Review - Better Off Ted Season 2 Episode 11 Mess of a Salesman

Read my review on SpoilerTV.

Score: 9.2/10

Review - Better Off Ted Season 2 Episode 10 Lust in Translation

Read my review on SpoilerTV.

Score: 9.4/10

Review - Better Off Ted Season 2 Episode 8 The Impertence of Communicationizing and Episode 9 The Long and Winding High Road

Read my review for both episodes on SpoilerTV.

Review - Better Off Ted Season 2 Episode 6 Beating a Dead Workforce and Episode 7 Change We Can't Believe In

Check out my review for both episode on SpoilerTV.

Score: 9.5/9.0

Review - Better Off Ted Season 2 Episode 5 The Great Repression

Read my review of the episode on SpoilerTV.

Score: 9.3/10

Numbers of Interest - Television Ratings for Friday 01/01/10 - Better Off Ted still dead?

People that are watching football usually watch another game once one game ends. After the Rose Bowl (5.8) on ABC, viewers migrated over to Fox to watch the Sugar Bowl (4.6 including pregame).

Following the Rose Bowl, new episodes of Better Off Ted (1.7) and Scrubs (1.2), and repeats of Better Off Ted (0.9) and 20/20 (1.6) didn't do so well. To make matters worse, the Rose Bowl ran into the time slot of Better Off Ted, so the final ratings will probably be lower. The upside is that with the huge lead-in, Better Off Ted did way better than the pathetic 1.0 last week.

The big test will be this Tuesday when we'll see if any new viewers of the show actually care about it. If Better Off Ted can keep last night's gains, maybe there is a chance it will survive.

As for the other networks, they ran repeats and had no football, so CBS and NBC finished significantly worse with averages of 1.0 and 0.9 respectively.

Reminder - new episodes of Better Off Ted and Scrubs tonight

I know few people are going to watch, but a friendly reminder to watch thefunniestcomedyontelevisionrightnow couldn't hurt.

Better Off Ted is airing at 8:30 after the Rose Bowl, and Scrubs is airing right after that at 9:00. The Rose Bowl is guaranteed to have huge ratings and if Better Off Ted can have decent retention and gain new fans, maybe it will survive.

Review - Better Off Ted Season 2 Episode 4 It's Nothing Business, It's Just Personal

Check out my review on SpoilerTV.

Score: 8.7/10

Review - Better Off Ted Season 2 Episode 3 Battle of the Bulbs

Check out my review on SpoilerTV.

Score: 9.2/10

Review - Better Off Ted Season 2 Episode 2 The Lawyer, the Lemur and the Little Listener

Check out my review for the episode on SpoilerTV.

Score: 9.1/10

What I want for Christmas - TV Version

DVDs aren't the only TV gifts we can get, so here's a list of what I want to see from my TV shows for Christmas.

1. Better Off Ted viewers

I'm almost 100% sure the show will be canceled, and barring a truly magnificent Christmas miracle, the show will be canceled. The ratings for the season premiere sucked, even compared to the lower end ABC shows, and the ratings were just as bad last spring. It was a miracle even then that the show was renewed for a second season so I guess we can be grateful about. The biting satire of the show is beyond anything on television right now, and the acting is above average. Why won't people watch?

2. 24 Season 9

The eighth season of the action thriller is starts on January 17, but there no word whether the show will continue beyond the next season. The show still pulls in decent ratings and does incredibly well for a show that has been on air so long, but the producers and actors don't seem to be that interested in continuing the show. While they continue making compelling stories full of twists year after year, they would be fine if they don't come to an agreement with Fox. But I and many others want more. Even if there isn't Jack Bauer, I'd watch.

3. Fix FlashForward

After ABC promoted the show so much during the summer, I was expected something great, and instead was handed disappointment after disappointment. There are fundamental flaws with the show that need to be resolved that I've talked about in my reviews. Hopefully it'll get better when it comes back in March. Fingers crossed!

4. Ending of Lost not like the ending of Alias

The final scene of Alias was sweet, but lame as hell. It was a happy ending with Sydney, Vaughn, and a random appearance of Dixon on an island. After all the craziness of five seasons, all the writers could come up with was a scene with no real meaning. Speaking of spy shows, I thought La Femme Nikita's ending was better by 100 times. It was bittersweet and fit well with the theme of the show. With Lost winding down, I hope Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse don't take the route of Jeff Pinkner. Luckily the only constant is J.J. Abrams.

5. A renewal for Chuck

The new season hasn't started yet and this may seem premature, but I'm kind of a pessimist, so I don't have high hopes for the show. The ratings stabilized very low last season despite high hopes and promotion during prime events. The season two finale pushed the show to the next level and from what we know about season three, the stories will be even better.

Review - Better Off Ted Season 2 Episode 1 Love Blurts

Check out my review for the episode on SpoilerTV.

Score: 8.8/10

Opinion of Current Television Shows, Part 2

Continuing on with the list... I also want to add that I'm not going to add any new shows to the list.

The Mentalist: The writing is fairly average, but Simon Baker steals the show. As Patrick Jane, he's charming, charismatic, serious, funny, and every other adjective out there. I'm glad he got an Emmy nod even though the cynic in me tells me that the whole system is corrupt.

NCIS: My favorite procedural on television right now, possibly my favorite of all-time. I liked JAG a lot, but NCIS blows it away. The team dynamic and characters are unmatched.

Flashpoint: I know you must be wondering why the hell I'm watching Canadian television (don't worry, I also watched The Listener), but Flashpoint is an oddly endearing and compelling show. It just has something special that makes you want to watch.

The Big Bang Theory: I find the show completely hilarious since I get a lot of the geek and science references. The characters are great, and Sheldon and Penny make comedic genius.

Better Off Ted: I never understood why the ratings were so low. The first couple episodes may not have been spectacular, but the clever writing and Portia de Rossi's performance made BOT one of the best new shows last year.

Scrubs: I loved all 8 seasons of the show and never had any problems with the storytelling. Even season 6 was awesome. Hopefully the reboot without Zach Braff will have as much success, but I'm not banking on it. Nevertheless, Bill Lawrence has done some amazing things and he'll probably make the new concept work.

Lost: The show has gotten as little too convoluted with the interconnectedness, but I guess that's part of the draw of the show. I've forgotten a lot and haven't rewatched much, so I'm planning a 10-day rewatch of the whole series and post daily updates on my blog. If you don't think I can, I promise I'll do it in 10-days or less, or I won't watch Lost season 6, ever. I'm not worrying since I watched 16 episodes of Farscape per day for 3 days, and can watch 10 episodes per day during the weekends.

Castle: The crimes are badly written (no offense to the writers), generic, and exceedingly simplistic, but all of that is redeemed by the characters and the acting. Castle's douchebagginess has been toned down and he's a genuinely good person that Beckett and the other detectives respect.

True Blood: I like True Blood a lot and the show will continue to be popular for years. The directing and cinematography is simply breathtaking. The acting is well above average, and the writing is good for the most part.

Dexter: This is another show that my opinion will elicit hatred. I think Dexter is overrated. The serial killer trying to be normal was interesting for a while, but the sheen has worn off for me, and while I keep watching, I don't find the need or desire to review it.

Opinion of Current Television Shows, Part 1

Better Off Ted - the best comedy you've never heard of

Among the multitude of CBS and NBC comedies, ABC premiered a winner last year, Better Off Ted. Unfortunately, the ratings took a huge dip as the season progressed. Presidential press conferences and other scheduling changes really hindered any growth in the audience. Considering that Scrubs didn't do well either despite its rabid fanbase gives us some hope. Since it has already been renewed, I hope everyone watches the season finale which airs today, Tuesday the 11th.

Better Off Ted is created by Victor Fresco, the creator of Andy Richter Controls the Universe which is kind of similar. It features as Ted Crisp (Jay Harrington), the man in charge of the R&D department at Veridian Dynamics, a megacorporation in charge of everything (literally). They make weaponized pumpkins, sheep, and cowless beef. He is one of the good guys among the disturbing world of corporate America. While he doesn't have much funny things to do, he acts as a foil to the tactics of the company, and his boss, Veronica Palmer (Portia de Rossi) who is embraces the culture wholeheartedly, doing whatever is needed for the company or herself, regardless of the consequences. This allows her to do outrageous things which translates into great comedy. De Rossi's delivery is near perfect, portraying the brusk, cold-hearted executive. I thought her brilliant performance deserved an Emmy nomination, but looking at the ratings, I don't think the committee even watched it.

Linda Zwordling (Andrea Anders) is Ted's love interest. She in charge of the numbers to make sure everything is in regulation. Ted refuses to have a relationship with her since he already used his one office affair with Veronica. Linda is probably the weirdest character, rebelling against the evilness of Veridian Dynamics by stealing creamer among other things. Phil Myman and Lem Hewitt (Jonathan Slavin and Malcolm Barrett) are the scientists behind many products. They play off nicely against each other, having different ways of doing things which often come into conflict, but in the end they always come together. Rose Crisp (Isabella Acres), Ted's daughter brings another angle to the show. She often has a problem at school which illuminates an issue for Ted so he can take a side on it.

The show is so unique compared to the other comedies on TV. It is wacky and fantastical, while maintaining a meaning to everything. We get a look at the corporate world in a way we never before could see, from the low-level employees to the ones earning the big bucks.

Each episode is punctuated by a fake commercial by Veridian Dynamics. They are shown in a matter-of-fact even if they are ridiculous in concept. Sometimes they are flat out wild, but the voiceover speaks calmly as if it is perfectly normal which is the point of the show. Where average citizens may see something as absurd, those working intimately in large coporations may see something clever and brilliant.

Review - Better Off Ted Season 1 Episode 10 Trust and Consequence

Out of all the returning shows this week, I think Better Off Ted did the best. This episode had a better plot that Bioshuffle (ep. 9) and was funnier.

One of Veridian Dynamic's perfumes causes hornets to attack some women, so the company is being sued. Ted's team and Veronica have to give depositions. This leads to a hilarious exchange between a lawyer and Veronica who of course tries to say nothing. Lawyer- "Can you describe your job?" Veronica - "Yes." Lawyer - "How would you describe your job?" Veronica - "Cleverly."

Once they get around to asking whether anyone had knowledge the hornets could attack, everyone denies it except Linda. Apparently she knew and even sent an email to the CEO and Ted. Ouch! (it's funny if you watched Veronica's deposition)

Phil also reveals that he never attended MIT and actually went to the University of Aruba which causes lots of tension between him and Lem, but is later resolved rather easily.

Ted swears that he never got an email, but Linda also insists she sent him one. They both claim to remember it clearly as it was Linda's first project and it was the day Ted had sex with Veronica. Veronica offers to make Linda a scapegoat for a large sum of money and she accepts. Someone slides a CD under Ted's door and it is actually a video of Ted and Veronica having sex showing that Veronica had in fact deleted the email with her shoe. Dr. Bomba takes the fall as a druggie and everyone is happy.

Score: 9.5/10

5 Best New Shows of 2008/2009 TV Season

5. Dollhouse (Fox)

The tone of the show is great, and for the most part the acting is strong (Eliza Dushku isn't that great). Some of the episodes weren't that good, but the last few episodes were riveting. The show has lots of potential for backstory and crazy things happening to the Dollhouse. At first, the concept seems a little bizarre, but it grows on you after a while.

4. Better Off Ted (ABC)

BOT is a different kind of comedy to the run of the mill ones on CBS. Set in an office with high-tech things everywhere, the show is wacky and fun. There is lots of potential with new gadgets and weird technology that can wreak havoc each weak. The characters are all quirky in their own way, and there is definitely lots of potential for the show. Like Scrubs, there is lots of unrealistic, physical humor, so I'm afraid it won't really catch on. 

3. The Mentalist (CBS)

Former fake psychic (they actually aren't real) Patrick Jane is a consultant for the California Bureau of Investigation and helps solve crime with his observation skills and intuition. Basic, right? Yes, actually, but that's what makes the show so fun. There's crimes and the team solves them. The best part of the show is Simon Baker who plays Jane. Jane is a great character with witty, funny comments, but when push comes to shove, can become as serious as anyone. I know people won't like to hear this, but I may actually like him better than House. Robin Tunney plays Teresa Lisbon, the head of the team, and even thuogh lots of people don't really like her in the role, I think this does a great job playing off Jane.

2. Fringe (Fox)

I'll admit the first couple episodes were shaky at best, but J.J. Abrams has done it again with a scifi show. The premise is that there are weird events happening called The Pattern and the FBI investigates them. It's similar to The X-Files, except the FBI agents have much more resources are more mainstream. There are some awesome twists and a cool main storyline which I have to admit is more interesting than that of The X-Files (please don't hate me). None of the characters are very interesting other than Walter Bishop played by John Noble, but I'm sure later seasons with go more in depth with that as there are many possibilities.

1. Leverage (TNT)

Imagine a Ocean's 11 with a philanthropic heart. That's Leverage. A group of master criminals get together to help people in need. The show is solid throughout. The pacing is near perfect, the characters are funny, and the jobs are highly intelligent. The world of high-tech thievery meets a helping hand and we get a great show. Helping the underdog is lame at times, but it is rarely the focus, and most of the focus is on the actual crime. While other cable shows like Burn Notice get more recognition, Leverage is a show that is truly a cut above the rest.

Related:

5 Best Renewals of 2008/2009 TV Season

5 Worst Cancellations of 2008/2009 TV Season

Review - Better Off Ted Season 1 Episode 9 Bioshuffle

Everything at Veridian Dynamics is running smoothly until Dr. Bomba's biocomputer (Farscape?) starts leaking and sets Linda's workspace on fire. A cleanup crew comes and Veronica's whole floor is turned into a mess since half the cubicles are unworkable.

Linda is moved to the basement with a creepy food tester and then pretty much shames Ted into moving into his office. This is disastrous for Ted as he can't stop staring at her, and she has some peculiar habits like not doing work and talking with her fish. Eventually he gets fed up and moves in with Veronica. They both will stay quiet and mind their own business right? Of course not, Veronica is getting lots of pressure form upstairs and finally resorts to shooting a chair.

A beautiful scientist moves into the lab with Phil and Lem. Lem gets the courage to ask her out, but before kissing her, he sneezes, and then she head-butts him, knocking him out. Another guy moves in with her and appears to be making a move on her. Lem decides to take matters into his own hand and use the hypersonic sound machine to make her vomit. Unfortunately, this allows for the new guy to take care of her even though he first seemed like a jerk to her.

Ted talks to Linda and they start yelling at each other, ultimately deciding to be professional. I guess this puts a hold on Ted and Linda for a while. The episode ends with Ted looking at Linda's butt which has tape with the words "If you're reading this you're NOT being professional."

The episode had plenty of funny moments, but not as many as last week. Nonetheless, the episode was still good.

Score: 8/10

5 Best Renewals of 2008/2009 TV Season

Last week I did 5 Worst Cancellations of 2008/2009 TV Season so now I will do the best renewals for on the bubble shows and not shows like House or NCIS that were locks.

5. Cold Case (CBS)

I don't watch the show every week like I do with a lot of shows, but I will watch it on occasion and I like the concept of the show a lot and the characters with the messed up pasts. There was speculation that either Cold Case or Without a Trace would have to go and even though they both had excellent ratings compared to other networks, like with Eleventh Hour.

4. Castle (ABC)

Nathan Fillion is great as the title character of Castle though I do think his voice is a little funny. The crimes in the show are pretty mundane, but the humor and the relationship between Beckett and Castle makes the show fun to watch. In know it's a little to earlier, but the ratings near the end of the show began going back to the original level, so I think we can expect a third season.

3. Better Off Ted (ABC)

The ratings sucked (by so did Scrubs's), but was surprisingly renewed. ABC seems to be promoting their new comedy block on Wednesday, and Better Off Ted is certainly good comedy. The show is set at Veridian Dynamics, possibly the most diabolic company ever, run by people like Dick Cheney and Karl Rove. The evilness is punctuated by Veronica, Ted's boss, played brilliantly by Ellen's wife Portia de Rossi. I don't understand why there is so little people watching the show, and I'm guessing it will probably be canceled next season, but for now, we get a few more episodes of hilarity.

2. Dollhouse (Fox)

I know the show started off bad with the lame standalone episodes, but this is Joss Whedon we're talking about, the creator of Buffy, Angel, and Firefly.  After the total failure of Fox with Firefly, I think they were compelled to renew Dollhouse even though the quality and ratings of the show were definitely substandard. I'm positive season 2 of Dollhouse, like season 2 of Buffy will be 

1. Chuck (NBC)

This show is a must watch immediately. The show has smart humor and references to everything. Unfortunately, the ratings weren't too kind to it even though there really is no reason why the ratings shouldn't be higher (there were a couple bad episodes). Inexplicably, the episodes toward the last part of the season were amazing, yet the ratings only stayed steady. There was huge buzz for the show with the Subway campaign. The show ended with a cliffhanger that will propel the show in a seemingly different direction. Thankfully we now have a third season, but for the love of god, stop the triangulating!!