SEASON IN REVIEW: 2017-18 Miscellaneous Awards

As usual, I am ending the season with a few miscellaneous awards. The blog will be quiet this summer but I will continue to do the week ahead posts with broadcast TV news as it happens this summer. Then I'll be back for previews, pilot reviews, and more in the fall!

BEST RETURNING COMEDY
Superstore (NBC) - Superstore was awarded my "Best Returning Comedy" last year, but it only got better in season three. The funniest ensemble on TV took another step forward with some truly hilarious moments (the season premiere, the Golden Globes party, and the Christmas episode to name a few) and some major plot points moving forward. It also has the potential to be surprisingly sentimental at times. I think back to the first year of the show and how I felt like it had so many funny elements but didn't always bring it completely together. Well now it does on a weekly basis and it is one of those shows that just seems to be in the sweet spot of what will hopefully be a long run.

RUNNER-UP: American Housewife (ABC)

BEST RETURNING DRAMA
This is Us (NBC) - This is Us had a lot to live up to after its buzzy first season and in my opinion, it completely lived up to it. The show moved forward with deepening relationships among the characters and we got to see some interesting new eras such as the Big Three in their 20s and even a glimpse into the future. But the season came to a head with its hugely anticipated reveal of Jack's death and the show handled it with grace both in the post-Super Bowl episode and the equally heartbreaking episode that followed, "The Car." We may have seen some major milestones but I'm still excited to see all eras of the Pearsons in season three. And again, SOMEBODY GIVE MANDY MOORE AN EMMY.

RUNNER-UP: Timeless (NBC)


THE "REVENGE" AWARD (BIGGEST SEASON TWO DISAPPOINTMENT)
American Crime Story (FX) - I almost gave this award to Designated Survivor, but that show was already wildly uneven in season one before falling off a cliff. So I'm going with American Crime Story, which followed up its brilliant OJ Simpson in 2015-16 with a new installment that wanted to be as important and just couldn't be. The Assassination of Gianni Versace started strong with a fascinating opening that captured the mood and setting of 1997 Miami. But it went downhill from there with not nearly compelling enough a story to stretch out over a whole season. It would have been better as a movie.

THE "BIGGEST TEASE" AWARD
Rise (NBC) - Rise had everything going for it in my book. It was from the creator of two of the best dramas of all time (Friday Night Lights and Parenthood), it was centered on a high school musical theatre program - a topic I love, and it was based on an extremely compelling book. But this drama just couldn't figure it out and could barely avoid being Smash 2.0 as far as a theatre show that just doesn't know what to do with itself. With careening storylines and a very mopey performance from Josh Radnor, the show couldn't figure itself out and didn't earn any of the sweet moments it wanted to create (moments that came so naturally in early Katims shows). This totally seemed like a Katims show and a perfect fit. I just hope he hasn't lost his touch for good.

SHOWS THAT DID NOT HIT A SERIES LOW IN 18-49 DEMO THIS SEASON
The Amazing Race
Bob's Burgers
Chicago Med
Elementary
Hell's Kitchen
Mom
The Originals
Star

Tied low in demo: The 100, The Blacklist, Brooklyn Nine-Nine, Code Black, Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, Fresh Off the Boat, The Good Place, iZombie, Jane the Virgin, Riverdale, Quantico

SHOWS THAT DID NOT HIT A SERIES LOW IN TOTAL VIEWERS THIS SEASON
The 100
The Amazing Race
The Bachelor
The Big Bang Theory
The Blacklist
Brooklyn Nine-Nine
Bull
Chicago Fire
Code Black
Elementary
The Goldbergs
The Great American Baking Show
The Great Christmas Light Fight
Hell's Kitchen
Mom
NCIS
Riverdale
Star
Superstore
Survivor

Tied low in viewers: Bob's Burgers, Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, iZombie, Masterchef Junior, The Originals, Quantico, The Simpsons

MOST PROMISING TRAILER FOR 2017-18 BY NETWORK
ABC: Single Parents
CBS: God Friended Me
NBC: Manifest
FOX: Presumed Innocent (I guess...)
CW: All American

Finally, One Last Thought on Some Departing Shows:
- It is weird to imagine 2018-19 without The Middle, Scandal, New Girl, and Once Upon a Time. Practically since I started this blog, these shows have been standards (The Middle even before the blog started). I didn't stick with Once but I did stick with the other three and while Scandal and New Girl had their flaws, those two along with The Middle have all had times where they were very important or favorite shows in my life. And it's also sad to say goodbye to three iconic characters: Scandal's groundbreaking Olivia Pope, New Girl's ridiculous weirdo Winston, and The Middle's sunny optimist Sue Heck. A TV season without these cornerstones just won't feel the same.