AKA The Best Show Ever

Alias is BACK. Season 5 started off running, and hopefully it won't slow down anytime soon. I am a die hard fan, and last year the first two thirds of the season was TERRIBLE. (Although, I must say the last third of the season came back and drew me back in.) Everything that was wrong with last season seems to be fixed within the first half of the episode. Here's the top three things that I think show that Alias is back on track:

1. Great Ending of the Episode: Last season, each episode seemed to wrap up so nice and cleanly. This may work for your average drop-in-when-you-have-time drama, but part of the formula that makes Alias so great is that it always leaves you hungry. Well, consider me starving.

2. New nefarious characters: Except for last season, each preceding season brought in awesome new characters that tried to screw up Sydney's life. Last season had no "good" new bad guys - Elena had potential but was totally underdeveloped, which was dissappointing. (To be fair, Nadia was fairly new and a great character, but again, they could have done more with her, and technically she was brough in with S3 anyway.) Last night showed the beginning of great "evil" characters. The only thing that would be the icing on this delicious cake would be if they brought back Sark. Sark is the best bad guy in the history of television period.

3. Good Evil Organization: Each successful season always clearly had somebody or some organization you knew you could blame things on - i.e. SD6 & the Covenant. Last season, it was a different person/organization every few episodes, so you couldn't focus on one recurring plot. It was annoying and bland. This season, we know there's going to be one main group to blame, and I couldn't be happier.

Now, I know people are upset by Vaughn's "death" - but this is Alias! Nobody is really dead! Get over it, and keep watching... it will only get better from here...

You won't be back

From WaPo chat:

Chantilly, Va.: Paul: any thoughts on the non-renewal of The Comeback on HBO? I was one of the devoted watchers. I liked it a lot.

Paul Farhi: A shame. A real shame. Lisa Kudrow was extraordinary. It almost hurt to watch that thing. Bring it back.

Another weight on the TiVo bites the dust. I always love watching M's shows wither away and die one by one. . .it's funny how shocked she gets when she finds out she's literally the only one out there who's amused by Neil Patrick Harris or Lisa Kudrow (although apparently Paul Farhi is also amused. . . someone should set up those two)

Also, Lisa Kudrow was extraordinary only if you find incredibly annoying characters compelling. That show sucked. Good riddence.

Making the Cut

So, since I was traveling all last week, I finally got a chance to catch up with all the new fall shows that premiered for '05... it was interesting, and a lot of shows failed to make the cut for my TV schedule for fall 05. Here's the results of Round 1 (I'll update on my returning favorites soon...):

The War at Home: If this is supposed to be funny, then I would like to be left for dead on the battlefield. While I'm not a candidate for PC-person of year, showing outrage at a possible gay son is stale humor and just didn't do it for me.
Final Answer: No

Beautiful People: I feel like a crack addict - I know this stuff is bad for me, probably making me stupid, and T may just leave me for saying this, but I'm going to finish up the season and watch the finale tonight. Terrible, terrible show, and I don't recommend it at all - I want to cry for myself.
Final Answer: Sadly, Yes.

Rome: I was sick of studying Roman history to watch TV. The show got too complicated for my simple mind, so I stopped watching. However, T (who was against the show to start with) is now a fan. Go figure.
Final Answer: No

How I Met Your Mother: I have a feeling this show is going to be good. Doogie is doing a good job as the idiot best friend, and I like seeing "band camp" girl pretty much reprises her American Pie role - she was funny then, and she continues to be here. The one-liners are pretty strong, which is pretty much what a comedy needs to sustain itself.
Final Answer: Yes

Kitchen Confidential: I'm going to call this show "What Will Tippin is doing while he's under the Witness Protection Program". (For you non-Alias fans, BC used to be a regular.) It looks pretty funny - I like the band of misfits he's put together and this show definitely had a strong start.
Final Answer: Yes

Prison Break: Sorry Prison Break - I already have too much to watch, and it just didn't keep my attention... I saw on the TiVo that I was two shows behind and just didn't care enough to catch up. Its officially deleted from the Season Pass List.
Final Answer: No

My Name Is Earl: This show is hilarious. I love Jason Lee, and Jaime Presley as the hillbilly wife totally cracked me up. Any show that makes fun of Caron Daley is definitely a keeper.
Final Answer: Yes

Supernatural: I couldn't even care enough to watch the season premier. There is absolutely no buzz on this show, so since I like to follow the water cooler pack, I'm just going to delete from TiVo.
Final Answer: No

Reunion: This show is a pretty cool concept - I think it could definitely do more with its premise, but I like it anyway. I hope they get a *little* more creative on the suspense piece - its more that I feel like I should be pondering certain questions rather than I actually wonder them. It doesn't have the same feel as a Desperate Housewives, which is what I think its aiming for, but the acting and the plot is good enough to keep coming back.
Final Answer: Yes

Starved: I know I've said this before, but any show with the motto "Its Not Okay" wins my vote. Unfortunately the season is over, and I heard its probably not going to get renewed. When it comes out on DVD, I strongly recommend you get it.
Final Answer: Yes

Twins: This show sucks.
Final Answer: No, No, No

M is a TiVo Hog

Last night, as I settled down to watch Monday Night Football, I noticed that a multitude of shows were scheduled to record.

8:00 PM: Arrested Development- This show is funny, no problem here, plus I could still watch football on the other receiver

8:30 PM: How I Met Your Mother/Kitchen Confidential- So now I can't watch football on my big screen TV, due to Neil Patrick Harris being prominently involved. Are you kidding me?

9:00 PM: Prison Break/Las Vegas- I've seen Las Vegas before and it's okay (it's certainly not at the level M attributes to it), but I don't see where the hell Prison Break is going. Not that I've ever watched it. . . I'm still in the bedroom watching football on my little TV.

9:30 PM: Prison Break/Las Vegas- Both of these shows are an hour, so football is still being compromised by lame TV

10:00 PM: Laguna Beach: The Real OC- M's programs are now done. . . Order is restored.

High Point: The end of the Cowboys/Redskins game was pretty awesome

Low Point: Having to watch football on the tiny TV in the bedroom because M is a TiVo hog. . . Did I mention that she's not even at home? So she's hogging the TiVo from a distance, she could easily watch some of those shows at her hotel room. Also, it's lame that she's posting anonymous comments about how people have viewed her profile more (see entry below). How very childish.

Mike Tice is a Gorilla

Seriously, I know this is a TV blog, but after their performance yesterday, The Vikings don't even belong on TV. I think an Arena League team could have put up a better effort than they did on Sunday. It was disgusting.

Why does football season have to be ruined for me every year?

High Point: Please.

Low Point: Chad Johnson's 80 yard touchdown catch, T.J. Houshmanzadah's reverse for a touchdown, Cincy's 337 yards of offense in the first half, Michael Bennett's 2 turnovers, Duante Culpepper's 5 turnovers, etc.

Actually, the low point was knowing that I am a Vikings fan and I have 14 more weeks of this. Pathetic.

Lost - 100; Grey's Anatomy - 0

So.... I have finally started watching Lost. (I know, a little late.) But, this was part of a master plan, that is totally working out just as I hoped it would. I knew that lost was produced by J.J. Abrams, the producer of my favorite show in the whole world, Alias. I knew that JJ is all about cliffhangers, so I thought - why torture myself with a season's worth of cliffhangers, when I can just watch all the shows at once right before Season 2 starts. Thank god I did it this way - this show is AWESOME. Now, its not going to top Alias or anything, but it is still really, really, really good. If you haven't already, watch season 1 right now. And then start watching again on September 28.

Now, you're probably wondering why Grey's Anatomy is in the title.... its because I had the same plan for it. Not for the same reasons (I didn't think that the show would be nail-bitingly suspenseful or anything) but more because it didn't really catch my interest, so I thought I'd watch over the summer, and if I liked it, I'd invest myself in Season 2. BUT, they haven't released the DVD yet - how stupid is this? The only reason I'm going to watch Lost this season, is because I am able to go through the entire first sesason BEFORE season 2 starts... now, why would i watch G.A.? I have no clue what's going on, and there's no good way for me to catch up (I hate network synopsis pages.) I know this is supposed to be the next big show, but so far I am unimpressed enough with the handling of the logistics, that it may be removed from my fall schedule.

Lost High Point: Alias type cliffhangers and sci-fi suspense.
Lost Low Point: The frustration of Alias type questions that look like they won't be answered for seasons at a time (but its a good kind of frustration!)

Hallelujah

This upcoming fall season it seems that Network Television is finally giving us some scripted television - thank god. There is nothing I hated more than this reality TV hell we've been going through for almost a decade. Maybe its because I've hated TV for so long, or maybe its just because I'm an optimist, I have to say - I am REALLY excited for this upcoming season. I even spent an entire Sunday afternoon drafting an excel spreadsheet showing what I'm going to be watching. Thank god for TiVo though, as there are a lot of conflicting shows! Anyway, here are my top picks for both new shows and returning shows. For returning shows, I'm only putting the top picks for shows which I think are totally under-valued.... otherwise, see the graphic for my full line up... We'll see if I'm right in a few weeks!

New Shows:

1. Reunion, Fox, Thursdays, 9pm
2. Invasion, ABC, Wednesdays, 10pm
3. My Name is Earl, NBC, Tuesdays, 9pm

Returning Shows:

1. Alias, ABC, Thursdays, 8pm
2. Las Vegas, NBC, Mondays, 9pm
3. The Office, NBC, Tuesdays, 9:30 pm
4. Scrubs, NBC - Coming back in January!

Try skipping breakfat fatty.

Nobody knows what I have to live with.

M watched Beautiful People again last night. She's currently watching that abortion of a movie, The Wedding Date. 15 year old girls have better taste. The sad part is I know I will also probably have to give her the TV for the beginning of football season, so she can watch the OC.

Also, I was flipping around during the FSU-Miami game last night (which may have been the worst big time college football game ever) and I noticed that the "super hot" girl on "My Super Sweet 16" was fat. I love it when that happens. It makes me laugh. All her money isn't going to change the fact that she'll be some guy's last resort at the end of the night in a couple years. You know she secretly hates herself inside.

Try skipping breakfat fatty

Season Finale of Entourage

Overall, I thought it was fairly solid. I'm glad Mandy Moore is finally gone, though it sickened me to see Vince act like a little bitch about having broken up with her after only dating her for two weeks. The whole storyline was just not credible. Ditto with Ari having a heart to heart with E right before he thought E was about to become a rival agent at the company that just fired him. Who amoung us could doubt that at that moment Ari would probably rip his face off.

However, the episode was pretty funny. I really enjoy seeing Ari get chauffered around in that monstrosity from The Fast and The Furious

High Point: Ari mocking Shawna

Low Point: Vince acting like a little bitch

Judging MetroNorth Railroad and the MTA

I'd like to take a quick break from judging TV shows to judge the MetroNorth Railroad, the commuter rail from New York City to surrounding areas, run by New York's Transit Authority, the MTA. I HATE THEM - they are corrupt, incompetent, and just down right idiotic.

Case 1: I am a long-time commuter, so I normally buy monthly passes. In August, I was away for awhile, and when I returned, I only had 12 days of travel left in the month - so it didn't seem right that I would spend the $184 on a montly pass that I normally use for 20+ days of travel. But after I did the calculations, it turns out that I would actually SAVE $4 to get a monthly, rather than get 2 weeklys - HOW RIDICULOUS IS THAT???? What is the point of having weeklys??

Case 2: Yesterday was the first day of the month, and I completely forgot to buy a new pass - normally within the first few days of the month when this happens, the conductors remind you that a new month has started, and take your old pass so that you remember to get a new pass. INSTEAD, they refused to take my pass, and charged me $14 for a ONE-WAY ticket - this is ON TOP of the $184 I have to still spend on my monthly. IT IS SUCH B.S.

Case 3: The MTA sucks.

You know - over the years, between my MetroNorth pass and my subway pass, I give close to $275 a month to the MTA - it comes out to a lot over time. You would think they would give some leeway to us frequent fliers - instead, they just try and squeeze every last cent from you. The beauracracy of it all makes me want to cry.