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TV Tonight: NBC's Comedy Lineup, Fringe, and More!

BuzzSugar — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 05:30:18 -0700

Let the TiVo battles begin! Thursday is going to be the most difficult night to decide what to watch this Fall, and tonight introduces the first round of contenders.

Over on NBC, Parks and Recreation kicks off the comedy lineup at 8:30 p.m. This is the second season of the show, and it's already looking funnier than the first; tonight, Amy Poehler's character Leslie Knope accidentally marries two boy penguins to promote attendance at the zoo, ringing alarm bells in the conservative community.

After Parks is the sixth season premiere of The Office, where we'll get to see how well Jim and Pam can keep their baby a secret from everyone. Trying to remember all that went down in season five? Quiz yourself. It's not only returning shows on NBC tonight, though; check out the premiere of Joel McHale's college comedy Community at 9:30 p.m. I thought the pilot had its ups and downs, but you'll get to decide for yourself if it's worthy of a Season Pass on your TiVo.

Oh, and that's so not all that's happening on TV tonight. To see what else is on, just read more.

Over on Fox, it's the second season premiere of Fringe; I showed you a sneak peek of the season, which centers around the repercussions of last season's alternate universe bombshell. Rounding out the night's premieres is the devilishly funny It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia at 10 p.m.

So besides the premieres, there's also a new episode of The Vampire Diaries, which scored record ratings for the CW last week. You guys seemed to agree what you did and didn't like, but will you be coming back for the second installment?

It's going to be a tough night to work out what to watch (not to mention actually having time to see it all in preparation for tomorrow's water cooler conversations). Both of my TiVo's tuners are full and ready to go - which shows are you going to be checking out tonight?

Photos courtesy of NBC and FOX

Fringe Season 2 Sneak Peek!

BuzzSugar — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 06:30:27 -0700

My mind is still blown over last season's finale of Fringe. The alternate universe, Peter's childhood death, William Bell - I have lots of questions! Looks like I'm not going to get a ton of answers right away, if these photos from tomorrow night's premiere are any indication. But it does appear that our girl Olivia Dunham returns back "here" (as opposed to "there"). Or does she?! Don't forget to watch it - download my calendar as reminder!
Photos courtesy of FOX

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Fall TV Showdown: Five Toughest Trade-Offs

BuzzSugar — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 12:44:37 -0700

The good news: your TV schedule is about to get a big boost when Fall TV kicks into high gear (download my calendar to keep track), bringing back new episodes of established series and premieres of new favorites. The bad news: there's not enough room in the TV schedule for everything, and you're going to have to make some very difficult decisions on what to watch each night. Check out my picks for what will be the hardest shows to choose between.
Photos copyright 2009 ABC, Inc., and courtesy of Fox, NBC, and The CW

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Fox's Live Tweets on Glee: Annoying or Awesome?

BuzzSugar — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 11:30:56 -0700

Did you miss Fox's pilot preview of new Fall series Glee a few months ago? You can still watch it before the show's real premiere, but there's going to be an extra feature when Fox re-airs the pilot episode this Friday night: according to a press release, cast members will be live-tweeting the episode and the Twitter feed will appear over the lower-third of viewers' TV screens during the broadcast. Another Fox show, Fringe, will also get the "tweet-peat" treatment when the network shows last season's second-to-last episode this Thursday.

What do you think? Is this a TV version of a DVD's commentary track (and thus, cool), or is it just an annoying feature trying to capitalize on the trendiness of Twitter?

Photo courtesy of Fox

Five Questions For Fringe

BuzzSugar — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 08:30:36 -0700

It's still Summer for a few more weeks, so I'm continuing my Five Questions series, where I reflect on the most recent seasons of some favorite shows and chat about their challenges for the future. Today, I'm posing questions for Fringe, which moves to Thursdays for its second season this Fall (check out a little promo after the jump).

How will the show deal with multiple universes? At Comic-Con and TCA, the show's producers swore up and down that Fringe will keep striving not to be overly complicated. But I'm curious to see how that actually works out now that there's a second universe in play. Will we switch back and forth a lot, or only occasionally? What are the rules of travel between the two? While I'm concerned this could get crazy, it's also one of the main things that has me intrigued and on board for season two.
Will a Thursday time slot be too tough? The show got a pretty solid launch last year, airing first after House and later after American Idol. Now Fox is showing a lot of faith in it by putting it in one of the toughest time slots on television, up against Grey's Anatomy and CSI. Will it be able to grow its audience on Thursdays - or even emerge relatively unscathed?

For my other three questions, just read more.

Will Astrid finally get more to do? Astrid getting a spot in Fringe's new cast photo gives me some hope that the junior agent will play a bigger role this season. I mean, I love it when her random tech and language skills get revealed, and it's funny to watch Walter once again forget her name, but all of that just makes me more eager for her (and actress Jasika Nicole) to get to do more than just answer the phone and hang out with Walter's cow.
Will Peter learn the truth about himself? We saw Walter standing in front of Peter's gravestone in the first season finale - but Peter didn't. Will he become more suspicious about his childhood? Will Walter slip up and reveal something that leads Peter to investigate? Or, now that Peter's more involved in Fringe Division, will he uncover the truth himself?
Will Olivia have more of a personal life? At TCA, the producers revealed they'd once considered an entire huge story arc around Olivia carrying on a romance with her dead lover but decided very clearly not to go that direction. But we have seen other bits and pieces of her personal life, including her sister and niece. Will we see more of her life outside the office this season? Or will the show put the focus squarely on Olivia's work, leaving any social life or potential romance out of it?

Photo courtesy of Fox

Channing Tatum's Stripper Past, Paula and Simon's New Deals, A Peek at 90210/Gossip Girl!

Molly — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 14:14:28 -0700

Channing Tatum secret stripper past now includes video of his impressive moves. Plus, we discuss Paula's next career steps and what's in store for some of our favorite shows when they return this Fall. You won't want to miss the latest 90210 news. Watch PopSugar Rush now!

First Look: Fringe Season Two

BuzzSugar — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 07:00:26 -0700

I had something of a love-hate relationship with Fringe during its first season. On the one hand, I loved the dynamic between the main characters - FBI agent Olivia Dunham (Anna Torv), brilliant-but-crazy scientist Walter Bishop (John Noble), and his wisecracking son, Peter (Joshua Jackson). On the other hand, I thought the show was inconsistent, sometimes relying too much on a formula and other times throwing too much crazy science at us too fast.

But the show definitely picked up steam as the season went on, and I thought it ended on a strong note with some big reveals about the Fringe universe and the characters who live in it. And after hearing about some of what's coming up at TCA - and watching the first episode of the new season, which I found awfully compelling - I'm officially back on the Fringe bandwagon.

And this quick little new promo definitely helps. I especially like how much more involved Peter seems in the goings-on of Fringe Division this year, and I'm curious to see how the show deals with the two universes it's set up. Will you be watching this Fall? To check out the promo, just read more.

Photo courtesy of Fox

Fringe Talks "Over Here" and "Over There" at TCA

BuzzSugar — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 09:30:17 -0700

Remember when Fringe was going to be the less-complicated, easy-to-follow JJ Abrams series? The show's season finale, in which we learned of an alternate universe where characters we already know - or possibly their doubles - frequently appear would seem to have changed all that. But at TCA on Thursday, the producers stressed that they weren't going to give the audience more than they can handle.

For one thing, there won't be an additional universe that we discover later. They're only dealing with the two we've seen (basically, "over here" and "over there," over there being the home of William Bell). And producer Jeff Pinkner stressed that through visual cues and other things, it will be easy to tell what universe you're in at any given time. "We have no desire to be cute or confusing," Pinkner said. "We always want and take great pains . . . to take the audience with us."

The alternate universe twist was always planned, producer Alex Kurtzman said, but it wasn't supposed to be until the end of season three. But the feedback they got signaled that fans were ready - so they decided to jump ahead with it. For more on what's to come, read more.

This season will still have plenty of stand-alone stories - as Joshua Jackson pointed out, the simple fact that each investigation has a beginning, middle, and end gives every episode its own separate plot - but they'll be tied more into the characters. (Having seen the first episode of the new season, I can confirm that's certainly true in the premiere.)

Speaking of "over there," Leonard Nimoy will be back as William Bell "as much as he wants," Pinkner said. They've already filmed one additional episode with him, and there will be several more to come.

Do you like the direction Fringe took at the end of the season? Will you be back for season two now that it's moved to Thursday nights?

Photo courtesy of Fox

Caption It: Which Caption Should Win?

BuzzSugar — Tue, 19 May 2009 05:30:51 -0700

You guys thought up some very witty captions for this photo from Fringe:

As you know, there can only be one winner. Time to vote! Here are your finalists:

Photo courtesy of Fox

Fox's Fall Schedule: More Dance, More Dollhouse

BuzzSugar — Mon, 18 May 2009 08:50:24 -0700

Fox kicked off network Upfront week in New York this morning by announcing its Fall schedule, and here's a headline right off the bat: So You Think You Can Dance, Fox's summertime dance competition show, is getting a Fall edition as well.

The show will air in an American Idol-like fashion, with a two-hour performance show on Tuesdays and a one-hour results show on Wednesdays. That Wednesday show will lead into Glee, the musical dramedy that has its sneak peek after Idol this week.

One of the more surprising stories is the renewal of Dollhouse, which was thought to be a longshot before a flurry of renewal rumors started up over the weekend. It keeps its spot on Friday nights, and two comedies will lead into it: 'Til Death and the new show Brothers starring ex-NFL player Michael Strahan. Another new comedy, the animated The Cleveland Show, will join the Sunday lineup in the Fall.

A few other big notes: Fringe will move into the already crowded Thursday arena, airing at 9 p.m. House will be paired with Lie to Me on Mondays in the Fall and with 24 in the Winter. And the Winter will also see the launch of three new shows: the reincarnation drama Past Life on Tuesdays, the comic book adaptation Human Target on Wednesdays, and the comedy Sons of Tucson on Sundays.

I'll be back with some analysis later, but to see the full schedule and Fox's descriptions of the new shows, just read more.

The Fall

MONDAY
8 p.m. House
9 p.m. Lie to Me

TUESDAY
8 p.m. So You Think You Can Dance performance show

WEDNESDAY
8 p.m. So You Think You Can Dance results show
9 p.m. Glee

THURSDAY
8 p.m. Bones
9 p.m. Fringe

FRIDAY
8 p.m. Brothers
8:30 p.m. 'Til Death
9 p.m. Dollhouse

SATURDAY
8 p.m. Cops
8:30 p.m. Cops
9 p.m. America's Most Wanted
11 p.m. The Wanda Sykes Show
12 a.m. Encores of animated shows

SUNDAY
7 p.m. NFL post-game
8 p.m. The Simpsons
8:30 p.m. The Cleveland Show
9 p.m. Family Guy
9:30 p.m. American Dad

The Winter

MONDAY
8 p.m. House
9 p.m. 24

TUESDAY
8 p.m. American Idol performance show
9 p.m. Past Life

WEDNESDAY
8 p.m. American Idol results show
9 p.m. Human Target (Winter) / Glee (Spring)

THURSDAY
8 p.m. Bones
9 p.m. Fringe

FRIDAY
8 p.m. Brothers
8:30 p.m. 'Til Death
9 p.m. Dollhouse

SATURDAY
8 p.m. Cops
8:30 p.m. Cops
9 p.m. America's Most Wanted
11 p.m. The Wanda Sykes Show
12 a.m. Encores of animated shows

SUNDAY
7 p.m. Encores of animated shows
7:30 p.m. American Dad
8 p.m. The Simpsons
8:30 p.m. Sons of Tucson
9 p.m. Family Guy
9:30 p.m. The Cleveland Show

The new shows

Glee: McKinley High School’s Glee Club used to be at the top of the show choir world, but years later, it has turned into a haven for misfits and social outcasts. But at McKinley, things for the Glee Club are about to change. From Ryan Murphy, the creator of “Nip/Tuck,” comes Glee, an uplifting comedy musical series with biting humor that features a soundtrack of hit music from past to present. The show follows an optimistic high school teacher as he tries to refuel his own passion for singing while reinventing the school’s glee club and challenging a group of underdogs to realize their star potential. Will Scheuster (Matthew Morrison) has offered to take on the Herculean task of restoring McKinley’s Glee Club to its former glory with the help of fellow teacher and germaphobe Emma Pillsbury (Jayma Mays). It’s a tall order when the brightest stars of the club include Kurt (Chris Colfer), a nerdy soprano with a flair for the dramatic; Mercedes (Amber Riley), a dynamic diva-in-training who refuses to sing back-up; Artie (Kevin McHale), a geeky guitarist who spends more time avoiding bullies than chasing girls; and Tina (Jenna Ushkowitz), an awkward girl who needs to suppress her stutter before she can take center stage. Will’s only hope lies with two true talents: Rachel Berry (Lea Michele), a perfectionist firecracker who is convinced that show choir is her ticket to stardom; and Finn Hudson (Cory Monteith), the popular high school quarterback with movie star looks and a Motown voice who must protect his reputation with his holier-than-thou girlfriend and head cheerleader, Quinn (Dianna Agron), and his arrogant football teammate, Puck (Mark Salling). Driven by his secret past, Will is determined to do whatever it takes to make Glee great again, even though everyone around him thinks he’s nuts. He’s out to prove them all wrong – from his tough-as-nails wife Terri Scheuster (Jessalyn Gilsig) to McKinley’s scheming cheerleading coach Sue Sylvester (Jane Lynch) to an über-hip world that thinks jazz hands and sequined tuxedos litter the road to infamy rather than pave the way to Hollywood dreams.

The Cleveland Show: The Cleveland Show is a new animated series that follows everyone’s favorite soft-spoken neighbor, Cleveland Brown (Mike Henry), to his hometown in Virginia as he settles down with his high school sweetheart, her unruly kids and his own 14-year-old son, Cleveland Jr. (Kevin Michael Richardson). Many years ago, Cleveland was a high school student madly in love with a beautiful girl named Donna (Sanaa Lathan). Much to his dismay, his love went unrequited, and Donna wound up marrying another man. Cleveland once told Donna he would always love her, and if this man ever done her wrong, he’d be there when she called. Well, this man done her wrong. Donna’s husband ran off, leaving Donna with a teenage daughter and a young son. Now she’s open to Cleveland and has offered him another chance at love. Unattached after the Loretta-Quagmire debacle and true to his word, Cleveland joyously reunites with Donna, and he and Cleveland Jr. move to Virginia to join their new family. Once in Virginia, there are a few surprises in store for Cleveland, including Roberta (Reagan Gomez-Preston), a rebellious new stepdaughter; Rallo (Henry), his new 5-year-old stepson who loves the ladies; and a collection of neighbors that includes a loudmouth redneck, Lester (Richardson); a hipster wanna-be, Holt (guest voice Jason Sudeikis); and a religious pair of talking bears, Tim (Seth MacFarlane) and his wife Arianna (guest voice Arianna Huffington).

Brothers: Starring Michael Strahan and Daryl "Chill" Mitchell, Brothers is a new half-hour comedy about a former NFL hot shot who learns that even though you can always go home again, the trip back might be tougher than you think. Mike Trainor (Strahan) seemingly has it all - he’s a good-looking, wealthy and recently retired NFL player living the high-life in New York City, but he’s about to get sidelined. When Mike gets a phone call from his Mom (CCH Pounder) who orders him home to Houston, he quickly realizes the more his life has changed, the more his family has stayed the same. His brother Chill (Daryl "Chill" Mitchell), whose life was altered drastically after a car accident left him in a wheelchair, is struggling to keep his restaurant afloat with the help of his loudmouth associate, Roscoe (Colton Dunn). The dynamics between Mike and Chill are the same as when they were kids, and their sibling rivalry hasn’t lessened with age. If they can stop their bickering, put aside their differences and learn to be teammates, the brothers might just turn out to be each other’s biggest asset. Wedged between Mike and Chill are their parents. Their father, whom everyone refers to as Coach (Carl Weathers), is the local high school football coach and the conservative, opinionated alpha male of his clan. Coach thinks he runs the show, but really it’s Mom who calls the shots. Saucy, stern and a schemer, she is the mastermind of the family. And when she learns that Mike’s business manager took off with all his money, she orchestrates a plan to keep Mike in Houston, save Chill’s restaurant and bring the family back together under one roof again - all without anyone realizing what she’s up to. Mom’s plan helps Mike realize that his family - however dysfunctional they may be - is the only family he’s got. And although he may not have a penny to his name, as long as he’s surrounded by people who love him, he’ll always be a rich man.

The Wanda Sykes Show: Emmy Award-winning actress, comedian and author Wanda Sykes returns to FOX to host the innovative and irreverent new Saturday late-night series, The Wanda Sykes Show (working title). The high-energy one-hour show will feature biting commentary on topical issues and heated panel discussions with recurring personalities. The series’ unique format will highlight Sykes’ outspoken comedic perspective on current events and will also allow her to leave the studio to shoot segments in the field.

Human Target: It takes a brave, selfless man to make himself a "human target" in order to save the lives of those in danger. Based on the popular DC Comics graphic novel, Human Target is a full-throttle action drama centered on Christopher Chance (Mark Valley), a unique private contractor/security guard hired to protect. Call him what you like, because for Chance, it’s about one thing only: saving his clients' lives. When there is an unusual or imminent threat that can’t be solved through "normal" means of protection, Chance is hired to completely integrate himself into his clients' lives - to become the human target. If you’re a corporate manager whose disgruntled employee has gone violently off the deep end, Chance is your new auditor. If you’re the president of a bank who’s been tipped off to a potential heist, Chance is your unassuming bank teller. During each job, Chance, assisted by his business partner Winston (Chi McBride) and hired gun Guererro (Jackie Earle Haley), puts himself directly in the line of fire as he races against time to save his client, while unraveling the truth behind the mission. With every new danger, Chance’s dark history will also unravel. Does anyone know who Christopher Chance really is, or what secrets lay buried in his past? What would make a man willingly become a human target?

Past Life: Have you ever experienced déjà vu or met someone you thought seemed familiar? Do you believe in karma, fate or love at first sight? From writer David Hudgins (Friday Night Lights, and inspired by the book The Reincarnationist by M.J. Rose, comes Past Life, a new drama series about an unlikely pair of past-life detectives who investigate whether what is happening to you today is the result of who you were before. Dr. Kate McGinn (Kelli Giddish) is not your typical psychologist. Confident, outspoken and highly educated, she works at The Talmadge Center for Behavioral Health in New York City, a world-renowned institute dedicated to the study of the science of the soul. After experiencing a past-life regression in her 20s, Kate became a believer in reincarnation. Using regression therapy and her natural gift for reading people, Kate helps solve the mysteries of her troubled clients who suffer from present-day problems caused by past-life traumas. She believes there are levels of consciousness and explanations for human behavior that science can’t begin to explain. Accustomed to skeptics, but not bothered by them, Kate is an unapologetic believer and a force of nature who marches to the beat of her own drummer. Her partner, Price Whatley (Nicholas Bishop), is a different story. A former NYPD homicide detective, pragmatic and cynical, Price is a damaged soul who constantly battles grief and guilt over the accidental death of his wife. Price feels that Kate, though not certifiable, certainly operates on the fringes of science. It’s a volatile relationship, but with Price’s solid detective skills, and Kate’s penchant for out-of-the-box thinking, together they make a formidable, if somewhat dysfunctional, team. A fast-paced emotional thrill ride, each episode finds Price and Kate working with their colleagues to unravel a new mystery involving the past-lives of their clients. DR. Malachi Talmadge (Richard Schiff) is Kate’s mentor and the center’s namesake, an avuncular but gruff elder statesman who is a legend in the field of cognitive research. Dr. Rishi Karna (Ravi Patel) is the rookie of the group, a baby-faced therapist from Calcutta who loves bad American TV, Cuban jazz and driving everyone crazy.

Sons of Tucson: In the tradition of Malcolm in the Middle and The Bernie Mac Show, Sons of Tucson is a family comedy about three brothers who hire a charming, wayward schemer to stand in as their father when their real one goes to prison. What begins as a business relationship evolves into something more complex and compelling: a family unlike any we’ve ever seen. The three brothers find their dad-for-hire, Ron Snuffkin (Tyler Labine), at the local sporting good store. Ron will be forced to draw on a wide array of skills and a vast bag of tricks as he steps into the patriarch role to take care of the boys of the Gunderson family. Robby Gunderson (Davis Cleveland), 8, is a loose cannon who doesn’t respond well to authority; Gary Gunderson (Frank Dolce), 11, is a bright and street-savvy leader who is every bit the con man his father is; and Brandon Gunderson (Troy Gentile), 13, is a gentle free spirit who simply goes along for the ride. Maggie Morales (Natalie Martinez), Robby’s second-grade teacher and the object of Ron’s affection, might just be the only stable figure in the lives of this quirky quartet. While Sons Of Tucson is grounded in the day-to-day challenges of a single-parent home, nothing in the Gunderson household is quite what it seems. An ongoing chess match between Ron and the boys will keep both parties on their toes, as neither side can afford to give up too much power or independence.

Photos courtesy of Fox