The Pranksters will Wear Fedoras!

The title is possibly my favourite moment from last night's 30 Rock because it was so random and surreal - and fun of course! But my TV week has been more about my two favourite office-set shows: Better Off Ted and the Office.

Better Off Ted is definitely my quote of the week:
Ted: You know, I'd like to believe after everything I've done for this company over the years, they'd show me a little more loyalty than this.
Veronica: Yes, I know it's hard to accept that giant companies don't care about people. I know how hard it was for me when I first realized it... when I was 8.

Although I feel there should also be an honourary quote of the week for this:
Lem: Did you disable the camera?
Dr. Bhamba: Did you disable your stupid-question filter?
Lem: I thought I did

Those are just a couple of the reasons why I'm in denial that Better Off Ted may be cancelled. Please ABC don't cancel this brilliant show, give it time to find its audience!!

I've caught up on the Office and have to say that I disagree with what a lot of people have been saying about this season. I've been hearing from a number of people that they're not enjoying this season of the Office. That it's become too cringe-worthy. Less humour, more realism.

Well, I marathoned the episodes from February to this week's and I'm happy with this season and here's why:

- I like when we're shown why Michael became a manager in the first place. He's a really good salesman - we're reminded that he got all of the Scanton branch's clients as well as how successfully he's been able to steal Dunder Mifflin's clients (of course the Michael Scott Paper Company isn't making a profit - but that's the side of Michael that doesn't make for a good manager). Plus, we see Michael be the ultimate salesman: getting Dunder Mifflin to hire back him, Pam and Ryan - an impressive feat.

- I like that David Wallace taking Michael's company loyalty for granted totally backfired and caused him to realize that the company needs Michael (despite how ridiculously inept he can be at times). As someone who works in an office, I find Michael's character pretty realistic, sometimes the people who are good at certain jobs are total idiots a lot of the time (come on people, stop hitting "reply all" for sensitive emails).

- We get to see Pam take another brave step and try something new. Not just leaving Dunder Mifflin, which is huge, but also trying out a new position as a salesperson. I cheered when she made the first sale for the Michael Scott Paper Company. It's just really great to see Pam continuing to challenge herself - it's awesome personal growth. I'm excited to see her in this new position at Dunder Mifflin.

- It was really fun to see Jim not being the boss' favourite. It was just a nice change of pace. And I must say I love how Jim managed to use his pranking Dwight skills for good so that things would go well for Pam and Michael.

So, the Office continues to work for me and I think here's the main reason why: you need to watch it as a drama that happens to have really funny moments and situations. Meaning that you're invested in the characters and their growth and challenges, and also entertained by the humourous and satirical situations that frame it.

Mutual break-up of the week: Lawrence Taylor being eliminated from DWS. I've never seen someone that happy to leave the show, and I think we were all happy to see him go.

This Week in TV

I have decided to try and resurrect this blog and commit to posting each Friday with brief thoughts, reactions and links to various things TV from the week. I read lots and lots of TV sites, articles, blogs and new pieces that I figure it might be fun to share the things I glean from that.

-- If you are a fan of Dirty Sexy Money, Eli Stone and Pushing Daisies, you will be happy to hear that ABC is finally airing the last few episodes of these shows:
* Daisies' final three episodes will air Saturdays, May 30 to June 13 at 10pm
* Eli Stone's final four episodes will air Saturdays June 20 to July 11 at 10pm
* Dirty Sexy Money's final four episodes will air Saturdays July 18 to Aug 8at 10pm
Yeah, I know, the popular Saturday 10pm slot! Well, at least we'll finally get to see the last few episodes. [Source]

-- In less happy news: It does seem likely that the wonderful Terminator: Sarah Connor Chronicles will be cancelled. I continue to hope this isn't true because the second season ended so awesomely! Plus I just love Summer Glau as Cameron (even more than *gasp* as River on Firefly).

-- Should you not have heard about where a particular House actor will be working now: Here's a neat interview in which Kal Penn talks about his decision to leave and work for Obama's administration and also the exec-producers talk about the decision to have Kutner kill himself.

-- Are you freaking out that House may be going down the Grey's Anatomy hallucination sex with a dead person route? (And whoever thought that that would become a trend?!) Well, the exec-producers reassure us that "It would never be a dead ghost sex love triangle thing like on [Grey's]" [Source (which contains spoilers for other shows, so beware if you click!]

-- What do Southland, The Unusuals, and Castle have in common? Well, aside from the obvious of them all being cop shows, it's actually that they all have wealthy people who have chosen to become cops (and in two of them are trying to keep their wealth a secret). Also, there is basically identical back stories of why characters on The Unusuals and Castle became cops. It's gotten to the point where I'm getting confused between everyone's stories on all these shows. I love Nathan Fillion on Castle, Benjamin Mackenzie on Southland and Amber Tamblyn on The Unusuals being back on my TV, but I may only stick with Castle - it's the most fun. I wish Amber Tamblyn was on something as smart as Joan of Arcadia.

-- My favourite new show: Better Off Ted. Funny, satirical and smart. Last week's episode dealt with the issue of institutional racism so well. I wish I could find a good clip of that but youtube is failing me, so instead I'll give you a promo for the show which captures how great it is: Better Off Ted teaser.

-- My favourite quote of the week: From Hurley on Lost: "That was Luke's attitude, too. In 'Empire', when he found out Vader was his father, instead of putting away his light saber and talking about it, he overreacted and got his hand cut off. I mean, they worked it out eventually. But at what cost? The Death Star was destroyed, Boba Fett got eaten by the Sarlacc, and everyone got The Ewoks. It all could have been avoided if they had just, you know, communicated. Because let's face it: Ewoks suck, dude."

Like Supermodels, the New Shows are ‘Deceptively Unfit’

Television’s Premiere Week is winding down and I have to admit, I’m not very impressed. There’s a few fun new shows but most of them should have been locked up in the Vault of Mediocrity. I’m pleased with my returning shows, although even with them it felt like hanging out with a good friend who’s been away for a while: a bit awkward and weird, but you care about them so you’re still enjoying your time together.

Best Returning Show, aka “This is so going in my blog.”
How I Met Your Mother (HIMYM) is the definite winner in my books. Robin and Ted moving on since their breakup was well done and funny, and it was great to see how they’re setting things up for the eventual playing out of the show’s title. I loved Marshall being smitten with Robin’s new boyfriend (played by Enrique Iglesias) and Mandy Moore looked great as a trashy tattoo girl. Bonus points for Slap Countdown.com! Awesome continuity!

Best New Show, aka “Chuck is the computer.”
It’s funny that the best two new shows have such similar premises: slacker dude working at a big chain store suddenly gets thrust into something big and intense and has to actually apply himself. In the choice between Chuck and Reaper, I’m surprised to find myself differing from the popular opinion because I currently prefer Chuck (although I will keep watching both). It’s like Jim from The Office in a Charlie’s Angels world – and it works. It’s pure entertaining fun plus there’s a kick ass spy girl who can dance and fight off assassins at the same time! They do a great job of spoofing regular spy shows, which makes me happy because my biggest issue with spy shows (and movies) is that they take themselves too seriously – something Chuck definitely doesn’t. At the end when Captain Awesome says “Awesome!” I exclaimed “Awesome indeed!”

To be fair, Reaper’s a really awesome show too. I love the dynamic between Sam and Bret – and that Sam immediately told his friends about having his soul sold to the devil (*grits teeth in annoyance from too many years watching Clark stupidly lie on Smallville*). I wish he would also tell the girl he likes; currently that’s something that annoys me. BUT, there’s some hysterical scenes especially with the Devil and Sam (the Devil: “I can be nice.”), and when Sam and Bret suit up (but not in a way that Barney from HIMYM would approve of) and then wait for the Dirt Devil to charge up. Also, how can I not enjoy a show in which Bret says to Sam: “I have never been so attracted to a man in my life... Uh, that’s not what I meant.” Tiny thing: it looked like Sam’s facial hair kept changing throughout the show which distracted me.

The Not-So-Good New Shows:

The Big Bang Theory: Cute but not brilliant. I may turn it on if all my other Monday shows are in rerun.

Private Practice: Everyone’s pretty, but it’s really boring. Too much focus on the patients, and not enough on the huge ensemble we’re supposed to be caring about. However, there’s a lot of talent involved in this show, so I’m hoping it’s just taking a while for them to get it to work.

Bonic Woman: The pilot episode jumped around way too much. About half-way through the episode, I realized that it had stopped making any sense (if it ever had), but that’s okay because I’d stopped caring. I did enjoy the fight in the rain between the Bionic Woman (Jaimie? I couldn’t be bothered to remember her name) and Katee Sackoff’s character – but mostly for the hotness of it. And even the great lesbian subtext between them isn’t enough to make the show appealing to me. The acting in general was horrendous!! (Not that the writing was that good.) Even Katee who I love on Battlestar Galatica (BSG) disappointed. This is something I’d turn on while doing chores around the house in the hopes of catching the fight scenes.

Dirty Sexy Money: Finally another new show that isn’t boring or nonsensical. Again, not brilliant but actually quite fun. The mystery stuff isn’t that engaging, but the characters are fun. I’m interested enough to keep watching.

I decided to not even watch Gossip Girl after being assured by my girlfriend and best friend (who, like me, both enjoyed the O.C.) that this show is just boring trash that takes itself too seriously.

New shows from this week still to watch: Back to You, Journeyman and Moonlight.

The Returning Shows:

Heroes: I admit that I’m someone who watches and enjoys Heroes, and after it’s over I don’t think about it again. It’s basically good entertaining fun for me, so I was satisfied with the season premiere. They brought us up to speed, while leaving some things open and set up some intriguing new storylines. I was very amused that Mohinder and Matt are co-parenting – awesome! I’m excited about a new season!

Dancing with the Stars (DWS): I enjoyed that they split it up between men and women the first two nights. It allowed the celebrities to not be compared with the professional dancers. I’m not sad that the “deceptively unfit” supermodel was eliminated, although it was sorta tacky on the second night when there was a comment about sending someone home tomorrow and they cut to the supermodel girl frowning. I do have some favourites already: Jennie Garth, Sabrina (the Cheetah Girl, although I wish she’d stop referencing it), Jane Seymour and Helio. I admit that Helio’s a favourite because he just seems so lovely. Oh! And Felix seems to have real potential. I’m so happy DWS is back, and it’s especially fun to have Bruno commenting on “crotch action” again!

Bones: It had been so long that I’d forgotten things from the season finale like Zak going off to war, so was horrified when he wasn’t around at first – and then very happy when he returned. I’m very pleased that they’re setting up a season long mystery, I enjoy arcs! Although I do wish it wasn’t cannibal related because I spent much of the episode being very creeped out. Best episode quote, Brennan: “Why ‘bingo baby’?”

The Office: Definitely the show I was most excited about this week and overall I was pleased with the episode. (This is the show that felt oddly awkward to me at first, like over the summer I’d forgotten our dynamic.) It wins for excellent continuity: the computer Tech guy returns from “Email Surveillance”, there's a mention of Kevin’s skin cancer scare and there's the return of the stripper from the bachelor party for Bob Vance. Also, I loved how the documentary crew actually confronted Jim and Pam, forcing them to admit they’re dating. And btw, my reaction to that: Yay!!! They’re so cute. I’m really hoping they’ll keep them together. I’m sad about Dwight/Angela but kudos to Angela for not letting him get away with killing her cat - I’m still horrified on her behalf! And it was super awesome that Toby (Michael’s nemesis) won the race!! I’m feeling optimistic about the season ahead!

Corner Gas: The charming and funny Canadian sitcom returns with the fun antics of our favourite Dog River residents. Lots of fun TV references – especially Canadian TV shows like the Beachcomers and Street Legal. I got a kick out of an actor with a distinctly Canadian accent playing an American – very fun! Brent was his usual endearing self saying things like: “Au Contraire. And I don’t say that lightly or with a correct accent.” Oh Brent, I can so relate!

House: When all of House’s staff were fired/quit, I was thrilled! I felt that the format each week was becoming predictable; we knew exactly how Cameron, Chase and Foreman would react. I’m pleased that they’re mixing things up and that House is forced to figure out how to solve the cases without his team. I was amused by the Janitor and the House & Wilson “terrorism.” Next week looks very funny!

Still on my DVR waiting for me to watch them: Ugly Betty, Grey’s Anatomy and My Name is Earl.

And what show am I looking most forward to next week? The season two premiere of Friday Night Lights!!!! It’s returning to NBC this Friday, October 5^th (and same time on Global TV in Canada). This was my favourite drama last season, so I’m excited to see how it does in its sophomore season

Welcome to TV by Rebecca!

Welcome to TV By Rebecca, my brand-new blog in which I post weekly about one of my favourite things: TV. Each Sunday, I'll be posting my reflections on the previous week of television and what I'm looking forward to in the week ahead.

Since we're just about to jump into the 2007-2008 television season, I want to look back at what I enjoyed in 2006-2007.

My Eleven Favourite Moments from the 2006-2007 Television Season:

1. From 30 Rock: Jack's Promotional Video Outtakes
This is something that always causes me to go into hysterics. Every time. It's a sort of slow build into side-splitting laughter. A couple of times after watching it, I've had a hard time getting myself to stop laughing. My favourite part is when Jack (played by Alec Baldwin) can't figure out what to do with his hands. A must watch!

2. From The Office: Michael and Oscar Kiss
The Office always walks a fine line between cringe and humour (as well as having genuinely touching moments), and the handling of Oscar coming out is a fabulous example of the show really getting it absolutely right. I love how this is the opposite of one of those same sex kisses tv shows do just for ratings.

3. From Friday Night Lights: 'Devil Town' Playing During the Parade
I honestly feel I could pick any moment from this show as a favourite moment, but I decided on this because yesterday I was listening to the brilliant Bright Eyes version of "Devil Town" and was reflecting on how this song perfectly adds a layer of meaning to that parade scene. I adore the even-handed way this show deals with the affect of football culture in the town of Dillion.

4. From Heroes: The Awesomeness of Hiro Nakamura
Instead of picking one specific moment, this youtube vid is a compilation of all the moments when Hiro showed his enthusiasm. He's definitely my favourite character (and I expect most other people's too) and his genuine excitement about his special abilities is so cool.
Bonus clip from Heroes: Rogue Wave's 'Eyes' playing in the Pilot
I'm including this because of how well this song was used - and because it introduced me to the song!

5. From Gilmore Girls: Lorelai Sings 'I Will Always Love You'
I love the series finale, but this scene (from an earlier episode) is the one I kept rewatching. The incredible range of emotions displayed by Lauren Graham is Emmy-worthy, too bad the Emmys totally ignored her and GG as usual. I love GG and this scene just reminds me what an awesome show it was. I miss it.

6. From Battlestar Galactica: The Use of 'All Along the Watchtower'
The season finale was so awesome (*hates long hiatus*) with all the cool revelations and the BSG-verse "All Along the Watchtower" worked so wonderfully in the last moments of the episode.

7. From Grey's Anatomy: A Lovely Cristina and Burke Moment
I had actually wanted to link to a lovely, understated scene between Meredith and her dad but couldn't find it on youtube. However, I really loved much of the Cristina/Burke storyline so I found a moment that I thought exemplifies what a great couple they were. (Aside: The George and Izzy storyline? Definitely not on the favourite moments list.)

8. From Scrubs: Guy Love
The Scrubs musical episode was pretty fun (though not as brilliant as BtVS's OMWF), and this is the highlight. Guy love between two guys: all about the wonderful friendship of JD and Turk.

9. From How I Met Your Mother: Robin Sparkles 'Let's Go to the Mall'
HIMYM is an awesome and often underrated show that I just adore. In its fantastic sophmore season, this fun music video that Robin made back when she was an '80s Canadian Pop Star (hee!) is a standout! They totally win for the Gretzky and Alanis Morissette references.

10. From Ugly Betty: Justin Performs 'Hairspray' on the Subway
This scene immediately jumped into my head when I was thinking about this post, and rewatching it had me clapping, with tears in my eyes. It's not just Betty who's captured my heart, it's also her nephew, Justin. This is such a great scene when Santos (Justin's previously estranged father) struggles with the possibility that Justin is gay and whether he'll be okay with it.

11. From Flight of the Conchords: Hiphopopotamus vs. Rhymenoceros
I recently fell in love with this HBO show (on The Movie Network in Canada). It has hysterical songs, funny scenes and the characters have this sweet genuineness about them. They do all these fabulous loving satires on various music types, this is their awesome awesome rap one.

Well, those are some of my favourite moments from the last TV season. Did I miss any of your favourites? *g*