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So there's a major character leaving AMC's Mad Men, and this is probably one of those casting decisions that's going to make dedicated Mad Men fans very upset. They might even Twitter or text "OMG!" to their friends.
But I'll put the announcement after the jump for those of you who don't want to know. The person leaving Mad Men is...
There's been a lot of fan art that has popped up in support of Conan O'Brien (but not as much for Jay Leno, hmmm....), but this is one of my favorites. It shows Conan inserted into the Mad Men logo. The funny thing is that it still looks like Don Draper, only with Jon Hamm's off-camera, messed up hair instead of the slick look.
Oh, dear Betty, where is the love? I'm speaking of ABC's Ugly Betty, naturally. Despite the braces, the red glasses and the questionable fashion sense, the vivacious Betty Suarez remains a popular date. I can think of only one time this past season when she was dancing with herself, and that was by choice.
Well, after Betty's on-again, off-again thing with Matt turned into a very much an "on" thing -- and a clingy one at that -- last week saw Matt making a decision that definitely puts the romance on hold.
There's been so much action going on with the TCA and the midseason returns and what-not that we sort of missed the announcement for the DGA Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Television nominations for 2009. It's quite an interesting bunch, as much for what and who's included and who and what were left out.
Since the DGA noms come from the directors themselves, these awards are indicative of what the professionals really think of their peers. Very illuminating, if you ask me. Check it out, category by category, and feel free to comment on my comments.
Some of these "let's combine one show with another show" ideas never quite come together because the cast of one show doesn't necessarily fit into the cast of the other show, but this pic that puts the cast of Mad Men into Star Trek: TNG uniforms is pretty funny and clever. Pete Campbell makes a great Wesley Crusher (at least I think he's supposed to be Wesley - if not, he should be).
More of our best of the decade coverage, which started on Tuesday. You can read the other posts at the link above. Here, we talk about the best dramatic actors of the decade. And, boy, was it a tough choice.
From a meth-making chemistry teacher to a damaged 1960s ad exec, the guys populating the dramatic actor category in our best of the decade are nothing short of brilliant.
It's hard to choose favorites when you're dealing with the likes of Jon Hamm, Bryan Cranston, Mark Harmon, James Gandolfini, and many others, but the TV Squad team has spoken.
Did your favorites make our list? If not, feel free to add them in the comments below.
The winners of 2009 Satellite Awards were announced on Sunday in Los Angeles, and when you look at the winners on the television side, you have to like the choices. Most of these shows and actors have been on our year-end "best" lists, and if I were to guess, I think you'll see many of these names on the Prime time Emmy nomination roster.
The first thing that jumped out to me was Glee. The Fox musical dramedy was a winner in five different categories, including actors Jane Lynch, Lea Michele, Matthew Morrison and Kristin Chenoweth -- for her guest role -- recognized. And the show was named Best TV Series, Comedy or Musical.
What a year! Once we got over the WGA strike, the networks kicked it into high gear and got busy making TV. Except for NBC. Even Jeff Zucker has admitted that NBCU has failed to respond to the need for new programming.
Fortunately, the other channels have been busy and there's been a lot of great television... and some that's just plain awful. But I'm a half-glass full kind of person and I have good feelings about 2009. However, since I don't want to repeat my list from last year, I'll just mention that I could put these 2008 best choices -- Breaking Bad, Friday Night Lights, NCIS, The Big Bang Theory and Mad Men -- on my list again. But I'm going to go for an all new list and, thankfully, I had plenty of 'bests' to choose from.
Best 1. Glee. If there was ever a show that was made just for my personal taste, this is probably it. I love the singing and dancing. I get the characters. It even tickles me that I had just as much angst with bullies in high school as these kids. Every episode hasn't been perfect, but it's perfectly fine that they keep striving.
I don't think I did one of these lists last year, and I have no idea why. The election all by itself would have generated a pretty fun best/worst list. Maybe we were all suffering from information overload, and were just exhausted. Not sure.
But 2009 had a lot of interesting TV, too, just not all in one category. As I've done in the past, I'll dispense with the usual "best show" and "worst show" lists and just make up categories:
GOODNESS
Best comeback from a shaky first season: Parks and Recreation. As I mentioned in my "return of the sitcom" story, Parks and Rec has made the biggest improvement from first season to second since... well, since The Office. It's no coincidence; Greg Daniels and Mike Schur's Office experience taught them that patience would be rewarded, both on the part of the writers and the viewers.
When we last saw Betty Draper, she was on a plane to Reno with Henry Francis by her side. Was that the end of her story, especially since Don Draper's undoubtedly going to go on without her? Well, Matthew Weiner doesn't like to give away much about the future, but January Jones has renewed her contract with Mad Men.
Weiner confirmed it and spoke about some other bits and pieces from the Mad Men finale. He was in a giving mood. It wasn't just the holiday season, either. Mad Men had a great week in award nominations -- Golden Globes, Writers Guild and Screen Actors Guild.
Every day it seems that we have nominations to announce. Yes, we are in award season and today it's the Screen Actors Guild's turn. On Saturday, January 23, 2010, at 8 p.m. on TNT and TBS, the winners of the 16th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards will air live from Los Angeles. Here's the nominees in the main categories and some thoughts on each:
Drama Ensemble:The Closer; Dexter; The Good Wife; Mad Men; True Blood
Interesting that CBS's The Good Wife made the cut, especially over Lost or House or Breaking Bad or Sons of Anarchy or Damages or Friday Night Lights. And I love The Closer, but the inclusion here is a surprise. I guess NCIS would be too big a surprise to get recognized.
Comedy Ensemble:30 Rock; Curb Your Enthusiasm; Glee; Modern Family; The Office
Glee and Modern Family are freshmen, but clearly excellent ensemble comedies. And for Curb Your Enthusiasm, are they honoring the Seinfeld team all over again? Also, where's The Big Bang Theory?
On the seventh day of Festivus, TV gave to me... Seven shows a-thrivin'.
The 2009-2010 season is a great one to be on TV-- especially for returning dramas and new comedies. If we had 20 days of Christmas, I probably could have filled the list with shows that were either thriving right out of the gate or making a resurgence after being on the air for several years. As it is, we just have seven slots, so here are some noteworthy series that are thriving this year.
Dexter
I've always liked Dexter, but it's never been appointment TV for me. I've generally been content to wait until the season came out on DVD and knock all of the episodes out in a weekend. However, after a creative dip in season 3, I've found myself positively glued to my television every Sunday night that season 4 has aired. John Lithgow absolutely made the season as the creepy Arthur Mitchell. Plus the finale? I know some of you saw the big twist coming at the end, but I certainly did not. Who doesn't like to end a season with their jaw on the floor?
On the eighth day of Festivus, TV gave to me ... eight stars a shinin'!
There are a lot more than eight wonderful stars shining in the TV pantheon for 2009, but these eight are a remarkable bunch who have been exemplary this past year. They've left us with memories that'll last long after this Festivus has ended. So, in no special order, here are the eight stars a shining from the year gone by. 1. Jane Lynch. If the Emmy doesn't already have Jane Lynch's name engraved in a statuette for Glee, it will by the time the awards are handed out. Lynch has been the perfect villain, the villain you love to hate. But if she were just a one-note nasty, it wouldn't work. Lynch has shown the other side of Sue Sylvester. Her "swing" date showed Sue in love, and her visit to her sister Jean was a soft earthquake emotion. Jane delivers week in and week out. Her star is glowing.
Round up the usual suspects. That would seem to be the appropriate line when you look at the nominees for the 2010 Writers Guild Awards. That doesn't mean that all these nominees are not worthy; they are some of the best 2009 television for sure. It's just that inevitably some shows are left out in favor of the tried old faves.
For instance, in the comedy category, can you really put Modern Family in and completely diss The Big Bang Theory? I can't. I'm not even happy about the annual goopfest for 30 Rock, a sitcom that I've grown tired of -- but that's just me. I'd prefer How I Met Your Mother to get some time, or United States of Tara or Nurse Jackie or The Middle. All four of those show have been superior to 30 Rock -- to me.
As a holiday bonus, we have a super-sized podcast this week. The reason? Rich Sommer of Mad Men called in and gave us a solid half-hour of talk about the season just past, what he thinks is in store for his character of Harry Crane, how people used to yell at him for almost breaking up Pam and Jim on The Office, and how he loves doing commercials.
Rich's interview starts around the 37-minute mark. Besides the interview, Jason Hughes, Bob Sassone and I talk about the following:
The insane TV coverage of the Tiger Woods story,
A discussion of shows that are returning in January (24, Idol, Lost) as well as those that are taking a break until spring (Glee, V, FlashForward),
Our Comment of the Week! This is where listeners find out that we do not represent everyone in the TV industry,
Oh, dear Betty, where is the love? I'm speaking of ABC's Ugly Betty, naturally. Despite the braces, the red glasses and the questionable fashion sense, the vivacious Betty Suarez remains a popular date. I can think of only one time this past season when she was dancing with herself, and that was by choice. 
There's been so much action going on with the TCA and the midseason returns and what-not that we sort of missed the announcement for the DGA Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Television nominations for 2009. It's quite an interesting bunch, as much for what and who's included and who and what were left out. 
More of our best of the decade coverage, which started on Tuesday. You can read the other posts at the link above. Here, we talk about the best dramatic actors of the decade. And, boy, was it a tough choice.
The winners of 2009 Satellite Awards were announced on Sunday in Los Angeles, and when you look at the winners on the television side, you have to like the choices. Most of these shows and actors have been on our year-end "best" lists, and if I were to guess, I think you'll see many of these names on the Prime time Emmy nomination roster.
When we last saw Betty Draper, she was on a plane to Reno with Henry Francis by her side. Was that the end of her story, especially since Don Draper's undoubtedly going to go on without her? Well, Matthew Weiner doesn't like to give away much about the future, but January Jones has renewed her contract with Mad Men. 
Every day it seems that we have nominations to announce. Yes, we are in award season and today it's the Screen Actors Guild's turn. On Saturday, January 23, 2010, at 8 p.m. on TNT and TBS, the winners of the 16th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards will air live from Los Angeles. Here's the nominees in the main categories and some thoughts on each: 
On the seventh day of Festivus, TV gave to me... Seven shows a-thrivin'.
On the eighth day of Festivus, TV gave to me ... eight stars a shinin'!
Round up the usual suspects. That would seem to be the appropriate line when you look at the nominees for the 2010 Writers Guild Awards. That doesn't mean that all these nominees are not worthy; they are some of the best 2009 television for sure. It's just that inevitably some shows are left out in favor of the tried old faves. 
As a holiday bonus, we have a super-sized podcast this week. The reason? Rich Sommer of Mad Men called in and gave us a solid half-hour of talk about the season just past, what he thinks is in store for his character of Harry Crane, how people used to yell at him for almost breaking up Pam and Jim on The Office, and how he loves doing commercials.
Five keys to saving Better Off Ted
Damages season three -- An early look
Five reasons why Jay Leno should be Conan O'Brien's final Tonight Show guest
