Fridays in Primetime Version 6

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 Dynasty and Charmed. CBS is showing Blue Bloods, Hawaii Five-0, and Magnum P.I. ABC is showing 20/20, Fresh off the Boat, and American Housewife. NBC shows Dateline and The Blacklist. FOX is now just airing Friday Night Smackdown, also known as WWE Smackdown. 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 or even after having previously not been on Fridays.

American Housewife: Status- Currently on ABC at 8/7 Central on Fridays. Why I’ve seen it- It aired with a show that I liked and nothing else that I cared about was on at the time. Description- This is more or less your average sitcom revolving around a family of people. Notable People- This show stars Katy Mixon from Mike and Molly. Pros- This is better than what one might expect. Cons- Some of it is dumb and way to similar to other shows. Note to Parents- There is enough in here that will be bad for kids, although a lot of shows are way worse. There are lesbian characters. Recommendation- Take it or leave it. I like it, but I know that it isn’t for everyone. My Viewing Habits- I started watching it into its first season, but never cared that much about whether or not I tuned in a lot. I have missed parts of it at times due to me choosing other shows at the time. Prediction- This might be in more danger since it moved to Fridays, but could last longer. Reception: mixed. Grade: B-.

Hawaii Five-0: Status- Currently on CBS at 8/7 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. Jorge Garcia from Lost is in this 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. 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 might be more in danger of ending now than it has been in the past since it is an older show. Reception: positive. Grade: B.

The Blacklist: Status- Currently on NBC at 8/7 Central on Fridays. Why I’ve seen it- I don’t know why I started watching it, but it was probably because the promos made it look good or something like that. Description- It seems to be about some law enforcement agency going after very dangerous criminals that are on something called the blacklist with the help of a criminal. There’s more to it than that and not every episode features someone on the blacklist. Notable People- James Spader, from movies and other things I’m not familiar with, is a main character on the show. Harry Lennix, who was on Dollhouse and Emily Owens MD, is on this show as well. Pros- This show can be interesting at times. Cons- It can be hard to understand. The show is very violent and bloody. Note to Parents- Don’t let young people watch this. Recommendation- I’d pass on this. My Viewing Habits- I came in early into the first season (after it started) and had been watching this until it lost my interest after I went on a hiatus from it and tried to come back to it. It wasn’t any good to me anymore and has changed too much. Prediction- I think that it is close to ending now. Reception: critically acclaimed. Grade: D.

Charmed: Status- Currently on the CW at 8/7 Central on Fridays. Why I’ve seen it- I tend to watch all CW shows that I can and was interested in it since I liked the original show. Noteworthiness- This is a remake of a classic WB show. Description- Three sisters find out that they are witches with powers and have to save the world from evil. Pros- It is quite interesting and good. It changes nothing about the original while creating its own story. Cons- It has a cast that is younger than it needs to be and much of it can be too mysterious. Parts of it can be predictable with its parallels to the original show. Note to Parents- There is enough creepiness in here that might scare younger children. There are lesbian characters. There is more violence then sex, but there are still issues with both, although the violence isn’t nearly as bad as other shows. Recommendation- I think that it is good, even if you liked the original. My Viewing Habits- I have seen the first episode and have kept watching. I plan to see all of it so I review all of them for my YouTube channel. Prediction- It will probably last, but I’m not sure if it will due to the fact that it is now on Fridays. Reception: somewhat positive. Grade: B. New review

Link to my video reviews of Charmed: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLO8vECGH5CX-BmCMoA7kF11I1gsQOuX2X

Fresh off the Boat: Status- Currently on ABC at 8:30/7:30 Central on Fridays. Why I’ve seen it- It aired with a comedy that I normally watch. Noteworthiness- This is based off of a true story and book, but I don’t know how much. Description- Set in the past, this is a sitcom about an Asian family that moved to America and other friends in their lives. Pros- This is actually quite good in terms of quality. Cons- The show can be weirder than it needs to be. Note to Parents- This is actually quite acceptable in terms of material as I can’t think of much bad in here for kids and other young ones outside of a gay character (that I know some people wouldn’t like but most wouldn’t care about). Recommendation- I would watch this show if you can. My Viewing Habits- I got into it into its second season and have watched on and off as long as it fit in my schedule which it hasn’t always has. Prediction- It is doing well in the ratings right now so it should last. Reception: critically acclaimed. Grade: B-.

Dynasty: Status- Currently on the CW at 9/8 Central on Fridays. Why I’ve seen it- I try to watch every CW show once, if I can. Noteworthiness- This is a remake. Description- A family has to deal with changing dynamics and working with their respective companies. Notable People- Alan Dale, who had a role on NCIS for a bit, is a character on this show. Pros- The plot works for the most part. It is interesting enough to keep some people into it. Cons- The characters are bad people so it has that against it. There could be more to this. It seems too strange. Note to Parents- There are some of the usual problems like sex and violence. There are gay characters. Recommendation- While I might watch this at times, I’d put this as a toss-up in terms of if people should watch this. My Viewing Habits- I’ve seen little of this thus far due to scheduling issues in my life or against other shows. I watched a lot of the second season, but don’t know yet if I’ll see much of this current one yet. Prediction- This has a pretty sweet deal with Netflix, so it will probably last elsewhere if it doesn’t last here. Reception: mixed or average. Grade: B-.

Magnum P.I.: Status- Currently on CBS at 9/8 Central on Fridays. Why I’ve seen it- I tend to watch all CBS shows at least once when and if I can. Noteworthiness- This is a remake of a classic show with the same name. This is set in the same universe as Hawaii Five-0 and NCIS. It is filmed in Hawaii where it is set. Description- A private investigator and his friends help solve crimes. Notable People- This has Tim Kang, who used to star in The Mentalist. Pros- It pretty much works for the most part. It has fun characters and isn’t always the same type of crime. Cons- It can seem too generic and run of the mill. Note to Parents- I don’t think that this is as bad as others in terms of who can watch it, but I’d still be safe and let only teens and maybe preteens watch. Recommendation- I think that this is good and recommend it. My Viewing Habits- I don’t think that I’ve seen every episode, but have seen it since the first one. Prediction- This is likely to last for now. Reception: mixed. Grade: B. New review

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. The promos for it make it seem like if you watch TV on your own, you are better off without it. 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.

20/20: Status- Currently on ABC at 9/8 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.

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. It could wind up on the chopping block with little to no warning. Reception: mostly positive. Grade: B-.