I don’t actually have anything new to add to the conversation about how our president spent the weekend attacking Black athletes for expressing their First Amendment rights. Other people have made better, more cogent arguments than I will. And, frankly, I find the entire thing emotionally and intellectually exhausting, in no small part because I am vehemently opposed to the NFL for a number of reasons including their lack of response and responsibility regarding the CTE crisis, the fact that the billionaire owners are giant welfare queens and the appalling way they ignore issues of domestic violence. I find the league repugnant.
And yet! Here I am having to wrestle with the fact that I am siding with not just the players who choose to take a knee to protest police violence and injustice, but with the NFL owners themselves who have stepped up to the president to defend their players’ rights to express their political beliefs and NOT BE CALLED “SONS OF BITCHES” BY THE HATER IN CHIEF.
This is taxing. This is hard.
Trump called for a boycott of the NFL, which makes this marginally a TV-related story and worthy of discussing here, but I don’t want to talk about it.
I don’t want to have to spend the energy wondering how our country became so divided and angry, because why? Why should I? What’s the point?
I know the other side won’t hear me when I point out that the protests aren’t about pissing on the flag or the military but about defending what those very things symbolize. I know they won’t hear me when I point out that Trump is violating federal law by calling for the firing of private citizens for their political beliefs. I know they won’t hear me when I point out that these protests began under President Obama but Trump is trying to make it entirely about him, going so far as to say, “When the NFL ratings are down massively, massively. The NFL ratings are down massively. Now the number one reason happens to be they like watching what’s happening… with yours truly. They like what’s happening.”
I know they won’t hear me when I point out that Trump has directed more anger at people peacefully expressing their First Amendment rights than he has for literal Nazis. I know they won’t hear me when I point out that it is utterly terrifying that Trump is trying to make patriotism a binary issue, that you are either in agreement with him or you are anti-American. I MEAN, THINK ABOUT THAT: A MAN WHO WAS HAND-PICKED BY A HOSTILE FOREIGN NATION TO BE PRESIDENT IS TRYING TO DEFINE WHAT IT MEANS TO BE AN AMERICAN PATRIOT. AND THE INFURIATING THING IS THAT HIS SUPPORTERS WILL PROBABLY NEVER SEE THE HORRIFYING IRONY OF THAT.
So I don’t know. All I know is that I am tired. I am frustrated. And I am mostly tired and frustrated because I know perfectly well that our focus should not be on sportsball right now, but on Puerto Rico, on this nightmarish health care bill, on the new travel ban, on North Korea, Syria, on the Russia investigation. I know that Trump is using this ridiculous fight to distract us from these very real issues — and to distract himself from the fact that he is utterly incapable of doing anything about these very real issues. But here we are, screaming at one another over whether or not private citizens should be able to express their First Amendment rights. HOW IS THIS EVEN A QUESTION? How did we as a country arrive at the point where this is even a question?
I don’t want to look away from the protests or shut down the conversation that Colin Kapernick has bravely begun. But I don’t want to continue allowing Trump to take ownership of it, either. All I can advise is try to ignore this asshole as he continues to do his best to drive Americans apart with his dumb endless tweets on the subject. Maybe if we stop giving his tweets oxygen, maybe he’ll stop shrieking about it and we can worry about real issues. Meanwhile, I have to hope that we will get through this, and I have to believe that even the Americans who disagree with the protests in practice will one day, eventually see our awful president’s hateful and divisive rhetoric for what it is. Honestly, I’m just too tired and drained at the moment to think about what will happen to us as a country if they don’t.
In Other TV News
Russian propaganda outlets television networks are freaking out about this Morgan Freeman video that was released this weekend so you should DEFINITELY NOT WATCH IT.
So this is SUPER FUCKING CREEPY: In the Orange County area in California, television broadcasts Thursday morning were interrupted with the following emergency messages. And Cox and Spectrum, the cable companies that were affected, have no idea where they came from.
UH OH, NERD FIGHT: Neil deGrasse Tyson seems to think Viserion is breathing fire, not ice. However, The World of Ice and Fire describes Ice Dragons: “Whereas common dragons (if any dragon can truly be said to be common) breathe flame, ice dragons supposedly breathe cold, a chill so terrible that it can freeze a man solid in half a heartbeat.” And the show’s sound designer seems to think it’s ice not fire, “He’s just going at it and slicing with this. . it’s kind of like liquid nitrogen. It’s so, so cold. So imagine if that’s what it was, but it’s so cold it’s hot. That kind of thing.” So.
Tyson also likes the dragons’ overall design:
But disagrees with chain physics:
Y’all need to give up on the hope that the Olsen twins will appear on Fuller House.
The Price is Right celebrated the tenth anniversary of Drew Carey hosting by boosting the prizes on the wheel and shit went crazy…
The Will & Grace folks really really really want you to know they aren’t using a laugh track.
Apparently, people are worked up about Kylie Jenner maybe being pregnant. Why are we supposed to care?
This:
The creator of Teen Wolf is still going around saying that last night’s series finale isn’t the finale, so stay tuned, I guess.
In Real Life, the winners of Boy Band, just signed with Justin Timberlake’s management company, so good for them.
The polls are still open, guys:
So what do you think? Which of these shows should become my personal nightmare?
In Development
- Oh, this is PETTY: Fox bought a comedy about a man whose ex-wife marries a prince from the ex-husband of Meghan Markle — you know, the chick that Prince Harry has been dating.
- NBC wants to stay in the Mike Schur business, and are developing two new projects with him: a musical project with a Hamilton producer and a bar comedy.
- The CW bought two series from Greg Berlanti: Hold Fast, a resurrection love story and an untitled high school football drama.
- CBS is developing a series based on Carrie Goldberg, an attorney who focuses on internet harassment.
- Fox has ordered a series based on the book Our Kind of People: Inside America’s Black Upper Class.
- Fox is also developing a culture clash comedy from Lee Daniels.
- Fox has ordered another restaurant makeover show from Gordon Ramsay called 24 Hours to Hell and Back.
Casting News
- Luke Bryan is thisclose to being the second American Idol judge. They haven’t figured out who their third judge will be, and for an interesting reason.
- Tyler Hoechlin will be in MTV’s Scream.
- Debi Mazar and Michael Maize will be in Happy!
- Ben Platt will play Will’s love interest on Will & Grace.
- David Gyasi (Interstellar), Karla Crome (Misfits), Indira Varma (Game of Thrones), and Tamzin Merchant (Salem) have joined the cast of Carnival Row on Amazon.
- Mark Bonnar has joined the cast of Humans.
- Karin Konoval will be returning to The X-Files.
- Michelle Beadle and Jalen Rose are joining ESPN’s Morning Show.
R.I.P.
David Lyle, A genuine pioneer of reality television
WATCH THIS
The Real Housewives of Dallas: LeeAnne threatens Carey’s life. So that’s fun. 9 p.m., Bravo
So You Think You Can Dance: It’s the finale, and I have to be honest, I don’t have a dog in this particular fight ever since Kaylee and Mark were eliminated. Season finale. 7 p.m., Fox
Young Sheldon: Series premiere. 7:30 p.m., CBS
Me, Myself & I: Series premiere. 8:30 p.m., CBS
The Brave: Series premiere. 9 p.m., NBC
The Good Doctor: Series premiere. 9 p.m., ABC
The Voice: Season premiere. 7 p.m., NBC
The Big Bang Theory: Season premiere. 7 p.m., CBS
Kevin Can Wait: Season premiere. 8 p.m., CBS
Scorpion: Season premiere. 9 p.m., CBS
People of Earth: Will Jeff and Walsh finally overthrow Eric? Season finale. 9:30 p.m., TBS
The Opposition with Jordan Klepper: Like Alex Jones but funny. Alright, funnier. Series premiere. 10:30 p.m., Comedy Central
Late Night: Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon: Madonna, Camila Cabello Late Night with Seth Meyers: Jim Parsons, Chrissy Metz, Ruston Kelly, Gregg Bissonette The Late Show with Stephen Colbert: Sterling K. Brown, Chance the Rapper The Late Late Show with James Corden: Jeremy Piven, America Ferrera, Lior Suchard Jimmy Kimmel Live: Viola Davis, Freddie Highmore, Grizzly Bear Conan: Diego Luna, Aisha Tyler, Moses Storm The Daily Show: Katy Tur Watch What Happens Live: Aidy Bryant, Lydia McLaughlin
| MON. | 7:00 | 7:30 | 8:00 | 8:30 | 9:00 | 9:30 |
| ABC | Dancing with the Stars (new) |
The Good Doctor (new) |
| CBS | The Big Bang Theory (new) |
Young Sheldon (new) |
Kevin Can Wait (new) |
Me, Myself & I (new) |
Scorpion (new) |
| CW | Supergirl (repeat) |
Penn & Teller: Fool Us (new) |
Local |
| FOX | So You Think You Can Dance (new) |
News/Local |
| NBC | The Voice (new) |
The Brave (new) |
Can Morgan Freeman be our president? Please?
He’s too good for us, we don’t deserve him.