David Letterman - The Morning Show Episode

I've been watching my old Beta episodes of Late Night with David Letterman that I recorded back in the early 80's and into the early 90's. So far, I've seen the "International Night" episode, "The Reverse Episode", the "Build Your own Episode", the "Monkey-Cam" Episode and last night I watched "The Morning Show" episode. And how about throwing stuff off of a 5 story building or crushing stuff with a steam roller, the suit of magnets, the suit of Alka-Seltzer, the Top 10 List, Larry "Bud" Melman, and the Guy under the Seats... they don't make television like that anymore!

Here are a few screen grabs from The Morning Show episode with Dave and Tawny.

Mighty Mouse The New Adventures

In 1987, the animated television series, Mighty Mouse, The New Adventures debuted on Fox Kids. It was a revival of the mighty Mouse cartoon character from the 1940's. This version aired on CBS on Saturday mornings rom fall 1987 through the 1988-89 season. I loved this show back then, and would get up early every Saturday morning to record the show on VHS (which I still have). As was the norm with new cartoon series at the time, Wendy's offered kids toys for their kids meals based on the characters from Mighty Mouse, The New Adventures. I just found the cards that came with three of my favourites, Bat-Bat, Petey Pate and The Cow. I also managed to get the window cling from my local Wendy's that advertised the kids meal toys. Its still stuck on the piece of glass I stuck it to back in 1989.
Here are the fronts and backs of three of the cards that came with the toys.

KING-TVs famed mascot designed by Walt Disney studios

I recently saw a picture of Walt Disney with a drawing of KING TVs mascot King Mike, and it reminded me that in 1998 when KING TV celebrated their 50th anniversary, I wrote to the station asking for anything with King Mike on it. I don't remember if I actually new at the time that it was designed by Disney, I think I just thought it was a rally cool retro looking character. They were nice enough to send me a 50th Anniversary mouse pad with King Mike on it. More recently I found that he was actually created by Disney.
King Mike, the first KING-TV employee and mascot, was created by Walt Disney's studios in 1951. When Dorothy Bullitt created Channel 5 in 1948, she changed the call letters to KING. And soon after, she reached out to her good friend Walt Disney who lent his artistic flair to help her get the station off the ground by created King Mike.
The Disney company confirms, although Walt Disney himself was involved in the design, that it was one of his artists who actually made the rendering. The cost of the design and work: $75.
It's believed that King Mike is the only word that Walt Disney commissioned outside of the Disney studios.
To this day, KING Mike has been used in promotions and logos.

That's Quarantainment!

More fun for those of us participating in Pandemic 2020. Next Weeks Episode of Talent Time is gonna be done online via youtube. Check out the banner and info they posted on their facebook page.

Just a beautiful Facebook banner for our next show. So much has happened since the last one (that weirdly enough I was wearing rubber gloves on??) I really wish we could all mingle IRL. I guess this is real life now. For the time being anyway. So this is the next best thing. Also people is other cities can join us now too which is super cool!! Please mark your calendar (April 2nd 7:00 pst) and tune ti on our YouTube channel. https://www.youtube.com/user/TalentTimeTV

The State of Television in 2019

Its now mid November and I have had time to watch all the new shows I wanted to check out and decide which ones I liked and which ones were duds.
Where is what I posted before the season began along with what my rating is now after two months.

• Batwoman (I gave it a 4 - out of 5 for how interested I was in it) (final rating = 0)
I watching it once and knew within 10 minutes of watching it that I would not watch another episode

• Bless the Harts (I gave it a 2) (Final rating still a 2)
This one was ok, but there was no reason to tune into another episode, and I don't watch any of the other Sunday night Fox animation (not even Simpsons, which is pretty good) so I can't even leave the TV on by accident and see this one.

• Bob Hearts Abishola (I gave it 1) (Final rating, 1.5)
This one is OK, but it really is a bottom tear sitcom. I can't see it making it to a second season, and I won't be watching it during the first season.

• Carol's Second Act (I gave it a 4) (Final rating is a 3)
This one is better than Bob Hearts Abishola, but just a little. Again, there were so many better sitcoms cancelled last season that this.

• Sunnyside (I gave it a 2) (Final rating has to be a 0 as I don't remember it)
I had totally forgotten about this one until I reread my post. Now I kinda remember watching the first episode and deciding I was not going to continue with it. And it looks like that may have been what everybody else did, because I don't remember seeing it on over the last few weeks.

• Nancy Drew (I gave it a 3) (Final rating is a 5)
This show I really like, and it has now become a favourite of my son, so we watch it together. The only thing I don't like it what it has too much of a supernatural vibe to it. I would prefer the show if it was just regular mysteries. That said, I still think its a really fun show.

• Emergence (Didn't rate this one) (Final rating 4)
Here is a show that I didn't even pay attention to when I saw the full page description in TV Weeks Preview issue. I thought it was just another cop show which I don't watch. I saw an add on TV for it and decided it looked interesting. This one is actually a sci-fi show and so far its been pretty good.

• The Unicorn (Didn't rate this one) (Final rating 4.5)
This is another one that I did't pay attention to from its full page description. But it turns out its by far my favourite new sitcom of the season. The only problem is that it might be hard to do a second season, as they really play off the fact he is really new at the dating scene, and after a year, it might seem like they need to find a new angle for the show. But I really like the characters and I look forward to it each week.

And here is a look at the shows that didn't make it from last season, as long as the ones that were renewed for a second season.

From the RIP list, I am going to miss:
Abby's - Funny show
A.P. Bio - Really funny show
Crazy Ex-Girlfriend - Lots of fun, even if you had to fast forward through some of the songs
Elementary - The only cop type show I was watching
The Kids are Alright - Really, really funny show
Speechless - Was a great show, but the final season was not the best
Splitting Up Together - This one was also really good first season, but not as good in the final season

From the shows that were renewed from last season, I was glad to see these shows back:
God Friended Me - My son and I watch this together
Single Parents - This is currently my favourite sitcom

TV is really not what it once was. Back in the 80's and 90's I can remember being so excited for the new fall season of TV shows and so was everyone else. We were all watching the same shows. Now, I have cable and I feel like I have the most choices, but even so, when I look at the TV Week listings I see so many shows that I don't have access to on Netflix, Hulu, Amazon, etc. The Fall TV Season is just not as exciting as it once was. Its way to fractured now and I just see it getting worse as time go on and we get even more splintered into smaller and smaller ecosystems Honestly, I can't believe they still feel TW Week magazine. I buy the Fall Preview issue every year along with the returning Series issue, but other than the pages in the front and back of the issue that list the new shows, the rest of the magazine which is television listings is a huge waste of paper, as I can easily see the guide right on my TV. I do remember the days when along with TV Guide and TV Week, there was a TV listings magazine included in the weekend newspaper, and a free TV listings magazine full of ads you could pickup at the grocery store or a hundred other places. I really do wonder who is still buying TV Week magazine for the show listings? That said, I can't wait for next year so I can pick up the new issues of the Fall Preview and Returning Shows issues!

2019 Fall TV Preview

It's September and time for another batch of new TV shows to show up on cable television. I'm one of the few still subscribed to cable TV. I don't want to have to subscribe to a bunch of different services such as Netflix, Hulu and HBO. I like to be able to turn my TV on and see my shows all in one place. Before the fragmenting of cable TV with all these new cable-cutting services, September was an exciting time for me with ALL the new shows available on my TV. Sadly now with myself having cable, I get all the new 'cable' shows, but there are shows on other services that I will not have a chance to watch, such as two recent shows that I have yet to have the opportunity to see, Daredevil and the Tick.
The TV Week Fall Preview issue is out now, and this seasons list of new shows on cable is looking rather anemic for my tastes. Lets dive in and see what I'll be checking out this fall. I will give each show a rating out of 5 for how much I am looking forward to it - 5 being the ones I am most excited about:

• Batwoman (4) I love Batman, so this could be interesting. I also love the CW show Flash, so if this is as good as that I may continue watching. Sadly I didn't stick with Gotham (a show based in the Batman universe), as I found it to much like a teen soap opera, with too little Batman to keep me tuning in. I have a feeling this one will be the same.

• Bless the Harts (2) This is an animated Fox show that could be fun, but from the photo shown, the art style looks to much like the crapy style of Bobs Burgers which I'm not a fan of. Its also sandwiched in a block of animation that doesn't appeal to me. The Simpsons are good, but after all these years, I don't feel the need to watch it any longer and Bobs Burgers and Family Guy are not shows I watch.

• Bob Hearts Abishola (1) Its a sitcom (something there are not many of these days) which I like, so I will give it a shot, but I'm not expecting much.

• Nancy Drew (3) I was a big fan of the Hardy Boys when I was young, and recently I read a monthly Nancy Drew comic book, so will give this a chance. But, because it is on the CW, I am expecting it to be for a much younger audience than myself.

• Carol's Second Act (4) Another sitcom, so I'll automatically give it a try. And I loved The Middle, so it could be fun seeing Patrica Heaton on this new show.

• Sunnyside (2) I'll give this a try. Depending on how much I like the cast, this could be a fun show.

Each fall season seems to get less interesting and this year with only 6 shows I am planning on checking out, this is probably the least amount of shows I have planned on watching ever. And the mid season show list doesn't look any more promising. From the very short descriptions of the 27 mid season shows, there is not one that looks interesting enough to have me looking forward February. Hopefully next weeks issue of TV Week, with the returning favourites and new specialty shows, will be a little more promising.

Felix the Cat

While shuffling through lots of junk at a local thrift shop, I found two really cool Felix the Cat records. The first is a Cricket Records Play Hour long playing record. from 1959.  As soon as I got home I put it on my turn table and had a listen. What I found was the theme song from the Felix the Cat cartoons and them four stories read with limited sound effects and no Felix the Cat voice. I am always reading stuff on Mark Evanier's blog about kids albums and how he would be really disappointed when he would listen to a cartoon record and the voice from the cartoon would not be on the record. In this case, they don't even have anyone doing the voice. Its just a story teller telling us the story. So, other than the theme song that starts each side of the album, the rest of the album is barely worth the one time listen.
The second record is a Cricket Records 45 from 1953, again with the Felix the Cat song and The Cat's March on the reverse side. I had not listened to this one yet, but just now as I check out the label on the centre of the record, I saw that The Felix the Cat Song was by the Criketone Chorus & Orchestra and The Cat March is by the Cricketeer Marching Band, so I decided to give it a listen. Sadly, when I tried to play it, it didn't work at 33 rpm or 45 rpm. A quick look on wikipedia and I found this:

Cricket Records was a children's label operated by the Long Island, USA based Pickwick Sales Corp., more commonly known as Pickwick Records, and headed by Seymour "Cy" Leslie. Pickwick owned and operated several budget labels; Cricket is significant in that it may have been one of the very last American 78 rpm labels to operate at the end of the 78 rpm era.

So sadly, I didn't get t hear it, or last least not the way it was supposed to sound. It was more of a reverse Alvin and the Chipmunks sound!

Disney on TCM - December 20, 2017

Its Times for Disney on TCM once again on September 11, 2017. Here is what is scheduled to be shown:
Brave Little Taylor (1938)
The Story of Robin Hood and His Merry Men (1952)
The Sign of Zorro (1960)
Tricks of our Trade (1957)
Pete's Dragon (1977)
Fuzzbucket (1986)
I've got my PVR all set to record the entire evening, how about you?

2016 Fall Returning Series

Ok, so lets have a look at what returning TV shows are worth watching, and which of my favorite shows didn't make it to the new season.

Here is the list of returning shows that I will be tuning into this fall (I'll give each show a rating out of 5 for how much I am looking forward to it - 5 being the ones I am most excited about):

• 2 Broke Girls (3) - I really liked this show at first, but last season it was not must see TV for me.

• Big Bang Theory (5) - This show is always fun. I am really surprised that all my co-workers who are not into anything nerdy, all seem to love this show. I did already see the first episode of this season, and was a little let down. Hopefully next episode the show will be back to form.

• Blackish (3) - Another show that I did really like, but that I had lost interest in. But they have me very interested in the first episode this season as they are going to Walt Disney World.

• Brooklyn Nine-Nine (5) - I believe this is my current favorite show. Great cast, and always funny!

• Crazy Ex-Girlfriend (4) - A great show when you can fast forward through the cheesy song and dance numbers.

• Elementary (4) - A very solid detective show, with just enough humor to keep me coming back.

• The Goldbergs (5) - Another favorite of mine. I'm so glad it caught on and has become as popular as it has become. I assumed that because I liked it, it would be canceled, but here it is back for season 4.

• The Flash (4) - I am a huge comic book fan and have always loved the Flash so this is a great treat. I love that I can share this show with my son, who also loves watching.

The Last Man on Earth (2) - Another show I really liked at first, but last season I was not really enjoying it too much. This may be a show that I stop watching after the first couple of episodes this season unless it does something amazing to hook me back in.

• Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (3) This show is a bit of a mixed bag in quality of episodes. Last season, for every great episode there was a real dud. Hopefully there will be more great episodes to duds this season.

• Modern Family (3) - A good show, that I mostly keep watching because it is sandwhiched between other shows I like.

• Saturday Night Live (3) - I usually watch the show, and there is almost always something worth watching in the show. The news segment is usually the best part.

• Supernatural (4) - After more than 10 years, I have faded in and out from watching, but found myself looking forward to the episodes last season. I'll be back watching on a regular basis for this coming 12th season.

• Superstore (5) - A very funny new show. Hopefully season two will be just as good as the first. I am a little disappointed that this show made it to season two and TeleNova (which debuted at the same mid season as Superstore) did not, as I liked the later just a bit more that Superstore.

• The Walking Dead (5) - The only show that I always watch live. And I always watch the following Talking Dead, as I don't have friends to talk to the show about, so this is my version of the work water cooler talk - although I don't think the people on TV ever listen to me when I give my opinions.

Here are the cancelled shows that I am sad to see go:

• Best Time Ever with Neil Patrick Harris. - Not sure why I liked this show so much as I didn't really like the Karaoke segments, and some of the other segments seemed a little forced, but still it was a fun show in the style of those shows my mom used to watch when I was a youngster.

• Galavant - I was really disappointed to see this one cancelled, when Crazy Ex-Girlfriend received so much praise. Galavant was by far the funny show and had much better song and dance numbers.

• The Grinder - I thought this show was supper funny, but my friends told me it was awful. Apparently they knew more than I did.

• The Muppets - Although I kept watching this show, I didn't think it was all that great. I was just thrilled to see the Muppets back on TV.

• TeleNova - I thought this was the funniest show on TV last season. It seems no one else agreed with me.

• You, Me and the Apocalypse - I enjoyed this show and the fact that it has been cancelled, mean I will never get to see how it ends?

• Undateable - This was by far my most looked forward to show each week. I enjoyed the show during the first season, and when they went to 'live' episodes last season, I was totally hooked. I watched both the East coast and West coast version, as it was fun to see how they changed it up for the second version 3 hours later. I wonder who many others were watching both episodes each week? If they were to release a DVD set of last with both the East coast and West coast versions, I would plunk my cash down to own this, but my guess is this show will never make it to DVD. Too bad.

2016 Fall TV Preview

It's fall, and that means many things, but most importantly, it means the new fall TV season is upon us! Each fall I look forward to picking up the fall preview issues of TV Guide, or in more recent years, TV Week, as TV Guide ceased releasing print editions 10 years ago. As long as TV Week continues to put our their print editions, I will be happily plunking my money down for the Fall Preview issue and Returning Series issues each new season.
As you can see from the cover of the Fall Preview issue, there are 53 new shows this season. Here is a list of the seven shows (including two midseason shows) I will be tuning in to and checking out this fall (I'll give each show a rating out of 5 for how much I am looking forward to it - 5 being the ones I am most excited about):

• Son of Zorn (2) - This one looks pretty lame, but the premise of putting an animated character into the real world is at least worth a look.

• Kevin Can Wait (4) - TV Week says, "Do you miss King of Queens so much that you'd watch the exact same show, but with other actors in pace of that show's great supporting cast? Then boy oh boy does CBS have a sitcom for you!" King of Queens rip off... ok, I'm in.

• Man with a Plan (4) - New sitcom with Matt Leblanc. I loved Friends and Episodes, so will try this one out as well.

• The Great Outdoors (3) - I liked Joel McHale in Community, so will give this one a whirl. I'm guessing this one won't make it through the first season though.

• Macgyver (3) - I never watched the original, but this new one is gonna have a tough time living up to McGruber!

• Imaginary Mary (5) - A show with Jenna Elfman and an imaginary (Muppet style) friend. If its any good, it could be my new favourite show.

• Riverdale (1) - Based on the Archie comics, this one is being billed as a bizarre 're-imagining' of the Archie world. I have just started to appreciate the old cartoony Archie comics, but have not been interested in the new updated realistic/gritty style comics. This new show seems more like the newer Archie, so probably one episode will be enough.

All in all, a pretty disappointing fall season. At least we have next weeks Returning Series issue of TV Week to see which of the shows I liked from last season made the leap to this new season. I already know my favourite show didn't make the cut.

New Adventures of Gilligan on DVD

Advertising works on me. I finished reading Detective Comics #52 and was putting it away when I noticed the ad on the back page. I believe I may have made some sort of "Ooh" sound as I saw the Warner Archive ad advertiging The New Adventures of Gilligan, the complete series Now on DVD!
I am a huge fan of Gilligan's Island, and remember watching the Groovie Goolies show before school every morning in the 70's and 80's hoping to see an episode of The New Adventures of Gilligan. It may not have been the best cartoon on TV, but I have been waiting for this to come out as an official release for years. Back in the 90's while I was a member of the Gilligan's Island Fan Club, I managed to purchase a few episodes of this animated series that had been transferred from 16 mm film. Then some time around 2000 I purchased a DVD off the Internet that had 16 (of the 24 total) episodes in watchable, but not great condition. It took all of 20 minutes after seeing this ad to have my copy ordered and on its way to my mailbox.
Now I just need them to release the three Gilligan's Island TV movies, and a CD with the music from the TV show (and cartoons) would be great, as the music still fills my head all these years later.

From Comics to Film! on TCM

I know what I'll be doing this coming Wednesday. While reading my floppy copy of Batman & Robin Eternal #24, I came across an ad for TCM's March 23rd "From Comics to Film!" night. Among the offering this night will be Batman's first screen appearance in the 1943 Batman serial. Other offerings include episodes of Tunnel of Terror,  The Green Hornet, Buck Rodgers, Purple Death, Ace Drummond, Dick Tracy, the first entry in the Saint movie series "The Saint in New York", and the thing I am most interested in seeing, two episodes of the 1943 Phantom serial. I love the character of The Phantom, and I have always wanted to see this old Phantom serial. I can't wait to sit in the dark in front of my big screen TV watching the campy fun and munching my hot buttered popcorn.

Disney on TCM Time Again

March 9, 2016 Turner Classic Movies is once again hosting an evening of Disney material from the Disney vaults, hosted by Leonard Maltin. Be sure to set your DVR for all 7 hours of Disney fun.

My Favourite TV shows of 2015/16

I love TV... perhaps a little too much! This season of Television has been better than the last few seasons, and I have been watching a lot TV. I made a quick list tonight and found 33 shows that I have been watching this season - thats a lot of time in front of the boob tube, over 24 hours of television viewing per week actually. Of course there is also hockey which I love to watch, CFL football, NLL lacrosse, as well as old shows on MeTV such as Gilligan's Island, Carol Burnett and Friends, Wonder Woman, and Bob Newhart etc that I watch semi regularly. I think you can say I am a high volume TV viewer.
What you see below is the 33 shows that are "Must See TV" for me each week... OK, there are few shows on the end of the list that are not exactly 'Must See', but I still record and watch all of them each week.
I watch most of my Television on my DVR after the fact, but I always watch Walking Dead and Talking Dead on Sunday night. I also like to watch both the East and West coast live versions of Undateable, although when I am not home to watch live, my DVR does not seem to like this show as it never records it when I set it to record. I have had to outsmart my DVR by setting the show before Undateable to record addind an additional 30 minutes of recording time so I can watch Undateable. The Middle, Goldbergs and Gravity Falls are the two shows I watch with my 10 year old son each week, and my wife likes to watch Brooklyn Nine-Nine and Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt with me.
I am also looking forward to a couple of the mid season shows, especially Galavant which I really enjoyed during its very short run last season.
And I can't forget That Metal Show on VH1. It's not on my list below as I don't know when the next season will start, but I am looking forward to season 15.
Who says there's nothing to watch on TV!?

1. The Walking Dead
2. The Middle
3. Undateable
4. Brooklyn Nine-Nine
5. Goldbergs
6. Muppets
7. iZombie
8. Flash
9. Daredevil 
10. Crazy Ex-Girlfriend  
11. Marvels’s Agents of Shield
12. Fresh off the Boat
13. Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt   
14. Elementary
15. Gravity Falls
16. Big Bang Theory
17. Blackish
18. Talking Dead
19. Be Cool Scooby Doo
20. Last Man of Earth
21. Two Broke Girls
22. Supernatural
23. Comic Book Men
24. Svengoolie
25. Last Man Standing
26. Grinder
27. Modern Family
28. Saturday Night Live
29. Scream Queens
30. Truth Be Told
31. Supergirl
32. Dr Ken
33. Wabbit

Treasures from the Disney Vault on TCM

On July 2nd, TCM is presenting their 3rd instalment of Treasures from the Disney Vault hosted by Leonard Maltin. Other than the animated cartoons, but I do not think I have seen any of the movies they are presenting, so I look forward to another great night of popcorn and movies.

TV Week Fall Preview 2012 - Part 2

The second Fall Preview issue of TV Week magazine is the Returning Series issue. Being a big TV fan as well as a magazine reader / collector, I always look forward to these issues. The cover date of this issue is September 15-21, 2012, with a cover price of $4.99.
Along with all the weekly TV listings (which I haven't looked at in years), you will find a listing of all the returning series for the new season. The list of my favorite returning shows includes: Big Bang Theory, 2 Broke Girls, 30 Rock, Community, Don't Trust the B.... In Apartment 23, How I Met Your Mother, Last Man Standing, The Middle, Modern Family, The Office, Raising Hope, Subugatory, Supernatural, and two shows that were not listed in this issue, but I happen to know are returning, Burn Notice and my favorite current TV show, Psych!
Check out the list of cancelled shows. Of the 45 shows on the list, the only ones I will miss are Chuck (which I knew was in its last season last year), Breaking In (which was not that good once they brought it back from the dead), and Rob which was good but not great - I mostly liked Fernando (Cheech Marin) and his goofy brother in law Hector.

Then there are new shows from last season that have been renewed. There are 4 new shows from last season that are on my PVR record list; 2 Broke Girls, Don't Trust the B... In Apartment 23, Last Man Standing, and Suburgatory. I started watching Up All Night and Whitney, but I was ignoring both by mid season.

I've got a ton of shows I am recording / watching each week, so its a good thing I spend the later half of the summer watching / deleting everything off my my PVR so that I have space for all the new shows I will be watching!

TV Week Fall Preview 2012 - Part 1

It's that time of year again when I start watching even more TV than usual... and that is a lot! Its the new fall TV season, which brings with it a new crop of shows for us to check out. Although each year there seems to be less and less new stuff I am interested, there are a few shows that look like they may be worth a look.
Here in Canada we no longer have the print edition of TV Guide magazine, so I make sure to pick up our TV magazine, TV Week. As in previous years they have done two consecutive issues, the first one being the Fall Preview issue showcasing 48 new shows. The second issue is the returning series issue.

Today I will focus on the first issue and go though the list of new shows I am planning to check out:

Revolution - A sci-fi drama from J.J. Abrams and Eric Kripke, every source of energy abruptly stops working, causing the entire word to come to a halt. Fifteen years later, America has plunged back to the Dark Ages - literally - as what's left of the country is ruled by a despot who sends armed militia groups to terrorize the small agrarian communities that have sprung up, while cities have become lawless, dangerous hives of criminal activity.
Looks like it could be good, but since its an hour long show, I may find it hard to devote the time to watch it, and its listed as a drama, so that gets points off for me. Bottom line, this will probably be my Terra Nova from last season, I recorded all the episodes on my DVR and then ended up deleting them all after watching about 20 minutes of the first episode.

Ben and Kate - a comedy following Kate who is a young single mother who dropped out of university after an accidental pregnancy, and missed out on her 20s while devoting herself to raising her young daughter.
I have already watched the first episode and I think that if they second episode is as good as the first, I won't be bothering to watch the third episode.

Anger Management - Charlie Sheen, the tiger blood drinking, duh winning reject from Two and Half Men, stars as an anger-management therapist in this new comedy.
I have already watch the first 6 episodes online over the summer and it seems pretty good. I watched some entertainment show that featured a sneak peek at the show and interviewed the cast etc. They kept saying who the cast was so amazing. I would disagree with that, as I find the cast to be a little underwhelming. Its a good show, but could be even better with a better supporting cast.

Go On - Newest comedy to star Matthew Perry. This time he is ordered by his boss to undergo 'life-change' counselling to get over his grief.
I have seen the first episode and it was good, but I liked his show from last year Mr Sunshine better.

The Mindy Project - Mindy, who's been promoted to star after years at The Office plays an OB/GYN who grew up obsessed with romantic comedies.
I was never a fan of Mindy Kaling on The Office, so was not expecting much from this one, and after one episode, I will not be returning. Definitely a chick  comedy.

Animal Practice - Veterinarian George Coleman loves animals but hates the people who own them. Dr. Coleman is in charge of an eccentric crew of vets and animal handlers in New York City's Crane Animal Hospital, a place so zany that a monkey named Dr. Rizzo wears a while coat and rides through the halls atop a tiny ambulance.
This new comedy has gotten such awful reviews that I bet I enjoy it!

Guys With Kids - This sitcom follows the adventures of a trio of recent fathers as they vainly keep trying to do the kind of cool guy stuff they used to before parenthood turned them into henpecked wusses who never have fun.
I saw the first episode and it was pretty funny. Probably will be my favorite of the new shows this season.

The Neighbors - Fed up with living in the city, the Weavers move to a sleepy suburb, but quickly realize their new neighbours are seriously weird. The Weavers discover, the entire cul-de-sac is inhabited by creepy green aliens who've taken human form and named themselves after famous sports figures.
I saw the first episode and really wanted to like it, but ended up finding it to be pretty lame. TV Week gave it a D+. I think the + was a little generous. Too bad, as this is the sort of silly stuff I love to watch.

Elementary - in modern-day NYC, a just-rehabbed addict named Sherlock Holmes meets Joan Weston, a former doctor hired to be Sherlock's 'sober companion" and keep him on the straight and narrow.
Another hour long drama series. Looks interesting, but not sure I will invest the time to watch it.

Malibu Country - New family sitcom staring Reba McEntire.
It does not premiere until November 2nd. If by then, I have stopped watching all the new shows above, then I may check this out.

The Midseason offerings look to have at least a few interesting shows. Here is what I will be checking out when we get to midseason:

The Family Tools - Prodigal son Jack Shea returns to home to help run the family construction business after his gruff dad suffers a heart attack.

Friend Me - A comedy about 20-something best friends show have just moved to L.A. from Indiana.

The Goodwin Games - Comedy about estranged siblings who are forced to compete in an ongoing trivia contest is they want to inherit their recently deceased father's millions.

How to Live with Your Parents - A single mother is forced to move back in with her eccentric parents.

Next Caller - Stand-up comic Dane Cook plays a macho shock jock forced to co-host his raunchy radio show with a liberal feminist.

Package Deal - Comedy that follows three overly close brothers and the women who comes between them.

1600 Penn - Bill Pullman and Jenna Elfman are America's President and First Lady in this political comedy described as Modern Family meets The West Wing.

Click to see full size version of 2012 Fall TV schedule

TV Week Fall Preview 2011 - Part 2

TV Week magazine Fall Preview 2011 Part 2 (Sept 17-23) focuses on the Returning Series. There are a bunch of shows I am looking forward to the return of, including (can't miss shows are in bold): The Big Bang Theory, Community, Chuck, How I Met Your Mother, The Middle, Modern Family, The Office, Raising Hope, Rules of Engagement, Supernatural, Two and a Half Men and my absolute favorite, Psych. Unfortunately Psych never seems to get a regular time slot on any particular channel here in Canada, so this is a show I have to watch online, which is too bad, as it is by far my favorite show over the past 5 seasons.

Both the wife and I have been watching Burn Notice since they started airing it here in Canada last season on Showcase. They have just started airing season 3 last week, and its always circled on our Tuesday night calender.

Then there is The Looney Tunes Show which is an update of all the Looney Tunes characters including Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck. I had initially stayed away from this one, as I was expecting it to be dreadfully awful, and after hearing the voice of Bugs Bunny in a preview clip, I was sure there was no way I could sit though an entire episode. But after watching a few episodes with my son, we are now both hooked. I am even getting used to the new voice of Bugs.

My guilty pleasure is Attack of the Show on G4 Tech TV. I have been watching the show since the early days when it was called The Screen Savers and featured Leo Laporte as one of its hots. I used to prefer its 10 pm time slot, as it seemed I would always be looking for something to watch around that time. With its new 4 pm time slot, I am very ofter not even home before its over, and sadly I still don't own a DVR. I am still using my 4 VHS machines to record all my shows.

And lastly, there is a listing for The Comedy Central Roast: Roast of Charlie Sheen on September 19th. I will definitely have to tune it to this train wreck!

Then there is the list of 40+ cancelled shows, most of which I'll be happy to see go. I will miss S#"! My Dad Says and Mad Love, as I enjoyed both. And two more shows which I never actually saw on TV, but checked out online and though were great; CHAOS, and The Paul Reiser Show have also been cancelled. I have to wonder, if these shows had actually been given a chance for an audience to find them, would they have been cancelled, or do I just enjoy watching crap!?

Of the 47 new shows that premired last season, just 9 survived and made it to a second season. Those shows are: Blue Bloods, Bob's Burgers, Body of Proof, Harry's Law, Hawaii Five-O, Mike & Molly, Nikita, Raising Hope, and Secret Millionaire. Raising Hope is the one returning show that I am looking forward to, as it is probably my favorite of last seasons crop of shows.

TV Week Fall Preview 2011 - Part 1

It's that time of year when those of us who are addicted to television get excited about all the new TV shows as well as look forward to the return of our old favorites. We also mourn the loss of those shows that didn't make it to the new fall season. I was going to do a list of what I liked from last year and which shows were still on etc, but unfortunately, I didn't do my list last season (I must have been too excited watching all the new shows to sit and write a post).

Last weeks issue of TV Week (for the week of Sept 10-16) takes a look at the 50 new shows for this fall season. Here is a list of the ten shows I will be tuning in to and checking out this fall (I'll give each show a rating out of 5 for how much I am looking forward to it - 5 being the ones I am most excited about):

PAN AM (1) - A big ticket drama which follows a quartet of comely stewardesses on the prestigious Pam Am airline during the early 1960's, an era when air travel was still fun and glamorous, and being a stewardess was a passport to international adventure. I am not a big fan of drama, but the subject matter seems interesting, so we'll see if I am able to stick with it after the first episode.

TERRA NOVA (2) - Exec producer Steven Spielberg returns to familiar territory with this much-anticipated series set in 2149. Humanity flees a dying earth entering a "time portal" that sens them millions of year into the past, where they begin colonizing the prehistoric planet. I used to enjoy Land of the Lost as a youngster, and Jurassic Park was lots of fun. But, I fear this will be given the "Lost" treatment and become to tangled in plot instead of just being a fun weekly bit of entertainment.

2 BROKE GIRLS (3) - The show follows a pair of NYC waitresses who work at a dingy diner alongside its new owner, a horny Russian cook and an elderly cashier. If its funny, it could end up being interesting.

LAST MAN STANDING (3) - Tim Allen retreads familiar ground in this half-hour sitcom about manly Mike Baxter, a husband and father of three daughters whose life is dominated by women. When his wife returns to work after years of being a stay-at-home mom, Mike is further emasculated when he actually has to do some parenting. Doesn't sound like there is much new here, but I'll give Tim Allen 30 minutes to convince me to come back the second week.

NEW GIRL (2) - Jessica Day's recent breakup has left her single, despondent and homeless. With nowhere to live, this lovely neurotic young woman becomes the new roommate to a trio of sloppy single guys, who ineffectually attempt to drag her out of her post-breakup misery. This show is getting lots of praise, so I might give it a try, but it is sounding a little to much like a 'chick flick' for my liking.

UP ALL NIGHT (2) - Another show about the father becoming a stay-at-home dad when the wife goes back to work. Been there, done that... but it does star Christina Applegagte, and after watching her for 11 seasons on Married With Children, I am fan enough to check out her now show.

SUBURGATORY (2) - A family moves from Manhattan to a bucolic suburb full of big-haired, silicone-boobed soccer moms. Big hair and soccer moms... could be worth tuning in.

CHARLIE'S ANGELS (1) - A reboot of the jiggly T&A cop show from the 70's. I may tune in, or I may now. I just know I won't enjoy it as much as I did as a 10 year old boy!

HOW TO BE A GENTLEMAN (3) - Pretentious magazine columnist Andrew Calrson, pines for a more-civilized bygone era. When his editor threatens to fire him if he doesn't put a modern, sexy twist on his etiquette column, Andrew hires his one-time bully, Bert to teach him how to be manly. Sounds like it could be one of the sillier shows this season.

HAPPILY DIVORCED (5) - Based on her real-life marriage, former Nanny star Fran Drescher stars as a woman named Fran - again - shows husband confesses he's gay. Since this is a sitcom, they get divorced but tight finances causes them to continue to live together. I have downloaded the first few episodes back in July, and have liked what I have seen so far. Its just a fun and silly show.

Of the ten new shows I am going to check out, there is just one I rated a 5, three 3's, four 2's and two 1's. So, it looks like this could be a pretty lame season for new shows, unless there are some real surprises as the season gets underway. And there isn't much of interest waiting in the wings for the mid season replacement shows either. Thankfully a bunch of my favorites are coming back. I'll have more on that on Tuesday when I look at the Returning Series issue.

Here is a full grid of new shows. Click on it to make full size.

Let me know what you are looking forward to tuning in to this fall, in the comments.

San Diego Comic Con on G4 TV

Oh, great... there goes the entire week. As soon as the SpongeBob-a-thon is done, I'll be switching channels over to Tech TV for the San Diego Comic Con live coverage on G4 TV.