Thursday, April 25, 2013
Friends Coming to TV Land in June With 5-Night Marathon Event; Episodic Review: Community - "Basic Human Anatomy" Airing Tonight on NBC
On the next...Community:
By: Vincent
NBC's Thursday night comedy that stars Joel McHale airs Thursdays at 8|7c and we have just watched the next episode that airs tonight (April 25). In the episode airing tonight, "Basic Human Anatomy," when Annie (Alison Brie) and Shirley (Yvette Nicole Brown) learn that Leonard (Richard Erdman) is actually holding the spot as the class valedictorian, they join forces to bring him down. Meanwhile, Troy (Donald Glover) and Abed (Danny Pudi) reminisce about one of their favorite body switching films and when they inadvertently re-enact a critical scene, things start becoming a little funky at Greendale.
Watching Community has been kind of hard this season. Not because it's been bad - it's felt slightly off at times, but remains a very enjoyable show - but because, after the firing of creator Dan Harmon, it's hard to objectively look at an episode and not wonder how Dan Harmon would've done it. No matter how talented the cast and remaining writers are, Harmon had such a distinct vision for the show that there was no way the show could've matched what it was under his control. That's why Community tends to be most enjoyable these days when it's not trying any big concepts and is just letting you hang out with the characters - you don't have to worry if the concept could've been better under Harmon, you just get the spend some time with a bunch of characters that are still among the best on television.
Having said all of that, tonight's Community - which, notably, was written by Jim Rash, who plays Dean Pelton - is one of the better ones of its current season, and it's one that many would consider a "concept" episode, paying tribute to the movie Freaky Friday. (Though, considering this is a show that turned its entire cast into Muppets two weeks ago, it's not all that big of a concept for Community standards). And yet, it isn't the concept that makes it such a strong episode - it's the small, intimate character moments make is such a stand-out. One of the things that Community has moved away from a bit without Harmon is its darker, emotional side - the side that wasn't afraid to take its characters out to a bar and put all of their serious flaws on display, or to give one of its characters a mental breakdown in its Christmas episode. This episode doesn't go quite that deep, but the emotion here feels more real than it's been in most of this season. Additionally, this episode just feels more comfortable than most of the season has - it doesn't feel like it's trying far too hard to re-create the Harmon years, which makes everything flow a bit more naturally. There's still some issues here and there - the Dean plot felt a bit over-the-top (a little ironic, considering he wrote the episode), the dialogue still feels a little stilted, and the show still isn't quite as funny as it was in years past. But other than that, this episode was really enjoyable to watch - and most importantly, it didn't make me stop and wonder if Dan Harmon could've done it better. B+
Sitcoms Airing Tonight / Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows
Sunday, February 8
The Simpsons - "Sashes to Sashes" (Fox, 8:00PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
Bart runs against Mayor Quimby's son for student council president; Lisa learns troubling secrets about the Quimby clan -- and about the Simpsons.
Universal Basic Guys - "I Am Jar" (Fox, 8:30PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
Mark gets in a magician's duel; Tammy tries to win a nursing award.
Krapopolis - "The Anniversary Present" (Fox, 9:00PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
Shlub has to improvise a gift for Deliria after forgetting their anniversary; Tyrannis and Stupendous try to cheer up Hippocampus after a break-up.
Universal Basic Guys - "Golden Beans" (Fox, 9:30PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
Mark and David start a coffee shop in the garage; Tammy and Hank struggle to keep Mernft Man from bothering customers.
Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of February 2)
Friday, February 6
- Niecy Nash-Betts (Reno 911!/Getting On/The Soul Man/Do Not Disturb) - Watch Niecy on a repeat of Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
- Josh Charles (Best Medicine/Sports Night) - Josh chats about Best Medicine on Live with Kelly and Mark, so check your local listings.
- Gabourey Sidibe (Difficult People/The Big C) and Tisha Campbell (Act Your Age/Uncoupled/Outmatched/Dr. Ken/Rita Rocks/My Wife and Kids/Martin) - Gabourey and Tisha talk about their new Lifetime movie Mary J. Blige Presents: Be Happy on Tamron Hall, so check your local listings.
- Ms. Pat (The Ms. Pat Show) - Ms. Pat covers the news with Drew and Valerie Bertinelli on The Drew Barrymore Show, so check your local listings. She joins Drew in the kitchen to whip up some delicious dishes for the Super Bowl.
- Jason Biggs (Outmatched/Mad Love/Drexell's Class) - Jason tells Drew about making his directorial debut with the new action-comedy Untitled Home Invasion Romance on The Drew Barrymore Show, so check your local listings.
- Marilu Henner (Taxi/Evening Shade) and Brooke Adams (O.K. Crackerby!) - Marilu and Brooke are guests on New York Living on WPIX in New York at 10:45am.
- Jennifer Tilly (Out of Practice) - Jennifer talks about Paramount+'s School Spirits on a repeat of Access Daily with Mario & Kit, so check your local listings.
New on DVD and 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)
09/30 - Touché Turtle and Dum Dum - The Complete 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)
12/16 - Lippy the Lion and Hardy Har Har - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
12/16 - Wally Gator - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
01/20 - The Woody Woodpecker and Friends Golden Age Collection (Blu-ray)
01/27 - The New Fred and Barney Show - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
02/11 - Tom and Jerry - The Complete CinemaScope Collection (Blu-ray)
03/24 - Looney Tunes Collector's Vault - Volume 2 (Blu-ray)
More Recent and Upcoming TV DVD and Blu-ray Releases / TV Shows on DVD, Blu-ray and Prime Video / DVD Reviews Archive
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