Retro Television Review: Saved By The Bell: The New Class 1.12 “Tommy A”

Posted on April 21, 2026 by Lisa Marie Bowman

Welcome to Retro Television Reviews, a feature where we review some of our favorite and least favorite shows of the past! On Tuesdays, I will be reviewing Saved By The Bell: The New Class, which ran on NBC from 1993 to 2o00. The show is currently on Prime.

It’s midterms!

Episode 1.12 “Tommy A”

(Dir by Don Barnhart, originally aired on November 27th,1993)

Tommy D has got his driver’s license!

Everyone’s excited because Tommy’s father has promised to buy him a car and that means Tommy will be able to drive them everywhere. Keep in mind, no one is excited for Tommy. Instead, they’re just excited that they’re going to get a chauffeur who is too dumb to realize that he’s being taken advantage of. Consider this your reminder that the first season of Saved By The Bell: The New Class featured some of the least likable character to ever appear on a dopey teenage sitcom.

Uh-oh, Tommy’s father is concerned about Tommy’s terrible grades. He informs Tommy (and, for some reason, Mr. Belding) that, unless Tommy gets at least one A on his midterms, he won’t get his car.

The gang tries to come up with a class that Tommy could do well in. This is kind of dumb as it’s already been established that Tommy is an amazing mechanic and that he takes autoshop. He’s also a jock and therefore, he should do well in his physical education class. The gang, however, decides to get Tommy an A in his science class. Because the teacher grades on a curve, the gang tells the nerds in the class that they have the answers to the midterm and that they’ll signal which answer is correct by coughing. By giving the nerds the wrong answers, they’ll help Tommy get an A….

So, to be clear here …. I mean, what the Hell? Seriously, who comes up with a plan like this? Wouldn’t the teacher notice that there are a lot of extra students in the class on the day of the midterm and that they’re all coughing in unison? As well, it’s one thing to try to help Tommy pass. It’s another thing to try to make a bunch of other students fail. Not even Zack Morris would have gone that far. (As I’ve mentioned before, the first season of Saved By The Bell: The New Class has been oddly mean-spirited.)

It doesn’t matter, though. Tommy still flunks his science midterm. Now, he only has one chance left to get an A and it’s in …. ENGLISH!

Oh my God, how difficult is the English midterm going to be? Apparently, the entire grade will be determined by each student standing in front of the class and giving a one minute speech. What? What type of class is this?

Luckily, Scott and Weasel have a scheme. Weasel dresses up like a janitor and he convinces Mr. Snavely, the strict English teacher, that it would be dangerous to enter his classroom. Mr. Belding steps in to give and grade the English midterm. Scott figures that Belding will go easy on Tommy and Scott is right. Tommy speaks for less than a minute and basically says that everyone should just be themselves. Belding gives the speech an A. TOMMY’S GETTING A CAR!

And Megan realizes that she doesn’t have to play dumb to get boys to like her. That was the episode’s B-plot. It was pretty dumb and required Megan to behave in a way that was totally out-of-character.

Anyway, Tommy D is now Tommy A. He thanks his friends for helping him. Hey, Tommy, they just want a ride!

Next week, the first season ends!

Song of the Day: Maria, performed by the UNT One O’Clock Lab Band

Posted on April 21, 2026 by Lisa Marie Bowman

Texas Flag, by Erin Nicole

Since today is San Jacinto Day, it seems appropriate that today’s song of the day should come from Texas!

Here is the University of North Texas’s One O’Clock Lab band performing Maria at the Addison Jazz Festival.

Scenes That I Love: Bernie

Posted on April 21, 2026 by Lisa Marie Bowman

Happy San Jacinto Day!

You can celebrate by watching my favorite scene from Richard Linklater’s Bernie! I really love this quick lesson about my home state:

By the way, that line about “Dallas snobs,” always got a big laugh from the audiences at the Dallas Angelika. It’s important to have a sense of humor.

Don’t worry, Vermont. You’ll learn how to laugh at yourself someday.

Late Night Retro Television Review: CHiPs 5.16 “Battle of the Bands”

Posted on April 20, 2026 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 Mondays, I will be reviewing CHiPs, which ran on NBC from 1977 to 1983. The entire show is currently streaming on Prime!

This week, it’s a musical conflict!

Episode 5.16 “Battle of the Bands”

(Dir by Leslie H. Martinson, originally aired on January 31st, 1982)

Jon Baker cannot understand the appeal of punk rock. He says that the punk rockers all seem to be suburban kids so why are they so angry? They’re not from “the ghetto,” as Baker puts it.

“Suburbs can be a ghetto too, Jon.” Grossie says.

Grossie, who is definitely my favorite member of the Highway Patrol, explains that he likes to keep up with youth culture and, as a result, he understands the difference between Punk and New Wave. Punk rockers have fans who slam dance while New Wave bands have fans who pogo. Grossie demonstrates how to do each dance while the other members of the Highway Patrol watch. When Getraer demands to know why Grossie is slamming himself against the lockers in the locker room, Grossie proceeds to hop out of the room.

This is all important information for Baker to have because there’s a Battle of the Bands coming up. New Waver Snow Pink (Susan Richardson) is eager to win but her guitars were recently stolen out of her band’s van. Unfortunately, Snow Pink has been targeted by Pain, a punk band that is led by Thrasher (William Forsythe). Thrasher doesn’t care about making good music. All he wants to do is cause trouble!

Now, I will say that Thrasher is kind of intimidating. That’s more due to him being played by a young William Forsythe than anything else. He’s a “punk,” which, in the world of CHiPs, means that he has a mohawk and his two bandmates have shaved heads. (If anything, they look more like Neo-Nazis than punk rockers. Johnny Rotten would have kicked them out of a moving car.) That said, when Thrasher flicks his lighter and talks about trashing the club, you believe that there’s a very good chance that he’ll do just that. Fortunately, the Highway Patrol is there to stop him.

Now, as you probably already guessed, there was no way that CHiPs was going to do a Battle of the Bands episode without giving Ponch a band. Ponch competes and he sings Kool & The Gang’s Celebration. It’s disco vs punk vs new wave! Of course, punk doesn’t really get to compete because the band is arrested. And Ponch really can’t win because then his character would have an excuse to leave the show. So, it’s not a shock when Snow Pink wins the Battle of the Bands.

To be absolutely honest, this episode was surprisingly fun. It was definitely an episode of its era, embracing both music and the moral panic of the 80s. The punks were unconvincing. Snow Pink was actually a pretty good singer. Estrada flashed that blinding grin while singing disco. Baker once again comes close to getting a romantic subplot. Grossie gets a monologue about the ideology of punk rock. What’s not to like? Bury this episode in the ground because it’s a time capsule!

One final note: Baker, at one point, says that Ponch might leave the Highway Patrol to pursue his musical career. It’s impossible not to hear the note of hope in Larry Wilcox’s voice.

Brad recommends THE COPS ARE ROBBERS (1990)!

Posted on April 20, 2026 by Bradley Crain

If you’re looking for a good “dirty cops” movie to pass the time, I ran across an entertaining one today called THE COPS ARE ROBBERS (AKA – GOOD COPS, BAD COPS). It’s currently playing on Amazon Prime and Tubi. The film is a 1990 TV movie based on the real life robbery of the Boston Depositors Trust bank over Memorial Day weekend in 1980 by a group of corrupt cops. I first became aware of the film when I took part in an interview with Robert F. Lyons about his career on the This Week in Charles Bronson podcast. Lyons specifically mentioned this film as containing a role that he really enjoyed.

THE COPS ARE ROBBERS features an incredible cast, and this is what ultimately sets the movie apart for me. The movie opens as top cop Kirkland, played by George Kennedy, assigns Jake Quinn (Ed Asner), to lead a notoriously corrupt law enforcement agency in Massachusetts. No sooner does Quinn take over, when the Boston Depositors Trust is hit over Memorial Day weekend with over $25 million in cash and jewels taken. The crew of criminals includes current cops Jerry Clemente (Ray Sharkey) and Jimmy Donnelly (Steve Railsback), ex-cop Frank Moran (James Keach), and safe expert Benny Brown (Lyons). Over the next 5 years, with the assistance of officers Brill (James Morrison) and Kellogg (Franc Luz), Jake Quinn does every thing he can to bring Clemente and his crew down!

Ed Asner, Ray Sharkey and Robert F. Lyons are the real standouts of the film. Asner brings a toughness and honesty to his role honed by decades of playing such roles. In other words, the part fits him like a glove. Sharkey plays his part as a man who’s so arrogant and corrupt that he doesn’t seem to realize that using his position of trust in the community for his own selfish gain is a problem. He seems to think he deserves whatever he can steal, and it’s fun to see the pressure squeeze in on him as the film moves along. After watching the film, I can see why Lyons enjoyed playing this part, as he is excellent in his role as the safe expert. He is one of the most important parts of the robbery, he doesn’t trust cops, and he eventually gets the opportunity to give them a reason not to trust him. It’s a nice showcase for his talents.

At the end of the day, if you like the cast, enjoy movies based on true stories, or appreciate TV movies from the late 80’s and early 90’s, I definitely think you’ll enjoy THE COPS ARE ROBBERS. Veteran Director Paul Wendkos (CANNON FOR CORDOBA, THE BAD SEED) brings a professional touch to the proceedings, and for me, watching his film was a fun way to spend an evening.

Retro Television Review: Making It Legal 1.1 “Pilot”

Posted on April 20, 2026 by Lisa Marie Bowman

Welcome to Retro Television Reviews, a feature where we review some of our favorite and least favorite shows of the past! On this Monday, I will be reviewing Making It Legal, which aired once on ABC in 2007 and then never aired again.

Last Monday, I finished up Miami Vice. For the rest of the week, I was busy. This weekend, I was even busier. That’s a polite way of saying that I haven’t had a chance to settle on a new Monday series. However, I did find a show that only lasted one episode. So, let’s take a quick look at 2007’s Making It Legal.

Episode 1.1 “Pilot”

(Dir by Gary Halvorson, originally aired on January 31st, 2007)

At the high-powered law firm of Kolar, Dalton, Babbit & Leahy, Josh (Scott Wolf) and Julie (Ashley Williams) are the leaders of the Blue Team, one of the firm’s eight litigation groups. Both Josh and Julie are hoping to someday be promoted to a partnership. They’re friends but they also understand that only one of them can become a partner. Josh is a little uptight and tends to push himself and those around him too much. Julie is neurotic in the way that most professional women on network sitcoms in days immediately following Friends were neurotic. One night, after a long day of hard work, Josh and Julie gave in too temptation and made love all over the office. The sitcom picks up the morning after. Josh doesn’t want anyone to find out about their one night stand. Julie agrees and then tells her friend Elise (Ayda Field) who proceeds to tell paralegal Theressa (Kym Whitley)….

Meanwhile, Mr. Kolar (Robert Wagner) has hired Trevor (Ben Savage) and assigned him to work with Josh. Trevor is the son of a legendary attorney and he’s eager to escape from his father’s shadow. He’s neurotic because everyone on this show is neurotic. Josh doesn’t want to work with Trevor and he proceeds to give Trevor a huge amount of files to go through.

Meanwhile, Ethan (Geoffrey Arend), the weird guy of the blue group, continually does bad celebrity impersonations. I mean really, really bad. What makes it even worse is that I don’t think they’re meant to be bad. On a sitcom where every joke is telegraphed and all of the dialogue hits with the subtlety of a sledge hammer, no one mentions that Ethan’s impersonations are bad. There’s no way this show would have passed up the chance to point out that Ethan’s Christopher Walken impersonation sounds nothing like Christopher Walken.

Watching this pilot, it’s easy to see why Making It Legal didn’t become a regular series. The pilot is bad, sluggishly paced and not particularly engaging. Scott Wolf and Ashley Williams have no chemistry. Ayda Field and Kym Whitley are stuck playing characters who have no personality. Geoffrey Arend’s character is a bunch of quirks that add up to nothing. And then you’ve got Ben Savage, who has never been a particularly good actor but who at least knows how to deliver hackneyed sitcom dialogue. Unfortunately, Trevor still isn’t a particularly likable character. At one point, he falls asleep on a couch and misses the start of a very important meeting. Of course, a panicked Trevor runs into the conference room and promptly trips and falls to the floor. My reaction was that Trevor should have been fired on the spot.

The laugh track disagreed with me, though. This pilot has one of the most intrusive laugh tracks that I have ever heard. Every line of dialogue is followed by canned laughter. Whenever anyone steps into a room, we hear laughter. When people leave a room, we hear laughter. Nothing funny has been said. Nothing funny has happened. But if enough laughter is heard on the soundtrack, maybe we can be fooled into thinking something funny has happened.

Probably the only thing that really did work about the pilot was the casting of Robert Wagner. Wagner wanders through the action with a permanent scowl. He doesn’t appear to be in a good mood. It’s hard not to sympathize with him.

Next week, I’ll start reviewing a show that lasted more than one episode!

Late Night Retro Television Review: Degrassi: The Next Generation 2.12 and 2.13 “White Wedding”

Posted on April 19, 2026 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 Sunday, I will be reviewing the Canadian series, Degrassi: The Next Generation, which aired from 2001 to 2015! The series can be streamed on YouTube and Tubi.

It’s a nice day for a white wedding!

Episodes 2.12 and 2.13 “White Wedding”

(Dir by Bruce McDonald, originally aired on January 6th, 2003)

Snake and Spike get married!

Of course, there’s some drama on the way. How much drama? Let’s count.

Spike discovers that she’s pregnant and doesn’t tell Snake because she’s not sure if she wants to keep the baby.
Emma is upset when she finds out that Spike is thinking about getting an abortion. She’s even more upset when her perm goes terrible wrong and she ends up looking like Harpo Marx.
Lucy and Caitlin show up to help Spike get ready for the wedding.
Joey throws a bachelor party for Snake. Craig suggests that Joey should hire a stripper, despite Snake not wanting a stripper. Joey agrees because he thinks it will be funny.
Why did Craig suggest that Joey hire a stripper? Because JT and Toby begged him to. However, when JT and Toby dress up like they’re on Miami Vice and show up for the bachelor party, Joey tells them to go home.
Mr. Raditch shows up for the bachelor party. “Oh, cheese balls!” he says when he looks at the food that’s been laid out.
Emma tells Snake that Spike is pregnant. Snake gets mad that Spike didn’t tell him.
Spike tells Emma that it’s her right to get an abortion if she chooses and then says that she’s not going to make the same mistake twice. Uhmmm …. wow, Spike. That’s a really stupid thing to say to your daughter.
Emma eventually forgives Spike. I would not.
Eventually, with everyone at the church waiting, Spike and Snake talk and decide to keep the baby. Then, they get married!
Manny invites Sean to the wedding. Emma freaks out and Manny has to retract the invitation. But then Emma eventually invites Sean herself. At the end of the episode, at the reception, Emma and Sean have their first kiss. Apparently, it was Miriam McDonald’s first kiss as well. Awwww!

This episode is classic Degrassi. It’s also one of the best-known episodes because Nickelodeon used to repeat it constantly. Yay for Snake and Spike! And yay for Emma! Who wouldn’t want their single mother to marry one of their teachers?

Okay, I don’t think anyone would want that. Still, it worked out well for the show.

Retro Television Review: Homicide: Life On The Street 5.6 “White Lies”

Posted on April 19, 2026 by Lisa Marie Bowman

Welcome to Retro Television Reviews, a feature where we review some of our favorite and least favorite shows of the past! On Sundays, I will be reviewing Homicide: Life On The Street, which aired from 1993 to 1999, on NBC! It can be viewed on Peacock.

This week, Detective Much meets Dr. Cox.

Episode 5.6 “White Lies”

(Dir by Peter Weller, originally aired on November 8th, 1996)

When a suburban housewife is reportedly found dead in bed, Detective Munch suspects that she was murdered by her husband, Phillip Engle (Scott Bryce, of As The World Turns fame). Munch points out that the dead woman was wearing makeup, that Engle’s story is full of holes, and that it doesn’t make sense that a healthy woman’s heart would just stop in the middle of the night. However, Dr. Cox is not convinced that the woman was murdered and, as she puts it, it’s not a murder until the M.E. says it is. Munch finds himself investigating a crime that may or may not have been committed. Ultimately, it turns out that the woman died of a heroin overdose. Philip Engle was not trying to cover up a murder when he redressed his wife and moved her from the bathroom floor to her bed. Instead, he was trying to preserve his wife’s dignity.

The story was a sad one and Scott Bryce did a great job as Phillip Engle. For that matter, Richard Belzer gave one of his better performances as Munch. This episode made you both respect Munch’s tenacity as a detective while also making you hate him for putting Phillip through so much pain. That said, it was hard not to feel that this episode was a continuation of last week’s introduction of Dr. Cox. The show seems to be really determined to make us love Dr. Cox. I mean, we get it, Homicide. She’s a badass. You don’t have to keep hitting us over the head with it.

Meanwhile, Frank is still offering advice to Bayliss on how to be a homicide detective, even though Frank’s not allowed to go to crime scenes or conduct interrogations. Bayliss’s latest case involves a suspect with a long history of stealing cars. Frank watches as Bayliss screws up an interrogation, getting so lost in talking about how much he would like to steal a car and cruise down to California that the suspect replies, “I want a lawyer.” Bayliss responds to Pembleton’s criticism by telling Pembleton to go into the Box and get the confession himself. Bayliss seems to be sincere. He truly wants Pembleton back in the Box. Pembleton fantasies about storming into the Box like the Pembleton of old but he can’t do it. He can’t break regulations. He can’t risk another stroke. As for the murder suspect, he goes free.

Lewis kicks Brodie out of his house. Kay offers to let Brodie stay with her but Brodie ultimately declines the offer because he doesn’t want people gossiping about Kay. Brodie says that he’s just going to sleep in the station. Good luck with that, Brodie! Seriously, do they even pay Brodie? Why is he always one step away from living on the streets?

Kellerman take a polygraph concerning the accusations that he took a bribe from the Rolands. Kellerman answers, “No,” when asked if he ever took a bribe but he ends the exam when he’s asked whether or not he knows of any other cops who were on Mitch Roland’s payroll. Kellerman is told that he passed the polygraph. But, so did Mitch Roland and “he answered all the questions.”

This was an okay episode, with the scenes between Bayliss and Pembleton being the highlight. The stuff with the Rolands and the bribery accusations isn’t doing much for me. This feels like a storyline that should have been resolved already. That said, I do like it when Kellerman gets annoyed. This episode ended with him hitting a punching bad and looking good while he did it.

Don’t let the bastards get you down, Kellerman!

Brad reviews RISEN (2016)!

Posted on April 19, 2026 by Bradley Crain

The film RISEN opens up just after Jesus Christ is crucified, but before he actually dies. Badass Roman soldier Clavius (Joseph Fiennes) has been put in charge of making sure that Jesus dies and that his followers don’t try to steal his body and claim that he’s “risen” from the dead. Clavius sees Jesus (played by Cliff Curtis) die with his own eyes and allows the Jewish aristocrat Joseph of Arimathea to take the body and place him in his own tomb. Clavius oversees the sealing of the tomb and posts two soldiers on guard. That night the tomb is mysteriously opened, the guards are nowhere to be found, and the rumors begin to circulate that Jesus has risen from the dead. Roman political leader Pilate (Peter Firth) is not happy about all of this disruption in his area, especially with Tiberius Caesar scheduled to visit, so he orders Clavius and his right hand man Lucius (Tom Felton) to find Jesus’ body at all costs.

I’m writing this review a couple of weeks after Easter 2026, and RISEN takes place in the aftermath of Easter Sunday and the 40 days that Jesus spent appearing to his disciples and preparing them to carry his message to the masses. RISEN is an interesting take on the story as it focuses on Clavius, turning him into a detective trying to solve the mystery of Jesus’ missing body. We get to see him interrogate the disciples he can get his hands on, bribe various people for information and even beat information out of people when necessary. No matter what he tries, he keeps running into dead ends.

I’ll give Director Kevin Reynolds (ROBIN HOOD: PRINCE OF THIEVES, THE COUNT OF MONTE CRISTO) some credit for his solid direction of RISEN. His PG-13 rated film made my toes curl up and made me hold my nose multiple times, whether it be the somewhat graphic breaking of the legs of the men being crucified or the times spent with rotting, decaying bodies and the flies and imagined smells that go with them. The film didn’t skimp on these scenes, and it was pretty sickening. But then there is a blunt, powerful scene where Clavius is suddenly forced to deal with things that he can’t reconcile in his own mind. The scene I’m referencing made me feel a sense of awe and wonder and somehow caught me by surprise even in a faith-based film. There aren’t many miracles shown in the film, but those we see are truly heartwarming. RISEN forced strong feelings out of me both physically and emotionally, creating a more powerful experience than I was expecting.

The acting in RISEN is very good. Joseph Fiennes is downright excellent as Clavius. His performance as the tough, weary, cynical soldier is balanced perfectly as his complete disbelief turns into something different based on the events he witnesses throughout the story. The emotional conflict we see in his eyes when he first sees the resurrected Jesus is incredible work. Peter Firth is solid as the politically powerful, but seriously insecure Pilate, who worries more about public perception than the truth. And I’ve always liked the actor Cliff Curtis, who plays Jesus here. He portrays a strong sense of peace and love that is immediately believable and very effective. (On a personal note, Curtis’ scene in the Denzel Washington, Oscar winner TRAINING DAY has always been one of my favorite moments in cinema.)

Overall, I highly recommend RISEN. The film features an incredible lead performance from Fiennes, and the detective story angle brings something distinct and interesting to the table. Due to personal convictions, Christians will find the story the most powerful, but this is a movie that can reach a much wider audience than you might expect.

Late Night Retro Television Review: Saved By The Bell 1.18 “Screech’s Birthday”

Posted on April 18, 2026 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 Saved By The Bell, which ran on NBC from 1989 to 1993. The entire show is currently streaming on Prime and Tubi!

Screech has the worst friends in the world.

Episode 1.18 “Screech’s Birthday”

(Dir by Don Barnhart, originally aired on November 14th, 1992)

Screech is upset because all of his “friends” (and his robot, Kevin) forgot his birthday. His friends decide to make it up to him by throwing him a small party in Mr. Belding’s office. However, in order to use Belding’s office, they need control of the halls so they come up with an elaborate scheme to get hall monitor Neil (Jesse Wilson) fired so that Screech can take his place. However, Screech takes his job too seriously and sends everyone to detention, including almost everyone who is supposed to be at his party.

Oh my God, what is Zack going to do!?

Zack uses the PA system to ask that Slater, Lisa, Jessie, Kelly, and Screech come to the principal’s office.

Seriously, that’s all he does.

A few thoughts:

First off, the only reason that Zack his available to call everyone to the principal’s office is because Screech doesn’t send him to detention despite the fact that he catches Zack in the hallway without a hall pass. Now, you might think Zack has immunity because he’s Screech’s best friend but Screech previously sent Lisa — the girl he loves — to detention so why would he give Zack a break? Add to that, Screech is mad at Zack for forgetting his birthday. So, I would think Zack would especially be someone that Screech would want to punish.

Secondly, why couldn’t they just throw Screech a surprise party at Zack’s house? Or Slater’s house? Or the Maxx? Or anywhere other than Belding’s office?

Third, this episode does feature two of my favorite supporting characters, Neil the nasty hall monitor and Mr. Dewey (Patrick Thomas O’Brien), the burned out teacher. Sadly, this was Neil’s only appearance.

Fourth, this episode was filmed for the first season and aired in syndication as a part of the first season but, for some reason, NBC didn’t air the episode until the fourth season. It’s really not any worse than the typical Saved By The Bell episode so it’s odd that NBC held off on airing it for so long.

Fifth, always remember your friends’s birthdays. It’s not that hard!