Brooklyn Nine-Nine – Julia H'ere

In just a few short hours we will be in 2019! It’s kinda hard to believe. This year feels like it’s lasted at least a decade, so let’s take a second to look back…

Here’s a short list: Avengers: Infinity War, Black Panther, Doctor Who Series 11, She-Ra and the Princesses of Power, Miraculous Tales of Ladybug and Chat Noir season 2, The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, Deadpool 2, Disney bought Fox, Guardians of the Galaxy 3 lost its director, Red Sox won the World Series, Game of Thrones dropped the trailer for its last season, we got a sequel to Mary Poppins over 50 years later, Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, Incredibles 2, American Horror Story crossover, Life-Size 2 almost 20 years later… the list goes on.

Once again it was a big year for revivals and nostalgia. In addition to She-Ra, Sabrina, Mary Poppins, and Life-Size, we saw the revival of Roseanne/The Conners, Murphy Brown, Magnum P.I., American Idol, Tomb Raider, Oceans 8, Charmed, Titans, and Halloween. Now, I may have been a little lax with my viewing. When I was in college, I once had a couple months where I was seeing a new movie each week. Right now, my life is not in a place where I can do that, so that will not be my New Years Resolution. No, instead, I will attempt to put out a blog entry each week and on time! (And I can promise that I will be seeing Captain Marvel and Avengers: Endgame the weekends they open!)

We’re also currently riding on the wave that is the aftermath of #metoo and its effecting the industry. People are speaking out and its becoming a wise marketing choice to use female and minority filmmakers. Wonder Woman did amazing things for female directors in 2017 and this year Black Panther opened the door for minority filmmakers and superheroes.

TV also got very political this year, with liberal Hollywood speaking out against President Trump and his policies (a trend I expect to continue). This was true even for shows like Doctor Who, which is a British program. His racist and sexist remarks have inspired plot points, such as Who‘s “Rosa” and the political and racial backgrounds of characters on primetime TV shows such as Charmed and Rosanne/The Conners.

So, what does this mean for the entertainment industry? Well, Disney is slowly but surely monopolizing the film industry and cornering the market on mega franchises. It’s no longer just Princesses, there’s Star Wars and the MCU– now with the addition of Fox’s character library (and making us all nervous about Deadpool 3). Meanwhile, Netflix went and canceled a bunch of programs, including all of its Marvel programs (save for Jessica Jones and Punisher), but also released 3 seasons/20 episodes of Nailed It!. NBC is making a comedy comeback with lineups that include The Good Place, Brooklyn Nine-Nine, and Will & Grace, while ABC stands by The Conners and snatches up American Idol, with no end in sight for Grey’s Anatomy. America’s Next Top Model is on VH1 now and Black Mirror just released a “Choose Your Own Adventure” episode…

2018 has been a year for reinvention and creativity. It’s been about branching out as production companies try to nail down what audiences are after. While many of us are reading news headlines with dismay, the entertainment industry is actually starting to step up with female and minority representation. Shows like Steven Universe, She-Ra and the Princesses of Power, and Doctor Who (as played by Jodie Whittaker) are upping the ante on gender and sexuality representation. It’s an exciting time for TV and Film, with even more to come in 2019!

…Okay, so this is another late post, and once again a bit ramble-y, but as I stated above, New Year’s Resolution! For those of you who have taken the time to read my idle thoughts, thank you! This has been a labor of both passion and discipline and I’m really excited I’ve kept it going this long– and plan on more to come!

I’m expecting 2019 to be a big and happy year and wish you and those closest to you the same! Happy New Year!

Another change of plans! Yup, originally, I had planned to discuss how and why I thought holiday specials became a ‘thing’. Then, I was going to talk about some of my favorites, make some recommendations, etc. However, this didn’t sit right with me. And after letting the thought marinate for a few days, I decided to table the first part of the discussion for another time.

Now, as for recommendations, there are a number of television specials I could recommend. From Disney Channel Original Films to a number of other programs that have consistently produced holiday specials. Now, there are some programs that might do a Christmas Special here or a Halloween Special there, but then there are programs that put out consistent specials year after year, and those that cover even the less commercialized holidays, like St. Patrick’s Day. It’s the latter that most impress me.

Friends (1994-2004) was known for always having Thanksgiving Specials, but more recently there has been another NBC-produced sitcom that has aired specials for Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas for the five seasons that have aired thus far: Brooklyn Nine-Nine (2013-present).

Brooklyn Nine-Nine has aired for the last five seasons on Fox, but was recently picked up by NBC when Fox gave it the ax, however, it has always been an NBC-produced property. Now, Nine-Nine has produced some solid Thanksgiving and Christmas Specials. That’s what I should be focusing on, considering what time of year it is, but the real gems are the Halloween Specials.

In the first Halloween Special, the no-nonsense Captain Holt and man-child Det. Peralta make a bet. Peralta has until midnight to steal Holt’s medal of valor. Shenanigans ensue, and each year a similar bet is made with more outrageous stunts and winners each year (including a marriage proposal one year).

Nine-Nine has mastered a balance between light-hearted flippancy, characters you care about, and serious moments. It’s a truly clever program, and Halloween has become an opportunity for the writers to demonstrate their creativity. Any time of year, these specials are a treat.

Next is a cartoon that never hesitates to celebrate a holiday. From the traditional Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas to Easter and Labor Day, this show captures it. No, it’s not Rugrats (1991-2004), whose dual-faith families gave us some classic spins on the holidays. It’s the more recent Teen Titans Go! (2013-present). Go! is a hugely polarizing program for millennials. We had the classic Teen Titans (2003-2006), which Go! takes a lot of its characterization from. The concept is what superheroes do when they aren’t our superheroing. It’s slice of life when your life is extraordinary and you are a brightly colored cartoon.

Go! uses the voice actors from the first show, including Hynden Walch, who later found success as Princess Bubblegum (Adventure Time, 2010-2018), and Tara Strong, a prolific voice actor whose credits include Twilight Sparkle (My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, 2010- present), Bubbles (The Powerpuff Girls, 1998-2005), and Rikku (Final Fantasy X, Final Fantasy X-2).

Because a lot of Teen Titans Go! is just shenanigans, the show does not hesitate to go all out on holidays. If you don’t like frenetic, bright cartoons where nothing of consequence happens, this show is not for you. However, if you have 11 minutes and want to watch something dumb during the holidays, Go! has specials for Valentine’s Day, St. Patrick’s Day, Easter, Labor Day, Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Years.

Now, I can’t talk about holiday specials and not talk about my favorite, Doctor Who (1963-1989, 1996, 2005-present). In addition to a yearly Christmas Special since the show was revived in 2005, Who one year had a year of special after special. From 2008-2010, David Tennant, the Tenth Doctor, produced a series of specials that covered Christmas, Easter, and New Years. Yes, it’s not the most diverse, but the show traditionally produces a special that reflects the significance of Christmas in the UK. This year, Thirteenth Doctor, Jodie Whittaker’s special will not air on Christmas Day, but New Year’s Day, January 1st. And, considering the “simulcast” of the Series 11 premiere, I’m glad we still get January 1st off in just about every profession.

Now, of course, there are the classics, of both Halloween and Christmas, as well as Valentine’s Day, St. Patrick’s Day, and Easter. (I like to watch Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, How the Grinch Stole Christmas, and Batman Returns before Christmas.) Above are just some highlights. Holiday specials aren’t new and they aren’t going anywhere. (There’s a whole new batch that’s already begun airing.) They have become a part of our culture and are something I look forward to exploring in further depth in a future post.

For now, this post is published on time. And I love celebrating things and what could be better than a commercial holiday?

Tag: Brooklyn Nine-Nine

Looking Back On 2018…

Happy Holidays!