Around the Tubes: 7/7/2017

I have gotten a plethora of cool press releases have been flooding my inbox recently that you may find interesting. This post will include blurbs on Episodes, BattleBots, Tiffany Haddish: She Ready! From the Hood to Hollywood!, and Divided.

- Showtime has released the official trailer for the fifth and final season of its acclaimed comedy series Episodes, which will premiere on Sunday, August 20 at 10:00. Episodes stars Matt LeBlanc in his four-time Emmy®-nominated and Golden Globe®-winning role playing a fictionalized version of himself.


- Let the robot shrapnel fly. Science Channel has licensed the off-network cable rights to air 16 episodes of ABC’s epic robot-fighting series BattleBots. BattleBots features the biggest, baddest, strongest, and fastest next-generation robots as they duke it out to become champions of an intense, fast-paced single elimination tournament. BattleBots premieres Wednesday, July 12 at 10pm ET/PT on Science Channel.

- Rising comedy star Tiffany Haddish takes the stage in her first stand-up special, Tiffany Haddish: She Ready! From the Hood to Hollywood! premiering on Friday, August 18 at 9 p.m. ET/PT on SHOWTIME. In this hour-long special filmed at the Nate Holden Performing Arts Center, the Los Angeles native tackles subjects ranging from her early days in foster care and being bullied on the playground to getting revenge on ex-boyfriends and introducing Will and Jada Pinkett Smith to Groupon. With her bold and unique style of comedy and refreshingly positive outlook on life, Haddish proves SHE READY for the spotlight!

- GSN’s hit series, Divided, will return for a second season, beginning Tuesday, August 15, with back-to-back episodes at 10:00 and 10:30. The show, which debuted in January 2017, was watched by nearly 11 million viewers during its initial 40-episode run. Part game show, part social experiment, the series, created by John de Mol (“The Voice”) and hosted by Mike Richards (Executive Producer of "The Price Is Right") features four strangers who must agree not only on their answers, but how their prize money should be split.

The 2017 Scooter Television Awards

Welcome to the 12th Annual Scooter Television Awards honoring show that aired a majority of their season between July 2016 and June 2017. Without further ado, here are the winners of the 2017 STA's:

Best Scripted Show: The Handmaid’s Tail

Best Sitcom: The Good Place

Best Sci-Fi Show: BrainDead

Best Comic Book Adaptation: Gotham

Best Period Show: Harlots

Best Animated Show: Star Wars Rebels

Best Reality Show (Competition): Survivor: Millennials vs. Gen X

Best Remake, Reboot, or Adaptation: The Handmaid’s Tale

Best Educational Program: Brain Games

Best Talk Show: Pardon the Interruption

Best New Show: The Handmaid’s Tale

Guiltiest Guilty Pleasure: Supergirl

Best Musical: Hairspray

Worst Show I Made Though an Entire Season Of: Notorious

Best Awards Show: 2017 Grammy Awards

Best Hour of TV: Offred - The Handmaid's Tale

Best Half Hour of TV: If You See Something, Solve Something – Angie Tribeca

Biggest Shocker: The People of The Good Place are actually in The Bad Place

Best Line: That’s bullshirt. (Eleanor, The Good Place)

Worst Idea: Letting all the advantages in Survivor that led to the Immunity Train

Worst Moment: Every time near brain dead Quinn was on screen (Homeland)

Biggest Disappointment: Elliot was in prison the whole time. (Mr. Robot)

Best Musical Moment: Don’t You Forget About You (The Handmaid’s Tale)

Best Karaoke: Everybody Wants to Rule the World, Angela (Mr. Robot)

Best New Title Sequence: Powerless

Best Character: Offred (The Handmaid’s Tale)

Best Recurring Character: Lena Luthor (Supergirl)

Best Guest Appearance: Trevor, The Good Place

Best Cast Addition: Grown up weird Poison Ivy (Gotham)

Best Duo: Eleanor and Chidi (The Good Place)

Most Entertaining Reality “Star”: Andrea Boehlke (Survivor: Game Changers)

Most Annoying Reality “Star”: Debbie Wanner (Survivor: Game Changers)

Show That Should Be Brought Back: BrainDead

Most Anticipated New Show of Next Season: Rise

Biggest Question for 2016-2017: How long can Michael keep up the new ruse on The Good Place?

The Ten Best Shows of 2016-2017

1. The Handmaid's Tale 1.x (Hulu)

2. The Good Place 1.x (NBC)

3. Mr. Robot 2.x (USA)

4. Good Behavior 1.x (TNT)

5. Harlots 1.x (Hulu)

6. BrainDead 1.x (CBS)

7 Masters of Sex 4.x (Showtime)

8. Black-ish 3.x (ABC)

9. Angie Tribeca 3.x (TBS)

10. Billions 2.x (Showtime)


Shows that aired a majority of their season between July 2016 and June 2017 were eligible for this list.

I Want My Music Television:7/3/2017

Feels - Calvin Harris feat. Pharrell Williams, Katy Perry & Big Sean


Calvin Harris sucks. Katy Perry sucks. Big Sean is too irrelevant to even have an opinion on. Yet I kind of actually like this song.


Fool - Fitz & The Tantrums


I went between laughing and being modified during the latest Fitz & The Tantrums video.


While We're Young - Jhené Aiko


If someone were to do an Adam Sandler / Drew Barrymore movie for their music video, I would have guessed The Wedding Singer, not 50 First Dates. But at least Jhené Aiko did not pick Blended.


Happy People - Little Big Town


Little Big Town is a weird group. Sure they are a county group who can make boring, clichéd country song, but they also can be weird and interesting. Girl Crush was a straight up sixties soul record and this song sound like something eighties Fleetwood Mac would have made.

57 Channels and Only This Is On: 7/2/2017

Claws: Oh my goodness, that opening scene. Oh my goodness. Oh yeah, and that closing. I was spit balling that Roller was not really dead last week (the actor’s name is in the main credits so it is not entirely surprising he is not dead), but I never thought that Desna would be in on it. She did try to drown him, he did smack her around, she lit him on fire. I mean, dude got shot by Virginia. Or did he? Did she miss, did Roller and Desna plan this and loaded blanks in the gun hoping she would stick around and “save” Desna. The show has a lot of explaining to do next episode.
You can download Claws on iTunes.

Preacher: It hated the first season finale with a fiery passion. The opener was alright, but that angel killing himself montage just seemed to go on forever.

I’m Dying Up Here: Holy Richard Pryor siting! Yeah, it is weird seeing real people show up on a program like this. Makes me wonder if these characters we are watching are real people who just never made it, based on real people who went on to make it and the names were changed for legal reasons, or just completely made up.

Casual: Isn’t Tommy running an Air BnB? I have to imagine there are rules against having sex with your tenants.
You can stream Casual on Hulu.

Pretty Little Liars: Well, twin Spencer as AD was a more sensible reveal than A being Alison’s brother who ended up being CeCe Drake which made absolutely no sense. Though I still do not understand why Wren did not try to connect Spencer and her twin when he found out.
Pretty Little Liars on iTunes.