Bonding: Life In Pieces "Clean Pens Grandma Guys"

From a scary grandma to a guy's party, here's a recap of last week's episode of Life In Pieces.

When Greg and Jen hire a cleaner, it turns out to be the same cleaning lady who has been cleaning Joan and John's house since Greg was born. But here's the thing: she doesn't clean the house but sleeps while working. Jen learns that Joan does most of the cleaning after the cleaning lady is done and that the reason why they've kept her is that she irons John's pants so well. Jen fires the cleaning lady, and soon Greg and Joan decide to fix the problem by cleaning up themselves.

After watching Antiques Roadshow, John decides to turn in those pens that he's given the kids during his time as an airline pilot that could be worth a lot of money. After disappointing John, Greg, Heather, and Matt hunt for the pens, but without any luck,k they find a set of cells on eBay. As they told John they found the pens, they realized they bought the ones John put on eBay for $700. That did make John pretty happy.

Matt and Colleen's son is scared of Joan. Joan thinks it's anxiety, but Colleen believes it's just a phase and that he'll get over it. But she learns that the real reason is that the witch in the story looks like Joan. Colleen confronts Joan about it, and she tries to deny it but accepts and walks away after sweeping up candy on the floor.

The fight of the year is about to start, and Tim invited the guys for a guy's night at his house. But the only person who shows up is Matt, and it turns into one weird and awkward night for the both of them as Tim tries to take off his pants and starts the margarita machine, which takes four hours. But as soon as the fight begins, it's over within 15 seconds, and Matt tries to leave but comes back, realizing that no one is coming to Tim's party. He comes back and takes a photo to show off to Greg.

"Clean Pens Grandma Guys" was an excellent episode, but it didn't live up to the previous episode as hilariously funny. It was a split 50/50 of perfect and okay stories in this episode. The good ones were John's pens and Tim's guys' night. The character development was good, as did the writing. As for the scary grandma and the cleaning lady stories, it just seems a bit predictable at times. But the humor was there at times. Overall, I give this episode an 8/10.

You can catch the one-hour series finale of Life in Pieces tonight at 9/8c on CBS.

Admitting a Problem: Life In Pieces "Letter Promise Adult Seventy"

From a well-thought-out promise to a family divorce, here's a recap of Life In Pieces.

When Matt and Colleen celebrate their son's acceptance to Lark's school, they take Greg and Jen out to dinner to repay them for the letter they had sent. One little problem: they didn't write a letter. Greg and Jen try their best to not only accept the dinner but also try not to go all out, but after sharing a bone with his brother, Greg admits to Matt that he didn't write the letter. Soon, the dinner would be covered by Jen and Greg after.

Sophia confronts her mom and dad about their promise: if she could do all the chores on the list, she could get a pig. Tim and Heather try to talk Sophia out of getting her that pig and get her to agree to get a cell phone instead. But Sam tells them they have been played by Sopha as getting a pig was a plan to get a cell phone. Tim and Heather go with Sophia's program and get her the pig that she always wanted, even if it does leave a mess in the house.

Clementine confronts Tim about a problem with Tyler lumping his left testicle. That worries Tim, and I chatted with Tyler about getting it checked out. But at dinner, everyone learns about Tyler's problem, even Heather, and Tyler finally goes to the doctor. After seeing a children's doctor, Tyler meets with a doctor for adults and learns that it's just a cyst, but he also gets a rectum check. Welcome to adulthood!

John learns the terrible news about his parents; they're getting a divorce after 70 years. John gets Joan to help him get them to stay together by having dinner and remembering the good old days, but that backfires. John learns why they have been together for 70 years and that they thought he would have died during his time as an air pilot. After talking to Joan about it, John returns to see that his mother has died at the dinner table. As Joan gets word about the planned service for John's mother, John remarks about their marriage that could surprise his parents.

"Letter Promise Adult Seventy" was just another witty, hilarious episode, making me laugh from the beginning to the end. As the Greg'Jen/Mat/Colleen story was excellent and funny, it didn't hold up to the other stories like Sophia and her parents, even Tyler going to the doctor and John's parents. The writing was so damn good in this episode. It's probably one of my top favorite episodes of the season. Overall, I give this episode an 8.5/10.

You can catch Life In Pieces on Thursdays at nine or 30/8:30c on CBS.

Once Upon a Time: Life in Pieces "Four Short Fairy Tales"

From lying about a rat in the house to battling for partnership at a law firm, these are just some of the stories in this episode of Life In Pieces.
The first thing 
"Four Short Fairy Tales" is just what it is with the Short family characters dealing with life moments from a fairy tale perspective, and it works. Tim buying (for his efforts to stay healthy by buying a wired wig) gets the family pretending to like it but not. Jen deals with the work-life in a Cinderella style with evil co-workers, thinking that mommy life takes away from Jen's work life. After staying at work and finishing up paperwork, Jen enjoys the night with her boss and co-workers. The next day,y Jen's co-workers try to take credit for the work she did but prove that she did it because of the breast milk stain that was left on the paper.   

Joan deals with her family through a retirement party, but she gets saved by a rat in the house. After Oscar comes and receives the rat, Joan still uses the rat as an excuse for not having the retirement party. She tells Oscar about it and comes to terms with John, but when she sees a real rat across the room, John doesn't believe her.

Meanwhile, Matt and Greg tried to build a playhouse for their kids that their dad took down twice. After realizing that John didn't make his boys builders, he took the time to create the final and perfect playhouse out of bricks but also have its water source.

This episode was another hilarious one, with many great moments, from Tim's new hair and getting the only support from Colleen. Jen fighting for that partnership in the style of Cinderella was good and tied with Joan's crying rat in the house as the best story in the episode. And the father and sons of John, Greg, and Matt building a playhouse for the kids was perfect. Strong writing and good character development, mainly with Jen and Joan, I think. Overall, I give this episode a 9/10.

You can catch Life In Pieces on Thursdays at 9:30/8:30 on CBS.

Family Love: Life In Pieces "X Box Spotlight Glimpse"

This week's episode of Life In Pieces might have been the best of the season so far. Here's a recap!

Sam texts Heather and Tim to pick her up in their new X text. The X text is when someone texts someone in the family, and they can get picked up without any questions asked; but, when Heather gets an X message from Sam and after she picks her up, she is dying to know what happened, even tried to get it out of Tyler and Clementine; but nothing. After trying to sneak into her phone, Sam confronts her about what had happened, and after learning that college students get punished, she couldn't believe it.
 
Tim gets tickets for a show and takes Colleen, but when Colleen gets food that Tim can't have, he breaks his diet and eats it. It turns into a regrettable nightmare for Tim as it causes him to have diarrhea, and he keeps coming during a circus where he gets to be part of an act that has him locked in a box.
Tim tries to hold it, but at each moment,t it seems Tim is having a baby. He even called Heather to have her stop the show even if she was drinking wine with Jen. Soon, the act was over as the clowns got Tim out and, as quick as he could, ran off backstage to the bathroom, but by the time he got to the door, it was too late.

When Jen is overwhelmed with her kids, Joan tells her to feed the young one and tap while she and John handle Lark. Well, when John comes to Greg's old room, he accidentally sees Jen sleeping, but also, her whole boob is hanging out. John makes it awkward and a fool of himself when telling Joan but also Jen and Greg. LaterheLatersation was overheard by the rest of the family asking what happened between John and Jen. John tells them that she accidentally saw his ween when feeding her baby. But Jen tells everyone the truth,h and that opens everyone in the family to the fact that they, too, are Jen's bo.

The final story of the episode deals with how the spotlight unison Lark. That changes as Matt and Colleen's kid can play the piano well and build a small order. Greg isn't too pleased and tries to win up with Matt, who's just eating it all up because of his history when Greg was born. During a dance show, Greg finally understands that Matt is an exceptional child with talents above Lark.

"X Box Spotlight Glimpse" was a fantastic episode from beginning to end. Each episode hit its mark with character development and even the humor. Whether it's Heather dying to know Sam's pick up a reason for Jen and John's awkward talk, or even Greg and Matt's spotlight child and Tim's regrettable nightmare.  The cast performs excellently, and none outperforms the other, even in each story. Overall, I give this episode a 9.5/10.

You can catch Life In Pieces on Thursdays at 9:30/8:30 on CBS.

Family Bonding: Life In Pieces "Recovery Discipline Psycho Labor"/"Lost Math Art Glam"

From bonding while walking to dealing with labor during a birthday party and trying to take a family photo. Here's a recap of the last episode of Life In Pieces.

"Recovery Discipline Psycho Labor"

Still, in their recovery from their health, Tim gets Joan to walk with him, but as they walk, they bump into a skeet ball arcade. As soon as they play a game, they get hooked every time they go for their walks. But a few days later, they see that the game has been picked. You,p, and Tim killed the meaning of walking with Joan. That ended when Joan came back the next day and got Tim to join her to walk with her to an air hockey game. 

Matt and Colleen have difficulty with their new adoptive son, whom Dougie influences. They soon learn from Heather that being a parent doesn't mean being their child's best friend. After Dougie showed the kid a video of an autopsy of an alien, the kid went to Matt and Colleen because he couldn't sleep, probably due to the autopsy he watched. After getting into bed with them, all seemed fine for Matt and Colleen.

John befriends the creepy janitor at school. Sophia worries that this could be a problem until she sees that her pop pop is depressed and that he's not his friend anymore. Soon, Sophia confronts the janitor and learns he's not so bad and has a heart. But when she shows him off to her classmates, they get freaked out. 

Trying to celebrate Lark's birthday a few weeks before the baby is due, it turns out the baby is ready to come. Jen tries to make it through with the party as Greg tries to rush along as quickly as possible. But they can't make it as Jen's water breaks, and she and Greg tell Lark that her baby sister is coming and tells her that she will have some gifts when she meets her new sister. Soon, they walk out while Matt and Colleen walk in late, forgetting Lark's heritage. 

"Recovery Discipline Psycho Labor" was an excellent episode. The Tim and Jona story was good, with good character development, and watching these two bond together was just hilarious and heartwarming. Matt and Colleen's story was good, as it was fantastic to see the return of Dougie once again. It's funny watching the kid bond with Dougie as Matt and Colleen try to be good parents to both of them. The Sophia story wasn't as strong as the previous one, but it was okay and probably the weakest storyline in the episode. But the Jen and Greg story brought home the funny as they tried to make Lark's birthday the best, but the baby had plans. I think it was Zoe Lister-Jones' best performance so far this season. 

Overall, I give this episode an 8.5/10. 

"Lost Math Art Glam" 

As Greg brings Lark to meet her new baby sister, Lark goes on an adventure in the hospital. Greg goes crazy searching for her, thinking that maybe she got on the right floor to see Jen, but when Heather learns what happened, she gets Greg to search. After bumping into a singing teddy gram to a child with the flu, Greg finally finds Lark and brings her to meet her sister, who she loves. But when Greg and Jen take the moment, Heather appears so happy that Lark is okay, giving Jen the idea that Greg lost Lark, but she learns that it happened when a Code Adam was being called on the intercom. 

When Sophia is having a hard time with her math homework, Heather and the family try to figure it out, but with it being the new math that it is, it's not at all as easy as it once was. After grabbing Tim, Jen, Greg, and even Colleen to help, Heather was determined to get this work done. She eventually learned from Sam, who paid and let her go to the new rave. 

Matt gives John an artwork from his new grandson and places it on the fridge. But Matt sees that John accepts his son's artwork and gets him to bond with him. But when Matt comes over to check in, he learns that John took him to the golf course but learns even more than his son doesn't like art but rocks. There's a solid case to make as the kid picks up rocks, talks to them, and kisses them. Soon, Matt gets John to join an art class with Heather but learns that he must put his alcohol in a water bottle and not in a wine glass. 

Colleen wants to do a family portrait, but Joan does not want one. She fears how she looks in photos and that it all began in school. Colleen finally gets her to do one after telling her she can fix her appearance, but that doesn't go well with the rest of the family, including Lark. Colleen and Jen get Joan to sit down at the family table, and as she holds the new baby, they finally get the family photo, even though she doesn't smile very well. She still got it!

"Lost Math Art Glam" was an excellent and robust episode. From Greg losing Lark in the hospital to Heather and their family, learning new math was hilarious and hits close-to-home moments with more on the new math. Even the Family Photo was the icing on the episode cake with good character development with Joan and Colleen. The Matt and John story was good and had some moments but didn't follow through, I thought. Overall, I give this episode an 8/10.

You can catch Life In Pieces on Thursdays at 9:30/8:30 on CBS.

Ment To Be: Life In Pieces "Sonogram Frog Rub Family"

From trying to know the sex of the baby to living the best of your life. Here's a recap of this week's episode of Life in Piece. You might want to grab a tissue or a few.

As Jen and Greg go in for a sonogram for a check-up on the baby, they decline the option to know the sex of their baby. But Greg wants to know so severely as he hopes for a boy. Stealing the sonogram photo, he keeps the photo in his pants pocket, but throughout the day or two, something comes around, like spilling or water. But Jen takes it and throws it in the trash only later to look at it and get Tim's point of view to say it's a boy. That is until the next sonogram, which turned out to be a girl.

Clementine and Tyler found a frog and brought it to show Sam and Sophia, but they learn that the frog is a danger to the California environment and must kill it. As much as Clementine and Sam don't want to kill it, they try to get one of the family members to do it, but don't let Greg do it even though he said he killed an opossum. They try to do roulette with the frog in one bag upon four bags, and they throw down bricks simultaneously; just as they did,t Clementine tells everyone that she lost the frog before switching the bags.

Tim is living his best life right now, and boy, does it get annoying with the family. Even Heather doesn't want to be around Tim anymore. When Heather and Joan get Tim to hang with John, it turns into a following as John had almost been killed by the loose saw blade that passed him, and now Tim and John are kissing everyone, including Matt and Heather.

The final story in the episode was probably the best of the four, as a worried Matt and Colleen try to get an update about Morgan and the baby. When the adoption agent calls, Matt and Colleen meet a young boy who takes a piece of candy and soon leaves, only to learn that Morgan has decided to keep the baby. Heartbroken as they are, as Colleen talks to Matt about it, that same little boy came to them and gave them that same piece of candy to cheer them up. As he left to play and get ready for his adoptive parents, Colleen and Matt learned that he was going to foster care; I think they might take him.

This episode was excellent from start to finish on such a strong note. The fourth story of Colleen and Matt was the best story and the most powerful one; it captured the moment of a couple not being able to get the child, as the mother decided to keep the child. As sad as it was to watch them go through with that, that little kid shined a light on them that made me laugh and cry. The story is coming at a time when adoptions are a topic of conversation these days. Life In Pieces is ahead of its time and issues like Parenthood did years ago—strong writing with such a fantastic performance from the cast. Overall, I give this episode a 9/10.

This recap/review comes less than a day after CBS announced that the series had been canceled after four seasons. That's a load of crap from a Network that puts quantity over quality. They keep shows with higher rated, even if it's crapy shows over lower rated shows that are very good.
Look at NBC, FOX, and ABC on their sitcoms and see that they kept shows even when the ratings were down. Shows like Superstore, New Girl, Parks and Recreation, and even Fresh Off The Boat have had lower total rating numbers, but the networks have renewed them because those shows are not only beloved by many fans, critics, and viewers but have quality.

I'm sorry, but Man with a Plan is not a great show, yet CBS renewed it on Friday but canceled almost their entire comedy lineup. I think that CBS should reconsider un-canceling Life In Pieces; bring it back and place it in the fall and not a month till the end of the damn regular television season. Let's try to pull a Nine-Nine for them!

I've been a fan of Life In Pieces since I first heard about it; I thought that this was a different family sitcom than I've seen before. It is by far the best ensemble cast in a family sitcom. They just fit like a real family that I want to see week in and week out. I love them. And the writing on this show is unbelievable, with what they pull off is fantastic and brilliant.

Thank you for letting me rant.

You can catch the final episodes of Life In Pieces on Thursdays at 9:30/8:30 on CBS.

Life In Pieces Canceled After 4 Seaons

Well, it's the end with the Short family. 

Deadline has learned that CBS has announced on Friday that they've canceled Life In Pieces after four seasons.

Life In Pieces revolved around one big family, The Shorts; their sometimes awkward but ultimately beautiful milestone moments as told by the various members.

Created by Justin Adler; the show had literally had one of the best family sitcom casts, fronting by Dianne Wiest and James Brolin. Along with Betsy Brandt, Zoe Lister-Jones, Colin Hanks, Angelique Cabral, Thomas Sadoski, Dan Bakkedahl, Niall Cummingham, Holly J. Barrett, Giselle Eisenberg, and Hunter King.

The current season is averaging a 0.84 demo rating and 5.8 million total viewers, which is down 24, and 10 percent from Season 3.

I'm very disappointed that CBS has canceled this show as it's literally one of my favorite comedies on the network.  I had such high hopes; even though the series has just aired its fifth episode of 13 in its current season.  Well, I'm gonna treasure each of the remaining episodes of this season.


You can catch Life In Pieces Thursdays at 9:30/8:30c on CBS.

Life In Pieces "Sonogram Frog Rub Family" Episode Preview

Here's a preview of this Thursday's episode of Life In Pieces.

"Sonogram Frog Rub Family"

After Tim's heart attack, he becomes super clingy and annoys the entire family. Also, Greg and Jen make a pact to keep their baby's gender a secret; Sophia's new pet frog turns out to be a dangerous species. And Matt and Colleen receive news about their impending adoption

Promo:

You can catch Life In Pieces Thursday at 9:30/8:30c on CBS.

Decisions to Make: Life In Pieces "Birth Meddling Jacket Denial"

From meddling in someone's fight to denial about their fitness situation. Here's a recap of this week's episode of Life in Pieces.

In the first story, "Birth," Colleen asks Morgan about her birth plan for her baby. With no plan in place, Colleen shows Morgan options that lead to a home water birth and witnessed a mother going through labor in the process. As Morgan steps out, she tells Colleen she's scared and asks her to be with her when the baby comes. And not to mention, Matt gets stuck helping deliver the baby and probably faints in the pool. 

The "Meddling" story was of Heather and Joan having different opinions regarding the fight between Sam and her friend. Heather doesn't want Sam to hang out with this girl anymore because she's a bad influence on her, while Joan feels that they should at least forgive and stay as friends. Joan butts in and gets Sam and her friend back together again until Heather tells Sam the truth, and not only Sam stays with her friend but asks for her signature to approve the internship.

"The "Jacket" might be one of the Jen and Greg stories so far, as Jen learns that Greg had spent a lot on something. She thinks it's her "push gift" for their second child. After a day, she found the gift of the leather jacket that she wanted and started to wear it. Soon, Greg finds out and realizes that that jacket isn't for Jen but for his mother. That makes things even weirder when not only Heather gets one but Jona as well, and Jen figures it out, but Greg did have a surprise for Jen in her jacket pocket, a necklace that was actually in Jona's pocket that says "best mother."

The "Denial" does not only feel like a PSA for men but one hell of a story showing how men act around their health. When John sees how bad Tim has been looking, he asks him to see a doctor. When Tim does, it seems things don't look all that good, and when he heads off to Sam's soccer game, Tim gets the news that he's got a severe blockage in one of the arteries and must go to the ER now. But of course, Tim doesn't and watches Sam play goalie. But John saves the day as he fools Tim to see the paramedics and soon gets a stint put in, and all is good.

"Bith Meddling Jacket Denial" was another fantastic episode that had some excellent writing but excellent character development from Colleen and Morgan's relationship and the decision on who's going to be with Morgan when the baby comes. Even the Tim story was perfect, too, and probably one of the best Tim stories this season. It should be one that all men should look at and learn. And I couldn't get enough of Jen and Greg's story as they are one of my favorites. Overall, I give this episode a 9/10.

You can catch Life In Pieces on Thursdays at 9:30/8:30 on CBS.

Life In Pieces "Birth Meddling Jacket Denial" Episode Preview

Here's a preview of this Thursday's episode of Life In Pieces.

"Birth Meddling Jacket Denial"

When Colleen and Matt learn they may not be allowed into the delivery room for the birth of the baby they are planning to adopt, they try to convince Morgan to have the baby at home. Also, Heather is thrilled when Samantha has a falling-out with her friend who was a bad influence; Jen thinks Greg bought her a beautiful present only to discover it wasn't for her: and John encourages Tim to see a cardiologist.

Clips/Promo:

You can catch Life In Pieces Thursday at 9:30/8:30c on CBS.

Pay and Suffer Life In Pieces "Misery Turd Name Pills"

Thursday's episode of Life In Pieces was another half-hour of quality comedy. Here's a recap!

When Joan is still on bed rest, she gets bored and tries to get anyone to stay with her. But she should be careful who she earns, as Sophia comes to deliver her a sandwich and soon stays to talk and play games. Joan can't keep up and tries to stop playing with Sopha. It soon becomes a Misery situation for Joan until she gets Sophia out of the house to get more games. Joan tries to lock the door before Sopha comes. It is too late, and she might be playing Twister.

Matt and Colleen get the family to meet with Morgan, and the first impression isn't an instant home run with them. Her attitude towards the family is calling them name-calling, rude, interrupting,  and even calling Sophia the B-word. Matt tells Colleen he needs to do something, but she doesn't want him to do anything. But John confronts the family, who was hiding in the bathroom, to tell them that they need to be there for Matt and Colleen. They did and acted friendly towards Morgan as she was part of their family.

Greg finally got the only bassinet in town for their baby. Jen tells Greg the name she has in mind for their baby, Alex. Soon, Greg learns that Matt and Colleen are picking Alex for their baby, too. But when Greg tells Matt that he'll say to the family that he and Jen decided on the name, Matt rushes to the family to announce first, with the family excited. Jen, who's not too happy, gets Greg to fight for the name back, and when he does, he not only gets the title before but gives Matt and Colleen their bassinet and two stools

Heather might have found a way to start her own business. When a mom witnesses Heather giving Sophia a pill to calm her down, Heather explains that it's just candy and that the mother would buy a lot for her family. Soon, Heather and her family started an empire of candy pills called Fell Betters and went to Jen's house to sell to the moms there, which became a seller. But Jen stops Heather as she tells her and Tim that companies can sue them for what they control. Heather tells Jen another idea about combining glue and vitamins, but that falls flat, and she decides to get her realtor license.

"Misery Turd Name Pills" was a fantastic episode. The Misery story was so brilliant and well done. As Sophia confronts Joan about calling and taking the phone away, that started getting creepy. And when Sophia brought out the little mallet, that freaked me out even more. The Turd story was perfect, and the performance from Joey King was hilarious playing Morgan. The story had some beautiful moments, mainly when John confronts the family to act better in front of Matt, Colleen, and Morgan.

As for Jen and Greg, my favorite couple in the family, I had another funny story fighting for the name Alex with Matt and Colleen. I feel so bad that they couldn't win with the name Alex with the family at the end. And Heather's story brought me back to Breaking Bad as she and her family make and sell candy pills. There is good character development in Heather's character, and she could become a realtor down the road. Overall, I enjoyed this episode as it had good character development, hilarious moments, and even some moving moments. I give this episode an 8.5/10.

You can catch Life In Pieces on Thursdays at 9:30/8:30 on CBS.

Life In Pieces "Misery Turd Name Pills" Episode Preview

Here's a preview of this Thursday's episode of Life in Pieces.

"Misery Turd Name Pills"

While Joan is bedridden recovering from surgery, she persuades Sophia to spend time with her, which she quickly regrets. Also, Jen and Greg select a name for their baby only to learn that Matt and Colleen chose the same one; Colleen and Matt invite the family over to get to know Morgan, and Heather has a new business idea.

Preview/Promo:

You can catch Life In Pieces Thursday at 9:30/8:30c on CBS.

Respecting and Deciding: Life In Pieces "Demo Nosebreath Surgery Match"

From supporting wives for their needs to supporting their sons in their dreams. Here's a recap!

When Tim learns that Tyler's band played to no one at their gig, he tries to be the better parent than his parents were to support him. Tim rents a recording studio from a patient and gets Tyler to record his song. But as Tyler tries to sing, he starts crying and figures out that he's not a great singer and even gets a second opinion from Tim and the guy who's recording. But this leads Tim to go after his dream to jump off the high dive, which he did.

Jen is going through a rough pregnancy, and Greg isn't helping. Just from the smell coming from Greg's breath, she asked him to wear a mask and stop sounding words with S's. But it's when Jen turns down the temperature in the house to 62 that causes Greg to blow it as he wears a parka and can't sit on the toilet with the house being ice cold. After seeing how Jen gets motion sickness, Greg finally caves in, and as he comes home the next night, he eats his food outside.

Joan had surgery on her leg after the incident in the previous episode. As she comes home, John tries to take care of her, which she's pretty shocked and lets him do. She's even shocked to see how John brings up food and other things, but Heather is doing all the work. John pushes Heather too much and finally confesses to Joan. As much as Joan should have been upset with John, she wasn't as she was happy.
Colleen and Matt meet with an expecting mother, Morgan, who's looking to give her baby up for adoption. As they talk and give her a book of photos of what kind of people they are, their chances are low when Morgan meets with another set of parents. Matt and Colleen get worried but soon melt away when Morgan tells them she wants to give her baby to them because one of the photos they showed her reminded her of her relationship with her father.

"Demo Neosebreth Surgery Match" is another fantastic episode. Even though I find the Tim and Tyler story average, it had its moments but didn't deliver an ending. The Jen-Greg and John-Joan stories were hilarious and held up better. But Matt and Colleen's story had me thinking that this adoption would go south, but it didn't. For the last season, Matt and Colleen's journey to have a family has been a rollercoaster ride; knowing they are almost there is a breathtaking moment. The character development in this episode was perfect for Jen and Greg, John and Joan, and even Matt and Colleen. The writing was good as well. Overall, I give this episode an 8.5/10.

You can catch Life In Pieces on Thursdays at 9:30/8:30 on CBS.

A Not-So Family Vacation: Life In Pieces "Jungle Push Resort Anniversary" Season Premiere

In the season premiere of Life In Pieces, a family vacation in the wildernesses isn't all that is cracked up to be. Here's a recap!

In the season premiere, The Short Family celebrates John and Joan's 50th wedding anniversary by taking a family vacation to Mexico. As Joan and John were excited, the rest weren't. From Jen and Greg dealing with Lark and the stuffed armadillo that she mispronounces, they even lose it in the jungle, which leaves Greg to look for it in the dark of night, which is so wild and hilarious.

Meanwhile, Sophia isn't too thrilled that everyone gets to go on a fun adventure while she gets to hang out with her mother. As they prepare for the "Fashion in the Jungle," she opens up to her dad, and he tells her the truth about not wanting to be her baby anymore. That leads to Sophia trying the ziplines, but as she tries to stop from going down, her mother lets her go.

Instead of staying in a hot and sticky room where animals can crawl into your face, Matt and Colleen found a way to enjoy the family vacation: staying at a better hotel with room service and air conditioning. But when Greg, Heather, and Tim found out, everyone expected John and Joan to live it up, even if it's coming out of Colleen's credit card and Tim gets tipsy.

As for John and Joan, as they sleep in a bunk bed, they try to have fun. Even when they tour the jungle, John takes her on a detour to a wilder adventure that leads them lost. But when they find the road and a bus, they see that the whole family is returning and take Colleen's offer of staying at the hotel while the rest of the family stays at the jungle cabins.

"Jungle Push Resort Anniversary" was a hilarious and wonderful season opener. From the beginning to the end, the episode brought many fun moments and even some memories of my family vacation. Each story moment in the attack was equally better, but even if I had to pick, I would have to go with Greg and Jen's quest to get the armadillo back for Lark. Even Sophia and Heather's story moment was excellent and memorable. And what can you not say about John and Joan's moment that ended on a high note? The writing was good, and the character development was too.  The performance of the cast was outstanding. Overall, I give this episode a 9/10

You can catch Life In Pieces on Thursdays at 9:30/8:30 on CBS.

Life In Pieces "Jungle Push Resort Anniversary"/"Demo Nosebreath Surgery Match" Episode Preview

We're just one day away till the season premiere of Life In Pieces. Here's a preview:

"Jungle Push Resort Anniversary"

When the Short family arrives at their vacation resort in the Yucatan, their accommodations aren't quite what they expected. Also, Heather is ridiculously overprotective of Sophia during the family activities. Jen and Greg discover that Matt and Colleen have been duping everyone, and John and Joan get separated from their tour group in the jungle.

"Demo Nosebreath Surgery Match"

When Colleen and Matt try to impress a potential birth mother, they have a hard time competing against another rich, swanky couple. Also, Jen's pregnancy takes a toll on Greg; Heather lets John take credit for her housekeeping while Joan recovers from knee surgery. And Tim arranges for Tyler to record a demo at a friend's studio.

Clips/Promo:

I am literally excited for the return of Life In Pieces. It's literally my favorite CBS comedy as the show has such a strong ensemble cast and the writing to such awesome characters that I could relate at times. It looks like the season premiere is going to be a great television event to grab the family and sitting in front of the television.


You can catch the one-hour season premiere of Life in Pieces Thursday, April 18 at 8:30/7:30c and 9:30/8:30c on CBS.

The Palace of Love: Life In Pieces "Video Piercing Model Hangover"/"Sixteen Spanish Car Leak" Season Finale

The season finale of Life In Pieces was, at times, what you would think, and some came off as a complete shock. Here's a recap!

The first half-hour of "Video Piercing Model Hangover" was hilarious, with moments you would want to rewatch again. Whether trying to get a "Thank You" card from Matt and Colleen that turned into a video message or Sophia making a solid case for her parents to get her ears pierced, which would lead to having Tim outdo her.

But the winner for this episode would be John being the model for the senior citizen's latest gadgets, from the chair lift to the blood pressure monitor that alerted John's high blood pressure. And Jen and Greg, waking up after a hangover from a school auction, see their daughter doing stuff by herself, from making her cereal to getting water for them. It leads to Greg and Jen to have more time, which leads to Jen being pregnant.

The second half hour, "Sixteen Spanish Car Leak," was just as hilarious as the first and probably even better. Matt and Colleen won this episode with their storyline of having a baby after learning their surrogate is pregnant (and it's not theirs). The news leads them to buy a new car, which opens up to having a baby, and they announce after Sam's sixteen birthday that they're going to adopt, but Jen's pregnancy announcement from Lark ruined but brought the family together.

Speaking of Sam's sixteen birthday, when Sam thought that her family had forgotten her birthday, she spent the day with her boyfriend, after a lovely day was about to turn into a night of first. But her parents and family caught every word as she entered the dark house to surprise her. I guess the surprise was on both of them, But just before the party, Joan wanted to explore the world with John and tried to get them to learn to speak Spanish for their Spain trip. Instead of just using an app to help translate, they wanted to know it the old-fashioned way, which became a nightmare when buying stuff at a Spanish market. They went with the translating app.

The season finale was just as hilarious and memorable as the previous episodes. It will also explain why this show is one of the best family sitcoms on television, with fantastic writing and an ensemble cast. The ending of the episode, with everything playing to the song "Listen to the Music" by The Doobie Brothers, with all the love each other brings, makes you satisfied with smiles. I couldn't be more happy with what the next season will bring (even if it's coming in mid-season next season).  Overall, I give this episode a 9/10 and the season a 9.5/10.

You can catch Life In Pieces, as they'll return for a fourth season next year.

CBS TV Fall 2018-2019

Murphy Brown and Magnum P.I are coming back to CBS as the two of the six new series will be premiering on CBS this fall 2018 schedule.

"Stability where we are strong, change where we need it," said CBS Entertainment president Kelly Kahl on describing the network's schedule for next season. With the network's biggest declines this past season was at Monday, that's where the biggest changes are coming, with the shrinking of the comedy block from two hours to an hour.

Here's the CBS' fall 2018-2019 schedule:

MONDAY
8/7c The Neighborhood (New Series)
8:30/7:30c Happy Together (New Series)
9/8c Magnum P.I. (New Series)
10/9c Bull

TUESDAY
8/7c NCIS
9/8c FBI (New Series)
10/9c NCIS: New Orleans

WEDNESDAY
8/7c Survivor
9/8c SEAL Team
10/9c Criminal Minds

THURSDAY
8/7c The Big Bang Theory
8:30/7:30c Young Sheldon
9/8c Mom
9:30/8:30c Murphy Brown (New Season)
10/9c S.W.A.T.

FRIDAY
8/7c MacGyver
9/8c Hawaii Five-O
10/9c Blue Bloods

SATURDAY
8/7c CRIMETIME SATURDAY
9/8c CRIMETIME SATURDAY
10/9c 48 Hours

SUNDAY
7/6c 60 Minutes
8/7c God Friended Me
9/8c NCIS: Los Angeles
10/9c Madam Secretary

Show that are held for Mid-season: Man with a Plan, Life In Pieces, Elementary, Instinct, as well as new drama series The Code and The Red Line. and new comedy Fam.

CBS Renews Life In Pieces

Well, Life will go on for the Short family.

TVLine is reporting that CBS has renewed the ensemble comedy Life in Pieces for a fourth season.

The series' cast that includes Betsy Brandt, Colin Hanks, Zoe Lister-Jones, Thomas Sadoski and Dianne Wiest are members of a sprawling family whose lives play out in four short stories each week.

Along with Life, CBS also renews Criminal Minds, Instinct, Man with a Plan and Celebrity Big Brother.

You can catch the two episode season finale of Life in Pieces Thursday, May 17th at 9/8c on CBS.

Place Your Bets Here!! Life In Pieces "Lingerie Cookbook Gamble Surrogate"

Place your bets! Here's who won the comedy pool of the funniest episode of this week's Life In Pieces!

Whether you had it or not, the first winner of the funniest story of this episode happens to be Tim and Tyler having to buy a bra for Sam after Heather ruined it in the washer. Awkward, but it couldn't be any funnier than how it turned out to be one of the most hilarious father-and-son bonds I could ever see.

The second comes in a tie with Jen and her cooking, who happens to know little, but when Joan asks for a recipe to put in her cook. But Greg helps by taking a recipe from a restaurant and applying it to Jen's family recipe with a heartbreaking story, which inspires Joan to get all the supplies and have Jen show her how it is done. When all set and done, it turns out that Jen can cook.

Also, who doesn't like betting with their grandfather?  It builds character as it helps Sam deal with her not going to a party and placing bets on what will happen at the party, but when she sees her best friend hugging someone else, she isn't too pleased. That did give John to fix the game as he called the cops on the party to make Sam happy, but she had to pay up, too.

Coming in last would be something that I would have thought was a good, solid story, but it turns out to be annoying as Matthew and Colleen try to help Colleen's sister steer her in the right direction of staying healthy by eating and not partying and eating junk food.

"Lingerie Cookbook Gamble Surrogate" was another excellent, hilarious episode that had some top moments and some that didn't. The performance from the cast was terrific, once again, and the writing was pretty good. Overall, I give this episode an 8,5/10.

You can catch Life in Pieces with its one-hour season finale on Thursday, May 17th at 9/8c on CBS.

Flashback: Life In Pieces "#TBT: House Destiny Introduction Retirement"

It's a real Throwback Thursday for the Short family this week.

"#TBT: House Destiny Introduction Retirement" refers to when the characters were at their memorable and happiest moments. From Jen and Greg faking an engagement to buy a house and then actually get engaged for real. They had to find the ring, thinking it was fake, in the trash, and Greg proposed to Jen. We see how the Short family met Tim, and it was quick to love John, but it ends up learning that Heather is pregnant.

Even the first time Matt and Colleen had their first "so-called" date, he was waiting for his blind date (that was blind) and had Greg take over for him while he comforts Colleen from a breakup. Seeing John on his last trip as an airline pilot, when his second pilot talked to him about the final landing, John decided to stay up in the air for a while. Trying to talk him down, Joan tells him that she's with him on this retirement journey, but when he lands, he is taken to his boss for what the hell happened in the air.

With hilarious, brilliant, well-performed performances from the cast, this is one of the show's best episodes. It doesn't have to be that big or that small compared to other shows on television. I just enjoyed watching these characters' backstories of what led them to where they are today, from buying the house they live in now to being married with family together and retiring. Overall, I give this episode a 9/10.

You can catch Life In Pieces on Thursdays at 9:30/8:30 on CBS.