Have you ever been tempted to just drop everything, quit your job, sell your car, ditch your apartment, and pack a bag for a radically stripped-down life? You certainly wouldn’t be alone if you did. It’s no coincidence that the beginnings of so many TV shows involve the protagonists packing up their lives and starting over. Think about it:
The list goes on and on — I didn’t even mention Beverly Hills, 90210 or Just the Ten of Us. There’s also Green Acres, the 1965 TV series where restless big-city attorney Eddie Albert decides to move out to the sticks and run a farm, and he drags his big-city glamorous wife Eva Gabor out with him. Sexism of the premise aside, there’s a lot to Green Acres that might appeal to anyone who wants out of their hectic urban life. Which is why we keep getting TV series like ABC’s Bless This Mess, which premieres tonight.
SERIES PREMIERE: If you enjoyed Dax Shepard on Parenthood and Lake Bell in her various movies like In a World, you should be excited to see them play a married couple who decide to go buy a farm in Nebraska on Bless This Mess. Even if you’re not familiar with them, trust and believe that they’re charming, funny actors, and this concept is bullet-proof. 9:30 PM ET on ABC
SEASON FINALE: ABC’s The Rookie, the series that dared to question what it would look like if Nathan Fillion were the world’s oldest rookie cop, ends its first season tonight. On the episode, titled “Free Fall,” a possible terrorist attack in Los Angeles coincides with the big rookie exam, which is honestly just about the worst “woke up late for my final” nightmare you could ever have. 10:00 PM ET on ABC
PREMIERE EPISODE: ESPN is airing a special presentation of their acclaimed sports documentary series tonight with 30 for 30: Seau, which examines the celebrated NFL career and horrific death of former San Diego Chargers linebacker Junior Seau. 9:00 PM ET on ESPN
ANNIVERSARY: 25 years ago today, Nickelodeon premiered a TV series that made an impression on a generation of young TV viewers and is still remembered fondly and fervently today: All That was a kids’ sketch comedy show that bridged the gap between Nick’s kid audience and the younger-teen audience they were looking to cultivate — kind of halfway down the road between Disney and MTV. All That’s biggest claims to fame were stars Kenan Thompson and Amanda Bynes, and while Bynes’ ascent to movie stardom ended up in some dark places, Kenan’s wild success on Saturday Night Live is a huge testament to how All That launched him. Later seasons gave us Nick Cannon and Jamie Lynn Spears, but the true ‘90s-kid shibboleth is if you mention Lori Beth Denberg’s name in confidence. You can stream the first six seasons of All That on Amazon Prime.
ALSO TONIGHT
Joe Reid is the senior writer at Primetimer and co-host of the This Had Oscar Buzz podcast. His work has appeared in Decider, NPR, HuffPost, The Atlantic, Slate, Polygon, Vanity Fair, Vulture, The A.V. Club and more.
TOPICS: Bless This Mess, 30 For 30, The Rookie