In this feature, I look back at each day of the past week and determine what shows “won TV” for the night. That is, I consider every episode of television I watched that aired on a particular day and declare which was the best.
Sunday – Bob’s Burgers
Monday – Not a bad College Football Championship game
Tuesday – New Girl
Wednesday – Man Seeking Woman
Thursday – The Good Place
Friday – Crazy Ex-Girlfriend
Saturday – Carrie Fisher on SNL Vintage, Boob Mountain on new SNL
In this feature, I look back at each day of the past week and determine what shows “won TV” for the night. That is, I consider every episode of television I watched that aired on a particular day and declare which was the best.
Sunday – The Mick
Monday – Jeopardy!
Tuesday – We’re not sure if gays care about John Oliver, but do they care about Billy on the Street?
Wednesday – Man Seeking Woman
Thursday – Portlandia
Friday – Crazy Ex-Girlfriend
Saturday – Doug Baldwin’s butt catch
In this feature, I look back at each day of the past week and determine what shows “won TV” for the night. That is, I consider every episode of television I watched that aired on a particular day and declare which was the best.
Sunday – Doctor Who Christmas – fluffy, but fun
Monday – Lions-Giants, including the first TD pass of Dez Bryant’s career!
Tuesday – Jeopardy!
Wednesday – Jeopardy!
Thursday – Jeopardy!
Friday – Jeopardy!
Saturday – College Football Playoff, I guess
This ranking was originally posted on News Cult in December 2016.
We are at the point in history when we must accept that even those whose job it is to watch TV cannot possibly keep up with all that the medium has to offer. The same thing happened long ago with literature, and we have made our peace with it in such a way that we are still able to make year-end best-of lists of books. Thus the value in continuing to do the same for the boob tube remains.
When other lists feature shows I haven’t been watching, I do not despair over the impossibility of watching everything. Instead, I express gratitude that I will never be bored. And when I include my own obscure and underappreciated selections, I treat those decisions with the utmost responsibility.
10. Rectify (Sundance) Perhaps the most patient series of the 21st century, Rectify came to an end in 2016. Its conclusion is satisfying, which is unsurprising because it has always been consistently satisfying. The central question of former death row inmate Daniel Holden’s innocence or guilt is basically answered, even though the matter is not directly addressed, because this series is more about examining humanity than anything so simple as “answers.”
In this feature, I look back at each day of the past week and determine what shows “won TV” for the night. That is, I consider every episode of television I watched that aired on a particular day and declare which was the best.
Sunday – The Affair
Monday – Dear people of earth: People of Earth just completed an exemplary first season.
Tuesday – Billy on the Street
Wednesday – Jeopardy! (RIP Cindy Stowell)
Thursday – Football (Giants-Eagles) was pretty exciting.
Friday – Jeopardy!
Saturday – The family watched Elf after Christmas Eve after dinner.
SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE — “Casey Affleck” Episode 1714 — Pictured: Kate McKinnon as Hillary Clinton during the “Hillary Actually” sketch on December 17, 2016 — (Photo by: Becky Vu/NBC)
This review was originally published on News Cult in December 2016.
News Cult Entertainment Editor Jeffrey Malone watches every new episode of Saturday Night Live and then organizes the sketches into the following categories: “Love It” (potentially Best of the Season-worthy), “Keep It” (perfectly adequate), or “Leave It” (in need of a rewrite, to say the least). Then he concludes with assessments of the host and musical guest.
Love It
Hillary Actually – I generally cut SNL slack for not having the sharpest political satire around, but I do encourage more adventurous ideas, and this is exactly what I am talking about. Using a movie parody to make sense of the current twist in the election is what SNL is uniquely equipped to do. Hillary wooing an elector in the style of Love Actually’s cue cards scene may be over-the-top, but it rings through and through with essential truth.
I love the hacky comedy in the nativity play covered by New York Now and wish it had lasted even longer and gotten even more ridiculous…At Frankie’s Ale House, it is not just the guys looking to score who are deploying faux shyness: it’s also the bouncer, the guy calling 911, the EMT, and even God.
In this feature, I look back at each day of the past week and determine what shows “won TV” for the night. That is, I consider every episode of television I watched that aired on a particular day and declare which was the best.
Sunday – Son of Zorn
Monday – People of Earth
Tuesday – New Girl
Wednesday – Farewell, Rectify.
Thursday – Jeopardy!
Friday – Jeopardy!
Saturday – I’m sorry to say this, this is really embarrassing, but SNL with Casey Affleck was pretty good.