I doubt that I will have as much of this written as I would have liked, but that shouldn’t matter too much in the end. I’m going to get this post done where I rank all of the primetime NBC shows that I have seen thus far at some point in time. I apologize in advance if I forget anything. I’m also sorry that I rushed this post and published it so fucking late.
List of all of the NBC shows that I’ve seen: The Flintstones, 30 Rock, Friends, Parks and Recreation, JAG, The Blacklist, Brooklyn Nine-Nine, Law and Order, Law and Order: True Crime, Law and Order: Criminal Intent, Law and Order: Special Victims Units, Law and Order: Organized Crime, Community, Chicago Med, Matlock, Will and Grace, Seinfeld, Smash, Superstore, American Odyssey, Better Late Than Never, Betty White’s Off Their Rockers, I versus 100, 1600 Penn, The Blacklist: Redemption, Blindspot, Bluff City Law, Awake, A to Z, AD: The Bible Continues, Allegiance, Cheers, Deal or No Deal, Debris, Connecting, The Cape, Council of Dads, Crisis, Crossbones, Ellen’s Game of Games, Emerald City, The Enemy Within, Grimm, The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, Family Game Fight, Guys with Kids, Howie Do It, La Brea, The Jeff Foxworthy Show, Last Comic Standing, Manifest, The Michael J Fox Show, Mr. Mayor, My Name is Earl, Nurses (Canadian series), Powerless, The Pretender, Prime Suspect, Ordinary Joe, Parenthood (2010 series), Perfect Couples, Shades of Blue, The Island, Saturday Night Live Weekend Update Thursday, Truth be Told, Night Court, Taken, Up All Night, Bad Judge, New Amsterdam, Timeless, Weakest Link, Celebrity Name Game, That’s My Jam, Undateable, Just Shoot Me!
What isn’t ranked and why: The Flintstones (It has been far too long since I have seen this and I don’t remember it as a result. Plus, I can’t remember if this was even a primetime show like I think that it was.), Awake (I haven’t seen the end of this so don’t know how that would affect my ranking of it as a result), Cheers (While the only episode I saw of this was the pilot and I remember not being impressed by it, it has still been too long ago that I’ve seen this for me to rank it fairly)
The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air (Again, I can’t remember this show as it has been too long and it didn’t stick out for me as a result), My Name is Earl (With this one, I haven’t seen the ending and don’t know how that would affect the ranking of it as a result), Weakest Link (There have been too many different versions of this for me to know for sure how it would rank among all of the shows)
The bad shows
Betty White’s Off Their Rockers- It is hard for me to think of a worst NBC show which is why this is the lowest of them all. I have probably seen less NBC primetime shows than any other network, including those on FOX and the CW which air less shows. (This does not count the former WB network.) Anyways, this was just a pointless show full of dumb crap as old people pranked others in a hidden camera show that didn’t go anywhere and was far from being funny.
Just Shoot Me!- Too much of the acting in this was just awful with the writing not much better. This could reinforce negative stereotypes about David Spade despite him not being a bad part of this. Taken- This was so boring and didn’t have much to offer about the back story of the lead of the movie that this was a prequel to that people didn’t even need.
The Pretender- I can’t believe that I wasted so much time with this show since I knew it wasn’t that good in the end. I remember it for what I consider to be the worst plot twist in the history of fiction. They took what was a series long plot thread and decided to effectively retcon it in what wound up being the series finale. It then had a bunch of more questioned asked in its not one but two follow up movies that did not resolve anything.
Guys with Kids- No wonder so many people don’t think that Jimmy Fallon is funny when they have this type of shit coming out of his writing mind. I don’t know how they could have fixed it. Law and Order: True Crime- They tried to play both sides of this and it didn’t work at all. I’m not upset that I only saw this once in the end. The Blacklist: Redemption- Did they ever resolve the cliffhanger that ended this? It could have worked better, but never really did.
Will and Grace- I found this to be too overrated in my mind as what I’ve seen of this just wasn’t good in my mind. Law and Order: Criminal Intent- I couldn’t find much interesting or good about this show that also aired on USA Network. American Odyssey- This had potential, but just became a thread of just how often could the lead get kidnapped and it became to dragged out.
The Blacklist- There is too much deception with this show. First, he’s not the father, then he is, then he’s not even who he said he was supposed to be. I’m glad that I left this behind a long while ago. The Enemy Within- There could have been better aspects of the show, but it not lasting probably would not have saved it from its low point on this list. Crisis- The plot got far too ridiculous in the end. Truth be Told- What was this even about? It was dumb. Superstore- I had forgotten that I had even watched this show when it was ending. It was also overrated in some ways.
The average shows
The Island- A reality show about people surviving on an island with no real purpose was better than some might think, although just good enough to avoid being labeled a bad show. That’s My Jam- I won’t be seeing this again for reasons I’ll get into when I review it later. It wasn’t bad, just dumb. Law and Order- The original was known for changing its cast constantly. While I only saw one episode of this and found it boring, it did provide a franchise of other great shows, two of which you’ll see later.
Up All Night- This sitcom about parents of babies had a lot of behind the scenes issues for reasons that I honestly don’t remember or care to look up right now. I do remember liking it to an extent, but can’t remember much else about it. Howie Do It- A hidden camera show where the cameras weren’t even really hidden could have had more to it than it did and it wasn’t a surprise that it didn’t last. Crossbones- This pirate drama about Blackbeard had some issues with it, such as, you know, not having someone with a black beard play the main character, but it was pretty decent, if not too much better than it could have been in the end.
Bad Judge- Well, unconventional judge would have been a better name. There were problems with the show, but it was decent enough in the end. Shades of Blue- It was a bit ahead of its time by covering dirty cops. The plots were good enough and characters interesting enough to overlook how you can’t get behind anyone in the end. Still, at least there was justice served in the end for the lead character. Bluff City Law- It was an interesting enough show, even if it never focused that much on things that could make it better. Mr. Mayor- This has room for improvement and could be ranked higher in the future, but we’ll have to see just how well it does. The Cape- A show that was often so bad it was good, it is hard to rank it so middle of the road seems to work best.
Connecting- This comedy about people trying to stay together remotely during the pandemic did not work as well as it could have. It wasn’t funny and would have worked better as a drama instead. The Michael J Fox Show- Too much of this was strange as the project that caused them to talk to the camera at times didn’t seem to work as well in the long run than it could have. Plus, it didn’t get to grow as much as it could have. Manifest- Set to air on Netflix to finish its run, a lot of this is weird and doesn’t make sense. I’m not sure that I care about how it will end, although I’m glad that it will have a better ending than it would have had it not been picked up by Netflix.
Ellen’s Game of Games- Much of this should have just been left on her show instead of trying to work as a game show which a lot of it didn’t. She’d make a better game show host on a different project. Council of Dads- I never saw much of this outside of its first episode, but feel that it is fair enough to rank it and put it here. Debris- While the ending leaves much to be desired, it was good in some places, just not as good as it could have been. 1600 Penn- A comedy about the White House family, it actually worked some, but not as good as it could have. Powerless- Set in the world of DC comics, we saw more of the everyman involved in the stories. But it never got much of a chance and not airing this in order did not help this out in the end.
Nurses (Canadian series)- I still don’t know if the second season of this is coming to the US. There was an American series by this same name on NBC at one point, but I never saw this. I liked some of what I saw of this, even as it seemed like a poor man’s version of Grey’s Anatomy only not about doctors. Emerald City- This show set in the world of Oz had great costumes and set design, but it should have also spent more time working on special effects and the story to not have too much in it seem unrelated to the main plot of what was going on. Smash- This musical show about two competing Broadway productions had a lot to it, but can’t be too highly ranked as it just didn’t stand out like it should have.
The good shows
Chicago Med- I don’t watch this anymore, but it was good when I saw it. I can’t keep up with it anymore due to various reasons. It got boring in some cases so I don’t miss it. But I feel that it is good. 1 versus 100- This game show was quite interesting with its format and questions worked well. Last Comic Standing- This reality show was a pretty good one, even if it was only as good as the people on it. Night Court- I haven’t seen much of this show, but it was nice to see when I did watch it and I feel that it works well in this part of the list as a result.
Saturday Night Live Weekend Update Thursday- While nothing more than a set of specials and an offshoot of the late night show, I feel that it best works here as a result. It could be higher if they did more with it, but I doubt that they could. If only this were a regular summer series. Prime Suspect- A lot of American adaptation of shows can be hit or miss and while this didn’t last long on TV, it did have a lot of stars who worked on other things in the future. Perfect Couples- I’ll never understand the hatred of this show as I felt it was very good. Celebrity Name Game- It can be confusing at times, but it can also be the best run of all the NBC game shows.
The Jeff Foxworthy Show- Also airing on ABC, it never had that much time to grow, but did proved to be good throughout its short run. Family Game Fight- This game show has a great format as part of it and works pretty well. Deal or No Deal- This fun game show is complicated, but works pretty well. It now airs on CNBC. A to Z- While it actually stopped at m since that’s all the episodes of it that were made, it was a nice, sweet story despite being an obvious plot from the start to finish.
Better Late Than Never- I saw more of the second season than the first, but it seemed to work out pretty well, seeing older people traveling in places that they would need to see before the end. Law and Order: Organized Crime- This is still rather new and can drag on with its story, but I like it thus far. Undateable- While I only ever saw this live and don’t know if it was better in earlier seasons, I did like what I saw of this and felt that it worked out pretty well as a comedy.
JAG- While it had most of its run on CBS, the first season of it did run on NBC. It was interesting even as it got to be confusing in some places and it could lose its plot during an episode. Friends- One of the most notable shows of our times, while it often became too focused on the character’s sex lives, we saw much more than that throughout the show’s run. La Brea- While this show is still rather new, I like what I’ve seen of this thus far and look forward to seeing more of it.
Ordinary Joe- Three timelines run at once as we see a man’s life. While this could be confusing at times, we’ll have to see when it ends its run next year just how good a show it will remain over time. Timeless- It probably failed due to being similar to other fix history shows of the time like Legends of Tomorrow. It still wound up being good in the end thanks to its finale movie that wrapped up everything. I don’t know how much history it got right and wrong.
Grimm- While parts of this could be disturbing and it was one of the weirdest shows that ever aired on TV, it provided great plots and story throughout its run. New Amsterdam- This medical drama has a lot of good with it, even if it gets to be a bit too strange at times. AD: The Bible Continues- It can always be controversial to cover Christian stories since you run of risk of pissing off Christians if you get it wrong and everyone else by simply covering the topic, this seemed to have a good run based on the episodes that I saw of it where it worked as a show without adding too much to it or losing too much of the story. It never seemed to go its own way.
Top Ten
Community- This sitcom about a study group from a community college had lots of things going on with it while featuring people from all walks of life getting together. It ran for five seasons on NBC and one on Yahoo Screen. A quote from this show was six seasons and a movie so we’ll see if this movie ever winds up being made in the future.
Blindspot- A show like this was weird in how it evolved over time, but it always remained to be about one woman helping the FBI solve crimes, even when her evil side took over at one point during the series later. It was confusing in some places, but was always good to watch at times.
Brooklyn Nine-Nine- While this started on FOX, it moved to NBC for the end of its run. While NBC never did find good slots to air it on at least in terms of scheduling in the time of year with it airing later and later including ending its run during the summer, this cop comedy was very good and proved that there could be comedies in this type of genre.
Seinfeld- A show about nothing proved that four neurotic friends could provide a whole lot of great stories. While the ending was never one that was well liked, pretty much everything else that I have seen before this is good to some degree and worth watching again and again.
Allegiance- I loved this show. It was one of the most underrated shows that I know of. And to think, people just thought this was a rip-off of The Americans, a show I never even heard of before and will never ever watch. This show was a drama about a man working with the US government who then has to work with his parents on conflicting issues in an interesting show from start to finish.
Parks and Recreation- While the title of this pretty much explains what the show is about, it was always a fun show to watch with all of its characters doing interesting and funny things in a show that seemed to best fit the mockumentary craze that we see from time to time.
30 Rock- There was a lot of good sitcoms on NBC back in the day, which makes you wonder why they aren’t trying as hard nowadays. But I loved this sitcom inspired by Tina Fey’s time as the head writer on Saturday Night Live. It proved that it could have a lot of relevant storylines going on and it could work in the occasional current event in as well.
Parenthood (2010 series)- There was another NBC show of the same name that didn’t last as long which should not be confused with this one, also inspired by the same movie. It was easy to see why the critics loved it even as it struggled to find viewers throughout its whole run. It focused on a lot of characters and kept up with the kids as much as the parents did too. It also gave us one of the best endings of a show in television history.
Matlock- Also airing on ABC, this courtroom drama about a lawyer and people who help him solve cases may not have had much in terms of a recurring storyline, but did last quite well in terms of making a good episode most of the time. Its simplicity is missed in today’s TV shows.
Law and Order: Special Victims Units- While a show about sex crimes is certain to be gruesome at times, it also has a great plot with interesting characters and quite a gripped story that keeps you coming back for more. It isn’t hard to see why this would be the best NBC show in my mind and there’s a reason that it has outlasted all the other primetime dramas in TV history.
The complete ranking (worst to best): Betty White’s Off Their Rockers, Just Shoot Me!, Taken, The Pretender, Guys with Kids, Law and Order: True Crime, The Blacklist: Redemption, Will and Grace, Law and Order: Criminal Intent, American Odyssey, The Blacklist, The Enemy Within, Crisis, Truth be Told, Superstore, The Island, That’s My Jam, Law and Order, Up All Night, Howie Do It, Crossbones, Bad Judge, Shades of Blue, Bluff City Law, Mr. Mayor, The Cape, Connecting, The Michael J Fox Show, Manifest, Ellen’s Game of Games, Council of Dads, Debris, 1600 Penn, Powerless, Nurses (Canadian series), Emerald City, Smash, Chicago Med, 1 versus 100, Last Comic Standing, Night Court, Saturday Night Live Weekend Update Thursday, Prime Suspect, Perfect Couples, Celebrity Name Game, The Jeff Foxworthy Show, Family Game Fight, Deal or No Deal, A to Z, Better Late Than Never, Law and Order: Organized Crime, Undateable, JAG, Friends, La Brea, Ordinary Joe, Timeless, Grimm, New Amsterdam, AD: The Bible Continues, Community, Blindspot, Brooklyn Nine-Nine, Seinfeld, Allegiance, Parks and Recreation, 30 Rock, Parenthood (2010 series), Matlock, Law and Order: Special Victims Units
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