Posted Jan 28th 2010 11:03AM by Allison Waldman
Filed under: OpEd, Celebrities, Hardware, Reality-Free, The Big Bang Theory, Modern Family
Will Apple's new
iPad really change the way we watch TV? That was one of the big questions that we were asking before Steve Jobs' presentation yesterday in San Francisco. I thought that since
he was conferring with network execs to slash iTunes prices for TV episodes, that
the iPad would have a major TV viewing component.
Now that we've seen the device and watched it demonstrated, the answer isn't crystal clear. But yes, it should have some impact on TV viewing.
Oh, don't get me wrong. I agree with those that call the iPad just a bigger version of the iTouch or iPhone. On the surface, it is. However, while it's true that someone might prefer a one-hand device like the smaller iTouch or iPhone to watch a show on a commuter train, you have to imagine a different setting for the iPad.
Continue reading Will the iPad change how we watch TV? Maybe
Posted Jan 19th 2010 1:31AM by Kona Gallagher
Filed under: Episode Reviews, Reality-Free, The Big Bang Theory
(S03E13) This episode really could have been Sheldon's one-man show on Broadway. He was definitely the star this week, and everyone else was basically there to help set-up jokes. Sheldon is by far my favorite character, but I'm not sure how I feel about this. When I was writing out my favorite quotes this week, every single one of them involved Sheldon, and while he was hilarious, I love Big Bang Theory as an ensemble.
With that said, I did enjoy this episode a lot. Sheldon is the best when he's put in stressful situations, and there aren't very many situations that are more stressful than being robbed. Although he took everything to a quirky extreme, Sheldon behaved in pretty much the exact same way I would think I would behave if I found myself in that situation. I would be afraid of every noise, barricade myself in my room, and failing all of that, I would totally pick up and move-- although I doubt I would ever attempt to move to Montana.
Continue reading Review: The Big Bang Theory - The Bozeman Reaction
Posted Jan 12th 2010 4:00AM by Kona Gallagher
Filed under: Episode Reviews, Reality-Free, The Big Bang Theory
(S03E12) The TCA panel for CBS was on Saturday, and
Big Bang Theory creator
Chuck Lorre brushed off talk of a Penny/Sheldon hookup by basically saying that
Sheldon is asexual. He's chosen not to play the relationship game at all, and the writers aren't planning on changing that. This is quite evident in this week's episode, as Sheldon meets a lady who totally wants to do it to him, and he instead spends the night in Leonard's room accompanied by his Green Lantern lantern.
Despite the fact that Leonard and Wolowitz are double dating and Raj is trying very hard to find a girlfriend (who he will never be able to talk to? I'm still a little confused as to how that would work), Sheldon remains perfectly content to backup all of his data and reinstall his operating system. And since it's Sheldon and not Wolowitz we're talking about here, that's not even a euphemism for anything.
Continue reading Review: The Big Bang Theory - The Psychic Vortex
Posted Dec 21st 2009 10:28AM by Allison Waldman
Filed under: Other Reality Shows, Industry, Programming, OpEd, CSI, Survivor, Pickups and Renewals, The Mentalist, The Big Bang Theory
One of the most coveted parcels in prime time real estate is the hour after the broadcast of the
Super Bowl. In 2010, CBS has the big game on Sunday, February 7, and after the pads pop and the Vince Lombardi trophy is hoisted, the program that the Tiffany network will air is not one of the usual suspects. The slot won't be used to pump up the next edition of
Survivor, as many experts guessed.
It also won't be used to reinforce the success of sophomore drama
The Mentalist, nor will the space be handed over to
The Big Bang Theory for a one-hour stretched out sitcom episode. And the network isn't going to pump up a slipping series like
CSI, which isn't getting the gaudy numbers it did in the William Peterson days. So, what will they run? Follow me after the jump to find out -- and consider this a SPOILER ALERT.
Continue reading CBS makes a surprise choice for the post-Super Bowl spot
Posted Dec 20th 2009 9:24AM by Allison Waldman
Filed under: Food/Home/DIY, Industry, Programming, OpEd, Lost, Celebrities, 30 Rock, Friday Night Lights, Ratings, NCIS, TV Squad Lists, Emmys, Breaking Bad, Mad Men, Burn Notice, The Big Bang Theory, Parks and Recreation, Nurse Jackie, Glee, Community, Cougar Town, Modern Family
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.
Continue reading Best and Worst TV of 2009: Allison's list
Posted Dec 18th 2009 2:09PM by Joel Keller
Filed under: OpEd, How I Met Your Mother, The Office, 30 Rock, Reality-Free, The Big Bang Theory, Parks and Recreation, Community, Cougar Town, Modern Family
I'm always amazed at how people haven't learned from TV history. Back in the early eighties, everyone and his mother was saying that comedy was dead, mainly because of then-cutting-edge dramas like
Hill Street Blues were dominating the air, while the best in comedy that the networks could come up was crap like
Pink Lady and Jeff. Then
The Cosby Show, Cheers, Family Ties, and
Night Court came around, and all of a sudden comedy was back.
So it's not a big surprise that comedy is making a big comeback a quarter-century later. Times are tough, and people want to laugh. It also helps that on a few networks (NBC, of course), low ratings and little inventory have given shows like
The Office and
30 Rock a chance to find and grow an audience. The seeds sewn by those shows have grown in a major way, as three of the four networks now have successful comedy lineups.
Continue reading Top TV Stories of 2009: The return of the sitcom
Posted Dec 17th 2009 11:03AM by Kona Gallagher
Filed under: Supernatural, Watercooler Talk, Festivus, Dexter, NCIS, TV Squad Lists, Reality-Free, Mad Men, The Big Bang Theory, Community, Modern Family
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?
Continue reading The Twelve Days of Festivus: Seven shows a-thrivin'
Posted Dec 16th 2009 6:02PM by Isabelle Carreau
Filed under: Ask TV Squad, Reality-Free, The Big Bang Theory, Nurse Jackie
The "
Ask TV Squad" column, published every Wednesday, answers your questions about current and past TV shows, as well as about the celebrities appearing on TV. Every week, I will pick a question (or more) sent to us and provide answers in the column. If your question is not picked for a column, it may be answered in a subsequent column or in
TV Squad's APB Podcast.
To submit questions to the "Ask TV Squad" column, you can post them below in comments or email them to asktvsquad@gmail.com.
This week, I've decided to offer you a little hunt game titled "Ask TV Squad Visitors." After the jump, you will find three questions that were sent to us and for which I have not found the answers yet. Will you be able to find the answers and help fellow TVSquad.com's visitors?
Share your wisdom by answering in the comments section the questions about an unknown show, a prop on
The Big Bang Theory and a pendant on
Nurse Jackie.
Continue reading Ask TV Squad: The Big Bang Theory and more!
Posted Dec 16th 2009 10:02AM by Allison Waldman
Filed under: Other Drama Shows, Other Comedy Shows, OpEd, House, Festivus, Celebrities, Friday Night Lights, TV Squad Lists, Emmys, Breaking Bad, Reality-Free, Mad Men, The Big Bang Theory, Glee
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.
Continue reading The Twelve Days of Festivus: Eight stars a shinin'
Posted Dec 15th 2009 6:40AM by Kona Gallagher
Filed under: Episode Reviews, Reality-Free, The Big Bang Theory
(S03E11) Christine Baranski is back! I loved this episode, but it was way too short. It was so fast-paced, that it seemed like it was over before it even got started. They really picked up where they left off
the last time she guest-starred. In that episode; they established how she and Sheldon were basically the same person and hinted at a Mrs. Robinson-type relationship. In this episode, they totally went there.
Sure, she was drunk and didn't really mean it, but when she pulled Sheldon in and kissed him, my jaw dropped. It's been a while since we've seen her, and they spent the first half of this episode establishing basically that Sheldon had replaced Leonard in his mother's life. He's sending her get-well flowers, he knows about Leonard's dog dying, he's giving Beverly notes on her papers; so when she kissed him, it was jarring -- like she was kissing her own son.
Continue reading Review: The Big Bang Theory - The Maternal Convergence
Posted Dec 11th 2009 1:01PM by Kona Gallagher
Filed under: OpEd, Scrubs, How I Met Your Mother, Festivus, The Office, Project Runway, 30 Rock, Dexter, Reality-Free, The Big Bang Theory, Parks and Recreation, Glee, Community, Cougar Town, Modern Family, V
I finally, and with great difficulty got the tree up, I've somehow gotten roped into holding a cookie exchange at my house this weekend, and I have glitter in places where glitter should not be. What's that smell? It smells like Festivus to me. While the main thing I want this year is to just lie very, very still in a dark room for a week or so, this is a TV blog, so let's talk about what TV could do to make me happy!
- Stop with the long hiatuses already! I don't get to see a new episode of V until March, and I'm being forced into leading a Glee-less existence until April. Give it up already! If you have 3 months between new episodes, it's a new season, why not call it that? You know what I have been doing for the past 11 weeks? Watching the first 11 episodes of Dexter. This week, I will be watching episode 12, and then the season will be over. It's efficient and satisfying. The networks need to get on board.
Continue reading All Kona wants for Festivus
Posted Dec 9th 2009 11:45AM by Allison Waldman
Filed under: OpEd, Casting, Reality-Free, The Big Bang Theory
The world has fallen in love with
The Big Bang Theory. That's no big shock here at
TV Squad. Most of us have been swooning for the show since it began. However, now the Nielsen ratings are starting to reflect our enthusiasm.
Monday night's episode of Big Bang was a series high, and surpassed
Two and a Half Men, its lead-in and the anchor of CBS's sitcom stable. Until now.
For the record, in the 18-49 rating,
Big Bang had a 5.7;
Men had a 5.1. In total viewers, the Chuck Lorre comedy hour of
Men and
Bang drew approximately 15 million watchers. Now, if you're curious about the upcoming episode, read on. However, if you don't want to be spoiled or listen to some speculation, stop here.
Continue reading Is it a Big Bang surprise for Sheldon?
Posted Dec 9th 2009 10:02AM by Allison Waldman
Filed under: Other Comedy Shows, Programming, OpEd, Lost, Music and Variety, Festivus, Celebrities, Reality-Free, The Big Bang Theory, Glee
The Festivus season is upon us, and the spirits of joy and viewing visit
TV Squad, giving us a chance to make our media wishes known. Oh, the wonder of a TV world of my own making. If only the Festivus wishes I make will come true. Yes, Allison, there is a Festivus! And so, my TV wishes:
--
Last year I wished for
Gilmore Girls creator Amy Sherman Palladino to get another shot at TV after the horrible
Jezebel James. Well, she's got a deal with HBO. Good for her. Now, for me, let's get her to write and film the finale for Rory and Lorelai and Luke and Star's Hollow that she intended for
GG. It's time to do it now while all the principals are still active.
The Mary Tyler Moore reunion with Rhoda came two decades too late.
Continue reading All Allison wants for Festivus
Posted Dec 8th 2009 1:55AM by Kona Gallagher
Filed under: Episode Reviews, Reality-Free, The Big Bang Theory
(S03E10) Do you think it's weird that Sheldon and Penny seem to be having more and more storylines together, but I can't actually remember the last episode in which she and Leonard shared a scene alone? When I did a poll a few episodes ago asking if you think Sheldon and Penny are going to get together, nearly half of you said "yes." I don't necessarily agree, but is it a problem when your character has more chemistry with her boyfriend's friend than her actual boyfriend?
Right now, it's still working for the show, but I'm not sure how much longer they can continue having Leonard and Penny involved in a "relationship" in which they barely speak. However, if they break up, then it would be more difficult for Sheldon and Penny to have so many scenes together, and a great deal of the comedy would be eliminated right there. It's an interesting place where the writers find themselves right now.
Continue reading Review: The Big Bang Theory - The Gorilla Experiment
Posted Dec 2nd 2009 4:30PM by Allison Waldman
Filed under: OpEd, Celebrities, Casting, Reality-Free, The Big Bang Theory
Does it take a brainiac to play a brainiac? No, of course not. But when Danica McKellar guests on
The Big Bang Theory on January 11, that's what they'll get. Not only is Danica well-remembered as the nearly-perfect Winnie Cooper on
The Wonder Years, Kevin's neighbor and the girl he always adored, she's also smart as a whip. She has the degrees to prove it.
A couple of years ago,
TV Squad put Danica In the Limelight. Ryan learned that Danica had graduated Summa cum Laude from UCLA with a degree in Mathematics. She is the McKellar in the Chayes-McKellar-Winn Theorem.
Continue reading Big Bang Theory meets the Wonder Years
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