Benjamonster's TV

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. 

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 epi...

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). 

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 o...

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 ...

 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 sh...

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 Lawrenc...

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 . 

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 ...

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 ...

 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 Nov...

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...

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).  

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.

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/acti...

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.

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  ...

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). 

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.

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 NB...