Category — TV Love

The last time I watched “TRL” was when I was becoming slightly obsessed with that Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian flick.

Thank god, MTV is putting “TRL: Total Request Live” to bed, so I don’t have to watch my favorite stars in shame as they plug their shows/films on that silly show. Seriously, it was getting really bad for awhile there for stars of television and film. It seemed like it was a pre-requisite to appear “hip” with the 18-24 demographic, one must make a stop at the TRL studios in New York City.

(Picture source: Ben Barnes and William Moseley on TRL in May 2008)

I’ve been subjected to a lot of bad teevee of late, evidenced in yesterday’s tirade about the dearth of American talent, paired with last weekend’s lamentation of how much Beverly Hills 9021-blows. Thus, I’ve armed myself with a box of Shiraz and my personal TV on DVD collection to cleanse my palette of the stale aftertaste of “Baywatch” wash-outs and the world’s oldest teenagers.

To wit, I’m looking forward to firing up the “DVD machine,” as my Aunt Louise called it, and perhaps enjoying some “Clerks: The Animated Series,” to start.

The “Clerks” TV series aired on ABC back in 2000, and Kevin Smith was chillingly accurate in his pre-premiere prediction that ABC would blow the marketing and scheduling, and the show would be canceled within 6 episodes. Smith was so right, in fact, that while six episodes were produced, only half as many ever made it to air. Being the animation fan that I am, and Kevin Smith fan that I used to be, you can imagine my delight when I purchased the DVD and unearthed the three treasures that were the “lost episodes.”

If you have any lingering skepticism, you should be aware that Alec Baldwin voices Leonardo Leonardo in the show, a Mr. Burns type of character, who is hilariously treacherous. As always, you can count on Baldwin’s comedic brilliance in his effortless delivery to make this unsung gem of a series really shine. If only it had come along during the [adult swim] age, then perhaps it would have had a fighting chance of survival. Sigh.

So go buy it on DVD. Or rent it, even. Trust me, it’s worth it. Despite it’s failure on ABC, “Clerks: The Animated Series” is one of the last bastions of Kevin Smith’s pre-suckfest era.

[Picture source: www.dvdtimes.co.uk]

The word on the street is TNT’s “The Closer” is getting a spinoff.

And that’s not the only show to catch the spinoff madness from “CSI” and “Law & Order”. Showtime’s “The L Word” is developing a spin-off for the Alice character, which is played by Leisha Hailey.

SciFi Channel’s 2009 schedule is chock full of spin-offs as well. First you got the Battlestar Galactica prequel, “Caprica”. And just last week I read that the creators of “Stargate: SG1″ are ending “Atlantis” next season to free up space for a new series called “Stargate: Universe”. The new show will follow a brand new crew that traverses multiple universes.

As a true television lover, I understand that sometimes you can’t get enough of your favorite show. I guess these producers are simply giving the viewers what they want: more airtime for the characters we already know and love.

Source: Pop Candy via The Hollywood Reporter

Season 6 of HBO’s “Real Time with Bill Maher” is in full swing, and just in the nick of time. You may remember Bill Maher for being fired by ABC after some controversial 9/11-related comments on his old show, “Politically Incorrect,” back in 2001. Now though, both on “Real Time” and in his HBO stand-up specials, Maher has been able to be more controversial than ever. And, after the Democratic and GOP conventions, Bill and his panelists have already had “Maher” than enough to talk about. Sorry.

In case you missed the first episode of this season of “Real Time,” it’s available On Demand; and the second episode, which just aired Friday night, should be up soon too. If you can’t wait that long, HBO is rerunning it loads of times over the next few days.

Be sure to program your DVR to record the next new episodes, which air live every Friday at 11pm eastern. And, if you don’t have HBO, to that I say “seriously???” I would suggest you at least find a friend who does enjoy the splendors of the Home Box Office, and force him/her to watch “Real Time” with you. It sure beats “Fox and Friends.” Of course, if you disagree with that statement, then, well, wow. We’re pretty much done here.

(Picture source: www.salon.com)

Tuesday night of this week, the CW ushered in a new addition to the Spoiled, Rich and Vapid 30-Year-Olds Playing Teenagers in High School genre, with their “reimagined” and revamped “90210.”

In the interest of full disclosure, I will admit it: I Tivo-ed it. Worse yet, I then watched it. This is not my first, nor will it be my last, extremely regrettable decision.

Long story short, if you find “Gossip Girl” to be a little too well written and complex (you know, with their super sophisticated “OMFG” campaign and all), then the new “90210″ just may be the show for you. Well, “90210″ or Teletubbies.

Kelly and Brenda– that is, Jennie Garth and Shannon Doherty, respectively– both make appearances in the first episode, and considering neither has anything better to do, they’ll have recurring roles. I’m guessing Tori Spelling is in a padded room somewhere.

So, if you’re planning to stick needles in your eyes this Tuesday night, watching “90210″ just may substitute as a strange, new torture for you, my dear little masochist. I, on the other hand, will be picking up the old “Beverly Hills 90210″ on DVD to remind myself of why I hated this show the first time around.

Warner Bros is reviving The WB on the internet. You can now stream classic shows like “Felicity”, “Buffy”, “Roswell”, “Angel”, “Smallville”, and many other tv shows that the network aired before it morphed into the The CW with UPN.

The WB network existed from 1995-2006 and was host to a multitude of television shows. They excelled with their children’s cartoon programming and guilty pleasure teen dramas like “Dawson’s Creek” and “One Tree Hill”. Nevertheless, my favorite shows were the sci-fi/horror tinged shows like “Angel” and “Roswell”. Still, The WB really did have something for everybody whether it be sitcoms, dramas, reality shows or even the local LA news.

It’s inevitable that the revival of The WB will only drudge up one the biggest mysteries in life that J.J. Abrams purported on “Felicity”. Who is the better guy: Ben or Noel!

My heart says Noel because he was so nice and followed her around like a puppy. On the otherhand, though Ben started off as a jerk, he did eventually man up and show her how much he loved her. After this much time, it’s still so hard to choose…

Source: Pop Candy

Felicity DVDs
Angel DVDs
Smallville DVDs
Roswell DVDs
Dawson’s Creek DVDs

Sure, they’re only characters from TV shows, but you do come to feel you know them if you watch them long enough. It’s hard to limit the list to five, but here are top picks—at least for today. It’s subjective, of course, and I may change my mind tomorrow, but at least two of these—Pembleton and Columbo–would make any list I compile.

Today’s Top Five:

1. Detective Frank Pembleton

Deftly played by Andre Braugher, the brooding Frank Pembleton was a departure from the less philosophical lawmen we usually saw on the telly. He and Richard Belzer brought something to “Homicide: A Life on the Streets” that was gritty and compelling. Pembleton captured the essence of being a cop when he said that he speaks for the dead because there is no one else to speak for them.

2. Lieutenant Columbo

Peter Falk was actually the third actor to play Columbo, but he was easily the most captivating. By the time the Falk “Columbo” series started though, those earlier incarnations of the character would be long forgotten. The series itself was often filled with clichés of the genre, but Falk’s shuffling Columbo brought such an originality to the series that it didn’t matter. Much of it was in the incredible timing he used when delivering his lines. BTW, the wardrobe (those trench coats and cigars) were Falk’s own.

3. Detective Lennie Briscoe

Jerry Orbach’s arch comments (Van Buren: “What about Dr. Hampton? Any man in her life?” Briscoe: “Yes, but his name is Fluffy and he’s been neutered. Other than that, her social calendar is pretty light.”) made me never want to miss an episode of “Law and Order,” the longest running cop show in television history. He was the anchor of the show while he was on it—until his untimely death. I miss him.

4. Dana Scully

Gillian Anderson’s tough, loner FBI agent lent a gravitas to “The X-Files” it wouldn’t otherwise have had. The cynical counter to her male partner, Fox Mulder, who is less skeptical. In one episode, she contracts cancer and she begins contemplating her own mortality and makes it less maudlin than the same subject usually seems on hospital shows. The show may have been far out, but Scully brought it down to earth—in a good way.

5. Detective John Munch

Back to “Homicide: A life on the Streets” for my fifth pick. Richard Belzer, previously known as a somewhat successful stand-up comic, proves he’s got some acting chops. He has also shown up in the “Law and Order” and “The Wire.” Actually, some of the lines he delivers as munch wouldn’t be entirely out of place in a comedy routine. But they work a lot better in context. Check out this line: “If a murder is committed in Baltimore and no homicide detective takes the call, did that homicide actually occur?”

If I missed your favorite gumshoe in my top 5, let me know in the comments.

I spent a good portion of my weekend delving into NBC’s 2008 Olympic coverage. I missed the opening ceremony, but luckily my friend tivo-ed all 4 hours of it for me!

Even when I left the house, everywhere I went people were talking about or watching the Olympics. I attended a birthday party yesterday and most of the guests (including the birthday girl) were huddled around the Samsung lcd television. We were mesmerized by the events, even the ones I didn’t care for like kayaking and water polo. Typically, I only make a point to watch the gymnastics, swimming, and diving events. But force me to watch Olympic sports on an HDTV, and I’m glued to the screen for the rest of the day!

Related Links:
BWE’s Top 8 Photos from the Opening Ceremony
Large high resolution photos of the Opening Ceremony (Boston.com)
Official Beijing Olympics coverage at NBC

As you may have noticed, my mission to write about every television show of note has become quite a task. There’s just so many eras and hidden gems I keep digging up every day. Lucky for me, Martin Grossman has joined the television revival cause!

If you read his reviews of “The Riches” and “Mad Men”, you’ll see that he’s right at home here on Television Revival. He is in the know about current tv shows and will contribute a few insightful tv revival posts on the weekends.

Say what’s up to Martin in the comments below.

(image source: PopSci)

Defamer’s “Top Ten Countdown of TVs Coolest Cats”:

1. Jack Bauer - “24″
2. The Fonz - “Happy Days”
3. Cord Walker - “Walker, Texas Ranger”
4. Will Smith - “Fresh Prince of Bel-Air”
5. Don Draper - “Mad Men”
6. Officer Tom Hanson (Jonny Depp) - “21 Jump Street”
7. Hannibal - “A-Team”
8. Dr. Ross (George Clooney) - “ER”
9. Conrad - “Weeds”
10. Parker Lewis - “Parker Lewis Can’t Lose”

The Walker pick is undeniable (he always gets his man!), but I’m not sure that I can back up the rest of their choices. Dr. Ross, Hannibal, and Jack Bauer (sorry, Kiefer) have got to go. Why? Because the grittiest character on there is Don Draper. Don’s got nothing on the folks in “The Wire”. HBO’s B-more crime drama has the coolest cats around in my opinion.

Stringer “It’s just Bizness” Bell

Jimmy “I’m working a case, so it’s okay when I drink a fifth of Jameson” McNulty

And Tommy Gavin of “Rescue Me” is the craziest, yet coolest firefighter in the history of television!

Watch Molly McAleer’s hilarious compilation video on Defamer and make your own top ten list.