Saturday, December 05, 2009

Better off Ted Season 2 Premiere Preview (Tuesday, December 8, 2009 at 9:30pm ET/PT on ABC)

We interrupt our weekly blog DVD review for a special preview of the Better off Ted season premiere! We apologize for preempting our weekly blog DVD review, but we didn't have anything to review (very slow month for DVDs it seems!). But of course that doesn't mean we will take the day off! Oh no sirree, we have a preview of this Tuesday's (Dec. 8) Better off Ted season premiere on ABC with guest star Taye Diggs (Private Practice), along with the second episode airing this season on Dec. 15.

I had the pleasure to watch the first two episodes of the upcoming season of this hilarious and smart comedy. On the season premiere, "Love Blurts" (airing Tuesday, Dec. 8 at 9:30pm ET/PT on ABC), Veridian Dynamics tries matchmaking employees based on their genetic compatibility in hopes of saving on health insurance bills from imperfectly bred children. Ted and Linda balk at this until they meet their supposed matches -- Greg (special guest star Taye Diggs) for Linda and Danielle (guest star Virginia Williams) for Ted -- and are instantly attracted despite themselves. Meanwhile, after Veronica finds out Lem is her perfect genetic match, she hounds him to make a donation to a sperm bank.
My thoughts of the episode: This is actually the sixth episode produced for the second season but they are using it as their season premiere, because it is HILARIOUS! It has the same vibe from some of the hilarious episodes of last season, with lots of wacky and funny situations that just make this show one of the funniest sitcoms on TV currently! On this episode, the whole idea that a company would match up their employees romantically to save on health insurance bills is genius! President Obama should think of that! Linda and Ted agree they won't go on the fixed dates that Veridian has assigned them, but Ted for some reason agreed...and Linda turned hers down, but when Ted tells her he agreed to his, Linda went back and agreed to hers. Taye Diggs guest stars as Linda's date Greg. And the subplots of Lem having to donate his sperm to Veronica is hilarious, as is finding out the reason why the company wants to give a vasectomy to Phil so he doesn't have any children. He even researches his family tree (Mymen Family Tree) on Wikipedia to see if his family has had any abnormalities! So will Veridian succeed in this new system? You'll have to tune in, wheeeeeeeeeeee! You'll get why I said wheeeeeeeee when you watch the season premiere.

On the second episode of the season, "The Lawyer, The Lemur and The Little Listener" (airing Tuesday, Dec. 15 at 9:30pm ET/PT on ABC), when a wave of layoff hits Veridian and little Rose (Ted's daughter) seems to have inside info because of a friend in her Hive playgroup at Veridian, Veronica tries to pump her for information, much to Ted's disapproval. Meanwhile, Linda is elated to sell her first children's book -- until someone points out that her lead character, a lemur, is the spitting image of Phil -- and Lem starts a passionate affair with one of the company lawyers (guest star Chelsey Crisp), only to find out that his paycheck is being docked for the "billable hours" he's spending with his new girlfriend.
My thoughts of the episode: This is actually the fourth episode produced for the second season but they are using it as their second episode of the season. This episode is not as good as the season premiere, but it still has the feel of Better off Ted with its wacky, peculiar, and smart ways of getting viewers to laugh. First off, Lem is having a relationship with Nadine, a company lawyer...but later finds out whenever he sees her, he is being charged for his services despite nothing legal related! And the subplot of Ted and Veronica having Ted's little daughter find out key information about their employees from their kids is hilarious! And Linda is writing a children's book, and the main character looks like...Phil! She finds out she can't do anything with the book, because the company would get the profit. My this company is crazy! They even have an extraction team when a person is let go to personally come and get them out of the office and clear their office! Only at Veridian Dynamics!

Tune in to the all-new season starting this Tuesday at 9:30/8:30 central on ABC!

And here's our full DVD review of Better off Ted: The Complete First Season. Buy your copy today!


Sitcoms Airing Tonight / Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows

Wednesday, April 24

The Conners - "Manifesting, Marriage Testing and Cheeseballs" (ABC, 8:00PM ET/PT)
The Conners relish national cheeseball day as a family. Meanwhile, Harris falls behind in her work duties at the Lunch Box, and Darlene and Ben must figure out how to spend time together despite their two separate schedules.

Not Dead Yet - "Not the End Yet" / "Not a Ghost Yet" (ABC, 8:30PM ET/PT)
Nell finds out that Duncan is selling the SoCal Independent, so she takes matters into her own hands to save her job when Lexi seems unwilling to help. Then, Nell navigates an unexpected incident that leaves the sale of the newspaper on hold.

Animal Control - "Skunks and Swans" (Fox, 9:00PM ET/PT)
Frank and Shred take on an aggressive swan; Shred has a meet-cute with a mysterious woman; Emily makes a mistake that results in Victoria having very little time to prepare for her big exam; Patel gets his father to help Victoria cram for the test.

Family Guy - "A Stache From the Past" (Fox, 9:30PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
When Peter loses the Griffins' home in a reverse mortgage, he and Mayor West travel to confront the man advertising the scheme, Tom Selleck; Stewie and Brian open a booth at the flea market, leading to a rivalry with Bruce.

Complete TV Listings


Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of April 22)

Wednesday, April 24

  • Carol Burnett (Palm Royale/Mad About You/Mama's Family) - Watch Carol on Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
  • Nicole Richie (Great News) - Nicole is a guest on a repeat of The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon at 11:35pm on NBC.
  • Fred Armisen (Los Espookys/Forever/Final Space) - Fred sits in with The 8G Band on a repeat of Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC.
  • Lisa Ann Walter (Abbott Elementary/Emeril) and Michaela Watkins (Dinner with the Parents/Search Party/The Unicorn/Casual/Trophy Wife) - Lisa and Michaela are guests on After Midnight at 12:37am on CBS.
  • John Early (Search Party) - John appears on Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen at 10:15pm on Bravo.
  • Jesse Tyler Ferguson (Modern Family/The Class) - Jesse is a guest on Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen at 10:15pm on Bravo.
  • Tiffany Haddish (The Last O.G./The Carmichael Show) - E! News has an interview with Tiffany at 11pm on E!.
  • Ronny Chieng (Young Rock/Ronny Chieng: International Student) - Ronny guest co-hosts Comedy Central's The Daily Show at 11pm.
  • Drew Barrymore (Santa Clarita Diet) - Drew will be on CBS Mornings some time between 7-9am.
  • Jerry Seinfeld (Seinfeld) - Jerry talks about Unfrosted on ABC's Good Morning America some time between 7-9am and on NBC's Today in the 10am hour.
  • Mayan Lopez (Lopez vs Lopez) - Mayan talks about NBC's Lopez vs Lopez on Access Daily with Mario & Kit, so check your local listings.
  • Carrie Preston (Crowded/Happyish/Emeril) - Carrie, a fan-favorite on The Good Wife, tells Sherri about her new show Elsbeth on Sheri, so check your local listings.
  • Harry Hamlin (Movie Stars) - Harry has a cooking demo on The Talk on CBS at 2pm ET/1pm CT-PT.


New on DVD/Blu-ray

Father Knows Best - The Complete Series Three's Company - The Official 40th Anniversary Collection Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C. - The Complete Series (Blu-ray) Too Close for Comfort - The Complete Series Check It Out! - The Complete Series

12/05 - Father Knows Best - The Complete Series
12/05 - The Odd Couple - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
12/12 - The Dick Van Dyke Show - The Complete Series
12/12 - Looney Tunes Collector's Choice - Volume 2 (Blu-ray)
12/12 - That Girl - The Complete Series
12/15 - Letterkenny - Season 11
12/19 - The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet - The Official Restored Complete Series
12/22 - Three's Company - The Official 40th Anniversary Collection (includes The Ropers and Three's a Crowd)
01/09 - South Park - Seasons 11-15 (Blu-ray)
01/16 - Ghosts (UK) - Season Five
02/13 - Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C. - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
02/27 - The Really Loud House - Season One
03/12 - Ghosts (UK) - The Complete Series
03/12 - Looney Tunes Collector's Choice - Volume 3 (Blu-ray)
03/12 - Rick and Morty - Season 7 (Blu-ray Steelbook) (Blu-ray) (DVD)
04/03 - Too Close for Comfort - The Complete Series (VEI)
04/08 - Check It Out! - The Complete Series (VEI)

The Odd Couple - The Complete Series (Blu-ray) That Girl - The Complete Series The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet - The Official Restored Complete Series

More Recent and Upcoming TV DVD Releases / DVD Reviews Archive / SitcomsOnline Digest


Recent SitcomsOnline.com News Blog Posts

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04/10 - CBS Renews NCIS and The Neighborhood; Max's Pretty Little Liars Returns May 9
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04/04 - Apple TV+ The Big Door Prize Returns April 24; ABC Renews Will Trent for Season 3
04/03 - Sony Pictures and Game Show Network Upfront; ABC Renews Grey's Anatomy and 9-1-1 for 2024-25
04/02 - Adult Swim's Smiling Friends Returns May 12; Stallone Drama Returning for Season 2
04/01 - Selena Gomez Gets New Food Network Series; Orphan Black Gets New Series
03/31 - Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows; This Week in Sitcoms (Week of April 1, 2024)
03/30 - SitcomsOnline Digest: Patricia Richardson on Potential Home Improvement Reboot; Paramount+ Removes Several Nickelodeon Series
03/29 - Hulu Launches on Disney+; Under the Bridge Premieres April 17
03/28 - Netflix's Good Times Animated Comedy Trailer; Too Close for Comfort and Check It Out! Complete Series on DVD
03/27 - The Upshaws Part 5 This April; Max Orders Noah Wyle Medical Drama
03/26 - Apple TV+ Orders Star-Studded Comedy; Elizabeth Banks Joins New Peacock Series
03/25 - Disney Channel Orders Wizards of Waverly Place Revival; Paramount+ Animated Comedy Ark: The Animated Series
03/24 - Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows; This Week in Sitcoms (Week of March 25, 2024)
03/23 - SitcomsOnline Digest: Netflix Sets Premiere Date for Good Times Animated Reboot; NBC Renews Several Popular Series