Television Turmoil: Shasta McNasty is all shock with no value

Television Turmoil is a look at the worst and weirdest series to make their way onto the small screen.

The 90s were a period of enormous growth for television. The rise of cable caused an explosion of channels attempting to cater to specific interests and age groups. It wasn’t just cable networks attempting to expand into the market. With Fox successfully established as the “fourth network” in the world of broadcast television, The WB and UPN came into being in an attempt to capture some of that same magic. Of the two upstarts, UPN is something of a black sheep in discussions about this period. When looking at a show like Shasta McNasty it isn’t hard to understand why.

Created by Jeff Eastin, the program attempted to cater to the male demographic (specifically “11 and up” according to UPN’s then-COO) as it followed the exploits of three friends who are part of the titular rap rock band. If you didn’t know this was produced in 1999, that last line certainly gave it away. The trio features Dennis (Jake Busey, son of Gary) the “wild one,” Scott (Carmine Giovinazzo) the “straight man” and Randy (Dale Godboldo) the “guy who gets all the other jokes.” Don’t you worry, there is also a female character. Diana (Mary Lynn Rajskub in the pilot, Jolie Jenkins for the rest of the series) who shares a kitchen with the trio and occasionally gets to have a plot of her own. Also, because this is the late 90s, Verne Troyer is here.

The pilot of Shasta McNasty aired immediately following an episode of WWF Smackdown in a rare moment of synergy for UPN. It is perhaps one of the worst things I have ever forced myself to watch. Chock full of rampant sexism, abuse, and constant sex jokes, it feels like someone took the most detestable aspects of 90s shock culture, put them in a blender and removed anything resembling satire. After all, we’re supposed to side with these characters. The show makes that clear by all but cheering on their actions. The only saving grace is that no one had the idea to include a laugh track full of Married… With Children-style whoops and hollers.

Most of the pilot revolves around our trio of misfits spying on a woman across the street change with the help of an elaborate camera system, only to discover that her boyfriend is cheating on her. Disgusted by this, they resolve to break the couple up and lead her into the arms of one of them. With such a thin plot, there is plenty of time for Zach Morris-like fourth wall breaks, a musical interlude that is neither particularly funny nor musical, and an extended sequence of Scott fighting a parrot puppet. With all that, it isn’t hard to understand why 11-year-olds were specifically called out as a potential audience.

While the show attempted to keep up that “in your face” edgy style that has aged as well as a 1-800-COLLECT commercial, the network had other ideas and retooled the program after a few episodes. The new version, simply titled Shasta, sanded down a lot of the edges to the show. It became less about shock value and more about standard sitcom fare. Plots no longer revolved around scoring with women, instead focusing on paying rent or the relationship between Scott and Diana.

As you might expect, this failed to attract an audience or improve the show’s quality. Beneath all the juvenile antics and pandering to the lowest common denominator there was nothing left. The characters were nothing more than thin caricatures, and any of them developing into someone likable would be a step too far. Writing hackneyed sitcom scripts and anticipating the inevitable cancellation was all that remained.

After lasting a full season, mostly because of UPN having nothing else to air, Shasta McNasty was cancelled in the summer, airing a final episode that jumped ahead to 2010 for a Behind the Music parody that followed the band after they found success. The closest thing to an original idea the show had. Another in a long line of shows cancelled by UPN after a single season.

Perhaps I’m being a little rough on this show, but in my eyes there is just nothing redeeming about this. It’s a snapshot of the worst aspects of the late 90s, all edge and rage with nothing to say. A series in such desperate need of an identity that it attempted to find one by appealing to the South Park crowd with none of the humor. In many ways, that search for an identity is also key to UPN’s struggles as a network.

Like Shasta, UPN struggled constantly throughout its run to find an identity as a network. The WB found its niche as a destination for teens and young adults, a focus carried over into The CW. UPN could never find that singular focus, attempting to latch on to popular trends and hoping that one would lead to success. It isn’t hard to see the parallels. Even if it feels wrong to compare the entire network to this one show. In the year 1999, though, UPN and Shasta McNasty were on similar wavelengths. Both desperate to attract an audience but unaware that to garner attention you need more than what you can find at the bottom of a barrel.

Next Time: We take a breather and focus on something goofy, the much lampooned police procedural musical, Cop Rock.

The 10 best TV shows of 2025

2025 was a terrible year for the world. For television, it was surprisingly strong, thanks in part to a wealth of new programs. It was also the first full year of this blog, which I’ll assume is just a coincidence for the uptick in quality. The wheels of capitalism continue to turn, making the future uncertain in all aspects. But before we worry about the future, let’s look back at some of my favorites from the past year.

10. Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man

Photo: Marvel/Disney

While Marvel’s live action offerings are still trying to regain their footing, their animation department has been knocking it out of the park. First, with X-Men ’97 and now with this updated version of our favorite wallcrawler. Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man takes the established beats of our hero and finds fun twists on them. Whether it’s Norman Osborn as his mentor or a new homemade suit, it’s still the same Peter Parker we know and love. The cel-shaded animation adds to the unique experience while also paying homage to co-creator Steve Ditko. It’s comic book fun while also telling an engaging story, something surprisingly rare these days.

9. The Studio

Photo: Apple TV+

Hollywood satires are almost as old as Hollywood. What makes The Studio so special is the sheer joy it seems to have while mocking the business. Co-creators Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg direct every episode and continually find inventive ways to pay homage to film. Whether it’s a takedown on the one-shot trend that is also all one-shot or a riff on film noir, there’s always something in this show to keep you fixed to the screen. Rogen might also be the lead, but he’s surrounded by a game cast including Catherine O’Hara, Ike Barinholtz, and Kathryn Hahn. That’s before we get into the cavalcade of guest stars, all game to poke fun at the industry and themselves. That a show this funny and inventive is at 9 should be a testament to how great this year was for TV.

8. Common Side Effects

Photo: Adult Swim

Adult Swim is no stranger to odd programming, but Common Side Effects is outside their usual wheelhouse. A dark comedy/conspiracy thriller with elements of science fiction and stoner comedy blended in. The series follows a myriad of characters, all vying for a mysterious blue mushroom that cures all illnesses. Part of the show’s charm is the array of personalities, from our hippie lead, Marshall, to FBI detectives and best friends Copano and Harrington. The depth of these characters in such a short runtime (usually 22 minutes) is impressive. Equally impressive is the animation, full of compelling action sequences and vibrant psychedelic scenes. It’s wholly unique and wonderfully subversive.

7. The Chair Company

Photo: HBO

Tim Robinson has made a name for himself by playing guys that can be charitably described as “at their limit.” The Chair Company continues that while taking us inside the conspiratorial mindset of that person. After having a chair collapse beneath him during a presentation, Ron Trosper goes on a quest to find the company behind the chairs and make them…apologize? That Ron isn’t really sure what he wants from this adventure is one of the series’ unspoken gags. Full of bizarre non sequiturs, strange characters, and countless twists, The Chair Company presents a world all its own. One where a stranger in a Jason mask could be the crux of the whole conspiracy or just another element that doesn’t fit.

6. The Lowdown

Photo: FX

Sterlin Harjo’s Reservation Dogs was one of the most beautiful and underseen shows of the last decade. His followup, The Lowdown, continues in that vein while adding elements of noir and western into the mix. Ethan Hawke stars as “truth-storian” Lee Raybon as he looks into the probable suicide of wealthy Oklahoman Dale Washberg. In true crime story fashion, there’s more going on than you’d expect. With a terrific cast of supporting players that includes Keith David, Kyle MacLachlan, and Jeanne Tripplehorn, The Lowdown is a story that sits with you. Its focus on the community of Tulsa is well earned and timely, offering a glimmer of hope through our strength together.

5. Adolescence

Photo: Netflix

Devastating and mesmerizing in equal measure, Adolescence takes your typical crime drama and turns it on its head. Each of the series’ 4 episodes focus on a different phase in the investigation into a young girl’s murder, with the added punch that they’re all shot in one take. What could easily become a gimmick creates a tension that builds as each installment unfolds. Add in terrific performances from Stephen Graham, Erin Doherty, and newcomer Owen Cooper, and you have one of the most thought-provoking series of the year. Adolescence never shies away from the themes it tackles, and it offers no straightforward solutions. It feels real in a way that few shows successfully pull off.

4. The Pitt

Photo: Warner Bros Discovery/Max

Speaking of real, it doesn’t get more realistic than The Pitt. Created by former ER writer R. Scott Gemmill and starring John Carter himself, Noah Wyle, the series’ first season follows a single shift at the Pittsburgh Trauma Medical Center, one hour at a time. The show’s real-time concept (mostly) takes out the melodrama in favor of dealing with patients as they come in. It’s a welcome change of pace for a genre that too often revolves around the doctors, nurses, and medical staff’s personal lives. The series also serves as a tribute to the real-life professionals who do this day in and day out by giving us a taste of their process. That it’s also packed with terrific acting and writing only sweetens the whole deal.

3. The Rehearsal

Photo: HBO

No one can or should do what Nathan Fielder does. On the latest season of his docu-comedy series, the comedian goes to new heights in blending reality and fiction together. In a shockingly relevant move, Fielder tackles airline safety, specifically the possibility that pilots and co-pilots are not having effective communication in the cockpit. His attempts to crack this problem involve creating a fake reality singing show, reliving the life of one famous pilot, and even presenting his findings to a congressional representative. That’s only the tip of this delightful iceberg. Part of the joy of Fielder’s brand of comedy is in his ability to weave disparate threads together in ways you’ll never expect. By the end, you’ll believe a man can fly.

2. Pluribus

Photo: Apple TV+

What a joy it is to have a new Vince Gilligan show. After spending time in the grounded world of the Breaking Bad universe, Gilligan returns to science fiction with a fun take on the alien invasion concept. When all but a baker’s dozen of people on the planet become part of a hive mind, it’s up to one misanthrope to save the day. Or at least, that’s the initial plan. With an incredible lead performance from Rhea Seehorn and a plot that knows exactly when to subvert your expectations, Pluribus is another winner. What really sets the show apart is the malleability of its central concept. The hive mind can represent the current AI hysteria, far-right groupthink, or any number of concepts that cause havoc in our daily lives. As the disclaimer in its credits states, “this show was made by humans,” for that we’re grateful.

1. Andor

Photo: Lucasfilm

A Star Wars show focused on the spy character from Rogue One was a tough sell initially, but Andor quickly made the case for itself. Part spy show, part political thriller, the show proved that you can create a captivating series in this universe without constant fan pandering. Season two further elevated the series to the pinnacle of what Star Wars can be. The 12-episode season follows Cassian Andor and an assemblage of Rebellion members, Empire toadies, and the civilians caught between them in the years leading up to Andor’s fateful adventure in Rogue One. Thrilling and increasingly relevant, it’s a show that will probably never be duplicated. A story of resistance, hope, and the constant struggle for freedom. If the best science fiction reflects aspects of our current reality, you can’t get much better than this.

Best Medicine could use a better bedside manner

Photo: Fox

Through the years, American producers have sought inspiration from across the pond, taking Britain’s best shows and molding them to fit our cultural sensibilities. With a few notable exceptions, most of these shows fall flat in their execution. There are some things that can’t translate to a new audience. In recent years, reality and game shows have become the main area of adaptation. Every once in a while, the old ways crop back up, like in Fox’s new dramedy Best Medicine.

Based on the popular UK series Doc Martin, Best Medicine follows Dr. Martin Best (Josh Charles) a surgeon with a blunt demeanor who moves to the small fishing town of Port Wenn. He struggles to acclimate to small town life thanks in part to a cavalcade of wacky townsfolk. There’s his influencer assistant Elaine (Cree), the chatty town sheriff Mark (Josh Segarra), and his own aunt (Annie Potts). You better believe there’s a love interest, schoolteacher Louisa (Abigail Spencer), ready to melt his icy heart. It’s a concept we’ve seen on TV many times before, so why does it fall flat here?

For starters, Port Wenn lacks a personality. We’ve all heard jokes about cities as their own characters before, but for a show like this, we really need to see what makes this place special. This is ostensibly about a Niles Crane-type learning to love life in a small town, but the setting feels as generic as a Hallmark movie. It doesn’t help that the cases Dr. Best handles are less than engaging.

The first episode partly revolves around a sudden increase in men gaining breasts. This male boob crisis turns out to have a simple solution, and that becomes the show’s basic formula. A medical situation causes tension before the good doctor sets it right. I get it, this isn’t House. The medical problems are meant to be window dressing for the weekly slice of small town life. In execution, they feel like an excuse to draw the show out to an hour. Maybe it all stems back to the characters?

A series like Best Medicine thrives by providing a cast of quirky characters for us to fall in love with. While the cast is more than able, the material they’re stuck with is painfully conventional. The show is full of scenes of people explaining how they’re feeling. This happens with Louisa and Mark. We learn early on that they were set to be married before Louisa called it off. What follows are multiple scenes where both characters reveal their relationship history to Dr. Best, a complete stranger. The other townsfolk feel eccentric in ways that prove to be more grating than charming. This is most obvious with Elaine, who feels like another example of older writers trying and failing to write for Gen Z.

“Small town life isn’t for everyone,” a local says early in the first episode. Best Medicine fails at making a case that it’s for anyone. The townspeople seem to live there out of osmosis. That might be more true to reality, but it certainly isn’t the show’s intention. Viewers can find some cold comfort in the series’ cozy vibe, but you’re better off watching a Hallmark movie. Better yet, go turn on the original and see what all the fuss is about.

Best Medicine airs Tuesdays on Fox. Episodes stream the next day on Hulu.

Final Verdict: Tune Out

Run Away is high on thrills but low on sense

Photo: Netflix

It’s a new year, which means Netflix is back with a new Harlan Coben adaptation. The prolific author continues to churn out new series at a pace just slightly faster than his published works. It’s a lucrative deal for both sides. Netflix loves content, and Coben remains one of the best content mills around. The New Year’s Day releases draw the most attention and bring me here today to talk about Run Away.

Based on the 2019 novel, Run Away follows Simon Greene (James Nesbitt), a father in desperate search of his daughter. As you might have guessed, Paige Greene (Ellie de Lange) is a runaway, but this is a mystery thriller, so there’s more going on here than meets the eye. After a confrontation with Simon, Paige’s boyfriend turns up dead. Both father and daughter are suspects, but this is a mystery thriller and there’s something else afoot. It’s up to Simon to solve the case before Detective Issac Fagbenle (Alfred Enoch) pins it on him.

There are plenty of moving parts in Run Away. Apart from the Greenes, there’s a mysterious private investigator (Ruth Jones) with her own case and a duo of quirky assassins (Jon Pointing and Maeve Courtier-Lilley) gunning down a list of targets. These disparate threads eventually come together as part of the show’s twist-heavy narrative. The series works double time, throwing new wrinkles at you and hoping that the fast pace keeps you from thinking about them. It’s when you try to make sense of it all that you realize the pieces don’t exactly fit together. The mystery became too much for me by the time a secret cult was revealed to be part of it.

Despite all the focus on other characters, Nesbitt carries the show as Simon. At first, it seems the show will be a two-hander with Simon and his wife Ingrid (Minnie Driver). Instead, Ingrid remains absent from much of the action, a profound misuse of Driver. That leaves Simon as our protagonist, and Nesbitt does an admirable job with some shallow characterization. He’s given slightly more depth than everyone around him, who seems to change personality depending on the most recent twist. That’s not entirely fair. Some of them are just one-note, like Simon’s other daughter Anya or Fagbenle’s partner, who he happens to be sleeping with.

Run Away is never boring, a change of pace from the last Coben offering. That doesn’t mean it’s quality either. It might keep you off your phone, but it won’t deliver anything you haven’t seen in countless other mystery thrillers. Like the airport novel it’s based on, the show will occupy your time when there’s nothing else to do. Afterward, it will quietly leave your brain, never to be thought of again.

Run Away is currently streaming on Netflix.

Final Verdict: Tune Out

The Copenhagen Test is full of twists but offers little substance

Photo: Peacock

Like many spy thrillers before it, The Copenhagen Test wants you to trust no one. Whether it’s a secret government agency, a mysterious bartender, or our protagonist, everyone is hiding something. There’s a reason so many spy stories go to that well. Besides being a great hook for the audience, it’s also natural for a secret agent to question everything. To pull it off requires a delicate balance of character, storytelling, and the right amount of narrative twists. The Copenhagen Test almost gets there.

The series follows Alexander Hale (Simu Liu) a Chinese-American intelligence analyst operating for a secret group known as The Orphanage. The organization operates as something of a watchdog for other agencies, with an upstairs full of field agents and a downstairs for the analysts. When they discover a leak, Alexander becomes the chief suspect. Eventually, we learn someone hacked Alexander’s brain. With the help of other agents, including Michelle (Melissa Barrera) that mysterious bartender, Alexander plays the role of double agent. Or is he really playing a triple agent?

The primary goal of The Copenhagen Test seems to be keeping the viewer guessing. There’s an intriguing premise here full of twists, most of them thrilling. The problem is that viewers have to be left in the dark for many of these turns to land. It works thematically to put the viewer in the mind of Alexander, but makes for a frustrating viewing experience as the series goes on. The writing’s disinterest in world-building only adds to that. This is a world where brains can get hacked into and the US intelligence community is under constant threat from unknown forces. It’s close enough to our own reality that it doesn’t require much effort, but we get none.

With the constant questions of allegiance, The Copenhagen Test requires a lead actor who can balance our sympathies and skepticism. Simu Liu is more than up to the task. Liu, who made waves in the MCU with Shang-Chi, has been waiting for an opportunity to show off those action chops again. He proves he’s a capable leading man, and his scenes with Barrera explode with chemistry. The duo’s fascinating to watch, whether they’re flirting or kicking ass.

The rest of the team helping them don’t get nearly as much to do. Brian d’Arcy James plays a pragmatic supervisor who does little more than look at screens and lecture those around him. Sinclair Daniel gets a fun role as Parker, the agent charged with processing how Alexander thinks. There’s a kinship between the two despite their inability to meet face-to-face that is engaging. The rest of the agents are even more underdeveloped.

The Copenhagen Test offers all the action and suspense you’d expect from a spy thriller, but it still feels like something is missing. Try as it might, the show can’t move past its ill-defined world and stock supporting cast. There’s enough here to make a fun movie, maybe even a franchise. As an 8-episode TV series, it feels drawn out. It turns out the big secret hiding in this show is that there isn’t much there once you get deep into it.

The Copenhagen Test is currently streaming on Peacock.

Final Verdict: Tune Out