Thursdays in Primetime Version 5

Thursdays are the most competitive nights on television. All the networks put all their best shows on the same night. It is impossible to watch everything good at this time, unless, of course, you record some things to watch later or watch what you can’t see online. NBC airs comedies and a drama. CBS airs comedies as well and ends with S.W.A.T. right now. ABC shows their popular TGIT night which are all dramas produced by Shonda Rhimes. FOX has a constantly changing lineup that I won’t bother to keep track of, but will review from time to time. The CW shows Supernatural and Arrow. There are no losers and every network seems to win in their own right. The reason this night is the most competitive is the high demand of advertisers for the movies that will come out the next day. I have seen a lot of these shows so here’s my views on them:

Superstore: Status- Currently on NBC at 8/7 Central on Thursdays. Why I’ve seen it- My mother was originally interested in it, so I recorded it for her and watched it myself. Noteworthiness- Despite its short time on the air, it is the longest running comedy on NBC. I don’t know if the return of Will and Grace complicates things. Description- This is a comedy about people who work in a store and the adventures that ensue. Notable People- America Ferria from Ugly Betty is in the cast. She might have also created the show too. Pros- This show is interesting and different. Cons- There really isn’t much that this show offers. It can be weird. Note to Parents- This is probably the standard amount of what you’d expect in terms of what is acceptable or not for your kids to watch. Recommendation- It isn’t terrible, but I wouldn’t watch it again. My Viewing Habits- I only watched this once. Prediction- I say that it might last, but only given NBC’s general lack of comedies that they have to rely on. They need something, right? Reception: mixed/average. Grade: D.

The Big Bang Theory: Status- Currently on CBS at 8/7 Central on Thursdays. Why I’ve seen it- General interest in the show from the moment it first aired and a bit before. Noteworthiness- Of all the live action comedies on television to still be in production, this one has been on the longest. I don’t know if the return of shows like Roseanne or Will and Grace complicate things. Description- This show is about the adventures of nerds, a female neighbor, and other people in their lives. Reruns can be different than how the show is currently portrayed. Notable People- Chuck Lorre, who created Two and a Half Men, also created this show. He has created other shows as well, but I’m not sure they are worth mentioning. Kayley Cuoco from 8 Simple Rules and Charmed is Penny. Pros- This is a really funny comedy. Everyone loves Sheldon, the Obsessive-Compulsive roommate. Some people can watch reruns over and over again and still find it just as funny as they did the first time. Cons- Sex and other bad stuff can be present a lot. It isn’t always as good as you would like and there can be issues with negative portrayal of religion. Note to Parents- There are a lot of objectionable things in here so you would have to watch it to see if it is something you let your kids see. If they are in high school, I see no problem with letting them watch this.  Recommendation- I say that you should watch it if you like it. Most people do like this show. If you don’t laugh after watching an episode, then it isn’t for you. But, it is one of my favorite shows and I highly recommend it. My Viewing Habits- While I have not seen every episode, I’ve watched this since it has first started. Prediction- This show is renewed for more seasons right now, but there are rumors that it could be ending after them. Reception: mixed then positive. Grade: A-.

Grey’s Anatomy: Status- Currently on Thursdays at 8/7 Central on ABC. Why I’ve seen it-Desire to find a medical drama to watch all the time on a regular basis. When I realized that I liked medical dramas, I also realized that they always cancel the ones that I like, so I figured that I should watch this since it isn’t going anywhere anytime soon. Noteworthiness- It is the longest running drama on ABC to still be in production. Description- A medical drama featuring a large cast of doctors of both genders solves medical problems that sometimes relates to their own team. I’m not really sure how to describe it that well so you might understand it better if you watch an episode yourself. Notable People- Shonda Rhimes, who went on to help produce Scandal, How to Get Away with Murder, and now dominates most of Thursday nights on ABC with shows that she helped make, created this show. Pros- This show is pretty interesting and humorous. Most of the large cast is focused upon most of the time. The medical aspect is well-done. It isn’t always about the same characters all the time. The acting is great. Cons- The show can be quite complicated and hard to understand and follow, especially if you don’t watch every week. If you don’t like soap operas, then this show probably isn’t for you because of the format it uses. There’s too much sex in the show as well and most people wouldn’t like the morals present. There are too many characters to keep track of on a regular basis and sometimes a lot of the cast isn’t in a certain episode. The main character, in particular, isn’t there that much. Note to Parents- I would avoid letting your kids watch that. Recommendation- Take it or leave it. If you don’t like it now, you never will. My Viewing Habits- There was a long time when I didn’t watch this for one reason or another, but I finally decided to start watching it. I plan to stick with it until the end. Prediction- This will probably last longer in the future. I don’t see it ending soon. Reception: somewhat positive. Grade: C+.

Gotham: Status- Currently on FOX at 8/7 Central on Thursdays. Why I’ve seen it- I was interested in it and it worked out well for me to watch it. Noteworthiness- The show can best be described as a Batman origins story, even though he’s not in it as much as he could be as Jim Gordon is the main character and Bruce Wayne is a child and supporting character. This also might be the longest running of the current FOX dramas. Description- A story set in the world of Batman that largely focuses on Jim Gordon helping fight crime back when the characters were much younger. Notable People- Bruno Heller, the creator of the Mentalist, helped develop this show. Ben Mackenzie, who was in Southland and the OC, is the main character, Jim Gordon. Morena Baccarin, who was on Firefly, V, Homeland, among other things, is also a character on the show. Pros- I like this show for the most part. It is pretty interesting. It can probably keep you interested even if you aren’t that big a Batman fan. Cons- It seems more police procedural than actually about the Batman characters we know and love. Some of those characters aren’t as recognizable as others. Batman is not being as big as he probably should be in this show. For better or worse, they have advanced the series more than some might think is needed. Note to Parents- This show typically airs with a content advisory so it isn’t for younger viewers. Recommendation- I’d say that this show is good, even if Batman is more of a side character. My Viewing Habits- I haven’t seen every episode of this, but I did start watching from the very first episode. Prediction- I’d put this at a toss-up right now. Reception: positive. Grade: A.

Young Sheldon: Status- Currently on CBS at 8:30/7:30 Central on Thursdays. Why I’ve seen it- I watch the show it span off from so it made sense to watch this too. Noteworthiness- This is a prequel to the show The Big Bang Theory. Description- A spin-off of The Big Bang Theory, it features Sheldon Cooper at a younger age. Notable People- Jim Parsons, who plays adult Sheldon on The Big Bang Theory, is the narrator of this show. Pros- The show works and is pretty good. It doesn’t have some of the problems that the main show has, like focusing on sex, due to all the characters being young. Cons- It doesn’t seem to have the same type of appeal that The Big Bang Theory does. It doesn’t seem as funny as one would want it to be. Note to Parents- This is pretty acceptable most of the time. There have been some issues now and then, but not too many. Recommendation- I would suggest watching this. You don’t even have to like The Big Bang Theory to enjoy this, although there are links between them. My Viewing Habits- I have not seen every episode, but I have watched this since it first started. Prediction- This will probably keep lasting for a while. It is renewed for next season. I see no reason why it wouldn’t last. Reception: generally favorable. Grade: A. New review

Mom: Status- Currently on CBS at 9/8 Central on Thursdays. Why I’ve seen it- If you didn’t know already, I like to watch every CBS TV show, even if it is just once. Description- A woman deals with the issues of single motherhood and various family problems. Notable People- Alison Janey and Anna Farris, both known for movies, are two main characters on the show. Chuck Lorre, who created Two and a Half Men, The Big Bang Theory, and helps with Mike and Molly, helps with this show, although I’m not sure if he created it, which he might have. Pros- People like it, based on comments I’ve seen online. Cons- All the show is about is a bunch of immoral people and I don’t know why we should care about something like this. Also, it is far from being funny. Note to Parents- This has so much smut in it that I wouldn’t let anyone you take care of watch it. Recommendation- Don’t watch it. It’s terrible. The fact that people like it completely baffles me. My Viewing Habits- I watched the first episode and would rather watch 30 straight minutes of commercials before I’d tune into this again. Prediction- This will keep lasting for a while unless something weird happens. Reception: somewhat favorable. Grade: F.

Station Thirteen: Status- Currently on ABC at 9/8 Central on Thursdays. Why I’ve seen it- I watch the original show so figured that I might as well watch this as well. Noteworthiness- This is a spin-off of the show Grey’s Anatomy featuring firefighters. It even has one of the same characters. Description- We see the drama behind a team of firefighters. Pros- This is interesting. Cons- This could have the same problems that Grey’s does such as making it more about who is sleeping with who instead of better forms of entertainment. Note to Parents- Most ages shouldn’t watch this, although if your kids are in high school, then this won’t contain things they won’t know. Recommendation- I’d put this at a toss-up. If I stopped watching, it would probably be because this is about firefighting and not anything else about the show. My Viewing Habits- I have watched this since the beginning and might stick around or might not. Prediction- This is likely to stay around for now. Reception: mixed. Grade: B-. New review

Arrow: Status- Currently on the CW at 9/8 Central on Thursdays. Why I’ve seen it- I wanted to watch a CW show that was new at the time. Noteworthiness- This is based off of a DC comics series. It has also created what’s known as the Arrowverse full of other shows on the CW that all share the universe and have related events. Description- This CW drama is about the comic book character Green Arrow. I don’t know if it is accurate or not to the source material. Pros- It seems interesting enough to keep potential viewers coming back and watching it again. Cons- It seems like every other superhero drama. The links to the other shows can be quite a bother. It is not as good as the rest of the franchise. Note to Parents- This can be a bit gruesome at times so preteens and younger shouldn’t watch. Recommendation- Take it or leave it. If you have time to watch it, then you should. If you aren’t interested, then you aren’t really missing out on anything. If you watch other shows in the franchise, then you should watch this or you will be confused by everything. My Viewing Habits- I started watching some in the first season and then lost interest for a while. Around the fourth season, due to its connections with The Flash, I started online watching it and can now keep up with it better again since it no longer competes with Survivor. I try to watch every new episode now. Prediction- It will stay around for quite some time as the universe is quite popular. Reception: positive. Grade: B.

Life in Pieces: Status- Currently on CBS at 9:30/8:30 Central on Thursdays. Why I’ve seen it- Blah, blah, blah, watching a CBS show once, blah, blah, blah. Description- It’s hard to describe the plot of the show. It is basically about a family and their adventures all mixed into one story. Notable People- This show has Colin Hanks, from Fargo and The Good Guys, who is also the son of Tom Hanks. Pros- It’s different from most other shows. Cons- It is very stupid and pointless. It focuses far too much on sex. Note to Parents- Don’t let your kids watch this. Recommendation- This isn’t any good so don’t watch it. My Viewing Habits- I have seen only the first episode of this then never watched it again. Prediction- It will keep lasting for now. Reception: generally favorable. Grade: F.

Scandal: Status- Currently on ABC at 10/9 Central on Thursdays. Why I’ve seen it- It crossovered with a show that I watch, so I decided to keep watching this. Description- I’m not entirely sure about all of what the plot is. I do know that it relates to a fixer of some sort or did at one point. Notable People- Shona Rhimes, who created Grey’s Anatomy, also created or helped produce this show. Pros- There are a lot of complicated characters to keep people interested in this. Cons- The show is confusing, doesn’t always make sense, and can be hard to follow. Note to Parents- There is tons in here that is not right for kids to watch. Teens can watch, but other than that, it isn’t for young people. Recommendation- I’m not sure what to say here myself. I have the feeling that this might have been better in the past. My Viewing Habits- When I learned that a crossover between this and a show that I already watched would happen, I thought that I would get into it when it would work out well. After the crossover, I thought that I might as well stay with it since it would be ending soon. Prediction- This is on its final season and will be ending in the near future. Reception: generally favorable. Grade: B. New review

S.W.A.T.: Status- Currently on CBS at 10/9 Central on Thursdays. Why I’ve seen it- I always watch a CBS show once under most circumstances. Noteworthiness- This is a remake of a show with the same name. Description- This is about a team of people who try to help others in different situations. Just insert standard CBS drama into the plot line here. Notable People- It stars Shamar Moore, who used to star in Criminal Minds. Pros- The show works and has interesting plots. Cons- It doesn’t seem that different from other shows. Note to Parents- This has the standard amount of material that you would find wrong with a show. It has more violence in it than sex, but there is a bit of the second one on occasion. Still, there are worse shows in terms of violent content. Recommendation- I think that it is good to watch, unless you have better things to do with life. My Viewing Habits- I missed the first episode due to issues with the recording of it, but stayed with it from the second one onward. Prediction- This is renewed for the next season so we’ll see if it lasts beyond that in the future or not. I think that it will last. Reception: mixed. Grade: A. New review