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I think you might have this episode confused with 7.4 "Survivor" @Maherjunkie. That's the one with Trump as the perp. I'm sure that's what you meant right?

This was a surprisingly good episode. It had all of the usual problems associated with this show trying to do issues, but if you can get past that the actors did a great job with the material. And it wasn't quite as heavy handed as the last couple years have tended to be. It did feel like there wasn't quite enough space for both non-Potter storylines and they might have been better off dropping one, But it is always nice to see Erin, who has basically been carrying this season, as well as Jamie having a story that was not about putting him together with Eddie.

The media ignoring something important like that during the campaign for something as important as an Oscar? And SNL legitimizing that campaign? I can't believe it. Nothing like this has ever happened before...

Regarding NBC - they were airing the episodes and did have some at least some influence on the scripts as I understand it as they were paying part of the production costs. Which was actually part of the problem. What I meant to say was that the writers were getting notes from NBC asking for one thing and USA asking for another and possibly something else from the producers. Which is why it might seem as they were struggling with tone - they were trying to find a compromise between the different visions.

Yeah there was a lot of BTS turmoil which often makes it hard to do good work creatively. Also if the rumors are true there was conflict between what USA wanted (quirkier, with more focus on the detectives' personalities) and what the producers and NBC wanted (more of what it was originally conceived as) so the writers were probably getting contradictory notes making it hard to establish a consistent tone. But there is probably something to the running out of gas theory too and maybe to simply being overstretched. SVU was at a crossroads and they were trying to launch LOLA, the end of the mothership and trying to find a way to save it and beat Gunsmoke for the record - a lot of stuff was going on that was a higher priority for Dick Wolf.

That's not fair. They also care about buzz.

Really liked this episode. It did a good job of hitting a lot of different beats. And I also really identify with Jeff the Grey - I've been the guy trying to get the work done while all the cool people are too busy with their personal stuff! It's a really good job by Ken Hall making the character believable and sympathetic under all the makeup with just voice acting and gestures. Especially as he's the one doing the most to advance the alien plot to conquer humanity to boot. And I'm really liking the direction the show is taking - quirky, but not excessively so and not afraid to go for jokes or honest emotion when it's called for. I guess it's to be expected coming from Greg Daniels, but too many comedies seem to see those elements as outdated or "too safe". I'm also hoping it gets renewed.

I'm not sure what exactly it's supposed to mean as I'm not a hateful anti-feminist manchild troll, but I've always pictured something a bit different. And good job Jake Tapper, both for standing up for truth in this particular instance and for being a good sport.

It definitely seems like the characters were the only ones who didn't see the ending coming. I agree that it was just ok - I really did like having a plot and everybody seemed to be in character instead of sociopathic monsters, but it just didn't do it for me in terms of great lines or gags (although I also loved Ollie.)

So does my DVR. It also says that tomorrow's show is supposed to have a story on NC bathrooms. Season can be a bit of an amorphous concept these days especially as TBS has been rather "flexible" in it's scheduling of the show.

I'm not sure that Bobby could do him justice. He has the right body type sure and has done some good work playing shlubs, schmucks and opportunists. But has he ever played an outright sociopathic asshole? I wonder if we wouldn't have a repeat of the Darrel Hammond as Trump problem where he just doesn't go for the jugular enough. I agree that there isn't a lot out there for casual viewers to recognize. But why include him at all if you don't have either a hook or anything insightful to say?

At this point it's a feedback loop. I really don't think Baldwin is particularly interested in doing the character anymore. He thought it would be a short term gig that would allow him to build his personal brand, attack someone he didn't like, make a couple points, and set up some other project he had more interest in and now he has no real clue as to what to do given the unexpected results as well as public expectations and the demands of the behind the scenes backer who has allowed him to come back from his previous bad behavior. (Seems familiar somehow... ) I really think the only reason he's still doing at this point besides not wanting to alienate Lorne is because he really does hate Trump and enjoys the fact that it so clearly gets under his skin. I certainly don't feel any sense that he his having fun like he was at the beginning even if he was still motivated by the desire to make a point and insult Trump. So it becomes even more personal which leads to a bigger hissy fit which means the next cold open is even more personally insulting... I actually thought that Kate was funnier as Conway than Baldwin was as Trump. There is a bit of a stylistic clash here - Baldwiin is going for vicious satire and pointed attacks while Kate is creating a character that really isn't trying to make a point, but simply attempting to be funny by mimicking a few surface characteristics. Which is more typical of SNL's political humor over the years at least as far as sketches are concerned. To me the bigger failure was Bannon as the grim reaper - it wasn't really funny or sharp and insightful and felt more like they wanted to include him, but didn't really have any jokes. Or they had to re-write because John Goodman backed out at the last moment and nobody in the cast could do him.

You would think they might want to avoid having someone with a troubled history with women, whose success is due almost entirely to who they are related to rather than any particular talent of his own, and has never been particularly likable or charming, host the show. I guess they figure if the allegations turn out to be true and people realize what a jackass he is they can always bring in Alec Baldwin do a killer impression of him...

There are not different grades of sergeant like in the military (Staff Sergeant, Master Sergeant, etc.) but there are different assignments with different levels of pay and prestige, There is a separate "category" for certain Sergeants in investigative assignments, but it's not a higher or seperate rank per se. Per Wikipedia: "There is a small percentage of Lieutenants and Sergeants who work as Investigative Supervisors (approximately equal to 10% of their respective ranks) and are granted the prestigious pay grade designations of "Sergeant—Supervisor Detective Squad" (SDS), or Lieutenant—Commander Detective Squad (CDS) therefore assuming full Investigative command responsibility as opposed to operational supervision. Their pay grade rises to an approximate midpoint between their normal rank and the next highest rank's pay grade, and similar to a Detective's "grade", is also a discretionary promotion. This pay grade designation is achieved by assignment to Investigative units, i.e. Detective Bureau, Internal Affairs Bureau, Counter-Terrorism Bureau, Intelligence Bureau, and Organized Crime Control Bureau. Lieutenants and Sergeants in non-investigatory assignments can be designated Lieutenant-Special Assignment or Sergeant-Special Assignment, pay equivalent to their investigative counterparts." And of course in Blue Bloods world there is a seperate rank of detective above everyone else in the NYPD except Commissioner - Detective Danny Reagan. Although in real life as a Detective First Grade he would get paid more than Jaime would as a Patrol Sergeant.

With these sort of casting issues it is really hard to know the truth and sometimes there isn't really any simple truth. Different network executives have different agendas, the producers have their own opinions and influences and often blame the networks, and a lot of times the actors and networks simply can't reach an agreement and different parties involved can see it as both leaving and being fired (even as they spin it the opposite way in the press). The only time we really know for sure is when someone is fired very publicly and sues or when a star leaves craploads of money on the table like Ted Danson with Cheers or Jon Stewart on the Daily Show. It could be that they didn't want to sign a contract for years at the money being offered, but did want to do a proper sendoff for the fans when it was offered. It could be that USA wanted to go a different direction, saw that it didn't work and went back on their hands and knees trying to avoid a sudden cancellation for a property and producer that had delivered so much like NBC did with the mothership. I have read the conflicting rumors too and I don't think we'll ever really know.

Yeah. If I had to guess all the abrupt departures probably were related to all the changes with producers, execs, and the various juggling of deals to keep it on the air. Which lead to not only the cast changes, but a general unevenness in the writing. And that time period (seasons 8&9) seems to be particularly intense for both production upheaval and bad writing.

Larry just announced a new deal with ABC studios for future projects. Good for him and nice to see ABC appreciates talent. http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/larry-wilmore-inks-deal-abc-studios-950721?utm_source=Sailthru&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=THR Breaking News_2016-11-28 11:30:00_lgoldberg&utm_term=hollywoodreporter_breakingnews

You are probably on the right track @Maherjunkie , plus the franchise as a whole has a tendency to kind of half ass writing off characters when it's a network choice or a cost cutting issue as opposed to a creative choice or the actor deciding to move on. Everything I've ever read or heard suggests that Vance is a professional so I don't think it was any sort of animus. There probably was BTS issues going on since it seems that there always were from that point on, so maybe not ineptitude as much as lack of time, nobody to make decisions, and not wanting to commit to anything that might have to be changed later?

I was thinking the same thing. It was nice to see an episode that was more than a few years old though if only to remind us that "back in the day" they had all the same problems of overused recurring characters, bad writing, cast members who played everything the same, etc. And I really like Dennis Miller WU, but except for the runner this gobble gobble runner this one really felt flat. I thought it was interesting to see that the bits that I've seen in specials and that stood out as better than meh (lonesome cowboys, and Trazan, Tonto, Frankenstein Thanksgiving) were buried at the end. Have to agree on all of this (although I'd add the present tense as well for Victoria Jackson) especially Phil Hartman. What a loss for comedy.

Great line and not as crazy as it sounds. I am not gay, but Andre Braugher might be able to convert me...

I agree on both counts although I think the recent seasons have been a little more grounded with the exception of Mariska Hargitay's ego. I personally divide the show into 4 eras - 1.Early SVU. With a further division pre and post Ice T. There was the very early years where it was very realistic, but probably not sustainable and they were still figuring things out. The Fin shows up at about the same time they really figured out the formula. 2. The Campy Years as they start to go over the top with the twists and ridiculous plots. Which starts out kind of fun and different and ends up with monkeys in basketballs and serial killer CSIs. 3. Grimdark SVU. The Amaro years. I haven't seen all of these episodes, but it just seems relentlessly depressing with Amaro's rage, Rollins constant self destruction, Benson's stalkers and everybody being suspended all the time. 4.Benson & Basics. The past few years where they've tried to go back to basics as far as focusing on sexually based offenses and exploring social issues through investigations and trials. Dominated by Benson whether it makes sense and is helpful or not. I think there is good and bad in every era although there is very little good in the Grimdark years (pretty much Donal Logue, some occasional good dialogue, and the hope that they might get their act together which they did eventually, but not before Belzer and Florek were gone and there was no restraint on it becoming L&O:Benson.)

No the huge success of the show has brought the large salaries AND more commercials. More ad time has been a consistent trend since the beginning of network television. The only thing that's stopped it recently has been that new technology has made commercial time less valuable and forced TV execs to try to find a different way to increase quarterly profits. Let's say that the actors were less successful in negotiating. Do you actually think that CBS wouldn't try to maximize their revenues? That Chuck Lorre wouldn't? They have one of the few bankable big hits left and are going to do everything they can to cash in. I agree that too much ad time has been detrimental to the show, but I simply can't believe that anything would be different if the actors took less money. Except where the money went of course.

I don't think it was supposed to be specific to AC360 but more of a general statement about CNN (and the MSM in general) being constantly distracted by shiny objects and willing to normalize anything no matter how over the top. The picked Anderson Cooper because he's recognizable and pretty representative of cable news as a whole without a specific easily identifiable agenda so they would have had to make up their own show, pick someone that nobody knows, or risk losing the point they wanted to make by making it look like they were going after a particular ideology or a specific idiot instead of cable news as whole.

I really wouldn't worry too much. It wasn't a particularly good story which is probably because it was all about explaining something that didn't need to be explained. At great length and without much payoff IMHO.

Yes it was a fun episode. And honestly, it probably would have been best left at "we do not discuss it with outsiders" and letting the fans have fun speculating about the in universe explanation for the limitations of makeup in TOS.