TVSquad

Hey, Brigitte here with TV Squad Daily. I'll be covering the TV stories I find interesting each day, Monday through Friday, in this video blog.

Today on TV Squad Daily:

• Where are the made-for TV movie people? Kelly Frank's brief taste of freedom would make a good comedy.
• The creators of Lost are thankful for that black-screen Sopranos finale.
  
• Maybe Victoria Beckham isn't so mysterious after all. The reality show that was supposed to let us get to know the "real her" just was shortened from six episodes to one.
  

The video's embedded below, or you can subscribe to this podcast via our feed. Plus, you can also download the file directly.

(S06E21) It's finally here, folks. The week that we've all been waiting for. Well, perhaps not that anxiously awaiting, as we know that something we've all been into for so many years is going away. That said, it's still something that has the potential of being very, very cool culturally and will definitely dominate the watercooler talk for the next few days or so.

To celebrate this momentous occasion, we're going to have a chatroom live for all of you to join in on as the show goes on and share your theories, reactions, and opinions in real-time. Shortly after the finale, you'll be able to read our review of the show here. The review is after the jump. And, our chatroom is still open for any of you to share your thoughts and comments on how The Sopranos went down.

Click here to enter the chatroom.

There's been a ton of discussion about how HBO's The Sopranos will end, and there are definitely some prevailing theories or suspicions out there. We thought we'd find out what you, the TV Squad readers, would like to see happen as The Sopranos comes to a close, and have put together this nifty poll to ask just that. Of course, if what you think is going to happen isn't in the poll itself, then just choose the "Other" option and drop your thoughts in the comments section.

Theories about the finale's title, "Made in America," are also welcome, as they could tie into "being made" or something the terrorists could be doing, for instance.

(S03E19/S03E20) Well now I'm pissed. As if I wasn't already pissed before this episode aired, they go and end things with a big ol' fizzle. Unfortunately for all of us, Rob Thomas took a gamble that the series would get picked up for a new season, so we're left what feels very, very much like a season ender, not a series ender. And sorry, but a flash-forward reboot retooling can't possibly clear up the loose ends we're left with after this episode.

With that said, even though we all know this was a series ending episode, this was pretty decent for a season ender.

(S09E12 / S09E13) Last month, I wrote a post praising The King of Queens for not making their 200th episode into any kind of "special" episode, just doing the same goofy but funny comedy the show has always done. There was no character development, no great revelations, no massive earth-shattering changes, and no story arcs. I expected them to do the same for the finale; just show another day in the life of the Heffernans and fade to black.

We got none of that; in fact, everything I listed above was exactly what we got, not only in this one-hour finale, but the two episodes before that. Drama isn't this show's strong suit, and it made for a finale that was wildly out of character in comparison with the rest of the series.

(S04E13) An opening scene of Sgt. Landsman comically griping through his morning almost turns tragic, but Bubbles will survive to struggle through another day. A little of the "new day" thinking rubs off on Sgt Landsman, who stops putting the stats first. This whole extended opening was one of the most powerful and moving segments of the year, which is saying a lot. Landsman's very thick veneer of self-protection, his sarcasm, his cynicism is melted away by compassion for Bubbles.

One of the beauties of premium cable, besides lack of commercial interruption and minimal censorship, is the ability to make an episode the length it needs to be. Still, even at 79 minutes the finale leaves me hungry more. There are some good series on television these days, some very good ones even. However, nothing approaches The Wire. Well, I'm preaching to the choir here, I know. Now I'll have to content myself with a paperback of David Simon's Homicide: A Year on the Killing Streets, a non-fiction account of Simon's year covering Baltimore's homicide department, and the basis for the classic network television series Homicide.

(S01E11) Matthew 22:10: The servants went out into the streets and gathered all they found, bad and good alike, and the hall was filled with guests.

A big Irish wedding, and Freddie Cork finally makes a move, ordering a hit on pain-in-the-ass Michael (Jason Isaacs), after going back and forth every other week over whether they are friends or enemies. The first surprise is Pete, who appears at the wedding all cleaned up -- this, after the last time we saw him, snorting coke outside an AA meeting with Eileen Caffee (Annabeth Gish). Judging from the selection played at the wedding, music stopped developing around 1983. (Spoiler -- a big one -- after the jump.)

(S08E22) No sir, I didn't like it. Didn't like it one bit.

I'm talking about the series finale of the WB's Charmed , which ended its eighth and final season on Sunday night. What should have been a great sendoff by producers and writers for the Halliwell sisters Piper (Holly Marie Combs), Phoebe (Alyssa Milano) and Paige (Rose McGowan) was flat, disappointing, and focused more on the secondary players than The Charmed Ones.

However, that's not the reason why I disliked the episode. The thing that ticked me off was the magical device that Piper, the oldest sister, used in order to save Phoebe and Paige form a horrible death that they encountered last episode. A device that, in my opinion, is the lazy way out of resolving issues.

I'm talking about . . . .wait for it . . . time travel. Aarrrgh!

(S08E23) There are those who are die-hard fans of Will & Grace, which premiered on the NBC schedule back in 1998. Then there are those who despise the show, which is about the relationship between Grace Adler (Debra Messing) and her gay friend Will Truman (Eric McCormack). The fans love the back-and-forth between the two characters and the dynamic of their relationship. Those who hate the show may be uncomfortable with the subject matter (homosexuality) or the cartoon-ish characterizations of Will and Grace's friends Jack McFarland (Sean Hayes) and Karen Walker (Megan Mullally ), or the fact that it's just not funny.

I fall under neither category. I liked Will & Grace, but was not a huge fan. I'd watch it if I happened to see something interesting going on, and I'd laugh at a few of the lines (not as heartily as I would laugh during an episode of Scrubs, though). Yet, Jack annoyed me sometimes and the influx of guest stars on the show was somewhat distracting. In fact, over the last few years I didn't really follow it at all.

However, as this would be the last episode of the series, I decided to give it a review. My opinion on the last show of the series? Meh.