January 17, 2021

CBS Sunday Morning may be my favorite thing on television. In an age where everything is curated (usually by an algorithm) and supposedly tailored to my interests, CBS Sunday gives me an hour and a half to slow down a bit and relax and maybe learn a few things. I never know what is going to be covered in a given episode. There are recurring segments to expect, but it is the stories that I nothing about going into and would probably never seek out on my own that are my favorites. After watching regularly for some time I've grown attached to the show's regular correspondents both for their personalities and the stories they tell. It is out of appreciation for their work that I present the CBS Sunday Morning Power Rankings.

Please know that these rankings are for my amusement, but if you happen to stumble upon this corner of the internet, feel free to leave your thoughts as well. I'd be surprised if this actually caught on, but if it does please comment in the spirit of the show that inspired this blog - politely and thoughtfully. The rankings are intended to be fun and (relatively) arbitrary - mostly a celebration of the work put into the show. I must admit to having my favorites, but I honestly enjoy pretty much everything about the show. The idea of applying power rankings is mostly for comedic effect - only in my head does a competition between the various producers, correspondents, and contributes for the top spot exist. Without further ado... 

1. Steve Hartman

My relationship with Steve Hartman goes back to his "Everybody Has a Story" segment from CBS's Saturday morning show. This was probably around 20 years ago, before I even started college. The shtick begins with the end of each segment. At the end, someone involved in story Steve has just told throws a dart backwards, over their shoulder at a big map of the United States. Wherever that dart hits, Steve goes there next and finds someone to tell a (heartwarming) story about. I always kind of hoped that a dart would hit close to where I live. I'd think, maybe I'd be the subject of his next story - did I have a story that needed telling? Maybe and maybe not. I'm naturally a shy person, so I think I'd be reticent to share much - I'd probably be a producer's nightmare in that respect.

Anyway, Steve has roughly done the same thing on Sunday Morning for I don't know how long. It is always a positive human interest piece. It can border on saccharine or schmaltz. It's not going to win journalism plaudits, but maybe it should even though that's not really the point. It's for those who would complain the news focuses too much on negative things. (Although one could hardly say that about Sunday Morning.) It is an aggressively kind segment. Importantly, it is always positive without shying away from things that are hard.

This week's story about children at a day care playing with an elderly gentleman with severe dementia is just perfect. As a teenager, I worked in the dining room of a retirement/assisted living facility. Most of the residents were delightful. But I must admit that I would sometimes struggle in a situation where I had to interact with a resident who might be been starting to lose some mental faculties. It usually didn't happen - most of them were whipsmart, but sometimes it did and I would find someone to help me.

While no one in my family has ever suffered from dementia, I've visited people in nursing homes or a care facility for people with dementia. But never by myself. I'm not sure I have it within myself to navigate that sort of interaction on my own. Unfortunately, this sort of attitude is can lead to the elderly being ignored or shunned, even if unintentionally.

Sometimes it just takes playing kids who just take things at face value to break through stupid things like ingrained social discomfort. Unexpected relationships are a staple Steve Hartman segments - especially between the very young and very old - so if you wanted to be cynical you could say he is mining an overused trope at this point. But this is one of the best versions of the young/old relationship stories told so far. The gentleman in the segment may not remember the kids the next day, but I saw joy on his face. I can only hope for that for everyone young or old, healthy or not.

Closing note: My favorite Steve Hartman segment that does not fit in the old/young relationship paradigm has to be the football player in the book club. 

2. Mo Rocca

I love that Mo is an unabashed history nerd. I feel like he'd be a great Jeopardy! contestant. Maybe he has been for all I know. Today's segment about Charles Curtis could have been from one of his highly informative and entertaining Mobituaries podcasts. (I feel like the Mobituaries book is something I should own but don't because I don't know when I'd get time to read it.) It was a segment where basically I felt every part of it was something new that I learned about a hugely overlooked chunk of American history. I suspect Mo will have the top spot in the future.

3. Jane Pauley

Jane is the presenter of CBS Sunday Morning and she is great at it. She gets the show. It's always a little sad to start a show if Jane is not there playing host. My first thought is, "I hope nothing's happened to Jane." I should probably not be so pessimistic and instead assume she is enjoying a vacation and be happy for her. At some point I'll have to cover the presenter history of CBS Sunday Morning more deeply, but Jane pulled double duty this week, also interviewing Kamala Harris and her husband in a 2 part segment. It was a solid interview. Nobody is going to accuse Sunday Morning of being a "Sunday Show" in the political round-table sense. If you are looking for hard hitting questions, maybe check out 60 Minutes. 

Anyway, what kicks this into the three spot was the exchange about what to call Kamala Harris's husband. They settled on Doug. For any crossover Sunday Morning/PosCast with Joe Posnanski and Michael Schur fans (I'll count myself as one of one for now) the exchange immediately brought to mind this week's "honorifics draft". I'm assuming the appropriate honorific for Doug Emhoff is "Mister Second Gentleman" which just rolls off the tongue trippingly. In retrospect, "Mister Second Gentleman" not being drafted was a real missed opportunity. I'd like to be invited to a state dinner where all the attendees are announced, knowing I'll have to stifle laughter as "Madam Vice President Kamala Harris and Mister Second Gentleman Douglas Emhoff" are introduced.

My suggestion to Doug: lean in to this. Demand to be referred to as "Mister Second Gentleman" at all times. I'm sure you're a very accomplished lawyer, but as an ancillary character in the new administration you've got to seize the spotlight/potential comedy where you can.

4. John Dickerson

I'll steer clear of politics as much as I can because that really brings the cesspool out of the internet, but the best part of this segment were the cuts to John Dickerson and his half smile as he interviewed other political experts/junkies on his laptop. He loves talking politics and history and he cannot hide it even a little. He's also inherently optimistic about the American Experiment which is just astounding to me given what we've all witnessed and how he has personally been treated at times over the last four years.

It was probably a mistake to move him from "Face the Nation" to the weekday morning show. He doesn't seem like a great fit for standard morning show infotainment. But his voice on recent Sunday Morning segments covering the recent political events since the election have been the closest thing we'll get to reassuring. If there were a political round-table power rankings, I think Doris Kearns Goodwin is the unanimous #1, but John Dickerson has a strong case for #2.

Full Disclosure: When I watch "Sunday Shows" it is usually "Meet the Press", but it is more to see if Chuck Tood will call out "Lacheeserie" or if Mr. Tony will randomly walk through the background. 

5. Big Horn Sheep

Maybe the only time I've been mad at Sunday Morning is when they started cutting the nature segment short. Remember the segment about Norwegian slow TV from awhile back? Give me more of that. 

6. Jim Axelrod

Sarah Cooper pretty much won the internet in 2020. There is a certain genius to how she constructs those short lip-synced videos of Trump. I honestly thought she had been doing them much lunch than just last year. 2020 can only be understood in terms of Kairos time, which is why I feel like Sarah Cooper has been around for 3 or 4 years now. I hope that 2020 was not just her 15 minutes (200 years?) of fame. I know her previous comedic work was in standup, but I think she has potential as an actress. I feel like she'd be an interesting left field host for SNL, but that is opening a can of worms best left to another blog. Solid interview by Axelrod.

7. Lee Cowan

Lee Cowan is probably the most versatile Sunday Morning regular. He does investigative reporting. He does political reporting. He does celebrity puff peices. He is the usual backup presenter. I think someone passed a law at some point that Lee must interview Lady Gaga at least once a year and I'm all for it. The next time he interviews Lady Gaga, he'll be number 1 with a bullet.

8. Rita Braver

Rita Braver is also an incredibly versatile Sunday Morning correspondent. This week was more hard news, but she is equally adept at covering the arts. If you are a Rita Braver fan and feel she should be ranked higher, you're probably right, but you are also sort of missing the point of the CBS Sunday Morning Power Rankings. A solid outing by Rita this week. You can't be #1 every week.

Top Rita Braver story of 2020: "Soup Terrines"

9. David Martin

For any story regarding the military, David Martin has the voice. A bit worldweary and grizzled with a slightly sibilant s, you can imagine he's seen some stuff. He's the platonic ideal of "just the facts".

10. Martha Teichner

Martha Teichner did not appear on this week's show. But these are my rankings and Martha Teichner will probably always make the cut as long as she wants to keep doing Sunday Morning and probably even after.