Tag / mixed-ish

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Post Mortem – Mixed-ish

We wrap up this year’s look at the shows I watched that have been cancelled with Mixed-ish, the prequel spinoff of ABC’s Black-ish.  Looking back at the childhood of Tracee Ellis Ross’ Rainbow Johnson, the show focused on a mixed race couple who have recently left a commune and are trying to acclimate back in to society with their 3 children, who have never had to deal with their race before.   Despite favorable reviews, the pandemic-shortened second season saw ratings plummet and settle in under 2 million viewers and ABC announced the cancellation in May.

The cast combined known talents, like Mark-Paul Gosselaar and Gary Cole, with talented newcomers (at least to me) Arica Himmel and Tika Sumpter.  I know Cole has already lined up a gig for the next season and I hope to see the others in something again soon.

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ABC Upfronts

After a year dominated by the corona virus, ABC is taking a cautious approach this fall, with only two new series on the schedule.  The week gets off to a familiar start, with Dancing With The Stars followed by The Good Doctor on Monday nights.  Tuesday night starts with the latest version of The Bachelorette and then Queens, about four estranged women in their 40s who reunite for a chance to recapture the fame they had as a ’90s hip hop group.

Wednesday’s comedy block stays pretty much the same, with The Goldbergs, The Conners, and Home Economics returning and a new version of The Wonder Years, taking a nostalgic look at a Black middle-class family in late 60s Montgomery, Alabama.  A Million Little Things finishes of the night.  Thursdays look pretty much the same, with Station 19, Grey’s Anatomy, and then the moved-over Big Sky.  Friday kicks off with Shark Tank, followed by two hours of 20/20.  Sunday stays mostly all reality, with America’s Funniest Home Videos, Celebrity Wheel of Fortune, and Supermarket Sweep, followed by The Rookie.

On the bench for mid-season are Abbott Elementary, a comedy about dedicated teachers in a failing school, Maggie, starring Rebecca Rittenhouse as a young woman trying to cope with life as a psychic, and Women of the Movement, a limited series telling the story of Mamie Till-Mobley, who, in 1955, risks her life to find justice after her son Emmett is brutally murdered in the Jim Crow South.  Returning shows for mid-season include the final installment of Black-ish.

Cancelled shows never to be seen again are American Housewife, Call Your Mother, For Life, Mixed-ish, and Rebel.

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Midseason Review – Tuesdays

old-tv-set1Continuing our look back at my thoughts on the new fall season, with the offerings that I found myself interested in for Tuesdays.

7:00

Weakest Link – The British import returns to NBC, this time with Jane Lynch on board as host.

I’ve watched one episode when there was nothing else on.  It has the same issues as the original, where playing the game means the best players don’t win.

Swamp Thing – The CW gets in on the repurposing game by bringing this former DC Universe series over to broadcast.

Yeah, that’s 0 for 3 now for me actually watching repurposed programming filling the COVID void.

9:00

Big Sky – David E. Kelley returns with his latest, based on the novel The Highway by C. J. Box, starring Kylie Bunbury and Katheryn Winnick as private detectives looking for kidnapped sisters.

Hey, a show I actually watched.  A few unexpected twists and turns along the way, though I’m kind of glad that it’s meant to be a limited series rather than an ongoing.

Now, let’s see what interesting tidbits are coming this spring:

The Flash – The seventh season kicks off in late February.

Superman & Lois – Spun off from Supergirl, the latest entry in the Superman mythos takes flight in February.

Mixed-ish – After a decent enough first season, the show kicks off its second go around tonight.

 

by admin

Midseason Review – Tuesdays

old-tv-set1Continuing our look back at my thoughts on the new fall season, with the offerings that I found myself interested in for Tuesdays.

7:00

The Conners – After a season of nostalgia and a season of curiosity, can the show finally stand on its own two feet? Time will tell.

To be honest, I don’t know how I feel about this show.  I mean, it’s comfortable, like an old robe, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that it’s any good or well worth my time.

The Flash – The gang returns for their sixth season, with Heroes alum Sendhil Ramamurthy onboard as the big bad.

Now that the Flash has survived the Crisis that had been foretold since the earliest days of the series, we’ll see how things change.

7:30

Bless This Mess – After a short run in the spring, Dax Shepard and Lake Bell return for season two, hoping to keep the momentum up for a full season.

I can pretty much take or leave this one, so I guess the decision on whether or not I continue to watch falls on ABC.

8:00

Mixed-ish – Another spinoff of Black-ish, this time focusing on Bow’s adolescence growing up with a white father and a black mother.

Well, I’ve stuck with this longer than I did Grown-ish, but that’s not particularly saying anything.  I think there’s a pretty good show in there somewhere, but I’m not sure anyone, including me, knows how to get it out.

Arrow – The show returns for a short, 10 episode final season, without Emily Bett Rickards.

The Crisis on Infinite Earths is over and, while the multi-verse is safe, Oliver Queen is dead.  If I’m counting right, the show will be wrapping up its run tonight.

This Is Us – The emotionally manipulative hit is back for a fourth season, assuming I ever go back and finish the previous two.

I still haven’t watched since midway through season two.  At what point do I admit that I don’t watch the show and free up some space on the DVR?

8:30

Black-ish – While it is putting spinoffs on the air, I don’t know if moving back to the half hour timeslot is a good sign for a sitcom heading into season 6.

Some weeks, the show still seems like it’s firing on all cylinders.  Others, it seems so tired that you can see all the seams.

Now, let’s see what interesting tidbits are coming this spring:

DC’s Legends Of Tomorrow –  Coming in at the tail end of the Crisis, there will be some additional turnover this year as Brandon Routh and Courtney Ford will be leaving the show this season.

 

by admin

2019 New Fall Season – Tuesdays

old-tv-set1Continuing our look at the new fall season, here are the offerings that I may find myself interested in for Tuesdays.

7:00

The Conners – After a season of nostalgia and a season of curiosity, can the show finally stand on its own two feet? Time will tell.

The Flash – The gang returns for their sixth season, with Heroes alum Sendhil Ramamurthy onboard as the big bad.

7:30

Bless This Mess – After a short run in the spring, Dax Shepard and Lake Bell return for season two, hoping to keep the momentum up for a full season.

8:00

Mixed-ish – Another spinoff of Black-ish, this time focusing on Bow’s adolescence growing up with a white father and a black mother.

Arrow – The show returns for a short, 10 episode final season, without Emily Bett Rickards.

This Is Us – The emotionally manipulative hit is back for a fourth season, assuming I ever go back and finish the previous two.

8:30

Black-ish – While it is putting spinoffs on the air, I don’t know if moving back to the half hour timeslot is a good sign for a sitcom heading into season 6.

by admin

ABC Upfronts

After a decade of shaking up their schedule, ABC is taking a cautious approach this fall, with only three new series on the schedule.  The week gets off to a familiar start, with Dancing With The Stars followed by The Good Doctor on Monday nights.  Tuesday night is the biggest shake-up of the week, with two new shows and two returning shows in new timeslots.  The Roseanne-less The Conners returns for its second season, followed by Bless This Mess, which debuted this spring. mixed-ish, a new spinoff of black-ish, leads in to the mothership, followed by Emergence, about a police chief who takes in a young child she finds near the site of a mysterious accident

Wednesday stays pretty much the same, with The Goldbergs, Schooled, Modern Family, and Single Parents starting the night and leading into Stumptown, a new drama starring Colbie Smulders and based on the graphic novel by Greg Rucka, Matthew Southworth, and Justin Greenwood.  Thursdays stay exactly the same, with Grey’s Anatomy, A Million Little Things, and How To Get Away With Murder.  A revamped Friday kicks off with the re-located American Housewife, followed by Fresh Off The Boat and two hours of 20/20.  Sunday stays mostly all reality, with America’s Funniest Home Videos, Kids Say The Darndest Things, and Shark Tank, followed by The Rookie.

Agents of SHIELD will return at some point in 2020, along with returning shows Station 19 and American Idol.  Also on the bench for mid-season are The Baker and the Beauty, based on an Israeli series telling the story of the unlikely romance between a blue-collar baker and an international superstar, For Life, a prisoner-turned-lawyer serialized legal and family drama co-produced by 50 Cent, United We Fall, a multicamera comedy starring Jane Curtin and Will Sasso, and Reef Bank, an action drama bringing Poppy Montgomery back to the small screen.

Cancelled shows never to be seen again are Whiskey Cavalier, Speechless, Splitting Up Together, The Kids Are Alright, The Fix, and For The People.