McLean Stevenson (M*A*S*H), Terry O'Quinn (Lost), Leslie Hope (24)
We really should've known better. We waited two weeks for Brothers & Sisters' "shocking death," when all along we should have realized that what the network had been teasing for weeks (months even, among insiders) in the end wasn't all that shocking — especially when it didn't even really happen.
Oh well, maybe we're all patsies. But to make ourselves feel better, after the jump are the TV deaths that actually delivered a gutshot and had us talking about a character's demise the next day — for all the right reasons.
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James Gandolfini by Craig Blankenhorn/HBO, Bob Saget courtesy Everett Collection, The Simpsons courtesy Fox
In honor of Father's Day, we've put together a list of 10 of the most memorable TV dads, all of which you can enjoy again and again on DVD. — Gord Lacey10. Homer Simpson, The SimpsonsHe's been on TV for 19 seasons, entertaining us with his beer-enhanced antics, zany adventures, and love of donuts. If nothing else, he gets credit for parenting three kids that never age. Buy The Simpsons at Amazon.com!9. Andy Taylor, The Andy Griffith ShowWhen you’re an elected official charged with keeping the town safe, you could easily lose sight of your duties at home. But Andy always understood that the most important badge he wore was the one as Opie's dad. Buy The Andy Griffith Show at Amazon.com!8. Tony Soprano, The SopranosTony got a gold star for heading up two families: the one at home with Carmela, Anthony and Meadow, and his other family with Paulie, Silvo and Bobby. What's a father if not a protector? Buy The Sopranos at Amazon.com!7. Al Bundy, Married with ChildrenAl put in l...
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Question: I was totally prepared to hate The Big Bang Theory, so I was surprised at how much I like it. It is one of the few new sitcoms that I find really funny, and sometimes it actually makes me laugh out loud. What do you think of it? How is it doing?
Answer: I'm enjoying it more and more as the season goes on, and the good news is that it already has a full-season pickup, so there's no reason to worry about its immediate future. It's awfully endearing; Jim Parsons is a deadpan hoot as Sheldon, and when the entire geek squad is assembled (including scene-stealer Simon Helberg as Wolowitz), it's a riot. My favorite episode to date: when Sara Gilbert's fellow-scientist character used Leonard (Johnny Galecki, her former Roseanne costar) for sex, while Sheldon fretted outside the bedroom door with the tie on the doorknob. The scenes in that episode at the Cheesecake Factory, where Sheldon found a new home for his obsessive-compulsive behavior (to the chagrin of Penny th ...
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Drew Carey host of The Price Is Right by Monty Brinton/CBS
Giggling at the antics of the slap-happy contestants who “come on down” at what he calls “the happiest place on Earth,” Drew Carey looks like he’s having a blast, and looks right at home, on the spiffed-up set of The Price Is Right as he takes over as host today. There’s no fuss and no ceremony, and outside of the introduction telling us we’re at the Bob Barker Studio in Television City, and that one of the games is still called “Barker’s Bargain Bar,” and that Carey chooses to sign off with the traditional plea to have your pets spayed, there’s no actual homage to the former host as the new Price era begins.And yet, probably the greatest tribute to Bob Barker is that the show goes on, and goes on effortlessly with its funny-looking new ringleader, who appears to be genuinely tickled at the breathless excitement of the frantic folks who come to play the game. When one of the contestants does a cartwheel after taking the stage, C...
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Sam Huntington in Cavemen by Mitch Haddad/ABC
The evolution of comedy on ABC is not a pretty one, from the heights not so long ago of Roseanne to the absolute prehistoric depths of Cavemen, which premiered Tuesday night without benefit of sending a finished preview episode to critics. For good reason, clearly. We thought the original pilot we saw in May was lousy, but that was nothing compared to the woolly mammoth stinker that aired Tuesday. I didn’t crack a smile, bark a single laugh, even grunt a symbolic “ugh.” I think time may actually have stood still for a few seconds, somewhere between the scene where a caveman ordered a tall soy macchiato and cranberry biscotti after sneering at “pretentious poseurs” at the mall and the bit where, on the squash court, the hairy guys discussed how their sexual prowess made them “forbidden fruit” to female “sapes.”Forget ugh. How about ick?Pairing this instant loser with the whining-male flat tire known as Carpoolers made for what may have bee...
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Johnny Galecki, The Big Bang Theory
Creating quality laughs for television isn't rocket science, though it may benefit from some quantum physics. In the new CBS sitcom The Big Bang Theory (premiering tonight at 8:30 pm/ET), Johnny Galecki and Jim Parsons play Leonard and Sheldon, super-brilliant roommates who realize they don't necessarily have all the answers when a bubbly blonde beauty named Penny (8 Simple Rules' Kaley Cuoco) moves in across the hall. Complicating matters further will be the arrival of Galecki's "former wife," fellow Roseanne alum Sara Gilbert, as a geeky love interest
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There's nothing I love more than a good gimmick, and this one qualifies as great.The outside-the-box thinkers over at CSI and Two and a Half Men are toying with the idea of swapping writing staffs for an episode to air later this season. And although the switcheroo is far from a done deal, Men creator Chuck Lorre has already hatched a killer plot for his potential CSI debut — and it's sure to leave many a tongue wagging in Hollywood. According to sources, his CSI episode would revolve around the grisly death of a disliked sitcom diva — a subject the comedy vet has plenty of experience with, having legendarily clashed with Roseanne and Cybill Shepherd on their eponymous series. And lest he leave any doubt that he is drawing from his own personal nightmares… er, experiences, he has gone so far as to reach out to ex-Cybill sidekick Christine Baranksi to play the deceased shrew's co-star. Natch, Lorre's spokeswoman insists the proposed story is not based on "one person in...
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Question: I happened to see the pilot for CBS' The Big Bang Theory in Las Vegas last week, and I absolutely loved it. I have not laughed that much during a new sitcom pilot in a long time. Do you think this show has a chance to stick? I hope it lasts, because it is really funny.
Answer: The good news is that it's on the right network (CBS, which specializes in multi-camera laugh-track sitcoms), and with Two and a Half Men's Chuck Lorre behind it, CBS may be inclined to show some patience if it doesn't take off right away. But I don't see why it wouldn't. It's a classic ugly-duckling buddy sitcom about two geeky geniuses (Roseanne's Johnny Galecki and terrific new find Jim Parsons as, respectively, Leonard and Sheldon, an homage to legendary TV producer Sheldon Leonard) and the pretty young thing (8 Simple Rules' Kaley Cuoco) who moves in next door. The guys are funny, especially the deadpan fussbudget played by Parsons, and their nerdy friends in the supporting cast score laughs as
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Question: I have been reading everyone's comments on the Isaiah Washington situation over at Grey's Anatomy. While I agree that it was both wrong and stupid to start the whole fracas again by using the word to deny the use of the word, I think there must be better ways to address the situation than firing Washington and either killing off the character or replacing him. I have found in the past that killing off a main character has had a "jumping the shark" effect on my enjoyment of the show. Perhaps instead the show can use this as a springboard to introduce a gay character and explore the issue in an intelligent manner (though hopefully less preachy than 7th Heaven). After reading your comments regarding the recasting of prime-time characters, I happily recalled the episode of Roseanne when Lecy Goranson returned after Sarah Chalke had taken over the part (and did an excellent job!), and they did the "Identical Beckys" musical number. I thought it was hysterical, and it is my fondest ...
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Question: I'm a 45-year-old mother concerned about today's programming. It seems all there is to watch is blood, murder and sex. Whatever happened to funny family shows? You cannot sit down as a family and watch TV anymore. I'm not sure whom the networks are trying to appeal to, but do they realize that there are still generations of families with kids watching TV at 8 pm? This is a sad state of affairs when I can't even let my 15-year-old sit down with me to watch TV. We're reduced to Nick at Nite! When there is a good show, the networks cancel it. Look at the history: American Dreams, Yes, Dear, all replaced with sex: Two and a Half Men, the CSIs, Grey's Anatomy. And how many nights can they shove Dancing with the Stars down our throats? I'm just disgusted that when I sit down to relax, there's nothing to watch anymore.
Answer: Unfortunately, I can't give you much hope. These days, the networks' idea of "family" programming takes the form of the more benign reality programs, like
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