Category Archives: TV Review

Retro Television Review: Miami Vice 2.16 “Little Miss Dangerous”

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

Welcome to Retro Television Reviews, a feature where we review some of our favorite and least favorite shows of the past!  On Mondays, I will be reviewing Miami Vice, which ran on NBC from 1984 to 1989.  The entire show can be purchased on Prime!

The power has returned, my mood is better, and my wrist has healed.  It’s time to get back to the reviews!

Episode 2.16 “Little Miss Dangerous”

(Dir by Leon Ichaso, originally aired on January 31st, 1986)

There’s a serial killer stalking the red light district of Miami, haunting cheap motels, dark alleys, and neon-lit sex clubs.  Men are turning up dead all over the place, brutally stabbed and then set on fire.  Occasionally, a crude drawing is left behind.  Castillo announces that every member of the Squad will be working a 12-hour shift until the killer is brought to justice.  He says that they may be looking for a pimp or a prostitute who is looking for revenge.

Of course, every prostitute knows and likes Sonny Crockett.  And again, this leads to the question of how exactly Sonny is able to work undercover when everyone in Miami knows who he is.  For that matter, all of the prostitutes also seem to know that Gina and Trudy are working Vice as well, despite the fact that Gina and Trudy’s regular gig to go undercover as high-priced escorts.  How do these people ever succeed at going undercover?  Everyone knows them!  I guess that’s to be expected, though, when you’ve only got 6 detectives working Vice in a city as big as Miami.

Tubbs meets a Jackie (played by singer Fiona), a young runaway who swears that she’s 18 and who says that she’s happy working as a prostitute because her body is just a commodity.  Tubbs becomes obsessed with protecting the spacey but seemingly innocent Jackie, especially after he becomes convinced that Jackie’s pimp, Cat (Larry Joshua), is the murderer.  Except, of course, Cat isn’t the killer.  Jackie is!  When Tubbs takes Jackie to a safehouse (which, of course, is also an art deco mansion), she snaps.  As Crockett tries to break down the locked front door and Cat crashes into the house on his motorcycle, Jackie starts a fire and approaches Tubbs.  But, instead of killing the only man who hasn’t tried to use her body, Jackie instead holds a gun to her head.  This is another episode that ends with an off-screen gunshot.  Interestingly, we never see Crockett actually get into the safehouse to rescue Tubbs from the fire.  Instead, the ending is abrupt and the viewer, while having no doubt that Tubbs will escape the fire, knows that Tubbs will now carry Jackie’s scars as his own.

What an unsettling episode.  This was Miami Vice at its most surreal and dream-like, with almost all of the action taking place at night and both Fiona and Larry Joshua giving edgy performances as two self-destructive people who live in the shadows of a wealthy American city.  For once, the entire Vice Squad gets in on the action, though Tubbs is clearly the one at the center of the story.  This episode reminds us that Tubbs is not quite as cynical and emotionally closed-off as Crockett but maybe, for the sake of his sanity, he should be.  Little Miss Dangerous is a journey into the heart of Miami darkness.

Lisa Marie’s Week In Television: 6/9/24 — 6/15/24

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

Dancing For The Devil (Netflix)

I watched this 3-part docuseries on Tuesday.  It was yet another show about a cult, in this case one that’s led by a pastor named Robert Shinn and which is known for promoting dancers on TikTok.  Much like HBO’s The Vow, it started strong but it ultimately felt a bit too padded for its own good.  Two episodes worth of material was stretched out to three.  As always, cult documentaries are odd to watch because they never quite get around to answering the question of how someone could be stupid enough to join a cult in the first place.  I guess that some things are unknowable.

Dr. Phil (YouTube)

I watched a few old episodes on Wednesday and Thursday.  Dysfunction was everywhere!

Inmate to Roommate (Thursday, A&E)

On Thursday’s episode, the inmates and the roommates continued to try to adjust to each other.  I don’t think any of this is going to turn out well for anyone.

Intervention (Monday Night, A&E)

I watched two episodes of Intervention on Monday night.  The first featured one of the most annoying addicts that I’ve ever seen, a sarcastic 19 year-old who spent the entire intervention making snarky remarks and then suddenly agreed to get help, showing that she didn’t even have the courage to stand by her snarkiness.  She did get sober, which is good.  She also apparently replaced drugs with food as she gained a ton of weight in rehab.

The second episode featured model Amber Rose searching Philadelphia for a childhood friend who had fallen into drug addiction.  It felt more like an extended commercial for Amber Rose than a serious look at drug addiction.

I’m kind of amazed that people apparently still fall for the “she thinks she’s appearing in a documentary about addiction.  Little does she know she’ll soon be facing an intervention” line.  It’s been like what?  20 years since this show started?

Miami Vice (Amazon Prime)

On Saturday, I finally got back to watching Miami Vice!  Look for my review on Monday.

Night Flight (Night Flight Plus)

I watched two episodes on Friday.  The first one was about Australian bands.  The second featured the best music of 1987.

60 Days In (Thursday Night, A&E)

Everyone’s favorite true crime jail docudrama is back.  This time, the jail is in Utah and, for all the talk about how the Utah jail is as dangerous as any jail, it was hard not to notice that both the guards and the prisoners seemed to be far more polite than usual 60 Days In crowd.  I watched the first two episodes on Tuesday.  The sheriff said that he didn’t want anyone tapping out but I don’t know  …. I get the feeling that Corey is about to say, “Get me out of here!”

I watched the latest episode on Thursday and my suspicions about Corey turned out to be totally justified as he revealed that spending less-than-a-week in jail had apparently driven him to the verge of a paranoia-fueled mental breakdown.  Corey hasn’t tapped out yet but it feels like it’s only a matter of time.  I also have to say that I totally related Nina and her decision to get dressed up for jail.  I mean, why not?

Lisa Marie’s Week In Television: 6/2/24 — 6/8/24

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

Ugh.  We got our power back on Sunday but this week still kind of sucked for me.  I’ve just been in a funk, as you can probably tell by how little I’ve posted over the past few days.  Going a week without power really threw me off of my rhythm.  Even with the return of the lights, there’s been a lot of cleaning up to do, around both the house and the neighborhood.  For that reason, I’ve put a lot of my regular posts on a temporary hiatus.  My regular Retro Television Reviews, for instance, will return on June 17th.

So, I guess my point is — don’t give up on me!  I’m in a funk right now but it happens and I’ll snap out of it, definitely sooner than later.

As far what I watched on television this week:

Degrassi: The Next Generation (Pluto TV)

I’ve watched only one show this week but I also watched 14 seasons of it.  It takes a total of 7 and a half days to binge the entirety of Degrassi: The Next Generation.  When the lights came on, Pluto was showing the very first episode, in which Emma ran afoul an online stalker and, as I write this, Pluto is approaching the final episodes, in which Tristan and Miles took the title of the worst Degrassi couple ever.

For the last seven days, I have been binging Degrassi.  I haven’t rewatched every episode, of course.  I’ve had to sleep.  I’ve had to take care of my day-to-day responsibilities.  But, when I needed to relax, I sat down on the living room couch and watched Degrassi.  I reexperienced everything from Manny’s pregnancy to Craig’s breakdown to Ellie’s cutting to Jimmy’s shooting to Spinner …. well, acting like Spinner.  Unfortunately, the show itself became a bit less interesting as the old cast left and the new students enrolled.  (I’ve never been able to bring myself to care about Connor.)  Later seasons of the show got a bit preachy and it was hard not to get annoyed by the fact that everyone was apparently in a band.  (House arrest …. house arrest…. really gets stuck in your head.)

Still, revisiting this show helped to call my nerves during an otherwise stressful week.  Thank you, Degrassi and Pluto!

From Inmate to Roommate (A&E)

I watched two episodes of this new reality show on Saturday.  The show follows ex-cons as they leave prison and move in with people who have never been to prison.  The two episodes were actually interesting, just because of the contrast between the former prisoners and their new roommates.  None of the convicts really seem like they benefitted from being in prison.  My personal favorite moment was when the leftist, justice reform activist discovered that his new former inmate roommate had no interest spending his first day of freedom at a political protest.

Happy Hour (YouTube)

I watched an episode of this silly 90s game show on Saturday.  Dweezil and Ahmet Zappa hosted.  Among the celebrities in the competition: Adam West, Vivica A. Fox, Kathy Griffin, Diedrich Bader, and Taylor Dane.  The show provided several excuses for Dweezil and Ahmet to perform.  Dweezil was (and is) obviously a great guitarist, even when performing on a show as silly as this one.  As a vocalist, Ahmet …. well, Ahmet tried really hard.

Midnight Special (YouTube)

I watched an episode of this old variety show on Friday night.  The episode was from 1973 and featured some mellow music and the comedy stylings of Fred Willard (amongst others).  In fact, the whole thing was almost too mellow for me.  I like loud music to which you can dance.  Paul Williams showed up and talked about his role in the upcoming film, Battle for the Planet of the Apes.  He really didn’t do a very good job selling the movie.

Retro Television Reviews Will Return On Sunday, June 2nd

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

Hi, everyone!

Because of my sprained wrist, I’m going to take a few days off from doing my retro television reviews.  (My wrist is definitely healing but it still hurts a bit to type.)  So, this feature will return at the end of the week, on Sunday, June 2nd!

Thank you for your patience! — LMB

Mini Late Night Retro Television Review: Check It Out! 2.8 “Homewrecker Howard”

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

Welcome to Late Night Retro Television Reviews, a feature where we review some of our favorite and least favorite shows of the past!  On Saturdays, I will be reviewing the Canadian sitcom, Check it Out, which ran in syndication from 1985 to 1988.  The entire show is currently streaming on Tubi!

I sprained my wrist earlier this week and, as a result, typing is a bit painful.  So, for this week and this week only, I’m doing quick, mini-reviews that will hopefully get my point across without requiring too much discomfort on my part.  Luckily, this is a format that works just fine when one is discussing a show like Check It Out!

Episode 2.8 “Homewrecker Howard”

(Dir by Alan Erlich, originally aired on November 21st, 1986)

This was just dumb.

Jack Christian is dating a woman (Randall Carpenter) who he met at the store.  He’s also lying to her, telling her that he’s the store manager.  The woman happens to be married and she’s also a friend of Edna’s.  After the woman tells Edna that she’s getting back at her unfaithful husband by having an affair with the manager of the store, Edna assumes that Howard is cheating on her.

I’ve often said that I hate idiot plots.  An idiot plot is any story where every complication could be prevented by the characters 1) not being complete idiots and 2) actually asking each other detailed questions and getting an answer before jumping to conclusions.  This episode was a classic example of the idiot plot.  Edna doesn’t tell Howard why she’s mad at him and Howard doesn’t bother to ask.  Things don’t get straightened out until the woman’s husband (Tom Butler) shows up at the store and announces that he wants to beat up the manager.

Will this show ever figure out who Howard Bannister is supposed to be?  Sometimes, he’s a great manager who cares about his employees.  In this episode, he’s a pompous windbag who puts a cardboard cut-out of himself on the salesfloor.  Sometimes, Howard is the world’s best and most romantic boyfriend.  In this episode, he’s so clueless that he barely notices that Edna is angry at him and Edna, it must be said, has no problem believing that he would be unfaithful.  Edna both lives and works with Howard so when exactly is he ever out of her sight long enough to have the wild affair that the woman describes herself as having?

As I said …. IDIOT PLOT!

Lisa Marie’s Week In Television: 5/19/24 — 5/25/24

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

Abbott Elementary (Wednesday Night, ABC)

Okay, I’ll admit it.  I was wrong.  I thought last week was the finale but it turns out, the season finale was this week.  And what a finale.  Janine threw a party and learned a lesson about not being a control freak.  Gregory finally stopped being so annoying and kissed Janine.  Yay!  And what’s really great is that all of this was due to the wonderful advice of Mr. Johnson, who is one of the best characters on television right now.  I had some issues with this season but this finale made up for almost all of them.

Baby Reindeer (Netflix)

I watched the first episode of Netflix’s acclaimed stalking drama on Tuesday.  It was undoubtedly well-made but it was coming from a bit too dark of a place for me so I haven’t watched any of other episodes yet.  I’ll watch the rest of it next week.

Baywatch Nights (YouTube)

I wrote about Baywatch Nights here!

Booked: First Day In (Hulu)

I watched a few episodes of this A&E series on Tuesday night.  It follows people as they are being booked into jail.  As always with these shows, the cops came across as being cocky jerks while the people being booked were far more sympathetic.  I felt especially bad for the 70 year-old owner of a used car dealership who was booked for the crime of not putting some tag on the windshield of some of his cars.  Seriously, if you didn’t already hate the regulatory state already….

Check It Out! (Tubi)

A mini-review of this week’s episode will be dropping in a few hours.

CHiPs (Freevee)

I wrote about CHiPs here!

Degrassi Junior High (YouTube)

I wrote about Degrassi Junior High here!

Dr. Phil (YouTube)

On Sunday, I watched an episode of Dr. Phil in which Phil interviewed a woman who had coached her 4 year-old son to falsely accuse her ex-husband of being a part of a child porn ring.  The man was obviously innocent and easily passed a polygraph test.  In what can only be described as being a massive tell, the woman appeared to be upset at the fact that her husband was cleared of a terrible crime.

On Saturday, I watched an episode with a teenage girl who got pregnant because she wanted to be on 16 and Pregnant.  Ugh.  That entire episode made me want to throw something.

Fantasy Island (DVR)

I wrote about Fantasy Island here!

Friday the 13th: The Series (YouTube)

I wrote about Friday the 13th here!

Highway to Heaven (Tubi)

I wrote about Highway to Heaven here!

The Larry Sanders Show (Max)

Jeff and I watched a few episodes of this old HBO show on Thursday night.  Rip Torn made me laugh every time he spoke.  What a great actor!

The Love Boat (Paramount Plus)

I wrote about The Love Boat here!

Malibu CA (YouTube)

I wrote about this terrible show here!

Miami Vice (Prime)

I wrote about Miami Vice here!

Monsters (YouTube)

I wrote about Monsters here!

Night Flight (Night Flight Plus)

On Friday night, Jeff & I watched an episode that profiled musician Bryan Ferry.

T and T (Tubi)

I wrote about T and T here!

Welcome Back Kotter (Tubi)

I wrote about Welcome Back Kotter here!

Mini Retro Television Review: Welcome Back Kotter 3.23 “Goodbye, Mr. Kripps”

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

Welcome to Retro Television Reviews, a feature where we review some of our favorite and least favorite shows of the past!  On Saturdays, I will be reviewing Welcome Back Kotter, which ran on ABC  from 1975 to 1979.  The entire show is currently streaming on Tubi!

As I mentioned yesterday, I’ve got a sprained wrist so typing is kind of painful.  For that reason, today’s review is going to be a quick one.  You might even call it a …. MINI REVIEW!

Episode 3.23 “Goodbye, Mr. Kripps”

(Dir by Bob Claver, originally aired on February 16th, 1978)

Shop teacher Mr. Kripps (Jack Fletcher) is famous for being cranky and for not liking the Sweathogs.  Even when Gabe was a student at the school, Mr. Kripps was a teacher known for his bad temper.  When Mr. Kripps drops dead of a heart attack, only Barbarino is shocked.  Barbarino also feels guilty because Mr. Kripps was yelling at him when he died.

Woodman, Gabe, and the Sweathogs attends the funeral and then all return to Gabe’s apartment.  I get that the Sweathogs are in a co-dependent relationship with Gabe but why is Woodman at the apartment?  Gabe and the Sweathogs are depressed.  Woodman talks about how July is the best month for a funeral.  “August is too hot!”

Barbarino turns himself into the police for murder.  Awwwww, poor Barbarino!  Seriously, this is an unbelievably dumb thing to do but John Travolta is so crestfallen and child-like as Babarino that your heart still breaks for him.  No-nonsense Lt. Eddie Lasky (Norman Alden) comes down to the school to investigate Mr. Kripps’s death.  Gabe and Lasky help Barbarino to understand that it’s not his fault that Mr. Kripps had anger problems.  And again, it’s kind of dumb but Gabe Kaplan and Norman Alden play off of each other really well and Travolta’s puppy-dog earnestness just makes you want to hug him.

Woodman gets upset when he sees that Lasky parked in his spot.  Woodman vandalizes Lasky’s car and gets taken to jail.  When he returns to the school, Gabe cheers him up with a joke about Uncle Willie, who was sentenced to a 99-year sentence.

This was a good episode.  It felt like a throwback to the humane and sweet-natured episodes of the first season.  Travolta once again shows why he’s the Sweathog who ended up with the Oscar nominations.

Mini Late Night Retro Television Review: Friday the 13th: The Series 2.5 “Symphony in B Sharp”

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

Welcome to Late Night Retro Television Reviews, a new feature where we review some of our favorite and least favorite shows of the past! On Fridays, I will be reviewing Friday the 13th: The Series, a show which ran in syndication from 1987 to 1990. The show can be found on YouTube!

Hi, everyone!  I sprained my wrist yesterday and today, it still hurts to type so, just as with T and T, today’s review is going to be a quick one.  You might even call it a mini-review!

Episode 2.5 “Symphony In B Sharp”

(Dir by Francis Delia, originally aired on October 31st, 1988)

Oh, Ryan!

You would think that, by this point, Ryan would know better than to fall in love with anyone, seeing as how he had to leave one girlfriend behind in a Mennonite village and he lost another girlfriend to an insane news anchorman.  Add to that, Ryan has also seen Micki repeatedly lose the people with which she has fallen in love.  But, once again, the episode finds Ryan falling in love.

This time, his lover is Leslie Reins (Ely Pouget), who plays violin in the local symphony.  Her former boyfriend, Janos Korda (James Russo), was believed to have been killed in a car accident but instead, he’s alive but terribly scarred.  He hangs out in the rafters and the basement of the symphony hall and kills anyone who get too close to Leslie.  He has a cursed violin that is slowly healing his disfigured appearance in return for Janos using a sharpened bow to kill people.  Janos’s newest target is Ryan.

Yep, it’s Phantom of the Opera all over again, with Leslie Reins’s last name deliberately invoking the name of a past actor who played the Phantom, Claude Rains.  It’s not a bad episode.  There’s plenty of atmosphere and James Russo makes for a good villain.  That said, the cursed antique is not that interesting and the whole episode leans a bit too much into the Phantom of the Opera story.  It was a bit predictable, right down Janos accidentally killing Leslie before taking his own life and Ryan ending yet another episode in tears, with a concerned Jack and Micki watching from a distance.  Ryan listens to a recording of Leslie playing her violin and swears that he’ll never fall in love again.  We know that’s not true, Ryan.  I guess we should be glad that Ryan is no longer looking to hook up with his cousin but still, it’s hard to feel that the guy just can’t get a break!

Next week, hopefully, things will look up for Ryan.  (It would seem that they certainly couldn’t get any worse.)  We’ll find out soon enough.

Mini Retro Television Review: T and T 3.10 “Silent Witness”

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

Welcome to Retro Television Reviews, a new feature where we review some of our favorite and least favorite shows of the past! On Fridays, I will be reviewing T. and T., a Canadian show which ran in syndication from 1987 to 1990.  The show can be found on Tubi!

Hi, everyone!  I sprained my wrist yesterday and today, it still hurts to type so today’s review is going to be a quick one.  You might even call it a mini-review!

Episode 3.10 “Silent Witness”

(Dir by Alan Simmonds, originally aired on March 10th, 1990)

When a bank is robbed, a young deaf boy named Vito (Daniel DeSanto) is the only witness to catch sight of one of the robbers without his mask on.  The police bring in T.S. to keep an eye on the kid until it is time to testify.

This was a sweet episode.  Mr. T, who has occasionally seemed a bit bored with the third season of this show, really brightened up when he was acting opposite DeSanto.  One gets the feeling that both T.S. and Mr. T are naturally protective of kids.  It was nice to see Mr. T being warm-hearted instead of grumpy and annoyed.  It felt like a flashback to the first season, when T.S. Turner was still an earnest idealist.

Proving that everyone has to start somewhere, the great character actor Henry Czerny shows up here as a corrupt cop.

This episode suffered a bit due to its short running time.  Stuffing an hour’s worth of plot led to things occasionally feeling a bit rushed.

The episode ended with Vito watching Turner argue with a detective (Richard Fitzpatrick) and finally speaking, for the first time in the episode.  “Stop!” Vito says.  It was a nice note to end on.  Stop arguing and just be happy that the case has been solved.

And that seems like a good place to stop this review.

Late Night Retro Television Review: Highway to Heaven 2.11 “The Monster Part II)

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

Welcome to Late Night Retro Television Reviews, a feature where we review some of our favorite and least favorite shows of the past!  On Thursdays, I will be reviewing Highway to Heaven, which aired on NBC from 1984 to 1989.  The entire show is currently streaming on Freevee and several other services!

This week, the story of Julian and Scotty continues!

Episode 2.11 “The Monster Part II”

(Dir by Victor French, originally aired on December 11th, 1985)

This week’s episode of Highway to Heaven begins where last week’s episode ended.

Julian (Jeff Kober) has been charged with attempting to murder Rachel McCullough (Annabella Price) and the whole town is ready to convict him because he has a birthmark on his face and a bratty kid named Ridley (Peter Billingsley) claims that he saw Julian push Rachel.  Rachel, having hit her head, is in a coma and not expected to survive.  Julian is pressured to accept a plea bargain but he protests that he’s innocent and that he loves Rachel.  He would never had hurt her, no matter what the ignorant townspeople believe.

Only Jonathan and Scotty (James Troesch) believe that Julian is innocent.  After Jonathan saves the depressed Scotty from drowning in his swimming pool, Scotty agrees to put off suicide so that he can defend Julian at his trial.  Scotty does so from his motorized wheelchair and, as he explains to the jury, he knows what its like to be treated a certain way because you look different.  With ease, Scotty demolishes Ridley’s testimony and puts the smug prosecutor in his place.  All of the reporters in the courtroom are shocked when Julian is acquitted but the prosecution really didn’t have a case, beyond Julian having a birthmark on his face.  Scotty gets back together with his wife (Margie Impert) and Rachel not only wakes up but she wakes up with her sight restored.  Despite Julian’s fear, Rachel loves him even more when she can see his face.

Awwwwwww!

(Where is Mark during all this?  He doesn’t show up until the final few minutes, probably because Victor French was busy directing this episode.)

Even if one sets aside that this episode is nearly 40 years old, it still feels old-fashioned.  This is the type of courtroom drama where the trial watchers gasp at each piece of testimony.  As far a courtroom procedurals go, this episode went more for melodrama than realism but that’s to expected with this show.  It was heartfelt and earnest and Jeff Kober gave a touching performance as Julian.

Probably the most interesting thing about this episode was the number of times Jonathan got mad at people.  He got mad at Julian’s original lawyer.  He got mad at Scotty for trying to drown himself.  He called Scotty’s wife a “jerk” to her face.  He gave the prosecutor a dirty look during the latter’s opening statement.  He even got annoyed with Julian’s overly protective mother (Ann Doran).  Jonathan may be an angel but this episode suggests that even angels lose their patience.