THE FRIDAY FIVE: Top 5 TV News Stories of the Week Ending 12/17/21

Here's a look at the Top 5 TV news stories of the week! The blog is taking a two week holiday break so I will return with posts on Monday, January 3!

#1 - JEFF GARLIN OUT AT "THE GOLDBERGS"

In a story that has been brewing for awhile, Jeff Garlin is out at The Goldbergs following HR investigations. A very revealing interview between Garlin and reporter Maureen Ryan a few weeks back shed some light on some on-going issues on the set of The Goldbergs. Garlin didn't necessarily deny much of it but attempted (poorly) to explain and rationalize it. He also implied he wouldn't return to the show even if it was renewed. But now he has departed the series entirely that is being termed "mutual" though it seems like his hand was forced a little bit. He had one day left of filming but they will use some editing magic to make it work. The Goldbergs was originally slated for 18 episodes this season but after Garlin's departure, they upped it to 22 so it remains to be seen how the show will address the character's absence. Although The Goldbergs is still the highest rated comedy on ABC's Wednesday block, it seems like it might be a good time to end the series. The main character is graduating high school, the series is tired creatively, co-star George Segal died last season and now Garlin is out. Time to read the writing on the wall, ABC.

EPISODE GUIDES: Perfect Strangers Season Two (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. Here's a look at Season 2 (Part 2) of Perfect Strangers! For Part 1, click here

17. A Christmas Story (12/17/86)
At Christmas time, Balki and Larry get snowed in in Chicago and can't go see their family.

The first Christmas episode is a pretty standard sitcom episode but I'm a sucker for snowed in episodes (it's one of those tropes I love even though I acknowledge it's a trope). That being said, Larry is kind of a pain during the first half of the episode. I know that's the point but ugh, sometimes he's just plain annoying and not in a lovable way. Overall though, this is a sweet episode that veers a little sappy sometimes but that's ok, it's a Christmas episode. And one in the 1980s at that.
RATING: 7/10

18. Dog Gone Blues (1/7/87)
Balki brings home a dog and they try to keep Mr. Twinkacetti from finding out about him.

I have probably mentioned in other series that I'm not usually a fan of dog-themed episodes even though I am a fan of dogs. This one is pretty funny though because the plot is more about hiding the dog than the dog himself. There's some pretty good comedy moments while they are trying to hide and cover for the dog. However, the show takes a little too much of a sappy turn towards the end. I'm more forgiving of it with Christmas episodes, but this can't happen with every episode for a show like this.
RATING: 5.5/10

ONE SEASON WONDERS: Rachel Gunn, R.N.

On Wednesdays, I take a look at a series that lasted one season or less. Here is a look at Rachel Gunn, R.N.!

RACHEL GUNN, R.N.

June 28, 1992 - September 4, 1992
10 episodes
FOX

Starring: Christine Ebersole, Kevin Conroy, Megan Mullally, Bryan Brightcloud, Lois Foraker, Dan Tullis Jr., Kathleen Mitchell

Created by: Katherine Green

Plot: Rachel Gunn (Ebersole) is a nurse working at a Nebraska hospital with surgeon, Dr. Dunkle (Conroy) and others. Her co-workers are also her friends, including Becky Jo (Mullally), Jeanette (Foraker) and a nun, Sister Joan (Mitchell).

Brief Pilot Review:

Before we even see Christine Ebersole (greeted with applause by the audience), we get an icky joke about Bryan Brightcloud's married character wanted to ask out a hot nurse. There were then two more sex jokes before the show hit the two minute mark and then more talk about the hot nurse so that tells you how this show started. More sexist jokes followed too with Kevin Conroy's character coming across as particularly unlikable. I guess you could say it was an equal opportunity offender though because there were also some Native American jokes too at the expense of Brightcloud's character and then jokes about the hot guy (guest star Tim Wrightman) and his hot friends who wanted to move into a duplex Rachel was renting.

TOP 10 TUESDAY: Top 10 Episodes of 2021

Before the blog heads on a break next week, my Top 10 this week is Top 10 Episodes of 2021!

Close Calls

This is Us "One Small Step" (3/23/21)

Modern Love "On A Serpentine Road, with the Top Down" (8/13/21)

Brooklyn Nine-Nine "The Last Day" (9/16/21)

10. WandaVision "Filmed Before a Live Studio Audience" (1/15/21)

As I've probably stated before on the blog, I am not a Marvel fan. But I was willing to cast that aside for WandaVision because of its homage to classic TV. And while I was mostly uninterested in the mythology, I absolutely loved each classic sitcom that it paid tribute to. Perhaps the most impressive visually though was the first episode, a clear tribute to The Dick Van Dyke Show and actually filmed (pre-pandemic) in front of a live studio audience as the title of the episode says. It wasn't even a parody, the episode was played straight as a 60s sitcom save for a couple odd moments and its commitment to the form was pretty impressive.

9. Impeachment: American Crime Story "Stand by Your Man" (10/26/21)

The third installment of American Crime Story was compelling at times and very unfocused at other times. One of my gripes with the show was it didn't have much of a point of view in the way the very successful first season about OJ Simpson did. It had its best episode though when it had to create more of the drama instead of relying on facts and recollection. The "Stand by Your Man" focused almost exclusively on the Clinton marriage and of course the Clintons were contributing to the series like Monica Lewinsky. Edie Falco, who was used sparingly for much of the season, shined here as the betrayed wife who happened to also be the First Lady of the United States and how much it hurt because of the partnership they always had.

SCHEDULES OF THE PAST: 1991-1992 Sundays

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

ABC	7:00	8:00	8:30	9:00	10:00
Sep	Life Goes On	America’s Funniest Home Videos	America’s Funniest People	Sunday Night Movie
Oct
Nov
Dec
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May

ABC had no changes to its Sunday lineup for 1991-92. Life Goes On continued at 7pm despite middling ratings. It made news for having an HIV Positive character on the show at a time when that topic was still quite taboo. The comedy videos duo of America's Funniest Home Videos and America's Funniest People continued at 8pm. They weren't the breakout Top 10 hits they started as, but they were still strong performers for the alphabet network. A movie continued at 9pm.

THE FRIDAY FIVE: Top 5 TV News Stories of the Week Ending 12/10/21

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

#1 - FX DROPS FX ON HULU MONIKER

FX announced this week that it will drop the phrase "FX on Hulu" and all programming will have the FX brand name. That includes shows on FX proper like American Crime Story and What We Do in the Shadows and shows exclusive to Hulu like Reservation Dogs as well as FXX shows. When the FX on Hulu brand launched with shows like Mrs. America, it was to differentiate FX titles that were original only on Hulu. But FX seems to have realized that the brand matters the most even if it's in a myriad of locations. This comes after a high profile show (Impeachment: American Crime Story) couldn't break through since it was only airing on FX proper and couldn't come to Hulu because of Ryan Murphy's Netflix deal (it will arrive on the latter streamer in 2022). I'm not sure this will be any less frustrating for people who try to find all FX things in one place but FX is a brand that's associated with quality programming so simplifying the branding makes a lot of sense.

EPISODE GUIDES: Perfect Strangers Season Two (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. Here's a look at Season 2 (Part 1) of Perfect Strangers!

PERFECT STRANGERS: SEASON TWO
1986-1987
22 episodes

Season Two is the first full season of Perfect Strangers after its abbreviated first season. It continues on with most of the same setups as Season One with the notable additions of Melanie Wilson and Rebecca Arthur to the cast though they are not utilized all that well in their first season on the show. As I mentioned in my Season One entry, this is my first time watching through Perfect Strangers so some of what you're reading are my first impressions without knowing much about how the show evolves aside from general knowledge.

Starring
Bronson Pinchot as Balki Bartokomous (22 episodes)
Mark Linn-Baker as Larry Appleton (22 episodes)
Ernie Sabella as Donald Twinkacetti (15 episodes)

Melanie Wilson as Jennifer Lyons (13 episodes)
Rebecca Arthur as Mary Anne Spencer (13 episodes)

Lise Cutter as Susan Campbell (2 episodes)

Belita Moreno as Edwina Twinkacetti (4 episodes)

7. Hello Baby (9/17/86)
Balki and Larry take care of a pregnant immigrant from Balki's citizenship class.

Season Two begins for Perfect Strangers and it feels as though they've infantalized Balki which I hope is not a beginning trend for the series. In season one, he was very lovable and a little silly. But here, especially with the stuffed animal at bedtime, he's already veering a little bit toward a caricature and a very child-like one at that. The scene where Gina goes into labor and has to go to the hospital certainly has shades of the famous I Love Lucy scene when Lucy goes into labor but it feels more like a cheap imitation than great comedy.
RATING: 5/10

8. Hunks Like Us (9/24/86)
Balki and Larry join a health spa to impress Jennifer and Mary Anne, who are members there.

Holy 1980s. This show really dates itself when it gets to the scene at the health spa which is such a typical 1980s style. Most notably, this is the first appearance for Jennifer and Mary Anne who become the most important thing to Perfect Strangers besides the two main characters. One thing that struck me is how simplistic plots were back then. Somewhere in the late 80s or early 90s, the plots on sitcoms became more detailed or at least there were more of them in an episode. These plots aren't any more sophisticated than 1950s sitcoms. But yet they can get a decent amount of material out of a plot. I didn't care for Larry's macho act though which was pretty poor acting. The being sore bit plays a little better but goes on too long.
RATING: 4.5/10

ONE SEASON WONDERS: Capitol Critters

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

CAPITOL CRITTERS

January 28, 1992 - March 14, 1992

ABC
7 episodes

Starring: Neil Patrick Harris, Charlie Adler, Patti Deutsch, Jennifer Darling, Dorian Harewood, Bobcat Goldthwait, Frank Welker

Created by: Nat Mauldin and Steven Bochco & Michael Wagner

Plot: An animated series about a young mouse, Max (Harris) who moves to Washington D.C. after his family is killed by exterminators. He lives with his cousin, Berkeley (Darling) who lives in the White House with a rat, Jammett (Adler) and his mother, Trixie (Deutsch) among others while avoiding the Presidential cats (Welker).

Brief Pilot Review:

For being an animated sitcom, this one started very dark. We saw a sweet family scene and within a minute or two, almost the entire family was being gassed to death by exterminators. It certainly didn't put the series on a happy footing and I really don't understand why they felt the need to include that scene. We could have found out that Max lost his family without actually seeing it happen. It also wasted valuable time the episode could have spent establishing its premise better. Aside from one early caricature of then-President George H.W. Bush, there was very little through much of the episode that indicated how this show would look as a weekly series.

TOP 10 TUESDAY: Top 10 I Love Lucy Characters

For my Top 10 this week, I am counting down my Top 10 I Love Lucy Characters - one of TV's all time classics but not one with a ton of characters.

10. CAROLYN APPLEBY

Carolyn Appleby was only in ten episodes (once as Lillian Appleby) but it felt like more because she was referred to often by Lucy. She was a pretty typical busybody and was at her best when she was competing with Lucy for one reason or another (such as who had the better baby pictures). She created a different dynamic as a female contemporary to Lucy as even Ethel was a little bit older.

9. MRS. MCGUILLICUDY

Lucy's mother accompanied the Ricardos and Mertzes to Hollywood and she was just an unbearable as you might imagine. But she provided a lot of funny moments for Lucy and Ricky, and she played the annoying role very effectively. It shouldn't be a surprise that an older version of Lucy would be even more of a loose cannon and the show had fun with that though I wish they explored a little more of her relationship with Lucy.

SCHEDULES OF THE PAST: 1991-1992 Saturdays

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

ABC	8:00	8:30	9:00	9:30	10:00
Sep	Who’s the Boss?	Growing Pains	The Young Riders		The Commish
Oct
Nov
Dec
Jan
Feb	Capitol Critters	Who’s the Boss?	Perfect Strangers	Growing Pains
Mar	Who’s the Boss?	Billy
Apr
May	Saturday Night Movie

ABC tried something different on Saturday nights by bringing two of their long running and successful sitcoms over to the night. Who's the Boss (in its eighth season) and Growing Pains (in its seventh season) were brought over from the middle of the week to try to kickstart Saturday nights. Although they were getting up there in years, the two shows tried to help with the movie with the main characters getting together on Boss and a young Leonardo DiCaprio joining the cast of Growing Pains. They were initially followed by the third season of The Young Riders, which could never really break through despite some acclaim. In February, despite middling ratings for the sitcom hour, ABC doubled down with a two hour block called "I Love Saturday Night" that was clearly meant to be the Saturday answer to TGIF. Boss moved to 8:30pm and Pains moved to 9:30pm. At 8pm was Capitol Critters, an animated series about rodents living in the White House with a voice cast led by Neil Patrick Harris. It was one of many failed network attempts at their own version of The Simpsons and lasted just a few weeks before Boss moved back to 8pm and Billy moved over from Fridays at 8:30pm. Check back Wednesday for a One Season Wonder post on Capitol Critters! Meanwhile, another long-running sitcom joined the fray at 9pm as Perfect Strangers moved over from Fridays. The problem with moving all these shows to Saturday was that Saturdays were tough in general and many of these shows were past the point of being able to take control of a new night. By the end of the season, both Who's the Boss and Growing Pains ended their long runs. Perfect Strangers was renewed but it didn't air its six episode final season until the Summer of 1993. It was the end of an era for several sitcoms that defined ABC in the 1980s. Throughout the season, a new drama aired at 10pm. The Commish was a dramedy about an overweight police commissioner (played by Michael Chiklis) in upstate New York. The series was not a huge hit but it did well enough in the Saturday 10pm slot to become a fixture there in the early 1990s.

THE FRIDAY FIVE: Top 5 TV News Stories of the Week Ending 12/3/21

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

#1 - CHRIS CUOMO SUSPENDED AT CNN

It's a story that just won't die. CNN announced this week that it has suspended Chris Cuomo "indefinitely" for his role in helping his brother, former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, fight his cascading scandals that led to his resignation this past summer. Chris Cuomo had already come under fire and apologized for the same issue but documents released Monday showed that the younger brother had been more involved than CNN realized and may have used his position and connections to aid his brother's defense. This feels like a story that will end with Chris Cuomo leaving the network but it hasn't happened yet. While the anti-Cuomo crowd has been quick to attack Chris, he has also had most former supporters coming after him as well so it seems like he will follow his brother out of the public spotlight for now but time will tell.

EPISODE GUIDES: Perfect Strangers Season One

On Thursdays, I take a detailed and critical look at a TV show. This year, I will be splitting full seasons into two posts. Today I am looking at the short first season of Perfect Strangers!

PERFECT STRANGERS: SEASON ONE
1986
6 episodes

Perfect Strangers was rushed to the air for a midseason premiere and has a short, six episode run to kick things off. The series gets into its groove pretty quickly with many of the catchphrases and dynamics in place during this early run of episodes. The most notable thing missing is Jennifer and Mary Anne as the series thought Ernie Sabella and Lise Cutter would round out their main cast and neither one lasted long. It's worth noting here that Perfect Strangers is a show I had not watched prior to this episode guide, unlike many other shows I have done on this blog.

Starring
Bronson Pinchot as Balki Bartokomous (6 episodes)
Mark Linn-Baker as Larry Appleton (6 episodes)
Ernie Sabella as Donald Twinkacetti (6 episodes)
Lise Cutter as Susan Campbell (6 episodes)

Belita Moreno as Edwina Twinkacetti (1 episode)

1. Knock Knock, Who's There? (3/25/86)
Balki, a foreign cousin, shows up at Larry's apartment in Chicago looking for someone to stay with and tries to help out at Larry's workplace.

Nowadays, a TV pilot so often has to be a premise pilot where we spend a ton of time understanding the world of the show. One of the benefits Perfect Strangers had was being in an era of long theme songs and we get the sense of the set up before the episode even really starts. That being said, the pilot still plays a little awkward and I think its primarily because Bronson Pinchot and Mark Linn-Baker don't have a lot of chemistry yet. Everything feels a little forced and the comedic timing just isn't there. The set-up is good for a pilot, the execution is so-so. Also, Miller-Boyett loves their catchphrases so Balki says "don't be ridiculous" five times in the pilot.
RATING: 5.5/10

2. Picture This (4/1/86)
Larry tries to teach Balki how to say no to things but it backfires when he needs help from Balki in a critical moment for a key career opportunity.

In episode two, the show has settled into its groove already and the dynamics between Balki and Larry are better than they were in the pilot. Of course the show is milking Balki's limited understanding of American culture about as far as they can milk it in these early episodes. The other issue with this episode is Mark Linn-Baker is not convincing at all as someone who is upset. He does not play angry well and it comes across very fake, which hurts the plot since it's a key part of it. Bronson Pinchot certainly seems more adept at playing different levels.
RATING: 6/10

ONE SEASON WONDERS: Princesses

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

PRINCESSES

September 27, 1991 - October 25, 1991
5 episodes
CBS

Starring: Julie Hagerty, Fran Drescher and Twiggy Larson

Created by: Barry Kemp & Mark Ganzel & Robin Schiff

Plot: Three single roommates in New York City from three very different backgrounds go through life's ups and downs. Tracy (Hagerty) has just dumped her fiance. Melissa (Drescher) is a brash cosmetics saleswoman and the newly arrived Georgy (Larson) is a recently widowed English princess.

Brief Pilot Review:

My first thoughts watching this pilot was its Fran Drescher without her iconic voice! It's a little bit jarring but this was a couple years before The Nanny and I think Drescher has exaggerated her voice ever since. This pilot was a pretty premise-heavy pilot and the first episode had a lot of plot to get through before it could become the show it was planning to be. I'm torn on if it was a good idea or not. On the one hand, I have been critical of shows that don't resemble the series at all in the pilot because it's completely misleading. But I also think they could have fumbled and rushed through the premise quickly and it wouldn't have made as much sense. I think one thing the pilot does effectively is it still gives the three women chances to interact with each other even as they get through the break up story for Tracy.