It’s Thanksgiving week - the time to consider what we are thankful for. As someone who frequently writes about all things television, for me it means writing about what on TV I’m thankful for.
I am thankful for “Jon and Kate Plus 8” (apparently) coming to an end, and I’m hopeful that the Duggars (TLC’s “18 Kids and Counting”), the Masches (WE’s “Raising Sextuplets”) and the Hayes family (TLC’s “Table for 12”) will do the same.
I am thankful that Fox gave “King of the Hill” a proper sendoff after 13 seasons and more than 250 episodes. The show always seemed to be on the brink of cancellation the last few years, and I feared it would not get the “final episode” treatment that long-running shows deserve. Thankfully, Fox came through with a two-episode finale in September.
I am thankful that ABC gave “According to Jim” the boot after eight seasons. For some critics, that was about seven seasons too many.
I am thankful that NBC is giving “Friday Night Lights” at least two more seasons on both the network and DirecTV’s channel 101. It’s rare for a critically acclaimed but low rated show to last this long on the network level, so kudos to NBC for finding a way to keep it going for five seasons.
I am thankful that CBS made up for its premature cancellation of “Million Dollar Password” by reviving “Let’s Make a Deal” for daytime. It’s the first network daytime game in 16 years, and I can only hope that the return of “Deal” leads to a revival of the genre.
I am thankful that the network sitcom is slowly coming back to life, thanks to such shows as “The Big Bang Theory” and “Modern Family.”
I am thankful that the network variety show did not come back to life, despite efforts by Rosie O’Donnell and the Osbournes laying eggs.
I am thankful that Retro TV is on my cable system. Retro TV shows the classic shows that TV Land used to before it lost its way and became just another channel for the masses.
What on TV are you thankful for?