GOOD WEEK/BAD WEEK: February 1, 2014

GOOD WEEK: "THE BLACKLIST"
The Blacklist had to face a major test in January. It had three straight weeks without The Voice as a lead-in, a fate that doomed Smash and hasn't been kind to Revolution. While it didn't set the world on fire, it held up quite well and even went up this week, its third week without The Voice, to a 2.5 demo and 10 million viewers. That may not sound incredible but you have to consider that this is a self-starting NBC show that's getting 10 million viewers - when's the last time NBC had any show do that with any regularity and no lead-in from The Voice? This show is what NBC has needed for a long time and its adding to their growing drama arsenal. I think they can be comfortable with moving this show next week and not see it collapse and die, Smash style, or barely hang on, Revolution style.

BAD WEEK: "RAKE"

At one point, FOX seemed pretty excited about their new drama Rake. They were planning to give it the prime post-NFC Championship Game slot and they still gave it the post-American Idol slot on Thursdays. But then they replaced the Championship Game preview with the series premiere of The Following. It premiered out of a 3.4 demo American Idol to a measly 1.7 demo and then crumbled in week two to a 1.3. FOX had a new hit in Sleepy Hollow and decent numbers from Almost Human as well as plenty of dramas on deck. This show will be quickly forgotten but FOX shouldn't even let it keep having the diluted, but still significant, Idol lead-in.

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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...

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...

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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