Benjamonster's TV

Here's a look at the Top 5 TV news stories of the week! I will be taking a two week Spring Break from the blog so it will return on Monday, April 12! #1 - RIP GEORGE SEGAL & JESSICA WALTER Two TV legends passed away this week. George Segal first hit it big in the movies including an Academy Award nomination for Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf ? But in the last couple decades, he's been best known for two TV shows. First was a starring role on the underrated 1997-2003 NBC sitcom Just Shoot Me , where he played a womanizing owner of a magazine. Most recently, he was the lovable Grandpa "Pops" on The Goldbergs . Segal was still working on The Goldbergs at the time of his death at age 87. His last episode will reportedly air on April 7. Segal was a great presence on The Goldbergs over the years even though it seemed to be clear he was in declining health. The death of Jessica Walter at the age of 80 was more of a surprise. She also had some film hits but will alway...

On Thursdays, I go through classic series with a critical look at each season. Today I am looking at Season Two of  Parks and Recreation ! PARKS AND RECREATION: SEASON TWO 2009-2010 24 episodes After a rough start to the series,  Parks and Recreation  came back for season two with a much clearer focus of the show it wanted to be. The improvement from the six episode first season to the second season is truly something to behold. I can't think of a more dramatic difference for the better in sitcom history. It doesn't get all the way there in its second season. They still have the lingering issues with the Mark Brendanawicz character. But they fix that at the end of the season too with his departure and the arrival of Rob Lowe and Adam Scott, the last missing pieces to make the show truly spectacular. Starring Amy Poehler as Leslie Knope  (24 episodes) Rashida Jones as Ann Perkins  (23 episodes) Paul Schneider as Mark Brendanawicz  (24 episodes) Aziz Ansari a...

On Wednesdays, I look at shows that lasted one season or less. Today I am looking at 1960s flop The Famous Adventures of Mr. Magoo ! THE FAMOUS ADVENTURES OF MR. MAGOO Programming Details: September 19, 1964 - April 24, 1965 26 episodes NBC Starring: Jim Backus Created by: Walter Black and Barbara Chain Plot: An animated series based on the bumbling character Mr. Magoo (Backus). In this series, Magoo often puts himself in famous literary stories. The pilot was based on the story of William Tell.

Tuesdays are Top 10 Tuesdays where I count down a topic in the TV realm. This week is  Top 10 TV Houses! Close Calls The Ricardo Connecticut House - I Love Lucy The Petrie House - The Dick Van Dyke Show The Dunphy House - Modern Family      10. The Addams House -  The Addams Family Of the two "creepy" houses, I think The Addams Family had a better house than The Munsters . It was more regal complete with an indoor garden and a super creepy play room. The Munster house might seem more haunted but this one is more spectacular. 9. Lorelai Gilmore's House - Gilmore Girls It was a real thrill to see the exterior of Lorelai Gilmore's house when I was on the Warner Bros. Studio Tour in Burbank a couple years ago. It has a big beautiful porch and feels very lived in inside. Although the house itself is on a California lot, it has a New England charm.

After this week, I will be taking a two week "Spring Break" so the next Schedules from the Past post will be on April 12! On Mondays, I take a look at schedules from yesteryear. Here's a look at Fridays in the 1988-89 season! ABC 8:00 8:30 9:00 9:30 10:00 Sep Perfect Strangers Full House Mr. Belvedere Just the Ten of Us 20/20 Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar Apr May ABC was one year away from launching their TGIF block and while it wasn't known as TGIF in 1988-89, their Friday lineup included many soon-to-be TGIF shows. The lineup did not have any new shows and stayed the same for the entire season. The night started off with  Perfect Strangers , which had made a successful move to Friday the previous season. The highest rated show in the block was the second ...

 Here's a look at the Top 5 TV news stories this week! #1 - NFL LOCKS UP RIGHTS FOR THE NEXT DECADE One of my other hobbies besides TV is the NFL and occasionally the two worlds mix as the NFL made big TV news this week. The NFL has lined up the ten years of broadcast rights through 2032 and there is much that will be staying the same but also some changes. The biggest change is Amazon Prime will carry the Thursday Night Football broadcast exclusively starting in 2023. That's a big moment because it's the first time a streamer will have exclusive rights to a regular weekly game. CBS will continue with the AFC package and FOX will continue with the NFC package while NBC will continue to have Sunday Night Football . Streamers Paramount Plus and Peacock will also carry the CBS and NBC games respectively. Finally, ABC will return to the Super Bowl rotation in 2026 for the first time in twenty years as they will share the big game and some Monday Night Football airings with ESP...

On Thursdays, I go through classic series with a critical look at each season. Today I am looking at Season One of Parks and Recreation ! A reminder about my breakdown in ratings of episodes: 9-10: Exceptional 7-8: Strong 5-6: OK 3-4: Mediocre 1-2: Terrible PARKS AND RECREATION: SEASON ONE 2009 6 episodes The first season of  Parks and Recreation  is pretty infamous among its fans. It was a show that was real slow coming out of the gate. Before the show became  Parks and Rec,  it was initially conceived as a spinoff of  The Office . Despite the fact that they got away from that conceit, the first season seems like a very poor imitation of  The Office . Most specifically, Leslie Knope seems like a pale imitation of Michael Scott. The first season is by far the most uneven of the series despite only being six episodes. There are no real standout moments and it's easy to see why so many (including me) had to be convinced to give the show a second chance. They ...