My TV Watching Schedule: Summer 2010

The 2009-2010 television season is officially over, and once Glee has its season finale, it'll be off to summer TV watching for me. While broadcast TV options are pretty slim during the summer, cable networks take over as they roll out their best series. Here's a brief summary of which shows I'll be watching this summer.

Sundays
Leverage (TNT)
Last summer, Leverage debuted its second season, and while it started off OK, the show didn't start getting good until its winter premiere. During the second half of the season, Leverage officially became my favorite show on TV due to its perfect combination of interesting characters, action, and humor. Season 2 ended with a pretty decent cliffhanger, and Season 3 looks like it is going to be better than the sophomore outing.

Mad Men (AMC)
I still haven't caught up on Season 1-3 of Mad Men, but if I'm able to get through them by the July 25 premiere, then I'll give this show a shot.

Episode Review: GLEE, "Theatricality"

I don't get Lady Gaga. I've never heard any of her music, and all I know about her is that she dresses like a freak. While tonight's Glee did not convert me to one of Gaga's followers, "Theatricality" was one of the better episodes of the back-9.

To me, the episode was strong in spite of the music because I thought most of the song choices and the performances were just OK. Glee's strength is it can still be entertaining even if the music doesn't totally work, and tonight's episode was just another example of this ability.

Almost every storyline was on point, and it was easier to get swept up by the drama than by the singing. Tina being forced to change her look due to Figgin's fear of vampires and Twihard violence was the catalyst for the episode, and I'm sure a lot of people could relate to Tina's struggle with being picked on for just being herself.

TV Wrap-Up: CHUCK

Like I said in my initial review of "Chuck vs. the Subway" and "Chuck vs. the Ring: Pt. 2", the one thing Chuck does well is wrap up a season and the season 3 finale was no exception.

It was a good thing that fans (the few that are left) got a killer season finale because it kind of made up for the mixed reactions that season 3 received overall. Now, I thought the first part of S3 was great, but not enough Chucksters agreed with me, so it was important that the showrunners righted the ship towards the end.

Season Summary
I a lot of ways Season 3 of Chuck was two separate seasons. We got the initial 13-episode season, and the tacked on 6-episode mini-season.

Episode Review: CHUCK, "Chuck vs. the Subway" and "Chuck vs. the Ring: Part II"

Once again Chuck gave us one of the best finales of the year with "Chuck vs. the Subway" and "Chuck vs. the Ring: Part II". The former was by far some of the best television to grace our screens in a while, and most of "Ring II" worked with the exception of a few minor quibbles.

Everything in the Chuck universe has been leading up "Subway" because pretty much everyone in Chuck's life now knows his secret, and it's about time because Ellie's being in the dark was getting annoying. Her finding out, and Team Bartowski on the run thanks to the return of Shaw, created some tense and riveting moments but they also maintained the classic Chuck humor (ex. Morgan & Awesome together are pretty priceless).

Also, watching Casey telling Alex that he is her father was both heart-warming and nerve-racking due to the danger that everyone was in. Shaw's attempt at taking over the C.I.A. was also a great plot point that really worked in the grand scheme of things. By the end of "Subway" everything was in disarray, we lost an important character, and our heroes were on the ropes. Pretty epic stuff.

News: GLEE Renewed for Seasons 2 & 3

Both zap2it.com and ew.com are reporting that FOX has picked up Glee for a third season before its freshman season has even wrapped up. While I still waiting until FOX announces the news via an official press release, this is some pretty good news for Gleeks worldwide.

Some initial reaction on the web is this might be a premature move since no one knows how successful season 2 is going to be, and some people are already pointing out how the back-9 of season 1 have already started a downward turn. I agree that the show's spring season has not been as good as its fall premiere, but I don't view its lack of punch as the beginning of the end.

My TV Watching Schedule: Fall 2010

With all of the Network Upfronts completed, we all have an idea of which shows are going to be gracing our television screens this upcoming fall. I have to admit that I was pretty underwhelmed with the majority of the shows that were previewed this week, so I don't see my TV watching schedule being changed too much.

Mondays
Mondays used to be the busiest night for me this seasons with Chuck, How I Met Your Mother, The Big Bang Theory, and Castle on the schedule. It was even worse when I used to watch House, but thing eased up even more once HIMYM started sucking. CBS' bold move of moving The Big Bang Theory to Thursdays was actually a blessing for me because it made my Monday night schedule more manageable:

8pm/7c: Chuck
Our favorite spy dramedy is coming back for a fourth, 13-episode (with a back-9 option) season, and it will be sticking around to kick off NBC's Monday night action block. I'm sure there are plenty of people pissed that Chuck is still in one of the toughest timeslots, but it's doubtful the audience is going to grow next season, so why throw another show to the wolves. Plus, the loyal fans won't have to make drastic changes to their habits to keep up with their show. Part of me also hopes season 4 is the last one for Chuck so the showrunners can give the fans a proper ending.

9pm/8c: Lonestar
Early on in the week I figured I'd have to catch this primetime, Texas based soap online since it was supposed to be going up against TBBT, but CBS changed things up, so now I can watch Lonestar live. I'm a sucker for con-artists shows, and it is supposed to be set in my hometown, so of course I'm going to check it out.

10pm/9c: Castle
I wouldn't have been surprised if Castle was moved to another night, like Sundays, but I'm glad it's sticking around on Monday nights. I was also relieved when I heard that CSI: Miami is heading to Sundays, and its old spot was given to Hawaii Five-0. The rookie cop show is probably not going be too much of a challenge for Castle, but it may surprises us.

Online Catch-up: How I Met Your Mother, Hawaii Five-0

Episode Review: COMMUNITY, "Pascal's Triangle Revisited"

I think that it was appropriate that one of the themes explored by tonight's Community was excess because "Pascal's Triangle Revisited" felt a little tacked on. Most of the episode really didn't work, and with the exception of the final scene, the first season would have been fine with out it, and last week's "English as a Second Language" could have been a decent wrap up.

I just felt the whole Jeff-Britta-Slater love triangle was kind of forced. The whole Jeff/Slater romance never made much sense, and her dumping of him was so out of nowhere (which they tried to make up for half-heartedly tonight) that made it feel like a throw away plot point. Also, Jeff and Britta have been shoved down our throats since day one, and I think it's clear that most fans are against the pairing. Then again, maybe I'm taking this stance since I'm on Team Annie.

TV Upfronts: CBS' New Shows for 2010-2011

Upfront Week continues as the Eye unveiled its 2010-2011 Fall schedule, and the moving around of current shows overshadowed the announcements of the new shows. Essentially, CBS is out to destroy NBC by moving The Big Bang Theory to Thursday nights to beat down Community, which is kind of funny since TBBT is about Cal Tech geniuses and Community is about...well, people at a community college. While I rib Community, my allegiance might be with the Greendale crew over the Cal Tech group mostly because Season 1 of the former has been funnier than Season 3 of the latter.

Also, CSI: Miami was moved out of Monday nights and placed on Sundays. When I first read this news I was ecstatic because that means Castle will not have to be David to CSI:M's Goliath. Instead my favorite cop drama can pick on the new kid on the block, Hawaii Five-O. Then I saw the preview for the new CBS procedural...

Hawaii Five-O looks sexy and interesting enough that I might be willing to give it a chance once I'm done watching Castle. I'm not too afraid that Hawaii will beat Castle in the ratings, but they both have a fresh take on an old genre, and they both have leading men that have a cult following. At first, I wanted the Alex O'Loughlin/CBS Curse to continue, but I'm not too sure anymore.

The rest of the new shows trotted out by CBS really didn't stand out to me. $#*! My Dad Says feels too broad, but it might have a few laughs, and it has the best chance of catching on since it has Big Bang as a lead-in, and will be taking on 30 Rock.

I do have to thank CBS because they did make my Monday night's easier now that I don't have to pick between The Big Bang Theory and Lone Star, but I can't help but feel bad for Community.

Episode Review: GLEE, "Dream On"

The epic Joss Whedon-directed Glee episode guest starring Neil Patrick Harris has come and gone, and while it didn't disappoint, it really didn't blow me away either. The underwhelming parts of the episode had nothing to do with NPH because his storyline was spot on...it was some of the other sub-plots that had me shrugging my shoulders.

NPH was great as former glee star Bryan Ryan, and he was able to make us hate him, sympathize with him, and dislike him all over again in a matter of minutes. Bryan was a complex character because while he was the bad guy, it was easy to understand where he was coming from. Show choir didn't take him where he felt he was destined to go, and he was bitter. I'm sure there are a lot of people out there that could relate to his story. Once Will convinced him to give his dream another shot, I couldn't help but get excited for him. Of course everything had to go south after the "Dream On" duet, but we all knew the day would be saved by Shue, and when he explanation of why he did what he did was touching.

I've said if before, and I'll keep saying it...NPH can do no wrong. It would've been easy to make Bryan Ryan a one-note character (like Molly Shannon's Brenda Castle), but Harris and Whedon were able to round him out. It doesn't hurt that NPH is a natural performer, and his acting and singing was a natural fit on Glee. I know this is never going to happen, but I'd like to see NPH become a series regular once How I Met Your Mother is done (which would be next season if I had my way). Even if that isn't going to happen, I do hope Harris comes back for a few more guest spots.

TV Upfronts: ABC's New Shows for 2010-2011

Wow, based on the previews from ABC's new crop of shows, I will be watching less and less of the Alphabet Network come fall. Sure, there's still Castle, but that's about it. I might give V one more shot, but I've already given it three, so I might just have to give up on it once and for all.

Out of all of the new shows, only one really looks like a show I'd watch, and that's Matthew Perry's Mr. Sunshine. Too bad it's not on the fall schedule, but it will probably fill in once Better Together bombs and is yanked from the line-up. The only drawback of Mr. Sunshine is it looks like Matthew Perry playing Matthew Perry. I hate to say it, but he really hasn't done anything new since Chandler (and I'm a fan of his).


No Ordinary Family could be a show I could get used to, but based on the promo I don't know if it's supposed to be Heroes meets Modern Family or an Incredibles rip-off. Michael Chiklis and Julie Benz are talented enough to at least convince me to check out a few episodes, but it's going up against Glee.

The rest of the newbies are pretty much forgettable, and with no more Scrubs, Better Off Ted, and Pushing Daisies (still not over that one), it looks like I'll only be watching ABC on Monday nights at 10/9c (although I have been meaning on catching up on Modern Family).

TV Wrap-Up: CASTLE

Last night was the Season 2 finale of Castle, and while there are a ton of unhappy shippers out there, I felt that "A Deadly Game" was the perfect way to end the show's sophomore season.

Quick Replay
Castle invited Beckett to spend the holiday weekend with him in the Hamptons, she said she's busy just to get busted when Demming revealed that they're going away together. Castle was stung, so he said he's planning on staying in the Hamptons for the entire summer, thus making the case their last. Beckett's sure he'd come back, but Esposito dropped some truth on her about Castle's real reason for sticking around. Beckett finally worked up the nerve to tell Castle how she felt, but she's blocked by his old wife. Apparently, she's accompanying Rick to the Hamptons for the summer. Cue pissy fans throwing stuff at their TVs.

While I understand why so many fans were unhappy with the ending of Season 2, it was the appropriate ending. I'll admit, I thought the two were going to put their cards out on the table and was duped like everyone else, but I couldn't help but smile. The show runners gave us a good enough swerve to keep us interested in Season 3 (hopefully we won't have a Rick-ageddon like Chuck had to endure). It's too soon for Kate and Rick to be together, and I think this ending opens up some great opportunities for the fall.

Episode Review: CASTLE, "A Deadly Game"

I'm too pooped to put together a full write-up on tonight's Castle. All I can say is that it was emotionally exhausting, but it was the proper ending for season 2. I know there are some shippers out there that were probably throwing things at their TVs, but the final scene shouldn't have been a surprise to anyone that's watched a television show. I do have to admit that I got sucked in though. I was even jumping up and down...I'm man enough to admit it.

Episode Review: CHUCK, "Chuck vs. the Living Dead"

The one thing Chuck does well is wrap up a season because tonight's "Living Dead" was by far one of the best episodes (I mean it this time), and I reminded me of how great the last handful of Season 2 episodes were. From the looks of it, Season 3 is going to end on a high-note like, if not higher than, Season 2.

Ellie was still being manipulated by the Ring, and she convinced her father to come back, and Steve was confused why Casey and Sarah are still around since Chuck said he was no longer working for the C.I.A. Of course Chuck lied to his father so he wouldn't worry, which helped build the tension. One thing fans were hesitant about was Chuck changing, but we have to admit that he's a new person because he's able to lie to those around him, but he's still a likable character. Being able to walk that fine line is not easy, but Chuck (are more importantly Zachary Levi) is able to do it.

TV Upfronts: FOX's New Shows for 2010-2011

Day 1, or 2 since NBC got the jump on everyone yesterday, of the Network TV Upfronts was today, and FOX showed off its new slate of shows for fall 2010. At first glance they look like more of the same, but they have more potential that most of what NBC brought to the table.

Again, I really don't want to waste too much time posting videos of the shows that bore me, so check out thefutoncritic's FOX Video Gallery to watch a collection of trailers and clips. After checking out all of the previews, a few shows did stand out.

Lonestar

The first time I read the description for Lonestar (formally known as Midland), I knew that I would be checking out because a.) Midland is my home town, and b.) con-men shows/movie are pretty much the best genre ever. After checking out the trailer for Lonestar, it looks like I might have a new favorite show. Too bad it's scheduled for Mondays at 9/8c, which means it will more than likely go up against The Big Bang Theory. Since CBS sucks at putting Big Bang online, I might have to catch Lonestar via Hulu or fox.com, which is a shame. Or I could just stop watching The Big Bang Theory altogether.

Mixed Signals

I'm kind of over the young couples getting through life genre of sitcom, mostly due to the fact that How I Met Your Mother has broken my trust, but I have to admit that the preview for Mixed Signals had me laughing out loud (way more than anything NBC had to offer). I'm kind of bummed that FOX is keeping this show on the bench until mid-season in favor of the unfunny Running Wilde. It will get a post-Idol timeslot, which should be helpful.

Raising Hope

It looks like FOX is really trying to get back into the live-action sitcom game, and it looks like Raising Hope can fill the void left by Malcolm in the Middle. The blue-collar slacker trying to raise a child really isn't a new concept, but from what I've seen this could work. Plus, Raising Hope has Glee as a lead-in, so I might be willing to stick around on Tuesday nights.

Ride-Along

The only type of show that is starting to bore me more than the "young, yuppies dating one another" sitcom is the "gritty" cop show. I used to like shows like The Shield, but after a while all of the grittiness becomes too much to handle, so I'm a little weary about Shawn Ryan's new show Ride-Along. I was intrigued enough by the preview that I'll probably give it a shot.

Other Thoughts: The new addition to Animation Domination, Bob's Burgers, looks truly awful and will probably be gone faster than Sit Down, Shut Up was axed. Running Wilde looks tedious to watch, and I don't know why people keep giving Will Arnet shows, but Keri Russel is still cute enough to at least pique my interest.

Based on the new crop of shows it looks like I'll be tuning in to FOX a lot more next season as I add Lonestar, Mixed Signals, and Raising Hope to my must watch list that already includes Glee and Bones. I might even give Human Target a shot.

TV Upfronts: NBC's New Shows for 2010-2011

Today was the first day of the 2010-2011 Network TV Upfront presentations, and NBC was first out the gate to announce their new fall schedule. Last year, I posted videos and shared my initial thoughts on the new crop of shows, but to be honest next year's NBC shows look weak with a few exceptions. Rather than waste time wading through the preview clips, I'll just direct people to Hulu's NBC Fall Preview page or thefutoncritic.com's NBC video gallery.

The few highlights that stand out to me include new comedy Outsourced, J.J. Abram's Undercovers. Since it looks like FOX passed up on Breakout Kings, that leaves NBC's Chase as the lone U.S. Marshall show on the fall schedule, so I might check it out depending on whether Castle comes back to Monday nights or not.

Outsourced, based on the 2006 feature film, looks like it will be next year's Community meaning it will be a nice addition to the Thursday night comedy block, but it might take some time to build an audience. I was a little surprised that NBC decided to bench Parks and Recreation until mid-season, moved 30 Rock to 8:30 PM, and gave Outsourced the plumb post-The Office spot. I'm guessing NBC wants Outsourced and Community to be the new anchors for the comedy block once the other shows fizzle out.

Undercovers has gained the status as the must-see show of the new season because of its mix of action, comedy, and drama. From what I've read it's a combination of Alias, Hart to Hart, and Mr. and Mrs. Smith. The preview clips seem to sum up the show perfectly, and it looks like it's going to be the show to beat, especially considering it's going to be on the less competitive Wednesday nights. Many thought that Undercovers would go hand in hand with Chuck, so I'm sure some were surprised it wasn't placed on Mondays or Chuck wasn't moved to Wednesdays. In the end, the two may have been too similar, so splitting them up probably made the most sense. Plus, Chuck gets one more shot to prove itself in the Monday Night Thunderdome.

Other Thoughts: The rest of the NBC newbies are extremely lackluster, and even though the Peacock is trying to reboot itself, there are too few breakout hits. Sure, it's hard to make a judgment based on two-minute clips, but most of those clips were uninteresting or unfunny (especially Perfect Couples and Friends with Benefits). The Cape and The Event could fill the mythology heavy/serialized void left by Heroes, and we're getting more procedurals thanks to Law & Order: Los Angeles, Harry's Law, and Outlaw. Pretty ho-hum stuff.

Even though most of the new NBC shows don't interest me, it looks like I will be upping my viewing of the channel thanks to Outsourced, Undercovers, Chuck, and Community. It'll be interesting to see how the rest of the networks respond this week.

Episode Review: COMMUNITY, "English as a Second Language"

Following up last week's "Modern Warfare" was a daunting task, so I don't think many fans had high expectations for this week's "English as a Second Language", but the latter was still able to generate some serious laughs.

The main plot focused on the revelation that Señor Chang was not really a teacher, and how that impacted the gang, especially Jeff and Annie. Chang confided in Jeff because he was interested in obtaining fake credentials like Winger did, so he could look like he was legit. The ever studious Annie accidentally recorded the secret conversation and ratted Chang out. Annie's motivation to get Chang ousted was she didn't want the gang to break up after they were done with Spanish 102, and if they had to retake the class they would still be together.

Annie's reasoning for outing Chang made sense, but obviously the execution wasn't very thought out. Instead of the making the class retake Spanish 102, Dean Pelton told the class that they'd just take the final with a new (competent) professor, which bums everyone out.

TV Renewal Ups & Downs

Even though the big five TV networks will not be having their official upfront presentations until next week, there has been a ton of breaking stories coming out this week about which shows are coming back and which are goners.

Tonight, I received some good news and some bad news. The bad news first, ABC officially canceled Better Off Ted. I know that not too many people checked out this quirky, workplace satire (obviously), but it was ten times better than The Office. To be honest, I wasn't shocked that BoT was axed, and I was happy just to get a second season. Part of me was holding on to hope that some other channel, FOX or FX, would swoop in and save it, but I always knew that was a long shot...which brings us to the good news.

NBC is apparently going to give us Chuck fans a 13-episode fourth season. Now, I'll be the first to admit that I was not expecting a pick-up after the Chuckpocalypse and falling ratings, but industry insiders had more faith in the show's chances, which is why I don't get paid to write about TV shows. While I'm a little surprised by the pick-up, I'm also really jazzed about getting some more stories about our favorite Nerd Herder/Intersect/Spy. Although, I kind of want season 4 to be the last season. We Chuck fans have been extremely lucky, and I'd rather have a set end date than risk an open-ended series finale. Plus, shows tend to start going down hill around season 3 or 4 anyway.

With all of the early announcements, I'm wondering what the networks are going to talk about next week, but I'm still looking forward to the craziness. If I have time, I'll share my thoughts on all of the new shows coming next fall like I did last year. Maybe I should try to get paid for doing stuff like this...

Episode Review: HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER, "Robots Versus Wrestlers"

It took me a few days to catch up on this week’s How I Met Your Mother, and just when I thought this show couldn’t suck anymore we get an episode like “Robots Versus Wrestlers”. Nothing about this episode worked, and rather than rant, I’ll direct you to televisionwithoutpity.com’s Cindy McLennan because her recap sums up everything that I disliked about this episode. Fortunately we just have 2 episodes left of the excruciatingly bad 5th season…they might be the last 2 new HIMYM episodes I ever watch.

Episode Review: GLEE, "Laryngitis"

After two somewhat mediocre episodes of Glee, tonight's "Laryngitis" picked up the slack, and was a pretty entertaining episode from start to finish. Well, it was kind of like two episodes because the second half of the episode was very different than the first half, and we got tons of storylines and songs in such a small amount of time, but for the most part everything flowed.

The common thread that ran throughout the episode was self-identity as Puck, Mercedes, Kurt, and Rachel try to figure out if they are more than what they seem. Is Puck just a cool bully? Does Mercedes feel comfortable in her Cheerios uniform? Is Rachel nothing without her singing voice? Is Kurt really gay? These are some of the questions posed by this week's episode; some are answered and some kicked off what's going to be a fun journey of self discovery.

Puck's attempt to reclaim his cool status after losing his mohawk by dating Mercedes (she's cool now because she's a cheerleader) kicked off the episode, and this plotline delivered a lot of the laughs. When Puck tried to impress Mercedes by pointing out the fact the Sammy Davis, Jr. was a black Jew I couldn't help but laugh out loud. Also, seeing Mercedes let Puck use her for her popularity was both fun and sad. She finally had a boy show interest in her, and even though she knew what his motivations were, she was willing to let it slide because of the attention. I'm just glad she wised up by the end of the episode.

While the Puck/Mercedes sub-plot brought the funny, Rachel and Kurt's respective stories brought the drama. Sure, Rachel losing her voice and Kurt trying to butch up for his dad had their share of jokes and light moments, but they quickly became serious. In order to calm Rachel down, Finn introduced her to a friend of his who was paralyzed and lost everything. While the gesture was pretty heavy-handed, the message sunk in, and Rachel realized that she's more than just her voice.

Episode Review: CASTLE, "Overkill"

"Overkill" was one of those Castle episodes where the Case of the Week totally took a backseat to the Castle/Beckett/Demming triangle. I've said it time and time again, I'm not a huge fan of UST on TV shows, but Castle makes it work.

This was the episode we've been working up to since Demming graced our screens because it was pretty much a pissing contest between him and Rick. The Case of the Week gave them both a way to impress Beckett since it had two prime suspects, but them try to one up each other was all that mattered. Michael Trucco played smug well, and Fillion was great with the killer looks and puppy dog eyes. I know that we're supposed to dislike Demming, but I'm going to miss him once his relationship with Beckett ends. Is it to soon for a Tom Demming/Jordan Shaw spin-off?

The CoW revolved around a the killing of a businessman that made men's grooming products, which led to some great metrosexual guy moments between Castle, Esposito, and Ryan. Some times I forget that Beckett's even around because watching the boys interact is comedy gold. I didn't even mind the Sex and the City jokes because they punctuated how great Fillion, Dever, and Huertas are together.

"Overkill" pushed the love triangle forward, which was its job, and the CoW was interesting enough but was only the catalyst for the one-upmanship between the guys. I do hope we get some Caskett resolution soon so we can get some solid cases, and let them drive the stories for a while. The UST stuff works, but I wouldn't hate some meatier cases every once in a while (or more info about Kate's mom).

I am interested to see where Castle goes from here since next week is the season 2 finale, and the promo hinted at Castle and Beckett becoming closer. While I doubt they'll put the two together, I do think they'll take giant steps forward (unlike Booth and Brennan) by the end of the show's second season, which should make for an entertaining season 3 premiere. I just wonder how they're going to write out Demming.

Episode Review: CHUCK, "Chuck vs. the Tooth"

I felt very torn after watching this week's Chuck because on the one hand it brought up some pretty interesting plot developments, but on the other the episode as a whole was kind of boring. To me, "Tooth" was just a filler episode, and a bridge to a more exciting episode next week ("Chuck vs. the Living Dead").

On the positive side, we got a lot of character development this week because Sarah was finally able to say the three magic words to Chuck, and even though they've been official for a few weeks now, it felt like forever. I get why she was initially hesitant, but now they've cleared the last hurdle and can be one happy couple...until they break up. I'm pretty much indifferent about the Chuck/Sarah relationship, and so far it hasn't brought the show down, but I hope we're passed most of the relationship stuff, and we can move on.

Another interesting plot point was introduced tonight, and that was how the Intersect is having a toll on Chuck's mental well-being. This new kink started off as Chuck having nightmares, which he believed are glimpses of the future thanks to the Intersect. It turns out Chuck was on to something, but his therapist (played by Doc Brown himself) feared that things are not going to turn out well for Charles Carmichael. This may sound morbid, but I'm really excited about this new twist. I'm pretty sure Chuck is going to be fine in the end, but up until now he really hasn't been in that much danger. Sure, he goes on secret spy missions, fights off Ring agents, and tames tigers, but he hasn't had to face a  mental breakdown. Most fans probably thought that having a computer in someone's brain that constantly flashes images will really mess with someone's head, and not we're going to see what that is going to look like.

I'm also pleasantly surprised how much Morgan has grown on me. He's always been my least favorite main character on the show, but he's been able to mature and develop as time has gone on. I wasn't a big fan of him joining Team Bartowski, but so far so good. Also, kudos to him for turning Anna down, which further proves that he's learning to man up. I never liked those two together to begin with.

We also got some heartwarming moments when Sarah went to talk to the doctor just to find out that Casey was also there to show his support for Chuck. The only other character that has grown more than Morgan is Casey, and I'm loving where they're taking his character. He's still a major badass, but I'm glad that we get to see his softer side as well. It'll be interesting how his storyline with Ellie is going to pan out.

Speaking of Ellie, I'm starting to cringe every time Sarah Lancaster shows up on my screen, not because of her acting ability, but because Ellie is starting to annoy the crap out of me. Her mother hen schtick has gotten old, and while her being manipulated by the Ring should be an interesting plot point, it's not having a big enough punch because I cannot stand her character. Part of me wishes they had kept Devon out of the spy world until now, so he could be the one the Ring was using because he'd be more convincing as the distrustful one. Ellie had to be brought into the loop eventually; I just don't know if this is the right time or means.

So, "Chuck vs. the Tooth" had some strong moments, but for some reason it still fell flat in my opinion. The jokes really didn't land, the action was so-so, and story was serviceable but not outstanding. Again, "Tooth" was OK as a placeholder, and I'm expecting some good stuff from next week's "Living Dead".

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Watch: OSU's GLEE Flash Mob

 I guess I have to stop cheering for Michigan. The OSU Flash Mob wasn’t as elaborate as say the Seattle mob, but they’re still impressive. It’s hard to get some college students to focus on anything that doesn’t involve beer and ping pong balls, so I’m glad to see stuff like this (then again, I’m sure rehearsals involved some good times). Kudos for the President joining in on the fun.

Episode Review: COMMUNITY, "Modern Warfare"

Tonight's Community was pretty much everything I expected and then some. I knew it was going to be a non-stop ride with every action movie cliche thrown in for good measure, but I was a little afraid that it was going to rely too much on references. "Modern Warfare" was packed to the brim with action flick homages, but they all worked, and the references weren't distracting (unlike every episode of Family Guy).

The only minor gripe I had was the episode wasn't long enough. There was so much action and one-liners flying around that the show didn't have time to incorporate all of the characters fully. Plus, there wasn't very much plot, which makes sense since it was a spoof on action films. I just like a little bit of substance with my choreographed action sequences. Oh, and I wasn't a big fan of all of the Glee hate because they just made the show seems snarkier than it already is. We get it Jeff; you're cool so stop rubbing it in everyone's face.

I was also a little surprised that they had Jeff and Britta go there because a.) it's season 1 and 2.) the context of their hook-up was so random. I guess it was kind of inspired that they had the two finally get together during such a crazy episode because their deed wasn't the main focal point, and the audience won't take it as seriously as all of the other "will they/won't they" couples that have graced our screens. I'm interested to see where the go from here, but their liaison was nothing more than an afterthought tonight.

Despite those minor quibbles, "Modern Warfare" was by far the funniest episode of any show I've seen in a while. Any show that can cram in a Mexican standoff, Chow-Yun Fat, The Warriors, Die Hard, and other action flick stand-bys in 30-minutes is definitely a winner in my book. Now, let's get an episode that has a story with a little bit more meat to it.

Episode Review: GLEE, "Bad Reputation"

To be honest, I don't know how I feel about tonight's Glee, and I will probably have to watch a few times before I officially make up my mind. It just felt like the show was all over the place, and there was way too much going on, which made for a very muddled episode.

From a narrative standpoint, nothing really gelled, and there was so much going on that it was hard to keep up. I'm kind of glad Will hit rock bottom and Emma called him out on his bad behavior, but I'm sure they'll patch things up soon. Kurt, Mercedes, Brittany, and etc. trying to get into trouble in order to elevate their Glist status kind of fell flat, but they did give us a pretty entertaining version of "U Can't Touch This". Other than that, their storyline was pretty much a throw away. Quinn being the creator of the Glist, and Will figuring out that it was her, and understanding her motives was a sweet little scene that made up for some of the sloppiness of the episode.

The two subplots that kind of worked were Sue's storyline and Rachel's harem of dudes. I could really careless about Sue and Olivia Newton-John (the guests stars are starting to get distracting and they're adding very little to the overall show), but we once again had the chance to see Sue interact with her sister, which was really touching. Seeing her as a sister really rounds out her character, and shows us that she might not be as evil as initially portrayed.

Rachel's video project was just nuts, but it got even crazier when she had all three of her boys playing her love interest, which was a nice little twist. I also loved how Finn called her out before storming off yet again. Plus, we got to see Santana and Brittany dressed up as angels, which was not a bad thing.

Musically, the episode was kind of a letdown with the exception of "Ice Ice Baby" and "U Can't Touch This". This was two weeks in a row where the music was underwhelming, which isn't good for a show about a glee club. Also, the "Physical" video was just wasted time that could have been spent on tightening up the stories. I know that Sue is one of the breakout characters, but giving her two full-length music videos in three weeks is overkill.

The one element of "Bad Reputation" that was solid was the choreography. While I wished the "Ice Ice Baby" routine focused more on Brittany and Mike, seeing everyone's moves was entertaining as hell. The "U Cant' Touch This" scene was also pretty cool, mostly due to the fact that Brittany was able to stand out a little bit more (I'm a pretty big Brittany fan if you couldn't tell). While "Total Eclipse of the Heart" is one of my least favorite songs, I do have to admit that the ballet/walk-out sequence was poignant. I've never been big on dance numbers, but I couldn't help but be impressed this time around.

I'll be re-watching "Bad Reputation" a few times so I can fully appreciate the episode, but my initial reaction was "meh". It definitely was one of the weakest episodes to date, but I was still entertained, so in the end it was an hour well spent.

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Quick Thoughts: HIMYM and TBBT

It's been a while since I've actually spent anytime on How I Met Your Mother and The Big Bang Theory. Part of the reason is because they've on and off the air so sporadically the last couple of weeks, but also because both shows have been in a creative slump this season. Last night's episodes gave me hope that these shows can still be good.

How I Met Your Mother: "Twin Beds"

The more Ted and Barney storylines we get, the better because when you team Radnor and Harris together and let them go at it, the funny ensues. When I think back at some of the funnier moments of this season, usually Ted and Barney are at the core, and this week was no different. For me, the majority of the laughs came when Ted and Barney were getting drunk and fighting over which one gets to have Robin back. Even the letters they wrote to Future Ted and Future Barney were pretty entertaining. To be honest, the show should just be about the two of them.

I did like how the show gave the Ted/Robin and Barney/Barney relationships some closure, but I'm sure Carter and Bays will go down one of those paths sooner or later (hopefully the former if you ask me). Maybe they can all move on and re-establish themselves and thus being a part of more interesting storylines until the inevitable re-coupling.

Once again, the Lily and Marshall storyline could have been cut out, and things would have been fine. I hate how Marshall continues to be dragged down by the ball and chain that is Lily. Unfortunately, I cannot think of anything that will make me start caring about either them again, which is a shame because Marshall used to be my favorite character.

Season 5 has still been mostly a bust, but I'm really hoping HIMYM is able to turn things around, and that "Twin Beds" was the spark.

The Big Bang Theory: "The Spaghetti Catalyst"

This season of The Big Bang Theory hasn't been as bad as HIMYM, but it hasn't been on par with the brilliance of the first two seasons. There have been some pretty funny moments, mostly revolving around Sheldon and/or Penny, which is probably why this week's episode worked for me.

Now, I'll never be on the Sheldon/Penny shipper bandwagon because that would just be weird and creepy, but I am a fan of the two becoming close friends, and "Spaghetti Catalyst" gave us a glimpse of what that friendship would look like.

I was impressed at how much effort Sheldon put into his two dinner ruse because his actions really don't match up with his personality. Old Sheldon really wouldn't understand why he would need to hide his actions from Leonard and Penny, and would probably just comment on how illogical they were acting. Instead he actually went out of his way to spend time with both of them. That's character development people!

The broken family/sharing the child storyline wasn't anything groundbreaking, but it really stood out as one of the funnier elements this week because it encapsulated the relationship between the three characters. Having Penny and Leonard apart is already more entertaining than when they were a couple.

Raj and Howard really didn't add too much aside from causing some uncomfortableness for Sheldon and Leonard, and I miss seeing them hang out. Other than that, it was a pretty solid effort from The Big Bang Theory.

Episode Review: CASTLE, "Food to Die For"

After a heavier installment a few weeks ago, this week's Castle was back to its charming, witty ways. Not only did we get a pretty interesting Case of the Week, but we also got a glimpse of who Beckett is, and of course some delicious Castle/Beckett moments.

Once again, the show uses current pop culture to drive the Case of the Week as the murder victim was once a contestant on a Top Chef-type reality show (which had some of the worst reality acting ever filmed). For some reason we had a ton of suspects this time around, one of whom was an old high school friend of Beckett (whom Castle asks out just to get a rise out of Beckett), but the twist and reveal was just believable enough for me to buy it.

As always the case took a backseat to the chemistry between Castle and Beckett, and this week the two are going out of their way to make the other jealous, which led to some great awkward, but still cute, moments between the two. What I love is the two obviously have feelings for one another, are trying to play it cool, but are still able to pick on each other. Adding Demming to the mix hasn't taken away all of the fun that is Caskett.

Speaking of Demming, his character was fleshed out a little bit more tonight, and we're getting a better idea of who he is.  I also applaud the show runners for making him a likable guy because it would be too easy for the audience to hate him since he's a roadblock rather than the destination. It's going to be fun watching the pissing contest that is going to ensue between Demming and Castle, but I'm sure some fans wouldn't blame Beckett if she picks the former over the latter. We all know how it's going to end up, but I wouldn't mind if Demming stuck around for a while.

Other odds and ends: I seriously hope that Castle freezing fruit and using an evil genius laugh was a deliberate callback to Dr. Horrible because that would be the second best reference ever (the first being the Firefly homage from earlier this season naturally). After an Esposito heavy episode last time, we didn't get enough of the rest of the boys which was kind of a bummer. Also, the Alexis sub-plot really didn't go anywhere, which was a shame since most of the father-daughter moments are gold (her asking him to tell her to stay home and study was kind of cute though), but this week was supposed to be about the mounting sexual tension between Castle and Beckett and rightfully so.

"Food to Die For" wasn't as strong as "Den of Thieves", but its lighter tone is what makes a show like Castle work, and I am grateful for that. Plus, we're getting to see the green-eyed monsters slowly grow beneath the surfaces of both Beckett and Castle, which means we're in for some pretty fun times.

Episode Review: CHUCK, "Chuck vs. the Role Models"

Week two of Chuck and Sarah as a couple and they're starting to win me over despite the fact that the relationship has evolved too quickly. I know that they've had feelings for each other for years, but they've went from dating to running away together to living together like that.

I would've liked if they spent more time establishing them as a couple, but I understand why the show runners are fastforwarding the story. I guess the reason I'm starting to buy them as a couple is because we actually got to see them as a couple with their little foibles and watching them have little lovers spats. Watching them bicker was kind of cute.

While Chuck and Sarah are gelling as a couple, they're still not as entertaining as Casey and Morgan. Watching Casey putting Morgan through his paces was both hilarious and touching all at the same time. It's kind of cool seeing Casey take Morgan under his wing, and take a legitimate effort in his training. Plus, it was kind of nice seeing Casey admit that they're actually friends. Aww.

Other odds and ends: Fred Willard and Swoosie Kurtz were also inspired guest stars as the Allens, and I liked how they actually helped the plot along rather than just being an attempt at stunt casting. Their roles as a cautionary tale/paragons of spy love/torch bearers all worked in the end. Captain Super-Fantastic-White Person and Ellie are finally in Africa, and I could've cared less. First off, I'm tired of Ellie being so clingy when it comes to Chuck, and the Doctors Without Borders subplot just seemed to be tacked on with little to no direction...until the very end that is.

My only real gripe about the first few episodes of Chuck Season 3.2 is they've been spending too much time on the relationship stuff, and they really hasn't been a story arc to follow. I know that everyone wants to see Chuck and Sarah together, but there is a whole universe/storyline being ignored. I hope we're getting some Ring/mythology stuff here soon.

With that being said, "Role Models" was still a pretty entertaining episode with some great one-liners and some awesome Casey and Morgan moments. Based on the promo, next week's "Chuck vs. the Tooth" looks like it's going to ratchet up the suspense and intrigue, and I'm totally on board with that.

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Catching Up On: COMMUNITY

I haven't watched Must-See Comedy Night Done Right since Scrubs was dropped by NBC and The Office stopped being funny, so I was initially hesitant to watch the Peacock's newest sitcom, Community, when it debuted this past fall. Plus, it was going up against Bones, and at the time the crime procedural took precedence over the community college newbie, but Community continued to get a lot of praise from critics and friends, so I tried to catch up when I could.

Then Bones started to stink up the joint, and this past week I decided to watch Community live. While "The Art of Discourse" wasn't the show's best outing, it was still way better than last week's Bones episode, and I seriously started to rethink my Thursday night viewing schedule.

Before I decided to make Community my go-to Thursday night show, I wanted to catch up on the rest of season 1, which I was able to do online, and all I can say is the show lives up to the hype. The freshman season started out kind of slow, and once I got used to Jeff and Britta's pretentiousness, the show became funny and enjoyable.

While it took some time for me to warm up to Jeff and Britta, the rest of the gang is what makes this show work to me, especially Abed. The constant pop culture references (the show officially won me over when Troy and Abed sang "Somewhere Out There" from An American Tail), quick-witted jokes, and the un-PCness of the humor blends nicely to create one of the funniest shows on TV today.

With Bones phoning in a sub-par season, which can also be said about How I Met Your Mother and The Big Bang Theory, Community is starting to stand out as not only my go-to Thursday night show, but also my must-see sitcom of the week. I kind of wish I'd been watching this show since day one, but it's better to jump on the bandwagon now then never I suppose.