THE TKTV NEWSLETTER
Season 4, Episode 12 aired April 2, 2001

CONTENTS
1. Intro
2. Letters from the viewing audience
3. Mary L. Mosholder's opinion
4. The poll
5. Don't Miss
6. TV Trivia
7. Favorite quotes of the week
8. A totally unrelated link
1. Intro

Big Apple, CBS's recent cop drama, was just cancelled by The Eye. Although it had a primo time slot after Survivor II and CSI, it was going up against powerhouse ER. And even though it was a good show, somehow it wasn't very accessible. It was one of those shows where if you don't pay a lot of attention, you can get very confused very quickly. We can only have so many of those on the air at one time. Ah, well, more quality TV down the drain. I just hope Ed O'Neill doesn't give up doing drama.

So, did you catch the premiere of The Oblongs last night on the WB? If you turned on the WB at all last night you must have seen it, because they played the half hour premiere once an hour from 7pm until 10pm. I gotta say, it was NOT what I was expecting.

For those of you who missed it, the show centers around an unusual family that lives in the Valley (as opposed to the Hills, where the rich people live). The father of the family has no arms and no legs, and works in a factory putting bottle caps on rat poison with his teeth. The mother, who originally comes from the Hills, moved to the Valley when she fell in love, started smoking, started drinking, and had all her hair fall out. Their children consist of conjoined twins, a small quiet daughter with a strange extra appendage coming out of the top of her head, and a son who, in the premiere episode, falls in love with an alien who sucks out his brain.

Em, what?

Oh, and don't forget the family cat who smokes and, instead of coughing up hairballs, coughs up a lung.

For brevity's sake, I'm not including all the other strange things like the projectile dwarfs and the frog-girl and the girl who has no lower jaw and therefore spits a lot when she talks.

I commend the effort on doing something new and different, but this is maybe just a little too new and too different. While watching the premiere, I found myself grimacing and cringing more than I was actually laughing. I recommend catching one episode of this show, just so you can say you saw it, but I won't try to tell you that you'll actually enjoy it.

Why is NBC's DAG still on the air? Put the whole thing out of its misery, let Delta Burke reprise her role as Cherry Cherry on Popular, and make NBC's Tuesdays a little less embarassing by returning 3rd Rock to the airwaves. There, was that so difficult?

I hope everyone had a prank-ful April Fool's Day, and for those of you who celebrate it, have a happy upcoming Passover.

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2. Letters from the viewing audience

From Michaela:
Speaking of the Oscars - how can you say there were no surprises? Marcia Gay Harden? Steven Soderbergh? Cameron Crowe? Surprises all (and happy surprises at that!). Julia Roberts needs to talk less, though....

Note from TK: perhaps I mis-wrote. I think I meant that there were no upsets, not necessarily no surprises. In all of the categories where the winner was obvious, the obvious winner won. Wouldn't it have been more interesting if Julia Roberts DIDN'T win? Or if Gladiator DIDN'T get best picture? Or if Russell Crowe HADN'T gotten best actor? I'm not saying the winners didn't deserve their awards, I'm just saying that the show would have been more interesting with one or two upsets. Perhaps Steven Soderbergh counts as an upset, but since he had 40% of the nominations in the directing category, can you really call it an upset?
Letters from the viewing audience are always welcome. Please email any opinions, questions, comments, or random thoughts to TK at tk@tktv.net with the subject of "letters." Letters may be edited for length or content.

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3. Mary L. Mosholder's opinion

Well the television season is almost over; it seems like it just started. As someone who was eagerly awaiting the television season this year, I'd like to give my opinions on the shows that I've watched. Now granted, these are just my opinions and in many cases they differ from popular opinion. My opinions also, I'm sure, differ from TK's, who has sites for many of these shows. I understand that television viewing is subjective and not everyone feels the way I do about these programs. Well, for your consideration, to agree or disagree, here are my thoughts.

The Practice:

I wasn't too happy with this show this year. I think the problem was with the continuing storylines at the beginning of the year. From Sept-Jan, the show mainly focused on two stories: Scott Wallace and William Hinks. Now I have no problems with continuing storylines, but The Practice's strength is providing us with a variety of compelling trials throughout the year. However David E. Kelley robbed us of that by dragging out these two stories. Now granted, these storylines are over and the show has gotten back on track, but I think that the weak beginning made for a weak season. I don't care about this show nearly as much as I did last year.

Boston Public:

I watched this show until David E. Kelley decided to let Thomas McCarthy go. McCarthy was my favorite actor on Boston Public and I was angered that Kelley let him go so quickly. Now, I know it's wrong to watch a show solely because of one actor and I may have continued watching if the departure was handled differently. But to me Kevin Riley's firing was totally unfair and unwarranted. Riley's firing made me lose respect for Principal Harper and thus the show itself. Now, it's possible that next year I may start watching the show again, but I'm a little leery: how realistic is it for a school to face a major crisis every week?

Ally McBeal:

I've heard many people say that this year was better then the last. I don't agree. I thought that last year was one of Ally McBeal's best years. Of course, practically everyone disagreed so that's why David E. Kelley made some changes. At first I wasn't happy with these changes; I thought the show was weak. Before Christmas, it seemed like every story focused on Ally at the expense of the supporting players (with the exception of John). I missed seeing Richard, Ling, and Nelle. Thankfully, around Christmas, Kelley finally put the show back on track and starting giving us stories with the supporting players. The supporting characters are what make this show and I'm glad that Kelley has gotten back to that.

Family Law:

This is my favorite program of the year. I can't figure out why Judging Amy gets so much more attention when THIS is clearly the law show to watch. Wonderful characters, intelligent writing and thought provoking cases combine to make this one great hour of television. I think I like this show so much because it mainly focuses on the cases and how the cases affect the lawyers. To me this show seems much more focused and thought provoking than Judging Amy and I really hope CBS decides to renew it for next year.

Judging Amy:

I just started watching this show this year and while I enjoy watching, I don't think it's great. Maybe part of my problem with it is that it jumps between so many storylines within one episode. Usually, in the course of one hour, we jump from Amy in court, Amy's personal life, Maxine at work, and either Vincent, Donna, or Peter/Gillian. It's a lot and, while some shows can juggle all that, I think it weakens this show. It makes for a good hour, just not a memorable one.

Ed:

I've seen every episode of this program and I really enjoy it. The characters are interesting (although Phil gets annoying at times) and the stories are very good. It's a show with heart and humor that makes for a light enjoyable hour. The show hasn't been static: the relationship between Ed and Carol has evolved and we've gotten to know the supporting players better. This is a show definitely worth watching.

The West Wing:

I've just starting watching this show but I enjoy it. I can understand why this show has won so many awards. It's a strong hour full of humor, characterization and thought provoking issues. Though it's a joy seeing Rob Lowe every week, I also find myself interested in the other characters. Too bad I missed last year because I can't see what Richard Schiff did to deserve an Emmy. Not that I doubt his talent but I haven't seen that many episodes so I haven't seen him or Allison Janney at their best. I'm looking forward to see more of this show and catching up on the reruns. Note: I predict that Bradley Whitford will win an Emmy this year. From what I've seen and from what others have said, his work this year has been excellent.

Friends:

I thought it was a weak season for this show but I can't put my finger on the reason. The show just didn't seem fresh to me. I've seen every episode this year but it seems as though I missed a lot. The humor doesn't seem as fresh and for some reason I don't care as much about the characters. This show has definitely lost its spark; maybe it will get it back next year.

Will & Grace:

I was disappointed in this show at first. Yes, it was funny, but something was "off." I think I was annoyed that we didn't see Will and Grace interact with each other that much. Will was always with Jack and Grace was with Karen. I wanted to see Will and Grace interact with each other at least for a couple of episodes. Luckily I got my wish. Ever since the great Thanksgiving episode, we've gotten to see episodes with Will and Grace together. The show is finally back on track and I'm enjoying it much more than I did last fall. This is a definite example (Ally McBeal is another) of a show having a weak season beginning and turning itself around. Note: I predict that Eric and Debra will win Emmys this year. Eric probably would have won last year if it wasn't for Michael J. Fox.

That's Life:

I've watched every episode this year and I can't really say that I care if this program is renewed or not. The show is good, but not great. I don't really find myself caring about these characters. The stories are very light and the characters don't seem very interesting. It's an enjoyable show, but it wouldn't break my heart if it was cancelled, especially considering that I was surprised when CBS ordered a full season this year.

Well, those are my thoughts. Every show on this list has been renewed with the exception of Family Law and That's Life whose fates are unknown. I'd say overall the television season started out weak but is ending on a strong note. Hopefully next year (strike notwithstanding) will be much more even and enjoyable. Hopefully producers will continue to learn from their mistakes and provide us with a full season of quality programming.

TKTV is always looking for new guest writers. Do you have an idea for an article? Write to TK with the subject of "guestwriter."

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4. The poll

This week's poll found out who everyone's favorite older actor is. Mary Beth Piel (Dawson's Creek) squeaked out a win with 30% of the vote. Fyvush Finkel (Boston Public) trailed closely with almost 24% of the vote, and Tyne Daly (Judging Amy), Ellen Burstyn (That's Life) and Mike Farrell (Providence) trailed with approximately 18%, 17% and 10% respectively.

This was a hard one for me. I was really torn between Fyvush, Ellen and Tyne myself.

This week's poll finds out what show you miss the most of the shows that have been cancelled already this year. Choose wisely...

As always, the TKTV weekly poll can be found right on the front page of the site.

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5. Don't Miss
For details and lots more fun TV to look forward to, see
http://www.tktv.net/index.html?/upcoming.html

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6. TV Trivia

Last week's question was: who performed a live musical performance at the Oscars via satellite from Australia?

First prize goes to Betsy06631. Congratulations!

Honorable mentions go to Suzanne B. and Nikki M.

The correct answer was, as many many of you knew, Bob Dylan.

This week's question is: Paula Marshall, who can now be seen as Jack's girlfriend, Katie, on The Steven Weber Show, used to co-star in what short-lived ABC show with Jeremy Piven?

Send answers to TK at tk@tktv.net with the subject of tvtrivia. Winners will be chosen at random from all the correct answers.

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7. Favorite quotes of the week

From Once and Again
Judy: He's always treated Tiffany like she's some rabbit he pulled out of a hat that he can't get to disappear.

From Will & Grace
Will, after tricking Grace during a poker game: In this house, a queen beats a straight every time.

From Three Sisters
Steven: Don't tell me this is 'cause she's kinda cute.
Bess: Kinda cute? She's the seventh Friend.

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8. A totally unrelated link

How to Dance

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Accomplishing the impossible means only that the boss will add it to your regular duties.