THE FRIDAY FIVE: Top 5 TV News Stories of the Week Ending 3/17/22

Here's a look at the Top 5 TV news stories this week! Also a reminder that this blog will be taking a two week break after this week with posts resuming April 4!

#1 - OSCARS RECAP & RATINGS

The Oscars were held on Sunday night and plenty has already been written about the telecast. A year after the infamous slap incident, the Oscars played it safe. The ceremony felt like a throwback to older Oscars ceremony with a very classic look, a safe but funny monologue from host Jimmy Kimmel and purposeful attention to not causing waves. It all felt pretty classy except for the shameless studio plugs (a trailer during the actual ceremony??). Among winners, it was Everything Everywhere All at Once that dominated with all major awards except for Lead Actor (which it was not up for and went to Brendan Fraser for The Whale). In terms of ratings, the telecast was up 12% from last year to 18.7 million viewers. That's a far cry from the ratings it used to get, even less than ten years ago. But it is the second straight year the ratings have risen. I don't follow movies nearly as much as TV but it always feels like the Oscars are so predictable in terms of winners. I thought the set design was really nice even though the whole affair felt a little boring.

VERY VERY: Little League

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 Little League!

This Week's Episodes

Bewitched #6 "Little Pitchers Have Big Fears" (First Aired: October 22, 1964)

Samantha helps a shy young boy try out for his little league team in spite of his overprotective mother.

This episode is very emblematic of the wonderful early years of Bewitched when it was a totally different show from the wacky 60s sitcom it became. Sure, there was a little bit of witchcraft - the show is called Bewitched after all - but it was mostly a sweet and earnest story. There were strong guest appearances by June Lockhart (shortly after her run on Lassie) as well as Jerry Mathers (The Beaver's) younger brother, Jimmy. It had some gentle humor, mostly provided by the always reliable Alice Pearce, but it was much more about heart and it was a solid and well developed plot.

Cheers #30 "Manager Coach" (First Aired: November 24, 1983)

Coach becomes a youth baseball manager but his competitiveness turns him into a tyrant with the young kids.

This episode is a great showcase for Nicholas Colasanto. Even though he was only on the show for less than three seasons, he got a few stories where he could really stand out. Colasanto was so funny in the way he treated the kids throughout - from their nicknames to ripping them to shreds. It showed what a versatile actor Colasanto could be as he was usually a lovable character. There's also a really funny and classic cold open (unrelated to baseball) where the entire bar puts Carla's baby to sleep over the phone.

ONE SEASON WONDERS: Encore! Encore!

On Wednesdays, I take a look at shows that lasted one season or less. Here's a look at 1998's Encore! Encore!

ENCORE! ENCORE!

September 22, 1998 - January 27, 1999

11 episodes

NBC

Starring: Nathan Lane, Glenne Headly, Ernie Sabella, James Patrick Stuart, Trevor Fehrman and Joan Plowright

Created by: David Angell, Peter Casey, David Lee, Chuck Ranberg, Anne Flett-Giordano

Plot: Joseph Pinoni (Lane) is a famous opera singer on the verge of a major career achievement when his vocal cords are damaged. He returns home to Napa Valley to recover and stays with his family, including sister Francesca (Headly), nephew Michael (Fehrman) and mother Marie (Plowright). Rounding out the main cast is the vineyard manager, Leo (Sabella).

Brief Pilot Review:

This pilot seemed to show how Frasier could have gone horribly wrong (even with some of the same names involved). It was a show that tried to be highbrow but wasn't actually. The setting and Nathan Lane's character were very stuffy and highbrow but the show was just a standard sitcom with standard sitcom jokes. It shows how well Frasier pulled off its farce style with highbrow characters. I think that's because they misunderstood Nathan Lane's brand of humor and how best to make him funny. Lane is a naturally funny person but he does best with broad comedy, that's what makes him such a great stage actor. The role he had in this show didn't work for that because the character didn't seem to make sense for Lane aside from being a singer (and it wasn't like he was going to sing since the character's vocal chords were shot).

SCHEDULES OF THE PAST: 1998-1999 Tuesdays

On Tuesdays, I take a look at schedules from yesteryear. Here's a look at Tuesdays in the 1998-99 season! Also, after this week, the blog will be taking a two week break for Spring Break. New posts will return on April 4.

ABC	8:00	8:30	9:00	9:30	10:00
Sep	Home Improvement	The Hughleys	Spin City	Sports Night	Various Programs
Oct					NYPD Blue
Nov
Dec
Jan
Feb
Mar					Strange World
Apr					NYPD Blue
May

ABC was a mess on Tuesdays in the 1997-98 season except for Home Improvement and NYPD Blue, but the night stabilized quite a bit for them in the 1998-99 season though trouble was on the horizon with the ending of Home Improvement. One of the most popular shows in the 1990s, Home Improvement moved up an hour to air at 8pm on Tuesdays. Stars Tim Allen and Patricia Richardson were offered large salaries to continue for a ninth season but made the decision to walk away at the end of the season and the series ended after eight seasons and 204 episodes. Impressively, it never dropped out of the Top 10 in the Nielsen Ratings during its run. It was followed by a new family comedy. The Hughleys starred comedian D.L. Hughley as a father who moves his family from inner city Los Angeles to suburbia. The series performed decently but wasn't a breakout hit following the still potent Improvement. At 9pm, Spin City moved back to Tuesdays after spending a year on Wednesdays. The series continued to be a solid performer though it never became a cornerstone to build a lineup around. At 9:30pm was new comedy Sports Night. The first TV outing from Aaron Sorkin, it was a single camera comedy at a time that was very rare for network TV. Set at a fictional Sportscenter-type show, the series was instantly acclaimed and championed by critics but it struggled to find a wide audience. It managed to get renewed based in large part on the reviews and not the Nielsen numbers. NYPD Blue continued at 10pm with a mid-October start as the series had done several times before. The series went through a transition in its sixth season with Jimmy Smits departing five episodes into the season. Dennis Franz's character got yet another new partner in Rick Schroder starting in episode six. ABC put Blue on hiatus for a brief period in March to air the new Strange World. The sci-fi drama, which centered on an Army doctor battling infectious diseases with an otherworldly cure to his own disease, was supposed to run longer but only made it three episodes before being cancelled. The comedy lineup stayed in tact for the entire season though it was obvious ABC had some work to do with the impending void about to be left by Home Improvement's departure.

THE FRIDAY FIVE: Top 5 TV News Stories of the Week Ending 3/10/23

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

#1 - "BARRY" ENDING WITH SEASON FOUR

Shortly after announcing the end of Succession, HBO announced this week that the upcoming fourth season of Barry will also be its final season and will premiere on April 16 (airing after Succession on the linear channel). While the Succession news came as a bit of a surprise, it was much less surprising for Barry. The show seemed to be hurdling towards a conclusion and some of the actors have hinted at this being the final season well before the official announcement. The series, which has been nominated for an Emmy for Comedy Series in each of its first three seasons has gotten increasingly dark so it will be interesting to see what happens for the final season. The series finale is slated for May 28.

VERY VERY: Ballet

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 Ballet!

This Week's Episodes

Cheers #107 "Dance, Diane, Dance" (First Aired: December 18, 1986)

Diane reveals she has been taking ballet lessons and the gang tries to keep her from finding out about a bad review from her ballet teacher.

This episode is a fun showcase for Shelley Long not long before her departure from the series. It's also a funny mix of sweetness and humor because the gang at the bar does really look out for Diane while also relentlessly laughing behind her back. There was a nice choice to not show how bad Diane was on the video but just show the characters' reaction. It made it that much funnier. There's also a really great scene between Long and George Wendt, two characters who didn't have a ton of interaction relatively speaking. 

Family Affair #22 "Ballerina Buffy" (First Aired: February 20, 1967)

Buffy gets the lead role of Little Red Riding Hood in her ballet recital but worries she'll become a famous ballet dancer who has to leave her family so she purposely messes up the performance.

It has been years since I've watched an episode of Family Affair before this episode. It's part of that subgenre of the super tame sitcoms from the era. They inspired smiles much more than laughs. This episode was part of a string of episodes that featured John Williams as the brother of Sebastian Cabot's character, French because Cabot was off the show due to an extended illness. Williams doesn't make much of an impression. Young Anissa Jones does a pretty decent job. The line deliveries from her and Johnny Whitaker are a little rough sometimes but Jones does have some nice moments.

ONE SEASON WONDERS: The Brian Benben Show

On Wednesdays, I take a look at a show that lasted one season or less. Here's a look at 1998's The Brian Benben Show!

THE BRIAN BENBEN SHOW

September 21, 1998 - October 12, 1998

4 episodes

CBS

Starring: Brian Benben, Susan Blommaert, Charles Esten, Wendell Pierce, Luis Antonio Ramos, Lisa Thornhill

Created by: Robert Borden

Plot: Brian Benben (Benben) is a news anchor for KYLA-TV in Los Angeles. He is fired by his boss Beverly Shippel (Blommaert) and replaced by newer and younger anchor, Chad Rockwell (Esten). However, Brian gets to come back to the network as a human interest reporter after a freak accident to the previous reporter. Rounding out the main cast is weather reporter Billy Hernandez (Ramos), sports anchor Kevin La Rue (Pierce) and new co-anchor Tabitha Berkeley (Thornhill).

Brief Pilot Review:

This was one of those pilots that was inherently somewhat interesting to me because it was set at a TV station and those types of shows always interest me. But this was not The Mary Tyler Moore Show or Murphy Brown, this was a mostly unfunny pilot. The main character (with the same first and last name as the actor) was the best part of the sitcom. Brian Benben had a few naturally funny moments and an easygoing personality. But he wasn't enough of a personality to transcend an otherwise by-the-book sitcom. The 90s had many stand-up comics getting their own sitcom and though they ranged wildly in quality, they usually took on some of the voice of the comic. This was a show built around an actor but not a stand-up comic so it was lacking a voice.

SCHEDULES OF THE PAST: 1998-1999 Mondays

On Tuesdays, I take a look at schedules from yesteryear. Here's a look at Mondays in the 1998-99 season!

ABC	8:00	8:30	9:00	10:00
Sep	Monday Night Blast	Monday Night Football
Oct
Nov
Dec
Jan	20/20		Monday Night Movie
Feb
Mar
Apr
May

After years of failed shows leading into Monday Night Football, ABC decided to just abandon a lead-in show for the 1998-99 season. They went with a brief pregame show called Monday Night Blast hosted by Chris Berman and then the game started at 8:20pm. The team at Monday Night Football did not include Frank Gifford for the first time since the inaugural season in 1970. Gifford was replaced (unwillingly) by Boomer Esiason, who joined Al Michaels and Dan Dierdorf in the booth. After experimenting with no movie in the 1998 winter, a movie came back in January to replace Football. Its lead-in was 20/20 as ABC was consolidating all its newsmagazines under the 20/20 moniker at the time.

THE FRIDAY FIVE: Top 5 TV News Stories of the Week Ending 3/3/23

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

#1 - SAG AWARD WINNERS

The Screen Actors Guild Awards were held on Sunday night. While that is primarily of interest for what it means in the Oscar race, there are also TV awards handed out. It just is always a little odd with "awards season" not being at the same time as the Emmys so there's some 2022 Emmy contenders competing against 2023 contenders. The awards were pretty spread out as only The White Lotus was the winner of more than one TV award (Drama Ensemble and Drama Actress for Jennifer Coolidge). The other big winner was Abbott Elementary for Comedy Ensemble and there several surprises. Jason Bateman winning for Ozark over Better Call Saul's Bob Odenkirk for Drama Actor was a surprise but not as much of a surprise in the bizarre Limited Series acting categories where two upsets happened - Jessica Chastain won Limited Series Actress for George & Tammy, which had very little buzz on Showtime, while Sam Elliott won Limited Series Actor for 1883. This doesn't mean all that much for the Emmy tea leaves with upcoming shows like Ted Lasso, Succession and The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel not eligible. But it does show that The White Lotus can hang with the big kids in Drama and Abbott Elementary remains strong.

VERY VERY: First Meeting

 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 First Meeting!

This Week's Episodes

Coach #44 "When Hayden Met Christine" (First Aired: December 11, 1990)

As Hayden gets ready for a charity event after breaking up with Christine, he reminisces about meeting Christine at the same event four years earlier.

Hayden and Christine aren't one of my all-time favorite TV couples because I never felt like there was a ton of chemistry between Craig T. Nelson and Shelley Fabares, even if they're both pretty good characters in their own right. This episode also doesn't quite work for me because of how quickly Christine turns around on Hayden. She goes from being annoyed with him throughout the episode to being enamored by him in a matter of seconds and I don't really buy it.

The Dick Van Dyke Show #6 "Oh How We Met on the Night That We Danced" (First Aired: October 31, 1961)

Rob and Laura reminisce about the first time they met when Rob was in the army and Laura was a USO performer.

Few shows did flashbacks as well as The Dick Van Dyke Show. The show always incorporated the scenes well and it helped fill in the history of the characters we grew to love. This flashback does have the unfortunate issue of including Sol Pomeroy (Marty Ingals), an irritating side character. While there's no Morey Amsterdam or Rose Marie, it's a great early episode in the series to build up the undeniable chemistry between Dick Van Dyke and Mary Tyler Moore. Their performance of "You, Wonderful You" is really charming right up to the broken toe.

ONE SEASON WONDERS: Alright Already

On Wednesdays, I take a look at a show that lasted one season or less. Here's a look at 1997's Alright Already!

ALRIGHT ALREADY

September 7, 1997 - May 4, 1998
21 episodes
WB

Starring: Carol Leifer, Amy Yasbeck, Stacy Galina, Mitzi McCall, Maury Sterling and Jerry Adler

Created by: Carol Leifer

Plot: Carol Lerner (Leifer) is a single woman running an optometry shop in Miami with her best friend, Renee (Yasbeck). She also has an interesting relationship with her parents (McCall & Adler) and younger siblings Jessica and Vaughn (Galina & Sterling).

Brief Pilot Review:

There were things to like in this pilot, which definitely had a distinct voice from Leifer. I can understand why there was an interest in building a show around her. She was a strong personality even when certain elements in the pilot didn't work. Her comedic timing was on full display when she was interacting with the neighbors and pretending she had a child so they would turn their music down. It sort of had the feel of a Seinfeld episode, which is where Leifer came from before this show. It was a little lie that snowballed and got funnier with each passing moment.