Another Halloween has come and gone and another Horrorthon has come to a close. We hope you have had a wonderful October and that the Thanksgiving month brings you much to be grateful for!
And remember, just because you didn’t see the Great Pumpkin this year, doesn’t mean that he won’t be there for you next October. As always, Linus puts it best:
To all of our readers and from all of your friends at the Shattered Lens, thank you.
I’ve got so much stuff piling up on the DVR. I’ll get caught up on it all in November!
Big Brother (24/7, CBS and Paramount Plus)
I wrote about this stupid show over at the Reality TV Chat Blog! I will be so happy when this season is over. Every day, I pray for the cancellation of this show.
Check It Out! (Tubi)
I watched the fourth episode of Check It Out! on Friday. My review will drop in a few hours.
Degrassi Junior High (YouTube)
I wrote about Degrassi Junior High here!
Dragnet (Weekday Morning, MeTV)
I woke up early enough on Monday that, when I turned on television, I found myself watching the episode of Dragnet where Joe Friday served on a review board that was investigating whether a police officer had failed to properly identity himself. It was not one of the more interesting episodes of Dragnet.
Dr. Phil (YouTube)
On Sunday, I watched an episode of Dr. Phil in which Phil interviewed a woman who shaved her head and faked having cancer. The woman said that she felt very guilty. Dr. Phil didn’t buy it.
On Tuesday morning, I watched Dr. Phil talk to a woman who was in an abusive marriage with a total jerk. Dr. Phil called the jerk a “loud-mouthed bully” but it didn’t really seem to do much good. Later, on Tuesday evening, I watched an episode about an out-of-control teen named Taylor. Phil yelled at the parents but he didn’t seem to do much good for Taylor.
On Saturday night, I watched an episode about a disastrous wedding that was still tearing a family apart. Seriously, it was a really bad wedding. I think the only solution was for the wife to get a divorce. “Wow,” Dr. Phil said, in his condescending way.
Gun (Tubi)
Highway to Heaven (Tubi)
I wrote about Highway to Heaven here!
The Hitchhiker (YouTube)
I watched several episodes of The Hitchhiker this week, while choosing which ones to feature on the site. It was a bit of an uneven show but, when it worked, it worked. I loved Page Fletcher’s super-judgmental monologues.
It’s The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown (Apple TV+)
Erin and I watched this classic on Thursday. Read Erin’s’ thoughts on it here!
Jennifer Slept Here (YouTube)
I wrote about Jennifer Slept Here here!
The Love Boat (Paramount Plus)
I wrote about The Love Boat here!
Nightmare Café (YouTube)
I wrote about Nightmare Café here!
T and T (Tubi)
Toy Story Of Terror (Disney Plus)
Erin and I watched this on Thursday, after we watched It’s The Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown. I love the toys! This isn’t their best adventure but it’s still nice to see and hear everyone again.
The Vanishing Shadow (Night Flight Plus)
I watched Chapter Three of this serial on Friday night. In this episode, the invisibility ray was used.
Welcome Back Kotter (Tubi)
I reviewed Welcome Back Kotter here!
Yes Prime Minister (Monday Morning, PBS)
A member of Jim’s cabinet had a plan that he felt would help the economy and reduce unemployment. Sir Humphrey felt that the cabinet member was a pointless radical and encouraged Jim to ignore him. This episode featured one of my favorite sources of humor on this show, Jim’s tendency to just agree with whoever last spoke to him. It feels like a very realistic portrait of the way governments work.
I’ve spent this week in a state of exhaustion as I’ve tried to physically and mentally recover from this year’s Horrorthon. Here’s a few thoughts on what I watched over the past seven days.
Abbott Elementary (Wednesday Night, ABC)
The commercial was amusing and I enjoyed the scene where everyone realized that the reason they had allowed the commercials to be filmed was because they had gotten used to being followed around by cameras. I enjoyed hearing about the shows that the characters happened to be watching when they saw the commercial. I’m not really sure that Abbott needs a supervillain, though.
The Amazing Race (Wednesday Night, CBS)
I wrote about the latest episode of The Amazing Race here!
Atlanta (Thursday Night, FX)
Al moved out to a farm and nearly got killed by a feral hog. Brian Tyree Henry’s reactions were priceless.
California Dreams (YouTube)
Surf dudes without attitude …. kinda groovy …. I watched a few episodes and wrote a few reviews that will be dropping over the course of the next few weeks. I’ll be glad to be done with season 2 because, as everyone knows, season 3 is when this show gets good.
City Guys (Tubi)
98 Degrees played Manny High and Chris dated a goth! You can read about it here.
Family Feud (Weekday afternoons, Buzzr)
On Monday, I watched two episodes of this deathless game show. They were both Halloween episodes from the 80s so everyone was wearing a costume. I have no idea who won. Survey says, “Didn’t much attention!”
Fantasy Island (Tubi)
I wrote about Fantasy Island and Leslie Nielsen here!
Ghost Whisperer (Hulu)
I watched an episode of my favorite guilty pleasure on Monday. Jennifer Love Hewitt helped Hillary Duff deal with a ghost. Meanwhile, Melinda’s dead husband continued to hang out in someone else’s body. That was a weird season.
Hang Time (YouTube)
I watched a few episodes of Hang Time yesterday and today and I wrote and scheduled reviews for all of them. Keep an eye out on Monday.
Highway to Heaven (YouTube)
I shared this episode on Monday. Jonathan battled the devil for Mark’s soul.
It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia (Hulu)
I watched the episode in Sunday in which Mac and Dennis tried to create an economy based on Paddy Bucks. Meanwhile, Frank chopped off a finger while trying to sale knives. I fell off the couch laughing.
It’s The Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown (Apple TV+)
Erin and I watched this classic on Sunday. It’s a part of our Halloween tradition. A few years ago, Erin wrote about this special and why it continues to appeal to us.
King of the Hill (Hulu)
I watched two episodes on Monday. The first was the episode where Hank fights for the right to trick or treat. The second was one of my favorites, in which Bobby buys a pack of Tarot cards and accidentally joins a coven.
Law & Order (Thursday Night, NBC)
A fashion designer is murdered while crime spirals out of control in New York. This was actually a pretty good episode, even if the mystery itself was rather routine. It was an episode that acknowledged just how powerless people feel in the face of America’s current crime wave and it put the blame squarely on our elected officials.
The Love Boat (Paramount Plus)
I wrote about my latest voyage here.
Night Flight (NightFlight+)
I watched an episode of this entertainment news show from 1992. The show contained a profile of Bruce Springsteen, some footage of Duke Ellington performing, and then a few comedic shorts featuring Charlie Chaplin, W.C. Fields, and others.
The Office (Peacock)
On Halloween, I watched the first Halloween episode. Imagine how different the series would have been if Michael had fired Creed instead of Devin.
One World (Tubi)
I binged the entirety of this show on Thursday and Friday. Here are my thoughts on two episodes.
Saved By The Bell (Hulu)
Zach and the gang went on a mystery weekend! It’s about as close as this show ever got to a Halloween episode so I watched it on Halloween. Even when Zach thought people were actually being murdered, he seemed oddly unconcerned.
Survivor (Wednesday Night, CBS)
I wrote about the latest episode of Survivor here!
Toy Story of Terror (Sunday Night, ABC)
I watch this special every year. I have to admit that it’s never quite as good as I seem to remember it being but, that said, how can you not love the toys?
Another Halloween has come and gone and with it, another Horrorthon. We hope you have had a wonderful October and that your November brings you much to be thankful for!
And remember, just because you didn’t see the Great Pumpkin this year, doesn’t mean that he won’t be there for you next October. I think Linus can explain it best:
To all of our readers and from all of your friends at the Shattered Lens, thank you.
Don’t look for It’s The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown on television this year.
When I was growing up, watching the Charlie Brown holiday specials on CBS and ABC was an annual tradition. Unfortunately, after Apple TV+ bought the rights to all of the Peanuts specials in 2018, ABC stopped airing them. There was enough of an outcry that Apple TV+ partnered up with PBS to air the main holiday specials. However, it appears that not even PBS will be airing them in 2022.
Instead, you’ll have to go to Apple TV+ and watch them. The good news is that Apple TV+ will be streaming the specials for free during the holiday season. The bad news is that it still just doesn’t feel right that none of these specials are going to air on television. Watching Linus wait for the Great Pumpkin or Charlie Brown buy a Christmas tree on television was a part of the holiday season. The specials may have been old-fashioned but watching them was tradition. It was something that I and a lot of other people grew up with. It always felt good to know that, no matter what else was happening, those specials would always air and that, for at least one night, people could set aside their disagreements and watch them. Now, you can only watch them online and hope that there’s not too much buffering. It feels like the end of an era.
It feels like we all got a rock this holiday season.
Another Halloween has come and gone and with it, another Horrorthon. We hope you have had a wonderful October and that you’re November brings you much to be thankful for!
And remember, just because you didn’t see the Great Pumpkin this year, doesn’t mean that he won’t be there for you next October. I think Linus can explain it best:
To all of our readers and from all of your friends at the Shattered Lens, thank you.
May your Halloween night be full of as many treats as tricks.
May the Great Pumpkin bring you everything you wished for.
And may you never get a rock.
Needless to say, this week was more about movies than it was about TV. Here’s what I did watch.
Allo Allo (Sunday Night, PBS)
“Some you may be wondering what I am doing in my office, bricking myself up.” Oh, Rene …. I’m sure you have a good reason. In this case, it was because Rene was concerned that the Germans were looking to arrest him. It’s far more probable that Rene just wanted an excuse to get away from all of the drama in the cafe. Eventually, Michelle showed up to give Rene both a medal to honor his bravery and a suicide pill for him to take once he was captured. Fortunately for Rene but unfortunately for the Resistance, the attempt to send all of the German generals to England failed and Rene was in the clear. The Resistance took back both the suicide pill and the medal.
Eventually, this all led to Rene pretending to be a member of the clergy, Michelle pretending to be in love with Rene, Mimi pretending to be s baby, Herr Flick also pretending to be a baby, and a group of Italian soldiers running around the village with bayonets.
It was all very odd but rather funny.
Dancing With The Stars (Monday Night, ABC)
It was horror night! All of the dances went pretty well, in my opinion. I did have to smile a bit at the dance that was described as being “an homage to The Purge,” as if the Purge is some decades-old classic. And I groaned when one of the dancers said he was “dressed as Hellraiser,” when he was clearly dressed as Pinhead. JoJo’s It-inspired dance was good. The judges were too hard on Melora Hardin. To be honest, the judges remain the worst part of this show.
Degrassi: The Next Generation (DVD)
I watched the classic Breakfast Club episode from season 3 and I wrote about it here!
Fear the Walking Dead (Sunday Night, AMC)
I reviewed the latest episode here!
Firing Line (Sunday Night, PBS)
On this public affairs show, Margaret Hoover was interviewing a woman who was very concerned about Donald Trump’s policies. It was a new episode but no one was interested in talking about Joe Biden’s policies. In its way, this episode was actually a perfect reflection of what politics is like in America right now. We have a president that few people take seriously and an ex-president who everyone either fears or loves.
Friday the 13th: The Series (YouTube)
Discovering this series has been one of the true pleasures of this year’s horrorthon.
It’s The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown (Sunday Night, PBS)
Erin and I watched this classic on Sunday. Two years ago, Erin wrote an essay about why we love this special and it’s still relevant today.
Open All Hours (Sunday Night, PBS)
Arkwright’s attempt to set up a mobile food truck nearly killed Grandville. All of the neighbors were, as usual, upset at being inconvenienced. No one seemed to have too much of a problem with Grandville nearly dying. Poor Grandville.
Seinfeld (Every Day, Comedy Central)
I watched two episodes on Friday. One featured Jerry dating a Miss America contestant and Elaine getting a job with a cranky old man. The other featured Elaine ordering a “Big Salad.” I relate to Elaine. Big salads are the best!
Survivor 41 (Wednesday Night, ABC)
I wrote about this week’s episode here!
Toy Story of Terror (ABC, Thursday Night)
Erin and I watch this Halloween special every year. Though it may not bring me to tears like the movies do, it’s still nice to see all of the toys together and looking out for each other.
The Walking Dead: World Beyond (Sunday Night, AMC)
I’ve actually reached the point where I’ve gone from being totally indifferent to kind of liking this show. The idea of teenagers trying to enjoy their youth in a world that will probably not allow them to grow old is actually more compelling than I thought it would be. Plus, it’s not quite as slow as the other two Walking Dead shows. I still spend a good deal o this show feeling confused but still, it does mange to consistently hold my interest for the hour that it’s on. That may be a long-winded compliment but …. well, so be it.
Another Halloween has come and gone and with it, another Horrorthon. Thank you to everyone who read and commented this month! We hope you have had a wonderful October and that you’re November brings you much to be thankful for!
And remember, just because you didn’t see the Great Pumpkin this year, doesn’t mean that he won’t be there for you next October. I think Linus can explain it best:
To all of our readers and from all of your friends at the Shattered Lens, thank you.
And to ABC: BRING BACK IT’S THE GREAT PUMPKIN, CHARLIE BROWN! It’s an American tradition!
To all of our readers
To all of our friends
To every ghoul and fiend out there,
HAPPY HALLOWEEN FROM THE SHATTERED LENS!
May your Halloween bring you more candy than rocks and we hope you enjoy the last day of our annual horrorthon! Be safe, be sincere, and don’t forget the true meaning on Halloween!
And since ABC didn’t broadcast It’s The Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown this year, here’s my favorite moment from that holiday classic:
Through the Shattered Lens 