Tag Archives: Big Brother

Lisa Marie’s Week In Television: 9/24/23 — 9/30/23

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

Bleh!  I have been sick this entire week!  (And I don’t mean “sick” as in I had allergies or a headache. I mean I was seriously ill, with fevers and fatigue and everything else.)  I haven’t even gotten to watch the Survivor and The Amazing Race premieres yet!  Here’s a few thoughts on what I have watched:

All You Need Is Love (NightFlight Plus)

I watched an episode of this old music documentary series on Saturday morning.  It dealt with ragtime music and the tragic life of Scott Joplin.  It was interesting stuff.  Joplin was a fascinating character and it’s a shame that his final years were not happier ones.

Big Brother (24/7, Paramount Plus and CBS)

I wrote about Big Brother here!

Dr. Phil (YouTube)

Bleh.  I swore to myself that I would never watch this show again but I hate to admit but it does work well as background noise and watching it on YouTube does help me get my thoughts together.  I do make a point of only watching YouTube videos that were not uploaded by the show’s official account.  But basically, I’m a hypocrite.

Anyway, on Sunday, I watched (or, to be honest, listened) to an episode about a daughter that worried her mother was suffering from paranoid delusions that led her to believe that she was being stalked by a “hook-up” app.

On Monday, I watched an episode featuring an annoying guy named Anthony who claimed to be a millionaire rap star, despite the fact that he was homeless.  Anthony was obnoxious and rude to both the audience and Dr. Phil.  It’s always fun when someone tells Dr. Phil to go to Hell.

Gun (Tubi)

I watched the first episode of this Robert Altman-produced 90s anthology series on Thursday.  Look for my review this upcoming week!

Hell’s Kitchen (Thursday Night, FOX)

Hell’s Kitchen, one of the few classic reality shows to still retain its bite, is back!  The Quidditch player is definitely going to be a liability for the Blue Team but he’s so weird that I have a feeling that the show will find excuses to keep him around for at least a few weeks.

The Hitchhiker (YouTube)

I watched episodes of this anthology series throughout the week while preparing for Horrothon.

The Montel Williams Show (YouTube)

On Monday, I came across an episode of this show on YouTube.  Montel tried to understand goth kids and was shocked to discover that being rude and condescending is never a good way to win over a teenager.  It was good for a smile.

Night Flight (NightFlight Plus)

The episode that I watched on Friday night was all about animation in music videos.  The videos were pretty trippy.

Police Woman (Monday Morning, GetTV)

Police woman Angie Dickinson went undercover as a flight attendant to catch a smuggler played by Larry Hagman.  It was all very 70s.

Red Dwarf (Monday Morning, PBS)

I watched an episode of this British sci-fi satire on Monday morning.  A robot was briefly transformed into a human being and struggled to adjust.  The episode ended with the robot-turned-human once again being transformed and turning into a miniature version of Robocop.  It was amusing, though I get the feeling I would have gotten a lot more out of the show if I was a regular viewer.  As is, this was only my second time to watch an episode of Red Dwarf and I spent a lot of time trying to catch up with who everyone was and why they were in space.

Saved By The Bell (Sunday Morning, Me TV)

On Sunday morning, as I got ready for me day, I watched the episode where Lisa overspent on her credit card and was shocked when her father refused to punish her for being irresponsible.  Seriously, if you can avoid getting punished for being stupid, don’t question it.  Just go with the flow.

Yes, Prime Minister (Monday Morning, PBS)

This week’s episode featured one of the rare occurrences in which Prime Minister Hacker got the better of Sir Humphrey and I have to admit that, as much as I enjoy watched both this show and Yes, Minister, it just didn’t feel right.  I know that the point of the episode was that Hacker is finally learning how to use the self-importance of the civil service against itself (i.e., by threatening to take away Sir Humphrey’s key to Number 10) but I like Hacker more when he acts like a well-meaning incompetent than a Machiavellian game player.  By the end of last night’s episode, Sir Humphrey would probably agree.

Lisa Marie’s Week In Television: 9/17/23 — 9/23/23

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

To be honest, I watched so little this week that I nearly didn’t even bother with a week in television post.  But what I can say?  I’m a completist and, even though I spent most of this week focused on getting things ready for our annual October Horrorthon, I did watch a few things and I figured that I might as well share a few thoughts with you all!

I’m looking forward to next week.  Both Survivor and Hell’s Kitchen are coming back!

Big Brother (24/7, CBS and Paramount Plus)

I wrote about Big Brother here!  I have to admit that I’ve reached the point that I reach every season where I kind of hope this stupid show is canceled and I never have to watch or write about it again.  Seriously, this has been a stupid show from the start, each season is worse than the last, and I just want my freedom!  However, I do like my fellow Big Brother fans.  Interacting with them is the only rewarding thing that I get from this show.

Degrassi: The Next Generation (Tubi)

I watched The Time Stands Still two-parter on Monday afternoon.  Drake got shot in the back by Rick Murray and Joey struggled to find someone to buy his house.  Joey never should have dumped Syd.

The Hitchhiker (YouTube)

I checked out a few more episodes of this series throughout the week, selecting which ones that I want to highlight in October.

Jennifer Slept Here (YouTube)

On Tuesday night, I watched the pilot of this old 80s sitcom about a family that moves into a house that is already occupied by a ghost.  Look for my review in October!

Nightmare Café (YouTube)

On Saturday, I watched the pilot of this 1992 horror anthology series, which ran for 6 episodes.  The show was produced by Wes Craven and Robert Englund was the show’s host.  As you can probably guess, he was totally charming.  I’ll be posting a review of this show in October.

South Central (YouTube)

I wrote about South Central here!  Andre got a gun and Nicole decided that she no longer wanted anything to do with him.  To be honest, I’m on Nicole’s side.

T. and T. (Tubi)

I wrote about T. and T. here!  Mr. T continued to keep Canada safe.

Welcome Back, Kotter (Tubi)

I wrote about Welcome Back Kotter here!

Yes, Prime Minister (Monday Morning, PBS)

This week’s episode dealt with Prime Minister Hacker attempting to use one junior member of his cabinet’s radical anti-smoking campaign as a way to trick the Treasury into supporting Hacker’s planned tax cuts.  Sir Humphrey, of course, was present to explain that the Treasury doesn’t budget for programs but instead, gets as much money as it can and then comes up with programs to justify the taxation.  This episode was not quite as laugh-out-loud funny as the previous two episodes but, as always, I enjoyed the show’s portrayal of the excesses of the bureaucratic state.  I’m in favor of any show that makes fun of taxation.

Lisa Marie’s Week In Television: 9/10/23 — 9/16/23

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

Being on vacation this week, I again only watched a small amount of television.  Here’s a few thoughts on what I did watch.

Big Brother 25 (24/7, CBS and Paramount Plus)

I wrote about Big Brother here!

Degrassi Junior High (YouTube)

I watched the first two episodes of this Canadian show on Saturday, in preparation for a future series of reviews.

Dr. Phil (YouTube)

My mind was racing on Sunday morning so, around 3 in the morning, I attempted to calm it and ease myself into sleep by putting on an episode of Dr. Phil as background noise.  Dr. Phil was talking to the daughter of a country music drummer.  She was addicted to drugs and convinced that she was being stalked by strangers.  It didn’t sound like Phil did that much good.

On Monday morning, I watched an episode featuring the creator of Jilly Juice.  “Jilly Juice can cure cancer, grow back limbs, and reverse homosexuality!” Jillian happily announced about her salt-filled concoction before adding, “No, I’m not a doctor or scientist!”  An actual doctor revealed that Jilly Juice actually caused explosive diarrhea.  At one point, someone in the audience ran up on the stage and was grabbed by security.  It made for a bizarre 43 minutes.

On Wednesday morning, I re-watched the classic episode in which two crazy women, Vicky and Darlene, accused a totally innocent woman of running a fake GoFundMe page.  Darlene eventually saw the error of her ways but Vicky was a lost cause.

Fantasy Island (YouTube)

I wrote about Fantasy Island here!

The Hitchhiker (YouTube)

This week, I checked out a few episodes of this Canadian anthology series for a future set of reviews.

The Love Boat (Paramount Plus)

I wrote about The Love Boat here!

Night Flight (Night Flight Plus)

On Friday night and Saturday morning, I watched an episode about music videos and songs that centered around money.  This was followed by a profile of Billy Idol.

South Central (YouTube)

I wrote about South Central here!

The Steve Wilkos Show (YouTube)

My mind was racing on Sunday morning so, around 4 in the morning, I attempted to calm it and ease myself into sleep by putting on an episode of Steve Wilkos as background noise.  I was really tired and out-of-it so I’m not sure what exactly was going on but Steve sure was yelling at a lot of people.

T. and T. (Tubi)

I wrote about T. and T. here!

Welcome Back Kotter (Tubi)

I wrote about Welcome Back Kotter here!

Yes, Prime Minister (Monday Morning, PBS)

Fresh from an uneventful summit in Washington, a jet-lagged Prime Minister Hacker decide it was time to go on television and announce his Grand Design, which would include the return of conscription.  Fortunately, Sir Humphrey was able to manipulate a few polls and the opinions of the other members of the cabinet and the Prime Minister decided that it would perhaps be better to go with a speech that announced (and said) nothing.  The highlight of this episode was Hacker practicing for the broadcast.  Paul Eddington perfectly captured the character’s mix of earnestness and self-importance.  Hacker truly wants to be the best prime minister that he can be but he also doesn’t want to say anything that could run the risk of damaging his future political prospects.  Early in the episode, he was stunned when Bernard explained to him that, as Prime Minister, he was really only required to work seven hours a week.  By the end of the episode, Hacker seemed to be much more comfortable with the idea.

Lisa Marie’s Week In Television: 9/3/23 — 9/9/23

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

Hi, everyone!  Jeff and I have been up at Lake Texoma since Monday and I really haven’t watched much television.  I’ve been taking advantage of this vacation to get some much needed rest so my watching has pretty much been limited to the shows that I write about, like Big Brother and the shows that I watch for this site’s retro television reviews.

Big Brother 25 (24/7, CBS and Paramount Plus)

I wrote about Big Brother here!  This season has been pretty dire but things are looking up this week, with Cameron winning Head of Household in an upset and targeting the production favorites.  For the past few seasons, both Survivor and Big Brother has suffered from the heavy hand of production protecting their favorites and helping certain players steamroll their way to the end.  It’s led to both shows getting pretty dull.  Cameron winning HoH not only shocked the House but it also probably shocked production and, interestingly enough, Cameron didn’t mention a word about who he was nominating until he actually did it.  Cameron seems to understand that he’s not only playing against the other houseguests but production as well.  It’s been a while since I’ve seen the online Big Brother fandom as excited as they are for this week.

Fantasy Island (YouTube)

I wrote about Fantasy Island here.  Unfortunately, this week’s trip to the Island was not a particularly memorable one.

The Love Boat (Paramount Plus)

I wrote about The Love Boat here.  This episode featured Captain Stubing being harassed by the IRS, making him a character to which every American can relate.

Night Flight (Night Flight Plus)

On Friday night and Saturday morning, I watched two episodes of this old 80s television show.  The first episode was about “Goth Rock,” and I enjoyed it quite a bit.  The second episode was about heavy metal and featured a profile of the band Def Leppard.

South Central (YouTube)

This week, Andre rode the bus and nearly died as a result.  I wrote about South Central here.

T. and T. (Tubi)

T.S. Turner and Amy Taler continued to fight the good fight and they even saved Decker from going to prison.  T.S. got to drive a zamboni!  I wrote about T. and T. here.

Welcome Back Kotter (Tubi)

Welcome back, welcome back, welcome back!  This week, the Sweathogs were trapped in a museum and Gabe was trapped by his own fears.  I wrote about Welcome Back Kotter here!

Yes, Prime Minister (Monday Morning, PBS)

Having thoroughly loved watching Yes, Minister on PBS, I am very happy that they are now showing the sequel, Yes, Prime Minister.  I watched the first episode on Monday morning.  Three days into his premiership, Jim Hacker (Paul Eddington) tried to cement his legacy by reforming the UK’s nuclear defense system and re-introducing conscription.  Fortunately, Sir Humphrey (Nigel Hawthorne) was able to distract the Prime Minister by arranging for him to get a cook for his new residence.  Listening to Eddington, Hawthrone, and Derek Fowlds exchange snappy dialogue is a wonderful experience.

Lisa Marie’s Week In Television — 8/27/23 — 9/2/23

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

Big Brother 25 (24/7, Paramount+ and CBS)

I wrote about Big Brother here!

CHiPs (Weekday Mornings, GET TV)

I watched two episodes of this very 70s cop show on Friday morning.  Both episodes featured car crashes and California living.  I liked the opening, bass-heavy theme music.

Claim to Fame (Monday Night, ABC)

Nick Cannon’s brother, Gabriel, ended up winning the show.  (It’s kind of weird how everyone just shrugged off Nick Cannon making all of those anti-Semitic comments on that podcast.)  This was an amusing reality show, even if all of my favorites were eliminated early on.

Dr. Phil (YouTube)

On Sunday, I watched a two-part episode in which Dr. Phil talked to a mother who had a YouTube channel dedicated to exploiting her autistic child.  The mother was convinced her child was schizophrenic as well as autistic and kept talking over both Dr. Phil and all other medical experts on the show.  She had a very annoying habit of nodding and saying, “Yes, I agree,” whenever anyone would disagree with her.  Seriously, she was the most annoying person that I’ve ever seen on a talk show.  I then watched another episode featuring a middle-aged woman who was into S&M and who had recently invited sex offender to come live with her and her 9 year-old daughter.  Yikes!

On Wednesday morning, I watched an episode in which Dr. Phil talked to a handsome young drug addict who claimed that he had written all of Taylor Swift’s songs.  Then, later that night, I watched an episode about fighting sisters.  To be honest, I’m not sure that Phil really helped any of them.

Geraldo (YouTube)

On Sunday, I watched an episode of this 90s talk show in which Geraldo Rivera talked to New York club kids.  Michael Alig looked like he couldn’t wait to murder someone.

Jane Pratt (YouTube)

This was a talk show from the 90s.  On Tuesday, I watched an episode called “Raves and Ecstasy.”  I immediately recognize the host as one of the victims from The Boogeyman.

Jenny Jones (YouTube)

Jenny Jones talked to people who called off their weddings due to stuff that happened at Bachelor and Bachelorette parties.  Jenny got extremely flustered while talking about the strippers.

The Love Boat (Paramount Plus)

I wrote about The Love Boat here!

Sally Jessy Raphael (YouTube)

On Thursday morning, I watched an episode featuring “out of control teens” who were sent to boot camp.  The audience loved watching the teens suffers at boot camp but I suspect it probably didn’t do much good as far as the teens were concerned.  Later, during the afternoon, I watched an episode featuring out-of-control teens.  Two terrifying people from the Tough Love Organization, showed up and ordered all of the parents to divorce their children.

South Central (YouTube)

I wrote about South Central here!

Stars on Mars (Monday Night, Fox)

On the finale of Stars on Mars, Adam Rippon emerged as the winner so I guess he is the new Warlord of Mars now.

Steve Wilkos Show (YouTube)

I watched two episodes on Thursday night.  Steve kicked abusers off of his stage.  GO, STEVE!

T. and T.  (Tubi)

I wrote about T. and T. here!

Welcome Back Kotter (Tubi)

I wrote about Welcome Back Kotter here!

Lisa Marie’s Week In Television: 8/20/23 — 8/26/23

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

I spent most of this week watching horror movies and Big Brother.  Sometimes, I couldn’t tell which was which.  Here’s some thoughts on what I did watch this week!

Big Brother 25 (24/7, CBS and Paramount Plus)

I wrote about Big Brother here!

The Challenge USA (Sunday and Thursday Night, CBS)

I watched it on Sunday, I didn’t watch it on Thursday.  I don’t remember a thing that happened on Sunday, beyond the fact that I was annoyed by the fact that I was being asked to pay attention to someone named Bananas.  To be honest, I’m getting kind of bored with reality TV.  For instance, once this season of Big Brother is over, I never want to see any of the houseguests again.  The idea of following them from show to show is just so cringey to me.

City Guys (YouTube)

Yay!  I’m finally done with City Guys!

Dirty Pair Flash (YouTube)

I watched another episode of this old anime series on Saturday morning.  I have absolutely no idea what’s going on.  A lot of stuff exploded so that was kind of fun.

Dr. Phil (YouTube)

Sunday morning, I watched an episode featuring a mother who was convinced that her daughter was lying about having stomach cancer and stealing money from people online.  It turns out the mom was right!

Saturday afternoon, I watched an episode about a 17 year-old girl who was planning on moving out of her home so that she could live with an 18 year-old that she had never personally met.  Dr. Phil did not think this was a good idea.

Fantasy Island (YouTube)

I wrote about Fantasy Island here!

The Love Boat (Paramount Plus)

I wrote about The Love Boat here!

Republican Party Presidential Primary Debate (Fox News)

I watched it but I’m going to keep my opinions to myself.  I will say that there were some candidates who seemed to be considerably more impressive than others.

Sally Jessy Raphael (YouTube)

I watched two episodes of this 90s talk show on Saturday.  One episode was about teenagers being pressured by their friends and family to lose their virginities.  The other was about husband, wives, and secrets.  The audience booed everyone.

Saved By The Bell (Sunday Morning, MeTV)

It was student/teacher week!  Zack became principal.  Kelly taught history!  Mr. Belding roamed the hallways!  Lisa and Screech took over the athletic department and Slater and the jocks passed their history test just in time to lead Bayside to a 28-21 victory over Valley.  This particular episode never made any sense to me.

Stars on Mars (Monday Night, FOX)

To be honest, Marshawn Lynch probably should have been sent back to Earth much sooner than he was.  But, then again, everyone else kept leaving voluntarily so it’s not like there were really many opportunities to do so.  This is one of those shows that, in the future, I will probably claim to have never heard of.

T and T (Tubi)

I wrote about T and T here!

Welcome Back, Kotter (Tubi)

I wrote about Welcome Back, Kotter here!

 

Lisa Marie’s Week In Television: 8/13/23 — 8/19/23

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

Big Brother 25 (24/7, CBS and Paramount Plus)

I wrote about Big Brother here!

The Challenge: USA (Sunday and Thursday Night, CBS)

I did have this show on in the background on Thurdsay night but, if you want to know how little I paid attention to this episode, just consider that I somehow missed Paulie coming out until I read about it on twitter afterwards.

City Guys (YouTube)

I wrote about City Guys here!  I’m nearly done with this show!

Claim to Fame (Monday Night, ABC)

J.R. was eliminated this week.  It’s still a cute show but I don’t really care that much about any of the relatives left.

Dr. Phil (YouTube)

Sunday morning, as I waited for the Big Brother live feeds to come back, I watched an old episode of Dr. Phil on YouTube.  A mother was upset that her teenage daughter was dating a registered sex offender.  Her daughter insisted that it was no big deal and that her boyfriend had changed.  It turned out the daughter was naïve but the mother was overbearing and a bit hypocritical herself.

On Thursday and on Saturday, I watched a few episodes about trashy in-laws because I needed some background noise.  They all kind of blended together, to the extent that I’m not even sure how many episodes I ended up watching.

The Love Boat (Paramount Plus)

I wrote about The Love Boat here!

Night Flight (Night Flight Plus)

On Friday night, I joined Jeff and our friend Pat in watching an episode about British pop stars.  It was a fun episode!

The PGA Tour on CBS (Sunday, CBS)

I refuse to apologize for liking golf.  I didn’t even care that the tour totally preempted Big Brother on Sunday.  I enjoy looking at the courses.

Radio 1990 (Night Flight Plus)

On Saturday morning, Jeff and I joined our friend Pat in watching an episode of this old music program.  The episode featured a profile of Van Halen.

60 Minutes (Sunday Night, CBS)

Because golf ran late on Sunday, I sat through an episode of 60 Minutes as I waited for Big Brother to start.  I can’t remember anything about any of the stories that they showed.  60 Minutes has always seemed like such a strange show to me.  It feels like a show that’s permanently frozen in the past century.  That said, I appreciate the way the stopwatch always tells me how many more minutes are left in each episode.

Stars on Mars (Monday Night, Fox)

Ariel, who was the person on Mars to whom I related to, volunteered to be sent back to Earth.  If I was a producer of this reality show, I would be concerned by the fact that all of the participants keep volunteering to be kicked off the show.

Superfan (Wednesday Night, CBS)

People competed for the title of being Shania Twain’s biggest fan.  It was dumb and it’s tempting to blame the show on the dearth of new scripted content during the writer’s strike but, to be honest, the networks were airing game shows just this stupid on television before everyone went on strike.

T. and T. (Tubi)

I wrote about T. and T. here!

Welcome Back, Kotter (Tubi)

I wrote about Welcome Back, Kotter here!

Lisa Marie’s Week In Television: 8/6/23 — 8/12/23

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

Big Brother (24/7, CBS and Paramount Plus)

I wrote about Big Brother here!

The Challenge USA (Thursday Night, CBS)

The latest season of this reality show premiered this week.  I kind of watched it but, to be honest, I got bored and tuned out after 20 minutes or so.  As far as I can tell, The Challenge mostly seems to exist to give work to former reality show contestants who don’t want to return to their former lives.

City Guys (YouTube)

I wrote about City Guys here!

Claim to Fame (Monday Night, ABC)

The remaining contestants finally figured out that Hugo was Jimmy Carter’s grandson and they sent him packing.  I’m enjoying this show, though I’m still annoyed all of my favorites have been eliminated.  That said, Hugo wasn’t one of my favorites so this week was a good one.

Dr. Phil (YouTube)

Despite being opposed to Dr. Phil on general principle, I did have the show on for background noise while I was getting some work done on Tuesday.  The first episode featured an out-of-control teen who got sent to rehab.  Phil said that the parents were ultimately to blame and, for once, I agreed because her parents really were the worst!  The 2nd episode featured a man who somehow thought it would be okay to live with both his wife and his mistress in the same house.  Dr. Phil explained why this arrangement probably would not work.  The 3rd episode featured a woman who hired a nanny off of Craig’s List and who was shocked when the Nanny turned out to be a bit shady.  The fourth episode featured a former beauty pageant contestant who was now an out-of-control teen.  Dr. Phil sent her to a mental health facility, which led to a lot of tears.  It was awkward.  I’m not sure I agree with Dr. Phil’s solution.  I think it was more about making the audience happy than helping the child.  Finally, for the fifth episode, I watched an episode about two sisters who claimed they would never accept their new stepmother.  The family was a complete mess.  I felt bad for the stepmother.

The Love Boat (Paramount Plus)

I wrote about The Love Boat here.

Saved By The Bell (MeTV)

On Sunday morning, I watched three full hours of Saved By The Bell.  Zack started dating Kristy, the new wrestler.  But then, in the next episode, he was suddenly trying to date Slater’s ex-girlfriend from Germany, showing that Zack definitely had commitment issues.  Zack then had an operation on his knee and returned to school in time to convince everyone to not allow oil drilling on Bayside’s property.  (Poor Becky!)  Then, it was time to rig a chess tournament and head to the mall so that he and his friends could buy tickets to (snicker) the U2 concert.  The common factor in all of these episodes was everyone putting way too much faith in Screech.

Solid Gold (YouTube)

I watched an episode of this old 80s music show on Sunday night.  The episode I watched was from 1982 and it featured some good music and a lot of dancing so I enjoyed it.

Stars on Mars (Monday Night, Fox)

The Lance Armstrong redemption has come to an end as Armstrong left “Mars” this week.

T. and T. (Tubi)

I wrote about T. and T. here!

Welcome Back, Kotter (Tubi)

I wrote about Welcome Back Kotter here!

Yes, Minister (Monday Morning, PBS)

In the special one-hour Christmas special, Jim Hacker became Prime Minister!  While it’s true that he became PM because everyone was impressed by the fact that he had no strongly held beliefs, it was still hard not to be happy for him.  I love this show.

Lisa Marie’s Week in Television: 7/30/23 — 8/5/23

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

Big Brother finally started this week so say goodbye to my free time!

Big Brother 25 (CBS and Paramount Plus, All The Time)

I wrote about the 25th season of Big Brother here!

Claim to Fame (ABC, Monday Night)

Nooooooo!  Not Olivia!  Sadly, Olivia was eliminated this week when she failed to guess to whom Karsyn was related.  Olivia was my favorite so …. well, I’ll still watch the show but now I’m just watching because I want to see people eliminated.  This show is so addictive.

Geraldo (YouTube)

On Sunday, I watched an episode of this old talk show from the 80s in which a brawl between Nazis and civil rights leader Roy Innis led to Gerald Rivera getting his nose broken.

The Moment Of Truth (YouTube)

I had totally forgotten about this incredibly mean-spirted game show that aired on Fox back in 2008.  Basically, people took a lie detector exam and they received money for each question they answered truthfully.  If they were caught in a lie, they lost all of their money.  Needless to say, the questions got progressively more and more personal.  The episode that I watched on Tuesday featured a woman who won money by admitting that she had been fired from stealing, that she kept secrets about her father from her mother, and that she would leave her husband for her ex-boyfriend.  Then the woman was asked if she felt she was a good person and her reply of “Yes,” was found to be deceptive so she lost everything.  It was one of the most awkward things that I’ve ever seen.

Naturally, I had to watch another episode on Wednesday.  Paul won $100,000 but he also disgusted his girlfriend and family by confession that he felt he could never be loyal to one woman and that was paid for sex while in college.  Again, it was awkward but compulsively watchable.

Sally Jessy Raphael (YouTube)

On Sunday, I watched an episode called “He’s Not Good Enough For My Daughter.”  Everyone on the show was pretty trashy and it was kind of hilarious watching Sally try to act like she was hosting a serious discussion.

Stars on Mars (Fox, Monday Night)

Andy Richter has been eliminated and to be honest, I’m surprised.  Andy’s funny but I think he’d be a little bit annoying to travel to another planet with.

The Steve Wilkos Show (YouTube)

On the episode that I watched on Sunday night, a woman was upset because a “crazy psycho” was stalking her boyfriend.  It turned out that the boyfriend wasn’t quite as innocent as he claimed, which I saw coming from a mile away.  I enjoyed this episode.  It was like an incredibly over-the-top Lifetime movie.

On Monday, I was so depressed, after watching a film called The Honeymoon Killers, that I tried to cheer myself up by watching two episodes.  The first one featured Steve kicking an abuser off his stage and that was fun to watch.  The second featured a woman who thought her boyfriend was gay and who demanded that he take a lie detector test to prove that he was straight.

On Tuesday, I watched an episode in which a man pretended to have a heart attack to avoid stepping out on stage and seeing the son who he had abandoned years ago.  The audience was not impressed.  The audience was even less impressed with the woman at the center of the next episode that I watched.  Her six children had been taken away from her by the Department of Child Welfare and she was determined to have a seventh child with a teenager who appeared to be suffering from some sort of brain damage.  It was disturbing to watch, to say the least.

You Don’t Know Jack (YouTube)

This was a game show, based on the computer game, that aired on ABC in 2001.  It was hosted by Paul Reubens.  I watched an episode on Saturday morning.  The questions were pretty easy.  The main attraction of the show was to watch Reubens play the role of the hilariously shallow game show host.  It was amusing, though the humor seemed like it would work best in small doses as opposed to on a weekly basis.

Lisa Marie’s Week In Television: 9/25/22 — 10/1/22

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

Not only did I spend this week preparing for Horrorthon, I also ended up watching quite a bit of television.  Here’s some thoughts on what I watched.

Abbott Elementary (Wednesday Night, ABC)

This week, Janine tried to get Abbott a computer and Ava got to host a Shark Tank-style competition.  Ava is such a great character.  This episode may not have matched the premiere but it was still pretty funny and a good example of how Abbott Elementary is able to deal with the realities of public education without losing sight of the comedy.

The Amazing Race (Wednesday Night, CBS)

I wrote about the latest episode of The Amazing Race here!

Atlanta (Thursday Night, FX)

This week’s episode of Atlanta took a break from the surreal with a straight-forward but very funny episode about Earn and Al’s family.  Earn’s mother “kidnapped” Grandpa while Earn’s father made the mistake of buying a hat and allowing himself to get delayed in the mall.  While Aunt Jeanine called the police and demanded that her sister by criminally charged, Earn and Al looked for a way to escape the studio.  It was funny and enjoyably cringey.  Give Isiah Whitlock, Jr. an Emmy.

Bachelor in Paradise (Monday Night, ABC)

It’s a new season of Bachelor in Paradise!  All of the people who couldn’t find love on the main show get to hang out on the beach.  Bachelor in Paradise is actually more fun than The Bachelor because it’s honest about being a totally and completely shallow production.  Nobody is there for the right reasons and it’s great.

Apparently, Jesse Palmer is going to be the host for the entire season so I guess last season’s rotating host gimmick has been retired.  That’s probably for the best.  I actually like Jesse as the overall franchise host.  He doesn’t bring a lot of extra drama with him like Tayshia and Kaitlyn did and he seems to understand that his job isn’t exactly the same as being a brain surgeon.

That said …. where’s Meatball!?

Big Brother (Sunday Night, CBS)

Big Brother 24 finally came to a close on Sunday night.  Taylor Hale not only won the game but she also won America’s Favorite Player.  Considering the way that Taylor was bullied by the other houseguests at the start of the season, her victory was popular with the show’s fans.  Personally, I think both Monte and Turner played a better game but knowing that Taylor’s victory upset some of the worst people to ever appear on the show was still a satisfying feeling.  Knowing that Ameerah, Nicole, and Daniel were probably upset made the past few months worth it.

I wrote about this season over at the Big Brother Blog.

Bubblegum Crisis (NightFlight+)

80s cyberpunk!  Man vs machine!  The Sabre Knights vs a pack of robots known as the Boomers!  The main character, Priss, is also a rock star!  I had no idea what was going on when I watched this show early on Saturday morning but the animation was interesting to look at and Priss was undeniably cool.

CHiPs (Weekday Afternoons, Get TV)

I watched one episode of this old motorcycle cop show on Tuesday.  The cops kept the peace at an anti-nuke rally and Erik Estrada provided counseling to a child who was being abused by his parents.  I can’t say that I really paid that much attention.  I did like the bass-heavy theme song however.

Concentration (Weekday Afternoons, BUZZR)

This was an old gameshow from the 70s and the 80s.  I watched an episode on Friday while I was doing some work around the office.  The most interesting thing about it was that it was hosted by Alex Trebyk, who came across as being far more relaxed and casual about things than when he hosted Jeopardy.

Full House (Sunday Evening, MeTV)

Uncle Joey (you know, the one with the mullet) tried to teach Michelle how to ride a bike but he wasn’t very good at it and Michelle was humiliated when she fell off her bike at the park.  At first, Michelle blamed Joey but eventually she got over it.  What a brat.

This was followed by an episode in which poor DJ (who, really, deserves to nominated for sainthood for putting up with her family) has to take her two obnoxious sisters with her on a date.  Everyone learned an important lesson about sneaking into the movie and lying.  Don’t do either of them but, if you do sneak into the movie, don’t get caught.

Ghosts (Thursday Night, CBS)

The second season premiere of Ghosts was as charming as ever, with the ghosts spying on the B&B’s first guests and Jay discovering that, despite his near death experience, he still cannot see the ghosts.  I felt bad for Sam, as most of the stuff that the guests complained about when it came to her was the same stuff that people tend to complain about when it comes to me.  I cheered a little when she stood up to them.  The whole “Our yelp account was hacked!” ending was perfect.

Hell’s Kitchen (Thursday Night, FOX)

Hell’s Kitchen is back!  This season is going to be 40-something chefs vs 20-something chef.  To be honest, the gimmick doesn’t matter.  I’m just looking forward to Chef Ramsay yelling at people and losing his temper at the potentially lethal incompetence around him.  Who will be the first to try to send out raw chicken?  Sadly, the premiere episode did not feature a dinner service but, according to the previews, it’s coming up next week!

Law & Order (Thursday Night, NBC)

Last week’s Law & Order was pretty good.  This week, sadly, was one of those middling, lefty political episodes that the franchise often does in an attempt to remain in the good graces of those who would otherwise dismiss the whole thing as being copaganda.  It’s always funny to me how the Law & Order franchise is full of blue collar, Catholic cops who sound like they spend all of their time watching Joy Reid and Chris Hayes as soon as their shift is over.

On last night’s Law & Order, the victim was the daughter of the governor of Texas so, of course, we got this whole big thing about how the governor is always criticizing New York City as being crime-ridden.  “Why does the governor of Texas care about New York?” one of the detectives demanded and that’s when I started to tune this episode out.  One could just as legitimately ask why people in California and New York always feel the need to comment on what’s happening in Texas.  Law & Order always errs on the side of going overboard when it attempts to deal with politics.  This was especially true this week, as Law & Order waded into the abortion debate and came up with an ending that was both so heavy-handed and so predictable that I felt embarrassed for the show’s writers.

Law & Order: Organized Crime (Thursday Night, NBC)

With the start of a new season, Stabler got a new partner and a new crooked family to investigate.  From what I’ve seen, Organized Crime is the least interesting of the Law & Order shows and often feels more like it should be a part of NCIS franchise than Law & Order.  It was difficult for me to watch because Stabler really does seem like he’s going to give himself a heart attack if he doesn’t figure out a way to relax.

Law & Order: SVU (Thursday Night, NBC)

This week’s episode of SVU opened with an extremely disturbing scene in which a teenage girl was gang-raped on a subway while, just a few feet away, the rest of her family was hacked to death with machetes.  This scene reminded me of why I don’t regularly watch this show.  It’s undeniably well-acted and usually well-written, except for when it tries to be overly political.  But Good Lord, are the cases ever disturbing!

Mike (Hulu)

I wrote about Hulu’s disappointing Mike Tyson miniseries here.

Mike Judge’s Beavis and Butt-Head (Paramount Plus)

Inspired by a holy nacho chip, Beavis went on a spiritual journey and learned nothing.  This was a unique episode in that it told one story instead of the usual two.  It’s become obvious that Beavis, with his odd moments of clarity and his desire to actually be something more than just a sidekick, is a far more compelling character than Butt-Head.

Monarch (Tuesday Night, FOX)

This show gets sillier and sillier with each episode but it’s kind of worth it for the scenes of Trace Adkins glowering in the shadows while holding a gun.  I don’t really care much about which Roman daughter is crowned the next queen of country music but I definitely do what to know who Trace has been burying for the past three episodes.

Night Flight (NightFlight+)

From the 80s, it was a look at women in rock, from Janis Joplin and Grace Slick to Stevie Nicks.  I watched on Friday night.  The music was good.

Password (Weekday Afternoons, BUZZR)

I watched two episodes of this old game show on Tuesday.  Apparently, the aim was to try to guess a word and win money.  The episodes I saw were from the mid-70s and the most interesting thing about them was how cheap and run-down the show’s set looked.  One got the feeling that the whole studio probably reeked of cigarettes and spilled beer.

Saving Grace (Weekday Nights, Start TV)

On this show, which apparently ran for three seasons, Holly Hunter played an Oklahoma detective who, after she accidentally ran over a pedestrian after a night of drinking, was told by a fallen angel named Earl that she was going to go to Hell unless she changed her ways.  So, apparently, the rest of the show was about Grace solving crimes and talking to Earl.  How have I never heard of this show before?  It aired from 2007 to 2010 and Hunter was even nominated for two Emmy awards for playing Grace.

Anyway, the episode that I watched on Wednesday night featured Grace trying to solve a murder while another angel (F. Murray Abraham) tried to convince her to abandon Earl and work with him.  It was odd but Holly Hunter is always good and the show took place in Oklahoma so, as someone who spent some time in Oklahoma while she was growing up, I felt like I could relate to most of the characters.

Super Password (Weekday Afternoons, BUZZR)

I watched two episodes of this show on Tuesday.  It was just like Password, except the set looked cleaner.

Survivor (Wednesday Night, CBS)

I wrote about the latest episode of Survivor here!