OPINION
TV Bites
The 2018-2019
Nineteenth Annual TV BiteMes
by Neena Louise
Worst Actress
Emily VanCamp, “Nicolette Nevin”, The Resident
I don’t know if it was supposed to be part of her character, but her heavy sighs every second word were supremely annoying. It got to the point that I’d fast forward any scene with her in it. Too bad there were so many.
Best Actress
Catherine O’Hara, “Moira Rose”, Schitt$ Creek
The veteran actress shone as a washed-up, has-been actress in this stellar Canadian import.
Most Overrated Female
Viola Davis, “Annalise Keating”, How to Get Away with Murder
Davis is a very accomplished actress, but her one-note character on the steadily-declining Murder did nothing to show it. She should stick to movies where her acting chops truly shine.
Most Overlooked Female
Dianne Wiest, “Joan Short”, Life in Pieces
Playing the typical mother/grandmother a lot of the time, she had a sharp edge delivered with wit and a smile on her face.
Worst Actor
Ryan Eggold, “Max Goodwin”, New Amsterdam
I didn’t like him as “Tom Keen” in Blacklist; I liked him even less in Amsterdam. I can’t actually tell if he’s a terrible one-note actor, or keeps getting cast as terrible one-note characters.
Best Actor
Freddie Highmore, “Shaun Murphy”, The Good Doctor
Not only playing an autistic genius, but also with a perfect American accent, Highmore shone in The Good Doctor.
Most Overrated Male
Ben McKenzie, “James Gordon”, Gotham
He was the most overrated of the 2015-2016 BiteMes. I said the same thing then as I do now: He used his puppy-dog eyes for just two looks: pissed-off and ultra-mellow.
Most Overlooked Male
Rick Hoffman, “Louis Litt”, Suits
Hoffman was perfection as the delightfully quirky and damaged, yet likeable “Louis”.
Worst-Dressed Female
“Liza Miller”, Sutton Foster, Younger
When dressed formally, “Liza” looked great, but her everyday wear generally looked like she tore through the closet like a tornado until a bunch of ugly, mismatched pieces threw up on her.
Best-Dressed Female
“Grace Hanson”, Jane Fonda, Grace and Frankie
Age-appropriate without looking frumpy, Fonda’s “Grace” was always dressed in classic and tasteful outfits.
Worst-Dressed Male
“Manny Delgado”, Rico Rodriguez, Modern Family
Often sporting drab bowling shirts a 65-year-old might wear, “Manny” deserved so much better.
Best-Dressed Male
“Harvey Specter”, Gabriel Macht, Suits
Always the epitome of elegance in his perfectly tailored…well, suits.
Worst TV Mom
“Jessica Huang”, Constance Wu, Fresh Off the Boat
I guess she was supposed to be a “tiger mom”, but she was just plain mean and so unwavering in her beliefs that in real life, her kids would hate her.
Best TV Mom
“Mary Cooper”, Zoe Perry, Young Sheldon
Even though she was constantly bewildered by her peculiar son, she never judged him nor ever let him see that she thought he was really weird.
Worst TV Dad
“Frank Gallagher”, Bill Macy, Shameless
The alcoholic, unemployed and generally uncaring Frank gives the word “dad” a bad name.
Best TV Dad
“Murray Goldberg”, Jeff Garlin, The Goldbergs
Despite his favorite term for his kids being “morons”, there was never any question that he loved his kids.
Worst TV Kid
“Lily Tucker-Pritchett”, Aubrey Anderson-Emmons, Modern Family
Such an obnoxious little brat! If she was that snotty at 12, I shudder to think what kind of teenager she’ll be. Since the upcoming season of Modern Family will be its last, we’ll hopefully never have to find out.
Best TV Kid
“Timmy Cleary”, Jack Gore, The Kids are Alright
Despite his “man’s man” father’s horror and siblings’ disgust at “Timmy’s” passion for song and dance, he pursued it nevertheless.
Least Likable Character on a Show
“Max Goodwin”, Ryan Eggold, New Amsterdam
Was it just me, or was he so unlikeable you didn’t give a rat’s ass about his cancer, his love life, or, well anything about him? This might have been a decent show if not for him.
Most Likable Character on a Show
“Jason”, Manny Jacinto, The Good Place
Even though he was seriously stupid (or perhaps because of it), he was so endearing you couldn’t help but like him.
Worst Drama
Grand Hotel
The soapiest soap in all of soapdom. This should have been on daytime TV with the rest of the soaps, not in primetime where it befouled the timeslot.
Best Drama
This is Us
Occasionally straying into “whatever” territory, this still brought me back week after week.
Worst Sitcom
The Neighborhood
Full of stereotypes and hackneyed writing, the good acting just wasn’t enough.
Best Sitcom
The Big Bang Theory
The last season was one of its best, although the last episode was a very boring (we was robbed!). Let us all mourn its demise.
Worst SciFi
Star Trek: Discovery
I’ve never exactly been a Star Trek fan, but I have enjoyed some iterations of the franchise. Discovery, however, was just a huge snorefest.
Best SciFi
Supernatural
I’ve been a faithful viewer of this since it’s first season. Even after 14 seasons, it remained a can’t-miss. Yet another show I will mourn after its upcoming final season.
Best Daytime TV Show
Judge Judy
Her new old lady hairstyle made Judge Judy loook exactly like “Miss Grundy” from the Archie comics, but her biting comments to idiotic litigants remained refreshingly hilarious.
Worst Daytime TV Show
Dr. Phil
Phil McGraw is the most annoying personality on earth! Judgmental and sounding supremely stupid with his horrible grammar and contrived sayings, I don’t know why people still watch this garbage.
Worst Animated Series
The Boss Baby: Back in Business
This piece of crap based on a crappy movie was hardly the series Netflix needed to recoup its disgruntled ex-subscribers.
Best Animated Series
South Park
About to start its 23rd(!) season, the crass animated series remains hilarious.
Most Overrated Series
Game of Thrones
So much ballyhoo about its final season. Get a life people! I’ve never understood the appeal of this stupid show.
Life in Pieces
I fail to understand why the now-canceled Pieces didn’t get better ratings. The outstanding acting and writing made it a must-watch that made me laugh every week.
Runner-Up
For the People
Yes, this was an unoriginal lawyer show, but the plots (unrealistic though many of them were) and some of the acting kept me coming back for more. Now canceled after 2 short seasons, probably because of the:
Worst Writing
For the People
Oh, they could’ve done so much better! The dialogue was hokey, hackneyed and downright stupid so often that it became unbearable. Okay, that explains the “overlooked” thing…
Best Writing
This is Us
Yes, some of the lines were predictable, but the overall writing made this show a standout.
Worst Host/Narrator
Alec Baldwin, Match Game
I’ve never particularly liked the show (neither the modern-day version nor the original), but Baldwin as host rendered it totally unwatchable.
Best Host/Narrator
Phil Keoghan, The Amazing Race
I’m starting to loathe the “stunt casting” crap (get back to the ordinary people already!), but the affable Keoghan kept me coming back for more.
Worst Newscaster/Reporter
Don Lemon, CNN
Oh, where do I start? The rants, racism, biased reporting, to name but a few of components of Lemon’s style. That’s the opposite of a good journalist and explains why journalists are quickly becoming the least-trusted professionals.
Best Newscaster/Reporter
Lester Holt, NBC Nightly News
Holt could teach Lemon a thing (or 1000) about how to be a good journalist. Calming, unbiased and highly watchable. Hard to believe NBC Nightly News is tanking in the ratings. Actually it isn’t: good reporting does not make for good television.
Worst News Magazine
20/20
I hadn’t watched this in a while, but I landed on it during a flip-around bout one evening. I became supremely bored 5 minutes in.
Best News Magazine
60 Minutes
Fifty seasons in. Fifty! Other [dreadful] news magazine shows should take note.
Worst Reality Show Series
Real Housewives of Atlanta
There’s nothing real about any of these “housewives”. Nor the show, for that matter.
Best Reality Show Series
Tidying Up
Yes, some of Marie Kondo’s methods are weird (like feeling and thanking your clothes and asking “does this spark joy?” for every single thing), but it was still worth watching.
Worst Reality Game/Contest
Big Brother
Hard to believe this piece of crap is still on the air.
Best Reality Game/Contest
The Amazing Race
Still a must-watch, but the stunt casting must end. I don’t see the appeal of watching tired and boring reality “stars”. Race must get back to the “everyday Joe” contestants in order to make the show more interesting and improve its sagging ratings.
Worst Reality Villain
Steve “Harley” Davidson, The Deadliest Catch
Pulling other ships’ crab pots to see if it was a good place to fish made him look both unethical and lazy. I gloated when his pots came up empty.
Best Reality Villain
Donald Trump, President
Not because you love to hate him, but because he never ceased to say the Dumbest Things in the World and you could always feel intellectually and morally superior every time he opened his big, fat mouth.
Worst Game Show
Child Support
A truly bizarre show with Fred Savage(!) asking adults questions. If they got it wrong, the camera went to Ricky Gervais(!!) to ask kids if they knew the answer. A complete waste of two talents.
Best Game Show
Jeopardy
Despite annoying host Alex Trebek, I still watch this daily.
Worst Theme Music
The Voice
Unimaginative, grating, and terrible singing of a 4-word lyric. For a singing talent show, you’d think they’d be able to come up with something better. Silence would be better.
Best Theme Music
Brooklyn Nine-Nine
I’m not sure what was so appealing about this theme, but perhaps it was its very retro vibe. Whatever it was, I couldn’t help but like it.
Worst Newcomer (that hasn’t been canceled)
New Amsterdam
I’m all for a good medical procedural, but this was even more insipid than the epitome of insipidness Grey’s Anatomy, I only managed to struggle through the first 3 episodes. Bad acting, stupid story lines, unlikeable characters…oh my.
Best Newcomer (that hasn’t been canceled)
Manifest
A little bit creepy, but the refreshing and interesting premise kept me coming back for more.
Biggest Decline in Quality
Criminal Minds
This was a can’t miss for its first 11 seasons. Season 12 began a slow decline with absurd storylines, and by this past abbreviated season 14, it was definitely a big fat “whatever”. Not surprising that the upcoming 2019-20 season will be its last.
Most Improved in Quality
The Good Place
This hilarious off-beat show just got better with each season. Most disappointing that the upcoming season will be its last.
Worst [sort of] Network
Netflix
Netflix had some the stellar shows like Black Mirror and Stranger Things. However, it foolishly hit subscribers with the biggest fee hike ever and replaced great movies and binge-worthy network TV shows with a whole lot of shitty Netflix productions that I wouldn’t even watch for free. Couple that with the looming loss of Disney and it’s no wonder it lost subscribers for the first time since 2011.
Best Network
CBS
Although network viewership continues to decline, CBS once again topped the “Big 4” in overall ratings.
Worst Commercials
Liberty Mutual
Even with so many horrible commercials from which to choose this season, Liberty Mutual takes it with their desperate attempts to be funny. Any attempt was immediately canceled by the highly annoying “liberty, liberty, liberty” jingle at the end of every single ad.
Best Commercial
Gillette “The Best Men Can Be”
The Gillette brand was almost an afterthought in this 90-second epic. Some praised it for its social justice themes; other criticized it for man-bashing. The result was that it was highly successful for one reason: it got people talking about Gillette.
Biggest Stinker of the Season
Whiskey Cavalier
Cliched, bad acting, stupid storylines. I’m not surprised it was canceled, but I’m very surprised it ever made to air in the first place.
Trends of the Year
1. Reboots
Murphy Brown, Magnum P.I., Twilight Zone, The Connors… Some were good (The Connors), some…well, not so much (Magnum P.I., Twilight Zone). This must stop. The originals were canceled for a reason, after all.
2. Cancellations/final seasons of long-running shows
Big Bang Theory, Schitt$ Creek, Supernatural, Criminal Minds, Homeland, Modern Family, Orange is the New Black, Suits, Veep to name a few. Some were due to sagging ratings as they ran their course, but others were because the principals had had enough. Let’s hope the replacements can live up to these standards.
Least Magical Moment
The Big Bang Theory’s finale
The final shot of the “gang” sitting around in the same small apartment they’d lived in for 12 years was a huge letdown.
Most Magical Moment
Game of Thrones finale
Not because it was good (it was the lowest-ranked episode on IMDb, scoring a mere 4.2), but because it was the finale. Good riddance!
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