Hopes for The Middle Season 9

The final season of The Middle will be premiering soon. I will review this season like I have with the last two. This article will talk about what hopes I have for this last season of The Middle.


No rushing things
There is one thing in particular that I am worried that The Middle will rush as it heads towards it conclusion, and that is Sue and Sean Donahue. With only twenty-four episodes left of the series, if the creators decide that they want these two to end up together, they are going to have to work carefully to ensure that this story doesn't feel rushed. Any other areas where the characters aren't all that close to where the creators want them to end will have to be handled carefully as well.

Celebrating the holidays, one last time
This is The Middle's last chance to celebrate all of the holidays that the show usually does. Hopefully none will be left out, since this is the last chance for those, and they are almost always strong episodes. Let's get one more Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, Valentine's, and Mother's Day and let's make them good!

A great 200th
Back in season 5, The Middle celebrated its 100th episode, and they did a great job of it, with an episode that focused on Orson's 100th anniversary and an appearance from Frankie's old boss, Don Elhert. This year, The Middle will reach 200, and hopefully the show does a great job again with celebrating a landmark episode.

Many appearances from the earlier recurring characters
As the show has gone on, some characters that appeared often in the earlier seasons don't really appear on the show anymore (for example, Frankie's former co-worker Bob and boss Elhert from when she worked at the dealership). Hopefully, the show can bring as many of those characters back as possible (and Weird Ashley showing up this season is a must).

A satisfying finale
When The Middle's nine-year run comes to an end this spring, we need to get an indication of where the characters, particularly the three kids, are going in life. The show can give us flash-forwards to show us, like Parks and Recreation did, Frankie's narration could tell us, or the characters can make decisions that show where they are going in life that we feel confident will happen.


The final season of The Middle premieres on Tuesday, October 3rd at 8:00 on ABC.

What are your hopes for the final season of The Middle? Leave your thoughts in the comments!

Hopes for Superstore Season 3

The third season of Superstore is almost here. I reviewed the first two seasons, and will continue to review the show in its third. This article will talk about what I am hoping for in the third season of Superstore.


Amy and Jonah figuring out their feelings
Everyone knew it was coming, and in the season two finale, Amy and Jonah kissed. Where they go from here is complicated, Amy has a husband and a kid. Over the course of this season, I would like the two of them to figure out what it is that they want.

Dina being the right amount crazy
Dina was originally one of my favorite characters in Superstore. At times, she still is. However, she is sometimes over-the-top, for example, at Cheyenne's wedding, which makes her significantly less enjoyable. Hopefully this season the writers will figure out the right balance to keep Dina weird and wonderful.

More Garrett and Dina
The unexpected pairing in season two that don't want to admit that they have feelings for each other should be an important part of season three's story. I hope that they will eventually try a relationship, as I think it would be very entertaining to see how a relationship between these two would work.

A lot of Sandra
In addition to its main cast, Superstore also has some great recurring characters. My favorite is Sandra, who no one is very nice to and is always blamed for things. She is especially hilarious with Dina. I also very much enjoyed Sandra having a romantic interest in a couple of episodes in season two. I want a lot of Sandra in season three, because I think she is a really enjoyable character.


The third season of Superstore premieres on Thursday, September 28th at 8:00 on NBC.

What are your hopes for the third season of Superstore? Leave your thoughts in the comments!

Hopes for Modern Family Season 9

The ninth season of Modern Family is on its way. I have reviewed the series here over the last two seasons, and will continue to with this upcoming season. This article will talk about what I am hoping for in this next season of Modern Family.


A mature relationship for Haley
I was very disappointed with season 8, and mostly that was because it had a lot of episodes where the stories didn't work very well, sometimes things got a bit too ridiculous, and some episodes kind of forgot to be funny. But there was also one story-related aspect where the season screwed up, and that was with Haley. Prior to the season, she was in a relationship with Andy, and through that relationship, Haley really grew up. The writers, however, broke off that relationship (probably due to Adam DeVine's schedule), and gave Haley a new relationship in season 8, one which really felt like a step backwards for her. In season 9, I would like either Haley to get back together with Andy (who seems to me like the person she should end up with), or for her to embark on another relationship that is mature, and not ridiculous like the one with Rainer. At the very least, have Haley focus on advancing herself in other ways, and keep her out of silly relationships.

Keeping the college kids involved
To me, the biggest mess in Modern Family's history is when they sent Haley off to college, realized they didn't know what to do with her or how to keep her involved with the show, and as a result, got her kicked out of college. The show has gotten better about that since then, keeping Alex in the picture more while in college by having her visit home and having her family members visit her. However, the kids in general haven't been as involved in the show as they really should be. Hopefully this season keeps Alex and Manny involved, keeping them from missing too many episodes, and giving them stories that allow them to interact with other family members.

Character development for Luke
Luke is growing up, as the show occasionally reminds us, even though often he behaves similarly to how he did when he was younger, and sometimes dumber. Now that Luke is out of high school, this season should be key for his character development. Hopefully the show doesn't drop the ball on this as it did for Haley in season 4. Allow Luke to discover himself and grow up! This goes for all of the kids in the show really, but Luke in particular is important at the moment.

Less Mitch and Cam bickering
This has always been somewhat of a problem for the show, though it seems to have gotten stronger after the initial seasons. Mitch and Cam seem to bicker more than the other two married couples on the show, and it is getting to me. It would be nice to see them on the same side of things more often, instead of having them work against each other until the resolution in the end of the episode. The show should of course continue to have episodes like this, but there should be less of them.


The ninth season of Modern Family premieres on Wednesday, September 27th at 9:00 on ABC.

What are you hoping for in the ninth season of Modern Family? Leave your thoughts in the comments!

Hopes for The Good Place Season 2

The second season of The Good Place is almost here! And, with its return, The Good Place reviews, which I am writing, will return to The TV Ratings Guide. This article will list what I am hoping for in that second season.


Michael backstory
In the first twelve episodes of The Good Place's first season, we learned very little about Michael, and for a reason: he isn't who he appeared to be. The finale showed some scenes of him outside of the neighborhood, which revealed that he actually created a bad place, not a good place. This season, I hope we can see more of Michael's life prior to his creation of this bad place.

More about Tahani's life (and death)
I am excited to learn more about all four of the members of the "Good Place", but the one that I feel we really need to know more about is Tahani. Unlike Jason and Chidi, who each got two flashback episodes, Tahani only got one episode in season one where she was featured in the flashbacks. As a result, we don't know all that much about her, and we don't know yet how she died. Hopefully season two will reveal these things about her.

More wonderful Janet moments
This is a show full of wonderful actors, but most of all I love D'Arcy Carden, who is hilarious in her role as Janet, and who is given many opportunities to be great. I hope that season two will include more iconic Janet moments, such as in season one when she kept bringing Michael cacti, or when she married Jason.

Continued fast-paced storytelling
One of the (many) amazing things about The Good Place's first season is how quickly the story moved along. Who would have expected Eleanor to announce to everyone that she doesn't belong in the Good Place in episode seven? I hope that season two does not slow things down. This is particularly important in the early episodes, which need to send the season on a different track than season one went down. (Don't do a Quantico!)

Eleanor and her friends seeing what's beyond the "Good Place"
I would love if the four of Eleanor, Chidi, Tahani, and Jason were to see what is beyond this fake good place this season. Along with this, I hope we get to find out more about how this universe works, and how one really gets into the Good Place.

Another great finale twist
I cannot stress enough how much I loved the reveal in the season finale that the "Good Place" was actually the Bad Place. The twist itself is shocking, and the way that it was presented was absolutely brilliant. There's no way that the season two finale could provide us with a shock on the level of that first season finale (which should easily be able to go down as one of the best twists on television ever), but I hope that something big and crazy happens in the second season finale as well. If it doesn't, it would be a real disappointment.


The second season of The Good Place premieres with a special one-hour premiere on Wednesday, September 20th at 10:00 on NBC, and then begins airing regularly on Thursday, September 28th at 8:30.

What are you hoping for in the second season of The Good Place? Leave your thoughts in the comments!

Hopes for Speechless Season 2

Season two of Speechless is on its way! I really enjoyed the first season of the show, which I reviewed here, and I will continue to review the show here in its second season. This article will list what I am hoping for in the second season of Speechless.


More making unusual or bad situations fun
The DiMeo family doesn't tend to do things the usual way, and sometimes they face really bad luck. But, they always make the most of what they have, and they always try to have a great time. That is one of the things that makes them so fun to spend a half-hour with each week, so hopefully season two will continue to see them navigating these sort of situations and being just a little bit odd.

Another great family Halloween costume
The first season's Halloween episode ended with the DiMeo family, in their themed costumes, trick-or-treating in the early morning hours. The episode revealed that each year they do a costume like this, which incorporates J.J's wheelchair, and for some reason always has Maya and Ray as a couple. I hope that in season two the show will do another one of these costumes for its Halloween episode.

The right amount of serious moments
During its first season, Speechless spent most of its time being light and funny. However, there were a few times where it got serious and talked about serious concerns. I hope that this same balance continues in season two, and that the show, while still incorporating those serious moments into the show, stays focused on being fun and funny.

More information about Kenneth's life
We know a few things about Kenneth, but honestly not that much was revealed about him over the course of Speechless's first season. It wasn't until the 18th episode of the season that we learned of his job at the supermarket. Hopefully in the second season we will get to learn more about him.


The second season of Speechless premieres Wednesday, September 27th at 8:30 on ABC.

What are you hoping for in the second season of Speechless? Leave your thoughts in the comments!