’t depend on US viewers, but will depend on Canadian viewers instead. Whether or not it lasts and airs here is another thing. I predict that it will last here as long as it lasts there. Reception: good. Grade: B. New review

I Can See Your Voice: Status- Currently on FOX at 9/8 Central on Wednesdays. Why I’ve seen it- I often now watch a new FOX show at least once when it airs. Description- A contestant has to figure out who can sing and can’t sing with the identification of good singers (or at least one) if they can pick who all is bad, getting money as a result, all without hearing their voice. Notable People- Ken Jeong from Community and Dr. Ken is the host and creator of this show. Pros- The show is pretty straightforward. Cons- I don’t know how much of this could be considered fair to every contestant who does this game. Note to Parents- I doubt that much of this would be bad for kids. Even use a V-chip or see if the reason that it is PG (unless it is ever outright G) is something that you have an issue with. Recommendation- I don’t think that this show is bad per say, but I don’t think that it is worth watching. Prediction- I think that it could last, but probably won’t if they don’t need extra shows like this. Reception: average. Grade: D+. New review

Black-ish: Status- Currently on ABC at 9:30/8:30 Central on Wednesdays. Why I’ve seen it- I had time the one time I tuned in. Noteworthiness- This is based on a true story or might have been at one point in time when it first started out. Description- This sitcom is about a black family. Pros- It is popular with critics. Cons- I thought that this show was terrible. I didn’t find any of it funny nor did I understand the purpose that it had. Note to Parents- Having only seen one episode, I don’t know what to put here. It might be okay for kids, but I really don’t know for sure what to tell people. Recommendation- I wouldn’t watch it, but that’s just me. My Viewing Habits- I don’t watch it. I only saw it once then had no interest in watching it again since it just didn’t click with me. Prediction- This will keep lasting longer. Reception: positive. Grade: D. 

48 Hours: Suspicion: Status- Currently on CBS at 10/9 Central. Why I’ve seen it- I always watch a new CBS show at least once. Noteworthiness- This is a spin-off of 48 Hours that arguably isn’t even a different show. Description- I have no idea what makes this different from the rest of the 48 Hours franchise other than a supposed difference of some sort. Pros- It is exactly what you’d expect from this type of show. Cons- I don’t tend to like true crime most of the time, so I don’t like this. Note to Parents- This is not something that kids should be exposed to. Recommendation- Don’t watch this. Prediction- It might not last, but that won’t matter as long as the parent show stays around. Remember 48 Hours: NCIS? Reception: unknown, but probably what I have for the regular 48 Hours. Grade: D+. New review

Fall Shows 2020 Part 1

With not much of a schedule known yet, I still find it necessary to cover the first half of the new or sort of new shows that are on at the fall before I get to next set of reviews for the later airing shows at some point. I have more of the days of the week of primetime to cover as well so those should be done after this post for a while.

Manhunt: Deadly Games: Show Description- Based on a true story, law enforcement tries to find the person or people who did a bombing while a man has to deal with being falsely accused of the crime. Behind the Scenes- Part of this is based on the story of Richard Jewel. This also previously aired on cable before it repeated these episodes on CBS to make up for production slowdowns due to covid19. It stars Desmond Harrington who was also on Elementary for a season. My Thoughts- This seems pretty good and interesting even if one can spoil themselves to important plot details simply looking up what happened in the past. I like it feel that it is good to watch and keep track of. I give this show four out of five stars. Long Term Prospects- There are no plans for any more of this after what airs as it is meant to air for only one season. If they use the title of this again, it would likely cover a different story as they have already done in the past. Where to Find- On CBS on Saturdays now

Star Trek: Discovery: Show Description- A prequel to the original Star Trek, we learn some of what happened on a different star ship. Behind the Scenes- It originally aired on CBS All Access and is airing repeats now due to the coronavirus. My Thoughts- I find this to be interesting in different ways. While there are some ways it can be mysterious, I think it is a good show worth watching. I give it four out of five stars. Long Term Prospects- It will probably last on CBS: All Access. I doubt that it will rerun a lot on CBS, though. Where to Find- On CBS at 10/9 Central on Thursdays

Departure: Show Description- A plane goes missing and people have to figure out what went on. Behind the Scenes- Archie Panjabi from The Good Wife and Blindspot is a character on this show. I think that she is the lead. My Thoughts- It seemed pretty good, although I’m not sure how there will be enough material for the show to last. I also have no idea how much beyond the first episode is available for free. I give it four out of five stars. Long Term Prospects- I don’t think that this will last, although it can. It is worth noting that since this is a Canadian show, the ratings here don’t matter. Where to Find- Available to stream on Peacock

Filthy Rich: Show Description- A supposedly religious family who is very rich have to deal with what is believed to be the loss of the patriarch of the family and his most notable secret: three kids from affairs. Behind the Scenes- This was filmed a long while ago, once planned to air when Deputy did all the way back around February. My Thoughts- This show is awful, even without the religious overtones. There is not much that is worth watching about this outside of the obvious plots. I give it one out of five stars. Long Term Prospects- This might not last, although it is possible that it will. I’d bet on it not continuing over it sticking around. Where to Find- On FOX at 9/8 Central on Mondays

LA’s Finest: Show Description- Two women cops dealing with solving crimes and other issues with their lives. Behind the Scenes- This has aired on Charter before it aired here. My Thoughts- I like a lot of this show as it has interesting plots and characters. I’ll admit that there are the usual sexual objectification problems that you might see from time to time, but other than that, it isn’t too bad. I give it four out of five stars. Long Term Prospects- I have no idea if it will last or how much of it will now air on FOX. It does not really matter as much whether or not lasts here or not. So a prediction is pointless Where to Find- On FOX at 8/7 Central on Mondays

Cosmos: Possible Worlds: Show Description- A science documentary, we see different aspects of life from important scientists from the past. Behind the Scenes- This is hosted by famous scientist Neil deGrasse Tyson. It also aired on National Geographic before it came to this network, although it was at one point supposed to be on FOX first.  My Thoughts- It can be interesting, but parts of it, I found annoying. For one, Christians may not like it even though it doesn’t really attack Christianity that much. (It is more beliefs that don’t align with Christian beliefs that are the issue.) Also, it seems strange that they are using animation for a lot of this instead of live action recreations. I give this three out of five stars. Long Term Prospects- This is only meant to air for one season so it won’t last. Where to Find- On FOX at 8/7 Central on Tuesdays

I Can See Your Voice: Show Description- A contestant has to figure out who can sing and can’t sing with the identification of good singers (or at least one) if they can pick who all is bad, getting money as a result, all without hearing their voice. Behind the Scenes- Ken Jeong from Community and Dr. Ken is the host and creator of this show. My Thoughts- I don’t think that this show is bad per say, but I don’t think that it is worth watching. I also don’t know how much of this could be considered fair to everyone in the game. I give this two out of five stars. Long Term Prospects- I think that it could last, but probably won’t if they don’t need extra shows like this. Where to Find- On FOX at 9/8 Central on Wednesdays

Emergency Call: Show Description- People recreate real 9-1-1 calls to give us a way of understanding dispatchers. Behind the Scenes- This is a revival of an old show. It is also hosted in a way by Luke Wilson who also stars on Stargirl. My Thoughts- It was interesting in some places, but also hard to keep track of. It didn’t seem to keep track of everything in a good way. I give this two out of five stars. Long Term Prospects- I don’t think that this will last long. Where to Find- On ABC at 10/9 Central on Mondays

NeXt: Show Description- People worry about the danger of AI and other issues in the world today. Behind the Scenes- This was supposed to air earlier, but didn’t due to delays with coronavirus. My Thoughts- It seems interesting even though it is a bit cliché in some places. I give this three out of five stars. Long Term Prospects- It is labeled as an event series so I doubt that it will stick around unless there is a major change at some point. Where to Find- On FOX at 9/8 Central on Tuesdays

Devils: Show Description- I don’t quite understand the plot of it. It relates in some way to banks. Behind the Scenes- This is a British show that has aired in the US. This also stars Patrick Dempsey who is a movie star and also starred in Grey’s Anatomy. My Thoughts- I couldn’t make much sense of this and didn’t like it as a result. I give it one out of five stars. Long Term Prospects- I have no idea if it will last here or there, but know that it probably won’t here even if it does there and don’t care if it lasts here or not. Where to Find- On the CW at 8/7 Central on Wednesdays

Swamp Thing: Show Description- Residents of a town have to deal with a mystery swamp and a creature of plant based life that came off from it. Behind the Scenes- This aired on DC Universe before it aired on television. My Thoughts- It can seem repetitive in some ways. But I’m going to stick with it and only hope that it has a good plot in the end. I give it three out of five stars. Long Term Prospects- It was already cancelled by its parent network. I doubt that this decision will be reversed, although it is possible that it could be at some point. Where to Find- On the CW at 8/7 Central on Tuesdays

One Day at a Time: Show Description- We see the adventures of a family in this sitcom. Behind the Scenes- Like a lot of the network schedule right now, this has aired on cable before it aired on this network now later. First it started on Netflix; then it moved to Pop TV. Now it is on CBS. It might also be the first show that I know of to feature a gender non binary character. My Thoughts- I felt that it was trying too hard in some places and wasn’t worth sticking around because it wasn’t that funny either. I give it two out of five stars. Long Term Prospects- I have no idea whether or not it will last or whether or not it will air much on CBS outside of what already is. I’ll say that it might last, just not on CBS. Where to Find- On CBS at 9/8 Central on Mondays

48 Hours: Suspicion: Show Description- I have no idea what makes this different from the rest of the 48 Hours franchise other than a supposed difference of some sort. Behind the Scenes- This is a spin-off of 48 Hours that arguably isn’t even a different show. My Thoughts- Since I don’t tend to like true crime most of the time, I don’t like this. I give it two out of five stars. Long Term Prospects- It might not last, but that won’t matter as long as the parent show stays around. Remember 48 Hours: NCIS? Where to Find- On CBS at 10/9 Central on Wednesdays

The FBI Declassified: Show Description- A true crime show, we see some of the real life cases that FBI agents have solved. Behind the Scenes- This is narrated by the woman who plays the FBI director on the CBS series FBI right now. My Thoughts- I might like this and watch it some depending on how much it avoids the whole murder episodes which I tend to not like as much. Long Term Prospects- I doubt that it will last that much beyond what has already aired or is planned to air for now. Where to Find- On CBS at 10/9 Central on Tuesdays

Top 25 Episodes of 2019

This is one of the last major posts that I need to get done in a while. I hope that the other one isn’t as late as it has normally been, but we’ll see. I do believe that this is the only one that I have to do this year outside of the reviews that I normally do. I had thought for a while what the best episodes of TV from the year 2019 are and decided to put them here in this blog finally. After doing some research so I could remember what they are all, here is the list of top 25 episodes. Remember that no show gets on this list more than once. Let’s get to it.

#25 Trump Guy from Family Guy- While you wouldn’t expect Family Guy to do something that good in the end, this was a pretty notable episode. In it, the Griffiths move to Washington when Peter gets a job with the Trump administration. We get to see a lot of things well addressed with the scandals of the Trump administration and even saw a new version of a chicken fight again.

#24 He Said, She Said from Brooklyn Nine-Nine- You probably wouldn’t think that a comedy would do a good job of addressing the me too movement or the serious subject of sexual assault. But not only did it do it, but it did it in a good way where we see the unfortunate realism of it yet still tried to move in a good way forward with the sensitive case at hand. I like how this was covered and can only hope that more shows of all genres can cover this well.

#23 oMens from The Gifted- Despite its cliffhanger at the end which I don’t mind since it didn’t leave any lingering questions, I would have to give the series finale of this show a good grade that is so good that it is on the best of 2019’s episodes list of mine. With nearly everything wrapped up, I didn’t mind that it had come to a sudden end that wasn’t that much of a surprise considering the low ratings that the show got in its second season. I am glad that they did as well as they did.

#22 Sink or Swim from 9-1-1- While I could have gone with the Bobby flashback episode, I felt that this one focusing on the tsunami was better. Largely set on one day then later turning into night, we saw the effects of a single disaster focusing on all of the characters of the series while having an important arc for other episodes in the series.

#21 The Beginning… from Gotham-Another series finale, we got a time jump where we caught up on the lives of the characters that were still around and even saw the beginnings of Batman himself. It was a great way to say goodbye to these characters while also catching up to where a typical series like this would begin if it were to happen in the future. It is how an origins story remains just that while setting up the potential for more without needing to see it at all.

#20 Into the Void from The Flash- The season premiere of this show started out what would be the arc of Crisis on Infinite Earths while continuing the previous cliffhanger. It was cool to see this start out what would be the way this show moved forward as it went along throughout the first half of the season. I do like all that it covered as it ever introduced the first big bad of the season which would be quite a good parallel to what would be going on with Barry throughout the season.

#19 Leaving the Station from Madam Secretary- Another good series finale, the show sought to wrap up one of the biggest issues with the country as a whole by finally passing the equal rights amendment. Of course, this is sadly just a work of fiction. But even going with an obvious ending of the last episode largely focusing on a wedding, we saw the series be wrapped up in the end in very good ways.

#18 Chapter 100 from Jane the Virgin- There are going to be a lot more series finales on this list beyond what you have seen already since a lot of shows provided good ending this previous year. This show had no exception to this rule as we saw what remained of the characters getting their last stories wrapped up in the end as yet another wedding happened for the last time this series.

#17 Pilot from Nancy Drew- It seemed like there were enough good first episodes this past year like there were as good last episodes. Taking what some would know about Nancy Drew, this show had a whole lot more than what you’d get if she were still a girl like she typically is.

#16 All’s Well that Ends Well from iZombie- What all is there to say? You’d think that some of what they could have done with this show’s ending might have worked better if they had gone in different ways than they did in the end. But it was still good to keep zombies around while having a lot of cures for those who wanted to be free of being zombies. The zombie hunters were taken out and it seems like all of the major plot lines were resolved with the main recurring villain finally getting his just desserts.

#15 Pilot from Batwoman- Even now, Arrowverse can introduce great new ideas into its franchise by showing a new character to its world. So much of this was great to see as we have one of the most complex villains in franchise history make her debut as the back story of Kate was revealed some.

#14 This Victory Alone is not the Change we Seek from The Red Line- You’d think that a show that was not really meant to air beyond one single season would have a good ending and you would be right. Even as stuff that has become unfortunately predictable in today’s world took hold, the cop responsible for a unarmed man’s death did get what he had coming to him. Everything else seemed resolved in the end which was a pretty good thing.

#13 Pilot from Prodigal Son- It seems that one of the most interesting things in the world of television today is introducing complex relationships between two family members where one is the protagonist and the other an antagonist. While still dealing with terrors from his childhood, the lead of this show has to bring his father back into his life to deal with cases at his place where he works solving crimes. It was a great way to introduce these characters and the intellect of the main character.

#12 The Quest for Peace from Supergirl- The fourth season finale had nearly everything as we saw it wrap up a lot of the season’s major plot points and proved just how good journalism can be. While Lex was taken out for a while (until the crisis), other major plot details were revealed to set the show on its way for future seasons.

#11 False Flag from NCIS: Los Angeles- Featuring the return of JAG characters that we hadn’t seen since that show ended, it was nice to have yet another good cliffhanger leading us into the next season of the show. From having a critical plot that could affect the whole country, they have to stop a war before it could happen in the end, making it another good way of leaving people wanting more.

#10 The Unbefriended from The Resident-While it is always hard to deal with emotional tolls that can happen on the main characters, this was yet another cliffhanger that would leave many wanting more in the end. There was a lot in the episode to keep people interested and that’s what I like.

#9 Please Say No One Else is Dead from How to Get Away with Murder- To think, after this episode had aired, we all wanted to know what happened to Yanni after her and her baby disappeared. There was a lot in this episode too, but that was the main detail that we cared about.

#8 Emerald Archer from Arrow- A landmark episode, I like how they tied in a documentary about the world of the vigilantes of this show with other, important characters of the show’s past. It is hard again not to like what is going on in this episode.

#7 The Stockholm Syndrome from The Big Bang Theory- The last episode of the show, of course they would want to do a lot of great things to wrap it up. From fixing the elevator to finally talking about the large molecule structure from the background of all the episodes, we saw Sheldon finally admit and realize that it was only through his friends that he kept taking advantage of that he was able to make it as far as he did. It was a learning experience for a lot of people in the end with a good way of putting all of the details of the show together.

#6 Pilot from The Passage- I promise that this is the last pilot of any series that I’m putting on this list. I mean, I do wish that they had names for these other than the generic ones. But this is the best of all of the pilots to make the list as we saw the series being introduced in a great way with all of the characters and the premise known very well going forward.

#5 Out of the Darkness from NCIS- With Ziva reintroduced to the show as alive, we got a kickass season premiere that couldn’t even fit all we wanted to in just one episode. With her and Gibbs always having a good way of having each other’s backs, she knew that she had to protect Gibbs even if it meant that she had to blow her secret of being alive. With so much detail given into existing back story that was now being expanded upon even more, it is hard not to like this in the end.

#4 Silent All These Years from Grey’s Anatomy- I know it was hard to reveal even more darkness into the back story of Jo, but this will forever be one of the show’s best episodes and most pivotal ones. While Jo got to meet her biological mother, she also helped a woman who was raped to ensure that others would get the help that was needed. I just feel bad for Jo since this started her on a spiral into depression, but it was still one of the best episodes of any TV show, if not the best from the previous year.

#3 Identity Part 2 from The Orville- With so much story going into just the second part of this episode, we saw an epic battle being fought that could change the future of humanity on this show. This was so well done that it was hard to know any way that they could have improved on the good plot.

#2 School from S.W.A.T.- With two stories running parallel to each other, one a flashback to an old school shooting and the other dealing with a potential future one, this episode was one of the best ones that could have dealt with this situation. The old shooter showed remorse for what he did while the potential new one, who was never shown on screen, didn’t get far in his plot, having only killed his mother and not get into the shooting aspect of things at all. It was hard to finds flaws with how they were able to handle this sensitive subject.

#1 In Memoriam from Riverdale- While they apparently had all of the previous season filmed when the death of Luke Perry happened, one would have to wonder how they would deal with this going forward when the show returned. They came up with such a great episode where we said goodbye to Fred Andrews in a very good way with everything wrapped up in the end.

That’s all for this post as I finished the last really big one that I need to do this year, even though there’s still other big ones that I need to do in the future sooner rather than later. I hope to not miss too many more of the Tuesday posts, but know that at least one in December won’t happen. And that’s provided that this day of the week isn’t done away with entirely. I plan to be back more often this month as I hope to roll enough Survivor episodes in the future to mean updating more of this blog.

Best and Worst Shows from 2019

Welcome to the briefest post that I do each season in this or (typically) any other blog. I am not done with my awards for the best and worst of television as you will get to seeing more of them soon and I will explain why later. Here is what I felt the best show and the worst show from the previous season or year on the TV season or show.

Best show on television in 2019 winner: The Big Bang Theory

Worst show on television from the 2019-2020 season: Life in Pieces

And now the post is ending. It is hard to see much else in doing a post like this. Now I do plan to do a lot of posts over the best and worst of the decade, using the previous winners as nominees. It is quite the interesting thing to see so hopefully I’ll get on that soon and get it done.

Thoughts on Streaming Sites

While I haven’t had the chance to use streaming as much in the past, I’m thinking that I will be doing that some in the future. Maybe I’ll let you know my thoughts on it afterwards. What are my initial thoughts on streaming? Is there even much to say?

I normally don’t have much interest in shows outside of network television because I would have to pay money for it or borrow copies from people who are okay with me seeing it. This might change now that we have a streaming option like Peacock around which I’ve already used to see one show that I would not have been able to see otherwise. (Don’t expect a review of it right away, but do expect a lot of reviews for fall shows in the near future. Look for them in my other blogs before you see them here, a reversal in what I normally do.) Peacock is too new in my mind to release too many thoughts on it this time around. I am a bit annoyed that I need an account to use a free service, but I understand that they would need to know who is using it and what might change in the future.

The main issue that some would have with streaming services might not just be that you’ll have to pay for it since you either have to buy it on DVD or on the streaming site itself, but that there are a lot of parts of a franchise, such as Star Trek or The Good Wife in the form of its spin-off, that aren’t available a regular way for free that we are used to. Also, now that there are some many streaming sites instead of just one, this has lead to the so called streaming wars and could result in cancellations of shows just because their competitors now have their own streaming sites as well.

What can also be dumb relates to what has happened to some of the CBS all access shows. They have put some of those shows for free on TV. This shouldn’t be a problem, but it could easily irritate those who paid good money to watch something they thought that they wouldn’t be able to see otherwise. Was waiting all this time for the off chance to see it for free what everyone should do? But would it have even lasted without it? It is hard to tell what to do and if just going without is a better option.

And there you have it. I might get into my year of Disney+ in a year from now when I’m able to do that for a time. I haven’t even gotten how streaming affects video rental stores, but that doesn’t seem to matter as much in the TV world as it is more of a movie world thing. What else is there to say? Not much in my mind so I’m going to end the post here.

Not Watching Comedies for Humor

There is a weird thing that I do at times. I don’t do it that often, but it happens often enough that I feel about writing a post about it. You probably wouldn’t think that one would watch a comedy if it weren’t for the humor of said comedy. Yet this is something that I do.

Why would I do that? Well, maybe I like the comedy enough despite the issues I might have with the humor in it to keep watching. Maybe I do like the humor of the comedy enough, but watch it more to see the great stories or wonderful characters instead. If it is a comedy-drama, then it is not too hard to think of coming for the drama instead of the humor.

I would feel like there’s a whole list of comedies that might be hard to think of offhand that I tend to watch for the stories, but not as much the humor. I can be perfectly fine never laughing once during this show and still coming back to it over and over.

As for examples of these shows, I felt that as much as I like Community, I don’t always watch it for its humor. The same can be said about Parks and Recreation. Modern Family is often entertaining, but is not always funny. I feel that it helps when a show is single camera instead of muti-camera. I can’t be as tolerant of a comedy with bad, little, no, or un-understandable humor if there isn’t an audience or laugh track in the background that tells me when it is supposed to be funny, but I don’t see it that way.

That’s all for this post. It doesn’t make as much sense to others as it does to me, but I still felt that it was worth doing a post about sometime so I am doing it now. This will be the last Thursday post for a while, but the regular Tuesday posts should hopefully be lasting weekly for a while. We’ll see.

Writers Doing Multiple Shows at Once

When it comes to certain shows and how they work, there comes to be a simple thing with them where we have one writer doing all sorts of shows at once instead of just one. You’d think that one could find as much work as possible even as a writer. Perhaps showrunners (or head writers) are the best known for doing this throughout time. But I thought that I would cover this.

One can easily do multiple shows, but you’d think that it would take a really dedicated person to do so much at once. You’d have to keep the shows straight as you write one show versus another. One of the names that I’ve seen show up on multiple shows was Dawn DeNoon who has written for both SVU and The Blacklist. Of course, one of the most well known examples of people who do this are actually those who create a show, often the showrunners.

That’s not to say that one who creates a show is always the showrunner, but they are typically always involved with the writing process of the show even if they aren’t the main writer of it anymore. I know some people that I had two shows at once. They are people like Gary Glasberg or Shonda Rhimes. Back when Firefly was on the air, Joss Whedon, its creator, was also doing both Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel too, making it three shows at once. It can be hard work, but it was something that he was more than willing to do.

I could include producers in here, but I won’t as they are able to do scores of shows at once and not just a few. It is a lot of work that people do in Hollywood which can be quite hard to do, yet they do it and they give us the TV that they want to make or someone makes.

If I were in Hollywood, would I do multiple shows at once? Well, it would depend on a lot of things. I’d rather write reviews about TV shows then write for TV myself at least nowadays. I could get paid for doing something like this blog but professionally and actually getting money for it. I don’t now but would like to do as much work as possible. They may want as many jobs as possible and are able to do all that they need to get it done. I can understand it.

That’s about it for this post. Some writers do multiple shows at once because they can and that is what works for them. I am still writing as many blogs as possible at once, even though I’m getting no money for them at all. I can understand liking to write and wanting to write. So I’m glad that they can do as much at once even still today.

2009 Ended Shows Reviews

Sorry that this post is here so late. I should be working on the cancelled shows from the previous season, but do plan to have this done first since it was supposed to be published much earlier in the year. Those are both of the biggest posts of this year that still need sooner rather than later. Also, I’m getting a bit tired of telling you when certain posts get updated so I’ll try to only include information like that in the future with new or changing major posts as it can be hard to keep track of all of the reasons why I’m posting this blog on certain dates.

Hank: Show history- Aired for one season on ABC. Not all of the episodes saw the light of day. What’s it about- This seemed like a typical show about a family the centered on a man named Hank played by Kelsey Grammar. Why I’ve seen it- I forget why I watched it, but it was my general interest in it before it was anything else. My viewing habits- I forget how much of this I watched, but it might not have been that much since it was pulled from the schedule so quickly. Where it aired- It was on ABC. What I liked about it- I felt that it was interesting and humorous. It seemed like a good show to me. What I didn’t like about it- I felt that it didn’t have enough time to grow to seem that different than other shows like it. More thoughts on it- It was part of a sweep of new comedies on ABC at the time and the first of the four main new ones to get cancelled at the time. Why it ended- Kelsey Grammar himself wanted the show to be cancelled, not liking the quality of the content, and told the network to pull it from the schedule. Whether or not that had any factor into their decision is unknown. What current shows are like it- Young Sheldon and The Goldbergs. DVD suggestion- There are no release dates planned for the series so it makes sense not to hold your breath waiting for a release of it. I would be interested in it, but don’t think that such a thing would happen anyways. Get it if it comes out. Grade: B.

Howie Do It: Show history- It aired for only one season. What’s it about- A prank show, people are tricked into believing that they are filming some other show where things often go wrong. Why I’ve seen it- I was interested in it and didn’t care about anything else at the time. My viewing habits- I saw most of the episodes here and there, but doubt that I saw all of them. Where it aired- This was an NBC show. What I liked about it- The bits seemed to work for the most part without being too mean most of the time. It was a nice twist to not even hide the hidden cameras on a hidden camera show. What I didn’t like about it- Like most prank shows, it results in deception that can make you feel bad for the people involved. More thoughts on it- Howie Mandel was the host of this show. It didn’t seem to make much of a mark on television. Why it ended- I guess there was a general lack of interest in it so they didn’t make anymore. Plus, lots of shows like this are kind of blown once they make it to the airwaves making it even harder to do it ever again without people catching on much more easily. It could have only been planned to last a short time. What current shows are like it- none. The closest example in Primetime: What Would You Do? Only that isn’t a prank show. DVD suggestion- I doubt that there are any, but they might be worth it unless this isn’t your type of thing. Grade: C.

According to Jim: Show history- This aired for many seasons on ABC, despite relatively low ratings until they cancelled it. What’s it about- A man named Jim lives with his family and in-laws. Why I’ve seen it- I was interested enough in it and guess that I cared suddenly about it. My viewing habits- I’ve seen this a lot sporadically in syndication and saw a bit of this in primetime as well. Where it aired- It was on ABC. What I liked about it- It seemed good and funny most of the time and wasn’t something that I ever regretted seeing. What I didn’t like about it- It could seem generic and ordinary. More thoughts on it- I don’t think that there is too much else to say. I never saw how it ended, but didn’t care enough to see it. Plus I don’t know how I would be able to see it. Why it ended- The network finally had enough of it since it was never really a hit despite lasting as long as it did. What current shows are like it- Young Sheldon and Last Man Standing. DVD suggestion- I wouldn’t personally get it since I didn’t care about this show too much, but if you like it, it would be interesting to get, although I don’t know if all of it is out on DVD anyways, although it might be. Grade: B.

Are you Smarter than a Fifth Grader?: Show history- Aired for a while on FOX and then had a revival season later. I think that a current version exists on TV nowadays on cable. What’s it about- A game show, contestants are asked questions that grade schoolers would get to prove that they are smarter than a fifth grader. Why I’ve seen it- I was interested in the idea of the show so I tuned into it to see it. My viewing habits- I watched some of it, but don’t think that I saw all of it. Where it aired- It originally aired on FOX. What I liked about it- The show could be entertaining at times. What I didn’t like about it- The show seemed to seek out idiots and even if they weren’t dumb, if they didn’t get the grand prize, they had to say that they weren’t smarter than a fifth grader. Too much of it was drawn out with time wasted on pointless things. More thoughts on it- I thought that it was interesting enough, although I could see why people wouldn’t like it in the end. Why it ended- I guess there was a lack of interest in it or something like that. What current shows are like it- none? DVD suggestion- There aren’t any and I don’t know if they’d be worth it or not. Grade: B-.

Deal or No Deal: Show history- This aired for a while on NBC and I think that a reboot of this currently exists on CNBC. What’s it about- Contestants pick out a suitcase containing an unspecified amount of money from preset determined amounts from as high as $1,000,000 to often as low as $1. They then have to either make a deal with a banker for a different amount for their suitcase or keep eliminating all the money (by revealing their amounts) in the other suitcases. Why I’ve seen it- It was an interesting idea to me so I tuned in. My viewing habits- I’ve seen bits of it here and there. Where it aired- This was an NBC show back when I largely knew it for its game shows. What I liked about it- The show has a good enough concept to make for compelling TV. What I didn’t like about it- It could seem too drawn out in many different ways. More thoughts on it- It is probably one of the more iconic game shows of the turn of the century. Howie Mandel was the host of this show, known for his famous fist bumps with the various contestants as revealed later to be a result of him being a germaphobe. Why it ended- From what I understand, the network was milking too much out of it and people lost interest as a result. It then was moved to syndication for a while. What current shows are like it- Let’s Make a Deal. DVD suggestion- I doubt that there would be any, although it could be good. Grade: A-.

Kamen Rider: Dragon Knight: Show history- This aired on the CW kids which might have been called something else at the time. The last episodes were only available online as they never aired on TV in this country. What’s it about- A creature from a world on the other side of the mirror wants to use a group of Kamen Riders to take over earth, but other riders who are good are out to stop him. Why I’ve seen it- I was interested in it and liked the idea of it. My viewing habits- I missed a lot of this as it aired, wanting to keep up with it as much as possible when I could. Where it aired- This was on the CW on Saturday mornings. What I liked about it- The plot worked and was interesting enough to keep one into it. What I didn’t like about it- The last few episodes being online exclusive was annoying. Parts of it could be quite confusing at times and other parts could be predictable once they happened. More thoughts on it- This was based on a Japanese series, the second to be adapted for the US following Masked Rider. Why it ended- The series had low ratings so they got rid of it once it was done airing. What current shows are like it- Power Rangers. DVD suggestion- There are none in the US released, although it is available in some European countries, if I have the information straight. I have no idea if this will be out in the US ever, but I would be interested in it if it was. Grade: B.

Everybody Hates Chris: Show history- This aired originally on UPN before airing the rest of its seasons on the CW. What’s it about- A black child lives with his family while going to a predominately white school. He suffers various misfortunes, it seems, in each episode. Why I’ve seen it- I was interested in it for some odd reason. Maybe others I knew liked it or I just wanted to see something that was on at the time it was on. My viewing habits- I missed a lot of the beginning of this but largely kept with it when I saw it for the first time for more or less the rest of the series. Where it aired- This was on two different networks, but only due to the merge with the CW. What I liked about it- The show was fun to watch despite the unfortunate luck of the main character. What I didn’t like about it- It wasn’t as funny as it could be. They intentionally ended this on a cliffhanger. More thoughts on it- This was inspired by the life of comedian Chris Rock. It is dead to me now. Why it ended- The ratings were too low so it was axed and it might have been around the time that the CW got rid of all of its remaining comedies. What current shows are like it- Young Sheldon, Black-ish, and The Neighborhood. DVD suggestion- All of this is out on DVD, but I would not recommend it. Grade: D.

Eleventh Hour: Show history- This only aired for one season. It is an adaptation of a British show. What’s it about- Sort of science fiction (but not really) different cases are solved with unusual aspects to them. Why I’ve seen it- It worked out well for me to watch it the one time I did. My viewing habits- I only saw this once. Even though I liked it, I never tuned into it again, valuing sleep and school work more at the time (I did not have a job then). Where it aired- It was on CBS. What I liked about it- The show was different enough to not be the same old crime drama that you’d get from other places, even this network. What I didn’t like about it- The show was too weird in some place to make sense or work as well as you would like. More thoughts on it- I might have liked to see more of this, but am okay with what I saw. Why it ended- I guess the ratings were too low or something like that. What current shows are like it- Evil. DVD suggestion- It is out now if you are interesting. I’m not, but do think that it is a good show for those who care about it. Grade: B+.

Elmo’s World: Show history- This was part of Sesame Street for a while. What’s it about- Elmo from the show gives people a glimpse in his world with various interesting segments. Why I’ve seen it- I watched this show or part of this show for longer than I should probably admit, which is how I saw this so often for a while. My viewing habits- I don’t know how much I watched or didn’t watch of this, but just the gist of it to understand it. Where it aired- This was a PBS Kids show. What I liked about it- It could teach you a lot of simple things that one might not have known about at a young age. What I didn’t like about it- The show was often boring and predictable with formats that repeated themselves in many ways. More thoughts on it- While it was supposed to boost the ratings of the parent show, it actually lowered it for a while until it was gone. Why it ended- People felt that it wasn’t that good a show anymore so they got rid of it. What current shows are like it- unsure. DVD suggestion- It is unknown if this is on DVD, but I’d say that it probably wouldn’t be on box sets, but could be with other collections. Grade: B.

Barney and Friends: Show history- This aired for a long while on PBS Kids. What’s it about- A dinosaur from children’s imagination and his friends teach us various lessons about the world. Why I’ve seen it- I was a kid and it was on PBS. You do the math. My viewing habits- I watched it a lot as a kid and they I outgrew it. Where it aired- This aired on PBS for many years. What I liked about it- It teaches kids a lot of lessons while using memorable songs to do so. What I didn’t like about it- It is almost impossible to like this as an adult outside of maybe being a thing parents might like at times. More thoughts on it- There is a lot of humor aimed against this show. Why it ended- There wasn’t any interest in this anymore so they got rid of it. What current shows are like it- Sesame Street and Thomas the Tank Engine and Friends. DVD suggestion- I couldn’t find any information about whether or not there are DVD box sets of this so there might not be any outside of select episodes. Grade: C.

Brothers: Show history- This only aired for one season and I don’t think that all of it made it to the air in the end. What’s it about- A retired football player moves in with his estranged brother after issues. Why I’ve seen it- I liked the idea of it and think that I had the chance to see it then as it best worked in my schedule at the time. My viewing habits- I might have seen all that aired, but am not sure that I did as I might have missed any of it. Where it aired- It was a FOX show. What I liked about it- The show worked and was different. It was nice to see a disabled actor on TV as one of the character was in a wheelchair. What I didn’t like about it- While it was a comedy, it wasn’t all that funny in the end. More thoughts on it- While the show didn’t last that long, most of the actors on it eventually found better and more long term work after it and because it ended. Why it ended- The ratings were too low to justify keeping it on the air. What current shows are like it- Mom, Young Sheldon, and The Neighborhood. DVD suggestion- This is out on DVD so it might be worth it, especially if you want to see what didn’t air. Grade: C+.

Foster’s Home for Imaginary Friends: Show history- I saw this on either the WB or the CW, if not both of them. What’s it about- A kid’s show, imaginary friends become real once a child thinks of them and we see the adventures of a group that lives in one of these homes. Why I’ve seen it- I was interested in the idea of it and thought that I would like it. My viewing habits- I saw a lot of what aired on network TV, but not all of it. I also saw some of what aired on cable too. Where it aired- This was a Cartoon Network show. What I liked about it- The adventures were great to see and fairly interesting. What I didn’t like about it- The show could be mean at times and not make sense all of the time. Parts of it were not resolved intentionally at times. More thoughts on it- This was one of my favorite shows and I know some other people who were in high school at the time that liked it. It was done by Flash animation which is now almost obsolete. Why it ended- I guess that they just didn’t want it anymore. What current shows are like it- Sesame Street. DVD suggestion- Some is out, but I don’t think that there are box sets of any of the seasons. If there ever are, I would recommend it. Grade: A.

Mad TV: Show history- This aired for a long while on FOX until competition from Saturday Night Live was too much for it to stay on the air. It then aired a summer revival on the CW. What’s it about- This is a late night sketch show that is different enough from others to not be a mere rehash. Why I’ve seen it- Honestly, I might have watched this more when Saturday Night Live didn’t come on or because it had started a bit earlier. My viewing habits- I saw random bits and pieces from this, but enough to get a general sense of what it is like. Where it aired- It aired for a long time late night on FOX and then later had an anniversary special and later a revival season with a largely new cast (outside of old cast coming back as hosts) on the CW. What I liked about it- It was funny and different from what we would know from the show it competed against. It might have worked better not being live and covering different topics than the other ones. What I didn’t like about it- The show could be dumb at times and not work all the time. Too much was random. More thoughts on it- I wish that the summer revival on the CW had been tried for longer than it was (meaning more than just one season) since it had the potential to work and cover things that Saturday Night Live would not have been able to. Why it ended- People liked SNL too much for this to stay on the air for longer so they got rid of it as a result. What current shows are like it- Saturday Night Live. DVD suggestion- Some complete seasons are available and might be worth it, although I don’t care enough to be interested in it. Grade: B.

Pushing Daises: Show history- This aired for two seasons and one was on the few second seasons shows to be pulled with unaired episodes. What’s it about- A man can briefly revive the dead without causing another death and does this in order to learn who killed them and why. Why I’ve seen it- This looked like an interesting show to keep track of so I started watching as a result. My viewing habits- I missed a lot of this as the show aired on a network with bad reception for me, but have seen a lot of it. Where it aired- This was an ABC show. What I liked about it- The show’s quirkiness was what made it different and quite a fun show to keep track of. What I didn’t like about it- I didn’t like how short it lasted on TV. It could be too odd in some ways and wasn’t as realistic as it could be even factoring in the supernatural twist it had. More thoughts on it- It is one of my favorite short lived shows. Why it ended- The ratings were too low and the network didn’t even want to air the rest of it, although I think that it was burned off at some point in time. What current shows are like it- none. DVD suggestion- I want it and think that others would like it as well. Grade: A.

Sushi Pack: Show history- I think this was a two season show, but am unsure of if I saw any of the first season or not. I know that I only ever saw this with one theme song. I also don’t know if this was from this country or Japan at first, but I think that it was, although I’m not sure. What’s it about- A group of superhero sushi fight against various villains. Why I’ve seen it- I watched kid’s shows at the time. My viewing habits- I watched a lot of this, but am unsure if I saw all of it. Where it aired- This was on CBS. What I liked about it- It was fun to see. What I didn’t like about it- It was obvious in many ways with the lessons that you’d find elsewhere. More thoughts on it- It was pretty basic with what you’d see on kid’s shows making it good. Why it ended- Some kid’s shows don’t last, especially if they are on network TV that isn’t on PBS. What current shows are like it- unsure. DVD suggestion- There is no information that I could find about DVD releases and don’t think that I can say much else about it. I think that it would be good to get if it were released at some point. Grade: B.

Monk: Show history- This aired for a long time on cable, although I forget which network it was on. What’s it about- A detective with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder is a member of a team who solves cases with theories of his. Why I’ve seen it- It rerun for a while on My Network TV so I saw it then when it aired. My viewing habits- I saw random episodes here and there. Where it aired- I think that it was on the USA Network. What I liked about it- The show was great to watch and we even saw a character who wasn’t the typical one that we’d see. What I didn’t like about it- It wasn’t always nice towards the main character and offered very little different from other crime shows. More thoughts on it- It was known for having an unusually high rating for a cable show series finale. Why it ended- I have no idea, but do know based on reports that it solved the series long mystery in the last episode. What current shows are like it- Prodigal Son. DVD suggestion- It might be good if you liked it a lot. Grade: A.

My Name is Earl: Show history- This was in syndication, although it might not have lasted 100 episodes. What’s it about- A comedy of sorts, a man tries to fix the issues of his life to get good karma. Why I’ve seen it- I honestly forget, but think that others in my family were into it which got me into it too. My viewing habits- I never saw the ending as I only saw bits and pieces of it here and there. Where it aired- It aired on NBC its entire run. What I liked about it- The show worked well and had enough that kept one into it over and over again. What I didn’t like about it- It wasn’t as funny as most sitcoms are and the prison storyline was a bit confusing. More thoughts on it- It ended on a cliffhanger. I never even saw what the ending was. Why it ended- The cancellation was a surprise, although I don’t know what else factored into the decision at hand. What current shows are like it- Young Sheldon. DVD suggestion- I have no idea what I’d get or suggest. Grade: C+.

The Unit: Show history- This aired for a while on CBS. What’s it about- Based on a supposed secret part of the government military that doesn’t actually exist (officially), we see such a group in the army while we focus on the lives of them and their family. Why I’ve seen it- I liked it at the time and the rest of my family watched it getting me into it too. My viewing habits- I saw various episodes of it, but didn’t see all of it. Where it aired- This was on CBS for maybe four seasons. What I liked about it- The show was gripping with lots of good storylines. What I didn’t like about it- It also had a lot of terrible storylines such as questionable life choices that were made by the characters and an ending that left fans like me wanting. More thoughts on it- The show was good, although I find it hard to enjoy with what was left unresolved. Why it ended- The cancellation came as a surprise, but was largely due to being too expensive of a show to produce. What current shows are like it- SEAL Team. DVD suggestion- I do still like the show despite its bad ending, but do not recommend getting it on DVD as a result. Grade: C+.

Viva Piñata: Show history- This aired on Saturday mornings until it seemed to be suddenly pulled once games based on it were released. What’s it about- Talking piñatas live in an island when they are not sent to parties, if they get sent there at all. Why I’ve seen it- I watched a lot of shows like this at the time. My viewing habits- I saw a whole ton of this, but am unsure if I saw all of it or not. Where it aired- It was on the FOX network. What I liked about it- The plots were varied with villains that made sense and characters that worked despite constant flaws. What I didn’t like about it- It didn’t really teach lessons. More thoughts on it- There’s not too much else to say. Why it ended- It might have only been made to plug in video games that the series itself was based on. For whatever reason, it ended. What current shows are like it- none. DVD suggestion- No complete collections are available now. Not sure if there ever will be. Grade: B-.

Without a Trace: Show history- It aired for many seasons, maybe around seven. What’s it about- This is about people trying to find missing people. Why I’ve seen it- I was interested in the idea. My viewing habits- I saw what aired of it once I was interested. I would like to see all of it at some point. Where it aired- This was a CBS show. What I liked about it- You normally don’t see crime shows cover this topic as they normally only cover murders. What I didn’t like about it- Too much of this was focused on the crimes and not the characters. More thoughts on it- It was one of the few shows that I know of that lasted this long to keep its original cast the whole run, gaining only one new cast member at one point. It is also part of the CSI franchise via a crossover. Why it ended- It might have been too expensive or had other issues with declining ratings. Some shows age too much and end as a result. What current shows are like it- none. DVD suggestion- I would suggest getting all the DVDs. Grade: A+.

Switch to seasons

Survivor: Tocantins: Show history- This was the eighteenth season of the show. What’s it about- 16 new players compete for a million dollars. Why I’ve seen it- I watch every Survivor season when I can. My viewing habits- I missed some of this season as it aired for various reasons that I don’t remember that well. Where it aired- It was a CBS show. What makes it different than other seasons- It was the last major season for a while to keep Exile Island as a recurring twist throughout the whole season. It was the last season to have only 16 players on it. What I liked about it- It had a different setting than usual which helped make it good to watch different backgrounds. What I didn’t like about it- I hated how one of the contestants was treated throughout the season and how a single twist lead to this. More thoughts on it- It seemed to be good to see the winner play his game, but he was overshadowed by others in the game on his way to his victory. Where it ranks among other seasons- I would put this more towards the average side of seasons. DVD suggestion- It might be worth it, but I’d pass on it unless you were wanting all of the seasons or to catch up on it. Grade: B-.

Survivor: Samoa: Show history- This was the nineteenth season of the show. What’s it about- 20 new players compete for a million dollars. Why I’ve seen it- I always watch Survivor when I can. My viewing habits- I think that I saw all of this when it first aired. Where it aired- It was on CBS like all of the seasons have been thus far. What makes it different than other seasons- The observer twists and leader twists were not something that we had seen before. It was nice to see splitting the votes not take place for once. What I liked about it- Seeing the postmerge dominance of the Foa Foa tribe was wonderful. What I didn’t like about it- Too much of this was spent on the annoying villains of Russell Hantz and Shambo. The premerge was largely a waste. It was too brutal and even aspects of the medical evacuations could be considered unfair in some ways. More thoughts on it- Most of the fans who liked Russell hated the fact that he didn’t win which is the main issue that some people have with this season. Where it ranks among other seasons- I rank this lower among the seasons, but on the good side of bad and not the plan old rotten side despite its bad (morally) players. DVD suggestion- Pass on this unless you think that you need to get caught up or want them all. Grade: D.

Power Rangers: RPM: Show history- This was the current last of the Power Rangers seasons to air on network TV. What’s it about- This team of rangers has to prevent a virus from taking over what remains of life in a post apocalyptic future in what seems to be a different world that the rest of the series as a whole. Why I’ve seen it- I still watched Power Rangers at the time because I still could so I did and stuck with it. My viewing habits- I saw what I could, but never saw the last few episodes or so. Where it aired- It aired exclusively on ABC back when they aired kids show. What makes it different than other seasons- It is set in a different universe than the rest of Power Rangers and took a more serious tone than we get from a typical season. What I liked about it- The show was really good and seemed to stand out as the best of the Disney era of the show. What I didn’t like about it- Parts of it were annoying in some way and the theme song sucked. More thoughts on it- This was the last real Power Rangers season that I have seen as none of the rest of it aired on a format that I could see easily. Where it ranks among other seasons- I have this ranked among the highest. DVD suggestion- Yes, you should get it. Grade: A.