GOOD WEEK/BAD WEEK: Week 4

GOOD WEEK: TIM ALLEN
The star of the mega-hit of the 90s, Home Improvement, made his return to network television this week and got off to a great start. The new Last Man Standing delivered a very strong 13.2 million viewers and 3.6 demo. It's the second best premiere for a comedy in total viewers after 2 Broke Girls and third in the demo after Broke and New Girl, but both of those shows had lead-ins (2 Broke Girls had the extremely powerful Two and a Half Men lead in). This was a self-starter and the second half hour grew from the first. While it's hard to know how things will ultimately turn out, Allen's critically panned retro-feel show had the last laugh this week.

BAD WEEK: REMAKES
TV just can't help itself with remaking hit shows. There have been many failures over the years - Knight Rider, Fantasy Island, Melrose Place, V, Bionic Woman, The Love Boat, The Fugitive, Dragnet, The Twilight Zone. But last year, CBS had success with the high action remake of Hawaii Five-0 and so now remakes might be all the rage again. But this year, they are not working. ABC's first cancellation was the buzzy remake of 1970s hit Charlie's Angels which dipped to embarrassing demos before getting pulled on Friday. NBC's remake of BBC hit Prime Suspect sunk to another series low and is actually doing worse than Charlie's, though it's on NBC so it's surviving for now. While we're at it, Hawaii dipped to a season low this week. Why do networks keep trying this when the batting average is very very low?

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EPISODE GUIDES: Rhoda Season Five

On Thursdays, I go through classic series with a critical look at each season. Today I am looking at Season Five (the final season) of Rhoda ! RHODA: SEASON FIVE 1978 13 episodes Rhoda' s final season was a truncated one as the show was cancelled in December 1978 after only 13 episodes had been produced (and only nine had aired). This feels like a continuation from season four in many ways except with the ill-advised split between Ida and Martin (more on that below). While Rhoda has an occasional good moment and even a couple decent episodes, it is a show that seems so wildly different from season one and not in a good way. Rhoda could never figure out what it fully wanted to be and only made it four and a half seasons as a result. Starring Valerie Harper as Rhoda Morgenstern (13 episodes) Julie Kavner as Brenda Morgenstern (13 episodes) Ray Buktenica as Benny Goodwin (11 episodes) Kenneth McMillan as Jack Doyle (9 episodes) Nancy Wa...

SCHEDULES OF THE PAST: 1995-1996 Thursdays

On Tuesdays, I take a look at schedules from yesteryear. Here's a look at Thursdays in the 1995-96 season! ABC 8:00 8:30 9:00 10:00 Sep Charlie Grace The Monroes Various Programs Oct Murder One Nov Various Programs Dec Various Programs Thursday Night Movie Jan Feb World’s Funniest Videos Before They Were Stars! Mar Apr May NBC was the powerhouse on Thursday nights but ABC still gave it the old college try in the Fall of 1995 with a trio of new dramas that they hoped would help them cut into the Peacock's dominance. Headlining their night was Murder One , a high profile new show from Steven Bochco that received much of the network's attention before the season started. The series focused on one murder case for an entire season, whi...

DECADE IN REVIEW: The Best Comedies of the 2010s

During the month of December, I will be looking back at the decade that was the 2010s on TV. I will be sharing my favorite sitcoms, dramas, the best episodes, the best performances and the worst shows of the decade. To be eligible for this list, a show had to air the majority of its episodes in the 2010s. However, for the rankings and determination, all episodes were taken into account, including ones that may have aired before 2010. I will also preface that there are comedies that have aired this decade that I haven't watched yet so this is the best of what I have watched. To be fair, that preface is more true for dramas. There's not a ton of unwatched comedies sitting in my Netflix or Amazon watchlist. So here are my Top 10 comedies of the 2010s! Close Calls: Master of None (Netflix) - An inconsistent but occasionally fascinating commentary on many life issues done so with innovative storytelling. The Good Place (NBC) - A show that aims high with a fascinating premis...

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