THE FRIDAY FIVE: Top 5 TV News Stories of the Week Ending 12/18/20

Here's a look at my Top 5 TV news stories of the week! After today, the blog will be taking a holiday break and will return with all new posts on January 4!

#1 - LOTS OF REBOOTS COMING

This week had a lot of news of reboots & revivals. Of course that's a very popular trend on TV in general but it felt like we had a lot of news on that front this week. NBC is going back to the 80s with the announcement that they are developing a new version of hit comedy Night Court, which ran from 1984-1992. It will feature celebrated original star John Larroquette and center on the daughter of original character Harry Stone (the late Harry Anderson). The next day we got the news that L.A. Law, which ran from 1986-1994 on NBC, is in development to be revived at ABC with original star Blair Underwood returning. ABC is also eying a primetime sequel series to All My Children with Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos attached to executive produce and perhaps appear. All those shows are in development, not officially ordered. Officially ordered is a reboot of Fantasy Island, set to air next summer on FOX. The anthology series was an escapist hit in its original run from 1977-1984. A 1998 reboot on ABC did not fare as well. I'm not sure any of these projects will work but we know the networks love a known title.

EPISODE GUIDES: That 70s Show Season Five

After this week, there will be a two week break on the blog for the holidays so the next Thursday "Episode Guides" post will be on January 7.

THAT 70s SHOW: SEASON FIVE
2002-2003
25 episodes

Season five of That 70s Show is the last to feature most of the teenage gang in high school. The season starts pretty weakly but picks up some steam as it moves along. There's a stretch of great episodes where they bring a lot of the cast together and that always works better for this show. Although there are some stories that go on too long with Eric and Donna and Kitty's menopause, there are other fresher stories like Hyde and Jackie's relationship and the growing hilarity of Fez as a character. Each episode this season took its name from a Led Zeppelin song.

Starring
Topher Grace as Eric Forman (25 episodes)
Mila Kunis as Jackie Burkhart (25 episodes)
Ashton Kutcher as Michael Kelso (25 episodes)
Danny Masterson as Steven Hyde (25 episodes)
Laura Prepon as Donna Pinciotti (25 episodes)
Wilmer Valderrama as Fez (25 episodes)
Debra Jo Rupp as Kitty Forman (25 episodes)
Kurtwood Smith as Red Forman (25 episodes)
Don Stark as Bob Pinciotti (14 episodes)
Lisa Robin Kelly as Laurie Forman (4 episodes)

Joanna Canton as Nina (8 episodes)
Mo Gaffney as Joanne Stupac (5 episodes)
Jim Gaffigan as Roy (3 episodes)
Jim Rash as Fenton (3 episodes)

104. Going to California (9/17/02)
Eric heads to California to try to get Donna back. Kelso and Jackie are both dating other people after their breakup.

Season five picks up a few months after the end of season four and Donna and Kelso are still in California, with Kelso dating Annette (Jessica Simpson). We also get a surprise reveal of a relationship between Hyde and Jackie. Overall, it feels like a lot of things have changed since the end of season four and I think the show does a good job of feeling a little fresh. Simpson isn't a great actress, but she brings a different presence. It's interesting that the show does the intro the same way they used to do season one (with a specific date stamp). It got difficult to do that when they tried to slow down the "real time" to try to stay in the 70s for a long run.
RATING: 6.5/10

105. I Can't Quit You, Baby (9/24/02)
Eric and Donna find out about Jackie and Hyde while Kelso thinks he still has a future with Jackie. After Donna gets back from California, Bob insists that she go to Catholic school. 

This episode seems like a continuation of the first episode of the season and some of it feels like the show spinning its wheels (the Eric and Donna story) while some of it feels very fresh (the gang slowly finding out about Hyde and Jackie). The reveal of Hyde and Jackie feels a little bit like the gang finding out about Chandler and Monica on Friends, but it's not as original because, as Kitty says, this group changes partners more often than square dancers.
RATING: 4.5/10

ONE SEASON WONDERS: Maybe This Time

After this week, there will be a two week break on the blog for the holidays so the next Wednesday "One Season Wonders" post will be on January 6. 

MAYBE THIS TIME

Programming Details:
September 15, 1995 - February 17, 1996
18 episodes
ABC

Starring: Marie Osmond, Betty White, Ashley Johnson, Amy Hill, Craig Ferguson
Created by: Michael Jacobs, Bob Young & Susan Estelle Johnson

Plot: Julia Wallace (Osmond) is a recent divorcee running a bakery with her mother, Shirley (White) while also trying to raise her daughter Gracie (Johnson).

TOP 10 TUESDAY: Top 10 Drama Christmas Episodes

After this week, there will be a two week break on the blog for the holidays so the next "Top 10 Tuesday" post will be on January 5.

After two weeks of looking at Christmas episodes of sitcoms, this is my Top 10 Drama Christmas Episodes!

Close Calls:

The Twilight Zone "Night of the Meek"

This is Us "Last Christmas"

American Dreams "Tidings of Comfort and Joy"

10. 7th Heaven "Here Comes Santa Claus" (December 14, 1998)

Why not? I'll admit I'm not as well versed on dramas as I am on comedies, especially older ones, so I'm sure I'm missing some great Christmas episodes of classic dramas just because I haven't seen them. But this was a memorable episode from my childhood and it had a nice "Gift of the Magi" spin in one of the stories. It was festive and fun and before the show really went off the rails.

9. Scandal "Baby It's Cold Outside" (November 19, 2015)

This episode was somewhat controversial at the time it aired because it showed Olivia Pope getting an abortion and the audience didn't even know she was pregnant. That tough storyline painted against a cheery White House Christmas scene made for a pretty interesting episode.

SCHEDULES OF THE PAST: 1986-1987 Sundays

After this week, there will be a two week break on the blog for the holidays so the next Monday "Schedules from the Past" post will be on January 4. Here's a look at Sundays in the 1986-87 season!

ABC	7:00	8:00	9:00	10:00
Sep	The Disney Sunday Movie		Sunday Night Movie
Oct
Nov
Dec
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May

In the previous season, ABC had taken over the Wonderful World of Disney franchise at midseason and rechristened it as The Disney Sunday Movie. For the whole 1986-87 season, they simply aired two movies. Their Sunday Night Movie was a distant third behind the CBS and NBC movies on the same night.

THE FRIDAY FIVE: Top 5 TV News Stories of the Week Ending 12/11/20

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

#1 - TONS OF DISNEY+ NEWS

All five news items this week could probably come from the Disney investors meeting but I'll jam it into this first post. Most of the highlights at the event were for Disney+ where original content will be ramping up in a major way over the next couple years. Among the highlights: Hayden Christensen will reprise his film role of Anakin Skywalker for a new Star Wars series, Obi-Wan Kenobi. There was a series order for Lando, a Star Wars prequel that is rumored to be starring film portrayer Donald Glover. Samuel L. Jackson will reprise his MCU role as Nick Fury and star in Secret Invasion. Tatiana Maslany will star in a TV version of She-Hulk and Mark Ruffalo will also appear. The Falcon and Winter Soldier will premiere on March 19, 2021 while Loki will follow in May. Finally, there will be series based on the films Moana, Big Hero 6, The Princess and the Frog, Up and Cars. Whew. And those were just the highlights.

EPISODE GUIDES: That 70s Show Season Four

THAT 70s SHOW: SEASON FOUR
2001-2002
27 episodes

Season 4 of That 70s Show has a couple story arcs that last the entire season. The fall-out from Eric and Donna's breakup, Bob's divorce and the on-going drama between Jackie and Kelso really drive stories from the very beginning of the season to the very end. That 70s Show sometimes had trouble not getting to major moments or turning points in their long arcs and that happens from time to time in season four. But there are also still plenty of standout episodes and some of the laugh out loud funniest moments of the entire series. There's also a really unfortunate 100th episode.

Starring
Topher Grace as Eric Forman (27 episodes)
Mila Kunis as Jackie Burkhart (27 episodes)
Ashton Kutcher as Michael Kelso (27 episodes)
Danny Masterson as Steven Hyde (27 episodes)
Laura Prepon as Donna Pinciotti (27 episodes)
Wilmer Valderrama as Fez (27 episodes)
Debra Jo Rupp as Kitty Forman (27 episodes)
Kurtwood Smith as Red Forman (27 episodes)
Don Stark as Bob Pinciotti (16 episodes)
Tommy Chong as Leo (12 episodes)

Mo Gaffney as Joanne Stupac (7 episodes)
Cynthia LaMontagne as Rhonda (6 episodes)
Luke Wilson as Casey Kelso (4 episodes)
Kevin McDonald as Pastor Dave (3 episodes)

77. It's a Wonderful Life (9/25/01)
After breaking up with Donna, Eric dreams about a world where he never kissed Donna in the first place.

Season four begins with Tommy Chong added to the main cast (though he doesn't appear in this episode) and Tanya Roberts no longer a regular. I always find alternate timelines interesting on shows and this one sets things back quite a bit to when Eric and Donna first kissed. This episode is pretty ambitious with its alternate history and time jumping, but it works quite well. There's some pretty hilarious moments especially in the flash forward to the scenes in the 1980s but also some real poignant moments and one of my favorite Eric and Donna scenes ever when they meet up at their ten year reunion. Topher Grace is especially strong in this scene and throughout the episode.
RATING: 9.5/10

78. Eric's Depression (9/26/01)
Eric can't get out of a depression after breaking up with Donna. Kelso gets lost from the rest of the gang at Funland.

Boy, is Eric pathetic in this episode. Topher Grace does a good job of playing someone who feels helpless about the future. That part of the episode continues the on-going story well and there are some good moments with Red. Laura Prepon barely appears in this episode, but the other characters (Kelso, Jackie, Hyde and Fez) are stuck in an extremely dumb story that seems pointless and not really even that true to the characters. We do get a brief guest appearance by Cole and Dylan Sprouse. Cole was on Friends around the same time and plays a similar character.
RATING: 5.5/10

ONE SEASON WONDERS: Life With Lucy

LIFE WITH LUCY

Programming Details:
September 20, 1986 - November 15, 1986
8 episodes
ABC

Starring: Lucille Ball, Gale Gordon, Ann Dusenberry, Larry Anderson, Jenny Lewis, Philip J. Amelio II, and Donovan Scott
Created by: Bob Carroll Jr. and Madelyn Davis

Plot: Lucille Ball returned to TV as Lucy Barker, a grandmother who moves in with her daughter, Margo (Dusenberry) and son-in-law, Ted (Anderson) and grandchildren, Becky and Kevin (Lewis & Amelio). Lucy also contends with longtime foil Gale Gordon as Ted's father, Curtis. Rounding out the main cast is an employee at Curtis' hardware store, Leonard (Scott). 

TOP 10 TUESDAY: Top 10 Christmas Sitcom Episodes (1995-Present)

Last week, I took a look at my favorite Christmas sitcom episodes from before 1995, this week is Top 10 Christmas Sitcom Episodes (1995-Present)!

Close Calls:

The Middle "The Christmas Tree"

The Goldbergs "A Christmas Story"

Modern Family "Undeck the Halls"

10. Hey Arnold! "Arnold's Christmas" (December 11, 1996)

Hey Arnold! holds up about the best of any Nicktoon from the 90s (although Doug gives it a run for its money). It always had a great blend of humor and heart and the first Christmas episode really pulls at the heartstrings with the story of Arnold trying to reunite a lonely neighbor with his daughter. It's a really touching Christmas story.

9. 8 Simple Rules "All I Want for Christmas" (December 10, 2002)

This episode aired on the same night and network as an episode still to come on this list. The first season of 8 Simple Rules, before John Ritter's untimely death, is a very underrated season of comedy and I think the series would have had a nice long run had he lived. The Christmas episode is a perfect mix of sweetness and humor and has a throwback feel to a 50s or 60s Christmas episode.

SCHEDULES OF THE PAST: 1986-1987 Saturdays

Here's a look at Saturdays in the 1986-87 season!

ABC	8:00	8:30	9:00	10:00
Sep	Life with Lucy	The Ellen Burstyn Show	Heart of the City	Spenser: For Hire
Oct
Nov
Dec	Sidekicks	Sledge Hammer!
Jan			Ohara
Feb
Mar
Apr	Starman
May

Without a doubt, the saddest flop of the 1986-87 season came on Saturday nights on ABC. After not having a regular TV series for 12 years, ABC was able to coax the legendary Lucille Ball back to TV with Life with Lucy. They gave her complete control and she brought back her old writers and co-star Gale Gordon. However, TV had evolved by 1986 and the show felt incredibly dated. Ball was greeted by huge ovations in the studio audience and did not seem to see that the show was severely lacking in quality. The network had no control so they couldn't do anything to fix the impending disaster (not that they would have been successful). After a big premiere, ratings dropped quickly and the show was cancelled after just eight episodes. The saddest part was Ball felt like fans just didn't like her anymore but it was more the show than Ball herself (of course audiences still love Lucy even to this day). It would be Lucy's last foray into television as she died less than three years later. After three hugely successful sitcoms, it was sad to see a swan song like this. I will have more on this show on my One Season Wonder post on Wednesday. Lucy was followed by The Ellen Burstyn Show, which featured the acclaimed actress as a college professor and also starred Elaine Stritch and a young Megan Mullally. When Lucy was cancelled, Ellen Burstyn was put on hiatus and didn't resurface until the summer, after it had been cancelled. The comedy block was replaced by Sidekicks and Sledge Hammer! which moved over together from the 9pm hour on Fridays. Both shows were small improvements in the ratings but not much. Sidekicks was cancelled while Sledge Hammer! eked out a renewal. Another Friday transplant, Starman, ended the season in the 8pm hour and was also cancelled at season's end. The 9pm hour was first given to Heart of the City, a cop/family drama that featured a young Christina Applegate just months before Married... with Children. It was cancelled in December after getting some of the lowest ratings of the season. It was replaced by Ohara, a police drama starring Pat Morita as a lieutenant who would use Japanese techniques included martial arts to help him solve crimes. The show did not do very well but improved on Heart of the City and got a renewal. The 10pm hour was the only hour of stability on the night as it belonged to Spenser: For Hire all season. The second year drama wasn't a huge hit but kept the lights on in the difficult Saturday 10pm slot.

THE FRIDAY FIVE: Top 5 TV News Stories of the Week Ending 12/4/20

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

#1 - "SUPERSTORE" ENDING WITH SEASON SIX

NBC announced on Thursday that the current sixth season of Superstore will be the final one. The series, which was one of the first to return on broadcast TV this fall, will return in January for its final stretch of episodes. Although ratings are down (like with pretty much every show) and the series did lose star America Ferrera, I think it could have gone longer and was still a cornerstone of the NBC comedy brand. I often said the show was the spiritual successor to The Office with its look at the mundane life of down on their luck employees. It didn't always hit its marks but I do think it was underrated throughout its run. It has also been a near perfect show for handling the pandemic. It will be missed!

EPISODE GUIDES: That 70s Show Season Three

THAT 70s SHOW: SEASON THREE
2000-2001
25 episodes

Season 3 of That 70s Show graded out almost as strong as Season 2. Like every season, there are some duds but there are also some of my favorite episodes of the entire series. One thing this show does better than the previous season is they don't twiddle their thumbs as long with some of the major arcs of the series. On the other side, there are just a few episodes that feel completely like throwaway episodes. Still, this season is prime That 70s Show.

Starring
Topher Grace as Eric Forman (25 episodes)
Mila Kunis as Jackie Burkhart (25 episodes)
Ashton Kutcher as Michael Kelso (25 episodes)
Danny Masterson as Steven Hyde (25 episodes)
Laura Prepon as Donna Pinciotti (25 episodes)
Wilmer Valderrama as Fez (25 episodes)
Debra Jo Rupp as Kitty Forman (25 episodes)
Kurtwood Smith as Red Forman (25 episodes)
Don Stark as Bob Pinciotti (14 episodes)
Tanya Roberts as Midge Pinciotti (13 episodes)
Lisa Robin Kelly as Laurie Forman (9 episodes)
Tommy Chong as Leo (8 episodes)

Allison Munn as Caroline (7 episodes)
Kevin McDonald as Pastor Dave (2 episodes)

52. Reefer Madness (10/3/00)
Red kicks Hyde out of the house after Hyde gets busted for marijuana possession, which was Jackie's. Jackie is in love with Hyde after he saved her.

Season three kicks off right where season two left off both from a story standpoint and also from a quality standpoint as the show continues to fire on all cylinders. This is a good conclusion to the previous season finale without the unnecessary Donna mooning story involved and better development in the Hyde/Jackie story. Also, That 70s Show continues to love its fantasy sequences but there's a very good one here with a Reefer Madness parody as well as a glimpse of Eric, Kelso and Hyde as young teens. The plot extension of all the kids and their pot use is a good way to launch the story forward.
RATING: 7.5/10

53. Red Sees Red (10/10/00)
Red imposes a curfew on Eric, Hyde and Laurie much to their chagrin and it impacts the rest of the group.

Maybe it's because I appreciate the parodies more when I'm more familiar with what they're parodying but boy do I love the Brady Bunch Variety Hour fantasy scene they do here, complete with guest appearances by Shirley Jones and Charo (ok, so Charo's not totally necessary but whatever). However, the biggest highlight of this episode is the bed checks scene which is equally funny in all three rooms that Red and Kitty check and feels like a madcap screwball comedy. This episode sort of brings to a close the marijuana arc and it's the perfect completion and is honestly one of the funniest episodes yet in the series.
RATING: 9.5/10

ONE SEASON WONDERS: The McLean Stevenson Show

THE MCLEAN STEVENSON SHOW

Programming Details:

December 1, 1976 - March 2, 1977

10 episodes

NBC

Starring: McLean Stevenson, Barbara Stuart, Madge West, Ayn Ruymen, Steve Nevil, David Hollander, Jason Whitney, 

Created by: Norman Barasch and Carroll Moore

Plot: Mac Ferguson (Stevenson) is an owner of a hardware store in Evanston, Illinois and a family man with wife, Peggy (Stuart). Daughter Janet (Ruymen) and son Chris (Nevil) live with them as well as Janet's two younger boys, David and Jason (Hollander & Whitney). Rounding out the main cast is Mac's mother-in-law, Grandma Ferguson (West).

TOP 10 TUESDAY: Top 10 Christmas Sitcom Episodes (pre-1995)

Over the next three weeks, my Christmas episodes countdowns will be divided into three groups: Pre-1995 sitcoms, 1995-present sitcoms and dramas. This week is my Top 10 Christmas Sitcom Episodes (pre-1995)

Close Calls:

The Wonder Years "A Very Cutlip Christmas"

Father Knows Best "The Christmas Story"

Doug "Doug's Christmas Story"

10. The Lucy Show "Together for Christmas" (December 24, 1962)

The very early episodes of The Lucy Show really had a lot of the magic that I Love Lucy had and this Christmas episode might be one of the best, if not the best, of the entire series. It's a great showdown for Lucy and Viv (even though all of Viv's choices are hideous!)

9. The Andy Griffith Show "Christmas Story" (December 19, 1960)

The only Christmas episode of The Andy Griffith Show, it of course tugs at the heartstrings with a sweet story about a crotchety old man (a great guest performance by Will Wright). It's an episode that pretty much takes place entirely in the courthouse and it's very fitting for the series in tone and premise.