It's a time for barbeque, fireworks and thoughts about what it means to live in a free country. 

How does television fit into this celebration? Aside from offering up various marathons every year on the holiday?

The small screen has never suffered from a shortage of patriotic endeavors and themes, airing programs that take viewers inside the CIA, the White House and other levels of government.

So wipe the barbeque sauce off your finger tips, put down your corn on the cob and flip through some of the best television America has to offer on the subject of loving this great country…

21 Patriotic TV Shows

Open List

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It's nearly time to say your official goodbye to this canceled Lifetime drama.

The network has announced that Army Wives: A Final Salute, will air on Sunday, March 16 at 9/8c.

Courtesy of TV Line, this two-hour retrospective will include interviews with such stars as Kim Delaney, Sally Pressman, Brigid Brannagh, Wendy Davis, Sterling K. Brown, Brian McNamara, Terry Serpico, Drew Fuller and Jeremy Davidson.

The special will also feature commentary from real-life military spouses, along with words from executive producer Jeff Melvoin and author Tanya Biank, who penned the book on which Army Wives was based.

Army Wives wrapped up its seven season run last June.

But you can always relive the highs and lows when you watch Army Wives online at TV Fanatic.

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The network announced today that it has pulled the plug on Army Wives, following a seventh season that featured many new cast members.

A two-hour retrospective will air some time in early 2014.

Said Lifetime Executive Vice President and General Manager Rob Sharenow in a statement:

“There is no denying how special Army Wives has been to both Lifetime and the television landscape. By taking on a very relevant and timely issue, it has brilliantly captured the challenges our military families endure and the bravery they and their loved ones display while serving our country…. We also want to thank Army Wives’ passionate legion of fans and everyone involved with the series: ABC Studios, Mark Gordon and Jeff Melvoin, Tanya Biank, every single cast member, as well as the crew and community of Charleston, South Carolina.”

Throughout its run, Army Wives received numerous accolades: two Gracie Awards from the Alliance for Women in Media; a Sentinel for Health Award from the USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism’s Norman Lear Center; an NAACP Image Award; and a NAMIC Award.

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There was a serious debate playing in my head as to whether or not I would even give the seventh season a shot. What a pleasant surprise. By the end of the season we were left with only three original characters to lean on, and yet it felt more like the Army Wives I fell in love with than it had in years.

The Least Surprising Moment: The death of Claudia Joy came as a surprise to no one, but it was heartbreaking nonetheless. After the complete gutting of the cast during Army Wives Season 6, the realization that Kim Delaney couldn’t get her personal issues together to keep Claudia Joy alive hit viewers hard. In return, they got a mini reunion of Roxy, Pamela, Roland and Denise as they all shared time grieving with Michael over the loss of their friend.

Best Episode: It was a tough choice between “From the Ashes” and “Reckoning” but the latter won out due to the realistic depiction of soldiers in action and the way the action propelled the story forward, whereas the former was more of a goodbye to the past. In “Reckoning” we witnessed the harsh realities of war when young Tim Truman saved his entire battalion. That came back later to haunt him and Holly showing the effects of PTSD. It was the best depiction of the other side of the army we had ever seen in Army Wives.

Best New Character: If you read my review of “Brace for Impact” then you know I wasn’t exactly gleeful when Kat Young first came to Fort Marshall. I also knew that was a plan set up by the writers and I had fallen into their trap, as I fully expected I would be in love with her by the end of the season. Like a fish, I fell for the bait. As devastating as it was to watch Michael grieve for Claudia Joy, it was just as thrilling to see him fall in love with Kat who was a perfect match for him both mentally and (from the looks of it) physically. They challenge each other and Kat is respectful of his friends and the military.

Worst Episode: “Blowback” seemed like it was going to be the challenge for the people back home as Kevin had just returned to Afghanistan and he, Frank, Joan and Patrick were all within damage distance of bomb that went of on their base. Instead, it was merely a chance for the wives to get together around the couch to chat about how they all met their husbands. Even though it was the worst episode of the season, it still wasn’t bad, it just wasn’t up to par with the other goodness we had come to expect. 

Biggest surprise: With so many other characters leaving Fort Marshall, I really didn’t expect both Joan and Roland to leave. At the very least I thought their marriage would fall apart and Joan would stick around. While that wouldn’t have painted her in the best light as a parent, to be left with only Denise, Frank and Michael at the end of the season seemed unfathomable. Yet, Joan made the choice to retire from the army, focus on her family and support Roland’s dreams. While it was an admirable decision, it was another great loss for viewers.

Grade: B+. All of the characters felt like family by the time the show ended (far too soon for my taste) on June 9th. That they were able to pull off a complete reboot of a show in it’s seventh season while maintaining the heart and soul of it felt like a miracle. Welcome to the Army Wives family Maggie, Latasha, Holly, Kat and all the new extended family members that made this such a success!

Hopes for Season 8: I haven’t heard of an official renewal, so that’s up first. If ever a show proved it can be refreshed, it’s Army Wives. I’m looking forward to getting to know each of the families as a whole now that we’ve had more time with them individually, and then as friends with their groups. Let’s see Fort Marshall events, Kat and Michael interacting with Frank and Denise, people moving on and embracing the challenges that army life throws your way. Gloria, Patrick, Tim, Hector, Jordan, Eddie, Quincy, Jackie and Kevin – they all have stories to share and we want to watch them play out.

Now it’s your turn. Grade it!!

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What else happened? Let’s check it out…

Army Wives Season 7 was, in essence, solid all around. But the finale, while it tried to tie up loose ends, ended up cliche-ridden in some places and it felt like the episode was longer than an hour. Not, unfortunately, in a good way. It wasn’t all bad, so let’s start with that and finish on a positive note.

The Gloria business is ridiculous. Unless somebody else remembers a couple moving on base named Gloria and Hector who were madly in love, they’re forgotten the story. Sure, Hector cheated on her. But he and Gloria were already having problems before that happened. That was just the straw that broke the camel’s back. Poor camel. They got married after weeks of knowing each other and were virtual strangers. They were never depicted as being deeply in love, so the montage didn’t cut it. Moving on from him wasn’t just her best decision, it was her only decision. 

Gloria didn’t let the audience know her choice, but since Jordan has eyes for Patrick, there wasn’t any other decision she could have made, right?

Let’s chat about Tim finally cracking after realizing he hurt Holly. You know it’s never going to end well when someone up and walks out the door without closing it. Do people actually do that in real life? Just like people hang up a phone call on television without saying goodbye, I don’t think what Tim did or that Holly stood in the door and just watched him leave knowing his state of mind made a lick of sense. 

Thankfully, his platoon buddies got together and found him, but dude still needs some serious help.

On to the positive points!

Frank fell down the stairs in Germany and broke his ankle. Sure, he might not have liked it much, but it brought him stateside… so yay for us! I think even Denise was happy about that broken ankle. Denise wasn’t so happy about catching Michael and Kat in a kiss – and let them know about it.

Picking Brooke Shields for HellKat was just genius. She and Brian McNamara have a natural chemistry on screen that makes it so easy to accept them as a couple and root for them to be together. Even that first episode when she arrived and I wanted to hate Kat, I knew they brought her on board to make me love her and for her to love Michael. It’s been an organic pairing and I embrace it.

The writing for the scenes where Kat pleaded her case to Denise and Denise then thanked Michael and Kat for respecting her friendship with Claudia was well thought out and made them best of the episode. 

Also very well done was the goodbye to Joan and Roland. There was pomp and circumstance, due to her retirement, but overall it was understated and without unnecessary dramatics. Joan has decided to retire from a job she excelled at to support and spend time with her family. There wasn’t a lot more that needed to be said. I really appreciated the way the story played out because it was pure and not contrived. The heartstrings had already been tugged. 

The only other thing of note were that Quincy got his medical eval back and was remaining in the army. No surprise there. Ashanti (Latasha) wasn’t going anywhere even if they gave Quincy a desk job!

Now that this season of acquaintance is over, we can get back to solid and steady story next season. I’d like to see more episodes and less “getting to know you” business. We know everyone pretty well now, let’s stop kicking the stones and start building our new family home.

What did you guys think of the finale? Chat about it and we’ll see you back next year!

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Frank surprises Denise by coming home early – with a broken ankle.

Hector confronts Patrick about Gloria and tells her Patrick is going to Ranger school.

Jackie, Kat and Jordan chat about Jordan going Army.

Roland tells Denise they’ll be living on an acre of land just outside Baltimore.

Kat and Michael get flirty during a business meeting.

Latasha admits to Quincy she pawned her grandmother’s pearls.

Denise catches Michael and Kat in a kiss.

Holly shows Tim what he did to her.

Quincy passes his medical review and stays in the army.

Kat talks to Denise to plead her case about Michael.

Joan has her retirement.

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Nobody really got out of the episode unscathed in some way.

It was nice insight into Eddie’s character to learn about what Ethan Green, who didn’t make it back from Afghanistan, thought about him and how he looked up to him like a brother and a mentor. 

Hector also got to show his growth as he shook the life into Tim after he finally broke during the memorial for Ethan Green. Holly never understood exactly what Tim was going through, but when he cracked and cried, it was pretty apparent that sending 18-year old boys to fight our wars is questionable. They simply aren’t prepared for the Ethan Green outcomes. 

When you think back through history, during the World Wars and even Vietnam and the Korean wars, the U.S. hadn’t yet changed the drinking laws to age 21. While I realize it’s a silly thing to think about in the scope of all that’s at stake, we’re essentially saying you’re old enough to protect your country but not relieve your stress with a beer.

That’s why Truman tossed his cookies last week. He’s somewhere between a boy and a man, but really neither one yet. It doesn’t seem fair. I have no idea what could be done about it, but maybe if the boys who went to fight felt more like men, they’d be better prepared for the hardships they faced afterward. Tim’s too young to save the world. And, from what Hector said, if it wasn’t for Tim, they would have all died over there.

Unfortunately, a talk isn’t going to do the trick for Tim Truman. His PTSD is beyond the help of friends and fellow soldiers, and if Holly doesn’t demand he seek help, there could be a time when she doesn’t live through the night. That’s pretty heady stuff.

It was really well written how gently they introduced Denise and Kat to each other. There was a possibility that given the obvious looks that Michael gives Kat, Denise might feel off seeing them together. But having met Kat and gotten to know her before seeing her with Michael helped mitigate that… and might possibly even help. The subtle way Michael told Kat he was interested in her was equally as appealing. It just feels right.

It was no surprise that someone would come to the aid of Gloria when The Hump Bar caught fire, and it turned out to be Patrick. He’s trying to win Gloria’s heart and so is Hector. While Gloria is saying yes to dates with Hector, it seems she’s doing so out of a feeling of obligation instead of attraction. I don’t think that’s going to end well and I wish she’d rethink her choices where he is concerned. After the party, certainly she can see he’s been through enough without her adding to it.

We only got the briefest touch upon Joan’s decision to retire and something felt a little off about it. I’m wondering now if something might happen to make her change her mind. Even though she seems entirely happy and at peace with the move and the idea of being a track coach like her own mentor, it just doesn’t feel like she’s on her way out. More likely it’s wishful thinking on my part, not wanting to let go of the past again.

Truly, I’m happy with the cast. It’s solidified and next season should be just about perfect now that we know everyone and where they fit in the scheme of things. By then, Frank and Kevin should be back from the field and we can get some grown adult and some young adult story lines in equal doses, and get more of the mentoring into place, which was done so well in the past.

I can’t believe next week is the season finale. It feels like Army Wives Season 7 just started and it’s already over. I think I liked the longer seasons better. Maybe we’ll get a longer one next year. Fingers crossed.

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Patrick saves Gloria from a fire a The Hump Bar.

Tim attempts to ignore Holly.

Denise is on a relief mission to San Mateo to help earthquake victims.

Michael and Kat talk about their kids.

Gloria touches base with Roxy after the fire.

Latasha continues to worry about her family if Quincy is unable to stay in the Army.

Denise gets a badly injured Dr. Seaver onto the rescue flight flown by Kat.

Joan and Jackie discussed Joan’s future in Baltimore.

Truman breaks at the party.

Hector tells Truman he saved the lives of the entire platoon.

Patrick and Hector are both after Gloria.

Tim tries to strangle Holly while he is sleeping and reliving his nightmare.

Michael asks that Kat never leave the base without telling him again….for personal reasons.

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First of all, nobody we know died on the battlefield, but a life was hanging in the balance by the end of this Army Wives hour. And then there was Joan’s decision. Her heart-breaking decision, I should say.

Joan did exactly what I expected she would do. The bigger surprise was that I didn’t like the way Michael dismissed her as she attempted to explain her choice to retire. Of all people, with everything he has been through and lost, he should know decisions like hers are not made lightly. He started out with a family of four, and now has two. If someone had told him that a decision to retire from the Army would have given him his family back, would he have made it?

Although the Army wasn’t responsible for the loss of his family, Michael should have taken a moment to hear out Joan and think about family, her family and what it would be like for her to lose hers. Instead, he was dismissive and couldn’t look her in the eye. That’s not the Michael we’d come to love.  Thus, his reconnect with Joan and their conversation had me smiling from ear to ear.

Joan: But, Roland has been there every step of the way, making sacrifices for my career. Now it’s time for me to support him and his dreams. I want to do this sir, for Roland, for my marriage and my family.
Michael: And I support that, wholeheartedly. And I would trade all these stars for one more day with Claudia Joy. I will miss you, but I will always be proud of you. Carry on Colonel. | permalink

It would appear we’re in for another goodbye. I can only hope that Roland comes back and the Burtons get a fitting sendoff. It’s kind of hard to believe the original cast had dwindled down to Denise, Frank and Michael. But I also give kudos to the show for doing that because it’s commonly done on British shows with great success, one that stay on the air for decades. Here’s to an even longer ride with an ever changing cast.

As the soldiers come home, they all have their crosses to bear and each goes about it in a different way. Patrick wishes for Gloria, as Hector tells her that pushing her away was the biggest mistake of his life. Eddie tries not to think about the friends he lost and makes love to Maggie through his broken ribs. Holly attempts to seduce Tim but he’s a changed young man, the once fun-loving boy filled with deep secrets he couldn’t possibly share with his wife. Denise picks up the pieces of the lives of those women left behind and pays visits to the grieving, a job once done so well by Claudia Joy.

The soldiers barely have a moment to return to their lives and they are back in training. Apparently DUIs are running rampant in their return, but at least one man is getting his act together. Hector not only immediately paid his son a visit, he was promoted to Corporal. It would appear he’s doing all the right things to get his chance at wooing Gloria. If Patrick is going off to Ranger school, we’ll have a full fledged love triangle on our hands.

Could it have been more awkward when Patrick showed up at Holly’s to see Gloria? Doesn’t anyone use the phone to make a simple phone call first? I guess it’s easier to just pop over to someone’s house in a small place like an Army base, but let that moment be a lesson to us all. Make that call to see if it’s a good time. Gloria went to dinner with Hector and dropped her back at The Hump, where she’s hanging waiting for her apartment to be ready.

Patrick was unable to sleep and standing in the open doorway. As Gloria slept and The Hump caught on fire, I wondered: was that inability to sleep noted because we were to believe Patrick might take a drive to the bar? But he thinks she’s staying at Holly’s. Perhaps he will see flames. Certainly either Hector or Patrick is going to go save Gloria. We aren’t losing another player before the end of Army Wives Season 7, not with a love triangle hanging in the balance. That’s not a question. It’s a fact, dammit.

Finally, I hate that we see so little of Frank. He is so wise, and his comment about wondering what history will note about their war was well thought out. I want the adults home. Bring back Frank and Kevin please!

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Latasha learns that Quincy is shot in the arm and leg.

Pat suffered a ruptured eardrum and Hector a head wound.

Denise gets Latasha a flight to Germany free of charge with the Air Force.

Joan declines the offer from the War College and decides to retire.

Gloria offers a ride to Hector and Patrick sees in that more than there is.

Joan and Michael have a heart to heart about her decision to retire.

Denise picks up visiting the wives of those who lost loved ones just where Claudia Joy left off.

Truman doesn’t react well to Holly’s sexy night attire.

Hector is promoted to Corporal and takes Gloria out to dinner to celebrate.

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