My Responses to the mid-year “Scorecard” for USA Primetime TV shows, 2014-15
As some of you know, my mom (82) and I (60) watch a lot of TV shows together and some separately since I moved here in August. We usually have the same or similar tastes, but, once again, we are apparently not the target demographic for primetime USA TV shows.
Execs repeatedly cancel what we like (intelligent, entertaining, even unusual dramas, romantic dramas or dramadies, some with a touch of the paranormal), often without tying up loose ends or finishing an ongoing story (which is just plain RUDE to viewers of a series). These networks’ “brain trusts” continue to add on or retain what we detest (most half-hour sitcoms, “reality” shows, and other drek).
Sigh.
Here are the lists of RENEWED, “ON-the-BUBBLE” (meaning, fate is uncertain), and CANCELLED shows for the 2014-15 season’s shows, from TVLINE: http://tvline.com/2014/10/28/renewed-tv-shows-2015-renewal-scorecard-cancelled-series/, and my responses (with some of her comments as well).
I’m only reporting on the status of shows we watch. If you want to know more about other shows, go to the link, above.
Also, TVLINE doesn’t include cable networks’ shows, such as TNT‘s, USA‘s, BBC‘s, VHI‘s, A&E‘s or ABC Family‘s, some of which we watch, so I list them below.
ME = Only I watch this one.
MOM = Only Mom watches this one.
The rest, we both watch.
TVLINE uses this list of status possibilities, in descending order:
♦ Officially renewed
♦ A sure thing
♦ A safe bet
♦ Could go either way
♦ A long-shot
♦ Essentially cancelled
♦ Officially cancelled
♦ Too early to tell
Allegiance: Officially cancelled. WHY? This is an excellent show, with great writing, original characters and excellent acting. Stupid Execs.
ME TNT’s The Americans: Don’t know. Currently running a new season. I like this show a lot but I have to fast-forward through the torture and gory stuff. Amazing acting and great writing.
Ascension: Don’t know. Mom didn’t like this at first, but I got her into it and then she got hooked. Now, of course, she’ll be mad if they don’t continue, since they left it all unresolved.
Battle Creek: Premiered March 1. Don’t know. My mom and I were both unimpressed with this but will watch one more Episode, just to see if it really is that mediocre.
Bones: A sure thing. We LOVE this show: great writing, great relationships, fun to watch (but Mom doesn’t look at the gory parts).
The Blacklist: Officially renewed. We liked this a lot at first, but it has gotten darker and bloodier every week, it seems. I fast-forward through a lot of it, now.
Blue Bloods: A safe bet. We both like this, but Mom LOVES this show so much that she watches re-runs multiple times. Is it Tom Selleck’s moustache?
Castle: A safe bet. We LOVE this show: great writing, great relationships, fun to watch.
ABC Family’s Chasing Life: Don’t know. Currently running a new season. I got Mom to watch this (I watched Season 1 last year) and she likes it, usually, when the show doesn’t devolve into soap opera-type adolescents’ and young adults’ dramas.
MOM Chicago Fire: Officially renewed. One of my upcoming guests on my almost-weekly (Wednesdays, 10 – 11 AM Eastern USA time) CHANGES conversations between authors talk show (https://sallyember.com/changes-videocasts-by-sally-ember-ed-d/, poet James Gordon, is also an actor who has a guest-starring role on this show (which is the reason we changed his show date from 3/11 to 4/1!), so I guess I’ll watch his Episode, but otherwise, this one is Mom’s.
MOM Chicago P.D.: Officially renewed. I’ve never watched this but Mom is loyal.
CSI: Cyber: Premiered March 4. Don’t know. It’s not getting good reviews, but we really liked the first Episode. Probably cancelled, then, right?
ME BBC’s Downton Abbey: Don’t know. Probably renewed; even though Mom doesn’t watch most BBC shows, many do and it’s very popular. Disturbing look into last century’s English elite and their servants: classism at its best/worst.
Elementary: Could go either way. We like this show a lot, but sometimes it’s very hard to understand Sherlock because he talks so softly and quickly and with a British accent.
Forever: Season 2 is a long-shot. Of course it is; we really like this show, especially the relationships between the lead character, Henry, and his son and Henry and his detective partner.
Galavant: Season 2 could go either way.
The Good Wife: A sure thing. We LOVE this show. I worked with Julianna Margulies’ mother back in the mid-1980’s, so I feel related.
ME Grey’s Anatomy: A sure thing. Really? I thought this was its last season…. Mom stopped watching it years ago, but I’m loyal.
MOM Hawaii Five-0: Could go either way. I never got into this, but Mom loves it.
ME Hart of Dixie: Season 4 finale airs March 27; Season 5 is a long-shot. This is mostly an awful show, but an acquaintance/author friend of mine’s older son is one of the stars (and, even though his part is hugely ridiculous, he does an awesome job!), and I like Rachel Bilson (usually), so I still watch. It is so insipid, though…. Sigh.
VHI’s Hindsight: Don’t know. Mom watches this with me because I like the premise, but it has devolved into a soap opera with twenty-somethings; neither of us likes it now all that much. Great music, though!
How to Get Away With Murder: Season 2 is a sure thing. We like this, but it’s a bit like watching a train wreck in the dark which keeps reversing and starting over. The writing could be less confusing and the production values could be better (MORE LIGHT!): We need to SEE, please. And, stop using text messages to advance the story, because we can’t read them!
TNT’s The Librarians: Don’t know. Started out strong and we really liked it, but it did get even weirder than we expected. We hope it continues, though. We loved Warehouse 13, and this is very similar. Fun cast.
A&E’s The Listener: Don’t know. Seems to be cancelled, but we watch re-runs on an off-channel, hoping we’re wrong. Great show with original and very Canadian crime-fighting.
Longmire: Cancelled, but continued on Netflix (which we do not have). Too bad; we liked this show a lot, but we didn’t want the apparent romance between those two main characters to actually occur. Hope it doesn’t.
Marvel’s Agent Carter: Too early to tell. We like this show a lot, especially the lead character. Probably means it’s cancelled.
Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: Too early to tell. We watch this but it’s harder to understand with the new season’s just beginning again. We’ll see if we continue (even if does, we may not).
Madam Secretary: Officially renewed for Season 2. This show is EXCELLENT! Glad it’s continuing. Awesome acting and writing.
TNT’s Major Crimes: Don’t know. Season is in two parts. First part just ended; second part starts in June. Then, Don’t know. We like it a lot. Liked The Closer even more, which this spun off from a couple of years ago.
ME Modern Family: A sure thing. I mostly fast-forward through this since it’s devolved into silliness, but some of it is still funny.
The Mysteries of Laura: Too early to tell. We did not like this at all, at first, but kept watching and it kind of grew on us. Wouldn’t miss it if it got cancelled, though.
ME Nashville: Could go either way. I really like this show, but the writers seem to have painted themselves into several corners and the music hasn’t been consistently great.
NCIS: A sure thing. We both like this a lot, especially the characters/actors. Miss Ziva, though.
MOM NCIS: Los Angeles: A sure thing. I never got into this one, but I like the original.
MOM NCIS: New Orleans: Officially renewed for Season 2. I didn’t like this (tried a couple of Episodes).
BBC’s New Tricks: Probably continuing. Just got into this recently (it’s been on for several years already) and enjoy the “cold cases” these retirees and their kick-butt female boss(es) solve. Some of the British-isms are hard for Mom to understand, but I translate (she’s not as into BBC shows as I am).
The Night Shift: Season 2 premiered Feb. 23. Too early to tell. A medical drama I just got Mom into, so we’ll see if she likes it. I watched the entire first season and enjoyed it immensely: great writing, acting, unique situations.
ME BBC’s Orphan Black: New season starts this week. Too early to tell. Very oddball show with amazing, Emmy-awarded acting by the lead actor, Tatiana Maslany, who plays multiple roles (some simultaneously!?!), and the show has awesome hairstylists!
Perception: Too early to tell. New season just started. We really like this show. Interesting, likeable characters and unusual crimes to solve.
Person of Interest: A safe bet. More and more bizarre each season, and we miss Shaw, now, but well worth watching. We do wish the main character, John, would STOP WHISPERING.
Red Band Society: Too early to tell. Essentially cancelled. This was a great show but they didn’t capture the younger audience well enough; it’s too bad they didn’t continue it.
ME Resurrection: A long-shot. But, I probably won’t continue watching even if it continues. It got too Christian-y for me.
Revenge: Could go either way. This show was good for a while but it got repetitive and stranger each year. Deserves to go.
TNT’s Rizzoli and Isles: Too early to tell. New season just started. We really like this show: great writing, not too bloody, fun interplay among characters.
MOM Rookie Blue: Season 6 premieres Summer 2015.
USA’s Royal Pains: Restarts Season 7 or 8 (I can’t keep track) this summer. Fun, very weird medical dramedy, second only to The Night Shift for doing medical procedures in odd places (“in the field”) with jerry-rigged equipment and found objects.
Scandal: A sure thing. This show has gotten into some horrible areas, but last week’s Episode (with Courtney B. Vance as the grieving Dad) was amazing. Glad it’s continuing.
Scorpion: Officially renewed for Season 2. We LOVE this show.
USA’s Suits: Season is in two parts. First part just ended; second part starts in June. Too early to tell. Not sure how they’re going to continue with things they way the left them this week with Donna and with Mike’s ongoing untenable situation.
ME BBC‘s Sherlock: Next season is scheduled to start soon. BBC just started running the entire series again this week, if you want to catch up! Very different take on the Sherlock-Watson relationship than previous British or American Sherlock’s and not the same at all as Elementary‘s, either. Plus, Benedict Cumberbatch. Yes.
State of Affairs: Season 2 a long-shot. Also liked this show a lot, at first, but it’s gotten very dark and convoluted. Difficult to see where they’re going with it, now. Probably deserves to be cancelled, but it’s had some great acting, especially by the President (Alfre Woodard) and Katherine Heigl with several unique situations.
ME Under the Dome: Officially renewed for Season 3. But, I probably won’t continue watching. Didn’t like where this went towards the end of Season 2 and too few of the remaining characters are likeable. Also, the premises are quite bizarre, even for Stephen King.
Unforgettable: Officially cancelled. Possibly renewed by A&E for Season 4. We really like this show and if it does continue on A&E, that will be this show’s third network! Amazing tenacity of producers? Poppy Montgomery is adorable.
Sally Ember, Ed.D. 
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