Another weekend, another fully-loaded edition filled with the weekend's best shows (and Thursday's Without A Trace). Speaking of Trace, you all know I had my doubts because of the cliche previews for this episode, but CBS definitely sold this one short (or cheap for that matter). I'm probably going to get ostracized by the Trace fans, but I really like the new agent (Roselyn Sanchez). She made her rookie mistakes, but it seemed that she was eager to learn after doing so. The only thing I didn't like was the way they gave her a past with Danny. I always felt like Danny and Viv (my personal favs) were the only characters left who didn't have the interoffice romance drama, but now Danny had fallen as well. I thought that their conversation about their "past" was really forced and definitely out of left field. I'm hoping it goes back to left field and we don't hear from it again, but this is Without A Trace. Anyway, I thought the case was very strong, and I found myself very invested in whether they found that girl dead or alive. The writers did a nice job of allowing us to see her full story and why she did what she did. I really liked Sam's moment with her at the end while they were watching her daughter. The ending left me with a sense of hope. This was much closer to the Trace that I used to know and love. I can only hope the trend continues.
If you keep up with critical chatter about the new season, then you know that many critics are not happy with this season's Desperate Housewives. Some would argue that it had such a fabulous first season that it would be almost impossible to top (the same could be argued for Lost as well, but that show seems to have out done itself). Others believe it's just off to a slow start, and the absence of a script by creator Marc Cherry is the problem. I thought the premiere was excellent and the subsequent episodes not as much, but I still wasn't seeing all the negativity that surrounded the show. That was until last night. I was actually bored during the episode. The writers have to do something with Susan. She just goes around acting like an idiot, and her actions last night really bothered me. First she ran into Zach, but didn't tell Mike. Then, she went back and found Zach, but told him to go look for his father and not to return to Wisteria Lane first. Does she even love Mike? I know she wants to protect Julie, but Julie is a smart girl. Mike is never going to forgive Susan when he finds out what she has done (and you just know he will). The only bright spot with Susan is her interaction with Edie. I love those scenes, and there are far too few of them. I don't think there are enough words in the English language to express my complete hatred for George the pharmacist. I wish the character would go away for good. His scene at the swim meet was so despicable and psychotic that it kept the scene from being funny for me (and I think it was supposed to be funny). Seriously, I really wish they would write the character out. I'm also starting to get a little tired of the Lynette-feels-guilty-about-going-back-to-work storyline. Felicity Huffman is such a talented actress and I really wish they'd give her more than the same tired storyline every week. The only bright spot on the show for me is Carlos and Gabby. Their antics are hysterical and original. Gabby's prison riot and her never-ending quest for conjugal visits (so they would have something to look forward to after their arguments) kept me involved in this otherwise snoozer of an episode.
You have to give it to CBS for their forethought and planning with last night's Cold Case episode going up against MLB coverage on Fox. The episode had a baseball theme and it was chock full of nostaglia. Unfortunately, they didn't hit this one out of the park. I enjoy the old cases thrown in with the more modern ones because Cold Case does an excellent job of tying the cases in with the historical relevance of the year. Last night was no exception as the team investigated the murder of a Negro League player. The episode had MLB color lines, an assumed interracial and forbidden romance, and even Jackie Robinson. But all of this was not enough to save the episode. I think the writers were trying to too hard to surprise us with the killer and ended up leaving us scratching our heads instead. Why would Clyde Taylor's best friend kill him just because he was leaving the league to be with the woman he loved? And to kill him so violently by bashing his head in with his own bat. And if that man did do that, then wouldn't he still suffer the effects of what he had done? I know people kill people for all sorts of stupid and unbelievable reasons, but this one still seemed far fetched to me. Crumbs just didn't seem like the murdering type. Despite the weak motive and killer, the rest of the episode was well done. This show does an excellent job with flashbacks and their use of costumes, hair, casting, sets and the overall look. Lilly was once again front and center, and the case took a lot of twists that kept me involved. I'm guessing that the revelation that Esther was black was meant to mean that she was mixed because, otherwise, it really didn't work. Overall, a weaker outing for a show that is usually at the top of its game and easily one of television's brightest hours.
About Last Night... Due to football coverage on CBS, the network's entire line-up ran almost an hour late (except on the West Coast), so the numbers may seem a little off. CBS won the 8 p.m. hour with 60 Minutes, followed by Extreme Makeover: Home Edition on ABC, and MLB coverage on Fox. NBC's The West Wing landed in fourth. At 9, ABC scored the night's biggest numbers with Desperate Housewives, followed by the delayed Cold Case on CBS, and Law & Order: Criminal Intent on NBC. The final hour of the night went to ABC's Grey's Anatomy, followed by Crossing Jordan on NBC and the CBS movie. For more information on last night's ratings, visit Zap2it.
Friday night sang a familiar tune at 8 p.m. as CBS once again won the hour with Ghost Whisperer. At 9, NBC's Three Wishes landed on top. The final hour of the night went to CBS with Numb3rs. For more on Friday's ratings, visit Zap2it.
~Primetime Pass~
@8 p.m. - Laura and Richard get hot on the trail of the mysterious species through the GPS tracking system she implanted last week while Animal Control confront Miles and Phil about Nimrod on NBC's Surface. Fox's MLB coverage continues with the Astros taking on the Cardinals in game 5 of the NLCS.
@9 p.m. - Ed finds out that he is the victim of identity fraud, Sam gets an unexpected visitor, and Mike borrows Ed's car and gets an unexpected result on Las Vegas on NBC. The Rams take on the Colts on ABC's Monday Night Football.
@10 p.m. - Allison travels back to her 17 year old self in order to find a connection to a current case on Medium on NBC.
QUICK CUTS
*Michael J. Fox is set to guest star in a three-episode stint on ABC's Boston Legal. He'll play a wealthy businessman suffering from lung cancer who ensures that he does not get the placebo in a study. Another participant finds out and sues him, and thus Fox's character turns to Crane, Poole and Schmidt. His first episode is scheduled to air December 13th on ABC.
*In other guest appearance news, actress Kathy Baker is signed on for two-episode arc of FX's Nip/Tuck. She'll play the biological mother of Julian McMahon's character, and she'll reveal the truth behind his birth. Her first episode airs tomorrow night and the second airs November 8th.
*NBC is giving a full season order to Surface. The sci-fi drama has garnered respectable ratings for the Peacock network on Monday nights. No word yet on how many episodes the net will order since the show will be preempted for most of February (along with the rest of NBC's schedule) for coverage of the Winter Olympic Games.
*Want to know more about your favorite CBS shows? The network is adding new blogs to its site that feature perspectives from writers, stars, and producers of some of the network's biggest shows. Currently, you can read blogs from CSI: Miami, Survivor, How I Met Your Mother, and Ghost Whisperer. And coming soon, you'll be able to read some from NCIS, Threshold, and The Amazing Race. For details on each blog, click on over to The Futon Critic. Now, if they would just add one for Cold Case I would almost be willing to forgive the network's football scheduling debacle every Sunday night! Almost!
*And finally, it's TV on DVD Monday! CSI: NY's first season hits shelves tomorrow along with Saved By the Bell: The New Class (season 5) and The Twilight Zone (season 4). For a look at all of tomorrow's releases, visit tvshowsondvd.com.
That's all for today. Be sure to tune in tomorrow as we look at how your favorite comedies are faring. Plus, Medium and all the latest television news!
Monday, October 17, 2005
Friday, October 14, 2005
Syd Gets a Protege, Amy Gets More than She Bargains For, and the CSIs Get Caught in a Cult!
You've gotta love Thursday nights. TiVos working overtime, VCRs spinning their heads, and three jam-packed hours of great television. What more can a TV fan like myself ask for? It's time for the usual Friday roundup of Thursday's busy television schedule. Let's start with Alias. Once again, I am really enjoying this season. I really like the new agent Rachel Gibson (Rachel Nichols), and I think she's going to make an excellent edition to A.P.O. I love how the writers decided to give her the same experience as Syd with a rogue agency fronting as a CIA-run legit one. How great was the moment when Rachel realized she had been helping the bad guys the entire time and not the U.S. government? I seriously can't imagine learning something so devastating. This led to a great scenario packed with the usual Alias intensity. Rachel had to go back to her old agency, pretend nothing was wrong, copy Dean's hard drive information, and make the switch with Syd while keeping her rogue co-workers unaware of her ploy. One former co-worker figured out that something was up, and alerted Dean. He instructed her to start Plan B - a horrible solution that ended with Dean and the tattletale getting out of the building while their fellow workers were left at the mercy of a ticking time bomb (literally). Rachel made it to the stairwell, but her fellow former co-workers were not as lucky as the bomb exploded. Meanwhile, Sloane was disappointed when he learned that his $300,000 wasn't buying an experimental cure for Nadia, but a set-up for a former friend to kill him because he blamed Sloane for the death of his own daughter. Sloane walked away unharmed, but defeated, finding that there is no known cure for Nadia's condition. Again, another strong and intriguing episode.
My dear Everwood is just getting better and better! This show portrays real human emotion better than any other on television. From Andy's awkward dinner invitation and eventual and even more awkward conversation about awkwardness with Nina, to Amy's hesitation about Ephram rooming with Bright and Reid, to Harold's detachment from Rose over fears that she won't pull through her battle with cancer, this show conquers raw human emotion with such honesty and reliability. Amy's realization that she was feeling left out because she isn't living on campus plus her discovery that Reid may not be gay, and she just might want to get back together with Ephram is all part of what we all go through. I loved the scene she shared with Ephram in the movie theater. You could tell that there was so much hanging between them that needed to be said, but neither was willing to say it. I still hold out hope that these two will end up together and live happily ever after (well, as happily as those two could possibly live). Hannah's willingness to attend the party with Bright backfired big time for her. Now, he wants to go to many more and it doesn't seem that Hannah is really game considering it wasn't really her thing. And I continue to enjoy and be mesmerized by the amazing relationship that Harold and Rose share - good and bad. This is the one aspect of the show that they can never change! Anyway, another awesome episode! I can't wait to see what happens with Amy and Reid now that she found out he is not gay.
Last week on CSI we had a single-case episode that didn't really work, but this week was an excellent example of one that did. This case was very involved and multi-layered, so a full episode was needed to delve deep into the cult, their not-so-mass-suicide, and the murder of their leader. Like split screens, cults are a popular theme on the Bruckheimer shows, but they are extremely interesting and make for some pretty great episodes so I don't mind them. Plus, each show seems to use it in different ways, so they manage to keep it original and fresh. Turns out that what appeared to be a simple case of a cult's mass suicide, was in reality, the devious work of one member who wanted to make sure all the members really died. She slipped them some pet drugs she swiped from her former place of employment (a veterinary office) instead of the sleeping pills that the scamming leader had left for them. Only problem was that the elixir-mixing vixen chickened out while the others were downing the toxic vodka mix. Before she watched her fellow cult members poison themselves to death, she murdered the leader, Diamond, with a tire iron (who was bilking the young member's parents by having the members write letters to their parents requesting money, which they promptly turned over to Diamond). The only innocent victim in all of this was cult member Emma's boyfriend who went looking for her and found a trip over the balcony instead. Like I said, it was an involved case and it really worked well as a single-case episode. A much stronger outing for this show than last week's snoozer.
About Last Night... It was a familiar story as CBS claimed all three primetime hours. The eye network started off on top with Survivor: Guatemala, followed by NBC's comedy duo of Joey and Will & Grace, and MLB coverage on Fox landed in third. ABC's Alias wound up in fourth. CSI garnered the night's largest audience and the 9 o'clock hour, followed by The Apprentice on NBC, and MLB coverage on Fox. WB's Everwood landed in fifth, beating Eve and Cuts on UPN. The final hour of the night went to Without A Trace, followed by ER on NBC, and Fox's MLB coverage. For more on last night's ratings, visit Zap2it.
~Primetime Pass~
@8 p.m. - MLB coverage continues on Fox as the White Sox take on the Angels in game 3 of the ALCS.
@9 p.m. - The Three Wishes team heads to Le Mars, Iowa tonight on NBC. Molly and the Red Team infiltrate a rave in Miami on CBS's Threshold.
@10 p.m. - Numb3rs delves into the corporate world when a whistle-blowing CFO turns up dead tonight on CBS.
Sunday Edition
@8 p.m. - Lilly and Jeffries open the 1945 case of a baseball player killed with his own bat on CBS's Cold Case (remember, this show might get a late start due to football). Does anyone else think that the campaign episodes of NBC's West Wing are far superior to the lame duck president episodes? Well unfortunately, this is another lame duck episode as a member of the intelligence committee approaches CJ with some disturbing news. I'm also not enjoying the obvious "ripped from the headlines" storyline involving CJ.
@9 p.m. - Crazy Gabby starts a prison riot, Lynette learns that Parker has an imaginary friend, and Susan helps Mike search for Zach on ABC's Desperate Housewives. Walker, Texas Ranger returns with the original cast in tow for an all-new television movie packed with its trademark Chuck Norris bad one-liners for two hours on CBS.
@10 p.m - Jordan investigates the prison health care system while Lily gets caught in a court house shooting on Crossing Jordan on NBC.
QUICK CUTS
*Las Vegas creator Gary Scott Thompson is spilling some secrets about his series' upcoming November sweeps episodes. He promises that one character will exit the show, but he's not saying who or how. Also, look for a flashback episode with all the usual characters playing to a 1962 Rat Pack theme and a comic book outing that will be a little Sin City-ish according to Thompson. For more on these upcoming episodes and the possibility of an update on the Montecito's sister casino in New Orleans, visit Zap2it.
*Actress Nicole Sullivan is making her final appearance on CBS's King of Queens. Sullivan left the comedy to star in the new ABC sitcom Hot Properties where she plays cursed-in-love realtor Chloe. On Queens, she played a dog walker who often took Arthur (Jerry Stiller) for walks. Her last Queens episode airs Monday on CBS.
*And finally, CBS is ordering more scripts for freshmen series Out Of Practice and Threshold. The order allows the network to evaluate the shows' ratings for a few more weeks before it has to make a final decision on their respective futures. Threshold has managed a respectable 8.4 million viewers, but it fails to retain 25% of its lead-in's audience. Out of Practice averages a healthy 10 million viewers, but it too, loses some of its lean-in's audience.
That's all for today. Be sure to tune in Monday for Cold Case, Without A Trace (was the actual episode as eye roll- inducing as the preview for it?), and Desperate Housewives. And coming next week, a look at how your favorite comedies are faring this season. Plus, all the latest television news!
My dear Everwood is just getting better and better! This show portrays real human emotion better than any other on television. From Andy's awkward dinner invitation and eventual and even more awkward conversation about awkwardness with Nina, to Amy's hesitation about Ephram rooming with Bright and Reid, to Harold's detachment from Rose over fears that she won't pull through her battle with cancer, this show conquers raw human emotion with such honesty and reliability. Amy's realization that she was feeling left out because she isn't living on campus plus her discovery that Reid may not be gay, and she just might want to get back together with Ephram is all part of what we all go through. I loved the scene she shared with Ephram in the movie theater. You could tell that there was so much hanging between them that needed to be said, but neither was willing to say it. I still hold out hope that these two will end up together and live happily ever after (well, as happily as those two could possibly live). Hannah's willingness to attend the party with Bright backfired big time for her. Now, he wants to go to many more and it doesn't seem that Hannah is really game considering it wasn't really her thing. And I continue to enjoy and be mesmerized by the amazing relationship that Harold and Rose share - good and bad. This is the one aspect of the show that they can never change! Anyway, another awesome episode! I can't wait to see what happens with Amy and Reid now that she found out he is not gay.
Last week on CSI we had a single-case episode that didn't really work, but this week was an excellent example of one that did. This case was very involved and multi-layered, so a full episode was needed to delve deep into the cult, their not-so-mass-suicide, and the murder of their leader. Like split screens, cults are a popular theme on the Bruckheimer shows, but they are extremely interesting and make for some pretty great episodes so I don't mind them. Plus, each show seems to use it in different ways, so they manage to keep it original and fresh. Turns out that what appeared to be a simple case of a cult's mass suicide, was in reality, the devious work of one member who wanted to make sure all the members really died. She slipped them some pet drugs she swiped from her former place of employment (a veterinary office) instead of the sleeping pills that the scamming leader had left for them. Only problem was that the elixir-mixing vixen chickened out while the others were downing the toxic vodka mix. Before she watched her fellow cult members poison themselves to death, she murdered the leader, Diamond, with a tire iron (who was bilking the young member's parents by having the members write letters to their parents requesting money, which they promptly turned over to Diamond). The only innocent victim in all of this was cult member Emma's boyfriend who went looking for her and found a trip over the balcony instead. Like I said, it was an involved case and it really worked well as a single-case episode. A much stronger outing for this show than last week's snoozer.
About Last Night... It was a familiar story as CBS claimed all three primetime hours. The eye network started off on top with Survivor: Guatemala, followed by NBC's comedy duo of Joey and Will & Grace, and MLB coverage on Fox landed in third. ABC's Alias wound up in fourth. CSI garnered the night's largest audience and the 9 o'clock hour, followed by The Apprentice on NBC, and MLB coverage on Fox. WB's Everwood landed in fifth, beating Eve and Cuts on UPN. The final hour of the night went to Without A Trace, followed by ER on NBC, and Fox's MLB coverage. For more on last night's ratings, visit Zap2it.
~Primetime Pass~
@8 p.m. - MLB coverage continues on Fox as the White Sox take on the Angels in game 3 of the ALCS.
@9 p.m. - The Three Wishes team heads to Le Mars, Iowa tonight on NBC. Molly and the Red Team infiltrate a rave in Miami on CBS's Threshold.
@10 p.m. - Numb3rs delves into the corporate world when a whistle-blowing CFO turns up dead tonight on CBS.
Sunday Edition
@8 p.m. - Lilly and Jeffries open the 1945 case of a baseball player killed with his own bat on CBS's Cold Case (remember, this show might get a late start due to football). Does anyone else think that the campaign episodes of NBC's West Wing are far superior to the lame duck president episodes? Well unfortunately, this is another lame duck episode as a member of the intelligence committee approaches CJ with some disturbing news. I'm also not enjoying the obvious "ripped from the headlines" storyline involving CJ.
@9 p.m. - Crazy Gabby starts a prison riot, Lynette learns that Parker has an imaginary friend, and Susan helps Mike search for Zach on ABC's Desperate Housewives. Walker, Texas Ranger returns with the original cast in tow for an all-new television movie packed with its trademark Chuck Norris bad one-liners for two hours on CBS.
@10 p.m - Jordan investigates the prison health care system while Lily gets caught in a court house shooting on Crossing Jordan on NBC.
QUICK CUTS
*Las Vegas creator Gary Scott Thompson is spilling some secrets about his series' upcoming November sweeps episodes. He promises that one character will exit the show, but he's not saying who or how. Also, look for a flashback episode with all the usual characters playing to a 1962 Rat Pack theme and a comic book outing that will be a little Sin City-ish according to Thompson. For more on these upcoming episodes and the possibility of an update on the Montecito's sister casino in New Orleans, visit Zap2it.
*Actress Nicole Sullivan is making her final appearance on CBS's King of Queens. Sullivan left the comedy to star in the new ABC sitcom Hot Properties where she plays cursed-in-love realtor Chloe. On Queens, she played a dog walker who often took Arthur (Jerry Stiller) for walks. Her last Queens episode airs Monday on CBS.
*And finally, CBS is ordering more scripts for freshmen series Out Of Practice and Threshold. The order allows the network to evaluate the shows' ratings for a few more weeks before it has to make a final decision on their respective futures. Threshold has managed a respectable 8.4 million viewers, but it fails to retain 25% of its lead-in's audience. Out of Practice averages a healthy 10 million viewers, but it too, loses some of its lean-in's audience.
That's all for today. Be sure to tune in Monday for Cold Case, Without A Trace (was the actual episode as eye roll- inducing as the preview for it?), and Desperate Housewives. And coming next week, a look at how your favorite comedies are faring this season. Plus, all the latest television news!
Thursday, October 13, 2005
Your Favorite Shows in the Palm of Your Hand? Plus, 'Everybody Hates Hugo!'
Apple made a huge announcement yesterday, and it affects some of your favorite shows. The company, in conjunction with ABC and Disney, is offering episodes for download with their iTunes and iPod software. It also announced a new iPod with a color screen and video capabilities that will play the episodes. Now, you're able to download episodes that you missed of Lost, Desperate Housewives, Night Stalker, That's So Raven, and The Suite Life of Jack & Cody so far, and play them back with a handheld iPod (or on your computer). Episodes are available for $1.99 each, or you can buy an entire already aired season for around $35 (Note: Downloads are only available in the United States right now). Each show's episodes appear on iTunes the day after they air on ABC or Disney. And more shows could be added in the future according to the AP. NBC has been in talks with companies like Apple about adding new outlets for their programming. CBS, however, had no comment on yesterday's announcement. So, will viewers take advantage of this new technology? Apple revolutionized the way we listen to and purchase music, but watching television on a small handheld medium is not the same as listening to music on it. I downloaded an episode of Lost yesterday just to check the quality and see how long it would take to download. I watched parts of the episode on my computer and the quality is awesome, and the download only took about ten to fifteen minutes with my DSL connection. The small price per an episode fee will keep me coming back if I miss episodes in the future. I certainly won't replace my normal television viewing with this new feature, but it will serve as a great way for viewers like myself to catch up on episodes that I miss without having to wait for reruns or DVDs. I only wish UPN would start offering episodes of Veronica Mars. The show has a young-skewing audience that tends to embrace new technologies and features. I'm sure many already have iTunes, so it would be easy for them to download and watch episodes to catch up on the serialized drama, and thus hopefully add viewers. Hopefully, more networks and programs will follow suit, and we'll all be able to catch up on our favorite shows at our convenience. Many viewers already download episodes illegally, so it only makes sense for television to catch up with the music industry and offer their product for download as well. What do you guys think? Will you download episodes through iTunes? Should more networks and shows add themselves to the list? Leave a comment with your thoughts.
Last night's episode of Lost ("Everybody Hates Hugo") seemed to stall a little compared to previous weeks. The story didn't advance much, and we learned very little about the hatch and the other survivors of Oceanic Flight 815. It started out with an interesting Hurley dream. There was a picture of a missing Walt on one of the Dharma Initiative milk cartons that Hurley was drinking in his dream. We also had a Korean-speaking Hurley, a man in a chicken suit (which we learned had to do with his pre-lottery job), and an ominous warning from Jin that everything was about to change. I normally enjoy the Hurley-centric episodes, but this one was not as entertaining as others. It seems that winning the lottery didn't just jinx Hurley, it also cost him his best friend and turned a lot of people against him. I don't blame him for not wanting to be in charge of the food distribution because he already knew where it could lead. It was a no-win situation. I thought his solution was great, though. Everyone got to enjoy the food together without someone else trying to ration and police it. I really enjoyed the closing scenes with everyone enjoying the moment.
Did anyone else think that the place where the other survivors of flight 815 were staying looked like the mysterious hatch? If it's not, then how many concrete structures are there on this island? And if it is the same hatch, then how large is this thing because Jack and co. have not come across anyone else in the hatch. Also, what happened to the other survivors from the back of the plane? There were originally 23, but not any more. And what about the mysterious "Others" that took Walt? We haven't heard from them since last season's finale. It was nice to have Rose back, and we learned that her husband is still alive with the other back-of-the-plane survivors. Overall, a good episode, but not as powerful or gripping as the others from this season.
About Last Night... ABC won the first hour of the night with its comedy block of George Lopez and Freddie, followed by Fox's MLB coverage and NBC's E-Ring. At 9, ABC stayed in the lead with Lost, followed by Criminal Minds on CBS, and MLB coverage on Fox. UPN's Veronica Mars beat the WB's Related to snag fifth place. The final hour of the night went to CBS's CSI: NY, followed by ABC's Invasion, and Law & Order on NBC. For more on last night's ratings, visit Zap2it.
~Primetime Pass~
@8 p.m. - Sydney teams up with new agent Thomas Grace to track down another agent who is supposedly working against the U.S. while Dixon helps Sloane find a cure for Nadia on ABC's Alias. Chris gets in a fight with the school bully on Everybody Hates Chris on UPN. Fox continues its coverage of the NLCS with game 2 of the Astros and the Cardinals.
@9 p.m. - The CSIs investigate an apparent mass suicide of a small cult on CBS's CSI. Amy deals with the fact that Ephram is living with her brother Bright and secret crush Reid on Everwood on the WB.
@10 p.m. - Roselyn Sanchez joins the cast of Without A Trace as the team works to locate a missing young prostitute tonight on CBS. A patient wakes up from a nine-year coma on NBC's ER.
QUICK CUTS
*Good news for several new series. CBS is ordering full seasons of How I Met Your Mother, Ghost Whisperer, and Criminal Minds. Both How I Met Your Mother and Ghost Whisperer have made strong gains in the younger demographics for the eye network. Criminal Minds is giving the network solid numbers in its tough Wednesday slot against Lost. Over at Fox, both The War at Home and Bones will stick around for a full season. Both series have helped the network get off to an improved start over last year. They will both return after Fox's coverage of the MLB playoffs.
*And finally, there are conflicting reports today about the future of Fox's The Simple Life. One report says the show is done for good because of feuding stars, and former best friends, Paris Hilton and Nicole Richie. Another says that Fox is finished with the show because they don't have a place for it on the mid-season schedule, but The Simple Life's distributor (20th Century Fox TV) is shopping the show around to other networks. Either way, don't look for the show to return any time soon.
That's all for today. Be sure to tune in tomorrow for CSI, Alias, and Everwood. Plus, all new editions of About Last Night and Primetime Pass and all the latest television news!
Last night's episode of Lost ("Everybody Hates Hugo") seemed to stall a little compared to previous weeks. The story didn't advance much, and we learned very little about the hatch and the other survivors of Oceanic Flight 815. It started out with an interesting Hurley dream. There was a picture of a missing Walt on one of the Dharma Initiative milk cartons that Hurley was drinking in his dream. We also had a Korean-speaking Hurley, a man in a chicken suit (which we learned had to do with his pre-lottery job), and an ominous warning from Jin that everything was about to change. I normally enjoy the Hurley-centric episodes, but this one was not as entertaining as others. It seems that winning the lottery didn't just jinx Hurley, it also cost him his best friend and turned a lot of people against him. I don't blame him for not wanting to be in charge of the food distribution because he already knew where it could lead. It was a no-win situation. I thought his solution was great, though. Everyone got to enjoy the food together without someone else trying to ration and police it. I really enjoyed the closing scenes with everyone enjoying the moment.
Did anyone else think that the place where the other survivors of flight 815 were staying looked like the mysterious hatch? If it's not, then how many concrete structures are there on this island? And if it is the same hatch, then how large is this thing because Jack and co. have not come across anyone else in the hatch. Also, what happened to the other survivors from the back of the plane? There were originally 23, but not any more. And what about the mysterious "Others" that took Walt? We haven't heard from them since last season's finale. It was nice to have Rose back, and we learned that her husband is still alive with the other back-of-the-plane survivors. Overall, a good episode, but not as powerful or gripping as the others from this season.
About Last Night... ABC won the first hour of the night with its comedy block of George Lopez and Freddie, followed by Fox's MLB coverage and NBC's E-Ring. At 9, ABC stayed in the lead with Lost, followed by Criminal Minds on CBS, and MLB coverage on Fox. UPN's Veronica Mars beat the WB's Related to snag fifth place. The final hour of the night went to CBS's CSI: NY, followed by ABC's Invasion, and Law & Order on NBC. For more on last night's ratings, visit Zap2it.
~Primetime Pass~
@8 p.m. - Sydney teams up with new agent Thomas Grace to track down another agent who is supposedly working against the U.S. while Dixon helps Sloane find a cure for Nadia on ABC's Alias. Chris gets in a fight with the school bully on Everybody Hates Chris on UPN. Fox continues its coverage of the NLCS with game 2 of the Astros and the Cardinals.
@9 p.m. - The CSIs investigate an apparent mass suicide of a small cult on CBS's CSI. Amy deals with the fact that Ephram is living with her brother Bright and secret crush Reid on Everwood on the WB.
@10 p.m. - Roselyn Sanchez joins the cast of Without A Trace as the team works to locate a missing young prostitute tonight on CBS. A patient wakes up from a nine-year coma on NBC's ER.
QUICK CUTS
*Good news for several new series. CBS is ordering full seasons of How I Met Your Mother, Ghost Whisperer, and Criminal Minds. Both How I Met Your Mother and Ghost Whisperer have made strong gains in the younger demographics for the eye network. Criminal Minds is giving the network solid numbers in its tough Wednesday slot against Lost. Over at Fox, both The War at Home and Bones will stick around for a full season. Both series have helped the network get off to an improved start over last year. They will both return after Fox's coverage of the MLB playoffs.
*And finally, there are conflicting reports today about the future of Fox's The Simple Life. One report says the show is done for good because of feuding stars, and former best friends, Paris Hilton and Nicole Richie. Another says that Fox is finished with the show because they don't have a place for it on the mid-season schedule, but The Simple Life's distributor (20th Century Fox TV) is shopping the show around to other networks. Either way, don't look for the show to return any time soon.
That's all for today. Be sure to tune in tomorrow for CSI, Alias, and Everwood. Plus, all new editions of About Last Night and Primetime Pass and all the latest television news!
Wednesday, October 12, 2005
Sutton Gets the 'Cold' Shoulder! Plus 'The Amazing Race' Spins its Wheels!
As I reported in yesterday's edition, CBS decided to drop the Josie Sutton character (Sarah Brown) from Cold Case according to a message the actress posted on her official web site. She has already filmed five episodes, so there are two remaining that haven't aired yet. According to Brown's message, the network decided that her character didn't "fit into the mix this season" (Note: I still haven't found an official confirmation from the network, but I will post it as soon as I find one). I remember reading over the summer that the character would be coming onboard, and it left me wondering why. Cold Case has always been about Lilly and her crusade with solving cold cases. According to CBS's official web site for Cold Case, the show is about "Lilly Rush (Kathryn Morris), the lone female detective who finds her niche when she's assigned 'cold cases' -- crimes that have never been solved." So, why mess with a successful formula to begin with? As it is, the existing detectives didn't have enough storylines, so adding another would only work to hinder this even further. However, they decided to add her anyway. I eventually warmed to the idea, and even found myself enjoying Josie and her possibly scandalous past. She was another well written, strong female in a male dominated profession in the same tradition as Lilly. So, I'm torn about CBS's apparent decision to pull the plug on the character. Part of me will miss her, and the other part knows it's best for the show. Last week's episode was the first this season where I felt everything was back in its correct balance, and coincidence or not, Josie had a much smaller role than she had in previous episodes. Things just haven't been the same this season - strange pairings on cases, a lack of team work, and a serious lack of Lilly - but I'm not sure if Josie is to blame or not. Since the decision has been made, I can only hope that her departure restores the show to its usual form. Either way, I'll miss Josie. I guess I'm not sure why the network would add the character just to pull the plug after a few episodes. It doesn't seem fair to Sarah Brown or Cold Case. I'll keep my fingers crossed that the show gives us more Lilly cases like last week, and all will be forgiven.
Well, last night's The Amazing Race must have made a lot of you happy. The families finally got out of those SUVs and traveled by plane and bus. Of course, they remained in the U.S., but they raced around the beautiful Charleston, South Carolina and explored the space center in Huntsville, Alabama. I know I'm in the minority, but I've been enjoying the tour of the United States because as TV Guide critic Matt Roush said, it shows that our country has interesting and fun places to visit as well. Back to last night's episode, the Paolos were their usual annoying and fighting selves, the Weavers had a slight breakdown on a long bus ride, and the Bransen's landed in first and won a lifetime of free gas for all licensed drivers. It's a sure sign that gas prices have gotten sky high when The Amazing Race is giving it as a prize! The mud bogging Detour in Charleston was a lot harder than it looked. It took the Aiello family seventeen tries to get through it. I knew the Gaghans would breeze right through on their first try because they had the two light kids. Most of the teams easily got through the space center Roadblock where they spun around in a centrifuge and experienced a force of 3-Gs. In the end, the Aiello family's hustle to the centrifuge wasn't fast enough and they ended up pulling the last number. They waited for the other two teams ahead of them to complete the task before they could begin. Despite the others' problems finding the next clues and the eventual Pitstop, the Aiellos weren't able to recover and they were eliminated from the race.
I was going to discuss last night's Law & Order: SVU, but yesterday's developing Cold Case news was too big to ignore. I will say that it was another strong outing for this show, and I thought Christopher Meloni was excellent. It must have taken a lot for his Det. Stabler to admit his rage problems and discuss the root of them - his father. Strong episode, and strong performance.
About Last Night... CBS claimed the first hour of the night with NCIS, followed by a tie between MLB coverage on Fox and NBC's The Biggest Loser. At 9, ABC won the hour with Commander In Chief, followed by The Amazing Race on CBS, and MLB coverage on Fox. The final hour of the night went to NBC with Law & Order: SVU, followed by Boston Legal on ABC, and Fox's MLB coverage. CBS's Close to Home landed in fourth. For more information on last night's ratings, visit Zap2it.
~Primetime Pass~
@8 p.m. - ABC rolls out the new Freddie Prinze Jr. comedy Freddie at 8:30. Fox's coverage of MLB continues with the Astros taking on the Cardinals in game one of the NLSC.
@9 p.m. - We delve deeper into Hurley's past while Michael, Jin, and Sawyer learn the identity of their captors and Claire finds a disturbing clue about the fate of the raft on ABC's Lost. Veronica digs up some dirt on Kendall, but she and Cassidy are shocked at what they find on Veronica Mars on UPN.
@10 p.m. -Anna Belknap joins the cast of CSI: NY tonight on CBS. A deadly flu virus highlights a new episode of Invasion on ABC.
QUICK CUTS
*Fox is airing a full hour of Arrested Development when it returns in November. The special two-episode block will feature Charlize Theron, Scott Baio, Dave Thomas, Frankie Muniz, and Bob Einstein. The back-to-back episodes air November 7th.
*And finally, it's Nielsen Wednesday. CBS once again won the war in total viewers, but ABC took the coveted 18-49 year old group again. CBS was led by CSI (#1), Without A Trace (#4), CSI: Miami (#5), Survivor: Guatemala (#7), NCIS (tie #8), and Cold Case (#11). ABC was led by Desperate Housewives (#2), Lost (#3), Grey's Anatomy (#6), and Commander In Chief (tie #8). NBC's only top 10 show was Law & Order: SVU (#10). For more on last week's ratings, visit USA Today.
That's all for today. Be sure to tune in tomorrow for Lost and another edition of Primetime Pass. Plus, all the latest television news.
Well, last night's The Amazing Race must have made a lot of you happy. The families finally got out of those SUVs and traveled by plane and bus. Of course, they remained in the U.S., but they raced around the beautiful Charleston, South Carolina and explored the space center in Huntsville, Alabama. I know I'm in the minority, but I've been enjoying the tour of the United States because as TV Guide critic Matt Roush said, it shows that our country has interesting and fun places to visit as well. Back to last night's episode, the Paolos were their usual annoying and fighting selves, the Weavers had a slight breakdown on a long bus ride, and the Bransen's landed in first and won a lifetime of free gas for all licensed drivers. It's a sure sign that gas prices have gotten sky high when The Amazing Race is giving it as a prize! The mud bogging Detour in Charleston was a lot harder than it looked. It took the Aiello family seventeen tries to get through it. I knew the Gaghans would breeze right through on their first try because they had the two light kids. Most of the teams easily got through the space center Roadblock where they spun around in a centrifuge and experienced a force of 3-Gs. In the end, the Aiello family's hustle to the centrifuge wasn't fast enough and they ended up pulling the last number. They waited for the other two teams ahead of them to complete the task before they could begin. Despite the others' problems finding the next clues and the eventual Pitstop, the Aiellos weren't able to recover and they were eliminated from the race.
I was going to discuss last night's Law & Order: SVU, but yesterday's developing Cold Case news was too big to ignore. I will say that it was another strong outing for this show, and I thought Christopher Meloni was excellent. It must have taken a lot for his Det. Stabler to admit his rage problems and discuss the root of them - his father. Strong episode, and strong performance.
About Last Night... CBS claimed the first hour of the night with NCIS, followed by a tie between MLB coverage on Fox and NBC's The Biggest Loser. At 9, ABC won the hour with Commander In Chief, followed by The Amazing Race on CBS, and MLB coverage on Fox. The final hour of the night went to NBC with Law & Order: SVU, followed by Boston Legal on ABC, and Fox's MLB coverage. CBS's Close to Home landed in fourth. For more information on last night's ratings, visit Zap2it.
~Primetime Pass~
@8 p.m. - ABC rolls out the new Freddie Prinze Jr. comedy Freddie at 8:30. Fox's coverage of MLB continues with the Astros taking on the Cardinals in game one of the NLSC.
@9 p.m. - We delve deeper into Hurley's past while Michael, Jin, and Sawyer learn the identity of their captors and Claire finds a disturbing clue about the fate of the raft on ABC's Lost. Veronica digs up some dirt on Kendall, but she and Cassidy are shocked at what they find on Veronica Mars on UPN.
@10 p.m. -Anna Belknap joins the cast of CSI: NY tonight on CBS. A deadly flu virus highlights a new episode of Invasion on ABC.
QUICK CUTS
*Fox is airing a full hour of Arrested Development when it returns in November. The special two-episode block will feature Charlize Theron, Scott Baio, Dave Thomas, Frankie Muniz, and Bob Einstein. The back-to-back episodes air November 7th.
*And finally, it's Nielsen Wednesday. CBS once again won the war in total viewers, but ABC took the coveted 18-49 year old group again. CBS was led by CSI (#1), Without A Trace (#4), CSI: Miami (#5), Survivor: Guatemala (#7), NCIS (tie #8), and Cold Case (#11). ABC was led by Desperate Housewives (#2), Lost (#3), Grey's Anatomy (#6), and Commander In Chief (tie #8). NBC's only top 10 show was Law & Order: SVU (#10). For more on last week's ratings, visit USA Today.
That's all for today. Be sure to tune in tomorrow for Lost and another edition of Primetime Pass. Plus, all the latest television news.
Tuesday, October 11, 2005
Reality Report Card, Guilty Pleasures, and a Sleep Walking Allison!
Throughout the next few weeks, I'll be covering different genres of the new season and letting you know how the shows in those genres are faring this season. I give you the overnights each day in About Last Night and the weekly reports on Wednesdays, but these don't always tell the full story. There are plenty of shows that are considered successes without generating large amounts of total viewers. Today, let's take a look at this season's crop of reality series. We saw over the summer that viewers were starting to tire of the recycled set-ups, and opted instead for a fresher take on the genre with hits like Dancing With the Stars on ABC and Beauty and the Geek on the WB. With a bunch of copycats and franchises making their debut this season, the question is, are viewers interested in the reality genre or are we back to loving scripted series instead? Scripted shows have made a lot of progress over the past couple of seasons with the advent of originality with shows like Lost (who no one thought would succeed), Desperate Housewives, Medium, and Veronica Mars. So, has the void that the reality shows filled been taken over by the genre that left it open in the first place? Ratings indicate that interest in the reality genre is waning. One of the category's biggest hits, NBC's The Apprentice, is down 41% in the 18-49 year old group. Its sibling, The Apprentice: Martha Stewart, is struggling to find an audience, managing to average only 6.5 million total viewers. By comparison, scripted series like CSI and Desperate Housewives are averaging around 30 million viewers and Lost hovers around 23 million. NBC recently moved the struggling Martha Stewart version up against Lost in a move to help its scripted series E-Ring. Elsewhere, the most profitable series in the genre, CBS's Survivor, is also down this season. The show is down 19% in the 18-49 year old group. Perhaps the most telling sign that reality is not commanding the audiences that it used to, Fox , which used to lead the networks in its amount of reality programs, didn't premiere a single reality series this fall. Its only dose of reality comes with Nanny 911, and it appeared only after Fox cancelled scripted series Head Cases. So, does all of this mean that reality is dead? Probably not, but it does mean that the genre will have to evolve as viewers' interest change and scripted series step up to the plate. Everything in television is cyclical anyway. What do you guys think? Are you done with reality? Leave a comment with your thoughts.
We all have them - guilty pleasures. Shows we know are not on the top of the list of quality programs, but we just can't help ourselves. No matter how many times we laugh at a premise, roll our eyes at a ridiculous scene, or stare at the television wondering why we're still watching, we continue to come back and watch week after week. Why? I suppose we all have our reasons. Some shows are just so bad that they're good (think The O.C.), while others have one good thing that keeps us coming back in hopes that the bad elements will correct themselves. The latter perfectly describes my guilty pleasure love affair with NBC's Surface. I know the writing is terrible and cheesy, like last night's creature eats dog scene. I know it's terribly cliche with its characters and plot points. Who didn't think that Laura and Jackson had been in a relationship before when she asked him to take her out on his boat? I know, I know, but I just can't help myself! I like the sea creature theme, the neat settings, Laura and her portrayer Lake Bell, and yes, I like the cute baby creature. Somebody help me! Well, if the ratings continue their decline, it appears NBC will most likely cut off this guilty pleasure for me. So, what are your guilty pleasures? Leave a comment with your thoughts.
Did Allison have a bad case of sleep walking last night on Medium or what? Can you imagine waking up in the middle of a busy street?? Speaking of which, Phoenix must have some serious traffic! Did you see all those cars on the road in the middle of the night! All kidding aside, last night's episode just embodied what makes this show so great - complex stories and real human drama. I watch this show and let the story unfold. I'm not trying to figure out what's going on because it's completely pointless. Whatever I could muster up as an explanation will not be correct because this show takes us down its own path. It avoids crime show cliches and pitfalls. It gives us real people with real issues. Allison and daughter Ariel's struggle over whether she could walk home from school instead of riding with Allison was very relatable, either as a daughter or as a mother. This show never fails to surprise or make you think, and that's good storytelling.
About Last Night... Fox captured the first hour of the night with its MLB coverage, followed by ABC's Wife Swap (but numbers include a football game on the West Coast), and CBS's comedy block of King of Queens and How I Met Your Mother edged NBC's Surface to claim third and fourth, respectively. At 9, ABC grabbed the top spot with its Monday Night Football, followed by CBS's Two and a Half Men and Out Of Practice. NBC landed in third with Las Vegas. The final hour of the night went to CBS's CSI: Miami, followed by Monday Night Football on ABC, and Medium on NBC. For more information on last night's ratings, visit Zap2it.
~Primetime Pass~
@8 p.m. - A small fire breaks out at the Dragonfly Inn on the WB's Gilmore Girls. On Fox, it's game 1 of the American League Championship as the Angels take on the White Sox. Cote de Pablo joins the cast of CBS's NCIS tonight.
@9 p.m. - The country's first female president must deal with her first national crisis - the death of nine DEA agents - on ABC's Commander In Chief. Over on CBS, the remaining teams head to a mystery location and find a challenge that's "out of this world" on The Amazing Race.
@10 p.m. - Det. Elliot Stabler faces his rage with the help of Dr. Rebecca Hendrix (guest star Mary Stuart Masterson) in a stand-out episode for Christopher Meloni on NBC's Law & Order: SVU. On ABC, Alan Shore and Denny Crane spend some male bonding time fishing in British Columbia on Boston Legal.
QUICK CUTS
*It seems that finding a decent audience for NBC's Inconceivable was, well, inconceivable. The peacock network is taking the fertility drama off its October schedule, and it doesn't look to be returning any time soon. Production has been halted as well. The show struggled to find an audience, averaging only 5.4 million viewers in its two airings. Reruns of Law & Order: Criminal Intent will fill the slot for now.
*CBS is releasing actress Sarah Brown from her role on Cold Case according to a message the star posted on her official web site. The message states that the eye network "didn't see how [Brown's character] fit into the mix this season." Brown played Detective Josie Sutton on the popular crime series. She originally signed on for five episodes, so look for two more to feature the actress. No official word yet from CBS or Cold Case on how the character will be written out. Stay tuned to Pass the Remote for updates on this story.
*And finally, what do you do if you're holding a live, but fictional, debate on NBC's The West Wing and you need someone to moderate this fictional live debate? You hire a real reporter! Former ABC reporter Forrest Sawyer will play moderator on the November 6th live episode of The West Wing. Fictional Presidential candidates Vinick (Alan Alada) and Santos (Jimmy Smits) will face off in the episode in a debate.
That's all for today. Be sure to tune in tomorrow for thoughts on The Amazing Race and Law & Order: SVU. Plus, my thoughts on this new Cold Case development. And, all the latest television news and Primetime Pass!
We all have them - guilty pleasures. Shows we know are not on the top of the list of quality programs, but we just can't help ourselves. No matter how many times we laugh at a premise, roll our eyes at a ridiculous scene, or stare at the television wondering why we're still watching, we continue to come back and watch week after week. Why? I suppose we all have our reasons. Some shows are just so bad that they're good (think The O.C.), while others have one good thing that keeps us coming back in hopes that the bad elements will correct themselves. The latter perfectly describes my guilty pleasure love affair with NBC's Surface. I know the writing is terrible and cheesy, like last night's creature eats dog scene. I know it's terribly cliche with its characters and plot points. Who didn't think that Laura and Jackson had been in a relationship before when she asked him to take her out on his boat? I know, I know, but I just can't help myself! I like the sea creature theme, the neat settings, Laura and her portrayer Lake Bell, and yes, I like the cute baby creature. Somebody help me! Well, if the ratings continue their decline, it appears NBC will most likely cut off this guilty pleasure for me. So, what are your guilty pleasures? Leave a comment with your thoughts.
Did Allison have a bad case of sleep walking last night on Medium or what? Can you imagine waking up in the middle of a busy street?? Speaking of which, Phoenix must have some serious traffic! Did you see all those cars on the road in the middle of the night! All kidding aside, last night's episode just embodied what makes this show so great - complex stories and real human drama. I watch this show and let the story unfold. I'm not trying to figure out what's going on because it's completely pointless. Whatever I could muster up as an explanation will not be correct because this show takes us down its own path. It avoids crime show cliches and pitfalls. It gives us real people with real issues. Allison and daughter Ariel's struggle over whether she could walk home from school instead of riding with Allison was very relatable, either as a daughter or as a mother. This show never fails to surprise or make you think, and that's good storytelling.
About Last Night... Fox captured the first hour of the night with its MLB coverage, followed by ABC's Wife Swap (but numbers include a football game on the West Coast), and CBS's comedy block of King of Queens and How I Met Your Mother edged NBC's Surface to claim third and fourth, respectively. At 9, ABC grabbed the top spot with its Monday Night Football, followed by CBS's Two and a Half Men and Out Of Practice. NBC landed in third with Las Vegas. The final hour of the night went to CBS's CSI: Miami, followed by Monday Night Football on ABC, and Medium on NBC. For more information on last night's ratings, visit Zap2it.
~Primetime Pass~
@8 p.m. - A small fire breaks out at the Dragonfly Inn on the WB's Gilmore Girls. On Fox, it's game 1 of the American League Championship as the Angels take on the White Sox. Cote de Pablo joins the cast of CBS's NCIS tonight.
@9 p.m. - The country's first female president must deal with her first national crisis - the death of nine DEA agents - on ABC's Commander In Chief. Over on CBS, the remaining teams head to a mystery location and find a challenge that's "out of this world" on The Amazing Race.
@10 p.m. - Det. Elliot Stabler faces his rage with the help of Dr. Rebecca Hendrix (guest star Mary Stuart Masterson) in a stand-out episode for Christopher Meloni on NBC's Law & Order: SVU. On ABC, Alan Shore and Denny Crane spend some male bonding time fishing in British Columbia on Boston Legal.
QUICK CUTS
*It seems that finding a decent audience for NBC's Inconceivable was, well, inconceivable. The peacock network is taking the fertility drama off its October schedule, and it doesn't look to be returning any time soon. Production has been halted as well. The show struggled to find an audience, averaging only 5.4 million viewers in its two airings. Reruns of Law & Order: Criminal Intent will fill the slot for now.
*CBS is releasing actress Sarah Brown from her role on Cold Case according to a message the star posted on her official web site. The message states that the eye network "didn't see how [Brown's character] fit into the mix this season." Brown played Detective Josie Sutton on the popular crime series. She originally signed on for five episodes, so look for two more to feature the actress. No official word yet from CBS or Cold Case on how the character will be written out. Stay tuned to Pass the Remote for updates on this story.
*And finally, what do you do if you're holding a live, but fictional, debate on NBC's The West Wing and you need someone to moderate this fictional live debate? You hire a real reporter! Former ABC reporter Forrest Sawyer will play moderator on the November 6th live episode of The West Wing. Fictional Presidential candidates Vinick (Alan Alada) and Santos (Jimmy Smits) will face off in the episode in a debate.
That's all for today. Be sure to tune in tomorrow for thoughts on The Amazing Race and Law & Order: SVU. Plus, my thoughts on this new Cold Case development. And, all the latest television news and Primetime Pass!
Monday, October 10, 2005
A Warm Welcome Back to 'Cold Case!' Plus, 'Desperate Housewives,' 'Without A Trace,' and 'Veronica' heads to DVD!!
Welcome back Cold Case! Yes, I know last night's episode was really the third of the season, but it was the first one so far where the show felt like its glorious old self. Lilly took center stage, she made a connection with the victim's mother (and she got a thank you hug at the end plus good Karma), Scotty played a supporting role, new girl Josie played a supporting role, we got excellent backstory on Jeffries, Lilly had one of her trademark interrogations and the case was very engrossing. Yes, it was a happy-dance inducing hour last night. I really enjoyed the first two episodes of the season, but they just seemed off - strong cases, great storytelling, but lacking the punch that the show usually delivers because Lilly was somewhat MIA. Not last night, however, as she carried most of the case. The scales were tipped back into her favor, and I couldn't have been happier. I was a little concerned after hearing that this episode would focus on the movie Halloween only because I wasn't a huge fan of last year's experiment with The Rocky Horror Picture Show (despite a creatively done episode, the story was lacking), but this episode managed to avoid the pitfalls because it stuck with the characters and the story, and left the movie as a minor player. The guest characters were fascinating, and I was truly engrossed with their story. I never guessed the killer until Lilly revealed him. My heart ached for Jeffries and all that anger that he tries to place on the truck driver who hit and killed his wife, when it's really himself he's so angry with because he wasn't there for his wife when she needed him. I'm going to continue to say this until it happens, but I hope we get some reaction from Lilly on her final encounter with serial killer George Marks. I read that we would, but nothing so far. I'm wondering if this is going to be like last year when we were promised some reaction to her break up with ADA Kite in the first season finale, and all we got was one awkward scene between the two in the second season premiere. I wouldn't be surprised if the newspaper in the trash can scene from this season's premiere is all we get. Disappointed, but not surprised. On the other hand, this show is slow to reveal information, so it might still be coming. Overall, an excellent episode, and a nicely done restoration of the character balance that I hope continues.
I never thought I'd see the day when Gabby would sincerely apologize to Carlos for her affair with John, so imagine my shock last night on Desperate Housewives! She finally realized, after she discovered that she might not have meant as much to John as she thought (it hurts to have your feelings played with, doesn't it Gabby?), that what she did to Carlos was hurtful and wrong (Carlos is no saint, either, though). Of course, she was sure to buy herself an anniversary Aston Martin. Lynette doesn't get enough screen time, but her stories are hysterical. How funny was the coffee cup spill she orchestrated? Susan's usual jealously and rivalry war with Edie heated up over the church talent show, and culminated in a hilarious scene at the piano. And Bree finally kicked out her mother-in-law! I was so happy when she sent her off in that taxi. Oh, and how funny was that lie detector test that she insisted on taking? Does Bree really love George, or was she just confused? Interesting development, nonetheless, because I always thought that she was just using George to make Rex jealous. And now, the police think she conspired with George (who must be a pathological liar to so easily pass that lie detector) to poison and kill Rex. Raise your hand now if you think the onions from the pilot are going to come back to haunt her? If you're lost, Bree had an argument with Rex at a family restaurant. She went to the salad bar and prepared Rex's salad, but she accidentally put onions in the salad. Rex was deathly allergic to onions, so he ended up in the hospital. I can't wait to see how all of this develops. Overall, an improved episode over last week, but still not on par with last season or even this season's premiere.
So, I caught up on Thursday's Without A Trace, and I've decided that this show just doesn't pack the emotional punch that it used to in its earlier seasons. This episode was moving, but not the way it was when they did a very similar story two seasons ago with the brilliant episode "Wannabe" (if you haven't seen this episode, check TNT's listings for it to re-air). Is Without A Trace repeating itself, and only in its fourth season? Recycling plotlines is inevitable as a series ages, but it's never a good idea to do so with an episode that is easily the show's finest hour, and one of the most emotional things I've ever seen on television. The climatic scene toward the end even seemed to mirror "Wannabe" as the picked-on teenager attempted to kill himself, albeit with a homemade bomb and "Wannabe" was a hanging on a fellow student's monkey bars. I felt bad for Ryan during last week's episode because he was horribly picked on and bullied, and I was at the edge of my seat when Danny tried to talk him out of pushing the ignitor on the bomb. I really couldn't believe it when he pushed the trigger (luckily, it malfunctioned), but it wasn't as gripping as its similar predecessor. I know it seems like I always give this show a hard time, but it's only because I was there for the amazing early seasons. I know shows start to show their age, but procedurals like Without A Trace shouldn't be doing it so soon because they have a long shelf-life (think Law & Order). Look at a show like Law & Order: SVU, it continues to turn out amazing episodes in its seventh season, and some would argue that, like fine wine, it gets better with age. Without A Trace is acting like the cheap stuff that starts to spoil if you don't drink it fast enough, and as a fan of the show, it's just a little hard to swallow. But as I've said, the ratings keep getting better, so I suppose it doesn't matter much (even though we all know that ratings do not equal quality). Last week's episode was a strong step in the right direction, though. I just hope this week's doesn't take us two steps back with the edition of another character and the huge eye roll inducing scene in the preview with said new character (who happens to be Roselyn Sanchez) and Sam (Poppy Montgomery) going undercover as call girls. In fact, my eyes are rolling right now as I write this, so my expectations for this one are low.
About Last Night... CBS started off the night on top with Cold Case at 8 p.m., followed by ABC's Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, and MLB coverage on Fox. NBC's The West Wing landed in fourth. At 9, ABC took over first place with Desperate Housewives, followed by Law & Order: Criminal Intent on NBC, and MLB coverage on Fox. The final hour of the night went to ABC as well, with Grey's Anatomy, followed by Crossing Jordanon NBC, and MLB coverage on Fox. For more information on last night's ratings, visit Zap2it.
Friday night once again went to CBS, as the eye network won all three of the hours with Ghost Whisperer, Threshold, and Numb3rs. For more information on Friday's ratings, visit Zap2it.
~Primetime Pass~
@8 p.m. - Laura and Jackson encounter the mystery creature and manage to get a G.P.S tracking system in it on NBC's Surface. It's game 5 of the Yankees and the Angels on Fox tonight as its MLB coverage continues.
@9 p.m. - The Pussycat Dolls make an appearance on an all-new Las Vegas on NBC. Catch an encore of the premiere of Related on the WB.
@10 p.m. - Allison risks her life to save a kidnapped boy on NBC's Medium.
QUICK CUTS
*Veteran TV-producer Steven Bochco is taking over the reins at ABC's Commander In Chief from creator Rod Lurie per the AP. Lurie will stay on as executive producer. According to a source close to the production, Bochco was brought in to make the show run more smoothly and ensure scripts are turned in on time. Production was halted after a script wasn't finished in time according to the same source. Commander In Chief has made an impressive showing in the ratings so far, winning its Tuesday night timeslot.
*7th Heaven is officially the longest-running family drama on television. The WB drama debuted in August of 1996 and it just aired its 200th episode. The feel-good show tells the story of the Camden family, led by their preacher father (Stephen Collins). The show airs Monday nights on the WB.
*And finally, it's TV on DVD Monday! Okay, you guys are out of excuses now. Over the summer it was, "I'd watch the reruns of Veronica Mars on UPN to catch up, but they aren't showing them all, so what's the point?" or "I'd watch the show but it's probably going to get cancelled." But, its doing very well against the behemoth that is Lost, and more to the point, the first season DVDs are out tomorrow!!! This means you can run, walk, drive, skip, skate whatever to your closest DVD seller or rental store and buy/rent the first season and catch-up! For those who are too busy to go out and get the set, check out amazon.com or you can rent it through Netflix. My first DVD should be arriving via Netflix tomorrow or the next day! Other than Veronica, you can also check out Arrested Development (season 2), South Park (season 6), and The Jeffersons (season 4) on store shelves tomorrow. For more releases, visit tvshowsondvd.com.
That's all for today. Be sure to tune in tomorrow for a look at how all your favorite shows are faring so far this season. I'll also have my take on tonight's Medium, and all the latest television news!
I never thought I'd see the day when Gabby would sincerely apologize to Carlos for her affair with John, so imagine my shock last night on Desperate Housewives! She finally realized, after she discovered that she might not have meant as much to John as she thought (it hurts to have your feelings played with, doesn't it Gabby?), that what she did to Carlos was hurtful and wrong (Carlos is no saint, either, though). Of course, she was sure to buy herself an anniversary Aston Martin. Lynette doesn't get enough screen time, but her stories are hysterical. How funny was the coffee cup spill she orchestrated? Susan's usual jealously and rivalry war with Edie heated up over the church talent show, and culminated in a hilarious scene at the piano. And Bree finally kicked out her mother-in-law! I was so happy when she sent her off in that taxi. Oh, and how funny was that lie detector test that she insisted on taking? Does Bree really love George, or was she just confused? Interesting development, nonetheless, because I always thought that she was just using George to make Rex jealous. And now, the police think she conspired with George (who must be a pathological liar to so easily pass that lie detector) to poison and kill Rex. Raise your hand now if you think the onions from the pilot are going to come back to haunt her? If you're lost, Bree had an argument with Rex at a family restaurant. She went to the salad bar and prepared Rex's salad, but she accidentally put onions in the salad. Rex was deathly allergic to onions, so he ended up in the hospital. I can't wait to see how all of this develops. Overall, an improved episode over last week, but still not on par with last season or even this season's premiere.
So, I caught up on Thursday's Without A Trace, and I've decided that this show just doesn't pack the emotional punch that it used to in its earlier seasons. This episode was moving, but not the way it was when they did a very similar story two seasons ago with the brilliant episode "Wannabe" (if you haven't seen this episode, check TNT's listings for it to re-air). Is Without A Trace repeating itself, and only in its fourth season? Recycling plotlines is inevitable as a series ages, but it's never a good idea to do so with an episode that is easily the show's finest hour, and one of the most emotional things I've ever seen on television. The climatic scene toward the end even seemed to mirror "Wannabe" as the picked-on teenager attempted to kill himself, albeit with a homemade bomb and "Wannabe" was a hanging on a fellow student's monkey bars. I felt bad for Ryan during last week's episode because he was horribly picked on and bullied, and I was at the edge of my seat when Danny tried to talk him out of pushing the ignitor on the bomb. I really couldn't believe it when he pushed the trigger (luckily, it malfunctioned), but it wasn't as gripping as its similar predecessor. I know it seems like I always give this show a hard time, but it's only because I was there for the amazing early seasons. I know shows start to show their age, but procedurals like Without A Trace shouldn't be doing it so soon because they have a long shelf-life (think Law & Order). Look at a show like Law & Order: SVU, it continues to turn out amazing episodes in its seventh season, and some would argue that, like fine wine, it gets better with age. Without A Trace is acting like the cheap stuff that starts to spoil if you don't drink it fast enough, and as a fan of the show, it's just a little hard to swallow. But as I've said, the ratings keep getting better, so I suppose it doesn't matter much (even though we all know that ratings do not equal quality). Last week's episode was a strong step in the right direction, though. I just hope this week's doesn't take us two steps back with the edition of another character and the huge eye roll inducing scene in the preview with said new character (who happens to be Roselyn Sanchez) and Sam (Poppy Montgomery) going undercover as call girls. In fact, my eyes are rolling right now as I write this, so my expectations for this one are low.
About Last Night... CBS started off the night on top with Cold Case at 8 p.m., followed by ABC's Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, and MLB coverage on Fox. NBC's The West Wing landed in fourth. At 9, ABC took over first place with Desperate Housewives, followed by Law & Order: Criminal Intent on NBC, and MLB coverage on Fox. The final hour of the night went to ABC as well, with Grey's Anatomy, followed by Crossing Jordanon NBC, and MLB coverage on Fox. For more information on last night's ratings, visit Zap2it.
Friday night once again went to CBS, as the eye network won all three of the hours with Ghost Whisperer, Threshold, and Numb3rs. For more information on Friday's ratings, visit Zap2it.
~Primetime Pass~
@8 p.m. - Laura and Jackson encounter the mystery creature and manage to get a G.P.S tracking system in it on NBC's Surface. It's game 5 of the Yankees and the Angels on Fox tonight as its MLB coverage continues.
@9 p.m. - The Pussycat Dolls make an appearance on an all-new Las Vegas on NBC. Catch an encore of the premiere of Related on the WB.
@10 p.m. - Allison risks her life to save a kidnapped boy on NBC's Medium.
QUICK CUTS
*Veteran TV-producer Steven Bochco is taking over the reins at ABC's Commander In Chief from creator Rod Lurie per the AP. Lurie will stay on as executive producer. According to a source close to the production, Bochco was brought in to make the show run more smoothly and ensure scripts are turned in on time. Production was halted after a script wasn't finished in time according to the same source. Commander In Chief has made an impressive showing in the ratings so far, winning its Tuesday night timeslot.
*7th Heaven is officially the longest-running family drama on television. The WB drama debuted in August of 1996 and it just aired its 200th episode. The feel-good show tells the story of the Camden family, led by their preacher father (Stephen Collins). The show airs Monday nights on the WB.
*And finally, it's TV on DVD Monday! Okay, you guys are out of excuses now. Over the summer it was, "I'd watch the reruns of Veronica Mars on UPN to catch up, but they aren't showing them all, so what's the point?" or "I'd watch the show but it's probably going to get cancelled." But, its doing very well against the behemoth that is Lost, and more to the point, the first season DVDs are out tomorrow!!! This means you can run, walk, drive, skip, skate whatever to your closest DVD seller or rental store and buy/rent the first season and catch-up! For those who are too busy to go out and get the set, check out amazon.com or you can rent it through Netflix. My first DVD should be arriving via Netflix tomorrow or the next day! Other than Veronica, you can also check out Arrested Development (season 2), South Park (season 6), and The Jeffersons (season 4) on store shelves tomorrow. For more releases, visit tvshowsondvd.com.
That's all for today. Be sure to tune in tomorrow for a look at how all your favorite shows are faring so far this season. I'll also have my take on tonight's Medium, and all the latest television news!
Friday, October 07, 2005
Sydney Searches for the Truth, Ephram Tries to Avoid it, and the CSIs Find it!
CSI, Alias, Everwood plus a whole host of other shows, yes, it was another busy Thursday night. Let's start with a single-case episode of CSI. A young girl killed her step-mother by beating her with a cane, and her father didn't say anything in order to protect his daughter. Yes, it was another evil child episode of CSI. If you watch this show every week (as I do), you have to wonder how many child murderers there are out there. The episode focused on this one case, and the case just wasn't interesting enough to support the entire episode. Sure it had the seedy side with the husband meeting with the woman from the internet and allowing her to bite him, but overall, it just wasn't that gripping or interesting. I was disappointed when we learned it was the step-daughter (she was angry because her step-mom was having an affair) because it just seemed so tragic to me that her father lost his first wife to a stroke, his second to his daughter, and now his daughter to prosecution. And for some reason, this show never has the emotional impact of its counterparts Without A Trace and Cold Case, so I never feel a strong connection to the victims. Overall, an average episode.
I know fans all over the internet are very upset with Alias because of the assumed demise of Vaughn (Michael Vartan), but I am really enjoying this season. I loved Vaughn and I love Michael Vartan, but his departure has given the show a whole different, complex and interesting angle. My heart aches for Sydney, especially last night when she went to her sonogram alone and then when she asked her dad to go with her next time. The new characters seem interesting so far as well. Renee seems like she has Syd's toughness and she loves being a badass. And then there's the dead frozen guy. At the end, we saw his hand move, so he must be coming back to life. This guy must be super important and related to the Prophet 5 project since bad-guy Curtis allowed himself to be sucked out of the plane, without telling Sydney who ordered the hit on Vaughn, in order to protect the whole evil plot. His only hint was that she didn't want to know. I'm going to miss Weiss, but good for him (and his portrayer Greg Grunberg who is getting his own show) for getting the promotion. As I stated, I'm really loving this season despite the loss of Vaughan, and I'm excited to see where they go with this new direction.
This season of Everwood is simply awesome! This show has always been a character-rich series, but this season (so far) is delving even deeper into these wonderfully written and portrayed characters. I've always loved Amy, even during the second season when she had a bit of an emotional breakdown, because her character is so real and so relatable. Last night was no exception. After spending an entire summer trying to cope with losing Ephram, Amy is left to pick up the pieces when he comes back. As she told Ephram, she's "over it," but not over him, so trying to be friends just won't work right now. It was sad to see Ephram watch her close Nina's new restaurant thinking about how he messed things up so badly. Hannah and Bright are adorable! Delia's struggle to keep her family together is breaking my heart, but small pieces of it started to go back together when I saw the check in the refrigerator. I was not okay with the checks in exchange for Ephram's presence at dinner idea. Oh, and I'm really excited that Ephram is moving in with Bright. It was nice to see Ephram admit that he is trying to avoid the truth about everything that happened because eventually he's going to have to face it. Overall, another excellent outing and further conviction of why I heart this show so much.
About Last Night... CBS once again dominated a Thursday night by winning all three hours of primetime last night. At 8, Survivor: Guatemala easily beat NBC's block of Joey and Will & Grace, followed by Alias on ABC. The 9 o'clock hour was huge for CSI, and it almost tripled the ratings points of its next closest competitor, NBC's The Apprentice. Fox's MLB coverage landed in third. The story of the hour, however, is Everwood's huge increase from last week's so-so showing. The show was up in households and the coveted 18-49 year old category. For more on that, visit The Futon Critic. At 10, CBS easily won with Without A Trace, followed by NBC's ER, Fox's MLB coverage, and ABC's Primetime. For more information on last night's ratings, visit Zap2it.
~Primetime Pass~
@8 p.m. - It's a special two-hour edition of the new Amy Grant reality heart-warmer Three Wishes on NBC.
@9 p.m. - Molly and the Red crew search for an infected member after he's accused of killing a cop on tonight's Threshold on CBS. Over on ABC, it's the premiere of the new show Hot Properties at 9:30.
@10 p.m. - It's celebrity and murder tonight on CBS's Numbers as Don investigates a pop singer's stalker and discovers the murder of a celebrity photographer.
(Sunday Edition)
@8 p.m. - Lilly and the team investigate a 1978 murder involving the cult favorite horror flick Halloween on Sunday's Cold Case on CBS (it might start late due to football). Vinick turns the tables on Santos by bringing up the immigration issue, something Santos has been trying to avoid, on NBC's The West Wing.
@9 p.m. - Gabby and John meet again, Lynette's new boss forces her to miss a landmark in one of her boys' lives, and Bree's mother-in-law finds herself on the wrong side of the law on a new episode of Desperate Housewives on ABC.
@10 p.m. - Jordan races against time and a bad storm to find two young boys caught in a National Forest on NBC's Crossing Jordan.
QUICK CUTS
*Anna Belknap is joining the cast of CSI: NY in the wake of Vanessa Ferlito's departure in this past week's episode. Belknap will play a rookie CSI who recently moves to New York from Montana. Mac (Gary Sinise) takes her under his wing and shows her the ropes. The actress was last seen guesting on Without A Trace, but before that she was a part of NBC's short-lived Medical Investigation. Belknap's first episode airs October 12th on CBS.
*The WB is now confirming the cancellation of Just Legal that I wrote about in yesterday's edition. The low-rated show failed to grab an audience on Monday nights in its three airings. The show will be replaced with an encore airing of Related this Monday. In other cancellation news, FX decided not to renew its freshman off-beat comedy Starved.
*In other WB news, the network is ordering a full-season pick up for new drama Supernatural. The show has done consistently well in the ratings, retaining most of its lead-in's (Gilmore Girls) audience. The show follows the story of two brothers searching for the truth about their mother's death and their father's disappearance.
*And finally, Cynthia Nixon is set to guest star on Fox's medical drama House. She'll play a patient with a mysterious seizure illness who goes up against Dr. House and his team. The episode is slated to air this December on Fox.
That's all for today. Be sure to tune in Monday for Cold Case, Without A Trace, and Desperate Housewives. Plus an all-new edition of Primetime Pass and all the latest television news!!
I know fans all over the internet are very upset with Alias because of the assumed demise of Vaughn (Michael Vartan), but I am really enjoying this season. I loved Vaughn and I love Michael Vartan, but his departure has given the show a whole different, complex and interesting angle. My heart aches for Sydney, especially last night when she went to her sonogram alone and then when she asked her dad to go with her next time. The new characters seem interesting so far as well. Renee seems like she has Syd's toughness and she loves being a badass. And then there's the dead frozen guy. At the end, we saw his hand move, so he must be coming back to life. This guy must be super important and related to the Prophet 5 project since bad-guy Curtis allowed himself to be sucked out of the plane, without telling Sydney who ordered the hit on Vaughn, in order to protect the whole evil plot. His only hint was that she didn't want to know. I'm going to miss Weiss, but good for him (and his portrayer Greg Grunberg who is getting his own show) for getting the promotion. As I stated, I'm really loving this season despite the loss of Vaughan, and I'm excited to see where they go with this new direction.
This season of Everwood is simply awesome! This show has always been a character-rich series, but this season (so far) is delving even deeper into these wonderfully written and portrayed characters. I've always loved Amy, even during the second season when she had a bit of an emotional breakdown, because her character is so real and so relatable. Last night was no exception. After spending an entire summer trying to cope with losing Ephram, Amy is left to pick up the pieces when he comes back. As she told Ephram, she's "over it," but not over him, so trying to be friends just won't work right now. It was sad to see Ephram watch her close Nina's new restaurant thinking about how he messed things up so badly. Hannah and Bright are adorable! Delia's struggle to keep her family together is breaking my heart, but small pieces of it started to go back together when I saw the check in the refrigerator. I was not okay with the checks in exchange for Ephram's presence at dinner idea. Oh, and I'm really excited that Ephram is moving in with Bright. It was nice to see Ephram admit that he is trying to avoid the truth about everything that happened because eventually he's going to have to face it. Overall, another excellent outing and further conviction of why I heart this show so much.
About Last Night... CBS once again dominated a Thursday night by winning all three hours of primetime last night. At 8, Survivor: Guatemala easily beat NBC's block of Joey and Will & Grace, followed by Alias on ABC. The 9 o'clock hour was huge for CSI, and it almost tripled the ratings points of its next closest competitor, NBC's The Apprentice. Fox's MLB coverage landed in third. The story of the hour, however, is Everwood's huge increase from last week's so-so showing. The show was up in households and the coveted 18-49 year old category. For more on that, visit The Futon Critic. At 10, CBS easily won with Without A Trace, followed by NBC's ER, Fox's MLB coverage, and ABC's Primetime. For more information on last night's ratings, visit Zap2it.
~Primetime Pass~
@8 p.m. - It's a special two-hour edition of the new Amy Grant reality heart-warmer Three Wishes on NBC.
@9 p.m. - Molly and the Red crew search for an infected member after he's accused of killing a cop on tonight's Threshold on CBS. Over on ABC, it's the premiere of the new show Hot Properties at 9:30.
@10 p.m. - It's celebrity and murder tonight on CBS's Numbers as Don investigates a pop singer's stalker and discovers the murder of a celebrity photographer.
(Sunday Edition)
@8 p.m. - Lilly and the team investigate a 1978 murder involving the cult favorite horror flick Halloween on Sunday's Cold Case on CBS (it might start late due to football). Vinick turns the tables on Santos by bringing up the immigration issue, something Santos has been trying to avoid, on NBC's The West Wing.
@9 p.m. - Gabby and John meet again, Lynette's new boss forces her to miss a landmark in one of her boys' lives, and Bree's mother-in-law finds herself on the wrong side of the law on a new episode of Desperate Housewives on ABC.
@10 p.m. - Jordan races against time and a bad storm to find two young boys caught in a National Forest on NBC's Crossing Jordan.
QUICK CUTS
*Anna Belknap is joining the cast of CSI: NY in the wake of Vanessa Ferlito's departure in this past week's episode. Belknap will play a rookie CSI who recently moves to New York from Montana. Mac (Gary Sinise) takes her under his wing and shows her the ropes. The actress was last seen guesting on Without A Trace, but before that she was a part of NBC's short-lived Medical Investigation. Belknap's first episode airs October 12th on CBS.
*The WB is now confirming the cancellation of Just Legal that I wrote about in yesterday's edition. The low-rated show failed to grab an audience on Monday nights in its three airings. The show will be replaced with an encore airing of Related this Monday. In other cancellation news, FX decided not to renew its freshman off-beat comedy Starved.
*In other WB news, the network is ordering a full-season pick up for new drama Supernatural. The show has done consistently well in the ratings, retaining most of its lead-in's (Gilmore Girls) audience. The show follows the story of two brothers searching for the truth about their mother's death and their father's disappearance.
*And finally, Cynthia Nixon is set to guest star on Fox's medical drama House. She'll play a patient with a mysterious seizure illness who goes up against Dr. House and his team. The episode is slated to air this December on Fox.
That's all for today. Be sure to tune in Monday for Cold Case, Without A Trace, and Desperate Housewives. Plus an all-new edition of Primetime Pass and all the latest television news!!
Thursday, October 06, 2005
Countdown to the End of the World? A Traitor Among Them? Is all Hope 'Lost?'
I'm beginning to sound like a broken record, but it was another riveting hour of Lost last night. So far, this season is better than last, and I honestly didn't think it was possible to top the first season of this show. Once again, time didn't really advance very much, but that doesn't mean a lot didn't happen. The writers are doing such a beautiful job of telling the story. This show feels more like a work of literature and less like a weekly television series. The characters are incredibly rich, and their fascinating storylines (both on and off the island) are equally as engaging. So, Locke went back to his fake father after his fake father played him to get his kidney? Interesting that he would just sit outside his gate for hours. Katey Segal's character was right, he had to move on in order to be happy. I suppose he's hoping for some sort of explanation, but this guy doesn't seem like the explanation type. He's a user and abuser, and Locke would be so much better off never looking back.
"The Others" are holding Jin, Michael, and Sawyer, but there's still no sign of Walt. We didn't get to see much of "The Others," but we did get reacquainted with a character from last season. When we last saw Ana-Lucia Cortez (Michelle Rodriguez), she was chatting it up with Jack at the airport before their flight took off. We learned that she would be sitting in the back of the plane. Now, we find out she survived the crash, but no one is sure how or why. In a twist, she turned out to be working with "The Others," and she stole Sawyer's gun. Why is she with them? How did she survive the crash, and are there other survivors from the back of the plane? If so, where are they? I didn't see the traitor twist coming, so I was quite caught off guard when she had "The Others" lift her out of the trap. Meanwhile, where's Walt??
And now we get to the hatch. It's my favorite storyline this season because the mystery behind the whole thing is just so interesting. So, Desmond crashed into the island while competing in a race three years ago, got pulled into the hatch as a safety measure by someone who was a part of the Dharma Initiative that started in 1970. We learned through an old film from 1980 that the station they're at is Site 3 or "Swan," which explains the logo on the food and Desmond and elsewhere. The Dharma Initiative involves zoological (including a polar bear in the film clip) and psychological testing, but their station deals with the electro-magnetic field. The film didn't say what would happen if the button doesn't get pushed, but it alluded to an earlier accident that turned into some sort of disaster. This set up a showdown between Jack and Locke. Jack didn't believe anything would happen if they just let the countdown run out, but Locke believed something terrible would, so what should they do? The film said two people run each site, so Locke input the code (the mysterious and omnipresent numbers) and encouraged Jack to push "execute." Jack didn't believe, but Locke wore him down and he pushed it. This set up a shift mentality where they'll each have to take a different shift to reset the countdown every 108 minutes, and Locke volunteered to take the first one. So, what happens if you don't push the button? Does the world come to an end like Desmond believed? Does something terrible happen? Or is Jack right, and this is all a huge psychological experiment to see if people will continue to push a button based on a leap of faith? Locke took one once, and now seems ready to continue to take them. What do you guys think? Would you push the button or see what happens? Be sure to leave a comment with your thoughts. Also, if you would like some more insight into the island, there are two web sites associated with the fictional Dharma Institute that TV.com tracked down. They are here and here.
About Last Night... ABC started off the night right with a win for an extended version of According to Jim at 8 p.m., followed by an improved showing (and an earlier one) of NBC's E-Ring. The finale of So You Think You Can Dance on Fox landed in third. At 9, it was all Lost on ABC, followed by CBS's Criminal Minds, and Nanny 911 on Fox. NBC landed in fourth with The Apprentice: Martha Stewart. Veronica Mars narrowly lost fifth place to the series premiere of the WB's Related (but the Los Angeles - the #2 market in the country - UPN affiliate did not air UPN programming last night, opting instead for MLB). The final hour of the night went to CBS's CSI: NY, followed by Law & Order on NBC and Invasion on ABC. For more on last night's ratings, visit Zap2it.
~Primetime Pass~
@8 p.m. - Sydney and Renee team up to track a killer, Weiss struggles with whether he should take a promotion or not, and Jack enlists the help of a new agent tonight on Alias on ABC. On UPN's Everybody Hates Chris, Chris gets recruited for the basketball team because they believe he's a good player based on his race. Survivor stirs things up tonight on CBS when the two teams meet and then find out that they're being switched around.
@9 p.m. - Ephram works to build a new life back home while the others start to feel the consequences on the WB's Everwood. The CSIs investigate the mysterious death of a housewife in an interestingly titled episode called "Bite Me" on CBS.
@10 p.m. - The FBI Agents of Without A Trace search for a whiz-kid that they believe might be planning to bomb his school in a race against the clock tonight on CBS. Kristen Johnson joins the cast of ER on NBC as a super-strict nurse supervisor who comes in and shakes things up.
QUICK CUTS
*NBC is gearing up for its first ever live broadcast of The West Wing. The live hour will feature a debate between presidential candidates Matt Santos (Jimmy Smits) and Arnold Vinick (Alan Alada). The West Wing is the second NBC drama to attempt a live episode. Back in 1997, the network's medical drama ER presented an episode live as well. The live episode of The West Wing will air November 6th.
*Staying with NBC, the network is giving a mid-season commitment to a new Dick Wolf legal drama. The Law & Order uber-producer is the creator of Conviction, a drama set and filmed in New York. The show centers around a group of young assistant district attorneys confronted with tough, high profile cases. Unlike its procedural sisters, Conviction will be more character heavy. NBC ordered 13 episodes for the series, which will begin sometime this winter.
*And finally, Just Legal just isn't cutting it for the WB. TVGuide.com is reporting that their sources say the network is canceling the ratings-plagued series after three airings. The WB has not yet confirmed the cancellation. Stay tuned to Pass the Remote for the latest.
That's all for today. Be sure to tune in tomorrow for the usual jam-packed Friday edition chock-full of Alias, CSI, and Everwood! Plus all the latest television news and Primetime Pass!
"The Others" are holding Jin, Michael, and Sawyer, but there's still no sign of Walt. We didn't get to see much of "The Others," but we did get reacquainted with a character from last season. When we last saw Ana-Lucia Cortez (Michelle Rodriguez), she was chatting it up with Jack at the airport before their flight took off. We learned that she would be sitting in the back of the plane. Now, we find out she survived the crash, but no one is sure how or why. In a twist, she turned out to be working with "The Others," and she stole Sawyer's gun. Why is she with them? How did she survive the crash, and are there other survivors from the back of the plane? If so, where are they? I didn't see the traitor twist coming, so I was quite caught off guard when she had "The Others" lift her out of the trap. Meanwhile, where's Walt??
And now we get to the hatch. It's my favorite storyline this season because the mystery behind the whole thing is just so interesting. So, Desmond crashed into the island while competing in a race three years ago, got pulled into the hatch as a safety measure by someone who was a part of the Dharma Initiative that started in 1970. We learned through an old film from 1980 that the station they're at is Site 3 or "Swan," which explains the logo on the food and Desmond and elsewhere. The Dharma Initiative involves zoological (including a polar bear in the film clip) and psychological testing, but their station deals with the electro-magnetic field. The film didn't say what would happen if the button doesn't get pushed, but it alluded to an earlier accident that turned into some sort of disaster. This set up a showdown between Jack and Locke. Jack didn't believe anything would happen if they just let the countdown run out, but Locke believed something terrible would, so what should they do? The film said two people run each site, so Locke input the code (the mysterious and omnipresent numbers) and encouraged Jack to push "execute." Jack didn't believe, but Locke wore him down and he pushed it. This set up a shift mentality where they'll each have to take a different shift to reset the countdown every 108 minutes, and Locke volunteered to take the first one. So, what happens if you don't push the button? Does the world come to an end like Desmond believed? Does something terrible happen? Or is Jack right, and this is all a huge psychological experiment to see if people will continue to push a button based on a leap of faith? Locke took one once, and now seems ready to continue to take them. What do you guys think? Would you push the button or see what happens? Be sure to leave a comment with your thoughts. Also, if you would like some more insight into the island, there are two web sites associated with the fictional Dharma Institute that TV.com tracked down. They are here and here.
About Last Night... ABC started off the night right with a win for an extended version of According to Jim at 8 p.m., followed by an improved showing (and an earlier one) of NBC's E-Ring. The finale of So You Think You Can Dance on Fox landed in third. At 9, it was all Lost on ABC, followed by CBS's Criminal Minds, and Nanny 911 on Fox. NBC landed in fourth with The Apprentice: Martha Stewart. Veronica Mars narrowly lost fifth place to the series premiere of the WB's Related (but the Los Angeles - the #2 market in the country - UPN affiliate did not air UPN programming last night, opting instead for MLB). The final hour of the night went to CBS's CSI: NY, followed by Law & Order on NBC and Invasion on ABC. For more on last night's ratings, visit Zap2it.
~Primetime Pass~
@8 p.m. - Sydney and Renee team up to track a killer, Weiss struggles with whether he should take a promotion or not, and Jack enlists the help of a new agent tonight on Alias on ABC. On UPN's Everybody Hates Chris, Chris gets recruited for the basketball team because they believe he's a good player based on his race. Survivor stirs things up tonight on CBS when the two teams meet and then find out that they're being switched around.
@9 p.m. - Ephram works to build a new life back home while the others start to feel the consequences on the WB's Everwood. The CSIs investigate the mysterious death of a housewife in an interestingly titled episode called "Bite Me" on CBS.
@10 p.m. - The FBI Agents of Without A Trace search for a whiz-kid that they believe might be planning to bomb his school in a race against the clock tonight on CBS. Kristen Johnson joins the cast of ER on NBC as a super-strict nurse supervisor who comes in and shakes things up.
QUICK CUTS
*NBC is gearing up for its first ever live broadcast of The West Wing. The live hour will feature a debate between presidential candidates Matt Santos (Jimmy Smits) and Arnold Vinick (Alan Alada). The West Wing is the second NBC drama to attempt a live episode. Back in 1997, the network's medical drama ER presented an episode live as well. The live episode of The West Wing will air November 6th.
*Staying with NBC, the network is giving a mid-season commitment to a new Dick Wolf legal drama. The Law & Order uber-producer is the creator of Conviction, a drama set and filmed in New York. The show centers around a group of young assistant district attorneys confronted with tough, high profile cases. Unlike its procedural sisters, Conviction will be more character heavy. NBC ordered 13 episodes for the series, which will begin sometime this winter.
*And finally, Just Legal just isn't cutting it for the WB. TVGuide.com is reporting that their sources say the network is canceling the ratings-plagued series after three airings. The WB has not yet confirmed the cancellation. Stay tuned to Pass the Remote for the latest.
That's all for today. Be sure to tune in tomorrow for the usual jam-packed Friday edition chock-full of Alias, CSI, and Everwood! Plus all the latest television news and Primetime Pass!
Wednesday, October 05, 2005
'The Amazing Race' Further Explores the East Coast. Plus, an Intense 'SVU'
There are two reflecting pools in our nation's capitol. Too bad, most of the teams on last night's The Amazing Race didn't realize this little fact. And here I was thinking that staying in the U.S. (and the east coast only so far) was way too easy! What was up with the Gaghan family? Are they too proud to ask someone about the reflecting pool, or just too convinced that they know all? They spent more than two hours at one pool. And why didn't anyone realize that the Capitol Building wasn't at one end of the reflecting pool where they were looking for the clue box?? I loved the member of the Aiello family who went on and on about how well he knew D.C. (a kiss of death on The Amazing Race), but directed his team to the wrong one! I guess most of these teams weren't reading the clue correctly because it clearly stated that they needed to be at the pool with the Capitol Building. One of the teams I liked, the Rogers, got eliminated because they made too many mistakes. I thought something was up when the son (who was driving) correctly repeated the directions that his father gave him and they captioned it on the screen and we got The Amazing Race "uh-oh!" This is when the video slows down a bit, so we'll stop and take notice of a team's obvious mistake. I just couldn't figure out what happened - oh, 83 West, not East. It's totally counter-intuitive so it would have tripped me up too, which is why they needed someone more map-savvy. Speaking of maps, I think the Linz family had the mother of all maps last night. I mean, they went from like 8th to 2nd in one short car trip. They were cruising along back roads while the other teams sat in traffic on the interstate. Awesome navigation! The Paolos were just as loud and obnoxious as usual, so I was so hoping they would run out of gas, but alas, they did not. It came down to them and the Rogers, and the Rogers just couldn't get their hurricane lamps lit fast enough. So, we're in for at least one more week of Paolo bickering, and from the looks of it, more views of the U.S.A.
NBC really hyped last night's episode of Law & Order: SVU, so I wasn't sure if it would live up to all that hype. But, it was excellent! Certainly one of the show's best outings, and that's saying a lot for a series that tends to pump out first rate episodes consistently. Mariska Hargitay was incredible. She gave us just the right emotion for every turn of events. How many people thought the girl was a scam? I seriously didn't believe her until Cragen handed Olivia the picture of Maria at her birthday party. Then the caller described what she was wearing at that party, so I knew the caller had to be Maria. I was so happy when Olivia really gave it to that creepy child pornographer/molester/rapist. First she forced him down on the bed, and then she elbowed him right in the nose! It was pretty intense for a few moments when Olivia and Fin were digging looking for Maria and they found her not breathing. I thought she was dead, but Olivia's quick CPR action saved her. Overall, an intense and very well done episode!
About Last Night... CBS claimed the first hour of the night with a win for NCIS, followed by The Biggest Loser on NBC, and MLB coverage on Fox. At 9, ABC moved to the front of the pack with Commander In Chief, followed by CBS's The Amazing Race, and NBC's comedy hour of My Name Is Earl and The Office landed in third. The final hour of the night belonged to NBC's Law & Order: SVU, followed by Boston Legal on ABC. The premiere of Close to Home finished in third for CBS. For more information on last night's ratings, visit Zap2it.
~Primetime Pass~
@8 p.m. - It's the premieres of George Lopez on ABC and One Tree Hill on the WB. On NBC, E-Ring switches to its new time.
@9 p.m. - The WB rolls out its new sister drama Related starring Jennifer Esposito and from the creators of Friends. Locke, Kate, and Jack uncover more information on the mysterious hatch while Jin, Sawyer, and Michael deal with their captors on Lost. Now, last week you guys tuned into Veronica Mars, and the show got it's best numbers ever. We need to keep this momentum going people. As I said last week, record, tape, TiVo, whatever, Lost, and watch Veronica Mars!! You can always watch Lost at 10 p.m. Both shows are so terrific, that it seriously would be a crime to miss either. Anyway, Charisma Carpenter joins the cast tonight as Veronica works to help a family member rule out suicide in the wake of a tragedy in Neptune.
@10 p.m - Russell and Mariel suffer a tragedy, Larkin investigates the military presence, and Dave investigates a lost piece of jewelry on Invasion.
QUICK CUTS
*Good news for some new comedies today. NBC decided to order a full season of My Name is Earl and UPN is picking up the Chris Rock comedy Everybody Hates Chris for a full season as well. Earl has been performing well in its competitive Tuesday night slot, and it has the distinguished honor of being named the most watched new comedy so far. Chris is UPN's most watched comedy ever, and manages to garner strong ratings amid tough competition on Thursdays nights. Both shows are single-camera shoots with no laugh track in the same tradition of Scrubs and Arrested Development.
*Desperate Housewives fans in Southern California will get another chance to catch last week's episode per TV Guide. A technical glitch caused the program to be broadcast in Spanish to about 175,000 people in the area. Look for the English version to air this Saturday night at 10 p.m. Pacific.
*And finally, it's Nielsen Wednesday. CBS and ABC split the week, with CBS garnering the most viewers and ABC taking the 18-49 year old crown. CBS was led by CSI (#1), Without A Trace (#4), CSI: Miami (#6), Survivor: Guatemala (#7), and Cold Case (#8). Desperate Housewives (#2) set the pace at ABC, followed by Lost (#3), Grey's Anatomy (#5), and Commander In Chief (#9). NBC's best showing was with Law & Order: SVU (#10). For more on last week's Top 20 programs, click on over to USA Today.
That's all for today. Be sure to tune in tomorrow for Lost and another edition of Primetime Pass! Plus, all the latest television news. Feel free to leave a comment about last night's programs as well!
NBC really hyped last night's episode of Law & Order: SVU, so I wasn't sure if it would live up to all that hype. But, it was excellent! Certainly one of the show's best outings, and that's saying a lot for a series that tends to pump out first rate episodes consistently. Mariska Hargitay was incredible. She gave us just the right emotion for every turn of events. How many people thought the girl was a scam? I seriously didn't believe her until Cragen handed Olivia the picture of Maria at her birthday party. Then the caller described what she was wearing at that party, so I knew the caller had to be Maria. I was so happy when Olivia really gave it to that creepy child pornographer/molester/rapist. First she forced him down on the bed, and then she elbowed him right in the nose! It was pretty intense for a few moments when Olivia and Fin were digging looking for Maria and they found her not breathing. I thought she was dead, but Olivia's quick CPR action saved her. Overall, an intense and very well done episode!
About Last Night... CBS claimed the first hour of the night with a win for NCIS, followed by The Biggest Loser on NBC, and MLB coverage on Fox. At 9, ABC moved to the front of the pack with Commander In Chief, followed by CBS's The Amazing Race, and NBC's comedy hour of My Name Is Earl and The Office landed in third. The final hour of the night belonged to NBC's Law & Order: SVU, followed by Boston Legal on ABC. The premiere of Close to Home finished in third for CBS. For more information on last night's ratings, visit Zap2it.
~Primetime Pass~
@8 p.m. - It's the premieres of George Lopez on ABC and One Tree Hill on the WB. On NBC, E-Ring switches to its new time.
@9 p.m. - The WB rolls out its new sister drama Related starring Jennifer Esposito and from the creators of Friends. Locke, Kate, and Jack uncover more information on the mysterious hatch while Jin, Sawyer, and Michael deal with their captors on Lost. Now, last week you guys tuned into Veronica Mars, and the show got it's best numbers ever. We need to keep this momentum going people. As I said last week, record, tape, TiVo, whatever, Lost, and watch Veronica Mars!! You can always watch Lost at 10 p.m. Both shows are so terrific, that it seriously would be a crime to miss either. Anyway, Charisma Carpenter joins the cast tonight as Veronica works to help a family member rule out suicide in the wake of a tragedy in Neptune.
@10 p.m - Russell and Mariel suffer a tragedy, Larkin investigates the military presence, and Dave investigates a lost piece of jewelry on Invasion.
QUICK CUTS
*Good news for some new comedies today. NBC decided to order a full season of My Name is Earl and UPN is picking up the Chris Rock comedy Everybody Hates Chris for a full season as well. Earl has been performing well in its competitive Tuesday night slot, and it has the distinguished honor of being named the most watched new comedy so far. Chris is UPN's most watched comedy ever, and manages to garner strong ratings amid tough competition on Thursdays nights. Both shows are single-camera shoots with no laugh track in the same tradition of Scrubs and Arrested Development.
*Desperate Housewives fans in Southern California will get another chance to catch last week's episode per TV Guide. A technical glitch caused the program to be broadcast in Spanish to about 175,000 people in the area. Look for the English version to air this Saturday night at 10 p.m. Pacific.
*And finally, it's Nielsen Wednesday. CBS and ABC split the week, with CBS garnering the most viewers and ABC taking the 18-49 year old crown. CBS was led by CSI (#1), Without A Trace (#4), CSI: Miami (#6), Survivor: Guatemala (#7), and Cold Case (#8). Desperate Housewives (#2) set the pace at ABC, followed by Lost (#3), Grey's Anatomy (#5), and Commander In Chief (#9). NBC's best showing was with Law & Order: SVU (#10). For more on last week's Top 20 programs, click on over to USA Today.
That's all for today. Be sure to tune in tomorrow for Lost and another edition of Primetime Pass! Plus, all the latest television news. Feel free to leave a comment about last night's programs as well!
Tuesday, October 04, 2005
'Surface' Heats Up! Plus, Allison the Time Traveling 'Medium?'
It was another riveting night of television last night! Am I the only one who thinks the young creature is adorable on Surface? Am I the only one still watching this show? I just love the whole concept of it. As I've said before, it makes up for the stereotypical characters and cliche dialog. I guess I just enjoy the show for its entertainment value alone. I admire Laura's (Lake Bell) determination despite the impressive show of force against her, including pulling her grant and now this week, setting it up to make it look like she plagiarized her thesis. Now, she's back to waiting tables in order to keep the power on at her house, but it all seemed worth it when she finally ascertained the sound of the creature on an audio recording. She has new hope and more determination. It seems Creepy Evil Doctor and his shifty sidekick (both characters are straight out of an Austin Powers movie) will have to try harder to force Laura to backdown. It was interesting to find out that these creatures have been living in the molten lava inside the Earth. And what happened to poor Rich? He thinks his brother is alive! The show has definitely caught my interest, so I just keep hoping that the characters and dialog evolve like the fascinating creatures that provide the interesting premise that keeps me coming back.
Speaking of interesting premises, Medium stayed true to the moniker I like to give it - The Most Original Crime Drama on TV - last night. Now, you guys know I love my Cold Case, but I've got to hand the originality prize over to Medium. The writing and producing staff come up with the best concepts and idea for their episodes. It never ceases to amaze me. This show could have been really lame, but they made it a kick-butt show with a strong female lead character. What more can you ask for? So, Allison saved Beverly's daughter because she knew her real family. This sets up the whole chicken or the egg scenario because Beverly had to see in the future (she was a medium) that her daughter would become ill, and that there would be a woman named Allison Dubois and she would have a family and so on. She then had to tell all of this to Allison through her dreams. In one dream, she had Allison go through a similar situation that she went through so she would understand. I totally missed the clues that the lawyer would turn out to be connected to the dreams. It did seem odd to me that the two cases seemed unrelated and there was so much talk about the lawyer, and yet, I still didn't realize she was the daughter until right before it was revealed. Anyway, another strong episode for this show.
About Last Night... ABC claimed the first hour of the evening with its combination of Wife Swap and football (on the west coast), followed by CBS's comedy block of King of Queens and How I Met Your Mother. NBC landed in third with Surface. At 9, ABC won the hour with Monday Night Football , followed by a tie for second between CBS and NBC with Two and a Half Men/Out of Practice and Las Vegas respectively. The final hour of the night belonged to CBS's CSI: Miami, followed by the second hour of Monday Night Football on ABC. NBC found itself in third with Medium. For more information on last night's ratings, visit Zap2it.
~Primetime Pass~
Catch a new episode of Gilmore Girls tonight at 8 on The WB. Lorelai learns that she isn't privy to certain aspects of Rory's life anymore. Over on ABC, it's the season premiere of Rodney. At 9, the remaining teams become part of a Civil War reenactment on CBS's The Amazing Race. The final hour of the night is filled with riveting television tonight. CBS premieres the new Bruckheimer crime-caper Close to Home. ABC's Boston Legal once again features Heather Locklear. And NBC features a tour-de-force episode of Law & Order: SVU that has many critics saying to go ahead and hand next year's Emmy statue to Mariska Hargitay now. Her Det. Benson races the clock to find a missing girl whose only link to the detectives is through a cell phone. For more on this unconventional episode (it doesn't have the usual set format), visit The Futon Critic. For night owls, you can catch the first season of Cold Case on TNT tonight (and every Tuesday night) at 11 p.m. Check it out, and you'll see what I mean about Lilly and how much she used to carry the show. In tonight's episode, Lilly investigates the case of a young mother killed by a homemade bomb packed in a laundry detergent box.
QUICK CUTS
*Bad news for the UPN drama Sex, Love and Secrets. UPN has halted production on the series after its miniscule opening of only 1.4 million viewers. The show will, however, continue to run in its Tuesday night slot until UPN makes a final decision. Better news for Fox's Reunion - the network ordered four more episodes of the series despite its lackluster viewer retention rate from The O.C. For more on both of these stories, visit The Futon Critic.
*NBC is making a few temporary changes to its Friday night line-up. Reality show Three Wishes will expand to two hours this Friday and will run from 8 p.m. - 10 p.m. Also this Friday, a rerun of Law & Order: Criminal Intent will replace Inconceivable, which has been suffering from low ratings and more than a 27% viewer drop off from its premiere. Inconceivable and Dateline will return with new episodes on October 14th.
*And finally, wondering how all the new shows and some of your returning favorites are doing? Click on over to USA Today for a full report. The biggest winners so far this season - Lost and Desperate Housewives. ABC, overall, is up 12% compared to CBS and NBC, which are both down this season so far. NBC has the most new shows in jeopardy with E-Ring, The Apprentice: Martha Stewart, and Inconceivable. Overall, all of the new programs lost audiences in their second airings.
That's all for today. Be sure to tune in tomorrow for The Amazing Race and what looks like an awesome Law & Order: SVU! Plus all the latest television news. Be sure to leave a comment with your thoughts on last night's programs.
Speaking of interesting premises, Medium stayed true to the moniker I like to give it - The Most Original Crime Drama on TV - last night. Now, you guys know I love my Cold Case, but I've got to hand the originality prize over to Medium. The writing and producing staff come up with the best concepts and idea for their episodes. It never ceases to amaze me. This show could have been really lame, but they made it a kick-butt show with a strong female lead character. What more can you ask for? So, Allison saved Beverly's daughter because she knew her real family. This sets up the whole chicken or the egg scenario because Beverly had to see in the future (she was a medium) that her daughter would become ill, and that there would be a woman named Allison Dubois and she would have a family and so on. She then had to tell all of this to Allison through her dreams. In one dream, she had Allison go through a similar situation that she went through so she would understand. I totally missed the clues that the lawyer would turn out to be connected to the dreams. It did seem odd to me that the two cases seemed unrelated and there was so much talk about the lawyer, and yet, I still didn't realize she was the daughter until right before it was revealed. Anyway, another strong episode for this show.
About Last Night... ABC claimed the first hour of the evening with its combination of Wife Swap and football (on the west coast), followed by CBS's comedy block of King of Queens and How I Met Your Mother. NBC landed in third with Surface. At 9, ABC won the hour with Monday Night Football , followed by a tie for second between CBS and NBC with Two and a Half Men/Out of Practice and Las Vegas respectively. The final hour of the night belonged to CBS's CSI: Miami, followed by the second hour of Monday Night Football on ABC. NBC found itself in third with Medium. For more information on last night's ratings, visit Zap2it.
~Primetime Pass~
Catch a new episode of Gilmore Girls tonight at 8 on The WB. Lorelai learns that she isn't privy to certain aspects of Rory's life anymore. Over on ABC, it's the season premiere of Rodney. At 9, the remaining teams become part of a Civil War reenactment on CBS's The Amazing Race. The final hour of the night is filled with riveting television tonight. CBS premieres the new Bruckheimer crime-caper Close to Home. ABC's Boston Legal once again features Heather Locklear. And NBC features a tour-de-force episode of Law & Order: SVU that has many critics saying to go ahead and hand next year's Emmy statue to Mariska Hargitay now. Her Det. Benson races the clock to find a missing girl whose only link to the detectives is through a cell phone. For more on this unconventional episode (it doesn't have the usual set format), visit The Futon Critic. For night owls, you can catch the first season of Cold Case on TNT tonight (and every Tuesday night) at 11 p.m. Check it out, and you'll see what I mean about Lilly and how much she used to carry the show. In tonight's episode, Lilly investigates the case of a young mother killed by a homemade bomb packed in a laundry detergent box.
QUICK CUTS
*Bad news for the UPN drama Sex, Love and Secrets. UPN has halted production on the series after its miniscule opening of only 1.4 million viewers. The show will, however, continue to run in its Tuesday night slot until UPN makes a final decision. Better news for Fox's Reunion - the network ordered four more episodes of the series despite its lackluster viewer retention rate from The O.C. For more on both of these stories, visit The Futon Critic.
*NBC is making a few temporary changes to its Friday night line-up. Reality show Three Wishes will expand to two hours this Friday and will run from 8 p.m. - 10 p.m. Also this Friday, a rerun of Law & Order: Criminal Intent will replace Inconceivable, which has been suffering from low ratings and more than a 27% viewer drop off from its premiere. Inconceivable and Dateline will return with new episodes on October 14th.
*And finally, wondering how all the new shows and some of your returning favorites are doing? Click on over to USA Today for a full report. The biggest winners so far this season - Lost and Desperate Housewives. ABC, overall, is up 12% compared to CBS and NBC, which are both down this season so far. NBC has the most new shows in jeopardy with E-Ring, The Apprentice: Martha Stewart, and Inconceivable. Overall, all of the new programs lost audiences in their second airings.
That's all for today. Be sure to tune in tomorrow for The Amazing Race and what looks like an awesome Law & Order: SVU! Plus all the latest television news. Be sure to leave a comment with your thoughts on last night's programs.
Monday, October 03, 2005
'Cold Case,' 'Without A Trace,' and 'Desperate Housewives!' Plus, TV on DVD Monday!
I have another chock-full edition today, so let's dive right in with week two of new girl watch on Cold Case. So, we all know how I was really hesitant about Josie (a.k.a. "new girl") joining the cold case squad because I was worried that she would take away from the existent characters and their only-slightly explored backstories. I was most concerned about Lilly since her role has somewhat diminished over the last few seasons (re-watch the first season on TNT and you'll see what I mean). It seems that I was concerned about the wrong characters in every sense. Scotty once again seemed to have the bulk of the case, although, Lilly didn't seem so out-of-sorts this week like she did in the premiere. Josie had a nice chunk as well, but it was at the expense of Vera and Jeffries. I think they had a couple of scenes each at most. I know it's still early, and the writers are trying to introduce Josie, so I'm hopeful that we'll start getting more of each of the characters. Anyway, onward to the case. Veena Sud wrote this episode, so I knew we were in for an emotional ride. She manages to tug at my heart strings every time, and last night's was no exception. How horrible was Laurie's death at the end? The fire was raging, and Dirk yelling for help - it just killed me. I really felt horrible for her dad, losing his wife and then his daughter. Even though the fraternity brothers didn't cause Laurie's death, they were so much worse! I found the entire storyline quite disturbing because I know things like this must be going on all the time. I see Scotty tried to get the goods on the new girl. I got the impression that she might not be guilty of what all the gossip accuses her of doing, and if that's the case, Vera owes her a huge apology! Overall, another strong episode, but I hope to see more of Lilly and her fabulous interrogations and interviews in the coming weeks.
I finally caught up on Without A Trace, and I was surprised to see Sam so broken up about Martin's injuries. It was nice to see Sam concerned, but I was surprised to see her that concerned. This show is so hit or miss, so I never know whether I'm in for an amazing hour of television or a huge yawn-fest with a side of eye rolls. I LOVED this show in its first season, strongly liked it in its second, and started losing interest fast in its third (and yet the ratings were the best they have ever been in its third, so what do I know?), so I'm hoping it makes a return to glory for its fourth season. The premiere was just a continuation of the finale, so I'm going to reserve judgment on this season until I've seen more episodes. I'm so over the soapy storylines (I never wanted them to begin with), so I'm keeping my fingers crossed that this show dumps them and returns its focus where it should be - on the missing persons. As I've said before, I like my procedurals with a side of personal and not vice versa. It was nice to see Danny get a chunk of the storyline the other night. Enrique Murciano is a terrific talent and I always enjoy his episodes. I was glad they got Paige back, I can't imagine what would have happened to her had she gone on trial in that other nation. I'm looking forward to this week's episode. From the previews, it looks really good.
So, I thought that the season premiere of Desperate Housewives was fabulous and so funny and poignant at the same time, but this week's fell flat for me. The best part was given away in the previews - Susan's ex (Karl) hooked up with Edie. The ensuing scene between Susan and Edie was hysterical, and the highlight of the episode. Gabby and Carlos are always funny, and I enjoy their screen time. Lynette's rat trick backfired, but she did get a clean house out of it and a saved marriage (for now). Bree is my least favorite housewife, so her storylines tend to bore me a bit. I really dislike the pharmacist because he is pure evil, and I wish Bree would kick out her mother-in-law. That woman is insane! Speaking of insane, new neighbor Betty almost got caught! The sleeping pill trick was a quick fix, but I wonder how long until someone on Wisteria Lane finds out what's going on in that house. Next week, it looks like Gabby's back with John. When will she learn?
About Last Night... CBS's Cold Case won the 8 p.m. hour, followed by Extreme Makeover: Home Edition on ABC. Fox landed in third with its combo of The Simpsons and The War At Home, followed by The West Wing on NBC. At 9, it was an easy win for the night's most watched program Desperate Housewives on ABC, followed by Law & Order: Criminal Intent on NBC, and the first hour of the CBS Sunday movie Mayday. The final hour of the night also went to ABC with Grey's Anatomy, followed by Crossing Jordan on NBC, and the final hour of the CBS movie.
On Friday night, it was a clean sweep for CBS. The eye network won the 8 p.m., 9 p.m., and 10 p.m. hours with Ghost Whisperer, Threshold, and Numbers respectively.
~Primetime Pass~
Welcome to the newest feature on Pass the Remote! This will replace the Premiering Tonight feature since premiere season is winding down. Every day, I'll highlight some of the night's best programming. Here's what to watch for tonight in primetime:
At 8, global warming, plagiarism, and a dead brother's voice all highlight a new episode of Surface on NBC. On Fox, look for Charlize Theron and Scott Baio on a new episode of Arrested Development. At 9, Michael is forced to risk even more as a full riot ensues at the prison on Fox's Prison Break. And at 10, Allison wakes up to find nothing is as it used to be on NBC's Medium.
QUICK CUTS
*NBC is making some changes to its struggling Wednesday night line-up. New shows The Apprentice: Martha Stewart and E-Ring are swapping timeslots. Now, E-Ring will kick off the night at 8 p.m., and Martha will follow. Both shows have struggled in the two weeks that they have been on, landing in fourth place in the coveted 18-49 year old group. The change will take place this week.
*And you thought they were bitter timeslot rivals! It seems the masterminds behind Lost and Veronica Mars are more friend than competition. In fact, the folks at Lost are rooting for Mars to succeed. For more on the bond between the two shows, visit Zap2it.
*Bravo's popular reality series Project Runway is coming back for another season of designer wannabes. Heidi Klum will once again host the program where 16 contestants vie for the chance to launch their own clothing line. The show returns December 7th.
*And finally, it's TV on DVD Monday! Look for the TNT mini-series Into The West to hit shelves tomorrow. For a full list of tomorrow's releases, visit tvshowsondvd.
That's all for today. Be sure to tune in tomorrow for Surface and Medium and a new edition of Primetime Pass. Plus, all the latest television news!
I finally caught up on Without A Trace, and I was surprised to see Sam so broken up about Martin's injuries. It was nice to see Sam concerned, but I was surprised to see her that concerned. This show is so hit or miss, so I never know whether I'm in for an amazing hour of television or a huge yawn-fest with a side of eye rolls. I LOVED this show in its first season, strongly liked it in its second, and started losing interest fast in its third (and yet the ratings were the best they have ever been in its third, so what do I know?), so I'm hoping it makes a return to glory for its fourth season. The premiere was just a continuation of the finale, so I'm going to reserve judgment on this season until I've seen more episodes. I'm so over the soapy storylines (I never wanted them to begin with), so I'm keeping my fingers crossed that this show dumps them and returns its focus where it should be - on the missing persons. As I've said before, I like my procedurals with a side of personal and not vice versa. It was nice to see Danny get a chunk of the storyline the other night. Enrique Murciano is a terrific talent and I always enjoy his episodes. I was glad they got Paige back, I can't imagine what would have happened to her had she gone on trial in that other nation. I'm looking forward to this week's episode. From the previews, it looks really good.
So, I thought that the season premiere of Desperate Housewives was fabulous and so funny and poignant at the same time, but this week's fell flat for me. The best part was given away in the previews - Susan's ex (Karl) hooked up with Edie. The ensuing scene between Susan and Edie was hysterical, and the highlight of the episode. Gabby and Carlos are always funny, and I enjoy their screen time. Lynette's rat trick backfired, but she did get a clean house out of it and a saved marriage (for now). Bree is my least favorite housewife, so her storylines tend to bore me a bit. I really dislike the pharmacist because he is pure evil, and I wish Bree would kick out her mother-in-law. That woman is insane! Speaking of insane, new neighbor Betty almost got caught! The sleeping pill trick was a quick fix, but I wonder how long until someone on Wisteria Lane finds out what's going on in that house. Next week, it looks like Gabby's back with John. When will she learn?
About Last Night... CBS's Cold Case won the 8 p.m. hour, followed by Extreme Makeover: Home Edition on ABC. Fox landed in third with its combo of The Simpsons and The War At Home, followed by The West Wing on NBC. At 9, it was an easy win for the night's most watched program Desperate Housewives on ABC, followed by Law & Order: Criminal Intent on NBC, and the first hour of the CBS Sunday movie Mayday. The final hour of the night also went to ABC with Grey's Anatomy, followed by Crossing Jordan on NBC, and the final hour of the CBS movie.
On Friday night, it was a clean sweep for CBS. The eye network won the 8 p.m., 9 p.m., and 10 p.m. hours with Ghost Whisperer, Threshold, and Numbers respectively.
~Primetime Pass~
Welcome to the newest feature on Pass the Remote! This will replace the Premiering Tonight feature since premiere season is winding down. Every day, I'll highlight some of the night's best programming. Here's what to watch for tonight in primetime:
At 8, global warming, plagiarism, and a dead brother's voice all highlight a new episode of Surface on NBC. On Fox, look for Charlize Theron and Scott Baio on a new episode of Arrested Development. At 9, Michael is forced to risk even more as a full riot ensues at the prison on Fox's Prison Break. And at 10, Allison wakes up to find nothing is as it used to be on NBC's Medium.
QUICK CUTS
*NBC is making some changes to its struggling Wednesday night line-up. New shows The Apprentice: Martha Stewart and E-Ring are swapping timeslots. Now, E-Ring will kick off the night at 8 p.m., and Martha will follow. Both shows have struggled in the two weeks that they have been on, landing in fourth place in the coveted 18-49 year old group. The change will take place this week.
*And you thought they were bitter timeslot rivals! It seems the masterminds behind Lost and Veronica Mars are more friend than competition. In fact, the folks at Lost are rooting for Mars to succeed. For more on the bond between the two shows, visit Zap2it.
*Bravo's popular reality series Project Runway is coming back for another season of designer wannabes. Heidi Klum will once again host the program where 16 contestants vie for the chance to launch their own clothing line. The show returns December 7th.
*And finally, it's TV on DVD Monday! Look for the TNT mini-series Into The West to hit shelves tomorrow. For a full list of tomorrow's releases, visit tvshowsondvd.
That's all for today. Be sure to tune in tomorrow for Surface and Medium and a new edition of Primetime Pass. Plus, all the latest television news!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)