Fridays in Primetime Version 4

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

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

Blindspot: Status- Currently on NBC at 8/7 Central on Fridays. Why I’ve seen it- I was interested in the idea of it. Description- For mysterious reasons, a woman has amnesia and tattoos all over her body and there are crimes solved based off of this. Notable People- Archie Panjabi, who was on The Good Wife, is or was a character on the show. Pros- The show is intriguing and interesting. Cons- The show may seem a bit scatterbrained and it seems like they are trying to do a female version of Jason Bourne. The show can seem similar to other types of dramas in a way. It can also be more violent than it needs to be. Note to Parents- I’d say that this is something that teenagers can watch, but not any younger than that. I think that all the episodes I’ve seen thus far were TV14. Recommendation- I’d say that this is worth watching. My Viewing Habits- I will watch this when I can. Prediction- It might not last long on Fridays or it might be a great new night to stay at. I won’t know for sure until I see more of what changes this new season. Reception: positive. Grade: B+.

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

Crazy Ex-Girlfriend: Status- Currently on the CW at 8/7 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 the season it started. 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 that is why I’ll pass. My Viewing Habits- I only watched the first episode and while this wasn’t that bad, I didn’t like it that much. Prediction- I don’t think that it will last, but it just as easily could. I’ve been wrong about things before. For now, it looks likely to stick around. Reception: positive. Grade: D.

Marvel’s Inhumans: Status- Currently on ABC at 9/8 Central on Fridays. Why I’ve seen it- I like the type of universe that the show is in and the genre too. Noteworthiness- This is part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe and might link with Agent’s of S.H.I.E.L.D. in different ways. This was originally going to be just a movie before they made it into a show. Description- A royal family of inhumans get lost on earth and there are issues with people’s lives and powers. Pros- It seems pretty good in terms of quality. There are enough interesting things in here for me at least. A lot happens in an episode. Cons- It could use some work on character development and the fish out of water concept. It seems all over the place in terms of writing. Note to Parents- There’s a lot of bad things in here, but this is still okay for teens to watch, just not much younger. Recommendation- I would think that people would like this and should watch it. My Viewing Habits- I had problems watching it over time, but plan to watch what I can of it. Prediction- This will probably not last. Reception: generally negative. Grade: B-. New review

Jane the Virgin: Status- Currently on the CW at 9/8 Central on Fridays. Why I’ve seen it- A dream of mine implied that I should watch it. Description- Based off of a Spanish telenovela, a woman named Jane, who’s a virgin, is accidently artificially inseminated and becomes pregnant. The show has evolved since that. There are others in the cast that make this interesting. Pros- If you actually watch the show, you’ll probably find something very interesting and worthwhile. Cons- It’s hard to tell what to make of this show. I mean, the premise itself seems kind of strange and the promos make it look more than weird. Also, the recurring storylines can drag on throughout the show. Note to Parents- This has some serious topics in it that could be useful discussing with teenagers. I’d say that young kids shouldn’t watch this, but preteens and teens can watch this. Just know that it doesn’t have the best morals present, which is to be expected actually. Recommendation- I would say that you should watch it, but only if you can see it all the time. My Viewing Habits- I missed some of the earlier episodes, but have more or less watched this since sometime in the first season. Prediction- I don’t know how long it will last, but it might not be for too much longer if its ratings don’t pick up soon. Reception: critically acclaimed. Grade: B+.

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

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

Blue Bloods: Status- Currently on CBS at 10/9 Central on Fridays. Why I’ve seen it- It is on CBS. Nothing else good was on. Description- This is a cop show where the cops are related. It is set in New York City. Notable People- Tom Selleck from Magnum PI and movies, is a character. Donnie Walburg, who is in the band New Kids on the Block, is a character as well. Pros- Something good exists on Friday nights for you to watch. A partial family aspect is added to the show which makes it more relatable. They rarely deal with murder and seem to deal with every sort of crime and problems that you might hear about in real life. Cons- The ways the officers catch and interrogate some of the suspects/criminals is unethical some of the time. It can be like a lot of other dramas. They have made some questionable off-camera choices regarding at least one actress who works on the show. Some episodes are better than others. There have been some episodes which use unfair stereotypes for villains. Note to Parents- This is better in terms of what is acceptable to show your kids than a lot of shows are. Recommendation- Take it or leave it. I like it. You might too. My Viewing Habits- I have seen most episodes and watched this from the very first episode. Prediction- It will stay around for a while unless they decide to end it. Reception: mostly positive. Grade: B-.

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