She’s Alive! On January 31st, actress Julie Benz follows up her untimely DEXTER demise with the first of what Michael Ausiello calls a handful of episodes on DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES when Susan befriends a stripper (played by Julie Benz) and takes her under her wing. More first look photos of which — including what we can only hope is Susan’s first life lesson: stay away from bathtubs — can be seen after the jump.

Photo Credits: Ron Tom/ABC

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.  

9. CURB YOUR ENTHUSIASM
It’s odd to realize that there is a huge segment of the population of who have seen this HBO series and probably never even heard of it until the much-buzzed about SEINFELD reunion. Those people will probably squirm uncomfortably upon hearing that this season saw Larry David inadvertently pee on a portrait of Jesus, very intentionally grasp a secretary’s love handles in a bid to save his own life, or wound up in a fist fight with Rosie O’Donnell. Those of us who witnessed his antics also squirmed uncomfortably… while simultaneously howling with laughter. Not that there’s anything wrong with that.

8. NBC’S THURSDAY NIGHT LINE-UP
They may not be perfect, but COMMUNITY, PARKS & RECREATION, THE OFFICE and 30 ROCK have come together — flaws and all — to create the best two-hour comedy block since the heyday of Must-See TV. Better, these are not your typical set-up-followed-by-punch-line sitcoms, but rather what we like to think of as comedies for the thinking man in which the unguarded moments “caught” by the camera are every bit as important as the dialogue being spoken. Sometimes even more so. 

7. THE DAILY SHOW/ COLBERT REPORT
Who would have imagined that some of the best social commentary — not to mention concise media criticism and analysis — would be coming from the “World News Headquarters” of Comedy Central? What’s truly amazing about these shows is that they manage to combine politicians, pundits and celebrities into a breathtakingly funny cocktail five nights a week… a feat SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE can’t manage to do once a week.

The TV Addict with a few of Bon Temps’ finest at the 2009 Entertainment Weekly Comic Con Party

6. TRUE BLOOD
Yes, yes, we were a little late to the party. But thanks to HBO on Demand, we’re ready to sing the praises of Bon Temps, the little town where not only can anything happen, but when it does, it’s often in the nude. (Thank you, Cable!) While daughters everywhere were deciding whether to be on Team Edward or Team Jacob, TRUE BLOOD fans knew the real battle is between those who want to bare their necks for Bill and those who’d rather sink their teeth into Eric. That’s what we call a win/win.

5. DEXTER
Let’s have a show of hands: How many of you were reluctant to even start this season, bored at the notion of America’s favorite serial killer being saddled with a wife, two precocious kids and a new baby? Shame on us for having doubted the writers, who turned our notions of family upside down by giving Dexter a new nemesis who, like him, was both a family man and a serial killer. Unlike last season’s somewhat meandering and, in the end, almost pointless Prado plot, season four’s arc was every bit as twisted as the mind of John Lithgow’s Trinity. Better still (Spoiler Alert!) the shocking finale set the stage for the show to re-invent itself yet again, this time with Dexter as a single dad. It’s a tried-and-true storyline that on any show might quickly become trite, yet thanks to the fact that this year’s conventional set-up yielded what may well have been the best season yet, we can hardly wait.

The TV Addict parties with some of your favorite Gleeks at FOX’s Fall 2009 Launch

4. GLEE
After years of COP ROCK punchlines, it looks as if television critics everywhere will need to look for a new scapegoat, because the musical dramedy is officially alive and well thanks to the students and faculty of McKinley High. Like most shows on this list, GLEE is not perfect. But it proves the power (and profit) of thinking outside the box and brings in the kind of demographics that cause happy-shivers to run up and down the spines of network execs.

3. MODERN FAMILY
We come not to bury the sitcom, but to praise it. What many expected to be a typical sitcom quickly proved itself anything but as America met and fell for the extended Dunphey/Pritchett family. What makes this show shine — aside from the wildly talented cast or the exceptionally sharp writing — is the family itself. Gay, straight, young, old, fat and thin, they are, in essence, us. It would be atypical for viewers to relate to any one member of a television family. For us to somehow relate to them all is what makes this FAMILY so dang perfect.

2. LOST
Not willing to rest on their laurels, executive producers Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse continued to step up their game with the show’s penultimate season. So much so that we’ll forgive them for raising more questions than answers (as usual), killing off major and much beloved characters (Juliet! Sob!)  and introducing the head-scratching notion of time-travel (Please don’t make us do math) because we know deep down inside that like those pesky Cylons before them, they have a plan. Or, um, they damned well better. Just sayin’.

1. FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS
Just how remarkable was FRIDAY LIGHTS this past year? Put it this way: This TV Addict is so desperate to discover if Coach Taylor can turn around the lacklustre East Dillon Panthers that we may have [or for legal reasons, may not have] turned to a life of crime downloading. Fingers crossed the judge is a fan. After all, if anyone will be able to sympathize as we revel in the small screen’s most endearing marriage (that of Eric and Tami Taylor) and the tearful farewell arcs for veteran cast members Zach Gilford and Taylor Kitsch, it’s a fellow Panther. Clear eyes, full hearts, can’t lose!

Since it appears that we are the only TV/DEXTER Addict who didn’t realize that Arthur Mitchell’s daughter Rebecca is played by Vanessa Marano, the very-same actress who first burst onto the scene so unexpectedly as Luke’s daughter, April, on GILMORE GIRLS. It naturally got us thinking…

Would not a small town such as Stars Hollow be the perfect cover for our favorite (Spoiler Alert!) newly widowed anti-hero? Just imagine, Dexter Morgan: Diner owner by day, serial killer by night. It’s the perfect cover! Not to mention, if Taylor Dosey steps out of line even a teensy little a bit….

Warning: Huge Spoilers Ahead. For the love of God… stop reading NOW if you have yet to watch DEXTER’s season finale

Every movie or TV show has one. That one guy who walks out of the theater at the end of The Usual Suspects proudly proclaiming that he totally knew from the get-go that Kevin Spacey was you-know-who. Truth be told, this TV Addict has never been that guy. 

Which is probably why we’re still reeling from last night’s DEXTER season finale. Trinity exacting revenge on Dexter by killing Rita in a blood-soaked bathtub as baby Harrison was left crying in a pool of blood. Now that my friends is how to end a season…. or is it? (Cue ominous music… da, da…duh!)

Because as shocked as we were about last night’s “game-changer” and as happy as we were to see the emotionally needy deadweight that is was Rita gone (Pause for a moment to pat ourselves on the back having called for Rita’s death almost a year ago to the date), Michael Ausiello’s postmortem with DEXTER executive producer Clyde Phillips has us somewhat disappointed to learn that killing off Rita was nothing more than a by-product of the writers painting themselves into a corner. Explained Phillips:

“The story evolved and it kind of became inevitable. We knew that we had to do more than kill Trinity. It’s a little bit of a corner that we paint ourselves into. Last year we tried to avoid that and actually I think we didn’t do as well as we could have. We killed off Jimmy Smits’ character [in the 11th episode] of 12 episodes and then we had to figure out what we were going to do in the 12th episode. This season, we knew that we were going to take Trinity out in the 12th episode and we think that the audience knew that, too. We had to raise the bar to as high as possible and then figure out what to do next year.”

Now don’t get me wrong, Rita’s death shook-up what amounted to be a very entertaining, albeit highly-predictable season-ender that Dexter disposing of Trinity in a timely fashion and Deb learning just enough about Dexter’s origins to keep things status quo. Unfortunately, it also continued to re-enforce the downside of DEXTER. Namely, that after four seasons, the show now must rely far too heavily on coincidences (see: The family’s perfectly timed trip to DisneyWorld and Rita’s idea for a spontaneous honeymoon getaway) and stupid people (Will Deb ever get a clue, will Trinity’s family bother to question why the grieving Kyle Butler on the front page of the Miami Herald is being referred to as ‘Dexter,’ and will anyone in the police department even bother to ask why on earth Rita was targeted by the Trinity Killer?) to work.

Which is why — if this series is serious about finding itself on every critics ‘Best of the Decade’ list in 2019 rather than an also ran — it’s time to continue the bold trend set by the decision to off Rita and proclaim next season DEXTER’s last. Seriously, DEXTER needs an endgame. And while Showtime isn’t going to want to hear this, the network needs to take a page from ABC (see: LOST) and allow the writer’s to end the series on their own terms* (Dexter versus Deb!). That or risk subjecting DEXTER to the most menacing villain of all; audience indifference.

* If it helps, we’ll promise to tune back in when Harrison grows up and Showtime launches DEXTER: THE NEXT GENERATION

How do you know when a network such as Showtime hasn’t simply fallen victim to hyperbole when they bill Sunday’s DEXTER season finale as “One of the most thrilling endings. Ever.” May we present Exhibit “A,” also known as these just-obtained video teasers that feature Deb finally beginning to connect the dots, Arthur Mitchell confronting Dexter, and a family reunion that has us moments away from picking up the phone just to tell our Dad how much we love him. Seriously, now just imagine what Showtime’s holding back

Related:
Think you know how DEXTER is going to end? Have your say here.

As much as last night’s penultimate episode of DEXTER had us on the edge of our seat, we would like to take issue with one little aspect of the show. Namely, the fact that anyone who gets even remotely close to exposing the truth about Dexter’s extra-curricular activities ends up dead, and fast! Take last night’s latest victim for example, Christine, who all too-conveniently put a bullet to her brain just moments before sharing with slowly-catching-on-Deb the one piece of the puzzle that would have made everything abundantly clear to Dexter’s poor sister. Admittedly, we suppose if we’re gonna continue on the roller coaster that is DEXTER, buying into the idea that our anti-hero can’t realistically ever be caught is the price of admission. That said, knowing that the Trinity Killer is an odds on favourite to soon be joining The Ice Truck Killer, Lila and Miguel Prado six feet under sure does take a bit of the suspense out of next week’s finale. We’re just sayin’

If you’ve been watching DEXTER’s suspense-filled fourth season, odds are fairly good that you don’t actually need a reason to get excited for this Sunday’s penultimate episode. That said, a little tease never hurst, which is we’re thrilled to present this brief glimpse into some of the neuroses that will be plaguing one Dexter Morgan come Sunday.

MAD MEN
For us every-day TV Addicts who let’s face it, don’t always pick up on the subtle subtleties of every look, nuance and intricate line of dialogue that are packed into each and every hour of the Matthew Weiner masterpiece, Sunday’s game-changer of a finale that had Don leading Roger and Bertram (Sterling and Cooper respectively) in a coup d’état in an effort to take control of their own destiny by secretly starting their own agency was plain and simple mad mad fun. Now, if only we had some assurances that we haven’t seen the last of Ken, Paul and Sal!

90210
After almost a season and a half, this week’s installment of 90210 finally delivered that missing piece of the puzzle. The spark of genuine friendship between our leading players upon Liam finally revealing to Dixon, Teddy and surfer chick Ivy the reason why he looks like he’s ready to ‘Hulk smash’ at a moments notice. Seriously. All that was missing from this next gen gang’s vow to help Liam take Naomi’s duplicitous sister Jen down was an iconic Brandon/Steve/Dylan fist-bump.

GLEE
Just how good was this week’s highly anticipated return of GLEE? So good that the defying-gravity-diva-off between Rachel and Kurt that we’ve been counting down the hours for wasn’t even the episode’s highlight. Don’t get us wrong, our current iTunes play count on Defying Gravity is at a solid 66 plays and counting in less than a week. But when an episode manages to humanize Sue Sylvester, provide Artie with a much-deserved moment in the spotlight and allow for Tina — who quite frankly we were starting to worry was quietly becoming the GLEE equivalent of FRINGE’s Astrid — to deliver not only what was easily her largest amount of dialogue to date, but a shocking reveal to-boot, there’s a good reason why we have yet to stop believin’ (or talkin’ about) this show.

DEXTER
Oh No Dexter Didn’t! Oh wait, he did. Break Harry’s code that is. And now that he’s killed what we presume is his first innocent man — the big, scary, question that remains is will we as fans ever be able to look at what was once America’s favorite serial killer the same way again? Stay tuned.

FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS
Predictable, cheesy, call it what you will. But Buddy “Clear eyes, full hearts can’t lose” Garrity’s denouncement of the Dillon Panther Boosters was one of those rare TV moments that PVR’s were made for.

The subject of this week’s ‘Blogger Beat Down’ is… Newsweek writer Joshua Alston who included DEXTER in its list of “Five Failing TV Shows We Should Take Off the Respirator”

Our Take: Had this article been written last season —where Dexter learning about friendship had us learning about our PVR’s fast-forward capabilities — we’d be in total agreement. Unfortunately for the subject of this week’s ‘Blogger Beat Down,’ (and fortunately for us DEXTER fans) four episodes into the season have found ourselves rekindling our love affair with America’s favorite serial killer. Not only has saddling Dexter in suburbia with Rita, two tweens and a baby revitalized the show’s once trademark brand of dark humour, the lack of sleep facing the show’s titular character as he struggles to balance his job and family with his dark passenger has finally seemed to have caught up with him. Raising the stakes, and bringing with it two key components that have been missing from the show since Dexter took down Doakes in season two: A genuine sense of urgency and fear that Dexter might actually get caught. Plus, John Lithgow is such utter perfection as the creepy-beyond-description, seemingly amoral Trinity Killer that it more than makes up for the fact that his character’s shelf life will most likely expire by season’s end.

After months of hype following Marc Ecko’s Comic Con announcement to a roomful of eager fanboys (and girls), DEXTER: THE VIDEO GAME has finally arrived on the iPhone and iPod Touch. Unfortunately, much like his ubiquitous clothing line, the game itself is all style and very little substance.

What Works: DEXTER: THE VIDEO GAME is visually stunning (ranking right up there with the best looking games in the App Store), fantastic sounding (courtesy of a soundtrack ripped directly from the Showtime series), and affordably priced at $3.99 (also known as far less than our daily Starbucks addiction). Regrettably, the positives end there.

What Doesn’t Our biggest problem with the game lies with the fact that the entire adventure (or lack-their of) is a carbon copy of the first season’s story-line. Getting the opportunity to play America’s favorite serial killer Dexter Morgan, as he tries to balance his day job as a mild-mannered blood splatter analyst with his extra curricular activities that involve avenging some of the city’s most gruesome criminals and hunting down the elusive Ice Truck Killer is all well and good if you’re a DEXTER neophyte. But if you’ve seen the series (and odds are if you’re visiting this site you have), the game is nothing more than a glorified rerun.

Added to the monotony is a mixed bag of missions which try far too hard to utilize the touch screen controls on your iPhone/iPod Touch. Unlocking doors, digging graves, jumping, and hacking all by swiping your hand across the screen gets old, and fast. What’s worse, the stealth missions that have you stalking your prey are far more frustrating than fun thanks to a control scheme that is virtually unusable. While mini-games that challenge you to analyze evidence, compare DNA, pick locks and analyze blood will have your very-own dark passenger boiling.

The Bottom Line: As the evidence suggests (see: unoriginal story, poor controls and tedious gameplay) DEXTER: THE VIDEO GAME is most definitely not the killer game fans deserve. 

DEXTER: THE VIDEO GAME is available on iTunes for $3.99.

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