Freeform Announces 13 Nights of Halloween Schedule

Freeform Halloween 

   October is near us and that means that Freefrom continues their tradition of 13  Nights of Halloween starting October 19th.   They have released their schedule for the event which we have for you below.



Thursday, October 19
7am/6c Last Man Standing
7:30am/6:30c Spooky Buddies
11am/10c The Middle
11:30am/10:30c The Middle
12pm/11c The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 2
2:35pm/1:35c The Haunted Mansion
4:40pm/3:40c The Addams Family
6:45pm/5:45c Addams Family Values
8:50pm/7:50c Hocus Pocus
12am/11c ParaNorman

Friday, October 20
7am/6c The Sorcerer's Apprentice
11am/10c The Middle
11:30am/10:30c The Middle
12pm/11c The Haunted Mansion
2:10pm/1:10c The Addams Family
4:15pm/3:15c Addams Family Values
6:20pm/5:20c Hocus Pocus
8:30pm/7:30c Sleepy Hollow
12am/11c The Sorcerer's Apprentice

Saturday, October 21
7am/6c Edward Scissorhands
9:30am/8:30c Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 2
12:30pm/11:30c Fun Size
2:35pm/1:35c Matilda
4:40pm/3:40c Sleepy Hollow
7:10pm/6:10c The Addams Family
9:15pm/8:15c Addams Family Values
11:25pm/10:25c Charlie and the Chocolate Factory

Sunday, October 22
7am/6c Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 2
10:05am/9:05c Matilda
12:10pm/11:10c Hocus Pocus
2:20pm/1:20c Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
5pm/4c The Addams Family
7:05pm/6:05 Addams Family Values
9:15pm/8:15c Hocus Pocus
11:25pm/10:25c Alice in Wonderland (2010)

Monday, October 23
7am/6c Last Man Standing
7:30am/6:30c Frankenweenie
Tim Burton Marathon
11am/10c Edward Scissorhands
1:35pm/12:35c Alice in Wonderland
4:10pm/3:10c Dark Shadows
6:50pm/4:50c Sleepy Hollow
9:20pm/8:20c The Nightmare Before Christmas
12am/11c Frankenweenie

Tuesday, October 24
7am/6c Edward Scissorhands
11am/10c Fun Size
1pm/12c The Haunted Mansion
3pm/2c The Nightmare Before Christmas
4:40pm/3:40c The Addams Family
6:45pm/5:45c Addams Family Values
8:50pm/7:50c Hocus Pocus
12am/11c Teen Witch

Wednesday, October 25
7am/6c Last Man Standing
7:30am/6:30c Teen Witch
11am/10c The Middle
11:30am/10:30c The Middle
11:30am/10:30c Twilight
2:25pm/1:25c The Addams Family
4:30pm/3:30c Addams Family Values
6:35pm/5:35c Hocus Pocus
8:45pm/7:45c Men in Black
12am/11c Bewitched

Thursday, October 26
7am/6c Last Man Standing: Halloween Special
7:30am/6:30c R.L. Stine's Monsterville: Cabinet of Souls
11am/10c The Middle
11:30am/10:30c The Middle
11:30am/10:30c Bewitched
1:30pm/12:30c The Haunted Mansion
3:35pm/2:35c Sleepy Hollow
6:05pm/5:05c Men in Black
8:20pm/7:20c Dark Shadows
12am/11c The Haunted Mansion

Friday, October 27
7am/6c Dark Shadows
11am/10c The Middle
11:30am/10:30c The Middle
12pm/11c Sleepy Hollow
2:25pm/1:25c Hocus Pocus
4:35pm/3:35c Men in Black
6:50pm/5:50c The Addams Family
8:55pm/7:55c Addams Family Values
12am/11c Hocus Pocus

Saturday, October 28
7am/6c Spooky Buddies
9:05am/8:05c R.L. Stine's Monsterville: Cabinet of Souls
11:10am/10:10c The Addams Family
1:20pm/12:20c Addams Family Values
3:30pm/2:30c The Nightmare Before Christmas
5:10pm/4:10c Hocus Pocus
7:20pm/6:20c Disney•Pixar's Monsters, Inc.
9:25pm/8:25c Disney•Pixar's Monsters University
11:55pm/10:55c ParaNorman

Sunday, October 29
7am/6c R.L. Stine's Monsterville: Cabinet of Souls
9:10am/8:10c ParaNorman
11:20am/10:20c The Nightmare Before Christmas
1pm/12c Hook
4:15pm/3:15c Disney•Pixar's Toy Story of TERROR!
4:45pm/3:45c Hocus Pocus
6:55pm/5:55c Disney•Pixar's Monsters, Inc.
9pm/8c Disney•Pixar's Monsters University
11:30pm/10:30c Disney•Pixar's Toy Story of TERROR!
12am/11c Frankenweenie

Monday, October 30
7am/6c Sleepy Hollow
11am/10c The Middle
11:30am/10:30c The Middle
11:30am/10:30c Dark Shadows
2pm/1c Sleepy Hollow
4:30pm/3:30c The Addams Family
6:40pm/5:40c Addams Family Values
8:50pm/7:50c Hocus Pocus
12am/11c Hocus Pocus

Tuesday, October 31
7am/6c Last Man Standing
7:30am/6:30c Hocus Pocus
11am/10c The Middle
11:30am/10:30c The Middle
Hocus Pocus Marathon
12pm/11c - 11pm/10c Hocus Pocus

It's a Lookback , Charlie Brown : Why Charlie Brown Why?

The Flashback  Peanuts 

         The Peanuts can be goofy and funny  at times, at other times it's sad, other times it's poignant  , and at various points  it can be serious.
        I covered "What Have we Learned, Charlie Brown"  on this blog before and that special was serious and solemn and was about war.    The primary aspects in the special were Linus finding out the gang were spending the night on Omaha Beach  and later they are in Belgium in locations where the fights of World War I happened,  a look at the most major wars of the 20th century.   The part where Linus looks out at the beach and the images of the D-Day invision pop up is dialogue free and antic free , it's Linus in cased  in the events of that battle with just solemn music and the sounds of warfare.   The viewer  sees this for about 2 minutes before Linus explains to his friends where they were. It continues with the gang going to the American  Cemetery while the words of Dwight Eisenhower  play out talking about D-Day , while more images of the invasion. It finishes that over 2 minutes with Eisenhower's words hoping that the world will find peace.  It  knew where to  to a little relief again where we have Snoopy driving a car again.  It goes back to more about the Normandy invasion with Linus narrating over more war images. (Again you can read this more in our look back)

     My point in explain that is  the Peanuts are something that somehow has a dog that can drive a car , a tree that eats kites, and funny looking dances ,but also can do other things and not be out of place.  To a more concise main topic , there are points where the Peanuts handed serious stuff to it's audience and didn't down explain it.  People died in World War I and II it "What have we learned" outright said that.   If you think animation is a thing just for children ,which I never think Peanuts was just for,  then it handled a topic many other shows would handle so well.  Now all this is not about that special , we are talking another serious topic: cancer.

       "Why , Charlie Brown Why?" premiered on March 16th 1990 on the CBS television network, being one of the last few specials to premiere on the network.  I'll get to more back story on the special a little later.

   The special starts with a normal day , the Peanuts gang is going to school , Sally of course not over joyed about it. There's a new character Janice , she and Linus seem to be good friends.  As Janice gets in the bus she hits her arm on the railing and mentions she has another bruise.  When they make it to school Janice notes that's she's not feeling well and in the classroom she's not feeling well still and she goes to the nurse and her mom picks her  up.   Three days later the gang is at the bus stop and there's Janice noticeably missing.  (Also weird that Lucy is not with Linus waiting for the bus stop.)

       The class finds out that the reason why Janice hasn't been in class is because she's at the hospital sick. (Or thankfully Linus said it because I couldn't understand what the teacher said)  Charlie Brown and Linus decide to visit  the hospital. Meanwhile , Snoopy is being the World's Greatest Surgeon (I want to see his degrees).   They go to Janice's room and they find out that she has more than a fever instead it's cancer, specifically leukemia.  She explains that it can be treated and explains the process they went through for the tests.  Also Linus and Charlie Brown pretty much ask questions that a person wanting to know  I mean adult or child. She also explains chemotherapy  and tells them that it will make her better.

 More after the jump

The Lookback : Children's Programs: CBS Saturday Mornings Part III

The Flashback  Children's TV

      We did Part II . Welcome to our next stab at Saturday Morning lookbacks with more at CBS fun. We take a look at shows that aired on CBS in the Saturday Morning time space, that aired between 1976 and 1995. (A wide space frame, don't you think?)  Let's take our leap.  

1.  Way Out Games 

    Not every Saturday Morning show for families (mostly Children ) were animated ,as evidenced in past posts. As you tell where we are going with this one was  not animated.   It's the oldest program we are looking back at this time ,from 1976.  Way Out Games (get it? The 70's things were way out, kind of like the 90's Were EXTREME)  It was an athletic  children's show were competitors from the 50 states and also Puerto Rico (why wasn't Guam included? , tisk tisk CBS).  The show worked where the kids would compete in different events  and earn some points, winner with most points at the end of the show would get to compete later with another winning team  Then after the regular competition   , there were quarter finals, semi finals, and the season finale episode of a Championship final.   

                     
                       Well the titles were animated so that's nice !
    The series began September 11th ,1976 and ran one season. The host was Sonny Fox , man who had done children's TV before starting with a local show in  Saint Louis  in 1954 a children's news and travelogue program.  He was later the host of a game show called The $64,000  challenge  where he was fired because they felt he wasn't funny enough, but lucky him he missed the great game show scandal from the 50's.  Mertromedia  picked him up to be host of a  show called Wonderama for WABD/WNEW (now WNYW)  in New York.
    Way Out Games first aired Saturdays at 12:30PM Eastern Time then moved to 1pm and later to Sunday Morning. Some stations didn't air the show because of sports ,local programs,or even Soul Train, so it never got that much traction and was not renewed for a season 2.

2.  Wildfire 
      This show has no relation to the song about the horse, besides the Name, Wildfire.  Wildfire is about a 13 year old girl  in the American west (ehhh could be alright ) , but she is not just any 13 year old girl living in the American west (ok) ,  she finds out that she is a princess from a different realm  who has to fight an evil witch. (Well that escalated quickly)

                           "I though the show had no relation to the song"/copyright Hanna and Babera
       The background story is that Sara is  a princess from a place called Thurinia , as a baby she was rescued by her talkign horse named Wildfire (you know what... maybe it was inspired by the song) from the  Lady Diabolyn, who is evil, after her mother died (well of course) the horse takes Sara from their planet to ours and leaves her at a farm in Montana.   For fun the evil lady isn't just some random evil lady , she's the evil stepsister of Sara's mother, (well of course)

           Now 12 years later she is ready to fight evil (fighting evil insurance doesn't kick in until you are 13) and Wildfire brings her back to Thurinia to get her kingdom back.  Each episode she and her friends  on the planet of  Dar-Shan  fight her evil step-aunt. (step-aunt?)  It is later found out that John, the man taking care of her  and adoptive on Earth, is actually a prince , and her real father. (what timing!)   

Darn dress code, I should really be wearing tights  or some pink/copyright Hanna-Barbera 

              The series was created by   Hanna-Barbera for CBS in 1986 , it ran 13 episodes and well , we never know if Sara did over take her evil (step) aunt.  

                                
   
 More after the Jump

Arthur ( A Thing to Talk About) D.W's Beastly Birthday

Arthur

      When we did special posts about Arthur , it apparently started something  of a trend of Arthur being written about here on this blog.  I guess it would be apt to write about a special and a recent one too.  (Guess We will call it a  look now)   It was an hour long special that PBS aired on Memorial day as a week to kick off a week of new episodes where they were rounding up season 20's (yes season 20) final episodes.
 
               To screw with continuity or something it's D.W's birthday again but this time they felt it was  thing to celebrate with an hour long special.

           It starts with D.W getting cake  she tries to blow out the candles but some of them decide not to cooperate.  The Tibble twins decide  to "help" blow out the candles and of course they blew some cake in her face.  DW  starts telling us (the audience , oh great she can see you) and it flashes back to her waking up and yes she's turning 5. (retconning there eh, Arthur?)  She thinks that birthdays should be sunny and  she envisions   the sun singing. (I am hiding in the corner now)  When she looks out the window she notices something , (guess what?)  it's raining.  (Theory :some other person also has their birthday on the same day and really wanted rain.)   D.W had been dropping hints on a toy she really wanted for her birthday.  A singing puffin toy that teaches kids the alphabet (puffin, finally a different bird on TV, take that penguins)   When she gets her presents she doesn't get the puffin.

What would you like for your birthday D.W? / Copyright WGBH 

        She's  also is un happy that Emily came in a fancier dress and bigger tiara , Bud keeps winning the games they play ,and the Tibbles being themselves.  The cake was wrong too.   To summarize : Birthday not going to D.W 's liking.  D.W suggests they play hide and seek.   She decides to hide under the stairs.    She was taking with her imaginary friend Nadine, who brings up something important --  This show is called Arthur where the heck is Arthur?  We are 7 minutes in well, thanks to Nadine she lets the show transition to Arthur.
                   

         Arthur and his friends are at a trip at the Planetarium , he is happy to be missing his sister's birthday party.  He explains that D.W's birthdays make him miserable since he has to do everything she says. (It's awkward when she asks him to kill for her.)  Ledonna asks is he going to something for her anyway. He got her a card, one that says "To the world's best little Brother" (oops).  Arthur also has not gotten her a present.
 

     Back to D.W , nobody has found D.W yet, she thinks they stopped looking. Nadine got her a present : a ticket to a place called Ukubonga (bless you) .  DW decides to go there , how to get their you ask? Why magic of course.  (Of Course!)

Tickets non refundable / copyright WGBH 

      After 14 minutes of the build up   to the meat of the special it's time to carve into it.  For instance notice since the special goes back and forth between the two plotines I am going to combine the piece of both parts together D.W's plot first then Arthur's then  merge for the conclusion.  Makes it simpler to explain and reduces my use of the word "meanwhile".

    D.W heads to Ukubonga and she lands on an Island  filled with monsters (of course!) and they look like people she knows , the ones at her party.  D.W apparently is the chosen one (always have to have one in a movie) and she is made their queen.  Since she is queen they have to listen her.  She and monsters party all day. (Also there's a song )

The look familiar/ copyright WGBH  

   
    Back at the party , her friends are still looking for her. (No one ever thinks to look under the stairs do they?)   It's apparently a new day in Ukubonga and D.W is happy that she keeps winning and the monsters do whatever she wants.  Meanwhile , they mention that there's another monster on island called Ruthra  (coughs)  he's the meanest rudest monster on the island.   DW wants to see him anyway.  So they capture him. The captured Ruthra doesn't to be with D.W or do anything she says so D.W torture   him with a song.  (Well that got dark)

RUTHRA -cough cough /copyright WGBH 

      The other monsters suggest things to do him , but D.W stops them and says that he's interesting because he doesn't do what she says.  D.W stops the torture song and tells Ruthra that  she gets tired of  people doing everything she says. Ruthra agrees and he flashes back to the time he used to be king.    Oh yeah his flashback is Arthur , incase the name didn't give you a clue.  On his 5th birthday he hid under the same stairs and ended up in Ukubonga too.  He says he loved the island and getting everything we wanted but he bored and quit being king.  Ruthra also explains that you can leave the island. (this got dark quick)   D.W says she is going to go home and taking Ruthra with her.  Ruthra helps her escape but he gets stuck on the island .

      Meanwhile Arthur's plot line is after the Jump.

But First These Messages: What people wear

But First These Messages

     Our program  "Batman vs. Abe Lincoln" will return  but first these messages.....


     This time we look at clothes!  (Yay!) Of things people buy the most prominent thing seems to be clothes. (In fact, you are probably wearing some right now)  So of course they will be advertised because we don't make our own clothes (you might?) so we buy them.  But first these messages...


  I wish every day could be Saturday Night ...

      To our British audience (hello) we are meaning just trousers not underpants..
 
  This is a 70's ad  for a place called Just Pants (wonder what they sold there)

Hello do you sell shirts here? No! Just pants! but I really need a shirt! 

        I love music in this ad  it's catchy for a song that has the lyrics "Just  Pants" 

   

 I think this guy is hitting on us , also those aren't pants, that's a shirt. 

       Children's clothes are a great business because they grow out of clothes and or destroy clothes and that means you have to buy more.  Let's advertise for children's clothes too.  

  More 70's and this one isn't strange or fun it's just a straight forward time piece.

Time or bring back flared bottoms ! 

    The commercial wants the buyer to know that for your $4.00 or  $5.00 you are getting pants that will last longer than 3 days because your boys are destructive or something. ($4.00! I need a time machine!)   It's also sadly, maybe a time piece just because K-Mart, which we don't know how much longer that place has left.  

       Well this is  awkward ...

   

   70's  Women's clothing commercial from Sears was targeting the professional woman who wants professional clothes.

 

"Hey I like your solid shirt, it's very red." 

   

I am glad the pants fit , thanks Sears! 

  Time to get out of those work clothes  and have some action wear ! 

more after the  Jump 

Hallmark to Launch new TV Channel

TV NEWS 

    In an age where we  have more cable channels either "reinventing themselves, being shutdown , or rebranding,"  Hallmark seems to be bucking that and launching 3rd channel called, Hallmark Drama, which will join it's sister networks Hallmark Channel and Hallmark Movies and Mysteries.

#Breaking Crown Media Family Networks to launch @HallmarkDrama, a new TV Network on October 1 #TCA17.

— Hallmark Channel (@hallmarkchannel) July 28, 2017

      It will not be replacing any of the other channels they own, Hallmark Movies and Mysteries will continue as is.

We will be launching a new @hallmarkdrama, and @hallmarkmovie will still continue to be the mystery destination everyone loves! #TCA17 https://t.co/Blwax4l6SC

— Hallmark Channel (@hallmarkchannel) July 28, 2017

 The channel will air programming like repeats of their original series like  "Cedar Cove" , and repeats of Little House in the Prairie (which left main channel earlier this year )  and of course more will be announced later.    They don't have a website yet , but it is on twitter. 


    It is interesting to see a  totally new cable linear channel launch  in this age.   you can read the press release here  .


   Also, they are launching a stand alone streaming service for you Hallmark Channel Movie fans so any cord cutters won't have to worry either.

Crown Media Family Networks to launch standalone subscription/ streaming video on demand service, called Hallmark Movies Now #TCA17.

— Hallmark Channel (@hallmarkchannel) July 28, 2017

 

ABC Announces Fall premire dates

ABC TVLookFall2017  Primetime

    ABC has released their Fall scheduled premiere dates, as last but not least of the networks.    Their season starts of with the return of Dancing With The Stars  which launches on September 18th.  Then they take a week break and officially start the rest of the season the next week.   Here's a look at the full premiere dates.  ABC has also renamed "The Gospel of Kevin" to "Kevin (Probably) Saves the World"

ALL TIMES ET
Monday, September 18th
8-10PM  Dancing with the Stars

Monday, September 25th
10PM   The Good Doctor (Series Premiere)

Wednesday, September 27th
8PM The Goldbergs
8:30  Speechless
9PM  Modern Family
9:30  American  Housewife (new day and time)
10PM  Designated Survivor

Thursday, September 28th
8-10PM   Grey's Anatomy (2 Hours)
10PM   How to Get Away with Murder

Friday, September 29th
8-10PM  Marvel's Inhumans  (New Series)

Sunday, October 1st
7PM  The Toy Boy (New Day and Time )
8-10PM  Shark Tank (two hours, new day and time)
10PM  Ten Days in the Valley (Series Premiere)

Tuesday, October 3rd
8PM  The Middle
8:30PM  Fresh Off the Boat (new time)
9PM   Black-ish ( new day and time )
9:30PM The Mayor (new Series )
10PM  Kevin (Probaly) Saves the World

Thursday, October 5th
9PM  Scandal

Friday, October 6th
8PM  Once Upon a Time (new day and time)

Sunday, October 8th
8PMET  To Tell the Truth (new day and time)

Sunday ,November 26th
7PMET  America's Funniest Home Videos

Press release after the Jump

The Lookback : Woops!

The Flashback 

    We dip into short lived shows because in the world of TV  not everything catches on either with audiences, critics , or the network. (Either that or a show costs a lot of money and they'll ditch that if it's too much.).

    This time we head to early 1990's Fox  , where it was a stage where it was not quite a network, not quite a failure. They had two hits at the time though "The Simpsons" and "Married with Children" and this was before Football on FOX happened. Anyway, our series we are looking at was considered by TV Guide to be the 42nd Worst show ever. (in 2002)  Well that makes us feel good.

in stereo! 

   The Series?  Woops!  Well that's right it's called woops. (Spell check hates this spelling) The series started in September of 1992, just in time for the 1992 fall TV season.  It only aired 10 of it's 13 episode orders. So let's take a look at the first episode.

         It starts the world being destroyed (woops) a school teacher is narrating telling us that it was an average day then the world gets destroyed. (I hate when that happens)   Why is he alive? His Volvo saved his life.

Volvo : Doomsday is coming buy a car that will outlast man kind! 

          Apparently, this nuclear holocaust as made everything dessert like.  (I hate when that happens too)  He kept driving his Volvo around, eventually it runs out of gas and so he starts looking for other people. (Should have looked for gas or shelter or something) 

   Mr. Plot hole :  Wouldn't other Volvo drivers also survive if they were driving their Volvo's at the same time, where are the other Volvo survivors? 

  Scary Thought : I guess his students are dead now , he was a sixth grade teacher , that's kind of sad. 

    It cuts away to our hero (?) in a room with 3 other people.  

"Welcome, to our house, we almost ate you"(probably) 

      These three people are the other survivors (which is strange since none of them were driving Volvos)  and they are in a farm house ,that  luckily was nuke proof.   The man in the suit is named Curtis Thorpe , our teacher is named Mark Braddock, and the woman is named  Alice McConnell  she was in a book store that she owns.   (how to survive nukes : A ) Volvo  B) Bookstores  got it !)  Actually she had gone in the basement to get something and basement was made in the 60's as a bomb shelter. (convenient)  Thorpe was a stock annalist he was in his vault.  He's not taking the end of the world well.  The other man is named Mr.Conners  or Jack , and he apparently hasn't lost his sense of humor in the end of the world.  He was a homeless person who was saved by under the  interstate.  

      

               Another man  (this is going quicker than Last Man on Earth) comes the farm house, he is a doctor named Fredrick Ross. He survived by being the basement morgue. (He survived with the dead)  

Our cast , either that or a spinoff of The View 

       They wonder why they survived and made it to the same farmhouse. (Script called for it) Alice thinks they are there to start a new society. (Hmm steady there) 

                  

This Green Acres reboot is strange 

    

           It's hard starting a new society. and they don't know what to do.  They pick Mark as their leader as they try and plant wheat. (The plant of society.)  Of course five random strangers  aren't going to click together very quickly (if at all) so this gets messy--- the others want to leave.  Then a sixth person joins because that's what we need.  This time it's other woman named Suzanne.  So we have two women on the show that balances it out.  

Hello I'm new... 

     A Giant spider (gives up throws computer out the window) is seen outside and Alice is taken by it.   The men think of a plan to help stop spider and save Alice.     

   We only looked at the first episode , does it deserve to be on the worst TV show list?  No , not really. again that list  was made in 2002, so there have been worse series.  It's a strange one but kind of funny at points.  Now the first episode did try to bang that Volvo joke in your head a little more than necessary.  Most of the characters seemed to be playing a one type character ,which maybe developed on in the later episodes.   

         Tune in next time when we post our next post from a Volvo because they  will save us all !