After yet another hilarious (albeit low rated) instalment of BETTER OFF TED last night, this TV Addict thought now might be as good a time as any to offer up a tiny glimmer of hope for fans of the show. One, and let’s face it, possibly the only reason why BETTER OFF TED may live to see another season is that the show, which features a mere five series regulars and what essentially amounts to one moderately sized ‘office’ set is more than likely one of the most affordable comedies to produce on network television. Which one would think (hope?) — in this day and age of belt tightening and economic restraint — has to count for something… right, ABC President Steve McPherson?
With apologies in advance to Michael Ausiello’s future earning potential, can we all not agree that the decision by LOSTerminds Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse to head into the final season of the show 110% spoiler free was the best one the two showrunners have made since pitching ABC a concrete end date for the series three years ago? Seriously. Having not an iota of an idea as to what’s going to happen when the clock strikes 8PM on February 2nd has only multiplied our excitement ten-fold for what we’re confident will be an epic final season of this landmark series.
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If you’re not watching BETTER OFF TED, I officially despise you. Okay, maybe not “despise”, because obviously, you can watch or not watch whatever you like. I will, however, have to admit to having very strong doubts as to whether or not you should be allowed to walk around unchaperoned or vote.
Just when I think I’m out, they suck me back in. Time and again, I vow that I’m over GREY’S ANATOMY thanks to it’s ridiculous plot twists and self-indulgent characters. And then, there’s a shocking moment. Not one of those “stunty” things like Meredith’s near-death or a bomb-squad member being reduced to pink mist, but an emotional sucker-punch like the one at the end of last night’s episode. I didn’t give a crap about Lexie dumping McWhicheverheis and sleeping with Alec, or even Meredith telling Derek that their boss is a drunk. What got me was Christina begging Dr. Altman to stay, her rarely-displayed heart on her sleeve. “Tell me what you want,” she begged. And when Altman said, “I want Owen,” Christina responded, without even a thought, “Then take him.” It was completely in keeping with what we know about Christina and her near-obsession with becoming a surgeon, and yet it was still a stunning moment. And that’s why, despite myself, I’ll tune in again this week.
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Apparently, the entertainment world didn’t have the good manners to put breaking news on hold while the TV Addict was ‘busy’ hangin’ with the cast of HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER. NBC blinked, Fox News was accused of treason, a game show scandal was exposed and a HEROES star either let slip a major spoiler… or proved himself a tad unfamiliar with the industry in which he labors. Enter CouchTater to take a quick look at what’s been going on, shall we?
Now that NBC’s decided to admit that the whole Jay-five-nights-a-week thing was a God awful idea, we have to take the other major networks to task for not making a serious attempt at grabbing the 10 p.m. timeslot when they had the chance. Sure, in polite society you’re not supposed to kick someone when they’re down, but we’re talking about the cutthroat world of television here. Shame on ABC for letting losers like THE FORGOTTEN and 20/20 linger in the spot (not to mention endless reruns) when they could have made a bold move, complete with ad campaign, to make 10 p.m. their version of Must-See TV. Ah, as always, if only we ruled the airwaves…
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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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Thank to yet another stellar outing, this TV Addict is officially ready to crown 90210 the season’s most improved player. But in lieu of a crown — which alas, this little-blog-that-could most definitely can’t afford — we hope the CW and new showrunner Rebecca Rand Kirshner Sinclair will accept something far more valuable: A mea culpa. After-all, when we’re wrong, we’re wrong. Which is why we’re willing to admit that in-spite of stars Annalynne McCord and Trevor Donovan looking like they’re 17 going on 30, we currently find ourselves growing surprisingly attached to them both. Particularly McCord, whose desperate attempt to weasel her way into California University last night by morphing from Naomi Clark into Naomi Klein had us in stitches. Meanwhile, Shenae Grimes’ Annie Mills is not only far less annoying this season, she has us genuinely concerned for her safety. And by that we mean, is it possible for new friend Jasper to give off anymore of a creepy Beaver Cassidy Casablancas Neptune High circa 2006 vibe? (RIP: VERONICA MARS) Call us crazy, but we’re starting to wonder if Jasper’s Uncle may have been dead before Annie drove away from her personal prom nightmare!
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From Ty Burrell’s self-proclaimed ‘hip’ dad, MARRIED… WITH CHILDREN’s Ed O’Neil playing a crotchety grandpa (albeit one who’s married to a much younger and hotter woman) and Mitchell and Cameron, who as EW’s Ken Tucker so correctly pointed our are the odd couple for our generation, is it safe to assume that MODERN FAMILY lived up to it’s billing as the funniest new show of the fall?
Question: Which show made better use of yours (okay, our) iTunes collection? Cameron’s over-the-top presentation of adoptive baby Lily to his ‘Modern Family’ with a little help from The Lion King’s “Circle of Life” or Kurt’s GLEE-ful game-winning field goal to the tune of Beyonce’s ‘Single Ladies?’
And speaking of ‘Sophie’s Choice,’ can Congress not put aside the whole pesky health-care thing and get their act together crafting a bill that really matters. You know, like the one that we’d like to propose, banning networks (Yes, we’re talking to you ABC and FOX) from putting their two strongest offerings (MODERN FAMILY and GLEE) on the same night at the exact time. I mean seriously, WTF?! (Which we learned yesterday thanks to our new favorite clueless hipster dad Phil (MODERN FAMILY’s Ty Burrell) means, “Why the Face?!”)
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Don’t be surprised if ABC’s THE FORGOTTEN is one of the just-begun season’s first casualties. Not because it’s a bad show — which it’s not, particularly — or because it’s basically COLD CASE: SPECIAL VOLUNTEER UNIT — which it is, basically — but rather because it premiered last night with almost no buzz. I’d be willing to bet that most of you are sitting there right now saying, “I never even saw an ad for that! What’s it about?” This happens every season… network’s decide early on which shows to throw their advertising budgets behind and, in doing so, basically allow others to become… well, forgotten. So while you’ve seen a barrage of ads for COUGAR TOWN, FLASH FORWARD, EASTWICK and MODERN FAMILY,chances are THE FORGOTTEN managed to sneak onto the airwaves without you even being aware of its existence. (I only happened to see an ad yesterday for the first time.) Plus it had the misfortune of airing against CBS’ THE GOOD WIFE, one of that network’s most trumpeted offerings. The show itself is well done, for what it is. Christian Slater — who plays former-cop-turned-volunteer-identity-sleuth Alex Donavon — kinda winces his way through, looking almost as if he blames all of us for not watching MY OWN WORST ENEMY and keeping him employed by that much smarter show. But Bob Stephenson (JERICHO) is downright fun to watch as Walter, a guy who we learn via a brilliant throwaway visual idolizes NYPD BLUE’s Sipowitz and thinks he’s a lot better at this whole crime-solving thing than he is. Of course, each member of the squad has a personal reason for doing what they do… I guess nobody does the right thing just ’cause it’s the right thing to do anymore. And given the whole SCOOBY-DOO vibe, you can’t help but view Anthony Carrigan’s scruffy young sculptor, Tyler, as the group’s Shaggy, making it a tad odd when an uncooperative potential witness refers to Walter by that name. All in all, there’s a lot here that works, and you could certainly do worse than to spend your time with this rag-tag team of investigators. But do it now, because I suspect it won’t be around long.
Having seen tonight’s GLEE in advance, all I will say is this: Watch it. You will laugh. You will cry. You’ll thank me.
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Call us crazy, but last night’s two-hour season premiere of HOUSE that had the good doctor (not to mention us viewers) stuck in Mayfield Psychiatric Hospital for what felt like an eternity alongside some very talented guest stars (including Franka Potente, Andre Braugher and Broadway’s Lin-Manuel Miranda) was an epic fail. Okay sure, Laurie now has the pre-requisite ‘Very Special Episode’ for next year’s Emmy reel already in the can. And yes, the show, which does tend to become somewhat repetitious did switch things up from the standard mystery illness of the week. But for our money, last night is not how you start off a season. Personal character journeys that leave supporting favorites such as Cuddy, Chase and Cameron in the wings should be reserved for mid-season or at the very least, sweeps episodes. Not a season opener where viewers have waited very patiently all summer long for the return of their favorite differential diagnosticians.
While Robert Knepper’s ‘King of the Carnival’ certainly piqued our interest, and Claire giving it the ol’ college try had us intrigued, Hiro and Ando’s ‘Dial a Hero’ had us dialing another channel… RIP HEROES.
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C.T. offers up some random musings from around the dial…
Kudos to you, LAW & ORDER: SVU! About two minutes into the season finale, I was all set to write a piece on how Dick Wolf had made a rare misstep with annoying tech Dale Stuckey, who first appeared earlier this season. I even wanted to suggest that this fall’s season finale revolve around the geek’s murder. And then the show went and pulled the rug right out from under me by turning the guy into a psycho killer. And it was a blast (and a little hawt) to watch Olivia manhandle her sexy partner. But man, did the continuity department do a crappy job where the blood stains on Stabler’s shirt were concerned!
I’M A CELEBRITY’s Stephen Baldwin and the Pratt brats are giving religion the worst rap it’s had since the days of the inquisition. When even Janice Dickinson is disgusted by your behavior, it’s time for a little soul searching.
You’ve gotta love HARDBALL’s Chris Matthews if only because when folks refuse to give him a straight answer, he keeps asking again and again. He gets as frustrated as you and I would with someone’s BS but, unlike most people in his position,he actually calls people on their crap. And unlike Bill O’Reilly, who occasionally does the same thing, he doesn’t do it in a way that belittles or insults the person shoveling the crap.
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Attention network bigwigs. CouchTater here. And while I’m sure you don’t really care as you look down from your big black Hollywood towers, I’d like to just point out a few things to y’all.
First, to Showtime president of entertainment Bob Greenblatt. I know you’re real excited about that spin-off of THE L-WORD that may or may not get the go-ahead (the pilot is only now being edited). But agreeing with reporters that it sounds like “a female OZ” why not give credit where credit is due and admit that it sounds like a PRISONER CELL BLOCK H ripoff… er, homage.
iFMAGAZINE.COM is reporting that former JERICHO executive producer Jon Turteltaub is developing a big-screen flick around the twice-failed series. I don’t want to call the man delusional, but he thinks if reruns of the series on the CW are “like this remarkable success”, it might get another shot at life on a network. And did we mention he’s developing a feature film? Dude, give it up.
New York’s Daily News says that by adding judge Kara Dioguardia, AMERICAN IDOL has “finally found its mean girl.” Yeah, cause that’s what the show needed. To be meaner.
PRISON BREAK’s executive producer told Entertainment Weekly that they were ending the show because nobody wanted it to “become a parody of itself.” Um, too late.
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