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CBS Upfronts

We wrap up our looks at the network upfronts with CBS, who released their entire 2025-2026 plans.  The week starts with Monday’s familiar comedy block, starting with The Neighborhood followed by DMV, a new comedy starring based on a short story by Katherine Heiny.  That is followed by the OG FBI and its latest spinoff, CIA, starring Tom Ellis.  Tuesday gets turned over to the NCIS franchise, with the original version leading off the night, followed by NCIS: Origins and NCIS: Sydney.

Wednesday continues as all reality, with extra-long episodes of Survivor followed by The Amazing Race.  Thursday has another hour-long comedy block, with Georgie & Mandy’s First Marriage followed by Ghosts.  The new version of Matlock and another installment of Elsbeth finish out the night.  Friday starts with Sheriff Country, an expansion of the Fire Country universe starring Morena Baccarin, followed by the original Fire Country and Boston Blue, a spinoff of Blue Bloods, continuing the adventures of Donny Wahlberg’s Danny Reagan.  Sunday kicks off with 60 Minutes, followed by Tracker, and The Road, giving viewers a “backstage pass into the gritty and unforgiving life of a touring artist.”

On tap for midseason on Wednesdays are game shows The Price is Right at Night and Hollywood Squares, followed by Harlan Coben’s Final Twist, a true crime series hosted by the best-selling author.  America’s Culinary Cup is a new cooking competition series hosted by Padma Lakshhi.  Y: Marshalls, a spinoff of the Paramount+ series Yellowstone sees Luke Grimes’ Kayce Dutton put the ranch behind him and join an elite unit of U.S. Marshals.  Last, but not least, is the second season of Watson.

Gone and never to be seen again are Blue Bloods, The Equalizer, FBI: International, FBI: Most Wanted, Poppa’s House, The Summit, and S.W.A.T.

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Book 25 (of 52) – Mr. Monk And The Two Assistants

Mr. Monk and the Two Assistants – Lee Goldberg

Monk learns that Sharona has moved back to San Francisco after a chance encounter in an emergency room after Julie breaks her arm in a soccer game.  Fearing for her job, Natalie tries to convince Monk to take the case of Sharona’s husband, who is in jail in Los Angeles having been charged with murder.  A quick trip overwhelms Monk’s senses, so he returns home hoping to make a breakthrough remotely.  Another case, looking like an alligator attack, takes over Monk’s time, at least until another consultant, brought in by Disher, solves both murders, leading to the arrest of both Sharona and Natalie.

Mr. Monk and the Two Assistants is the fourth of 18 novels based on the USA Network dramedy that ran from 2002 to 2009 from series writer Lee Goldberg. Once again told from the perspective of Natalie, the story shares the bones of the plot, with Sharona returning and causing friction with Natalie, with an episode from the final season of Monk, aired two years later.  With the remaining fourteen books waiting for me, hopefully things start to gel more as the series goes forward.

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iTunes Top 200: #31 – 38

Music.  It is a powerful thing that brings people together, creates memories, and evokes emotions.  It is the universal language that speaks to the soul.  It forms the soundtrack of our lives.

It has now been five years since we last counted down the Top 200 songs in my iTunes library, featuring he songs I have listened to the most since 2007.  It is time to do so again, seeing which older songs still resonate and if any newer ones have joined the fray.  So, without further ado, here are my most listened to songs, based on number of plays as of January 1, 2025.

We continue this week with the two remaining songs tied for 89th place with 42 plays and begin the first batch of tunes with 43 plays apiece, good enough for 77th place since my stats began in late 2007.

#38: 10,000 Maniacs – These Are Days
iTunes stats: 52 plays, most recently on 8/12/2024
Previous ranking: #51

The lead single from the band’s fifth studio album, it topped Billboard’s Modern Rock Tracks chart in November of 1992.

#38: Metallica – Wherever I May Roam
iTunes stats: 52 plays, most recently on 2/26/2024
Previous ranking: #47

Used by former White Sox closer David Robertson as his entry music during his stint with the club, which got it added to some editions of my White Sox victory playlist.

#38: Foo Fighters – All My Life
iTunes stats: 52 plays, most recently on 8/1/2024
Previous ranking: #28

Only three new plays for this live version of the song from the Live in Hyde Park bootleg.

#34: Taylor Swift – Bad Blood
iTunes stats: 53 plays, most recently on 2/12/2024
Previous ranking: #60

Swift’s fourth #1 single on the Billboard Hot 100, it was one of many walkup songs used by Anthony Rizzo during the 2016 season, earning it a place on my Cubs victory playlist.

#34: Katy Perry – I Kissed a Girl
iTunes stats: 53 plays, most recently on 8/17/2024
Previous ranking: #33

Perry’s debut single, it was ranked as the 66th top song for the decade of the 2000s by Billboard magazine.

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Eligible For The Hall

Last week, MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred announced that anyone on the league’s permanently ineligible list that was now deceased would be removed, making them eligible for Hall of Fame consideration.  In a statement, Manfred said, “In my view, once an individual has passed away, the purposes of Rule 21 have been served.  Obviously, a person no longer with us cannot represent a threat to the integrity of the game.”  Later in the statement, he said, “I have concluded that permanent ineligibility ends upon the passing of the disciplined individual.”

The driving force behind this change was, of course, Pete Rose.  Rose, who died last September, agreed to be banned by then-Commissioner Bart Giamatti in 1989 after a report by investigator John Dowd confirmed that he had bet on Reds games while he was the manager.  That agreement prohibited Dowd from further investigation which likely would have uncovered that Rose had bet on his team to lose.  Complicating matters, Giamatti died of a heart attack eight days later, making his successors hesitant to remove Rose from the ineligible list during his lifetime.

Along with Rose, this decision applies to 16 other deceased individuals, including members of the 1919 White Sox like Shoeless Joe Jackson and Buck Weaver, among others.  2028 would be the earliest any of the newly eligible players could be inducted into the Hall of Fame, as the Classic Baseball Era Committee will next meet and vote in December 2027.  The two most likely to get any consideration are Rose and Jackson, and neither is the shoe-in their supporters may think.

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Book 24 (of 52) – Intermezzo

Intermezzo – Sally Rooney

An emotionally stunted man and his seemingly autistic brother struggle to relate to each other in the wake of their father’s death.

Intermezzo, the latest from Sally Rooney, was a nominee for favorite fiction in the 2024 Goodreads Choice Awards, although I can’t imagine why.  When I first read Rooney 2 1/2 years ago, I said, “I don’t think I’m going to be running out to see what else Rooney has to offer.”  I wish I had remembered that, because this was a slog to get through.  It was easily the closest I’ve come to giving up on a book in years.  Oh well, I guess it’s on to better things.

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ABC Upfronts

ABC comes in with the most stable schedule heading in to fall, with four consecutive nights showing no change from last fall.  Monday once again will simulcast Monday Night Football with ESPN.  Tuesday will also remain the same, with the next installment of Dancing With the Stars followed by High Potential, which became the network’s most-watched new series in seven years.

Wednesday kicks off with the comedy block of Shifting Gears and Abbott Elementary, followed by another installment of The Golden Bachelor and Shark Tank.  9-1-1 returns for its third season on ABC to kick off Thursdays, followed by new spinoff 9-1-1: Nashville and the 22nd season of Grey’s Anatomy.  Friday sees Celebrity Wheel of Fortune followed by two hours of 20/20.  Sunday also stays stable, with America’s Funniest Home Videos followed by three hours of The Wonderful World of Disney.

On the bench for mid-season are new installments of American Idol, Celebrity Jeopardy, The Rookie, and Will Trent.  The future of Doctor Odyssey is undetermined at this point.

Shows never to be seen again are The Conners, which wrapped up its seven-season run this spring.

 

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FOX Upfronts

FOX is cutting back on scripted programming and adding more game shows to their fall schedule released during their upfront presentation earlier this week.  The week starts with game shows on Monday, with the returning Name That Tune followed by Celebrity Weakest Link, brought over from NBC.  Tuesday has a second installment of Murder in a Small Town followed by season two of Doc.

Competitions are the order of the day on Wednesday, with the latest installment of The Floor followed by 99 to Beat, based on a Belgium show where 100 contestants compete for a $100,000 prize.  Thursdays focus on reality competitions, with new editions of Hell’s Kitchen and Special Forces: World’s Toughest Test.  Sports remains the focus on Friday, with college football and basketball filling the night.  Sunday, as always, is Animation Domination, with The Simpsons, Universal Basic Guys, Krapopolis, and Bob’s Burgers wrapping things up following football.

New shows on tap for midseason include Fear Factor: The Next Chapter, a “bigger, bolder and more daring” reality show based on the NBC hit from the early 2000s.  On the comedy front the Josh Charles project Best Medicine, which is planned to team with Doc.  Drama-wise, Memory of a Killer is a dramatic thriller inspired by an award-winning 2003 Belgian film.  Returning shows include American Dad!, Animal Control, Beat Shazam, Don’t Forget the Lyrics!, Extracted, The Faithful, Family Guy, Going Dutch, Grimsburg, Kitchen Nightmares, The Masked Singer, Next Level Baker, and Next Level Chef.  Decisions have yet to be made about Alert: Missing Persons Unit, The Cleaning Lady, or Accused.

Gone and mostly forgotten are 9-1-1: Lone Star and Rescue: HI-Surf.

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NBC Upfronts

For the first time in 23 years, the NBA is returning to NBC and that was the focus of their new fall schedule, released on Monday.  The week gets off to a familiar start with The Voice returning for another round on Mondays, followed by Brilliant Minds, the sophomore medical drama starring Zachary Quinto.  Tuesday will start off in September with a second installment of The Voice followed by On Brand with Jimmy Fallon, an unscripted series where the boorish Tonight Show host staffs a premier marketing agency with “the most creative, clever and competitive go-getters he can find.”  When the NBA season begins in October, it will take over the night.

Wednesday and Thursday continue to be dominated by Dick Wolf franchises, with his three Chicago series running back-to-back-to-back on Wednesday and the two original entries in his Law & Order franchise the following night.  Thursday wraps up with another season of The Hunting Party.  On Brand with Jimmy Fallon will continue on Friday, followed by a two-hour block of Dateline.  The weekend is dominated by football, with the Big Ten or Notre Dame on Saturday and the NFL on Sunday.

Come November, things will shift again.  The two-hour Monday edition of The Voice will be shrunk to one hour to make room for the displaced Tuesday comedy block, which will be anchored by sophomore hit St. Denis Medical.  The Friday comedy block with also return, with fellow sophomore Happy’s Place back to lead off the night.  At this point, the second half of both hours is undetermined.

On the bench, NBC has three comedies and one nature documentary series. The Fall and Rise of Reggie Dinkins reunites Tracy Morgan with Executive Producer Tina Fey in a comedy where a disgraced former football player is on a mission to rehabilitate his image.  Stumble is from Jeff and Liz Astrof.  The final comedy is an untitled community center project from Sierra Teller Ornelas. In Surviving Earth, viewers will go back in time to see how life not only survived cataclysmic events but thrived.

Shows gone from our television sets include Found, The Irrational, Suits LA, Night Court and Lopez vs Lopez.

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Fitbit XI – Week 16

I was heading towards another nice week, and a second straight week finishing over 30,000, until my battery died prematurely on Saturday, cutting my night off short.  The week got off to a slow start on Sunday, needing 11 additional steps just to get to 3300.  Monday saw a nice improvement, coming 7 steps shy of 4700.  Tuesday fell back down again to 4000 steps.  a slight improvement on Wednesday left me 9 steps away from 4100.  The worst day of the week came on Thursday, as I managed only 2200 steps.  A night out at the ballpark on Friday helped me to my best day of the week, ending up 34 steps away from 5800.  Another trip to see the White Sox at Rate Field on Saturday was headed in the same direction, but the battery gave up the ghost at 4600 steps.

Total steps: 28,746

Daily average: 4106.6

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iTunes Top 200: #41 – 50

Music.  It is a powerful thing that brings people together, creates memories, and evokes emotions.  It is the universal language that speaks to the soul.  It forms the soundtrack of our lives.

It has now been five years since we last counted down the Top 200 songs in my iTunes library, featuring he songs I have listened to the most since 2007.  It is time to do so again, seeing which older songs still resonate and if any newer ones have joined the fray.  So, without further ado, here are my most listened to songs, based on number of plays as of January 1, 2025.

We start the final quarter of this chart with the one remaining song tied for 50th place with 49 plays through the four tracks with 51 plays apiece, good enough for 41st place since my stats began in late 2007.

#50: The Beatles – Helter Skelter
iTunes stats: 49 plays, most recently on 8/15/2024
Previous ranking: #51

Considered by music historians as a key influence in the development of heavy metal, the song has added nine new plays over the past five years.

#45: The Lonely Island – Lazy Sunday (ft. Chris Parnell)
iTunes stats: 50 plays, most recently on 10/18/2024
Previous ranking: #29

A bit of a drop down the charts for the original SNL digital short that put the Lonely Island on the pop culture map and defined the phrase “viral video”.

#45: Foo Fighters – Everlong
iTunes stats: 50 plays, most recently on 3/29/2024
Previous ranking: #33

Recorded live in London’s Hyde Park, the song added five additional listens over these past five years.

#45: Elvis Presley – An American Trilogy
iTunes stats: 50 plays, most recently on 10/21/2024
Previous ranking: #60

A medley of three 19th century songs: Dixie, a blackface minstrel song that became the unofficial anthem of the Confederacy since the Civil War; All My Trials, originally a Bahamian lullaby, but closely related to African American spirituals; and The Battle Hymn of the Republic, the marching song of the Union Army during the Civil War.

#45: Dr. Dre Feat. Snoop Dogg – Nuthin’ But A “G” Thang
iTunes stats: 50 plays, most recently on 3/20/2024
Previous ranking: #43

The first single from Dr. Dre’s solo debut, which reached #2 on the Billboard Hot 100 and was named the hip-hop song of the decade by XXL magazine.

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