SCHEDULES OF THE PAST: 1989-1990 Saturdays

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? Living Dolls starred Michael Learned and Leah Remini and included the screen debut of Halle Berry. Set in a modeling agency for teenage girls, it was yanked at the same time as Belvedere after garnering terrible reviews and ratings. The comedy block was replaced by Mission: Impossible, returning to the night. The high profile revival could never find an audience despite attempts on several nights. It was cancelled in February after two abbreviated seasons and would find more success as a feature film franchise starting in 1996. The next 8pm occupant was H.E.L.P., an emergency services drama set in Harlem (H.E.L.P. stood for Harlem Eastside Life-saving Program). It lasted just six weeks but that was better than the drama that replaced it. Sunset Beat was about LA cops posing as a motorcycle gang and it starred a young George Clooney. It lasted just two episodes before being yanked from the lineup while Sunday dramedy Elvis took the 8pm slot at the very end of the season.

THE FRIDAY FIVE: Top 5 TV News Stories of the Week Ending 5/28/21

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.

EPISODE GUIDES: F Troop Season One

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 Hampton as Private Hannibal Shirley Dobbs (34 episodes)
Bob Steele as Trooper Duffy (33 episodes)
Joe Brooks as Trooper Vanderbilt (27 episodes)
Don Diamond as Crazy Cat (18 episodes)

1. Scourge of the West (9/14/65)
Captain Parmenter takes the reins at Fort Courage and has to deal with an unusual group of troops and nearby Indians.

The first episode of F Troop actually shows us in a little more detail what the theme song will explain to us for the rest of the season. It does a good job of setting the scene and the characters in this small little Civil War era base. Parmenter, O'Rourke, and O'Reilly all feel much more defined than a lot of sitcom characters do in pilots now. I'm going to go ahead and get this out of the way now: of course some of the Indian stuff is dated and could be considered offensive by today's standards. This is not excusing it, but it is a product of its time and except when there is something especially glaring, I'm not going to keep bringing it up.
RATING: 6.5/10

2. Don't Look Now, One of Our Cannons is Missing (9/21/65)
O'Rourke makes a deal to temporarily give the Hakawai tribe the fort's cannon in exchange for making more blankets, but then has trouble getting it back in time.

This is a pretty thin plot to last the entire episode. It's hard to believe how single plot-focused 1960s sitcoms were. Today, sitcoms always have multiple stories happening and that was so rarely the case then. Sometimes that meant for some really great and well-developed plots but other times, like this one, the story was just too thin for a full episode. It's interesting that these early episodes featured someone playing Ulysses S. Grant. The show seemed to be more tied to its Civil War setting early on in its run.
RATING: 4.5/10

ONE SEASON WONDERS: Chicken Soup

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.

UPFRONTS: The CW 2021-22 Schedule

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 episodes before Christmas and then resuming their normal seasons. The Flash used to be the best lead-in The CW could give but it is well past its prime so it's fitting to put with another once hot show that is now past its prime.

WEDNESDAYS

8:00 DC's Legends of Tomorrow (7th season)

9:00 Batwoman (3rd season)

Legends of Tomorrow returns to the fall after being a midseason show for the last couple seasons. They are advertising it as the seventh season but it might include some episodes of the sixth season, which just began less than a month ago. Batwoman moves to Wednesdays after two seasons on Sundays and takes over the 9pm slot.

THURSDAYS

8:00 Walker (2nd season)

9:00 Legacies (4th season)

The CW will keep its Thursday pair of Walker and Legacies. Walker was one of several successful first year launches for the network this year alongside Superman & Lois and Kung Fu, which are both being saved for midseason.

FRIDAYS

8:00 Penn & Teller: Fool Us (8th season)

9:00 Nancy Drew (3rd season)

The CW is going with Friday stalwart Penn & Teller: Fool Us at 8pm followed by Nancy Drew, which has hit a 0.0 demo already this year and surely will on Fridays next season. Nancy Drew spinoff Tom Swift was not picked up to series but remains in contention.

SATURDAYS

8:00 Whose Line is it Anyway? (10th season)
8:30 Whose Line is it Anyway? (10th season)

9:00 World's Funniest Animals (2nd season)

9:30 World's Funniest Animals (2nd season)

For the first time in its history, the CW is expanding to Saturdays with an unscripted lineup of Whose Line is it Anyway? and World's Funniest Animals. The decision to expand to Saturdays was odd to begin with and now it seems especially odd since they're basically throwing burn-off material on the night.

SUNDAYS

8:00 LEGENDS OF THE HIDDEN TEMPLE
9:00 KILLER CAMP

The CW is also going all unscripted on Sundays after airing dramas there since expanding to the night. The reboot of Legends of the Hidden Temple kicks things off at 8pm and could deliver the best premiere numbers for any CW show this fall. It is followed by Killer Camp, a US version of the British series than the CW aired as COVID substitution programming. Mark Pedowitz, head of The CW, indicated that scripted programming will return to the night in the future.

MIDSEASON: ALL AMERICAN: HOMECOMING, NAOMI, Charmed, DC's Stargirl, Dynasty, In the Dark, Kung Fu, Roswell New Mexico, Superman & Lois

The CW has a lot on deck for midseason including some of their more successful newbies from this year as well as two brand new dramas in All American: Homecoming and another DC series, Naomi. Some of these shows surely won't air until late spring or summer 2022. The network has not made a determination yet on the soon to premiere The Republic of Sarah but that could join the list too.

CANCELLED/ENDED: Black Lightning, Supergirl, Supernatural

TOP 10 TUESDAY: Top 10 Late Night Shows

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.

SCHEDULES OF THE PAST: 1989-1990 Fridays

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 in the lineup. Though the early episodes of Family Matters were much different than the Urkel days as Jaleel White did not even appear until midway through the first season. Perfect Strangers moved back an hour to 9pm. While its most to the night kick started ABC building a block of family friendly sitcoms, it was perhaps the least family-oriented of them since it was more of a buddy comedy. Just the Ten of Us followed at 9:30pm. The Growing Pains spinoff never really took off in the ratings and though it lasted in the 9:30pm slot all season, it was cancelled at the end after three seasons and 47 episodes. As usual, 20/20 closed the night at 10pm. ABC's first year of TGIF was a success with a stable lineup that was improving their fortunes on Friday nights.

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

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 & Order shows with Law & Order: For the Defense joining the fray. As I said, I like some of the Dick Wolf shows, but this is just too much. Still, kudos to him I guess.

EPISODE GUIDES: A Recap of Parks and Recreation

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 Saperstein (20 episodes)

Mo Collins as Joan Callamezzo (19 episodes)

Yvans Jourdain as Councilman Howser (19 episodes)

Jon Glaser as Councilman Jamm (18 episodes)

Billy Eichner as Craig Middlebrooks (16 episodes)

Andy Forrest as Kyle (16 episodes)

James Greene as Councilman Milton (16 episodes)

Alison Becker as Shauna Malwae-Tweep (14 episodes)

Andrew Burlinson as Burly (14 episodes)

Kevin Symons as Bill Dexhart (14 episodes)

Alan Yang as Chang (13 episodes)

Mark Rivers as Rivers (12 episodes)

Richard Burch as Herman Lerpiss (11 episodes)

Natalie Morales as Lucy (11 episodes)

Helen Slayton-Hughes as Ethel Beavers (11 episodes)

Jaima Williamson as Wendy Haverford (11 episodes)

Kathryn Hahn as Jennifer Barkley (10 episodes)

Cooper Thornton as Dr. Harris (10 episodes)

Eric Isenhower as Orin (9 episodes)

Marc Evan Jackson as Trevor Nelsson (9 episodes)

Pamela Reed as Marlene Griges-Knope (9 episodes)

Lucy Lawless as Diane Lewis (8 episodes)

Megan Mullally as Tammy Swanson (8 episodes)

Jenny Slate as Mona Lisa Saperstein (8 episodes)

Harris Wittels as Harris (8 episodes)

Susan Yeagley as Jessica Wicks (8 episodes)

John Balma as Barney (7 episodes)

Colton Dunn as Brett (7 episodes)

Ryan Lee as Ivy Lewis (7 episodes)

Phil Reeves as Paul Iaresco (7 episodes)

Henry Winkler as Dr. Saperstein (7 episodes)

Louis C.K. as Dave Sanderson (6 episodes)

Josh Duvendeck as Ben (6 episodes)

Darlene Hunt as Marcia Langman (6 episodes)

Blake Lee as Derek (6 episodes)

Mara Marini as Brandi Maxxxx (6 episodes)

Mike Mitchell as Bjorn Lerpiss (6 episodes)

Antonia Raftu as Elizabeth (6 episodes)

Johnny Sneed as William Barnes (6 episodes)

UPFRONTS: CBS 2021-22 Schedule

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 over all corners of broadcast TV. The megaproducer already owns Chicago Wednesdays on NBC. That network announced a trio of Law & Order shows on Thursdays as well and now CBS will follow suit with three FBI shows on Tuesdays. The original FBI slides up to 8pm and takes a slot that hasn't seen a show other than NCIS since 2003. The new member of the FBI franchise is FBI: International, which will take over at 9pm and hope things go better than Criminal Minds: Beyond Borders. FBI: Most Wanted continues at 10pm.

WEDNESDAYS

8:00 Survivor (41st edition)

9:00 Tough As Nails (3rd season)

10:00 CSI: VEGAS

Wednesday nights will mark the return of Survivor after a year-long hiatus thanks to COVID. The long-running reality show will return to its familiar 8pm slot. Tough As Nails has been a filler the last couple years and most thought it would serve as winter filler. However, it gets a fall berth after Survivor and a chance to become a new reliable unscripted property for CBS. It is already renewed for a fourth edition as well. At 10pm is CSI: Vegas, returning to one of the slots of the original CSI. Originally eyed as a limited series, the CSI revival will instead be a potentially on-going series and several original stars are coming back. While I think some of the CBS pickups will do well, it's pretty sad to see three of the four new shows being franchise dramas. That being said, I'm surprised CSI: Vegas didn't get the 9pm slot.

THURSDAYS

8:00 Young Sheldon (5th season)

8:30 United States of Al (2nd season)

9:00 GHOSTS
9:30 B Positive (2nd season)

10:00 Bull (6th season)

CBS is keeping its comedy numbers in tact, which stands in contrast to FOX and NBC (no live action comedies) and ABC (eliminating the Tuesday block). The comedy block on CBS will remain the same as this spring except for 9pm where Ghosts will replace the departed Mom. Ghosts is an interesting premise about a couple that moves into a house inhabited by, you guessed it, ghosts. But it's a comedy so it'll be a little different than most recent ghost story shows. Young Sheldon remains at 8pm while United States of Al gets a show of support from CBS by getting to keep its 8:30pm slot instead of moving out of the way for Ghosts. B Positive continues at 9:30pm, the slot it took over when Al launched. Bull makes its way to its third night in its six year run and will air at 10pm which will probably be enough to keep the lights on and an improvement over Clarice.

FRIDAYS

8:00 S.W.A.T. (5th season)/Unscripted Programming

9:00 Magnum P.I. (4th season)

10:00 Blue Bloods (12th season)

Friday nights seem Magnum P.I. and Blue Bloods continuing in their current slots and it could be the final season for Bloods but nothing has been determined. S.W.A.T. will start at 8pm before it heads to Sundays at which point it will be replaced by unscripted programming, perhaps something like The Amazing Race or Undercover Boss.

SATURDAYS

8:00 Encores

10:00 48 Hours (35th season)

SUNDAYS

7:00 60 Minutes (54th season)

8:00 The Equalizer (2nd season)

9:00 NCIS: Los Angeles (13th season)

10:00 SEAL Team (5th season)/S.W.A.T. (5th season)

CBS is keeping things status quo from 7-10pm with 60 Minutes, The Equalizer, and NCIS: Los Angeles. The Equalizer was a solid performer since its post-Super Bowl debut and Los Angeles will celebrate its 300th episode next season. CBS will be giving SEAL Team a send-off to Paramount Plus by running four episodes on Sunday nights that could be broken up due to NFL overrun Sundays. At some point, perhaps in January, S.W.A.T. will move to the 10pm slot.

MIDSEASON: THE ACTIVIST, COME DANCE WITH ME, GOOD SAM, SMALLWOOD, The Amazing Race, Blood & Treasure, Undercover Boss

CBS has a decent amount on the bench including four newbies: Sophia Bush drama Good Sam, bowling comedy Smallwood and unscripted offerings The Activist and Come Dance with Me. At some point, they will bring back Blood & Treasure too but that could be Summer 2022.

CANCELLED/ENDED: All Rise, MacGyver, Mom, NCIS: New Orleans, The Unicorn

MOVING TO PARAMOUNT PLUS: Evil, SEAL Team

Evil and SEAL Team are officially moving to Paramount Plus in the latest move of streaming synergy.

TBD: Clarice

Nothing has been decided yet for Clarice but if it does get renewed, it appears headed to Paramount Plus as well.

ONE SEASON WONDERS: The Good Life

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). 

UPFRONTS: ABC 2021-22 Schedule

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 group that reunites. It seems like a reasonable enough fit out of The Bachelorette. 

WEDNESDAYS

8:00 The Goldbergs (9th season)

8:30 THE WONDER YEARS
9:00 The Conners (4th season)

9:30 Home Economics (2nd season)

10:00 A Million Little Things (4th season)

ABC has just one new comedy to go with its one new drama but it's the comedy I'm most excited for. ABC will reboot The Wonder Years, its hit 1988-1993 show and this time it will focus on a black family. With Lee Daniels and original star Fred Savage behind the scenes and a cast including Dule Hill and Don Cheadle (as the narrator), I have high hopes for this one. It joins the ABC comedy lineup and will be sandwiched between long-running comedies The Goldbergs and The Conners. The current 8:30pm occupant Home Economics will move to 9:30pm. It has only done okay at 8:30pm and this is a tougher slot. A Million Little Things continues at 10pm. It started its run on Wednesdays at 10pm then got upgraded to a Thursday slot before being sent back to Wednesdays this spring.

THURSDAYS

8:00 Station 19 (5th season)

9:00 Grey's Anatomy (18th season)

10:00 Big Sky (2nd season)

The big news on Thursdays is that Big Sky is moving to the night and taking the place of the cancelled Rebel. Big Sky started out with pretty decent numbers on Tuesday nights but it ended its arc with a midseason finale and took a long break. When it came back, the buzz and the ratings took a dip. It's going to need a revitalized ad campaign to get people to come back to the show. It follows the reliable Station 19 and the 18th season of Grey's Anatomy, which could be the final one. It depends on star Ellen Pompeo.

FRIDAYS
8:00 Shark Tank (13th season)

9:00 20/20 (40th season)

Shark Tank continues to be a Friday night stalwart and while ABC used to try a scripted hour alongside Shark Tank, they have taken to just doing two hours of 20/20 in recent years. That will continue next fall.

SATURDAYS

8:00 College Football

SUNDAYS

7:00 America's Funniest Home Videos (32nd season)

8:00 Celebrity Wheel of Fortune (2nd season)

9:00 Supermarket Sweep (2nd season)

10:00 The Rookie (4th season)

ABC seems to be turning the 8-10pm block on Sunday nights into an unscripted area as a placeholder for American Idol. I don't understand why they won't move Dancing with the Stars to the night in the fall now that it's down to one cycle. They could then use Monday as a scripted night. Oh well. The only scripted offering on Sundays will be The Rookie continuing at 10pm.

MIDSEASON: ABBOTT ELEMENTARY, MAGGIE, WOMEN OF THE MOVEMENT, American Idol, Black-ish

ABC has two new comedies and a limited series drama in the wings along with Idol and the final season of Black-ish. Several projects remain in consideration for midseason including Kevin Costner's National Parks drama and fairy tale drama Epic. 

CANCELLED/ENDED: American Housewife, Call Your Mother, For Life, Mixed-ish, Rebel

TBD: The Bachelor, The Con, The Great Christmas Light Fight, Pooch Perfect, Who Wants to Be A Millionaire

Several unscripted shows have yet to be renewed. The Bachelor seems to be awaiting some announcement with host Chris Harrison still in hot water. The Great Christmas Light Fight will surely be back. As for the others, it could go either way. I think Millionaire will be back but I'm not sure about Pooch Perfect or The Con.

TOP 10 TUESDAY: Top 10 Game Shows

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.

UPFRONTS: FOX 2021-22 Schedule

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. Chestnut will also continue to recur on The Resident. The plan for now is for country music dynasty drama Monarch to premiere after the NFC Championship Game and then take up residence on Tuesdays.

WEDNESDAYS

8:00 The Masked Singer (6th edition)

9:00 ALTER EGO

The Masked Singer will of course return for its sixth edition. The only question is if it will ever drop down to one cycle per year. There was a lot of speculation that The Big Leap would be paired with it but FOX is sticking with unscripted on the night as they will premiere the new Alter Ego, yet another singing competition series though this one is a new concept and not based on an international format.

THURSDAYS

8:00 Thursday Night Football

FOX will have football on Thursdays for one more season before it goes to Amazon and then they'll need to find a new plan for the night.

FRIDAYS

8:00 WWE Smackdown

WWE Smackdown will continue on Fridays for a third season. It keeps the light on for FOX there but isn't a huge success.

SATURDAYS

8:00 FOX Sports Saturday

SUNDAYS

7:00 NFL Overrun/The OT/Animated Encores

8:00 The Simpsons (33rd season)

8:30 The Great North (2nd season)

9:00 Bob's Burgers (12th season)

9:30 Family Guy (20th season)

Animation continues on Sunday nights with the same lineup as right now minus the cancelled Bless the Harts, which has been airing at 7:30pm. The newest entry, The Great North, was renewed for a third season today. The early renewal is likely for production reasons but it also shows some faith in the show.

MIDSEASON: THE CLEANING LADY, DON'T FORGET THE LYRICS!, KRAPOPOLIS, MONARCH, NEXT LEVEL CHEF, PIVOTING, WELCOME TO FLATCH, 9-1-1: Lone Star, Call Me Kat, I Can See Your Voice

As mentioned, 9-1-1: Lone Star will return to Mondays and Monarch is slated to debut on Tuesdays. The other big drama is The Cleaning Lady, which will be an interesting show to slot. Comedies might go on Thursdays after football with the returning Call Me Kat and newbies Welcome to Flatch and Pivoting, but that's just speculation on my part. Dan Harmon's animated Krapopolis may not hit the network until the 2022-23 season.

CANCELLED/ENDED: Bless the Harts, Filthy Rich, Last Man Standing, Next, Prodigal Son

TBD: America's Most Wanted, Cherries Wild, Game of Talents, Let's Be Real, The Masked Dancer, The Moodys, Name That Tune

FOX has a lot of unscripted fare on the bubble still. The Moodys is on this list but it's as good as gone. The rest are more truly undetermined ones. I think Name That Tune and Game of Talents will be back. Possibly The Masked Dancer unless they think it's diluting the brand.

SCHEDULES OF THE PAST: 1989-1990 Thursdays

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-Civil War, Riders was one of the many ABC dramas in this era that had some critical support and a loyal audience but not a mass audience. The drama's cast included Josh Brolin, Stephen Baldwin and Brett Cullen among others. It ended its season early to make room for a really buzzy newbie. Twin Peaks was unlike anything seen on TV at the time. Often credited as a turning point for TV drama, the series was a dark and twisty mystery that captivated audiences from the start. Its mood alone seems to have been a precursor for the many moody dramas relishing their ambiance that have come since. The pilot (airing on a Sunday) delivered big ratings for ABC and the series did quite well too despite a very difficult slot. It also was very popular in media circles and the buzz stayed strong through the short first season. Of course it flamed out in season two, but more on that in my 1990-91 posts. Although Twin Peaks burned brightly and quickly, ABC had more stability at 10pm with a newsmagazine that had premiered in early August. Primetime Live was hosted by Sam Donaldson and Diane Sawyer and provided stable ratings in a slot that had been trouble for the network. It was definitely a better year for ABC on Thursdays.

UPFRONTS: NBC 2021-22 Schedule

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'll go better for him this time around. Also notable is that The Voice will switch to one cycle per year. It's time for that to happen as the franchise is aging quite a bit and dropping to once per year has helped other long-running franchises like Dancing with the Stars. 

TUESDAYS

8:00 The Voice (21st edition)

9:00 LA BREA
10:00 New Amsterdam (4th season)

Perhaps the biggest surprise on the NBC fall schedule is that the final season of This is Us is being held for midseason, where it will air mostly uninterrupted after very erratic scheduling this year. Replacing it on Tuesday nights in the fall is La Brea, a drama about a massive sinkhole opening up in Los Angeles. This seems more like a Monday drama for NBC so it's interesting they went a different way with the two post-Voice newbies. I'm not sure what it says about their confidence in each of them. New Amsterdam will continue at 10pm after its late start to this season with COVID delays.

WEDNESDAYS

8:00 Chicago Med (7th season)

9:00 Chicago Fire (10th season)

10:00 Chicago PD (9th season)

NBC is keeping its Chicago trio on Wednesdays for a fourth straight year. It has continued to be one of the most steady lineups in an era of ever declining linear ratings. These shows could run another ten years easily.

THURSDAYS

8:00 LAW & ORDER: FOR THE DEFENSE

9:00 Law & Order: SVU (23rd season)

10:00 Law & Order: Organized Crime (2nd season)

The dual success of #OneChicago Wednesdays and the launch of Law & Order: Organized Crime meant NBC is going to give an all Law & Order night a try. After delivering huge ratings for a crossover premiere, Law & Order: SVU and Organized Crime will return from 9-11pm. Leading them off at 8pm is Law & Order: For the Defense, which has yet to film a pilot or even announce casting. This move means the comedy hour is gone for now and NBC is going without comedy ANYWHERE in the fall, which is a notable move. They have a lot of comedies on deck for midseason but a big four network not having comedy on their fall lineup is pretty much unheard of.

FRIDAYS

8:00 The Blacklist (9th season)

9:00 Dateline NBC (31st season)

The Blacklist and Dateline NBC return to Friday nights as NBC won't do anything different with the night. The Blacklist has to end at some point. I'm guessing next season will be the last one.

SATURDAYS

8:00 Encores

9:00 Dateline Mystery

10:00 SNL Encores

SUNDAYS

7:00 Football Night in America (16th season)

8:30 Sunday Night Football

And of course football returns on Sunday with the highest rated game likely to come on October 3 when Tom Brady returns to New England in a Bucs-Patriots showdown.

MIDSEASON: AGT: EXTREME, AMERICAN AUTO, AMERICAN SONG CONTEST, GRAND CREW, HOME SWEET HOME, LA FIRE AND RESCUE, THAT'S MY JAM, THE THING ABOUT PAM, THE WHEEL, WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE, Kenan, Mr. Mayor, This is Us, Transplant, The Wall, Weakest Link, Young Rock

NBC has a ton on the bench for midseason and beyond. Some of these shows will certainly air at the holidays or in the summer. As mentioned, This is Us will return for a final run and is slated to come back to its Tuesday 9pm slot while comedies Kenan, Mr. Mayor, Young Rock and the new American Auto and Grand Crew will likely air in blocks on Tuesday or perhaps Thursday or Sunday. Brooklyn Nine-Nine is slated to return for its eighth and final season this summer after the Olympics. Many of the unscripted shows like That's My Jam, Dick Wolf's LA Fire and Rescue and the return of Who Do You Think You Are could be targeted for summer. The Thing About Pam is a limited series starring Renee Zellweger.

CANCELLED/ENDED: Connecting, Superstore

Only two shows are officially not coming back: the pandemic-themed Connecting and Superstore, which ended after six seasons. Others could join the list though (see below). 

TBD: Debris, Ellen's Game of Games, Good Girls, Manifest, Zoey's Extraordinary Playlist

Five NBC shows have not had their fates decided yet. There are rumblings of Zoey's Extraordinary Playlist going to Peacock and Good Girls going to Netflix. These are true bubble shows though if I had to make one prediction with them, it would be the Zoey Peacock move.