Fall TV 2012: What to Watch and When to Watch It

I may have been absent from the Interwebs for a lot of this summer (it's strange how real life will keep you busy sometimes), but don't worry, I haven't been watching and studying any less television than usual.  In fact, I've been saving up some of my excitement and analysis for exactly this moment:  the proverbial eve of the fall TV season kick-off.  These are a few of the shows I'll be watching and reviewing subject, as always, to change (except for Parks and Rec, which I will watch/love till the end of time).  And in case you've been sitting on your sofa staring blankly at your television set and awaiting my instructions as to what you should watch, here they are for your perusal:


Mondays:

How I Met Your Mother (CBS, premieres September 24th)
*Where we left off:  Barney's future bride was revealed (it's Robin!); Lily and Marshall had a baby (and promptly brought it with them to the bar); Ted and Victoria rode off into the sunset together (sort of).
*What's next:  With the writers, at least according to recent interviews with Bays and Thomas, working as though this will be the show's last season, it seems the tying up of some loose ends is on the horizon.  We have to figure out how the heck Barney and Robin make it to the alter (remember he's newly engaged to stripper Quinn in the present), as well as how Ted ruins things with Victoria (again) and arrives at the show's titular moment at long last.  It should prove to be an interesting season, and hopefully there will be significantly less time wasted with so many plots to unravel in so short a time.
*Wish list:  I'd love to see an announcement (sooner rather than later) that HIMYM will in fact wrap up after this season.  I think 24 episodes is more than enough time to wrap up the loose ends still dangling if the writers are deliberate about it, and if Thomas and Bays are permitted to stretch this journey out any further the cracks are really going to start to show.


(NEW SHOWS!) Tuesdays:

Go On (NBC, premiered September 9th)
The primary reason this show works well is that the execs at NBC have stopped fucking around and finally returned Matthew Perry to the role he belongs:  Chandler Bing.  Yes, Chandler's aged a decade or so and he's got a different name and job and blah, blah, blah; but essentially this character is nearly identical personality-wise.  It's as though we're seeing future Chandler following the death of Monica, whom we all knew kept him grounded, and though he's surely bereaved, he's also hilarious.

Better than that, though, this show actually seems to have heart, and not in a jammed-down-your-throat kind of way.  It's ballsy for a primetime sitcom to deal with something like grief, but the level of accuracy Go On supplies in the pilot episode alone is definitely encouraging, and a good sign of things to come.  Hopefully NBC doesn't err on the side of their usual instinct, which is to water down the honesty of some of their best programs (Community and its new team of writers springs to mind, not to mention the soon-to-wrap train wreck that The Office has become), because that would sacrifice a lot of what thus far makes this show appealing.

The Mindy Project (FOX, premieres September 25th)
This is a show that seems designed to stand up well beside its lineup-mate, FOX's New Girl, which was of course one of last year's runaway hits (not to mention the source of way too much Deschanel Hype in my life).  The Mindy Project follows Mindy Kaling, who you'll recognize as Kelly Kapoor from The Office, in the early stages of her career as an OB/GYN, as well as the battle-worn (and hilarious) stage of her romantic life.  It's lighthearted, it's laugh-out-loud funny, and it's identifiable, which is really all you can hope for in a pilot episode.  I can foresee problems similar to those found in the early run of New Girl, when it became clear that the amount of "isn't-she-quirky" based humor needed to be toned down-- in The Mindy Project, it's easy to lose sight of Mindy's role as (in theory, at least) an everywoman character in the more grating aspects of the character's personality.

This one also has an excellent supporting cast going for it, and I'm hopeful that the writers will gradually shift some of the focus so expended on Mindy in the pilot to some of these already very interesting personalities.


Wednesdays:

Happy Endings (ABC, premieres October 23rd)
*Where we left off:  Season 2's finale brought us another wedding, this time between friends of the gang Derrick and Eric.  We saw Penny struggle with possible feelings for Dave, who ended the night instead with erstwhile fiance Alex, while Brad and Jane tried to come to a compromise on how to better communicate with each other.
*What's next:  It doesn't seem that this Alex/Dave/Penny triangle is going to be too much of an overwrought thing (especially with rumors of Penny getting a new semi-longterm love interest), which is excellent news for a show that's already brilliant without the addition of needless melodrama.  
*Wish list:  More of Adam Pally's Max and less of Elisha Cuthbert's Alex (mainly just less of the emphasis on her being the dumb blonde of the group); more viewers for what I guarantee is the funniest show you're not watching.


Thursdays:

Parks and Recreation (NBC, premieres September 20th)
*Where we left off:  One Leslie Knope is about to take Pawnee City Council by storm after triumphing in the season finale's election.  She'll be working on a long-term relationship with Ben, who has taken a job in Washington D.C. and who has somewhat inexplicably recruited April to work as his intern.
*What's next:  A Ben/Leslie shake-up, but according to executive producer Mike Schur it's not the kind you'd expect.  Also, some long overdue maturity for Tom, who last season appeared to backtrack a bit following his Entertainment 720 venture.  But the best news is that by the end of the season premiere, the Tom/Ann debacle will really and truly be a thing of the past.



Fridays:

Community (NBC, premieres October 19th)
*Where we left off:  In a season finale that really would've made a great conclusion to the series, we saw everyone going their almost separate ways in relative happiness (yes, even Jeff, who decided to finally seek out his long-estranged father).  It was almost enough to make you not want a fourth season.  Almost.
*What's next:  The show's last-minute salvation last spring means that some tweaks are going to have to take place (this is even without the team of new writers and the firing of Dan Harmon, the show's creator).  We'll apparently be meeting Jeff's father, there will be an Inspector Spacetime convention, and the gang will pay homage (sort of?) to The Hunger Games in the season premiere.
*Wish list:  I don't have too many particular demands, I just hope that the show will still be recognizable as the delightful, wonderfully weird thing it is after the new writers have gotten their hands on it.


Honorable Mentions:

30 Rock, The Office (Thursdays, NBC):  Both are entering their final seasons, hopefully some laughs will be resurrected before the end.

Grey's Anatomy (Thursdays, ABC):  Yup, they're still kicking over at Seattle Grace.  And this season promises to be every bit as miserable and death-filled as you could possibly hope.


Here's to a wonderful 2012/2013 television season.

The Art of Quitting While You're Ahead: A Case for 2 TV Favorites to Bow Out Gracefully

When it was recently announced that FOX's House would be drawing to a close this spring, my initial thought was that it was about darn time.  However, upon reading that it was the show's creator and lead actor who were largely behind the decision to close the doors of Princeton-Plainsboro, both my interest and my respect spiked.  According to various sources, the network would have likely been game for another season of House, despite its dwindling ratings and sub-par execution in the last year or so.  The show runners, however, knew that it was time to quit, and gave themselves enough time to write a (hopefully) satisfactory ending to a show that still has a fervently loyal fan-base as well as some seriously talented performers.  This of course got me thinking of a few other shows that might consider saying their goodbyes in the near future...

The Office

As I wrote nearly a year ago in this post, The Office was just about unimaginable without the genius of Steve Carrell to steer the ship.  And while the show has had some shining moments in an otherwise uneven season (the past few weeks' episodes featuring Dwight's leadership arc have been surprisingly hilarious), on the whole it has flattened in much the way I (and many others) anticipated.  The show runners attempted to fill the void left by Michael Scott with James Spader's Robert California (whose every appearance many dread, as he is hugely unlikeable, and not in an exciting way) and a handful of other guest players who just haven't gelled with the Dunder-Mifflin/Sabre staff they way those in charge clearly hoped.  And with news of a potential Dwight spinoff and the news that Mindy Kaling has been tapped for a pilot on FOX, not to mention the escalating film careers of John Krasinski and Ellie Kemper, it is quickly becoming a question of which cast members will remain and continue to put their best efforts and energies into the show.  Not to mention this past Thursday's series low rating, disappointing for a show which, just a few years ago, was the centerpiece of NBC's Thursday night lineup.

I think that if the show's writing staff were to make peace with the idea of wrapping the show up either this season or next (preferably the former), it would allow them the time to pen a truly satisfying ending to the show.  As it stands we're seeing some weak efforts to keep the week-to-week buzz going (the Andy and Erin saga can only continue for so long, and I'm still 100% sure Jim will not cheat on Pam despite the show thrusting this plot line at us), and I think it might benefit everyone involved if they had the opportunity to wrap up the dangling threads in a satisfying way, and give long-time viewers a conclusion befitting the show we all fell in love with way back in 2005.  I would rather see a moving, unified sendoff for our favorite paper pushers than a slow trickling out of the characters I've come to enjoy so much, and much more than seeing them replaced by lackluster newcomers (the last addition to the cast who really managed to win me over was Ellie Kemper as Erin, and that is a testament to her talent rather than what she's been given to work with).  I'm sure the still-struggling NBC is reluctant to pull the plug on one of the shows for which it is still so widely recognized, yet I think they do a disservice to the talented minds who make the show each week by keeping them around past their prime.

How I Met Your Mother

I've hinted at this one in a couple of my recent reviews, and I stand by it even more firmly as Season 7 continues to (in more ways than one) unravel.  How I Met Your Mother is renewed for next season already, which seeing the inconsistency of this season seems like a hasty decision (it was confirmed before this season even began) on the part of CBS.  Then again, this is the network that continues to push reality-giant Survivor on us in its 24th(!) season. 

The real problem with HIMYM lies in the ambitious nature of the show itself.  By beginning the show back in 2005 (are you seeing a common thread here?) with the notion of telling "a love story in reverse," the creators and writers knowingly committed to a narrative structure which requires a commitment and skill beyond nearly every other sitcom on television.  That doesn't mean that the show always has to be better or funnier than its competition, but it absolutely does mean that the story has to unfold in a certain way, and with a certain consistency.  And as the show has rumbled along into its seventh season, it has become clear just how restrictive its chosen structure can sometimes be.  Bays and Thomas (the show's 2 creators) openly admit that they never expected the show to continue for this long, and have had to adapt as it has received repeated renewals.  That's all well and good, but there have been entire episodes in which it really feels to even casual viewers like the minds in charge no longer have a plan for the show and its characters.  I think imposing an end-date on the series ASAP would really help in moving away from this problem.  I'll cite as examples the show runners over at ABC's LOST, who gave themselves a deadline for concluding the series early on, a move which allowed them to tell the story they intended without continuing to waste episodes on irrelevant plots (as we saw in the second and third seasons of that show).  LOST

When you think about it, there are really only a few plot threads (I remember reading somewhere that one writer counted 18 loose ends, which seems like an overestimate) that need to be resolved by series' end.  We need to find out who Barney and Robin, respectively, end up with (if anyone).  We need to see Marshall and Lily have their baby.  We need to see how Ted winds up in the right place at the right time, with that yellow umbrella in hand, and finally, after literally years spent sitting on that sofa listening to the story, tells his children how he met their mother.  Whether the writers go the literal route of closing the series at that exact moment or allow us time to get to know the mother as a character (I think the latter would be a greater payoff for seven-plus years of fan investment), there is more than ample time to wind this series to a close by May 2013. 

Oh, and of course, there are two slaps remaining...

Ruined for Life: 5 Fictional Men I Fell in Love with and Never Forgot

Come on ladies, we've all done it.  Whatever the medium, whether it was during our giggly pre-teen days or as recently as last week's episode of our favorite show, we have fallen for that perfect imaginary guy, the one who seems to have been designed specifically for you to swoon over.  Some of them were chivalrous, a throw-back to some old idealized notion of what it is to be a gentleman; others made us laugh so hard our stomachs hurt; and some were just plain adorable.  The one sad factor they all had in common?  We'll never, ever get to meet them in real life.  Here's to five of my personal favorite men, the ones who have set the bar (in all likelihood) way too high.

1.  Jim Halpert


To this day I cannot fathom how Pam Beesly stayed engaged to Roy as long as she did, when this awkward yet charming male specimen was sitting ten feet from her desk every day.  For me, the term "adorkable" doesn't originate with Zooey Deschanel but with Jim, who had all the sincerity and none of the confidence, and who was the star of one of my all-time favorite unrequited love stories (never mind that it was later requited and they did, in fact, live happily ever after).  It doesn't hurt, either, that John Krasinski is a beautiful, hilarious man who seems every bit as down-to-earth as his character.

But it wasn't just his bumbling romantic ventures that made Jim so appealing to me.  He is a genuine optimist, even when things just seem downright crappy.  Even in his lowest moments, such as his decision to leave the Scranton office, he has resolved to make the best of it, confessing his feelings to Pam (not with ulterior motive, but just because "...I wanted you to know...once"), and later befriending his new co-workers.  And despite his insistence in season one that he didn't want his job at Dunder-Mifflin to become his career, he has grown and embraced his role at the office and has matured perhaps more than any other character on the show.

It also doesn't hurt that he's only gotten cuter every single season.

2.  Chandler Bing

I think I always liked Chandler the most because he reminded me the most of myself (that might seem like a weird thing to say, given that I also felt attracted to him, but whatever).  He is the self-appointed "funny guy" in any situation, and for a lot of the first episodes of the show the writers seemed to keep him in that box without really exploring what else there was to know about him.  But as we later saw, there was a lot more than just sarcasm and jokes under the surface. 

Chandler had some considerable baggage (most great characters do), and a lack of confidence that kept him from a committed relationship with anyone likeable.  Until season four, of course, when his friendship with Monica escalated into something almost nobody expected, including the two of them.  For me this pairing always made more sense than any other combination of people within the famous sextet, including Ross and Rachel.  Chandler in particular seemed to really need the strong foundation that he and Monica had as friends in order to let go of his almost innumerable intimacy issues, and what is great about this romance is that neither of their individual characters got lost in the shuffle of the relationship (something again that I think Ross and Rachel were guilty of).

Funny guys have always been my type; generally, if you can make me laugh, it's very hard for me to write you off.  But what I loved most about this character was that he had the best maturation of the characters over the course of ten seasons.  Chandler always wanted to be the good guy and for the most part he was, the only one who couldn't see it was him.

3.  Floyd

First of all, was it ever established whether Floyd has a last name?  If it has, I have not been able to track it down. Anyway, for me Floyd will always be Liz Lemon's "one that got away," no matter who she meets or whether she ultimately realizes she's better off alone.  The man wanted her to move to Cleveland with him, for goodness' sake! 

It might seem strange that this character has managed to stick on my radar despite only appearing in a minor arc in season one and assorted later episodes, in one of which Liz attended his wedding to another woman, but to this day Floyd remains one of my favorite characters in the history of 30 Rock.
For a show that thrives on caricatures for a lot of its humor (Kenneth the page and Jenna Maroney come immediately to mind), it was refreshing to see a love interest for Liz emerge who was so realistically drawn.  Floyd was not a heartthrob but instead was dorky-cute and kind of awkward, which of course made him perfect for Liz.  He also had some flaws.  He was a recovering alcoholic and he definitely had some douche-y moments, particularly after his breakup with Liz, but just like any of us, he was trying to be better.  It never felt like there was a balance of power to be shifted in his relationship with Liz; they seemed to be on a level with each other and happy to keep it that way.

Also, Floyd's idea of an awesome date included watching movies at home, eating pizza, and playing card games.  He definitely earned a few points in my book for that.

4.  Shawn Hunter

Yes, if we're going to pick eligible men from the wonder that was Boy Meets World, Cory probably would've been the safest choice.  Heck, even dim-witted Eric or Jack, who came along later, might have been more solid options.  But no girl can really resist a charming bad-boy, and as a pre-teen I was no exception.  Shawn had it all:  he was broody-cute with that hair and those lips, a little bit edgy and damaged, and most importantly, he was one half of one of the greatest bromances to ever grace our television sets.

Shawn might also seem a surprising choice because of his reputation in the early seasons of the show as somewhat promiscuous.  While Cory and Topanga seemed destined for forever from the start, Shawn broke his fair share of hearts, and for a long time didn't really seem to care.  We got a glimpse at the possibility of a new, deep and sensitive Shawn at the beginning of his romance with Angela (who, by the way, seemed to fall from the sky into their school, despite Shawn's claim that they were friends before), when he decided that he wanted a relationship more like that of his two best friends.  Was this a realistic plot line for a high school kid who'd been getting around since hitting puberty?  Probably not.  But did it make those of us who'd had our doubts about Shawn finally cave and admit we loved him?  You bet it did.  We liked the idea that we could essentially have the best of both worlds:  the vaguely dangerous boy in need of repair and the thinking dude who listened to Vivaldi and loved the same poetry as us.  Looking back, this was probably the height of impossibility, but if there was any show that specialized in heightened expectations for life, it was Boy Meets World.

*Also, it should be noted that there is a large community of devoted Boy Meets World appreciation blogs still kicking around the Internet today, almost 12 years after it left the air.  It's really kind of impressive.

5.  Neville Longbottom

First, it should be stated that I'm not one of those girls who jumped on the bandwagon because Matthew Lewis "got hot."  Neville has been on my radar since the first time I read Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, when he proved that just because you're not tight with the popular kids, you're not completely useless (especially when there's a sinister plot unraveling inside your school), which was a lesson my ten year old self needed to learn. My heart still smiles when he earns those last ten points for Gryffindor and secures the championship. 

I always thought Neville was one of the most compelling characters, maybe because for the first few books we knew so little about him.  Harry wrote him off as the nerdy kid, and though he was never really unkind to Neville, he didn't make an effort to get to know him, and as a consequence, neither did we.  But a storm of information about Neville began emerging in books four and five, revealing that this awkward, insecure kid was that way for a reason.  Neville has parents, but he'd almost be better off if they were dead like Harry's:  tortured into insanity, they function almost like small children, unable to speak or recognize their own son.  On top of that, Neville grew up with his grandmother, who apparently spent every available opportunity telling him he wasn't good enough.  By the time Neville joined Dumbledore's army and showed his determination to fight back against Voldemort despite his limitations, it was clear that Neville might be unimpressive at first sight, but he was not to be underestimated.

Needless to say, I was already pretty enamored with Neville before the explosion of badassery that takes place in the final novel, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.  Not only is Neville one of the key leaders of the rebellion at Hogwarts in Harry's absence, he is among the first willing to put his life on the line during battle, and does Harry the not insignificant favor of destroying Voldemort's last horcrux.  Neville's bravery in the face of certain doom at the moment when everyone thinks Harry is dead and all hope has been lost cemented him forever in my heart as a hero.

Also, it should be noted that I always thought Matthew Lewis was a cutie, and his was one of the franchise's most spot-on castings.

NBC's Thursday Night Shuffle

Apparently this kind of thing only happens when I've vowed to avoid the Internet for a few days.  As you may have heard/read/seen, NBC released its spring schedule today, and there are some questionable choices that appear to have gone into it. 

The Good:  Whitney is finally being yanked from the Thursday lineup (after half a season spent hyping it above and beyond the other three shows), and transferred to the Wednesday night opening slot, where it will meet its true ratings fate.  This made space for the charming Up All Night to mosey over to Thursday night, where it will trail The Office and close out the evening's comedy.

The Bad:  I know many of us have been wondering where exactly 30 Rock would land when it came time for its mid-season premiere, and now that we have our answer, to say it's disappointing would be an understatement.  Tina Fey and company will lead off the night on Thursdays beginning in January, with Parks and Recreation following in its current timeslot.  What this means, unfortunately, is that quirky favorite Community has been left out in the cold.  NBC's official line is that the show has been "benched" rather than cancelled, but it remains unclear what, exactly, that means for the Greendale gang.

Thoughts:  I understand the need to make changes; after all, there just isn't room on Thursday night for six comedies (although if I were in the decision-making chair, I might have petitioned for a third hour of comedy that night rather than tacking on a new drama at 10/9c.  I am absolutely excited to see 30 Rock back, but I didn't consider that it might cost me another one of my favorite shows.  And while I am obviously concerned about the future of Community (will it come back in the summer? will we have to wait until fall to see the rest of season 3? are webisodes of some kind an option?), I take a little bit of issue with the lineup of the remaining shows as it stands.  The goal here is ratings (which is the chief reason Community was the show to get the boot), and I don't know if these shows are in the order that will most benefit them.  30 Rock has never led the night before, and given that it's been missing all of fall, it might lack the momentum it needs to succeed there.  I personally would have put Up All Night at the 8/7c spot, which is where it's been doing a consistent job on Wednesday nights.  If NBC is going to move forward with 30 Rock as the starter, they are going to need to hype the crap out of it (I have yet to see any evidence that this is in the works at all), much in the way they failed to hype any Thursday show save for Whitney at the end of the summer.  One good thing this arrangement has going for it is that it might give Parks and Recreation the ratings bump it needs, because so many people are fans of both that show and 30 Rock.

The Verdict:  We'll have to wait till January to see how it all pans out, but in the meantime I'll be interested to see how the folks over at Community handle this bump in the road.  They've now got 3, maybe 4 episodes before this "benching," during which they might just be able to do whatever the heck they want (and I hope they do).

Emmys 2011: Predictions

The Primetime Emmy Awards are almost upon us, airing on Sunday, September 18th on FOX.  Jane Lynch will be hosting, and since she's usually pretty hilarious I think we can all expect a pretty good show.  And maybe, just maybe, that good show will compensate for some of the grievous snubs that have taken place this Emmy season (though I doubt it).  Here are my thoughts on who will win and who should win* in each of the big categories.

Supporting Actor, Comedy
Chris Colfer, Glee
Eric Stonestreet, Modern Family
Ty Burrell, Modern Family*
Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Modern Family
Ed O'Neill, Modern Family
Jon Cryer, Two and a Half Men

I think a part of me is a little resentful still at the excess of Modern Family love in this category-- don't get me wrong, all the men involved are hilarious, but they didn't all give the best performances of the year.  However, I was rooting for Ty Burrell prior to the nominations, and I really do think he's the best of the bunch here.  That said, I think the vote is going to tip in Ed O'Neill's favor, as this is his first nomination.  Either that or all the Modern Family guys will split the vote and we'll see a Chris Colfer win, which would be kind of a bummer.

Supporting Actress, Comedy
Julie Bowen, Modern Family*
Sofia Vergara, Modern Family
Jane Lynch, Glee
Betty White, Hot in Cleveland
Kristen Wiig, SNL*
Jane Krakowski, 30 Rock

I don't think the Betty White love-fest is quite over, so I'm pretty certain she'll get this one.  But I would love to see Julie Bowen get in there, or for Kristen Wiig, this category's wild card in every sense, to take home the prize.

Supporting Actor, Drama
*I really have no opinion on this one, as I haven't seen any of the performances nominated


Supporting Actress, Drama
Kelly Macdonald, Boardwalk Empire*
Christina Hendricks, Mad Men
Christine Baranski, The Good Wife
Archie Panjabi, The Good Wife
Michelle Forbes, The Killing
Margo Martindale, Justified

Lead Actor, Comedy
Matt LeBlanc, Episodes
Steve Carrell, The Office*
Jim Parsons, Big Bang Theory
Louis C.K., Louie
Alec Baldwin, 30 Rock
Johnny Galecki, Big Bang Theory

Steve Carrell is the sentimental choice, but this time around it's well-earned.  His performance as Michael Scott preparing to leave the Dunder Mifflin crew behind for good was genuinely heartfelt and hilarious, and one that, unlike the other nominees, won't have a chance at being replicated next year.

Lead Actress, Comedy
Laura Linney, The Big C
Martha Plimpton, Raising Hope
Edie Falco, Nurse Jackie
Amy Poehler, Parks and Recreation*
Melissa McCarthy, Mike and Molly
Tina Fey, 30 Rock

Laura Linney is the favorite, and she is a fantastic actress, but I want Amy Poehler to win so badly that my heart hurts a little.  Leslie Knope is one of the best characters on television because of Poehler and the skill she brings, and I just want someone to recognize that, gosh darnit.

Lead Actor, Drama
Steve Buscemi, Boardwalk Empire*
Michael C. Hall, Dexter
Kyle Chandler, Friday Night Lights
Jon Hamm, Mad Men
Hugh Laurie, House
Timothy Olyphant, Justified

Lead Actress, Drama
Julianna Margulies, The Good Wife
Elisabeth Moss, Mad Men*
Connie Britton, Friday Night Lights
Mariska Hargitay, Law & Order SVU
Mireille Enos, The Killing
Kathy Bates, Harry's Law

Outstanding Comedy
Glee
Modern Family
The Office
Parks and Recreation*
The Big Bang Theory
30 Rock

I need a Parks win here.  I need someone besides me and a bunch of other lowly bloggers to acknowledge that this is the best comedy currently on television, hands down.  Modern Family is great, and I watch it every week and laugh along, but the second season lacked the originality and spark of the first, and it just didn't top Parks in terms of comedy this year.

Outstanding Drama
Mad Men
Boardwalk Empire
The Good Wife
Friday Night Lights
Dexter
Game of Thrones*


Boardwalk Empire seems on track to sweep all the major awards, and that's fine.  However, there is nothing I love more than an upset, which is why I'd love to see Game of Thrones (which from what I've read has quite the nerd following) walk away with the prize instead.

Emmys 2011: Who Should Get a Nod

Amid all of the Harry Potter excitement this week, there is one other very exciting event happening tomorrow morning (at the crack of dawn, no less):  Emmy nominations will be announced for the 2010-2011 season!  Now, we all know the usual suspects will probably make it into the mix:  Boardwalk Empire, Dexter, Toni Collette, and so on and so on and now I'm bored.  Rather than try to make predictions (I don't think I watch a varying enough spectrum of television to be very accurate), I'll give my endorsements here to the individuals and shows I feel deserve Emmy recognition, and we'll find out tomorrow whether the voters agree with me.

Supporting Actress, TV Comedy:

Aubrey Plaza, Parks and Recreation
This is the owner of the best female deadpan delivery on television, and that alone should be enough to earn her a nomination.  She was funnier than ever on Parks this season, and got an even more substantial story line to work with.

Busy Phillips, Cougar Town
Without this actress, Cougar Town would be a show where Courtney Cox's character whines all the time and Christa Miller struggles valiantly to lighten things up with her wit.  With Phillips, however, the dynamic of all three actresses is ignited, making for lots of laughs, usually at her character's expense.

Julie Bowen, Modern Family
Let's note that I'm including her in this category if and only if she isn't eligible for Lead status (I don't know how much screen time is required).  As neurotic Clare Dunphy dealing with one of the wackier families on TV, Bowen is consistently hilarious and sympathetic, and more than deserving of an Emmy nod.

Alyson Hannigan, How I Met Your Mother
Hannigan stepped up her game in season 6 of HIMYM, proving that she could not only make us laugh, but handle some pretty heavy drama as well.  If only she and on-screen husband Jason Segel could be nominated in some kind of package deal...


Supporting Actor, TV Comedy:

Nick Offerman, Parks and Recreation
This man delivers the funny, every single time.  He has the ability to steal scenes with just one line, even sometimes a single expression.

Aziz Ansari, Parks and Recreation
Ansari brought more dimension and sympathy to the character of Tom this season than I think any of us were expecting.  He consistently has some of the best one-liners on this show and on all of TV, and manages to stand out in an ensemble packed with amazing performers.

Donald Glover, Community
Another character who we knew was funny, but were hoping to see more from this season.  Glover delivered, and helped keep the show afloat during some of its more lackluster moments.

Ty Burrell, Modern Family
He's Phil Dunphy.  If you've seen the show, you know there isn't much more that needs to be said.

Charlie Day, It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia
No real person could get away with 99% of what he says and does on Sunny, which is probably what makes him so much fun to watch.

Jason Segel, How I Met Your Mother
Goofy side-kick no more, Segel took on Marshal's most intensive arc yet this season, and delivered it in a way that was both genuine and endearing.  The episodes in which he was heavily featured were by far some of the best HIMYM has ever done.

Neil Patrick Harris, How I Met Your Mother
Always a safe bet for the Emmys, or any awards for that matter.  He brought Barney Stinson back from the edges of cliche-dom by tackling tougher material this season and bringing fresh nuances to an already beloved character.



Lead Actor, TV Comedy:

Steve Carrell, The Office
The Emmys love a swan song, and Steve Carell played his to perfection this season on The Office.  His final episode arc was a return to what once made the show great, and he deserves much of the credit for that.

Joel McHale, Community
Carell is the man to beat, and while I don't think McHale can or will, I'd still love to see him recognized for being as funny as he is.


Lead Actress, TV Comedy:

Amy Poehler, Parks and Recreation
 Like Steve Carell, I think Amy Poehler as Leslie Knope is the comedic performer to beat here.  She was absolutely pitch-perfect all season long, and an Emmy for Amy is long overdue.  (Also, if she doesn't win/isn't nominated, I will probably cry.)

Courtney Cox, Cougar Town
The show's second season was a little shaky, but even a bad Courtney Cox performance is a good performance by most people's standards.

Best TV Comedy (Ranked in Order):
Parks and Recreation
Modern Family
How I Met Your Mother
Community
The Office

TV Review: The Office's Beautiful, Understated Send-Off

Remember earlier when I said I was pretty sure this episode was going to be perfect?  I don't regret that prediction for a second.  Every little piece of the puzzle came together, and I'm not ashamed to say that I shed a few (okay, many) tears for Michael on his last day with the Dunder-Mifflin gang.

I loved Michael making the rounds to say goodbye to and leave a bit of wisdom(?) with each of his co-workers.  I loved the letter of recommendation/paintball fight with Dwight.  I loved every second of his and Jim's interaction, especially their promise to "have lunch tomorrow."  And oddly, I think I really did love Michael's fake-out over when he was leaving, because it allowed the whole experience to be quieter and a little more serious than I would have expected.  Besides, we got our musical moment last week, so I think it was fitting that this week's swan song was much more understated.

Two additional things that were great:  I loved the way that Michael broke the fourth wall, in a sense, right before he took off his mic for the last time ("Let me know if this ever airs.").  On a related note, I loved that Pam made it to the airport in time to see him off (even though Security definitely wouldn't have let her through), and that we couldn't hear what they said to each other. 

I honestly have no complaints about this episode.  I loved it, as a send-off to Michael and also as the closing of a chapter.  I'm half-debating just letting this be the conclusion of my Office watching run, just because I think this ended on the exact note I would have wanted for the series as a whole.

May Sweeps: Where Do We Go From Here? Part Two

Okay, so apparently my dates are wrong, or I just didn't realize, but I've been reading more and more that this week is officially counted as part of May sweeps.  Ergo, I'd like to take a look at the Thursday night line-up (and make some probably incorrect predictions) before they air tonight.  These three shows have been pretty steadily wonderful all season long, so I don't know that any of them really need to pull out all the stops to impress me; they just need to keep doing all the fantastic things they already do.

Community:  First, Shirley is apparently having her baby tonight, at least according to Joel McHale's Twitter.  That should definitely provide the setting for both laughs and potential drama, so I'm looking forward to that.  However, didn't she only get pregnant in October?  That doesn't seem like enough time, but I guess that's one of those TV mysteries I just have to accept.  This sounds like it will be a pretty eventful episode by all accounts, and there will definitely be a May sweeps feel to it. 

As for what's coming in the next few weeks, we all know at the very least that we'll be getting paintball, round two, and my personal favorite thing, a guest-star appearance from one Josh Holloway (aka Sawyer from LOST!).  So excited/intrigued to see if he can actually pull off comedy.

Looking ahead to the finale and how they might wrap up this season, I think last week did a good job of catching everyone up on where things are at with all of the relationships and whatnot, so there's really a lot of potential for any number of story lines to be furthered or resolved.  I'm guessing we'll get something on the Jeff/Annie front, particularly since it was so skirted around (parody video notwithstanding) when Annie tried to bring it up last week.  The people behind this show know that there's a huge Jeff and Annie fan base, so I can't see why they wouldn't take advantage of that for sweeps.  I'd also like to see them come back to either Britta and Troy and whatever they have going on or a return from Abed's secret service lady (that was one of my favorite plots surrounding Abed, they'd make such a weird, fantastic couple).  Also, are all of them staying in community college for four years?  That seems a tad unrealistic, but if it's required for the sake of the show, I'll take it.  In any event, the episodes to come should be pretty interesting, and hopefully some of their best yet.

The Office:  There is no way that Steve Carell/Michael Scott's last day at Dunder-Mifflin is going to be anything less than epic.   The word "perfection" is being tossed around, and I have no doubts that it is accurate.  After that, I'm not so sure.  All I've read about the finale is the increasingly lengthy list of famous guest stars who will be appearing, and if that doesn't sound like compensating, I don't know what does.  I really will be interested to see what they do without Michael, especially given the not-so-enthusiastic response to Will Ferrell's potentially replacing him.

Parks and Recreation:  I'm going through a phase with this show that I've had at some point with all my favorites (Community being the most recent), where I just want to watch it all the time, and I find myself counting down the hours until Thursday so that I can see what's next.  This has been the show of the season for me, hitting it out of the park every single week (and still not getting the recognition it deserves...but I don't need to go on a rant now).  I am so excited for the final few installments of Parks, and to see where they leave us heading into Season 4.  A few of the things I'm particularly looking forward to:

 *Some drama:  Ausiello's May Sweeps score card lists Parks as having one of 15 "confirmed deaths" in the final leg of its season.  I know I talked about this a few weeks ago, wondering who in the office it'd be, but now that I've had more time to think about it I'm going to predict that the death will be Pawnee's own Lil' Sebastian.  Can you imagine the mayhem that will ensue?  I can, and I can't wait to see it.

*Ben and Leslie:  This couple has been an obsession for me all season, and it's only gotten worse as it's become clear that their feelings are reciprocated.  Rumor has it that they're going to have some pretty significant moments soon, and I just need to say that I am preemptively embarrassed of how many times I'll probably watch the scene where they inevitably get together.

*What's next for the Parks Department?  When we last left them, they seemed to be sifting through Leslie's ideas for the next big project.  I thought having Harvest Festival as a common thread holding the season and the Parks crew together was a great device, and I'd love to see them do it again with something even more awesome(sauce).  I'm hoping we will have an idea of the new endeavor by season's end.

Overall, I'm entirely too excited about television right now.  And it has nothing to do with the fact that I'm on the verge of mid-terms.  Nothing at all...

TV Review: The Office Tugs at the Heart Strings...Again

Goddamn, Office writers, what are you doing to me?  Two out of the last three episodes have made me cry real tears-- it's getting embarrassing.  And I already know that there's going to be something in Steve Carell's final episode that is going to repeat this awful trend.

Honestly, this was a pretty average episode up through the Dundies-- many of Michael's hijinks from the original episode were simply recycled and refurbished, but that was okay because we knew it was a throwback.  But when they all burst into song at the end there?  Every minute of this suddenly too short half hour was worth it.

So the Office team knocks another one out of the park, and there's just not much more I can say about it than that.  I can't wait for next week, because any doubts I had about the show's ability to send Carell off in style are long forgotten.

TV Discussion: Should 'The Office' Quit While It's Ahead?

I've been an Office fan from the beginning, from the days before Steve Carell's hair implants and the days when Jim and Pam could only shoot longing glances at each other from across a crowded office.  So it's with a heavy heart that I come to the conclusion that this show should really just wrap up at the end of this season, following Michael's departure. 

It would be tempting to say that the writers have simply run out of material, but based on the past few episodes that really isn't the case.  The proposal episode and now Will Ferrell's first appearance have both been truly successful installments of The Office, and this only adds strength to my conviction that to end things now would be to go out on top.  Now that they're in the process of replacing Michael, it seems almost too fitting that the rest of the show's loose ends (not that there are many remaining) should be tied up as well.  I think more than anything I'd like to see a truly heartfelt and hilarious season finale turn into a series finale, where we leave our favorite Dunder-Mifflinites behind, knowing that they'll continue to get into the hijinks we all know and love, but also that they'll be just fine without us.  I'd miss Jim and Pam and Dwight (and my weekly dose of John Krasinski, naturally), but I'd rather see them go in the fairly content states they are now then watch them flounder for another season or two before coming to a flat conclusion.

Just throwing it out there, NBC.  Don't sacrifice a great show's integrity just so you can make a bigger profit.

TV Round-Up: Mixed Bag

Community:  I have to admit, this episode was again underwhelming.  I think I've just come to expect so much from any episode with such a hyped theme, and this one just didn't deliver.  It was advertised as the "Pulp Fiction" episode, but by the time it was over I was left with the very strong feeling that given the range and talent of the cast and the quality of the film in question, they could have done much more.  I think they played it safe this week, not taking any of the risks for which this show is known, and it showed.  Yes, it was probably a bit of a risk giving Abed that huge monologue about his "Cougar Town" experience (honestly, I think I was distracted throughout the speech by my own attempts to imagine Abed watching that show), but that scene actually ended up standing out as a highlight in an otherwise weak installment.

Much hype has been made about the episodes to come (I've heard rumors of a Josh Holloway appearance, not to mention the much-anticipated paintball sequel, which will either be terrible or brilliant), so I'm hoping (again) that we're just seeing the valley before we begin to climb yet another comedic summit along with our favorite Greendale students.  The show may have just gotten picked up for a third season, but now is not the time to slow down; Dan Harmon and company need to use May sweeps to prove they deserve another year.

Parks and Recreation:  This was one episode where just hearing the premise told me it was going to be hilarious.  In "Camping," Leslie takes the Parks team out into the wilderness for a night of brainstorming and bonding, and the results are pretty much what you'd expect, at least in terms of productivity.  Tom brought along his SkyMall haven, and we saw the long-awaited (at least, in my case) return of DJ ROOMBA!  What I enjoyed even more than Tom himself was the continuation of his storyline (read:  bromance) with Ben.  The two of them were really bonding there in the tent, at least until Ron pulled the plug. 

Can we just establish that April and Andy are quickly becoming one of the best couples on television right now (if they weren't already)?  Everything they do just works, and each of them has remained dimensional, resisting that dreaded trend of melding into what I like to call a "relationship blob" [think Barney and Robin on HIMYM-- should have, by all rights, been epic, but just got too boring too fast].  I think seeing Andy go to all that trouble to make April's camping experience wonderful was such an adorable moment, especially watching him dance around with the rose petals.  It was a throwback, for me at least, to the early days of Jim and Pam on The Office.

All the other elements of this episode just fell into place perfectly.  (Sidebar:  I realize I spend most of my reviews of this show gushing over how good it is; but hey, I'll stop when they stop producing the best 20 minutes of my TV week).  Leslie and Ben?  More baby steps, but I'll take it.  Ann and Chris?  Spot on, as usual.  And Ron had my quote of the week:  "Fishing relaxes me.  It's like yoga, except I still get to kill something."

The Office:  And speaking of Jim and Pam...  I don't usually review (or consistently watch) The Office anymore, but when I read that Michael was scheming to propose to Holly, I knew that this was going to be a can't-miss episode.  And I was right.  I won't go too much into detail about it, because I think everyone who ever had a soft spot for this show should definitely check it out themselves (plus I don't want to get into more gushing and discussion of how choked up I may or may not have gotten...).  Anyway, it was fabulous; I'm really glad that the writers are giving Steve Carell the swan song he so thoroughly deserves.

Glee and How I Met Your Mother were, unfortunately, reruns this week.