Quick Thoughts: PARTNERS and 2 BROKE GIRLS Premieres

It's very clear that I'm not in CBS' core audience, but I still felt the need to check out its newest Monday night comedy (Partners) and its break-out hit from last season (2 Broke Girls). Let's just say, I'm still not in CBS' core audience after watching them.

Partners has a decent enough premise, two best friends with different sexual orientations and how they impact each other's relationships, but none of it felt particularly ground breaking. We've seen this kind of show with two straight besties, so making one gay could be seen as a step towards progress, but Michael Urie's Louis doesn't stray too far from the typical stereotypes and lacks depth. That said, I didn't find him insufferable but he was awfully self-centered and annoying. I also didn't quite buy his friendship with the David Krumholtz's character, but I did like his scenes with Sophia Bush. As for Brandon Routh... yeah. This one was labeled as one of the worst new shows of the season, and while I wouldn't go that far it wasn't funny and not for me. Skip.

Last year, I gave 2 Broke Girls a decent shot to wow and it failed. Then, I gave it a chance to find itself and become somewhat passable. And it failed again. I did this for its entire run, and for some reason I decided to torture myself even more by coming back for Season 2. I thought maybe, just maybe, all of the negative feedback would sink in, but its strong ratings meant that it was content on being a horrible show. So, was "And the Secret Stash" an upgrade? Not really, but it wasn't as terrible as most of Season 1 thanks to the scenes involving Caroline's father. I don't know if I'll give it any more chances to annoy me, but there's something about it that just sucks me in. I have issues.

If it wasn't for How I Met Your Mother, I'd never tune into CBS and the rest of its Monday night line-up didn't convince me to change my habits which is funny since the Eye refuses to change any of its.

TV Report Card: Week of February 5, 2012

Now that February sweeps are in full effect, pretty much every show had new episodes, so it was a busy television watching week. Without further ado, here's this week's TV Report Card:

Monday
How I Met Your Mother: "The Burning Beekeeper"

Usually, when How I Met Your Mother plays with time and structure we're in for a half-way decent episode. Not this time around. Having everything split up into three sections and jumping back and forth wasn't cute or groundbreaking, but it made everything feel messy and chaotic. Add to that the fact that nothing really happened during the entire 20 minutes, and you've got one of the worst episodes this show's ever produced. Ever! I don't think I can even muster any more animosity towards it because it would just be a waste of my time, and I'd hate to lose any more to this travesty. Worst episode ever!

GRADE: F

2 Broke Girls: "And the Blind Spot"

You know it's a bad sign when Oleg's the funniest part of an episode, but that's all I could think about while watching "And the Blind Spot." Yes, it's true that he's still a crude caricature, but at least his sex-driven deviance makes me laugh from time to time which is more than I can say about the rest of the show. The writing is still lazy and the characters too broad for my liking. Even the central relationship between Max and Caroline's starting to bore me, and even the tease of them becoming an actual couple has lost its appeal. Hopefully, the opening scene burst that bubble once and for all. Really, I don't have much else to write about this episode because it was underwhelming at best.

GRADE: D+

Being Human: "(I Loathe You) For Sentimental Reasons"

So far I'm liking about 2/3 of Season 2 of Being Human. I pretty much enjoy it any time Sally shows up on my screen, and while I thought that her reincarnation story and the one about Zoe dating a ghost were a little silly, they were there to set up her possession addiction which could be interesting. I'm still a fan of Josh's, and I'm excited to see if the brother and sister wolves will be playing a substantial role during the rest of the season. Aidan's still the weakest link, and I'm kind of bored by the whole Boston family plot, but at least we're finding more about his bond with Suren. I'm still entertained by the story up to date, but it still has a way to go before it becomes something greater.

GRADE: B-

Castle: "The Blue Butterfly"

I have to give it to Castle, "The Blue Butterfly" wasn't your typical episode, and I'm glad that this show will deviate from the norm every once in a while to give us a purely joyful outing like this one. That being said, "Butterfly" wasn't perfect. For the life of me I cannot remember what the case-of-the-week was, I think it had something to do with treasure hunters, but that detail really didn't matter because it never does. While, "The Blue Butterfly" was fun, it didn't make a major impact in regards to the overall story, although it could be argued that the case may have pushed Rick and Kate closer together, but that's been the problem with the entire season. We get little nudges towards the end game, but not enough to keep things rolling, so in the end this episode was a good time but didn't mean all that much.

GRADE: B

Smash: "Pilot"

Since I'm a sucker for stories about underdogs striving towards their dreams, I thought I was going to be won over by Smash after the first second (I actually hated the opening moments thanks to Kat McPhee's version of "Over the Rainbow"). Unfortunately, I cannot say that I was because I found the pilot episode somewhat lackluster. I didn't care about any of the characters, and I cannot see myself investing the time and energy into their stories, so I'm wondering what's going to keep me around. Admittedly, I am interested in the concept of a behind the scenes show about Broadway, but that may not be enough if I cannot muster any emotion towards the people inhabiting this world. Now, I'll be giving the show some time to grow, but it's already on a short leash.

GRADE: C-

Lost Girl: "Faetal Attraction"

I think I'm starting to lose interest in the "police procedural with a twist" genre because I should've liked "Faetal Attraction" more than I did. While I'm not going to complain about an episode of television that puts a beautiful woman like Bo in the middle of a menage, everything else in this episode felt a little lazy. I did like the idea of the furies, but it felt like a wasted opportunity, and the crazy girl who became obsessed with Bo was also a miss in my opinion because we've seen it so many times before. Even Dyson, who I saw a lot of potential in, kinda irked me due to his therapy sessions. I suppose "Faetal Attraction" had its good parts, but they were overshadowed by the stuff that's become tired and cliched.

GRADE: C+

Tuesday
Glee: "The Spanish Teacher"

When I watched "The Spanish Teacher" live, I couldn't help but think that it was the worst episode of Glee ever, and this was coming from someone who can usually pick out the good in the messiest of installments. It made me long for the days when Will was a broken but good man and not the complete jackass that he's become, and he pretty much ruined it for me. After watching it again, I realized that everything that was going on around Will wasn't that bad, but his ineptitude and attitude couldn't help but permeate everything else. It's clear that Glee has a Will Schuester problem, and it needs to fix it fast or this show will be doomed. Heck, I can even see a Glee without Will, and I'm predicting that New Directions will lost at Nationals and he'll be fired by the end of the season. Boom, problem solved.

GRADE: D+

New Girl: "The Landlord"

Apparently, threesomes were the theme of the week because New Girl also dipped its toe in the group grope pool. To be honest, all I can remember about this episode was Jess, Nick and the landlord and how they almost ended up sleeping together because Jess and Nick didn't want to admit that they were wrong. It's true that this idea is Sitcom Writing 101, but it was an effective way to show how these two think about one another (although having Nick be willing to go the distance after establishing that he's in a relationship with Julia felt out of place, and I wonder if this episode was supposed to air earlier.) Schmidt's story about misreading signals was also worth a few laughs. "The Landlord" wasn't the show's best, but it was still funny enough to keep me happy.

GRADE: B

Justified: "The Devil You Know"

The first couple of episodes of Justified have felt like formalities. They were around to introduce the season's MacGuffin (Mags' money) and all of the players who are grabbing for power in Harlan County. Not only do we have Boyd and his crew, but now we have to keep track of Quarles, Limehouse and Dickie. After watching "The Devil You Know," it felt like the show's finally ready to start moving towards the prize because we have a better understanding of why Quarles is in Kentucky and how it's going to affect Boyd's operation, and of course Raylan's going to get all caught up in the middle of it all. I for one cannot wait for things to get going because I've been a little bored by all of the talk about the money, but thankfully Boyd's been around to keep things entertaining.

GRADE: B+

Wednesday
Modern Family: "Me? Jealous?"

I don't know what to say about this week's Modern Family except that it was OK but nothing special. I suppose having the combinations mixed up for a little while was decent enough, and I was glad to see Cam and Gloria hit a rough patch since they tend to get along so swimmingly, but everything else was mediocre. Well, I take that back. I did enjoy watching the Dunphy kids act like actual siblings for once, and Betty Luke was a fun little sight gag, but even that story felt a little half baked thanks to the whole Big Brothers, Big Sisters angle. "Me? Jealous?" had a few chuckles sprinkled in, but I still found myself questioning why this is the "best" comedy on television today, but even my reactions are nothing new at this point ... just like this show.

GRADE: C+

Happy Endings: "The St. Valentine's Day Maxssacre"

Say what you will about Happy Endings, but one thing that this show does well is holiday episodes, and "The St. Valentine's Day Maxssacre" was the perfect example of this talent. Pretty much everything worked during this one from Brad's drugged out antics, to Alex's obsession with Valentine's Day and finding someone love, to Max and Grant's kiss at the end of the episode. The only parts that didn't click 100% were Penny and Dave's because the former was trying too hard with the "breakup window," and that latter didn't make much sense to me (Dave has never come off as a threesome kind of guy). Even then, that's me being nit-picky because "Maxssacre" was as close to perfect as this show can get.

GRADE: A

Thursday
30 Rock: "Hey, Baby, What's Wrong?"

As you can tell from my write-up for this episode, I didn't laugh at all ... not even once. I may have chuckled towards the end, but by that point I had already written off this episode. I will come clean and admit that I wasn't paying 100% attention to what was going on, but what I did pick up on wasn't all that funny. It's starting to feel like Criss was a misfire, and their trip to IKEA should have been funnier than it was, but that's probably because I've only been to that store twice and I didn't get most of the jokes. Also, Jack's sexual tension with Avery's mother felt icky, and I don't even want to waste time on the Jenna/Pete and Tracy/Frank/Lutz nonsense. The only bright spot was the page from Bob's Burgers. That's about it.

GRADE: D-

The Vampire Diaries: "Dangerous Liaisons"

Is it just me or has The Vampire Diaries started to repeat itself? It seems like the only things these characters do is fight, go to social events, and fight at social events. Take "Dangerous Liaisons" for example. Once again Elena did something that upset one of the Salvatores which pitted them against one another while at some fancy party where supernatural events took place. Oh, and Damon found himself falling into bed with someone who wasn't Elena because that's what he does. See, that's pretty much every other episode of this show. At least we didn't have to be bored by Bonnie, and I am intrigued by the idea of Caroline and Klaus becoming a thing, but that's because she's the only character that doesn't bore me. To be fair, "Liaisons" wasn't bad, but it felt like that same thing over and over again. Just kill the Originals already so we can move on to something else.

GRADE: C+

Archer: "Drift Problem"

Maybe it was because that we didn't get any traditional spy action, but I thought that "Drift Problem" was only OK. Sure, Sterling getting all giddy about his new car was great, as was his fight with the "Genie," but the fact that Malory ended up being the one who took it in order to teach him a lesson was tired and unimpressive. It just felt particularly sit-commy for a show that pride's itself on being edgy. Even Pam's secret life as a drift racer was only worth a few laughs, but there wasn't enough there to completely win me over. Again, the episode was decent enough, but it wasn't on the same level as the best Archer has to offer.

GRADE: B-

Friday
Nikita: "Rouge"

There was a time when I thought that Nikita was going to be the next big thing, and while it's still an entertaining show, Season 2 has not been as strong as its predecessor. I did enjoy seeing some of Nikita's backstory during "Rogue," but making the person who helped get her clean be a part of Division felt a little tacky. Having every aspect of her life be affected by Percy seems too easy and predictable, but oh well. I'm still not really enjoying Alex's arc this season and the Anastasia parallels are too blatant for my tastes. Fonseca's horrible Russian accent doesn't help matters either, but I'll give her a pass for obvious reasons. I'm still a fan of Nikita, but it needs to avoid becoming another action/spy show that's handcuffed by cliches because that's where I it's headed.

GRADE: B-

Grimm: "Tarantella"

I'll be honest, I probably would not have liked "Tarantella" as much as I did if Amy Acker was not involved. I guess that the monster-of-the-week, a literal black widow, could have been interesting without her, but her geek cred was what made everything special. What also made this episode special was the continued evolution of the Nick and Monroe bond and the fact that they're making the slightly homo-erotic subtext the selling point (this is how you do it 2 Broke Girls), and I'm digging every minute of it. "Tarantella" was fun for the most part due to the slash fiction moments, but this show does need to get back to the serialized story involving Nick, his boss and the reapers because this procedural model can only go so far before it becomes a liability.

GRADE: B-

Spartacus: Vengeance: "The Greater Good"

I know that I keep writing about how Spartacus is about more than just sex and violence, and "The Greater Good" was a prime example of how good this show can be when all of the bells and whistles are stripped away. This episode showed audiences that you can have important conversations about morality and the greater good without slowing down the story, and ultimately it proved that Spartacus is about love and other universal emotions that people can understand. I just hope more people give this show a chance to prove that it's not softcore porn, but one of the better dramas on television today.

GRADE: A-

So, there you have it: the first TV Report Card of February sweeps. Keep tuned for more.

TV Report Card: Week of January 15, 2012

After a slight delay, here is this week's TV Report Card:

Sunday
Leverage: "The Last Dam Job"

Season 4 of Leverage ended on a relatively high note even though "The Last Dam Job" was a pretty standard episode. Seeing the Crew assemble a B-team of former rivals and mentors was a nice touch that made everything feel new, and this was one of Eliot's finer episodes due to his concern for Nathan's well-being. I still don't think the Latimer/Dubenich arc was successful though because we did not spend enough time establishing the story over the entire season, but I still enjoyed watching Leverage more often than not.

GRADE: B

Monday
How I Met Your Mother: "46 Minutes"

I really, really, really wanted to hate "46 Minutes" because it focused on the things I despise about this show, but I ended up only mildly disliking it in spite of myself. The only redeeming quality of this episode that kept me from hating it was Barney's temporary stint as the gang's leader, and that's only because we got those great retconned title sequences. Oh, and the Silence of the Lambs moments involving Marshall were OK too. Other than that I could've left everything else behind. I hate it when Ted get's all mopey, I still don't care about Robin and Kevin, we all know Marshall and Lily are moving back to the City so their story was pointless, and Chris Eliot's character needs to be killed off or something. Now that I think about it, "46 Minutes" was a giant waste of time, but those damn title sequences get me every time.

GRADE: D-

2 Broke Girls: "And the Upstairs Neighbor"

Yes, I know that I said that I was done with 2 Broke Girls, but it's so easy to just keep watching CBS after How I Met Your Mother, so here I am. There are a few critics out there who believe that 2BS would be a better show if they just got rid of the diner, and I agreed with that statement until "Upstairs Neighbor." This episode didn't rely too heavily on the questionable diner and its employees, and we got to see more glimpses of Max and Caroline at home, which wasn't as offensive but it was more boring. The lazy writing about cleaning ladies mistaken for hookers and the annoying word of the day (this week it was herpes) didn't help either. After this one, I'm convinced that there truly is no hope for 2 Broke Girls, and even the alt-narrative of them being lesbians won't be able to save it at this point.

GRADE: D-

Being Human: "Turn This Mother Out"

Last year, I went into watching Being Human with some hesitations due to vampire fatigue, but it quickly grew on me, so I was excited for the Season 2 premiere. "Turn This Mother Out" was a decent enough episode thanks to the Josh and Nora storyline (I love that they've brought her into the mix), but the Aidan plot fell a little flat although it has potential. I was also expecting more from Sally's C-plot, but it didn't quite gel either, but I think that's because I didn't appreciate the concept of a ghost going to her high school reunion which does sound kind of interesting.

GRADE: B

Castle: "Dial M for Mayor"

I'll be honest, I was kind of let down by this week's Castle. The promos made it look like there was going to be a major rift between Rick and Kate after this case, and I would have applauded the show for taking such a risky move. Instead we got a few scenes where they didn't quite see eye to eye, but everything seemed to work out in the end, so there really wasn't any thing at stake which has become a problem on this show. The longer they draw out the Caskett tension, without any real stakes or challenges, it will get stale because it will be nothing but more of the same drama. The thing is, when they do try to introduce some obstacles, like Rick and Kate dating other people, it all feels rote. Having Rick up and leave the precinct because Kate busted his friend could have set up some very interesting and entertaining stories, but we'll never know because the Castle writers continue to play it safe.

GRADE: C-

Lost Girl: "It's a Fae, Fae, Fae, Fae World"

I did not know much about this Canadian supernatural drama until I started blogging about television. Some of the sites that I frequent and submit write-ups to have been covering this show for sometime, but I never paid much attention since I live in the States. Things changed when Syfy decided to air it with Being Human, so my interested was piqued. The pilot episode did a good job at introducing the audience to Bo and the world of the Fae, but parts felt a little cliched. For example, you have the tortured hero trying to figure out her place in the world with her plucky sidekick and mysterious organizations for her to contend with. It's pretty standard genre fare, but I do like the idea of Bo being a succubus instead of a vampire. At least it's something different. While I wasn't blown away by "Fae World," it has enough of the elements that I'm looking for in this kind of show, so I'll be checking out more episodes.

GRADE: B-

Tuesday
Glee: "Yes/No"

I probably should have hated everything about "Yes/No" because it contained so many things that makes this show not work like Jerk-Ass Will, clueless Finn, way too many outlandish storylines and fabricated drama, but I actually kinda liked the episode. I think the reason why I didn't mind "Yes/No" was because it started off in such a surreal place (the Grease homage), and the rest of the episode had a strong musical vibe to it, that I just went with it. Sure, things that Will and Finn said and did probably didn't make much sense, but none of the episode made much sense, so why nitpick? Plus, I think it either progressed some important storylines forward (Will and Emma's engagement) while introducing some potentially volatile ones (Finn proposing to Rachel). I'm not going to be crazy enough to say that "Yes/No" was good because it wasn't, but I did find it entertaining.

GRADE: C+

New Girl: "The Story of the 50"

I know that some viewer's milage may very when it comes to Jess and New Girl, but I thought that "The Story of the 50" was by far one of the strongest episodes to date. I liked how the focus really wasn't on Jess since she spent most of her time throwing Schmidt a birthday party, and how she was able to strike the balance between being naive and a competent adult.  I'm also a fan of any episode that  allows viewers to get to know more about Schmidt and brings back the Douchebag Jar. It also didn't hurt that Lizzy Caplan guest starred as Nick's girlfriend, and I'm already liking her more than Justin Long's character. I also loved the fact that this group of mismatched individuals have become friends and will stick up for one another no matter what which is something you don't always see on shows like Happy Endings or Community.

GRADE: B+

Justified: "The Gunfighter"

While I was late to the Justified game, even I knew that the show's sophomore run was a special season of television, so I was a little worried that my Kiss of Death would kick in an affect Season 3. After watching "The Gunfighter" I'm still convinced that Justified is still one of the best shows on television, but I'm still curious to see how they're going to fill the void left by Margo Martindale. From the looks of it, the writers are going to take a quantity over quality approach because a ton of new villains were introduced or brought back to kick off the season. So far, these new baddies seem competent enough to stir up some interesting stories, but I'm still cautiously optimistic. Honestly though, all will be right in Harlan County as long as we get some good scenes between Raylan and Boyd, so I guess I shouldn't be too concerned.

GRADE: B+

Wednesday
Modern Family: "Little Boo Bleep"

Man, I don't know what to think about Modern Family anymore. For the most part, I did not care for "Little Boo Bleep." I'm not a fan of talking Lily so the Cam/Mitchell A-plot fell kind of flat, and my hatred for Jay, Gloria and Manny have been well documented, but throwing in a "suicidal" dog didn't make anything better. Once again, it was the Dunphys who saved the episode because I'm a fan of when they gang up on Claire for being so unlikeable. Even her trainwreck of a debate was worth a few laughs, but the overall episode didn't deliver enough enjoyment to make me care about what was going on, and I was counting down the minutes until Happy Endings came on.

GRADE: C

Happy Endings: "Makin' Changes!"

Speaking of Happy Endings, it too gave us a flawed episode that was salvaged by a singular storyline. I've never been a fan of people trying to changes others for their own benefit, so I really didn't care for either Penny or Brad and Jane's plots because they just came off as manipulative and mean-spirited. I get that this approach to comedy is one of the reasons why Happy Endings works (much like Cougar Town and Community), but somedays I want them to be nice people. While the Dave, Alex and Max V-neck B-story also focused on changing Dave's habits, it didn't come off as negavtive (although it could be argued that pestering someone out of boredom is just as bad), but I think my favor for this one had more to do with the fact that I'm in love with Alex despite that fact that she's becoming too one-note of a character. In the end, "Makin' Changes!" landed enough jokes to keep me happy, so I can forgive it for a poor choice of subject matter.

GRADE: B

Thursday
30 Rock: "Idiots are People Two!"

After a clunker of a season opener, 30 Rock was able to get back on track by focusing on what makes the show special: Liz and Jack. I loved watching Jack get all upset because of Liz's new boyfriend, and how he reacted by playing mind games. I know that comment sounds like a contradiction compared to what I wrote about Happy Endings, but I believe that Jack's interference came out of a place of caring, and that he truly wants what's best for Liz and not for himself. Regardless, I'll take these kinds of episodes from 30 Rock any day of the week. Heck, I even liked the Jenna/Kenneth story, but that had a lot to do with the return of Kelsey Grammer. As for Tracy's dig at himself, I'm always in favor of celebrities taking themselves down a notch, so it was aces as well. Overall, a pretty decent episode from start to finish.

GRADE: B+

The Vampire Diaries: "The Ties That Bind"

As much as it pains me to write this, but I think I'm starting to lose interest in The Vampire Diaries. "The Ties That Bind" wasn't necessarily a episode, but I didn't feel like I was engaged either. This disinterest may have something to do with the fact that I wasn't paying 100% to what was going on, but that was because I wasn't drawn in. Since I'm not a huge fan of Bonnie, I didn't care about her estranged mother or her connection to the larger story. Even Dr. Fell's presence and her tiff with Damon didn't do it for me. Thankfully, Caroline had a bigger role, but she was once again handcuffed by Tyler, so that was a miss too. Hopefully, Elijah's return will liven things up for a bit.

GRADE: B-

Archer: "The Man from Jupiter"

A year ago, if you had told me that I'd be a fan of Archer, I probably would have laughed. I never thought that Archer was my kind of show, but then I actually watched it and was won over. After a good Season 2, and the "Heart of Archness" mini-series, "The Man from Jupiter" had its work cut out for it, and was a pretty decent effort. The premiere had the added bonus of having Burt Reynolds as a guest star, but his voice acting was sub-par, so he didn't add much to the episode in my opinion despite being a natural fit in the Archer universe. I did like Sterling's fanboy moments, and the rest of Isis evading a Cuban hit squad, but I was expecting more from Reynolds. Still a funny episode though.

GRADE: B+

Friday
Chuck: "Chuck vs. The Bullet Train"

Just when I thought Chuck could not get any better, they had to go and make "Chuck vs. The Bullet Train." While the episode did have its share of flaws, it also had the perfect combination of comedy, action and drama. Having Sarah upload the Intersect could have been a big misfire, but it's working so far, and I'm actually excited to see Chuck and Sarah face off next week. Plus, anytime I can not only tolerate Jeffster but also actively root for them is an indicator of the writers doing something right. The only minor drawback was Quinn who was too much of a super villain to be taken seriously, but he's still been one of the better big bad's of the show's run. He just needs to reign it in a little bit. I'm just so glad that Chuck's not resting on its laurels and is pulling out all of the stops towards the end of its life.

GRADE: A-

Grimm: "Of Mouse and Man"

I knew that Grimm couldn't be on a hot streak forever, and it was bound to churn out a mediocre episode. To be fair, I really wasn't paying that much attention to "Of Mouse and Man," but that's because the Monster of the Week was not very engaging because the idea of a meek person going crazy on those who push him around is far from new even if he is a mouse. The only highlight had to do with Eddie as he had to deal with the larger world of fairy tale creatures moving in on him and Nick for interfering, and I'm hoping that we get back to the Reapers sooner than later, although I don't know why they're to convince us that Juliette is relevant all of a sudden.

GRADE: D+

Some quick notes, I did watch White Collar, but since it was the winter premiere of Season 3, I decided to leave it off of the Report Card since it's already overstuffed. Also, I haven't had the chance to watch Up All Night, but it may join Parks and Recreation on the bench for now.

The Small Screen Podcast, Episode 16: And We're Back!

"The Small Screen Podcast" is back for Episode 16. The holidays and winter hiatus are over, so Kristal and I are back to talk about TV news, what we're watching, and what we're looking forward to, and boy was there a lot to talk about.

Episode Breakdown:

Intros: Start - 1:53

TV News: 1:54 - 39:18

• TV Shows to Movies Trend: 1:54 - 8:05
• The Nine Lives of Chloe King: 2:22 - 5:43
• Party Down: 5:44 - 8:05
• Casting News: 8:06 - 10:14
• Paul Rudd to Parks and Recreation: 8:24 - 9:10
• Emma Stone to 30 Rock: 9:11 - 10:14
• Goodfellas to AMC: 10:15 - 14:03
• TCA News and Notes: 14:04 - 39:18
• The Glee Spin-Off: 14:30 - 18:25
• Cougar Town's Guerrilla Marketing: 18:26 - 23:54
• The Hypothetical New ABC Comedy Night: 23:55 - 26:36
• 2 Broke Girls Panel: 26:37 - 31:54
• Psych Renewed for Season 7: 32:05 - 34:00
• People's Choice Awards Reactions: 34:01 - 39:18

What We're Watching (SPOILER ALERT): 39:20 - 1:00:22

• Happy Endings: 39:35 - 44:09
• Unsupervised: 44:10 - 47:24
• Portlandia: 47:25 - 51:24
• Chuck: 51:25 - 1:00:22

What We're Looking Forward To: 1:00:23 - 1:04:15

• Lost Girl: 1:00:28 - 1:02:10
• Justified and Archer: 1:02:11 - 1:03:02
• Unsupervised: 1:03:03 - 1:03:22
• Daniel Radcliffe on SNL: 1:03:23 - 1:04:15

Closing: 1:04:16 - End

Check out the episode below, or download it over at iTunes:

For more, follow us on Twitter:
Kristal: @kristal_bailey
Marcos: @poppas2cents

TV Report Card: Week of January 1, 2012

Happy New Year, and welcome to the first TV Report Card of 2012. While not every show was back from hiatus, there was a lot of stuff going on this week, so here is this week's TV Report Card:

Sunday
Leverage: "The Gold Job"

Leverage continued its streak of standalone episodes that were fun to watch but not much else. I will give "The Gold Job" some credit because it finally started building off of an idea that the show planted in earlier seasons which was Hardison being groomed to either take over the Crew or to start his own one day. From the very beginning, Hardison has been Nate's padawan, but that's an aspect of the show that has been lost in the shuffle, and I for one was glad to have it back. Of course Hardison's plan was not going to work, but that wasn't the point of the episode. The point was to show that Nate does care about his Crew, and that he has a vested interest in them. What I also liked about "The Gold Job" was the fact that Portland was actually Portland this time around, and I loved how they incorporated some important cultural landmarks like Voodoo Donuts and the shanghai tunnels. "The Gold Job" was a game-changer, but it was good enough to keep me entertained.

GRADE: B-


Monday
How I Met Your Mother: "Tailgate"

To me, "Tailgate" felt like an apology letter from Craig Thomas and Carter Bays. After some missteps (let's be honest, that's being nice), the creators wanted to remind the fans of what the show used to be. Remember when Ted and Barney wanted to open their own bar, or how Marshall used to be into mythological creatures, or how we're supposed to care about Lily, or how Robin used to have an actual job? Just in case you forgot, here they all are in a 30-minute episode. Now, HIMYM loves its callbacks, so we shouldn't be shocked that they pulled out yet another tried trick from their bag, and Marshall's narration was pointless, but I did like how his and Lily's stories wrapped up. Unfortunately, this show has made me dislike Robin so much over the last couple of years that I'm totally disinterested in her big comeback.

GRADE: C-

2 Broke Girls: "And the Secret Ingredient"

It finally happened. 2 Broke Girls has become unwatchable, and I'm probably going to wash my hands of it after watching "And the Secret Ingredient." First off, this show has succumbed to the most obvious comedy crutches which is repetition. This show loves to take slightly uncomfortable words and say them a billion times in a short amount of time. It started with "vagina," and this week's secret word was "tampon." Now, I'm not a prudish enough to be offended by these terms, but the fact that the writers feel that saying them over and over again is lazy and insulting, and Max's point that Han was exploiting female customers fell on def ears because I had mine plugged so I didn't have to hear "tampon" again. Caroline's newfound obsession with extreme couponing was just as bad as the one Max had with hoarding, and what was even worse was the forced story about how Max had a crummy mother. Oh, and they brought back that stupid horse. It's also a bad sign when Oleg gets the biggest laugh ... for the second episode in a row. I don't know how much more of this I can take.

GRADE: F

Wednesday
Modern Family: "Lifetime Supply"

Modern Family's back for 2012, and unfortunately the new year does not mean new ideas. "Lifetime Supply" was one of the weakest episodes of Modern Family to date, and I can only remember laughing a handful of times. Usually, I'm a big fan of Phil, and while I thought he was still one of the stronger players, I didn't find his freak out over his doctor's appointment as entertaining as it should've been, and the fact that Gloria was wrangled into it didn't help. At this point, I'm over Cam and Mitchell because their relationship has hit a standstill, and their petty bickering was a waste of time although I'm still a fan of the combination of Mitchell and Alex. I'm not even going to waste my time on the Jay/Manny/Benjamin Bratt plot. I'm still trying to remember why this is the best comedy on television today.

GRADE: D+

Happy Endings: "The Shrink, the Dare, Her Date and Her Brother"

My new favorite comedy hit a lull towards the end of 2011, but it rebounded fairly well with "The Shrink, the Dare, Her Date and Her Brother." It still wasn't the best episode of the season, but I enjoyed watching Jane and Max's insane bet for the physical comedy alone. I was also glad that we got a new pairing with Brad and Alex, and I hope to see more of this duo in the future. I know that most fans did not see the twist with Penny and Dave coming, and I'm not sure how serious the writers are about these two, but I can remember seeing glimpses of chemistry when they were coupled up in previous episodes, and I'm not hating this idea even though I don't see it going anywhere meaningful. Overall, a pretty fun one from Happy Endings and almost a return to form.

GRADE: B+

Thursday
The Vampire Diaries: "The New Deal"

I know that this is going to sound wrong, but The Vampire Diaries started to run out of steam towards the end of first half of Season 3. There were still some good twists and turns, but "Homecoming" wasn't as strong of a mid-season finale as I wanted, so I came into "The New Deal" on the defensive. While I thought it was a good episode, I wasn't blown away by it, but I'm glad that Damon finally grew a set of stones and planted one on Elena. I'm still not on board with a potential romance between the two of them per se, but I was just happy that there was some forward momentum. On the other hand, I don't know how I feel about them compelling Jeremy again, and I'm kind of over Klaus now that he's been strapped with all of these family issues. TVD is still one of the best shows on television today, but it does need to amp up its game in order to stay on top.

GRADE: B-

Friday
Chuck: "Chuck vs. the Kept Man"

I'm going to come clean and admit that I didn't love "Chuck vs. the Kept Man," which is odd since I'm usually a fan of Sarah and Casey-centric episodes. While I enjoyed most of the Casey and Gertrude moments, I was really put off by Chuck's cocky attitude and overabundant need to use the word "care," and I also wasn't 100% on board with the idea of Sarah being pregnant. Yes, I get that part of this show's appeal is watching these extraordinary people deal with seemingly normal issues, but for some reason her storyline felt forced. Oddly enough, the one aspect I found myself enjoying was the Buy Moron B-plot which hardly ever happens. I don't think anything will substantially change now that Jeff and Lester have peeked behind the curtain, but it was a nice diversion.

GRADE: C-

Nikita: "Pale Fire"

I know that the last time Nikita was on a Report Card I didn't want to waste too much time on Alex's quest for revenge and how it's been the weakest link of Season 2, but I don't have that luxury this time around. As you can probably tell, I was not too high on the developments that we learned about Alex and her mother. It was obvious that the fact that she had survived meant that she was up to no good, and I'm a vaguely interested to see how this new information will affect Alex, but ultimately it all felt cliched. On a positive note, it did allow for Nikita and Alex to be on the same side again. Speaking of teammates, it was nice seeing Michael and Owen work together, and it's too bad that Nikita's going to get in the way of their potential partnership. Oh, and let's not forget Nikita's other man, Ryan, and how he's a pawn in Amanda and Percy's twisted game. So much stuff going on!

GRADE: B-

So there you have it. The first TV Report Card of the new year. I can't wait to have all of my shows back and this thing really starts getting hefty. NOTE: No Supernatural this time around because I didn't get a chance to watch this episode, but I didn't miss it, so I'm not sure if it'll be back on the rotation any time soon.

TV Report Card: Week of December 11, 2011

With the holidays right round the corner, most shows have had their fall/mid-season/season finales, so there was not a lot on television this week, but here's the TV Report Card anyway.

Sunday
Leverage: "The Girls' Night Out Job"

Like I had mentioned last week, I need to start watching Leverage for what it is instead of what I want it to be. "Girl's Night Out" was another stand alone episode that was fun for the most part, but it didn't add to the larger story. That being said, this episode did focus on Parker and her evaluation as a person, so at least we did get some substance from the hour. It was also nice having Tara back in the fold, and her friendly rivalry with Sophie was a fun way to mix things up. While I expected more from Leverage, I wasn't upset with what we got. Now, I just need to learn my lesson and lower my expectations for "The Boys' Night Out Job," but that's easier said than done.

GRADE: B

Homeland: "The Vest"

Man, this show really knows how to fray a viewer's nerves! "The Vest" was probably one of my favorite episodes of Homeland because of the tension that was created during the hour. Brody's visit to the bomb maker was a move that I did not see coming, and it just added another layer to the bigger mystery that's surrounding Brody and his allegiances. The fact that his daughter knows that something's up has the potential to make things even crazier. Watching Carrie's breakdown because of the bombing was also mesmerizing to watch, and both Claire Danes and Mandy Patinkin acted the heck out of their scenes together. I'm fully prepared for the finale to fall short of my expectations, but more than likely it will not sour me on the show as a whole because we have at least another season to go. Either way, I'm excited to see how Season 1 wraps up.

GRADE: B+

Monday
2 Broke Girls: "And the Pop-up Sale"

Unfortunately, I could not blame How I Met Your Mother for forcing me to watch 2 Broke Girls, but I came back anyway. Honestly, I'm one step close to cutting all ties with 2 Broke Girls after watching "And the Pop-up Sale." The laughs were sparce from start to finish, and I felt like I had wasted a half-an-hour. The fight between Han and Oleg was a trainwreck, and the plot about Caroline trying to sell her fancy rings was not able to make up for it. I guess the temporary rift between the two girls that was caused by Caroline ditching Max for her old rich friends was decent enough, but I didn't find myself laughing enough for it to be a success.

GRADE: C-

Tuesday
Glee: "Extraordinary Merry Christmas"

I'm going to have to grade this week's Glee on a curve because its Christmas episodes tend to exist only to sell the cast's holiday album and very rarely contribute the show's bigger picture. For the most part, "Extraordinary Merry Christmas" did exactly what it was supposed to do. We got some OK Christmas songs with some moral lessons about charity padded around them which would've been fine if we weren't forced to endure an extremely materialistic Rachel. Now, I'm usually on board with a slightly unlikeable Rachel, but her high maintenance attitude towards Finn felt out-of-character and was distracting. The Glee Christmas Spectacular was fun to watch, but it did last a little too long considering they wanted to tell three other stories at the same time. Overall, I didn't love or hate "Extraordinary Merry Christmas" because it wasn't all that relevant of an episode.

GRADE: C

New Girl: "The 23rd"

I've gone on record that I was not a fan of Justin Long's character on New Girl, so I was glad that his relationship with Jess ended, but unfortunately their story relied too much on rom-com cliches like her saying, "thank you" after he confessed his love for her. Thankfully, everything that was floating around the Jess/Paul stuff was good. I loved that they re-visited Schmidt and Cece, and Winston's ability to connect with kids. Even Nick's interactions with Jess pre and post-break up were nice, and the gang waking up Candy Cane Lane so they could turn on the Christmas lights in order to cheer up Jess was a nice touch. All and all, "The 23rd" had the right combination of sweet and sad which made for an enjoyable episode of television.

GRADE: B+

Friday
Chuck: "Chuck vs. The Curse"

"Chuck vs. The Hack Off" was one of the better episodes of Season 5, so following it up was a tall order. Overall, "Chuck vs. The Curse" was a decent enough but far from one of the show's best offerings. I'm always a fan of Awesome being pulled into the spy world (Ellie not so much, but I was glad that she was given more to do), so I was already on board when I found out this was going to be a Devon-heavy episode. Most of the Woodcombs/Omen Virus main plot worked, but I wasn't happy that Chuck's character took a few steps back for the sake of plot. I also wasn't feeling most of the Morgan and Alex scenes, but that's a minor complaint. Again, "Curse" wasn't a horrible effort, but it wasn't a homerun either.

GRADE: B-

Grimm: "Let Your Hair Down"
This week's Grimm was supposed to be the show's spin on Rapunzel, and while it did have a slow start, it ended up being a pretty decent episode. I'll just get the negatives out of the way. Having "Rapunzel" be a blutbad felt kinda lazy because I was expecting the introduction of a new creature, but at least it was an excuse for Monroe to do more. Speaking of Eddie, he was once again the best part of the episode, and I couldn't help but feel bad for him because of the way Nick treated him. Maybe it's the actor or the character, but Nick was kind of a dick, and Monroe should've ripped his throat out. The case-of-the-week was decent, and I was glad that we got some backstory on Hank, but now we need to move onto Captain Renard because I'm dying to learn more about his plot and how it involves Nick. Interesting stuff this time around, but not enough to blow me away.

GRADE: C+

Most shows are going to be on hiatus next week, so this will be the last TV Report Card of 2011. I hope everyone's enjoyed them so far and see you all in 2012.