Random clicking of news and tidbits on current and past television programming in the U.S., as well as what's happening in the TV-on-DVD market. Pop culture on the tube. Reliving our childhood one disc at a time.
The day after a holiday is a day that just drags and lingers, especially if you are one of the few who had to return to work. Skeleton crews, continuous silence, one or three phone calls. That's the worker's July 5th. For others, it is just one long holiday weekend and unless you find yourself at the beach or lake, you are probably dragging yourself through the motions of the day: working on that third cup of coffee, regretting that fourth hot dog or hamburger from last night, recuperating your hearing after last night's fireworks, and channel surfing mid-morning daytime television.
Now that viewers got their Imagine Dragons fix on Good Morning America and John Mayer songs on The Today Show, what is there to watch? Stay Tuned has found a short list of marathons worth checking out today.
Television Marathons for Friday, July 5, 2013:
The Twilight Zone (Revival Series) (Chiller) - Chiller has a day-long marathon of the first revivial series of the classic show, the 1980s version of The Twilight Zone. There were some memorable episodes in this revival series, including some that were exact replications of episodes from the original series. Of course nothing can measure up to the original but the '85-'89 version does a considerably decent job. Check it out if your cable station carries Chiller.
The Walking Dead(AMC) - AMC presents a marathon of the second season of the popular zombie comic book adaptation. If you still haven't seen the show or missed out on this season, today is the day to catch up!
Warehouse 13 (Syfy) - This sleeper sci-fi hit has gained a loyal following over the years is just about to wrap up production on its final season. Considered one of the best shows on the network, Warehouse 13 mixes science fiction, technology, mystery, and fun all in this bag of kooky chips. Eddie McClintock brings the house down as Secret Service agent Pete Lattimer. Check out McClintock's Twitter page (@EddieMcClintock) for a better sense of Warehouse 13 as the actor shares related tweets and pics continuously. Eddie's Twitter Page
Happy Lazy-Day-After-A-Holiday, and enjoy whatever you are viewing today. Remember to Stay Tuned for more random updates. More TV-on-DVD recommendations and reviews will be coming soon!
Stay Tuned would like to wish everyone out there a Happy 4th of July! We also want to send a special shout-out to all our troops and military, both home and abroad. Thank you for everything you have done for our country and we look forward to receiving you with open arms when you return home.
Television on the 4th of July is usually full of marathons and evening firework displays from a live feed. Since shows are on hiatus, it's pretty difficult to spot an episode with an Independence Day theme. The one show I cannot help thinking about on this day is Love, American Style. The show had absolutely nothing to do with the 4th of July but it's opening montage and theme had all the fireworks and Americana needed to make such a random association. And it also spawned one of the most popular shows of our time, Happy Days.
While this day should be spent outdoors at the pools, BBQs, and parks, Stay Tuned is providing a brief rundown of notable TV marathons if the weather has you stuck indoors. The order of this list is based on Stay Tuned's recommendations. Bump that alphabetical order!
Television Marathons for Thursday, July 4, 2013:
The Twilight Zone (Syfy) - Hands-down, there are two times each year where viewers look forward to the vintage Twilight Zone marathon. It never gets boring to watch Rod Serling's sinfully enticing work of art. Note: Most of the popular and memorable episodes of the show air in the early evening and night.
Castle(TNT) - This partner-buddy cop drama has recently crossed over into the romantic arena but the stories and crimes are still a delight to watch. Nathan Fillion usually brings a certain element to his performances and Castle is not an exception.
NCIS (USA) - The Mark Harmon JAG-spin-off has remained one of CBS' strongest crime dramas for the past decade without any sign of flatlining. If military crime shows are your thing, and who wouldn't like it on this particular day, then plop down and catch the day-long marathon.
Fear Factor (Chiller) - Joe Rogan hosts this reality competition show where contestants have to pretty much do the nastiest, yuckiest, most disgusting, and usually fearful trials in order to win the game.
Hope you enjoy this wonderful day and Stay Tuned will be back shortly with more recommendations and tidbits during this long holiday weekend!
And please, be careful with fireworks (legal or illegal)! We're not going to say whether it's right or wrong where you live but we just want to caution that most accidents during this day are a result of mishandling fireworks. Care for your extremities as well as for your surroundings.
Enjoy! And if you have any fond memories of July 4th, please feel free to share them here.
Entertainment Weeklyhas released a special double issue for the first week of July with a countdown of The 100 All-Time Greatest Movies, Albums, Novels, and of course, TV Shows.
EW's list of the 100 greatest TV shows of all-time already has generated a lot of buzz with the typical complaints of "Where's this show?" and "Why is this show included?" and even the "This show should have been ranked higher/lower!"...nobody is ever happy, right?
Well STAY TUNED just wants to give some exposure to this wonderful issue (including an excellent tribute to the late James Gandolfini) and hopefully generate some talk in the TV Den. So grab your bean bag chair and glance at the countdown.
Today we'll highlight the bottom ten shows, #91 - 100, on EW's all-time list.
#100 - The Brady Bunch
Who could forget that addicting theme song? The Bradys showed us that families can blend together through the bonds of a second marriage.
#99 - Alias
Sydney and Vaughn. Spy Daddy and Spy Mommy. Francie and Doppelganger Francie. Huge, gaping 2-year flash-forward. Alias brought the spy game to television viewers and probably was the first show to implement the flash-forward technique halfway through its run. Part of us wanted to be part of the Bristow family. The other part thanked reality for not having a zany family.
#98 - Bewitched
Samantha Stephens was one foxy witch. It was the twitch of the nose that set things off. Bewitched introduced the world to witchcraft in a comedic setting and it hit the ball right out of the park. The effects were top notch for its time and made the show believable. It also spawned the eternal debate that remains to this very date, Darrin #1 vs. Darrin #2. Each actor brought a uniqueness to the role but it's ultimately Darrin #1 (Dick York) that was the better Darrin. And let's not forget Endora, Samantha's mortal-hating mother. Endora stole the show every single time she appeared on screen.
#97 - The Comeback
Lisa Kudrow's show was on the air for a short amount of time. I mean if you blinked you would have never known that Kudrow had returned to television with this witty show on HBO. Probably the strongest vehicle for Kudrow post-Friends, it received praise and positive reviews but failed to capture the fickle audience. HBO made a mistake in not renewing the show for a second season.
#96 - Malcolm in the Middle
Malcolm in the Middle was a refreshing comedy that brought the family back to the core. The show featured a typical American family with the internal dysfunction and problems most of our families have experienced. Malcolm had the ability to showcase family strife without vulgarity, as was the case of similar shows during the 2000s. Sympathizers and sufferers of middle-child syndrome related to Malcolm and the pains of growing up in that family environment. It's also great to see Bryan Cranston pre-Breaking Bad.
#95 - Grey's Anatomy
It's drama. It's soapy. It's a dramedy...of sorts. However you want to define it, Grey's Anatomy has been one roller coaster of a show. Hospital dramas can sometimes get boring and bogged down in the depths of dull if there is more medical jargon than storyline. This show has managed to overcome that hurdle and provide outstanding, eye-opening, mouth dropping stories for the last nine years. Just when it seems that Grey's can't top itself, it always finds a way to go over the top. Shootings, plane crashes, deaths, deaths, and more deaths. Most of the audience has been torn between McDreamy and McSteamy, while others root for McBreathy (as in "I hope my favorite character makes it to next week's episode"). Whatever your feelings are about the show, you have got to give it up to homegirl Grey for getting through all the ish she's been through in almost a decade on the air.
#94 - Project Runway
I really have nothing to add to Project Runway. I'm not going to say anything too horrible because my friend Chanelle watches this program religiously when she's working out at her gym. The show has provided an outlet for talented designers to demonstrate their ideas and gain entry into a difficult industry. If anything, the cattiness of the contestants and harsh, honest creative criticism of the judges make this show worth watching.
#93 - The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour
The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour was a variety show that pushed the buttons and limits with its frequent political humor. Airing during a time when variety shows were hot commodities, audience grabbers, and ratings winners, the Smothers Brothers mixed comedic skits with musical acts, most times by the actual Smothers Brothers themselves but other times bringing in hot (what we would consider indie these days) artists of the late '60s. After reviewing some clips of the show, it makes one wish variety shows would make a comeback.
#92 - Sanford and Son
Sanford and Son was a groundbreaking comedy on many levels. It became a popular show featuring an entire cast of African-Americans, including the lead characters of Fred Sanford and his son Lamont.The setting of the show was the Sanford junkyard, the family business which was another rarity at the time. The show centered around an African-American-owned business, a huge leap from the supporting television roles of house cleaners, maids, butlers, and menial employees in the late '60s through the '70s. Fred Sanford (played brilliantly by the late Redd Foxx) Controversial material was almost the norm as the show consistently tested the boundaries in its half-hour format. In fact, Sanford and Son helped pave the road for future African-American television.
And who could forget the Sanford and Son theme?!?
#91 - Star Trek
Space...the final frontier. Star Trek wasn't exactly a ratings winner but it gained a loyal following and has increased its cult status thanks to syndication, spin-offs, movies, and books. In retrospect, Star Trek was following the trend of space-centered television shows in the mid to late '60s. The premise was fascinating: space in the future, advanced technology, and traveling to different worlds and encountering strange beings and alien life forms. And let's be honest, that space ship was neat-o. As the show continued on during its three year run, it became a habit to wonder how exactly the extra in the red shirt would meet his or her demise. Because let's face it, if you wore a red shirt on the shirt then you pretty much were going to die. Star Trek also made television history by being the first American show to feature an interracial kiss (Cap. Kirk and Uhura). That jungle fever kiss, Spock's pointer ears and hand sign, alien green women, and furry little balls called Tribbles were just some highlights associated with this cult classic.
Well there you go. EW's list has opened the floodgate of memories. There were some surprises so far. I wouldn't consider The Comeback and Grey's Anatomy as part of the 100 greatest shows of all-time. They're good shows, but deserve an honorary mention status.
What do you think of the EW's list so far? Chime in if you loved, hated, watched any of these shows mentioned. Stay Tuned will be back with the next set #90-81!
It's Stay Tuned's 1st NEW RELEASE TUESDAY post and there are quite a few notable picks and suggestions from the TV-on-DVD bin this week.
Classic TV-on-DVD Pick of the Week
The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis - The Complete Series
Shout! Factory continues to roll out the punches with its releases of complete television series' and offers all four seasons of The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis, which features the adventures of Dobie Gillis, his beatnik pal Maynard G. Krebs, his main competition Milton Armitage (played by a young Warren Beatty), and many, many of Dobie's loves. Along with 147 episodes, the set also includes some pretty neat exclusive extras.
Airing from 1959 to 1963, Dobie Gillis offers the classic, quality programming of the time featuring the typical Hometown, USA, wholesome nuclear family, and good old-fashioned dating techniques. If you grew up with the classic Nick at Nite channel of yesteryear, then you most likely caught a glimpse of the black-and-white episodes of this show. While this is the typical example of your mom and dad's television show, it really can be enjoyed by the whole family for generations.
Now for a quick plug. I love Shout! Factory. I really do. The guys at Shout! have done outstanding work on DVD releases for the past couple of years, especially with the Shout Select selection found exclusively on their website. Check out the link below and browse Shout! Factory's website and you'll see that they offer more than TV-on-DVD. There are some wonderful variety releases, as well as cult classic and never-before released movies (in particular through the Scream Factory line). Go there. NOW!
The fourth season of The Dick Van Dyke Show was the penultimate season of the show but it never demonstrated weakness in the writing, or laughs, as demonstrated by the continuing work antics of Rob Petrie. As the head writer for The Allen Brady Show, Petrie and co-writers Buddy Sorrell and Sally Rogers keep the jokes coming in attempts to appease the ever-demanding Allan Brady. On the home front, Petrie often finds himself in similarly sticky situations with his ever patient wife Laura and son Richie. Remember Laura getting stuck in a bathtub? No? Well then you need to watch this season to see the how, why, and huh.
The Blu-ray version improves the previously released DVD set in terms of quality and sound. Additionally, new extras have been added to the BR version, so if you are a Dick Van Dyke fan or DVD completist then you will definitely want to purchase this set.
Kid (or Kid-at-Heart) Pick of the Week
Mighty Morphin Power Rangers - Season 3
Another offering from Shout! Factory is the third season of the original MMPR show that used to air in the early '90s on FOX weekday afternoons. Shout!, in partnership with StarVista/Time Life, had already released a complete 1st series set. But this release is ideal for those on a budget or who just want to purchase an individual season. This season introduces the Ninja art, as well as the Ninjazords. Again, Shout! released this set so you can expect a great job on transfers. Go and grab this release for your young Power Rangers fan and show him/her how it all got started.
Retro Mini-Series Pick of the Week
North & South (1975)
Based on the Victorian novel by Elizabeth Gaskell, North & South focuses on the industrial age in England and focuses on the issues of class and gender while romance flourishes between the two main characters, each on different sides of the mill workers conflict. BBC has incredible productions and this isn't an exception, though there most likely will be audio and/or image issues due to the age of the film. It is also an opportunity to watch a younger Patrick Stewart before he catapulted into fame on the U.S. front.
Short-Lived Series Pick of the Week
Last Resort - The Complete Series
Last Resort, the short-lived military drama that aired on ABC last fall is being released today on DVD. The show received positive reviews but just couldn't find a steady audience to maintain ratings every week. It also faced stiff competition from CBS' comedy block of The Big Bang Theory and Two and a Half Men. All 13 episodes are presented in this set, and unlike other shows that have been cancelled in their freshman year, Last Resort was able to alter its final episode and provide viewers with some type of closure.
Are you looking forward to any particular release this week?
Attention all you music lovers out there! If you want to get the latest information on this year's hottest concert acts in the U.S. of A, grab the first listen of new artists, and read realistic album reviews of new releases, then look no further than J9's MusicLife blog...it's the #1 choice for the busy music lover.
Summer...the time of year for family vacations, popsicles, pools, cookouts, and fireworks.
We have a little more daylight in the evenings, traffic is slightly better, and for us fortunate ones, our work environment is a little more relaxed and flexible. For some people it is also the time of year to sleep in until 11 AM, eat big bowls of cereal for lunch, and do absolutely nothing for hours on end. Usually we are given the options of mowing the lawn, picking up that "boring" book assigned to read for the fall, or plopping down on the couch and watch TV. The third choice usually wins the contest.
These days, however, there is a lot of variety on the boob tube and we are not relegated to the depths of perennial summer rerun hell. Gone are the days when every network re-aired entire seasons of television shows during the summer hiatus. We don't have to check the TV Guide every week to see if that one episode we missed in the fall will air this coming Tuesday.
We now rely on streaming outlets such as Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime, and even network websites to catch up on missed shows and episodes. Don't get me wrong, the networks still air repeats of shows that need a little boost in viewership, in preparation for the fall season. But now they mix a little bit of the old with the new.
In the past, new shows that premiered in the summer were already considered DOA and used just for filler. They rarely saw a full season in the next production season. What has remained the same is the "burning off" of episodes from already canceled TV series. Currently, ABC is burning off unaired episodes of Zero Hour and 666 Park Avenue for filler on its Saturday night schedule, as well as Family Tools on its Wednesday night comedy block. Sitcom episodes were also casualties of the summer "burn off" when they were produced within the normal production season but considered too weak to win its time slot. Today, networks have to hedge bets and take risks on introducing new TV shows during this time of year. Why? Could be for revenue. Could be for ratings. Could be for survival. Mostly likely, all of the above.
CBS' Under the Dome and ABC's Mistresses are examples of bets the networks are counting on.
The summer television landscape has also changed in the past few years with the increase of original programming on cable networks. HBO's True Blood and Showtime's Dexter have been strategically placed to retain its Sunday night viewership from the spring. TNT continues its stronghold with new seasons of Falling Skies, Major Crimes, Perception, Rizzoli & Isles, and Franklin & Bash. Even TV Land has stepped up its game in appealing beyond its regular audience of cats and cat people with new seasons of its sitcoms Hot in Cleveland, The Exes, and The Soul Man.
On the Reality TV front, let's be honest, there are too many shows currently being aired to list and frankly Stay Tuned has little to no interest in reporting that type of programming.Some of those shows are creative, others are not, and most are on the brink of just plain absurd. But to each his/her own.
The one thing that is no longer standard, and that clearly defined summer television, was the Made-for-TV Movie of the Week. I used to love those movies, at least the campy cheesy ones. There was some cheese factor to made-for-TV movies, but it was low cheese. Most of these movies were re-airings since TV movies and mini-series were originally shown during the fall. A lot of them were dramas featuring then-taboo topics and forbidden romances. And almost all of them featured television stars from popular network TV shows.
Check out the link for the 1987 made-for-TV movie Shattered Vows starring Valerie Bertinelli and David Morse. Both actors were popular among viewers, Bertinelli was still on the post-One Day at a Time high while Morse was enjoying his long stint on St. Elsewhere. The movie's subject matter was deep stuff at the time. Basically a nun (Bertinelli) falls in love with a priest (Morse).
Crash Course was originally aired in the winter but repeated during the summer and is an example of the campy cheesy made-for-TV films. The movie basically was a vehicle to promote the TV shows of its stars Alyssa Milano (Who's the Boss), Rob Stone (Mr. Belvedere), Olivia d'Abo (The Wonder Years), Tina Yothers (Family Ties), and Jackee (227). Considered to be a low-budget version of The Breakfast Club, the movie centers around a group of high school students re-taking a Driver's Education class where unlikely friendships and relationships form in the confines of the classroom.
Well we all know that you cannot relive the past, and for some of us, who would want to? But we can enjoy the memories associated with summer and sitting in front of the tube.
What are your memories watching TV in the summertime? Please feel free to share and rant...share and rant and share...rant rant rant...share share share, right here and remember to Stay Tuned.
