TVSquad

(S03E20) "And Barry Schmo heads home with an empty sack!" - Announcer at Bagging Competition

You would think now that Earl and Billie are married, Earl would expect some changes. Of course, everyone has little annoying habits, but we all know compromise is what makes a marriage work. I have to admit, though, the Van Halen thing would be a deal breaker in my house.

That fact that Earl is already getting irritated by Billie just proves the old adage, "Show me the most beautiful woman in the world and I'll show you a guy who's tired of F-ing her."

(S04E13) Remember that movie The Chase? Okay, you probably don't, but believe me, it exists [link NSFW]. Anyway, Charlie Sheen takes Kristy Swanson hostage, and over the course of the movie some major league Stockholm Syndrome kicks in (like, really major league: they do it while he's leading the cops on a high speed chase). The lesson of the movie is obvious: if you kidnap the original Buffy the Vampire Slayer, she'll eventually fall in love with you.

I bring this up because I'm becoming scared that I might have lost perspective on The Office. I've sincerely loved every episode that has aired since its return from the break. Now, here's the question: is this because the writers spent the entire strike doing brain push-ups? Or is it because The Office is Charlie Sheen to my Kristy Swanson? My (glowing) review after the jump...

(S02E15) "I'm just gonna be a kick-ass single mom. Like Erin Brokovich, or Sarah Connor." - Liz

30 Rock fans looking for laughs, plot twists, and a cliffhanger in the finale are probably happy. You got all that, plus a guest star (more than one, actually) that I didn't even know was going to be in the episode. And if you're one of the people who was wondering "what the heck does the episode title 'Cooter' even mean?," well, he's the secret to that (and Tina Fey has been using the term for a while now).

But some 30 Rock fans - I would go out on a limb and say most of you - weren't happy to find out who the father of Liz's maybe-baby might be.

There is a hilarious article on the ABC News website about that unusual kids' show on Nick Jr., called Yo Gabba Gabba! Apparently it's not a huge hit with the target demographic--kids--but it is a hit with the 20-something stoner crowd. According to the report, college students gather to watch Yo Gabba Gabba! several times a week. For many, it's the perfect accompaniment to a joint. This probably only happens at one school, but ABC has decided to make it sound like a growing trend.

Tracie Egan of Jezebel.com says, "It's a good stoner television show because it's not difficult to understand since it's made for children and there are lots of bright colors and good music."

This must be Short-Lived Sitcom week. Yesterday I told you about Married People, and today it's Day By Day.

This was a short-lived show on NBC (ran for 33 episodes in 1988-89). It was about Brian and Kate Harper, a professional couple (Doug Sheehan from Knot's Landing played stockbroker Brian, and Linda Kelsey from Lou Grant played lawyer Kate) who decided to open an in-home day care center. Their teen son Ross was played by C.B. Barnes, who played Greg in the Brady Bunch movies and starred in the Starman TV series and Malcolm and Eddie.

But I'd like to talk to you about the two other females in the cast. Two that went on to much bigger things later in their careers.

He's the most colorful, neurotic, and unpredictable real estate speculator / house flipper on television and he's back on Bravo this June. Once again, fans of Flipping Out will get to watch Jeff Lewis buy properties, renovate them and sell them for six-figure profits, all while torturing his assistants and other employees.

But this season will be different. Firstly, the soft market should create even more drama and tension in Jeff's world. Secondly, Jeff is trying to turn over a new leaf and not treat his employees like, well, you know. I'm skeptical. I seem to remember Jeff nearly "flipping out" about not getting the right combination of lemonade, fruit punch, iced tea and sprite for his beverage. He also fires someone at least once an episode. In fact, this season Jeff installs a nanny cam to spy on his workers.

Last fall, Gilmore Girls' David Sutcliffe appeared in two episodes of ABC's Private Practice, the Grey's Anatomy spin-off. His guest starring stint as a potential love interest for lead character Addison (played by Kate Walsh) was set to last a few episodes but was cut short due to the writers strike.

Since the last episode of PP's short season aired, it was unknown if the actor would return as Officer Kevin Nelson, a cop that caught Addison's interest. The actor's schedule could have changed, the writers could have decided to bench his character, who knows?

Sutcliffe fans, fear not! In the latest edition of the "Ausiello Report Vodcast Scoop," Michael Ausiello interviewed Sutcliffe (the interview starts at the 1:17 mark in the video below) and was able to get confirmation that the actor will return to Private Practice.

Before the writers strike shut down the set of Bones, the cast and crew completed an episode titled "The Wannabe in the Weeds." If you recall, in mid-December, I told you that former American Idol contestants Brandon Rogers and Ace Young would guest star in this American Idol-themed episode. Finally, months after the episode was completed, we will get to see the two Idol finalist perform both on and off the stage on Bones.

I enjoyed Speed Racer when I was a kid. I haven't seen it in 25 years or so and I'd probably be horrified now by what my youthful tastes were back then, but I remember liking the race scenes and what the car could do. I remember wanting my first car to be one that would have buzzsaws come out of the front and a big lever that would come down underneath the car that would make it jump over other cars. That last feature doesn't seem like it would work to me, now that I think about it as an adult.

Anyway, the live-action version with Emile Hirsch, Christina Ricci, John Goodman, and Matthew Fox opens this Friday. And the early buzz is that it's not going to do as well as they were hoping it would.

(S04E06) "I don't want to mess with someone crazier than I am." - Matt

Welcome to week 6 of Hell's Kitchen, also known as Everybody Hates Matt. This was one episode where I didn't buy Chef Ramsay's decision at all. He had to choose between three people at the end, and the one who should have gone - clearly - didn't. The one who should have gone second? That person didn't go either. I really think this week was all about "how can we guarantee more reality show tension in the weeks to come?" and not a professional decision. And that's really disappointing to me.

(S04E15) "All right, one more time for the slow kid." - Lee Scanlon

When I was in grade school, sixth grade to be precise, everyone brought their lunch to school in a small brown paper bag, sometimes, girls used a cute version (white bag with hearts, pink bag with kitties) but other than that, there were no exceptions. If anyone was foolish enough to bring their mid day meal to school in a lunchbox of any kind, they would pay dearly. For example, my friend Lance who quickly earned the nickname "Lunchbox Lance" all because of his love for the rock band Kiss. Thankfully, it never occurred to Lance to fight back like the young man in Allison's dream. However, now that I am an adult and I collect vintage metal lunchboxes, I would pay a hefty price for the lunchbox that young man used to bludgeon his tormentor.

(S03E13)"Friends don't let friends' fathers go to the electric chair." -- Angela, on why she wouldn't testify against Bones' dad

Doubt. A word that many of us use in some context at least once a day. We don't doubt it, we doubt it happened or, used in a positive manner, we prove that there isn't any doubt about it. In the legal world the word has a much more powerful connotation. Should a shred of doubt exist during a criminal trial, there is always that slim chance that the judge or jury will see past the crime of the defendant and rule in the opposite manner.

Sometimes, the physical evidence that the prosecution provides is the reason for doubt. Other times, it is the testimony of the witnesses that causes the judge or jury to think. Then, there are those times where doubt is seeded by the team of lawyers who are trying to get their client off.

Finally, there are those very rare occasions where the doubt is provided by the client's daughter. Guess which type of doubt was used in this week's episode of Bones?

(S03E18) You know how I keep saying that guest spots ruin the chemistry of How I Met Your Mother? Well, that's not an absolute; sometimes, guests integrate well into the ensemble, or the story they're given is so good, that it just works. This week was one of those weeks. In fact, it was doubly good, since both Sarah Chalke and Will Forte did a good job of fitting in, with Forte being his usual creepy-funny self and Chalke being... well, anyone who reads my Scrubs reviews knows how I feel about Sarah.

What? I have respect for her acting ability! That's all...

Ahem... now, where were we?

If you've never seen the '60s intrigue drama I Spy, and haven't had the displeasure of having your brain cells infected by the abysmal big screen adaptation from a few years ago that starred Eddie Murphy and Owen Wilson, you're in for a treat: the entire series is now on DVD.

Oh, it was on DVD before, but there are two differences with this release. One, the entire series has been remastered, and two, the series is in order by season. The other releases featured individual DVDs that had random episodes on them. The entire series had been released (I think, anyway), but since they weren't in season order, it was rather odd.

Luckily, the new sets take care of that error. And those aren't the only two surprises on this set.

It's good to have a talk show host who is also a big TV fan. Most times, a celeb or producer or writer will come on the show and the only thing that the host can talk to them regarding their latest project is something in general terms, maybe an "I saw the movie and it's great" and not much more. Luckily, Jimmy Kimmel is as much a Lost fan as the rest of us.

He had producers Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse on the show last week and asked them many questions about the show (side note: did you know they both worked on Nash Bridges, which Cuse created?!). But the big question answered had nothing to do with the smoke monster or time travel or the flash forwards or numbers or hatches or Michael Emerson, who was supposed to be on the show for only two episodes at first, or why the smoke monster didn't kill the mercenaries (there's a reason!). Those aren't the important mysteries.

The big question is, what the hell is going on with Matthew Fox's chest hair? Video after the jump!