Channel Flipping : New Shows of Fall 2010 pt1

The 2010 Television season has left the starting gates! Let's check in with the potential new shows, shant we?

Show Title: Hawaii Five-O
Network / Time: CBS on Mondays @ 10:00 PM

Having never really seen the original Hawaii Five-O except for in repeats as a young child growing up, I wasn't entirely sure what to expect from the remake. Much like the A-Team, Hawaii Five-O is filled with updated nostalgia. Having only seen the pilot, the show runners do an excellent if ham-handed job of putting this "crack" team of special government agents together. After McGarrett(O'Loughlin, the Shield, Moonlight)'s father is killed by Buffy Cameoing James Marsters, he assembles a team including Entourage's nemesis to Eric Murphy's Scott Caan, Lost & Angel's Daniel Dae Kim, and Battlestar Hottie Grace Park. Scott Caan steals the show as the surly Danno, a single father who doesn't want to risk his life foolheartedly to search for McGarrett's father's killer.

A fun likeable cast, solid dialogue in the pilot, good action, and a paint by numbers plot make Hawaii Five-O  serviceable, however it is not Must See TV. Still, you could find quite a few more dishonorable ways to spend an hour of your time than with a quick call back to nostalgic youth. Still, without the remake factor, I doubt a show as paint by numbers would have been green lit.

Verdict?  Check it out. Half/Half Support

Show Title: No Ordinary Family
Network / Time:ABC on Tuesdays @ 8:00 PM

Much better than I expected. Michael Chiklis, Julie Benz, and their two kids wind up crashing on a family vacation in a mysterious lagoon. Shortly after? Superpowers. So, well, they're an ordinary family, but not anymore. *Cue the mysterious music*

Well done, it reminded me of Heroes meets the Incredibles. Let's just hope it keeps the quality the film the Incredibles had and not dip into s2/3 territory for NBC's former Superhero flagship program. I still say the pilot isn't dead and he's gonna come back as the main "villain" of the series. As of now however? It's normal people, living normal lives, but now? They can make their lives easier with super powers.

Verdict? Check it out. Support it.

Show Title: Running Wilde
Network / Time: Fox on Tuesdays @ 9:30 PM

Developed by Mitch Herwitz for the ever hilarious Will Arnett, it revolves around a childhood lost romance between Arnett's Wilde and Keri Russell's Emmy. The problem? Wilde is the son of the CEO of a multi-billion dollar oil conglomorate, while Russel is an eco-terrorist who's spent six months living in Africa with her fiancee(The fantastic David Cross).

Not Arrested Development levels, but much better than Sit Down Shut Up. A solid show that is deserving of building an audience and a voice.

Verdict? Check it out. Support It

Show Title: Sh*t My Dad Says
Network / Time: CBS on Thursdays @ 8:30 PM

I like Nicole Sullivan. I like William Shatner. I like Will Sasso. I am not a fan of this. Generic characters, paint by numbers comedy... this was done better when it was called Titus. I shouldn't spend more time on this than the 22 minutes it takes to watch the episode and type out this blurb.

Verdict?: Don't Support it. Support it on twitter instead.

Need Your Passport : Summer Heights High

So, preface, the discontinuation in updates was a one time thing. I hope to catch up, but I'm not pressing myself to. I'm just going to swing back into the ol' schedule I had and figure things out from there.

Series Name: Summer Heights High
Television Network : ABC(Australia), HBO
Running Time : 27 Minutes
Broadcast Run : September 5th, 2007 to October 24th, 2007 (8 Episodes)

HBO/ABC1's Summer Heights High
Chris Lilley as Jonah

Ever heard of Chris Lilley? Filmed for and in Australia, Summer Heights High revolves around Chris Lilley protraying three completely separate roles. The first is that of teenage debutant and recent transfer from private to public school, Ja'mie King(not to be confused with Hollywood starlet Jamie King), who is a self indulgent pretty popular girl. She quickly befriends the most popular girls at the public school, but looks down upon them due to their not being able to afford private schooling.

The second is Mr. G, an aspiring theater director who Machiavellianly takes over control of the school's drama club for his own purpose. He crafts a play about a student who dies in a drug overdose during the school year. Despite having no contact with said student, he writes himself into the play as a counselor to the troubled teen. When the younger students can't perform the role to his expectations, he of course steps in and becomes the star of the show.

The final is my favorite of the three, Tongan student Jonah Takalua. He enjoys breakdancing and getting laughs from his friends and classmates. He can't read, and gets easily frustrated by things he can't understand. He routinely draws a picture of a penis with the word "tation" after word(as in dictation) in graffiti all around the school. Most of his teachers react negatively simply due to word of mouth, when most of his acting out is just seeking attention and crying for help without actively admitting his personal short comings.

While each plot thread throughout the series is well crafted and articulated, and an accurate depiction of school in general, and I assume of the system in Australia, the main draw of the show is the depth each character has and the changes they go through throughout the series. And if you thought this was a drama? This is anything but. It's down to earth comedy focusing on three parallel lives being lived out in a suburban high school, and c'mon. Wasn't high school horrible and hilarious at the same time?

Chris Lilley's diversity truly shines through. These three characters are completely different from one another, their stature, their posture, their dialect, their tone, it's a remarkable performance that rings true, even though it's a 32 year old sitting in class as a 16 year old. Truly reminiscent of HBO's "The Ali G Show," except with a linear story, Summer Heights High  is an amazing look at the process of acting.

B

You Gotta Pay For It : True Blood

Buy Your Own True Blood!

Series Name: True Blood
Television Network : HBO
Running Time : 54-56 Minutes
Broadcast Run :September 7th, 2008 to Present(36 Episodes)

The ultimate widespread guilty pleasure, True Blood has become the office water cooler show of the summer. From it's incredibly sexy cast to it's attacking hot button issues(Fangs are fags here, much how the X-Men are blacks in their movement for equal rights), True Blood has become a show that HBO can stake their reputation on. Increasing viewership and promotion for the series has given the series HBO's highest ratings since critical juggernaut the Sopranos.

Granted, True Blood has it's problems. It gets weighed down by melodrama and characters making decisions in the Lost sense(IE: One character makes a good decision based on the facts they know which rubs another character the wrong way, because they don't know all the facts, and as such, uninformed decisions are made from here out until all the facts are brought to the forefront, or in Lost's case, not brought to the forefront). But ultimately the shows theme of vampires coming out of the coffin hits strongest, and the best moments of the series are those not regulated to Bon Temps, the fictional location in Louisiana of our series protagonist. Whether it's the Fellowship of the Sun arguing against the Vampire Coalition on daily news outlets or vampire king Russel Edgington ripping out the heart of a newscaster on live broadcast television, these moments seem to outshine the rest of the show.

Anna Paquin is a servicable female lead in the vulnerable but extremely dangerous and deadly Sookie Stackhouse. She gets into a relationship with Bill, Stephen Moyer and real life fiancee, after Bill coerceres her to drink his blood during their first interaction. Over time, they develop a loving relationship, if not for the fact that it started out on a lie. Erik Northman(Alexander Skaarsgard, who should be Thor) eventually reveals the truth to Sookie, after long since alienating her from himself, which causes Sookie to reject both vampires and retreat to solitude in the latest episode.


I wanted to wait until the finale aired to give my opinions, and then give the finale some time to digest. Ultimately, True Blood is just another vampire soap opera, but it's done very well. It has a good mixture of comedy sparsed in(Like Jason, this season, trying his best to become Chuck Norris Jr.) and weighty almost apocalyptic moments(IE: The main villain from season 2, Russell disemboweling said news caster), and transitions from these moments without pause or problems. Airing on HBO allows the shows producers and Alan Ball to push the limits of television visually, whether it be the incredibly speedy vampires rushing from prey to prey, or the psychodelic after effects of dosing on a drop of V(aka vampire blood, an LSD like substance). It doesn't have the ball and chain of the CW and network television to dull True Blood's fangs.

If you've been caught up in the vampire craze from Twilight, or hopefully from the days of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, True Blood is a fine collection to your vampire indulgence. If not, HBO is delivering a strong mythologically laced drama in a setting usually unseen on Network Television, although seen more often in the past few years. Plus, if you found Anna Paquin cute in the X-Men trilogy, you will absolutely find her scintillating in True Blood. People who don't want to see vampires explode into a goo of red innards or vampire-human relations may want to steer clear. Definitely not a show for children, or even teenagers really.

Season 3 of this drama finished airing Sunday night, September 12th. Don't expect True Blood to return until next summer, although Season 4 has been commissioned and will contain twelve episodes of blood sucking fang banging melodramatic hilarity. As long as Jason Stackhouse is around, the world will forever laugh with True Blood. As always, clips below the cut.

PS, I pose this question to you with my answer. Best possible TV gay couple of all time? I say Lafayette from True Blood & Omar Little from the Wire. Anyone else with anything better?

B+

Animation Domination : The Venture Bros.

Series Name: the Venture Bros.
Television Network : [adult swim]
Running Time : 20-22 Minutes
Broadcast Run : February 16th, 2003 to Present (55 Episodes[8 to air])

The Sopranos of late night animation, tonight marks the return of the Venture Bros., the series about personal failure and unrequited love. Remember watching the Jetsons and Johnny Quest and wondering what technological marvels awaited the human race? Hoverboards, flying cars, jetpacks, our world never got these and neither did the Ventures'. The only thing the Venture world got was an emotional robot that everyone likes to ignore and jetpacks that never worked quite the way we always hoped they would.

Which is exactly the premise of the series, an idealized world riddled with failed dreams, half hearted attempts at success filled with tons of self loathing and isolation. See, Dr. Thaddeus Venture was a boy adventurer, the damsel in distress during countless conflicts between his father's Avengers like team and numerous villains. This heavily scarred him, and rather than hold himself accountable for his actions, he points back to his father's treatment of him as his only excuse. He is protected by highly specialized field agent Brock Samson, his specialty? Dismemberment of living bodies, whether mythical, henchman, or scooby doo like monsters. He has two sons, twins Hank and Dean. Hank is the more adventurous, jock like of the two, while Dean is shy, lovestruck, and always on the verge of a nervous breakdown. They rent out a portion of their "compound" to Dr. Orpheus, a necromancer with a stubborn adolescent daughter whom is the eye of Dean's affections. They are routinely attacked by their arch nemesis, The Monarch, a man with countless faceless (most likely disillusioned teenage) henchmen who hates Dr. Venture for an unspecified reason. Although you could pick any, because Dr. Venture is quite the prick.

The reason this animation series excels where others fail is not only in the concept of failure, but of progression. Even while these characters constantly fail, they learn(sometimes) and change. Each season changes the landscape. The first season reveals how Hank and Dean have survived so much peril, they haven't. They're Hank and Dean version 13 or so, cloned off of skin scrappings grown from when they were babies. Season 2 introduced the bureaucratic nature of the Guild of Calamitous Intent, forcing the Monarch to sign paperwork to continue arching Dr. Venture and an attempted takeover of the villainous contingency. Season 3 focused on the addition of assassins and independent third parties outside of the United States government, causing Brock to question his sanity and leave the Ventures. The first half of Season 4 reunites Brock with the boys while setting up a conflict of taking down the secret league of assassins created during season 3. But even with this bizarre and large thematic motifs, the Venture Bros. excels in showing every day life in a setting that is anything but ordinary.

The show begins to air it's "New Season" tonight on [adult swim], or Cartoon Network to those uninformed. Tune in tonight at 11:30 PM EDT and find out what all the fuss from die hardly loyal Venture Bros. fans have known for years. That this is the best cartoon show, possibly of all time. And with all adult swim shows, you can check out the Venture Bros.(and other hits like Children's Hospital, Robot Chicken, & the Boondocks) on Adult Swim's Video Vault. Expect the new episode up sometime tomorrow? Until, click below the tag for the preview video for the new season! While these links below are youtube, the best place to find all things Venture is on Adult Swim's Video Vault.

A+

Bermuda Triangle of Television : Andy Richter Controls the Universe

See the World Through My Eyes

Series Name: Andy Richter Controls the Universe
Television Network : FOX
Running Time : 20-22 Minutes
Broadcast Run : March 19th, 2002 to January 12th, 2003(19 Episodes)

Like most Brilliant but Cancelled shows out there, today, I speak of Fox Television. Not to be completely unfair to Fox, while they have the most "Brilliant but Cancelled" shows by a fair margin, it also means they've given a fair number of these types of programs their opportunity on the air. But FOX and the words promotion don't really go hand in hand unless it's something eerie, like World's Greatest Police Dogs Biting Evil Humans or something that doesn't necessarily need advertisement, like American Idol. Shows on FOX in their infancy, their first two to three seasons are very susceptible to cancellation. If you need an example, just check out this quote from Peter Griffin detailing Fox's process of scheduling and canceling in just three years.

Andy Richter starred as the self titled lead Andy. He's an aspiring writer who's gotten a job writing technical manuals for a large corporate conglomerate. Feeling the dullness of his office life with his aspiring creative ambitions nipping at his heels, Andy concocts various potential scenarios for every major moment in his day to day life.Living in both the real world and imagination land(©South Park), rarely is he not off day dreaming, in a Zach Braff like trance. When alone and walking the hallways, he speaks to the long deceased racist original owner of the company, Pickering, who appears to him in his imagination much like many of the cut scenes and quick gags. Andy's idea of a dream or goal in life is to have two televisions in his bedroom, so when he lies on one side and wants to turn to his other, he could still watch TV.

He's surrounded by a group of friends: his meek but friendly partner on technical manuals as the artist Bryan(Jonathan Slavin, Better off Ted), friend and handsome so he gets everything easy PR man Keith(James Patrick Stuart, 90210), crush and Keith's girl, secretary Wendy(Irene Molloy, Grosse Point), and the snarky boss of the office, Jessica(Paget Brewster, Criminal Minds).

Sort of a Better off Ted meets the Office with a Scrubs like lead character, Andy Richter Controls the Universe reveled in brilliant irrelevance. Certain plots included Bryan worshiping a deity in the shape of a sheep, Jessica being shared by identical twins and using it to her advantage, and Andy and friends listening in on a woman's therapy session, only for Andy to exploit this information for a meaningless sexual relationship. A conventional sitcom with unconventional endings. A lighthearted yet oddly dark humored comedy romp.

The show reairs on HDNet, and that would be the best way to view the series. You can also buy the complete series on DVD. At the very least, netflix it if you can, or check out a few additional clips on youtube. As always, a few of my favorites are inside the link below.

B

Elite of the Elite : The Office (UK)

Series Name: The Office
Television Network : BBC Two & One
Running Time : 30 Minutes
Broadcast Run : July 9th, 2001 - December 27th, 2003(12 Episodes + Christmas Special)

The inspiration for the American version. Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant bring their sensibilities to England's middle class at a paper company in Slough. Gervais, as David Brent, plays the mostly good intention but ultimately self absorbed branch manager. He's a guy who you question how he became the boss of anything. Fleshing out the rest of the cast in the office is overbearing and desperate for power salesman Gareth(Mackenzie Cook, Pirates of the Caribbean), and the pair of the lovestruck salesman Tim(Martin Freeman, Sherlock) crushing on secretary Dawn(Lucy Davis, The TV Set).

The Office is truly a home run program. Never before has awkwardness felt so genuine as watching David Brent dance on this television program. For fans of the UK show, the image above resonates and brings back the sympathetic emotional embarrassment and awkward silence that followed David Brent's attempt to resonate with his fellow co workers. It's spawned countless imitations, such as the American Office that has dominated NBC's Thursday "Must See" programming for six years now. None have done it better than Ricky Gervais.

In America, it's hard to talk about the UK's Office without mentioning the NBC version that has dominated NBC's Thursday Night "Must See TV" block for the past six years. The UK Office tells a story, a realistic one, and does it well. The US Office, having so many minutes to fill, never seems to truly move forward at the pace the UK Office does. With only 12 episodes and a two hour special movie years later, the UK Office covered the same plot of 100 American episodes. The US Office forces stunned silence in a "That's impossible! They'd surely all be fired!" kind of way. The UK Office only forces stunned silence in a "I can't believe he did that!" kind of way. It's a fine line to walk between believable comedy and Animaniacs comedy. The US Office zig zags as it straddles this line. The UK Office stays firmly in the believable real world scenario, even if it involves a man being given a large inflatable penis and having his shoe thrown onto the roof on his birthday..

While all the characters were at each other's throats at different times, there were moments where they all got along. Where they were all on the same page. And that only makes the embarrassing conflicts later that much more excruciatingly hilarious to watch. And the best part? You can catch episodes airing on [adult swim]! both on cable, and on your interweb compuboxport you're currently using. Stare through the series of tubes! Although apparently their net is confused, as the link they share to a full episode currently does not work. I've sent them an e-mail but we'll see. They update every week though, so another episode should be added to list shortly. And I'm sure the more savvy internet users among us can stumble upon it on this spiderweb called the internet.

As always, clips below the cut.

A

And... IT'S FOOTBALL! Let's go Saints!

So. The NFL season kicks off tonight, actually, right now, as the Saints take on the Vikings. So thankfully, you're all going to miss the premiere of Vampire Diaries. Unless you're preteen or emo or really like lame vampires. At least True Blood has some gore and nudity in it.

Also, Jersey Shore might see it's ratings impa-nah, totally different audience. I'd wager the same for that Vampire Diaries. Nikita, though, on the CW, may suffer as it airs it's pilot. Apparently they're turning the show into more of a spy vs. spy feel rather than just an Aeon Flux clone. With some good action, you may be able to draw a male crowd to the show, but, with football start? I kinda see it dead in the water.

Granted, success on the CW is measured in inches, not yards, so it has a chance. As for my prediction? I expect Brett Farve to explode in a cloud of dust as the Saints literally cause him to spontaneously combust from so much pressure.

If not today, I guarantee1 that'll happen sometime this season.
1. Guarantee is not actually guaranteed and likely impossible.

Need Your Passport : Torchwood

BBC Torchwood's Jack Harkness

Series Name: Torchwood
Television Network : BBC
Running Time : 50-60 Minutes
Broadcast Run : October 26th, 2006 - Present (60 Episodes)

Not many shows out there star a homosexual character as it's lead. Even fewer have bi-sexual leads or in the case of Jack Harkness, omni-sexual, considering all the various alien races out there. Jack Harkness, a modern day Captain Kirk, leads a rag tag group of individuals tasked with explaining the unexplainable in Cardiff. Very similar to J.J. Abrams Fringe, this Doctor Who spin off has all the dramatic weight and resonance it's parent show wishes it had.

Let's play a little word association, get ready for some SATs. Doctor Who is to Torchwood as Buffy the Vampire Slayer is to Angel. Show creator Russell T. Davies even calls Joss Whedon's Angel inspiration for the series. 1 

Viewed as the more adult version of it's longer running Doctor Who program. (Side Note: seriously, Doctor Who has been around so long that they used to tape over old episodes because, well, who'd wanna watch the past? Just like what happened with the first ten years that Johnny Carson hosted the Tonight Show, I'd say a lot of people) It has no qualms or reservations about offing main characters. The cast list is a revolving door of potential bodies, but each one is more interesting than the last. When Torchwood returns next Summer, expect only one or two layovers from the first series, with Captain Jack Harkness at the epicenter.

See, during a random adventure with the Doctor on mother program Doctor Who, Jack Harkness found himself immortal. Not that he couldn't die, but that even if he did, he would just be resurrected moments later, feeling all the pain and anguish of both death and rebirth. Let's just say in Torchwood, you get a fair amount of Jack Harkness resurrecting from the grave. Such as scenes where interrogators Jack Bauer Harkness to death, only to see him return and be promptly killed again. Jack's ultimate fate was shown in an episode of Doctor Who, where he's become an enormous disembodied head in a jar and gives his last bit of strength and power to save a distopian future society from wallowing in darkness for all eternity.

Listen, I know the stigma that Doctor Who derives from modern television viewers. That it's camp, it's for kids, the monsters look like something from Plan B from Outer Space. But the re-imagining of the series, and the subsequent spin off Torchwood, has been able to avoid such misnomers. Legitimately creepy villains and good special effects, and Torchwood uses less of the Doctor's Deus Ex Machina sonic screwdriver. While we can't ever see Jack Harkness bite the big one, that doesn't stop the emotional suspense of seeing those he loves and those he care for, along with the entire human race at times, in jeopardy.


Plus. James Marsters as a time traveler from Jack's past who's basically a shiftless layabout. Sure, this next clip may be filled with fake science and technobabble as the team attempt to save the day by killing one of their own, but it's no worse than Fringe. Well, okay, that's a lie. But it's still way better about it than your Star Trek, it's parent show Doctor Who, or insert any other sci fi series with a serious stigma surrounding it. And if you can't fathom going through a large backlog without checking out some of the best that Torchwood has to offer, I'd say start with the Season 3 series, the five episode mini-movie "Children of the Earth." In it, Earth had given an alien species 12 children in 1965 for a cure to a flu that would have wiped out 25 million. Forty years later, the aliens return, demanding ten percent of the entire world's population, by having every single child chant a number over and over in English, regardless of nationality... That number is exactly ten percent of the world's children.

Click read more for the video. I promise, no more reading there.

B-

Go Watch Terriers

I haven't seen it yet, but it's really the only new must see show from this Fall season. Terriers, created by the Shield and the Unit's Shawn Ryan, aired it's first episode last night on FX, and you can currently download the first episode for free from iTunes! So, who doesn't love free stuff?

Direct Link to iTunes

News and Notes from around the Boob Tube

FX's Sons of Anarchy

Sons of Anarchy made it's third season debut this past Tuesday. Hope you all watched, because it was a game changer. Apparently 4.1 million viewers tuned in, down slightly from last year's premiere but still the shows third highest viewed episode of Sons of Anarchy. Good news for the boys from Charming.1

Stephen King's Dark Tower novel series has been green lit for both movies and a television series. Ron Howard is signed on to direct both the movie and the first season of the television show, also being scribed by Akiva Goldsman. For one of King's greatest properties to take this long to become either a feature film or ongoing television series stuns me. But the news that it'll receive both treatments should delight fans of the Gunslinger chonology.2

The InBetweeners, E4's series about four youths attending primary school, was rescheduled to air on the September 13th. So tune in to that! And apologizes for the mistake.

TNT also has green lit three pilots, with TBS adding one to it's roster. TNT brings us a remake of the classic show Dallas(It was all a dream~!), Perception where a neuroscientist helps police solve crime(Formula for a show : Random Profession helps solve crime), and an Untitled Alan Loeb project, about a man re-entering the singles world while still receiving letters in the mail from his dead wife.

TBS brings us Brain Trust, about a fallen detective who gets involved with three brainiacs in an attempt to, what else, solve crime.

This just tells me there should be more shows about committing crime(Sopranos, Shield, Sons) than solving it, cause the solvable crime rate in television is skewering my perceptions on reality.

You Gotta Pay For It : Entourage

E

Series Name: Entourage
Television Network : HBO

Running Time : 30 Minutes
Broadcast Run : July 18th, 2004 -Present(87 Episodes)

Entourage, HBO's male orientated Sex in the City has been on the air for seven seasons and is set to air it's scheduled finale September 12th, this next Sunday. The show stars Vincent Chase(protrayed by Adrian Grenier) as an A-List movie celebrity, having broken out with his protrayel of male lead in to the movie "Head On." Since breaking out in the movie business, Vince has had his ups and downs, appearing in both hits(James Cameraon's "Aqua Man," Martin Scorsese's "The Great Gasby") along with a few professional clunkers, ("Medellin" by Billy Walsh, "Smoke Jumpers" by Verner Vollstedt), but until this season, always remained chipper.

He's followed around his level headed but occasionally quick to violence manager "E", Eric Murphy(Kevin Connolly), his brother and former star of the short lived classic "Viking Quest" Johnny Drama(Kevin Dillon), and best friend slash driver slash attempted entrepreneur Turtle(Jerry Ferrera). E spends the most time on Vince's career, reading scripts and helping him decide and get his next project. Drama spends the majority of the time on himself, whether he's wallowing his long since forgotten roles on 90210 or as "Cubs Fan #9." Turtle spends most of his time ripping on Drama and playing video games over the first few seasons.

Vinny Chase is managed by Ari(Jeremy Piven), a character that deserves all the nominations that Piven has received for the role. Foul mouthed, bordering on insensitive, Ari has a soft spot for Vince, and very few other people in the business. Evenetully, Ari becomes fond enough of Lloyd() to promote him as an agent, and Lloyd is then tasked with finding Johnny Drama work.

In the most recent season, Billy Walsh, famed director of the failed Medellin, a four hour independant Sundance Winning epic "Queen's Boulevard" and numerous other not so unprofitable pornography films, returns with an idea for a Drama television show titled "Johnny's Banana's" At first, Drama isn't happy to be portraying an animated orangatang, wanting his mug to be on screen, but eventually warms up to the idea. Vince, however, after a near death experience, spirals into adrenaline kicks, cocaine, and sleeping slash falling in love with porn star Sasha Grey. After being offered the role of a new superhero in a deal that could land him eight figures with back end residuals, Vince continues to go down his path of self mutilation. The latest episode saw Lloyd, at a house party with Drama, Turtle, and Turtle's newest flame, find a large back of cocaine hidden in the kitchen.

The problem with Entourage is that not one episode truly stands above the rest, and that's no more appropriately shown than in this current season. Plus, even when the shows characters are hitting personal low points, they always seem upbeat and charismatic. This season has shown Vince doing things I'd never imagine his character to even consider. Perhaps it's their attempt to show how a near death experience can truly alter someone's  perception on reality, but that doesn't mean we have to turn what's supposed to be an uplifting show(about douchebags, certainly) into an after school Lindsey Lohan special.

Entourage is a solid show when it's hitting all cylinders. When sputtering out and needing a smog check, Entourage is little more than a halfway repetitive show with characters becoming derivative of themselves. When the show straddles that line between complete douchiness and loyal friendship, there's not a guy buddy show better than this one.

Okay, maybe Rescue Me.

C+

Animation Domination : The Simpsons

"On your way out, if you wanna kill somebody, it would help a lot."

Series Name: The Simpsons

Television Network : Fox

Running Time : 22-24 Minutes
Broadcast Run : December 17th, 1989 to present(464 episodes)


C'mon. Like I wouldn't dedicate the first Animation Domination post to the most influential cartoon of the past twenty years. Perhaps even the most influential comedy television show of our lifetime, so ingratiated into the lexicon of pop culture that it's spawned entries in Websters Dictionary. You ask a modern day comedy writer what his influences are, you'd be hard pressed to find one who doesn't list the Simpsons as part of his inspiration.

Spawning off The Tracy Ullman Show with short two minute animated shorts, the Simpsons became a regular series and helped keep the Television Network Fox alive during it's first couple years in existence. When the Simpsons first hit the airwaves, it was considered far too controversial. Without Bart Simpson telling his teachers to "Eat My Shorts," we wouldn't have such contemporary vulgar classics such as Family Guy or South Park.

What could I possibly say to you if you're a Simpsons fan that you haven't heard before? And if you've never given the Simpsons a chance, after twenty plus years, what could I possibly say to get you to try it? Starting it's 22nd season on September 26th, the Simpsons is almost as old as me. The Simpsons Movie grossed over $500 million worldwide on it's release in 2007. While I feel the awards shows are just a big circle jerk, if you would, the Simpsons has won over 27 Emmy's, was named Time's Best Television Show of the 20th, Century, and even gave the Simpson family a STAR on the walk of fame.

The story goes like this, newspaper comic strip writer Matt Groening had a strip he was quite fond of called "Life in Hell." He went to James L. Brooks office to pitch a television show but was worried about losing the rights to his beloved characters. So he quickly sketched The Simpsons, naming each character after his own family members, and placing himself in the role of Bart. When the Simpsons became an overnight success, Groening negotiated a deal that would allow him to serve as an executive producer even when not working on the show. The Simpsons has gone through numerous show runners. The list of special guest stars who have lent their voice to the Simpsons is innumerable. The Simpsons airs in syndication ALL over the globe. During my time in Germany, I could watch the Simpsons in an hour block every day of the week. They even teach classes at Universities about the effect of Simpsons on the general public and their perception of policies and social normalities.

Quality of the show varies depending on show runner(Looking at you Mike Scully) but still delivers the laughs. Just not as many as it had in it's prime. Here are some of my favorite animation sequences, because well... listing all the potential hilarity? Way too many choices, and you know how indecisive I am.

You obviously either love the Simpsons, and know enough about it that anything I say will be something you know, or you don't care for the Simpsons, and you're probably not even reading this sentence. For shame.

A

Elite of the Elite : The Wire

First things first, apparently I made a goof on the schedule. While I stated the "Bermuda Triangle of Television" will be on Fridays and the "Elite of the Elite" will be on Saturdays, I originally intended for each series to have the opposite day. This week was a simple hiccup in the grand scheme of this blog. Starting next week, the Elite of the Elite will be every Friday, and the Bermuda Triangle will be on Saturdays.

5th Season Promo Picture

Series Name: The Wire
Television Network : HBO
Running Time : 55-60 Minutes
Broadcast Run : June 2, 2002 (2002-06-02) – March 9, 2008 (60 Episodes)


Now that we got the house cleaning out of the way, let me tell you about possibly the best damn series television has ever seen. HBO's the Wire, a living breathing novel that lasted five seasons. Each season was devoted to one aspect of Baltimore's inner city life. The first dealt with a crack team of forgotten and downtrodden investigators trying to take down Avon Barksdale and Stringer Bell, two high level dealers in a low income neighborhood. The second introduced the ports and the unions, effectively dragging the working class man into the skirmish. The third introduced politics in a big way, with newcomer Tommy Carcutti attempting to run for Mayor, and looks at the effects of legalizing drugs with "Bunny" Culvin's "Hamsterdam." The fourth focused on the school system, primarely following a group of four friends as they enter high school. And the final season brought the element of the press into the show, meeting the characters who run the dying Baltimore Sun newspaper.

Created by David Simon(Mastermind of such classics as Generation Kill & Homicide : Life on the Streets, along with new show Treme) and being semi-autobiographical. David Simon spent his youth working as a police reporter for the Baltimore Sun, and used his experiences to help craft the fifth season media aspect of the show. Not to mention his years of reporting on crime, interviewing police officers and criminals alike.

A main theme of the series is institutional dysfunction. How the individual can have good and noble goals, but when brought together with a bunch of other people with their own noble goals, everyone essentially cancels everyone else out and the cycle continues just as it ever did. Despite being perceived as yet another crime drama, the Wire is more accurately considered a series focused on a city at large and not just one small nuanced problem.

The Wire Creates Internet Meme

Well, crime in the Wire isn't essentially small. Allies kill family members, shack up with their departed ex's. Gun tooting vigilante Omar(Michael K. Williams) walks around with a shotgun whistling "The Farmer in the Dell" to the terrified scuffled feet of children and gang members alike. The second season's plot line involves a large cargo freighter inexplicably dumped onto the ports of Baltimore, containing 9 dead prostitutes. The third season introduces Marlo Stanfield, who saw a new way to hide bodies from the police force by using abandoned houses that have long since been boarded up. The Wire wasn't shy about spilling blood of it's main characters, as any and all were fair game right up until the end.

The fact of the matter is, the Wire is a show where each character is nuanced and layered. They all have their specific goal and agenda in mind and usually these butt heads with other characters in the show. While there is a lot of violence and death, it's carried out in such a way that it's believable. When cops would retire or be unceremoniously killed, the police would get together at a local brewery and drink till high noon, stumbling around drunk walking the train tracks in the early morning. When dealers or gang members were arrested or killed, well, life moved on, and everyone just thought they were smarter for not having been "got" yet.

Mind you, there's so many characters, there are so many layers to peel back on this onion, that it takes a while just to feel acclimated to the universe. If you find yourself lost or confused after the first few episodes, I wouldn't let that discourage you. With the sheer number of individuals, watching it the first time through is like skimming through a novel. You get the jist, but you miss out on the minor characters and details. It just makes it a show that rewards you for repeated viewings.

It's so good, I've bought the Complete Series for over a hundred bucks, and then bought a book with full detailed production notes. I wish I hadn't seen The Wire yet, just so I could experience it for the first time all over again. I want to say so much, but I don't want to spoil the uninformed. It would be a crime tantamount to television heresy! Like saying Rosebud is Citizen Kane's sled!

Sheeeeeeeet. You already knew that, right?

Take a look at a clip from the 3rd episode of the first season which properly explains the entire concept in mere moments with a nice allegory about chess. Following it, watch the streets react to the oncoming Omar Little.

 A+

Meet SNL's next Barack Obama!

So, SNL has finally gone out and hired a black man to protray President Barack Obama.  Jay Pharoah(according to the Comic's Comic, who, I'm trusting you Comic's Comic. So is imdb.) is one of the newest recruits to the long running sketch comedy show. About fraking time I say. While Armison was fine in terms of delivery, there was something lacking to his protrayel. Not to mention, watching this demo reel I've linked to you below? He can play Will Smith, Jay-Z, Eddie Murphy, guy's a cornucopia of African American celebrities.

It's about time more diversity hits the SNL cast.  Is it racist for me to never expect SNL to hire an Eskimo?

Check Jay Pharoah's impressions out for yourself.

Bermuda Triangle of Television : Dead Like Me

Showtime June 27, 2003 (2003-06-27) – October 31, 2004

Series Name: Dead Like Me
Television Network : Showtime
Running Time : 40-50 Minutes
Broadcast Run : June 27, 2003 (2003-06-27) – October 31, 2004

Do you know Bryan Fuller? Because you should. He's the guy that gave Heroes its heart in the first season, penning the episode "Company Man" where ol' Horn Rimmed Glasses chooses his adopted daughter over the company Primatech he's been so loyal too. If you're a Heroes fan, you remember the series dipping in quality in seasons two and three before gradually regaining it's footing in season four. Wanna know why?

Bryan Fuller. Co-Executive Producer on Heroes, left the show after the first season to create the deliciously delightful Pushing Daisies, about a piemaker who can bring the dead back to life with a single touch, only for another person to die in their place if they aren't retouched in exactly one minute. Daises debuted to nice ratings but saw it's time slot juggled and was ultimately a series just too good to last. After Pushing Daisies had it's minute in the spotlight, Fuller returned to Heroes late in it's third season.

Dead Like Me, however, is Bryan Fuller's first original series. Debuting in Showtime in 2003, it starred a fresh faced Ellen Muth as aimless 18 year old slacker Georgia(George to her friends) Lass. Having just dropped out of college, her ironically named mother Joy(Cynthia Stevenson) angrily sends her off to a temp agency to find her work. During her 35 minute lunch hour on her first day at "Happy Time Temporary Services", a toilet seat from a Russian Space Station breaks into orbit and drops onto George, obliterating her into pieces.

Normally that'd be the end of the story, no? Main character's dead, not exactly an uplifting tale filled with aesops. Instead, George becomes a disembodied spirit, only able to speak to one droll individual, Rube(Mandy Patinkin). She gets to attend her own funeral, and watches her family attempt to move on from her death.

After the funeral, George asks what's next for her, wondering whether there's a heaven or a hell.  Rube doesn't know, but does know what's next for George. Rube takes her to "Der Waffle Haus" and tells her she's going to become a Grim Reaper. It's their job to take the souls of the soon to be dead or recently deceased out of a person's body, and allow it to ascend to the next plateau. It is here that George realizes she's corporeal once more when asked by a waitress to order something off the menu. So hey, brand spanking new body, but other than that, she doesn't get paid for collecting her souls until she collects the very last one, and is allowed to cross over herself. This forces her to go back to Happy Time and seek work at the very place that lead to her death.

Obviously this causes quite the double take from George, who is reluctant at first to be effectively killing people, dooming them to horrible physical traumities while working in the "External Influence" division. But touching their souls allows the person to experience the horror of death without the trauma and physical pain associated with, say, a piano falling on you or being impaled by a precariously hung swordfish.

George, being the supreme slacker she is, tries to skirt her responsibilities as a reaper to dreadful results for both the dying and the living. She eventually comes to terms with her situation, and joins Mason(Callum Blue : drug fiend brit with sticky fingers), Roxy(Jasmine Guy : a strong willed parking attendant who becomes mistaken for a God), and Betty(Rebecca Gayheart : a "mysterious & reassuring" reaper) as regulars at "Der Waffle Haus." Eventually Daisy A'Daire(Laura Harris) joins the cast as a selfish former film starlet who claims to have once blown Clark Gable.

There are quite a few reasons why this show failed over time. Bryan Fuller, the show's creator, parted ways with the network due to executive meddling halfway through filming the first season.

 

"It was like being at war...

They were constantly trying to strong arm me.

It was the worst experience of my life"

-Bryan Fuller on Dead Like Me

In various interviews, Fuller has stated that he wanted to make George's father gay, which would have made him less of a dick character for cheating on his long term wife. After he left, Dead Like Me spun a storyline that would have had George value her life more than she ever did when she was alive(for "She's not supposed to be there!" © Clerks) and given sympathy to both sides of her divorcing parents into just another philandering professor with a fascination for youth breaking the heart of a middle aged woman.

The whimsical and plot irrelevant  but stunningly vivid metaphorical explanations about life, the universe, everything, usually to set up the theme of the episode, were abandoned. The wit and charm of the show was dulled but still "better than most" out there. When John Masius took over as show runner, the show effectively matured into something else all together, almost as if it went through three seasons of evolution in a matter of moments only to see the characters drift into caricatures of themselves. It was still a good show, but seemed to be going through the motions rather than breaking new ground.

And yet every time I see a parking meter, I think of the scene below the tag. I've fast forwarded to the relevant part.

Show Quality: C+

Need Your Passport : E4's the InBetweeners

Simon, Neil, Jay, & Will

Series Name: The InBetweeners
Television Network : E4 (BBCAmerica in the US)
Running Time : 21-24 Minutes
Broadcast Run : May 1st, 2008 to Present

Will McKenzie(Simon Bird), Simon Cooper(Joe Thomas), Jay Cartwright(James Buckley), & Neil Sutherland(Blake Harrison) attempt to wade their way through high school. The most accurate depiction of outcasts in (“primary”) education since Freaks & Geeks comes from across the pond, and starts Season 3 on E4 on September 4th.

Will is a transfer student from boarding school, and carries with him a briefcase instead of a backpack on his first day. As such, his fellow students label him as a “Briefcase Wanker,” and properly ostracize the young pupil. Assigned to guide Will during his first day is Simon Cooper, who is none too thrilled at the assignment. He requests Will to follow him, but only at the socially acceptable distance of ten feet. Simon meanwhile, is completely enamored by fellow student Carli D’Amato.

Soon, Simon realizes he is just as socially inept as Will and the two form an unlikely duo of friendship. Will meets Jay, sex crazed and incredibly exaggerative of his former sexual conquest, and Neil, a well meaning but ignorantly uninformed doof. The four become a rag tag gang of misfits.

Simon is woefully enamored with Carli D’Amato, a long standing childhood unrequited crush. The boys misadventures rely on attempting to impress girls or getting served at the local pub, usually with embarrassing consequences. In one episode, the boys skip school to drink at friend Neil’s house, only for Neil’s father to come home and Will to drunkenly exclaim he’s a bumder(homosexual). In another, Jay had called his vacation spot the Caravan Club a den of horny swingers, and the boys go there to prove him wrong. They also attempted to have a fun night out in a London club, only to have their car booted, Simon have to trade his shoes to a homeless man due to wearing athletic sneakers, and Neil to cut his penis on the tip of a soda can as he spilled piss all over Simon’s car. Even when things go well(Will beds high school hottie Charlotte “Big Jugs,” Scott kisses Carli D’Amato), things inevitably turn to shit.

Plus it uses “Flourescent Adolescence” by Arctic Monkeys as background music, so bonus points. Other suggested songs from its soundtrack include “Foundations” by Kate Nash, “Don’t Look Back into the Sun” by the Libertines, “Sheila” by Jamie T, “I’m a Cuckoo” by Belle & Sebastian, “Love is an Unfamilar Name” by the Duke Spirit, and “Second Minute or Hour” by Jack Penate.

The true aspect of this show that shines the brightest is it's dialogue. A socially unacceptable but no doubt woefully accurate depiction of the teenage adolescent male's mind during their formative years. Replace the British slang with American, and you have an authentic American teenager.

It's Always Sunny meets Freaks & Geeks.

Highly Suggested.

B+

Still interested? Check out some videos & quotes below and then do your own research! Like on E4's Youtube page. Might I suggest "Fish Punch"?

Futurama's 100th Episode!

Credit: gottabecarl

Futurama celebrates it's 100th episode tonight as the sixth season finale airs!

If you asked me five years ago, after Futurama had been long canceled, whether such a show could possibly reach the 100 episodes mark, I'd have stared slack jawed and asked what you'd been smoking.

While this season has been uneven, the show is considered to be a superior animated show in character, plot, science fiction, and animation quality. The show is the brain child of Matt Groening's geekiness, and at times has surpassed the Simpsons in terms of quality.  It stars Phillip J. Fry(Billy West) as a man frozen on the eve of 1999 and unfrozen in the year 3000. He becomes a delivery boy at his great great tons more great grandson Professor Farsnworth UPS like company. Here is where he falls in love with a cyclops boss Leela Turanga(Katie Segal) and befriends a large metallic bending robot named Bender(John DiMaggio). Oh. And Richard Nixon is the President of Earth.

Futurama first aired on Fox, usually in the 7:30 time slot. It was consistently pre-empted by professional football. In 2003, after five seasons, Fox canceled the program. In 2007, four 80 minute movies were created and split into four episodes a piece to be sold on DVD and aired on Comedy Central. Shortly after, Futurama was resurrected from the grave, and is now getting to air it's 100th episode, a thought unheard of seven years prior. I just hope Futurama doesn't eat my brain being a Zombie Series and all.

Futurama, congratulations on 100 episodes! Just stay away from my brain.

Also, Jersey Shore airs a new episode tonight. I'm fairly certain watching it WILL eat your brains. So if you want to kill your brain cells and effectively make all of America stupid and susceptible to a zombie apocalypse, feel free to tune in as I'm sure those reality stars get drunk and stumble into walls. Just like zombies.

Lemme show you somethin'. This could be dangerous!

Homey Don't Play Dat

You like sketch comedy? Of course you do. Who doesn't love sketch comedy when it's done right. (I'm looking at you SNL with your random nonsense. You're turning into a penguin, stop it.)

Fox has green lit a Jamie Foxx half hour sketch comedy show said to be in comparison to 90's classic In Living Color. If it gives us one moment of brilliance as hilarious as this following clip, I'm on board. Sorry for the 'laconically terse' nature of this news article. I just wanted an excuse to post this video.

HBO's Hung Returns in 2011.

Better Take your Socks Off

According to Deadline Hollywood, HBO has given it's sophomore series "Hung" a renewal. It will return in 2011 with a ten episode order. Hung stars Thomas Jane as a male prostitute alongside his pimp Jane Adams. Hung airs it's season finale on September 12th, alongside True Blood and Entourage.

Personally, I've not gotten into the show. I saw the second episode, and didn't find myself attached to the characters or the drama. But good news for those working on the show and fans of the program. Maybe I should give it a second go round?

Conan's New Show is Called... Wait for it...

Credit: TBS Advertisement

Hey. Just because I said I was gonna be under a daily schedule doesn't mean I'm limited to one post a day now.

Apparently, Conan O'Brien(pictured right) announced today the name of his new show premiering November 8th on TBS. The show will aptly and simply be titled "Conan." (SOURCE : Washington Post)

Not the most creative of names, I know, but perhaps he's just trying to make sure he doesn't get replaced. Conan's series will air Monday through Thursday at 11:00 PM EST, directly competiting with Comedy Central's "Daily Show" & "Colbert Report." Perhaps we can get more amusing skits between the three of them, like the time they spent cross promoting their shows during the long since forgotten about Writer's Strike.

Check out the video below for Conan's official announcement:

Ahoy-hoy? No, you have the wrong number. This is 4-2-*4*-6. I suspect you need more practice working your telephone machine. Not at all. Ahoy!

8F13 - Take THAT Aristotle Amadopoulos

First things first. Let’s get the pleasantries out of the way. My name is Thomas Ford. And no, I didn’t direct “A Single Man” or invent Gucci. Neither am I related in any way to Henry Ford. (Sidenote: Possible Funny Character idea, Henry Food, inventor of Food)

I studied film and media arts at Temple University and graduated with my bachelor’s degree. I’ve been a student of television while at the University. I’m an aspiring television writer, and since I can’t “Those who can, do” yet, I figure I can play the role of arm chair quarterback/back seat driver/teacher. I can pass on whatever knowledge I’ve picked up over years of studying the ever changing landscape of the Idiot Box.

My goal for this site is to simply provide constant updates and analysis on some of my favorite(and not so favorite) shows. I hope that this strict policy of a schedule can overlap into my personal writing life, and that it can inspire me to write more often and with greater frequency. Mind you, I fancy myself no expert, but even though the guy who can build his computer from scratch isn’t an IT technician, I still more likely know more than then the average viewer.

So schedule huh? Ford? What’s this you say? How on a crucifix can you have a schedule when my favorite show airs three weeks and then takes a hiatus for sixteen? To consider tailoring a schedule to the Networks, who’s taste change on that of a whim, would be absolutely impossible. Instead, five days a week will be devoted to a column detailing a categorization of television, detailing and discussing a single show in earnest.

Need Your Passport – Every Thursday, we will profile those series whose origins are from a foreign land. Whether it be Japanese anime, United Kingdom sitcom, or Bollywood drama, all countries are included in this makeshift Television UN.

Bermuda Triangle of Television – Where series go when they’re forgotten. Every Friday, our crack investigative television reporter(s) profile a series that has slipped past America’s attention. Whether this be a series from forty years ago to shows currently airing with incredibly low viewership, expect these series to be “Brilliant but Cancelled”.

Elite of the Elite – Where the stars shine. Every Saturday, we will profile a series that stands above and beyond all others in terms of storytelling, characters, and artistic design. Expect this category to be laden with critically acclaimed series that no American television viewer should go without seeing.

Animation Domination – Fox used this slogan for an ad campaign about their Sunday block a few years back, and it’s only more appropriate here. We take a look at animated classics, from adult sitcom pioneer the Simpsons all the way to classic kids fare like Looney Tunes. All drawn or computer generated graphic shows go here..

You Gotta Pay for It – Here’s where we detail those shows on networks where you have to pay an additional subscription fee to enjoy. Shows on networks such as HBO, Showtime, and Starz are relegated here.

Mind you, shows in the category “Elite of the Elite” may very well fit into one of these other categories, and will be categorized as such. Our first such series we shall profile in the “Elite of the Elite” category is also a “You Gotta Pay For It” series. In these cases, the show will have a subcategory for archival purposes.

Mondays & Tuesdays are where I give my opinions about ongoing series, profile various breaking news stories, and have a topic about the general Television industry as a whole. At times, these days may be without reports, but as I’ve set up the schedule now, every three weeks I take a Tuesday off. Here is also where you would find off topic posts, but don’t worry, expect these off topic posts to still contribute to the television landscape in some way.

As this blog gains readership, I hope to hear feedback and have active discussions about these topics. Also, fair warning, just because I’ve seen a lot of television doesn’t mean I’ve seen it all. I know, for shame, but I won’t be talking about Six Feet Under or Deadwood for a long time. Nor Grey’s Anatomy or Desperate Housewives or Law & Order or CSI, although I don’t feel nearly as much shame about that. I like my comedy’s single camera(for the most part) and like my dramas without melodrama. That’s why Season 6 of Buffy is the worst of the bunch. You can have angst and heartbreak and sadness without TELLING us about your angst or your heartbreak or your sadness. There’s a clearly written rule about writing, and it’s fitting to all forms of media.

Show Don’t Tell.