As a TV Squad contributor who, admittedly, could be considered a "niche viewer" (in that I watch few shows, but never miss an episode), I was naturally hesitant to check out Roommates on ABC Family. A friend guaranteed me that the show was not only as bad as one might expect, but that it was so utterly, bafflingly wretched that investing thirty minutes in it turned out way more entertaining than I'd expected, and not just in the so-bad-it's-funny way, either.

Roommates is so atrocious, its production should be considered a criminal offense, considering that, even as a basic cable program, hundreds of thousands of dollars (at the very least) have surely been invested in the show. And that's money that could have easily gone toward refugees or food banks or, say, into the budget of ABC Family's other critically lauded programming like Greek or Secret Life of The American Teenager.

(S02E12) You guys, this episode made me really uncomfortable. I was still riding high on the glow of the last episode, which was probably the best episode of the BBT ever, so I expected this one to be great. It... wasn't.

It started out promising enough, what with the killer robot and all. I mean, who wouldn't love a killer robot? The whole gang was hanging out in the apartment, doing what they do best: engaging in complicated geek pastimes. They killed a toaster oven with a robot! That's some good stuff right there.

Unfortunately, as soon as we're done with the opening credits, the episode really starts to go downhill for me. Penny starts out by being really mean to Wolowitz, and while she does have a point, it was really uncomfortable to watch. Yes, Wolowitz is creepy, but all of the guys are socially awkward. She wouldn't yell at Raj for not being able to talk to her, why yell at Wolowitz for talking to her the only way he knows how?

I'm sure at one point or another in every little kid's life, he or she has wanted to have a robot BFF. All the potential for wacky fun and scientific misadventures would make up for the inevitable human/binary language barrier, and, when I think about it, I still totally want a robot buddy. I mean, from my time on this Earth, of two things I am sure: Lists are fun and robots are awesome. So, despite the fact that my age numerically suggests I shouldn't be thinking about this sort of stuff, I am all over this list.

I should also note that, upon completion of this depressingly nerdy post, I am legally obligated to punch myself in the face for a solid fifteen minutes and then steal my own lunch money. Let's just get this over with, shall we? Here are the top eleven robot buddies from TV, in no particular order, because each robot is special in its own way. Also, I don't want any readers to kill me for not ranking to their liking.

Well, replica, that is. But hey, it's life-size!

NBC / Universal Pictures is making available full-size replicas of the familiar Cylon Centurions, both the one from the original Battlestar Galactica series and the series airing now on Sci Fi. These suckers stand at seven feet tall and weigh around 300 pounds, made of fiberglass and even sport red LED lights in the visor.

The company making these replicas, Fred Barton Productions, produces a bunch of other familiar replica-robots. They have Robot B-9 from Lost in Space, some Silent Running drones, Gort from The Day the Earth Stood Still, Robby the Robot, C3PO & R2D2, and Tobor the Great.

So, how much will this set you back? Try $7900 fraking clams. Sadly for many, there's no skinjob Cylon model replicas at the store. I imagine the Sixes and Eights would have been sold out by now. And I don't want to even imagine what would be done with them.

[via THR LiveFeed]

"Clusterfuck to the White House": The Republicans had their debate next to one of Reagan's old Air Force One Boeing 707s. It seems like everyone making fun of the Republican debate has to throw in a joke about how pasty all the candidates are. Aasif Mandvi, reporting live from the Gates of Hell (in Jersey), elaborated on some of the points made at the Republican debate.

John Oliver filed a report from the Ronald Reagan Memorial Library. Again, with the pasty white guy joke jokes ("From eggshell... to bone!"). That bit with "I saw nine presidents out there" was hysterical. Ahh, awkward moments.

This Sunday, January 28 starting at 8:00pm the National Geographic Channel is going inside three high-tech U.S, factories for Ultimate Factories. The first stop is the Harley-Davidson factory at 8:00pm, followed by the Peterbuilt factory at 9:00pm and the Anheuser-Busch Brewery at 10:00pm. If you enjoy getting drunk, riding motorcycles, trekin' across the country on a big rig, or doing all those things at once, then you might want to check out these programs to see how it all comes together. You'll find out how humans and robotics work together at Harley-Davidson to make sure the motorcycles run perfectly, and how every Peterbuilt semi is constructed so that no two are exactly alike.

Preview copies of Transformers: the Movie have been sent out (regular people like us can get our hands on it November 7), and according to TVShowsOnDVD, the DVD includes trailers for the original Sunbow Productions TV series to be released on DVD in 2007. Along with another of Sunbow's cartoons, GI Joe, I watched the Transformers religiously when it aired from 1984 to 1987, but never saw the movie and lost track of the franchise when Beast Wars came along and everything became too convoluted for me to keep track of. Also, I was in college by that time and had lost interest in the transforming 'bots as anything more than a fond memory of a childhood spent parked in front of the television. The trailer for the original series does not give a specific date of release, and apparently it doesn't say whether the episodes will be released as season sets, either. Hopefully we'll find out more about that soon.

(S06E04)

Homer: But Marge, I was a political prisoner.

Marge: How were you a political prisoner?

Homer: I kicked a giant mouse in the butt. Do I have to draw you a diagram?

I was a pretty big fan of the original Transformers cartoon, but never saw the feature film based on the same line of Hasbro toys. The movie has developed an odd kind of cult following, and has even been subtly alluded to in the mainstream in films such as Boogie Nights. It was also the last movie Orson Welles did before his death. The new 20th anniversary DVD set comes out in November, and will include behind-the-scenes footage and other premium content compiled with the help of Transformers fans. According to a plot synopsis, the movie takes place in 2005, twenty years after the TV show, and deals with the struggle between the Autobots and the Decepticons back on their home planet of Cybertron. Also, look for "updated" versions of the original toys around the same time the DVD comes out.

They are programmed to serve man, but only if they aren't programmed to kill man. They clean our homes, pilot our spacecraft, and battle our aliens. Today we honor that metal pal of ours, the robot. Here' s a few of my faves from television, share a few of your own in the comments:

Crow T. Robot: This robot, like his fellow automatons on Mystery Science Theater 3000, was created by original host Joel Hodgson ("Joel Robinson" on the series) using random objects. Crow consisted of bowling pin, a soapdish, lamp parts, and a lacrosse mask. He also penned the lovely holiday ditty, "(Let's Have) A Patrick Swayze Christmas," which I personally like to sing every year, even if my family insists on "O Holy Night."

Fred Armisen, one of few funny things about Saturday Night Live these days, has a celebrity playlist on iTunes that is about unusual as Fred seems to be. The strangest track has to be "====" by Oval (pronounced o-VAL, according to Fred). I'm not even sure that it's music. It sounds like a sound check with an over-modulated microphone. Second most unusual track: Pocket Calculator by Kraftwerk. It sounds like a video game. Fred says he saw the band recently and "For their encore, they didn't appear on stage. It was robots of them. What is better than that? Seriously, what?" Okay, I have to agree that would be pretty awesome. The rest of the list includes familiar groups like Wilco, Talking Heads, Gorillaz, The Clash and Sleater-Kinney. And, of course, he included a Prince song. After all, Fred does a kick-ass impression of the guy.