Freeform's 25 Days of Christmas 2024

Freeform Christmas 

       It's that time of year again?  It is!  Freeform continues their tradition of 25 Days of Christmas. From December 1-25, the cable network brings its viewers a mixture of Christmas movies and specials past and present.   

             Of note, Freeform has the rights to "Mariah Carey's All I want for Christmas is You" an animated special that first aired on AMC a few years ago.  They also have rights to "Arthur Christmas" this year.   

              In terms of the Rankin-Bass specials they have the rights to (AMC has the rights to another set).   Frosty the Snowman will first air on December 7 at 8:35pm ET and air 6 more times through the month.  Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer will first air on December 7 at 9:10pm ET, and run 6 more times through the month. Of note, viewers who get Freeform through Youtube TV,  Hulu TV, Fubo, and services that aren't hardwired cable, won't be seeing this specials as they don't have the streaming rights.   Santa Claus is Comin' to Town will first Air December 3 at 9:55pm ET, and runs 8 more times through the month.  The Little Drummer Boy , gets no prime slots (because of course it doesn't)  will air 4 times (it's also streaming on Hulu and Prime Video).   Cricket on the Hearth will air 3 times.  Twice on December 6 at 7am ET and 1am ET. 

             The Grinch is still part of the line up with both the 2000 film and the 2018 film.  The latter will air 12 times and the former will as well.     

             Other premieres to the line up include "Dashing through the Snow" (2023)  and "Santa's Little Helper" (2015) 

Here's the full line up all times ET/PT (and all things are subject to change) 

Sunday, December 1
7:00 AM. – “Prep & Landing” (Disney Animated)
7:30 AM. – “Mickey’s Once Upon A Christmas”
9:00 AM. – “Mickey’s Twice Upon A Christmas”
10:30 AM. – “Mariah Carey’s All I Want for Christmas Is You” – Freeform Premiere
12:30 PM. – “Arthur Christmas”
2:35 PM. – “Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas”
4:15 PM. – “Moana” (Disney Animated)
6:45 PM. – “Home Alone”
9:15 PM. – “Home Alone 2: Lost in New York”
11:55 PM. – “Home Alone 3”

Monday, December 2
7:00 AM. – “Mariah Carey’s All I Want for Christmas Is You”
10:30 AM. – “Arthur Christmas”
12:35 PM. – “Miracle on 34th Street” (1994)
3:10 PM. – “Home Alone”
5:40 PM. – “Home Alone 2: Lost in New York”
8:20 PM. – “Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas” (2000)
12:00 AM. – “Black Nativity”

Tuesday, December 3
7:00 AM. – “Black Nativity”
10:30 AM. – “The Preacher’s Wife”
1:10 PM. – “Richie Rich’s Christmas Wish”
3:10 PM. – “Disney’s A Christmas Carol”
5:15 PM. – “Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas” (2000)
7:55 PM. – “Dr. Seuss’ The Grinch” (2018)
9:55 PM. – “Santa Claus Is Comin’ to Town”
12:00 AM. – “Home Alone 3”

Wednesday, December 4
7:00 AM. – “Jingle All the Way”
10:30 AM. – “The Little Drummer Boy” (1968)
11:00 AM. – “Home Alone” – Freeform Pop’n Knowledge
1:30 PM. – “Santa Claus Is Comin’ to Town”
2:30 PM. – “Dr. Seuss’ The Grinch” (2018)
4:30 PM. – “The Santa Clause”
6:30 PM. – “The Santa Clause 2”
8:55 PM. – “The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause”
12:00 AM. – “The Mistle-Tones”

Thursday, December 5
7:00 AM. – “Jingle All the Way 2”
10:30 AM. – “Christmas with the Kranks”
12:30 PM. – ”Disney’s A Christmas Carol”
2:30 PM. – “Arthur Christmas”
4:30 PM. – “Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas”
6:00 PM. – “Frozen” (Disney Animated)
8:25 PM. – “Frozen II” (Disney Animated)
10:30 PM. – “Olaf’s Frozen Adventure” (Disney Animated)
12:00 AM. – “Holiday in Handcuffs”

Friday, December 6
7:00 AM. – “Cricket on the Hearth”
8:00 AM. – “Christmas with the Kranks”
12:00 PM. – “Arthur Christmas”
2:05 PM. – “Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas”
3:40 PM. – “Disney’s A Christmas Carol”
5:45 PM. – “Home Alone”
8:15 PM. – “Home Alone 2” Lost in New York”
10:55 PM. – “Noelle”
1:00 AM. – “Cricket on the Hearth”

Saturday, December 7
7:00 AM. – “Mariah Carey’s All I Want for Christmas Is You”
9:10 AM. – “Santa Buddies: The Legend of Santa Paws”
11:15 AM. – “The Search for Santa Paws”
1:20 PM. – “Santa Paws 2: The Santa Pups”
3:25 PM. – “Home Alone”
5:55 PM. – “Home Alone 2: Lost in New York”
8:35 PM. – “Frosty the Snowman”
9:10 PM. – “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer”
10:15 PM. – “Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas” (2000)
12:55 AM. – “Santa Claus Is Comin’ to Town”

Sunday, December 8
7:00 AM. – “The Family Man” (2000)
10:00 AM. – “The Santa Clause”
12:00 PM. – “The Santa Clause 2”
2:30 PM. – “The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause”
4:30 PM. – “Santa Claus Is Comin’ to Town”
5:35 PM. – “Frosty the Snowman”
6:10 PM. – “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer”
7:15 PM. – “Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas” (2000)
9:55 PM. – “Dashing Through the Snow” (2023) – Freeform Premiere
12:00 AM. – “Santa’s Little Helper” (2015) – Freeform Premiere

Monday, December 9
7:00 AM. – “Richie Rich’s Christmas Wish”
10:30 AM. – “Mickey’s Once Upon a Christmas”
12:00 PM. – “The Santa Clause”
2:00 PM. – “The Santa Clause 2”
4:25 PM. – “The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause”
6:30 PM. – “Miracle on 34th Street” (1994)
9:00 PM. – “Dr. Seuss’ The Grinch” (2018)
12:00 AM. – “Arthur Christmas”

Tuesday, December 10
7:00 AM. – “Santa’s Little Helper” (2015)
10:30 AM. – “Mickey’s Twice Upon a Christmas”
12:00 PM. – “Arthur Christmas”
2:00 PM. – “Miracle on 34th Street” (1994)
4:30 PM. – “Disney’s A Christmas Carol”
6:30 PM. – “Dr. Seuss’ The Grinch” (2018)
8:30 PM. – “Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas” (2000)
12:00 AM. – “Christmas with the Kranks”

Wednesday, December 11
7:00 AM. – “Christmas with the Kranks”
10:30 AM. – “Cricket on the Hearth”
11:30 AM. – “Jingle All the Way”
1:30 PM. – “Jingle All the Way 2”
3:30 PM. – “Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas” (2000)
6:00 PM. – “Home Alone”
8:25 PM. – “Home Alone 2: Lost in New York”
12:00 AM. – “I’ll Be Home for Christmas” (1998)

Thursday, December 12
7:00 AM. – “I’ll Be Home for Christmas” (1998)
10:30 AM. – “The Little Drummer Boy” (1968)
11:00 AM. – “Toy Story that Time Forgot” (Disney-Pixar)
11:30 AM. – “Richie Rich’s Christmas Wish”
1:30 PM. – “Home Alone”
3:55 PM. – “Home Alone 2: Lost in New York”
6:30 PM. – “The Santa Clause”
8:35 PM. – “The Santa Clause 2”
12:00 AM. – “The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause”

Friday, December 13
7:00 AM. – “Santa Buddies: The Legend of Santa Paws”
9:05 AM. – “The Search for Santa Paws”
11:10 AM. – “Santa Paws 2: The Santa Pups”
1:10 PM. – “Toy Story” (Disney-Pixar)
3:10 PM. – “Toy Story 2” (Disney-Pixar)
5:15 PM. – “Toy Story 3” (Disney-Pixar)
7:45 PM. – “Toy Story 4” (Disney-Pixar)
9:50 PM. – “Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas” (2000)
12:30 AM. – “Mickey’s Once Upon a Christmas”

Saturday, December 14
7:00 AM. – “The Family Man” (2000)
10:00 AM. – “Disney’s A Christmas Carol”
12:00 PM. – “Noelle”
2:05 PM. – “Dr. Seuss’ The Grinch” (2018)
4:05 PM. – “Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas” (2000)
6:45 PM. – “Home Alone”
9:15 PM. – “Home Alone 2: Lost in New York”
11:55 PM. – “Mariah Carey’s All I Want for Christmas Is You”

Sunday, December 15
7:00 AM. – “Mickey’s Twice Upon a Christmas”
8:30 AM. – “Mariah Carey’s All I Want for Christmas Is You”
10:30 AM. – “Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas”
12:10 PM. – “Dr. Seuss’ The Grinch” (2018)
2:10 PM. – “Home Alone”
4:40 PM. – “Home Alone 2: Lost in New York”
7:20 PM. – “The Santa Clause”
9:25 PM. – “The Santa Clause 2”
11:55 PM. – “The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause”

Monday, December 16
7:00 AM. – “Mariah Carey’s All I Want for Christmas Is You”
9:00 AM. – “The Santa Clause”
11:05 AM. – “The Santa Clause 2”
1:30 PM. – “The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause”
3:35 PM. – “Home Alone”
6:05 PM. – “Home Alone 2: Lost in New York”
8:45 PM. – “ Frosty the Snowman”
9:20 PM. – “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer”
10:25 PM. – “Santa Claus Is Comin’ to Town”
11:30 PM. – “Miracle on 34th Street” (1994)

Tuesday, December 17
7:00 AM. – “Santa Buddies: The Legend of Santa Paws”
10:30 AM. – “Miracle on 34th Street” (1994)
1:05 PM. – “Home Alone”
3:35 PM. – “Home Alone 2: Lost in New York”
6:15 PM. – “Santa Claus Is Comin’ to Town”
7:20 PM. – “Frosty the Snowman”
7:55 PM. – “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer”
9:00 PM. – “Dr. Seuss’ The Grinch” (2018)
12:00 AM. – “Richie Rich’s Christmas Wish”

Wednesday, December 18
7:00 AM. – “The Search for Santa Paws”
10:30 AM. – “Disney’s A Christmas Carol”
12:30 PM. – “Arthur Christmas”
2:30 PM. – “Dr. Seuss’ The Grinch” (2018)
4:30 PM. – “The Santa Clause”
6:30 PM. – “The Santa Clause 2”
8:55 PM. – “The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause”
12:00 AM. – “Black Nativity”

Thursday, December 19
7:00 AM. – “Santa Paws 2: The Santa Pups”
10:30 AM. – “Merry Madagascar”
11:00 AM. – “Arthur Christmas”
1:05 PM. – “Home Alone”
3:35 PM. – “Home Alone 2: Lost in New York”
6:15 PM. – “Dashing Through the Snow” (2023)
8:20 PM. – “Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas” (2000)
12:00 AM. – “Disney’s A Christmas Carol”

Friday, December 20
7:00 AM. – “Merry Madagascar”
7:30 AM. – “The Little Drummer Boy” (1968)
8:00 AM. – “The Santa Clause”
10:00 AM. – “The Santa Clause 2”
12:25 PM. – “The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause”
2:25 PM. – “Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas” (2000)
5:00 PM. – “Home Alone”
7:25 PM. – “Home Alone 2: Lost in New York”
10:00 PM. – “Dr. Seuss’ The Grinch” (2018)
12:00 AM. – “Arthur Christmas”

Saturday, December 21
7:00 AM. – “The Little Drummer Boy” (1968)
7:30 AM. – “Arthur Christmas”
9:30 AM. – “Dr. Seuss’ The Grinch” (2018)
11:30 AM. – “Home Alone” – Freeform Pop’n Knowledge
2:00 PM. – “Home Alone 2: Lost in New York”
4:35 PM. – “Santa Claus Is Comin’ to Town”
5:40 PM. – “Frosty the Snowman”
6:15 PM. – “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer”
7:20 PM. – “The Santa Clause”
9:25 PM. – “The Santa Clause 2”
11:55 PM. – “The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause”

Sunday, December 22
7:00 AM. – “Miracle on 34th Street” (1994)
9:35 AM. – “Disney’s A Christmas Carol”
11:40 AM. – “Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas”
1:20 PM. – “Santa Claus Is Comin’ to Town”
2:25 PM. – “Frosty the Snowman”
3:00 PM. – “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer”
4:05 PM. – “Home Alone”
6:35 PM. – “Home Alone 2: Lost in New York”
9:15 PM. – “Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas” (2000)
11:55 PM. – “Arthur Christmas”

Monday, December 23
7:00 AM. – “The Preacher’s Wife”
9:30 AM. – “Disney’s A Christmas Carol”
11:35 AM. – “Arthur Christmas”
1:40 PM. – “Olaf’s Frozen Adventure”
2:10 PM. – “Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas”
3:50 PM. – “Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas” (2000)
6:30 PM. – “Home Alone”
9:00 PM. – “Home Alone 2: Lost in New York”
11:40 PM. – “Last Christmas”

Tuesday, December 24
7:00 AM. – “Richie Rich’s Christmas Wish”
10:30 AM. – “Home Alone 2: Lost in New York”
1:00 PM. – “The Santa Clause”
3:00 PM. – “The Santa Clause 2”
5:25 PM. – “The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause”
7:30 PM. – “Frosty the Snowman”
8:00 PM. – “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer”
9:00 PM. – “Dr. Seuss’ The Grinch” (2018)
12:00 AM. – “Disney’s A Christmas Carol”

Wednesday, December 25
7:00 AM. – “Disney’s A Christmas Carol”
10:30 AM. – “Frosty the Snowman”
11:00 AM. – “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer”
2:00 PM. – “The Santa Clause”
4:00 PM. – “Dr. Seuss’ The Grinch” (2018)
6:00 PM. – “Home Alone”
8:25 PM. – “Home Alone 2: Lost in New York”
12:00 AM. – “Christmas with the Kranks”

 

 Full Press Release after the jump 

The CW  Holidays  Thanksgiving Christmas New Year 

            

        The CW has released its upcoming holiday programming schedule. That includes a new special  Best Christmas Movies Ever!  and returning favorites like Grandma Got Runover by a Reindeer , The 92nd Annual Hollywood Christmas Parade , and Penn  &Teller: Merry Fool Us. 

        The network will be doing network premieres of The Family Man  and The Grinch from 2018.   Here's a full look at their programming , all times are ET/PT/Denver/Saint Louis.  

  

Sunday November 10 

7-10pm  The Family Man 

Saturday, November 16 

8-10pm A Waltons Thanksgiving 

Sunday, November 17

7-10pm The Holiday 

Wednesday, November 27

8-9pm  Superman & Lois 

9-9:30pm The Conners (Holiday themed episode) 

9:30-10pm The Conners (Holiday themed episode) 

Friday, November 29 

8-9pm Grandma Got Runover by a Reindeer 

9-9:30pm Children Ruin Everything (Season 4 Premiere) 

9:30-10pm Children Ruin Everything (Original Episode) 

Sunday, December 1 

7-9pm TBA 

9-10pm  Penn & Teller : Merry Fool Us

Monday, December 2 

8-9pm Superman  & Lois (Series Finale) 

9-10pm Trivial Pursuit (special Night) 

Saturday, December 7 

8-10pm  A California Christmas 

Sunday, December 8

7-9pm  Illumination Presents : Dr. Seuss' The Grinch 

9-9:30pm  The Conners (Holiday Themed Episode) 

9:30-10pm The Conners (Holiday Themed Episode) 

Monday, December 9 

8-10pm Best Christmas Movies Ever! 

Wednesday, December 11 

8-9pm Sullivan's Crossing (season 2 Finale ) 

9-10pm Inside the NFL 

Saturday, December 14 

8-10pm  The 92nd Annual Hollywood Christmas Parade 

Sunday, December 15 

7-9pm Christmas with The Chosen: Holy Night 

9-9:30pm The Conners 

9:30-10pm The Conners 

Wednesday, December 18

8-9pm Grandma Got Runover by a Reindeer (Encore) 

9-10pm  Inside the NFL

Saturday, December 21

8-10pm The Walton's Homecoming 

Sunday, December 22 

7-9:30pm Tyler Perry's A Madea Christmas 

9:30-10pm The Conners (Holiday Themed Episode) 

Thursday, December 26 

8-9pm  Scrabble  (Season 1 Finale) 

9-10pm Trivial Pursuit (Season 1 Finale) 

Full PR after the jump 

Halloween: The Loud House: Close Encounters of the Nerd Kind

Halloween 

           Lincoln and his friends are  going together for "tricks or treats" (we use Peanuts lingo around here)  as a unified costume theme from an old movie they've been watching called  "Planet Protection Patrol" which I'm sure will not come into play at all in this 44 minute long episode, nope. ---Fast forwards----well never mind. 

        The Loud sisters have another haunted house has part of their traditions, but it's not scary. Honestly, the real Mr. Coconuts is scarier than Luan wearing a mask of him.  It's so no scary, that a five-year-old girl , Darcy, wasn't scared by it, it's so not scary that it made Charlie Brown actually want to get rocks, it's not scary that Jack Skellington decided to quit being the king of Halloween of disgust. (Doing this long joke huh?) 

       Clyde, Zach, Rusty, Stella, and Liam show up all of them also dressed up their costumes. Oh yeah Lincoln is commander because he's the leader. [ Also minus 1pt for that you know what that was] The Planet Protection Patrol is supposed to be some parody of  I guess "Star Trek" maybe? I don't know, but also has a tree character because uhh I don't know. The Loud sisters lurk in the background as they think the group is acting too "geeky" or something. My question is where have they been? Have they've never seen these people before ever.  Also are Zach's parents right?  Is Halloween a conspiracy by big candy? Then again, it might be a conspiracy by both big candy , dentists, and Disney.  [That last one isn't even a joke ] (you learn things in this post)  

              Zach has brought weapons that apparently his parents built and actually work.  Is this how the Gurdles make their money? I'm sure these also will not come into play in the plot at all, nope. (don't do this twice) While Lynn's backhanded concern is nice, does she know that people dress in all sorts of costumes on Halloween? If anything any bullies coming by would really be trying anyone just to get the candy, that's why someone would bully on Halloween. (probably)   

          There's a trick or treat scene , then Chandler and Trent show up to be a fake scare out. (cat jump scare would be more purrfect)  Do they serve a purpose? Yes, they are there to get the plot. One of the devices Zach brought was  a communicator that can broadcast to space. Now, this thing will actually work, get that out here now. But (big but), Since thing works, why did it work here?  Has it done any communicating before? Why did Zach bring this, it's not even a weapon? He did promise his parents not to turn it on, but why that thing? Besides plot. Chandler decides to mess with the thing and sends a message to random aliens.  Then two girls see something strange hovering and run. Hmm.... 

        

          The group goes to see Sheryl and Meryl for candy, but they aren't there, which is strange. They don't seem to mind too much, as they take some candy and leave. Liam also eats some lemon gelatin. [I'm mentioning this for later effect]  

      [end of part One] 

                Flip's is open.  I don't know why anyone would go to Flip's for free candy, Flip for free don't match. (I don't why anyone goes there anyway) .  This scene mostly exists so Flip can get abducted.  I will say this episode is really good at setting up the mystery of what's going on and we don't see the figures that take Flip. The group shows up and notices that Flip isn't there it's strange. They grab his candy which is older  than American politicians by a few years.  I'm sure that candy will not come into play later. 

            Lincoln feels something is off, but he's not sure why.  There's more of that yellow stuff from before. They see Trent and that's to Clyde staying on character  he wants to help and wonders where Chandler is. Chandler has also disappeared.  Also random interrupting Mrs. Bernardo.  Also she's littering.  Randomly there for some reason. 

             They find Trent's boots but no Trent.  There's also the same yellow stuff that was found at Flips and the stuff Liam ate. Great, Liam is going to die. Zach does a quick test and the yellow stuff is alien.  Rita calls and says she needs Lincoln to come home, Lucy needs someone to play a "dead body". Lincoln warns them about aliens but they don't believe him. Then they get abducted.  And that's the Louds out of the way for awhile. 

            

         [End of Part 2]

         The group goes to the police, but *spins wheel* they don't believe them. Kind of sad we didn't get a Zach's parents part to come in they would have loved this.  [minus 0.1 pts]  The aliens return Flip, because they have taste. (And they needed someone for plot exposition)   [minus 0.1pts for underwear Flip]  The aliens are looking for one more human, thankfully it has to be a frequent character and thankfully they can use one who is voiced by the same person as Flip.  

            The group stops at Mr. Grouse's house to see the alien.  We get to see the alien design, the yellow stuff, is the clue... also Liam ate that...  it's an alright design. Nothing that really stands out with it. Also apparently, alien rays are weak towards metal trash cans. They try and take down an alien.  I like how the alien has the power to use anything broken off from it to still attack. Also, never do a celebrate it's premature and yeah.

        Lincoln gives up his shield and helps Clyde, but then he gets zapped away.  There's only a brief bit of mourning as a fun part comes up.  Zach decides there's something that can be done. I do think this turnaround was a little too fast. I think there should have been a slightly longer mourn then Zach gets the idea and brings in the optimism. Only a small pick though. 

        Zach's parents made a teleportation device, randomly for this plot. Also, they are somewhat on par with being as smart as Lisa.  The alien spaceship looks like a CD player.  Also they transport to the space ship in the photo booth thing. The group starts fighting the aliens. Some one (sickos) might complain that this is just children beating up aliens  and wondering hmmm... as if that's not something done in any movie ever when it's been done many times in movies and shows. So yeah, have some fun.  [minus 0.1pts for the elevator having music, that's a dead joke let it go] 

             We see all the people who've been abducted and somehow everyone is able to breath and talk normally in this liquid.  Chandler still can be insulting while trapped as a prisoner. Also Lola can be mean while still trapped as prisoner. (I'd leave)  They are trying their best, Lola, you allowed yourself to get abducted so... yeah. With everyone free the ship is starting to crash because they were being used as batteries. What?  

            [end of part three] 

            Lincoln is going to use the movie to trave a spaceship because... sure alright.  If that part bothers you, why aren't you bothered about the part where Liam ate some alien goo, why aren't you concerned?! The plan to land is now to use the Loud House front yard which has a giant spider web  to stop it, don't question it, there's aliens and a waffle phone. 

         The family apologizes for making fun of Lincoln and his friends earlier, I guess that was a thing.  Oh the aliens easily could have explained this earlier able to talk , they could have easily just explained things earlier.  Also, Chandler's call comes back to haunt him. (Idiot)  Also the reason was , again, human batteries. [It's true though] The aliens accept their fate, and want to get vaporized, but sadly, this show doesn't have that kind of rating so they get forgiven and Lisa finds a way to help the fly back home without human power but first they have to work at the haunted house. (Still choosing death)  Why does Darcy re-show up? Is she greedy?   

          I really loved some of the background music used in this. It has the electronic synth sound like it's Stranger Things  or an 80's kids adventure film where the it's real PG and kid gets to say one swear word, sadly not here in this episode. It fit the vibe of the special having some of that feeling.  It was really a fun aspect of the special, also fitting in an almost cinematic feel and the music was really a good touch to it. 

              I liked the Halloween evening setting it felt very eerie and daunting.  There was a good mixture of color as well to balance it out. I liked the character costume designs as well.  The pacing was generally good, though there are some things that I think going a little slower on would have been better, but nothing too bad. I think the first 3/4ths were the strongest. 

        Though, the alien bit was a little weak,  as they seemingly yes, were easily defeated, but there's only so much that could be done with a show with this rating. The alien motive was slightly done and seemingly could have been handled better by them talking in  the first place instead of snatching people.  The  haunted house part was unnecessary, overall, as it only seemed to exist to later have the aliens do a job I guess as TV-Y7 payback for kidnapping them. Otherwise, it wasn't much to that part of the plot. 

         I don't mind that the Loud family, beyond Lincoln, were sidelined. The friends put on a strong performance. I think Zach should have had a larger lead role than he got, because aliens are his thing. The show should be a little more confident in him to use him that way.  I am glad he did get a part. Mrs Bernardo's part really served nothing but to be funny, I guess. The opening establishment part was a little weak, but not bad. That's the only weaknesses I found to this episode.  

       Overall, the length of time was well used, and story beats were clean and well done. I liked how it didn't drag things out. The only conflict was the aliens and that kept it easy and not too over done with unnecessary stuff. I really liked how it kept the aliens unknown for a large chunk and set the atmosphere well. The episode doesn't go for the normal traditional Halloween horror of things like vampires, ghosts, monsters, or zombies; that's fine to a point. This show-yes this show- has done things with ghosts, zombies, possibly monsters, and fake vampires, so might as well not draw from that well. The idea of being abducted by other worldly beings can be horror too.  This also gives the episode a little stronger rerun ,not holiday value, and if The Simpsons can do Halloween with aliens than so can "The Loud House" 

         I think this was a really fun episode, the most fun in a long while.  I think there's  a lot of fun to this episode. I think a real problem for the episode is comparing it to the rest of the series, as it does go wacky and bring in real aliens. I think it slightly has worked better here than their past strange effort of trying to bring in non realistic things.  The execution works here since it's an interesting story and beats well versus it going weird or losing steam, or trying to force something supernatural in a plot that didn't need it.  Would the episode have been as fun as if the aliens weren't real?  Probably not.  I'm glad they aren't trying to force the show into doing episodes with lesson beats all the time now. 

       It was a fun episode. I give it (calculating) 8.4/10.   That's it for now, tune in next time when we find out that Zach and his family are aliens. 

Halloween : King of the Hill : Hilloween

Halloween 

            King of the Hill  has at least two Halloween episodes, and I'm writing about the one that doesn't end up with a man going mad and being turned into sausages.  The very first Halloween episode is from the series' second season called "Hilloween" 

            I'm going to kind of assume that most here would be knowing the show "King of the Hill" are reading this post, but some might be very curious.  King of the Hill  was a FOX Network animated sitcom series, that probably the tamest in how it is, minus that one thing I mentioned, it's a show that most of it's episodes are TV-PG , minus like one that hit TV-14. It plays things to a more grounded sense, and is very much a tactical difference to shows like "The Simpsons"  or  "Family Guy".  

         This episode is about Hank wanting Bobby, his son, to have a good Halloween like he did as a kid. It has a flashback of him and his friends as kids, with copyright safe "That's not really Peanuts, don't use us" music.  At the store, Hank wants Bobby to have a scary costume and not a dalmatian. Bobby makes a good point that dogs can be scary. It's interesting how this episode will play into Hank's characterization of being very rigid on things, but also seems to be heavily focused on him wanting something you'd otherwise think he'd not be a fan of.  

         Next we meet the antagonist for the episode, Junie Harper. She's a very Christian woman who thinks witches are real and doesn't like Halloween because she feels it's a Satanic holiday.  (jokes on her, that would be New Year's Eve)  Luanne, Peggy and Hank's niece, is getting praised for being so smart when Junie asks baseline questions.  She brings the information she got from Junie and brings it Hank and Peggy to address her concern. Hank dismisses it. She runs to Junie Harper and by this point Junie gets info that she's really interested in. 

             She finds out that the middle school that Bobby goes to is holding a haunted house for Halloween, that Hank is putting together. She makes the case that it should be stopped because she decides to use separation of church and state as a reason, since she says some might consider Halloween a religious holiday.  It gets canceled, since Hank decides he's not going to change the whole thing. Bill's line is fun too.   

          There are some weak points to this episode.  Hank does seem a little overtly mean to Luanne in this episode. Though some of it could be showing more of Hank's frustration because he's doing this Halloween stuff because he wants to make sure Bobby has a good one like he did. He wants to pass it down and is pretty annoyed that Junie Harper messed up his plans.  Luanne from a point of view likes how Harper called her smart- having Hank caller her dumb is good contrast- that makes her feel good at passing information along. She also seems to be become more of someone who just ends up repeating things Harper said.  

        It's funny that Hank, normally heavily law abiding and orderly has decided to each Bobby how to egg and TP a house.  It ties back to his memory flashback, and it's funny to see Bobby say it's wrong to his dad.  The biggest mistake is that Hank decides to egg Junie Harper's house and she hears and decides to chase, running over and killing her cat too- and  I think this set her off.  "Get out of my house-- Exodus" is a funny line. (Good Kate Bush song too) 

                Bobby feels bad. Luanne talks to him and she gets to him as well.  Anyway, she's been set off by her cat being killed -by herself- and she's gotten the city council to pass a curfew to cancel Halloween trick or treating and stuff.  Bobby goes to Harper's Halleluiah house where she does stuff.  Peggy finds out and gets mad at Luanne because of her "coming between her son and husband".  

        Hank decides to put on a costume and decides to defy the whole curfew and start staying "Trick or Treat".   His friends, and even Luanne decide to join in. Also the club thing is trying to feel like they are joining a timeshare agreement, Bobby don't sign---noooo.

         Hank shows up to get Bobby and it works when he does a fake organ thing and some fake eye thing and Bobby decides he'd rather be with his father rather than anything else. 

               The full basic premise of the episode is really a story where Hank just wants to share Halloween with his son and doesn't want anything to get in the way of that. Yeah, that's my view. The episode isn't going for a debate over Halloween.  Hank (and Peggy) are Christians as well, so the show isn't going for that route of them being against Junie because of that. If anything, Junie is just a local agitator and even though she got the school thing canceled, she didn't go for the harder thing until she ran over cat after Hank and Bobby egged her house. If anything, that's Hank's fault on agitating her more.  The episode doesn't really say Hank is right or Junie is right,  because they both kind of do the wrong things in this episode. Luanne's part was kind of annoying, again Hank was kind of mean to her, but- at first she was more just saying stuff she got from Harper, Hank is free to celebrate Halloween -as Peggy said.  

         Bobby doesn't get to do much in this episode either. That's kind of a shame, he kind of drifts along with Luanne's plan and then decides he just wants to spend time with his father. I do find it interesting that he was going with a moral center, that ironically Hank and Peggy taught him, but Hank wants to nudge him out of it for Halloween.  There's not much fun Peggy moments either, she kind of exists to be between Hank and Luanne. She also gets mad at Luanne when she feels the latter got in-between son and father.    Luanne's turn around at the end was I don't know that was an ending. The episode goes out of the way to say that she's easily influenced and maybe Peggy yelling at her influenced her, but yeah that was a mess. 

             Sadly, not a overly strong story episode, but does have some funny moments and it's pretty interesting to see  Hank that invested in Halloween and really just wanting to spend time with his son.  There are some funny moments, Dale brings grade A funny in the small moments he's there, Peggy doesn't have much, neither does Bobby. Hank gets some funny liners in like "Get out of my House, Exodus" line.  Luanne has some funny lines too.  Bill doesn't show up much either, but liked his idea of making it a house of pancakes. (careful Bill) 

            That's it for now , tune in next time when someone tries to ban Thanksgiving because Turkey is evil. 

      

Into the Twilight: Word Play

The Twilight Zone   1985 Series 

  

         Words. We seemingly have agreed in someway that all words have a standardized meaning. We see the word "cat" and mostly agree what the concept of cat is, even if we see a different breed or type, we all understand that cat is cat.

        

Horse 

 

            This episode of 1985 version of "The Twilight Zone" takes us to the idea of what if.. words just sandwich faced ham pickled glued.  I apologize in advance, I'm going to make this post very weird. 

            Our  look comes from segment "a" of the very second episode of the series called "Word Play". Word Play was written by Wes Craven.   He also did the both segments of the first episode, he was busy here.  

             This episode delves in to the idea  of what if you just ended up not being understand anyone anymore. (When you become 40 and can't understand anyone 20 years old anymore) Since this is also from the 1985 series it's not a long segment either.  I actually did think, as I watched it, that it was either the main character's dream , or something that had to do with his son being sick. It was not. 

          Our main character is named Bill Lowery (played by Robert Klein) he's a salesman. His company has ended up switching to selling medical supply products.  He's been learning the words, and hasn't been sleeping well.  His wife (played by Annie Potts) at least seems understanding, there's also their son who seems to be a little sick.  

Uh oh, he's sick on a TV show? That's bad / Copyright Paramount 

                   A great touch in this episode is how it throws in details that aren't right and you have catch them or are more noticeable in rewatch. When Bill is shaving you  hear the radio announcer go "Friday, Saturday, Sun Flower". Bill doesn't notice since he was concentrating on his shaving and learning the medical supply terms.  It's a great touch because the viewer might not notice easily too, since Sun Flower and Sunday sound close.  Also when the  wife says "Dr. Bumper" and he goes "Is that really his name?" it actually doesn't stand out that much until watching the episode and going hmm maybe that was a sign? Then Bill goes outside and there's his neighbor whose dog is an encyclopedia breed had puppies. 

             Then at bacon ranch [work].  Bill does start to notice things getting weirder.   I like how the word "dinosaur" is what throws him into a spiral. He's like what is dinosaur? --Lunch--.  At some point, the viewer will end up like Bill and start to not understand anything that's being said either, we will soon join the madness. That sets him off even more when his wife says dinosaur too.  "What does lunch have to do with anything?" is my favorite Tina Turner song cover. 

            The episode ends up just being a man slowly losing his mind at what's going on, and the viewers probably being very cucumber too.   This must have been a fun episode to write, though. It doesn't feel like random words were being used, there's an order and structure here that makes it feel like language but words changed, instead of just random nonsense.  

No, I'm voting for Finkle Mc Lunchman. 

             Bill's son is now sick.  Will Bill's worry about Donnie, his frustration is high while this is happening at the same time.  This episode really is kind of horrifying in a way it's not like a monster or a scary person, it's just the fact that the simplest thing people do is talk to each other and Bill can't even talk to people and they can't understand him.  It also might be like what English sounds like to non-English speakers.  It's unsettling, especially when Donnie is really sick.  This is something, in a way, that could happen for real in different ways, including medical. It's an uncomfortable episode. I feel for poor Bill. 

            Donnie will live!  We can't have an episode cause a man to lose all sense of understand and then kill his kid, that'd be too much.  The part where he prays and thanks God again is really human moment and well acted. I like Bill's character in this episode. He's not bad guy, he wasn't even the kind of workaholic character, he was just over spending his time trying to learn the new medical stuff, but he comes for lunch to see his wife and son. He's not a bad guy, it makes it more impactful.  

         At home, he goes to his son's room and decides to use one of the picture books to figure out some of these words and how they work now. It ends with him learning about many people's favorite pet, the Wednesday, cute furry creatures that go woof. 

             I've seen some different thoughts on this episode on what it could be about.  Like it could be about an guy in a changing world not understanding the world anymore. The ending does make it feel like that could be a very clue to that being what the episode was going for.  It might be like our current time and generations before not really understanding each other in the world.   It also fits a little better than the idea of it being like a medical condition, but I don't dislike that idea either. 

             I think it's a strong episode, it does a good job at making the viewer feel confused and unsettled, while being a bit funny. The idea of everything being the same but then you can't understand anything is really a scary concept even more than a present danger. It's good episode, very strong.  

             

                            

                

Into the Twilight: How Much Do You Love Your Kid? (Twilight Zone 2002)

Twilight Zone

      Reality TV shows aren't they fun? (Wait come back!)  Today we head back into the 2002 "Twilight Zone" to look at episode 33, "How Much Do You Love Your Kid?". This episode seems to point to early 2000's TV culture of reality shows really getting over the top and weird with their premises.  Though, I'm sure we've never had a kidnapping reality show. 

    "How Much Do You Love Your Kid?" stars Bonnie Somerville who starred on "Grosse Pointe" (hey!)  and later ended up on "Friends" and also on The OC and more. Steve Bacic als is in this episode, if you've watched "Andromeda" you know who he is. Wayne Knight shows up but more on him soon. 

 

   Yes this post contains spoilers. (For a 20 year old show) 

         It starts with a wife and husband, and they seem to be going through money troubles you can tell by them talking about bills. The husband ,Ted, is going for a new job and hopefully this will fix the problem.  This is the Twilight Zone, so this might not go to plan. (That's my line!)  They also have a son named Wiley, who needs braces (dental plan, Wiley needs braces). That's to show they really need money.  That comes important for this so far very sitcom like episode. Also the wife, Donna, does have seem to have money for a facial. (That's explains alot)  

Running out of money stresses me out, I wish I knew where it goes / Copyright Paramount

    While Donna was getting a facial, she gets a phone call that Wiley didn't show up to school. she goes to the police station. Then Wayne Knight shows up. (He has come to Pimp Her Ride, wait no, everything is wrong about this statement, I'm sorry)  He's there to tell her that she's been chosen for the new show "How Much Do You Love Your Kid?" (roll credits) Wayne Knight tells her that she has 60 minutes (also wrong show) to find her kid or... bad things happen. (Bold this can be said in a police station) 

I'm here to take you to the set of "Third Rock from the Sun" / Copyright Paramount 

     

   They show her a video of her son being kidnapped. (Roll Twilight Zone 2002 intro) The woman acts logically and asks the police officer to police office, but he can't help because the show has their child kidnapping loicense. (What the heck?)  The officer is there to give clues instead. (Her reactions are me watching this episode) 

      Also Wayne Knight plays the role of the host too well.  Donna calls her husband  and cellphones don't work well (should have gotten Sprint).  This game show is weird and she mentions "Lord of the Rings". (Who is this reality show for?)  If  the people around aren't working with the show, then they are of no help. Wayne Knight doesn't tell her what happens if she doesn't find Wiley because drama reasons.  

What the heck am I watching? / Copyright Paramount 

        She's able to find her kid, being in a red car, and there's a car chase, because sure. (this show is weird) Wiley has been found, but not fully safe, he has to go the hospital. I believe Wayne Knight's character is way too good at this reality show host. He gives her the option to play for 1 million dollars. He even offers her a gun. (Does she get a I get to kill someone loisence?) The son even says he should go after the guy. (I wonder if he was in this or something) She agrees and goes to find a kidnapper.  (Round 3 will be weirder) 

He's alright , he won't be but for now.../ Copyright Paramount 

        She borrows a Jeep and chases some guy, while the TV show people follow her. She finds out the kidnapper is her husband. Apparently, Ted is an idiot, and he agreed to "kidnap" their son to win money, because "they needed the money"  Donna is unhappy, he makes a pitch  that they have a million dollars.  Then she shoots him dead, then she's arrested. (Oh now the cops arrest somebody) 

She wants a divorce and decided to go the death they shall part version/ Copyright Paramount

        

          Like I said this came out in a time when Reality Shows were pretty a new concept and having some off weird concepts.  "Fear Factor" a reality show where people will do almost anything for money maybe could accelerate to a reality show where people try to win money at any cost. This episode sets up things in the beginning well. The family was having money troubles and it sets up the motives well. Ted wanted money quick and when the reality show people found him , he thought it would help. You can understand why he would have done such a thing, but it also shows that people might do anything for money even something stupid.  

    Donna's role at first wasn't about the money, she  was rightly angry and bothered by this stupid realty show and felt she had play by their rules in the insanity to get her son back. I think her role after getting her son was an interesting turn as well. Wayne Knight plays a role of trying to get manipulate her into going further using her human urge for revenge. I'm sure she could have stopped after getting her son and won some money, but something about the idea of getting the kidnapper and maybe getting a million dollars was tempting. 

   

       Wayne Knight is a star in this episode, he pays the role of the host very well and it's good how he feels genuinely disturbing, yet you aren't sure if he is truly wanting to help her at times or just trying to get the show to move along and make her fall into his reality show pitfalls.  

       

        I like that the reality show sprung up on them, and they didn't have the intention of being on one, showing how people can fall into things for reasons like greed on the husband's part and revenge on the wife's part.   Simple episode but interesting to see and makes one wonder how far someone would go for money even in our times. 

   That's it for now, tune in next time when we wonder would you eat your phone for $12,311,214.22?  

Afterschool Sessions: The Last of the Curlews

The Flashback  ABC  

           This time on Afterschool Sessions: We look an ABC After School Special  but not just any one, we are looking at the very first one. The Last of the Curlews. This special first aired on October 4, 1972 and begins the long run of the ABC After School Special series.  "The Last of the Curlews" is based off the book of the same name by Fred Bodsworth.  This special is also animated and that was done by Hanna-Barbera. For those that have read the past posts you'll find this won't be the only time either.  

        It starts in fall with where a father and his son named Mark are on hunting trip.  There's a narrator , voiced by Lee Vines. The father and son hunters aren't the most important part of this special, they really aren't even main characters, they are a supporting role for the story itself. The special is presented as if it was a nature documentary in animation.  

It's rabbit season, son/ Copyright Hanna-Barbera 

        The story is told only by the narrator as he explains about a bird called the Eskimo Curlew.  This bird is a lonely bird who only really to have a mate and some offspring.  He resists as long as he can the trip that birds make in  the autumn but eventually has to go.  The bird finds himself eventually teamed up with some  golden plover birds who seem to like him and they even let him lead them on the track to Venezuela. 

Hey I'm the last of my kind/ Copyright Hanna-Barbera

        The special really has the animation do most of the work, beyond the narrator.  As the story wants you to understand the bird as a character.  The bird is presented to give the humans a way to understand and connect to him. He's lonely seeking out someone of his own kind to be with and continues to hope for that. There's a sense of warmth in this special, but also unease. Nothing in here is sugar coated either. The story tells of how the Curlews used to be plentiful and the were over hunted to near extinction. Death is not avoided in this special as we saw a hunter kill a buck earlier -not the hunter father and son , more on them later- and on the trip many of the plovers die by nature's hand. 

            The original story was published  in 1954, again written by Canadian reporter, Fred Bodsworth.  The book itself presents the journey of the curlew the same way giving it some human characterization to better connect with the audience.  The curlew is a real or was, that's the hard part. The story in the special is true where the bird was over hunted to near death in the late 19th century.  The last confirmed sightings of the bird were in the 1962 where a photo of it comes from.  And 1963 where they found a body.  Possibly, but unconfirmed reports of any after that.  Currently, its status is critically endangered, which the one step before any type of extinction.  Also, hence the title. 

         

            The special does end up showing a lady curlew and she doesn't become more part of the story until the last third of it where she and him actually meet up. It shows their struggles as their journey back up north. Yeah, we do pass through the seasons in this.  Sadly, there's not a happy story in this as the female curlew ends up getting shot by a farmer on their way back.  Eventually, the boy finds the bird as sees that she has died, with the male curlew flying off and the narration saying soon there will be none. 

Curlew love...the rarest love/ Copyright Hanna-Barbera

          Going back to the hunter and son.  There's a careful writing here the special doesn't present the father as overzealous, mean, or wanting to kill for killing. He tells his son that they hunt responsibly, don't do things illegally, shoot things they aren't supposed to, and that it's fine because nature does it too. It doesn't go hunting is evil and bad and should be banned.   I like that it has the nuance it wants to bring its [young] audience. It shows that there was hunting that was done wrongly and un reigned in caused an essential extinction.  Mark, the boy, also seems a little apprehensive of the whole idea, and he finds the bird too.   Also have to mention that that Wikipedia description, as of this writing, is wrong the hunter and son they really don't debate killing a curlew, the only times they bring up the bird is when the boy sees it and points out that it's flying alone and thinks that it might be alone, and the dad [wrongly] thinking that it's sick and/or old or a straggler. They never mention the idea of shooting it.  They didn't even end up killing a curlew that was a farmer.  

He was way too happy here/ Copyright Hanna-Barbera

        In the way its presented it's done well to bring in facts, but also present a fictional journey of a bird using realism.  The story has warmth to it with happy moments ,but there is always background feeling of unease and a sense of danger. How it mentions why the curlew is alone, and deaths of animals is to show that there a sense of death being present in the background and impactful. 

         It's well animated with the backgrounds being watercolor.  It also does mostly realistic drawn animals, something different for Hanna-Barbera. The music is well scored and I think the most memorable will probably be  Once on Golden Wings song , I'm not sure what the real name is but it's a very somber and fittingly played. As mentioned earlier, there's a very strong nature doc feel to present a story where we get gulfed and see birds in realistic motion and actions. The animation makes it feel almost like an illustrated book.   This one sets an interesting tone for what ABC After School Specials would be, which varied. This one was somewhat educational but not heavily blatant, it has a social message , and yet it doesn't over explain or over force itself to be something to its viewers.  It's a good special with the impact it brings and a well done story with a somber note that makes one think. 

        That's it for now, tune in next time when we  wonder why the birds just took that route.  

The Lookback: The Munsters: The 60th Year

The Flashback 

            Yeah  I'm going to start it this way. A few days after The Addams Family premiered on ABC, CBS had their concept of a strange family that doesn't fit in our society premiere. The Addams Family  and The Munsters are often tied together by human people. The reasoning might be how they both ran nearly the same time :1964 to 1966. The Munsters started 6 days later and ran a couple weeks longer than the previous and has slightly more episodes going with 70, versus the other's 64.  They also both have the concept of a family that is kind of spooky living in our normal society. Of course, there are differences to both shows.   

         The Munsters premiered on CBS on September 22, 1964.   CBS had placed the show as the lead of their Thursday night line up airing at 7:30 pm Eastern and Pacific that's 6:30pm to us Central and Mountain folks. That slot that networks don't have anymore.  It ran in the line up before Perry Mason, which would also end about a week after this show ended.  They also had Password , and premiering that night with this show, was a sitcom called The Baileys of Balboa, which has the backstory of being created out of spite, the CBS network president didn't like Gilligan's Island -which also came out in 1964 and aired on CBS-  and thought of a idea that would be better, in his mind.  And finally, a show called "The Defenders"  The Munsters was on against the Flintstones and Later Jonny Quest on ABC.

            In this post, I am mostly going to use the first episode  to talk about whilst weaving in stuff about the show.  Also I have written about other Munsters media before, you can check those out too.    

            Monsters are Universal 

          Take some writers from Rocky and Bullwinkle, dash in the creators of Leave it To Beaver, sprinkle a mix of some Universal monsters, and small dash of Charles Addams. You get this.   Allan Burns worked with Jay Ward on the Jay Ward cartoons and ended up working with Chris Hayward  again for a new sitcom , then they also worked together to make My Mother the Car.  Since they were working with MCA TV which was a studio owned with Universal Pictures they had access to the designs of classic monsters made by the movie studio. Since,  specific designs are owned by the studio, like how the Frankenstein monster looks. Eventually, they even settled on making the show live-action instead of an animated one.  

            I'm trying to keep the "Addams Family" comparisons down a little, because I don't want to detract from either show, but I do want to offer one of the contrasts here.  While, that series had people who, mostly, looked like people you'd run into and not think anything of, this show stands out. Starting with Herman Munster.  Herman is the father and husband character of the show.  He also happens to be a Frankenstein monster.  Though he might not be the one from the 30's movies , otherwise Herman Munster killing a little girl is disturbing.  Then there's Lily, his wife, who is the daughter of  a vampire, possibly Count Dracula, but the Grandpa on the show is just called Grandpa (because when you get old you lose your name) and he lives with the family.  Lily and Herman have a son who is a ware-wolf ish  boy.  Don't ask how that works.

            Also a difference between that show and this one, is the Munsters were more working class, Herman works, they have money troubles at times, and sometimes Lilly and Grandpa take up jobs. The show has different basic premise than the other show, even if it seems they have the same joke. The Munsters, also see themselves as typical American family, and kind of think the world around them is strange. They take different approaches to that.