Benjamonster's TV

Here's a look at the Top 5 TV news stories of the week! I will be taking a two week Spring Break from the blog so it will return on Monday, April 12! #1 - RIP GEORGE SEGAL & JESSICA WALTER Two TV legends passed away this week. George Segal first hit it big in the movies including an Academy Award nomination for Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf ? But in the last couple decades, he's been best known for two TV shows. First was a starring role on the underrated 1997-2003 NBC sitcom Just Shoot Me , where he played a womanizing owner of a magazine. Most recently, he was the lovable Grandpa "Pops" on The Goldbergs . Segal was still working on The Goldbergs at the time of his death at age 87. His last episode will reportedly air on April 7. Segal was a great presence on The Goldbergs over the years even though it seemed to be clear he was in declining health. The death of Jessica Walter at the age of 80 was more of a surprise. She also had some film hits but will alway...

On Thursdays, I go through classic series with a critical look at each season. Today I am looking at Season Two of  Parks and Recreation ! PARKS AND RECREATION: SEASON TWO 2009-2010 24 episodes After a rough start to the series,  Parks and Recreation  came back for season two with a much clearer focus of the show it wanted to be. The improvement from the six episode first season to the second season is truly something to behold. I can't think of a more dramatic difference for the better in sitcom history. It doesn't get all the way there in its second season. They still have the lingering issues with the Mark Brendanawicz character. But they fix that at the end of the season too with his departure and the arrival of Rob Lowe and Adam Scott, the last missing pieces to make the show truly spectacular. Starring Amy Poehler as Leslie Knope  (24 episodes) Rashida Jones as Ann Perkins  (23 episodes) Paul Schneider as Mark Brendanawicz  (24 episodes) Aziz Ansari a...

On Wednesdays, I look at shows that lasted one season or less. Today I am looking at 1960s flop The Famous Adventures of Mr. Magoo ! THE FAMOUS ADVENTURES OF MR. MAGOO Programming Details: September 19, 1964 - April 24, 1965 26 episodes NBC Starring: Jim Backus Created by: Walter Black and Barbara Chain Plot: An animated series based on the bumbling character Mr. Magoo (Backus). In this series, Magoo often puts himself in famous literary stories. The pilot was based on the story of William Tell.

Tuesdays are Top 10 Tuesdays where I count down a topic in the TV realm. This week is  Top 10 TV Houses! Close Calls The Ricardo Connecticut House - I Love Lucy The Petrie House - The Dick Van Dyke Show The Dunphy House - Modern Family      10. The Addams House -  The Addams Family Of the two "creepy" houses, I think The Addams Family had a better house than The Munsters . It was more regal complete with an indoor garden and a super creepy play room. The Munster house might seem more haunted but this one is more spectacular. 9. Lorelai Gilmore's House - Gilmore Girls It was a real thrill to see the exterior of Lorelai Gilmore's house when I was on the Warner Bros. Studio Tour in Burbank a couple years ago. It has a big beautiful porch and feels very lived in inside. Although the house itself is on a California lot, it has a New England charm.

After this week, I will be taking a two week "Spring Break" so the next Schedules from the Past post will be on April 12! On Mondays, I take a look at schedules from yesteryear. Here's a look at Fridays in the 1988-89 season! ABC 8:00 8:30 9:00 9:30 10:00 Sep Perfect Strangers Full House Mr. Belvedere Just the Ten of Us 20/20 Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar Apr May ABC was one year away from launching their TGIF block and while it wasn't known as TGIF in 1988-89, their Friday lineup included many soon-to-be TGIF shows. The lineup did not have any new shows and stayed the same for the entire season. The night started off with  Perfect Strangers , which had made a successful move to Friday the previous season. The highest rated show in the block was the second ...

 Here's a look at the Top 5 TV news stories this week! #1 - NFL LOCKS UP RIGHTS FOR THE NEXT DECADE One of my other hobbies besides TV is the NFL and occasionally the two worlds mix as the NFL made big TV news this week. The NFL has lined up the ten years of broadcast rights through 2032 and there is much that will be staying the same but also some changes. The biggest change is Amazon Prime will carry the Thursday Night Football broadcast exclusively starting in 2023. That's a big moment because it's the first time a streamer will have exclusive rights to a regular weekly game. CBS will continue with the AFC package and FOX will continue with the NFC package while NBC will continue to have Sunday Night Football . Streamers Paramount Plus and Peacock will also carry the CBS and NBC games respectively. Finally, ABC will return to the Super Bowl rotation in 2026 for the first time in twenty years as they will share the big game and some Monday Night Football airings with ESP...

On Thursdays, I go through classic series with a critical look at each season. Today I am looking at Season One of Parks and Recreation ! A reminder about my breakdown in ratings of episodes: 9-10: Exceptional 7-8: Strong 5-6: OK 3-4: Mediocre 1-2: Terrible PARKS AND RECREATION: SEASON ONE 2009 6 episodes The first season of  Parks and Recreation  is pretty infamous among its fans. It was a show that was real slow coming out of the gate. Before the show became  Parks and Rec,  it was initially conceived as a spinoff of  The Office . Despite the fact that they got away from that conceit, the first season seems like a very poor imitation of  The Office . Most specifically, Leslie Knope seems like a pale imitation of Michael Scott. The first season is by far the most uneven of the series despite only being six episodes. There are no real standout moments and it's easy to see why so many (including me) had to be convinced to give the show a second chance. They ...

On Wednesdays, I look at shows that lasted one season or less. Today I am looking at 2000s flop Jack & Bobby ! JACK & BOBBY Programming Details: September 12, 2004 - May 11, 2005 22 episodes WB Starring: Christine Lahti, Matt Long, Logan Lerman, Jessica Pare, Edwin Hodge and John Slattery Created by: Greg Berlanti, Vanessa Taylor, Steven A. Cohen & Brad Meltzer Plot: Jack and Bobby McCallister (Long & Lerman) are brothers living with their mother, Grace (Lahti) in Hart, Missouri. While they may seem to be living average lives, one of the boys will grow up to be President from 2041-2049. Also in the cast is a love interest of Jack, Coutney Benedict (Pare) and her college president father, Peter (Slattery). 

Tuesdays are Top 10 Tuesdays where I count down a topic in the TV realm. This week is  Top 10 TV Apartments! Close Calls Alex Levy's Apartment - The Morning Show Rhoda and Joe Gerard's Apartment - Rhoda Bob and Emily's First Apartment - The Bob Newhart Show 10. The Weismans' Apartment - The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel A really stunning apartment on the Upper West Side of Manhattan, the apartment where Midge, her kids and her parents live would sell for millions of dollars today. I love how sprawling it is and the show makes expert use of the characters moving throughout the apartment. It's also so brightly colored with a great 50s style, especially in the kitchen. 9. Joey Tribbiani's Apartment - Friends One of the two major apartments on the series (the other one is still to come on this list), Joey's apartment is the ultimate guys apartment in the early years. Compared to Monica's beautifully decorated apartment, Joey and Chandler ornamented things with a poo...

On Mondays, I take a look at schedules from yesteryear. Here's a look at Thursdays in the 1988-89 season! ABC 8:00 9:00 10:00 Sep Various Programs Oct Nov Knightwatch Dynasty Various Programs Dec Jan HeartBeat Feb A Fine Romance Mar Thursday Night Movie Apr Various Programs May ABC was back to the drawing board on Thursday nights as no show that aired on the night in 1987-88 returned to the network. Of course, it got a delayed start thanks to the Writer's Strike. Part of the regular lineup launched in November but the 10pm hour didn't get a regular occupant until January. At 8pm was  Knightwatch . Starring Benjamin Bratt, the drama was about a volunteer group called "Knights of the City" and made up mostly of ex-gang members that was set ...

 Here's a look at the Top 5 TV news stories this week! #1 - HUGE RATINGS FOR MEGHAN & HARRY & OPRAH There was a ton of hype for the big Oprah Winfrey interview with Meghan Markle and Prince Harry on Sunday night and the ratings did not disappoint. It's pretty rare these days that a major non-sports TV event can draw eyeballs all at once with even award shows looking worse and worse. But the interview delivered huge ratings and exceeded most expectations. It earned 17.8 million viewers and a 2.7 demo for CBS. Shows used to regularly do those kind of numbers or better but in 2021, that's a real big deal. It also garnered huge numbers in the UK the next night and has no doubt had a ton of digital viewing in the days since. Leave it to Oprah to still be able to pull big numbers on Broadcast TV in 2021!

Here is a summary of  Rhoda ! Next week I will start looking at a more recent favorite, Parks and Recreation, but before that, here is a look at all five seasons including the ultimate countdown of  Rhoda 's best and worst episodes! RHODA September 9, 1974 - December 9, 1978 110 episodes (4 unaired) Starring Valerie Harper as Rhoda Morgenstern Gerard  (110 episodes) Julie Kavner as Brenda Morgenstern  (110 episodes) David Groh as Joe Gerard  (55 episodes) Nancy Walker as Ida Morgenstern  (42 episodes) Lorenzo Music as Carlton the Doorman  (82 episodes) Ron Silver as Gary Levy  (33 episodes) Ray Buktenica as Benny Goodwin  (28 episodes) Kenneth McMillan as Jack Doyle  (24 episodes) Harold Gould as Martin Morgenstern  (17 episodes) Michael DeLano as Johnny Venture  (11 episodes) Rafael Campos as Ramon  (10 episodes) Scoey Mitchell as Justin Culp  (9 episodes) Barbara Sharma as Myrna Morgenstein  (9 episodes) A...

On Wednesdays, I look at shows that lasted on season or less. Today I am looking at 1990s flop The Louie Show ! THE LOUIE SHOW Programming Details: January 31, 1996 - March 6, 1996 5 episodes CBS Starring: Louie Anderson, Bryan Cranston, Paul Feig, Kate Hodge, Laura Innes, Nancy Becker Kennedy Created by: Matt Goldman & Louie Anderson Plot: Dr. Louie Lundgren (Anderson) is a psychotherapist in Duluth, Minnesota. A little curmudgeonly, he deals with his those around him including best friend Curt (Cranston), colleagues Jake (Feig) and Helen (Kennedy) and potential roommate Gretchen (Hodge). Also in the main cast is Curt's wife, Sandy (Innes).

Tuesdays are Top 10 Tuesdays where I count down a topic in the TV realm. This week is  Top 10 Fictional TV Towns! Close Calls Hawkins - Stranger Things Bluffington - Doug River Run - Homefront 10. Point Place - That 70s Show That 70s Show was more about house scenes that the town it was set in which is why it's not higher on the list. But there were some sites of some of the funniest moments: Fatso Burger, The Hub and of course, the water tower. It was Everytown, USA in the 1970s and fit the show well. 9. The Good Place - The Good Place Perhaps this shouldn't be considered a "town" but the sheer inventiveness of it means it deserves a spot. Although the series evolved quite a bit, I think the physical look of "the good place" was accomplished best in the very first episode with its surrealism and candy-coated brightness.

On Mondays, I take a look at schedules from yesteryear. Here's a look at Wednesdays in the 1988-89 season! ABC 8:00 8:30 9:00 9:30 10:00 Sep Growing Pains Head of the Class Wednesday Night Movie Oct Nov Dec The Wonder Years Hooperman China Beach Jan Feb Mar Coach Apr The Robert Guillaume Show May ABC once again went with the two hour sitcom block on Wednesday nights but like so many fall plans, it got a late start due to the Writer's Strike. The 8pm hour started a little sooner and was a repeat of the end of the previous season. Perfect Strangers had been sent to Fridays while Tuesday hit  Growing Pains  moved to the lead off Wednesday slot and paired with  Head of the Class . It continued to be a formidable pair in the 198...

Here's a look at my Top 5 TV News Stories of the week! #1 - GOLDEN GLOBES RESULTS The Golden Globes aired on Sunday and there were good things and bad things. The good things were a lot of the winners. Pretty much every win in the TV category was either my vote or one I was quite pleased with. This includes a big night for The Crown with wins for Drama series, Emma Corrin, Josh O'Connor and Gillian Anderson. Jason Sudeikis had a well-deserved win for Ted Lasso as did Anya Taylor-Joy and her series, The Queen's Gambit . Schitt's Creek didn't have a huge sweep like it did at the Emmys but it won for Comedy series and Catherine O'Hara. So the wins were great. The show itself and the ratings were not. The show was plagued by technical issues after the Emmys did it almost flawlessly while Amy Poehler and Tina Fey were very disappointing after their great turns in the past. Whoever had the idea to have them host from different coasts instead of in the same room should...

On Thursdays, I go through classic series with a critical look at each season. Today I am looking at Season Five (the final season) of  Rhoda ! RHODA: SEASON FIVE 1978 13 episodes Rhoda' s final season was a truncated one as the show was cancelled in December 1978 after only 13 episodes had been produced (and only nine had aired). This feels like a continuation from season four in many ways except with the ill-advised split between Ida and Martin (more on that below). While  Rhoda  has an occasional good moment and even a couple decent episodes, it is a show that seems so wildly different from season one and not in a good way.  Rhoda  could never figure out what it fully wanted to be and only made it four and a half seasons as a result. Starring Valerie Harper as Rhoda Morgenstern  (13 episodes) Julie Kavner as Brenda Morgenstern  (13 episodes) Ray Buktenica as Benny Goodwin  (11 episodes) Kenneth McMillan as Jack Doyle  (9 episodes) Nancy Wa...

On Wednesdays, I look at shows that lasted on season or less. Today I am looking at 1980s flop Women in Prison ! WOMEN IN PRISON Programming Details: October 11, 1987 - February 20, 1988 13 episodes FOX Starring: Julia Campbell, Blake Clark, C.C.H Pounder, Peggy Cass, Antoinette Byron, Denny Dillon and Wendie Jo Sperber Created by: Katherine Green, Michael G. Moye & Ron Leavitt Plot: Women in Prison is set in a cell block of Bass Women's Prison in Wisconsin. Newest inmate Vicki Springer (Campbell) was framed by her husband and gets to know the other inmates, murderer Dawn (Pounder), prostitute Bonnie (Byron), the much older Eve (Cass) and Pam (Sperber), who was arrested for computer fraud. They all contend with guard Meg (Dillon) and assistant warden Clint (Clark). Oh yeah, and it's a comedy!

Tuesdays are Top 10 Tuesdays where I count down a topic in the TV realm. This week is  Top 10 TV Hangout Spots! Close Calls Cafe Nervosa - Frasier The Pizza Bowl -  Laverne & Shirley Mario's - Taxi 10. Riff's - Mad About You Riff's is on this list for one reason and one reason only: Ursula. Before she played Phoebe on Friends , Lisa Kudrow was known as the ditzy and frustrating waitress at Riff's in a recurring role. Why Paul and Jamie kept going back to this place, I'll never know, but it was great especially when they connected the worlds of Friends and Mad About You with the two characters. 9. Molly's -  Chicago Fire, Chicago PD &  Chicago Med Molly's is a pretty typical hangout spot for a show but what makes it fun is it's the spot that unites the three different shows from NBC's hit One Chicago lineup. The world of the three shows intersects a lot but the only "common ground" really is Molly's.

On Mondays, I take a look at schedules from yesteryear. Here's a look at Tuesdays in the 1988-89 season! ABC 8:00 8:30 9:00 9:30 10:00 Sep Various Programs Tuesday Night Movie Oct Who’s the Boss? Roseanne Nov Dec Moonlighting Thirtysomething Jan Feb Mar The Wonder Years Roseanne Anything But Love Apr May Have Faith As mentioned in my Monday post, the 1988-89 season got off to a delayed start thanks to the Writer's Strike that led to a rolling start to shows instead of a traditional premiere week. ABC got the beginning of its lineup started in October.  Who's the Boss?  was an extremely successful lead-off show right in its prime but it was eclipsed by the show that followed. At 8:30pm was  Roseanne , which was ...