Benjamonster's TV

On Mondays, I take a look at schedules from yesteryear. Here's a look at Tuesdays in the 1993-94 season! ABC 8:00 8:30 9:00 9:30 10:00 Sep Full House Phenom Roseanne Coach NYPD Blue Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar Apr May ABC Tuesdays continued to be their crown jewel night, but they had some troubles at 9:30pm and 10pm the previous season and things cleaned up quite a bit in those slots in 1993-94. Full House and Roseanne continued to be high rated anchors at 8pm and 9pm. The 9:30pm slot was Coach for a full season. ABC kept trying to find different things to air after Roseanne and kept going back to Coach when other shows failed. In 1993-94, Coach got to keep the slot that whole year and it resulted in a 6th place finish for Coach in the ratings. At 10pm was NYPD Blue , ...

Here's a look at the Top 5 TV news stories of the week. After a very busy TV news week last week, this week was much quieter on the TV front while world news took center stage. #1 - OSCARS CONTROVERSY Before the Russia-Ukraine situation took center stage on all news outlets, there was a lot of grousing at the beginning of the week about the Oscars. In an effort to liven up the live broadcast following last year's record lows (amidst a critical drubbing and dealing with a pandemic), the Oscars announced they will not air eight awards during the live ceremony and will instead present them in the hour before the telecast while incorporating the winners (probably with a short clip) during the ceremony. The reaction to the demoted categories, which include editing, sound and original score, has been mostly negative, especially from people who work in those areas. I'm sort of mixed on the issue. On the one hand, this seems to be an attempt to draw in viewers who simply aren't...

On Thursdays, I take a detailed and critical look at a TV show. This year, I will be splitting full seasons into two posts. Here's a look at Season 6 (Part 2) of  Perfect Strangers ! For Part 1,  click here ! 110. Grandpa (1/11/91) Larry's grandpa visits and Larry is surprised at how much he still wants to go out and do things until he has his heart broken. This episode, which has a prominent part for guest star John Anderson, veers awfully close to being heavy-handed and a "very special episode." But it manages to keep the comedy strong enough and the sentimentality down enough that the ratio works. Anderson has a good personality and plays both the rambunctious and depressed grandpa role well. After a couple stinkers, this is a better episode that moves by breezily and has lots of fun moments including perhaps the best use of the usually annoying Dance of Joy. RATING: 8/10 111. Little Apartment of Horrors (1/18/91) With the cold going through the office, Balki grows...

On Wednesdays, I take a look at a show that lasted one season or less. This week, I am looking at 1994's 704 Hauser ! 704 HAUSER April 11, 1994 - May 9, 1994 5 episodes CBS Starring: John Amos, Lynnie Godfrey, T.E. Russell, Maura Tierney Created by: Norman Lear Plot: A series set in the same house as the iconic series All in the Family . Now living at 704 Hauser Street in Queens is a black family - the Cumberbatches with outspoken patriarch and Democrat, Ernie (Amos), his understanding wife, Rose (Godfrey) and his conservative son, Thurgood (Russell). Rounding out the main cast is Thurgood's white girlfriend, Cherlyn (Tierney). Brief Pilot Review: I should start by saying I'm generally not a big fan of Norman Lear shows. I recognize and respect his place in TV history but I've always found most of his shows to be so forced with the topical issues. I'm a fan of The Jeffersons but that's about it. I think the idea of setting a show in the same house as the Bunkers...

My Top 10 this week is Top 10 Roseanne Characters ! I did factor in the revival season of Roseanne but not The Conners , since that is technically a different show. 10. CRYSTAL ANDERSON-CONNER Crystal wasn't one of my favorite characters. I felt like she was overused at points and might have been better off as an occasional guest star. At her best moments though, she provided a different dynamic to Roseanne than Jackie provided as a non-family confidante for the main character (though of course she eventually became family).  9. BOOKER BROOKS Before he became a breakout star on ER and then a worldwide movie star, George Clooney had humble beginnings on a lot of failed shows. His most steady job early in his career was on Roseanne . He was a pretty prominent character in the first season who had a funny relationship with both Roseanne and Jackie. Of course Clooney was meant for bigger things but I wish Booker had stuck around as a character.

On Mondays, I take a look at schedules from yesteryear. Here's a look at Mondays in the 1993-94 season! ABC 8:00 9:00 10:00 Sep Day One Monday Night Football Oct Nov Dec Jan Monday Night Movie Feb Mar Apr May ABC needed to figure out something for the 8pm hour leading into Monday Night Football and then the Monday Night Movie . After years of MacGyver in the slot, they struck out with The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles in 1992-93. It's no surprise they turned to a newsmagazine and those were all the rage in the mid-90s. Day One moved over to the night after launching on Sundays the previous March. Hosted by Diane Sawyer and Forrest Sawyer (no relation), the show aired the entire season at 8pm to modest ratings. Monday Night Football continued to be a Top 10 show and the movie that replaced it was...

Here's a look at the Top 5 TV news stories of the week! #1 - FINAL SEASON ANNOUNCEMENTS It was a busy week for TV news with TCA days and investor calls for several high profile networks and streamers. But perhaps most notable was three final season announcements for beloved shows and it all happened on Thursday. With its fourth season dropping today, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel was renewed for a fifth and final season at Amazon and that season is already in production. There was also the news that Atlanta will end after four seasons on FX. Its third season returns after a very long hiatus on March 24. Finally, the one-time Netflix phenom Stranger Things was renewed for a fifth and final season. The fourth season will premiere its first half on May 27. All three series have been beloved and Emmy contenders/winners so they will leave a big hole for their respective platforms. The good news for fans of these shows is that there is still one more season for each beyond the current one, b...