Everyone knows that there is drama between Jon and Kate and the episode following the well-gawked-at season premiere totally blankets over the whole situation. Instead of having Jon and Kate face their demons, the show decided to pretend like nothing happened. The situation between Jon and Kate reminds me of the strain between Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz. TLC decided to go the way of the ailing sitcom and implant celebrity guests. No more paparazzi shots and stress about the relationship; instead we'll get visits from outside forces. Yay for whitewashing.
The guys from American Chopper went to Alaska Thursday night and decided to drop in on Governor and ex-VP candidate Sarah Palin. The four of them sit around talking about snow machines and keeping warm in Alaska and how to ... holy crap, look at the giant bear hide on her couch!! Actually, it looks more like that giant monster pig that kid shot and killed a while back.
At 8, ABC has a new In The Motherhood, followed by a new Samantha Who?
CBS has a new Survivor at 8, then a new CSI and the series premiere of Harper's Island.
NBC has a new Office at 8, then the series premiere of Parks and Recreation, another new Office, a new 30 Rock, and then the series premiere of Southland.
FOX has new episodes of Bones and Hell's Kitchen.
At 9, TLC has a new American Chopper.
Spike has TNA Wrestling at 9.
At 10, A&E has a new episode of The Beast.
Comedy Central has the series premiere of Krod Mandoon and the Flaming Sword of Fire at 10.
At 12:15AM, Cartoon Network has a new Xavier: Renegade Angel.
Regular watchers of American Chopper will look at the picture to the right and immediately ponder the following question: is Paul Sr. giving Paulie Jr. a big hug or a meaty, larynx-crushing choke hold?
I've been notoriously anti-reality TV for a long time, but I gave American Chopper a grace chip when it ran on the Discovery Channel for the first few seasons. It can get just as over-the-top as most reality shows tend to do, but it still had a genuine level to it somewhere in just about every episode, and it offered viewers something more than just grown men fighting. I'm also a pathetic wanna-be gearhead and would watch a custom Buick LaSabre build contest if I thought I could generate an ounce of knowledge from it over my rich, car-building friends.
So imagine my surprise when the New York Post broke the biggest spoiler in the show's history, other than the fact that it is still on the air.
At 8, ABC has a new Ugly Betty, then a new episode of Grey's Anatomy and the series premiere of Life On Mars.
CBS has a new Survivor at 8, followed by the season premiere of CSI and the series premiere of Eleventh Hour.
NBC has a new My Name Is Earl at 8, then the series premiere of Kath & Kim, then a new episode of The Office, then the series premiere of SNL Thursday Weekend Update, and a new ER.
FOX has Game 1 of the National League Championship, the Dodgers vs. the Phillies at 8.
The CW has new episodes of Smallville and Supernatural.
At 8:30, HGTV has a new Myles of Style, followed by a new Rate My Space.
At 9, History Channel has a new Modern Marvels.
TLC has a new American Chopper at 9.
At 10, FX has a new It's Always Sunny..., then the series premiere of Testees.
Food Network has a new Ace of Cakes at 10.
At 10:30, Comedy Central has another new episode of The Sarah Silverman Program.
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.