I want what he's smoking!

Two of my loyal readers - or should I say, "my two loyal readers"? - have made reference in the comments of another post to how fantastic Fringe has been these past few weeks, and I wholeheartedly agree. In fact, I think it's one of the best shows on TV right now.

Last night's episode - "Brown Betty", a pot-fueled, noir fantasy sprinkled with song - might not have been everyone's cup of tea, but I thought it was fantastic. Being the geek that I am, the sci-fi aspects of the show are what drew me in, but it's the characters and emotional storytelling the keep me watching. And "Brown Betty" was filled with both, allowing us to see the characters through Walter's eyes. Both Peter and Olivia seemed more alive, somehow (and didn't she look gorgeous?), and had more chemistry together in one episode than they have had in all the others combined. Interesting that Walter sees them that way. I liked the metaphor of the glass heart, how Peter had stolen Walter's heart when he left. Walter's own view of himself - as the villain of the story, the stealer of children's dreams, someone unworthy of a happy ending - was so sad.

As far as the musical portions (mandated by FOX as part of their musical-themed week of programming), they weren't nearly as intrusive as I thought they would be, and I especially loved Broyles' song and Olivia singing "For Once In My Life" to Peter.

"Brown Betty" allowed us to pause and spend time with the characters, to understand where they are emotionally before the inevitable shit starts hitting the fan on the way to the season finale. I just hope that ultimately, when all is said and done and the show finishes its run, that Walter, Peter and Olivia get the happy ending that they deserve.

I'm looking forward to watching it again.

TV Talk: Drive By

Very quickly:

Justified premiered Tuesday night on fX, but I haven't watched it yet. Will let you know when I do.

True Blood is back on HBO for a third season beginning June 13, 2010. Woohoo! (HBO's re-airing season 2 beginning on Sunday, March 21)

Discovery's 11-part series life begins on Sunday, March 21 at 8PM.

Not sure I mentioned this here, but Futurama is coming back to Comedy Central with all new episodes in June. Woohoo again! Here's a teaser trailer.

And last but not least, I have half a draft of my recap of this week's LOST episode done, but I don't expect to finish it for another day or so. Don't forget to check back!

TV Talk: Post-Olympics Lull and Randomness

Now that the Vancouver Winter Olympics are over, there has been nothing on TV. Or at least none of my shows have been on except for LOST. It's like the Olympics scared them all away and they won't come back until they're absolutely sure it's safe, which seems to be some time in the next few weeks:

V returns on Tuesday, March 30 at 10:00 PM, right after LOST. I'm looking forward to it.

I'm about 90% sure that I will not be returning to FlashForward when it comes back on Thursday, March 18 at 9:00 PM. I just don't care about it, even if Gaius Baltar has joined the cast, I just don't want to set myself up for that disappointment again. I must be strong...

Fringe is back on Thursday, April 1 at 9:00 PM, and guess what...FOX has renewed it for a full third season! Yay! Best TV news I've heard in a long time, and I don't think there's another show out there that deserves renewal more than they do.

Did you love Discovery's Planet Earth series? If so, then you probably already know about life, Discovery's "sequel" to Planet Earth. It looks AMAZING:



Finally, the new show I'm most excited about: Justified, based on a character created by Elmore Leonard, played by Deadwood's Timothy Olyphant, it premieres on fX on March 16:

TV Talk: After watching the Vancouver Olympics for over a week, I think I can safely say that NBC's coverage stinks.

It is fragmented at best, irrelevant at worst (ice dancing in prime time, really?), and in this day and age, with the Internet and DVR capabilities, there's really no excuse for the shambles they have made of televising this thing. NPR.org's Linda Holmes blogs about it, and what she says makes so much sense.

"At one time, you could broadcast events hours after they happened, and you'd have a reasonable chance that people could live in a bubble while they were waiting. That is not the world we live in anymore. The fantasy that is indulged when Bob Costas speaks breathlessly about an upcoming ski race where he already knows exactly what happened is no longer even a fragile fantasy; it's a blatant fiction that everyone knows about."

It's a great article.

One more thing regarding NBC's coverage: I know that they have to pay for it and the way they do that is through advertising, but come on. I had a hockey game on yesterday and after about 5 minutes of commercials, then 5 minutes of Costas talking about events, and then another 5-7 minutes of commercials, I gave up and turned the channel. Thank God for late-night curling. Yeah, it goes on forever, but at least you feel like you're watching something in its entirety.

TV Talk: Fresh TV!

Just a reminder that this is the week when we finally start getting some new episodes! Here's a list of some shows and their return dates. If you're looking for a show that's not on this list, check the futon critic's winter grid.

Modern Family, Jan. 6
How I Met Your Mother, Jan. 11
Big Bang Theory, Jan. 11
Castle, Jan. 11
American Idol, Jan. 12
Bones, Jan. 14
Community, Jan. 14
Parks and Rec, Jan. 14
30 Rock, Jan. 14
CSI, Jan. 14 (busy night)
24, Jan. 17 & Jan. 18

Caprica, Jan. 22
The Final Season of LOST, Feb. 2

Update: Gah! My friend Krys just pointed out that I omitted Fringe from this list. Shame on me. Fringe returns TONIGHT at 9:00 with a special, un-aired episode from last season. The regular season returns on Thursday night, Jan 14, at 9:00. Thanks, Krys!

TV Talk: Round Up

And boy do I have a lot to round up!

As I mentioned a couple of posts ago, I'm not feeling inspired to write much about what I'm watching right now. Part of the reason for that is that some of what I'm watching is at best lackluster - FlashFoward, I'm looking at you - or just showing promise (that would be "V"), and that's leaving me plain uninspired.

Two of my favorites, however - one that just ended its second season, and one that's really hitting its creative stride now - are interesting enough to write about; I'm just not sure who wants to read about them. Would any of my readers be interested in recaps/reviews of Sons of Anarchy or Fringe? If people want it, I'll do it.

In the meantime, a few thoughts on what I've been watching.

Sons of Anarchy just ended its second season, and boy what a season it was, with bravura performances by Ron Perlman, Charlie Hunnam, and most especially Katey Sagal as Gemma, the hard-as-nails matriarch of SAMCRO (Sons of Anarchy Motorcycle Club Redwood Original). I don't put much stock in awards, and I keep telling myself that the Golden Globes don't mean anything, but the fact that this show was completely overlooked for a nomination really makes my blood boil. There are very few shows on television that are better written or acted, or that reach the Shakespearean levels of storytelling that SOA does. I am very sorry for everyone who does not watch it.

So, V and Flashforward are on a very LONG hiatus - V returns on March 30, FlashForward on March 4 - and I can't say that's very surprising for either show. I know ABC says the long hiatus is to protect them from NBC's Olympics coverage, but anyone with half a brain knows that both of these shows need some work. I feel more optimistic about V, but that may only be because V hasn't been on long enough to dig a hole as deep as the one FlashForward finds itself in. I will definitely be returning to V, but there's about a 50/50 chance that I'll never watch FlashForward again.

Fringe, however, has been AMAZING. John Noble as Walter Bishop has been AMAZING. The Walter/Peter relationship has grown to the point where, when the truth comes out, the fallout will be heart-breaking. I cannot wait. (returns Jan. 14)

Alright, let's wrap this up with a couple of programming notes:

1. Missed watching True Blood the first time around? Or perhaps you just want to watch it all again? Well aren't you lucky: HBO is airing a season 1 marathon beginning December 28, at 8:00 PM!

2. Fans of Deadwood's Timothy Olyphant and Elmore Leonard, take note:

That looks goooood.

3. Last but not least, how about some return dates?

Modern Family, Jan. 6

How I Met Your Mother, Jan. 11

Big Bang Theory, Jan. 11

Castle, Jan. 11

American Idol, Jan. 12

Bones, Jan. 14

Community, Jan. 14

Parks and Rec, Jan. 14

30 Rock, Jan. 14

CSI, Jan. 14 (busy night)

24, Jan. 17 & Jan. 18

The Final Season of LOST, Feb. 2

I have a feeling this is going to turn into the Nothing-but-LOST blog on Feb. 2.

(all return dates courtesy of Ausiello's Mid-season cheat sheet - check it out to see when your favorite show is returning)

TV Talk: A re-assessment and a couple of re-affirmations.

V - This week's episode was so much better than the previous that it renewed my interest to the point that I actually can't wait until next week. That's amazing considering I was ready to give it up altogether a week ago. Even the reveal of Lisa being Anna's daughter and their implied plans for Tyler has made the "rebellious teenage son" storyline palatable. All it took was some good writing, better pacing and a plot that move forward. Of course, now that it's getting good there's only one episode left until the show goes on hiatus until March of next year. I hope the new showrunner is able to continue with the increase in quality, and then some.

Tuesday's episode of Sons of Anarchy was the best of the series so far (I know! I keep saying that!), and that is saying something. It was all about coming clean, with Gemma getting the ball rolling last week with her sit-down with Clay and Jax (I won't say what they talked about, in case you haven't seen the show). It was as if her courage, her willingness to bare her soul and risk injury to her pride, set an example for the rest of the Club, as secrets were spilled and enemies faced and revenge was taken in the most surprising of ways. Please watch this show.

Modern Family continues to be my favorite new show. Last night's episode was laugh out loud funny: I loved Manny drinking his espresso and getting spritzed in the face by Jay, Phil's list of gifts he wants and Mitchell and Cam burping Sal, and -- Oh, don't take my word for it, just watch it!

TV Talk: They're making their lists already.

With the end of the 00's fast approaching, a lot of television critics and pop culture aficionados have gotten a head start on compiling their "Best of the Decade" lists. The Onion's A.V. Club has theirs, including a list of the best TV series of the past ten years. It's a great list, but I was a little shocked that, while I feel like I watch a lot of TV, I've only seen 13 of the 30 shows (not even half! although those 13 are my favorites). For a few of them (Six Feet Under, Dexter and The West Wing), my interest (and/or ability to watch) waned before they wrapped up.

Of the shows that I haven't seen, The Wire (#1) and Mad Men (#5) are definitely on my Watch-on-DVD-Next-Summer List (I don't have the time I'd like to dedicate to it until summer), Breaking Bad and Venture Bros. intrigue me, and I may eventually check them out, but I'm OK with missing the rest.

How about you? How many on this list have you seen? Were there any shows that you feel were overlooked?

TV Talk

V - So, what did I think of V? Well, if you had asked me that last week, after the pilot, this is how I would have responded (from an e-mail I wrote to friends):

I liked it. I liked the way they cut to the chase, dispensing with most of the major plot points of the original miniseries in the first episode - they're lizards, they're up to no good, etc., there are rebel/good Vs - instead of dragging out what a lot of people who watched the original series already knew. I thought the opening was very effective. Even though I knew what was coming, I was still on the edge of my seat. I think the cues to 9/11 and Erica's "Counterterrorism Unit" FBI badge got me in the right frame of mind.

I'm very happy with the cast, too. Elizabeth Mitchell is great, of course, and Alan Tudyk and Morena Baccarin from Firefly, and Tom from The 4400 (Father Jack) - love them all. Scott Wolfe has never done anything for me, but he's a good choice for the news anchor type. Morris Chestnut's a good actor, too.

But today is a different day, the second episode aired last night, and overall I'm pretty disappointed. Not enough to stop watching, but enough to make me think about it. If last night's episode is anything to go on, this is just a whiff of a show, with no depth whatsoever, terrible dialogue and even some pretty bad acting from some pretty good actors. I'm hoping for better next week.

FlashForward - I'm still struggling with this show, and I won't bore you with repeating the same criticisms over and over. The problems are still there, but they keep doing things with the overall mystery that keep me coming back. Last week's was one of their better episodes, mostly because of the game-changing death of Agent Gough, who had a flash forward and so according to the show's mythology so far, is supposed to be alive on April 29, 2010. He was able to take control of his fate (sadly), so what does that mean for everyone else? Does Demitri have to die? Is Olivia pre-destined to cheat on Mark? (do I care? NO.)? It's an interesting wrinkle.

Fringe - Not much to say about last week's episode except that it was a solid stand-alone that provided a more in-depth look at Broyles, which included the fact that he was married and has kids (or a kid, not sure). If you ever find yourself thinking, "Agent Broyles needs to smile more", you're wrong. He really doesn't. Oh, and that ash effect was AMAZING.

Sons of Anarchy - With the airing of last night's exceptional episode, Sons of Anarchy officially joined the ranks of the absolute best dramas on television. I'm going to cheat here and share a quote from Alan Sepinwall's review:

"Balm," the best episode so far of this exceptional second season of "Sons of Anarchy," comes along at a perfect time. "Mad Men" has just gone on hiatus. "Breaking Bad" won't be back until sometime in 2010. If you don't have DirecTV, "Friday Night Lights" won't be on TV until next summer. So "Sons of Anarchy" is, at the moment, the best drama on television, and an episode like "Balm" makes it clear the title shouldn't just be by default. Pound-for-pound, this series is as engrossing, as funny and as moving as all those others.

I don't know how the writers manage to juggle all of the intricate plot threads they have going on, and do it so well. When one of those threads pays off big time, like it did last night, it's a beautiful thing. The final scene was a long time coming, and when it did, it was so surprising, so moving, that I was in tears. Season 1 just came out on DVD. You should check it out.

TV Talk: FlashForward and Fringe

I've come to a decision regarding FlashForward: I will continue to watch it, hopefully for at least the entire season, but I will not make any special effort to watch it on the same night it airs anymore. I thought last night's episode was one of the worst yet, and I thought the acting was terrible, particularly from Agent Noh, Agent Mark and the blonde terrorist lady. I thought all of the big, confrontational scenes - the trailer park, the blonde terrorist conference room scenes and even the pre-surgery/Addison's disease scene - were WAY overacted. These people are not bad actors, so I blame the writing. It felt really corny, and I think it's because the actors were trying to make something out of nothing.

Anyway, I will DVR it but I won't be losing any sleep trying to stay up to watch it on a Thursday night. Maybe catch it on the weekend.

Fringe, on the other hand, just gets better and better! Anyone else think of the X-Files episodes "Sleepless" and "Folie a Deux" last night? And there were so many layers to the dream/nightmare theme: the main MOW plot, obviously; The bowling alley guy (forget his name) made a remark that Olivia’s life was a nightmare right now; and Peter’s nightmares about (I assume) Walter taking him from the other world, etc. Good stuff.

A good friend of mine told me this morning that while she doesn't watch Fringe, she knows people who do and they have told her that it is an XF rip-off. I told her that I don’t think it’s a rip-off at all. There’s a fine line between rip-off and homage, and I think Fringe is securely on the side of homage. It is definitely a descendant of the XF, but it is also very different in its overall sensibility. It’s not as scary as XF was (overall), and there isn't that patent pervasive XF paranoia, but at the same time it’s a bit crazier since they’ve sort of dropped the skepticism and just accepted the whole parallel universe thing and are running with it now. I can be really hyper-critical about shows (see: FlashForward, above), and I had a big problem with Fringe in its first half season, but I think it is very good right now.

TV Talk: Last Night

FlashForward - I really, really like the idea of this show, but I'm finding that the execution is a little off. I'm in it for the season, definitely - I have way too much experience with complex and mysterious TV arcs and way-out concepts to give up so early! - I just wished I liked it a little bit more. I have identified one issue I have with the show: Joseph Fiennes. He manages to suck the life out of every scene he is in, I swear. And that's not so good, considering he's the lead. Also not so good: the focus on his wife's vision and the "other man". Don't they have WAY more important things to deal with - like a hospital full of trauma patients and a world-wide catastrophe - more important than whether or not she's going to end up cheating on him? She's an ER doctor and he's an FBI agent heading the investigation into the cause of the worldwide blackout and it's only been 3 days since it happened. In reality, they probably wouldn't even have seen each other yet, let alone gone home every night or visited each other's offices DURING THE DAY. Shouldn't these 2 be working?

Fringe - I thought Fringe had another strong outing last night. The bomber story was suspenseful, and there were some great character moments (especially the quieter lab scenes between Walter and Astrid). The only weak part was the trip to Baghdad. Peter is a tough sell as a badass, for me, and that guy forgave him awfully quickly, don't you think?

So I hear David Letterman's been in the news? (You can read about it here - sorry, CBS removed the video from YouTube so I can't embed Dave's, um, announcement here). My opinion: It's pretty crummy of him to cheat on his girlfriend, but he gets high marks from me for standing up to the extortionist and coming clean on national TV. He'd never make it as a politician, that's for damn sure!

Quick & Dirty: FlashForward and Modern Family

Loved them both!

I can definitely see FlashForward taking up the mantle of LOST, once LOST leaves my TV in the Spring (*sniff*), especially if they maintain the quality of the pilot. I'm not entirely sold yet, but I'm close. That guy on the surveillance video at the end just about sealed the deal for me.

Modern Family is like Arrested Development shot in the mockumentary style of The Office. I don't think it's as bitingly funny as AD, at least not yet, but I think it can be. If you liked Best in Show or Waiting for Guffman, you'll love Modern Family.

TV Talk: Quick and Dirty Reviews

I have been up to my eyeballs in good TV the past few days. I love it!

After putting off the inevitable for months, I ripped the proverbial bandaid off of my DVR and watched the final 3 episodes of Pushing Daisies. While they were all good, the final episode was one of the best they ever did, and I will miss that show very, very much. *shakes fist at ABC*

Warehouse 13's season finale aired Tuesday night. It's not one of the best shows I've ever seen, but it is fun - great for family watching, if you're looking for something like that - and its strong point is the chemistry between all of the major characters. And it can be pretty funny.

Oh, Castle, how much do I love thee, let me count the ways...1,2,3...a MILLION. I thought the season 2 premiere was very strong, I was very pleased with the changes in Beckett (changes like more casual clothes and a bit more tomboy-ish manner that I had been wishing for last season) and I am totally, madly in love with Nathan Fillion.

Community was pretty darn funny, which is good, since it's a comedy.

If Katey Sagal does not get nominated for an Emmy for her work on Sons of Anarchy this season, I swear I will go to Los Angeles and stand outside the theater and protest the awards show myself.

Tonight's viewing schedule: FlashForward series premiere, last night's series premiere of Modern Family and CSI's season premiere and oh my God, Fringe, too! An excess of riches!

TV Talk: Heads Up!

Just a quick heads up for tonight:

The second season of Fringe starts tonight on FOX, at 9:00 PM. So excited!



Also starting tonight is a new comedy called Community, which stars Joel McHale from The Soup (yay!) and Chevy Chase (Boo!), and word of mouth is very good. (NBC, 9:30 PM)



One more thing, a question: Are any of you watching Leno's new show?

TV Talk

The season 2 premiere of Sons of Anarchy aired this past Tuesday and wow. I understand that it's really not a show for everyone - most of the characters lead morally reprehensible lives, to say the least, and there is enough sex and violence to make HBO blush - but that's unfortunate, because I think it has really grown into one of the best shows on TV right now. And the fact that I care so much about what happens to these bad people is a testament to that.

Did you hear that NBC is remaking the BBC's landmark series Prime Suspect? I suppose the only realistic response to this news is to say I'm surprised it took this long, and it may end up being a great series if they cast the lead properly; but I still don't like the idea. Because I'm and Anglophile and BBC snob, I admit it. I'll be interested to see who they cast as Tennyson. Helen Mirren is a tough act to follow.

The True Blood season 2 finale was last night, and you know what? I think I was a bit underwhelmed. However, that may be because they went for something a little different than I was expecting. I'm going to watch it again - hopefully tonight - before I post my thoughts on it.

Finally, and I am WAY late on this, but I wanted to get your take on the news that Ellen Degeneres will take Paula Abdul's place on American Idol with this quick and dirty poll:

poll by twiigs.com

TV Talk: The only good thing about the end of summer is the beginning of the new TV season!

OK, very briefly since I have to actually do some work...

The new Fall television season starts next month (for the most part), when your favorite shows return (for the most part) and the new shows bomb (for the most part).

As far as returning shows go, I am most looking forward to Castle (ABC, Mon, 9/21), Sons of Anarchy (fX, Tuem 9/8) and Fringe (FOX, Thu, 9/17). (LOST comes back in the winter)

Even though Castle had Nathan Fillion and his trusty bag of charm as a ringer, I'm still surprised it was renewed for a second season. Pleasantly surprised, but surprised nonetheless. And happy for NF. Sons of Anarchy and Fringe are also entering their sophomore seasons, and on very steady ground after finishing their first seasons very solidly.

There are only three new shows that have piqued my interest so far, and they are all on ABC: The Modern Family (Wed, 9/23), Flash Forward (Thu, 9/24) and V (Tue, 11/3).

How about you? What shows are you most looking forward to returning? Are there any new shows you're psyched about? To see when your favorite shows are returning, do what I do: refer to The Futon Critic's handy-dandy fall grid.

TV Talk: Summer of Blood

I haven't posted much about True Blood since season 2 began, but I have been loving it. Has it been awesome, or what? All of the different story threads finally started coming together nicely in the past couple of weeks: Sookie, Bill, Eric, Jason and Godric are all converging on The Fellowship of the Sun; and Andy Bellefleur's drunken obsession with that pig saved Sam's life. Poor Sam, he just can't catch a break, can he? Will Maryann be killed, or will she just go away? It would be poetic justice if Andy was the one to ultimately get rid of Maryann, considering how the woman she killed was found in the back of his car.

As much as I'm enjoying this season, however, I must say that the bloom is somewhat off the rose as far as my boyfriend Bill is concerned. He's had his moments, but overall, he's just so BORING. Or at least his story is. I hope Eric drives a wedge between Sookie and Bill real soon. They are far more interesting when they are apart.

I was going to write about who the killer was on Harper's Island, but then I thought that perhaps I would be spoiling someone (you can watch it online here), even though the only people I know who did watch it were me and my sisters.

In the end, it was a fairly predictable person, but they made it a plausible (as plausible as this show ever got) and satisfying conclusion. It's too bad CBS dumped the show. It's a great concept for a summer series: a 13-episode murder mystery/horror story. It's perfect for the summer! Oh, well.

So, what's this I hear? Paula Abdul is really leaving American Idol?? Holy crap! Do I think that her departure will impact the show negatively, or at all? Absolutely not. Did I think she was going to be on this show forever, like Paul Lynde on the Hollywood Squares? Asbolutely!

poll by twiigs.com

Finally, a couple of quick notes: We had a blast watching Wipeout and I Survived a Japanese Game Show with the kids in Maine. (Hai, Majide!) And I watched one of the Warehouse 13 episodes I have on my DVR and I kind of liked it. I'll give it a couple more.

TV Talk: Vampires, Crabs and Big Red Balls

A few quick words about what I've been watching.

Big spoiler for True Blood, so if you haven't seen this season's first episode yet, be careful.

This season of Discovery's Deadliest Catch has been great so far, the immature grandstanding of the Hillstrands and their Time Bandit crew notwithstanding. Things got off to a rocky King crab start, with Captain Phil Harris still on the disabled list (blood clot issues), and the horrible loss of seven men on a vessel called the Katmai (not a regularly featured boat). Now the Opilio crab season just began on the show, and there have been some major equipment breakdowns and a so-called rogue wave that beat up the crew of the Wizard pretty badly. It's riveting stuff. From the previews of this week's show it looks like the Cornelia Marie gets caught by the ice flow and the Northwestern's Captain Sig falls ill. Oh no! And my favorite Captain, Phil Harris of the Cornelia Marie, is back in the wheelhouse for Opis, smoking like a chimney despite his serious health issues.

Wipeout, ABC's homage to Japanese game shows like Takeshi's Castle, is in its second summer season and yes, I actually watch it. We all do in our house. It's nowhere near as good as MXC, but you know what? It's pretty damn funny. Especially the Big Red Balls. And sometimes you just need to laugh until you start coughing.

I'm most excited about the return of HBO's True Blood! Last night was the second episode of the show's second season and so far, I have been loving it. Especially because Lafayette IS NOT DEAD. He may be undead soon, but that's better than dead! These two episodes have been really great, and I thought last night's was especially well-written. There were some really funny lines and the action is really moving along. I can't wait to see what happens next!

We're also still hanging in there with CBS' Harper's Island. It got off to a decent start, but then got really bogged down and stupid around the middle and we almost dropped it. Then, suddenly things got really good. It was the episode where the father got the head spade in the...well, in the head. Since then they've maintained a really good level of suspense and have been pretty consistently killing off characters. We're down to three remaining episodes, and there was a big reveal of who the killer is on Saturday. Now we wait to find out why and who his accomplice is.

TV Talk: Summer TV Possibility?

Maybe, maybe not.

SciFi has a new show beginning on July 7 called Warehouse 13, and this is how they describe it:

After saving the life of the President, two Secret Service agents find themselves abruptly transferred to Warehouse 13 — a massive, top-secret storage facility in windswept South Dakota that houses every strange artifact, mysterious relic, fantastical object and supernatural souvenir ever collected by the U.S. government.

The Warehouse's caretaker Artie (Saul Rubinek) assigns Pete (Eddie McClintock) and Myka (Joanne Kelly) the challenge of chasing down reports of supernatural and paranormal activity in search of new objects to store at the Warehouse. The two agents are also commissioned to help Artie control the Warehouse itself, which proves to be a task beyond what either of them could have ever imagined.

Warehouse 13 is an action-packed exploration where the unlikely, becomes what's possible and reality is a limitless phenomenon filled with wonder.

Sounds kind of good. But after watching the preview, I get the sense that this will end up being like The X-Files if it was written by the people who gave us Monk. There's obviously an audience for that - I'm just not sure that I'm a part of it.

I am interested enough to check it out, however, especially since I read this casting news from Ausiello at TV Guide:

Former Battlestar Galactica toasters Tricia Helfer and Michael Hogan are staying in Sci Fi's orbit, signing on to guest star on the net's new paranormal dramedy Warehouse 13 (premiering July 7). Helfer will play a Chicago-based FBI agent, while Hogan has been cast as the father of Warehouse heroine Myka (Joanne Kelly). In a fun little twist, Hogan's real-life wife, Susan, will play the role of Myka's mom. And if that's not enough BSG for you, Mark Sheppard (who portrayed the Fleet's morally flexible lawyer, Romo Lampkin) will appear as enigmatic figure who represents the organization that controls the Warehouse.


That's enough to get me to the TV!

TV Talk: Finale Week

I am totally jazzed for the Fringe and LOST season finales this week! Please accept my apology for not doing full recaps of the past two episodes of LOST, I just couldn't manage it. I'm hoping to post a complete recap of the finale within a couple of days of its airing, but I will also post a preliminary discussion post, in case you come here looking to talk.

Has anyone besides us been watching Harper's Island? The fifth episode was on Saturday night, and it was one of their best. That's good news for them, since we were becoming increasingly dissatisfied with the show, for many reasons. Among them: The cast is way too large and indistinguishable; the pace can be sluggish; characters die and no one misses them; and a criminal over-use of the "fake scare" horror cliche. However, Saturday's episode seemed to be a course correction, and from what I've read, things really begin to pick up from here on out. I hope so.

I just found out the other day that PBS' latest installment of Masterpiece Mystery is a series called Wallander, that stars Kenneth Branagh. The first episode was on last night and I recorded it. It looks intriguing. I'll let you know what I think. (If you want to check it out, you can watch the first episode online at the link above)

As this post's title points out, this is finale week for a big chunk of television, so I thought I'd re-post the finale schedule I gave you last week.

24 - Two hour finale, Monday, May 18

30 Rock - Thursday, May 14

The Amazing Race - Sunday, May 10

Big Bang Theory - Monday, May 11

The Biggest Loser - Two hour finale, Tuesday, May 12

Bones - Thursday, May 14

Castle - Monday, May 11

Criminal Minds - Two hour finale, Wednesday, May 20

CSI Orginal Recipe - Thursday, May 14

Fringe - Tuesday, May 12

Law & Order: SVU - Tuesday, June 2

LOST - Two hour finale, Wednesday, May 13

The Castle finale is tonight, and I wonder if they'll do anything special for it. I haven't heard yet if ABC renewed the show, but I hope they do, if only so that Nathan Fillion doesn't have to add another show that lasted only one season to his resume!

Wow, that was a very rambly post.