GOOD WEEK/BAD WEEK: Week 18

GOOD WEEK: "ALCATRAZ"
FOX has been in trouble with their dramas - House is aging and could be in its final season. Fringe is as good as gone. Terra Nova had lukewarm ratings while The Finder has been a bust. Only Bones has been reliable and that's on hiatus. But they got good news on Monday night with the series premiere of spooky Alcatraz. The new series delivered 10.1 million viewers and a strong 3.3 demo but the best news was that it held up well across two hours and two different episodes. While it's too soon to call it a hit, it was a very promising start and reviews have been good. FOX could certainly use a strong new drama.

BAD WEEK: NBC
When the competition increases, NBC just wilts. Aside from positive ratings from Betty White Night, NBC is in dire straits right now. Parenthood, Law & Order: SVU, and Harry's Law are hitting new lows. The comedy hour on Wednesday looks like a bust after steep week two drops. The Thursday comedies outside of The Office are barely contending and Up All Night hasn't helped in place of Whitney. The Firm is a flat out bust. NBC just has so many holes to fix. They better hope that The Voice is everything they're hoping and Smash turns out to be, well, a smash. Otherwise, what do they have? If they can hit with The Voice and Smash, they can slowly build from there. Maybe they need to have Betty White night every week?

Comments

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...

Benjamonster's TV

Search This Blog