A few months back, I took cursor to digital paper and wrote an ode to shows that I’ve lost over the years. With yet another network television season complete, I believe it’s time to revisit that list, and add an addendum cataloging the massacre that accompanies the close of each season.

For all of you still out there fighting the good fight for these shows, this should in no way be seen as final. I’d love to come back and correct myself. So, keep sending those watches, bulletproof vests, lottery tickets, live butterflies, pitchforks, or whatever else you can think of. But, if this is the end, I figure now’s as good a time as any to pay my respects. And, if you’re wondering why the following’s light on the jokes … the fresher the wound, the deeper the hurt.

I’ve already written about the plight of The Unusuals. A lot of people have applied the show’s title to the conceit, and either used it as a pro or a con for what they see as different or ordinary, respectively. The only thing “unusual” about the show was the following: it was great from the get go. Sure, each character had a quirk, and there was an otherwise infrequently seen mix of excitement and comedy to the scripts, but what stood out the most for me was honestly how enjoyable an hour it was to spend in front of my television. I’d absolutely love to see it live to air another day (beyond closing out the episodes already in the can), but if it’s not to be, at least it went out as great from beginning to end. Read the rest of this entry »

Wednesday’s the big day, people! Tomorrow, CBS will announce its new fall schedule, potentially including some spring debuts and jiggerings as well. This is the one we’ve all been waiting for.

You see, CBS is riding high on the hog. Of all the major networks today, The Eye enjoys the greatest amount of scripted series success. Rarely can you count on two hands the number of CBS shows that appear in the weekly top 20 rankings. And, as much as we can debate the merits of CSI: Everywhere, and procedurals ad nauseam, they all work, and are all being enjoyed by many millions of fans.

This success, however, comes at a price. Not necessarily for the network, but for any show not lucky enough to be an immediate high-flyer. In addition, the competition for new shows on the CBS lineup is brutal. This year, space is so tight that CBS spent the past few months pondering the futures of juggernauts Cold Case and Without a Trace. Thankfully, Cold Case has been given an extension; the news does not bode well for Without a Trace. Read the rest of this entry »

You people humble me. I can’t begin to tell you what an honor it is to be a part of a community such as this one. A group of people who not only embrace something that they love, but one not afraid to acknowledge their affinity for something that other people may disparage. No matter how many people may question spending time watching television, in truth, it’s a large part of many of our lives, and to embrace that is the epitome of being honest to oneself.

Not only that — CliqueClack also believes in acting on our convictions. Its one thing to sit back and enjoy TV (the relaxing aspect being one of the pluses!), but to feel such a strong passion for it that we’re stirred to action is not only admirable, its laudable. Read the rest of this entry »

In a word, yes. I believe it will. I hope.

I know; where’s the suspense in that? Well, I think this television season has given us all enough to be tense about without forcing you to wonder what conclusion I’m inevitably going to draw. You can thank me later for postponing your TV-anxiety-induced heart attack.

I recently wrote about the questionable science that swirls around shows like Eleventh Hour. And, while that may be true, it doesn’t mean that the show isn’t scripted fare at its finest. Only that a couple of lab rats might get ticked off every now and then (I love you, dear!). The rest of us tune in to be entertained, and boy does this show succeed! With its first season over, and the death-watch beginning, let us count the ways: Read the rest of this entry »

The wife is mad. And when the wife is mad, it’s hard to ignore her for longer than a few months. Particularly when she’s getting her PhD in virology and the issue she’s upset about is science-related. Well, I’ve reached that limit.

And on an unrelated matter, I have a need to express to you my feelings regarding science on television today. Or rather, on the television that I watch today, since I can’t talk to shows I’ve never viewed. And boy, am I mad! Get out of my way! Because nothing steams an astronomy-as-your-science-in-college man more than inaccuracies in science on television, as relayed to them repeatedly by their wife. I’m told we support one another, in all things significant and … Um, she says I believe it to be true in all things. Without limitations.

Mainly, my focus at this juncture is the new CBS procedural Eleventh Hour. To wit: Dr. Jacob Hood (Rufus Sewell) is fun. He’s intelligent, calm, incisive, and has an interesting back-story. But, and this goes to my virulent anger, what area of science does he count as his specialty? He’s gone from embryonic cloning to agriculture, virology to cryogenics, molecular structure to meteorology. I’m told that’s rather unlikely, and I call foul! Read the rest of this entry »

(1/19 – 1/26)

The subject of the Friday night death slot comes up fairly regularly around here. Moreso recently, what with the Terminator/Dollhouse debut right around the corner. I’m not one to argue in the face of so much damning evidence, but I do think there is a plucky young upstart with eyes on the crown. Life On Mars made it’s debut following Lost this week, and it just wasn’t good. Barring some drastic change in the numbers, or an odd act of kindness from the network, it’s looking like the island is ready to take its next victim. Elsewhere this week, Idol continued to roll, NCIS & CSI scored big, and The Bachelor was up, again. Read the rest of this entry »

(12/30 – 1/04)

Christmas and New Years are now in the rearview, so we can finally start getting back to something that passes for a regular television viewing schedule. If someone could just make this damn snow stop, I’d be a happy guy. Before we rejoin some of our favorite shows for the beginning of 2009 though, we’ve got one more really slow week to talk about. The hits were few and far between, but there were a couple interesting bits hidden away in there.

Read the rest of this entry »