(S01E11) Distractions abounded in this latest episode of Glee. Most of the characters were causing distraction or being distracted from the situation at hand, and we were back to most of the soapy aspects of the show. Teri and Quinn were both thinking about the baby, and Will and Finn remained as in the dark as ever. More on that and other complications after the jump.
Yes, it's that time of year once again. It's Thanksgiving -- yay, food! With the times such as they are, I'll admit to being more thankful on a regular basis during this year than many years gone by. I have a job (a few jobs actually), a roof over my head, money for food and bills, good friends, family, a bionic knee so I can be a bit like The Six Million Dollar Man, and so much more.
But, since this is about television, I'm going to focus on what I'm thankful for in television and TV-related kind of things. We might share some items on the list, we might not. While the times might not be great for financial dealings, it's a wondrous time for television geeks like you and me. Or, maybe it's just me. So, exactly what am I thankful for? Read on.
To paraphrase Dexter's Trinity Killer, traditions matter because they give us a sense of history. They also teach us who we are and what's expected of us.
So in celebration of that fiendish character's warped but delightfully old-fashioned worldview, I'm happy to take part in this little Thanksgiving Day tradition we have here at TV Squad. Here are a few things I'm thankful for this TV season ...
Year four of Dexter– Well, duh ... Sure, the Batista-Laguerta relationship is a little dull, and Quinn is a poor stand-in for Dokes, but Dexter's dealings with Trinty and his Dark Passenger are fascinating to watch. John Lithgow's complex and unnerving portrayal of suburban serial killer Arthur Mitchell is sure to earn him an Emmy nod, if not the win.
Community - Here's the thing: It's just so damn funny. And it has the best and weirdest cast of characters on TV. I can't get enough of Señor Chang and Abed.
I figured I may as well make this list before I food-punish myself into a turkey-flavored coma this Thursday. It's true, television has gone through its ups and downs in the past year. A bit of residual anger still bubbles within me when I think of Jay Leno shuffling not-so-subtly around Conan O'Brien or the fact that I'll never be as daring or funny as the writers behind Peep Show, but Thanksgiving is not meant for dwelling on silly things like that (it's what the rest of the year's for). Let's review my list of a few (TV-related) things that I'm thankful for, and then I promise I'll let everyone leave and stuff their faces.
Community: I've liked this show since the pilot and I'm thrilled to see it taking off. In the beginning, I enjoyed its snappy dialogue and overall attitude, but feared that it wouldn't find a direction until NBC got impatient and chopped it from the schedule.
Thanksgiving is the best time to reflect on the year and find out what one is grateful for. Like most people, I'm grateful for my family and our well-being, but I realize that it's the little things that can perk up a depressing day.
Hulu
I cover a lot of reality shows and I found Hulu to be a great website for me to catch Glee, Modern Family, and Community without having to fill up my DVR. When Hulu gives me the option to play one long form commercial, I squeal, press play, and run to the bathroom to pee. When I get back Glee's preview is on. That show is better without either commercial or bathroom interruptions.
One of favorite aspects of Thanksgiving, besides the turkey and the stuffing and the pie, is that I get to watch the Thanksgiving episodes of The West Wing. Yeah, I guess I could watch the episodes any time of year since I own them on DVD, but that's not how I roll.
Here are two classic scenes from the show. The first is from the episode "Shibboleth" where President Bartlet pardons a turkey, and the second, after the jump, is from "The Indians in the Lobby," the scene where he calls the Butterball hotline.
I had no idea that Gossip Girl'sBlake Lively spent that last dozen or so Thanksgivings with Jimmy Fallon. In this clip, we see what happened on those days and why they're spending Thanksgiving apart this year.
I love the reaction of the audience at the start, sensing tension and humor but not really sure what' going on.
It's Thanksgiving time again, and while I am obviously thankful for my family and my friends and finding out that the nasty rash I had was nothing to be concerned about, it's a time for nods to TV-related things that I'm thankful for.
1. Mad Men. I hate to be boring by picking the same thing as I did last year as my number one thing I'm thankful for, but did you see that season finale? Holy crap. It was the capper to a fantastic season. This is the best show on television (and a thanks-within-a-thanks for this being on AMC and not some other network).
No Generation X'er can forget the monochrome colors and compromising frame rate of 1970s Hanna-Barbera animation. Take that unmistakable style and some autumnal inking, and you've got The Thanksgiving That Almost Wasn't.
Boomerang is reaching into the Hanna-Barbera archives to bring back this all-but-forgotten TV special from the 1970s. You can catch it at 10 a.m. and at 7 p.m. (ET).
According to a network release, The Thanksgiving That Almost Wasn't "chronicles one dangerously fateful day for Johnny Cooke, a young Pilgrim, and Little Bear, an Indian boy, who are discovered missing. The first Thanksgiving feast cannot start without them, and when their friend Jeremy Squirrel hears they are in peril he goes on a daring rescue mission."
There comes a time of the year when one has to count their blessings because, when truth is finally told, things could be a lot worse. This is that time. And what am I thankful for? Glad you asked.
Big LCD televisions that hang on the wall - I think that says it all. Of course, some day all the current display technologies will be abandoned in favor of the video waves that transmit directly to our brains, but until then there is the LCD (or plasma, depending on your technology choice) on the wall.
The Big Bang Theory - It's hard to believe that the creator of Two and a Half Men (a show of which I am not a fan) could create such a terrific show. I only discovered the show this past year. I'm usually not a fan of sitcoms but with all the geeky references in BBT, I find that if I could give the show a big, sloppy, wet kiss, I would.
This is no way to wish Paula Deen a Happy Thanksgiving.
At an event in Atlanta this morning, someone threw a ham and it hit Deen right in the face. Now, I'm not sure if they did it deliberately, it seems more like they were shipping/packaging hams and she didn't know it was going to be thrown to her. You can hear someone say "oh my God" in this clip and catch a quick glimpse of her husband as she walks off camera. She's fine though. (Update: I embedded new video.)
Thanksgiving is coming and for many of us it's time to eat, drink and watch football. It's also a time to reflect on the things you're grateful for and since TV Squad is all about television, here's what I'm grateful for this holiday season, with regard to the tube.
Mad Men season finale
There was really nothing as satisfying in the entire year for me. Matt Weiner promised a game-changing episode and he delivered it with a whopper of a wrap up. Actually, nothing was really wrapped; it was more like the cards have been dealt and we're still waiting to see how the hands are played.
A year ago, before there was a Cleveland Show, when the Family Guy spinoff was still just a possibility, the show's first guest stars, Daryl Hall and John Oates, were brought aboard. They'll finally make their debut, playing an angel and a devil, respectively, on Cleveland Brown's shoulder on the Thanksgiving episode which airs Sunday at 8:30PM on Fox.
According to show co-creator, producer, and voice of Cleveland Mike Henry, the appearance came out of a trip to Las Vegas where a casting director arranged for Henry to meet the guys backstage after a show. When they showed interest, that was that. "We wrote the part and sent it on over," says Henry, speaking at a conference call with media.
"You planted the seed a year ago saying, hey, would you like to be on the show that's not on TV yet?" says Hall.
Whatever big decision Cleveland is making in the episode, Henry is a bit cagey. "Maybe Auntie Mamma has got a penis," says Henry. "Let's just say that. There. I've given it away."
(S06E10) In the last episode of 2009, Grey's Anatomy combines Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Years all in one eventful episode. I'm still not in the holiday mood, but the show got me there, except for the fact that they played Christmas music on New Years. Christmas music should stay between Thanksgiving and Christmas.
What happened to Alex in this episode? This would probably be the hardest time for a husband who doesn't have his wife for their first Christmas together. Wasn't he invited to Christmas Dinner? At least Meredith could have mentioned that he was stuck at work?
We're starting to see Thanksgiving episodes of TV shows, and Heroes is no exception. This Monday's episode ("Thanksgiving") has the Bennett family gathering for Turkey Day and it's...uncomfortable, especially since Mom brings a date (Doug) and so does Noah (Lauren).
But the question I have (and so will you) about this scene is: where the hell is Lyle?
Yes, it's that time of year once again. It's Thanksgiving -- yay, food! With the times such as they are, I'll admit to being more thankful on a regular basis during this year than many years gone by. I have a job (a few jobs actually), a roof over my head, money for food and bills, good friends, family, a bionic knee so I can be a bit like The Six Million Dollar Man, and so much more.
I figured I may as well make this list before I food-punish myself into a turkey-flavored coma this Thursday. It's true, television has gone through its ups and downs in the past year. A bit of residual anger still bubbles within me when I think of Jay Leno shuffling not-so-subtly around Conan O'Brien or the fact that I'll never be as daring or funny as the writers behind Peep Show, but Thanksgiving is not meant for dwelling on silly things like that (it's what the rest of the year's for). Let's review my list of a few (TV-related) things that I'm thankful for, and then I promise I'll let everyone leave and stuff their faces.
Thanksgiving is the best time to reflect on the year and find out what one is grateful for. Like most people, I'm grateful for my family and our well-being, but I realize that it's the little things that can perk up a depressing day.
It's Thanksgiving time again, and while I am obviously thankful for my family and my friends and finding out that the nasty rash I had was nothing to be concerned about, it's a time for nods to TV-related things that I'm thankful for.
No Generation X'er can forget the monochrome colors and compromising frame rate of 1970s Hanna-Barbera animation. Take that unmistakable style and some autumnal inking, and you've got The Thanksgiving That Almost Wasn't.
There comes a time of the year when one has to count their blessings because, when truth is finally told, things could be a lot worse. This is that time. And what am I thankful for? Glad you asked.
A year ago, before there was a Cleveland Show, when the Family Guy spinoff was still just a possibility, the show's first guest stars, Daryl Hall and John Oates, were brought aboard. They'll finally make their debut, playing an angel and a devil, respectively, on Cleveland Brown's shoulder on the Thanksgiving episode which airs Sunday at 8:30PM on Fox. 
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