monk-related stories
Posted Apr 17th 2009 11:08AM by Allison Waldman
Filed under: The Office, 30 Rock, Chuck, Reality-Free, The Mentalist, The Big Bang Theory, TV Squad Ten
If we all lived in the box -- you know, the TV box -- life would be a hell of a lot easier. Taxes would be paid with ease. Mortgages would be managed. And even the lowliest job would be more than enough to maintain a respectable lifestyle, one that looks quite comfortable in fact.
Despite the grim economic news we hear every day, the characters on television have been able to survive -- indeed, thrive -- in some of the crappiest jobs in the universe.
An editorial assistant at a fashion mag, like
Ugly Betty, finds a way to keep a Manhattan studio apartment, and commute home to Papi in Queens. Running a gym is a breeze for
Old Christine, because she doesn't really work. And even without an income,
Samantha Who? is never without her Jimmy Choos.
Continue reading TV Squad Ten: Low-paying jobs that apparently pay great on TV
Posted Apr 17th 2009 11:08AM by Allison Waldman
10. Samantha Newly,
Samantha Who? - Real Estate
9. Christine Campbell,
The New Adventures of Old Christine - Gym Manager
8. Jim,
The Office - Salesman
7. Betty Suarez,
Ugly Betty - Editorial Assistant
6. Chuck Bartowski,
Chuck - IT Guy
5. Kenneth Parnell,
30 Rock - Page
4. Gary Barnes,
Gary Unmarried - House Painter
3. Susan Mayer,
Desperate Housewives - Children's Book Author
2. Adrian Monk (
Monk); Shawn Spencer (
Psych); Patrick Jane (
The Mentalist) - Police Consultants
1. Penny,
Big Bang Theory - Cheesecake Factory waitress/aspiring actress
Want to see the pictures or leave a comment? Click here.Posted Apr 1st 2009 2:03PM by Isabelle Carreau
Filed under: 24, Desperate Housewives, Smallville, Grey's Anatomy, Celebrities, Heroes, Chuck, Reaper, Reality-Free, TV Squad Ten
Lead characters are extremely important for TV series, as they are the basis of the shows' storylines. However, to make said lead characters shine and make the storylines interesting, supporting characters must be introduced. Sometimes, those characters have a major impact on a series and even end up becoming leads. Just see how Ben Linus on
Lost was set to appear in a few episodes, but ended up being so helpful to the storyline and loved (or hated) by the fans that he became an integral part of the series and is now a major player on the show.
That compelled me to make a list of new supporting characters who helped make their series better this season. Since my list only has 10 items and because I don't watch all current TV series, I will have missed tons of supporting characters, so feel free to add to the list by commenting below. However, note that I restricted my list to supporting characters that were introduced THIS season. So the Ben Linuses of the TV world are not on the list.
Continue reading TV Squad Ten: New supporting characters who helped make their series better
Posted Mar 27th 2009 3:01PM by Isabelle Carreau
Filed under: Spoilers Anonymous, Reality-Free
This is
Spoilers Anonymous, a weekly column here at
TV Squad where we supply you with the dirt on some of the more popular shows on the air. We'll never put spoilers up here on the main page in order to help the reformed stay unspoiled. If you have anything to add to the group, feel free to step up and let yourself be heard, either with our
tips form or by emailing us at
tvsquad at gmail dot com, or call and leave a message at
(775) 640-8479. Your anonymity is guaranteed, if you wish to remain as such.
This week we have:
90210, Bones, Desperate Housewives, Fringe, Gossip Girl, Grey's Anatomy, Heroes, How I Met Your Mother, House, Lost and Monk. (SPOILERS FOLLOW!)
Continue reading Spoilers Anonymous
Posted Mar 25th 2009 9:05AM by Danny Gallagher
Filed under: Other Comedy Shows, Cable/Satellite, Casting, Reality-Free
The final season of the show that made USA famous for something other than playing non-stop reruns of
Wings is turning into a reunion special. Or should I say a special reunion?
Bitty Schram, the actress who played Sharona, Adrian Monk's original partner in fighting crime on
Monk,
will return for an episode sometime during the show's eighth and final season.
This will mark her first appearance on the comedy-mystery since she mysteriously disappeared from the show halfway through the third season. It should also make for an interesting close to a series that has redefined the way the higher channels on the dial create and produce their own series.
Continue reading Sharona returning to Monk
Posted Feb 20th 2009 4:02PM by Bob Sassone
Filed under: Late Night, Programming, Celebrities, Talk Show, What To Watch Tonight, Reality-Free
At 8, NBC has a new Howie Do It.- FOX has a new Sarah Connor Chronicles at 8, then a new Dollhouse.
- PBS has new episodes of Washington Week, NOW, and Bill Moyers Journal.
- MyNetwork TV has a new Smackdown at 8.
- Cartoon Network has a new Batman: The Brave & The Bold at 8.
- Also at 8: Disney has a new Suite Life on Deck.
- At 9, ABC has a new Supernanny, followed by a new 20/20.
- NBC has a new Friday Night Lights at 9, then a new Dateline.
- The CW has a new 13: Fear Is Real at 9.
- USA has the season finale of Monk at 9, followed by the season finale of Psych.
- Disney has the movie Dadnapped at 9.
- At 10, E! has a new episode of The Soup.
- Sci-Fi has a new Battlestar Galactica at 10.
- Comedy Central has two new episodes of Comedy Central Presents at 10.
- Also at 10: HBO has the season premiere of Real Time with Bill Maher.
Check your
local TV listings for more.
After the jump, the late night talk shows.
Continue reading What's On Tonight: Batman, Monk, Bill Maher, Conan's Last Show
Posted Feb 13th 2009 4:04PM by Bob Sassone
Filed under: Late Night, Programming, Celebrities, Talk Show, What To Watch Tonight, Reality-Free
At 8, ABC has a new Wife Swap, followed by new episodes of Supernanny and 20/20.- CBS has a new Ghost Whisperer at 8, then new episodes of Flashpoint and Numb3rs.
- NBC has a new Howie Do It at 8.
- FOX has a new Sarah Connor Chronicles at 8, followed by the series premiere of Dollhouse.
- There's a new Smackdown! on MyNetwork TV at 8.
- At 9, NBC has a new Friday Night Lights, then a new Dateline.
- The CW has a new 13: Fear Is Real at 9.
- USA has new episodes of Monk and Psych.
- Also at 9: Cartoon Network has two new episodes of Clone Wars.
- At 10, Sci-Fi has a new Battlestar Galactica.
- Comedy Central has two new episodes of Comedy Central Presents at 10.
Check your
local TV listings for more.
After the jump, the late night talk show listings.
Continue reading What's On Tonight: Flashpoint, Friday Night Lights, Fear Is Real
Posted Feb 7th 2009 10:03AM by Allison Waldman
Filed under: Episode Reviews, Reality-Free
(S07E14) "Rodderick Brody changed my life, maybe as much as Trudy." -- Monk
If I didn't know better, I would have taken this episode of
Monk as the drinking game edition because if you took a drink every time someone mentioned the word "swirlie," you were seriously hammered halfway through the show. If that was what you were up to, good for you because you probably didn't care that the last act of the show was a ridiculous plot switch that spoiled an otherwise very good episode. More on the ill-advised plot development after the jump.
By and large, though, there was a lot of good stuff here. The flashback to little Adrian in seventh grade was superb, right down to his tweed jacket and beige shirt and black slacks. A lot of Monk's psychological damage occurred in that junior high school bathroom thanks to the bully in question, Rodderick Brody.
Continue reading Monk: Mr. Monk and the Bully
Posted Feb 6th 2009 4:04PM by Bob Sassone
Filed under: Late Night, Programming, Celebrities, Talk Show, What To Watch Tonight, Reality-Free
At 8, ABC has a new Wife Swap, followed by new episodes of Supernanny and 20/20.- FOX has a new Cops at 8.
- CBS has a new Ghost Whisperer at 8.
- NBC has a new Howie Do It at 8.
- The CW has a new Everybody Hates Chris at 8.
- There's a new Washington Week on PBS at 8, then new episodes of NOW and Bill Moyers Journal.
- MyNetwork TV has a new Smackdown! at 8.
- TCM has Seven Days To Noon at 8, followed by Dr. Strangelove.
- At 9, FOX has a new America's Most Wanted.
- NBC has a new Friday Night Lights at 9.
- USA has new episodes of Monk and Psych.
- The CW has a new 13: Fear Is Real at 9.
- At 10, CBS has a new Numb3rs.
- Sci-Fi has a new Battlestar Galactica at 10.
- Discovery has a new Man vs. Wild at 10.
- E! has a new episode of The Soup at 10.
- Also at 10: Comedy Central has two new episodes of Comedy Central Presents at 10.
Check your
local TV listings for more.
After the jump, the late night talk shows.
Continue reading What's On Tonight: Cops, Howie Do It, Monk, Man Vs. Wild
Posted Jan 31st 2009 12:05PM by Allison Waldman
Filed under: Episode Reviews, Reality-Free
(S07E13) NBC is broadcasting the Super Bowl on Sunday in case you didn't already know that, although I can't imagine how unless you've been living in a cave for the past couple of weeks. The promotion has been across the entire
NBC Universal network.
There have been little football reminders in most of its programming, like the NFL-themed cuisine on Bravo's
Top Chef. This Sunday there'll be an all-day USA Network Super Bowl Promotion including the characters from
Psych, Law and Order: CI, Burn Notice, In Plain Sight, The Starter Wife, and
Monk. Yeah,
Monk.
And yet, probably because of some "rights" thing, this episode of
Monk had to build the mystery at a playoff game around a fictional football team and that made this whole show pretty flimsy.
Continue reading Monk: Mr. Monk Makes the Playoffs
Posted Jan 30th 2009 4:05PM by Bob Sassone
Filed under: Late Night, Programming, Talk Show, What To Watch Tonight, Reality-Free
.jpg)
At 8, ABC has a new Wife Swap, followed by two new episodes of 20/20.- NBC has two new episodes of Howie Do It at 8, then new episodes of Friday Night Lights and Dateline.
- The CW has a new Everybody Hates Chris at 8, then new episodes of The Game and 13: Fear Is Real.
- PBS has a new Washington Week at 8, followed by new episodes of NOW and Bill Moyers Journal.
- MyNetwork TV has a new Smackdown! at 8.
- Food Network has Super Bowl food on the special Big Game Bash at 8.
- Also at 8: Cartoon Network has a new Batman: The Brave and the Bold.
- At 9, USA has a new Monk, then a new Psych.
- Sci-Fi has a new Battlestar Galactica at 9.
- There's a new Clone Wars on Cartoon Network at 9.
- At 10, Comedy Central has two new episodes of Comedy Central Presents at 10.
Check your
local TV listings for more.
After the jump, the late night talk shows.
Continue reading What's On Tonight: Smackdown, Friday Night Lights, Clone Wars
Posted Jan 24th 2009 11:03AM by Allison Waldman
Filed under: Episode Reviews, Reality-Free
(S07E12) "Be a pirate. It's fun to be a pirate." -- Marge to Monk
For a short time in this episode, you saw a glimpse of what Adrian Monk's life might have been when he was happy and with Trudy. A woman came into his life, not a romantic figure, but one who nurtured Adrian, admired him, gave him confidence in himself and gently eased him out of the shell of phobias and obsessions that dictate so many aspects of his life. The woman, Marge, appeared as the lady next door, and in the gifted hands of actress Gena Rowlands, she showed us another kind of Monk. For that reason alone, this was a superb episode.
Because this show is essentially not about the crimes but mostly about Monk, it was overall an emotional and sad hour. What it showed, ultimately, I'm afraid, is that Adrian is still so damaged by his childhood and Trudy's death that he may never find true peace ever again.
Continue reading Monk: Mr. Monk and the Lady Next Door
Posted Jan 23rd 2009 4:05PM by Bob Sassone
Filed under: Late Night, Programming, Celebrities, Talk Show, What To Watch Tonight, Reality-Free
At 8, CBS has a new Ghost Whisperer, then new episodes of Flashpoint and Numb3rs.- NBC has two new episodes of Howie Do It, followed by new episodes of Friday Night Lights and Dateline.
- FOX has new episodes of Are You Smarter Than A Fifth Grader? and Don't Forget The Lyrics.
- The CW has a new Everybody Hates Chris at 8, then new episodes of The Game and 13: Fear Is Real.
- There's a new Washington Week on PBS at 8, then new episodes of NOW and Bill Moyers Journal.
- MyNetwork TV has a new Smackdown! at 8.
- Cartoon Network has a new Batman: The Bold and the Brave at 8.
- At 9, ABC has a new Supernanny, followed by a new 20/20.
- USA has a new Monk at 9, then a new Psych.
- Cartoon Network has a new Clone Wars at 9.
- Discovery has a new Survivorman at 9.
- At 10, Sci-Fi has a new Battlestar Galactica.
- TLC has a new Miss America: Countdown to the Crown at 10.
- Food Network has The Best Thing I Ever Ate at 10.
- Comedy Central has two new episodes of Comedy Central Presents at 10.
- Also at 10: E! has a new episode of The Soup.
Check your
local TV listings for more.
After the jump, the late night talk shows.
Continue reading What's On Tonight: Everybody Hates Chris, Monk, Battlestar Galactica
Posted Jan 17th 2009 2:20PM by Allison Waldman
Filed under: Episode Reviews, Reality-Free
(S07E11) "Come back here. I command you." -- Monk to Natalie
Exactly what is the relationship between Adrian Monk and Natalie Teeger? Boss/employee? Colleagues? Friends? Family? For a nice change of pace, this episode was less about whodunit and why and more, about how Monk and Natalie make whatever it is between them work. It was also a strange show in terms of physical humor, sort of in the
A Fish Called Wanda tradition, where pain equals laughs. For me, a little of that goes a long way.
However, the more important business was Monk and Natalie. She really proved her loyalty, integrity and grit. In an odd way, I think we saw qualities in her that Sharona wouldn't have displayed. I think she would have smacked Monk during this adventure, but more on that and the trip to the hospital and a very good guest turn by Bradley Whitford after the jump.
Continue reading Monk: Mr. Monk on Wheels
Posted Jan 16th 2009 4:05PM by Bob Sassone
Filed under: Late Night, Programming, Celebrities, Talk Show, What To Watch Tonight, Reality-Free
At 8, ABC has a new Wife Swap.- CBS has a new Ghost Whisperer at 8, followed by new episodes of Flashpoint and Numb3rs.
- NBC has two new episodes of Howie Do It at 8, then the season premiere of Friday Night Lights and a new Dateline.
- FOX has new episodes of Are You Smarter Than A Fifth Grader? and Don't Forget The Lyrics.
- The CW has a new Everybody Hates Chris at 8, then a new episode of The Game.
- There's a new Washington Week on PBS at 8, followed by new episodes of NOW and Bill Moyers Journal.
- MyNetwork TV has a new Smackdown! at 8.
- Cartoon Network has a new Batman: The Bold and the Brave at 8.
- At 9, USA has a new Monk, then a new Psych.
- Cartoon Network has a new Clone Wars at 9.
- At 10, ABC has a new 20/20.
- Sci-Fi has the season premiere of Battlestar Galactica at 10.
- TLC has a new Miss America: Countdown to the Crown at 10.
- Also at 10: Comedy Central has two new episodes of Comedy Central Presents.
Check your
local TV listings for more.
After the jump, the late night talk shows.
Continue reading What's On Tonight: Ghost Whisperer, Friday Night Lights, Psych
Next Page >
Seven greatest hand cannons in TV history
TV Squad previews NBC's new shows (part 1)
TV 101: How ESPN controls the world and what the other networks can learn from it
