When it rains, it pours: April TV

Wondering what to do with rainy April? Well, luckily for you, the TV gods have aspired to fill your every waking hour with new and exciting TV! And I, being your TV blogger goddess, have created this handy little guide to watching it.

I prefer offerings with a peep toe and four inch heel.


Bringing the drama: History style

This April brings the premiere of three soapy historical dramas, Showtime's The Borgias, Starz's Camelot, and the (geekily) awaited Game of Thrones on HBO. All big budget affairs with recognizable faces, early critical reviews seem to indicate you can't go wrong with any, but if you're like me and don't actually subscribe to these pay channels, you want to make sure your time scouring the internet is worth it. So:

If you like soapy, sexy, dangerous liaisons: go with The Borgias, starring Jeremy Irons as the newly crowned (and not particularly devotional, obviously) Pope something. Seriously, do you care which one?

Not when this is his kid, you don't.

If you want mythological sci-fi goodness with a literary pedigree: Game of Thrones, based on the much-loved book series of the same name and with actors you'll recognize from things like the Lord of the Rings trilogy.

Somewhere in between/I just want to watch stuff with Joseph Fiennes: Camelot

Yes, I miss the hair too. But he's still all broody and intense-eyed. Sigh.

Movies on TV

Not like, "Hey, FX, thanks for showing Fantastic Four 2: Rise of the Silver Surfer again!" but like:

The Killing, AMC

This Dutch-show-based murder mystery is a 13-part series (2 hour premiere on April 3rd) about a female homicide detective (Big Love's Mireille Enos) investigating the death of a young girl. Sounds formulaic, but with Cold Case exec Veena Sud at the helm, the big cast of characters and their secrets should keep things interesting.

Burn Notice: The Fall of Sam Axe, USA

Premiering on April 17th, this TV movie follows everybody's favorite former Navy SEAL when he still was one, kicking ass and taking names in Central America. I adore Bruce Campbell, so I'm already on board with this Burn Notice prequel, but I don't imagine it offers many surprises. Danger, explosions, and quips, oh, my!

The Kennedys, Reelz Channel

The much publicized miniseries starring Greg Kinnear and Katie Holmes as the titular couple probably won't have slipped past your radar, but its final location might. Due to the major cable players backing off this controversial property, tiny network Reelz managed to scoop it up on the cheap. If you like a little historical inaccuracy and a lot of soapy drama with your biopics, you'll dig this miniseries starting April 3rd. That is, if you can find it.

Sitcom madness!

The Office- Though the arrival of Will Ferrell on April 13th will soften the blow, it's still going to hurt when Steve Carell puts in his final performance on April 28th. We'll cross our fingers that the Will Arnett-is-taking-over rumors turn out to be true, but tune in to what is bound to be a hilarious (and probably tearful, at least for me) exit.

Don't go!

Cougar Town- In muuuuuuuuch better news, Cougar Town is back! The cul-de-sac crew returns on April 18th, bringing back one of the best sitcoms on TV. If you haven't watched before now, don't let the title keep you away; grab your giant wine glass and join in the funny!

Yeah, I guess that's big enough. It's only a half hour show.

New shows- Breaking In, the new sitcom starring Christian Slater premiers on April 6th on FOX, and is getting surprisingly (based on his last few TV outings) spectacular reviews. Hopefully it will make a better addition to the Fall 2011 schedule than the floundering Traffic Light. The awaited Happy Endings shows up to join ABC Comedy Wednesdays on April 13th. This was the show I rated most highly on my Spring TV Preview, so tune in to see how I did! Also, The Paul Reiser Show debuts on NBC on April 14th. Expect a cancellation notice on April 15th. Seriously, NBC, can I help?

Dear NBC, It is not 1997. Sincerely, ALL OF US

Quick Hits: Fairly Legal hottie (and BSG alum) Michael Trucco will guest on How I Met Your Mother on April 18th, Michael Keaton is coming to 30 Rock's 100th episode on April 21st, and Community is having a flashback episode! Also, Glee producers are in talks to show an extended episode on April 26th for the show's next Gaga outing, "Born This Way" (though not exclusively Lady songs, she will feature heavily).

So what do you think, Freaks? Are you getting new remote batteries and preparing to indent the couch?

Love and Marriage

So how awesome was last night's The Office?  My heart was so filled with fluffy love bunnies I shed an actual tear of sweetness. So cute. I love Holly and Michael together. Mostly because I like Michael a lot more when Holly is around.

I love it when weird people find their match.

So in honor of the adorable newly engaged couple, let's give them a list of people to look up to:


Top Ten Married Couples on TV



Virginia and Burt Chance, Raising Hope

Sure, they had a shotgun wedding as teens because of an unplanned pregnancy, but they've stayed in love while raising their son to have his own unplanned pregnancy. OK, maybe not great parents, but this sweet and clueless couple makes marriage look easy.

Any day now they're going to snap.

Brenda Lee Johnson and Fritz Howard, The Closer

They share a passion for their work and each other, and I love the silly and realistic fights they have. Plus, doesn't Fritz have the patience of a saint? He got her a new cat, he tries to make sure she eats dinner, and he looks after her parents every time they are in town, because you know she's running off to a murder scene. Man, there are a lot of murders in L.A.

"Sweetie, I can't go to the Getty, it's Saturday! I've got 37 dead hookers to deal with!"

Jack Donaghy and Avery Jessup, 30 Rock

The Reagan wet dream of marriages, these power-hungry conservatives might lead their own lives most of the time, leaving baby Liddy with the Trinidadian nanny, but when they are together? Fireworks. In red, white, and blue, natch.

"Yes, yes! I hate commoners too!"

Ellie and Andy Torres, Cougar Town

On the surface this couple seems like the epitome of bumbling moron and his bitchy wife, but the truth is much sweeter. They genuinely love each other, and Andy brings out the blink-and-you-could-miss-it vulnerable sweet side of Ellie. I miss you, show.

There is not enough awkward and snarky high-fiving on my TV without you.

Clay Morrow and Jemma Teller Morrow, Sons of Anarchy

These tough leather-clad characters stick together while dodging the law, rival biker gangs, and occasionally their own family members. Because, hey, nothing says "I love you" quite like "I'll help you cover up a murder".

Happy anniversary, honey, I got you a woodchipper and some bleach!

Peter and Ellie Burke, White Collar

This supportive couple seems to really like each other, which I'm a big fan of, and their genuine affection is rivaled only by my serious girl crush on Tiffani Thiessen.

She has smile lines! On her face!

Jim and Pam Halpert, The Office

Ok, I know a lot of people have felt that Jim and Pam have become smug and obnoxious in the last few seasons, but I can't agree. I adore the two of them and their eye rolling looks of amazement. I cheered when they got together, I teared up when he proposed, and I loved every second of their crazy double wedding. Yay, PB&J!

I want to cry just looking at this picture. Don't judge me.

Lily Aldrin and Marshall Erikson, How I Met Your Mother

The real heart of the show, this long-standing couple supports each other through thick (Marshall's Dad's passing) and thin (Marshall's adoption of a possum) and delights in their own weirdness. Mr. and Mrs. Awesome, indeed.

Mr. and Mrs. Awesome-Margarita are pretty cool too.

Christina and Adam Braverman, Parenthood

The parents' marriage is a mess, as are most of the kids' (Julia's poor little brow-beaten husband!) but Adam and Christina seem to be able to put up with not only the craziness of their family but the flaws in each other as well. And she thinks his dancing is cute! That's love.

Marriage: Dealing With Shit.

The Dunfees, The Pritchett-Tuckers, and The Pritchetts, Modern Family

I could not pick just one of this show's great couples, so I'm adding them all to the list. I adore how real these marriages seem to me, and how clearly these couples love each other. From Phil and Claire, who I think both must be the most patient people alive, to Cameron and Mitchell, who balance each other out perfectly, to Jay and Gloria, who gave each other a second chance at happiness; these couples just make me believe in happy beginnings.

There is one or more persons in this picture that I would like to adopt.

Now, quick, before I get even more sappy, yell at me for who I forgot!

TV Bland

So Donald Faison is going to star with Kristin Johnson in a new sitcom coming to TV Land.

This is very sad to me.

Look, I don't want poor Faison to be sitting at home thinking about how much he hates Zach Braff for going off to be a movie star, but TV Land? Really?

This surge in "old fashioned" sitcoms airing on TV Land freaks me out. It worries me that lots of people are watching, and that awards shows are nominating the cast. Why? Well, let me be honest:

They are terrible.

I tried to watch Hot In Cleveland, I did. I like Jane Leeves, I like Wendy Malick, and Betty White is a funny old lady. (I have no feeling about Bertinelli. Literally, not a single feeling.) Plus, John Schneider was on the pilot, and I've thought he was hot ever since Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman.

Suck it, Sully.

Unfortunately, the show is just one giant cliche. I can see the jokes coming a mile away, and even when they get there, at their absolute funniest they only warrant a mild chuckle. Retired at 35 is so bad it's too good for the dad from Just Shoot Me, forget the amazing Jessica Walters.

Vapid, inane, insipid. Thanks, 9th grade SAT prep!

The plethora of shows in development over at TV Land (including the new Fran Drescher project, because we all missed her so much) make me nervous because I think sitcoms have gotten progressively better over the last ten years, and I don't want to lower the bar. I don't want to go back to a TV landscape filled with comedy that appeals to the lowest common denominator.

Ok, fine, Two and a Half Men is on my TV, but those of us with intelligence still have plenty to choose from. What's amazing about sitcoms right now, like 30 Rock, Community, and How I Met Your Mother, is that the writers expect me to have a basic working knowledge of pop culture, current events, and even the show's past to get the jokes. Following in the gilded footsteps of groundbreakers like Will and Grace and Arrested Development, this intelligent humor creates a richer show as well as bigger laughs from me.

Reinventing the television landscape, one never-nude at a time.

Even a show like The Big Bang Theory, which seems formulaic on the surface (being a multi-camera show filmed in front of an audience) makes jokes about comic book characters, movies, politics, and physics. That's right, physics. Community's humor stems from not only the humorous lines the characters say, but from the referential staging, costuming, and lighting. We're all in on the huge joke, but the joke has layers.

Those layers are what has elevated humor in recent years. No longer is sitcom humor based purely on the stupidity of Tim Taylor or the catchphrases of the Olsen twins. With shows like The Office and Modern Family, yes, we laugh at the stupidity of Kevin or Phil, but we are laughing with Jim or Claire. I think it's part of the reason that sitcoms now are better able to give us heart without giving us schmaltz; characters aren't as black and white as they used to be and neither are the resoloutions. It's more like real life.

And I like that.

What, your life isn't like this?

None of this is to disparage great shows that really pushed boundaries in the past, like Golden Girls, All In the Family, or The Cosby Show, but this new stuff just feels different, doesn't it? Honestly, pop culture references are how I talk to my friends, and sometimes I wish there was a camera to make a face to when someone in my life has a Phil Dunfee moment. I want to laugh at characters and about them, and above all to feel like I know these people.

I do, really.

I'm just not saying who's who.

Gleeking Out

It's Friday! Let's get listy.

Top Ten Glee Plot Point Songs

In honor of this week's amazing Glee episode, which gave us great original songs, great character moments, and that kiss, this weeks' list is going to break down some of the show's best moments in numerical format. Please do not get me wrong. I loved "Forget You", I loved Brittany absolutely killing "Slave 4 U", and I love pretty much everything Blaine has ever sung. (I really love Darren Criss. Perhaps to a scary degree.) But this list is not the best of all Glee performances, it's the top ten best songs that were really used as plot points. Glee doesn't always go the "musical" route, with characters singing their feelings to the audience, and unlike some viewers, I'm actually OK with that. But I also appreciate the moments where the show is willing to step away from hit songs and themes, and just give us heartfelt performances that stick with us.


1. "Like a Virgin"

The Madonna episode was the best of what the theme idea had to offer, in that it felt organic to what was happening on the show. This song was shared by Rachel and Jesse, Finn and Santana, and Will and Emma, all of whom were trying to deal with the big decision. Great vocally, interesting stylistically, and fun.

2. "Dancing With Myself"

I love Artie. This brought a tear to my eye, and I thought it was not only a great song for Kevin McHale's excellent voice, but a great way to showcase the character's issues without being too melodramatic about it.

I'll dance with you, Artie. Unless Darren Criss is available, then you are on your own.

3. "Set Me Free"

A phenomenal song choice for Quinn to sing while dealing with her pregnancy/Finn/Puck drama, and the only time the Cheerios ever worked for me as back-ups.

Ok, not the best picture to prove my point.

4. "Dream On"

With the incomparable NPH killing the vocals on this and the song giving Matthew Morrison a rare chance to shine as well, this is one of my favorite songs on this list. I love the song as a rivalry, and the ridiculous staging makes it all the more amazing. Awesome.

5. "I Want To Hold Your Hand"

Kurt's most heartbreaking performance (in a long list of options) you have a heart made of stone if this doesn't make you a little misty.

6. "Defying Gravity"

Another stellar moment from Kurt and the first of the show's Diva-offs (honorable mention to the Mercedes/Rachel "Take Me or Leave Me") this song already gives me goosebumps, but lyrically is exactly what I want to hear from these two outcast characters.

Wow. Pictures do not really work with this, huh?

7. "To Sir With Love"

I would venture to guess that much of the audience watching this show had never heard this song, but it was an amazing choice to cap the season and to remind us how much all of the characters had grown in the first year. It was the perfect way for the kids to thank Mr. Schue for bringing them together. Plus, Matthew Morrison acts the hell out of this moment.

8. "Teenage Dream"

The introduction to Blaine and Kurt's first sense of comfort after leaving McKinley High, this was a great intro, and one of several examples where I prefer the Glee version to the original song. And Chris Colfer is absolutely brilliant in this moment. Oh, god! It makes my heart hurt.

9. "Get It Right"

One of the two original songs the New Directions performed at Regionals this past week, this awesome power ballad is one my favorite Rachel moments. Plus, it is just a really well written song. God, I heart power ballads. I loved "Loser Like Me" too, but this one makes the list for it's involvement in the Rachel/Finn/Quinn triangle. Anybody else over that, BTW?

10. "Don't Stop Believing"

The song that started it all, and the show's anthem. Look at how young they look!

So what do you think, my Gleek Freaks? What did I miss?


(Thanks to CS and MBM!)

Let's get personal!

Hello, my lovely Freaks. This Friday, I thought I would do something a little different, and offer up a glimpse into my own personal TV fanaticism. I always find that annoying personal questions asking someone to rank their favorite things in numerical format are a great way to get to know them. And to weed out people who can't deal with my conversational anal-retentiveness.


My Top Ten Favorite TV Shows of All Time


You will notice that I said favorite above; this is on purpose. I do not claim that these shows are the best of television, though some of them are, but they are the shows I love the most. The shows I've watched and re-watched over and again, my TV comfort food. (Actual comfort food: Kraft Macaroni and Cheese) I love these shows like old friends, I can quote them mercilessly, and occasionally they make me realize things about my life and the world that I didn't know before. Or if not, then they make me smile after a bad day.

Which is good enough for me.


1. Friends

I'm honestly just not even sure where to begin about Friends. The show ran from when I was 12 until I was 22, which makes it pretty important as my favorite show during some formative years. I think it's also the show I have re-watched the most on this list, because it is the ultimate in comfort TV for me. I even watched episodes with French subtitles while alone abroad because I only had two "Best of" DVDs, and you gotta break that up somehow. The show, at its best, was hilariously funny, and even at its worst, still felt full of people I cared about.

I've seen this cast photo 100 times, and just realized that Aniston is wearing a sheet. Why? 

2. Will and Grace

This show was original, smart, and ballsy as hell. I spent the first four seasons of this show looking forward to it as the best part of my week, and I have spent many years laughing at it since then. Yes, it fell apart somewhat with the arrival of the baby plot and the (evil) Leo. But it became such a part of me and my friendships (Hi, CS!) that it feels like a reference for my life. Plus, it always has the perfect bitchy retort or witty comeback when I need it. 

3. The West Wing

What Will and Grace is to my college friendship, The West Wing is to the one with my Dad. It's a bonding experience, a point of reference for how we see the world and what we believe in. We believe in smart TV that is written by people who don't insult our intelligence, we believe in characters that struggle with big issues and life questions that sometimes don't have answers, and we believe that even the people doing the most important jobs in the world need to know how to laugh at themselves. West Wing was smart and funny, thoughtful and powerful, and dared to ask serious questions. Well, at least until Aaron Sorkin got kicked off for trying to take shrooms onto a plane. What was that I said about smart people?

Just be glad I did not use the fan-made collage of the cast as Star Wars characters.
Alison Janney was Chewbacca.

4. Sports Night

Aaron Sorkin also wrote the brilliant but cancelled Sports Night, a behind the scenes at a Sports Center type show. If you have not watched this show, do yourself a favor and Netflix it right now. Starring the later-to-be-famous Peter Krause, Josh Charles, and Felicity Huffman, this show is so smart and so funny I can't help but to break it out and re-watch every couple of years. I find something new to love about it every time I do.

I miss you, show. You were so much better than Studio 60.

5. Buffy the Vampire Slayer

Yesterday was the 14th anniversary of the airing if Buffy, which feels weird to me because I just managed to watch it last year. I became an instant fanatic. No, really. It was kind of a problem. It's just a super addictive show, with big twists and smart writing. Plus, sexy vampires. I also love it because it is one of those shows that everyone who has watched it in its entirety is willing to debate fervently, which I adore, and proceeded to do lots of after having watched it. For the record, I didn't hate Riley but I think Spike is hot; I loved Tara but I always missed Oz; and while "Hush" scared the crap out of me, I think "The Body" is one of the single best episodes of television ever.

Oh, god. We will not discuss the fan-made art found on this one.

6. Charmed

Before I delved into the Buffy world, I watched this campy knock-off version a million times. I love Charmed for being an unabashed guilty pleasure, for being light and silly and fun where Buffy was serious. There were crazy clothes, and time traveling escapades, and demons in Armani suits. Addictive guilty TV at its very best.

Seriously, what are you wearing, Milano?

7. Psych

While Monk really put USA on the map as a cable network with original programming, Psych was the one that really hooked me in. I adored Dule Hill on The West Wing, so I gave this show a shot on its premiere, and found a fun, sweet show with lots of pop culture references and self-referential humor. I love the chemistry between Hill's Gus and James Roday's Shaun, and I appreciate the show's willingness to embrace its own silliness to make me laugh. (For more on USA network's shows, check out my previous post here.)

8. How I Met Your Mother

HIMYM is full of more characters who feel like my friends, and it never fails to make me laugh. It's got genuine heart to it as well, with an eye to how real friendships work, and as I'm about the same age as the characters, can have moments of real poignancy in my life. I love the catchphrases and the crazy stories, and the fact that they sit at the same table every night, and that no matter what happens the characters support each other. I honestly don't really care how Ted meets the Mother, I just want to keep watching him having fun with his friends.

Whatever, Dad, tell us more about Barney and Robin!

9. LOST

LOST was not without its problems, and I still don't know how I feel about the finale, but it was one of the most audacious TV shows ever. It aimed high, and while it didn't always hit its mark, it left me with complicated characters dealing with difficult demons and a sense of mystery that it still maintains. I imagine it will still be a while before I can watch again, (I'll have to be ready to do some Juliet-related crying) but I will always think this show is the best idea of what TV can be.

I cried more here than I did watching Titanic, and I was a 14 year old girl when that movie came out.

10. Bones

Bones is not your average procedural due mostly to the chemistry between leads Emily Deschanel and David Boreanaz. I adore the banter and the tension, and while I'd be perfectly happy for our will-they-won't-they couple to just go ahead, I know part of what has made the show so dear to me is the way it has toyed with my heart. I appreciate Bones for its humor, and while I have a list of complaints a mile long of the recent season, I still love every episode. I can always turn it on and enjoy it.

Which, I guess, is really all I'm looking for.

Yep. That's all I'm looking for.

Note from Meg: Apparently, in my scatterbrained rush to post, I completely forgot a vital addition to this list: Alias.

How in the hell did I forget this hotness? I am ashamed.

I apologize to my lovely Lady A, and assure all of my fellow Freaks that I love JJ's second TV outing with as much fervor as one can love a show (that's an uncomfortable amount for me) and that I have watched it many, many times over. Particularly the green shirt episode. Alias-lovers, you know which one I mean. Hotness.

Like Frasier, not Joey

Happy Friday, Freaks! This week's top ten is a good one, so let's all give a round of applause to the brilliant fellow TV Freak known as Dad.

Top Ten TV Characters Who Should Get Their Own Spin-Off


1. Justin Walker, Brothers and Sisters

B&S is about done, and thank goodness, because the show as a whole is on its' last leg, creatively. In fact, about the only character development the writers have bothered to do in the last year or two is with Justin, who has gone from being a spoiled brat to a mature, interesting character with genuine baggage. (Not the fake Sarah kind of baggage. Oh, my life is hard with my hot French fiance!) Now that he's an EMT, move him very very far away from all of the rest of them and give him a crew to ride around with in the back of an ambulance, saving lives.

Huh. That leaves a lot of people in this picture that I do not give a crap about.

2. Eliot Spencer, Leverage

This one has lots of options, thanks to the enjoyable Christian Kane. You could have him go solo back to his Kentucky roots, or give him a hot new girl partner to traverse the globe while kicking ass. Mostly, just the ass kicking part. My favorite option is a buddy cop style spy show with Hardison. How much fun would that be?

Ok, not as original as I thought.

3. Alexis Castle, Castle
Played with great humor and depth by young actress Molly Quinn, Alexis would absolutely be able to carry a show on her own. It would be a huge loss to Castle, because one of the show's best elements is the relationship between Alexis and her father, but she's going to have to go off to college sometime, right? Why not make her roomies with...

4. Haddie Braverman and Amber Holt, Parenthood

Often my favorite characters on the show, Amber and Haddie are also the only ones I would be interested in watching outside of the family structure. I see a Felicity type college-set drama, learning life lessons and dealing with guys. Are you listening, NBC? Seriously, it's better than what you have on. (Ahem, The Cape, ahem.)

See? The angst could reach Angela Chase-like proportions.

5. Kelly Kapoor, The Office

Kelly is my favorite side character on The Office (although I do love Erin too). I love her pop culture-isms and her blatant shallowness. I love how boy-crazy she is. I just think she's hilarious. I would totally watch her spin off where she moves to a paper company in a small town but tells them all she's from New York City, and tries to be all Carrie. "Who am I? I'm Kelly Kapoor, the business bitch."

All business, bitch.

6. Danny Williams, Hawaii 5-0

Scott Caan is wasted as Danny Williams, the only good thing on this pretty but terrible show. Pack up his kid, send him back to policing the streets in Jersey, and let him be a real cop. He'll be the first guy since Jerry Orbach to pull off those crime scene puns!

"Guess he won't have to pick up the dry cleaning! Get it? Cause he's dead."

7. Evan R. Lawson, Royal Pains

Royal Pains is a nice little show, but Evan (Paulo Costanzo) is definitely the best part of it. He could marry Paige, (the adorable Brooke D'Orsay) and spend his time trying to fit  into her super rich world. And coming up with crazy business schemes. And having more costume parties! That looked like fun. Somebody throw me a Great Gatsby party.

Oh, hilarious rich people!

8. April Rhodes, Glee

Kristin Chenowith only appeared as the awesome April Rhodes twice on the hit musical, but she made an impression. April is a great washed up singer with a love of booze and old guys to pay the bills, and if her spin off made good on her promise to take Branson by storm, how could you not watch that? It would be a cheesy delight. Speaking of small town theater...

9. Cameron Tucker, Modern Family

If Cameron found himself suddenly single and desperate for comfort, where better to head than to his small hometown in Missouri? He could run the local community center, put on shows with other clueless clowns, actors, and singers. Basically, it's Waiting For Guffman: The TV Show. And it would be hilarious.

Cameron Tucker in A Streetcar Named Desire

10. Erica Evans, V

You know, after the aliens have been defeated or died or left or whatever, she can be a supernatural investigating FBI agent. And this is in no way biased because I want my girl crush Elizabeth Michell to be on TV in a show I actually want to watch. Not at all.

She's in my five.

I have it on good authority that Eli Gold from The Good Wife should also be on this list, but I am not watching it so he is not. Sorry. I'm going to watch, promise! That's what summer is for.

So, what do you think, Freaks? Who else could pull off their own show?

Things I love/ Things I hate

I'm feeling a little overwhelmed by the TV greatness and awfulness we've been having, my dear Freaks, so let's break it all down!  

Thing I love: Last night's How I Met Your Mother was the show at its' absolute best. There was a quirky side-plot about Robin's dog-boyfriend, but the meat of the story saw Neil Patrick Harris' Barney struggling to deal with emerging feelings about Nora. It gave us an opportunity to see the Barney character grow, which is long overdue, but I appreciated that he failed in the end. I think him accepting those feelings would have been too much too soon for the character, but it gives me a new side of him for now, as well as hope for the future. It was sweet and sad, in that way that only HIMYM can pull off so well. Plus, lots of slapping!

Can I have one of those?

Thing I hate: Newcomer Mad Love, which follows the superior Mother is just really disappointing. I was so excited to see Judy Greer on my TV, and looking forward to the return of Sarah Chalke, but the show is just flat. Chalke is playing the same character she always does, Jason Biggs is cloying in his earnestness, and even Greer seems bored. The couple-with-the-best-friends-who-hate-each-other premise feels forced already (and it's only the third episode) and the chemistry is just not clicking. So sad.

No, just hate.

Thing I love: Being surprised by my shows. Community's Documentary episode two weeks ago was a great show, but Joel McHale's performance was particularly superb. He can act! Same goes for David Boreanaz in the 'Goodbye Hannah' episode (that's what I'm calling it) where the writers gave him a great ending scene and he really aced it. He cried. Well.

And then I did too. Not really!
 (Maybe a little bit.)

Thing I hate: Being surprised by my shows' fake promos. Look, Castle. I was excited about the big double episode, but don't put stuff in the promo that isn't going to happen in the episode, and don't edit  to make me think that something happens between the leads that turns out not to matter. I'm smarter than that, and I'm going to watch anyway. Promise.

Thing I love: Mr. Sunshine is good! Matthew Perry started the first few episodes a little too Chandler for my liking, but he's starting to get the hang of it, and Alison Janney is absolutely hilarious. I'm so delighted that this show lived up to it's promise, and that it's doing well, because I want to watch these people on my TV every week. Plus, the theme song is hilarious. Really.

Where are you my drunk, drunk friends?

Thing I hate: That ABC decided to hiatus Cougar Town for it. NBC is successfully running a three hour comedy block, and ABC has enough sitcoms in the works to do the same thing, so the scheduling of these shows is really confusing to me. Cougar Town has a strong loyal audience that would have moved to the 8:30 time slot and they could have gone ahead with the April-premiering Christian Slater comedy in the remaining block. Speaking of hiatus:


Thing I really, really hate: Bones is taking a three week break. Community is too, as well as two week breaks for Castle, Chuck, and How I Met Your Mother. Seriously? Why? There are 28 weeks from the middle of September to the middle of May, when most shows run, including the month long hiatus during the holidays. That means most shows need to do just four weeks of reruns, and I can not understand why they are not spread out more evenly among the season. I am a lot more patient with one week off then three. Stupid networks.


And one last little bonus to leave it on a happy note:

Thing I really, really love: It has just been announced that Josh Holloway is going to star in the paintball themed season finale of Community. I am literally hyperventilating at the hotness.

I think I need to sit down for a minute.