SCHEDULES OF THE PAST: 1993-1994 Tuesdays

On Mondays, I take a look at schedules from yesteryear. Here's a look at Tuesdays in the 1993-94 season!

ABC	8:00	8:30	9:00	9:30	10:00
Sep	Full House	Phenom	Roseanne	Coach	NYPD Blue
Oct
Nov
Dec
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May

ABC Tuesdays continued to be their crown jewel night, but they had some troubles at 9:30pm and 10pm the previous season and things cleaned up quite a bit in those slots in 1993-94. Full House and Roseanne continued to be high rated anchors at 8pm and 9pm. The 9:30pm slot was Coach for a full season. ABC kept trying to find different things to air after Roseanne and kept going back to Coach when other shows failed. In 1993-94, Coach got to keep the slot that whole year and it resulted in a 6th place finish for Coach in the ratings. At 10pm was NYPD Blue, a cop show from Steven Bochco that generated a ton of buzz before it premiered. There was a lot of chatter in the Summer of 1993 about how much violence and sex was in the show. That led to at least 30 affiliates choosing not to air the pilot. The controversy seemed to be based a lot on outrage from people who had not even seen the show and it died down very quickly when the glowing reviews and big ratings came in. Starring David Caruso and Dennis Franz as well as an acclaimed ensemble, the show was hailed as the next big thing as far as cop dramas go. Most affiliates quickly relented and put the show on, but it was a factor in the establishment of the Parents Television Council. The only failure (and it's hard to really call it that) on the night was Phenom at 8:30pm. The series was about a tennis prodigy and marked the return of Judith Light and William Devane to TV not long after Who's the Boss? and Knots Landing ended. Although the show held on to much of Full House's lead-in, it was cancelled after one season. Check back Wednesday for a One Season Wonder post on Phenom!

THE FRIDAY FIVE: Top 5 TV News Stories of the Week Ending 2/26/22

Here's a look at the Top 5 TV news stories of the week. After a very busy TV news week last week, this week was much quieter on the TV front while world news took center stage.

#1 - OSCARS CONTROVERSY

Before the Russia-Ukraine situation took center stage on all news outlets, there was a lot of grousing at the beginning of the week about the Oscars. In an effort to liven up the live broadcast following last year's record lows (amidst a critical drubbing and dealing with a pandemic), the Oscars announced they will not air eight awards during the live ceremony and will instead present them in the hour before the telecast while incorporating the winners (probably with a short clip) during the ceremony. The reaction to the demoted categories, which include editing, sound and original score, has been mostly negative, especially from people who work in those areas. I'm sort of mixed on the issue. On the one hand, this seems to be an attempt to draw in viewers who simply aren't going to watch and it alienates people in the industry who certainly would watch. But on the other hand, the Oscars are a drag and something's gotta give to liven up the broadcast. So I guess we'll wait and see.

EPISODE GUIDES: Perfect Strangers Season Six (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 6 (Part 2) of Perfect Strangers! For Part 1, click here!

110. Grandpa (1/11/91)

Larry's grandpa visits and Larry is surprised at how much he still wants to go out and do things until he has his heart broken.

This episode, which has a prominent part for guest star John Anderson, veers awfully close to being heavy-handed and a "very special episode." But it manages to keep the comedy strong enough and the sentimentality down enough that the ratio works. Anderson has a good personality and plays both the rambunctious and depressed grandpa role well. After a couple stinkers, this is a better episode that moves by breezily and has lots of fun moments including perhaps the best use of the usually annoying Dance of Joy.

RATING: 8/10

111. Little Apartment of Horrors (1/18/91)

With the cold going through the office, Balki grows a plant from Mypos as a natural remedy but it turns out to have unusual side effects.

This episode starts with a very promising story. It's a fun twist on a "everybody is sick!" episode with Balki confidently trying to encourage others to try his natural remedy. I think the humor and storytelling is tight for the first half of the episode. But it starts to go south for the second half of the episode as the joke just gets tired and the resolution (to the extent there is a resolution) feels rushed. I'm not sure the show needed to add in Jennifer and Mary Anne here. I think we already got the point of what the plant can do. It also morphs into a more tired "Larry tries to get rich scheme" episode.

RATING: 5.5/10

ONE SEASON WONDERS: 704 Hauser

On Wednesdays, I take a look at a show that lasted one season or less. This week, I am looking at 1994's 704 Hauser!

704 HAUSER

April 11, 1994 - May 9, 1994
5 episodes
CBS

Starring: John Amos, Lynnie Godfrey, T.E. Russell, Maura Tierney

Created by: Norman Lear

Plot: A series set in the same house as the iconic series All in the Family. Now living at 704 Hauser Street in Queens is a black family - the Cumberbatches with outspoken patriarch and Democrat, Ernie (Amos), his understanding wife, Rose (Godfrey) and his conservative son, Thurgood (Russell). Rounding out the main cast is Thurgood's white girlfriend, Cherlyn (Tierney).

Brief Pilot Review:

I should start by saying I'm generally not a big fan of Norman Lear shows. I recognize and respect his place in TV history but I've always found most of his shows to be so forced with the topical issues. I'm a fan of The Jeffersons but that's about it. I think the idea of setting a show in the same house as the Bunkers only exemplified how forced the political arguments (which were very 90s, by the way) were. I did appreciate it that the show commented on the similarities of the arguments through a grown-up Joey Stivic (guest star Casey Siemaszko) but it just felt like we got to know the situation (conservative son with liberal father) and then the arguments just flew for the rest of the episode. Maybe that's my biggest problem with Norman Lear shows - it always just feels like a bunch of arguing as opposed to raising social issues through characters like the MTM shows did.

TOP 10 TUESDAY: Top 10 Roseanne Characters

My Top 10 this week is Top 10 Roseanne Characters! I did factor in the revival season of Roseanne but not The Conners, since that is technically a different show.

10. CRYSTAL ANDERSON-CONNER

Crystal wasn't one of my favorite characters. I felt like she was overused at points and might have been better off as an occasional guest star. At her best moments though, she provided a different dynamic to Roseanne than Jackie provided as a non-family confidante for the main character (though of course she eventually became family). 

9. BOOKER BROOKS

Before he became a breakout star on ER and then a worldwide movie star, George Clooney had humble beginnings on a lot of failed shows. His most steady job early in his career was on Roseanne. He was a pretty prominent character in the first season who had a funny relationship with both Roseanne and Jackie. Of course Clooney was meant for bigger things but I wish Booker had stuck around as a character.

SCHEDULES OF THE PAST: 1993-1994 Mondays

On Mondays, I take a look at schedules from yesteryear. Here's a look at Mondays in the 1993-94 season!

ABC	8:00	9:00	10:00
Sep	Day One	Monday Night Football
Oct
Nov
Dec
Jan		Monday Night Movie
Feb
Mar
Apr
May

ABC needed to figure out something for the 8pm hour leading into Monday Night Football and then the Monday Night Movie. After years of MacGyver in the slot, they struck out with The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles in 1992-93. It's no surprise they turned to a newsmagazine and those were all the rage in the mid-90s. Day One moved over to the night after launching on Sundays the previous March. Hosted by Diane Sawyer and Forrest Sawyer (no relation), the show aired the entire season at 8pm to modest ratings. Monday Night Football continued to be a Top 10 show and the movie that replaced it was a placeholder as usual.

THE FRIDAY FIVE: Top 5 TV News Stories of the Week Ending 2/19/22

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

#1 - FINAL SEASON ANNOUNCEMENTS

It was a busy week for TV news with TCA days and investor calls for several high profile networks and streamers. But perhaps most notable was three final season announcements for beloved shows and it all happened on Thursday. With its fourth season dropping today, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel was renewed for a fifth and final season at Amazon and that season is already in production. There was also the news that Atlanta will end after four seasons on FX. Its third season returns after a very long hiatus on March 24. Finally, the one-time Netflix phenom Stranger Things was renewed for a fifth and final season. The fourth season will premiere its first half on May 27. All three series have been beloved and Emmy contenders/winners so they will leave a big hole for their respective platforms. The good news for fans of these shows is that there is still one more season for each beyond the current one, but the end is in sight. Other non-final season renewals this week included The Gilded Age on HBO, Halo ahead of its premiere on Paramount+ and How I Met Your Father for a 20 episode second season on Hulu.

EPISODE GUIDES: Perfect Strangers Season Six (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 6 (Part 1) of Perfect Strangers!

PERFECT STRANGERS: SEASON SIX

1990-1991

24 episodes

Season six of Perfect Strangers did not grade out to be my highest ranked season of the show but it did have some awfully high highs thanks to some experimental storytelling. For much of the run, the show was pretty much as standard a sitcom as there was. The sixth season certainly does not stop with the sitcom tropes, but it also does try some different things, most notably in a pitch perfect parody of The Honeymooners midway through the season.

Starring
Bronson Pinchot as Balki Bartokomous (24 episodes)
Mark Linn-Baker as Larry Appleton (24 episodes)
Melanie Wilson as Jennifer Lyons (17 episodes)
Rebecca Arthur as Mary Anne Spencer (16 episodes)

Sam Anderson as Sam Gorpley (8 episodes)
Belita Moreno as Lydia (5 episodes)
F.J. O'Neil as Mr. Wainwright (5 episodes)

97. Safe At Home (9/28/90)

After being robbed, Larry and Balki install a state of the art security system.

Season six kicks off with a burglary episode, a trope that hadn't been done yet on Perfect Strangers and a trope I generally enjoy. Unfortunately the episode seems to be more about the security system than the burglary so that makes it less enjoyable. There are a couple of pretty funny sight gags though with the new system and when Larry falls into one of Balki's less state of the art traps. The episode gives a chance for Larry and Balki to do some physical comedy together and Larry did not start off the season on a very annoying note. There's also the humor of how dated the "state of the art" security looks. A pretty good start to the sixth season.

RATING: 7.5/10

98. New Kid on the Block (10/5/90)

Balki and Larry have to babysit for a rambunctious seven year old neighbor just when Larry is trying to break a story.

The beginning of this episode is emblematic of a problem Perfect Strangers can sometimes run into. It made about three jokes in a row about Balki not understanding something Larry is saying. It can be funny once but three jokes in a row is just lazy writing and an attempt at cheap laughs. Anyway, this episode features Alisan Porter in a role that was supposed to be recurring (perhaps with the show being on TGIF, ABC wanted a kid in the cast). However, Porter ended up only appearing in this episode as the idea was dropped. I think that was a good idea. This episode is fine but there was no reason that Porter needed to become a recurring character.

RATING: 5.5/10

ONE SEASON WONDERS: A League of Their Own

On Wednesdays, I take a look at a show that lasted one season or less. This week, with the Amazon adaptation coming later this year, I am taking a look at 1993's A League of Their Own!

A LEAGUE OF THEIR OWN

April 10, 1993 - August 13, 1993
5 episodes
CBS

Starring: Sam McMurray, Carey Lowell, Christine Elise, Tracy Nelson, Megan Cavanagh, Tracy Reiner, Wendy Makkena, Katie Rich

Created by: Lowell Ganz and Babaloo Mandel

Plot: Based on the 1992 film of the same name, Jimmy Dugan (McMurray) is a coach of female baseball players during World War II who are playing because all the men are overseas. This includes Betty (Reiner) who lost her husband in the War, Dottie (Lowell) who is returning to the team and Dottie's younger sister, Kit (Elise) among many others.

Brief Pilot Review:

I know this might be sacrilegious but I have never seen the movie A League of Their Own. I've always thought the premise was interesting, I just am not a big movies guy and there's tons of iconic movies that I can win games of "Never Have I Ever" with. I'm guessing there were a lot of similarities to the film especially with some returning characters (including guest stars Jon Lovitz and Garry Marshall). But I also know that Tom Hanks played the Coach and Nick Offerman is playing the role in the upcoming Amazon series. I don't put Sam McMurray anywhere near the same level as Hanks or Offerman. He has had some funny moments in other series but as a focal point in this series, he is not dynamic enough or funny enough.

TOP 10 TUESDAY: Top 10 Friends Characters

My Top 10 this week is Top 10 Friends Characters! A tough list to make as Friends is one of my favorite shows!

Close Calls: Gunther, Judy Geller, Sandra Green

10. JACK GELLER

Jack Geller was such a ridiculous and bombastic character and he fends off some strong close calls (including his wife!) to come in at #10 on the list. Elliott Gould played the awkward father character to perfection who always shared just a little bit too much and went a little bit too far. But he also ultimately meant well and had some very sweet moments on the show with his on-screen children. Jack and Judy provided a different type of dynamic whenever they were on the show with the age difference.

9. MIKE HANNIGAN

Phoebe was always a little bit of an outsider among the six main cast members - she wasn't siblings with any of them, she didn't date any of them, she didn't know any of them when they were in high school. So her story occasionally was parallel. That continued towards the end of the series but they found her a perfect match in Paul Rudd's Mike Hannigan. Mike was more normal than Phoebe but goofy and lovable and the perfect match for her with an easy chemistry between Rudd and Lisa Kudrow.

SCHEDULES OF THE PAST: 1992-1993 Sundays

On Mondays, I take a look at schedules from yesteryear. Here's a look at Sundays in the 1992-93 season!

ABC	7:00	7:30	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	America’s Funniest Home Videos	America’s Funniest People	Day One
Apr		Dinosaurs
May

ABC started the 1992-93 season with a familiar lineup: Life Goes On followed by an unscripted comedy hour and then a movie. Life Goes On had a long run for a show that never made much of a dent in the ratings but its fourth season was its final season as it was cancelled. Series star Patti LuPone was already set to leave the show even before the cancellation announcement so it wasn't a big surprise that the whole show was nixed. The comedy hour moved to 7pm when Life was pulled from the lineup in March. America's Funniest Home Videos and America's Funniest People (with new co-host Tawny Kitaen) were no longer a ratings phenomenon and were moved to a lower pressure timeslot. Replacing at 8pm was Day One, an attempt by ABC to launch a new newsmagazine alongside 20/20 and Primetime Live. This one was hosted by Forrest Sawyer and Diane Sawyer (not related) and only did alright in the ratings but was renewed. For a brief time at the end of the season, Dinosaurs replaced America's Funniest People at 7:30pm. A movie aired at 9pm throughout the season and was ahead of NBC's movie in the ratings but well behind the CBS movie.

THE FRIDAY FIVE: Top 5 TV News Stories of the Week Ending 2/11/22

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

#1 - "BEAUTY AND THE BEAST" PREQUEL NOT GOING FORWARD

There was surprising news on Thursday evening that the Beauty and the Beast prequel will not be going forward. The series, which would have seen Luke Evans and Josh Gad reprising their roles as Gaston and LeFou, has been a hot development title for the streamer for years. It seemed like a sure thing when more cast members were announced recently and filming was set to get underway in just a few months. The scrapping was due partly to logistics but it appears it was mainly due to "creative reasons" so the scripts must not have been coming in well. Of course Disney+ has plenty of other properties to worry about and they may revisit a series like this in the future so it's not a huge blow, but it still big news just because this was likely to be one of their tentpole shows and it all seemed to fall apart quickly.

EPISODE GUIDES: Perfect Strangers 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. Here's a look at Season 5 (Part 2) of Perfect Strangers! For Part 1, click here!

86. Disorderly Orderlies (1/12/90)

Larry tricks Balki into volunteering as an orderly so he can get a big interview with a recovering football player.

Balki and Larry in a hospital is a trope that Perfect Strangers hasn't done yet so we get that in this episode. There is an extended physical gag of Balki and Larry trying to help a patient and it feels like awhile since we've seen a really long bit like that. Although they are pretty silly, Mark Linn-Baker and Bronson Pinchot do well with those and there are times they make me think of a male version of Lucy and Ethel or Laverne and Shirley. Overall, this is a pretty funny episode that ends up having even more physical comedy besides the one long bit.

RATING: 8/10

87. The Selling of Mypos (1/26/90)

Balki is asked to negotiate for Mypos when a Chicago company wants to buy half of it and Larry agrees to help him.

This is a fun twist on a trope that can only really work with because of the premise of Perfect Strangers. A negotiation episode has some extra kookiness to it thanks to Balki and his Mypos customs that make for a lot of humorous moments. I do wish more of the episode had to do with the actual negotiation because the rest of the episode is basically the typical "Larry is a jerk and Balki has a huge heart" episode. Before I watched any Perfect Strangers, I always assumed Balki was sort of obnoxious like Urkel but he is without a doubt the best part of pretty much every Perfect Strangers episode.

RATING: 7.5/10

ONE SEASON WONDERS: Covington Cross

For my One Season Wonder this week, I'm taking a look at Covington Cross!

COVINGTON CROSS

August 25, 1992 - October 31, 1992
7 episodes
ABC

Starring: Nigel Terry, Cherie Lunghi, James Faulkner, Jonathan Firth, Ben Porter, Glenn Quinn and Ione Skye

Created by: Gil Grant

Plot: In 14th Century England, Sir Thomas Grey (Terry) is widowed and raising his sons, William, Richard and Cedric (Porter, Firth & Quinn) and daughter, Eleanor (Skye). William was only in the pilot and a new son, Armus (Tim Killick), was in the rest of the series. Rounding out the main cast is Thomas' love interest, Lady Elizabeth (Lunghi) and Baron John Mullens (Faulkner).

Brief Pilot Review:

What was most noticeable about this pilot was how beautiful it was from a cinematic standpoint. For 1992 standards that is. No show from that era can compete with the technical elements of shows today but compared to its peers in 1992, this was a very impressive looking drama. The sets and costumes were lavish and effectively set the show in its time period. It was also shot very cinematically with the choices for camera angles and shooting styles. I'm not sure if future episodes were quite as cinematic, sometimes the pilot is the high water mark for shows like this. But it looked like ABC spared no expense to make this show something different than standard network drama fare of the day.

TOP 10 TUESDAY: Top 10 Murphy Brown Characters

My Top 10 this week is Top 10 Murphy Brown Characters!

10. ELDIN BERNECKY

I know a lot of people like Eldin, but his character wasn't quite for me. He has some nice moments but in general, I tend to want the "home" scenes to go by quickly and get back to the office scenes. And as far as recurring jokes go, the revolving door of secretaries is a much better one than Eldin painting Murphy's house for years and years. But the character did have a heart of gold so that has to count for something.

9. AVERY BROWN

There were two Avery Browns on Murphy Brown - Murphy's mother and Murphy's son. Colleen Dewhurst won Emmys but it's been a long time since I've seen her limited appearances. So I went with Avery, the son, thanks to the ill-advised 2018 revival. While that revival was completely stale and unnecessary, Jake McDorman was easily the best part of it with a fun personality and a good relationship with his on-screen mother.

SCHEDULES OF THE PAST: 1992-1993 Saturdays

On Mondays, I take a look at schedules from yesteryear. Here's a look at Saturdays in the 1992-93 season!

ABC	8:00	9:00	10:00
Sep	Covington Cross	Crossroads	The Commish
Oct
Nov	Saturday Night Movie
Dec
Jan
Feb
Mar	The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles	Various Programs
Apr
May	Saturday Night Movie

ABC gave Saturday nights yet another try heading into the 1992-93 season despite years of failures on the night. They did actually have one returning show with 10pm's The Commish. Entering its second season, Commish kept the lights on in a very difficult slot for the Alphabet network. After trying comedies in 1991-92, ABC tried two new dramas from 8-10pm. At 8pm was Covington Cross, an historical drama set in 14th century England. The series was shot in England for an American TV series, especially at that time and it made for an expansive show. Check back Wednesday for a One Season Wonder post on Covington Cross! It was followed by Crossroads, a drama starring Robert Urich and Dalton James as a Manhattan father and son traveling around America on motorcycle. The new dramas both failed to make it to November (Crossroads was the lowest rated non-FOX show of the season) and ABC was left without much to air on Saturday nights. Most of the rest of the season from 8-10pm was filled up with movies and speicals though there was one final attempt to make The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles work before that series was cancelled after two seasons.

THE FRIDAY FIVE: Top 5 TV News Stories of the Week Ending 2/5/22

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

#1 - JEFF ZUCKER RESIGNS FROM CNN

It was a week with a couple scandals in the news world but the biggest one came out of nowhere: Jeff Zucker abruptly announced his resignation on Wednesday after failing to disclose a relationship with another CNN executive. This came to light during the scandal that just keeps on giving - the one involving the Cuomo brothers. Zucker has been a lightning rod in the media for a long time, both during his run in charge of CNN since 2013 and especially when he was in charge of NBC in the 2000s. It's safe to say that he had more success at CNN than NBC but it ultimately ended in a surprisingly swift downfall. All the cable news networks had huge audience highs in 2020 with the Presidential Election and COVID among other things but they're all struggling to move forward in the current era and this news could have a large impact on the direction that CNN heads in.

EPISODE GUIDES: Perfect Strangers 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. Here's a look at Season 5 (Part 1) of Perfect Strangers!

PERFECT STRANGERS: SEASON FIVE
1989-1990
24 episodes

The fifth season of Perfect Strangers saw the series move to Friday nights as part of the inaugural TGIF lineup along with its spinoff, Family Matters, among other shows. Perfect Strangers never gets to a point of just high level of excellence but this is probably its most consistently solid season as evidenced by it grading out to my highest score for a full season. The show is very comfortable at being what it is and though it rarely takes chances or rises to a level where it could be considered ambitious or special, it at least is consistently doing a good job at what it is trying to do.

Starring
Bronson Pinchot as Balki Bartokomous (24 episodes)
Mark Linn-Baker as Larry Appleton (24 episodes)
Melanie Wilson as Jennifer Lyons (19 episodes)
Rebecca Arthur as Mary Anne Spencer (18 episodes)

Sam Anderson as Sam Gorpley (13 episodes)
Belita Moreno as Lydia (10 episodes)
F.J. O'Neil as Mr. Wainwright (4 episodes)

73. Good Skates (9/22/89)
Larry and Balki try to learn to roller skate so Larry can impress Jennifer at a roller skating marathon.

Season five kicks off with Balki making a silly misunderstanding twice in the first couple minutes. Seems like we should be past that now but this is a sitcom that never has ambitions of growing and evolving. That seems a little harsh to be kicking off a season review. This is not a bad episode, it's just nothing surprising or different. Balki and Larry skating allows Mark Linn-Baker to do some decent physical comedy but the episode follows a pretty predictable path.
RATING: 5.5/10

74. Lie-Ability (9/29/89)
After Larry and Balki are in a car accident, Mr. Gorpley convinces Larry to sue the other driver.

This is a classic "Larry in the wrong" story with Larry doing something that typically is reserved for sitcom villains - pretending to be more injured than the actually are (I'm thinking of The Brady Bunch fender bender episode specifically). This episode also features a joke that would probably face some backlash today when Balki says "it's not over until Roseanne Barr sings" - an obvious fat joke at the expense of the person who was the network's biggest star at the time. As usual, Balki comes across as the one who was right all along and Larry has to be the one to learn the lesson. After some more inventive storytelling in season four (at times), the first couple episodes of season five seem to revert back to the standard Perfect Strangers stories.
RATING: 5/10

ONE SEASON WONDERS: Camp Wilder

For my One Season Wonder this week, I'm taking a look at Camp Wilder!

CAMP WILDER

September 18, 1992 - February 26, 1993
19 episodes
ABC

Starring: Mary Page Keller, Jerry O'Connell, Jay Mohr, Meghann Haldeman, Hilary Swank, Margaret Langrick, Tina Majorino

Created by: Matthew Carlson

Plot: Ricky Wilder (Keller) is a nurse and single mother to six year old Sophie (Majorino). She returns home to take care of her younger siblings, Brody and Melissa (O'Connell & Haldeman) after the death of their parents. Rounding out the main cast are Brody's best friend, Dorfman (Mohr), and Melissa's friends Beth and Danielle (Langrick & Swank).

Brief Pilot Review:

In case you didn't have a synopsis handy, the show tells you right away about everyone's relationships in the show through the credits with titles like "sister" or "other best friend." This episode does not delve too much into the setup to the series, that would have been more sad and more suited to a drama (which was basically done a couple years later on Party of Five). It picks up a little bit later and instead spends an inordinate amount of time talking about the movie Thelma and Louise, which was perhaps even a bit dated back in 1992 considering the movie was over a year old at that point. All that being said, I think the show did a nice job of establishing the plot and relationships of the characters with a story that felt appropriate to establish the premise without being too premise-oriented.

TOP 10 TUESDAY: Top 10 The Americans Characters

For my Top 10 Tuesday, I am counting down my Top 10 The Americans Characters! Spoilers ahead in this post if you haven't watched the entire series.

10. GABRIEL

Veteran actor Frank Langella joined the cast of The Americans pretty late in its run and while the show already had a lot of prestige, he brought an added layer of gravitas to the cast. Gabriel had great scenes with Philip and Elizabeth that involved a lot of honest conversations and he was also a big player when Paige was possibly joining her parents.

9. KIMMY BRELAND

Before her breakout role on Ozark, Julia Garner was turning heads in a great supporting role in later seasons of The Americans. There was a lot of mystique to her character early on and it led to some questionable decisions by Philip. While some of those mysterious characters were given a little too much time on The Americans, I actually could have stood to see more of Kimmy because I liked her story and her impact on Philip's story.