(S08E11) All the people involved in Monk know that this is the last season. They've promoted it as such, and clearly they've planned it that way. That could explain why Monk is evolving in these last episodes. I was truly encouraged by last week's Sharona episode, which was one of the best Monks I've seen in a long time.
Could the next episode possibly be that good? Well, not quite, but it was wonderful. I'm giving anything away -- it's in the title -- but this was all about Mr. Monk and a dog. Yes, Adrian and a dog. More after the jump.
I'm not familiar with the Canadian sub shop chain Mr. Sub, but their new commercial is rather interesting. It features a husband and wife who have several children, and one night at dinner the husband has a big announcement to make.
Sure, it's a shocking announcement, but this guy is all about family values. I mean, the entire family is at the dinner table at the same time. You don't see that much nowadays.
[via Adfreak]
Next Sunday, CBS will launch There Goes The Neighborhood, a new reality show where several families are walled into their neighborhood, without electricity, cell phones, or computers. Though from the clip below some of the rules are bent because something has to be running the cameras and mics. When will these reality shows run out of steam?
At one point, one contestant says "how many people can say that they went on a reality show with their families?" Uh ... the lucky ones?
(S03E04) That pesky Detective Paxson of the Miami PD continued to be a thorn in Michael's side, to the point that Michael decided it was time to extract her from his life. To get Paxson -- one royal pain in the butt who doesn't believe that Michael's one of the good guys -- Michael concocts a plan to help her close her case against Rick Matheson, a real bad guy.
Matheson was a one-note Rock look-alike, without Dwayne Johnson's charm. Mostly Matheson was a scumbag who deserved to be brought down.
Tommy, on the other hand, wasn't really a nasty moke. He was broadly hammed up by former NYPD Blue star Nick Turturro, and turned out to be Michael's way into Matheson's organization.
The season three finale of Big Love the other night left viewers with one heck of a cliffhanger. It also revealed some major secrets and saw the Hendricksons on the verge of a brave new world. If you haven't watched yet and don't want to be spoiled, now's the time to stop reading.
On the other hand, if you're still pondering what it all meant, jump with me and let's consider what we watched.
(S07E10) The case of who killed Lindsay Bishop wasn't the primary plot line for this episode of Monk, and in many ways it was a nice change of pace. For one thing, any time we get more insight into the complicated Monk family history, it's a good thing.
In the midst of making perfectly square pancakes -- about two inch squares, piled neatly on a plate -- Monk's world was thrown into flux by the unlikely appearance of Joe Endicott. That's just an alias, of course, because the man in question is actually Jack Monk, Jr., Adrian's half brother.
One of the most frustrating things of blogging about US TV series is the fact that I can't watch episodes or most of the webisodes on the official network sites because I live in Canada. I can't even have access to content on Hulu and the like because of International Internet laws (or lack thereof) and distribution rights issues. I don't know all the legalities behind this but I find it weird that on my basic cable set up I have access to US-based channels for all major networks (except The CW) and yet, I can't access the full content of US-based network websites.
Since I've started blogging here on TV Squad, I've read many comments from international readers saying that they can't watch episodes or videos we embedded in our posts. It's irritating to follow a link to a video and see "This episode is currently only available to viewers living in the United States." Therefore, I researched the web to find websites where Canadians could watch US TV series online and in all legality (of course, people in the US can watch episodes online at AOL TV, Hulu, etc.).
Here is a list of "Canadians welcomed" websites that stream US TV shows. You can thank me later.
When family members appear on each other's TV shows -- if they're a show biz family, of course -- sometimes the results are great. And sometimes they're not. Jerry Van Dyke appeared twice on The Dick Van Dyke Show as Rob's brother Stacey, and he was terrific. (Much better than he was on My Mother The Car).
Tyne Daly popped up on Wings, playing scenes with her brother Tim, and again, it worked out great. On the other hand, when Martin Sheen guested on Two and a Half Men in 2005, it was a dud. I don't know, maybe comedy really isn't Martin Sheen's forte.
Fortunately, Charlie Sheen isn't above trying again. Charlie's brother Emilio Estevez is going to do a guest turn on Two and a Half Men in an upcoming episode. They won't be playing brothers, but Emilio will be one of Charlie's best buddies from times gone by.
Where are the family comedies these days? They're a rare commodity on the big three plus Fox, and even if you include the animated clans on The Family Guy and The Simpsons and American Dad, you can count the family-type comedy shows on one hand.
I've watched The Bill Engvall Show and enjoyed it. It's meant to evoke Cosby, but I also found a lot of Everybody Loves Raymond and Home Improvement in it as well, and that's a good thing. Engvall's a funny guy, and he's greatly aided in the show by sitcom vet Nancy Travis as his smart, attractive spouse.
(S01E12) It feels to me that a big chunk of the first season of In Plain Sight was Brandi's great adventure, and tonight's show was the big finish. In a twist that was both surprising and satisfying, the loose ends were tied up and the air was cleared for the show to return for more chapters in the Shannon family saga. And all that other stuff that Mary's been doing with the Witness Protection Program, too.
After nearly eleven hours (give or take) of Mary's frustration with her mother and sister, it all came to a head. Directed by John Badham (Saturday Night Fever), this was an episode heavy on the drama, and he did a great job balancing the FBI investigation, Marshall and Stan's efforts to save Mary's career, and the family dynamics. From the first scene between the Shannons, there was no question that this was not going to be a warm and fuzzy examination of their feelings. Mary dropped the hammer when she told Jinx and Brandi how much trouble they were in.
(S02E07) Sorry about my absence last week. I was actually in Utah, visiting family who do not have HBO. Things were complicated and I also did not really have an Internet connection before this afternoon, so I couldn't do a review. I have seen last week's episode "The Dating Game," though. I liked Ana, and I thought her friendship with Margene was very sweet. I admired Bill, though, for realizing that maybe it was just lust on his part and ending the relationship. I also admire him for not sleeping with Ana, though can making out with her without two of his wives knowing he is seeing someone really be part of an eternal principle? Just curious about this protocol.
So, last year I mentioned that Snoop Dogg got into a bit of trouble for allowing both a feature film and a reality series to be made about his youth football league.
It would seem whatever problems hindered the possibility of a Snoop reality series have been taken care of, because later this year Snoopy Snoop will be the center of a new series for E! that will follow the rapper, actor and producer as he tries to balance his family life and his work.
This two-parter really made me hate Clay Puppington, and I don't think I can say that about any other cartoon character. Hell, Cartman from South Park has done tons of horrible things, even indirectly killed people, but watching Clay treat Orel so poorly and so dismissively made me want to break off his frail, wire-supported arms.
New mom Jennifer Garner is hoping to return to television, this time as an executive producer. She and Lauren Sanchez-Whitesell, former host of So You Think You Can Dance?, are pitching a show by moms and for moms to an unnamed network next week. Sanchez-Whitesell tells People that she will host and Garner will executive produce and make occasional appearances.
She compares it to The View, but for mommies. Topics will include everything from advice on getting kids to eat and sleep and behave, and also talk about the strains put on a marriage when kids come into the picture. (It sounds like ParentDish for television!)
Sanchez-Whitesell has a one-year old son with husband Patrick Whitesell, who just happens to be Ben Affleck's agent. Affleck and Garner had a daughter, Violet, in December of 2005.
Despite what Best Week Ever says, Grindhouse co-director Robert Rodriguez is not directing a live-action version of the popular Hanna-Barbera cartoon The Jetsons. He was, however, shown the script and says he might be interested in it. This is just one of many projects being offered to him, so it remains to be seen if we'll be seeing a Rodriguez-directed film with the likes of George, Jane, Judy, Elroy, Astro, Rosie, Mr. Spacely, Mr. Cogswell and Orbity, the Scrappy-Doo of the Jetson's universe (and I liked both characters, I'm just saying they were polarizing).
(S03E04) That pesky 
The season three finale of 
(S07E10) The case of who killed Lindsay Bishop wasn't the primary plot line for this episode of Monk, and in many ways it was a nice change of pace. For one thing, any time we get more insight into the complicated Monk family history, it's a good thing. 
When family members appear on each other's TV shows -- if they're a show biz family, of course -- sometimes the results are great. And sometimes they're not. Jerry Van Dyke appeared twice on 
Where are the family comedies these days? They're a rare commodity on the big three plus Fox, and even if you include the animated clans on The Family Guy and The Simpsons and American Dad, you can count the family-type comedy shows on one hand. 
(S01E12) It feels to me that a big chunk of the first season of In Plain Sight was Brandi's great adventure, and tonight's show was the big finish. In a twist that was both surprising and satisfying, the loose ends were tied up and the air was cleared for the show to return for more chapters in the Shannon family saga. And all that other stuff that Mary's been doing with the Witness Protection Program, too.
So, last year I mentioned that Snoop Dogg got into a 
(S02E20)
New mom Jennifer Garner is hoping to return to television, this time as an executive producer. She and Lauren Sanchez-Whitesell, former host of So You Think You Can Dance?, are pitching a show by moms and for moms to an unnamed network next week. Sanchez-Whitesell tells 
Despite what 
Press Kits Unwrapped: The Prisoner
Ask TV Squad: Eureka, The Prisoner and more!
TV Squad Ten: Cartoon women who should have Playboy centerfolds
