TVSquad

It's a rare occasion that I re-trace my steps and openly admit that I was wrong. Typically, I stick with my gut and I'll fight you until I'm blue in the face. But it takes a big man to recognize the error of his ways and it takes an even bigger one to admit it to others. So here goes...

Initially, I wasn't impressed with Sons of Anarchy. After watching the pilot (twice), I panned it. Nothing special, nothing new. The second episode didn't do much for me either. But I promised I'd stick with it since it was on FX (in today's TV landscape, that counts for something) and after last night's installment (S01E08, "The Pull"), I'm here to say something I didn't agree with eight weeks ago:

FX has done it again.

Interesting piece by Tim Goodman over at The San Francisco Chronicle. Basically he says that many TV viewers who watch the NBC Thursday night comedies (My Name Is Earl, 30 Rock, The Office, and Scrubs) and other shows are snobs when it comes to CBS comedies like Two and a Half Men, Rules of Engagement, and How I Met Your Mother. He says that the people who pride themselves in watching the critically-acclaimed (but lower rated) shows on NBC are "denying themselves a good time by avoiding CBS on Monday nights."

What's happening on other blogs via the interweb.

• Three reasons why Stephen Colbert will be our next President.
• Here's video of Alec Baldwin from Thursday's 30 Rock. An instant classic.
• Tim Goodman has an interview with Ricky Gervais.
• Are you a Blue-ray person or an HD person?
• Has Vanessa Hudgens been fired from the next High School Musical flick?
• Before they were stars: America Ferrera, Rainn Wilson, Ellen Pompeo, Erica Durance, and Josh Holloway.
• Ben Karlin talks about his experience on The Daily Show.

What's happening on other blogs via the interweb.

• Not too many people like Viva Laughlin.
• Download a DVD box screen saver similar to the one seen on The Office.
• Bill Cosby? Stephen Colbert? Some are asking what the heck is going on at Meet The Press.
• Are there more cast members leaving CSI besides Jorja Fox?
• EW's PopWatch blog agrees with me about those Bee Movie ads on NBC.
• The behind the scenes story on how Charles Emerson Winchester came to be on M*A*S*H.
• Tim Goodman is not a fan of Tuesday night TV.

• Please, no more Top 10 Simpsons lists.
• Never mind House, watch this Hugh Laurie show instead.
• The Bastard Machine drinks a lot of booze at the TCA Press Tour.
• A police officer follows MSNBC's Mika Brzezinski to work.
• EW has an interview with "Shark Week" host Les Stroud.
• Lost Remote has coverage and reaction to that horrible crash involving two Phoenix TV helicopters.
• Andy Milonakis on Paris and Lindsay.

Julia will have her review of the new HBO series John From Cincinnati when it premieres after the Sopranos finale on June 10, but San Francisco Chronicle critic Tim Goodman has seen the first three episodes, and he's not impressed. In fact, he's depressed.

Goodman says that the heads of fans of David Milch's other show, Deadwood, will "explode" when they see this, that they would get rid of Deadwood just to air this show. He won't have his full review 'til Sunday, but on his blog, Goodman says that HBO made "a total blunder" and that the show is just "a total mess." Wow, I guess we'll have to wait for his full review to find out what he really thinks.

As I said yesterday, I'm going to give it a shot. I mean, the previews are just so bizarre that you have to check it out.

• Audience members should never dance when there are cameras around.
• An interview with a Geico caveman.
• Is this really what American Idol has come to?
• Mo Rocca asks: which country should Angelina adopt from next?
• The Green Hornet is finally coming to the big screen.
• A rather bizarre episode of Gumby, remastered. What's he doing on the moon?
• Did Carlos Mencia steal an old Bill Cosby bit?
• And introducing: The Poopy Bastard.

As we've noted here before, and I'm sure you've noticed, Saturday night is the oddest night for television. It used to be great (remember CBS' lineup in the 70s?), but now it's just a night when no one watches much TV, and if they do, all they get is movies, repeats, and Cops.

But Tim Goodman over at The Bastard Machine has some ideas.

TiNo. That's the word San Francisco Chronicle TV critic Tim Goodman has coined for shows that he has recorded on ohis DVR but hasn't watched yet. The shows that have been on there but you haven't watched yet, or the shows you've recorded and you're not even sure if you'll eventually get to them or not. (Funny how TiVo has now become the noun and the verb for recording TV shows on a DVR or PVR, whether or not it's actually a TiVo or not. Like how we call all bandages Band-Aids!)

I've TiNo'ed five episodes of Life on Mars. They've been on there for two months or so, but hopefully I'll get to them in the next month or so.

What shows have you TiNo'ed?

• Ken Levine has an interesting post about the use of laugh tracks on sitcoms.
• Aaron Barnhart has a pic of Craig Ferguson's new set. I think it looks kinda Lettermanesque, only Hollywoodized.
• Defamer has a picture of the America's Next Top Model writers picket line.
• Why is FOX handing out free booze to TV critics at 9am? Tim Goodman investigates.
• Alan Sepinwall solves the Heroes mystery (if you've seen it, you know that Greg Grunberg isn't in the pilot like he was supposed to be).

• Lots of TV critics are keeping blogs of their adventures at the Television Critics Association press tour, including Tim Goodman, Aaron Barnhart, Zap2it, Ellen Gray, Alan Sepinwall, Melanie McFarland, Lisa de Moraes, and Hal Boedeker.
• The folks over at TeeVee talk about The Amazing Screw-On Head. By the way, if you haven't already, check out their TeeVeePedia. Funny stuff.
• TV Newser has more info about The Katie Couric Loves Her Fans Tour.
• TV Party is 11 years old? Wow. Some great stuff there.
• Over at the Boston Globe's TV blog, Matthew Gilbert wonders what Rod Serling would be writing today, and points us to the Twilight Zone Convention, August 12 and 13 in NJ.

From the "Look, We're Really Not Surprised" department ...

It turns out that the last eight episodes of HBO's The Sopranos will not be premiering in January as originally reported. Blame star James Gandolfini's knee surgery for mucking up the works. Since the surgery has set filming back, HBO Chairman Chris Albrecht decided to push the final episodes back to March of 2007. In its place the premium cable network will air the second season of Rome.

Television critic Tim Goodman of the San Francisco Chronicle speaks of this scheduling change in his blog. He talks about Deadwood, The Wire, and Curb Your Enthusiasm as well.

• Ken Levine gives his thoughts on the Emmy nominations. Favorite line: "And I guess the bloom is off the rose for Nip/Tuck, now so weird it's entered Bjork country."
• Dave Thomas wants to start a petition to get NBC to pick up the YouTube hit Nobody's Watching.
• Aaron Barnhart has redesigned the TV Barn blog. I like how he calls America's Got Talent "the slutty stepsister of Ed Sullivan and Chuck Barris."
• Hey, all you Taylor Hicks fans: instead of being ticked off at me all the time, be ticked off at Tim Goodman!

• Over at his Bastard Machine blog, Tim Goodman isn't sure he believes that Lost will answers a bunch of questions in the season finale (as the ads have promised), but what the hell, is on for the ride anyway.
• TeeVee has some typically wiseass reactions to the CBS and NBC upfronts (that's a compliment, by the way - we like wiseass).
• TV writer Ken Levine tells his favorite casting story ever, when he had to audition actors for a 1993 show called Big Wave Dave's. But damn it, he still won't say who actor is!
• TV Newser has the story of Katie Couric's first appearance for CBS, at the upfronts.