Wednesdays in Primetime Version 6

Wednesdays can be good with television. This is the day of the week I’m most likely to miss shows on a regular basis whenever church gets in the way. There are some interesting shows and it has some of my favorite shows. ABC shows comedies which are currently Modern Family, The Goldbergs, Schooled, and Single Parents before ending with Stumptown. NBC shows the Chicago franchise all night. The CW shows Riverdale and Nancy Drew. CBS shows Survivor, SEAL Team, and S.W.A.T. FOX is airing The Masked Singer and Lego Masters.

The Goldbergs: Status- Currently on ABC at 8/7 Central on Wednesdays. Why I’ve seen it- The first time was because I was unable to stop recording a tape after a different program stopped airing which recorded a whole episode of this show. I watched more episodes because I thought that it might be good after watching that particular episode. Noteworthiness- It is somewhat based off of true events. Description- It is about a man’s life growing up in the eighties when he was a kid and is based on details that actually happened (although I’m not sure just how much). Pros- It can be pretty good and funny sometimes. Cons- It doesn’t make a lot of sense sometimes and can be a bit odd. Plus, there are normally always errors when setting things in the past. Note to Parents- This is borderline over what is and isn’t acceptable so I suggest you watch for yourself to make your own decision. This is a whole lot better in terms of content than you see in most shows nowadays. Recommendation- It is a good show to watch. My Viewing Habits- While I like this show, I normally don’t watch it since too many other things I like air at the same time. I might see more in syndication in the future, when Survivor is on break, or various other reasons that I would like to watch it. Prediction- It will keep lasting like it has already. Reception: mostly mixed. Grade: B-.

Survivor: Status- Currently on CBS at 8/7 Central on Wednesdays. Why I’ve seen it- I think that other people in my family liked it and I found it interesting as well and started watching. Noteworthiness- It shows two seasons a year; one in the fall and another in the spring. It is an adaptation of a Swedish reality show, Expedition Robertson. It is considered the first American reality show and is the longest running one on CBS if you don’t count a news related show like 60 Minutes instead which is not a competition show like this is. Description- Contestants compete against each other to see who will survive 39 days in a wilderness place and win a million dollars. Every week, a contestant is voted out and the last few people face a jury of previously voted out people who vote one of them the winner. Pros- There is a different cast each season so if you don’t like one season, you can stop watching and watch the next season. The contestants are interesting often. Drama is always present. Due to the competition nature of the show, it can’t legally be scripted like a lot of reality shows are. Something new always happens in each season. Cons- The people that you hate can make it far while the people that you like get eliminated first. The basic plots of some seasons can be similar to each other. They like to recycle ideas, locations, and challenges. It can be hard to find a normal season anymore. A lot of controversies have arisen on the show. This show has indirectly made every other reality show. They have a tendency to keep having returning players each season which can be off-putting to those that aren’t already fans of the show. Note to Parents- I watched this as a child, but I’m not sure if your kids should. It is better than the typical show in terms of content that might be deemed inappropriate for kids. Some of it is better at times although it has rarely aired with a content adversary warning. Recommendation- Take it or leave it. I like it and think that you should watch it, but not everyone has my opinion of this show. My Viewing Habits- I came in during the second season and have mostly watched since. Now that I have a blog about it, I will probably watch every new episode until the show ends, if it does. Prediction- It will last as long as it has the same host, enough viewers, and enough money. If the host changes, it might leave the airwaves shortly after although another network like the CW might still have faith in it which could lead to a dramatic retooling of the show plus a fight with any other networks that might want it (if any do). Besides, this is the type of show that can be off the air for an extended amount of time and suddenly return with new people. Reception: good, although seasons vary. Grade: A-. I have a blog about the show, the link is here:

Blog link: https://adamdeckersurvivor.blogspot.com

Chicago Med: Status- Currently on NBC at 8/7 Central on Wednesdays. Why I’ve seen it- At the time, the only show that I watched in this timeslot, Notorious, had its episode order cut so I started looking for a replacement in the timeslot. I chose this show due to its connection to a show that I watched and its fairly new time on the air. Noteworthiness- This is the third installment of the Chicago franchise that has different groups that focus on different things. Description- Basically, this is a medical drama. Notable People- Dick Wolf, who created the Law and Order franchise, also helped create this show. Pros- One of the characters has autism, so that makes the show more interesting. There’s certainly nothing major wrong with it. Cons- It doesn’t seem to be that notable in any way. It seems like just an ordinary show with nothing major ever happening in it. They could make it more interesting than it is, such as caring about the characters more. Note to Parents- Mostly, it’s just the medical stuff that one would see that I would recommend against letting young kids see. Recommendation- I’m not sure what to say here. It is good enough for me to watch, but not really that outstanding a show. I would suggest watching it only if you don’t care that much about anything else. My Viewing Habits- I started watching into what I believe its second season was. I have since given it up now that it competes with Survivor and have not seen it since. I might return to it someday, but have no plans to do so right now. Prediction- I think that this will last for a while still. Reception: mixed or average. Grade: B-.

Riverdale: Status- Currently on the CW at 8/7 Central on Wednesdays. Why I’ve seen it- From this point forward, I’ll try to watch any new CW show if possible. Noteworthiness- This is inspired by the Archie comic book series. Description- Starting out, it is about a murder at a high school and various other dark plots. At the moment, it is best described as the noir genre. It is hard to tell what the basic plot of it is. Notable People- Cole Sprose, who was one of the leads on The Suite Life of Zack and Cody, is a character who also narrates the show. Pros- There is enough potential in it that it might be good. It seems better than just another dumb high school show. Cons- This seems stereotypical in a way. This probably has all the problems you could expect from a CW show. Some of it is unrealistic and doesn’t make sense. Note to Parents- There are enough bad things in here that children shouldn’t be watching. Recommendation- I’d put this at a toss-up. My Viewing Habits- I started watching from the first episode. I have given it up at times for various reasons, but am currently watching it online and hope to keep up with it. Prediction- It is renewed for another season. I don’t know how much longer it will last beyond that just yet. I would not think that it is in danger of ending just yet. Reception: generally positive. Grade: C+.

Schooled: Status- Currently on ABC at 8:30/7:30 Central on Wednesdays. Why I’ve seen it- I wanted to watch a new midseason ABC show when it premiered and figured that this was the only one that might work out. Noteworthiness- This show is a spin-off of The Goldbergs. It has the same creator too. It was once rejected as a pilot, but the rejected pilot aired as an episode of The Goldbergs and it was the picked up as a series later. Description- Some of the characters from The Goldbergs, most of them from the school based part of the show, are featured upon in the 90s instead of the 80s. Notable People- Brett Dier who also starred in Jane the Virgin, stars on this show as well. Pros- I think that it works well as a show and comedy. Everything that you like about the original show is here too. Cons- It can have some of the main flaws of The Goldbergs as well and might not work as well on its own, that is, if you are not also a fan of The Goldbergs. Note to Parents- This is largely okay based on what I’ve seen thus far, which wasn’t much. There are some of the usual issues, but not too much. Recommendation- I would recommend watching this if you don’t have anything else going on at the time since it would work well in good ways. My Viewing Habits- I watched a small part of the first season and one episode of the second season. I don’t yet know if I will keep up with it too much unless I can see it in syndication at some point. Prediction- This will have at least 100 episodes of the show at some point. Reception: somewhat positive. Grade: B+. New review

Modern Family: Status- Currently on ABC at 9/8 Central on Wednesdays. Why I’ve seen it- Free time at the time and general interest in the show. Noteworthiness- It is a fake documentary meaning it presents itself as a reality show, when it isn’t (although certain “reality” shows are that way). It is a popular show winning awards as is the longest running comedy on this network. Description- A look at the people an extended family of “normal” ones and not so normal ones. Notable People- Ed O’Neil from Married with Children is on this show. Pros- This is a funny comedy that attracts all different people like the families that are like this. There are good episodes a lot of the time. Cons- The episodes do not always have enough material in them and move by too quickly. Inappropriate material shows up often. They tend to ignore some of the filming aspects of the show opening it up to serious plot holes such as characters wanting proof of something, only to not consider the people that are filming them. Note to Parents- This is borderline like a bunch of other shows like it. Recommendation- Watch this show if you like it. You probably will. My Viewing Habits- I haven’t always been good with watching the new episodes as they aired and saw far more of it in syndication than live for the first time. But, I tend to watch any and all of the new episodes live when I can, although I miss a lot during December and Lent since I’m not always back home in time at the start of the episode. Prediction- It is airing its final season right now and will be ending soon. Reception: mostly positive. Grade: A.

Lego Masters: Status- Currently on FOX at 9/8 Central on Wednesdays. Why I’ve seen it- I try to watch every new FOX show when I can. Noteworthiness- This is adapted from a British reality show of the same name. Description- A reality show, duos compete in various Lego themed challenges to see who will be the Lego master. Notable People- It is hosted by Will Arnet who was on Arrested Development and The Millers. Pros- It seemed pretty good in some ways as the competition works and it doesn’t have much drama to it that seems manufactured in other reality shows. Cons- It isn’t as interesting as it could be. Note to Parents- The current season has gay contestants, I think. Other than that, I haven’t seen enough to know if this is bad for kids and don’t think that it should be. Recommendation- I think that this is good enough to watch. My Viewing Habits- I have seen the third episode and don’t yet know if I will be able to see it again, although I want to. Prediction- I have no idea of this will last or not. The thought of grown-ups playing with Legos is a bit of a stretch, even if not entirely something you would not expect from reality depending on who you know. I’d say that this should probably last more than one season, but it won’t. Reception: good. Grade: B. New review

SEAL Team: Status- Currently on CBS at 9/8 Central on Wednesdays. Why I’ve seen it- I normally always watch a new CBS show at least once. Description- This show is about those in a team of Navy seals and their adventures. Notable People- David Boreanaz from Bones is the star of this show. Pros- It makes the military look good and delves into some of the issues they might face. Cons- It can be hard to follow and we don’t have as much focus on the characters as one would like. Note to Parents- This could be a whole lot worse than it is in terms of content. Still, I wouldn’t let those not in high school watch this. Recommendation- This seems pretty good for the most part. I’d say that it would depend on what you like or already watch. My Viewing Habits- I started at the beginning and then there was a time when I gave it up due to recording issues and lack of interest. After work commitments conflicted with shows on Wednesdays, even when I could get back into this later, I decided that I no longer cared about it. Whether or not I’ll see it in the end is currently unknown. Prediction- This is certain to get renewed after this current season ends. After that, we’ll have to wait and see. Reception: mixed. Grade: C+.

Nancy Drew: Status- Currently on the CW at 9/8 Central on Wednesdays. Why I’ve seen it- I thought that it could be interesting. Noteworthiness- This is based on the popular kid’s book series based on the popular character. Description- Now a young adult, the sleuth Nancy Drew is working to solve a cold case murder and a newer murder. Notable People- This stars Riley Smith from Frequency, Life Sentence, and Proven Innocent. Pros- The show is interesting and isn’t just the same thing week after week like you often find in most mystery shows. Cons- It runs into usual problems like sex or other things that probably don’t need to be there. Note to Parents- There is enough in here that kids shouldn’t see, but teens could be okay with. Recommendation- I think that this is good to keep up with and say that you should watch. My Viewing Habits- I joined this into its first season and plan to watch what I can of this as much as I can. Prediction- It has been renewed for a second season and given the CW’s current renewal threads, it will be here for a while. Reception: mixed or average. Grade: A. New review

Single Parents: Status- Currently on ABC at 9:30/8:30 Central on Wednesdays. Why I’ve seen it- It worked out for me to watch it so I did. Description- We see different parents who aren’t in a relationship form a bond with each other. Notable People- This has Taran Killam formerly of Saturday Night Live. It also stars Brad Garrett from Everybody Loves Raymond and ‘Til Death. Pros- There are some bright spots in here. Cons- The plot largely doesn’t work as a whole. It isn’t funny and one doesn’t want to root for these characters. Note to Parents- There were enough issues in this that I think you shouldn’t let kids watch this. Recommendation- Don’t bother with this. My Viewing Habits- I watched the first episode and have never seen it again outside of bits and pieces from other episodes. Prediction- This is likely to stick around for now. Reception: generally favorable. Grade: D. New review

Stumptown: Status- Currently on ABC at 10/9 Central on Wednesdays. Why I’ve seen it- I had a dream about it so I watched it once it worked out. Noteworthiness- It is adapted from a comic book series. Description- A female PI solves cases. Notable People- Colbie Smolders from How I Met Your Mother and the MCU is the lead of this show. Jack Johnson from New Girl is on this as well. Pros- It isn’t too bad as it seems done well enough. Cons- It didn’t seem to have much to it. Note to Parents- This has the usual problems so don’t let too young people watch this. Recommendation- It wasn’t bad, just not worth staying into. My Viewing Habits- I only watched one episode and have no interest in staying into this. Prediction- This looks likely to fail. Reception: generally favorable. Grade: D. New review

S.W.A.T.: Status- Currently on CBS at 10/9 Central on Wednesdays. 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 seems likely to last. Reception: mixed. Grade: A.