GOOD WEEK/BAD WEEK: March 30, 2013

GOOD WEEK: "THE VOICE"
It's amazing how one show can change NBC so much. The Voice with two new coaches returned this week after NBC's disastrous winter and while all was not well across the network, Mondays 8-10pm and Tuesdays 8pm are looking a whole lot brighter. The Voice had an eye-popping 4.8 demo on Monday night, well above the languishing American Idol. It came back to Earth a little bit on Tuesday but it was still a stellar performer. It also catapulted lead-outs Revolution to decent numbers and Go On to its best number since it last followed The Voice. NBC needs more than The Voice to succeed and they can't overexpose it but it's amazing how it can bring viewers back to a network no one was watching very quickly.

BAD WEEK: CBS NEWBIES
CBS renewed a bunch of new shows this week and newcomer Elementary was among them. But other than that, it looks like no other freshman will be renewed on CBS. Made in Jersey, Partners, and The Job were cancelled quickly and it's not looking good at all for Golden Boy or Vegas. Only getting one show renewed has only happened once in the last decade for CBS: the 2007-08 strike season (The Big Bang Theory was the one renewal). CBS is the most stable network on TV but they rely on new shows replacing their aging hits. And with many shows getting up in age: CSI, Survivor, The Amazing Race, Criminal Minds, CSI: NY, How I Met Your Mother, NCIS, and Two and a Half Men - they need some new hits next season. Another year with just one will not cut it.

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EPISODE GUIDES: That 70s Show Season Seven

On Thursdays, I go through classic series with a critical look at each season. Today I am looking at Season Seven of That 70s Show ! THAT 70s SHOW: SEASON SEVEN 2004-2005 25 episodes The seventh season of That 70s Show is the final season with Topher Grace as a series regular and also the final full season for Ashton Kutcher. Despite still having both of those cast member, the show finds itself flailing especially with Topher Grace's Eric, who is stuck in a terrible arc for most of the season. The show also brings many characters back at one point or another but everything just feels tired. This season actually graded out the worst for me. Even worse than the often maligned final season (more on that next week). Every title this season is named for a Rolling Stones song. Starring Topher Grace as Eric Forman (25 episodes) Mila Kunis as Jackie Burkhart (25 episodes) Ashton Kutcher as Michael Kelso (25 episodes) Danny Masterson as Steven Hyde (25 e...

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...

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