PILOT REVIEW: Good Girls

GOOD GIRLS

Starring: Christina Hendricks, Retta, Mae Whitman, Reno Wilson, Manny Montana, Lidya Jewett, Izzy Stannard, and Matthew Lillard

Created by Jenna Bans
Written by Jenna Bans, Directed by Dean Parisot

THE PREMISE
Good Girls had a good thing going for it before it even started because it features actresses from three of my favorite shows: Christina Hendricks of Mad Men, Retta of Parks and Recreation, and Mae Whitman of Parenthood. In this new comedy-drama, they play three suburban housewives who are at their wits end with their finances and personal lives so they decide to rob a supermarket but it becomes far more complicated as the episode progresses.

THE REVIEW
In this era of #MeToo, this is a very interesting commentary and it's a very unusual mix of comedy and drama. At one point, the show doesn't seem to take itself too seriously with its outlandish premise and quirky characters but then it pivots and it addresses rape and family hardships among other serious topics. And yet, it doesn't feel as frenetic as it might seem. Although the pilot was far from perfect, I do think it's a well constructed show. It had some high moments and I think if I had never seen a trailer or had any idea what it was about, the opening was actually pretty surprising.

The best part of the pilot was easily the performance of the three leads. All three are such strong actresses and they had instant chemistry with each other. Retta is probably playing the most similar to a previous type of character but it's a stretch for Mae Whitman and particularly Christina Hendricks to play parts very different from the roles that made them famous. Shows succeed and fail based on two things in my opinion: writing and acting. I'm not 100% convinced the writing is there for this show, but I am already 100% convinced that the acting is going to help this show immensely.

Where the show got bogged down was in two places and they might seem at odds with each other. The show seemed at times to be too bent on the revenge aspect. I feel like they dealt with Hendricks rage against her cheating husband multiple times to the same end. At the same time, I would argue that they maybe tried to introduce too much in the pilot and it was perhaps biting off more than they could chew. I think they should have spent more time leading up to the bank robbery and working out the backstory and then they could have addressed some of the post-bank robbery issues in future episodes. But if they have a good plan for where they're going then I'll take that back.

WILL I WATCH IT AGAIN?
Yes. I'm interested to see what episode two looks like.

PILOT REVIEW: Living Biblically

LIVING BIBLICALLY

Starring: Jay R. Ferguson, Lindsey Kraft, David Krumholtz, Tony Rock, with Ian Gomez, and Camryn Manheim

Inspired by "The Year of Living Biblically" by AJ Jacobs
Created by Patrick Walsh
Written by Patrick Walsh, Directed by Andy Ackerman

THE PREMISE
Living Biblically is based on a book about a man who decides to live his life for a year literally according to the Bible. When Chip's (Jay R. Ferguson) best friend dies, Chip goes into a funk that is broken when his wife, Leslie (Lindsey Kraft) tells him she is pregnant. Chip decides to improve his life by living for a year according to the Bible with the assistance of his priest, Father Gene (Ian Gomez). Rounding out the main cast are co-workers and friends, Vince (Tony Rock) and Rabbi Ableman (David Krumholtz) as well as his boss at a local newspaper, Ms. Meadows (Camryn Manheim).

THE REVIEW
Well this was a pretty cringe-inducing pilot that once again proved everything that is wrong with the current state of multi-camera sitcoms. I have not read the book it is based on but despite being a little bit gimmicky, I don't think the premise is all that bad. In fact, I could have seen this working as a quirky single camera comedy. But the problem is it's a niche, gimmicky concept that is presented as a very generic sitcom with a laugh track (and an annoying one at that).

As is so often the case with shows like this, one of my biggest problems is that the dialogue just doesn't feel natural at all. It feels like setup-joke-setup-joke. Obviously that's not how people talk in life and it's glaringly obvious when a show is written by jokes instead of by characters. When you have a well-written sitcom, the humor comes naturally and it doesn't feel forced. That doesn't matter if it's a single or multi-camera sitcom, it all comes down to the writing. The poor writing was evident from the very first scene where a very fake sounding audience laughed at one bad line after another as the show explained the whole plot in a very uninspiring way. The fact that it had a surprisingly tender moment at the end didn't erase all the cringing that happened throughout the pilot.

As far as the cast, Jay R. Ferguson was fine in the lead role and I could actually see him being funny in a better written sitcom. But he's not strong enough to overcome the writing. The rest of the cast ranged from adequate to forgettable. Camryn Manheim is doing some serious overacting here which is a shame for an acclaimed actress. And I know she's not a regular but Sara Gilbert was super annoying in the pilot in a role that was very similar to her role on the short lived Bad Teacher sitcom a couple years ago. I certainly hope her reprisal of Darlene on Roseanne in a month is nothing like her recent track record. And just one final comment, does a mom really believe her son is in hell and if she does, would she joke about it at a memorial service? Of course the answer is no and that's another way to hammer home the fact that nothing about this show felt real.

WILL I WATCH IT AGAIN?
Probably not. I don't know if this is the worst new comedy of the year but it's certainly a contender.

THE WEEK AHEAD: February 26-March 4, 2018

Here's a look at Week #23! The Winter Olympics are over tonight so its back to normal with some series and season premieres to boot.

ABC
ABC is all new most of the week but they do not have any premieres because they have the Oscars next Sunday and they will use it as a promotional platform. They do have a buzzy crossover between Scandal and How to Get Away with Murder on Thursday this week. It will be interesting to see if it can help either show. Designated Survivor returns for the first time in a couple months on Wednesday.

MONDAY
8:00 The Bachelor
10:00 The Good Doctor

TUESDAY
8:00 The Middle
8:30 Fresh Off the Boat
9:00 Black-ish
9:30 Modern Family (Repeat)
10:00 Kevin (Probably) Saves the World

WEDNESDAY
8:00 The Goldbergs
8:30 Speechless
9:00 Modern Family
9:30 American Housewife
10:00 Designated Survivor

THURSDAY
8:00 Grey's Anatomy
9:00 Scandal
10:00 How to Get Away with Murder

FRIDAY
8:00 Once Upon a Time
9:00 Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.
10:00 20/20

SATURDAY
8:00 NBA Basketball: Boston at Houston

SUNDAY
7:00 Oscars Opening Ceremony: Live from the Red Carpet (Special)
8:00 2018 Academy Awards (Special)

CBS
CBS has a Monday night comedy premiere in Living Biblically. I don't see it doing any better than 9JKL and it could do worse. The Eye network also has the newest edition of Survivor premiering Wednesday and leading into SEAL Team at a special time.

MONDAY
8:00 Kevin Can Wait
8:30 Man with a Plan
9:00 Superior Donuts
9:30 Living Biblically (SERIES PREMIERE)
10:00 Scorpion

TUESDAY
8:00 NCIS
9:00 Bull
10:00 NCIS: New Orleans

WEDNESDAY
8:00 Survivor (36th Edition Premiere)
10:00 SEAL Team

THURSDAY
8:00 The Big Bang Theory
8:30 Young Sheldon
9:00 Mom
9:30 Life in Pieces
10:00 S.W.A.T.

FRIDAY
8:00 MacGyver
9:00 Hawaii Five-0
10:00 Blue Bloods

SATURDAY
8:00 NCIS: Los Angeles (Repeat)
9:00 48 Hours
10:00 48 Hours

SUNDAY
7:00 60 Minutes
8:00 Wisdom of the Crowd (Repeat)
9:00 NCIS: Los Angeles (Repeat)
10:00 Madam Secretary (Repeat)

NBC
NBC has a big Monday planned following the Olympics with the return of The Voice and series premiere of Good Girls. Both shows got a ton of Olympics promotion so NBC has to be hoping for strong numbers. NBC is also double pumping A.P. Bio on Thursday before Champions arrives next week.

MONDAY
8:00 The Voice (14th Edition Premiere)
10:00 Good Girls (SERIES PREMIERE)

TUESDAY
8:00 The Voice
9:00 This is Us
10:00 Chicago Med

WEDNESDAY
8:00 The Blacklist
9:00 Law & Order: SVU
10:00 Chicago PD

THURSDAY
8:00 Superstore
8:30 A.P. Bio
9:00 Will & Grace
9:30 A.P. Bio
10:00 Chicago Fire

FRIDAY
8:00 Blindspot
9:00 Taken
10:00 Dateline NBC

SATURDAY
8:00 NHL Hockey: Toronto vs. Washington

SUNDAY
7:00 Dateline NBC
8:00 Movie: Furious 7

FOX
FOX was almost in complete repeat mode during the Olympics but they are back with pretty much the same pre-Olympic schedule except the return of Gotham and the new Showtime at the Apollo take over Thursday night. This seems like a weird pairing of shows.

MONDAY
8:00 Lucifer
9:00 The Resident

TUESDAY
8:00 Lethal Weapon
9:00 LA to Vegas
9:30 The Mick

WEDNESDAY
8:00 The X-Files
9:00 9-1-1

THURSDAY
8:00 Gotham
9:00 Showtime at the Apollo (SERIES PREMIERE)

FRIDAY
8:00 Masterchef Junior (Season Premiere)

SATURDAY
8:00 Masterchef Junior (Repeat)
9:00 Showtime at the Apollo (Repeat)

SUNDAY
7:00 Brooklyn Nine-Nine (Repeat)
7:30 Bob's Burgers (Repeat)
8:00 The Simpsons (Repeat)
8:30 Ghosted (Repeat)
9:00 Family Guy (Repeat)
9:30 LA to Vegas (Repeat)

CW
The CW is slowly rolling out its spring schedule starting with the season premiere of iZombie on Monday nights. Life Sentence won't premiere for another week so Wednesday has a premiere of Penn & Teller: Fool Us.

MONDAY
8:00 DC's Legends of Tomorrow
9:00 iZombie (Season Premiere)

TUESDAY
8:00 The Flash
9:00 Black Lightning

WEDNESDAY
8:00 Riverdale
9:00 Penn & Teller: Fool Us (Repeat)

THURSDAY
8:00 Supernatrual
9:00 Arrow

FRIDAY
8:00 iZombie (Repeat)
9:00 Jane the Virgin

TV NEWS & THOUGHTS
- NBC has renewed Superstore for a fourth season. The workplace comedy has done an admirable job leading off NBC's Thursday night lineup for two years now, not to mention competing with The Big Bang Theory.

- NBC has swapped the planned timeslots for A.P. Bio and Champions. Beginning March 8, A.P. Bio will air at 8:30pm while Champions premieres at 9:30pm that same night. This could be in response to a weak preview performance from A.P. Bio in early February

THE WEEK AHEAD: February 19-25, 2018

Here's a look at Week #22! It's another week of the Winter Olympics with very little on the other networks except some finales of some winter shows including The Amazing Race, Big Brother: Celebrity Edition, and The Bachelor: Winter Games. It's also the season finale for Shark Tank next Sunday against the Closing Ceremony. NBC is airing another preview episode of A.P. Bio during the Closing Ceremony, but it didn't get much traction on a Thursday preview earlier this month.

ABC

MONDAY
8:00 The Bachelor
10:00 The Good Doctor (Repeat)

TUESDAY
8:00 The Bachelor: Winter Games
10:00 Kevin (Probably) Saves the World

WEDNESDAY
8:00 The Goldbergs (Repeat)
8:30 Speechless (Repeat)
9:00 Modern Family (Repeat)
9:30 American Housewife (Repeat)
10:00 Match Game

THURSDAY
8:00 The Bachelor: Winter Games (Season Finale)
10:00 The Bachelor: Winter Games - The World Tells All (Special)

FRIDAY
8:00 Movie: Wreck-it-Ralph
10:00 20/20

SATURDAY
8:00 NBA Countdown
8:30 NBA Basketball: Oklahoma City at Golden State

SUNDAY
7:00 America's Funniest Home Videos (Repeat)
8:00 The Bachelor: The Women Tell All (Special)
10:00 Shark Tank (Season Finale)

CBS

MONDAY
8:00 Big Brother: Celebrity Edition
9:00 The Big Bang Theory (Repeat)
9:30 Young Sheldon (Repeat)
10:00 Bull (Repeat)

TUESDAY
8:00 NCIS (Repeat)
9:00 Bull (Repeat)
10:00 NCIS: New Orleans (Repeat)

WEDNESDAY
8:00 Big Brother: Celebrity Edition
9:00 The Amazing Race (Season Finale)

THURSDAY
8:00 The Big Bang Theory (Repeat)
8:30 Young Sheldon (Repeat)
9:00 The Big Bang Theory (Repeat)
9:30 Mom (Repeat)
10:00 S.W.A.T. (Repeat)

FRIDAY
8:00 Big Brother: Celebrity Edition
10:00 Blue Bloods (Repeat)

SATURDAY
8:00 Big Brother: Celebrity Edition
9:00 48 Hours
10:00 48 Hours

SUNDAY
7:00 60 Minutes
8:00 Big Brother: Celebrity Edition (Season Finale)
10:00 NCIS: Los Angeles (Repeat)

NBC

MONDAY
8:00 2018 Winter Olympics

TUESDAY
8:00 2018 Winter Olympics

WEDNESDAY
8:00 2018 Winter Olympics

THURSDAY
8:00 2018 Winter Olympics

FRIDAY
8:00 2018 Winter Olympics

SATURDAY
8:00 2018 Winter Olympics

SUNDAY
7:00 2018 Winter Olympics Closing Ceremony
10:30 A.P. Bio

FOX

MONDAY
8:00 Lucifer (Repeat)
9:00 The Resident (Repeat)

TUESDAY
8:00 Lethal Weapon (Repeat)
9:00 LA to Vegas (Repeat)
9:30 The  Mick (Repeat)

WEDNESDAY
8:00 The Resident (Repeat)
9:00 9-1-1 (Repeat)

THURSDAY
8:00 Gotham (Repeat)
9:00 9-1-1 (Repeat)

FRIDAY
8:00 Showtime at the Apollo (Repeat)

SATURDAY
8:00 UFC Fight Night

SUNDAY
7:00 Brooklyn Nine-Nine (Repeat)
7:30 Bob's Burgers (Repeat)
8:00 The Simpsons (Repeat)
8:30 Ghosted (Repeat)
9:00 Family Guy (Repeat)
9:30 LA to Vegas (Repeat)

CW

MONDAY
8:00 DC's Legends of Tomorrow
9:00 Whose Line is it Anyway? (Repeat)
9:30 Whose Line is it Anyway? (Repeat)

TUESDAY
8:00 The Flash (Repeat)
9:00 Black Lightning (Repeat)

WEDNESDAY
8:00 Riverdale (Repeat)
9:00 Penn & Teller: Fool Us (Repeat)

THURSDAY
8:00 Supernatural (Repeat)
9:00 Arrow (Repeat)

FRIDAY
8:00 The 3rd Annual Howie Mandel Stand-Up Gala (Special)
9:30 Whose Line is it Anyway? (Repeat)

TV NEWS & THOUGHTS
- The CW announced that it will expand its programming to Sundays for the first time since the 2008-09 season, when they dropped to five nights a week. They will now broadcast Sunday-Friday from 8-10pm. This comes after 9 pilots were ordered by the CW and they have been renewing more shows recently. I wouldn't be surprised if something like the planned and hyped Charmed reboot is what they target for Sundays.

- After sitting on it for several months, NBC has renewed summer drama Midnight, Texas for a second season. I'd imagine they are planning it for summer again.

- FOX has renewed So You Think You Can Dance for a 15th season. The long running reality competition was on the bubble and has aired in every imaginable slot and time of year, but will be back again this summer.

WEEKLY RECAP: February 5-11, 2018

Here is the weekly ratings recap looking back at the week in ratings for Week #20. Please note no repeats, sports, specials, or Saturday airings are counted.

TOP 20 SHOWS (18-49 DEMO)
1. This is Us (NBC, Tuesday 9:00pm) - 2.7    14th week
2. Grey's Anatomy (ABC, Thursday 8:00pm) - 2.0    11th week
3. Ellen's Game of Games (NBC, Tuesday 8:00pm) - 1.9    6th week
4. The Bachelor (ABC, Monday 8:00pm) - 1.8    6th week
    Big Brother: Celebrity Edition (CBS, Wednesday 8:00pm) - 1.8    Special Airing
6. The Good Doctor (ABC, Monday 10:00pm) - 1.7    14th week
    9-1-1 (FOX, Wednesday 9:00pm) - 1.7    6th week
8. The Wall (NBC, Monday 8:00pm) - 1.5    3rd week
    NCIS (CBS, Tuesday 8:00pm) - 1.5    14th week
    Chicago Med (NBC, Tuesday 10:00pm) - 1.5    9th week
11. Big Brother: Celebrity Edition (CBS, Thursday 8:00pm) - 1.4    Special Airing
12. Law & Order: SVU (NBC, Wednesday 9:00pm) - 1.3    9th week
      The Four (FOX, Thursday 8:00pm) - 1.3    3rd week
14. Kevin Can Wait (CBS, Monday 8:00pm) - 1.2    12th week
    The Middle (ABC, Tuesday 8:00pm) - 1.2    14th week
    Bull (CBS, Tuesday 9:00pm) - 1.2    8th week
    Chicago PD (NBC, Wednesday 10:00pm) - 1.2    8th week
    Big Brother: Celebrity Edition (CBS, Sunday 8:00pm) - 1.2    Special Airing
19. Man with a Plan (CBS, Monday 8:30pm) - 1.1    4th week
    Better Late Than Never (NBC, Monday 9:00pm) - 1.1    1st week
    The Resident (FOX, Monday 9:00pm) - 1.1    1st week
    Lethal Weapon (FOX, Tuesday 8:00pm) - 1.1    2nd week
    The Amazing Race (CBS, Wednesday 9:00pm) - 1.1    6th week
    Scandal (ABC, Thursday 9:00pm) - 1.1    4th week

BOTTOM 20 SHOWS (18-49 DEMO)
1. Dynasty (CW, Wednesday 9:00pm) - 0.2    13th week
    Crazy Ex-Girlfriend (CW, Friday 8:00pm) - 0.2    12th week
3. Jane the Virgin (CW, Friday 9:00pm) - 0.3    10th week
4. Arrow (CW, Thursday 9:00pm) - 0.4    12th week
    Child Support (ABC, Friday 9:00pm) - 0.4    6th week
6. Kevin (Probably) Saves the World (ABC, Tuesday 10:00pm) - 0.5    13th week
    Riverdale (CW, Wednesday 8:00pm) - 0.5    13th week
8. Supergirl (CW, Monday 8:00pm) - 0.6    13th week
    Black Lightning (CW, Tuesday 9:00pm) - 0.6    4th week
    Match Game (ABC, Wednesday 10:00pm) - 0.6    5th week
    Supernatural (CW, Thursday 8:00pm) - 0.6    13th week
    20/20 (ABC, Friday 10:00pm) - 0.6    18th week
13. The Mick (FOX, Tuesday 9:30pm) - 0.7    13th week
14. Scorpion (CBS, Monday 10:00pm) - 0.8    10th week
    LA to Vegas (FOX, Tuesday 9:00pm) - 0.8    2nd week
    The Flash (CW, Tuesday 8:00pm) - 0.8    5th week
    How to Get Away with Murder (ABC, Thursday 10:00pm) - 0.8    3rd week
    Shark Tank (ABC, Sunday 10:00pm) - 0.8    3rd week
    60 Minutes (CBS, Sunday 7:00pm) - 0.8    4th week

20. 9JKL (CBS, Monday 9:30pm) - 0.9    4th week
      Fresh Off the Boat (ABC, Tuesday 8:30pm) - 0.9    1st week
     NCIS: New Orleans (CBS, Tuesday 10:00pm) - 0.9    4th week
     The X-Files (FOX, Wednesday 8:00pm) - 0.9    1st week

TOP 20 SHOWS (TOTAL VIEWERS)
1. NCIS (CBS, Tuesday 8:00pm) - 13.9 million    14th week
2. Bull (CBS, Tuesday 9:00pm) - 10.9 million    14th week
3. This is Us (NBC, Tuesday 9:00pm) - 10.1 million    14th week
4. The Good Doctor (ABC, Monday 10:00pm) - 9.6 million    14th week
5. NCIS: New Orleans (CBS, Tuesday 10:00pm) - 8.4 million    14th week
6. Ellen's Game of Games (NBC, Tuesday 8:00pm) - 7.7 million    6th week
7. 60 Minutes (CBS, Sunday 7:00pm) - 7.6 million    16th week
8. Chicago Med (NBC, Tuesday 10:00pm) - 7.4 million    9th week
9. Big Brother: Celebrity Edition (CBS, Wednesday 8:00pm) - 7.3 million    Special Airing
    Grey's Anatomy (ABC, Thursday 8:00pm) - 7.3 million    11th week
11. Chicago PD (NBC, Wednesday 10:00pm) - 7.2 million    7th week
12. Kevin Can Wait (CBS, Monday 8:00pm) - 7.0 million    8th week
13. The Bachelor (ABC, Monday 8:00pm) - 6.8 million    3rd week
14. The Wall (NBC, Monday 8:00pm) - 6.7 million    2nd week
15. Law & Order: SVU (NBC, Wednesday 9:00pm) - 6.6 million    2nd week
      9-1-1 (FOX, Wednesday 9:00pm) - 6.6 million    4th week
17. Man with a Plan (CBS, Monday 8:30pm) - 6.5 million    6th week
18. The Blacklist (NBC, Wednesday 8:00pm) - 6.4 million    2nd week
19. Superior Donuts (CBS, Monday 9:00pm) - 5.7 million    3rd week
20. Scorpion (CBS, Monday 10:00pm) - 5.6 million    3rd week
     The Middle (ABC, Tuesday 8:00pm) - 5.6 million    3rd week

BOTTOM 20 SHOWS (TOTAL VIEWERS)
1. Crazy Ex-Girlfriend (CW, Friday 8:00pm) - 0.6 million    12th week
2. Dynasty (CW, Wednesday 9:00pm) - 0.7 million    13th week
3. Jane the Virgin (CW, Friday 9:00pm) - 0.8 million    10th week
4. Riverdale (CW, Wednesday 8:00pm) - 1.3 million    13th week
    Arrow (CW, Thursday 9:00pm) - 1.3 million    12th week
6. Supernatural (CW, Thursday 8:00pm) - 1.8 million    13th week
7. Black Lightning (CW, Tuesday 9:00pm) - 1.9 million    4th week
8. The Mick (FOX, Tuesday 9:30pm) - 2.0 million    14th week
9. Supergirl (CW, Monday 8:00pm) - 2.1 million    13th week
10. Child Support (ABC, Friday 9:00pm) - 2.2 million    2nd week
11. Kevin (Probably) Saves the World (ABC, Tuesday 10:00pm) - 2.3 million    9th week
    The Flash (CW, Tuesday 8:00pm) - 2.3 million    13th week
13. LA to Vegas (FOX, Tuesday 9:00pm) - 2.5 million    5th week
14. Match Game (ABC, Wednesday 10:00pm) - 2.6 million    6th week
15. Shark Tank (ABC, Sunday 10:00pm) - 2.9 million    3rd week
16. How to Get Away with Murder (ABC, Thursday 10:00pm) - 3.3 million    4th week
      20/20 (ABC, Friday 10:00pm) - 3.3 million    15th week
18. Lucifer (FOX, Wednesday 8:00pm) - 3.7 million    5th week
     Black-ish (ABC, Tuesday 9:00pm) - 3.7 million    4th week
    The X-Files (FOX, Wednesday 8:00pm) - 3.7 million    2nd week

WINNERS OF THE NIGHT
Monday - The Wall (NBC)    1st week
Tuesday - This is Us (NBC)    5th week
Wednesday - 9-1-1 (FOX)    4th week
Thursday - The Four (FOX)    2nd week
Friday - Jane the Virgin (CW)    1st week
Sunday - None

LOSERS OF THE NIGHT
Monday - Scorpion (CBS)    1st week
Tuesday - Kevin (Probably) Saves the World (ABC)    4th week
Wednesday - Match Game (ABC)    2nd week
Thursday - How to Get Away with Murder (ABC)    2nd week
Friday - Child Support (ABC)    2nd week
Sunday - None

THE WEEK AHEAD: February 12-18, 2018

Here's a look at Week #21! With the Olympics dominating on NBC all week, ABC is giving a little bit of competition with The Bachelor: Winter Games while CBS has Big Brother: Celebrity Edition. FOX is entirely in repeats while the CW has the return of DC's Legends of Tomorrow, now on Monday nights, a new Black Lightning, and the season finale of Crazy Ex-Girlfriend.

ABC

MONDAY
8:00 The Bachelor
10:00 The Good Doctor (Repeat)

TUESDAY
8:00 The Bachelor: Winter Games (SERIES PREMIERE)
10:00 Lights, Camera, Romance! (Special)

WEDNESDAY
8:00 The Goldbergs (Repeat)
8:30 Speechless (Repeat)
9:00 Modern Family (Repeat)
9:30 American Housewife (Repeat)
10:00 Match Game

THURSDAY
8:00 The Bachelor: Winter Games
10:00 20/20: Roseanne - The Return

FRIDAY
8:00 Movie: Wreck-It Ralph
10:00 20/20

SATURDAY
8:00 The Middle (Repeat)
8:30 The Middle (Repeat)
9:00 Black-ish (Repeat)
9:30 Black-ish (Repeat)
10:00 20/20

SUNDAY
7:00 America's Funniest Home Videos
8:00 Celebrity Family Feud (Repeat)
9:00 Celebrity Family Feud (Repeat)
10:00 Shark Tank

CBS

MONDAY
8:00 Big Brother: Celebrity Edition
9:00 The Big Bang Theory (Repeat)
9:30 Man with a Plan (Repeat)
10:00 S.W.A.T. (Repeat)

TUESDAY
8:00 NCIS (Repeat)
9:00 Bull (Repeat)
10:00 NCIS: New Orleans (Repeat)

WEDNESDAY
8:00 Big Brother: Celebrity Edition
9:00 The Amazing Race

THURSDAY
8:00 The Big Bang Theory (Repeat)
8:30 Young Sheldon (Repeat)
9:00 Mom (Repeat)
9:30 Life in Pieces (Repeat)
10:00 S.W.A.T. (Repeat)

FRIDAY
8:00 Big Brother: Celebrity Edition
10:00 Hawaii Five-0 (Repeat)

SATURDAY
8:00 MacGyver (Repeat)
9:00 NCIS: New Orleans (Repeat)
10:00 48 Hours

SUNDAY
7:00 60 Minutes
8:00 Big Brother: Celebrity Edition
9:00 S.W.A.T. (Repeat)
10:00 SEAL Team (Repeat)

NBC

MONDAY
8:00 2018 Winter Olympics

TUESDAY
8:00 2018 Winter Olympics

WEDNESDAY
8:00 2018 Winter Olympics

THURSDAY
8:00 2018 Winter Olympics

FRIDAY
8:00 2018 Winter Olympics

SATURDAY
8:00 2018 Winter Olympics

SUNDAY
7:00 2018 Winter Olympics

FOX

MONDAY
8:00 Lucifer (Repeat)
9:00 The Resident (Repeat)

TUESDAY
8:00 Lethal Weapon (Repeat)
9:00 LA to Vegas (Repeat)
9:30 The Mick (Repeat)

WEDNESDAY
8:00 The X-Files (Repeat)
9:00 9-1-1 (Repeat)

THURSDAY
8:00 Gotham (Repeat)
9:00 9-1-1 (Repeat)

FRIDAY
8:00 The X-Files (Repeat)
9:00 The X-Files (Repeat)

SATURDAY
8:00 Boxing

SUNDAY
7:00 Brooklyn Nine-Nine (Repeat)
7:30 Bob's Burgers (Repeat)
8:00 The Simpsons (Repeat)
8:30 Ghosted (Repeat)
9:00 Family Guy (Repeat)
9:30 LA to Vegas (Repeat)

CW

MONDAY
8:00 DC's Legends of Tomorrow
9:00 Whose Line is it Anyway? (Repeat)
9:30 Whose Line is it Anyway? (Repeat)

TUESDAY
8:00 The Flash (Repeat)
9:00 Black Lightning

WEDNESDAY
8:00 Relationships: Just for Laughs (Special)
9:00 Top 14 Greatest Valentine's Day Movies of All Time (Special)

THURSDAY
8:00 Supernatural (Repeat)
9:00 Arrow (Repeat)

FRIDAY
8:00 Crazy Ex-Girlfriend (Season Finale)
9:00 Penn & Teller: Fool Us (Repeat)

TV NEWS & THOUGHTS
- ABC has cancelled the long running Once Upon a Time after seven seasons. The fantasy drama was a surprise hit when it first started and had ups and downs (including a memorable Frozen-themed bump). But its audience dwindled big time in recent years and it was moved to Friday from its long time Sunday 8pm home this past fall while also experiencing a reboot. The numbers have been even lower and the reboot has had mixed reviews at best so this is not a surprise. It had a memorable run, but it was time.

- FOX has renewed The Four for a second season. The reality competition show has had an OK run on Thursday nights this winter. It wasn't a game changer but it didn't totally flop and it weathered a scandal with

WEEKLY RECAP: January 29-February 4, 2018

Here is the weekly ratings recap looking back at the week in ratings for Week #19. Please note no repeats, sports, specials, or Saturday airings are counted.

TOP 20 SHOWS (18-49 DEMO)
1. This is Us (NBC, Sunday 10:45pm) - 9.3    Special Airing
2. The Big Bang Theory (CBS, Thursday 8:00pm) - 2.9    15th week
3. Grey's Anatomy (ABC, Thursday 8:00pm) - 2.3    10th week
    Young Sheldon (CBS, Thursday 8:30pm) - 2.3    12th week
5. Ellen's Game of Games (NBC, Tuesday 8:00pm) - 1.8    5th week
6. The Bachelor (ABC, Monday 8:00pm) - 1.7    5th week
7. 9-1-1 (FOX, Wednesday 9:00pm) - 1.6    5th week
8. Mom (CBS, Thursday 9:00pm) - 1.5    11th week
9. Scandal (ABC, Thursday 9:00pm) - 1.4    3rd week
10. The Amazing Race (CBS, Wednesday 8:00pm) - 1.3    5th week
    The Four (FOX, Thursday 8:00pm) - 1.3    2nd week
12. Kevin Can Wait (CBS, Monday 8:00pm) - 1.2    11th week
    Law & Order: SVU (NBC, Wednesday 9:00pm) - 1.2    8th week
    Chicago PD (NBC, Wednesday 10:00pm) - 1.2    7th week
    Life in Pieces (CBS, Thursday 9:30pm) - 1.2    6th week
    Will & Grace (NBC, Thursday 9:00pm) - 1.2    9th week
17. Man with a Plan (CBS, Monday 8:30pm) - 1.1    3rd week
    The Wall (NBC, Monday 8:00pm) - 1.1    2nd week
    Superstore (NBC, Thursday 8:00pm) - 1.1    3rd week
    The Good Place (NBC, Thursday 8:30pm) - 1.1    2nd week

BOTTOM 20 SHOWS (18-49 DEMO)
1. Valor (CW, Monday 9:00pm) - 0.2    13th week
    Dynasty (CW, Wednesday 9:00pm) - 0.2    12th week
    Crazy Ex-Girlfriend (CW, Friday 8:00pm) - 0.2    11th week
    Jane the Virgin (CW, Friday 9:00pm) - 0.2    9th week
5. 60 Minutes (CBS, Sunday 7:00pm) - 0.3    3rd week
6. Arrow (CW, Thursday 9:00pm) - 0.4    11th week
    Taken (NBC, Friday 9:00pm) - 0.4    4th week
8. Riverdale (CW, Wednesday 8:00pm) - 0.5    12th week
9. Supergirl (CW, Monday 8:00pm) - 0.6    12th week
    Supernatural (CW, Thursday 8:00pm) - 0.6    12th week
    Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (ABC, Friday 9:00pm) - 0.6    8th week
    Blindspot (NBC, Friday 8:00pm) - 0.6    11th week
13. The Brave (NBC, Monday 10:00pm) - 0.7    5th week
     Match Game (ABC, Wednesday 10:00pm) - 0.7    4th week
     Child Support (ABC, Friday 8:00pm) - 0.7    5th week
     20/20 (ABC, Friday 10:00pm) - 0.7    17th week
     Dateline NBC (NBC, Friday 10:00pm) - 0.7    9th week

18. Lucifer (FOX, Monday 8:00pm) - 0.8    5th week
     Black Lightning (CW, Tuesday 9:00pm) - 0.8    3rd week
     A.P. Bio (NBC, Thursday 9:30pm) - 0.8    1st week (NEW SHOW)

TOP 20 SHOWS (TOTAL VIEWERS)
1. This is Us (NBC, Sunday 10:45pm) - 27.0 million    Special Airing
2. The Big Bang Theory (CBS, Thursday 8:00pm) - 14.7 million    15th week
3. Young Sheldon (CBS, Thursday 8:30pm) - 12.9 million    12th week
4. Blue Bloods (CBS, Friday 10:00pm) - 9.3 million    14th week
5. Mom (CBS, Thursday 9:00pm) - 9.1 million    11th week
6. Grey's Anatomy (ABC, Thursday 8:00pm) - 8.9 million    10th week
7. Hawaii Five-0 (CBS, Friday 9:00pm) - 8.6 million    14th week
8. Ellen's Game of Games (NBC, Tuesday 8:00pm) - 7.6 million    5th week
9. Kevin Can Wait (CBS, Monday 8:00pm) - 7.3 million    7th week
    MacGyver (CBS, Friday 8:00pm) - 7.3 million    13th week
11. Life in Pieces (CBS, Thursday 9:30pm) - 7.1 million    8th week
12. SEAL Team (CBS, Wednesday 9:00pm) - 6.7 million    10th week
    Chicago PD (NBC, Wednesday 10:00pm) - 6.7 million    6th week
14. Man with a Plan (CBS, Monday 8:30pm) - 6.6 million    5th week
    The Amazing Race (CBS, Wednesday 8:00pm) - 6.6 million    5th week
16. The Bachelor (ABC, Monday 8:00pm) - 6.4 million    2nd week
17. 9-1-1 (FOX, Wednesday 9:00pm) - 6.2 million    3rd week
     S.W.A.T. (CBS, Thursday 10:00pm) - 6.2 million     6th week
19. The Blacklist (NBC, Wednesday 8:00pm) - 6.1 million    1st week
20. Superior Donuts (CBS, Monday 9:00pm) - 5.8 million    2nd week
    Scorpion (CBS, Monday 10:00pm) - 5.8 million    2nd week

BOTTOM 20 SHOWS (TOTAL VIEWERS)
1. Dynasty (CW, Wednesday 9:00pm) - 0.6 million    12th week
    Crazy Ex-Girlfriend (CW, Friday 8:00pm) - 0.6 million    11th week
3. Jane the Virgin (CW, Friday 9:00pm) - 0.7 million    9th week
4. Valor (CW, Monday 9:00pm) - 1.1 million    13th week
5. Arrow (CW, Thursday 9:00pm) - 1.2 million    11th week
6. Riverdale (CW, Wednesday 8:00pm) - 1.3 million    12th week
7. Supernatural (CW, Thursday 8:00pm)- 1.7 million    12th week
8. Supergirl (CW, Monday 8:00pm) - 2.1 million    12th week
9. Black Lightning (CW, Tuesday 9:00pm) - 2.2 million    3rd week
   Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (ABC, Friday 9:00pm) - 2.2 million    8th week
11. Taken (NBC, Friday 9:00pm) - 2.5 million    4th week
12. The Flash (CW, Tuesday 8:00pm) - 2.6 million    12th week
13. Match Game (ABC, Wednesday 10:00pm) - 2.8 million    5th week
14. 60 Minutes (CBS, Sunday 7:00pm) - 3.0 million    1st week
15. A.P. Bio (NBC, Thursday 9:30pm) - 3.1 million    1st week (NEW SHOW)
16. The Good Place (NBC, Thursday 8:30pm) - 3.2 million    5th week
      Blindspot (NBC, Friday 8:00pm) - 3.2 million    4th week
18. Superstore (NBC, Thursday 8:00pm) - 3.4 million    3rd week
     20/20 (ABC, Friday 10:00pm) - 3.4 million    14th week
     Hell's Kitchen (FOX, Friday 8:00pm) - 3.4 million    9th week

WINNERS OF THE NIGHT
Monday - Kevin Can Wait (CBS)    4th week
Tuesday - Black Lightning (CW)    1st week
Wednesday - 9-1-1 (FOX)    3rd week
Thursday - The Four (FOX)    1st week
Friday - Hawaii Five-0 (CBS)    4th week
Sunday - This is Us (NBC)    Special Airing

LOSERS OF THE NIGHT
Monday - Lucifer (FOX)    1st week
Tuesday - Fresh Off the Boat (ABC)    3rd week
Wednesday - Match Game (ABC)    1st week
Thursday - A.P. Bio (NBC)    1st week (NEW SHOW)
Friday - Taken (NBC)    2nd week
Sunday - None

THE WEEK AHEAD: February 5-11, 2018

Here's a look at Week #20!

ABC
ABC is mostly new on Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday. Wednesday has the network premiere of Inside Out instead of the comedies while Friday brings the season finale of the short run of Child Support, which was a surprisingly decent performer. On Sunday, ABC is oddly airing new episodes of America's Funniest Home Videos at 7pm and Shark Tank at 10pm instead of 8pm and 9pm.

MONDAY
8:00 The Bachelor
10:00 The Good Doctor

TUESDAY
8:00 The Middle
8:30 Fresh Off the Boat
9:00 Black-ish
9:30 Modern Family (Repeat)
10:00 Kevin (Probably) Saves the World

WEDNESDAY
8:00 Movie: Inside Out
10:00 Match Game

THURSDAY
8:00 Grey's Anatomy
9:00 Scandal
10:00 How to Get Away with Murder

FRIDAY
8:00 Be My Valentine, Charlie Brown (Special)
9:00 Child Support (Season Finale)
10:00 20/20

SATURDAY
8:00 NBA Basketball: San Antonio at Golden State

SUNDAY
7:00 America's Funniest Home Videos
8:00 Celebrity Family Feud (Repeat)
9:00 Celebrity Family Feud (Repeat)
10:00 Shark Tank

CBS
CBS is gearing up for Olympics competition with the premiere of the first-ever celebrity edition of Big Brother. It's a mostly D-list celebrity cast, but Big Brother is always a solid summer performer. It premieres on Wednesday and airs again on Thursday, Friday, and Sunday. Earlier in the week is the season (and most likely series) finale of 9JKL as Living Biblically takes its place after the Olympics.

MONDAY
8:00 Kevin Can Wait
8:30 Man with a Plan
9:00 Superior Donuts
9:30 9JKL (Season Finale)
10:00 Scorpion

TUESDAY
8:00 NCIS
9:00 Bull
10:00 NCIS: New Orleans

WEDNESDAY
8:00 Big Brother: Celebrity Edition (SERIES PREMIERE)
9:00 The Amazing Race

THURSDAY
8:00 Big Brother: Celebrity Edition
9:00 The Big Bang Theory (Repeat)
9:30 Young Sheldon (Repeat)
10:00 S.W.A.T. (Repeat)

FRIDAY
8:00 Big Brother: Celebrity Edition
10:00 Blue Bloods (Repeat)

SATURDAY
8:00 MacGyver (Repeat)
9:00 Hawaii Five-0 (Repeat)
10:00 48 Hours

SUNDAY
7:00 60 Minutes
8:00 Big Brother: Celebrity Edition
9:00 NCIS: Los Angeles (Repeat)
10:00 Madam Secretary (Repeat)

NBC
NBC is wrapping up the winter run of its shows with season finales of Better Late Than Never and Ellen's Game of Games. Tuesday also sees the first This is Us post-Super Bowl so it will be interesting to see if it gets a bounce. On Thursday, they turn over their programming to NBC Sports and the Olympics for about 2 1/2 weeks. The official Opening Ceremonies are on Friday.

MONDAY
8:00 The Wall
9:00 Better Late Than Never (Season Finale)
10:00 The Best of the US: The 2018 Winter Olympics (Special)

TUESDAY
8:00 Ellen's Game of Games (Season Finale)
9:00 This is Us
10:00 Chicago Med

WEDNESDAY
8:00 The Blacklist
9:00 Law & Order: SVU
10:00 Chicago PD

THURSDAY
8:00 2018 Winter Olympics

FRIDAY
8:00 2018 Winter Olympics Opening Ceremony

SATURDAY
8:00 2018 Winter Olympics

SUNDAY
7:00 2018 Winter Olympics

FOX
FOX is all new for the first four nights before, like all the networks, the Olympics dominate programming. Thursday has the season finale of The Four, which has had a decent run this winter and could be back but it's also dealing with the firing of a judge after sexual misconduct allegations.

MONDAY
8:00 Lucifer
9:00 The Resident

TUESDAY
8:00 Lethal Weapon
9:00 LA to Vegas
9:30 The Mick

WEDNESDAY
8:00 The X-Files
9:00 9-1-1

THURSDAY
8:00 The Four (Season Finale)

FRIDAY
8:00 Who Shot Biggie & Tupac? (Special - Repeat)

SATURDAY
8:00 Lethal Weapon (Repeat)
9:00 The Resident (Repeat)

SUNDAY
7:00 Brooklyn Nine-Nine (Repeat)
7:30 Bob's Burgers (Repeat)
8:00 The Simpsons (Repeat)
8:30 Ghosted (Repeat)
9:00 Family Guy (Repeat)
9:30 LA to Vegas (Repeat)

CW
The CW is pretty much new all week except for the 9pm hour on Monday. They do not worry as much about Olympic competition as other networks.

MONDAY
8:00 Supergirl
9:00 Whose Line is it Anyway? (Repeat)
9:30 Whose Line is it Anyway? (Repeat)

TUESDAY
8:00 The Flash
9:00 Black Lightning

WEDNESDAY
8:00 Riverdale
9:00 Dynasty

THURSDAY
8:00 Supernatural
9:00 Arrow

FRIDAY
8:00 Crazy Ex-Girlfriend
9:00 Jane the Virgin

TV NEWS & THOUGHTS
- FOX has won the bid to take over Thursday Night Football. CBS had it in 2014 and 2015 and then they split it with NBC for 2016 and 2017. The package includes 11 NFL games and will mean FOX has one less night of scripted programming in the fall. It'll be interesting to see what this means for their renewals & cancellations. The deal runs for five years.

- NBC has given a 10 episode series order to The Gilded Age from Downton Abbey creator Julian Fellowes. The project has been in development a long time and will air sometime in 2019. It is centered on millionaires in NYC's Gilded Age in the 1880s.

PILOT REVIEW: A.P. Bio

A.P. BIO

Starring: Glenn Howerton, Lyric Lewis, Mary Sohn, Jean Villepique, Tom Bennett, and Patton Oswalt

Created by Mike O'Brien
Written by Mike O'Brien, Directed by Oz Rodriguez

THE PREMISE
A.P. Bio is a new school sitcom with a familiar theme: a radical different teacher tries to adapt to a traditional school environment. In this case, the teacher is Jack Griffin (Glenn Howerton), a philosophy scholar who missed out on his dream job and is spending a year away teaching A.P. Bio at a high school. He doesn't care much for getting along with his boss, Principal Durbin (Patton Oswalt), and he spends his days plotting revenge with his class against a rival scholar, Miles (Tom Bennett). Rounding out the main cast are students Stef, Mary, and Michelle (Lyric Lewis, Mary Sohn, & Jean Villepique).

THE REVIEW
A.P. Bio has some elements of every other school sitcom, but there's also some interesting turns it takes as it seems intent on being a sort of anti-Dead Poet's Society. I'm wondering if this is a show that's going to get redeeming at times or if it's going to go more the way of The Mick and just really have a seriously flawed lead character. Despite the fact that it is turning some school tropes on their head, other elements are very familiar from a teacher who doesn't want to follow any rules (including dress code) to the troubled student who develops a close relationship. And while we're at it, since I notice weird and questionable details in a show about a field that I am a part of, does Jack just teach the one class?

Glenn Howerton is interesting in the lead role but I'm not convinced he's charismatic or funny enough to really carry this show. All the things they were asking him to do were on a somewhat absurd level like answering the door in a nightgown yet everything was pretty underplayed and didn't seem funny. Patton Oswalt was somewhat restrained here and that works better for him although I felt like he could have done a little more with the part. The students were not really developed much so there's not much to say about them although I though their attempt to do a rap wasn't nearly as funny a moment as it could have been.

I think the biggest issue in the pilot was it all felt a little dark and not funny enough. I have no problem with dark comedy. A show like The Mick sometimes feels refreshing compared to ABC's sunny family sitcoms. But this had an uncomfortable level that wasn't offset enough by humor in the pilot. Everything about Jack's life just felt a little sad. Not ridiculous or twisted, just sad. I like this interesting approach, but it's going to have to inject a little more funny to work. As I read this review back, I think it sounds pretty negative but I actually didn't mind it. I just don't think it goes far enough in being what it clearly wants to be.

WILL I WATCH IT AGAIN?
Yes.  I am curious to see another episode or two of this one before giving up.