GOOD WEEK/BAD WEEK: 2012-13 Week 1

GOOD WEEK: "GREY'S ANATOMY"
In premiere week, many returning shows delivered smaller ratings than last year's strong premiere week numbers. This was seen on hit shows such as Modern Family, Criminal Minds, CSI, Dancing with the Stars, How I Met Your Mother, The Middle, NCIS, NCIS: Los Angeles, Blue Bloods, and others. But there was one veteran drama that had a significant uptick year to year and that was Grey's Anatomy. In its ninth season, the medical drama delivered a stellar 4.4 demo, only trailing Modern Family and The Big Bang Theory for the week in the demo. This is a great performance for a show that looked like it was on its way down for the past couple years until last spring's uptick. Then it followed a strong spring with a premiere number that was only topped once all last season. It may be old, but it remains one of TV's hottest shows.

BAD WEEK: DEAD ON ARRIVAL NEWBIES
Premiere week always brings a couple duds but it seems like there were more immediately dead shows than usual this year. After seeing the ratings for The Mob Doctor, Partners, Made in Jersey, and Animal Practice - it's clear that none of these shows will be around for long. The entire freshman class seems pretty weak but those four shows are dead in the water and I'll predict that one at most will live until November. There was a vibe going in that this year's class was weak and the premiere week numbers lived up to that. In an era of declining audiences, people aren't going to watch shows with no buzz and no appeal. Yet networks continue to greenlight shows like that - I mean, did FOX really think a show about a mob doctor would work? Did CBS really think Partners was going to be their next comedy hit after watching the pilot?

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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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