Mike Franks was a character I really enjoyed on the CBS crime procedural “NCIS” whenever he would pop up in the first half of that show’s much-too-long run, as played by Muse Watson. Franks was the mentor to the show’s hero Leroy Jethro Gibbs (Mark Harmon), and somehow an even more old-school, grizzled federal agent than Gibbs. When a prequel to “NCIS” was announced, I knew they had to get two things right – they had to get younger Gibbs right (I’m still learning to live with Austin Stowell in the role) and they had to get younger Franks right, and Kyle Schmid, an actor I wasn’t familiar with before his role as Franks, is terrific. Schmid has the intensity you’d expect from the character, but you also get many glimpses at a softer side, thanks to the series being able to delve deeper into this character. I wasn’t sure I’d even want to continue another “NCIS” series, but Schmid’s performance has gone a long way in making me glad I gave it a shot. 

Bryan Cranston only appeared in three episodes of Apple TV’s “The Studio” as Continental Studios CEO Griffin Mill, but he absolutely stole every scene he was in, leading to his well-deserved Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series. Cranston steals every scene he’s in, especially in the final two episodes of the season, in which his old school studio head honcho was slammed out of his mind on mushrooms, leading up to a big presentation. This role showed Cranston can and will do just about anything for a laugh and plays slapstick as well as anyone in the business. 

Last year's list had Hannah Einbinder’s Ava Daniels at No. 1. In the fourth season of “Hacks,” it was Einbinder’s fellow Emmy-winning cohort on the show, Jean Smart as Deborah Vance, that had time to shine – although, after winning an Emmy for each of the show’s four seasons, you could argue she’s been shining the entire time. Season four sees Deborah living the apex of her career’s dream, hosting a late-night television talk show, which she once had ripped from her hands. It’s a struggle at first, and she’s warring with Ava, who blackmailed her way into the head writer gig on the show, but eventually things start to click for the show within a show. Then something happens that forces Deborah to make a hard decision – she can either fire Ava or keep her TV show. After years of having Deborah and Ava stab each other in the back, usually Deborah doing it to Ava, the decision Deborah makes is one viewers have been waiting for, and it’ll be an interesting way to see the show enter its fifth and final season. 

Honestly, I could’ve picked every member of the five main “English Teacher” characters/cast members for this list, as the show, which probably had the most laughs per episode of any comedy on TV this year, other than “The Studio,” had a perfect ensemble. I settled on Markie, played by Sean Patton, the gym teacher and football coach of the show’s high school setting, for the remarkable way he plays off each of the show’s characters, but primarily providing a conservative, masculine foil to Brian Jordan Alvarez’s English teacher Evan. In the hands of another actor, and definitely another set of writers, this character would’ve been stereotypical and unlikable, but Patton and the show’s writing staff make him this giant teddy bear of a character, who you might not always agree with, and he certainly doesn’t always share your feelings or opinions, but he still loves you like a brother.  

​It is always hard to portray real people, but I suppose it helps when few people know a lot about a real person, even if that person was Vice President and later President of the United States. Nick Offerman is also really good at playing different variations of Nick Offerman – loud, brash, masculine, tough, but with a bit of a soft side. His performance as politician Chester Arthur, who goes from political bouncer to President in a short time, in the Netflix four-episode limited series “Death by Lightning,” was one of the most fun on television all year. I remarked after the show’s run that everybody in the cast – Michael Shannon, Matthew Macfadyen, Bradley Whitford and Shea Whigham – was terrific, and Offerman’s performance still blew every other one out of the water. 

What would you do if you were one of the last true people on earth? That’s what romance novelist and all-around pessimist Carol Sturka is forced to reckon with in writer/producer Vince Gilligan’s latest TV series “Pluribus.” Rhea Seehorn, who blew away audiences in Gilligan’s previous TV series “Better Call Saul,” plays Carol, a woman who has lost everything but refuses to give up her humanity. It’s an incredible performance, filled with evident anger and a bubbling-under sadness that feels perfect for this year.  

I’m not sure anybody had a more complicated acting job than Britt Lower’s Emmy Award-winning performance as both Helly R. and Helena Eagan on the second season of Apple TV’s “Severance.” All of the cast's performances as the innie and outie versions of their characters are fascinating. Still, Lower’s performance is the only one that changes so drastically. More importantly, at times we don’t precisely know which character she is – is she Helly R., is she Helena Eagan, or is she Helena Eagan impersonating Helly R.? Lower’s little intricacies while playing each character were one of the highlights of the show’s second season. 

We knew Noah Wyle could play a doctor well. Hell, more than 30 years into his acting career, that’s the thing we knew about him the best. He spent a decade playing the young John Carter on NBC’s “ER,” a role that earned him Emmy Award nominations. All these years later, Wyle put on the scrubs and stethoscope again, to play a senior attending physician in a busy Pittsburgh emergency room, while suffering from PTSD brought on from treating COVID-19 and losing loved ones to it. Wyle gives a remarkable performance as a doctor on his last legs, trying to save lives and teach young doctors how to save lives, all the while reeling from mental anguish. It was a well-earned Emmy Award win for Wyle. 

There wasn’t a more heartbreaking performance on television this year than Tom Pelphrey as Robby Prendergrast in the HBO crime drama “Task.” Predergrast is a good guy, just trying to provide for his family – two young kids and a grown niece – after his brother is murdered and his wife has run off. The way to do this is to take revenge on the biker gang that killed his brother by robbing their drug stash houses. A good guy forced to do bad things to survive is always going to be an interesting character for me as a viewer, and Pelphrey’s performance as Prendergrast makes you care so much for this character, who needs to catch a break. 

Typically, we don’t include actual people in this list, but we have made an exception before (Amber Ruffin made the cut in 2017 for her hilarious appearances on NBC’s “Late Night with Seth Meyers”). Few people had a more challenging year in the television industry than late-night hosts Stephen Colbert of CBS’s ‘Late Show’ and Jimmy Kimmel of ABC’s “Jimmy Kimmel Live.” In May, it was announced that Colbert and the entire ‘Late Show’ would be canceled after the current season, which ends in May 2026, despite being the most-watched late-night show on network television. It was seen by many as a political firing to appease the Trump administration, so that Paramount, which owns CBS, could be sold. Essentially, many viewed it as a bribe. Then, in September, ABC kowtowed to threats from FCC commissioner Brendan Carr and being yanked by affiliates of media groups Nexstar and Sinclair, and pulled Jimmy Kimmel’s show for what it said was an “indefinite” period, after the host made comments about the death of political activist Charlie Kirk on his show. A protest of ABC and Disney (which owns ABC) in the aftermath of Kimmel’s show being pulled led to his reinstatement the next week, and he’s since been given a contract extension (which I’m not sure would’ve happened, had it not been for the backlash to him being pulled). Colbert and Kimmel both handled their respective controversies with hilarity and grace, and neither refused to give in to or back down from censorship and fascism. 

​10. "Saturday Night Live" 50th Anniversary Documentaries (Peacock/NBC)
“Saturday Night Live” celebrated its 50th season from the fall of 2024 through the spring of 2025, and with the celebration came several documentaries about the show that were an absolute delight for an ‘SNL’ superfan like me. A four-episode docuseries called “SNL50: Beyond Saturday Night” featured episodes on the show’s writing process, audition process, the “More Cowbell” sketch, which I and many consider to be the greatest sketch in ‘SNL’ history, and a documentary about the show’s eleventh season, which it almost didn’t survive. There was also the remarkable nearly three-hour ‘SNL’ music documentary, “Ladies & Gentlemen … 50 Years of SNL Music,” co-directed by The Roots drummer Amir “Questlove” Thompson and Oz Rodriguez, that featured a much-talked about opening supercut of some of the show’s most incredible performances that dropped jaws, and truly was one of the most fantastic TV scenes of the year. 
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​9. "Marc Maron: Panicked" (HBO/HBO Max)
Few people had a better year in entertainment than comedian/actor/podcaster Marc Maron. Maron ended his landmark podcast “WTF” in late 2025 after 16 years and more than 1600 episodes, his AppleTV comedy series “Stick” with Owen Wilson debuted and was picked up for a second season – and would appear on this list if we included 20 shows and his most recent comedy special, “Panicked,” which aired on HBO, was one of the year’s best received stand-up hours. “Panicked” was my favorite stand-up special of the year, and one of my all-time favorites. I dig Maron’s neurotic, witty, and let’s face it, liberal-leaning comedy. I enjoyed him poking fun at liberals, though, like how he joked that we being annoying led to people voting for fascism. But I also loved his jabs at conservative dumbass podcasters like Theo Vonn, musing about whether or not they would’ve interviewed Adolf Hitler. However, my absolute favorite bit from his special was about trying to flee a forest fire with his multiple cats. Any cat lover will understand and nearly pass out laughing from that story. 
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​8. "The Studio" (Apple TV)
One of 2025’s best and most exciting television series was about the film industry. Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg’s “The Studio” finds Rogen playing studio executive Matt Remick, who’s just been placed in charge of a fledgling studio and tasked with turning things around. The show is played for laughs, with Remick stumbling his way through his first year on the job and struggling to turn a profit while also trying to maintain his artistic integrity. “The Studio” was one of the year’s funniest TV shows and was awarded with a massive haul on Emmy night, including the coveted Outstanding Comedy Series honor. 

​7. "Pluribus" (Apple TV)
I didn’t know anything about Vince Gilligan’s Apple TV show “Pluribus” until I started watching. It seems nobody really did. The promotion for the show didn’t give away much – I guess when you have Gilligan’s first series since “Better Call Saul,” you figure folks will tune in. I don’t really want to elaborate much on the show, but I will say that it’s a science fiction series and Rhea Seehorn gives one of the year’s best performances as Carol Sturka, a romance novelist who experiences a worldwide change and must work her way through it. That should be enough to get you excited. 
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​6. Hacks (HBO Max)
“Hacks” is the only series on this list to have appeared last season – of course, it’s one of only two on the list that aired a season in 2024 – but it’s found a home on our best TV of the year list every season it’s aired. It was our No. 1 show last year, it was No. 3 for its second season and No. 2 for its first season. While this might be the first time it’s been out of the top three, it’s still clicking along just as well as ever. In season four, Deborah Vance (the excellent Jean Smart, who has won an Emmy for all four seasons) has reached the pinnacle of her career – she’s finally a late-night TV host. Unfortunately, it doesn’t go as planned, and by the season’s end, she’s forced to decide between her show or Ava (Hannah Einbinder, who I’m thrilled finally won an Emmy Award for her performance), and after years of doing wrong by Ava, Deborah finally makes the right decision. It’ll be interesting to see where that takes us for next year’s final season. 
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​5. "The Last of Us" (HBO)
The second season of HBO’s apocalyptic-horror drama “The Last of Us” was the most unfairly maligned season of television in 2025. The biggest reason is that a good portion of the audience was obviously unaware of the source material – the video games – and didn’t know that a very popular character was going to meet their end in the season. I’m one of the show’s viewers who are unfamiliar with the source material, but I’m fine with the show’s creators sticking to artistic integrity and sticking with the story as it was meant to be told. Bella Ramsey’s portrayal of Ellie, which came to the forefront in season two, was powerful (though many online have it out for Ramsey for reasons not necessarily related to the show). The addition of Isabela Merced, Kaitlyn Dever and Jeffrey Wright to the cast added to the show’s already great history of plugging in actors in more minor, yet important roles. 
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4. The Bear (Hulu)
The first two seasons of “The Bear,” an FX production on Hulu, were perfect television – both seasons topped this very list. Then came season three, a slower, more meandering season that didn’t really go anywhere, and it seemed the magic vanished into thin air (and I didn’t even dislike the season, as many did). Showrunner Christopher Storer righted the ship in season four, which saw the gang of lovable restaurant workers back in gear, working together to make a struggling restaurant succeed against all odds. The show is truly magical when clicking on all cylinders, and that came through brilliantly in one of my favorite single episodes of TV in 2025, “Bears,” with every single person on screen performing flawlessly. 
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3. "Task" (HBO)
Brad Inglesby’s HBO limited crime series “Mare of Easttown” was one of my favorite shows of 2021, and ranked No. 6 on this very list from that year. Thus, I was super pumped to hear Inglesby had another crime series coming to HBO this fall called “Task,” which starred Mark Ruffalo and Tom Pelphrey. “Task” was every bit as good as “Mare of Easttown,” if not even better. Pelphrey plays a sanitation worker who robs drug houses of a local biker gang, against whom he holds a grudge. Ruffalo is the FBI agent tasked with solving the crime. The performances from Pelphrey and Ruffalo are among the best on TV all year, and the show features another fantastic performance by Emilia Jones, who plays the 21-year-old niece of Pelphrey’s Robbie Prendergrast. The final three episodes of the seven-episode first season are damn near perfect, especially scenes between Ruffalo and Pelphrey in the fifth episode, “Vagrants.” 
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2. "Adolescence" (Netflix)
​“Adolescence,” a four-part Netflix limited series about the murder of a young girl and the case surrounding it, was a remarkable bit of storytelling, the kind we rarely see on television, as each episode was told in one long take. The series, created and written by Steven Graham and Jack Thorne, was a remarkable take on what a crime drama can be, after viewers figure they’ve seen them all. The English series featured incredible acting that matched the excellent filming and writing that led to Emmy wins for Graham, who also portrayed the father of the killer, Owen Cooper, a young man in his first acting role, and Erin Doherty, as a child psychologist in one of the year’s most riveting single episodes. Ashley Walters and Christine Tremarco (also nominated for Emmys) and Faye Marsay were also remarkable. 

​1. "The Pitt" (HBO Max)
I never would have guessed HBO Max’s medical series “The Pitt” to be the best television show of 2025. I had heard it was coming, and it sounded like a lesser version of “ER,” and even may have had origins as an “ER” spinoff that damn near got the whole thing shut down before it even started. What the show wound up being was the most realistic portrayal of emergency room doctors, nurses and staff ever shown on television, and done so in a not new, but well-chosen method of telling a story in real-time with every episode being an hour during the shift of the medical staff. The writing and performances by a cast led by Noah Wyle and featuring a bunch of mostly unknown faces – both young and veteran – gave us the most interesting group of characters on television all year. “The Pitt,” which aired 15 episodes in its first season and aired weekly, brought an old-fashioned type of television most of us grew up watching into the streaming era, and we ate it up. 

My Next Guest Needs No Introduction with David Letterman: Adam Sandler (Netflix) – Monday, December 1
David Letterman’s Netflix interview show, “My Next Guest Needs No Introduction,” has seemingly dropped the season format of releasing multiple episodes at once and gone to one-off episodes. His latest features comedian and actor Adam Sandler, and is perfectly timed for Monday, December 1, just a few days before Sandler’s latest film, “Jay Kelly,” which is receiving potential Oscar buzz for Sandler, premieres on the streamer on Friday, December 5. Sandler was always a fun interview on Letterman’s ‘Late Show,’ and a longer interview should provide many laughs and insight into Sandler’s life and career.

The Abandons (Netflix) – Thursday, December 4
“The Abandons,” which premieres on Netflix on Thursday, December 4, sees creator Kurt Sutter trading in the outlaws of “Sons of Anarchy” for a different kind of outlaw: the American West's in the 1850s. “The Abandons” sees Lena Headey as Fiona Nolan, an Irish woman unable to conceive, who builds her own family by adopting four orphans, only to see English aristocrats, led by Gillian Anderson’s Constance Van Ness, claim her Oregon home.  
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Jay Kelly (Netflix) – Friday, December 5
Writer/director Noah Baumbach’s latest film, “Jay Kelly,” premiering on Netflix on Friday, December 5, is garnering potential Oscar buzz in multiple categories, including Best Picture. “Jay Kelly” sees Oscar-winner George Clooney as the titular character, an aging movie star, who embarks on a European trip with his longtime manager, played by Adam Sandler (also drawing Oscar buzz), and contemplating choices they have made throughout their career. 
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Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery (Netflix) – Friday, December 12
“Wake Up Dead Man,” the latest in writer/director Rian Johnson’s ‘Knives Out’ mystery series featuring Daniel Craig’s glorious Benoit Blanc character, finds Blanc trying to solve the murder of a Catholic Monsignor, with a former boxer, turned Catholic priest, as the main suspect. Josh O’Connor is getting rave reviews as said priest, and the supporting cast – as in the other ‘Knives Out’ whodunnits – is amazing with Glenn Close, Josh Brolin, Jeremy Renner, Kerry Washington, Andrew Scott, Mila Kunis and Jeffrey Wright. 
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Taylor Swift: The End of an Era (Disney+) – Friday, December 12
To be frank, I have zero interest in Disney+’s “Taylor Swift: The End of an Era” documentary, which follows the massive pop star behind the scenes of her Eras Tour over six episodes. Many of us are Swifted out, especially when it comes to that tour, but the pop sensation knows how to keep her large and loyal fanbase happy with constant content. This docuseries will undoubtedly be one of the biggest pop culture moments of the year as it comes to an end. The first two episodes drop on Friday, December 12, with two more coming each subsequent Friday. 
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Sarah Squirm: Live + In The Flesh (HBO/HBO Max) – Friday, December 12
Sarah Sherman has been one of the most unique cast members in “Saturday Night Live” history with her humor, including wild, wacky and out there aspects, largely featuring body horror. It has made her a bit of a “love her or hate her” cast member among fans of that show. But for those who love her, her HBO special “Sarah Squirm: Live + In The Flesh,” premiering on Friday, December 12, should be disgustingly hilarious.

Breakdown: 1975 (Netflix) – Friday, December 19
Netflix’s documentary “Breakdown: 1975,” directed by Morgan Neville, will be a “can’t miss” for film buffs, as it focuses on how the social and political upheaval of the early to mid-1970s led to films like Martin Scorsese’s “Taxi Driver,” Sidney Lumet’s “Network” and Milos Forman’s “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest.” The documentary, narrated by Oscar-winner Jodie Foster, features interviews with Albert Brooks, Ellen Burstyn, Josh Brolin, Scorsese, Oliver Stone, Seth Rogen and more.

Stranger Things: Part 2 & Finale (Netflix) – Thursday, December 25 & Wednesday, December 31
The first four episodes of the “Stranger Things” fifth and final season dropped on Netflix over Thanksgiving week and immediately became the talk of the pop culture and television world. After a decade, a ridiculously prolonged decade, the story of Eleven, Mike, Hopper, and all of our favorite Hawkins, Ind., characters comes to an end, first with three episodes coming on Christmas Day, and the nearly two-hour-long series finale dropping on New Year’s Eve. So, ring in the New Year by seeing if Vecna can be defeated! 

The standoff between YouTube TV and Disney over television/streaming rights has entered its second week, with YouTube TV users being without Disney channels, like the popular ABC and ESPN networks.

The dispute centers on carriage fees, the per-subscriber rates distributors pay to carry broadcast and cable networks.  Disney’s networks, which also include FX, Disney Channel, Nat Geo, and more, have been dark on YouTube TV since late Thursday, October 30.

YouTube TV, owned by Google, has been involved in multiple carriage disputes this year, but most deals are struck before channels are removed from the platform, or within a day or two of being removed. A carriage dispute of this length, especially with a company owning some of the most-watched channels on television, is rare.

According to Variety, a recent survey by market research firm Drive Research found that 24% of YouTube TV subscribers had already canceled or plan to cancel the service in response to the Google/Disney standoff. Thirty percent of those surveyed say they planned to subscribe directly to Hulu + Live TV or ESPN Unlimited to ensure they have access to the sporting events and networks they want to watch.

I completely understand being pissed off by the Google/Disney dispute. As a YouTube TV subscriber myself, I have been, too, though I’m more upset about losing the opportunity to DVR ABC dramas and comedies I watch than about not being able to see select college football games or Monday Night Football.

But one thing I absolutely will not do is cancel YouTube TV— at least anytime soon —to switch to Hulu + Live TV.

This is a fight between billionaire conglomerates, but it also feels like a dirty plot by Disney to make more money and kill off a competitor.

You see, Disney owns Hulu, just as it does ABC, ESPN, etc., and if it can piss off enough YouTube TV subscribers to cancel and switch to Hulu + Live TV, it’s a win-win for the company.  

We’ve never lived in a time when media conglomerates were so obviously trying to buy up so many companies and essentially hold a monopoly, and when the government seemed OK with it.  

Yes, Google/YouTube aren’t faultless in this standoff, but without ABC, ESPN, etc., YouTube TV’s product probably dies off in the future, and that would make Hulu + Live TV the biggest live television streamer. As it stands, YouTube TV has roughly 10 million subscribers, whereas Hulu + Live TV has around 4 million. Can’t you see why Disney might want to keep ABC, ESPN, etc., away from YouTube TV for an extended period of time?

Eventually, Google and Disney will come to a deal. It has to. Otherwise, as I said, YouTube TV is kaput. But what we absolutely should not do is kowtow to Disney by forking over more money to the company.

I understand you want to watch football. But it’s not worth giving in to Disney by subscribing to one of their streamers in the meantime. Try to ride out this dispute like I am.  

I Love L.A. (HBO/HBO Max) – Sunday, November 2
Rachel Sennott plays the kind of characters who would probably annoy the hell out of me in real life – but the ones I’ve seen from her on film, like in “Shiva Baby” and “Bottoms,” have entertained the hell out of me instead. She frequently plays self-obsessed, trainwreck late millennials, but the messiness is funny and sometimes endearing. Sennott brings her first leading television role in “I Love L.A.” to HBO (streaming on HBO Max), in which she plays an ambitious young woman aspiring to be a talent agent and reunites with friends who have spent time apart. “I Love L.A.” premieres on HBO and HBO Max on Sunday, November 2.

All Her Fault (Peacock) – Thursday, November 6
The Peacock thriller “All Her Fault” sees Sarah Snook’s return to television following her career-changing, Emmy-winning role as Shiv Roy on HBO’s “Succession.” “All Her Fault” features Snook as a mother who arrives at a location to pick her son up from a play date only to find that he’s no longer there. Based on a novel by Andrea Mara, the series features Jake Lacy, Sophia Lillis, Michael Pena and Dakota Fanning in supporting roles. “All Her Fault” premieres on Peacock on Thursday, November 6. 

Pluribus (AppleTV) – Friday, November 7
AppleTV’s “Pluribus” sees the return of “Breaking Bad” and “Better Call Saul” creator Vince Gilligan to television, but this time with science fiction as the genre. He re-teams with actress Rhea Seehorn, from “Better Call Saul,” who plays a woman immune to an unexplained virus that transforms the world’s population into happy, optimistic people. The show, which was picked up for two seasons from the start, should be one of the year’s most anticipated TV premieres simply based on the Gilligan/Seehorn collaboration. “Pluribus” premieres on Apple TV on Friday, November 7. 

Frankenstein (Netflix) – Friday, November 7
Director Guillermo del Toro’s lifelong inspiration has been author Mary Shelley’s “Frankenstein,” and according to a recent interview for CBS’s “Sunday Morning,” aspects of the story have appeared in every one of the director’s films. He finally got the chance to take on the mother of all monster tales himself via Netflix, with his telling of the classic premiering on Friday, November 7. This version features Oscar Isaac as Dr. Frankenstein and Jacob Elordi as his monstrous masterpiece. 

The Beast in Me (Netflix) – Thursday, November 13
Netflix’s dramatic miniseries “The Beast in Me” sees Emmy-winner Claire Danes as a grieving mother and acclaimed author who has taken a step back from public life following the death of her son, until an interesting subject falls into her lap when a real estate mogul, played by Emmy-winner Matthew Rhys, who was the prime suspect in his wife’s disappearance, moves in next door. “The Beast in Me,” which features eight episodes, co-stars Brittany Snow and Natalie Morales, and premieres on Netflix on Thursday, November 13. 

Stranger Things: The Final Season Part 1 (Netflix) – Wednesday, November 26
“Stranger Things,” possibly the greatest original series Netflix has ever produced, finally returns for its final season over the long Thanksgiving weekend, when part one of the three-part final season, featuring four feature-length episodes, drops. The Duffer Brothers, who created and oversee the series, should absolutely be embarrassed by how long it has taken to get this final season out. It has been almost three and a half years since the fourth season and taking nearly a full decade to produce 42 episodes is asinine and everything people hate about television in the modern world. Now that the admonishment is out of the way, all will be forgiven if the Duffer Bros. can finish this story in the amazing fashion it deserves. Let’s return to Hawkins one final time with our favorite teenagers, even if some might be drawing retirement checks by now.  

Abbott Elementary (ABC) – Wednesday, October 1
The fifth season of ABC’s “Abbott Elementary,” i.e., the only network comedy that the awards folks care about, premieres Wednesday, Oct. 1. The fourth season of the series righted the ship a bit after a disappointing third season, and I look forward to seeing how our favorite TV teachers are doing at the beginning of season five. Is there much left for showrunner/lead star Quinta Brunson to do on the series that hasn’t already been done? Part of the fun in sticking with an ongoing series is finding out the answer to that question.

Saturday Night Live (NBC) – Saturday, October 4
“Saturday Night Live” returns to a bit of normalcy in its 51st season on NBC, following a star-studded anniversary season that coincided with a presidential election year. The season premieres on October 4 with singer Bad Bunny, hot off the announcement that he will be the Super Bowl 60 halftime show headliner, making his second hosting appearance on the show. However, he will not be the musical guest this time around, with Doja Cat taking over those duties, making her ‘SNL’ debut. This season has me more concerned than any I can remember (in my 20-plus years watching), as two of the show's longest-running cast members, Heidi Gardner and Ego Nwodim, are not returning for this season. It’s especially concerning that the cast of 17 once again finds itself without a single black female cast member.

DMV (CBS) – Monday, October 13
You simply don’t get many new sitcoms on network television anymore, but “DMV,” premiering on CBS on Monday, Oct. 13, has a promising cast and a humorous trailer. Created by Dana Klein, “DMV” is a workplace mockumentary following workers at a DMV and stars Harriet Dyer, who’s very good on the Australian comedy “Colin from Accounts,” the always funny “Saturday Night Live” alum Tim Meadows, and Molly Kearney, who entertained me on their short ‘SNL’ stint.
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NCIS: Origins (CBS) – Tuesday, October 14
The first season of the CBS crime procedural “NCIS: Origins,” the sixth series in the “NCIS” franchise, was the biggest surprise for me on network TV last year. I didn’t expect much from a prequel following the original series’ character, Leroy Jethro Gibbs, and it wound up being my favorite new drama of the year, and one of the best dramas on network TV, outright. The second season, premiering Tuesday, Oct. 14, is my most anticipated returning series premiere, as the first season ended with the potential death of one of its main characters. It'll be interesting to see how “NCIS: Origins” handles the storyline.

NBA on NBC (NBC & Peacock) – Tuesday, October 21
The NBA returns to NBC for the first time since 2002, with the 2025-26 season set to tip off on Tuesday, October 21. The network will feature a doubleheader, including the Houston Rockets against the reigning champion Oklahoma City Thunder, followed by the Golden State Warriors against the Los Angeles Lakers. I was a big fan of the NBA on TNT, which the NBC package is replacing, so I have mixed feelings about the league’s return to network television. However, I’m also excited to see what kind of product the network provides for its fans.   

Nobody Wants This (Netflix) – Thursday, October 23
One of the most pleasant surprises on television in 2024 was the debut of the Netflix comedy “Nobody Wants This,” which saw the budding relationship between a relationship/sex podcaster, played by Kristen Bell, and a rabbi, played by Adam Brody. The chemistry between Bell and Brody was palpable and hilarious, and both received Emmy Award nominations for their performances. Featuring a great supporting cast of Timothy Simons, Justine Lupe and Jackie Tohn, I can’t wait to see what the show, created by Erin Foster, is up to in its second season. 

 
For the second time in the last few months, I find myself at a loss for words over something that happened regarding a late-night talk show.
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I probably shouldn’t have been shocked by the news that “Jimmy Kimmel Live” has been pulled “indefinitely” from ABC after all, when the news broke a few months ago that CBS would be ending “Late Show with Stephen Colbert” in May of 2026, I said I felt like ABC would do the same with Kimmel’s show (his contract, like Colbert’s, ends then).

But it was the reason why Kimmel’s show has been, at least temporarily, suspended that surprised me. It was for comments he made on his Monday night (September 15) show about the way the conservative press, politicians, etc., had handled the reveal of Charlie Kirk’s murderer – essentially hoping that the killer would be anybody who didn’t resemble them.

Kimmel said: “We hit some new lows over the weekend with the MAGA gang desperately trying to characterize this kid who murdered Charlie Kirk as anything other than one of them and doing everything they can to score political points from it.”

That was it. That inoffensive, and accurate in my assessment, statement, which had nothing to do with Kirk in itself, was enough to start the ball rolling to get Kimmel’s show removed from the air.

On Wednesday (Sept. 17), the Nexstar Media Group Inc. said that it would stop airing “Jimmy Kimmel Live” on its 32 ABC affiliates.

Andrew Alford, the president of Nexstar’s broadcasting division, said: “Mr. Kimmel’s comments about the death of Mr. Kirk are offensive and insensitive at a critical time in our national discourse.”
Sure, Andrew. Sounds like bullshit to me.

Later in the day, Brendan Carr, the chairman of the Federal Communications Commission, appeared on a YouTube episode hosted by commentator Benny Johnson, and seemingly threatened ABC and Disney to decide on Kimmel’s show.

He said, “We can do this the easy way or the hard way. There’s calls for Kimmel to be fired. I think you could certainly see a path forward for suspension over this.”

The “we can do this the easy way or the hard way” is clearly a “the ball is in your court” type threat to ABC/Disney, and ABC/Disney cowardly made the decision to sideline the show “indefinitely.”

After the decision to sideline “Jimmy Kimmel Live,” the Sinclair Broadcast Group decided to get in on the fun, too. Sinclair has decided to use Kimmel’s timeslot on Friday to air a tribute special to Kirk on its ABC affiliates, which includes my local one in Little Rock, Ark. And, furthermore, Sinclair stated its affiliates wouldn’t resume airing “Jimmy Kimmel Live” until “we are confident that appropriate steps have been taken to uphold the standards expected of a national broadcast platform.” The company has also called for Kimmel to issue a direct apology to Kirk’s family and to make a personal donation to both the family and Kirk’s organization, Turning Point USA. That seems an awful lot like an ultimatum Kimmel must follow to get back on Sinclair’s affiliate stations.

So, it seems the FCC, Nexstar and Sinclair have done what they can to force Kimmel off of television, and ABC/Disney cowardly accepted the demands for fear of being fined or losing money with the show not airing on many of its affiliates.

If something as innocuous as what Kimmel said, which drew the ire of the FCC and these media companies, can get him removed from television, we are fucked as a country. If we’re not allowed to differ in our opinions on what’s going on in this country without the threat of losing our jobs, we are simply fucked.

It’ll be interesting to see what happens with Kimmel and “Jimmy Kimmel Live” going forward, but I have a bad feeling we have seen the last of him and his show on ABC, and honestly, at this point, it may be of his own decision to walk away from a company that didn’t stand up for him when it should have.   

One thing I noticed the day after the 77th annual Primetime Emmy Awards aired on CBS on Sunday, September 13, is that critics almost unanimously thought comedian Nate Bargatze was among the worst hosts in the history of the awards.

I must confess that even though I am a fan of Bargatze’s comedy – I’m actually seeing him for a second time later this week in Little Rock, Ark. – I had my concerns about him hosting the Emmys before the telecast. Bargatze doesn’t seem very versed in pop culture, particularly the majority of the television shows nominated for awards and felt he might struggle with the typical monologue one would give at a Hollywood award show.

My fears were assuaged when Bargatze opted to forgo a traditional award show monologue, instead choosing to begin the Emmys with a continuation of his George Washington sketches, which have been incredibly popular during his hosting stints on “Saturday Night Live” over the last two years. He also performed a similar role as an angel at the Nativity during his CBS Christmas special last holiday season. For the Emmys, Bargatze took on the role of Philo T. Farnsworth, the father of television, explaining to three men (played by ‘SNL’ cast members Mikey Day, James Austin Johnson, and Bowen Yang) what television would be like in the future.

Yes, I understand that this concept may be wearing thin for some, but it still makes me laugh.

Aside from the cold opening, Bargatze had only one bit that ran throughout the night, and it was no doubt one that the network likely played a part in to help the live telecast run smoothly.

Bargatze said he would donate $100,000 to the Boys and Girls Clubs of America – but there was a catch. For every acceptance speech that ran over the allotted 45 seconds, he would subtract $1000 from the total for every extra second. For every speech that lasted under 45 seconds, he would add an additional $ 1,000 for each second.

This act of charity, and the game made out of it, seems to be the main sticking point for the criticisms of Bargatze’s hosting gig.

I can agree that a three-hour running gag can wind up making eyes roll, but Bargatze’s quips throughout the night, especially the one about a show called “Adolescence” taking money from adolescents, kept me chuckling.

Most of the criticisms found the gag to be unfair to the night’s award-winners, who tried to beat the clock in an effort not to take money away from the kiddos, but anyone watching surely had to have known by the night’s end that Bargatze and CBS would be coughing up money regardless, because otherwise they would’ve looked like massive villains.

In the end, the actual tally would’ve been in the negative, but CBS gave $100,000, which, let’s face it, seems cheap for a network, and Bargatze gave $250,000. At the very least, the night’s telecast raised $350,000 for the charity, but it's likely that the continuous mentions throughout the night led to word of mouth, prompting many viewers to contribute from their living rooms across the country.

Also, the winners truly weren’t letting it affect their speeches, as you could tell from the many that went over the allotted 45 seconds.

Wouldn’t we rather see money donated to charity than hear an obnoxious orchestra play music to run award-winners off the stage or producers who mute the microphone after a certain amount of time?
The way the producers of Sunday’s telecast chose to adhere to the time limit is frankly the nicest way I’ve ever seen an award telecast handle the situation. That’s why I’m shocked it’s universally hated on. I feel like it’s the biggest Hollywood press overreaction in quite some time.

I understand wanting to give award winners the spotlight – it’s their time to shine, after all. But the only way to truly do that would be to move these awards to a streaming service where runtimes don’t matter. If we want a four- to five-hour Emmy telecast, this can certainly be achieved.

By the way, if you’d like to donate to the Boys and Girls Clubs of America, you can do so at www.bgca.org. 

NCIS: Tony & Ziva (Paramount+) – Thursday, September 4
“NCIS,” the popular CBS crime drama that has been on the air since 2003, certainly didn’t need another spinoff. There have already been five (two of which are still on the air). But, bringing two fan-favorite characters from the original series, Michael Weatherly’s Tony DiNozzo and Cote de Pablo’s Ziva David, together for their own series should be a winning combination for fans of the series – maybe even some who have given up on the original series after more than 20 years on TV.  “NCIS: Tony & Ziva” premieres on Paramount+ on Thursday, Sept. 4, and it wouldn’t be surprising if it immediately became the streamer’s most popular series.

The Paper (Peacock) – Thursday, September 4
Peacock’s latest series, “The Paper,” is a loosely based spinoff of “The Office” in that it’s created by Greg Daniels, told via the mockumentary aspect that made “The Office” revolutionary among American television, and features Oscar Nunez’s Oscar Martinez, one of the characters in “The Office.” “The Paper” follows a fledgling local print newspaper (aren’t they all) in Toledo, Ohio, which has been taken over by a new editor in Domhnall Gleeson’s Ned Sampson. Featuring a supporting cast including Sabrina Impacciatore and Chelsea Frei, it’ll be interesting to see how many fans of the beloved “The Office” will find “The Paper.” “The Paper” premieres on Peacock on Thursday, Sept. 4, and unlike most Peacock series, all 10 episodes will be dropped at once. 

Task (HBO/HBO Max) – Sunday, September 7
Creator/writer Brad Ingelsby took the TV world by storm in 2021 with the limited series “Mare of Easttown,” which dominated at the Emmy Awards with three acting wins, including its lead Kate Winslet. His next project for HBO is “Task,” starring Oscar-nominated actor Mark Ruffalo as an FBI agent tasked with ending a string of violent robberies in Philadelphia. The supporting cast features Tom Pelphrey and Emilia Jones. “Task” premieres on HBO and HBO Max on Sunday, Sept. 7. 

Black Rabbit (Netflix) – Thursday, September 18
Jason Bateman has had a lot of success with his Netflix relationship, with the revival and resumption of “Arrested Development,” his Emmy-nominated acting and Emmy-winning directing turn in the dark drama “Ozark” and starring in one of the streamer’s most popular original films, “Carry-On.” His latest work for the streamer is the miniseries “Black Rabbit,” in which he plays the chaotic Vince Friedken, who reenters the life of his brother, Jake, played by Jude Law, and throws his life into escalating dangers that might bring down his successful life. “Black Rabbit” premieres on Netflix on Thursday, Sept. 18. 

The Lowdown (FX) – Tuesday, September 23
Sterlin Harjo. After three brilliant seasons of his series “Reservation Dogs,” an FX production that aired on Hulu, I will follow him to anything he does. His follow-up to “Reservation Dogs” is “The Lowdown,” premiering on FX on Tuesday, Sept. 23. “The Lowdown” is reportedly about a man “who knows too much,” and is loosely based on Lee Roy Chapman, a Tulsa-man who’s researched helped reshape contemporary understanding on the racial history of Tulsa, Okla. Ethan Hawke, who memorably appeared in a guest role in “Reservation Dogs,” will lead the series with a supporting cast that includes Tim Blake Nelson, Jeanne Tripplehorn, Kyle MacLachlan and Keith David.  

English Teacher: Season 2 (FX/Hulu) – Thursday, September 25
“English Teacher,” the FX comedy created by and starring Brian Jordan Alvarez, was one of the surprise hits of 2024. Alvarez stars as high school English teacher Evan Marquez, who struggles with both working with today’s students and his love life. The series features an incredibly hilarious supporting cast that includes Stephanie Koenig, Sean Patton and Enrico Colantoni. Season two premieres on FX on Thursday, Sept. 25, and the entire season will be available on Hulu the following day. 

The Savant (AppleTV+) – Friday, September 26
Jessica Chastain is the latest Oscar-winning movie star to try her hand at prestige television with AppleTV+’s thriller miniseries “The Savant.” Chastain stars as the titular savant, who infiltrates online hate groups in efforts to prevent large-scale public attacks. The series, created by Melissa James Gibson, is based on a 2019 Cosmopolitan article about a real-life woman known as “the Savant,” who does the same. “The Savant” premieres on Friday, Sept. 26. 

10. Jordan Lloyd
Winner of Season 11
​Finished fourth in Season 13 
 
It is well-known to all reality television fans that “Big Brother” is a very cut-throat game. You make alliances, but at some point, you have to turn on your own people. There can only be ONE winner. It is a challenging game for houseguests to navigate because a winning resume must balance competition wins with a strong social game. You cannot alienate all of the houseguests and expect to win the grand prize of $750,000. (It used to be $500,000 until two seasons ago). This is because the winner of “Big Brother” is determined by a jury of the last seven to nine houseguests who were voted out of the house. Because of the cut-throat nature of the game, most winners have had “blood on their hands” and not played the cleanest of games. One of the main reasons Jordan Lloyd, winner of Season 11, simply MUST be on the list of Best Big Brother Players is that she was a nice, loyal, compassionate and sweet player. During Season 11, she only managed to win two Head of Household competitions and one Power of Veto, but she aligned herself with some strong players. Her main ally was Jeff Schroeder, with whom she is now married and has two children. Jeff was a competition beast and beloved by many like her. Their good girl and good guy charm led them to go very far on the game. Jeff made it to Top 5 before getting voted out. Jordan also was nominated four times for eviction but managed to escape eviction every time. Jordan being such a nice girl and a great player of the game led to her beating out Natalie Martinez in a 5-2 vote. Jordan’s gameplay is a shining example to all future Big Brother houseguests that it is possible to win the game with integrity. The fact that Lloyd returned for Big Brother 13 and managed to reach the Top 4, even as a previous winner, shows us all that she knows what she is doing in the game of Big Brother.  
 
9. Tiffany Mitchell
Season 23, finished in 6th place 
 
Tiffany Mitchell is one of the absolute best “Big Brother” players that did not make it to finale night and SHOULD HAVE. There is hardly anyone in “Big Brother” history who could strategize like Tiffany. Tiffany was the master organizer of the famous Cookout Alliance of Big Brother 23. Their main objective was to ensure that their season of Big Brother would have the first black winner for the show. The alliance consisted of Mitchell, Azah Awasum, Derek Frazier, Hannah Chaddha, Kyland Young, and the winner of the season Xavier Prather. The alliance got to the final six and was one of the most successful alliances in Big Brother history. Mitchell had every single one of them latch onto one person as an ally who could help steer their people away from any member of The Cookout Alliance, and it worked. Mitchell was exceptional at strategizing and had a strong social game, so the rest of the alliance members knew she would need to be the first one to go after their mission was fulfilled to ensure they all made it to the Top 6. Mitchell was only nominated for eviction once, and it was when she was evicted. As far as competitions go, she only won one Head of Household, but Tiffany showed us all that it doesn’t matter how many competitions you win when you are running the game behind the scenes. I am glad that Tiffany was voted as America’s Favorite Houseguest and got the $50,000 prize.  
 
8. Britney Haynes
Season 12, finished 4th 
Big Brother 14, finished 8th 
Big Brother: Reindeer Games, finished 5th 
 
One of the most difficult episodes I have ever watched of “Big Brother” was because of Britney Haynes. In Season 12, Britney had aligned herself with Lane Elenburg, Monet Stunson and Ragan Fox, while mostly getting into a rivalry with showmance Brendon Villegas and Rachel Reilly. What Britney did not know was that she ended up helping the famous Brigade alliance eliminate all of their enemies throughout the season. When she failed to win the Head of Household competition and Power of Veto competition with four of them left in the house, the Brigade alliance voted her out, with her finishing fourth place in her first season. What made it so heartbreaking is that Britney was a really great “Big Brother” player and one of the best. She won a Head of Household and three Power of Vetoes and had an incredibly strong social game. Ironically, she was extremely honest in the diary room confessionals. No one can give a diary room confessional like her. The main thing Britney Haynes is remembered for is her brutally honest commentary on the events of the house. She did not hold back and showed us all how incredibly hilarious she was. America loved Britney, and that is why she was the winner of America’s Favorite Houseguest. One of the best players that did not win ... for sure.
 
7. Taylor Hale
Winner of Big Brother Season 24 
 
Taylor Hale simply HAS to be on the list of best “Big Brother” players because she endured so much in that house. Taylor went from the black sheep of the house to the first person to win the “Big Brother” game and win America’s Favorite Houseguest. From the very first week, a misunderstanding led to houseguest Daniel believing Taylor “bullied” Paola in some way, but it led to Taylor being treated like an outcast when she truly did not mean to hurt anyone at all. Taylor had to sit on the block six times during the season. When you are on the block, you have to strategize and have a strong social game to convince people in the house that it is good for their game for you to be there. She had to do this so many times, showing just how resilient she was. Taylor managed to win a couple of Head of Households, too. Taylor was in the final two alongside a competition beast, Monte Taylor, who had won three Head of Households and two Power of Veto competitions. In the end, though, the jury awarded Taylor the win in an 8-1 vote. Taylor’s game is a testament that you can win the game even when you feel you spend the entire season with your back against the wall and trying to get out of sticky situations.
 
6. Cody Calafiore
Winner of Big Brother: All Stars 
Runner-Up of Big Brother Season 16 
 
Cody Calafiore is the poster model for what a typical “Big Brother” winner should look like. He plays such a strong social game. He is able to appeal to everyone with his good-guy persona and win people over. Cody manages to make you feel that it's great for your game for him to still be around, even though he is a competitive beast and definitely a threat. In his first season, Cody was aligned with winner Derrick Levasseur. Cody managed to win three Head of Household competitions and three Power of Veto competitions. Derrick and Cody dominated the game and had a significant impact on the entire season. Rarely did they hit a snag in their plans. Cody made an awful decision in Season 16 by honoring his final two with Derrick. If he had cut Derrick with his Final HOH win, he would have easily won over “floater” Victoria. However, he chose to be loyal and lost the grand prize. It was widely seen that Derrick was more of the mastermind than Cody. Cody got to come back in 2020 for an All-Star season and dominated the game. Even though he should have been on the block the very first week and voted out, he managed to fly under the radar. Cody would go on to win a whopping four Head of Households and four Power of Veto. When it came time to vote for the winner, the entire jury agreed unanimously that Cody deserved it. Cody truly is one of the best winners of the show ever.
 
5. Vanessa Rousso
Finished third in Big Brother Season 17 
 
Vanessa Rousso is one of the best “Big Brother” players to not win. Vanessa lost the final HOH, and the winner, Steve Moses, decided to cut her and take Liz Nolan with him to the final. It was the right decision because if Steve had chosen Vanessa, he would have lost. Vanessa had played THE best social and competitive game of the season. I was devastated when she lost and got cut. She would have been one of the best winners the show had ever seen. Vanessa was a part of The Sixth Sense alliance and was so great at manipulating other people to do what she wanted them to do. She really was running the house the entire season. Vanessa was also great at competitions: she won four Head of Household competitions and three Power of Veto competitions. Vanessa was successful at holding onto power in the house, but she pivoted and got other people who had the power to do what was needed to further her own interests in the game. She was an extremely aggressive player and one of the best.
 
 
4. Nicole Franzel
Winner of Big Brother 18 and Big Brother: Reindeer Games 
Finished 7th in Big Brother 16
Finished third in Big Brother: All Stars 
 
Nicole Franzel was someone I was rooting for to win her very first season. Unfortunately, she was seen as a threat to master manipulators Derrick and Cody in Season 16, and they ensured she was gone too early from the game. Nicole, fortunately, got to return to compete again in Big Brother 18 and ultimately won the game. Nicole won two Head of Household competitions and two Power of Veto competitions, but she had managed to align herself strongly with Corey Brooks, Paulie Calafiore and Zakiyah Everette. Nicole and her alliance were able to control the game most of the season with some slight shifts in power. Where Nicole really excelled was her social game. When Nicole beat runner-up Paul Abrahamian, it was clear that while he had also played an incredible game, she was better at jury management. She was better at making sure players didn’t feel too hurt by the moves she had to make in the game, while Paul’s moves left a bitter taste in the jury’s mouth. It was a close vote, with a 5-4 win for Franzel. Nicole was also a very emotional player and showed humanity in the Big Brother house. She sometimes would cry and be very open in the diary room confessionals, and I respected her for sharing the conflicting feelings of this game.
 
3. Dan Gheesling
Winner of Big Brother 10 
Runner-up of Big Brother 14 
 
Dan Gheesling is simply one of the best “Big Brother” players of all time. He was one of the most skilled manipulators to have ever walked through those doors. In Dan’s first season, he was a part of the Renegades Alliance and was loyal to Brian Hart, Keesha Smith, Memphis Garrett, Renny Martyn and Steven Daigle. Dan managed to win three Head of Household competitions and two Power of Veto competitions. He was one of the very first to show viewers how to have power when you didn’t have power. It did not matter if Dan was HOH or a POV winner; he was running the house. He was only nominated for eviction twice throughout the entire season, demonstrating the strength of his social game alongside his competition wins. Dan won his first Season.
 
What Dan is mostly remembered for, though, is when he appeared to be doomed to go home during Big Brother 14 when he lost the Power of Veto, he staged “Dan’s Funeral.” He cried and manipulated people into feeling sorry for him, all while he had a plan for POV winner Jen to take him off the block and, surprisingly, have the HOH name Britney Haynes as a replacement nominee. It was one of the most shocking moments in the history of “Big Brother.” Dan’s social game was not viewed as effective the second time around. He even managed to get his ally, Danielle, to take Dan off the block so he could vote out her showmance stud, Shane. Danielle’s jaw dropped, and so did all of ours. Dan is one of the absolute best.
 
2. Rachel Reilly 
Winner of Big Brother 13 
Finished 9th in Big Brother 12 
Currently in the house now  
 
Rachel Reilly is one of the fiercest competitors in Big Brother history. What makes her so incredible is that she can pull off competition wins, lay low when needed, strategize and still be herself unapologetically. Rachel is one of the most quoted “Big Brother” houseguests of all time with lines like, “Who wants to see my HOH room?,” “Floaters, you better grab a life vest,” and calling Brendon “Bookie!” Rachel’s first season she only managed to win two Head of Households before finishing in 9th place. She returned for Season 13, though, and won four Head of Household competitions and two Power of Veto competitions. She was strongly aligned with the Veterans Alliance with her now husband, Brendon, Jeff, Jordan and Porsche Briggs (the runner-up of the season). Rachel has really proven that a strong strategy when playing this game is pivoting. It is all about knowing when you need to do something and when you don’t. It is about knowing when to backdoor someone and when not to. If you remove someone perceived to be a threat too early, it can be detrimental to your game because then you become the next target of attention. Reilly famously said, “No one gets between me and my man” when talking about her husband, Brendon, and that’s what she said about the prize money, too.
 
1. Derrick Levasseur 
Winner of Big Brother 16
 
There is no one who should be No. 1 on the list of the best “Big Brother” players of all time other than the winner of Big Brother 16. Derrick played an absolutely perfect game. Derrick was never nominated for eviction; he won four Head of Household competitions and was aligned with Cody Calafiore in the Hitmen Alliance. Cody won three HOH’s and three Power of Veto competitions. With this being the case, the two of them ran the house the entire season. It was Derrick who seemed to be more strategic in the game, though. Derrick also lied about his profession. Derrick was a police officer, and he felt that it could put a target on his back, so he kept that information to himself. Derrick’s win was a unanimous 9-0 vote. Derrick truly showed us all exactly how “Big Brother” was supposed to be played.