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.

Coronavirus Affects on TV Version 2

This will be a rather brief post this time around since there isn’t too much to talk about. All that we know is that shows typically would be ready to air new seasons around now and some are, but they are not what we typically want or would get from them around this time of year. While we already knew that some networks would be holding the bulk of their programming for later, some of the other ones were fully prepared to air their usual shows at the usual time. But a major problem happens as a result of that. What if they aren’t able to film things on time?

The point is, the show’s schedules on various network will be delayed or otherwise have issues since what they want to have here won’t be done and ready on time. Most networks are now hoping that there will be a November premiere of their shows just in time for sweeps. It is hard to believe just how much has to go on the way it normally would.

With CBS airing Big Brother and maybe even some of Love Island to make up the gaps in airing, they are also getting acquired programming that has aired already elsewhere to make up the gap. The CW is set to air the rest of Supernatural soon while holding out hope that the rest of the normal shows will start in the future in January. Networks have to air something and they won’t be doing much of what they did normally for quite a while until they are able to. Plus, they have to deal with production being able to work in some places, but not others. Maybe Canada has less filming restrictions than part of the US does right now. New York might still be shut down. Is California doing well? I believe they at least are filming some of their shows again.

It will be weird having to wait so long to see what we normally expect from TV shows in the end. They aren’t airing any promos for new shows so there thus isn’t anything new to air of them. We’ll have to wait for a lot of shows as we already know and I don’t yet know when or even if certain shows can be expected sooner or later. Maybe they can or maybe they won’t. But that’s it for this post.

Is the Current Anti-Racism Movement on TV Going too far?

Before you get upset at the perceived accusation of this blog post, know that I am not on the side that we don’t need anti-racism in the world which is what’s going to be needed at least until we get rid of racism, if that can even happen at all. One can only hope that we could wave a magic wand and have all of the racial problems of the world go away. Now it took a while after Black Lives Matter started before things got to be as serious as they are now in terms of content. But this is where we get to issues. Is getting rid of what racist things have been made in the past the best way of confronting this issue?

You’d think that the easy and obvious answer is that yes, getting rid of racism would work best. But there is a difference between owning the past mistakes that history has made and outright ignoring that they ever took place at all. Why not just air what the issue was while airing the content unedited? That works for some content.

The disclaimer from the old Loony Tunes cartoons reads as follows: The cartoons that you are about to see are a product of their time. They may depict some of the ethnic and racial prejudices that were commonplace in the U.S. society. These depictions were wrong then as they are today. While the following does not represent the Warner Brothers view of today’s society, these cartoons are being presented as they were originally created, because to do otherwise would be the same as claiming that these prejudices never existed.

I underlined the word were because that is how they felt that it was supposed to be, but it is quite clear that it happens still. I like that they admit that a mistake was made, but don’t want to pretend that there never was a problem happening at all.

The main issue that is causing problems today is blackface, where a white actor or actress paints their face as if they were black. This was widely accepted at a time, but generally discouraged nowadays, yet still happened a lot in episodes of 30 Rock, The Office, or other shows. They are pulling those of various streaming sites, making the episodes unavailable. Should they be doing this? This is basically my own real issue with taking things too far. You shouldn’t make the episodes unavailable. You should just put them out with the warning that it contains racial stereotypes or even edit it if you can.

Are they taking things too far? I’d say not really. They should try to make things better in the future. There might be a show in the future called Law and Order: Hate Crimes which would have to show a whole lot of horrible racial stereotypes (among religious, gay, and others) in order to have a plot and exist. Shows should do their best not to have horrible plots like this and not be racist outside of pointing out that such views are wrong.

Golden Huckleberry Awards Winners 2019-2020

Be glad that you don’t have to wait so long this year for me to write and do this post. Well, you did have to wait a long time and I effectively didn’t even do as much with this as I could have. I have two major posts to write this year and a whole lot of others with this sort of theme in it as well. But I’m sticking with just this post for now and I’m sorry about the lack of nominees in part of this section.

Main awards

Worst season premiere: Arrow

Worst cliffhanger resolution: New Amsterdam

Worst title: Labor of Love

Worst ending to a TV series: Reef Break

Worst acting: Outmatched

Worst writing: Outmatched

Worst plot: Outmatched

The good riddance award: Life in Pieces

Why do people care award: Life in Pieces

Worst idea for a show: Celebrity Watch Party

Biggest waste of time: The 100

Most forgettable: Bulletproof

Bonehead decision of the season: Celebrity Watch Party

Worst pilot: Labor of Love

Worst drama show: In the Dark

Worst comedy show: Life in Pieces

Worst new show: Celebrity Watch Party

Why is it still on award: In the Dark

Most overrated show: Last Man Standing

Weakest Characters: Outmatched

Why was it created award: Celebrity Watch Party

What were they thinking award: Celebrity Watch Party

Why do people like it award: Life in Pieces

Most obvious cancellation: Life in Pieces

What’s it about award: In the Dark

They’ve stopped caring award: How to Get Away with Murder

Most average show award: Almost Family

That’s actually a show award: Celebrity Watch Party

Not worth a second viewing award: Celebrity Watch Party

Weirdest show: Celebrity Watch Party

Biggest Dud: Outmatched

Dead to me award: Reef Break (audible)

Worst show on FOX: Outmatched

Worst show on ABC: Single Parents

Worst show on CBS: Life in Pieces

Worst show on NBC: Will and Grace

Worst show on the CW: Bulletproof

Worst show on every other network: Lucifer

Worst syndicated show: Maury

Worst show on television nominees: Outmatched, Single Parents, Life in Pieces, Will and Grace, Bulletproof, Lucifer, Maury

Other awards

Most overrated character: Lucifer Morningstar from Lucifer

WTF death: Chris from NCIS: New Orleans

Worst Villain: Lucifer Morningstar from Lucifer

Dumbest scheduling choice: airing too much of Love Island on CBS

Worst episode yet: Your Turn from New Amsterdam

Worst episode this season: Endgame from Reef Break

Episode not worth a rewatch award: Endgame from Reef Break

Weirdest plot choice: Yanni’s disappearance on How to Get Away with Murder

Worst romance: Christina’s three-way on S.W.A.T.

Worst commercial: any ED medication ones or something similar to it

WTF moment: destroying Earth-2 on Arrowverse

Worst host: Seth Meyers from Late Night with Seth Meyer

Worst political commercial: Mitch McConnell’s lying about leading during the coronavirus commercial

The misleading promo award: saying Annalise Keating was going to be killed on How to Get Away with Murder

Worst season yet: How to Get Away with Murder season 6

Holy Casting Change, Batwoman

I knew from almost the moment that I first thought of this phrase that I would be writing a blog post about it. You should know that it will include spoilers from the upcoming season 2 so read this at your own risk. You can guess from the title of this blog post some of what is going on. Basically, Ruby Rose, who plays the main character on Batwoman, will no longer be on the show. They are not recasting the character, which you think would make more sense and be easy to explain in the universe of the show, but instead doing something more inventive by making a brand new character the new Batwoman. But how will this change the show?

Let’s start by talking about the problems of including a new Batwoman. The season 1 cast is incredibly linked to Kate Kane, the old Batwoman. The characters are Beth/Alice as Kate’s sister and the big bad of the season whose story is still incomplete. Sophie is the ex of Kate. Mary is the stepsister of Kate. Luke Fox is Batwing or the tech support of Batwoman. The deceased character of Catherine Hamilton-Kane is the stepmother of Kate and biological mother of Mary. The now also deceased character of Jonathan Cartwright or Mouse was the assistant of Alice who she killed in what wound up being the season finale of the show. This may make you wonder what changes they’d have to make in the cast.

Here is the season 2 information that I know this far about the cast. Everyone from season 1 who is still alive is returning with Jacob Kane, Kate’s father, being upped to the main cast. One wonders about the future of the villain Hush who, if I had to guess, will kill off Alice and become the new big bad as the second season progresses. (I mean, seriously, how many future villains kill off the previous villains in Arrowverse in the event that they are still alive? Hunter Zolomon killed Eobard Thawne, possibly, while getting killed by Savitar in a way. Prometheus killed Malcolm Merlyn while Emiko killed Ricardo Diaz. Even Mallus killed Damien Darhk.)

The new Batwoman is named Ryan Wilder and is black. There is speculation already that this is not her real identity as otherwise this is a brand new version of this character that we’ve never seen before. It is also worth noting that the new Batwoman is played by Javicia Leslie who was on God Friended Me, a show that competed with Batwoman. She is taking over her competition in a way.

There are some theories as to who Ryan is. I could have thought that she could be Alice’s daughter, but this would seem unlikely even if Ryan is biracial. She could be the daughter of Bruce Wayne if we are to believe that this could have happened at some point. Maybe she’ll have a connection to Sophie or even Luke Fox. I don’t have enough information regarding Batman lore or even Batwoman lore outside of the gist of it that is known already.

In the show, Kate’s disappearance from the show will be explained in show as just that, a disappearance. She might appear some on the show in the future. I do look forward to seeing more of how this will be explained in some way as it seems weird that Ruby Rose is leaving and they will be starting the show over again with a new Batwoman in the end. I have no idea just how many shows like this have done something. If they do it well, they could provide inspiration for the MCU if they want to do something like this for a potential Black Panther 2. I can only hope that the show can still be good despite all of the changes that they weren’t expecting or planning to do originally.