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.

30 Rock: The Moms

30 Rock: The Moms
NBC
May 6, 2010
Sitcom
DVD
B-

In this Cannon & Carlock episode, some of the mothers of the performers and writers show up for a special Mother's Day episode of TGS.  It's the backstage drama, including in one scene between Frank and his mom (I'm omitting Patti LuPone and Judah Friedlander from the overcrowded tags),  that is the real focus here.  Note that Colleen Donaghy meets Avery and she pushes Jack to choose between his two girlfriends.

Frank Anello continues his streak as a member of the Production Staff.  John Anderson plays Astronaut Mike Dexter again, and Will Ferrell is back as Shane Hunter.

30 Rock: Argus

30 Rock: Argus
NBC
April 29, 2010
Sitcom
DVD
B-

In this episode written by Morgan, Pell, and Siegal, the title thread is the weakest, although it's not bad.  Jack inherits Don Geiss's pet peacock Argus and, with help from Liz and Kenneth, really mourns Geiss for the first time.  Meanwhile Tracy seems to be typically selfish in insisting on being Grizz's best man, but Tracy knows that Dot Com is in love with Grizz's fiancee, Feyonce.  And Liz and Pete are suspicious of Jenna's new boyfriend, Paul (Will Forte, who previously played Tomas).  I like the twists in plotting and expectations in this episode, and I just wish it was funnier.

Marceline Hugot is back as Kathy Geiss.  Carmen Osbahr is again a Puppeteer, this time working the peacock puppet (although it is a live bird in some shots), while Peter Linz would be a Puppeteer in a future episode.  Frank Anello makes a welcome return as a member of the Production Staff.  This is the only episode directed by producer/composer/actor/husband Jeff Richmond that I'll be reviewing on this blog, so I've decided not to tag him.

30 Rock: Khonani

30 Rock: Khonani
NBC
April 22, 2010
Sitcom
DVD
C+

IMDB has this listed as the same date as the previous episode, but it's simply not as good.  Jack promises to decide between Nancy and Avery but instead sidetracks himself into resolving a conflict between two janitors: the title character and Subhas (Subhas Ramsaywack).  Meanwhile, Liz throws an engagement party for Cerie out of vengeance against their co-workers, and Tracy puts his dog's shock collar on himself in order to become a more doting husband.  It would take much sharper writing to make these plot threads more than passable, and this is the 600th C+ I've given on this blog.

30 Rock: Lee Marvin vs. Derek Jeter

30 Rock: Lee Marvin vs. Derek Jeter
NBC
April 22, 2010
Sitcom
DVD
B

Fey & Cannon wrote this episode, which is better than most that season.  Jack's triangle would get old before season's end, but here him being unable to decide between Avery and a newly divorced Nancy is funny and believable.  Meanwhile, Toofer quits because he doesn't want his job through tokenism (despite his nickname, which is lampshaded when he returns), and Liz attends singles events with Jenna and sometimes Nancy.

Steve Hely, who wrote "Black Light Attack!" earlier in the season, here plays Jerem.  Will Ferrell makes his first of three appearances as Shane Hunter, the star of the controversial and nonexistent NBC series Bitch Hunter.

30 Rock: Floyd

30 Rock: Floyd
NBC
March 25, 2010
Sitcom
DVD
B-

As you can guess from the title, this episode marks the return of Liz's "best boyfriend," in a script written by Paula Pell, who played Pete's wife Paula.  Liz hopes they'll get back together, but he's getting married to a woman named Kaitlin (Kristin McGee, who'd previously played an Exercise Lady).  Meanwhile, Jenna, Tracy, and eventually Pete have erotic dreams about Kenneth, and Jack and Danny get involved in a prank battle against Frank, Toofer, and Lutz.

Lester Holt and Meredith Vierira return as themselves.

30 Rock: Don Geiss, America, and Hope

30 Rock: Don Geiss, America, and Hope
NBC
March 18, 2010
Sitcom
DVD
B-

In this Burditt & Wigfield episode, Jack tries to find meaning in his career as Don Geiss is dead and NBC is bought by Kabletown.  Meanwhile, Tracy, who had previously confided in Jack that he's actually 100% faithful to Angie, tries to save his career when his fidelity is revealed by an ex-nanny.  And Wesley, whose last name turns out to be Snipes, tries to convince Liz that they are each other's settling soulmates.

Geiss's Grieving Mistress Stefanie Grassley previously played one of Tracy's Fans, while Scott Bryce, who was Michael Templeton before (and had a role on Who's the Boss?), plays Dave here.  John Anderson again plays Astronaut Mike Dexter.  Marceline Hugot returns as Kathy Geiss, and James Rebhorn is back as Dr. Kaplan.  This is the first of three episodes directed by Stephen Lee Davis.

30 Rock: Future Husband

30 Rock: Future Husband
NBC
March 11, 2010
Sitcom
DVD
B-

Despite the gap of a month since the previous episode, this picks up not long after.  Jack is trying to figure out how to manage his relationship with Avery and where the lines between work and romance are, especially since she's a financial reporter and she's heard a rumor that Kabletown is buying NBC.  (A rumor that would prove true.)  Meanwhile, Liz has met her "Future Husband," in the form of an Englishman named Wesley, played by Michael Sheen.  In this and later episodes, they don't connect and yet they're drawn together.  Again, a B was tempting, but I didn't really care about the Tracy & Jenna thread about his attempts to get a Tony Award.

Maechi Aharanwa reprises her role as Keisha, while James Rebhorn would reprise his role as Dr. Kaplan.  Brian Williams is back as Brian Williams.  This time, "30 Rock Regulars" means only Maulik Pancholy as Jonathan.  This is the first of two 30 Rock scripts by Jon Haller, while it's Tracey Wigfield's second of nine.

30 Rock: Anna Howard Shaw Day

30 Rock: Anna Howard Shaw Day
NBC
February 11, 2010
Sitcom
DVD
B-

This Matt-Hubbard-written episode introduces another love interest for Jack: Elizabeth Banks as Avery Jessup, who's a good match for Jack in the sense that they're both conservative and tough but sophisticated.  Meanwhile, Liz hopes to avoid Valentine's Day by going to the dentist, but she ends up hallucinating three of her exes.  I might've gone with a B, but I wasn't crazy about the thread about Jenna's stalker.  Note that we actually meet one of Pete's kids, Evelyn, his only daughter.

Stewart Steinberg is again the Old Janitor.  Maechi Aharanwa would be Keisha the nurse in the following episode as well.  I'm omitting Friedlander and Powell from the overcrowded tags.

30 Rock: Verna

30 Rock: Verna
NBC
February 4, 2010
Sitcom
DVD
B-

Ron Weiner wrote this episode where Jenna's mother, the title character (Jan Hooks in her first of two cameos), shows up and seems to want to make up for being a bad mom, but Jack doesn't trust her.  Hooks is quite good (even if she is only about eleven years older than Krakowski) and I wish the rest of the episode were at her level.  Frank moving in with Liz and the two of them having a bet about breaking bad habits (junk food for her, smoking for him) isn't that interesting, although the pay-off is pretty good.  Also, I don't like how people keep moving in with Liz without her really wanting them to.  I could see it with Pete in the first season, but not with Frank here, or with Tracy earlier this season.  Director Don Scardino plays a Maitre d'.

30 Rock: Winter Madness

30 Rock: Winter Madness
NBC
January 21, 2010
Sitcom
DVD
B-

This is Vali Chandrasekaran's first of six 30 Rock scripts, and Tom Ceraulo's second of five.  It has the TGS cast and crew going to Boston, when Liz and Pete had hoped for Miami, simply so that Jack will have an excuse to see Nancy, who's ambivalent about both selling her house and getting a divorce.  I enjoyed the thread of Tracy learning about Boston history more than I expected.  (And, yes, that's Kevin Meaney as John Hancock.)

Sue Galloway is Sue and Cheyenne Jackson is Danny.