Welcome to Joshuaonline

Hello and Welcome to Joshuaonline , we like to look at the TV and Media here it's not updated everyday but we try have a few posts each month, hope you enjoy and thanks for visiting



NETWORK TV Fall 2024

It's that time of year again! The networks are releasing their fall line ups


Fall Line up: FOX NBC CBS ABC The CW

Monday, November 20, 2023

NBC Sets Midseason Premiere Dates 2024

NBC Midseason 2024 




        NBC has released its midseason plans.  Unlike the other networks, NBC had original scripted episodes during the strikes. NBC will also be able to release their midseason line up earlier than CBS and ABC have planned.   The Dick Wolf shows:  the three Chicago shows and Law & Order shows, will be able to premiere in January. 

       On December 23, new series Extended Family  gets a series premiere and returning  series Night Court gets a special holiday episode.  Getting an NFL game bump. 

        In January, La Brea will return for its 3rd and now final season, with six episodes. 
Also in midseason,   America's Got Talent's newest spinoff Fantasy League, and new series  Deal or No Deal Island.   The final episodes of the season for  The Irrational, and Found . 

           
Here's the full schedule details all times ET/PT unless otherwise noted 

 Saturday, December 23 
8pm Extended Family (Series Premiere) 
8:30pm Night Court ( Special Holiday episode) 

Monday, January 1 
8pm  America's Got Talent : Fantasy League ( Series Premiere) 

Tuesday, January 2
8pm Night Court (Time Period Premiere)
8:30pm Extended Family (Time Period Premiere) 

Tuesday, January 9 
9pm La Brea (Season Premiere) 
10pm  Found (Final Two episodes of the season) 

Wednesday, January 17
8pm Chicago Med  (Season Premiere) 
9pm Chicago Fire   (Season Premiere) 
10pm Chicago P.D  (Season Premiere) 

Thursday, January 18 
8pm Law & Order (Season Premiere) 
9pm Law & Order SVU (season premiere) 
10pm Law & Order: Organized Crime (Season Premiere) 

Friday, January 19 
8pm Transplant (Time Period Premiere) 

Monday, January 29 
10pm The Irrational (Final Four episodes of season) 

Monday, February 26
8pm The Voice (Season Premiere, part 1) 
9:30pm Deal or No Deal Island (Season Premiere) 

Tuesday, February 27
8pm The Voice (Season Premiere, part 2) 


Monday. March 4
10pm Deal or NO Deal Island (Time Period premiere) 

Thursday, November 16, 2023

ABC sets Midseason premiere Dates

ABC  Midseason 2024  Network TV 



       ABC has released its midseason line up.  The network is blending in unscripted shows along with the return of scripted shows, post strike.   The midseason starts on Monday, January 22 with a two-hour premiere of  The Bachelor.  

        Comedy Wednesday nights are back on February 7, with The Conners, Not Dead Yet, and 1 hour of Abbott  Elementary.   Judge Steve Harvey returns to finish off the line up.  

        American Idol is back on February 18 with a two-hour premiere followed by  What Would You Do? which returns to ABC after a few years absence.  

      Tuesday, February 20 is the drama night with Will Trent, The Rookie, and The Good Doctor.  

  Moving from the FOX network to ABC it's 9-1-1 which will get Thursday Nights followed by the prerenal long holder shows of Grey's Anatomy and Station 19.  Returning March 14. 

    Here are the dates in detail; all times ET /PT  

Monday, January 22
8pm  The Bachelor (two hours) 
10:01pm 20/20"  (all-new limited true crime series, title TBA) 

Wednesday, February 7 
8pm The Conners
8:30pm  Not Dead Yet
9pm Abbott Elementary (one-hour premiere) 

Sunday, February 18
8pm American Idol (two hours) 
10pm What Would you Do? 

Tuesday, February 20 
8pm Will Trent 
9pm The Rookie 
10pm The Good Doctor 

Thursday, March 14
8pm 9-1-1
9pm Grey's Anatomy 
10pm Station 19 

Press Release after the Jump 

Thanksgiving: Short Lived Series Edition: Thanks (that's the name of the show)

 Thanksgiving 



          I've mentioned that finding Thanksgiving related specials is pretty hard, since most things are done either as episodes of series more than an outright stand alone special about the holiday.   But I do know, I've never combined our Short Lived Series uh series with a look at a holiday related stuff.  This time, a good reason exists, it's a short-lived TV sitcom about pilgrims/puritans living in early America. 

         It's kind of surprising how much early America isn't used as a setting for a TV series. The British comedies and dramas dip a lot into the 1600's, the 1800's, the early 1900's, or  that time between the World Wars. American shows did do some mid to late 1800's stuff with westerns, but there doesn't seem to be a lot of shows taking place in an earlier time, unless it's a documentary or a show taking place during the Revolutionary war.   There was a WGN America (now NewsNation) series called "Salem" that took place during the 1690's, but it's a barren amount of stuff. 

       The series I'm writing about is Thanks this is very short-lived series from CBS from 1999. The show ran 6 episodes between August 2nd and September 6th, which feels like burn-off was their intention.  Thanks , which is awkward name for a show when writing about it, was created by Phoef Sutton who worked as a writer on Newhart , later working with Nehwart on Bob. He also worked on Cheers, Almost Perfect, NewsRadio, and more. The otehr creator was Mark Legan who also has worked on shows like Grace Under Fire, A.N.T Farm, Mighty Med, and more. 
This isn't Full House



            So, Thanks takes place in 1621 when the early puritans settlers in Massachusetts. The show's main family characters are called the Winthrops  based off the famous John Winthrop.   There's the patriarch named James played by Tim Dutton who has played alot of roles in British TV.  James is the well meaning if slightly doofy father, fitting in with sitcoms on of the time.  There's his wife , Polly, played by  Kirsten Nelson, whom 'Psych' fans should know. They have three kids, two daughters and one son. The eldest, is daughter, Abigail, played by Erika Christensen, whom you might know from Parenthood, as an example.  The next daughter is Elizabeth, played by Amy Centner. Elizabeth 's character  really seems to be the smartest of the kids - and possibly the family, and  some of her jokes seem to be her mentioning things that are more our times knowledge and brings them up. And finally, the son , William, played by Andrew Ducote is the son. That's his character. There's also James' grandmother is played by  Cloris Leachman who gets to play best character on the show. Leachman brings her talent and makes a great character here. 
Who's the Boss? 


            The first episode takes place where spring is beginning after everyone in the town had a long deep winter.   James has reopened his store and  holds a spring party and there's news of a supply ship coming back and the people of the town are excited and wanted to get out. James wants his family to stay. Then their house gets burned down thanks to an accident by a family friend, named Cotton, who was trying to fix the roof.  James is sad and decides that they'll move back after all. Thanks to a speech from Elizabeth, Polly decides that the family should stay and try to make their dreams of America go well.  Of course, there wouldn't be a series anyway and the ship has plague on it so everyone is staying.

            The second episode has guests from Virginia coming, they are tobacco farmers, and one of them is Polly's cousin named Henrietta.  Polly wants her cousin to be impressed.  They've also brought in tobacco and James sells it at his store and it causes people in the town to get addicted to it.  Also a French free trader wants to take Abigail to a dance.  James decides to not sell it anymore, but Cotton chooses to instead.  He also ends up getting money and also makes cigarettes.   That goes badly because that's his character, the unlucky guy.  Everything else resolves itself well.  





     The third episode is about Grammy (Cloris Leachman) finally snapping about living with her son and his family and wants her own place.  Elizabeth suggests an idea that maybe Grammy should get her own room, which perplexes the others, but they decide to go with it.  Everyone in the town is spreading rumors.  Later, the people around town want to see the new room.  Grammy apparently doesn't like her new room, after all.  There's an attempt to make a sewing group and it seems to work.

      The fourth episode is about Cotton getting a mail-order bride and the twist seems to be that the mail order bride seems to be a woman who seems to be a woman who diets and Cotton is sad that she's thin. The wedding cake gets eaten by a porcupine. Which apparently according to James' mother is a sign the marriage is doomed. Polly and James are having a fight. The couple tries to figure how to get over their problems.  Cotton's wife has left him for another guy.  
We serve food here, sir. 


        The Fifth episode , Grammy is in love.  She's in love with a salesman and the salesman likes her. James isn't too happy about this.  James  overhears the guy talking about how much the guy likes his mother, but also apparently has attracted a bunch of other women. Which Grammy already knew. (Funny enough the episode even asks what's her real name)  But eventually she breaks it off with Bernie and it's over.  

    The Sixth episode.  Good for this post is this episode is called "Thanksgiving"  The episode is told in flashback where Elizabeth is talking to Grammy about her story of the past where the family and town meets Squanto.  Yes, this episode is tying into the Thanksgiving story.   Squanto wants to show James how to grow vegetables better.  Too much corn.  The Winthrop family wins the thing to do the entire town's Thanksgiving dinner.  James and Cotton's hunting trip goes badly but they end up getting turkey.   Squanto helps them figure out how to make the turkey.  Everything builds up to Thanksgiving. There's also a sweet moment of Elizabeth helping Grammy write her name. 

Thanksgiving, 1621, colorized 



            Those are more light rundowns of the episodes. Yes, this short-lived show had only 6 episodes before it was gone.  This sitcom  is one where some could expect it to be running one joke into the ground. And guess what? It doesn't.  The show takes the idea of a family sitcom, adds in a wacky assortment of townspeople as the wacky neighbors and happens to take place in 1620's New England. 

         The show is very wink and nudge but not so hard it feels out of place or forced. Elizabeth, the middle daughter,  and her role of playing the precocious middle child and using that for her to say lines about "Wouldn't that be interesting if one day... [insert something that our current times has] happens." Then the reactions from those she says that to, plays off it.  It's not as limited by the time period it takes place in as one would think and it gets to use that to effect.  The first episode is able to set up that they are in a harsh place uses that for dark comedy effectively, and while we know the reason why many did stay in real life  having a big reason why they stay and change their minds from leaving still fits, since ships took a long time back then and a plague ridden ship could be something that would restrict travel. 


         The setting works to a sitcom too, since sitcoms usually do limited sets and locations normally. Having the family in a one room house, because that's how 1600's worked, fits well for the series, then having James run the only store in town gives a secondary setting to use and a reason why everyone in town would be gathered somewhere. 

Wait , I thought this was Becker. 



        The satire works in a great way where it's not over the top and forcing it. The tobacco episode is a great example. The show does point at things that were noted to be done during that time period and manages to make it funny without going on making it surface level, people in the past were did things funny.  The episode were Cotton gets a mail-order bride plays with things in a few ways. One, the wife shows up and what she's wearing would seem out of fit for a conservative group of pilgrims and instead they are concerned that she's thin and talks about dieting  using trends that were around in 1990's.  

          The puritan characters are interesting in their own right. James Winthrop is an optimistic character  he wants the colony to do well and believes in the mission of staking a new claim and trying a better life.  While he does have some of the goofy dad stuff 90's sitcoms liked to do, he's still competent and not a made into a total loser character. It's a nice balance and a character you want to to root for.  Polly as the wife character is typical sitcom wife but she and James are a fun married couple. It's also interesting how another twist of the show is the two characters want to do romantic things but get stifled by the idea of someone seeing them.  Elizabeth ends up being the stand out child character. Someone decided that Jan Brady was right and made sure the middle child got the most focus. Abigail's character is teenage girl, but also annoyed by 1600's stuff, and William really just is the boy. The two of them do have jokes and are used for the plot, but they aren't the strongest child characters in the series. Elizabeth has the strongest role and use her for alot of different things.  Grammy is probably the best character, Cloris Leachman hits her role of the park. Her role is to be the bothersome mother to her son and annoying  mother-in-law but she plays it well and with her own flavor.  A slightly off kilter woman, without much of a filter, but still likable and a deep character. She's great bouncing off the other characters and situations. Cotton plays the town fool and the loser character, he's good to be interesting enough. The preacher is funny in how he's a doomsayer and kind of strange but somehow not unlikeable. There's a doctor who does 1600's medical stuff, he's quirky and fun.  It's not a really strong background cast, but not boring either. It probably would been different if the show didn't have only 6 episodes.  It's like Home Improvement and stopping at 6 episodes in, you still barely know Al and Wilson for them to really interest you. 

         For the short-lived series I've written about so far, this one seems to have been the most missed opportunity. It starts off strong and doesn't get a chance to grow, versus starting off kind of weak and not sure of itself. This show was doomed from the start since CBS decided to dump it to August /summertime when nobody would care about new TV at the time.  I don't think CBS had confidence enough which is funny since they picked it up in the first place. It's different than other sitcoms on the air. This was 1999, CBS was about to have a series where there's a guy living with all women, including Betty White, as the primary idea for a show.  It would have been strange in their line up at the time to have this 1600's timed sitcom in between "The King of Queens" and "Everybody Loves Raymond" (which weren't  bad shows)  I don't know why CBS picked it up.  
    
       Instead of trying to bring back stuff that ended and not letting things rest, maybe try to bring back things that didn't get a chance the first time, try it again, this should would fit with Ghosts on current CBS (if you are reading this in 2023, CBS, and no current event happening, hmm).  The series is well written and has a great wittiness too it. 

         Since, I'm also doubling this post as part of Thanksgiving, the finale episode is a good Thanksgiving episode. It takes the story of the first Thanksgiving we've heard and learned and absorbed and has fun with it. How did we have Turkey on Thanksgiving? Well, the two pilgrims were bad hunters and decided to bring back Turkeys instead of deer, after being stuck in the forest at night and running from a bear. That's funny.   

         The concept of doing a sitcom that takes place during Early America is something that seems to be out of the box. There are places it could have failed in how it was executed, but here it didn't, it's strongly written and funny.  It would have been interesting to see how it could have gone beyond these six episodes and where the show could have gotten tired, if it could.
     
  So here we do have a case of a short-lived series that seemed to have some great potential, but wasn't given more of a chance and doomed from its start.  It's still an interesting series to check out and you should.  

          That does it for now, tune in next time when we create a sitcom called "You're Welcome" .  

        

           

  

Monday, November 13, 2023

CBS Sets 2024 Premiere Dates

CBS NETWORK TV 






         With both the writers' strike and actors' strike over, CBS has become the first broadcast network to announce their post-strike programming plans.  [CBS' Prime Time Promo

           The Super Bowl is the kick off date for a roll out.  The new drama Tracker , will premiere right after the big game on February 11, 2024. 

            Returning scripted dramas and comedies make their season premieres starting on February 12.  This includes shows like the FBI  and NCIS shows, Young Sheldon, and Ghosts. The seasons will be shorter than previous due to the strikes.    

        The new series that were planned during the fall original fall line up , like the reimagined Matlock and Poppa's  House  have been moved to the 2024 fall season.  Elsbeth , a spin-off of The Good Wife , will be premiering this season. 

        Reality shows,  Survivor and The Amazing Race will have new seasons in March.  

Here's the 2024 schedule all times are ET/PT, unless otherwise noted  

Sunday, February 11 
(Following Super Bowl LVIII)

10-11pm  Tracker (Series premiere, estimated start time ) 

Monday, February 12 
8pm The Neighborhood  (sixth season premiere) 
8:30pm  Bob ❤️ Abishola (fifth season premiere) 
9pm  NCIS (season premiere) 
10pm NCIS : Hawaii (third season premiere) 

Tuesday, February 13 
8pm  FBI  (sixth season premiere) 
9pm  FBI :International  (third season premiere) 
10pm  FBI: Most Wanted (fifth season premiere) 

Thursday, February 15 
8pm Young Sheldon (seventh season premiere) 
8:30pm Ghosts  (third season premiere) 
9pm  So Help Me Todd (second season premiere) 
10pm  Tracker (premiere episode encore)

February 16
8pm  S.W.A.T (seventh season premiere) 
9pm Fire Country (second season premiere) 
10pm  Blue Bloods (fourteenth season premiere) 

Sunday, February 18 
7pm 60 Minutes 
8pm  The Equalizer (fourth season premiere) 
9pm  Tracker (Time Period) 
10pm  CSI: Vegas (third season premiere, new time) 


Thursday, February 22
8pm Young Sheldon
8:30pm Ghosts 
9pm  So Help Me Todd 
10pm  Tracker (second episode encore) 

Wednesday, February 28
8-10pm  Survivor (46th season premiere) 

Thursday, February 29 
8pm Young Sheldon 
8:30pm Ghosts 
9pm So Help Me Todd 
10pm Elsbeth (series premiere) 

Wednesday, March 6 
8-10pm Survivor (two hour episode) 

Wednesday, March 13 
8-9:30pm Survivor (return to 90 minute episodes) 
9:30-11pm  The Amazing Race (36th season premiere) 


Press release after the jump


Thursday, November 09, 2023

Weekendering: The Weekenders : Season 3: Episode 4: Secret Admirer/ The Lone Wolves Club

The Weekenders Disney 

Previously on  Weekendering: There's work to do...  read that here 




Episode 4a: Secret Admirer 

                Carver has gotten an anonymous letter from someone who really likes him, but only enough to send him a secret letter.  The friends have found out and he's become brain mush thinking about who his admirer.  The friends don't think that it's possible has someone who admires him and thinks the things in the letter. He seeks to prove them wrong.  Carver also thinks that girl who admires him a good looking one. 

          Then later a girl named Nona decides to speed up the plot a bit and tell Carver she's the girl that wrote him the notes. Now Carver worries about her being taller than him. Carver is not sure he likes that, but he doesn't want to say to her out loud. (something)  Tish continues to tell him he only cares about appearances. When he gets compared to a pineapple he starts about how he was being only known for how he looks does feel bad. 

        He talks to Nona and apologizes then mentions the pineapple thing which freaks her out because she apparently fears pineapples. (She would really hate Spongebob)  Funny enough this actually makes Carver like her more, because she's ' shallow like him.  [Those were his words] 

                With this episode I like how the secret admirer part hooks into the part where the admirer shows up and not make it feel off. The idea that Carver was looking for someone based off their looks fitting into judging Nona for being taller than him, then being made fun of for looking like a pineapple head worked well to smoothly get the message across. Tish angrily yelling at Carver about how he judges looks was a bit on the nose, then she's the one that says that Tino's head looks kind of like a pumpkin, she's not above it. 

         The show really has flowed with its format here too, not having Tino's mom be any way part of an answer to a problem, but the food gag still showing up works. I like Nona also seems to run away from Carver because she fears pineapples and now can't un think of his head looking like one.  

        The episode didn't do a full secret admirer search plot which was fine not to have that drag out for 11 minutes and did something else with it. The funny moments work here a little better than how it forced parts of its message. Lor's whistle gag was alright, it didn't get too annoying and had some fun punchlines to it. Tino and the blue food was funny.  I give this one a 7/10. 

More after the jump 

Friday, November 03, 2023

NBC Announces Holiday Programming 2023

NBC Christmas Thanksgiving New Year Holidays




   NBC has released holiday programming plans, which of course includes the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, Christmas in Rockefeller Center, How the Grinch Stole Christmas, and more. 

     Holiday programming starts on Wednesday, November 22 with Countdown to Macy's  Thanksgiving Day Parade. Also that night is a special A Saturday Night Live Thanksgiving, from 9-11pm ET. 

The 97th Annual Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade starts at 8:30am and ends at noon (all time zones) and followed by The National Dog Show. 

The annual Christmas in Rockefeller Center is on Wednesday, November 29. Along with  Christmas in Graceland. 

        The 1966 classic special How the Grinch Stole Christmas is on Thursday, November 30 along with Shrek the Halls

   NBC has also has their annual broadcast of It's a Wonderful Life on Christmas Eve.   

     Musical themed specials include Christmas at the Opry and Barry Manilow's A Very Barry Christmas. 

        Here's the full line up, all times are ET/PT unless other wise noted 

Wednesday, November 22

8-9pm Countdown to Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade 
9-11pm  A Saturday Night Live Thanksgiving Special 

Tuesday, November 23
8:30am-12pm  (all time zones)  97th Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade  (encore 2pm) 
12-2pm (all time zones)   National Dog Show Presented by Purina 

Monday, November 27 
9pm That's my Jam 

Wednesday, November 29 
8-10pm  Christmas in Rockefeller Center 
10-11pm Christmas in Graceland 

Thursday, November 30
8pm  How the Grinch Stole Christmas 
8:30pm Shrek the Halls 

Monday, December 4
10pm Blake Shelton's Holiday Bartacular Featuring ICE T 

Thursday, December 7
8-10pm  Christmas at the Opry

Saturday, December 9 
8:30pm Trolls: Holiday in Harmony 
9pm Shrek the Halls  

Monday, December 11
10pm Barry Manilow's A Very Barry Christmas 

Thursday, December 14
8-10pm A Saturday Night Liev Christmas Special 

Friday, December 15 
8-10pm Dolly Parton's Coat of Many Colors

Wednesday, December 20 
8pm  Barry Manilow's A Very Barry Christmas (encore) 
9-11pm  Christmas at the Opry (encore) 

Thursday, December 21 
8pm Christmas at Graceland (Encore) 
9-11pm Dolly Parton's Mountain Magic Christmas 

Friday, December 22
8-10pm Dolly Parton's Christmas of Many Colors : Circle of Love 

Sunday, December 24 
8-11pm It's A Wonderful Life 

11:30-1am  A Christmas Eve Mass 

Monday, December 25 
8pm  How the Grinch Stole Christmas  (1964) 
8:30pm How the Grinch Stole Christmas (2000)

Monday, January 1 
11am-1pmet/ 8-10am PT Rose Parade (live)


Press Release after the Jump

Thursday, November 02, 2023

ABC Holiday programming 2023

ABC Christmas New Year 


            ABC is ready to get festive this year.  ABC's holiday line up includes the return of "The Great Christmas Light Fight" which will also be returning in 2024.  "The Wonderful World of Disney" movie presentations.  "Press Your Luck" gets a Christmas special, so does "Shark Tank", "Celebrity Family Feud",  "Celebrity Wheel of Fortune", and "The $100,000 Pyramid". The annual broadcast of "Santa Claus is Comin' to Town" is on December 12th.  The IHeartRadio Jingle Ball which moves from the CW to ABC this season.  Of course, everything finishes off with the annual "Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve with Ryan Seacrest" on December 31st.  

Here's the full listings and specials all times are ET/PT unless otherwise noted 

Sunday, November 26 
7pm  America's Funniest Home Videos 
8pm  The  Wonderful World of Disney :Magical Holiday Celebration 
10pm  The Great Christmas Light Fight  (Season Premiere) 

Sunday, December 3 
8pm The Santa Clause 
10pm The Great Christmas Light Fight 

Tuesday, December 5
10:01pm Press Your Luck 

Friday, December 8
8-9:01pm  Shark Tank 

Sunday, December 10 
7pm  Mickey Saves Christmas 
7:30 Olaf's Frozen Adventure 
8pm   Frozen 
10pm The Great Christmas Light Fight  

Tuesday, December 12
8pm Santa Claus is Comin' To Town 
9-11pm  The Great Christmas Light Fight 


Wednesday, December 13 
8pm  Celebrity Family Feud 
9pm  Celebrity Wheel of Fortune 
10pm The $100,000 Pyramid 

Thursday, December 14
8-9:02pm CMA Country Christmas 

Tuesday, December 19 
8pm  Disney's Prep and Landing 
8:30pm Disney's Prep and Landing 2: Naughty vs. Nice 
9-11pm  The Great Christmas Light Fight   (Season Finale) 

Thursday, December 21 
8-10pm  IheartRadio Jingle Ball  2023 

Sunday, December 24 
8-10pm Home Alone 

Monday, December 25
10-12pm/9-11am PT  Disney Parks Magical Christmas Day Parade 

Sunday, December 31 
8pm-2:13am  Dick Clark's New Year Rockin' Eve with Ryan Seacrest 

Press release after the jump

"Hazel" Doesn't Like Rock N' Roll

 Classic TV 



        I'm always trying to find different things to do here on this site because why not? (Also our ratings might be down) So of course, the best idea is to  *checks notes* write about an episode of a 1960's TV show.  But I have done that before, and like I classic TV shows.   Anyway,  I wanted to write about a strange episode of the series Hazel. 

     Hazel is a sitcom from the 1960's based off a character from The Saturday Evening Post (which , should be read on Tuesday Late Nights) it's about a maid who lives with a family , named Hazel. Hazel  was played by Shirley Booth. (Our Christmas post viewers will know her as the voice of Mrs. Claus in "A Year Without A Santa Claus" )  The basic premise was the maid was the main attraction to our normal American family (who have a maid)  and hijinks ensue. It ran 4 seasons on NBC from 1961-1965, but then was canceled. But then... it was uncanceled, and a new season in 1965 on CBS.  

        Sometimes when a show gets canceled then gets uncanceled, it might not be the same. (It's like throwing your phone and then picking it up, it might look the same, but it's not.)  Quickly, they changed the cast. Which is strange for a family sitcom, that'd be like watching Leave it To Beaver and then one day Ward and June have been replaced by a new couple named Chad and Donna.  The actors who played George and Dorothy Baxter were replaced. They did keep the kid, Harold Baxter, played by Bobby Buntrock  and Booth as Hazel.  That's a sign of how things were going. 

   They didn't change the actors for Harold's parents, nah, they decided to have him live with his uncle and aunt, randomly made up here. Steve Baxter and Barbra Baxter. They also added a daughters named Suzie.  Hazel became their maid. So how did they explain the parents being gone. (Spins will: Come on, they did in car crash)  George got a new job on Baghdad, Iraq.  This is 60's Baghdad, so it's a little different. George and his wife (not Jane) decided to go to Baghdad and leave their son at home because he can't miss school. (I guess 60's Baghdad didn't have schools)  

         Season 5, doing all that , might as well explain why this episode goes the way it does. This was the final final season, because I mean look at it.   This is the 21st episode of Season 5, called "My Son, the Sheepdog" which is sadly not an episode about any kids turning into a sheep dog and going on adventures. (boo!) Which probably would have been a better episode. 

         I had been watching "Hazel" on Antenna TV as one does and at one point it got to season 5.  I hadn't really watched the show before it airing on there, it's not one of classic shows I've watched compared to others.  I picked this episode, just because it felt weird. 

            
      Harold is starting a band with some friends which is why he's come home late for dinner. (A big sin in family sitcoms) It seems to flow like a normal episode of sitcom. Harold asks if the band can practice  at the house's garage and the uncle and aunt say it's fine.  Also Harold using an accordion for a rock band, kind of cool. 

          One of the mother's of one of the kids named Jefferson Williams (no relation to Jefferson Airplane) shows up because she heard the music and hates it and is annoyed. Hazel and Mrs. Williams hates the boys' hair too, because there's somewhere this play is going. The woman doesn't want Jeff to play music like that because reasons. 

It also keeps the sun from his eyes 



            Later, Mrs. Williams is still complaining about Jeff at card game with her husband and the NU-Baxters.  Then  the aunt says she doesn't mind the music, she's mad at how they want to dress and their hair. This episode aired in 1966, and was probably made in late 1965.  The context is like older writers complaining about the young people, a very timeless thing.  The men are joking about how Jeff was reading a Men's hair fashion magazine, surprised a thing exists. Hold on.... checks Bing... wait checks calendar...never mind. The aunt worries about how it might affect her daughter because of reasons. 

Live reactions of people watching this episode, Susie is the writer. 



            The two men do have a thought that's just a fad for the band contest and think that when the boys lose things will go back to normal. (Uhh confidence?)    It's the next day,  Susie comes home and explains why she's late from school, because her music teacher took her class to see the boys practice. Also learned a new dance called "The Swim".   Which is a real dance. (Someone was mad when they wrote this episode, but they seemed to doing their research)  Jeff's mom is annoyed that he hasn't cut his hair and yells about him being on TV and looking like that. 


        Some writer knew the word  Peruke and was really proud of themselves to have Jeff say that. [Peruke is an old term for a men's wig, used in the 17th/18th Century]  Hazel, who funny enough is kind of just around this episode, comments about Harold's hair style, but at least seems supportive of his band. 


        The adults are watching the TV Show and are not enjoying these bands.  Hazel says the kids on TV look like sheepdogs and there's our title- part of it.  The 60's TV set for the music show is pretty cool though, and seems to have no concern for safety, good for it.  The adults seem to be befuddled and confused that this happening.  Also Jeff's mom says the title, there we go. Was I supposed to laugh?
Hey! This isn't My Mother the Car! 




            The guys think the boys will lose... but this is a sitcom so that means... that's right the boys won. (ha!) Later, the Leapin' Lizards band gets gigs with payment.  The adults are bothered by everything. Jeff's mother is concerned about his hair being about as long as the girls that have surrounded him wanting autographs.  Which is not factually true, source: my eyes.  

The girls like rockers, what did the episode mean by this?


            Hazel decides a new plan is to join them. So like Hazel has stopped doing the cleaning because this is a comparable thing to just being part of a band, making money, and still doing school work and keeping things on priority. Harold even told his uncle earlier he made sure they only do gigs on weekends and before 9PM, so they don't miss sleep. Then he and Jeff see their parents and Hazel dancing to music, being dressed weird, and doing strange stuff. 

This isn't strange... you should see the Munster family down the street



            The aunt and uncle are tired of pretending they've lost it because it's taking awhile.  Then the boys find out the adults are going to perform at the PTA meeting and want the boys' band to be their band.    The kids tell the adults to dress and act the way they  used to , and the boys say they'll be cutting their hair and dressing normally and stuff. 

             As a time piece, this episode is kind of timeless, by how it shows generational disconnect. The episode isn't good. The Leapin' Lizard band really just dresses kind of funny, has long hair (in our context is more a normal boy hair style now) and plays strange music, but  they weren't really doing anything of harm. Even the episode is like pointing and thinking it's wrong, doesn't even have them do anything that's wrong.   The boys still seem to be doing their school work, it wasn't brought they weren't.  It just seemed to annoy the adults by existing.  

        The adults actually act worse by putting off important things or pretending to.  It's also strange as an episode for the show called "Hazel" about Hazel and she's barely there and is only brought in to be part of the moaning or to think up the idea that they should try to convince the kids turn away from rock n' roll stuff.  

       This episode could have been written better too, but I guess by this point, they just didn't care and the show was going to end again anyway.  It would be really easy to beat up on an episode of a show from 1966, but that 1966 date is interesting alone. The 1960's around this point was building up turmoil, including generational.   The hair styles the boys were trying to have, in away would become more normal later on. Look at like season 3 of the Brady Bunch.  The idea of the guys saying they think it's just a phase and the boys going back to normal at the end, kind of feels to be the hope of the writers. If you read into it too much.   

    For Hazel, which wasn't a bad sitcom, it's a strange episode since the appeal is to see Hazel doing something and see what chaos ensues. This episode doesn't do much of anything like that. The adults  acting like the kids could have been funny if the kids were actually shirking doing things they should be doing besides hair and clothing.  This is also written the in context of modern times where I think it's silly to complain about a boy having longer hair, but that probably was a topic of the times or something.  

     1966 is also an interesting year for sitcoms , a lot of older mainstays were ending. The Donna Reed Show  The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet , and  The Dick Van Dyke Show ended too, There was a shift happening as more modern , swish 60's feeling sitcoms were coming in. This season was done in color, in the hopes that that'd be something to make sure the people who also had maids could enjoy on their new color TVs.  It's very much a sitcom episode , pointing out how it's confused about its contemporary times and not sure what to say.  It kind of doesn't even aim to have a moral, a compromise, or even stick to being funny.     


      Well, that's it for now, tune in next time when we yell about modern kids and their I-pods and 1997 Dodge Caravans. (What?)