I’m pretty sure we include The Mentalist in every Rerun Roundup, so why stop now? Other than that, with a lot of the summer reality shows like America’s Got Talent and So You Think You Can Dance? starting on the networks this week, there really aren’t a whole lot of reruns. You do, however, have a little bit of an opportunity to catch up on what you missed.

• At 8:00 on NBC, we’ve got some classic season 1 30 Rock, with Tracy Jordan on Conan. Live the nostalgia of Conan’s old sets! This is followed by a newer episode of The Office, “Frame Toby” which marks Toby’s non-triumphant return from Costa Rica.
• Tonight’s episode of Grey’s Anatomy (9:00 on ABC) is a pretty good one. “Sympathy for the Devil” has Eric Stoltz playing a serial killer, and Mark being all goofy and in love.
• CBS is airing The Mentalist all the time now, so chances are you’ve seen all the episodes. However, tonight’s is the excellent season finale, so you should probably watch it again.

This week’s column is all about new shows. Well, kind of. The Tonight Show certainly isn’t new, but Conan O’Brien hosting it sure is. I take a look at that, examine jungle morality with Frangela, and decide if The Listener is worth watching.

Conan’s first day on the job

I’ve been super-excited about the prospect of Conan taking over for Jay Leno on The Tonight Show, though I have been worried that Conan’s antics may not mesh well with Jay’s established audience. After his first night, I have no idea whether or not he’s going to be successful in this new job, but I do know this: His opening was amazing.
Read the rest of this entry »

Hey did you get outside and enjoy this beautiful weather this week? Don’t worry if you did, we’ got your back. Here’s some of what went down in the world of television:

• The TCA (Television Critics Association) Awards nominees were announced, with NBC and The Shield leading the pack. But I still want BSG to take home “Program of the Year.” Winners to be announced Aug. 1.
• Susan Boyle didn’t win Britain’s Got Talent, which of course has lead to some controversy about the voting on that show as well, and a clinic stay for Boyle.
• Conan O’Brien debuted on Monday as the new host of The Tonight Show with huge ratings, in what some are unhappily saying is a subdued iteration of himself.
• We spent way too much time talking about Sacha Baron Cohen’s “Bruno” character landing ass-bare on Eminem’s face at the MTV Movie Awards.
• Tell your children not to worry, Miley Cyrus has signed on for a fourth season of Hannah Montana, which will feature her and her father moving out of the beach house.
• Octomom Nadya Suleman is going to film a reality show, but has no networks to air it in the US.
• Actor David Carradine dies, and his death may be more colorful than his career was; I’m sure some sleazy network is looking for the rights.
• Prison Break’s “T-Bag,” Robert Knepper is cast in Heroes, where he’ll play a sleazy villain … that’s a stretch. But still great casting!
• Spencer Pratt and Heidi Montag contiue to annoy everyone on and off the set of I’m a Celebrity…Get Me Out of Here!

Kind of makes me want to take my television outside and just throw it in the garbage… except that I just got a 52″ plasma and video games and Blu-Rays look amazing on it!

I hate NBC right now. Sure, they’re the home of some of my favorite shows: The Office, 30 Rock, Chuck, Medium, and of course, the Law & Order franchise, but I am about fed up with this network. My problem started, as my problems often do, with Jay Leno. Forcing him off of The Tonight Show was a boneheaded move, and it took about four years for NBC to actually realize this. It was right around the time Conan O’Brien was pissing his name on the Tonight Show set to mark his territory (that giant leprechaun knew he won the lottery, is what I’m sayin’).

Anyway, in order to atone for their colossal screw up, NBC ceded their last hour of primetime to Leno. That means that we are losing five hours a week of shows. That’s all well and good if Crusoe is what we’re going to have to live without, but now it looks like Life may be getting the ax. What the hell, NBC?

Read the rest of this entry »

Sebastian’s back guest-clacking for us again….

It took about two months until somebody finally told Conan O’Brien what his role is in the NBC decision to keep Jay Leno and give him the 10 PM timeslot. And Norm McDonald did so on Conan’s own show.

He tells Conan he got outfoxed by Leno again. To me, that’s about as funny as a guest in my livingroom standing up and urinating on my carpet. It’s funny in a really bad bad way and even though I don’t like Conan that much anymore, I find it kind of sickening.

What’s more sickening than that is that the fun here is made just about Conan – and that’s wrong. Because who’s at fault here really? Who outfoxed whom here?

Read the rest of this entry »

We started this week off with the Super Bowl, which, despite having some of the worst commercials in recent memory, yielded some pretty great quotes. In fact, between that, The Office, Leverage and 30 Rock, this was a great week for quotes. Below are some of our favorites — feel free to post yours in the comments.

The Super Bowl

“The entire Office cast is assaulted by a strange Xerox repair man played by Conan O’Brien, and it becomes a special Law & Order SVU.” – Rainn Wilson explaining the special episode following the Super Bowl

“Not only has she never been to the Super Bowl, apparently she’s never been to Tampa.” – Bob Costas on seeing Hayden Panettiere’s ridiculous fur-lined boots.

“Stop Drinking!” – Duane Johnson to Al Roker after he screws up the name of the movie again.

“It turns into a car!” – President Obama, telling Matt Lauer just how tricked out his Blackberry is now.

Matt Lauer: “You got replaced [on the cover] with Jessica Simpson….”
President Obama: “Who is in a weight battle apparently.”

“You know they say TV will rot your brain? That’s absurd. TV only softens the brain, like a ripe banana. To take it all the way, we’ve created Hulu.” – Alec Baldwin in the best commercial of the night.

Read the rest of this entry »

Everyone had something to say this week, from Michael Scott to Amy Poehler to Tom Bergeron, who has a sense of humor about his Emmy hosting gig:

“That’s why I host, because there are very few hosting injuries … unless you count the Emmys.” – Tom Bergeron, Dancing With the Stars

“In describing her beautiful home, Sarah Palin says that when she stands on her porch, she can see the moon. You know what that means — she’s now qualified to be an astronaut.” – Jay Leno, The Tonight Show With Jay Leno

“Last night’s Presidential debate between Barack Obama and John McCain is being called flat, boring, and uninteresting. As a result, it’s been picked up as a fall series by NBC.” - Conan O’Brien, Late Night With Conan O’Brien

Read the rest of this entry »