THE FRIDAY FIVE: Top 5 TV News Stories of the Week Ending 10/30/20

Here's a look at this week's Top 5 TV news stories!

#1 - JON STEWART IS BACK!

The most exciting TV news of the week for me is the return of Jon Stewart to a TV show. Although he has made several appearances on his pal Stephen Colbert's show, Stewart has not had a show since his departure from The Daily Show in 2015. Now he is coming back to Apple TV+ for an untitled series set to debut in 2021. The one hour episodes will be single topic focused and will not necessarily air on a regular basis but as topics present themselves. The show has already been picked up for multiple seasons and is a big get for Apple TV+ as they try to be a bigger player in the streaming wars. Apple TV+ has also ordered a comedy, Platonic, starring Seth Rogen and Rose Byrne. 

EPISODE GUIDES: Bewitched Season Eight

BEWITCHED: SEASON EIGHT

1971-1972
26 episodes

And we have reached the final season of Bewitched. It's a theme I'll repeat below, but this show is such a shell of what it was when it started. It almost doesn't seem like the same show as it has now devolved into such silly plots. Half of the plots are ones that would never have been done in the early seasons and the other half are inferior remakes of those early episodes. Bewitched has lost all creativity at this point and can only muster up a strong episode every once in awhile. This graded out to be the worst Bewitched season for me, which is not a surprise. Everyone on the show seems like they were done before this season even started. It's a good thing that Elizabeth Montgomery wanted to call it quits because a season nine could have been even worse.

Starring
Elizabeth Montgomery as Samantha Stephens (26 episodes)
Dick Sargent as Darrin Stephens (26 episodes)
Agnes Moorehead as Endora (13 episodes)
David White as Larry Tate (15 episodes)
Erin Murphy as Tabitha Stephens (14 episodes)

David and Greg Lawrence as Adam Stephens (8 episodes)
Alice Ghostley as Esmeralda (4 episodes)
Maurice Evans as Maurice (3 episodes)
Bernard Fox as Dr. Bombay (3 episodes)
Elizabeth Montgomery as Serena (3 episodes)
Kasey Rogers as Louise Tate (3 episodes)

229. How Not to Lose Your Head to King Henry VIII Part 1 (9/15/71)
During a visit to Europe, a witch gets angry with Samantha for saving a man trapped in a painting and sends Samantha back to the time of King Henry VIII.

Bewitched begins its final season with a trip to Europe that is less compelling than the Salem trip that kicked off season seven. They also kick things off with a plot that was famously used in the great season five episode "Samantha Goes South for a Spell" and it pales in comparison here. One of the things apparent here and throughout this season is Elizabeth Montgomery seems to have completely lost interest in the part and is definitely going through the motions. I feel like I'm going through the motions a little bit watching it at this point.
RATING: 3/10

230. How Not to Lose Your Head to King Henry VIII Part 2 (9/22/71)
Darrin and Endora both go back in time to try to save Samantha from King Henry VIII and bring her back to the present, but they have to deal with no witchcraft and Samantha not recognizing them.

Part two of the Henry the VIII saga is better than part one because the action moves a little better and there's more plot with less exposition. However, there is a very long Batman-esque recapping of the first part at the beginning of this episode. I think one of the problems here, as usual, is Dick Sargent. His Darrin seems annoyed to have to do it all whereas Dick York seemed to frantically want his wife back in the similar season five episode I mentioned above. The addition of Endora to the events back in time helps Sargent's wooden performance.
RATING: 4/10

ONE SEASON WONDERS: Maggie

MAGGIE

Programming Details:
October 24, 1981 - May 21, 1982
8 episodes
ABC

Starring: Miriam Flynn, James Hampton, Margie Impert, Judith-Marie Bergan, Billy Jacoby, Christian Jacobs and Doris Roberts
Created by: Erma Bombeck

Plot: Based on books by Erma Bombeck, Maggie Weston (Flynn) is a housewife living with husband Len (Hampton) and sons Mark and Bruce (Jacoby & Jacobs) outside of Dayton, Ohio. There is a third son, LJ, who is never seen because he's "always in the bathroom." Rounding out the main cast are Maggie's friends (Impert, Bergan & Roberts). 

TOP 10 TUESDAY: Top 10 Halloween/Haunted Episodes (1995-Present)

Following up on last week's Top 10 Halloween/Haunted Episodes from before 1995, this week is my Top 10 Halloween/Haunted Episodes (1995-Present)

Close Calls:

Superstore "Sal's Dead"

That 70s Show "Too Old to Trick or Treat, Too Young to Die"

This is Us "The 20s"

10. Friends "The One with the Halloween Party" (November 1, 2001)

The only Friends Halloween episode features Chandler as a giant pink bunny so that has to count for something. It's not a standout for a Friends episode but just fun to see them celebrating a holiday other than Thanksgiving. It also features a strong guest appearance from Sean Penn.

9. Brooklyn Nine-Nine "Halloween" (October 22, 2013)

The first season of Brooklyn Nine-Nine kicked off an annual episode that continues each season to the present - the Halloween Heist. There are many great heist episodes (and I'm a sucker for them) but the one that establishes the bet and the ground rules is the most original of them.

SCHEDULES OF THE PAST: 1986-1987 Mondays

I'm kicking off the 1986-87 season this week with a look at Mondays!

ABC	8:00	9:00	10:00
Sep	MacGyver	Monday Night Football
Oct
Nov
Dec
Jan		Monday Night Movie
Feb
Mar
Apr
May

ABC found their perfect companion for Monday Night Football in the 1986-87 season. MacGyver had been a modestly rated drama on Sundays and then Wednesdays in its first season but ABC brought it to Monday nights. Though it never did break out in the ratings, the show fit like a glove with Monday Night Football with its male skew and heavy action. Monday Night Football ushered in a new era with the arrival of Al Michaels as the play-by-play commentator. He was paired with returning Frank Gifford for a two man booth. Michaels was best known at the time for calling the "Miracle on Ice" but he ended up having an iconic run, lasting all the way until the franchise left ABC after the 2005 season. As usual, a movie replaced football in January but it paled in the ratings compared to NBC's movie.

THE FRIDAY FIVE: Top 5 TV News Stories of the Week Ending 10/23/20

 Here's a look at this week's Top 5 TV news stories!

#1 - QUIBI IS DEAD

The ill-fated experiment known as Quibi is now dead after just seven months. The streaming service was conceived as an on the go service or "quick bites" that would air 7-10 minute episodes of all sorts of shows, scripted and unscripted. The service has been mercilessly mocked since its premiere and the out of touch ideas from its leaders, Jeffrey Katzenberg and Meg Whitman. Although the service did pick up a few Emmys for its short form programming, there was little to no buzz and the subscription base reportedly plummeted after free trials expired. Those who were involved are putting heavy blame on the pandemic. While admittedly the timing was not great for a launch, you will never be able to convince me that this would have worked in a normal year. I don't think people need a service to tell them how to watch shows in small chunks. Whether it's a few minutes of a podcast or a Netflix show, people are used to consuming things in fits and starts. The idea of a service needing to tell people how to do that is as obsolete as telling people exactly when to watch their favorite shows. It was a terrible idea. The pandemic probably just made the end happen quicker but it did not cause the service to fail. No word on what will happen to its many original shows. A few might find homes elsewhere but I'm predicting most will be dead.

EPISODE GUIDES: Bewitched Season Seven

BEWITCHED: SEASON SEVEN
1970-1971
28 episodes

Season seven of Bewitched kicks things off with a trip to Salem (and it was actually filmed on location). Although the Salem episodes are a mixed bag at best, it does seem to get the show a little bit of a jolt from an energy standpoint. But the energy wanes from there and the show really starts to feel long in the tooth. Some of the episodes are a real chore to get through while others just feel pretty listless. Between Elizabeth Montgomery's growing boredom and Dick Sargent's general ineffectiveness, the show's center just doesn't work and we then get a bunch of Serena episodes and other silly plot lines instead of carefully constructed ideas.

Starring
Elizabeth Montgomery as Samantha Stephens (28 episodes)
Dick Sargent as Darrin Stephens (28 episodes)
Agnes Moorehead as Endora (16 episodes)
David White as Larry Tate (21 episodes)
Erin Murphy as Tabitha Stephens (12 episodes)

David and Greg Lawrence as Adam Stephens (9 episodes)
Elizabeth Montgomery as Serena (7 episodes)
Sandra Gould as Gladys Kravitz (6 episodes)
George Tobias as Abner Kravitz (4 episodes)
Bernard Fox as Dr. Bombay (3 episodes)
Alice Ghostley as Esmeralda (3 episodes)
Kasey Rogers as Louise Tate (3 episodes)
Mabel Albertson as Phyllis Stephens (2 episodes)
Paul Lynde as Uncle Arthur (1 episode)
Robert F. Simon as Frank Stephens (1 episode)

201. To Go or Not to Go, That is the Question Part 1 (9/24/70)
Endora convinces Samantha to go to Salem with her for a witch's meeting but when they decide Darrin is going to go too, they have to deal with the high priestess, Hepzibah.

Season seven of Bewitched kicks off with a redesign (and 70s looking update) to the Stephens house and the beginning of the Salem story arc. While season seven continues the decline overall, the Salem arc has some really good moments. They don't actually get to Salem here though as the episode spends its whole time dealing with Darrin as a frog at first and then the high priestess. Jane Connell is good as Hepzibah but the problem is we saw her do basically the exact same character when she was Queen Victoria approximately 100 episodes ago. I get that Connell plays this type of role well, but it's pretty noticeable with such a similar character. This is why shows today have show bibles.
RATING: 6.5/10

202. Salem, Here We Come Part 2 (10/1/70)
Samantha and Darrin wait for Hepzibah's decision regarding their trip to Salem and in the meantime, she gets to know more mortals like Larry and a client who is put on a spell to take a liking to her.

This two part episode seems like it easily could have been one episode because there's an awful lot of filler in this episode. And for that matter, did we really need the scenes in part one of Darrin being turned into a frog by Endora? There was a tight and interesting story in here, but it got bloated into two episodes that weakened both parts. Jane Connell is solid again and given a few more ways to expand her character than in the first part. The idea of her falling for a client was an interesting idea but by the time they got to it, they couldn't do all that much with it.
RATING: 5/10

ONE SEASON WONDERS: Tabitha

TABITHA

Programming Details:
September 10, 1977 - January 14, 1978
11 episodes
ABC

Starring: Lisa Hartman, Robert Urich, Mel Stewart, David Ankrum and Karen Morrow

Created by: Jerry Mayer

Plot: A spinoff of Bewitched, Tabitha centers on the adult daughter of Samantha and Darrin, played now by Lisa Hartman (Tabitha would only have been 11 in 1977 so original actress Erin Murphy wouldn't have made sense). She works with her brother, Adam (Ankrum) at a TV station with her boss, Marvin (Stewart) and TV host Paul Thurston (Urich). Rounding out the main cast is Aunt Minerva (Morrow), a character never mentioned on Bewitched. 

TOP 10 TUESDAY: Top 10 Halloween/Haunted Episodes (Pre-1995)

In honor of Halloween, this week and next week will focus on Top 10 Halloween/Haunted Episodes. I decided to break it down from pre-1995 and 1995-present. So this week is the Top 10 from before 1995!

Close Calls:

The Andy Griffith Show "The Haunted House"

Bewitched "The Safe and Sane Halloween"

I Dream of Jeannie "My Master the Ghostbreaker"

10. Cheers "Fairy Tales Can Come True" (October 25, 1984)

This episode is not haunted by any means but is incredibly sweet and one of the first really great Cliff-centric episodes of the series. It's completely charming but also eye opening to see that character let his guard down and show his insecurities.

9. Laverne & Shirley "Haunted House" (March 22, 1977)

Perhaps the most standard "haunted house" episode on this list, it's a fun opportunity to get Laverne, Shirley, Lenny and Squiggy in a room together. Sure it's not super scary, but the characters are scared and it is funny.

SCHEDULES OF THE PAST: 1985-1986 Sundays

Here's a look at Sundays in the 1985-86 season!

ABC	7:00	8:00	9:00	10:00
Sep	Ripley’s Believe It or Not	MacGyver	Sunday Night Movie
Oct
Nov
Dec
Jan		Various Programs
Feb	The Disney Sunday Movie
Mar
Apr
May

ABC started the season off with a little bit of a mashed together lineup. At 7pm was the unscripted series Ripley's Believe It or Not in its fourth season. It was exactly the kind of show you see in this kind of timeslot but had lost all momentum and was one of TV's lowest rated shows. It was followed by new action drama MacGyver. Though it has become an iconic series now, it was a slow starter in its first season. After the holidays, it moved to Wednesdays before finding a more permanent home on Mondays in season two. Various shows filled the timeslot until early February when the first half of the night was scrapped for The Disney Sunday Movie. This was part of the long running Wonderful World of Disney, but with a new name. It had last been seen on CBS in 1983 when it went off the air after almost thirty years. The movie was hosted by the new (at the time) Disney CEO Michael Eisner. All through the season, a movie aired at 9pm but did not do as well in the ratings as the CBS and NBC movies.

THE FRIDAY FIVE: Top 5 TV News Stories of the Week Ending 10/16/20

 Here's a look at this week's Top 5 TV news stories!

#1 -  CBS ANNOUNCES FALL PREMIERE DATES

In the spring, the networks had different strategies on dealing with COVID-19 and their schedules. FOX and the CW pretty much pandemic-proofed their schedule while ABC, CBS and NBC announced a "fall" schedule for an undetermined date but with many shows on it that were question marks if they could go back into production. The end result was somewhere in the middle. ABC, CBS and NBC were all able to get some but not all of their shows back on their air by November with CBS the latest to announce premiere dates. Young Sheldon, new comedy B Positive and Anna Faris-less Mom will kick things off on November 5. NCIS: New Orleans and NCIS: Los Angeles follow on November 8. S.W.A.T., one of the first shows to go back into production, stars on November 11. The Monday trio of The Neighborhood, Bob Hearts Abishola and All Rise begin November 16 while NCIS kicks off its 18th season on November 17. Still no dates have been set for Bull, FBI, FBI: Most Wanted, SEAL Team, The Unicorn, Evil, MacGyver, Magnum P.I., Blue Bloods and the new The Equalizer. Most of those shows are back in production now but either don't have as many in the can to assure CBS of a premiere date or require more considerations before they can return.

EPISODE GUIDES: Bewitched Season Six

BEWITCHED: SEASON SIX
1969-1970
30 episodes

Bewitched enters a new era for season six as Dick Sargent takes over the role of Darrin. The show is never the same and I think many fans point to this season as the beginning of the end. I've always felt that way too so I was surprised when this season actually graded out higher for me than season five, where York was absent quite a bit but still played Darrin. Although Sargent is a step down in every way, the show seems a little more coherent this season with less frantic storytelling that was perhaps brought on by York's frequent absences in season five. There are a couple real fun episodes and a couple real stinkers but overall, this is a pretty "middle of the road" season for Bewitched despite the major change.

Starring
Elizabeth Montgomery as Samantha Stephens (30 episodes)
Dick Sargent as Darrin Stephens (30 episodes)
Agnes Moorehead as Endora (17 episodes)
David White as Larry Tate (23 episodes)
Erin Murphy as Tabitha Stephens (17 episodes)

Alice Ghostley as Esmeralda (8 episodes)
Bernard Fox as Dr. Bombay (6 episodes)
Mabel Albertson as Phyllis Stephens (4 episodes)
Maurice Evans as Maurice (4 episodes)
Sandra Gould as Gladys Kravitz (3 episodes)
Elizabeth Montgomery as Serena (3 episodes)
Roy Roberts as Frank Stephens (3 episodes)
Kasey Rogers as Louise Tate (3 episodes)
George Tobias as Abner Kravitz (3 episodes)
Paul Lynde as Uncle Arthur (2 episodes)

171. Samantha and the Beanstalk (9/18/69)
Worried that her expectant parents like boys more than girls, Tabitha switches places with Jack from Jack and the Beanstalk and goes into his story book to see the giant.

The Dick Sargent era kicks off with this fantastical episode. The episode itself is pretty clever with a strong guest performance by Bobo Lewis. It's not something that Bewitched had done yet to this point. It was nice to see them get away from the historical figures fantasy episodes and instead do a storybook episode although it's further proof of Bewitched's devolution from a romantic and sophisticated sitcom to a silly 60s one. The biggest problem though is Sargent. He has Darrin's agitation fine but he doesn't have the warmth or the humor that Dick York brought to this role. I will try not to mention my dislike for him too much over the next three seasons but this is very clearly the beginning of the end for Bewitched even though some episodes (including this one) are still strong.
RATING: 7.5/10

172. Samantha's Yoo Hoo Maid (9/25/69)
Endora convinces Samantha and Darrin to hire a new maid before the baby comes and they settle on an older witch named Esmeralda.

After Marion Lorne's death in Season 4, Bewitched finally tries to fill the massive hole she left with the addition of bumbling maid Esmeralda. They smartly decided to not recast the role of Aunt Clara, but despite Alice Ghostley's best attempts, Esmeralda is just not nearly as good a character. Her recurring gags of the embarrassed disappearing and sneezing just don't come across as funny to me. That being said, this is a good introduction to the Esmeralda character. If she was a better character as a whole, this would have been the perfect showcase.
RATING: 5.5/10

ONE SEASON WONDERS: Mrs. G. Goes to College

MRS. G. GOES TO COLLEGE

Programming Details:
October 4, 1961 - April 5, 1962
26 episodes
CBS

Starring: Gertrude Berg and Cedric Hardwicke, Mary Wickes, Skip Ward, Marion Ross, Paul Smith, Aneta Corsaut
Created by: Gertrude Berg, Cherney Berg & Arthur Stander

Plot: Sarah Green (Goldberg) is a 62 year old widow who decides to attend her local college. She immediately deals with her much younger classmates including Joe (Ward) and spars with a professor on exchange from Cambridge University (Hardwicke). Rounding out the main cast are new on campus neighbors, the Howells (Smith & Corsaut).  

TOP 10 TUESDAY: Top 10 TV Bosses

My Top 10 for this week is Top 10 TV Bosses!

Close Calls:

Frank Furillo - Hill Street Blues

Chief Wallace Boden - Chicago Fire

Alan Brady - The Dick Van Dyke Show

10. Rebecca Howe (Kirstie Alley) - Cheers

She wasn't the boss for her whole time on Cheers so it was hard to rank her higher than this Rebecca Howe was hilarious as Sam Malone's dizzying mess of a boss and Kirstie Alley added a whole new element to the show when she joined Cheers.

9. The Chief (Edward Platt) - Get Smart

A very steady force in an otherwise zany sitcom, the Chief managed to both keep evil forces from destroying the US and Maxwell Smart from destroying anything around him. He also got to be goofy from time to time which was fun.

SCHEDULES OF THE PAST: 1985-1986 Saturdays

Here's a look at Saturdays in the 1985-86 season!

ABC	8:00	8:30	9:00	10:00
Sep	Hollywood Beat		Lime Street	The Love Boat
Oct
Nov			Lady Blue
Dec	The Fall Guy
Jan	The Redd Foxx Show	Benson
Feb			Fortune Dane
Mar
Apr			Various Programs
May	Mr. Sunshine

Saturdays were a mess for ABC in 1985-86 but they were certainly trying with nine different shows airing and none of them living to see another season. The year started out with new dramas in the 8pm and 9pm hours. Hollywood Beat was a cop drama featuring former football player John Matuszak. Just like The Insiders, which premiered the same season, it seemed to be trying to replicate the style of Miami Vice. It lasted just eight episodes. At 9pm was a UK set family/action drama starring Robert Wagner that had tragedy strike before the season began. 13 year old co-star Samantha Smith was killed in a plane crash about a month before the show premiered and after only three episodes had been completed. The show tried to soldier on and dedicate it to Smith but that tragedy coupled with low ratings led to its cancellation after airing just one post-Smith episode. Lime Street was replaced by the violent Lady Blue, which had been airing on Thursdays while Hollywood Beat was replaced by The Fall Guy, which had been airing on Thursdays. Fall Guy moved again to Fridays and was replaced by a comedy block. The Redd Foxx Show brought Redd Foxx back to TV after his popular 1970s sitcom Sanford and Son. Co-starring Barry Van Dyke and Sinbad, The Redd Foxx Show could not replicate the success of Sanford and was cancelled after its 13 episode season and briefly replaced by Mr. Sunshine, which had not done well on Friday nights. It was followed by Benson, which had been airing on Friday nights. The network had requested that Benson, then in its seventh season, end on a cliffhanger but then ultimately cancelled their longest running comedy. When Lady Blue was cancelled at 9pm, it was replaced by Fortune Dane, a crime drama starring Carl Weathers that lasted just five episodes before being replaced by various specials to end the season. All through the season, The Love Boat aired at 10pm. The one time Top 10 show moved to 10pm after airing at 9pm for eight seasons. ABC's longest running scripted show was cancelled at the end of the season though it did resurface with a couple TV movies during the 1986-87 season.

THE FRIDAY FIVE: Top 5 TV News Stories of the Week Ending 10/9/20

Here's a look at this week's Top 5 TV news stories!

#1 - NETFLIX REVERSES RENEWAL FOR "GLOW"

In perhaps the most high profile COVID-related cancellation yet, Netflix has opted not to go forward with the fourth and final season of GLOW, ordered in August 2019. The Emmy-nominated comedy paused production in March like most everything else and while many shows have found a way to get back into production, the cost and practicality of a wrestling show made it tough to figure it out. I'm surprised they didn't wait it out longer because this is a show that has a pretty decent following and significant critical acclaim plus it was already an announced final season so I would have thought they would find a way to get a final stretch of episodes done. Maybe a wrap-up movie will be done at some point? Netflix also cancelled Teenage Bounty Hunters after one season and that does not appear to be pandemic-related.

EPISODE GUIDES: Bewitched Season Five

Welcome to the next week of Episode Guides! This week looks at the fourth season of Bewitched. A reminder of what the scores mean:

9-10: Exceptional

7-8: Strong

5-6: OK

3-4: Mediocre

1-2: Terrible

BEWITCHED: SEASON FIVE
1968-1969
30 episodes

Bewitched takes a steep dip in quality in season five. It's still not the lowest the show ever goes (wait for some of the Dick Sargent years) but the last year with Dick York sees him gone for eight episodes and the show grasping for straws to cover for his absence. It also sees an overuse of Serena, a character best used in small doses. The season actually starts out on a high note with the first three episodes all very strong. But it is very touch and go from that point. The best episode of the season ("Battle of Burning Oak") was actually filmed for season four and that may be why it seems out of place from a quality standpoint.

Starring
Elizabeth Montgomery as Samantha Stephens (30 episodes)
Dick York as Darrin Stephens (22 episodes)
Agnes Moorehead as Endora (19 episodes)
David White as Larry Tate (17 episodes)
Erin Murphy as Tabitha Stephens (16 episodes)

Elizabeth Montgomery as Serena (7 episodes)
Mabel Albertson as Phyllis Stephens (5 episodes)
Kasey Rogers as Louise Tate (5 episodes)
Sandra Gould as Gladys Kravitz (4 episodes)
George Tobias as Abner Kravitz (4 episodes)
Paul Lynde as Uncle Arthur (3 episodes)
Maurice Evans as Maurice (2 episodes)
Jill Foster as Betty (2 episodes)
Bernard Fox as Dr. Bombay (2 episodes)
Roy Roberts as Frank Stephens (2 episodes)

141. Samantha's Wedding Present (9/26/68)
After a fight with Darrin, Endora puts a spell on him that makes him increasingly shrink until a drunk finds him and thinks he's a leprechaun.

This episode gets season five off to a good start. I like when they sometimes relate the season premiere to an anniversary of Samantha and Darrin. This is a good "Endora spell" episode and has the best appearance of Dick Wilson's drunk in the entire series when he thinks Darrin is a leprechaun and takes him to Samantha for three increasingly outlandish wishes. The scene in the office where Darrin begins to shrink also plays pretty funny and the show does a decent job from a special effects standpoint to make the shrinking work.
RATING: 8.5/10

142. Samantha Goes South for a Spell (10/3/68)
Thinking she is Serena, a jealous witch sends Samantha back a century to New Orleans where she can't remember who she is. Serena sends Darrin back to retrieve her with a kiss.

This is a little bit of an outlandish premise, but it's just a brilliant episode. It's like a little movie contained in an episode with obvious references to "Gone with the Wind." They really broke the bank with this episode it seems and the first two episodes of the season make it seem like we are headed for a great run instead of the disappointing season that materializes. This episode also features fantastic guest performances by Jack Cassidy and future Louise Jefferson, Isabel Sanford. Dick York has a couple big falls in this episode, I can't imagine he did the stunts himself with his back problems? If he did, I'm sure this episode didn't help matters.
RATING: 9/10

ONE SEASON WONDERS: The Ellen Show

THE ELLEN SHOW

Programming Details:
September 24, 2001 - January 11, 2002
13 episodes
CBS

Starring: Ellen DeGeneres, Jim Gaffigan, Emily Rutherfurd, Martin Mull and Cloris Leachman

Created by: Carol Leifer and Mitchell Hurwitz

Plot: Ellen Richmond (DeGeneres) is a dotcom executive whose company goes bankrupt so she decides to move back to her hometown to live with mother Dot (Leachman) and sister Cathy (Rutherfurd). She also reconnects with senior prom date Rusty (Gaffigan) and high school teacher Mr. Munn (Mull). 

TOP 10 TUESDAY: Top 10 TV Pets

My Top 10 for this week is Top 10 TV Pets!

Close Calls:

Fang (Get Smart)

Tiger (The Brady Bunch)

Salem (Sabrina the Teenage Witch)

10. Happy (7th Heaven)

Perhaps the best actor on 7th Heaven, or at least the most consistent, Happy was a loyal dog who always was there for every major family event. A dog who was able to be on a show that lasted 11 seasons is pretty impressive.

9. Stella (Modern Family)

I'm not sure that Stella was the most impressive pet on TV but I loved the way she impacted Jay. The otherwise tough guy became a ball of mush whenever he was dealing with his beloved dog and that was fun to see.

SCHEDULES OF THE PAST: 1985-1986 Fridays

Here's a look at Fridays in the 1985-86 season!

ABC	8:00	8:30	9:00	9:30	10:00
Sep	Webster	Mr. Belvedere	Diff’rent Strokes	Benson	Spenser: For Hire
Oct
Nov					Our Family Honor
Dec
Jan				He’s the Mayor	The Fall Guy
Feb
Mar
Apr			Mr. Sunshine	Joe Bash
May

Although it wasn't called TGIF back then, ABC still had a family friendly Friday night lineup of comedies. The 8pm hour had Webster and Mr. Belvedere. Webster was in its third season while Belvedere was coming off a very short midseason run and entering its second season. Both were modest success stories at the time but haven't had the staying power that other 80s family sitcoms have. At 9pm was Diff'rent Strokes, which made the move from NBC to ABC. It had been cancelled on NBC for low ratings so picking up a declining show in its eighth season and making it the anchor of the Friday night lineup was probably not a great decision by ABC. It was followed by Benson, which was one of the longest running shows on the network by that point though it had never been a huge hit. It was coming off an Emmy win for star Robert Guillaume but it was getting up there in years. Benson moved to Saturdays after Christmas and was replaced by He's the Mayor, a comedy about a 25 year old elected mayor of his hometown, a plot very similar to ABC's 2017 sitcom The Mayor. It lasted just 10 episodes before being cancelled and Diff'rent Strokes ended its eight year run to open up a new hour on Fridays filled by two unusual comedies. Mr. Sunshine starred Jeffrey Tambor as a blind university professor and earned some criticism for its portrayal of a blind character. Joe Bash was a dark comedy without a laugh track (which was rare in those days) starring Peter Boyle as a bitter NYPD cop. The 10pm hour was also a revolving door. It started with the new Spenser: For Hire which showed some promise in the ratings and was quickly sent to Tuesdays to swap with Our Family Honor, which was not showing promise. Our Family Honor languished for a couple months before giving way to The Fall Guy. The action drama was in its fifth year and declining and was cancelled at the end of the season.