THE FRIDAY FIVE: Top 5 TV News Stories of the Week Ending 4/28/23

Next week, I will be presenting my regular Schedules of the Past post on Tuesday followed by Emmy Previews on Wednesday & Thursday and then another Friday Five. Then the following week will be my final week for the "season" on the blog with Emmy Previews on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday and a Summer Preview to end the week. I am ending my blog posts for the season a little bit earlier this year due to many other things going on in my life but I will be doing the Benjamonster Awards again in July!

Anyway, here are the Top 5 TV news stories of the week!

#1 - TUCKER CARLSON & DON LEMON GONE FROM CABLE NEWS

The week started with a bang with two cable news bombshells that were released within an hour of each other. Tucker Carlson was dropped from FOX News less than a week after FOX's huge settlement with Dominion Voting Systems. Reportedly, the findings from the potential trial resulted in some very troubling details of the work environment at Carlson's show plus his thoughts about management at FOX News. Still, this was a bombshell announcement despite the many rooting for this day to come. Carlson presided over the top cable news show so this was no small story or scapegoat for the conservative media giant. Just as people were grappling with this news, CNN revealed that their morning anchor (and former primetime anchor) Don Lemon was gone, months after he stepped in hot water with a comment about Nikki Haley's age. Lemon was also known for some troubling behind the scenes behavior. Both of these anchors were longtime stalwarts at the network and it certainly represents a seismic shift in cable news as we get into the 2024 election.

VERY VERY: Family Ancestry

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 Family Ancestry!

This Week's Episodes

227 #3 "Family Hero" (First Aired: September 28, 1985)

Mary helps Brenda with a family ancestry assignment for school and discovers that they are related to a Civil War corporal.

This is an early episode of 227 and only the second episode I've ever seen of the show (the other was a later one for Very Very Snowbound earlier this year). I think it's clear that the actors are still finding their characters and dynamics with each other. This episode would probably play a little different now because there probably wouldn't be nearly as much of an emphasis on the ancestor wearing a dress. But it was 1985, so it is what it is. This episode is an interesting plot but the execution is only so-so which is probably due in part to being so early in the run.

The Addams Family #5 "The Addams Family Tree" (First Aired: October 16, 1964)

When a classmate of Pugsley and his father make fun of the Addams, Gomez hires a genealogist to find ancestors they can brag about.

It's interesting that some of this episode is about ancestry because that's the basis of the ensemble in musical adaptation of The Addams Family. It seems like this episode had an impact on the development of the musical. One thing that's interesting about this episode is the Addams do seem to care what others think, which is not always a trait they have. The great Frank Nelson, a frequent guest star on I Love Lucy, makes a nice impact as the father of Pugsley's friend. But how many times in the series does a guest star get spooked by Thing or Lurch or Kitty?

ONE SEASON WONDERS: Fantasy Island

FANTASY ISLAND

September 26, 1998 - January 23, 1999

13 episodes

ABC

Starring: Malcolm McDowell, Madchen Amick, Edward Hibbert, Louis Lombardi, with Sylvia Sidney and Fyvush Finkel

Based on: Fantasy Island by Gene Levitt, Developed by Bob Josephson

Plot: A remake of the popular 1977-1984 anthology, each week new guests arrive at the mysterious Fantasy Island where they encounter Mr. Roarke (McDowell) and his shapeshifting lieutenant, Ariel (Amick). Rounding out the main cast is the island bellhop, Cal (Lombardi), the concierge, Harry (Hibbert) and two travel agents who work with Roarke (Finkel & Sidney).

Brief Pilot Review:

I never watched the original Fantasy Island but I know it is full of 70s cheesiness and "Da plane! Da plane!" moments. From what I know though, this version, which came in between the original and the recent FOX redo seems to be the darkest of the three. That's due in large part to Malcolm McDowell who always brings an element of darkness and perhaps even creepiness to roles. He is driving figure in the first episode as we don't really get to know the other characters much. Beyond McDowell, the most attention is given to the guest stars of the week. The production quality was strong as it needed to be for a luxurious island setting.

SCHEDULES OF THE PAST: 1998-1999 Saturdays

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

ABC	8:00	9:00	10:00
Sep	America’s Funniest Home Videos	Fantasy Island	Cupid
Oct
Nov
Dec
Jan	Saturday Night Movie		Fantasy Island
Feb			Various Programs
Mar
Apr	The Big Moment	Saturday Night Movie
May	Various Programs

Despite year after year of failures with scripted programming, ABC gave it the old college try again in 1998-99 with two new series and a new slot for America's Funniest Home Videos. Videos was in its second and final year of the John Fugelsang & Daisy Fuentes era and was pretty much an afterthought for the network at the time. At 9pm was Fantasy Island, the first remake of the iconic 1977-1984 series. The original series aired on Saturday nights at 10pm on ABC for its entire run so this was a return to the same network and night. This incarnation starred Malcolm McDowell as the mysterious Mr. Roarke. Check back tomorrow for a One Season Wonder post on Fantasy Island! ABC stayed in the whimsical realm at 10pm with Cupid, a dramedy about a man who believes he is Cupid and sent by Zeus to connect 100 couples without using his powers. Created by Rob Thomas and starring Jeremy Piven, the series had its share of fans but like all things on Saturday night on ABC, it couldn't find an audience. None of the three series could and ABC bagged the lineup by the New Year. Videos went to another night and Fantasy Island lasted another month at 10pm before being cancelled. Cupid briefly went to Thursdays before being cancelled though it didn't leave ABC's mind forever as a revival of the series was attempted in 2009 to the same results. ABC pretty much aired movies and various specials on Saturdays for the rest of the season with one brief attempt at a game show, The Big Moment, hosted by Brad Sherwood.

THE FRIDAY FIVE: Top 5 TV News Stories of the Week Ending 4/21/23

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

#1 - FOX NEWS & DOMINION REACH SETTLEMENT

This was one of those weeks where one of the biggest TV stories was also one of the biggest politics stories. Just before a trial got underway, FOX News reached a settlement with Dominion Voting Systems that saw them paying the company $787.5 million after Dominion sued FOX News for defamation after fraudulent claims regarding the 2020 election. While this was a huge amount of money, many were left feeling that FOX sort of got away without having to truly admit to their lies and help in spreading former President Trump's false claims about the 2020 election. The findings showed that many of FOX's top talent including Tucker Carlson and Laura Ingraham didn't really believe what they were spreading. Whether or not this has any impact on the hugely popular conservative news network going forward remains to be seen but I wouldn't hold my breath. 

VERY VERY: Séance

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 Séance!

This Week's Episodes

Cheers #191 "The Ghost and Mrs. LeBec" (First Aired: April 12, 1990)

When Carla starts dating someone for the first time since her husband's death, she sees her dead husband's face everywhere so she decides to bring a fortune teller to the bar to hold a séance. 

Cheers is an interesting show on this list. You didn't see a show like Cheers dabbling in a trope like seances very often. The show is usually "above" something goofy like that unless it has a particular purpose. I'm not 100% on board that they needed to do the séance scene to make this plot work. Although this is listed first (because I list shows alphabetically), it was the fourth show I watched and I realized séance scenes sort of play very similarly in these sitcoms, despite some of them being decades apart. It doesn't quite feel like it works on a show like Cheers.

Get Smart #64 "The Spirit is Willing" (First Aired: October 14, 1967)

Max is confused after he meets an informer who supposedly died months before so he holds a séance to try to get in touch with her.

I have always loved this episode of Get Smart. It's delightfully creepy and suspenseful and also a very well crafted episode. Guest star Ina Balin has a lot to do in this episode and she does a great job. The episode is full of twists and turns and I remember being surprised by some of them the first time I saw the episode. This episode is an example of Get Smart at its finest - a genuinely compelling plot that's still peppered with all the silliness Get Smart usually brings. Sometimes the scales are tipped a little too far on the silly side. Not here. This is among the best Get Smart episodes.

ONE SEASON WONDERS: Buddy Faro

BUDDY FARO

September 25, 1998 - December 4, 1998

8 episodes

CBS

Starring: Dennis Farina, Frank Whaley, Allison Smith, Charlie Robinson

Created by: Mark Frost

Plot: Buddy Faro (Farina) was a legendary detective who abruptly disappeared in 1978. Twenty years later, he is tracked down by a PI, Bob Jones (Whaley) and he re-opens his agency with actress Julie Barber (Smith) and his old partner, El Jefe (Robinson).

Brief Pilot Review:

This was a really fun pilot but it left me with very little understanding of what kind of show Buddy Faro was going to be. It was very much an origin story that had an awful lot of exposition to get through. The entire first half of the episode was nothing like the type of show Buddy was destined to become because we had to actually spend time finding the missing detective. However, it was clear from the get go that Buddy Faro was a very stylish show. It seemed to be relishing an old school noir feel with a jazzy score that paid homage to the late 60s spy and secret agent shows like The Man From U.N.C.L.E. For being a network pilot from 1998, the production design was awfully stylish and somewhat ambitious.

SCHEDULES OF THE PAST: 1998-1999 Fridays

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

ABC	8:00	8:30	9:00	9:30	10:00
Sep	Two of a Kind	Boy Meets World	Sabrina the Teenage Witch	Brother’s Keeper	20/20
Oct
Nov
Dec
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr	Sabrina the Teenage Witch		Two Guys, a Girl and a Pizza Place
May	Home Improvement		Sabrina the Teenage Witch

ABC took care of the new competing CBS family lineup in 1997-98 but the battle seemed to leave ABC's once powerful TGIF lineup in a weaker state. They tried to liven up the night by bringing the Olsen Twins back to the night for their first TV show since Full House went off the air in 1995. It seemed like a good bet because the Olsen Twins were still quite well known in pop culture but Two of a Kind was met with a shrug by audiences and was not capable of leading off the night. It was off the air in early April and marked the end of the vaunted Miller-Boyett productions. Two veterans followed with Boy Meets World at 8:30pm and Sabrina the Teenage Witch at 9pm while another new sitcom, Brother's Keeper, debuted at 9:30pm. Brother's Keeper was an Odd Couple-style sitcom about two brothers and starred William Ragsdale and Sean O'Bryan. It was the lowest rated show in the block but actually lasted longer on the night than Two of a Kind as it aired the full season before being cancelled. When Two of a Kind was pulled from the lineup, ABC put Sabrina at 8pm briefly and moved Two Guys, a Girl and a Pizza Place over to the night at 9pm. To close the season, Sabrina returned to 9pm while repeats of the soon-to-depart Home Improvement aired at 8pm. Throughout the season, 20/20 continued to easily be Friday's top draw on any network with another Top 20 showing.

THE FRIDAY FIVE: Top 5 TV News Stories of the Week Ending 4/14/23

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

#1 - HBO MAX TO BECOME MAX IN MAY

It has been anticipated for awhile but it became official this week. HBO Max will officially merge with Discovery+ to become a new service simply called "Max" on May 23. This was part of a deliberate attempt to remove the "HBO" name from the platform but it's heading from a unique platform (& look) to something so generic in its title and visuals. Do we really need another blue-themed streaming service after Prime Video, Paramount+ and Disney+? I liked that Hulu was green, Netflix was red, HBO Max was purple and so on but I digress. The pricing mostly aligns with current HBO Max pricing and while customers can still get Discovery+ as its own entity, that will not be the case for people who just want the HBO Max content and don't care about Discovery+ (*raises hand*). I don't fully understand the business behind all of this and I get that those Discovery shows are very popular. But I just think losing the HBO brand is bad for the image of carefully curated and top notch content. Of course, there will still be HBO proper as a channel and all those shows will continue to air on Max. But I just don't like it. I think it's a terrible name and a terrible pivot. 

VERY VERY: Home Stakeout

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 Home Stakeout!

This Week's Episodes

Coach #197 "The Neighbor Hood" (First Aired: April 23, 1997)

Christine signs for a package for their Florida neighbors, who they don't really know, and then find out that they have the attention of the secret service.

This is the last regular episode of Coach before the three part series finale. This episode is set up well because it plays into Hayden's reluctance to interact with anyone but when he finally does interact with the neighbors, after two years, they get embroiled in a stakeout. Unlike the rest of the episodes on this list, the agents actually want active participation from the sitcom characters we know and love. That creates a really funny scene with Hayden and Christine (and eventually Luther and Dauber).

The Dick Van Dyke Show #154 "The Man From My Uncle" (First Aired: April 20, 1966)

Rob and Laura agree to let government agents set up a stakeout in Ritchie's bedroom to keep an eye on a neighbor and Rob excitedly wants to get involve.

The only series regulars who appear in this episode are Dick Van Dyke and Mary Tyler Moore. While the other regulars are missed, Dick Van Dyke more than makes up for it with a tour de force comedic performance. Rob is so ridiculous and insufferable in this episode yet Van Dyke plays it with great earnestness. He's helped by a strong dynamic with guest star Godfrey Cambridge, a well-known stand-up comedian at the time who died at the age of 43 in 1976. They were so funny together that it made me want to watch more episodes with the two of them.

ONE SEASON WONDERS: Vengeance Unlimited

VENGEANCE UNLIMITED

September 29, 1998 - February 25, 1999

16 episodes

ABC

Starring: Michael Madsen, Kathleen York

Created by: John McNamara & David Simkins

Plot: Mr. Chapel (Madsen) works in the shadows to serve justice to those who deserve it but got away with crimes for one reason or another. He secretly works with a member of the District Attorney's office, K.C. Griffin (York).

Brief Pilot Review:

I thought the first couple minutes of Vengeance Unlimited was very interesting. It basically took us through an entire case that got us to the point of justice not being served in the case of the week. Despite being fast-paced (or maybe because it was fast-paced), it worked quite well. I felt like I had a really good understanding of the plot for the particular crime that had been committed and I was already irritated at those involved (guest stars Gregory Itzin & Gregg Henry) who were about to get a big old dose of, you guessed it, vengeance unlimited. This was a show that knew it wasn't about the initial crime, it was about what happened after. It's like what might have happened if you tacked another hour onto your average Law & Order episode.

SCHEDULES OF THE PAST: 1998-1999 Thursdays

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

ABC	8:00	9:00	9:30	10:00
Sep	Various Programs	Thursday Night Movie
Oct	Vengeance Unlimited
Nov
Dec
Jan		Cupid		Various Programs
Feb
Mar	America’s Funniest Home Videos	The Drew Carey Show	Spin City
Apr
May	Thursday Night Movie

ABC stuck with its plan it used for the second half of the 1997-98 season on Thursdays to start the 1998-99 season with a drama leading into a movie. New drama Vengeance Unlimited took the 8pm slot. Vengeance Unlimited was a crime drama starring Michael Madsen and Kathleen York and it centered on a stranger serving justice to those ignored by the law. Check back tomorrow for a One Season Wonder post on Vengeance Unlimited! A movie aired throughout the fall but ABC brought over Cupid to 9pm in January after it had struggled on Saturday. Various programs aired at 10pm including several ABC News specials. By March, Vengeance Unlimited and Cupid had been pulled from the schedule. America's Funniest Home Videos aired at 8pm. The show was in its second season of the new incarnation hosted by John Fugelsang and Daisy Fuentes. It was cancelled at the end of the season but returned in 2001 for its long second act that continues to this day. Repeats of The Drew Carey Show and Spin City aired in the 9pm hour for a time and 10pm continued to be a grab bag so ABC had really given up on Thursdays for the rest of the season. A couple longer movies wrapped things up for the network in May. ABC would finally become a Thursday player again the next season with Who Wants to Be A Millionaire, but we'll cross that bridge when we get to that post!

THE FRIDAY FIVE: Top 5 TV News Stories of the Week Ending 4/7/22

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

#1 - "THE RESIDENT" CANCELLED

It was a pretty quiet week as far as TV news with things like a potential Writer's Strike and Upfronts season still on the horizon but quiet at the moment. So, I guess the biggest news is the official cancellation of The Resident on FOX. The show has quietly become one of FOX's longer running shows (not counting animation) as it soldiered through six seasons and 107 episodes since its debut in January 2018. After only receiving a 13 episode order for its sixth season and the report that its set pieces were being sold off, this was widely expected. The medical drama was a solid utility player for FOX since its debut but it never really made the leap to hit status. With the news that the show was cancelled, it was also reported that series lead Matt Czuchry (formerly of The Good Wife) will be joining the next season of FX's American Horror Story.

VERY VERY: Cooking

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 Cooking!

This Week's Episodes

The Andy Griffith Show #43 "The Pickle Story" (First Aired: December 18, 1961)

Andy and Barney scheme to keep Aunt Bee from knowing how terrible her homemade pickles are, but that backfires when she wants to make more and enter them in a contest.

This is such a fun episode that's so well crafted. It amazes me how much mileage a well-written 1960s sitcom, like this one, could get out of a really simple plot that would probably be a "C" story at best in today's world. Instead, the story takes a whole bunch of turns and the potential resolution just keeps changing as Andy and Barney keep getting foiled with their planned resolution. The simplicity of the plot but the complexity of the details within the plot make for a very entertaining episode.

F Troop #28 "Too Many Cooks Spoil the Troop" (First Aired: March 29, 1966)

After their cook is transferred from Fort Courage, Agarn takes over as cook so that he and O'Rourke can sell excess supplies to the Hakawi tribe. 

So many things are cringeworthy in F Troop in 2023 especially when it comes to their dealings with the Native American tribe. So that makes for a questionable end to the episode. However, the episode is mostly about the shenanigans of Agarn being a cook. Even then, it didn't seem to play up the humor as much as it could. It is an interesting contrast to The Andy Griffith Show though where this episode is low on plot and high on repetitive jokes. More of the 60s sitcoms were like F Troop, Andy Griffith was one of the outliers. 

ONE SEASON WONDERS: Maggie Winters

MAGGIE WINTERS

September 30, 1998 - February 3, 1999

16 episodes

CBS

Starring: Faith Ford, Alex Kapp Horner, Jenny Robertson, Brian Haley, with Clea Lewis and Shirley Knight

Created by: Kari Lizer

Plot: Maggie Winters (Ford) moves back to her small Indiana hometown to live with her mother (Knight) following a divorce. She reunites with her best friends from high school, Lisa and Robin (Horner & Robertson) as well as a rival, Rachel (Lewis) who still lives in the town. Rounding out the main cast is another friend, Tom (Haley).

Brief Pilot Review:

Faith Ford is a really fun personality and that shined through in an otherwise run of the mill sitcom. She made it a better sitcom that it had any business being. It wasn't a fantastic pilot, but it was a likable enough one that did a good job of establishing Faith Ford's character as well as the relationships of those around her and their connection to her. Even when things were getting sort of dumb (like the friends singing "Total Eclipse of the Heart"), Ford kept it grounded in a place where she at least seemed believable and the other friends rose to her level eventually (Clea Lewis, fresh off of Ellen at the time, also had some funny moments).

SCHEDULES OF THE PAST: 1998-1999 Wednesdays

Welcome back to the blog after Spring Break! On Tuesdays, I take a look at schedules from yesteryear. Here's a look at Wednesdays in the 1998-99 season!

ABC	8:00	8:30	9:00	9:30	10:00
Sep	Dharma & Greg	Two Guys, a Girl and a Pizza Place	The Drew Carey Show	The Secret Lives of Men	20/20
Oct
Nov
Dec				Whose Line is it Anyway?
Jan
Feb
Mar		It’s Like, You Know…		The Norm Show
Apr
May		Two Guys, a Girl and a Pizza Place

ABC sent Spin City back to Tuesdays for the 1998-99 season because they had a show ready to take over the 8pm slot. Dharma & Greg had been a breakout freshman hit for the network and took over at 8pm while The Drew Carey Show remained a Top 20 show at 9pm. The half hour slots were a little more unsteady. Two Guys, a Girl and a Pizza Place returned and moved up an hour to 8:30pm and aired there for most of the season. It was an OK performer but wasn't a show that seemed capable of growing into a bigger hit. It was replaced briefly in the spring by It's Like, You Know..., a comedy about a Manhattan writer who moves to Los Angeles to write about the Hollywood rich and elite. The show featured Jennifer Grey playing an exaggerated version of herself. The series dropped off quite a bit from the ratings Two Guys was getting but it still got renewed for a second season. At 9:30pm to start the season was The Secret Lives of Men, a comedy about three divorced men getting used to the bachelor life again. Starring Peter Gallagher, Bradley Whitford and Mitch Rouse, it lasted just a couple months before being cancelled, which freed Whitford up to sign on for The West Wing the following season. It was replaced by Whose Line is it Anyway?, which had premiered in Summer 1998 and was a surprise hit for the network. It was an easy fill-in for the network since the improv show was hosted by Drew Carey and made perfect sense airing after his sitcom. It finished its season in March and the last 9:30pm entry for the season was The Norm Show, a new sitcom vehicle for comedian Norm MacDonald. MacDonald played a former hockey player who was banned from the NHL and had to spend five years as a social worker to avoid jailtime. Also starring Laurie Metcalf, the series showed enough promise in the ratings to get renewed for a second season. Throughout the season, 20/20 aired at 10pm, one of the four nights 20/20 aired on in the 198-99 season.