Skip to main content

THE FRIDAY FIVE: Top 5 TV News Stories of the Week Ending 2/19/21

Here's a look at my Top 5 TV news stories of the week!

#1 - "MOM" WILL END WITH SEASON 8
CBS announced the endings of two veteran shows this week and most notable for me is Mom. The Chuck Lorre sitcom will end on May 6 after eight seasons. Mom has been through many incarnations. It was originally focused on a newly sober woman with her recently sober mother and pregnant teenage daughter. Over time, the family element became much less pronounced and the series shifted to a comedy about a group of women who all attend AA together. The series was then rocked again when star Anna Faris departed this past summer. This marks the second series this year, along with Superstore, that lasted just one season after its star left the show. It wasn't always consistent but at its best, Mom could be really great. It really managed to find humor in situations that could be quite dire and sad sometimes. It dealt with a serious topic head-on but never felt too dramatic or too much like a "very special episode." It had a unique voice but I do think it was time for it to end.

#2 - ONE "NCIS" ENDING, ANOTHER BEGINNING?
The other long running CBS show coming to an end this year is NCIS: New Orleans. The youngest of the NCIS shows, it will end after seven seasons. The Scott Bakula led series did well when it aired behind the original NCIS show but it has been struggling in the Sunday 10pm slot recently which is where CBS shows go to die. The creative team will also reportedly start working on NCIS: Hawaii as a new spinoff for the franchise but it has not received an official series order. Elsewhere in the CBS procedural universe, there may be a third FBI series as FBI: International is being developed. If it goes to series, CBS will hope it fares better than the last international spin on a franchise, Criminal Minds: Beyond Borders. 

#3 - "THE BACHELOR" CONTROVERSY
The Bachelor franchise founds itself embroiled in controversy this week as host Chris Harrison is stepping aside from the franchise, at least for now, after defending a frontrunner on The Bachelor season this year following revelations of racist social media photos and posts. Harrison's staunch defense did not sit well with many and it's sort of odd that he chose to wade into the controversy at all when he could have just left it alone. It's hard to know whether he'll be back or not. One one hand, he is a huge piece of the franchise and his actions are reprimandable but perhaps not worthy of firing. On the other hand, we've often seen temporary suspensions or "stepping asides" turn into permanent departures.

#4 - "WEDNESDAY" ORDERED AT NETFLIX
The most interesting development news of the week came from Netflix. The streamer has given an eight episode series order to Wednesday, a live action adaptation of the popular Addams Family character under the direction of Tim Burton. This is notable not just because it sounds cool but because it marks Burton's first foray into TV.

#5 - RENEWALS THIS WEEK
Renewals this week included CBS's two Monday comedies. The Neighborhood will be back for a fourth season and Bob Hearts Abishola will return for a third. These two shows have been solid performers all season. Also renewed was Netflix's Fate: The Winx Saga for a second season and Shudder's Creepshow for a third season ahead of its second season premiere.

Check back next week for a new week of blog posts!
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

TOP 10 TUESDAY: Top 10 Modern Family Characters

This week for my Top 10 Tuesday, I am counting down the Top 10 characters from the Emmy winning hit Modern Family ! 10. FRANK DUNPHY It was inspired casting to bring the late, great Fred Willard on board as Phil Dunphy's father, Frank. Ty Burrell's dopiness as Phil really seemed like it could have been inspired by Willard's brand of comedy. Frank wasn't in a ton of episodes but he makes the list over some actual series regulars because he never stopped being funny and always elevated any scene he was in. It was one of Willard's final recurring roles and he was the most memorable of the many Modern Family characters who turned up once in awhile. 9. LUKE DUNPHY I struggled with what to do about Luke, Manny and Alex for this list. All three became so insufferable by the end of the series, I was left with a really bad taste in my mouth. But Luke ultimately made the list because he was the best as a young child and then the "least bad" among the three I mention...
Post a Comment
Read more

DECADE IN REVIEW: The Best Comedies of the 2010s

During the month of December, I will be looking back at the decade that was the 2010s on TV. I will be sharing my favorite sitcoms, dramas, the best episodes, the best performances and the worst shows of the decade. To be eligible for this list, a show had to air the majority of its episodes in the 2010s. However, for the rankings and determination, all episodes were taken into account, including ones that may have aired before 2010. I will also preface that there are comedies that have aired this decade that I haven't watched yet so this is the best of what I have watched. To be fair, that preface is more true for dramas. There's not a ton of unwatched comedies sitting in my Netflix or Amazon watchlist. So here are my Top 10 comedies of the 2010s! Close Calls:  Master of None (Netflix) - An inconsistent but occasionally fascinating commentary on many life issues done so with innovative storytelling. The Good Place (NBC) - A show that aims high with a fascinating premis...
Post a Comment
Read more

SCHEDULES OF THE PAST: 1995-1996 Thursdays

On Tuesdays, I take a look at schedules from yesteryear. Here's a look at Thursdays in the 1995-96 season! ABC 8:00 8:30 9:00 10:00 Sep Charlie Grace The Monroes Various Programs Oct Murder One Nov Various Programs Dec Various Programs Thursday Night Movie Jan Feb World’s Funniest Videos Before They Were Stars! Mar Apr May NBC was the powerhouse on Thursday nights but ABC still gave it the old college try in the Fall of 1995 with a trio of new dramas that they hoped would help them cut into the Peacock's dominance. Headlining their night was Murder One , a high profile new show from Steven Bochco that received much of the network's attention before the season started. The series focused on one murder case for an entire season, whi...
Post a Comment
Read more