Merlin Archives - Page 2 of 3

2012 TV Olympics Results

The results are in and the votes have been tallied! Tied for the most medals in our 2012 TV Olympics are Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Supernatural, with 9 medals each! But since Supernatural got 6 gold medals to Buffy’s 4, Supernatural is the winner!

In all, 31 shows went home with medals! Bones received the most medals without taking home a gold, 6. Angel, NCIS, and Psych each took home 5 medals. Once Upon a Time earned 4 medals. The remaining 24 shows took home 3 or less medals, with 20 of those shows only garnering one medal. Castle and Doctor Who took home 3 medals, while NCIS: Los Angeles and Fringe earned 2 each.

See below for the final medal count per show and individual winners for each event, with links to each of our 21 completed mini-polls.

Medal Count

[table id=1 /]

Poll Medalists

Cutest Couple Name

Gold – Tiva (NCIS)

Silver – Densi (NCIS: Los Angeles)

Bronze – Caskett (Castle)

Best Married Couple

Gold – John and Mary Winchester (Supernatural)

Silver – Snow and Charming (Once Upon a Time)

Bronze – Angela and Hodgins (Bones)

Favorite Newborn to Five-Year-Old Character

Gold – Hope (Raising Hope)

Silver – Christine (Bones)

Bronze – Michael (Bones)

Favorite Elementary-Aged Character

Gold – Henry (Once Upon a Time)

Silver – Young Shawn (Psych)

Bronze – Young Gus (Psych)

Favorite Musical Episode

Gold – “Once More With Feeling” (Buffy the Vampire Slayer)

Silver – “My Musical” (Scrubs)

Bronze – “Song Beneath the Song” (Grey’s Anatomy)

Favorite Animated/Alternate Media Episode

Gold – “Smile Time” (Angel)

Silver – “Lysergic Acid Diethylamide” (Fringe)

Bronze – “Digital Estate Planning” (Community)

Most Annoying Teen Character

Tied for Gold – Connor (Angel) and Dawn (Buffy the Vampire Slayer)

Bronze – Harmony (Buffy the Vampire Slayer)

Favorite Crossover Episode

Gold – Doctor Who (Torchwood, The Sarah Jane Adventures) – The Stolen Earth and Journey’s End

Silver – NCIS: Los Angeles (NCIS) – Random on Purpose

Bronze – The Finder (Bones) – Little Green Men

Favorite Halloween Episode

Gold – It’s the Great Pumpkin, Sam Winchester (Supernatural)

Silver – Code of Conduct (NCIS)

Bronze – Mummy in the Maze (Bones)

Favorite Thanksgiving Episode

Tied for Gold – Child’s Play (NCIS) and Pangs (Buffy the Vampire Slayer)

Bronze – Slapsgiving (How I Met Your Mother)

Best Vampire Effects and Rules

Gold – Supernatural

Silver – Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel

Bronze – True Blood

Best Werewolf Effects and Rules

Gold – The Vampire Diaries

Silver – Buffy the Vampire Slayer/Angel

Bronze – Teen Wolf

Favorite Dual Role

Gold – Angel/Angelus (David Boreanaz) – Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel

Silver – Willow/Vampire Willow (Alyson Hannigan) – Buffy the Vampire Slayer

Bronze – Snow White/Mary Margaret (Ginnifer Goodwin) – Once Upon a Time

Favorite Switched-Body Performance

Gold – Jared Padalecki as Lucifer – Supernatural

Silver – Matt Cohen as Michael – Supernatural

Bronze – Joanne Kelly as Pete and Eddie McClintock as Myka – Warehouse 13

Favorite TV Animal

Gold – Dragon (Merlin)

Silver – Satchmo (White Collar)

Bronze – Marcel (Friends)

Favorite Dad/Daughter Duo

Gold – Castle and Alexis (Castle)

Silver – Eli and Ziva (NCIS)

Bronze – Max and Temperance (Bones)

Favorite Mother/Son Duo

Gold – Martha and Castle (Castle)

Silver – Emma and Henry (Once Upon a Time)

Bronze – Madeline and Michael (Burn Notice)

Favorite Father/Son Duo/Trio

Gold – John and Dean/Sam (Supernatural)

Silver – Henry and Shawn (Psych)

Bronze – Walter and Peter (Fringe)

Favorite Mother/Daughter Duo

Gold – Ellen and Jo (Supernatural)

Silver – Jackie and Rose (Doctor Who)

Bronze – Amy and River (Doctor Who)

Favorite Hero/Villain on Different Shows

Gold – Timothy Omundson: Carlton Lassiter (hero) on Psych, Phil Constantino (villain) on Jericho

Silver – Jensen Ackles: Dean Winchester (hero) on Supernatural, Ben/X5-493 (villain) on Dark Angel

Bronze – Nathan Fillion: Malcolm Reynolds (hero) on Firefly, Caleb (villain) on Buffy the Vampire Slayer

Favorite Cast-Performed Song

Gold – “Shout” sung by Shawn and Gus (Psych)

Silver – “Thinking of You” sung by Eliot (Leverage)

Bronze – “Dead or Alive” sung by Dean and Sam (Supernatural)

Share this post:

TV Olympics: Favorite Father/Son Duos

For this round of our TV Olympics (our final poll will launch Sunday), we’re looking at father/son duos! There are a few trios in this poll, since for several of these dads, the bond between both sons seemed equally strong. For others, one father/son relationship seemed more dynamic that the other (and hence more worthy of the term “duo”).

This poll is for actual fathers (biological and adoptive, but not simply father-figures), and since the relationship between dad and son is a key part of the poll, they need to have appeared in a number of episodes together, and infant sons are excluded. If you know of any duos you believe should be in the poll, leave their names and the show in a comment!

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

What's your favorite father/son duo? (Choose up to 3!)

John and Dean/Sam - Supernatural (27%, 269 Votes)
Henry and Shawn - Psych (27%, 264 Votes)
Walter and Peter - Fringe (15%, 144 Votes)
Alan and Don/Charlie - Numb3rs (9%, 92 Votes)
Jackson and Jethro - NCIS (6%, 61 Votes)
Jonathan and Clark - Smallville (3%, 34 Votes)
Uther and Arthur - Merlin (3%, 32 Votes)
Marvin and Marshall - How I Met Your Mother (3%, 28 Votes)
Nathan and Jamie - One Tree Hill (3%, 27 Votes)
Stephen and Chuck - Chuck (2%, 24 Votes)
Cliff and Theo - The Cosby Show (2%, 17 Votes)
Frank and Danny - Blue Bloods (1%, 9 Votes)
Vince and Trip - The Cape (0%, 3 Votes)

Total Voters: 582

Loading ...

Share this post:

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

Loading ...

Share this post:

2012 TV Olympics

Welcome, voters! TV Breakroom is hosting an Olympic-themed competition between scripted live-action TV shows, and you decide which shows take home the medals!

Every day during this event, a new mini-poll will launch, and you’ll have one week to vote. The top three answers in each mini-poll will receive medals (gold, silver, and bronze), which will be awarded to their respective shows.

Here on the main event page, you will find:

Links to current and past polls
Schedule of upcoming polls
Medal winners for completed polls
Up-to-date medal tally by show

You may want to bookmark this page and come back to it over this four-week event! Here you can also add late nominations in the comments for current and upcoming polls.

Event is Over!

Click here for our results post.

Medal Count

[table id=1 /]

Poll Medalists

Cutest Couple Name

Gold – Tiva (NCIS)

Silver – Densi (NCIS: Los Angeles)

Bronze – Caskett (Castle)

Best Married Couple

Gold – John and Mary Winchester (Supernatural)

Silver – Snow and Charming (Once Upon a Time)

Bronze – Angela and Hodgins (Bones)

Favorite Newborn to Five-Year-Old Character

Gold – Hope (Raising Hope)

Silver – Christine (Bones)

Bronze – Michael (Bones)

Favorite Elementary-Aged Character

Gold – Henry (Once Upon a Time)

Silver – Young Shawn (Psych)

Bronze – Young Gus (Psych)

Favorite Musical Episode

Gold – “Once More With Feeling” (Buffy the Vampire Slayer)

Silver – “My Musical” (Scrubs)

Bronze – “Song Beneath the Song” (Grey’s Anatomy)

Favorite Animated/Alternate Media Episode

Gold – “Smile Time” (Angel)

Silver – “Lysergic Acid Diethylamide” (Fringe)

Bronze – “Digital Estate Planning” (Community)

Most Annoying Teen Character

Tied for Gold – Connor (Angel) and Dawn (Buffy the Vampire Slayer)

Bronze – Harmony (Buffy the Vampire Slayer)

Favorite Crossover Episode

Gold – Doctor Who (Torchwood, The Sarah Jane Adventures) – The Stolen Earth and Journey’s End

Silver – NCIS: Los Angeles (NCIS) – Random on Purpose

Bronze – The Finder (Bones) – Little Green Men

Favorite Halloween Episode

Gold – It’s the Great Pumpkin, Sam Winchester (Supernatural)

Silver – Code of Conduct (NCIS)

Bronze – Mummy in the Maze (Bones)

Favorite Thanksgiving Episode

Tied for Gold – Child’s Play (NCIS) and Pangs (Buffy the Vampire Slayer)

Bronze – Slapsgiving (How I Met Your Mother)

Best Vampire Effects and Rules

Gold – Supernatural

Silver – Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel

Bronze – True Blood

Best Werewolf Effects and Rules

Gold – The Vampire Diaries

Silver – Buffy the Vampire Slayer/Angel

Bronze – Teen Wolf

Favorite Dual Role

Gold – Angel/Angelus (David Boreanaz) – Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel

Silver – Willow/Vampire Willow (Alyson Hannigan) – Buffy the Vampire Slayer

Bronze – Snow White/Mary Margaret (Ginnifer Goodwin) – Once Upon a Time

Favorite Switched-Body Performance

Gold – Jared Padalecki as Lucifer – Supernatural

Silver – Matt Cohen as Michael – Supernatural

Bronze – Joanne Kelly as Pete and Eddie McClintock as Myka – Warehouse 13

Favorite TV Animal

Gold – Dragon (Merlin)

Silver – Satchmo (White Collar)

Bronze – Marcel (Friends)

Favorite Dad/Daughter Duo

Gold – Castle and Alexis (Castle)

Silver – Eli and Ziva (NCIS)

Bronze – Max and Temperance (Bones)

Favorite Mother/Son Duo

Gold – Martha and Castle (Castle)

Silver – Emma and Henry (Once Upon a Time)

Bronze – Madeline and Michael (Burn Notice)

Favorite Father/Son Duo/Trio

Gold – John and Dean/Sam (Supernatural)

Silver – Henry and Shawn (Psych)

Bronze – Walter and Peter (Fringe)

Favorite Mother/Daughter Duo

Gold – Ellen and Jo (Supernatural)

Silver – Jackie and Rose (Doctor Who)

Bronze – Amy and River (Doctor Who)

Favorite Hero/Villain on Different Shows

Gold – Timothy Omundson: Carlton Lassiter (hero) on Psych, Phil Constantino (villain) on Jericho

Silver – Jensen Ackles: Dean Winchester (hero) on Supernatural, Ben/X5-493 (villain) on Dark Angel

Bronze – Nathan Fillion: Malcolm Reynolds (hero) on Firefly, Caleb (villain) on Buffy the Vampire Slayer

Favorite Cast-Performed Song

Gold – “Shout” sung by Shawn and Gus (Psych)

Silver – “Thinking of You” sung by Eliot (Leverage)

Bronze – “Dead or Alive” sung by Dean and Sam (Supernatural)

Share this post:

Top 15 Favorite Non-Original Cast Members

As chosen by you, the voters, here are the top 15 favorite non-original cast members! I expanded this list from 10 to 15 because six of the top 10 were from two related shows. Feel free to consider #11-15 honorable mentions if you’re a top 10 purist. 🙂

The poll, while it didn’t quite receive the most votes, set a new record for most-viewed poll (and post) to date – and all in one week! Thanks to everyone who voted, and especially to those who spread the word about the poll!

Here are the results!

#15 – Marty Deeks (Eric Christian Olsen) from NCIS: Los Angeles

Continue reading Top 15 Favorite Non-Original Cast Members

Share this post:

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

Loading ...

Share this post:

Top 10 Favorite TV Couples – Speculative

In a hard-fought battle by fans (only the winner was helped out with actor retweets), two Firefly couples and THREE Once Upon a Time couples made it into the top 10! And don’t forget, the top 20 couples from this poll will battle against the top 20 couples from realistic shows later on this year!

Here are the winners, chosen by you, the voters:

#10 Wash (Alan Tudyk) and Zoe (Gina Torres) – Firefly

Continue reading Top 10 Favorite TV Couples – Speculative

Share this post:

Monday Madness: Favorite Non-Original Cast Members

This Monday Madness, we’re looking at non-original cast members! Sometimes these characters replaced fan favorites who had left the show (for plot, personal, or business reasons), and often their presence upset the show’s dynamics. Many had a difficult time being accepted by long-time fans of the show, while with others it seemed like they had always been a part of the story. But, begrudgingly or with open arms, we learned to love most of these characters, and now you get to choose which ones are worthy of recognition!

This poll will be open for one week, and you can choose up to 10 of your favorite characters who joined their shows later on. Be sure to spread the word so your favorites will make it into the top 10!

Even though there are 50-some options on this list, I know there are dozens of characters I left out! You can nominate people I missed in the comments, and I may add them to the poll. I tried to limit this mostly to characters who joined after the complete first season, though with shorter-running shows I was more lenient. 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 11th.

UPDATE: this poll has ended. Vote for this week’s poll here: Favorite TV Dads.

Who is your favorite character who joined their show later? (Choose up to 10!)

Spike (James Marsters) - Buffy the Vampire Slayer (9%, 3,410 Votes)
Castiel (Misha Collins) - Supernatural (8%, 3,064 Votes)
Winifred "Fred" Burkle (Amy Acker) - Angel (5%, 1,712 Votes)
Anya (Emma Caulfield) - Buffy the Vampire Slayer (4%, 1,606 Votes)
Oz (Seth Green) - Buffy the Vampire Slayer (4%, 1,602 Votes)
Ziva David (Cote de Pablo) - NCIS (4%, 1,557 Votes)
Lorne (Andy Hallett) - Angel (4%, 1,481 Votes)
Woody (Kurt Fuller) - Psych (4%, 1,437 Votes)
Tara Maclay (Amber Benson) - Buffy the Vampire Slayer (3%, 1,230 Votes)
Amy Farrah Fowler (Mayim Bialik) - The Big Bang Theory (3%, 1,096 Votes)
Dr. Lance Sweets (John Francis Daley) - Bones (3%, 1,059 Votes)
Gwaine (Eoin Macken) - Merlin (3%, 1,045 Votes)
Amy Pond (Karen Gillan) - Doctor Who (3%, 995 Votes)
Blaine Anderson (Darren Criss) - Glee (2%, 827 Votes)
Marty Deeks (Eric Christian Olsen) - NCIS: Los Angeles (2%, 727 Votes)
Bernadette Rostenkowski (Melissa Rauch) - The Big Bang Theory (2%, 585 Votes)
Jessica Hamby (Deborah Ann Woll) - True Blood (2%, 555 Votes)
Ben Linus (Michael Emerson) - Lost (1%, 549 Votes)
Dr. Remy "Thirteen" Hadley (Olivia Wilde) - House (1%, 522 Votes)
Emily Prentiss (Paget Brewster) - Criminal Minds (1%, 519 Votes)
Dr. Camille Saroyan (Tamara Taylor) - Bones (1%, 507 Votes)
Nell Jones (Renée Felice Smith) - NCIS: Los Angeles (1%, 503 Votes)
Alcide Herveaux (Joe Manganiello) - True Blood (1%, 491 Votes)
Sir Leon (Rupert Young) - Merlin (1%, 479 Votes)
Dawn Summers (Michelle Trachtenberg) - Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1%, 476 Votes)
Sir Percival (Tom Hopper) - Merlin (1%, 456 Votes)
Col. Potter (Harry Morgan) - M*A*S*H (1%, 445 Votes)
David Rossi (Joe Mantegna) - Criminal Minds (1%, 431 Votes)
Lois Lane (Erica Durance) - Smallville (1%, 429 Votes)
Capt. B.J. Honeycut (Mike Farrell) - M*A*S*H (1%, 416 Votes)
Jess Mariano (Milo Ventimiglia) - Gilmore Girls (1%, 389 Votes)
August W. Booth (Eion Bailey) - Once Upon a Time (1%, 363 Votes)
Natalie Teeger (Traylor Howard) - Monk (1%, 347 Votes)
Andy Bernard (Ed Helms) - The Office (1%, 346 Votes)
Jenny Shepard (Lauren Holly) - NCIS (1%, 323 Votes)
Paige Matthews (Rose McGowan) - Charmed (1%, 319 Votes)
Woody Boyd (Woody Harrelson) - Cheers (1%, 305 Votes)
Jesse Porter (Coby Bell) - Burn Notice (1%, 287 Votes)
Leon Vance (Rocky Carroll) - NCIS (1%, 259 Votes)
Riley Finn (Marc Blucas) - Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1%, 258 Votes)
Sara Ellis (Hilarie Burton) - White Collar (1%, 256 Votes)
Ben Wyatt (Adam Scott) - Parks and Recreation (1%, 252 Votes)
Dr. Jennifer Keller (Jewel Staite) - Stargate Atlantis (1%, 245 Votes)
Logan Huntzberger (Matt Czuchry) - Gilmore Girls (1%, 240 Votes)
Alex McHugh (Mekenna Melvin) - Chuck (1%, 236 Votes)
Maj. Charles Winchester (David Ogden Stiers) - M*A*S*H (1%, 230 Votes)
Dr. Jackson Avery (Jesse Williams) - Grey's Anatomy (1%, 227 Votes)
Erin Hannon (Ellie Kemper) - The Office (0%, 177 Votes)
Steve Jinks (Aaron Ashmore) - Warehouse 13 (0%, 163 Votes)
Rosalee Calvert (Bree Turner) - Grimm (0%, 159 Votes)
Dr. Chris Taub (Peter Jacobson) - House (0%, 127 Votes)
Dr. April Kepner (Sarah Drew) - Grey's Anatomy (0%, 126 Votes)
David Hodges (Wallace Langham) - CSI (0%, 124 Votes)
Hal (Damien Molony) - Being Human (UK) (0%, 115 Votes)
Ben Grogan (Ryan Johnson) - Fairly Legal (0%, 112 Votes)
Tom (Michael Socha) - Being Human (UK) (0%, 107 Votes)
Olivia Kendall (Raven-Symoné) - The Cosby Show (0%, 85 Votes)
Dr. Amelia Shepherd (Caterina Scorsone) - Private Practice (0%, 85 Votes)
Tom (Bob Cledenin) - Cougar Town (0%, 80 Votes)
Jo Danville (Sela Ward) - CSI: NY (0%, 78 Votes)
Rebecca Howe (Kirstie Alley) - Cheers (0%, 76 Votes)
Walden Schmidt (Ashton Kutcher) - Two and a Half Men (0%, 70 Votes)
Tuck (David Harewood) - Robin Hood (0%, 55 Votes)
Valerie Malone (Tiffani Thiessen) - Beverly Hills, 90210 (0%, 52 Votes)
Sgt. Baker (Kenneth Washington) - Hogan's Heroes (0%, 12 Votes)

Total Voters: 8,576

Loading ...

Continue reading Monday Madness: Favorite Non-Original Cast Members

Share this post:

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

Loading ...

Continue reading Monday Madness: Favorite TV Couples – Speculative

Share this post:

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?

Share this post:

New Fall 2011 Comedies

The litmus test for a comedy is simple: does it make you laugh? This fall I’ve tried out 5 new comedies: Free Agents, 2 Broke Girls, Suburgatory, How to Be a Gentleman, and New Girl. Here’s a quick rundown on what the shows are like and whether they’re worth watching.

New Girl

Laugh rating: A smirk here and there

Fox’s ultra-cutesy comedy about a clueless young woman (Zooey Deschanel) who moves in with three guys after she finds her boyfriend cheating on her. I almost didn’t watch a second episode after I cringed through most of the pilot. Deschanel’s usual quirkiness is pushed way over the top, and her character’s habit of randomly singing quickly became the most annoying thing about the show. Fortunately Jess dials back the singing a bit in episode 2, which was more enjoyable but didn’t put the show on my “will watch” list. I may try a third episode if I’m in the mood for something lighthearted, but the Hallmark movie moments at the end of the episodes tip the scales toward likely not. But if you’re into silly, heartwarming comedies, you might want to give New Girl a try. The three roommates (one who previously played Leo on Veronica Mars) and their frustration with and big brother attitudes toward Jess, are easily the best part of the show.

Free Agents

Laugh rating: Laughing out loud

This isn’t the type of show that would normally catch my interest, but I checked it out solely because of Anthony Stewart Head (Giles on Buffy the Vampire Slayer and King Uther on Merlin). I’m so glad I did! The pilot was more raunchy than I would have liked, but the second episode toned it down some, and the third episode was just about perfect. The acting on this show is just superb. The two leads (Hank Azaria and Kathryn Hahn) say more with their faces in one scene than many shows do in entire episodes (Person of Interest – I’m looking at you!). I’ve heard complaints that the writing in the pilot isn’t so great, but the following episodes stepped things up. (Besides, I think this cast could make reading a cereal box funny.) The side characters are a bit stereotypical, but the show knows that and has fun with it.

The third episode, “Dr. Hu,” made me laugh more than this season’s first 3 episodes of The Big Bang Theory (which I previously considered my favorite currently-airing network comedy) combined. First, they made a lovely Doctor Who joke out of the therapist’s name. Second, watching the irrepressible Emma take over the umbrella ad campaign was hilarious, and I loved her going crazy at the idea of having to pitch. Third, Tony Head made a joke about American sports (which made me flash back to Giles making fun of football – “strap on forty pounds of protective gear just in order to play rugby”). Fourth, Alex and Helen’s individual arguments with Dr. Hu were fun, but nothing compared to their joint meltdown in front of him at the restaurant. And I love that they went from yelling at each other to blaming him, and then settled down to a normal “date.” Fifth, the security guard demonstrating how dangerous an umbrella can be added the perfect closing note to the episode.

How to Be a Gentleman

Laugh rating: A few smiles

Unlike the previous shows, I’ve only gotten to see the pilot of this show, most of which was spoiled by the promos. So I may change my mind about it. This show works best when contrasting the two main characters, uptight etiquette columnist Andrew, and gym rat and former bully Bert. I hope Bert’s efforts to bring Andrew into modern times doesn’t ruin their Odd Couple charm. My favorite part of the show is Andrew’s voiceovers about how a gentleman should behave. I’m not too fond of Bert, or sold on Andrew’s family, and the jokes got a little raunchy for my taste, but I’m going to give it at least another episode.

Wow, while checking names for this post I just realized the actor who plays Andrew, David Hornsby, is married to Emily Deschanel (Bones). But seriously, Henry Hornsby? How could they do that to a kid?

Suburgatory

Laugh rating: Some snickering

Like Free Agents (with which it shares a time slot), I checked out this “out of my normal type” of show because of a Whedonverse alum, this time Alan Tudyk (Firefly, Dollhouse). He plays a friend of the dad, and I’ve only seen the pilot of this as well, so I’m not sure how much of a role he’ll have in the show. The premise of the show is fun – a motherless teenager from the heart of the city moves to the suburbs with her dad, and enters a world of overly cheerful, plastic, stay-at-home moms and their mall-trotting daughters. At the end of the pilot she seems to be more okay with her new life, but I hope the show doesn’t lose its fish-out-of-water edge. I’ll definitely be watching the next episode, but most likely online. (Though if I want to help out Free Agents, whose ratings are low, it’s probably better that I watch on Hulu where they can track my viewing than on TV, where they won’t.)

2 Broke Girls

Laugh rating: Chuckling

Just as How to Be a Gentleman brings reminders of The Odd Couple, 2 Broke Girls seems to reimagine another classic show about two working girls who share an apartment – Laverne and Shirley. While Shirley was never rich, her prim and proper ways match Caroline’s very well, and Max’s no-nonsense ways seem very Laverne-esque. The show isn’t all that unique, and neither are the characters and the setting, but for some reason the over-the-top acting just works, and the show manages to feel fresh and relatable at the same time. Caroline may be ditzy, and Max may have a tough exterior, but they both have enough heart to make their unlikely friendship believable. I also love the gimmick of having their earnings toward the cupcake shop add up at the end of each episode.

My verdict: I’m definitely going to keep watching Free Agents and 2 Broke Girls. It’s highly likely that Suburgatory will make it on my list too, but I have to see more than one episode to know for sure. I”ll probably give New Girl and How to Be a Gentleman one more episode to prove themselves to me, but I’m quite likely to drop them as I run out of time to watch shows.

Share this post:

Buffy the Vampire Slayer – Welcome to the Hellmouth and The Harvest

Okay, I finally caved. As soon as I finished the final episode of Angel, I wanted to go back and rewatch Buffy the Vampire Slayer from the beginning. I managed to hold off for several months by rewatching some of my favorite episodes, reading many of the comics, and watching various shows featuring Buffy alums (Bones, Veronica Mars, Tru Calling). But after reading a fellow blogger’s review of season one, the allure grew too strong.

I’m going to take things a bit more slowly this time. I’m also not planning to watch the later seasons in tandem with Angel, except for perhaps a few key crossover episodes. I simply enjoy Buffy more, and all the flipping back and forth got to be annoying. Plus I’ve already seen the first season of Angel twice.

I’m also hoping to review each episode as I go through, most likely writing about several episodes in each post.

“Welcome to the Hellmouth” and “The Harvest”

What is widely considered the show’s weakest season opens with a two-part introduction to Sunnydale High, the main characters, and of course vampires. This was my third time watching the two episodes. The first time I thought it was decent but campy, and the vampires creeped me out. The second time I enjoyed seeing Alyson Hannigan from How I Met Your Mother and Anthony Stewart Head from Merlin in different roles, but it bored me a little.

I guess third time’s the charm, because this time around I loved it.

Oh, sure, I still thought the vampires were stupid and I still consider The Master one of the most unimaginative villains of all time, but I wasn’t watching the episodes for them. I was watching to see Buffy meet Xander and Willow and Giles and Angel for the very first time. Knowing now all they’d eventually go through together made the episodes amazing.

I hadn’t remember Angel seeming so much of a wimp. Knowing that his fighting skills are pretty much even with Buffy’s, his inaction in these episodes seems ludicrous, especially with what’s at stake. Of course, it could partly be him trying to keep his true nature a secret from Buffy, but the end of the world is a bit more important. Darla seemed too easily cowed as well, though she at least held her own in a fight.

Even this early on, the dialogue was snappy and distinct, a fitting beginning for what would eventually become known as “Slayer Slang.” A few choice bits:

“Gee, can you vague that up for me?”

“I didn’t say I’d never slay another vampire. It’s not like I have all these fluffy bunny feelings for them, I’m just not gonna get way extracurricular with it.”

Willow: Do you have Theories in Trig? You should check it out.
Xander: Check it out?
Willow: From the library. Where the books live.

It was also fun getting a brief glimpse of Harmony, knowing who she would become in later seasons. But in all the flashbacks we’ve gotten of main vampires, it seems weird that there’s no mention (at least that I remember) of Luke. You’d think a vampire that powerful and connected to The Master would have been around for a while. Trivia note: the same actor plays the Judge in season 2.

In all, not the best first episode for someone new to the show (unless you’ll be able to convince them to keep watching no matter how they feel about season one), but a must-see for fans. It makes me excited for the rest of the season.

Share this post:

What I Will Watch in Fall 2011

Now that CBS has finally posted its fall 2011 schedule, I have a good idea what I’ll be watching come September. Most of the time, of course, I will watch shows online the day after they air, but if I get a chance to watch them live, this will be my schedule.

Sunday

8PM – Once Upon a Time – ABC

This fairy tale meets modern life sounds like it has promise, and I love the promos.

Monday

8PM – How I Met Your Mother – CBS

8:30PM – Two Broke Girls – CBS

9PM – House – Fox

10PM – Castle – ABC

Chuck’s move to Fridays and House’s move to 9 finally makes my Mondays conflict-free (though I imagine Chuck’s ratings would have greatly improved with House’s move – seriously, is it any wonder the show wasn’t doing well against BOTH House and HIMYM?). Two Broke Girls sounds interesting, and will nicely fit in my half-hour gap.

Tuesday

8PM – NCIS – CBS

9PM – NCIS: Los Angeles – CBS

9PM – Ringer – The CW

CBS was smart not to mess with its Tuesday domination. Both shows had awesome finales Tuesday night, and NCIS: LA was finally renewed yesterday. I was a bit worried that they were going to off Jimmy Palmer in the NCIS finale, but Los Angeles ended with the more dramatic cliffhanger, making me anxious for season 3. I will have a hard time deciding what to watch at 9, but the CW’s terrible online viewing experience may tip the scale toward Sarah Michelle Gellar’s Ringer.

Wednesday

8:30PM – Suburgatory – ABC

8:30PM – Free Agents – NBC

I will be checking out these two shows solely for their Whedonverse alums: Suburgatory features Alan Tudyk (Firefly and Dollhouse), while Free Agents stars Anthony Stewart Head (Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Merlin).

Thursday

8PM – The Big Bang Theory – CBS

8PM – Community – NBC

8:30PM – How to Be a Gentleman – CBS

9PM – The Office – NBC

9PM – Bones – Fox

9PM – Person of Interest – CBS

Thursdays are still full of conflict. As usual, I probably will watch The Big Bang Theory live and Community on Hulu when both are airing new episodes. How to Be a Gentleman sounds promising, and I probably would have checked the show out anyway even if it didn’t perfectly fill a half-hour gap (the promo, however leaves a bit to be desired). Watching Bones will depend on if I catch up on back seasons of the show over the summer. The Office’s penultimate episode of season 7 proved that the show can still be hilarious without Michael Scott, so I plan to keep watching. Jim Caviezel (The Count of Monte Cristo, The Passion of the Christ) stars in Person of Interest, and the sneak peek was excellent.

Friday

8PM – Nikita – The CW

8PM – Chuck – NBC

9PM – Grimm – NBC

10PM – Blue Bloods – CBS

It seems a bit odd, having such a solid line-up of shows for a Friday night. Blue Bloods has proved it can hold its own on the evening, but its family vibe makes it a more likely choice for those who stay in Friday nights. I suspect the young-adult-aimed Chuck won’t do as well, but since it’s the final season of the show the numbers aren’t as important. And it’s pitted against fellow action show Nikita, which also doesn’t seem like a good Friday night fit. Grimm has a tough shot against both a cop show and TWO speculative fan favorites, Fringe and Supernatural (which even I may be watching instead if I have time to check them out this summer).

USA’s Psych typically counts as a summer show, it doesn’t sound like it will be starting until August or September this year (since it’s cable, I won’t be watching it live, though). There are a few other shows on the major networks and some mid-season pickups I also plan to check out if I have time.

Share this post:

NBC’s Fall 2011 Lineup

So after the grim news of last week’s cancellations, NBC looks toward the future by announcing its fall lineup. Out of the new shows, The Playboy Club, Whitney, and Up All Night don’t interest me at all based on just the descriptions. I watch so many crime dramas a show needs to offer something unique to catch my attention, and Prime Suspects’ hook about a woman trying to break into the boys’ club of a police precinct makes me yawn.

Grimm, on the other hand, offers a storybook twist – bringing fairy tale villains to the world of crime scenes and witness statements. Does this plug sound at all familiar: “The last of a long line of chosen ones must fight legendary creatures few others know exist while maintaining a normal life and keeping the presence of the creatures a secret”? My mind instantly drew parallels to Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and it’s not surprising that two of the show’s creators helped produce Buffy and Angel. The cast doesn’t have any big names to draw viewers, but hopefully they will bring in some geekdom guest stars. It’s also in the Friday night death slot, but has a decent lead-in show with Chuck. This year’s cancelled supernatural show meets cop drama, The Cape, also followed Chuck. Here’s hoping Grimm will do far better than The Cape (though I’m trying not to get my hopes up, since The Cape had Summer Glau and Monday nights, while Grimm does not). I also would love it if Grimm got a taste of Buffy-inspired humor.

NBC’s other new show, Free Agents, didn’t catch my attention with its premise as a comedy about two coworkers, one recently divorced and the other who lost her fiance, and their fumbling attempts to get back into dating. But their boss is Anthony Stewart Head (Giles from Buffy the Vampire Slayer and King Uther from Merlin)! The previews confirmed that he keeps his accent, and there was even a brief mention of Sarah Michelle Gellar in one, which tipped the show into “definitely watch the pilot” territory. And since I lost one NBC workplace comedy with the cancellation of Outsourced, it seems only fitting that NBC should provide another.

The unscheduled pickup, Awake, also looks good. Jason Isaacs plays a man caught between two alternate realities. In one, his wife died in a car accident. In the other, it was his son who died in the accident.

In addition to dumping Chuck and Grimm onto Friday nights, NBC made another schedule error by keeping Thursday nights annoying and choppy. They kept Community at 8, which will conflict with The Big Bang Theory if CBS keeps it at the same time, and then plunked Parks and Recreation between it and The Office. I hate half-hour gaps of shows I don’t like between shows I like. But at least they’re providing some worthy substitutes for the shows they axed.

Share this post:

Bones vs. Smallville – Initial Thoughts

I know two episodes isn’t always enough to find out whether you’ll like a show, but since pilots often differ from typical episodes, I think most shows should be given at least two chances to hook a viewer’s interest (of course, some shows are so terrible they don’t deserve even one full episode, but I’m more talking about a “meh” reaction to a pilot). I know I wish I’d given Buffy more episodes to grow on me, though the fact that I sought out other Joss Whedon shows right afterward hints that it simply was vampires creeping me out.

With my supernaturally-inclined shows all over for good or for the season (The Cape, Merlin, V, No Ordinary Family, and Being Human), and having finished my Buffy/Angel marathon, it seemed like a good time to try out Smallville. So I watched the first two episodes. And yawned.

To be fair, it probably wasn’t a good idea to watch Smallville so soon after falling in love with the Buffyverse. Smallville had big shoes to fill, and true to its name, it didn’t measure up. It didn’t have humor. Or suspense. The dialog was stilted and predictable. Good characters had no flaws and bad ones, no virtues. The country setting didn’t appeal to me either.

Since I’d watched one Superman movie, I was able to pick up on the hints of mythic origin, and thought they were rather well done – until they decided to paint them bolder as if screaming “Get it?” at me. And since I didn’t really care about the elements that would make up Superman’s future (unlike the elements in the Star Wars prequels that made me enjoy them – R2D2, C-3PO, Palpatine’s rise to power, meeting Lars and Beru), I lacked a sense of wonder at their arrival.

I liked the music. Lex and Chloe seemed like they could become interesting characters. But that was it. I may try to make it to a third episode, if only for the fact that James Marsters (aka Spike) will eventually show up on the show. But considering that won’t happen until season 5, and he’s only in there for 14 episodes, I doubt it. Maybe if I’m really, really bored.

To make up for the disappointment of Smallville, I decided to try watching Bones instead. Yes, I already was watching eight other crime dramas, but only one of them focused on the FBI. I’d heard Bones was good several times. It starred David Boreanaz (aka Angel). And Netflix had every past season on watch instantly.

A few minutes into the pilot, I knew I had found a gem. The chemistry and arguments between Brennan and Booth reminded me of Castle and Beckett. The humor and camaraderie of Brennan’s team made me think of NCIS. (And Castle and NCIS just happen to be my two favorite crime dramas.) I watched the second episode just to make sure this show wasn’t too good to be true.

Already, with her brilliance, beauty, and social awkwardness, Dr. Temperance Brennan seems to have so many layers waiting to be uncovered. I love her “I don’t know what that means” line. And she’s a writer!

Seeing David Boreanaz in a different role is nice (since as Angel he tended to live in a perpetual state of angst, with brief periods of dorkiness and pure evil). Many shows tend to paint FBI agents as “by the book,” so it’s refreshing to have the cop being the one who goes by gut instinct.

Four episodes. Two shows. One clear winner.

Share this post: