Thursday, July 16, 2015

Girl Meets World nominated for Outstanding Children's Programming at the 2015 Primetime Emmys!

Not too shabby, Girl Meets World. It will be duking it out against fellow Disney Channel show "Dog with a Blog", "Degrassi: The Next Generation" from our friends up north, Nickelodeon's "Nick News with Linda Ellerbee" which has apparently been going strong for 23 years even though this is the first I'm hearing of it, and an HBO series called "Masterclass" which is also news to me.


Both "Nick News" and "Masterclass" are non-fiction educational shows, so it seems a little unfair to have them up against actual children's series. Like "Nick News" has won this award a lot, and it's for episodes like "The Face Of Courage: Kids Living With Cancer" and "Forgotten But Not Gone: Kids, HIV & AIDS." That stuff sounds a touch more heady than "Girl Meets The Tell-Tale Tot". At the same time, though, like... if that's the kind of stuff "Nick News" is putting out there then, yeah, they probably deserve to win.

If you're curious how many Emmys "Boy Meets World" was nominated for during its seven season run? That would be zero Emmys.

It's pretty incredible that this show is getting so much recognition. Then again, if Dog With A Blog got nominated, maybe it's just slim pickings. With Emmys, don't they usually point to one particular episode to give the award to? I'm curious to find out what that will be. 

Boy Meets World was stuck in a weird place. It wasn't a "kids" show because of the themes and profanity, but it certainly wasn't mature enough to get the Oustanding Comedy Series nomination. Even if it were mature enough, it would have been going up against Frasier, Friends, and Seinfeld during its first five seasons. Our boys never stood a chance. 

Besides, Big Bang Theory has received an Emmy nod for Outstanding Comedy Series four times. These people clearly don't know what they're doing. 

What the hell is a kids' show doing on HBO?  

Actually this "Masterclass" show sounds cool. Each episode is a different noted artist giving a lesson to young adults who are passionate about that. They've had actors, musicians, writers, dancers, filmmakers, etc. including some big names like Alan Alda, Josh Groban, Frank Gehry, Edward Albee, Placido Domingo. So, it's y'know, High End children's entertainment. It's not TV, it's HBO. It appears to air on the odd Tuesday night with no rhyme or reason as to when it'll show up.

I'm extremely proud that I've never seen even one second of Big Bang Theory. It's on CBS and Chuck Lorre writes it. All I need to know about that. 

I agree that Boy Meets World was in such a golden age of sitcoms that it would have no chance. It was freaking Shakespeare compared to its sister shows on TGiF but Seinfeld, Friends, and Frasier it was not. Still, maybe not a best show nomination, but how about a Supporting Actor nod for Will Friedle or William Daniels or something? I think Will in Season 4* and Daniels maybe in Season 1 would have deserved that. A Guest Star nomination for Blake Clark? Something?

*I just looked up who was nominated for Supporting Actor for the Emmys during BMW's 4th Season. The nominees were Michael Richards, Jason Alexander, David Hyde Pierce, Jeffrey Tambor, and Rip Torn. Yeah, okay, nevermind. But! Then I looked up Daniels' competition in Season 1, it's still Richards, Alexander, Pierce, and Torn, but Jeffrey Tambor is replaced with Jerry van Dyke from Coach. I remember Coach (which is, bizarrely, returning to NBC next season) and I remember van Dyke's character of Luther. He's not Emmy worthy. Daniels coulda been in there.

As for Dog with a Blog, dumb as its premise is, it actually appears to be one of the better Other Disney Shows. The little I've seen of it has been better than the little I've seen of Jessie, Austin & Ally, or K.C. Undercover. You and I should do a thing where we watch one episode of each of the other Disney Shows, and rank them as series, and compare GMW to them.

Oh, and I tried to find out which episode it was, but I couldn't find it. But you're right, it probably is just one episode, and it's probably from Season 1. 
 
I'm... certainly down to check out an episode of Liv and Maddie, but... that's for other reasons...

But yeah, sure, we can do that. Maybe find the highest rated episode of each.

Nah, I'm with you. That Dove Cameron is foxy. And she's 19! We're totally fine there! And cool, we'll do that then when BMW has an off week or two. I know we have readers who are devoted followers of the other Disney Shows. Maybe you guys can recommend the best episodes of: 
  • Jessie
  • Austin & Ally
  • Dog with a Blog
  • Liv & Maddie
  • I Didn't Do It
  • K.C. Undercover 
  • Best Friends Whenever 
That's it, right? That's all of them?

34 comments:

  1. I don't know if you guys will actually watch these, haha, but here are my picks for other Disney shows:

    I Didn't Do It - Don't watch any Season 1 episodes because those were written by completely different writers/run by a different executive producer. Season 2 is a big improvement and I often find myself enjoying this show more than Girl Meets World - Logan Finds Out

    Liv and Maddie - I don't know any good episodes but this breakup scene was well done http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hYufFTHvCgI definitely better than Riley and Lucas's, though to be fair, they only dated for less than an episode.

    K.C. Undercover - I don't watch this regularly either but I liked Photo Bombed when I caught it on TV.

    Dog with a Blog - I don't watch this regularly but I really liked Howloween - guest starring Girl Meets World's very own Peyton Meyer, whose character is basically the same (dull but good-looking).

    GMW and IDDI are really the only shows I follow episode-by-episode on Disney Channel, lol.

    On topic: Hopefully GMW can snag an Emmy win because, well, it just looks good.

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  2. Christian has never heard of Nick News? He should check it out. I haven't seen it in years, but from what I remember, it always handled important issues for kids in an intelligent way that never felt dumbed down or sanitized. It used to receive a lot more promotion when I was younger, but it was inevitably going to be forgotten about until the next new episode came up.

    Congratulations to GMW for getting the nomination. I think it has a fighting chance. Why is Degrassi there? Why do the Emmys constantly mix up shows and put them in the same group?

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    1. I actually never watched much Nickelodeon as a kid. My children's entertainment was mainly TGiF, One Saturday Morning, Fox Kids, and Cartoon Network.

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    2. Fuck yeah FOX Kids! Man I loved Bobby's World.

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  3. I definitely want to congratulate GMW on its nomination. To get a nod for S1 when BMW didn't get a single one is kinda cool. Slightly shocked there wasn't any acting noms considering I believe I could make a good argument that Sabrina should have gotten one. Don't know what category it would have been under, or her competition, but she was so consistent S1 that I think she earned at least a nod.

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  4. Great that GMW got nominated, but I have to think that that HBO show will take the actual award.

    If you are going to actually review an episode of each Disney show, that would be cool. My take on the shows:

    Jessie - its complete garbage. The 2 youngest kids are the only thing worth watching.
    KCUC - I find it really pretty bad, no real redeeming features.
    Austin and Ally - the 2 leads aren't bad, but the other 2 friends are pretty annoying. The stories are kind of lame though.
    Best Friends - only 2 episodes in, so not a lot to go on, but it could turn into something ok.
    IDDI - this is the show that has the biggest fluctuation for me. The female cast seems pretty talented, not so much the males. But the biggest problem is the writing. One episode is good and the next two are complete garbage. You just don't know what you are going to get.
    Liv & Maddie - this is the show I like the most among non-GMW Disney. The cast is all pretty good and the writing is also a notch above the rest of the current Disney lineup. It's always worth watching a new episode.
    DWaB - the cast isn't bad, but the premise and writing is just terrible. The actors are doing what they can with the material they get, but man some of it is really cringe worthy.

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    1. Pretty much agree with everything here. Except my favorite non GMW show is I Didn't Do It. The male cast isn't great, but fill their roles admirably. The real reason to watch is the female cast, and the writing is actually pretty good.

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    2. Jessie - weird since most people say the two youngest kids are the most horrible aspect of the show.

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  7. Dog with a blog is a dumb show, but it has these weird random moments of unhinged humor that make it worth watching occasionally. I have no episode recommendations, though.

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  8. Dog with a blog is a dumb show, but it has these weird random moments of unhinged humor that make it worth watching occasionally. I have no episode recommendations, though.

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  9. Because it's getting very long and because I don't want to split this up into a bunch of separate posts I'm just going to link back to IMDb: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2543796/board/thread/246253663?d=246253663#246253663

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  10. Oh, there are also some other things I want to add, since you expressed interest in seeing Girl Meets World characters in other Disney Channel shows:

    I Didn't Do It - Stevie Likes Lindy is the episode with Cory Fogelmanis in it (as the titular Stevie)

    Austin & Ally: Mentors and Austin Moon Week (or some variation of that string of words, I guess again they can't decide what the actual episode title should be) is the episode with Sabrina Carpenter in it, and she actually sings in it! This was a year before GMW even premiered so it'll be interesting to see what she was like before (it's a pretty big difference).

    Dog With a Blog: Peyton Meyer (Lucas) was a semi-regular on this show before moving to GMW so there are a number of episodes with him in it. Love, Loss and Beanbag Toss was the very last one with him, and Lost in Stanslation was a pretty good episode with him in it.

    Shake it Up: Review It Up actually had Ben Savage as a guest star! He was also in an episode of either Phil of the Future or Lizzie McGuire, I can't remember which one, needless to say it's going to be an older episode/show fresh off the heels of when he was on Boy Meets World.

    Jessie: Since Debby Ryan (Aubrey McAvoy) was in Girl Meets World, well naturally she's also going to be in every single episode of Jessie and the vast, vast majority of Suite Life on Deck so I'd just follow my previous recs for Jessie.

    Those are all the people I can think of who have been in both Girl Meets World and another Disney show.

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    1. And for the sake of OCD completeness Debby was also in the Mighty Med episode Guitar Superhero, though that's a Disney XD show.

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    2. I've seen the episode of Austin and Ally with Sabrina in it, and she was pretty good. Also as small as she is now, she was really tiny back then and her hair was it's natural color. Had to do a double take to realize who it was the first time I saw it post GMW premiere. Peyton was actually more wooden on DWaB then he is now. I guess he is getting better as he ages, but sadly not as fast as we all would like.

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  11. Oh no, "Nick News with Linda Ellerbee: Coming Out" is so going to win (even though, yeah, I had no idea that program was still on). Anytime anything related to LGBT is nominated for an award, they easily are handed the win.

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  12. *Congratulations to Girl Meets World on their Emmy Nomination. That's amazing! And, I hope they win! Although, as a Canadian, I'm also rooting for Degrassi.

    Next thing I am going to say, is that I have loved reading "Girl Meets World Reviewed" for over a year now. It is something I look forward to after each episode, though I might not always comment.
    And, you two are amazing the way you stay on top of it, and never get behind. That S2 premiere week, of 5-new episodes every day was a whirlwind, but a lot of fun. Thanks.

    Okay, now that that's out of the way....
    I did not care for your digs at BBT.
    Please don't ever say anything about The Big Bang Theory again. I like you guys, but the little lines you both said, indicating your dislike of TBBT, made me clench my fists, slightly.
    [So, obviously I'm only half serious here, as you can talk about whatever you want---it's a free country/continent(at least in terms of free speech).

    Also, Christian, you said, you were "extremely proud to never have seen even one second of Big Bang Theory..." How can you be outspoken about not liking something, if you've never seen it?

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    1. Because I've seen other things by Chuck Lorre and I know what he's about. And I'm not a fan. Like I think his style of TV is a plague on sitcoms. Really, I find CBS as a network largely unwatchable.

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    2. So, I'm not trying to convert you or anything, your taste is your taste. And, I respect it.
      I do want to point out that The Big Bang Theory is different from his other series. I'm not/have never been a 2 1/2 Men fan[I'm assuming you weren't either]. These two shows alone, are very different in tone and story. Just food for thought.
      So, do what you want with this..
      One suggestion, and then I'm letting this go....If you are ever curious to watch TBBT, don't start with the later seasons[or the latest season(S8). Pick an episode from season 1 or 2.

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    3. I had very high hopes for BBT when it started. A lot of the first season is actually good, like "this subculture has fun in interesting ways, let's have fun with them as an audience!" but as it gained popularity it very VERY quickly became "look how WEIRD AND UNCOOL these guys are! let's laugh at them!"

      You're right though, the first season made a lot of good choices.

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    4. So, Sean, you did watch BBT in the beginning. At what point did you stop watching? Did you see anything beyond S1?

      It is a shame that when the show actually deserved to win in the Best Series category, that's when they never got any recognition. That's a reason I want BBT to win as a series, at least once, in the next couple years, for the beginning of the series.

      Also, so the entire cast can get recognition. Jim Parsons is talented, but the others deserve some recognition too...Especially Johnny Galecki and Simon Helberg, IMO.

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    5. I watched all the way through season 6 or 7, whichever one ended with Leonny getting engaged for real. I knew I was done after that.

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    6. Penny & Leonard got engaged in season 7. I thought you stopped watching a lot sooner than that. ...Did you just not like them together, or you thought it was too soon for the series?

      One other thing, I agree about the slow decline in quality the series has made, since gaining more and more popularity. Which is just sad.

      However, the only season I'm completely disappointed in, as a whole is the latest season[S8]. I won't be stopping now though, as I want to see this series and characters through to the end. I hate that this has become my mentality for watching this series. You never know though, things could get better with season 9.

      You were smart to stop at season 7, although it sounds like we have differing opinions on that season finale. Your thinking is probably that, "it was time to through in the towel" so to speak. Trust me, season 8's finale was so much worse.

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    7. So Mirielle, just for you I YouTubed "Big Bang Theory" and watched the first 7 or so minutes of a compilation video of "The Best of Season 2" I didn't like it. It very much seemed to be of identical quality to a Disney Channel show, with some adult jokes thrown in. Everyone felt one-note and dull, the humor was boring and obvious. I don't know. Just did not work for me at all.

      I only have time to watch a small handful of shows I'm passionately loyal to, but it just seems like in this age of Community, Silicon Valley, Broad City, Parks & Recreation, Louie, It's Always Sunny, and more (some of which I'm not caught up on, mind you) there's not a lot of reason for me to watch TBBT. But, really, I don't even watch network TV anymore.

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    8. Fair enough. I wasn't expecting you to check anything out with BBT so soon.

      What other shows, besides Girl Meets World, do you currently like? (That are still in production.)

      You said you don't like cbs, or watch much network shows. But, have you ever watched The Good Wife?

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  13. I just want to say I fully agree with Christian about the whole CBS issue.

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  14. What are your/the issues with CBS?
    And, does that mean neither of you, Christian or Unknown, are into The Good Wife?

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    1. Correct. I've seen a few episodes, because I'm a big fan of Josh Charles and I like when things are set in Chicago, where I live, but while it wasn't bad, it also wasn't something I could keep up on. I'm not really a fan of procedurals - be they police, medical, or legal. While I know Good Wife also has serialized storytelling it's too much "case-of-the-week" for me, and I don't really like that kind of stuff.

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    2. As for what my issues are with CBS, it's just basically all procedurals and sitcoms I consider lame. Even back when the highest quality sitcoms and dramas were on network TV (and those days are long behind us) CBS wasn't really where they tended to be.

      But that's me. These CBS shows are all wildly successful, so not sure who I am to talk!

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  15. If you guys are going to do a reviews of the other Disney sit-coms, here are my thoughts.
    JESSIE: a fairly good show, but it is ending this year, so you may want to skip it... but Debby Ryan is quite cute, so you may want to watch it just for her.

    AUSTIN & ALLY: another decent show that is ending this year. Currently the show, with Ally having her own recording contract and dating Austin, isn't as good as the earlier episodes where she had crippling stage fright, and she and Austin were just friends. Look for the dorky Buddy Holly-looking kid who's catch phrase was "Oh narts!"

    I DIDN"T DO IT: much better show in season 2 than it was in season 1. Olivia Holt is perhaps the cutest girl on Disney Channel.

    KC UNDERCOVER: very bad show. ANT FARM bad.

    DOG WITH A BLOG: I like G Hanneleous, and I'm a dog guy... but this show is weak. No wonder its being canned after 2 seasons.

    LIV & MADDIE: an OK show. Not that into it.

    BEST FRIENDS WHENEVER: Kind of a quirky show I will give a chance. Looks like Disney is trying to recreate Nickelodeon's Carly and Sam ("iCarly", a show that was one of Nick's highest rated, and often beat Disney powerhouse "Hanna Montanna" in the ratings) in the two girl leads.

    Since the current crop of Disney sit-coms isn't as good as past years, I'd like to challenge you guys to also review an episode of one of the best Disney sit-coms, GOOD LUCK CHARLIE. I remember the episode "Sleepless in Denver" had me laughing quite a bit.

    Also, I challenge you guys to review an episode of the sit-com that was the forerunner of sit-coms aimed at a kid and teen audience, THE MONKEES (appropriate, since they appeared on BMW). "The Devil and Peter Tork" is one of the best episodes of the series, with "Too Many Girls" one of the funniest.

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    1. "...with Ally having her own recording contract..." OF COURSE she does. Is every Disney channel show exactly the same? God damn.

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    2. no carly and sam were the new cory and shawn first

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  16. Actually, Dog With a Blog is on its third season. And Disney Channel shows only run 3 or 4 seasons, so the show had a successful run.

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