Everybody Loves Raymond
The Ultimate TV Network
July 21, 2009
by David Krell
david@davidkrell.com
If I created the ultimate television network, the prime time program lineup would probably look like this:
On Sunday, I would start with the legends. I Love Lucy at 8:00pm followed by The Jack Benny Program at 8:30pm.
The pairing makes sense since Lucille Ball and Jack Benny were not only show business icons, but also neighbors in real life. They lived next door to each other on North Roxbury Drive in Beverly Hills.
Then, we turn to the rural heavyweights. The Andy Griffith Show at 9:00pm and The Beverly Hillbillies at 9:30pm.
Sunday nights should be nice and easy, after all. And what's nicer and easier than our friends in Mayberry and the hillbilly transplants to the land of Rodeo Drive?
At 10:00pm, The Sopranos.
On Monday nights, I would pair The Dick Van Dyke Show and Mary Tyler Moore in the 8 o'clock hour, followed by M*A*S*H and Murphy Brown in the 9 o'clock hour.
At 10:00pm, St. Elsewhere.
Tuesday nights would start with family comedy. The Cosby Show and Family Ties 8:00pm and 8:30pm respectively.
Everybody Loves Raymond at 9:00pm and Two and a Half Men at 9:30pm.
At 10:00pm, Law & Order.
Wednesday nights would start with sophistication.
Frasier at 8:00pm and The Odd Couple at 8:30pm. I'm sure Felix Unger would have enjoyed talking wine, opera, and art with the Crane brothers.
The 9 o'clock hour would consist of You'll Never Get Rich starring Phil Silvers as Sergeant Bilko and The Twilight Zone.
At 10:00pm, Hill Street Blues.
Of course, Thursday nights would truly be Must See TV with Cheers, Taxi, Seinfeld, and Friends followed by ER at 10:00pm.
Friday night would be another family-friendly night, starting with The Brady Bunch at 8:00pm and The Wonder Years at 8:30pm.
At 9:00pm, Friday Night Lights, a depiction of a west Texas town obsessed with high school football.
At 10:00pm, The Wire.
Saturday night begins with cartoons.
The Simpsons at 8:00pm and King of the Hill at 8:30pm.
The Honeymooners at 9:00pm and Curb Your Enthusiasm at 9:30pm.
At 10:00pm, Homicide: Life on the Street, an undervalued, underrated, and underwatched program during its tenure on NBC in the 1990's.
Reasonable minds can differ.
Should Happy Days be in the lineup instead of The Brady Bunch?
What about L.A. Law, thirtysomething, Scrubs, or All in the Family?
What's the standard for making the linuep?
All good questions.
For now, it's merely instinctive.
Programs can be replaced.
Or I can start another network.
david@davidkrell.com
If I created the ultimate television network, the prime time program lineup would probably look like this:
On Sunday, I would start with the legends. I Love Lucy at 8:00pm followed by The Jack Benny Program at 8:30pm.
The pairing makes sense since Lucille Ball and Jack Benny were not only show business icons, but also neighbors in real life. They lived next door to each other on North Roxbury Drive in Beverly Hills.
Then, we turn to the rural heavyweights. The Andy Griffith Show at 9:00pm and The Beverly Hillbillies at 9:30pm.
Sunday nights should be nice and easy, after all. And what's nicer and easier than our friends in Mayberry and the hillbilly transplants to the land of Rodeo Drive?
At 10:00pm, The Sopranos.
On Monday nights, I would pair The Dick Van Dyke Show and Mary Tyler Moore in the 8 o'clock hour, followed by M*A*S*H and Murphy Brown in the 9 o'clock hour.
At 10:00pm, St. Elsewhere.
Tuesday nights would start with family comedy. The Cosby Show and Family Ties 8:00pm and 8:30pm respectively.
Everybody Loves Raymond at 9:00pm and Two and a Half Men at 9:30pm.
At 10:00pm, Law & Order.
Wednesday nights would start with sophistication.
Frasier at 8:00pm and The Odd Couple at 8:30pm. I'm sure Felix Unger would have enjoyed talking wine, opera, and art with the Crane brothers.
The 9 o'clock hour would consist of You'll Never Get Rich starring Phil Silvers as Sergeant Bilko and The Twilight Zone.
At 10:00pm, Hill Street Blues.
Of course, Thursday nights would truly be Must See TV with Cheers, Taxi, Seinfeld, and Friends followed by ER at 10:00pm.
Friday night would be another family-friendly night, starting with The Brady Bunch at 8:00pm and The Wonder Years at 8:30pm.
At 9:00pm, Friday Night Lights, a depiction of a west Texas town obsessed with high school football.
At 10:00pm, The Wire.
Saturday night begins with cartoons.
The Simpsons at 8:00pm and King of the Hill at 8:30pm.
The Honeymooners at 9:00pm and Curb Your Enthusiasm at 9:30pm.
At 10:00pm, Homicide: Life on the Street, an undervalued, underrated, and underwatched program during its tenure on NBC in the 1990's.
Reasonable minds can differ.
Should Happy Days be in the lineup instead of The Brady Bunch?
What about L.A. Law, thirtysomething, Scrubs, or All in the Family?
What's the standard for making the linuep?
All good questions.
For now, it's merely instinctive.
Programs can be replaced.
Or I can start another network.
Major League
May 27, 2009
by David Krell
david@davidkrell.com
This year marks the 20th anniversary of a movie with a classic early set up and climactic payoff, romance in the B-storyline incorporated into the main plot, and an underdog theme against a baseball backdrop.
Major League.
In this 1989 movie, Charlie Sheen plays Cleveland Indians pitcher Rick 'Wild Thing' Vaughn, his nickname stemming from his wild pitching. Corrective lenses easily solve this problem.
Sheen later parlayed his movie stardom for small screen success. He took over the lead position in Spin City after Michael J. Fox left the show. Sheen now stars in Two and a Half Men, the successor to the crown of CBS' Monday night comedy lineup previously worn by Everybody Loves Raymond.
Corbin Bernsen plays cocky, skilled, and fast-talking third baseman Roger Dorn. His performance in Major League coincided with the height of his success in L.A. Law where he played cocky, skilled, and fast-talking matrimonial attorney Arnie Becker.
Tom Berenger plays veteran catcher Jake Taylor. Berenger's television work is plentiful.
In guest appearances on Cheers, Berenger plays plumber Don Santry, the man who finally wins the love of Rebecca Howe, played by Kirstie Alley.
Berenger plays real-life icons Teddy Roosevelt and Paul 'Bear' Bryant respectively in the tv-movies Rough Riders and The Junction Boys.
In October Road, Berenger plays the Commander, a.k.a. the father of lead character Nick Garrett.
Berenger made another noteworthy contribution to prime time. Sort of.
In The Big Chill, Berenger plays Sam Weber, the star of the action-packed television show, J.T. Lancer.
James Gammon plays Indians manager Lou Brown. He also plays Nick Bridges, father of Don Johnson's title character in Nash Bridges.
Dennis Haysbert captures attention as Pedro Cerrano, a voodoo-friendly power slugger. A little more than a decade after Major League, he captured attention on a weekly basis as presidential candidate and then President David Palmer on 24.
Bob Uecker provides comic relief as Indians radio announcer Harry Doyle, a boozy play-by-play man who does his best to shade the Indians' pathetic playing at the beginning of the movie with not so accurate descriptions.
Uecker graced the small screen in the 1980's ABC Friday night sitcom Mr. Belvedere, based on the 1947 novel Belvedere by Gwen Davenport.
Major League will inspire you to root for the home team, infuse you with faith even if the odds are against success, and encourage you to keep moving forward even when something goes awry no matter how valiant the effort.
david@davidkrell.com
This year marks the 20th anniversary of a movie with a classic early set up and climactic payoff, romance in the B-storyline incorporated into the main plot, and an underdog theme against a baseball backdrop.
Major League.
In this 1989 movie, Charlie Sheen plays Cleveland Indians pitcher Rick 'Wild Thing' Vaughn, his nickname stemming from his wild pitching. Corrective lenses easily solve this problem.
Sheen later parlayed his movie stardom for small screen success. He took over the lead position in Spin City after Michael J. Fox left the show. Sheen now stars in Two and a Half Men, the successor to the crown of CBS' Monday night comedy lineup previously worn by Everybody Loves Raymond.
Corbin Bernsen plays cocky, skilled, and fast-talking third baseman Roger Dorn. His performance in Major League coincided with the height of his success in L.A. Law where he played cocky, skilled, and fast-talking matrimonial attorney Arnie Becker.
Tom Berenger plays veteran catcher Jake Taylor. Berenger's television work is plentiful.
In guest appearances on Cheers, Berenger plays plumber Don Santry, the man who finally wins the love of Rebecca Howe, played by Kirstie Alley.
Berenger plays real-life icons Teddy Roosevelt and Paul 'Bear' Bryant respectively in the tv-movies Rough Riders and The Junction Boys.
In October Road, Berenger plays the Commander, a.k.a. the father of lead character Nick Garrett.
Berenger made another noteworthy contribution to prime time. Sort of.
In The Big Chill, Berenger plays Sam Weber, the star of the action-packed television show, J.T. Lancer.
James Gammon plays Indians manager Lou Brown. He also plays Nick Bridges, father of Don Johnson's title character in Nash Bridges.
Dennis Haysbert captures attention as Pedro Cerrano, a voodoo-friendly power slugger. A little more than a decade after Major League, he captured attention on a weekly basis as presidential candidate and then President David Palmer on 24.
Bob Uecker provides comic relief as Indians radio announcer Harry Doyle, a boozy play-by-play man who does his best to shade the Indians' pathetic playing at the beginning of the movie with not so accurate descriptions.
Uecker graced the small screen in the 1980's ABC Friday night sitcom Mr. Belvedere, based on the 1947 novel Belvedere by Gwen Davenport.
Major League will inspire you to root for the home team, infuse you with faith even if the odds are against success, and encourage you to keep moving forward even when something goes awry no matter how valiant the effort.