With Horrorthon completed, I spent a lot of time watching reality shows and true crime docudramas this week. Here’s a few thoughts on what I watched:
1st & Ten (Prime)
The Amazing Race (CBS, Wednesday Night)
I wrote about The Amazing Race here. I’m totally rooting for Matt & Michelle and I will miss Doug & Dylan. I’m a bit tired of Anne-Marie & Riley and their self-righteous attitude.
Bar Rescue (Weekdays, Paramount)
I watched quite a few episodes on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday. As I’ve mentioned before, Bar Rescue helps me to relax. I’m not sure why.
Baywatch (Tubi)
CHiPs (Prime)
Crime Story (Prime)
I wrote about Crime Story here!
Dragnet (Prime)
I purchased and watched my two favorite episodes on Wednesday, the talk show episode and the night school episode. After sitting through the results of the midterms, it was fun to watch Jack Webb put those hippies in their place.
The Greatest Event In Television History (Prime)
I needed a laugh so I watched all four episodes of this on Thursday night. The Simon & Simon episode is my favorite.
Hunter (Prime)
I watched and reviewed this week’s episode here!
ID Special Report: The Long Island Serial Killer (HBOMax)
I watched this special on the Long Island Serial Killer on Sunday. It didn’t really provide much new information but, then again, I think it was also a few years old. I’d forgotten how obnoxious Nancy Grace could be.
Johnny Garage (YouTube)
I reviewed this unsold pilot here!
The Love Boat (Paramount Plus)
I reviewed this week’s episode here!
Maury (Weekday Afternoons, The CW)
It’s amazing to me that Maury is no longer in production but the reruns live on. How would you feel if you turned on the TV and saw yourself from ten years ago, sitting on Muary’s stage? Anyway, on Tuesday, I watched an episode of Maury and killed a few brain cells. Hopefully, I won’t need them for anything.
Night Flight (NightFlight+)
On Friday night, I watched an episode about some Los Angeles-based bands about which I had previously never heard.
No Big Deal (YouTube)
This is a British sitcom that was made entirely with AI. The only thing that was not done by AI was the script but it was so predictable and the jokes fell so flat that it might as well have been. The whole thing played out like a very stiff and rather soulless cartoon. The AI actors looked like talking mannequins.
Pacific Blue (Prime)
Private Eyes West Coast (Monday Night, The CW)
I watched an episode of this show because I was genuinely curious as to what actually airs on the CW nowadays. Private Eyes West Coast is a Canadian show. It stars Jason Priestly and Cindy Sampson as two private detectives. It was actually a pretty cute show. Priestly and Sampson had a really likable chemistry. I might to start setting the DVR.
St. Elsewhere (YouTube)
I wrote about St. Elsewhere here!
Saved By The Bell (Prime)
My review of this week’s episode will be dropping in about 30 minutes.
Saved By The Bell: The New Class
I reviewed this week’s episode here!
Sledge Hammer! (Prime)
I wrote about Sledge Hammer here!
The Steve Wilkos Show (Weekday Afternoons, The CW)
I watched an episode on Tuesday, largely because I was surprised to discover that the CW was still a thing. Steve’s guest took a lie detector test. The results were inconclusive. The guest agreed to take another test in the future but then ghosted the show and Steve’s crew.
Survivor (Wednesday Night, CBS)
The Synanon Fix (HBOMax)
This Rory Kennedy-directed docuseries took a look at how Synanon went from being a trendy drug rehab program to becoming a dangerous cult. As I mentioned further down in my review of The Way Down, I usually have mixed feelings about cult docudramas but The Synanon Fix was fascinating.
Taken: Natalee Holloway (Netflix)
The latest Netflix true crime docudrama featured a lot of interviews but not much new information. Each episode was only 30 minutes long so I have to wonder why they divided this into multiple episodes instead of just turning it into a two-hour documentary.
The Way Down: God, Greed, and the Cult of Gwen Shamblin (HBOMax)
This was a cult docudrama. Cult docudramas are very popular right now. They all tend to argue that anyone — even an intelligent person — can become a member of a cult. Personally, I have to disagree. I think cults mostly appeal to stupid people who don’t have the confidence necessary to believe in themselves so, instead, they just believe in everything else. Anyway, I watched this docuseries on Sunday and had absolutely no respect for the majority of the people interviewed.
