TV Report: Week of 1/22

I guess many shows decided to take a break the week right before February sweeps which meant there's not much to talk about. In fact all I really want to talk about are the series finale of a show I stopped watching and an old school episode of a show seemingly no one is watching.


Aces Series Finale for Chuck

Being 22 episodes behind didn't stop me from checking out the two-hour series finale of Chuck. I only stopped since I thought Chuck proposing to Sarah was a great ending to linger on, but unfortunately I just never got around to catching up. With that said, watching the finale was like seeing an old friend you haven't seen in awhile. Sarah losing all her memories enabled the show to go back to those best moments in the show, especially in the first season, as Chuck tried to walk Sarah down through memory lane in hopes she'll regain her memories. It reminded us how lovely their journey has been. It helped that Zachary Levi and Yvonne Strahovski were just so sensational with what they were given. Levi's waterworks as he realized that Sarah is gone or Strahovski's reaction to her video diary broke me. Not to mention the awesome action sequences, more notably Sarah channeling her inner-Bryce Larkin. In the end, it was a great conclusion to an enjoyable show with most of the characters getting their happy-ish endings. Yes, the main relationship is a bit uncertain with Sarah's memories still mostly gone, but if this show taught us anything is that anything is possible. I believe they will get together in the end.

Fringe Tackles Old School Case

As much as I've liked/loved the past few episodes of Fringe, there certainly was something refreshing about this week's Case of the Week episode revolving a girl who can sense when death is coming. I mean we've had Case of the Week types of episodes recently, but if you noticed this was the first in a while that we got Peter working with his usual crew. On top of this, we get a bit of movement on the Observers warning Olivia last week about her inevitable death as well as a peek into Nina's true motives. No actual answers, but the teases are good enough for now. Next week the Astrids meet each other! I seriously cannot wait for that.

Other Miscellaneous TV Thoughts

It was a heart-breaking episode of Once Upon a Time with Snow/Mary Margaret forcing herself to forget about her true love. Her meeting the dwarves were great, too. Though who is the mysterious stranger with the typewriter?... Kiefer Sutherland has a new show and while I found the pilot of Touch good, I'm going to need a couple more episodes. My review is here... Not one the stronger Parks and Rec episodes, but made well use of its ensemble. Especially loved Tom's Drive-esque jacket and April using her various accents to beat Chris... Big Bang Theory was pretty bad this week, right? A Siri-centered plotline? Penny and Leonard beta testing each other? Amy and Sheldon do a web blog on flags? Not good.

Pre-Upfronts Cancellations and Renewals

This past week saw a flurry of renewal, cancellation, and pickup news from many networks which makes sense since this coming week, they will all present their new schedules at the annual upfronts. FOX started off the barrage of news this past Tuesday by canceling all of the yet-to-be-renewed bubble shows they had on their lineup. Since they renewed Fringe a few weeks back though, I was pretty nonplussed by the massacre.

In the days that followed, NBC and ABC chimed in with their decisions. Thankfully, most of the shows I regularly watch and enjoy have already been renewed, but there were still some recent cancellations and renewals that I want to comment on:

Chuck - Renewed. Despite having stopped watching the show in midseason, I'm very happy this show gets to live on just a little bit more. And now that everyone involved is sure that the next 13 episodes will be the show's last, I'm confident that they'll be able to weave a satisfying final arc for this little show that could.

V - Canceled. With the miracle renewals of Fringe and Chuck, I expected this show to also get renewed, but alas it wasn't meant to be. I'm not exactly mourning its end even though I made it no lie how impressed I was by its three leading ladies (Elizabeth Mitchell, Morena Baccarin, and Laura Vandervoort). May they all find another project worthy of them. Plus I actually really liked how the series ended with the aliens on top.

Brothers & Sisters - Canceled. I was a bit shocked by this, but again not really mourning it. Just thought it would be the type of show where the network would bend over backward to at least give them an actual end date to conclude the series. With that said, the writers did a good job these last few episodes to make sure all of the Walkers are in a good place. So other than missing Holly/Rebecca, the final episode works just fine as a series finale.

Happy Endings - Renewed. I'm so very delighted about this news. It really is the only new show this whole TV season that has impressed me, which also says a lot about the state of the new shows that premiered this season. But hey, that's not this show's fault. Can't wait to see more from this cast and crew.

Mr Sunshine, No Ordinary Family, and The Event - Canceled. Every single one. So speaking of disappointing new shows... I saw at least a handful of episodes of these three and with The Event, I actually saw all of its episodes before it went on a midseason break, but ultimately they all just failed to live up to expectations.

As I said before, they were other shows canceled or renewed, but I either don't watch them or don't really have any comments on their fates. CBS and The CW haven't made similar announcements, but with Supernatural already set to come back, I really am only waiting for the fate of The Good Wife. I'll go deeper into my thoughts on each network's new schedules as they present them in the next few days.

TV Report: 1/31-2/11

February sweeps are upon us and for the most part I've been enjoying many of the episodes that my regular shows have been doling out recently. Oh and didn't a big football game happen as well? First of all, I didn't get a chance to see everything I had wanted to see. Missed the most recent episodes of Grey's Anatomy and Supernatural mostly due to lack of time and not because I didn't want to see them. Onwards...

Chuck - The episode from two weeks ago acted as the defacto finale if they didn't get the back nine and it showed as it featured the take down of Volkoff, Ellie's labor, and that final scene with Chuck/Sarah. While it felt totally rushed, it still really worked for me and for this reason, I've decided to take a break from the rest of the season, at least for a little while, to let that episode simmer a bit.

How I Met Your Mother - Last week's brilliant phone-tag episode which featured various members of the cast calling Marshall to update him on Ted/Zoey while he stays at home amazingly did a lot to make Zoey matter to the audience. It was so good, I didn't notice they played with the color coordination of their wardrobe to CLUE characters and Katy Perry wasn't half bad as well!

Glee - Have to give them an A+ for effort for that Super Bowl episode with the highlight being some movement on the Karofksy redemption arc. Without that, the episode wasn't that special. A better episode was their Valentine's Day episode which was a less flashy and quieter episode that focused on the kids, which is usually when Glee gets it right.

V - The show is not long for this world, but it's been so intense, I'm hoping the season (series?) finale is just one insane war. My favorite part is still Anna and Erica being BAMFs, but liking Ryan being a mole, Erica's old partner investigating her, and some movement on the story of Tyler being "special" to the Vs.

The Good Wife - When is this show not ever brilliant? Two weeks ago focused on the upcoming elections as Wendy took it to Alicia, Eli took it to Becca, and the state's attorney office took it to Kalinda. This week was all about the reappearance of the wonderful lawyer played by Michael J. Fox. This time, Alica was able to take it to him. All of this as a million other awesome things are going on including Will/Diane partnering up to take out Bond.

Modern Family - Another adorable Valentine's Day episode from this show. The biggest laughs obviously came from the Dunphy's trying to re-ignite last year's flame and failing spectacularly, but kudos to the Gloria/Jay storyline showing us how much of an MVP Sofia Vergara is this season. Also enjoyed Mitchell/Cam's story if only to see both be smug and fawning for attention.

Cougar Town - It had its last episode until April two weeks ago to make room for Matthew Perry's new show and while I thought the episode itself was good, it wasn't a good episode for its viewers to MISS it terribly during its hiatus. It's already renewed, but they should've planned a bigger episode to go out on.

Mr. Sunshine - Speaking of, this was okay. I was a bit distracted so I supposed I should rewatch, but for now I'll keep watching. It was reminiscent to the first episodes of Community and Cougar Town, scattered but funny at parts. It's definitely a work in progress like those two shows were until they became AWESOME, so I have some hope. Though, yes, seeing Alison Janney throw a kid at axe-wielding clowns made me laugh more than it should have.

Community - They did a Dungeons & Dragons episode and it was epic. The fact that most of it took place in one room and it still felt epic is such a credit to this show. Then last week, it was vintage Community with the cast split up a bit to have their own Valentine's Day experiences and rather than feeling disconnected, it all worked. Was Jeff's saccharine final words out of place, maybe, but I enjoyed it. The one worrying element the past few episodes have been Pierce, but it looks like there's a working arc for him, so I'll reserve judgment until we reach its end.

Big Bang Theory - The episode two weeks ago with Sheldon getting acting lessons from Penny was funny in parts, but I liked last week's episode more with Sheldon forcing Leonard to whore himself out to a rich benefactor.

The Office - It's all about Michael and Holly. Two weeks ago in a surreal episode of the show Michael gets lost and Holly finds him because they are so in tuned with each other. This was also the moment they realize they should be together now. Last week's episode took it to the extreme as they couldn't get their hands off one another making everyone else uncomfortable. They declare their love love for one another and decide to move in. Not really invested in the show, but I think this is just so nice for Steve Carrell as he exits the show.

Parks & Recreation - The Time Capsule episode was good, but mostly to see the crazy town hall meetings back. The Twilight jokes were good too. But I loved last week's Ron and Tammy (Part Two!) episode because real-life couple Megan Mullaly and Nick Offerman really goes balls out in their interactions with one another. All of this plus Ron in cornrows wearing a kimono. Oh and throughout all of this there's so many Ben/Leslie moments, I was just dying from the adorableness of it all.

30 Rock - To be honest, it's difficult for me to remember what happened two weeks ago. I think it was when Liz pretended to be pregnant. Clearly the episode didn't leave me any lasting impression. But this week's episode was fantastic. I actually never liked Carol with Liz (much preferred her with Wesley), but this episode really made me like them together. Of course ironically enough this is also the episode they fought and broke up. Jack and Avery's quest to have an American baby as she goes into labor in Canada was inspired stuff as well.

Fringe - Finally, but definitely not least THIS SHOW IS OFF THE WALLS INSANE AND AMAZING. I could go on and on about the super disgusting Freaks of the Week (boneless victims! bugs and beatles!), but it's all about the triangle Peter/Oliva/Fauxlivia. Two weeks ago we find out that the fate of the two universe hangs on whoever Peter chooses to end up with, but to find out that he still had feelings for Fauxlivia is a dagger especially to Olivia who is still pretty damn traumatize by the whole thing. Fauxlivia, on the other hand, we see this week struggling with her REAL feelings for Peter and now that she is pregnant with his child things have gone from OH SHIT to OMG OMG OMG OMG. This is a show that's closer to being cancelled than not and it's a terrible shame.

Whew!

TV Report: 1/16-1/21

With the Australian Open underway and a bunch of new shows starting this week, I knew I couldn't do my daily TV report. In fact I haven't even caught up with all of the shows I wanted to watch this week, but instead of keeping off any longer here are some of my thoughts on the week in TV.

Was it just me or were all of the comedies ON FIRE this week? Of course it began with the highly anticipated How I Met Your Mother episode that dealt with the death of Marshall's dad. It wasn't the funniest or even the best (the kick in the crotch and the diminutive bully fell flat to me), but it was highly effective towards the end. Big Bang Theory, to me, delivered one of its best episodes of not only this season, but of the series itself. It finally felt like a confident ensemble show as opposed to a show that was dominated by one character. I really hope Amy and Bernadette come back next season. The gender balance really has done wonders for this show. Modern Family was a riot and I can praise every actor in that show for this episode, but the MVP was Sofia Vergara. She started me laughing from her hilarious reaction to a errant sent email and she kept at it when she offered her cupcakes to Phil. Last week's pre-empted Cougar Town was finally shown and it was a nice chill episode letting the audience check in with various relationships, which was a good change of pace. Finally NBC roared back with its Thursday "Comedy Night Done Right" lineup. Lots of forward movement happened in Community as Shirley's one-night fling with Chang and the resulting pregnancy came to light as well as a bit more of Jeff/Annie. Parks & Recreation was expectantly wonderful upon its return integrating Adam Scott and Rob Lowe seamlessly into the very talented ensemble. I smiled throughout the whole episode. Finally, 30 Rock, too was quite strong with a lot of jokes at the expense of its parent network as well as Tina Fey doing a hilarious impression of Little Edie.

I'll speak more in detail on another post soon about those damn American remakes of Skins and Being Human, but for now what about the other mid-season shows? Unfortunately, I haven't really been feeling them. I haven't checked out the third episode of The Cape and oddly enough, not unlike No Ordinary Family in the fall, I'm not really rushing out to see it. I heard a few good things about Harry's Law, but again I didn't really check it out yet. I did see the second episode of Off the Map and it's still not must-see-TV for me. The cast and location are all damn pretty, but I'm going to need more if I watch a few more episodes.

And now a few quick things about my regular other shows... I actually found it a bit refreshing to see Tommy back in Brothers & Sisters. It reminded me of the first two seasons when I was still sort of invested with this family... Chuck wasn't too bad though I was never really fan of the will-they-won't-they and now they're doing it regarding their proposal. Great ending, but OMG please get rid of all the Buy More storylines... Things revved up on V this week as Erica really went into action torturing/skinning a Visitor, which was also one of the most graphic things I have seen on TV bar none. It's great what they're doing to Chad as well as Lisa... Thank God the war between Will and Diane are over on The Good Wife because I couldn't stand them fighting one another. Nice opening for Cary to come back to the fold and yay for Kalinda just being, well, her. The case of the week was odd though. I didn't quite get the ending... Finally, but certainly not least, tonight's Fringe was just pitch perfect. They couldn't have gone into their new Friday time slot with a better episode focusing on the Observer and its mission to "set things right." This episode is such a perfect complement to last season's brilliant "The Tulip" episode... I have not seen White Collar yet, but it's on the top of the list to catch up on this weekend.

TV Report: Fringe, Chuck, Glee, Dexter, & Misfits

Just a couple of TV related things in my head at the moment. It includes me being excited about Fringe tonight, my thoughts on this week's episode of Glee and Chuck, my plea to the TV gods about Dexter, and my new TV obsession (Misfits).

Everyone Watch Fringe Tonight!

Every TV critic and non-critic alike who have somehow already seen tonight's episode of Fringe is freaking out about it saying how amazing it is. My level of excitement is already at an all-time high, but they better damn deliver. Not that I don't think they will since I have LOVED what they have done so far this season. But this upcoming episode seems to be the climactic resolution to the big arc started late last season, so it should be good. Apparently, it's also a good episode to jump into if you've never seen the show before, which frankly is making me freak out a bit. What does THAT mean? But if you're so inclined, it airs on FOX at the super competitive 9pm hour.

Chuck Vs. What Should They Do Now?

Just a quick note on the fall finale of Chuck. First the positives. I loved Tim Dalton and Linda Hamilton and can't wait to see them back in any capacity the show finds for them in the future. Dalton in particular flexing his comedic muscle once again (that charade scene) is probably the best thing about Chuck this season other than Morgan's character growth. With that said, I'm so over the Buy More shenanigans. Actually, I've been over them two seasons ago, so probably won't go anywhere anytime soon. Plus I found the whole "Chuck doesn't have the Intersect" storyline undeveloped, or at least a bit lacking. What did we learn from these 2-3 episodes? That he couldn't really be a spy without it because his girlfriend and everyone else had to rescue him. Yay? Plus was it just me or was the whole laptop deal a bit of a convoluted mess of a plot point?

Don't Kill Off Every Guest Star on Dexter

I haven't been talking about Dexter here, but I have been watching all season and I have been loving it. Granted the first few episodes started out slow and I'm actually hating anything that has to do with Quinn, Lindy, and LaGuerta which pretty much comprise of the B-storyline in every episode. And yet even with all of that crap, I am loving Lumen and Dexter together so much that I'm this close to declaring it my favorite season. Add in the insane Jordan Chase into the mix, and the past 2-3 episodes have just been amazing. Granted Johnny Lee Miller probably won't make it past this season, but I plead to the TV gods, DO NOT KILL LUMEN. I love Julia Stiles too much to see her go! I mean Dexter getting close to somebody and them getting killed? THAT WAS SO LAST SEASON (and the season before that and the season before that...)!

Are the Dog Days Really Over for Glee?

Not really sure what I thought about Glee's sectionals episode this year. Maybe after the Christmas episode/fall finale next week, I'll be able to take better stock on my feelings about this show. For now I want to say, that there was something missing from this episode. A certain magic, if you will, with the group. I get that the plot point was all of them being in discord with each other, but if it had cost them the win, it would make some sort of narrative sense. Instead they tied with the Warblers and even that reveal was a bit anticlimactic as even the show itself didn't dwell on the results at all. Huge props though for finally, finally putting Rachel and Kurt together as they should be, catty BFFs. They're both usually so insufferable as to be unwatchable, but together they are perfect. Rachel telling Kurt to smile from the audience is probably my favorite Rachel moment in the show's history. And speaking of favorite moments, Blaine subtly guiding Kurt on not to use hand movement during his Evita audition is one of those moments that's blink if you miss, but adds so much to the show. I'm starting to get slightly uncomfortable with how dumb the show is making Brittany to be, but her moments with Artie were still damn sweet. Then her dance moves with Mike Chang? HEAVENLY. Shuester annoyed me in the episode, but what else is new, right?

Finding Out about Misfits

I've already told you guys I have a tumblr right? Well, the people I follow there keep posting about this Brit show Misfits so I finally suck it up and COMPLETELY CAUGHT UP with it on Sunday. Not too difficult since they've only aired nine episodes. Anyway, it's kind of awesome. If you know both shows, then it's pretty much Skins meets Heroes. Quick synopsis: A group of juvenile delinquents forced together to do community service get hit by magical lightning and they now have superpowers. The cast is wonderful though I'm totally obsessing on one particular character, Simon played by Iwan Rheon. But pretty much in less than a week I went from not knowing anything about this show to feeling withdrawal symptoms about not having a new episode available RIGHT NOW. Oh the life of a TV addict.

Monday TV Report

Since I didn't randomly do TV Reports last week, this week will be catching up whilst at the same time talking about this week's episodes. Yay, double duty fun times!

So how about them Monday shows huh?

How I Met Your Mother - I'm so so so happy that last night's episode was practically flawless, because as much as I superficially enjoyed last week's third Robin Sparkles' episode, I wasn't THAT into it as much as I should've been. Yes, the song is catchy, but it can't touch the classic "Let's Go to the Mall." But this week's Thanksigiving-centric episode was just brilliant. It felt like the S1 episode "The Pineapple Incident" and I especially appreciated all of the Lost shoutouts courtesy of Hurley himself. IMO the show has been on fire this season.

Chuck - It actually makes sense to talk about the last two episodes together since it was more or less a two-parter. Last week Chuck went on a spy mission without his flashing capabilities to show he CAN be a spy without it, but also in a quest to get it back. Doesn't happen and he gets kidnapped and this week's episode is all about Sarah rescuing him and realizing that she doesn't care about him being a spy or the Intersect. All of this is nice and all, but looking forward to seeing what was on the laptop and also the return of Mommy Bartowski.

The Event - Last week's episode was a bit of a snoozer with us finding out about the VP's involvement of the assassination attempt and Leila kidnapping a doctor to treat Sean after he was shot. This week was a bit more interesting since we focused on the aliens who have made their lives outside. Even though we don't learn much, what we do learn is very intriguing ie do NOT mess with Sophia.

Hawaii Five-0 - Have to say, kudos to this show for giving us to really good episodes in a row. Last week was really tense as the team had to pretty much defend themselves against an armada. And this week, I was totally loving how they took down the Marathon Thieves especially that final takedown with each of them taking one bad guy each. Oh and we meet Danno's ex-wife and she's a firecracker! More of her please! Also, did Danno just call McGarrett "babe?" I mean they're not even being subtle about it anymore are they?

Castle - No episode this week which is just sad, but last week was quite fun with their alien/X-Files episode. Really didn't know where they were going to go with it, but it worked and wasn't totally cheesy. So kudos.

Monday TV Report

The talking heads are babbling about election results on the TV right now which means no Glee, Raising Hope, or The Good Wife this week. At least with baseball season over, we're getting Fringe back on Thursday! But let's back up a bit on the Monday TV shows I saw...

Chuck - A wonderful episode full of comedy, heart, action, and OMGWTF moments. Timothy Dalton showed off his comedic side and did it brilliantly which is something I didn't really expect. The scenes between Ellie and her mom moved me to tears. Big kudos to totally underused Sarah Lancaster for those scenes. The twist in the end is still reeling in my mind, but I'm excited that it was left WIDE OPEN for both Linda Hamilton and Timothy Dalton to come back. God, just make them regulars. I'm only half-kidding.

How I Met Your Mother - Where's the poop? I mean really. I actually was totally fine with the episode until we saw Robin seemingly degrade herself yet again. I'm just tired seeing this character down and out and so very ISOLATED from her friends. Like the idea of the Zoe character, but the execution in this episode was not so hot. And Randy and his Wharmpiss was funny for the first half, then not so much. Overall, one of the weaker episodes this season.

Castle - Can't lie. It was very nice seeing some male eye candy throughout the episode. Unfortunately none of the male main characters actually stripped last night, but it was a hoot seeing Esposito and Ryan reacting to being labeled as "A-Rod" and "Twilight guy." The only thing, I kind of figured out who the bad guy was first time we see him. It's actually rare I do that in Castle, but it didn't diminish my enjoyment of the show one bit.

Women of SNL - Hilarious. Too bad I was only able to see the first hour. But it was really fun seeing all of those women again. I was actually hoping they brought back Jane Curtin, but alas it wasn't meant to be. The Debbie Downer sketch brought me to tears just like it did the first time they aired it. Also, how quaint is it now that sketch Fey and Poehler did as Palin and Clinton? "Bitch is the new Black." Good times.

Unfortunately I didn't get a chance to see Hawaii Five-0. Before today I was three episodes behind, but I managed to see the episode from two weeks ago so I'm now just TWO episodes behind. Things have just been hectic.

TV Report Catching Up

Birthday festivities got in the way on my regular TV postings (and frankly) watching. Still catching up so here's a few quick thoughts on TV shows from 10/21 - 10/25

Thursday, 10/21

Community - So yet another comedy series does a religion episode. I rolled my eyes, but with this cast, they made it work. The non-religious end tag was frickin' hilarious.

30 Rock - Didn't think much about this episode. In fact I can barely remember what happened. Something about Liz being a prude and Jack on a hot streak. Suffice it to say, I just thought it was... whatever.

Big Bang Theory - It's sad knowing that Penny will be MIA for a few episode due to injury, but the cast (aka Sheldon) seem to be doing just fine picking up the slack. His relationship with Amy is still comedy gold.

Grey's Anatomy - I liked it. I find myself saying that more and more often about this show. That's good. I thought the Chief picked the right guy to "win" the $1 million (aka Owen) but Derek's plea re: Meredith's possible Alzheimer's future is intriguing. Wonder if the show has the balls to go there. Also Owen making Christina smile finally is one of the best moments of the season.

Fringe was not shown because of baseball. Damn you baseball.

Friday, 10/22

Supernatural - Even though Castiel was nowhere to be found, I actually enjoyed the episode. We don't get much in terms of new answers, but seeing Sam slyly smike as he looks on at his brother getting turned into a vampire was chilling. Also anything to mock Twilight is A-OK by me.

Saturday, 10/23

Saturday Night Live - Was hoping to get tickets for this on my birthday because I LOVE Emma Stone. I thought she did a great job for what she was asked to do... which unfortunately wasn't a lot. What is UP with SNL squandering perfectly great hosts with craptastic material this season?

Sunday, 10/24

Sherlock - This modern re-telling of Sherlock Holmes is just as brilliant as its title character. A few sentences can't possibly do this show justice, but I love the chemistry between Sherlock and Watson and adapting this old school tale to the modern world has never looked better.

The Amazing Race - Volleyball teammates Katie/Rachel just couldn't catch up from the previous leg while Nat/Kat took the fast forward and increased their lead. All my favorites are still around and the locations/challenges have been top-notch as per usual. LOVE this show.

Brothers & Sisters - I've decided I only really care about what's happening with Kevin/Scotty and so OF COURSE they begin the episode with Kevin neglecting Scotty only to end the episode with Scotty confessing about having an affair recently. WTF!!!!!!!!!!!

Monday, 10/25

The Event - Finally some backstory for hottie Simon who is one of the more intriguing characters in this show for me. His scene with his long lost loved was heartbreaking. Looking forward to seeing the kind of division these aliens have within their ranks and WHY ARE THEY HERE?

How I Met Your Mother - Really enjoyed last night's episode with Marshall and Lily trying to deal with names and gender of their babies while we get a touch of Barney/Robin which is always ALWAYS welcome.

Chuck - Don't get me wrong, loved that we (and the characters) finally get to meet Chuck's mom, but it all felt inorganic to me. The Halloween bent was nice though especially with Freddy Krueger on their midst. Poor, poor Ellie.

Castle - Not Halloween-centric, but it certainly kept me on the edge of my seat and creeped me out sufficiently. The last ten minutes were harrowing as I actually thought they were going to kill Ryan. The whole case kept me guessing until the end as well. This show is just on fire.

Still have not caught up with last week's Hawaii Five-0 so had to skip last night's episode because I'm OCD like that.

Monday/Tuesday TV Report

Just a few thoughts on the TV shows I saw on Monday and Tuesday.

How I Met Your Mother - To follow up with last week's great episode, this week saw the introduction of Zoey, a possible paramour for Ted played by House's Jennifer Morrison. They find each other bonded by their shared passion for architecture, more specifically for the hotel Arcadia which is also the hotel that Ted would bulldoze over to make room for a Mosby-designed GNB building. So while Ted thinks he might have found "The One" she finds out he's on the other side while he finds out she's married. Do I think she's the mother? No, but looking forward to seeing how this relationship (again she's married) develops. Insert obligatory joke here about smaller penis and how bigger is better to pay homage to the B-plot of the episode.

Chuck - I admit, I thought I wasn't going to like this episode, but what shocked me the most about this episode, and this season actually, is how much I'm loving Morgan and his evolution as a character. I wasn't really a big Grimes fan in the beginning, but when Chuck finally told him his big secret in the middle of last season, Grimes went from annoying best friend to kick-ass sidekick. Another inspired decision by the writers is to give Morgan and Casey lots and lots of scenes together. They just work. Of course there's this new wrinkle that he's dating his daughter, but in the end all it did was extend this unconventional family they've all developed into. Nice moment before Mommy Bartowski crashes the party next week.

The Event - I've already gone on record saying this show went from crap to great after a few episodes, but I still do have some issues with it. Most of it is from this "war" that's being fought between the rogue members of this alien race and our government which is probably just me tired of this similar plot line from other shows. I'm still a huge fan of "Sean rescuing Leila" story line and lots of things sure did happen on that front. Even with Sean and Leila reunited, there's still lots more to be told. Another character I want more of? Simon Lee. He's working as a double agent and I'm hoping we meet more people like him i.e. aliens pretending to work for the government. Overall, lots of promise and story to tell still.

Castle - Was wondering how much of Grey's Anatomy they were going to spoof and they didn't hold back... talking about doctors having sex with each other, labeling people McDreamy/McSteamy, and then naming one of the doctors Rhonda Chimes? Wonderful. With that said, thankfully that didn't really dominated the episode. Like most Castle episodes the case had twists, turns, and, to me, a shocking resolution. Can't really ask more from a "procedural show" than that except Castle also gives us fun characters. Oh and hello again, Mrs. Castle! One issue with the show though... Taylor Swift? Really? REALLY?

No Ordinary Family - I honestly want to head over heels fall in love with this show, but something, I'm not sure what, isn't really letting me. I think it's because all of the main characters are kind of isolated from one another and I suppose that is the point, but as a cast (hell as a family) I'm not really buying them. That plus I actually don't find Jim's vigilante act interesting. At all and sadly that has been a HUGE plot since the pilot. I'm intrigued most by the kids' journeys and I liked the "realism" that they're both handling this probably like normal hormonal crazy teenagers would, but I'd appreciate a tad less angst. I mean did we need JJ to lie to his parents about this and/or have such a comically villainous teacher? Finally, Julie Benz seems to be wasted a bit.

The Good Wife - The episode had so much good, I don't even know where to begin. Every single character had their moment from Alicia going toe to toe with the prosecutor then the judge then her co-counsel to Kalinda going batshit crazy all over Blake's rented car to Peter and Childs actually having a man-to-man talk to Diane gleefully telling the judge to back off running for state office to finally having that shock twist ending. And there were so many more I didn't even list. It was the type of episode where you seriously wonder how in the hell they managed to fit all of that in an hour show. Just magnificent.

Programming Note: FOX has decided to show encore episodes of Glee and Raising Hope, holding back their Halloween-themed episode until next week. I also haven't had the chance to catch Hawaii Five-0 yet.

Monday TV Report

It's been a couple weeks since the official start of the TV season and unlike that first week, I haven't had the chance to talk about any of my regular shows plus any of the new shows I decided to sample. Hopefully I can keep this up as a more regular daily feature, but this week will be catching up. First up, Monday nights.


Last night's episode of How I Met Your Mother felt just like old school HIMYM episodes with the playfully structured plot, sight gags (Maury Povich!), and they even found time to compose a song. I personally think it was the best episode of the season so far, but I also think that this season has been on fire. From Barney's revealing episode with his mom and brother to the touching moments between Lily and Marshall in regards to their quest to get pregnant. Many people are still quite down on the ongoing arc of Robin having such a miserable year, but I think the show is kicking her down only to bring her back up later on. Could she be the one walking down the aisle? With Don? With Barney? With Enrique Inglesias? Who knows, but I think Scherbatsky will get her win just like she did in last night's episode. As for the "mother" arc, I'm one of those people not at all in a hurry to resolve that. Enjoying my time with these "true" New Yorkers for the time being.

Like the aforementioned show, Chuck and Castle also seem to be on form this season. Chuck is doing a good enough job keeping all of the threads they are trying to pull this season (the search for the mom, the new CIA-operated Buy More, Morgan/Casey's daughter, Chuck/Sarah's relationship, and the Awesomes' pregnancy) together. Some episodes are more successful than the others, but it's hard to fault a cast this appealing. Speaking of appealing cast, Castle continue to bring a smile to my face episode to episode. It's just such a smartly written show and I think if more people sample it, they'll find a lot about it to fall in love with. Last night's episode was all about steampunk. STEAMPUNK! What other show could've pulled it off?

Finally, we get to the new shows and like most of the new shows this season, it's been a mixed bag. While delivering my favorite pilot of the season, Lone Star was unable to garner enough interest and FOX promptly canceled the critically-acclaimed show after only two episodes. I already gave my feelings on that in an earlier post, so no need to dwell. The other two shows, however, are enjoyable enough. The cases on Hawaii Five-0 are nothing to write home about, but the cast have maintained the great chemistry I pointed out in the pilot. Plus I like that they are taking the time to give us the personal stories of the cast (McGarrett's issues with his sister/father, Danno's custody of his daughter, Chin's family estrangement, etc.). Meanwhile, The Event has delivered jaw-dropping cliffhangers one after another forcing me to upgrade my initial meh reaction to that of definite intrigue. Most of it is because I'm a huge fan of Jason Ritter and I like that his every-man quality grounds this super high-concept show. That and holy shit ZOMBIES. Okay, not really, but the "dead" did come back to life in one episode. SO CREEPY and SO AWESOME.

Ratings-wise, it's been a mixed bag. While HIMYM is strong, the others are more up in the air. Castle is pulling in good enough numbers, especially up against Hawaii Five-0 which the network was hoping to do better. Still, those shows should feel safe about next year. Lone Star has already been canceled and the way things are going The Event and/or Chuck could follow suit. The silver lining for both is that NBC isn't doing good overall and thus may stick with its shows with even a little bit of buzz.

10 Random Movie/TV Thoughts

1. After seeing Never Let Me Go and The Social Network, I want to declare my love for Andrew Garfield. Add to that my earlier declaration of love for Emma Stone after seeing Easy A and suddenly I want to see the new Spider-Man film starring those two.

2. My most anticipated film of the year, Blue Valentine, was slapped with an apparently undeserved NC-17 rating by the MPAA. Those who have seen it says the rating is pretty darn ridiculous and while I won't have a problem seeing the film (being of age and living in a major metropolitan area), this whole thing is just so fucking awful.

3. Kind of sad to see Lone Star get canceled, but at least they took it away before I got too attached. Another new show I ended up really liking, The Whole Truth, will probably follow suit. In other news, this new season (for new shows) has sucked. A lot.

4. Fringe is really really awesome right now. I'm just loving the whole alt-universe storyline and how much we're actually spending our time in that world. Plus the actors pulling double duty, more especially Anna Torv as Olive/Fauxlivia, deserve tons of kudos.

5. Would it be too odd to say that the new trailer for Danny Boyle's 127 Hours starring James Franco made me teary a bit? Trying not to have too much high expectations, but then again Slumdog Millionaire was my favorite film of 2008.

6. I already knew how polarizing Glee as a show is from its first season, but it's been really something seeing people react so wildly differently to episodes this season. From declaring it pure brilliance to calling it a hot mess. Both are true though, sometimes in the same scene.

7. Summer Glau is appearing on Chuck opposite her Firefly co-star Adam Baldwin. The epic geekitude of it all is just too much for this Browncoat.

8. Slowly, but surely catching up on the Scott Pilgrim vs. the World graphic novels. I've read the first three, so I'm halfway done. I'm still saddened about its box office performance. People suck.

9. Totally can't believe there's only two episodes of Mad Men left. Love the crumbling of Don's walls while Peggy is building herself up little by little. Wonder what the cliffhanger will be.

10. So Julia Roberts will play Meryl Streep's daughter in a film version of August: Osage County. Apparently this means automatic Oscar nominations (and more likely wins) for both of them. Never saw the play so I don't know how appropriate this casting decision was, but I'm still very excited for it.

Monday Night TV

Most of the shows that premiered last night took a "okay let's see where this is going approach save for one show which pretty much just picked up from where it left off last season as being just a fun kick-ass show.


That show was, drum-roll please, Castle. Just another wildly entertaining episode anchored by the fantastic chemistry of Nathan Filion and Stana Katic with some wonderful assists in Jon Huertas and Seamus Dever. With that said, the other returning shows weren't bad at all, as both How I Met Your Mother and Chuck went into the their new seasons with a mother in mind. While many were down on HIMYM last season, I really wasn't, so they didn't need to prove anything to me with their premiere. It delivered on the laughs, the plot, and most importantly the characters we've come to love. Special kudos to Alyson Hannigan and Jason Segel. As for Chuck, it was a hoot to see Linda Hamilton as Chuck's mom as well as to see the new Buy More and General Beckman's new role in the show. Castle - A; Chuck - B+; How I Met Your Mother - B+

The new shows pretty much ran the gamut in terms of my expectations. The Event disappointed promising us the next 24 or the next Lost, but all the pilot did was make me miss those two groundbreaking shows. With that said, I tend to give these kinds of shows a lot of leeway especially in the beginning, so I'll give it 2-3 more episodes to get into its groove. Lone Star met my high expectations as I was immediately riveted by the double lives of Bob Allen. The premise has so much promise and I'm loving the melodramatic soap tone of the show. This one is definitely a keeper, that is, if the network doesn't cancel it soon. Finally, there's Hawaii Five-0 which pleasantly surprised me. The best part about the show is not the gorgeous locales or the plot (what plot?), but the chemistry between the actors. Even though it took until the second half to get all four leads together, they gelled quite well that by the end I already saw them as a family. It also doesn't hurt to have such a hot cast. Lone Star - A-; Hawaii Five-0 - B; The Event - C+

My 2010 Fall TV Schedule

While a few shows have already premiered, the bulk of the shows are debuting this coming week, starting tomorrow with a jam-packed Monday.

Below are the shows I will be checking out and yes, I know it's way too much. C'est la vie.

MONDAY

For each primetime hour, on this very busy day, I have two shows I'm planning to watch. For the 8PM hour, it's a battle of East vs. West between How I Met Your Mother (CBS) and Chuck (NBC). The 9PM hour is a coin-flip of two new shows Lone Star (FOX) and The Event (NBC). The night ends with Alex O'Louhglin trying to out-fox Nathan Fillion as new show Hawaii Five-0 (CBS) goes up against Castle (ABC). BTW, yes I'm one of the few people who doesn't watch House and I gave up on Gossip Girl last year. Moving on.

TUESDAY

I am so happy that Glee (FOX) has moved from Wednesdays since it was up against ABC's hit comedy shows last year. Of course now it's up against ABC's maybe-maybe not new hit superhero show No Ordinary Family (ABC). The hour after that is pretty bleak in terms of choices, but I have high hopes for new comedy Raising Hope (FOX) and if I feel like it, I might also pick up Stargate: Universe (SyFy) again. Finally, it's all about The Good Wife (CBS) at 10PM and possibly Caprica (SyFy).

WEDNESDAY

This day looks downright SAD compared to all the other days of the week, but I'll be happy with the mid-week break. Since I don't watch Survivor or America's Next Top Model, I'll use the 8PM hour to check out J.J. Abrams' latest Undercovers (NBC). In the 9PM hour, it's all about ABC comedies Modern Family and Cougar Town both of which I'm very excited about seeing again. ABC, CBS, and NBC all have new shows on tap for 10PM and I have no real desire to see any of them with the possible exception for The Whole Truth (ABC) depending on the reviews it will get.

THURSDAY

Today makes up for the previous day's lack of choices. All I have are choices this day. The 8PM hour is insane as two of my favorite comedy shows go head to head, Big Bang Theory (CBS) and Community (NBC). I'm actually pissed BBT moved from Mondays and thus will probably crush poor Community, the returning show I'm looking forward to most of all. There's also 30 Rock (NBC) right after both shows and possibly new show My Generation (ABC) though thankfully the latter is getting awful reviews. 9PM belongs to Fringe (FOX) with me also watching (but close to quitting) Grey's Anatomy (ABC). At 10PM, it's not difficult since I already stopped watching Private Practice last year, so all I have left is The Mentalist (CBS).

FRIDAY-SUNDAY

Supernatural (CW) is my only Friday night show I'm going to make an effort on catching. I'm sure to tune in to a few Saturday Night Live (NBC) episodes on Saturday and as for Sunday all I have on dock are The Amazing Race (CBS) and Brothers & Sisters (ABC) since I gave up on Desperate Housewives last season. Maybe if I have time I'll catch some Family Guy (FOX) as well.

Returning Shows I'm Most Excited About: Community, Modern Family, The Good Wife, and Cougar Town

Returning Shows in Danger of Getting Cut: Grey's Anatomy, The Mentalist, and Stargate: Universe

Nine Emmy Wishes

The Emmy nominations are announced tomorrow and I'm already preparing myself to be disappointed one way or another because that's how it goes nearly every year. But then mB had to make a blog post with his five Emmy wishes and I just had to steal steal his idea.

So here are some of my Emmy wishes tomorrow and yes, I realize that most of them will unlikely happen. Whatever.

1. Don't go Glee crazy!

Look it's the most buzzed new show of the season and it's a great show and one of my favorites, but don't go gaga over it. Please. This means think carefully about the acting nominations. Jane Lynch is a BIG YES. Lea Michele? Sure. Chris Colfer? Er, fine. Chenoweth or NPH as guest actors? Uh, all right. Now stop. Seriously. Stop. That's it.

2. Give some love to Modern Family and Community.

No doubt Modern Family will get a good amount of Emmy nominations, but I feel no matter what it gets, I'll think it should be more. All of its actors deserve nominations! It's not happening, but gah I will feel bad for those that get snub. As for Community, any Emmy recognition will be a miracle, but I'm crossing my fingers for ANY Emmy love for that show.

3. Want lots and lots and lots of nominations to LOST.

People may have had mixed reactions to the finale, but damnit it was still brilliant TV and it's done... forever! I want hoards of nominations especially for some of its cast. For such a strong ensemble show, it's insane to think about how many of its actors have been ignored by the Emmy. Of course Best Drama, Best Writing, Best Directing, etc. should be a no-brainer.

4. Remember Dollhouse!

Sure, its first season wasn't that strong and it was canceled. But its second season was so SO good. I'm not even asking for much. Maybe a writing nom here, a supporting actor nom there (Enver Gjokaj, Fran Kraz), etc. Anything really.

5. And Fringe! And Chuck!

Clearly, I'm rooting for shows that have no chance of Emmy nominations, but I'm trying to be optimistic here. John Noble delivers one of the most nuanced characters on TV this season and Chuck is just full of fun.

6. Don't forget Keir Gilchrist from United States of Tara!

This past TV season saw a bunch of gay teen storylines. Justin's Ugly Betty came out and had his first kiss. Kurt in Glee was front and center and equally fierce. And finally, the best of the bunch, Marshall dealt with finding his own gay identity in Tara. While Chris Colfer (Kurt) is in the more popular show, I hope the Emmys don't overlook the great job Keir Gilchrist (Marshall) did.

7. Other than the usual suspects or any actors I've already mentioned, here are other actors to not overlook:

Alison Brie, Alyson Hannigan, Alexander Skarsgard, Stana Katic, Nathan Fillion, Archie Panjabi, Dichen Lachman, Christine Baranski, Danny Pudi, Joel McHale, and on and on and on. I know they ALL can't be nominated, but please please please just don't nominate someone because you've always nominated them. Think new! Think out of the box!

8. Speaking of out of the box, nominate Torchwood: Children of Earth!

I heard that BBC America decided not to submit this impeccable miniseries for consideration, but I say fuck it. That's right, fuck it. This is still the best TV I've seen the past year and for it to not be recognize AT ALL at TV's premiere award show, well it's just too depressing to think about.

9. Worship at the altar of Joss Whedon and retroactively declare Buffy the Vampire Slayer the best TV show of all time.

Talk about not holding my breath.

Sunday & Monday Nights

Lost Series Finale Countdown: 5 days

As the networks are busy with upfronts this week and with finales, both season and series, around the corner for most shows, everyone seem to be bringing their A game...

Sunday Night

The only thing I watched that night was the finale of Brothers & Sisters and with the exception of the last 5-10 minutes or so, the episode was a bit of a disappointment. It was more whiny and doom-and-gloom from the family as they all still reel from saying goodbye to their precious Ojai company. Saul's out-of-left-field HIV storyline shows potential, but we'll probably get more next season. The big cliffhanger ending included the death of Rob Lowe. Even though it was the worst kept secret ever, they handled that moment surprisingly well. Plus seeing most of the characters injured and shocked was pretty much the extra boost the episode needed.

Monday Night


It was pretty much a TV overload as I saw my usual five shows. The CBS comedies delivered May-Sweeps-worthy episodes. Not only did How I Met Your Mother show us the movie version of Ted's breakup with Stella, but they also kept playing the wonderful Glascow Love Theme from Love, Actually. The climactic scene with Ted in front of the big screen could've been extremely hokey, but I thought it worked. Meanwhile Big Bang Theory gave us an insta-classic episode of how Leonard and Sheldon first met. That event was big enough, but they also managed to get in the creation of The Roommate Agreement, the explanation of their perpetually broken elevator, the first time they met Raj and Howard, and the advents of the show's more notable recurring jokes--Sheldon's multiple knocking and his "spot" on the couch.

The other three shows came from three other different networks. NBC's Chuck seemingly brought back a faceless Shaw as well as Chuck and Ellie's father. Speaking of Ellie, she's in the thick of things now and it's only a matter of time before she finds out about Chuck and his spy-ness. Can I get an AMEN! With one episode remaining, 24 on FOX delivered one of the most harrowing episodes the series has ever done. In fact, this was probably the first episode of this show where I was sincerely terrified of Jack Bauer as he put on a mask and killed everyone and anyone on his way. Next week's two hour series finale is sure to thrill. Finally, the season finale of ABC's Castle involved its usual fun and heartbreak. Fun in the form of the cool spy case and heartbreak in the form of Castle and Beckett trying out the "Ross/Rachel" thing and keeping their feelings to themselves. It's going to be a loooong summer for both of them as well as the fans.

Castle & Chuck in Charge

Apart from being Monday one-word shows that begin with a C (with the title being the name of the main character no less), Chuck and Castle are both shows I enjoy watching even though their fates last season were a bit hazy. With NBC's fortunes dwindling and its Heroes franchise losing major buzz, Chuck's "just okay" ratings and plenty of buzz should help it go for another season. Castle, in the meantime, seems to be enjoying an upsurge in viewers and it's about damn time, people. Last night both shows delivered one of their best episodes of the season, so I thought I'd give them some ink...

This past season of Chuck has mostly been dealing with Chuck's new goal of wanting to be an official spy. In last night's episode, he finally became one changing once again the ever-evolving relationship he has with Team Bartowski, but more specifically, Sarah. I am actually totally loving the complexities of Sarah and Chuck's roller coaster relationship. Sarah is pulling away from Chuck because he's becoming less the person she fell in love with while Chuck, on the other hand, is thinking that the only way he could be with Sarah is to be a real-life spy. Yay for Catch-22s!

And while Chuck has gotten much better at lying and even hurting people, he's still not a murderer, something he'd have to be if he wanted to pass his final spy test and be a "real spy." Fortunately, newly-civilian John Casey was there to help Chuck kill his target. So he passed. But in turns out he got the worst of both worlds in return. Knowing he didn't really pull the trigger, he still doesn't consider himself a real spy worthy of Sarah's love even if he has the official badge and gun. And of course he also loses Sarah since she believes he actually killed someone.


Last night's Castle really gave the show much needed urgency. It's already a fun romp, but this episode ramped up the darkness and suspense. When a serial killer targets Nikki Heat aka Castle's character based on Detective Beckett, things get a little too personal for both of them. With things getting a little heady, the FBI steps in with their fancy gadgets and Agent Jordan Shaw, the federal version of Beckett, played with aplomb by Dana Delaney.

It was nice seeing Beckett just a wee bit jealous of the quick rapport that developed between Castle and Shaw, but the show is at its best when Beckett and Castle bounce off on one another be it in front of a crime scene, the white board, or in Beckett's apartment. Speaking of, he stayed the night and made her pancakes in the morning. Nothing happened, but still... aww. Since this was the first part of a 2-part episode, it had to end in a cliffhanger and what a cliffhanger it was: Beckett's apartment blowing up while she was still in there. Clearly, she's not dead (please?) but with Martha possibly moving out, Castle does have a spare room now. Let it be so.

Lost Finds New Day

Everyone was a-twitter when ABC announced today that Lost will premiere on February 2nd (Groundhog Day!) for an all-night event starting with a recap special and then followed by the two-hour season premiere. The show will then settle into its new day of Tuesdays at 9PM for the duration of its final season.

This is not the first time the show has changed day/timeslot. It started out on Wednesday at 8PM before stabilizing in its regular Wednesday at 9PM timeslot. It was also temporarily moved to Thursdays at 10PM. With devoted fans and the relative safety of knowing this is the final season, ABC is hedging its bet that the show will hold its own against the NBC's coverage of the Vancouver Winter Olympics and most especially against the onslaught of ratings-hog American Idol on FOX.

Freshman show V is rumored to take up residence after Lost on Tuesdays at 10PM when it comes back from its extended hiatus through March. We might even get two hours of Elizabeth Mitchell during certain weeks!

In other network news, NBC also announced today that Chuck will premiere Sunday, January 10th and then air another new episode the next day eventually settling in its regular timeslot of Mondays at 8PM. What does this mean for Heroes? NBC will air a special two-hour Heroes event January 4th before moving the struggling show in its new timeslot of Mondays at 9PM following Chuck.