With a title like that, how can you not read on? Anyways, as most shows returned from hiatus this week, many underdog stories became apparent in the ratings. There were many low expectations and most were exceeded. Starting with Chuck, which returned to full competition and a surprising season high of a 2.1 demo, which is actually above NBC's scripted average. To return to a season high after a month and a half long hiatus with little to no promotion is somewhat impressive. This is good news for Chuck which, for once, is looking good for a renewal, something its hardcore fans don't quite know how to handle. They'll probably launch a campaign anyways.
Next, we move to NBC's 3- hour comedy blocked which debuted this week. The first hour had an especially difficult challenge, facing ratings monster American Idol and Community also had to face slightly smaller ratings monster The Big Bang Theory. Surprisingly, Community went up to a 2.2 which certainly bodes well for its future. If it maintains a similar rating, NBC could possibly keep it as the sacrificial lamb against these big shows. Perfect Couples debuted not so great to a 2.1. If it stays around that level, it could be renewed, but most shows drop off after their first episode. The Office got good ratings, which is not at all shocking, but Parks and Recreation's ratings were inflated over a point in the demo thanks to the post- Office slot which all Parks and Rec fans should be happy with. Even if it drops a couple tenths of a point, it's still a shoe- in for renewal. 30 Rock did an impressive 2.7 at 9, up significantly higher than its last ratings at 7:30. Outsourced, thank god, bombed at 9:30, proving The Office was the only thing keeping its ratings so high. Its 1.8 officially earns it a spot on the bubble.
And lastly, we have Fringe's move to Friday. Viewed by many as Fox just trying to kill the show (because a lot less people watch TV on Fridays), the expectations were for Fringe to drop even more from its bad Thursday ratings and slowly die out from there. Instead, Fringe went up to a 1.9, which with FOX's significantly lowered expectations, is great. If it maintains that rating, it'll be renewed and kept on Friday. However, both CSI: Ny and Supernatural were in repeats, so we'll have to see how much of a dent, in any, those bring before making any official victory statements. But this is a great start for its Friday run.
Sunday, January 23, 2011
The Week in Diagrams
From Parks and Recreation, Ron Swanson's Pyramid of Greatness:
And from 30 Rock, NBC's Budget Priorities:
And from 30 Rock, NBC's Budget Priorities:
Score Roundup
How I Met Your Mother: "Last Words"- Was rather standard fare for the show, even taking into account the emotional impact of the previous episode's cliffhanger. The episode would've been much better if it weren't for a few pointless storylines. The main storyline of Marshall's last words with his father was very good and Robin's stroyline, although brief, provided laughs without clashing with the tone of the rest of the episode. The storyline of Ted and Barney trying to make Marshall laugh by showing him groin kick videos was lame enough to begin with, but it never went anywhere. There was no payoff at all. Same goes for the Danny Strong storyline. His character was pointless and hardly addressed except for his first scene. That being said, the moments where the rest of the cast consider their dads were great (especially enjoyed Ray Wise as Robin's dad and hope to see him in the show again someday) and Marshall's monologue thanking god for his dad's pocket dial was fantastic, even if we knew Marshall's dad would start talking eventually. 8.4/10
Chuck: "Chuck vs the Balcony"- An enjoyable episode, even if it took until the second half to really get good. The conflict presented at the end could have been very frustrating but felt fine considering we knew Sarah was about to say yes and the realization that this is what General Beckman had in mind when Sarah said she wanted to help. Looking forward to next week as we reach what the writers initially intended to be the end of the season. 8.7/10
Modern Family: "Caught in the Act"- I know I was kidding last week when I said this show could be called 'A Series of Comical Misunderstandings', but seriously, it seems like that's all one storyline a week comes down to. This week, it was the Jay and Gloria storyline. This section of the family is by far my least favorite (I don't understand the fuss over the actress who plays Gloria's acting) due to its general crankiness and unnecessary conflict that comes just from somebody being annoying. The Cameron storyline was fairly basic and I could have done without it. The main storyline of the episode was very well done though. 7.8/10
Cougar Town: "A Thing About You"- Alan Sepinwall summed what I've been trying to say about this show recently very well in his review of the episode: Cougar Town is a show with a certain frequency and if you're tuned into it, it's great and if you're not, it's awful. I am thankful to be tuned it because I continue to be impressed by the quality put out by a show called 'Cougar Town'. I also love that Community and Cougar Town are exchanging compliments through their shows. Don't see that often, but it's awesome. 8.6/10
Community: "Asian Population Studies"- What could be described as a 'normal' episode. Enjoyed continuity of Chang's desire to be in the group and Shirley's ex- husband although having the callbacks to the zombie episode feels odd in an episode that remained mostly grounded in reality. I also think they should bring Rich back more often. 8.5/10
The Office: "Ultimatum"- Retained some of the energy from it's fantastic Christmas episode. Enjoying the return of Holly. The Andy/Dwight/Derryl storyline seemed a little random but I still enjoyed Andy embracing his inner 'Ants Marching'. 8.2/10
Parks and Recreation: "Go Big or Go Home (Season Premiere)"- FINALLY! It's been a long 8 months, but Parks and Rec has finally returned and is just as funny as ever. This episode did a great job introducing things to new viewers, reminding us what happened at the end of last season, and setting up an arc for this season. And being hilarious. I'm really enjoying Rob Lowe and Adam Scott as the new good cop/bad cop additions. Oh, and I completely forgot Paul Schneider's character ever existed. He was just that forgettable. 9.0/10
30 Rock: "Mrs. Donaghy"- An OK episode. Greatly redeemed by the final scene with Wienerslav and a couple moments throughout (Dr. Spaceman, as always, was awesome: "You have no reflexes, your blood tastes like root beer, and some of your bones appear to have vanished.") The Jenna/Kenneth storyline was a complete waste. There was hardly any set up and the whole thing was just an excuse to have Jenna say something about marriage to Liz at the end of the episode. 7.2/10
Haven't seen Fringe yet, but I'm working on it.
Chuck: "Chuck vs the Balcony"- An enjoyable episode, even if it took until the second half to really get good. The conflict presented at the end could have been very frustrating but felt fine considering we knew Sarah was about to say yes and the realization that this is what General Beckman had in mind when Sarah said she wanted to help. Looking forward to next week as we reach what the writers initially intended to be the end of the season. 8.7/10
Modern Family: "Caught in the Act"- I know I was kidding last week when I said this show could be called 'A Series of Comical Misunderstandings', but seriously, it seems like that's all one storyline a week comes down to. This week, it was the Jay and Gloria storyline. This section of the family is by far my least favorite (I don't understand the fuss over the actress who plays Gloria's acting) due to its general crankiness and unnecessary conflict that comes just from somebody being annoying. The Cameron storyline was fairly basic and I could have done without it. The main storyline of the episode was very well done though. 7.8/10
Cougar Town: "A Thing About You"- Alan Sepinwall summed what I've been trying to say about this show recently very well in his review of the episode: Cougar Town is a show with a certain frequency and if you're tuned into it, it's great and if you're not, it's awful. I am thankful to be tuned it because I continue to be impressed by the quality put out by a show called 'Cougar Town'. I also love that Community and Cougar Town are exchanging compliments through their shows. Don't see that often, but it's awesome. 8.6/10
Community: "Asian Population Studies"- What could be described as a 'normal' episode. Enjoyed continuity of Chang's desire to be in the group and Shirley's ex- husband although having the callbacks to the zombie episode feels odd in an episode that remained mostly grounded in reality. I also think they should bring Rich back more often. 8.5/10
The Office: "Ultimatum"- Retained some of the energy from it's fantastic Christmas episode. Enjoying the return of Holly. The Andy/Dwight/Derryl storyline seemed a little random but I still enjoyed Andy embracing his inner 'Ants Marching'. 8.2/10
Parks and Recreation: "Go Big or Go Home (Season Premiere)"- FINALLY! It's been a long 8 months, but Parks and Rec has finally returned and is just as funny as ever. This episode did a great job introducing things to new viewers, reminding us what happened at the end of last season, and setting up an arc for this season. And being hilarious. I'm really enjoying Rob Lowe and Adam Scott as the new good cop/bad cop additions. Oh, and I completely forgot Paul Schneider's character ever existed. He was just that forgettable. 9.0/10
30 Rock: "Mrs. Donaghy"- An OK episode. Greatly redeemed by the final scene with Wienerslav and a couple moments throughout (Dr. Spaceman, as always, was awesome: "You have no reflexes, your blood tastes like root beer, and some of your bones appear to have vanished.") The Jenna/Kenneth storyline was a complete waste. There was hardly any set up and the whole thing was just an excuse to have Jenna say something about marriage to Liz at the end of the episode. 7.2/10
Haven't seen Fringe yet, but I'm working on it.
Sunday, January 16, 2011
The Golden Globes (a.k.a How Not to be Taken Seriously as an Awards Show)
So, the Golden Globes just ended and, as usual, it was a horridly inconsistent mess in terms of awards. The Globes tend to drift towards what's 'mainstream' (God...I am a hipster) at the moment, hence things like Breaking Bad getting bumped to make room for The Walking Dead (Boo. Hiss.) and Piper Parabo getting nominated. For her work in a USA procedural. Now, I'm not dissing her acting, I'm just saying all it takes to be cast in a USA procedural is good looks, charm, and the ability to say dialogue fast. Anyways, since this is a television blog, I'll be focusing on the TV side of things and not the movies. Ok, one thing for the movies...why the hell did Burlesque get so many nominations? Seriously? Boo. Hiss.
Let's start with drama. Boardwalk Empire won for Best Actor and Best Drama Series. Now, why I may think Bryan Cranston deserved the emmy a little bit more (read: a lot) and I've only seen two episodes of Boardwalk Empire and I'm still on the first season of Mad Men, I'm gonna go ahead and say it should have gone Mad Men. This based entirely on what I've heard from other people and the fact that I thought watching Boardwalk Empire was the most boring two hours I've ever spent staring at a screen (wait...that's not true. I saw an episode of American Idol last year. Boo. Hiss.). I don't watch Sons of Anarchy, but from what I understand, Katey Segal deserved that award.
On the comedy front, Jim Parsons won a globe for his work on The Big Bang Theory. While I may not be a big fan of the show or his character on said show, I do have to agree that his work is impressive, albeit rather one- note. Same goes for Jane Lynch winning for Glee. Didn't really think any of the other nominees in these categories were deserving, other than the Modern Family actors. I really wouldn't care either way. And can we stop nominating Nurse Jackie for comedy awards? Edie Falco said it herself at the Emmys: IT'S NOT A COMEDY! But the majority of my bitterness towards the Golden Globes this year comes from the winner of best comedy: Glee. Get ready for a rant...
BOO! HISS!
I don't hate Glee. I hate the fact that it's so damn successful. And where as many of Glee's criticizers have no validity because they've never seen an episode and think 'singing + dancing = gay', I've seen all 22 episodes of season one. This show is ridiculously inconsistent. Its two main characters are insufferable (and yet somehow, both actors ended up with Golden Globe nominations) the plots are tired and predictable, the characters are ridiculosuly cliche (token gay guy, token asian goth, token dumb blonde, ect.) and half of each episode is music that I don't care to listen to. Out of all 22 episodes I watched, I only enjoyed one song: Dream On, because after Dr. Horrible's Sing Along Blog, I enjoy anything Neil Patrick Harris sings in. I just don't understand the appeal. It bugs me that this show is massively successful while shows like Community and Parks and Recreation are struggling to survive. I applaud the show for trying something different. It's a concept I can get down behind, but the execution is just not there. It requires a huge suspension of disbelief. Are we really supposed to believe that these kids are struggling to win competitions? And as someone who plays in a show choir band, I can tell you that if you gave us new music, we would not have it ready by the end of the week. I think Glee is a lazy, inconsistent mess all underneath a good idea. This could quite potentially lead me into a ginormous hipster- douchebag rant about how people don't know what quality is anymore or that we're a society that's consuming vapid entertainment without questioning it, but I'll save that for another blog post.
So, uh...how bout them Globes?
Boo. Hiss.
Let's start with drama. Boardwalk Empire won for Best Actor and Best Drama Series. Now, why I may think Bryan Cranston deserved the emmy a little bit more (read: a lot) and I've only seen two episodes of Boardwalk Empire and I'm still on the first season of Mad Men, I'm gonna go ahead and say it should have gone Mad Men. This based entirely on what I've heard from other people and the fact that I thought watching Boardwalk Empire was the most boring two hours I've ever spent staring at a screen (wait...that's not true. I saw an episode of American Idol last year. Boo. Hiss.). I don't watch Sons of Anarchy, but from what I understand, Katey Segal deserved that award.
On the comedy front, Jim Parsons won a globe for his work on The Big Bang Theory. While I may not be a big fan of the show or his character on said show, I do have to agree that his work is impressive, albeit rather one- note. Same goes for Jane Lynch winning for Glee. Didn't really think any of the other nominees in these categories were deserving, other than the Modern Family actors. I really wouldn't care either way. And can we stop nominating Nurse Jackie for comedy awards? Edie Falco said it herself at the Emmys: IT'S NOT A COMEDY! But the majority of my bitterness towards the Golden Globes this year comes from the winner of best comedy: Glee. Get ready for a rant...
BOO! HISS!
I don't hate Glee. I hate the fact that it's so damn successful. And where as many of Glee's criticizers have no validity because they've never seen an episode and think 'singing + dancing = gay', I've seen all 22 episodes of season one. This show is ridiculously inconsistent. Its two main characters are insufferable (and yet somehow, both actors ended up with Golden Globe nominations) the plots are tired and predictable, the characters are ridiculosuly cliche (token gay guy, token asian goth, token dumb blonde, ect.) and half of each episode is music that I don't care to listen to. Out of all 22 episodes I watched, I only enjoyed one song: Dream On, because after Dr. Horrible's Sing Along Blog, I enjoy anything Neil Patrick Harris sings in. I just don't understand the appeal. It bugs me that this show is massively successful while shows like Community and Parks and Recreation are struggling to survive. I applaud the show for trying something different. It's a concept I can get down behind, but the execution is just not there. It requires a huge suspension of disbelief. Are we really supposed to believe that these kids are struggling to win competitions? And as someone who plays in a show choir band, I can tell you that if you gave us new music, we would not have it ready by the end of the week. I think Glee is a lazy, inconsistent mess all underneath a good idea. This could quite potentially lead me into a ginormous hipster- douchebag rant about how people don't know what quality is anymore or that we're a society that's consuming vapid entertainment without questioning it, but I'll save that for another blog post.
So, uh...how bout them Globes?
Boo. Hiss.
Guys...I think I'm a Hipster!
So, I just had the sudden realization that none of my favorite shows are hits. And all the hits that I watch are my least favorite. The Big Bang Theory? Enjoyable, but the laugh track is extremely bothersome, too often it becomes The Sheldon Show (which is a problem because he's quite possible the most aggravating, arrogant character in the history of television...he's like Abed, but without a heart), and the humor is usually unoriginal and repetitive. Modern Family? The potential is there. Sometimes, it works. Sometimes, it doesn't. The Office? Been on for too long, just a mess now. And Glee? Just wait until my Golden Globes post...
I shall now retire to my room to play some Ocarina of Time while listening to Superchunk. Good day.
I shall now retire to my room to play some Ocarina of Time while listening to Superchunk. Good day.
Score Roundup
Again....a really lame week. A football game put CBS's Monday Night Line-Up in repeats (which is just kind of cruel to do after last week's How I Met Your Mother). NBC and FOX are still on hiatus, so all I really had was ABC's wednesday comedies. So of course Obama preempted Cougar Town. The variety- type shows I watch were still all on (The Daily Show, Tosh.0, and The Soup) but reviewing those just feels aimless. So...here's a really lame score roundup for a really lame week for the middle of January:
Modern Family: "Our Children, Ourselves"- A fine episode. The Phil and Claire storyline was definitely the strongest of the episode, even if we had no idea where it was going halfway through, the end was worth it (I totally used to do that jaw thing, by the way). The Gloria/Jay storyline was yet another 'Jay gets cranky and does something nobody would really do unless they hated people, unforeseen circumstance intervenes, hilarious awkwardness ensues. I mean, in terms of repeated storylines, it's not as bad as The Big Bang Theory 'The group tries to do something but Sheldon proves to be a roadblock' yet, but it's getting there. 8.8/10
Yep, that's really it. Things are looking up for this week, though. We'll get to see if How I Met Your Mother handles the cliffhanger in a non- cringeworthy manner. Chuck will air its first episode since November. Raising Hope comes back, a show that appeared to be nearing a stride before it went on hiatus. Cougar Town will (hopefully) not be pre- empted this week. Community will return, as will 30 Rock. Parks and Recreation has its Season 3 premier Thursday in the cushy post- Office timeslot. Fringe will air its first Friday episode, hilariously (and perhaps a little bitterly) titled "Firefly". It should be a good week.
Modern Family: "Our Children, Ourselves"- A fine episode. The Phil and Claire storyline was definitely the strongest of the episode, even if we had no idea where it was going halfway through, the end was worth it (I totally used to do that jaw thing, by the way). The Gloria/Jay storyline was yet another 'Jay gets cranky and does something nobody would really do unless they hated people, unforeseen circumstance intervenes, hilarious awkwardness ensues. I mean, in terms of repeated storylines, it's not as bad as The Big Bang Theory 'The group tries to do something but Sheldon proves to be a roadblock' yet, but it's getting there. 8.8/10
Yep, that's really it. Things are looking up for this week, though. We'll get to see if How I Met Your Mother handles the cliffhanger in a non- cringeworthy manner. Chuck will air its first episode since November. Raising Hope comes back, a show that appeared to be nearing a stride before it went on hiatus. Cougar Town will (hopefully) not be pre- empted this week. Community will return, as will 30 Rock. Parks and Recreation has its Season 3 premier Thursday in the cushy post- Office timeslot. Fringe will air its first Friday episode, hilariously (and perhaps a little bitterly) titled "Firefly". It should be a good week.
Sunday, January 9, 2011
More Midseason Stuff
We're getting to the time when many new shows premiere and old shows return, so I thought I'd just do a quick rundown of what will be added to the score roundup ever week (if I actually like the show in question). I think the only new shows I'm watching will be The Cape and The Chicago Code. The Cape because it's a superhero show and doesn't look like Heroes (still brings back bad memories) and The Chicago Code because I hear it's good and Shawn Ryan is involved (Dammit Terriers....I miss you). Returning show-wise, I'll be watching Parks and Recreation, which was terrific last season so I look forward to it,
How I Met Your Mother: "Bad News" Review
Somebody (who knows who, probably some television critic who was on his deathbed and spouting nonsense) once said that the best sitcom is not always the funniest. That statement perfectly summed up my thoughts after watching this episode. Being funny is obviously a requirement for a sitcom, but the best sitcoms have to explore both realms of emotion or the characters become detached from reality. How I Met Your Mother is a show that should have felt detached from reality a long time ago. From musical numbers to telepathic communications, the show has gone different and odd places. But the characters and the central storylines help it feel grounded. And while it's explored romantic tragedies before, the show has never really explored death before. When the moment came at the end of the episode, I really felt like the show had earned the moment and pulled it off rather brilliantly.
But that was the last 30 seconds. The rest of the episode, all in all, was pretty standard fair for the show. I didn't really like Robin's storyline as much as I liked the fact that they brought back Sandy Rivers. Barney's whole storyline pretty much existed solely for the psych- out towards the end. Marshall and Lily finally seeing a specialist was pretty much the highlight, if only for Barney's doppleganger (which is also apparently a Daniel Faraday doppleganger) and the awesome relationship between Marshall and his dad (Marshall calling to tell him about his viking hat lamp and playing go-fish over the phone were two of the five or so times I laughed during this episode). But in retrospect, the episode was much better when put in context with the rest of the series, for several reasons:
The Callbacks- Callbacks are a great way of rewarding the viewer. It makes us feel like we have an inside joke with the show and this episode had a lot of great callbacks. Almost all of Robin's embarrassing news footage was stuff that happened in earlier episodes (Robin Sparkles FTW!!!!) and I loves that they only needed to give a name and a brief description of a character we haven't seen in a long time before we remember all the awesomeness contained with the character. Barney was wearing the Sensory Deprevator 5000 in his doppleganger's office. Speaking of his doppleganger, I'm glad that they waited this long to conclude that storyline as it was better in small doses. Lily made several references to their pact with the universe and it was great that part of their pact was true as Barney's doppleganger literally told them they could have kids.
The Countdown- I'll be honest, I didn't even notice this the first time through. I noticed a couple numbers here and there. The 10 on the Robin Sparkles bedazzled jean jacket specifically caught my eye because I did not remember it being there, but I figured I was just being nitpicky for continuity. But then I went online to read others' opinions about the ending and saw something about a countdown. If you missed it, throughout the episode, numbers are displayed on random objects throughout, beer cans, signs, books, Marshall's high five (it took me forever to figure that one out), counting down from 50 to the titular bad news. The ending probably would have packed even more of a punch to the gut than it actually did because whereas I was expecting nothing the first time, I would be expecting something comical or heartwarming (I might even have jumped to 'we're going to meet the mother!') and that's exactly the opposite of what we got. I just think it's so cool that they did that. It's worth the distraction it caused from the rest of the episode. The countdown was particularly strong at the end of it's run. At 5, your figured something was about to happen. At 4, you started to know it would be bad. At 3, you had an idea of what it was. At 2, you were almost certain. And at 1, your fears were confirmed (I thought it was a very nice touch that the cab waited a few seconds before lighting up). That takes us directly to...
The Ending- That was truly shocking. You'd think with all the foreshadowing- the title and the countdown, we'd be at least a little prepared but I was totally caught off guard. It was especially effective too. The way they reminded you of the relationship between Marshall and his father (as I said earlier, funniest parts of the episode) and then go ahead and kill him later was borderline cruel. He was the most recurring character on the show so it was pretty much as close to a main cast member as they could kill off without an outcry. It was a great moment though. Jason Segal and Alison Hannigan were fantastic in selling how hard the news hit. It was a very sharp contrast from the rest of the show but it was done extremely well. For sure one of my favorite moments of television. However, the rest of the episode was rather average.
8.7/10
But that was the last 30 seconds. The rest of the episode, all in all, was pretty standard fair for the show. I didn't really like Robin's storyline as much as I liked the fact that they brought back Sandy Rivers. Barney's whole storyline pretty much existed solely for the psych- out towards the end. Marshall and Lily finally seeing a specialist was pretty much the highlight, if only for Barney's doppleganger (which is also apparently a Daniel Faraday doppleganger) and the awesome relationship between Marshall and his dad (Marshall calling to tell him about his viking hat lamp and playing go-fish over the phone were two of the five or so times I laughed during this episode). But in retrospect, the episode was much better when put in context with the rest of the series, for several reasons:
The Callbacks- Callbacks are a great way of rewarding the viewer. It makes us feel like we have an inside joke with the show and this episode had a lot of great callbacks. Almost all of Robin's embarrassing news footage was stuff that happened in earlier episodes (Robin Sparkles FTW!!!!) and I loves that they only needed to give a name and a brief description of a character we haven't seen in a long time before we remember all the awesomeness contained with the character. Barney was wearing the Sensory Deprevator 5000 in his doppleganger's office. Speaking of his doppleganger, I'm glad that they waited this long to conclude that storyline as it was better in small doses. Lily made several references to their pact with the universe and it was great that part of their pact was true as Barney's doppleganger literally told them they could have kids.
The Countdown- I'll be honest, I didn't even notice this the first time through. I noticed a couple numbers here and there. The 10 on the Robin Sparkles bedazzled jean jacket specifically caught my eye because I did not remember it being there, but I figured I was just being nitpicky for continuity. But then I went online to read others' opinions about the ending and saw something about a countdown. If you missed it, throughout the episode, numbers are displayed on random objects throughout, beer cans, signs, books, Marshall's high five (it took me forever to figure that one out), counting down from 50 to the titular bad news. The ending probably would have packed even more of a punch to the gut than it actually did because whereas I was expecting nothing the first time, I would be expecting something comical or heartwarming (I might even have jumped to 'we're going to meet the mother!') and that's exactly the opposite of what we got. I just think it's so cool that they did that. It's worth the distraction it caused from the rest of the episode. The countdown was particularly strong at the end of it's run. At 5, your figured something was about to happen. At 4, you started to know it would be bad. At 3, you had an idea of what it was. At 2, you were almost certain. And at 1, your fears were confirmed (I thought it was a very nice touch that the cab waited a few seconds before lighting up). That takes us directly to...
The Ending- That was truly shocking. You'd think with all the foreshadowing- the title and the countdown, we'd be at least a little prepared but I was totally caught off guard. It was especially effective too. The way they reminded you of the relationship between Marshall and his father (as I said earlier, funniest parts of the episode) and then go ahead and kill him later was borderline cruel. He was the most recurring character on the show so it was pretty much as close to a main cast member as they could kill off without an outcry. It was a great moment though. Jason Segal and Alison Hannigan were fantastic in selling how hard the news hit. It was a very sharp contrast from the rest of the show but it was done extremely well. For sure one of my favorite moments of television. However, the rest of the episode was rather average.
8.7/10
Score Roundup
The network housing the majority of the shows I watch, NBC, is pretty much on hiatus until next week, so there's not much rounding-up this week.
How I Met Your Mother: "Bad News"- Interesting enough to warrant a full- length review. Look on the main page for it because I'm too lazy to provide a link.
Modern Family: "Slow Down Your Neighbors"- Fun, but still very flawed. Claire was at her most bothersome and the James Marsden storyline was extremely predictable. Claire's facial expressions at the end were priceless though.
Cougar Town: "No Reason to Cry"- I am happy to report I will be watching this show weekly from now on and I'm sad I've ignored it up until now (but c'mon, it's called Cougar Town, can you blame me?). It's a very refreshing type of show. The characters and plotlines all mesh very nicely. I am also impressed about how they seamlessly integrated the new comer to the Culdesac Crew. She fits right in. The show has a remarkable flow and I love it's self aware title cards.
The Big Bang Theory: "The Bus Pants Utilization"- It honestly feels like they've done this storyline ten or so times. Sheldon is just obnoxious now and you just wait and hope for him to get a slap in the face but it never comes. Nobody actually buys Leonard and Penny as a feasible couple. And, off topic, I can guarantee you the final scene of the series will be the group getting on the elevator. I can see why I don't watch this show every week anymore. It's become tired and lazy, essentially Two and a Half Men with a more extensive vocabulary.
Yeah, that was pretty much it. I miss television.
How I Met Your Mother: "Bad News"- Interesting enough to warrant a full- length review. Look on the main page for it because I'm too lazy to provide a link.
Modern Family: "Slow Down Your Neighbors"- Fun, but still very flawed. Claire was at her most bothersome and the James Marsden storyline was extremely predictable. Claire's facial expressions at the end were priceless though.
Cougar Town: "No Reason to Cry"- I am happy to report I will be watching this show weekly from now on and I'm sad I've ignored it up until now (but c'mon, it's called Cougar Town, can you blame me?). It's a very refreshing type of show. The characters and plotlines all mesh very nicely. I am also impressed about how they seamlessly integrated the new comer to the Culdesac Crew. She fits right in. The show has a remarkable flow and I love it's self aware title cards.
The Big Bang Theory: "The Bus Pants Utilization"- It honestly feels like they've done this storyline ten or so times. Sheldon is just obnoxious now and you just wait and hope for him to get a slap in the face but it never comes. Nobody actually buys Leonard and Penny as a feasible couple. And, off topic, I can guarantee you the final scene of the series will be the group getting on the elevator. I can see why I don't watch this show every week anymore. It's become tired and lazy, essentially Two and a Half Men with a more extensive vocabulary.
Yeah, that was pretty much it. I miss television.
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