Turns out Lie to Me was only supposed to come back in some months from now (maybe January). They quickly substituted it in after canceling Lone Star. I can't remember the last time a show was canceled after only the second episode. They were in the middle of filming the sixth episode wen production was halted.

Human Target was pushed probably to give it a better chance, since the Friday timeslot sucks - though that timeslot does also have lower expectations. I really hope Good Guys survives on it because I quite like that show. Human Target has also grown on me, so I'd like to continue watching it as well.

Tony, Hell's Kitchen isn't really as you've described, but I did find your description humorous. I could do with a little less personal drama on that show and more coverage of the cooking, since that's why I watch it.

Matt, how was Walking Dead?

I haven't seen it yet, but I'm about to grab the first two episodes...

We got the season pass for The Walking Dead on iTunes- my wife says it is amazing. Maybe I'll get a chance to watch it in a year or so when this project is finally over.

Also, pretty sure The Good Guys is doomed. I actually enjoy it quite a bit, though I've fallen behind- for some reason it feels like a show I should hate, but it just makes me smile. We are also watching Raising Hope, which is fun, but nowhere near as funny as Earl was (the humor is quite similar, but Jason Lee and the other actors made Earl shine).

I am almost caught up on Fringe. This is the best show I've seen in a while. As in, the best show since Firefly. I hope they'll get a chance to finish out the serial part of the show because it seems the ratings are not very good.

One thing I've noticed is that Fringe gains a lot from DVR viewers, but those ratings don't count with the sponsors. I wonder if a problem with a lot of the shows I like is that the target audience is more likely to be tech savy and therefore suffers from a lot of DVR viewing?

The Walking Dead was fantastic. I watched the premiere as it aired (well, with a slight Tivo delay), and ate up every minute of it.

Here's some thoughts:

• It's beautifully shot, and I love how sparse the musical accompaniment is
• The premiere stuck pretty darn close to the source material
• The acting was really good in the first episode, but the supporting cast wasn't great in the second, probably because all but two of them weren't in the comic, and they're pretty clichéd
• Dramatically, the first episode really got to me, even though I already knew everything that was going to happen, but they flushed out the characters from that first issue (pretty easy, there are only three)

They seem to really want to stretch this series out, because the 90 minute premiere only spans the very first issue of the comic, which is now up to over 78 issues. The second episode doesn't even get as far as the second issue does, because after the first five minutes it completely diverges from the book. I found that fascinating. The first episode was so loyal to the comic, but other than about 60 seconds, the second episode was absolutely nothing like the second issue of the book, and even introduced at least three people that weren't in the comic.

I suspect this was a way to tell the fans: look, we're going to stay true to this series, but we're going to do our own stuff too. They had said just that in interviews leading up to it, but I find it interesting that they seemed to go to a great deal of trouble to demonstrate this idea in the very first two episodes, going to the extremes in both cases.

But what's even better is that I really dug the second episode too. It didn't have the emotional impact the first episode did, but it felt like a big budget zombie movie instead of a TV show.

One thing I wonder is how that production is going to keep up. So far the first two episodes have depended heavily on huge sets and MASSIVE numbers of extras in extensive full-body makeup. Plus, the special effects when it comes to the gore in the series (of which there's a surprising amount for AMC), are very good and must cost them a great deal. I suspect the show is going to get MUCH cheaper from episode three on out, as the group starts trying to hide. The third episode will probably take place mostly in the woods, actually, and probably cost about 1/30th what each of the first two cost.

So there's my take on the show. I think it's really good, and what I've seen of Andrew Lincoln so far seems to indicate he'll make a good Rick, who is a complicated character to portray. The jury is still out on the rest of the cast, though I like the guy playing Glen.


(MAJOR spoiler ahead that gives away something from later in the comic - don't say I didn't warn you)

Exactly what I'm fearing. It's likely that the whole "two-worlds" thing is too confusing for some viewers (sheesh, they give you a visual cue in the intro every week! gosh! ).

It really hasn't been doing well, though. I think the last episode took in just over 1.2 million viewers. That's not good for network primetime. My own opinion? MAYBE THEY SHOULD MOVE IT TO ANOTHER DAMN NIGHT! Seriously, I have EIGHT shows that air on Thursday nights. Why are they all on that one night? To contrast, I think I might have one or two on Tuesdays, so why aren't more of my shows there? I can't even keep up with the two tuners on my Tivo! I almost NEVER condone moving a show to another night, especially when it's struggling, but the networks are just jamming Thursday with way too much.

To contrast, fortunately The Walking Dead has done exceedingly well. The first two episodes got something like 5.3 and 5.7 million viewers, so it even improved in its second week. I'm amazed it got that many considering how much of a horror show it is. I understand why that would work on Halloween night, but the week after is another story. Thankfully AMC has already ordered another season, which is good because I think the first one is something like six episodes long...

The Walking Dead seemed to be very anticipated and had glowing reviews from people who had gotten a preview. Based on my wife's reaction to the pilot, I had a feeling it was going to be good. I'm actually not really into the genre myself, but I'll probably get to it at some point, because basically anything that's quality I'm going to be into.

I agree about the whole "replacing Charlie" thing on Fringe- that was a rough story line. I'll let you know how I feel about the Olivia stuff after I get more into season 3- I'm still on the finale of season 2, but I have a rough idea of what happens.

Fox did say when they moved Fringe to Thursdays (which is a slaughterhouse) they expected the ratings to dip and they were OK with that. Doesn't mean I feel good about the move, though.

Oh my goodness! I'm so sorry! I would have used spoiler tags for that, but I stupidly missed the "almost" in "I'm almost caught up with Fringe!" Crap, I apologize. I was really tired last night when I was writing all that.

Ugh, I feel bad about that.

Don't worry- you haven't said anything I haven't already accidentally learned elsewhere. I'd have been a lot more cautious discussing the show if I hadn't

Honestly, so far Fringe hasn't really been about the "Big Reveals" to me anyway, despite the fact that their have been quite a few. It's the interaction of the characters that I think are so awesome, and not just Walter. I love the whole ensemble.

Phew, that's a load off. I hate having spoilers ruined for me, so I feel even worse when I do it to someone else!

And I agree with you about the show. It really just is a fantastic series. I'm not sure why it isn't catching on, but I suspect it's probably a difficult show to just jump in on.

This season of Fringe while having some new ground to explore, isn't as good as previous however, precisely because a lot of that ensemble interaction isn't present every other week. I'm still liking it and it's one of my most anticipated series of the week however.

I watched episodes 1 and 2 or the Walking Dead last night. Pretty good stuff. But then again, I like zombie flicks. I have no prior experience/knowledge of the source material for this series.

Good question in your spoiler, but I don't think that's the case.

You're right about Fringe, though. We don't have that week-to-week interaction between the full group. The funniest moments of the entire show are easily the scenes that take place in Walter's lab at Harvard, and we rarely see Walter, Olivia, Peter, and Asterix in there at once anymore.

How much time is suppose to have passed between the events of the beginning of the Walking Dead and when the lead walks out of the hospital? I know it's at least a month based on something someone else said, but I don't recall any other indication of time.

Honestly, I'm not certain. On the one hand, it seems like it should be more than a month for all that to happen, but on the other, we don't know how long Rick was unconscious without any medical help or food and water (which might be why he woke up in the first place).

My two favorite network shows so far are definitely The Defenders and Outsourced (which is now one of my favorite comedies currently airing).

Fringe is getting moved to Fridays. Probably the beginning of the end.

Fringe Plot Stuff:

Oh crap, Fridays? Damnit, that does usually signal the end of show. That sucks. And this past week it really rebounded in the ratings!



As for other TV this fall, I continue to be amazed by the fantastic writing on Community. It's not better written than 30 Rock (I'm not sure if anything is), but it's really freaking good.

As usual, I'm still in love with Supernatural. That show NEVER, and I mean NEVER fails to entertain me more than any other show on TV. I never claim that it's the best show on TV, but I find it immensely entertaining and can't wait for it every week.

My favorite show, though, is Dexter. This season has been really really good, and the stuff they're doing with Julia Stiles (who I've always liked) is some of the best stuff they've done on the show in years.

I don't know if Friday will mark the end of Fringe. Fox is a bit different than other networks. The X-Files moved around a bit and survived for many years on Sunday of all nights. Fox usually doesn't have a problem just ending a show outright, so Fringe must still be doing well enough for them. It will at the very least give my PVR a small break on Thursday nights which is otherwise pretty busy. It used to be even busier when Barbeque Pit Masters and American Chopper were still on.

They'd already ordered all 22 episodes, so I don't think they would have canceled mid season. Its an obvious move, tbh, given x facotor coming online soon and Thursdays being a tough night. There really isnt anywhere else to go except Fridays, but I'll be surprised if it pulls the necessary numbers to get a season 4. Sad part is, Fring gets something like a 40% bump in DVR numbers which won't change with the move to Fridays, but thise numbers don't matter for profitability.

If it does pull it off, it'll be pretty awesome. 'x-files' lived on Fridays for quite a while. Science fiction geeks may be the most likely ones to stay in on a Friday night

It's still one of my favorite shows, so I hope the move is a positive one for the share numbers. The Good Guys, also from Fox and also currently on Friday nights, is another show I quite enjoy, though I don't know how it will pair with Fringe. I suppose it won't pair any worse than with the House reruns they've been showing. Fox is a two hour per night network - IMO, they've had a significant enough amount of good programming that they could easily add an hour each night to match the other networks. I wonder why they never have.

Pretty sure The Good Guys is toast- it has not performed well at all. At least I'm not the only one who enjoys it

What I would be interested to know is how much DVD sales affect a show like Fringe. I know Fox won't directly benefit, but the company creating Fringe might be able to sell it to Fox cheaper if they anticipate high DVD sales (though I think that may have been the rationale for keeping Dollhouse around for a second season, which was so bizarre it caught Whedon by surprise).

The whole model is just crazy, though. With only live tv really being worth anything, it seems the more intelligent shows like Fringe are going to be hard to make work. We end up with pretty much reality tv and crime drama, because that's the stuff people can easily jump into and want to watch live. I hope the model changes at some point, because the Neilson system just doesn't feel like to fits anymore, with DVRs and Internet viewing in the mix.

Do you remember a show called "Firefly"? Arguably (IMHO) the best show ever aired on network television, canceled mid-season with at least one of the episodes already produced but never aired.

I don't believe I ever watched Fox network again after that. And now I don't watch television at all. Haven't turned my TV on in the past four months other than to watch an occasional DVD, even though my cable hookup gets more than 70 channels. (I need it for my internet connection.) You can't imagine how liberating it is not to be tied to that damned idiot box!

tanstaafl.

I think that means that Fox only ordered that many episodes. That's why they made one that didn't air, the network ordered that number of episodes, but networks very frequently cancel shows before airing the full order. Sometimes they air the remainder in the normal timeslot, other times they just don't air them, frequently replacing the show with a rerun of a well-performing show. I can't remember the show, but I seem to remember one that got cancelled and the network ran a marathon of the remaining episodes, just to get them out of the way.

As far as I know, I haven't heard of a network cancelling a show before the order was out, and I doubt that a show like Fringe wouldn't at least get the remaining episodes aired, if not only released on disc.

Yes- FireFly is pretty much my favorite TV show ever, so I'm well acquainted. It's true they didn't air two of the episodes, but Fox also never ordered the back 9, so it's a little different situation. With Fringe they ordered the full 22 episodes at the beginning of this season, where for most shows they were on the fence about they'd have only ordered the first 13. Fox has said they are committed to Fringe (and there's different leadership from the FireFly fiasco)- which I DON'T think means we get a season 4 if it isn't pulling the necessary ratings, but I DO think they'll at least give the writer's notice and let them close out the story, which is pretty important at this point. Note that Joss Whedon got the chance to wrap up Dollhouse when they decided to cancel it mid season.

I actually wasn't even aware that Fringe was Fox until I started hearing about poor performance and talk of cancellation. We purchased a season pass on iTunes. At the end of the day, if a show is good I'm going to watch it no matter what network airs it.

As for the idiot box, I'd love it if we could stop watching TV, but that just isn't in the cards for us given my wife spending 90% of her time during the day either sleeping or in bed, and a large part of that time in too much pain to be able to focus on reading. TV is a way of life for us these days, unfortunately.

And thank goodness! I finally finished watching that show and now I love it. I just loved it. The two Epitaph episodes were simply brilliant, and I loved the character arc they gave Topher. I also think that the guy who played Victor was one of the best impressionists I've ever seen. When he first woke up as another character on the show (I think it was Dominic), he just nailed the performance. His turns as Topher had me rolling on the floor.

The Epitaph episodes justified the series, IMO, though the rest of it was pretty good too. The first Epitaph was a low budget way to complete a contract obligation, and I'm so glad it worked out because it was just amazing. They did have problems making season two line up with it (since they wrote it believing they were canceled), but they made 90% of it work.

The end of season two really played out at warp speed as they wrapped up all the loose ends, making it satisfying and exciting, but at times it was easy to remember you were watching a TV show just because it was all happening so quickly. That is my one fear for Fring if they have to wrap things up now.

I think my favorite non-Epitaph moment was the end of the attic episode, in which the final scene re-framed the entire context of the episode. It's not very often that I am completly blindsided by a character's motivations, but that was certainly one example.

Topher's last scene was very powerful, and his story really gave the series an abov average ending.

I agree about Victor. That actor was amazing and stole a lot of scenes. Has he been in anything else of note? I guess I should check imdb.

Between Topher, Victor, and Sierra, I think I ended up caring a lot more about secondary characters than Echo and Paul. In retrospect, this is probably a good thing.

I think it's fair to say I cared more about Victor and Sierra than Echo, but I also liked what they ended up doing with Echo, making her the sum of all the imprints she's had.

The most powerful episode to me was the one focused on Sierra, when she gets revenge on the scumbag who put her there. That episode is when we truly start seeing Topher have a soul. It made the eventual scenes in the Epitaphs (where he's crazy from guilt) more understandable, since Topher very slowly realizes that his genius has F'd the world up.

Dollhouse has been very challenging when recommending it to friends. I've had several say they tried to get into it but couldn't. As a result, I usually tell people something like "the first six episodes are absolutely terrible, then immediately changes gears straight into one of the best shows I've seen." It's hard to convince someone that they should sit through six bad episodes of television, even if the following episodes are great.

Heh- makes me think of Babylon 5. That first season was just awful.

I actually enjoyed the 'mission' episodes at the beginning of Dollhouse, but I don't know many who do.

Dollhouse Season 1 didn't work for me. It would have been good if they'd gotten into the creepier future world a whole lot earlier, and they might have stuck around more than two seasons.

Meanwhile, I just watched the first episode of Top Gear USA (airing on the History Channel, of all places, but at least I get it in HD). Not impressed. Okay, a Cobra helicopter versus a Dodge Viper was pretty cool and was exactly the sort of over-the-top military -vs.- car episode that they would have done with Jeremy Clarkson, but... well these hosts aren't anywhere close to the measure of the British hosts.

The Star in a Reasonably Price Car (oh, sorry, Big Star/Small Car) was Buzz Aldrin, who would have made for excellent material had he been interviewed by Clarkson (or even better, by James May who did that whole James May in Space show for the BBC). They basically asked him about his old cars and showed his lap. Sigh.

When they introduced the Stig, they didn't have any of the humorous elements. Or, even more broadly, this show just didn't have the humor. It also was far to much fawning on the cars. I watched back-to-back the latest Top Gear UK with the review of the Ferrari 458 (wherein Jezza explains that it's impossible to operate the steering-wheel mounted controls) versus the USA version, wherein the best complaint they can muster about a Lamborghini is that a cup-holder will set you back $650.

Sigh.