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Archive for the ‘Modern Family’ Category

Better Off Ted Canceled and Other New TV News

Posted in 30 Rock, Better Off Ted, Chuck, Community, Glee, How I Met Your Mother, Modern Family, New Adventures of Old Christine, Parenthood, The Big Bang Theory, The Office, TV 2010 on May 23, 2010| Leave a Comment »

I just learned that one of my favorite shows, Better Off Ted has been canceled for next year.   I’m not going to blame Lost for its demise, although, Ted did get pushed around a lot because of the return of Lost.  I’ll just blame it on the sad fact that hilariously quirky comedies need to build an audience, and on the sadder fact that a quirky show with a devoted audience seems to be less desirable than a popular show that burns out after a  season or two.

Also canceled of shows we watch:

Scrubs (no surprise, really, the show should have ended on a high note last year).
Happy Town (we season passed this show, but never even finished watching the first episode.  It was pretty good, and quite spooky, but it was very late so we saved it for the next day (several weeks ago).  I wonder if it’s worth watching it now.
New Adventures of Old Christine (This surprises me as the show got an Emmy not long ago; however, it was getting a little sloppy lately, so I’m not too upset by this).
Sit Down, Shut Up (no surprise here).

Shows that got renewed: (more…)

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Awkward Pauses [Ass Möde]

Posted in Craig Ferguson, John Cusack, Late Late Show, Lauren Graham, Modern Family, Ricky Gervais, Stephen Fry, The Office, Topher Grace on March 28, 2010| 6 Comments »

A few weeks ago on the Late Late Show, Craig Ferguson began inviting his guests to engage in an awkward pause with him.  Awkward pauses have been somewhat de rigeur in popular culture for a number of years now.  In fact, Ricky Gervais has pretty much built a career on them–and we have him to thank for such brilliant fare as The Office and even Modern Family.


But those sitcom awkward pauses were scripted, designed as responses to someone saying or doing something so bizarre that no response was even possible.  Craig Ferguson, who says that being Scottish has given him a lifetime of awkward pauses, is doing something a little different.  He asks his guests (most of whom are actors) to sit, silently, awkwardly with him.  Never has silence been so funny.

I think the first person I saw do this with him was Adam Greenberg (a master at awkwardness).  There have been many more since, including the awesome Lauren Graham, Topher Grace (another awkward man) and most recently John Cusack.  With Cusack, nearly the entire interview was an awkward pause, and it was hilarious (see the clip below). (more…)

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The Rise of the Douchebag; the Fall of the Bitch

Posted in 30 Rock, Chuck, Community, How I Met Your Mother, Modern Family, New Adventures of Old Christine, The Big Bang Theory, The New York Times, TiVo, TV 2010, Word usage on February 11, 2010| 1 Comment »

I can’t say that I pay a lot of attention to trends on TV. But, it seems to me that the use of the insult “douchebag” had been skyrocketing in the last few months.

I’ve always kind of liked the word because it’s almost quaint and it was so underused in conversation.  And it feels so 1970s, like when I was a kid and we would say, They said “Bastard” on TV; somehow douchebag fits into that childish insult category.  There’s so many other insults that are used every day that to hear a weird one like douchebag was kind of refreshing.  To say nothing of the fact that it is actually an object (evidently–I’ve never actually seen one to confirm this).

Yet over the last few months, I think I may have heard it used on every show that we watch.  I would speculate that it’s been used on How I met Your Mother, Community, New Adventures of Old Christine, The Big Bang Theory, Modern Family and Chuck.  Oh and probably 30 Rock, too. (I can’t confirm this, I’m using my admittedly sketchy memory).

In fact, to confirm my suspicions I did a search and found that even the venerable New York Times has observed this increase in douchebag usage.

It’s funny as I’m not prudish at all, but I’m getting a little uncomfortable at hearing the word so much. Once in a while was fine, but it seems a little stale all of a sudden. I think I heard it three times in one night of TiVo catching up.

When it’s used that much, it’s just lazy. (more…)

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TV 2010

Posted in 30 Rock, Better Off Ted, Chuck, Community, Craig Ferguson, Glee, How I Met Your Mother, John Dore Show, Jon Stewart, Jools Holland, Late Late Show, Later with Jools Holland, Life Unexpected, Modern Family, New Adventures of Old Christine, Parenthood, Project Runway, Robot Chicken, Scrubs, The Big Bang Theory, The Colbert Report, The Daily Show, The Inbetweeners, The Office, The Simpsons, The Whitest Kids U'Know, TV 2010 on February 7, 2010| 1 Comment »

In addition to reading, Sarah and I watch TV, too.  In the past, I posted occasional updates to a Tab devoted to TV.  But I’m going to put new information in individual posts instead.  So I’m starting with this season’s TV.

Of course, in the last couple of years, TV has changed from working on an easy to summarize Spring/Fall schedule to having shows appear almost at random.   This really undermines the very idea of a “season,” so I’m including a show or two from the end of 2009 as well.

One surprising thing about recent TV is how I watch almost nothing on the CW or Fox.  These were my mainstays as recent as two years ago, but they’ve totally dropped the ball lately.  And I can’t believe how much I’m enjoying shows on CBS (isn’t that the old people’s network?).

And so, for 2010: (more…)

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