The TV Addict 

Here are five words this TV Addict never expected to write: Perez Hilton has a point.

In his recent post titled, ‘Vampires Are In’ the reigning queen of celebrity gossip sights the 3.5 million copies being printed for Stephanie Meyers fourth and final installment of the TWILIGHT series BREAKING DAWN, the upcoming September premiere of Alan Ball’s [SIX FEET UNDER] highly anticipated new HBO series TRUE BLOOD and the TWILIGHT movie set to hit the big screens in December as proof positive that vampires are the new boy wizards.

Leading us to wonder aloud — with interest in Vampires seemingly at an all-time high — could CBS have cancelled MOONLIGHT at a worse time?

I’m going to pretend that the only reason this TV Addict and his adorable sidekick ‘Mac’ weren’t called upon to guest star on CBS’ THE GREATEST AMERICAN DOG, premiering tonight on both CBS and E! in Canada, is because we’re Canadian.

And in case you’re wondering, yes, this post is simply an excuse to shamelessly show off the adorableness that is Mac.

Read the rest of this entry »

With CBS announcing the premiere dates for their fall season today, this TV Addict can’t help but wonder how many minutes it will take for the first anti—CBS, pro—MOONLIGHT comment to appear under this post! Cue angry fans in 3…2…1…

Thursday, Sept. 18
8:00-9:00 PM, SURVIVOR (17th Installment Premiere)

Monday, Sept. 22
8:00-8:30 PM, THE BIG BANG THEORY (2nd Season Premiere)
8:30-9:00 PM, HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER (4th Season Premiere)
9:00-9:30 PM, TWO AND A HALF MEN (6th Season Premiere)
9:30-10:00 PM, WORST WEEK (Series Debut)
10:00-11:00 PM, CSI: MIAMI (7th Season Premiere)

Tuesday, Sept. 23
8:00-9:00 PM, NCIS (6th Season Premiere)
9:00-10:00 PM, THE MENTALIST (Series Debut)
10:00-11:00 PM, WITHOUT A TRACE (7th Season Premiere)

Wednesday, Sept. 24
8:00-8:30 PM, …OLD CHRISTINE (4th Season Premiere)
8:30-9:00 PM, PROJECT GARY (Series Debut)
9:00-10:00 PM, CRIMINAL MINDS (4th Season Premiere)
10:00-11:00 PM, CSI: NY (5th Season Premiere)

Saturday, Sept. 27
8:00-9:00 PM, CRIMETIME SATURDAY
9:00-10:00 PM, CRIMETIME SATURDAY
10:00-11:00 PM, 48 HOURS MYSTERY (Season Premiere)

Sunday, Sept. 28
7:00-8:00 PM, 60 MINUTES (41st Season Premiere)
8:00-9:00 PM, THE AMAZING RACE (13th Edition)
9:00-10:00 PM, COLD CASE (6th Season Premiere)
10:00-11:00 PM, THE UNIT (4th Season Premiere)

Friday, Oct. 3
8:00-9:00 PM, GHOST WHISPERER (4th Season Premiere)
9:00-10:00 PM, THE EX LIST (Series Premiere)
10:00-11:00 PM, NUMB3RS (5th Season Premiere)

Thursday, Oct. 9
9:00-10:00 PM, CSI: CRIME SCENE INVESTIGATION (9th Season Premiere)
10:00-11:00 PM, ELEVENTH HOUR (Series Debut)

CBS
Good Moves: The highly underrated HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER and NEW ADVENTURES OF OLD CHRISTINE were both renewed for a third season. While THE BIG BANG THEORY reminded us once again that nerds are funny.

Bad Moves: Canceling MOONLIGHT, the one show that broke the CBS mold and actually had this twenty-something TV Addict tuning into an hour long drama on America’s oldest skewing broadcast network.

Prognosis for the Coming Season: Great, assuming you’re over forty and really dig hour after hour of depressing ripped-from-the headlines crime/procedural dramas.

Grade: B-

Related Articles: In case you missed them, here’s what we had to say about FOX, NBC, CW and ABC.

Because this TV Addict really isn’t sure.

On the one hand it’s summer, which means there’s virtually nothing else on in terms of quality scripted television dramas. Also in SWINGTOWN’s favor is that it features MELROSE PLACE alum Grant Show sporting an awesome 70’s-porn-star-moustache and a series premiere that was compelling enough that I’m asking, “what happens next?”

On the other hand, was anyone else slightly perturbed with how quickly Susan and Bruce Miller threw caution to the wind and cast aside their oldest/dearest friends in order to sign up for this new and exciting lifestyle? Not to mention the far more pressing issue — the fact that SWINGTOWN is a series that CBS has relegated to the summer — meaning that it’s more than likely already cancelled in the minds of the proverbial Powers that Be. Thus should I really be investing my time into a show that’s sure to follow in MOONLIGHT and JERICHO’s footsteps?

With that in mind, please feel free to post away with whether or not you’ll be returning to SWINGTOWN next Thursday, what parent’s Susan and Bruce must have been smoking to name their kid B.J., and your prediction as to whether or not uptight neighbor Janet Thompson’s marriage is falling apart because she seems a little too attached to her best friend Susan! Yes, you know what I’m talking about!

MONDAY
8:00 p.m. The Big Bang Theory
8:30 p.m. How I Met Your Mother
9:00 p.m. Two and a Half Men
9:30-10:00 p.m. Worst Week [New]
10:00-11:00 p.m. CSI: Miami

TUESDAY
8:00-9:00 p.m. NCIS
9:00-10:00 p.m. The Mentalist [New]
10:00-11:00 p.m. Without a Trace

WEDNESDAY
8:00- 8:30 p.m. The New Adventures of Old Christine
8:30 9:00 p.m. Project Gary [New]
9:00-10:00 p.m. Criminal Minds
10:00-11:00 p.m. CSI: NY

THURSDAY
8:00-9:00 p.m. Survivor
9:00-10:00 p.m. CSI
10:00-11:00 p.m. Eleventh Hour [New]

FRIDAY
8:00-9:00 p.m. Ghost Whisperer
9:00-10:00 p.m. The Ex-List [New]
10:00-11:00 p.m. Numb3rs

SATURDAY
8:00-9:00 p.m. Crimetime Saturday
9:00-10:00 p.m. Crimetime Saturday
10:00-11:00 p.m. 48 Hours: Mystery

SUNDAY
7:00-8:00 p.m. 60 Minutes
8:00-9:00 p.m. The Amazing Race
9:00-10:00 p.m. Cold Case
10:00-11:00 p.m. The Unit

Harper’s Island [New] and Rules of Engagement air sometime midseason.

In a press release sent out yesterday, CBS proudly touts that they’ve “renewed 11 series for next season in a move that will return 10 hours of the Network’s primetime schedule and eight of the top 20 scripted series on television.” Unfortunately, two of the series not officially picked up by the network include two of television’s absolute funniest and most under-appreciated comedies: HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER and THE NEW ADVENTURES OF OLD CHRISTINE.

Naturally, this ridiculous oversight begs the obvious question. Is it possible the network is prejudice against hilariously funny shows simply because of the number of words in their title? In this era of post-WGA strike cost cutting measures, will all shows on the Tiffany network be mandated to start with those three magical letters ‘CSI’? Would HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER have more success if it changed its name to WITHOUT A MOTHER? Should THE NEW ADVENTURES OF OLD CHRISTINE consider the more succinct COLD OLD CHRISTINE?

What exactly do HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER and THE NEW ADVENTURES OF OLD CHRISTINE have to do to garner a little respect on Monday nights? Because clearly, being genuinely funny simply isn’t good enough.

After numerous re-casts, re-shoots and behind-the-scenes drama, actress Sophia Myles is as surprised as anyone that MOONLIGHT has done so well. Yet six months and one People’s Choice Award later, here she is. Kind enough to take some time out of her, well, not so busy schedule [courtesy of the Writer’s Guild of America Strike] to talk to a group of reporters via conference call about MOONLIGHT’S jaw-dropping season finale airing tonight at 9PM on CBS (CTV in Canada).

The TV Addict: So honestly, after such an inauspicious start, are you surprised things have turned out so well for MOONLIGHT?
It’s definitely strange that MOONLIGHT has become such a force. I had no idea, coming over from here [from England], making the show, that it would have any life. But it’s become this organic thing that refuses to die. It seems to be getting stronger and stronger and more powerful with each episode.

Q. How was it you were cast in MOONLIGHT?
I was written a letter from the producers [Joel Silver] basicially asking me to come and do the part. At first I didn’t think it was legitimate, I couldn’t believe I’d be offered something so magical without an audition. But they already made the pilot and I was so intrigued to be in Los Angeles; being paid to do a fabulous job at Warner Bros. I couldn’t say no.

Read the rest of this entry »

After two months off the air in support of the WGA strike, LENO, CONAN, LETTERMAN, FERGUSON and KIMMEL all returned to the airwaves with brand new episodes.

Which begs the obvious questions: Am I the only TV Addict who thought LENO was the most entertaining host of the night? Was anyone else incredibly disappointed my Letterman’s low-key return and thinks its time for Conan and Kimmel to shave their beards? Post away with your thoughts.

Yesterday’s news that SEINFELD alum Jason Alexander would be guest starring on THE NEW ADVENTURES OF OLD CHRISTINE this season got us thinking. What is CBS thinking?

If you hoped to find Julia Louis-Dreyfus on CBS’ fall schedule this September, you’re out of luck. Like the character she plays on TV, THE NEW ADVENTURES OF OLD CHRISTINE has been traded in for a younger model.

Remember RULES OF ENGAGEMENT? That generic CBS sitcom that did well enough during its six episode try out last spring to warrant a spot on the fall schedule following TWO AND A HALF MEN. Well it’s back and has at least temporarily replaced OLD CHRISTINE in the lineup because it attracts a slightly younger demographic.

Is anyone else grasping the irony here? THE NEW ADVENTURES OF OLD CHRISTINE — a show that chronicles the everyday struggles of Christine Campbell after she’s been replaced by ‘new Christine’ was just replaced by a younger skewing sitcom itself! Are you ready for another generic CBS laugher that simply fails to illicit the laughs?

NEW CHRISTINE gives us a brilliant [an Emmy winning] Julia Louis-Dreyfus, the world’s smartest sidekick in Wanda Sykes and two mean mommies who are so funny they deserve their own spinoff. On the other hand RULES OF ENGAGEMENT has David Spade and an upcoming Heather Locklear guest spot. Two things we’d usually be thrilled about, but not in place of OLD CHRISTINE.

After two seasons on the air you’d think CBS would have learned a little something from OLD CHRISTINE by now. Newer and younger doesn’t mean better and funnier.