Hey guys,

I'm sorry to those who were expecting weekly reviews of Lost this season, but things have just been busy (I can blame this on the recession, right?) So to make up for it I'll be doing a four part Lost marathon. Rather than post all 16 reviews I missed in one hunk, I'm going to split it up in four with the various arcs I recognized. That way you get a lot, but not too much. It'll be broken up like this:

Part 1: "Let's Get Started" – Covering "The Lie" to "This Place is Death"
Part 2: "We're Back" – Covering "316" to "LeFleur"
Part 3: "Fun Times With Dharma" – Covering "Namaste" to "Some Like It Hoth"
Part 4: "We Are the Variables" – Covering "The Variable" to "The Incident"

"The Incident" may be part 5. My finale reviews tend to be huge, so if it takes a long time I'll put up the other two episode reviews first. Maybe if things work out I can finish up my season one reviews before season six starts in January. Well it's best to do it one review at a time. Sorry for not putting up anything, even a notice that these would still be done. Hope this makes up for it.

Until Next Time, The Remote Is Yours,
Matt

Hello readers,

I'm sorry it's a bit late from my last update. Hope everyone had a good holiday and is being treated well by the new year. Anyway, the 24 reviews are in the works, but won't be all live by the time of the new episode because of illness and work. Until then, this entry contains my count down of my Top 35 Episodes of 2008. Why 35? I don't know. It is a little late, but that's the burden of being a non paid TV writer.

But first, I must acknowledge the passing of Patrick McGoohan. McGoohan's seminal work, The Prisoner, was hugely influential on genre television. The Prisoner, along with Star Trek & The Twilight Zone, paved the way for everything you see now, from Lost (the smoke monster clearly a descendant of the rover) to Battlestar Galactica (Tricia Helfer's character is named after McGoohan's Number Six) to The Simpsons (the rover popped up in two spoofs, one episode featuring McGoohan himself). I had only seen eight episodes or so a few years ago, but its influence is obvious. AMC, hyping the upcoming remake starring Jim Caviezel and Ian McKellan, has all 17 installments online.

http://www.amctv.com/originals/the-prisoner-1960s-series/

Matt's Top 35 of 2008!

Overall, this was a good, but not great year for TV. Sadly the writer's strike kept a lot of shows away for a good chunk of the spring, or off the schedule until the fall if they weren't canceled out right. Also, a lot of my favorite shows this year didn't quite hit the spot the way past seasons have, even if an installment or two made my list this year. One major piece that must be brought up is that I can only watch so much. So that's why Mad Men, a show I'm woefully behind on, isn't on the list, among other shows. If I manage to see them afterward they'll get an honorable mention on next year's list.

35. True Blood – "You'll Be the Death of Me" (W: Raelle Tucker, D: Alan Ball, Airdate: November 23, 200 Part one of the "don't blow it" pair. I was ready to hang up this series, which basically came off as a romance novel with graphic violence, the finale reeled me in for more, between Jason's siding with anti-vampire activists, the horrifying contents of Bellefleur's car and the promise of more Michelle Forbes (can't get enough of her).

34. Fringe – "Safe" (W: David H. Goodman and Jason Cahill, D: Michael Zinberg, Airdate: December 2, 200 Part two of the "Don't blow it" pair. Hyped as the second coming of The X-Files, Fringe turned out to be one of the big disappointments of the fall 2008 line up. It had all the ingredients, but it lacked the punch. The pattern so far felt pretty random, and the characters, except Walter Bishop, have yet to pop. However, if this episode is any indicator, with Olivia given something to do besides not smile and Mr. Jones shaping up to becoming a major villain, the series can grow.

33. Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles – "Allison from Palmdale" (W: Toni Graphia, D: Charles Beeson, Airdate: September 29, 200 Although the series as a whole leaves something to be desired, this installment, telling the origin story behind Terminator Cameron (played terrifically by Summer Glau), showed what this show is capable of, hopefully we'll see more of that.

32. Prison Break "Safe & Sound" (W: Seth Hoffman, D: Karen Gaviola, Airdate: September 22, 200 Prison Break has been on the wane since they broke out of Fox River, but this season has been a return to form and has quickly become my guilty pleasure of the year. The season, essentially a series of heists, was at its best in this installment.

31. South Park "About Last Night…" (W: Trey Parker, D: Trey Parker, Airdate: November 5, 200 While South Park was another show that disappointed me this year, its ridiculous post-election episode, wherein it's revealed the entire campaign was part of an elaborate heist as Obama supporters celebrated and McCain supporters panicked, was just the cool off we needed after the dramatic election season.

30. Californication "In Utero" (W: Tom Kapinos, D: David Von Ancken, Airdate: November 30, 200 While I felt the second season of Californication didn't push itself into what it could be (aside from when Callum Keith Rennie's Lew Ashby was on screen), this examination of Hank & Karen's relationship (the best thing about this series) was touching and utilized the great chemistry between David Duchovny & Natascha McElhone.

29. Jericho "Termination of Cause" (W: Rob Fresco, D: Guy Norman Bee, Airdate: March 11, 200 It was a bittersweet second season of Jericho for me. Just as it was finding an interesting grove, it was re-canceled (although its legion of devout fans would care to disagree with me there). Especially here, as the stand between J&R and the town of Jericho came to a cross roads. If only there was more time for the aftermath.

28. Chuck "Chuck Vs. Tom Sawyer" (W: Phil Klemmer, D: Norman Buckley, Airdate: October 27, 200 Kill screens (that actually kill), Rush and Tony Hale. What's not to like?

27. This American Life – "Escape" (D: Christopher Wilcha and Adam Beckman, Airdate: May 4, 200 Whereas many reality shows feature self-absorbed sociopaths with serious issues encased in a Petri dish, I mean fish bowl, this under looked gem (based on the successful public radio program) strives for fascinating true stories like the one featured here, of Mike Phillips and his struggles with Spinal Muscular Atrophy.

26. A Colbert Christmas: The Greatest Gift of All! (W: Stephen Colbert, Allison Silverman, David Javerbaum, Michael Brumm and Rob Dubbin, D: Jon Hoskinson, Airdate: November 23, 200 A delightful send up of the corny Christmas specials of old, with terrific songs that'll surely be heard for years to come.

25. Breaking Bad "…and the Cat's in the River" (W: Vince Gilligan, D: Adam Bernstein, Airdate: February 10, 200 Bryan Cranston's Emmy win was one of the best surprises of the awards, and episodes like this show why he got it. As Walter White, a chemistry teacher turned meth cook following the knowledge that he was dying of terminal cancer, Cranston shines, especially here as he confronts his new found occupation's dark side.

24. The Daily Show/Colbert Report - "Election Night Special" (Airdate: November 4, 200 Obviously the big story of the year was the election, and as expected The Daily Show and Colbert Report were at the top of their games all year long, much like TDS was solo back in '04. It's hard to pick just one episode out of the 160 or so each show did this year, so in recognition of a stellar year, I give it to their coverage of that historic night.

22.-23. Dexter – "Go Your Own Way" & "I Had a Dream" (GYOW: W: Timothy Schlattman, D: John Dahl, Airdate: November 30, 2008. IHAD: W: Lauren Gussis and Charles H. Eglee, D: Marcos Siega, Airdate: December 7, 200 Unfortunately the best part of Dexter's third season was short lived because the build up this season was much slower than the past. Regardless, the cat & mouse games and the big showdown between Dex & Miguel Prado (Jimmy Smits) made up a bit for the meandering storylines.

21. The Wire – "Clarifications" (S: David Simon and Dennis Lehane, W: Dennis Lehane, D: Anthony Hemingway, Airdate: February 24, 200 In a season that was all about the big lie and how institutions shape opinions, this episode essentially debunks the Omar myth, while not making us feel like idiots for loving this brilliant character.

20. Breaking Bad "Crazy Handful of Nothin'" (W: George Mastras, D: Bronwen Hughes, Airdate: March 2, 200 Seeing Bryan Cranston maneuver Walter White from average high school teacher to the guy who'd drop an, albeit harmless, explosive in a dealer's office was proof that this guy was great at serious drama as well as the comedic stuff he'd proven himself with on Malcolm in the Middle.

19. Friday Night Lights – "Leave No Man Behind" (W: Aaron Rashaan Thomas, D: Dean White, Airdate: February 1, 200 After a shaky second season with a few ridiculous elements (meth dealers & murder cover ups), the second half went back to its roots as one of the most earnest, endearing shows you're probably not watching. (Note: I don't have DirectTV, so any third season episodes that make the cut will be on my 2009 list.)

18. 30 Days "Same Sex Parenting" (Airdate: June 24, 200 Many people found this episode endlessly frustrating, including myself. In particular the Mormon mother living for 30 days with a gay couple raising four kids. It was infuriating how she refused to budge from her stance that gay couples shouldn't be allowed to adopt even seeing proof that gays can raise kids just as well as straight couples, or better in the case of one of the children, whose biological parents told her he was better off with the gay couple. In a year where gay rights were in the spotlight, particularly with the passing of Prop 8 and the resulting backlash, this episode encapsulates the stalemate and the major obstacle gays face getting their rights.

17. The Shield "Parricide" (W: Kurt Sutter and Gary Lennon, D: Guy Ferland, Airdate: October 21, 200 After a cluttered first half, the season really gets cooking here as Shane's scheme for revenge fails, he goes on the run and Vic turns in his badge.

16. John Adams – "Join or Die" (W: Kirk Ellis, D: Tom Hopper, Airdate: March 16, 200 This was the only installment of HBO's award sweeping epic about the second president I saw, but it was an impressive episode as Adams (played by the consistently great Paul Giamatti) dealt with trying to give a fair trial to the men responsible for the Boston Massacre, men whom his colleagues would mostly prefer throwing to the wolves.

15. It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia "The Nightman Cometh" (W: Charlie Day & Glenn Howerton & Rob McElhenney, D: Matt Shakman, Airdate: November 20, 200 It's Always Sunny's fourth season lacked a lot of the crazy fun of its previous three. It might've been because of the strike (that excuse is still valid) or their new projects (the guys have a new show in the works). However, the finale made up for that. Expanding the "Night Man" concept into a full length musical, filled with terrible theater and questionable "metaphors", was hilarious.

14. Pushing Daisies "Bzzzzzzzzz!" (W: Bryan Fuller, D: Adam Kane, Airdate: October 1, 200 Basically this was the only episode I saw, and judging by the beautiful visual scheme and clever writing, I truly regret not seeing more and getting behind it while I could.

11.-13. Lost "There's No Place Like Home 1-3" (W: Damon Lindelof & Carlton Cuse, D: Jack Bender, Aidates: May 15 & 29, 200 While it may not have been the mind bender last season's finale was (my favorite episode from 2007), Lost's stellar fourth season wrapped up well, with some great pay offs and an interesting new dynamic for the new season.

10. The Office – "Dinner Party" (W: Lee Eisenberg & Gene Stupnitsky, D: Paul Feig, Airdate: April 10, 200 While The Office this past year hasn't been up to par with the greatness of its second and third seasons, this episode is one of the exceptions. It takes the uncomfortable moments that are a staple to the series to its extreme as Michael & Jan's truly dysfunctional relationship reaches its breaking point.

9. Dr. Horrible's Sing-A-Long Blog (W: Joss Whedon, Jed Whedon, Zack Whedon, Maurissa Tancharoen, D: Joss Whedon, Airdates: July 15, 17 & 19, 200 While not a show per se, it's approximately 43 minute length is close to that of an hour-long drama without commercials. One of the few good things to spawn from the writer's strike, this server melting hit was a blast. Hopefully we don't have to endure another strike for a sequel to happen.

8. 30 Rock – "MILF Island" (W: Tiny Fey and Matt Hubbard, D: Kevin Rodney Sullivan, Airdate: April 10, 200 Quickly becoming one of my favorite comedies (thanks Hulu!), this episode stood out as it hilariously parodied reality shows and how their conventions have permeated our lives.

7. The Wire – "-30-" (T: David Simon, S: David Simon & Edward Burns, D: Clark Johnson, Airdate: March 9, 200 TV's most ambitious, sprawling epic of the grand failure of our public institutions didn't have the best final season, but then again, its final season could've been 10 episodes of a test pattern and it wouldn't have tarnished the brilliance of its previous four. It's final episode was a great cap off to a milestone of television, showing the "circle of life" continues in Baltimore and while that means new stick up kids and addicts, it also gives us a glimmer of hope (but not too much, it is The Wire after all) that people can escape the life or continue to fight the powers that be.

6. The Shield – "Possible Kill Screen" (W: Adam E. Fierro & Evan Bleiweiss, D: Billy Gierhart, Airdate: November 18, 200 Vic Mackey's confession solidifies Michael Chiklis' Emmy standings. A jaw dropper, period, and a great set up for the devastating finale.

5. The Wire – "Late Editions" (T: George Pelecanos, W: David Simon & George Pelecanos, D: Joe Chappelle, Airdate: March 2, 200 The arrests, the parting of Michael & Dukie, "You look good girl", Bub's confession. This series will be truly missed.

4. Lost – "The Shape of Things to Come" (W: Brian K. Vaughn and Drew Goddard, D: Jack Bender) The episode that should've won Michael Emerson an Emmy was more proof that Emerson is one of the best actors working in TV right now and Ben Linus one of its most compelling characters.

3. Battlestar Galactica – "Revelations" (W: Bradley Thompson and David Wheedle, D: Michael Rhymer, Airdate: June 13, 200 Way to leave us hanging: outing the four known Final Five Cylons to the fleet as the humans and the rebel Cylon models discover Earth, their long awaited destination. But no sooner can you scream "You maniacs! You blew it up!", Earth is revealed to be a nuclear wasteland with no trace of life anywhere to be seen.

2. The Shield – "Family Meeting" (W: Shawn Ryan, D: Clark Johnson, Airdate: November 25, 200 Much of what I could say was covered in my recent Shield wrap up review, but I'm still digesting the stellar wrap up to this riveting drama. As if the penultimate episode wasn't amazing enough, the finale followed through with an ending most shows can only wish they had. 2009 just isn't going to be the same without new episodes of this and The Wire to look forward to.

1. Lost – "The Constant" (W: Carlton Cuse & Damon Lindelof, D: Jack Bender Airdate: February 28, 200 Remember all those people who argued that Heroes was better than Lost? They're pretty quiet now. Lost won. If I wanted to flood my list with too many of the same show, Lost could easily pop up more than it did. An episode that moved the mythology while still enjoyable as a self-contained episode, it featured Desmond's consciousness jumping back and forth from 1996 to 2004, trying to make a connection with his long lost love Penelope. If it doesn't get dusty in the room when he makes that call (on Christmas Eve no less), nothing will. This episode even introduced a new term into the nerd vernacular, one smitten nerds will use for years to come.

Well that is it. Obviously your list is going to be different from mine, but that's where interesting discussion comes from. Feedback is appreciated.

That's it for now. I may post again later in the week and hopefully get the 24 reviews all up, but with it being four reviews (five by tonight) and the Lost premiere, it may take some time. Until next time, peace and humptiness forever.

Matt

Hey readers,

Just wanted to take a moment to wish everyone a Happy Holidays. Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukah, Happy Chanukah, Happy Kwanza, Happy Boxing Day, Happy Festivus, Happy Belated Equinox and Happy Life Day! Whatever you celebrate or if you celebrate nothing, enjoy yourself.

And for those looking for new material, sorry it's been slow coming out. Hopefully that'll change. I'm currently working on a year end wrap up of my favorite episodes of 2008, which will hopefully be ready by New Year's. My top five is more or less set, but I'm scouring what I've seen this year (and even in an off year like this one there's a lot to choose from) to figure out the final list.

Hope everyone enjoys themselves and stays safe.

Peace & Humptiness Forever,

Matt

Hello readers,

Sorry I haven't been up to date with my Heroes reviews. A few weeks ago I was doing overnight shifts and that messed up my day plans. I'm still playing catch up, outlining my reviews for the last two episodes, and hopefully one will be up before "The Eclipse, Part 1" airs. Thanksgiving is also going to throw me off, but the Christmas hiatus should help even things out, and maybe get some long awaited reviews out.

Also I'm not sure when I'll get a review out for 24: Redemption, which just aired. Things are obviously a little crazy. But as a taste, I thought the TV movie was a let down. While it was great to see Jack back on TV, the lack of anything else tied to the show made it feel not like 24. Obviously there's a problem when many of the established characters were killed off, but they couldn't figure out anything for Chloe or Bill Buchanan to do? Anything?

The final project I hope to do is a retrospective on The Shield, the landmark FX drama that's airing its final episode this Tuesday. The collapse of everything the Strike Team built up in these final episodes has been stellar, and hopefully its final chapter will be a satisfying culmination of that.

In other news, Arrested Development is apparently going to happen on the big screen. As the one person not upset with Fox over canceling it, I wonder where the movie will go. The finale wrapped up most of the major stories. Also, I'm worried how the movie will do, as the show relied so heavily on in jokes that tailoring it to a mass market may diminish that element of its charm. However, this is a small percent. I'm 99% for this movie and will be there regardless to see the Bluths one more time on the big screen (and hopefully more should it do well).

Speaking of kicked around projects getting release, Chinese Democracy has arrived. Yes, the Guns N' Roses album 15 years in the making finally came out. While trying to claim my free Dr. Pepper and only getting trouble from their site, I did listen to some of it. As I've yet to listen beginning to end, I can't give a full verdict yet, but modern production has had an effect on the GNR sound no doubt.

Finally, I got a shout out on The Randy Rando Randonopolis Show's most recent episode "2.4: Deep Throats". Since they were nice enough to do that, I'll scratch their back and plug their podcast, a show dedicated to discussing random elements, mainly pop culture. You can get them by searching that name in iTunes or by heading to http://therandyrando.blogspot.com/

Well that is it for now. I hope to continue this, perhaps resuming the dispatches I used to do a few years ago, but stopped as scheduling became difficult. Until then, peace and humptiness forever.

Matt

I'm telling you I can't wait for fall TV. This summer's been a dead zone for TV for me between usual summer fare bumped by the strike, a disappointing Mole resurrection and 30 Days ending way too early in July. In fact, this year has been pretty dry with the strike whittling down my usual fare. But next month alone has a lot to offer. Here's the score:

August 29 – Sixth Season premiere of Real Time With Bill Maher (Fall Edition). OK this is cheating a little bit, but this is one of the few political discussion shows I can bear. While I don't agree with everything Maher says (and he can often come off as smug, especially discussing environmentalism and vegetarianism), the discussion is usually interesting, and Maher sometimes says things that need to be said. With this election season rivaling the last presidential election, it's good to have the show back as the season heats up.

September 1 – Fourth Season Premiere of Prison Break. Yes last season failed to live up to expectations. Yes the show has been inconsistent since they broke out of Fox River in season one. Yes Susan/Gretchen is no where near as compelling a villain as Kellerman. Yes behind the scenes drama hindered on screen events. I'm still going to be tuning in, if only to ease the withdrawals from almost 18 months without new 24. Plus, Michael Rappaport joining the cast should make it at least watchable (notwithstanding the awful War at Home).

Promos: With the big reveal viewers probably already know http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xhbcmEyiQMY

September 2 – Seventh (and Final) Season Premiere of The Shield. I've missed this show a lot. I thought last season ended abruptly, as if this season was meant to be the second part. This show put FX on the map and showed that you didn't have to be on HBO to put out a quality product on cable. This premiere is the beginning of the end for FX's flagship programs, all of which are due to take their final bows in the next couple years (let's see how they handle it compared to HBO). I can't wait to see how the fall of Vic Mackey comes to fruition (my money is that Dutch takes him down). A few clips are available on Hulu, and it was hard to stop at just two.

Final Season Trailer: Not as good as the Johnny Cash one for season five, but it uses a Beck song. http://www.hulu.com/watch/23297/the-shield-the-shields-final-season#s-p1-st-i0

September 3 – Series Premiere of Sons of Anarchy. The ads during 30 Days didn't do much for me, but hearing the cast, including Ron Perlman, Drea de Mateo, Mitch Pileggi and Jay Karnes (two FX shows at the same time!), is making me look forward to checking it out.

Promo: http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&VideoID=40643112

September 7 – Fifth Season Premiere of Entourage. It'll be interesting to see this summer show try a fall slot (it was preempted because of, wait for it, the writer's strike). This show is probably a lot better enjoyed in the summer, when summer blockbusters are on the minds of people watching shows about people in show business. Whatever the case, hopefully Jeremy Piven will continue to be hilarious and I continue to wish the made up movies on the show were real (make Aquaman happen suits!)

September 7 – Series Premiere of Fringe. It's JJ Abrams, and I was a fan of Alias and I love Lost (although that's more Damon Lindelof & Carlton Cuse). From what little I've seen, it sounds cool. Not to mention Lance Reddick, who will always be Cedric Daniels before Matthew Abaddon to me, is in it. I don't remember much from the trailer, but that's fine by me. Abrams' shows tend to be best going in fresh.

Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZAu4L5_Fl84

September 7 – Series Premiere of True Blood. From writer/director Alan Ball, creator of Six Feet Under and writer of American Beauty (one of my favorites despite the glut of movies/shows that tried and failed to be it), it's about vampires and I know little else other than that. The marketing is intriguing with vampire advocacy groups, synthetic blood bottled for mass consumption and a religious-based opposition group in the promotional material. It'd be nice to see HBO have a sci-fi show that was a success since Carnivale proved big, expensive and not buzz worthy enough (if you can slog through that slow as molasses first season, the second pays it off). I've heard good reviews so far, and it seems like it's going to avoid the Ball pratfall of taking itself too seriously. So long as they don't do an episode where a vampire gets kidnapped by the most incompetent kidnapper ever and they spend half the episode on it, I'll give it a shot.

Video: Nightline-esque spoof of the context of this world. http://www.hbo.com/trueblood/otherworlds/

September 13 – Thirty-Fourth (Thirty-Fourth!) season premiere of Saturday Night Live. Yes the show is mostly miss, but often if they get a decent host it'll make it watchable (and I want bragging rights for when the next "Lazy Sunday", "D*** in a Box" or "Iran (So Far Away)" happens).

September 18 – Fourth Season Premiere of It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia. Thank Hulu for getting me into this since I missed out when it first came on (I instead chose the unpleasant Starved). This show is definitely Seinfeld if they went as far as a cable network would allow. There is nothing redeeming about any of them, but they are hilarious.

"Goin' Back to Philly" music video: Basically this is the complete trailer that's been seen in 30 second shots all summer on FX. http://www.hulu.com/watch/27147/its-always-sunny-in-philadelphia-goin-back-to-philly-music-video#s-p3-st-i1

September 21 – 60th Emmys. OK, I'll probably more likely read the results than watch, but it's important to keep track, no matter how conflicted I am over some of the choices (I'm rooting for Michael Emerson and glad they recognized Lost in its comeback season, but still upset that they never nominated Michael K. Williams for his brilliant portrayal of Omar on The Wire, which itself was barely noticed by the academy). It's a sad cycle.

September 22 – Second Season Premiere of Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles. This was one of only two new show I picked up last season. I'm a huge fan of the movies (even the last one, which was fun popcorn, and I'm looking forward to Salvation) and this series was entertaining. Too bad the strike (sorry if I go overboard with strike talk) cut the season in half. Hopefully the second season pulls a Buffy, where it finds its groove and lives up to its potential. Brian Austin Green, originally a puzzling casting choice with his best known work on 90210, turned out to work really well. Now that he's a regular this season, they'll be able to expand upon his role, as the first human perspective into the dark future since Kyle Reese, the brother of Green's character, from the first movie.

Promo: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_i9865Mj_vM

September 22 – Third Season Premiere of Heroes. It seems like forever since the second season ended. Truncated because of the strike, it's had to stew for almost ten months in residual criticism as it went from freshman phenom to sophomore slump, and that awful Going Postal web series didn't do them any favors either. I'm sure some people who only read my reviews of the second season (when I picked it up) thought I started reviewing it to bash it because I'm too cool for the room, but that's not true. The show was enormously entertaining in its first year, and it has the potential to return to that with the "Villains" volume, not to mention some of the guest stars would make great additions to the cast.

Trailer: Is that Malcolm McDowell (Linderman) I hear (at :45)? http://www.hulu.com/watch/27059/heroes-choose-a-side#s-p1-st-i1

Bonus: Full Trailer. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fJxBw3uc5cU

September 25 – Fifth Season Premiere of The Office. Unfortunately the fourth season was largely weak, with those bloated hour long episodes at the beginning and (again) the strike. However, I still love the ensemble and even at its worst can make me smile or cringe in a good way. I can't wait to see what they do with Amy Ryan (aka Beadie Russell from The Wire.) What I really hope for in the coming season is fewer "sitcomy" moments where Michael and Dwight come off as cartoons (they walk a fine line) or end up in situations where the only logical resolution is Michael getting fired (or arrested like in the infamous pizza delivery guy subplot) and it doesn't happen. Again, I don't want to be too harsh on this show. Everyone involved is highly talented and funny, and I think they can return to great stuff like seasons two and three.

Teaser (Jim & Pam): http://www.hulu.com/watch/30824/the-office-pam-and-jim-denied

September 28 – Second Season Premiere of Californication. This show came out when chatter started over whether Showtime was inheriting the HBO torch of quality programming. It's easy to see why with HBO's vanguard shows ending and little else to fill the schedule or fire the public's imagination like Sopranos and Showtime coming out with critical and commercial hits. Showtime isn't there yet, but Weeds and Dexter are almost the Sex and the City and Sopranos (to make a comparison) of Showtime. Californication Also on a superficial level, Natasha McElhone is one of the most beautiful women on TV. It should make a good chaser to the dark stuff on Dexter.

September 28 – Third Season Premiere of Dexter. I picked up season one on DVD a year ago on a whim based on positive word of mouth and I'm glad I did. This show has quickly become one of my favorites. The second season, which I watched on OnDemand, was even better, delving into Dexter's character and some great cat and mouse moments. Since I get Showtime now, I can watch the episodes live rather than wait until DVD. I'm really looking forward to what Jimmy Smitts is going to bring to the show. It'll also be fun to have two great anti-hero shows (The Shield being the other one) on at the same time. Michael C. Hall has always been great since Six Feet Under, and it's great he found another venue for his talent so quickly.

Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vsu2YYUozP4