GOOD WEEK/BAD WEEK: March 23, 2013

GOOD WEEK: ABC REALITY SHOWS
ABC has had a surprising week with their reality shows. On Monday night, Dancing with the Stars returned up nicely from its disappointing fall numbers. Then on Tuesday, the new celebrity diving series Splash was a big surprise with a very solid 2.6 demo against NCIS and with Daylight Savings a factor. I thought there would be very little interest in this show but apparently I was wrong. Even on Thursday, the return of the non-celebrity Wife Swap did better in the 8pm hour than most Last Resort episodes and all Zero Hour episodes this year. Things may change this week when The Voice returns but it was a solid week for ABC's reality shows.

BAD WEEK: "SMASH"
If there's one show that symbolizes the way NBC's winter has gone, it is Smash. Filled with high expectations and a heavy ad campaign, Smash fell on its face with its winter premiere. It has continued to fall ever since reaching a 0.7 demo this week. It will be benched to Saturdays in a couple weeks but the 0.7 demo was enough to get Do No Harm yanked after two episodes a month and a half ago. The difference is how low NBC is overall so a 0.7 demo isn't all that low. It's what The New Normal got this week and just slightly below the numbers for Go On, 1600 Penn, and Community. NBC has The Voice and Revolution returning this week so it will be interesting to see if they can regain some mojo from the fall.

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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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