The TV Addict 

If you’re trying to avoid the most commercially crass holiday ever foisted upon the North American public, consider this a warning: Thursday’s 30 ROCK — complete with a bevy of guest stars including Elizabeth Banks, Jon Bon Jovi, Dean Winters, Jason Sudeikis and Jon Hamm — will celebrate Valentine’s Day a tad early, thus potentially catching those bitter about the greeting-card-and-candy-company-created “holiday” (read: single folks) off guard. More first look photos of which can be seen after the jump.

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During last night’s somewhat lacklustre 30 ROCK, Jack took a photo of Liz and sent it to high school crush Nancy Donovan telling her that he’s with the “female Kevin McHale.” Now, if your first thought was that of the GLEE star as opposed to the ex-NBA player of the same name that Jack was undoubtedly referring to — join the club — you’re officially a bonafide GLEEK! Plus you gotta admit, it kinda works, no?

Back in the days good ol’ days of primetime television when networks routinely ordered 24, 26 or even 30 episodes of our favorite shows, clip shows were not only par for the course, but completely understandable. Unfortunately, in this modern day of television that we find ourselves in — where eight minutes of commercials have shrunk the precious few new episodes of so-called half hour sitcoms to just over twenty-two minutes — last night’s instalment of THE OFFICE that found Michael Scott looking back on memorable Dunder Mifflin moments was inexcusable. Memo to NBC. If you’re trying to win back supporters following your recent ‘Late Night’ debacle, a glorified clip show is not the way to go. We’re just sayin’

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By: CouchTater

Last night’s line-up of NBC comedies showed those shows at their finest. Let’s look a little closer…

Is it wrong that — brace yourself, ’cause I’m gonna say what I know a lot of us were thinkin’ — I didn’t miss THE OFFICE at all? The double-dose of 30 ROCK was just fine by me! (Favorite moment: Jenna’s GOSSIP GIRL character saying, “I’m 41 now. It’s time to die.” The whole GG subplot was brilliant. Remember the controversy back when the show first launched and people were ticked about Rachel Dratch being demoted and then, in essence, booted in favor of Jane Krakowski? Guess that all turned out a-okay, huh?) In other ROCK developments, how great was it to see Liz gettin’ her freak on — and with recurring guest hunk Cheyenne Jackson, no less? Loved her gay nephew and their dialogue.

LIZ: Is it going to be fierce?
RANDY: It would be if it was 2006.

Then there was James Franco, who — between this appearance and his run as GENERAL HOSPITAL’s serial-killing artist — may be well on his way to being named the oddest actor on the planet. Finally, I, for one, will never hear the name “Tom Selleck” again without bursting into fits of laughter. Those who saw know why. Those who didn’t… your loss!

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As first reported by Michael Ausiello, serial guest star James Franco (GENERAL HOSPITAL) will drop by 30 ROCK on January 14th to pursue a faux relationship with Jenna (Jane Krakowski) in an attempt to cover up his embarrassing secret. A secret so big… so scandalous… and so shocking that it will not only rip Tiger Woods off the front page of TMZ, but Charlie Sheen as… Okay, in all seriousness, we have absolutely no idea what Franco’s secret really is. But what we can share are four hilarious clips from what is already shaping up to be a funnier NBC appearance than Franco’s recent outing as host of SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE. See for yourself after the jump.

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10. BIG LOVE
Once thought of as “that show about the guy who has sex with three women”, BIG LOVE has moved so beyond its initial constraints as to feel like a completely different series. Despite it’s odd (and, to some, off-putting) pacing, the tale of the Henrickson family has become as complex as the religion at its center, thanks in large part to the unforgettable performance of Chloe Sevigny as Nicki, the immature second wife who is torn between her fundamentalist Mormon values and her childish impulses.  

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From the adorable lengths to which Leslie Knope went to cheer up Tom upon learning about the dissolution of his green-card marriage that involved taking the gang to a Rainforest Café-esque Dinosaur-themed restaurant and Pawnee’s local strip club The Glitter Factory (”I’ve gone on record that if I had to have a stripper’s name it would be Equality,” said Knope), the continuation of Andy’s futile attempt to win back Anne that culminated in a successful attempt to swindle Mark in Pool (”I know that legally Anne is now mine but it weirdly doesn’t feel that way”) and the overall awesomeness that is Ron Swanson (Note: I too will take a free breakfast buffet anytime anyplace!), there is very little we didn’t love about what was quite possibly the funniest episode of PARKS AND RECREATION to date.

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In this era of internet spoilage (Thank-you-very-much-Michael-Ausiello) it’s an increasingly rare treat when this TV Addict finds himself genuinely surprised by a character death. And while we’re the first to admit that thanks to a flurry of pre-episode interviews, this seasoned TV blogger probably should have seen last night’s killer VAMPIRE DIARIES ending coming, serious kudos must go out to actress Kayla Ewell for delivering a character so devilishly fun, we didn’t want to go there. Seriously. Vicki, it was way too soon. But if shows like HEROES have taught us anything, it’s that (a) if you’re going to be the first character to go, you might as well do so when the show’s still the talk of the town (or twitter). And (b) whether it be in ghost form or flashback, we have a feeling that you’ll be back.

The resurgence of PARKS AND RECREATION continued last night with a hilarious Halloween themed instalment that had Amy Poehler’s Leslie Knope matching wits with 15-year old teenage hooligan named Greg Pikitis. Not only did Pikitis — or as we’re calling him, the most diabolical teenaged vandal since the heydays of one Bart Simpson — provide for an eerily perfect foil for Knope, his shenanigans managed to give hilarious co-stars Louis CK and Chris Pratt some much deserved time in the spotlight. So much so that we’re really hoping this little trick-or-treat-battle-of-wits becomes a PARKS AND RECREATION annual tradition.

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By: Aleks Chan

Sitting in fourth place among the major five broadcast networks — failing to develop a hit since HEROES debuted in 2006 (itself a short-lived victory as the drama’s ratings tumbled quickly thereafter) — it’s no secret that NBC is in dire straits.

So far, the big ‘Jay Leno Experiment’ has only drawn negative results, either performing poorly (though NBC says it’s lower ratings can be afforded by how cheap it is to produce), or diminishing what relative strength the network’s other programs possess (LAW & ORDER: SVU, a longtime steady performer, is sinking in its earlier timeslot).  

And now there’s news that Comcast, the largest cable television provider in the United States, is in talks with parent company General Electric to acquire its entertainment division. Could this be NBC’s bailout? I mean, isn’t there something to be said about a once illustrious network that previously commanded the airwaves is now being threatened by a half-baked vampire drama?  

More importantly, who gives a damn and why should you care? Ah, it’s because without its network overlords’ turmoil and perfidiousness, 30 ROCK, wouldn’t have nearly as much fodder for its satiric spoofing, many of which hit high comedic points in the first two episodes of the its fourth season, premiering tonight (9:30PM on NBC, CityTV in Canada).  

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Having chosen to take advantage of a free invite to see X:Men Origins: Wolverine last night (which by the way, not nearly as terrible as I was led to believe) this TV Addict has decided to once again, ask you to be the critic by posting your spoiler-free thoughts on last night’s installment of PARKS AND RECREATION, THE OFFICE, 30 ROCK, SOUTHLAND, BONES, SUPERNATURAL, SMALLVILLE, UGLY BETTY, and GREY’S ANATOMY.

WHAT WE’RE WATCHING:
UGLY BETTY (8PM ABC, CityTV in Canada)
If it’s sweeps, it must be time for wedding fever! Which explains why there are not one but two proposals tonight.

SMALLVILLE (8PM CW)
When Tess and Lois clash, expect the unexpected. The eight-season finale also features Oliver stepping in when Clark seems kinda reluctant to kill Doomsday.

PARKS & RECREATION (8:30PM NBC, 9PM CityTV in Canada)
Frankly, I don’t think you should be able to tout something as a “season” finale unless you’ve aired at least 13 episodes, but hey, that’s just me. Anyway, this disappointing series — which managed to pick up a renewal for no reason other than it’s pedigree — wraps up with Andy’s first gig since he broke his legs in the pit. (That probably means something to the four of you still watching.)

GREY’S ANATOMY (9PM ABC, CTV in Canada)
The two-hour, fifth-season finale might just as well be called “Will They Or Won’t They?” as Izzie decides whether to have surgery, Mark decides what to do with Lexie and Bailey finds out whether or not she’ll be accepted into a pediatrics fellowship.

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