Category Archives: Analysis

2010/09/29 · 5:50 pm

In Memoriam: ‘Lone Star’

Well, Fox, you’ve done it again. Axed a show before it even had a chance to reach its bris. Lone Star is officially dead.

But this feels somehow different. This was not The Pitts, or Brothers, or even Kitchen Confidential. This was a show that arrived with critical praise, almost unanimously hailed as the season’s “best new network show.” It had a beautiful backdrop to match its beautiful young faces. It had Jon Voight. And, most importantly, it had an original, complex story. While a lot of shows come and go, and a lot of them deserve to be banished (looking at you, Outsourced), this is certainly not the first series unfairly cut down before it’s time. It joins a group of shows like Love Monkey and Action that share the unfortunate distinction of a premature demise, depriving the viewing public of quality television. Lone Star is not the first and it won’t be the last. But why then is this particular cancellation so troubling?

Read on: The end of network TV as we know it?

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Filed under Analysis, Best Show You're Not Watching, Dillon Panthers, In Memoriam

Tagged as 30 Rock, Action, Boardwalk Empire, Brothers, Chuck, community, Fox, Friday Night Lights, Heroes, Jon Voight, Journeyman, Kevin McKidd, Kitchen Confidential, Lone Star, LOST, Love Monkey, Outsourced, Quantum Leap, Sliders, Terriers, The Pitts

2010/09/27 · 6:27 pm

‘SNL: All-Stars’; Or: Where Was Betty White?

Amy Poehler returned to host the 36th season premiere of SNL this past week, but did it feel like she ever really left? Between her frequent appearances last season on the big show and her stint co-anchoring Weekend Update Thursday last fall she was really on the show as much as Jenny Slate was, and probably more times than Jay Mohr during his brief run (cheap shot, sorry, Jay). She even capped last season by coming back for the famed, Emmy-winning Betty White episode, joining her fellow former female castmates like Tina Fey and Molly Shannon in helping White carry the hosting weight. That episode, the 2nd to the last of the season, felt more like a prime-time special than a regular show (indeed, it was billed as a Mother’s Day edition, but as a result of coincidental timing and to justify bringing in the ringers to support White, who then proved she really didn’t need assistance). And while host-in-residence Alec Baldwin made his annual appearance to close out the season a week later, White’s episode really felt like the big finish. And wouldn’t you know it, SNL felt like it picked up just where it left off, by pulling out the big guns and bringing back the all-time greats, starting with Ms. Poehler herself.

Read on: Parade of Stars: Timberlake, Dratch, Rudolph, Fey, Fallon & Peterson. Also, whom did SNL really rip off?

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Filed under Analysis, Saturday Night Live, Yvonne Hudson

Tagged as Alec Baldwin, Amy Poehler, Betty White, Bronx Beat, David Paterson, Elmo, Fred Armisen, Governor, Ground Zero Mosque, Jay Mohr, Jenny Slate, Jimmy Fallon, Justin Timberlake, Katy Perry, Kenan Thopmson, Ladies Who Lunch, Maya Rudolph, Rachel Dratch, Saturday Night Live, SNL, The Ten, Tina Fey

2010/09/24 · 5:09 pm

NBC Thursday Night: Respect Your Friends, Respect your Coworkers, Respect Your Lovers, Respect Your Characters, Respect Your Viewers

Yesterday we gave our brief thoughts on the then impending return of the NBC Thursday night comedies, reflecting on the last season while looking forward to the next. And on the morning after, how do we feel? Impressed, pleased and disappointed, in that order. With the night going from Community to 30 Rock to The Office, we found that the first continues to improve, the second is showing encouraging signs of life, and the third is still struggling to return to its glory days. Taken has a whole, it was a good night, and two out of three ain’t bad. But really, we don’t want “ain’t bad.” We want great, we want three out of three. And, unfortunately, that just didn’t happen.

Continue: We will follow Community down a long, dark alley…

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Filed under Analysis, Dunder Mifflin, this is Pam, Good Humor, Must See TV

Tagged as 30 Rock, Betty White, community, Creed, Drew Carey Show, Gay Witch Hunt, Geico, Glee, Inglourious Basterds, Jim, Joel McHale, Liz Lemon, Lord of the Rings, Matt Damon, Michael Scott, Muppets, NBC, Pam, Parks and Recreation, Quentin Tarantino, The Office

2010/09/23 · 7:29 pm

Gentleman, Start Your DVRs: Quick Thoughts On The NBC Thursday Night Comedies

It seems like May sweeps was just yesterday, but here we are on the cusp of the return of Thursday night TV-pocolypse. Luckily for our DVR, Survivor was shifted back to Wednesday nights, and Parks and Recreation is (egregiously) on the shelf until mid-season (of course, while that might be good for our DVR, it’s terrible for our collective well-being). But we’re still left with what is now the NBC comedy old guard, The Office & 30 Rock, and the returning sensation, and probably the best of the bunch, Community. And later we have a little cable fun with It’s Always in Philadelphia and Delocated (if you’re eyeballs aren’t bleeding by then). But, for now, let’s quickly focus on the NBC line-up.

The big story on NBC Thursday nights, as we noted above, is not what’s on, but what’s not, that being Parks and Recreation, benched in favor of the already critically reviled Outsourced. Sure, NBC has the right to air whatever it wants, and if it thinks another show will be more successful, and has the potential to be an anchor the way that The Office is and shows like Friends, Seinfeld, Frasier and Cheers were, then we can’t begrudge them that. But Outsourced hasn’t even aired yet and it seems the verdict is already in: it’s a waste of valuable space. One has to wonder if NBC, who proved with the Jay Leno Show that they’re willing to sacrifice quality programming for profit, chose to promote Outsourced because it’s an in-house production, even knowing its an inferior program. Because even if it pulls in rating as low as Parks and Rec, maybe even lower, NBC will still grab a bigger slice of the pie. That’s just conjecture at this point, but there’s certainly a precedent for it, and we know that TV, network television in particular, is a business above all. Let’s just hope that Outsourced is so terrible that it’s yanked sooner than planned and Parks and Recreation can reclaim its rightful place (especially since they rushed the show back into production for its third season to accommodate Amy Poehler’s pregnancy).

More: ‘Community’ is up, ‘The Office’ is down, and ’30 Rock’ is still here.

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Filed under Analysis, Dunder Mifflin, this is Pam, Freak Out Control, Good Humor, Must See TV

Tagged as 30 Rock, community, Delocated, It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, Joel McHale, Michael Scott, NBC, Outsourced, Parks and Recreation, Steve Carell, Survivor, The Office

2010/09/22 · 7:02 pm

‘Survivor: One-Star’; Thoughts on the ‘Survivor: Nicaragua’ Premiere

Well, Survivor: Nicaragua certainly has its work cut out for itself, following arguably the greatest season in the series’ illustrious history. Survivor: Heroes vs. Villains, AKA Buried Knives and Burnt Hats: Boston Rob vs. Russell, brought us back from several seasons of indifference. Really, our interest in the show had waned years ago, and we really only returned to see Tom Westman defend his title. But we found ourselves sucked back in, charmed by Russell, strangely tolerant of Boston Rob, amused by Coach, infuriated by Sandra, disappointed by Colby, baffled by JT, and it ended up being one of the strongest, and probably most enjoyable, season in memory. But how will Survivor: Nicaragua stack up? Without the familiarity of the castaways, the pang of nostalgia and the promise of alpha male vs. alpha male vs. alpha male vs. alpha male fireworks, will this new season hold our attention?

Well, the show is not All-Stars, but it does have one star, that being perpetually erect Super Bowl Champion coach Jimmy Johnson (not to be confused with his former boss, Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones, or 90s talk show host Jenny Jones, or top race car driver Jimmie Johnson or former wrestler and member of the Fabulous Freebirds Jimmy Garvin). Turns out that Jimmy Johnson (or “Jimmy J”) is kind of a bizarro Tom Westman. They’re both silver-topped elder statesman, but where Westman excelled in physical prowess and strong morals, Johnson oozes charm and good ol’ boy wit, matching his elite leadership skills with just enough self-deprecation and humor (although, no indication yet of how Johnson’s beard is going to fill in). Turns out that this season might be worth watching just for Jimmy Johnson alone.

Read on: Goodbye, Chatterbox! And “The Faces of Jimmy Johnson”

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Filed under Analysis, Century 21 Reality, Tribal Council

Tagged as All-Stars, Boston Rob, Coach, Extenze, Heroes Vs. Villians, Jeff Probst, Jimmy Johnson, Nicaragua, Oprah, Russell, Survivor, Tom Westman, Wendy, Werewolf Bar Mitzvah Spooky Scary

2010/09/08 · 6:39 pm

‘SNL’ Shake-Ups & Sensationalism: Slate & Sudeikis

It’s hard to believe that a year has passed by since we waved goodbye to Michaela Watkins (we hardly knew ye) and Casey Wilson (probably for the best) and welcomed with skeptical arms the rookies Jenny Slate and Nasim Pedrad. And it’s sad to report that a year later we’re already saying goodbye to the former of that dynamic young duo. And once again, the changes are sure to raise eyebrows. However, this time around, we don’t have a good theory as to what precipitated the moves.

With Will Forte’s departure two weeks ago the whispers began to circulate and the dominoes began to fall. Except, they really didn’t fall so much as erect themselves next to already firmly planted playing pieces, with Taran Killam (best known from Scrubs), Paul Brittain and Vanessa Bayer from the iO Chicago, and Jay Pharoah, a comedian and talented impressionist, joining the cast, while veterans Andy Samberg, Jason Sudeikis, Kenan Thompson – rumored to possibly be following Forte out the door – remain (as of press time) at their posts. So it came as a bit of a shock when word got out yesterday that the show had released a cast member, but not one of its established male veterans with s burgeoning film careers (or even Kristen Wiig, who may have already over-stayed her welcome a season or two), but, instead, Slate, who had only put in a season’s worth of work.

Now, if you recall last year’s history lesson on women & SNL, you’ll recall that going into the season with four women (Slate, Pedrad, Wiig & Abby Elliott most recently) was on the high side. In fact, going a whole season with four veteran female cast members is just about as good as it’s ever been on the show. So, with the addition of Bayer, it’s not surprising that SNL & head honcho Lorne Michaels decided to cut loose a lady. It was a numbers game. That we understand. But then why add one in the first place?

Read on: The curious case of Jenny Slate. Also, Jason Sudeikis is the new Ben Affleck.

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Filed under Analysis, Flashback!, Saturday Night Live, Yvonne Hudson

Tagged as Abby Elliott, Amy Poehler, Andy Samberg, Bobby Moynihan, Bored to Death, Casey Wilson, Charlie Rocket, Elisabeth Moss, Fred Armisen, Gauborey Sidibe, Heather Campbell, January Jones, Jason Sudeikis, Jay Pharoah, Jennifer Lopez, Jenny Slate, Kenan Thompson, Kristen Wiig, Live From New York, Lorne Michaels, Michaela Watkins, Midnight Show, Nasim Pedrad, Norm MacDonald, Paul Brittain, Saturday Night Live, SNL, Taran Killam, Tina Tina Chanuse, UCB, Vanessa Bayer, Will Forte

2010/09/01 · 10:11 am

Not Very Late Night With Jimmy Fallon: Random, Belated, Emmy Thoughts

The Emmy’s were handed out three nights ago, and in the internet world that’s about the equivalent of a fortnight, and everyone who can say it better than me has already said it better than me. But, just to put it on the permanent record, and to get us ready for the impending fall TV season, we thought we’d follow-up with a few humble thoughts of our own, in concise bullet-point form:

Loved the opening bit, even if it was somewhat of a rehash of 6-Bee‘s glee club rendition of “We’re Not Going to Take It,” a performance that we still giddily cue up on our screen on a regular basis (as well as an audio version on our iPod). But with Tina Fey, Jon Hamm, Joel McHale, Jorge Garcia AND Tim Gunn it was like the Ocean’s 11 all-star version of the original Late Night piece, and it truly demanded some freak out control. Our worlds colliding, but in an amazing way.

Speaking of Jon Hamm, now that his comedic genius has finally been exposed to a wide audience (30 Rock is still critically adored but commercially ignored, his appearances in viral videos only legitimately reach a small segment of the online viewing public, and even two turns hosting SNL don’t necessarily make you a household name these days), can we start having him be funny full-time? He’s so gifted, and so natural, it honestly feels like a waste forcing him to be so stoic and dour and cold on Mad Men (and we know we sound like a broken record on this, but we’re going to keep bring it up until it happens. Or until Mad Men becomes a farcical satire. Maybe in season 5). Sure, he’s magnetic, sexy and mysterious on the AMC drama, but it’s when he’s allowed to do comedy that he truly lights up. But after being seen dancing like an idiot on HDTVs all across the country maybe someone will give him a chance to headline a comedy. Perhaps something in the Apatowian genre. I think that’s a hit.

And if and when Hamm gets that nod can they please place Joel McHale alongside him? Please?
Continue: more overdue and rambling considerations, compliments and criticisms…

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Filed under Analysis, Century 21 Reality, Dillon Panthers, Freak Out Control, Intersection of the venn diagram of things that I love, LOST, Must See TV, Participation Award, Saturday Night Live, Top Scallop

Tagged as 30 Rock, All-Stars, Amazing Race, Big Bang Theory, Boardwalk Empire, Breaking Bad, Children of Earth, community, Conan, Connie Britton, Edie Falco, Emmys, Friday Night Lights, Glee, January Jones, Jason Sudeikis, Jeremy Piven, Jim Parsons, Jimmy Fallon, Joel McHale, Jon Hamm, Jorge Garcia, Kelsey Grammer, Kyle Chandler, Letterman, LOST, mad men, Matthew Fox, Michael Emerson, Parks and Recreation, Party Down, SNL, Survivor, Terry O'Quinn, The Pacific, The Wire, Tim Gunn, Tina Fey, Tom Hanks, Tony Shaloub, Top Chef, Torchwood

2010/05/20 · 11:36 am

‘Survivor: All-Stars’ Finale: Hey, Jealousy (And Tom Westman!)

About 3/4 of the way through the Survivor finale I turned to my viewing companion and said “If Sandra wins it might just ruin the whole season for me.” A season, that up to that point, had been arguably the greatest in Survivor history. But he calmed my fears, assuring me she wouldn’t win, and I thought “yeah, you’re right she’s not winning.” It was just a moment of weakness where I let a worst-case impossible scenario appear to be a viable outcome. But I quickly blocked out that preposterous notion.

Well, the good news is that, three nights after the finale aired, I do not feel that the season was ruined by virtue of its final vote. However, the bad news is my nightmare came true. Sandra won. For the 2nd time. The castaway who has never won a single challenge won a second time.

NEVER WON A SINGLE CHALLENGE. IN TWO SEASONS. And this time around she didn’t win by being slightly less worthless than a glorified girl scout. No, this time she beat out Russell and Parvati, arguably the greatest strategist and greatest social player of all time, respectively. So what gives? How could this possibly happen?

Read on: The jury needs to grow up. Plus, our hero returns!

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Filed under Analysis, Century 21 Reality, Tribal Council

Tagged as All-Stars, Hantz, Jeff Probst, Parvati, Rupert, Russell, Sandra, Sandra Diaz-Twine, Survivor, Tom Westman

2010/04/17 · 1:49 pm

‘SNL’: Say Fey Kid

(Title allusion here)

Unless you’ve been living under a rock you probably know that Tina Fey has a new movie out. Between her appearances on Oprah, Live!, and Late Night (leaving behind a wake of Jamie Foxx-Oprah rumors and charades losses), she’s been pounding the pavement drumming up excitement for Date Night. The last stop on the promotional tour was coming home to host SNL. However, in a way, it has seemed like her talk show visits have also been to build enthusiasm for her return to studio 8H. The means were also the end. And with tween phenomenon Justin Bieber rounding out the card as musical guest, this SNL, the first in a month, was shaping up to be a special instance of a white-hot host meets a white-hot musical act.

Did the show live up to expectations? I’d have to say no, especially after getting off to a slow start with a census-centered cold opening that probably wouldn’t have been funny three weeks ago when it was still relevant. And there weren’t any real knock out, “holy water cooler” sketches later in the show. But there was a sense of excitement with Fey and Bieber in the house, and what may have lacking in humor was made up for with a bit of electricity.

More: Who’s more evil, Sarah Palin or the Devil?

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Tagged as Date Night, Jamie Foxx, Jason Sudeikis, Justin Bieber, Kenan Thompson, Kim Kardashian, Kristen Wiig, Nasim Pedrad, Oprah, Ryan Phillippe, Sarah Palin, Saturday Night Live, SNL, the devil, Tina Fey