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May Madness Nominations: Past TV Dramas

Update: Nominations are over, vote in the bracket tournament!

I love TV-related bracket tournaments. What I don’t love is said tournaments leaving out so many great shows (yes, Hulu, I’m looking at you), and not giving TV fans a chance to pick which shows are included.

So in preparation for TV Breakroom’s May Madness bracket tournament, you, this site’s readers, get to choose which 64 shows will battle it out for the best show of all time!

I’m dividing this competition into four sections (though the bracket itself will be randomized), between past and present shows, as well as comedies and dramas. Present shows will include renewed shows and any shows that have aired episodes October 2013 or later (even if they have since been canceled). Comedies will include all 20-30 minute shows, while dramas will include 40 minute plus shows, even if they are very funny. So Psych, which you might consider a past TV comedy, will actually be among the present TV dramas. Each of these 4 sections will have their own nomination poll, in consecutive weeks. Last week’s poll selected great comedies like M*A*S*H, Friends, and 14 others!

This site’s typical guidelines (scripted, live-action, primetime shows) apply. So don’t look for (or nominate) The Simpsons, Whose Line is It Anyway?, or daytime soaps. Online shows like those created by Netflix and Amazon are eligible, web series with episodes shorter than 20 minutes (no matter how much we love The Guild) are not. Shows must have aired either a full season or at least 5 episodes to be eligible as well.

Especially for these past show nomination rounds, there are dozens of shows that aren’t included in the 100+ options below. Feel free to nominate any great ones I missed, and if they meet the guidelines I’ve outlined above, I will add them to the poll.

This poll will be open for one week, and you can vote for up to 20 of your favorite past TV dramas. Be sure to spread the word so your favorites will make it into our bracket tournament next month!

Without further ado, here’s the poll for this week’s May Madness nominations! Voting ends around 12AM April 21st, and the top 16 will make it into our bracket. Update: The three-way tie for 16th place was broken by a one-day Facebook poll, and Veronica Mars secured the last spot!

Which past TV dramas deserve to be in our May Madness bracket? (Choose up to 20!)

Leverage (8%, 159 Votes)
Angel (5%, 110 Votes)
Dark Angel (4%, 90 Votes)
Buffy the Vampire Slayer (3%, 66 Votes)
Firefly (3%, 66 Votes)
Charmed (3%, 53 Votes)
House (2%, 39 Votes)
The X-Files (2%, 33 Votes)
Gilmore Girls (2%, 32 Votes)
Magnum, PI (2%, 32 Votes)
JAG (1%, 30 Votes)
ER (1%, 29 Votes)
Dexter (1%, 29 Votes)
Dollhouse (1%, 28 Votes)
Moonlight (1%, 27 Votes)
Star Trek (1%, 26 Votes)
Veronica Mars (1%, 26 Votes)
Stargate: SGI (1%, 26 Votes)
Burn Notice (1%, 25 Votes)
Merlin (1%, 24 Votes)
Star Trek: The Next Generation (1%, 24 Votes)
The Ghost Whisperer (1%, 23 Votes)
24 (1%, 23 Votes)
Eureka (1%, 22 Votes)
Monk (1%, 22 Votes)
Smallville (1%, 22 Votes)
Lost (1%, 21 Votes)
CSI: Miami (1%, 20 Votes)
Walker, Texas Ranger (1%, 20 Votes)
Fringe (1%, 20 Votes)
Prison Break (1%, 20 Votes)
Chuck (1%, 19 Votes)
Breaking Bad (1%, 19 Votes)
7th Heaven (1%, 19 Votes)
Stargate: Atlantis (1%, 19 Votes)
Pushing Daisies (1%, 18 Votes)
Vegas (1%, 18 Votes)
Miami Vice (1%, 18 Votes)
Star Trek: Voyager (1%, 17 Votes)
The Rockford Files (1%, 17 Votes)
Sex and the City (1%, 16 Votes)
Lie to Me (1%, 16 Votes)
One Tree Hill (1%, 16 Votes)
The Closer (1%, 16 Votes)
Matlock (1%, 16 Votes)
Columbo (1%, 16 Votes)
Tru Calling (1%, 15 Votes)
Northern Exposure (1%, 15 Votes)
Jericho (1%, 15 Votes)
Moonlighting (1%, 15 Votes)
The Twilight Zone (1%, 15 Votes)
V (1%, 15 Votes)
Battlestar Galactica (1%, 15 Votes)
Sliders (1%, 14 Votes)
Dead Like Me (1%, 14 Votes)
South of Nowhere (1%, 14 Votes)
Alias (1%, 14 Votes)
The West Wing (1%, 14 Votes)
Hart to Hart (1%, 14 Votes)
Terra Nova (1%, 13 Votes)
Hill Street Blues (1%, 13 Votes)
Roswell (1%, 13 Votes)
Gunsmoke (1%, 13 Votes)
Heroes (1%, 13 Votes)
Beverly Hills 90210 (1%, 13 Votes)
The Finder (1%, 13 Votes)
Hawaii Five-O (1968) (1%, 13 Votes)
Farscape (1%, 13 Votes)
Alphas (1%, 13 Votes)
Twin Peaks (1%, 12 Votes)
Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles (1%, 12 Votes)
Gossip Girl (1%, 11 Votes)
The Waltons (1%, 11 Votes)
Dark Shadows (1%, 11 Votes)
St. Elsewhere (1%, 11 Votes)
Medium (1%, 11 Votes)
Star Trek: Enterprise (1%, 11 Votes)
NYPD Blue (1%, 11 Votes)
Law & Order (1%, 11 Votes)
Perry Mason (0%, 10 Votes)
Le Femme Nikita (0%, 10 Votes)
China Beach (0%, 10 Votes)
Being Human (UK) (0%, 10 Votes)
The Sopranos (0%, 9 Votes)
Dallas (1978) (0%, 9 Votes)
Ringer (0%, 8 Votes)
Robin Hood (BBC) (0%, 8 Votes)
Six Feet Under (0%, 8 Votes)
The O.C. (0%, 8 Votes)
Rescue Me (0%, 8 Votes)
The Secret Circle (0%, 8 Votes)
Babylon 5 (0%, 7 Votes)
My So-Called Life (0%, 7 Votes)
Friday Night Lights (0%, 7 Votes)
Life Unexpected (0%, 7 Votes)
Private Practice (0%, 7 Votes)
Entourage (0%, 6 Votes)
The Cape (0%, 6 Votes)
Carnivale (0%, 6 Votes)
SGU Stargate Universe (0%, 6 Votes)
90210 (0%, 5 Votes)
Smash (0%, 5 Votes)
Deadwood (0%, 5 Votes)
Blood Ties (0%, 5 Votes)
No Ordinary Family (0%, 5 Votes)
Oz (0%, 5 Votes)
Wonderfalls (0%, 4 Votes)
Freaks and Geeks (0%, 4 Votes)
L.A. Law (0%, 4 Votes)
Kyle XY (0%, 4 Votes)
Trauma (0%, 3 Votes)
The Shield (0%, 3 Votes)
The Wire (0%, 3 Votes)
The Event (0%, 2 Votes)
FlashForward (0%, 2 Votes)
Rome (0%, 2 Votes)
Life (0%, 2 Votes)
Last Resort (0%, 2 Votes)
Awake (0%, 2 Votes)
Life on Mars (0%, 2 Votes)
Journeyman (0%, 1 Votes)
Caprica (0%, 1 Votes)
Mental (0%, 1 Votes)
Made in Jersey (0%, 1 Votes)
The Mob Doctor (0%, 1 Votes)
Kings (0%, 1 Votes)
Felicity (0%, 0 Votes)
Terriers (0%, 0 Votes)
Undeclared (0%, 0 Votes)
Rubicon (0%, 0 Votes)

Total Voters: 274

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Best TV Show Flashbacks Poll

Which TV show has the best flashbacks? That’s the question you get to answer in this week’s poll! Flashbacks add depth to current storylines and allow us to understand characters’ motivations, and range from heartrending to hilarious.

You can nominate shows missing from the poll below, but be sure the show has a significant amount of flashbacks to be included. The show should have a minimum of two episodes with a large portion of the episode as flashback, preferably more, and they should have some impact on the story/characters (a brief explanation would be appreciated!). I’ve added some flashback explanations to a few of the shows in the poll, but they are to jog your memory, not represent every flashback in the show. (One more note – I’ve put Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel as one option since their flashbacks revolve around the same characters for the most part.)

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!

Our next poll will be favorite Christmas episodes! Feel free to nominate episodes on our Facebook page, tweeting me at @waterfallbooks, or by leaving a comment below. Please include both the show and episode name, and yes, you can nominate this year’s holiday episodes!

Without further ado, choose up to ten of the shows below, but be sure to vote based on how awesome the flashbacks are! Poll will close Friday night, December 15th, giving you about a week and a half to spread the word!

Which TV show has the best flashbacks? (Choose up to 10!)

Once Upon a Time (Fairy Tale Land) (12%, 121 Votes)
Leverage (recreated past stories) (10%, 105 Votes)
How I Met Your Mother (Robin Sparkles, hippie Barney, college Ted, Marshall, and Lily) (10%, 102 Votes)
Buffy the Vampire Slayer/Angel (pasts of Darla, Angel, Drusilla, and Spike) (9%, 91 Votes)
Supernatural (8%, 78 Votes)
The Vampire Diaries (pasts of Damon, Stefan, Katherine, and Klaus) (7%, 71 Votes)
Psych (7%, 70 Votes)
Lost (5%, 53 Votes)
Friends (5%, 48 Votes)
Arrow (scenes on the island) (4%, 43 Votes)
Person of Interest (4%, 42 Votes)
NCIS (Gibbs' and Tony's pasts) (4%, 39 Votes)
White Collar (3%, 32 Votes)
Criminal Minds (3%, 27 Votes)
True Blood (2%, 22 Votes)
Pushing Daisies (2%, 20 Votes)
Nikita (1%, 14 Votes)
Highlander (1%, 13 Votes)
Being Human (BBC) (1%, 11 Votes)
Revolution (1%, 9 Votes)
Being Human (Syfy) (1%, 8 Votes)

Total Voters: 421

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Update – here are some pics I’ve edited to promote the poll! Now you have additional images you can pin on Pinterest, or you can share them on Tumblr, Facebook, and more! I’m working on getting more for the other shows, but you can help out by creating your own!

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Grimm – Bad Moon Rising

Grimm (and Nick) finally let Hank in on the secret in this episode – Wesen exist. Why Hank can see them is still a mystery, but with Monroe spending more time with Rosalee, it’s nice that Nick has someone else who understands (at least a bit) about what’s going on.

Full review here: Billie Doux: Grimm: Bad Moon Rising.

Continue reading Grimm – Bad Moon Rising

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TV Olympics: Favorite Hero/Villain Performance

In this penultimate round of the TV Olympics, we’re looking at actors who have excelled at playing both heroes and villains. Two distinct roles in two different shows were nominated, and now, based on those two performances, it’s time for you to judge which actor embraced their good guy and bad guy sides best.

I know there could have been other roles nominated for these actors, but I went with your suggestions – Nathan Fillion was nominated for Firefly, not Castle, and Jensen Ackles had more votes for Dark Angel than Smallville. There’s still room to nominate additional actors who have played both heroes and villains, but both roles must be on different TV shows (no movies), and the actor should be a main cast member in at least one of those shows.

Tomorrow, the final mini-poll event, cast-performed songs (nominate away, but avoid all-musical shows), will launch, and a week from then we will tally the medals and see who won the 2012 TV Olympics! The current top shows only have 6-8 medals so this is still very much any show’s game!

This poll will be open for one week, and you can choose up to 3 options. Please spread the word so your favorites will win medals, and be sure to vote in all our current Olympic polls!

What's your favorite hero/villain performance by the same actor on different shows? (Choose up to 3!)

Timothy Omundson - Carlton Lassiter (hero) on Psych, Phil Constantino (villain) on Jericho (31%, 878 Votes)
Jensen Ackles – Dean Winchester (hero) on Supernatural, Ben/X5-493 (villain) on Dark Angel (25%, 716 Votes)
Nathan Fillion - Malcolm Reynolds (hero) on Firefly, Caleb (villain) on Buffy the Vampire Slayer (9%, 263 Votes)
Christian Kane - Eliot Spencer (hero) on Leverage, Lindsey McDonald (villain) on Angel (8%, 240 Votes)
Tim DeKay - Peter Burke (hero) on White Collar, Kieran Ryker (villain) on Chuck (8%, 225 Votes)
Leonard Nimoy - Spock (hero) on Star Trek, William Bell (villain) on Fringe (5%, 155 Votes)
Tiffani Thiessen - Elizabeth Burke (hero) on White Collar, Valerie Malone (villain) on Beverly Hills, 90210 (3%, 90 Votes)
Ross McCall – Joe Liebgott (hero) on Band of Brothers, Matthew Keller (villain) on White Collar (2%, 64 Votes)
Sarah Michelle Gellar - Buffy Summers (hero) on Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Siobhan Martin (villain) on Ringer (2%, 60 Votes)
Gina Torres - Zoe Washburne (hero) on Firefly, Jasmine (villain) on Angel (2%, 55 Votes)
Michael Emerson - Harold Finch (hero) on Person of Interest, Ben Linus (villain) on Lost (2%, 44 Votes)
Morena Baccarin - Inara Serra (hero) on Firefly, Anna (villain) on V (1%, 38 Votes)
Enrico Colantoni - Keith Mars (hero) on Veronica Mars, Elias (villain) on Person of Interest (1%, 26 Votes)

Total Voters: 1,951

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TV Olympics: Favorite TV Animal

For this round of our TV Show Olympics, we’re looking at animals on TV! Whether furry or scaly, they often add color and dimension to the TV shows of which they are a part. This poll does not include characters who appear human most of the time but also can show up as animals – werewolves, shapeshifters, etc., but mythological animals are allowed.

For an animal to qualify for this poll, it has to appear in more than one episode of the show (which left out some nominated favorites from Psych, Supernatural, and NCIS). As usual, only live-action, scripted shows are included. If you have additional nominations, please put them in the comments!

Poll will be open for one week, and you can choose up to 3 of your favorite TV animals. Remember to keep checking the main event page for all the current polls and results!

What's your favorite TV animal? (Choose up to 3!)

Dragon - Merlin (28%, 108 Votes)
Satchmo - White Collar (11%, 43 Votes)
Marcel - Friends (7%, 25 Votes)
Kit - Charmed (5%, 18 Votes)
Pongo - Once Upon a Time (5%, 18 Votes)
Miss Kitty Fantastico - Buffy the Vampire Slayer (5%, 18 Votes)
Trailer - Warehouse 13 (4%, 17 Votes)
Chestnut - 2 Broke Girls (4%, 15 Votes)
Annie's Boobs - Community (4%, 14 Votes)
Vincent - Lost (4%, 14 Votes)
Lojack - Eureka (4%, 14 Votes)
Arnold - Green Acres (3%, 13 Votes)
Stella - Modern Family (3%, 13 Votes)
Happy - 7th Heaven (3%, 12 Votes)
Argo - Xena, Warrior Princess (3%, 12 Votes)
Yakult - Suburgatory (2%, 9 Votes)
Sammy - Revenge (2%, 9 Votes)
Dog - Petticoat Junction (1%, 5 Votes)
Burt Reynolds - Hart of Dixie (1%, 4 Votes)

Total Voters: 207

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Monday Madness: Favorite TV Villain

This Monday Madness, as nominated by Kathy Manno, we’re looking at TV villains! Some of these villains are pure evil, while others have a redeemable side and eventually begin working with the good guys – but please vote for them as a villain, not a hero! Some of these villains are so evil they can keep you awake at night, while others are so hilarious in their villainy that you almost want them to win.

This poll will be open for one week, and you can choose up to 10 of your favorite TV villains. 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-some options on this list, I know there are dozens of TV villains I left out! You can nominate villains I missed in the comments until Thursday night, and I may add them to the poll (villains from live-action scripted shows only, please).

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 25th.

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

Crowley (Mark Sheppard) - Supernatural (8%, 630 Votes)
Jim Moriarty (Andrew Scott) - Sherlock (7%, 572 Votes)
Lucifer (Mark Pellegrino) - Supernatural (6%, 535 Votes)
Rumpelstiltskin/Mr. Gold (Robert Carlyle) - Once Upon a Time (5%, 382 Votes)
Regina Mills/Evil Queen (Lana Parrilla) - Once Upon a Time (4%, 353 Votes)
Spike (James Marsters) - Buffy the Vampire Slayer (4%, 344 Votes)
Alastair (Christopher Heyerdahl) - Supernatural (4%, 316 Votes)
Azazel (Fredric Lehne) - Supernatural (4%, 309 Votes)
Dick Roman (James Patrick Stuart) - Supernatural (4%, 306 Votes)
The Master (John Simm) - Doctor Who (3%, 229 Votes)
Angelus (David Boreanaz) - Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel (3%, 227 Votes)
Matthew Keller (Ross McCall) - White Collar (3%, 223 Votes)
Ari Haswari (Rudolf Martin) - NCIS (3%, 215 Votes)
Drusilla (Juliet Landau) - Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel (2%, 202 Votes)
Phil Constantino (Timothy Omundson) - Jericho (2%, 169 Votes)
Sylar (Zachary Quinto) - Heroes (2%, 151 Votes)
Mr. Yang (Ally Sheedy) - Psych (2%, 146 Votes)
Damon Salvatore (Ian Somerhalder) - The Vampire Diaries (2%, 138 Votes)
Cole Turner (Julian McMahon) - Charmed (2%, 133 Votes)
Jim Sterling (Mark Sheppard) - Leverage (1%, 125 Votes)
Klaus (Joseph Morgan) - The Vampire Diaries (1%, 123 Votes)
Ben Linus (Michael Emerson) - Lost (1%, 122 Votes)
Glory (Clare Kramer) - Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1%, 120 Votes)
Sue Sylvester (Jane Lynch) - Glee (1%, 116 Votes)
The Smoking Man (William B. Davis) - X-Files (1%, 112 Votes)
George Foyet (C. Thomas Howell) - Criminal Minds (1%, 108 Votes)
The Gravedigger (Diedre Lovejoy) - Bones (1%, 103 Votes)
Mayor Wilkins (Harry Groener) - Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1%, 103 Votes)
Lindsey McDonald (Christian Kane) - Angel (1%, 103 Votes)
Anson Fullerton (Jere Burns) - Burn Notice (1%, 100 Votes)
Lionel Luthor (John Glover) - Smallville (1%, 90 Votes)
Red John - The Mentalist (1%, 86 Votes)
Russell Edgington (Denis O'Hare) - True Blood (1%, 80 Votes)
Katherine Pierce (Nina Dobrev) - The Vampire Diaries (1%, 80 Votes)
H.G. Wells (Jaime Murray) - Warehouse 13 (1%, 75 Votes)
Gormogon (Laurence Todd Rosenthal) - Bones (1%, 71 Votes)
The First - Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1%, 55 Votes)
J.R. Ewing (Larry Hagman) - Dallas (1%, 54 Votes)
Alexei Volkoff (Timothy Dalton) - Chuck (1%, 51 Votes)
Number Six (Tricia Helfer) - Battlestar Galactica (1%, 49 Votes)
Carla (Tricia Helfer) - Burn Notice (1%, 49 Votes)
Sheriff of Nottingham (Keith Allen) - Robin Hood (1%, 47 Votes)
Anna (Morena Baccarin) - V (1%, 43 Votes)
Daniel Shaw (Brandon Routh) - Chuck (1%, 43 Votes)
Louis Litt (Rick Hoffman) - Suits (1%, 42 Votes)
The Chameleon (Christopher Lambert) NCIS: Los Angeles (1%, 42 Votes)
Jasmine (Gina Torres) - Angel (0%, 41 Votes)
Boss Hogg (Sorrell Booke) - The Dukes of Hazzard (0%, 41 Votes)
Victoria Grayson (Madeleine Stowe) - Revenge (0%, 39 Votes)
Nina Meyers (Sarah Clarke) - 24 (0%, 38 Votes)
Adalind Schade (Claire Coffee) - Grimm (0%, 37 Votes)
Marie Barone (Doris Roberts) - Everybody Loves Raymond (0%, 37 Votes)
Noah Bennet (Jack Coleman) - Heroes (0%, 37 Votes)
Elias (Enrico Colantoni) - Person of Interest (0%, 35 Votes)
Alex Krycek (Nicholas Lea) - The X-Files (0%, 34 Votes)
Maryann Forrester (Michelle Forbes) - True Blood (0%, 32 Votes)
James MacPherson (Roger Rees) - Warehouse 13 (0%, 31 Votes)
Siobhan Martin (Sarah Michelle Gellar) - Ringer (0%, 31 Votes)
Amanda (Melinda Clarke) - Nikita (0%, 29 Votes)
Gul Dukat (Marc Alaimo) - Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (0%, 27 Votes)
Percy (Xander Berkeley) - Nikita (0%, 21 Votes)
Valerie Malone (Tiffani Thiessen) - Beverly Hills, 90210 (0%, 20 Votes)
Herrick (Jason Watkins) - Being Human (UK) (0%, 16 Votes)
Benny (Belita Moreno) - George Lopez (0%, 16 Votes)
Daniel Holtz (Keith Szarabajka) - Angel (0%, 15 Votes)
Weyoun (Jeffrey Combs) - Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (0%, 12 Votes)
Roan (Rob Stewart) - Nikita (0%, 9 Votes)
Roy Biggins (David Schramm) - Wings (0%, 8 Votes)
Peter Fleming (James Frain) - The Cape (0%, 7 Votes)
Kai Winn (Louise Fletcher) - Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (0%, 3 Votes)

Total Voters: 2,112

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Once Upon a Time Preview — Emilie de Ravin of Lost, Episode 12

Maybe I missed it somewhere (like not seeing a preview of this Sunday’s episode until now), but I had no clue until I read this post that Rumpelstiltskin was the Beast in Once Upon a Time’s Beauty and the Beast retelling.

My first reaction was a little bit horrified – how dare they ruin my favorite Disney fairy tale! But now I’m coming to see part of the genius of it. Everyone knows that the traditional Beast, despite his selfishness and anger management problems, is a big old softy at heart when it comes to Belle. Rumpelstiltskin, on the other hand, is truly someone to fear, and exactly the sort of person who would strike a deal to keep Belle locked away at his castle. It would take a very special and persistent person to soften his heart.

But I’m still glad there are two opportunities coming up this fall for a better Beauty and the Beast TV retelling.

Once Upon a Time Preview — Emilie de Ravin of Lost, Episode 12.

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Castle Season 4 Episode 14 Noir Photos

The noir Castle cast photo has been out for a while, but we’re finally getting a better look at the individual characters in this slideshow of photos. The 1947 flashback episode airs in two weeks (February 6th). It also stars Mark Pellegrino, whose work I’m most familiar with in the North American version of Being Human (he plays Bishop), but he has also had a reoccurring role on other shows, including Supernatural, Lost, and The Closer.

Castle Season 4 Episode 14 Noir Photos.

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Once Upon a Time Photos — Episode 12, 13

Ooo, some cool preview pics for February episodes of Once Upon a Time! Includes our first look at McNab from Psych as Gaston (above)! And how awesome is it that Belle (Lost’s Emilie de Ravin) is holding a book and wearing an off-the-shoulder yellow dress, so reminiscent of the animated movie version! Some of the pics (this is the only Beauty and the Beast one) are a little spoilerish, so look at your own risk. The article itself (pics are in a slideshow beneath it, so you’ll only see the non-spoiler first one) is less so.

Once Upon a Time Photos — Episode 12, 13.

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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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