I've Got A TV Eye

We’re going to take a little break from the MIL today. I want to write about an obsession of mine… Television. But this obsession really has nothing to do with the critical aspects of programs, but with the sets. Because I’ve often found that the set interiors don’t really match the exteriors of the buildings that they show.

Yes. I actually pay attention to that aspect of realism and it can bug me.

If you’re a fan of ‘The Middle’… If you enter the front door the dining room would be to the right and the living room to the left. The interior matches the exterior. There’s a hallway that leads to the bathroom and 3 bedrooms. Sue’s bedroom would be between the dining room and the boy’s room. Both rooms have windows where the garage is on the exterior shot of the house. How can this be??

One of my all-time favorite shows suffer from the same issue… ‘Newhart’. The interior of the Stratford Inn is INCREDIBLY different from the exterior. Notice how there’s a window to both sides of the front entrance.

Facing the outside of the building from the yard would mean that the windows to the left gives light to the stairs leading to the basement. Why?

The window to the right exists in the exterior, BUT it’s turned inward for the interior shots. The wall is recessed interior wise and goes across for the dinning room, but there are no more windows for the kitchen on the other side. Plus!! Where is the chimney from the fireplace in the lobby??

Dick’s study doesn’t match either. His windows would face out into another room or sunroom, if you will.

For some reason, those types of things have always irked me. And I still count the steps that the actors take across a set in order to measure it with my own steps to get an idea just how big the sets are.

I’ve measured them all. From ‘Green Acres’ to ‘The Jeffersons’. From ‘Sanford and Son’ to ‘Taxi’. From ‘Newhart’ to ‘The Bob Newhart Show’. I’ve measured most of the shows that I’ve watched. Give it a try sometime just to see how big or small a set actually is. You may be surprised. You can find out exactly how far it is from the front door to the couch on ‘Green Acres’. Isn’t that something that you’ve always wanted to know? Haven’t you always wanted to know how big Jerry’s apartment is on ‘Seinfeld’?

I didn’t start this until I was a teen when I was watching ‘The Beverly Hillbillies’. I wanted to get an idea how many steps that it was from the front door to the parlor. So, I’ve had this “sickness” for most of my life. I’ve only shared this sickness with my wife recently while we were watching ‘Newhart’ in bed before turning off the lights. Now I’m sharing it with anyone who wants to read about it.

Your Television Premiere Dates for the Week of April 4 - 10, 2016

All times are EST. It's a light week of premieres...

PREMIERE DATES

Monday, April 4
- ‘The Powerpuff Girls’ are back after 10 years of dormancy. Find it on Cartoon Network at 6pm.


Thursday, April 7
- ‘The Odd Couple’ returns for a second season on CBS at 8:30pm.


Friday, April 8
- ‘Catastrophe’ is back for a second season on Amazon.


Saturday, April 9
- Season two of ‘Outlander’ drops on Starz at 9pm.


Sunday, April 10
- ‘The Girlfriend Experience’ debuts on Starz at 8pm. It’s a series about expensive call-girls and their clients.
- ‘Fear The Walking Dead’ is back at 9pm on AMC. This series was picked as one of my Top 5 Best New Shows of 2015. The slow-burn of the series managed to drop the viewership numbers, but hopefully those numbers will raise now as the dead are walking more.
- ‘Dice’ is a new semi-autobiographical sitcom with Andrew “Dice” Clay. As someone that found his standup as funny as hearing children cry, I may avoid this series because of my low expectations. Interested parties may catch the series on Showtime at 9:30pm.



FINALES

Thursday, April 7
- We say goodbye to one of the, in my opinion, biggest waster of time in television history… ‘American Idol’. Why anyone wasted their time watching glorified Karaoke singers on national television was beyond my comprehension. I say good riddance.

Television as art?

Chigs finally watched last Sunday’s episode of ‘The Walking Dead’. I watched it again with her. I have been busting at the seams to talk about it with her. Since I don’t like to give spoilers, I wasn’t about to spoil the experience for her.

Even while watching she said, “Tell me what happens.”

I kept a stone’s resolve and kept looking straight at the television as if she said absolutely nothing. I didn’t want to spoil the moment that was about to arrive. I wanted to see her reaction because a character was killed off ‘The Walking Dead’ last Sunday night. A character played by an actress that Chigs has grown to love.

I was surprised, of course, when it happened. And I was delighted as to how it happened!

The series gave us, the viewers, the “ol’ one, two”. They let us see a scare coming when a character approached the car containing a cooler. SURPRISE! A zombie pops up into the window. It was something anyone that has watched more than a handful of horror movies would see coming.

I was a little surprised that it “got” Chigs, but it did and she admitted to it. Hell, it even got me a little because I was checking my Twitter. I had seen it, but damn! Once my attention was diverted that little bit, that zombie pop up got me.

But later, the character’s death came out of nowhere! It was a complete and utter surprise! And I love the fact that the character, unaware of what happened, kept talking. It was a thing of beauty.

Sure, I was disappointed like Chigs. I wanted that character to continue on the show. That character was finally coming to terms about “living” and killing her own share of zombies instead of cowering in her safe confines while others did it for her.

That particular episode of ‘The Walking Dead’ sparked a conversation between us after we finished watching it.

“Look at us,” she said. “We’re discussing a television show.”

“That’s good,” I said. “Television is an art form. Art should be discussed. Television should be subject to the same criticisms as music or paintings or movies.”

Last Sunday’s episode is titled “Twice As Far” and it’s a fairly deep episode. There was enough zombie slaughter to satisfy the masses that don’t seem to care for deeper meaning of the human condition. But that’s what makes the show great! That's the heartbeat of the series.

Sometimes I’m bothered by folks that easily dismiss the series as a zombie show. It’s not about the zombies. It’s about the humans and how inhumane they can be towards each other when all laws of society are taken off the table. The greatest enemy on the show isn’t the zombies. It’s the living.

If you’d like to see this excellent episode of ‘The Walking Dead’, just click right here. The link will take you to AMC’s website and you can watch it for free. Even if you’ve never watched an episode of the series before, try this one on for size to see why it’s one of my favorite shows of all time.

Your Television Premiere Dates for the week of March 21 - 27, 2016

NEWS

ABC’s answer to ‘Game Of Thrones’ has met an early fate… ABC gave ‘Of Kings And Prophets’ the axe last week. It may see further time elsewhere, but it won’t be on ABC. You can read about it right here.

I'm rather surprised and pleased about how long the over-the-air broadcast networks have been giving new series now. They're not slaughtering things before they get some legs underneath them. Overall, the networks are letting them breathe after popping the cork. But ABC didn't allow a whole lot of time for the previously mentioned series. Sometimes, you have to put a sick dog down.



PREMIERE DATES

Monday, March 21
- ‘Dancing With The Stars’ is back for a 22nd season on ABC at 8pm (all times EST).

Tuesday, March 22
- ‘Stitchers’ is back for a second season on Freeform at 10pm.

Wednesday, March 23
- ‘Heartbeat’ debuts on NBC at 8pm. Based on the book ‘Heart Matters’ by real life doctor Kathy Magliato, it’s yet another medical drama. Can you read the excitement between the lines?

Thursday, March 24
- ‘The Catch’ debuts on ABC at 10pm. It’s the same kind of bad drama that will suck in millions from Shonda Rhimes.



NETFLIX

Friday, March 25
- ‘Veggie Tales In The House’ Season 3

Addiction to Television??

I’m a fan of television. And here recently, I’m being told by someone that I love that I’m addicted to it.

I wouldn’t say that I have an addiction. I have great appreciation for television and the programming that it offers me, you, and the rest of the world. It’s not like I’m on the street corner with a sign reading “Will Watch TV for Food”. I’m not going to the seedy parts of King, NC looking for my fix of ‘Better Call Saul’. And I’m not breaking into houses so I can purchase ‘The X-Files’ complete series on DVD.

I’ve been attacked because I’ve been watching too much streaming content in the bedroom with the Roku. You see, I recently tried Hulu for the second time.

I didn’t care for it the first time because of all the commercials, but the real deal-breaker for me… ‘Green Acres’ was only available to watch online.

Why couldn’t it stream to my television?

I didn’t understand and felt a bit slighted that not everything was available to watch on my Roku. Sure, I could watch it on a computer or get a cable to plug that computer into the TV to watch. But that was a little too much trouble and I don’t have time for trouble. I want pain-free viewing.

So now I’m examining Hulu for “cutting the cord”. And to be honest, I have a deal-breaker there with Hulu not having ‘The Walking Dead’. I suppose that’s a minor thing, but it is now one of my all-time favorite TV shows. Its must see TV for me.

But since getting back with Hulu I have noticed lots of older television shows. I’m watching ‘The Mary Tyler Moore Show’, ‘WKRP In Cincinnatti’ (S1), and the complete ‘Green Acres’. I’m about to toss ‘Mr. Ed’ into the mix too!

You see, ‘Green Acres’ seasons 4 through 6 aren’t available on disc. They may never be available on disc. So this, to me, is like striking gold! It’s rockin’ good news! I’m finally able to watch those shows that I haven’t seen in at least 20 years.

I’m also enjoying their new series ‘11/22/63’ with James Franco and Chris Cooper. It’s based on the book by Stephen King and I reviewed it here a couple of weeks ago. I’ve even gotten Chigger and her youngest watching it.

But the addiction discussion started last night when Chigs wanted to watch something on the TV. And she wanted to watch something that I’ve already seen.

Sometimes I have to move ahead of her because she has so much going on that takes up some of her free time.

I didn’t feel like watching the same program again when I have so much to revisit on Hulu. And plus, I can watch some of the shows that I have on the DVR over on Hulu. She could catch up on one of our favorites while I go into the bedroom and watch something else.

You would have thought that I called her mother the “B word” because of her reaction. She took it as a slight. She wanted to watch something together.

I get that. I really do. And perhaps I should have just kept my mouth shut and re-watched the show with her. Hell, I’ve forgotten what show caused the entire ruckus.

Well, we decided to watch an episode of ‘Ghost Adventures’ and all was delightful once again.

I’m not addicted. I can give up television, but I love it so much. I’m partial to half-hour comedies, but it’s not exclusive. It’s not like I’m sneaking off behind the garage to watch ‘It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia’. I’m not going out to the car during my lunch break to stream some ‘Malcolm In The Middle’.

An addiction is something that is difficult to control. My television viewing has been curbed with frequent weekend trips to “The Big House” outside of Clemmons. We have no wifi or streaming there. Mother-scratch! We don’t even have a television there!

So how can I have an addiction if I haven’t even hooked up a television with “rabbit ears” at “The Big House”?

An addict would have AT LEAST a cheap 19 inch HDTV set up and ready to go, right??

Not cool, but what can you do?

Let me state up front… I am not a parent. I don’t have any kids.

There.

Have you ever had a show that is constantly interrupted when you’re watching it? (Save your breath, parents)

That’s either as it airs or off the DVR.

Well, ‘The X-Files’ new revisit has been interrupted every single time.

First of all, the local Fox affiliate, WGHP in High Point, made the decision to air even more Carolina Panthers crap after the NFC Championship game when the rest of America was airing the highly-anticipated revisit of ‘The X-Files’. Even the Charlotte affiliate went with ‘The X-Files’. But NOOOoooooo… The folks in High Point felt the need to piss off a lot of geeks in the area with more stuff about the Carolina Panthers.

Fox 8 said that it would air at 11pm locally. But knowing what I know about live sporting events and the local affiliates need to push their news manliness into our collective faces, I was ready. I planned for the 11pm airtime and gave it a 3 hour extension.

I wanted to watch it as it aired, but finding out the local affiliate wasn’t playing by the networks rules allowed me to go to bed after the NFC Championship (like most viewers including Panthers fans).

I got up the next morning to watch it off the DVR and sure enough, my sharp television sixth sense paid off. Fox 8 didn’t start airing ‘The X-Files’ until 11:27pm. As I was fast forwarding through the news, weather, and Panthers crap I was hoping that the program would start at “11:22”. But it didn’t.

I saw much outrage on Monday morning with my friends in Geek. They were upset that Fox 8 didn’t carry the show as it was promised on all the Fox Network promos and they were upset that they missed 30 minutes because of the time shifting.

What killed me the most?

Cindy Farmer on the Fox 8 Morning News talking about ‘The X-Files’ later in the week saying, “Over 16 million viewers tuned in…”

Yeah, I gave her the side-eye from the living room doorway. I may have even called her a vicious name or two.

Look… I get that NFL Football is very popular. I understand. But if you’re going to record something after a sporting event AND a local station’s public masturbation for the local sports team, you gotta add that extension. ALWAYS add that extension after any sporting event.

I don’t blame Fox 8 for jumping on the Carolina Panthers bandwagon. They weren’t the only ones… You know who you are… But if you’re going to stick with a plan to air the show at 11pm, please do your best to adhere to that. ESPECIALLY if the programming is produced in-house. They can trim it to keep everyone happy.

A quick poll of Facebook friends the next day had less than a handful of Panthers fans staying up to watch extended masturbation for Carolina Panthers fans. There were only 2 of them and 1 has insomnia issues.

I don’t get it.

I had issues with the rest of the series with trying to view it in real time.

I had issues with trying to watch them off the DVR too! And when you’ve got a girlfriend yelling at you to help with her sick child, you stop what you’re doing and do what she wants. Man card or not, it’s best to keep the peace.

Do you have shows or sporting events that seem to get interrupted every time? Is it from inside sources? Is it outside sources? And what show or sporting event for you gets interrupted?

Please tell me because I’m starting to think that there’s a conspiracy to keep me from watching new episodes of ‘The X-Files’.

Your Television Premiere Dates for the week of February 22 - 28, 2016

There's not a whole lot to talk about in the premiere department this week. But that's to be expected at the end of a sweeps month.

In news, A&E has cancelled 'Unforgettable'. As you may recall, this series was cancelled by CBS after three seasons and A&E picked it up. Although I've only seen the show in passing, this news didn't shock me.



Tuesday, February 23
- The second season of ‘This Is Not Happening’ drops on Comedy Central at 12:30am (All times are EST)


Friday, February 26
- You’ve heard about it. You’ve read about it. Now it’s finally here on Netflix… ‘Fuller House’. All episodes drop at once for your weekend viewing pleasure.



For some reason, people are excited about 'Fuller House' coming to Netflix. Personally, I thought 'Full House' was a wasteland of bad jokes and cute kids.

Decades ago, I was picking a woman up for a date when that show was on in her apartment. I saw it on, but didn't say a word. Sure, I made a snap judgment about the people watching it. And they are intelligent people that I still know. But what disturbed me the most was when Bob Saget came down the stairs excited about his first date in a very long time and he was singing "Rock And Roll All Nite".

I hate that song and I'm good if I never hear it again for the rest of my life. But it was just awful hearing that song from a band that people loved to hate back in those days. KISS was and is still my favorite rock band of all time. It felt as if the band was being sanitized in a way. It made KISS less threatening. Bob Saget was singing it on a really bad cutesy comedy! It was sort of devastating to me. And I believe that I complained incessantly about it to my date that night.

We managed to stay friends all these years despite my hatred of 'Full House' and that episode in question. But I care nothing about this revisit on Netflix.

Now I am all about the 'Gilmore Girls' revisit on Netflix! I cannot wait until they start rolling that joker out!

'11/22/63' Review

I have caved. I gave in. I waved the white flag. I surrendered. I’m a Frenchman.

I have tried it before and I didn’t care for it.

But since they added the new series ‘11/22/63’, I signed back up with Hulu.

So let’s get to that… A quick review of ‘11/22/63’

Based on the 2011 novel by Stephen King, ‘11/22/63’ is a new limited series on Hulu.

Jake Epping (James Franco) is a much happier teacher than portrayed on most television programs. He finds out that Al Templeton (Chris Cooper), owner of a local diner, has a fantastical secret. A secret that requires Epping to venture into a closet located in the diner.

Epping finds himself dropped into the same place back in 1960. And when he transports back to present day, he’s only been gone a few seconds.

A sick with cancer Templeton spills his entire can of beans to Epping. He made it his mission to save John F. Kennedy from being assassinated in Dallas. He presented Epping all he needed to get the job done. The facts, the theories, and money-making know how in sports betting. Templeton had to give up on his plan since cancer will take him before getting the job done.

Epping, of course, finds the whole idea insane and doesn’t take up Al’s plan to thwart the assassination. That is until he finds Templeton the next morning dead.

So off Epping goes on the trail to find Lee Harvey Oswald.

Hulu is different than other streamers. They will release this series over 8 weeks.

The first installment clicked in at less than one hour and twenty minutes. But it certainly didn’t feel that long.

The pilot moved quickly with moments of the usual brand of King humor. And be sure to look for the Easter Eggs. Here's a pic that I snapped from my television.

‘11/22/63’ is beautifully shot and works on many different “butterfly effect” theories.

“If you f*#k with time, time will f*#k with you”

“You don’t belong here”

Not to giveaway too much, but time is a very real antagonist for Epping. Time is the unseen monster that doesn’t like change. And that will definitely add some intriguing scenarios during the course of this limited series I’m sure.

I found it to be riveting and a pleasure to watch. The first episode left me wanting more. And I’m being threatened by a friend to stop watching now and begin reading the book.

I’ll try it on Amazon Audible, while I’m at work. Or something like that.

Now back to Hulu…

I signed up for a free week of Hulu back when I got my Roku device. I felt like the commercials were too much. And I couldn’t watch ‘Green Acres’ (amazed that they actually had it) on my devices. It was only allowed to be viewed online. I cancelled before the week was up.

On this past Sunday, I resigned with them for the series ‘11/22/63’. I had a pleasurable experience even with the commercials. For one thing, I found that I can now watch seasons 4 – 6 of ‘Green Acres’ on my streaming devices!

Those haven’t been released on DVD and as far as I know, there are no plans to release them on DVD. So that was WONDERFUL to see!

I also found ‘WKRP In Cincinnati’ (the syndicated versions, but I’ll take them), ‘The Mary Tyler Moore Show’, ‘Taxi’, and a slew of other older television shows worth revisiting.

I’m also toying with the idea of “cutting the cord”, so we’ll see if it fits my needs for that.

Your Television Premiere Dates for the week of February 15 - 21, 2016

Monday, February 15
- ‘11/22/63’ has begun on Hulu. It’s a limited series based on the Stephen King book about a time traveler trying to save JFK.
- ‘Major Crimes’ is back for another forgettable season on TNT. Look or don’t look for it on TNT at 9pm. (All Times are Eastern)
- ‘Better Call Saul’ returns to AMC at 10pm for a second helping. This series made my Best New Shows of 2015. So I hope that you’re on it.

Tuesday, February 16
- ‘Rizzoli & Isles’ is back on TNT at 9pm. Like ‘Major Crimes’ before, it’s a rather forgettable series. Look or don’t look for it.

Wednesday, February 17
- ‘Survivor’ is back to waste a serious amount of your viewing time on CBS at 8pm.
- ‘Broad City’ returns to Comedy Central at 10pm.

Thursday, February 18
- ‘Vikings’ fourth season launches on the History Channel at 10pm.
- And that’s followed by the debut of ‘Join Or Die with Craig Ferguson’ at 11pm also on the History Channel.

Friday, February 19
- ‘Love’ debuts on Netflix. You’ve seen it all before so my advice is to set it free. But lets hope that it won’t come back.

Sunday, February 21
- ‘Girls’ returns to HBO at 10pm.
- And that’s followed by the season premiere of ‘Togetherness’ at 10:30pm also on HBO.


I signed up for Hulu over the weekend just for '11/22/63'. I have discovered other greatness on the streaming service... 'Green Acres' (seasons 4 - 6 are not available on DVD), 'WKRP In Cincinnati', and 'The Mary Tyler Moore Show'. I just may grow to love Hulu.

Follow Wheeler's Dog on Twitter @WheelersDog for the latest cancellation news. And be on the lookout for the Wheeler's Dog Facebook page in the near future. Now get to watching some quality TV!

Your Television Premiere Dates for the week of February 8 - 14, 2016

NEWS

CBS dropped it during the Supe… Uh, Big Game. They have confirmed that the current season will be the final season for ‘The Good Wife’.

WGN has cancelled ‘Manhattan’ after 2 seasons.




PREMIERE DATES

Monday, February 8
- ‘Full Frontal with Samantha Bee’ debuts on TBS at 10pm (all times Eastern).

Tuesday, February 11
- ‘Tosh.0’ is back for an eighth season on Comedy Central at 10pm. And that’s followed by the debut of ‘Not Safe w/Nikki Glaser’ at 10:30pm.

Friday, February 12
- ‘The Amazing Race’ is now on Friday nights where Network love has become a stranger. This is the twenty-eighth season cranking up at 8pm on CBS.

Sunday, February 14
- The debut of ‘Vinyl’ hits HBO at 9pm. Quite the pedigree on this one… Created by Mick Jagger, Martin Scorsese, Rich Cohen, and Terence Winter. The pilot was directed by Scorsese. ‘Vinyl’ is a period piece about a record label executive in the 1970s. Bobby Cannavale has top billing and based on his voice, they couldn’t have picked a better actor for the role. Olivia Wilde and Ray Romano also star. I wish that I had HBO so I could see it!


And that does it for the week. I don't list the shows returning as the "Winter Premiere". If you're a fan of a show, I feel that you're keeping up. But if I get feedback requesting the return dates of shows from the mid-season break, I'll be happy to list those.

Your Television Premiere Dates for the week of February 1 - 7, 2016

There's not a whole lot of premieres dropping this week. I'm still undecided about watching 'American Crime Story'. Only a small part of me is interested, but if I do end up watching the pilot I will give it a small review.

So here's everything that you need to know about this week.

PREMIERE DATES

Tuesday, February 2
- ‘American Crime Story: The People v. O.J. Simpson’ debuts on FX at 10pm (all times Eastern). This is a true crime series from Ryan Murphy and focuses on the O.J. Simpson murder trial. It’s based on the novel ‘The Run Of His Life’ by Jeffrey Toobin.

Don't you think John Travolta looks a little creepy as Robert Shapiro?

Wednesday, February 3
- ‘Madoff’ hits ABC at 8pm. It’s a miniseries that debuts on Wednesday and wraps up on Thursday. Written by Ben Robbins based on the rise and fall of Bernard Madoff.
- The third season of ‘Young & Hungry’ premieres at 8pm on Freeform. That’s followed by the premiere of ‘Baby Daddy’ now in its fifth season on Freeform. Look for that at 8:30pm

Friday, February 5
- The debut of ‘Animals’ drops on HBO at 11:30pm. It’s an animated series about the downtrodden creatures that live in one of the least inhabitable cities on Earth… New York City.



NETFLIX PREMIERE DATES

Monday, February 1
- ‘Better Call Saul’ Season 1
- ‘The Lizzie Borden Chronicles’ Season 1
- ‘Masha’s Tales’ Season 1

Friday, February 5
- ‘Mad Men’ Season 7 Part 2

'Better Call Saul' made my Top 5 Best New Shows of 2015 so if you haven't seen it yet... Check it out on Netflix before it returns to AMC on February 15.

Your Television Premiere Dates for the week of Jan 25 - 31, 2016

NEWS

‘FABLife’ has been cancelled after one season. It seems that the syndicated show never found any traction.

VH1 Classic has decided not to produce ‘That Metal Show’ anymore. Eddie Trunk is shopping it around and hopefully this fantastic series will find a Hi-Definition home.



PREMIERE DATES

Monday, January 25
- ‘The Fosters’ are back for a fourth season on Freeform (formerly ABC Family). Look for the premiere at 8pm (all times are Eastern)
- ‘American Dad’ won’t seem to die and it’s back on TBS at 8:30pm.
- The debut of ‘Recovery Road’ hits Freeform at 9pm. It’s a teen drama based from the young adult novel of the same name.
- ‘Lucifer’ debuts at 9pm on FOX. Adapted from a comic book title, Lucifer gets bored running Hell and decides to help the LAPD punish criminals. I’ve only the seen the promos and judging from those, that’s all I need to see.
- ‘The Magicians’ debuts at 9pm on SyFy. Based on the series of novels of the same name from Lev Grossman, Quentin Coldwater joins a Magic college and finds out that all his favorite childhood books are real. Blah, blah, blah… It’s kinda like ‘Grimm’… blah, blah, blah… his girlfriend doesn’t get into the college and looks for magic elsewhere. Hijinks ensue.

Tuesday, January 26
- ‘Outsiders’ is a new series on WGN America. There’s a family that lives like a biker’s gang on a mountain of coal. The starving townspeople want the coal jobs. The biker gang family wants to remain planted with unspoiled land. Look for it at 9pm.

Thursday, January 28
- ‘You, Me, And The Apocalypse’ debuts on NBC at 8pm. High comedy surrounding a group of people with limited time remaining as a giant comet blazes an impact course to Earth.

Sunday, January 31
- FOX gets into the live musical game with ‘Grease’ at 7pm.
- And my favorite program on Cartoon Network's Adult Swim is back at Midnight. 'The Venture Bros.' return!



NETFLIX


Monday, January 25
- ‘From Dusk Till Dawn’ Season 2

Revisiting Past Faves

When was the last time you went back and watched a television series that you love?

There are plenty of great new television shows out there these days. I’m not disputing that at all. But have you even thought about revisiting the ones that you either loved or just kind of liked?

During the holidays, I got into a bit of a “show hole”. I had finally cleaned the DVR of current shows that I needed to get caught up on and had nothing left. I had finally finished the current seasons of ‘Narcos’ and ‘House Of Cards’ on Netflix. I devoured ‘Catastrophe’ (meh), the new season of ‘Transparent’, and the new series ‘The Man In The High Castle’.

So I loaded up some old favorites like ‘Futurama’, ‘3rd Rock From The Sun’, ‘Malcolm In The Middle’, and ‘It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia’ on Netflix. I also have ‘The X-Files’ and ‘Supernatural’ going because Chigger needs to see them. It seems like I’ve been trying to get her caught up on the latter for 2 years now. She doesn’t have as much “down time” as I do with two kids. And now since there’s a new house in the mix she’s busier than a one-armed man in a glory hole factory.

I had ‘Futurama’ already running because I would watch it whenever Chigger got a phone call or she was getting ready for bed. Her phone calls and nightly regimen usually takes around 20 minutes. The show is perfect for squeezing in an episode. Sometimes the calls would take longer so I’d be able to watch two episodes.

And over on Amazon Prime TV, I’m currently revisiting ‘Star Trek’ (TOS), ‘The Wire’, ‘Justified’ and ‘The Sopranos’. I’m finding things in them that I had forgotten. As much as I loved ‘Justified’ and ‘ The Sopranos’, things are coming back to me.

From here on out, I plan on keeping an old favorite in my rotation. Not just the stuff like ‘Earthworm Jim’ and ‘Newhart’ that I’ve been buying up on DVD. I want to keep at least one oldie running on Netflix and Amazon Prime TV.

So I urge you, the lover of television that you are… Go back and revisit your old friends on your favorite streaming sites. Get to know them again. You may even find that you have outgrown them (I discovered that ‘Invaders’ wasn’t the great sci-fi series that I thought it was when I was growing up).

Feel free to tell us about the favorites that you’ve been revisiting along with the streaming sites that you’re using.

My Revamped/Retooled All-Time Favorite TV Shows - Number 10

It has been difficult to review and retool my personal Top 10 TV Shows of All-Time. I have had a long standing list for at least a decade that didn’t change. But since there has been an explosion of great television within the last decade, I decided to give it a go.

I agonized. I drank too much. I lost some hair. I drew up new lists and threw them away only to make another. But it had to be done.

A few of my standards fell like soldiers on grenades to allow the new recruits to live and fight another battle down the road. Soldiers like ‘The Tick’ (animated series), ‘Lost’, ‘The X-Files’, ‘The Twilight Zone’, and ‘Police Squad’.

Lets recap my personal Top 10 TV Shows of All-Time…

9. ‘Buffy The Vampire Slayer’
8. ‘Futurama’
7. ‘The Walking Dead’
6. ‘The Beverly Hillbillies’
5. ‘Supernatural’
4. ‘Seinfeld’
3. ‘Malcolm In The Middle’
2. ‘Newhart’
1. ‘Green Acres’

As you may have noticed, I have a thing for half hour comedies. And I have been revisiting ‘Futurama’, ‘Supernatural’, and ‘Malcolm In The Middle’ on Netflix.

I had a holiday “show hole” so I went back. Personally, I feel that it’s important to revisit. I also have ‘Star Trek’ (TOS), ‘The Sopranos’, and ‘The Wire’ going on Amazon Prime.

But lets get to it… My number 10 of my personal favorite shows…

‘Get A Life’ starring Chris Elliott, Bob Elliott, and Elinor Donahue.

Chris Peterson is a 30 year old paperboy who lives over the garage of his parent’s home. The show is surreal and hilarious! The series has Chris Peterson dying more than a handful of times like a cartoon character. And he always manages to bounce back.

The series ran for only 2 seasons and when the complete series hit DVD, I jumped on it like dry drunk on a found bottle of bourbon. It was in my hands on the release date thanks to Amazon Prime.

When it hit FOX in the early 90s, my parents would come home from church to find me and my girlfriend “Jones” rolling on the floor with laughter and tears.

Is it for everyone?

No. The series was very unconventional. Some easily dismissed the series as “stupid”. And that’s okay. It’s stupid funny and that’s the bottom line.

One of my favorite lines from the “The Prettiest Week Of My Life” episode goes like this…

“Someone once said that the worst thing about climbing a mountain is that once you reach to top there's nowhere else to go. Well, I don't know what the hell that means. I think it has something to do with camping. But one thing I do know is that for a single fleeting moment I had peaked. I was a winner. I felt like Secretariat the night he won the Indy 500.”

It’s the kinda crap that I say all the time! And the Indy 500 is always ran during daylight and with cars. Secretariat was a horse. That is hilarious!

There are so many things about that show that manage to crack me up to tears to this day.

Another line that “Jones” and I use to this day… “Not even Roy Clark?”

That was in response to his supermodel wife saying “No one in Hollywood can do you what you did last night” after their wedding night.

It’s fun to use. Try it sometime. You’ll get some looks.

Brian Doyle Murray stars in the second season and you’ll find some interesting names in the writing credits.

Rhino Home Video put out some “best ofs” after the series left us. I managed to purchase one before they were gone. But when the whole series hit DVD from Shout! Factory, I was celebrating like a madman. I marked my calendar. I prayed to live long enough to see them all again.

And if you try ‘Get A Life’ and you dig it, try the Chris Elliott film ‘Cabin Boy’. It’s not for everyone just like this series. But it’s damn funny.

And for some reason, stoners really enjoy that movie as well. ;)

My Revamped/Retooled All-Time Favorite TV Shows - Number 9

So now we’re getting back to my retooled and revamped of my all-time favorite televisions shows. We’re up to number 9…

‘Buffy The Vampire Slayer’

I didn’t care for the film that the TV series was based on. Hell, I had to soldier through season one of ‘Buffy’. It moved slower than dry paint.

BUT season one is necessary for things to come in the series. It provides the appetizer to what turns out to be one of the best dramedies ever broadcast on television.

The series follows Buffy Summers as she trains to fulfill the role of Vampire Slayer. She comes from a long line of slayers and unlike those before her; she relies on her friends for aid.

She also slays demons and other evil deities.

Sure, the series comes across in a comic book sort of way. But that’s not a bad thing. It keeps things light. The series is filled with pop culture references that you may need to wiki-watch for better understanding.

But then there are serious moments that show the series strengths in writing and acting.

If you need proof, just watch ‘The Body’ episode from season five. The episode has been hailed by many critics as one of the best television episodes ever broadcast.

I don’t want to tell you anymore than that since I’m not into giving away spoilers.

Sarah Michelle Gellar didn’t receive an Emmy for that performance and I consider that a travesty. The show was stripped of its usual score and effects. And it drove the reason home as to why ‘Buffy The Vampire Slayer’ was too good to capture the attention of the masses. If the series had of been on CBS, FOX, ABC, or FOX they would have canned it during the first season.

‘Buffy’ is one of the few series that I purposely collected every season on DVD. I have turned a handful of people onto this series and if you haven’t tried it yet, do so. Do it as soon as possible.

The series ran for seven seasons.

And if you’re into musicals, check out the episode “Once More With Feeling”. I despise musicals, but dammit… I hate to admit it… It’s a fine, fine episode when the cast is under a spell of singing.

The series finale… Yes. I loved it. In my opinion, they got it right.

As for the spinoff ‘Angel’, I tried it. I didn’t care for it at all.

Your Television Premiere Date for the week of Jan 18 - 24, 2016

News

In case you missed it… NBC has cancelled ‘Heroes Reborn’. Sure, it was only a “one off”, but I’m sure that if it flourished it would have been given a renewal. The second season of 'Heroes' really shed the viewers and like me, none of them came back for this limited series.

CBS has announced that ‘Mike & Molly’ will not be renewed. The show is in its sixth and final season. I have not watched a full episode, but from what I’ve seen we’re much better off without another show littered with stupid fat jokes. It was a one trick pony. Good riddance. Hopefully this will open a slot for something worthy of our attention. Since it’s CBS we’re talking about, I wouldn’t count on it.



PREMIERE DATES

Monday, January 18
- ‘War & Peace’ kicks off at 9pm on A&E. It’s a limited series.
- ‘Hit The Floor’ is back for a third season over on VH1 at 9pm.

Tuesday, January 19
- ‘Team Ninja Warrior’ is a spinoff from NBC’s ‘American Ninja Warrior’ and debuts at 8pm on Esquire.
- ‘Agent Carter’ is back for a second season on ABC at 9pm.

Thursday, January 21
- The long awaited ‘Legends Of Tomorrow’ debuts at 8pm on the CW.
- The season three premiere of ‘The 100’ drops on the CW at 9pm.
- ‘Baskets’ premieres on FX at 10pm. It is being sold to us as a comedy, but I fail to find anything to laugh at in the promos. And just over the weekend, I found out that the main character is a clown. And since the promos failed to get a chuckle out of me, there’s no reason to waste time on 30 minutes of more.
- ‘London Spy’ debuts at 10pm on BBC America. The series has been described at a gripping, emotional thriller.
- Over on IFC, it’s the sixth season premiere of ‘Portlandia’.
- ‘Dark Net’ debuts on Showtime at 11pm. It’s a documentary series exploring the underside of the Internet.

Friday, January 22
- ‘Mad Dog’ arrives on Amazon. A group gets together for an early retirement and things come to light. Secrets and even murder.
- The seventh season of ‘Children’s Hospital’ gets cranked up over on Cartoon Network’s Adult Swim at 11pm.

Saturday, January 23
- ‘Chelsea Does’ is a new documentary series starring comedian Chelsea Handler. In other words, it’s a reality series. Not my cup of tea, but it may be your kinda Tetley. Only on Netflix.
- Season three of ‘Black Sails’ hits the open waters of Starz at 9pm.
- 'Beowulf' debuts on Esquire at 10pm.

Sunday, January 17
- The long awaited return of the limited run of ‘The X-Files’ hits FOX at 7pm (or shortly after the NFC Championship Game).



FINALES

Thursday, January 21
- We say goodbye to ‘Heroes Reborn’ at 8pm. NBC announced its cancellation with this “limited run” series. I’m sure they brought it back thinking of capitalizing on the runs DC and Marvel Comics are having across the board. But like they said in the film ‘Christine’… You can’t polish a turd.



NETFLIX


Thursday, January 21
- ‘When Calls The Heart’ Season 2

Your Television Premiere Date for the week of Jan 11 - 17, 2016

Since I have left The Less Desirables podcast, I have thought about doing my own podcast about television along with premiere dates and all the jazz that I did on the podcast. But the podcast landscape has become a wasteland of shows and it's difficult to be seen and heard within the herd. Plus, I would have to invest some money in buying the equipment to do the podcast. And finding sponsorship can be a job itself.

So yeah... I just thought that I would keep you up to date right here.

I have been in talks about taking all my news and reviews to a website, but I'm sure that could be a tandem effort. More to come on that if and when it happens.

Eventually, I will round out my revamped and retooled top ten favorite TV shows of all time.

So you won't be surprised and miss out on your favorite shows, here are the premieres for this week!

Tuesday, January 12
- Season 7 of ‘Pretty Little Liars’ gets cranked up on Freeform at 8pm. And that’s followed by the debut of ‘Shadowhunters’ at 9pm on the same network.


Wednesday, January 13
- ‘Second Chance’ is a new show debuting on FOX at 9pm. This series has undergone so many name changes that I’m still not sure if they’ll keep the one they’re going with. It appears to be the run-of-the-mill “I’m back” kinda thing that’s been done to death where folks come back make things right.
- ‘Face Off’ returns to Syfy also at 9pm.
- Season 2 of ‘Younger’ hits TV Land for another forgettable season.
- ‘Teachers’ debuts at 11pm on TV Land. It’s a product that started as web series from the Chicago comedy troupe The Katydids. I have not seen any of them, but since we are talking a new product on TV Land… I wouldn’t waste my time with any of it.


Thursday, January 14
- The debut of ‘Colony’ hits USA at 10pm. USA has been talking about gritty-ing up their programming game, but I don’t see the tired storyline of alien visitors taking over Earthlings as something worth seeing no matter the grit.
- ‘Workaholics’ is back for a sixth season on Comedy Central at 10pm. And that’s followed by the debut of ‘Idiotsitter’ at 10:30pm on Comedy Central as well. It started as a web series about a woman hired to babysit a rich woman under house arrest.


Friday, January 15
- ‘Degrassi: Next Class’ arrives on Netflix.
- ‘Hell’s Kitchen’ is back for a 15th season on Fox at 9pm. In case you’ve never seen it, the series is a reality competition for those that enjoying watching people cook and get screamed at.


Saturday, January 16
- Season 46 of ‘Sesame Street’ gets cranked up on HBO. There will be new and old episodes.


Sunday, January 17
- ‘Circus’ debuts on Showtime at 8pm. It’s a political series and I’m bored already.
- TBS debuts a new police procedural titled ‘Angie Tribeca’ at 9pm. It’s a police procedural that we’ve seen a million times before and it’s on TBS so don’t bother.
- ‘Billions’ debuts on Showtime at 10pm. Folks with big money screw each other figuratively and literally. The previews make it look so-so, but reviews for the new series haven’t been kind.
- And over on PBS, ‘Mercy Street’ debuts at 10pm (check your local listings). This American Civil War drama follows a couple of nurses from opposing sides who work at a hospital in Alexandria, Virginia


Check back every Sunday for a handy list of television shows premiering for the week. Yes, I know that it's Monday. I just got a late start. Get your DVR ready and remember... If you're going to waste your time watching television, make it quality television. That's my motto and I'm hoping that you feel the same.

Aerosmith 'The Other Side' [Compact Disc Maxi-Single]

It's been a long time since I've mentioned it, so here goes... The title of each posting is my musical selection of the day. Yes. I have a serious musical OCD where I only choose one thing to listen to during the day in my vehicle. It goes back to a time of the cassette tapes when a friend of mine had a car that could be easily broken into. After losing many cases filled with one-of-a-kind mix tapes and home recordings to thieves, he went with the one-a-day plan.

I felt that it made perfect sense. You only lose one piece of musical enjoyment to thieves or even, heaven forbid, a car accident. The rest of your treasured archives are safe at home.

And since I'm into music as much as television, I just thought I'd use the title of my musical selection of the day to give you some insight into my tastes. It can be difficult coming up with a title for each and every blog. Who has the time for that?

And now we're back to counting down my Top 5 Best New Shows of 2015 and my number one is an hour long drama from USA Network… Yeah! It surprised me too!

‘Mr. Robot’ didn’t grab me right off the bat. The second episode got me hooked while watching in passing… The scene that caught my attention was when Elliott came to visit his friend and drug dealer Shayla only to find her supplier, Fernando in her apartment. Fernando claimed that Shayla was taking a bath and she was all right. Elliott wasn’t convinced, but Fernando was holding a gun. They had a discussion and Fernando opened up long enough to wow the audience.

Elliot is a computer/IT guy for a large corporation. He is recruited by a socially responsible hacker group. He is conflicted about his actions on all fronts.

‘Mr. Robot’ turns and twists like a mountain road. It’s difficult to tell what is going on until the end of the first season. And it’s a helluva ride.

It’s finally good to see Christian Slater on a series that manages to last more than one season.

After the live on television shooting at Smith Mountain Lake, Virginia… USA Network delayed the season finale one week. And after seeing that episode, I felt as if they made a wise decision.

The show is gritty, compelling, intelligent, and what book readers refer to as a page turner. As of this writing, you are able to watch the whole first season on USA Network dot com.

The show has a certain way of composing the shots and I love that. It's like they take a big canvas and let the background take up a good portion of the stage. Since I view television as an art, I feel like the point of those wonderful shots show us, the viewers, how small we really are in the big scheme of things.

Here's a shot that just floored me...

I had to snap a picture with my cell phone. The background doesn't always take a backseat on this series and I love it.

'Mr. Robot' will become available to Amazon Prime subscribers in the Spring.

No premiere date for the second season has been given, but sources are pointing towards July of 2016.

Various Artists 'TeeVee Toons Presents Television's Greatest Hits'

We’re counting down my Top 5 Best New Shows of 2015 and my number two is a half-hourish comedy from Netflix… ‘Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt’!

Kimmy (Ellie Kemper) is a naïve woman rescued from a Doomsday cult. She decides that she’s going to live in New York City where she meets up with new roommate Titus (Titus Burgess). Titus wants to be the next Broadway star. There’s also the landlady Lillian (Carol Kane) who is a running gag of nuts and Jacqueline (Jane Krakowski) who is way too privileged to even identify with the common folk.

The show’s theme song is unforgettable, annoying, and yet hard to keep from singing over and over… Dammit.

‘Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt’ was passed over at the last minute by NBC and Netflix picked up this comedy gem. Personally, I don’t think it would have pulled in the millions needed to keep it alive on NBC so I’m grateful to Netflix. The comedy is too smart for the over-the-air broadcast television masses. It moves to rapid and requires the viewer to actually no a little something about pop culture.

The great thing about Kimmy is that she’s still the naïve 15 year old that was tucked away in the Doomsday shelter. She’s still wide-eyed and easily impressed. She’s the perfect fish-out-of-water type of character with a massive amount of optimism that makes ‘Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt’ so damn likable.

Titus is hilarious in overdrive. I mean, who can forget “Pinot Noir”?

Carol Kane is oddly funny as the landlady with the left out of field inappropriate comments.

‘Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt’ is a rapid fire comedy that will please anyone with the tiniest of funny bones. Some of the funniest moments come when the show skewers Marcia Clark and Christopher Darden, the lead prosecutors in the OJ Simpson case. And then there’s the unforgettable crashing of an Asian funeral where Titus sings a Boys II Men song.

If they’re not laughing, they’re dead. And that’s all it is to it.

For some reason, the links to the YouTube vids aren't working. So just copy and paste in your browser. Yeah, it may be over my simple-minded head.

Unforgettable ear-worm of an opening theme: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LIdFa1qLgNQ

Pinot Noir. 'Nuff said. Enjoy: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A6yttOfIvOw

Journey 'Captured'

With only six episodes in 2015, ‘Fear The Walking Dead’ is fourth on my list of Best New Shows of 2015.

Unless you’ve been living in a bomb shelter on a Pacific Island, you already know that it’s a spin off of ‘The Walking Dead’ television series and comic. But it’s really more of a prequel as well as a companion television series (I do hope there’s crossover sometime down the line).

The main character is Madison Clark (Kim Dickens), school guidance counselor with a heroin addicted son Nick and overachieving poster-daughter Alicia. Madison has a boyfriend by the name of Travis who has a bit of baggage himself to bring to the zombie apocalypse.

Now things start off slow for many fans of ‘The Walking Dead’ series that don’t appreciate good storylines, acting, or character studies.

I only say that because the second episode of ‘Fear The Walking Dead’ shed nearly 2 million viewers after debut fetched over 10 million. I saw it all over social media about how boring it was… Where’s the carnage? Blah, blah, blah

And that’s too bad, really. But I guess some viewers just aren’t into really good storytelling or perhaps the deep nuisances of the series are too much to comprehend.

Oh well… I find it very interesting to see what happened at the start of the zombie apocalypse. Seeing how the masses dealt with such an absurd thing as the dead reanimating and coming after them to feed and kill.

Madison adapts quickly to the kill or be killed mentality while Travis wrestles with his liberal political leanings.

I find watching Travis very appealing because he doesn’t like his son being shown a few gun tips from Daniel (Reuben Blades) who obviously has a shady past as some kind of torturer from El Salvador. Slowly, but surely, Travis will come around to the new version of Darwinism that the zombie apocalypse will bring about.

With ‘The Walking Dead’, viewers were thrust into this apocalyptic world when Rick Grimes woke up in his hospital bed. Grimes was forced to move and react with very little time to process what was going on. In ‘Fear The Walking Dead’ it’s more of a slow burn. It’s everything we wanted to see, but some viewers don’t seem to have the patience for it.

The most interesting character would have to be Victor Strand (Colman Domingo).

We meet him in a holding cell as he takes Nick under this wing. Victor is obviously a man of means and he’s interesting because he’s not the blue collar type that permeates the original series. Victor has a seaside mansion and a yacht for escape. He has money, charisma, and “do as I shall” attitude.

Victor seems like the perfect cast member to become either a nasty villain or formidable good guy.

I honestly believe that Victor Strand will fall into the villain category.

Why?

I foresee a moment coming when Nick must make a choice. Will it be his mother Madison or Victor Strand?

We shall see how he develops when the series picks back up in the spring of 2016.