The TV Addict 

By: Vlada Gelman

Summer is typically a quiet time for TV watchers, but thanks to the proliferation of cable shows and broadcast networks burning off episodes, this summer was not without entertainment and some surprises. Below are the moments, actors, shows and realizations that surprised me this summer.

The supporting cast of NURSE JACKIE: Yes, Edie Falco is fabulous, but for me, it’s the people surrounding Jackie who make the series, especially Merritt Wever, Eve Best and Peter Facinelli. Each one adds something unique and unexpected to the show. Wever is absolutely hilarious. Best, who has the most amazing laugh, is the perfect juxtaposition to Jackie. Facinelli takes what could have been a jackass character and makes him a lovable doofus. I’m surprised and delighted that NURSE JACKIE has introduced me to Wever and Best. In a way, it feels like I’m also discovering Facinelli for the first time. I’ve seen and enjoyed him before in different movies and TV shows, but I’m pretty sure his shirtless chest did most of the acting in Fox’s short-lived FASTLANE.

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Introducing the 61st Annual CRU Undie Run. Or as this TV Addict likes to call it, a rating stunt we can really get behind. And yes, we’re is well aware that if this were any other network (cough*CW*cough), or any other series for that matter (cough*THE BEAUTIFUL LIFE*cough), we’d probably be screaming something to the effect of “most blatant sweeps stunt EVAR!” But since we’re talking GREEK here, a show that not only has earned the right to have a little fun after three season of consistent quality, but could use all the eyeballs it can get… Well, we’re just gonna go ahead and remind you that not to miss an annual college tradition on September 14th at 9PM on ABC Family. One that will have your favorite Greek Row Co-eds partaking in “The Half-Naked Gun.” More revealing photos of which can be found after the jump.

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By: Aleks Chan

At any given point during the 10 THINGS I HATE ABOUT YOU pilot – an adaptation of the Heath Ledger-fronted 1999 film, itself a modern telling of Shakespeare’s The Taming of the Shrew – you can gather the impression that this teen dramedy is both smarter than you’d think and a causality of the very tropes it tries to play up.

Helmed by GREEK writer-producer Carter Covington, it should fit rather comfortably with ABC Family’s lineup of just-saucy-enough programming – attractive to GOSSIP GIRL fans but not enough to wrinkle the noses of the 700 CLUB.

Kat (ALIENS IN AMERICA’s Lindsay Shaw) and Bianca (Meaghan Martin) Stratford are the new kids at Padua High, having just moved to town from Ohio with their obstetrician father (Larry Miller, who reprises his role from the film).  The sisters are quickly established as foils: Kat listens to NPR and gets riled up by lack of universal health care; Bianca combs through Facebook pages to pinpoint the most popular girl at school so that she may copy her ever move.

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WHAT WE’RE WATCHING:
MAKE IT OR BREAK IT (9PM ABC Family)
This Stick It-esque drama about young gymnasts with dreams of the Olympics may mine every teen sports movie trope there is (showbiz mom and dads; catty competition; down-on-her-luck protagonist defies odds and scores huge), but it manages to do so with a naturalness that’s a relief — I don’t I could take another broadly drawn teen drama. It’s no FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS, but even if you’re not this show’s target audience, you shouldn’t feel bad for liking it. Grade: B — Aleks Chan

NEW & NOTABLE:
STAR TREK: TNG (8PM Sci Fi)
JJ. Abrams STAR TREK re-boot got you itching for more? Why not jump on the NEXT GENERATION bandwagon with the thrilling two-part episode that assimilated this TV Addict into the annals of TV nerdom.

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As ABC Family gets set to unveil their new original series MAKE IT OR BREAK IT tonight, your very own TV Addict had the chance to do something that his ten-year old self would be like, OMG, so totally jealous of! Talk to our childhood crush FULL HOUSE’S DJ Tanner actress Candace Cameron Bure. Here’s what we learned:

On what brought Candace Cameron Bure back to television.
After tackling her life’s most important role to date, that of mother to three genetically blessed children, her husband Valerie Bure’s retirement from the National Hockey League (NHL) was what allowed her to get back in front of the camera. “It’s always been very important for me as a parent to have one of us stay at home with our children,” explained Cameron Bure. “And when ABC Family came to me and presented MAKE IT OR BREAK IT I found an instant connection with the show because it’s based on competitive sports, a world that I’ve been in for the past 13 years and know well since my husband was a professional athlete.”

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If you’re anything like this TV Addict (read: hopelessly addicted to television), you may have found yourself with an alarming amount of free time on your hands since last Thursday — the day our beloved television season officially came to a close.

Deep breath, don’t panic, September is just around the corner. Or so we keep telling ourselves. Because the unfortunate reality of the situation is that September is in fact, not just around the corner. Which is why theTVaddict.com is going to spend the next few days offering up our “Summer Survival Guide.” Alternatives to the painful mix of reality TV, reruns and third-rate miniseries/ movies the major networks are trying to pass off as entertainment.

But before we get into those alternatives which include the worlds of TV on DVD, books and online, we first thought we should offer up five reason why you may not want to cancel your cable just yet.

WEEDS  [Showtime, June 8]
Mary Louise Parker, America’s sexiest and arguably most irresponsible mother is back! And while critics and discerning fans have been quick to proclaim that the Botwin’s clans move to the border was a mistake of shark jumping proportions, WEEDS (alongside HBO’s ENTOURAGE, 30 ROCK and HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER) remain to this day one of the only comedies that without fail, always leaves us jonesin’ for more. Also this summer on Showtime: NURSE JACKIE (June 8th)

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Good News: After far too long a hiatus, GREEK returns to TV tonight for the start of its sophomore season. Bad News: For my wallet. No seriously. One needn’t look any further than my iTunes bill for proof of this TV Addict’s dedication to GREEK. And can you really blame me?

Thanks to its perfect mix of frat boy fun and sorority high-jinx, GREEK has it all. The heart of which is star Spencer Grammer (Casey Cartwright), who was kind enough to take some time out of her busy schedule to talk to the TV Addict about everything from what it’s like to grow up in the shadow of a famous father to what fans can expect when Casey Cartwright returns from Washington when GREEK kicks off a brand new season tonight at 8PM on ABC Family.

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Left to Right: Jaimie Alexander talks to theTVAddict, Amrie,
Ducky and Rae at the Omni Hotel in San Diego, July 2008

How do we know that Entertainment Weekly isn’t overstating things when it promises that tonight’s action-packed third season premiere of KYLE XY plays out like a one-hour version of SPIDER-MAN?

Well, this TV Addict (alongside fellow TV Addicts Ducky, Amrie and Rae) were (not so) recently given the fantastic opportunity to chat it up with Jessi XX herself way back in July at the 2009 San Diego Comic Con.

What follows is not only what actress Jaimie Alexander had to say about what the future holds for Jessi XX this season and why playing the proverbial outsider mean so much to her. But perhaps one of the most eloquent and meaningful answers from an actress we’ve ever had the pleasure of posting at the end of this interview.

What can you tell us about what is in store for Jessi this season?
Jaimie Alexander: This season, Jessi goes through a lot and must deal with normal human emotions such as being in love, being torn about who she is and battling hart to try and find out where she fits in. There are time when she’s going to feel worthless and times when she will feel like she has really has made a difference. She’ll break your heart this season.. umm.. I mean I’ll break your heart! Trust me, some of the things I was like … I’m going to need a Martini at the end of the day. It was pretty rough stuff.

Anything that might surprise the fans?
There are so many stunts this season. They really upped the sci-fi this year. A LOT! Matt [Dallas] and I both were shocked. There’s a lot of ass-kicking and Kyle has a lot of stunts, which was different because last year I had a lot. There’s also lot of exploration with regards to the new powers both of us have, we share. Jessi and Kyle spend a lot of time finding out about eachother and becoming more comfortable with how they were brought into this world. It’s pretty amazing.

Also, Jessi does get a love interest and moves in with the Trager family which really stirs things up between her and Lori.

The writers really are amazing this season, not that they weren’t before. But I have not been as happy working on this show as I have been this season. Really, it’s been a full on pleasure. There are also a lot of new characters which are pretty stellar. We’ve added some ethnicity and accents.

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After witnessing an absolute train wreck of a Q&A with the cast of THE SECRET LIFE OF THE AMERICAN TEENAGER backstage following last weeks TEEN CHOICE AWARDS, this TV Addict finally found the impetus to take the plunge, shell out $1.99 on iTunes and check out the pilot episode of the ABC Family hit summer show. I mean could the show possibly be as ‘entertaining’ as the cast’s botched press conference?

Needless to say, I wasn’t disappointed.

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By: Amrie Cunningham [My Take on TV]

If you want my opinion, you should tune in to watch tonight’s premiere of THE MIDDLEMAN on ABC Family. It’s funny, it’s fast paced. There is a lot of action, and activism, and guitar playing, and art, and film students, and monsters, and Chloe from 24. The cast is charming, eclectic, diverse, and really well cast in their roles. But if you don’t want to take my word for it, maybe you’ll listen to one of the series’ stars, Brit Morgan, who plays Lacey on the show. Here is what she had to say about the show, why you should watch, and how she ended up “traveling” with Toby Keith, Ted Nugent, and Rodney Carrington.

So for people who aren’t really sure what THE MIDDLEMAN is about, in your words, describe your show?
Brit Morgan: It’s about a young girl, her name is Wendy Watson. She gets recruited by a temp agency to fight evil. In other words, she thinks she’s going to go work for a temp agency and it ends up being THE MIDDLEMAN. So she’s now this young girl who fights evil for a living [laughs]. It’s her journey through that.

And you play her roommate Lacey. How does Lacey fit into the whole scheme of things?
Lacey fits in, she’s Wendy’s best friend. She has all sorts of escapades of her own. She really has nothing to do with the evil-fighting as of yet. She’s sort of just Wendy’s go to whenever there’s trouble.

Does she know about Wendy, or is that a secret world?
She doesn’t. She doesn’t know about Wendy; Wendy constantly has to keep this side of life from me, from Lacey. So Lacey doesn’t know. When Lacey finds out, I’m sure it’ll be big, but Lacey does not know. [laughs]

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