THE FRIDAY FIVE: Top 5 TV News Stories of the Week Ending 4/29/22

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

#1 - JAMES CORDEN LEAVING "THE LATE LATE SHOW"

It was announced on Thursday that James Corden has signed a one year extension but it will be his final year as host of The Late Late Show. Corden took over the franchise from Craig Ferguson in 2015, just a couple months before David Letterman departed from the lead-in, The Late Show. Early in his run, Corden was a breath of fresh air with viral sensations led by Carpool Karaoke. There was a time when there were rumors that he might even flip spots with a then-struggling Stephen Colbert. However, there has been more of a backlash to Corden in recent years with his visibility everywhere, hosting tons of award shows and appearing in too many movie musicals. I've always liked him when I've watched him but admittedly I really don't watch him that often. It'll be interesting to see what Corden does next, he may lay low for a little bit, we'll see. And also it will be interesting to see who CBS picks to take over the 12:35am slot behind a now confident and strong Colbert.

EPISODE GUIDES: Happy Days Season Two (Part 2)

On Thursdays, I take a detailed and critical look at a TV show by season. Today I am looking at Part 2 of Season 2 of Happy Days! For Part 1, click here!

29. Fonzie's Getting Married (1/14/75)

Fonzie decides to get married and doesn't know the girl he has chosen is a stripper.

This episode is notable for being the first Happy Days episode to be filmed in front of a live audience. It was done as a test run for a possible switch which did happen for the third season. There's a noticeable difference in style as it feels broader. Maybe equally momentous - this is the first time Fonzie hits a jukebox to get the music to stop playing, an iconic Fonzie move. The performances are definitely more geared to a live audience. The story itself is funny at times with a good performance from Tom Bosley but it does feel a little out of place in season two.

RATING: 5.5/10

30. The Cunningham Caper (1/21/75)

Richie is the only one home when the Cunningham's house gets burglarized.

I've always been a fan of burglary episodes in comedies. As a kid, they used to freak me out a little but but as an adult, they are usually funny. Of course no sitcom is going to have a super scary burglar, they will range from fake "tough guys" to downright comical. This burglar (guest star Herb Edelman, later known for The Golden Girls and St. Elsewhere) is more the former. His detached demeanor is a funny contrast to the frantic Richie, Potsie and Ralph.

RATING: 7.5/10

ONE SEASON WONDERS: Bridget Loves Bernie

On Wednesdays, I take a look at a series that lasted one season or less. This week, I am looking at Bridget Loves Bernie!

BRIDGET LOVES BERNIE

September 16, 1972 - March 3, 1973
24 episodes
CBS

Starring: David Birney, Meredith Baxter, Harold J. Stone, Bibi Osterwald, David Doyle, Audra Lindley, Ned Glass, Robert Sampson, Bill Elliott
Created by: Bernard Slade

Plot: Bridget Fitzgerald (Baxter) is an Irish Catholic teacher who falls in love with Jewish cab driver and aspiring playwright, Bernie Steinberg (Birney). The interfaith relationship irks both Bridget's parents (Lindley & Doyle) as well as Bernie's parents (Osterwald & Stone). Rounding out the main cast is Bridget's brother, Michael (Sampson), who happens to be a priest as well as Bernie's uncle (Glass) and best friend (Elliott).

Brief Pilot Review:

This was a really interesting pilot to watch because it some ways it felt like it was probably ahead of its time and in other ways, it felt incredibly dated now. This show felt a little like what would have happened if MTM decided to do a more pointedly All in the Family-type political show. There was an element of class and sophistication to the production level that was so often missing from the Norman Lear shows. But the content was definitely in response to the Lear shows because they definitely wanted to address the "mixed marriage" concept head-on. As I mentioned before though, this was clearly a show in 1972. The mixed marriage topic was of course the main reason but Bridget's mother's response when she thought Bernie was black was an even more glaring example.

TOP 10 TUESDAY: Top 10 The Dick Van Dyke Show Characters

For my Top 10 this week, I am counting down the Top 10 The Dick Van Dyke Show Characters!

10. STACEY PETRIE

Trying to come up with a #10 for this list was difficult as we're basically reduced to guest stars, there are really only nine regular or recurring characters on the show. I put Stacey Petrie on the list because it's fun to watch Jerry Van Dyke and Dick Van Dyke interact with each other and because Stacey was a more fully realized character than a lot of one-off guest stars.

9. RITCHIE PETRIE

I love The Dick Van Dyke Show but let's be honest, Ritchie is towards the bottom of the list as far as TV Kids go. He sometimes has some funny moments and there are some good moments for Dick Van Dyke and Mary Tyler Moore interacting with them but more often than not, Larry Mathews is an unfortunate weak part of the show. He still comes in at #9 though because he's obviously an important character.

SCHEDULES OF THE PAST: 1994-1995 Mondays

On Mondays, I take a look at schedules from yesteryear. Here's a look at Mondays in the 1994-95 season!

ABC	8:00	8:30	9:00	10:00
Sep	Coach	Blue Skies	Monday Night Football
Oct
Nov		Coach
Dec
Jan		A Whole New Ballgame	Monday Night Movie
Feb
Mar		Various Programs
Apr	Various Programs
May

After airing unscripted shows in the Monday 8pm timeslot for a year and a half, ABC went back to the scripted well in 1994-95 for its lead-in to Monday Night Football and then the Monday Night Movie. For the first time since the 1979-80 season, they tried a comedy block on the night led by a show that would seemingly be compatible with football. Coach was entering its seventh season but it had rarely had to show what it could do on the own as it had spent most of its life following Roseanne or Home Improvement. It was always the show that came back to the slot after a newbie failed. But ABC tried to finally put it on its own for the 1994-95 season and the results were... not good. The series plunged from #6 to #53 in the ratings. ABC did try it out for much of the year on Mondays though before finally pulling the plug in March and sending it back to Wednesdays, this time after a different hit (Grace Under Fire). There were two new shows that followed it during the course of the year and they were strangely connected because they were from the same creators (who were also behind Coach) and featured a lot of the same cast members. First up was Blue Skies, a Boston-set sitcom set at a mail-order company. Blue Skies didn't make it past Halloween and, after reruns of Coach aired for two months, a new sitcom appeared in January called A Whole New Ballgame. The characters were different and the plot and setting were different (this was was set at a Milwaukee news station), but it was remarkably similar with crossover cast members including Julia Campbell, Richard Kind and Stephen Tobolowsky. And just like its predecessor, it lasted just seven episodes before being cancelled. Monday Night Football continued to be a dominant force but the movie that took over in January was not as strong as NBC's competing movie.

THE FRIDAY FIVE: Top 5 TV News Stories of the Week Ending 4/22/22

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

#1 - NETFLIX TROUBLES

There were two big stories this week involving streamers and you'd have to have been living under a rock if you haven't been hearing about Netflix this week. For years, Netflix was the pinnacle of streaming success. The king at the top of the hill that all the other streamers were chasing. That is still the case but Netflix showed the first major signs of trouble this week when they announced on Tuesday that they had lost subscribers for the first time in a decade and as a result, their stock plunged 35% on top of already declining stock numbers. There's a zillion think pieces on what's going on at Netflix from reasonable (raising prices, not enough "must see" content, streaming competition, economic anxieties) to ridiculous (Netflix being too "woke"). The streaming giant will probably be fine in the long term but they might have to right size their situation and pump out a little less original content. Perhaps they need to curate a little bit more. I'm not sure they can keep being a dumping ground for all kinds of shows. Streamers like HBO Max are still rising not only because of strong library titles but also must-see originals. Netflix may also add an ad-supported tier, which it has long resisted, but would be consistent with several other streamers. It was only a matter of time before Netflix got punched down a little bit, we'll see what the ramifications are for it and all of streaming in the coming weeks and months.

EPISODE GUIDES: Happy Days Season Two (Part 1)

On Thursdays, I take a detailed and critical look at a TV show by season. Today I am looking at Part 1 of Season 2 of Happy Days!

HAPPY DAYS: SEASON TWO

1974-1975

23 episodes

Season Two of Happy Days is a better version of the same style show it was in the first season before the live audience joins and the show gets much broader. When I was a kid I used to like the later seasons more with the big applause entrances for Fonzie and things like that but as I've gotten older, I've grown to appreciate the gentle and sweet, nostalgic approach of the early seasons. This season also contains not one, but two of the all time greatest holiday episodes in TV history.

Starring

Ron Howard as Richie Cunningham (23 episodes)

Tom Bosley as Howard Cunningham (23 episodes)

Marion Ross as Marion Cunningham (23 episodes)

Anson Williams as Potsie Webber (23 episodes)

Henry Winkler as Arthur Fonzarelli (23 episodes)

Don Most as Ralph Malph (23 episodes)

Erin Moran as Joanie Cunningham (23 episodes)

Beatrice Colen as Marsha Simms (9 episodes)

Misty Rowe as Wendy (8 episodes)

Neil J. Schwartz as Bag Zombrowski (5 episodes)

Randolph Roberts as Chuck Cunningham (2 episodes)

17. Richie Moves Out (9/10/74)

Richie moves in with his brother Chuck after feeling stifled at home by his family but all his friends want to use the apartment.

A new season of Happy Days begins with a new actor as the soon to disappear big brother Chuck. This is the most prominent Chuck episode in the entire series and I think (name) is a little more comfortable in the role than Gavin O'Herlihy. This episode also features the first appearance Linda Purl as Richie's girlfriend years before she became a series regular as Fonzie's girlfriend. The show feels a little broader as it begins season two with the friends and Fonzie becoming broader characters. But it certainly still has the gentle feel of the first season with no live audience yet.

RATING: 6/10

18. Richie's Car (9/17/74)

Richie convinces Howard to help him buy a car but then worries it may have been stolen after buying it from Fonzie.

Although they do reference the season one episode, it seems a little soon to be doing another "car" episode though it may not have felt that way back in 1974 when this aired months and months later. I wasn't super impressed with the car episode in season two and this one isn't that much better. It's a little slow moving and doesn't really have a pay off. This episode also feels out of order because Richie and Gloria seemed to be more of a couple in the previous episode. Maybe this was the first filmed episode of season two but they realized it wasn't that strong?

RATING: 2.5/10

ONE SEASON WONDERS: South Central

On Wednesdays, I take a look at a series that lasted one season or less. This week, I am looking at South Central!

SOUTH CENTRAL

April 5, 1994 - June 7, 1994
10 episodes
FOX

Starring: Tina Lifford, Larenz Tate, Tasha Scott, Keith Mbulo

Created by: Ralph Farquhar and Michael J. Weithorn

Plot: Joan Moseley (Lifford) is a single mother raising her two children, Andre and Tasha (Tate & Scott) and foster child Deion (Mbulo) in South Central Los Angeles.

Brief Pilot Review:

I kept thinking as I watched this pilot how different things would be if this show aired today. Sure, there were a lot of topical plots but the whole feel to the show didn't feel authentic enough to me. It felt much closer to a standard sitcom than a realistic look at a family living in South Central Los Angeles. Having more serious plotlines and some different euphemisms doesn't really make it any different than a suburban white family sitcom except on a surface level. There's a passing mention of police brutality that certainly would have been a bigger discussion today. It's hard to call that a missed opportunity because that just wasn't how sitcoms were constructed back then. It seemed like, at its best, South Central was trying to be a Norman Lear-type sitcom. At worst, it was generic with nothing new to say despite the unique setting.

TOP 10 TUESDAY: Top 10 7th Heaven Characters

My Top 10 this week is Top 10 7th Heaven Characters!

10. DEENA STEWART

Deena is on this list solely because I was the same age as the character when the show first aired and had a huge crush on her at the time. I found Simon annoying and thought Deena really needed to be with me instead. She wasn't a great actress (but who on this list was?) but I was pretty heartbroken when she left the show.

9. SARAH GLASS CAMDEN

The last gasp of solid episodes of 7th Heaven came when Sarah joined the cast as love interest and then wife for Matt. The show played up the fact that she came from a Jewish family with a Rabbi father while Matt was from a Christian family with a preacher father. But she was a down to earth personality and a good fit for Matt.

SCHEDULES OF THE PAST: 1993-1994 Sundays

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

ABC	7:00	7:30	8:00	9:00	10:00
Sep	America’s Funniest Home Videos	America’s Funniest People	Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman	Sunday Night Movie
Oct
Nov
Dec
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May

Life Goes On had been cancelled after four seasons so ABC was looking for a new drama for Sunday night and they went with one that was very different from the family drama. First up though, America's Funniest Home Videos and America's Funniest People continued in the 7pm hour. They had moved there from 8pm during the previous season and were no longer ratings phenomena. The new drama was Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman. The series, starring Dean Cain and Teri Hatcher, was a sort of crossbreed between a superhero show and a romance drama. It came at a time when superhero shows were few and far between. The show generated a lot of buzz and some critical attention but it was not a ratings smash. It finished behind the competing dramas on CBS and NBC despite getting many more magazine covers. Still, the attention was enough to get it a second season. As usual, a movie closed out Sunday nights. 

THE FRIDAY FIVE: Top 5 TV News Stories of the Week Ending 4/15/22

Here's a look at the Top 5 TV news stories of the past couple weeks while the blog was on a break!

#1 - "DANCING WITH THE STARS" MOVING TO DISNEY+

In a pretty seismic move for the shift to streaming, Dancing with the Stars will leave its home of 17 years, ABC, and move to Disney+ this fall with a two season pickup. The competition series was once one of the most watched shows on TV and has been a staple on Monday nights for over a decade. Even as most high profile comedies, dramas and creative talent has shifted to streaming in recent years, Broadcast TV was still the place for the big tent reality and competition shows like Dancing, American Idol, The Voice, Survivor and more. This is, without a doubt, the highest profile move of an unscripted show to a streaming service and it will be interesting to see if the many older viewers of Dancing choose to subscribe to Disney+ (not that we'll likely get a concrete answer on that). 

EPISODE GUIDES: Happy Days Season One

On Thursdays, I take a detailed and critical look at a TV show by season. Today I am looking at the first season of Happy Days!

HAPPY DAYS: SEASON ONE

1974

16 episodes

Happy Days famously started off as a segment on Love, American Style called "Love and the Happy Days." There wasn't much interest in a full fledged sitcom set in the 1950s until American Graffiti hit it big in the theaters. The first two seasons really leaned into the nostalgia with a very gentle, very sweet look at 1950s Americana. While the actors were still finding their character, it's really interesting to watch how demure the early years are considering how loud the show became. This first season is a real love letter to the 1950s. It's not always funny, but it's well done.

Starring

Ron Howard as Richie Cunningham (16 episodes)

Tom Bosley as Howard Cunningham (16 episodes)

Marion Ross as Marion Cunningham (16 episodes)

Henry Winkler as Arthur Fonzarelli (16 episodes)

Erin Moran as Joanie Cunningham (16 episodes)

Anson Williams as Potsie Webber (15 episodes)

Don Most as Ralph Malph (15 episodes)

Beatrice Colen as Marsha Simms (9 episodes)

Gavan O'Herlihy as Chuck Cunningham (6 episodes)

Neil J. Schwartz as Bag Zombrowski (2 episodes)

1. All the Way (1/15/74)

Potsie fixes Richie up with a girl who has a reputation and Richie is nervous about possibly going "all the way" with her.

The first episode of Happy Days clearly is a show that is a work in progress. What they have down is the 50s atmosphere. The early seasons of Happy Days were so clearly set in the 1950s and that ambiance is obvious from the first couple minutes of the pilot (when they are at Arthur's - before it was known as Arnold's). However, it's also not firing on all cylinders by any means. Henry Winkler does not have any grasp on the Fonzie character yet and the episode moves a little too slow at times. There's also a pretty icky line about a teacher getting fresh with a girl which doesn't seem like it was OK in the 70s (when it aired) or the 50s (when it was set).

RATING: 5/10

2. The Lemon (1/22/74)

Richie convinces his dad to let him by a car with Potsie but it ends up being a lemon.

The second episode continues to have that great 50s feel (this one has a sock hop!) It also is an improvement on the pilot as it moves a little better and has a little bit more humor. The plot is better too and there's less awkward moments. But it's still not firing on all cylinders yet. Not only does Henry Winkler not have his part down but the writers definitely don't know how to create a character for Fonzie. One actor who already has a great grasp on his character is Tom Bosley. His dry humor and deadpan delivery works great.

RATING: 6/10

ONE SEASON WONDERS: Winnetka Road

On Wednesdays, I take a look at a series that lasted one season or less. This week, I am looking at Winnetka Road!

WINNETKA ROAD

March 12, 1994 - April 16, 1994
5 episodes
NBC

Starring: Ed Begley, Jr., Josh Brolin, Kristen Cloke, Kurt Deutsch, Catherine Hicks, Meg Tilly, Paige Turco, Richard M. Tyson, Megan Ward

Created by: John Byrum

Plot: Actress Terry Mears (Turco) and her young son flee Los Angeles because her ex-boyfriend wants their son back. She returns to her hometown of Oak Bluff, Illinois and specifically (you guessed it) Winnetka Road and encounters old and new friends, including former high school flame, Jack (Brolin) and his new girlfriend, Nicole (Ward). Others in the main cast include an estranged couple, Glenn and Jeannie (Begley Jr. & Hicks).

Brief Pilot Review:

Things sure moved slowly in little old Oak Bluff, Illinois. As easy as it is to watch comedies from decades ago, it is interesting just how dated almost every drama from before 2000 (or technically, 1999 with The Sopranos and The West Wing) seems. This was even slightly before ER, which set the pace for fast-moving dramas. Dramas in the 80s and early 90s, even classics like Hill Street Blues and St. Elsewhere moved at a pace that feels positively glacial at times today. The good ones can overcome it with a strong ensemble and sharp writing. The dramas that don't have that on top of an early 90s-era pacing can feel like a chore to sit through and that's what gets us to Winnetka Road. There's nothing terrible in here. It's a solid cast with some likable performances especially from Ed Begley Jr. and Catherine Hicks though there's a bizarre turn from Richard M. Tyson in a Fabio-like looking role and some really bad acting. But hey, the show seemed more interested in him being shirtless than a good actor.

TOP 10 TUESDAY: Top 10 8 Simple Rules Characters

My Top 10 this week is Top 10 8 Simple Rules Characters!

10. JEREMY

One of Jonathan Taylor Thomas' few post-Home Improvement acting roles came on 8 Simple Rules in a three episode arc as a tutor and then love interest for Bridget. The opposites attract story was pretty strong and the Thomas arc was one of the better post-Paul 8 Simple Rules things. There was a natural chemistry between Thomas and Kaley Cuoco that I wish could have developed more.

9. KYLE

Kyle was a character who dated both daughters and also was friends with Rory. I always felt the show forced things a little bit when Kyle got together with Kerry though I guess it was sort of means to an end because that story was ore about the dynamics between the sisters. He was at his funniest though in the early days when he was Bridget's dim boyfriend sparring often with Paul.

SCHEDULES OF THE PAST: 1993-1994 Saturdays

Welcome back after a two week break! On Mondays, I take a look at schedules from yesteryear. Here's a look at Saturdays in the 1993-94 season!

ABC	8:00	8:30	9:00	10:00
Sep	Saturday Night Movie			The Commish
Oct
Nov	George	Where I Live	The Paula Poundstone Show
Dec	Saturday Night Movie
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May

ABC had a plan for Saturday night that wasn't going to get underway until November and by December, said plan was gone. A movie aired for the first couple months and was back in the 8-10pm hour a couple weeks later. For a brief time in November, there was an attempt at a comedy block. At 8pm was the new George, a family sitcom starring boxer George Foreman shortly before he launched his famous grills. It was followed by the second season of Where I Live, a show that had struggled on Fridays but had a lot of people singing its praises including Bill Cosby. The comedy block aired just three weeks before Where I Live was cancelled and George was sent to Wednesdays. An even bigger bomb followed with The Paula Poundstone Show which aired just two weeks and only one in its regular 9pm slot. Poundstone was a variety show with the comic at the center of it, but it was reportedly a mess behind the scenes. When it finally aired, it was savaged by critics and was gone very quickly so the whole block only aired together once. By the time December rolled around, ABC was back to a movie on the night and that's how it stayed the rest of the season. There was one regular series that held its own on Saturday and that was the third season of The Commish, which plugged along at 10pm with ratings that were passable for Saturday night.