Fall TV 2023: Jon Hamm and 'Frasier' return along with reality and game shows
Jon Hamm is back, this time joining two different programs — "The Morning Show" and "Fargo" — as is the reboot of "Frasier," which brings star Kelsey Grammer back to Boston, where the character was introduced to us during the third season of "Cheers" nearly 40 years ago.
There are also a number of reality series and game shows, another animated program on Fox that was in production well before the writers strike, foreign productions and remakes.
Ultimately, it's a mixed bag that Bruce Miller runs through with his co-host Terry Lipshetz. The two also dive into favorite programs that 12-year-old Bruce and Terry liked to watch.
Upcoming shows to watch with approximate dates:
THE CHANGELING (AppleTV+ Sept. 8) — Based on Victor LaValle’s bestseller, this creepy drama goes back and forth in time to tell the story of a family that may (or may not) have done the right thing. LaValle narrates; LaKeith Stanfield stars as man looking for wife and son in a not-too-friendly New York City. Twists and turns exist on every corner.
THE WALKING DEAD: DARYL DIXON (AMC, Sept. 10) — Ready for another “Walking Dead” series? This is the sixth and it focuses on Norman Reedus’ character, Daryl. He washes ashore in France, but doesn’t know how he got there. Working his way back home, he encounters people who could make his goal more than a little difficult. Clemence Poesy, Adam Nagaitis co-star.
THE SWARM (The CW, Sept. 12) — With U.S. production companies on hold until the strikes are over, networks are looking elsewhere for content. This German production looks at what happens when humans have to battle some underwater force that’s determined to take over. It’s based on Frank Schatzing’s bestselling novel.
THE MORNING SHOW (AppleTV+, Sept. 13) — Jon Hamm joins the ensemble cast that inclues Jennifer Aniston and Reese WItherspoon for the third season of the show that follows a morning network news program.
THE OTHER BLACK GIRL (Hulu, Sept. 13) — An editorial assistant (played by Sinclair Daniel) has trouble navigating the waters as the only Black employee at her company. When another is hired, she discovers something wicked this way comes. Ashleigh Murray, Eric McCormack co-star.
WRESTLERS (Netflix, Sept. 13) — If you loved “Cheer,” you’ll probably find plenty to applaud in this docu-series. Following members of the Ohio Valley wrestling team in Louisville, Kentucky, the seven-part venture shows how the gym produced big names (John Cena, Dave Bautista among them) but now struggles to keep the doors open.
BUDDY GAMES (CBS, Sept. 14) — Josh Duhamel turned his real-life vacations into a film (also called “Buddy Games”) and now interprets it as a competition series. Six teams of friends compete in a series of games designed to see who’s best.
WILDERNESS (Amazon Prime Video, Sept. 15) — When Liv learns her husband has been having an affair, she agrees to a road trip that could repair their relationship. Unfortunately, plenty happens that makes her question the move. Jenna Coleman and Oliver Jackson-Cohen play the couple.
NEIGHBOURS (Amazon Freevee, Sept. 18) — The Australian soap (which ran for decades) ended in 2022 but that didn’t stop the antics from continuing. Reviving the ventures on Ramsay Street, this edition picks up two years after the finale. Mischa Barton is among the new residents.
THE SUPER MODELS (AppleTV+, Sept. 20) — They aren’t just on the cover of Vogue. Supermodels Naomi Campbell, Cindy Crawford, Christy Turlington and Linda Evangelista are the subjects of this four-part documentary about their hold on the world of modeling.
THE CONTINENTAL: FROM THE WORLD OF JOHN WICK (Peacock, Sept. 22) — How did that hotel become a hotbed for assassins? That’s the focus of this drama set in the John Wick universe. Winston Scott (Colin Woodell) serves as the tour guide through the hotels he later comes to own. Ian McShane, you may remember, plays the character in the “John Wick” movies. Also in the cast: Mel Gibson as the man who runs the New York Continental in the 1970s.
STILL UP (AppleTV+, Sept. 22) — Can’t sleep? Don’t worry. There’s a whole world that exists after most people go to bed. Antonia Thomas and Craig Roberts play two who bond over the phone.
KRAPOPOLIS (Fox, Sept. 24) — Hannah Waddingham turns in her “Ted Lasso” wardrobe for a shot at life as the goddess of self-destruction. With her family of humans, gods and monsters (it’s set in Ancient Greece), she’s forced to answer to her son, Tyrannis, the benevolent king of Krapopolis. Created by Dan Harmon, the animated venture brings to life all sorts of mythological characters.
THE IRRATIONAL (NBC, Sept. 25) — Jesse L. Martin plays a professor of behavioral science who agrees to handle high-level government cases. Based on Dan Ariely’s book, “Predictably Irrational,” it gives Martin another shot at crime-solving.
LOVE IN FAIRHOPE (Sept. 27, Hulu) — What goes on in a small Alabama town? Get the cameras. This docuseries looks at five generations in Fairhope. Reese Witherspoon is an executive producer.
THE GOLDEN BACHELOR (Sept. 28, ABC) — Old guys get their moment. Gerry Turner, a 71-year-old widower, gets to play the game, roses and all. Jesse Palmer hosts.
GEN V (Sept. 29, Amazon Prime Video) — Just when you thought superheroes were in trouble (thank you, “The Boys”), the franchise expands to college where kids with super powers have to decide what team they’re on. Expect a lot of flipflopping.
FOUND (Oct. 3, NBC) — More than 600,000 people go missing each year. A public relations whiz and her team try to figure out why. Shanola Hampton, Mark-Paul Gosselaar and Kelli Williams star.
THE SPENCER SISTERS (Oct. 4, The CW) — A mom and daughter (who are mistakenly viewed as sisters) solve mysteries. Lea Thompson and Stacey Farber star. Imported from Canada.
SULLIVAN’S CROSSING (Oct. 4, The CW) — Maggie Sullivan, a neurosurgeon, moves home and reunites with her dad. Chad Michael Murray, Morgan Kohan and Scott Patterson star. Another Canadian import.
THE FALL OF THE HOUSE OF USHER (Oct. 12, Netflix) — Edgar Allan Poe’s work is updated and given a pharmaceutical spin. Bruce Greenwood, Mary McDonnell, Carla Gugino and Mark Hamill are in the house.
HOUSE OF VILLAINS (Oct. 12, E! And other related channels) — Reality show villains compete for $200,000 and the title “America’s Ultimate Supervillain.” No wonder there was so much trouble last year on “Vanderpump Rules.”
FRASIER (Oct. 12, Paramount+) — That head shrinker (played by Kelsey Grammer) tosses the salad again and moves back to Boston (which means no Niles). There he deals with other family members, Lilith and Roz.
LESSONS IN CHEMISTRY (Oct. 13, AppleTV+) — The page turner that became a 2022 bestseller is adapted for television. Brie Larson stars as a scientist who hosts a TV show when she’s dumped from the university that could have ridden her coattails to the top. Lewis Pullman, Patrick Walker and Aja Naomi King also star.
LIVING FOR THE DEAD (Oct. 18, Hulu) — Five gay ghost hunters go across the country looking for ghosts in order to help survivors. They go to noted haunted locations and play their own “Queer Eye” games. It’s narrated by Kristen Stewart.
FELLOW TRAVELERS (Oct. 27, Paramount+) — Two men attempt a relationship during the 20th century, when Joseph McCarthy and Roy Cohn declared war on “subversives and sexual deviants.” The thriller stars Jonathan Bailey and Matt Bomer.
LOVE ISLAND GAMES (Nov. 1, Peacock) — Another “Love Island” competition.
ALL THE LIGHT WE CANNOT SEE (Nov. 2, Netflix) — This four-part series looks at blind girl and her father who flee German-occupied Paris with a diamond that could fall into the hands of Nazis. Louis Hofmann, Aria Mia Loberti and Mark Ruffalo star.
THE BUCCANEERS (Nov. 8, AppleTV+) — A group of American girls in the 1870s look for husbands in London. It’s inspired by Edith Wharton’s unfinished novel.
A MURDER AT THE END OF THE WORLD (Nov. 14, FX) — Murder, they wrote. A billionaire invites a Gen Z sleuth and tech-savvy hacker and other guests to a retreat. When one winds up dead, the others go on the hunt. Emma Corrin, Joan Chen, Raul Esparza star.
SCOTT PILGRIM TAKES OFF (Nov. 17, Netflix) — “Scott Pilgrim vs. the World” didn’t work when it was first released but then became a cult fave. In this animated adaptation Scott must take on the exes of a girl he loves. Many of the original cast members return to bring the story to life.
BOOKIE (November, Max) — A bookie tries to make it in a world of legalized sports gambling in Los Angeles.
MONARCH: LEGACY OF MONSTERS (November, AppleTV+) — Monsters thrive in this sci-fi drama from the folks behind the recent “Godzilla” films. Kurt Russell and son Wyatt star.
FARAWAY DOWNS (November, Hulu) — Baz Luhrmann’s film “Australia” is augmented with unused footage and a new ending. Nicole Kidman and Hugh Jackman still star.
FARGO (Nov. 21, FX) — In season five, its 2019 in Minnesota and North Dakota. A Midwestern housewife (Juno Temple) is thrust into a life she thought she had left behind. On her trail: A sheriff (Jon Hamm) who sees himself as the law and above the law.
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About the show
Streamed & Screened is a podcast about movies and TV hosted by Bruce Miller, a longtime entertainment reporter who is now the editor of the Sioux City Journal in Iowa and Terry Lipshetz, a senior producer for Lee Enterprises based in Madison, Wisconsin.
Episode transcript
Note: The following transcript was created by Adobe Premiere and may contain misspellings and other inaccuracies as it was generated automatically:
Welcome everyone to another episode of Streamed & Screened an entertainment podcast about movies and TV from Lee Enterprises. I'm Terry Lipshetz, a senior producer at Lee and co-host of the program with Bruce Miller, editor of the Sioux City Journal and longtime entertainment reporter. Bruce, it's still like 90 degrees outside all over this country, but it's we're getting ready for fall the fall season.
Time to break up the leaves, the pumpkin spice time. Oh, yeah. Pumpkin, I hate pumpkin spice. Oh, don't I? I hate it. Yeah, I'm with that. I just. We're throwing that out there. But that's what they sell this time of year is was the time of year that 12 year old Bruce would be making a list of all the new TV shows, making sure he got the TV guide that had all of the features about all of them planning and and trying to make sure that the fall TV's schedule was going to be perfect for the next year.
Well, now, old Bruce says, is there even a fall TV season anymore? Because we've got two strikes going on and most of the broadcast networks are not introducing any new series because they want to save them in case they need them for content, for next year. So it's it's kind of a mixed bag, I got to tell you.
But I do have some conclusions that I've drawn from looking at all of their like, maybe 30 some 40 shows that they've got on the books. Jon Hamm is the king of fall TV. Is Jon Amis in the new season of the morning show on Apple TV? And he is the lead character in the new version of Fargo.
Oh, Fargo's back. You're going to get a double ham. Oh, I have a ham sandwich, if you will. Now it's his cup, but yeah, he's pretty big. And then another thing I noticed was there are a lot of series coming from other countries. The swarm. Are you familiar with this swarm? No. No, I don't think so. That bee film that I think was it Michael Caine was in or on or one of those ones way back in the old days.
No, it's about water over the swarm of something under the water. That is going to really bell against the humans that are not keeping the water clean. It's based on a best seller from Germany, and it was a huge international production. They spent more money than Germany has ever spent on a series, and it's a cast of people from just about every country you can find.
So part of it's set in Vancouver, part of it said in Germany, part of it's in Peru. It's all over and it's going to be on the CW. So that's that's coming up this next week. It's one of the first ones that will premiere. And I got to tell you, I think what they've done is they edited some of the R-rated content for broadcast networks because there's a point where that you know, that they're saying a word that probably starts with four letters.
Mm hmm. And they blur out the big lips and then the eye that stays overnight at some woman's house. And you see them walking through. But you don't know if he's naked, but it sure looks like he's naked and it looks like they re-edited it to cut it looked a little a little more presentable. So it's interesting. You don't get the real kind of jump, the thrill that you're looking for, the jaws kind of moment until the end of the first episode.
And then you see that killer whales are out to get you out. So that's that's one of the first ones that you'll see. That's kind of fascinating. Is it in English? Yeah. Oh, they they wanted to make sure it was an international production. So they're all in English haltingly in some cases. But yeah, but it's all done in English.
Neighbors is going to be on Amazon freebie and it's a revival of the Australian series was a soap opera that ran for decades. And then Canada is providing two things for the CW dispenser Sisters and Sullivan's Crossing, and those sounds suspiciously like series we've already seen on The CW. But they're back. Leah Thompson's in one of them, Chad.
Michael Murray is on another one. They were, you know, popular in other times. So they're they're grabbing what they can find to provide content. And then you're seeing a lot of game shows of some sort or another. They're the golden bachelor. You've heard about that. I'm sure you've seen the ads for them. Oh, yeah. Yeah. The guy, he's 70 something who who's looking for love.
And you think, Wow. Who is advertising during this show? Peacock has Love Island Games, which is another Love Island series. But they're playing games, so then they don't have to have a script or anything like that. And then a really fascinating one, I think, is about the villains from reality TV shows. Now, here's a way for them to get all those Vanderpump Rules people out and into another marketplace House of Villains.
It's called in Joel McHale. McHale is hosting that. So those are the kinds of things you're seeing on those those networks. You see what I mean? Yeah, we don't have writers. Yeah. So we're going to do whatever we can there will, or we're going to call it a documentary. That's another kind of a way of dealing with things.
Fox has crap Apple is crap. Apple is this is a man and saw that. Yeah. They put into production quite a bit ago and it's about Greek gods and how they sit around and complain a lot. Hannah Waddingham from Ted Lasso is one of the voices. So, yeah, you know, that's an interesting thing. The boys, if you know the boys from Amazon.
They have a spinoff called Gen B and it's a new a new era of super heroes, super villains. It's much like the X-Men where they go to school to learn how to be. What kind of superhero are you going to be? And, you know, okay, we'll see what happens. NBC has a couple of series that are real series.
The Irrational, starring Jesse Martin, who is on Law and Order. It has him doing more kind of looking into cases and stuff. But the one that I thought was kind of interesting was called Found. And it's about a group of people looking for missing people. One who leads the team was missing herself at one point. And so they try to figure out where is all of this Mark-Paul gosselaar from NYPD Blue.
And then, of course, you know, saved by the Bell is one of the people looking for help. And now what movies have sponsored some kind of content in some fashion. John Wick is coming to television as a prequel. It's called The Continental, and it's about the character that Ian McShane played and how he became like the head of the New York Hotel.
If that makes anything that Scott Pilgrim saves the world has given birth to. Scott Pilgrim takes off. And this is an animated version of Scott Pilgrim versus the rest of the world or whomever or whatever it was. And then documentaries. Do you remember cheer? Did you watch Cheer at all on Netflix? I know. I know it. I. It's about maybe an episode or two.
It wasn't something that really captured. It's not for me kind of thing. It's about a college cheer team. And it was all right. Was it Louisville? Was Texas or Texas? Yeah. They did two seasons of this. It was quite well-received. It won the Emmy for best Documentary series. But now those people have done their own version of another look at people.
And it's called wrestlers. And it's about this place where they train basically all star wrestlers. John Cena was trained at this place. The Miz was trained at this place. And so it's done like it's a documentary and it's done, I think, pretty well for the circumstances and what the situation was. The people behind Cheer really know how to get in there and tell stories with with a crowd.
And then there are some kind of fascinating ones. The one I'm most looking forward to is lessons in chemistry. And I don't know if you've heard of this book, Lessons in Chemistry is was a bestseller was Barnes Noble's favorite book of the last year and it's about a woman in the fifties who is a scientist and wants to really push that career.
And of course, there are men that are keeping her from moving up in that world. So she creates a TV show, a cooking show that uses science to help her through everything, and then talk to the audience about this. And then you see her story play out. The book is wonderful. If you ever get a chance to read the book, please do, because it's fascinating.
Brie Larson stars in that and Bill Pullman son is in it as well. So there are some good things in there that you might want to take note of. Another one to look for is fellow travelers with Matt Bomer, and it's set during the time of Roy Cohn and all of that kind of and Joe McCarthy when they were out to get a lot of people.
Well, these are two two gentlemen in the government service who are trying to hold a relationship, if you will, a gay relationship during a time when they've been targeted by their own government. And so it's kind of fascinating how they will bring in real history and then comment on it from another another perspective. Okay. I'm Josh Duhamel. Did a movie called Buddy Games, and it was about how these friends kind of did goofy games out in the open during a weekend.
Well, guess what? Now, you two can be part of the buddy games. And so they're creating teams of people to compete with one another, to be the best buddy game players. What would a buddy game entail? Well, it'd be like stupid things. It's very much not unlike Survivor. Okay. But it might be like, I don't know, pushing a a beer egg somewhere around the outside, you know?
I mean, just dumb kind of dumb for sure. That's what it is. That's when you get a bunch of guys together and there might be alcohol involved. And it definitely is. And the airing each other, they're just daring each other to do whatever. If you were a were you a fan of Walking Dead? No, I it's one of those that just I wanted to watch it and I just never got into it.
Well, guess what? Now you can start it again because it be doing the it kind of a spinoff series, if you will, called The Walking Dead. Daryl Dixon and this is Norman Reedus is character. And so then they focus on Yemen and finds how he works his way back home. So that's interesting. Hulu has the other black girl.
It's about the only black employee at an editorial company. And then another black woman comes in to the company and how they both discover that there are some maybe not so aboveboard things happening at their company. Wilderness This is from Amazon Prime. Okay. A couple story about a husband and wife who go on a road trip. Now, does this sound now or it's just like you write going on vacation?
Yep. He discovers that he has been fooling around. Now, now we've. We've lost your right. And maybe she's. She's thinking he might want to get rid of her on this trip and get rid of her, not just leave her at a rest area. No, it's like where suddenly she falls off a cliff. No accident. Oh, no. What happened here?
So that could be fascinating, but I don't know how it would last more than a year. You know, at what point does divorce come into this? I think that would be great. Let's take another side. Let's take another summer vacation, honey. After the first time fails again, and this time we're going to be locking all the doors in the car and turning on the the the car in the garage.
This could be fun. Supermodels. It's a documentary about the four big supermodels. Do you know who the four are like of all time? Like Christie Brinkley. And it's true. Brinkley is not one of them. Kathy Ireland. Elle. Oh, boy. Elle MacPherson. No, Come on. There's one that you are, of course, with Kate Upton. No, I don't know. Mary.
Cindy Crawford. Oh, we're going back in time. Well, yeah, because this is like, all time, right? I mean, you know, I'm not bringing out Carol Meryl from Let's make a Deal. But there you go. Cindy Crawford, Christy Turlington, Linda Evangelista and Naomi Campbell. And it's a documentary about how they became these supermodels. It wasn't just they weren't just, you know, model models.
They were the real thing. Can you sleep at night? And I know I'm an insomniac. Then you will love. Still up. It's at sleep at night. And they meet and bond over the phone. They talk about what's keeping them up at night. So who knows? Love Bear. Hope this is a Hulu series. That's a reality show, or as they call it, a docu series that shows you what life is like in hope and how kind of deeper is deeper than you think.
There's more going on in that town than you think. You know, last night I watched Roger and me. You remember Roger and me? Yeah. I'm trying to think if I. I know the I know it, but I. Michael Moore did a documentary about Flint, Michigan, and how that town. Yep. Yep. Falling apart at the seams. Right. You need to go back and find out what happened.
And they got the water cleaned up in Flint. But it was. It's very fascinating how he kind of kicked off a lot of this by just showing people doing whatever or talking to people about things that, you know, you never really realized. You never if you didn't put one and one together, you wouldn't get the answer that you're looking for.
Now, you can see if you look back at Roger and me, how he has goosed the story a bit and how. Yeah, like trying to get the reaction he got. But that's what we're seeing with these reality shows. That's why something like Vanderpump Rules has this kind of. Well, let's just throw a little gasoline on this fire and see what happens.
And that's what they do with these reality shows, is try to get a reaction out of somebody that maybe, you know, we didn't see it before or after. Okay. The fall of the House of Usher. Do you remember that Edgar Allan Poe story? I think I remember seeing it as a movie in the sixties with, like, Vincent Price.
Okay. All the House of Usher. Well, they've taken because, of course, when you have this copy, it's free, right? Sure. Yeah. Anything that's already out of its copyright. Instead, it in the pharmaceutical industry and shows how this is how they're going to bring it down for the House of Usher. That's going to work. And that'll start in October.
Frazier. Frazier is coming back. Yeah, Yeah, I saw that. Now I've got a question about that. But go ahead and set it up. Well, Frazier moves. Frazier is not going to be on the West Coast. He's going back to Boston. And very as he doesn't have, Niles isn't with him anymore. But he does get Lilith in there and he does have Roz visiting him.
And then he also has a son in there. If you may remember, they had a son. Right. And he becomes a player in the whole story, too. And there are some touchstones when you look at it, you'll say, Oh, yeah, I remember that from Frasier, but it's Kelsey Grammer. Kelsey just decided to reboot the thing that's on Paramount Plus.
So here's I saw a trailer for it about a week or so ago, and in one of the scenes, it shows Frasier kind of like hanging out at a bar. And it wasn't Cheers. So he appears just kind of the odd thing. Like obviously, Frasier, it's a spinoff of Cheers. And obviously during Frasier, there were a few moments where some of the main characters made appearances on Frasier because they went out to visit or Frasier went back to Boston.
I can't remember all the the episodes, but I kind of found it odd that he wasn't hanging out at Cheers in the clip that I saw. Like, what happened to Cheers? You know, it's like, number one, did he go out of business? And that's why he's going to another bar or, you know, what happened to those characters? Because it just seems odd to me.
If I used to hang out at a bar every day for how long was Cheers on? Like eight years. Nine years, Something like that? Yeah. So. So now he goes back to Boston. He doesn't go back to that bar anymore. So now I've got all these questions Running through my head is like, what happened to the Cheers bar?
Maybe it was bought out by a corporation. That's right. Applebee's. You never know if it's an Applebee's now. Right. I have a fascinating one. I don't know. You know, there weren't a lot of names with it that were from the original series, so I don't know how well a will do when you just have a character and then you reboot it.
But if some of the other ones are signing on, you know, they must think it's it's something. I feel like with that one you have to somehow address. Cheers. Or else it's just going to be weird to be back in the same city. I believe they do. I think you're good. Yeah. Okay. I don't want to say too much.
Yeah, but, you know, the door is always open. Yeah. Like, I mean, you know, we know. I mean, obviously, Kirstie Alley died, so, you know, that's obviously something that can't be part of it, but. But Ted Danson is alive and obviously he could he could be retired old man in the show. And if that's what it is, and he does a cameo and he sold the bar and now it's an Applebee's, then I'm back.
Yep. You know, but Lilith is coming back, so you will see her and you will see Roz. Those are two who have signed on for multiple episodes. So there's something there. But I. You know, willow work. I like the relationship between Niles and Frasier. I thought that was a real kind of cool thing, where it's like yin and yang.
But we'll see. How about living for the dead? Living for the Dead is on Hulu, and it's a reality show where they go ghost hunting. Now, the ghost hunters are gay people, so it could be queer Eye for the Dead Guy. Oh, man. Yeah, we're really. Kristen Stewart is the narrator of this. And you know her Twilight. So we'll see what what happens, I guess.
I'm not Belgian for these things. I'm just telling you what there is. Netflix also has a mini series or a limited series called All the Way We Cannot See. It's about a blind girl and her father who try to get a diamond out of Nazi occupied Paris during World War Two. Interesting. Yeah. Hallmark Oh is in it. But there are people that you don't know who have the starring roles.
The Buccaneers. This is like, if you like. Weren't you a big old Bridgerton kind of fan? Yeah. Yeah, that in the 1870s. It's based on Edith Wharton's unfinished novel. And you know that they're going to have like Madonna singing. That's how they they roll. Right. Yeah. A Murder at the End of the World. This is on effects again, another limited series, very much like the Glass Onion, those kind of things where people are all gathered.
Yeah. Guess what? One of them's dead. Who did the thing? You know, and it has a pretty, pretty star laden cast. But I think that's because it's just a, you know, a short run. It's not like suddenly we get another another whatever bookie. Bookie is coming out on Max. And this is about a bookie trying to make it in Los Angeles after they've legalized gambling, sports gambling.
So it could be. Is that a is this a reality or. That's a the series series. Okay. It's a, you know, fictional. Yeah, but we'll see what happens. Do you remember the how man on HBO years and years ago? They did. It was like a horse racing, but then all the horses kept dying on set. Yeah, it's very I think it's similar.
I think Monarch the legacy of Monsters now. And you know, you've got to sign up for, right? Yep. And these are, if you remember, Godzilla. He had all these kind of characters and everything. Yep. So they're bringing all those characters into play with this, and they've got Kurt Russell and his son Wyatt in the cast. Now, why would they do this?
Why would they be in this kind of a show? But Monarch Legacy of Monsters coming on Apple TV. Plus the last thing I saw Kurt Russell in. Well, other than those weird Christmas movies are Santa Claus. Yeah, the there was a documentary. I can't remember what channel I saw it on, but Kurt Russell used to play baseball and his father owned a minor league.
It was like the last independent triple-A baseball team in America. And it was a really fascinating. I don't remember what it's called offhand, but if you get a chance that that was probably the last thing I actually saw. Kurt Russell And other than those Christmas movies. Well, and he's you know, he had that big old beard that makes him look like Santa Claus.
Right. But I you know, Kurt Russell is somebody who's ripe for a sit down where you say, oh, I got a lot of questions to ask you because I look at you as like Walt Disney's favorite kid, and he knew Walt Disney probably better than most people still alive today. And he could talk about that whole world and what it was like to be not necessarily a teen idol, but a teen actor, and then how he made the transition into really adult star.
And then there's that whole thing with Goldie Hawn that we haven't unpacked, you know? And so there's a lot there that I would love to ask him about, but I don't know if, you know, he's open to that kind of stuff. He might be very guarded about his life, but he's going to be doing the Godzilla movie slash rings and then our last one that I have to put in the list is far away downs.
Far away downs is a way of taking an old movie movie, finding the old footage that never got used and expanding it into a multi-part series. This is a Baz Luhrmann's Australia, and it starred Hugh Jackman and Nicole Kidman. And they're going to beef that sucker up and call it far away downs. Hmm. Now, that isn't that a concept?
Yep. That's like all. What else do they save a lot of copy on? We're going to see this again. But that's a concept. So you see the reality shows that they're doing the they're doing we're adding in the old movies that are redone or re repurposed the foreign the foreign pickups. You know, it's all this stuff that you go, this is a season.
I don't think it is. And they used to have slogans each. Now we're going to have its own slogan. I don't know is it everything old is new again. I don't know what it is here. Yeah, that's a word, basically. And it all starts this next week. The new series start rolling out and you will see them advertising.
The stuff I did watch was it four episodes of The Morning Show? Okay. In a very big way, because they have an Elon Musk character. That's the Jon Hamm character who in the first episode is going to take somebody up in space and is maybe looking to buy the network. Interesting. So that gets back a little bit to the Apple TV, TV plus dilemma that I've talked about prior.
So I actually just canceled Apple TV Plus, but I still have it for a month because it's you know, you cancel it and then you have X amount of time before it actually goes away. So I I'm finishing up a couple of things. The dilemma that I was in is that I watched about half of season two of morning show and then I stopped when I canceled it a year ago.
And now I've got to decide, okay, I'm going to pick up the back end of season two and then maybe keep it going to watch all of season three. Or do I just put Apple TV Plus on ice for a little while? Go on to something else and then come back and knock through it? Is it good enough for me to stick around?
So you got lessons in chemistry coming? Yeah. And then be in October and then I think you'll want to see that I watched one episode of that. Okay. Yeah, I was fascinated, but I could see I've read the book and I loved the book, and to see how it kind of transpired was interesting, but I'd stick with it, spend another then another six bucks, write something like a 99 plus tax event.
Okay, seven. So, you know, you mentioned the slogans. The only one that I can think of, two that actually still applies is animation domination from Fox with crap awfulness. Oh, but there were a lot I wish I could tell you all of them, because I remember each network would have its own and they were. Oh yeah, ABC was the place to be.
ABC. CBS had something to do with the eye. A lot of times are eyes on you or they, you know, they would do those kind of goofy things and then they'd have a song. And if you look back on YouTube, you'll see these old kind of premier video things where they do an episode of like, here's our new shows and we're going to introduce them with John Ritter and, you know, Gavin MacLeod.
And then they would come out and sing and dance. Do you think how did they get those people to do that stuff? That must have been it's almost like indentured servitude, you know, But they're singing and dancing and wearing tuxedos and looking like they really love each other. And they probably hate each other with the animation stuff. With Fox, if I was maybe ten years younger, I might tune in to Crap Apple is, but I feel like the time is kind of passed.
Or those. I mean, clearly they get the ratings to justify continuing. But I'm thinking about it. I was with The Simpsons from way back when it was on the Tracey Ullman Show. I watched every little short that was on Tracey Ullman. I watched every episode from season one and I watched every season from season one up until, uh, I want to say was maybe the 2016 2017 season.
And then I moved from Wisconsin to to work down in Kentucky and I stopped. I haven't watched an episode of The Simpsons since, and it's very similar to even like Family Guy, like, I love Family Guy, but I don't know when the last time I watched a Family Guy episode and with The Simpsons in particular, it just feels like it's the same stories over and over and they just push it forward.
Like there's one episode every year where it's about how Homer met Marge. There's another episode, obviously, of your Treehouse of Horror. You have to have a Christmas episode, you've got to have some episode, which is like, you know, some sort of Storytime Fairy tale thing. And it just feels like it's like, rinse and repeat over and over. We'll hire you to work on The Simpsons.
I think, you know, the the formula and what I the thing that lured me in were all the signs in the background where I would have to watch and then you'd see that stuff and now I don't care. Is that so? Saying something about me. And I love The Simpsons. I do too. I don't know that I would.
It's not appointment TV anymore and maybe be available. They've been on for what, like 30, 35 years now? It's 30 some years. And I knew when it first came out and I remember how kind of gruff the characters looked in the beginning. They were really not as as kind of smooth and, and Disney like and I don't know that they've really they've done anything with that because they're owned by Disney now who they always bit the hand of.
They were always saying bad things about Disney and are they doing it now. I guess we'll have to watch and find it out. But they're they're probably not affected because by the strikes or anything, because they do everything a year in advance. So I think they're okay for now. But yeah, it'll it'll be interesting to see. At what point does it affect the following season with any of these animated shows?
Because so then, you know, when we come around to next fall, instead of it being a 22 episode season, is it a 15 episode season? Right. Would they ever do a live action version of The Simpsons, do you think? I don't know. That's interesting. The sort of had one sort of, but I mean, where do you would, like cast it?
Yeah, I do like because I think you could do it on stage really easily. You know, you'd be interesting, but I don't know if a movie version would work because you need some of those flights of fancy that they have. Yeah. So at the top of the show, you mentioned 12 year old Bruce getting excited for the fall season.
What did 12 year old Bruce get excited for? What were your shows? Do you watch the 12? Oh, you know, I was a I was a huge Batman fan of the Batman with Adam West and Bird and I really thought it was a drama. I'll be honest with you. I did not see it as a comedy or campy thing.
I thought, Oh my God, they yeah, this is just life or death. We've got to find out what happens with Batman and how he, Howie thwarts the Riddler. You know, when is a door not a door? I don't know, Batman. When is a door? Not a door when it's ajar, that kind of stuff. And I was like, Oh, that.
So, so well-written. What I. What is this? But those are the things I hung clung to. And I was really good at kind of ruling the TV at that age. I don't know if you had your kids do this, but my dad would say, Well, now what time is? And then fill in the name of a show that I didn't want to watch.
I think it's not on this week that it's not going to be on. We're going to have to watch this other show that I want. Like Gunsmoke was something I hated. I hated it. And I thought that was a vile series and that it can't be interrupted every week. They're not interrupting Gunsmoke. Every It's got to be on.
I said, No, no Gunsmoke this week. It's not happening. Or rap patrol or combat. Those are ones. I hate it. I love the comedies, though. That was always my big thing. But yeah, and I would I would have all of the material, all the stuff you could think of. I have pictures of the set from the series of the stars.
I you know, this is how crazy I am, okay? Because this will show you how part goes back. I have an autographed picture from Ed Sullivan now, who has an autographed picture of Ed Sullivan. Nobody, nobody would want this but 12 year old Bruce wanted a picture of Ed Sullivan and dammit, he got it. So there there you go.
But yeah, so it was a big thing. And I don't know if you would, like highlight the TV guide like I did, but I would have it all marked up. And then I had to get a special version that would not be touched. Do not ask me where these things are. There's somewhere they got thrown. And that probably was when I went to college.
My mother says, Get rid of all this crap or not having it in there. But I tracked this stuff just really intensely to make sure that I knew every little thing that was going on on TV. And those days, you could you could keep a handle on what was going on. The bad thing about television back in the sixties, seventies and eighties was that they often had more episodes than they had year.
So if there were 30 episodes of a TV series, a number of them wouldn't get rerun, right? And so then they were just lost to the stars. You did not? Yeah. Somebody put them out in a collection and then you get to see them again. And that was always like, We've got we can't. We've got to be home.
We've got to be home because we're not going to get to see this again. It's one time only. It's really a fascinating thing because I look back, I remember one year as a gift to my parents. I think I bought them season one of Leave It to Beaver on DVD and it was like 37 episodes. It was insane.
And yeah, yeah. And I even, you know, thinking about, like, what you mentioned with episodes repeating, there were a lot of times in my childhood where something was preempted because maybe there was a State of the Union, you know, like the president, there's a crisis. So the president. Hopson And it and it great to have to break away from a TV show and then trying to figure out like when can I actually watch that again?
And it wasn't until, you know, ten years ago even where you stopped having to worry about maybe setting a a VCR to to record something, because now, now, now it's easy. You just throw it on your your your program list and it'll record every episode multiple times for you. You'll never miss it, but that the times have changed.
I remember setting one up and it had the the word that in it and everything. They had the word that, you know, it was recorded so quickly. My, my DVR was filled. But yeah, but yeah. And the other thing that would drive you crazy is if the weather was bad and they had to break in and you think, I'm not going to get to see this show, you've got to you've got to not talk.
Do not do a weather update. I don't care. I would rather die in a heap of rubble from the tornado that's coming my direction. Then miss an episode of All in the Family, you know? Yeah. So the 1987 88 TV year would have been kind of covering my 12 year old. So looking down the list of like what the most popular shows was, and these are some great shows, The Cosby Show that was a favorite of mine.
Cheers growing Pains, Who's the Boss? Did you know Danny Pitaro from Who's the Boss? He's actually from my hometown of New Jersey. Yeah. And he went to a different elementary school than I went to. So I never and then he ended up after he got into Who's the boss, he got pulled out and did tutoring and things like that.
So I never met him. But I know kids that when I got into the middle school, like, Oh yeah, I had class with Danny Pitaro in first grade, that kind of things. And he's my age. So, you know, we were we would have been classmates together and also Alyssa milano because she's from Staten Island. And I, I would have to look again because I went to kindergarten on Staten Island and I, I think she may have actually been in the same public school district as I was.
I'm not entirely sure. And that she's a couple of years older than me. You were working as a child. You need to have been working as a child. I know we could be. Yeah. Now. But yeah, some of these other shows do. Night Court. I was a huge fan of that. ALF The Wonder Years. These are some family ties near nearing the end.
I don't know if I was still watching Family Ties in 87, but that was a favorite of mine a few years before that. But yeah, they had far more comedies back then. Yes, comedies repeated well and comedies were good for syndication, so we saw a lot of them. Now you don't see a lot of them because, you know, is there a repeat value there?
I don't know. Yeah, and they probably are very costly in comparison to something else. And you look at some of the comedies that we do have and they seem very repetitive or redundant or, or they're just reboots of shows that might Frasier, Frasier, back again. Here we are. But yeah, and I think, you know, there was a time during one of the strikes where they just repeated old scripts and they took old scripts and then just, you know, change the, the actors and that did not work.
Well, it did not. People saw through it and said, you know what? I think I saw this back with Martin Landau and Barbara Bain. So Mission Impossible is not the same. But they you know, they tried that. They were trying everything. And we'll see what happens with this, with this strike and where where it leads us. But the fall season, it's here all season this year.
I mean, it's a couple of weeks until actual fall, but college football is back. The NFL's back in TV in some form may not be peak TV like we're used to, but it is back. Indeed. Yeah. It'll be fun to see how how it shapes out. Hey, we could be big game show fans, but games were there. Absolutely.
All right. Well, on that note, we will move on from this episode, but we will be back again next week on Streamed & Screened.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
