TVSquad

Family and the workplace -- two constants in everyday American society. They are the places where we spend most of our lives. Sometimes we spend more time at one over complaints of the other. Other times, we barely want to spend time at either location.

Because these are so important to many people across this country, it made sense that television would delve into both of these environments during the Reality Revolution. However, since a 60-minute show about a senior technical analyst sitting in his four square-foot cube was not likely to draw in the audience, the reality shows that were created focused on those families and workplaces that were a tad more unique. Thusly, shows were created around well-to-do families, celebrity families, or families with multiple children, while workplace shows dealt in tattoos, motorcycles, hair styling, and house-flipping.

Coming in later than the game operas and relationship shows, these family and workplace programs ushered in a new phase of the Reality Revolution and set the stage for the future of reality programming.

We've talked about the FOX comedy The Loop several times on this blog. I didn't care much for the show. It had some good points and a ton of potential, but it just wasn't funny. I know, I know, there are many of you who disagree with me and will let me know in the comments below (as you have in the past), and I guess this news is for you people.

The show is coming to DVD on March 6. It's the first (and so far only) season of the show, all 7 episodes. The show will be in "Anamorphic Widescreen." I'm not sure, but I think that means it's going to be close-captioned.

This brings up a good point though: what happened to this show? Was it "officially" canceled or just put on "hiatus," that netherworld where shows go to die? It just seemed to be there one moment and then just not around anymore. Sorta like Stacked.

Update: The Loop lives! The second season premieres later this year.

On October 18 at 9 pm CNBC is airing the two-hour documentary Inside American Airlines: A Week in the Life. CNBC was allowed unprecedented access to most of the departments within American Airlines, the biggest airline in the world. A special like this would have been, at best, mildly interesting six years ago, but the change the industry has went through since 9/11 has me much more intrigued about how operations are handled on a daily basis. I rarely fly anywhere, but those who do will find out why the same seat cost more for one person than another, and why frequent flyer miles are so difficult to trade in. Peter Greenberg will serve as anchor for the documentary, which will be rebroadcast at midnight.

(S06E11) This episode has a great opening scene at Moe's. The gang decides to play a few pranks on Moe, so Lenny puts a cobra in the cash register that bites Moe several times and Barney hits Moe with a flame that shoots from a flower on his lapel. Moe actually laughs these pranks off, but when Homer unscrews the lid to the sugar and it gets on the bar, Moe gets so angry he bans Homer from the bar. As a final insult, he even takes Homer's favorite record out of the jukebox ("It's Rainin' Men").

Homer tries some other bars, and finally ends up at an all-female bar that doesn't seem quite right to him. Finally, he figures it out: "This lesbian bar doesn't have a fire exit!"'

OK, I've had it. I can't watch FOX's The Loop anymore. I think there was one episode that wasn't that bad, but it's been all downhill from there. If this was a better half hour sitcom, or a more important show in general, I think I'd keep watching it and reviewing it. But the show is pretty damn bad, and I'm going to predict it doesn't see a second season anyway. Nothing against Philip Baker Hall and Mimi Rogers. I'd like to see them in something better.

So I'm not going to review tonight's episode. If one of my coworkers wants to jump in and take over the reviews, that's cool. But I'd rather spend my time doing something more productive. Like my laundry.

I hated last week's episode of this show. I didn't hate this week's episode. That's sorta like saying you're really sick one day,  and then the next day you feel just a little better. Sure, it's "better," but you still feel queasy and blah and you're not happy. I didn't hate this ep, I disliked it.

So I was all set to review The Loop last night, but for some reason I thought it was on FOX at 9:30 instead of 8:30 and I missed it. Yeah, I know, and this is coming from the guy who does the What's On Tonight posts every damn day.

Anything happen on the show last night? Did it suddenly become hysterical and brilliant? Was it canceled and replaced by reruns of Stacked?

Was this episode better than last night's pilot? Yes. Did I laugh at all during the episode? Yes. Did it relieve the worries I had that it was just an uneven mix of Arrested Development irreverence and typical FOX sitcom lameness?

No.

If you haven't caught the new reality series Share the Love, it's probably because you weren't sitting on a Jet Blue flight. The new series, done in partnership with American Express, is being shown exclusively as an in-flight show on DirecTV. Contestants on the show compete in a cross country race to win free air miles. I assume they would use those air miles to fly back? Passengers can cast their votes, which simultaneously makes a contribution to the Boys and Girls Club. Finally, reality TV the way it was meant to be seen: 30,000 feet in the air with a weird kid kicking the back of your seat.