The Office Review: "Mafia" (Episode 6.05)
Oscar said it best during last night’s “Mafia” episode, describing the unavoidable bedlam in the office when the nucleus pair of characters, Jim and Pam, are away on their honeymoon. It was overwhelming entropy at its finest, headed by the overactive, ungoverned imaginations of Michael, Dwight and Andy.... read more
The Office Review: "Niagara" (Episode 6.04)
We can all breathe a collective sigh of relief as arguably the most anticipated Office event has passed without any major snags or notes delivered down the center aisle. Jim and Pam's tying of the knot was a bit of a snafu, perfectly molded to the show's erratically gawky standard: Pam's torn veil, Jim's clipped tie and Kevin shuffling down the aisle with shoes fashioned from tissue boxes. The only tradition the show follows is the one it invents for itself, so it should have been no surprise the ceremony would let loose a "JK Wedding" reenactment, the perfect breakdown... read more
Community Review: "Social Psychology" (Episode 1.4)
First, a quick recap: In its first three episodes, Community has introduced us to the college, the main cast of characters, and Joel McHale as Jeff, an asshole lead with a heart of gold. It’s just that he doesn’t really know or believe that it is a heart of gold and is more than content to play the guy you know who’s so charismatic you can’t help but like him despite all evidence pointing to him jerking you around like everyone else. It’s the role McHale was born to play, and topped off by some keen writing from Dan Harmon... read more
Mercy Review: "Hope You're Good, Smiley Face" (Episode 1.3)
Well, you've got to give them points for trying. New show Mercy has been testing out some different techniques and new styles in an attempt to find its rhythm and a much-needed niche that will draw in viewers.... read more
How I Met Your Mother Review: "Robin 101" (Episode 5.03)
How I Met Your Mother's attempts to reintroduce Robin as a girlfriend have been rather unsettling. Five years after we saw her spend Thanksgiving at a strip club, we cringed last week when she told Barney she was "not okay" with him being a regular. Last night's episode, "Robin 101," attempted to explain her jealousy in depth, though without any new information, it failed.... read more
The Office Review: "The Promotion" (Episode 6.03)
Last week's "The Promotion" turned out to be a celebration of new and old Office traditions. Jim's promotion as the branch's co-manager both enflamed a very Season Two-esque rivalry with Dwight and refreshingly tainted the Tuna's typical nonchalant, inhuman chivalry that has likely decimated as much real-life romance as it has created. Go ahead, you can say it. It's kind of nice to see Jim have a bad day, held over the flame of disgruntled and raise-hungry coworkers.... read more
House Review: "The Tyrant" (Episode 6.3)
House returns to Princeton, where Taub has quit and Foreman has fired Thirteen. So the old regulars -- Chase and Cameron -- come back to their jobs and are under Foreman's supervision. (As House says, "It's three years ago! Does that mean I'm still crazy?") The difference is that now that House is no longer licensed to practice medicine, he too has become Foreman's employee. Unsurprisingly, he does not take well to the change and makes Foreman's job difficult. What is surprising is that Foreman, frustrated over his problems with Thirteen, refuses to humor House and eventually, satisfyingly, stands up to him.... read more
Remember Niagara: Mad Men, Bad Choices & The National Parks
Whatever I might've been planning to write about Mad Men last week, Ken Burns messed it all up.... read more
House Review: "Epic Fail" (Episode 6.02)
After last week's anomalous episode set in a mental hospital, House and House are both back at Princeton, with well-known, regular characters and new medical cases. ... read more
It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia Review: "The Gang Hits the Road" (Episode 5.02)
Last week's season premiere of It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia was a serviceable introduction to the Gang's hermetically-sealed world. It did an admirable job of establishing the show's basic character dynamic for first-timers, while providing plenty of grist for veteran fans. So with the handshakes and introductions out of the way, this episode fell back on the tried-and-true formula of getting everyone hammered and letting them bounce off each other like misanthropic bumper cars.... read more
Flash Forward Review: Series Premiere
Sixty minutes after Flash Forward premiered on ABC, the jury is still out on what kind of show this is going to be. The premise sounds more clever than compelling: Everyone across the globe blacks out for two minutes and 17 seconds, experiencing a vision of their lives six months in the future. But at times, the pilot teases the kind of brain-straining drama that reaches into Lost territory.... read more
Modern Family Review: Series Premiere
This off-beat half-hour single-camera comedy looks at the extended family of patriarch Jay, played by Married With Children’s Ed O’Neill. Much of the humor is supplied by Jay’s uptight son Mitchell (Jesse Tyler Ferguson) and Mitchell’s flamboyant partner Cameron (Eric Stonestreet) with their “sports-guy chest bump” and prepared speech anyone who would judge their adoption of a young Vietnamese girl. But there are enough laughs to go around.... read more
Mercy Review: "Can We Get That Drink Now?" (Episode 1.01)
It's pilot season again. And every year, there are at least a few clunkers among the crop of new shows. Pilot Mercy is one of those weak links in the brand-new season.... read more
The Office Review: "Gossip" (6.01)
Ever since the luster of Jim and Pam's spotty romance stabilized into a happy ever after relationship of sorts, The Office has ventured (or strayed, depending how you look at it) into new seasons of its life cycle. Many of the episodes have since featured storylines that engage all personalities in the work place, lightly peppering in new characters like Holly and rival Charles Miner while devoting more time to touch up the original cast with clever details. What hasn't changed is Michael Scott's childish antics that began last Thursday's Season Six premier with an early dose of hilarity. Accompanied by... read more
House Review: Season 6 Premiere, "Broken"
Season 6 begins with House in a mental institution for a Vicodin addiction and subsequent hallucinations. (It also begins with a great dream-like sequence of him shackled to his hospital bed set to Radiohead's "No Surprises.") Except for a two-minute phone conversation with Wilson, none of the usual characters are in the episode. Except that they sort of are.... read more
How I Met Your Mother Review: "Definitions" (Episode 5.01)
The season premiere of How I Met Your Mother wasted no time serving up catnip to longtime fans. That's great for series veterans, but the spillover crowd from last night's Emmy Awards probably felt a little lost. ... read more
An Endlessly-Looping Clip of Mad Men's "Lawnmower Scene" is Now Online, Thank God
While the cast and crew of Mad Men were busy racking up the Emmy awards last night, its loyal viewers were being rewarded for skipping out on the Academy's dog-and-pony show with an episode full of just the things that have made the series one of the most acclaimed in television history: Awkward hotel magnates, baby ghosts and lawnmower carnage.... read more
2009 Emmy Awards Results and Review
Apparently the Emmy Award show tonight was a repeat. In the eight main categories, seven winners—30 Rock, Mad Men, The Daily Show, The Amazing Race, Alec Baldwin, Bryan Cranston and Glenn Close—also won Emmys in 2008. The only new blood was Toni Collette upsetting Tina Fey for Outstanding Actress in a Comedy. The other winners of the night were Neil Patrick Harris, who did more than a respectable job hosting, and Jimmy Fallon, whose AutoTuned awards presentation provided for the night's funniest moment.... read more
Torchwood: Children of the Earth Review
Tonight, on the 40th anniversary of Neil Armstrong's walk on the moon, the five-part Torchwood miniseries "Children of the Earth" begins on BBC America. It's a dark, epic, near-masterpiece of science fiction that far exceeds the series' first two seasons.... read more
Doctor Who: The Next Doctor Review
The best thing about the latest version of the long-running British sci-fi series Doctor Who is how much fun it is. That's why the show's 10th Doctor, David Tennant, has been so adept at playing the good Doctor. His zest for life—as he's saving London or Earth or some far off race or the entire universe—sets the whole tone of the show, even as it masks the sorrow and loneliness of being the last of his kind.... read more
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