So unless there is something urgent to report, which there never has been, nor will there ever be because this is a television blog we might start posting later in the day much more frequently. Our workload increased about two months ago and hasn’t really relented, we’re about to increase posting frequency and length on our other site and for the most part, we’re watching very few series at the moment. Right now we’re recapping Survivor, The Office, Rescue Me (just remarkable last night), and we’re watching but not recapping My Boys & 30 Rock, this is the extent of our regular television viewing for the foreseeable future. As long as that is the case, not much should change except for limited posting and the time of which we do it.
For the time being, let’s get to some links.
Adding to it’s already filled trophy case of awards, Mad Men won best international series at some awards show in Britain. Not for nothing, but as great as that series is it’s really benefiting coming onto the scene after The Sopranos (which it had to because Matt Weiner was a writer for it), The West Wing and all the other series’ that were critically acclaimed but have ended their run in recent years. I think Mad Men is unequivocally the best series still producing new episodes, but I’d also say that television isn’t nearly as good as it was four years ago. Too many copycats and wannabes, not enough series’ producing raw, unseen content that rivals the best of what you would see in film (which I tend to think Mad Men does), so Matthew Weiner and Co. deservingly benefit, I guess.
This might be a little off-topic, but Jon Stewart had a lively discussion about what quantifies torture with Cliff May, who’s some sort of Government official. I’m too lazy to actually read the website I linked too so I can’t tell you specifically what his role is. Anyhow, I tend to think that the other facets of our foreign policy and the economy should take precedent over this, but that’s probably because I had yet to hear an actual intelligent conversation about it. Usually when you watch cable news it’s nothing more than an exchange of superlatives and platitudes that you could hear in any run of the mill high school government class, but this was actually entertaining and mapped out the two reasonable sides of the argument.
Entourage, one of the more fake explicit series’ on television, is looking for syndication deals with Spike TV and Comedy Central. I’m pretty sure the last straw in my total shaming of being a fan of Entourage would be if it got syndication on Spike TV, who outside of depressing Pros Vs. Joes episodes I avoid with all my might (Note: My might is pretty non-existent). But yeah, I say “fake explicit” because watching people smoke weed is generally something you can do on FX, and aside for the really infrequent frontal nudity and a vulgar reference to it (usually from Drama), there isn’t that much editing work to be had here.
Can't we at least start using Curb for our Larry David references?
More evidence that we and the media love to blur the line between entertainment and politics: The Daily Beast ponders whether or not Obama is modeling their approach to the previous administration from the Seinfeld episode in which George does the opposite of what his impulses tell him to do. This is two psuedo-political oriented links in one post so I don’t want to dwell on it, but despite your feelings on Bush or Obama, doesn’t this just seem a tad juvenile. The best way to get anyone from the opposite side of teh aisle to dismiss your opinion is by comparing someone they hold in esteem to George Costanza, or at least that’s what I was always taught.
Here’s an article suggesting Dollhouse be rewarded a second, hyphenated season to resolve its open-ended storylines, I guess the point would be that the series could gain some traction and develop a cult following, like every Joss Whedon series. But it never offers incentive for the network to do so. But yes, just about every series’ given additional episodes knowing they will be their last episodes is capable of piecing together some finality. This is like when Tiger Woods fans (in this case, Joss Whedon fans) make the claim that when he loses a tourney (a series gets canceled), it was only because he missed a couple putts that he usually sinks (if people watched the series like they watched Buffy). That’s right, and if I had wheels I’d be a wagon. He missed those putts (he didn’t make a marketable series), therefore, he lost (the show was canceled). Trust me, it’s not the first time.
If The Bachelor is good enough for its own CSI episode, I feel The Sopranos is as well.
You’re not going to believe this, but CSI: Miami is scheduled to do an episode with a murder on the set of a Bachelor-esque television show. Wait, a murder scene with numerous attractive women ranging from scantily-clad to whorishly-clad is the setting for a CSI: Miami episode. If I had to guess, when the actual crime takes place it’s going to take place in or around a hot tub. Look, I’m all for cheap exploitation of attractive women as much as possible, but this branch of the CSI franchise just makes it too obvious.
Jesus, someone at the New Yorker asks if Amy Poehler is the most popular SNL cast member of the past decade, with her chief rivals being Tina Fey and Will Ferrell. If you’re one of those people who wonders why others often lament the failed state of SNL, now you know why. It isn’t that Amy Poehler is devoid of comedic chops, it’s just that when you look at her best skits compared to those of Adam Sandler, Chris Farley, Phil Hartman, Bill Murray, Eddie Murphy, Mike Meijers, David Spade and countless others I can’t recall at the moment, no one on that short list for the aughts really measures up. Sorry, but it’s true.
On top of his upcoming series Treme and a potential miniseries about the Lincoln assassination, David Simon is pondering a CIA series that would detail its inception a la The Good Sheppard, but presumably in a more coherent and time-efficient manner. I am unabashedly biased for anything this man plans too put on HBO, but absolutely none of that sounds unappealing. In fact, based on the strength of The Wire and Generation Kill I’d venture to say that it’s appointment television.
Alright, one more politically influenced link: FOX is bucking the trend and airing Lie To Me in favor of the president’s address tonight, so as to avoid it running into American Idol. I don’t know why they can’t simply cut the speech short in favor of Idol at nine, but either way this ruins one of the simple pleasures of having a president desperate to keep his approval ratings up. Despite how much I loved Idol getting bumped, I have to admit that from a business perspective nothing makes more sense. Instead of splitting presidential coverage with the three other broadcast networks for the same speech, you air the most popular show on television that gets more viewers than all four of the networks airing Obama speeches combined. I may not like it, but I’m forced to respect it. And god damn it I hate respecting any of the broadcast networks.
Despite its intense promotional campaign during the NCAA tournament, Harper’s Island is being sent to Saturdays, away from its cushy 10PM Thursday slot. Needless to say, I think they better drop an A-bomb on that island if they want all those people dead before the series is canceled. Maybe it’s right around the island with where Lost takes place, two birds with one stone. See, I’m always trying to economize.
The president of HBO promises that new series Hung, about a gym teacher with a sizable penis, won’t be entirely focused on penis jokes. She later got defensive and added, “just because the title of the series is a euphemism for a large male appendage doesn’t mean it will necessarily revolve around his dick, alright?…OK, it actually does. You should see what the props department came up with, you will swear they could have saved Tower 2 with this thing”
And finally, for all you fans of emasculating women and effeminate men in your comedy, ABC wants Scrubs back for a 9th season. My first reaction to reading that was disbelief that there’s only been eight seasons, because it feels like that series has plagued my Thursday nights since I was at least 15. My second reaction was amazement that it actually developed enough of an audience that ABC is trying to convince them of a final season, whereas NBC was constantly pushing them out the door. For all you fans of the series, once everyone other than Zach Braff realizes they don’t have much of a career after this, you can start marking your calendars for that ninth season premiere.
More tomorrow.
