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Breaking Bad Review: Episode 4.1

By Brent Koepp at 12:00 PM on July 18, 2011

Unlike other television dramas that have an anti-hero protagonist, Breaking Bad doesn’t rely on a crutch to give you permission to like and root for the villainous main character. Take for instance Dexter. The blood splatter expert/serial killer lives by his own moral code. He generally only kills those that “deserve to be killed”. In other words, he preys on those that prey on the innocent. The fact that Dexter kills other terrible people gives the audience a free pass to root for him and the violent things that he does without feeling morally compromised.... read more

True Blood Review: "I’m Alive and on Fire" (Episode 4.04)

By Brent Koepp at 10:56 PM on July 17, 2011

“Aw, poor Bill, power is so hard.” Season four of True Blood is about change and rebirth. Bill, the compassionate vampire that swept Sookie off her feet in season one, is now the King of Louisiana, ruling with an iron fist. Having just sent a vampire to his True Death for feeding on a human that willingly wanted to be fed on, he sarcastically tells Nan Flanagan of the A.V.L that the execution went “smooth”, “totally justified”. We’ve seen his new transformation take place in the first three episodes of this season. Bill is more cunning, ruthless and do I... read more

Friday Night Lights Review: "Always" (Episode 5.13)

By Allison Winn Scotch at 10:02 PM on July 15, 2011

Dear anyone who has ever been involved in the production of Friday Night Lights: Technically, this is supposed to be a recap of your series finale, “Always.” More realistically, this is going to be a love letter to your series as a whole. It’s not often that a viewer—a passionate viewer at that—has the opportunity to extend her thanks for entertainment that has impacted her life, and I’m not going to squander my opportunity here. Let it first be noted that I delayed viewing this episode for as long as possible—running right up to my deadline for this recap because,... read more

Futurama Review: "The Silence of the Clamps" (6.18)

By Sean Gandert at 12:53 PM on July 15, 2011

These past few episodes I’ve been trying to put my finger on what makes for an interesting Futurama episode and what makes for a forgettable one. Unfortunately, last night’s “The Silence of the Clamps” landed pretty firmly in the later camp, and I think there’s a number of reasons why.... read more

Christina Hendricks to Star in Chris Colfer-Penned Comedy

By Caitlin Peterkin at 11:45 AM on July 15, 2011

Chris Colfer, aka Glee’s Kurt Hummel, is now a quadruple-threat, adding script-writing next to singing, dancing and acting on his resume.... read more

Louie Review: "Joan" (Episode 2.04)

By Garrett Martin at 11:06 AM on July 15, 2011

The retirees that dish out the Emmy nominations didn’t single out Louie for best comedy, but Louis C.K. made the list multiple times. He’s up as an actor, writer and editor. They’re not all for Louie, but there’s not much of a barrier between his sitcom and his stand-up specials, so it’s all basically going to the same place. That place being Louis C.K., who is a comedian and a person and a guy who is now an Emmy darling, or at least not entirely an Emmy unknown. Or something. “Joan” focuses squarely on comedy as a profession. It’s named... read more

2011 Emmy Nominations Announced

By Caitlin Peterkin at 11:35 AM on July 14, 2011

The nominations for the 63rd Annual Primetime Emmy Awards were revealed this morning. Actors Melissa McCarthy (Bridesmaids, Mike & Molly ) and Joshua Jackson (Fringe) announced the nominees.... read more

Paste mPlayer Issue #3

By Josh Jackson at 2:06 PM on July 12, 2011

This week's issue features one of our favorite bands, My Morning Jacket. Paste editor-at-large Jay Sweet has stalked their progress so closely these last seven years that we’re thankful Jim James hasn’t tried to get a restraining order. In a 4,500-word story that spans 13 encounters in five cities, Sweet was the fly on the MMJ wall as the band worked its way up through the ranks. read more

True Blood Review: "If You Love Me Why Am I Dying" (Episode 4.03)

By Brent Koepp at 12:00 PM on July 11, 2011

The vampires in True Blood have always had an interesting dynamic on the show, because they aren’t particularly good. The audience then has to constantly question their motivations and intentions. As season four is starting to kick off, it feels like they are really bringing this to the forefront. As I mentioned in last week’s review, it was Bill that sent Eric to shut down the Witch coven. Unless we aren’t being told everything, Eric’s visit seemed unprovoked. But lines are being drawn, and characters are taking sides. While this is by no means new to the show (people have... read more

Futurama Review: "Law and Oracle" (6.17)

By Sean Gandert at 9:45 AM on July 11, 2011

As a whole, there are two primary types of Futurama episodes, and both of them have had their moments. First there’s the ones that are traditional sci-fi, “What if?” episodes. I’m not talking about the “Tales of Interest” episodes either (although most of those segments qualify), it’s the episodes asking what if Bender could self-replicate into smaller Benders or the crew could travel forward in time but not backwards. The other, increasingly more common, type of episodes are extended sci-fi homages or pop culture parodies, and this week’s “Law and Oracle” definitely qualifies as one of those.... read more

Friday Night Lights Review: "Texas Whatever" (Episode 5.12)

By Allison Winn Scotch at 10:04 PM on July 8, 2011

I wish I didn’t have to recap this episode. I wish that I could just give it a perfect 10 and let it bask in its perfection. I wish I could just tell you that for 42 minutes, my heart was in my throat, that I didn’t—for one single second—wish that anything were done differently, that every nuance, every line, every song was TV at its best.... read more

Party Down Movie A Possibility

By Andrea Kszystyniak at 12:20 PM on July 7, 2011

There’s been a serving tray-sized hole in our hearts ever since Starz pulled the plug on Party Down. But now, there is new hope. Everybody’s favorite catering squad might return to the screen with a full-length film.... read more

James Spader to Officially Join The Office

By Carey Hodges at 3:06 PM on July 6, 2011

Recently, we reported that several sources close to NBC ’s The Office, were pointing to multiple Emmy Award-winner James Spader as an addition to the cast of the comedy, which is attempting to recover from the loss of Steve Carell.... read more

Elizabeth Banks Producing A Capella Comedy

By Caitlin Peterkin at 5:20 PM on July 5, 2011

Universal Pictures has acquired the distribution rights to a new project from Gold Circle Films called Pitch Perfect, Variety reports.... read more

True Blood Review: "You Smell Like Dinner" (Episode 4.02)

By Brent Koepp at 11:00 PM on July 3, 2011

True Blood’s biggest weakness has always been the writing, with its strengths being in the characters, aesthetic and world of Bon Temps. That’s what made Season One so damn enjoyable. Despite the fact that the acting was B-movie (on purpose) and the plot wasn’t by any means profound, it was a unique and interesting world to get lost in. But as the show progressed, the writers tried to expand on this universe—with mixed results.... read more

Friday Night Lights Review: "The March" (Episode 5.11)

By Allison Winn Scotch at 11:07 PM on July 1, 2011

“Are you going to let them take that dream away from us? Are you going to let them take that away?” — Coach Taylor to the East Dillon Lions, as they move one step closer to State.... read more

Futurama Review: "Ghost in the Machines" (6.16)

By Sean Gandert at 2:55 PM on July 1, 2011

Last week I mentioned that the first two episodes of this season had picked up the pace from last season (or half season, as it may be) and given us a pair of rather ambitious episodes. For week two, we settled in on a more ordinary episode of Futurama. That being said it still heavily involved ghosts and explored a weird aspect of the show we’ve never seen before. But because it stuck around the Planet Express office and didn’t feature new characters, it still felt like it was pretty ordinary, which is one of the best things about the... read more