Ed Martin's Top 25 TV Programs of 2024 (Part Three)

Dancing with the Stars ABC The 33rd season of this enduring franchise remained as pleasantly enjoyable as ever powered by friendly competition dazzling production numbers and an unwavering sense of inspiration and determination throughout Perhaps the show39s best moment ever came at the end of the second episode after the double elimination of actress Tori Spelling and infamous con artist Anna Sorokin when cohost Julianne Hough sweetly asked Sorokin what she was going to take away from her brief DWTS experience Sorokin was blunt quotNothingquot she replied That39s Len Goodman Mirrorball trophy winners Joey Graziadei and Jenna Johnson up topThe Law According to Lidia Poet Netflix Topping the list of performances this year that I would describe as quotsparklingquot are those by two actresses we all know Carrie Preston Elsbeth and Kristen Wiig Palm Royale and one we don39t Matilda De Angelis the young star of this historical drama about Italy39s first female lawyer Lidia Poet She39s so delightful that she effortlessly commands attention in every scene she is in The show is set in the 1800s but it feels very contemporary as it chronicles Poet39s tireless efforts to advance her career after being disbarred simply because she is a woman Note Season one of Lidia Poet premiered on Netflix in 2023 It didn39t land on my radar until season two premiered there in October 2024The Emmy Awards Award shows don39t usually land on my list but this year calls for an exception in part because due to the lingering effects of last year39s strikes we had two Emmy ceremonies amp8230 one on Fox in January the other on ABC in September and they both made an effort to celebrate television39s past while honoring its present The result was not one but two Emmy shows in the same year that were entertaining to watch The nostalgic tributes in January played better than those in the September telecast but the latter scored with a timely appearance by Murphy Brown star Candice Bergen talking about the heat her character took from Vice President Dan Quayle in 1992 when Murphy became pregnant and opted to become a single mother and the decision to play the theme from The Bob Newhart Show over the closing credits of the program It was a touching tribute to one of TV39s alltime greats who left us earlier this yearamp160America39s Got Talent NBC I39ve asked this in previous years and I will do so again What would summer be without America39s Got Talent It is simply the best broadcast series to run original episodes from early June thru midSeptember AGT is still the most powerful example of emotional connectivity among competition shows For example I39m sure there wasn39t a dry eye in the cavernous Pasadena Civic Auditorium or in homes across the land when humble Terre Haute school custodian Richard Goodall a remarkable singer took home this year39s top prize The talent on display often disarming and the spirited interaction between judges Howie Mandel Simon Cowell Heidi Klum and Sofia Vergara and host Terry Crews remains reliably priceless Goodall is pictured above next to KlumReal Time with Bill Maher and Last Week Tonight with John Oliver HBO I can39t imagine ending the week without HBO39s longtime Friday night staple Real Time with Bill Maher and starting the next one without Sunday night special Last Week Tonight with John Oliver Their extended breaks kill me Even in this age of excess information I would feel illinformed without them Now how about adding another such show midweek to get us over the humpSaturday Night Live NBC As I said last year when SNL was powering through its 49th season this show doesn39t need my support or anyone else39s It39s bigger than all of us And now it39s freakin39 50 and still going strong with no end in sight I39ll just note that seeing Dana Carvey Andy Samburg and Maya Rudolph back in Studio 8H this season on a recurring basis has been a delight I39m sure we39ll see a truckload of show veterans on the 50th anniversary prime time special in February but the ongoing weekly surprises lately including David Spade and Adam Sandler while not new are as exciting as everamp160Knots Landing Prime Video If you are a longtime reader of my annual Top 25 columns you know that I occasionally toss in a blast from the past that has found new life or caught my eye all over again Knots Landing which at times was my favorite prime time soap from the glory days of Dallas Dynasty and the rest and which hasn39t been seen anywhere in forever has landed on this year39s list because it recently surfaced first on Plex and then on Prime Video It would be dishonest of me not to admit that it39s a bit dated but that doesn39t matter does it All the greats are and yet many of them are still a rewarding watch I39m looking forward to the countless culdesac crises to come including the arrival of scheming Abby Cunningham played by the immortal Donna Mills loopy Lilamae Clements Julie Harris and bad boy Joshua Rush Alec Baldwin whose death sequence is rivaled only by that of Peter Hollister Hunt Block I39m already edging toward 40yearold spoilers so I39ll stop now PS I never knew Knots Landing had its own newspaperPosted at MediaVillage through the Thought Leadership selfpublishing platformClick the social buttons above or below to share this content with your friends and colleaguesThe opinions and points of view expressed in this content are exclusively the views of the author andor subjects and do not necessarily represent the views of MediaVillageorgMyersBizNet Inc management or associated writers

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Ed Martin's Top 25 TV Programs of 2024 (Part Three)

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