SCHEDULES OF THE PAST: 1997-1998 Wednesdays

On Tuesdays, I take a look at schedules from yesteryear. Here's a look at Wednesdays in the 1997-98 season!

ABC	8:00	8:30	9:00	9:30	10:00
Sep	Spin City	Dharma & Greg	The Drew Carey Show	Ellen	Primetime Live
Oct
Nov
Dec
Jan
Feb
Mar				Two Guys, a Girl and a Pizza Place
Apr
May

ABC overhauled some of its Wednesday night comedy block for the 1997-98 season but it ultimately remained a solid but not dynamite lineup. At 8pm was Spin City, which was tasked with leading off the night after being in the protected Tuesday 9:30pm slot for its first season. This was a big task for a fairly new show that also was more geared to adults and it did alright but nothing special in the lead-off slot. It was followed by the new sitcom Dharma & Greg, which became an instant critical hit and ratings success. It starred Jenna Elfman and Thomas Gibson as a couple who were polar opposites but got married on their first date. It wasn't really a natural fit with Spin City but it built on its ratings and was the only new fall show to get renewed on ABC. The Drew Carey Show continued to be the crown jewel of the block and it grew in the ratings for a second straight season to become one of ABC's top shows. Meanwhile at 9:30pm, Ellen was coming off its highly publicized season where the main character came out of the closet. However, that high creatively and in the ratings was followed by a quick fall as Ellen was not a sensation anymore. Some of it could be blamed on people not taking to the gay storylines well (which tracks with 1990s mentality) but it also was running out of steam and wasn't a huge hit before its big episode garnered national attention. It was cancelled at the end of the season after five seasons and 109 episodes and everyone had (and still has) an opinion on why that happened. Could there have been some ulterior motives on ABC's part? Perhaps, but it also was just an average show with one short-lived turn in the spotlight. It was pulled off the lineup in March and returned in May for a one hour series finale with a few burn-off episodes airing in the summer. Replacing it at 9:30pm was Two Guys, a Girl and a Pizza Place. The long titled show starred Ryan Reynolds, Richard Ruccolo and Traylor Howard with a premise that was basically explained in the title. It basically had the same ratings as Ellen but it was newer and had more upside so it was renewed for a second season. Newsmagazine Primetime Live continued to hold down the fort at 10pm though longtime anchors Sam Donaldson and Diane Sawyer departed at the end of the season as the show was rebranded under the 20/20 moniker. 

THE FRIDAY FIVE: Top 5 TV News Stories of the Week Ending 1/27/23

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

#1 - KRISTA VERNOFF STEPPING DOWN FROM "GREY'S ANATOMY" & "STATION 19"

It was announced this week that Krista Vernoff will be stepping down as showrunner of Grey's Anatomy and its spinoff, Station 19, at the end of the season. Vernoff took over as showrunner for Grey's in 2017 after creator Shonda Rhimes departed for Netflix and then she took on its wayward spinoff in 2019. Both shows have continued as cornerstones for the network ever since. Although this appears to be amicable in press releases, I wouldn't be surprised if there was still some hard feelings over ABC abruptly cancelling the first show Vernoff created that went to series, Rebel, after just a few episodes in Spring 2021. This is the second major departure for Grey's Anatomy this season as its leading lady, Ellen Pompeo, will be leaving the series when it returns from its winter hiatus. Both dramas will probably still get renewed as they have weathered many departures before but I have to think Grey's will be winding down soon. Of course I thought that about ten years ago too.

VERY VERY: Back Injury

Back in the mid-1990s, Nick at Nite ran a programming block on the weekends called "Very Very Nick at Nite," which looked at four episodes with a similar theme. Now I will look at four sitcom episodes from across the decades that have a similar plot or theme. This week's topic is Very Very Back Injury!

This Week's Episodes

The Bob Newhart Show #27 "Backlash" (First Aired: September 29, 1973)

Bob throws his back out right before a planned trip to Mexico with Emily that he was reluctant about going on to begin with.

Bob and Emily Hartley have one of TV's most underrated marriages. There was such a grounded realness in their interactions with each other and this episode, while filled with comedy, also includes honest conversations between the two of them. Bob Newhart is a gifted comedian but being stiff is a little bit a part of his shtick so seeing him actually physically stiff proved that there is another layer he doesn't usually have. This was a well-plotted episode that proves how one plot can carry an entire episode when it's done well.

Cheers #211 "Sam Time Next Year" (First Aired: February 14, 1991)

Sam injures his back on the night of an annual Valentine's Day date with an ex-girlfriend.

This episode probably had the least comedy connected to a back injury of the four but it still had its charms and even a Michael Dukakis cameo to open the episode. Barbara Feldon guest stars as Sam's once a year date and their scenes take place in a cozy Vermont cabin that the episode does a nice job of depicting. I did feel like Ted Danson could have played up the stiff back better and I think more comedy could have been mined by how that impacts his typically suave ways.

ONE SEASON WONDERS: Hiller and Diller

On Wednesdays, I take a look at shows that lasted one season or less. Here's a look at Hiller and Diller!

HILLER AND DILLER

September 23, 1997 - March 13, 1998

13 episodes

ABC

Starring: Kevin Nealon, Richard Lewis, Jordan Baker, Allison Mack, Kyle Sabihy, Jillian Berard, Faryn Einhorn, Jonathan Osser and Eugene Levy

Created by: Lowell Ganz and Babaloo Mandel

Plot: Ted Hiller (Nealon) and Neil Diller (Lewis) are a comedy writing team for television. Hiller is a family man with wife Brooke (Baker) and three mostly average children (Berard, Einhorn & Osser) while Diller is an absentee father with two rebellious children (Sabihy & Mack). Their worlds collide more when Hiller helps Diller's kids get into his kids' school.

Brief Pilot Review:

Hiller and Diller bills itself as a sitcom with equal billing for the two stars but the pilot episode felt a lot more like Kevin Nealon was the lead and Richard Lewis was a supporting character. The pilot starts with a couple lame Dad jokes from Nealon before Dad jokes were even really a thing and the show establishes his home and family much more clearly. It is well into the show before we even meet Richard Lewis' character, it even comes after meeting his on screen children. It was an unusual approach. I understand the story reasons why they did it but it didn't do a very good job establishing the dynamics of the series going forward which I assume would have been a lot more about the relationship between Nealon and Lewis.

SCHEDULES OF THE PAST: 1997-1998 Tuesdays

On Tuesdays, I take a look at schedules from yesteryear. Here's a look at Tuesdays in the 1997-98 season!

ABC	8:00	8:30	9:00	9:30	10:00
Sep	Home Improvement	Soul Man	Home Improvement	Hiller and Diller	NYPD Blue
Oct	Soul Man	Over the Top
Nov	Grace Under Fire	Soul Man		Various Programs
Dec				Grace Under Fire
Jan	The Drew Carey Show
Feb
Mar	Home Improvement	Something So Right		That’s Life
Apr		Soul Man		Something So Right
May

ABC was revamping much of its Tuesday lineup with Roseanne having ended and Spin City moved to Wednesdays. Home Improvement and NYPD Blue remained as the 9pm and 10pm anchors but the other slots were a mess throughout the season. The plan was for Soul Man to lead off at 8pm after airing just three episodes in its first season. It was to be followed by Over the Top, a sitcom starring Tim Curry, Annie Potts and a young Steve Carell. However, Over the Top was re-tooled and its planned September premiere was pushed back to late October. Soul Man aired at 8:30pm following repeats of Home Improvement so it didn't have to compete with Mad About You right away. The lineup did eventually materialize but only for a couple weeks before Over the Top was cancelled. On top of scathing reviews, Over the Top was also part of some odd offstage drama because its executive producer had recently broken up with the ABC Entertainment President. Meanwhile at 9:30pm, a new show was also struggling. Hiller and Diller starred Kevin Nealon and Richard Lewis as an Odd Couple type of comedy writers. It was pulled for November Sweeps and only returned to Tuesday for a one-off episode in December before being pulled again. The ratings weren't terrible but it was losing huge amounts of the Home Improvement audience. Check back tomorrow for a One Season Wonder post on Hiller and Diller! To try to help stabilize the night, Grace Under Fire returned with a late premiere. The series had once been a Top 5 show but offscreen issues with star Brett Butler's erratic behavior and addiction struggles led to a pretty fast collapse for the show and in its fifth season, it was hanging on by a thread. It aired at 8pm and then 9:30pm before it was abruptly cancelled in February after Butler suffered another relapse in her addiction to painkillers. Repeats of The Drew Carey Show and Home Improvement aired at 8pm the rest of the way. In March, ABC aired the second season of Something So Right, a show it had rescued from NBC. NBC had some success poaching from ABC, most notably with 3rd Rock From the Sun so this was ABC's attempt to go the other way. It didn't work for them though as Something So Right was cancelled for the second time in two seasons in the spring. At the same time, a sitcom called That's Life aired at 9:30pm. The blue collar sitcom about a family in Queens was trashed by critics and lasted just a few weeks. After that, Something So Right moved to 9:30pm and Soul Man returned to 8:30pm. After all the carnage, only Home Improvement and NYPD Blue lived to see another season.

THE FRIDAY FIVE: Top 5 TV News Stories of the Week Ending 1/20/23

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

#1 - BIG DEBUT RATINGS FOR "THE LAST OF US" & "NIGHT COURT"

It was a week of big ratings news, one not surprising and one a complete surprise. The unsurprising news was a big debut for HBO's sweeping new drama The Last of Us. The video game adaptation has been heavily hyped and premiered to HBO's second best debut ratings since 2010 after last year's highly anticipated House of the Dragon. The bigger surprise came two nights later when NBC's revival of Night Court premiered to 7.55 million viewers and a 0.98 demo. That might not seem like a lot but it is huge for 2023. It was the best demo for ANY show on broadcast this season that didn't have an NFL lead-in. Its viewership was the best for an NBC comedy since the debut of the Will & Grace revival in September 2017. This was much more surprising because this show didn't seem to have much buzz and while the original was highly rated in its day, it hasn't really lived on in a big way in reruns. This result was truly perplexing but congratulations to all involved. 

VERY VERY: Playwriting

Back in the mid-1990s, Nick at Nite ran a programming block on the weekends called "Very Very Nick at Nite," which looked at four episodes with a similar theme. Now I will look at four sitcom episodes from across the decades that have a similar plot or theme. This week's topic is Very Very Playwriting!

This Week's Episodes

The Bob Newhart Show #136 "Group on a Hot Tin Roof" (First Aired: January 28, 1978)

The members of Bob's therapy group are upset when one of their group members writes a play with characters based on the other members of the group.

This episode has a really funny conceit and is a great used of the therapy group that became more prominent characters in the later years of The Bob Newhart Show. There was very strong casting of the altar egos for the group members that really makes this work. There's also a rare moment of serious physical comedy from Bob Newhart in a side plot involving science experiments for Emily's school.

The Dick Van Dyke Show #124 "Baby Fat" (First Aired: April 21, 1965)

Alan Brady asks Rob to secretly ghostwrite parts of a new Broadway play he is starring in.

I think this is a great plot for the episode but a little Alan Brady goes a long way for me and this episode has entirely too much Alan Brady. That being said, Dick Van Dyke has some moments where he really shines. I love the pettiness Rob has when he is being forced to be the "tailor" for Alan and is drawing on Alan's suit. This episode does suffer a bit though from not much screen time for Laura, Buddy or Sally.

ONE SEASON WONDERS: Brooklyn South

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

BROOKLYN SOUTH

September 22, 1997 - April 27, 1998

22 episodes

CBS

Starring: Jon Tenney, Michael DeLuise, Gary Basaraba, James B. Sikking, Yancy Butler, Titus Welliver, Klea Scott, Patrick McGaw, Richard T. Jones, Adam Rodriguez and Dylan Walsh

Created by: David Milch & Steven Bochco & Bill Clark & William M. Finkelstein

Plot: The lives of cops in the 74th precinct of Brooklyn. They are led by patrol sergeant Frank Donovan (Tenney) who is secretly reporting to Lt. Stan Jones (Sikking) from Internal Affairs. The pilot plot intersects those two worlds and also involves a policewoman and girlfriend of one of the victims, Ann-Marie Kersey (Butler). Other major characters include well-liked cop Jimmy Doyle (Walsh) who is paired with transfer Phil Roussakoff (DeLuise). There was also volatile cop Jack Lowery (Welliver). Many other cops populate the main cast.

Brief Pilot Review:

Brooklyn South started with a bang, literally. The entire cold open dealt with a cop shooting and subsequent chase scene that lasted several minutes and resulted in several more cops getting hit. It was intense and certainly marked Brooklyn South's arrival on the scene in a powerful way. The opening scene was well done, especially for a 1990s network drama. The rest of the pilot dealt with the fallout from the shooting making it clear that this was going to have a serialized element and not just be a "case of the week" show. In that respect, it felt a little more ambitious than most cop dramas on Broadcast TV in the decades since.

SCHEDULES OF THE PAST: 1997-1998 Mondays

On Tuesdays, I take a look at schedules from yesteryear. Here's a look at Mondays in the 1997-98 season!

ABC	8:00	9:00	10:00
Sep	Timecop	Monday Night Football
Oct
Nov	Various Programs
Dec
Jan	America’s Funniest Home Videos	20/20	The Practice
Feb
Mar
Apr	Push
May	America’s Funniest Home Videos

ABC continued to search for a proper lead-in to Monday Night Football as they had been unsuccessful since MacGyver went off the air in 1992. The newest attempt for Fall 1997 was sci-fi drama Timecop, based on the Jean-Claude Van Damme movie of the same name and set in the then-future 2007. None of the cast returned for the movie and the ratings were pretty terrible. It lasted just five weeks before it was pulled and specials aired in the 8pm hour for the rest of football season. ABC did not go with a movie as a replacement for football on Mondays, it went with a trio of shows. Following a short hiatus and the departure of Bob Saget, America's Funniest Home Videos returned to the lineup in the new time of Mondays at 8pm. The new hosts were John Fugelsang and Daisy Fuentes and while it wasn't a smash hit like it was in the early Saget days, it did well enough. The late 90s was the heyday for TV newsmagazines so 20/20 was ABC's big hit. The Thursday edition moved to Mondays and performed quite well at 9pm. Rounding out the new night was The Practice which had been critically acclaimed but languishing on Saturdays in its second season much to the chagrin of creator David E. Kelley. When it didn't die on Saturdays, ABC rewarded it with an upgrade to Mondays and the ratings started to climb. For a very short time, Videos was replaced by the new soapy drama Push. The series was about a group of young Olympic hopefuls and lasted just two weeks before being pulled from the schedule as Videos returned to 8pm.

THE FRIDAY FIVE: Top 5 TV News Stories of the Week Ending 1/13/22

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

#1 - GOLDEN GLOBE WINNERS

The Golden Globe Awards returned to TV after a year in the doghouse with a ceremony that aired on a Tuesday and was a little bit disjointed but not without its moments. Jerrod Carmichael got a few zingers off as host and was daring at times but also a bit low energy throughout the show. Some of the speeches also went insanely long, especially early in the night before they started running long. The big winners were Abbott Elementary and The White Lotus. Abbott won Outstanding Comedy Series and also picked up wins for Quinta Brunson and Tyler James Williams. The second season of The White Lotus picked up where the Emmys left off with wins for Limited/Anthology Series and Jennifer Coolidge (who gave the night's most memorable acceptance speech). There was a surprise in the Drama category where House of the Dragon scored an upset win, topping The Crown, Severance, Ozark and Better Call Saul. There was also the first major award win for The Bear with Jeremy Allen White winning Lead Actor in a Comedy Series. The numbers were down some from the last telecast in 2021, but not horribly so. This was NBC's last contractual year for the Globes but they seemed to not stick their foot in their mouth any further and they still got a fair number of stars to turn out despite early speculation that the industry might just abandon the awards so we'll see what happens to the telecast next year.

VERY VERY: Pool Hustler

Back in the mid-1990s, Nick at Nite ran a programming block on the weekends called "Very Very Nick at Nite," which looked at four episodes with a similar theme. Now I will look at four sitcom episodes from across the decades that have a similar plot or theme. This week's topic is Very Very Pool Hustler!

This Week's Episodes

The Brady Bunch #116 "The Hustler" (First Aired: March 1, 1974)

After Mike gets a pool table from his boss, Bobby becomes an expert in pool and takes on Mike's boss at a party.

The penultimate episode of The Brady Bunch (and the last to feature Robert Reed) is a Bobby-centric episode that features Jim Backus in a guest role as Mike's boss. It sort of feels like nothing really happens though. The episode seems like its steering towards Bobby getting a comeuppance for his pool obsessions but then he just beats Mike's boss and the episode sort of just... ends? I'm used to my Brady Bunch episodes having a lesson attached!

The Dick Van Dyke Show #35 "Hustling the Hustler" (First Aired: October 24, 1962)

Without knowing he's a pool shark, Rob invites Buddy's brother Blackie to dinner and a friendly game of pool.

This episode features great writing and a strong guest appearance from Phil Leeds as Buddy's brother. He really seems like a smuttier version of Buddy and his scenes with Dick Van Dyke (which take up large chunks of the episode) are great. Those pool scenes could drag on but they don't because of the evolution Leeds has as he slowly swindles Rob. The ending is clever too.

ONE SEASON WONDERS: Bless This House

On Wednesdays, I take a look at shows that lasted one season or less. Here's a look at Bless This House!

BLESS THIS HOUSE

September 11, 1995 - January 17, 1996

16 episodes

CBS

Starring: Cathy Moriarty, Andrew Clay, Molly Price, Don Stark, Raegan Kotz, Sam Gifaldi

Created by: Bruce Helford

Plot: Burt Clayton (Clay) is a postal worker living in New Jersey with his wife, Alice (Moriarty) and children (Kotz & Gifaldi). Rounding out the main cast is friends of the couple, Phyllis and Lenny (Price & Stark).

Brief Pilot Review:

I'm not familiar with Andrew Clay as a comic and I know this was a very sanitized version of his schtick but I was pretty put off by it in this pilot. It seemed to want to be a little gruff while being about as formulaic of a sitcom as it can be. The series was incredibly broad and tried to push the envelope in all the wrong ways (the mom referring to her pre-teen daughter's "hooters" or a vampy customer at the post office asking Burt to lick her stamps). The pilot episode did have a solid through line about getting a new house and the series dove right into the plot so the exposition was at a minimum and I appreciate that especially when it doesn't need any real exposition.

TOP 10 TUESDAY: Top 10 Most Anticipated New Shows of 2023

Last week, I looked at My Top 10 Most Anticipated Returning Shows for 2023. This week, I turn towards the new shows. This is more of a crapshoot because I don't know how these shows will turn out. On last year's list, my Top 2 were The First Lady and The Gilded Age and I ended up feeling "meh" at best about both of them. Meanwhile, one of my favorites like The Bear wasn't even on my radar. But based on what I know now, here are My Top 10 Most Anticipated New Shows of 2023!

Honorable Mentions (shows that look interesting but I'm skeptical if they'll really work for me and my tastes): The Last of Us (HBO), The Idol (HBO), Masters of the Air (Apple TV+), All the Light We Cannot See (Netflix)

10. FULL CIRCLE (TBD, HBO Max)

There isn't too much information on this show yet but it is notable for being a rare venture into television by acclaimed film director Steven Soderbergh. He has only done a few TV projects in his career, most notably The Knick. This one centers on a botched kidnapping that uncovers long held secrets in New York City. The all-star cast includes Dennis Quaid, Zazie Beetz, Claire Danes and Timothy Olyphant. With the HBO brand and big names in front of and behind the camera, I think this could be a provocative and interesting show.

9. THE COMPANY YOU KEEP (February 19, ABC)

While broadcast comedies have continued to be strong, it's been awhile since I've been really into a new broadcast drama. Perhaps the last one was This is Us. Well, now This is Us star Milo Ventimiglia is back for The Company You Keep, a romantic thriller about an affair between a con man and an undercover CIA officer (Catherine Haena Kim). This could end up going the way of other disappointing shows like it (such as NBC's Undercovers) but with Ventimiglia as the star, I'm willing to give it a shot.

THE FRIDAY FIVE: Top 5 TV News Stories of the Week Ending 1/6/23

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

#1 - BILLS-BENGALS WILL NOT RESUME

It was the story of the week (or at least tied with the House of Representatives shenanigans) that was primarily a sports story but also a TV story. As I'm sure everyone knows by now, Monday Night Football was suspended when the scary situation of Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin passing out on the field and having to be given CPR to resuscitate him. The good news is that Hamlin is continuing to improve though he remains in critical condition. And the attention started to turn to what to do about the game. The NFL announced on Thursday night that the game, which was only in the first quarter when it was suspended, will not resume. The playoff seeding will be based on win percentage while certain circumstances may warrant the AFC Championship Game being played on a neutral site. I was critical of the initial handling by the NFL with how long it took to cancel the game for the night. But I do think they have made the right moves since. This is an unprecedented situation and there was no perfect solution. This seems like the least disruptive way forward while acknowledging potential inequities. 

VERY VERY: Snowbound

This is a new feature on the blog that will run on Thursdays. Back in the mid-1990s, Nick at Nite ran a programming block on the weekends called "Very Very Nick at Nite," which looked at four episodes with a similar theme. Now I will look at four sitcom episodes from across the decades that have a similar plot or theme. We are starting, fittingly enough for early January, with Very Very Snowbound!

This Week's Episodes

227 #57 "Snowbound" (First Aired: January 9, 1988)

The residents gather in Mary's apartment during a blizzard.

I believe this is the first full episode of 227 I've seen in my life. I felt like this was actually a really good episode to watch to get a sense of the characters and how they interact with each other since they were all in the same room for much of the episode. It had some funny moments and I always enjoy when characters play a board game together even if Monopoly predictably devolved into arguments.

I Love Lucy #148 "Lucy in the Swiss Alps" (First Aired: March 26, 1956)

The Ricardos and Mertzes get trapped in a cabin while hiking in Switzerland.

This isn't an episode that is often talked about when discussing the best or even "second tier" episodes of I Love Lucy but it is not without its moments. The episode takes awhile to get going (and the mountain scenes are very cheap looking even for a 1950s show) but it gets very funny once they get trapped in the cabin. Lucy trying to secretly eat the cheese sandwich is a highlight.

ONE SEASON WONDERS: Matt Waters

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

MATT WATERS

Programming Details:
January 3, 1996 - February 7, 1996
6 episodes
CBS

Starring: Montel B. Williams, Kristen Wilson, Richard Chevolleau, Cyndi Cartagena, Felix A. Pire, Nathaniel Marston, Amy Hargreaves and Sam McMurray
Created by: James D. Parriott & Steven Phillip Smith

Plot: Matt Waters (Williams) is a retired naval officer returning to his alma mater, Bayview High School, to teach science after his brother is killed in a gang-related murder. The rest of the cast included his colleagues (Moore, McMurray) and students (Chevolleau, Pire, Cartagena, Marston, Hargreaves)

Brief Pilot Review:
This is a very standard school drama that we've seen in many TV shows and movies. We've got a tough guy who's new to teaching coming in and trying to deal with a population that wants nothing to do with him but of course he's going to win him over with his unconventional teaching methods like offering money to students! Look, I know many TV shows have cliches about the professions they depict, but since I'm a teacher, the school-set ones can sometimes get an extra critical eye from me. 

TOP 10 TUESDAY: Top 10 Most Anticipated Returning Shows of 2023

Happy New Year! I'm kicking off 2023 with a look at my Top 10 Most Anticipated Returning Shows of 2023. For this list, I am sticking with shows that have not yet aired in this Emmy cycle and also looking at shows that are definitely or very likely to return in 2023 whereas some others like Euphoria are more unknown. So here we go! Check out my list from last year!

10. AMERICAN AUTO (January 24, NBC)

The 2021-22 TV season saw a slew of strong new broadcast comedies. Abbott Elementary got most of the attention and whatever attention Abbott didn't get went to Ghosts. Those two shows are very deserving but there was another show that flew under the radar with a quietly strong first season. American Auto is a spiritual successor to Superstore. It was perhaps less fully formed than the two other comedies mentioned but it really found its groove as the first season went on. I'm really glad NBC renewed the show and I expect it will really hit its stride in Season Two.

9. THE OTHER TWO (TBD, HBO Max)

So far, The Other Two has thankfully been spared from HBO Max's purge of content that has included cancelling some already renewed series. I love this little show that could, a cast-off from Comedy Central. I feel like it's a show that a very small number of people love but most people have never heard of. With jokes coming at you left and right and nonstop, it also showed a surprising amount of heart in the second season. It's probably too much to hope for the third season breaking out, I'll just hope it actually makes it to the air.