Once again this week, I am late with the schedule post. But conveniently,
Once again this week, nothing new is airing. This week’s Glee double header is “Vitamin D” and “Throwdown” (Wednesday at 8 and 9pm on FOX), NBC is re-airing the Joseph Gordon-Levitt episode on Saturday at 11:30pm. Tune in to your local new station on Thursday (unless you don’t like countdowns, fireworks, ball-dropping, etc).
Finally, once again this week, I have not done what I set out to do. I spent a lot of time cooking and socializing with relatives instead. For better or for worse. SO,
Melted Brain To-Do:
Caprica: First Glance
Glee: Season Review
Hindsight: Battlestar Galactica
Hindsight: Veronica Mars
Catch up on Heroes/Reaction Time
Catch up on FlashForward/Instant Replay
Catch up on other stuff.
Of course, that to-do list will probably be waylaid again, because I AM GOING TO ACTUALLY OWN FIREFLY BY THIS TIME TOMORROW. I AM SO EXCITED, YOU DO NOT EVEN KNOW.
This news post is 90% about Glee, with a few mentions of other Golden Globe nominees. (YES, FOUR GOLDEN GLOBE NOMS FOR GLEE but we’ll get to that in a moment.)
Confirmed: IDINA MENZEL IS COMING TO GLEE THIS SPRING. Not as Rachel Berry’s bio-mom (the wet-dreams of crazed Gleeks everywhere have been crushed). Instead, Menzel is set to play the director of our favorite Glee club’s ultimate rivals Vocal Adrenaline, which will include Spring Awakening star Jonathan Groff.
Kristin Chenoweth will be reprising her role as April Rhodes sometime in the spring.
GOLDEN GLOBE NOMS. Glee has four nominations* under its belt after only thirteen episodes. They are listed below, along with all the other TV GG nominations.
Best Television Series (Comedy or Musical) 30 Rock
Entourage
*Glee
Modern Family
The Office
Best Actor in a Television Series (Comedy or Musical) Alec Baldwin, 30 Rock
Steve Carell, The Office
David Duchovny, Californication
Thomas Jane, Hung
*Matthew Morrison, Glee
Best Actress in a Television Series (Comedy or Musical) Toni Collette, The United States of Tara
Courteney Cox, Cougar Town
Edie Falco, Nurse Jackie
Tina Fey, 30 Rock
*Lea Michele, Glee
Best Television Series (Drama)
Big Love
Dexter
House
Mad Men
True Blood
Best Actor in a Television Series (Drama)
Simon Baker, The Mentalist
Michael C. Hall, Dexter
Jon Hamm, Mad Men
Hugh Laurie, House
Bill Paxton, Big Love
Best Actress in a Television Series (Drama)
Glenn Close, Damages
January Jones, Mad Men
Juliana Margulies, The Good Wife
Anna Paquin, True Blood
Kyra Sedgwick, The Closer
Best Supporting Actor (Television) Michael Emerson, Lost
Neil Patrick Harris, How I Met Your Mother
William Hurt, Damages
John Lithgow, Dexter
Jeremy Piven, Entourage
Best Supporting Actress (Television) Jane Adams, Hung
Rose Byrne, Damages
*Jane Lynch, Glee
Chloe Sevigny, Big Love
Janet McTeer, “Into the Storm”
Now, obviously I want to see Glee get as much recognition and reward as possible. That said, I could take or leave Golden Globes for Lea Michele and the show itself (seeing as its competition includes the 30 Rock juggernaut). But I will cry so many tears if Jane Lynch doesn’t win. And there is nothing I would love more than wins for Matthew Morrison.
In terms of the non-Glee categories, I am, as always, rooting for Michael C. Hall and NPH. And I will be so very confused if January Jones wins.
There are some EXCITING THINGS coming in January 2010.
Chuck
Two-hour Season 3 Premiere, Sunday January 10th at 8pm on NBC
Time-slot premiere, Monday January 11th at 8pm on NBC
This is probably the premiere I am most excited for. If you want a sneak peek at what’s coming up this season, check out this interview with Zachary Levy and series creators Chris Fedak, and Josh Schwartz. If you just want to catch up and get excited, episodes from Season 2 are available at nbc.com or on Hulu.
Southland
Network premiere, Tuesday January 12th at 10pm on TNT
If you’re like me and you missed out on this show during its brief run on NBC, I definitely you check it out when it moves to TNT. It may not have done well on a major network, but I hear it’s actually a pretty good cop drama.
Leverage
Midseason premiere, Wednesday January 13th at 10pm on TNT
The midseason finale was something of a disappointment, and I’m feeling some trepidation about the addition of Jeri Ryan to the cast (not because I don’t love her, but because I’m worried she’s being set up to replace Gina Bellman). But goddamn if I’m not ready for some new episodes.
Project Runway
Season 7 Premiere, Thursday January 14th at 10pm on Lifetime
With any luck, Season 7 will be significatly less completely retarded than most of Season 6 was.
Human Target
Pilot, Sunday January 17th at 8pm on FOX
Time-slot premiere, Wednesday January 20th at 9pm on FOX
I don’t know about this one. The premise seems interesting, but limited. I have no real idea how it’s going to get stretched out into a full show. But, the cast is fairly impressive, and it will have a ratings lead-in from American Idol.
24
Two-night (two hours each) Season 8 premiere, January 17th and 18th on FOX at 9pm and 8pm respectively.
Time-slot premiere, Monday January 25th at 9pm.
The pilot for this series, which is a prequel to Battlestar Galactica, is already on Hulu. Watch it. Get excited.
Other Return Dates:
Monday January 11th: 10pm – Castle on ABC
Wednesday January 27th:
10pm – Psych on USA
Thursday January 28th:
9pm – Burn Notice on USA
10pm – White Collar on USA
This list does not, of course, encompass all the new/returning shows for January 2010. Just the ones that I care about. If you’re interested in seeing what else is coming up, I recommend SideReel’s Midseason Calendar. As for the new/returning shows for February, March, and April, look for another post from me in upcoming weeks. My original plan was to put it all into one mega post, but this ended up more than mega enough for my tastes with only the first month of next year.
So instead of writing out a real schedule this week, I’m just going to say that there’s pretty much nothing new on air, but here’s a list of some stuff y’all might be interested in checking out:
Tonight: Fun reruns include Lie to Me’s Season Two premiere “The Core of It” (FOX at 9), Castle’s Halloween episode “Vampire Weekend” (ABC at 10), and The Big Bang Theory’s “The Bath Item Gift Hypothesis” (CBS at 9:30).
Wednesday: FOX is rerunning two hours of Glee (“Preggers” and “The Rhodes Not Taken”) at 8 and 9. And at 8:30, “Dr. Seuss’ How The Grinch Stole Christmas” (the AWESOME animated one narrated by Boris Karloff, not that live-action nightmare from a few years ago) is coming to ABC.
Thursday: I hope you have other things to do on Christmas Eve, but “It’s A Wonderful Life” will be on ABC at 8 if you do not.
Friday: Don’t watch television on Christmas. (But know, just for giggles, that ABC is airing Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest.)
Saturday: NBC is rerunning the Saturday Night Live episode hosted by Taylor Swift at 11:30. If you missed it the first time, def watch it this time around.
That’s all for scheduling. As for Melted Brain, there will be other posts this week. Three of them are halfway done as I write this and I’m planning to get at least one of them done tonight.
Regardless of whether or not you care that it’s Christmas on Friday, I hope everyone has a wonderful week. Bonus points for eating too much good food and giving presents.
Well, another week has gone by (almost) completely without productivity. This week is different, though, because after this morning is over I will have exactly two real world commitments for the week and so will be able to devote time to catching up here (which I DO intend to do, thankyouverymuch). But anyway, here’s what’s on TV this week:
Tonight: 9pm – Lie to Me on FOX
TUESDAY: 8pm – So You Think You Can Dance (Top 6/Finale) on FOX
8pm – NCIS on CBS
9pm – NCIS: Los Angeles on CBS
SYTYCD is screwy this week. I don’t know why they’re doing the finale with the Top 6 and not the Top 4. I don’t know why that is supposed to only take an hour. I definitely don’t know why FOX thinks airing an hour of Gordon Ramsay live is a good idea. I guess we’ll find out (about the first two things)?
WEDNESDAY: 8pm – So You Think You Can Dance (Results/Finale) on FOX
10pm – CSI: NY on CBS
Seriously. SYTYCD is completely screwy this week. Also, Adam Lambert performing on live ‘family’ television…
THURSDAY: 8pm – SNL: “A Very Gilly Christmas” on NBC
I’m not sure why I mention this. I will not be watching it and I strongly suggest you don’t either. Actually, just stay away from NBC completely this week.
FRIDAY: 8pm & 9pm – Dollhouse on FOX
One of the episodes is called “The Attic.” Get excited.
SATURDAY: 11:30pm – Saturday Night Live (James Franco & Muse) on NBC
A closing note on SNL: Taylor Lautner did not completely crash and burn last week. He wasn’t great, but he did manage to keep up for at least some of the time. And regardless of his comedic abilities, he deserves your undying respect because of the opening monologue acrobatics. I mean seriously.
Melted Brain To-Dos (Really!):
Glee “Sectionals” Review/Season Overview
Catch up on Heroes/Reaction Time
Catch up on FlashForward/Instant Replay
Catch up on other shows (this is a much lower priority than all else)
Hindsight: BSG
Hindsight: Veronica Mars
Mid Season Premiere Schedule (Lost, Chuck, Glee, FlashForward, and more)
A post about my favorite and least favorite series finale episodes (possibly tying into the Dollhouse finale in January?)
I’m late with this again. But only by a little bit. And there isn’t too much happening this week anyway.
Tonight: 10pm – Castle on ABC
TUESDAY: 8pm – So You Think You Can Dance (Top 8) on FOX
WEDNESDAY: 8pm – So You Think You Can Dance (Results) on FOX
9pm – Glee on FOX
10pm – CSI: NY on CBS
Last new episode of Glee until 2010!
THURSDAY: 8pm – Bones on FOX
9pm – Fringe on FOX
This week’s Bones includes guest stars Ryan O’Neal and Zooey Deschanel!
FRIDAY: 8pm & 9pm – Dollhouse on FOX
SATURDAY:
8pm – It’s A Wonderful Life on NBC
11:30pm – Saturday Night Live (Taylor Lautner and Bon Jovi)
It’s going to be a low-key week. This is a good thing, considering how behind I’ve managed to get. And what is in fact airing looks exciting. I’ve got some big hopes for Bones, Glee, and Dollhouse (FOX, you are almost solely responsible for my entertainment this week – don’t screw it up!). And I’m just dying to see how Taylor Lautner does on SNL. It’s a morbid but burning curiosity.
Melted Brain To-Dos:
Heroes/Reaction Time catch-up (three weeks)
FlashForward/Instant Replay catch-up (two weeks)
V catch-up
Hindsight: BSG (I swear, it will get finished)
Hindsight: Veronica Mars (Yes. Yes I did finish the entire show in a weekend. And I’ve got some stuff to say about it.)
Various other catching-ups (reviews unlikely, except for Lie to Me because my input has been requested specifically)
I haven’t quite registered that it’s December yet.
This week’s Glee review comes to you without notes, without specific analysis, and without any intention beyond expressing exactly how amazing this show really is.
There is a real reason that Glee has become a phenomenon.
Mattress was not the most spectacular, awe-inspiring episode of the season. But it included the inevitable other-shoe-drops* moment when Will discovered Teri has been faking her pregnancy. And that was, I believe, the first truly sobering moment of the entire show. It wasn’t punctuated by “Oh snap, drama!” or hard-hitting confrontation of issues. We knew it was coming, and I think it fulfilled everyone’s expectations. Matthew Morrison and Jessalyn Gilsig were truly amazing. I had chills and tears and everything I could possibly ask for.
It’s gonna be tough when the show is off the air after next week. There is a quality to this series that just isn’t equaled elsewhere on network television right now. And more importantly, there is poignancy and originality. If anyone anticipated the final plot twist, I take my hat off to you. I never ever would have seen it coming. Heading to a mid-season finale without the leading man at the forefront (especially for the reasons he’s out?). I’ve said it before: Glee has serious balls.
“Smile” was good, “Jump” was fun. But the voices-only closing number captured a special place in my heart and mind. There was something incredibly special about this episode. I don’t know how to say it better than that.
*Or, “other-Schue-drops.” I swear to god the pun was accidental.
…sooooooo it’s been kind of awhile since I even logged in. The absence started out due to I Get Sick Every Single Thanksgiving Weekend. And then I was sleeping a lot (because of sick and because of otherwise). And then I discovered the addiction that is Veronica Mars. I started two days ago and am already a third of the way through the second season. It’s that bad (the addiction, not the show). ANYWAY, I apologize for the unintended hiatus and I hope to be all caught up by this time next week. Or nearly.
Here’s this week’s schedule (from today onward):
Tonight: 8pm – So You Think You Can Dance (Top 10) on FOX
9 & 9:30pm – Scrubs (season premiere!) on ABC
I am not actually watching Scrubs. I gave up awhile ago for no real reason, but now I can certainly give you some reasons why that was for the best. I just thought I’d mention its return (especially since none of my other Tuesday shows are airing).
WEDNESDAY: 8pm – So You Think You Can Dance (Results) on FOX
9pm – Glee on FOX
9pm – Grammy Nominations Concert on CBS
THURSDAY: 8pm – FlashForward on ABC
8pm – Bones on FOX
8pm – Fringe on FOX
FRIDAY: 8pm & 9pm – Dollhouse on FOX
10pm – White Collar on USA
Dollhouse is back for its last hurrah. The first two-hour run starts this week. Enjoy it while it lasts.
SATURDAY: 11:30pm – Saturday Night Live (Blake Lively and Rihanna) on NBC
In hindsight, maybe it’s good I didn’t do this week’s schedule sooner. Because it is damned depressing. No new NCIS/NCIS: Los Angeles (which is sad and ironic since I finally caught up this weekend), no V, no CSI: NY, and the coming of the end of Dollhouse. On the plus side, less for me to get behind on.
Melted Brain To-Do:
Catch up on Heroes/Reaction Time (two weeks)
Catch up on Castle (this week)
Last week’s Glee review (notes taken, thoughts complete, just need to do the legwork)
Catch up on FlashForward (last week)
Catch up on V (three weeks)
Catch up on House
Catch up on Lie to Me
Hindsight: BSG
FINISH VERONICA MARS SEASON TWO (and hope Season 3 isn’t also readily available).
…wow. To-do list is even more daunting than usual this week. Yikes. Um. I guess we’ll see how that goes, then.
As Lena and forensicfanatic have kindly pointed out, I can’t properly navigate the online TV listings and was therefore a week off as far as what I said was airing this Thursday.
There will be no new episodes of network shows on Thursday night.
HOWEVER,
There are still good things to watch. FOX will be airing Night At The Museum from 8pm to 10pm. NBC will be airing its NBC’s People of the Year at 9pm. And if you get KBTC (which is a local PBS station), I definitely suggest you check out The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes episodes that will be running from 8pm to midnight.
The rest of the world is finally starting to catch on to what so many of us have known for years: Joss Whedon is way too awesome and doesn’t have nearly enough awards.
On January 24th at the Producers Guild of America award ceremony, Joss Whedon is going to be given the Vanguard Award for achievements in new media and technology.
Dollhouse is still cancelled. There’s still no new show to look forward to. But at least there’s something to make me and my fellow Whedon worshipers smile.
