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, December 10

Shifting Gears - "Nutcracker" (ABC, 8:00PM ET/PT)
This holiday season, the Parkers discover that romance isn’t always a smooth ride as Matt and Eve are on thin ice, Gabe enlists Riley to help Amelie impress his mom, and Carter seeks help with his “promposal.” Pamela Adlon guest stars.

Abbott Elementary - "Birthday" (ABC, 8:30PM ET/PT)
Jacob takes the lead on organizing Abbott’s annual Winter Show. Janine celebrates her 30th birthday.

Complete TV Listings


Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of December 8)

Wednesday, December 10

  • Kate Hudson (Running Point) - Watch Kate on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon at 11:35pm on NBC.
  • John Stamos (Palm Royale/UnPrisoned/Fuller House/Grandfathered/Jake in Progress/Full House/You, Again?) - John appears on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon at 11:35pm on NBC.
  • Lily Collins (Emily in Paris) - Lily talks about Emily in Paris on ABC's Good Morning America sometime between 7-9am.
  • Toni Collette (United States of Tara) - Toni chats about Goodbye June with the ladies of The View on ABC at 11am ET/10am CT-PT.
  • Laura Dern (F Is for Family/Enlightened) - Laura talks about Searchlight Pictures' Is This Thing On? on Live with Kelly and Mark, so check your local listings.
  • Jim Belushi (According to Jim/Working Stiffs/Who's Watching the Kids?) - NBC's Today catches up with Jim in the 9am hour.
  • Brooke Shields (Suddenly Susan) - Brooke co-hosts NBC's Today in the 10am hour.
  • Robby Hoffman (Hacks) - NBC's Today catches up with Robby in the 10am hour.


New on DVD and Blu-ray

Bewitched - The Complete Series - 60th Anniversary Special Edition (Blu-ray) Georgie & Mandy's First Marriage - The Complete First Season (DVD) St. Denis Medical - Season One (Blu-ray) Happy's Place - Season One (Blu-ray) Two and a Half Men - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)

01/28 - Wait Till Your Father Gets Home - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
02/04 - The Wayans Bros. - The Complete Series (DVD)
03/11 - Frasier (2023) - Season Two (DVD)
04/01 - Abbott Elementary - The Complete Third Season (DVD)
05/13 - The Drew Carey Show - The Complete Series* (missing 4 episodes and some music has been replaced or altered)
06/06 - Shoresy - Season 2 (DVD)
06/17 - Looney Tunes - Collector's Vault - Volume 1 (Blu-ray)
07/22 - Bewitched - The Complete Series - 60th Anniversary Special Edition (Blu-ray)
08/26 - The Huckleberry Hound Show - The Complete Original Series (Blu-ray)
10/07 - Georgie & Mandy's First Marriage - The Complete First Season (DVD)
10/14 - Curb Your Enthusiasm - The Complete Series (Blu-ray) (DVD)
10/28 - St. Denis Medical - Season One (Blu-ray) (DVD)
11/04 - Happy's Place - Season One (Blu-ray) (DVD)
11/11 - Rick and Morty - Season 8 (Blu-ray) (DVD)
11/11 - SpongeBob SquarePants - The Complete Fifteenth Season (DVD)
11/11 - Two and a Half Men - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
12/02 - Tom and Jerry - The Golden Era Anthology (1940-1958) (Blu-ray) (DVD)

More Recent and Upcoming TV DVD and Blu-ray Releases / TV Shows on DVD, Blu-ray and Prime Video / DVD Reviews Archive


Recent SitcomsOnline.com News Blog Posts

12/09 - 83rd Golden Globe Nominations; Paradise Returns on Hulu in February
12/08 - First Look at Bert Kreischer Netflix Comedy Free Bert; School Spirits Season 3
12/07 - Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows; This Week in Sitcoms (Week of December 8, 2025)
12/06 - SitcomsOnline Digest: First Look at Malcolm in the Middle: Life's Still Unfair; Netflix to Acquire Warner Bros. Discovery
12/05 - FETV Acquires The Carol Burnett Show Uncut; Hey A.J.! Coming to Disney Jr.
12/04 - COZI TV Acquires The Jeff Foxworthy Show; Hulu Renews Chad Powers for Season 2
12/03 - MeTV January 2026 Schedule; Netflix's My Guest Needs No Introduction with David Letterman Season 6 Guests
12/02 - MeTV Acquires Charlie's Angels, Fantasy Island, Hart to Hart & Hawaii Five-O; Apple TV's The First Snow of Fraggle Rock Trailer
12/01 - MeTV to Announce Four New Shows; Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade Draws 25 Million Viewers on NBC
11/30 - Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows; This Week in Sitcoms (Week of December 1, 2025)
11/29 - SitcomsOnline Digest: First Look at Scrubs Reboot; Mad Men Coming to HBO Max
11/28 - Everybody Loves Raymond: 30th Anniversary Reunion Encores Tonight (11/28); Hulu's Smash Hit Renewed for Quick 4th Season
11/27 - 2025 Thanksgiving TV Marathons
11/26 - ABC's Scrubs First Teaser During Dancing with the Stars Finale; Eva Green Joins Wednesday Season 3
11/25 - COZI TV Acquires Malcolm & Eddie and The Steve Harvey Show; 53rd International Emmy® Awards Winners
11/24 - Antenna TV's All-You-Can Eat Wings for Thanksgiving Marathon; Rewind TV's Serving Up the Seavers with a Thanksgiving Day Growing Pains Marathon
11/23 - Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows; This Week in Sitcoms (Week of November 24, 2025)
11/22 - SitcomsOnline Digest: Disney+ Offers New Simpsons Streaming Channel; Final Eight Unaired Episodes of Joey on YouTube
11/21 - HBO Renews Comedies The Chair Company and I Love LA; Kelly and Mark to Host International Emmy® Awards
11/20 - The CW Midseason 2026 Schedule; Sarah Sherman HBO Max Special
11/19 - Tubi's Comedy Mo' Waffles Premieres December 19; 78th Emmy® Awards Set for September 14, 2026
11/18 - CBS Midseason 2026 Schedule; SNL Closes Out 2025 with 3 Episodes in December
11/17 - NBC's Christmas in Rockefeller Center Lineup; Prime Video Gets Kevin Hart and Kenan Thompson for Sports Talk Show
11/16 - Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows; This Week in Sitcoms (Week of November 17, 2025)
11/15 - SitcomsOnline Digest: NBC Orders Pilot From Brooklyn Nine-Nine Team; FX Cancels English Teacher
11/14 - Disney's Hulu's Family Guy's Hallmark Channel's Lifetime's Familiar Holiday Movie; Mad Men Coming to HBO Max in 4K
11/13 - Antenna TV Re-Acquires One Day at a Time and Sanford and Son; Season 2 of the Wild Series It's Florida, Man
11/12 - Fox Midseason 2026 Schedule; Hulu's Tell Me Lies Season 3 Premiere Date
11/11 - Cast Announced for Netflix's A Different World Sequel; Hulu's Sebastian Maniscalco Special Trailer
11/10 - ABC's New Game Show The Greatest Average American; Prime Video Christmas Movie
11/09 - Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows; This Week in Sitcoms (Week of November 10, 2025)