The Big Bang Theory Archives - Page 4 of 5

Bones Returns in 2012 — Season 7 Return Date, April 5

Less than two months before Bones returns! It will replace its spinoff show, The Finder, which will finish its first season in March. Currently, IMDb has 13 episodes listed for The Finder, with the 12th episode airing the last Thursday in March, but they could easily play 2 episodes during one night to make up for it if IMDb’s information is accurate.

The Finder hasn’t been doing so well in the ratings, so I hope it will pick up soon. The fifth episode airs today. Four episodes in, it’s not yet “must watch” TV for me, but it’s quirky and lighthearted. It almost seems a better fit for USA Network than Fox. If I miss watching shows on Thursday, The Finder tends to be the second one I watch online the next day (right after The Big Bang Theory), which indicates I enjoy more than its competition (Person of Interest and The Office). At least House ending will add another slot to Fox’s fall schedule, which may improve The Finder’s chances of being renewed.

Bones Returns in 2012 — Season 7 Return Date, April 5.

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How Big Bang Theory Got the OK to Mock Zachary Quinto’s Spock

Fun little behind the scenes look at the latest episode (#100!) of The Big Bang Theory. And I think it’s awesome that the show bested American Idol in its first half hour. Was anyone a little confused by the episode though? And ticked that Settlers of Catan will be awkward from now on?

How Big Bang Theory Got the OK to Mock Zachary Quinto’s Spock.

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Ask Ausiello: Spoilers on NCIS, Grey’s, Glee, House, HIMYM, Five-0, Gossip Girl and More! – TVLine

Wow, so many good tidbits of info about future episodes of NCIS: Los Angeles, Suburgatory, Private Practice, and much, much more! (See list of tags for all the shows that come up in this fun article!)

Ask Ausiello: Spoilers on NCIS, Grey’s, Glee, House, HIMYM, Five-0, Gossip Girl and More! – TVLine.

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People’s Choice Awards 2012 Nominees – PeoplesChoice.com

Well, I told you all who I voted for this year – now to look at the results! Full results list with all the winners and nominees is linked at the bottom of this post.

FAVORITE NETWORK TV DRAMA

I voted for House, Supernatural won.

FAVORITE TV DRAMA ACTOR

I voted for both David Boreanaz and Nathan Fillion, and Fillon won!

FAVORITE TV DRAMA ACTRESS

I voted for Bones’ Emily Deschanel, but The Vampire Diaries’ Nina Dobrev won.

FAVORITE CABLE TV DRAMA

Pretty Little Liars won. I really wish it had been White Collar – an excellent show that more people should be talking about.

FAVORITE NETWORK TV COMEDY

I voted for both The Big Bang Theory and How I Met Your Mother, and HIMYM won.

FAVORITE TV COMEDY ACTOR

HIMYM continues conquer as Neil Patrick Harris won. I voted for both him and Jim Parsons.

FAVORITE TV COMEDY ACTRESS

Voted for Kaley Cuoco, but Glee’s Lea Michele won.

FAVORITE CABLE TV COMEDY

Don’t currently watch any, but Hot in Cleveland won.

FAVORITE TV CRIME DRAMA

Voted for my 3 favorite ones, all nominated this year: Bones, Castle, and NCIS. Castle won.

FAVORITE SCI-FI/FANTASY SHOW

I’d only seen Supernatural on this list, so I voted for it, and it won.

FAVORITE TV GUEST STAR

Katy Perry’s appearance on How I Met Your Mother won this, though I preferred Jim Carrey on The Office (wish he would have had more of a role).

FAVORITE NEW TV DRAMA

Surprised that Person of Interest won this! It’s a solid show that keeps improving, but hasn’t seem to create the buzz and fans that shows like Once Upon a Time (which I voted for) have.

FAVORITE NEW TV COMEDY

2 Broke Girls was my vote, and it won.

People’s Choice Awards 2012 Nominees – PeoplesChoice.com.

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TCA: What’s on NBC? “Community” and Mariska Hargitay. For Now. | IMDb TV

Testing out this new bookmarklet thing with good news about Community – NBC reassures fans once again that it’s coming back, and adds the news that it won’t be competing with The Big Bang Theory anymore – yay!

TCA: What’s on NBC? “Community” and Mariska Hargitay. For Now. | IMDb TV.

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Fall 2011 Comedy Verdicts

I just made a list of all the shows I’m behind on (it’s getting to be quite a few), but I quickly realized there is one type of show I haven’t put off watching – comedies! Of course, their usual 20-minute length makes them a bit more compatible with a busy schedule than a 45-minute show, but I believe it’s also because I’ve been in the mood to laugh. Continue reading Fall 2011 Comedy Verdicts

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People’s Choice Awards 2012

I like voting for things. Especially when they have to do with my favorite shows. So I thought I’d provide a quick rundown of this year’s People’s Choice Award Nominees. Just the TV section, mind you, and only the scripted shows. I usually haven’t seen most of the movies (I did vote for Thor over the very close choice of Captain America), and I’ve don’t listen to nearly all of the music artists.

FAVORITE NETWORK TV DRAMA

Pretty much a no-brainer that I was voting for House. Supernatural hasn’t captured my attention, and while The Good Wife looks like a solid show, I’ve never seen it (blame my lawyer aversion). And Grey’s Anatomy and The Vampire Diaries look FAR too soapy for me.

FAVORITE TV DRAMA ACTOR

How can I choose between David Boreanaz and Nathan Fillion? Fortunately, with this award, I can vote as often as I like, so I’ve been alternating between the two. Not so when the two face each other in Round 3 of TV Line’s “Ultimate Law-Enforcement Crushes Bracket Tournament.” I don’t know how I’ll pick. Nathan has Castle and Firefly and Dr. Horrible and now Much Ado About Nothing. David has Buffy the Vampire Slayer (I’m ignoring Nathan as Caleb since I hated him in that role) and Angel and Bones.

Hugh Laurie only gets a distant third in this category, and Ian Somerhalder and Patrick Dempsey are soundly ignored by me.

FAVORITE TV DRAMA ACTRESS

A very easy vote for Emily Deschanel. I haven’t even heard of some of the others on the list: Blake Lively, Ellen Pompeo, Eva Longoria, and Nina Dobrev.

FAVORITE CABLE TV DRAMA

Another super easy choice, as I only watch White Collar. Game of Thrones does sound good, though, and people have recommended Dexter to me. Don’t know about True Blood and Pretty Little Liars.

FAVORITE NETWORK TV COMEDY

The Big Bang Theory gets my vote most of the time for this one, but I’ll occasionally vote for How I Met Your Mother as well. Interesting that Dr. Horrible is competing against his sidekick, Moist. I only enjoy Glee for the music, Two and a Half Men is crude instead of funny, and I’ve never seen Modern Family.

FAVORITE TV COMEDY ACTOR

Hmm, Sheldon (Jim Parsons) or Barney (Neil Patrick Harris)? Same as above, I’ll usually tilt toward the Thursday night show but occasionally choose the Monday night one. Alec Baldwin, Chris Colfer, and Cory Monteith don’t make me laugh.

FAVORITE TV COMEDY ACTRESS

Kaley Cuoco wins hands down over Courteney Cox, Jane Lynch, Lea Michele, and Tina Fey.

FAVORITE CABLE TV COMEDY

I don’t currently watch any of these, though I used to watch Royal Pains (seriously, why is this a nominee instead of Psych?). I may come back to the show later, I’m just not a huge fan of medical shows (House is the only one I watch now) and not too fond of the main character (loved Evan and Divya, though). It does get my vote over the shows I haven’t seen: Hot in Cleveland, It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, Nurse Jackie, and Weeds.

FAVORITE TV CRIME DRAMA

When I first saw the nominees for this category, I thought, Are you kidding? I’ve mentioned several times on this blog that Bones, Castle, and NCIS are my top three crime dramas, and all three were nominated this year! I voted for each of them. I’ve only seen bits of CSI and Criminal Minds episodes.

FAVORITE SCI-FI/FANTASY SHOW

I’ve only seen Supernatural on this list, so I voted for it, but Fringe has been on my to-watch list for a long while. From what I’ve heard, I think I’d prefer True Blood to The Vampire Diaries (too bad my favorite currently-airing vampire show, Being Human, didn’t make the list), and since zombies bore me, The Walking Dead has only appeared on my radar since its ratings are good.

FAVORITE TV GUEST STAR

I loved Jim Carrey’s appearance on The Office, and would have much preferred his character to Robert California. Katy Perry’s appearance on How I Met Your Mother was funny, but I felt like most actresses could have played the role well. I didn’t see the appearances of Gwyneth Paltrow, Kristin Chenoweth, or Michael J. Fox.

FAVORITE NEW TV DRAMA

Twelve options is a lot to choose from, but Once Upon a Time has wowed me in all three episodes. Ringer is a close second and gets my vote every once in a while. Person of Interest has built slowly but is improving, and Grimm’s two episodes have been good enough for me to keep watching.

Out of the remaining shows, I’ve only seen Unforgettable, which I hated. Pilots sometimes don’t match the rest of a show, but I couldn’t even get halfway through episode two. I’ve heard good things about Pan Am, Terra Nova, and Revenge, but my “new shows to try out” list already had 11 shows on it (plus more than a dozen returning shows). Medically-minded Hart of Dixie and A Gifted Man didn’t sound like quite my thing, and neither did The Secret Circle or Prime Suspect.

FAVORITE NEW TV COMEDY

2 Broke Girls was super-easy choice for this category, though Suburgatory has been good and New Girl has been okay. Guessed to be not my cup of tea by the previews: Whitney, Up All Night, Last Man Standing, and Man Up. I don’t watch animated TV (the only way I think I ever would was if Joss Whedon created an animated show), so no Allen Gregory.

What did you vote for? Are there any shows mentioned that you think I should be watching?

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What TV Shows Are Like NCIS?

Of course it’s easy to say, there are no shows quite like NCIS – that’s why it’s so popular! (NCIS is currently the most-watched drama on TV in the US.) But that’s not helpful to you at all. What you really want to know is: If I like NCIS, what other shows will I like?

At its core, NCIS is a procedural drama with a strongly characterized team who solve interesting crimes. The same could be said for most of the shows listed under “Crime Drama” in the top navigation. Shows that come close to matching NCIS’s particular blend of humor, teamwork, and under-the-surface romance would be Castle and Bones. I consider these three shows to be my favorite crime dramas.

Looking for a little more than just TV’s best crime shows? Then answer me this: Who is your favorite character on NCIS?

If it’s Tony DiNozzo (Michael Weatherly), try Warehouse 13. Secret Service Agent Pete Lattimer (Eddie McClintock) could be Tony’s long-lost brother. Instead of solving murders, you’ll be recovering artifacts with supernatural capabilities, but don’t worry, there’ll be a few corpses and plenty of humor along the way.

If it’s Ziva David (Cote de Pablo), try Nikita. Maggie Q as Nikita may be even more deadly an assassin than Ziva. She’s trying to make up for her past wrongs, even if she has to take out some bad guys and cut some past ties to do it.

If it’s Timothy McGee (Sean Murray), try Chuck. McGee might not have government secrets and skills locked in his brain like Chuck Bartowski (Zachary Levi) does, but both are amazing with computers, not always super-smooth with the ladies, and share a love of geekdom.

If it’s Leroy Jethro Gibbs (Mark Harmon), try Blue Bloods. Police Commissioner Frank Reagan (Tom Selleck) hates the political games as much as Gibbs, and always knows just the right thing to say to his daughter. His son, Danny (Donnie Wahlberg) is stubborn to a fault and follows his gut.

If it’s Abby Sciuto (Pauley Perrette), try Buffy the Vampire Slayer. It’s the only show I can think of that has as many facets as she does, plus her love of everything goth fits in perfectly. It’s hilarious with a dark edge, and full of unique characters. Abby has Buffy’s (Sarah Michelle Gellar) father-daughter relationship, Willow’s (Alyson Hannigan) mad skills, and Anya’s (Emma Caulfield) cheerful and quirky mindset.

If it’s Donald “Ducky” Mallard (David McCallum), try Merlin. Not only does this British show match Ducky’s heritage, but Gaius (Richard Wilson) shares many characteristics with him: medical background, longwindedness, and a fierce loyalty. They both also become a mentor to the young men they teach.

If it’s Jimmy Palmer (Brian Dietzen), try The Big Bang Theory. Leonard Hofstadter (Johnny Galecki) has the same awkward, self-depreciating manner as Palmer, yet still manages to win over (at least eventually) the ladies. Though the science tends to be more theoretical than you’d find in autopsy, this week’s episode did include brain dissection.

If it’s Leon Vance (Rocky Carroll), try Covert Affairs. The agents doing field work hint at Vance’s past, while the political maneuverings touch on his present office. Like Arthur (Peter Gallagher) and Joan (Kari Matchett) Campbell, he’s an expert at negotiating and dealing with foreign agencies.

Who’s your favorite character? Do you agree with my choices of shows? Which shows would you match up with the cast of NCIS?

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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.

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Superhero TV Episodes

Yesterday’s episode of Castle was chock-full of geeky comic book superheroness. So today I thought I’d blog about those costume-clad episodes of TV shows we love. If I missed any, be sure to let me know in the comments!

For space, I’m not going to focus on the shows that are all about superheroes – whether reimaged comic classics (Smallville), new characters in ordinary clothes with various powers (No Ordinary Family, Alphas, Heroes), or masked vigilantes (The Cape). And I wasn’t going to mention Halloween episodes – but I couldn’t resist the few ones that popped into my head: Sheldon, Leonard, Raj, and Howard all dressing up as Flash (The Big Bang Theory). Abed becoming Batman (Community). And Brennan as Wonder Woman (Bones).

Castle – “Heroes and Villains”

A man attacking a woman gets sliced in half by a sword, and the team soon discovers it’s the work of a costumed vigilante. They’re a bit reluctant to go after someone who’s administering justice throughout the city, but things are not as they seem. The costume is from a character in a popular online-only comic (which I thought was a nice plug for a newer medium for comic books). Castle gets plenty of opportunities to geek out during the episode, and even Beckett shares what superhero she would be (Electra, to Castle’s Bruce Wayne), mentions the first comic book she bought, and is embarrassed to have revealed that she pre-ordered Castle’s Derrick Storm graphic novel. (Wow, this is the fourth season, and I just now made the connection that Rick Castle named his character DerRICK.)

Warehouse 13 – “Mild Mannered”

Sean Maher and Jewel Staite (Simon and Kaylee from Firefly) star in this episode where an artifact gives its wearer superpowers. Pete recognizes the costume as mimicking the Iron Shadow, one of his favorite superheroes, and generally revels in the comic-book aspect of this mission. He’s still waiting to receive his comic book collection from home, which may have gotten lost during shipping, but Myka surprises him with the rare Iron Shadow issue he’s missing.

Bones – “The Superhero in the Alley”

For some reason, when I heard about the Castle superhero episode, I thought they’d already done one. I think it was this episode I was remembering instead. Booth and Brennan try to figure out how a costumed teenager died, and Angela reconstructs the unfinished comic book found with him. Despite his geekish tendencies, Zack had never read comic books before, but he makes up for it in this episode. It’s interesting that several scenes from this season take place in a bowling alley, and the last episode that has aired to date was mostly set in a bowling alley as well.

Psych – “Shawn vs. the Red Phantom”

This episode goes beyond comic books to a full-blown convention. Shawn and Gus track a missing teenage boy there only to find he has disappeared as well. Clues point them to website reviews of superhero movies and eventually a villainous plot ripped right from the pages of a comic book. My favorite part of the episode is when Shawn turns his fake psychic powers in a show to get attendees’ attention, complete with help from Gus’s “magic head.”

Any other shows you can think of that have a superhero episode?

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Community – Biology 101

I fell in love with this unlikely comedy from episode one, and I’m looking forward to an amazing third season – even if they “have more fun and be less weird than the first two years combined.” (Though, wouldn’t that mean they could be more weird than either of the previous years, just not as much as both of them put together?)

Side note: I might have blogged about The Big Bang Theory instead today, especially since it had two episodes airing last night compared to Community’s one, but I just wasn’t impressed with its episodes. Too much raunchy stuff, reminding me that the show came from the same mind as Two and a Half Men. I really hope the rest of the season isn’t like that.

“Biology 101” offered two weird glimpses in to the mind of Jeff Winger, beginning with the crazy music opening quoted above. Hilarious to think that Jeff daydreams in musicals. The second is a monkey-gas-induced trip into the power of the study group table – but more on that later.

And yes, there shall be spoilers!

Dean Pelton steps into his new role as regular cast member with a new adversary, his vice-dean, played by John Goodman. I’m not all that fond of the dean, so I hope he doesn’t take over the show, but he’s tolerable and even funny in small doses, like Senor Chang. I loved it when Chang emerged from the air vent and said, “Don’t tell the monkey I live here.”

And Pierce is back! For good it seems, thanks to the events of this episode. For a bit it seemed like he was back to his nefarious ways, but no, he seems to have improved over the summer. The fight over the spot in the biology class was fun, though, even with Jeff’s weird vision of himself eating his cell phone and Pierce on his deathbed, still reaching for the study group table.

I like the new teacher. It’s nice that it seems the group will be actually learning something this year, as opposed to the craziness of having Chang, Betty White, and Duncan as teachers in the past. He even got Jeff’s attention, though admittedly, the reason Jeff paid attention is because he didn’t want to lose his study group.

It’s interesting, though – if the group needs the cohesiveness of taking the same class, does that make a fifth year of the show completely out of the picture? I just hope the ratings are good enough this year to at least get a fourth year and bring the series to a natural close.

A highlight of the episode is when Abed freaks out when he hears that Cougar Town won’t come back until mid-season. Britta hopes to comfort him with the British version, Cougarton Abbey, but fails to mention it’s only six episodes long. When the sixth episode of his “new favorite show” ends with everyone drinking hemlock, Abed becomes nearly catatonic. He finally snaps out of it when Britta introduces him to another British show that’s been airing since the 1960s, Inspector Spacetime (a clear parody of Doctor Who).

And Chang gets a new job as a security guard for the college. I love Jeff’s response to that: “Interesting. And this is the year we all die.”

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Fall 2011 TV Shows Anticipations

Fall TV is about to start for 2011! Here are some things I’m anticipating about the shows I plan to watch, in the order of their season premiere dates.

September 13

“Ringer”

I’m hoping this show will be as in-depth and multi-layered as Veronica Mars. I don’t think the show will make me laugh, but as skilled as many of the cast are with dramatic moments, it may make me cry. Previews gave away maybe a little too much of the pilot, but with 3 seasons planned of twists and turns, I expect to be surprised quite often. It has stiff competition in its Tuesday 9PM slot, but I foresee an early renewal.

September 14

“Free Agents”

Previews show this to lean toward the bawdy type of workplace comedy I usually avoid, but I love Anthony Stewart Head’s acting, so I’ll probably give this show at least two episodes to prove itself to me. And since The Office has flourished with its UK to US transfer, I’d say the odds for renewal are slightly greater than 50/50.

September 19

“How I Met Your Mother”

A great cast and hilarious hijinks make a few off episodes bearable, and I’m pretty content with not having met the mother yet, since that means the show can continue longer. The twist of another wedding should add interest for long-time viewers and keep them watching.

“2 Broke Girls”

As the only half hour show in its time slot, and paired with the popular “HIMYM,” this show should do well by default. I’m not expecting much from it, just a few laughs, but I would love to be pleasantly surprised.

“Castle”

I’m positive Beckett’s not dead, as the premise of this show would fall apart without her, but I hope the events of the final moments of last season will have far-reaching effects on this one. I am not looking forward to the new chief. The absence of station politics is one thing I enjoyed about the show, so rumors I’ve heard worry me. But it would take a lot more than that to make me stop watching this show. Hoping for some more Whedonverse guest stars and Firefly references this season.

September 20

“NCIS”

Can’t wait to hang out with the gang again. With the start of season nine, this show is the longest-running one I watch, and it’s stronger than ever. Starting out with emotional turmoil for DiNozzo sounds like a great way to begin the season.

“NCIS: Los Angeles”

Unlike its sister show, NCIS: LA is picking up right when the last season ended. The only thing I ask for season 3? Don’t get rid of Hetty. If I had one other wish, I’d love to see Nate back as a regular part of the team.

“The New Girl”

With two shows already competing for my Tuesday 9PM viewing, I wasn’t even going to look at this show, but with the other Deschanel sister not coming back until November, I probably will check out at least the pilot online. But with strong competition on every other broadcast channel, the ratings will probably be terrible enough to make a renewal unlikely. It’s one saving grace is that it’s the only comedy in its timeslot.

September 22

“The Big Bang Theory”

This show makes me laugh more than any other. And it’s one of those shows that while you know the two of the characters belong together, you don’t really care how many detours they take along the way, because it adds new dimensions to the show.

“Community”

I’m still mad at the networks for making this and the previous show compete. It’s a little sad to think that cast will be juniors this year, so the show is most likely halfway over. It was left up in the air whether Chevy Chase would return to the group, but if any of the main 7 characters had to go, I’d prefer him.

“The Office”

The show proved it could survive without Michael Scott at the end of last season, so I plan to keep watching. While not every episode tickles my funny bone, I love (some of) the characters enough to tuning into their workdays for as long as they’ll let me.

“Person of Interest”

An intriguing premise and Jim Caviezel are enough to put this show on my to-watch list for at least the first several episodes. With Bones starting late, this show has the potential to grab a few extra viewers. Most of my action shows tend to be summer ones, so I’m hoping this will be good. Need to know more before predicting renewal, though.

September 23

“Nikita”

The new season brings a twist to the dynamics of this show, with characters switching sides, but I’m confident Nikita will make it work. My one fear is Lyndsy Fonseca looking like a powder-puff villain next to Melinda Clarke. And the show has a month to establish some viewers before Chuck comes in to try and woo them away.

“Blue Bloods”

This show has a great cast and interesting episodes, but doesn’t have the compulsive watching quality many other crime dramas do. I hope the second season starts off with a bang and adds a layer of intrigue.

September 28

“Suburgatory”

Alan Tudyk is the only reason I’m checking this show out. The fact that it’s unlike most of the other shows I watch may help it stay on my list. But it’s kind of funny that the only Wednesday night shows I’m interested in air at the same time and pit Whedonverse actors against each other.

September 29

“How to Be a Gentleman”

I hated the first preview for this show, but the second was a little better, so I’ll still watch the pilot. I have my doubts about this one being a keeper, though.

October 2

“Homeland”

This will be the first Showtime TV show I’ve ever tried out. But with Damian Lewis (Life), Claire Danes, and Morena Baccarin (Firefly), how could I resist?

October 3

“House”

I’m curious who the show will bring in to replace Cuddy, and how House will get his job back. I almost feel like the show’s starting to wind down, which is a shame, but it’s had a good run. Of course, this next season could surprise me and pick up momentum again.

October 12

“Psych”

It’s been way too long of a hiatus for Shawn and Gus, so I’m really looking forward to the return of my favorite fake psychic, and the boatload of special episodes he brings with him.

October 21

“Chuck”

Back for a truncated 5th season, it’s nice that the show will have the chance to say goodbye. I’m looking forward to a hilarious season with Morgan’s new role.

“Grimm”

I love the idea of this show. But with cult favorites Supernatual and Fringe vying for the same slot with a month-long lead, the ratings will likely be terrible. (Whose bright idea was it to stack three speculative shows against each other?) The reviews for the pilot haven’t been great. No big-name actors or even geek favorites. And Friday nights are usually the death slot. The plus side is that it’s created by some guys responsible for much of Angel, and has a great lead-in show with Chuck. Since I didn’t catch up on Supernatural and Fringe this summer like I wanted to, I’ll definitely be watching this. I just hope the studio will focus on day+7 and online views when deciding how long to let it run.

October 23

“Once Upon a Time”

I’ve watched the preview for this show more than any other. I just hope it lives up to the beauty and intrigue that glimpse conveyed, and there are enough twists and turns to spawn multiple seasons.

November 3

“Bones”

Having caught up on this show, I’m excited to be finally watching it in “real” time, without spoilers to mess up my expectations. I’m hoping the baby mania won’t overtake the show, but I trust that it will be an awesome season.

November also brings the return of split season shows like Covert Affairs, Burn Notice, and Leverage.

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Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog

I’ve wanted to post about this for a long time, but I wanted the story (and songs!) to be fresh in my mind before doing so. My friend Anna had never seen it, so showing her was the perfect opportunity to relive the wonderful musical that is Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog.

Behind the scenes TV Breakroom stuff, ignore this paragraph if you wish: When I create posts for this blog, one of the first things I do after typing in the post title is select categories for the post (so I don’t forget to later). Cross-genre titles like Dr. Horrible always bring a bit of a quandary. Should I stick this under speculative, with the whole superheroes and villains and freeze rays aspect, or should it go under comedy, as it’s clearly hilarious? Or should I create a new category for musicals? I nearly did that, until I considered that the only other show that was likely to go in that category was Glee. Then I got the brilliant idea to create a new category for web series – shows like The Guild which start out online-only until they get popular enough to get on DVD, but don’t ever make to TV. With more and more people watching their shows online, web series are only going to grow and get better. I may not put all made-for-the-internet shows in this category, as I believe many of them will be able to hold their own in more descriptive genre categories, but it will be more for those shows with episodes that are shorter than than typical TV episodes (like The Guild) or shows that are standalone episodes (like Dr. Horrible).

Spoilers below the video for those who haven’t seen it! And if you haven’t seen it, why not? It’s free online in a number of places, and it’s your chance to experience a bit of Emmy-winning internet history. If you’d like a taste of what the show is like, without spoilers, watch the clip from the Emmys below:

The show starts out with a sympathetic villain (the titular Dr. Horrible, played by Neil Patrick Harris) practicing his evil laugh and connecting with his fans via a video blog. He has two goals in life – to be accepted into the Evil League of Evil, and to romance the girl of his dreams, fellow “laundry person” Penny (played by Felicia Day). But hindering him at every turn is his arch-nemesis, Captain Hammer (played by Nathan Fillion).

Dr. Horrible thinks that his two goals complement each other – if he can succeed at being evil, he’ll win her over. He sings about ruling the world with her, and later that, “She may cry, but her tears will dry, when I hand her the keys to a shiny new Australia.” (Bonus points for working the word “shiny” into the episode.) But the song “On the Rise” clearly shows how opposite their worldviews are.

Yet you still think of it as a comedy, where the underdog will, despite himself, win the day and get the girl in the end. But it isn’t. And that’s why the ending is so shocking, yet so right. Only one of Dr. Horrible’s goals can work out. He can choose to redeem himself, and win Penny, or he can be evil enough to join the League, and lose her. He fails to see that Captain Hammer really isn’t his nemesis, but it’s himself. Penny would have realized Hammer’s shortcomings soon enough.

But Dr. Horrible takes the direct path to what he wants – he has to kill someone to get into the League, and he can’t date Penny because she’s dating Captain Hammer. Killing Hammer solves all his problems. Yet in a cruel twist, the person who dies isn’t the man that he hates. It’s the woman that he loves.

And as he stands in shock next to Penny’s broken body, he sings, “Here lies everything, the world I wanted at my feet.” The next lines show that he’s talking about finally making it into the League, but the double meaning in the lyrics is clear. And in that moment, when choice is ripped away, he realizes that he would have chosen her.

Now villainy is all he has left. He changes his white lab coat for one that’s blood-red, and hides his eyes from the world. Yet in his final video blog, he’s dressed as Billy. And completely numb.

Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog cemented my Joss Whedon fandom. Before watching it, I was a Firefly fan, afterwards, I was willing to try out whatever his creative genius came up with. The show also led me to discover Felicia Day’s The Guild, and Neil Patrick Harris’ How I Met Your Mother. Also of note, Dr. Horrible’s sidekick, Moist, is played by Simon Helburg, Howard on The Big Bang Theory.

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TV Show Personality Quizzes

For a different twist, and since this is a weekend post, I thought I’d try something fun. BuddyTV just followed me on Twitter, so I stopped by their site and tried out a few of their TV show personality quizzes. I thought I’d share the results here.

Which How I Met Your Mother Character Are You?

More on How I Met Your Mother. Created by BuddyTV

No surprise here, though I think I might be more of a Ted if this was more of an internal personality test with less lifestyle questions.

Which ‘Leverage’ Character Are You?

Community – Laughter and Paintballs

Community didn’t do that great of a job winning me over with the show’s initial promos. I remember being bored and confused with the teaser. Maybe it was a better hook for those familiar with Joel McHale.

I don’t remember what pushed me to watch the first episode – perhaps a later, better ad. But I liked the show enough to keep watching, and eventually enjoyed it so much that I pre-ordered the first season months in advance.

I love how each of the characters has their own type of humor, and how different characters take turns pairing up in each episode so the dynamics are always fresh. Of course, my favorite pair is Abed and Troy. I love their 30 second clips at the end of most episodes – and those make a great introduction for people new to the show.

The show’s second season wasn’t quite as consistently good as the first, but the season’s best episodes really shined – and none more than the two-part season finale.

I was a bit skeptical when I heard they were doing another paintball episode. Hadn’t they already covered that well enough in the first season? I was afraid it would simply be a rehash of “Modern Warfare,” but, boy, was I wrong!

The first of the connected episodes, “A Fistful of Paintballs,” put an Old West spin on the slinging of color. The gang is dressed up for a Western-themed end-of-the-year picnic (with free ice cream), when a paintball competition, complete with six-shooters, is announced. The prize – $100,000 – sends the school into a frenzy. Add in a tale of alliances and betrayal, and epicness ensues.

The second episode, “For Few Paintballs More,” changes things up when hostile paintball assassins invade the school wearing white gear and masks. Yes, they look like Stormtroopers. Add in a Star Wars-esque rolling intro, tiny robotic paint launchers on wheels zipping through the halls, and Abed acting like Han Solo (complete with vest), and you have the best mashup of space opera and western since Firefly. (I’ll have to find out if Cowboys & Aliens tops it later.)

Community is just about tied with The Big Bang Theory for my favorite comedy show, and I really hate that they both air at the same time. So I won’t fault you if you don’t watch this on Thursdays this fall – but be sure to catch it online later!

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