THE FRIDAY FIVE: Top 5 TV News Stories of the Week Ending 9/30/22

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

#1 - TREVOR NOAH LEAVING "THE DAILY SHOW"

In a surprising announcement on Thursday night, Trevor Noah announced he will be leaving The Daily Show after seven plus seasons as host. Noah took over for the legendary Jon Stewart in 2015 and there was a lot of skepticism about him when he started. After a rough beginning, he found his voice and settled into a critically acclaimed run. While The Daily Show didn't quite have the cultural awareness it had during the Stewart years, Noah's incarnation still received multiple Emmy nominations while Noah became an increasingly respected figure. No successor has been named nor has there been a timetable for Noah's departure but it's another change in the late night scene along with James Corden's pending departure in Summer 2023. Comedy Central is also in a much different place than it was when the last transition happened as Cable TV struggles to find its way in the streaming world. They won't give up on their flagship show but it's hard to imagine it being anywhere close to as big a deal as when Noah took over for Stewart.

EPISODE GUIDES: Happy Days Season Seven (Part 2)

On Thursdays, I take a critical look at a TV show by season. Here's a look at Season 7 (Part 2) of Happy Days! For Part 1, click here!

156. Here Comes the Bride Again (12/18/79)

With their anniversary coming up, Marion wants to have a real wedding after revealing their first wedding wasn't very romantic.

This episode features a mostly forgotten comedy duo named Bob and Ray as guest stars. They aren't a duo you hear about very often these days but they were apparently well known enough in 1979 to get entrance applause. This is Happy Days doing surreal stuff in a much better way than the campy fantasy episodes. This episode is based on a sweet and completely normal concept (a renewal of vows) but it peppers the entire affair with some surreal elements courtesy mainly of the two guest stars. It makes it funny, not stupid and this is a strong episode.

RATING: 9/10

157. Ah, Wilderness (1/8/80)

Richie, Potsie and Ralph bring dates on a camping trip for Spring Break and Fonzie wants to come too while Richie wants to be in charge.

Happy Days seems to want to do nature-based episodes once in awhile and we once again see very little attention paid to the calendar year in relation to the episode airing as this takes place during Spring Break but aired in January (and I guarantee Wisconsin would not look that green in January). Either way, it's a so-so camping episode and I'm usually a fan of that trope. I think the show sort of played into Richie and Fonzie reversing roles but didn't really sustain that through the episode. Marion Ross doesn't appear in this episode and Tom Bosley and Erin Moran are only in the final tag scene.

RATING: 4.5/10

ONE SEASON WONDERS: The Crew

On Wednesdays, I take a look at shows that lasted one season or less. Here's a look at 1995's The Crew!

THE CREW

August 31, 1995 - June 30, 1996
21 episodes
FOX

Starring: Rose Jackson, Kristin Bauer, David Burke, Charles Esten, Dondre T. Whitfield, with Christine Estabrook and Lane Davies

Created by: Jamie Wooten, Marc Cherry, John Pardee & Joey Murphy

Plot: The lives and loves of a group of flight attendants living in Miami Beach, Florida. The crew includes Roommates Jess (Jackson) and Maggie (Bauer) along with openly gay Paul (Burke) and womanizing Randy (Esten). They are supervised by former flight attendant Lenora (Estabrook) and Captain Rex Parker (Davies). Rounding out the main cast is a bartender named MacArthur (Whtifield).

Brief Pilot Review:

I like airplane themed shows - Wings is underrated as far as I'm concerned, LA to Vegas was a short-lived charmer on FOX and of course I've enjoyed The Flight Attendant. So I was predisposed to like this one and there were things I certainly did like about it. It was very clearly set in 1995 with some seriously cringeworthy lines about Paul's sexuality. But there was also a genuine camaraderie among the four main friends in the show. They had an easy chemistry with each other that is not always easy to have in a pilot of a sitcom. And despite the script at times, it was a pretty forward thinking show with the cast of four main friends including a gay man and a black woman. In its own 1995 way, it was trying to be more inclusive.

SCHEDULES OF THE PAST: 1995-1996 Thursdays

On Tuesdays, I take a look at schedules from yesteryear. Here's a look at Thursdays in the 1995-96 season!

ABC	8:00	8:30	9:00	10:00
Sep	Charlie Grace		The Monroes	Various Programs
Oct				Murder One
Nov	Various Programs
Dec	Various Programs		Thursday Night Movie
Jan
Feb	World’s Funniest Videos	Before They Were Stars!
Mar
Apr
May

NBC was the powerhouse on Thursday nights but ABC still gave it the old college try in the Fall of 1995 with a trio of new dramas that they hoped would help them cut into the Peacock's dominance. Headlining their night was Murder One, a high profile new show from Steven Bochco that received much of the network's attention before the season started. The series focused on one murder case for an entire season, which was a very different approach to a TV drama back in those days. It received across the board raves from critics in a season where very few critical hits. To give it a solid start, it aired on Tuesdays for a couple weeks and by the time it came to Thursdays, the earlier part of the night had already fallen apart. At 8pm was Charlie Grace, a PI drama starring Mark Harmon. At 9pm was The Monroes, a soapy family drama about a powerful D.C. family that starred William Devane and Susan Sullivan. Both dramas were already in serious ratings trouble by the time Murder One arrived on the night so the three of them only aired together on Thursdays once before Charlie and Monroes were cancelled. Murder One limped along for a little bit, getting walloped by ER, before ABC threw up the white flag and moved Murder One to Mondays. After going big with scripted dramas in the fall, ABC barely tried on the night the rest of the season as they aired cheap unscripted fare World's Funniest Videos and Before They Were Stars! at 8pm leading into a movie at 9pm.

THE FRIDAY FIVE: Top 5 TV News Stories of the Week Ending 9/23/22

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

#1 - GOLDEN GLOBES RETURNING TO NBC

After a one year hiatus because of their own failures, the Golden Globes are returning to NBC in 2023. The much maligned yet long running awards show that has been the unofficial kickoff of awards season was pulled from NBC this year after the group that hands out the awards, the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, came under fire for both a lack of diversity and some shady business during the campaign season. The Golden Globes were still awarded but there was no official ceremony and it was pretty much an afterthought. Due to the NFL airing on the usual spot on January 8 and the Critics Choice Awards claiming January 15, the Golden Globe Awards will air on a Tuesday - January 10. What remains to be seen is if the stars will return and it will be the party it once was. It's hard to imagine the actors completely embracing the show the way they used to but I guess we'll see.

EPISODE GUIDES: Happy Days Season Seven (Part 1)

On Thursdays, I take a critical look at a TV show by season. Here's a look at Season 7 (Part 1) of Happy Days!

HAPPY DAYS: SEASON SEVEN
1979-1980

25 episodes

It's the end of an era with Season Seven of Happy Days. Ron Howard and Don Most depart at the end of the season. It might have been time for Don Most but the show is never the same after Ron Howard leaves. His send-off season graded out the same as the previous season but it feels more grounded. The show doesn't go to as many crazy places with s many fantasy-based episodes. So even though the grade was the same, it feels like a better season of Happy Days, or at least a more consistent one.

Starring

Ron Howard as Richie Cunningham (25 episodes)

Henry Winkler as Arthur Fonzarelli (25 episodes)

Tom Bosley as Howard Cunningham (25 episodes)

Marion Ross as Marion Cunningham (24 episodes)

Anson Williams as Potsie Webber (25 episodes)

Don Most as Ralph Malph (25 episodes)

Erin Moran as Joanie Cunningham (25 episodes)

Al Molinaro as Al Delvecchio (23 episodes)
Scott Baio as Chachi Arcola (24 episodes)

Lynda Goodfriend as Lori Beth Allen (14 episodes)

Ed Peck as Officer Kirk (1 episode)

143. Shotgun Wedding Part 1 (9/11/79)

The Cunninghams spend a vacation at a lake and Richie and Fonzie end up caught up in a shotgun wedding involving Laverne and Shirley and two dairy farm girls.

As mentioned before, Happy Days really knew how to make an event out of a season premiere before that was really a thing and they do that here with a crossover with Part 1 on Happy Days and Part 2 on Laverne & Shirley, which aired two days later. This episode also consciously moves the series into the 1960s with Fonzie referencing "President John F. Kennedy." This episode is almost exclusively Richie and Fonzie among the main Happy Days cast with some characters (Potsie, Ralph, Al, Chachi) doing nothing more than a walk by at the beginning of the episode. It continues the silliness of Season 6 (a Swedish dairy farmer?) but it does have some fun with the event feel of the episode.

RATING: 6.5/10

144. Chachi Sells His Soul (9/18/79)

Chachi is upset that people consider him too young and he dreams that he sells his soul to the devil in exchange for people taking him seriously.

I'm not sure when Ron Howard made it known that he was going to depart Happy Days after the seventh season, but this episode certainly seems to be the show telling us that Chachi will be a major focus going forward. However, this episode feels incredibly similar to the "My Favorite Orkan" episode from Season 5 but without the charm and comedy of Robin Williams. Without Williams, the premise is right up there with the dumbest and sillies the show has done and it's clear that the fantasy bend the show decided to take in Season Six is continuing on in Season Seven.

RATING: 2/10

ONE SEASON WONDERS: Central Park West

On Wednesdays, I take a look at shows that lasted one season or less. Here's a look at 1995's Central Park West!

CENTRAL PARK WEST

September 13, 1995 - June 28, 1996

17 episodes

CBS

Starring: Madchen Amick, John Barrowman, Melissa Errico, Lauren Hutton, Justin Lazard, Michael Michele, Tom Verica and Mariel Hemingway

Created by: Darren Star

Plot: Stephanie Wells (Hemingway) and her husband, Mark Merrill (Verica) move from Seattle to Central Park West in Manhattan as Stephanie takes a job as editor-in-chief of Communique magazine. The owner of the magazine (recurring guest Ron Leibman) has a second wife, Linda (Hutton) who has two grown children: Carrie (Amick), a columnist for the magazine, immediately becomes a rival of Stephanie's while Peter (Barrowman) is a golden boy lawyer. Rounding out the cast are friends of Carrie or Peter.

Brief Pilot Review:

This was a very glossy pilot with pretty high production values for a mid-90s drama on CBS. The pilot did a pretty solid job at showcasing the glamorous life of living in an upper class part of Manhattan with lots of establishing shots and location shooting. Of course the lush look was countered with a plot that was about as deep as a small puddle. It was clear this was an attempt to do a version of Beverly Hills, 90210 or Melrose Place that could be considered less trashy and ridiculous so it would be palatable to the CBS audience. But the problem is it lost all its fun that those shows inevitably had (I didn't watch them but I am assuming given how successful they were). This show felt like it was taking itself too seriously while still wanting the audience to let go and treat it like a primetime soap and the result was a fairly dull pilot in a gorgeous setting.

SCHEDULES OF THE PAST: 1995-1996 Wednesdays

On Tuesdays, I take a look at schedules from yesteryear. Here's a look at Wednesdays in the 1995-96 season!

ABC	8:00	8:30	9:00	9:30	10:00
Sep	Ellen	The Drew Carey Show	Grace Under Fire	The Naked Truth	Primetime Live
Oct
Nov
Dec
Jan
Feb
Mar		The Faculty		Buddies
Apr		The Drew Carey Show		The Faculty
May

ABC solidified their anchor shows for the 1995-96 season with Roseanne and Home Improvement on Tuesdays and Ellen and Grace Under Fire holding things down on Wednesdays. Grace Under Fire was in its third season and still a big hit that was more than capable of being an anchor show. Ellen was moved out of a cushy slot to take the 8pm lead-off spot. It was not as strong as the other anchors, but was a more stable performer than Thunder Alley and Sister, Sister in the previous season. Two new shows aired in the half-hour slots. At 8:30pm was The Drew Carey Show, yet another sitcom given to a stand-up comedian. The Cleveland set comedy had a blue collar appeal like many ABC comedies but was a hangout show instead of a family comedy. At 9:30pm was The Naked Truth, which starred Tea Leoni as a tabloid photographer. The series definitely felt more like an NBC show with its more upscale setting and sophistication and Leoni got raves for her performance in the show. While The Naked Truth earned higher ratings than The Drew Carey Show, it was Drew that got a renewal because it was doing better relative to expectations. Timeslots really mattered back in those days and Naked was bleeding too much of the Grace Under Fire lead-in. Both shows were off the lineup in March but it was just a hiatus for Drew while Naked was cancelled (and picked up by NBC where it probably belonged to begin with). Two new shows temporarily took those slots. At 8:30pm was The Faculty, a sitcom that marked Meredith Baxter's return to TV, this time as a middle school principal. At 9:30pm was Buddies, a little remembered sitcom starring Dave Chappelle. It was cancelled after five episodes and Chappelle has since trashed the show. When it was cancelled, The Faculty moved to 9:30pm to allow for Drew Carey's return to the lineup so it lasted longer than Buddies but was also cancelled at the end of the season. Throughout the season, newsmagazine Primetime Live continued at 10pm. The networks sure loved their newsmagazines in the 90s.

THE FRIDAY FIVE: Top 5 TV News Stories of the Week Ending 9/16/22

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

#1 - EMMY WINNERS RECAP

The Emmy Awards were held on Monday night and there was a lot of expected winners (I went 11/15 on my major category predictions that I posted on this blog and 19/25 overall). There was also a little bit more spreading out of the winners compared to sweeps seen by Schitt's Creek and The Crown in recent years. The series winners were largely predicted with Ted Lasso repeating in Comedy, Succession winning for a second time in Drama and The White Lotus taking home Limited/Anthology. Within the acting and directing/writing categories though, there were also wins for Hacks and Abbott Elementary in Comedy, Squid Game, Euphoria and Ozark in Drama and Dopesick and The Dropout in Limited/Anthology. In a year with a tremendous amount of breadth in worthy contenders, there could have been some more surprises or spreading of the wealth, but I agreed with quite a few of the winners (as seen in my Benjamonster Awards) and the ones I didn't agree with were not ones I was mad about. There was nothing egregious, just a few surprises. For example, I wanted Janelle James from Abbott Elementary to win Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy, but her winning co-star Sheryl Lee Ralph was wonderful as well. Julia Garner wasn't my favorite in the Supporting Actress in a Drama category but she absolutely was the best thing about Ozark. So I was happy overall with the winners.

EPISODE GUIDES: Happy Days Season Six (Part 2)

On Thursdays, I take a critical look at a TV show by season. Here's a look at Season 6 (Part 2) of Happy Days! For Part 1, click here!

130. Richie Gets Framed (12/12/78)

While Richie is running for his college's class president, he gets framed while at a massage parlor.

This is sort of an adult-themed episode that would probably have different consequences in modern times. This theme is a welcome relief after the string of silly, very kid-friendly episodes. It's one that firmly places Richie and the gang in college and deals with college level pranks instead of trying to make them all seem like high school students. I also like that the episode plays up Richie's nerdiness with his campaign speech. It's not something the show does all that often and I think they could have made that a character trait more regularly.

RATING: 6.5/10

131. Christmas Time (12/19/78)

At Christmas, Fonzie gets a package delivered to him from his father but he doesn't want anything to do with it. Richie and Lori Beth fight when Richie spends too much money on her gift.

This is the first Christmas episode that really feels like a Christmas episode since the Season Two classic (Season Four's "Richie Branches Out" was sort of a half-hearted attempt). It's not quite as strong as the first Christmas episode, but it's pretty darn close. It's incredibly festive throughout the entire episode, there are many funny moments (Marion tipsy on eggnog for example and of course the predictable but fun tree parade that happens). It also is incredibly sweet without being sappy. Henry Winkler hasn't always nailed the serious scenes but he really does a great job with the dramatic work in this episode. Happy Days knows how to do Christmas episodes.

RATING: 9.5/10

ONE SEASON WONDERS: The Pursuit of Happiness

On Wednesdays, I take a look at shows that lasted one season or less. Here's a look at 1995's The Pursuit of Happiness!

THE PURSUIT OF HAPPINESS

September 19, 1995 - November 7, 1995

6 episodes

NBC

Starring: Tom Amandes, Melinda McGraw, Brad Garrett, Maxine Stuart, Meredith Scott Lynn and Larry Miller

Created by: Dave Hackel

Plot: Steve Rutledge (Amandes) is a successful Chicago lawyer who is in the midst of a mid-life crisis while dealing with a newly unemployed wife, McKenzie (McGraw), and her brother, Larry (Miller). His colleagues include partner Alex (Garrett) and secretary Jean (Lynn). Rounding out the main cast is Steve's grandma (Stuart).

Brief Pilot Review:

I'm pretty used to seeing Tom Amandes in dramas so it was a little weird to see him in a comedic role. He wasn't particularly well-suited for comedy as he was awfully stiff in a role that had plenty of comedic opportunities. The pilot also made use of Amandes doing voiceovers which were a little bit more effective at setting the tone and the feel of the episode. It also had the unconventional approach of the pilot taking place over the course of many months and different characters' birthdays. Then of course there was Larry Miller, who I find irritating more often than not. He made his presence known very quickly with an obnoxious scene where his character barges in on Steve and McKenzie. 

SCHEDULES OF THE PAST: 1995-1996 Tuesdays

On Tuesdays, I take a look at schedules from yesteryear. Here's a look at Tuesdays in the 1995-96 season!

ABC	8:00	8:30	9:00	9:30	10:00
Sep	Roseanne	Hudson Street	Home Improvement	Coach	Murder One
Oct					NYPD Blue
Nov
Dec
Jan				Champs
Feb		Coach		Various Programs
Mar				The Dana Carvey Show
Apr
May		Ellen		Coach

ABC had made a big move in 1994-95 by sending Roseanne to Wednesdays and slotting Home Improvement as the new Tuesday 9pm anchor. In 1995-96, after the departure of Full House, Roseanne came back to the night but now as the 8pm anchor. The one time #1 sitcom was now in its eighth season and fell out of the Top 10 for the first time in its run. It was expected to be the final season but Roseanne Barr struck a late deal to return for a ninth season. Home Improvement continued to be one of TV's top shows at 9pm but it did see a drop in the ratings as well. In between the two anchor shows was a high profile newbie. Hudson Street marked the return of Tony Danza to TV and he was paired with Lori Loughlin, fresh off of Full House, in a romantic sitcom about a detective and reporter. The series started off pretty well in the ratings but quickly proved to be a hole between two hits and it was pulled off the night shortly after the New Year. Coach had always done well airing behind Home Improvement or Roseanne and it started the season airing behind Home but moved behind Roseanne when Hudson Street was yanked. Two new shows were tried out at 9:30pm. First up was Champs, a sitcom about a group of friends who were part of a high school basketball championship team twenty years earlier. It was a flop and lasted just four episodes. The last new entry was The Dana Carvey Show, a variety series starring the SNL alum. While it was a flop that only lasted eight episodes (one unaired), it has become a cult favorite thanks in part to a cast that included Steve Carell, Stephen Colbert and Bob Odenkirk before they became famous and a writing staff that included Louis C.K., Robert Carlock, Greg Daniels and the three actors already mentioned. It got off to an auspicious start with a sketch to kick off the first episode depicting then President Clinton breastfeeding babies, cats and dogs. That was an instant turn-off for some of the family-friendly crowd from Home Improvement. Late in the season, Coach returned to 9:30pm and Ellen aired a few new episodes at 8:30pm. NYPD Blue started its season later than the rest of the Tuesday lineup as usual so ABC used the slot to preview three episodes of their high profile new show Murder One before it moved to Thursdays. It got the series off to a good start but not good enough that it could withstand the ER competition on Thursdays. In late October, Blue returned fresh off a win for Outstanding Drama Series at the Emmys.

THE FRIDAY FIVE: Top 5 TV News Stories of the Week Ending 9/9/22

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

#1 - EMMY PREDICTIONS

The Emmys are coming up on Monday night! Hosted by Kenan Thompson, the ceremony will feature many very competitive categories as TV was back in full force for 2021-22 after a couple COVID abridged years. Below are my predictions. Among the major predictions (the ones I share on the blog), I went 7/15 in 2020 and 8/15 in 2021. I'm shooting for 9 or more this time!

Outstanding Comedy Series

Will Win: Ted Lasso (Apple TV+)

Should Win: Abbott Elementary (ABC)

Should Have Been Nominated: Schmigadoon (Apple TV+)

Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series

Will & Should Win: Jean Smart, Hacks (HBO Max)

Should Have Been Nominated: Pamela Adlon, Better Things (FX)

Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series

Will & Should Win: Jason Sudeikis, Ted Lasso (Apple TV+)

Should Have Been Nominated: Drew Tarver, The Other Two (HBO Max)

Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series

Will & Should Win: Janelle James, Abbott Elementary (ABC)

Should Have Been Nominated: Sarah Goldberg, Barry (HBO)

Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series

Will & Should Win: Brett Goldstein, Ted Lasso (Apple TV+)

Should Have Been Nominated: Walton Goggins, The Righteous Gemstones (HBO)

Outstanding Drama Series

Will Win: Succession (HBO)

Should Win: Severance (Apple TV+)

Should Have Been Nominated: This is Us (NBC)

Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series

Will & Should Win: Zendaya, Euphoria (HBO)

Should Have Been Nominated: Mandy Moore, This is Us (NBC)

Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series

Will Win: Bob Odenkirk, Better Call Saul (AMC)

Should Win: Adam Scott, Severance (Apple TV+)

Should Have Been Nominated: John C. Reilly, Winning Time (HBO)

Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series

Will Win: Julia Garner, Ozark (Netflix)

Should Win: Sarah Snook, Succession (HBO)

Should Have Been Nominated: Susan Kelechi Watson, This is Us (NBC)

Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series

Will & Should Win: Kieran Culkin, Succession (HBO)

Should Have Been Nominated: Chris Sullivan, This is Us (NBC)

Outstanding Limited/Anthology Series

Will & Should Win: The White Lotus (HBO)

Should Have Been Nominated: Maid (Netflix)

Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited/Anthology Series

Will Win: Lily James, Pam & Tommy (Hulu)

Should Win: Margaret Qualley, Maid (Netflix)

Should Have Been Nominated: Michelle Pfeiffer, The First Lady (Showtime)

Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited/Anthology Series

Will & Should Win: Michael Keaton, Dopesick (Hulu)

Should Have Been Nominated: Will Ferrell, The Shrink Next Door (Apple TV+)

Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Limited/Anthology Series

Will & Should Win: Jennifer Coolidge, The White Lotus (HBO)
Should Have Been Nominated: Andie MacDowell, Maid (Netflix)

Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Limited/Anthology Series

Will & Should Win: Murray Bartlett, The White Lotus (HBO)

Should Have Been Nominated: Nick Robinson, Maid (Netflix)

EPISODE GUIDES: Happy Days Season Six (Part 1)

On Thursdays, I take a critical look at a TV show by season. I'm picking up where I left off last spring with Happy Days and its sixth season!

HAPPY DAYS: SEASON SIX
1978-1979

27 episodes

Season Six of Happy Days starts to lean in quite a bit to some surreal elements. It was almost as if they were emboldened by how well the "My Favorite Orkan" episode in Season Five was received and decided to do a whole lot more fantasy episodes were Fonzie gets to be the hero. As a result, we get downright strange episodes like "The Evil Eye," "The Claw Meets the Fonz" and the "Fonzie's Funeral" two part episode which, while very funny at times, is absolutely ridiculous. There's a pretty big drop off from the previous season and the show doesn't resemble the very realistic and gentle 1950s show it started as in the first couple seasons. But luckily it will recover a bit for Ron Howard's final season in 1979-80.

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 (27 episodes)

Don Most as Ralph Malph (26 episodes)

Erin Moran as Joanie Cunningham (25 episodes)

Al Molinaro as Al Delvecchio (27 episodes)
Scott Baio as Chachi Arcola (11 episodes)

Lynda Goodfriend as Lori Beth Allen (7 episodes)

Lorrie Mahaffey as Jennifer Jerome (4 episodes)

Suzi Quatro as Leather Tuscadero (2 episodes)

Ed Peck as Officer Kirk (1 episode)

Pat Morita as Arnold Takahashi (1 episode)

116/117. Westward Ho! Part 1/2 (9/12/78)

The Cunninghams have to help run a dude ranch in Colorado for an ailing relative and bring the crew with them but then find out the ranch is in financial trouble.

Once again, Happy Days kicks off its season with a big event episode. That's not too surprising considering it was one of the hottest shows on TV at the time. It's a really fun setting but it definitely seems like the idea in the writer's room was simply "let's take them to a dude ranch!" and then they actually developed a plot. It's all in service of spectacle instead of story. The episode seems to be consciously trying to outdo Fonzie jumping the shark in the Hollywood episodes while the characters marvel multiple times at how amazing "the great outdoors" is. It's fun but it's oh so thin and... it has an Anson Williams song with a montage so that's pretty cringeworthy.

RATING: 6/10

118. Westward Ho! Part 3 (9/19/78)

The Cunninghams and friends continue to work at the dude ranch and come up short on money so Fonzie decides to ride a bull to help out. Richie saves Joanie from a runaway wagon.

The first part of this episode is a laughable conclusion to an overdramatic cliffhanger from the previous episode with Joanie stuck on a runaway wagon pulled by horses. Though it is nice that it's Richie instead of Fonzie who gets to play the hero, Fonzie comes across as a complete baby when he pouts about it. Of course Fonzie does get to play the hero with the ridiculous bull riding bit that might be actually more of a "jump the shark" moment than jumping the shark because it's such an obvious attempt at a big moment. I remember seeing these episodes for the first time over three consecutive nights on Nick at Nite and it really felt like an event so I'm sure that was the case in 1978. These kind of events just don't seem as exciting from an adult point of view.

RATING: 4/10

ONE SEASON WONDERS: Can't Hurry Love

On Wednesdays I take a look at a show that lasted one season or less. Here's a look at 1995's Can't Hurry Love!

CAN'T HURRY LOVE

September 18, 1995 - February 26, 1996
19 episodes
CBS

Starring: Nancy McKeon, Mariska Hargitay, Louis Mandylor, David Pressman

Created by: Gina Wendkos

Plot: Annie O'Donnell (McKeon) is a single, thirtysomething woman living in New York City with her carefree friend and neighbor, Didi (Hargitay). She also manages an employment agency with colleagues and friends, Roger (Mandylor) and Elliot (Pressman in the pilot, Kevin Crowley in the series).

Brief Pilot Review:

There was one bright spot in this otherwise banal sitcom pilot and that was Mariska Hargitay. A few years before starting her iconic role on Law & Order: SVU, Hargitay was easily the standout in a role that was completely different for her. She had a natural charm and energy and delivered lines with such gusto even when they weren't all that good. The rest of the show did not live up to Hargitay's charms though. Nancy McKeon was pretty boring in the lead role. I don't think she was really intended to be a straight woman character, she seemed in some ways to be modeled after the early years of Monica on Friends (McKeon was actually in the running for Monica by the way). But she played it like a straight woman and a boring one at that.

SCHEDULES OF THE PAST: 1995-1996 Mondays

On Tuesdays, I take a look at schedules from yesteryear. Here's a look at Mondays in the 1995-96 season!

ABC	8:00	9:00	10:00
Sep	The Marshal	Monday Night Football
Oct
Nov
Dec
Jan	Monday Night Movie		Murder One
Feb	Second Noah	Various Programs
Mar		High Incident
Apr
May	Various Programs	Monday Night Movie

Since MacGyver ended in 1992, ABC had been looking for a lead-in to Monday Night Football. After trying (and failing) with comedies in the 1994-95 season, they went back to an action drama with the only returning sophomore series, The Marshal. The series had been a quiet performer on Saturday nights in 1994-95 and might have been a "save face" renewal. When it got to air in the higher profile Monday slot, the results were not good and the series was cancelled by the time the calendar turned to 1996. Monday Night Football continued to be a huge draw but they didn't replace it with a movie and instead went with scripted dramas for the second half of the season though each one launched about a month apart. First to the night in January was Murder One. The high profile legal drama was one of the fall's best reviewed new shows, but it languished against ER on Thursday nights. ABC wasn't about to fold quickly with the show that got more attention than any other so they moved it to Monday nights. The series fared a little bit better in its new slot but still didn't break through. Next up, premiering a month later, was 8pm entry Second Noah. The gentle family drama was created in partnership with Busch Gardens and filmed on location in Tampa. Finally in March, there was a 9pm entry as well with High Incident joining the lineup. The police drama counted Steven Spielberg among its creators/executive producers and he was heavily involved in the production. The series received decent reviews. Despite none of the dramas doing all that well, all three managed to get renewed for second seasons as ABC believed in their auspices and potential and gave each of them a chance. Murder One got a chance because ABC got wind of CBS's plans to pick up the show if they cancelled it. Of course, none of them showed that they deserved that chance as they were all two-and-done shows, but we'll get to that in the 1996-97 season. All the dramas were over by the end of April so movies and specials aired on the night during May sweeps.