Written on 7/22/18; 7/24/18
7/22/18
-Before I start talking about this season, I just want to take the time and wonder how I got to this point. This was never supposed to happen. I used to talk about how once the show hit three/four seasons or 100 episodes, I would be done. But now, I'm just a few months away from the 150th episode of the series. I'm always surprised at the end of every season because of how much time, effort, and passion I put into this one thing in my life, and it's been a consistent part of my life since my last days of eighth grade. I know I can't do this forever, and I'm not going to allow myself to keep going when it's time to move on, but it's definitely going to be hard to move on. In a way, I understand why shows like The Simpsons and Family Guy and South Park still go on. Other than making money, this really does mean the world to the people who work on these shows, regardless of the quality of these shows.
-Okay, now what do I think about season six? It started out just fine, but then near the end, it was becoming more of a drag. I think this time, I actually am disappointed with the quality of the episodes. I don't think there are any episodes I'm embarrassed by or regret writing, but I feel like for most of this season, the show didn't go anywhere special. "The Space Program" was a really high point for the season and not many episodes reached that level. I don't think season six really reached that standard I usually aim for when it comes to the show. It felt like this time around, I was just writing episodes for the sake of writing them. There were a lot of solid episodes, but I don't think there were many like "Thank You for Being an Enemy" or "Raging Buster" or "The Code." I don't know, this might just be me still disappointed over the finale, but I think season six was the first time I felt like things were getting stale.
-One major reason season six feels this way to me is probably because of a lack of goals. I was irritated and angry because of the way season four fell apart, and I wanted to apologize to myself for letting things get out of control like that. I had something to prove with season five, and it paid off because I accomplished every single goal I set for myself. It also helped that I was going through changes in my personal life, as I graduated from high school and went to college. Plus, being a big WWE fan, even that felt different for a while as the brand split came back, so there were a lot of transitions and new things happening. It was almost like the show was getting a chance to start over. With season six, it was just me maintaining consistency like I usually do, but it felt different this time. Everything started feeling the same. I guess because I wasn't working towards anything, and I didn't end the season very well, that ended up reflecting badly on the rest of the season, even if the episodes themselves were just fine.
-Another reason is probably because I wanted it to be this way. I remember thinking "The Space Program" was insane, even for an episode of this show, so I didn't want to keep doing stuff like that. In season five, I wrote episodes of all styles. There was out there stuff like "The Homework Machine" and "Our Very First Flashback Blooper Clip Show," but there was also stuff like "Buster Plays the Field" and "Favor for a Favor for a Favor for a Favor," episodes that could be on any sitcom. I think part of me wanted to get away from that weirdness, but that's part of what makes Thank You, Heavenly what it is. It can be just like any other sitcom, but it can also be bizarre and unconventional and a little awkward. It seemed like I was trying to avoid that this season, but that's what made things more plain and average. I have to know my limits, but I shouldn't be ashamed of the show being weird.
-Regardless of how the episodes turned out, one thing I would have realized about the show at the end of the season is that it is officially an old man now. I always thought that even though there were starting to be more seasons, the show still felt young to me. I don't feel that way anymore. Six years really flew by, but that's still a long time for any show as it develops, discovers new things about itself, and you approach it a lot differently than you did in the past. Season four almost feels ancient despite it ending two years ago. The show is beginning to age, but the goal now is to keep things fresh until I decide to call it quits. The last thing I want is to write a season where I know I'm not shooting for anything. I wasn't trying to top myself in season six or make the best season possible. I need to get back to having that mentality.
-If I had to put together a top five right now, with no hesitation, I would have to choose "The Space Program," "Don't Curse (for 22 Minutes)," "Another Thank You, Heavenly Christmas," "The RK Feline Fiasco Remix," and "War of the Salehs." No, scratch that. I would include "RK's Monster" to make it a top six. I had fun writing all of those and I feel like they really shine. "For Your Playground Only," "Wade Goes to Junior High," "The Real Thank You, Heavenly," "Table for Five," and "12 Angry Kids" would be the honorable mentions.
7/24/18
-"It's Her Party (She'll Sneak Out If She Wants To)," "100 Things to Do When You Skip School," "The Trouble with Religion," and "The Simpsons Movie: Thank You, Heavenly Edition" would be in the weaker half of episodes. I don't hate any of them, but they were either filler episodes or I dropped the ball on them, or both. I'm also upset that I didn't think of calling it "It's Her Party (She'll Lie If She Wants To)" until months after the episode came out.
-"The RK Feline Fiasco Remix" was an idea I had for a really long time, but I didn't think it would happen because originally, the idea was just me wanting to rewrite the pilot episode. Even though I don't like the first two seasons (and some of the 2014 episodes from season three), I felt like the original first episode should not be changed and remain what it is. It will continue reminding me of how far I have come since then. However, changing it in the form of a flashback episode allowed me to create an updated version of it. If I had a second chance to write the pilot in 2018, this is what it would be like. I'm glad it happened because it brought me back to a time where I didn't know what I wanted to do with these characters. I didn't care about things like stories and character development and continuity. I just wanted to be funny and have a lot of gags like Family Guy did.
-I don't write many episodes like "For Your Playground Only" anymore. I kept seeing this episode as different from the rest and I think I understand why. It's something that I would have done in the earlier seasons. The episode itself would obviously be written differently in 2013 or 2014, but the idea would have been the same. It feels like a throwback to that mindset I used to have of just being funny and writing gags. Now that I think about it, I probably have one or two of those episodes a season (like in season five with "The Kids of iCarly Elementary v. RK & Jaylynn" and "KWWE") where it feels like it could have been in the first two or three seasons.
-"12 Angry Kids" has an origin that dates back to before Thank You, Heavenly was even an idea. In late 2011, I was a fan of the Hey Arnold episode "False Alarm," which was a parody of the 1957 film 12 Angry Men. This is something I still do today, but when I really like an episode of a show, I just have to keep watching it, or go back to certain scenes that I found funny. I did it with "False Alarm," and it inspired me to create a story based on the episode. Sparky was in Arnold's role, and there were other kids in the jury that would determine if Manny pulled the alarm. Buster, RK, and Wade weren't thought of yet, and I wouldn't meet the real-life inspiration for Jaylynn until a year later. The story went the exact same route as the episode (I wasn't experienced with covers yet), and it was also called 12 Angry Kids. With this season, I just had the idea to turn my story into an episode of the show.
-"The Trouble with Religion" was an idea I came up with in January. Usually, I come up with a concept for an episode and it can take months for it to actually become an episode. I don't think of an episode idea and then write it like I used to, so this was pretty quick by my standards. "War of the Salehs" was even quicker, in terms of when I thought about the idea to when I started writing the script to when I finished it. But I'll talk about that more during the Backstage Pass.
-It's gotten a lot harder to do this, but I still try to maintain a balance with episodes. What I mean is, I'm still trying not to come out with an RK-heavy episode after I just came out with one. This also affects ideas I come up with and when certain episodes are released. I don't like to stick characters with stories that don't work for them, but I also want to make sure the main five all have something to do even if it's just a few lines. This season definitely took the same approach from season five when it came to that, because there were episodes where some of the main five didn't really do much of anything. "RK's Monster," "The RK Quiz Show Fiasco," "Student-Teacher Conference," and "The Trouble with Religion" are examples where the episode really only focuses on a few characters and the others are just on the side with commentary. Even if Buster only has a few lines, I still want him to show up in the episode, unless the point is that he doesn't need to (like with "RK's Monster").
-You might have already guessed this, but I think the first half of season six was stronger than the second half. I explained already why it seems to feel like that now (I feel the exact opposite for seasons three and four), but I'm going to work on it for season seven. With the first half, I usually write the majority of it in the summer, when I have time to plan things out and change whatever's not working, while keeping the process going after I finish a draft. As the season goes on, I get more tired and frustrated, and episodes start to overlap where I'm writing new ones while rewriting old ones that I have to release that Sunday. This also happens in the first half, but it's less intense. In some cases, I won't even have the first draft of an episode done until the weekend it's supposed to be due. Plus, the second half is a month longer than the first, so that's more time to procrastinate. I want to make sure that with season seven, both the 2018 and 2019 episodes have standouts in them. I think I might have an opportunity to plan out the second half this year.
-Okay, I think I've said all I can say. Thank you to anyone that stayed with Thank You, Heavenly through its sixth season. It wasn't easy, but I can finally put this one in the books. See you again on September 30. :)
Thank You, Heavenly Season 6
September 24, 2017 - June 24, 2018
In production from June 24, 2017 - June 24, 2018
24 episodes
SPECIAL THANKS TO OUR GUEST STARS:
Jerry Ferrara
Kira Kosarin
Larisa Oleynik
Kelsey Grammer
Dorien Wilson
Ariel Winter
Ed O'Neill
Al Michaels
Cris Collinsworth
Michele Tafoya
Heather Cox
Sabrina Carpenter
William Daniels
