Sunday, September 25, 2022 marked the five-year anniversary of the launch of Progressives Chat.
I appreciate this as well as this site’s regulars. (A thank-you, again, for helping me goes to cathyx.)
It would be rather lacking for me to not reflect on how I am feeling nowadays, five years in, given there is so much which has happened leading up to this current time. So, I will do that. Next week.
Last week was the Emmys. This week, a new season begins. The 2022–23 television season—well, certainly for the broadcast networks—will start on the same date as this blog topic. (A given week runs Monday through the following Sunday. That is, for the network television with its week-to-week schedule as well as the ratings, advertisements, and such.) And I will admit: I have not made a point to look into the newbies for this now-official 2022–23 season to see what I may want to check out. I am not being generally dismissive. I am simply, by comparison to when I was younger, not making a point to keep up. However, I am reminded, here in 2022, that the start of this new 2022–23 television season is coincidentally timed with numerous milestone anniversaries of past series—many which I appreciated—for when they premiered. The following are: videos, from my YouTube page (set to Public), for each listed series’s main-theme music and credits; and some notable information on listed productions (key cast members, particularly with series leads, and their premiere dates). When considering this, it can feel amazing (note the coincidental date of 09.16.1972) that all this time has passed.
• The Bob Newhart Show (CBS), the fresh comedy about working spouses—one a psychiatrist who has colorful patients—who do not have children but keep plenty of company; starring Bob Newhart and Suzanne Pleshette (who who received two Emmy nominations for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series); series premiered 09.16.1972
• Bridget Loves Bernie (CBS), the No. 5 season-ranked among all 1972–73 series; it was created by Oscar- and Tony-nominated playwright Bernard Slade (Same Time Next Year); it was canceled after its first season (due to its controversy of the mixed backgrounds of its lead characters in a romantic comedy); starring pre-marrieds David Birney and Meredith Baxter (its only surviving cast member); 09.16.1972
• The Julie Andrews Hour (ABC), acclaimed variety series (and the winner of the 1972–73 Emmy in that category); starring the 1964 Best Actress Oscar winning star of Mary Poppins; 09.13.1972
• Kung Fu (ABC), the Emmy winner for directing in drama and multi-nominated series, set in the American Old West; it starred an Emmy-nominated David Carradine; its pilot [movie] was broadcast 02.22.1972 and its series premiered 10.14.1972
• M*A*S*H (CBS), starring Emmy-winning Alan Alda (with co-lead roles played by Wayne Rogers, in its first three seasons and, with the rest of its eleven seasons, Mike Farrell); developed by Larry Gelbart (from Robert Altman’s Oscar-winning 1970 film to a multi-Emmy-winning small-screen sitcom awarded Outstanding Comedy Series in 1974); series premiered 09.17.1972
• Maude (CBS), created by Norman Lear and Bud York; starring the 1966 Tony-winning costar of the musical Mame, Beatrice Arthur (who won the 1977 Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series), and Bill Macy; following the top character’s introduction on All in the Family (“Cousin Maude’s Visit,” 12.11.1971, with backdoor pilot episode “Maude,” 03.11.1972); series premiered 09.12.1972
• The Rookies (ABC, which was rebooted to its current version in 2018), with Georg Stanford Brown (future Emmy-winning director for CBS’s Cagney & Lacey which starred his then-wife, and Emmy winner, Tyne Daly), Sam Melville, and Michael Ontkean (who would leave after two seasons and be replaced by Bruce Fairbairn); costarring was pre-Charlie’s Angels’s Kate Jackson (who reunited with Ontkean in 1982’s controversial film Making Love); as a pilot [movie] 03.07.1972 and with its series premiere 09.11.1972
• The Streets of San Francisco (ABC), from well-recognized Quinn Martin Productions; a multi-Emmy-nominated detective drama—filmed on location (according to series title)—starring Oscar and Emmy winner and 27th president of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences Karl Malden; backed in support by future Oscar and Emmy winner Michael Douglas (who departed the series in its final season and was replaced by a pre-Battlestar Gallactica Richard Hatch); 09.16.1972
• The Waltons (CBS), the historical drama created by Earl Hammer Jr., set in rural Virginia during the Great Depression and World War II periods; starring Richard Thomas, Ralph Waite, and Michael Learned—and costarring Oscar nominee Ellen Corby and Will Geer (both having won Emmys for the series)—following the Emmy-nominated TV film The Homecoming: A Christmas Story, 12.19.1971. It was the big Emmy winner for its debut season (Outstanding Drama Series and Lead acting wins for Thomas and eventual four-time winner Learned). Series premiered 09.14.1972
(Above is video from the first episode of ABC’s The Julie Andrews Hour. Prior to getting this blog topic completed and published, I had not seen a YouTube video with just its theme. I could not include that with the prior videos. So, please consider this one to be a bonus.)
• Cheers (NBC), the comedy among friends in a Boston, Massachusetts bar owned by a former Red Sox player; with Ted Danson and Shelley Long (who left after five seasons and was replaced by Kirstie Alley for the remainder of its run); four-time Emmy winner for Outstanding Comedy Series—with a combined four Emmys for its leads—over a period of eleven seasons (and a ten-year time parallel following CBS’s M*A*S*H; they overlapped with the 1982–83 season); series premiered 09.30.1982
• Newhart (CBS), with Bob Newhart and Mary Frann; scene-stealing and Emmy-nominated supporting cast members Julia Duffy and Peter Solari joined the series in its second and third seasons; 10.25.1982
• Remington Steele (NBC), a detective series mixing drama with humor; starring Stephanie Zimbalist and Pierce Brosnan; 10.01.1982
• St. Elsewhere (NBC), the multi-Emmy-winning and unique hospital drama created by Joshua Brand and John Falsey; starring Tony and Emmy winner Ed Flanders (who left the series in its sixth and final season and was replaced by Ronny Cox), David Birney (who was written out after its first season and replaced by Norman Lloyd), and future 25th president of the Screen Actors Guild of America William Daniels; it costarred future Oscar and Tony winner Denzel Washington; 10.26.1982
• The Ben Stiller Show (Fox), variety series and winner of a writing Emmy (in its genre) which was canceled after 13 episodes and one season (perhaps it was ahead of its time); it featured Andy Dick, Janeane Garofalo (at which time she was also a cast member on HBO’s The Larry Sanders Show, which premiered 08.15.1992), and future Better Call Saul’s Bob Odenkirk; series premiered 09.27.1992
• Hangin’ with Mr. Cooper (ABC), with Mark Curry, Dawnn Lewis (who left the series after its first season due to change in direction and was replaced by Saundra Quarterman), and Holly Robinson [Peete]; Lewis (who cowrote the theme to NBC’s A Different World) and Robinson Peete co-sang the first season’s opening theme with then-sensation R&B group En Vogue; 09.22.1992
• Mad About You (NBC), a romantic comedy about a married couple played by Paul Reiser (who co-created the series with Danny Jacobson) and Helen Hunt; during its eight seasons, Hunt won four Lead Actress Emmys for the series and the 1997 Oscar for Best Actress in As Good As It Gets; 09.23.1992
• Picket Fences (CBS), a David E. Kelley creation and multi-Emmy-winning drama—it won the Big Three in its first season (Outstanding Drama Series, Actor, and Actress)—which was based in a fictional, low-population Wisconsin location, Rome, and addressed timely, real-world issues; starring Emmy winners Tom Skerritt and Kathy Baker; 09.18.1992
• Ally McBeal (Fox), a David E. Kelley creation with Calista Flockhart in the title role; a rare one-hour comedy series which won the top Emmy (in 1999) for its genre; series premiered 09.08.1997
• Brooklyn South (CBS), a collaborative effort by Steven Bochco (with numerous of his partners from ABC’s then-current NYPD Blue); with top-billed Jon Tenney (then-husband of Teri Hatcher); a 1997–98 Emmy winner for directing in drama (for its pilot episode); 09.22.1997
• Veronica’s Closet (NBC); co-created by Friends’s David Crane and Marta Kauffman; with Kirstie Alley as the owner of a lingerie company; and an opening theme performed by Jeffrey Osborne; 09.25.1997
The season’s biggest freshman hit, certainly with lasting power, and appearing last in the above related video, turned out not to be from the broadcast networks. It was Comedy Central’s outrageous animated comedy South Park, created by Tony, Grammy, and Emmy winners Trey Parker (also an Oscar-nominee for the song “Blame Canada” from its 1999 film) and Matt Stone. The series premiered 08.13.1997.
A number of these noted seasons also had standout midseason freshmen. Their debut seasons were likewise Emmy-eligible. The 1972–73 season also marked the premiere of Barnaby Jones (CBS), starring Buddy Ebsen (and costarring an Emmy-nominated Lee Meriwether), on 01.28.1973.… The 1982–83 season also marked the debuts of two acclaimed and Emmy-nominated comedies (but on for two seasons): Buffalo Bill (NBC), with Dabney Coleman and Joanna Cassidy, on 06.01.1983; and Goodnight, Beantown (CBS), which paired Bill Bixby and an Emmy-nominated Mariette Hartley, on 04.03.1983.… The 1992–93 season also marked the debuts of: Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman (CBS), set in Colorado’s past and with a two-time Emmy-nominated Jane Seymour in the title role, on 01.01.1993; Homicide: Life on the Street (NBC), a police procedural which won both directing (1988 Oscar winner for Rain Man Barry Levinson) and writing Emmys for its debut season, and with an ensemble cast which included future Oscar and Emmy winner Melissa Leo and 1998 Emmy winner for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series Andre Braugher, on 01.31.1993; and MTV’s bold Beavis and Butt–Head, created by Mike Judge, with its pilot on 09.22.1992 and with its first season on 03.08.1993.… The 1997–98 season also marked the debut of Dawson’s Creek (The WB), a coming-of-age drama starring James Van Der Beek in the title role with other key roles played by Katie Holmes, Joshua Jackson, and future Oscar and Tony nominee and Emmy winner Michelle Williams, on 01.20.1998.
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| Abbott Elementary’s Quinta Brunson, front row center, Chris Perfetti, left, and Tyler James Williams; back row, left to right: Sheryl Lee Ralph, Janelle James, and Lisa Ann Walter |
The 74th Emmy Awards will be broadcast live, on NBC, Monday, September 12, 2022.
This is for prime-time television achievements for the previous 2021–22 season.
After nominations came out in July, and with an awareness for some established series—as well as ones with their first seasons—having been well-received, I decided to spend some time in July and August catching up by streaming their seasons—especially with 2021–22 television season. I figure, “It’s not a bad idea to see what I think. And I may have been falling behind and missing out [to some extent].”
2021–22 nominations for Outstanding Drama Series: Better Call Saul (AMC); Euphoria (HBO); Ozark (Netflix); Severance (Apple TV+); Squid Game (Netflix); Stranger Things (Netflix); Succession (HBO); Yellowjackets (Showtime).
2021–22 nominations for Outstanding Comedy Series: Abbott Elementary (ABC); Barry (HBO); Curb Your Enthusiasm (HBO); Hacks (HBO Max); The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel (Amazon Prime Video); Only Murders in the Building (Hulu); Ted Lasso (Apple TV+); What We Do in the Shadows (FX).
This is a total of 16 productions which comprise the nominations in their respective genre’s top category. Frankly, I did not have that much time. As one who follows the entertainment awards website GoldDerby, I was able to ascertain which ones appear in position to win. I took on three each from drama and comedy for a total of six. (By the way: I trust readers do not need me to explain, in general, what each series is about.)
In drama, I had previously watched the first two seasons of past Emmy champ Succession. It won with its second season in 2020. Its third season aired during Fall 2021. I also took on freshmen Squid Game and Severance.
In comedy, I first went with Hacks and, soon afterward, followed it with last year’s winner Ted Lasso. And then I viewed the freshman Abbott Elementary.
For the 2021–22 season, no matter the respective outcomes of the Emmys, my preferences turned out to be: Squid Game and Abbott Elementary.
They both have in common this: They are about unjust economics in terrible systems which weigh down people. What they also have in common is that they are highly relevant to this current period in history. Last year I wrote and published, here at Progressives Chat, a topic on Squid Game: ‘Why has [“Squid Game”] resonated with a global audience?’. I can simply add that that series is innovative and daring. So, I will move on to Abbott Elementary.
Abbott Elementary is about an underfunded school in west Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Its protagonist is second-grade teacher Janine Teagues, played by series creator and executive producer Quinta Brunson, who must navigate the system. Her colleagues include thirty-year, kindergarten teacher Barbara Howard (Sheryl Lee Ralph); fellow second-grade teacher Melissa Schemmenti (Lisa Ann Walter); and fellow instructor Jacob Hill (Chris Perfetti), who hired at the same time as Janine. Joining them is substitute teacher Gregory Eddie (Tyler James Williams), who continues with the first-grade students after one of them made their previous teacher flip. And the school also has the not-qualified principal Ava Coleman (Janelle James).
Abbott Elementary is a comedy which has many reminded of NBC Emmy-winning The Office. It is single camera and has a mockumentary style. But that isn’t enough to describe Abbott Elementary. It is, frankly, a workplace comedy in a school setting. It is a remarkable series with superb performances (with nominations for Brunson, Williams, James, and Ralph). It has interesting, distinct characters. These characters are smart. They are relatable. They have depth. They also evolve. Even the principal, who is inappropriate and vain, proves to be creative and capable.
Abbott Elementary, which debuted as a preview on December 7, 2021 before it continued in January 2022, has a thirteen-episode count with its first season. (The season-two premiere is scheduled for next Wednesday, September 21, 2022.) The pilot, by Brunson, and which is nominated for Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series, is one of the best of any series I have seen in years. Streaming and viewing the first season, available on both Hulu and HBO Max, was an absolute pleasure.
Given my preferences for Squid Game and Abbott Elementary, the following question may be asked: Will they win? They both can. But, many on the site GoldDerby figure Succession will win its second statue in drama. (I don’t disagree.) I sense part of this is because actors love the series’ material—and they want to act that kind of material—as it evokes a King Lear-like figure who has adult children and, constantly, they play power games. At the same time, that back and forth reminds me of Wile E. Coyote and the Road Runner. In comedy, I actually think Abbott Elementary will prevail. Over the last month, momentum has built for it. This suggests a rally of support to have it finish on top. There was the Television Critics Association (‘Abbott Elementary is the golden child of TV critics, scoring 4 wins at the TCA Awards’), which prized it with four, including not only Outstanding Achievement in Comedy but also Program of the Year. It also won from the Hollywood Critics Association TV Awards (‘HCA TV Awards: “White Lotus,” “Abbott Elementary,” “Better Call Saul” Lead Winners’). What may be the best precursor came from the two-night, September 4 and 5, Creative Arts Emmys. Abbott Elementary won the 2021–22 Emmy for Outstanding Casting for a Comedy Series (specifically awarded to Wendy O’Brien). Since 2015, the prevailing series with that award went on to win the Emmy for Outstanding Comedy Series. This began with HBO’s Veep, starring Julia Louis–Dreyfuss, which also won in 2016 and 2017. The last four years’s winners, with both, were for separate series: The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, in 2018; Amazon Prime Video’s Fleabag, in 2019; Pop’s Schitt’s Creek, in 2020; and Ted Lasso, in 2021. I sense this pattern will continue, here in 2022, as a series Emmy for Abbott Elementary would be well-earned.
Here are some published-to-YouTube videos, including two trailers, for ABC’s Abbott Elementary:
This week marks the 50-year anniversary of the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich, West Germany which turned into a politically motivated massacre of eleven olympic athletes from Israel by Palestinians from the terrorist group Black September Organization. (BSO previously assassinated on November 28, 1971 then-Jordan prime minister Wasfi Tal.)
The 1972 Summer Olympics were from August 26 to September 11. This was an olympics which included the successes of swimmer Mark Spitz; gymnast Olga Korbut; and, three years before his death at age 24, long-distance runner Steve Prefontaine. It was also terrorism.
On September 5, 1972, Palestinians broke into the quarters of the Israelis and murdered wrestling coach Moshe Weinberg, 32, and weightlifter Yossef Romano, 32. They took the remaining nine as hostages and, on September 6, 1972, murdered them at the airport with use of guns and grenades. According to Wikipedia (not the greatest source but good enough for this), four were murdered by bullets and/or grenade: gymnast and weightlifter Ze'ev Friedman, 28; weightlifter David Berger, 28; weightlifting judge Yakov Springer, 51; and wrestler Eliezer Halfin, 24. The remaining five were murdered by bullets: wrestling referee Yossef Gutfreund, 40; shooting coach Kehat Shorr, 53; wrestler Mark Slavin, 18; fencing coach Andre Spitzer, 27; and track coach Amitzur Shapira, 40.
Below are videos—each years old—which cover much of what played out. One such video includes the late Jim McKay (1921–2008) of ABC’s Wide World of Sports, the U.S. network which broadcast the 1972 Summer Olympics, who delivered the grim news to the viewers. Another such video includes then-Israel prime minister Golda Meir’s (1898–1978) decision to launch Operation “Wrath of God” which authorized Mossad, the national intelligence agency of Israel, to assassinate those responsible for the Munich massacre of the Israeli athletes. (Here is a direct link to that video, titled “Revenge Of The 1972 Munich Olympics,” and marked here by YouTube as “age-restricted and only available on YouTube”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iNoeVkot_28&list=PLNB2irY4spE2CuCwSM0LjhvLeOvUl4FFu&index=3 .)
Recommended reading:
• Olympics attack victims’ families to boycott Germany ceremony
• Israeli athletes stunned by Palestinian terrorists who rocked the 1972 Munich olympics…
• How the 1972 Munich Massacre unfolded, through the eyes of athletes in the Olympic village
