TVSquad

ABC's newest stunt game show Crash Course looks exactly like the kind of show that bloggers and critics watch just so they could put their "Suck Extinguishers" to good use.

And yet 45 minutes of TV viewing later, I'm not even feeling the need to break the protective glass. On the surface, it appears to be just another reality/game show with typical contestants having their ids scared for life for cash and/or prizes and most of it is just that.

And even though it met those stereotypical expectations, I still didn't hate it. Part of me actually kind of (gulp) enjoyed it. Did I just swallow my brains along with my pride?

"Our insurance bill is crazy," said executive producer Arthur Smith. This has to be one of the craziest ideas for a game show I've ever heard. I don't even think the Japanese do things like this, though ironically Smith and EP partner Kent Weed are also the men behind I Survived a Japanese Game Show. Now, they're bringing auto-competition to ABC with Crash Course. Man, I just can't see this ending well.

Think of the average reality show competitor. Then think of pairing them up with someone they know, putting them behind the wheel of a car and having them do things like drive on two wheels, or busting through walls. Or giving one of them control of the brake and the other the steering and gas. My god, there's a reason they have stunt people do these kinds of things on television and in the movies. The potential for horrifying flaming death is way higher than on any other reality shows. But at least we'll have the soothing voices of Dan Cortese and Orlando Jones to make us feel better about it. "Stop, drop and roll isn't going to put out that fire, Dan."

(S02E10) "Chuck's father is alive?" - Olive

I'm sad. Even if, contrary to what I reported a few weeks back, Pushing Daisies' final episode ever - episode 2.13 - will offer some closure to most characters thanks to last minute editing and retooling, I'm sad as "The Norwegians" could very well have been the last episode we will see of the series on a TV screen. ABC claims it plans to air the final three hours as a block sometime in the near future but fans know networks can change their mind rather quickly, especially when money talks. Will ABC live up to its promise? Will they put the episodes online? Or, worse, will we have to wait months and months to watch them on DVD?

No matter the answers to these questions, we should cherish "The Norwegians" as we don't know when we will see our favorite pie maker and his crew next. One thing is for sure, the episode gave us a lot of action and left us saying "WTF?" and "OMG!"

As you may have already read, I went to the set of Ghost Whisperer on Thursday, October 18th at Universal Studios. There I got an interview with the producers, a visit to the Ghost Whisperer stages, and a sneak peak at the Halloween episode. What I neglected to mention (because the producers asked those in attendance not to write about this until they released the information on October 22) was that Orlando Jones would be joining the cast of Ghost Whisperer this season.

I caught this episode when it aired a couple of weeks ago, and I hadn't planned on writing anything up about it. In fact, even after seeing the episode, I wasn't so sure I wanted to write about it. But since we've gotten a few requests, I figured it was time to post some of my thoughts on the pilot episode of this new series.

I actually talked about this show a bit on the last APB podcast with Ryan, siting some of my issues with it. I agreed with Ryan's assessment of Orlando Jones -- he deserves a show. He's come a long way from 7-UP commercials, and I really think he should have what it takes to lead or co-lead a series, though I think drama's not his forte, no matter how many quirky lines he's handed.