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

Thursday, December 18

Georgie & Mandy's First Marriage - "Payback and a Partial Shebang" (CBS, 8:00PM ET/PT)
Georgie’s feud with a rival store threatens his partnership with Ruben. Meanwhile, Mandy finds out Georgie’s been keeping secrets from her.

Georgie & Mandy's First Marriage - "Miami Beach and a Magical Family Christmas" (CBS, 8:30PM ET/PT)
Georgie and Mandy struggle to balance work, family and the holidays when Audrey plans an unexpected Christmas vacation.

Ghosts - "It's a Wonderful Christmas Carol: Part One" (CBS, 9:00PM ET/PT)
Sam’s big Christmas Eve TV interview with Walter Storm (Larry Wilmore) takes an unexpected turn. Meanwhile, Trevor and Patience bond over their mutual disinterest in celebrating Christmas.

Ghosts - "It's a Wonderful Christmas Carol: Part Two" (CBS, 9:30PM ET/PT)
Sam gets a glimpse of what her life would be like if she could never see the ghosts.

Complete TV Listings


Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of December 15)

Thursday, December 18

  • Paul Shaffer (A Year at the Top) - Paul appears on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon at 11:35pm on NBC.
  • Nick Offerman (Parks and Recreation) - THE LATE SHOW Presents: "Colbert's Canceled Christmas: The Last Noel", narrated by Nick on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert at 11:35pm on CBS.
  • Ariana Grande (Sam & Cat/Victorious) - Ariana appears on Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC.
  • Fran Drescher (Indebted/Happily Divorced/Living with Fran/The Nanny/Princesses) - Fran is a guest on Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC. She also talks about Marty Supreme on ABC's Good Morning America sometime between 7-9am and on Live with Kelly and Mark, so check your local listings.
  • Neil Patrick Harris (How I Met Your Mother/Star Raving Mad/Doogie Howser, M.D.) - Neil talks about What's in the Box? on CBS Mornings sometime between 7-9am.
  • Tisha Campbell (Act Your Age/Uncoupled/Outmatched/Dr. Ken/Rita Rocks/My Wife and Kids/Martin) - NBC's Today catches up with Tisha in the 10am hour.
  • Jamie Lee Curtis (The Sticky/Anything But Love/Operation Petticoat) - Jamie Lee tells Drew about her upcoming new movie Ella McCay on The Drew Barrymore Show, so check your local listings.
  • Matthew Lawrence (Gimme a Break!/Drexell's Class/Walter & Emily/Brotherly Love/Boy Meets World) - Matthew appears on New York Living on WPIX in New York at 10:30am.


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

12/17 - MeTV Remembers Rob Reiner with Tribute Marathon; MGM+ to Make New The Magnificent Seven Series
12/16 - The Rob Reiner Story: A Hollywood Tragedy – ABC News Special; Everybody Loves Raymond: 30th Anniversary Reunion Part 2 on CBS
12/15 - Remembering the Legendary Rob Reiner of All in the Family; Trailer for Netflix's His & Hers
12/14 - Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows; This Week in Sitcoms (Week of December 15, 2025)
12/13 - SitcomsOnline Digest: Warner/Netflix Merger Gets Complicated; Steve Carell Comedy Rooster Coming to HBO Max in March
12/12 - Survival of the Thickest Final Season Guest Stars; Ted Season 2 Returns in March
12/11 - The Upshaws Final Season Premieres January 15; Mike Epps Gets 5th Netflix Special
12/10 - HBO's Rooster Premieres in March; Fox's Updated Winter 2026 Schedule
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