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From: moriarty@fluke.UUCP (Jeff Meyer)
Newsgroups: net.tv
Subject: Two-month summary of reactions to Fall '85 TV lineup
Message-ID: <2860@vax4.fluke.UUCP>
Date: Tue, 29-Oct-85 01:15:33 EST
Article-I.D.: vax4.2860
Posted: Tue Oct 29 01:15:33 1985
Date-Received: Wed, 30-Oct-85 00:34:40 EST
Distribution: na
Organization: John Fluke Mfg. Co., Inc., Everett, WA
Lines: 137

Well, the magic two month milestone has passed, and I have to
look back and ask myself, just how much television am I watching
these days?  With a video machine, it makes it much easier to
avoid the problem of every having to be home for anything, but the
constant fear of Couch Potato-dom often raises its ugly head.  On
the other hand, maybe I can pretend to be doing these reviews in
the Best Interests of those of you who are wondering what's Good
out there.  Well, here are a few judgements, combined with a few
comments, sorted into three categories.

ABSOLUTELY WILL NOT MISS EXCEPT FOR NUCLEAR WAR. MAYBE.

-Hill Street Blues.  Last year was the best season they've had in three
 years, but this one has been just as good if not better.  And this is a
 relief, after all the prophesizing of doom by various people about what
 would happen when Bocho was gone and they loosened up the format.
 Generally speaking, I don't find the show all that much different in
 format, except that it usually has a brief scene before the role call,
 which is a nice touch.  The Furillo Commission thing has been riveting,
 Harry went out with style, Patsy could come back any time, and Ray is still
 present thanks to the commission.  And the usual high style of acting is
 still very present.  My only beefs were the incredibly gift-wrapped ending
 of Harry's killer, Leo's sudden departure (what about his ex-wife?), and
 Howard shows absolutely no development as a character in the last four
 years, except as a Warner Bros. Cartoon character.  Still the best.

-At The Movies.  More for the content than for the critics, who seem to be
 showing emotional stress these days.


ALWAYS TAPE THEM, AND ALMOST ALWAYS WATCH THEM.

-St. Elsewhere.  Not for everybody, but then they don't try to be.  Still
 has the rather manic, weird nature of the last season, but seems to be on a
 slight (very slight) downward trend.  However, William Daniels continues to
 do a very nice job as Dr. Craig, and the regulars do their normal competent
 job.  Oh, yeah -- Fiskus and Billie Newman?  Yoiks...

-The Twilight Zone.  I did not expect this to win in the Battle of the
 Network Anthologies, but it has, with consistently funny or well-thought
 out episodes.  Stories like "The Healer", "The Wish Bank", "Nightcrawlers"
 and "Ye Gods" continue to remind me of the general level of quality brought
 by the old show (please to remember before flaming: the original had many
 great shows, but it had just as many mediocre ones, and it much of it's
 greatness rested on its high good/mediocre ratio COMBINED with a multi-year
 run.  Have some patience...), and updated to make it palatable to modern
 viewers.  And very important to me, the feeling that the writers are still
 *experimenting*, still stretching their imaginations somewhat.  An amazing
 collection of people have contributed: William Friedken, Harlan Ellison,
 Melinda Dillon, the guy who did NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET (his name escapes
 me...), the Grateful Dead, even Huey Lewis (on the harmonica!).  Kudos to
 all involved with this very fine show; I can't speak for Rod Serling, but
 I'm pleased.

-The Equalizer.  Ok, ha-ha, I didn't think this was going to be any good,
 either.  After reading the capsule description in the preview issue of TV
 guide, I wrote it off as another in the genre of "Waste-His-Ass" movies and
 TV (see my article in net.movies for more details).  But... week after
 week, I have seen things which bring me back for more.  1) Good writing.
 2) Good plots.  3) Good photography.  4) An immensely interesting, complex
 and three-dimensional lead character.  Robert McCall (Edward Woodward) may
 be the first mass media character to come out in four years who actually
 fits the term "good man".  Or maybe hero.  No, not
 jump-and-dodge-machine-gun-bullets-and-save-the-family-of-migrant-workers
 super-hero dude you get on most shows.  This appears to be a thinking
 person's hero -- he has the means and methods to accomplish good in a
 realistic environment (after many years in the CIA -- the fellow who played
 Gary Seven on Star Trek shows up occasionally as his old boss), but he
 seriously questions how he does things.  He gets tired, he gets lonely, he
 screws up sometimes. He doubts whether he's right, or whether he's doing
 any good.  But he doesn't let his personal speculations drag him into
 inactivity; and he helps people out as true charity.  We seem to uncover
 another facet of his personality every episode, and I for one am going to
 continue watching this progression.  Character development and
 three-dimensional writing are rare, especially when the show has such a
 potential to fall on it's face -- the networks would love a "Death Wish"
 show.  But realistic violence nontheless, I think this is quite a program.

-The Cosby Show.  Look at it this way -- the man is FUNNY.  He makes me
 laugh.  He makes me laugh consistently.  Good for him.  I am particularly
 impressed that so many young kids are watching this.  Can't hurt.

-Mad Movies with the L.A. Express.  A local syndicated show here in
 Seattle, with old movies (and home movies) dubbed ala WHAT'S UP TIGER
 LILLY.  Very good so far (the Sherlock Holmes movie with Rathbone and Bruce
 had me in fits).  Better than J-MEN FOREVER, even.


YEAH, I'LL TAPE IT AND PROBABLY WATCH IT, ESPECIALLY AS I CAN
FAST-FORWARD OVER THE COMMERCIALS...

-Spenser.  I've read the books, and while it still fails miserably in
 points (Frank Belson in particular), Urich is good, Brooks as Hawk is
 phenomenal, and the stories have been getting truer and better every week.
 Worth experimenting, I think.

-Cheers & Night Court.  Real hit-'n-miss stuff; Cheers has been variable
 and rather tapped out for the last two years, but still gets laughs on some
 occasions.  Night Court has always ridden a very fine line between zany and
 cute and (ugh) "heartwarming", and it still trips quite a bit.  The quality
 content of either of these can usually be determined in the first four
 minutes.

-Amazing Stories & Alfred Hitchcock Presents.  The former has been the most
 overhyped show of the season -- only this last Sunday's episode ("Mummy
 Daddy") has been good enough to praise (but that one WAS good, with
 wonderful horror movie cliches lampooned, nice photgraphy and a neat
 Spielburg parody by Brandon Pinchot).  Hitchcock has been sometimes good,
 but usually predictable -- the last two episodes were figurable in the
 first 4 minutes, even though the former sported Barbera Hershey and Buck
 Henry.  Variable is the keyword here.

-Misfits of Science.  About the same level of The Greatest American Hero --
 some fun but variable.  Definately the most ORIGINAL (maybe weirdest)
 opening credit sequence in years... I love it!  Characterization is worked
 on in odd moments, all the male actors have three names, Basil Poulderis
 does the music (eh?) and why in the Hell does every episode open with
 someone making hamburgers on a grill?  Are we having fun yet?

-Miami Vice.  Biggest letdown of the year.  After an INCREDIBLY good
 opening movie, the show has been week after week of very thin stuff.  Hey,
 I don't expect Vice to have good dialogue or plots -- that's not what it's
 famous for (though it occasionally surprises me).  But the last few shows
 have lacked the pizazz usually found in the last season -- the photgraphy
 is lackluster and Jan Hammers music is not used to any effect at all.  In
 short, it looks like a Miami Vice Imitator.  Work on it, guys...

That's it.  That's all.

      "But Billy Joe, lynchin' ain't fer mummies.
       Lynchin's fer cattle rustlers."
				          "Lynchin's fer EVERBODY!"

                                        Moriarty, aka Jeff Meyer
ARPA: fluke!moriarty@uw-beaver.ARPA
UUCP: {uw-beaver, sun, allegra, sb6, lbl-csam}!fluke!moriarty
<*> DISCLAIMER: Do what you want with me, but leave my employers alone! <*>