The State of Television in 2019

Its now mid November and I have had time to watch all the new shows I wanted to check out and decide which ones I liked and which ones were duds.
Where is what I posted before the season began along with what my rating is now after two months.

• Batwoman (I gave it a 4 - out of 5 for how interested I was in it) (final rating = 0)
I watching it once and knew within 10 minutes of watching it that I would not watch another episode

• Bless the Harts (I gave it a 2) (Final rating still a 2)
This one was ok, but there was no reason to tune into another episode, and I don't watch any of the other Sunday night Fox animation (not even Simpsons, which is pretty good) so I can't even leave the TV on by accident and see this one.

• Bob Hearts Abishola (I gave it 1) (Final rating, 1.5)
This one is OK, but it really is a bottom tear sitcom. I can't see it making it to a second season, and I won't be watching it during the first season.

• Carol's Second Act (I gave it a 4) (Final rating is a 3)
This one is better than Bob Hearts Abishola, but just a little. Again, there were so many better sitcoms cancelled last season that this.

• Sunnyside (I gave it a 2) (Final rating has to be a 0 as I don't remember it)
I had totally forgotten about this one until I reread my post. Now I kinda remember watching the first episode and deciding I was not going to continue with it. And it looks like that may have been what everybody else did, because I don't remember seeing it on over the last few weeks.

• Nancy Drew (I gave it a 3) (Final rating is a 5)
This show I really like, and it has now become a favourite of my son, so we watch it together. The only thing I don't like it what it has too much of a supernatural vibe to it. I would prefer the show if it was just regular mysteries. That said, I still think its a really fun show.

• Emergence (Didn't rate this one) (Final rating 4)
Here is a show that I didn't even pay attention to when I saw the full page description in TV Weeks Preview issue. I thought it was just another cop show which I don't watch. I saw an add on TV for it and decided it looked interesting. This one is actually a sci-fi show and so far its been pretty good.

• The Unicorn (Didn't rate this one) (Final rating 4.5)
This is another one that I did't pay attention to from its full page description. But it turns out its by far my favourite new sitcom of the season. The only problem is that it might be hard to do a second season, as they really play off the fact he is really new at the dating scene, and after a year, it might seem like they need to find a new angle for the show. But I really like the characters and I look forward to it each week.

And here is a look at the shows that didn't make it from last season, as long as the ones that were renewed for a second season.

From the RIP list, I am going to miss:
Abby's - Funny show
A.P. Bio - Really funny show
Crazy Ex-Girlfriend - Lots of fun, even if you had to fast forward through some of the songs
Elementary - The only cop type show I was watching
The Kids are Alright - Really, really funny show
Speechless - Was a great show, but the final season was not the best
Splitting Up Together - This one was also really good first season, but not as good in the final season

From the shows that were renewed from last season, I was glad to see these shows back:
God Friended Me - My son and I watch this together
Single Parents - This is currently my favourite sitcom

TV is really not what it once was. Back in the 80's and 90's I can remember being so excited for the new fall season of TV shows and so was everyone else. We were all watching the same shows. Now, I have cable and I feel like I have the most choices, but even so, when I look at the TV Week listings I see so many shows that I don't have access to on Netflix, Hulu, Amazon, etc. The Fall TV Season is just not as exciting as it once was. Its way to fractured now and I just see it getting worse as time go on and we get even more splintered into smaller and smaller ecosystems Honestly, I can't believe they still feel TW Week magazine. I buy the Fall Preview issue every year along with the returning Series issue, but other than the pages in the front and back of the issue that list the new shows, the rest of the magazine which is television listings is a huge waste of paper, as I can easily see the guide right on my TV. I do remember the days when along with TV Guide and TV Week, there was a TV listings magazine included in the weekend newspaper, and a free TV listings magazine full of ads you could pickup at the grocery store or a hundred other places. I really do wonder who is still buying TV Week magazine for the show listings? That said, I can't wait for next year so I can pick up the new issues of the Fall Preview and Returning Shows issues!

2019 Fall TV Preview

It's September and time for another batch of new TV shows to show up on cable television. I'm one of the few still subscribed to cable TV. I don't want to have to subscribe to a bunch of different services such as Netflix, Hulu and HBO. I like to be able to turn my TV on and see my shows all in one place. Before the fragmenting of cable TV with all these new cable-cutting services, September was an exciting time for me with ALL the new shows available on my TV. Sadly now with myself having cable, I get all the new 'cable' shows, but there are shows on other services that I will not have a chance to watch, such as two recent shows that I have yet to have the opportunity to see, Daredevil and the Tick.
The TV Week Fall Preview issue is out now, and this seasons list of new shows on cable is looking rather anemic for my tastes. Lets dive in and see what I'll be checking out this fall. I will give each show a rating out of 5 for how much I am looking forward to it - 5 being the ones I am most excited about:

• Batwoman (4) I love Batman, so this could be interesting. I also love the CW show Flash, so if this is as good as that I may continue watching. Sadly I didn't stick with Gotham (a show based in the Batman universe), as I found it to much like a teen soap opera, with too little Batman to keep me tuning in. I have a feeling this one will be the same.

• Bless the Harts (2) This is an animated Fox show that could be fun, but from the photo shown, the art style looks to much like the crapy style of Bobs Burgers which I'm not a fan of. Its also sandwiched in a block of animation that doesn't appeal to me. The Simpsons are good, but after all these years, I don't feel the need to watch it any longer and Bobs Burgers and Family Guy are not shows I watch.

• Bob Hearts Abishola (1) Its a sitcom (something there are not many of these days) which I like, so I will give it a shot, but I'm not expecting much.

• Nancy Drew (3) I was a big fan of the Hardy Boys when I was young, and recently I read a monthly Nancy Drew comic book, so will give this a chance. But, because it is on the CW, I am expecting it to be for a much younger audience than myself.

• Carol's Second Act (4) Another sitcom, so I'll automatically give it a try. And I loved The Middle, so it could be fun seeing Patrica Heaton on this new show.

• Sunnyside (2) I'll give this a try. Depending on how much I like the cast, this could be a fun show.

Each fall season seems to get less interesting and this year with only 6 shows I am planning on checking out, this is probably the least amount of shows I have planned on watching ever. And the mid season show list doesn't look any more promising. From the very short descriptions of the 27 mid season shows, there is not one that looks interesting enough to have me looking forward February. Hopefully next weeks issue of TV Week, with the returning favourites and new specialty shows, will be a little more promising.

Batman's Dostoyevsky Comics

Here is a Batman story you have probably never seen before. Its from Masterpiece comics (Where classics and cartoons collide!) by R. Sikoryak, first edition 2009. One of the stories in the book is this one titled "Crime and Punishment!"

Old Time Photo Studio

Back in the 1980's it seemed like just about every mall had an 'Old Time Photo Studio' where they had all kinds of props and backdrops to make you look like you had gone back in time to the 1900's. Some time in the mid 80's my grandparents visited us, and one day while they were here we ended up in just such a place. The only thing I can remember about the photo shoot was that the gun in my holster was supposed to be on my right hand side, but then it could not been seen, so we turned it backwards and I became a left handed shooter for the photo. I love that I (the sheriff) look very serious and my older sister (my mom) looks like she is very 'high society'. My grandparents look like they are so proud to be having one of these 'new fangled' photos taken of them!

It was probably pretty expensive at the time, but 30 years later it's a pretty awesome memento of one of my few visits with my grandparents.

Oswald the Lucky Rabbit in Banjo Blues

Back in June I came across the Heritage Auctions site which was auctioning off a huge lot of Disney animation artwork, production cells etc. I downloaded a bunch of the amazing artwork, including this great background painting from The Black Cauldron. On the same site were some great images of Oswald the Lucky Rabbit. I have scanned and printed a few of the old Oswald the Lucky Rabbit cartoon movie posters which are hanging on my wall. I decided to make one more to add to my collection of Oswald movie posters. Above is the poster I made for my faux Oswald cartoon titled "Banjo Blues". Below you can see the original background painting from the Black Cauldron, a second version shows the Oswald drawing I used. While I was at it, I also made a "Banjo Blues" desktop wallpaper for my iMac.

 The last picture is a faux title card I made a long time ago, for the Oswald cartoon "Cats Me'Ow" which you won't find in a history book because I made it up!

Oswald the Lucky Rabbit Club Membership Card

Sometimes I find myself obsessed with the idea of something or other. Recently I was thinking about Oswald the Lucky Rabbit and how interesting it would have been if Walt Disney had not lost the rights to this character and had built his media empire on the back of Oswald instead of Mickey.
In the 2005 Disney Editions book "The Disney Keepsakes" by Robert Tieman, there is a replica of a Mickey Mouse Club membership card from 1929. The front of the card shows a smiling Mickey Mouse and lists the club chapter number and name, and has a space for the members name to be written along with a membership number. There is also a place for "Chief Mickey Mouse" to sign the card. The back of the card has the Mickey Mouse Club Creed:
I will be a square shooter in my home, in school, on the playgrounds, where-ever I may be.
I will be truthful and honorable and strive, always, to make myself a better and more useful little citizen.
I will respect my elders and help the aged, the helpless and children smaller than myself.
In short, I will be a good American!
After seeing this, I started thinking about what it would have looked like if there was no Mickey Mouse and instead we had an Oswald Club. I took a photo I found online of a Mickey Mouse Membership Card and turned it into an Oswald Club Membership Card which now has a spot in my collection! It makes me smile every time I see it there displayed amongst my other official Disney collectables.