The Office

Thursdays NBC

This is the show that I am trying so hard to convert people to watch. It is one of the few comedies out there that makes me laugh out loud. The writing is superb. I love all the actors and often the minor characters outshine the major ones. The scenarios involving the boss, Michael, are just too awkward and a lot of humour is mined from these awkward situations.

Perhaps the tone of the show is not for everyone? Perhaps it is too silly for people? Maybe the lack of a laugh track and the silence that ensues makes people feel uncomfortable?

I don't know what it is, but people I know don't enjoy this show. Maybe I need new people?

My only worry coming into this season was seeing how the writers would make their way through Sam-Diane Syndrome. A show works best when there is tension between two characters-do they like each other? Will they get together? And TV history has dictated that not many shows survive for much longer once the writers have painted themselves into a corner and are left with only one choice... the characters get together. Let's see some examples:

Cheers: Sam and Diane had great chemistry. The show revolved around these two opposites and their zany relationship. Cheers survived because Shelley Long left.

Moonlighting: Once Maddie and Dave got together, the show wasn't the same. Or maybe it was because Bruce Willis' career took off with Die Hard.

X-Files: This show was an example of great tension between Scully and Mulder, yet the writers let things drag out too long, as not enough of their relationship was advanced season after season, until all that tension was drained away.

Friends: This show was able to survive the Ross and Rachel drama, but man did they milk things. How many times did they almost get together? How many times did they break up? This show survived, but I don't really know how.

Frasier: Niles and Daphne finally get together. I think the show ended a season or two after that.

That brings us to Jim and Pam. These two add heart to the show and elevate this show from simply being a silly comedic look at office life. I really hope that this show can survive now that Jim and Pam are together. I am very interested how the writers will produce tension now that the relationship drama between Jim and Pam is gone.

Ok, finally, the season premiere? A bit uneven, but an hour of Office still produces great amounts of laughter.

How could you not laugh at the race that Michael organizes? Check out the name:

Michael Scott Dunder Mifflin Scranton Meredith Palmer Memorial Celebrity Rabies Awareness Pro-Am Fun Run For The Cure

which ensured the best race t-shirt logo ever. I would love to get my hands on one of those shirts.

Other highlights?

-Darrel feeding the squirrel while Michael is giving a speech on rabies
-Andy's disturbing nipple troubles during his run
-Michael mounting Meredith to give her a hug forgetting she had a broken pelvis
-Michael handing over one of those big cheques to a stripper dressed as a nurse and the cheque was written out to "Science"

I wish that some of you could give The Office another chance. It is one of my favourites.

Postings later tonight for Bionic Woman, Ugly Betty, Grey's Anatomy, and Gossip Girl. I will say that I enjoyed Bionic Woman and am definitely looking forward to the second episode.

Rob

Myth: 3 Americans every year die from rabies.
Fact: 4 Americans every year die from rabies.

-Michael Scott, from The Office

Too much TV...

I find I am having a tough time trying to cram in all of these TV shows, considering that I am coaching a gr. 10 boys volleyball team ("coach" is a relative loose term). Finding time to do my Masters is a bit tough as well. Thank goodness I don't have children. I should be able to make some comments sooner than later.

Reaper

CityTV Tuesdays

I finally got around to watching this quirky show. The first episode, directed by Kevin Smith of "Clerks" fame, establishes that the slacker character finds out his soul was sold to the devil by his parents and now the devil has enlisted him to become his bounty hunter to find souls that managed to escape out of hell.

I know, it sounds crazy right?

I actually really enjoyed the show. The acting was great and the writing was funny. I thought it was the funniest new show I had seen this week. If you like quirky sort of shows then I recommend you check this one out.

Don't fear the Reaper.

I wish I could elaborate further but Thursday is a big night of TV. Take care.

Private Practice

ABC Wednesdays

Hey everybody... sorry for the lack of post yesterday. I played hockey last night, so I couldn't get around to any comments. Here we go...

I confess that Addison's character from Grey's Anatomy has grown on me. But all that goodwill is undone by this new spinoff show. I will say that last season's introduction of this new show's cast in GA was one of the first signs that GA was going down in quality. I actually remember being super angry after that episode, because I was forced to watch these characters that I did not give a crap about.

So ABC, in their infinite wisdom of milking the golden cow, decided hey lets give Shonda Rimes a chance to do a spin off!

I could barely watch the first episode and I actually fast forwarded through much of it. It was that bad.

My first beef? I HATE (notice the ALL CAPS) when characters dance and sing on a show. Spontaneous family sing alongs drive me up the wall. Who the heck breaks out into singing and dancing? Or was I just raised in a family devoid of artistic culture? Lo and behold, Addison moves to LA and then she starts dancing naked in front of an OPEN WINDOW! She is a world class doctor and she is not aware of an open window? Just stupid. Of course, her co-worker is living beside her and spies her. Just a cringe inducing moment.

My second beef? What is this show trying to achieve? I didn't laugh. I didn't cry. I don't know what niche this show hopes to fill.

Another thing? All this TV talent has been assembled to act out lame lines.
Mina (my fiance) and I like to play a game (not that kind of game you dirty minded people) where we pretend we are on Grey's Anatomy. Try it out sometime. All you have to do is repeat a line, then rephrase that same line using different intonation, and repeat the line again to emphasize your point. It works in every situation.

IE. "You know this is a really good chicken sandwich!"
"Chicken sandwich?"
"Yes, chicken sandwich."
"It's good?"
"It's good."
"The chicken sandwich is good. I like the chicken sandwich. Chicken is good."

It really makes ordinary days seem extraordinary. Really. Really? Really.

This bad writing habit infects Private Practice. The situations are hokey. The characters are a little too wacky. And really I don't care about any of them, which probably stems from all the ill will I felt towards them in that bad 2 hr GA episode last year.

Finally, I was a bit weirded out by the actress switch, from Merrin Dungey of Alias fame, to this new lady, Audra Ann McDonald,who reminds of the cousin of Serina Williams.

I don't think I will be coming back to Private Practice.

Pop Junk Summary: You know those Halloween candies with the orange and black wrappers? The ones that you open up and they look like caramel, but they end up tasting like... the only apt description I can think is that they taste like how I envision the colour "gray" would taste like. Well, Private Practice reminds me of those candies. I disliked them, but I always tricked myself into eating one again the following year, because they still looked good. Which means I am probably doomed to watch this show again.

House

FOX Tuesdays

This is the fourth season of House and it is one of my more favourite shows. I will confess that I am not a fan of any of the CSI's, which manage to solve a case tidily in one hour episodes. Then why would I like House which solves the most outrageous medical cases in the span of one hour as well?

I think it would have to do something with the excellent acting of Hugh Laurie (sorry David Caruso). He is simply amazing as an actor that conveys so much complexity beneath his character's supposed gruffness.

What further elevates this show is the strong cast. Dr. James Wilson played by Robert Sean Leonard, he of Dead Poets Society fame, along with his crack team has a wonderful witty report and great chemistry.

Minor Spoiler Alert:

Season 3 ends with House's team all quitting on him. It was a decent season except for maybe the storyline about his drug addiction, a storyline that I always find weak in shows, because it allows the writers to justify any of their character's wild actions.

Season 4 finds House alone without his team. I loved this episode because of the "terrorist" battle between House and Wilson, after Wilson kidnaps his guitar. I am also excited at the shake up of this show and the anticipation of seeing how House picks his new staff.

Pop Junk Summary: House is like Everlasting Gobstoppers. Sour on the outside, sweet on the inside and full of long lasting flavour.


I will have to report later about Reaper. And also about episode 2 of Gossip Girl.

Wednesday:

Dirty Sexy Money
Bionic Woman
Private Practice (there is a joke in that title somewhere but I won't stoop that low)

Thursday:

This is the power day of television.

The Office, My Name is Earl, 30 Rock, Grey's Anatomy (this show is on a short leash), and Ugly Betty. Oh yeah and the last season of Scrubs.

Monday revisited...

I thought more about The Big Bang Theory. It is a very interesting theory. To think that the beginning of the universe started with all this condensing matter and then in one instant a big explosion created the universe and explains why the universe is still expanding.

Or something like that.

Which leads to my startling Stephen-Hawking-revelation about the TV show, The Big Bang Theory. I don't think I will watch it again. What led to my revelation? It just wasn't funny enough.

OK. That's all I wanted to say.

The Big Bang Theory

CBS Mondays

I gave this one a whirl against my better reasoning. This show was created by THE Chuck Lorre.

He created Dharma & Greg, which I do not like.
He created Two and a Half Men, which I do not understand why half of America watches.

This show was mildly amusing, but it is not the best comedy out there. I also have a tough time watching any show with a canned studio laugh track.

The other big mistake? The pretty girl in the show that woos a bunch of high IQ nerds (is the fall theme nerds?) could have been better utilized. The show's creators had a chance to show the lady scantily clad therefore ensuring the show's success (see my previous theory in my blurb about CHUCK), but they instead opted for the towel look. Boo-urns.

I really don't think I will watch this one again.

Tuesday's viewing? House and Reaper (really excited about this one)

For any diehard Star Wars fans out there, I hope you caught the one hour parody done by the Family Guy. Not a lot of laughs but it was still amusing for a Star Wars nerd like me.

Ciao!

Heroes Season 2 Premiere

NBC Mondays

For those of you who haven't seen this show, do yourself a favour and go get season 1. It was one of the best shows from last year. Heroes is based on people that discover superpowers and learn slowly about their links to each other. Highlights like the episode "Company Man" were some of the best crafted episodes of all time. Hiro, the Japanese time traveller is among my favourites and Sylar is one of the best villians to come along in awhile.

The negatives?

Unfortunately, a show of this scope and magnitude is bound to let you down because it is not working on a movie budget. The actual fight scenes and scenes showing characters using their powers is a bit disappointing at times. Also this show suffers from having too many characters. Storylines involving Ali Larter and her family were boring in comparison to others. I don't care about your stupid sister that we can see in mirrors! And Mohinder, the narrator is annoying as well. And the finale was really a major letdown.

So where does that leave us coming into season 2?

This premiere was uneven. I hope the show doesn't suffer from season 2 LOST-itis, where too many new characters that we don't ultimately care about are introduced. Two characters from the Honduras (the girl looks like J. Lo Lite) are introduced and I did not even find a ounce of suspense in their story. I just did not care JLoLite and Marc Anthony. Also enough of the "Nuuhuhhhuuh" chanting at the beginning with Mohinder's narration. I can't take it. Molly the cerebral finding mutant girl is boring. It seems weird that Parkman and Mohinder live together with Molly. It reminds me of that old sitcom with Paul Reiser called "My Two Dads". The blatant Nissan Forge product placement was despicable. But then, what do I know, because I have this sudden urge to go out and buy a Nissan.

The three things that I did like:

Claire the cheerleader's new storyline. Very Clark Kentish.
The actor, David Anders (he was Sark from Alias), is excellent as an Englishman trapped in feudal Japan. Hiro's storyline and interaction with "Sark" was great.
HRG (Horn rimmed glasses), Claire's dad's scenes in "Copy Kingdom" were deliciously funny.

One last thing that bothered me. There is a scene with Claire in her high school science class. I hate the stereotypical science class with the bright coloured Erlenmeyer flask and just about every single type of glassware on display. I teach science and I don't know if I have ever had a class where ever single chemical is out on the table. Go ahead kids, play with anything. And then the science teacher quotes Darwin, when the class specifically looks like a chemistry class. Puhleeze. Stupid school stereotypes. It almost bothers me as much as when the bell always rings halfway through a teacher's comments followed by: "We'll pick it up from here tomorrow." I only wish I could end my lessons whenever I fel...

We'll pick this up tomorrow.

How I Met Your Mother

CBS Mondays

A nice little comedy that dipped a bit in season two. This is the third season and I simply am starting to wonder, "It is season THREE and we still haven't met your mother!"

I wonder where this show is going to go seeing that it has really trapped itself in a weird story mode. The main character Ted, narrates to his son and daughter (from the future) about how he met their mother. Never mind that actually telling all the nitty gritty details about the women you have been and all the bad things that you did to your children probably is a little creepy and inappropriate, this show is still pretty funny. I do like that Robin is Canadian. And Neil Patrick Harris simply owns as Barney.

This episode sees Enrique and Mandy Moore drop by for cameos. I think at times this show is pretty funny, but last season it got a bit too sappy. We will see what this season holds for the show.

When we actually meet this "mother" it better not be a letdown. This meeting has been building for 2 seasons now.
Also, when did bangs come back in style. Allyson Hannigan (Willow from Buffy), you looked nicer without bangs. To those of you readers who have bangs, I did not mean to offend you. (Are there any guys out there that actually sport the bang look?)

Pop Junk Summary: Check out Season 1 and then you can decide. Or check out the Robin Sparkles episode from Season 2. Brilliant.

CHUCK

Thanks for all who have read and cheers to those who even made some comments.

Monday night of the Fall premiere season was big. Here goes:

Chuck: NBC Mondays

Josh Schwartz, creator of the OC is at it again. This time he tries a blend of action/comedy/romance involving a nerd who accidently views all these fancy dancy government plans. Of course the CIA and NSA and NCAA and NHL all get involved and hijinks ensue.

If I were ever to make a TV show, I would ensure that my pilot episode had a gratitous shot of a lady scantily clad in underwear. This will pretty much clinch that the show will have a good following for awhile. It worked for LOST (the great Kate bathing in the water shot), it worked for "Alias" (the Super Bowl after episode that revived the show when Jen Garner appears in lingerie), it worked for "Heroes" (Ali Larter posing scantily clad in front of a video camera), and it almost works here for Chuck when the female CIA character is shown "suiting up". From the sounds of season 2 of Friday Night Lights, they will also be trying out this strategy, alas one season too late. When in doubt, show scantily clad females to discombobulate the male viewers until it is too late for them to figure out if the show is good or not. Sad but true.

Re-reading the last paragraph, I realize it almost makes me seem like a pervert. But then again, the fact that I can recall the scenes from LOST, Alias, and Heroes without having to look it up on the Internet, proves my point about making an impression with the male audience.

I also feel like I am part of an ugly society that cannot get past personal appearances. The female agent is pretty cute, but I could not help but look at her one tooth that was sticking out every time she talked. Actually in full HD glory, I was fixated by this one tooth that stuck out. I never knew I was so obsessive over teeth. I guess that is why I am marrying a dentist. So shallow. I apologize to the nice, Yvonne Strzechowski, who does a good job as the female CIA agent in Chuck.

**Random thought: Speaking of teeth, Adrianna on "The Hills" has teeth so white I almost envision her gargling a concoction of bleach and Colgate white strips to maintain the pearly sheen that she has, a lustre so bright that she could probably serve as a beacon of light for those lost 30 foot yachts that are attempting to dock at Laguna Beach. Just an observation. And also a shameful admission that I have been finally hooked in by "The Hills" season 3. I heart Lauren Conrad. Down with evil Speidi.

Other random thoughts:

The episode was directed by McG, of Charlie Angels and OC fame. What I want to know is when do you get single name status? Can I start calling myself McK?

I liked that Harry, the evil Asian manager at "Buy More" played by the wonderful actor, CS Lee, appeared in the pilot. CS Lee appears in a show called Dexter, which alas I cannot watch because I can't afford Movie Central. (Dexter is really messed up, but Michael C Hall simply owns in that show).

Adam Baldwin from Serenity/Firefly/Angel is great. I hope there is more of him in the future.

Pop Junk Summary: The pilot was overwhelming great as far as pilots go. I still like the title character Chuck and I think I will give it one more go, before I decide to chuck it or not.

That was a lame pun. But it had to be done.

Fall Season 2007 Begins...

Having purchased a PVR two years ago has allowed me to enter back into the world of TV. I am a TV junkie and I have followed and watched way too much TV during my lifetime. This fall I have decided to embark on a mission to inform you about all the shows that I am watching. Unlike other blogs, I will not be posting immediate reactions of the shows, simply because I will not be able to watch all of the shows in real time. Thus the magic of my PVR. I hope to illuminate some shows that you should be watching (Friday Night Lights anyone?) and maybe get you to check something new out. I hope to entertain you but if anything else, I probably will shock you with the profane amount of shows that I am going to be watching.

September/October is a time for me to catch anything new and quickly weed out things that don't cut it for me.

Here are some new shows that I caught in the last week:

1) Prison Break: Season 3: FOX Mondays: I stopped watching during the outrageous second season when it looked to me like the writers were simply making things up on the run. This season, the production values remain high and the prison that they are in seems grotesque and "wild"... wild by restricted cable television standards. Pretty boy Wentworth Miller is a very handsome fellow, but such a wooden actor who seems to have one acting face: the squinting-serious-eye-face-that-tells-the-audience-I-am-deep-in-thought-and-brooding-about-my-next-move-and-escape. Miller conveys more emotion in his Mariah Carey videos.

Can anyone tell me why I can't embed hyperlinks onto this blog?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kpgFk-tYbIY

I don't think this show is going to hold my interest and I am probably going to dump it faster than Derek Jeter did to Mariah. I am not even sure if I am going to see the second episode considering how stacked Monday night will be.

Pop Junk Summary: Prison Break is like Pop Rocks. The candy explodes in your mouth and is quite exciting, but the excitement fades away quickly and doesn't make a lasting impression. Not going to watch it.

2) Gossip Girl: CTV Mondays: I was quite excited to watch this new show by OC creator Josh Schwartz. I thoroughly enjoyed season 1 and season 4 of the OC. Unfortunately for Gossip Girl, there is not memorable tagline for the first episode (remember the OC's, "Welcome to the OC bitch"?). The first episode was about a girl with a cloudy past coming back to the high society she left behind. The same girl has two guys that have the hots for her, a former bff that hates her, and of course a suicidal brother that she wants to care for. I was actually really annoyed by the constant Gossip Girl narration (by the lovely Kirsten Bell from Veronica Mars fame), which involved silly text messaging, video, cell phone clips of the other characters. I don't think people even teens, check their favourite websites that quickly on their cellphones do they? What do I know living up in Canadad where it is impossible to access Internet on your cell phone unless you are rich enough to pay for all of that downloadable content. The show showed rich kids doing whatever they want (drinking and smoking) with parents that were trying to hard to be cool (one of the dad's in a rock band). One rich kid is super creepy and the tone of this first episode seemed a little too choppy and hasty. I will give this one more go and then possibly the heave ho.

Pop Junk Summary: A tad weak debut for OC creator Josh Schwartz. We will see what episode 2 holds.

3) Survivor China: CBS Thursdays: I haven't watched Survivor since I don't know season 4? I think I have lost track of all the different locales they have shot in. After settling down for 10 minutes, I realized why I don't watch this show anymore. I just don't find it that interesting. And thats that. Adios Jeff Probst.

Pop Junk Summary: Until there is a Survivor: Korea, I ain't going to give this one a chance.

This is a big week and I will report back to after Mondays huge night.

Monday:

Chuck
Heroes Season 2
How I Met Your Mother

Bye for now.