Black Friday Returns as a Television Show

Maybe you are purchasing your holiday gifts on Cyber Monday rather than Black Friday.  That is fine, but if you want to see what you are missing you can check out NBC's Superstore, starring America Ferrera, Ben Feldman, Mark McKinney, Lauren Ash, Colton Dunn, Nichole Bloom and Nico Santos.  Here is the trailer and summary: 

America Ferrera ("Ugly Betty") and Ben Feldman ("Mad Men," "A to Z") star in a hilarious workplace comedy (from the producer of "The Office") about a unique family of employees at a supersized megastore. From the bright-eyed newbies and the seen-it-all veterans to the clueless summer hires and the in-it-for-life managers, together they hilariously tackle the day-to-day grind of rabid bargain hunters, riot-causing sales and nap-worthy training sessions.

It's a pretty good cast, yet I was not shopping around for a new comedy series.  So is it worth tuning in?  Maybe.  The story is written by former The Office writer-producer Justin Spitzer, so it has the right ingredients.  This is Ben Feldman's second try at an NBC comedy following his role on AMC's Mad Men.   His last comedy, A to Z, was a romantic office-based comedy that was pretty good but never made it past its first season.  Maybe this one will last a little longer.  I cannot think of too many store-based stories, so this could be a unique series that can stand apart from the others.

Update:  I watched the first three episodes and can say I enjoyed each one. It's more an extension of the one-hour comedy Reaper (without demons) than another Office, but it will do. Sometimes you need a simple comedy at the end of a long day. 

Second Update: The networks are making the schedule for these new shows more difficult than necessary. The "official" premiere of Superstore is January 4th even though I have already seen three episodes. Nice way to shake viewer loyalty. I don't need to binge in this show, but a predictable rollout would be nice.

More Peanuts: 50th Anniversary

Yes, it has been 50 years since A Charlie Brown Christmas first appeared during the holidays.  ABC is commemorating the event with a special program involving a variety of talent.  Here is the summary of the event to be broadcast on Monday, November 30:

In celebration of the 50th anniversary of the beloved PEANUTS animated tale, A Charlie Brown Christmas, Kristen Bell will host a special holiday retrospective, It's Your 50th Christmas, Charlie Brown. The anniversary special will celebrate 50 years of the iconic classic that has brought joy and a television watching tradition at the holidays for generations of fans. The unforgettable night will feature spectacular live performances, from the memorable music of Vince Guaraldi, to Kristen Chenoweth singing "Happiness" from the "Peanuts" Broadway hit, and a performance from Matthew Morrison of an original song, "Just Like Me." Other amazing musical guests set to perform classic songs are Sarah McLachlan, Boyz II Men, Pentatonix, David Benoit and The All-American Boys Chorus. December 2015 marks the 50th anniversary of the Emmy-winning special, A Charlie Brown Christmas. 

High Castle: Not Everyone Gets It

Amazon may have gone a little too far in its efforts to advertise its new series The Man in the High Castle.  New Yorkers were shocked to see Nazi-related imaged all of the subways.  Both the Governor of New York and NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio ordered Amazon to remove the advertising.  The mayor noted:

While these ads technically may be within MTA guidelines, they're irresponsible and offensive to World War II and Holocaust survivors, their families, and countless other New Yorkers.

 

The Anti-Defamation League also entered the battle, with Evan Bernstein, the New York regional director stating:

 

On the television program, which explains this is the notion of an America controlled by Hitler, you get that context...On the train, seeing the American flag paired with a Nazi symbol is viscerally offensive, because there is no context as to what it means.

You would think New Yorkers would be used to seeing odd things on their trip to the office in the morning.  I guess Amazon struck a nerve, and received additional advertising as a result of the all the controversy.  I wonder who serves as Minister of Propaganda at Amazon these days.  Good job.

Thanksgiving Tales, Part III

A few more holiday items for your list - the classic A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving as well as This Is America, Charlie Brown: The Mayflower Voyages. You can see both tonight on ABC.

Thanksgiving Tales, Part II

Tonight on PBS you can learn even more about the first pilgrim's in American Experience:  The Pilgrims. Here is what PBS has in store for you:

In the early 17th century, a small group of religious radicals embarked from England to establish a separatist religious community across the Atlantic Ocean in the New World. William Bradford, the governor of Plymouth Plantation for more than 30 years, wrote the definitive history of the early colony, from the early formation of a separatist Protestant sect in England to a colony in the New World whose hard-fought success after a decade would trigger a massive influx of colonists throughout New England.

In the months after their arrival in the New World in 1620, the Pilgrims would face rampant starvation, disease, and death; their relationship with the indigenous population was complex. Living in a former Wampanoag village, whose inhabitants had been killed years earlier when European settlers brought disease to the region, the Pilgrims' first months were marked by a skirmish with the native Wampanoag people. But in their first spring, out of mutual desperation, the Pilgrims and the Wampanoags agreed to support each other. Tisquantum, the sole survivor of the former Wampanoag village the Pilgrims now inhabited, lived with them to act as an interpreter and help them plant their crops.

In the fall of 1621, under Tisquantum’s supervision, the Pilgrims’ crops yielded a considerable harvest. To celebrate the bounty and an end to the hardships that had nearly killed them off, they held a three-day celebration of games and food. Wampanoag leader Massasoit and 90 of his men joined the Pilgrims, contributing five deer they had killed. Although they didn't call it such at the time, this event would later inspire the national holiday of Thanksgiving.

Despite their peace pact with the Wampanoags, the Pilgrims’ relationship with other native tribes remained tense. Nonetheless, after years of struggle, the Pilgrims eventually found a way to turn a profit in the new world, sending valuables such as beaver pelts back to Europe, and thus encouraging more and more colonists to venture to New England. By the early 1670s, approximately 70,000 English settlers had arrived in New England, overwhelming the Native population of fewer than 20,000.

In 1675, Metacom, the son of Wampanoag chief Massasoit, led an armed effort to drive out the colonists from Wampanoag land. In the end, more than 600 colonists and approximately 3,000 Native Americans, including Metacom, were killed.

This is a story about a thankful dinner followed by local war. I think we will be in a better place this year, though we are part of a distant war. And as far as those exiles looking for a new world, we have plenty of refugees from distant religious battles looking again to America. Sadly, some things may never change.

GOT: Now We Know

If you had any questions about the fate of Jon Snow in Game of Thrones, and I know you did, maybe the poster above for season six will answer your primary question. Maybe.

Netflix: Jessica Jones

Don't look now, but Netflix has another Marvel super hero to accompany its Daredevil series. Okay, you can look.  It is Jessica Jones. 

Netflix provides a helpful trailer and this summary:

After a tragic ending to her short-lived Super Hero stint, Jessica Jones is rebuilding her personal life and career as a private detective in Hell's Kitchen. It's time the world knew her name...

So Daredevil is a defense lawyer in Hell's Kitchen and Jessica is a detective? Small world. 

The series became available for streaming last Friday (November 20), so you can check it out for yourself - all 13 episodes.