abriefingwithmichael

[abriefingwithmichael]

“The Famous Teddy Z” s1e13 (1990)

Lovely episode.

Wonderful warm performance from Peter Hobbs as a former children's TV host who learns he is no longer relevant.

It flags a little in the middle, when the focus shifts to Teddy's home/family, but it's mostly a heartfelt tale with a realistic outcome.

Co-written by Richard Sanders.

8/10

#The Famous Teddy Z

[abriefingwithmichael]

“Night Court” s11e11 (2024)

Brent Spiner.

Is there such a thing as a perfect episode? One instalment that encapsulates all you could ever want from a particular show...

If there is, then this is Night Court's. It was enthusiastically ridiculous, laugh-out-loud funny, heartfelt, and beautiful. All at the same time.

Also, I want all of these guest characters to return multiple times.

10/10

#Night Court

[abriefingwithmichael]

“The Other Two” s3e7 (2023)

Simu Liu.

Early episodes had me thinking the show had maybe lost its mojo, but these last two have been fantastic.

All the storylines here were rock solid, very funny, and oddly sad.

Curtis calling Cary out for being a dick to him all season was magnificent.

10/10

#The Other Two

[abriefingwithmichael]

“Tour of Duty” s1e15 (1988)

Superb!

One of the best and most memorable episodes of the entire series. It take Percell, Taylor and Ruiz out of Vietnam when Percell's father (Robert Fuller) has a heart attack. They meet a wide variety of characters, each with their own take on the war (and war in general).

It's bleak, but damn is it powerful.

10/10

#Tour of Duty

[abriefingwithmichael]

“Brooklyn Nine-Nine” s5e22 (2018)

“Life is unpredictable. Not everything is in our control. But as long as we're with the right people, we can handle anything.”

Some lovely, heartfelt sentiments in this season finale. Also, a bomb at the wedding! Everyone gets something to do to save the day.

Crazy to think that Fox cancelled the show at this point.

9/10

#Brooklyn Nine-Nine

[abriefingwithmichael]

“Girls5eva” s3e6 (2024)

Terrific season finale wraps everything up. For now. There are callbacks to all sorts of things we saw during the season, as well as a lot of love for Richard Kind (playing himself). There are some great songs. (The main song near the end is lovely.) And, as is usual, the episode was packed with hilarious gags. My favourite? The digs at the TV industry.

10/10

#Girls5eva

[abriefingwithmichael]

“Hunter” s5e15 (1989)

My favourite Hunter stories are the elaborate ones where you genuinely don't know what is going to happen next.

Tom Chehak's script delivers this and a trio of shady characters connected by a 7-year-old murder-robbery case. But who did it?

The screentime is divided equally between Hunter, McCall and Charlie in this one.

10/10

#Hunter

[abriefingwithmichael]

“Malory Towers” s4e10 (2023)

Another winner!

Gwen gets all the best/funniest lines. Matron shines, as she does so often in these later seasons. Secret sabotage continues in the Ruth-Connie storyline. And, most important of all, Darrell (finally) learns about the secret room from her little sister.

9/10

#Malory Towers

[abriefingwithmichael]

“A Fine Romance” 05 (1981)

Bob Larbey's script is about bankruptcy and the very real possibility that Mike's business will go under. Yet, he keeps the tone upbeat and light-hearted. It grounds the show very much in the real world. And the upbeat ending isn't unrealistic. If anything, it feels like Mike is merely postponing the inevitable.

8/10

#A Fine Romance

[abriefingwithmichael]

“CSI: Vegas” s3e4 (2024)

Best episode so far this season.

Having Allie trapped in a basement after an explosion adds a lot to an already-strong story idea: cannibal killer!

Still loving the Catherine-Beau partnership.

Use of the song lyrics in the final seconds was very clever indeed.

My 222nd TV episode of 2024. Averaging 1h13m of TV per day.

9/10

#CSI: Vegas

[abriefingwithmichael]

“The Other Two” s3e6 (2023)

Smart and very sharp.

Best episode of the season, so far. Its targets were well and truly skewered, it was very funny, and it is written/played so you cannot help but feel compassion for the characters. Even increasingly-delusional Cary.

Really loving Brandon Scott Jones as Curtis this season. Curtis is the other Lance. And I only just realised it.

10/10

#The Other Two

[abriefingwithmichael]

“Columbo” 67 (1998)

Perfect!

Patrick McGoohan leads an all-star cast in one of the best episodes. He directs, and Peter Falk gives one of his most enjoyable performances. It's full of clever clues and smart detective work as Columbo doggedly follows the trail to the murderer.

Many highlights, including the two men shouting across an empty room, their on-screen chemistry, the songs and tap-dancer, and the last scene.

10/10

#Columbo

[abriefingwithmichael]

“The Hardy Boys” s3e4 (1978)

Darleen Carr, John Colicos.

Cast, location filming, story, action, and detective work are all top quality here.

Heroin and murder mean it has to be season three. But the boys are overseas (in Greece) and there's some humour, so it could be season two.

Joe's a pretty badass action hero in this one. Writer Steven E. de Souza also wrote Die Hard.

9/10

#The Hardy Boys #The Hardy Boys Mysteries

[abriefingwithmichael]

“Man About the House” 20 (1974)

This one took a long time to get going, but by the end, when Chrissy took over for Robin in the poker game, it was very funny indeed.

The core cast have amazing chemistry. Watching them on screen together is a real delight. They genuinely look like three best friends.

8/10

#Man About the House

[abriefingwithmichael]

“Brooklyn Nine-Nine” s5e21 (2018)

Like the well-oiled machine that it is, the series delivers an episode with three solid/funny storylines. Each is amusing, and delivers at least one big laugh somewhere in the mix. All three are warm and sincere, too. It's a show that knows what it is doing.

8/10

#Brooklyn Nine-Nine

[abriefingwithmichael]

“Girls5eva” s3e5 (2024)

Easily the best Girls5eva episode and one of the best sitcom episodes I've ever seen. The quantity of gags is truly insane. And the quality is very high. (Summer's vocal exercise is a Hall of Fame joke.) Ever better, the episode told a great story with a great ending.

10/10

#Girls5eva

[abriefingwithmichael]

“Night Court” s11e10 (2024)

Melissa Fumero.

Curiously flat. Quite a lot of it was strained and unfunny. Making it the second average episode this season. It had some very funny jokes and some moments of silliness, but they were in the minority.

6/10

#Night Court