The TV Show Blog

Where do we go from here?

Thu, 29 Nov 2007 22:20:14 -0500

Greetings loyal readers! For those of you who have been returning to this site repeatedly over the last week to discover an incredible lack of posting, I do apologize. We have not been providing you with your daily fix of TV related banter. Originally this site was a spinoff site of The Movie Blog.com and I still do contribute over there. John Campea and I have come to an agreement for me to run this site and in light of his current situation, a lot of doubt about the future of the TVShowBlog.com has been brought forward. We are not going anywhere! Not to say that we are going nowhere, just that this site is staying right were it is and looking to a bright future. With this new deal that John has with his new owners will not affect the future of the TVShowBlog.com. Although our humble roots started with the Movie Blog, this site is independant of that one and will continue to grow. Where do we go from there? I am currently in discussion with my existing writers to bring fresh up to date and consistent TV punditry right to your browser. We should have a new look, new site, and writers just chomping at the bit to share their opinions on just about anything TV with you. So thanks for sticking around. Please stick around a tiny bit more. Edit Just to address some of the comments below. Yes, Wordpress is a large consideration. John has shown me some of the advantages of wordpress and the customization available so it is tempting me. Also, the links to the left which label each show already customize the site so that if you want to see any content just about one show or category you can. That will remain in the new site as well.

When Doctors Meet - Sneak Peek

Sat, 17 Nov 2007 14:48:16 -0500

This 8min short, written by the great Stephen Moffat, reunites Doctors #5 (Peter Davidson) and #10 (David Tennant), taking place after the latest season finale but before the Christmas special. I just LOVE the idea of them crossing the Doctors. It makes sense that a time/space traveller would eventually have the instance of encountering an earlier self yet so far it has only happened 3 other times on the TV series (The Three Doctors -1972, The Five Doctors - 1983 and The Two Doctors - 1985) How they handled this was perfect and incredibly in character. Not just anyone can pull off accessorizing with a vegetable!

Smallville Jumps the Shark

Thu, 15 Nov 2007 22:26:54 -0500

I have always been a big comic book fan. And though not on the top of my stack, Superman has always been a hero that I have liked. Some found him too trendy, some just didn't care. I respected him, and on occassion I would pick up a story arc or two. So when they announced Smallville was coming out, I fell right in love immediately. This was the untold chapter. Pure Superman mythos gold. Then it soon became apparent that they couldn't keep to the Superman story of the movies or books and admittedly began to tangent introducing their own takes on the relationship of Clark and Lex as well as Kal-El's ties to his lost homeworld of Krypton. This has been handled as well as you could without starting a riot of geekic proportions. And so far I have been impressed with the world they are building. That is until this season. I have just LOVED Lana turning dark. We all know that Clark eventually ends up with Lois, but we are content to ignore that for now, but we also know that means no matter how much we want Clark to get with Lana we know it isnt going to stay. I found the Lex relationship storyline with Lana was a waste and thought it would have been far more interesting if Lana DID die at the end of last season. Now I want her to go dark and just disappear. I have no use for her alive. Then they introduced Supergirl (Kara). I guess we didnt have enough eyecandy on the show (Lana, Lois, Chloe) so we bring in another character to attempt to recapture some of that mystery and discovery that made the first couple seasons so magical. So Kara is innocent and almost awkward with her abilities and can't fit in with these humans. She has to hide her powers from the one she likes as she tries to be "normal" while using her abilities to help others. Sound familiar. That was Clark the first time round. This character is useless. I was starting to think some hack scab writer crossed the picket lines to write this story arc and then they decided to bring back Clark's mom (Lora-El) and Kara's dad (Zor-El) from the afterlife who reveals he is as evil as Jor-El had warned. And I let out an audible groan. This is like watching a good friend fall to drug addiction. Something you feel so close to getting violated right before your eyes. It is painful. The final moments of this week's episode make me have a little hope for the series. I won't spoil the whole episode, but the very things I didn't like about the current direction seem to be taking care of themselves. Maybe Smallville hasn't Jumped the Shark but they are getting lined up to do so. I can only wait to see the next episode next month (Smallville doesn't return until Dec 13) This post was Authored by Rodney Brazeau, Senior Editor for the TVShow Blog and Our Resident Authority on all things Heroes and Smallville

Smallville Cast Joins the Writers Strike Picket Lines

Thu, 15 Nov 2007 22:04:52 -0500

It would seem that EVERYONE but the studio heads are in support of the writer's strike. Many of the actors have joined their writers on the picket lines to show their support while they are not filming the parts they already wrote. KryptonSite gives us the message from Executive Producer, Al Gough himself:

It was a great afternoon at Universal as over 2500 writers and actors joined the fight for our collective futures (professionally speaking). We had John Glover, Michael Cassidy and Phil Morris out there supporting the cause.

I think it's great to see SO MUCH support for this and I hope that it means a quick end to the strike so they can all get back to work. Smallville is still among my favourites (despite the recent frustrations), and even they are ready to get in line to show their support. I hope this ends fast. This post was Authored by Rodney Brazeau, Senior Editor for the TVShow Blog and Our Resident Authority on all things Heroes and Smallville

Torchwood to Cross with Dr Who Again

Thu, 15 Nov 2007 21:53:45 -0500

In an interview with This Is Nottingham, John Barrowman, known to fans around the globe as Captain Jack Harkness talks about his forthcoming album, his return to the annual pantomime, and of course his inevitable return to the TARDIS, which, according to Barrowman, will be in Series 4.

"I'm not in the Doctor Who Christmas special, but I come back in Series Four, which starts filming after Christmas. Series Two of Torchwood also starts airing on BBC2 in January."

All well and good says I, but with Martha returning, the Doctor traveling with Donna, rumors that Kylie may be coming back... is the TARDIS starting to get a little crowded again? I don't mind one, even two companions, but after that it begins to get a little crowded and starts to really cut into story time, as each character tends to have something to do over the course of the episode, and in usual Doctor Who fashion (though not always, and not generally so much since Doctors 9 and 10), the companion(s) get separated from the Doctor through the course of the adventure. Doing that would really cut into the story and character development. So far Davies and company have done a fairly reliable job of juggling the characters, and giving them all kinds of time, but with a slew of characters running around the TARDIS, this would seriously jeopardize the story quality. And yes, I realize the TARDIS is dimensionally transcendental and has all kinds of space, but still, that console room is looking like it's beginning to really fill up. Is two too much? What about more than two? What do you think? This post was Authored by TD, Our Resident Authority on all things BBC

Lily Allen to be the Doctor's Next Companion?

Thu, 15 Nov 2007 21:50:36 -0500

Looks like there are more rumors about who may be venturing into the Who-verse, pop star Lily Allen is being rumoured to join the Doctor as a new companion in the future. Chart Attack carries a small rumour article here, however it's source appears to be The Sun, a UK paper/website that has carried tons of questionable rumours about what's coming for the Doctor, remember the Ben Kingsley one?

"We've talked to her and she was excited by the idea," an unnamed source told the tabloid. "Billie used Doctor Who for her transition from music to acting. We think Lily can emulate that."

Unnamed source huh? Well, we'll see. I'm personally looking forward to seeing the Doctor and Donna together, as the chemistry between them is very enjoyable, not to mention the return of Martha. I also tend to think that when/if it's time for a new companion, I do think there could be more choices than pop stars to take on the role. I personally would love to see Sally Sparrow join the cast as the Doctor's companion, Blink was by far my fave episode of Series 3, and Carey Mulligan, the young actress who played Sally, had to carry the majority of the episode herself, and the fan response to her was enormous. Bring back Sally Sparrow says I!!! What do you folks think? This post was Authored by TD, Our Resident Authority on all things BBC

Chuck actors join Writer's Strike on the Picket Lines

Thu, 15 Nov 2007 21:45:21 -0500

The actors who play Chuck (Zachary Levi), Morgan (Joshua Gomez), and Ellie (Sarah Lancaster) joined the picket lines for the WGA strike when they aren't filming. When asked about working on their shows while the writers stand outside, Gomez told IGN:

"We support the strike fully, but I still have to drive through, and as I drive through a picket line, they understand. They know who we are -- at least on our lot, on the Warner Bros. lot -- when me and Zach drive in." Gomez noted that continuing to work while another union, the writers, are on strike "is in our contract. There's a 'no strike' clause. We have to do this, but otherwise, if I'm not there, I'm out here with these guys [on the picket line]."

The article also talks with Neil Patrick Harris of How I Met Your Mother, who comments that he is worried it because neither side seems willing to even talk to the other. He also says how surreal it is that a strike has become a celebrity and tabloid event. It seems that there are very few people out there who don't at least know that the strike is happening, updates are on local news and nearly any website you might surf past (which is ironic considering that the internet is one of the big points of contention). Seth Green, of Robot Chicken and Family Guy, sums up the writer's demands quite nicely:

"It's stupid, because as they make money all the writers are saying is 'We want a percentage of the money that you make.' They're not saying 'We want an annual salary or a monthly income.' They're saying 'As you make money, we want a percentage of it - of the income generated by the material that we created.' That seems fair, doesn't it?'"

Everyone seems to be expecting the strike to last a very long time, which I think is very unfortunate. While it might be true that it will take a monetary impact for the producers to sit down, I would hope that more people were saying "We want to get back to our desks, and we'll do what it takes to make that happen." But despite the amount of press and discussion, there are no negotiations, no talks, nothing going on between the WGA and the producers. While I might understand that they need to take a stand for their own cause, they aren't only affecting themselves. In the IGN article, Neil Patrick Harris points this out very succinctly:

"I feel the worst for our crew. Writers, they deserve the compensation and they deserve to have the points that they want, but it effects a lot of people who are living paycheck to paycheck in a really, really significant way. So it's really tough for the focus pullers and the crafts service people. They don't have anything to do after this, legitimately. All the reality crews are full. So they suffer a lot harder than we do."

This post was Authored by Elizabeth, Our Resident Authority on all things Chuck

Zachary Levi: Hottest Man Alive?

Wed, 14 Nov 2007 23:10:26 -0500

While he didn't take any of the top honors, Zachary Levi, star of Chuck, has an interview on People Magazine's website about being one of the sexiest men alive.

""If I'm ever going to be happy in life, I'm going to have to find a woman who likes, not likes, really loves watching her husband play video games. Because that would be...that's a deal breaker right there. 'Honey, I'm tied up with something right now' 'Oh that's okay Honey, I love watching you go.'"

Levi has been getting a lot of notice for how charming and good looking he is in the role of a Nerd Herder. There's been a lot said about geeks being in and more desirable than ever, and I think that the attention being given to Zachary Levi has really shown that taking hold. While Chuck is a very nerdy character, he's got a strong female following. It's interesting that the producers, before the show aired, thought that Sarah's kick-ass secret agent would bring girls to the show. Instead it looks like Chuck's charm and likeability are the real winners. I know I could take or leave Sarah myself, I watch the show for Agent Casey and Chuck. Their interactions are simply priceless. It's also nice to see Chuck as a nerd character with developed social skills. So often producers and writers make the assumption that geeks live in basements and are afraid of the world (see the rest of the Nerd Herd for examples). But Chuck has a tight-knit family, and while he lives with his sister they have a loving relationship that's nice to see. In the first episode, a bit of a deal was made about his interactions with women, but that seems to have gone by the wayside. Chuck is charming, and that's one of the big reasons people are tuning in. This post was Authored by Elizabeth, Our Resident Authority on all things Chuck

Bionic Woman: Picking up speed but still lagging behind

Wed, 14 Nov 2007 23:08:48 -0500

As picket lines swamp the streets of La-La Land, the media has so far spent its coverage of the Writers Guild strike by either staring awestruck at the black hole that was late night television, or else cringing with fear over The Office and 24 shutting down. I'm more interested in whether or not smaller shows, the ones still clinging on by their fingertips, will manage to keep their fires lit under the wet blanket of the strike's creative lockdown. Heroes for example can use the layover to re-energize what has proven to be a rather tepid sophomore season. But a show like Bionic Woman, which has executed another nearly perfect swan dive in the rating (for any of you interested culture vultures it now draws exactly half the audience of its September premiere) but likewise continues to improve at the pace of, say, a bionic snail...make that an aged, half-blind, bionic snail. Wait, where was I going with this? Oh, right, so how does a show like that -- a timeslot killer showing modest but discernible signs of improvement -- how does that show survive when stripped of what little momentum its gained? Forward momentum is the whiskey of choice for a successful genre show and continuity is its best chaser: retain what works, keep it all moving. Even when a show feels like it's been intentionally placed in a holding pattern (witness the third go-rounds for Lost and Battlestar) the goal is to maintain that fly-by-your-seat appearance or risk your audience growing bored. And grumpy. Grumpy usually follows bored. Last week's episode of Bionic managed its first real streak of continuity and momentum, by bringing back Jaime's CIA love interest, a role portrayed by the son of one of the Bridges (Jeff or Beau -- I couldn't be bothered to look it up). Anyway, the Bridges kid is charming enough and it is nice to see the show branching out from its mostly vacuous and decidedly less than charming cast of regulars. Unfortunately, the writers took a familiar spies-in-Paris set-up and rather than push it forward into new territory, they quickly sat down and parked it safely on the corner of the rue de paresseux, which is French for "lazy." (And, yes, while I appreciate the potential irony -- that one I did look up.) This post was authored by Jim Titus, a man worth significantly less than Six Million Dollars

Family Guy Assistants FIRED during Writer's Guild Strike

Wed, 14 Nov 2007 23:07:05 -0500

Variety posted an article recently taklking about the effects of the recent WGA strike, and had this to say about Family Guy.

"Family Guy" creator Seth MacFarlane touched a nerve Friday when he elicited perhaps the angriest response among the 4,000 attendees at Friday's WGA rally at Fox Plaza. Invoking the image of the companies as schoolyard bullies, he recounted that all "Family Guy" assistants had been fired by Fox on the third day of the strike. "Instead of negotiating, they lashed out at the little guy," MacFarlane added. "What a classy move."

I do feel as if Fox is in the wrong. They should have negotiated first. I'm surprised they didnt kick the writing staff, itself, to the curb. I really hope this strike ends soon. I'd hate to see my favorite shows replaced with more reality smut. This post was Authored by Josh Kelhoffer, Our Resident Authority on all things Adult Swim

SouthPark Breaks Records with Imaginationland Trilogy

Wed, 14 Nov 2007 23:03:00 -0500

Southpark Studios has posted an article that doesn't surpise me in the least bit. b>

"Star Wars," "The Godfather," "Indiana Jones." Historic trilogies all, and now they have company. The exciting conclusion to "South Park's" "Imaginationland" trilogy aired Wednesday, October 31 and drew almost 4 million total viewers, making it COMEDY CENTRAL's most watched telecast of the year.

If you haven't seen the Imaginationland episodes. Do so now. They are hilarious. It's just so crazy and most of it comes from left-field, it's just South Park at it's best. This post was Authored by Josh Kelhoffer, Our Resident Authority on all things Adult Swim

Captain N and the New Super Mario World coming to DVD

Wed, 14 Nov 2007 22:59:43 -0500

ToonZone reports that the near-forgotten Nintendo cartoon Captian N is coming to dvd!

"Captain N & The New Super Mario World originally aired for one season on NBC in the fall of 1991. Each half-hour episode was split into two unrelated segments. Captain N aired on its own for 2 seasons before being paired with Super Mario World for its 3rd season. Super Mario World followed closely on the success of previous Mario Bros. cartoons The Super Mario Bros. Super Show and The Adventures of Super Mario 3. Captain N & The New Super Mario World 2-DVD set will be available on November 13, 2007 for $29.99 SRP."

Interestingly enough, me and a co-worker had a brief discussion about this show, and cartoons from our childhood (aka the Smurfs and Ninja Turtles era). I don't remember too much about this show. Ou tof all the Nintendo based cartoons, the Super Mario Bros. Super Show is the one I most watched, and even that is a blur. But I think it's a good thing this is being released on dvd. It's a lost remnance from a time when Nintendo ruled our childhood. Those were the good ol' days! This post was Authored by Josh Kelhoffer, Our Resident Authority on all things Adult Swim

Kylie Minogue to return to Doctor Who?

Wed, 14 Nov 2007 22:56:02 -0500

The Christmas episode, Voyage of the Damned has yet to air and there are already rumors that Kylie's character, a waitress aboard the Titanic could be returning to the series in the future. Many news carriers have presented this little rumor including the UK's Daily Express Daily Express

“It’s not up to me but I know there has been talk that my character could be reintroduced at a later date. We’ll have to wait and see.”

We've seen that a pop princess works well in the TARDIS before with Billie Piper, could Kylie take over from Donna and Martha and be the Doctor's new traveling companion? What do you think? This post was Authored by TD, Our Resident Authority on all things BBC

David Tennant The Least Sexy Man On The Planet

Wed, 14 Nov 2007 22:53:03 -0500

Hey, I didn't say it! And I know my sweetie didn't either, these words came from the man himself, in a forthcoming print interview for the UK magazine stage. Sadly the link doesn't allow Tennant to expound on that statement but he does talk about his upcoming theatrical run as Hamlet, fame, and of course Doctor Who.

“You could find yourself in the present or hundreds of years in the past – or five billion years in the future. And the standard of the writing and of the stories is extremely high. I might tweak the odd line here or there, but I’d never dream of pointing out to the writers, in that hackneyed phrase, that my character wouldn’t say this or do that. Russell [T Davies] is the best, so why play around with the best?"

Not long now until his return as our favorite Time Lord! This post was Authored by TD, Our Resident Authority on all things BBC

Alladin vs the Daleks!

Wed, 14 Nov 2007 22:50:42 -0500

The annual pantomime is very big in the UK, presented at the Birmingham Hippodrome, and Torchwood star John Barrowman is walking the floorboards this year in the production of Aladdin in the lead role. But things aren't going to be all wishes and 'whole new worlds' apparently as the universe's most feared enemy will be appearing on stage opposite Barrowman. That's right, the Daleks are making their first pantomime appearance in this year's production! I don't know the size of the role they play in the story, or how they've been cast, but apparently they are involved! The website can be found Here The Daleks themselves were unavailable for comment. What do you guys think of that? Are any of you in the UK and planning to attend? Let us know! This post was Authored by TD, Our Resident Authority on all things BBC