RayWise-related stories
Posted May 28th 2009 1:03PM by Brad Trechak
Filed under: OpEd, Ratings, Reality-Free
Good news for all you
Reaper fans who are disappointed at the lack of renewal of your favorite Satanic show.
TV Guide reports a
surge in the number of people watching the final episode (2.22 million). I haven't kept up with the individual episode ratings, but I assume they were less. Sadly, it still got beat in viewership numbers by
According to Jim, which is why it is still difficult to think of The CW as a real network.
Seriously, the show is still in the market, and this lends a strong case to allowing the show to get picked up elsewhere. The ratings show there is still an interest (hopefully not brought about by a lack of interest in the competition). I could see
Reaper working on a cable channel such as SyFy or Comedy Central, although it may require an even greater drop in production cost if that's possible.
Posted May 27th 2009 12:22AM by Brad Trechak
Filed under: Episode Reviews, Reality-Free
(S02E13) Reaper has been
axed by The CW and until I hear that another network has picked this show up, I will consider this the series finale and not simply the season finale. Admittedly, it ended on a mixed note.
I'm glad the Devil actually has a weakness with regards to his vanity. When a character is all-powerful, they get boring rather quickly. Thankfully, Ray Wise has the talent to keep the character interesting despite his handicap of near-omnipotence. When you consider that, you have to wonder how Sam could have possibly thought he had an advantage during the first game of quarters.
The character of Mary Pat (whom I found amusing, but only because she reminded me of some people I know) was gone pretty quickly. At first I thought Steve was back because they couldn't get Tony for the finale until the broken hand occurred. Obviously, the creators planned a bigger role for Sam as a pawn of the war between Heaven and Hell. It's a pity that unless the show miraculously gets picked up, it will never get resolved.
The entire situation with Nina was a cute homage to the
Exorcist movies. At least Ben is happy at the end of the series.
Continue reading Reaper: The Devil & Sam Oliver (series finale)
Posted May 20th 2009 1:31AM by Brad Trechak
Filed under: Episode Reviews, Reality-Free
(S02E12) While I enjoyed tonight's episode (mostly due to the extended Ray Wise sequences in the beginning), I have to ask: why did the Devil ask Sam to work at the office in the first place? Is it to set up Sam's eventual take-over of the Devil's duties? Was it just to screw with Sam's head? It's tough to tell. Judging by Ray Wise's body language, it might be a little of both.
One could tell that tonight's story was going to be a little different when they wrapped up the escaped soul capture in the opening segment. Wasn't that horn just the cutest little vessel? It didn't even have to touch the soul, just make a silly noise.
The Devil obviously wanted Sam to escape the trap in the beginning. Is it favoritism or something more sinister?
Continue reading Reaper: Business Casualty
Posted May 13th 2009 2:27PM by Jason Hughes
Filed under: Other Drama Shows, Other Sci-Fi/Supernatural Shows, 24, Lost, Doctor Who, Heroes, TV Squad Lists, Reaper, Reality-Free, Fringe, TV Squad Ten
Everybody loves a good mystery. Well maybe not everybody if the ratings for
Harper's Island are any indication. But mysteries and suspense have been a part of television since it's inception. It's one thing for the plot to be full of mysteries. Things like "Who shot J.R.?" can become a part of popular culture. But J.R. himself wasn't a mystery, we knew him pretty well.
But there are those characters we don't know much about. Think about Benjamin Linus from
Lost when he first appeared as Henry Gale among the Flight 815 survivors. There were so many secrets and mysteries surrounding him that we couldn't take our eyes off of him when he was on-screen. Well Ben's story may be more or less told, though something tells me there's still more to be gleaned, but there are plenty of familiar faces on television with not so familiar back-stories. And while Ben didn't make the list, that doesn't mean
Lost went unrepresented.
If you just want the list, click here.Continue reading TV Squad Ten: Most mysterious characters on television
Posted May 13th 2009 2:27PM by Jason Hughes
Filed under: Other Drama Shows, Other Sci-Fi/Supernatural Shows, 24, Lost, Doctor Who, Heroes, TV Squad Lists, Reaper, Reality-Free, Fringe, TV Squad Ten
10 - Dr. Helen Magnus (
Sanctuary, SyFy)
9 - Captain Jack Harkness (
Torchwood, BBC America)
8 - Castiel (
Supernatural, The CW)
7 - Tony Almeida, (
24, Fox)
6 - Angela Petrelli, (
Heroes, NBC)
5 - The Devil (
Reaper, The CW)
4 - Christina Scofield (
Prison Break, Fox)
3 - The Doctor (
Doctor Who, SyFy)
2 - Richard Alpert (
Lost, ABC)
1 - Walter Bishop (
Fringe, Fox)
Want to see the pictures or leave a comment? Click here.Posted May 13th 2009 1:11AM by Brad Trechak
Filed under: Episode Reviews, Reality-Free
(S02E11) While tonight's episode had some cute bits, I have to say that it wasn't one of the best. I blame the serious lack of Ray Wise. He did shine for a moment when he convinced that guy to buy his fiance a cubic zirconia instead of a diamond, but that was about it.
In fact, the more I watch the series the more I'm becoming convinced that Sam and Andi are the least interesting aspect of the show (can't they just get together already?). Sock remains interesting via his outrageous behavior, Ben remains interesting in his metrosexuality, and Ray Wise totally rocks as the Devil. I'm hoping they're saving more of him for the season finale.
I love how Ted could make Sock become a tool and Sock enjoys it. There is some sort of hidden revenge in that for years of mistreatment.
Continue reading Reaper: To Sprong, With Love
Posted May 6th 2009 1:04AM by Brad Trechak
Filed under: Other Sci-Fi/Supernatural Shows, Episode Reviews, Reality-Free
(S02E10) What better way to celebrate Cinco De Mayo then watching the Devil once again torment Sam Oliver. I liked that they made some progress with the whole Morgan storyline. It would be a good story to have Morgan escape Hell to hunt down Sam for vengeance while Sam has to hunt Morgan to get him back to Hell.
I'm glad there was an ulterior motive for Nina's flirtations with Morgan, otherwise there is no logical explanation for her attraction to Ben. Ben is not evil. Ben is the opposite of evil. If a demon is attracted to evil, she would not be attracted to Ben.
On the other hand, I thought Morgan would sleep with Nina before the episode finished, thus ending (or at least complicating) both their characters. I didn't see that twist coming.
Continue reading Reaper: My Brother's Reaper
Posted May 1st 2009 5:40AM by Isabelle Carreau
Filed under: Other Drama Shows, Other Comedy Shows, Programming, OpEd, How I Met Your Mother, Cancellations, Pickups and Renewals, NCIS, Chuck, Reaper, Reality-Free, The Mentalist, TV Squad Ten, Dollhouse
Last week,
TVSquad readers made our "
Which shows are renewed, canceled, or on the bubble?" post the most viewed and most commented of the week. Most of the commenters voiced their opinions as to which show should be renewed, and since I also watch loads of TV, it's with no surprise that I wanted to chime in, as well. (Look for my "Series that I think should be canceled" post later this week.)
Here I present you, the 10 shows I think should be renewed. Note that I did not include in this list shows that have been confirmed as renewed by the network (such as
Gossip Girl), nor those that have been officially canceled (bye bye
Pushing Daisies).
If you just want the list, click here.Continue reading TV Squad Ten: Series that should be renewed
Posted Apr 29th 2009 1:50AM by Jason Hughes
Filed under: Episode Reviews, Reaper, Reality-Free
(S02E09) There were those expected
Reaper funny moments, but overall, this was a pretty serious episode. We really only juggled two major storylines this week, and neither of them were about collecting escaped souls. We had Sam beginning his instruction in bringing about the end times as our main focus. On the opposite end of the spectrum, and providing the most laughs, surprisingly enough, was the ugly breakup saga of Nina and Ben.
Andi was right about Sam; he's getting darker for the world he's trapped in. His machinations tonight with the Devil's shut-in "girlfriend" Sandy were downright diabolical. Sure, his ultimate goal of taking down the Devil and freeing himself is noble, but is he willing to do too much to get out of it? Not that I really see a more pure approach working. In fact, I've always wondered just how much the Devil knows. I would think he knows everything that Sam does, even when Sam's trying to betray him or undercut him in some way. Hell, he's the Devil. He's probably proud of him when that happens.
Continue reading Reaper: No Reaper Left Behind
Posted Apr 22nd 2009 12:43AM by Brad Trechak
Filed under: Episode Reviews, Reaper, Reality-Free
(S02E08) In which Sam once again proves that he's in a world of poop and the Devil once again proves that he's evil.
With this show likely to not last beyond this season, I am wondering how the creators are going to end the show. Will they use a cliffhanger or at least give a satisfying ending to the viewers?
Tonight's episode juggled four storylines (and very successfully, I should say). The first involved Sam and his brother Morgan and their (non-)competition to catch a soul. The second was the search for the escaped soul Alan (a goal Andi desires so she can get back with Sam). The third was Sock's funeral misadventures. The fourth was Ben's relationship with both Nina and his grandmother.
Continue reading Reaper: The Home Stretch
Posted Apr 15th 2009 1:02AM by Brad Trechak
Filed under: Other Sci-Fi/Supernatural Shows, Episode Reviews, Reality-Free
(S02E07) Tonight's episode was about coveting neighbors' wives (well, maybe not wives, but general coveting). Sam was coveting Andi. Sock was coveting Kristen. Ben ... has a relationship and is the most stable of the crew at the moment, but that isn't saying much.
I did like Nina's line: "Two months ago, I kidnapped you and forced you to be my boyfriend." She reminds me a lot of Anya from
Buffy.
If you can go to Hell just for
thinking about coveting someone, Hell must be pretty overcrowded.
Not related to this episode, but whatever happened to Sam's younger brother? Is he the Chuck Cunningham of this series? The scene between Sam and the decaying Mr. Oliver was a nice touch.
Continue reading Reaper: The Good Soil
Posted Apr 8th 2009 3:01PM by Danny Gallagher
Filed under: Industry, Programming, Reaper, Reality-Free
Reaper is not just one of my favorite TV shows. It's also one of my TV's favorite surprises. Every time I watch an episode, my TV suffers a moral dilemma.
"This show is funny, witty, very entertaining and unafraid to be absurd and just plain bat#*$& crazy," my TV said to me during last week's episode. "Why the #*$& am I letting you watch it?"
It looks as though my TV is about to get its way. It always does. It cuts all my favorite scenes from
Top Gear before they are transferred from the British to the American version. It never lets my TiVo keep an
All in the Family episode past a couple of days. It would broadcast nothing but Billy Mays commercials in my head if it developed telepathy, and trust me, it's working on it. I'd throw the thing out the window, but that's not covered in the warranty. The manufacturer may not call that an "act of God," but I sure as hell would.
Continue reading Should Reaper now abandon all hope?
Posted Apr 1st 2009 12:25AM by Debra McDuffee
Filed under: Episode Reviews, Reaper, Reality-Free
(S01E05) "Lookin' sharp, Buffy, lookin' sharp." - Devil to Sam while he was holding a wooden stakeSeason two of
Reaper continues to entertain: it's funny, smart and unexpected, while still delivering all the things we loved about
Reaper in season one. From using Sam's zombie dad to scare the poop out of Ben in the car, to the tongue-in-cheek shout-out to
Buffy the Vampire Slayer, this episode delivered.
One thing this episode did suffer from, though, is something I feared. Because they've introduced so many characters, we only saw a brief bit of them this week (and we didn't see Nina at all), and I was left wanting more of some. I guess we got a good fill of the dad, and it was so great to have demon Tony back. But I missed Nina, and I craved more Morgan. I'm wondering, too, if Kristen will end up being more than a bizarre sex symbol for Sock.
Continue reading Reaper: I Want My Baby Back
Posted Mar 25th 2009 1:02AM by Debra McDuffee
Filed under: Episode Reviews, Reaper, Reality-Free
(S02E04) Reaper pulled it out again with another winner of an episode. Something tells me they know exactly what they are doing this season, and I'm loving every second of it.
Although I enjoyed the addition of Morgan, the Devil's other son, very much, I was getting a bit irritated that they kept introducing new characters -- Kristen, Nina, Morgan -- and just left the whole storyline with Sam's dad floating out there. I was getting nervous that they didn't really know what to do with it, so they were just going to drop it and hope we didn't remember. Well, they got back to it tonight, and I can't wait to see it all come together.
But we'll get to that later. Let's talk about the rest of the episode first...
Continue reading Reaper: The Favorite
Posted Mar 17th 2009 10:24PM by Debra McDuffee
Filed under: Episode Reviews, Reaper, Reality-Free
(S02E03) "No, I'm not growing a douche tag!" - Sam to Ben when he suggests Sam grow a soul patch
The only way I can begin this review is... yay
Reaper! The first two episodes this season were enjoyable and got me back into the
Reaper spirit. Tonight's episode raised the game; the writers went beyond hitting their stride and hit it out of the park.
You think that's too strong a stance for this episode? Come, explore with me, if you will, the finer points of tonight's episode....
Continue reading Reaper: The Sweet Science
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