The Countdown Dips into the Top 15

It's time to crack the Top 15 on the summer-long countdown of the Best Episodes of the Season.  This week, we focus on a hilarious scene involving a Storm Trooper, a trip to the wild west and a thrilling chase scene.  But before we get to them, we have to go over the rules for the countdown. We ended up with 28 incredible episodes that demonstrate the diversity and quality of the current television state. The shows and their episodes are from both NETWORK and CABLE television. All episodes aired between June 2009 and June 2010. Each episode that made the final list moved us in some way; either by making us laugh out loud, cry our eyes out or just left us with that "wow" feeling that stays with you for a few days. So basically, it's completely subjective! Since this is a summer-long countdown to the number 1 episode, PTR will reveal a few each week all summer. So, be sure to tune in every Friday to find out which episodes are on the countdown! Today, we're going to take a look at numbers 15-13.

(Not So) Close Encounters

Was I the only one humming The X-Files theme song during the opening scenes of this week's episode of Psych?  I was literally humming it out loud while the lawyer and his associate were outside the house shielding their eyes from the bright light of the "UFO" hovering over them.  Maybe it's just me, but I thought this was one of the coolest, funniest episodes of the series!  Everything about it was so incredibly well-done and the interaction between Shawn and Gus was even more hilarious than usual.  Throw in an intriguing alien story and a surprise ending for Shawn and Gus's high school friend Dennis, and you get one heckuva hour!  And now, here's a look at some of the best moments in this week's edition of "The Funny, The Funnier and OK, For Real, My Side Just Split" after the jump.

'Bones' At Comic-Con

Bones at Comic-Con (from L to R: creator Hart Hanson, Emily Deschanel and David Boreanaz. Photo: Fox)

Bones stars Emily Deschanel and David Boreanaz joined showrunner Hart Hanson at the annual Comic-Con event in San Diego last week.  The trio took questions, chatted with the press and signed autographs for fans during a meet and greet session.  They didn't spill too many season 6 secrets, but they did set the scene for the dynamic between Booth and Bones when the season starts up in September.  As you'll recall, the pair had parted ways for a year to pursue other interests -- he was going to train soldiers in Afghanistan and she was participating in an important find in Indonesia.  They promised to meet at their spot on the Washington Mall in one year.  We were left wondering if the pair's absence would make their hearts grow fonder or tear them further apart.  Find out what's in store for these two after the jump (WARNING: SPOILERS CAN BE FOUND AFTER THE JUMP).

Avalanche 'Road'

For those of us who do not live in avalanche danger zones, it's easy to underestimate their tremendous, deadly power.  Recently, I took a fabulous vacation to Montana.  During my stay, I learned all about the scary process of trying to ski the bowls at the top of the state's mighty mountains.  I heard about testing the snow before skiing down and the thought of it made me shiver and question whether I'd want to go back in the winter and ski one (and I love to ski!).  The folks on the Dalton Highway don't have much of a choice. If they want to stay employed, they have to travel through Atigun Pass where the threat of avalanches always looms.  Luckily, there are good people like Reid Bahnson out there to prevent as many tragic avalanches as possible.  This week, however, he was a little too close to the action, and one of the drivers was a little too close to becoming another white cross on the side of the road.

The Countdown Continues

So far, the summer-long countdown of the Best Episodes of the Season has showcased thrills and emotionally-charged moments, but this week, things are taking a more profound turn.  These episodes certainly gave us something to think about well after the closing credits.  But before we get to them, we have to go over the rules for the countdown. We ended up with 28 incredible episodes that demonstrate the diversity and quality of the current television state. The shows and their episodes are from both NETWORK and CABLE television. All episodes aired between June 2009 and June 2010. Each episode that made the final list moved us in some way; either by making us laugh out loud, cry our eyes out or just left us with that "wow" feeling that stays with you for a few days. So basically, it's completely subjective! Since this is a summer-long countdown to the number 1 episode, PTR will reveal a few each week all summer. So, be sure to tune in every Friday to find out which episodes are on the countdown! Today, we're going to take a look at numbers 18-16.

Happy Feet

As much as I LOVE Shawn and Gus working together on Psych, I have to admit, this week's switch-up was HI-LARIOUS!  Those four where so concerned with beating each other that they practically blew the entire case.  At one point, they actually did blow the entire case!  While Jules was focusing on catching a murderer, Shawn was distracted with beating Gus.  And then, all four of them were consumed with the prospect of being the first team to solve the case.  What they failed to realize is that it's the four of them working together as a team that solves the cases each week.  So for the sake of the fine residents of Santa Barbara, I'm glad this little partner swap experiment ran its course by the end of the hour.  In the meantime, it served for so many funny moments.  And now, here's a look at some of those funny moments in this week's edition of "The Funny, The Funnier and OK, For Real, My Side Just Split" after the jump.

Hitchhiker's Guide to the 'Ice Road'

No one can deny that Alex Debogorski is a nice guy.  He's the type who would give you the shirt off of his back if you needed it and I love him for that, but this week, he might have been a little too nice.  I remember my dad hitchhiking after our family car broke down when I was very young, but that was 20 + years ago, and let's face it, the world is a different place.  Thankfully, his hitchhiker was a bit strange, but harmless.  After that entire bizarre exchange, I was left wondering just one little thing: Why in the world was he hitchhiking on the Dalton in 55-below temperatures??!!  Yikes!  The hitchhiker incident wasn't the only strange occurrence in this week's episode, though.  In fact, the entire hour was a different sort of outing all together.  But there was one part that was more cool than strange and it had nothing to do with hitchhikers.

Birthday Wishes

PTR Fave Kristen Bell celebrates a birthday today!

Happy Birthday Kristen!!

Your Friends at PTR

For her 30th birthday this year, Kristen is asking everyone to donate to MyCharity:Water.  All donations will fund clean water projects in developing nations.  Kristen writes, "45,000 people will die this week alone from contaminated water illnesses. Y’ALL, LETS GET OFF OUR HINEYS AND FIX THIS. Please help me get to my goal of 100K and let’s have a clean water toast." To make a donation for Kristen's 30th birthday, visit MyCharity:Water.org.  And be sure to check out Kristen on the big screen this fall in her new comedy You Again.

The Countdown Intensifies

This week, the summer-long countdown of the Best Episodes of the Season cracks the Top 20 with more fabulous outings.  But before we get to them, we have to go over the rules for the countdown. We ended up with 28 incredible episodes that demonstrate the diversity and quality of the current television state. The shows and their episodes are from both NETWORK and CABLE television. All episodes aired between June 2009 and June 2010. Each episode that made the final list moved us in some way; either by making us laugh out loud, cry our eyes out or just left us with that "wow" feeling that stays with you for a few days. So basically, it's completely subjective! Since this is a summer-long countdown to the number 1 episode, PTR will reveal a few each week all summer. So, be sure to tune in every Friday to find out which episodes are on the countdown! Today, we're going to take a look at numbers 21-19.

Heavy Hauls & Close Calls

Next to wicked weather, my second favorite type of episodes of Ice Road Truckers are the ones where Lisa gets heavy hauls.  The oversized loads give her cred and help her build up her resume as one of the most dependable drivers on the Dalton.  Plus, she just gets so darn excited about getting the confidence-building assignments!  With heavy hauls, virtually everything becomes a difficult obstacle and that's before the truck even leaves the town of Fairbanks.  Plus, heavy hauls lead to some of the most intense non-weather moments on the show.  This week, however, the scariest and biggest edge-of-your-seat scene was courtesy of a very surprising source.

The Countdown Gets Moving

Last week, PTR kicked off the summer-long countdown of the Best Episodes of the Season with FOUR great episodes.  This week, we're back to the countdown's usual 3 episodes/week format and we have three fabulous outings that moved us (almost to tears at times).  But before we get to them, we have to go over the rules for the countdown. We ended up with 28 incredible episodes that demonstrate the diversity and quality of the current television state. The shows and their episodes are from both NETWORK and CABLE television. All episodes aired between June 2009 and June 2010. Each episode that made the final list moved us in some way; either by making us laugh out loud, cry our eyes out or just left us with that "wow" feeling that stays with you for a few days. So basically, it's completely subjective! Since this is a summer-long countdown to the number 1 episode, PTR will reveal a few each week all summer. So, be sure to tune in every Friday to find out which episodes are on the countdown! Today, we're going to take a look at numbers 24-22.

BREAKING NEWS: Emmy Noms Announced

I know what you're thinking, "But PTR, you don't cover the Emmys.  You have a long-standing boycott of these predictable TV awards."  And while you are absolutely correct, I am officially ending the boycott this year.  Why, you ask?  Because the reason for the boycott has been broken.  Long-time readers will remember that I stopped covering the awards because of their continued egregious snub of Friday Night Lights.  And while the show still didn't get a best drama nod, its two stars Kyle Chandler and Connie Britton finally got best actor/actress nominations!!  I know, I couldn't believe it either.  In fact, I re-read the story just to be sure.  Overall, Glee received the most nominations with 19 followed by Mad Men with 17.  HBO led the pack with 101 total nods.  New series The Good Wife and Modern Men also received nominations.  To see the complete list of the main nominees, keep reading after the jump.

Summer TV Heats Up

Thermostats across the country might have been saying summer for a few weeks now, but TV sets have been eagerly awaiting the arrival of summer TV.  That wait is about to end when many of our favorites begin returning next week (and a few potentially new faves).  They'll join other PTR summer faves Ice Road Truckers, Deadliest Catch and So You Think You Can Dance in heating up our television screens for the rest of the summer season.  Today, PTR takes a closer look at what to expect when some of summer's best returning and promising new shows make their debut.  And it all begins next week with the kick off of several faves.

Bell 'Again'!

For those of us still missing the fabulous Veronica Mars (and watching the DVDs over and over again while running on the treadmill every day is beginning to make you worry that you just might wear them out someday and THAT would be a major catastrophe -- Oh, that's just me?  Never mind then), good news about her fabulous portrayer Kristen Bell.  Her new movie You Again has a premiere date, poster and trailer!!  The poster to the left is courtesy of Kristen-B.net.  In the comedy, Kristen plays a young career woman whose brother is getting married.  But when she realizes that the woman he's marrying is the same person who made her life miserable in high school, she sets out to reveal the woman's true colors.  It also stars Jamie Lee Curtis, Sigourney Weaver and the always hilarious Betty White.  It doesn't come out until September, so we have a couple months to wait (which is good because I'm almost at the end of season 2 where Veronica has figured out that Weevil was somehow involved in Thumper's "disappearance" and she's trying to tie the Fitzpatricks to the bus crash, so this should give me time to wrap up seasons 2 and 3 plunging me into a Veronica void which should be somewhat filled by this Kristen Bell movie -- Again, just me?).  In any event, check out the trailer after the jump.

Off Duty 'Trucker'

I mentioned this a few weeks ago, but I figured since we don't have a new episode of Ice Road Truckers to discuss this week, it's worth a bigger mention.  Fellow IRT fans know that Lisa Kelly is one badass mother-trucker out there on the Dalton.  She navigates through the dangerous haul road to carry supplies from Fairbanks to the oil-rich Prudhoe Bay on the Arctic Ocean.  She carries super-heavy chains and attaches them to the tires of her big rig (something that proves challenging to some of her male counterparts).  And, she endures her share of ribbing from the boys on the Dalton (whether it's blocking out mean radio traffic or having to work harder to prove herself).  She does it all with a smile on her face.  Recently, though, Esquire magazine highlighted Lisa's softer, more girly side when they named her "The Sexiest Trucker Alive."  Check out whether she's a country or city girl, how she got into trucking and how she feels about her new celeb trucker status after the jump.

Ready, Set, COUNTDOWN!

This season, we made awesome new friends, but sadly, we also said goodbye to some old ones.  It was an uneven season that gave us a ho-hum first half and a kickass second.  There were ups and downs and laughs and tears and overall, this recently concluded season was strong.  But the '09-'10 season is wrapped and in the books, so this means PTR's popular Best Episodes of the Season summer-long countdown is just beginning. PTR has come up with another great list. Before we get to that, though, we have to go over the rules for the countdown. We ended up with 28 incredible episodes that demonstrate the diversity and quality of the current television state. The shows and their episodes are from both NETWORK and CABLE television. All episodes aired between June 2009 and June 2010. Each episode that made the final list moved us in some way; either by making us laugh out loud, cry our eyes out or just left us with that "wow" feeling that stays with you for a few days. So basically, it's completely subjective! Since this is a summer-long countdown to the number 1 episode, PTR will reveal a few each week all summer. So, be sure to tune in every Friday to find out which episodes are on the countdown! Today, we're going to take a look at numbers 28-25.

It's Complicated

This week, In Plain Sight wrapped up its third season, and now that it's over, I can officially proclaim it uneven.  There were great moments and then there was the terrible decision to have Mary and Marshall work separate cases for more than one episode this season.  If nothing else, I hope the show gets constructive feedback on that decision and abandons it next season.  But I digress.  This week, we have an interesting finale to discuss.  There was a shoot-out, a priest on the run, Marshall getting this close to pouring out his heart and Mary leaving us all shocked at the end.