16 posts tagged “chuck”

ETA: Dollhouse paired with 24? House paired with Fringe? Almost enough to stop me from rolling my eyes at the return of the show that WILL NOT DIE. (That would be Prison Break, in case you hadn't guessed.)

I'm sure I'm the only one that bothers putting in the time to compile stuff like this -- or even cares about it -- but whatever. It's my blog, and I want it available for easy reference.

Without further adieu, the network schedule for the 2008-09 fall TV season. Obviously, FOX hasn't had its turn at the Upfront presentations yet, so I'll be updating this with their schedule announcements tomorrow.

(all times CST; * denotes new show; red highlights indicates guaranteed Season Passes; green indicates shows almost certain to gain SP status; purple indicates shows on a trial basis)

(Yes, you're reading right -- I'm done with Grey's.)

Monday
ABC: Dancing With the Stars (7-8:30); Samantha Who? (8:30-9); Boston Legal (9-10)
CBS: The Big Bang Theory (7-7:30); How I Met Your Mother (7:30-8); Two and a Half Men (8-8:30); Worst Week* (8:30-9); CSI: Miami (9-10)
NBC: Chuck (7-8); Heroes (8-9); My Own Worst Enemy* (9-10)
FOX: The Sarah Connor Chronicles (7-8); Prison Break (8-9)
         [Midseason: Dollhouse (7-8); 24 (8-9)
CW: Gossip Girl (7-8); One Tree Hill (8-9)

Tuesday
ABC: Opportunity Knocks* (7-8); Dancing With the Stars (8-9); Eli Stone (9-10)
CBS: NCIS (7-8); The Mentalist* (8-9); Without a Trace (9-10)
NBC: The Biggest Loser: Families (7-8:30); Kath & Kim* (8:30-9); Law & Order: SVU (9-10)
FOX: House (7-8); Fringe (8-9)
CW: 90210* (7-8); Surviving the Filthy Rich* (8-9)

Wednesday
ABC: Pushing Daisies (7-8); Private Practice (8-9); Dirty Sexy Money (9-10)
CBS: The New Adventures of Old Christine (7-7:30); Project Gary* (7:30-8); Criminal Minds (8-9); CSI: NY (9-10)
NBC: Knight Rider* (7-8); Deal or No Deal (8-9); Lipstick Jungle (9-10)
FOX: Bones (7-8); Til Death (8-8:30); Do Not Disturb* (8:30-9)
CW: America's Next Top Model (7-8); Stylista* (8-9)

Thursday
ABC: Ugly Betty (7-8); Grey's Anatomy (8-9); Life on Mars* (9-10)
CBS: Survivor (7-8); CSI (8-9); Eleventh Hour* (9-10)
NBC: My Name is Earl (7-7:30); 30 Rock (7:30-8); The Office (8-8:30); SNL: Thursday Night Live* (8:30-9); ER (9-10)
FOX: Moment of Truth (7-8); Kitchen Nightmares (8-9)
CW: Smallville (7-8); Supernatural (8-9)

Friday
ABC: Wife Swap (7-8); Supernanny (8-9); 20/20 (9-10)
CBS: Ghost Whisperer (7-8); The Ex List* (8-9); Numb3rs (9-10)
NBC: Crusoe* (7-8); Deal or No Deal (8-9); Life (9-10)
FOX: Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader (7-8); Don't Forget the Lyrics (8-9)
CW: Everybody Hates Chris (7-7:30); The Game (7:30-8); Top Model repeats (8-9)

Sunday
ABC: Extreme Home Makeover (7-8); Desperate Housewives (8-9); Brothers & Sisters (9-10)
CBS: The Amazing Race (7-8); Cold Case (8-9); The Unit (9-10)
NBC: Football
FOX: The OT (7-7:30); The Simpsons (7:30-8); Family Guy (8-8:30); American Dad (8:30-9)
CW: rented to Media Rights Capital

Winter/Midseason plans:
ABC: Lost; According to Jim; Scrubs; The Bachelor
CBS: Rules of Engagement; Harper's Island*
NBC: Law and Order; Friday Night Lights; Medium; Office spin-off; Merlin*; Kings*
FOX: Dollhouse; 24; American Idol; Hell's Kitchen; Secret Millionaire; Sit Down, Shut Up; The Cleveland Show
CW: Reaper

ETA: Well, crap. If I have LOST on the list, then I have to put Veronica Mars on the list. It just feels like VM's been gone a lot longer. Naturally, it ties with LOST.

So Kristin just posted her Top 10 shows of 2007 and because I am nothing if not a stalker follower (seriously, isn't there some saying out there about imitation being the best form of flattery or something?), I thought I'd post my list as well.

Except...it's really a lot harder than I expected. For one, we are in total agreement about our top show -- okay, it's #2 for her, but I don't have Showtime and when I did, found Dexter to be way too bloody for my taste -- but the little dilemma is that it hasn't aired this season. Technically, it did air in 2007, but if that's the case, then I'd have to move shows like Grey's Anatomy and Heroes higher, because they rocked the last half of last season. Not so much the first part of this season.

What to do, what to do...

Screw it, it's Damon and Carlton.

Okay, now that that dilemma's been settled, here's how I decided: obviously writing was the first factor taken into consideration. I mean, The Hills might be entertaining, but a) it's, er, "reality," and b) there's just not a lot of substance there. The second factor was the entertainment value, from the glitz and glamor and sophistication of Gossip Girl to the bonus of staring at John Krasinski for half an hour on Thursday nights. And finally, I took into consideration when I watched it. For example, Pushing Daisies is better written than Chuck, but I'd watch Chuck live or at least the night it aired every single week and sometimes PD got pushed off onto another day.

Finally, remember that these are my top 10 shows. I understand that there are some stellar shows out there, such as Battlestar Galactica and Brothers and Sisters, to name a couple, but somewhere along the way -- in the middle of Season 3, actually -- I lost track of BSG and I still have to finish Season 1 of B&S. And so I'm going with shows I watched regularly this year.

Top 10 Shows of 2007
10. Grey's Anatomy: Um, seriously? What happened this season? If it weren't for the excellence of last season -- say what you'd like, but last season was why this show stands out in my mind and hasn't been cast aside as just another Desperate Housewives -- Grey's wouldn't make the list at all. I swear, Izzie -- and the whole ridiculousness that was Izzie and George -- nearly ruined the entire show. If it weren't for the last two-parter, and more importantly, the awesomeness that is Bailey, I probably would've banished my Season Pass for good.
9. Heroes: That's right, it's at No. 9, when last year it probably would've been at No. 3 or 4. I just couldn't bring myself to care through most of this season, and the characters I didn't care about seemed to multiply. Also? Am I seriously the only one who just wants to yawn whenever Peter Petrelli is on the screen? Or, at the very least, shake him and implore him to use another expression -- or any expression at all? Still, the last three or four episodes, plus Matt's dad's power, plus Kristen Bell was enough for Heroes to remain as both a Season Pass and a candidate on my Best Of list.
8. Friday Night Lights: Writing-, acting-, and quality-wise, this show should be nearer the top. It really is one of the best shows on television. But the others above it scored higher in the other two categories, especially since I've only watched the first two episodes of this season and have been saving the rest to catch up on later.
7. House: Talk about night and day. I was so bored with last season -- and annoyed with the deterioration of the ducklings, primarily Cameron -- that I bailed with about four or five episodes to go. (And I still have no desire to see them.) I almost didn't tune in this season, but I am so glad I did. I loved the Survivor-style approach to House's finding his new team. It was fresh, it was entertaining, and hey, we were spared Foreman's glowering for most of the season. (I still wish he'd fall off a building and disappear forever.) Plus? Olivia Wilde is an excellent addition to the cast. I just hope Thirteen's real name is not what's circulating.
6. Gossip Girl: That's right, I'm ranking GG above the rest because it gets points in the entertainment and "When Jen Watches" categories. GG is fun and glamorous and...well, fun. Plus, it's well-written, well-acted, has a killer soundtrack, and there's even a surprising amount of substance and profundity underneath the glitz. (And before you roll your eyes, Kristin, Michael Ausiello, and Matt Roush have consistently talked about how much they enjoy it, too -- and it made Kristin's Top 10 list. I always suspected my taste was more in sync with hers.)
5. Criminal Minds: Usually I don't rank procedurals because of the very nature of the show, but I have to say, CM is not your usual procedural. There's a surprising amount of character insight and emotional payoff, and when combined with the angle -- delving into the minds of the most aberrant serial offenders -- and the execution, you get one excellent hour of television. I actually don't understand Matt Roush's hatred for this show. It's no darker than Dexter, which he loves.
4. The Office: Okay, so, it was definitely proven that The Office is better in a half-hour format this season, but what can you say about this show except that it is side-splittingly funny, even when you're squinting at the clock on your DVD player and wondering when the hour is going to end. And finally we get back the Pam from Seasons 1 and 2 and I could squee over Jim and Pam again instead of wondering when she'd been replaced by a cyborg. (Which is what I thought for much of last season.) And like I said above, 30 minutes of John Krasinski? Bonus points galore.
3. Pushing Daisies: Oh, Ned, you stole my heart from the first second you were on-screen. What a delightful, whimsical, and charming hour of television. This show from Bryan Fuller easily wins the Best New TV Show award. It is smart, funny, endearing and bittersweet, with an engaging and unique concept and one of the best ensemble casts I've seen.
2. Chuck: This is where my rating system comes into play. As I said, Chuck might not have been the best-written show on TV this season (although it came pretty close) but the premise and its execution, the exceptionally stellar cast -- most specifically the charmingly adorable Zachary Levi -- and the fact that you had a show that infused action with both heart and wit made this one of the few hours I scheduled around, TiVo be damned.
1. Veronica Mars: That's right, I have two No. 1s. Anyone got a problem with that? I can't talk much about it, because I think I've finally (finally!) gotten a handle on the Veronica-Mars-is-canceled depression I had going on there for a while, but like LOST, this is one of the best shows I've ever seen. Ever. And yes, I'm including Seasons 2 and 3, because as I have said an infinite amount of times, while Seasons 2 and 3 as a whole didn't compare to Season 1, their worst episodes were still better than 99.9% of what was on TV. Plus? Two words. Kristen. Bell.
1. LOST: It is simply the most sophisticated, complex, gripping, and intriguing television show I have ever seen. I actually pity the viewers who bailed, because obviously this is not a show for the attention deficit-inclined, and they missed out on seeing how some of those seemingly -- and frustratingly -- random details fit into the complexity that is the LOST mythology. And if that's not enough, the frakking flash-forward in the finale alone was mind-blowing enough to land it at the top of the pile.

There you have it. My choices are actually largely in keeping with the real columnists -- or at least the Big 3 -- with the obvious exception that I don't have Showtime or HBO (nor do I like The Wire or Dexter), find Ugly Betty a bit too campy for my taste (although their general consensus is that UB was off its game this season as well), and can count on one hand (with two fingers left over) the times I've laughed while watching 30 Rock.

I hope this frakking strike ends soon.

I was going for a Top 10 list until I realized I couldn't really come up with 10 female agents/detectives/etc. that I really liked, or with whom I'd want to change places. There are shows I watch regularly like Without a Trace, CSI, Cold Case, etc., and while their ensemble casts are exceptional, I don't really identify with any of the female leads.

(Also? Minute details such as Poppy Montgomery's struggle with the American accent on Without a Trace is too distracting to pay attention to much of what she says. As is Kathryn Norris' hair on Cold Case.)

Anywho. So here's the list. I'll put up the men soon. And I would imagine once I'm done plowing through Season 2 of Criminal Minds (I've got 10 episodes left), my blogging will stray to some other topic. Promise.

1. Special Agent Jennifer "JJ" Jareau (AJ Cook, Criminal Minds): I would gladly take JJ's job in a heartbeat. In addition to being an FBI agent, she handles all communication with police departments, other agencies, and coordinates all the media coverage. And I like the way she dresses. And she gets to flirt with the oh-so-adorably Acronym-y Dr. Spencer Reid. And carry a gun. Seriously. Dream job. (Plus I always liked AJ Cook on Tru Calling.)

2. Special Agent Rebecca Locke (Rachel Nichols, The Inside): Talk about your tortured, flawed character... this was a fairly disturbing show, and Rebecca was a fairly disturbed character. Rachel Nichols played her perfectly. Insert typical "why does stupid FOX always cancel Tim Minear's shows" rant here.

3. Detective Carla Merced (Rashida Jones, Wanted): This was my first exposure to Rashida Jones -- a tough-as-nails, bad-ass former Naval Intelligence office brought onto a specialized task force tracking down the top 100 hardened criminals in the LA area. (Imagine my surprise at seeing her cast as girly Karen on The Office.) Another show that was awesomely dark and canceled far before its time.

4. Detective Alex Eames (Kathryn Erbe, Criminal Intent): Anyone who can tolerate, get along with, and complement a unique, often annoying guy like Bobby Goren deserves a whole book of gold stars. Eames is the perfect counter-balance to Goren.

5. Detective Megan Wheeler (Julianne Nicholson, Criminal Intent): See above, but substitute Logan for Goren. Wheeler's cool. I'll be glad when Nicholson returns from maternity leave in a couple weeks because I'm not crazy about Falacci.

6. ADA Annabeth Chase (Jennifer Finnegan, Close to Home): I miss this show. I absolutely cannot believe CBC canceled it in favor of the dreadful Moonlight. Anyway, Finnegan was remarkable as Annabeth Chase, and this show managed to infuse the courtroom drama of Law and Order with humanity and heart while still focusing on the ruthless crimes that take place in our own backyards.

7. Special Agent Elle Greenaway (Lola Glaudini, Criminal Minds): Her sarcasm and attitude with Thomas Gibson's annoyingly dour Agent Hotchner always made me laugh. Elle was a great addition to the team, and I was bummed when the actress left the show to have a kid. Not that that's not a noble calling or anything, but Emily Prentiss? Definitely doesn't fill the hole left.

8. Agent Sydney Bristow (Jennifer Garner, Alias): Jennifer Garner is so awesome. I was hooked on Alias from that first shot of her being tortured in the wildly red wig. I'd loved JJ Abrams back when Felicity began, and so when I heard he'd pitched a new show based loosely on the premise of "What would happen if Felicity was really living a double life as a spy?" I was intrigued. Even though I think the show eventually drowned in its complicated mythology, (Season 4 was definitely not my favorite), it remains among my favorites. And Season 5 redeemed itself by adding Rachel Nichols and Amy Acker to the cast.

9. Agent Sarah Walker (Yvonne Strahovski, Chuck): I like that Chuck can be a procedural but have the added bonus of both wit and character drama. Had this been a standard procedural, we would probably not get much insight into Sarah's character. Love Sarah, love the backstory that's being teased, love her relationship with Chuck (especially the incredible UST between them), love the fact that YS has a better American accent than I do.

Seriously.

As many of you know, I've been kind of ambivalent about Heroes this season. Don't get me wrong, it's still among my top 10 favorite shows -- and even top, oh, six or so -- but this season started out rather sluggishly. Tim Kring & Co. do what a lot of writers do, in that they tried to incorporate too many characters and ended up not doing much with any of them. As a result, the story-telling was often uneven and, in the case of Nikki and Paolo Maya and Alejandro, really, really boring. (And hey, Nikki and Paolo ultimately factored into LOST in a really cool way, so I'd say they're less ridonkulous than the Exxon Valdez Wonder Twins.)

From her first appearance, however, Kristen Bell has stolen the show. I was curious as to how she'd play a villain, and in true KB fashion, she painted what could've been a one-dimensional, albeit fun, villain with varying shades of grey and made us feel for her, conniving sociopath or not. What a tragedy she's lived through, tortured at the hands of her "father." And wow, KB played that realization to a tee this evening when Noah revealed the truth to Elle. I teared up.

I loved her throw-down with Sylar (and I finally think the dude is hot, so Cori and Erin can quit nagging me), and even at the end, when Mohinder tells her she's saved their lives, she could've been arrogant or genuinely pleased, and KB chose to interject a bit of a pathetic quality into her emotion. Brilliant.

I'm so glad she's sticking around.

The deaths weren't as shocking as I expected them to be, with the exception of Nathan, and even that was kind of inevitable when he was talking about the press conference and then we see the blinking red light of the video camera. I was surprised to see that apparently Angela Petrelli is still a heinous bitch...who else could she be in collusion with, though, except for Bob?

I'm not too torn apart to see Niki go. Also? I was kind of hoping Maya would stay dead, and that maybe that annoying little girl (and yes, if I'm being honest, Mohinder) would've caught a ricochet as well.

Great "finale." Let's hope the AMPTP and WGA come to an agreement soon so we can get on with Volume III, "Villains," already. I've never seen a more ominous can of spinach.

In other Monday TV news, I am heart-broken that we won't get any more Chuck will after the new year, and even then, if there's no strike agreement, there are only two episodes left. My thoughts summed up:

1) The scene where Chuck confronts Sarah about "The Incident" was heart-wrenching. Well-played by both YS and ZL.
2) I want to learn how to pin an alarm clock to the wall with a knife.
3) Casey's love affair with his Crown Vic was hysterical.
4) Mistletoe is for kissing, not dancing. (I, er, would not have made the same mistake.)
5) Did I mention I'm really going to miss this show?

I'm off to watch Life.

This is a plea for everyone to watch Chuck who isn't already watching.

Over the past eight weeks, this show has toppled Grey's Anatomy (okay, well, the off-kilter writing has played a huge role in that), Heroes (ditto on the off-kilter writing), and The Office, and has even scrambled over Pushing Daisies and Gossip Girl to become my favorite TV show of the season.

When I heard that Josh Schwartz was going to do a show about a geeky guy who accidentally has all the government's secrets downloaded into his brain, I thought it was going to be strictly comedic fare. A grown-up Seth Cohen existing in a comedy version of Alias. I had no idea that there was going to be so much heart woven in; I had not an inkling that Zachary Levi was going to be so utterly charming and adorable and lovable in every way, had no idea that Yvonne Strahovski was going to have such fantastic chemistry with ZL and therefore Chuck and Sarah were going to own Jim and Pam in the most romantic, most angsty, most squeeable relationship this side of Logan and Veronica.

Chuck has every element present that makes for excellent TV -- humor, wit, romance, heart, action, good story-telling, excellent dialogue, pretty, pretty people (in Zach, Yvonne, and Adam Baldwin), characters you love to root for, and great music.

Take a look:

Well, crap. There has been talk about this for a while now, but I haven't posted about it, simply because I just hoped it wouldn't happen, that the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers would pull its collective head out of its ass and reach an agreement with the Writers' Guild of America.

No such luck.

As of this evening, the WGA will begin striking. It could last as short as five days or as long as five months, which is how long the strike in '88 lasted.

What does that mean for us, the viewers? Well, come January, the scripts will run out and will be replaced by reality and news programming.

At this point, LOST could be the only show sitting pretty -- it's been stockpiling scripts since June, and currently there are approximately 17 in reserve. Heroes also may not fare as badly, since Tim Kring & Co. have decided to divide the series into volumes this season and the first volume will end in December. They will probably hold the second volume until after the strike ends.

It especially sucks for guys like Joss Whedon, whose brand-spanking-new show Dollhouse, which had been catapulting forward with lightning speed and could've seen the light of day as early as January, will come to a screeching halt, and Josh Schwartz, whose Chuck and Gossip Girl have been rapidly gaining momentum. GG lost an Entertainment Weekly cover because when the issue hits stands, it might not be on the air, and Chuck won't hear about a full-season pickup until after the strike ends.

Both guys fully support the writers, though, as do I -- the writers do all the work and get the short end of the stick every time. They are the most under-appreciated in the business and they don't see any of the profits from DVD sales or internet sales such as online viewing or sales through iTunes, where there are no upfront costs.

Without the writers, the actors have nothing to act, the directors have nothing to direct, the producers have nothing to produce, etc. It affects the boom guys, the camera guys, hair and makeup, assistant peons, janitors at studios, craft service, and the families of all the above.

Here's hoping the producers put a kibosh on their greed soon and realize that nobody wants to see Farmer Wants a Wife and My Dad is Better Than Your Dad, which, sadly, are two of a whole crap pile of what's planned for strike air time.

I have never heard of James Carrington, but wow, is this one of the most beautiful songs I have ever...laid my ears on? (Yeah, I know, doesn't really make sense.)

Anyway, I'm uploading this video for a couple reasons:

1) I felt like posting something but really have nothing substantial on which to post.
2) I love it and want it in my video archives to reference later.
3) Chuck is wearing The Red T-Shirt at several points throughout.

When all else fails and you can't think of an appropriate post title, just use a random-yet-fun line from a Good Charlotte song...

So, I haven't posted here very regularly lately. Originally I was going to wait till next weekend so anyone who wanted to could post scavenger hunt items, but I suppose I've gotten all that I'm going to get. Maybe I'll just shuffle around my filters and post the pictures for only those who commented with suggestions to see.

Anyway, I'm just checking in with some awesome TV tidbits before it's off to watch tonight's delicious episode of Chuck sans commercial interruption. I fraktastically adore this show. It is beyond amazing and Zachary Levi just makes me feel all warm and tingly inside.

1) Gossip Girl has moved to #1 on my TiVo list. Seriously. It might not actually be the best show on TV, but it is the one I absolutely without fail must watch every week and usually watch more than once. Following GG are Pushing Daisies and Chuck. Grey's has dropped to fourth, followed by, in order, Heroes, The Office, House, Bones, Friday Night Lights, Scrubs and Criminal Intent. Everything else I was watching has been punted because it either sucked (Private Practice), didn't hold my attention past the first episode (Journeyman, Women's Murder Club), or I really like but have no time for and will thus catch up on over the summer (How I Met Your Mother, Samantha Who, Dirty Sexy Money).

2) Looks like the Heroes PTB love Kristen Bell as much as those of us with intelligence do -- word on the street is that they are all working to make her a regular instead of giving her just a 13-episode arc.

3) Woohoo! Kal Penn and especially Olivia Wilde are indeed sticking around as two of House's newest ducklings. The third is that balding plastic surgeon guy. I kind of wish it was the Mormon dude House calls Big Love, 'cause I like him. I'm just happy that Cutthroat Bitch (House's nickname, not mine) was canned.

4) This week's Office episode introduces the Dunder Mifflin Utica branch, Karen's back (I loooovvve Rashida Jones), and Joss Whedon directs.

5) Kristin Chenoweth and Ellen Greene singing "Birdhouse in Your Soul" in last week's Pushing Daisies was simply divine. I love this show more and more every week.

6) Matt Roush published my email to him. (Scroll to the bottom -- it's the last one. If you haven't yet caught up on Season 2 of Friday Night Lights and plan to, don't read the included comment from another viewer because not only is she smoking crack and has no idea what good TV is, but it will also spoil you.)

To quote, er, Captain Awesome, last night's TV was....awesome.

Well, actually I was kind of bored by both Chuck and Heroes, but I'll take Zachary Levi and Kristen Bell on a weekly basis any way I can get them. (And KB's scenes were great.)

I have a theory as to how Elle's connected to Noah and Claire, but it's so bizarre and not supported by any spoilers except that KB said they were connected in some way, so I'm not going to talk about it, because I'm sure it's wrong, and then I'll look dumb. But it's really intriguing if it's accurate.

I really wish Mohinder would go away, and that he'd take Niki, Micah, and Paolo and Nikki Alejandro and Maya with him.

I'm so glad House and Bones are back tonight.

Okay, not that I don't think it's been good. I mean, yes, I fast-forward through the Maya and Alejandro stuff, and the Niki/Micah/random relatives stuff (although Monica's power seems pretty cool), and Mohinder needs to stop whining already, but other than that...

That being said, when I saw Kristen Bell in the previews for next week, I grinned. It is about damn time. And you can already discern that charming little bit of insanity bubbling underneath Elle's surface.

I just caught up on a lot of TV. Way too much to devote much individual blogging time to, so I'm just going to sum everything up in five bullet points or less:

Grey's Anatomy

• For the LOVE. I have gone from general annoyance to downright hatred with regards to Izzie. Seriously -- Cori, I am dispatching you to Seattle Grace immediately to punch her in the neck. I so hope Callie bitch-slaps her next week.
• Kudos to Bailey and Meredith for finally -- if reluctantly -- reaching out to Callie and Lexie, and George? So glad you finally found the balls to tell Izzie to back the hell off.
• Cristina's manipulation game? So. Awesome. I died laughing when she told Alex he needed to go find his own pretend emotion.
• Mr. Gilmore's an intern! Who knew?

Pushing Daisies

• This show gets more adorable by the week. I, er, adore it, because apparently I am not creative enough to come up with a more unique verb.
• I rewound Kristin Chenoweth rocking "Hopelessly Devoted to You" three times.
• I would so make out with Lee Pace through a transparent plastic bag, and install a dishwashing glove in my car so I could hold his hand.
• I had no idea when Chi McBride was glowering through the halls of Boston Public and Princeton Plainsboro Teaching Hospital that he had a really great sense of comic timing.

Chuck

• I, uh, don't think there's any doubt as to why the cast has taken to calling the actress who plays Sara Yvonne Strahotski. I need a copy of her fitness plan.
• I absolutely love Zachary Levi. And hello? At the end, when he's in that rather bicep-defining ringer t-shirt? I kind of forgot that he's supposed to be this lovable geek type. To quote Cori, Raar.
• I totally want to learn to do the tango now.

Gossip Girl

• I finally feel a bit of sympathy for Blair -- her mother is Satan. Ugh.
• The writers -- and Blake Lively/Leighton Meester -- have done a great job, particularly in this episode, at portraying the extreme differences between Serena and Blair, which basically highlight the many reasons Blair's so jealous of her best friend.
• That scene on the roof, where Serena goes to kiss Dan on the cheek and give him a little hug and he backs up because he's unsure of how to respond may have been really subtle, but it was spot-on. I'm SO glad the writers didn't duplicate the book version of Dan. Ugh.

House

• I need to reiterate how awesome Olivia Wilde is. I am totally rooting for Thirteen to make the cut as one of House's three new fellows, because she brings an interesting dynamic to PPTH -- she can go toe-to-toe with House, but she's still vulnerable. Kind of like Season 2 Cameron.
• Speaking of, where IS Season 2 Cameron? 'Cause this new Cameron is boring me. As are Chase and Foreman.
• What a really intriguing twist of the usual Mystery of the Week -- they had the diagnosis from the beginning, but because Thirteen didn't realize the patient hadn't ingested the required pills, they couldn't figure out what was wrong with him before he died. Really interesting. And really well-played, especially the scene at the end between Hugh Laurie and Olivia Wilde.

Bones

• Um, pony play? Really? Gross. And yes, Oprah, I'm judging. Deal with it.

The Office

• OMG I can't wait until the hour-long episodes go away. Michael and Dwight are only good in small doses.
• Jim and Pam are still adorable.
• Was Ryan always this annoying?

Heroes

• The show seems to be starting out a bit over-ambitiously. Too many characters, not enough development.
• Claire is going to get her dad killed.
• I still am very distrustful of West, and that was true even before the eighth painting was revealed.

The Hills

• Heidi and Spencer are stupid, although I suppose they can't exactly confess on national television.
• I don't get how someone could spend $2500 on a purse. This is not a jealous statement. It's one comprised purely of bafflement.

Dirty Sexy Money

• Hilarious.
• I'm adding Peter Krause to The List. He's total acronym material.

Samantha, Who?

• Hilarious.

Other TV tidbits

• I've cut Journeyman and Women's Murder Club loose, and I've decided to catch up on the new season of How I Met Your Mother over the summer. Mondays are too crowded, especially now that Samantha, Who? has started.
• So I'm left with 12 shows (well, 11, really, since The Hills will end in a few weeks) to keep track of 'till The Return of Jezebel James, The Sarah Connor Chronicles, and LOST start midseason.