Today's Tuesday TV Touchbase looks at the season finales of 4 TV shows that I watch. While all 4 shows have been renewed for subsequent seasons, it is unknown when those follow up seasons might appear.
At this writing, the strike by the Writer's Guild continues unabated and does not appear to anywhere near a resolution. Even if the strike ended today, production on new episodes has been impacted delaying when those series could actually start again.
OK, let's cue up the Batman graphic and get this Tuesday TV Touchbase underway.
This week's Tuesday TV Touchbase is brought to you by the letter "S" which stands for "season finale".
Andrea and I watched the season finale of the revived Night Court a couple of weeks ago. We came to this series out of nostalgia for the original series, the talent of the returning John Laroquette as Dan Fielding and a desire to support Big Bang Theory alum Melissa Rauch in her new endeavor.
The revived Night Court is definitely old school sitcom stuff which can be a good thing; sometimes all one needs from TV is comfort food. It can also be a bad thing with the it's old style brightly lit shenanigans played out with bad jokes and broad performances. Haven't our TV viewing habits evolved beyond such things?
Night Court could be frustrating to me at times as it leaned so hard into it's classic sitcom roots. Who are these people and why do I care about what they are doing? Beyond Abby and Dan, it took me forever to remember that the D.A. is named Olivia and Abby's clerk is Neil. I just didn't care.
The season finale did a bit to add some emotional heft to the otherwise lightweight confection. Abby has been arrested, Olivia's boss is determined to throw the book at Abby for a felony conviction that will stop Abby's career as a judge and Dan is leaving to become a judge in Louisiana?
OK, we know Abby Stone is not going to jail and she'll be back on the bench and yes, the usual sitcom hi-jinks will ensue to get her back to the status quo. But with all the silliness, it felt like there was some effort to actually make us care.
And the status quo does actually change. Abby and Rand break up, ending their engagement. And the last scene of the season finale episode does have Dan Fielding as a judge in Louisiana. Which also includes a cameo from Marsha Warfield who was Roz on the original series.
No word yet on what John Laroquette's status is going into season 2. I guess we'll find out next season.
Whenever that might be.
I watched the season finale of Digman!, the animated series from Andy Samberg about a really weird archaeologist adventurer named Rip Digman. Both Rip and his erstwhile rival Quail are after the Holy Grail. Rip wants to bring back to life his wife Bella who died in the first episode. Quail wants to revive his dead dad to finally get him to say he’s proud of his son. Plot twist: the Holy Grail is the UNHoly Grail which turns Bella’s dead body into the Anti-Christ and Quail’s dad becomes (wait for it!) the Uncle Christ.
OK, Digman! was exceedingly dumb and an excuse for Sandberg to show off different ways he can do Nicholas Cage’s voice.
- Nicholas Cage as confused
- Nicholas Cage as angry
- Nicholas Cage as sad
- Nicholas Cage as confident
- Nicholas Cage as confused AND angry
But the show does offer some flashes of some depth beyond it's more overt cartoon antics. I'll come back for season 2.
Whenever that might be.
Lucky Hank ended it’s first season with Hank Devereaux finally getting it through his thick head he’s pretty damn lucky. His issues with his father get a fresh perspective with the realization that even before the dementia starting setting in, his father was a fraud. Hank also gets a good jab at that prick of a college president Dickie Pope who is pushing a $10 million budget cut just to make himself look good; the college’s board sends Pope packing and Hank doesn’t have to cut the English department.
Hank also realizes he doesn’t need to stay in the hell he’s made for himself at Railton College, quits his job and move to New York City to be with his wife Lily who took the really nice private school job there.
Except has Lily learned she’s happier without Hank than with him? Has Hanky’s realization that he is indeed lucky come too late? I suppose we will find out in season 2.
Whenever that might be.
Finally we wrapped up the season 6 finale of Young Sheldon which changes up the status quo in several ways. And also violate the alleged canon of Sheldon Cooper's youth as established in Big Bang Theory.
A tornado hits Medford TX. Sheldon on BBT related such an event occurred that knocked his family's mobile home off it's cinder blocks. In Young Sheldon, the Coopers do not live in a mobile home and it's not their home that gets targeted by the tornado. Instead, it's Mee Maw's house that gets demolished. It's an emotionally devastating scene as Connie Tucker views the ruins of her home.
Also Connie's secret gambling den was exposed to the customers of her laundrymat. Which includes Pastor Jeff. He later assures Connie he's not going to say or do anything about her illegal gambling operation. But I don't trust that self righteous judgmental prick so we'll have to see how that plays out.
Sheldon is not in Medford for the tornado because he's in Germany with his mother. Thanks to the generosity of a lot of people who were more than happy to get Sheldon out of Texas for the summer, Sheldon was able to go to Germany for the physics program Dr. Sturgis got him into. Again, this defies BBT wherein Sheldon relayed he was in Germany at age 15 as a visiting professor. In Young Sheldon, our prodigy is there at age 13 and as a student.
Back to the tornado in Medford, George was driving Missy home when the storm struck. Missy's teen years have hit her hard; she 's angry a lot and lashed out at everyone. So what happens next puts her feelings in some perspective. When Missy sees a funnel cloud approaching the car, George stops and runs with Missy to a nearby ditch. After the storm passes, George and Missy clamber out of the ditch to find their car tossed and battered down the road. It's an emotional moment that hits Missy hard as she breaks down crying in her father's arms.
Speaking of George, the infidelity that Sheldon on BBT said his father committed has still yet to occcur. The characterization of George Cooper in Young Sheldon has been at odds with Sheldon's recollections on BBT.
The discrepancies between what was said on Big Bang Theory and what is happening may be resolved during 7th season.
Whenever that might be.
Well, that is that for this week's Tuesday TV Touchbase. As for our next installment....
Whenever that might be.
OK, I know the answer to that one. We'll be back next Tuesday with a game show edition as we look at what's up with Wheel of Fortune and Jeopardy.
Coming up in subsequent installments of the Touchbase:
- The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel
- Superman & Lois
- Abbot Elementary
Until next time, remember to be good to one another and try to keep it down in there, would ya? I'm trying to watch TV over here.
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