TV Gal

Season finale of 'Mad Men'

2009-11-06T22:09:35Z

You have to laugh at AMC's official description of Sunday's season finale of "Mad Men."

"Don has an important meeting with Connie. Betty receives some advice. Pete talks to his clients."

I'm all for keeping important plot twists and turns under wraps, but could they be any more vague? It's like a haiku about the finale. It would definitely be a fun game to come up with three sentence synopsis of all the episodes of "Mad Men." A description of the episode "The Gypsy and the Hobo" from two weeks ago could be - "Betty talks to Don. Joan calls Roger. Sally goes trick or treating."

I have loved this season of "Mad Men." What I've particularly appreciated is that the show has advanced some key plot points at precisely the right time. I didn't feel like they were rushing the plot nor did I feel like they had waited too long. Since the show began, the one of the key questions has been "When will Betty learn the truth about Don?" I loved that it happened before I was expecting it. I was surprised as Betty was when she opened Don's desk drawer. I feel like Don coming clean about his past made him realize in a way he hasn't before how much he values his family and the life that he has built for himself. I'm also hoping this revelation will put an end to the endless cycle of women who come in and out of Don's life. His track record of extra-marital affairs was getting a little tedious. Yes he's charismatic and good-looking but there has to be a woman out there who could resist his charm.

And I have to confess I was surprised that the show decided to directly deal with the assassination of President Kennedy. In a way, how could they not since it was the defining event of the early 60's and changed our nation forever. In another way, it's challenging to address an event this huge and not make it a clichÃ©. I think "Mad Men" avoided the clichÃ© pratfalls by showing the minutiae of how people were affected. By a wedding that only half the invited guest attended, by an ad men worried about how many of his TV ads wouldn't air, by a maid and her employer grieving about the same thing. I thought it was a stunning episode.

I'm not sure what will happen Sunday night. I hope, no I demand, that we see Joan and Salvatore but other than that, I'm happy to sit back and watch the magic of the show unfold. Are you excited for the third season finale of "Mad Men?" Talk about it below.

Talk to me about "V"

Sometimes we are totally in sync. You like what I like. I like what you like. Our season pass managers match up and our DVRs record in a harmonious fashion. We think each others' unspoken TV thoughts.

And I honestly thought "V" was going to be one of those times. But by Wednesday afternoon, I had received emails and Twitter messages riddled with words like "clichÃ©d," "predictable," and "boring." And I'm trying to figure out what happened. Was I so high on "V" because I first watched the show when I was making my way through all the pilots this summer. I mean when you're watching shows like "Mercy" and "Accidentally on Purpose," all shows are kind of graded on a curve.

But I don't think that's it. "V" totally held up during my second viewing of it last week. I can't wait to see next week's episode. So talk to me some more about what you liked or didn't like about the premiere. Will you be tuning in next week?

Where Have I Seen Them Before?

Jeanine recognized Tracy Middendorf as Gaynor Rabin on "Bones." I'll pull Middendorf out of my "deserves her own show" file to tell you that we just saw her on "CSI" as the supervisor who was having an affair with the victim of the week. She was also Bonnie on "Lost," Carla Matheson on "24," and Jeanine and many others always think of her as the woman Angel couldn't save in the series premiere of "Angel."

This one was driving me crazy all through the episode. Michael McMillian was the man who had killed the architect on "The Mentalist" last week. He was Henry on "What I Like About You" and we saw him this season as Steve on "True Blood."

Dylan Baker is the leader of the Phoenix group on "Ugly Betty." We saw him over the summer as William on "Kings." He was also John on "Drive" and Roger on "The Book of Daniel."

Faran Tahir was the patient with the spinal tumor that Derek operated on on "Grey's Anatomy." He was Captain Robau on the "Star Trek" movie over the summer.

Anne Ramsay was the wife of the music producer on "Castle." We saw Ramsay over the summer as Dr. Brenda Marshall on "HawthoRNe." Among her many TV roles, I always think of Ramsay as Lisa, Jamie's sister on "Mad About You."

Emily Bergl was the lawyer Bree on "The Good Wife." She's Sammy's wife Tammy on "Southland" and Annie on "Men in Trees." I always think of her as Rory's frenemy Francie on "Gilmore Girls." Nestor Serrano was the detective who arrested the wrong man on "The Good Wife." He was Navi Araz on the fourth season of "24."

Robin recognized Michael Learned, Olivia Walton on "The Waltons," as Louis Patterson on "Cold Case." We also saw her last season as Mrs. Wilk on "Scrubs."

Joey recognized Amy Davidson as Dana on "Ghost Whisperer." She was Kerry on "8 Simple Rules"

Francesca recognized Natalie Morales, Wendy on the dear departed "The Middleman," as Agent Lauren Cruz on "White Collar."

Quotes of the Week

"Calm Down? I'm wearing sunglasses at night. You know who does that? No talented douche bags. I hate this game. I hate that we're in a procedural cop show. And you wanna know why? Because I hate procedural cop shows. There's like 300 of them on television and they're all the freaking same." Dean to Sam when they get stuck in a "CSI: Miami" type show on "Supernatural." Thanks to Sandy for the quote. Hmmm . . . how do you think the writers really feel about their competition?

"Oh I'm sorry I couldn't hear you over your loud shirt." Betty to Marc on "Ugly Betty."

"Oh my God. A bubble bath? This is now a bad Jackie Collins movie." Susan to Katherine on "Desperate Housewives."

"I don't think we've had a dinner like that since the last time you were here." Kitty to Tommy on "Brothers & Sisters." Um, Kitty I don't know what show you think you're on but you all have a dinner like that every Sunday.

"I don't have bed bugs Kenneth, I went to Princeton." Jack to Kenneth on "30 Rock."

"They're not running the one where everyone gets trapped in the mall are they?" Joe to Bridgette after she tells him they are running a zombie movie marathon on TV on "Medium." Thanks to Russ for the quote. Russ remembered that Jake Weber, who plays Joe, was one of the stars of the 2004 remake of "Dawn of the Dead" which mostly plays out in a shopping mall.

That's all for today. I'm back on Monday to talk about the return of "House" and "Glee," (hooray!), the new AMC miniseries "The Prisoner," and launch a debate about who is the most charming character currently on TV. Have a question, seen a familiar face, want to nominate a quote of the week or a topic for discussion? Write me at mailto:amytvgal@zap2it.com or follow me on Twitter. Have a great weekend. Talk to you on Monday.

'The Vampire Diaries' takes a bite out of my expectations

2009-11-02T20:39:44Z

I think you know my television pet peeve is when I'm able to play predict-a-plot.

You know when ten minutes into a crime drama, you say "that's the killer" and you turn out to be right. Or to pick a very current example, you think you already knew what was up with the new neighbors on "Desperate Housewives" by the second episode.

That's one of the reasons I was so absolutely delighted with last week's episode of "The Vampire Diaries" (Thursday, CW, 8 p.m.). The show continues to defy my expectations and ruin my game of predict-a-plot. First they had Elena find out that Stefan and Damon were vampires. That's something that could have dragged on for seasons and would have become increasingly annoying. It's hard to root for the heroine when you think she's too dumb to even know that her boyfriend is one of the undead when the clues are all around her. But the series quickly let Elena in on the big secret.

Then the show turned Vicki into a vampire. Instead of continually threatening that one of the characters could become a vampire, they allowed it to happen. And THEN the show did the unthinkable, they killed Vicki off. I watched the whole episode assuming that somehow Stefan would prevail and that Vicki would remain a volatile threat. I never thought Stefan would kill her. I was shocked. SHOCKED. And, let me tell you, that doesn't happen that often. When you're in the opening credits and still not safe, that's a good show because viewers are never going to know what to expect. It's the same technique employed by "Lost" and "24." (And, by the way, I still think Vicki could come back. The show has me thinking that absolutely anything could happen.)

"Vampire Diaries" is managing to advance its plot without feeling like its racing through story lines. It's turning out to be a better show than I originally thought it was going to be. My only caution is that the series can only use the mind erase thingy so many times. It made sense to use it on Jeremy but I wouldn't make it a habit. This week, Stefan's old girlfriend Lexi (Arielle Kebble) visits while Elena deals with all that has happened.

What do you think of "The Vampire Diaries?" Talk about it below.

Two Reasons Why This is Going to Be a Good Week

TNT picked up "Southland:" Beginning January 12 at 10 p.m., the network will air the first seven episodes of the first season and the six episodes that were filmed for this season but never aired because NBC cancelled the show before it premiered.

Gregory Itzin is returning to "24:" Charles Logan, one of the best villains "24" ever created, will be back for the eighth longest day of Jack Bauer's life. You'll recall that we haven't seen him since his wife Martha (Jean Smart) stabbed him and he was rushed off via ambulance. Apparently he survived and President Taylor (Cherry Jones) needs his help. Now we just have to get the show to bring back Jean Smart. I need to know that the former First Lady and Aaron are happy somewhere. Also, if the show could be a love and somehow bring back Dina Araz, my most favorite "24" character ever, I'd really appreciate it.

Highlights of the Week Ahead

All times listed are Eastern Standard Time for November 2-8

Barney and Robin have their first big fight on "How I Met Your Mother" (Monday, CBS, 8 p.m.) I have to admit that as much as I thought it was a good idea creatively for the show to run with the Robin and Barney romance, it hasn't quite worked out the way I had hoped. Mostly because everybody has behaved differently since the duo got together. Marshall and Lily are awkward and act like they haven't been friends with Barney and Robin for years, Ted often seems to forget he also dated Robin and Barney has lost much of what made him Barney. November sweeps usually means couples are getting together or coming apart. And I'm actually rooting for Robin and Barney to break up - perhaps that will get the series back on track.

Between mid-season finales, season finales, winter finales, summer finales and all the other terms networks have made up for when they don't have any more new episodes to offer us, it gets a little confusing. What I can tell you is that after tonight, "Greek" (Monday, ABC Family, 9 p.m.) won't be back with new episodes until next year. I was actually surprised to hear from so many of you who don't want Cappie and Casey together. Maybe it's because Cappie is one of my favorite TV characters or maybe it's because I'm a sucker for a TV bad boy who just wants to do right by the woman he loves, but I thought the final scene of last week's episode was fantastic. (Granted Cappie is more of a goofball than a bad boy, but in the "Greek" world, I think he qualifies as a bad boy). In tonight's "finale," ZBZ wants to win the Songfest competition. Thankfully Oleysa Rulin of "High School Musical" is suddenly a ZBZ pledge who can help. Also look for trouble in Cappie and Evan's newly renewed friendship.

Is it just me or has "Gossip Girl" (Monday, CW, 8 p.m.) become exceedingly tedious? Didn't we already have the story line where Jenny became a queen bee bitch? How many times can the show repeat the same Little J story line? Don't Blair and Serena end their friendship every other week? And why does Serena whine everything she says? The series is turning into a daytime soap opera. You can skip months at a time, tune in and the characters are pretty much where you left them. The show is losing me and fast. This week Olivia (Hilary duff) says something she regrets during her appearance on Jimmy Fallon's show.

Just a reminder to not miss the season premiere of "V" on Tuesday at 8 p.m. on ABC. If you missed my review in Friday's column, click here. Also let's try not to panic that ABC is only going to air four episodes before yanking the show off the schedule because of the Winter Olympics. Sure it doesn't seem like the best scheduling decision ever to come down the ski slope, but let's not blame the show for its network's foibles.

I don't think I made a fearless prediction about this but I totally would have bet on "Trauma" being picked up for the full season and "Mercy" being cancelled. They both aren't great shows (I remain thisclose to breaking up with NBC) but I did think "Trauma" was the (slightly) better show. But it's "Trauma" that won't be back after its initial 13 episode run and "Mercy" that's been picked up for the full season. So I may tune into "Mercy" (Wednesday, NBC, 8 p.m.) this week if only for the guest stars. Jerry Stiller and Anne Meara (Ben Stiller's parents) guest star as does Elisabeth Moss, Peggy on "Mad Men." Hey, at least this gets Peggy away from Duck.

Alex Kingston returns to "FlashForward" as a MI6 agent Fiona Banks. She'll help Mark, Demetri and Gough research the Blue Hand club that we learned about last week. Very excited to have Dominic Monaghan on the cast even if it is taking me awhile to adjust to the idea of Charlie as a bad guy. My friend and are trying to come up with theories about why Olivia and Lloyd are together in their flashforward beside the obvious explanation that they are, in fact, having an affair. My friend thinks that maybe Olivia is just trying to get information out of Lloyd since he's obviously connected to what happened and that she's using the fact that Lloyd thinks they have an affair to her advantage. I'm not sure I'm totally on board with that theory but I'm hoping that it's more than just a plain old affair. How about you?

Megan Mullally guest stars as Ron's ex-wife on "Parks & Recreation" (Thursday, NBC, 8:30 p.m.). And from my "how did I not know this" file, did you know that Mullally is married to Nick Offerman, who plays Ron on the series? I had no idea. Unlike "Community," I think "Parks & Recreation" gets better and better each week. Louis C.K. is the perfect straight man to Leslie's antics, the friendship between Leslie and Anne is believable and Andy has really blossomed into a great part of the show (no surprise, we all know how good Chris Pratt was on "Everwood").

Jane ends up in prison on "The Mentalist" (Thursday, CBS, 10 p.m.) But that's not the really big news, the big news is that the show put Rigsby and Van Pelt together (another thing I didn't expect to happen so soon). I liked that the show didn't drag out their romance for too long and that Rigsby told her exactly how he felt. I think shows are really starting to veer away from the endless "will they or won't they" teasing of viewers and that's a good thing.

So here's my problem with "Project Runway" (Thursday, Bravo, 10 p.m.). I really do think Irina has the best designs but she's just so nasty about her talent. I mean she's not Kenley but she's still not that pleasant to watch. Therefore I think I'm going to have to go ahead and root for Althea, whose designs I also like and appears to be much nicer. And I don't think she stole Irina's ideas, do you?

That's all for today. I'm back on Friday to talk about the season finale of "Mad Men" (love the dovetail between the defining event of 1963 and the possible end of Don's marriage), quotes of the week, familiar faces and more. Have a question, seen a familiar face, want to nominate a quote of the week or a topic for discussion? Write me at mailto:amytvgal@zap2it.com or follow me on Twitter. Have a great week. Talk to you on Friday.

They're here! 'V' premieres on ABC

2009-10-30T20:45:15Z

If I were ABC, I would be very worried that other networks would be plotting to steal my development executives away. I know we have had our issues with the network in the past (see the cancellation of "Eli Stone," "Samantha Who?," and "Life on Mars") but you have to admit they've been on a creative roll this season.

Three funny comedies ("Modern Family," "The Middle," and "Cougar Town"), one extremely compelling drama ("FlashForward") and now "V," which premieres next Tuesday at 8 p.m.

Morena Baccarin stars as Anna, the leader of the aliens, known as the Vistors in this remake of the 1983 miniseries. (By the way, I never saw the original. The show was definitely on Mr. and Mrs. Amatangelo's "not for children" list.) It's the perfect part for Baccarin, who most of us know for playing Inara on "Firefly" and "Serenity." She's simultaneously ethereal and sinister. With her pixy face, benevolent smile and cropped haircut, it's easy to understand why humans are so ready to accept that Anna and her people have come to earth with noble, good intentions.

Of course, if that were true, the show would be over in five minutes (hooray, we're all happy. Aliens are awesome. The end!) Enter Elizabeth Mitchell as FBI Counter Terorist Agent Erica Evans, who isn't exactly ready to start drinking the Kool-Aid. As anyone who watches "Lost" knows, Mitchell is able to express so much without any words. You'll immediately root for her as a mom trying to protect her teenage son and a FBI agent trying to protect her country. And while I believe I'm predisposed to like Scott Wolf in anything he's in, playing an ambitious news anchor is a great role for someone with his innate charm and (still) boyish good looks. Morris Chestnut is equally equally as a man about to propose to his girlfriend before the Vistors arrive.

Without being preachy, the series is able to make the show both current and relevant. There's an undercurrent of compelling social commentary that adds an extra layer to the viewing. So all the right ingredients are here to make a good show but that wouldn't mean anything if the plot wasn't captivating. And it is and there are too many good surprises in Tuesday's pilot for me to even hint at them here. All I can tell you is to watch and we shall talk more after you've seen the show. Four out of five stars.

November sweeps

Let's talk about two of the major events coming to a TV set near you in the next couple of weeks:

Heather Locklear returns to "Melrose Place" on November 17: I keep trying to tell myself that the original "Melrose" was not a good show before Amanda hit the scene and that she could have the same magical effect on this new version. And I do think Heather Locklear is that good, but the current "Melrose Place" seems to be in some sort of free fall creatively. I've said from the beginning that it was a huge mistake to have killed of Sydney in the pilot. After Amanda, she's the absolute best character the original series had. Think of how much fun the show would be now if she were still alive and not seen only through hazy flashbacks. And the show has really not done a good job of re-introducing other former characters. I didn't even understand the point of the Jo story line. It was such a waste. And when did Jane become evil? The fact that the show is getting rid of Auggie, one of the more interesting characters doesn't exactly inspire confidence. Do you think Heather can save the show? Talk about it below.

Dr. Ray Langston visits all three "CSI" shows beginning November 9: As much as I like Laurence Fishburne, his Ray Langston still hasn't caught on and giving him a week of serious over-exposure isn't going to make my TV remote grow fonder. There's something about his character that has never quite seemed at home on "CSI." I think originally that was part of his character arc - it made sense that Ray wouldn't immediately feel comfortable in a totally new work setting. But now I think his awkwardness is holding the show back. Do you agree? Will you watch Dr. Langston on thee "CSI" shows? Talk about it below.

Where Have I Seen Them Before?

Charles Malik Whitfield was the husband of the woman who had been raped on "Private Practice." He was James on "The Guardian." Tracie Thoms as his wife. She's Kat on "Cold Case." Lucy Kate Hale was the teen mom who had run away from home. She was Rose last season on "Privileged" (sniff), Becca on the remake of "Bionic Woman" and was just in the Lifetime movie "Sorority Wars." Kristin Bauer was her mother. Bauer is Pam on "True Blood."

Erinn Hayes was the burn victim who died on "Grey's Anatomy." She was Melanie last season on "Worst Week" and Alison on "The Winner." And we recently saw her on "HawthoRNe" as the woman whose mother had a stroke and she accidentally left her baby in her car. Bill Fagerbakke was the firefighter who was worried about the boy he had tried to save. He was Dauber on "Coach."

Carl, Kim and Jen recognized Barbara Alyn Woods as the mother who accused Gabby of being a bad mother on "Desperate Housewives." She's Deb Scott on "One Tree Hill." Jen also caught Aisha Hinds as the maid who didn't approve of Bree's affair. She was on "HawthoRNe" this season as Isabel, the homeless woman who had a baby. She was also Miss Jeanette on "True Blood."

Mary Page Keller was Annabelle, Roger's ex-girlfriend on "Mad Men." She was Will's mom last season on "Privileged" and the patient Andrea Hall on "Nip/Tuck." For some reason I always remember her as Zoe's mom on "Zoe, Duncan, Jack & Jane"

Candace was excited to see Michael O'Neill, who played Secret Service Agent Ron Butterfield on "The West Wing," as CIA Director Keller on "FlashForward."

Vincent Ventresca was the wealthy man obsessed with Sierra on "Dollhouse." I'll always remember him as the title character in the "The Invisible Man." He was also Jimmy on "Complete Savages."

Quotes of the Week

"How long do I have to work here before they insert a bug up my ass. You guys are all so cranky." Avery to Cristina on "Grey's Anatomy."

"We've got a gypsy and a hobo. And who are you supposed to be?" Carlton to Don on "Mad Men."

"You know, Bobby, killing you is officially on my bucket list." Dean, who's trapped in an 80 year old man's body, to Bobby on "Supernatural." Thanks to Sandy for the quote.

"I care about old people. I watch 'Desperate Housewives.'" Rebecca to Casey on "Greek."

"We're doing a Haunted House this Halloween which is actually kind of spooky because as legend has it on this very site there used to be a productive paper company." Jim on "The Office."

"Our experiment killed 20 million people Simon. What more is there to say?" Lloyd to Simon on "FlashForward."

"But please, don't pretend to feel sorry for me Marc. I know exactly what you did. And you know we both deserve this job, but I got it, so deal with it, and act your age...your new age." Betty to Marc, who just had a birthday. Thanks to Abby for the quote.

Exchanges of the Week

"What exactly are you supposed to be?" Alexis to her dad when he dress up like Captain Mal from "Firefly" on "Castle."

"Space cowboy." Castle's response.

"OK, (a) there are no cows in space; (b) didn't you wear that, like, five years ago?" Alexis

"So?" Castle.

"So, don't you think you should move on?" Thanks to Jeff, Joshua, Henry and Mark who were the first to submit what may turn out to be the most popular exchange of the year.

********ã€€

"You're her." Lloyd to Olivia on "FlashForward."

"Not yet." Marc's response.

********

"Step on the wrong shoes and you get an involuntary reassignment to Fairbanks" A man trying to convince Don to come work for him on "Numb3rs."

"Fairbanks, never been there." Don's response and a nice inside joke shout out to "Northern Exposure" fans. Thanks to Gerald and Kevin for the exchange.

That's all for today. I'm back on Monday to talk about "The Vampire Diaries," "How I Met Your Mother," "The Mentalist," "FlashForward" and more. Have a question, seen a familiar face, want to nominate a quote of the week or a topic for discussion? Write me at mailto:amytvgal@zap2it.comor follow me on Twitter. Have a great weekend and a Happy Halloween. Talk to you on Monday.

Are you ready for some football? 'Friday Night Lights' returns

2009-10-26T20:50:52Z

I feel like we've know each other long enough that I can tell you I waved at the TV when Tim Riggins first appeared during the fourth season premiere of "Friday Night Lights" (Wednesday at 9 p.m. on DirectTV's 101 Network). Yes I know deep down he's a fictional character but I was just so happy to see him. (And he still represents my only exception to the "no long hair on male TV characters" rule).

Besides getting to spend some much needed quality time with the ever dreamy Tim Riggins, what I love about "Friday Night Lights" is its ability to constantly mine real, nail-biting drama with high school football and small town Texas life as a back-drop. It's the only show I can think of that is able to so seamlessly weave in new characters and exit old ones. Because, like in life, every year some high school students graduate and others begin their freshman year.

Last season, the series shook up its formula by introducing rookie quarterback J.D. McCoy (Jeremy Sumpter) and his terror of a father Joe McCoy (D.W. Moffett). J.D. is back this season but the shy, insecure football player is not. Sumpter is utterly believable as the football player who suddenly finds himself to be the big man on campus and uses his new social status for all its worth.

As the season kicks off, Coach Eric Taylor (Kyle Chandler) is now the coach of East Dillon High which doesn't have the money, the resources or the players that West Dillon High did. A new school and a new year means the introduction of new players. Michael B. Jordan (who I remember as Wallace on "The Wire") joins the cast as Vince Howard, a troubled student show joins the football team after the police strongly encourage him to do so. The new team doesn't exactly take to Eric's coaching style. But as a viewer, it's exciting to see Coach Taylor build up a whole new team and interact with new players. When he tells the team "Clear Eyes. Full Hearts. Can't Lose," I got a little misty. And as always, with "Friday Night Lights," the results of the games are never predictable. The game in the premiere ended in a way I definitely did not expect.

While the town is divided in a whole East Dillon/West Dillon brouhaha, Matt (Zach Gilford) and Tim (Taylor Kitsch) are dealing with life post high school. "So what's it like being the guy who used to be Tim Riggins," he's asked. Both men are trying to establish what their life will be like now and both are struggling with what to do next. And Riggins is definitely back to his old ways. The series is easily able to fuse the new characters with the old, the drama of a high school football with the drama of moving on after football. And yes, Eric and Tami (Connie Britton) still have the best and most realistic marriage on TV.

Honestly, I couldn't love this show more. It remains one of the absolute best shows on television. Five out of five stars. My only regret is that most of you will have to wait until next year to see it when it airs on NBC. I'll probably hold off on talking more about the show until we are all able to enjoy "Friday Night Lights." But if you have DirectTV, definitely let me know what you think of the fourth season premiere after you've seen the show.

On the opposite end of the football spectrum, FX premieres its new series "The League" this Thursday at 10:30 p.m. The comedy follows a group of friends all in a fantasy football league. Peter (Mark Duplass) is the reigning league champion. Kevin (Stephen Rannazzisi) desperately wants to win and often turns to his wife Jenny (Katie Aselton) for advice. Ruxin (Nick Kroll) and his wife (played by Nadine Velazquez, Catalina on "My Name is Earl," so happy to see her again) just had a baby. Andre (Paul Scheer) keeps picking players who have retired and Kevin's younger brother Taco (Jon Lajoie) isn't quite ever sure why he's there. I turned to my in house expert, my husband who is in a fantasy football league every year, to vouch for the show's authenticity. He says the show definitely captures the trash talking, trades and draft picks of a real league. I can tell you there were moments on the show that I thought were absolutely hilarious. Like "Rescue Me" and "My Boys" the show captures the hilarious banter that can occur between friends. And, don't worry, you don't have to follow football to think it's funny. But there were other times when I thought the show was unnecessarily vulgar. The show has the potential to be extremely funny. It doesn't need the crutch of being crass. I'm also a little concerned that I thought the pilot was stronger than the second episode available for review. For now, three and a half out of five stars.

Highlights of the Week Ahead

All times listed are Eastern Standard Time for October 26 -November 1

"Greek" has its mid-season finale next Monday which means Thanksgiving comes a little earlier to the students at Cyprus Rhodes. Casey hosts a Thanksgiving dinner for all the college students left behind at 9 p.m. on ABC Family. I know this show wants to drag out the academic year as much as possible and I don't want Cappie, Ashleigh, Casey or Evan to graduate any time soon but it's a little ridiculous that it's only Thanksgiving, don't you think? Think of it - since September Rusty fell for another guy's girl, dated her, fell in love with, and then watched her leave for New York. The whole Frannie faux sorority happened this year too. By the way, is there anybody out there who doesn't want Cappie and Casey to get back together? Anyone?

Shows are all about Halloween this week. Castle and Beckett investigate the death of a man found in a graveyard with fangs and a stake through his heart on "Castle" (Monday, ABC, 10 p.m.).

No matter how many times I've seen it, I still want to watch "It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown" (Tuesday, ABC, 8 p.m.) every time it airs.

With Meredith on bed rest and Izzie MIA, McDreamy takes center stage on "Grey's Anatomy" this week (Thursday, ABC, 9 p.m.). Chandra Wilson, Dr. Bailey to you and me, directed the episode. I know it just started but I already think I'm just about ready for the whole merger story line to be wrapped up. It's making me think they're all bad doctors. Seriously after last week's episode, if I was ever injured in Seattle, I would insist on being airlifted to another state.

I know I complain early and often about "Private Practice" (Thursday, ABC, 10 p.m.) but I have to say I do like the way the show is handling the Violet story line so far. One of the things that irks me the most on a TV series is when a character suffers a major trauma and is back to normal within a few episodes. Violet should still be traumatized. It makes sense to me that she wouldn't be able to bond with her baby. The current story line almost makes up for the horror movie ending of last season - almost. This week, Violet faces Katie (Amanda Foreman) in court and a story line from last season returns. Remember the two patients whose embryos were switched? They're back.

You definitely want to tune into "Medium" (Friday, CBS, 9 p.m.) this week. Patricia Arquette is inserted into the movie "Night of the Living Dead" just in time for Halloween.

How do you know it's November sweeps? Familiar faces start to return to their old TV stomping grounds. That means Tommy is back on "Brothers & Sisters" this Sunday at 10 p.m. on ABC. Also is anyone else having trouble taking Roxy Olin seriously as Michelle considering she's also on "The City" or is that a problem only I suffer from?

For those of you who have complained that not enough happens on "Mad Men" (Sunday, AMC, 10 p.m.) or that the plots move too slowly, I hope you tuned into last night's episode. In one hour, Betty confronted Don about his past and Don confessed everything. I really like that this long kept secret is out in the open because I don't see Betty just brushing this aside, do you? And I was thrilled (thrilled!) that Joan smashed a vase over her husband's head. Now I just hope she takes it one more step and leaves him.And that wasn't even the biggest surprise. Who knew Roger would want to remain faithful to Jane. I'm not going to lie to you. It's kind of stressing me out that we only have two episodes left.

That's all for today. I'm back on Friday with a review of the new ABC series "V," a round-up of some of the most exciting events coming our way during November sweeps, quotes of the week, familiar faces and more. Have a question? Seen a familiar face? Want to nominate a quote of the week? Write me at amytvgal@zap2it.com or follow me on Twitter. Have a great weekend. Talk to you on Friday.

'White Collar' oozes charm and fun

2009-10-23T19:50:55Z

USA gets away with a lot by having absolutely charming male characters at the center of its dramas.

"Royal Pains" would be a much more boring medical show without Hank. "Burn Notice" wouldn't sizzle as much without Michael Westen. And we all know that without Monk there wouldn't be a show.

The network applies the same formula to its newest series "White Collar," premiering tonight at 10 p.m. on USA. Matt Bomer (Bryce Larkin on "Chuck") stars as master criminal Neal Caffrey. In the pilot, Neal cleverly escapes from jail only to be caught again by his benevolent nemesis FBI Agent Peter Burke (Tim DeKay). Burke offers him a deal - help me catch other bad guys and you can stay out of jail.

Bomer has a delightful carefree approach to the role. He looks like he's having fun so how can viewers not go along for the ride? And I've been a fan of DeKay's since he played Kirsten's husband many, many years ago on "Party of Five." He's been a television fixture for a long time - popping up as Bizarro Jerry on "Seinfeld," as Jonesy on "Carnivale," and as one half of a fairly dysfunctional relationship on "Tell Me You Love Me." It's really fun to see him in such a high profile role. And Peter is a great foil for Neal and vice versa. The pilot is a breezy, amusing hour of television.

I only have two complaints. Like many of USA shows, there's a lot of character but not necessarily enough substance. The plot in the pilot was pretty weak. And I'm just not sure what to make of Tiffani Thiessen as Peter's wife Elizabeth. The whole episode I kept waiting for a big reveal that somehow she's involved in the intrigue of the show - maybe she's an FBI agent too or shares a past with Neal -but right now she's just the wife. I keep thinking there has got to be more to her character.

But all in all, I liked the show. Three and a half out of five stars. After you watch tonight's premiere, let me know what you think.

Monk

Bitty Schram returns to "Monk" as Adrian's assistant, Sharona, tonight at 9 p.m. on USA. It's a fun episode for two very specific reasons:

1. I always thought the series did a fantastic job of making Natalie a completely distinct character from Sharona and really set up how different Sharona's relationship with Adrian was from Natalie's relationship with Mr. Monk. So it's highly entertaining to see Natalie and Sharona together.

2. Something happens in this episode that I've wanted to happen since Sharona was on the show. I won't spoil it for you but I think you'll be very happy when you see it.

But other than that, I was disappointed in the episode because the show continues to be so goofy and, far too often, has Monk acting like a fool. I know as the show works towards its series finale, Monk is finally going to solve the mystery of his wife's murder. That's a serious topic and one that right now the show doesn't tonally seem ready for. What do you think?

TV News This Week

Let's discuss the big stories that happened on TV this week starting with the good news first:

1. "Glee:" As "Glee" gears up for the second half of its season, a lot of fun news broke this week. Joss Whedon will direct an episode. That just seems like the perfect combination, doesn't it? As someone who still goes around singing the soundtrack to "Once More With Feeling," I cannot wait for this. We also learned that there will be an episode this season featuring only Madonna songs. I already have visions of the glee club belting out "Express Yourself" and Emma crooning "Crazy for You" to Will. The possibilities are endless. I almost can't take it.

2. Colin Egglesfield and Ashlee Simpson-Wentz are off "Melrose Place:" I sum it up like this, right decision with Ashlee, totally wrong decision with Colin. I don't think there's anything the show could do at this point to salvage Violet. She, Annie from "90210," and Billie from "Accidentally on Purpose," should go off and form their own annoying sitcom together. But I really liked the Auggie character. On a show that is clearly struggling, he was one of the more interesting characters and certainly had a lot of potential.It makes me even more worried about the show that the network couldn't see that.

3. FOX pulls "Dollhouse" for November sweeps: Enjoy tonight's episode of "Dollhouse" (Friday, FOX, 9 p.m.) because after tonight, the show won't be back on the schedule until December 4. And when it comes back, FOX will air the episodes back to back on Friday night. This makes me extremely nervous. Not only isn't it a vote of confidence, it's usually the first sign of cancellation. I'm trying not to panic but this is not looking good.

What do you think of the big TV stories this week? Talk about it below.

Where Have I Seen Them Before?

Ryan recognized Navi Rawat, Amita on "Numb3rs," as Maya on "FlashForward." She was also Theresa on "The O.C."

Reed Diamond was the husband who switched the babies at birth on "Castle." We saw Diamond last season on "Dollhouse" as Laurence Dominic and in this season premiere of "Monk" as the FBI agent who needed Monk to pose as a mob boss. He was also Jack on "Journeyman," Stuart on "Judging Amy," and Detective Mike Kellerman on "Homicide."

Dan recognized Travis Schuldt as the agent Walter experimented on on "Fringe." He was Elliot's boyfriend Keith on "Scrubs."

Robin recognized Hallee Hirsh as Carol on "Criminal Minds." Hirsh was Mark's daughter Rachel on "ER" and she popped up on the series premiere of "90210" as Andrea's daughter Hannah Vasquez.

Jon Seda was the police detective convinced he was going to die when he was 40 on "House." Seda was Detective Paul Falsone on "Homicide" and Ray on "Close to Home."

Marshall Allman was Danny Farrell, the brother of the teacher Don's having an affair with on "Mad Men." Allman was LJ on "Prison Break."

Alexie Gilmore was the patient who needed a kidney transplant on "Grey's Anatomy" and "Private Practice." Gilmore was Dr. Sara Dillane on the short-lived FOX series "New Amsterdam."

Quotes of the Week

"Punching your employees, even I know not to do that in public." Wilhelmina to Daniel on "Ugly Betty."

"I have mercury poisoning from constantly taking my rectal temperature." Jenna to Liz on "30 Rock." Ah the entertainment industry will never tire of making fun of Jeremy Piven. Thanks to Mark for the quote.

"Question 1. Do you want to be a Canadian? Question 2. Really?" Barney's version of the Canadian citizenship test on "How I Met Your Mother." Thanks to Barry for the quote.

"This place is better than a telenovela." Dr. Bailey while visiting Oceanside Wellness on "Private Practice."

"When my Mom applied to college she put being popular as her main extra-curricular activity, and she got into Arizona State." Quinn to Emma on "Glee." Thanks to Caitlin for the quote.

"And I'm not sneaking in the window Katie Holmes style. 'Dawson's Creek?' Forget it. You were too young." Dixon's older girlfriend to Dixon on "90210."

"That could have gone one of two ways, but I never expected her to be upset." Michael after he tells Pam he's dating her mother on "The Office."

Exchanges of the Week

"No wonder she hates him." An intern observing Cuddy and House on "House."

"That's not hate. It's foreplay." Another intern's response.

**********************

"Mommy, she's not Margaret. She's Jane. She's my wife." Roger to his mother when his mother calls Jane by his daughter's name on "Mad Men."

"Does Mona know?" Roger's mom's response.

"Yes she knows." Jane's response.

**********************

"You know some people appreciate my sense of humor." Evan to Ashleigh on "Greek."

"Some people appreciate Crocs." Ashleigh's response.

That's all for today. I'm back next week to talk about my love for Tim Riggins, I mean with a review of the fourth season premiere of "Friday Night Lights." I'll also have a round-up of some of the most exciting events coming our way during November sweeps. And don't forget that Joan is finally back on "Mad Men" this Sunday (all together now "Hooray!") Have a question? Seen a familiar face? Want to nominate a quote of the week? Write me at amytvgal@zap2it.com or follow me on Twitter. Have a great weekend. Talk to you on Monday.

I like 'Cougar Town.' Do you?

2009-10-19T19:44:28Z

I've been trying to figure out why some people (including me) have really been enjoying "Cougar Town" (Wednesday at 9:30 p.m. on ABC) and some people loathe it with a passion I reserve for shows like "Accidentally on Purpose" and "The Ex List."

Sure shows and performances have divided us before and certainly one person's favorite show is another's most hated. We all don't like the same things nor should we. But for some reason I didn't expect this kind of dividing line to be drawn with "Cougar Town." I thought once people saw it - and got past the tongue-in-cheek title - they would either find it funny or not, but wouldn't have such a strong reaction. Some readers have written to me that they find the show offensive and too vulgar. In general, scripted television offends me much less that reality TV does (for example nothing scripted will ever be as offensive to me as people who allow their children to be part of reality TV shows - the family edition of "The Amazing Race" being the rare exception). Do I think children should be watching "Cougar Town?" No I don't but I don't find the show offensive at all. I kind of think the characters talk and joke about things people do in real life but rarely do on television.

Also I've heard the complaint that Courteney Cox is completely unbelievable as Jules a somewhat insecure woman pinching the fat on her stomach, worrying about her face in the magnifying mirror and obsessing over the heels of her feet. But I totally believe it. Maybe it's because I, too, have one of those evil magnifying mirrors, but who among us hasn't fretted about some aspect of our appearance? No matter how good we look. I actually find it somewhat comforting that someone who looks like Jules is just as neurotic as the rest of us.

Plus I think the show is really funny. I couldn't help but laugh when Jules' son Travis (Dan Byrd) and his father Bobby (Brian Van Holt) drove around town in a golf cart. Or when Jules explained how she gets up an hour early to put on make up so that when Josh (Nick Zano) wakes up he thinks that's how she always looks. And I really like her rapport with Grayson (Josh Hopkins), the across the street neighbor she's obsessed with making her friend. We do live in a double standard society where it is easier for a man to re-enter the dating world at 40 than it is for a woman. Why shouldn't Jules be annoyed with that? I love that the show is exploring this topic in its own humorous way. This week, this get even more annoying for Jules when Bobby and Grayson become friends. (As a side note, is Grayson going to be the name of TV season kind of like Logan was a few years ago. It's now on both "Drop Dead Diva" and "Cougar Town").

Do I still think Christa Miller is too much like her character she played on "Scrubs." Absolutely. Do I think Cox is playing a version of Monica Geller if Monica had gotten married young and now was trying to re-live the years she missed out. Absolutely. But I wanted to defend and support "Cougar Town" as the hilarious, promising series I think it is. We have so few good comedies on TV and those of us who watch a lot of TV know how hard it is to make a viewer laugh. I'm thrilled "Cougar Town" was picked up for a full season. Do you agree with me? Disagree? Talk about it below.

Ask TV Gal

Why has Rachel Griffiths been missing from Brothers & Sisters for several episodes? With Tommy gone, that's huge chunks of the Walker clan missing, and it shows. Any news on Southland getting picked up by a cable network? Jason

Rachel Griffiths gave birth to her third child at the end of June and was written out of the early episodes this season to accommodate her maternity leave. But we'll be seeing more her now that Sarah's back from Paris and her French fling (Gilles Marini) followed her back to Pasadena. As for "Southland" there is some good news. Executive producer John Wells is apparently in talks with two different networks to pick up the show. Since production on the series has been shut down, the network that acquires the series will most likely air the seven episodes from last season and the six from this season that have already been shot as one complete season. Right now, the most likely candidate is TNT. I'm cautiously optimistic but I definitely don't want to count my TiVos before they're on. So let's all just keep our fingers crossed.

I know the fourth season of Friday Night Lights is about to start airing on DirecTV. Have you seen any of it? Do you know if it is going to continue to be one of the best shows on tv or is it something I should add to my dvr and watch it later list? Thanks, Katie

Katie your question is perfectly timed because I just received the season four premiere of "Friday Night Lights" in the mail. The show premieres on DirectTV's the 101 network next Wednesday, October 28 at 9 p.m. The season will kick off with Coach Taylor as the coach of East Dillon High and having to build up a football team now that the entire town has undergone redistricting. Meanwhile Tami is still the Principal of West Dillon High. I haven't watched the episode yet but I'll definitely have a review of the season premiere in next Monday's column. The entire fourth season will air on NBC in late spring/summer 2010.

Highlights of the Week Ahead

All times listed are Eastern Standard Time for October 19-25

Will this be the episode where "How I Met Your Mother" (Monday, CBS, 8:30 p.m.) gets its mojo back? I hope so. Barney tries to convince Robin to become a U.S. citizen and I'm also hearing that they'll be another significant plot development tonight as well.

Will Wheaton, who we just saw on an episode of "Leverage," guest stars as himself on "The Big Bang Theory" (Monday, CBS, 9:30 p.m.). It seems that Sheldon has, no surprise, a gripe with him. Meanwhile, Wolowitz wants to be set up with one of Penny's friends. The show is doing a great job of having Penny and Leonard together without it affecting the overall dynamic of the show. I think that's partly due to the fact that the Penny/Leonard potential romance never dominated the show and that Penny and Leonard together annoys Sheldon even more.

I think I've told you guys this story before, but when the original "Beverly Hills 90210" first premiered, I didn't watch the show. It aired opposite "Cheers" and so I never checked the show out. But one Thursday, "Cheers" was in repeats and I tuned into the episode that had the gang dressing up for Halloween - remember Donna as a mermaid? I was hooked. So I have high hopes for this week's episode of "90210" (Tuesday, CW, 8 p.m.) which will be Halloween themed (think Adrianna as Marilyn Monroe). Also it looks like Dixon will try to end his relationship with Sasha this week - emphasis on the word "try." Dixon is about to head into a very familiar teen soap opera story line.

Daphne Zuniga returns to "Melrose Place" Tuesday at 9 p.m. on the CW. Jo is still a photographer and just guess who has been hired to do Riley's photo shoot? Crazy coincidence, right?

Alicia must prove that a train company, and not its engineers, was responsible for a train crash on "The Good Wife" (Tuesday, CBS, 10 p.m.). Martha Plimpton, who we just saw as the mother of the teenage boy with inexplicable pain in the two-hour season premiere of "Grey's Anatomy" guest stars as the attorney for the train company. I continue to really enjoy the story line of Alicia's personal life. Last week, when she realized a gift from her husband may have been a bribe he received from someone else was so gut wrenching. Julianna Margulies is great at playing a woman who is trying to hold it all together and not let anyone else see how difficult her whole situation is. I also think the cases of the week are getting stronger. They're still not what gets me to tune into the show but they are entertaining.

Finn being naÃ¯ve about Quinn's pregnancy doesn't bother me as much as the Will/Terri story line on "Glee" (Wednesday, FOX, 9 p.m.). I'm okay with a high school student being that clueless. This week, everyone finds out that Quinn is pregnant and it turns the school's most popular couple into outcasts. We'll also learn a little bit more about Sue's personal life.

Last week's "Modern Family" (Wednesday, ABC, 9 p.m.) was the best yet. It was wonderful to watch Shelley Long's humor fit right in with the rest of the family. Here's hoping she's back soon. It seems like every episode offers up something that still makes me chuckle days later. Last week, it was Phil screaming "I've got Gloria" during the fight between Gloria and Dede. This show just makes me so happy because every week it's funny. It sounds so simple, but it's true. Make me laugh and I'm a happy TV Gal. This week, Gloria and Phil have the family over for a cookout and, as you might expect, all does not go well.

Like a lot of you, I definitely thought "The Office" suffered with both Jim and Pam out of the office. I liked that they weren't there in the sense that it was true-to-life that they would be on their honeymoon, but without Jim and Pam the show just isn't as funny. They're back this week and Pam finds out who her mother has been dating at 9 p.m. on NBC.

Don't forget Will Arnett is back on "30 Rock" Thursday at 9:30 p.m. on NBC.

So what did you think of "Ugly Betty" (Friday, ABC, 8 p.m.)? Guest stars abound this week. Hamish Linklater (Christine's brother on "The New Adventures of Old Christine") guest stars as a designer, Adam Ferrara (the chief on "Rescue Me") pops up as Hilda's customer and Jamie-Lynn Sigler ("herself" on "Entourage") is a woman Daniel meets in his bereavement group.

We'll find out why Sierra entered the "Dollhouse" this Friday at 9 p.m. on FOX.

That's all for today. I'm back on Friday with a review of new USA drama "White Collar," this Friday's episode of "Monk" (featuring Sharona), this week's familiar faces, quotes of the week, and more. Have a question? Seen a familiar face? Want to nominate a quote of the week or a topic for discussion? Write me at amytvgal@zap2it.com or follow me on Twitter. Talk to you on Friday.

ã€€

'Ugly Betty' is Beautiful in Season Four

2009-10-16T20:51:33Z

It finally happened.

Ever since "Ugly Betty" premiered, I've been waiting for Betty (America Ferrera) to start dressing a little more sophisticated and put together. I didn't want her to lose the things that made her Betty but I also thought it odd that she worked at a fashion magazine for three years and not a single thing seemed to be rubbing off on her. Things finally start to rub off as the fourth season kicks off tonight (Friday at 8 p.m. on ABC)

In addition to her outward appearance, there's a lot of change is afoot for Betty which is fantastic because we want to see our lead characters evolve and grow as the seasons progress. And as tonight's two-hour season premiere demonstrates, things really have changed for Betty. She's been promoted to associate features editor much to the chagrin of both her former-boyfriend-turned-boss Matt and her colleague Megan (a spot on Smith Cho).

While often I've felt the show has wandered a little aimlessly, the fourth season begins with most of the characters off to strong story lines. You find out early on who shocked Wilhelmina at the end of last season and it's a story line that allows Wilhelmina to be Wilhelmina while also showing her softer side. In particular, I really liked the interaction between Justin, who struggles as he enters high school, and Marc, who knows a lot about what those struggles are about. Marc becomes a more grounded character when he helps Justin out and I think Justin's story line will be familiar to anyone who didn't find high school, for whatever reason, to be the best time of his or her life.

The only story line I didn't love was Amanda with Daniel's new temp (played by Kristen Johnston). I continue to think that Amanda can be much more than a one-note character with biting one liners. I would really like for her to get a much stronger story arc this season.

But all in all, I think the show is off to a strong start (four out of five stars). I'm just hoping people still find the show in its new time slot. Will you be watching "Ugly Betty" tonight? Talk about it below.

Discussion Topics of the Week

As much I'm still enjoying "Glee" (as I've said before, the way to my season pass manager is through a well done musical number), I just cannot stand Terri faking her pregnancy. It makes no sense. Will can't possibly be that dumb. Even if we concede that Will never sees his wife naked or gets to know her in the biblical sense any more. He's okay with never seeing his wife without her shirt on? He never wants to touch her stomach? He doesn't bump into her while they're sleeping and feel that she has something attached to her body? He really thinks it's okay that the doctor puts up a sheet during an ultrasound? I need this story line to be wrapped up fast. The other thing I'm concerned about is that every episode is a variation on the same theme - something or someone breaks up the glee club before they're eventually brought back together by the end of the episode. I think we also need to get to sectionals fast. How about you?

Okay I've been trying to put off this conversation because it pains me to say it but (deep breath) here I go - since the season premiere, I don't think "How I Met Your Mother" has been that funny this season. I'm so disappointed because, as you know, I think "HIMYM" is one of the best comedies on TV. But the plots this season have been more preposterous than usual. It's ridiculous that Marshall and Lily would act so silly when they had Robin and Barney over for dinner or that the conversation would be so awkward. The gang hangs out all the time. One of the things I love about "HIMYM" is that it usually taps into what a real group of friends are like. Sure it's always exaggerated for television but it's been grounded in reality. The show seems to have lost sight of that this season. Do you agree?

Are you still watching "Dollhouse" this season? I hope so because the show is really hitting its stride. I like having Ballard working to bring down the Dollhouse from the inside. I like that we got to see November/Mellie/Madeline again and hear why she entered the Dollhouse in the first place. Next week, we'll learn why Sierra entered the Dollhouse. And I think the assignment of the week stories have been much better - particularly last week's that had a serial killer's personality ricocheting all over L.A. All that plus some of our favorite actors from the Whedonverse - Amy Acker, Alexis Denisof, and, starting next week, Summer Glau. What have you thought of "Dollhouse" so far this season.

Where Have I Seen Them Before?

Mike Starr was the insurance salesman Andy and Dwight thought was a member of the Mafia on "The Office." Starr was Kenny on "Ed."

Dennis B. recognized Tiffany Dupont, Frannie on "Greek," as the prostitute who helped Lauren escape the yacht on "Melrose Place." Dennis A. recognized Kevin Alejandro, who we won't be seeing as Detective Nate Moretta on "Southland" (just for fun, let's say it again - Boooo NBC, Boooo!), as the designer Anton V. on "Melrose Place." Alejandro was also Rudolpho on "Weeds" (remember he kidnapped Celia), Santos on "Ugly Betty," and Danny on "Shark." And we just saw him on "Drop Dead Diva" as the man wrongfully accused of a crime.

Steve recognized that Joe Morton had double primetime duty this week. He's Justin's professor on "Brothers & Sisters" and Peter's lawyer on "The Good Wife." Morton is Henry Deacon on "Eureka."

Toby recognized Tyler Hoechlin as the violin instructor on "Castle." Hoechlin was Martin on "7 Heaven" and Owen Scott on "My Boys."

Anne and Steve recognized Leslie Hendrix, Dr. Elizabeth Rodgers on "Law & Order" and "Law & Order: Criminal Intent," as the jury consultant on "The Good Wife." Chris Bauer was the opposing counsel. Bauer is Detective Andy Bellefleur on "True Blood" and I always remember him as Frank on "Third Watch" and Frank Sobotka on "The Wire."

Ginni recognized Brian Hallisay, Will on "Privileged," as Joanna's former fiancÃ© on "Eastwick." Rachel Boston, Beth on "American Dreams," was his new fiancÃ©e.

Marc Blucas, Riley on "Buffy the Vampire Slayer," was Jack Rader, the rival truth telling expert on "Lie to Me." Mary Mara was the hospital administrator trying to figure out where the tainted blood came from. I'll always remember Mara for playing Loretta many years ago on "ER" (remember she was the prostitute Carter was always trying to help.)

It was quite traumatic to see Ben Feldman, Fred on "Drop Dead Diva," as Jack, the victim of the week (and not a nice one either) on "CSI." Tracy Middendorf was his boss. I'll pull Middendorf out of my "deserves her own show" file to tell you she was Carla Matheson during the second season of "24," Bonnie on "Lost" (remember she worked at The Looking Glass station), Elsa Kaplan on "Alias" (she played Christian Slater's wife) and I'll always remember her as Laura Kingman on "90210,"

Gina Torres is Felicia, Wedeck's wife, on "FlashForward." Among her many TV roles, Torres was Anna Espinosa on "Alias," Julia Milliken on "24," Jasmine on "Angel," and Zoe on "Firefly." Kim Dickens was Aaron's ex-wife on "FlashForward." She's Cassidy, the woman Sawyer conned on "Lost" and Matt's mom Shelby on "Friday Night Lights."

Quotes of the Week

"There's just got to be more to life than eating pudding and watching 'CSI'" Elderly patient to McSteamy on "Grey's Anatomy."

"I know my methods are extreme. I know I'm not like the rest of you hippies, caring about the kids' feelings as if they're real." Sue to Will on "Glee."

"Irina's actually a really good designer. The only problem with her is that she's a bitch." Nicholas on "Project Runway." Thanks to Jackie for the quote.

Exchange of the Week

"What do we want?" Kenneth to the striking pages on "30 Rock."

"To get your sandwiches." The striking pages chant back to Kenneth.

"When do we want it?" Kenneth.

"Whenever it will be convenient for you!" the pages' response. I didn't love the strike story line but I found this particular exchange hilarious.

That's all for today. I'm back on Monday to check in on new shows and see how they're doing (are we still liking "Cougar Town" and "Modern Family") and I'll also have a review of the new USA drama "White Collar." Have a question? Seen a familiar face? Want to nominate a quote of the week or a topic for discussion? Write me at amytvgal@zap2it.com or follow me on Twitter. Have a great weekend. Talk to you on Monday.

ã€€

I'm Jonesing for Joan on 'Mad Men'

2009-10-12T20:17:10Z

Last night's episode of "Mad Men" was great except for one thing - there was no Joan. "Mad Men" has created this world where characters effortlessly move in and out of episodes from the background to the center of the action. For example, we saw little of Pete and a lot more of Sal last night and this format serves the show extremely well. But I need more Joan. Except for her brief and devastating appearance as a department store manager last week, Joan has been missing in action for far too long. I can't stand not knowing what's going on with her and her awful marriage. It's unacceptable. How is she doing now that she's not working at Sterling Cooper. I feel like there's a whole show I'm missing out on. Because let me be clear, I would watch a TV series centered around Joan. We don't get that many episodes of "Mad Men" per season. It's stressing me out that Joan is missing from so many of them. (Granted, I was already stressed yesterday because of the extremely upsetting Red Sox game -- the lack of Joan just added to it.)

You know who else I miss? Taub on "House." While I don't loathe Thirteen like many of you do, I think it's a mistake that right now she's the only one of new cast remaining. Sometimes I feel like the show has written itself into a corner with so many good characters and not know how to handle them all. I know we've been wanting to see more of Chase on but what happened with his character last week seemed to come out of nowhere, don't you think? Chase would suddenly unilaterally decide to kill a patient? That kind of wild character arc (it will play out over the next several episodes) seems more like "Grey's Anatomy" than "House." It feels like the show is playing musical chairs with its cast because it is.

And I really don't understand "Melrose Place" bringing back both Laura Leighton and Thomas Calabro and the so under using them. (Why Jane Mancini is suddenly evil is a topic for another time.) The show would be so much stronger if Sydney were still among the living. I watch every episode hoping this is when we learn Sydney faked her death AGAIN.

But you know what character I think should be totally dropped? Let the Ryan story line go on "Brothers & Sisters." I don't think it was the actor's fault. He was doomed from the start since none of us were that interested in learning about another Walker illegitimate sibling. And having him try to bring down the Walker family business just isn't that interesting to me.

Who do you want to see more of? Who do you want to see less of? Talk about it below.

Highlights of the Week Ahead

All times listed are Eastern Standard Time for October 12-18

My friend Korbi tells me we definitely need to watch "How I Met Your Mother" (Monday, CBS, 8 p.m.) tonight. Jason Segel will be singing as Marshall and Lilly and Barney and Robin go on a double date. As much as I love the show, the past two episdoes have been a bit of a let down. Here's hoping tonight's episode gets the show back on track.

I think by now you know that "Cheers" remains one of my all-time favorite TV shows. So I'm beyond thrilled that Shelley Long is appearing on "Modern Family" (Wednesday, ABC, 9 p.m.) as Jay's ex-wife and Claire and Mitchell's mother.

Scott Foley, who we can't see in "The Unit" any more, pops up on this week's "Law & Order: SVU" (Wednesday, NBC, 9 p.m.). Many of you have written to me that you're not a fan of Christine Lahti's new ADA. I SO agree. As much as I like Lahti, I just can't stand her character. No character is entertaining when they are that one-dimensional and unreasonable.

I'm sorry I just couldn't bring myself to watch the premiere of "Nip/Tuck" (Wednesday, FX, 10 p.m.) I usually try to watch everything when it premieres but this show lost me a long time ago. For those of you who will still be tuning in, look for Katey Sackoff, Rose McGowan, Linda Hunt, Mario Lopez, and Wayne Knight to guest star. And if you think the show has improved, definitely let me know.

If you were hesitant to start watching "FlashForward" for fear ABC would cancel it abruptly (a completely reasonable fear given ABC's track record with dramas we like), you can go ahead and get hooked. ABC has picked up the series for the full season. (The network also picked up "Modern Family," "The Middle," and "Cougar Town" for full seasons). This week on "FlashForward," Peyton List returns as Nicole, Mark and Olivia's babysitter. I don't know about you but I have to keep reminding myself that List is also Roger's wife Jane on "Mad Men."

So we already know I'm just looking for a reason to not watch NBC anymore and totally launch a full on boycott of the network to protest they way they've treated "Southland." But that's not going to happen anytime soon since I loved, loved, loved last week's wedding episode of "The Office." Can you imagine being the couple who had their wedding video on YouTube? It's one thing to be on "The Today Show," it's quite another to inspire an episode of "The Office." What I liked the most about the episode is that it was "The Office" at its best. Amid all the hilarious inanity, the emotions between Jim and Pam were so relatable. My favorite part was when Pam said, "This was supposed to be our wedding day. Why did we invite all these people?" I have to tell you there were times I felt precisely like that. And the whole scene at the end that juxtaposed Jim and Pam getting married on the Maid of the Mist with everyone else's ridiculous dancing was just perfect. I totally see tourism to Niagra Falls going way up. We won't see Jim and Pam on "The Office" (Thursday, NBC, 9 p.m.) this week and executive producer Paul Lieberstein (Toby) told critics over the summer that with Jim and Pam off on their honeymoon, "the coalition of reason" is gone from the Scranton branch. Therefore, everyone becomes convinced that Michael is doing business with the mafia.

"30 Rock" is back for a fourth season Thursday at 9:30 p.m. on NBC. The gang is informed by Jack that they need to become more relatable to the American public. So that means Jenna is doing promos for NBC sports and Tracy takes to the streets to meet the common man. Meanwhile Kenneth organizes a strike but his demands are very Kenneth-like. The episode has some genuine laughs. I particularly appreciated the digs at NBC (which I was so in the mood for) and the rather snarky tag at the very end of the episode. But, overall, I didn't think the episode really worked. It felt clunky and awkward to me. On a scale of what I know "30 Rock" is capable of, I'm giving the premiere three and a half out of five stars. The show definitely mines its humor from being absolutely absurd but the outrageousness needs to be grounded in something and I think that's missing from the premiere. I definitely like next week's episode, featuring my not-so-secret TV boyfriend Will Arnett, much better. But I do worry about the direction the show is taking Jenna (Jane Krakowski). You know I've always felt like the Jenna character was the weak link of the show and she's more ridiculous that usual in the first two episode.

Enrique Murciano, who we can't see on "Without a Trace" anymore, guests on "CSI" (Thursday, CBS, 9 p.m.) as a detective.

Chandra Wilson's Dr. Bailey descends on "Private Practice" (Thursday ABC, 10 p.m.) to try to talk some sense into Oceanside Wellness. As much as I wasn't a fan of the Addison/Noah story line, I'm glad the show isn't completely dropping it and pretending like the whole thing never happened. We'll see more of the Noah/Addison fall out this week.

It's the season finale of "Psych" this Friday at 10 p.m. on USA, but don't worry the show will return with new episodes in January.

"Being Erica" has been picked up for a second season and will begin airing on SOAPnet on January 20, 2010. If you're like me, you might have missed some of the episodes of the first season. SOAPnet begins reairing the first season this Saturday at 5 p.m. and Sunday at 11 p.m.

I feel as though I must issue a formal apology to "Brothers & Sisters" (Sunday, ABC, 10 p.m.). Although I was prepared to totally despise the "Kitty has cancer" story line and I definitely could do without another Walker family dinner that dissolves into a screaming match, I must admit that the show is handling the story line quite well. It's been heart-wrenching and believable to see the family's reaction to Kitty's diagnosis. This week Gilles Marini (the object of Samantha's lust in the "Sex and the City" movie) guest stars as the sexy man Sarah met while she was on vacation in France.

That's all for today. I'm back on Friday with a review of the two-hour premiere of "Ugly Betty," why you should be watching "Dollhouse" (the show has been so good this season) and this week's familiar faces (Fred as very bad man) and quotes of the week. Have a question? Seen a familiar face? Want to nominate a quote of the week or a topic for conversation? Write me at mailto:amytvgal@zap2it.comor follow me on Twitter. Talk to you on Friday.

Ã£â‚¬â‚¬

'Drop Dead Diva' saves me from my cancellation blues

2009-10-09T20:47:14Z

Let me just warn everyone right now: I'm mighty cranky today. I'm talking the kind of cranky where no amount of dark chocolate peanut M&M's can comfort me.

Why?

Because NBC has cancelled "Southland" before the show even premiered. The show was scheduled to return to the schedule for a second season on Friday, October 23. Instead we'll be treated to more episodes of "Dateline." Apparently the show was deemed too dark for the 9 p.m. hour, an excuse I don't tend to believe at all since NBC airs "Law & Order: SVU," not exactly a particularly cheery show, in the 9 p.m. hour. What will become of the six episodes that have already been shot for the second season? One can only hope that a cable network picks up the show (seems perfect for FX, doesn't it?) To me this feels like the final straw with NBC. If it wasn't for "The Office" and "30 Rock," I think I'd be ready to let the whole network go. Why should we even listen to networks anymore? They pick up shows they never air. Renew shows that don't come back. Announce premiere dates that are continuously moved. Like I said, I'm so cranky.

Therefore, let's move on to happier topics. Like the season finale of "Drop Dead Diva," this Sunday at 10 p.m. on Lifetime. "Drop Dead Diva" was perhaps the most delightful show of the summer and the rare show that I thought got better with every episodes. Who knew such a wacky, completely improbably premise could be so enjoyable? I'm kind of loving everything about Brooke Elliot's performance as Jane (yes even her distinctive walk and the way she flips her hair). And I love how the Grayson/Jane relationship has evolved, particularly how we now understand what he saw in Deb and how in love Deb and Grayson were. The show also has done a great job of making Kim not simply a completely bitchy character and Stacy not your typical dumb blonde. Credit goes to the writers and the actors for ensuring that none of the characters devolved into one-note clichÃ©s.

The best thing about "Drop Dead Diva" is that it ends its first season with several cliffhangers looming especially Grayson and Jane's relationship which gets a quite a bit screen time. The big reveal to me seems a little forced and unnecessary but that's a small complaint about an otherwise completely enjoyable hour. Alas we won't see Fred (Ben Feldman) on Sunday but according to my friends at Lifetime, he'll be back in a big way in season two.

Before the season finale of "Diva," you can catch the third season finale of "Army Wives" at 9 p.m. on Lifetime. You know how I've been complaining that not enough happened on the show this season (Roxy doesn't like the dog! Pamela gets a new house!). Well it seems that the showrunners saved everything for the season finale because A LOT happens - both good and bad-- and nothing is really resolved at the end of the hour. The most believable plot developments happen between Pamela and Chase. I had to look up what happened in the second season finale because Michael being relocated to Europe just didn't pack that much of punch. I think this is a season finale fans will remember.

Are you excited for the season finales of "Drop Dead Diva" and "Army Wives?" Talk about it below.

The Vampire Diaries

So I have to confess I'm liking this show much more than I thought I would. I'm still giving the majority of the credit to Ian Somerhalder's deliciously evil Damon. A vampire show needs a good villain and Damon definitely is one. But I think it's Nina Dobrev's Elena who has really sold me on the show. She's got some spunk and one of my pet peeves with shows like this is when the damsel in distress is so clueless (see Lana Lang on "Smallville"). I like that Elena is already all "What the heck is up with your secrecy?" and starting to put together the clues. I think the show would be stronger if more people knew Stefan's secret -- a main character continually and improbably keeping a secret can get really old, really fast. I'm with all of you who think the drug storyline with Jeremy and Vicki is a little tired. I'm not quite sure the show needs this particular angle. But other than that I'm enjoying the mix of teen angst, romance, quip dialogue and horror. How about you?

Where Have I Seen Them Before?

Diane was the first to recognize the slew of familiar faces on "Castle" this week. Julian Sands played the fashion designer Teddy. Over the summer, Sands was Reg Hunt in "Bollywood Hero." Among his many TV roles, Sands was also Hector on "Lipstick Jungle" and Vladimir Bierko during the fifth season of "24." Diane remembers him most as George on "A Room with a View." Torrey DeVitto was the model. DeVitto was Karen on "Beautiful People" and played the psycho Nanny Carrie on "One Tree Hill."

Myra recognized James Frain as the schizophrenic patient who was in a car accident with his mother on "Grey's Anatomy." Frain is Thomas Cromwell on "The Tudors" and we recently saw him on "In Plain Sight" as the man who had assumed the identity of his college friend. He was also Audrey's husband Paul during the fourth season of "24." For some reason, I'll always remember Frain as Forney in the movie "Where the Heart Is." Adrienne Barbeau was his mother. She was Ruthie on "Carnivale" and, of course, Carol on "Maude."

Gordon recognized David Marciano as Wilson's neighbor on "House." Marciano was Detective Billings on "The Shield" and Ray on "Due South."

Katie wanted to make sure we all know that Marguerite MacIntyre, Nicole Trager on "Kyle XY," is the sheriff on "The Vampire Diaries." And Elizabeth wanted to make sure we know that we can catch Matt Dallas, Kyle XY himself, as Chad on "Eastwick."

Kristoffer Polaha was the man who hired Echo to be his wife on "Dollhouse." Polaha is also Carlton Hanson on "Mad Men" - remember he's married to Betty's friend Francine (Anne Dudek). He was also Tim on "Miss Guided" and Danny on "Valentine." We'll see him soon in the upcoming CW series "Life UneXpected."

Jessica Collins was the assistant district attorney prosecuting the case against Alicia's client on "The Good Wife." Collins was the miniature killer Natalie on "CSI" and Lizzie on "The Nine."

Max Greenfield was the real estate agent who accused Jonah of stealing a client's necklace on "Melrose Place." He also appears in the online campaign promoting the show. Greenfield was Nick on "Ugly Betty," Michael on "Greek," and Leo on "Veronica Mars."

Brooke Burns was the famous model accused of murdering her husband on "Drop Dead Diva." She's currently playing Michael Mancini's wife Vanessa on "Melrose Place." She was also Lisa on "Miss Guided" and Kathy on "Pepper Dennis."

Quotes of the Week

"The human mind is like Van Halen. If you just pull out one piece and keep replacing it, it just degenerates." Topher to Barry on "Dollhouse." Thanks to Barry for the quote.

"Oh my god. It's three years ago. Does that mean I'm still crazy?" House when Cameron and Chase walk in with Foreman on "House."

"I'm not going to be one of those pathetic girls whose world stops spinning because of some guy." Elena to her aunt on "The Vampire Diaries."

"You can't eat me. See, I'm not a Paris Hilton BFF. I've never even seen House of Wax." Dean to the Paris Hilton lookalike pagan god on "Supernatural." Thanks to Sandy who particularly liked this quote because Sam is played by Jared Padalecki who starred in "House of Wax."

Exchange of the Week

"What are you doing?" Oscar to Kevin on "The Office."

" I'm trying to decide if I have time to pee." Kevin's response.

"How long do you take to pee?" Oscar

"The peeing is fast Oscar. It's getting my tie back on." Kevin. Thanks to Josh for the exchange.

That's all for today. I'm back on Monday with a review of the return of "30 Rock" and a list of characters we need to see more of (how much do we miss Joan on "Mad Men") and those we see too much (I'm talking to you Ryan Walker). Also coming next week a review of the premiere of "Ugly Betty" (assuming ABC doesn't move the premiere again. I trust no one these days). Have a question? Seen a familiar face? Want to nominate a quote of the week or a topic for conversation? Write me at mailto:amytvgal@zap2it.com or follow me on Twitter. Have a great weekend. Talk to you on Monday.

Sherri Shepherd is funny, her show not so much

2009-10-05T20:21:57Z

I don't think my life would be good as a sitcom. Oh look how hilarious it is that she sits at her computer all day long. Isn't it funny how sometimes she doesn't shower until 3 o'clock because she's so busy writing? What about her addiction to seltzer water and dark chocolate? That's comedy gold!

But there actually wasn't anything that funny about Sherri Shepherd's life either. As anyone who watches "The View" knows, Shepherd's husband cheated on her and had a child with another woman. Shepherd divorced him and now she's turned the experience into the premise of her self-titled sitcom "Sherri," premiering Monday at 7 p.m. on Lifetime. (The series will air every night this week at 7 p.m. before moving to it's regular time slot next Tuesday at 10 p.m.).

She's taking that "when life gives you lemons" clichÃ© to a whole other level. The entire show has a "you go girl" vibe. Shepherd is an extremely likeable and relatable TV star. There's something about her that makes it seem like you could call her up and make plans to go shoe shopping together. She also has a way with delivering zingers that she perfected on show like "Suddenly Susan" and "Less Than Perfect" and that we still see on display on "30 Rock" where she occasionally appears as Tracy's wife.

The problem with "Sherri" is that the script doesn't live up to Shepherd's talents. She's surrounded by a great cast including Malcolm Jamal-Warner as her ex-husband and James Avery as her dad. I would totally recast Sherri's office mates who are trying way too hard and it's just not working. Right now Sherri is a four star comedic actress stuck in a two star series. But we know she's faced greater adversity than this so I'll keep tuning in to see how the show does.

After you watch "Sherri," let me know what you think.

Highlights of the Week Ahead

All times listed are Eastern Standard Time for October 5-11

We talked about this episode awhile ago. James Marsters guest stars on "Lie to Me" (Monday, FOX, 9 p.m.). Lightman's ex-wife Zoe (Jennifer Beals) asks Cal to help her defend a football player accused of statutory rape.

Does anyone else find it funny that it's Dixon whose trying to pretend to be an adult on "90210" (Tuesday, CW, 8 p.m.) when it's Teddy who looks like he's had at least 10 good years since he graduated from high school (That's actually an understatement. Trevor Donovan turns 31 next week.). I'm used to actors looking older than the teenagers they play but Donovan is definitely stretching any semblance of credibility the show has going. I'm also not that into the burgeoning Navid/Adrianna/Teddy love triangle the show has brewing. As we all know, every teen soap needs a good love triangle and "90210" has yet to come up with one. This week, Dixon's girlfriend catches on to Dixon and, most importantly, Ann Gillespie returns as Kelly and Silver's mom. Silver runs into when she attends an AA meeting with Adrianna and learns exactly what has been going on with her mom.

Skeet Ulrich played the good guy on "Jericho" but he begins his guest star stint as a serial killer on "CSI:NY" (Wednesday, CBS, 10 p.m.).

I thought the second episode of "FlashForward" (Thursday, ABC, 8 p.m.) definitely lived up to the promise of the pilot. I like that there are characters who question the show's premise and the episode ended on an extremely creepy note that left me wanting more. My husband thinks the show is moving too slow but I don't find that to be true. How about you?

To make Thursday nights even more stressful, there's a slew of guest stars popping up on Thursday night this week. Jasmine Guy is on "The Vampire Diaries" (Thursday, CW, 8 p.m.), Leonard Nimoy is back as William Bell on "Fringe" (Thursday, FOX, 9 p.m.) and in what should be a very fun cameo, Paris Hilton pops up as herself on "Supernatural" (Thursday, CW, 9 p.m.) when the brothers investigate a slew of murders being committed by famous people.

NBC takes "Community" out of its fairly cushy post-"The Office" time slot this week and moves the show to its new time slot of Thursday at 8 p.m. this week (next week "30 Rock" moves into the Thursday at 9:30 p.m. time slot). I'm not sure how well the show will do when it's the lead off for the night. I liked last week's episode the best of the three that have aired but I'm still not completely sold on the show. It's clear that "Community" is still trying to figure out the right tone - is it going to be totally over the top like "30 Rock" or a slightly more grounded comedy like say "Two and a Half Men." It's okay that it doesn't know yet - it's only been three episodes - but I still would like to be laughing more. This week, John Oliver returns as Professor Duncan and Jeff tries to stop gossiping about Britta and her new boyfriend.

Jim and Pam get married in a special one hour episode of "The Office" (Thursday, NBC, 9 p.m.). As you know, the happy couple was hoping no one from work would be able to attend since they are getting married in Niagara Falls but Michael gave everyone the day off so the whole gang will be there to see them say their "I do's." We'll also meet Jim and Pam's family. I'm so glad the show is continuing to advance the Jim and Pam story and that Jim is showing even more initiative this season. One of the things that's tricky about Jim's character is that in real life, he might have moved on to a different company by now so it's great to see him jockeying for a promotion. Last week also was another great moment where viewers could see that Michael sometimes actually does know what he's doing. Jim may think Michael has bad ideas and wastes way too much time but Michael's job is much more difficult that Jim thought it was.

Sure the story line may have been developed to set up the temporary departure of Katherine Heigel (she's shooting a movie) but I have to say that the merger story line on "Grey's Anatomy" seems to really be tempering the show's typical shenanigans. It's also allowed for Meredith and Derek to have quite a few angst-free weeks, which the show really needed - especially because Meredith will soon be missing from episodes (Ellen Pompeo is on maternity leave). This week (Thursday, ABC, 9 p.m.), Jeff Perry returns as Meredith and Lexie's dad.

So what did you think of the season premiere of "Private Practice" (Thursday, ABC, 10 p.m.)? I'm certainly glad the show did not kill off Violet or her baby and the fact that Cooper, in his mind, failed Violet twice (the first time when he was at her door and didn't go in her house and the second when he didn't answer his pages and get to the baby sooner) will definitely lead to some great stuff between Cooper and Violet, which as I've previously stated, is my favorite relationship on the show. This week Addison and Naomi try to rebuild their friendship. Raise your hand if you even remotely care about that.

If you're waiting for the fourth season premiere of "Ugly Betty," you have to wait one more week. Last Friday, ABC decided to delay the premiere of the show until next Friday, October 16. The upside is that means for one more week ABC will be repeating this week's episode of "FlashForward" Friday at 8 p.m. I really hope the network can find another time slot to repeat the show in - we need all the help we can get on Thursday night.

I'm liking quite a bit about this season of "Desperate Housewives" (Sunday, ABC, 9 p.m.). I'm warming to Drea de Matteo and Jeffrey Nordling as this season's mysterious neighbors - even if Nordling's New York accent leaves something to be desired. And I like that many of the secondary characters have been brought to the forefront, particularly the always amusing Richard Burgi as Susan's ex-husband Karl and Andrea Bowen as Julie. The only thing I can't abide is that they are making Katherine a crazy person. I was okay with her breakdown during the wedding but that was as far as I was willing to take it. I don't want her completely delusional. When Orson seems totally sane compared to her, we've got a problem. It doesn't seem like a story line worthy of the show or worthy of Dana Delaney's talents. This week Jesse Metcalfe returns as John, Gabby's one-time paramour.

That's all for today. I'm back on Friday with reviews of the season finales of "Army Wives" and "Drop Dead Diva" (how many times can they take Fred away from us?) I'll also have thoughts on "The Vampire Diaries," this week's familiar faces and quotes of the week and more. Have a question? Seen a familiar face? Want to nominate a quote of the week or a topic for discussion? Write me at mailto:amytvgal@zap2it.comor follow me on Twitter. Have a great week. Talk to you on Friday.

The vampire detective returns but in a show without any bite

2009-10-02T16:11:45Z

Alex O'Loughlin is one of those actors who we've been waiting to have back on TV on a regular basis.

Even those of us who didn't love "Moonlight" (sorry, even with Jason Dohring, I never could quite get into the show) liked O'Loughlin. The man oozes charm and sincerity - a nice combination for any lead character.

It's too bad that it's "Three Rivers," premiering Sunday at 9 p.m. on CBS, is the show that is bringing him back to TV. As you may have heard, the original pilot was completely scrapped and reshot. But unfortunately the changes just took the show from being a not great show about transplant surgeons to a generic, fairly boring medical series.

O'Loughlin stars as Dr. Andy Yablonski, the premiere transplant surgeon at Three Rivers Hospital. Katherine Moenning ("The L Word") co-stars as Dr. Miranda Foster and Alfre Woodard plays chief of surgery Dr. Sophia Jordon. Nothing about Sunday's episode stands out. Even with the transplant angle, the stories seem exceedingly generic, overly familiar and melodramatic which is odd because transplant surgery could obviously be a fascinating topic. It was so easy to see what's coming. The minute Andy tells a husband he has a heart for his pregnant wife, you know something is going to go wrong - you'll even be able to predict exactly what is going to go wrong long before it happens. Even for viewers like us, who have seen a lot of medical dramas in our time, things should not be that predictable.

The other weird thing about the show is while Dr. Yablonski is mired in a transplant crisis, Dr. Foster is in a run-of-the-mill medical story line. I think the show would have been much better off to keep the focus on transplant surgery.

Of course, I'll watch a few more episodes - there's no denying O'Loughlin has star power. Maybe he'll be able to work magic on "Three Rivers" or maybe it will get better now that it has the stress of having to completely remake the pilot behind them. After you watch "Three Rivers," let me know what you think. Three stars.

Question of the Week

You know how some people (me included) positively adore John Noble's performance on "Fringe" while others find him annoying and affected? I'm beginning to think that Ty Burrell is eliciting that same type of divisive response for his performance on "Modern Family." I've been a fan of Burrell's ever since the CBS comedy "Out of Practice." I watched him on "Back to You" and was thrilled when he popped up on "Damages." I've been waiting for him to have a hit series - and I think "Modern Family" is it. His performance as clueless dad Phil is spot on. I think he's hilarious. I giggle every time I think about him explaining that "WTF" means "why the face?"

I've heard from some of you who think Burrell's performance is far too reminiscent of Michael on "The Office." While both directly address the camera, to me that's where the similarities end. Michael is totally incompetent and simultaneously needy and full of himself. Phil is more well-meaning and clueless. I'm loving his performance on "Modern Family." How about you?

Where Have I Seen Them Before?

Lesley and Robin recognized that the young Grace on "Cold Case" was played by Ashley Johnson. Johnson was Sharlee Cates on "Dirt" and Mel Gibson's daughter in "What Women Want," but to many of us she'll always be little Chrissy Seaver on "Growing Pains." Lesley also caught Sharif Atkins, Gallant on "ER" and Gary on "The 4400," as the hostage taker on "CSI: Miami." Monique Gabriela Curen, Detective Beaumont on "The Unusuals" (a show that so deserved a second season), was the receptionist who was shot.

Sam Page was the abusive client who refused to pay Lauren on "Melrose Place." He's currently playing Joan's husband Dr. Greg Harris on "Mad Men." He was also Casey on "Shark" and Jesse on "Point Pleasant."

Lindsay Sloane was Ted's repeat blind date on "How I Met Your Mother." I'll always remember Sloane as Marcy on the late, great satire "Grosse Pointe." She was also Valerie on "Sabrina, the Teenage Witch."

Faith Prince was Jane's mom on "Drop Dead Diva." She was Claudia on "Spin City" and Kelly on "Huff." Like "Diva" star Brooke Elliot, Prince has also starred in several Broadway productions.

Michelle recognized Linden Ashby as the doctor who treated Sarah Elizabeth on "Army Wives." He was Coop on "Melrose Place."Ashby's real life wife, Susan Walters, Christine on "Melrose Place" and Meg on "Point Pleasant," was the army wife Pamela ran into who told her Chase had gone to the shooting range. Michelle also remembered her as the woman whose name rhymed with a female body part on "Seinfeld." Perhaps Ashby and Walters have a thing about working together - they both appeared in the pilot of "Drop Dead Diva" as the couple that was divorcing. Remember, Jane represented Vicky Wellner, played by Walters.

Where Have I Seen Someone Who Looks Like Her Before?

Candace recognized that Makenzie Vega plays Grace Florrick, Alica's daughter on "The Good Wife." She's the younger sister of Alexa Vega, who currently stars as Ruby on the ABC Family series "Ruby & the Rockits." Alexa was also Carmen in all the "Spy Kids" movie.

Where Have We Seen That Before?

Laura and Amy were the first to recognized that Cappie and Evan were working for the Party Down catering company - as in the Starz series "Party Down" -- on "Greek." They even had the pink bow ties!

Quotes of the Week

"I am all of them, but none of them is me." Echo to Ballard on "Dollhouse."

"The scary part is of the two women you could marry, that's the stable one." Julie to Mike about Susan on "Desperate Housewives."

"After you, Dr. House." Scanlon to Allison who is walking with a cane on "Medium." Thanks to Karen for the quote.

"I admit that things are different since Grissom left." Catherine in the understatement of the year on "CSI."

"Put your nose down and pay attention to your work because there's not one thing that you've done here that I couldn't live without." Don to Peggy on "Mad Men." Wasn't that just so devastating?

"I'm not as easy to ignore as you thought, am I? That's because I ooze charm." Sylar to Parkman on "Heroes." Thanks to Mark for the quote.

"That was before I discovered 'The Biggest Loser' marathon on cable. I like to pretend they can see me eating." House to Wilson on "House."

"Excuse me, Meryl Streep could be Batman and be the right choice." Cameron on "Modern Family" when someone at play group suggests that Meryl Streep wasn't the right choice for "Mamma Mia." Thanks to Ritchie for the quote.

"But we were done, Tom, we were across the finish line. No more diapers. No more strained carrots. No more reading stupid 'Good Night, Moon.' And with Preston going to Europe we even had one moving out! We will never be done if we birth two every time one moves out. That's just math!" Lynette to Tom on "Desperate Housewives." Thanks to Daphne for the quote.

Exchanges of the Week

"They were blown off for another mixer and so stayed in for mud masks and a TV series about old people having old people sex." Rebecca to Casey and Ashleigh on "Greek."

"They were watching 'Private Practice?'" Casey's response.

**********************

"What's so special about this Bella girl? Edward so whipped." Damon to Caroline on "The Vampire Diaries."

"You gotta read the first book first. It won't make sense if you don't." Caroline to Damon.

"I miss Ann Rice. She was so on it?" Damon's response. Thanks to Sandy for the exchange.

That's all for today. I'll be back on Monday with a review of the new Lifetime series "Sherri," thoughts on "The Office" (Jim and Pam are going to the chapel and they're gonna get married), "Grey's Anatomy, "The Vampire Diaries" (are we still liking the show?) and more. Also coming next week, a review of the fourth season premiere of "Ugly Betty." Have a question? Seen a familiar face? Want to nominate a quote of the week or a topic for discussion? Write me at amytvgal@zap2it.com or follow me on Twitter. Have a great weekend. Talk to you on Monday.

ã€€

My not so private thoughts about 'Private Practice'

2009-09-28T20:12:59Z

"Private Practice" had probably the most memorable season finale last year.

But not necessarily for the right reasons. In a dramatic shift in tone, Violet (Amy Brenneman) was kidnapped by her crazed patient (Amanda Foreman) who performed a violent, certainly not medically approved c-section so that she could take Violet's baby. The finale was gory, unsettling, disturbing and right out of some sort of horror movie.

I didn't really get it then and, after watching Thursday's season premiere (9 p.m. on ABC), I don't really get it now. It still seems like a story arc undertaken just to get viewers attention and to bring some hype to a show that is clearly struggling creatively, has never quite lived up to our expectations or the promise such a strong cast offers.

That being said - there are some good things to come out of the story line. I think what happens will have a profound affect on the Cooper (Paul Adelstein)/Violent friendship. And since the show began, I've thought Cooper was the best thing about the show. We also get some nice flashbacks that flesh out Pete's (Tim Daly) back story. (Although the wigs used to make everyone look younger are definitely questionable).

But mostly I'm hoping that "Private Practice" can put this story arc behind them and get somewhat back on track. The bigger question, of course, is why I'm still watching "Private Practice?" I'm not sure. All I can say is that it's somehow reached that level of good, bad TV in my TiVo season pass manager. Will you watch the season premiere of "Private Practice?" Talk about it below.

Highlights of the Week Ahead

All times listed are Eastern Standard Time for September 28- October 4

I very interested to see what happens on "House" tonight (Monday, FOX, 8 p.m.). After last week's season premiere, it seems to me that Dr. House has to change - he can't be the cranky, cantankerous doctor we've known for five seasons. His time in the hospital has to, at least, somewhat transform him. It wouldn't be believable if he immediately regressed back to his former self. My only question is - will we want to see a kinder, gentler House? I'm not so sure. Andre Braugher is back this week (hooray!) as Dr. Darryl Nolan while the team treats a video game creator.

"Lie to Me" returns for a second season Monday at 9 p.m. on FOX. Mekhi Phifer joins the cast full time as FBI Agent Ben Reynolds and you'll also see Jennifer Beals again as Cal Lightman's ex-wife. Erika Christensen guest stars as a woman who thinks she's seen a murder. I still find the show a little too gimmicky (We get it. People make similar gestures when they aren't telling the truth.) and am worried that the only truly interesting character is Tim Roth's Lightman. I'll be curious to hear what you think of the premiere.

So you know it's the new season and I'm trying to remain positive. Therefore, let me start off by saying something nice about "Trauma," the new drama premiering Monday night at 9 p.m. on NBC. It has one heck of an opening scene. The promos may have already given too much away, but when I watched it for the first time, I found it exciting and shocking. Unfortunately after that opening scene, the series about paramedics turns into just another ho-hum, cliche -ridden medical drama, which was very disappointing. Part of the problem is that none of the characters truly pop although the show is chockfull of some promising actors including Anastasia Griffith (Katie Connor on "Damages"), Kevin Rankin (Herc on "Friday Night Lights"), and Derek Luke ("Antwone Fisher" and Boobie Miles in the "Friday Night Lights" movie). Most importantly the show is executive produced by Peter Berg, the man behind the genius that is "Friday Night Lights." I've reminded myself that I didn't love "Friday Night Lights" at first either (can you believe it?). So I'm holding out hope that the show improves. For now, two and a half out of five stars.

News broke last week that Heather Locklear will reprise her role of Amanda Woodward on "Melrose Place" beginning November 17. I'm so excited for that - as we all know - the original "Melrose" became "Melrose" once Heather hit the scene. This week (Tuesday at 9 p.m. on the CW), Jane (Josie Bissett) returns to announce that she has inherited the apartment complex from her sister. I'm holding out hope that Sydney faked this death too -- the show would be much stronger if she was still among the living. This week, the CW also begins rerunning "Melrose Place" Wednesday at 9 p.m. It replaces "The Beautiful Life: TBL," which was cancelled after only two episodes. It's times like these that I'm reminded what a cruel business television can be. Suddenly all these actors, producers, writers, and crew, who thought they had a job, are unceremoniously out of work. It's too bad the show didn't get more of a chance.

It occurred to me over the weekend that if "Samantha Who?" had aired as part of ABC's new Wednesday night two-hour comedy block, we might be watching a third season right now. That show just never got the time slot or the promotion it deserved. Okay moving on . . . two other new comedies join the ABC line up this Wednesday. Kelsey Grammer stars as the title character in "Hank," premiering Wednesday at 8 p.m. on ABC. In the pilot, Hank, his wife Tilly (Melinda McGraw, remember she had an affair with Don Draper last season), and their two children move from Manhattan to Tilly's hometown of River Bend, Virginia. The pilot was completely re-shot and the revised pilot is much improved - there were a few moments where I genuinely laughed out loud (especially at McGraw's spot-on delivery). But I didn't laugh enough and Grammer really is playing a version of a character we already know all too well. Three stars.

Grammer's former "Back to You" co-star Patricia Heaton headlines "The Middle." Heaton is Frankie, a beleaguered mom of three trying to balance work, parenting and getting older. Neil Flynn (the Janitor on "Scrubs") moves into a starring role as Frankie's husband Mike. Most of the pilot's laughs come from the children particularly Atticus Shaffer as Brick, who simply cracked me up. I liked this show but it's one of those shows where I'm not sure I'll feel compelled to watch it every week. Three and a half stars.

So I have to know was it distracting to you to see Seth MacFarlane, the man behind "The Family Guy" and "The Cleveland Show," on "FlashForward" (Thursday, ABC, 8 p.m.). He was one of the guys at the FBI trying to come up with a theory about what was going on. I found it slightly distracting to see the voice of Stewie but I figured many people aren't aware of what MacFarlane looks like. So did you find it distracting? Word is MacFarlane will appear in several episodes this season. This week Olivia (Sonya Walger) meets the man she saw in her vision. By the way, if, like me, you can't take the stress of Thursday night TV, ABC will repeat this week's episode of "FlashForward" Friday at 8 p.m. Don't count on this though - next week "Ugly Betty" returns for a fourth season Friday at 8 p.m.

Were you as disappointed in the second episode of "Community" as I was? I wanted the show to get better but last week was beyond goofy - like the show was trying to convince us that it could be funny when it so clearly wasn't funny. This week John Michael Higgins guest stars as professor at 9:30 p.m. on NBC.

You know how sometimes I have to remind myself that I'm only watching a TV show and the characters aren't real? That's EXACTLY how I felt when we found out Sara and Grissom are married on "CSI" (Thursday, CBS, 9 p.m.). I was so happy that those two crazy kids had finally found a way to make it work. Such good times. But other than that the episode still felt a little off to me. I'm still not sure the show has found the right balance in the post-Grissom world. This week, the team investigates the murder of a porn producer and a drug dealer.

Well it's around this time that I come up with my "Project Runway" nemesis. I can't stand Nicolas. All he does is talk about the other contestants and criticize their designs. I couldn't believe he won last week. Even though this season of "Project Runway" (Thursday, Lifetime, 10 p.m.) is totally lackluster, I can't seem to stop watching. Although one interesting thing is Tim Gunn's new attitude. I can't remember him ever bad mouthing a contestant to other contestants like he did with Johnny. Yes it certainly appeared that Johnny lied about what happened to his original design but it was still bizarre to see Tim Gunn stoop to that level. I also think Lifetime made a huge mistake not debuting the show over the summer - now that the new season has started there's just too much to watch - especially on Thursday night. Are you still watching "Project Runway?" Talk about it below.

Don't forget that the "Seinfeld" reunion begins on "Curb Your Enthusiasm" this Sunday at 9 p.m. on HBO.

Why do the Walkers torture me so? I'm beginning to hate, hate, hate an illness story line. I kind of think they are becoming the drama equivalent of when a sitcom suddenly adds a younger child when the original kids are getting too old. Disease is becoming the go-to move when show run out of ideas. While I think this is much better than discovering another long lost Walker and I acknowledge that family dramas are probably the most challenging in terms of ongoing story lines, I still don't want Kitty to be sick. This week Kitty struggles with telling Robert the truth about her health on "Brothers & Sisters" (Sunday, ABC, 10 p.m.).

That's all for today. I'm back on Friday with a review of the new CBS drama "Three Rivers," plus this week's familiar faces and quotes of the week. Have a question? Seen a familiar face? Want to nominate a quote of the week? Write me at mailto:amytvgal@zap2it.com or follow me on Twitter. Have a great week. Talk to you on Friday.

'Medium' finally gets the respect it deserves

2009-09-25T19:13:24Z

After years of being the Cinderella of the peacock network, "Medium" finally gets to go to the ball on CBS.

I can't even tell you how happy it makes me every time I see a commercial promoting the season premiere of "Medium" (tonight at 9 p.m. on CBS). I'm fairly convinced that CBS has promoted the show more over the past few months that NBC did during its entire five year run on the peacock network. (Everyone together now, booo NBC. BOOOOO!)

There are so many good things about "Medium" making a move to CBS. The show is premiering in the fall, even during the official fall premiere week. It's getting a compatible lead in with "Ghost Whisperer." And it has a 22-episode order for the season. But the best part is that we, as viewers, weren't left hanging with Allison in a coma and the words "to be continued" on the screen.

I'm a fan of the series. I like the actors. I like that Patricia Arquette's Allison Dubois dresses and looks like a real person. I think the show has one of the most realistic, loving portrayals of long and lasting marriage and some of the best child actors in prime time (I absolutely adore Maria Lark as Bridget). All that plus a pretty decent mystery of the week. A few years ago, I referred to "Medium" as the best comfort food on TV and I still think that's true. I don't think I'm ruining anything by telling you that Allison does come out of her coma (there wouldn't be a show without her, would there?) but that's all I say about tonight's episode, except that I really enjoyed it.

I'm hoping all of you have the ability to handle two shows in the same time slot tonight because I'm also hoping you will check out the second season premiere of "Dollhouse" at 9 p.m. on FOX. As you know, I really rooted for this show last season. I thought it had a ton of potential, improved with each passing episode and ended on a fairly exciting cliffhanger. All that goodness continues in the premiere. Smartly, the series has moved Agent Paul Ballard (Tahmoh Penikett) into the Dollhouse and given him a fairly plausible reason for switching sides (I just decided to go with it). Whiskey/Dr. Saunders (the always wonderful Amy Acker) is struggling with her recent revelation that she to is an active. And guest stars include Alexis Denisof as a wealthy senator (he just appears briefly in the premiere, but we'll see more of him as the season progresses) and Jamie Bamber as part of Echo's latest mission. The most exciting change is the changes that are happening to Echo herself, which I won't ruin here if somehow you managed to avoid them.

I haven't been this excited about Friday night TV in a long time. Will you be watching "Medium" and "Dollhouse" tonight? Are you excited for their premieres ? Talk about it below.

"Desperate Housewives"

The ladies of Wisteria Lane return for a fifth season Sunday night at 9 p.m. on ABC. You'll quickly find out just who Mike married (I approved of his choice) and the episode is off and running with the introduction of Drea de Matteo as new neighbor Angie Bolen. Angie moves to the cul-de-sac with her husband Nick (Jeffrey Nordling, the dear, departed Larry last season on "24") and her mysterious son Danny (Beau Mirchoff). Matteo is basically playing a version of Adrianna on "The Sopranos," a tough Italian woman who says what she thinks without a lot of filter. I haven't seen enough of her character to know if I'm going to like that or find it distracting. Over all I found the episode entertaining. I'm happy Susan's daughter, Julie (Andrea Bowen), is back full-time on the cast. Her mere presence makes Susan a more grounded realistic character. The series seems to have Gabrielle back on track (although we all know how quickly that can change) but I'm definitely worried that they are making Lynette increasingly dislikable (I think her feelings are realistic but how they are playing out may off put viewers).

I'll be curious to know what you think about the season premiere of "Desperate Housewives."

"Mad Men"

If you've missed an episode of the third season of "Mad Men," AMC is rerunning all the episodes beginning Sunday at 10 a.m. I thought last Sunday's episode was the best of the season. I think the whole Joan storyline is quickly reaching its boiling point. It's been fascinating to see a woman who is so confident in so many aspects of her life struggle so personally. We always knew he was a disaster of a husband and now it seems Joan knows it too.

Where Have I Seen Them Before

Jamie Thomas King was Guy MacKendrick, the man who lost his foot, on "Mad Men." King was Thomas Wyatt on "The Tudors."

Barbara Barrie and Lois Smith were the two women who told Roxy and Pamela their story on "Army Wives." Among their many, many credits, Barrie was Susan's grandmother on "Suddenly Susan" and Smith was Adele Stackhouse on "True Blood."

We all recognized Wentworth Miller, Michael on "Prison Break," as the physically aggressive cop on "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit," but did you catch Mahershalalhashbaz Ali, Richard Tyler on "The 4400," as Mark Foster.

Brooke Burns is Michael Mancini's wife on "Melrose Place." Burns Lisa on "Miss Guided," Kathy on "Pepper Dennis," and Nicole on "North Shore."

Derek Richardson, Patrick on "Men in Trees," was Freedom Master, the patient who jumps out of the parking lot on "House." Alex Desert, Jake on "Becker," was Jay-Bird.

Brad Leland, Buddy Garrity on "Friday Night Lights," was the detective in the flashback on the season premiere of "CSI: Miami." Jason George, Keith on "Eli Stone" and Jimmy on "What About Brian," was the husband of the murdered woman. Brad William Henke, Owen on "October Road" and Bram on "Lost," was the gardener who had committed the murder.

Mike O'Malley was Kurt's dad on "Glee." We saw O'Malley last season as Raymond on "My Own Worst Enemy" and as Stuart on "My Name is Earl." He was also Jimmy on "Yes, Dear."

Ryan recognized Clare Carey as Helen McGuire, the mother of the kidnapped girl on "NCIS: Los Angeles." Carey was Christine on "Crash," Mary on "Jericho," and she'll always be Kelly on "Coach" to me.

Kirsten recognized Mary Beth Peil, Grams on "Dawson's Creek," is Jackie, Alica's mother-in-law on "The Good Wife."

Kathie recognized David Denman as the lawyer who asked Jane out on "Drop Dead Diva." Denman was Roy on "The Office," Skip on "Angel," and we just saw him this summer as the man who hallucinated he had a son on "In Plain Sight."

We all caught Ray Park and Robert Knepper on "Heroes," but Judy also caught Scott Lowell, Ted on "Queer as Folk," as the professor at Claire's college.

Where Have I Seen That Before?

David reminded me of something I totally forgot to tell you in Monday's column. If the town of Eastwick looks familiar on "Eastwick" it's because it's the same Warner Bros. back lot that was Stars Hollow on "Gilmore Girls" including the Eastwick Diner which used to be Luke's Diner

Quotes of the Week

"All I can say is I am glad that there were no camera phone things when I was here." Kelly to Harry about high school on "90210."

"There are two things I know for certain. One, Bert and Ernie are gay. Two, you are not gonna die a virgin ." Dean to Cas, when they thought it might be Castiel's last night on earth on "Supernatural." Thanks to Sandy for the quote.

"Jim is like Big Bird. He is tall and yellow and very nice. But would I put him in charge? No, I don't think so. Big Bird doesn't make the tough decisions." Michael to David Wallace on "The Office."

"You want me to put on some music? Whenever they do this sort of thing on 'CSI,' they always do it to music in poorly lit rooms." Rick Castle on "Castle." Thanks to Ritchie for the quote.

"Besides, it's not that impressive, I solve a case every week...and usually one around Christmas." Shawn on "Psych." Thanks to Sean for the quote.

Exchanges of the Week

"I'm gay." Kurt to his father on "Glee."

"I know. I've known since you were three. All you wanted for your birthday was a pair of sensible heels. It makes no difference. I love you just the same." Kurt's father. Thanks to Wendy for the exchange.

****************

"He might lose his foot." Kinsey about Guy on "Mad Men."

"Right when he got it in the door." Roger Sterling's response. Thanks to Danni for the exchange.

****************

"They remade Fame, The Christmas Carol. Has Hollywood totally run out of ideas? Martha to Castle on "Castle."

"Well, they just optioned Asteroids, the video game, so my guess is yes. But Ryan Reynolds is playing the wee triangle, and he's good." Castle's response. Thanks to Joanna for the quote.

That's all for today. I'm back on Monday to talk about the series premiere of "Trauma," "Hank," and "The Middle." I'll also have a review of the season premiere of "Private Practice," which returns for a third season after a gory, gory season finale. I'll also have a review of the new series "Three Rivers" and more. Have a question? Seen a familiar face? Want to nominate a quote of the week? Write me at amytvgal@zap2it.com or follow me on Twitter. Have a great weekend. Talk to you on Monday.

Are you ready for Fall Premiere Week?

2009-09-21T20:34:24Z

Okay people, here it is. Fall premiere week. Are you ready? I think the key to making it through all the TV happening this week is to stay hydrated, don't make any evening plans (this is so not the week to be social), and get rest when you can. Remember it's a marathon, not a sprint. Let's get started.

My picks for the three best new shows of the season premiere this week:

"The Good Wife" (premiering Tuesday at 10 p.m. on CBS): My favorite thing about this show is that gives viewers insight into the story we've always wanted to know. Over the years we've had many stories of politicians who have had affairs and watched their inevitable apologetic press conference and wondered "How can his wife even stand up there with him?" Julianna Margulies is perfectly cast as Alicia Florrik, a woman whose husband Peter (Chris Noth) has not only cheated on her but is also in jail due to his political scandal. Now Alicia must return to work as a lawyer. Margulies makes the viewer feel sympathy for her but never sorry for her. She comes across as a strong woman -- who is now trying to do right by her children and herself. It helps that Margulies is surrounded by a top-notch cast. There's no one better to play a cad who is ashamed of himself than Noth. No one does bitchy colleague like Christine Baranski and Matt Czuchry (Logan on "Gilmore Girls") is pitch-perfect as the young whippersnapper after Alicia's job. But I'm most excited about Josh Charles, who I've missed as a weekly network TV presence since "Sports Night" went off the air. "The Good Wife" is a solid drama with the right mix of weekly legal cases and overall story line. Four stars.

"FlashForward" (Thursday, ABC, 8 p.m.): This series definitely has the most intriguing premise of the season. Everyone in the world simultaneously blacks out for two minutes, 17 seconds and gets a glimpse of themselves six months in the future. Some people see good things. Some people see bad things. And some people don't see anything at all (which means they might not be with us in six months). Joseph Fiennes stars as FBI agent Mark Benford. He's married to Dr. Olivia Benford (Sonya Walger, Penny on "Lost"). The pilot is thrilling with big action sequences, bizarre occurrences (keep an eye out for the kangaroo) and lots of heavy drama. The series poses the question - can we control our own destiny or, if we see our future, are we doomed to create a self-fulfilling prophecy? Can the show live up to our expectations? I have no idea. All the right ingredients are there but it's also a show that could quickly go off the rails and get lost (so to speak) in its own mythology. But it's a heck of the pilot and I'm looking forward to seeing what the show does next. Four stars.

"Modern Family" (Wednesday, ABC, 9 p.m.): There's a moment in the pilot that is so funny that right now I'm laughing just thinking about it. And that's the number one best thing about "Modern Family" - it's a new comedy that is actually laugh-out-loud funny. It's nothing like "Arrested Development" but I had that same feeling watching the pilot of "Modern Family" that I did when I watch the pilot of "Arrested Development" - the sense that I had, with absolutely no expectations going in, happened upon a truly funny, original show. Ed O'Neill stars as Jay, a man who is married to a much younger woman (SofÃa Vergara,who is due for a hit comedy after "Knights of Prosperity" and "Hot Properties"). Claire (Julie Bowen) and Phil (Ty Burrell) have three children and Mitchell (Jesse Tyler Ferguson, finally in a comedy worthy of his talent) and his partner Cameron (Eric Stonestreet) have just adopted a daughter. I already fear that I have oversold the show and it won't live up to they my own hype so I won't say much more. But promise to at least give the show a try this Wednesday. We need to support the good comedies when they come along. Four and a half stars

Are you excited for "The Good Wife," "FlashForward," or "Modern Family?" Talk about it below.

Highlights of the Week Ahead

All times listed are Eastern Standard Time for September 21-27

Of all the shows, I miss the characters of "How I Met Your Mother" (Monday, CBS, 8 p.m.) the most over the summer. When I watched the premiere, I was just so happy to see them. The premiere gives us both an update on where Barney and Robin's romance stands and how close Ted is to finding the mother of his children. The episode is funny and also proves that the show is going to be able to successfully navigate putting Robin and Barney together as a couple, much the same way "Friends" pulled off the Monica and Chandler coupling all those years ago. As a total side note, after last night's Emmy Awards, how much do we love Neil Patrick Harris?

With so much good TV happening this week, it seems silly to spend any time on "Accidentally on Purpose," premiering Monday at 8:30 p.m. on CBS. Maybe it's not the worst new show but it is my most loathed new show of the fall. I should confess that I'm not a fan of Jenna Elfman's particular brand of humor - her cute, cloying, ditzy delivery has never been my favorite. But this show actually makes her more annoying that usual. In the pilot, Billie (Elfman) has a one night stand with the much younger Zack (Jon Foster, who so deserves a better show) and ends up pregnant. One out of five star. (I was going to give it zero stars but I'm trying not to be too negative as we kick off the new season).

I actually thought the season finale of "Heroes" showed promise but I'm kind of dreading having to sit through the two-hour fourth season premiere Monday at 8 p.m. on NBC. (Cue the whiny voice, "Mom do I have to watch "Heroes?") The series has become a little bit like the TV show that cried wolf. How many times can they tell us that they are new and improved and have learned from past mistakes? I'm intrigued that Robert Knepper (T-Bag on "Prison Break") is joining the cast but I still can't muster up that much enthusiasm for tonight's premiere, how about you?

I talked about the two-hour season premiere of "House" (Monday, FOX, 8 p.m.) in Friday's column but definitely let me know what you think after you watch. My guess is that some of you will love it and some of you will hate it. There's one particular plot point that, while I think served its purpose, pushed the boundaries of logic. We'll talk more about "House" once everyone has seen the premiere.

LL Cool J and Chris O'Donnell star in the "NCIS" spin-off "NCIS: Los Angeles," premiering Tuesday at 9 p.m. on CBS. While I like both the leads, the premiere is a little too gimmicky, convoluted and predictable. Three stars.

Christian Slater stars in the new series "The Forgotten," premiering at 10 p.m. on ABC. His Alex Donovan heads up a ragtag team of novice investigators who identify long "forgotten" victims and solve their murders. If that sounds a little like "Cold Case" meets "CSI," it may be because this series is also from mega-producer Jerry Bruckheimer. The show was mildly entertaining and I think Slater could make a compelling TV lead (I was definitely a fan of last season's "My Own Worst Enemy") but the whole series feels a little too familiar. Two and a half stars.

Courteney Cox stars as Jules, a 40-year-old woman navigating the dating world post-divorce in the ABC comedy "Cougar Town," premiering Wednesday at 9:30 p.m. on ABC. First of all, don't be put off by the title. It's totally tongue-in-cheek a la "Desperate Housewives." We know from "Friends" that Cox can pull off being slightly shrill and still be likeable. Dan Byrd (who we all loved in "Aliens in America") is great as Jules's teenage son. I'm most worried about Christa Miller, who plays Jules's best friend Ellie. She seems to be playing the same character she played on "Scrubs," which was fine in small doses but I don't think will work as a series regular. But all in all, I think the show has lots of potential and it did make me laugh, which is more than you can say about many of the new comedies this fall. Three and a half stars.

"Mercy" (Wednesday, NBC, 8 p.m.) is another show I just can't get behind. Newcomer Taylor Schilling stars as Veronica Callahan, a nurse who has just returned from a tour of duty in Iraq. Schilling is actually really good and if she were on another series, I think she might have become this season's breakout star. But the script is so trite starting with James Tupper as the doctor Veronica had a fling with in Iraq and who has now followed her home. I think the show is trying to make him McDreamyesque but in the pilot, at least, it doesn't work. And as I said a few weeks back, if you want to make your show different from all the other dramas then don't have them do the same thing characters do on a very popular show. Namely, don't have your two leads make out in a supply room closet. And you know I'm a fan of Michelle Trachtenberg (who also pops up on "Gossip Girl" this week) but the role of an ingenue nurse is so not for her. Perhaps I'm spoiled by Merritt Wever as Zoey on "Nurse Jackie," but I didn't take to Michelle Trachtenberg's character. At all. Two and a half stars.

There's lots going on in this week's episode of "Glee" (Wednesday, FOX, 9 p.m.) and I'm not a fan of all of it but I do love Kurt's story line. The final scene is particularly poignant.

I don't want to spend too much time on "Eastwick" (premiering Wednesday at 10 p.m. on ABC) except to say that it's woefully miscast (especially Paul Gross as Darryl Van Horne) and the pilot is so boring. Lindsay Price, Rebecca Romijin and Sara Rue all deserve a more entertaining project. Two stars.

I know I may be in the minority, but I'm very happy that Jorja Fox is returning to "CSI" this Thursday at 9 p.m. on CBS.

I've received complaints from several of you that Charlie becoming Faux Charlie on "Fringe" (Thursday, FOX, 9 p.m.) is too similar to Francie becoming Faux Francie on "Alias." But this didn't bother me at all. An imposter posing as a familiar face is a science fiction staple and one that I think will add some extra oomph to "Fringe." I'm confident the storylines will play out in very different ways. What do you guys think?

That's all for today. I'm back on Friday to discuss the season premieres of "Dollhouse," "Medium," and "Brothers & Sisters" and talk about what's happening on "Mad Men." Have a question? Seen a familiar face? Want to nominate a quote of the week or a topic for discussion? Write me at amytvgal@zap2it.com or follow me on Twitter. Have a great week. Talk to you on Friday.

ã€€

My willing suspension of disbelief is gone with 'Grey's Anatomy' . . . seriously

2009-09-18T19:18:56Z

Because of my job, I've been lucky enough to visit the sets of television shows and talk to many of the actors who play my favorite characters. And it's never, ever affected my willing suspension of disbelief.

I've been able to sit at a booth at MacLaren's on the "How I Met Your Mother" set and still watch the show and totally believe this group of five friends are living in New York. I've been to the Walker home, yet I still think the family on "Brothers & Sisters" is busy running Ojai Foods in California (when they aren't fighting, of course). I've walked through the lab on "Bones," but can still watch Booth and Brennan solve crimes without thinking "That's not really a lab."

But something happened to me when I watched the season premiere of "Grey's Anatomy" (next Thursday on ABC beginning at 9 p.m.). I couldn't shake the behind-the-scenes drama that dominated the show last season. I felt almost no emotion as all the doctors attended George's funeral (I don't think I'm spoiling anything here since pictures of this scene have been everywhere). All I could think was, 'Well T.R. Knight wanted out and now he's not on the show.' I've honestly never had this happen to me before - where I am unableto watch what's on the screen and take it for what it is.

I don't know if it's because "Grey's Anatomy" already did so much damage last season with the never-ending Dead Denny storyline that I was already detached from the show or if it's because over the years we've heard so much about how what goes on backstage at "Grey's Anatomy" that it has now had some sort of cumulative effect.

As I said on Monday, this is the time to wipe the TV slate clear and face the fall with an open mind, but I'm not sure the show can win me back. ABC only released the first hour of the two hour premiere for review so who knows maybe all the magic happens in hour two. Are you excited for the season premiere of "Grey's Anatomy?" Have off-screen happenings ever affected you when you watch a TV show? Talk about it below.

"House"

"House" also returns next week with a two-hour season premiere Monday at 8 p.m. on FOX. As you may recall, when we last left Dr. House, he had checked into a mental institution because he was suffering from grand delusions (most notably that he had slept with Cuddy). The premiere is a very different episode. Except for Wilson who makes a brief cameo appearance, none of the series regulars appear. It's all House, all the time. Andre Braugher (one of my all time favorite actors) guest stars as Dr. Darryl Nolan, the man in charge of Mayfield Psychiatric Hospital and in charge of trying to help House. As you can imagine House doesn't take well to being committed and at the beginning tries to stage a "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest" type coup. It's highly entertaining to watch a familiar TV character interact with a whole new set of supporting characters. The episode gives us new insight into House (it also screams, "Give Hugh Laurie an Emmy award!") and also House new insight into himself - especially when his typical antics have dire consequences. There are also several moments where we have never seen House so vunerable.

At the end of the two hours, I found myself thinking, "I wonder where the show can go from here?" And honestly I'm not sure, but I'm definitely along for the sixth season ride. Are you excited for the season premiere of "House?" Talk about it below.

Emmy Awards

I'm trying not to get too lured in about who will win and who will lose Sunday night and just enjoy the Emmys for being the award show spectacle it is. And it's quite possible that after Sunday night I might love Neil Patrick Harris even more. The show promises to celebrate the year in TV -not just the nominated shows - so that means we better see shout outs to shows like "Friday Night Lights." Will you be watching the Emmys? If so, follow me on Twitter Sunday night where I'll be talking about the show.

Where Have I Seen Them Before?

Dennis recognized Patrick Fabian as the father of the girl who had been taped in a "Girls Gone Wild" type video on "Drop Dead Diva." Fabian was Professor Hank Landry on "Veronica Mars" and Ted Price on "Big Love." Seamus Dever was the producer of the video. You'll see Dever as Detective Kevin Ryan on the season premiere of "Castle" on Monday. He was also Getti on "Army Wives." Steve Valentine was the designer who didn't want to make clothes in larger sizes on "Drop Dead Diva." Valentine was Dr. Nigel Townsend on "Crossing Jordan."

Dennis also caught Yeardley Smith as the nurse at the hospital on "Mad Men." She's the voice of Lisa Simpson on "The Simpsons" and for some reason I always remember that she was also Louise on the FOX series "Herman's Head."

Kristen recognized Debra Monk as Will's mom on "Glee." We'll see Monk next week as George's mom in the season premiere on "Grey's Anatomy." She's giving Sharon Lawrence some competition as the go-to TV mom. She also plays Ellen's mom on "Damages" and she'll always be Katie Sipowicz on "NYPD Blue" to me.

Kim and Jessica recognized Sarah Danielle Madison as Liam's mom on "90210." Madison was Matt's wife Sarah on "7th Heaven" and Heather on "Judging Amy."

Michelle recognized Jennifer Aspen as Terri's sister Kendra on "Glee." Aspen was Daphne on "Party of Five" and Trina on "Rodney."

Quotes of the Week

"Luanne, relax. You think I brought you here to Adriana you?" Jax to Luanne on "Sons of Anarchy." Thanks to Sandy and Michelle who were the first to submit this week's most popular quote. They especially liked the inside joke that Drea de Matteo, who played Adriana on "The Sopranos," plays Wendy on "Sons of Anarchy."

"I don't want to walk down the aisle and have people whispering, 'There goes the fancy whore.'" Pam on "The Office" about her wedding.

"How long have you known about the pregnancy? A week? A month? A year?" Michael to Pam and Jim on "The Office."

"It's nice to be the only judge." Paula Abdul on "Drop Dead Diva."

"Me and Annie, we're doing our own thing now. I'm done dealing with her crap." Dixon on "90210." Oh, Dixon, you are so lucky. If only we could all be done dealing with her crap.

"Do you think it's a bad sign that I can say that out loud and neither of us thinks I'm crazy?" Peter to Olivia on "Fringe" after he tells the theory that the people who are trying to kill her are shape shifters from an alternate universe.

"A cell phone, Cas, really? Since when do angels need to reach out and touch someone?" Dean to Castiel on "Supernatural." Thanks to Sandy for the quote.

"Last week my father said the world better watch out for me and I'm thinking why? Because of my ability to name every guy Carrie Bradshaw has slept with in season order?" Casey to Ashleigh on "Greek."

"Josh Groban loves a blousy alcoholic." Josh Groban to Will's mother on "Glee." Thanks to Kristen for the quote.

"I haven't even finished my breakfast and already that boy ain't right." Hank about his son Bobby on the series finale of "King of the Hill." Thanks to Barry for the quote.

Exchange of the Week

"I missed half a day." Don to Roger about coming into the office late on the day Betty had their third child on "Mad Men."

"Well Betty had the baby, not you." Roger's response.

**********************

"Friday is your birthday Peter. We need to celebrate. And make sure Agent Dunham can attend. I want to see her face when she eats my pudding." Walter to Peter on "Fringe."

" That's disturbing." Peter's response. Thanks to Ryan for the exchange.

**********************

"I'm starring in the elliptical version of 'Speed' and you're guilting me over money" Shawn to Gus on "Psych."

"Just for the record, it's more like 'Lethal Weapon 2, ' the one where Danny Glover found the bomb attached to his toilet." Gus to Shawn.

"Oh God, I would kill to be on a toilet right now" Shawn to Gus. Thanks to Jamie for the exchange.

That's all for today. I'll be back on Monday for the craziness that is the official fall premiere week. So I'll have reviews of the new series "The Good Wife," "FlashForward," "Cougar Town" and "Modern Family." And I'll also be talking about the season premieres of "How I Met Your Mother" and "Heroes." Also coming next week, a look at the season premieres of "Medium" and "Dollhouse" (it's been a long time since there was this much good Friday night TV). Have a question? Seen a familiar face? Want to nominate a quote of the week or a topic for discussion? Write me at mailto:amytvgal@zap2it.comor follow me on Twitter. Have a great weekend and get lots of rest so you will be ready for next week. Talk to you on Monday.