Amy Poehler, Maya Rudolph and Brian Williams by Dana Edelson/NBC
Cheers to Brian Williams for his newsworthy turn as host of Saturday Night Live. We all knew the NBC Nightly News anchorman was witty from his guest spots with Jon Stewart and Conan O'Brien. This just in: The guy can act, too. Williams scored big yuks as a Bronx fireman, a disgruntled CW costar and an underwhelmed Publishers Clearinghouse winner. My only quibble: Why didn't they use him on "Weekend Update"?Related: Barack Obama Unmasked on SNL• Read and react to Bruce's opinions on Jerry Seinfeld, Criminal Minds and more!• Share your own raves and rants about other shows on the brand-new Reader Cheers & Jeers discussion board.• We may feature your Cheer or Jeer on TVGuide.com or in TV Guide magazine!
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From Chuck Devlin in Toronto, Ohio:Jeers to NCIS for lazy plot writing and cheap trickery. They are supposed to investigate crimes that deal with the Navy and the Marines. When they can't conceive of a military-related plot, the writers resort to a normal crime plot and bump off a sailor somehow in the opening to make it all "relevant." • Read and react to Bruce Fretts' opinions on Criminal Minds, Nip/Tuck and more!• Share your own raves and rants about other shows on the brand-new Reader Cheers & Jeers discussion board.• We may feature your Cheer or Jeer on TVGuide.com or in TV Guide magazine!
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Jerry Seinfeld and Barry B. Benson courtesy Dreamworks
Jeers to "N-Bee-C" for its incessant Bee Movie hype. I don't blame Jerry Seinfeld for wanting to promote his first big feature film, but did his former network need to devote so much airtime to his not-so-funny "TV Juniors" shorts? (I'm surprised they didn't get Jerry to host a special edition of The Singing Bee, too.) That said, I'm taking my kids to see Bee Movie on opening night, so I guess all the promos worked.Related: Seinfeld Buzzes About Bee Movie, Sitcoms and More. (And no, the irony here is not lost on us.)• Read and react to Bruce's opinions on Criminal Minds, Nip/Tuck and more!• Share your own raves and rants about other shows on the brand-new Reader Cheers & Jeers discussion board.• We may feature your Cheer or Jeer on TVGuide.com or in TV Guide magazine!
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Shemar Moore, Thomas Gibson and Joe Mantegna in Criminal Minds by Vivian Zink/ABC Studios
Cheers to Criminal Minds for adding Joe Mantegna to the cast without missing a beat. The veteran character actor fits right in on CBS' hit drama as Special Agent David Rossi, the mysteriously out-of-retirement founder of the FBI's Behavioral Analysis Unit. With his warm-'n'-fuzzy recent roles in Joan of Arcadia and The Starter Wife, it's easy to forget Mantegna first made his name in the dark, crime-ridden world of David Mamet, so Criminal's twisted plotlines are nothing new to him. Mandy Who?• Read and react to Bruce's opinions on Nip/Tuck, The Hills and more!• Share your own raves and rants about other shows on the brand-new Reader Cheers & Jeers discussion board.• We may feature your Cheer or Jeer on TVGuide.com or in TV Guide magazine!
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Julian McMahon and Dylan Walsh by Michael Becker/FX
Cheers to Nip/Tuck for transplanting the action to L.A. for its fifth season. FX's plastic-surgery soap was showing signs of aging in Miami, but the glitzy new locale gives Drs. McNamara and Troy plenty of fresh faces to lift. The ensemble's best augmentation: Oliver Platt as the flamboyant, jumpsuit-wearing Freddy Prune, the Marc Cherry-esque creator of the sidesplitting medical-show-within-a-show "Hearts 'N Scalpels." Anybody got a second opinion?• Read and react to Bruce's opinions on The Hills, Desperate Housewives and more!• Share your own raves and rants about other shows on the brand-new Reader Cheers & Jeers discussion board• Your take could wind up in TV Guide magazine's Cheers & Jeers column!
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Lauren and Whitney by Jeff Lipsky/MTV
Jeers to The Hills for a lackluster episode. MTV's "unscripted" soap is the addictive TV equivalent of crack when it focuses on the deliciously bitter feud between Lauren and Heidi or Audrina's masochistic relationship with the tragically pseudo-hip Justin Bobby. But this week's Hills devoted way too much time to Lauren's and Whitney's boring jobs at Teen Vogue and the tepid tiff between Heidi's sketchy fiancé, Spencer, and Lauren's allegedly platonic pal Brody. What good is a guilty pleasure if you don't feel bad about yourself after consuming it?• Read and react to Bruce's opinions on Desperate Housewives, 30 Rock and more!• Share your own raves and rants about other shows on the brand-new Reader Cheers & Jeers discussion board• Your take could wind up in TV Guide magazine's Cheers & Jeers column!
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Tuc Watkins and Kevin Rahm in Desperate Housewives by Ron Tom/ABC
Cheers to Desperate Housewives for continuing to spruce up Wisteria Lane. Hot on the heels of Dana Delany's Cheer-worthy arrival as shady Katherine Mayfair, two more intriguing new neighbors have moved into the 'hood: Bob (Tuc Watkins) and Lee (Kevin Rahm). The refreshingly non-stereotypical life partners have stirred up trouble without even trying — their loud lawn sculpture caused a rift between Susan and Lynette and started a feud with Katherine that promises to keep on simmering. During the past two uneven seasons, watching Housewives had become a chore, but with such welcome additions, it feels like a gay old time again.• Read and react to Bruce's opinions on 30 Rock, Damages and more!• Share your own raves and rants about other shows on the brand-new Reader Cheers & Jeers discussion board• Your take could wind up in TV Guide magazine's Cheers & Jeers column!
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Carrie Fisher on 30 Rock by Anne Joyce/NBC
Cheers to 30 Rock for rolling out TV's best guest stars. Last season, Elaine Stritch won an Emmy as Jack's battle-ax of a mother (and Paul Reubens should've won one as a freakish Austrian royal). This season has already featured noteworthy cameos from Jerry Seinfeld, Steve Buscemi and now Carrie Fisher. As Liz's comedy-writing idol, Fisher expertly delivered inside jokes, including a priceless Princess Leia reference ("Help me, Liz Lemon, you're my only hope!") and a sly allusion to Fisher's own real-life babydaddy, agent Bryan Lourd, who left her for a man. ("I grew up wanting to be Samantha Stephens from Bewitched — the closest I got was being married to a gay guy for two years.") She also inspired Jack's best line of the season so far: "Don't ever make me talk to a woman that old again!" In the coming weeks, we can look forward to guest shots from Edie Falco, David Schwimmer and (allegedly) Al Gore. It's great that so many stars want to do Rock — but why aren't more n...
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Phenomenon contestant, Eran Raven by Hopper Stone/NBC Photo
Jeers to NBC for the inaccurately titled Phenomenon — they should've called it "Fiasco." It's hard to pick the most ridiculous moment from the show's premiere, in which four mentalists (or something) performed feats so underwhelming, even the live studio audience didn't know when to applaud. But if you put a gun to my head (and I was wishing someone had while I was watching it), I'd have to go with the "Russian Roulette" game, in which Eran (assisted by "celebrity" Carmen Electra) fired nail guns at his temple while paramedics — and his mother! — looked on, in case he killed himself on live TV. I felt like I was seeing Paddy Chayefsky's Network come to life, except I was the one who was mad as hell. And I'm not going to take it anymore. Anybody else with me, people?More Cheers & Jeers: Read and react to Bruce's opinions on Damages, Heroes, Curb Your Enthusiasm and Mad Men, then share your own raves and rants about other shows on the new Reader Cheers & Jeer...
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Glenn Close by Barbara Nitke/FX
Cheers to Damages for ending its first season with a major bang. FX's legal thriller answered an amazing number of questions — from (Spoiler alert for DVR viewers) the location of the incriminating videotape (it was inside the Statue of Liberty murder weapon!) to the revelation that Patty (Glenn Close) apparently tried to have Ellen (Rose Byrne) killed — while leaving others tantalizingly unresolved. Is Frobisher (Ted Danson) dead? Will Ellen be able to help the FBI bring down Patty? And what's taking FX so long to renew Damages for a second season? If they don't, it'll be a real crime. (For more on that, check out today's Ask Ausiello.)Got burning questions about the Damages finale? Share them here, and TVGuide.com will try to get them answered.More Cheers & Jeers: Read and react to Bruce's opinions on Heroes, Curb Your Enthusiasm, Mad Men and Bionic Woman, then share your own raves and rants about other shows on the new Reader Cheers & Jeers discussion board. You...
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