Tag / NBC

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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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iTunes Top 200: #99 – 113

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 final batch of songs tied for 113th place with 40 plays apiece and started the group tied for 99th with 41 listens since my stats began in late 2007.

#113: George Carlin – Telephone Mimes
iTunes stats: 40 plays, most recently on 9/10/2024
Previous ranking: #144

Yet another entry from Carlin’s 17th album and twelfth HBO stand-up special.

#113: Garbage – Androgyny
iTunes stats: 40 plays, most recently on 6/3/2024
Previous ranking: #89

The lead single from the band’s third studio album, it failed to land on any Billboard chart in the US.

#113: Foo Fighters – My Hero
iTunes stats: 40 plays, most recently on 9/25/2024
Previous ranking: #98

Adding six new plays over the last five years, this live, acoustic version of the band’s 1998 hit was recorded at the Pantages Theatre in Los Angeles in 2006.

#113: Foo Fighters – This Is a Call
iTunes stats: 40 plays, most recently on 8/9/2024
Previous ranking: #112

Written just months after the death of Kurt Cobain, this debut single from Dave Grohl’s first post-Nirvana effort added seven listens since 2020.

#113: Foo Fighters – Everlong
iTunes stats: 40 plays, most recently on 8/31/2024
Previous ranking: #89

The second single from the band’s second studio album, it peaked at #3 on the Alternative Songs chart in 1997. Continue reading →

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2024: The Year In Television

With less and less good productions airing on network and cable networks and instead moving to the various streaming platforms, that seems to have taken over as my main form of non-game show television watching. Now that I work from home full time, I have plenty of time to take in whatever they have to offer. Since we cover the network and cable shows that I watch elsewhere, let’s take a look at the 22 seasons of shows I streamed on six different platforms this year.

9-1-1 Seasons 1-7 (Disney+)
I was introduced to this show when I was in Amsterdam and decided to watch from the beginning once I got home.

Based on a True Story Season 1 (Peacock)
Kaley Cuoco and Chris Messina start a podcast with a serial killer.

The Blacklist Season 10 (Netflix)
One final go-around for the former NBC hit, which wrapped up its run in the summer of 2023.

Criminal Minds: Evolution Season 17 (Paramount+)
The BAU returns once again, following up on plot threads from the previous season.

Derry Girls Seasons 1-3 (Netflix)
A group of friends in Northern Ireland grow up amidst a changing political climate.

Doctor Who Season 1 (Disney+)
Ncuti Gatwa ushers in a new era for Doctor Who.

Grey’s Anatomy Season 19 (Netflix)
A new set of interns start at Grey Sloan.

Nobody Wants This Season 1 (Netflix)
A gentile sex/relationship podcaster falls in love with a rabbi.

Only Murders in the Building Season 4 (Hulu)
Yet another murder in the building brings Steve Martin, Martin Short, and Selena Gomez back together for another investigation.

Remington Steele Season 2-5 (Amazon Prime)
The 80s hit, starring Pierce Brosnan and Stephanie Zimbalist, has become a weekend morning staple.

This is the Zodiac Speaking (Netflix)
The latest attempt to identify the notorious Zodiac killer.

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Post Mortem – The Blacklist

The tenth and final season of The Blacklist aired last spring and summer, wrapping up in July on NBC.  The original storyline, revolving around FBI agent Elizabeth Keen and her mysterious relationship to criminal mastermind Red Reddington, wrapped up after season eight when Megan Boone, who played Keen, left the show.  A revamped plot, with many new characters, was implemented for the final two seasons.  The main mystery behind the show, what is the relationship between Keen and Reddington, was never definitely answered.

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Post Mortem – Ted Lasso

Ted Lasso, the football comedy that put Apple TV+ on the map when it premiered in 2020, wrapped up its run with the release of its third and final season last spring.  Based on a character created for promoting NBC’s coverage of the Premier League, the show starred Jason Sudeikis as an American football coach hired to coach an English soccer team and who brings a folksy, down-to-earth approach that overcomes his lack of knowledge of the game.

While there has been talk of spin-offs or other continuations, nothing has been announced as of yet.  Sudeikis seemed ready to move on, but the rest of the cast seemed ready to continue in some shape or form.  Time will tell, but I hope to revisit AFC Richmond and its cast of characters again in the future.

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NBC Upfronts

NBC announced their new fall schedule last week, one in which they add three new shows to the lineup.  The week gets off to a familiar start with The Voice returning for another round on Mondays, followed by Brilliant Minds, a new medical drama starring Zachary Quinto.  Tuesday starts with new mockumentary-style comedy St. Denis Medical, starring Wendi McLendon-Covey and David Alan Grier, followed by a third season of the new Night Court.  A second installment of The Voice followed by season two of The Irrational, closes out 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 a second season of Found.  A second comedy block leads off Friday night, with Happy’s Place, led by Reba McEntire, followed by Lopez vs. Lopez.  Two hours of Dateline NBC wrap up the night.  Sunday remains filled with the NFL.

For midseason, NBC has The Americas, a ten-part nature series narrated by Tom Hanks which has been in the works since 2020.  Also waiting in reserve are The Hunting Party, a crime drama starring Melisssa Roxborough, the returning Deal or No Deal Island, and a new competition series titled Destination X.  Still under consideration are Suits: LA, a spinoff to the old USA show which has become a streaming juggernaut, and Grosse Point Garden Society, from the producers of Good Girls.

Shows gone from our sets include Extended Family, La Brea, Magnum P.I., and Quantum Leap.  Law & Order: Organized Crime moves to Peacock.

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NBC Upfronts

NBC announced their new fall schedule yesterday, one which they hope is strike-proof, between reality programming and shows that were renewed early to keep them in production prior to the strike.  The week gets off to a familiar start with The Voice returning for another round on Mondays, followed by The Irrational, starring Jessie L. Martin as the latest behavioral science expert who uses his skills to help governments, law enforcement, and corporations.  Tuesday leads off with the week’s sole comedy block, with the Night Court sequel followed by Extended Family, starring Jon Cryer and Abigail Spencer as divorced parents who continue to raise their kids in the family home.  That is followed by another hour of The Voice and the rebooted Quantum Leap.

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.  Found, starring Shanola Hampton as a public relations specialist who helps keep the spotlight on missing children, caps of the night.  The Wall kicks things off on Friday, followed by two hours of Dateline NBC.  Sunday remains filled with the NFL.

Law & Order: Organized Crime moves to midseason for its fourth season as a new show runner comes onboard.  La Brea will return for a shortened third and final season, as will the second half of Magnum PI‘s fifth season.  On the comedy side, the George Lopez comedy Lopez vs. Lopez, will be back for a second season while the futures of Young Rock , American Auto, and Grand Crew are up in the air.  A second season of Password is also expected, though it is dependent on the resolution of the writer’s strike.  New shows for midseason include The Americas, with Tom Hanks narrating a look at the “wonders, secrets and fragilities of the Americas – Earth’s largest landmass and the only one to stretch between both poles,” Deal or No Deal Island, which pits teams against each other and the banker to win lots of money, and an untitled America’s Got Talent spinoff series.

Shows gone from our sets include The Blacklist, New Amsterdam, and possibly others.

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Book 21 (of 52) – Catch And Kill

Catch and Kill: Lies, Spies, and a Conspiracy to Protect Predators – Ronan Farrow

As an investigative reporter for NBC, Ronan Farrow thought he was working on just another story. Rumors of Harvey Weinstein’s misdeeds had been an open secret in Hollywood for years, but Farrow was starting to get women abused by Weinstein to break their silence and go on the record. This was bound to become his biggest story yet, until NBC mysteriously started to get cold feet, slowing his reporting and, eventually, stopping it altogether.  Farrow took the story to The New Yorker where, in step with similar reporting by the New York Times, Weinstein’s crimes were made public and led to his eventual arrest and conviction.  For his work, Farrow, along with Jodi Kantor and Megan Twohey from the Times, won the Pulitzer Prize for Public Service.  NBC, meanwhile, found themselves under fire, both for sitting on the story in deference to Weinstein and for covering up sexual abuse in their own house.

In Catch and Kill: Lies, Spies, and a Conspiracy to Protect Predators, Ronan Farrow recounts his early work with NBC trying to track down sources and evidence against Harvey Weinstein, something many journalists had tried to do previously but, for many reasons, were unable to bring to fruition.  After releasing the Weinstein story, he was able to get information on the lengths Weinstein had gone in order to stop him and the others, including berating his bosses and NBC and hiring Israeli intelligence firms to track their movements and dig up dirt on them.  He closes up the book with the aftermath and NBC, where Matt Lauer, longtime host of the Today show, was exposed and executives who covered for him and kowtowed to Weinstein were let go.

Farrow puts together a compelling, and also horrifying, story, where powerful men are able to get away with anything so long as they continue to produce profits or value for their organizations.  The publication of both his and Kantor and Twhoey’s work led into the explosion of the #MeToo movement, where women across the globe stood up against their abusers and tried to take back their power.  There’s still plenty of work to do, but I have to hope we, as a civilization, are in a better place than we were six years ago.

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Book 32 (of 52) – How To Be Perfect

How To Be Perfect: The Correct Answer To Every Moral Question – Michael Schur

Back in the fall of 2016, a new comedy, starring Ted Danson and Kristen Bell, debuted on NBC.  This show, created by Michael Schur, tackled the afterlife and how living a “good” life was sometimes easier said than done.  In The Good Place, characters received points for every good deed they did and lost points for selfish or bad deeds throughout their life, and the resulting total would determine if they made it into the Good Place or the Bad Place.  Before writing the show, creator Michael Schur needed to take his own dive into moral philosophy in order to give the show the heft it needed to become a success.

In How To Be Perfect, Schur shares what he’s learned from philosophers like Immanuel Kant, Aristotle, Albert Camus, and Jean-Paul Sartre, amongst others, in a much more entertaining way than the original texts.  He goes deep into the Trolley Problem, which featured heavily in the show, and how the different philosophies treat it differently, and moves from easy ethical questions like “Should I punch my friend in the face for no reason?” to the more complex moral issues we face every day, like “Can I still enjoy great art if it was created by terrible people?” and “How much money should I give to charity?”  He also goes in to the importance of not just finding the answer (of course you shouldn’t punch your friend in the face) but also why.

In my younger days, my retirement plan, after I won the lottery, was to return to college and study philosophy.  Now that I’ve read this book, there’s really no reason to do so anymore.  I’ve already had my education.  And, you know, haven’t won the lottery.