Late Night Retro Television Review: Check It Out 2.5 “The Mis-Matcher”

Posted on May 4, 2024 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’m currently in the middle of a thunderstorm and in desperate need of sleep so this is going to be a short review. It’s okay because there’s not really much to be said about this week’s episode….

Episode 2.5 “The Mis-Matchmaker”

(Dir by Stan Jacobson, originally aired on October 31st, 1986)

This is the most pointless episode of Check it Out yet and that’s saying something!

Howard is looking after his niece, Denise (Lesleh Donaldson). Denise is young and she’s just broken up with her boyfriend and Howard is worried that she’ll hook up with a bad guy just because she doesn’t know any better. That’s why Howard shoos away even Murray when he tries to talk to her. (Never mind, of course, that Murray is usually portrayed as being so shy and awkward that he can’t even bring himself to look into a woman’s eyes.) It’s also why Howard asks Leslie to take Denise on a date. Even after Leslie explains that he’s gay, Howard insists that Leslie ask out Denise. Leslie finally agrees. I’m not sure why because, again, Leslie is both very out and very proud of who he is. In the end, it would appear that Leslie only asked Denise out because his boss ordered him to. Leslie should sue or at least demand a raise.

Anyway, Denise falls in love with Leslie and is heart-broken when Leslie informs her that he’s gay. (Wow, I interject sarcastically, who could have seen this coming?) Denise runs away. Howard calls the cops but is told that he can’t involve the police just because he hasn’t seen someone in 30 minutes. Then Denise shows up with a blue-haired guy who she met and married while she was out.

That’s the episode.

Seriously, that’s it.

This episode didn’t add up to much. Howard had never before mentioned having a niece or even another sibling before and Denise, despite being played by the talented Lesleh Donaldson, was not given any chance to really show any spark of personality. We really didn’t know how Howard felt about Denise or any other member of his family and vice versa. As such, it was hard to gauge how Howard felt when Denise was missing. Was he worried about her? Was he worried about his sister? Or was he just hoping to avoid any more excess drama. We have no way of knowing.

This was a flat episode, one that suffered from the show’s lack of consistency. A lot of the humor came from how people reacted to Denise vanishing but none of the characters have ever felt like three-dimensional human beings and their reactions felt strained and melodramatic.

Anyway, it’s raining and thundering outside so I’m going to keep this review short. There’s just not much to say about this episode. It’s just forgettable.

Lisa Marie’s Week In Television: 12/24/23 — 12/30/23

Posted on December 30, 2023 by Lisa Marie Bowman

Happy holidays! I’ve been visiting my sister Megan this week. Unfortunately, I’ve also been dealing with a cold this week. As a result, I’ve spent a lot of time in my sister’s guest room, getting caught up on all the daytime dramas!

Here’s some thoughts on what I watched:

All You Need Is Love (Night Flight Plus)

On Friday night, I watched an episode of this documentary series about the history of American music. The episode dealt with the birth and popularity of jazz. It featured a lot of very good music. It also featured an interview with Hoagy Carmichael, who Ian Fleming often claimed James Bond was meant to physically resemble.

The Bold and the Beautiful (Weekday afternoons, NBC)

This week, I got caught up with this wonderfully over-the-top daytime drama. I think it had been over a year since I last watched an episode of The Bold and the Beautiful so it was nice to see that everyone was still bold and still beautiful.

California Dreams (DVD)

Megan and I watched a few episodes of California Dreams throughout the week. Megan agreed that I basically am like the red-headed version of Lorena Costa.

Days of Our Lives (Weekdays, Peacock)

Days of our Lives is on Peacock now. Just as with The Bold and the Beautiful, it had been a while since I watched this show. I watched several episodes this week but I’d be lying if I said I paid too much attention. That said, the show was a nice distraction for when I was feeling ill.

Dr. Death (Peacock)

My sister Megan and I binged the second season of this show on Monday and Tuesday. It was an interesting story, even if it wasn’t quite as strong as the first season. I love Mandy Moore but she was a bit miscast as a tough New York journalist.

Dr. Phil (YouTube)

I watched a few episodes of Dr. Phil this week but I mostly just used them for background noise. I did make sure to pay attention to the episodes about the girl who was convinced that she was pregnant with Jesus.

The Garden: Commune or Cult? (Max)

Megan and I binged this show on Wednesday night. Personally, I think The Garden is more of a commune than a cult but mostly it’s just a place full of really annoying people. Living off the grid has some appeal when it comes to not paying taxes but I’m just not a fan of living off the land. I guess my ideal living situation would be to live in the city but not have to pay for anything.

General Hospital (Weekday Afternoons, ABC)

It kind of bothers me that this show has scenes that take place outside of the hospital.

Jennifer Slept Here (YouTube)

I wrote about the final episode of Jennifer Slept Here …. here!

The Love Boat (Paramount Plus)

I wrote about The Love Boat here!

Monsters (Tubi)

I wrote about Monsters here!

Murder In Boston: Roots, Rampage, and Reckoning (Max)

Megan and I watched this last night. This three-part docudrama dealt with a murder that occurred in Boston in the 80s. The same story served as the basis for a movie that I reviewed back in October. It’s an interesting story, though the docuseries was more interested in the cultural context of the crime than the crime itself.

Night Flight (Night Flight Plus)

I watched an episode on Friday about 80s cover tunes.

The Office (Sunday Morning, Comedy Central)

I watched two Christmas episodes on Sunday. One was the Benihana Christmas episode from the Steve Carell years. The other episode was from the post-Carell era. The differences in quality were dramatic. That show really went downhill after Steve Carell left.

Saved By The Bell (DVD)

Megan and I watched a few episodes of Saved By The Bell over the week. We hit all the classics, No Hope With Dope, the episodes where Kelly dumped Zach for Jeff, the episode where Jessie got hooked on caffeine pills, and the rockumentary.

The Simpsons (Monday Morning, TBS)

I watched two Christmas episodes on Monday. Fortunately, they both featured Kelsey Grammer as Sideshow Bob because both of them would have been pretty dire without his ability to turn even the lamest of lines into comedic gold. One episode featured Bart getting lost in an underground missile silo. The other featured Bob taking a job as a Santa’s Village Santa and helping to expose Mr. Burns as the person who stealing the town’s Christmas presents. Both episodes were oddly mean-spirited at times, as if the show’s writers were trying to impress the Family Guy crowd.

T and T (Tubi)

Next week, I’ll be reviewing the episode that I watched this week.

Twilight Zone (SyFy)

Today, I’ve enjoyed several episodes of SyFy’s annual New Year’s Twilight Zone marathon. This is one of those traditions that I hope never goes away.

The Young and the Restless (Weekday afternoons, NBC)

I’m happy to say that everyone is still restless, even if they’re not quite young.

Lisa Marie’s Week In Television: 3/12/23 — 3/18/23

Posted on March 18, 2023 by Lisa Marie Bowman

Abbott Elementary (Wednesday Night, ABC)

Eh. This has been a strong season, with the exception of all the nonsense about the charter schools. Unfortunately, this week’s episode was all about trying to keep Abbott from turning into a charter school and it was a rare heavy-handed misfire for what it is usually one of the smartest shows on television. Ava still made me laugh, though.

Accused (Tuesday Night, FOX)

This week’s episode of Accused was a misfire. It tried to deal with both gun control and misinformation and, in both cases, it just came across as being histrionic. It was like the Reefer Madness of 21st Century anthology shows.

The Bachelor (Monday and Tuesday, ABC)

The thing with this season is that it’s impossible to get excited about Zach and it’s difficult to take anyone seriously when they say that they were falling in love with Zach. Monday featured the hometown visits and a “shocking” departure. (Don’t worry, Charity avoided marrying Zach and she gets to be the new bachelorette). Tuesday featured the Women Tell All, which started out as interesting with lots of petty drama but then all the action stopped so Greer could go through a televised struggle session about her old social media posts. Jesse Palmer announced that the Bachelor franchise will no longer shy away from addressing the actions of its contestants and I rolled my eyes so dramatically that I’m surprised I’m still able to see straight. It’s one thing to address actions. It’s another thing to spend half an hour patting yourself on the back for doing it, especially when it was obvious that both Jesse and Greer were just reciting what they had been told to say.

The Brady Bunch Hour (YouTube)

I finished the series this week. Yay! Seriously, it was kind of fun to experience something as strange as The Brady Bunch Hour but I think if it had lasted longer than nine episodes, I wouldn’t have made it. That final hour nearly broke me.

Farmer Wants A Wife (Wednesday Night, FOX)

After suffering through The Bachelor, this show provided a nice and simple relief. Life on the farm isn’t easy but at least all the farmers are interesting and everyone gets to wear cute country outfits!

Jail (Tuesday Afternoon, Reelz)

This was a Cops-style show that aired in early 2010s. As the title suggests, a camera crew filmed the events in a county jail. Sometimes, they were in Fort Worth. Sometimes, they were in Las Vegas. Whenever they went to Las Vegas, there was one annoying intake officer who always ended up getting attacked by an inmate. Were the inmates attacking because they were violent criminals or because they were on camera? My personal theory is that the intake officer, with his sandy hair and his glasses and his air of unearned authority, was kind of a jerk who just brought out the worst in people.

Anyway, I watched two episodes on Tuesday. A lot of drunks were brought in for the night. Most of the guards were not particularly bright, which made it a bit awkward whenever they tried to get philosophical about why people commit crimes. “I guess until they get tired of us arresting them, we’re going to keep getting called out there.” Okay, whatever you say, dude.

Night Court (Tuesday Night, NBC)

You know, I still like Melissa Rauch but I have to say that, as of this latest episode, I think Abbi is now officially the most annoying character on television. Her fiancé, Rand, came to New York to help her train for a marathon. Rand himself was a pretty annoying character but Abi was a hundred times worse for putting up with him and forcing him on her co-workers.

Night Flight (Night Flight Plus)

On Friday, I watched an episode about the 1984 Oscars. A lot of good songs were nominated that year.

The Oscars (Sunday Night, ABC)

I wrote about the 2022 Oscars here!

The Scott & Gary Show (Night Flight Plus)

This was a public access show from the 80s. Night Flight Plus has episodes of it and several other old public access shows. I watched one episode on Saturday morning. Gibby Haynes stopped by the set and talked about how he used to be an accountant.

Survivor (Wednesday Night, CBS)

I wrote about Survivor at the Reality TV Chat Blog.