The Return of Jericho: Reruns, The CW, and the Audacity of Hope

Tonight, Jericho returns.
A year and a half ago, this was a revelation. Today, it feels quite different, an odd and unexpected consolation prize for fans who worked so hard to get the show back on the air. Tens of thousands of pounds of peanuts were enough the get the show a second season, but not [...]

Pushing Daisies – “Robbing Hood”

“Robbing Hood”
November 26th, 2008
I was one of the few who, really, wasn’t jumping up and down over last week’s episode of Pushing Daisies. While the episode was, no question, a strong investigation into Ned’s character and the show’s central questions, it all felt a bit heavy to me. And while I’m not saying that the [...]

How I Met Your Mother – “The Naked Man”

“The Naked Man”
November 24th, 2008
[UPDATE: For those who want a better look at Lily's list of 50 reasons to have sex, Mo Ryan at the Chicago Tribune has the enormous napkin list. I think my favourite is #39 because of its history between Marshall and Lily and the early Season Two period.]
When adding terms to [...]

Chuck – “Chuck vs. The Gravitron”

“Chuck vs. The Gravitron”
November 24th, 2008
The Jill Roberts-arc of Chuck was not what one would call new territory for the series, considering that Chuck’s past relationships from Stamford was such a focus of parts of the first season and earlier this season with the return of Bryce Larkin. The different of degrees, however, is that [...]

Season Finale: Entourage – “Return to Queens Boulevard”

“Return to Queens Boulevard”
November 24th, 2008
In the interest of full disclosure, I despised the fourth season of Entourage. It was, to my mind, a show with the absolute worst sense of direction: nowhere. They finished the movie, an admittedly really intriguing little exercise for the show, and then just sat around while it slowly (and [...]

Getting in the Holiday Spirit with “A Colbert Christmas”

I’m, admittedly, a sucker for a good Christmas special; this time of year is always quite enjoyable for precisely these types of events, things that wouldn’t be seen during a different time of year. Collecting together numerous recording artists and television personalities in a New York soundstage to create a Christmas special with humorously-themed songs [...]

Cultural Flashback: Tim Kring and the Fall of ‘Heroes’

Cultural Flashback:
Tim Kring and the Fall of ‘Heroes’
My brother asked me this week why I hadn’t yet commented (like Mo Ryan at the Chicago Tribune or James Poniewozik at Time) on the emerging story wherein Tim Kring, creator of NBC’s former-hit Heroes, referred to people who watch his show live weekly “dipsh**s” while discussing the [...]

Friday Night Lights – “New York, New York”

“New York, New York”
November 19th, 2008
[NOTE: I go into what might be considered spoiler territory before the fold (it just worked out that way), so if you're waiting until Spring and don't want to know anything scroll away now! Hope this warning works - MM]
When Smash Williams received his swan song on Friday Night Lights, [...]

The Office – “Frame Toby”

“Frame Toby”
November 20th, 2008
Michael Scott is not a heartless man – he may hate Toby with every fibre of his being, and he may act as if his return is in fact a 911 emergency, but this does not mean that Michael is a terrible person. Under the circumstances, it makes perfect sense that Toby [...]

30 Rock – “Gavin Volure”

“Gavin Volure”
November 20th, 2008
Of my three favourite comedies on television at the moment (The Office, How I Met Your Mother are the other two), 30 Rock is there primarily based on its quick wit. There is no other show that throws our rapid fire dialogue at this pace, and the show is at its best [...]