Benjamonster's TV

Welcome to my Monday newsletter! This week, I am looking at the second season of The Pitt and the latest episodes of Abbott Elementary and Chicago Med . Plus, my Most Anticipated New Shows of 2026 and more! WHAT'S NEW THE PITT Season 2 I was excited all day on Thursday for The Pitt premiere. Just as a generation before me looked forward to ER on Thursday nights, I was excited for this ritual from last winter to return to my life and be my Thursday night routine for the next 15 weeks. Last year, The Pitt was not a phenomenon when it premiered and it flew under the radar for awhile. This year, it came back as the reigning Outstanding Drama Series Emmy winner and a show that has developed quite a following. There was part of me that worried the show might overplay its hand and lean too far into certain things but I should have known better because I know how much care the team behind this show has and they knew that the best thing to do was to still keep things small and focused. Asid...

Welcome to my Monday newsletter! This week, I am counting down my Top 10 TV Shows of the Year to finish off my Year in Review and also taking a look back at Hawaii Five-0 . The blog will be on a break until January 12 so I will see you then! YEAR IN REVIEW TOP 10 TV SHOWS OF THE YEAR Honorable Mentions: The Diplomat, Only Murders in the Building, Adolescence, The Studio, The Four Seasons 10. ABBOTT ELEMENTARY (ABC) It can always be hard to decide how to rank a broadcast show that makes so many more episodes than streaming or premium channel shows. So if Abbott Elementary had a few clunkers among over 20 episodes, is that a reason to ding it? Because it has had a few clunkers this fall. But it made my list because of a very strong end to the fourth season back in the spring. There were a couple really compelling arcs going on and Janelle James in particular had a great season that gave her a lot more dimension. Abbott is becoming a comedy elder statesman now but any show that can still ...

Welcome to my Monday newsletter! This week, I am continuing my Year in Review with my Top 11 Episodes of the Year. Plus, I am looking at the latest episode of Pluribus and taking a look back at Outsourced ! YEAR IN REVIEW TOP 11 EPISODES OF THE YEAR Normally this would be a Top 10 Episodes of the Year but I just couldn't take one of them off this list so I decided to make it a Top 11! 11 . Paradise "The Day" (Hulu, February 25) I really wasn't a fan of the first season of Paradise  but this was a case where one episode was so far and above everything else that came before and after. The penultimate episode, titled "The Day," took us back to the apocalyptic event that led to the premise of the show. I didn't really care about how it fit into the show's mythology, because I don't like the show, but I thought it was a fascinating and eerie look at what could happen if the people in power find out the world is ending before the general public. It was...

Welcome to my Monday newsletter! This week, I am kicking off my Year in Review with my Top 10 Performances of the Year. Plus a check in on Pluribus , my #1 show of my Top 25 Shows Since 2000 and a look back at No Ordinary Family ! YEAR IN REVIEW TOP 10 PERFORMANCES OF THE YEAR I'm kicking off a three week Year in Review with the Top 10 Performances of the Year. Next week will be my Top 10 Episodes followed by my last post for 2025 - my Top 10 Shows of 2025. Enjoy! 10. The Guest Stars of  The Studio I wasn't as high on The Studio as many because I found it inconsistent but I struggle to think of a show that had as high a batting average of guest stars. Even the "killer of the week" shows like Poker Face and Elsbeth rise and fall a bit based on their guest. But pretty much everyone, including many known more for being behind the camera, rocked it on The Studio . Who was my favorite? Probably Zoe Kravitz, with a completely unhinged performance. But I also have a lot of l...