Benjamonster's TV

Here's a look at my Top 5 TV news stories of the week! #1 - RIP CLORIS LEACHMAN We lost three legends in the last week with Larry King, Cicely Tyson and Cloris Leachman. All had contributions in a variety of mediums through many decades but I would mostly like to talk about Leachman, who passed away Wednesday at the age of 94. She had a long career in film, on stage and on TV. But she will always be best remembered by me as Phyllis Lindstrom on The Mary Tyler Moore Show . As Mary's very self assured and sometimes snobby landlord, she didn't make a ton of appearances but always made her mark when she did. Her warring with Valerie Harper's Rhoda provided much of the comedy early on in the series. Her shining moment though came in Season 4's "The Lars Affair," my favorite episode of the series. Phyllis went toe to toe with her husband's alleged mistress, the first appearance of Sue Ann Nivens, played by Betty White. It might be best remembered for being W...

Here is a summary of That 70s Show ! Next week I will start looking at one of TV's most successful spinoffs, Rhoda , but before that, here is a look at all eight seasons including the ultimate countdown of  That 70s Show 's best and worst episodes! THAT 70S SHOW August 23, 1998 - May 18, 2006 200 episodes Starring Topher Grace as Eric Forman  (179 episodes) Mila Kunis as Jackie Burkhart  (200 episodes) Ashton Kutcher as Michael Kelso  (183 episodes) Danny Masterson as Steven Hyde  (200 episodes) Laura Prepon as Donna Pinciotti  (200 episodes) Wilmer Valderrama as Fez  (200 episodes) Debra Jo Rupp as Kitty Forman  (200 episodes) Kurtwood Smith as Red Forman  (200 episodes) Don Stark as Bob Pinciotti  (126 episodes) Tanya Roberts as Midge Pinciotti  (52 episodes) Lisa Robin Kelly as Laurie Forman,  Seasons 1-3, 5   (44 episodes) Christina Moore as Laurie Forman,  Season 6   (6 episodes) Tommy Chong as Leo  (39...

On Wednesdays, I look at shows that lasted on season or less. Today I am looking at late 1980s flop  The Ellen Burstyn Show ! THE ELLEN BURSTYN SHOW Programming Details: September 20, 1986 - September 5, 1987 12 episodes ABC Starring: Ellen Burstyn, Megan Mullally, Jesse Tendler, Barry Sobel and Elaine Stritch Created by: Norman Steinberg and David Frankel Plot: Ellen Brewer (Burstyn) is a Baltimore college professor living with her overbearing mother, Sydney (Stritch) and recently divorced daughter, Molly (Mullally) as well as young grandson, Nick (Tendler). Rounding out the main cast is student Tom (Sobel).

Tuesdays are Top 10 Tuesdays where I count down a topic in the TV realm. This week is  Top 10 Theme Songs of the 80s!  A reminder, it had to be any show that premiered in that timeframe even if it ran well into another decade. Also, the song had to have been written for the show (for example, The Wonder Years wouldn't count). Close Calls Who's the Boss? The Cosby Show Newhart 10. Perfect Strangers (1986-1993) It's a long theme song but a good one. There's something so earnest about these hopeful 80s theme songs and this one is super hopeful. As both Balki and Larry makes their way to Chicago from Mypos and Wisconsin respectively, it's hard to not feel a lot of optimism. 9. The Greatest American Hero (1981-1983) I've never seen an episode of The Greatest American Hero but its theme song has transcended the show and become a great 80s classic. It feels epic and you instantly want to sing along. In fact, I want to sing along right now as I think about it.

On Mondays, I take a look at schedules from yesteryear. Here's a look at Thursdays in the 1987-88 season! ABC 8:00 8:30 9:00 10:00 Sep Sledge Hammer! The Charmings Thursday Night Movie Oct Nov Dec Jan The Charmings Thursday Night Movie Feb Mar Probe Hotel Buck James Apr May Max Headroom ABC's Thursday nights were a place for most of their lowest rated shows throughout an ever changing night.  20/20  had left the night for Fridays after many years and they had a hard time filling that void. The night started out with a comedy hour followed by a movie. The comedy hour featured two second year sitcoms that barely eked out a renewal going against NBC's comedy power hour.  Sledge Hammer!  and  The Charmings collapsed in the...

Here's a look at my Top 5 TV news stories of the week! #1 -  RENEWALS ALL AROUND There were several renewals this week from many different networks. Most notable but least surprising was Bridgerton on Netflix. The show, which became a very buzzy show following its premiere on Christmas. The second season will follow the second book of the series it is based on and will turn its attention to a different member of the Bridgerton family. Meanwhile, TNT has renewed Snowpiercer for a third season ahead of its second season premiere on January 25. Peacock has renewed Saved by the Bell for a second season. One of the few Peacock originals, it received some critical attention but hasn't seemed to break through in the public conversation. Finally, BET renewed Sistas for a third season.

On Thursdays, I go through classic series with a critical look at each season. Today I am looking at Season Eight (the final season) of  That 70s Show ! THAT 70s SHOW: SEASON EIGHT 2005-2006 22 episodes The final season of  That 70s Show  gets a lot of hate from the fans with Topher Grace gone and Ashton Kutcher departing after four episodes as well as the addition of Josh Meyers. It's not anywhere as strong as it was at its peak, but the eighth season actually graded out higher than the seventh for me. Even with the weak addition of Meyers, it feels less tired. But I think it's mainly due to a strong closing arc for Ashton Kutcher, a solid run-up to the finale and a really strong three episode midseason guest arc by Mary Tyler Moore. The final season is not as bad as you may have heard. Each episode in the final season (except for the finale) is named for a Queen song.   Starring Mila Kunis as Jackie Burkhart  (22 episodes) Danny Masterson as Steven Hyde  ...

On Wednesdays, I look at shows that lasted on season or less. Today I am looking at late 1970s flop The Associates ! THE ASSOCIATES Programming Details: September 23, 1979 - April 17, 1980 9 episodes ABC Starring: Wilfrid Hyde-White, Martin Short, Alley Mills, Joe Regalbuto, Shelley Smith, Also Starring Tim Thomerson Created by: James L. Brooks, Stan Daniels, Charlie Hauck and Ed. Weinberger Plot: Centered on a group of associates at a Wall Street law firm as well as senior partner Emerson Marshall (Hyde-White). There are three new associates: Tucker Kerwin (Short), Leslie Dunn (Mills) and Sara James (Smith) while Eliot Streeter (Regalbuto) is vying for a partnership. Rounding out the main cast is established associate Johnny Danko (Thomerson).

Tuesdays are Top 10 Tuesdays where I count down a topic in the TV realm. This week is  Top 10 Theme Songs of the 70s! A reminder, it had to be any show that premiered in that timeframe even if it ran well into another decade. Also, the song had to have been written for the show. Close Calls Dallas The Odd Couple Taxi 10. M*A*S*H (1972-1983) This song, titled "Suicide is Painless" is a really nice piece of music. It's a little bit haunting and a little bit wistful and it fits perfectly for a show that incorporated just as much drama as comedy during its run. One of the better purely instrumental themes. 9.  The Partridge Family  (1970-1974) I have only watched a small handful of episodes of The Partridge Family but I've always enjoyed the theme song and the clever little intro with the egg. It's one that is hard to get out of your head and has a happy feeling to it. I mean, it tells us to get happy after all.

On Mondays, I take a look at schedules from yesteryear. Here's a look at Wednesdays in the 1987-88 season! ABC 8:00 8:30 9:00 9:30 10:00 Sep Perfect Strangers Head of the Class Hooperman The Slap Maxwell Story Dynasty Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar Growing Pains Apr Just in Time HeartBeat May China Beach Dynasty  had aired Wednesday nights at 9pm since 1983 but it was showing its age so ABC moved in to 10pm to make room for a longer comedy block. Once again the first hour was led by  Perfect Strangers  and  Head of the Class , two shows that were pretty compatible with each other and while not as strong as the 8pm hour on Tuesdays, they were still a potent combo. Two new comedies followed at 9pm and they were a much less ...

Here's a look at my Top 5 TV news stories of the week! #1 - "SEX AND THE CITY" REVIVAL COMING TO HBO MAX It was announced this week that the latest TV show to get a revival is Sex and the City . The acclaimed series, which ran on HBO from 1998-2004 and spawned two movies, will return for a 10 episode season on HBO Max. Three of the four members of the original cast are returning (Sarah Jessica Parker, Cynthia Nixon and Kristin Davis) while the fourth, Kim Cattrall, will not return. Cattrall has made it clear since the second movie that she wishes to move on and there are reports of friction between her and Parker. The revival series will focus on the women, now in their 50s. While Sex and the City was a huge hit in its original run, the movies (especially the second) seemed to have dulled enthusiasm about more stories from this team so I'm a little skeptical this revival series will be able to recapture the magic.

On Thursdays, I go through classic series with a critical look at each season. Today I am looking at Season Seven of  That 70s Show ! THAT 70s SHOW: SEASON SEVEN 2004-2005 25 episodes The seventh season of  That 70s Show  is the final season with Topher Grace as a series regular and also the final full season for Ashton Kutcher. Despite still having both of those cast member, the show finds itself flailing especially with Topher Grace's Eric, who is stuck in a terrible arc for most of the season. The show also brings many characters back at one point or another but everything just feels tired. This season actually graded out the worst for me. Even worse than the often maligned final season (more on that next week). Every title this season is named for a Rolling Stones 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 e...

On Wednesdays, I look at shows that lasted one season or less. Today I am looking at early 1960s flop My Sister Eileen ! MY SISTER EILEEN Programming Details: October 15, 1960 - April 12, 1961 26 episodes CBS Starring: Elaine Stritch, with Shirley Bonne and Jack Weston, Rose Marie, Raymond Bailey, Leon Belasco Based on Short Stories by: Ruth McKenney, Developed by Dick Wesson Plot: Ruth and Eileen Sherwood (Stritch & Bonne) are sisters who have moved from Ohio to New York City and are trying to make it. Ruth works for a publishing company while Eileen is trying to make it as an actress. Ruth works with Bertha (Marie) and for Mr. Beaumont (Bailey) and the sisters have to deal with their frustrated landlord, Mr. Appopoplous (Belasco) and an opportunistic reporter, Chick (Weston), who becomes a friend.

Tuesdays are Top 10 Tuesdays where I count down a topic in the TV realm. This week is Top 10 Theme Songs of the 60s! To keep the criteria consistent as I go through the decades over the next couple weeks, it had to be any show that premiered in that timeframe even if it ran well into another decade. Also, the song had to have been written for the show (this is more of an issue in later decades).  Close Calls That Girl F Troop The Patty Duke Show 10. Batman (1966-1968) This song, with all its "pows" and "bams" is just so perfect for the show. It's become such an iconic song that I'm not sure everyone even knows that it started with this show. It's corny and spectacular and it's got a great sequence to go with the song. 9. Gilligan's Island (1964-1967) This one has to be on the list just because of how iconic it is. The ultimate "premise" theme song, it's a catchy little tune that famously decided to say "and the rest" for j...

On Mondays, I take a look at schedules from yesteryear. Here's a look at Tuesdays in the 1987-88 season! ABC 8:00 8:30 9:00 10:00 Sep Who’s the Boss? Growing Pains Moonlighting Thirtysomething Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar The Wonder Years Apr May Just the Ten  of Us 1987-88 was probably the peak of ABC's Tuesday dominance in the 1980s with four of their Tuesday entries in the Top 12 shows of the year. The comedy block was led off by  Who's the Boss? , which had become a very strong anchor and was in the prime of its run. For a second straight year, Growing Pains built on its lead-in to become ABC's top show. ABC finally decided to move Pains to let it become an anchor elsewhere in March as it headed to Wednesdays. The new 8:30pm entry was a show that had pre...

Here's a look at my Top 5 TV news stories of the week. It was a quiet week for TV news with so much going on outside of the TV world but here goes. #1 - GRAMMYS MOVE TO MARCH 14 (AND UPSET THE SAG AWARDS) With COVID raging in Los Angeles, a lot of productions are temporarily shut down again. The Grammys have moved their ceremony from January 31 to March 14, which is the same night as the SAG Awards. Although there's not a ton of overlap as far as who would be involved, the SAG Awards are not thrilled about the move from the Grammys so we'll see if one of them blinks.

On Thursdays, I go through classic series with a critical look at each season. Today I am looking at Season Six of That 70s Show ! THAT 70s SHOW: SEASON SIX 2003-2004 25 episodes Season six of  That 70s Show  is definitely a show past its peak. The show has lost Lisa Robin Kelly for good but has to keep the character so they re-cast unsuccessfully. The Eric and Donna stories become almost insufferable by this point. However, this is probably the best season yet for Ashton Kutcher's Kelso character as his character's life actually moves forward while so many others seem stuck in a rut. Although it is on the decline, there are still several episodes that manage to be funny enough to get good scores. Every episode this season is named after a song by The Who. 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 a...

On Wednesdays, I look at shows that lasted one season or less. Today I am looking at 2000s flop That 80s Show ! THAT 80S SHOW Programming Details: January 23, 2002 - May 29, 2002 13 episodes FOX Starring: Glenn Howerton, Tinsley Grimes, Chyler Leigh, Eddie Shin, Brittany Daniel, Margaret Smith and Geoff Pierson Created by: Mark Brazill, Terry Turner & Linda Wallem Plot: A group of twentysomething friends are living in San Diego in 1984. Corey Howard (Howerton) is a struggling musician working at a record store with June Tuesday (Leigh) and Margaret (Smith) while living with his sister, Katie (Grimes) and father, R.T. (Pierson). Rounding out the main cast is Corey's best friend, Roger (Shin) and ex-girlfriend, Sophia (Daniel). 

Tuesdays are Top 10 Tuesdays where I count down some topic of the TV realm. This week it is Top 10 Episodes of 2020! Close Calls MRS. AMERICA "Houston" THIS IS US "Strangers: Part Two" ZOEY'S EXTRAORDINARY PLAYLIST "Zoey's Extraordinary Dad" 10. THE FLIGHT ATTENDANT "Funeralia" (November 26, 2020, HBO Max) I binged quickly through The Flight Attendant this last month. This show is best when operating as a dark comedy/thriller and it was in full force in this episode which has Cassie (Kaley Cuoco) crashing the funeral of the man whose murder she is trying to figure out. 9. SHRILL "Wedding" (January 24, 2020, Hulu) Some of these episodes from the beginning of the year feel like they aired five years ago. This episode was a little bit of a standalone as it focused on Fran (Lolly Adefope) attending a traditional Nigerian wedding. The unique customs and the traditional values being at odd with Fran's life was a great exploration ...

On Mondays, I take a look at schedules from yesteryear. Here's a look at Mondays in the 1987-88 season! ABC 8:00 9:00 10:00 Sep MacGyver Monday Night Football Oct Nov Dec Jan Monday Night Movie Feb Mar Apr May There isn't too much to say about ABC's Monday night lineup in 1987-88. It was the same exact lineup as the previous season with  MacGyver  leading into  Monday Night Football  and then the  Monday Night Movie  once the football season ended. It might be easy to think now that  MacGyver  was a massive success given that it became part of the lexicon and was spoofed then rebooted. But in fact, it was never a huge hit in its original run. It just worked really well with  Football  because of its male skewing audience and that's why it lasted so long on...