Here’s one to get you all talking around the water cooler. Or wherever people gather these days in the office:

TVGuide ranks the Top 30 Cult Shows Ever.

Here’s the list, with run dates:
30) Strangers with Candy (1999-2000)
29) Absolutely Fabulous (1994-2003)
28) Stargate SG-1 (1997-2007)
27) H.R. Pufnstuf (1969-1971)
26) Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman (1975-1978)
25) Firefly (2002-2003)
24) Twin Peaks (1990-1991)
23) Dark Shadows (1966-1971)
22) Doctor Who (1963-present)
21) Freaks and Geeks (1999-2000)

Situation comedies have come and gone since the dawn of TV, and seeing some of them revived on TV Land got me wondering which were the dopiest ones ever made. The candidates are many, but the following five—all hatched in the 1960s—spring to mind first. And, yes, a degree of a suspension of belief is involved in watching any TV series, but these really asked for that extra mile. Some TV shows you just have to “go with;� these were some of them. And P.S.: I’m not implying they weren’t entertaining and worthy; in fact, I’ve probably seen most eps of each of them.

“Gilligan’s Island� (’64–’67): “Lost� this ain’t. The seven stranded castaways included three whose presence on the humble S.S. Minnow was baffling: zillionaires Thurston and Lovey Howell, who probably owned a fleet of yachts, and movie star Ginger Grant, who must have been in a mood that day to “slum it.� Meanwhile, the Howells brought along huge stashes of jewels, money and outfits for every occasion, and Ginger never ran out of gowns and makeup. The Professor was a bright guy, but concocting a radio transmitter out of coconuts and vines? On the other hand, is there a baby boomer out there who can’t recite all the words to show’s opening theme?

“F Troop� (’65–’67): Fort Courage’s soldiers in the post-Civil War days including clueless Capt. Parmenter, his scheming underlings Sgt. O’Rourke and Cpl. Agarn, and naive enlisted men Dobbs and Duffy. Meanwhile, the Native Americans weren’t much brighter and were played by Caucasians. Not so bad: “F Troop’s� female lead, Wrangler Jane, was feisty but not butch.

“Green Acres� (’65–’71): A successful Manhattan lawyer and his dim-bulb socialite wife move to a farm on the outskirts of the godforsaken town Hooterville. They live on a farm in a ramshackle house and were forced to climb a pole to make phone calls. The cast of supporting characters were hard-core hicks (but dadburn funny): huckster Mr. Haney, bumbling Mr. Kimball, farmhand Eb (no Rhodes Scholar he) and neighbors Fred and Doris Ziffel, who had a pig they considered their son.

“My Mother the Car� (’65–’66): Considered to be the—pardon the expression—mother of asinine comedies, a small-town lawyer buys a classic car, a 1928 Porter, that turns out to be the reincarnation of his mother, who talks to him—and only him—via the radio. (Meanwhile, did cars in the 1920s even have radios?) The series villain was the shifty Capt. Mancini, an antique-car collector constantly scheming to acquire the car. Who in God’s name pitched this clunker, why did NBC pick it up and how did the show last a year?

“The Munsters� (’64–’66): The poor man’s “Addams Family,� gigantic (physically and intellectually) doofus Herman was a green Frankenstein, his kid a werewolf, his wife a vampiress, and his grandpa Count Dracula. Blond and beautiful cousin Marilyn, however, was considered the family oddball. They had a pet dragon named Spot, who never set the house in fire, and everyone somehow appeared and functioned in the “normal� world without exhibited in “Ripley’s Believe It Or Not.�

(Dis)honorable mentions: “The Beverly Hillbillies,â€? “It’s About Time,” “McHale’s Navy” and “I Dream of Jeannie.â€? Those are my picks. Which are YOUR best of the worst?

I don’t know how many places I needed to spot this video before it dawned on me to give it a look. Thankfully, fellow RA’er Chris shot it my way after he spotted it at Best Week Ever, where they have a decided Office bent.

BWE saw it where I first saw it, which of course is the Office-ly omnicient OfficeTally. I’‘ll let Tanster sell it…

“This fanvid has some of the best lyric/beat synchronizations I’ve seen, plus an ending that, according to the fanvid creator, couldn’t not be done.”

Tonight is the last episode —  ever —  of Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip.

Many folks probably would respond to that with a, “Huh? I thought they took that show off the air months ago!”

They did, but out of love for Aaron Sorkin (and, probably, because the show’s viewer demographics skewed wealthier than the average), NBC aired the final episodes at 10 p.m. Thursdays since ER’s season finale.

It was a show I’d looked forward to before the season began, even though I had never watched The West Wing.

It didn’t blow me out of the water right away, but I found it well-written and well-directed. And Bradley Whitford kept me chuckling; Matthew Perry diverged from his Chandler Bing character enough to make you forget he’d spent more than a decade with David Schwimmer & Co. Amanda Peet and Steven Weber were surprisingly well-drawn characters; Ed Asner was perfect in his small recurring role. I really hadn’t seen much with D.L. Hughley previously, but I’m a big fan now.

The show ended up hitting some pretty big topics, including the war in Iraq, Sept. 11, religion and drug abuse. It didn’t get preachy; Sarah Paulson did an excellent job of portraying a very Christian Harriet Hayes in a business that can be very un-Christian (whatever that really means). Nathan Corddry was understated but absolutely believable as Tom Jeter, the black sheep of the family whose brother was in Iraq in the U.S. Army (and then kidnapped along with two other soldiers by jihadists).

Sure, I tired of the Matt-Harriet love story from time to time. And the episode where Jordan felt threatened by the new network VP got a little old. But overall, the show was consistently excellent and got better as the season progressed. The last three episodes have been, simply, top-notch.

So, farewell Studio 60. And thanks.

It’s been too long since I’ve blogged on Jericho, but the news has been relatively quiet lately.

But it comes back in re-runs next week, and our great blog experiment will begin then. A slew of Jericho fans volunteered to blog on the pilot and episodes 12-22. I’m very excited; this is going to be a blast.

Meanwhile, here’s a few Jericho tidbits to tide you over:
• The first season comes out on DVD on Oct. 2.
• The Guardians of Jericho have announced the official Jerichon (Jericho Convention) dates, etc. Sept. 14-16 in Oakley, Kansas (the site closest to the fictional town of Jericho).
• At the Comic-Con on July 28 at 1:15 p.m., according to ENI CBS folks will host a screening of “never before seen footage from the second season, exclusive clipls and outtakes from Season 1 and extras from the DVD out in October.” A panel discussion afterward will include Skeet Ulrich (Jake), Lennie James (Hawkins) and Ashley Scott (Emily), plus exec prod Carol Barbee, producer Jon Steinberg and co-exec prods Karim Zreik and Dan Shotz. Then the cast’ll sign autographs.
• Here’s a link to the Jericho Fans of New York, a Yahoo! TV Group.
• Here’s the Ranger Orientation thread for newbies to Jericho and the fan forums. (If you don’t know what a Ranger is, that’s OK, we’ll teach you).
• Here’s a link to a pamphlet that gives you a recap of the first 10 episodes, which won’t be a part of the summer re-runs.
• Betcha wondered what happened to all those nuts that were sent to CBS.
• Pretty much every Jericho-related link you could ever look for (even some to yours truly)!

That’s it for now.

Images courtesy of CBS, via Jericho Lives.

Okey-dokey, fellow Lost-philes, we must now close our eyes and send our collective cosmic love to both ABC and Harold Perrineau (our favorite traitorous castaway, Michael).

Because rumor has it that the actor and the network are involved in intense negotiations to bring him back for the show’s fourth season.

And, not surprisingly, the reported sticking point is the almighty buckaroo.

Thank goodness.

I was kind of bummed that Mahershalalhashbaz Ali, the actor who portrays Richard Tyler (otherwise known as Isabelle’s dad), had disappeared from the opening credits of “The 4400” when it debuted earlier this month.

I read earlier this month on Ain’t It Cool News somewhere else (can’t remember; if I do, I’ll provide linkage) that he was going to return to the show later in the season; today I found this on SyFyPortal.

Ali explains that now that Isabelle’s lost her immense powers and has been “humbled,” there’s a closeness between them that was not possible before. Her powers were too strong and she was too willing to use them to advance her purposes and desires that even her father couldn’t be sure he wouldn’t fall victim to her.

Michael Hogan was almost as displeased to find out his character, Col. Saul Tigh, was a Cylon as Tigh was, says SyFyPortal.

At the SciFi Channel’s digital press tour this week, several BSG actors talked to the bloggers about the show. Hogan had this to say:

I’m not happy about being a Cylon at all. I’m not imagining that anyone who were picked to be Cylons are. The scripts that we have so far are great, but the only way that I can deal with it is as a human being, and so far that’s [what my character] has had to do.

Aaron Douglas, who plays Chief Galen Tyrol, told digital media folk that he also had a hard time accepting it at first, but after a long conversation with Ron Moore, he grew to accept it. I think Douglas let something slip, though, as he refers to the Final Five as “Cylon gods.” That has been kindasortamaybe implied, but not really spelled out. It’s an interesting concept.

Many well-meaning friends and coworkers who know about my “American Idol” blogging have suggested that I write about Bravo’s new reality show “Hey Paula,” which would be fine if I had more than a fleeting desire to watch Ms. Abdul off the “Idol” set.

I can hear Abdul’s fans now: “You can’t judge the show unless you’ve seen it!” Agreed. All I’m saying is I don’t care about it.

Why not? Look at the trailer, meant to rope us in to the show. It’s about as exciting as a Haley Scarnato cover. Among the highlights: Paula name-drops Simon Cowell; Paula hangs with her bite-sized dogs. In another trailer, Paula hits her head when she tries to step out of a car. Yawn. Yawn. Yawn.

I’m not saying I don’t understand why the cable net gave it the green light, given the YouTube-friendly footage of Abdul’s strange behavior on “Idol” and morning news segments. But the reason those clips work from the audience’s perspective is because they’re short—and because Abdul is “tired” or allegedly high or whatever. As much I’m genuinely rooting for a sober Paula, “normal” Paula is not captivating enough to watch for a half-hour straight. She’s a small-doses kind of celebrity, no pun intended.

So, Lori & Declan are named best couple — even though they just broke up. Hillary is no longer the biggest slut, an honor bestowed upon Charlie instead.

Amanda’s crushed that Charlie cheated on her. Lori and Hillary “re-virginate” (while getting drunk in the “sex shack” on the beach? There’s a bizarre sight). Kyle accepts his label of “extraordinary.” Jessi becomes normal — but it looks like she’s not so much of a computer-like automoton as Ballantine, over at Madacorp, believed.

OK, this is my brother-in-law’s prediction: Emily will turn all Han Solo and eventually become a good guy (or girl, as the case may be). I think it’s a pretty good guess (as good as any, anyhow). She already is concerned for Jessi — and that’s not just her “job.” She sees Jessi as a naif being used by greater forces and I think she suspects that Jessi is not so easily downloaded and erased as Madacorp folks believe.

She’s going to come to care for Jessi, and I suspect, the Traegers and Kyle.

I think my b-i-l is onto something here. It may take some time, but Emily will turn out to be not such a bad person.

Oh, and I totally, utterly had forgotten that Kyle did indeed know about Charlie cheating on Amanda. I’m kind of glad they got that all out of the way by the end of yesterday’s episode, though, because those storylines where someone knows a bad secret about a boyfriend or girlfriend and they keep it from their friend, etc., yada yada yada, get so boring after about 15 minutes.

I had to give Hillary some newfound respect for admitting she’d slept with Charlie and for her and Lori trying to talk Amanda out of finally sleeping with Charlie.

But here are the issues that remain (for me, anyhow) after watching last night’s episode:
• How, exactly, is Kyle able to not get burned. There is a difference between mind over matter and not burning your feet while walking across hot coals and not getting even singed when your clothes are all but burned off your body. There’s more at work here than simple mind power. Foss has no idea.
• What exactly, is the link between Jessi and Kyle, other than the fact that both were gestated at Zzyzx? They are exceedingly aware of one another when they are in close proximity, even if they’re not aware that they’re aware specifically of one another).
• Why does this new girl Andy (or Andi?) like Josh so much? You’ve gotta admit, she’s gotta be kind of a weirdo to be sitting in a stall in the boy’s room (um, yuck) just to play a computer game. He’s a weirdo, too, of course. Eating in the boy’s room (um, yuck). OK, so they’re both weirdos who like the same computer game. I suppose it’ll be sweet, though, for Josh to finally have a real-life girl who likes him. He’s not as much of a geek as he feels he is.
• Is it just me (and my b-i-l), or does the relationship between Nicole and Kyle just seem a little weird and, well, creepy? Just sayin’.
• Is this really ABC Family? Sex, a shirtless Kyle, revirginization. All seems a little un”family”-like. Again, just sayin’.

Photos courtesy ABC Television.

There was a time when I could recite copious lines from the classic Chevy Chase flick Fletch. These days, only a couple off-color ones come to mind.

Still, I thought it was pretty cool when I spotted an item at LifeInTheOffice about the possibility that John Krasinski could fill Chase’s shoes in a Fletch remake. TMZ.com says a handful of actors are being considered for the part. Krasinski confirmed to movieweb.com that he has been contacted by producers about the part.

“I read the script, and it is hilarious,” Krasinski says. “It’s just one of those things that is so terrifying, to step up and be in a role that was done so perfectly.”

Krasinski stars in License to Wed with Mandy Moore and Robin Williams, opening July 3.

(photo: LITO.com) Read more of this entry »

I hate to be one of those people who says, “I totally thought that was going to happen!” after the fact about a pretty neat twist.

But, I have to admit, it did cross my mind more than once that Kyle’s new friend, Cassidy, was all in Kyle’s head. It occurred to me at the end of last week’s episode, when Kyle couldn’t find Cassidy at the art school she purported to belong to.

When she wouldn’t go inside the house she took him to, that’s when I first really thought I was onto something. It didn’t make any sense that she wouldn’t go in.

I know this season is supposed to delve deeper into the mythology of the 4400s; I’m not so sure I love the idea of Jordan truly being a messiah. I do love the idea of a cult of Jordan Collier (which already exists, to a certain degree) growing up around Jordan, Shawn (the healer) and Kyle (the shaman).

I crafted a lengthy, cogent and insightful blog last night about the announcement of a fall release date for The Office Season 3 DVD set.

Then I went and did something wrong and lost the whole thing in the ether of cyberspace. So this one’s going to be quick.

According to TVShowsonDVD.com (though I saw it at OfficeTally first), the set comes out Sept. 4.

UniversalStudios.com has the skinny on all the extras on this JAM-packed (pun intended) set. Highlights include nine commentary tracks, an interview with guest director Joss Whedon, a blooper reel, the full version of Lazy Scranton (Great Scott!) and mucho deleted scenes. Read more of this entry »

According to Mike Ausiello over at TVGuide.com, there’s a good chance the president next season will be a woman.

That wouldn’t be too shocking for the show, seeing as she wouldn’t be the first female prez (Geena Davis, Mary McDonnell — OK, McDonnell isn’t a U.S. president, but close enough) and the show itself has had not one, but two black presidents.

Ausiello also reports that New York, London and Washington, D.C., are the top contenders for a new locale for the show.

What? No President James Heller?

In addition, the Bauer-natics continue to come up with more wackiness for Season 7. To wit:
• Jack happens upon a location shoot of “Law & Order.” He sees police officers in distress, so he kills guest star Freddie Prinze Jr., who is playing a drug dealer in at Washington Square Park.
• The Naked Cowboy is a mole.
• While chasing bad guys down Fifth Avenue, felafel/kebab stands start exploding all around him.
• Jack discovers the Minskoff Theatre is really the headquarters for a terrorist group that Mandy is working through. The terrorist group brainwashes folks going to see “The Lion King” through hallucinogens in the concessions.
• Jack stops to get his portrait painted in Times Square. It takes too long, so he takes over and completes it himself.

ADDENDUM:
Ausiello also reports that Peter  MacNicol is going back to “Numb3rs,”  so it looks like Tom Lennox won’t be back next season (not a big surprise; should be almost a completely new cast anyhow).

Word has it that actor Kate Walsh, Dr. Addison Montgomery on “Grey’s Anatomy,” is preggers. Now, how’s that for unfortunate timing? She’s starring as the good doc on this fall’s “Grey’s” spin-off, the much-anticipated and hyped “Private Practice,” and her character is infertile. Sure, there have been many female actors who’ve been pregnant in real life but not on TV—Marcia Cross of “Desperate Housewives,” Patricia Heaton on “Everybody Loves Raymond”—but Walsh will be the “Private Practice” character around whom the others spin. The producers will have to pull some neat tricks to hide her condition. Or, like many other a.m. and p.m. soaps, there could be some outrageous reason why something that was once impossible is now possible. Perhaps she’ll get a first-time-ever-successful uterus transplant. Or maybe she’ll discover that the initial diagnosis of her infertility was miraculously incorrect. Or maybe, or maybe, or maybe….. But one thing is for sure: It will be interesting to see how they deal with it.

A few weeks ago I reported in this space that The Office was already being eyed for syndication by 2009.

And earlier today, I noted there were a lot of other ways besides traditional ratings to measure a show’s success.

Proof of both assertions comes today in the form of news that TBS and 10 Fox affiliates have ponied up a combined $100 million for the rights to rebroadcast episodes of The Office starting this fall.

Forget the 100-episode syndication milestone, I guess. The Office has a mere 51 in the bank with 30 half-hour blocks slated for Season 4, which gets under way in 07-08. Read more of this entry »

Or should, anyhow.

A few weeks ago, I asked you, my crazy 24-phile readers, for suggestions for Day 7 of our beloved, yet beleagured show.

I’ve noodled around some plot points from the various ideas I received and I think we may have a winner here. Stay with me.

Cast

I have to admit I was never much of a gamer.

Oh sure, I beat Magneto on Sega Genesis’s X-Men and finished off Sonic the Hedgehog like everyone else in my college dorm. But the last game system I owned was the original PlayStation, which has been in storage since 2002, when I got frustrated with the delivery van that kept running me off the road in Driver 2 (catch phrase: “The wheelman is back!”.

Even the bonus points that allowed me to field a team of giant-headed Mets All-Stars (reminiscent of Mike Tyson Punchout! on Nintendo, actually) couldn’t get me a World Series win. Probably wouldn’t help the real Mets, either. Read more of this entry »

Did you hear about Paul Potts winning the “Britain’s Got Talent” competition the other night, singing “Nessun dorma” from Puccini’s “Turandot”? Of course, you did. It was all over the news on this side of the pond.

First off, I couldn’t be more delighted for this struggling cellphone salesman-turned-Pavarotti. What a wonderful thing it is when people finally get to see you the way you’ve always seen yourself. It’s like the last moments of the ballet “Cinderella,” when Prokofiev’s love theme swells and the prince realizes the scullery maid is really the jewel at the ball. Or that moment in “Shakespeare in Love” when the stutterer delivers the prologue of “Romeo and Juliet” without missing a beat.

How moving.

But I can’t help but wonder if Potts will now go on to an actual operatic career or will remain the novelty that the arts have become on the networks. Let’s face it: Unless a violinist is killed at the Metropolitan Opera (which sadly, actually happened) or a Munch is stolen from the Munch Museum in Oslo (ditto), the arts are considered not ready for prime-time on the nets.

For that matter, how many of those who professed to get goose bumps listening to Potts — that means you, “Today” show’s Lester Holt — bothered to watch the delightful Puccini triple bill the other night on PBS’ “Great Performances”:http://pbs.org? I feel a bit guilty here, because I didn’t get an advance DVD, as I often do, and didn’t blog on it beforehand. But I watched the program and sobbed my eyes out at the end of “Suor Angelica,” with Barbara Frittoli magnificent as the fallen woman who finds redemption in suffering and loss.

I must confess that I wept a bit, too, for the state of the arts on TV. In part you have to blame the decline in arts education in this country over the last 40 or so years. But the media are also at fault.

Time was when they informed public taste in this country. Now the media wait for the public to inform their taste.

The irony in all this is that when people who have never really been exposed to the arts sample them, they’re often hooked. Why? Because the arts are really expressions of the truth in human nature. I’m willing to bet that the people who were touched by Potts’ singing weren’t responding merely to his voice. They were responding to Puccini and the emotion of an aria about a man who is willing to risk all for the cold-hearted woman he loves.

Paul Potts is a winner. But when it comes to the arts on the tube, we’re all losers.

Apparently, I shouldn’t feel like such a loser for loving FOX’s “So You Think You Can Dance.”

Because according to the ratings, you all love it too—even if you won’t admit it! (It shouldn’t be a secret shame, really: Shout your love, people, loud and proud!)

Anyway, “Dance” is a bona-fide summer blockbuster: It was the No. 2 show last week. In fact, “10.6 million people”:http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/content_display/news/e3id41d8ab4745718c67b097a1f51b330a2 watched last Thursday’s show, which even blew past the last game of the NBA Finals.

Let’s put it this way: More people watched Lacey Schwimmer (one of my personal faves) and Kameron Bink cut the rug than Tony Parker’s performance on the b-ball court.

Speaking of Lacey, I professed “my preference for her and Hok”:http://remote.lohudblogs.com/2007/06/13/do-you-have-a-favorite-dance-contestant-yet/ here last week. (My feelings for Lacey are love-hate; I love-love Hok…)

And my opinion has been validated: The two are part of the reason why  “TV Guide”:http://www.tvguide.com/news/think-dance-hotter/070620-02 says “Dance” is “hotter than ever!”

Whoo hoo!

Watch tonight’s show and check back here tomorrow to give your thoughts on who should be booted tomorrow.

Go Lacey … go Hok … go Lacey … go Hok…

(Photo/FOX)