TOP 10 TUESDAY: Top 10 Mom Characters

For my Top 10 Tuesday this week, I am counting down the Top 10 Mom Characters!

10. ALVIN BILETNIKOFF

I think Alvin may have ranked higher on my list if I didn't end up liking Bonnie's next beau even better. Alvin was an interesting character who had both funny and sad moments in a nuanced portrayal by Kevin Pollak. His relationship with both Christy and Bonnie was great for character development and his (spoiler) death provided a really great character arc for Bonnie. 

9. TAMMY DIFFENDORF

I was not a fan of Tammy at all when she burst onto the scene in Season 5. I thought Kristen Johnson was doing a way too broad portrayal. But over time as Tammy integrated into the group of friends, she became much more tolerable. Never one of my favorites but one who provided some good dynamics in the group of friends and she was a way better character by the end.

SCHEDULES OF THE PAST: 1991-1992 Fridays

On Mondays, I take a look at schedules from yesteryear. Here's a look at Fridays in the 1991-92 season!

ABC	8:00	8:30	9:00	9:30	10:00
Sep	Family Matters	Step by Step	Perfect Strangers	Baby Talk	20/20
Oct
Nov
Dec
Jan			Baby Talk	Perfect Strangers
Feb				Billy
Mar
Apr			Dinosaurs	Baby Talk
May

ABC's hit TGIF lineup had a big change for 1991-92 as Full House left the night after four seasons and headed over to Tuesdays. One of the reasons ABC was able to do that was the breakout success of Family Matters, which was entering its third year. Matters took over the 8pm slot and was not as powerful as Full House was in the slot but it proved to be a reliable lead-off for ABC's kid friendly block. It was followed by a new family sitcom from the Miller-Boyett factory. Step by Step was a Brady Bunch-type sitcom starring Patrick Duffy (fresh off of Dallas) and Suzanne Somers. The series received mixed reviews but was a perfect fit for the night as it settled into a long run on the night. The 9pm hour was not as steady as the 8pm hour. It started with Perfect Strangers and Baby Talk. Strangers was starting to seem like a relic from a different era of ABC sitcoms and it was showing its age. It wasn't really capable of being an anchor anymore and was moved to 9:30pm and then Saturdays. Baby Talk was a returning sitcom undergoing a major revamp. Star Julia Duffy (who had replaced Connie Sellecca) left the series and was replaced by Mary Page Keller. George Clooney also left the cast while Scott Baio joined (talk about a downgrade). The series also changed its setting. All these changes didn't turn things around for the show. It moved to 9pm and then back to 9:30pm but was cancelled at the end of the season. Late in the season, Billy aired briefly on the night. Billy was a spinoff of Head of the Class starring Billy Connolly, who had joined Class in its final season. It lasted just a couple months on the night. Dinosaurs returned to the night at the end of the season after an unsuccessful attempt at leading off Wednesdays. Throughout the season, 20/20 continued to air at 10pm of course.

THE FRIDAY FIVE: Top 5 TV News Stories of the Week Ending 11/19/21

Here's a look at the Top 5 TV News Stories of the Week! A couple of these are from last Friday after the blog post went up, which was a busy news day. After this post, I will be taking a one week break due to Thanksgiving and blog posts will resume November 29!

#1 - DISNEY+ DAY

Disney+ offered up its annual "Disney Day" last Friday and the news was fast and furious about things coming to the streamer. There were also lots of first looks and trailers but no specific premiere dates though we did get some premiere months. Here's a few of the most notable announcements from the day: There will be a WandaVision spinoff series focused on Kathryn Hahn's breakout character called Agatha: House of Harkness. As someone who's not a Marvel fan but liked WandaVision and especially Hahn, consider me intrigued. There will also be a spinoff of the upcoming Hawkeye series called Echo. There will also be an animated series titled Spider-Man: Freshman Year, a different look at the legendary superhero. Finally, the news that was perhaps most exciting to fanboys and fangirls was X-Men '97, a series that will be a follow-up to the iconic 90s series.

EPISODE GUIDES: A Recap of Get Smart

Here is a look at all five seasons of Get Smart including the ultimate countdown of the best and worst episodes!

GET SMART

September 18, 1965 - May 15, 1970

138 episodes

Starring

Don Adams as Maxwell Smart (138 episodes)

Barbara Feldon as Agent 99 (131 episodes)

Edward Platt as The Chief (129 episodes)

Robert Karvelas as Larabee (83 episodes)

Bernie Kopell as Siegfried (14 episodes)

David Ketchum as Agent 13 (13 episodes)

Stacy Keach as Professor Carlson (10 episodes)

King Moody as Shtarker (8 episodes)

Milton Selzer as Parker (7 episodes)

Dick Gautier as Hymie the Robot (6 episodes)

Victor French as Agent 44 (6 episodes)

ONE SEASON WONDERS: Good & Evil

On Wednesdays, I take a look at a series that lasted one season or less. Here is a look at Good & Evil!

GOOD & EVIL

September 25, 1991 - October 30, 1991

6 episodes
ABC

Starring: Teri Garr, Margaret Whitton, Mark Blankfield, Lane Davies, Mary Gillis, Seth Green, Sherman Howard, Marian Seldes, Brooke Theiss, Marius Weyers

Created by: Susan Harris

Plot: This very odd satire focuses on two sisters, one "good" and one "evil." Denise (Garr) is the evil one and the CEO of the family's cosmetics empire while the good one is Genny (Whitton), a world class scientist. Their mother, Charlotte (Seldes) was still a force in the family empire as well. The rest of the cast includes family, friends and subordinates of the two sisters.

Brief Pilot Review:

This pilot started with a very bizarre and off-putting scene with hikers finding Denise's husband (Weyers) after he fell off Everest. We then meet Denise herself and the extent that this pilot worked at all was due in large part to Teri Garr. I'm not convinced the show made her "evil" enough in the pilot to justify the show's title but Garr was engaging nonetheless. I can't say the same for her on-screen sister as Margaret Whitton wasn't particularly strong for a co-lead especially when playing off of someone with Garr's ability. A big problem in the pilot was the sisters were not on screen together for much of the pilot. When the premise is the difference between them, we need to seem them together. A strong performance came from Marian Seldes, who got off a couple funny line deliveries.

TOP 10 TUESDAY: Top 10 Everybody Loves Raymond Characters

For my Top 10 Tuesday this week, I am counting down Top 10 Everybody Loves Raymond Characters!

10. HANK MCDOUGALL

The late, great Fred Willard was always good for some laughs and his Hank McDougall character was a great recurring addition to the cast in the later years of the show. The show sort of let Willard do his thing as his character was aloof at times and joyously judgmental of some of the behavior of the Barones and others.

9. JUDY POTTER

I sometimes find Sherri Shepherd annoying but one of her earlier roles was one of her funniest. She only appeared in nine episodes as Robert's patrol partner but she was really funny in those nine episodes. She didn't put up with Robert's nonsense and she had a matter of fact delivery over the less matter of fact Barones. She made Robert's scenes better.

SCHEDULES OF THE PAST: 1991-1992 Thursdays

On Mondays, I take a look at schedules from yesteryear. Here's a look at Thursdays in the 1991-92 season! After this week, I will be taking a one week break for Thanksgiving!

ABC	8:00	9:00	9:30	10:00
Sep	Pros and Cons	FBI: The Untold Stories	American Detective	Primetime Live
Oct
Nov
Dec
Jan	Thursday Night Movie
Feb
Mar
Apr
May

ABC had some small revamps for Thursday nights in 1990-91. The first hour was given to Pros and Cons, which was a revamped version of the drama Gabriel's Fire from the previous season. Despite an Emmy win for star James Earl Jones, Gabriel's struggled to find an audience and the network wanted the show to be more lighthearted as part of a network-wide initiative to get rid of more serious dramas. The revamped version was even less successful than the original and Pros and Cons was off the air in January. The rest of the night on ABC was devoted to unscripted programming. ABC paired two crime reality shows: the new FBI: The Untold Stories and the returning American Detective. Both shows were sort of surrenders against NBC's powerful Thursday night lineup but they were also cheap enough options that did well enough to get an upgrade to the Monday 8pm hour at midseason. When they moved and Pros and Cons was cancelled, a movie took over the first two hours. All through the season, Primetime Live continued at 10pm.

THE FRIDAY FIVE: Top 5 TV News Stories of the Week Ending 11/12/21

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

#1 - BRIAN WILLIAMS LEAVING NBC NEWS

Brian Williams announced this week that he is leaving MSNBC and NBC News at the end of the year following nearly three decades with the company. Williams' contract was up and while he says he wants to spend more time with family, it also seems like an agreement for a contract extension could not be reached. The newsman hosted NBC Nightly News from 2004-2015 until a scandal forced him into a six month exile. The scandal seems pretty small these days compared to more recent falls from grace as it simply had to do with exaggerating a story about his own experience covering the Iraq War in 2003. Williams re-emerged on MSNBC and has hosted the 11pm show The 11th Hour since September 2016. Williams always seemed to like to dabble in the entertainment side of NBC as well, even hosting Saturday Night Live at one point. Some of those moves led to some criticism but I always enjoyed Williams' self deprecating nature and his reporting of the news. I'm guessing he will re-emerge somewhere at some point.

EPISODE GUIDES: Get Smart Season Five (Part 2)

On Thursdays, I take a detailed and critical look at a TV show. This year, I will be splitting full seasons into two posts so today I am looking at the second half of Season 5 (the final season) of Get Smart! For Part 1, click here!

126. Moonlighting Becomes You (1/2/70)

Max and 99 become part of a radio show to stop KAOS from transmitting information over the airwaves.

I've always been a fan of this episode. I think it's a very clever premise, especially for season five, and I love the old school radio feel to it. It plays like a "who done it" with a lot of possible suspects. There's also a strong performance from larger than life (literally and figuratively) guest star Victor Buono, who will always be King Tut from Batman first and foremost for me. The on-going joke through the episode that 99 is starting to take after Max actually works decently too with Barbara Feldon doing a couple Don Adams-esque bits pretty well. A strong final season entry.

RATING: 9/10

127. House of Max Part 1 (1/9/70)

A wax figure of Jack the Ripper comes to life in London and Max and 99 find out there's a curator who can bring any figure to life.

I always want the episodes of Get Smart set in unique locations to have a better feel to them but I think part of the blame lies in it being a product of its time. If a show had a two part episode set in London now, they would likely film in London and/or really be able to capture the spirit of the city. They have a little bit of that in the foggy beginning but I wish there had been more with Jack the Ripper before the wax figure was killed so early. The show then takes a very long time to get into the next phase of the episode so it feels like a lot of exposition for the rest of the episode.

RATING: 4.5/10

ONE SEASON WONDERS: The Royal Family

On Wednesdays, I take a look at a series that lasted one season or less. Here is a look at The Royal Family!

THE ROYAL FAMILY

September 18, 1991 - May 13, 1992

13 episodes

CBS

Starring: Redd Foxx, Della Reese, Mariann Aalda, Sylver Gregory, Larenz Tate, Naya Rivera

Created by: Eddie Murphy

Plot: Atlanta mail carrier Al Royal (Foxx) and his wife, Victoria (Reese) are looking forward to retirement when their daughter, Elizabeth (Aalda), arrives with her three children (Gregory, Tate & Rivera) in need of a place to stay following marital issues.

Brief Pilot Review:

I have never been a fan of Sanford and Son and part of the reason is I don't really buy into Redd Foxx's brand of humor. That was evident again from the first few minutes of The Royal Family's pilot. It was just one insult-based joke after another between Foxx and Della Reese. Reese was game to go toe to toe with Foxx and had funnier delivery but it was such an off-putting way to start the series. From the little I have seen of Sanford, it seemed like Foxx had lost a step and his timing wasn't as strong as it was on the series that made him famous. There were flashes of some funny timing but overall, he seemed like a comedian who was past his prime (and unfortunately, his voice was a little hard to understand at times too).

TOP 10 TUESDAY: Top 10 Newhart Characters

This week for my Top 10 Tuesday, I am counting down my Top 10 Newhart Characters!

10. CINDY PARKER-DEVANE

There aren't a ton of Newhart characters to choose from as the show often stuck to its cast of regular characters but I put Kirk's girlfriend, the clown, on the list partly to make a point about how I couldn't put the much more prominent character of Kirk on the list. He was so irritating and his relationship with Cindy made him only slightly more bearable. She had a few funny moments in a much smaller sample size which is why she makes the list.

9. LESLIE VANDERKELLEN

Before there was Stephanie, there was Leslie. She didn't make as much of an impression but she had some funny moments in the show's uneven first season. It was almost like the writers had the right idea for a character but didn't know how to develop her. I don't put a ton of blame on her portrayer, Jennifer Holmes. I think the character was underwritten. Compared to the other character to exit the series early (Kirk), she was great.

SCHEDULES OF THE PAST: 1991-1992 Wednesdays

On Mondays, I take a look at schedules from yesteryear. Here's a look at Wednesdays in the 1991-92 season!

ABC	8:00	8:30	9:00	9:30	10:00	10:30
Sep	Dinosaurs	Various Programs	Doogie Howser M.D.	Sibs	Anything But Love	Good & Evil
Oct		The Wonder Years
Nov				Anything But Love	Civil Wars
Dec
Jan
Feb
Mar	The Wonder Years	Doogie Howser M.D.	Young Indiana Jones Chronicles		Homefront
Apr			Room for Two	Sibs
May			Various Programs

Despite the fact that they pretty much have never worked in TV history, ABC went with three hours of sitcoms on Wednesdays to start the 1991-92 season and it lasted all of two months. Leading things off was Dinosaurs, which had a very short debut season at the end of the 1990-91 season. It was a tall order for a young show and perhaps one that Dinosaurs wasn't really cut out for, especially because it would have been better off in a more kid friendly slot on Fridays (which is where it eventually returned). It was followed by The Wonder Years which was benched again from being a lead-off show. It always was a decent performer but never did well when given an anchor slot. Doogie Howser M.D. continued at 9pm while a new show followed. Sibs was a sitcom about three adult sisters, played by Marsha Mason, Margaret Colin and Jami Gertz. Anything But Love was given the difficult task of the 10pm anchor slot. The show had been jerked around by the network pretty much since its inception, much to the chagrin of its stars. It was also followed by a new sitcom, the odd Good & Evil. The show came from the creators of Soap and had some similarities to that cult favorite 1970s show. The series was a soap opera parody of sorts and starred Margaret Whitton and Teri Garr as good and evil sisters. The show was polarizing as some critics liked the subversive nature while a lot of the audience was turned off by the very off-putting feel to it. By the time November rolled around, both the freshmen shows were struggling and ABC yanked them both. Good & Evil was cancelled and Sibs was put on hiatus. Anything But Love benefited from both the freshman failing as it moved up to 9:30pm but it was still a mediocre performer at best and was cancelled at the end of the season after four scattershot seasons. ABC went back to a drama at 10pm with the launch of Civil Wars, a series centered on the lives of New York City divorce attorneys. The series was not a strong performer but the auspices behind it (including executive producer Steven Bochco) and some critical attention got it renewed for a second season. In the spring, it flipped timeslots with Tuesday's Homefront, another struggling freshman with some acclaim. Meanwhile, Dinosaurs and Anything But Love were off the night with The Wonder Years and Doogie Howser M.D. taking the 8pm hour. The 9pm hour was given to a high profile new drama. The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles was a big budget show centered on a young version of the movie character made famous by Harrison Ford. The series was a huge swing by the network and the Weds 9pm slot seemed a little odd for a family friendly show. It did well enough in the ratings to get a second season after its seven episode freshman run. Late in the season, the 9pm hour went back to comedies with Room for Two (after airing in a much better Tuesday slot) and a brief reprieve for Sibs. Room got a renewal, more based on its Tuesday performance, while Sibs was cancelled.

THE FRIDAY FIVE: Top 5 TV News Stories of the Week Ending 11/5/21

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

#1 - NBC HOLIDAY PREMIERES

NBC announced that it will air three holiday episodes of returning comedies and two comedy premieres over the course of three days in December. Workplace comedy American Auto will premiere after The Voice with back to back episodes. This is a similar strategy that was used years ago with Superstore (which came from the same creator as American Auto) but of course The Voice isn't the powerhouse it used to be. The next night, NBC is premiering Grand Crew with two episodes about 8pm. That comedy is about young black professionals in Los Angeles. Finally on Wednesday, there are special holiday episodes of Young Rock, Kenan and Mr. Mayor. This is a UK style approach to air a special holiday episode out of season and sort of a fun idea. All five comedies will air their regular seasons in early 2022 but the dates/times haven't been announced.

EPISODE GUIDES: Get Smart Season Five (Part 1)

On Thursdays, I take a detailed and critical look at a TV show. This year, I will be splitting full seasons into two posts so today I am looking at the first half of Season 5 (the final season) of Get Smart!

GET SMART: SEASON FIVE
1969-1970
26 episodes

The final season of Get Smart saw a network move from NBC to CBS and a jazzed up theme song. In its final year, the series also seems broader and there's a definite decline from the previous two strong seasons. This season also has the birth of Max and 99's twins and some real silly episodes. It definitely seemed less satirical and sharp and more playing as a straight farce. Its reprieve on CBS was short-lived as the network was heading into more sophisticated and less campy programming in the 1970s and Get Smart didn't really fit with that philosophy.

Starring
Don Adams as Maxwell Smart (26 episodes)
Barbara Feldon as Agent 99 (26 episodes)
Edward Platt as The Chief (24 episodes)

Robert Karvelas as Larabee (23 episodes)
Bernie Kopell as Siegfried (1 episode)
King Moody as Shtarker (1 episode)

113. Pheasant Under Glass (9/26/69)
Max finds out 99 is pregnant and is so excited that he accidentally tells a reporter that he is a secret agent so he has to change his identity.

Season five begins with a very timely cold open with Max and 99 meeting with the Chief on the moon and the reference to the astronauts landing there, which had just happened in July 1969. This also marks the beginning of the arc involving 99's pregnancy and it's incorporated well into the plot. The only problem, which was an issue often in the final season, is it's just so silly. From a bizarre Phyllis Diller cameo to a pretty ridiculous plot about face changing, everything is as silly as that moon opening.
RATING: 5.5/10

114. Ironhand (10/3/69)

KAOS is taken over by a man named Ironhand who rules with an actual iron fist and tries to infiltrate CONTROL so Max and 99 and the rest of the CONTROL agents try to stop him.

This episode is notable for the famous "baby carriage" bit that is highly choreographed and even has a Broadway musical-style version of the Get Smart theme song playing as it happens. That's a really strong moment and the whole episode, while silly like the premiere, still has some good moments. Ironhand is not as much of a cartoon villain as he could be and that's a good thing. There's also a funny bit when Larabee yells to the President outside the window. Between that scene and the credits, this season seems to be being more mindful about placing the show in DC.

RATING: 7/10

ONE SEASON WONDERS: Sister Kate

On Wednesdays, I take a look at a series that lasted one season or less. Here is a look at Sister Kate!

SISTER KATE

September 16, 1989 - July 30, 1990

18 episodes

NBC

Starring: Stephanie Beacham, Harley Cross, Hannah Cutrona, Jason Priestley, Erin Reed, Joel Robinson, Penina Segall, Alexaundria Simmons

Created by: Frank Dungan, Tony Sheehan and Jeff Stein

Plot: Sister Kate (Beacham) is a nun put in charge of a group of unruly kids and teenagers at a Chicago orphanage. The group of kids includes teens finding their way (Cutrona, Priestley, Reed) and precocious children (Robinson & Simmons) among others.

Brief Pilot Review:

The point of Sister Kate certainly seemed to be Sister Kate matching wits with the group of orphans and I guess it succeeds at that low bar. It felt so much like a lame family sitcom of the 80s with Stephanie Beacham filling the role of the "mother." It was hard for the pilot to service all the orphans so they primarily focused on a story involving Erin Reed's character pretending she wasn't living at an orphanage (which stretches plausibility in several ways). Whether they were a lead or supporting role in the pilot, none of the young actors seemed particularly up to the challenge with some pretty bad acting across the board. The actual best actor in the pilot was Gordon Jump in a guest starring role that was featured significantly before and immediately after the opening credits.

TOP 10 TUESDAY: Top 10 Chicago Fire Characters

I was going to do this a couple weeks ago but did a couple weeks of spooky sitcoms for my Top 10. So now, a few weeks after its 200th episode, I am counting down the Top 10 Chicago Fire Characters!

10. LESLIE SHAY

Chicago Fire has been on so long and I watch it every week but it's not a show I got back to after an episode has aired so it feels like a really long time since Leslie Shay was on the show. But she was a strong character with good stories over the first couple seasons. She was also the first major character to die on the show so it was a notable moment in the show's history. I always enjoyed her rapport with Gabby Dawson.

9. MATT CASEY

There was a lot of attention to the 200th episode because of the departure of Matt Casey, a character who has been with the show since the first episode. I understand his important place in Chicago Fire history and that a lot of fans love him, but he's never been my favorite. I don't always think Jesse Spencer is a great actor and I think Casey can be a little bit melodramatic and self-righteous at times. But he's very important to the show and deserves to be on the list.

SCHEDULES OF THE PAST: 1991-1992 Tuesdays

On Mondays, I take a look at schedules from yesteryear. Here's a look at Tuesdays in the 1991-92 season!

ABC	8:00	8:30	9:00	9:30	10:00
Sep	Full House	Home Improvement	Roseanne	Various Programs	Homefront
Oct				Coach
Nov
Dec
Jan
Feb
Mar					Civil Wars
Apr				Room for Two
May				Coach	Various Programs

ABC Tuesdays ruled the roost in the late 1980s but by 1991, they were showing some signs of slowing down so they made big moves to the night in 1991-92 which mostly paid off. The biggest move was bringing Full House over from Fridays. The family sitcom had aired there for four seasons and was a key part of launching the TGIF lineup. But Fridays now had Family Matters as a lead off show and Tuesdays needed a jolt. Moving a show like that could have backfired but it didn't. Full House vaulted into the Nielsen Top 10 for the first time ever and had its highest rated season. It also proved to be a great launching pad for the new 8:30pm show, Home Improvement. The family sitcom was a vehicle for stand-up comedian Tim Allen and proved to be a breakout hit for the network. At a time where Broadcast TV was taking a lot of flack in the media for diminishing returns (how silly that seems now because it was still a huge cornerstone of the TV landscape compared to present day), this was the first breakout hit since America's Funniest Home Videos in Spring 1990. At 9pm, Roseanne continued to be ABC's top show and it was actually up quite a bit in the ratings from the previous season as it likely benefited from having a huge success in front of it. Coach continued as the lead-out and was always successful when it was following Roseanne. Late in the season, Coach went on a short hiatus to try out a new sitcom in the post-Roseanne slot. Room for Two was a sitcom starring Linda Lavin and Patricia Heaton as a mother and daughter living and working together. The series did well enough in its cozy timeslot to get a second season but it did prove to be a fraud in its second season. ABC had cancelled Thirtysomething after four years in the Tuesday 10pm slot and replaced it with the 1940s era drama Homefront, centered on small Ohio town in the post-World War II era. It was one of three 40s-50s period shows that premiered on the networks in Fall 1991 along with Brooklyn Bridge on CBS and I'll Fly Away on NBC. The series had some significant critical acclaim but struggled in the ratings (like so many period dramas). It was pulled from the Tuesday lineup in the spring but was renewed for a second season, more based on reviews than ratings. It was replaced by Civil Wars, a new drama that had been airing on Wednesdays and was renewed for a second season despite middling ratings.