This article was written, by me, on June 3, 1997 and posted to the rec.arts.tv newsgroup. That original article has been slightly edited by me before being placed on the web on June 6, 1997.
OK, it's the end of the season, and here's my Season-End Review (for the purposes of this review, I'm mostly sticking to Primetime).
I'm have listed my favorite networks (in order), my "Top 5 Shows" in each category, followed "Special Mentions", "Honorable Mentions" and "Guilty Pleasures", and then finally the "Biggest Disappointment" and "Most Overrated" show in each category.
For truth in advertising, I'm including a list at the end of the Drama and Comedy categories of all the shows from this season I saw at least 2-3 times, but which I found unremarakable and which did not warrant any special mention. If a show is not listed in any of my lists, I probably didn't see it (or, at the most, I only saw it once).
Each of the three sections includes links to documents that contain my thoughts on why I've rated things the way I have. (WARNING: I am a windbag, so these sections tend to be long.)
1. THE NETWORKS (in order):
1. NBC
2. WBN
3. FOX
4. CBS
5. USA
6. Syndication
7. UPN
8. ABC
2. DRAMAS:
"TOP 5" DRAMAS:
1. ER
2. Homicide
3. Party of Five
4. La Femme Nikita
5. Orleans
"Special" Mention : Dark Skies
Honorable Mentions : Murder One, The Pretender, Profiler,
(in no order) Savannah, EZ Streets
Guilty Pleasure(s) : Xena Warrior Princess,
Buffy The Vampire Slayer
Biggest Disappointment : Babylon 5
Most Overrated : The X-Files
Seen, at least 2-3 times : Hercules, Sinbad, Lois & Clark, Melrose
(but no special mention) Place, 7th Heaven, NYPD Blue, Beverly
Hills 90210, Law & Order, JAG, Sliders,
Crisis Center, Mr. & Mrs. Smith, Nash Bridges,
Dr. Quinn Medicine Woman, Early Edition,
Walker Texas Ranger, Touched by an Angel,
Silk Stalkings, The Big Easy
3. COMEDIES:
"TOP 5" COMEDIES:
1. 3rd Rock
2. Frasier
3. Ned & Stacey
4. Newsradio
5. Friends
"Special Mention" : Flash Forward
Honorable Mentions : Seinfeld, Clueless, Suddenly Susan,
(in no order) The Nanny, Something So Right
Guilty Pleasure(s) : Sabrina The Teenaged Witch,
Nick Freno Licensed Teacher
Biggest Disappointment : Spin City
Most Overrated : Mad About You
Seen, at least 2-3 times : Boston Common, Brotherly Love, Unhappily
(but no special mention) Ever After, Party Girl, Mr. Rhodes, Caroline
in the City, Chicago Sons, Spin City, Pearl,
Townies, Temporarily Yours, Almost Perfect,
The Drew Carey Show, Men Behaving Badly,
The Single Guy, Just Shoot Me, The Naked Truth,
Fired Up, Boy Meets World, Step by Step,
Pauly, Social Studies
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