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TV Gal Chooses the French Over FOX
(Monday, November 14 12:00 AM)
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LOS ANGELES (Zap2it.com) - Sigh. Oh, mon dieu. Okay, listen up mon petit chou FOX, it is -- how do you say? -- on. You want a fight. Bring. It. On. You think I can't give your entire network the silent treatment? Well now it's like you double-dared me. In today's column I was going to rave about Michael Vartan's guest appearance as a French chef on "Kitchen Confidential." It is hilarious. Vartan sports a fetching French accent and Bradley Cooper has a great line about "It's like we worked together before." Add in the moment where you can almost catch Vartan about to crack up and it's simply a perfect episode. |
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But will you get to see it this Monday? In any language the answer is "no." FOX abruptly pulled both "Arrested Development" and "Kitchen Confidential" from the schedule in favor of airing repeats of "Prison Break" in that time slot. Allegedly, both series will return on Dec. 5 but who can be optimistic at this point? Both show's episode orders have been cut to 13 for the season which does not bode well -- at all. So, while I'm thoroughly grumpy, why not talk about my picks for the worst storylines of the season. Alex is in love with Joey on "Joey": From the very moment the concept of the show was announced and we learned Joey would have a married neighbor, I thought, "What's the point? Eventually she'll either have to become a potential love interest for Joey or she'll be written off the show." The show has opted for the former and it is utterly unbelievable. Not to mention that it's turning Alex into a pathetic character.Ray sleeps with a 14-year-old girl on "ER": All together now ... eeeewwww! I truly don't care if this makes Ray have some sort of epiphany about the way he's living his life. This has pushed him past the point of redemption. Characters who do this on "CSI" get arrested.Susan sends Zach to Utah on "Desperate Housewives": I've complained about this before, but I'm still in an uproar and as previously mentioned mighty cranky, so let's tackle this one more time. What exactly did Susan think was going to happen when she sent Mike's son to Utah with a handful of cash? That he would forgive her and they would ride off out of the cul-de-sac together? When she plopped down in the street in a wedding dress I didn't feel one ounce of sympathy for her. And I'm a fan of Teri Hatcher's from way back in the day. The show is destroying Susan and it's wrong, wrong, wrong.Which story lines have you hated this season? Talk about it on the TV Gal message board.Quotes of the Week"May we have an awesome blossom please, extra awesome?" Michael to the waiter at Chili's on "The Office." Thanks to Jeff for the quote. "Death sucks, doesn't it?" Boone to Shannon on "Lost." Don't both those actors know it. Thanks to Jon for the quote."I just can't believe it. I mean there he is, a murderer just living right on our street and there's nothing we can do about it because you're a convicted felon and I burned down that stupid house. It's just not fair." Susan to Mike about Paul on "Desperate Housewives." Thanks to Nealy for the quote."Just when I thought I was famous it got ripped away. I feel like Teri Hatcher six years ago," Jack to Will on "Will & Grace.""And you are becoming more an more like my mother's mother with every passing day," Rory to Emily during their fight on "Gilmore Girls." This was in response to Emily's claim that Rory was becoming more and more like her mother."Oh, I don't know. Attack Rhode Island. It's small." Denny to Alan on what he would do as mayor of Boston on "Boston Legal.""Concrete is my specialty. Can you dig it?" C-Note weaseling his way on to the breakout plan on "Prison Break.""My mother could be the Bandit." Nadine after Earl explains that the Bandit has to have a mustache on "My Name is Earl."Where Have I Seen Them Before?Paula Cale, Joanie on "Providence," is Michael's new girlfriend on "Joey." Cale was also recently on "Ghost Whisperer."Kevin, Amy and Patrick were the first to recognize that Tyreese Allen, currently playing the evil Gordon Dean on "Alias," is also McDreamy and Addison's marriage counselor on "Grey's Anatomy."James Frain was the preacher who though the alien mutation was an act of God on "Threshold." Frain was the doomed Paul Raines last season on "24" and Brutus on "Empire," but I'll always remember him as Forney in the movie "Where The Heart Is." Maguire reminded me that Frain played opposite Carla Gugino in the 1995 mini-series "The Buccanners."Marisa Coughlan, Dawnie on the short-lived "Wasteland" and Jo Lynn in "Teaching Mrs. Tingle," is Alan's new secretary Melissa on "Boston Legal."Judy was the first of many to recognize, and let me quote Judy, "the smashing David Anders," Sark on "Alias," was the wannabe rapper on the big "CSI: Miami/NY" cross over. Everyone seems to agree that we prefer Anders with his faux British accent. Well there were a bevy of familiar faces of that crossover extravaganza so I'll continue on with the most obscure. Peyton List, who plays Lois Lane's sister Lucy last season on "Smallville," was the kidnapped girl Alexa Endecott and Kat Dennings, seen most recently as Ray's 14-year-old girlfriend, was Sarah. Thanks to Nicole and Adrienne for catching these familiar faces.Bruce caught Diane Baker as House's mother on "House." She played Jean Carlisle on the original "The Fugitive" and Senator Ruth Martin in "Silence of the Lambs."Dyan recognized Lindsay Frost, Shannon's stepmom on "Lost," was Garrett's ex-wife Maggie on "Crossing Jordan." Tom was the first to report Johnny Galecki, David on "Roseanne," was the golfer Earl stole beer from on "My Name is Earl."In a disturbing turn of events, way too many of you recognized Drew Daniel, the winner of "Big Brother 4" was the husband to Anne's friend on "Related." Of course this is devastating since it means some of you watch "Big Brother 4" and are currently watching "Related." Coming on the heels of the "Arrested Development" and "Kitchen Confidential" news, there's only one thing to do. I will now put all of this into my denial file. Thank you for your cooperation.Highlights of the Week Ahead
All times listed are Eastern Time for Nov. 14 to 20Okay, perhaps I'll only give FOX the silent treatment between the end of "Prison Break" and the start of "24." LJ on "Prison Break" (Monday, FOX, 9 p.m.) is this year's Behrooz, don't you think? I'm so rooting for him. And I know the show is totally willing to kill anyone and any time (poor Kip) but I'd like LJ to survive. Thanks so much. And even though I still think it would be nice if Robin Tunney could act, I'm loving this show more with every passing episode.Dana Delany appears in flashbacks as the girls' mother in "Related" (Monday, WB, 9 p.m.)The brothers return to their childhood home in "Supernatural" (Tuesday, WB, 9 p.m.). No matter what happens, they're going to look so totally hot fighting the demon.Okay, so we know Jim on "The Office" (Tuesday, NBC, 9:30 p.m.) is my new secret boyfriend. And I'm really admiring the show's ability to deftly play the seriousness of the Pam and Jim relationship amid the show's outrageousness antics. I think every office has a Pam and Jim, don't you?I don't know what to do with "Boston Legal" (Tuesday, ABC, 10 p.m.). Do we really need an episode about a man who sleeps with a cow? So a couple of you wrote me with a very interesting theory. What if Dr. Erica Noughton, Julia's mom, is the Carver on "Nip/Tuck" (Tuesday, FX, 10 p.m.). Dr. Costa seems almost too obvious at this point and we're running out of people it could be.Do you think the writers knew from the beginning that they made a mistake with the Boone and Shannon characters? Grace gave her best performance to date (why not go out with a bang in more ways than one) but while her backstory made her more sympathetic, it was still so hackneyed. This week find out why there are so few "tailie" survivors and exactly why Michelle Rodriguez has been so cranky in an episode entitled "The Other 48 Days" on "Lost" (Wednesday, ABC, 9 p.m.). All I know is that Rodriguez has got to take her character down several notches because right now she's annoying and one note.Bruce Willis dons a toupee to moonlight on his ex-wife's new husband's series "That '70s Show" (Wednesday, FOX, 8 p.m.) Who can explain Hollywood?
With all the threats I've been making lately, you would think I was in the TV mafia, but once again it is time for me, as my friend Renee likes to say, layeth the smacketh down. Listen up my beloved "Everwood" (Thursday, WB, 9 p.m.), Hannah must, I repeat must, stay in Everwood. We can move that woman from "Chicago Hope" there too. That's easier than moving the entire cast to Minnesota don't you think? Dear George Eads, The mustache? Not so much. Love, the TV Gal. Tune in to part two of "CSI" Thursday at 9 p.m. on CBS.If your mom was Susan Mayer you'd be on the run too. Andrea Bowen takes a break from "Desperate Housewives" to play the friend of a missing boy on "Without a Trace" (Thursday, CBS, 10 p.m.).CBS continues to give "Close to Home" a try in the Friday at 9 p.m. time slot. You know I love Christian Kane, but the show has got to find an easy way to work Annabeth's husband into the plot of the episodes. Right now he merely appears at the beginning and end of every episode to talk cute with his wife. C. Thomas Howell, the first reason I ever had to buy Teen Beat magazine, stars in "The Poseidon Adventure" (Sunday, NBC, 8 p.m.). Just remember Ponyboy, nothing gold can stay, but I'll still watch anything you're in.That's all for today. I'll be back next week with a check in on "Gilmore Girls," "Invasion," "Threshold," "The West Wing" (where I'll admit the debate was soooo boooring) and "Veronica Mars." Also TV guest stars I'd like to see. Have a question, seen a familiar face, have an inside scoop or want to nominate a quote of the week? Write me at amytvgal@zap2it.com by clicking on my byline at the top of my column. |
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