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Seven Shows That Could Use a Time Jump

Rich Keller — 2010-05-03T14:03:00+00:00

Filed under: OpEd, The Simpsons, Stargate, The Office, Heroes, Dexter, TV Squad Lists, Reality-Free, Features

Over the last few seasons a number of shows -- 'One Tree Hill,' 'Desperate Housewives,' 'Lost' -- have used the concept of time jumping to generate public interest and open up new storylines. Now, 'Brothers & Sisters' will be making a small time jump between this season and next. Money was on this show, 'Gossip Girl,' or 'Phineas and Ferb.' to make the jump.

This, as usual, got us to thinking of other currently running programs that could use a time shift to freshen them up. Subsequently, this led us to put our thoughts down on the hyperlinked paged for debate and comment. After the jump are but a few examples and how a time jump could benefit them.

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Who Should Host the Emmys?

Allison Waldman — 2010-05-01T17:29:00+00:00

Filed under: Late Night, OpEd, Saturday Night Live, The Daily Show, Music and Variety, The Office, Celebrities, 30 Rock, Emmys, Reality-Free, Features, TV News

The Primetime Emmys are still months away - the night of Sunday, August 29, to be exact - but the talk in Hollywood has already started swirling about who's going to host the show. An announcement is expected next week and since NBC is doing the broadcast, 'Late Night' host Jimmy Fallon is being mentioned prominently.

According to Entertainment Weekly, NBC has urged the TV Academy board to give Jimmy Fallon the thumbs up. Fallon's presence, the network contends, would appeal to a younger demographic. Terms like Twitter and Facebook have been thrown around to prop up the argument.

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'The Office' - 'Body Language' Recap

Joel Keller — 2010-04-30T00:29:00+00:00

Filed under: The Office, Episode Reviews, Reality-Free, Features, Recaps

(S06E22) It's odd seeing a Michael Scott that's relatively restrained and under control, isn't it?

I say this because, even though some of what Michael did in this episode would be deemed wildly inappropriate in any office, he had a reason for it. And, compared to some of the embarrassments Michael has perpetrated within the walls of Dunder Mifflin Scranton, misinterpreting the signals from a bar manager is way, way down on the list. Remember, this is a guy who held a teenage pizza delivery guy hostage.

But it did make for a pretty funny episode. Even Dwight's Schrute-ish shenanigans weren't even all that annoying, especially because it's always funny to see his schemes backfire on him.

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Could 'The Office' Survive Without Steve Carell?

Joel Keller — 2010-04-28T15:27:00+00:00

Filed under: OpEd, Watercooler Talk, The Office, Celebrities, Reality-Free, Features, TV News

Leave it to the Brits to ask the questions we here in the States just won't ask. Despite all the interviews Steve Carell and Tina Fey did before the premiere of the movie 'Date Night,' not one interviewer that I saw here in the US thought to ask Carell how much longer he was going to play Michael Scott on 'The Office.'

However, OfficeTally.com says that someone from the BBC thought enough to ask, and got a surprising response: Carell said he thinks he's done with the show after his contract is up at the end of the seventh season. It could be a negotiating ploy, but it might be a sincere wish on Carell's part to do something else.

Could 'The Office' go on without Carell? Maybe. Though I'm not sure I'd want it to.

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Six Series Spin-Offs I'd See in a Second

Jason Hughes — 2010-04-28T12:02:00+00:00

Filed under: OpEd, Rescue Me, The Office, 30 Rock, Reality-Free, Mad Men, Features

With the season coming to a close, the networks are starting to look toward next season. In the case of 'Criminal Minds,' that includes exploring the possibility of a spin-off series. They ran an embedded pilot for it earlier this season, introducing the new cast, and they've already had tremendous success with both 'NCIS' and 'CSI' spin-offs. But whatever happened to the old-school way of creating spin-offs?

'Frasier' was a long-time cast member on 'Cheers' before he headed off to Seattle and sitcom super-stardom. 'The Jeffersons' spent time living next to the Bunkers ('All in the Family') before moving on up. Even as recently as 'Friends,' they spun series co-star 'Joey' off into his own series -- maybe that's when it all went so wrong.

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'The Office' - 'Secretary's Day' Recap

Joel Keller — 2010-04-23T00:01:00+00:00

Filed under: The Office, Episode Reviews, Reality-Free, Features, Recaps

(S06E22) We haven't heard from the folks at Dunder Mifflin Scranton for almost a month, and it's refreshing that the first episode back, the antics are generally related to office-specific issues. Well, at least the better part of the episode was office-related.

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NBC Tweaks Summer Schedule

Rich Keller — 2010-04-22T08:00:00+00:00

Filed under: Industry, Programming, The Office, Reality-Free, Parks and Recreation, Features, TV Schedules, TV News

NBC is making some last-minute tweaks to its summer schedule, The Wrap is reporting.

Though not totally confirmed, network programming executives have decided to make Thursday nights all-comedy with additional episodes of 'The Office' and 'Parks and Recreation' in the 10PM hour. Some say this is a sign of more scripted comedies down the line, like the new anthology 'Love Bits'. In addition, recently renewed dramedy 'Parenthood' will begin to air at 8PM on Saturdays.

The other tweak involves 'Minute to Win It.' The network will air original episodes Wednesdays at 8PM, beginning Jul. 7 (as a lead-in to 'America's Got Talent'). If that works, NBC may add a second airing in August -- 9PM on Mondays. Executives need to be careful with this one, as viewers can easily burn out on multiple, weekly viewings of a show (the 'Who Wants To Be A Millionaire' effect), which will make the show's renewal dead on impact.

'The Office' Romance for Michael and Holly Isn't Over After All

Nick Zaino — 2010-04-07T18:35:00+00:00

Filed under: The Office, Reality-Free, Features

Dunder Mifflin is a strange place for romance. Jim and Pam, of course, have been the cornerstone of the show. But we've also seen the rocky relationship between Ryan and Kelly, a love triangle with Dwight, Angela, and Andy (as well as Dwight's baby plan with Angela), the awkward courtship of Andy and Erin and a few doomed dalliances involving Michael Scott.

Michael Scott has moved on to a new love interest this season (played by Amy Pietz), but according to EW's The Ausiello Files, Holly Flax may not be done. Ausiello quotes 'Office' executive producer and co-star Paul Lieberstein (he plays HR guy Toby) as saying he wants to bring Holly (Amy Ryan) back next year.

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Fey and Carell Prove That The Gap Between TV and Movie Stardom is Disappearing

Joel Keller — 2010-04-05T16:02:00+00:00

Filed under: OpEd, The Office, 30 Rock, Reality-Free, Features

Let me start this post off by getting this out of the way right now: I have no idea whether 'Date Night,' the new big-screen comedy from Tina Fey and Steve Carell coming out on Friday, is any good, or whether it'll make any money. From what I can see from the ads, it isn't looking promising, but good movies have been victimized by bad ads for as long as TV and movies have co-existed.

What has been the most remarkable about the promotion and marketing of this movie, though, has been this: Nothing, from the movie ads to the breathless previews on entertainment channels, to any of the print stories, are making a big deal that this movie is headlined two (gulp) television stars. And it's the career paths of both Fey and Carell that make this so refreshing.

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TV 101: Canaries In The Mineshaft (Pt. 1) - When Characters Become Caricatures

Jay Black — 2010-03-26T11:21:00+00:00

Filed under: OpEd, House, The Simpsons, The Office, TV 101, Reality-Free, Modern Family, Features

One of my least favorite internet memes is the race among people who frequent TV blogs to be the first one to comment that a show has "jumped the shark." I'll take a busload of LOLCATS and Epic Beard Men if it means that I won't have to see "JTS!" four minutes into a show's pilot episode.

That said, the fact that JTS has been defanged by ubiquity doesn't take away from its ability to be a useful tool for analyzing pop-culture. Shows tend to weaken over time and the JTS moment is a fun way to decide where, exactly, the wheels came off.

In thinking about JTS, it occurred to me that there are a few warning signs that a show is about to jump. Today I'll be looking at the first in a series of canaries in the mineshaft: when characters become caricatures.

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'The Office' - 'Happy Hour' Recap

Joel Keller — 2010-03-26T10:14:00+00:00

Filed under: The Office, Episode Reviews, Reality-Free, Features, Recaps

(S06E20) If you took this episode and dropped it in the middle of season two or three, it probably would have fit in nicely. Well, except for the fact that you might be asking why Pam was on maternity leave (and why Jim is the dad), why Andy is working in Scranton, and just who the hell Erin is.

But you know what I'm getting at. The tone, pacing, and comedy of this episode continues the recent trend of 'The Office' getting back to what made people love it to begin with. And, yes, part of that means that Michael is going to make an ass of himself. But at least the season six version of Michael somehow gets a little bit of hope mixed in with his desperation stew.

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'The Office' - 'New Leads' Recap

Joel Keller — 2010-03-19T10:03:00+00:00

Filed under: The Office, Episode Reviews, Reality-Free, Features, Recaps

(S06E19) It's starting to feel like Sabre's purchase of Dunder-Mifflin was just the jumping-odd point the writers needed to bring the Scranton branch dynamic back to something that feels like the old days. For the second week in a row, we have an episode that felt very much like the ones from the first couple of seasons -- without the Jim/Pam drama -- with the entire office interacting with each other and a large amount of mistrust floating about. And it made for one of the funniest episodes in years.

With sales being king at Sabre, the sales staff was letting their elevated status go to their heads. This brings about some interesting character aspects we haven't seen much of. Phyllis, for instance, gets to take her status out on Michael, who's embarrassed her any number of times, and Angela, who she just plain hates. Andy walks out of a tedious Michael-called meeting. Stanley actually looks like he's doing work. It's amazing how a high commission can motivate even the most sedentary salesperson, huh?

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'The Office' - 'St. Patrick's Day' Recap

Joel Keller — 2010-03-12T11:57:00+00:00

Filed under: OpEd, The Office, Episode Reviews, Reality-Free, Features, Recaps

(S06E18) Watching this episode, I got the nagging feeling that the writers made a grave mistake three years ago when they had Jim leave the Scranton branch for Stamford, then come back. When the branches merged, Jim became the branch's number two under Michael, and he actually had a scintilla of authority over Dwight.

Sure, he pulled pranks on Dwight over the ensuing years, and Dwight tried to end Jim on any number of occasions. But there was always an implication that the two weren't work equals. Jim becoming co-manager made things worse.

But now they're equals again. And seeing Dwight's MegaDesk, followed by Jim creating the incorrectly-named QuadDesk, made me realize why the early episodes of 'The Office' work so well. Jim and Dwight getting under each other's skin was a reminder of every irritating cubicle neighbor I've ever had, and that dynamic was missing. It was good to see it back tonight, but it got me annoyed that it really hasn't been around since season two.

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NBC Renews 'Community,' 'The Office,' and '30 Rock'

Bob Sassone — 2010-03-06T09:09:00+00:00

Filed under: Programming, The Office, Pickups and Renewals, 30 Rock, Reality-Free, Community, Features, TV Schedules, TV News

NBC already renewed 'Parks and Recreation' in January, and today they also renewed the other sitcoms on their Thursday night lineup, 'Community,' 'The Office,' and '30 Rock.'

No real surprise, though 'Community' could have gone either way. Creator Dan Harmon told the cast about the renewal and recorded it. Look at Yvette Nicole Brown's face as she thinks the show might have been canceled.

'The Office' - 'The Delivery' Recap

Joel Keller — 2010-03-04T22:35:00+00:00

Filed under: The Office, Episode Reviews, Reality-Free, Features, Recaps

(S06E16 / S06E17) Remember how the one hour Pam/Jim wedding episode was considered by many -- including me -- to be 'The Office's' best episode of the season? Well, the one-hour Pam/Jim baby episode definitely isn't in that category.

Why? Because, through a lot of the episode, Pam and Jim displayed none of the charm that made us fall in sitcom love with them in the first place. To compound the situation, they're being written into situations that would make fans of 'Yes, Dear' cringe. But we'll get to that later.

As usual with most one-hour 'Office' episodes, the first half was better than the second. But even the first half of this one had some problems.

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Michael Imperioli Cast as Cop in ABC Drama

Allison Waldman — 2010-03-03T12:44:00+00:00

Filed under: OpEd, Law and Order, The Office, Celebrities, Casting, Emmys, Reality-Free, Features, TV News

On 'The Sopranos,' actor Michael Imperioli excelled at playing Christopher Moltisanti, a goodfella in every sense of the word. A made man. Definitely on the wrong side of the law. Since the HBO series has ended -- and even before that -- Imperioli has found work on the other side of the badge. He's doing it again. Michael Imperioli will star in '187 Detroit' for ABC, a new cop drama.

The premise of '187 Detroit' is kind of 'The Office' meets 'NYPD Blue' in Michigan. It's a funny take on a Detroit homicide squad if they were to have a documentary crew following them around on cases. Imperioli will be Fitch, the hot-tempered, veteran detective who boasts an impeccable record for closing cases and catching killers.

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Craig Robinson to Host 'Last Comic Standing'

Joel Keller — 2010-02-26T18:29:00+00:00

Filed under: Other Reality Shows, OpEd, The Office, Casting, Features, TV News

Maybe it's because NBC needs programming, especially during the summer. Maybe it's because the network needed a companion to 'America's Got Talent.' But it does seem like 'Last Comic Standing' has become the 'According to Jim' of reality shows, doesn't it? The show just doesn't die, no matter how much NBC and its producers have tried to kill it.

The folks who brought us the genius idea of Jay Leno at 10PM has decided to resurrect 'Last Comic,' which they canned in 2008, for a summer run, according to Joe Adalian at The Wrap. Craig Robinson of 'The Office' and the forthcoming comedy flick 'Hot Tub Time Machine' has been tabbed to host.

At least the new host gives me hope for this new version. Robinson has a great comic presence, whether he's intimidating Michael Scott as warehouse foreman Darryl Philbin, or just doing his stand-up at a local club. He'll be funnier than Bill Bellamy and more confident than Anthony Clark, two of the show's previous hosts (Jay Mohr was the original host... and quite good).

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Kid Gets Detention for Repeating Joke From 'The Office'

Bob Sassone — 2010-02-25T15:31:00+00:00

Filed under: The Office, Reality-Free, Features

This happened last year but it's still worth posting. A thirteen-year-old kid got detention for repeating Michael Scott's popular catch phrase "That's what she said!" during class. Steve Carell should write a note to him.

The funniest part is this detention notice sent to his parents. It's funny when a teacher has to put down a reason like this for a detention and has to describe it. Is the kid a wiseass? Probably, but it's funny. All of my report cards when I was a kid said "gets good grades but laughs too much in class."

'The Office' - 'Manager and Salesman' Recap

Joel Keller — 2010-02-12T00:02:00+00:00

Filed under: The Office, Episode Reviews, Reality-Free, Features, Recaps

(S06E16) Ahhhhhh.... order has finally been restored to the universe.

Can you feel it? The air is cleaner, food tastes better, and the two feet of snow outside my window is a fluffy dream instead of an icy mess.

It seems like the producers of 'The Office' realized things weren't right in their world and they decided to rectify things. And in the process they made one of the more satisfying episodes of the season.

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Here's the Due Date for Jim and Pam's 'Office' Baby

Bob Sassone — 2010-02-08T13:29:00+00:00

Filed under: The Office, Reality-Free, Features

Babies can be beautiful, welcome addition to real-life families, but they can signal the downfall of a TV show. A baby can mean that a show is desperate to try something new to liven up a once-great show, or it can be a ploy to get more people interested in it because the kids that have been on the show have gotten older and they need new youngsters.

We'll have to wait and see if the baby that Pam will have on 'The Office' will be a good thing for the show or a bad thing. The baby will make its debut in a special one-hour episode that will air on March 4. In the same episode, Erin will have lunch with Kevin, making Andy jealous.

One good thing about a baby on 'The Office' is that it's a workplace sitcom, not a domestic sitcom. So there won't be any big reasons for Jim and Pam's baby to be at Dunder-Mifflin all the time, it will probably be at home with a sitter or with relatives or at a nursery (only not the one from last week's episode, of course).