Welcome to my Monday newsletter! This week, I am looking at Love Story and the latest episodes of The Pitt and Shrinking! Plus, my Top 10 Shows starting with C and a pilot re-review of Mad Love!
WHAT'S NEW
Love Story is the newest anthology series from the Ryan Murphy empire and created by Connor Hines. Once called American Love Story (like American Crime Story and American Sports Story), the inaugural season focuses on the 1990s romance and untimely deaths of John F. Kennedy Jr. and Carolyn Bessette. Ryan Murphy productions have hit in miss since the very beginning but they've been trending more towards miss lately for me (and many others, it seems). I don't think this series is incredible but through three episodes, I am enjoying it more than most Murphy shows of the last half decade. The first three episodes have some of that 90s-era aesthetic that aided his all-time best series, The People vs. OJ Simpson.
Of course, it was very easy to tell the OJ story across ten episodes. I'm not sure there's enough to tell in the John and Carolyn romance which is probably why the first three episodes focused heavily on the end of Jackie Kennedy's (Naomi Watts) life. Watts is intriguing as the older Jackie and really commits to the part so even though the "Love Story" takes a backseat, it is still compelling TV. As for the actual central characters, Paul Anthony Kelly looks the part as Kennedy Jr. but I wish he was a little more charismatic. John F. Kennedy Jr. was such a media figure in the 1990s in part because of his incredible charm and I don't really get that vibe from Kelly. He's much more wooden in his performance.
But I can't say enough good things about Sarah Pidgeon as Carolyn Bessette. I enjoyed Pidgeon in The Wilds on Prime Video and then saw her on Broadway in Stereophonic in Summer 2024 so I was already a big fan of hers going on. I hope this is the thing that really catapults her to stardom because she deserves it. You would think it might be hard to stand out in a show that has iconic Kennedys as characters but her portrayal of Bessette is easily the most interesting part of the show. She elevates her scenes with Kelly and can more than handle her own scenes. As we get past the Jackie Kennedy episodes, I look forward to seeing her be more prominent.
The show looks pretty good too (aside from NYC looking just completely empty way too often). And the show can't resist a few tip of the hat, wink-wink moments (like the Kardashian girls in OJ) with a passing reference to RFK Jr. I don't think this is an amazing series but it's not trashy, it seems actually interested in experiencing these figures and that's enough for me to keep watching.
LAST WEEK ON...
It seems to be pretty much the consensus that this week's episode of The Pitt was the best yet of the second season and I definitely agree. First of all, it focused a whole lot on nurses who are the unsung heroes of any hospital setting. When my son was in the NICU for months after birth, I really appreciated all his doctors but I really, really appreciated all his nurses. And it was clear they were the ones who had to be all things to all people. There was also a hint of thawing between Robby and Langdon and of course the episode centered around the death of a patient who was well-liked throughout the ER. Everything was note-perfect with a really sweet and thought provoking moment at the end. This is The Pitt firing on all cylinders.
Shrinking
This week's episode of Shrinking focused on the birth mother for Brian (Michael Urie) and Charlie's (Devin Kawaoka) going into labor early and the concern from Brian and Charlie that they weren't ready yet as well as concern that the mother hadn't signed the adoption papers. I remember reading criticism last year (I think on Episodic Medium) that Brian and Charlie really didn't seem like they wanted/were ready for a baby. I actually thought this episode was the show's way of backing out of that storyline before showing that she did sign the adoption papers. I share the concern in the critique from last year. I don't think the show has shown us anything to prove Brian is ready to be, or even wants to be, a father (maybe Charlie does but he's not the main character here). The age old sitcom problem of pregnancies being great storylines and then not knowing what to do with the baby looms large here too because I don't know how well the show can write for the immature Brian as a character without him seeming horribly irresponsible. I trust Shrinking immensely so I'm sure it will be fine but I just thought they were maybe gracefully backing away from a story and I was on board with that plan.
THE BEST TV ALPHABETICALLY: LETTER C
In honor of 2026, I am looking at the 26 letters of the alphabet and listing my Top 10 TV Shows of All Time that start with that letter (no "The" or "A" don't count as the first letter of a show). This week, I am looking at letter C:
They don't make kids shows like they used to, or at least like they remember them. I haven't watched Clarissa in a long time, but I remember Melissa Joan Hart's performance and the show's respect for its audience. And of course the theme song.
9. Chad (TBS/Roku, 2021-2024)
Chad was dismissed or outright hated by critics but I really loved Nasim Pedrad's super awkward and funny performance, especially in the first season.
8. Chicago Med (NBC, 2015-Present)
It's not The Pitt, but Chicago Med is a rock solid medical drama. As I mentioned earlier this season, I think it's been on a really good stretch lately with a very strong current cast. It's safe and reliable but still good TV.
7. Chicago Fire (NBC, 2012-Present)
Although I think Chicago Med has been better this season, Chicago Fire has the better body of work. It's always managed to have a solid to really strong cast that has been able to elevate humdrum procedural plots and writing.
6. Cold Case (CBS, 2003-2010)
A procedural with an awful lot of heart. Yes, it was emotionally manipulative but it was more ambitious than your average CBS procedural with its many different time periods and types of victims and stories it wanted to tell.
5. Criminal Minds (CBS, 2005-2020)
Apparently the letter C is a popular one for procedural network dramas. I get all the hate for Criminal Minds. At its worst, it can be incredibly gratuitous. But it's hard to turn away when it's a really strong case of the week with some very memorable performances from heroes and villains.
4. The Cosby Show (NBC, 1984-1992)
A complicated legacy to say the least. I really struggled with where to put this show. If we take the show by itself, it probably deserves to be higher. Knowing what we know now, it was tempting to put it lower. But all the horrible things we know about the star doesn't completely negate what this once beloved family sitcom accomplished.
3. Coach (ABC, 1989-1997)
This isn't one of the most remembered 90s sitcoms but it was very consistently funny through its long run, often airing after mega-hits Roseanne and Home Improvement. And it finally found great use for Jerry Van Dyke after other shows tried for years.
2. The Crown (Netflix, 2016-2023)
One of the most ambitious Netflix shows to date, The Crown was inherently up and down, especially with its changing casts. Some seasons (like Season 1 and Season 4) are masterpieces. Some are more up and down. But it really accomplished everything it set out to accomplish, and it did so lavishly.
1. Cheers (NBC, 1982-1993)
Of course this has to be #1. One of the best ensembles to ever grace the small screen and then a rare sitcom that could withstand major cast changes and not lose a step. The first episodes of Cheers are now over 40 years old and it has proven to be a timeless treasure.
PILOT RE-REVIEW
This season, I am traveling back in time to the 2010-11 season, the first season I did this blog. I will be re-reviewing the pilots from that season, at least as many as I can find!
Original Review: Click Here!
What I Think Now: I didn't start watching How I Met Your Mother until somewhere around 2012 or 2013 when I started from the beginning so when I first saw Mad Love in 2011, I had no idea just how much of a carbon copy of Mother this show was. It had so many similar vibes: the NYC setting, the rom-com feel, Jason Biggs is basically playing Ted Mosby, Sarah Chalke is in this after a prominent recurring role on Mother, the style of comedy with quick flashbacks. It didn't have quite as much of a gimmick or quite as much charm, and we've seen time and time again that shows that are copies of hit shows never do as well. So while you could look at the two shows and see that they are basically the same, Mother came first and was more polished, not that Mad Love couldn't have got there. The pilot also seemed to realize immediately that the secondary characters, played by Ted Labine and Judy Greer, were really the ones to watch in this show so Biggs and Chalke sometimes feel like supporting roles. Labine and Greer really kept the story moving and got the vast majority of the comedic lines.
What Happened to the Show: Mad Love premiered on Valentine's Day airing after, you guessed it, How I Met Your Mother. The show had a lot of casting changes before it began as it was originally set to star Minka Kelly in the Sarah Chalke role, Lizzy Caplan in the Judy Greer role and Dan Fogler in the Tyler Labine role. The show received very lukewarm reviews with many comparing it unfavorably to its lead-in. The show didn't receive terrible ratings airing in a comfortable slot but CBS already had a new show working on the night (Mike & Molly) and the ratings threshold was high on CBS in those days to get renewed. So Mad Love ran for 13 episodes and then was cancelled and quickly forgotten. I know I watched at least some of the series, I might have even watched the whole thing but I can't remember for sure, which probably speaks to its forgettable nature.
COMING UP
With the Olympics continuing for another week, it's another pretty quiet week of premieres but there are still a few of note. Wednesday has the premiere of the steamy thriller 56 Days, starring Dove Cameron and Avan Jogia, on Prime Video. The series doesn't seem to have a ton of buzz and feels like a show that would be more likely to break out if it was on Netflix. But Cameron does have a solid fanbase so we'll see. Thursday has the third season premiere of The Night Agent on Netflix. The series is back just over a year after its second season and is a popular title for the streamer. Friday has the premiere of Strip Law, an animated comedy on Netflix that features the voices of Adam Scott, Janelle James, Keith David, Stephen Root and more. Also premiering on Friday is the second season of The Last Thing He Told Me on Apple TV. The first season aired way back in Spring 2023 and was considered a limited series at the time. I don't think anyone was clamoring for a second season. On Sunday, American Dad! returns to FOX after ten seasons on TBS.
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