TV Party Tonight!

 

In case you need recommendations or want to exchange notes, here are a few things off the top of my head that we’ve been watching lately ...

“The Couple Next Door”: Season 2 is every bit as juicy as the first, and new man Sam Palladio somehow manages to fill Sam Heughan's gigantic shoes. 

“I’m Sorry”: We discovered Andrea Savage on the brilliant “Episodes,” and her move to center stage might be one of the most brilliant things I’ve ever witnessed … we had to constantly rewind because we were laughing so hard we kept missing half the thing! (And Tom Everett Scott is sublime as her straight-man hubby.)

“Platonic”: Season 2 is just as awkwardly hilarious as the first.

“It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia”: Why didn’t anyone tell me 20 year ago that this is the best show of all time? It’s like a funnier version of "Seinfeld" if the gang had even less character.

“I Love L.A.”: A smart and witty send-up of influencer culture.

“Nobody Wants This”: My solo show that Damian cannot stop eavesdropping on.

“Malice”: Just started, but Jack Whitehall is deliciously evil.

“Shameless”: Ancient, I know, but something I never considered watching until Damian finally gave it a look and now we're into it. Remains to be seen if we'll stick around for all 208 seasons.

“The Studio”: We’ve been slogging our way through this for months. One episode left ... not my fave, but usually just enough to keep it worthwhile-ish.

“New Girl”: We always joked that we’d probably have to watch the seven(!) seasons of this show if a second administration of you-know-who ever happened ... and sadly, it has. Unlike "Baby Daddy" -- Damian’s coping mechanism during the first term, which I later watched and he happily rewatched in full -- "New Girl" is much more uneven. But I like all the actors involved, and Jamie Lee Curtis and Rob Reiner popping up as Zooey Deschanel’s parents is always a treat.

Previously: My 2024 list is HERE.

20 Shows You Might Not Realize Were Midseason Replacements

Recently I blogged about my increased television consumption, largely stemming from the fact that I can't face paying attention to what's going on in the real world. 

And as a result of watching so many shows in their entirety, I've come to realize quite a few of my favorites were actually midseason replacements, which typically meant they were something the network ended up giving a shot because what they had banked on tanked. 

Usually this isn't noticeable beyond a shortened first season. But occasionally it's resulted in early episodes that don't entirely match the show I came to know and love. 

Here are a few that surprised me, including one classic that replaced another classic on its way out: 

"These Friends of Mine" (replaced "Grace Under Fire"): First off, I would have bet money this and "Friends" both premiered in the fall of 1994, and I would have lost. I'm reading now that they switched its title to "Ellen" to avoid confusion when the NBC show debuted, but my memory is that it was changed because all three of THESE FRIENDS of hers were fired from the show -- two immediately (Holly and Anita), one later (poor Adam, who wound up being the Cindy Snow of the series) -- hence making it all "Ellen." (How prophetic!) The addition of Paige and Spence largely worked, although they went overboard with Joe and Audrey, who were best in small doses. 

Note: It's worth checking out "The Ellen Show," her short-lived follow-up she created with Carol Leifer (of "Seinfeld" fame) and Mitchell Hurwitz, where you also get to see the late/great Cloris Leachman and Martin Mull -- even if the person who plays Ellen's sister is inexplicably 16 years her junior!

Claim to shame: I vividly remember reading the description of "Friends" (in probably Entertainment Weekly) and cracking up that anyone would think a show starring Alex P. Keaton's girlfriend would be successful.

"Twin Peaks" (replaced "The Young Riders"): When David Lynch died I decided to give this one another try -- and a "try" I did. My friend Lynn actually warned me as I (re)started watching that this had been a midseason replacement and the infamous dive in quality paralleled the end of its initial eight-episode run. Note: Even though Damian considers himself a fan, he put the brakes on the rewatch about halfway into the second season. (Yikes.) 

"Parks and Recreation" (replaced the American "Kath & Kim." which I think I'm the only one who liked): I previously mentioned that I quickly dropped "Parks and Rec" when it first came out; but the bottom line is the show started out horribly and then got delightfully retooled when Amy Poehler's Leslie Knope went from cringeworthy Michael Scott impersonation to grownup Tracy Flick homage. (Can't say I wasn't bummed to not get a little more Mark Brendanawicz, though!)

Wikipedia notes that "Parks and Recreation" was in fact a midseason replacement in its first, third and seventh seasons. It was brought back as a midseason replacement in the third season (to accommodate Amy Poehler's pregnancy) and in its season finale to meet contractual obligations.

"Kate and Allie" (replaced "AfterMASH"): Other than the recasting of Kate's ex-husband, Max -- from John Heard to Harley Venton -- things didn't change too much. What surprised me was learning that the show -- originally called "The Mommies" that Susan Saint James "seized up" as a way to stay on the East Coast -- was so popular after just six episodes that it was picked up for a full second season. And that the show itself became a midseason replacement at the start of its sixth reason when unsupportive network bosses took over and removed it from the fall schedule. (Saint James was duly bitter while discussing it at the time on a episode of David Letterman!) 

"Three's Company" (replaced "The Tony Randall Show"): I was reminded that this also got picked up after just six popular episodes by watching "Behind the Camera: The Unauthorized Story of ..." the other week. I'm sure I'm not the only one who's noticed that Suzanne Somers's Chrissy Snow changed almost completely once the show returned and got into a groove -- from the platinum hair and snorting laugh to her plunging necklines and equally plunging IQ!

"Don’t Trust the B—— in Apt. 23" (replaced "Happy Endings," which itself had replaced "Mr. Sunshine"): That there were only seven episodes in its midseason run makes it an even bigger travesty that the show got canceled the following year.

"Watching Ellie" (replaced "Three Sisters"): Not even a revamp could save this little-seen but quite good Julia Louis-Dreyfus vehicle where she plays a struggling lounge singer in L.A. (This pre-dates “The New Adventures of Old Christine.”) In fact, changing it from a quirky one-camera show to a more traditional sitcom (with multiple cameras, a live studio audience and an added laugh track) brought the ratings down even more. 

They also cut back the role of the creepy super (Peter Stormare as Ingvar) in the second season. and upped Steve Carrell's character, who was the prototype for Michael Scott. (Note: I found this on YouTube.) 

"Barney Miller" (replaced "The Odd Couple" -- can you imagine?!): I remember disliking this series as kid because it all took place in one room, so the irony isn't lost on me that the original 13 episodes were markedly different from the rest of its run, featuring life with Barney's wife who also used to stop by the 12th Precinct. (Liz was played by the venerable Barbara Barrie, who later popped up on Season 2 of my youthful fave "Double Trouble," which was also a midseason replacement, twice!) 

In addition to axing the domestic angle, Det. Janice Wentworth was also disappeared a while later., which of course was done so Linda Lavin could star in "Alice." 

"Eight Is Enough" (replaced "Rich Man, Poor Man: Book II"): This was perhaps the saddest reason a show had to be revamped, as Diana Hyland, who played the mom on the first abbreviated season, died of cancer at age 41 on March 27, 1977, two days before the third episode even aired. (Also of note: In the pilot, David was played by Mark Hamill, Nancy was played by Kimberly Beck, and Tommy played by Chris English. When ABC picked up the show, Grant Goodeve, Dianne Kay and Willie Aames were recast.)

Footnote: Betty Buckley, of course, came on in Season 2 as stepmom Abby. But what was never addressed was the fact that she was actually slightly younger than Laurie Walters -- who played daughter Joanie, who wasn't even the eldest kid or even the eldest daughter! -- and not much older than most of the other children.  

"The Office" (replaced "Committed"): Pretty sure the original season was all but line-for-line adaptations of the British original, which of course only ran for 12 episodes and two specials, compared with 201 episodes over nine seasons in the U.S. 

"Happy Days" (replaced "Temperatures Rising"): The early episodes are noticeably different because of the single-camera setup and focus on “innocent teenager” Richie, which is to say nothing of brother Chuck. Funny to recall how popular 1950s nostalgia became in the 1970s considering the fact that its silver screen fraternal twin,“American Graffiti,” was actually set in 1962.

“Angie” (replaced “What’s Happening!!”): This started out strong but quickly seemed to suffer from what has been described as the “Rhoda” problem: The single-gal protagonist lands her dream man in the first episode and then they don’t know what to do with her. After having Angie working in a coffee shop at the beginning of the series, the producers decided now as a doctor’s wife it would be more plausible for her to become the owner of the joint. (They also had the couple suddenly move to a new home.) And when that didn’t work, they had Angie sell the coffee shop and buy a beauty salon so her mom (aka the Italian Ida Morgenstern, played by non-Italian Doris Roberts) and sister could get more screen time. The only good thing to come out of this was the addition of cocky stylist Gianni (Tim Thomerson), who wore the tightest pants to ever appear on network television.

Others: 

"All in the Family" (replaced "To Rome With Love")

"Laverne & Shirley" (replaced “Welcome Back, Kotter")

"Moonlighting" (usually an ABC Sunday Night Movie)

"Dawson’s Creek" (syndicated programming)

"Happy Endings" (replaced "Mr. Sunshine")

"A.P. Bio" (replaced "The Good Place")

P.S. It turns out there was a podcast called "The Mid-Season Replacements Podcast" -- I stole its logo -- hosted by Randy Dankievitch and Sean Colletti, although it seems to just be about television in general. 

‘Mid-Century Modern’ Arrives March 28 on Hulu

So we got the official promo artwork for Max Mutchnick and David Kohan's "Mid-Century Modern." set to premiere March 28 on Hulu. From the get-go it's been described as a "gay 'Golden Girls'" -- which of course seemed redundant. 

But now for the first time I'm reading what was actually meant by that: Apparently it's about three gay men and one of their mothers living together as roommates, with Matt Bomer playing a Rose Nylund type character (pretty but ditzy); Nathan Lane as a Dorothy Zbornak type (caustic); Nathan Lee Graham as a Blanche Deveraux type (slutty); and Linda Lavin as Nathan's mom, a Sophia Petrillo type. (With Lavin's sudden passing I guess we better understand the utility of casting Estelle Getty -- who was born the year after "daughter" Bea Arthur -- and putting her in a white wig.) 

At first I didn't think I was familiar with Graham -- until I realized he was the wardrobe guy on the show ("Room & Bored") within a show ("The Comeback"), which he played to great effect, and was a standout in the musical "The View UpStairs." 

Very excited for this one -- and will be curious to see how they handle Lavin's death. 

SYNOPSIS: “Mid-Century Modern” follows three best friends -- gay gentlemen of a certain age –- who, after an unexpected death, decide to spend their golden years living together in Palm Springs where the wealthiest one lives with his mother. As a chosen family, they prove that no matter how hard things get, there’s always someone around to remind you it would be better if you got your neck done.

‘English Teacher’ Renewed for Season 2 on FX

The headline screamed: ‘English Teacher’ Renewed for Season 2 at FX Despite Sexual Assault Allegation Against Brian Jordan Alvarez, to which I say: Good. 

I wonder how "accuser" Jon Ebeling feels having egg on his face this time instead of jizz. 

Variety reports:

“’English Teacher’ was one of the most critically acclaimed new shows of 2024 and we are grateful to the producers, writers, cast, directors and crew for the show’s creative excellence,” said Nick Grad, president of FX Entertainment. “We look forward to the new season.”

When the report was first published, a spokesperson for FX said: “We reviewed the allegations presented to us by another media outlet prior to the show’s launch. Mr. Ebeling never reached out to us with any concerns. We will have no further comment at this time.”

FX made no mention of the allegations in its announcement of the renewal.

Well done, Mr. Grad. That's exactly how to handle this pointless distraction. 

Lies, Damn Lies and Critics

This is just a little reminder -- to myself, more than anyone -- that while critics, reviews and your friends' opinions can be useful, sometimes you just need to judge a work of entrainment for yourself.

Yesterday I received this (much-appreciated) message from my friend Greg:

Has anyone watched the new Frasier? It's just as sharp and funny as the original... and crazy to think he's played this same character for 40 years

To which I replied:

We JUST watched and thought the exact same thing. EVERY review said it was unbearable -- to the point that we weren’t even going to bother. So boy were we surprised at how enjoyable it is.

Meanwhile, I FINALLY watched “Sophie’s Choice” in its entirety -- you know, the Oscar-winning adaptation of the acclaimed novel. The world really needed the plight of a non-Jewish person targeted by Nazis to be better known. 🙄

To which he replied:

One of my favorite jokes was Frasier trying to decide on a sofa saying it’s a real “Sofa's choice.” Is that why you watched the movie? You didn’t get the reference?

🤣🤣🤣 

Jack Cutmore-Scott is adorable as the grownup Freddy, acting as a Martin 2.0. Anders Keith is spot-on as David Crane, son of Niles and Daphne. And Frasier's collogues Olivia and Alan -- played by Toks Olagundoye and Nicholas Lyndhurst -- are both sharp and hilarious. 

But with headlines like: Review: ‘Frasier’ Returns, Tossed, Scrambled and Eggscruciating, it feels like people are going out of their way to dislike the show -- NYT critic James Poniewozik is pretending to hold against it that Frasier did eventually become a TV star because he'd turned down the opportunity ... in 2004(!) and that Freddy outgrew being a nerd, because that's never happened(!) -- in an attempt to go viral with the wittiest takedown. 

Although we probably don't need 11 new seasons of it, here's hoping the latest incarnation of "Frasier" sticks around for a while -- or at least as long as it would like to. Others may -- and have -- disagree. But I'm happy I gave it a shot. 

'Uncoupled' Gets Picked Up by Showtime After Netflix Snub

 

This "Looking" memory (below) popped up on my Facebook page today seconds after seeing this infuriating post about Neil Patrick Harris’s Netflix show. (“Was ‘Uncoupled’ worth saving?”)

 It's bad enough that LGBT people continue to be marginalized in every conceivable way, but why is one of our own sites writing something so ill-conceived? Was "Two and a Half Men" a perfect show? "Friends"? “The Big Bang Theory”? (I could go on for hours.) They were all flawed yet ran for ages because general audiences dwelled on what they liked about them. 

I loved "Looking" as I watched so many gay men rip it to shreds -- and I continue to long for shows about gay people. And I enjoyed "Uncoupled' and am curious about what happens next with its protagonist. It makes me furious that we're not allowed to have shows about ourselves but that on the rare occasion when we get one, our own community holds them to a much higher standard than everything else out there. What is wrong with people?

When you're "Looking" for perfection, you're bound to be disappointed. 

Song of the Day: 'Adventure' by Television

 I was rocking out to Television's "Adventure" (1978) the other day when I realized one of the bonus tracks from the 2003 Rhino reissue was actually the title track -- which wasn't on the original album. I immediately thought to myself -- "You can't omit the title track!" -- which then got me thinking of others that I know of: "Everything" was left off the Bangles' 1988 album of the same name, only to pop up as a bonus track of the band’s greatest hits album the following year. "The Crossing" was the name of Big Country's 1983 album, although the song didn't turn up until "The Wonderland" EP the year after, before later being added to the CD of the former. Belle and Sebastian named their 2006 album "The Life Pursuit" but saved the titular tune for the B-side of "The Blues Are Still Blue,” a single from the album. You kind of have to think the band didn't think the song measured up to leave it off yet still name an album after it, no?

And along the same lines, "Revenge" was a song on Eurythmics' little-heard 1981 debut album, "In the Garden," then the title of their 1986 release. The band recorded a very different version called “Revenge 2" but it wasn’t on “Revenge.” although it was a bonus track on the 2005 reissue. And Blondie's most famous album, "Parallel Lines," had a song in the works titled that, only to be downgraded to a poem on the liner notes. Was also thinking about a corollary, where album titles are not song titles, but are lyrics in songs, such as "Kissing to Be Clever,” which was the title of Culture Club’s debut album but later a line in "Miss Me Blind" on the band’s second LP, "Colour by Numbers," and "From Luxury to Heartache," which was the title of Boy George & Co.’s 1986 album and a line in the song “God Thank You Woman.” Debbie Harry called her debut solo record “Koo Koo,” yet only mentioned it in the song “Oasis.” ("… Not the doorbell, not a bird call Koo Koo.") "Another Passenger" was the title of Carly's Simon's sixth studio album and a lyric in the song "Libby" while "Last Splash" was the title of the Breeders' 1993 album and a lyric in their most popular song, "Cannonball." (Oh, and the word "dare" is used in two songs on the Human League LP of the same name, neither being a title track!) Can you think of any others? 

Breaking Up Is(n't) Hard to Do

I don't have time to properly flesh this out -- I'm still taking care of my ailing parents in Arizona. But Damian and I were talking on the phone the other night about the backlog on our DVR since I've been away and it got me thinking about which shows I had watched religiously but then abruptly quit. For normal people, this probably isn't all that unusual -- especially with ones that stay on the air way too long. But I have a bit of OCD -- obsessive completist disorder -- so it takes a lot for me to not see something through. So here are a few that came to mind. Would love to hear from you in the comments if you've ever done this.

P.S. This list will look misogynistic, but in fact it's just the opposite. Most forms of entertainment I enjoy tend to revolve around females -- shocker, I'm gay -- so of course the ones I dropped were also bound to lean that way.  

1. "Better Things" (FX)

Loved everything about Pamela Adlon during her stints on two Louis C.K. shows, so was over the moon when she got her own gig (and I wouldn't have to look at him to see her). First couple of seasons were charming -- I enjoyed that she played a struggling actress and had interesting friends. And while I normally despise shows with children, hers were OK, although the inexplicable dropping of the whole "Is Frankie trans/nonbinary or not" plot was curious. But then suddenly Pamela became so heavy-handed with her wokeness and coolness -- was the fact that the actress playing Frankie isn't nonbinary in real life why she felt the need to drop that storyline? -- that Damian and I, almost like in a scene from a movie, both turned to each other at the end of one particularly cringe-inducting episode and without saying anything, he knew the time had come to cancel the season pass on our DVR.

2. "Younger" (TV Land)

I was completely taken with the premise, yet immediately knew felt that Sutton Foster was the worst part of this series. But with Debi Mazar and Miriam Shor stealing every scene and Nico Tortorella and Peter Hermann providing substantial eye candy -- plus that Darren Star NYC magic -- we generally enjoyed watching this series, even if we found ourselves dreading returning to Liza each week. Then the pandemic hit and I believe there was another season or two but we just never bothered.

3. "Grace and Frankie" (Netflix)

This is a slightly different situation in that I was underwhelmed from the get-go yet I tried to solder on because the pedigree and premise of the show were so good. (I can still remember how excited I was when I first read about it!) Lily Tomlin is one of my all-time faves, but I quickly found myself dreading every Frankie scene because they were inevitably just too much. (And her children were the absolute worst.) Still, I adored Jane Fonda's character so much that I kept watching. But then we got behind a season, which we watched a year later when another was already out. And now I think we're behind two -- including I believe the final season -- yet I've never given it another thought until right now.

4. "Teachers" (TV Land)

I think we started watching this after seeing commercials during "Younger" and it started out kind of cute. (It is based on the web series of the same name by the improv group The Katydids.) Katy Colloton played the Blair Warner type -- always my favorite archetype. (See also: Chase, Victoria.) And I loved that Larry from "Will & Grace" was the principal. But then Season 2 began and one of teachers left -- I'm assuming because she was embarrassed at how bad the writing became, perhaps after running out of all the good stuff they had from the web -- and like "Better Things," Damian knew exactly when to pull the plug, and apparently so did the network. (Ouch.)

5. "The Handmaid's Tale" (Hulu)

I don't need to be reminded of the sickeningly misogynistic world we live in, fueled our completely undemocratic Supreme Court. 

6. "Killing Eve" (AMC)
Wanted to love this show -- the two female leads are wonderful. But have never been a fan of violence gratuitous that is played with no ramifications whatsoever. 

7. "Another Period" (Comedy Central)

I adore Natasha Leggero and smiled through Season One. But when it was unexpectedly renewed for a second and third, I never went back. 

Bonus: 

"Search Party" (TBS/HBO Max)

OK, this hasn't officially happened yet. But after LOVING the first season -- talk about clever! -- and tolerating the second, the show completely jumped the shark when Cole Escola joined the cast. (Correction: The show technically first jumped the shark in Season 2, but I enjoyed Season 1 so much I was willing to look the other way.) I believe there's a new season out now and I might watch two more seasons of "Grace and Frankie'" before I revisit this one.

"The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel" (Amazon Prime)

Ditto for this one, which I am up to date on but find myself dreading each new episode even though I generally like them! New season is coming very soon.

"Euphoria" (HBO)

Please don't make me watch the new episodes.

"Doll & Em" (HBO)

This series lasted two seasons and my inclusion of it here is strictly revisionist -- and a warning to future visitors: Season 1 was enjoyable enough, but I have never seen a worse second season of a promising show than this one. (God, it was unbearable!) What I would give to have NOT watched Season 2.

Song of the Day: 'Glory' by Television

 

Today's pick is by the least-recognizable face on this rather hilarious "Breakfast Club" parody, featuring Patti Smith, Joey Ramone, David Byrne, Debbie Harry and Tom Verlaine, frontman of the criminally underappreciated Television.

The Four Musketeers

 

Not a huge fan of making television recommendations given that we all have such specific tastes. (My friend cannot tolerate anything with event a hint of a laugh track, which means he can't even appreciate "Mary Tyler Moore" or "Seinfeld.") But I will share that Damian and I just finished season one of the French series "Call My Agent!" (né "Dix pour cent") on Netflix -- about a boutique talent agency in Paris catering to actors of varying degrees of accomplishment and neediness -- and it's awfully good. Like many imports, each season consists of just six episodes. Yet somehow in that condensed period, I feel like we know the principal characters -- the four agents who make up ASK (Agence Samuel Kerr) -- better than most shows that have 10 seasons with 26 episodes each. Bonus points for its being on Netflix, which I find I'm increasingly not using!

Classic TV Doppelgängers and Identical Relatives

Television historian David Davis started a Facebook thread about actors who played double roles on the same show, which with the help of his followers has taken me down a very fun Memory Lane. Please leave a comment if you think of others and I will add them in! See them all HERE.

Song of the Day: 'DemiRep' by Bikini Kill

This is the theme song to "Pen15," my new FAVORITE SHOW! (If we’re not dying laughing we’re dying emotionally.) Thanks to everyone for pointing me to it. We were a little late to class, but I don't think I've experienced the miseries of childhood so poignantly since I went to Page and then Rhodes Junior High myself ...

Weekend Report

The Daily News: Former homeless Bronx student accepted to 12 colleges

One-time radical Judith Clark released from prison after 38 years

NYPD adds 47 names to its memorial wall; all cops died of 9/11 illnesses

The Randy Report: What do you think of Renee Zellweger's transformation into Judy Garland?

The Washington Post: House committee subpoenas Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and IRS Commissioner Charles Rettig over Trump tax returns

Towleroad: Pete Buttigieg commits to Provincetown campaign stop in July

The Wrap: So "The Cool Kids" and "The Kids Are All Right" get canceled after one season each, but "Hawaii Five-O" just got renewed for a 10th????

Dlisted: Talk about range: Andrew Garfield played a gay guy dying of AIDS -- and now he's going to play televangelist Jim Baker

Out in Jersey: 'Drag Queen Story Hour' protests bring attention to intolerance

New York Post: LIRR employees refusing to work overtime after MTA crackdown

"Suicidal" Delta passenger tries to open plane door mid-flight

No good dead goes unpunished: Puppy edition

New York Magazine: Do you have any idea how dirty it makes me feel to agree with this rightwing tool?

The New York Times: It never ends: Now we know Trump tried to get White House counsel Don McGahn to publicly say Trump hadn't obstructed justice -- and McGahn refused!

Trump renews trade war with as China talks end without a deal

How Trump's tariffs on Chinese goods will hit your shopping cart

The Wall Street Journal: Farmers plow through Netflix while plowing fields

Are socks with sandals ever OK?