Benjamonster's TV

For the third annual year, I will be presenting an extended end of season awards show. It will have some similarities to the Emmys in terms of categories and eligibility but will of course be completely based on my preferences and what I have watched.  Here are the rules for eligibility: - Shows had to have aired the majority of its season between June 1, 2021 and May 31, 2022. - A show is considered eligible if I watched at least four episodes of it. Many of them I have watched the full season, but four episodes is the cutoff for eligibility. - I am making my own calls for whether an actor/actress fits into a leading or supporting category but in general sticking with how they are submitted for the Emmys. Same for the different genres. - A limited series is any series that was designed to be close-ended. An anthology series is any series that airs as an anthology either season to season OR episode to episode. - For Guest Actor or Actress, they can appear in up to four episodes The...

Here's a look at the Top 5 TV News Stories of the week! After today, my blog will be taking a summer break from regular posts. Check back daily in July for my third annual Benjamonster Awards and then again in September for the resumption of regular blog posts! #1 - SEASON 3 OF "TED LASSO" COULD BE ITS LAST This has been a story for awhile but it got new fuel to the fire this week when series co-star and co-writer Brett Goldstein said they are more or less sticking with the original plan of making Ted Lasso a three season show so the upcoming season would be written as if its the finale. However, no one has come out and said in black and white terms that it will be done after three seasons so that leads me to believe that Apple TV+ is going to find a way to keep it going and they're going to back up a truckload of money to convince Jason Sudeikis and crew to continue the show. It's the signature show for the still-young streamer and they're not going to be rea...

On Thursdays, I take a detailed and critical look at a TV show by season. Today I am looking at Season 5 (Part 1) of  Happy Days ! For Part 1,  click here ! 104. Joanie's First Kiss (1/17/78) Joanie goes on her first date, despite Howard's objections, at a party Ralph and Potsie throw at their apartment. Happy Days  seems to have realized they were doing too many Fonzie-themed episodes during this season because other ensemble members get a chance to shine in several different episodes. This one is Joanie's turn and it's a sweet story about young love. Richie can be a little insufferable in this episode but the most generous interpretation would be that he is just trying to be a good big brother. There are also some funny moments from Howard. RATING: 7.5/10 105. Marion's Misgivings (1/24/78) After a friend of hers gets divorced, Marion worries that the spark is going out of her marriage with Howard. Now it's Marion's turn to have a story and it's a good ...

On Wednesdays, I take a look at a series that lasted one season or less. This week, I am looking at 1995's Get Smart ! GET SMART January 8, 1995 - February 19, 1995 7 episodes FOX Starring: Don Adams, Andy Dick, Elaine Hendrix Based on: Get Smart created   by Mel Brooks and Buck Henry Developed by: Michael J. DiGaetano and Lawrence Gay Plot: An updated version of the classic 1960s series. Maxwell Smart (Adams) is now Chief of CONTROL, which is still fighting KAOS in 1995. His son, Zach (Dick) is a young agent for CONTROL with partner, Agent 66 (Hendrix). Barbara Feldon returns in a recurring role as 99 and her character is now a congresswoman. Brief Pilot Review: I'm a big fan of the original Get Smart . It's been a favorite of mine for a long time. Even though it is a silly 60s sitcom sometimes, it is also a sharp satire with a flair of creativity not seen in many of its fellow 60s sitcoms. Despite being a fan of the original, I had never given a look to the 90s revival un...

I will be ending by Emmy Preview with a look at the Series races! Lots could change between now and nominations day on July 14 but here is how I see things shaking out as of now. COMEDY As I have mentioned, the comedy series categories are incredibly competitive this year. Maybe the most competitive ever with a whopping 14 former nominees eligible in the categories along with several promising newbies. Two former winners are in the mix: last year's winner  Ted Lasso and 2018's winner  The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel . Lasso  is definitely a serious threat to repeat as winner. Maisel will probably get nominated again though the fourth season was not received as well as the first three. Two slam dunk nominees are Barry and Hacks . Both could be threats to unseat Lasso as the winner as well. After that, there's a logjam of potential returning nominees. Black-ish has been nominated four times and returned as a nominee last year after two years without getting a nod. It is the final...

FOX didn't unveil its fall schedule with everyone else during Upfronts week but they released it now with premiere dates included so here it is! MONDAYS 8:00 9-1-1 (6th season) 9:00 The Cleaning Lady (2nd season) 9-1-1 remains on Mondays at 8pm and 9-1-1: Lone Star will once again be held for midseason. FOX had a big time flop on Mondays at 9pm this past fall with The Big Leap but they fared a little better in the weekend with The Cleaning Lady  so that show will come back in the fall. They probably could have aimed a little higher here but broadcast networks are not in the business of aiming high right now. TUESDAYS 8:00 The Resident (6th season) 9:00 MONARCH Tuesday night has the only new show on the FOX fall schedule. The long delayed country music drama  Monarch will premiere after the NFL doubleheader on September 11 and then settle in on Tuesdays following The Resident . Monarch was slated to premiere in January and commercials were even on the air before FOX suddenly pu...

This is the final week for the "season" on my blog. I will be back with my third annual Benjamonster Awards in July and then back to regular posting in the fall. But before that, here's a look at Sundays in the 1994-95 season! ABC 7:00 7:30 8:00 9:00 10:00 Sep America’s Funniest Home Videos On Our Own Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Sunday Night Movie Oct Nov Dec Jan America’s Funniest Home Videos Feb Mar Apr May ABC's Sunday nights looked pretty similar to the previous season but a new sitcom took the place of the cancelled America's Funniest People . America's Funniest Home Videos returned at 7pm and was a steady performer but no longer a sensation. Lois & Clark continued at 8pm and that show was more of a sensation with...

I didn't have a Friday Five last week so here's a look at the top TV news stories over the past couple weeks! #1 - KALEY CUOCO WANTS TO END "THE FLIGHT ATTENDANT" As The Flight Attendant 's second season came to an end, Kaley Cuoco said in an interview that she is ready for the show to be done. She told People.com "the plane had landed" and she's not interested in doing a third season though she also acknowledges that she is in the minority with that opinion. After a first season that saw Emmy nominations for the series and Cuoco among others, the second season has had more mixed reviews but continued praise for Cuoco. She also talked about the physical difficulty of filming the second season so it's not surprising that she might be looking at doing something else. But money talks too so I wouldn't rule a third season out if HBO Max wants it.

On Thursdays, I take a detailed and critical look at a TV show by season. Today I am looking at Season 5 (Part 1) of  Happy Days ! HAPPY DAYS: SEASON FIVE 1977-1978 27 episodes Season Five is the year where Fonzie infamously jumps the shark. It happens at the beginning of the season and while  Happy Days  does eventually decline in quality, it is not this season. In fact, this season graded out slightly higher than the previous season even though it doesn't feel as strong. I think that's because there's not a lot of outright stinkers in this season. It's a very solid season with the show continuing to hum along. There are some signs of the troubles to come but it doesn't happen on a regular basis in the fifth season. Starring Ron Howard as Richie Cunningham  (27 episodes) Henry Winkler as Arthur Fonzarelli  (27 episodes) Tom Bosley as Howard Cunningham  (27 episodes) Marion Ross as Marion Cunningham  (27 episodes) Anson Williams as Potsie Webber  ...

On Wednesdays, I take a look at a series that lasted one season or less. This week, I am looking at 1995's The Office ! THE OFFICE March 11, 1995 - April 15, 1995 5 episodes CBS Starring: Valerie Harper, Andrea Abbate, Kevin Conroy, Lisa Darr, Kristin Dattilo-Hayward, Gary Dourdan, Dakin Matthews, Debra Jo Rupp Created by: Susan Beavers and Barbara Corday Plot: Rita Stone (Harper) is a long-time secretary at a package design company who manages three other secretaries (Rupp, Abbate & Dattilo-Hayward) while also dealing with incompetent CEO, Frank (Matthews). Other office members include the only female executive, Natalie (Darr), the firm's artist, Bobby (Doudan) and salesman Steve (Conroy). Brief Pilot Review: No, it's not THAT The Office . A decade before NBC's iconic workplace sitcom, there was a much less iconic sitcom of the same name on CBS. The series deliberately was going for an Upstairs, Downstairs approach with the attention focused on the secretaries serv...