Seriously? OMG! WTF?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7dyl0j3WU6Y
NBC announced yesterday that it was not moving forward with a live version of Hair on May 19th. This announcement comes a week after RENT bombed on Fox. But I think there were other contributing factors.

Back in May 2018, NBC announced that Hair would be its next live musical. Which, I thought, was very brave. Even though it is one of my favorite musicals, it is not really broadcast TV friendly.

Strike 1 – On August 20th, Craig Zadan, who co-produced the live musicals, passed away suddenly. Leaving his business partner, Neil Meron, alone for the first time to do a show on his own.

Strike 2 – Just over a month later, Bob Greenblatt resigned as the Head of Entertainment at NBC. Greenblatt loved live television and Broadway, and he was the one who brought musicals to life on the network. With his departure, even Jesus Christ Superstar’s Emmy wins were probably not enough to keep them going.

Strike 3 – HBO scheduled the series finale of Game of Thrones for that night. If that was not bad enough, ABC did the same with American Idol’s finale. Although, I think the latter will even make a blip in the ratings.

Strike 4 – RENT: Live, the ’90s version of Hair, aired on Fox to disastrous ratings.
All of sudden taking a risk on a risque show does not sound like a good idea,

Which means Hair is out of there.

Does that mean we have reached the sunset of the age of Aquarius of live musicals? NBC’s new heads of Entertainment, Paul Telegdy and George Cheeks, told Variety, “Live musicals are a part of this network’s DNA and we are committed to continuing that tradition with the right show at the right time.”

Which means they want something more family friendly. Since ABC probably gets first dibs on the Disney shows that does not leave a whole lot of options. They can do Annie, but do little girls still know it like we do. One of my favorites, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat is great but it has not been done in a while. Which is still more current than Jennifer Lopez’s Bye Bye Birdie that one is indefinite hold at NBC. They can try to beat Steven Speilberg to the punch and do West Side Story. Even that one is not really kid friendly. Maybe they can switch it up and do Fiddler on the Roof for Chanukah. If I were a rich man…

In short, I think we have seen the last of live Broadway musical productions. I am grateful for the ones we had. Even the bad ones like Peter Pan. Sorry, I hated it on Broadway and hated it on NBC. But at least it is still better than Cats.

Are you sad that this tradition has come to an end? Maybe someday soon they will let the sun shine in again. Hopefully soon! Hopefully sooner than when Hamilton becomes eligible to be done by Hollywood.

Out of all of the pilots I watched for this season New Amsterdam was by far my favorite. Throughout the season it has stayed on top, not just for me but for millions of other people. Therefore, it makes sense that NBC asked the medical drama for a second season.

The show, that stars Ryan Eggold as the medical director of New Amsterdam, NYC’s biggest hospital, is unlike the other shows in the genre. Instead of focusing on the disease they focus on the patient. It is a strange concept, but it is why I love it. That and Eggold’s facial expressions deserve their own reward. I just want to hug him every time he does he this one thing with his face.

You have to see what I mean to understand what I am saying. If you have not seen the program yet, then watch it on the NBC app.

Jaimie Alexander plays Jane Doe on Blindspot, a woman who lost her memory and does not know why her body is covered in tattoos. What we do know about her is that she can really kick a$$ and now we know that stunts are no joke.

Yesterday, when she was a co-host on Today with Hoda Kotb and Jenna Bush, she listed several of the injuries she suffered since working on the NBC drama.

They are:
Ruptured disc
Herniated disc
Broken nose
Dislocated shoulder
Broken right index finger
Broken left foot
Broken left two toes (three times)
Broke right foot
Broken right two toes
Dislocated jaw
And several others she could not pronounce or reveal.

How does she feel about all of that? She says, “I love it!!!” Not me, I hate to be in pain. She is a masochist and I am a sadist.

Seriously, I have a whole new respect for her. Because I would have quit after the first injury and that would have been a paper cut from reading the script. Yet she keeps going.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wzSK0TuNTmQ
When we last off with New Amsterdam, Max (Ryan Eggold) collapsed away from the hospital at a vacation spot. Tonight at 10p (yes NBC is still airing it at 10p), the episode picks up exactly where it left off.

Georgia (Lisa O’Hare) runs towards her husband’s lifeless body and calls Dr. Sharpe (Freema Agyeman) to find out what to do. Sharpe instructs her to cut a hole in her husband’s neck to help him breathe. It works, but Max is still unconscious.

Max is airlifted back to New Amsterdam. As Sharpe awaits his arrival, she tells the other doctors that Max has cancer. It is a shock to all of them and they each deal with it differently. That is with the little time they have to process it because their main goal now is to save Max. Can they put their emotions aside to save the life of the man who has changed all of their lives?

The one life he changed the most was his wife’s. Tonight, you will see how they met and fell in love. It is a sweet story, that shows off Eggold’s flirting skills. Something his face does separately from him. I just love how his facial expressions are its own charming character.

Everything about New Amsterdam is charming. If you are not watching this medical drama, then you are missing out on a truly great show. Instead of scaring us with rare illnesses and diseases, they focus on caring for the patient. It is what makes this show different than the others like it. Different is just what the doctor ordered.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kfWcuH7GP7I
NBC went all Scrooge on Marlon and Midnight, Texas because they cancelled both shows before the holiday break. The latter will continue airing its second season, but will not be back for a third one. Is the news a surprise? Nope because the ratings are scarier than the show.

Marlon, I am kind of surprised about because the summer sitcom did well for that time of year. Hopefully, the network will continue to air comedies during the summer. Maybe they will consider bringing back Trial & Error?

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