Tag Archives: Lisa’s Week In Television

Lisa Marie’s Week In Television: 12/22/24 — 12/28/24

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

Here are a few thoughts about what I watched during the final week of 2024.

Check It Out (Tubi)

Look for my review of this show next Saturday.

Degrassi High and Degrassi: The Next Generation (Tubi)

I’ve had a cold since the day after Christmas so I’ve been spending a lot of time in bed and rewatching the Degrassi franchise.

Dragnet (YouTube)

Joe Friday and Bill Gannon kept the streets safe in the episodes that I watched on Friday as I tried to get over my cold.  Good for them!

Friday the 13th: The Series (YouTube)

In order to get a head start on 2o25, I watched an episode of Friday the 13th this week.  Look for my review next Friday!

Happy New Year, Charlie Brown (Apple TV+)

I watched this classic special with Erin on Thursday.  Someone needs to check on Charlie Brown.  He’s sleeping in the snow!  He’ll never finish War and Peace if he gets pneuomonia!

Highway to Heaven (Tubi)

I returned to Highway to Heaven this week.  Look for my review next week!

Homicide: Life On The Street (Peacock)

Look for my review next week!

King of the Hill (Hulu)

Hank rented a truck for the holidays!  “You mean …. a convoy!?”  Absolutely one of my favorite episodes of this classic show and I was happy to watch it on Monday.

I went on to binge a few more episodes on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday.  I’ve had a cold and this show has definitely kept me entertained as I’ve tried to will myself into good health.

The Love Boat (Paramount+)

I watched an episode of The Love Boat this week.  Look for my review next week!

Malibu, CA (YouTube)

I forced myself to watch two episodes of this show on Sunday.  Look for my reviews in 2025!

Monsters (YouTube)

I returned to Monsters this week.  Look for my review next week!

Santa Claus Is Comin’ To Town (Sunday Night, ABC)

I watched this holiday classic with my sisters on Sunday night.  It made me smile, as it always does.  I love the holidays!

Seinfeld (Netflix)

I watched the Festivus episode on Monday (which, appropriately enough, was Festivus!).  I always enjoy it when Bryan Cranston shows up as the decadent dentist.

St. Elsewhere (Hulu)

Look for my reviews to return next week!

TV 2000 (Night Flight+)

I watched an episode of this 80s music video program on Friday night.  They were really wild about Bruce Springsteen.  I’ve never really gotten his appeal but then again, I’m not from New Jersey.

Welcome Back, Kotter (Prime)

I’m continuing my way through the fourth and final season.  My reviews will return in 2025.

Lisa Marie’s Week In Television: 12/15/24 — 12/21/24

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

Here’s just a few thoughts on what I watched this week.

Abbott Elementary (ABC, Wednesday Night)

I got caught up with Abbott Elementary this week.  The first episode that I watched was the Ringworm episode and I have to say that I’m on Gregory’s side when it comes to the proper way to react to fungi.  I’m sure it was probably not the show’s intention but the episode felt almost like a commentary on the madness that gripped the nation during the COVID pandemic.

Ringworm was followed by the “Class Pet” episode, which I really enjoyed.  The Guinea Pig was unbelievable cute and I like any episode in which Ava is given a chance to show that she’s actually not that bad of a principal.

The Halloween episode was amusing, though the most interesting thing about it was people giving Jacob a hard time for dressing up as Pat Sajak despite Sajak’s politics.  The episode, of course, was filmed and aired before the presidential election, which was won by Sajak’s candidate.  As such, the episode felt almost like an artifact from the distant past.

The Dad Fight episode actually made me cry, both with laughter and genuine emotion.  I’m a lot like Melissa when it comes to spraining my ankle.  Gregory’s refusal to fight showed that this is a show that definitely has its heart in the right place.

This was followed by an episode about Jacob trying to lead a protest against gentrification that felt like an apology for those terrible anti-private school episodes from the second season.  This episode also featured a great Ava subplot, in which she gave a TED talk about how be a successful principal.

The final two episodes that I watched were both Christmas episodes.  Barbara put together the “Winter Show,” and then Melissa hosted “Winter Dinner.”  Both episodes were okay without being as memorable as they could have been.  One gets the feeling that the show’s writer couldn’t decide between being earnest and being snarky about the holidays and they instead went for a wishy-washy middleground.  That said, I’ve really enjoyed what I’ve seen of season 4.  It’s definitely been an improvement over the third season and I look forward to seeing how things develop.

Accused (Fox, Tuesday Night)

This week, I got caught up with the second season of this anthology show.  As always, Accused was frustratingly uneven.  Occasionally, the stories are interesting.  More often than not, though, this show often feels like it’s just trying too hard.  To be honest, I think the show needs to liven things up with maybe a comedic episode or how about an episode that takes place on a different planet?  If you’re going to go the anthology route, you really should be willing to experiment a bit.

Amerika (YouTube)

I finally finished up this very long miniseries from the 80s about what life would be like if America was taken over by communists.  Life would not be good.

Dragnet (YouTube)

I watched my two favorite episodes of Dragnet this week, the Talk Show episode and the Night School episode.  Jack Webb and Harry Morgan were a good team.  Friday and Gannon would have agreed with me about Accused.

The Mary Tyler Moore Show (YouTube)

Mary had to work on Christmas Eve!  Boo!  Poor Mary!

That Girl (YouTube)

Marlo Thomas has to work on Christmas Eve!  Boo!  Poor Marlo!

Lisa Marie’s Week In Television: 12/8/24 — 12/14/24

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

This week, other than the shows that I watch for my Retro Television Reviews, the only other thing that I watched was Hell’s Kitchen.  Brittany was eliminated.  Who was Brittany?  Was she on the show earlier?  Sometimes, with these reality shows, it feels like contestants just pop up out of nowhere so that they can be eliminated at the end of the episode.  That said, I did feel bad for Brittany when she was eliminated.  No one on the Red Team could really explain why they nominated her.  It certainly was not Brittany’s fault that the Red Team lost that night’s dinner service.

I did smile when I saw that Penn and Teller were guests at the dinner service.  I kept waiting for Teller to complain about the food but he kept quiet.

Well, it’s the holidays and earlier today, I filed and scheduled my final Retro Television Reviews for 2024.  Those reviews will return on January 1st, 2025!  I’ve got a lot of films and other things to catch up on before the New Year.  Wish me luck!

 

Lisa Marie’s Week Television: 12/1/24 — 12/7/24

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

I watched the classic holiday specials this week!

In order of quality (from best to not-quite-as-good-as-its-reputation), I watched:

  1. A Charlie Brown Christmas Special (Apple+)
  2. How The Grinch Stole Christmas (NBC)
  3. Frosty the Snowman (NBC)
  4. Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer (NBC)

I have to admit that Rudolph has always left me feeling anxious.  I think it’s because Santa kind of comes across as being a jerk in that one.  The main message seems to be the Santa is a harsh taskmaster and the other reindeer are all jerks.  Poor Rudolph!

That said, I will always be happy to watch Charlie Brown learn the true meaning of Christmas.  And the Grinch remains a true classic, thanks to Boris Karloff.  Frosty always makes me cry, largely because I’ve lived a life largely bereft of snow.  In the end, I enjoy watching all four of those specials because it’s a part of my holiday tradition, just like Santa Claus Conquers The Martians, A Christmas Story, Miracle on 34th Street, and It’s A Wonderful Life!

The other thing that I’ve been watching this week is an 80s miniseries called Amerika, which imagines what our country would be like if it was ruled by communists.  It would be pretty bad, what with the combination of oppressive politics, drab clothing, and mandatory struggle sessions.  Then again, it’s also really not that much different from America today.  Anyway, Amerika is interesting but it’s also 13 hours long and, as of this writing, I’ve got five hours to go.  (It’s on YouTube.)  So, I guess I’ll write more about it next week!

Lisa Marie’s Week In Television: 11/24/24 — 11/30/24

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

Spending this Thanksgiving week with my sisters, I didn’t watch a lot of television.  I did watch and review episodes of Homicide, Degrassi High, Miami Vice, CHiPs, Fantasy Island, Baywatch Nights, The Love Boat, and Monsters.

And, earlier today, I watched episodes of CHiPs, Degrassi High, Baywatch Nights, Monsters, Malibu CA, Check It Out, and Friday the 13th: The Series and I wrote up reviews that will post over the course of the upcoming week.  It’s always nice to have a head start on all of that.

On Tuesday, Erin and I watched A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving.  Charlie Brown really was way too nice about Peppermint Patty inviting herself over to his house and then getting upset over being served popcorn.  Myself, I love the fact that Snoopy had a fully cooked turkey that he basically hid from everyone else until it was just him and Woodstock at the house.

On Wednesday, I watched the latest episode of Hell’s Kitchen.  I was not surprised to see Lulu eliminated.  I hope Brandon wins this season.

I watched bits of the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade and also the four football games that were played on Thursday.  My cousins were really into the football games.  I said I thought it would be nice if everyone could win and I got booed and accused of being a commie.  As for the parade, it just made me wish that I was in New York to see it in person.  Maybe next year!

On Friday, I watched episodes of two old 90s shows — Rollergames and Happy Hour.  They were both enjoyably dumb.

And that’s it for this week!

Lisa Marie’s Week In Television: 11/17/24 — 11/23/24

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

Believe it or not, I didn’t really watch anything this week (beyond, of course, the shows that I’ve been reviewing for my Retro Television Reviews).  I haven’t even watched the latest episode of Hell’s Kitchen yet.  What can I say?  Thanksgiving and Christmas are both approaching.  Erin’s birthday is on Sunday.  (Happy birthday, Erin!)  Jeff is leaving for Maryland on Monday.  It’s been a busy week and, for the most part, I’ve just been preparing for the next week.  And the week after that!

I did, on Friday night and early Saturday morning, watch Thanksgiving episodes of Bewitched and an old show called That Girl.  And then I watched an episode of Night Music, which had nothing to do with Thanksgiving.  All three of those were on YouTube.  That’s pretty much it, though.

So, the next time someone says I watch too much TV, I’ll point them to this post.  Sound good?

Lisa Marie’s Week In Television: 11/10/24 — 11/16/24

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

I got caught up with a few shows this week.  Here’s my thoughts on what I watched.

Accused (Tuesday Night, Fox)

I watched the three most recent episodes of Accused this week.  The road rage episode had its good moments and it kept my guessing, though I would have appreciated a bit more of a twist at the end.  The episode with Nick Cannon was so bad that it felt like a parody of woke programming.  (It’s kind of funny how everyone apparently just agreed to forget about Cannon’s history of making anti-Semitic statements.)  The episode with Michael Chiklis as the wrestling coach was much better, though I kept expecting the coach to reveal that he was actually the wrestler’s father.  That would have been a neat twist.

Accused is an uneven show but it’s pretty interesting when it works.  And when it doesn’t work, it’s interesting in an entirely different way.

American Sports Story: Aaron Hernandez (Tuesday Night, FX)

As I’ve said before, this miniseries started out strong but, as so often happens with these Ryan Murphy-produced true crime things, it went downhill quickly.  The final episode was perhaps the worst of the series, if just because it tried to turn Hernandez into some sort of victim.  I have no doubt CTE played some role in his actions but so what?  In the end, at least one man is dead because of Aaron Hernandez.  Ask Odin Lloyd’s family if they care about Aaron Hernandez’s struggle to adjust to living in prison.  I don’t care if he felt uncomfortable with his sexuality.  I don’t care if he was put under tremendous pressure by his coaches.  I don’t care if he was molested when he was a child.  Aaron Hernandez made his decisions and he suffered the consequences and the last thing he deserves is sympathy.

Baywatch Nights (YouTube)

I reviewed Baywatch Nights here!

Check It Out! (Tubi)

My review of Check It Out! will be posting shortly.

CHiPs (Freevee)

I reviewed CHiPs here.  I had a bit of panic when I read the Freevee was shutting down, as I’ve still got many episodes of CHiPs to review and watch.  I’ve been told, however, the shows on Freevee will also be “free” on Prime.  We’ll see!  I’m nor sure that I would want to pay money just for the chance to watch Erik Estrada.

Friday the 13th: The Series (YouTube)

You can read my latest review of Friday the 13th here!

Hell’s Kitchen (Thursday Night, Fox)

My heart broke for Anthony this week!  I took some comfort that Chef Ramsay seemed to be just as said as I was to watch Anthony go.  I was glad Anthony was allowed to keep his jacket.

Highway to Heaven (Hulu)

I reviewed Highway to Heaven here!

Inmate To Roommate (Hulu)

Earlier this year, I enjoyed what I saw of the second season of this A&E show.  (When my Dad had his accident, I stopped watching Inmate to Roommate because taking care of my Dad took priority over any television show.)  This week, I decided to watch the first season of the show on Hulu.  The first season felt a bit more staged than the second season.  If the second season had a raw authenticity to it, the first season was marred by too many scenes that were obviously just done for the cameras.  Still, I appreciate any show that encourages people to give ex-convicts a chance to prove themselves.

Jake Paul vs Mike Tyson (Netflix)

I watched a little of this with Jeff on Friday night.  I was pretty bored with it but at least it was filmed in Texas.  That said, due to my obligations as the hostess of #FridayNightFlix, I stopped watching before either Jake or Tyson left their dressing rooms.  Jeff wrote about the fight here and here!

The Love Boat (Paramount Plus)

I reviewed The Love Boat here1

Malibu CA (YouTube)

For my sins, I reviewed Malibu, CA here!

Miami Vice (Prime)

I reviewed Miami Vice here!

Monsters (YouTube)

I reviewed Monsters here!

Rockin’ Ronny (Night Flight Plus)

This special originally aired in 1986.  It featured a collection of clips from Ronald Reagan’s movies, mixed in with footage of him as president.  Obviously, the show was meant to poke fun at and be critical of Reagan but it didn’t really work.  Rather than coming across as being any of the bad things that this special seemed to be trying to suggest that he was, Ronald Reagan just came across as being a likable old man.  Certainly, he seemed more presidential than any of the folks we’ve recently elected here.

Say Nothing (Hulu)

I am about halfway through this new miniseries about The Troubles in Northern Ireland.  So far, it’s been a powerful few hours.  I’ll share more of my thoughts after I’ve watched the remaining episodes.

St. Elsewhere (Hulu)

I reviewed St. Elsewhere here!

Welcome Back, Kotter (Prime)

I can’t believe I’m paying money for this show.  You can read my latest review here!

Lisa Marie’s Week In Television: 11/3/24 — 11/9/24

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

2024 U.S. Presidential Election Coverage (Tuesday and Wednesday)

On Tuesday, I swore to myself that I was going to vote and then we were going to go up to the lake and my plan was to basically stay off the grid until Friday.  I wasn’t even going to think about the election.  That did not last.  As much as I tried to avoid the news, I still saw a few updates on twitter and soon, I was switching back and forth from Fox to CNN to MSNBC and then to all the other news stations.

To be honest, I kind of suspected Donald Trump was going to win after Kamala Harris picked Tim Walz for her vice president.  The week leading up the election, however, I started to think that Harris was probably going to win.  I started remembering how 2022 seemed like it was going to be  a big year for Republicans, just for the Red Wave to fizzle on election night.  I thought about how polls have never accurately reflected either Trump’s support or how Dobbs turned a lot of people into one-issue voters.  I thought Harris would sweep Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Wisconsin and win the election.  It turns out that I was wrong about most of that!

This was the third presidential election in a row where I swore to myself that I wouldn’t think about it after I voted, just to later find myself then obsessively watching as the results came in.

American Sports Story: Aaron Hernandez (FX, Tuesday Night)

The ninth episode focused on how the women who knew Aaron Hernandez dealt with him being arrest for murder.  And to that, I can only say, “Who cares?”  After nine hours of this show, the only lesson that I’ve learned is that Aaron Hernandez was a tremendous dumbass and the same can be said of the majority of the people around him.

I was super-excited because I thought this week’s episode was the series’ finale.  It turns out that there’s one more episode to go.  Next week, this show will finally wrap up and I won’t have to complain about it anymore.

Bar Rescue (Paramount, Weekday Mornings)

On Tuesday, I watched an episode in which Jon Taffer turned a failing Irish bar into a failing western saloon.  It wasn’t as much fun as the Pirate Bar episode.

Baywatch Nights (YouTube)

I wrote about Baywatch Nights here!

Check it Out! (Tubi)

My review of this week’s episode of Check It Out! will be posted in about 30 minutes.

CHiPs (Freevee)

I wrote about CHiPs here!

Degrassi Junior High (YouTube)

I wrote about Degrassi Junior High here!

Dragnet (YouTube)

On Tuesday, I took a break from the election coverage and rewatched my two favorite episodes of Dragnet, the talk show episode and the night school episode.

Fantasy Island (DVR)

I wrote about Fantasy Island here!

Friday the 13th: The Series (YouTube)

You can read my review here!

Good Times (Get TV, Weekday Afternoons)

I watched two episodes of this 70s sitcom on Monday afternoon.  Carl, a grumpy old man, discovered that he had cancer and he left Chicago for Arizona so that he could deal with it.  The most memorable moment of the two episodes came when Carl told Florida that he felt they should break up.  “Oh my God!” someone in the studio audience shouted.

Hell’s Kitchen (Fox, Thursday Night)

Just as happened last week, the Blue Team triumphed and the Red Team crashed and burned.  I’m enjoying this season.  I like the fact that they’re all strong chefs.  At this point, I feel like anyone could win.

Highway to Heaven (Tubi)

I wrote about Highway to Heaven here!

Homicide: Life on the Street (Peacock)

I wrote about Homicide here!

King of the Hill (FXX, Weekday Morning)

Before I left to vote on Tuesday, I watched four episodes of King of the Hill.  What a great show, that was.  To be honest, the fact that King of the Hill was canceled but Family Guy is still in production is all the evidence you need about the decline of American culture.  As for the episodes I watched, my favorite was the one where Luanne became a boxer and George Foreman appeared as himself.  “Novelty grill!?”

The Love Boat (Paramount+)

I watched The Love Boat on Tuesday night, while sitting outside on the deck of my family’s lakehouse.  That’s the best way to watch anything!  I wrote about The Love Boat here.

Malibu, CA (YouTube)

I wrote about Malibu, CA here!

The Megyn Kelly Show (YouTube)

On Friday, I watched the post-election episode of the Megyn Kelly Show.  Whether you love her, hate her, or if you’re indifferent to her (as I often am), it was hard not to agree with her post-mortem on the election and the Harris campaign.

Miami Vice (Prime)

I wrote about Miami Vice here!

Monsters (YouTube)

I wrote about Monsters here!

St. Elsewhere (Hulu)

You can read my review here!

TV 2000 (Night Flight Plus)

I watched an episode of this old 80s music video program on Friday night.  The music was good.

Welcome Back, Kotter (Tubi)

I can’t believe I paid money to watch this episode.  You can read my review here.

Lisa Marie’s Week In Television: 10/27/24 — 11/2/24

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

Last Sunday, I took part in one of my favorite October traditions and I watched It’s The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown with my sister, Erin.  I always enjoy watching these old Peanuts specials with my sister.  It’s been a part of our holiday tradition for as long as I can remember.  You can read Erin’s thoughts on the Great Pumpkin here.

I watched the latest episode of American Sports Story: Aaron Hernandez.  This week, Aaron murdered Odin Lloyd.  This was the crime for which Hernandez was arrested and eventually sent to prison.  You would think that this would have been a major episode of the show but it was actually pretty meh.  Who cares?  Everything that this show had to say about Aaron Hernandez and his crimes was said several episodes ago.

I enjoyed the latest episode of Hell’s Kitchen on Thursday.  The Blue Team is finally getting it together.  Chef Ramsay is being a bit nicer than usual this season but he’s still entertaining.  I actually kind of like it when Ramsay’s nice.  One gets the feeling that he really does want everyone to reach their full potential.

How did I not know that Dr. Phil started his own television network?  On Friday, I came across it while looking for something to watch in the afternoon.  I ended up watching two episodes of Jail.  Usually, the cops and guards on Jail get on my nerves but, in these two episodes, they actually did a pretty good job and treated everyone with a modicum of respect.

On Friday night, I watched two episodes of Night Flight.  It was all about 80s music and 80s films.  I enjoyed them.

Today, I watched an old episode of Dragnet from 1970.  Sgt. Joe Friday (Jack Webb) was enrolled in night school.  An anti-cop professor tried to kick him out of class.  Fortunately, one of Joe’s classmates was an attorney and threatened to sue the college on Joe’s behalf.

As far as my retro television reviews are concerned, I finished up T&T finally.  I also watched and reviewed Friday the 13th, Welcome Back, Kotter, and Check It Out.  Welcome Back, Kotter is no longer on Tubi so I had two bucks to watch this week’s episode on Prime.  Welcome Back, Kotter’s later seasons are far more tolerable when you can view them for free.

Horrorthon is over!  I’ve got a lot of television to get caught up on, starting this upcoming week.  Apparently, I’m being given an extra hour to do so.  That was nice of whoever’s in charge of all that.

 

Lisa Marie’s Week In Television: 10/20/24 — 10/26/24

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

Wow, the story of Aaron Hernandez gets less and less interesting with each week.  American Sports Story got off to a strong start but, this week, I found myself watching the latest episode and wondering why anyone should care about Aaron and his problems.  Seriously,  I get that Aaron Hernandez was abused as a child.  I get that he struggled as a gay man in a hypermasculine, homophobic industry.  I get that he didn’t grow up privileged.  I’ll even agree with the show’s criticisms of the NFL.  But in the end, who cares?  As portrayed on this show, Aaron Hernandez comes across as being an idiot.  Beyond the fact that he played professional football, there’s nothing particularly interesting about Hernandez or his crimes.  He’s not a compelling character at all.

I was far more entertained by Hell’s Kitchen this week.  Gordon Ramsay and his terrified chefs are compelling characters.  Ramsay was in a surprisingly supportive mood this week.  That’s fine with me.  I like it when Chef Ramsay’s nice.  No one went home this week.  Yay!

Let’s see, what else did I watch this week?  I watched that old episode of Dragnet where Friday and Gannon went on the talk show.  I actually watched that episode several times.  It amused me.  Plus, the episode’s debate was a lot more interesting than any of the real debates that are currently going on.

I watched and reviewed Miami Vice, The Love Boat, and Homicide.  I watched a Halloween episode of Friday the 13th.  I watched and shared several episodes of One Step Beyond.  And, finally, I watched an episode of Dr. Phil where a man said his wife had run off with a cult.

And that’s it!  Most of my attention was devoted to horror films this week.