I apologize for the fact that this post was missing last week; I was busy recovering from my amazing New York Comic Con trip, which you can read all about here!
This week in television kicked off with another emotional hour of Once Upon a Time, which featured twist after twist and revelation after revelation. Also on Sunday, Brooklyn Nine-Nine highlighted Jake and Boyle’s friendship, and The Good Wife introduced a new man in Alicia’s life, played by the ever-charming Jeffrey Dean Morgan. On Monday, Dancing with the Stars switched up the partnerships with mixed results; Jane the Virgin premiered with so much humor and heart; and Castle continued to explore Kate and Rick’s new dynamic, as well as how it affects Ryan and Esposito (and Martha, too). Tuesday gave us a karaoke-filled episode of The Muppets; another look into modern parenthood on The Mindy Project; and the introduction of two great new characters on The Flash. On Wednesday, Nashville continued to break our hearts with even more depressing drama. And Friday and Saturday gave us the first two parts of Girl Meets World‘s Texas adventure, which highlighted just how talented the young actors on that show are.
It’s no secret that this has been a pretty heavy start to the season for many of the dramas I watch: Emma is the Dark One on Once Upon a Time, Castle and Beckett are in the middle of an unnecessary (in my opinion, at least) separation, and literally everyone is struggling to find happiness on Nashville. So lately, I’ve been incredibly appreciative of the shows I watch that are designed to do nothing but make me smile.
That’s why I loved the season premiere of Jane the Virgin so much: It had its moments of tears, but they were quickly followed by moments of pure joy and warmth. And that’s why I still smile when I think about Brooklyn Nine-Nine and Jake and Boyle’s “My Hunch” dance. And more than any other week so far, this week I found myself truly appreciating all the moments of silly fun The Muppets gave me.
Was the karaoke scene on The Muppets the deepest or most interesting thing on TV this week? No, but it wasn’t supposed to be. It was simply supposed to be fun, and that’s exactly what it was. It made me laugh from start to finish, and with so many TV shows breaking my heart lately, I love knowing that I can put on The Muppets and find so many reasons to feel nothing but joy.
What was the best thing you saw on TV this week?
Nerdy Girl Notes 
Yeah, I agree with you about Castle and Beckett’s separation. It is completely unnecessary and contrived. Beckett should have let Castle in on the off-grid case which they keep secret from everyone else while investigating crimes together as the united team they’ve always been.
You’ve come to the right place to vent, Justin! I haven’t written about Castle in a while because, to be honest, it’s just too hard for me to write about how far it’s fallen. I absolutely love your wish for how this story should have gone, and I’m so sad they chose this path instead.
You and I watch the same things! I just binged on Jane the Virgin last week…it was one of those shows I knew i would love but just never got around to it. But boy, I’m glad I finally did. I love that show so much. I love that they have a love triangle with no real clear cut choice. I have a preference for Michael but I certainly can understand why she may end up with Raf…or neither. But in any case, the relationship with her Mom I just adore. Tears filled my eyes when her mom arrived in time for the baby. You could just see on Jane’s face how much she needed her. Anyway, I have always loved The Mindy Project and still think she is the best rom-com writer since Nora Ephron. And where did they get a baby that is not only adorable, bur really looks like a mix between Mindy and Danny!
Well then we both have excellent taste in TV! 😉
Isn’t Jane the Virgin wonderful? And I completely agree with you about Mindy being the best rom-com writer since Ephron! Also, that baby is too cute. 🙂
I am merely commenting to say the joy it brings to my heart and soul that others are discovering and loving Jane the Virgin.
I second that!!!
I loved the karaoke scene so much. It was nothing but fun and it’s often exactly what I need. Also on the sitcom side of things, Louis trying to prepare Eddie and his friends for their first dance cracked me up. His reaction to their dance movies (learned from Shaggy’s Mr. Boombastic video) was perfectly horrified.
On the more emotional side of things, I am so happy that Jane the Virgin is back. It is simultaneously heartwarming and funny and I’m continually amazed at how well they find that balance. Gina Rodriguez is a gift to us all and every scene with the three women is still perfectly done. Also, I was not at all opposed to a shirtless Rafael with a baby. That was a lot to handle, in the best way 😉
Jane the Virgin’s ability to balance making me cry from its emotional scenes and then cry with laughter at its funny ones is incredible. There’s really no other show on TV right now like it. And I am 100% with you on shirtless Rafael with a baby. I would not be opposed to more of those moments in future episodes. 😉
I am so loving the Jane love. But I have to add, I adored how they set us up to be so perfectly swooning over Michael only to sucker punch us with a shirtless Rafael bonding with the baby seconds later. My love for this show knows no bounds.
Because Jane the Virgin is the most awesome show on the planet… I have to chime in to agree every time anyone mentions it! I love everything about it and I’m so happy more people are discovering how wonderful it is.
Every time you write about The Muppets I almost want to watch. But the 9 year old in me can’t. I loved the original series so much. It is what made the recent movie remake wonderfully fun and reminiscent of the magic the show once held. Much like you could pay me to watch a remake of Hitchcock film. I have the same sacred adoration of The Muppets (although I loved the clip you showed).
For me the top moments on TV this week came at the beginning of the week. Last Sunday gave me a mind-blowing season premiere of The Walking Dead and the battle of Margo Martindale and Alan Cumming. Then my beloved return of Jane the Virgin quickly followed on Monday and with it the beauty that character, integrity and honest storytelling can be both heartwarming and funny.
But hands down, for me the moment of the week and the singular best thing I saw on television was Renee Elise Goldsberry on the BET HipHop Awards Cypher. Sandwiched in between rap battlers Lin-Manuel Miranda and Daveed Diggs vocal acrobatics was Renee’s hard core, unrelenting powerful rap that not only blew me away lyrically, but spoke to the immense power we hold as women. My love of all things Hamilton is well known. Goldsberry people will know from The Good Wife. I had the opportunity to see Renee rap at a Ham4Ham show early in the run on Broadway. What she does in this 45 seconds is sheer mastery and easily the best thing I saw on TV last week.
http://www.bet.com/video/hiphopawards/2015/cyphers/hamilton-cypher-clean.html
I totally understand not wanting to taint your childhood love for The Muppets. The show is certainly not as good as the first of the new movies, but it’s a nice half-hour bit of fun in my weekly TV schedule. And it’s something I watch with my family, which isn’t always the case with my shows. (Although my mom, sister, and I do watch most things together.)
I found that BET video last week thanks to the good people of Tumblr. 😉 It’s incredible. I am just so in awe of her talent and the power of her words that I don’t even know what to say. She’s amazing—it’s as simple as that.
I can’t watch The Muppets for 2 reasons. I have another show on at the same time. And all of the voices are wrong. I miss Jim Henson so much! But I’m glad that his genius is reaching a whole new audience in a different way. Maybe I can get past the voice issue if I try…
It’s been ages since you wrote this post but I’ll just chime in over and over to proclaim my love for Jane the Virgin because it’s always ALWAYS my happy place on TV. And I’m SO glad you’re enjoying it. I just cackle with delight at some of the things that show comes up with. It’s so ridiculous, but also so TRUE and good. I love how meta it is too! It’s awesome to watch a show that makes fun of itself, but that also deals with serious issues.
And Brooklyn Nine-Nine. That’s just another happy show. Thank all the gods for B99.
Like you, I have so many shows that are heavy with drama right now but thankfully they (almost) all have bright spots – whether it’s something funny like Hook and Hood and a picture from up inside Zelena (eek!) or a beautiful musical performance on Nashville, or even just a beautifully framed shot of a gorgeous and talented person (on any show)…
But yeah, it’s nice to have some silly fun laughs (or a wee bit of truck jousting) to lighten the mood 🙂
I totally understand the fact that the voices on The Muppets throws you off. I’ll admit, there are definitely times while watching it that a character’s voice just sounds so wrong that it takes me out of the show for a moment. But the tone is right, even if the voices are off. 😉
I love how happy you are about all the JtV love over here! It’s become such a happy place in my TV schedule, and I’m so glad I picked it up.