I know that working from home for an extended period of time is new to a lot of you, but it is my everyday. WELCOME, PLEASE ENJOY THE SWEATPANTS, SNACKS, AND DISGUST WITH YOURSELF. As a TV blogger, I spend my day “at work” with daytime TV blaring in the background and would like to share with you some observations about daytime TV in the middle of a global health crisis:
1. Soap opera plots (and most primetime drama plots) in the time of pandemic are hilariously small stakes. Who cares about a mob war in a pandemic? In fact, can you even have a mob war when people are supposed to be social distancing, Sonny Corinthos? NEVERMIND ROMANCE TIME. How does one have an extramarital affair when you’re supposed to stay six feet apart from people you don’t live with? And, honestly, questions of paternity seem like small potatoes when 2% of the population might die.
2. Late night has, as per the videos I’ve been including, also been working from home after trying to make audience-less episodes work. They didn’t work. Over on daytime shows, it’s been marginally more successful. I only watch The View, but though their numbers around the table have been diminishing, the ladies there make a valiant effort to make it work. And for the most part it does! Live with Kelly and Ryan! is another story. They are not a news show the way The View is, they are a celebrity talk show, not unlike the late night shows, and not having an audience is tough. Live! spent the better half of last week without an audience and did the best they could. It was not great. What is weird, however, is that Live! had already planned to take this week off (presumably for spring break), and as such had taped a bunch of shows ahead of time. With an audience. As a result, it’s unintentionally the weirdest and eeriest “live” show on the air right now, seeing all those people packed into a small studio together.
3. During Monday’s episode of Supernatural, which I only got around to watching today, a TGI Friday’s ad aired that I’m sure they wish they could have pulled. The bottom line is that the tagline, God bless them, is “Together, to gather,” which I’m sure sounded GREAT about three months ago when they filmed it.
Today, come hungry to #FEAST! #Gather together at #TGIFridays for 2 apps, 2 entrées, & 2 desserts starting at $20! #FridaysFeast
–
At participating locations. Terms Apply. Please Drink Responsibly. pic.twitter.com/4l44F9o6Ah— TGI Fridays (@TGIFridays) January 19, 2020
#prayforthecopywriter
Hey, listen, we’re all a little stressed right now, and I understand if you might need a pressure valve to help relieve some of the anxiety you might be feeling — God knows I do. This Buzzfeed post revealing the true stories behind some of the most emotional TV scenes in recent memory might help you if you need just a little cry right about now. Just a wee one. A cry that is about something utterly meaningless and unimportant and not about ~gestures at everything~. (That or I’m just an emotional wreck right now who can’t be trusted to manage her own feelings. WHO KNOWS!)
Speaking of emotional: Supernatural fans put up billboards in Canada thanking the cast and crew as the series begins wrapping production — or will wrap production once they can begin production again.
Two billboards outside Burnaby! We put these up to thank the crew and cast of Supernatural! Even though they are not there this week I hope some of them can drive out and have a look! We included "thank you" in different languages for our global SPN Family! https://t.co/GVcqPEZZ7z
— SupernaturalWiki.com (@SuperWiki) March 17, 2020
One more disappointment for those of you who were hoping that The Bachelorette‘s Hannah Brown and Tyler Cameron had finally realized in this time of crisis that they were in love. Seems they are just friends. Maybe. I mean, they are riding out this crisis together which suggests … something, right?
As for The Bachelorette, no chance it is going to be premiering on May 18, and it’s going to look a lot different than previous seasons (and not just because everyone will be two decades older than your usual contestants) (Oh God, I just remembered that they were planning on doing a Grandma/Grandpa version of The Bachelor … is that still happening?) in which it stays domestic.
Additionally, I’m glad I didn’t do my post about Clare’s contestants (yet) because she just suggested on Instagram that men could continue applying to be on the show. And according to Chris Harrison: “The chances are, for everybody to be able to put their life on hold and come back again is very slim. So yeah, we are still casting, so if you have somebody you think is great for this beautiful woman right here.” You still have a chance, guys!
The Navarro Cheer season is over thanks to this bullshit. Just. Ugh.
Please vote — it’s safe! You don’t even have to wash your hands afterwards! (But you should anyway. In fact, go wash your hands right now. )
Going Viral
On the personal front, the good news is that as far as I know, no one else I know has tested positive for Covid-19 in the past 24 hours. The bad news is without mass testing this is an absolutely meaningless fact. “Fact.” We all might have it right now and we’ll have no idea for God only knows how long.
In bad personal news, the State Department has issued an unprecedented travel advisory to all Americans outside of the country to return home as soon as possible, or be prepared to shelter in place. My uncle and aunt have been in Greece for the past few weeks — when they left the U.S., everything was relatively calm and they were assured that it was fine to go. So they did! And now everything is shut down in Greece, and they have been trying, unsuccessfully, to get on a flight out of the country. They have a flight — in theory — on Sunday, and Greece is threatening to shut down all flights that night, so who knows if they’ll make it home.
Great times! Great times.
TV shows postponed by this crud:
- That Friends reunion everyone was so excited about for some reason
- Dr. Oz
OK, but WHY WERE YOU STILL FILMING, OZ? YOU ARE A DOCTOR.
Speaking of TV doctors, The Resident, The Good Doctor and Station 19 are donating their shows’ medical supplies, including masks, to hospitals and fire stations. Cool, but WHERE Y’AT, GREY’S ANATOMY AND 9-1-1??
Hey, do you have any idea what day it is? It’s not a trick question, I just feel like I have no idea what day it is because time no longer has any meaning. And to prove my point, Hallmark Channel will be hosting a Christmas movie marathon to help get us through this, starting tomorrow.
Stephen Colbert tries to see the silver lining in all of this. Also, buttholes.
Note: Colbert is taking next week off, but Conan will be in to pick up the slack. From home, of course.
The Rosie O’Donnell Show will return for one night only as a live stream to help benefit The Actors Fund.
Prince Albert II of Monaco is the first head of state to (admit to) having it. ABC News reporter Kaylee Hartung is recovering after reporting on the early cases in Washington state. Two members of Congress, Mario Diaz-Balart (R-FL) and Rep. Ben McAdams (D-UT), have tested positive. Drake is in self-quarantine after partying with a bunch of NBA players.
Daniel Dae Kim also has it, dammit.
Meanwhile, his former co-star, Evangeline Lilly is still taking her kids to gymnastics class. EVANGELINE. NO.
SAG-AFTRA has told broadcasters that reporters need to be given hazmat suits while covering hotspots. BECAUSE SEE ABOVE.
FINALLY, Cannes has been postponed. WE ALL KNEW THIS WAS COMING, CANNES.
Over in Europe, they are asking Netflix to reduce video quality so as to not overload the internet. CALM DOWN, IT’S ONLY IN EUROPE. NOT HERE. (Yet.)
And in a plot twist stranger than anything on Westworld, gamblers, unable to bet on sports, have turned to betting on Westworld.
No one asked for this, y’all. Thanks but no thanks.
Also, let’s not put this on a Kardashian/Jenner to solve, Surgeon General. If we’re hoping that Kylie Jenner can fix this, WE ARE ALL DOOMED.
That said, if she can get through to these fucking morons … I mean, it’s worth a shot:
Texas spring breakers keep partying despite coronavirus warnings https://t.co/ayMhqcBVDH pic.twitter.com/EMQE7WWAU3
— ABC13 Houston (@abc13houston) March 19, 2020
Oh, hey, a 34-year-old man who visited DisneyWorld a couple of weeks ago has died from the virus, but y’all keep partying at Padre. What could go wrong?
PLEASE DO NOT DO IN-PERSON CASTINGS RIGHT NOW.
OH GREAT, FOX NEWS IS OFFERING ITSELF FOR FREE. THIS WILL DEFINITELY HELP MATTERS.
Reminder: they were calling it a hoax A WEEK AGO.
HANNITY, March 9: "This scaring the living hell out of people — I see it, again, as like, let's bludgeon Trump with this new hoax."
HANNITY, March 18: "By the way, this program has always taken the coronavirus seriously. We've never called the virus a hoax." pic.twitter.com/yLKpojA7BI
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) March 19, 2020
As for our fearless leader, during today’s press conference, a One America News reporter asked him if it was unfair for people to say it’s racist for calling it the “Chinese” virus — after all, people call it “Chinese” food, is THAT racist?
First of all:
But second of all, let me explain what is happening here, because it’s a whole giant steaming pile of crap:
1. By trying to make “Chinese Virus” happen, President Racist is trying to give his base someone other than him to blame when people start dying in large numbers and when businesses start going under. Fun bonus points: it’s super racist.
If he wasn't so vain as to eschew wearing the glasses he OBVIOUSLY needs, the font wouldn't be so big, and we wouldn't have such glaring photographic evidence of his racism. https://t.co/tefqdCRPAC
— Geraldine (@everywhereist) March 19, 2020
2. On a different political level, it allows him to claim that the Democrats — Joe Biden in particular — are siding with CHINA, you know THE COUNTRY WHO GAVE YOU THE VIRUS. It’s already being weaponized in fundraising letters:
Trump campaign sending out a letter saying Joe Biden is working with China…making unsubstantiated charges that China hacked HHS pic.twitter.com/3nqF4FMMRD
— KProctor (@KennethProctor2) March 19, 2020
3. And the brilliance of all of this is if any of President HOAX!’s “enemies” note that it’s racist to call it the “Chinese Virus,” they are being “divisive” and not worrying about the important things, attacking our President in this moment of crisis and just trying to score points in an election year. Nevermind our Asian-American community who has increasingly been targeted economically and violently through this whole thing — the real victim is Donald Jingles Trump.
But back to our One America News reporter who then asked the DingDong-in-Chief this amazing question:
“On that note, the major left-wing news media, even in this room, have teamed up with Chinese communist party narratives, and they claim you are racist for making these claims about the Chinese virus. Is it alarming that major media players, just to oppose you, are consistently siding with foreign state propaganda, Islamic radicals and Latin gangs and cartels, and they work right here in the White House with direct access to you and your team?”
President Victim then, predictably, went on a rant about the media, going so far as to single out The Wall Street Journal — THE WALL STREET JOURNAL! –for doing an in-depth piece on how unprepared the administration has been for this entire fiasco. And in conclusion, the media is SO UNFAIR to him and blah blah blah, you’ve heard it all before.
President Trump just now on to reporters: "We should get rid of about 75 or 80 percent of you. There's only two or three of you I like."
— Yamiche Alcindor (@Yamiche) March 19, 2020
It is beyond disturbing that One America News Network is asking lay up questions to Pres Trump packed w/ false information.
Moving on, when will everyone who needs a coronavirus test be able to get a test in the U.S.? Trump and VP Pence never answered that key question.
— Yamiche Alcindor (@Yamiche) March 19, 2020
And what’s that you have to say, Fox News correspondent?
The journalists in that briefing room are some of the finest in the world.
Many have covered the White House for decades and tirelessly worked to hold public officials accountable.
They are a vital part of our democracy.
— Trey Yingst (@TreyYingst) March 19, 2020
Someone needs to tell him life is on the record pic.twitter.com/NPhxjQdcid
— ALASTAIR CAMPBELL (@campbellclaret) March 19, 2020
Like I said, great times.
Finally, some servicey items for you:
BoingBoing alerts us to Supercook, a website where you can plug in ingredients you have in the pantry and they will give you recipes.
And if you’re freaking out about toilet paper — AND WHO ISN’T? — this calculator will help you figure out when you’re going to need to raid the neighborhood toilet paper factory for more.
Reminder: Don’t go anywhere if you can avoid it, and go wash your hands. Now. Yes, right now. We love you and want you to stay healthy.
Monterey Bay Aquarium is, and I’m not kidding, one of my favorite places on earth and I hope to be able to get back there sooner rather than later. Watch their jellies for some soothing mindlessness — trust me, it helps:
In Development
- Bella Thorne has signed a deal with Fox (news that was announced right after she was SPOILER ALERT FOR THE MASKED SINGER).
- There’s a showrunner shakeup happening over at Tamron Hall.
Casting News
- Kelis will co-host Cooked With Cannabis on Netflix.
Mark Your Calendar
- The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills will return on Bravo on April 15.
- One Day at a Time returns on Pop TV on March 24.
- Ghost Nation returns on the Travel Channel on April 22.
- Bakeaway Camp with Martha Stewart will debut on Food Network on May 4.
- Fauda will return on Netflix on April 16.
- Extracurricular will premiere on Netflix on April 29.
- The Straight Story will be available on Disney+ on April 3.
- Hallmark Movies & Mysteries debuts: Mystery 101: An Education in Murder on March 29; Ruby Herring Mysteries: Prediction Murder on April 5; Aurora Teagarden Mysteries: Heist and Seek on April 12; MatchMaker Mysteries: A Fatal Romance on April 25.
R.I.P.
Al Worden, Apollo 15 astronaut. I know it’s not TV related but it’s my blog, I do what I want.
"Umbilicals
Breaking free
Being born
Eternity.Growing Up
Getting wise
Being worldly
No surprise.Learn to fly
Getting wings
Rise above
Those earthly things."-"Cycle" by Al Worden
Godspeed, Al. We will miss you.https://t.co/Nduy72KYCo pic.twitter.com/gOJx1MAYfc
— NASA History Office (@NASAhistory) March 18, 2020
Peter Whittingham, Soccer player
WATCH THIS
Top Chef: The All-Stars are back for a season set in Los Angeles (until it moves somewhere else). Season premiere. 9 p.m., Bravo
After Truth: Disinformation and the Cost of Fake News: An examination of the threat of “fake news” and how it affects the average citizen. ~cough cough cough~ 8 p.m., HBO
Feel Good: Mae Martin and Lisa Kudrow star in this new dramedy about a stand-up comedian as she deals with sobriety and a new girlfriend. Series premiere. Netflix
THUR | 7:00 | 7:30 | 8:00 | 8:30 | 9:00 | 9:30 |
ABC | Station 19 (new) |
Grey’s Anatomy (new) |
A Million Little Things (new) |
CBS | Young Sheldon (repeat) |
The Unicorn (repeat) |
Mom (repeat) |
Carol’s Second Act (repeat) |
Tommy (repeat) |
CW | Katy Keene (new) |
Legacies (new) |
News/Local |
FOX | Last Man Standing (new) |
Out-matched (new) |
Deputy (new) |
News/Local |
NBC | Super-store (new) |
Brooklyn Nine-Nine (new) |
Will & Grace (new) |
Indebted (new) |
NBC News Special Report: Coronavirus Pandemic (new) |