The Rise and Fall of the USA Network

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The USA Network was once the biggest player in basic cable. Shows like Monk, Psych, Burn Notice and White Collar were massive successes and solidified their "Characters Welcome" approach. Things changed with the ambitious Mr. Robot, here's why.
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Special thanks to Andrew Elliott (Stalli111: / stalli111 ) for editing this video!

[@captainmidnight]

What was your favorite USA Network show? Get both Nebula and Curiosity Stream here: curiositystream.com/captainmidnight for less than $15 a YEAR.

[@papiaundreay9313]

Probably none of them tbh

[@ShantyIrishman]

Burn Notice

[@cela1386]

Mr Robot, and I don’t think anything else comes close

[@rahbeeuh]

Monk was my favorite and also happens to be my favorite show

[@TitleInProgress]

I’ve only seen Psych so that by default

[@DeathsjesterKMNP]

For my money, USA's Blue Skies era was the golden age. They had so many purely entertaining/funny/feel good shows: Psych, Monk, Burn Notice, Royal Pains, etc. That network was by far my most watched channel during that time period.

[@Nick_CF]

Its strange how comforted I feel by just thinking of that time for the Network. Man did I adore Burn Notice...even if it did go off the rails late in the run. Characters Welcome!

[@TheCaliforniaboy1]

Omg Royal Pains!!

[@francarrey7501]

Don't forget the Dead Zone.

[@gmajor1273]

Totally agree

[@adelai3795]

Psych was my show of choice and it is one of the few things I own on physical. Love that show to this day

[@Stache-Man]

Burn Notice was such an underrated show. Sam is one of my favorite Bruce Campbell roles of all time.

[@RaderizDorret]

I stumbled across Burn Notice while flipping channels. Seeing Bruce Campbell as an aging, womanizing retired Navy SEAL sold me on the entire series.

[@BlyGuy]

He was great as Ronald Reagan in Fargo

[@seanwilkinson7431]

Jack Of All Trades, Brisco County, Jr., Elvis in Bubba Ho-tep....

[@Wiggimus]

I loved Burn Notice so much that I have the whole series (as well as the made-for-TV movie) on DVD.

[@kevinhibbard320]

It is one of my favorite shows of all time. So much fun.

[@clarktooncrossing3975]

Everybody’s talking about Monk, am I the only one here who loved Burn Notice? Mike Weston was a badass and Sam Axe was the man!

[@krusk3544]

I miss Chuck Finley man

[@clarktooncrossing3975]

@@krusk3544 You and me both.

[@ethanhoerr2924]

Dude, I’m so with you! Forget Bond and Bourne, Michael Weston is my favorite spy.

[@DenisRyan]

I'm with on you Burn Notice. Sam was the reason I tried a mojito for the first time.

[@MariaVosa]

Team Burn Notice all the way!

[@mr.shyryhud1659]

We owned every single season of Monk on DVD. And Psych is one of my favorite shows of all time.

[@ban_ana_bread]

I still own them! We have the box set for Monk but most of my memories of watching it were during marathons after school or during the summer. We got into Psych when season 4 was airing, so one day my mom came home from the store with the DVDs for seasons 1-3. We would watch a few episodes at a time every weekend until we caught up and then watched it as it aired - but since we couldn’t stay up late on school nights (I was in late elementary school at the time), we would have to watch them on OnDemand.

[@Ashelinx]

Omg yes! I was in Elementary school and obsessed with both! Do you have the Monk boxset that came with the packet of hand sanitizer? Those shows hold such a special place in my heart. ❤

[@adnanilyas6368]

I absolutely loved Monk and Psych. It’s a shame that nobody’s making anything like that anymore because I’d totally watch it.

[@DudeJJJMovies]

The creator of Monk did do a new series for Netflix called The Good Cop and that was episodic and a comedy-drama procedural. I thought it was pretty decent but it got canceled after one season.

[@Nick_CF]

@@DudeJJJMovies exactly why there is no point getting involved in any shows on Netflix. They just cancel them early.

[@NekoMouser]

@@DudeJJJMovies He also did comedy albums before Monk, which is weirdly how I knew of him. Most all of his Don't Get Killed album is golden, but Railroad Bill is my hands down favorite: kzbin.info/www/bejne/o6Skpoqihb-od7s

[@HandsomeLongshanks]

They made 3 psych movies. I think the first two were good but I haven't seen the 3rd

[@jakerockznoodles]

While not quite the same, over here in the UK we still do like our light Detective shows with a slight humorous tone. Stuff like Shakespeare And Hathaway, Father Brown and Death In Paradise come to mind.

[@UhOhSpeghettio]

I love it when they ask Shawn “oh like the mentalist?” And he gets all upset😂

[@tusharg8452]

You're remembering it wrong. Jules gets trolled for liking Mentalist and Shawn defends the show. This was for a fake dating profile for Jules' undercover assignment.

[@UhOhSpeghettio]

@@tusharg8452 I’m pretty sure you’re wrong bro.. Shawn even tells people he’s like the mentalist except the mentalist is fake and Shawn is “Real”… isn’t there even a scene where Shawn says he’s gonna pitch his life as a show to CBS(I.e the mentalist)

[@tusharg8452]

@@UhOhSpeghettio Could be I'm remembering a different scene than the one you're alluding to.

[@captaincrisis226]

@@tusharg8452 no that scene was in the show

[@solvseus]

@@tusharg8452 You're both right, he joked about it several times. Same as "This is Us" in the 2nd movie. Because he was in another similar show on a different network at the time.

[@robertzarfas9556]

I miss being able to watch a show before bed and feel like you got a complete experience without being compelled to watch the next episode by a cliff hanger.

[@tinabean713]

I know. I mostly just watch old reruns on weeknights because I need to wake up for work in the morning and I just can't deal with intense cliffhangers. Even on weekends I sometimes tell myself I have things to do, so I can't watch any new series because '8 hours later...' It seems like there really is an appetite out there for episodic, feel good programming, where to be honest, most of us would still probably watch 2-3 hours in a sitting but wouldn't feel like we're committing to it in advance.

[@willstikken5619]

What, you don't like having to have watched the previous 6 episodes in a row just to know whats going on? Seems like so many shows have been using a throw away line form episode 2 as the driving force of episode 8 but in a way that is totally senseless if you didn't see both episodes in order.

[@jeremyroberts8822]

I’m the opposite tbh. I think some procedural shows are good but I prefer more serialized shows that have an overarching story that links everything together. Procedurals were always kinda meh to me because every episode was just a one shot that had no bearing on the episode after but if you like that stuff I can see why you’d be bummed considering everything seems to be going in the more serialized continued story direction

[@TheAciddragon069]

@@jeremyroberts8822 the problem with serialized tv shows,(at least those not on streaming) is that you have 8 episodes worth of story that you need to spread out over 24 episodes, which leads to a slow pace and a ton of filler. That is why serial shows work best on streaming platforms since they tend to be shorter run like The Mandalorian only is 12 ish episodes.

[@fracture4047]

Burn notice is one of my favorite shows of all time. One of the best things it did was to have the episodic stuff but also have Michael follow the mystery on who burned him. So you could watch just one and enjoy it but if you want to follow the bigger story, you can also just watch it in full

[@skival]

The psych bromance from Shawn and Gus played so well. I totally bought that they grew up together. I loved the 80's references and just the little injokes between the characters made it so good. If I could watch any episode over and over it would because "Poker, I hardly know her!"

[@dbrooke3629]

My family still references the show. "C'mon son!" "I've heard it both ways" "wait for iiiiiiiiit!"

[@samuelericksen8035]

I feel like part of the “slow death” of USA regarding streaming was also its sort of mismanagement of its shows on streaming. In my experience, easygoing episodic comedies actually go really well on streaming, like a comfort food. Psych was a go-to for me and my friends while it was on Netflix, like what The Office was for a lot of people. However, it went from a staple watch there to being taken off streaming, and then eventually put on the less-popular Peacock. It felt like a failure to read the room, and I know that I and a lot of my friends lost interest at that point, even with Psych’s tv-movie revival on Peacock.

[@austenmoore7326]

Yeah streaming services seem to not want to host/make episodic tv. Which is weird since they fought really hard for the office and friends

[@cyrussmith4744]

I felt this too but with Mr Robot since that was the series I watched, I feel like if it had released on streaming platforms it would have been way more popular

[@ladydreadpirate336]

Well, it's on Amazon Prime too.

[@Thor-Orion]

Episodic TV isn't "prestige" enough for the streaming platforms, they all want to be seen as art houses.

[@suryavajra]

I get the feeling they tried but could not get another torch bearer to carry on Blue Skies…

[@Thatguyinabox]

This hits home. I watched Monk and Psych every Friday with my mom. I'm actually rewatching Psych now. I still think it holds up.

[@johnglue1744]

Same as Monk. It still holds up.

[@knoelle1357]

Mr Robot was so good. Man, I miss that show.

[@nicolasriveros943]

It ended 2 years ago but it feels like a lifetime...

[@D4Initiative]

At least it was able to properly end and tell its story, and not get cancelled prematurely.

[@markcalcagno676]

@@D4Initiative Or go on for too long

[@ToxicHAL]

I 100% agree. Idk what this guy is talking about Mr. Robot falling flat after season one. Season 1 was the worst season for me. It felt like a fight club rip off. Season 2 and 3 really took the show in a twin peaks territory which I loved! The entire story is beautifully crafted. Hands down one of the best shows on tv since breaking bad.

[@jackrotz2139]

@@ToxicHAL I wouldn't say rip off, more so, paid homage. I noticed the similarities immediately, however, I loves fight club so much that it really didn't bother me. I thought Mr Robot had enough elements to differentiate itself, although it did wear all it's influences on its sleeve.

[@DawnAndDusk6]

Psych will forever be my absolute favorite show of all time 🙌

[@WoolyNips]

It just was very unique and very lovable characters. Built their stories slowly and just felt great.

[@alexandru5369]

Yeah its incredibly underrated

[@superninjapirate19]

@@WoolyNips I find it incredibly difficult to imagine a show like psych coming along again. Tv shows now suck

[@Aprylbaby]

Yes, I love me some Psych!!!❤

[@RandomCrewPotatoSoup]

came here to say this. one of the only shows out there where i love every single character. it shaped my sense of humor too

[@MariaVosa]

I wonder when streaming channels will start to realise that a successful and popular episodic series like this, with likeable characters, is the absolute best way to keep people subscribing long term, not just pay for a few months now and then. This is the comfort food that we want to keep at hand.

[@9124Nove]

Boy, does this bring a ton of nostalgia. I remember being in my early teens and waiting for my mom to get off from work so that we could watch Monk; and then years later, watch both Monk and Psych. The "Characters Welcome" era truly was a great period for the channel.

[@Tohofan122]

Burn Notice slapped hard and that was easily one of my all time favorite shows

[@elizabethsaltmarsh8306]

I see your point about episodic tv. It's comforting and less intense than a lot of the modern shows of today, and I find myself reaching for old shows because of it. I will throw a shout-out to Derry Girls for this reason. It wasn't created for one of the streaming platforms (though it airs on Netflix in the US) so it in no way contradicts your points, but it has that light-hearted optimism that you're talking about and you might enjoy it.

[@7srchoed]

CBS has CSI and NBC has Law and Order

[@christianc.christian5025]

Shows like ‘House’, ‘Law and Order’ and ‘Burn Notice’ are others I’ve heard mentioned for this same reason: basically, that it’s easier to turn them on and get a complete, wrapped scenario in 45 minutes where if you miss part of the story, it doesn’t matter.

[@biocapsule7311]

Episodic TV largely depends on the premise of the show. One of the best episodic show that is both intense and not light-hearted is the X-Files, which monster-of-the-week story is always better then the latter overarching seasonal story. It really depends on what the show is about.

[@kevinluongo417]

Mr. Robot is the most underrated show on Earth. That show is a masterpiece

[@shadowsage1]

The only "flaw" is season 2's story was stretched to fit a required episode length and it kind of shows. 3 and 4 though are some of the best television in existence.

[@cyrussmith4744]

@@shadowsage1 I think that criticism depends on the person since I liked season 2 , although I feel like it doesn't matter since even the worst episodes are greater than many stuff in TV

[@Gemnist98]

Underrated? The show was critically acclaimed, received several Emmy nominations, saw millions of viewers, and made Rami Malek a household name. It’s definitely not underrated.

[@skeven0]

@@Gemnist98 indeed, ive become annoyed by saying "oh this is underrated" but it has a massive following and airs on a decently big channel/streaming service and had alot of viewers/large following online recomending real underrated gems like Beforeigners or 12monkeys (tv show) is far more suitable

[@travisspazz1624]

@@shadowsage1 Sam Esmail's favorite season is S2 haha. It was originally going to be 11 episodes, but Esmail requested one more. So no network mandate.

[@Crimson28]

Watching R rated movies on USA Network was a treat. The bad dubbing over curse words was hysterical. Friday, Goodfellas, Casino, Desperado were the best to watch 😂

[@MCross-xg9ss]

Mr. Show - "Pallies" (amazing sketch parody of those types of heavily edited for tv movies) kzbin.info/www/bejne/iafVZ42iZ7aajpo

[@iforgot87872]

Die hard had some good ones

[@MCross-xg9ss]

@@iforgot87872 "Yippee Kie Yay, Mister Falcon" m.kzbin.info/www/bejne/g5-QgWaio9dqbNU

[@CharlesJohnson-tp7qq]

Their edited version of Private Parts (the Howard Stern movie) was masterful

[@studiomansion7942]

Yippee ki-yay Mickey Fickey .

[@DbladeMedic]

Burn Notice is my favorite TV show ever made. I absolutely love it. Like you, Burn Notice is the show I think of when I hear USA network.

[@eastsidereviews727]

Haven't really cared about USA programming since the end of Psych and White Collar. Psych is legit one of my favorite shows of the last 20 years, so much fun!

[@joelmilten]

My two favorite USA shows. Been looking through the comments for a mention of White Collar.

[@trevorwhite7314]

Psych was really funny, Dule Hill in particular is really hilarious

[@fabiomcmuffin]

He plays an amazing straight man to Shawn when needed but is also flawlessly able to switch to playing a goofier role depending on the scene

[@mustang8206]

Hey girl you heard about Pluto right? That's messed up

[@Myr642]

Psych is and will more than likely forever be my favorite show, and it’s disheartening we don’t get more like it nowadays. I do really appreciate the movies they’ve been doing over the years. They may not be what the peek of the show was, but it’s always nice to see the characters again.

[@lchen2522]

I only came to Monk in recent years. The episode with Stanley Tucci was the most incredible. The performance between the two should've won all the awards, they oscillated between heartbreaking and hilarity so seamlessly.

[@trapsberry]

Agree! One of the best episodes

[@Sane_Man11]

Mr. Robot is probably top 3 all time favorite TV series for me. That show just struck all the right cords in all the right ways.... it truly spoke to me. Wish more shows would be more like it.... but....

[@fromthehaven94]

... It was part of USA's new direction, which, aside from Mr. Robot, not a lot of people were willing to take. When airings of the show Briarpatch were made after 11pm, that wasn't a good sign.

[@theycallmemrspades]

I genuinely believe Mr. Robot is the best show ever made, just edging out BB.

[@leek3695]

psych has such a special place in my heart one of my favorite shows of all time I will never get tired of it

[@nicholasfarrell5981]

Oh man, Psych. I got my mom to watch it when nothing else was on. She went into it prepared to hate it (she assumed it was about an "actual" psychic individual), and ended up falling in love with both the fake psychic gimmick *and* how it just refused to take itself seriously (especially since most detective series at the time were played super-seriously).

[@Q-lays]

Mr Robot was easily one of the best show's I've seen on Cable TV.

[@donkey0303]

Monk, Psych & Burn Notice are all still Go-To Series For me. Can't remember any other USA show I would want to rewatch, maybe Mr.Robot in a few years.

[@Jonahhavens]

I started watching Monk with my mom around 2005, and we watched every new episode after that. When Psych came around, it literally changed my life. Again, my mom and I couldn’t wait for the new episodes. Shawn and Gus were the most likable duo on tv. I was always rooting for Shawn and Juliet and I remember when they finally became official. These two shows will always bring back amazing memories for me.

[@Anthonymous]

I absolutely loved watching Monk through its DVD copies that my parents had while I was growing up, and even marathoned a couple seasons back to back nowadays as soon as I found out it was free on Peacock. And imagine how happy I was when they made a special short about Monk to check in on how he would be doing while during the pandemic.

[@abdullahal-hugbani268]

Suits is one of my favorite shows ever. In the earlier seasons there seems to be the perfect balance of drama and comedy, they lose touch of that a bit around season 6 where the lean a little too much in either direction (varies based on the storyline), also the character development on the show was just fantastic especially when it came to Harvey, nothing seemed unnatural with him either, it was just amazing

[@jmashups6804]

Monk is one of my favorite all time television series, brilliantly acted with an incredible sense of continuity and lovable lead. I'm glad to hear it talked about and praised. It was a major part of my childhood

[@DanielBrown91]

Mr. Robot is the last great series of that channel. Ended right at the end of 2019. Haven't found anything as good since.

[@stevemartegani]

Mr Robot is my #3 all time show. But I would say Better Call Saul, The Expanse and The Boys are in that league if you haven't checked them out yet.

[@Phisherman10]

@@stevemartegani I liked the boys for the first season, and then it fell off hard in the second for me. A little too on the nose to the point of becoming a parody.

[@PCRevolt]

@@Phisherman10 It almost literally is a parody. I didn't love most of season 2 but think it had a pretty strong finish. It's seen a nice return to form in Season 3 as well.

[@travisspazz1624]

@@Phisherman10 wha?! I'm the opposite. I thought S2 was a noticeable improvement!!

[@tapset]

@@Phisherman10 the third season is killing it

[@Sandra-rc5uc]

I have such fond memories of Monk as well. Watched that show with my family as a kid! I also love White Collar so much. It feels like the movie 'Catch me if you can‘ in show-form. The cast in that show is amazing and I enjoy the focus on White Collar-crimes instead of the usual murder mysteries.

[@Adronitis]

Another White Collar fan!!! White Collar and Royal Pains were my shows.

[@BrothersWebOfficial]

I love Monk to death and I watched it with family too and still, talk of movie is still going on said by Tony Shalhoub in an interview recently. I also love Psych! - Luke

[@mucc1977]

Psych still has a large and VERY dedicated fandom. I don't know if this would fit your profile but since you said you liked the show, examining it and especially the "cult" like aspect in more detail might be interesting.

[@HonestObserver]

I like how every single clip of Psych in this video looks completely goofy

[@duko3000]

Mr.Robot is in the upper echelons of television, amongst the likes of Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul. Honestly so underrated.

[@HishamA.N_Comicbroe]

It's not exactly underrated as the show was very popular in 2015 & still loved in the TV community. But it's not talked about much sadly.

[@duko3000]

@@HishamA.N_Comicbroe yea, that's fair. I guess public discourse isn't the deciding factor on something being underrated

[@Mull1nater]

100% agree. Funny enough, those 3 shows are my top 3 lol

[@HishamA.N_Comicbroe]

@@duko3000 Yeah. And the show still has extremely high ratings even now.

[@HishamA.N_Comicbroe]

@@Mull1nater Same.

[@kobenat5149]

Psych and Monk are 2 of my favorite shows of all time, with Psych probably being my favorite of all time

[@jordanread5829]

One part of Burn Notice I still love is how it blended as both an episodic and serialized show. Having the main story serve as the B plot of most of its episodic episodes. And it worked so well.

[@kellenrose7825]

Mr Robot is one of my favorite shows ever! I am very glad that USA allowed it to be created.

[@Nightman221k]

Psych and Monk were shows that were really cozy and fun to watch for me when I was in high school. I loved those.

[@cafeterialoca]

You know, I appreciate videos like this. With everything being obsessed with Superheroes or current trending franchises, it's nice to have something that reminds me of the early 2000's.

[@Crick1952]

I think they could have really carved out a place for themselves by leaning into the 'Blue Skies' type of brand instead of following the crowd and going all dark with shows and movies. They would have been the standout and drawn a much more loyal base around them. All the good memories we had of shows like Monk, Psych, Burn Notice ect I think proves that.

[@chrislutz416]

Definitely they should have done that. Serialized TV is usually not that good unless you have a tightly scripted show. Also, many of them tend not to be rewatchable. The pace is either too slow or the surprises just don't work again. Usually a light thread of an overarching plot within standalone episodes works best. The Blue Skies era did that.

[@seansablockhead]

I love mr robot. Have the whole series on DVD and currently on a rewatch. Honestly my 2nd favorite show of all time. Truly a masterpiece

[@tapset]

What's your first?

[@apblolol]

monk, burn notice, suits, and mr robot are all some of my favorite shows. Monk and burn notice were shows i watched with my mom and suits was one of the first shows i started on my own. out of all the shows ive seen, i dont think i would mind all that much rewatching any of these

[@Busker_3000]

Never got this network in Canada. I was lucky to find Burn Notice on a B tier network up here and I loved it. Then Suits when it came to Netflix (probably re-watched that show more than any other) I've seen the light of this mystical network from another land, and wondered if I'd be just as addicted to those other shows if they were more easily accessible at the time.

[@stevensosa5995]

My fiancée introduced me to Monk when we started dating 4 years ago. I was instantly hooked and we watched the entire series together. It’s not groundbreaking TV but it was very charming and I love those kind of detective shows. I also found Shaloub’s performance to be flawless and thought it was interesting how the character dealt with his mental illness.

[@jedroberts10]

I grew up on Monk and Psych and still love both shows to this day. I can totally understand if someone doesn’t like the type of humor in Psych, but I absolutely love it and it’s my go to comfort show

[@Nightmaricvision]

I think it’s really interesting to look at it from the perspective of the people making these shows, too. On the recently created Psych Rewatch Podcast, series creator Steve Franks and Executive Producer Chris Henze talked about how USA Network executives were basically new to the game of scripted television. They picked up Psych and (from Steve and Chris’ and the rest of the cast and crew’s perspectives) it seemed that the only frame of reference they had to making a scripted hour long show was Monk and virtually nothing else. They even sent an Executive to go up and make sure everything was running smoothly on the Psych set, someone they all looked at as like a “handler” - they all kind of laughed at the thought of his job, sort of signaling, “Yeah, this isn’t that kind of energy. We’re gonna good around and make a silly fun show the way we want.” And after that, they never sent a “handler” up to Vancouver again. Essentially, it seems, that USA network executives through sheer naïveté allowed these people to make the shows they wanted to make. At least, that was the case with Psych, anyway. Along with a passionate creator who broke certain “rules” of television that the USA Execs were also not quite privy too, so they let him do as he requested. All in all, the lack of knowing how to make a show is what allowed them to make something as successful and entertaining as Psych! (It’s my favorite show, if that wasn’t obvious) And I’ll say that another thing that seems to have been part of the death of this era (at least for me) was the premiere of their Reality Show: Chrisley Knows Best. A look at the hollow and grating personalities in the home of Todd Chrisley. I remember after the final episode of Psych, they had an after show to celebrate the series, and at the end of the after show, the host starts to announce “the brand new episode of Chrisley Knows Best! Coming up next!” And the in that moment I could feel the shift in the energy of the network. I know that sounds weird, but this was such a hallmark show for me, and to see it come to an end and have it be followed up by THAT show and was just… it felt so… depressing. That blue skies era was a lot of fun. I found my favorite show and had something that brought me and my parents together every week for eight/nine years. Really cool to see somebody make a video about it!

[@Ellivation]

This! Chrisley knows best was a weird ass show to have on that network at the time. I agree with you completely

[@ZhouTai08]

Burn Notice is one of, if not, my favorite TV show. It was definitely a “breezy” and easy watch show, but then that last season hit like a case of bricks, haha. I wasn’t ready for what all happened there

[@extraordinary_ordinary]

Random fact: Suits and Covert Affairs actually shared the same studio space and shot across the hall from each other. On occasion Suits would use some of the Covert Affairs sets. I worked on both shows at one point so I experienced this first hand.

[@rodneymunch3412]

White collar is such a good show. Madd underrated watched the shit outta it.

[@tylermccurry403]

Monk and Psych are both iconic. There will never be anything else like them on TV.

[@anastasiabeaverhausen8220]

And..."The 4400" was a GREAT show. One of the best SF shows ever on tv. And, unlike so many series, esp. genre series, it had an actual Beginning, Middle, and End. ETA: and I never watched USA even when I had cable. I saw these shows on DVD or in syndication on other networks.

[@benwasserman8223]

Will you cover the Arrowverse cancellations next? Without those shows, what exactly does DC have to work with in making a coherent shared universe?

[@bennett4789]

lol did u just call the arrowverse “coherent?”

[@benwasserman8223]

@@bennett4789 Yes, because they actually developed the interconnected universe naturally with satisfying crossovers. And didn't pull a BvS.

[@JamesLawner]

I think there’ll be no more crossovers and all remaining shows will just be forced to end.

[@SAIYDE]

@@bennett4789 if you are willing to look into it, the arrow verse is actually not that bad for the most part. Better than the movies. Not as good as the cartoons though

[@vysharra]

@@benwasserman8223 lol, Arrow was the blueprint for BvS’s awful out of place dark tone. Flash eventually embraced its campiness and drug the Arrowverse back to its roots as a comic book universe, but any fans of comic-Green Arrow didn’t find anything familiar with the CW show (fans of edgy 90’s era Batman did though)

[@xforce11BlueLantern]

One of the other key factors of success to USA was they had original programing during the Summer. One of the very few networks that did. Burn Notice, Covert Affairs, and Royal Pains were my Summer shows.

[@BuckoBean29]

Royal Pains is honestly one of my favorite shows because it is such a good show that is relaxing to watch.

[@marvelprince]

That was a golden age of TV for sure. Psych, Monk and Burn Notice get a lot of praise but even a lot of the stuff that didn't last like Fairly Legal, In Plain Sight, Covert Affairs, Common Law and Graceland kept me watching cause I really enjoyed the characters.

[@yourfriendtuna]

Psych is a top 5 show all-time for me. Constant laughs, fun mysteries, and great characters.

[@keepperspective]

I’d argue that the tight story structure of some episodes in psych and burn notice demonstrate quality writing equal to that of longer streaming shows… just different goals.

[@briannakadlecik1903]

Monk, The Dead Zone, and Pysch were some of my family's favorite shows. I have fond memories of all of us in the living room watching each new episode together.

[@averyeml]

I still rewatch Psych once every year or two. When I started collecting TV shows on DVD or Blu-ray, it was the first one I bought. Monk was a big one for my grandma and I to watch together, and I was never upset when Burn Notice or Royal Pains was on because even though I didn’t care for them enough to follow them, they were never a bad TV experience. USA was our go-to channel to put on if we didn’t know what to watch, since almost nothing was a dud.

[@batman4587]

Glad you finally got it on YT. Really great video as always

[@Khaliltooshort]

Yes most of these shows were just classic, sustainable television that wouldn’t let you down.

[@_mew]

We won a Monk trivia contest and received a Monk care package. It came with a Monk mug, fridge magnet, and I think a few of the seasons on DVD. My family used to watch the brand new episode every week together, it was really fun!

[@thedogs3467]

Mr. Robot is one of my favorite series ever. I didn’t even know about it until covid. Crazy it was on USA

[@fabiomcmuffin]

One show from the same era that I kind of associate with these is Chuck, despite not being on USA. Lighthearted action comedy with an episodic structure but some overarching serial plot lines

[@KarlMalowned32]

Monk, Burn Notice and White Collar were my 3 favorites. Monk was great for all 8 seasons. White Collar had a horrible season 4 but it picked up again after that. Burn Notice…seasons 1-3 were fantastic. Season 4 was decent. I find the last 3 seasons unwatchable. The show started taking itself too seriously.

[@hannaford111]

I do agree about Burn Notice. The show does start getting a lot darker especially by mid season 6 or so. By the end of season 6, I stopped watching it, but I did go back to watch the finale.

[@digheanurag]

While it made sense for the burn notice story arc, but did lose the original charm of the earlier seasons. I enjoyed it thoroughly.

[@MrBaskins2010]

my brother and i were honeslty never that close but we bonded over the time we spent watching usa shows. he really really really loved burn notice. i know the intro monologue by heart and mike's mom's comically long cigarettes. shows like monk dont hold up because the commercial to content ratio is far too high

[@thatgirlfromktown]

I'm old enough to remember USA "Up All Night"...it played some of those favorite cult classics & B movies on the weekend. That was my favorite era of USA.

[@SageThyme23]

Wow I had no idea who USA network was because I was not American but turns out they made most of my childhood. PSYCH, Burn Notice, Royal Pains, White Collar, Suits. Some of those would be the standouts from my childhood. I had completely forgotten burn notice was a thing

[@spencerraney4979]

I absolutely loved this era, and I really miss the lighter touch. I’ve never really been a fan of the movement toward darker tones and greater serialization in media, so I really miss the fun, quirky cable dramedies.

[@tapset]

You only like goofy sitcoms?

[@SmoothCriminal12]

I personally never watched much of their original shows aside from Mr Robot. I was mainly there for the Law & Order SVU reruns.

[@calebmarmon1310]

Please make The 4400 video! I remember loving it, watching it fizzle out, find it’s footing, and get cancelled on a cliffhanger. It would be nice to have some closure 15 years later.

[@colep3268]

Love your content man. Thank you ✊🏼

[@SonofLynn06]

Monk was my childhood man me and my dad used to watch it a lot.

[@EChacon]

Very surprised you're airing this on a Saturday cause usually you tend to release new videos *EVERY* Friday.

[@pierrek1863]

he said on twitter that he had trouble uploading the video yesterday

[@Hot18Shot]

You just accessed some nostalgic memories I had long forgotten.

[@TheBdavis231]

I remember they used to have reruns of Walker and they had Burn Notice, Monk, Nessesary Roughness, Psyche, and they had USA basketball during the Olympics, now it is basically the Law and Order and NCIS channel.

[@liamtahaney713]

I love psych. Rewatched during covid. Holds up pretty darn well for me. Also, the season finale of monk when he "shoots" his wife's killer was great.

[@TheRandyalex]

Dead zone, Monk and 4400 were all by this network? those shows were the best part of my childhood with the first season of heroes

[@kicapanmanis1060]

As someone who's officially diagnosed with OCD and medicated for it, I was very appreciative of Monk growing up. Sort of knew first hand what the compulsions means.

[@UnseenJapan]

I think a great recent example of back-to-basics episodic TV making a real comeback is Star Trek: Strange New Worlds. It's streaming, but it escews the highly serialized structure of the other recent Trek shows for something much closer to an updated TOS (with a bit of TNG thrown in). So far it's been highly successful, I'd say - and it really shows how refreshing and easy to warch episodic TV can be.

[@mazengwe28]

This video didn't mention the Law & Order SVU & Criiminal Intent reruns, only that USA merged with NBC. The writer's strike that started in 2007 affected television forever. That's why a lot of these shows changed over time or didn't last very long.

[@ninjanibba4259]

SVU is just fine

[@mazengwe28]

@@ninjanibba4259 No. SVU was vastly affected by the writers' strike also. In season 8 you can see the drop off each season till Elliott left. The newer format is mediocre. I stopped watching it.

[@ninjanibba4259]

@@mazengwe28 I had no issues with it outside of the constant revolving door of characters every 2 seasons lol but even with that I got over it cuz that’s life anyway

[@mazengwe28]

@@ninjanibba4259 I stopped watching it for these reasons: 1. The Culprit/ killer became too obvious from the credits or the special guest. 2. The episodes went for shock value over proper story development and detective work. 3. The endings were terrible. 4. New characters are unlikeable, especially the A.D.A.

[@ninjanibba4259]

@@mazengwe28 I haven’t watched past season 15 so I can’t comment on the new ADA, I heard that Barba got replaced Phillip Winchester (don’t tell me why, I don’t want to be spoiled please) but yeah I get the repetitiveness, in been on for 23 years and it’s peak was 1-12, I liked Amanda and Nick but Nick got replaced with another new guy Dominick I think….too many cogs, and not to mention the episodes they did were not as creative or mysterious as it used to be, 4-8 are my personal favorite window of the show’s peak of episodes and character arcs But yeah it’s too modern which can be fine given the nature but it does it TOO much…I miss Captain

[@petermarsh5017]

I was in love with Burn Notice! It was the first show I watched live as it aired and stuck with the entire time. Even it's 'meh' seasons had some fun.

[@kblixt]

They reminded me of 70’s & 80’s classic TV

[@Chia13579]

My sister and I would watch Psych religiously every week after volleyball practice!I loved that show so much and those were good and simple times❤️❤️

[@actualnotanewbie]

"All Characters Welcome"/"Blue Sky" and "We The Bold" worked because they had specific identities. Nowadays, I don't even know what USA Network wants to be.

[@TheDatabaseNetwork]

Nowadays it's just a home for WWE shows.

[@fromthehaven94]

And awful reality shows.

[@CosmicNerdStudios]

Clicked because I saw Psych, my favorite non comic related show ever! Never really payed much attention to other USA channel shows tho

[@mustang8206]

Monk and Psych are easily my favorite mystery shows and some of my most favorite shows in general. Nothing has been like it since then, B99 was close but is too comedic whereas Psych was always tied to down some seriousness

[@stonekold10x]

I love all the old USA shows Monk, Burn Notice, Psych,White Collar, Royal Pains, Suits. I watched them all and are still watching them. I have the full series of Burn Notice on DVD including the TV movie. Burn Notice and Suits are some of my favorite shows of all time. Great vid

[@commenter178]

Monk is one of the best tv shows of all time. I’ve watched every single episode at least 3 times hahaha

[@omedon666]

Man this was a fascinating video that was essentially a documentary of "the years I stopped being a TV guy." Once I moved out from my family in the mid to late 90's, TVs basically existed to be monitors for gaming consoles and/or computers used to play all-encompassing MMORPGs. Everyone who watched TV from then until now have had completely different "attached to pop culture" experiences from me. When I try to look back at media (especially movies) from the late 90's and the turn of the century itself, it all feels dated and cringeworhty now, so everything "good" that fell between then and now kinda gets roped into these "dark ages" of TV, and thus I've never seen the breaking bads, wires and sopranos that everyone talks up. I feel all caught up now, and may actually watch Mr Robot in some form at some point!

[@TidusX16]

I remember watching Monk as a kid with my mom. It was a pretty easy show for me as a kid to watch with my parents without getting bored. Still can't believe that came out 20 years ago.

[@hallamhal]

Me and my sister still quote Monk regularly! Absolutely loved it here in the UK

[@Ransompie1]

Psych is my comfort show 😌

[@captainmidnight]

It was always perfect for that.

[@dankmetalmemes]

My favorite shows of all time 1. Burn Notice 2. White Collar 3. Suits 4. Covert Affairs The fact that they’re all USA shows says a lot lmao Also why has no one mentioned suits wtf

[@toonytunes9336]

ikr. Suits is so good

[@trapsberry]

I also saw Mr. Robot completely. I remember when I was watching the first season I was blown away by the writing, acting, production, etc. it was a high level show. Just incredible!