Question: I've watched a lot of TV in my life, but I don't know that I've ever experienced a night as full of great TV as I did last Sunday. I'm not arguing it was the best TV I've ever seen, or even that any one series had its best episode ever, but as a combined lineup, I don't know that I've ever been more satisfied. I started with the return of The Amazing Race. The teams seem like they'll be a whole lot of fun this year, and they even seemed diverse enough that a half hour in I was still able to remember who was who. Then it was time to switch over to ABC's Desperate Housewives/Brothers & Sisters combo. This time jump really seems to have freshened things up on Housewives, and I hope the mystery surrounding Edie's creepy husband is worth our time. Brothers & Sisters had a strong start, and I found myself not really begrudging them the questionable plot twists the show took at the end of last season. Then I caught the replay of Mad Men. I believe they've raised the bar even higher ...
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Question: Somewhere along the way, I was sure I heard that ER would wrap things up in February. I thought that sounded early, but then I considered that maybe instead of having reruns on or plugging another show in for a while they would just run the episodes all the way through and end in a sweeps month (February). I then read in a recent issue of TV Guide that the two-hour finale is in May, which would make sense. Was I totally wrong about February or did I just misunderstand something? Hope you can clear things up.
Answer: I recently checked with NBC, having some confusion on the scheduling issue myself, and all that was confirmed for me is that ER's final season will consist of 19 episodes, which will not take us to May unless the show goes into repeats or goes on hiatus at some point. Given the show's iconic status, I'm thinking NBC could stunt for a while with a greatest-hits-of-ER countdown, but that's just a guess. Regardless, it makes most sense to me that NBC would try to
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Question: Do you know what Fox is planning on doing with Prison Break and Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles come January? Seems like Prison Break always takes a hiatus around Thanksgiving and comes back in January. Are they planning on doing this again this year? Are both PB and T:SCC confirmed to be full seasons?
Answer: My understanding is that Terminator got a 13-episode pickup, while Prison Break (a more established series) was renewed for a full 22-episode season. I know I was erring toward optimism the last time I was asked about this, but with the numbers continuing to drop as the competition continues to build on Mondays, I think there's cause to be concerned where both shows are concerned. Can't say yet where either of these shows will land in the new year, because the initial Fox schedule announced in May didn't include either of them in the winter plans (which, this being Fox, are always subject to change). The initial Monday lineup announced for January included read more
Jenna Fischer and John Krasinski, The Office
Question: I wanted to write to applaud the writers of The Office for taking the road less traveled. They have managed, it seems, to do something that most other shows have been too afraid to try: keeping their main romantic couple together and have their relationship be both happy and entertaining. Years upon years of TV watching have kept me waiting for the other shoe to drop for Jim and Pam, but The Office has handled their coupling with perfect care. What was once the sweetest unrequited love on TV has turned into one of its most engaging pairs. Jim's proposal at the rest stop in the season premiere was perfection and so in keeping with the characters. John Krasinski and Jenna Fischer continue to play their roles subtly and beautifully, and with the recent Emmys, it makes me wonder how these two (outside of Fischer's one nod) continue to be so ignored. It's refreshing to know that putting together a couple on TV doesn't automatically equal disaster. What are your thoughts on Jim and ...
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Question: So Zach was improbably back on Bones last week. I can almost forgive the ridiculous leaps of logic it will require to have Zach restored entirely to his old position by the end of this season, just to undo the mistake of "psycho killer"-ing him off in the first place during last year's season finale. Contrary to that goof, I join the half of your audience that thinks killing Amber on House last season was worth it just for the power finale. Still, I see an intriguing possibility that I hope David Shore is pursuing: Amber as a new powerful House inner-voice foil. House already had a near-death experience with Amber front and center, which House no doubt 99 percent believed was a hallucination. I'd love it if she now sometimes starts showing up in his dreams or super-stressful times, giving him not-exactly-Wilsonesque perspectives and advice. (By the way, loved the new Private Investigator character.) And talk about the unfortunate season-finale-resolution disappointment — we ...
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Question: Last week's Grey's Anatomy premiere reminded me why I love television. For anyone reading between the lines, you could hear the writers responding directly to all of the viewer's criticisms over the last two seasons: "Look, we hear what you viewers have been saying. We aren't your favorite show anymore. This season we are going to make you remember why this show was No. 1." A couple of shows made commentaries like this post-writer's strike as well (House's nurses' strike being one that comes to mind). Obviously, this is intentional on behalf of the writers, but I always wonder if other viewers are picking up on these same messages. I don't mean to sell the masses short or imply anything about anyone not getting it, but I know for one my wife didn't get that message at all. Based on all the e-mail you get, can you tell when these kinds of messages work and are picked up on by the viewers, and when they don't?
Answer: Since my readers tend to be a bit on the obsessive side,
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And the wannabe hits just keep on coming. The fall rollout continues in full force this week, especially on Thursday night, where three new network series based on shows from England and Australia finally arrive after months of retooling—in the case of Life on Mars, involving a complete reshoot. But network TV isn’t all that’s keeping us busy. USA Network has molded its beach-book miniseries The Starter Wife into a weekly page-turner, while PBS’ Masterpiece continues on its yearlong roll with a terrific political thriller.
Life on Mars
Airs Thursdays, 10/9c, ABC (also online via video.tvguide.com)
Previously on: BBC America. How’s the remake? Surprisingly good, considering the buzz after the show switched producers. This captures the original series’ vibe nicely, as modern-day detective Sam Tyler (the appealing Jason O’Mara) is hit by a car and wakes up in ultragritty “Serpico
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Pushing Daisies by Adam Taylor/ABC
The facts are these, dear readers: Pushing Daisies, ABC's dazzling storybook fable of colorfully romantic comedy and mystery, is finally back this week to kick off a reprise of last fall's Wednesday line-up, all of which was cut short by the writers' strike last winter. (The other shows are Grey's Anatomy's inferior spin-off Private Practice, which is almost as annoying as it was a year ago, and the decadently opulent Dirty Sexy Money, which arrives as something of a gaudy anachronism during this week of financial meltdown. One plot twist is so reprehensibly immoral I wonder how the show's fans will react.)
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For some of us, this is the week when the TV season truly begins, with the welcome return of a handful of shows that were abruptly cut short in their freshman season by the writers' strike, but were (to the surprise of many) given a reprieve by their networks, which still sees potential in them.
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Question: As a member of the age group the CW targets, I have to wonder what they are thinking when it comes to this new version of 90210. First of all, I (and I'm sure most of my generation) never saw the original, but figured that wouldn't be necessary. Apparently I was wrong! I was surprised how many storylines revolve around the original characters, without the writing even trying to welcome new viewers to their lives. I feel like we are supposed to know them already, what with the complete and utter lack of character development. Then when it comes to the "new" characters, they have absolutely no chemistry with one another, their acting is poor and their storylines are beyond cringingly cliché. And then they give it a full-season order. What? From the comments in blogs and review sites I've seen, the only people watching this show are old fans excited to see how their old characters' lives are now. Maybe I would've cared if the writers had tried to make me care, but I actually ...
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