Right, so I realise that unless I watch all of the TV shows that are nominated I can’t make an informed decision……but you’d be wrong. If this was a post about  what TV shows I’d want to win, it’d be full of House, How I Met Your Mother, Chuck and Parks and Recreation.

Let’s get down to business:

Pre-show thoughts:

• Ricky Gervais will be hilarious. That’s a given. What I want to know is which star he’ll piss off the most.
• Ryan Seacrest will annoy the bejesus out of me on the red carpet. It happens every year but he does get the best stars (exc. Brangelina, of course!)

The Awards go to:

1. Best Drama Series

Nominees: “Big Love,” “Dexter,” “House,” “Mad Men,” “True Blood”

T’he winner is: Mad Men. I don’t want it to happen but it will. Poor all season but a great finale will ensure the win

Should win: House. If Mad Men can with the only good episode being the finale surely this messed up doc should have a chance. Especially with the 2 hour season opener.

Best Actor, Drama

Nominees: Simon Baker, “The Mentalist,” Michael C. Hall, “Dexter,” Jon Hamm, “Mad Men,” Hugh Laurie, “House,” Bill Paxton, “Big Love”

The winner is: Hugh Laurie (House) – No matter where this show is creatively, Laurie always brings it. Plus, i’ve always loved BlackAdder.

Should win: Hugh Laurie (House) - Stellar performaces, way better than Hamm.

Best Actress, Drama

Nominees: Glenn Close, “Damages,” January Jones, “Mad Men,” Julianna Margulies, “The Good Wife,” Anna Paquin, “True Blood,” Kyra Sedgwick, “The Closer”

The winner is: Glenn Close – Close just has this award in the bag. This awards show just loves her.

Should win: January Jones. Even though Mad Men wasn’t great this season (maybe Matthew Weiner shouldn’t have fired Kater Gorden), January Jones had to show her range – and did it well.

Best Supporting Actor

Nominees: Michael Emerson, “Lost,” Neil Patrick Harris, “How I Met Your Mother,” William Hurt, “Damages,” John Lithgow, “Dexter,” Jeremy Piven, “Entourage”

The winner is: Michael Emerson (LOST) – I love LOST and love how wicked Emerson’s Ben is, but I think there were more deserving actors in this category.

Should win: John Lithgow or Neil Patrick Harris. Lithgow for his creepy turn as the Trinity Killer on “Dexter.” NPH deserves the win for his consistency on How I Met Your Mother and because the EMMY’s sure as hell aren’t gonna give him one…

Best Supporting Actress

Nominees: Jane Adams, “Hung,” Rose Byrne, “Damages,” Jane Lynch, “Glee,” Chloe Sevigny, “Big Love,” Janet McTeer, “Into the Storm”

The winner is: Rose Byrne (Damages) – The voters just love this show. Hopefully we wont have to see this domination any more.

Should Win: Jane Lynch (Glee) - Lynch has always been underrated, which is why she deserves this award (she was also very good as Sue Sylvester this year on Glee)

This not whet your whistle? Check out Gervais’ Globes Promo Below….

Another week another series low? Let’s look at what’s happened in the world of TV renewals and cancellations.

Yesterday news broke that Three Rivers has been pulled from CBS’ Sunday lineup, to be replaced by an unspecified crime drama (could they have been more vauge?). The show was averaging just a 1.7 18-49 rating, which still doesn’t explain to me why they kept it around for as long as they did. In other news, TNT show Raising The Bar has been canceled after two seasons. Oh, and Hank was unsurprisingly canceled by ABC.

Ugly Betty – I’ve given up all hope for Ugly Betty. The show, now in it’s fourth (and what will be its final) season posted series lows again on Friday. It drew just 3.3 million viewers (down 700,000) and just a 0.9 rating. Now I’m not saying this to be mean but this show will be lucky if it reaches the end of the season. Those numbers are Dollhouse low and without the advantage of being dirt cheap to make. There was a rumor that Betty would be moving to Wednesdays which gave the fans some hope, but honestly I don’t think it would make that big of a difference. It looks like Mode is another publication which has seen its viewership drop.
My Prediction: Still gone by the end of the season ((AT BEST)).

Fringe - A couple of weeks ago the show posted a 1.7 rating and under 5 million viewers and I recognised that people may have been confused with the scheduling because of the World Series. However, last week the show posted just a 2.0 rating, its second lowest figure of the series-to-date. I know that FOX had to sacrifice something in the 9pm Thursday timeslot but why Fringe? I believe that Sou You Think You Can Dance could pull the same numbers as they are now if they were put there. Bones and Fringe should have been on Tuesday. Now I don’t watch the show but I have seen some of the coverage and it seems that fans and critics are in agreement - that the show’s creative direction has never been better. Maybe FOX were looking for a sacrificial lamb, just like they did with the O.C. a couple of years ago. Also, FOX just announced that Fringe will go on a 7 week hiatus soon. Hiatus’ are always good for the ratings, right?
My Prediction: If FOX don’t do something, it’ll be canceled.

FlashForward – I’d just like to welcome this show to the main list. I’m saying that because it’s a worry that it’s here. Did I think that after the solid numbers it opened with it would be here? No, but sometimes even i’m surprised. Am I worried. No. This show isn’t going to last past the end of the season and i’m glad. Maybe with a probable end date the show can end on a creative high, on the date of the FlashForward itself. I really wanted this show to have the chops to be the new LOST but it wasn’t. I know it isn’t Thanksgiving any more but i’m thankful that it will just be a one season story. I think that premise suited one season, which is what it will be. If you don’t believe me, just look at the A18-49 trend. It started with a 3.7 rating and has been dropping a couple of points every week, last time out pulling just a 2.4 rating.
My Prediction: 22 eps and out, which i’m happy about.

Cold Case – Maybe the problem isn’t its lead in? I’ve been thinking that Three Rivers was damaging the shows ratings but last week it was moved to the earlier slot with a solid Survivor Samoa Lead in and still only pulled a 2.0 rating (which is still up but not as much as I thought). Maybe viewers have just outgrown this show and it needs to drive off into the sunset? It will be interesting to see what it can do when the NFL regular season finishes at the beginning of next month.
My Prediction: Sorry fans, but say goodbye after 22.

The Others -

- Smallville – Posted a solid 1.2 rating on its last new airing. I’m really quite happy with the creative direction of the show, which has vastly improved the CW’s friday performance. Will be picked up for next year.

- The Forgotten - Will end its 18 episode run and be gone.

- Hank - pulled from ABC’s schedule and canceled.  

- The Middle – I said last time out that if ABC paired with Modern Family it would probably do much better. It was (a rerun anyway) and it did. I think it will get a second season. Hey, if they renewed Better Off Ted…..

- Trauma - 13 Episodes. NBC has pulled the plug.

- Dollhouse – Canceled. Last few eps are due to begin airing again on Fri. Dec. 4

- Brothers - Didn’t air last week due to a The 40 year old Virgin, which out-rated it by over 75%. Possibly run until the end of the season.

- Law and Order – Posted solid numbers on Friday. I’m really not sure. Possible 21st season……

- Gary Unmarried/ New Adventures of Old Christine – Nothing special. Similar to last season. Possible 2010 pickup.

- Heroes - Now that House is back on FOX, Heroes dropped to a 2.2 rating on its last original airing, definitely not enough to save this expensive show. Gone after 18.

I’d just like to start by saying that I love The Office. It has been one of my favorite shows for 4 years now and I have loved every second. But this season (with the exception of the wedding episode) has been a little off.

Me and my friend Smit often talk about the show and even post irreverant quotes from the weeks episode on each others Facebook wall. That has dried up somewhat this season. When we’re in the pub talking about it, the conversation always seems to go along the lines of: ‘They’re just transitioning Jim into his new role, things will get better when he’s settled’. I don’t understand what’s happened this season, all I know is that i’m just not into it. 

Don’t get me wrong, I’ll still watch every week. A mediocre episode of The Office is still better than watching Grey’s Anatomy or CSI. Plus, 30 Rock’s just started its 4th season (somewhat shakily, but we’ll talk about that another day) and I like the way the shows complement each other.

My problem with the show: it’s a comedy that’s just not making me laugh. I can’t tell you how much I’ve laughed because of this show in the past, but this past Thursday, I don’t think I cracked a smile. Jim and Pam weren’t physically in the episode so it might’ve been that but I didn’t think the story was good this week. I had the same problem the first 3 episodes of the season too. I think it could be something to do with it seeming like it’s Pam & Jim vs. the whole office whereas before it seemed like everyone was in their own little battles, which kept the show interesting.

My hope is that they find their way. People will probably say that I don’t like change, but why change something that I like? I like that Jim always messes with Dwight, Michael’s always inappropriate and that Creed, well, Creed’s a criminal. I want another ongoing storyline that will interest me again, maybe Dwight and Angela need to give it another go? 

The one thing this show has going for it is time. There are still at least 18 episodes to run this season and the show is pulling NBC’s highest rating (among scripted and non scripted programming exc. Sunday Night Football) so is very unlikely to be cancelled.

Maybe i’m suffering from highly-serialized show fever, or even too much TV exposure since premiere week… Whatever it is, I hope it goes away soon.

I’ve been looking at ratings data for around 4 years now and wondering why, exactly, shows are put in certain timeslots around the week. Is there a lot of counter- programming? Can networks fiddle with their line-up to maximise ratings? Will Heroes and Trauma get Cancelled?

The answer to the first question is yes. A lot of networks counter program what the other networks are doing. I’m sure they didn’t set out that way, it just happened. Take Monday nights NBC lineup for example. I agree that it was a good idea to put Heroes on Monday nights simply because there was no science fiction on that night. Do I think it would matter much if Heroes moved? Yes. Heroes was put in that slot because;

- It was the highest rated hour long series for NBC last year and they wanted a good (ratings) lead in for Trauma.
- Comedy, Drama, Procedural and Teen were already represented by the other 4 networks.
- Fan’s are used to Heroes being on Monday nights.

I think that Heroes is suffering from not having a good lead in as well. Last season it had a loyal following plus Chuck’s 2.3 A18-49 lead in. This year it seems like its following has deserted it, there’s not a good lead in and NBC haven’t promoted the night as a block because of the mismatch of it’s programming.

Which leads me on to the problem  for Trauma. This show really wasn’t given a chance from the start. First of all it’s going up against a procedural style show in its second year which has a lead in from House. This is a problem because there are people who like procedurals and unfortunately do not have two TVs that they can watch simultaneously. 

Secondly, they paired it with HEROES?! A lot of Heroes viewers will not stick around to watch this show. They should’ve paired it with Law & Order (or SVU) and made a night out of it. It’s not a massive help either that it’s in one of the most highly contested timeslots of the week alongside Lie To Me, Dancing With The Stars, Two and a Half Men/Big Bang Theory and Gossip Girl. My Theory is that most of the people who watch Heroes change the channel and watch Two and a Half Men/Big Bang when it finishes. 

I would talk about The Jay Leno Show but I think it’s a sound business model they have with this show. There have been people whining about Jay Leno taking over 5 hours a week of programming but hey, NBC can’t seem to get 10 hours (20 inc. Leno and NFL) of programming right, what chance would they have with 12?

So therefore I think yes, counter-programming works. And yes, shows can be moved around to improve ratings. Will it help Heroes? Not at the moment, perhaps when Day One is paired with it come mid-season. Will Heroes and Trauma be cancelled? Probably.

So, kids, Season 5 of How I Met Your Mother is now far enough in that I can give a moderately sized review of the happenings so far. I’m a big fan of lists so i’ll be categorizing the cast into the little factions they are in at the moment.

Barney and Robin – I like this storyline. I’ve liked the idea of Brobin together ever since the ‘Sandcastles in the Sand’ episode when they first got together. I’m glad that the writers didn’t just throw them into it though and instead had them just be two completely hopeless-in-relationship characters who are just trying to figure it out. There was never any doubt that Marshall and Lily would get involved and try to get them to ‘define the relationship’ but I thought that it added a tender element to the season premiere. These two remind me of goofy couple Liz & Floyd in 30 Rock a couple of seasons back, in a good way.
I don’t like the way that Barney has gone against pretty much everything he said to Ted about relationships when he was ’teaching him how to live’. Don’t get me wrong, I knew it would happen but I think I just expected a little more resistance. This could all change though, if the end of ‘The Sexless Innkeeper’ and the news of an apparent break-up is anything to go by.

Marshall and Lily – Jason Segel and Alyson Hannigan have great chemistry together. I’m enjoying that they are rooting for Brobin as much as we are. I particularly enjoyed them in the last episode, ‘The Sexless Innkeeper’. Their overeagerness, desperation and obliviousness was acted to a tee. These two will go down as one of the best (and craziest) couples in TV history.

Ted – I’ve left Ted until last because that’s kind of where he’s been over the last few episodes – they really have been mostly about Brobin. I can live with this because in the 100th episode we’ve been promised ’some serious mother time’ and that Rachel Bilson is coming on board as a potential love interest (or the mother) in the very near future. I’m enjoying that Ted is working again and kind of transitioning into a lecturer, tweed and all (I wish I had a hat and whip!).

What I’m looking for in the next few episodes -

Laughter: this show is one of the funniest on TV and I hope they keep bringing it and keeping it semi-realistic. This is totally the way me and my friends talk stuff, (he said stuff) to each other.

Rebellion: Seeing Barney’s face at the end of last weeks episode when Ted said ‘I love being single’ told me that there is going to be some form of misbehavior in the next episode or so.

A Break Up – If rumors are to be believed, Brobin won’t be together later in the season - it’ll be interesting to see how this plays out and how it affects the dynamic of the group. Also, Marshall and Lily will be heartbroken.

Some Serious Mother Action – It will have take us 100 episodes or around 2200 minutes to even get a glimpse of the Mother so this has me more excited than the Vikings picking up Favre in the summer. Maybe we should go to a Canadian bar and turn out the lights to celebrate?

After hoping that The Class got a second season pick-up over this show at the end of their first seasons, I’m glad that I took the time to watch this show and learn about these characters. I’m not asking for much for the future, just that the show continues in the same vein, kooky, crazy, sexy, hilarious and thoughtful - giving us one or two surprises (perhaps a slap or maybe Robin Sparkles) to blog about…

I don’t know about you but this was the only episode of a TV show that I’ve actually looked forward to in a while. I don’t think I had been that excited since the Friends finale in 2004.

nbc-community

I have to admit, when I first heard the premise for Community I was a little underwhelmed.

The premise wasn’t what pulled me in though, it was the cast. I have always been a fan of Joel McHale, The Soup continues to be one of my favorite shows. Chevy Chase (Coming off a stellar guest starring role on NBC’s Chuck) – need I say any more? I hadn’t really heard of the anothers, barring one or two guest starring roles I had remembered.

Hi I’m Sean and i’m a Private Practice -a- holic. I don’t know how or when it happened, it just did.

It started out with curiousity (I used to be a big Grey’s Anatomy fan). I watched the crossover episodes during Grey’s and liked the concept. 6 doctors who are just doing their job and trying to make peoples lives better.

My favorite part of the back door pilot was the relationship between Violet (Amy Brenneman) and Cooper (Paul Adelstein). It seemed complex at the start but it was simple. They are best friends. I think we (as the cynics we are) couldn’t believe that there are two members of the opposite sex who weren’t going to end up together and something about that just seemed to be the most realistic thing I’d seen on TV in a while.