Recap - Glee

Graduation!

I have been a "Gleek" from the very beginning, cheering on this melting pot of misfit underdogs as they triumphed over slushies, bullying and their own insecurities, rejoiced in song and dance and at long last emerged as National Show Choir champions just in time for many of the glee club members' graduation, the focus of tonight's season three finale.

The seniors:  Rachel (Lea Michele), Finn (Cory Monteith), Quinn (Dianna Agron), Puck (Mark Salling), Mike (Harry Shum, Jr.), Kurt (Chris Colfer), Santana (Naya Rivera) and Mercedes (Amber Riley).  Brittany (Heather Morris) was to graduate but with a 0.0 GPA ... um, no.  Of course how ANYONE in the glee club managed to graduate from McKinley High is a wonder seeing as how NONE of them ever went to ANY OTHER CLASS!!!  But hey, suspension of disbelief and all that.  Not like we saw the 90210-ers (old and new) in class either ...

Indeed, many a show based in high school has had the inevitable graduation episode, but few have actually led to students actually leaving, but Glee seems to be indeed saying goodbye to at least have the regular cast members we've come to love (and sometimes hate a little ... right, Santana?).

Mercedes is off to L.A. to be a back-up singer for an indie music label.
Puck - who pulled off an 11th-hour C- to graduate with his class - is off to L.A. to start a pool-cleaning business.
Mike will be attending the Joffrey School of Ballet in Chicago.
Quinn has a bright future as a member of the Class of 2016 at Yale.
Kurt - we don't really know ... he didn't get into the NY Academy of Dramatic Arts (NYADA) ... a surprise given his amazing audition.

Then there's love birds Finn and Rachel.  Finn believed he had nailed his audition - for James Lipton himself! - for the Actor's Studio, but failed to gain admission.  Rachel, who overcame her first NYADA audition - she choked, bad - by soaring at Nationals and impressing the stolid auditioner Carmen Tibideaux (played by Whoopi Goldberg), got in.  But feeling for her friend Kurt and fiancee Finn, she decided to defer for a year and stay to help them prepare for the next year's auditions.

But Finn would have none of that and instead put her on a train to the Big Apple, telling her that she's going to be a star without him.  He loves her that much.  So what lies in the future for Finn?  The army, to redeem his father's good name (dad was wrongfully dishonorably discharged).

Glee has always been an ensemble show, but you can't deny the focus has often been on Rachel Barry, a self-absorbed, take-no-prisoners, destined-for-Broadway diva who still managed to find a place in the glee club and make friends she never thought possible (Quinn, Santana).  So it was no surprise that the season finale ended with us bidding goodbye to Rachel at the train station with the whole club and Mr. Schuester (Matthew Morrison) and Emma Pillsbury (Jayma Mays) waving her off, following her as she exits the train station in Manhattan and watching her sing her way through the streets of NYC to start her new life.

There were rumors that the show was going to find a way to keep around some of these key players next year, so I wonder if they'll follow through on that.  Or perhaps we'll have our favorite glee underclassmen welcoming new members who will undoubtedly win our hearts with their own journeys.  We'll of course see at least two of them from this summer's Glee Project 2 (winners receive a seven-episode arc on the show), which of course was promoted during the hour.

Some favorite moments:

Kurt's dad Burt's (Mike O'Malley) graduation present to his son - a recreation of the dance to Beyonce's "Single Ladies" (from season 1) - considered a turning point in the troubled relationship between father and son.

Gloria Estefan as Santana's mom, who accepted her daughter's choice to go to NY instead of college, hence supporting her following her dream.

Sue Sylvester (Jane Lynch) showing the heart we know she has - glimpses break through - as she heralded protege Quinn on her bright future and hugging her with genuine affection ... and tears.

The graduation ceremony itself.  Sure, there were OTHER seniors in the graduating class, but we don't care about them.  We only watched our glee-sters be introduced like football players at the Super Bowl to a terrific rendition of Bruce Springsteen's "Glory Days."  Every graduation should rock out like that!

Great lines:

"I am proud of what you and I did ... together."  - Burt to son Kurt

"You never saw me for the things that made us different.  You only saw me for the ways that we're the same."  - Kurt to the other guys in the glee club

"If we hadn't changed, we would never have been friends."  - Quinn to Rachel

"I am that sure you're something special.  You're gonna be a star without me.  I love you that much." - Finn to Rachel

Songs:

"Forever Young" (Rod Stewart)
"I'll Remember" (Madonna)
"Glory Days" (Bruce Springsteen)
"In My Life" (The Beatles)

(there were others but couldn't identify the titles ... have to find on iTunes later ...)

Get your gleek back on this fall when Glee returns Thursdays at 9 p.m. on FOX.

Hoping to hit 100 Twitter followers by September (1 year anniversary) so join the tour here:  www.twitter.com/TV_Tour_Guide

So Who's Been Watching What?

Many thanks to Entertainment Weekly online (www.ew.com) for compiling a wrap-up of the most-to-least watched network (CBS, NBC, ABC, FOX and The CW) programs of the fall (September to December). 

Alas, my fave network, the CW, rounds out the bottom, but that won't stop me watching its awesome shows (of particular note, Supernatural, Vampire Diaries and Nikita).

Other shows I recommend:  Hawaii Five-0, Criminal Minds, How I met Your Mother, 2 Broke Girls, Suburgatory, Castle, Big Bang Theory, Ringer, Revenge, Glee, Body of Proof and Parenthood.

So where do your fave shows rank? (shows in red are cancelled)

1. NCIS (CBS, 21.4 million)
2. Sunday NFL Football (NBC, 19.9)
3. Two and a Half Men (CBS, 18.9)
4. Dancing with the Stars (ABC, 18.5)

5. NCIS: LA (CBS, 17.4)
6. DWTS: Results (ABC, 16.65)
7. Big Bang Theory (CBS, 16.61)
8. Modern Family (ABC, 15.066)
9. NFL Pre-Kick (NBC, 15.063)
10. 60 Minutes (CBS, 14.67)
11. Mentalist (CBS, 14.6)

12. Criminal Minds (CBS, 14.4)
13. The OT (Fox, 14.0)
14. 2 Broke Girls (CBS, 13.6)
15. Mike & Molly (CBS, 13.56)
16. Unforgettable (CBS, 13.532)
17. Person of Interest (CBS, 13.531)
18. Hawaii 5-0 (CBS, 13.4)
19. CSI (CBS, 13.2)
20. Grey’s Anatomy (ABC, 13.1)

21. Blue Bloods (CBS, 12.9)
22. X Factor Wed (Fox, 12.5)
23. Survivor: South Pacific (CBS, 12.5)
24. X Factor Thurs (Fox, 12.3)
25. Castle (ABC, 12.2)
26. Once Upon a Time (ABC, 12.0)
27. Good Wife (CBS, 11.9)
28. How I Met Your Mother (CBS, 11.5)
29. Last Man Standing (ABC, 11.47)
30. Rules of Engagement (CBS, 11.45)
31. CSI: Miami (CBS, 11.42)
32. CSI: NY (CBS, 11.34)
33. Football Night in America 3 (NBC, 11.1)
34. Amazing Race 19 (CBS, 11.05)
35. Body of Proof (ABC, 11.03)
36. Desperate Housewives (ABC, 11.0)
37. Bones (Fox, 10.2)
38. New Girl (Fox, 10.0)
39. Terra Nova (Fox, 9.98)
40. Glee (Fox, 9.90)
41. Revenge (ABC, 9.8)
42. Middle (ABC, 9.82)
43. House (Fox, 9.7)
44. Law & Order: SVU (NBC, 9.1)
45. Suburgatory (ABC, 9.0)
46. Harry’s Law (NBC, 8.99)
47. Private Practice (ABC, 8.98)
48. How to be a Gentleman (CBS, 8.6 million)
49. A Gifted Man (CBS, 8.5)
50. Fear Factor (NBC, 8.5)
51. Pan Am (ABC, 8.2)
52. Simpsons (Fox, 7.77)
53. Happy Endings (ABC, 7.70)
54. Hell’s Kitchen Mon 9 (Fox, 7.4)
55. Hell’s Kitchen Mon 8 (Fox, 7.3)
56. Office (NBC, 7.29)
57. Family Guy (Fox, 7.26)
58. Parenthood (NBC, 7.1)
59. Grimm (NBC, 7.0)
60. Charlie’s Angels (ABC, 6.919)
61. Man Up (ABC, 6.915)
62. America’s Funniest Home Videos (ABC, 6.8)
63. Biggest Loser 12 (NBC, 6.7)
64. Raising Hope (Fox, 6.6)
65. Sat. Night College Football (ABC, 6.30)
66. Up All Night (NBC, 6.14)
67. Prime Suspect (NBC, 6.12)
68. I Hate My Teenage Daughter (Fox, 6.0)
69. Football Night in America 2 (NBC, 5.97)
70. Dateline Fri (NBC, 5.93)
71. American Dad (Fox, 5.7)
72. Extreme Makeover: Home Edition (ABC, 5.77)
73. 48 Hours Mystery (CBS, 5.75)
74. Extreme Makeover: Home Edition 9 p.m. (ABC, 5.4)
75. Whitney (NBC, 5.3)
76. Playboy Club (NBC, 5.2)
77. Sing Off (NBC, 5.17)
78. Cleveland Show (Fox, 5.14)
79. 20/20 Friday (ABC, 5.10)
80. Cleveland Show Sunday 8:30 (Fox, 5.07)
81. You Deserve It (ABC, 5.03)
82. Crimetime Sat 9 p.m. (CBS, 4.5)
83. Middle Tuesday (ABC, 4.48)
84. Allen Gregory (Fox, 4.45)
85. Parks and Recreation (NBC (4.42)
86. SVU Saturday (NBC, 4.3)
87. Kitchen Nightmares (Fox, 4.29)
88. Prime Suspect Sat. (NBC, 4.26)
89. Sat. Football pregame (ABC, 4.22)
90. COPS Sat. 8:30 (Fox, 4.19)
91. Community (NBC, 4.18)
92. Fringe (Fox, 4.10)
93. Rock Center (NBC, 4.01)
94. Free Agents (NBC, 3.9)
95. Chuck (NBC, 3.888)
96. Suburgatory Tues. (ABC, 3.886)
97. COPS Sat. 8 p.m. (Fox, 3.77)
98. Up All Night 8:30 (NBC, 3.72)
99. Comedytime Sat. 1 (CBS, 3.6)
100. Harry’s Law Sat. (NBC, 3.5)
101. Comedytime Sat. 2 (CBS, 3.3)
102. Vampire Diaries (CW, 3.1)
103. Terra Nova Sat. (Fox, 2.5)
104. America’s Next Top Model 17 (CW, 2.37)
105. Secret Circle (CW, 2.34)
106. Supernatural (CW, 2.25)
107. Hart of Dixie (CW, 2.1)
108. Nikita (CW, 2.06)
109. Ringer (CW, 2.02)
…112. 90210 (CW, 1.7)
113. Gossip Girl (CW, 1.68)
114. Bob’s Burgers (Fox, 1.65)
…120. H8R (CW, 1.2)

Is There Anybody Out There ... Watching?

Well, ratings for the past week have come in and I have to wonder, what's happening?  Seems like nearly every show lost viewers either from last season or the previous week with very few exceptions.  It could be that there is just too much on all at once, but that's what DVRs are for and I think networks are trying to figure out some kind of ratings/tracking system for shows that are watched after their actual air times - a very common practice nowadays. 

Personally, I've never had confidence in the Nielson Ratings system.  I have never in my lifetime met someone who has had a Nielson box in their home or known anyone else to have either.  I know that I personally fall outside of the demographics range given to many shows that I watch (18-34), as are likely countless others, but that fact will never be known because my habits aren't being tabulated.  Question is, who ARE these Nielson families?  WHERE are they and what the heck ARE they watching?

Well, according the afore-mentioned ratings for this past week, these are the winners:

Two and  Half Men - heaven knows they promoted the season premiere enough and had a big enough watch-worthy event - the replacement of Charlie Sheen with Ashton Kutcher - so it's no surprise.  We'll have to see what happens next week.

Another non-surprise - Modern Family.  This is the steamroller of the TV landscape.  Seems it can do no wrong, Emmys sweep and all.  I have not watched the show yet only because I've always had viewing conflicts on that night but I believe it when I'm told how good it is and I'm looking forward to catching up with it when it inevitably comes to syndication.

Happily New Girl also had a big opening week.  I'm a fan, so I was pleased to hear it.

Strong but not stellar debuts/returns included How I Met Your Mother, The Big Bang Theory, Person of Interest, Revenge and Raising Hope. Less than stellar but somewhat solid were the debuts of Charlie's Angels and Prime Suspect (I recommend watching the latter FAR more than the former...).

But the amount of series that all dropped in their numbers is staggering, even shows that have been considered mega-hits, like The Mentalist, Glee, Parks & Recreation and Dancing With the Stars.  And it doesn't seem to matter if the shows are on Monday, Wednesday or the dreaded Friday (which I think has the strongest lineup of shows in years, with Supernatural, Fringe and Nikita), or what network - all seemed to take hits.

Here are some other dippers:


Fringe
Kitchen Nightmares
Blue Bloods
Supernatural
Nikita
Hawaii Five-0
The Biggest Loser
90210
Ringer
Survivor
Up All Night
Harry's Law
America's Next Top Model
Community
The Office
Vampire Diaries
The Secret Circle

So what, pray tell, is everybody/anybody watching out there?  Please leave comments below and let me know what's in your To-View list.

Part Two of "Introduction to the 2011 Fall Season"

Welcome to Part Two of my “Introduction to the 2011 Fall Season.”

NBC is taking viewers back to the 60s with its retro-drama The Playboy Club.  Not one to be one-upped, ABC is time-traveling to the same era with the Christina Ricci-headed Pan Am.  And to top it off, ABC and producer Drew Barrymore are bringing the 70s phenom Charlie’s Angels into modern day Miami with TV alums Rachel Taylor (Grey’s Anatomy) and Minka Kelly (Parenthood).

Another adaptation NBC is introducing this fall is Prime Suspect, based on the British series starring Helen Mirren.  The new series stars Maria Bello.  Bit of trivia: Bello is another Coyote Ugly alum to hit TV, following Tyra Banks (America’s Next Top Model), Piper Perabo (Covert Affairs) and veteran John Goodman (Damages, Roseanne).

Fairy tales are of keen interest this season, with Once Upon a Time and Grimm on ABC and NBC, respectively.  The former, co-starring Big Love’s Ginnifer Goodwin, features a woman with a troubled past who is drawn to a small town where fables may just be real.  The latter, inspired by the tales of the Brothers Grimm, features a group of hunters fighting to keep humanity safe from the supernatural. 

Irony?  Grimm will air on Friday nights at 9 p.m., directly opposite the CW’s Supernatural which follows two brothers, Sam and Dean Winchester (Jared Padalecki and Jensen Ackles) – also hunters who fight the supernatural (hence the name …).  Personally, I have been with Supernatural from day one and eagerly anticipate its seventh season.  If you are going to choose one of these shows, that’d be my recommendation.

Another theme of the new season seems to “manly men,” with several new male-centric comedies:  ABC’s Last Man Standing, featuring the return of Home Improvement’s Tim Allen; Man Up, also on ABC, about three modern men trying to get in touch with their inner tough guys; and CBS’s How to Be Gentleman, getting Entourage’s Kevin Dillon quickly back to work.

That’s not to say the ladies don’t have their place this year.  Brothers & Sisters’ Emily Van Camp returns in the new ABC drama Revenge, which the network is widely promoting with the enticing tease “When everything you love has been stolen from you, sometimes all you have left is revenge.”  ABC’s dark comedy Suburgatory follows a teenage girl’s transplant to the suburbs.  And the CW’s Hart of Dixie, starring The O.C.’s Rachel Bilson, centers around a wannabe-big city doctor who finds herself left to practice in the deep south (think a little Doc Hollywood).

The CW (the network’s predecessor, The WB, was home for Charmed for eight seasons) is also bringing witches back to the small screen with The Secret Circle, starring Life Unexpected’s Brittany Robertson as 16-year-old Cassie, who discovers her elite school classmates in New Salem are all witches.  I’ll be curious how this show portrays witches, seeing as how True Blood took great liberties with them this summer, as does another CW show, The Vampire Diaries.  But hey, at least they’re kicking butt!

Two cable favorites returning soon are Dexter, which will feature the return of Battlestar Galactica’s Edward James Olmos, and AMC’s The Walking Dead, which has had to deal with creator Frank Darabont’s abrupt exit and will premiere with a 90-minute epic episode.

Other new shows include CBS’ A Gifted Man, starring Patrick Wilson (Watchmen); NBC’s Free Agents, featuring Hank Azaria who will be pulling double duty here along with his many off-camera personas on The Simpsons; the CW’s H8R, hosted by Mario Lopez, who seems determined to keep pace with Ryan Seacrest in the jobs department; and ABC’s new comedy Happy Endings.

So there you have it.  Lots to choose from, higher buzz about some more than others, high expectations as always for all.  But unlike those days of old I spoke of before when series got an entire season to make an impression and gain an audience (Cheers, was far from successful it’s debut season…), shows premiering today get maybe 2 episodes and if they don’t hit, they’re gone.

Putting my two cents in, I’d check out Ringer, Revenge, Up All Night, Person of Interest (though I’ll have to visit it later as I’m already committed to two shows in that time slot), maybe Terra Nova (it’s only 13 episodes) and Once Upon a Time out of curiosity.

I myself am eagerly waiting for the return of Supernatural, Hawaii Five-0, Castle, Nikita, Chuck, How I Met Your Mother, The Big Bang Theory, Glee, Criminal Minds and Fringe.  All are available on DVD and also may be airing online, in syndication or available on iTunes and Netflix, so check any and all of them out, especially during those deathly long “hellatuses” we passionate viewers have come to loathe, especially left with awesome, scream-inducing cliffhangers.  Man, are those torture … but fortunately, far, far from now. For now, let’s get to those premieres!

Happy viewing, folks!

Introduction to the 2011 Fall Season (Part One)

For most folks, there are four regular seasons: winter, spring, summer and fall. Sports fans have their additional seasons: baseball, football, basketball, etc. Fashion designers have their own as well.

For people who love television, there’s the beloved Fall TV Season, that blessed time of year when (hopefully) your favorite shows return with all new adventures, mysteries, hook-ups, break-ups, twists, turns and other happenings while new shows debut and vie for your attention, rope you in and entice you to keep watching, giving them broadcasting life and subsequent seasons to come.

Back in the old days, there was a clear cut, measurable TV season:  shows premiered/returned in September, new episodes ran consecutively for a couple of months, followed by a couple of weeks of repeats, then back to new episodes.  Sweeps pulled out all the stops in November, February and May, and seasons – usually capping off at an average of 22 episodes – ended in late May, leading into a vast wasteland of repeats throughout what seemed like an endless summer.

It’s vastly different now.  While most network shows still run around 22 episodes long, cable peppers the on-air landscape with 13-episode runs, ending with a “fall,” “winter” or “spring” finale, picking up a few months later to finish off the season.  It’s often hard to tell where a season begins and ends, finally coming to light with the DVD release.

As for network shows, it’s common now for them to take a painfully long, extended winter break, affectionately known by many as “hellatus,” which can be nearly as long as summer.

Summer itself is actually nowadays a bearable viewing time, teeming with new, often very entertaining series, some scripted (USA, TNT and HBO in particular), others reality and talent-show based (America’s Got Talent, Project Runway).

Still, there’s nothing quite like counting down the days till Premiere Week and anticipating what you’ll be watching, both again and anew.

That being said, here is part one of my “Introduction to the 2011 Fall Season” and what I am observing about the new shows debuting in the coming weeks:

Many familiar faces are returning to TV this fall.  Being a big Buffy the Vampire Slayer fan, I am eagerly awaiting Sarah Michelle Gellar’s return to the small screen, though I’m fully aware Ringer is going to be a far different show.  Of particular interest will be to see how she makes twins Bridget and Siobhan their own entities.  Also making returns in this show are Kristoffer Polaha, last seen in the CW’s Life Unexpected, and LOST alum Nestor Carbonell.

The male alumni of LOST are popping up all over TV.  In addition to Carbonell (Richard Alpert), Terry O’Quinn (John Locke) reunites with Daniel Dae Kim (Jin Kwon) as he joins the team (and returns to the Aloha State) on Hawaii Five-0.  Lance Reddick (Matthew Abadden) returns for another season of the delightfully twisty Fringe.  Ian Somerholder (Boone) continues his reign as bad boy-vamp Damon Salvatore on The Vampire Diaries. Michael Emerson (Ben Linus) headlines the highly anticipated Person of Interest over on CBS, while mid-season welcomes Jorge Garcia (Hugo “Hurley” Reyes) to another mysterious island, Alcatraz, over on FOX.

As for FOX, the net has a heavy hitter in producer Steven Spielberg with his dinosaur-on-the-small screen Terra Nova, a show that follows a family from the future back into the past to establish a second-chance colony of humans in prehistoric times.

Anyone missing American Idol shouldn’t fret: FOX welcomes The X-Factor with the judge-you-just-love-to-hate, Simon Cowell.  Adding to its animated block on Sunday, the network welcomes Allen Gregory from co-creator Jonah Hill, and it’s a little You Again meets Romy and Michele’s High School Reunion in the sitcom I Hate My Teenage Daughter, which welcomes back Jaime Pressly (My Name is Earl) back to the airwaves.

FOX is also making it a family affair as Zooey Deschanel’s comedy New Girl, about the sexual politics of men and women, joins the same network that airs big sister Emily’s long-running series, Bones.

A family affair of a different kind is happening over on NBC with Saturday Night Live alum Maya Rudolph co-starring in Up All Night, airing on the same network as 30 Rock and Parks and Recreation with fellow alums Tina Fey and Amy Poehler, respectively.  Another close branch extends from Up All Night with co-star Will Arnett, Poehler’s real-life husband.  Rounding out the cast is another familiar face, Christina Applegate, last seen on TV in ABC’s Samantha Who?

NBC welcomes comedienne Whitney Cummings and her sitcom Whitney.  Cummings is actually pulling double-duty this season, as she is also the co-creator and co-producer of the CBS sitcom 2 Broke Girls (reminiscent of Tom Welling, who starred on-screen in the CW’s Smallville and executive-produced both Smallville and last season’s Hellcats).

Check back for Part Two tomorrow …

Greetings and welcome to TV Tour Guide.

I love television. Using the word LOVE here. I watch and enjoy shows across all genres. I tune into critic favorites, bubble shows and guilty pleasures. I laugh, cheer, yell, cry, scream and rant at the many antics, trials, tribulations and adventures brought to us by network and cable alike.

I have now chosen to share my passion with you. Come along as I provide episode recaps and commentary, tell you what I learned from my favorite characters, make recommendations on what to watch, wax nostalgia about shows of the past and regale you with my undeniable humor, wit and insight. So here we ... wait, where are you going?

Seriously, read on, look around and join me as we welcome back and enjoy returning shows, tune in and discover new ones and even rediscover old ones once forgotten.

Parts one and two of my "Introduction to the 2011 Fall Season" will post later this week, just in time for you to plan your viewing and/or set your DVRs.


Happy viewing!