Category: External TV (Page 353 of 419)

The Office: “The Job”

May 18, 2007 / John Paulsen

**WARNING: SERIOUS SPOILERS AHEAD**

Wow, I didn’t see that coming. I thought Karen might get the job to clear the way for a Jim/Pam relationship in Scranton, but I didn’t think Jim would jettison Karen before the news broke about who got the job. The scene where Pam was being interviewed and Jim stuck his head in and asked her to dinner was SO INCREDIBLY sweet, it put 99.999% of all supposedly sweet romantic comedy moments to shame. It literally warmed the cynical heart of this writer, who usually sees this stuff coming from a mile away.

Pam’s speech at the end of the last episode really put things into motion. Karen was suddenly threatened (“Pam is kind of a bitch”) and told Jim that she wanted to move with him away from Scranton/Pam. It was also surprising how Karen reacted to Jan’s meltdown; Jim had some empathy for the newly voluptuous one, and I think Karen’s reaction might have been the straw that broke that relationship’s back. The writers were obviously trying to make Karen less sympathetic by having her throw Michael under the bus in the interview (“He’d be a disaster”) and leaving Jim at corporate to meet her friends for lunch. But she didn’t get the job, so presumably she’ll be back. If that’s the case, I doubt she’ll last long, especially if Jim and Pam are in a relationship.

For a guy who called Dwight an idiot last week, Michael is really pretty moronic himself. First he shows up on the wrong day (“The other branch managers are idiots – Hey Pam, I forgot which day the interview was and I drove to New York accidentally, so I’ll be like three hours late.”) Then, he names his successor AND sells his condo (on eBay, proudly getting 80% of his purchase price) BEFORE actually getting the new job. Jan’s boob job and subsequent meltdown were hilarious (that whole scene in the lobby with the box of her belongings was priceless); hopefully she’ll still be on the show as Michael’s girlfriend. Same goes for Ryan, who (I guess) is now Michael’s boss. But back to the boob job – Meredith’s take was classic: “It’s a waste. In my experience, guys are more attracted to the back of you than the front.”

We also got a glimpse of what life would be like if Dwight was the branch manager, and it sure wasn’t pretty. His search for a #2 led to this line: “I will need a new #2. My ideal candidate? Jack Bauer. But he’s unavailable, fictional and overqualified.” His presentation about paper was oddly compelling – I wanted to see more. (Actually, I’m just trying to earn some Schrute Bucks.)

Looking forward to next season, will be interesting to see how they handle the Jim/Pam relationship. Generally, when longstanding unrequited love finally becomes…um…requited, it’s a sign that the show may have jumped the shark. “The Office” doesn’t depend on the Jim/Pam dynamic for its laughs, but it certainly has been the major season-long storyline in each of the first three seasons.

Regardless, I can’t wait to see what happens next.

External TV, The Office, TV, TV Comedies

George Costanza pimps the McDLT

May 17, 2007 / Jason Thompson

Man, I miss the days of styrofoam containers. This sandwich was shit, though. Nice singing, Mr. Alexander.

External TV

As The CW releases its fall schedule, fans of “Gilmore Girls” and “Veronica Mars” become so mad that they’re having to invent brand new obscenities in order to vent properly

May 17, 2007 / Will Harris

Seriously, people, there’s currently a small but really, really devout chunk of the population who’s currently ready to just firebomb the living shit out of The CW. I mean, statistically, just about everyone who watched one of those shows watched the other. Now, okay, losing “Gilmore Girls” was something you could kinda see coming; after the Palladinos were shown the door, it felt like the lifeblood of the show had gone with them, despite the best attempts of David Rosenthal to fill their shoes. But Rob Thomas was scrambling so desperately to keep “Veronica Mars” on the air (my interest was definitely piqued by his pitch to fast-forward the show a few years and put Veronica in the FBI Academy) that, damn, I can’t believe they didn’t throw him a bone for at least half a season or something…

Oh, well. Let us shed our tears and move on to The CW’s fall line-up and see what we can expect.

MONDAY

Hooray! Another season of “Everybody Loves Chris” at 8 PM! Why, that almost makes up for my complete indifference about the return of “Girlfriends” and “The Game” during the 9 – 10 PM timeslot. At 8:30, we get a new sitcom: “Aliens in America.” But not the good kind of aliens. Damn.

“ALIENS IN AMERICA” – Justin Tolchuk (Dan Byrd, “The Hills Have Eyes”) is a sensitive, lanky 16-year-old just trying to make it through the social nightmare of high school in Medora, Wisconsin, with the help of his well-meaning mom Franny (Amy Pietz, “Caroline in the City”), aspiring-entrepreneur dad Gary (Patrick Breen, “Kevin Hill”), and his popular sister Claire (Lindsey Shaw, “Ned’s Declassified School Survival Guide”), who is sweetly unaware of how good-looking she is. When Franny signs up for the school’s international exchange student program, she pictures an athletic, brilliant Nordic teen who will bestow instant coolness on her outsider son. However, when the Tolchuk’s exchange student arrives, he turns out to be Raja Musharaff (Adhir Kalyan, “Fair City”), a 16-year-old Pakistani Muslim. Despite the cultural chasm between them, Justin and Raja quickly develop an unlikely friendship that just might allow them to navigate the minefield that is contemporary high school. It’s going to be a very interesting year for Raja, Justin, his family and the entire population of Medora. ALIENS IN AMERICA is from CBS Paramount Network Television Inc. and Warner Bros. Television with executive producers Tim Doyle (“Jake in Progress”), Moses Port (“Just Shoot Me,” “Mad About You”) and David Guarascio (“Just Shoot Me,” “Mad About You”). Luke Greenfield (“The Girl Next Door”) directed the pilot.

Meh. There’s really not much about the concept that sounds all that interesting to me…which means that it should fit right in with the majority of The CW’s sitcoms.

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As Fox releases its fall schedule, “Drive” fans get revved up for those last two episodes…

May 17, 2007 / Will Harris

…but let’s get the bad news out of the way first: we asked Peter Liguori, Fox’s President of Entertainment, point blank as to whether the show might yet be saved if it somehow sets ratings records when its last two episodes air on July 4th.

His response: “As near and dear to my heart as that show is, I would say that that’s definitely a long shot.”

Ah, well. Not that anyone expected it would play out any differently, I’m sure, but it would’ve been nice if he’d gone out on a limb and, “By God, if that thing scores such-and-such a rating, then we sure WILL pick it back up!” But no such luck.

So, okay, now that we’re pretty sure about what isn’t going to be on Fox’s 2007 – 2008 fall schedule, let’s take a look at what will…but be forewarned about one thing: Fox is playing the game of having one schedule in the fall and one schedule in the spring. Not that that’s anything new, but it does show a certain amount of foresight to be willing to lay out their strategy this early.

MONDAY

The fall starts out with “Prison Break” in the 8 PM timeslot, followed by a new drama, “K-Ville,” which is already destined to create a stir because of its setting.

K-VILLE: From writer and executive producer Jonathan Lisco (“NYPD Blue,” “The District”) comes a heroic police drama set in New Orleans. Two years after Katrina, the city is still in chaos. Many cops have quit, and the jails, police stations and crime labs still haven’t been properly rebuilt. But the cops who remain have courage to burn and a passion to reclaim and rebuild their city. MARLIN BOULET (Anthony Anderson, “The Departed,” “The Shield”) is a brash, funny, in-your-face veteran of the NOPD’s Felony Action Squad, the specialized unit that targets the most-wanted criminals. Even when his partner deserted him during the storm, Boulet held his post, spending days in the water saving lives and keeping order. Now he’s unapologetic about bending the rules when it comes to collaring bad guys. Boulet’s new partner, TREVOR COBB (Cole Hauser, “The Break-Up,” “ER”), was a soldier in Afghanistan before joining the NOPD. He’s tough and committed, but if he’s less than comfortable with Boulet’s methods, it’s because he’s harboring a dark secret. Cobb has come to New Orleans seeking redemption, but redemption can be dangerous. Will Boulet be able to trust him? Will Cobb’s past endanger them both? Rounding out the crew of cops are hotheaded BILLY “K-9” FAUST (Maximiliano Hernández, “Law & Order,” “Shark”), who often speaks before thinking; wisecracking JEFF “GLUE BOY” GOODEN (Blake Shields, “Sleeper Cell,” “Veronica Mars”), the team’s comic relief; tough-as-nails GINGER “LOVE TAP” LeBEAU (Tawny Cypress, “Heroes”), the only female on the squad, who gives as good as she gets; and CAPTAIN JAMES EMBRY (John Carroll Lynch, “Zodiac,” “The Drew Carey Show”), who wrangles the eclectic personalities of his squad with equal parts humor and tenacity.

EXECUTIVE PRODUCER/WRITER: Jonathan Lisco
DIRECTOR: Deran Sarafian
CAST: Anthony Anderson as Marlin Boulet, Cole Hauser as Trevor Cobb, Maximiliano Hernández as Billy “K-9” Faust, Blake Shields as Jeff “Glue Boy” Gooden, Tawny Cypress as Ginger “Love Tap” LeBeau, John Carroll Lynch as Captain James Embry

Come January, “K-Ville” will apparently move to the 8 PM timeslot, and, upon its completion, “Prison Break” will return to that timeslot while “24” reclaims the 9 PM slot.

Oh, and check this out: another writer on the teleconference basically called Fox out on how crap “24” has been this season and wanted to know if things were gonna change next year. Having been put on the spot, Mr. Liguori responded thusly:

“We’ve heard what the show’s loyal audience has said to us, and I’ll tell you that it’s really fuelled the show runners to be more daring with what they do next year. I’ve always likened ‘24’ to a James Bond movie – every one offers a different vision, different villains, a different love interest – and I have every confidence that Joel (Surnow), Bob (Cochran), and Howard (Gordon) will come back with a daring and loquacious swing at the plate with the next season of ’24,’ and I’m looking forward to next year.”

Nice comeback. We’ll see if his confidence turns out to be warranted…

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