KT Update-Wrapping up the 2009 TV Season

Hello all my pop culture obsessed friends. Wow, it has been quite a long time since I’ve had time for a KT! Update. Damn work! Getting in the way of my fun. Anyhoo, I originally wanted to do my season finale report card but here we are over a month later & I have to say I’m not exactly sure how much I remember. So, maybe I’ll mention my favorite finales along with some of my favorite moments and standout performances of the 2010 season. So, see below for some ramblings on the season that was.

I love Nathan Fillion. I loved him as Mal, the captain of Serenity and I love him as Rick Castle. The week to week mysteries are not phenomenal, usually Jay or I call out the culprit, but week after week we tune in to see the relationship between Castle & his daughter and of course Castle & Kate. I was a little disappointed that the show pulled the old now that Kate realizes she has feelings for Castle he has moved on, but I guess it is a little early to put them together. Also, one of my favorite scenes of the season came in the Halloween episode, in a wink to loyal fans of Serenity when Rick dressed up as a “space cowboy.” I almost spit out my drink when he walked out in his gear from Firefly. If you have no idea what Firefly is, Netflix it…..immediately.


If you know me at all, you know that I have a very strong 16 year old streak running through me. In addition, if you’ve been reading the KT update for a while you know that I have shunned the CW for the untimely demises of Everwood and Veronica Mars. Combine that with the fact that I have very strict ideas of vampire lore because of The Whedon (I’m not saying all of the Buffy/Angel vampire rules are right, but that’s what I go by—vampires do not sparkle Stephanie Myer!!) So in September, when I watched the premiere of the Vampire Diaries I did so in order to come to you fine people and bash it properly. Well, that did not happen. My inner 16 year old won out (during the first 7 minutes) & I fell, fell hard I did!! Ian Somerhalder is so delicious as “bad vampire” Damon. It is quite an accomplishment for me to say that Somerhalder is the standout of the show when I hated him so much as Boone on Lost. This is another show I heartily recommend if you are looking for something to Netflix over the summer. It is not just another teen CW show there is actually a bit of substance to this show (so I wouldn’t categorize it as a guilty pleasure) and I love every single second of it. Plus, Bonus, Naked Lesbian Assassin Mandy (24) makes a guest appearance later in the season.

So this May, I said goodbye to two Jack’s. Jack Bauer and Jack Shepherd. As much as I will miss them both, I do think it was time for both to go to tv heave. I wasn’t thrilled with the way 24 ended. While Jack was bad ass (that scene when he came for the President in the tunnel was frikkin awesome) I don’t like the fact that Jack went around killing innocent people in the name of Justice. That was definitely vengeance my friend. It is kind of a shame that they are going to do movies because I think the 24 story really has to end with Jack’s death. The man needs to find his peace…or maybe that is the moral of the story. Sure Jack gets the job done and ultimately saves the day, but at what cost to his soul? I guess he doesn’t deserve peace. Aww, that’s kinda sad. Poor Jack Bauer!! Jack No. 2, definitely found peace in the finale of Lost. I know some of you were not happy with the way the show ended (and when I start to really think about all the questions I have I start to get a bit grumpy). However, I thoroughly enjoyed the last few hours (JIN & SUN!!) and got teary at all the reunions in the last episode.


The Madonna episode of Glee was so much fun. While I hope we don’t get too many performer centric episodes, I wouldn’t mind a Britney sing along (duh, you had to know that was coming). Also, because I am a big dork, I couldn’t stop squealing when former Spring Awakening costars Rachel & Jesse sang together. I also squealed when Idina & Rachel sang together.

Modern Family has stolen all of the sitcom thunder this year, but there are two other shows that I think are also worthy of some love. Both started out slow, but both Cougar Town and Community have had me laughing out loud…literally. If you can’t bring yourself to watch the whole season, at least find the Assassins episode of Community on the internet and watch. I think it might have been the best half hour of tv all year. Cougar Town started out a little iffy but you know I can’t say no to any show that has Scott Foley (Noel!!) as a guest star. By the time he was gone the show had me on its own merits.

A pretty ridiculous season of Survivor. Is it sad that I’m still bitter over Boston Rob getting the boot? I’m so in love with him that it is not even funny. And I will argue anyone who says that Sandra didn’t deserve the win or that Russell is the best player ever. 1) He had an unfair advantage because no one saw him play before 2) He would have gotten nowhere without the hidden immunity idols (if the producers insist on using idols they should do 1 per season) and 3) you have to be able to screw people over in a way that they respect you for it. Great, he knows how to strong arm people, but then they think he is a dick & don’t give him the money. You lose Russell!


The last few episodes of Fringe had me on the edge of my seat. Sometimes when a back story is finally explained it doesn’t live up to my expectations. But I thought the Fringe team did a great job going through Walter’s story (making me understand why he did it) and the effect it had on Peter. Finally, EEEE go save Olivia!


I have to say, I think the best season finale of the year happened last fall. Holy Mad Men Batman! I don’t want to say anything in case you want to Netflix it & see what all the fuss is about. But suffice it say the last hour of the season had me giddy. Don Draper is an ass, but I love him anyway (although I love Joan more). Can’t wait for season 2…get me some Lucky Strikes and a martini immediately!

Actually, another standout performance, even if just for the last 3 minutes, was the Weeds finale last summer. Hells yeah Shane! I’m so interested to see where the story is going to go this year...the Botwins on the run?


I’m sure most of you have not heard of Better off Ted, hence its cancellation but it was so quirky & funny. The show followed the day to day absurdities of the R&D department at corporate conglomerate, Veridian. Portia di Rossi was the standout as the frosty yet soft VP of the group, Veronica Palmer. I really enjoyed the whole cast, and definitely recommend this two season show to anyone looking for something to watch over the summer. Here is an example of why I love the show. In the episode posted below, a typo in a memo about inappropriate behavior orders employees to engage in offensive language. Wackiness ensues!
http://abc.go.com/watch/better-off-ted/SH559034/VD5570427/the-impertence-of-communicationizing

I’m also a little depressed that Party Down has been cancelled by Starz. Sure the ratings were low, but people could get it for free on Netflix a day after it aired on Starz. So I hope they checked the Netflix ratings too, because this show was just starting to gain buzz. I know of at least 5 people that just started watching it in the last month so I’m sad because I think it could have built an audience if Starz had just given it a little more time. Party Down is about a bunch of Hollywood wannabe’s that are employed at Party Down catering. The show was created by Rob Thomas (Veronica Mars) and produced by (among other people) Paul Rudd. The show is biting & jokes go quickly so you have to pay attention. Plus, since Rob Thomas is the creator there are cameos by nearly every member of the Veronica Mars cast. Another show to check out on Netflix!


I know the “in” thing to do is praise Jane Lynch’s Sue Sylvester and yes, she had some FANTASTIC lines this year, but I have to say, the performance of Mike O’Malley (as Burt Hummel) and the evolution of the relationship between Kurt and his father has made me misty eyed more than once. The scene when he throws Finn out of the house was a smidge emotional and played perfectly.

How can you not love Tim Riggins? I know a lot of people are pulling for Matt Saracen to get an Emmy nomination. While I do agree that Saracen has had some pretty heavy stuff to work through this season, I think that Tim Riggins lights up the screen every time he’s on. When he went and picked the dog up from the pound, come on! He’s just so frikkin awesome. I hope the show does not suffer next year from his lessened presence.

For me, the biggest disappointment of the fall season was So You Think You Can Dance. I thought the routines were boring, I hated the new stage and I LOATHED all the changes they made to the format of the show. Final 6? Booooo. No solos in the finale? Booooooo. The top 3 girls and the Top 3 guys didn’t even dance together! Boo Booo Booo! I’m glad Nigel recognized the issues and made some changes this summer. I love having my all stars back (yay Mark & Ade) but I find that often I’m focusing on the All-Star rather than the contestant. That being said, Alex Frikkin Wong!

That about wraps it up. I promise this week I’ll send out my thoughts on the upcoming fall shows (with links to the trailers) and the chart of the fall schedule.

KT! Update: DVRs at Maximum Capacity!!

Hello all my tv crazed friends. We are entering fourth week of the tv season. One show has already been canceled (tootles Mischa Barton) and there are only a handful of premieres left. I think this season has a lot of potential. It has been a while since I’ve tried this many new shows, and I’m impressed that sitcoms have upped their game. It is a little stressful depending on the loathsome Direct TV DVR. For some reason Direct TV still hasn’t figured out how to “clip” shows or offer me the option to end a recording a minute later or early so that a one minute conflict doesn’t cause me to miss an episode of Fringe!!! Oh Direct TV HD TIVO where are you? Why have you forsaken me? Can it really take this long to create a Direct TV HD TIVO or are you bastards just teasing me. Ooops, sorry for the tangent. On to my Fall premiere ratings!

Monday

How I Met Your Mother-The season kicked off with Robin & Barney trying to avoid “the talk” and Ted getting over his teaching anxiety. There’s not too much to say as this show is always solid. Premiere Grade: B+

Castle-I adore Nathan Fillion. He is the reason I tune in every week for this show. I could care less about the mystery of the week. Can I even remember what the mystery was for the premiere? Gimme a second. Oh yeah, something about a guy that was in over his head. Wow, it took me a good 3 minutes of racking my brain to come up with that. What I do remember, is Castle posing for a Cosmo cover shoot, going undercover at a poker game in China Town and making amends with his partner who’s name I can’t remember…Beckitt, that’s it!. So yeah, Castle=Fillion and that’s good enough for me. Premiere Grade: B

Tuesday
So You Think You Can Dance -You can’t really rate this show’s premiere because things don’t really get interesting until the Top 20. Hopefully it will get here soon. It was enjoyable to see Cat, Mary & Nigel though.

The Biggest Loser-Wow, talk about an emotional episode. After a ONE MILE hike two contestants needed to be taken to the hospital. One was so bad she had to be helicoptered to the hospital & was off the ranch for over a week! This is the biggest group of contestants the show has ever had (with a handful over the 400 mark) and the heaviest contestant ever (a 475 lb 30 year old woman). On top of that, this is a group of emotional train wrecks. One woman lost her whole family three years ago in a car accident & then Jillian is crying & I’m blubbering into my ice cream. I was a bit concerned that the season was going to be too depressing for me but last week was emotional in a completely different way. The group gave the big F U to the week two curse and everyone got to stay on the ranch another week. Premiere Grade: A-

Wednesday
Modern Family: I’ve learned over the years to take pre-season buzz with a grain of salt. There have been quite a few shows that have gotten rave reviews only to premiere to less than stellar ratings & not make it to February sweeps. And a sitcom? I use to LOVE sitcoms but the last few years they have been wretched. So I was a wee bit apprehensive about all the hype surrounding Modern Family, a show about 3 different “modern families”. The typical family unit, older man/younger woman newlyweds and a gay couple that has just adopted a baby. But wow. I haven’t laughed that hard at a show in a long, long time. Like when the baby was holding the cream puffs. Or the mom was screeching at the soccer game. Or they told Al Bundy that the mall walkers had to stay to the right. Or my favorite was when they brought the baby out “Simba Style”. Oh my goodness, I was laughing, Jay was dying. A great ½ hour of tv. Premiere Grade: A

Cougar Town- I really enjoyed this show which stars Courtney Cox as a newly divorced woman trying to having a normal dating life without totally mortifying her high school son. I laughed out loud a few times & I hope this show (brought to you by Bill Lawrence-creator of Scrubs) will continue at this level. Premiere Grade:B+

Glee -Seriously? Do I even need to write a review? It follows a group of misfits who sing & dance. Duh. Premiere Grade:A

Thursday

Survivor: Samoa-Survivor is a show that depends on the caliber of contestants. The chemistry has to be right or else Probst is just sitting at Tribal making quips that no one cares about. So far, I’m intrigued. CBS has been touting Russell as the biggest Survivor villain ever & I think they may be right (dude is crafty too, he found the immunity idol at camp, with no clues, while everyone was watching). But I hope the season doesn’t revolve all around Russell or things could get old fast. I think we’ve seen about 6 minutes of the other tribe. Premiere Grade:A

Community-The dude from the Soup is forced to go to community college after getting busted for lying about having a degree. He puts together a study group of colorful characters to impress a girl. Chevy Chase plays a creepy old guy. I loved the Breakfast Club references in the premiere. And here’s a fun fact, the girl who plays Annie is Pete Campbell’s wife on Mad Men! Premiere Grade: B+

Mentalist-I can’t believe I watch so many “cop dramas” but what can I say, it is the cast that draws me in! While it was Simon Baker’s Patrick Jane that lured me to this show, I think the supporting players are very strong & I definitely feel an emotional connection to them (not as connected as the Bones crews, but still, I would be sad if one of them got killed). Let’s see if I can remember their mystery of the week. Oh yes, the mom that stole a million dollars and disappeared & then found dead. Ok, I had to rack my brain again, but it didn’t take as long as Castle. I like the addition of Sam Bosco, who takes the Red John case from Lisbon & Jane. I think it is going to be enjoyable for Jane to have an adversary like Bosco, a little mono e mono to hold us over because you know they are not solving the Red John case anytime soon. Premiere Grade-B+

Vampire Diaries-For the record, despite the fact that I watch this show, I still loathe the CW. Despite all my best efforts, I was sucked in & watched the premiere. I don’t know what to say except that the commercials looked good & I wanted to be able to say that I watched it & it stunk. Well, I watched it and it didn’t stink. No. No, no, no. I already have WAY too many shows to watch on Thurs. The lead actress who was in Degrassi, is really likable and is a cross between Liz from Roswell and Emmanuelle Chriqui. Stefan, the new vampire in town (who my Everwood fans will remember as Amy Abbott’s no good druggie boyfriend) isn’t too tortured, just a little mysterious. And unlike the couple on that vampire show on HBO, I totally buy the chemistry between the two leads. The show is created by Kevin Williamson (Dawson’s Creek, Scream, I Know What You Did Last Summer) so the dialogue isn’t too cheesy or overdramatic. I also really like Boone as Stefan’s evil vampire brother. So we’ll see. I definitely didn’t hate it & at this point I’m willing to check it out.
Premiere Grade A-

Bones-When we last left the crew at the Jeffersonian, Booth had just woken up from a coma dream in which he & Bones were in love. I don’t remember anything too outstanding about the premiere & I can’t think too hard about what the mystery of the week was because all I can see is last week’s incident with all the cats & I’m still traumatized from that. Regardless, I still enjoy watching Bones & Booth running around DC solving murders. Hopefully the love story won’t kill the show. Premiere Grade: B

The Office-If you read this blog you know I’m not really a big fan of this show, it is out of love for my husband that I continue to watch it. That being said, I did let out a few chuckles during the premiere which saw Michael scrambling to start rumors about everyone in the office in order to cover up the fact that Stanley was having an affair. Premiere Grade: B

Grey’s Anatomy-I’ve heard a lot of mixed reviews about this episode. I thought that the opening sequence, especially Callie’s reaction, was an accurate depiction of how George’s death might impact the people of Seattle Grace. I did think (once again) that the best part of the show was Christina, Owen & Sloane (“He was kind of a dorky little guy”). I will say though, that when the janitor starting cleaning out George’s locker & Meredith broke down, I let out a tear or two. Despite the fact that this show can still get me, the more I think about it, the more I think that this show is ready to come off the dvr. Maybe next year, if I’m interested, I’ll rent the dvds & see how the season went. Even though I am attached to certain characters on this show, I don’t think anything has lived up to the first two seasons and I just can’t take the constant disappointment. Plus I haven’t forgiven Shonda for Denny or killing off George the way she did. Premiere Grade: B

Fringe-So Olivia returns from “over there” and can’t remember anything. Pacey finally gets a purpose (besides looking delicious) and Charlie bites the dust. I thought it was a little slow, but still good. Truthfully, the finale was so good I can’t imagine anything that could measure up. Premiere Grade: B+

Friday
Dollhouse-This episode gave me hope. I’m finally getting on board with Eliza Dushku as a lead & was very, very happy to see Apollo from BSG and Wesley from Angel make appearances. I thought the premiere did a nice job of taking pieces from the finale and beginning the journey towards Epitaph One (which is the lost episode you were supposed to Netflix over the summer). I really liked the stuff with Whiskey/Dr. Saunders and Topher. Can’t wait for Summer Glau! Premiere Grade: A

Sunday
Desperate Housewives-Nice. I’m glad Mike chose Susan. It will give Catherine that little bit of evil that I liked so much about her when she first showed up. Really liking the addition of Drea de Matteo and wow what an ending! Premiere Grade:A

Brothers & Sisters-New drama awaits the Walkers! The biggest thing about this episode was waiting to find out which Walker was in danger. Oh Kitty!!! There are going to be a lot of tears flowing in the weeks to come! Premiere Grade B+

The Amazing Race-First off, I want to say that I wish CBS would put this show on another night because I hate having to dvr an extra 30 minutes because football never ends on time. Anyhoo, this is an interesting bunch of people. And wow, pulling a play out of the Survivor handbook & getting rid of someone right away! That’s rough Phil! I thought the “EAT THE WASABI” challenge was hysterical even though it was mostly dependent on luck. And I was very happy to see Phil work the arched eyebrow twice in 2 hours. I wasn’t a fun of that jackass who kept yelling at Phil when he hit the mat, ya know, the guy whose wife said he was “wicked smart.” (read that with a Boston accent). My favorites so far: the harlem globetrotters, the kid with the pink hair & his dad; the poker chics (even though they are assholes) and the guy with Aspergers Syndrome & his friend. Premiere Grade:B+

The only premiere I really have left is Flash Forward. I’ll let you know what I think of that next week. Anything new that you’ve been watching that I should know about?

KT Update-Fall TV is Here!!

I’m a very happy KT because the fall season is finally upon us. Since premieres are spread over the next few weeks, I’ll post a new KT Update at the beginning of the week to let you know what is premiering & what I’m going to check out. At the end of the month I’ll send out my fall premiere report card & let you know what show has made it to the all important Tivo Season Pass list & what has gotten the boot. I’m really looking forward to the day when tv scheduling is a thing of the past. In the future I envision myself just scrolling down a list of each network’s shows & recording them, which would allow me to create my own personalized tv schedule. I don’t understand why networks insists on squeezing everything into one night. I have NINE shows on Thursday but only two on Monday (or three if I give in & check out Big Bang Theory). Come on networks, spread out the quality programming!

This week is pretty light, with mostly CW shows premiering. Tonight is 90210 and Melrose Place. Even though my beloved Sidney will return for the first episode, I will not be drawn back to Melrose, um especially since Sid got run over by a car on her wedding day like 13 years ago. I learned my lesson after Brenda & Kelly lured me back to a subpar 90210. Also, I still hate the CW for cancelling Veronica Mars & Everwood (sorry, I hold grudges!). Wednesday the CW premieres America’s Next Top Model and Thursday is The Vampire Diaries and Supernatural. The only new fall tv I’ll be watching this week is Fox with the premieres of Glee and So You Think You Can Dance. I’m beyond excited for Glee, I really loved the pilot episode. SYTYCD will be in auditions for the first few episodes so I’m not as excited for that but it is happy to see Cat, Mary & Nigel so soon after the summer season ended. SYTYCD really needs to kick it up a notch this year, with both the contestants and the choreography. Season 5 was a bit lacking for me.

As for my summer tv schedule, I am happy to report that I am thoroughly enjoying the third season of Mad Men (poor little Sally, that is a child destined for therapy). I will admit that Lifetime hasn’t killed Project Runway (although for the record, Lifetime needs to upgrade to HD stat & LA isn’t as fun as NYC). And, for those of you that are up late (or have a dvr) I fully endorse Chelsea Lately on E! Chelsea is a pop culture sponge like me, but she gets to interview celebrities and has the balls to ask them the questions we wished someone would. I’ve also finally started watching Top Chef and have been sucked in rather quickly. “Take your knives & go.” Wow, that’s a pretty harsh send off! At least Heidi looks a little sad when she tells the designers they are out.

While there has been some new tv on the tube, I’ve spent most of the summer working out my DVD player. I started off the summer with a trip down memory lane with the 80’s miniseries “North & South”. Wow, it is crazy to watch that now & see all the frikkin people in it. Patrick Swayze, Kirstey Alley, Genie Francis, David Carradine, Morgan Fairchild, Robert Guillaume, Forest Whitaker, Elizabeth Taylor, Johnny Cash and the dad from That 70’s show. On top of that, there are a whole crapload of people whose faces I recognize. Of course, North & South is really all about the Swayze, and it was lovely to see him right before he hit it big with Dirty Dancing.

“It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia”. Wow. The show centers around a group of friends (who are complete and total assholes) that run a pub in Philly. Hijinks ensue. Jay LOVES this show. I think that sometimes it is a little far-fetched which pulls me out of the episode, but it is still quite funny. P.S. Season 5 starts September 17 (a Thursday—what are the odds!!) on FX.

“Sports Night” This show is the West Wing minus politics plus sports. All of the trademark Aaron Sorkin snappy dialogue, quick humor and moral quandaries are there. I think the show made have had a hard time finding an audience because despite 30 min episodes, the show was not a sitcom and not really a comedy. It was more of a dramedy. I would definitely recommend checking it out, it is a quick watch, with only two seasons. The show had a stellar cast including: Felicity Huffman (Desperate Housewives), Peter Krause (Six Feet Under), Josh Charles (Threesome) & Robert Guillame (Benson).

Thanks to Netflix right now I have “True Blood” and “The West Wing”. The jury is still out on True Blood. I’m already liking a few of the supporting characters but I haven’t been completely pulled in by the Sookie-Bill relationship. And I’m all over the dog. That has Jacob (from Twilight) written all over it so I know who it is.

The West Wing is a big time investment, so I think I’m going to watch the first season then switch to something else, then come back. It did make me happy to see that crew together again. I really did love that show for a while.

At home, I’m rotating between “Alias” (that show was frikkin phenomenal its first 2 seasons), “Angel” (I’m in season 3) with a dash of “Arrested Development” thrown in. I still miss that show, movie needs to happen ASAP!

Moving on from TV, last month Michael & I went to see Britney at MSG. Wow. Wowie wow wow. And that was just the crowd. I have never seen so many fashion disasters under one roof. Girls trying to rock outfits way out of their league, women trying to wear outfits they were10 years too old for….it was insane. Plus, we had a 30-something woman (who was definitely a New Yorker) behind us who kept expressing her love & admiration for Britney throughout the entire show….at the top of her lungs. Britney herself was better then expected. Through the first half of the show I felt like she was phoning in her performance but about midway through she finally kicked it up a notch. Once or twice I saw a glimpse of the girl from the Oops VMA performance (my FAVORITE VMA PERFORMANCE EVER) but there was A LOT of walking around & half dancing. Michael & I have decided that Britney needs to ditch the bubblegum persona she still slips into & just fully commit to the dark sexiness. That’s when she was at her best (like this http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y-6Xe1gGdQo) Anyhoo, I really liked the set design, the costumes, the dancers, and the transitions. I thought it was a great show.

That about wraps things up. Next week 6 of the 9 Thursday night shows premiere!

KT Update-Thoughts on the Emmy Nominations (Finally!)

At this point most of you know that even though the Emmy’s tend to infuriate me, I just can’t stop watching. There were some happy surprises this year, but of course, there were also some inexcusable snubs. Take a peek below for my thoughts. Oh and Joss might finally get an Emmy. Dr. Horrible was nominated for something called Outstanding Special Class - Short-format Live-Action Entertainment Programs. No idea what that means, but I’m hoping for a win. So here they are, the Emmy nominations complete with KT comments.

BEST COMEDY SERIES
Entourage
Family Guy
Flight of the Conchords
How I Met Your Mother
The Office
30 Rock
Weeds

I’m really over Entourage. I know it still has a loyal following, but I have heard that a lot of people are done. Mostly I’m just excited for the “How I Met Your Mother” love. I don’t think it has a chance in hell of winning but still, it is nice to be noticed. Weeds was CRAZY last year, but even though the show has gone in a darker direction, I still care about the Botwins & find myself laughing out loud. It is so weird to think back to when I hated Andy. I don’t watch Family Guy or Flight of the Conchords, but I know both have followings. Anyhoo, my money is on 30 Rock and I think it is deserving. That being said, I’m still a proponent of “If you win 3 times you have to take a year off from the category.” It would have been nice for Pushing Daisies to get some love. I’m still depressed about that cancellation.

BEST ACTOR IN A COMEDY SERIES
Alec Baldwin, 30 Rock
Steve Carell, The Office
Jemaine Clement, Flight of the Conchords
Jim Parsons, The Big Bang Theory
Tony Shalhoub, Monk
Charlie Sheen, Two and a Half Men

I don’t think it is a big secret that I’m not the hugest Office fan, but I do think the whole “Michael Scott Paper Company” was a brilliant storyline that breathed fresh air back into the series. I still don’t want him to win though. I don’t watch Flight of the Conchords, I loathe Tony Shalhoub, Two and a Half Men is a little too “sitcom-y” for me, so this comes down to Baldwin vs. Jim Parsons. I don’t watch Big Bang Theory, but I know a lot of you do and I know how much you love it. As much as I love Baldwin (and am still pulling for him to win) it would be nice to see the unexpected newbie to win. Um, can I get some Chuck love?

BEST ACTRESS IN A COMEDY SERIES
Christina Applegate, Samantha Who?
Toni Collette, United States of Tara
Julia Louis-Dreyfus, The New Adventures of Old Christine
Tina Fey, 30 Rock
Mary-Louise Parker, Weeds
Sarah Silverman, The Sarah Silverman Program

I love Mary-Louise Parker & Tina Fey but I’m really pulling for Christina Applegate here. It would be nice to show her some love after the way her show was neglected by ABC.

SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A COMEDY SERIES
Jon Cryer, Two and a Half Men
Kevin Dillon, Entourage
Neil Patrick Harris, How I Met Your Mother
Jack McBrayer, 30 Rock
Tracy Morgan, 30 Rock
Rainn Wilson, The Office

Although it is nice to see Kenneth & Tracy get some recognition, I’m so in love with NPH it is not even funny (how can you not love him after the singing in Dr. Horrible? ) although I wish Chi McBride was here for Pushing Daisies. Other standout performances that are missing are Casey and Morgan from Chuck, who are so frikkin hilarious.

SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A COMEDY SERIES
Kristin Chenoweth, Pushing Daisies
Jane Krakowski, 30 Rock
Elizabeth Perkins, Weeds
Amy Poehler, Saturday Night Live
Kristin Wiig, Saturday Night Live
Vanessa Williams, Ugly Betty

Krakowski had moments of brilliance as have the SNL ladies, but this HAS, HAS to go to Chenoweth. Her Olive was so sugary sweet, vulnerable & highly funny. Plus, she would bust out into song every now & again. How can you not love her??? God it is UNREAL how much I already miss this show. Damn you ABC!!!

GUEST ACTOR IN A COMEDY SERIES
Alan Alda, 30 Rock
Beau Bridges, Desperate Housewives
Jon Hamm, 30 Rock
Steve Martin, 30 Rock
Justin Timberlake, Saturday Night Live

Timba-Timba-Timberlake all the way. It was the only time anyone talked about SNL after the election.

GUEST ACTRESS IN A COMEDY SERIES
Jennifer Aniston, 30 Rock
Christine Baranski, The Big Bang Theory
Tina Fey, Saturday Night Live
Gena Rowlands, Monk
Elaine Stritch, 30 Rock
Betty White, My Name Is Earl

Has to be Fey. Oooh. See, you can give the Best Actress Emmy to Applegate & then give Fey the guest actress award! Yay! Everybody wins!


BEST DRAMA SERIES
Big Love
Breaking Bad
Damages
Dexter
House
Lost
Mad Men

House. Really? The rest of this group is pretty solid. Thought Lost was stellar this year while Mad Men is a high quality show with an amazing ensemble. I just finished Breaking Bad and thought it was awesome. I wouldn’t have minded seeing Fringe on here. I thought it started off kinda slow but the last few episodes were fabulous. In fact, I would say that Fringe was one of, if not the, best season finale. Honestly, I think I’d be happy with any of these, minus House & Damages.

BEST ACTOR IN A DRAMA SERIES
Simon Baker, The Mentalist
Gabriel Byrne, In Treatment
Bryan Cranston, Breaking Bad
Michael C. Hall, Dexter
Jon Hamm, Mad Men
Hugh Laurie, House

I know there was little chance of this happening, but I would have loved a shout out to Life’s Charlie Crews. I generally hate cop drama’s but Charlie Crews was such an engaging character that I couldn’t help myself (this is also the case for Simon Baker in the Mentalist). In terms of who I’m cheering for, Bryan Cranston is frikkin amazing in Breaking Bad as Walt, a chemistry teacher who takes up cooking meth with a former student in order to pay for his cancer treatments & to leave his family with money after he is gone. Walt started off as an everyman doormat and has transformed into a bad ass man with a mission who uses science to solve a lot of his problems. I watched one episode & couldn’t stop. I think I watched 95% of the season in one day (don’t get too excited, it was only an 8 episode season). Cranston just pulls you in and you can’t help but root for him & love how bad ass he becomes.


BEST ACTRESS IN A DRAMA SERIES
Glenn Close, Damages
Sally Field, Brothers & Sisters
Mariska Hargitay, Law & Order: SVU
Holly Hunter, Saving Grace
Elisabeth Moss, Mad Men
Kyra Sedgwick, The Closer

I have to say I’m not especially excited about this list. I thought Katherine Heigl (love her or hate her) had a fantastic season (or second half of the season anyway) on Greys. I also think that January Jones’ Betty Draper was amazing this year as she progressed from a naïve housewife into a woman who must decide between the comforts she’s accustomed to and standing up for herself.

SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A DRAMA SERIES
Christian Clemenson, Boston Legal
Michael Emerson, Lost
William Hurt, Damages
Aaron Paul, Breaking Bad
William Shatner, Boston Legal
John Slattery, Mad Men

I absolutely had some issues with Grey’s this year, nearly broke up with it when Denny showed up, but I though there were a few standouts (as mentioned above) one of which is Kevin McKidd’s tortured Owen Hunt. Even when I was dangerously close to breaking up with the show I enjoyed the Owen-Christina storyline…man, those two were smoking!! With those on this list, I would vote for either Aaron Paul (as Walt’s former student & partner Jesse) or Michael Emerson. I’m leaning more towards Emerson because I just can’t figure Ben out. Just when I think he HAS to be evil he does something that makes me doubt his full evilness and that is all a credit to Emerson. For me, even for a nano second, not to hate Ben after everything he’s done is thanks to Emerson’s flawless performance.

SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A DRAMA SERIES
Rose Byrne, Damages
Hope Davis, In Treatment
Cherry Jones, 24
Sandra Oh, Grey's Anatomy
Dianne Wiest, In Treatment
Chandra Wilson, Grey's Anatomy

This comes down to Cherry Jones and Sandra Oh. Jones is 24’s sole acting nomination and with good reason. I often felt like she was the core of the show. She also represented a return to strength in the White House. Not since President Palmer have we’ve seen someone who wouldn’t back down from their principles. It was so awesome when she turned her wretched daughter in. Sandra Oh had an outstanding year as Dr. Christina Yang. Between Owen and Izzie, you could really feel what Christina was going through this year and it brought me to tears more than once.


REALITY

REALITY COMPETITION PROGRAM
The Amazing Race
American Idol
Dancing With The Stars
Project Runway
Top Chef

Survivor is not on here? This season was one of the best in a while. JT ruled! I can’t even remember who was on Runway last year and Dancing With the Stars is lame (although I heard that a few SYTYCD alum are now on the show) and I don’t watch Top Chef (I will say that I know a lot of you enjoy it). I thought the Amazing Race was decent this year, there were some great moments (like the cheese rolling down the hills) but I thought the last episode was a little lackluster. Idol was THE show at the watercooler this year as everyone was talking about Glambert (either for or against). Idol deserves it, but the Amazing Race is the Emmy’s darling.

HOST FOR A REALITY OR REALITY-COMPETITION PROGRAM
Tom Bergeron, Dancing With the Stars
Phil Keoghan, The Amazing Race
Heidi Klum, Project Runway
Padma Lakshmi (Host) and Tom Colicchio (Co-Host), Top Chef
Jeff Probst, Survivor
Ryan Seacrest, American Idol

I’m so bitter Cat Deeley is not on here, she frikkin rules. There is nothing fake about her (a la Seacrest) and you can see she really cares about the performers. Probst was stellar once again. I have to say, there is nothing I love more on Survivor than when Probst calls someone out in Tribal Council.

REALITY SERIES
Antiques Roadshow
Dirty Jobs
Dog Whisperer
Intervention
Kathy Griffin: My Life On The D-List
MythBusters

I’m not really sure why Deadliest Catch isn’t on here (it is classified as Nonfiction Series, isn’t that the same as reality series?) These are all decent shows, so I would be fine with any one of them taking it.

Outstanding Animated Program (for programming less than one hour)
American Dad
Robot Chicken • Robot Chicken: Star Wars Episode II
South Park
The Simpsons

South Park is frikkin phenomenal. I don’t know where they come up with some of this stuff but it is irreverent, biting, relevant & hilarious. That being said, I did really enjoy Robot Chicken Star Wars Episode II.


Outstanding Choreography
81st Annual Academy Awards • Musicals Are Back • Rob Ashford, Choreographer
Dancing With The Stars • Jive / Great Balls of Fire • Derek Hough, Choreographer
Julianne Hough, Choreographer
So You Think You Can Dance • Bleeding Love • Tabitha D'umo, Choreographer
Napoleon D'umo, Choreographer
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VaLroD0915o

So You Think You Can Dance • Mercy •Mia Michaels, Choreographer
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EYPUaF4tcEc

So You Think You Can Dance • Adam and Eve / Silence Tyce Diorio, Choreographer
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WBFM81rj0HI

So You Think You Can Dance • A Los Amigos • Dmitry Chaplin, Choreographer
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gZeW9iduGOs

I actually thought the Mia Michaels with Katee & Joshua http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N-hZCl-OKDg, Katee & Joshua’s Bollywood http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8oO4cg9h9Ps
and Sonja’s Mark & Courtney’s piece http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=USR3WY-5eRE
were better than Adam & Eve or Mercy. That being said, Bleeding Love was my favorite performance of the season. I’m cheering for NapTab!


Outstanding Special Class - Short-format Live-Action Entertainment Programs
30 Rock's Kenneth the Web Page • NBC.com • Universal Media Studios
Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog • drhorrible.com • Mutant Enemy, Inc.

Do you even have to ask?

Well that’s that. The Emmy’s are Sunday, September 20th with Neil Patrick Harris hosting.

Kt Update-Fall Preview

Hello! Please see below for the infamous tv schedule spreadsheet. Anything highlighted I’m going to watch, anything in RED is new, BLUE is new timeslots.

But before we get into my two cents on the new fall shows, I have a bit of casting scoop:

Freddy Prinze Jr. has been cast in 24 next year (don’t know how I feel about that) while John Lithgow will be on Dexter. The Whedon also gave an interview the other day and said that we should expect to see Summer Glau (T:SCC, Firefly) in the Dollhouse next year but that she wouldn’t be a doll because that would be too obvious.


Fall Season Previews:

ABC

Shark Tank (Tues 8)-Regular people pitch their ideas to five high powered investors.

The Forgotten (Tues 10)-Centers around a team that investigates the murders of victims whose identity is unknown. Their goal is to figure out who the “forgotten victim” is & solve their murder. Originally Reiko Aylesworth (Michelle, 24) was one of the leads, but she has since dropped out. Ehh, I watch too many murder of the week shows, don’t need to add this one!

Hank (Wed 8) Kelsey Grammer stars as a rich man who lives in NYC with his family until he loses his fortune & is forced to move his family to Virginia. I won’t be checking this one out.

The Middle (Wed 8:30) –Patricia Heaton stars as the matriarch of a wacky family living in the middle of Indiana. The trailer reminded me a little of Malcolm in the Middle, but I chuckled a few times so I’ll probably check it out. Plus, bonus points….the husband is Janitor from Scrubs!!

Modern Family (Wed 9)-This show revolves around three “modern families”; the stereotypical American family with 3 kids, an older man/younger woman newlywed couple and two gay men who have just adopted a baby girl. Familiar faces include Julie Bowen (Lost, Ed) and Ed O’Neill (Married…With Children). I was entertained enough by the preview that I will be checking this one out as well.

Cougar Town (Wed 9:30) Bill Lawrence (the creator of Scrubs) brings a new comedy starring Courtney Cox-Arquette as a newly divorced, 40-ish woman trying to deal with aging while getting back into the dating world. Busy Phillips (Freaks & Geeks, Dawson’s Creek) and Christa Miller (Scrubs) co-star. Definitely going to check this one out.

Eastwick (Wed 10) When a tall, dark & handsome stranger arrives in town three women discover they have some mystical abilities. Familiar faces: Rebecca Romijn I’ll be passing on this one.

Flash Forward (Thurs 8) ABC had 2 minute previews for all of their new shows except for this one, apparently they are trying to keep the whole thing very hush, hush. From the 12 second preview, it looks like a bunch of people black out & see some horrible event that is supposed to occur in the future. Stars Joseph Fiennes (Shakespeare in Love) and Penny from Lost. I may check it out, but I’m already triple booked for Thurs at 8, so unless it gets rave reviews I’ll probably skip it.

V! (midseason) This is a remake of a 1980’s miniseries. Some aliens land ( Independence Day style) but then they send a message saying they are peaceful. While it seems that the visitors are friendly, a group of people start to believe that the visitors have an evil agenda and are using their influence to manipulate humans. I thought it looked interesting. Cast includes a bunch of favorites like Juliet from Lost, Tom Baldwin from the 4400, Inara from Firefly and Scott Wolf (you should know who that is without me listing all his credits!!). I’ll probably check it out just because of the cast. Hopefully it is cool.

The Deep End (midseason) Lawyer show. That’s pretty much all I got from the trailer. But I did see Mac from Veronica Mars, Dr. Abbott from Everwood & Billy Zane!! If I’m really bored I may check out the pilot.

Happy Town(midseason) On first glance it looks like a nice little story about a woman moving to a quiet, happy town (get it?) in Minnesoooooota. Well then someone gets killed by the “Magic Man” (sorry but all I could think of was Talladega Nights) and wackiness ensues. I’ll be passing on this one. Although I think I saw Amy Acker in the trailer..hold on…a quick check on IMDB confirms that I did see Amy Acker (Angel, Dollhouse) but I don’t think that is enough for me to check out the show (Plus this show just got a wretched review on AICN).


You can check out all the ABC trailers at: http://abc.go.com/fallpreview/index



NBC
The Marriage Ref (midseason)- From reading this description, it sounds a lot like the 30 Rock episode where Lemon goes on to a talk show & yells “That’s a DEAL BREAKER” at couples asking her advice. And if you don’t watch 30 Rock, then you lose!!

Trauma (Mon 9)-Set in San Francisco & follows first responder paramedics.

Day One (midseason) After a cataclysmic event, survivors try to rebuild. Familiar faces: Carly Pope (24, Popular) Julie Gonzalo (Veronica Mars, Eli Stone)

Parenthood (Wed 8)-Based on the Steve Martin film, the show explores the family life of the 4 grown siblings of the Braverman family. Familiar faces: Peter Krause (Dirty Sexy Money, Six Feet Under), Maura Tierney (ER), Craig T. Nelson (Coach), Dax Shepard (Punk’D), Monica Potter (Patch Adams) and Erika Christensen (Traffic, Six Degrees) Besides the cast, this show boasts some serious tv cred, with producers Ron Howard & Brian Grazer, writer/director Jason Katims (FNL), plus the pilot is directed by Thomas Schlamme (The West Wing). How can you not check this one out?

Mercy (midseason)-A medical drama focusing on three nurses from Mercy Hospital. Familiar Faces: Michelle Trachtenberg (Buffy, Gossip Girl) also Guillermo from Weeds is one of the nurses (not one of the main 3) Fun Fact: One of the main characters, Veronica is torn between her husband & a new doctor that she has a past with. The two characters are played by actors who were on Men In Trees, Ivan & Jack!! I don’t usually like medical dramas, but I was a bit interested by the preview.

Community (Thurs 8)- Joel McHale (The Soup) stars as a lawyer who has to go to community college after it is revealed that he never graduated from college. He soon realizes that Greendale Community College is made up of high-school losers, newly divorced housewives, and old people who want to keep their minds active. He starts a study group to get closer to a pretty girl and everyone becomes friends (awwww). Familiar faces: Chevy Chase. The show is written & directed by the people who brought you Arrested Development. That’s enough for me to check it out.

NBC previews are available at: http://thefutoncritic.com/news.aspx?id=8076

CBS
Three Rivers (Sun 9)-Looks at organ transplants from three different perspectives. From the donor, the recipient and the surgical team. The cast was recently completely replaced except for the dude that was in Moonlight.

Accidentally on Purpose (Mon 8:30) Jenna Elfman has a one night stand with a younger man & gets knocked up. I’m not a big Elfman fan & the preview looked a little too “sitcom-y” for me so I’ll be passing this one up.

The Good Wife (Tues 10) Ever wonder what those women are thinking when they are standing stone faced next to their husbands during a press conference where the man is confessing to adultery or some type of crime. Julianna Marguiles is a woman who must re-enter the workforce (as a lawyer) and try to keep her family together after her husband (Chris Noth) is caught up in a very public sex and political corruption scandal that lands him in jail. Familiar Faces: Christine Baranski & Grams from Dawson’s Creek!

CBS previews are available at: http://www.cbs.com/primetime/fall_preview_2009/

Fox
The Cleveland Show (Sun 8:30)-Animated show, I think Cleveland is a character on Family Guy.

Sons of Tucson(midseason)-Three boys pay a slacker to play their dad when their real one goes to jail. Familiar Faces: Tyler Labine (Reaper)

Past Life (midseason) A psychologist & a detective solve crimes by helping people with “past life traumas”. I thought the trailer didn’t look half bad but I have too many of those cop/non cop buddy shows on my plate.

Human Target (midseason)- Based on a DC Comics graphic novel, the show follows Christopher Chance (Olivia’s boyfriend from Fringe), a bodyguard who will do anything to save the lives on his clients (in the preview it is Caprica Six from BSG). Familiar Faces: Chi McBride (wah….I want him on Pushing Daisies). Trailer looked interesting, but is he going to protect different people every episode? That could get tired pretty quick. Anyhoo, it will really depend on what night its on.

Brothers (Fri 8)-Holy crap this looks terrible!! Michael Strahan plays an ex-NFL superstar who comes home to help his brother who is struggling to run his restaurant after a car accident has left him in a wheel chair. I can’t believe this show was actually given the greenlight.

Glee (Wed 9) If you missed the pilot episode after the American Idol finale you should check it out on hulu.com. Is there anything better than a story about bringing people together through singing & dancing?

Fox previews are: http://www.eonline.com/uberblog/watch_with_kristin/b124530_watch_previews_of_foxs_new_fall_pilots.html

CW
Melrose Place (Tues 9)-Oh CW this is why you are still banned. Anything with potential you cancel (that’s why I didn’t watch Reaper or Privledged) while you keep on drivel that should have been cut years ago. And to top it all off, you have no original ideas. So one year after trying to nostalgic-me into watching 90210 (which only worked for 3 episodes) you are trying yet again with Melrose. SPOILER ALERT. THE NEXT FEW LINES WILL DISCUSS PLOT POINTS OF THE PREMIERE.
Since Heather Locklear wouldn’t do it, you resurrected my dear Sydney only to kill her off in the pilot. Well I’m not going to fall for it! Plus Ashley Simpson? BLECH.

The Beautiful Life (Wed 9)-It’s so hard being a supermodel, especially when you are Mischa Barton. I’ll pass, thanks!

The Vampire Diaries (Thurs 8) A teenage girl is drawn to a new boy at high school who just happens to be a vampire. He’s good, but his brother is a bad vampire which of course puts the girl & her brother’s life in peril. ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ Familiar faces: The good vampire was Kim’s husband on this season of 24 & also Amy Abbott’s bad boyfriend on Everwood. The bad vampire is Boone from Lost!

CW previews: http://www.cwtv.com/thecw/the-cw-fall-2009-preview

Here's the spreadsheet for your viewing pleasure!!

KT Update-Season Finale Grades!!

Hello my friends,

Well, another tv season has concluded. It has been too, too long. Work was monopolizing my time & I apologize for the lack of KT updates. On the plus side, with facebook I am able to post notable news stories right to my page so you are never left without scoopage!! Anyhoo, please see below for my season finale report card. Last week was Upfront Week so later this week I’ll be sending out the 2009 Fall TV Schedule and some first impressions of the new shows. That will be followed up by a wrap up of the season, listing out the best performances (according to me).

Before I get to that, I’d just like to take a minute to say that people in Hollywood are DUMB. How can you possible think of making a buffy anything without the Whedon? I could see if it was 20 years from now & you were introducing the character & mythology to a new group of people but Buffy has a rabid fan base & I think you are just setting yourself up to fail. A big Booo Bahhhhh Hisss to that one!!!

As I have mentioned before, it is pretty hard for me to break up with a show after I’ve invested so much of my time but I did successfully ditch Heroes (really? You escape from a plane crash & then just hang around there? You don’t run for your life??) and Private Practice (the last 2 episodes were sitting on my tivo and I just had absolutely no desire to watch them).

Even after all this time I'm still heartbroken over the loss of Pushing Daisies. At least ABC has decided to air the final episodes along with those of Eli Stone & Dirty Sexy Money. I believe they start airing this Saturday, so make sure to set your Tivo's!!


How I Met Your Mother-This has been an interesting season with Ted nearly getting married, Barney realizing he has feelings & the constant struggle to hide both Robyn & Lilly’s real life pregnancies. HIMYM continues to be one of my favorite shows, even though later, I can’t ever remember what the episodes were about. Season Finale & Season: B+

24-This season was a significant improvement over season 6 (which truthfully, isn’t sayg very much). I was happy to see Soul Patch Tony, but I kinda wish he had stayed good because it would have been nice if Jack had one person he could always trust. I really liked the new President & her staff (except for her daughter who stunk & I’m glad her ass is going to jail). As an added bonus, Kim showed up & ultimately did not suck. She was able to avoid kidnapping, cougar attack & amnesia & even ended up contributing (and, if we are to make our own assumptions about the finale, saved her dad). I thought the finale was a bit anticlimactic, but I guess they all can’t end with Nina killing Terri (best ending ever)….Season: B+; Finale B

Chuck-You need to be watching this show. WHY ARE YOU NOT WATCHING THIS SHOW?? Chuck has one of the best ensemble casts on tv (I would argue second to 30 Rock). Adam Baldwin is frikkin fantastic as gruff agent Casey, while Sarah is the stuff little boys dream about and the staff of the Buy More regularly make me fall off the couch because I am laughing so hard. The show really kicked it up a notch over the last few episodes & turned the series on its head in the finale. Thankfully the show was picked up by NBC & will return to the schedule at midseason. Plenty of time for you to get your asses on Netflix and add it to your queue (or you can go to hulu.com or NBC.com). Season: A; Finale A+



The Mentalist-This is one of those shows that snuck up on me. I wasn’t going to watch (especially since I’m watching too many cop shows right now) but then I saw a few of the commercials & decided to check it out. The show rests on Simon Fuller’s Jane’s shoulders & he pulls it off. He has just the right amount of arrogance to make him still likable. We know he knows more than we do and he knows that we know that he knows more than everyone, but he never comes off as obnoxious. Many times the story of the week is predictable, but it is how Jane and his CBI peers figure it out that makes the show worth watching. Plus I’m definitely interested to see how the Red John story plays out. Season: A, Finale:

Life-Oh Charlie Crews, I will miss you! It saddens me that this show is gone, but I’m glad that the writers had the foresight to know that they were in danger & wrapped up most of the big mysteries of the series. Again, for me, this show was not about the week to week mysteries, it was about my connection to Crews, his mystery, his friends & his connection to Danni. I thought the finale was fantastic, especially that throat punch at the end. Season: A; Finale: A+



Fringe-I started watching this show for my beloved Pacey & even though the week to week stories were interesting, I was there for Pacey & because Jay LOVES this show. It tends to freak me out, but I like it. Although I was not over the moon for this show on a weekly basis, I have to say the finale as fantastic. Where shows like Lost & Greys’ simply set up cliffhangers for the sake of cliffhangers (more on that later) Fringe actually gave some answers to the questions we’ve been asking all season while proposing exciting new questions for next season. Besides the last scene (which was CRRRAZZY) I can’t believe Pacey is alternate dimension Pacey!!!! Season: B+; Finale: A+

Lost-Two hours. Two hours & really what did we learn? Yes, we saw some progress on the John Locke storyline. Locke is indeed dead, his body cloned & hijacked by Jacob’s early companion. Did Jacob want Ben to stab him? Was Ben finally the one being played? Exactly who is the “they” that are coming? But really, I felt like the show just spent 2 hours moving at a glacial pace to just set up more questions for next season. Questions that we’ve been asking all season anyway. What’s up with those other people on the plane? Ok, we know they are linked to Jacob, still no clue who they are. Will Jin & Sun be reunited? Will the time travelling stop? And is Juliet dead? (my guess is yes as she is in a new show next year)….so we’ll see. Last summer I rewatched the entire series straight through & I have to say that it made me appreciate the show so much more. I have faith that next season will be worth it. But I think as far as season finales go, it was WEAK. Season: A, Finale: C+

Grey’s Anatomy-I tried to break up with this show when Denny showed up. If it had just been Denny I may have been able to handle it but really the first half of the season was pretty weak. When Shonda finally admitted that Izzie did have a brain tumor (as rumored) then I decided to give it another go. It was a very uneven season. As I previously mentioned I hated Denny & I also couldn’t stand the cardiologist with Aspergers, the interns re-enacting Flatliners, does anyone remember Melissa George? Plus the disappearance of Hahn showed a complete lack of respect for not only the actress, but also for the audience (a thought I will come back to in a minute) I thought Meredith & Derek were a lot less annoying than last season (likable even!!), I think McSteamy & Callie have the best friendship ever (and I was secretly hoping for them to get together after Hahn left) and I loved every second of the Christina & Owen story (well, except for the icicle incident). The second half of the season was a lot better. Once we knew about Izzie’s illness, Katherine Heigl (love her or hate her) demonstrated the acting abilities she possesses and I thought this storyline upped everyone’s game, except of course for my dear George, who probably had a total of 45 min of screen time this year. As if I wasn’t mad enough at Shonda for George’s lack of screen time, I am furious with her for the conclusion of his storyline. I think she is a spiteful person & I have lost a lot of respect for her as a result. So you give an actor 6 lines through the first half of the season & then get pissed when he asks to be released from his contract? Shonda claims all characters have ebbs & flow. Seriously? I don’t remember anyone else having an ebb like this one. And then, in the finale, which is most likely his last episode, you drag him for a block and a half by a bus & leave him as a mangled mess. To add insult to injury, none of his friends realized it was him (because you know, they are use to George not being around on account of his 6 lines all season) until the last 5 min of the show. Even if you are having issues with an actor, you owe it to your audience to send a beloved character out in a respectful manner and I don’t think she did the George character right. Izzie on the other hand, would have a fantastic send off, if in fact she is leaving, which I don’t think she is. So yeah, we’ll see how next season goes. I’m pretty bitter about the finale & think Shonda is a big ol bitch, so if the show doesn’t hold my interest it will be pretty easy for me to remove it from my schedule. Season: C+ (D for first half A for final half); Finale C+ (thought it was good minus the whole George incident and I think the penultimate episode was 1000x more emotional)

Survivor-This is a show that varies by season. It really depends on the cast & how they interact. I thought this was a great season, it was very easy to root for JT, Stephen & Taj (especially when they went into the merge down by 3) but they managed to rally & vote off the entire other tribe. In addition, I thought Tyson added just the right amount of villain & love him or hate him, Coach provided many comic moments. Plus, not only did I win the Survivor Pool (go JT) I also want the Survivor Fantasy league (Tobins-is that a first??) Season: A, Finale: A+

The Office-Honestly, I probably wouldn’t watch this show if Jay didn’t love it so much. As I’ve said in the past, I’m kinda over Steve Carrell & it is hard for me to take him seriously as a boss. I will say that I really enjoyed the Michael Scott Paper Company development, especially since it demonstrated what makes Michael so valuable. Season: B+; Finale:B+

The Amazing Race-I thought this season had potential. The cheese challenge was hysterical & I was all about the Mel & Mike. Too bad they didn’t make it to the end. I was underwhelmed with the teams that made it to the end and I thought the finale was a bit anticlimactic. Still good times though. Season: B; Finale: C

Desperate Housewives-I will miss Edie Britt. I think the series will be missing the brutally honest bitch element that Nicole Sheridan brought to the show. I thought it was a solid season, especially the start of the season when we first were met with the ladies’ new situations, five years after the finale. I was a bit disappointed that they threw Gabby & Carlos back into the lap of luxury, but at least they are a solid couple this year. I thought the finale was ok, a bit anticlimactic, and really, I could care less about who Mike is marrying (my bet would be Catherine though) what is really interesting to me (and terrifying at the same time) is Lynette’s unplanned pregnancy (with twins!!!) Season: B, Finale: B+

Brothers & Sisters-This season was so-so for me. There were some great moments (any Walker family dinner for example). For me, it is still all about Kevin. I’m glad Tommy is gone, he was pretty lame anyway and I’m soooooo over Ryan. I had a little Buffy déjà vu when Kitty ran after Robert’s helicopter, but I suspect their marriage is DONE which is a bit sad because I like Rob Lowe, but I think it will provide some fireworks. Season: B-; Finale: B

Castle-I am a Nathan Fillion fan which is why I decided to check this show, but I grew to like it very quickly (although truthfully it is mostly because of Fillion’s character, Nick Castle). In the same way that The Mentalist relies on Patrick Jane’s ability to read people & see things others overlook, Castle, as a mystery writer, is able to take a step back from the case & see what the cops are overlooking. Again, I could care less about the weekly mysteries, it is just fun to see what trouble Castle will get himself into each week. It is a completely ridiculous concept, but Filllion is so awesome I don’t care. Season: B Season Finale: B+



Scrubs- I’m glad that ABC picked up this show last year so that it could get the proper send off it deserves. Solid season & I thought the finale was perfect (and I’m not too happy about them bringing it back next year). Season: B Finale: A

Better Off Ted-I think this is a great sitcom with a really strong cast. Besides Ted himself, I think Portia Di Rossi is a stand out. All the supporting characters are solid & I really like the original feel of the show. The finale provided extra laughs as the folks from Veridian tried to increase morale by decorating the “drones” cubes in 4 prepicked “safe” styles (cat, space, antique car & Green Bay Packers)—you know instead of letting everyone decorate their cubes in their individual styles-- and Veronica tried to complement everyone (including the kitchen cabinet) while keeping her hair down to appear less intimidating.. Season: B+, Finale: B+


30 Rock- I am so in love with this show. The best cast on tv with every single person contributing to make magic. I regularly laugh out loud & I’m glad that Liz Lemon & company are finally getting some respect. Season: A; Finale: A

Bones-I started watching this show over the summer (thank you Netflix) and caught up about halfway through the season. I think the show is great most days with a few misses (I really hated the conclusion of the grave digger storyline). I am interested to see how they are going to keep the Booth/Bones dynamic moving along without getting tired. I’m a wee bit scared of the amnesia storyline that is waiting for us next year & I thought the season finale was a big ol waste of time (don’t hype your 2 main characters getting together if it is not real!!). Season: B; Finale: D

Dollhouse-I thought the season started off a little rough but showed definite improvement as the season went on. I’m hoping Joss & Co. have a game plan laid out just in case the show survives another season because I’m a bit concerned that the overarching storyline could stall out. In addition, I was also afraid that Eliza Dushku couldn’t carry a show on her own but I think she has improved as well. I thought the finale was a little bit of a let down, but there were a few cool moments (like finding out that the doctor aka Fred was a doll and Omega kicked ass). Season: B; Finale: B-

Friday Night Lights-For me, the season started in October, so forgive me if I forget some of what happened. Regardless, I remember really enjoying the season and all of the characters (especially my Timmy!). I think the finale was great & I’m really interested to see where the show is going to go next year. Where will people’s loyalties lie? Who will still be around? How will Coach Taylor adapt? Very exciting indeed! Season: A; Finale: A

Well that's it for now. Be on the look out for the fall season grid, first impressions on the new schedule & the best of the 08-09 season!!

KT Update! Midseason Schedule

Hey everyone! It is midseason time so I have attached an updated tv schedule with return dates/premiere dates for the winter schedule. Below are some snippets about the new shows that will grace tv screens beginning in January. I’ll probably check out Castle (out of loyalty to Nathan Fillion), Cupid (loyalty to Rob Thomas-although if I don’t watch & it gets cancelled, will he write the Veronica Mars movie???) and Dollhouse.

Midseason shows:

Castle (ABC, Mon 10PM) Nathan Fillion tries again. I really hope this show works out for him or I may have to stop watching his shows. I feel like I’m jinxing him! This time as mystery novelist Nick Castle, who teams up with an NYPD detective when a copycat murderer starts staging murder scenes from Nick's novels.

Cupid (ABC, Tues 10PM) Back in 1998 this tv show starred Jeremy Piven as Trevor Pierce, a man who keeps insisting to his psychologist that he is the Roman god of love, Cupid. Now, ABC is bring back the retooled Rob Thomas (creator of Veronica Mars) romantic comedy starring Bobby Cannavale as Trevor & Sarah Paulson as his shrink.

The Unusuals (ABC, Wed 10PM) Amber Tamblyn (Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants) stars as a detective transferred from vice to the homicide division & discovers that her new colleagues all have a quirky sense of humor & several dirty little secrets.

Lie to Me (Fox, Wed 9) Tim Roth stars in this rip off of the Mentalist.

Kings (NBC, Thurs 10PM) Is a reimagining of the David vs. Goliath struggle starring Ian McShane, Christopher Egan (Vanished), and Sebastian Stan (Gossip Girl). Supposedly everyone geeked out at the preview which premiered at Press Tour.

Harper’s Island (CBS, Thurs 10PM) A 13 episode murder mystery event. A bunch of people go to a secluded island for a destination wedding. Then people start turning up dead. Who done it? You’ll find out in 13 weeks (provided the show makes it that long).

Dollhouse (Fox, Fri 9PM) If you don’t know about this show then you don’t read my blog. The Whedon’s first foray back into the land of tv & I’m nervous. I don’t trust Fox. Anyhoo, just in case you’ve been under a rock for the past 6 months, Dollhouse centers around Eliza Dushku’s Echo, a member of a highly illegal and underground group who have had their personalities wiped clean so they can be imprinted with any number of new personas. For the love of God, watch it!!!

Flashpoint (CBS, Fri 9PM) Papa Mars stars in this show which focuses on the Strategic Response Unit.


The Golden Globes are already next week (how dare they put it on against the return of Jack Bauer). I'll make my comments after the show about the winners, I haven't seen any of the movies, so I really can't comment on those anyway.