THE OFFICE
Not only was spending the full twenty-two minutes at Dunder Mifflin Scranton a welcome change of pace from the recent over-the-top zany antics of Michael Scott. It gave the Dunder Mifflin denizens a welcome opportunity to shine. Stanley’s tour-de-force performance aside, anyone else curious as to what Phyllis the delinquent teenage vandal immortalized in cement all those years ago? Because you just know she was a wild child!
HOUSE
Even with the new team and the return of Cutthroat Bitch, this TV Addict can’t seem to get excited for HOUSE anymore. Is it just me, or are we watching virtually the same show each and every week? Diagnose, Snarky Comment, Cure, Repeat.
THE BIG BANG THEORY
As a stare blankly at my ridiculously large collection of Entertainment Weekly magazines [quite literally, almost every one], this recovering eBay Addict couldn’t help but laugh sympathize with Leonard, Sheldon, Wolowitz and Raj’s Time Machine predicament.
SMALLVILLE
It should come as no surprise that television’s most frustratingly uneven series relied on the tired and clichéd “It’s a Wonderful Life” plot contrivance for their very special 150th episode. Talk about your super lack of creativity.
1. Has Jim Halpert ruined engagements for all of mankind? The smile, the emotion, the fact that his proposal promises to “Kick your ass, Beasley” [in a good way we imagine]. Seriously, how do women expect the average guy to compete with that?
2. Was Pam’s reaction to Jim’s fake proposal a bad sign? Like most guys, one of this TV Addict’s shall we say ‘weaknesses’ falls in the whole ‘emotions department’. Specifically when it comes to the female persuasion. So to all the Pam Beesley’s [aka. women] out there, I pose this question. Was Pam’s reaction one of those early warning signs Jim probably should have picked up on? Does a rocky road lie ahead for America’s sweethearts?
3. Did anyone else’s heart stop for a moment when Jim got down on one knee?
Far be it for this TV Addict to rain on the ‘Comedy Night Done Right’ parade. But SCRUBS aside, one thing was abundantly clear when it came to last night’s return of 30 ROCK and THE OFFICE. The members of the Writer’s Guild of America weren’t messing around. Pencils down meant pencils down.
When did THE OFFICE turn into CURBED YOUR ENTHUSIASM? Michael and Jan’s dinner party from hell was quite possibly one of the most horrifying, not to mention cringe-inducing half hours of comedy I’ve ever experienced. Sure, there were a few funny moments. Particularly Jan dancing to Hunter’s CD, Michael’s $200! Plasma TV, the video camera in the bedroom, Michael’s ‘bed’, Jan’s candle business, Dwight’s ‘date’… Okay, so there were more than a few funny moments. But there were also long stretches of awkwardness. And while most fans undoubtedly reveled in the awkwardness that was last night’s dinner party from hell. This TV Addict wasn’t one of them. To me ‘Comedy Night Done Right’ should have me genuinely laughing, not curled up in the fetal position, fearful of what will happen next.
As if you have to ask! New episodes of 30 ROCK, THE OFFICE, SCRUBS, ELI STONE in addition to the AMERICAN IDOL result show! Who else is counting down the minutes until 8:30PM tonight.
It looks like television critics — including this TV Addict — might just have to search for a new whipping boy.
After all, it’s kinda hard not to feel at least a little love for NBC co-chair Ben Silverman, seeing as many of the announcements he made during Tuesday afternoon’s upfronts might well have been lifted directly from the Wish Lists of every viewer who has lamented the death of quality television over the past few years.
Yes, there will be more reality. No, Howie Mandel and his bevy of case-carrying beauties haven’t been sent to Exile Island. (Whoops, wrong network.)
But there will also be more FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS.
And that right there’s gotta buy the guy a little good will, right?
Don’t worry. It’s not like Silverman didn’t make some major mistakes. (SHARK TAGGERS? Seriously? What was the pitch on this? “Now, every week can be Shark Week!”) But we’re going to focus on the positive. (At least for a few minutes… then we’ll dish the negatives.)
What were the highlights for me? So glad you asked! Here’s the top four:
Good News: NBC has revealed that they’ve ordered an unheard of thirty episodes of THE OFFICE for next season. Bad News: Which may sound great now, but think back to September. Do you remember how underwhelmed fans all were with four consecutive super-sized episodes?
Good News: The mildly intriguing NEW AMSTERDAM premieres tonight on FOX. Bad News: It premieres on FOX. See the network’s previous attempts at March Success: DRIVE, THE WINNER, THE LOOP and FREE RIDE. Well, you get the idea.
Good News: My Name is Earl nabs a high profile guest star. Bad News: The guest ’star’ is Paris Hilton. Need we remind you Hollywood: Her fifteen minutes of fame will never run out if you continue to put her on TV. [Source]
With THE OFFICE officially closed — today’s question of the day goes something like this. How long will NBC allow their only hit comedy since FRIENDS to remain shut down? Could Steve Carell’s support of his writers be responsible for getting the two sides back to the table sooner rather than later? Stay Tuned…
Michael Ausiello is reporting today that NBC is developing a spin-off of THE OFFICE. Yet if you were one of the tens thousands of fans hoping to see STANLEY THE SERIES, or CREED’S HEAD! [remember HERMAN’S HEAD?!] — this TV Addict, well really Michael Ausiello has some bad news for you. Unlike PRIVATE PRACTICE, the new show is not expected to spin-off one of your current favorite paper pushers. In fact, Ausiello claims that the producers are already casting about for a “name” to headline the potential show. Got any ideas? Think an OFFICE spin-off is yet another sign of Hollywood’s complete lack of creativity and originality. Post away with your thoughts.
Hey gang. First things first, I want to apologize for no updates this morning! I was in my hotel room for a total of 5 hours between Saturday morning at 9AM and Sunday morning at 7:30AM. I was out and about in Scranton; various Q&As, walks around town, taking in the local sights, meeting up with cast members and writers, and chatting with fellow bloggers.
Some Friday things to take care of – Craig Robinson is and always will be my favorite. Darryl is awesome. At the end of Casino Night, he was still okay with getting one last picture in. Also – I chatted with Ed Helms for a little while about our interview from over the summer. He is not cousins with Wes Helms. He just didn’t want to correct me back then ha! He was a gem, and I cannot believe I had the luck of not only standing near him, but getting to stand with his arm around me for a darling picture on my phone.
Saturday morning was horrible, weather wise. It was pouring. Pictures in the pouring rain was not an easy task. The Office was playing all over town, so I got the chance to catch up on old episodes. Ended up at the Steamtown Mall for the Uncommon Stakeholder’s Meeting. Craig (Darryl, my absolutely favorite person ever), Oscar, and Andy Buckley (David Wallace, CFO) participated in a mock board meeting. Craig was hilarious, Oscar and Andy were, too. It was packed.
From there, we headed to see Creed play with the Scrantones in the middle of the University campus. You know those stories Creed comes up with on the show? He does it in real life. He let us know that when he was a child, he was orphaned, and then adopted by a Chinese family and long story short, that’s how he lost a toe (I’m pretty sure he made that up…though I did hear him tell that story twice). He may tell crazy stories, but his guitar playing is phenomenal!
Welcome to THE TV ADDICT’S WEEK IN REWIND A look back at last week’s good/bad/ugly in the world of television.
BEST EPISODE OF THE WEEK: DIRTY SEXY MONEY
Let me preface this by saying that I have yet to watch DAMAGES incredible season finale [I’ll be watching it on Tuesday]. So with that in mind, this TV Addict’s best episode of the week goes to ABC’s DIRTY SEXY MONEY. And while the category is best episode of the week, it should also be noted that DIRTY SEXY MONEY is also the week’s most improved new show.
What started out as a shallow and forgettable mockery of the Hilton/Lohan/Trump’s of the world has quietly evolved into an unforgettable and hilarious mockery of the Hilton/Lohan/Trump’s of the world. Five episode in, we’re not only laughing at the ridiculousness of Brian trying to pass off Brian Jr. as ‘Gustav,’ but sympathizing with him as he begs his wife for forgiveness. Realizing that being born into billions may not be the greatest blessing in the world [although we’re willing to give it a try] and getting even more and more intrigued by the mysterious circumstances surrounding Nick’s father’s death. Add to that the recent cast addition of billionaire Simon Elder and the endless comic relief courtesy of television’s real wonder-twins Jeremy and Juliet Darling [with apologies to HEROES Maya and Alejandro], DIRTY SEXY MONEY is simply dirty sexy fun.
FUNNIEST MOMENT OF THE WEEK: HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER
Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah. No idea what I’m talking about? That will teach you to miss yet another fantastic installment of HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER. Don’t make the same mistake this week. Tune in to an all new episode Monday at 8PM on CBS.
WHO SAYS SIZE MATTERS: THE OFFICE
After four weeks of hour long OFFICE mediocrity, it should come as no surprise that this TV Addict thought Thursday’s thirty minute installment was the perfect amount of Scrantonicity. Thirty minutes was just enough time to introduce us to Dwight’s hilarious Second Life, a Michael Scott ‘Joint’ destined to become a classic and yet another priceless line courtesy of Meredith — “I’m excited about doing the ad but I’m not really used to doing videos with so many people around.” Thirty minutes ensured that Michael didn’t go over the edge and take a pizza boy hostage or drive his car into the lake. It was the perfectly paced episode and most importantly, managed to do what the previous four hour long episodes couldn’t. Left us wanting more.
THE OFFICE
HOUSE
Good News: NBC has revealed that they’ve ordered an unheard of thirty episodes of THE OFFICE for next season. Bad News: Which may sound great now, but think back to September. Do you remember how underwhelmed fans all were with four consecutive super-sized episodes?
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