Benjamonster's TV

On Mondays, I take a look at schedules from yesteryear. Here's a look at Saturdays in the 1989-90 season! ABC 8:00 8:30 9:00 10:00 Sep Mr. Belvedere Living Dolls Saturday Night Movie Oct Nov Dec Jan Mission: Impossible Feb Mar H.E.L.P. Apr Sunset Beat May Elvis Various Programs After years of troubles on Saturday nights, ABC decided to make things a little easier on themselves by airing a movie from 9-11pm. They now only had the 8pm hour to worry about but they had a lot to worry about with that hour. They started by trying to open up a comedy hour on the night with Mr. Belvedere moving over from Friday nights to the lead-off slot. The long running comedy was on its last legs so that's never a good thing to try to put it as an anchor on a new night. It was pulled from the lineup in December and aired its final episodes in July as ABC had cancelled it after six seasons and 117 episodes. It was paired with Living Dolls , a show that had a backdoor pilot on Who's the Boss? Liv...

Here's a look at the Top 5 TV News Stories of the Week! #1 - THE CW PASSES (FOR NOW) ON "POWERPUFF" Perhaps the highest profile pass of the Upfronts season came this week when The CW passed on the high profile live action version of The Powerpuff Girls , simply called Powerpuff . When The CW  announced their schedule this week , it was announced that Powerpuff will be redeveloped. The CW boss Mark Pedowitz called it "a miss" and "campy," which was refreshingly candid coming from the head of a network. It's still surprising that The CW didn't take a swing on it even if it was bad since it had a good amount of hype on the internet from fans of the original Cartoon Network version. Even photos of the leads had been released and a series order seemed a foregone conclusion. But there seems to be at least one show in this boat every year. We'll see if Powerpuff can get it right the second time around.

On Thursdays, I go through classic series with a critical look at each season. Today I am looking at Season One of F Troop ! A reminder about my breakdown in ratings of episodes: 9-10: Exceptional 7-8: Strong 5-6: OK 3-4: Mediocre 1-2: Terrible F TROOP: SEASON ONE 1965-1966 34 episodes F Troop 's first season is in black and white and definitely has a different feel. It seems like in its first season, it was trying a little harder to be more authentic to the time period of the post-Civil War US. The show takes some time to get its footing when it comes to the comedy and there are definitely some big stinkers here. The show gets zanier in season two and that suits it well. Starring Forrest Tucker as Sergeant Morgan Sylvester O'Rourke  (34 episodes) Larry Storch as Corporal Randolph Agarn  (34 episodes) Ken Berry as Captain Wilton Parmenter  (34 episodes) Melody Patterson as Wrangler Jane  (34 episodes) Frank de Kova as Chief Wild Eagle  (32 episodes) James Hampto...

On Wednesdays, I look at shows that lasted one season or less. Today I am looking at 1980s flop Chicken Soup ! CHICKEN SOUP Programming Details: September 12, 1989 - November 7, 1989 8 episodes ABC Starring: Jackie Mason, Lynn Redgrave, Rita Karin, Kathryn Erbe, Johnny Pinto, Alisan Porter, Brandon Maggart, Cathy Lind Hayes Created by: Saul Turteltaub and Beanie Orenstein Plot: Jackie Fisher (Mason) is a middle-aged Jewish man living with his mother, Bea (Karin). He starts dating a woman, Maddie (Redgrave) with three children (Erbe, Pinto, Porter), but the catch is that she's Irish Catholic.

The CW revealed their schedule a little later than usual, here's a look at it! MONDAYS 8:00 All American (4th season) 9:00 4400 The CW is probably leaning the most into a year round programming schedule especially because they care the least about linear ratings and schedules. The only scripted show premiering in the fall is 4400 , a reboot of the 2004-2007 USA Network cult favorite. The series, which centers on a group of people who mysteriously re-appear, was a straight to series order for the CW and will get one of the better "timeslots" (which again, don't matter much) by following All American , a show that has benefited from its Netflix exposure and premiered to its best numbers yet this season. TUESDAYS 8:00 The Flash (8th season) 9:00 Riverdale (6th season) The Flash and Riverdale will still be airing their current seasons into the summer and as a result, they are paired in the fall and will premiere in November with an "event" season of five episode...

Tuesdays are Top 10 Tuesdays where I count down a topic in the TV realm. This week is  Top 10 Late Night Shows! Close Calls Jimmy Kimmel Live The Colbert Report Late Night with Conan O'Brien 10. The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon I think there is a lot of value to what Jimmy Fallon does in late night and I think there are times he's gotten unfair press. He's not a good interviewer, that's for sure. But he's very good with games and viral bits and he plays to his strengths. 9. Mad TV The show that wasn't Saturday Night Live was very inconsistent (yes, even more than SNL ) but it had a nice stretch early in its run that introduced some very funny recurring characters like Stuart & Doreen, Ms. Swan, Lorraine and the Vancome Lady. It was very inventive at times and not afraid to lean into truly odd characters.

On Mondays, I take a look at schedules from yesteryear. Here's a look at Fridays in the 1989-90 season! ABC 8:00 8:30 9:00 9:30 10:00 Sep Full House Family Matters Perfect Strangers Just the Ten of Us 20/20 Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar Apr May In the Fall of 1989, ABC gave its Friday night lineup of family sitcoms a new moniker that would become an iconic connection to shows that aired on ABC Friday nights throughout the 1990s. TGIF was the name and came with a jingle and hosting duties from stars of the ABC shows. While it never was as dominant in the ratings as Must See TV (this was still Friday night after all), it has had an enduring legacy thanks to how much it connected with 90s kids and families. The new lead-off was given to season three of Full House  and it was the highest rated of the block. The new show in the block though was perhaps the one that is been most identified with TGIF to this day. Family Matters was a spinoff of Perfect Strangers (loosely) and fit like a glove i...

Here's a look at the Top 5 TV news stories of the week! In lieu of a regular Top 5, I am going to be brief with five observations from Upfronts week. If you missed my recaps of each fall schedule, I have linked it below! #1 - DICK WOLF FRANCHISES ARE KING If there's one trend observed in the broadcast upfronts, it's that Dick Wolf is King and creativity is dead. I like some procedurals. In fact, I like all three Chicago shows quite a bit. But Broadcast TV is really leaning into the "broad" part of their name because the lineups show a considerable lack of innovation and big swings. Instead, we have franchises galore so much that three nights across two networks are devoted to Dick Wolf shows. On Tuesdays, CBS has FBI: International joining FBI and FBI: Most Wanted . Then you head to NBC and can keep on going with #OneChicago Wednesday, the franchise night that started it all. Finally, Thursdays - the former home of Must See TV - has been devoted to three Law &...

Here is a summary of  Parks and Recreation ! Next week, I will go back to the 1960s with a short trip through the two season run of  F Troop ! First though, here is a look at all seven seasons of  Parks and Recreation  including the ultimate countdown of the best and worst episodes! PARKS AND RECREATION April 9, 2009 - February 24, 2015 125 episodes Starring Amy Poehler as Leslie Knope  (125 episodes) Nick Offerman as Ron Swanson  (124 episodes) Aubrey Plaza as April Ludgate  (124 episodes) Aziz Ansari as Tom Haverford  (121 episodes) Chris Pratt as Andy Dwyer  (117 episodes) Rashida Jones as Ann Perkins  (100 episodes) Adam Scott as Ben Wyatt  (97 episodes) Rob Lowe as Chris Traeger  (75 episodes) Jim O'Heir as Jerry Gergich  (123 episodes) Retta as Donna Meagle  (120 episodes) Paul Schneider as Mark Brendanawicz  (30 episodes) Jay Jackson as Perd Hapley  (31 episodes) Ben Schwartz as Jean-Ralphio Saperstei...

Here's a look at the CBS schedule in 2021-22! MONDAYS 8:00 The Neighborhood (4th season) 8:30 Bob Hearts Abishola (3rd season) 9:00 NCIS (19th season) 10:00 NCIS: HAWAII CBS had probably the biggest schedule move of the broadcast networks as they are sending NCIS to Mondays at 9pm after the series spent 18 years on Tuesdays at 8pm. This comes as renewal was a little trickier with series star Mark Harmon indicating he is ready to be done but ultimately agreeing to come back to keep the show on the air. This move seems to indicate that CBS is preparing for life after NCIS . To that end, they are also hoping the mothership can launch the newest spinoff, NCIS: Hawaii  which stars Vanessa Lachey among others. If the NCIS audience follows it to Mondays, enough of them should stick around for Hawaii . The comedy hour of The Neighborhood and Bob Hearts Abishola continues at 8pm. TUESDAYS 8:00 FBI (4th season) 9:00 FBI: INTERNATIONAL 10:00 FBI: Most Wanted (3rd season) Dick Wolf is taking o...

On Wednesdays, I look at shows that lasted one season or less. Today I am looking at 1970s flop The Good Life ! THE GOOD LIFE Programming Details: September 18, 1971 - January 8, 1972 15 episodes NBC Starring: Larry Hagman, Donna Mills, Hermione Baddeley, Danny Goldman, David Wayne Created by: Lawrence J. Cohen and Fred Freeman Plot: Albert and Jane Miller (Hagman & Mills) are tired of their boring life so they upend their life and seek service employment with a millionaire industrialist, Charles Dutton (Wayne). They work as the butler and cook while also dealing with Dutton's sister, Grace (Baddeley) and son, Nick (Goldman). 

Here's a look at the ABC schedule for 2021-22! MONDAYS 8:00 Dancing with the Stars (30th edition) 10:00 The Good Doctor (5th season) ABC is not making a lot of changes to its schedule overall and that includes Monday night where Dancing with the Stars and The Good Doctor are paired together for a fifth straight fall (and that of course follows Dancing paired with Castle for FOREVER with the one year flop Conviction in between). TUESDAYS 8:00 The Bachelorette (17th edition) 10:00 QUEENS Tuesdays has the only new fall drama premiere on the network with Queens following The Bachelorette . The Bachelorette had been a summer series for many years before it was thrust into the fall lineup thanks to production delays. Now it looks like it may become a permanent fixture again in the season like it was in its early days. After successfully launching Big Sky last year, it will serve as a lead-in for Queens , a drama starring Eve, Brandy, Naturi Naughton and Nadine Velazquez as a 90s hip hop ...

Tuesdays are Top 10 Tuesdays where I count down a topic in the TV realm. This week is  Top 10 Game Shows! This is strictly related to game shows, not reality competition shows like Survivor . Close Calls Password Double Dare What's My Line? 10. Legends of the Hidden Temple This may be #10 on my list but it's much higher on the list of shows I would like to be on. The classic Nickelodeon game show had such an inventive set that really stole the show. And now there's a CW revival coming with adult contestants! I still have a chance! 9. Wheel of Fortune Wheel of Fortune is not one of my favorites compared to many. But it's quite impressive how long it has been a staple like Jeopardy and it is fun (sometimes) to play along at home. It might be higher if I found Pat Sajak less annoying.

Here is a look at the FOX schedule for 2021-22! MONDAYS 8:00 9-1-1 (5th season) 9:00 THE BIG LEAP FOX is breaking up its 9-1-1 duo as the mothership will serve as a lead-in to a new drama while 9-1-1: Lone Star will be held to replace 9-1-1 temporarily in the winter. The new 9pm entry is The Big Leap , a wide-ranging dance drama with a large cast led by Scott Foley. On paper, it seems like a bit of a weird match for 9-1-1  but it seems to be FOX's top priority as far as new shows so it's not surprising it got the best possible slot for a drama. TUESDAYS 8:00 The Resident (5th season) 9:00 OUR KIND OF PEOPLE It had to sweat until today but The Resident was renewed for a fifth season. It will continue to lead things off on Tuesday nights. Replacing the cancelled Prodigal Son at 9pm is Our Kind of People , a soapy drama from Lee Daniels based on the book of the same name and centered on the rich and powerful black elite. The series will star Yaya DaCosta and Morris Chestnut. Chest...

On Mondays, I take a look at schedules from yesteryear. Here's a look at Thursdays in the 1989-90 season! ABC 8:00 9:00 10:00 Sep Mission: Impossible The Young Riders Primetime Live Oct Nov Dec Jan Father Dowling Mysteries Feb Mar Apr Twin Peaks May ABC was coming off a season where nothing that aired on Thursdays lived to see the 1989-90 season. So they had to start from scratch on the night. Leading off the night was the reboot of  Mission: Impossible , which had struggled in its first season and was tasked with the tough assignment of leading off Thursdays. It was not up to the task and was sent back to Saturdays in January. It was replaced by Father Dowling Mysteries , which had been cancelled by NBC after one season. It did a little better on ABC in the difficult slot and was renewed for a third season though the show seems like it might have fit best on CBS. At 9pm was a new drama, The Young Riders . Centered around the Pony Express in the Nebraska Territory during the pre-Ci...

Although my blog has evolved past mostly focusing on broadcast networks, this is still a busy time for them and I wanted to continue with my annual Upfronts posts that I have done since 2011! NBC was first out of the gate with its plans for 2021-22.  MONDAYS 8:00 The Voice (21st edition) 10:00 ORDINARY JOE NBC will once again use The Voice to launch a new drama in the fall. They have tried this time and time again for almost a decade and have had great results ( The Blacklist ), mixed results ( Blindspot ) and terrible results ( The Brave ). Where will Ordinary Joe land? Ordinary Joe is a gentle drama following a man (James Wolk) in three different timelines based on life decisions. The series seemed more likely to follow This is Us . It's different from most post- Voice shows on Mondays over the years because those have most often been intense dramas in one way or another. Wolk famously had a bomb on Monday nights in the Fall of 2010 with FOX's Lone Star  so hopefully it'l...