Monday, January 27, 2020

THE WEEK AHEAD: January 27-February 2, 2020

Here's a look at this week on TV!

ABC
ABC has a pretty normal week. The season finale of Emergence is on Tuesday night. It could very well be a series finale because of their low-rated drama newbies, I think Stumptown has a better shot at renewal.

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

TUESDAY
8:00 The Conners
8:30 Bless This Mess
9:00 Mixed-ish
9:30 Black-ish
10:00 Emergence (Season Finale)

WEDNESDAY
8:00 The Goldbergs
8:30 Schooled
9:00 Modern Family (Repeat)
9:30 Single Parents
10:00 Royal Divide: Harry, Meghan and the Crown (Special)

THURSDAY
8:00 Station 19
9:00 Grey's Anatomy
10:00 A Million Little Things

FRIDAY
8:00 American Housewife
8:30 Fresh Off the Boat
9:00 20/20

SATURDAY
8:00 NBA Basketball: Philadelphia at Boston

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

CBS
CBS has a mix of repeats and new episodes this week. They also have a season finale in Evil. It has already been renewed for a second season, though it wouldn't totally shock me to see that second season wind up on CBS All Access.

MONDAY
8:00 The Neighborhood (Repeat)
8:30 Bob Hearts Abishola (Repeat)
9:00 Undercover Boss
10:00 Bull (Repeat)

TUESDAY
8:00 NCIS
9:00 FBI
10:00 FBI: Most Wanted

WEDNESDAY
8:00 Super Bowl Greatest Commercials 2020 (Special)
9:00 Criminal Minds
10:00 S.W.A.T.

THURSDAY
8:00 Young Sheldon
8:30 The Unicorn
9:00 Mom
9:30 Carol's Second Act
10:00 Evil (Season Finale)

FRIDAY
8:00 Hawaii Five-0
9:00 Magnum P.I.
10:00 Blue Bloods

SATURDAY
8:00 NCIS (Repeat)
9:00 FBI: Most Wanted (Repeat)
10:00 48 Hours

SUNDAY
7:00 60 Minutes
8:00 NCIS (Repeat)
9:00 FBI (Repeat)
10:00 NCIS: New Orleans (Repeat)

NBC
NBC has the series finale of The Good Place this week. The comedy is ending after four years as one of Broadcast TV's only critically acclaimed shows. It ends with a whopping 90 minute episode.

MONDAY
8:00 America's Got Talent: The Champions
10:00 Manifest

TUESDAY
8:00 Ellen's Game of Games
9:00 This is Us
10:00 New Amsterdam

WEDNESDAY
8:00 Chicago Med (Repeat)
9:00 Chicago Fire (Repeat)
10:00 Chicago PD (Repeat)

THURSDAY
8:00 Superstore
8:30 The Good Place (SERIES FINALE)
10:00 Law & Order: SVU

FRIDAY
8:00 Lincoln Rhyme: Hunt for the Bone Collector
9:00 The Road to F9: Fast & Furious Fan Fest (Special)
10:00 Dateline NBC

SATURDAY
8:00 Dateline NBC
9:00 Dateline NBC
10:00 Saturday Night Live (Repeat)

SUNDAY
7:00 America's Got Talent: The Champions (Repeat)
9:00 Ellen's Game of Games (Repeat)
10:00 Ellen's Game of Games (Repeat)

FOX
FOX is the network with the Super Bowl so all eyes will be on them on Sunday night. While it will of course be the highest rated event of the year, it wouldn't shock me to see the ratings down a little bit with a matchup between two teams that may not draw as much interest as one of TV's top teams (like the Cowboys, Packers or Steelers) or NFL's top villains (like the Patriots). The third edition of The Masked Singer follows and should be an improvement on The World's Best from last year as a post-Super Bowl show.

MONDAY
8:00 9-1-1: Lone Star
9:00 Prodigal Son

TUESDAY
8:00 The Resident
9:00 Gordon Ramsay's 24 Hours to Hell and Back

WEDNESDAY
8:00 Harry & Meghan: The Royals in Crisis (Special)
9:00 Last Man Standing (Repeat)
9:30 Outmatched (Repeat)

THURSDAY
8:00 Last Man Standing
8:30 Outmatched
9:00 Deputy

FRIDAY
8:00 WWE Smackdown

SATURDAY
8:00 NFL Honors (Special)

SUNDAY
7:00 Super Bowl LIV: Kansas City vs. San Francisco
10:30 The Masked Singer (Edition Premiere)

CW
The CW says goodbye to Arrow this week after eight seasons and 170 episodes. It shouldn't be discounted what an influential show this has been on the CW. When it started, the CW was the network of Gossip Girl and The Vampire Diaries. It has since morphed into a network that has the DC Empire all over it. For good or bad, it has played a huge role in where the network has gone this decade.

MONDAY
8:00 All American
9:00 Black Lightning

TUESDAY
8:00 Arrow: Hitting the Bullseye (Special)
9:00 Arrow (SERIES FINALE)

WEDNESDAY
8:00 Riverdale
9:00 Nancy Drew

THURSDAY
8:00 Supernatural
9:00 Legacies

FRIDAY
8:00 Charmed
9:00 Dynasty

SUNDAY
8:00 Batwoman (Repeat)
9:00 Supergirl (Repeat)

Saturday, January 25, 2020

WEEKLY RECAP: January 13-19, 2020

Here is the weekly ratings recap looking back at the week in broadcast ratings for Week #17 of the 2019-20 season! Please note no repeats, sports, specials, or Saturday airings are counted

TOP 20 SHOWS (18-49 DEMO)
1. 9-1-1: Lone Star (FOX, Sunday 10:04pm) - 3.13    Special Airing (NEW SERIES)
2. The Bachelor (ABC, Monday 8:00pm) - 1.56    2nd week
3. This is Us (NBC, Tuesday 9:00pm) - 1.47    10th week
4. Chicago Med (NBC, Wednesday 8:00pm) - 1.22    11th week
    Chicago Fire (NBC, Wednesday 9:00pm) - 1.22    11th week
6. Chicago PD (NBC, Wednesday 10:00pm) - 1.09    11th week
7. Young Sheldon (CBS, Thursday 8:00pm) - 1.03    12th week
8. NCIS (CBS, Tuesday 8:00pm) - 1.00    11th week
9. Ellen's Game of Games (NBC, Tuesday 8:00pm) - 0.99    2nd week
10. 60 Minutes (CBS, Sunday 7:00pm) - 0.97    10th week
11. America's Got Talent: The Champions (NBC, Monday 8:00pm) - 0.96    2nd week
12. Modern Family (ABC, Wednesday 9:00pm) - 0.92    11th week
13. Last Man Standing (FOX, Thursday 8:00pm) - 0.83    2nd week
14. FBI (CBS, Tuesday 9:00pm) - 0.82    6th week
15. New Amsterdam (NBC, Tuesday 10:00pm) - 0.81    5th week
16. FBI: Most Wanted (CBS, Tuesday 10:00pm) - 0.76    1st week
17. The Good Doctor (ABC, Monday 10:00pm) - 0.75    6th week
18. Criminal Minds (CBS, Wednesday 9:00pm) - 0.74    1st week
    Mom (CBS, Thursday 9:00pm) - 0.74    6th week
20. Undercover Boss (CBS, Wednesday 8:00pm) - 0.71    1st week

BOTTOM 20 SHOWS (18-49 DEMO)
1. Dynasty (CW, Friday 9:00pm) - 0.08    9th week
2. Nancy Drew (CW, Wednesday 9:00pm) - 0.10    10th week
3. Charmed (CW, Friday 8:00pm) - 0.17    9th week
4. Batwoman (CW, Sunday 8:00pm) - 0.20    9th week
5. Legacies (CW, Thursday 9:00pm) - 0.21    9th week
6. Supergirl (CW, Sunday 9:00pm) - 0.24    9th week
7. Perfect Harmony (NBC, Thursday 9:30pm) - 0.28    12th week
8. Supernatural (CW, Thursday 8:00pm) - 0.30    9th week
9. Almost Family (FOX, Wednesday 9:00pm) - 0.31    5th week
10. Emergence (ABC, Tuesday 10:00pm) - 0.35    7th week
11. Stumptown (ABC, Wednesday 10:00pm) - 0.36    7th week
    Flirty Dancing (FOX, Wednesday 8:00pm) - 0.36    2nd week
13. Will & Grace (NBC, Thursday 9:00pm) - 0.42    5th week
    Fresh Off the Boat (ABC, Friday 8:30pm) - 0.42    11th week
15. Evil (CBS, Thursday 10:00pm) - 0.44    8th week
    Lincoln Rhyme: Hunt for the Bone Collector (NBC, Friday 8:00pm) - 0.44    2nd week
17. Kids Say the Darndest Things (ABC, Sunday 8:00pm) - 0.45    3rd week
18. DC's Legends of Tomorrow (CW, Tuesday 9:00pm) - 0.49    1st week (New Season)
    The Good Place (NBC, Thursday 8:30pm) - 0.49    2nd week
20. Black-ish (ABC, Tuesday 9:30pm) - 0.51    2nd week
    Dateline NBC (NBC, Friday 9:00pm) - 0.51    9th week
    Shark Tank (ABC, Sunday 9:00pm) - 0.51    3rd week

TOP 20 SHOWS (TOTAL VIEWERS)
1. 9-1-1: Lone Star (FOX, Sunday 10:04pm) - 11.41 million    Special Airing (NEW SERIES)
2. NCIS (CBS, Tuesday 8:00pm) - 10.12 million    11th week
3. Young Sheldon (CBS, Thursday 8:00pm) - 8.88 million    12th week
4. FBI (CBS, Tuesday 9:00pm) - 8.57 million    11th week
5. Chicago Med (NBC, Wednesday 8:00pm) - 8.45 million    11th week
6. Chicago Fire (NBC, Wednesday 9:00pm) - 8.17 million    11th week
7. 60 Minutes (CBS, Sunday 7:00pm) - 8.10 million    14th week
8. Chicago PD (NBC, Wednesday 10:00pm) - 6.78 million    10th week
9. This is Us (NBC, Tuesday 9:00pm) - 6.71 million    10th week
10. America's Got Talent: The Champions (NBC, Monday 8:00pm) - 6.52 million    2nd week
11. FBI: Most Wanted (CBS, Tuesday 10:00pm) - 6.51 million    2nd week
12. Mom (CBS, Thursday 9:00pm) - 6.30 million    8th week
13. The Unicorn (CBS, Thursday 8:30pm) - 5.62 million    3rd week
14. The Bachelor (ABC, Monday 8:00pm) - 5.37 million    2nd week
15. The Good Doctor (ABC, Monday 10:00pm) - 5.09 million    3rd week
16. New Amsterdam (NBC, Tuesday 10:00pm) - 4.98 million    1st week
17. Carol's Second Act (CBS, Thursday 9:30pm) - 4.97 million    3rd week
18. Last Man Standing (FOX, Thursday 8:00pm) - 4.80 million    1st week
19. Criminal Minds (CBS, Wednesday 9:00pm) - 4.58 million    1st week
20. Undercover Boss (CBS, Wednesday 8:00pm) - 4.38 million    1st week

BOTTOM 20 SHOWS (TOTAL VIEWERS)
1. Dynasty (CW, Friday 9:00pm) - 0.34 million    9th week
2. Charmed (CW, Friday 8:00pm) - 0.65 million    9th week
3. Nancy Drew (CW, Wednesday 9:00pm) - 0.66 million    10th week
4. Legacies (CW, Thursday 9:00pm) - 0.73 million    8th week
5. Batwoman (CW, Sunday 8:00pm) - 0.79 million    9th week
6. Supergirl (CW, Sunday 9:00pm) - 0.84 million    10th week
7. Almost Family (FOX, Wednesday 9:00pm) - 1.01 million    8th week
8. Supernatural (CW, Thursday 8:00pm) - 1.13 million    8th week
9. DC's Legends of Tomorrow (CW, Tuesday 9:00pm) - 1.35 million    1st week (New Season)
    Perfect Harmony (NBC, Thursday 9:30pm) - 1.35 million    11th week
11. Arrow (CW, Tuesday 8:00pm) - 1.41 million    8th week
12. Flirty Dancing (FOX, Wednesday 8:00pm) - 1.48 million    2nd week
13. The Good Place (NBC, Thursday 8:30pm) - 1.93 million    11th week
14. Gordon Ramsay's 24 Hours to Hell and Back (FOX, Tuesday 9:00pm) - 2.12 million    2nd week
15. Emergence (ABC, Tuesday 10:00pm) - 2.13 million    4th week
    Will & Grace (NBC, Thursday 9:00pm) - 2.13 million    7th week
17. Fresh Off the Boat (ABC, Friday 8:00pm) - 2.39 million    11th week
18. Black-ish (ABC, Tuesday 9:30pm) - 2.43 million    6th week
19. Single Parents (ABC, Wednesday 9:30pm) - 2.44 million    6th week
20. Stumptown (ABC, Wednesday 10:00pm) - 2.49 million    4th week

TOP 15 DVR PERCENTAGE GAINERS LIVE +3 (DEMO)
1. Legacies (CW) - 117%    7th week
2. Manifest (NBC) - 107%    2nd week
3. The Good Doctor (ABC) - 102%    10th week
4. Evil (CBS) - 101%    10th week
5. Law & Order: SVU (NBC) - 98%    11th week
6. The Good Place (NBC) - 97%    10th week
7. Stumptown (ABC) - 91%    11th week
8. Will & Grace (NBC) - 87%    6th week
9. Charmed (CW) - 86%    6th week
10. Nancy Drew (CW) - 83%    7th week
11. Supergirl (CW) - 81%    8th week
12. New Amsterdam (NBC) - 79%    10th week
13. Batwoman (CW) - 77%    4th week
14. Dynasty (CW) - 72%    6th week
15. Emergence (ABC) - 70%    7th week

BOTTOM 15 DVR PERCENTAGE GAINERS LIVE +3 (DEMO)
1. Kids Say the Darndest Things (ABC) - 4%    10th week
2. 60 Minutes (CBS) - 6%    14th week
3. Undercover Boss (CBS) - 9%    2nd week
4. Schooled (ABC) - 12%    9th week
5. Flirty Dancing (FOX) - 13%    2nd week
6. Ellen's Game of Games (NBC) - 14%    2nd week
7. America's Funniest Home Videos (ABC) - 15%    12th week
8. 9-1-1: Lone Star (FOX) - 17%    Special Airing (NEW SERIES)
9. The Goldbergs (ABC) - 18%    2nd week
10. Mixed-ish (ABC) - 20%    5th week
11. Chicago Med (NBC) - 23%    4th week
12. America's Got Talent: The Champions (NBC) - 28%    2nd week
13. Almost Family (FOX) - 33%    7th week
14. Chicago Fire (NBC) - 35%    1st week
15. Carol's Second Act (CBS) - 36%    1st week

TOP 15 DVR PERCENTAGE GAINERS LIVE +3 (TOTAL VIEWERS)
1. Manifest (NBC) - 91%    2nd week
2. Emergence (ABC) - 89%    10th week
3. The Good Doctor (ABC) - 80%    11th week
4. New Amsterdam (NBC) - 76%    10th week
    Stumptown (ABC) - 76%    11th week
6. Legacies (CW) - 69%    8th week
    Supergirl (CW) - 69%    10th week
8. Evil (CBS) - 65%    9th week
    Law & Order: SVU (NBC) - 65%    11th week
10. Will & Grace (NBC) - 64%    6th week
11. S.W.A.T. (CBS) - 62%    10th week
12. Charmed (CW) - 61%    5th week
13. Deputy (FOX) - 60%    2nd week
14. Batwoman (CW) - 58%    2nd week
15. The Good Place (NBC) - 56%    8th week

BOTTOM 15 DVR PERCENTAGE GAINERS LIVE +3 (TOTAL VIEWERS)
1. Kids Say the Darndest Things (ABC) - 5%    9th week
    60 Minutes (CBS) - 5%    14th week
3. Undercover Boss (CBS) - 7%    2nd week
4. Schooled (ABC) - 9%    10th week
    America's Funniest Home Videos (ABC) - 9%    12th week
6. Ellen's Game of Games (NBC) - 10%    2nd week
    Flirty Dancing (FOX) - 10%    2nd week
8. Schooled (ABC) - 11%    11th week
9. Mixed-ish (ABC) - 15%    3rd week
10. America's Got Talent: The Champions (NBC) - 21%    2nd week
    The Unicorn (CBS) - 21%    8th week
12. Chicago Med (NBC) - 23%    1st week
    The Goldbergs (ABC) - 23%    9th week
    9-1-1: Lone Star (FOX) - 23%    Special Airing (NEW SERIES)
15. Carol's Second Act (CBS) - 26%    3rd week
    Fresh Off the Boat (ABC) - 26%    1st week

WINNERS OF THE NIGHT
Monday - None
Tuesday - FBI: Most Wanted (CBS)    2nd week
Wednesday - Chicago Med (NBC)    4th week
Thursday - None
Friday - None
Sunday - 9-1-1: Lone Star (FOX)    Special Airing (NEW SERIES)

LOSERS OF THE NIGHT
Monday - America's Got Talent: The Champions (NBC)    1st week
Tuesday - Mixed-ish (ABC)    3rd week
Wednesday - The Goldbergs (ABC)    3rd week
Thursday - Perfect Harmony (NBC)    2nd week
Friday - Lincoln Rhyme: Hunt for the Bone Collector (NBC)    1st week
Sunday - Batwoman (CW)    1st week

Friday, January 24, 2020

PILOT REVIEW: Outmatched

OUTMATCHED











Starring: Jason Biggs, Maggie Lawson, Tisha Campbell, Ashley Boettcher, Connor Kalopsis, Jack Stanton, Oakley Bull

Created by Ion Zimmet
Written by Ion Zimmet, Directed by Jonathan Judge

I looked at the date on my computer as I was writing this review to make sure it was still 2020. Because FOX's new Outmatched looks and feels like it could have premiered in 1998. For starters, the premise is pretty silly. Two average-intelligence parents (Jason Biggs and Maggie Lawson) are surrounded by three genius children (Ashley Boettcher, Charlie Kalopsis & Jack Stanton) and one average kid (Oakley Bull). If, for some reason, you find that premise complicated, have no fear! They basically reiterated throughout the entire pilot.

That was the single most annoying thing about the pilot. It was truly a one joke show. The entire episode from start to finish was about the kids being smarter than the parents. I mean, literally. There have been some other sitcoms that are premise based to start (The Neighborhood being about a white family moving into a black neighborhood for example) but I can't think of another show that didn't even make an attempt to try any different directions.

That problem made it hard to imagine what a future episode might look for. I just knew at some point in the episode, we would get a line like we got from Jason Biggs where he basically told the kids that they were acting pretty dumb for being so smart. So, will this be a rinse and repeat in future episodes? Will we spend most of the episode with the parents being utterly perplexed b everything happening only for the parents (or the little sister) to get the last laugh and make the so-called geniuses see the error in their ways? Nothing in the pilot made me think it can expand beyond that in the way a show like The Neighborhood ultimately has.

This is a shame because Outmatched squanders two good leads in Jason Biggs and Maggie Lawson. Both of them are likable performers and are ever so close to elevating the material from time to time. In a show with better writing, I think they could have an easy chemistry and some good moments. I think Biggs especially has the ability to be quite funny, but he wasn't given material to be funny in this show (and still managed to get one good moment when he dumped one of his kids on the couch). Oh well, maybe next time.

WILL I WATCH IT AGAIN?
There's a morbid curiosity to see if it can ever get past its initial premise so maybe I'll check it out in like five episodes. But is it making it on my DVR list? Nope/

is this an early 00s sitcom?

very premise based for awhile

a lot of telling example "this is all we have left" about basement

Monday, January 20, 2020

PILOT REVIEW: 9-1-1: Lone Star

9-1-1: LONE STAR











Starring: Rob Lowe, Liv Tyler, Ronen Rubinstein, Sierra McClain, Jim Parrack, Natacha Karam, Brian Michael Smith, Rafael Silva, Julian Works

Created by Ryan Murphy, Brad Falchuk & Tim Minear
Written by Ryan Murphy, Brad Falchuk & Tim Minear, Directed by Bradley Buecker

I've had very mixed feeling about Ryan Murphy's shows over the years. Plenty of them are too preachy, too erratic or too weird for me. But one of his that I actually do like is 9-1-1. I love it for its mix of ridiculous situations and strong characters. It puts a little bit of a Ryan Murphy spin on a traditional procedural and it surprisingly works. Like any good procedural, we have a "more of the same" spinoff which sort of dilutes the freshness that 9-1-1 brought to the genre.

9-1-1: Lone Star has a little bit of a different feel than the mothership while also having elements that remind us of the original 9-1-1. As opposed to meeting a group already working together, Lone Star builds the station from the ground up with their leader, Captain Owen Strand (Rob Lowe) coming from New York City to rebuild the station after a tragedy wipes out all but one of them (Jim Parrack). Strand is also tasked with making the station more diverse (and at least the show sort of acknowledges they are putting Lowe in "white savior" mode so that is what it is).

One of the things 9-1-1 did well was letting us get to know the characters first before learning about all their troubles. Over the course of its run to date, they have done backstories on almost every character and we've learned a whole lot more about them. But they didn't start that way. That's one area where I think 9-1-1: Lone Star stumbled. We already know about so many issues in the firefighters personal lives: cancer, drug overdoses, PTSD, loss of a loved one, acceptance of a trans firefighter, etc. These are all fine areas to explore but I would have preferred to get to know the firefighters more first. As a result, Lone Star felt a little more heavy handed than the original, which has always done a nice job of infusing humor. I also feel like the whole cancer storyline is overdone. How many shows have started by giving the lead cancer in the first episode? It's a tired plot.

Where 9-1-1: Lone Star succeeds is having a strong cast. Lowe is strong in anything he's in and always manages to be captivating whether he's playing a ridiculous character like he did in Parks and Recreation or a more down-to-earth character like here or The West Wing. If this show runs for years though, will Lowe leave at some point? He never seems to be with a show for its entire run. The rest of the cast has potential too although I wasn't totally on board with Liv Tyler in the pilot. If they can get past the personality stereotypes the show insisted on giving them to start things off, I think they could be a strong group together. I'm not sure if we needed this show, but we have it now so let's hope it can become as strong as the show it spun off from.

WILL I WATCH IT AGAIN?
Yes. I'm a loyal viewer of 9-1-1 so this one is going to get a fair chance from me.

THE WEEK AHEAD: January 20-26, 2020

Here's a look at this week on TV!

ABC
ABC's Jeopardy tournament is over and it's back to a mostly normal lineup except for Sunday. Thursday has the season premiere of Station 19, which bumps both Grey's Anatomy and A Million Little Things back an hour.

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

TUESDAY
8:00 The Conners
8:30 Bless This Mess
9:00 Mixed-ish
9:30 Black-ish
10:00 Emergence

WEDNESDAY
8:00 The Goldbergs
8:30 Schooled
9:00 Modern Family
9:30 Single Parents
10:00 Stumptown

THURSDAY
8:00 Station 19 (Season Premiere)
9:00 Grey's Anatomy
10:00 A Million Little Things

FRIDAY
8:00 American Housewife
8:30 Fresh Off the Boat
9:00 20/20

SATURDAY
8:00 NBA Basketball: LA Lakers at Philadelphia

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

CBS
CBS is new on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. Then they are mostly in repeat mode until Sunday when they air the Grammy Awards. Airing earlier than usual, it will be interesting to see if that has any impact on the ratings.

MONDAY
8:00 The Neighborhood
8:30 Bob Hearts Abishola
9:00 All Rise
10:00 Bull

TUESDAY
8:00 NCIS
9:00 FBI
10:00 FBI: Most Wanted

WEDNESDAY
8:00 Undercover Boss
9:00 Criminal Minds
10:00 S.W.A.T.

THURSDAY
8:00 Young Sheldon (Repeat)
8:30 The Unicorn (Repeat)
9:00 Young Sheldon (Repeat)
9:30 Mom (Repeat)
10:00 The Gayle King Grammy Special (Special)

FRIDAY
8:00 Hawaii Five-0 (Repeat)
9:00 Magnum P.I. (Repeat)
10:00 Blue Bloods (Repeat)

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

SUNDAY
7:00 Grammy Red Carpet Live (Special)
8:00 62nd Annual Grammy Awards (Special)

NBC
NBC is mostly new this week except there's a Law & Order: SVU repeat on Thursday and Figure Skating on Friday. This week also has the season, and perhaps series, finale of freshman Perfect Harmony.

MONDAY
8:00 America's Got Talent: The Champions
10:00 Manifest

TUESDAY
8:00 Ellen's Game of Games
9:00 This is Us
10:00 New Amsterdam

WEDNESDAY
8:00 Chicago Med
9:00 Chicago Fire
10:00 Chicago PD

THURSDAY
8:00 Superstore
8:30 The Good Place
9:00 Will & Grace
9:30 Perfect Harmony (Season Finale)
10:00 Law & Order: SVU (Repeat)

FRIDAY
8:00 Figure Skating

SATURDAY
8:00 NHL All Star Game

SUNDAY
7:00 America's Got Talent (Repeat)
9:00 American Ninja Warrior: USA vs. the World (Special)

FOX
FOX has a series premiere this week with the new comedy Outmatched, airing after Last Man Standing. Last Man isn't the force it was last year so I wouldn't expect much from Outmatched and it could hurt Deputy as well. Wednesday has repeats of 9-1-1: Lone Star as Flirty Dancing and Almost Family have been benched to Saturday.

MONDAY
8:00 9-1-1: Lone Star
9:00 Prodigal Son

TUESDAY
8:00 The Resident
9:00 Gordon Ramsay's 24 Hours to Hell and Back

WEDNESDAY
8:00 9-1-1: Lone Star (Repeat)
9:00 9-1-1: Lone Star (Repeat)

THURSDAY
8:00 Last Man Standing
8:30 Outmatched (SERIES PREMIERE)
9:00 Deputy

FRIDAY
8:00 WWE Smackdown

SATURDAY
8:00 Flirty Dancing
9:00 Flirty Dancing (Season Finale)

SUNDAY
7:00 Last Man Standing (Repeat)
7:30 Outmatched (Repeat)
8:00 The Simpsons (Repeat)
8:30 Bob's Burgers (Repeat)
9:00 Family Guy (Repeat)
9:30 Family Guy (Repeat)

CW
The CW is back in full force with all new episodes all week.

MONDAY
8:00 All American
9:00 Black Lightning

TUESDAY
8:00 Arrow
9:00 DC's Legends of Tomorrow

WEDNESDAY
8:00 Riverdale
9:00 Nancy Drew

THURSDAY
8:00 Supernatural
9:00 Legacies

FRIDAY
8:00 Charmed
9:00 Dynasty

SUNDAY
8:00 Batwoman
9:00 Supergirl

TV NEWS & THOUGHTS
- The CW has ordered two dramas to series: Superman & Lois, the newest drama in their DC empire and a reboot of Walker, Texas Ranger starring Jared Padalecki. Both projects have been frontrunners but it's still early for series to be ordered.

Sunday, January 19, 2020

WEEKLY RECAP: January 6-12, 2020

Here is the weekly ratings recap looking back at the week in broadcast ratings for Week #16 of the 2019-20 season! Please note no repeats, sports, specials, or Saturday airings are counted

TOP 20 SHOWS (18-49 DEMO)
1. Bob's Burgers (FOX, Sunday 10:09pm) - 2.06    7th week
2. The Bachelor (ABC, Monday 8:00pm) - 1.87    1st week (New Season)
3. Modern Family (ABC, Wednesday 9:00pm) - 1.51    10th week
    60 Minutes (CBS, Sunday 7:00pm) - 1.51    9th week
5. America's Got Talent: The Champions (NBC, Monday 8:00pm) - 1.29    1st week (New Season)
6. Chicago Med (NBC, Wednesday 8:00pm) - 1.10    10th week
    Chicago Fire (NBC, Wednesday 9:00pm) - 1.10    10th week
8. Ellen's Game of Games (NBC, Tuesday 9:00pm) - 1.07    Special Airing
9. Mixed-ish (ABC, Tuesday 9:00pm) - 1.05    1st week
10. Chicago PD (NBC, Wednesday 10:00pm) - 1.04    10th week
11. Ellen's Game of Games (NBC, Tuesday 8:00pm) - 1.00    1st week (New Season)
12. NCIS (CBS, Tuesday 8:00pm) - 0.98    10th week
13. Young Sheldon (CBS, Thursday 8:00pm) - 0.97    11th week
14. Bless the Harts (FOX, Sunday 10:39pm) - 0.96    6th week
15. The Neighborhood (CBS, Monday 8:00pm) - 0.93    8th week
16. FBI (CBS, Tuesday 9:00pm) - 0.88    5th week
17. Manifest (NBC, Monday 10:00pm) - 0.87    1st week (New Season)
    Single Parents (ABC, Wednesday 9:30pm) - 0.87    1st week
19. NCIS: Los Angeles (CBS, Sunday 9:00pm) - 0.82    3rd week
20. Last Man Standing (FOX, Thursday 8:00pm) - 0.79    1st week

BOTTOM 20 SHOWS (18-49 DEMO)
1. Almost Family (FOX, Wednesday 9:00pm) - 0.31    4th week
2. Flirty Dancing (FOX, Wednesday 8:00pm) - 0.32    1st week
3. Perfect Harmony (NBC, Thursday 9:30pm) - 0.35    11th week
4. Evil (CBS, Thursday 10:00pm) - 0.42    7th week
5. Emergence (ABC, Tuesday 10:00pm) - 0.46    6th week
6. Kids Say the Darndest Things (ABC, Sunday 8:00pm) - 0.49    2nd week
7. Stumptown (ABC, Wednesday 10:00pm) - 0.50    6th week
8. Will & Grace (NBC, Thursday 9:00pm) - 0.52    4th week
9. All Rise (CBS, Monday 9:00pm) - 0.54    2nd week
    Shark Tank (ABC, Sunday 9:00pm) - 0.54    2nd week
11. Bull (CBS, Monday 10:00pm) - 0.58    1st week
    20/20 (ABC, Friday 9:00pm) - 0.58    9th week
13. Zoey's Extraordinary Playlist (NBC, Tuesday 10:00pm) - 0.59    Special Airing (NEW SERIES)
14. Carol's Second Act (CBS, Thursday 9:30pm) - 0.60    1st week
15. Lincoln Rhyme: Hunt for the Bone Collector (NBC, Friday 8:00pm) - 0.61    1st week (NEW SERIES)
16. The Unicorn (CBS, Thursday 8:30pm) - 0.62    1st week
    The Good Place (NBC, Thursday 8:30pm) - 0.62    1st week
18. Superstore (NBC, Thursday 8:00pm) - 0.65    1st week
19. The Resident (FOX, Tuesday 8:00pm) - 0.66    1st week
    Undercover Boss (CBS, Wednesday 8:00pm) - 0.66    1st week (New Season)
    Criminal Minds (CBS, Wednesday 10:00pm) - 0.66    Special Airing
    Law & Order: SVU (NBC, Thursday 10:00pm) - 0.66    1st week

TOP 20 SHOWS (TOTAL VIEWERS)
1. NCIS (CBS, Tuesday 8:00pm) - 10.39 million    10th week
2. 60 Minutes (CBS, Sunday 7:00pm) - 10.12 million    13th week
3. FBI (CBS, Tuesday 9:00pm) - 9.32 million    10th week
4. America's Got Talent: The Champions (NBC, Monday 8:00pm) - 8.07 million    1st week (New Season)
5. Chicago Fire (NBC, Wednesday 9:00pm) - 7.95 million    10th week
6. Blue Bloods (CBS, Friday 10:00pm) - 7.91 million    11th week
7. Hawaii Five-0 (CBS, Friday 8:00pm) - 7.68 million    12th week
8. Young Sheldon (CBS, Thursday 8:00pm) - 7.57 million    11th week
9. Chicago Med (NBC, Wednesday 8:00pm) - 7.46 million    10th week
10. FBI: Most Wanted (CBS, Tuesday 10:00pm) - 7.19 million    1st week (NEW SERIES)
11. Magnum P.I. (CBS, Friday 9:00pm) - 7.04 million    9th week
12. Chicago PD (NBC, Wednesday 10:00pm) - 7.02 million    9th week
13. The Neighborhood (CBS, Monday 8:00pm) - 6.87 million    5th week
14. Bob Hearts Abishola (CBS, Monday 8:30pm) - 6.67 million    4th week
15. Modern Family (ABC, Wednesday 9:00pm) - 6.39 million    2nd week
16. NCIS: Los Angeles (CBS, Sunday 9:00pm) - 6.37 million    10th week
17. Bull (CBS, Monday 10:00pm) - 6.19 million    6th week
    God Friended Me (CBS, Sunday 8:00pm) - 6.19 million    10th week
19. The Bachelor (ABC, Monday 8:00pm) - 6.09 million    1st week (New Season)
20. Mom (CBS, Thursday 9:00pm) - 5.99 million    7th week

BOTTOM 20 SHOWS (TOTAL VIEWERS)
1. Almost Family (FOX, Wednesday 9:00pm) - 1.03 million    7th week
2. Flirty Dancing (FOX, Wednesday 8:00pm) - 1.38 million    1st week
3. Perfect Harmony (NBC, Thursday 9:30pm) - 1.60 million    10th week
4. The Good Place (NBC, Thursday 8:30pm) - 2.08 million    10th week
5. Emergence (ABC, Tuesday 10:00pm) - 2.28 million    3rd week
6. Will & Grace (NBC, Thursday 9:00pm) - 2.39 million    6th week
7. Gordon Ramsay's 24 Hours to Hell and Back (FOX, Tuesday 9:00pm) - 2.54 million    1st week (New Season)
8. Superstore (NBC, Thursday 8:00pm) - 2.59 million    5th week
9. Zoey's Extraordinary Playlist (NBC, Tuesday 10:00pm) - 2.66 million    Special Airing
10. Bless the Harts (FOX, Sunday 10:39pm) - 2.67 million    8th week
11. Stumptown (ABC, Wednesday 10:00pm) - 2.72 million    3rd week
12. Shark Tank (ABC, Sunday 9:00pm) - 2.75 million    2nd week
13. Kids Say the Darndest Things (ABC, Sunday 8:00pm) - 2.88 million    2nd week
14. Evil (CBS, Thursday 10:00pm) - 3.10 million    1st week
15. Black-ish (ABC, Tuesday 9:30pm) - 3.17 million    5th week
16. 20/20 (ABC, Friday 9:00pm) - 3.18 million    8th week
17. Single Parents (ABC, Wednesday 9:30pm) - 3.33 million    5th week
18. Law & Order: SVU (NBC, Thursday 10:00pm) - 3.70 million    1st week
19. The Resident (FOX, Tuesday 8:00pm) - 3.74 million    1st week
20. Deputy (FOX, Thursday 9:00pm) - 4.03 million    1st week

TOP 15 DVR PERCENTAGE GAINERS LIVE +3 (DEMO)
1. Law & Order: SVU (NBC) - 105%    10th week
2. Evil (CBS) - 94%    9th week
3. Stumptown (ABC) - 91%    10th week
4. Manifest (NBC) - 84%    1st week (New Season)
5. The Good Place (NBC) - 82%    9th week
6. Criminal Minds - 10:00 (CBS) - 73%    Special Airing
7. Bull (CBS) - 71%    3rd week
8. Chicago PD (NBC) - 69%    3rd week
9. Will & Grace (NBC) - 68%    5th week
10. Blue Bloods (CBS) - 63%    3rd week
11. Emergence (ABC) - 60%    6th week
    Criminal Minds - 9:00 (CBS) - 60%    1st week (New Season)
13. The Resident (FOX) - 59%    2nd week
14. Chicago Fire (NBC) - 53%    1st week
15. FBI: Most Wanted (CBS) - 52%    1st week (NEW SERIES)
    Mom (CBS) - 52%    2nd week

BOTTOM 15 DVR PERCENTAGE GAINERS LIVE +3 (DEMO)
1. Kids Say the Darndest Things (ABC) - 3%    9th week
2. 60 Minutes (CBS) - 4%    13th week
    Bless the Harts (FOX) - 4%    10th week
4. Bob's Burgers (FOX) - 7%    7th week
5. America's Funniest Home Videos (ABC) - 9%    11th week
6. Ellen's Game of Games - 8:00 (NBC) - 11%    1st week (New Season)
    Ellen's Game of Games - 9:00 (NBC) - 11%    Special Airing
8. Undercover Boss (CBS) - 15%    1st week (New Season)
9. Mixed-ish (ABC) - 16%    4th week
10. God Friended Me (CBS) - 17%    10th week
11. America's Got Talent: The Champions (NBC) - 21%    1st week (New Season)
12. Flirty Dancing (FOX) - 22%    1st week
13. Black-ish (ABC) - 27%    1st week
14. Bob Hearts Abishola (CBS) - 28%    8th week
    20/20 (ABC) - 28%    4th week

TOP 15 DVR PERCENTAGE GAINERS LIVE +3 (TOTAL VIEWERS)
1. Emergence (ABC) - 92%    9th week
2. Stumptown (ABC) - 86%    10th week
3. Manifest (NBC) - 71%    1st week (New Season)
    Evil (CBS) - 71%    8th week
5. Law & Order: SVU (NBC) - 67%    10th week
6. The Good Place (NBC) - 60%    7th week
7. Will & Grace (NBC) - 59%    5th week
8. The Resident (FOX) - 55%    5th week
9. Criminal Minds - 10:00 (CBS) - 54%    Special Airing
10. Bull (CBS) - 53%    4th week
    Chicago PD (NBC) - 53%    2nd week
12. Deputy (FOX) - 52%    1st week
13. Criminal Minds - 9:00 (CBS) - 51%    1st week (New Season)
14. Perfect Harmony (NBC) - 49%    3rd week
15. Almost Family (FOX) - 46%    1st week

BOTTOM 15 DVR PERCENTAGE GAINERS LIVE +3 (TOTAL VIEWERS)
1. Bless the Harts (FOX) - 3%    10th week
2. 60 Minutes (CBS) - 4%    13th week
3. Kids Say the Darndest Things (ABC) - 5%    8th week
    Bob's Burgers (FOX) - 5%    6th week
5. America's Funniest Home Videos (ABC) - 6%    11th week
6. Ellen's Game of Games - 8:00 (NBC) - 10%    1st week (New Season)
7. Ellen's Game of Games - 9:00 (NBC) - 11%    Special Airing
8. Mixed-ish (ABC) - 12%    2nd week
    Undercover Boss (CBS) - 12%    1st week (New Season)
10. The Neighborhood (CBS) - 15%    11th week
11. God Friended Me (CBS) - 17%    11th week
12. Flirty Dancing (FOX) - 18%    1st week
13. Bob Hearts Abishola (CBS) - 19%    8th week
    America's Got Talent: The Champions (NBC) - 19%    1st week (New Season)
15. The Bachelor (ABC) - 23%    1st week (New Season)

WINNERS OF THE NIGHT
Monday - The Bachelor (ABC)    1st week (New Season)
Tuesday - FBI: Most Wanted (CBS)    1st week (NEW SERIES)
Wednesday - Modern Family (ABC)    1st week
Thursday - Young Sheldon (CBS)    4th week
Friday - Lincoln Rhyme: Hunt for the Bone Collector (NBC)    1st week (NEW SERIES)
Sunday - Bob's Burgers (FOX)    2nd week

LOSERS OF THE NIGHT
Monday - All Rise (CBS)    2nd week
Tuesday - Zoey's Extraordinary Playlist (NBC)    Special Airing
Wednesday - Flirty Dancing (FOX)    1st week
Thursday - The Unicorn (CBS)    2nd week
Friday - None
Sunday - Kids Say the Darndest Things (ABC)    2nd week

Monday, January 13, 2020

THE WEEK AHEAD: January 13-19, 2020

Here's a look at this week on TV!

ABC
ABC has had a great week thanks to the Jeopardy: Greatest of All Time tournament that has been dominating in the ratings. It will definitely air on Tuesday and could air several more days depending on what happens.

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

TUESDAY
8:00 Jeopardy! The Greatest of All Time Part 4 (Special)
9:00 Mixed-ish
9:30 Black-ish
10:00 Emergence

WEDNESDAY
8:00 Jeopardy! The Greatest of All Time Part 5 (Special) - if needed
9:00 Modern Family
9:30 Single Parents
10:00 Stumptown

THURSDAY
8:00 Jeopardy! The Greatest of All Time Part 6 (Special) - if needed
9:00 The Last Days of Richard Pryor (Special)

FRIDAY
8:00 Jeopardy! The Greatest of All Time Part 7 (Special) - if needed
9:00 20/20

SATURDAY
8:00 NBA Basketball: LA Lakers at Houston

SUNDAY
7:00 America's Funniest Home Videos
8:00 Kids Say the Darndest Things (Season Finale)
9:00 Shark Tank
10:00 Shark Tank (Repeat)

CBS
CBS has a mix of new and repeat episodes this week with new episodes in the middle of the week on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday.

MONDAY
8:00 The Neighborhood (Repeat)
8:30 Bob Hearts Abishola (Repeat)
9:00 All Rise (Repeat)
10:00 Bull (Repeat)

TUESDAY
8:00 NCIS
9:00 FBI
10:00 FBI: Most Wanted

WEDNESDAY
8:00 Undercover Boss
9:00 Criminal Minds
10:00 S.W.A.T.

THURSDAY
8:00 Young Sheldon
8:30 The Unicorn
9:00 Mom
9:30 Carol's Second Act
10:00 Evil

FRIDAY
8:00 Hawaii Five-0 (Repeat)
9:00 Magnum P.I. (Repeat)
10:00 Blue Bloods (Repeat)

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

SUNDAY
7:00 60 Minutes
8:00 NCIS (Repeat)
9:00 FBI (Repeat)
10:00 NCIS: New Orleans (Repeat)

NBC
NBC is all new all week except for Sunday. Tuesday has the return of This is Us and New Amsterdam, fresh off its shocking three season renewal.

MONDAY
8:00 America's Got Talent: The Champions
10:00 Manifest

TUESDAY
8:00 Ellen's Game of Games
9:00 This is Us
10:00 New Amsterdam

WEDNESDAY
8:00 Chicago Med
9:00 Chicago Fire
10:00 Chicago PD

THURSDAY
8:00 Superstore
8:30 The Good Place
9:00 Will & Grace
9:30 Perfect Harmony
10:00 Law & Order: SVU

FRIDAY
8:00 Lincoln Rhyme: Hunt for the Bone Collector
9:00 Dateline NBC

SATURDAY
8:00 Dateline NBC
10:00 Saturday Night Live (Repeat)

SUNDAY
7:00 America's Got Talent: The Champions (Repeat)
9:00 Ellen's Game of Games (Repeat)
10:00 Ellen's Game of Games (Repeat)

FOX
FOX has a series premiere this week with the Rob Lowe-fronted 9-1-1 spinoff, 9-1-1: Lone Star. The drama gets a premiere following the NFC Championship Game which pretty much guarantees big ratings. The bigger question will be what happens when it takes over 9-1-1's timeslot the next night. Flops Flirty Dancing and Almost Family have been pulled, but will air one more week before finishing their runs on Saturday.

MONDAY
8:00 9-1-1 (Repeat)
9:00 Prodigal Son (Repeat)

TUESDAY
8:00 The Resident
9:00 Gordon Ramsay's 24 Hours to Hell and Back

WEDNESDAY
8:00 Flirty Dancing
9:00 Almost Family

THURSDAY
8:00 Last Man Standing
8:30 Last Man Standing
9:00 Deputy

FRIDAY
8:00 WWE SmackDown

SATURDAY
8:00 Boxing

SUNDAY
7:00 NFL NFC Championship Game
10:00 9-1-1: Lone Star (SERIES PREMIERE)

CW
The CW finally gets out of its holiday break on Tuesday with Arrow and the season premiere of DC's Legends of Tomorrow, which is part of its still ongoing "Crisis of Infinite Earths" crossover.

MONDAY
8:00 The Flash (Repeat)
9:00 Penn & Teller: Fool Us (Repeat)

TUESDAY
8:00 Arrow
9:00 DC's Legends of Tomorrow (Season Premiere)

WEDNESDAY
8:00 The CW Dog Honors (Special)
9:00 Nancy Drew

THURSDAY
8:00 Supernatural
9:00 Legacies

FRIDAY
8:00 Charmed
9:00 Dynasty

SUNDAY
8:00 Batwoman
9:00 Supergirl

TV NEWS & THOUGHTS
- FOX has ordered The Masked Dancer to series. A spinoff of their biggest show, The Masked Singer, the newest competition does not have a premiere date yet. It might be wise for FOX to do only one cycle of each show each year rather than two of Singer as they are doing this season.

- The CW handed out a whopping thirteen renewals, its entire regular slate besides the shows in already announced final seasons. Set to return for 2020-2021 are The Flash (season 7), Riverdale (season 5), Supergirl (season 6), Black Lightning (season 4), DC's Legends of Tomorrow (season 6), All American (season 3), Charmed (season 3), Legacies (season 3), Dynasty (season 4), Batwoman (season 2) and Nancy Drew (season 2). They also renewed shows that have yet to have their season premiere: DC's Legends of Tomorrow (season 6), Roswell, New Mexico (season 3) and In the Dark (season 3). Upcoming newbie Katy Keene received an additional script order for a potential season two. While this is early even for CW, it's not that surprising given their lack of care about linear ratings and their multi-platform approach.

- ABC announced some midseason scheduling plans. Veteran comedy Modern Family will end its eleven year run on Wednesday, April 8. American Housewife will move to Wednesdays 9:30pm on March 18 and then take over the 9pm slot after Modern ends in what is yet another timeslot for Housewife. Replacing Housewife and the ending Fresh Off the Boat on Fridays will be Shark Tank, returning to its old night. Elsewhere, The Baker and the Beauty will premiere on April 6 at 10pm while the series finale of How to Get Away with Murder will air on May 14 at 10pm.

- ABC also announced that they have picked up the new version of Supermarket Sweep hosted by Leslie Jones as well as The Bachelor spinoff, The Bachelor: Listen to Your Heart. Both unscripted shows will join ABC's extensive game show and unscripted romance show catalog.

- NBC has renewed New Amsterdam for a whopping three seasons. The so-so rated medical drama will be on the air at least through 2023. This is a pretty shocking show of faith to a middling show. NBC also renewed Making It for a third season and ordered Young Rock, a sitcom about Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson's formative years, straight to series.

Friday, January 10, 2020

PILOT REVIEW: Lincoln Rhyme: Hunt for the Bone Collector

LINCOLN RHYME: HUNT FOR THE BONE COLLECTOR











Starring: Russell Hornsby, Arielle Kebbel , Roslyn Ruff, Ramses Jimenez, Brooke Lyons, Tate Ellington, Courtney Grosbeck, with Brian O'Byrne and Michael Imperioli

Developed by Mark Bianculli & VJ Boyd
Teleplay by Mark Bianculli & VJ Boyd, Directed by Seth Gordon

Lincoln Rhyme: Hunt for the Bone Collector was originally just called Lincoln. I understand the need to change from Lincoln (they didn't want audiences thinking it was about the president - although I would have preferred that). But why such a long and cumbersome name? Why not just call it The Bone Collector, the same title as the novel and film? It's not like shows have shied away from using the same name as their source material.

I start with that because that was the most interesting thing about the pilot, it's ridiculous title. It wasn't a bad show, there was nothing laughably terrible. But it brings absolutely nothing new to the genre. All the tropes are there and it feels pretty much like a standard crime procedural. I never read the book or saw the movie so I'm not sure if it brought something new to the genre to become a well known title.

The cast is serviceable although the dynamics between Russell Hornsby and Arielle Kebbel play pretty much like any male-female detective combination on TV. It doesn't matter than Hornsby is barking his orders while bedridden, it still had the exact same feel as nearly every show like this. When I first started reviews on this blog, I loved Michael Imperioli on Detroit 1-8-7. I want to go back and watch that show to see if it was actually as good as I thought back in 2010 or if my palette and appreciation for TV dramas just had a much lower threshold then. He's fine here, but seems a little bored.

There is an element of The Following here in the sense that we have already met the serial killer they are hunting. But that presents two problems. First of all, I don't think this show is even as ambitious as that show (which ended up being a complete mess) so I don't think they will be able to keep the story going in an exciting way. Secondly, the show is about hunting the Bone Collector. if this show were to run ten years (which it won't), what is their plan? They can't possibly plan to keep the pursuit going indefinitely.

Wednesday, January 8, 2020

PILOT REVIEW: Zoey's Extraordinary Playlist

ZOEY'S EXTRAORDINARY PLAYLIST











Starring: Jane Levy, Skylar Astin, Alex Newell, John Clarence Stewart, with Peter Gallagher and Mary Steenburgen

Created by Austin Winsburg
Written by Austin Winsberg, Directed by Richard Shepard

I watched the premiere of Zoey's Extraordinary Playlist immediately after watching the premiere of FBI: Most Wanted and talk about two shows that couldn't be more different. FBI: Most Wanted was basically as standard as it gets while Zoey is unlike anything I've watched. I honestly don't know what to make of this wildly whimsical show. I feel like I oscillated between thinking it was utterly ridiculous and ridiculously charming. There were times it worked really well and other times it was a little manipulative and corny. But I have to give major props to NBC and the show for trying something different. After seeing a by the books procedural, this was a breath of fresh air for network TV.

Zoey's plot plays out as crazy as it sounds: Jane Levy stars as the title character, a software engineer in San Francisco who is suddenly able to hear everyone's innermost thoughts and dialogue, but through songs. The cast is stacked with veterans Peter Gallagher and Mary Steenburgen as Zoey's parents, compelling performances from the other supporting actors (including a funny turn from Alex Newell) and the great Lauren Graham in a recurring role as Zoey's boss.

Even with the strong cast, this is clearly Levy's show and she keeps the fantastical show grounded. I was a fan of Levy on Suburgatory years ago, even when I didn't love the show. And this is a pretty perfect vehicle for her. She plays perplexed really well with a dry sense of humor. This is truly a star turn for her and I hope it works out but if it doesn't, I hope people will notice her and given her another show soon.

The show also has high production values and a sunny feel to it. It might remind people a little bit of many of the fantasy-driven ABC shows of the late 2000s. I'm sure there will also be comparisons to Glee, a show everyone always thought I would like and I never did. I actually think comparing this show to Glee is a cheap comparison just because of the infusion of choreographed pop songs. But they serve such a different purpose here. For good or bad, it's not the same show. For me, that's a good thing. I think the show teetered on the edge of not working or falling apart all the time but it didn't and when it has a premise this ridiculous, that's no small feat.

WILL I WATCH AGAIN?
Yes, knowing it doesn't premiere until mid-February. I am definitely intrigued enough to see where this show goes and hope it can strike the right tone.

PILOT REVIEW: FBI: Most Wanted

FBI: MOST WANTED











Starring: Julian McMahon, Kellan Lutz, Roxy Sternberg, Keisha Castle-Hughes, Nathaniel Arcand

Created by Rene Balcer
Based on the Series "FBI" Created by Dick Wolf & Craig Turk
Written by Rene Balcer, Directed by Fred Berner

I watched a grand total of 1.5 episodes of FBI last year. Even though there are procedurals I really enjoy, this one just didn't click for me and there's plenty of other shows like it. I know there was a backdoor pilot that aired on FBI last year but I didn't see it, so this felt a little bit like dropping in on any procedural drama. In some ways, that was a little bit of a relief because exposition on these kinds of dramas can be extremely awkward and often result in the "case of the week" getting less attention than it should.

It was clear watching this episode that exposition is really not necessary for a show like this. Sometimes, there are character driven procedurals. The Chicago shows come to mind as they absolutely have cases of the week but are focused a lot on the ensemble too. Then there are case driven procedurals, and this is one of them. While the show is obviously led by Julian McMahon as Agent Jess LaCroix, this show could use the agents interchangeably or with any other actors. That's not saying that the actors are bad. It's just saying that they made no impact at all on the episode. There was a half-hearted attempt at the end of the episode to do something personal but it didn't really amount to anything.

Where FBI: Most Wanted succeeded was a pretty compelling case of the week led by a strong guest performance from Henry Thomas as the doctor at the center of the investigation. It was actually Thomas who made the biggest impact in the cast, but he's only a guest star. I thought the show did a very nice job with the opening scene in terms of making it suspenseful. If I was a casual viewer watching FBI and that scene came on immediately after, I would leave the TV on. That would have been especially great 20+ years ago, but it doesn't strike me as a show people will seek out to watch.

What I think FBI: Most Wanted has going for it is the stakes feel a little higher than I remember from the parent show. Maybe I'm just fooled by the "Most Wanted" moniker, but this felt pretty tense all the way through. This whole review basically means that FBI is going to rise and fall with each individual case. That's not a great thing because it means it'll be one of the first shows to drop off my list when things get busy. Why do I need to keep up with a show if I can watch them in any order at any time?

WILL I WATCH IT AGAIN?
Yes, but I am pretty sure I won't be a weekly viewer of the show.

Monday, January 6, 2020

THE WEEK AHEAD: January 6-12, 2020

Here's a look at this week on TV!

ABC
Broadcast TV wakes up from its holiday nap this week with lots of winter premieres. ABC starts the week off with the venerable franchise The Bachelor and its three hour premiere. They also have the heavily promoted Jeopardy tournament between the game's all time top three champions. Given that a Jeopardy special did surprisingly well on Thursday night, I think we could see pretty big numbers for this tournament.

MONDAY
8:00 The Bachelor (Season Premiere)

TUESDAY
8:00 Jeopardy: The Greatest of All Time Part 1 (Special)
9:00 Mixed-ish
9:30 Black-ish
10:00 Emergence

WEDNESDAY
8:00 Jeopardy: The Greatest of All Time Part 2 (Special)
9:00 Modern Family
9:30 Single Parents
10:00 Stumptown

THURSDAY
8:00 Jeopardy: The Greatest of All Time (Special)
9:00 Truth and Lies: Jeffrey Epstein (Special)

FRIDAY
8:00 American Housewife (Repeat)
8:30 Fresh Off the Boat (Repeat)
9:00 20/20

SATURDAY
8:00 The Conners (Repeat)
8:30 The Conners (Repeat)
9:00 The Goldbergs (Repeat)
9:30 The Goldbergs (Repeat)
10:00 20/20

SUNDAY
7:00 America's Funniest Home Videos
8:00 Kids Say the Darndest Things
9:00 Shark Tank
10:00 Shark Tank (Repeat)

CBS
CBS has a series premiere this week with FBI: Most Wanted. The spinoff of FBI gets to follow the original, which has had a pretty up and down sophomore season in the ratings so it probably depends on how things go for the mothership this week. Wednesday has the season premiere of Undercover Boss and the final season premiere of Criminal Minds, which will ends its 15 year run in February.

MONDAY
8:00 The Neighborhood
8:30 Bob Hearts Abishola
9:00 All Rise
10:00 Bull

TUESDAY
8:00 NCIS
9:00 FBI
10:00 FBI: Most Wanted (SERIES PREMIERE)

WEDNESDAY
8:00 Undercover Boss (Season Premiere)
9:00 Criminal Minds (Season Premiere)

THURSDAY
8:00 Young Sheldon
8:30 The Unicorn
9:00 Mom
9:30 Carol's Second Act
10:00 Evil

FRIDAY
8:00 Hawaii Five-0
9:00 Magnum P.I.
10:00 Blue Bloods

SATURDAY
8:00 NFL Divisional Playoffs

SUNDAY
7:00 60 Minutes
8:00 God Friended Me
9:00 NCIS: Los Angeles
10:00 TBA

NBC
NBC has a lot of premieres this week. Monday night brings the second season of America's Got Talent: The Champions and the return of Manifest to its old home of Mondays at 10pm. Tuesday has a sneak peek of Zoey's Extraordinary Playlist, which will air on Sundays in March, following a new season of Ellen's Game of Games. Zoey's could get an OK sampling but will be a tough sell overall. Friday has the series premiere of Lincoln Rhyme: Hunt for the Bone Collector. Besides an annoyingly long title, it's in a sleepy Friday slot so I wouldn't expect much.

MONDAY
8:00 America's Got Talent: The Champions (Season Premiere)
10:00 Manifest (Season Premiere)

TUESDAY
8:00 Ellen's Game of Games (Season Premiere)
9:00 Ellen's Game of Games
10:00 Zoey's Extraordinary Playlist (SERIES PREMIERE)

WEDNESDAY
8:00 Chicago Med
9:00 Chicago Fire
10:00 Chicago PD

THURSDAY
8:00 Superstore
8:30 The Good Place
9:00 Will & Grace
9:30 Perfect Harmony
10:00 Law & Order: SVU

FRIDAY
8:00 Lincoln Rhyme: Hunt for the Bone Collector (SERIES PREMIERE)
9:00 Dateline NBC

SATURDAY
8:00 Ellen's Game of Games (Repeat)
9:00 Dateline NBC
10:00 Saturday Night Live (Repeat)

SUNDAY
7:00 America's Got Talent: The Champions (Repeat)
9:00 Ellen's Game of Games (Repeat)
10:00 Ellen's Game of Games (Repeat)

FOX
FOX has a season premiere this week with Gordon Ramsay's 24 Hours to Hell and Back. They are getting nothing from their Wednesday show Flirty Dancing but had an OK Thursday premiere for Last Man Standing and Deputy last week. The season finale of Bless the Harts will air late after the NFL Divisional game on Sunday night (along with a new Bob's Burgers).

MONDAY
8:00 9-1-1 (Repeat)
9:00 Prodigal Son (Repeat)

TUESDAY
8:00 The Resident
9:00 Gordon Ramsay's 24 Hours to Hell and Back (Season Premiere)

WEDNESDAY
8:00 Flirty Dancing
9:00 Almost Family

THURSDAY
8:00 Last Man Standing
8:30 Last Man Standing
9:00 Deputy

FRIDAY
8:00 WWE SmackDown

SATURDAY
8:00 Gordon Ramsay's 24 Hours to Hell and Back (Repeat)
9:00 Deputy (Repeat)

SUNDAY
7:00 NFL Divisional Playoffs
10:00 Bob's Burgers
10:30 Bless the Harts (Season Finale)

CW
The CW is still in repeat mode this week. They'll be back next week.

MONDAY
8:00 Supergirl (Repeat)
9:00 Crisis Aftermath (Special - Repeat)

TUESDAY
8:00 Batwoman (Repeat)
9:00 Black Lightning (Repeat)

WEDNESDAY
8:00 Riverdale (Repeat)
9:00 Nancy Drew (Repeat)

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

FRIDAY
8:00 Penn & Teller: Fool Us (Repeat)
9:00 Whose Line is it Anyway? (Repeat)
9:30 Whose Line is it Anyway? (Repeat)

SUNDAY
7:00 25th Annual Critics' Choice Awards (Special)

Thursday, January 2, 2020

PILOT REVIEW: Deputy

DEPUTY












Starring: Stephen Dorff, Yara Martinez, Brian Van Holt, Bex Taylor-Klaus, Siena Goines, Shane Paul McGhie and Mark Moses

Created by Will Beall
Written by Will Beall, Directed by David Ayer

FOX's new drama Deputy was billed as blending the "spirit of a classic Western" with a "modern day attitude" and boy, do they try to hammer that home throughout the pilot. This is a show that wants to have it all and appeal to all without actually taking a stand on anything. It's like they wanted to do their rootin' tootin' shoot 'em up and get the bad guys approach that might appeal to conservatives but then bend over backwards to make progressive storylines such as immigration. As a result, the show suffers quite a bit from its tone and feel not matching its words and beliefs.

Deputy centers on a veteran lawman, Bill Hollister (Stephen Dorff). How do I know this? Well, his first line is "I'm a lawman." Due to an arcane law, his position as the longest serving deputy thrusts him into the job as sheriff of Los Angeles County. He immediately battles with under-sheriff Jerry London (Mark Moses) about anything and everything. His support network includes his wife, Paula (Yara Martinez) and confidante Cade Walker (Brian Van Holt) as well as his security detail Breanna Bishop (Bex Taylor-Klaus).

Do I think there could be a show about making a police department more progressive? Of course. But Hollister is played like a Jack Bauer type character - one who could care less about the establishment and prefers to handle things his own way. That's great, but then it doesn't seem in character for him to be as socially conscious and heavy handed about things as he is. It makes him not make sense as a character no matter how many gritty moments or close up looks at his grizzled face the show gives us. The show wants to have it both ways and instead they fail at both.

Even if the show can somehow strike the right balance in future episodes (and I doubt they could), there are so many other silly and cliche things. We have terrible dialogue. I already mentioned that it started with "I'm a lawman." Well, it ends with the line "Buckle up, we're just getting started." Cue major eye rolling from me. There are crazy and ridiculous car chases, a very heavy handed approach to PTSD in a stock character and even a Brady Bunch "Johnny Bravo" reference (ok, the last one I sort of appreciated).

WILL I WATCH IT AGAIN?
No, not interested.