Streaming Wishlist: Peacock Load These Shows

With the writers strike over, but the actors strike still ongoing. Hollywood will soon run out of new material that was already completed to release. So sooner or later they are going to have to dig in the crates, especially for hidden gems.

When many of the streaming services launched, most relied on their libraries and the nostalgia factor to bring consumers in, slowly introducing original programming. With alot of these services though, they are missing out on alot of nostalgic content they could use. 

When Peacock launched I got it for free as a Comcast customer. Now I really only use it for the WWE section and Kevin Hart's interview series, which Peacock honestly needed. Not sure if it's by design or rights are just tied up elsewhere, but Peacock's library offering seems limited and not on par with other services.

Now that may not be a bad idea when you can easily get overwhelmed in the land of Netflix with what to watch.  However, with the vast library of Universal and NBC here are a few programs I'd like to see on the service.

California Dreams 

Saved By The Bell was a smashing success and pop culture phenomenon for NBC. So naturally they decided to take the formula and apply it to a new mix.

What they came up with was Calfornia Dreams. Following a group of high school friends who also happen to be in a band.

Its pretty much a carbon copy of Saved By The Bell. The theme song was very infectious and it would be cool to watch years later.

Hang time 

Another SBTB influenced show that aired on NBC's TNBC Saturday morning block. Hang Time covered the members of a kind of successful High School basketball team in Indiana. It went through some changes throughout it's 5 year run and wasn't as successful as SBTB. 

It was a decent enough Saturday Morning TV show and deserves a second life on Peacock.

City guys 

C-I-T-Y You can see why. City Guys was probably my favorite show out of them all. It was also a bit more real than the SBTB inspired shows. It featured  Wesley Jonathan and Scott Whyte as two polar opposite individuals who become friends, and get into trouble while trying to stay out of more trouble at their high school.

The characters were cool, topics such as racism and drugs were covered and they just seemed like cool guys to hang out with. The show has been off syndication for some years now is the perfect time to make it available on Peacock.

Saved By The Bell: The New Class

The original Saved By The Bell is tied up in an Netflix deal. Last I checked The College Years was on Hulu.  Peacock tapped into their IP by producing an revival series. Missing from all of this is the follow up series The New Class.

For some reason The New Class which ran for 7 seasons is never really acknowledged or given it's due. Mr. Belding and Screech returned to connect it to the original series. The show often featured a consistent plot point that I've realized as I've gotten older. There maybe slight differences in behavior, clothing, what's considered cool etc. But all teenagers act the same throughout the years.

It's time to give The New Class their respect in the legacy of the Saved By The Bell franchise and air it on Peacock.

American Dreams 

American Dreams was an intriguing show in my opinion. It followed a family in 1960's Philadelphia and set against the backdrop of American Bandstand. Main character Meg (Brittany Snow) is a dancer on the show. The show not only referenced historical events such as JFK assissination, racial tension in the 60's, and the Vietnam war.

It also incorporated archived footage of American Bandstand into the series, and music stars of the early 2000's would appear on the show recreating past performances of former stars on the show. I was a big fan of the show and rarely missed an episode. Besides being a period drama, the amount of music involved in the series surely took up a good portion of the budget. Which I believe is one of the biggest reasons the show has not appeared in reruns or on a streaming service.

Licensing music especially hits from the past is costly, but recently Cold Case has appeared on HBO Max. That show is inudated with music of previous years, so hopefully something could be worked out and American Dreams could be available to revisit on Peacock.

Graceland

Graceland is a USA original drama that debuted in 2013. Although it ran for 3 seasons it never quite gained a following like it should have.

The series followed a group of law enforcement personnel from various  government agencies (FBI, CIA, DEA,etc.) The team lives in and runs their operation out of a beach front mansion named Graceland.

The heart of the series was a young agent Mike Warren who has just joined the team. Along with chasing criminals, he is keeping an eye on the team leader Paul Briggs who has some unorthodox methods.

I'm sure Graceland could gain a second life on Peacock. Maybe not as popular as Suits, but people would know what a gem this series was.

Shades of Blue

Shades of Blue debuted on NBC in 2016. Starring Jennifer Lopez and Ray Liotta the show was a crime drama revolving around corrupt cops. J. Lo single mom cop is a member of Ray Liottas corrupt cop unit within the NYPD. All in the name of making a better life for her daughter.

After getting jammed up, she reluctantly agrees to work with the FBI and become an informant against her own unit. All the while dealing with single mom issues, an abusive ex-husband that's lurking out of prison, and a creepy stalker FBI agent.

The series ran for three seasons and completed its story. However, during it's original run it was not talked about like it should have been. Just like Graceland a new life on Peacock, could show people what they missed out on.

These are the shows I would like to see on Peacock...on to the next streaming service wishlist.