I think by now we’ve established the fact that USA Network knows how to cook a mean character. Each and every original series that the network’s produced is a hit on one scale or another — including Monk, which I otherwise can’t speak to because I don’t watch it.

Within the last week, I’ve enjoyed two episodes of Psych from last season (finally caught up!), as well as the pilot of White Collar (twice), the new and extremely exciting series that premiered last weekend. And the latter included commercials for the upcoming season of Burn Notice. All of which actually got me thinking that, if not for the atypical situation of my being behind on one series, and a new one premiering, I might be spending long stretches of time with no USA Network whatsoever.

Now I’ll grant you that that’s not so strange, considering that the major networks take summers off (well, used to … and still should, judging by their offerings), and that USA offers only a handful of original programming. But what about the fact that I want what I want? Read the rest of this entry »

The new season is just around the corner, but the wheels of development keep turning in the background. There was a lot of news this week about new pilots, mid-season shows, and casting for some of our favorites. Some of that is hit and miss, depending on your preferences. For example, I’m not exactly thrilled with the Party Down casting news. On the other hand, anything that puts more Rachelle Lefevre on our TVs is always okay by me.

• Mad Men continues to toil in relative obscurity, but those few fans it has are very loyal, and they should be happy to learn that AMC has ordered up another season of the show.
• HBO has ordered a pilot from Mike White and Laura Dern called Enlightened. A self destructive woman has a spiritual awakening and becomes determined to live an enlightened life, which creates havoc at home and work. It sounds nothing like The C Word, which sounded nothing like United States Of Tara.
• FOX, on the other hand, is going a little more traditional. They have  ordered 13 episodes of Jack and Dan. It sounds more interesting if I also tell you that the show was created by Matt Nix, creator and executive producer of Burn Notice. It’s a buddy cop show that Nix calls an action comedy.

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Seriously, what the heck is going on with True Blood? Where do all of these people keep coming from? The show managed to set another series high this week, with 5.3 million viewers. That alone is cause for celebration. Even better, the DVDs continue to sell like hotcakes. In its 13th week of release, the season was still the number one TV show. That set has now racked up over $40 million in sales. It’s crazy. But that was just one of the many stories from cable last week. We also saw huge numbers for the Wizards of Waverly Place movie, records for Warehouse 13 and Burn Notice, and new seasons announced for Leverage and Drop Dead Diva. Over at the networks … well, we’re getting close to the fall premieres. Read the rest of this entry »

I was as excited as anyone about Fringe at the start of last season. My hopes were really high for the show, but after five or six episodes it became pretty evident that the show just wasn’t for me. I’ve never been a big fan of procedurals, and the format of Fringe was too case-of-the-week for me, to say the least.

I have to admit, however, that I was really intrigued by the overarching MacGuffin of “the Pattern.” The problem, though, was that the burn was just too darn slow for me, and it seemed like the only part of any episode that I was interested in was the final five minutes.

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Last month I pitted famous movie cars/trucks versus their TV counterparts. It was a scintillating smack down that came down to a photo finish. When the smoke of burned rubber cleared, the big screen bounced the small screen to the curb. Well, TV demanded a rematch, and I was more than happy to oblige. The squawk box crew have been fine-tuning their machines. Not to be outdone, the film boys aren’t ready to relinquish the title of racing’s top dog. So, grab your sister/wife and a cooler of Bud Light — it’s time to hit the track.

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You know spies — bunch of bitchy little girls. And this week in the ratings post, our favorite spies were beaten by some little girls. It was very close though, if that makes the shot to the ego a little easier to take for Sam and Michael. Those two were the headlines for what was a big week on cable. Also clocking in with records were True Blood, Warehouse 13, Kendra, Nurse Jackie, and Tori & Dean. Back on the networks, there weren’t really a lot of records to be had. Reality continued to rule with good outings from America’s Got Talent, Hell’s Kitchen, and So You Think You Can Dance. Read the rest of this entry »

We’re actually coming to the end of season 2 here. There’s a lot of action in the last two episodes, and we get a pretty interesting resolution to the whole Carla storyline. I wouldn’t necessarily call it a satisfying resolution, but it was interesting. In the meantime, we get a secret fiancee, an aborted trip to Disney World, and an erstwhile sitcom dad — all things you look for in a good season finale.

(Season 2, Episode 15 “Sins of Omission”)

How on earth does a dude like Michael Westen find time to get engaged? And, seriously … how long will this thing between him and Fiona last? These are questions brought up in this episode, where we learn crazy things about Michael’s personal life. Apparently, he had a fiancee (or “fiance” as the CG wrongly says when Sam shows up at his door) that he never told anyone about. But more importantly, they broke up a decade ago, because Michael met and fell in love with Fiona while he and Sam were engaged. A decade ago! I know love is confusing and all, especially when there are bombs and shit involved, but come on. If you guys can’t figure it out after a decade, then something needs to happen.

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