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February 2020 #82 ______

Broadcast Has Some Great TV Series Too By Steve Sternberg

In December, I released my analysis of the 27 best TV series of 2019. In alphabetical order – Barry, Big Little Lies, Bosch, The Boys, Dead to Me, Fleabag, GLOW, Goliath, The Good Fight, The Good Place, Harlots, Jessica Jones, Killing Eve, The Kominsky Method, Mindhunter, The Morning Show, Mr Inbetween, Pose, Queen of the South, Rick & Morty, Russian Doll, Sneaky Pete, Star Trek: Discovery, Succession, This is Us, Vida, and Watchmen.

As was the case with the Emmys, The Golden Globes, and virtually every TV critic, I demonstrated a clear bias against broadcast network series. Of my 27 best TV series, 15 are on streaming services, 5 are on premium cable, 5 are on ad-supported cable, and only 2 were on broadcast TV.

There are, of course, some logical reasons for this.

• Broadcast series have to answer to advertisers (and the FCC), so have limitations regarding language and sexual content that do not hinder cable or streaming services.

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______• While cable and streaming series generally have between 6 and 13 episodes per season, broadcast series typically have between 17 and 24 episodes (although a few this season have 13). It’s difficult to write that many good episodes in a season, so it requires a lot more “filler.”

• More broadcast dramas have self-contained episodes, as opposed to season-long story arcs, which are more prevalent on cable and streaming series. This requires more repetition, and the need to appeal to viewers with only mild variations of the same situation week to week.

While I stand by my previous list, there are several excellent TV series on the broadcast networks in addition to the two I included. Here are my top eight broadcast series, in alphabetical order.

A Million Little Things (ABC): A group of friends from Boston, who met and bonded several years ago when they got stuck in an elevator together, try to come to terms with why one of them, who seemingly had it all, committed suicide. His death forces his friends and their families to confront many of their own issues. Then they discover his secrets and lies (and some of their own secrets and lies are revealed).

This series has been compared to NBC’s This is Us, because it also centers on the impact of a central character’s death, and relies heavily on flashbacks to explain its characters’ backgrounds and motivations. But it is a dramatically different show, dealing with such topics as suicide, depression, serious illness, infidelity, and how family and friends support one another throughout. The second season, with all its soap opera elements, doesn’t tug on your heartstrings as much as the first, but it is still eminently watchable.

Criminal Minds (CBS): If Criminal Minds (now in its 15th and final season) was an original Netflix series, it would probably be hailed as one of the most groundbreaking shows on television,

______and would likely have numerous awards on its shelves. The first television series about the psychology of serial killers, with a mostly young, diverse, and attractive cast, airs on the older- skewing, more traditional CBS, so is seldom discussed in the press as the hit show it has been.

It has survived some of its most popular characters – Mandy Patinkin, Thomas Gibson, and Shemar Moore – leaving the show. This is the one popular CBS procedural that has not been able to spawn a successful spinoff (neither Criminal Minds: Suspect Behavior nor Criminal Minds: Beyond Borders could find an audience). This is one sign of the uniqueness and quality of the original, and the importance of good casting. Off-network repeats have been airing in multiple-day marathons on ION every week for more than 10 years, and it is still that network’s highest rated show.

Evil (CBS): A priest in training (Mike Colter), a skeptical forensic psychologist (Katja Herbers, in one of the best performances of the season) work for the Church in exploring whether there is a scientific or supernatural explanation for the apparent evil they encounter each week.

Michael Emerson is at his creepiest best as Leland Townsend, who is either a psychopath or demon, and uses social media to connect other psychopaths (or demons) to create chaos and threaten our heroes. If this was on a streaming service, Katja Herbers and Michael Emerson would both be nominated for Golden Globe and Emmy Awards. Toward the end of the season, it may have jumped the shark, but that remains to be seen. The show is definitely addicting.

The Good Place (NBC): There’s a good place and a bad place in the afterlife in this sharp- witted, original comedy that’s hard to describe without providing spoilers. Suffice it to say that this is a show about humanity and hope.

______There’s a point system to get into the good place, and life on Earth has become so complex, that it is virtually impossible for anyone to get in under the current system. So how did Eleanor Shellstrop (Kristen Bell), who was a terrible person when alive, wind up there? Michael (Ted Danson), the architect of her heavenly neighborhood, seems to have the answer. The group of misfits that might also be in the wrong place include William Jackson, Jameela Jamil, Manny Jacinto, D’Arcy Carden, who are all excellent here. Maya Rudolph has a recurring role as the judge, which she plays to hilarious perfection.

The surprise ending to Season 1 changed the game for everything that came after, and elevated this unique comedy into something greater than it was.

The show has surprisingly insightful conversations and debates about the nature of goodness – does it matter if you’re a bad person, do people have a natural tendency to better themselves, is it possible for people to be ethical when surrounded by unethical systems. These heavy topics are sprinkled in with fart jokes and demons from the bad place discussing particularly gross ways of torturing people.

Its fourth and final season just ended. Head and shoulders above any other comedy on the broadcast networks (and among the top anywhere). If you haven’t discovered it yet, you should watch it from the beginning to really appreciate how good it is.

NCIS (CBS): NCIS, which was initially a spinoff from JAG, is still the highest rated non-football series on television in its 17th season. The show knows its dedicated and passionate fanbase, and how to keep them happy. Its viewers like and feel comfortable with the characters, and will tune in week after week to see them in slight variations of the same situations. Unlike many other shows of this genre, its characters have changed and grown over time (and we see glimpses of their personal

______lives and backstories), while the basic premise has remained essentially the same. The show has also managed to find the right balance of drama and humor.

It’s held together by the strong and stable presence of its star, Mark Harmon, as Leroy Jethro Gibbs. The series is so popular, it has been able to withstand the recent losses of three of its most popular characters – Tony DiNozzo (Michael Weatherly, who left to star in Bull, another successful CBS drama, Ziva David (Cote de Pablo, who returned for a popular story arc this season), and Abby (Pauley Perrette), who’s final episode drew nearly 15 million viewers. NCIS has two spinoffs, NCIS: L.A. and NCIS: New Orleans, both decent shows that perform well in the ratings, but are nowhere near as good as the original.

Stumptown (ABC): Based on the graphic novel series of the same name, Cobie Smulders is excellent as a Dex Parios, a strong, assertive, and smart army veteran, whose military intelligence skills make her a great private investigator. But her love life, gambling debts, and brother she needs to care for, make her life in Portland, Oregon complicated, as does her uneasy alliance with the police.

The smart and brisk storytelling (and the soundtrack) and excellent cast help this rise above what could easily have become a typical and cliched network drama.

This is Us (NBC): In its fourth season, still checks off all the boxes on how to tug at viewers’ heartstrings, still checks off many diversity boxes, and still makes for great television. Anything but a typical family drama, This is Us somehow manages to continually and seamlessly flash back to various periods of each character to weave a tapestry of their family history and how they all became who they are today, often through memories of interactions with their (not so) perfect father/husband/friend, Jack Pearson (Milo Ventimiglia).

______The rest of the regular cast, which includes Mandy Moore and Sterling K. Brown have all been given their own storylines in which to shine. The show has also started adding new characters who either impact or become part of the Pearson clan, and giving us a glimpse of what the future holds in store.

Young Sheldon (CBS): All comedy snobs can stop reading. This story about the childhood of The Big Bang Theory’s Sheldon Cooper (Jim Parsons, who narrates) is among the very best and funniest comedies on television. Iain Armitage is spot on as young Sheldon, an oddball genius 10- year-old growing up in late 1980s Texas, not the most welcoming place for young oddball geniuses who don’t like football. Reegen Revord is excellent as his more normal (i.e., not as smart, but a lot more insightful) younger sister. The always excellent Annie Potts plays his Meemaw (grandma). It’s funny, intelligent, and yes, the whole family can watch.