Saturday, October 13, 2007

ABC Fall Pilot Review: Samantha Who? - Premieres October 15; Solomon's Weekly Rant: ABC's Tricky Promos

Samantha Who?

Samantha Who? - Mondays at 9:30PM ET/PT on ABC
Premieres October 15 at 9:30PM ET/PT


Christina Applegate (Married...with Children, Jessie) returns to network television in a comedy that offers a do-over in life.
What if you had the chance to start over, to do it all again? For Samantha Newly (Ms. Applegate), this fantasy becomes a reality after a hit-and-run accident leaves her in an eight-day coma. When she awakens in the hospital, she is surrounded by family and friends. The only problem is that she has no idea who they are - or who she is. In medical terms, Sam has retrograde amnesia, which allows her to fully function in the world but leaves her with no personal memories. Most people would deem this disorder a curse. But Sam may come to call it a miracle.

As she sets out to rediscover herself, Sam is forced to rely on the only people who can help her -- an eclectic bunch of friends and family. Although now strangers to Sam, it's not long before she begins to get an idea of who she was before the accident.

Sam will need to continue to piece together things from her past to guide her in discovering who she is... or was. After all, sometimes to get to the end of the story, the only place to start is the beginning.


Cast Details:

Christina Applegate as Samantha, Jean Smart as Regina, Jennifer Esposito as Andrea, Kevin Dunn as Howard, Barry Watson as Todd, Melissa McCarthy as Dena, Tim Russ as Frank

Christina Applegate (Samantha Newly) has garnered critical praise for her strength and versatility as an actress in theater, film and television. Applegate first gained widespread attention as the sexy and sarcastic Kelly Bundy on the long-running series Married... with Children. After a very successful 11-season run, she furthered her television success by starring in her own comedy series, Jesse. In 1999 the highly-rated show garnered Applegate a People's Choice Award as Favorite Female Performer in a New Television Series and a Golden Globe nomination in the category of Best Performance by an Actress in a TV Series, Comedy or Musical. In 2004 Applegate returned to television as a guest star on Friends, as Rachel's (Jennifer Aniston) younger sister, Amy. Her performance earned her an Emmy Award in the category of Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series for her role. She was nominated for an Emmy once again the following year for yet another witty performance.

Jennifer Esposito (Andrea) is one of the most sought out actresses in Hollywood, with an impressive body of work that encompasses theatre, television and film. Esposito most recently appeared as a guest star in five episodes of the critically acclaimed drama, Rescue Me. She also starred in Related, had a recurring role on New York Undercover and guest starred on Law & Order. In 1996 she gained favorable notice as Stacey Paterno, the spunky Brooklyn-born, Italian-American mayoral secretary on ABC's Spin City.
On this show, she plays Samantha's real best friend, Andrea.

Kevin Dunn (Howard Newly) has a vast resume that includes numerous motion picture and television roles. Dunn has made numerous guest appearances, including Prison Break, Law & Order, Law & Order: Criminal Intent, Lost and The Closer. He also starred in the ABC miniseries The Beach Boys: An American Family.
On this show, he plays Samantha's father, Howard.

Melissa McCarthy (Dena) first made her mark on the comedy stage, performing stand up in New York at The Improv and Stand Up New York. McCarthy was most recently seen as the clumsy culinary genius, Sookie St. James, in Gilmore Girls. She has also appeared on Curb Your Enthusiasm.
On this show, she plays her supposed best friend, Dena who is sincerely supportive since the accident.

Tim Russ (Frank, the doorman) has been working in the entertainment industry for the past 30 years. His talents encompass a wide spectrum of the performing arts, including composing, music (guitar & vocals), writing, directing, voice-over and producing. On television he had series regular roles on The Highwayman, The People Next Door and Star Trek: Voyager.
On this show, he plays Frank, the doorman at Todd's apartment building that Samantha talks to.

Barry Watson (Todd) has his first job in Hollywood come when he was only 15 for the daytime soap Days of Our Lives. He is best known for his role as Matt Camden on the successful television family drama 7th Heaven, for which he also directed a couple of episodes, and for two seasons he had the lead role on the addictive ABC series What About Brian.
On this show he plays Samantha's only seemingly trustworthy acquaintance as boyfriend Todd. But will that trust last when he discovers that she cheated on him?

Jean Smart (Regina Newly) continues to exhibit her extraordinary talents in theater, television and film. In January 2006, Smart received her fourth Emmy nomination for her role as the troubled and medicated First Lady Martha Logan on 24. That same year the show won the Emmy for Best Drama and received a Golden Globe nomination and a Screen Actors Guild nomination for Ensemble Cast. In 2001 Smart won her second Emmy Award for her guest-starring role on Frasier, and was nominated for Guest Actress in a Drama Series for her recurring role on The District. In the year 2000 she was awarded her first Emmy for her hilarious recurring role on Frasier. She starred in the HBO drama series Maximum Security, before starring in the popular sitcom Designing Women. Over the past few seasons she has starred on short lived sitcoms, In-Laws, opposite Dennis Farina, and Center of the Universe, opposite John Goodman.
On this show, she plays Samantha's mother, Regina, who she hasn't spoken to in 2 years.


Pilot Plot:

I have received the first two episodes of the series. The first episode, "Pilot," airing Oct. 15, Samantha awakens in the hospital and is surrounded by family and friends. The only problem is that she has no idea who they are - or who she is. Sam has retrograde amnesia, which allows her to fully function in the world but leaves her with no personal memories. Most people would deem this disorder a curse. But Sam may come to call it a miracle when she discovers what a horrible person she was before the accident.
"Pilot" was a story by by Cecelia Ahern and Donald Todd and directed by Robert Duncan McNeill.
Guest starring are William Abadie as Rene, Nakia R. Burrise as Dr. Kerry Hall, Jelynn Rodriguez as angry woman, Adam Jennings as barista and Brett Rickaby as AA leader.

The second episode I received is airing October 22 and is titled "The Job." In one quick morning, Samantha discovers a handful of surprising things about her old self -- not least of which is what she does for a living. When a board meeting offers a glimpse of her cutthroat and competitive workaholic former self, she ponders where new Sam should diverge from old Sam's path. Ultimately, she learns that having a clean slate doesn't necessarily mean you can ignore the past
"The Job" is written by Donald Todd and directed by Lee Shallat Chemel.
Guest starring are Joy Osmanski as Tracy, Rick Hoffman as Chase Chapman, Frank Maharajh as Dr. Kegoshian, B.J. Clinkscales as waiter, Dana Sorman as Jerri and Jamison Haase as Vic.


Analysis:

This show is very good. It is not as funny as a sitcom should be so far, but the storyline is very good despite being a cliche of sitcoms of the past. The amnesia storyline has been done so many times, but how about a whole series on it? I don't think that has been done, and right off the bat we are interested in this story. Christina Applegate shows her versatile skills on this show. She is in every scene! She is everywhere...from her parents house, boyfriend's house, a club, and an AA meeting?? She is wholesome, bad, sexy, and funny in the pilot. Her character has been in a coma for 8 days and when the pilot episode starts, she awakens. She has been in a coma due to a hit-and-run car accident. That is a storyline they can ponder in a later episode--who was the culprit? Anyway, the parents of Samantha are in the hospital room when she awakens from the coma. They are pretty funny and joke around even when she awakens. Her "supposed" best friend Dena is also there. Later we find out that she has not been friends with her in years but when she heard she was in a coma, she came to visit--everyday. And even better, she had amnesia so she can fake and say that she is her best friend. Her real best friend is Andrea, who is a slutty ditz. We meet her a bit later. But first we meet Todd, Samantha's boyfriend. It seems they had broken up before the accident, but her things are still at his apartment. The real best friend, Andrea calls Samantha to come to a club to celebrate her friend Rene's birthday. She goes and of course doesn't remember who Andrea is or Renee. Renee ends up being a guy...and her lover. So, we find out Samantha was a bad person before the amnesia. She later tells Todd about who Renee really is, as he thought it was a co-worker girlfriend. The pilot is really interesting and has a lot of twists. It is not that funny, but has some great lines that will make you chuckle. I really like Frank the doorman. He has some great lines.

The second episode is about Samantha finding out what she does for a living. I think it is a bit funnier than the pilot, but again it is the story that makes it interesting. Maybe they should have made this a one-hour comedy, a la Ugly Betty? But still this is one of the best half-hour shows out there, just not truly a sitcom per say. Anyway, we find out in this episode that Samantha worked for a big corporation and was all work. She was pretty mean, too to her secretary. She also is very scared of elevators. When the company has a big meeting, they expect Samantha to be there. Her co-workers all thought she was in rehab and don't know she has amnesia. Andrea also works at the company it seems. We see more of Dena in this, as she has really become a friend now.

Will Samantha ever regain her memory? She has brief flashes of her past in each episode so far, so maybe slowly she will remember? But does she really want to, as she was a very bad person. Now she is Good Sam. Maybe she can fix her mistakes of the past. It is fun to compare Good Sam vs. Bad Sam.

Conclusion:

All Christina Applegate fans will love this show. Her male fans will be extremely pleased as both the pilot and second episode has her in nice outfits. A nice gold outfit in one of the scenes in the pilot and just in her black bra in a scene in episode two. But, unfortunately she doesn't wear that dress you saw her holding in a promo, when she says, "oh my god, do I have a daughter?"
While the show is not downright funny yet, it is still watchable with an interesting story. With Applegate starring, we are assured we will get some laughs in future episodes. The show will be sampled for sure and it will have the highest ratings for a sitcom this season because it will get a 20 million lead-in from Dancing with the Stars each week. The question is, can it survive and build an audience when Dancing has its break from December-March? Let's hope so, because we need a breakout sitcom hit! So don't forget to tune in this Monday to watch this new series. Don't give me the excuse that you forgot to. You don't have amnesia like Samantha Newly does.

Final Numbers (out of 5 stars):

Watchability: 4.5/5
Funniness: 3.5/5
Overall: 4/5

-- Reviewed by pavanbadal on 10/12/07

Discuss the show after you watch it on Monday on our message board.

Related Links:

  • ABC.com Official Site
  • TV.com
  • epguides.com
  • Internet Movie Database
  • Wikipedia
  • Samantha Who Photo Gallery



    Solomon's Weekly Rant
    Saturday, October 13, 2007
    "ABC's Tricky Promos"
    By Solomon Davis

    I have been watching ABC a lot lately and I have noticed the creativity in their promos for their new shows. The reason I say they are creative is because the network is not telling you the entire story, just part of the story. For example, I was watching the promo for Pushing Daisies and I heard the voice-over mention that 27 million viewers watched the first episode. Now part of that was true because 27 million did tune in at some point to sample the premiere episode but the average for the entire hour was 13 million. So obviously ABC has decided to be a little tricky in promoting their new shows to get more viewers. ABC did the same thing with Caveman and Carpoolers when it was mentioned during the promo the Tuesday night 8pm hour was the top new hour of comedy. Then I realized that it's the only full hour of new comedy on any network which means that ABC once again tried to trick viewers into watching those particular shows. So maybe this is something all networks do but I can only talk about ABC since most of the shows I watch is on that network. By having these tricky promos, ABC may have to explain to viewers if one of these shows were to be canceled if they were doing so well in the ratings.

    My Weird TV Moments of the Week:
    Thursday, October 11, 2007: The Today Show Segment on "Secret Mommy Crushes"
    Friday, October 12, 2007: Kelly Ripa telling Janet Jackson on Live with Regis & Kelly, "I'm in love with you and want to marry you."

    Agree or disagree with Solomon? Discuss it here.

    DISCLAIMER: Remember, Solomon is not the voice of SitcomsOnline. He is just stating his opinions and does not reflect what SitcomsOnline says or thinks. It is just his 'View' but it is always quite entertaining.
  • Friday, October 12, 2007

    TVLand.com Redesigns Website, Adds Full Episodes; Another RTN Affiliate; Historic Brady Bunch Star Event

    In its continued effort to superserve the entertainment needs of people in their 40s and 50s, TV Land announced a relaunch of the network's website TVLand.com.
    The new TVLand.com features special areas devoted to all aspects of entertainment including television, music and movies. Each section delivers unique attractions such as full-length episodes of beloved classic television shows including The Andy Griffith Show, Leave it to Beaver and Gunsmoke.
    Additionally, in the coming months, the site will feature The Beverly Hillbillies, Hogan's Heroes and Just Shoot Me. Television fans will be able to access these series online as select episodes are showcased on the site.
    There are much more features added to the website, I urge you to click HERE to see what they are!

    Retro Television Network (RTN), announced today to add an affiliate in El Paso, TX. The network will launch in 2008 on a digital stream of KFOX-TV, the local FOX affiliate that serves the El Paso, TX / Las Cruces, NM market.
    Viewers will fall in love all over again with Love, American Style and will be on the edge of their seats as Dr. Richard Kimble, played by David Jansen, is The Fugitive on the run trying to prove his innocence. In the evening, audiences will enjoy seeing Robert Stack as Elliot Ness in The Untouchables.
    If you don't know by now, RTN is a new television network that provides each affiliate a customized feed (on digital streams) with classic hit shows, in addition to local programming including news, weather and sports. RTN is specifically designed to go on a broadcast digital channel and provides local broadcasters with a way to get ratings and successfully monetize their digital spectrum.

    On October 16, Christopher Knight (The Brady Bunch) will be the first celebrity in the world to interact with his fans online and sign Brady collectibles with the inscriptions they request. You could be a part of this historic event-- there are a limited number of online signing experiences available, so Brady fans need to act fast (Each signing event includes a FREE DVD recording of Chris signing your item and responding to your question!).
    Go to LiveAutographs.com and check out the exclusive inventory of signing experiences featuring Chris Knight. Select your package (1 guaranteed authentic autographed item + you get to ask Chris a question and WATCH him respond!). Purchase it today to reserve your place at this Exclusive Online Fan Event. Grooovy!

    Thursday, October 11, 2007

    TV Land December 2007 Highlights; Heroes Reruns to G4 and Mojo

    I mentioned the other day that TV Land will start The Beverly Hillbillies in December. They will not now. It was slated for a marathon on Dec. 22 and regular play starting Dec. 25, but that will be moved to January now. We do however get a Christmas episode on Christmas Eve!
    There are no schedule changes (yet...), but we have some notable events. Christmas comes early to TV Land this year and yule love Thursday when TV Land features Christmas episodes from your favorite shows! Dec 6, 13 and 20 from 8-10pm catch The Jeffersons, Andy Griffith, Good Times, All in the Family M*A*S*H, and Three's Company in holiday episodes.
    And if that is not enough holiday episodes for you, TV Land will have not one but two 24-hour Merry-thons! Could the holidays be as merry without TV Land's annual Merry-thon? Christmas spirit, eggnog and your favorite TV friends means a jolly good time all around! Tune in to TV Land's 8th Annual Merrython featuring classic Christmas episodes of shows like Good Times, Three's Company, The Jeffersons, Andy Griffith, and so much more!
    Weekends at 5PM, TV Land will encore originals that had countdowns, like 100 Most Unexpected Television Moments and Greatest TV Quotes & Catchphrases.
    Finally, the Friday night movies include Thelma & Louise, Wallstreet, and Running Scared.
    For complete episode details and more on December, click HERE! Ho ho ho!

    NBC Universal Domestic Television Distribution has sold hit NBC primetime series Heroes to cable networks G4 and MOJO for its debut in off-network syndication. The multi-season strip deals with G4 and MOJO debut in fall 2010, and include a repurpose window of current season episodes the week following NBC's initial airings starting later this month.
    G4 will debut Heroes with all-day marathons of season one episodes on Saturday, October 27 and Sunday, October 28. The network will begin airing episodes from the current season with a mini-marathon of the first six episodes of Heroes season two on Saturday, November 3 from 5:00-11:00pm et/pt. G4 will then regularly air each week's current episode of Heroes on Saturdays at 10:00pm et/pt.
    Heroes will premiere on MOJO Thursday, November 1, airing the first six episodes of season two from 3- 9:00 pm et. Going forward, Heroes will air on MOJO every week on Wed. at 8pm pt/11:00 pm et and Thurs. at 5pm pt/8pm et. MOJO will also air a marathon of season one episodes during the Thanksgiving holiday.

    Tonight sitcom wise we have NBC's Comedy Done Right block with My Name is Earl, 30 Rock and yet another hour-long The Office. All starts at 8/7 central on NBC!

    Wednesday, October 10, 2007

    TV Land Brings Back Wings, More Night Court; RTN Pittsburgh Launch Schedule; Gossip Girl Picked-Up for Full Season

    TV Land has yet made more changes to its October 15 schedule. Originally we were getting Night Court back starting next Wednesday from 7-8am each Wednesday, but now TV Land has announced it will air each weekday at 7am starting Monday (Oct. 15)! They have also re-added Wings to the schedule starting Monday. It will air at 7:30am each weekday morning. M*A*S*H was airing weekday mornings in this hour and will now be moved to 8-9pm in primetime. That means the weekday primetime mini-marathons will be shifted from 8-10pm to 9-11pm. Sanford & Son was airing 10-11pm, now it won't be as the marathons will continue in that slot. M*A*S*H will follow still 11pm-12am. Also, the Wednesday and Friday marathons will be switched. So we will get Sanford & Son on Wednesdays now from 9-11pm and M*A*S*H from 8-10pm (because TV Land Movies air Fridays at 10). See the full schedule if you are now totally confused on what is airing when by clicking HERE! We announced previously that WPXI-DT in Pittsburgh, PA will be turning into a Retro Television Network (RTN) starting Monday, Oct. 15. Now we have your first look at the launch schedule! We are so proud that SitcomsOnline.com continues to be the exclusive home for classic TV schedules and news. The digital feed of WPXI will air RTN programming weekdays from 10am-2am, Saturdays 7am-1am, and Sundays 10am-2am. Among the classic programs will we see on weekdays include I Love Lucy, Gomer Pyle, Happy Days, My Three Sons, Laverne & Shirley, and Get Smart. On weekends we will see shows like Mork & Mindy, Brady Bunch, Family Affair, Petticoat Junction, Family Ties, Hogan's Heroes, The Honeymooners and The A-Team! Wow! So many classics! If you live in Pittsburgh and don't have digital cable, get it now! To see the full schedule for WPXI-DT Pittsburgh, click HERE! Also, we will have more on RTN in the next week or so, including an exclusive interview with them! So stay tuned for updates! Acclaimed and much buzzed-about new drama Gossip Girl has become the first new series picked up for a full season of episodes. With online buzz mounting and the show's success on other platforms like iTunes, the premiere of The CW’s new drama Gossip Girl also gained significant number of viewers in its target demos when DVR usage is factored in, according to Nielsen live-plus 7 day ratings. Gossip Girl continues to also be a hit on different platforms like iTunes, where the two most recent episodes continue to rank among the top 5 downloaded shows on the site. As far as live ratings, the show increased a bit in its previous episode over the previous week. The show is watched by just under 3 million viewers each week live. Not good, but not bad for The CW. Tonight it is week four already for sitcoms Back to You and 'Til Death. Tune in starting at 8/7 central on Fox! I have seen the third episode already for the new addictive ABC series Dirty Sexy Money, airing tonight at 10/9 central, so I'll comment a bit on it. The episode title is "The Italian Banker." That term has a few meanings one is a sexual position! Anyway, there seems to be a sex tape done by one of the Darlings. And a blackmailer has it and wants a million dollars for it. Darling family lawyer Nick George (Peter Krause) doesn't tell Tripp (Donald Sutherland) about it and gets the money to pay off the blackmailer another way (I won't spoil it). Nick also interviews each Darling children to see who the sex tape belongs to. I'm sure no one will ever guess who it belongs to. We also get a taste of Tripp's nemesis Simon Elder (who will be played by Blair Underwood). Did he kill Nick's father? We will find out. But anyway, tune in tonight for the sex tape episode of Dirty Sexy Money. You'll be saying "Oh My God" like Nick does when you watch this great episode!

    Tuesday, October 09, 2007

    Roseanne S9 DVD Contest; NBC Universal Buys Oxygen Network; 3 New RTN Affiliates

    It is time for a contest! Get ready fellow sitcom fans, this time we have 5 Roseanne - The Complete Ninth Season DVD sets for giveaway, thanks to the fine folks at Starz Home Entertainment.
    Eight top-rated seasons, over 40 major awards and more than 200 classic episodes have all led here: In this infamous final season, The Conners win the lottery, Roseanne battles terrorists, Dan ponders the meaning of life, Jackie meets her prince, DJ finds love and Darlene gives birth. For millions of Roseanne fans, it was the unforgettable year of secrets, surprises, new romance and bittersweet memories in which we said goodbye to one of the greatest comedies in television history.
    Say goodbye to the show and own the final 24 episodes on DVD. You could be one of the five lucky people to win the DVD, so enter the contest by clicking HERE. The contest started yesterday and runs through October 30. Just make sure you read the rules before you enter, so you know what you have entered into...always should read the fine print ;)

    NBC Universal is acquiring Oxygen Media, one of the nation's leading female-focused cable television networks, thus expanding its highly successful cable portfolio. NBCU will acquire Oxygen for $925 million. The network, which is available in more than 74 million homes, has been registering significant growth in both ad sales and viewership, with the just-completed third quarter being the most-watched in the history of the network. Launched in 2000, Oxygen is the only fully distributed entertainment cable channel launched in the last decade.
    The transaction is expected to close in November following the receipt of customary regulatory approvals. So, we won't see any major programming changes until then. We'll certainly keep you up to date on any changes to the schedule. The network currently airs reruns of series such as Roseanne, A Different World, Grace Under Fire, Ellen, and more.

    Retro Television Network (RTN) announced today that it will partner with Barrington Broadcasting Group to launch RTN affiliations in Toledo, OH; Colorado Springs, CO; and Traverse City, MI. The new affiliates will launch Thursday, Oct. 11 on the digital streams of WNWO, Toledo's NBC affiliate; KXRM Colorado Springs' FOX affiliate; and WPBN, Traverse City's NBC affiliate. RTN will be replacing The Tube Music Network, which originally aired on these digital channels.

    Sitcom wise tonight we have week two of Cavemen and Carpoolers. As I mentioned in my Carpoolers review, the second episode of Carpoolers is decent. Tune in starting at 8/7 central on ABC, "Come on Eileen!" You'll see what I mean by that when you watch the second episode of Carpoolers.

    Monday, October 08, 2007

    TV Land Thanksgiving Stunt Change; Deal or No Deal Comes to First-Run Syndication

    Hope you're enjoying your day off from Columbus Day, those of you who actually get the day off. Whatever happened to the Columbo marathons on this day? I always looked forward to those. Anyway, let's move on to the news.
    About a month ago we gave you the highlights for TV Land November, and we mentioned a Little House on the Prairie marathon in primetime on Thanksgiving night. Now TV Land has scrapped that and added a whole holiday weekend of marathons. Thursday, November 22, 2007 through Sunday, November 25, 2007
    This Thanksgiving weekend treat yourself to TV Land marathons to fill your stomach! On thanksgiving Day, I Love Lucy will be on all day from 10am-11pm...what better way to spend your Thanksgiving? On Friday, November 23 we have a mini-Sanford & Son marathon from 9am-12pm followed by more Lucy from 12-5pm. Extreme Makeover: Home Edition airs on this night at 7pm, too, as its usual night and time on Saturday will be another marathon. That will be of course The Andy Griffith Show. The marathon airs Saturday, November 24 from 10:30pm-6a. And we get more Andy to wrap up the holiday weekend from 6pm-2:30am on Sunday, November 25. To view the full schedule of changes this holiday weekend, click HERE.
    We will be back with TV Land December sometime this week that will feature of course the annual Merry-thon and the launch of The Beverly Hillbillies. Ya'll come back now ya here?

    A daytime version of Deal or No Deal is coming in Fall 2008. Howie Mandel, who will continue to host NBC's hit one-hour primetime run of the game show, is set to host the new half-hour version being sold to local stations for Monday-through-Friday broadcasts. This syndicated version will include all key elements that made NBC's primetime version a breakout hit, with Mandel as host, the Banker, models, contestants risking big money and the same award-winning production team.
    Among the early buys include NBC Universal stations in the nation's top markets including WNBC-TV New York, KNBC-TV Los Angeles and WMAQ-TV in Chicago, WCAU-TV Philadelphia, KNTV-TV San Francisco and others, as well as to stations from CBS, Allbritton, Scripps, Sinclair and more in top markets.
    Deal or No Deal was actually NBC's most watched program of the 2006-2007, but is off to a slow start this season thus far. The culprit is because it moved from Mondays to Wednesdays. The Friday edition is also down.

    Sunday, October 07, 2007

    Mini-DVD Review: CSI NY - The Complete Third Season (Oct. 9); Week 2 Numbers (First Four Nights); How the Sitcoms Did

    Start spreading the news, we're bringing you another special Sunday mini-DVD review! If you are looking for our weekly sitcom ratings, you'll still find that today, but it will be below this. Today we take a look at CBS DVD/Paramount's CSI NY: The Complete Third Season. CSI NY, the third incarnation of the CSI: Crime Scene Investigation franchise and the spin-off of CSI: Miami, is a crime drama about forensic investigators who use high-tech science to follow the evidence and solve crimes in The Big Apple. See my mini-DVD review of CSI NY: The Complete Third Season:

    CSI NY: The Complete Third Season

    CSI NY: The Complete Third Season (CBS DVD/Paramount, $64.99) - The crimes are more brutal. The evidence is more baffling. And every killer wants to get away with murder. This season, Detective Mac Taylor (Gary Sinise) and his dedicated Forensics Team must fight harder than ever for the truth. CSI: NY Season 3 takes the drama and danger to the next level as the brilliant criminalists risk everything in the quest for justice.

    This 6-disc set contains all 24 episodes of the third (2006-07) season. The episodes are presented in Anamorphic Widescreen (1.78:1) with Dolby Digital Digital 5.1 Surround or Spanish Stereo. It has a running time of 16 hours, 59 minutes. Notable season 3 guest stars included Edward Furlong, The Suicide Girls, Stacy Haiduk, Sasha Cohen, Marlee Matlin, Judd Nelson, Criss Angel, Joey Lawrence, Amy Davidson, John McEnroe and Nelly Furtado. Packaging is very attractive and similar to what they used for the second season. The embossed, holofoil outer slipcase features a photo of Melina Kanakaredes and Gary Sinise and the show logo. The inside case is in a book format that you can clip through to get to the discs. There are four clear trays that hold the discs. Two of the trays are double-sided. Inside the case, there is a content locator that lists the episodes and special features by disc. Each disc features the show logo, two different cast members and the episode titles.

    Once again, the menus are very stylish and easy to navigate. A series of video clips leads to the animated anamorphic widescreen menus. Some of composer Bill Brown's great music is played in the background. At the bottom of the screen, there are options for "Episode Selection," "Set Up," and "Previews" (only on disc 1). The featurettes are also listed on their respective disc. There is no notation on the menus of which episodes have audio commentaries. You have to select an episode and play the commentary from there. On the Set Up Menu, you can choose either the Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround or Español. Closed captioning is available for all of the episodes. As you would expect from such a recent show, the video and audio quality is outstanding. Like all of the other CSI shows, it is incredbily well shot and lit. While most of it is shot in Los Angeles, the exterior shots of the city really enhance the show. They even occasionally shoot some scenes on location in New York. The episodes are presented in the order of their original airdates. Quite a bit of a music is used in the series. Fortunately, there is nothing on the packaging to indicate that any of it had to be replaced. The running times vary greatly from 41 to 44 minutes in length, but that is how they originally aired.

    Another decent amount and mix of special features are included on this set. There are 4 audio commentaries available on the first three discs. Four featurettes are spread out on discs 1, 2, 3 and 6. Discs 4 and 5 feature only the episodes. Unfortunately, I haven't had a chance to listen to any of the commentaries yet, but I'm sure they offer a lot interesting behind-the-scenes and trivia like last season's commentaries. There is one less commentary on this set than in season 2. It would have been great to have a few more, especially on some of the better episodes that were later in the year like the season finale. I'll break down the special features by disc.

    Disc 1
    Audio Commentary on "Not What It Looks Like" by Writer Pam Veasey, Writer Peter Lenkov and Director Duane Clark

    Disc 1
    Special Feature: "Breaking the Killer Code" (12:36) - This featurette includes interviews with CSI franchise creator Anthony E. Zuiker, Co-Founder Edoc Laundry Dawne Weisman, Writer Zachary Reiter, Melina Kanakarades, Gary Sinise, Edward Furlong, Maddy Curley, Director Anthony Hemmingway, Special Effects Make Up John Loodvin, Eddie Cahill, and Co-Founder/Art Director of Edoc Laundry Shane Small. The focus here is on the episode "Hung Out To Dry" and the character of Shane Casey. The storyline was continued in "Raising Shane." Topics covered include how they got the idea of the episode, the hidden codes in t-shirts, how they shot the scene of the headless girl hanging from the ceiling, and the design of the t-shirts. Video clips from the episode are mixed with some behind-the-scenes shots and the interviews. This was one of the most fascinating and gruesome episodes of the season.

    Disc 2
    Audio Commentary on "Oedipus Hex" by CSI Creator/Writer Anthony E. Zuiker and Missy Suicide (Founder of the Suicide Girls)

    Disc 2
    Audio Commentary on "Consequences" by Pam Veasey and Actor Eddie Cahill

    Disc 2
    Special Feature: "The Suicide Girls Rock CSI:NY" (11:34) - This featurette includes interviews with Missy Suicide, Fractal Suicide, Zoli Suicide, Razzi Suicide, Sawa Suicide, Nixon Suicide, Razzi Suicide, Sawa Suicide, Al Suicide, Amina Munster, Anthony E. Zuiker, Director Scott Lautanen, Asst. Director Lawrence, M. Wagner, Allison Miller (Omen) and Tattoo Artist Tim Kern. They appeared in the episode "Oedipus Hex." Topics include intros/profiles of the Suicide Girls, the production of the episode, and the shooting of the scene where the blood falls on them on stage. There are a few nearly nude photos of the girls. There is a disclaimer at the start of the special featurette that some material may not be suitable for all viewers.

    Disc 3
    Audio Commentary on "Silent Night" by Writers Peter Lenkov and Sam (Samantha) Humphrey

    Disc 3
    Special Feature: "The Making of 'Silent Night'" (8:25) - This featurette includes interviews with Anthony E. Zuiker, Sasha Cohen, Marlee Matlin, Co-Writer Samantha Humphrey, Melina Kanakaredes, Carmine Giovinazzo, Gary Sinise, Eddie Cahill and Hill Harper. They talk about casting Sasha Cohen, working with the signing actors, and the production of the episode. One of the cast members identifed this episode as one of their favorites. Sasha Cohen was very good in her first episodic television appearance. She will have a bright future, as she continues to gain experience.

    Disc 6
    Special Feature: "Hill Harper Explores The Body Farm" - Hill Harper visits the University of Tennessee Forensic Anthropology Center. Rebecca Wilson is his tour guide. As the narrator, Hill provides some background details on the center, and then the tour begins. A number of interesting facts about the center are shown on the screen, as they move from scene to scene and discuss what they are seeing. He asks a lot interesting questionsm and the tour guide provides a lot of detail. With his job on the show, he is obviously very familiar with the terminology and this seems to be stuff that he has seen before. A disclaimer is shown before the featuette that states it contains grapic images that may not be suitable for all audiences. A lot of maggots and parts of bodies are shown in various degrees of decomposition. This isn't for the squeamish.

    Previews - A number of previews for other CBS DVD releases are found on disc 1.

    Finally, there is a bonus disc for the CSI: Crime Scene Investigation "Hard Evidence" PC CD-Rom game. This is a playable demo for Windows 2000/XP/Vista only. It is rated "M" for blood and gore, sexual themes and violence.

    This is another solid season and release in the CSI franchise. Some stand-out episodes this season were "Hung Out To Dry," "Raising Shane," "Sleight Out of Hand," and "Snow Day." Unfortunately, there is no commentary or special feature on the season finale, "Snow Day," which is probably the most gripping and intense hour they've ever done. Although the amount of special features have decreased with every release, there is still a decent amount and all fans of the series should enjoy these well-produced featurettes. Some are a bit light-hearted like the profile of the Suicide Girls, but others are more serious in tone. Hill Harper's visit to the "Body Farm" was the most interesting to me. This just proves one thing to me that I've known for a long time. While I enjoy watching forensics shows on TV, I could never do it for a living. I have a lot of admiration for what the forensics experts do to help solve crimes. Watch the fourth season of CSI: NY on Wednesday nights on CBS at 10PM ET/PT!

    -- Reviewed by Todd
    (4/5 stars)

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    CSI: NY TV.com Page
    CSI: NY IMDB.com Page


    Week 2 numbers (first four nights, Mon-Thu):

    Households: ABC: 8.7/13.8; CBS: 8.2/13.0; NBC: 5.8/9.2; Fox: 5.1/7.8; The CW: 2.1/3.2; MNT: 0.6/0.9.
    Total Viewers: ABC: 13.12 million; CBS: 12.97 million; NBC: 9.25 million; Fox: 8.14 million; The CW: 3.2 million; MNT: 0.81 million.
    Adults 18-49: ABC: 4.3/11.3; CBS: 3.8/10.1; NBC: 3.7/9.6; Fox: 3.1/8.0; The CW: 1.4/3.7; MNT: 0.3/0.8.

    Analysis: It's week two time for the 2007-08 season. Week 1 saw ABC win in HH, viewers and tied with NBC in 18-49 (thanks to a new Nielsen ruling NBC pulled with Heroes). Through the first four days, ABC has the lead in all categories again in week 2, with CBS second, NBC in third and Fox in fourth. NBC's Heroes will not be encoring this week, so no tricks.
    Monday it was all ABC thanks to Dancing with the Stars. A special two-hour performance show did an impressive 20.21 million and a 5.2/13 in 18-49, a tad down from the previous week. The Bachelor followed with 8.85 million, down a tad from the previous week. Next up was CBS with its comedies and CSI: Miami. The Big Bang Theory did 8.5 million, down from the premiere by a million, but it built on How I Met Your Mother's 7.87 million, it'll need to do build all the time to survive. Two and a Half Men and Rules of Engagement followed with decent numbers (13.24 and 10.09 million). Men was on par with the previous week, but Rules was down over 2 million from the season premiere. CSI: Miami followed with 14.72 million, while that was down a bit from the previous week, it was still #1 at 10pm. NBC followed lead by Heroes, at 11.96 million and a 5.5 18-49, below its usual average. Chuck opened the night with a modest 8.39 million, down less than a million from the premiere. Journeyman closed the night with 8.23 million. Fox was a distant fourth with Prison Break continuing to fall (7.29 million) and the free falling K-Ville at just 5.36 million. The CW launched their Monday sitcoms, with Aliens in America doing just 2.34 million, but The Game closed the night at an impressive 2.98 million, the highest of the CW comedies.
    Tuesday, it was a three network race, with ABC on top in HH, but CBS in viewers, and Fox in 18-49. ABC launched a new sitcom hour of Cavemen/Carpoolers doing decent at 9.19 and 9.06 million, Dancing with the Stars: The Results followed with 15.9 million saying goodbye to Albert Reed (surprisingly). Boston Legal closed the night with 10.43 million, up from the previous week's premiere. CBS won in viewers. The always reliable NCIS opened the night off with 16.42 million up almost 3 million from the premiere--impressive. The Unit followed with 11.31 million, up a tad from previous week, and week two of Cane did 9.19 million, down 2 million from the premiere. Fox won 18-49 thanks to House. 17.44 million tuned in and a 7.2/17 18-49 rating. Bones opened the night off with a third place 7.98 million finish. NBC was fourth with The Singing Bee at 6.61 million, The Biggest Loser 90-minute show doing 7.46 million, followed by the Law & Order: SVU at 11.62 million, but that was off by a lot from last year and the previous week. The CW got so-so numbers with Beauty & the Geek and Reaper...2.69 and 2.86 million.
    Wednesday it was ABC with the series premiere of Pushing Daisies, doing 13.03 million, followed by Private Practice at 12.45 million and a first place 4.5/11 18-49 rating, Dirty Sexy Money followed with 9.61 and a 3.5 18-49, not down much from the premiere a. CBS was second for the night. Week three of Kid Nation plummeted to just 7.43 million for third place, but veteran dramas Criminal Minds and CSI: NY did well and were consistent doing 14.56 (up 2 million from previous week and 12.69 million (down slightly from previous week). NBC opened the night with Deal or No Deal doing 11.17 million, followed by Bionic Woman at a third place 11.07 million and a big drop in 18-49 at a 4.1, down from the 5.7 rating for the premiere. At 10pm NBC aired Life's did 8.68 million, down from the premiere. Fox was fourth with the disappointing numbers for Back to You at 6.58 million 'Til Death was on par with the previous week's 6.2 million with 6.19 million this week. Kitchen Nightmares was up from 5.42 million the previous week to 6.22 million this week. The CW had its usual showing of Top Model at a decent 4.54 million, Gossip Girl did just 2.75 million.
    Thursday it was CBS on top, but ABC was not far behind. CBS opened with Survivor: China at 14.14 million, exactly the same from the premiere. CSI followed with 20.97 million for first place, but down over 4 million from previous week. Without a Trace followed with 14.2 million, down over 2 million from previous week. ABC opened the night with Ugly Betty doing a solid 9.9 million, for second place, but down over a million from previous week. Grey's Anatomy followed with 18.51 million, down about 2 million from previous week's season premiere, though it did win in 18-49 with a 7.6/19 18-49 rating, for #1 for the week. Big Shots followed with a third place finish of 8.23 million...down nearly three million from the premiere, it needs to start going up now, or it will be in trouble. NBC was a distant third with its comedies My Name is Earl opened the night with 7.98 million, followed by the season premiere of 30 Rock with guest star Jerry Seinfeld doing 7.33 million. A one-hour The Office followed with 8.57 million, down from previous week's premiere by a million. ER closed the night with a tepid 9.09 million, down from previous week. Fox had a better Thursday than last week, but still fourth with 5th Grader doing just 8.63 million, up over a million from previous week. Don't Forget the Lyrics forgot the ratings again, with 5.74 million, up a bit from previous week. Smallville on The CW did 4.59 million, followed by the season premiere of Supernatural at just 2.97 million.
    Now, final numbers for Friday and Saturday are not available, but CBS won Friday, not with great numbers though. NBC was second, but it also was not so good, especially the season premiere of Friday Night Lights. ABC was a distant third and Fox again fourth.
    Saturday numbers are not available yet. But it should be all low.
    Tonight ABC Sunday should win the night, but CBS and NBC will be close, too. Fox will do well in young adults.
    As for the week, ABC and CBS will battle in HH and viewers, with ABC a sure winner in 18-49. Friday and Saturday numbers were all low for all, but the big three will rebound tonight. NBC will pass CBS for second in 18-49 thanks to the NFL game tonight. Will it be a clean sweep for ABC again? We'll find out.

    Last Sunday Sitcoms (counts for week of September 24-30)

    • The Simpsons (Fox) 2 episodes - 8.51 million for a new episode, down a million from the premiere the previous week. A repeat before that at 7:30 did 5.27 million.
    • King of the Hill (Fox) 2 episodes - 7.27 million for a new episode, drop of 1/2 million from the previous week, but better retention out of its lead-in. A repeat at 7pm did just 2.37 million.
    • Family Guy (Fox) - A one-hour episode did 10.81 million the previous week, a half-hour episode did 7.98 million this week...a big drop, but that was expected.
    • American Dad (Fox) - The season premiere did just 6.07 million. Is this going to be its last season?

    Monday Sitcoms

    • How I Met Your Mother (CBS) - The season premiere the previous week did 8.12 million, this week it was down a bit to 7.87 million.
    • The Big Bang Theory (CBS) - 9.52 million tuned in for the premiere the previous week, this week we saw 8.5 million, but it built on the lead-in in all categories for a good sign.
    • Two and a Half Men (CBS) - 13.24 million this week, on par with last week's 13.58 million.
    • Rules of Engagement (CBS) - 12.23 million tuned in the previous week, but with Stars at 2 hours tonight, this show got affected and did 10.09 million, a big drop from the previous week.
    • CW Monday Comedies: Chris, Aliens in America, Girfriends, The Game. Season premieres and the series premiere of Aliens did not so good, but The Game did decent and the best of the night at 2.98 million.


    Tuesday Sitcoms

    • Cavemen (ABC) - All the new sitcoms on the big 4 have debuted just about the same. This one did a 6.1/10, 9.19 million and a 3.5/10 18-49. Not bad, but needs to retain most of that this week.
    • Carpoolers (ABC) - The surprisingly funny sitcom did surprisingly decent in its premiere. 5.9/9, 9.06 million, 3.5/9 18-49. Again, needs to retain most of that this coming week.

    Wednesday Sitcoms
    • Back to You (Fox) - 3rd episode did 6.58 million, a drop from episode 2's 7.47 million. More concerning was the 2.4 18-49 rating.
    • 'Til Death (Fox) - 6.19 million, on par with last week, but built on the lead-in 18-49 to a 2.5..
    Thursday Sitcoms
    • My Name is Earl (NBC) - 7.98 million tuned in for a half-hour episode, down from the 8.66 million for the one-hour premiere last week.
    • 30 Rock (NBC) - The season premiere with Jerry Seinfeld did decent with 7.33 million and a series best 3.4 18-49 rating.
    • The Office (NBC) - Another one-hour episode did 8.57 million, down from last week's 9.65 million.
    Friday Sitcoms
    None.

    Saturday Sitcoms
    None.

    Airing tonight (Sunday) are new episodes of Fox's animated comedies.

    Summing it up. Two and a Half Men, The Office, Big Bang Theory, Cavemen, and Carpoolers were impressive for the week. Everything else was OK (such as Rules of Engagement, How I Met Your Mother) or just plain old terrible (Aliens in America).

    Saturday, October 06, 2007

    Mini-DVD Review: Entourage - Season Three, Part 2; Solomon's Weekly Rant: The Reappearance of Fresh Prince

    It is Saturday, so that must mean it is time for mini-DVD reviews and Solomon's Weekly Rant! First up of course is the mini-DVD review. This week we take a look at HBO's Entourage - Season Three, Part 2. Entourage of course is the popular HBO series that is about a guy named Vince (played by Adrian Grenier) that is about to make it big in showbiz and moves to Hollywood in hopes that he will make it to the top. See skees53's mini-DVD review of Entourage: Season 3, Part 2:

    Entourage: Season 3, Part 2 (HBO, $39.98) brings the last eight episodes of the third season (aired in spring 2007) together in a two disc set. Vince, Eric, Drama, and Turtle are back and trying to help Vince make it big in Hollywood. But with things going sour with Ari in the first part of season 3, how will they manage to accomplish this? You can find out all of these answers and more in the second part of the third season!
    Now that Vince has a new agent, he could be getting new types of work... such as a film about Edith Wharton, as he could be getting in "Less Than 30." Drama is about to have a prank played on him by Pauly Shore (who plays himself) in "Gotcha!," but in a botched attempt to prevent it from happening, he accidentally gets on Chuck Liddell's (also playing himself) bad side. Ed Burns guest stars in "Return of the King," where Ari must coordinate a deal on Yom Kippur--before sundown. Drama's new series is about to premiere in "The Resurrection," but how will he react when he sees how the critics have reacted to it? The season ends with the guys having to go their separate ways (well, kind of) in "Adios Amigos," where they all move out of the mansion and into their own places.
    Once again, the video and audio of the set is highly impressive, and exactly what one would expect from a recent series, if not even better. The episodes are all in widescreen and we have the Dolby Digital 5.1 audio track. The special features on the set are just right, with audio commentaries on three episodes (featuring Doug Ellin, Kevin Connolly, Kevin Dillon, and Jerry Ferrara), a Museum of Television & Radio Panel discussion that gives the cast a chance to say what they want to say about the show, and an "Anatomy of Entourage" special feature that allows you to go behind the scenes to see the making of the season finale. Get your entourage together and watch this DVD set!
    -- Reviewed by skees53
    (4.5/5 stars)

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    Solomon's Weekly Rant
    Saturday, October 6, 2007
    "The Reappearance of Fresh Prince"
    By Solomon Davis

    Nick at Nite viewers had gotten used to seeing a new nightly schedule during the month of September and now in the past two weeks the Fresh Prince has reappeared on our TV screens. Nick at Nite has turned their schedule into a Fresh Prince sandwich with Home Improvement and George Lopez in between since Fresh Prince is the first show to start and end primetime. And even if it is because it is the top rated show, there is no reason to flood the schedule with the show and decrease the airings of your new shows that were probably gaining new fans. I'm a Fresh Prince fan and now I have finally become sick of seeing the show on Nick at Nite because I was used to the new schedule with different shows and now all I see is Fresh Prince all over the place. The one thing I will never understand is how Nick at Nite holds on to this one show and makes no attempt to find out if they have other hit shows on their schedule. That way Nick at Nite would be a more balanced network with several types of comedies and not just a channel with a Hip-Hop Comedy dominating the schedule very night. Is Nick at Nite so scared to find out if they have other hits?

    My Weird TV Moments of the Week:
    Tuesday, October 2, 2007: Regis asks Kelly to rub his tie and Kelly's reply was, "Do you want me to rub up or rub down?"
    Thursday, October 4, 2007: Cleveland Cavalier, LeBron James at Game 1 of the Indians/Yankees ALDS Game in Cleveland with a Yankees baseball cap on his head and not supporting his hometown team the Indians.

    Agree or disagree with Solomon? Discuss it here.

    DISCLAIMER: Remember, Solomon is not the voice of SitcomsOnline. He is just stating his opinions and does not reflect what SitcomsOnline says or thinks. It is just his 'View' but it is always quite entertaining.

    Friday, October 05, 2007

    JustMyShow.com Interviews Three's Company Bartenders

    Our good friend Eric at JustMyShow.com has put a new show, this time for his Recurring Character Central segment. It is Friday night and what better night for a drink. He has brought back both bartenders from Three's Company for the very first time. This is the very first time they have spoken to each other as Paul Ainsley was the main bartenders from seasons 1-4 and Brad Blaisdell was for seasons 5-8. Join Eric as he talks to "Jim the Bartender" and "Mike the Bartender" about Three's Company, the greatness and niceness of John Ritter, inside stories, their careers, and much more. This is a very nice half-hour interview that even features trivia questions for both actors submitted by me! I think I stumped them, but you'll have to listen yourself!
    To listen to this wonderful interview, click HERE!

    We shall return if we have any other news. Come on back.

    Thursday, October 04, 2007

    Customizable Versions of Classic TV Music; Beaver Reunion Video

    SmartSound Software, Inc., the leading provider of music and scoring technology for film and video professionals, today announced the launch of four new customizable music libraries featuring all original music from the film and television catalog of EMI Music Publishing, one of the world's largest music publishers. Each track is licensed for unlimited use in home movies and is encoded to work with SmartSound-enabled applications, including many leading video editing software products. This nostalgic music combined with SmartSound's patented technology allows users to set the music into any length scene and listen to all possible arrangements that have a musical beginning and ending fit exactly to the scene.
    Each library includes ten tracks. They can be purchased directly from SmartSound at http://www.smartsound.com/moviemusic for $39.95 each or just $99 for all four discs as a set. Here are the TV Classics Library details:
    EMI TV Classics -- Memorable music from favorite TV shows of the 1960s and 1970s. Includes music from such popular shows as Batman, Bewitched, The Avengers and Lost in Space.

    In case anyone missed it this morning, ABCNews.com has put up the video of the Leave it to Beaver reunion segment. Tom Bergeron, host of Dancing with the Stars, conducted the interview. Can you believe Barbara Billingsley is 91?? Anyway, see for yourself by clicking HERE. There are two video links there on the right.

    Yesterday we reported that tonight's Grey's Anatomy will encore on Friday at 9 on ABC, but now ABC has decided not to. Private Practice will now air on Friday, October 5, 2007 at 9:00 PM ET/PT. This episode will be a repeat telecast of the Wednesday, October 3, 2007 broadcast.

    Tune in tonight on NBC for the Comedy Done Right sitcoms starting at 8/7 central with My Name is Earl followed by the season premiere of 30 Rock and an all-new one-hour episode of The Office.

    Wednesday, October 03, 2007

    New Knight Rider Possible; ABC Encores This Week's Grey's on Friday

    NBC is bringing back Knight Rider, signing Doug Liman to produce a Transformers-inspired reworking of the 1980's hit action-drama series about a man and his indestructible supercar, Variety reports.
    NBC is readying a two-hour backdoor pilot for the project, with tentative plans to air it as a movie-of-the-week later this season. Liman is open to the idea of directing, assuming his schedule allows. If the TV movie clicks, a new-model Knight Rider series could be on the air as early as next fall.
    It's also likely the new show will explore the idea of "evil" cars to offset the heroic talking K.I.T.T. car of the original series, which starred David Hasselhoff. That said, the series is expected to essentially remain focused on the story of a single man fighting for justice with the help of his superadvanced car.
    The TV movie could serve as a good replacement for repeats come spring, perhaps replacing an encore of Heroes or Bionic Woman.
    What are your thoughts on this? Give us your thoughts by clicking HERE.

    ABC has made a schedule change for this Friday. They were scheduled to air an episode of Primetime: Medical Mysteries this Friday at 9, but now they will air an encore of this Thursday's Grey's Anatomy instead. The encore of the Pushing Daisies pilot will still air at 8 and 20/20 at 10pm.

    If we have more news we will post it here. So come on back if you can.

    Tune in tonight for the third week of sitcoms from Fox's Back to You and 'Til Death. They air back-to-back starting at 8/7 central on Fox!
    Also tonight, it is the series premiere of the best pilot of the season...Pushing Daisies. I saw the show this summer and it is fantastic. I won't give a full fledge review, but you've seen the promos and reviews, everyone loves it. It is a forensic fairytale with laughs, romance and mystery. It is about a guy named Ned who has this special touch of awakening the dead. The pilot starts off with a flashback showcasing us how this had happened. He has had the touch since he was little boy. The thing is, if he touches them once more, they go back to being dead. Also he only has one minute in keeping them alive, otherwise another person will die.
    He owns a pie shop that looks so cool. His life as a pie maker gets more complicated when private investigator Emerson Cod (Chi McBride) finds out about Ned's secret. Emerson convinces the cash-strapped Ned to help him solve murder cases (and collect the hefty reward fees) by raising the dead and getting them to name their killers.
    Then Ned is handed the case that changes his life forever. His childhood sweetheart, Charlotte (nickname is Chuck), is murdered on a cruise ship under strange circumstances. Her death brings him back to his hometown of Coeur d' Coeurs to bring Chuck back to life, albeit briefly, and solve the crime. But once reunited with Chuck, Ned can't bring himself to send her back. He helps her escape after her grieving aunts, Lily and Vivian, former synchronized swimmers Darling Mermaid Darlings, think they've buried her forever.
    Chuck becomes the third partner in Ned and Emerson's PI enterprise, but she encourages them to use their skills for good, not just for profit. Ned is overjoyed to be reunited with Chuck, the only girl he's ever loved. Life would be perfect, except for one cruel twist -- if he ever touches her again, she'll go back to being dead, this time for good.
    That is the pilot in a nutshell. It is really good!!! I urge you all to watch it because it is very charming. It is like a storybook serialized procedural with tons of laughs, mystery and romance. The show has it all and everyone will like something from it. The show airs tonight at 8/7 central only on ABC!

    Tuesday, October 02, 2007

    Beaver Reunion on GMA Thursday; The Fonz in Bronze?

    Leave it to Beaver is turning the big 5-0 tomorrow debuting 50 years ago on Oct. 3, 1957, and ABC's Good Morning America will reunite June (Barbara Billingsley), Wally (Tony Dow), Lumpy (Frank Bank), Eddie (Ken Osmond) and The Beav (Jerry Mathers) himself on the Thursday (Oct. 4) telecast of the morning show. It will air sometime between 7-9am, so either set the VCR/TiVo on or watch while you get ready for work. It will be great to see the living cast together again. As we have mentioned, TV Land will air a 24-hour marathon honoring the 50th anniversary of the show by airing classic episodes including the rarely seen pilot starting Saturday at 8pm thru Sunday at 8pm (and more airings on Monday from 11am-5pm). It is going to be a Beaver-licious week!

    Variety is reporting that a Wisconsin civic group called Visit Milwaukee is trying to bring 'happy days' to the city, launching a campaign to create a bronzed statue of the character of The Fonz (Fonzie, Arthur Fonzarelli, whatever you call him) played by the great Henry Winkler.
    They have raised about half of the $85,000 needed to get the bust made and presented in the city where Happy Days was set. While TV Land has funded statues of notable TV characters in the past, it won't be financing this one -- to the city's chagrin (The net isn't giving thumbs down to the character; it's just very selective about its statue-funding.).

    Tune in tonight for two series premieres of two sitcoms...Cavemen and Carpoolers. We reviewed Carpoolers on Saturday and it is a surprise, so please try it. We have not seen the updated Cavemen pilot (nor has any other critic), so we will be watching that for the first time, too. We will try to do a review of it after we see it.
    Both sitcoms will air back-to-back and the laughs start tonight at 8/7 central on ABC!

    Monday, October 01, 2007

    AmericanLife Adds Batman, Trapper John, Lou Grant, Green Hornet and More; Nick at Nite Starts With Fresh

    AmericanLife TV Network, the cable network devoted to the Baby Boomer generation, debuts lots of new shows including three new action and adventure programs this October on its primetime program schedule. Mission: Impossible premieres on Monday, October 1, and Batman and Green Hornet follow on Friday, October 5.
    Mission: Impossible (Mondays at 8:00 p.m. ET /PT) premiered in 1966 and aired for seven years. The series stars Greg Morris, Peter Lupus, Peter Graves, Martin Landau, Barbara Bain and Bob Johnson, who was the voice on the tape that intoned, "Your mission, should you decide to accept it..." Mission: Impossible chronicles the adventures of a secret government agency tasked with conducting covert missions, including freeing hostages, releasing war weapons and solving international mysteries. The series won numerous awards, including three Golden Globe Awards, three Emmy Awards and a Grammy Award for Best Original Score Written for a Motion Picture or Television Show.
    Batman (Fridays at 9:00 p.m. ET/PT), based on the comic book series, follows Batman and his sidekick Robin as they fight Gotham City’s villains. Starring Adam West as Batman and Burt Ward as Robin, the series also attracted A-list Hollywood talent to play the roles of the villains: Frank Gorshin and John Astin as The Riddler, Burgess Meredith as The Penguin, Cesar Romero as The Joker, Victor Buono as King Tut, Vincent Price as Egghead and Julie Newmar and Eartha Kitt as Catwoman. Batman premiered in 1966 on ABC and aired four years.
    Green Hornet (Fridays at 9:30 p.m. ET /PT) stars Van Williams as Britt Reid, a newspaper publisher who becomes the masked hero to fight criminals. He is assisted by his secretary, Lenore "Casey" Case (Wende Wagner), and Asian valet and martial arts expert Kato (Bruce Lee). Only airing for one season in 1966, this series marked Lee's debut on American television.
    AmericanLife will be adding lots of other ner series this month as well. The other new shows are: Lou Grant, Trapper John M.D., Rat Patrol, 12 O'Clock High, Big Valley, and Burke's Law.
    With all these new shows coming from the Fox and Paramount libraries, the Warner Bros. library will be leaving. The shows leaving are: 77 Sunset Strip, China Beach, Gallant Men, I Spy, The Man from U.N.C.L.E., The Girl from U.N.C.L.E., The F.B.I., Our Gang, Adventures of Superman, My Favorite Martian, F Troop, Chico and the Man, Welcome Back Kotter and Lawman. The Warner Bros. deal has lasted quite a while on the network, so you all should have taped your shows while you had the chance.
    For the full list of changes and to discuss these changes, I urge you to click HERE!

    Other highlights for October include a Halloween-themed special (Nancy Kerrigan's Halloween on Ice) and classic television series featuring guest star appearances by several television and film celebrities.

    Thursday, October 4
    The Time Tunnel: Carroll O'Connor guests in "Last Patrol" (9:00 p.m. ET/PT).

    Sunday, October 7
    St. Elsewhere: Judith Light guest stars in "Dog Day Hospital" (8:00 p.m. ET/PT).

    Thursday, October 11
    Lost in Space: Warren Oates guest stars in "Welcome Stranger" (8:00 p.m. ET/PT).
    The Time Tunnel: Oscar-winning actress Ellen Burstyn guests in "Crack of Doom" (9:00 p.m. ET/PT).

    Friday, October 12
    Mission: Impossible: Lloyd Bridges guest stars in "Fakeout" (8:00 p.m. ET/PT).

    Sunday, October 14
    Mission: Impossible: William Smithers guests in "The Ransom" (8:00 p.m. ET/PT).

    Wednesday, October 17
    Combat!: James Coburn guests alongside ex-heavyweight boxing champ Rocky Marciano, making his television acting debut, in "Masquerade" (7:00 p.m. ET/PT).

    Saturday, October 20
    The Big Valley: Mary Astor guest stars in "Who Killed Cable Roberts?" (6:00 p.m. ET/PT).

    Monday, October 22
    The Mary Tyler Moore Show: Vic Tayback guests in "Second Story Story" (9:00 p.m. ET /PT).

    Wednesday, October 24
    Trapper John, M.D.: Emmy and Golden Globe winning actress Shelley Long guest stars in "The Shattered Image" (10:00 p.m. ET/PT).

    Thursday, October 25
    Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea: Richard Carlson guest stars in "The Village of Guilt" (10:00 p.m. ET /PT).

    Friday, October 26
    Combat!: Actor and director Ron Howard guests in "What Are the Bugles Blown For? Part I" (7:00 p.m. ET /PT) (Part two airs Monday, October 29 at 7 p.m. ET /PT).

    Nick at Nite will be kicking off each night this week with The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, replacing one of the Home Improvement airings. No other changes will be made. Maybe Fresh is coming into boost the ratings a bit? We'll see, but as of now it is just for this week...but that could change.

    Don't forget tonight to tune in to the series premiere of Aliens in America on The CW, along with the rest of the season premieres of The CW Monday comedies. And if that is not all, it is week two of the CBS Monday comedies! The fun starts 8/7 central on both CBS and The CW. Watch and TiVo!
    8:30pm will be a busy slot as Perfect Strangers launches on ION tonight! Get out of the city!

    Sunday, September 30, 2007

    Week 1 Numbers (First Four Nights); How the Sitcoms Did

    Week 1 numbers (first four nights of the season, Mon-Thu):

    Households: ABC: 9.6/15.1; CBS: 8.5/13.4; NBC: 6.0/9.5; Fox: 5.1/7.8; The CW: 2.0/3.1; MNT: 0.7/1.1.
    Total Viewers: ABC: 14.51 million; CBS: 13.49 million; NBC: 9.53 million; Fox: 8.17 million; The CW: 3.1 million; MNT: 1.01 million.
    Adults 18-49: ABC: 4.6/12.1; CBS: 4.1/10.7; NBC: 3.9/10.4; Fox: 3.2/8.2; The CW: 1.4/3.5; MNT: 0.4/1.1.

    Analysis: We're back with an all-new season! The 2007-08 season has begun and most of the shows debuted this past week. The season's top new shows both came on during Wednesday at 9pm, one winning in HH/viewers and one in 18-49. Through the first four days, ABC has the lead in all categories, with CBS second, NBC in third and Fox in fourth. NBC's numbers are a tad below because they haven't counted the Heroes premiere in the ratings yet, so I'm calling NBC in 2nd really in 18-49 or at least tied for second with CBS. It's still third in HH/viewers. NBC will count the Saturday encore of Heroes with the Monday premiere, in a new Nielsen option. I think that is cheating. Basically NBC is wiping out the Saturday encore and Nielsen is letting them just add on to the Monday numbers, making that higher than it really was. I wonder if any other networks will try that this season?
    Monday was the first night of the 2007-08 season and it was all ABC thanks to the big return of Dancing with the Stars. The 90-minute season premiere, featuring the women dancers only, did an impressive 21.25 million and a 5.8/15 in 18-49. The season premiere of The Bachelor followed with its usual numbers, 9.23 million. Next up was CBS with its comedies and CSI: Miami. The Big Bang Theory did 9.52 million and built on How I Met Your Mother's 8.12 million for a decent debut, but it'll need to do this all the time to survive. Two and a Half Men and Rules of Engagement followed with decent numbers (13.58 and 12.23 million). While Men was down, Rules did hold much of that. The season premiere of CSI: Miami did 15.08 million, while that is down from usual numbers, it was still #1 at 10pm. NBC followed with two new dramas surrounding Heroes. Heroes' final numbers are not available because of what I mentioned earlier, but it was on par with last season's average (13-14 million and a 5.7 18-49). Chuck opened the night with a modest 9.21 million, building a bit in its second half - a good sign. Journeyman did 9.16 million, while similar to Chuck, it had some bleeding in the second half, so it might have a long journey in its future. Fox was a distant fourth with Prison Break continuing to fall (7.41 million) and the second episode of K-Ville was down big from its premiere, to just 6.13 million. The CW aired repeats of their Monday sitcoms.
    Tuesday, again it was ABC and Dancing with the Stars foxtrotting for a win. It was the men's turn and they did 18.51 million for 90-minutes. Boston Legal's season premiere followed with 10.3 million, on par with the usual numbers it gets in viewers. Fox jumped to second on this night thanks to the return of House. 18.31 million tuned in for the season premiere, while that was down from last year's premiere (which was at 8pm compared to this year's 9pm), it did do a 7.8/19 18-49 rating. Bones opened the night off with a third place 8.4 million finish. CBS was a close third with its trio of dramas. The always reliable NCIS opened the night off with 13.89 million, followed by The Unit which disappointed to 10.7 million , and the series premiere of Cane did decent with 11.21 million, but saw some bleeding in the second half. NBC was fourth with The Biggest Loser 2-hour show doing 6.62 million, followed by the Law & Order: SVU premiere at 12.12 million, but that was off by a lot from last year. The CW got so-so numbers with Beauty & the Geek and series premiere of Reaper...2.98 and 3.28 million.
    Wednesday again it was ABC with the special night and time of Dancing with the Stars, this time the Results. Bye bye to Josie, as 16.81 million tuned in for the hour results show at 8pm. The series premiere of Private Practice got off to a good start with a first place 14.41 million and a second place 5.2 18-49 rating, a bit disappointing, but it wasn't expected to be like Grey's Anatomy. The series premiere of Dirty Sexy Money did 10.44 million, for second place. CBS and NBC battled for second, but CBS edged the peacock for 2nd in HH/viewers. Week two of Kid Nation plummeted to just 7.62 million for third place, but veteran dramas Criminal Minds and CSI: NY did well and were consistent doing 12.66 and 12.72 million. NBC opened the night with Deal or No Deal doing a below average 9.05 million, followed by the series premiere of Bionic Woman at a second place 13.91 million and an impressive first place finish in 18-49 with a 5.7 rating. The battle between the two new dramas at 9pm will be something to watch this week...who will hold up and will CBS's veteran drama be a factor? At 10pm NBC aired Life's premiere and it did pretty good with 9.95 million, but it faltered quite a bit at 10:30. I see major bleeding this week. Fox was fourth with the disappointing numbers for Back to You and 'Til Death, both dropping over 20% from last week's premieres to 7.47 and 6.2 million. Kitchen Nightmares also dropped quite a bit in week 2 and only managed 5.42 million. The CW had its usual showing of Top Model at a decent 4.9 million, but the second week of Gossip Girl was terrible at just 2.48 million.
    Thursday it was CBS on top, but the previous three nights' winner, ABC, was not far behind. CBS opened with Survivor: China at 14.14 million, while #1 still, but down from last season. The season premiere of CSI did 25.22 million for first place, thanks to the Sara cliffhanger. Without a Trace came back to its old slot and did 16.68 million, down from what it did before in this slot...by a lot too. Nevertheless, it won its slot. ABC opened the night with Ugly Betty doing a solid 11.16 million, for second place. Grey's Anatomy followed with 20.93 million, down about 4 million from last season's massive premiere, though it did win in 18-49 with a big 8.8/21 18-49 rating, for #1 for the week. The series premiere of Big Shots followed with a second place finish of 11.1 million...it needs to stay around this and not drop like Six Degrees did each week last year, or we could see the same goodbye. NBC was a distant third with the one-hour episodes of My Name is Earl and The Office doing 8.66 and 9.65 million, but The Office was EXCELLENT in 18-49 with a 5.1/12 rating, the best sitcom showing in that age group. ER closed the night with a tepid 9.92 million, down even a lot from last year. Fox had a forgetful Thursday with 5th Grader doing just 7.48 million, down a ton from last spring. Don't Forget the Lyrics forgot the ratings, with 5.32 million, down a lot from the previous week...the competition got to them. Smallville got a nice season premiere on The CW with 5.18 million, followed by an encore of Reaper at 2.58 million.
    Now, final numbers for Friday and Saturday are not available, but CBS won Friday, but it was down big from what it was doing last year. NBC was a close second, but it also was down big, especially Deal or No Deal. ABC was a distant third and Fox again fourth.
    Saturday numbers are not available yet. But it should be all low.
    Tonight are the season premieres for ABC Sunday and they should win the night, but CBS and NBC will be close, too. Fox will do well in young adults.
    As for the week, ABC should hang on in HH, viewers and 18-49. Friday and Saturday numbers were all low for all, but the big three will rebound tonight. NBC will pass CBS for second in 18-49 thanks to the NFL game tonight. This week last year, CBS was first in HH, viewers, with ABC first in 18-49. Will it be a clean sweep for ABC? We'll find out.


    Last Sunday Sitcoms (counts for week of September 17-23)

    • The Simpsons (Fox) - 9.5 million for the season premiere, but its strength was the 4.7 18-49 rating.
    • King of the Hill (Fox) - 7.82 million for the season premiere, a kind of a big drop from the lead-in.
    • Family Guy (Fox) - 1-hour star Wars episode impressed with 10.81 million, but an even more impressive 5.6 18-49 rating!

    Monday Sitcoms

    • How I Met Your Mother (CBS) - The season premiere did an OK 8.12 million, but the competition was stiff.
    • The Big Bang Theory (CBS) - 9.52 million is nothing major, but it built on everything from the lead-in, making it a great debut. 3.7 18-49 is decent.
    • Two and a Half Men (CBS) - 13.58 million...but not as good as it usually did last season, but against Dancing and Heroes, that is not bad at all, still #1 in viewers for sitcoms.
    • Rules of Engagement (CBS) - 12.23 million for its season premiere, nice retention from the lead-in.
    • CW Monday Comedies: Chris, Girfriends, The Game. All repeats with Chris the highest at 1.83 million. Season premieres tomorrow.


    Tuesday Sitcoms

    • None.

    Wednesday Sitcoms
    • Back to You (fox) - 2nd episode did 7.47 million, drop of over 2 million from its premiere. Will it continue to drop or has it stabilized?
    • 'Til Death (ABC) - 6.2 million, the lowest of the first-run sitcoms this week.
    Thursday Sitcoms
    • My Name is Earl (NBC) - The one-hour Free Earl season premiere did a decent 8.66 million and a 3.8 18-49 rating, for third in its slot.
    • The Office (NBC) - Building on the lead-in, the one-hour premiere did 9.65 million and an even more impressive 5.1 18-49 rating, building on the lead in by 1.3 points.
    Friday Sitcoms
    None.

    Saturday Sitcoms
    None.

    Airing tonight (Sunday) are new episodes of Fox's animated comedies.

    Summing it up. Two and a Half Men, The Office, Big Bang Theory, My Name is Earl, and The Rules of Engagement were impressive for the week. Everything else was OK (such as Back to You) or just plain old terrible ('Til Death).

    Saturday, September 29, 2007

    ABC Fall Pilot Review: Carpoolers - Premieres October 2; Solomon's Weekly Rant: The Premiere Delay of New Fall Shows

    Carpoolers

    Carpoolers - Tuesdays at 8:30PM ET/PT on ABC
    Premieres October 2 at 8:30PM ET/PT

    Four guys who carpool to work every day come to savor their commute as the only safe time to commiserate about jobs, families – and secrets. Even though "what happens in the carpool stays in the carpool," they'll go beyond the boundaries of this fast-moving commuter confessional to get involved in each other's lives and develop friendships.
    The character details follow:

    Gracen (Fred Goss, ABC's Sons & Daughters) is the unofficial leader of the carpool pack. As a professional mediator, he thinks he's a problem solver, but more often he's a causer. He seeks fairness in an unfair world, and so finds himself in the middle of situations because he’s compelled to be there. In the pilot, Gracen is stunned to learn that his wife makes more money than he does, which sets his resolve to assert his manly authority.

    Laird (Jerry O'Connell, Crossing Jordan) is Gracen's playboy dentist neighbor and best friend. He thinks his life is an unending quest for stories – and women. In the middle of a messy divorce, he allows himself to live a little and taunts the other carpoolers with the freedom of his near-single status. He would never admit that he secretly misses marriage. Laird constantly leads the carpoolers into adventures, but once there, he isn't sure what to do.
    Meet Laird, a dentist and recent divorce turned womanizer who was left with nothing intact but his libido. Laird's best friend, Gracen, is a mediator, a voice of reason, and the unofficial leader of the pack. Then there's self-sacrificing Aubrey, with a brood of kids and a stay-at-home couch-potato wife, and newlywed Dougie, the carpool neophyte who's willing to risk his life to save a coveted parking space for the team.

    Aubrey (Jerry Minor, Arrested Development) is a sweet but intense pushover at the bottom of the family food chain. The daily ride has become the only peaceful time in his life. Forty-five minutes, two times a day – he needs the carpool the most. Always quick to come to the carpoolers' aid, he believes in the brotherhood almost to a fault. Only the carpoolers know he’s boiling inside, because "in the carpool lane, no one can hear you scream."

    Dougie (Tim Peper, Guiding Light) is the eager newlywed. He doesn’t know all the rules of the Carpooler Society, often breaks them, and has to have the ways of the world explained to him by his tribal elders, the three other carpoolers. He and his wife, Cindy, are the perfect modern couple, but as you get to know them, you start to see their cracks. Dougie is the guy who seems to have it all together, yet he’s drawn to the carpoolers for a little excitement. The carpoolers will both instigate problems for Dougie and help him deal with the realities of life to come.

    Cast Details:

    Fred Goss as Gracen, Jerry O'Connell as Laird, Jerry Minor as Aubrey, Tim Peper as Dougie, Allison Munn as Cindy, with Faith Ford as Leila, and T.J. Baker as Marmaduke

    Fred Goss (Gracen Brooker) is steeped in the entertainment business, as an actor, director, writer, producer and editor. As an actor, Goss starred in ABC's critically acclaimed Sons & Daughters. Along with his writing partner, he also created, wrote and served as executive producer and show runner on the series. In addition he directed the pilot, as well as four other episodes. Goss starred in Bravo's cult classic, Significant Others, and has also appeared in The Man Show and South Park. His first appearance in a TV comedy was on the hit series ALF.

    Faith Ford (Leila Brooker) has five Emmy nominations and two Golden Globe nominations for her ten-year portrayal of reporter Corky Sherwood on Murphy Brown. More recently she starred for three seasons in the ABC hit comedy series Hope & Faith, with Kelly Ripa, and co-starred opposite Vin Diesel in Touchstone Pictures' The Pacifier. She also starred for two seasons as Shelly Kilmartin, a probation officer who is the object of Norm MacDonald's affection on the ABC series Norm. Between Murphy Brown and Norm, Ford headlined her own series, Maggie Winters. She was a regular on the series Popcorn Kid and a recurring character on thirtysomething, before meeting Murphy Brown executive producer Diane English.

    Jerry O'Connell (Laird) starred as Detective Woody Hoyt on Crossing Jordan. Other television credits include starring in Sliders, the movie What the Deaf Man Heard and the miniseries The '60s. Jerry O'Connell is quickly emerging as one of Hollywood's most versatile and sought after talents, especially in the movies.

    Jerry Minor (Aubrey) is a former cast member of Saturday Night Live and HBO's Mr. Show with Bob and David, Minor was also in the cast of the groundbreaking but short-lived 4-camera sitcom for HBO, Lucky Louie, as Louis CK's African-American neighbor who suffered Louie's clumsy attempts at friendship. Minor has appeared on such television shows as Arrested Development, The Awful Truth with Michael Moore, and on Comedy Central's The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, Trigger Happy TV and Crank Yankers. He also makes regular guest appearances on Jimmy Kimmel Live.

    Tim Pepper's (Dougie) television credits include a recurring role on Conviction, plus guest starring on Law & Order, Guiding Light and As the World Turns.

    Alison Munn (Cindy) was most recently a series regular on What I Like About You, and is also known for her recurring role as Crazy Caroline on That '70s Show. She had recurring roles on St. Sass and Now and Again, with additional TV credits in Charmed, JAG, Boston Public, Inside Schwartz and Law & Order: SVU.

    T.J. Miller (Marmaduke Brooker) performs improvisation, sketch and stand-up comedy and is currently a member of Green Company of the Second City National Touring Companies. He performs improvisation with the house team Bullet Lounge at IO, stand-up at numerous comedy venues in Chicago, as well as sketch comedy with the group Heavy Weight. He even eats most of meals standing up.


    Pilot Plot:

    I have received the first two episodes of the series. The first episode, "Pilot," airing Oct. 2, Gracen wonders aloud how his lovely "house flipper" wife, Leila, can afford to buy a $200 designer toaster and how his deadbeat son, Marmaduke, who struts around the house in nothing but his jockeys and a smile, suddenly lands an internet job making more than his dad. By the end of the day, the guys have their mission: to steal back the respect Gracen deserves by any means necessary.
    "Pilot" was written by Bruce McCulloch and directed by Anthony and Joe Russo.
    Guest starring are Troy Evans as Mr. Heggie, Taylor Parks as Aubrey's daughter, Drew Matthews as Aubrey's son, Stephanie Reibel as woman, Scott Thompson as rich carpooler #1, Eddie Goins as rich carpooler #2, Irene White as Sue, Stephen T. Brophy as Ted and Andrew Cherry as Rikki.

    The second episode I received is airing October 9 and is titled "Laird of the Ring." Laird pretends to be married to impress a girl who's into married men, Dougie believes Aubrey is having an affair when he sees him sneaking into a motel, and Marmaduke suspects that Laird is his father.
    "Laird of the Ring" is written by Bruce McCulloch and directed by Joe Russo.
    Guest starring are Sasha Barrese as Holly, Irene White as Sue Henzel, Stephen T. Brophy as Ted Henzel, Byron Field as brokeback guy, Vince Pavia as delivery guy, Jordan Robinson as Aubrey's kid #1, Khamani Griffin as Aubrey's kid #2 and Jay Jay Ellis as Aubrey's kid #3.


    Analysis:

    This show is surprisingly funny. I was shocked when ABC had picked-up this show, but after seeing the pilot, I am not surprised. It is a hoot and the cast is great. The pilot has a lot of laughs. The singing in the car while going to work is hilarious. Aubrey especially. Both episodes I have seen, start off with singing in the car. It might sound corny, but it is a riot. Another ongoing joke is, while driving, they are on a highway for "Carpoolers Only," and we see they are the only ones in that lane. While that is unrealistic, but it is supposed to be funny, as it is a joke. The plot of the pilot basically is to introduce us to the characters. Gracen, Laird, and Aubrey are about to get a new member of the Carpooler team in Dougie. He is their new guy and he has to sacrifice for the team in finding parking spots. He gets hit by cars so much. Even in episode two, he gets hit by cars, but in that episode he wasn't saving a parking spot. The other plots of the first episode is Gracen thinking his wife makes more money than him, and his son getting a new job. His son is a very oddball character. He is always in his underwear...even for an online job interview. I love the Aubrey character. He is hilarious. He sounds girly. He has like a 1,000 kids and his wife is now a fat couch potato who doesn't do anything but sit in front of the TV. We never see her face. She is like the new Nanny from the Muppet Babies! Except on this show, instead of seeing the Nanny's legs, we just see her stomach side. Aubrey does all the housework from doing the laundry to making cookies, while his wife watches her favorite TV shows.

    I'm sure there are a lot of people out there who carpool to go to work. So they could probably understand what these characters go through. The second episode is not as funny to me as the pilot. While it is interesting, it doesn't have as many laughs. Basically Laird borrows Gracen's wedding ring for a girl who is into only married men. Gracen's wife of course finds out right away that Gracen's wedding ring is missing. There are two sub-plots a well. Dougie sees Aubrey going into a motel for two days in a row right after coming to work. He thinks he is cheating on his overweight lazy wife. Is he? And Gracen's son Marmaduke, the dummy he is, thinks Laird is actually his father.


    Conclusion:

    As I said, this is surprisingly funny. The show will be following Cavemen on Tuesday nights on ABC. Cavemen has a lot of buzz and the premiere will certainly be sampled. So, let's hope they stick around for this show's premiere, too.

    All the characters are developed by the first two episodes. We know nearly all of them by the end of the pilot. Cindy, Dougie's wife, is the only character that is not really needed yet. Everyone has a big role for the show. Both men and women will like this show, especially the men who carpool to work. Fred Goss was so great on the single camera comedy Sons & Daughters. He is great in this single camera comedy, too. The difference is, this sitcom would appeal to everyone, as Sons & Daughters was way too smart for some people. Faith Ford is always good in a sitcom, Jerry O'Connell is pretty funny as the sex-craved Laird and I just love Aubrey as the girly heterosexual man with millions of kids and the fat lazy wife. The funny thing is, Aubrey's kids are all different on each episode so far. As for improving the show, they should continue to make it silly and funny. I know it might be hard to top the pilot, but with this cast, it can be done. Episode 2 was not as good as the pilot. Future episodes better be good, as the show is an underdog to succeed in the ratings. Rebecca Romijn will guest star as Laird's wildly sexy and free-spirited ex-wife, "Joannifer," who returns to his life determined to get him back in upcoming episodes. I can't wait to see that! But before that, watch the pilot...and you'll be surprised how funny it really is!


    Final Numbers (out of 5 stars):

    Watchability: 4/5
    Funniness: 4/5
    Overall: 4/5

    -- Reviewed by pavanbadal on 09/29/07

    Discuss the show after you watch it on Tuesday on our message board.

    Related Links:

  • ABC.com Official Site
  • TV.com
  • epguides.com
  • Internet Movie Database
  • Wikipedia
  • Carpoolers Photo Gallery


    No publication or website will be reviewing the new and updated pilot of Cavemen. ABC has not and will not send the pilot out before it premieres. So we will all have to watch on Tuesday and find out how it is.
    I saw the unaired pilot this summer, but they completely redid it and changed some characters even. So reviewing that would be pointless. That pilot was not that good, just average. Here's hoping the new pilot is much much better.


    Solomon's Weekly Rant
    Saturday, September 29, 2007
    "The Premiere Delay of New Fall Shows"
    By Solomon Davis

    I will never understand why certain networks choose to air the series premiere of their new shows close to or in the month October.. There shouldn't even be a delay if the new show was already summarized in the Fall Preview edition of TV Guide in early September. The Big Bang Theory just premiered on this past Monday (Sept. 24) on CBS after the show was previewed in TV Guide in early September. So why does there need to be a gap in between the summary of the new show in TV Guide and the premiere date of the show? If the show was previewed in TV Guide it should be premiering the following week. The new show called, Samantha Who? won't air on ABC until October 15 which is actually two weeks before November. So that's almost 8 weeks of waiting after reading about the show in TV Guide during early September. So should we be more annoyed with TV Guide for its early reviews of new shows or the networks for their future fall premiere dates?

    The Fall Preview edition of TV Guide always comes out the week after Labor Day which previews the news shows are on the network schedule for the new TV season. So if the TV Guide fall preview comes out in the 2nd week of September, why are they including the preview for new shows that premiere in October? I mean couldn't they just wait until the last week of September to preview new shows like Carpoolers, Pushing Daises, and Caveman? No they would rather have us enjoy the summary of a new show starting in October and wait days to see whether we will like the show. So TV Guide definitely plays a bigger role in the premiere delay of new shows. Which means it's time for someone at TV Guide to use their brain and come out with a preview for new shows a week before they premiere. It really makes more sense to have a TV Guide edition with previews of certain new shows closer to the premiere date instead of summarizing all the shows in one issue. The way TV Guide introduces these new TV shows is like a newspaper in the month of July including back to school clothes advertisements with school starting 7 weeks after the date of the paper.

    My TV Highlight of the Week: Tuesday, September 25, 2007 - Joy Behar asking Barbara Walters on The View, "did you sleep with Fidel Castro?" Walters replied, "are you nuts? I wonder if she asked Joy was she nuts because she asked her about Castro or because she asked her on the air?
    My TV Lowlight of the Week: Tuesday, September 25, 2007 - Tiki Barber almost dropping a salsa dancer on the boring fourth hour of the Today Show.

    Agree or disagree with Solomon? Discuss it here.

    DISCLAIMER: Remember, Solomon is not the voice of SitcomsOnline. He is just stating his opinions and does not reflect what SitcomsOnline says or thinks. It is just his 'View' but it is always quite entertaining.

  • Sitcoms Airing Tonight / Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows

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    Georgie & Mandy's First Marriage - "Heartbreak and the Refuge of the Downtrodden" (CBS, 9:30PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
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    08/08 - SitcomsOnline Digest: Joe Dirt Animated Series in the Works at Fox; First Look at The Varnell Hill Show
    08/07 - Disney's Big City Greens Brings Out the Guest Stars; The New SuperKitty Premieres Today
    08/06 - The Varnell Hill Show Coming to Paramount+ on September 1; Hallmark's 3rd Installment of Holiday Touchdown
    08/05 - Colin from Accounts Final Season Premieres September 10; The X-Files: I Want to Believe Gets Director's Cut on Disney+ & Hulu
    08/04 - Amazon MGM Studios Orders Improvised Sitcom; The CW Renews Game Shows for Season 3
    08/03 - CBS Announces Comics Unleashed with Byron Allen 20th Anniversary Special; Hulu to Debut Exclusive Bob's Burgers Holiday Short
    08/02 - Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows; This Week in Sitcoms (Week of August 3, 2026)
    08/01 - SitcomsOnline Digest: Clueless Sequel Series Starring Alicia Silverstone Ordered at Paramount+; Tubi Removing Some Warner Animated Series
    07/31 - Netflix's Leanne Season 2 Trailer; Paramount+ Greenlights Clueless Event Series Starring Alicia Silverstone
    07/30 - It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia Season 18 Premieres August 17 on FXX, FX and Hulu; Chad Powers Season 2 Premieres September 3 on Hulu
    07/29 - Ted Lasso Returns to the Pitch August 5 on Apple TV; Hulu Unveils Futurama Season 14 Trailer and Announces Three XXXL-Sized Specials