The top ten returning shows I’m looking forward to this season
Yesterday, I looked at the five new shows that I’m most looking forward to this season. It’s a pretty short list, unfortunately. Heck, I only had one on the “Honorable Mention” list. Thankfully, there’s quite a bit of good stuff returning to the network schedule this season. I could, however, come up with just as long of a list of stuff that I wish was coming back that’s not. I should, as Brett has been known to tell me, “shut up and quit my whining” (my words, not his).
First, a cheat. I know I said that this was about the upcoming TV season, but we cover Web Shows here on the ‘Clack, so I’m taking a (very appropriate) liberty. The third season of The Guild started this week (or last week, if you’re an Xbox Live Gold Member), and I can’t wait. I only found The Guild after Dr. Horrible introduced me to Felicia Day, but I’m glad that I did, as it’s one of the most consistently funny things out there on any medium. The addition of CliqueClack favorite (and my hero as a kid) Wil Wheaton to the cast is only going to ramp things up for the third installment. If you haven’t seen it, head to www.watchtheguild.com right away.
Multi-season pick-ups: a new trend and a dichotomy
I’m noticing a pattern here, people — follow along with me, if you will. Last October, we get the news that Showtime’s Dexter is renewed for not one, but two more seasons. A big yay from me, as there really isn’t much TV that’s better than Dexter. Then, just this month, we learn that NBC is in negotiations to renew Friday Night Lights for two more seasons. OK, that’s good news for FNL fans, but interesting just the same.
Now, if you think I’m making something from nothing, consider the press release that CliqueClack received this week, announcing The Big Bang Theory was just renewed for two more seasons, and Two and a Half Men for three — yes, three! — seasons.
This tells me several things. If I were to make a pilot to pitch to any of the networks, you can be sure it would be about serial killer geeks who play football and engage in potty humor. But that’s not really the important thing to get out of this new multi-season renewal trend.
Should Friday Night Lights be renewed for two more seasons?
Sebastian’s Guest-clacking about Friday Night Lights again, after sharing his opinion about the departure of CSI’s Gil Grissom….
Things are looking up all around on and for Friday Night Lights. It seems there are some real hardcore fans over at NBC since EW’s Michael Ausiello has picked up some rumors that TPTB are trying to negotiate a deal with DirecTV, and not just for another season. They are talking about a renewal for two more. You heard that right. Two.
While it seems some people consider this a bad idea (and got their couple of bucks feedback from avid fans of the show for that one), I found this logical. See, I understand the people at NBC love this show. They think a drama about one of America’s favorite sports, the Texan back country, teenage angst and the idea behind the American way of life — that you can get anywhere if you just try hard enough — and of course family values, is worth producing. Frankly, I find it appalling that you can actually comment on that in asking for a cancellation.
Ratings Clack – Oscars up, Dollhouse and Heroes down
It was a bit of a strange week for ratings. The Academy Awards (36.31m/12) sent most of the Sunday lineup into repeats. And the Obama address to Congress mixed things up on Tuesday, shifting Idol to Wednesday and Thursday. That, of course, had a ripple effect throughout the ratings. Elsewhere, the new FOX Friday suffered another drop that now calls into question whether or not we will even see the final episodes of Terminator:TSCC. Read the rest of this entry »
Friday Night Lights – J.D.’s first beer, thanks to Riggins
Sebastian’s back Guest-clacking for us again with another Friday Night Lights commentary….
After Smash Williams left the show two weeks ago, Friday Night Lights now focuses on the other character who is no longer member of this year’s Dillon Panthers — or actually hasn’t been one since the second episode. He would be out of high school if he hadn’t already left without finishing. Jason Street’s story is developing this week as he renovates the house he bought from Buddy Garrity.
Quick flashback though — after the date from hell with a wheelchair-and-pee fetishist last season he got rescued by cute waitress Erin, who then later on spent the night with him. She got pregnant, so Jason quit high school and took a job at Garrity Motors to show his support for what he would’ve loved to become his family. The conception was a miracle in itself with Jason’s kind of paralysis. He convinced Erin not to terminate the pregnancy and she gave birth to a boy, Noah.
Earlier this season we saw Jason taking over babysitting duties but that Erin also kept him at arm’s length. This didn’t change this week and it needed a pep-talk from Coach Taylor to not give up. Again the guy kept in touch with his former players and help them succeed in life. More of this next week, until then it seems the only thing Herc and the Riggins-brothers are doing for Jason is nailing themselves to the wall — literally.
Ratings Clack – Dollhouse has a disappointing debut
(2/8 – 2/15)
What do you think? Is disappointing the right word to use in the post title? Reading the chatter around the internet over the weekend, there are certainly various spins on the Dollhouse numbers that try to paint them as a success. But really, if you have to spin the numbers and start talking about minor demographics, that’s kind of disappointing, right? Of course, it could have been worse, like it was for Terminator:TSCC. We’ll get to those numbers in a bit, along with the debut for the 18th(!!) season of Survivor, gains for The Office & 30 Rock, drops for Heroes & Lost, and one heck of a week for the doctors over at Private Practice. Read the rest of this entry »
And Friday Night Lights’ most unlucky character is…
Sebastian’s back Guest-clacking for us again….
This week we start off with the Dillon Panthers facing the Fr. Hood Mavericks, and the slow dismantling of Matt Saracen continued. From QB1 to shared Quarterbacks in the first few minutes of the episode, Coach Taylor quickly chose to end the so-called rotation and relied on what he himself called the best arm in the league, with J.D. first throwing a Hail-Mary kind pass and then staying on the field. Sure, “Seven” managed to win the game in the end with a draw play but who cares? At the end of the episode everything was said and done — McCoy’s the “man” now.
Funnily enough, today Keith posted his “Seven really unlucky TV characters” article and reader and reader BDUB nominated Matt Saracen as an addition to that list. A premonition? Guess not, but tonight’s episode was the embodiment of Matt’s bad luck. Like that time when Coach Taylor put him in the cold shower, Matt has one of his outbursts towards inanimate objects, slapping helmets around in the locker room. Again he’s screwed, and Coach Taylor doesn’t even let him quit the team. This show doesn’t seem to be about clean finishes.
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