Monday Madness: Favorite Bear McCreary Show

Update: this poll is now closed. You can vote for this week’s poll here.

He’s composed music for some of TV’s top shows, and today’s his birthday! So for this first poll back after this site’s long hiatus, we’re going to celebrate the work of Bear McCreary!

I first noticed Bear’s stunning scores on the short-lived NBC series The Cape, and soon began paying special attention to who was scoring upcoming shows. I was excited to find out he’d been selected for Agents of SHIELD. His work encompasses everything from the groundbreaking Battlestar Galactica to the culture phenomenon The Walking Dead to the brand new Black Sails.

This poll will be open for one week, and you can choose up to 3 of your favorite Bear McCreary-composed shows. Be sure to spread the word!

Want more of a say in what makes it onto the poll each week? Be sure to follow me on Twitter, since I usually ask for nominations for the next Monday Madness the weekend before the new poll. Also, feel free to suggest your own poll ideas!

Without further ado, here’s the poll for this week’s Monday Madness! Voting ends around midnight next Sunday night.

What is your favorite TV show for which Bear McCreary has composed music? (Choose up to 3!)

  • Battlestar Galactica (35%, 43 Votes)
  • The Walking Dead (11%, 14 Votes)
  • Black Sails (9%, 11 Votes)
  • Da Vinci's Demons (7%, 9 Votes)
  • Eureka (7%, 9 Votes)
  • Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (7%, 9 Votes)
  • Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles (6%, 7 Votes)
  • Defiance (5%, 6 Votes)
  • Caprica (5%, 6 Votes)
  • Human Target (2%, 3 Votes)
  • The Cape (2%, 3 Votes)
  • Trauma (2%, 2 Votes)
  • Holliston (0%, 0 Votes)
  • Shelf Life (0%, 0 Votes)
  • Daybreak (0%, 0 Votes)

Total Voters: 63

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Doctor Who – Thoughts on Its 49th Anniversary

I just finished watching “The Girl in the Fireplace” and felt an overwhelming urge to write some thoughts on Doctor Who. Turns out, today is the 49th anniversary of the very first episode airing, so my timing is perfect! (Spoilers through that episode – S2E4 – below!)

I’ll admit that this show has taken a while to hook me, and that’s even after starting with the more modern series. I’d watch an episode, be unimpressed, and then wait months to try another. I finally decided to try a bit harder to get through season one in a timely manner (since I’d heard things got better in season two) around episode six, “Dalek.” That was a decent episode, and even though the Dalek didn’t inspire as much fear on my part as its powers seemed to warrant, it was a vast improvement on the cartoonish villains of early episodes. “The Long Game” had good moments and bad, but the preview for the next episode made me delay getting back to the show (I started Pushing Daisies, did a three-week marathon through The Vampire Diaries, and dealt with the onslaught of new and returning fall shows instead).

The preview was misleading, however – when I finally got around to it, “Father’s Day” became my favorite episode thus far on the show (I’m a sucker for messing-with-personal-history time travel) – until the double whammy of “The Empty Child” and “The Doctor Dances” trumped it. I’d say those were the episodes that hooked me on the show. I think it was a combination of the charismatic Jack Harkness, added humor, the WWII setting (which I adore), and especially the Doctor’s joy when he realized everyone would live. It could have been a cheesy moment, but in that moment, I got it. The countless death the Doctor wades through, trying to save the world. Losing fellow comrades-in-arms, friends, his entire race – gaining victories at terrible costs. And finally one day, when all hope is lost, there is a solution that cures EVERYONE. As awesome as heartbreaking moments of this show are, it was that moment of joy that won me over.

“Boom Town” was a bit of a let-down after that, especially since it signaled the return of one of my least favorite villains. But “Bad Wolf” and “The Parting of the Ways” were great. I knew that Rose “was” Bad Wolf going into the episode, and that the Doctor would regenerate at the end, so that was a bit spoiled for me (plus knowing that Rose wasn’t really dead). The rifts on reality and game shows were fun, even if the only one I’d seen was The Weakest Link. The Daleks still weren’t that scary – maybe if I’d seen them in the classic show?

“The Christmas Invasion” was an interesting return to the modern-day story, this time with a new Doctor in tow. I’m pretty surprised how much Jackie and Mickey have been a part of the show going forward from the first episode of the new series. I’d honestly expected not to see them again after “Rose,” except maybe for a brief cameo when she stopped being a companion (any other sci-fi fans also think of Inara from Firefly whenever that word is used?), but I’m glad they’ve stuck around. More people tend to form a Buffy-like Scooby gang instead of being “two good ol’ boys, behind the wheel, chasing down bad guys” a la Supernatural (bonus points if you knew that quote was from Leverage). This episode also had an interesting parallel to The Avengers – the whole “we know there are aliens out there now, so we have to create weapons using alien technology to protect ourselves” thing. A disappointing turn for Harriet Jones’ character, though.

“New Earth” and “Tooth and Claw” were okay episodes, but definitely not among my favorites. It’s cool how they parallel episodes 2 and 3 of the first season – “New Earth” taking place not long after “The End of the World” and including a common villain and mysterious friend, while “Tooth and Claw” matches “The Unquiet Dead” with famous 19th-century characters and seemingly common supernatural character which were really a form of alien. So now that we’ve had ghosts, zombies, and werewolves, where are the vampires?

“School Reunion” featured Anthony Stewart Head at a school, but sadly no Buffy references (also, IMDb says that no other BtVS actors have shown up in the new series to date). Fans of classic Doctor Who were probably overjoyed to see Sarah Jane again, but I had no previous connection to her, so what I mostly gained was a look at the Doctor’s history. I did enjoy Mickey’s role in this episode, especially his identification with K-9 The robotic dog did seem like it belonged to a younger show, and I’m guessing this episode helped set up the children’s spin-off The Sarah Jane Adventures. Unlike Jack Harkness with Torchwood, this episode gave me no inclination to watch the spin-off, and nary a push to watch the classic Doctor Who.

I don’t know how long it would have taken to get hooked on this show if I’d started with the first Doctor, as I tend not to enjoy older shows unless they’re ones I grew up watching. Terrible special effects, bland dialogue, and too-neatly wrapped storylines means I rarely watch any shows airing before the late 90s. While it isn’t exactly the same, I felt no need to watch the old Battlestar Galactica to enjoy the new one, no need to watch Buffy the Vampire Slayer the movie to enjoy the show, or the old V to enjoy the new V. I prefer the Addams Family movies to the show, and while the new Beauty and the Beast still makes me cringe too often, I couldn’t even make it through the pilot of the old show. I’m not saying newish is always better with shows and movies (I do love the older Star Wars more), but having done the bulk of my TV watching post 2007, I’ve come to expect a certain level of shiny, or I’m pulled out of the experience.

And now to talk about the episode that got me itching to write this post, “The Girl in the Fireplace.” As I mentioned before, I love episodes that play with time, and this one did it in such a cool way while also being a lovely standalone story. The preview for the episode was just awful, nothing that made me look forward to watching, but it was nice in a way since I was so pleasantly surprised. The idea of a spaceship riddled with portals to various times in one person’s life was so cool, as was Reinette falling in love with the Doctor over the course of her life, while to him it was only about one day. And walking around in each other’s memories created an instant connection that prevent this from being a simple one-episode crush. Plus drunk Doctor was hilarious.

The villains were just the right amount of creepy and logical and fascinating – I also loved the steampunk vibe. And although Rose was supposed to be mad at Mickey in this episode, I liked that they got along, even if their adventures on the ship paled in comparison to 18th century France. It was fun spotting Angel Coulby (Gwen on Merlin) in a scene, and apparently more actors from that show end up on other Who episodes. I knew very little about Madame de Pompadour before watching this episode, though I was proud that I understood Mickey’s reference to Camilla.

The ending of the episode was superb. I didn’t quite believe the Doctor would trap himself in France with no way out, but I think his emotions overruled his logic. (And what were Rose and Mickey supposed to do, stuck on the broke spaceship?) I think it would have been interesting to see what he’d do if he didn’t find the remaining portal right away. As it was, choosing to go back without her, just for a minute, seemed destined to go poorly. It should have been, at the most, several weeks (based on the previous times he’d used that portal, but the unevenness made me think of the Narnia time differences), but six years pass instead, and he arrives just in time to watch her coffin leave the palace. Her letter to him was so sweet and sad. My heart broke for him as he watched the fire burn out.

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Favorite TV Couples Ultimate Showdown

Back when we did our favorite TV couples polls (with realistic and speculative divisions) last spring, I promised that in the fall, we’d have the winners from those polls face each other in an ultimate showdown. Friends, that time is now. The top 20 couples in each of the two polls have joined together with 10 newbie wild card competitors to determine which couples are truly TV’s top 10!

Since this poll will take place over Thanksgiving (for us Americans), I’ll keep the poll open through the end of the month, giving you a full 15 days to get the word out for your favorite couples. You can vote for up to 10 couples, but choose carefully, as you only get to vote once! (Oh, and be sure to enter our Friends giveaway!)

Unlike most of our polls, you can’t nominate other couples, since this is based on the results of two previous polls. Even for our ten wild card additions, I only choose couples that did not appear in the previous polls. Some were overlooked, some are newer shows or newer couples, but I chose 5 from speculative shows and 5 from shows without speculative elements: Brad and Jane from Happy Endings, Nick and Jess from New Girl, Auggie and Annie from Covert Affairs, Troy and Britta from Community, Daniel and Kate from Perception, Oliver and Laurel from Arrow, John and Rachel from Alphas, Fargo and Holly from Eureka, Nathan and Audrey from Haven, and Adama and Roslin from Battlestar Galactica.

Fans have used Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr, forums, Reddit, Pinterest, blogs, and chatboxes to get the word out about past polls. Our toolbar at the bottom of the page has lots of quick links to help you share this post, or you can mouse over the image above!

Without further ado, choose your favorite 10 out of the 50 couples below! Poll will close Friday night, November 30th.

Which is your favorite TV couple? (Choose up to 10!)

  • Castle and Beckett (Castle) (9%, 1,283 Votes)
  • Tony and Ziva (NCIS) (8%, 1,160 Votes)
  • Elena and Damon (The Vampire Diaries) (5%, 680 Votes)
  • Derek and Meredith (Grey's Anatomy) (4%, 621 Votes)
  • Arthur and Gwen (Merlin) (4%, 555 Votes)
  • Scully and Mulder (The X-Files) (4%, 517 Votes)
  • Booth and Brennan (Bones) (3%, 474 Votes)
  • The Doctor and Rose (Doctor Who) (3%, 462 Votes)
  • McGee and Abby (NCIS) (3%, 461 Votes)
  • Barney and Robin (How I Met Your Mother) (3%, 398 Votes)
  • Chandler and Monica (Friends) (3%, 389 Votes)
  • Kensi and Deeks (NCIS: Los Angeles) (3%, 387 Votes)
  • Luke and Lorelai (Gilmore Girls) (2%, 330 Votes)
  • Rachel and Ross (Friends) (2%, 311 Votes)
  • Charming and Snow (Once Upon a Time) (2%, 304 Votes)
  • Marshall and Lily (How I Met Your Mother) (2%, 276 Votes)
  • Hodgins and Angela (Bones) (2%, 273 Votes)
  • Buffy and Spike (Buffy the Vampire Slayer) (2%, 265 Votes)
  • Nick and Jess (New Girl) (2%, 262 Votes)
  • Leonard and Penny (The Big Bang Theory) (2%, 244 Votes)
  • Peter and Olivia (Fringe) (2%, 240 Votes)
  • Chuck and Sarah (Chuck) (2%, 238 Votes)
  • Wash and Zoe (Firefly) (2%, 232 Votes)
  • Peter and Elizabeth (White Collar) (2%, 231 Votes)
  • Mal and Inara (Firefly) (2%, 227 Votes)
  • Leo and Piper (Charmed) (2%, 223 Votes)
  • Rumpelstiltskin and Belle (Once Upon a Time) (2%, 217 Votes)
  • Auggie and Annie (Covert Affairs) (1%, 206 Votes)
  • Sheldon and Amy (The Big Bang Theory) (1%, 192 Votes)
  • Buffy and Angel (Buffy the Vampire Slayer) (1%, 188 Votes)
  • Shawn and Juliet (Psych) (1%, 175 Votes)
  • Emma and Graham (Once Upon a Time) (1%, 170 Votes)
  • Michael and Fiona (Burn Notice) (1%, 169 Votes)
  • Adama and Roslin (Battlestar Galactica) (1%, 166 Votes)
  • Eric and Sookie (True Blood) (1%, 166 Votes)
  • Eric and Nell (NCIS: Los Angeles) (1%, 164 Votes)
  • Elena and Stefan (The Vampire Diaries) (1%, 163 Votes)
  • Simon and Kaylee (Firefly) (1%, 144 Votes)
  • Cole and Phoebe (Charmed) (1%, 138 Votes)
  • Willow and Oz (Buffy the Vampire Slayer) (1%, 114 Votes)
  • John and Mary (Supernatural) (1%, 104 Votes)
  • Ned and Chuck (Pushing Daisies) (1%, 97 Votes)
  • Nathan and Audrey (Haven) (1%, 89 Votes)
  • Oliver and Laurel (Arrow) (1%, 85 Votes)
  • Ellie and Awesome (Chuck) (1%, 74 Votes)
  • Troy and Britta (Community) (0%, 53 Votes)
  • Brad and Jane (Happy Endings) (0%, 43 Votes)
  • Daniel and Kate (Perception) (0%, 27 Votes)
  • Fargo and Holly (Eureka) (0%, 26 Votes)
  • John and Rachel (Alphas) (0%, 18 Votes)

Total Voters: 4,413

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BSG’s Ron Moore will be going medieval on us for new ABC series | Blastr

A Knight’s Tale might be remade as a TV show for ABC! I love the movie, so if the show hits the same notes I think it will be well worth watching. Battlestar Galactica’s Ron Moore is helming the project. Interested in seeing who they cast in the show – it has a lot to live up to with Heath Ledger, Paul Bettany, Rufus Sewell, and Alan Tudyk in the original movie. But ABC has done an amazing job with many pilots/shows over the past several years, so I’m hopeful that this will take the right direction. The combination of modern rock tunes and middle ages setting will help it stand out. (Just please don’t let it become Medieval Glee – that would be awful!)

BSG’s Ron Moore will be going medieval on us for new ABC series | Blastr.

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Last Resort – Pilot

If you’ve been reading this blog, you know I’ve been rooting for Last Resort since pilot season. The premise was intriguing – a US sub disobeys orders to fire nuclear missiles and sets up its own government on a small  tropical island – but the cast really got my attention. I especially looked forward to seeing Dichen Lachman (Dollhouse) and Autumn Reeser (No Ordinary Family) back on my TV screen.

An excellent promo only whet my appetite, so when ABC offered an online pilot preview, I dived right in. And was blown away.

Two reasons I enjoyed it much more than the other new high-concept ensemble drama I plan to watch (Revolution): it had many twists and turns the promo didn’t give away, and more potential/untold history with the characters.

Spoilers below!

The action starts immediately with the sub picking up a group of Navy SEALs (one of whom is badly injured) in hostile territory. There’s a bit of a breather then, where you get a glimpse at how the crew interacts – the mutual respect between Captain Marcus Chaplin (Andre Braugher) and his XO Sam Kendal (Scott Speedman), the difficulties Lieutenant Grace Shepard (Daisy Betts) faces as the daughter of an admiral, and some tension between the COB Joseph Prosser (Robert Patrick) and the other officers, as well as between the SEALs and the officers.

But just as the crew is celebrating crossing the equator, the ominous message comes in from a secondary command post (in Antarctica!): the Colorado is ordered to fire nuclear missiles at Pakistan. Chaplin and Kendal follow procedure until the last step, when they both acknowledge that something doesn’t feel right. The secondary post is only supposed to be used when Washington is under attack or similar circumstances, but according to D.C. television stations, everything’s fine. Chaplin calls in and asks to speak with someone whose authority he recognizes, or at least to receive the command via normal channels before he wipes out millions of people in a country the US isn’t even at war with.

He gets a call back and is relieved of his command. He passes the phone to Kendal, now acting captain, who also asks that the order come through normal channels. Shortly afterwards, an incoming missile is detected, and the sub dives, but is still hit and damaged before it crashes to the bottom of the ocean. There are several casualties, including one of the SEALs.

Meanwhile, back in Washington, Kylie Sinclair (Autumn Reeser) shares techy details about the Colorado as she romances a senator’s aide, trying to get her device (which cloaks the Colorado’s unique signature) onto other subs with his senator’s help (all the geek-speak reminded me of Autumn’s role on No Ordinary Family, but Kylie acts more confidant and sexy than Katie did). A cryptic text sends her rushing to confront Admiral Shepard with what she figured out – the missile that hit the Colorado wasn’t from Pakistan, like the media claims. It was from another US submarine. “You killed your own daughter,” she accuses, but his shocked reaction convinces her he has no idea what’s really going on. Also, uniformed officers show up at the door of Kendal’s wife, Christine (played by Jessy Schram – Once Upon a Time’s Cinderella).

Chaplin, with Kendal’s support and despite open defiance from the COB and others, comes up with a plan. With some of their command equipment damaged, they head to a small nearly island with a NATO station and take it over. There they find out that the attack was from a US sub, and that someone else followed orders and fired nukes into Pakistan. Chaplin calls Admiral Shepard and gives the phone to Grace so she can assure her father that she’s alive, and Kendal is able to call his wife.

One of the SEALs, James King (Daniel Lissing), connects with island barkeep Tani Tumrenjack (Dichen Lachman, who gets little screen time in this episode, but I hope that will change!) as he requests storage for his fallen comrade’s body and alcohol to drink his sorrow away. He’s soon challenged by the self-proclaimed “mayor” of the island, Julian Serrat (Michael Sahr Ngaujah) and his goons. After stating in detail how he will kill each one of them if they don’t quit keeping him from his drink, they leave (don’t mess with Navy SEALs!). However, they only retreat to take a more aggressive approach toward these unwelcome “tourists,” later kidnapping two members of the crew.

Since now the US knows the Colorado survived (thanks to the phone calls and a betrayal from the COB and several crew who aligned with him – Lt. Shepard was forced to shoot one of them before he executed Kendal), two bombers head toward the island. Knowing they’ll bomb the island even if the sub dives to avoid the attack, Chaplin issues an ultimatum – turn them back or he fires a nuke at Washington. They retreat at the last minute, and the nuke lands in the Atlantic. Chaplin declares a 200-mile no man’s land around the island, and threatens to nuke anyone who breaches it.

And the final twist? The injured SEAL ranting about how they had the wrong intel, that they killed the wrong people, and the one at the bar, sobbing at the attack footage and saying all this is his fault. The latter scene had added shock because of how unflappable King had been until that moment.

It’s hard to think of something I didn’t like about this pilot episode. The action kept things moving, the actors fit their roles, for all the drama there were moments with the right touch of humor, and the whole episode felt as polished as a summer blockbuster.

But unlike most summer blockbusters (no matter how many unwanted sequels get made), what hit me most was the potential for future storytelling in these characters. You don’t get to spend much time with most of them, but just about every character leaves you wanting to know more about their story.

Since the initial setting is a Navy sub, it did have a bit of an NCIS feel, especially those episodes that have taken place on a ship/sub. Caplin reminded me a little of Battlestar Galactica’s Adama – protective, but not afraid to be ruthless.

If Last Resort keeps up this quality, I will be watching every episode of the show. It has a rough time slot at 8PM on Thursday, especially against The Big Bang Theory, The X Factor, 30 Rock, and The Vampire Diaries. ABC hasn’t had a new show succeed in that time slot since Ugly Betty. But Last Resort has the mettle to stick around, so I hope viewers will give it a chance. You’ll be glad you did.

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Monday Madness: Favorite TV Dads

This Monday Madness, in honor of Father’s Day this coming Sunday here in the US, we’re looking at TV dads! These dads, whether grounded or goofy, often set the tone of their shows, and no matter how difficult or stubborn, always have a soft spot for their kids. This poll is focusing on actual (both biological and adoptive) dads, since including father-like figures would have made it too lengthy – though many of the dads on this poll do have a father-like role in other characters’ lives.

This poll will be open for one week, and you can choose up to 10 of your favorite TV dads. Be sure to spread the word so your favorites will make it into the top 10! Fans have used Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr, forums, Reddit, blogs, and chatboxes to get the word out about past polls. Get creative!

Even though there are 50 70-some options on this list, I know there are dozens of TV dads I left out! You can nominate fathers I missed in the comments until Thursday night, and I may add them to the poll (dads from live-action scripted shows only, please, and the dad must be in at least 3 episodes of the show).

Want more of a say in who makes it onto the poll each week? Be sure to follow me on Twitter or like TV Breakroom on Facebook, since I usually ask for nominations for the next Monday Madness the weekend before the new poll. Please help out with nominations! There are only so many shows I can watch personally, so I’m counting on you to fill me in!

Without further ado, here’s the poll for this week’s Monday Madness! Voting ends around 1AM June 18th.

Who is your favorite TV dad? (Choose up to 10!)

  • Rick Castle (Nathan Fillion) - Castle (14%, 1,951 Votes)
  • John Winchester (Jeffery Dean Morgan & Matt Cohen) - Supernatural (10%, 1,362 Votes)
  • Jack Carter (Colin Ferguson) - Eureka (5%, 681 Votes)
  • Henry Spencer (Corbin Bernsen) - Psych (4%, 620 Votes)
  • Seeley Booth (David Boreanaz) - Bones (4%, 589 Votes)
  • Jack Hodgins (T.J. Thyne) - Bones (3%, 367 Votes)
  • Burt Hummel (Mike O'Malley) - Glee (3%, 366 Votes)
  • Rory Pond (Arthur Darvill) - Doctor Who (3%, 346 Votes)
  • Cliff Huxtable (Bill Cosby) - The Cosby Show (2%, 324 Votes)
  • Leroy Jethro Gibbs (Mark Harmon) - NCIS (2%, 303 Votes)
  • Walter Bishop (John Noble) - Fringe (2%, 283 Votes)
  • Aaron Hotchner (Thomas Gibson) - Criminal Minds (2%, 266 Votes)
  • Marshall Eriksen (Jason Segel) - How I Met Your Mother (2%, 247 Votes)
  • Jonathan Kent (John Schneider) - Smallville (2%, 228 Votes)
  • Phil Dunphy (Ty Burrell) - Modern Family (2%, 220 Votes)
  • Charming (Josh Dallas) - Once Upon a Time (2%, 214 Votes)
  • Keith Mars (Enrico Colantoni) - Veronica Mars (2%, 209 Votes)
  • Future Ted Mosby (Bob Saget) - How I Met Your Mother (2%, 208 Votes)
  • Devon "Awesome" Woodcomb (Ryan McPartlin) - Chuck (1%, 206 Votes)
  • John Casey (Adam Baldwin) - Chuck (1%, 200 Votes)
  • Angel (David Boreanaz) - Angel (1%, 193 Votes)
  • Charles Ingalls (Michael Landon) - Little House on the Prairie (1%, 187 Votes)
  • Danny Tanner (Bob Saget) - Full House (1%, 169 Votes)
  • Max Keenan (Ryan O'Neal) - Bones (1%, 157 Votes)
  • Danny "Danno" Williams (Scott Caan) - Hawaii Five-O (1%, 157 Votes)
  • Jackson Gibbs (Ralph Waite) - NCIS (1%, 150 Votes)
  • William Adama (Edward James Olmos) - Battlestar Galactica (1%, 143 Votes)
  • Cameron Tucker (Eric Stonestreet) - Modern Family (1%, 139 Votes)
  • Reginald "Red" Forman (Kurtwood Smith) - That '70s Show (1%, 136 Votes)
  • Steve Bartowski (Scott Bakula) - Chuck (1%, 134 Votes)
  • Leo White (Brian Krause) - Charmed (1%, 129 Votes)
  • Jim Halpert (John Krasinski) - The Office (1%, 126 Votes)
  • Al Bundy (Ed O'Neill) - Married . . . with Children (1%, 123 Votes)
  • Rumpelstiltskin (Robert Carlyle) - Once Upon a Time (1%, 120 Votes)
  • Andy Taylor (Andy Griffith) - The Andy Griffith Show (1%, 118 Votes)
  • Mitchell Pritchett (Jesse Tyler Ferguson) - Modern Family (1%, 115 Votes)
  • Sandy Cohen (Peter Gallagher) The O.C. (1%, 114 Votes)
  • Patrick Jane (Simon Baker) - The Mentalist (1%, 108 Votes)
  • Howard Cunningham (Tom Bosley) - Happy Days (1%, 105 Votes)
  • Tim Taylor (Tim Allen) - Home Improvement (1%, 105 Votes)
  • Eric Camden (Stephen Collins) - 7th Heaven (1%, 104 Votes)
  • Uther Pendragon (Anthony Stewart Head) - Merlin (1%, 101 Votes)
  • Nathan Ford (Timothy Hutton) - Leverage (1%, 101 Votes)
  • Michael Bluth (Jason Bateman) - Arrested Development (1%, 91 Votes)
  • Anthony DiNozzo, Sr. (Robert Wagner) - NCIS (1%, 90 Votes)
  • Benjamin Sisko (Avery Brooks) - Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (1%, 88 Votes)
  • Marvin Eriksen (Bill Fagerbakke) - How I Met Your Mother (1%, 88 Votes)
  • Jack Bristow (Victor Garber) - Alias (1%, 88 Votes)
  • George Altman (Jeremy Sisto) - Suburgatory (1%, 84 Votes)
  • Frank Reagan (Tom Selleck) - Blue Bloods (1%, 75 Votes)
  • Eric Taylor (Kyle Chandler) - Friday Night Lights (1%, 70 Votes)
  • John Walton (Ralph Waite) - The Waltons (0%, 65 Votes)
  • Michael (Shane West) - Nikita (0%, 65 Votes)
  • Bill Compton (Stephen Moyer) - True Blood (0%, 63 Votes)
  • Tom Mason (Noah Wyle) - Falling Skies (0%, 60 Votes)
  • Steven Keaton (Michael Gross) - Family Ties (0%, 59 Votes)
  • Martin Bohm (Kiefer Sutherland) - Touch (0%, 45 Votes)
  • Danny Reagan (Donnie Wahlberg) - Blue Bloods (0%, 45 Votes)
  • Michael Britten (Jason Isaacs) - Awake (0%, 45 Votes)
  • Mark Greene (Anthony Edwards) - ER (0%, 42 Votes)
  • Leon Vance (Rocky Carroll) - NCIS (0%, 40 Votes)
  • George Bluth, Sr. (Jeffrey Tambor) - Arrested Development (0%, 39 Votes)
  • Will Girardi (Joe Mantegna) - Joan of Arcadia (0%, 39 Votes)
  • Noah Werner (Alan Tudyk) - Suburgatory (0%, 36 Votes)
  • Frank Barone (Peter Boyle) - Everybody Loves Raymond (0%, 32 Votes)
  • George Lopez (George Lopez) - George Lopez (0%, 28 Votes)
  • Ray Barone (Ray Romano) - Everybody Loves Raymond (0%, 28 Votes)
  • Andrew Martin (Ioan Gruffudd) - Ringer (0%, 26 Votes)
  • Jim Walsh (James Eckhouse) - Beverly Hills, 90210 (0%, 26 Votes)
  • Lionel Luther (John Glover) - Smallville (0%, 24 Votes)
  • Don Draper (John Hamm) - Mad Men (0%, 22 Votes)
  • Jim (Jim Belushi) - According To Jim (0%, 22 Votes)
  • Darryl Philbin (Craig Robinson) - The Office (0%, 18 Votes)
  • Roland Burton (Sterling K. Brown) - Army Wives (0%, 17 Votes)
  • Trevor LeBlanc (Drew Fuller) - Army Wives (0%, 17 Votes)
  • Frank Sherwood (Terry Serpico) - Army Wives (0%, 16 Votes)
  • Michael Holden (Brian McNamara) - Army Wives (0%, 15 Votes)
  • Mitch McDeere (Josh Lucas) - The Firm (0%, 4 Votes)
  • Walt Riggins (Jeffrey Tambor) - Bent (0%, 3 Votes)

Total Voters: 4,136

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Monday Madness: Favorite TV Couples – Speculative

In part two of our TV couples Monday Madness, we’re looking at couples in speculative TV shows! Whether it’s sci fi, fantasy, paranormal, historical myths, or just a futuristic bent, these shows all have something out of the ordinary, even if the couples in them are perfectly normal human beings.

This poll will be open for one week, and you can choose up to 10 of your favorite TV couples. Be sure to spread the word so your favorites will make it into the top 10!

Even though there are 40-some options on this list, I know there are dozens of couples I left out! You can nominate couples I missed in the comments, and I may add them to the poll. Want more of a say in who makes it onto the poll each week? Be sure to follow me on Twitter, since I usually ask for nominations for the next Monday Madness the weekend before the new poll. Please help out with nominations! There are only so many shows I can watch personally, so I’m counting on you to fill me in!

Without further ado, here’s the poll for this week’s Monday Madness! Voting ends around 1AM June 4th.

UPDATE: poll has ended. Go vote in this week’s poll!

Which is your favorite TV couple? - Speculative Division (Choose up to 10)

  • Mary and John Winchester - Supernatural (14%, 959 Votes)
  • Rumpelstiltskin and Belle - Once Upon a TIme (9%, 608 Votes)
  • Charming and Snow - Once Upon a Time (6%, 414 Votes)
  • The Doctor and Rose - Doctor Who (5%, 352 Votes)
  • Arthur and Gwen - Merlin (4%, 301 Votes)
  • Elena and Damon - The Vampire Diaries (4%, 283 Votes)
  • Emma and Graham - Once Upon a Time (4%, 256 Votes)
  • Buffy and Spike - Buffy the Vampire Slayer (3%, 235 Votes)
  • Mal and Inara - Firefly (3%, 223 Votes)
  • Wash and Zoe - Firefly (3%, 213 Votes)
  • Leo and Piper - Charmed (3%, 209 Votes)
  • Buffy and Angel - Buffy the Vampire Slayer (3%, 190 Votes)
  • Scully and Mulder - The X-Files (3%, 178 Votes)
  • Ned and Chuck - Pushing Daisies (2%, 172 Votes)
  • Simon and Kaylee - Firefly (2%, 161 Votes)
  • Eric and Sookie - True Blood (2%, 154 Votes)
  • Peter and Olivia - Fringe (2%, 149 Votes)
  • Willow and Oz - Buffy the Vampire Slayer (2%, 144 Votes)
  • Cole and Phoebe - Charmed (2%, 139 Votes)
  • Elena and Stefan - The Vampire Diaries (2%, 130 Votes)
  • Lois and Clark - Smallville (2%, 126 Votes)
  • Wesley and Fred - Angel (2%, 113 Votes)
  • Jack and Sam - Stargate SG-1 (2%, 111 Votes)
  • Xander and Anya - Buffy the Vampire Slayer (2%, 110 Votes)
  • Mick and Beth - Moonlight (1%, 85 Votes)
  • Robin and Marion - Robin Hood (1%, 77 Votes)
  • Monroe and Rosalee - Grimm (1%, 74 Votes)
  • John and Aeryn - Farscape (1%, 74 Votes)
  • Max and Logan - Dark Angel (1%, 72 Votes)
  • Bill and Sookie - True Blood (1%, 72 Votes)
  • Nick and Juliette - Grimm (1%, 63 Votes)
  • Max and Liz - Roswell (1%, 63 Votes)
  • Jo and Zane - Eureka (1%, 63 Votes)
  • Sierra and Victor - Dollhouse (1%, 59 Votes)
  • Hoyt and Jessica - True Blood (1%, 55 Votes)
  • The Doctor and River Song - Doctor Who (1%, 52 Votes)
  • Fargo - Eureka and Claudia - Warehouse 13 (1%, 52 Votes)
  • Carter and Allison - Eureka (1%, 51 Votes)
  • Tru and Luc - Tru Calling (1%, 38 Votes)
  • Echo and Paul - Dollhouse (1%, 35 Votes)
  • George and Nina - Being Human (UK) (0%, 30 Votes)
  • Angel and Cordelia - Angel (0%, 24 Votes)
  • Josh and Nora - Being Human (US) (0%, 21 Votes)
  • Kara and Anders - Battlestar Galatica (0%, 15 Votes)

Total Voters: 2,191

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Continue reading Monday Madness: Favorite TV Couples – Speculative

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Monday Madness: Favorite Undead/Nonhuman Characters

This time on Monday Madness, it’s time to vote for your favorite undead/nonhuman characters! Whether they are ghosts, vampires, aliens, werewolves, or something a bit more unconventional, they add color and plot twists to every show they are a part of.

This poll will be open for one week, and you can choose up to 10 of your favorite undead or nonhuman characters. Be sure to spread the word so your favorites will make it into the top 10!

Even though there are 40 options on this list, I know there are many great characters I left out! As always, you can cast write-in ballots by leaving a comment. Want more of a say in who makes it onto the poll each week? Be sure to follow me on Twitter, since I usually ask for nominations for the next Monday Madness the weekend before the new poll.

Without further ado, here’s the poll for this week’s Monday Madness! Voting ends around 1AM April 23rd.

Update: this poll has ended – results post is here. You can vote on this week’s poll, Favorite Long-Running TV Show, here.

Who's your favorite undead/nonhuman character? (Choose up to 10)

  • Cameron from Terminator: The Sarah Conner Chronicles (23%, 12,122 Votes)
  • Castiel from Supernatural (20%, 10,904 Votes)
  • The Doctor from Doctor Who (19%, 9,891 Votes)
  • Spike from Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel (16%, 8,661 Votes)
  • Spock from Star Trek (8%, 4,451 Votes)
  • Teal'c from Stargate SG-1 (1%, 711 Votes)
  • Angel from Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel (1%, 571 Votes)
  • Anya from Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1%, 446 Votes)
  • Data from Star Trek: The Next Generation (1%, 445 Votes)
  • Oz from Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1%, 442 Votes)
  • Lorne from Angel (1%, 388 Votes)
  • Eric from True Blood (1%, 386 Votes)
  • Damon from The Vampire Diaries (1%, 340 Votes)
  • Illyria from Angel (1%, 328 Votes)
  • Worf from Star Trek: The Next Generation and Deep Space Nine (0%, 261 Votes)
  • Clark Kent from Smallville (0%, 235 Votes)
  • Number Six from Battlestar Galactica (0%, 218 Votes)
  • Monroe from Grimm (0%, 199 Votes)
  • Thing from The Addams Family (0%, 185 Votes)
  • George from Dead Like Me (0%, 181 Votes)
  • Stefan from The Vampire Diaries (0%, 177 Votes)
  • Mitchell from Being Human (UK) (0%, 154 Votes)
  • Red/Ruby from Once Upon a Time (0%, 139 Votes)
  • Ka D'Argo from Farscape (0%, 131 Votes)
  • George from Being Human (UK) (0%, 127 Votes)
  • Josh from Being Human (US) (0%, 123 Votes)
  • Bill from True Blood (0%, 121 Votes)
  • Jeannie from I Dream of Jeannie (0%, 112 Votes)
  • Annie from Being Human (UK) (0%, 110 Votes)
  • Aiden from Being Human (US) (0%, 107 Votes)
  • Bo from Lost Girl (0%, 95 Votes)
  • Mork from Mork and Mindy (0%, 95 Votes)
  • Bob from The Dresden Files (0%, 79 Votes)
  • Josef from Moonlight (0%, 78 Votes)
  • Sally from Being Human (US) (0%, 77 Votes)
  • Herman from The Munsters (0%, 64 Votes)
  • Grandpa from The Munsters (0%, 60 Votes)
  • Anna from V (0%, 40 Votes)
  • Martin from My Favorite Martian (0%, 30 Votes)
  • Ryan from V (0%, 11 Votes)

Total Voters: 45,198

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Castle Casts Tahmoh Penikett in Season 4 – TVLine

Another actor from the Whedonverse is joining Castle this season (and possibly next!) – Tahmoh Penikett! He’s probably best known for playing Helo on the epic space drama Battlestar Galatica, but he also had a major role in Joss Whedon’s Dollhouse as FBI agent Paul Ballard.

On Castle, he’ll be playing Cole Maddox, who’s “cold, calculated and has a military background,” in the season finale May 7th.

Castle Casts Tahmoh Penikett in Season 4 – TVLine.

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Some Other Beginning’s End

Thanks to this week’s episode of The Office, I’ve had “Closing Time” (Semisonic) running through my head all evening. Especially haunting is the line: Every new beginning comes from some other beginning’s end.

For some reason, I transferred that idea to TV shows. How many great shows exist because actors’ previous shows were canceled (either prematurely or not)?

To start off, let’s take a look at the poster child for all canceled shows: Firefly. Many of the actors have gone on to have guest spots and reoccurring roles in other shows, and some have even become regular cast members of other shows that were canceled in turn (Morena Baccarin in V, Summer Glau in The Cape, etc.). But out of the ashes of the Serenity rose two other great shows, now in their 4th and 5th seasons.

Nathan Fillion is Castle. It is impossible to imagine another actor playing his role on the show, and since Fillion influenced Stana Katic becoming his co-star, Beckett would be different as well.

While I suppose Chuck could have survived without Adam Baldwin playing John Casey, would we have wanted it to? His grunts and relationship with Morgan make the show.

Another show that came to mind immediately was Angel. It was canceled, and a year later, David Boreanaz ended up on Bones as Agent Seeley Booth. As much as I would have wanted Angel to continue, I think the actor is much more suited to the role of Booth.

The gap between Buffy the Vampire Slayer and How I Met Your Mother was a bit longer (2 years), but I love Alyson Hannigan in both. It seems a bit of a stretch to include Sarah Michelle Gellar and Ringer, since 15 seasons seems highly improbable for any show, and I don’t see Gellar “owning” Siobhan/Bridget yet. Anthony Stewart Head’s transition from Giles to King Uther on Merlin is more apt.

Dollhouse also pulls actors from the three ended shows above, but in a less lead-actor-to-lead-actor way. The show that really had to end so we could have Dollhouse was Battlestar Galactica. Tahmoh Penikett was vital to both shows.

I never watched Lost, so I don’t know how vital Michael Emerson’s role was to the show, but I can’t imagine Person of Interest without him.

And then there’s the whole issue of characters dying on one show only to wind up on another. Sometimes they “die” because of the new show. I could go on for hours listing examples of this, but this post would end up so full of spoilers that no one could read it without coming across something they didn’t know. So I’ll stay mum for now.

Less spoilery is characters moving away or otherwise disappearing from the scope of a show before the end to star in a different show. Jared Padalecki bowed out of Gilmore Girls two years before it ended to begin Supernatural. Jennifer Morrison joined How I Met Your Mother for a year between House and Once Upon a Time.

What shows that you loved had to die so you could get a different show to love?

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The Big Bang Theory – A Year of Laughter

I was looking through my journal, and I was surprised to realize that it was exactly one year ago today that I began watching The Big Bang Theory. The mixture of intelligent insults, social awkwardness, and geeky pop culture references, combined with a huge helping of humor, made me fall in love with the show almost immediately.

The show did have two drawbacks typical of half-hour comedies – a laugh track and crass humor at times. I also wasn’t familiar with any of the main actors (I realized later that Howard also played Moist on Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog). But I loved the band of misfit guys, and how Penny gradually became an indispensable part of their group.

Out of all the comedies I watch, The Big Bang Theory makes me laugh the most. From Koothrappali’s facial expressions to Sheldon’s take on social norms, the show keeps me in stitches constantly. It’s also very quotable:

Wolowitz: This is the worst cobbler I’ve ever eaten. It tastes like it’s made of actual ground-up shoemaker.

The relationships between the characters are also awesome. Sheldon and Penny’s parent-child dynamic is always humorous, and Raj and Howard are hilarious when they’re acting like an old married couple. And you know Leonard and Penny will eventually end up together, despite all the bumps in their relationship.

The current obstacle, Priya, would be really annoying if you couldn’t see the blaring signs that her relationship with Leonard is only temporary. The one nice thing she’s brought to the show is the creation of the “Hate Priya group” – aka Penny, Bernadette, and Amy. The three of them hanging out together is hilarious. It was made even more fun when Sheldon joined the group in last night’s episode, “The Agreement Dissection.”

Another awesome aspect of the show are the geeky guest stars. From Sheldon’s nemesis Wil Wheaton to Katee Sackhoff (Battlestar Galactica), Eliza Dushku (Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel, and Dollhouse), and Summer Glau (Firefly and The Cape), their appearances only heighten the geek subculture of which The Big Bang Theory is a proud member.

And it was this show that caused me to fully embrace my inner geek. To prove it, whenever I get a text message, my cell phone now chimes with Sheldon’s signature “gotcha” phrase: “Bazinga!”

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