Sign-Off

Since there are just barely more of my TV shows from the 2010s than the 1950s (eighteen and fifteen respectively), I'm not going to rank them.  I will note that this project ended up somewhat different than I originally imagined, more so than the ones for books and movies, mostly because of the chronology thing.  My next blog, I'm not even going to try for chronology.

Spoiler: I will now check out TV shows "alphabetically" from the library, that is I will take them in the alphabetical order that my library puts them, so that 3rd Rock from the Sun is under the numbers (at the front) and 30 Rock is under T.  More details to follow, but thank you for following this blog, to the extent that you did.

The Crazy Ones: Love Sucks

The Crazy Ones: Love Sucks
CBS
April 10, 2014
Sitcom
Download
C

Obviously the only reason my at that point two-decades-divorced ex-husband downloaded this for me was because I really wanted to see Williams & Dawber reunite.  The thing is, it's not that interesting a show, even their scenes.  It's just OK, and I doubt I'd ever want to watch another episode, but if I did, it wouldn't kill me.  The backstory to the episode is more interesting, including that Williams would die that August.

Note that Brad Garrett was Doug on Roseanne over twenty years before playing Gordon Lewis here, but is of course most famous for Everybody Loves Raymond.

The Bob Newhart Show: Group Therapy

Another great set from Shout
 Factory (not a paid endorsement)

The Bob Newhart Show: Group Therapy
Direct to DVD?
Early 2014? (recorded in December '13)
Documentary
DVD
B

Although some of the material isn't exactly fresh, it's still good to see the old friends gather together to pay tribute to a series they are justly proud of, and to remember their late comrades Suzanne Pleshette and Marcia Wallace.  There's obviously a certain poignancy built in, especially since Jack Riley looks so frail in his wheelchair, although still able to get laughs with just a few words.  Bob does most of the talking but the others chime in, as when Bill Daily says he had no funny lines on I Dream of Jeannie but the writing on BNS was so sharp everything afterwards paled in comparison.

Riley hung on till 2016, and the other four are still with us.

Mean Girls 2

Mean Girls 2
ABC Family
January 23, 2011
TV-Movie, Comedy
DVD
C+

Appropriately enough for a movie in which embarrassment is one of the themes, I have an embarrassing reason for owning this: I loved the original bigscreen movie and bought the DVD for this (with its similar cover) in a hurry.  This isn't as bad as you'd expect, but neither does it have the wit or insight of the 2004 movie.  At times, it's hard to tell if cliches are being sent up or checked off.  There are dropped threads-- Coco Chanel the dog, the Wood Shop project-- and then things being tossed in, like the heroine Jo developing an out of the blue crush on the guy she'd dismissed (in narration) as stupid and sexist.  The first half hour in particular, there honestly is a (very innocent) lesbian subtext between Jo and her new friend Abby, but, while both girls get boyfriends, their friendship does stay mostly at the center of the film, and this story is sweet at times, so I don't want to be too hard on it.  I'm not that much of a mean girl.

My review of Mean Girls is here: http://reviewingeverymovieiown.blogspot.com/2015/08/mean-girls.html.  Note that no one from the original except Tim Meadows as the principal seems to have been associated with this seven-years-later cashgrab.

Ace of Cakes: 30 Rock (And Roll)

Ace of Cakes: 30 Rock (And Roll)
Food Network
July 15, 2010
Reality TV
DVD
C

The far from fascinating saga of how Chef Duff and his crew made two cakes for 30 Rock: Grizz & Feyonce's wedding cake and a Meat Cat cake for the Season Four wrap party.  I'm tagging 30 Rock because we do get to see a bit of the season finale.

30 Rock: I Do Do

30 Rock: I Do Do
NBC
May 20, 2010
Sitcom
DVD
B-

In this Fey-written episode, Liz leaves the first wedding (Floyd's) for the second (Cerie's) but has to stop by Wesley's former office to pick up his dress shoes.  There she immediately connects with Matt Damon as Carol.  (It's a family name he says, and we later find out he's another of Liz's punningly named boyfriends, since his last name is Burnett.)  Avery and Nancy meet in the bathroom at Cerie's wedding, so Nancy ends up being the one to tell Jack that Avery is pregnant.  Meanwhile, Jenna learns that Paul (Will Forte) is also torn between two loves: her and Cher (at least as females to impersonate).  And when Kenneth tries to avoid a promotion that would mean moving to California, Pete has to reluctantly fire him.  The final wedding is Grizz's, and Kenneth drunkenly confesses his love for everyone.

Kristin McGee understandably makes her last appearance as Kaitlin, Floyd's bride, while John Anderson completes his fourth-season purpose as Astronaut Mike Dexter in various forms.  Paula Pell appears as Paula, but oddly we don't see Sherri Shepherd as Angie.  (Maybe she was still doing bedrest because of the pregnancy.)  Craig Castaldo again plays Moonvest.  Russ Spiegel returns as a TGS Bandmember.  And Frank Anello of course plays a member of the Production Staff, and Sue Galloway is naturally Sue.  I'm omitting Powell and Friedlander from the overcrowded tags.

30 Rock in its fourth season ranges from C to  B, and 13 of those are B-s, so it's not surprising that it averages out to a B-.  This is a slip in quality, but not a severe one.  I just laughed less and was less invested in the characters.  On my first viewing, I actually felt like we were leaving the characters in a good place, and the gross, unfunny, and "wacky" fifth season took me by surprise.  But that's a topic for my next blog.  For now, I'll note that we are not quite done with 30 Rock on this blog.

30 Rock: Emanuelle Goes to Dinosaur Land

30 Rock: Emanuelle Goes to Dinosaur Land
NBC
May 13, 2010
Sitcom
DVD
B-

Matt Hubbard wrote this episode which is an unofficial first half of a two-parter.  (Well, it does end "To be continued.")  We see the beginning of the day that Liz has to be part of three wedding parties, starting with Floyd's wedding in a Catholic Church.  Jack and Nancy finally slept together the previous night, so he decides to tell her, during Liz's speech, about Avery.  Meanwhile, Dot Com and Kenneth convince Tracy to do a movie that may get him the Oscar in his EGOT goal.

Kristin McGee returns as Kaitlin and Seth Kirschner is back as Shawn.  John Anderson again plays Astronaut Mike Dexter.  Tuxedo Gala Guest Ali Khan would later be an Airline Passenger.  Frank Anello is consistent as a member of the Production Staff.  I'm omitting Judah Friedlander and Jane Krakowski from the very overcrowded tags.