What a great beginning to the tv season! This first half made me really like network television again and got me excited to even start exploring more into some of the cable shows. I do feel like I watch a lot but I also feel like I miss out on a bunch of really good shows that premium channels like Showtime and HBO have to offer. I’ll make a little comment at the end about shows I wish I had watched and either hadn’t discovered yet or wasn’t able to watch. In general though once again I am really happy where television has went. Shows that were floundering came back with some very creative and fresh breath of air while a lot of new shows showed that Network television isn’t dead.

The Networks

CW: I don’t watch The Vampire Diaries, 90210, or Supernatural…am I missing out? I might check the much hyped Life Unexpected though but nothing to report.

CBS: Continues to dominate and continue its formula of procedurals and keeping strong shows where they are. I did my best to try something new on the channel besides my reality tv fix, but I just couldn’t get into The Good Wife. Yes it is a strong acted show but it is just to slow and I wasn’t invested enough in the case of the week with very little serialized development. So they made be the best network ratings wise in the long haul, but same old same old.

NBC: Shame on NBC for cutting out their ten o’clock hour. Yes it is an easy target but I am taking it. We are down about four or five shows now because of this. Yes NBC was struggling and it was good that they were bought out but I find it lazy to put Jay Leno at ten then trying to figure out what went wrong. I also felt about for Southland fans who were promised a second season of the show and had to wait for TNT to take it once NBC yanked it as well. Also Heroes continues to flounder and I am glad I don’t watch it anymore. Perhaps the only good thing NBC has going for it is its Thursday night lineup. It is nice Friday afternoon laying back and watching Community, Parks and Recreation, The Office and 30 Rock.

FOX: FOX continues to show how strong of a network it is even without American Idol. It might skewer a bit younger than the other networks but FOX at least tries to be creative and takes more risks, even if they don’t give those risks that much of a chance. They took a chance with Glee and it is paying off and their Sunday Night line up is steady. I am not a huge fan of Fringe being on Thursdays. Even after seeing it struggle against CSI and Grey’s Anatomy FOX decided to not move it to a less competitive time slot. This network has nothing to worry about though with its big hits American Idol coming back, but with Paula Abdul gone and Simon Cowell in question after this year FOX needs to possibly think about what happens after Idol.

ABC: ABC is in an interesting spot. It paid off that their Wednesday night lineup paid off. Good for them for supporting shows like Modern Family and The Middle but bad on them for burning the rest of Better Off Ted in January instead of putting it in Hank’s vacant spot. However Desperate Housewives and Grey’s Anatomy aren’t the juggernauts in the ratings they used to be. Flashforward bombed and V didn’t keep its high numbers though 9 million isn’t bad. It just needs another big show in order to continue to compete with CBS and FOX. Could that show be The Deep End? So pretty average for ABC and its last few years but it needs to begin looking for the next generation of big hits with its big three either ending (Lost) or steadying out.

Now on to the specifics…

V

I really liked V. I don’t feel guilty about it and I even got a few friends to watch it. I already had an extensive article on the show about a month ago but didn’t deal too much with the actual plots and acting on the show. I thought the pilot was awesome and watched it several times. The ship coming in was just so cool and it has made me want to go back and watch the original 80s miniseries and show. I really like Elizabeth Mitchell, I thought she was excellent on her three years of Lost and she is the reason why I watched this show to begin with, but I found myself coming  back for Morena Baccarin. She plays the icy and emotionless Anna, the leader of the Visitors and she does a tremendous job with the part. She seems calculating and cool all at the same time. I found plot both believable and slightly unbelievable. Yes humans would question the Visitors and I think their would realistically be riots. Also the Visitors arrival would be sensational news and how the United States operates was pretty much on par. There are a few things that us paranoid humans wouldn’t do though. I don’t think we would be as trusting and would want answers immediately if this was to ever happen in real life, but I can look past those rather glaring liberties in a show like this. I don’t like Chad Decker and I think he is the worst newscaster to ever exist. He wouldn’t even be given the opportunity to work with the Visitors because of how horrible he is at reading the news. I also kind of role my eyes at the whole Tyler storyline and his potential “hot alien sex” cause it is just rather silly and ridiculous. This show has some of the best CGI any network show has ever had and has a few pacing problems. It is stronger than FlashForward and is stronger than ABC’s other short-lived Sci-Fi show Invasion. It has potential and I am looking forward to it coming back.

Grey’s Anatomy

Huh…hmmm…I have to say that Shonda Rhymes tried some new things that actually made the show seem a bit more fun. For awhile without Izzie and Meredith around it gave the other characters some breathing room and made me appreciate the show a little more. I also have to say I appreciated the Derek-centric episode that involved around his high risk surgery and feud with the chief.  I also enjoyed the formula changing whodunit as the doctors were questioned on why a woman died. Both of those were well done it showed that this show isn’t just about who hooked up with who. It is no surprise that I have been frustrated with this show, I have. Last year was pretty horrendous but I think the show found some footing with the merger with Mercy West as well as the backtracking on the Chief’s drinking problem. I miss a lot of the non-hospital moments that the show has lost over the years. It all just takes place in the hospital and we don’t see what these people are like in a normal situation. It would help make the characters seem a little bit more well-rounded. Shonda Rhymes tried to bring some of those back and I appreciate the scenes in the last episode with Sloane and his daughter in his apartment as well as another great monologue performed by Chandra Wilson. I also loved that Kim Raver of 24 and Third Watch fame showed up. She is an excellent addition to the show as Teddy and is fun to have around with Cristina and  Owen. Maybe I liked this show a bit more because Katherine Heigle disappeared for about half of the fall season to shoot a film and we didn’t have to deal with her cancer or Denny bullshit and yet it was also nice seeing her return for the last episode or two before the break. Is this show getting on the right track? Not necessarily I was still bored from time to time. Is it getting the idea again? Yes I would think so. I’m not sure how much I am liking Grey’s Anatomy: The Next Generation (because it was without George, Izzie, and Meredith) but I can’t say I am as angry with the show as I was at the beginning of the season or last State of TV update.

Private Practice

I still have my issues with being invested in the characters. If I try to remember what happened this season so far I couldn’t tell you a lot. Violet had a bunch of baby issues to the point of annoyance, Addison kind of fell into the background (remember when she liked Pete and wanted a baby? Neither does Shonda), and Dell all but disappeared. I almost dropped this show because I am just not invested in it but ever so often I find something that really intrigues me. Though I don’t remember much about this show I do remember the last three episodes. Stephen Collins of Reverend Camden fame guest starred as Addison’s creepy father the Captain who basically slept around. Addison was of course pissed at him when she found out he had slept with Violet and the Captain decided to bring her mother Bizzy to California to discuss with her what is really going on. Meanwhile Dell, who was strangely absent for most of the season, returned after getting remarried to his supposedly recovering druggie ex. However she was cooking meth (how could he not know and wouldn’t he have a headache?) and his house exploded and there was an incredibly emotional episode with his daughter and wife in the hospital. So while that was all going on Addison learned that her father wasn’t really that bad a guy and actually stuck in a pitiful marriage. Her mother was actually in a 20 year relationship with her female assistant. So Addison got pissed at everyone, Dell got pissed at Pete, Pete was pissed at Violet, Cooper was pissed that Charlotte got had previously been married, while Sam and Naomi were pissed at their slut of a daughter. Kate Walsh did an amazing job in these last two episodes. She just did a tremendous job with her acting. This show had three great episodes at the end and I found myself liking the show more when everyone was mad at each other. So Shonda, to keep me interested, have all these people get angry with each other and I’d keep Reverend Camden around. It made the show strong and tight and actually kept my eyes glued to the screen as opposed to falling asleep or getting on the internet.

The Amazing Race 15

The  recession has hit the race. So they had to cut some corners like back to back legs in the same country (one leg literally was over the course of a night) and give out some crappy prizes (kayaks?). I thought the show did a better job casting this season than they did for Amazing Race 14. I found myself really rooting for teams this year and caring about who stayed in and who got eliminated. Plus the finale was one of the most intense I have seen in a really long time. I also like that we didn’t have any one team shoved down our throats and that at the end you weren’t quite sure who was going to win. I was ripping out my hair as Meghan and Cheyne fell behind and then came back or while Brian and Ericka fell apart as well as the brothers doing the best they could. I was not a big fan of the opening twist that eliminated a team right away. Why even get two peoples hopes up and make them cancel all of their plans for the next 20 days only to have them eliminated in ten minutes. Not that I really would have liked Eric and Lisa I just found the whole thing a waste of time. I think this season hit its climax right around the middle of the season with horrible Lance and Keri getting eliminated as well as bickering couple Mika and Canaan. The show had to then create artificial drama between the Globetrotters and Sam and Dan in order to have some drama. The highlight of the season has got to be Mika and Canaan at the top of the slide. I looked forward to that all week. The two fell apart and Mika lost it…over a slide. It was the most dramatic and entertaining the show has been for a while. Meghan and Cheyne were pretty robotic but they were likable and I was glad they won. They had their faults but ultimately prevailed and I was happy about that. I think the past few seasons have all been pretty even, I think this season was stronger than Amazing Race 14 but not quite as good as Amazing Race 13. I am hoping that we get another amazing Amazing Race like seasons three, five, or seven.

Desperate Housewives

Desperate Housewives is like your favorite comfort food. It isn’t really that new or different anymore but it still tastes and makes you feel good. I was worried about similar storylines…and yes they are similar but they are slightly tweaked. Susan’s isn’t much different of course. Katherine is just a different version of Edie. A slightly more insane and doing crazy things version but the rivalry is similar to what the two had throughout Nicollette Sheridan’s stay on the show. I am liking Susan more than I have in the past but I feel like we are always treading water with her. Same old same old with Susan. I guess the only good thing with Susan is the reintroduction of Karl and how she’ll react knowing that Bree and him are together. Plus I like Julie being involved in the main mystery this season. Bree’s current plot is a slightly altered version of past storylines as well. Replace Rex with Orson and George with Karl. However I will let it go just because I like Karl so much. His character is so sleazy and has such low standards that pretty much make all of his actions  hilarious. Plus it is great to have such a “terrible person” with Edie not around. Bree and Karl are making the show fun. I don’t like what the show has done to Orson. He is a shell of the person he used to be and unfortunately I feel like he is going to be the one killed off after the plane crash. It stinks, his comedic work hiding the baby in the fourth season is some of the best in the shows history. Once again I find the Lynette storyline one of the most interesting.  Yes she is pregnant again and that is a drag but her whole on and off again rivalry with Carl and Gabbie makes her plot more exciting than the other three. Plus I always liked Lynette’s storyline in season two. Lynette’s one liners in the work place are some of the best quips in the show. One of my favorite scenes early on is the dinner meeting where Tom has to drink the wine for her. Doug Savant is an excellent and believable drunk. Gabby’s plot is okay. I wasn’t a fan of bringing back John Rowland for a fourth time and it was even more lame than ever. Plus they quickly dropped the Ana Solis plotline, I think she had maybe one or two lines in the last two episodes alone.  I really liked the homeschooling plot, Juanita Solis is one of my favorite characters and Eva Longoria and Madison dela Garza have excellent chemistry. Madison dela Garza has great comedic timing for a girl her age. I actually really enjoy the mystery this season, but it could be because the Dave storyline was just so terribly boring and predictable last time.  Plus it is more investing than the Katherine Mayfair mystery from two seasons ago. Drea De Matteo does a tremendous job as the new housewife and every episode keeps you guessing about might have gone down. Not the biggest fan of her Danny or Nick but they both do okay and are interesting whenever Angie is around. This show has fallen into the familiar a bit, but it is a welcome familiar. If it continues to have great jokes and one liners though I can continue to appreciate its formulaic set up. But one final thing to say to Marc Cherry: Instead of trying to find a disaster every year (cause the plane crash was lame), you should go back to season three and look at “Bang!” and see why it was so good in the first place. Cause I am not looking forward to the flood, earthquake, or hot air balloon crash episodes in the future.

The Middle

A very familiar set up and nothing to original but the Middle is a welcome addition to my regular tv viewing. When I don’t know what to watch I usually fall to this show because it is just a fun and easy show to watch. Patricia Heaton is actually likable and she finally found a great vehicle at Everybody Loves Raymond. The cast works very well together. I feel like this show is fresh but it is also familiar so it kind of keeps me happy. It found its pacing very quickly. I’m not sure this is a show I would buy on DVD but if it gets far enough to be sold into syndication I would probably watch the occasional random episode. They rely a lot on Atticus Shaffer almost too much. I actually found the weakest episode revolved heavily around him and his girlfriend. Many people say he is the strongest character of the show, but I actually find the klutzy but endearing Sue (played by Eden Sher) to be much better. All of her plots about how she can never join a team or how awkward she is are some of the funniest things the show has ever done. Heck I am not even remotely annoyed at Chris Kattan. He even performs his part solidly and I am always happy for an SNL alum to find work. Fortunately it is getting decent ratings and I love that it is paired up with the more critically acclaimed Modern Family and Cougar Town in order to keep it strong. I’d love this show to find an even bigger audience because it is actually very well done. No complaints from me here, just keep up the good work.

Glee

Maybe I’m not seeing it. I am trying really hard I am. I would think someone like me with a theater background could appreciate this show a bit more but I find more faults with it than other shows. Yet despite me seeing its flaws it gets nominated for The Golden Globes, Screen Actors Guild Awards, and the Writer’s Guild of America Awards. It was even named one of the top ten shows of the year but the American Film Institute. You would think with all of this response and its popularity that I’d love it too. I just find something off, still. I think they moved the plot way to fast (yes I know when they filmed it they had no idea if it was going to be picked up for its back nine episodes) and it feels like a sitcom. For a show that is supposed to be serialized they hardly mention plotlines from previous weeks. I missed an episode of Glee one week and watched the episode after that and I wasn’t lost at all, in fact nothing in the previous episode had anything to do with the one I was watching. Also I realize shows need to take liberties but it is ridiculous to think that Will Schuester had not seen his wife naked or her belly for weeks? Maybe I’m a bit more cynical which is why I root for Sue Sylvester. Jane Lynch really does a tremendous job in her role. I honestly think she is the reason to watch the show and I love that she is finally getting some recognition. She is just so mean and rude and tyrannical, she makes me want Glee to suffer just to see Sue gloat. Plus it was heartbreaking seeing Sue reading to her handicapped sister. Sue Sylvester is Glee and without her, I frankly wouldn’t watch. I also appreciate the casts ability to come out with two or three musical numbers an episode, that has got to be a lot of hard work having to learn those songs and learn that choreography week to week. Fix the pacing, remember the storylines, or otherwise it is really just a lot of jazz hands.

Modern Family

Joining the ranks of Survivor, Lost, Fringe, and The Amazing Race this show has become one of my “must watch immediately” shows of the week. Ever since Cam lifted Lily in the air and the Lion King’s “Circle of Life” I knew I was hooked. It takes the documentary feel of Arrested Development with the yet a different documentary feel of the office and throws in some heart. I can’t stop gushing about this show. I’ve told my siblings, my professors, and my classmates all about it. They’ve begged me to stop and I told them that this is one of the shows they are missing out on. It has become a staple for my Wednesday nights. Even though some episodes are more laugh out loud than the others I find every episode just enjoyable. I just want to see what Claire, Phil, Cam, Mitchell, Jay, and Gloria are up to this week. Much like The Middle, and even more so, this show has founds its groove and has found a very comfortable pacing. The cast really knows their characters and I find all of them and their situations very relatable. I might not be in the same situation as them but I understand the feelings they have. Plus it is just the zany and kooky situations they find themselves in every week that makes the show hilarious. Eric Stonestreet is now one of my favorite actors. He is hilarious as Cam and does a terrific job with all of his material. The best part of the final episode of the fall season was his problem with the Greensleevers carolers. I burst out laughing as they finished their over the top rendition of Jingle Bells. On top of that all of the children are solid as well especially Ariel Winter as Alex and Rico Rodriguez as Manny…and I always love Julie Bowen so I find her fantastic as well. Best ensemble cast for 2009? I would say so.

Community

Of all of the comedies I watch this fall Community is obviously the weakest. It is odd that Joel McHale’s charisma doesn’t translate from The Soup to Community. I find him not unlikable but I don’t really root for anybody. It has a couple of good lines a week and it does some very different storylines from all other shows but I just find myself zoning out during the show. Maybe it is the large cast of characters and it isn’t as focused as I would like but I just don’t find it as entertaining and it is close to being dropped. I find Chevy Chase, Gillian Jacobs, and Donald Glover could all easily not be there and I’d appreciate the show more. They could even scale back on Danny Pudi as Abed, I hate that they basically rely on him just a little too much and it takes away from the other more subtle and stronger characters. Perhaps it hasn’t found its feet yet like other new comedies this fall but I do find it the weakest link in NBC’s Thursday night lineup. I do however enjoy Ken Jeong, Yvette Nicole Brown, and Alison Brie. All of them are great foils to Joel McHale and all are very original with their characters. I used to think that Yvette Nicole Brown could only really play a hard bitch but she plays Shirley as a weak and insecure yet smart woman and it is a great combination. I wish they could shave down the cast a little bit and find a rhythm to the show more. Otherwise I don’t see this show lasting that long, which sucks because I like Joel McHale. I think the show relies on references, jokes, and gags and doesn’t rely on actually comedic timing. I could care less if they are the “Humans” or whatever they are. I could care less about funny signs and Chevy Chase being old. It just seems way too easy and doesn’t work unless the characters are working, and I don’t think they are. It has a bit of a fan base though so it isn’t all a loss but it almost seems too cynical for me to care. I want more about the characters lives as opposed to how bad or lame community college is, cause I got that joke episode 1…it isn’t funny anymore by episode eleven.

Parks and Recreation

My vote for the most improved show. It reminded me a lot of how much The Office improved after its first short six episode season. The same thing with this show. The first season set up the characters and the premise and the second season let those characters grow and develop to what they are now. Parks and Recreation now has running jokes and ongoing storylines. It has moved on from just the pit, which has now been filled in. We are starting to see the intricacies of the characters and coming up with different pairings. Amy Poehler also seems more comfortable as Leslie Knope and has moved away from the female version Michael Scott to a morally conflicted do-gooder. She is a lot more fun and entertaining and I like how unaware she is and doesn’t think about her actions. In fact her being so unaware of the world around her and only thinking about herself makes her so much fun to watch. Not only is Amy Poehler doing a better job so are the supporting characters. Her co-workers do such a great job and have their own personalities. The only ones that seem really bland to me are Ann and Mark. Those two add really nothing to the plot and the only reason I like them together is to watch Andy trying to break them apart. April, Ron, Andy, and Tom are all excellent as well as Jerry and Donna all really make the place a lot of fun. I think it is great when this and The Office work on the peripheral characters and give them a more intricate personality. It looks like the show actually puts some time into their creation and develops these people instead of making them one note like they easily could. I always liked April, even in the first season but I am surprised at how much I really like Ron, Andy, and Tom. None of them were really my favorite or even fun to watch but as we continued to learn about them they became some of my favorite people on tv. I think right now that Parks and Recreation is the strongest of NBC’s Thursday comedies. It isn’t in a rut like 30 Rock and it continues with new ideas unlike The Office. Excellent show and probably one of my top picks for the year. I hope its ratings improve.

Fringe

I won’t be talking to much about Fringe, since I do have a small recap on every episode. I find it one of the strongest shows on tv and I love how similar it is to X-Files. It is the only show where I appreciate the non-serialized episodes. I find a lot of its plots original and I love the slow development of the characters. John Noble is a tremendous actor and his work with Joshua Jackson is some of the best on television. He continues to hone and improve with Walter and makes everyone else shine. I wish the show had a few more answers but that is a J.J. Abrams show for you, a lot of questions and not a lot of answers. I think Fringe and Lost made me really appreciate Sci-Fi and made me really like the genre. Sci-Fi isn’t as crappy as it used to be and I am glad that he updated the genre. No complaints from me, just don’t have 4 episodes in a row without a development of the overall mythology. That is the only thing that will slow it down.  Here are the links to my episode reviews for the second season.

Episode 1 – A New Day in Old Town
Episode 2 – Night of Desirable Objects
Episode 3 – Fracture
Episode 4 – Momentum Deferred
Episode 5 – Dream Logic
Episode 6 – Earthling
Episode 7 – Of Human Action
Episode 8 – August
Episode 9 – Snakehead
Episode 10 – Grey Matters

The Office

Like Grey’s Anatomy, The Office needed to shake things up in order to keep viewers interested. They’ve tweaked a few of the characters and ongoing plots though to keep the viewers entertained. I am glad this show is finding some footing again. One of my favorite changes to the show the Jim and Pam dynamic. Pam is no longer the secretary and now Jim is no longer just an employee but one of the bosses. So now instead of the normal relationship Jim is now Pam’s boss. This makes Pam kind of look past Jim’s problems as a boss and tries to actually root for him despite some of the mistakes he has made. It also puts Jim and Michael at odds with each other since they have conflicting viewpoints. I also love Erin. I think she is a great addition to the cast and Ellie Kemper does such a fantastic job integrating with the cast. I hope they continue to make the subtle conflict that she and Pam seem to have. I also am kind of liking the recession storyline. It has added a new element to the show and to the characters. Dunder Mifflin is in trouble and it might not be around forever. It is interesting seeing that dynamic to the show and gives the actors some new things to work with. I also really like the Niagara. It is one of the strongest episodes the show has done and a ton of funny moments. I also wish they had kept Michael with Pam’s mom a little bit longer. There are a few storylines they could have done with that and I feel like it ended almost as soon as it began. It got a bit slow last year but the writers came back with some very interesting storylines. Six seasons in and I am still watching. It doesn’t have the strength of the second season but it is trying its best. I just hope that it can continue and not go with inane stories like it does every while when the writers run out of ideas. Please writers and producers keep trying to make the story fresh by changing up the dynamics cause that always creates some new and odd character quirks and awkward situations.

30 Rock

Forgettable…sorry. I know they have some plot about finding a new actor for the show but much like The Office last season and others before it I kind of felt like it was going through the motions. Like I said at the beginning of the year I find this show enjoyable even when the episodes aren’t as strong. It really works with my sense of humor and it doesn’t come across as forced as Community. Tina Fey continues to shine as the “average” and “weird” Liz Lemon and Alec Baldwin does a great job keeping the show going and continues to be the strongest part. Though it is a comedy it doesn’t need a lot of serialized plots but it still needs some. The deal breakers storyline was ok but overall I thought it wasn’t very original for a show that is usually very creative. I think they dropped the Liz wants a baby storyline for the moment as well as Jack being alone, even though the end of the last episode has promise with Julianne Moore’s great guest spot. I am trying to find things to complain about though. It isn’t like the show sucks it just is kind of not doing much of anything. I watch so many shows that when one of them starts not being as fun or as original that it used to be that it becomes kind of glaring. That is the thing, it is just boring. I am sadly bored with this show. I’ll stick with it though because I am a fan of it and the quality isn’t down it just once again isn’t doing much. I do have to say though that they made Tracey Jordan a lot more fun this season. I personally think that he is the weakest link in the cast but I think they are finally finding his strengths that he is almost always fun to have. Since the first episode of the season where he goes out to New York to relate to people to working with Jenna as the Problem Solvers. He is actually fun to have around. One of the ongoing jokes I like is this new ongoing joke of “Astronaut Mike Dexter” and I hope they continue that reference for episodes to come. So yes an overall forgettable season of the show with a good dash of comedy here and there but nothing to really rave about. Originality will have to go to Modern Family and Parks and Recreation. However usually when a comedy isn’t hitting on all cylinders the writers will come back with a series of really good episodes, so I am hope that is the case and we will see some amazing episodes in the winter and spring.

The Cleveland Show

At one point I was ready to drop this show, now I am starting to find it a permanent part of my Sundays. It took a bit to find its own feet and its own voice from Family Guy but it almost works better when it kind of is like Family Guy. I’m not sure why I liked it so much but the last few episodes were strong. Now I am not going to scream from the roof to watch this show but it isn’t as bad as I thought it was going to be. I wish there was less Rallo, I find him to be one of the worst creations that Seth MacFarlane has created. He isn’t like Stewie who has become a likable fixture for Family Guy he is just an annoyance to the rest of the cast. I also wish we could get more for Cleveland Jr. I also wish they would say how he got so fat so quickly from his early Family Guy days. He is the complete opposite and though he is great for potential jokes I just wish they would have a minor cut to explain it, at least for long time fans. It really is just like Family Guy which can be seen as both a good or bad thing but Family Guy continues to make me laugh. I think one of the best things about this is that it isn’t as political as Family Guy and tries to not rely as much on the flashbacks or cutaways. It is more of a traditional show that works on its characters. So right now it is going to stay just because I find it an enjoyable show. Not everything I watch has to be the smartest thing in the world it just has to make me smile and this show did that.

Family Guy

The first episode was one of the best in a long time. The next four were nothing special. The four after that were all solid. Same old story for Family Guy. When it works it is great, when it doesn’t you kind of don’t have an opinion, at least I don’t. After Road to the Multiverse my favorite episode has got to be Jerome is the New Black. Peter, Quagmire, and Joe try to find a new person to replace Cleveland and they end up meeting Jerome who used to date Lois. While the main plot was funny the best part was Quagmire’s huge long monologue at how horrible Brian was. It was very uncharacteristic of the show where Brian is usually the voice of reason (and the voice of Seth MacFarlane). Quagmire goes into a long speech at how horrible Brian is all the things wrong with him referencing several old episodes. It is pretty long but it was really great. I hope they continue this joke and continue to make Quagmire dislike Brian cause it is one of the best developments the show has had in a while. The only thing I am disappointed about is the showing of “Something, Something, Something Darkside.” Or should I say the lack of showing it. I think it was originally going to start this season and then it was going to be the end of the first half, but now with the DVD out it has been regulated to May…meaning Seth wants people to dish out some money to buy it, which I will, but I wish they had shown it on tv.

Survivor Samoa

A much better improvement on Tocantins if only for the amount of blindsides and for the brilliance of Russell Hantz. However despite how much I like Russell and like that he lost I hated that we didn’t really get to know anybody else outside of Shambo, John, Erick, or the other Russell…and even than I’m not so sure about that. This show works the best when we know enough about someone who we actually have an opinion when they get voted off. Don’t get me wrong though, I thought it was a solid season and brought back a lot of attention to the show right before its next All Star season. The best part of Samoa was perhaps the epic Russell Swan evacuation episode. Probably one of the strongest episodes of Survivor in a really long time. I think what keeps me coming back to the show is how different the game can be every time. We ‘ve had tribes come into the merge with the majority and lost the game before but each time it is different which always makes the show exciting. Survivor has still refound its footing ever since China, lets hope it continues.

Episode 1
Episode 2
Episode 3
Episode 4
Episode 5
Episode 6
Episode 7
Episode 8
Episode 9
Episode 10
Recap
Episode 11
Episode 12
Episode 13
Episode 14

Everything Else

Lets see…FlashForward fell apart. I gave it about four episodes and I didn’t see where it was going. It was muddy and boring and the premise was falling apart. I also gave up on The Good Wife. I spoke about it above. Well acted and one of the top ten shows of the year but it was just to slow for a serialized plot lover like I am. I actually gave Cougar Town a chance as well as Men of A Certain Age…and I found no response from my brain for either so I decided not to watch it. I’d write about Better Off Ted again but with only three episodes so far I don’t have a lot to write about. Saturday Night Live was actually really weak this fall and the Weekend Update Thursdays were nothing to write home about. I hear I’d probably like Vampire Diaries but I don’t see myself watching it anytime soon because of my dislike of Vampires in general. I’ll give True Blood a shot before that. One of the best things about the fall was my new 32 inch HD TV. With my new HD TiVo I hope to have an even better tv experience in the winter and spring.