Who doesn’t love a good, old-fashioned showdown? Today we pit Private Practice against Grey’s Anatomy in an epic Battle of the Medical Soap Operas Sprung from Shonda Rhimes’ Dark and Twisty Mind. I’ll compare three aspects of the shows. Your votes will decide which one is better.

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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.

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It is a rather well-known fact that quite a few dudes (one example being our beloved staff writer Brett) think that two ladies doing the nasty is totally hot. It is an oft commented-upon pop culture phenomenon that Hollywood likes to cash in on, from House’s Thirteen (among others — see also: Callie of Grey’s Anatomy, Angela of Bones) gallivanting up and down the Kinsey scale to Katy Perry’s famous debut ode to exhibition lesbianism. It’s titillating (see what I did there? Punny, right?) and edgy to have two girls hook up on-screen, and is counted as a win-win. Not only does it make your show look modern and progressive (usually — it can be and mostly is handed poorly, but at least it’s handled), but it brings in the casual dude watcher who’ll tune in week after week in hopes of catching a lip-lock between two ladies. And yet, very rarely do you ever see it even hinted at that two dudes might also want to do the do with each other.

There are a few good reasons for this. For starters, female sexuality tends to be far more fluid than male sexuality. This means when you’ve got two ladies hooking up, it’s easy to write it off when it’s convenient. It was just a phase, you can say, or, that girl was special to this character, and now she’s found the right man to settle down with and have a million babies. And even if the two chicks do end up in television’s happily-ever-after land, lesbians are the ones that settle down with their sperm donor kids and Subarus. Plus, it’s hot. It’s totally hot. Girls and guys agree it’s hot, right?

And then there’s the distinctly American prejudice against guys being gay. Read the rest of this entry »

A bit of a dicey question, that. Over the course of this past week, conversations have abounded about the new NCIS spin-off, a show that utilized the previous two episodes of NCIS to potentially launch itself onto the new CBS fall lineup.

Much of the discussion has focused on Grey’s Anatomy’s spin-off, Private Practice, as well as on NCIS itself, product of good old JAG. Which one did a better job? Forgetting about the obvious success of one over the other (not naming names), each show attempted to go about birthing their progeny in a different way.

For JAG, it was the old introduce new characters during an episode (Gibbs, Ducky and Abby), who will later helm the new series. For Grey’s Anatomy, it was send a character (Addison) to a new location and have them move there for their new show.

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I have to give it to Sandra Oh. Whenever I start thinking I’m getting tired of Grey’s Anatomy, she reminds me just what an amazing actress she is. Her performances alone are worth it for me to keep watching.

I was just utterly horrified watching Owen’s PTSD take over and cause him to nearly choke Christina to death, and her reaction after he let go. Consider my disbelief suspended. Although in the interest of full disclosure, choking/strangulation has to be my biggest phobia, so no real surprise there. Read the rest of this entry »

I gotta say, in the almost 26 years that I’ve been alive, I’ve been lucky. My experience with terminal illness is limited to grandparents who lived full, long lives and pets that had to be put down. Sad as those experiences were for me, I’m guessing it doesn’t compare to realizing you have melanoma that’s spread to your brain, with a 5% chance of surviving.

Watching last night’s Grey’s Anatomy, it got me thinking. I read here and there that Izzie’s character is inconsistent. She wants to fight, then she’s not sure. She doesn’t tell anyone that anything is wrong with her for a long, long time. I’ve never been in that position, but to me, it doesn’t seem inconsistent. It’s human nature to be indecisive, especially when it comes down to a decision as huge as this one. Read the rest of this entry »

I had so much fun watching TV last week, and I’d normally owe it all to February sweeps. Unlike May sweeps, we’ve got no dramatic cliffhangers and no ‘will they be back’ tension. November sweeps usually bring us two-parters, or some ‘very special episodes.’ But February sweeps seem to deliver just plain fun.

But since February sweeps have been moved to March this year (because of the digital switchover), I guess it was just a fluky week of fun. So what did I find so enjoyable on TV last week? Supporting characters that shined in their own spotlight, an ensemble team doing their thang, notable guest star performances and… hair bands.

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