photo: abc
Original Air Date: Jan 9, 2012
Divina F – TTC Reviewer
divina@thetwocentscorp.com
Ryan and Jenny’s (played by Dever’s real life wife) wedding has been the subject of my fantasies since the episode in which he proposed. And as disappointed as I was that the wedding scene took up a mere five minutes at the end, I have to once again applaud the efforts of the writers to make the murder plot rich and complicated.
Giving Jenny a connection was a nice touch, too.
photo: cbs
The Good Wife
Alienation of Affection
Original Air Date: Jan 8, 2012
Patricia Morris Buckley – Sr. Staff Writer
pmb@thetwocentscorp.com
As each member of our beloved team is subpoenaed, we have one thought in our head: Wendy Scott Carr has finally found a way to get Will in front of a grand jury.
But we are wrong. In this week’s case, the firm is being sued by a former client for a whopping $44 million. David Lee may have handled the divorce case that started all this, but each of the partners will be obligated to pay $1.2 million if they lose. Eli, who just joined the firm, isn’t happy and I don’t blame him.
photo: hbo
From Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant, LIFE’S TOO SHORT is a faux documentary starring Warwick Davis (“Willow,” the “Harry Potter” and “Star Wars” films) as a fictionalized version of himself: a little person who’s down on his luck, desperately trying to hustle and connive his way back into the spotlight.
The comedy series kicks off its seven-episode season SUNDAY, FEB. 19 (10:30-11:00 p.m. ET/PT), following the third-season debut of the comedy series “Eastbound & Down,” with other episodes debuting subsequent Sundays at the same time, exclusively on HBO.
TNT has ordered a pilot for L.A. Noir, a new drama series from executive producers Frank Darabont (The Walking Dead, The Shawshank Redemption), Michael De Luca (The Social Network, Moneyball) and Elliot Webb (Tall Time Tales). The project from TNT Original Productions is based on John Buntin’s critically acclaimed book L.A. Noir: The Struggle for the Soul of America’s Most Seductive City, which chronicles the epic battle between Los Angeles Police Chief William Parker and mobster Mickey Cohen. Alissa Phillips (Moneyball) of Michael De Luca Productions serves as co-executive producer. Darabont is set to write and direct the pilot.
“The story of L.A. Noir is inspired by an incredibly dramatic period in the history of Los Angeles,” said Michael Wright, executive vice president, head of programming for TNT, TBS and Turner Classic Movies (TCM). “This project is a sweeping tale of the battle for the soul of the city that was waged between the forces of the LAPD and the West Coast mob. We’re thrilled to be working with Frank Darabont and Michael De Luca, two award-winning storytellers behind some of the most entertaining films of the past two decades, as they to bring this intense and exciting crime-drama to TNT.”
photo: adultswim
The 100th episode of Robot Chicken, the Emmy Award®-winning series, premieres Sunday, Jan. 15 at 11:30 p.m. (ET/PT) on Adult Swim. Created by Seth Green and Matthew Senreich and their Stoopid Monkey Productions banner, Robot Chicken uses stop-motion animation to bring pop-culture parodies to life in a modern take on the variety/sketch show format.
“I’m proud and a bit shocked that we reached this milestone,” said Green. “It’s great to work with people you like and we are thrilled that the show’s fans continue to support our show and that our guest stars still like to come and play with us.”
photo: abcfamily
ABC Family will continue its Monday nights of original programming with the Spring returns of “The Secret Life of the American Teenager” and “Make It or Break It,” both premiering on Monday, March 26, 2012, at 8:00 PM and 9:00 PM, respectively, one week after the season finales of “Pretty Little Liars” and “The Lying Game.”
Starring Golden Globe ® nominee Shailene Woodley, “The Secret Life of the American Teenager” picks up right where it left off after a dramatic summer finale, with Amy accepting a marriage proposal from boyfriend, and father of her son, Ricky and Adrian and Ben moving on from their tragic past. This season the series continues to explore new and ever changing relationships with the introduction of several new characters. Despite the crazy relationships, there’s an undercurrent of discovery, honesty and growing up – even for the adults. The series cast includes Shailene Woodley, Ken Baumann, Mark Derwin, India Eisley, Greg Finley, Daren Kagasoff, Megan Park, Francia Raisa, with Steve Schirripa and Molly Ringwald.
Food Network’s new series “Fat Chef” gives viewers an inside look at the struggle chefs face when their love for food becomes overwhelming and affects their health. Premiering Thursday, January 26th at 10pm ET/PT, the six episode series follows twelve overweight culinary professionals from Illinois, New Jersey, New York, and Ohio on their four-month venture to overcome weight issues with the help of therapists, nutritionists, and trainers.
Worst Cooks in America, the hit primetime competition series that turns hopeless cooks into confident kitchen mavens, returns for a third season with two-time undefeated series champion Anne Burrell challenged by superstar chef Bobby Flay on Sunday, February 12th at 9pm ET/PT. The show pits Anne against Bobby, each leading a team of eight “recruits” in a grueling eight-week boot camp designed to transform these culinary disaster-makers into competent cooks. A $25,000 grand prize will be awarded to the winning contestant who achieves the most progress and best performance, in addition to bragging rights and victory for their culinary mentor.
photo: abc
Original Air Date: Jan 8, 2012
Wyner C – TwoCents Reviewer
wyner@thetwocentscorp.com
When a dog is backed into a corner, for self-preservation it will bite. Is the dog evil because he bit? Are our actions as predictable if we’re desperate? Are we all inherently good until push comes to shove? Is evil a manifestation of desperation? Or is evil just a point of view?
We say evil never wins. What if the winner is evil disguised as good or good waiting to become evil. All this talk about good and evil has me thinking, who defines evil? Is the man fighting to keep his son alive evil? What if he killed to keep his son alive – evil now? What if he made a deal with the devil for his son – still evil? That is why I love this show, there is no black or white, even in Fairytale – life is full of grays.
photo: abc
Desperate Housewives
What’s to Discuss, Old Friend
Original Air Date: Jan 8, 2012
Annette – Associate Staff Writer
annette@thetwocentscorp.com
A refresher for everyone since it’s been awhile since we’ve seen the housewives. Susan has decided to leave town for awhile to escape Vance, Carlos has checked himself out of rehab and gone AWOL, Lynette confessed to Tom and Bree was in a crappy motel room about to kill herself.
Most importantly, Detective Vance was run down in an apparent hit-and-run. So the big question is, who did it? But first we pick up where we left off last time – with Bree and a loaded gun.
photo: nbc
Charles Barkley
Original Air Date: Jan 7, 2012
Len – Two Cents Reviewer
len@thetwocentscorp.com
Happy New Year, dear readers! To steal a line from Jimmy Fallon’s fictional DJ Joey Mack at Z-105, “And we’re back!”
But after this week’s episode, you could make a strong case that SNL is still on hiatus. The whole episode pretty much felt flat. As I mentioned in my most recent review, I was afraid the Jimmy Fallon Laugh Train was going to set the bar too high and provide us some unrealistic expectations about what we would see after the holiday. And I think it did just that.
Charles Barkley, who was a fine sport about it all and unafraid to be self-deprecating about his gambling and arrest history, didn’t help matters much with his deer-in-the-headlights stares at the cue cards and his occasional stumbles over words. He also takes a full breath in one of the sketches, like he’s just been called to the front of the class to read a report. Yes, I know he’s not a performer, and I give him a little leeway on it, but it still matters to the end product. Anyway, click the link and let’s score this thing.
TheTwoCents 