Welcome to TV or Not TV: The week before Thanksgiving edition.
Before turkey day comes, however, we’ll be seeing two of the Sunday night shows on HBO signing off for the season.
The first show that will be having its season finale this week will be Entourage. I’ve always enjoyed Entourage, even though the last two seasons have proven extremely unbalanced. Last season we saw actor Vincent Chase hot off of Aquaman success seemingly implode over his dream project of MedellÃn. This season we see the consequences of MedellÃn on his career and his attempts to recover it.
This season started off good and seemed to really have the potential to be a step in the right direction. These last three episodes of the season, however, have almost undone for me any good feelings I had about the season. In many ways it feels like the writers really don’t know what direction to take the show any more and they are just throwing anything they can at us to try to give us a compelling reason to watch. I don’t know how it could but I really hope this week’s season finale reverses that. It has to give us some hope since the show will be back for its sixth season in the summer of 2009.
The second show that will be ending its stellar first season will be True Blood. I tuned in for the premiere of this show and it moved so slow for me that I wrote it off for the next four weeks. During that time the buzz started and I came back (thanks to the OnDemand feature of cable) and was able to correct my mistaken abandon.
If you don’t know about True Blood it would be a little tough to summarize. Imagine a world (based on the Sookie Stackhouse books written by Charlaine Harris) where vampires due exist and they have “come out of the coffin” and made their existence known (thanks to the invention of a synthetic blood product that the show takes its name from). The show itself takes place in the small (and fictional) Louisiana town of Bon Temps and centers around telepathic waitress Sookie Stackhouse. Sookie falls for vampire Bill Compton, which brings the normal and paranormal worlds together and gives us the vehicle for this series.
With an amazing cast of characters, a season wide serial murderer mystery sub-plot, and an interesting take on drug addiction (and the drug source) the show is powerful, compelling and entertaining. Each hour of the show (except the season premiere) comes off perfectly paced and balanced and gives us just enough information to want more. If you have OnDemand and a subscription to HBO I strongly encourage you to work your way through this amazing show. If not than I am sure the inevitable DVD release of Season 1 will be here before Season 2, which HBO has already given a green light.
Now that we’ve talked about two shows that are going away let’s talk about all of the shows that will be here this week.
MONDAY
CBS – 8:30 PM: Didn’t get enough of Jamie-Lynn Sigler on last night’s episode of Entourage? Tune in to How I Met Your Mother for more as she plays a party monster that keeps Robin busy.
FOX – 9:00 PM: Sorry, but I just have to call BS on Prison Break. Last week we see an emotional T-Bag getting all soft over the death of former CO Brad Bellick. This week his soft streak continues. This is almost as bad as Heroes trying to redeem Sylar.
CBS – 9:30 PM: The day before the wedding Fred Willard plays Sam‘s dad on Worst Week. Finally a reason to watch this show again!
TUESDAY
NBC – 8:00 PM: Jerry Rice and Steve Young show up on The Biggest Loser: Families to put the players through NFL style workouts. I swear I’ve had nightmares about this EXACT same thing.
CBS – 9:00 PM: Patrick stages a séance to prove a supposed psychic is a fake while looking incredibly smug on The Mentalist.
FOX – 9:00 PM: A man on Fringe is so convinced he is being attacked by butterflies (you read that right) that he leaps from a window to escape them (seriously, butterflies?).
WEDNESDAY
NBC – 8:00 PM: Not since Sonny & Cher or Donnie & Marie have we seen a really good variety show. Rosie O’Donell hopes to change that tonight with Rosie Live! Good luck Ro, I’m rooting for you.
ABC – 8:00 PM: If you didn’t get enough of Fred Willard on Worst Week than you can get a second helping of him on tonight’s Pushing Daisies. Personally I’m just hoping for more Stephen Root who showed up on the last episode and has three more episodes to go.
THURSDAY
CW – 8:00 PM: Tonight’s episode of Smallville is the last you will see until January and we get a look at Doomsday. I’m sure there will be cliffhangers galore. Too bad the CW will just retread this seasons previous episodes until 2009 instead of giving us Reaper sooner.
NBC – 9:00 PM: Toby returns tonight on The Office and may be getting framed for a mess left in the microwave.
FOOD – 9:00 PM: Find out new things to do after next week’s big feast on Dear Food Network: Thanksgiving Left Overs.
NBC – 9:30 PM: Two words are all I will give you to entice you to watch 30 Rock this week: Steve Martin.
FRIDAY
TOON – 9:00 PM: Way to know your fans Lucas! Tonight on Star Wars: The Clone Wars that whacky Jar Jar Binks is mistaken for a Jedi. Um… yeah, I’ll tune right in. Just wait for 11:00 PM to tune into the Clerks cartoon episode instead.
TOON – 9:00 PM: When it comes to holiday specials Larry the Cable Guy’s Star-Studded Christmas Extravaganza will git ‘er done (sorry, I had to).
SATURDAY
FOOD – 7:00 PM: With Turkey Day around the corner you can start to get ready with tonight’s offerings on Food Network. Come off like you worked all day in the kitchen with help from Sandra Lee’s Semi-Homemade Thanksgiving. Next steal some great ideas from All Star Thanksgiving Recipes and watch other people do all the work with the big Thanksgiving meal face off on Iron Chef America.
CMT – 8:00 PM: Sometimes the programming really does live up to the theme of the network. Enjoy Hulk Hogan’s Celebrity Championship Wrestling followed by the season finale of My Big Redneck Wedding and topped off by Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders: Making the Team. Makes me want to get into my boxers and grab a beer just typing it!
TOON – 9:00 PM: Even though it was extremely sanitized for its original DVD release I still really enjoyed Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker.
SUNDAY
AMC – 3:00 PM: I’m not sure anyone can handle this much Balboa in one sitting. Take in Rocky I through V and if you make it from III on you are stronger than the Italian Stallion himself.
FOX – 8:00 PM: In a way to try to spark interest after a year and a half absence (as well as see what the ratings are like after) the folks behind 24 bring us the 2 hour movie 24: Redemption. You won’t need to see this to know what is going on when the show comes back in January, but it can’t hurt.
ABC – 8:00 PM: Although host Jimmy Kimmel might be reason enough to get me to tune in to the 2008 American Music Awards I give you six words people: New Kids on the Block performs! Let’s see if they still, in fact, have the right stuff (while late 80’s teens hang their head in embarrassment over their former obsessions).
BBCA – 8:00 PM: I can’t find a funnier title for a show this week than Sugar Mummies, where the hour is spent examining the effects on family and lives of younger men falling in love with drastically older women. Yes, I know, the title is just a translation kind of thing but man it makes me laugh.
– Will Wilkins has turkey and stuffing on the brain.
Comments: 2 Comments
2 Responses to “TV Or Not TV: 11/17 – 11/23”Leave a Reply |
November 19th, 2008 at 2:41 am
RETRACTION: Apologies. Zigged when I should have zagged and Rosie LIVE is NEXT week.
November 19th, 2008 at 1:00 pm
TV – NOT
Looking for DVD’s to win! Hope you can help me!