Sunday, June 7, 2020

Broadcast Summer 2020 TV Review:

CW:
Stargirl: A decade after most of the Justice Society of America dies in a battle against the Injustice Society, a high school sophomore who has just moved from Los Angeles to Nebraska, Courtney Whitemore discovers the powerful Cosmic Staff which has deemed her as worthy. She then learns that her stepfather Pat Dugan used to be the sidekick, S.T.R.I.PE., to the superhero Starman. She then takes it upon herself to inspire a whole new generation of superheroes to reform a new Justice Society to take on the Injustice Society who have resurfaced. Verdict: Renewed. The CW usually doesn’t cancel shows and it does not cancel superheroes but this show is higher quality than most of the superhero shows on their network. It is more uplifting than some of the others and has a good message that centers on hope and not giving up like the Flash or Supergirl does. It has a good backstory that sets up the series for a nice run as she grows into becoming a superheroine and the growth of the relationship with her stepdad. It has a good supporting cast with Luke Wilson (of Legally Blonde & Old School) playing the stepdad and the Amy Smart (Of Varsity Blues & the Butterfly Effect) playing the mom. It is interesting that the bad guys have kids who attend the school with Courtney and that she restarts the superhero team. The only thing I do not like is that none of the older members of the Justice Society are in the show but that’s not the premise of this show I hope they show flashbacks of them. I also hope they do not keep wasting time showing the bad guy’s kids life stories because if they aren’t following in the footsteps of their parents it is not needed. I will look forward to how she restarts the team and how those new superheroes become those heroes that they are following in the footsteps of. With her being a teenager they will waste time showing her dealing with high school drama with the bullies/jock/popular kids but that’s what you are signing up for with a teenage superhero. I can see this show being on the air for a very long due to its positive message, good supporting cast, how well it is written and how they are telling a good story that will have you grow along with Courtney and her team as the show progresses. It will be nice to have a superhero show that has a team even if it is the junior version of the Justice Society when most are about one hero or just a few of them.

ABC


United We Fall: Jo and Bill Ryan are the parents of two young children who are united against everyone including Bill's live-in mother, Jo's large Latinx Catholic family, other parents, teachers, doctors, specialists, coaches, co-workers and especially, their kids. Those people never hesitate to let the couple know they're seemingly screwing everything up, but Bill and Jo always have each other's backs because they are united. Verdict: Cancelled. Despite my laughing a lot in the pilot and throughout the first three episodes if a show debuts in the summer it usually doesn’t have a good chance of being renewed. Also the history of half hour sitcoms in the summer being renewed is far worse than the one hour dramas. Will Sasso (of Mad TV & Three Stooges movie) who plays the main character Bill gets the funny lines and also plays the loveable oaf of a father where most of the funny moments come from him. They are also relatable to most parents who struggle with parenting their kids and working jobs unlike the other parents they have to deal with in the show. It is fun to see them make fun of the parents of the other kids in their kids schools and how Jo’s (played by Christina Vidal Mitchell of Tiana & Code Black) brother raises his kids. He is unneeded most of the time but the plot is they both work for their family’s contractor business so I guess he has to be in the show but not as much as he has been plus his wife is also annoying and unneeded. You also add in that Bill’s mother (played by Jane Curtin of SNL & 3rd Rock from the sun) lives with them and is only there to nag them/tell them they are doing it wrong is also not needed, she could just be the type of grandma who pops in once in a while not being useless in every episode. If this show was on the in springtime like it was supposed to before Covid19 happened it would have a good chance at being renewed to fill the void left by Modern Family and Fresh of the Boat, who both finished their show’s runs this Spring. Or if it was in the fall like the new plan was it also could have been renewed because ABC cancelled three of their shows that would have been in their third seasons. 


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