Benjamonster's TV

On Wednesday, I take a look at shows that lasted one season or less. Here's a look at 1996's Mr. & Mrs. Smith ! MR. & MRS. SMITH September 20, 1996 - November 8, 1996 9 episodes CBS Starring: Scott Bakula, Maria Bello, with Timothy Olyphant and Ray Dotrice Created by: Kerry Lenhart & John J. Sakmar Plot: "Mr. Smith" (Bakula) is a spy who works for a private security organization under Mr. Dig (Dotrice) and with a partner (Olyphant). He meets a rival, "Mrs. Smith" (Bello) who loses her job after a failed mission and she teams up with Mr. Smith as they continue to spar. Brief Pilot Review: Mr. & Mrs. Smith was a nicely shot pilot for 1996. Set and filmed on location in Seattle, it made great use of its location with lots of on-location filming that worked quite well. It wasn't up to today's production standards of course but it definitely didn't feel as drab as so many dramas did back in the 1990s. It felt like the network spent som...

On Tuesdays, I take a look at schedules from yesteryear. Here's a look at Fridays in the 1996-97 season! ABC 8:00 8:30 9:00 9:30 10:00 Sep Family Matters Sabrina the Teenage Witch Clueless Boy Meets World 20/20 Oct Nov Boy Meets World Sabrina the Teenage Witch Clueless Dec Jan Feb Mar Step by Step Apr May After two years of a very steady lineup for ABC's TGIF, there were many changes for the 1996-97 season. Both Step by Step and Hangin' with Mr. Cooper were held for midseason (and Mr. Cooper didn't even air until summer). Family Matters continued at 8pm while Boy Meets World was slated to close out the block at 9:30pm. In between were two fairly high profile new shows. At 8:30pm was Sabrina the Teenage Witch  which st...

Here's a look at the Top 5 TV news stories of the week! #1 - CBS MIDSEASON PLANS After NBC, ABC and FOX all announced midseason plans on the same day last week, CBS announced its midseason plans this week. There wasn't too much to see with only two new shows joining the fold. A RuPaul hosted version of the game show Lingo will make its debut on January 11, airing between The Price is Right at Night and Tough As Nails . Then on February 23, a sneak preview premiere of the new drama True Lies will air after Young Sheldon and Ghosts . It will then settle into its regular Wednesday 10pm slot after the return of Survivor on March 1. Elsewhere, as previously announced, freshman drama  Fire Country will get the coveted post-AFC Championship Game slot on January 29 and a three show  NCIS crossover event will kick off the midseason on January 2. 

On Thursdays, I take a critical look at a TV show by season. Here's a look at Season 11 (Part 1) of  Happy Days ! HAPPY DAYS: SEASON ELEVEN 1983-1984 22 episodes Happy Days  ends its long run with the eleventh season. It's an improvement from the misguided and almost unrecognizable tenth season, but it doesn't restore the show back to its former glory. The closest it comes is when former star Ron Howard returns for a two part episode early in the season. The show also benefits from Scott Baio and Erin Moran returning to the series as full time characters and the departure of many superfluous and unmemorable characters. It helps send the show off in a way that leaves a slightly better taste in the mouth. Starring: Henry Winkler as Arthur Fonzarelli  (22 episodes) Tom Bosley as Howard Cunningham  (22 episodes) Marion Ross as Marion Cunningham  (22 episodes) Scott Baio as Chachi Arcola  (22 episodes) Erin Moran as Joanie Cunningham  (20 episodes) Anson Wi...

On Wednesday, I take a look at shows that lasted one season or less. Here's a look at Moloney ! MOLONEY September 19, 1996 - May 22, 1997 21 episodes CBS Starring: Peter Strauss, Nestor Serrano, Wendell Pierce, Cherie Lunghi Created by: Ronald Bass & Jane Rusconi Plot: Nicholas Moloney (Strauss) is a psychologist who is also a Los Angeles cop. Because of that, he can make arrests which can lead to conflicts of interest with his job as a psychologist. He works with Lt. Matty Navarro (Serrano), Dr. Sarah Bateman (Lunghi) and his poker buddy, D.A. Cal Patterson (Pierce).  Brief Pilot Review: This was a very gentle procedural that offered nothing offensive or exciting. I can already tell as I start to write this review that it's going to be hard to write two paragraphs about this show. It might be one of the most non-descript, boring shows to last a full season. The hook was of course that the lead character was not just a cop but also a psychologist so they were trying to mash...

On Tuesdays, I take a look at schedules from yesteryear. Here's a look at Thursdays in the 1996-97 season! Also, after this week of posts, I will be taking a one week break for Thanksgiving! ABC 8:00 9:00 10:00 Sep High Incident Various Programs Turning Point Oct Murder One Nov Dec Jan Feb Thursday Night Movie Mar Vital Signs Turning Point Apr May Thursday Night Movie Thursdays belonged to NBC so the other networks sort of threw up their hands with no one really going after the Peacock as they tried at the beginning of previous seasons. ABC went with a pair of modest second year dramas. At 8pm was High Incident . The police drama had aired on Monday the previous spring and was sent to the wolves against Friends on Thursday. It lasted the whole season but t...

Here's a look at the Top 5 TV news stories of the week! #1 - MIDSEASON PLANS FOR ABC It was a busy Monday as three broadcast networks revealed their midseason plans. There is no particular order of importance so I just went alphabetical. ABC announced premiere dates for three new shows. Procedural drama Will Trent will air on Tuesday nights at 10pm starting January 3. It will follow a colonized night for The Rookie with the original series moving to Tuesdays at 8pm and The Rookie: Feds sliding up an hour to 9pm. Unscripted series The Parent Test will air Thursdays at 9pm while the Thursday dramas are on hiatus. It will also get a preview in December. The Gina Rodriguez comedy Not Dead Yet will premiere with two episodes on February 8 and then settle into its regular Wednesday 9:30pm timeslot as Home Economics will wrap up its season after 13 episodes. That same night, A Million Little Things returns for its fifth and final season as the show will officially wrap things up (which wa...

On Thursdays, I take a critical look at a TV show by season. Here's a look at Season 10 (Part 2) of  Happy Days ! For Part 1,  click here ! 223. Hello, Pfisters (1/4/83) Ashley attends her parents' 30th anniversary party in an attempt to reconcile with them but ends up getting drunk and making a fool of herself. This episode is sort of a successor to the Christmas episode as it focuses more specifically on Ashley's fractured relationship with her parents. The show was definitely trying to give Ashley more depth as a character and while Linda Purl is better than Ted McGinley, she's not that strong of a comic actress. So when the show is requiring her to be drunk at the wedding reception, she can't really pull it off with the comic timing necessary. It's not horribly bad but it just doesn't stick the landing. This is probably Heather O'Rourke's best episode to date though. RATING: 5/10 224. I Drink, Therefore I Am (1/11/83) Flip starts drinking despite...

On Wednesday, I take a look at shows that lasted one season or less. Here's a look at Arsenio ! ARSENIO March 5, 1997 - April 23, 1997 7 episodes ABC Starring: Arsenio Hall, Vivica A. Fox, Shawnee Smith, Alimi Ballard and Kevin Dunn Created by: David S. Rosenthal Plot: Michael Atwood (Hall) is a TV sports host based in Atlanta recently married to high powered attorney Vivian (Fox). Vivian's aimless younger brother, Matthew (Ballard), also lives with them. Rounding out the main cast is Michael's co-host and friend, Al (Dunn), and Vivian's best friend, Laura (Smith). Brief Pilot Review: This pilot seemed like a fairly realized show for a mid-1990s sitcom pilot. I'm a little surprised it didn't succeed. Arsenio Hall and Vivica A. Fox are the definite strong points of the pilot. They have an easy chemistry with each other and work well in the format. While Hall is tamed a little bit by being in a conventional sitcom format, it's clear he feels comfortable perfor...

On Tuesdays, I take a look at schedules from yesteryear. Here's a look at Wednesdays in the 1996-97 season! ABC 8:00 8:30 9:00 9:30 10:00 Sep Ellen Townies Grace Under Fire The Drew Carey Show Primetime Live Oct Nov Dec Grace Under Fire Coach The Drew Carey Show Ellen Jan Feb Mar Arsenio Apr May Ellen ABC's Wednesday night comedy block was the perfect example of a "solid but not great" lineup. The night didn't have a Home Improvement style hit or an instant flop. A lot of the veterans plugged along and two newbies did alright but ultimately didn't make it. But the night got a huge amount of attention at the end of the season when a certain sitcom character came out of the closet and made na...

Here's a look at the Top 5 TV news stories of the week! #1 - SHORT RUNS FOR NEW CW SHOWS The CW is continuing to become a shell of what it once was. There was the bloodbath last year that saw an unprecedented number of cancellations in one season for the network. That was followed by the Nextstar sale and final season announcements for Riverdale and The Flash . Then we got the cancellation of Nancy Drew and this week it was the cancellation of Stargirl after its current season. So it wasn't surprising, but it was notable, that their two new freshmen entries - Walker: Independence and Supernatural prequel The Winchesters won't be getting back orders. The CW insists that both series are still in place for the 2023-24 schedule but there just seems to be no direction for the network at this point. There also continue to be layoffs and a search for a creative direction as far as content goes. Right now, it seems like we know everything The CW does NOT want to be but we don't...

On Thursdays, I take a critical look at a TV show by season. Here's a look at Season 10 (Part 1) of  Happy Days ! HAPPY DAYS: SEASON TEN 1982-1983 22 episodes This is the infamous season of  Happy Days . Ron Howard and Don Most are long gone. Scott Baio, Erin Moran and Al Molinaro are only there occasionally as they spent their time on  Joanie Loves Chachi  and Anson Williams has become an afterthought by this point. So we are left with a shell of the show  Happy Days  once was. Henry Winkler, Tom Bosley and Marion Ross are still around but this season is primarily focused on brand new characters or characters we barely got to know up to this point. It's a rough one all around. I'm glad  Happy Days  got one more season after this one to right some of the wrongs because this would have been a sad season to go out on. Starring Henry Winkler as Arthur Fonzarelli  (22 episodes) Tom Bosley as Howard Cunningham  (22 episodes) Marion Ross as Ma...

On Wednesday, I take a look at shows that lasted one season or less. Here's a look at  Homeboys in Outer Space ! HOMEBOYS IN OUTER SPACE August 27, 1996 - May 13, 1997 21 episodes UPN Starring: Flex, Darryl M. Bell, Rhona L. Bennett, Kevin Michael Richardson, Paulette Braxton Created by: Ehrich Van Lowe Plot: Astronauts Ty Walker (Flex) and Morris Clay (Bell) fly around in a winged car called the "Space Hoopty" in the 23rd century. The car is piloted by female computer Loquatia (Bennett). Brief Pilot Review: Oof, this is one of the worst One Season Wonder pilots I have watched. I'm already predisposed to not love sci-fi comedies and then we have 90s era special effects and visual imagery (and on a UPN budget) so it's not even interesting in that way. This show tried to be hip but I can't imagine it played that way even then. It was one of those "lowest common denominator" shows. It had a rowdy studio audience, obnoxious mugging to the camera and stup...

On Tuesdays, I take a look at schedules from yesteryear. Here's a look at Tuesdays in the 1996-97 season! ABC 8:00 8:30 9:00 9:30 10:00 Sep Roseanne Life’s Work Home Improvement Spin City Various Programs Oct NYPD Blue Nov Dec Jan Feb Various Programs Mar Ellen The Practice Apr Home Improvement Soul Man NYPD Blue May Roseanne ABC headed into the 1996-97 season with the same three anchors on Tuesday night: a fading Roseanne and a still potent Home Improvement and NYPD Blue . Two new shows rounded out the fall lineup. At 8:30pm was Life's Work , a family sitcom starring Lisa Ann Walter. This was yet another sitcom centered around a stand-up personality like the shows that aired before and aft...