Who Is Your Favorite Modern TV Dad – Voting Continues!

Over the last decade, we’ve welcomed many different families into our living rooms every week. From the Bluths to the Barones to the Taylors to the Bravermans.

Everyone has been thinking of Dad this past weekend, and we here at TheTwoCents have come up with 20 TV Dads who we think rank among our favorites.

Notice we used the word “favorite” – not necessarily “best”. While we all want our fathers to be perfect (Cliff Huxtable anyone?) sometimes they’re just too busy running the country, running their other “family” or trying to find a safe haven in the universe to call home.

We’re looking to our readers to vote and we’ll release the list of the Top 10 Favorite TV Dads from the past decade on Friday!

So, continue reading and get voting!

NBC Orders Animated Special “How Murray Saved Christmas”

NBC has greenlit the animated holiday musical special “How Murray Saved Christmas” from four-time Emmy-winning writer and executive producer Mike Reiss (“The Simpsons”).

The hourlong program is based on Reiss’ best-selling children’s book of the same name. The story centers on cranky deli owner Murray Kleiner, who is forced to fill in for Santa one Christmas and does a weirdly wonderful job.

“‘Murray’ is the perfect project to get audiences into the holiday spirit, and Mike’s impressive comedic background makes him a great choice to put all the pieces together,” said NBC Entertainment President Jennifer Salke.

Switched At Birth – Recap & Review – Distorted House

photo: abc family

Switched At Birth
Distorted House

Original Air Date: Jun 17, 2013

Karen Belgrad – Senior Editor
karenbelgrad@thetwocentscorp.com

As we go into the second episode of the summer season, the thematic string of the episodes has become clear. It’s all about the shifting of the family dynamic. We’ve explored Daphne’s integration into (and Regina’s discomfort with) the Kennish household for so long, it’s time to see how the other have interacts.

Sure, there’s tons of other stuff going on: Travis, the car wash, Toby, Ty, and tennis matches. But what is the most fascinating to watch is how Bay, Regina, and now Angelo are forming their own family unit, and the discomfort that it is bringing Kathryn and Daphne.

FX Casts John Hurt in The Strain

hurt

FX has cast two-time Academy Award®-nominated actor John Hurt in The Strain, the pilot based on the best-selling vampire novel trilogy from Academy Award®-Winning Filmmaker Guillermo del Toro and Author Chuck Hogan. Hurt joins the previously announced Corey Stoll, Kevin Durand, Mia Maestro, Richard Sammel, Lauren Lee Smith, Jonathan Hyde and Miguel Gomez.

Hurt will portray Professor “Abraham Setrakian,” a holocaust survivor who immigrated to the United States after World War II and now runs a pawn shop in Spanish Harlem. As the outbreak spreads, he may be the only one with answers – if anyone will listen.

HGTV Star – Recap & Review – Industrial Loft

photo: hgtv

HGTV Star
Industrial Loft

Original Air Date: Jun 16, 2013

Patricia Morris Buckley — Sr. Staff Writer
pmb@thetwocentscorp.com

Oh, the dreaded team challenges. This is where things on HGTV Star start to get nasty – and interesting.

The group must design an industrial loft space, dividing it into four distinct areas (den, living room, bedroom, dining room/kitchen/foyer) with four teams. The nine remaining designers have two days. Plus, they have to find a vintage item to re-purpose and make the focus of their first camera challenge.

Falling Skies – Recap & Review – Badlands

photo syfy

Falling Skies
Badlands

Original Air Date: Jun 16, 2013

Patricia Morris Buckley – Sr. Staff Writer
pmb@thetwocentscorp.com

Is there anything cuter than a young boy having a crush on an older woman? Well, on Falling Skies that’s like drawing a big X on the woman. After all, how many beloved characters have we watched blown to bits (or consumed by millions of bugs) on this show? The Falling Skies universe is not a safe place to be.

And this episode seemed to hammer that point more than any other. Jeanne, Weaver’s daughter, has designed a Liberty Tree made up of Mech parts as a memorial to those who didn’t survive. But the process has her down and wondering if they would all die shortly. Oh Jeanne — then the series would end. No, they all will perish episode by episode — keep the ratings up, don’t ya know?

True Blood– Recap & Review – Who Are You, Really?

photo: hbo

True Blood
Who Are You, Really?

Original Air Date: Jun 16, 2013

Patricia Morris Buckley — Sr. Staff Writer
pmb@thetwocentscorp.com

Has anyone in Bon Temps ever even heard of a shower? Everyone looks like hell in this episode.

Is seems to be a True Blood rule that everyone must walk around with blood crusted on faces, hands and clothes as if it were the latest fashion. I can’t believe I was relieved to see Bill back in his own home, washed up. And that’s something if you’re relieved to see this season’s big bad.

OK, I can understand the blood in the first half. The season opens immediately after last season’s closer. Shall we do a quick catch-up? OK, you talked me into it. Bill drank Lilith’s blood, exploded, then rose from a pool of blood naked as a jaybird and encased in the mandatory blood frosting. It’s obvious that he’s no longer Bill, so naturally everyone starts calling him Bilith.

CBS Announces 2013-2014 Premiere Dates

2013-2014 premiere dates announced

CBS, America’s #1 network, will premiere nearly all of its new and returning series during official premiere week (Sept. 23-29), following the Network’s Sept. 22 broadcast of THE 65TH PRIMETIME EMMY AWARDS, which will air live, 8:00-11:00 PM, ET/5:00-8:00 PM, PT.

HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER, entering its final season, returns with a special one-hour episode on Monday, Sept. 23 (8:00-9:00 PM, ET/PT).

Who Is Your Favorite Modern TV Dad?

Over the last decade, we’ve welcomed many different families into our living rooms every week. From the Bluths to the Barones to the Taylors to the Bravermans.

Everyone has been thinking of Dad this past weekend, and we here at TheTwoCents have come up with 20 TV Dads who we think rank among our favorites.

Notice we used the word “favorite” – not necessarily “best”. While we all want our fathers to be perfect (Cliff Huxtable anyone?) sometimes they’re just too busy running the country, running their other “family” or trying to find a safe haven in the universe to call home.

We’re looking to our readers to vote and we’ll release the list of the Top 10 Favorite TV Dads from the past decade on Friday!

So, continue reading and get voting!

PBS Newshour Weekend to Premiere this Fall

sreenivasan

PBS today announced it will launch PBS NEWSHOUR WEEKEND, an addition to its influential and trusted lineup of news and public affairs shows and an extension of one of America’s most iconic news broadcasts. The half-hour program premieres Saturday, September 7, 2013, on PBS stations (check locallistings). PBS NEWSHOUR correspondent Hari Sreenivasan will anchor PBS NEWSHOUR WEEKEND every Saturday and Sunday from the Tisch WNET Studios at Lincoln Center.

Like the weekday edition of THE PBS NEWSHOUR, PBS NEWSHOUR WEEKEND will feature a summary of the day’s national and international news, using renowned experts to offer analysis. Each weekend broadcast will contain original, in-depth field reporting on topics including education, healthcare, the economy, energy, science and technology, religion, finance and the arts. Local PBS stations will be offered an opportunity at the end of the broadcast to insert two minutes of local news. As appropriate, the PBS NEWSHOUR WEEKEND team will work with local stations toproduce stories of national interest for the broadcast.