Fridays in Primetime Version 3

Fridays are the least competitive nights on television although there are some good shows out there. Viewers aren’t regular, but those that are and even those that aren’t, give the show these ratings. It only seems like CBS and the CW care about good programming on this night although it doesn’t always catch on. ABC handles the night best with stand alone episodes of reality shows and might actually care harder than the two networks I just mentioned. The CW shows The Vampire Diaries and Crazy Ex-Girlfriend. CBS is showing Blue Bloods, MacGyver, and Hawaii Five-O. ABC shows 20/20, Last Man Standing, Dr. Ken, and Shark Tank. NBC shows Dateline. FOX shows mostly reality shows, shows that are ending, or shows that they don’t strongly care about. They show more than what I mentioned, but I’m mostly going with what I have seen. Beware that most of the shows come here to die and they are only here right now to enjoy them before they are gone, although some shows have thrived here since they have never really seen another night throughout most of their run.

Last Man Standing: Status- Currently on ABC at 8/7 Central on Fridays. Why I’ve seen it- My brother liked it at the time and the show I typically watched at the time was repeats. Description- This is a man-centric show about being a man with numerous women in your family. I’m not sure if there’s a better way of describing this show or not. Notable People- Tim Allen, known for his comedic work, various movies, and his time on Home Improvement is the main character on this show. Pros- It has been funny in the past. Cons- It can be sexist and otherwise demeaning. It is far too political. An actress was recast which typically isn’t a good sign for a show. As usual, the morals aren’t good. Note to Parents- I’m not sure if this is acceptable for kids or not. I’d lean towards not. Recommendation- I have no idea if you’d like it or not. If you do, then watch, if not, then don’t bother with it. Prediction- Toss-up: I’d say it might last longer but it’s just as likely that it will get cancelled. Reception: widely panned, yet somewhat more positive as it went along. Grade: D.

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

The Vampire Diaries: Status- Currently on the CW at 8/7 Central on Fridays. Why I’ve seen it- Void in life after the cancellation of Moonlight and I didn’t watch anything else at the time it was first on my schedule. Noteworthiness- It was inspired by a book series that existed before Twilight. The show is comparable to Twilight, in a way. Description- A teenage girl learns of the existence of vampires and other supernatural creatures. The story has since progressed into something much more complicated that would take too long to get into. Plus, I don’t watch it anymore, so I don’t know what it might be like anymore. If you really care, look it up somewhere or watch an episode. Pros- Although it is a teen drama like everything else on the CW, this has a twist that draws in other fans. The storyline is gripping to the audience. Cons- Inappropriate stuff is present as usual. There may be no human characters in the end of the series. The same stuff tends to happen in different ways. It follows a soap opera format and thus never really seems to end. You’ve seen one episode, you’ve seen them all. The show drags itself on and on with new storylines all the time. Note to Parents- Teens may like this but much younger shouldn’t watch. Recommendation- While I used to enjoy this show, I don’t want to see it anymore. Whether you feel the same way or not is your decision. Prediction- It is officially on its final season right now and won’t last longer than that. Reception: mixed then positive. Grade: D+.

Dr. Ken: Status- Currently on ABC at 8:30/7:30 Central on Fridays. Why I’ve seen it- What I watched wasn’t on, so I watched this instead. Description- An actor who was once a doctor plays a doctor. There are other characters as needed. Notable People- Behind the Scenes- Ken Joeng, who was once on Community, is the star of this show. Pros- It gets good ratings. Cons- This show is terrible with bad acting, bad writing, and overall poor quality. I’m not sure if it has any redeeming values in the end. Note to Parents- I honestly don’t know what to put here. It could be good for kids, but I don’t know having only seen one episode. Recommendation- This is not worth anyone’s time so don’t watch it. Prediction- It is actually doing well in the ratings so it might last a while, or at the very least, into next season. Reception: very negative. Grade: F. New review

Shark Tank: Status- Currently on ABC at 9/8 Central on Fridays. Why I’ve seen it- I was flipping channels and stayed here because it seemed interesting. Description- A reality show where a group of rich sharks, as they’re called, decide whether or not to buy into a business of an entrepreneur. Pros- The segments are usually short and the decisions are interesting. It can be very intense. These are actually proceedings among people which makes it more real. Cons- You may not like their decisions. You might not watch unless you’re a regular viewer. Note to Parents- Mostly everything in this is acceptable for kids. Maybe some products pitched aren’t for kids, but most of the episodes are okay for younger audiences. Recommendation- Take it or leave it. I like it and you might but whether you should watch or not is up to you. Prediction- It will stay on as it gets good ratings on Fridays. I’m not sure what could end it, although it getting different people doing the deals might cause some problems. Reception: positive. Grade: B+.

Crazy Ex-Girlfriend: Status- This show is on the CW at 9/8 Central on Fridays. Why I’ve seen it- I watched due to my promise to watch a new fall show on each network a season and the fact that this was the only new show on the CW during the fall last season. Description- A woman randomly moves to where her ex-boyfriend lives in hopes of winning him back. There’s more to the show as needed. Pros- There are some good parts about it. It can be funny at times. Cons- While this wasn’t bad, I didn’t like it. It was strange and didn’t seem to have much of a point to it. Note to Parents- Having only seen the pilot, there is not much advice to offer here. I’d say this is probably good for teen and preteens but not younger than that. It may be safe for some ages, but I wouldn’t think that. Recommendation- I’d pass on this. Mostly it’s a toss-up between good and bad, so I’ll pass. Prediction- I don’t think that it will last, but it just as easily could. I’ve been wrong about things before. Reception: positive. Grade: D.

Hawaii Five-0: Status- Currently on CBS at 9/8 Central on Fridays. Why I’ve seen it- Devotion to the CBS network and curious about what the show is about. Noteworthiness- It is a remake of an old, popular show. It has already been sold into syndication. Description- An elite crime fighting team works in Hawaii to solve cases. Notable People- Alex O’Loughlin, known for his work on Moonlight, Three Rivers, and some movies, is McGarrett. Daniel Dae Kim, known for his work on Lost and other shows, is a cast member as well. Pros- This show is actually filmed where it set. It is an interesting drama. The bickering between the two leads is entertaining. Cons- Some of the methods the characters use to catch the perps are unethical. It is a remake, and thus could just be considered trying to reclaim what it once was. Note to Parents- I’d say maybe on this, although it is probably better to not let your kids watch this unless they are teenagers. Recommendation- Watch this if you have the time to. Prediction- It will last awhile. Reception: positive. Grade: B.

Dateline: Status- This is currently on NBC at 9/8 Central on Fridays. Why I’ve seen it- Nothing else on and it seemed interesting. Noteworthiness- It is the longest running primetime news show on NBC and sometimes airs multiple times in one week. Description- Pretty much an NBC version of 20/20. I don’t know which came out first. Pros- It can be interesting. Cons- It can only be interesting if you like it. I haven’t seen enough of it to find out how different it is from other networks versions of this show. They mostly only do murder mysteries from real life. Note to Parents- This show is gruesome a lot with what they show on it. They even promote it in a way that implies that the squeamish shouldn’t watch it. So you probably shouldn’t let your kids watch this. Recommendation- Take it or leave it. Prediction- It will last forever. Reception: mostly positive. Grade: A.

Blue Bloods: Status- This is currently on CBS at 10/9 Central on Fridays. Why I’ve seen it- It is on CBS. Nothing else good was on. Description- This is a cop show where the cops are related. It is set in New York City. Notable People- Pretty much everyone who works on the show is famous in some way. Tom Selleck from Magnum PI and movies, is present, but is not the main character. Donnie Walburg, who is in the band New Kids on the Block (I think) is a character as well. Pros- Something good exists on Friday nights for you to watch. A partial family aspect is added to the show which makes it more relatable. They rarely deal with murder and seem to deal with every sort of crime and problem that you might hear about in real life. Cons- The ways the officers catch and interrogate some of the suspects/criminals is unethical sometimes. It can be like a lot of other dramas. They have made some questionable off-camera choices regarding at least one actress who works on the show. Some episodes are better than others. There have been some episodes which use unfair stereotypes for villains. Note to Parents- This is better in terms of what is acceptable to show your kids. But, I’d still only let mostly teens and older watch. Recommendation- Take it or leave it. I like it. You might too. Prediction- It will stay around for a while. Reception: mostly positive. Grade: B-.

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