NBC Monday night lineup – Clacking the dream

I was glancing ahead at some of the nights and networks that I have left to sort through, and came across a plethora of old sitcoms that made my mouth water. Shows that, in their time, were only ordinary, today would be considered giants when compared with what television has to offer us.

Or so I thought initially. But then I started to wonder whether the rearview mirror wasn’t possibly cloudy, making it hard to remember the actual experience of sitting through a full episode of one of those shows, instead glamorizing something that was only average at best. Well, Mondays on NBC puts that question to its first test.

8:00-8:30 While not high on quality, I can certainly remember watching new episodes of a number of this half hour’s offerings. Little House on the Prairie was still hanging on back in the early ‘80s, and it begat Little House: A New Beginning, a foolish attempt at capitalizing on something successful. Plus it introduced us to Shannen Doherty, which in my mind is an unforgivable offense. Remember the original TV’s Bloopers & Practical Jokes? It began after the series Boone imploded on itself, back before anyone cared about country music stars. Then came ALF, a weird little series about a weird little puppet. Here’s the first show that I alluded to above, although I certainly don’t have fairytale memories of it — was this really good, or do we just like to remember it as such? In any event, my disinterest in everything science fiction means I never really enjoyed it. Next up was Suddenly Susan, again not one of my positive memories, but definitely that for some. Shouldn’t the fact that the show left us with Kathy Griffin kill any and all good feelings that exist from it?

By 2000 this timeslot was mostly dead, with duds like The Jeff Foxworthy Show and Daddio (Michael Chiklis, why?), and reality nightmares Fear Factor, Deal or no Deal, Clash of the Choirs, American Gladiators, My Dad Is Better Than Your Dad, and Superstars of Dance. And this year’s Heroes just sucked the life out of everyone. So what to do, right? In reality that’s a tough question for other reasons, because what I neglected to mention was a little show called The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. That’s right, Will Smith exploded into our lives in 1990, and kept it real here for six seasons. But am I remembering the series right, or was it really as faded as Will’s early hair and jeans?

Complicating the matter even further is Chuck, a show that struggled for me in its second season, but one that holds tremendous potential for a bright future. And bringing in an hour show turns this into a conversation about the 8:30-9:00 slot, too. I hear a loud sucking sound when I consider the options: Amazing Stories (even Steven Spielberg likely doesn’t stand by this), Valerie’s Family/The Hogan Family (I’m sorry, but is anyone’s career more romanticized than Valerie Harper’s?), failed movie recreation Ferris Bueller, and (non) favorites like Mr. Rhodes (Californication before its time, minus the quality and sex), Fired Up, Conrad Bloom (early Mark Feuerstein), Veronica’s Closet (late Kirstie Alley), and Tucker. Which really just leaves In the House and Blossom as worth considering. I only enjoy remembering the latter for introducing me to Joey Lawrence, who then brought us Brotherly Love (which I see as a good thing), so there goes that. And the former? I remember LL Cool J’s series fondly, but I doubt it would translate well were I to sit down today and watch it every week. So Chuck it is in the 8PM hour … I can catch Fresh Prince in syndication.

9:00-10:00 Here’s where the competition slouches. Caroline in the City (does anyone have fond memories of this?), Third Watch (sounds like something I should like, but no), Las Vegas (I gave this a chance, then wrote NBC demanding that hour of my life back), The Apprentice (no fun sans “celebrities”), Heroes (I’m proud to say I got off this train three episodes into season one), Deal or No Deal, Medium (does this involve communing with the dead?), and Trauma (in my mind just as bad as the rest of the new medical-centric series this season). Which leaves me potentially doing what I hadn’t wanted to a few weeks back: slotting Law & Order: Special Victims Unit at 9PM. Because, really, what choice do I have? But I’d rather Free Play it then make the mistake that NBC did this season by airing this show an hour early.

10:00-11:00 How can nights be so up and down like this? From no other options (or no options) in one hour, to too many in another. First we’ll dispense with the obvious passes: Dateline, Third Watch, Crossing Jordan, Average Joe, LAX, Medium, The Real Wedding Crashers, My Own Worst Enemy (this almost made me not bother with The Forgotten), and Momma’s Boys are easy, with Law & Order: Criminal Intent following not too far behind. The Black Donnellys could have succeeded, and I enjoyed what they got a chance to do, but 10PM has been too strong to give it to a show with little more than promise to its name. Strong with what, you ask? Two other series cut down in their prime that were excellent from their pilots’ opening credits: Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip and Journeyman. You likely don’t get the quandary, which is why these shows met such early deaths, but Studio 60 boasted a cast and writing that could have challenged The West Wing for Aaron Sorkin’s best work, plus the ridiculously amazing duo of Matthew Perry and Bradley Whitford, boasting a camaraderie that I argue we never saw on The West Wing. Journeyman, on the other hand, was brilliant solo work by Kevin McKidd. What to do…. I vote cheat one more time, because I’m definitely not prepared to make this call yet: Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip and Journeyman co-existing on a full-year schedule it is.

Looks like a strong night, even with the break at 9PM. What does your perfect Monday night on NBC look like?

Clacked by Aryeh S.
on Dec 29, 2009 @ 12:00 EST5EDT