final season-related stories
Posted Nov 7th 2009 2:01PM by Allison Waldman
Filed under: OpEd, Episode Reviews, Reality-Free

(S08E12) Well, after the past couple of shows -- especially
Monk's reunion with Sharona -- I was imagining that the final season of
Monk was sprinting to the finish line, delivering some final hours that would be up there with the best ever for the series.
Then Adrian went camping. This might be one of the weakest
Monks of all time. The funniest thing was the title, which was where the inspiration began and -- sadly -- ended. Nothing worked. Monk and children? No. Monk in the woods? No. Monk and the grizzly bear? Do you even have to wonder? More after the jump.
Continue reading Review: Monk - Mr. Monk Goes Camping
Posted Aug 8th 2009 1:00AM by Allison Waldman
Filed under: Other Comedy Shows, Episode Reviews, Reality-Free

(S08E01) Somewhere Sherwood Schwartz was smiling if he watched this season premiere of
Monk. Or else he was calling his attorney to sue for copyright infringement. I think it was more likely the former, because the tribute to
The Brady Bunch was sweet. More on that and the rest of Mr. Monk's return -- for his last season -- after the jump.
Continue reading Monk: Mr. Monk's Favorite Show (season premiere)
Posted Jul 2nd 2009 1:00PM by Jonathan Toomey
Filed under: Programming, Lost, Reality-Free
This news is a few days old, but just this morning I found it buried in Ausiello's Twitter feed and I haven't seen it reported anywhere else yet.
The final season of Lost is going to be 18 hours instead of 17, meaning a double episode for the premiere and finale. So figure on an extra 45-ish minutes of head-scratching, "what the hell just happened" moments once January 2010 rolls around.
You may recall that at the end season three, ABC, Damon Lindelof, and Carlton Cuse agreed on the final three seasons of Lost being 16 hours each. But after the WGA strike cut season four back to 14 episodes, those last two hours got dispersed between seasons five and six, bumping them to 17 eps each.
I guess it just goes to show you that even the most well thought out plan can be tweaked, but it makes me wonder ... was this ABC's demand to get a longer season or Lindelof and Cuse's creative decision? I guess we'll know for sure if midway through the season we get "Stranger in a Strange Land, Part 2."
Posted Apr 29th 2008 5:22PM by Jonathan Toomey
Filed under: The Shield, Video, Reality-Free

Remember this scene? It's from the season six finale of The Shield. Mackey is showing Aceveda all the dirt he's got on Cruz Pezuela and the Mexican mob. Seems like forever ago ... and it was. It's been almost a year and we're still waiting for a resolution. FX has been scant with news regarding the seventh season of its trademark show. Supposedly, it's returning in September so that its final thirteen episodes are not competing with the Olympics. It should be coming back sooner if you ask me. I don't really see too much audience intersection between fans of The Shield and fans of floor gymnastics routines.
Continue reading Promo for final season of The Shield - VIDEO
Posted Nov 14th 2007 12:21PM by Jonathan Toomey
Filed under: Video, The Wire

All in the game. HBO has been running these new promos for the fifth and final season of The Wire for about a month or two now. I think I first saw them at the beginning of October. Anyway, they play pretty infrequently and I'm not sure if everyone has seen them. The first is a short promo with no scenes. Just someone typing on a monitor, making general statements about the new season. As you can see from the screenshot above, the more things change, the more they stay the same because it sounds like McNulty is hitting the Jameson again. The second video is a short behind-the-scenes featurette with interviews from David Simon and some cast members. The Wire returns with its final ten episodes on January 6, 2008. Both videos are after the jump.
Continue reading HBO running new promos for The Wire - VIDEO
Posted Oct 25th 2007 11:04PM by Joel Keller
Filed under: OpEd, Scrubs, Episode Reviews

(S07E01) One thing I can say about the season premiere of
Scrubs' seventh and last season: It wasn't as lurchingly awkward as last year's season premiere. Or most of the first half of last season, for that matter. But that doesn't mean it was good.
There were a few laugh-out-loud moments, but most of the jokes fell pretty flat. And none of the flatness had anything to do with the conclusion of last year's cliffhanger, where J.D. and Elliot, trying to escape some big life changes, lie next to each other, and kinda sorta lean in for a kiss...
Continue reading Scrubs: My Own Worst Enemy (season premiere)
Posted Jan 8th 2007 7:02PM by Adam Finley
Filed under: Other Comedy Shows, NBC, TV on DVD, Celebrities
I have to admit, I didn't watch NewsRadio too much when it originally aired. Sure, I'd catch an episode now and again, and always thought the show was very smart and very funny, but it wasn't until recently that I've been able to go back and catch up on the show through repeats. I do recall, however, that after Phil Hartman's death in 1998 I watched the show even less. It was hard to imagine the show without him, and while I like Jon Lovitz just fine, for me the series ended with Hartman's death.
The fifth and final season, which comes out on DVD March 20, begins with the episode "Bill Moves On" in which the team mourns the death of Bill McNeal, the arrogant radio personality portrayed by Hartman. I think many fans consider this the worst season, which is understandable. Still, if you're like me you hate to have any kind of gap in your DVDs, and you'll probably purchase it anyway. The set will retail for $39.95.
Posted Sep 13th 2006 11:32AM by Jonathan Toomey
Filed under: Other Drama Shows, HBO, Premium Cable, Programming, The Wire

Numerous sources are reporting that HBO has decided to give The Wire a fifth and final season. The fourth season, which premiered this past Sunday, was met with great reviews from critics everywhere. However, as most expected, the ratings for the opening episode weren't so hot. No dates have been set for when the fifth season will begin shooting but it is known that the running theme for the season will be how the mass media affects all aspects of the Baltimore streets. Personally, I think this is fantastic news. It's great that HBO recognizes what this show means to the fans and now we'll get a final season to wrap it up properly. Too bad HBO wasn't willing to extend the same courtesy to Deadwood.
Posted Jun 5th 2006 4:02PM by Adam Finley
Filed under: Other Drama Shows, HBO, TV on DVD

The sixth and final season of HBO's prison melodrama
Oz will be out on DVD on September 5, and all I can say is, "it's about damn time." The series aired during my college and post college years when my access to HBO was intermittent at best. Nevertheless, I was able to catch most of the episodes. One very important episode I never saw, however, was the final one. In other words, I've been waiting all this time to find out how the series ended. Attempts to get my hands on that episode proved fruitless, so I finally gave up, assuming they'd eventually have to release it on DVD. I figure I've waited this long to find out what happens, what's another three months? While the show wasn't flawless, I think it was one of the best original series to air on HBO. Or maybe I just like naked guys stabbing each other with screwdrivers. My first step is learning to love that part of myself.