BretHarrison
Reaper's Bret Harrison is all over his new project, a comedy for CBS
Bret Harrison has been around television for awhile, starting on Grounded for Life. But the role that earned him the most love around these parts was that of Sam Oliver on the gone-too-soon Reaper. I was stoked that co-star Tyler Labine (Sock) so quickly found series work on FOX's forthcoming Sons of Tucson, but I worried about the rest of the cast. It was a true ensemble success.For his new project, he got a lot more hands on. Not only is he slated to star in it, but Bret Harrison co-created this legal buddy comedy for CBS. The show is about a couple of district attorneys, one young and brash, the other in his middle years. And, of course, there's always a girl. Here's an idea. How about you get Ray Wise for the elder attorney and Missy Peregrym to play the girl who comes between the two. Would that be too much?
Reaper: No Reaper Left Behind
(S02E09) There were those expected Reaper funny moments, but overall, this was a pretty serious episode. We really only juggled two major storylines this week, and neither of them were about collecting escaped souls. We had Sam beginning his instruction in bringing about the end times as our main focus. On the opposite end of the spectrum, and providing the most laughs, surprisingly enough, was the ugly breakup saga of Nina and Ben.Andi was right about Sam; he's getting darker for the world he's trapped in. His machinations tonight with the Devil's shut-in "girlfriend" Sandy were downright diabolical. Sure, his ultimate goal of taking down the Devil and freeing himself is noble, but is he willing to do too much to get out of it? Not that I really see a more pure approach working. In fact, I've always wondered just how much the Devil knows. I would think he knows everything that Sam does, even when Sam's trying to betray him or undercut him in some way. Hell, he's the Devil. He's probably proud of him when that happens.
Should Reaper now abandon all hope?
Reaper is not just one of my favorite TV shows. It's also one of my TV's favorite surprises. Every time I watch an episode, my TV suffers a moral dilemma. "This show is funny, witty, very entertaining and unafraid to be absurd and just plain bat#*$& crazy," my TV said to me during last week's episode. "Why the #*$& am I letting you watch it?"
It looks as though my TV is about to get its way. It always does. It cuts all my favorite scenes from Top Gear before they are transferred from the British to the American version. It never lets my TiVo keep an All in the Family episode past a couple of days. It would broadcast nothing but Billy Mays commercials in my head if it developed telepathy, and trust me, it's working on it. I'd throw the thing out the window, but that's not covered in the warranty. The manufacturer may not call that an "act of God," but I sure as hell would.
Reaper: I Want My Baby Back

(S01E05) "Lookin' sharp, Buffy, lookin' sharp." - Devil to Sam while he was holding a wooden stake
Season two of Reaper continues to entertain: it's funny, smart and unexpected, while still delivering all the things we loved about Reaper in season one. From using Sam's zombie dad to scare the poop out of Ben in the car, to the tongue-in-cheek shout-out to Buffy the Vampire Slayer, this episode delivered.
One thing this episode did suffer from, though, is something I feared. Because they've introduced so many characters, we only saw a brief bit of them this week (and we didn't see Nina at all), and I was left wanting more of some. I guess we got a good fill of the dad, and it was so great to have demon Tony back. But I missed Nina, and I craved more Morgan. I'm wondering, too, if Kristen will end up being more than a bizarre sex symbol for Sock.
Reaper: The Favorite

(S02E04) Reaper pulled it out again with another winner of an episode. Something tells me they know exactly what they are doing this season, and I'm loving every second of it.
Although I enjoyed the addition of Morgan, the Devil's other son, very much, I was getting a bit irritated that they kept introducing new characters -- Kristen, Nina, Morgan -- and just left the whole storyline with Sam's dad floating out there. I was getting nervous that they didn't really know what to do with it, so they were just going to drop it and hope we didn't remember. Well, they got back to it tonight, and I can't wait to see it all come together.
But we'll get to that later. Let's talk about the rest of the episode first...
Reaper: The Sweet Science

(S02E03) "No, I'm not growing a douche tag!" - Sam to Ben when he suggests Sam grow a soul patch
The only way I can begin this review is... yay Reaper! The first two episodes this season were enjoyable and got me back into the Reaper spirit. Tonight's episode raised the game; the writers went beyond hitting their stride and hit it out of the park.
You think that's too strong a stance for this episode? Come, explore with me, if you will, the finer points of tonight's episode....
Reaper: Dirty Sexy Mongol

How'd Reaper do this week? As much as I enjoyed it, this episode has left me with a few longings for more. Don't worry, I wasn't wishing I was watching the 13 American Idol wannabes performing over on FOX, but I do think there are places that Reaper could go that would be extremely satisfying.
In fact, they went there at the end of season one. The conspiracy with Sam's dad (um, does Sam even know that his dad is alive?), the demon rebellion, Sam's true parentage ... I want more! When I saw Andrew Airlie's name in the opening credits, I got excited, thinking we were headed back to the darker side of Reaper, to the secrets of Sam's family (remember his mom digging up his dad at the end of season one?) and really getting to some good stuff.
Bah, I guess I'll have to wait for that, but I'm hoping they'll deliver. Reaper did deliver laughs and a bit of a story arc tonight.
Reaper: A New Hope (season premiere)
(S02E01) "Shut your mouth, that's my sister! I have dibs." -- Sock, to Ben who referred to Sock's stepsister as "smokin' hot"Reaper's back, and our resident lovable losers are in full form: homeless (evicted from their apartment), jobless (though they get them back with a little blackmail), Sam's in the doghouse with Andi, and it's just another devilish day at The Work Bench.
That all may add up to a typical episode of Reaper for you, but they've taken a couple of steps to bring this show to the next level, as well as bringing us everything we loved so much about the first season.
Reaper: The Leak

(S01E17) All things considered, this has been a pretty good week for Reaper. In light of the very real possibility that next week's season finale could have been a series finale, news that the show has been picked up for next season is cause for celebration. Sure, the thirteen episodes for mid-season part isn't ideal, but hey, gift horses and whatnot. I am already looking forward to a Reaper/Supernatural block on Thursday nights. And hey, there was a new episode too. There was a lot going on, but the big news was that after months of patience, there is finally some news on the contract. That, and the rest of the episode, after the jump.
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Bret Harrison wants your socks
OK, technically, I suppose David Baldy - Bret's writing partner - is asking for them, but he's doing it on bretharrison.com, so it counts just the same. After noting that the LA Times has declared Reaper to be "on the bubble," the pair are suggesting fans flood CW HQ with socks. They even provide this handy Amazon link to help you make your sock purchase.
Even if you don't want to join in by sending socks to support the show, you might at least consider digging out the old fountain pen and scribbling out a letter to send along to the network. I think writing it in your own blood captures the spirit of the show nicely, but that is totally optional; regular ink will work just fine. With a little luck we might be able to save the show from being relegated to the dreaded "Complete Series" DVD shelves.
The CW
ATTN: Executive in charge of Reaper
411 North Hollywood Way
Burbank, California 91505
Reaper: Coming To Grips

(S01E15) "I'm going to rebuild the army... Pass the paprika." - Tony
Finally, the season-long game of Sam trying to hide his demon hunting gig from Andi comes to a head. It was a welcome event in my little corner of TV land. I had taken issue with their relationship early in the season as it started to feel like we were in a rut and watching the same scene play out over and over. These last two weeks with the two of them together have done a lot to repair that chink in the Reaper armor. But wait, would finding out about Sam's special gift send us right back into that old familiar loop? Ours is not to spoil above the fold, so read on for thoughts on that, and a boatload of other goings on down by the 'Bench.
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Reaper: Unseen

(S01E12) These are very interesting times for our pals down at the 'Bench. Reaper was noticeably absent from the list of renewals their CW overlords sent around a couple weeks ago. The Hollywood Reporter article that Anna posted about last week, talking about bubble shows, didn't do a lot to instill confidence either. It looks like it's going to take some solid ratings in the Winchester slot to bring the show back for round two. We'll get to that, and what was another very good episode, after the jump.
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Reaper: The Cop

(S01E08) There are a few cheap and easy ways to buy me off as a viewer, and one of them is fun stunt casting. Bringing in Mitch Pileggi to play a washed up super cop that presents an obstacle for Sam is just such a thing. Really, that part of the episode alone was enough to sell me on this one. The fact that we also got a little something different from the devil, and a nice b-story with Sock and Ben and their quest to uncover Gladys was just a nice bonus. Of course, like my grandma always said, "Beware of writers bearing gifts." We paid for all of those fun things by once again being hit over the head with the Sam/Andi replay of the week.
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Reaper: Leon
(S01E06) Since Reaper made its debut, there has been a nagging question. It's great and all, but how is it going to hold up over time? The random soul to catch each week is fun, and they have done a good job with that so far, but it's not enough to sustain the show over the long term. The writers made some good strides last week introducing the subplot with Pa Oliver and the contract. And then they took a step backwards this week by resetting the Sam and Andi relationship.
That's not to say that this was a bad episode by any stretch. There was a lot to like this week. As we move through the season though, the bigger picture story is going to become more and more important. We're better than a quarter of the way through the season now, so it's worth bringing up some of those questions. The characters are introduced and we have a good feel for all the major players. It's time to make with some revelations.
Reaper: All Mine
(S01E03) "Hey brougham, never tell the crazy that you were in it for the sex." -- Bert WysockiLast week Kevin brought up his concerns that Reaper runs the risk of falling into the monster of the week trap. It's a legitimate concern, but at this early stage in the season I'm still quite optimistic about the direction the show is headed. This week brought us the first episode not written by the creators, and it would appear it's a pretty tight ship they are running over at Reaper HQ. This flowed very nicely out of the first two installments, and gave us a little forward motion on some of our ongoing stories.
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