Versant

MS Now logo

 Versant are the new group that have MS NOW (formerly MSNBC), USA Network, CNBC (which will stay the same), E!, Rotten Tomatoes (although a film review site, not a network), Bravo, Syfy, and the Golf Channel. Comcast are spinning off NBCUniversals cable group into a separate company with their own NASDAQ ticker to boot. Resident morning power couple Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski even said on air that they had to move to a new studio. USA Network may still have the Law & Order franchise since Scripps's ION and Fox's MyNetworkTV do as well. Not sure if it'd go back to how it was in the old days before sister company Studios USA briefly absorbed Universal Television. The channels with scripted and reality shows should start to come up with new, original programming instead of resting on their laurels and relying on reruns of old guard classics in order to compete with streaming. Versant are a fresh new, young company with several assets carrying decades-old legacies.

Sign above TV at Planet Fitness revised.

CBS 5 WKOF

Logo for the now-WKOF

 On their 77th anniversary, and for the first time in nearly five decades, CBS 5 WTVH at CNYcentral will change their call sign again, this time to WKOF. It is unknown why, yet periodically, stations just register new letters with the FCC. The station was originally WHEN and on channel 8 until the letters were just for the radio station on AM 620 and the Rochester affiliate WROC moved to that position, putting then-WHEN on channel 5. To boot, the tier will move to 15.1-15.3, stemming from WKOF's low-power signal on analogue, even though nobody uses that anymore, and TBD have rebranded as ROAR, switching to comedy as extreme sports, viral videos, and documentaries just moved elsewhere. Charge! is on 15.2. Just the few who still use terrestrial have to rescan as of December 1. It's automatic for everyone else. It's the lone station owned by Granite in an LSA with Sinclair. Maybe Granite could buy overlapping Tegna stations that Nexstar can't get, but that's for another day. As for the new call sign, no one knows what they stand for, since not all of them really have to mean anything. They just can't be offensive. The 5.1 signal and longtime callsign are now just used for ROAR instead in a bit of a switch. CBS 5 is still channel 5 on cable, satellite and streaming, just like sister station CW 6 one channel up (it used to be on channel 6 on cable in the city, but this is not Albany). The over-60s in CNY may have known just 3, 5 and 9 since 1962 when the latter started, yet the local landscape for TV has to adapt to emerging technologies. Any change in life or on the air will take getting used to. WKOF could even mean What's Kenneth's Old Frequency? (REM reference, even though they did radio a bit more). It's more because of ATSC 3.0 that this swap has occurred, with CBS 5 being the main priority, and ROAR is low-rated, yet on a higher frequency. This could mean more small networks could fill the tier that are not yet in the Syracuse DMA, but that will be for another post because that needs much more research.

New logo cheaply edited on MS Paint

Logo obtained from Wikimedia Commons. CBS are a Skydance Corporation.

Nexstar-Tegna merger and WNY

NBC 2 WGRZ On Your Side studios in Buffalo; 16 August 2021.

Andre Carrotflower, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

 TV station conglomerates Nexstar and Tegna have announced their merger. Of course, this needs approval from the FCC and FTC, and some stations will have to be sold off, particularly where they overlap. One area I know is Buffalo. Tegna, which spun off of USA Today owner Gannett in 2015, own NBC 2 WGRZ, their only station in New York State, while owning many NBC affiliates in other states. Nexstar are far bigger, owning NBC 2's competitor CBS 4 WIVB, as well as CNY's ABC affiliates NewsChannel 9 WSYR in Syracuse and ABC 20 WUTR in Utica to name a few. Since Buffalo is a larger market than Syracuse, having the boys' turf nearby for added ratings to boot, having it like CNYcentral back in my area may not work, which has CW 6, while CBS 4 is sister to O&O CW 23 WNLO. So much for WNYcentral, if you like. NBC 4 could be sold to Hearst, Hubbard, Weigel, Mission, Cox, Gray (who have CBS 12 WBNG in Binghamton and CBS 7 WWNY in Watertown in the state to date), or Deltavision (who just bought CBS 12's rival Fox 40 WICZ and their sister stations Fox 68 WSYT/my 43 WNYS). Scripps already have yet another WNY station, ABC 7 WKBW along with ION (who have the affiliate for Buffalo and Rochester run out of Batavia), while Sinclair have Fox 29 WUTV and my 49 WNYO. Even in the age of streaming, these deals are still lucrative. Tegna also own ABC 16 WNEP in the Scranton/Wilkes Barre area, the other NBC 3 WKYC in Cleveland, and flagship CBS 9 WUSA in Washington, DC. As for NBC 2 and in other markets in the same boat, Nexstar CEO Perry Sook said he won't have his and Tegnas stations operations combined, so it's likely these will all be sold over the next year or so, even as FCC policies are changing.

American Dad!: 20 Years On

Roger and Klaus at ComicCon in San Diego County, 2007

 Two decades after it started and over once since it changed networks, American Dad! is coming home to Fox after eleven series at TBS. The Warner Bros.-Discovery merger has not been the best move, and studio brass David Zaslav is getting much of the blame. Even the studios own animated legacy isn't safe, with the classic catalogue dropped from Max and a third-party distributor reportedly finally releasing Coyote vs Acme after being held back. Disney actually own American Dad! and other 20th titles, and they maintain a working relationship with Fox several years after their separation, while the latter have also started their own shows. In the age of streaming, Hulu would also carry all of these along with the Fox app. One stipulation is that Dad! won't be quite as edgy anymore since it will be back on terrestrial, and can go no further than related series Family Guy. I won't have to subscribe to Hulu or go to a pirate site to watch new episodes anymore. I can watch it locally like old times for pennies. It's just that some shows have to be put on hiatus for a period, and there's still an emphasis on reality shows and live-action scripted series. American Dad! should last more than three years' time when they return in September to outlive their run on TBS, where they'll still have reruns until 2030. 

Fox and WOLF

Gnax the Fox furry and Wolfhard the red WOLF furry

 It turns out there are two stations called WOLF affiliated with Fox; one being Fox Sports Radio right here in Syracuse where I am, and the other being a TV station in Northeast Pennsylvania, which is why the post is based there. With Fox Sports Syracuse 92.5 FM and AM 1490, the latter original station used to be Top 40, hip hop/R&B/urban contemporary, and Radio Disney. Fox 56 is in the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre area. The two are unrelated, and the FCC can allow a radio station in one market and a TV station in another to have the same callsign. While I've known about both for a long time (the local one longer, of course), I only recently learned that the one in my hometown are now part of Fox Sports. Terrestrial network radio hasn't been as much of a thing in the US since TV became more dominant in the '50s. Stiff competition from Spotify, Sirius XM and podcasts make it obsolete. Network TV also has less relevance today because of streaming, and Lackawanna and Wyoming Valleys are a "UHF island" because of VHF cross-signal interference with the tri-state, Philadelphia quad-state, and NYs Southern Tier (mainly just CBS 12 WBNG in Binghamton now, while analogue channels 6, 8, and 10 were retired, even after 2009s DTV mandate and LP/CD [not that kind] exemption). To boot, Craig Fox owns the WOLF in CNY (he is likely not related to the late William Fox, founder of the original Fox studio). He is a presenter who owns several radio stations in the region. Now that's irony. It takes a Fox to know Fox, or one Canidae to another.

Merit Street TV from Dr Phil

Dr Phil McGraw in Jackson County on 9 October 2008. Courtesy Craig O'Neal. CC-by-NC-ND-2.0

 Dr Phil McGraw is Americas therapist. Since Oprah Winfreys beef with beef in 1998 in Amarillo, TX, his tough love tactics have made him a household name. Dr Phil aired in first-run syndication from 2002-23 for twenty-one series (on NBC 3 and CW 6 in CNY). Now he and his wife Robyn have returned to their North Texas/South Oklahoma roots and moved back to the DFW area and started Merit Street Media. While there have been bumps along the road, Merit Street has taken the brand to a new place. However, less than half the country can get it on terrestrial or even cable if they don't want to get the app or their streaming service doesn't provide it yet either. Dish and DirecTV have it coast to coast, as do some streamers. RabbitEars have an affiliate list with some major markets and smaller cities. On Merit Streets own site, you just put in your zip code as would with the old guard to see how to watch in your area (this is how you "Check your local listings" in todays world). In mine, all three major station groups have room on their tiers, while the flagship in the tri-state carry Merit Street on two smaller stations, one being frontline and the other with two more upstart networks that need their own articles, which will have to wait for another day, since I've focused more on the sister blog lately and other other one on occasion. It'd take forever to canvas roughly 200 markets to see who has room, but even the lowest rated ones (population-wise by the Nielsens standards) could somehow squeeze it in somewhere.
    Dr Phil is as much a quotefest as Yogi Berra or any classic film, and his southern wisdom guides me to this day, and I could use him with my own personal issues, even though his Primetime show is not quite the same as its predecessor. He is now independent from CBS/Paramount, which is about to change hands again, which may have been a factor in breaking out of LA and the post-postwar studio system (the infancy of television was a catalyst for the studios' spinoff of cinemas, but not right now).

UPDATE (3 July 2025): Merit TV have entered administration, so there may not be much expansion at this time, since they're showing reruns for now. The partnership with TBN has also soured, with pending litigation. Dr Phil and Steve Harvey have launched the content-driven app Envoy Media Co.

CNY Hall of Fame

Jerry Stiller (SU) at a book signing, 2005

Daniel Krieger (Smoothdude), CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

 Link

Cable 13

Edited screenshot of logo. Courtesy Syracuse Nostalgia.

 I was given several items to sell (anything pertaining to this business is now sold) by a former presenter/employee of Cable 13, which was on Syracuse CableSystems/Cooke CableVision/Adelphia Cable in the City of Syracuse (covered earlier) and NewChannels in the Suburbs (both absorbed by Time Warner Cable in the mid-to-late '90s and the rest of Adelphia in 2006). Not to be confused with the local public access channel, which I think was on channel 7 in those days (before there was even an internet, let alone a YouTube or TikTok). This couldn't be over the air back then because of ABC 13 WOKR in Rochester (now WHAM), NewsChannel 13 WNYT (NBC) in Albany, and possibly (even though it's further away than PBS flagship WNET in New York) CTV 13 CJOH in Ottawa, ONT (with a repeater of CTV 6 in Cornwall or Deseronto under CRTC regulations and closer to the North Country on US soil), although an unrelated, short-lived low-power station, WNNY-LP 13.1, was registered with the FCC in more recent memory, but the licence was cancelled since the station never even went on the air. I found the logo by screenshot-ting an embarrassing, low-budget promo on YouTube, and later cut out the crawl. From what I can remember, there would be sports, kids shows, teen shows, local sports (high school and college), technology, and public affairs. As cable became more diversified, the scope of channel 13 changed, and would become TWC Sports for CNY (becoming Spectrum by 2016). There was one show called Life Without Shame, which came up on Facebook. Much else has faded into obscurity, but Cable 13 has a unique place in Syracuse TV history.

MyNetworkTV in Miami and Boston

 

Bay State Capital Region fantasy logo

MyNetworkTV was founded in 2006 by Fox after the merger of the WB and UPN formed the CW (now owned by Nexstar) in order to fill the vacuum. Today, it's more of a syndication service much like its sister network in early days. Ironically, two of the largest DMAs on the east coast no longer have a MyNetworkTV affiliate of their own. It could be that it never had high ratings to begin with, exacerbated by the rise in streaming services. Even smaller markets still have it. It depends more on reruns now and stopped having original shows such as English-language telenovelas (Latin American style soaps) and wrestling, which moved to cable.

In Boston, WSBK 38 went back to their indie roots once more (formerly on cable well into UPN days when some other areas had yet to get theirs until SyndEx made 38 useless). Non-network rival WHDH 7 could either have their main channel be the affiliate, or put it on .3.

In Miami and Ft Lauderdale, WBFS 33 could make a late switch. It's one the biggest markets in the South, of course. Then, you wonder if any small towns are missing out.

South Florida affiliate logo. A bit simplistic.

UPDATE (27/3/25): Warren Buffetts ABC/Local 10 WPLG will go indie on 4 August 2025 when ABC moves to 7.2 at Sunbeams (not the bread) Fox 7 WSVN of all places (rare for a Top 10 DMA), moving a local subchannel down. My10 would work too, even though either station could add another subchannel for MyNetworkTV. I only found this out just by going direct to WSVNs site when looking up something more suited to our sister blog (had the wrong area), but anyway. Sometimes, you just know when to strike while the iron is hot. I will update again if I learn anything else on the Gold Coast.

Another lazy composite. I did suggest it to them on X.

Carriage Dispute Healing

Part graffiti, part abstract art, part ransom note!

The TV business, like life, is one big Whack-a-Mole! Until Congress stop messing about (don't get me started), laws not upgraded since the Clinton administration will keep cable and satellite providers and broadcasters and networks, as well as the taxpayers to their own devices. Once again, I had to go beyond earthly means as described in the last post.  This time, the list on the left says Dish, DirecTV, Comcast Xfinity (Comcast as both owner of NBC O&OS like NBC 4 in NYC and LA and with the telecom Xfinity), and on the right, Hearst, Nexstar, Mission, Cox and Comcast again. The peace symbol from the previous entry is in the middle. I had to edit out typos and unrelated names on the desktop, which is why it now looks like a mishmash and so I wouldn't have to upload a hard copy all over again. Of course, this will only happen again, and I just can't keep up. Hearst owned many newspapers in the postwar era (I just know the Albany one), and are now a minority owner of ESPN, which is dominated by Disney, yet only have NBC 5 in Clinton County in my state. I took off Dish a while ago due to downsizing and other personal reasons. I drew one of these for the UAW strike too, but they're having less trouble by comparison, as far getting back to the bargaining table instead of another shade trade.

Back to the Table Talk

What the spirits led me to make.

I haven't posted in a period, not necessarily in solidarity with the writer and actors, but rather, there hasn't been much to add here that the established media hasn't already covered, and I've focused more on the sister blogs, as well as my own life. However, in a desperate search for answers, I went to the book shop and bought City Magick by Christopher Penczak. In the chapter Language of the Streets, he talks about Graffiti Sigils (not signals per se). One that stuck out was one that stood for making peace, which is what the studios and unions need to do after months of unending anguish. I'm no expert on wicca myself, mind, but I tried drawing the sigil (as opposed to tag or sign) and even wrote the names of the union and organisation initialisms, studios and a couple key names in sloppy, graffiti-esque font, along with other symbols for divine femininity (for Nanny star turned SAG-AFTRA leader Fran Drescher), health and balance, and removing obstacles, trying to conjure healing. The peace sigil even looks like the word strive, which is what the SAG-AFTRA and WGA-E & W members continue to do each day as they fight for everything they're owed.  I even tried pulling out the late Lew Wasserman, who knew Ronald Reagan when the later US President became head of SAG during the 1960 double strike. The 1988 writers strike was the last major Hollywood one in eithers lifetime and the second in mine. They didn't live to see the 2007-08 one, let alone this. They wouldn't be surprised by this one.

The latter and AMPTP return to the table this coming week. They must sort out the mess by this stage, then the others have their turn and we can move forward. A right fortune has been lost on many fronts.

In my drawing, the list on the left has Netflix, Hulu, Comcast, AMPTP, amazon, Sony, Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD), Disney and Paramount. In the centre are the sigils for health and balance, divine  femininity, Fran (Drescher), peace, and higher guidance. On the right are IATSE, WGA-E, WGA-W, SAG-AFTRA, Lew (Wasserman) [typo fixed after upload], Reagan (Nancy might've gotten all this) and my signature. I wouldn't dare buy a tin of spray paint and go Banksy on someones property. MC Hammer said to do it on paper on a show he had in 1991 (that always stuck with me). Some may think shaman is sham and man put together, and I'm not one of those or using any label here, but I do have empath abilities, and it drives what I do. Life is not always like it is on TV, even "reality" TV.

I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here! US Series 3

Caitlyn Jenner, 2017

 While all strikes eventually end, reality shows filled the vacuum since writers aren't needed.  Cops on Fox helped pave the way back in 1988, despite its reputation and also being an occasional target for parody (usually by another show on the network).  The turn of the millennium made "reality" a reality.

I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here! is a franchise from the UK made by ITV and also has international counterparts.  Twice, they tried in the US, several years apart; Series 1 on ABC, which included the now-Caitlyn Jenner (she went to the flagship later), and Series 2 six years on at NBC.  Neither did well in the ratings and were cancelled, making it another yet thing that just didn't catch on here in the States.  We even had Ant & Dec themselves over once for their other franchise Wanna Bet?, and they can't get arrested here either!  I heard of the Tyneside duo through The Irish Sun years ago.

Whilst we wait for a truce, maybe a third season could be pitched to another network or streamer.  It could be seen as an all-star Survivor, if you like, or even like a Celebrity Big Brother in the wilds.  Forgotten or washed-up celebs like A Martinez, Roseanne Barr, or even Lori Beth Denberg could revive their careers by going on the show.  Martina McBride doesn't know if she'll ever sing again and recover like country competitor Shania Twain, so she can do all these challenges in the middle of nowhere.  Singer-actor Jill Scott may participate since the athlete of the same name just did the last UK series with Boy George.

I stopped watching this kind of show a long time ago because I have no interest.  Annie Lennox has spoken out about celebrity culture.  I know that she and four others I mentioned are more suited for the sister blog.  I love Boy George to bits, and he signed a big deal to do the show just after he and Culture Club were in town again despite a row with the ex.  Anyway, it's just an idea of what could be done for now, as this is a bridge that has to be repaired, not burned, if you will.  Even when everything's back to normal, IACGMOOHUS might be a reboot that reintroduces the overseas sensation to North American audiences.  There could also be two Canadian versions, each in English and French, for Canadian content purposes with people from there, and they can also go to Australia or South Africa, staying in the Commonwealth, or go to Costa Rica or another out of the way locale, like the US or UK versions.

WGA Strike

Tim Robbins at the 2007-08 strike downstate (WGA-E), November 2007 (the ex went to Albany instead this year)

 Here we go again.  The studios and the Writers' Guild of America have failed in negotiations and WGA are once more are on the picket line.  A strike is the last resort for any union.  The last one from November 2007 to February 2008 cost over a billion dollars in lost revenue just before the last recession to boot.  I just hope this one isn't as long.  They don't last forever.  Every union eventually have to return to the bargaining table and sort it out with management.  Streaming and now AI are everywhere, and residuals aren't as guaranteed after fifty years time.  The pandemic has also affected Hollywood and pretty much all of society, and has emboldened workers to fight for more, from a rise to benefits to better treatment.  We all want that, and it's frustrating to see an industry tied up when one side or the other isn't ready to haggle.  For less lucrative labour, when David or Goliath is at the end of his rope at it were, then it's time to settle.  Glad I was too young to notice when this happened in the late '80s.  This isn't the kind of business that can have scabs like a plant because of the money and lawyers involved.  We had less trouble with the railway row just a while ago, even though they didn't get everything they demanded.  I'm no Norma Rae myself, mind, but I was in a union myself once.

Writers, we all love you and appreciate all of your hard work.  Fight the good fight and go back to the table soon so history doesn't repeat itself.  I'm not trying to meddle or cross the picket line, but nobody wants this to drag on into next season.  I'll ask the spirits when we can expect you to reconcile with the studios with the crystal ball, the original AI or AP wire since antiquity, if you like (it says 13 May or 8 June [checked thrice], or even when strike funds run out).  Good luck in the trenches.  Come back soon.

Katy Perry (née Hudson) 2001 début

Low-res fair use scan of CD for eBay

 From the sister blog.  Because Katy Perry is on American Idol on ABC, this qualifies here.

Watch Cartoon Online

The Simpsons mascots TM & © 20th Century Studios, Inc.

 For the past several years, I've been watching some of my animated shows on a Magyar-based pirate site called Watch Cartoon Online (even though that kind of thing is more discussed on the sister blog).  At first, it was for American Dad! after it moved from Fox to TBS before I got Dish.  Then my DVR crashed, and I got a new one when I moved house. Now if Duncanville is renewed and is on Hulu for Series Four, I can watch it on WCO instead of paying for a subscription since I can't do streaming like most people these days (although I am considering getting it and a stronger ISP and leaving Dish.  What drove me to write this however was the other night, I fell asleep and missed most of the Sunday night lineup!  Then I learned that I have to register and pay for it now, and it's sort of a poor mans Netflix for animation, whether it's this type, or anime and Manga from Japan.  I could even go back to a certain episode of Bobs Burgers or The Great North (not on long enough yet for syndication).  WCO said that rises in electricity for the servers left them no choice, given recent events of the past year, and in a country with a little less money and a history.  I tried to watch them legally on the FOX NOW app, but it wouldn't properly recognise my Dish account.  I've had less trouble with the social, mind.

I'd only planned on using the site once in a while, but now if I nod off again in future, or something comes up and I forget to record or it can't wait, I have backup now.  WCO have tonnes of material.  They even have Loren Bouchards only current non-Fox series Central Park from Apple TV that I could look into.  It may not work on peoples TVs like the real streaming services, just phones and devices.

Impacted by Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma

 

The sun could be on CBS Sunday Morning.

This family health crisis and the lack of any ideas not covered by the mainstream media is why I haven't posted in a period.

UPDATE: Susan Sposato 1949-2023

Still need support to tie up loose ends.

Democracy Now!

Host and co-founder Amy Goodman at the 2010 Chicago Green Festival

 Democracy Now! is an independent, liberal news programme that airs in non-commercial, first-run international syndication, including many PBS member stations as well as radio (mainly NPR affiliates).  However, WCNY here in town has just pulled it from their schedule from subchannel GlobalConnect, which itself has just been retired.  The lineup has been revamped.  Unless they bring it back, there's nowhere else but online to watch it for those of us who can.  They did however, bring back PBS World, which other member stations provide, and the site says they'll still carry DN.  I hope so as it provides a different and alternative perspective to the hard-hitting headlines of the day.

UPDATE: The programme has returned to Ch. 24. It's just on a little less and GlobalConnect was restored in place of World.

Duncanville

Series star and co-creator SNL alum Amy Poehler at the 2012 Peabody Awards

 I'm still on my prom kick, and Duncanville is primed to be the next show to have one since the characters there seem old enough now (it already came up this season).  Duncan tries to plan a prom-posal for his girlfriend Mia, who is a free-spirited liberal who thinks prom is an outdated ritual, despite becoming more inclusive in recent years.  She does say yes.  Their other three friends manage to get dates.  Duncans parents Jack and Annie recall when they went to prom.  Their Kimberly can't wait until she's old enough, while little Jing is too young to fully understand what it's all about beyond being like a ball in a faery story.  Popular teacher Mr Mitch also DJs the do (he does it all in their small town).  Something must happen at the hotel or wherever it'll be held so we have a show.  Could happen next year in Series 4.

UPDATE: Unfortunately, Fox cancelled the show, and the remaining episodes will only be on Hulu (which I can't afford, so I will just go to "the other place"). Only having the show air during the summer didn't really help when ratings are generally lower.  Also, an episode Hulu aired showed the kids at a semi-formal, which is close enough to prom.

Bobs Burgers

Menu at a real life restaurant in the Benelux (same copyright as The Great North)

 With the Bobs Burgers film coming out (the rare time that I go to the cinema for a scripted, fictional film; it has a water main break, which is common in my area in the winter because of ageing pipes), I had an idea for an episode.  The Belchers and Gayle, Lindas sister, are invited to a wedding of their cousin on the sisters' side of the family, but their elderly parents in Florida can't make the long trip.  There isn't much extended family known, and it's a rare event for them (although they catered a wedding several series ago).  While my prom episode prediction went where I least expected it to in a recent episode (their Tina wearing a prom dress for a fundraiser), I pictured the wedding being at some multi-room venue in town with the local high school prom next door and Tina crashes it with an older boy that she meets across the aisle from out of town about to go to his own another weekend, but now that would have to be reconsidered now that prom has been done in some form.  Gene and Louise would have to sit at the kids' table with the flower girl and ring bearer.  Single girl Gayle is determined to catch the bouquet thrown by the bride! (Ladies, can you relate?!)  The kids make sure their spinster auntie wins the pools by the end of the do!  Linda has a bit of champagne! Gayle also gets a couple numbers from men she meets there, perhaps.  Cue mess!

I've been to more proms than weddings (a story for another day, mind), so I would go too if it were for real.  As for the plot, this could probably work.  Maybe another day, Bob and Linda could go to an adult prom since they met well after high school, but he might find it a bit too contrived for his taste.  We'll just go with a wedding then.

The Great North

TM & © 20th Television (Disney).

Groundbreaking animated series The Great North set in remote small town Lone Moose, AK is in Series Two on Fox. What there needs to be is an episode about prom, since two of the characters, Ham and Judy (second from top) are at that age, although a similar episode aired last season. A side plot would be Moon (top) having to dissect a frog in class and being able to do so aimlessly since he knows how to clean fish as the family run a fishing boat, and there could be an adult prom for newlyweds and film fanatics Wolf and Honeybee to go to while doting dad Beef chaperones and shows Moon what prom is like several years ahead. Judys boss at work Alyson from the photo studio would take snaps and set up a booth. Ham already found a tuxedo at the charity shop in a recent episode. We would have to see which boy would come up with a prom-posal for Judy.

I couldn't write a script for a radio advert if I tried, and fan fiction doesn't sit well with the solicitors or writers unions. If nothing is planned this year, maybe next year as it takes several months for an idea to go from the drawing board to air. The other animated shows from 20th on Fox or TBS (American Dad! since 2014) have already put prom into the storyline in one way or another except Bobs Burgers as those kids are too young (unless their Tina tries to sneak into a prom, although she got to be a prom queen for a charity limo race), Housebroken is about house pets, while Duncanville also has teenagers that could have prom, even though that only airs in the middle of the year (The Simpsons had a flashback or two and flash-forward in their record-setting long run).

UPDATE (1 May 2023): The Series 3 Finale will have Judy and her friend Kima trying to get dates for the do, so I guess the spirits were telling me all along. The episode is a cliffhanger for Sweeps, and the plot is not one Mary Whitehouse would have liked to put it that way.

UPDATE (6/10/25): The show has been cancelled. The last two other shows were too, but one at least had their prom episode, albeit as a semi-formal. I also had the idea of a Halloween episode or regular episode where Moon and his friends Henry and Russell do cosplay of Charlie Chaplins classic The Kid, where Moon is Jackie Coogan, Russell is the Tramp and Henry the cop, the non-Halloween idea would be for a class assignment where they split into groups and decide on a film, and the Tobins' love of movies leads Moon to old Hollywood, and the kids look to the thrift store, their attics and closets, and theatre loving Drama John for their costumes. The over-60s like Delmer and Dirt seem to be the only ones to get the reference when the other kids look to newer and more timeless media.