What to be Thankful For

This year has been a bit stressful especially for those obsessed with the entertainment industry because of the strikes both by the Writers Guild and SAG-AFTRA.

But thankfully those strikes have come to an end, and while TV shows and movies won’t quite be back to normal until next year (TV shows have gone back into production and are trying to churn out new product as quickly as possible), we have a lot to look forward to in the new year.

For me, I’m gonna take a look back at the earlier part of this year, focusing on the shows that entertained me the most and for which I am thankful we could all watch and enjoy before the strikes took over.

Fire Country – The new CBS drama, the highest rated drama of the 2022-2023 TV season, aired 14 of its 22 episodes from January to May, taking us inside the world young convict Bode Donovan, nee Leone, who joined a firefighting program to not only seek redemption from his past wrongs but also as a way to shorten his prison sentence. Max Thieriot not only stars in the show, but also serves as co-creator and one of the executive producers – and I might add looks mighty fine in those orange prison jumpsuits. But it’s not just the too-tight shirts that he wears, but the action involved in the fires that are fought, the engaging stories enveloping all of the characters and the obvious love and concern that each character has for their family members, their love interests and their fellow firefighters that made this my new favorite show .

A Million Little Things – After five seasons on the air on ABC, and a million little things taking place for the characters in this moving series, A Million Little Things came to an end on ABC on May 3, bringing tears of sorrow and joy to the fans who stuck with the series during its entire run, including myself. The episode came to an end [SPOILER ALERT] with Gary’s now 16-year-old son watching a video his dad made for him before his cancer took his voice from him. In that video fans got to see the Band of Dads and their families all together followed by the four boys: Javier (Gary’s son), a grown up Theo (Eddie’s son), a happily married (to Sophie) Tyrell (Rome’s adopted son) and an adult Danny (the son of Jon) at a hockey game, which is what brought their dad’s together after that fateful day the dads got stuck in that elevator. Most of all, the last words by Gary in that video touched the heartstrings. He said, “Oh, and mijo? Have a beautiful life.” I’m sure he (Javier) – and all of them for that matter – did just that.

Here is Gary’s Final Video in the Series Finale of A Million Little Things:

Outlander – The long-running Starz series, based on the franchise of books by author Diana Gabaldon, has been on my list of things to be thankful for in the past; but I have to say that the first half of this new season – the show’s seventh – has been almost like a fresh start for the show. Even reviewers and critics alike have praised this season as being nearly as good as the first season. There certainly was a different feel to this current season not only in terms of the production value but also in storytelling as well as the overall “feel” to the show. I cannot wait for the second part of the season to premiere.

Will Trent – The new ABC crime drama debuted at the beginning of the year, and while it hasn’t been a ratings buster, I found myself looking forward to a new episode each week. The premise of the show is that Will Trent was abandoned at birth and endured a hellish upbringing in the overwhelmed foster care system in Atlanta. Now he is a special agent with the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, using his unique point of view to make sure no one is abandoned like he was. I have especially loved watching Will’s spunky and adorable rescue Chihuahua named Betty.

What TV shows made the top of your list this year? What are the things in your life for which you are most thankful? Please share in our comments section below.

Happy Thanksgiving!!

Featured Image Photo Credit: barnhartcrane.com