Who Are The Biggest Stars On Network Television?

I like network television. There's something comforting about the consistency of a show that's on nearly every week between September and May. I'm sure there's a lot of nostalgia too. It's remembering watching Cheers, In Living Color, The Simpsons, Seinfeld, and other shows when I was younger. In the time of cable and streaming services, it’s nice to see that ABC, CBS, NBC, FOX, and the other one (is it CW or WB? I don’t know) still produce shows that could be part of a national shared experience. I write "could be" since that doesn’t actually happen anymore other than the Super Bowl or Will Smith hitting Chris Rock. With so many shows on so many different stations and streaming services, I feel like the only place where there could be a shared experience is on network TV. That seems doubtful though as I'll explain below.

I started thinking about the current biggest stars on network television. Who would be the most recognizable actors in a modern-day Battle of the Network Stars? 

Are there any A-listers like George Clooney, Tina Fey, or Steve Carell on network TV? Before we proceed, my self-imposed rule is that it can’t be someone on a reality or news show. That removes probably the biggest names on network TV such as Ryan Seacrest, Sofia Vergara, Blake Shelton, and Anderson Cooper. My first stop was to look up the most-recent Nielsen ratings.

Taking out sports, reality, and award shows, we're looking at four scripted shows. My wife watches the Chicago shows, so I'm familiar with them, but I can't name any actor except for S. Epatha Merkerson and Oliver Platt from Chicago Med. While I don't know any cast members on Young Sheldon or Ghosts, I believe that Jim Parsons serves as the narrator on the former. Of course, if we're allowing voices, Don Cheadle counts for his voice on Wonder Years. With all of that written, the clear winner as the most famous person on TV has to be The Rock from NBC's Young Rock. While I've never watched an episode, based on commercials, it seems like he has an on-screen role unlike Parsons and Cheadle. And if we're doing a Battle of the Network Stars, who's going to beat Dwayne Johnson and NBC? 

Here are others who receive consideration and should be a part of network star competition:

Ellen Pompeo - Grey's Anatomy (ABC)

Mariska Hargitay & Ice T - Law & Order: SVU (NBC)

Actually, any current cast member of these two shows who has been on for at least 10 years is eligible.

Queen Latifah - The Equalizer (CBS)

George Lopez - Lopez vs. Lopez (NBC)

Tom Selleck & Donnie Wahlberg - Blue Bloods (CBS)

Chris O'Donnell & LL Cool J - NCIS: Los Angeles (CBS)

Mayim Bialik - Call Me Kat (FOX)

Rob Lowe - 9-1-1 Lone Star (FOX)

Quinta Brunson - Abbott Elementary (ABC) -  I would love to see the event where Quinta faces off against The Rock!

Hilary Swank - Alaska Daily (ABC) - Yes, a 2-time Oscar winner is the star of a network TV show in 2023.

Ernie Hudson - Quantum Leap (NBC)

Cedric the Entertainer - The Neighborhood (CBS)

Are there any others I'm missing? Am I the only one who cares about network TV?

Fatherhood Update (My Son Is 2)

I've learned that timing is one of the most important aspects of writing a blog. For example, it would seem a bit silly to write a review now of the FOX television show The Mob Doctor seeing that the show was cancelled months ago. (When I read this post again in a few years, I'm going to regret using a Mob Doctor reference.) Of course, I don't always follow my own advice. Earlier this week, I wrote a recap of the New York Red Bulls-New England Revolution soccer game I attended three weeks ago. And today, I'm writing about my son turning two even though that occurred nearly two months ago.

- Let's start with the tale of the tape. At his two year appointment, my son was 27.2 pounds (41st percentile) and 35 inches tall (68th percentile). 68th percentile! WOOOO! I'm 5' 7" so I'm hopeful that he's taller than me. Someone told me that you're supposed to double a child's height when they are two to determine their adult height. If that's the case, my son will be 5' 10". Again, WOOOOOOO!

- My son has a girlfriend at daycare. Actually, while they don't want to define their relationship, they are extremely funny and cute together. When they see each other in the morning, they do some type of happy dance. There are also hugs. They have both met each other's families and my son even slept over her house. This could be considering scandalous and may be a plot development on the next episode of Scandal, but we're okay with it.

- I wouldn't necessary write that my son is shy, but it takes him time to warm up to people. I guess this is a good thing. We take neighborhood walks nightly and he's cautious around other people and dogs. He sees some of the same people and dogs regularly, but he'll sometimes move closer to me. (In case you're wondering, when he spends significant time with a dog, he's fine with them though he's not a big fan of getting licked on his face.)

- With all of this dog talk, don't worry about his allegiances. He still loves Ziggy.

- My son's primary interests are books, puzzles (especially the Melissa & Doug ones) and anything with wheels. His favorite toys are cars, buses and trucks. Again, anything with wheels. He also is fascinated by real life buses. Maybe he associates buses with me since he has seen me get off a bus from my commute. Regardless, he gets so excited when he sees a bus.

- My son's favorite stuffed animal is the uniquely named Bear Bear, who granted me permission to share his (her?) picture.

- When I mentioned earlier that he may be shy, he is also cautious. He will hold our hands to go up and down stairs and he's never tried to climb out of his crib.

- It's very scary to me that he knows how to use an iPad. From the sleep mode, he knows what button to press to turn on the iPad, and then he can slide to unlock the iPad. He knows what apps are his too. Again, scary.

- To conclude the bedtime routine, we sing Goodnight Sweetheart, Goodnight by The Spaniels. I'm not sure if my parents sang this to me or if I got this from a movie. If the second choice is the answer, I can thank Tom Selleck, Steve Guttenberg and Ted Danson.



Overall, my son is a sweet kid. He has a wonderful laugh and he gives great hugs. He is usually calm and simply likes to play. There have been a few more meltdowns now that my son turned two, but I'll write about that some other time. Probably when he's about to start kindergarten.