This is from my May 2023 blog post:
TV and movie comparisons/ Angel season 3 ep 1 "Heartthrob" question
This is my Jul. 2022 blog post:
Should I continue into TV production? (Part 4)/ Why do you want to be a TV writer?
Sept. 4, 2022 My life purpose: It seems like I'm not going to be able to become a TV writer and producer.
My life purpose is to entertain and make people happy, educate, and inform people as a writer/ blogger.
When you read these "TV and movie comparisons" about creative writing and screenwriting, I hope you are entertained by this and learn about writing.
When you read my TV show reviews, I hope you learn about creative writing and screenwriting.
Sept. 28, 2024 High Potential:
"A single mom with an exceptional mind, whose unconventional knack for solving crimes leads to an unusual partnership with a by-the-book detective."
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt27774673/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0_tt_8_nm_0_in_0_q_high
If you go on Kaitlin Olson's imdb page, there is the pilot, but under a different title. There is a 4.2/ 10 rating out of 10 votes.
- TV Series
- 2024–
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt26748649/?ref_=nm_flmg_t_3_act
My opinion: This stars Kaitlin Olson (from The Mick). The picture is of her wearing her headphones around her neck, with a lollipop in her mouth, and wearing rubber gloves and looking through the blinds of a window.
This looks like a comedy drama mystery.
Sept. 13, 2024: I wrote the above last week. Now the "Wake Up with Dr. Phil" has been removed from Olson's page.
Sept. 18, 2024: I saw the pilot last night and it was average. I will watch the series because it's a crime drama mystery.
Pros:
1. The opening was kind of interesting with Morgan cleaning and dancing at the LAPD precinct. She accidentally knocks down some evidence. She looks at it and then writes on the murder board. She crosses out "suspect" and replaces with "victim."
The next day the cops sees someone wrote on the murder board that the woman Lynette is missing and is suspected of murdering her husband. The word "victim" is written on her.
They look at security footage to find who wrote that.
2. The cast:
1. Kaitlin Olson- as Morgan. She's from The Mick. They show she's really smart when she's at the grocery store and can do the math when at the cash register.
The police bring her in and she shows why she thinks Lynette is missing and not a murderer. She sees all these details and clues on the pictures.
Daniel Sunjata- he plays the by- the-book detective Karadec who is partners with Morgan. He was on Manifest.
Judy Reyes- as the Lt. Selena. She asks Morgan for help in this case.
Javicia Leslie- as the cop Daphne. She was on God Friended Me.
Deniz Akdeniz- as the cop Lev "Oz" Osman.
Amirah J- as the teen daughter Ava.
Matthew Lamb- as the 12 yr old good student son.
There is the baby daughter Chloe.
Taran Killam- as Ludo. Morgan's ex and father to Elliot and Chloe. He is a driver's education instructor.
3. The writing is average. There is drama, conflict, and tension with:
Morgan working with cops.
They solve murders and crime.
Spoiler alert: Morgan has to find her missing boyfriend.
Spoiler alert for the pilot:
This is from the pilot where Lynette is a defense attorney and she's defending Brian Dimon who is accused of sexual harassment and assault on Lishka Zhang.
The college age daughter Lettie told Morgan that her co-worker Sarah wrote a letter and killed herself.
Morgan and Karadac interview Lynette's sister Sofia.
The cops can't get a warrant to go into Lynette's office because she's a defense attorney to find the letter.
Morgan dresses up as a cleaner and breaks into the office and figures out the safe # by looking at the calendar. She shows the letter to Karadac that Sarah was assaulted by Dimon. Lynette was going to report Dimon so that he gives him motive to kill her.
Karadac tells Morgan this evidence is admissible because she got this without a warrant. She puts the letter into the safe, and they will interview Dimon. They can't exactly hold him.
Morgan and Karadec go to Lynette's home and figure out that the temperature was changed like raised higher to change the time of death.
They find Lynette tied up in one of their other rental cabins.
Morgan is offered a job at first, but she turns it down.
Morgan tells her daughter Ava that her dad didn't leave them. He vanished and the police won't believe her that he vanished. They thought he skipped town.
Morgan goes to take the job offer with a 20% increase and childcare.
4. This is kind of funny with Morgan.
Morgan: I have high potential intellectual. Advanced cognitive abilities, intellectual creativity, photographic memory.
I obsess over every little problem I see, my mind is constantly spinning out of control, which makes it impossible to hold a job, a relationship, a conversation.
I thought she could get some ADHD medication.
5. Ethnic diversity.
Cons: none.
Comparisons:
The woman consultant with quirks and paired with a by-the- book male detective:
Wild Cards:
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt29780951/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0_tt_8_nm_0_in_0_q_wild%2520cards
The male consultant with quirks and paired with a by-the- book female law enforcement agent:
Castle:
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1219024/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0_tt_6_nm_2_in_0_q_castle
The Mentalist:
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1196946/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0_tt_8_nm_0_in_0_q_the%2520mentalist
My opinion: This show is average. I will record the series and watch this.
Sept. 28, 2024: I only saw the pilot to these shows and am writing about it now. I may add more later.
Murder in a Small Town:
"Detective Karl Alberg and his partner Edwina Yen deal with a surprising string of murders in a usually quiet Sunshine Coast community."
Here's the new logline:
"Karl Alberg moves to a quiet coastal town to soothe a psyche that has been battered by big-city police work, but finds himself needing to call upon all his skills to solve the murders that continue to wash up on his shore."
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt12408718/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0_tt_8_nm_0_in_0_q_murder%2520in%2520a%2520
Pros:
1. There is a good opening where a man Carlyle is yelling at someone. He then gets hit in the head and dies.
The town of Gibson.
The characters Karl and Cassandra meet each other for a lunch date. They get to know each other and the audience does too.
2. The cast:
Rossif Sutherland as Karl Alberg, the police chief who recently moved. He has a daughter Stephanie in college, and a teen daughter Holly.
Kristen Kreuk as Cassandra, a librarian. She was on Burden of Truth.
Mya Lowe- as the new cop Edwina Yen who was transferred to Gibson and she helped take down a drug cartel.
Aaron Douglas- as the cop Sid Sokowski. I have seen him on the cop show The Bridge.
Savonna Spracklin- as the receptionist Isabella. She's Aborignal.
3. The writing is good. There is drama, conflict, and tension:
They solve murders and crime.
Spoiler alert of the pilot:
They go to the crime scene and a young man cop is outside.
Karl: First homicide, kid. You'll get used to it.
He pats him on the shoulder.
Carlyle is 85 yrs old and his friend/ neighbor George who's in his 80s found him.
Spoiler alert of the pilot:
A van with rainbows and flowers was there.
A young man Riley who lives by saw the man from the van. Riley has a breaking and
entering on his record.
Karl figures out that Carlyle is George's brother-in-law. George's sister Audrey married
Carlyle.
They interview the cleaning lady and ask what's missing in the living room.
George tells Cassandra that he killed Carlyle, and Cassandra wants to tell Karl.
Karl finds the letters that Audrey wrote in her jewelry box.
Karl tries to get a confession out of George, but he only tells about how his stepdad hit him and his sister. George's stepdad was drinking and driving and mom got into a car accident.
George leaves town to be with his daughter and Karl lets him leave town.
George writes a letter to Karl and confesses that he's dying and he killed Carlyle.
George is friends with Cassandra and wrote letter to her too.
George dies 3 weeks after Carlyle.
Karl tells Cassandra he's a cop because: "I like figuring things out, solving things. I like
serving and protecting.
4. Ethnic diversity.
Cons: none.
My opinion: The pilot is good. I will record the series and watch this.
Jan. 19, 2025: I watched the whole first season (8 eps) and I like it.
Brilliant Minds:
"Follows a revolutionary neurologist, Dr. Oliver Wolf, and his team of interns as they explore the last great frontier, the human mind, while also struggling with their own relationships and mental health."
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt26448526/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_3_tt_3_nm_5_in_0_q_brilliant%2520
Pros:
1. There is a good opening as Dr. Wolf takes his Alzheimer's patient Harold (Andre De Shields) to his granddaughter's wedding.
Dr. Wolf plays a few keys on the piano, and Harold plays it and sings "God Only Knows." It was a beautiful performance.
Harold recognizes his granddaughter.
Dr. Wolf: Music makes him lucid, and unlocks memories, and his sense of identity.
He's fired for taking a Alzheimer's patient out of the hospital.
Wolf's friend Dr. Carol Pierce offers him a job at her hospital.
2. The cast:
Zachary Quinto- is Dr. Oliver Wolf. Quinto and the character is gay.
Tamberla Perry- as Dr. Carol Pierce
The medical interns:
Ashleigh LaThrop- as Dr. Ericka Kinney
Alex MacNicoll- as Dr. Van Markus
Aury Krebs- as Dr. Dana Dang. She has mental health issues and takes meds.
Spence Moore II- as Dr. Jacob Nash
Donna Murphy- as Dr. Muriel Landon and Wolf's mom,
Gray Powell- as Dr. Noah Wolf, Wolf's dad.
Simon Webster- as young Wolf.
Teddy Sears- as Dr. Josh Nichols
3. The writing is average: There is drama, conflict, and tension:
Spoiler alert of the pilot:
There is a woman Hannah (Kira Guloien) who had brain surgery to stop the epilepsy and the
seizures.
However, she can't remember or recognize her sons Gus and Ellis. She thinks they're
imposters and doesn't have an emotional connection with them. When she hears the voices,
she feels and recognizes them. She then goes into a seizure.
They removed the part of the brain that caused the seizure, but the rest of the brain
remembers how to have a seizure. Nerve memory.
The solution is that everyday, Hannah calls her sons first thing in the morning and then hears
their voices. There's an auditory connection. She will wear glasses that slightly alter her
vision and will retrain her brain to reprioritize what she hears over what she sees.
Wolf is an interesting character: he has face blindness. His dad Noah tells him to focus on
the characteristics of his face.
Young wolf: Bushy eyebrows, big nose.
There is a flashback that Wolf's dad Noah stopped taking meds and he hurt his hand. He's
taken away.
7 yr old Wolf (to mom): If I were a doctor, I would do something.
Carol (to Wolf): Your face blindness makes you see so much deeper.
Wolf tells his condition to his interns.
Wolf: In order to grow: we have to adapt.
At the end, Wolf visits his mom Muriel who's the chief of medicine.
4. Ethnic diversity and LGBTQ.
Cons: None.
Comparisons:
Mental: Does anyone remember this 2009 TV show?
"The psychiatrist seeking to save his sister as well his patients while using any means necessary."
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1245695/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_3_tt_7_nm_1_in_0_q_mental
My opinion: The pilot was average. I will record the series and may or may not watch this.
Oct. 3, 2024: I saw the 2nd episode and this was average.
There is a mystery as the doctors try to figure out:
1. The cause of the condition
2. Diagnose the patient
3. Give the treatment
Nov. 1, 2024: I saw the ep "Chapter 6: The Girl Who Cried Pregnant." It was an interesting episode. One girl Sarah where her mind and body believes she's pregnant, when she isn't. She has hysterical pregnancy. Then it turns out her 4 other friends also have the same condition.
Dr. Wolf and his team have to solve what caused this.
Spoiler alert: Their friend Samantha got pregnant and was home schooled. The girls all became pregnant to be close to her.
Doctor Odyssey:
"Max is the new on-board doctor for a luxury cruise ship where the small but mighty medical team navigate unique medical crises and each other, miles from shore."
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt31849826/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0_tt_7_nm_1_in_0_q_doctor%2520o
Pros:
1. The opening is good as Captain Massey is walking with nurses Avery and Tristan around the ship and telling them about Max.
2. The cast:
Joshua Jackson as Dr. Max Bankman. He's from Dawson's Creek.
Phillipa Soo- as nurse Avery Morgan. She's from The Code.
Sean Teale- as nurse Tristan Silva.
Don Johnson- as Captain Robert Massey.
3. The writing is average.
There is drama, conflict, and tension with:
The medical emergencies
-and that they are usually 3 hrs from land. There are only 3 of the medical team working there.
The love triangle with Max, Avery, and Tristan.
The medical emergencies in the pilot:
Spoiler alert:
A man eats so much shrimp too fast, he gets iodine poisoning. Baby seals can get iodine poisoning from the same action.
Later the same man has an accident in the pool. His wife goes down the water slide and hits him. He has his bones out of place. The medical team has to act like a chiropractor to put the bones in place.
A man has a penile fracture and has to be stitched up.
A man falls off the ship. An alarm goes off and they go on small boats to look for him.
85% chance that the person who falls onto the water dies on impact.
2-2.5 hrs before he gets hypothermia due to the water temperature.
They find the man and save him.
Max chose to work on a cruise ship because he was patient zero of COVID at his hospital. He had a near- death experience.
Max: I decided I was going to pursue joy at all costs.
4. The set of the ship is beautiful.
5. Ethnic diversity.
Cons: None.
My opinion: The pilot is average and I didn't really like it. I don't really watch medical dramas.
I will record the series and may watch it later when my other shows are on break.
Oct. 6, 2024: I watched the second episode. My opinion is the same.
Rescue HI- Surf:
"Follows the dedicated, heroic, and adrenaline-seeking lifeguards of the North Shore of O'ahu, as they save people's lives in the difficult and often life-threatening conditions of Hawaii's Seven Mile Miracle."
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt27629382/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0_tt_7_nm_1_in_0_q_rescu
Pros:
1. The opening is the team has to save a young man surfing. They put him on the skidoo and get him on land to perform CPR.
2. The cast:
Robbie Magasiva- as the boss Harlan 'Sonny' Jennings.
Arielle Kebbel- as Em. She's from Midnight, Texas).
Adam Demos- as Will. He's Australian and he applied to be a firefighter.
He and Em dated, and now he's engaged to another woman.
Kekoa Kekaumano- as Laka.
Zoe Cipras- as Hina, a new recruit.
Alex Aiono- as Kainalu. a new recruit.
3. The writing is average. There is drama, conflict and tension:
Last month Sonny's nephew died.
They have to save people's lives.
The lifeguards have to do this intense physical test where they're paddling and running for 25 min. to be qualified. Each year, the lifeguards have to do the test to be recertified.
This is a physically hard job.
The new recruits have to learn a lot.
4. The show is set in Hawaii and it's beautiful.
5. Ethnic diversity.
Cons: none.
Comparisons:
Baywatch- a group of lifeguards saving people's lives. I never really watched the show.
Rescue shows:
911
911: Lonestar
Hawaii shows:
Hawaii Five- O
Magnum PI
My opinion: The pilot was average.
Sept. 30, 2024: I watched the second episode and I'm going to stop. The lifeguards have to find people, and save lives in medical ways.
I like crime drama mystery where the characters have to solve a mystery.
Nov. 20, 2024: I'm going to say this about Doctor Odyssey and Rescue HI- Surf.
I like the setting of the cruise ship (Doctor Odyssey) and the beach (Rescue HI- Surf) , but I don't really like the characters or stories.
A good setting is not enough for me to continue watching a TV show.
There's the TV show Fantasy Island and it's filmed in Puerto Rico. I find the characters and stories to be average. The setting was the bonus:
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt13784584/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_5_tt_8_nm_0_in_0_q_fantasy%2520island
Jan. 5, 2025 Matlock: I watched the 2nd episode "Rome, in a Day."
"Follows Madeline Matlock as she rejoins the work force at a prestigious law firm, where she uses her wily tactics to win cases and expose wrongdoing."
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt26591147/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_1_tt_3_nm_4_in_0_q_matlock
Pros:
1. The cast.
Kathy Bates- as Madeline Matlock. I looked at her credits, and I watched Titanic, but I don't remember her in it. She is a nice, fun, and quirky character.
Skye P. Marshall- as Olympia Lawrence and is a smart and professional lawyer.
Jason Ritter- is Julian. He is divorced and works with Olympia. They have 2 kids together.
Beau Bridges- is Julian Sr. and Julian's dad. He is the big boss at the law firm.
Leah Lewis- is the junior associate Sarah. She was George on the TV show Nancy Drew (that came out in 2019.)
David Del Rio- is the junior associate Billy.
Sam Anderson- is Edwin, Matty's husband.
Aaron D. Harris- is Alfie, Matty's and Edwin's 12 yr old grandson.
Eme Ikwuakor- is Elijah and dating Olympia.
2. This is good writing with comedy, drama, and solving a mystery.
I saw the "Previously on" which shows the pilot. Matty is pretending to be someone she's not as she investigates the law firm Jacobson Moore.
In the 2nd episode, I see there were a few twists and turns that I didn't predict.
Spoiler alert for this ep:
Matlock Season 1 Ep 2 "Rome, in a Day":
"Matty starts a new job. Her team defends a developmentally-delayed teen accused of murder whose family claims innocence. Meanwhile, Olympia and Julian clash over a parenting issue. Legal drama explores complex case, family dynamics."
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt26591147/episodes/?ref_=tt_ov_epl
Michael is developmentally- delayed and is 18 yrs old.
He is accused of murdering 16 yr old Ariana.
He works at Jimmy's Bodega.
Jimmy has 18 yr old son Charlie.
In court, they looked at the footage where Michael takes a box of condoms off the rack.
Michael and Matty are short like 5 foot 2.
The footage is doctored by Charlie, and Charlie is the one who took the box of condoms.
In court:
Charlie: I was with Ariana and we were outside. She got scared, and then I grabbed her, she fell, and hit her head. My dad told me to deny it all. I'm sorry Michael.
Charlie is arrested.
3. Ethnic diversity.
Cons: none.
My opinion: If you like law dramas, with comedy and solving a mystery, then you're going to like this.
Joan:
"A woman who goes between her thriving and daring career as a jewel thief, all whilst trying to get her daughter back from social services, we see a mother in despair swept up in the exhilarating world of crime."
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt23541316/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_7_tt_2_nm_5_in_0_q_joan
My opinion: This looks interesting. However, this is on the CW, and I may not be able to access this.
Oct. 6, 2024: I was right, I wasn't able to access this channel.
Oct. 15, 2024: I saw an ad on the internet that this show is on CBC Gem.
Oct. 22, 2024 "‘Matlock’ With Kathy Bates Renewed for Season 2 at CBS": Today I found this article by Joe Otterson on Variety:
“Matlock” has scored an early Season 2 renewal at CBS, Variety has learned.
The news comes just ahead of the series airing its third episode at the broadcast network.
https://variety.com/2024/tv/news/matlock-kathy-bates-renewed-season-2-cbs-1236186629/
Jan. 16, 2025 "‘Murder in a Small Town’ Renewed for Season 2 at Fox": Today I found this article by Joe Otterson on Variety:
https://variety.com/2025/tv/news/murder-in-a-small-town-renewed-season-2-fox-1236276222/
My opinion: I like this show. This show aired the whole season of 8 eps and then got renewed.
Jan. 21, 2025 "‘High Potential’ Renewed for Season 2 at ABC": Today I found this article by Joe Otterson on Variety:
ABC has renewed “High Potential” for a second season.
The procedural originally debuted on ABC in September, with the tenth episode of its first season set to air on Jan. 21.
These are the other 2 blog posts:
"‘Cold Case’ Reboot From Creator Meredith Stiehm Eyed By CBS"/ "Cold Case Reboot Not Moving Forward at CBS"
"Fox Orders ‘Murder In A Small Town’ Drama Series Starring Rossif Sutherland & Kristin Kreuk Under New International Content Strategy"/ "Murder In A Small Town Season 2: Will It Happen? Everything We Know"
Sun. Feb. 9, 2025 "Christy Carlson Romano 'shot in the face' while shooting clay pigeons": Today I found this article by Brendan Morrow on USA Today and Yahoo:
Christy Carlson Romano is feeling grateful to be alive.
The "Even Stevens" and "Kim Possible" star, 40, shared on Instagram that she was injured on Friday while shooting clay pigeons in Texas with her husband, Brendan Rooney, for his birthday. Romano said there was "another party with us" that "unsafely fired in the wrong direction," hitting her in the face.
Her husband assessed her injuries and rushed her to the hospital, the actress said.
"I was hit in 5 places, one was less than an inch from hitting me directly in my right eye," she wrote. "Unfortunately, a fragment got lodged behind my eye and it is too risky to remove surgically at this time. Doctors will continue to monitor me (I can see normally at the moment)."
"With everything that happened, all I can think about is how grateful I am to be alive," Romano added. "I love my daughters, husband, family and friends so much. I saw my life flash before my eyes and I'm telling you, hug the people around you every chance you can. Life can change in an instant."
In a video, the Disney Channel star showed the areas of her face where there are still fragments from the shooting. She said the incident "was not fun" but that she is "safe," and she quipped that she now gets "to say I got shot in the face and lived to tell the tale."https://ca.yahoo.com/news/christy-carlson-romano-shot-face-145312085.html
Wed. Feb. 12 2025 Jimmy Kimmel Returns with Baby Billy After Heart Surgery: This is old, but I found and like this:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yqulWPljawo
Feb. 9, 2025 "Do you know where your retirement money is? Study finds thousands have forgotten pensions": Today I found this article by Jonathan Ore on CBC:
National Institute on Ageing says 200K Ontarians have up to $3.6 billion in unclaimed pension funds
Judy Shapiro, 74, admits she wasn't thinking about retirement when she was beginning her career in the 1970s. However, she had been building a nest egg, which she nearly didn't claim.
She was in her 20s and working on a contract with the CBC, making a kids' TV show called What's New. She belonged to a union, ACTRA, and contributed to its retirement savings plan for members. She only worked there for a few years before moving on, then left the country for four years.
"I was admittedly not really interested in monetary success or anything like that," she told CBC's Cost of Living.
The paperwork for her RRSP went into a box and she forgot about it for almost 40 years. About five years ago, she was looking through old files and found a form that said she had invested $8,000 in that RRSP while she was an ACTRA member.
She reached out to ACTRA and, after confirming her identity, she was told it was now worth more than $100,000.
"I just about fell off my chair, actually. I couldn't believe it," she said.
She converted that account to a Registered Retirement Income Fund (RRIF) that's now managed by the ACTRA Fraternal Benefit Society. That translates into an extra $650 in her pocket every month.
Shapiro is not the only Canadian to lose track of retirement savings. Thousands of people may be missing out on unclaimed retirement money. Unfortunately, it's harder than you might expect for pension plans to find people who may be owed a significant chunk of cash.
A December 2024 report by the National Institute on Ageing found that nearly 200,000 people with registered pension plans are considered missing in Ontario alone, adding up to about $3.6 billion in unclaimed money.
https://www.cbc.ca/radio/costofliving/forgotten-retirement-savings-1.7452815
Wed. Feb. 12, 2025 "Multinational food and beverage firms push Canadian-made products amid tariff spat": Today I found this article by Rosa Saba on CBC:
"Brands like
Philadelphia cream cheese
... Kraft peanut butter,
Heinz ketchup,
Kraft salad dressing
or Kraft singles,
even Classico pasta sauce.
All of those brands are made in Canada by Canadians, and people didn't know that," said Laroche.
"We make 70 per cent of what we sell in Canada, in Canada."
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/windsor/multinational-food-beverage-firms-canadian-made-push-1.7456936Forest Terrace Heights Community League Clothing Swap:
Feb 22, 2025, 10:00 a.m. – Feb 23, 2025, 2:00 p.m.
Forest Terrace Heights Community League, 10150 80 St NW, Edmonton, AB T6A 3H8, Canada
About the Event
You're invited to join us for this fun and eco-friendly event where you can exchange gently usedclothing for new-to-you items.
Clothing swaps are a great way to update your style without breaking the bank – all while reducing waste and supporting sustainability.
Feel free to invite friends and family to join in. No registration required! All clothing should be clean, in good condition, and ready for a new home.
Accessories like purses, scarves, and belts are also welcome.
Please note: we cannot accept footwear or undergarments.
We'd love your help! Sign up to volunteer at forestterrace.org/volunteer-info.
The Simpsons: Love Day: Happy Love Day!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eygsGzLX07A
@KOHF34
7 years ago (edited)