TVSquad

We Veronica Mars fans take whatever bones the TV world will throw at us. We mourn the loss of the well-written female super-sleuth series, and we've been kicked while we are down with the cancellation of Moonlight, where we at least got to see Jason Dohring every week. Could there be a little love coming for the VM fans?

If you watch Heroes, you could be in for a real treat this fall, when Francis Capra, of Weevil fame, joins the cast alongside former Veronica Mars star Kristen Bell.

We don't know much about Capra's role except that his name is Jesse and he will be evil. Weevil playing evil -- a rhyme I just had to make and a role I'm looking forward to seeing. Even though I don't watch Heroes, I'll tune in to see what Capra's got for us.

So, VM fans, enjoy the reunion of Veronica and Weevil this fall, and try not to let that bothersome Heroes story line get in the way of the VM nostalgia.

Ladies and gentlemen and vampires, the winner of the TV Squad Nuttiest Fans Award 2008 is... Moonlight!

Punches were thrown, names were called, hearts were broken, but the TV Squad team has made its decision. Not only did Moonlight win the Readers Choice, but we decided that the fans of the show are the most scarily hardcore out of the five nominees.

This was a tough decision, with both the fans of Jericho and members of the Colbert Nation putting up a fair fight. All three groups have done considerable work for charity and have made their dedication well-known through various bizarre acts of fan-love. However, the overwhelming excitement for Moonlight has been compared to the likes of the the Beatlemania era. For a show that has lasted only one season, that's pretty darn impressive.

I experienced some of this manic fanaticism first-hand. As I have mentioned before, I attended the Moonlight panel at this year's New York Comic-Con. I spent the majority of the session in the secluded balcony seating, as I was genuinely a little freaked out by the shrieking horde below. Luckily, I had made it up there before the stars of the show, Alex O'Loughlin and Jason Dohring, appeared onstage. My eardrums would have burst otherwise, I swear. However, even that couldn't compare to the intensity of the crowd's reactions during the clips from the show itself. Words cannot describe the shrill, absolute glee that filled the room, especially when Shannyn Sossamon got a chair leg through the chest. It's stuff like this that drives the Moonlight fans crazy:



Fans have also teamed up with Red Cross in organizing dozens of blood drives across the country. Over 3,000 fans promised to donate a pint each in an effort to show their support for a possible Season Two. Even show star O'Loughlin joined in, serving as the official spokesman for the effort, as the drive followed him through various promotional appearances.

What is it about vampire-themed things that make fans extra nutty? Anne Rice's work has had incredible followings, the mediocre Twilight series has an unusually large fanbase and Sesame Street's Count has groupies lined up 'round the block. I guess ladies can't resist broody, pale men and their sharpened canines. If you need some convincing, check out some full episodes at CBS.com and reviews right here on TV Squad.

There were plenty of choices for The Arrested Development Award, a.k.a. The Show Least Deserving of Cancellation Award. Among them, Las Vegas, New Amsterdam, Miss Guided, Aliens in America, and Women's Murder Club.

The Readers Choice Award goes to Moonlight, the vampire-themed crime-drama-romance that amassed an insane amount of fans during its short run. And it still might come back on another network, so we'll keep our collective fingers crossed on that.

The TV Squadders' pick is Journeyman. Here's why:

1. Time-traveling is cool. The idea of time-travel is always intriguing, as evidenced by other shows like Quantum Leap and Sliders. What's cool about Journeyman is that Dan Vasser, played by Kevin McKidd, is just a normal guy who could be any one of us. At first, he hates the time-traveling. It interrupts his life and causes undue stress, both at home and work. But later, when given the opportunity to make it stop, he chooses to keep time-traveling. He knows he's been chosen for a reason, and feels it's his calling to help people right the wrongs of history. Never mind that every episode made me wonder how much of history he changed by leaping into the past. I can only imagine that even the smallest of events might drastically alter the space-time continuum.

Product placement is everywhere, inescapable. According to Dr. Jean Kilbourne, author of Can't Buy My Love: How Advertising Changes the Way We Think and Feel, Americans are exposed to approximately 3000 advertisements every single day. Kilbourne has a compelling video called Killing Us Softly that reveals how insidious advertisements are. Ads tell us that women should be thinner, quieter, nicer, want to have cleaner houses. They tell us that men are boarish, lust after women while drinking cheap beers, and order endless rounds of pizza without ever developing a gut. Advertisements not only tell us what we should buy: They tell us how we should think and feel about things and who we should be.

Unfortunately, the price of our entertainment is advertisements. Even when you go to the movies these days, before you have seen any previews, you have seen six commercials for new phones from Verizon and Sprint; and you have paid handsomely for the privilege. This TV Squad Award is amusing, but it is also a testament to how ubiquitous ads are: They have now found their way into the very scripts of some of our very best shows. The only advantage shows like Lost and Battlestar Galactica have is that they mostly take place anachronistically, so advertising would stand out too ridiculously. However, sadly, other outstanding shows have succumbed. And one of the finest is TV Squad's choice to win this award.

I was honestly surprised by the number of responses we got to the call for nominees for The Brought to You by TV Squad Awards. It turns out that a LOT of people are as irritated by blatant product placement as I am. Hurray! Is this the wave of the future? And if it is, can we get advertisers to eliminate commercials? Because if I have to endure ads tucked within my shows, then I don't want even to have to speed past them with my TiVo. Let's have one or the other, shall we? Because I'd hate to start boycotting Krispy Kreme and Stride gum just because I've been bombarded.

As it turns out, there were four stand-out nominees; I will tell you who they are after the jump, and then you will have a chance to vote for the Reader's Choice winner (which, in this case, is actually an obnoxious loser). But I did want to mention two runners up: 30 Rock gets an honorable mention for its mention of Verizon, but it doesn't quite make the cut because of the humorous way it handles the mention, and the show's ability to poke fun at itself. The other honorable mention goes to Ugly Betty for its hour-long ad for Wicked, but it still didn't quite make the cut.

So, the nominees for the most obnoxious abuse of product placement within their episodes are ...

If we have learned anything, it's that there's a big difference between being a casual viewer and a truly passionate fan. Whether that means spreading the word, doing charity work in the name of the show or just plain being crazy, fans of TV programs have found various ways to show their love. After some intense responses in the call for considerations post and deep deliberation within the TV Squad team, we have boiled down the list of shows with the most dedicated fanbases. Here, we have five of the finest contenders, each of them deserving recognition for their fans' contributions.

Yes, it's obvious that there will be fans angry at the results, regardless of who wins. American Idol fans, form an orderly queue and meet me in the parking lot. But before we have an epic throwdown, read after the jump and vote for the Readers' Choice.

Did your favorite show get canceled? Yeah, mine too. It makes you think twice about investing time into a new show, because you never know how long it'll last. Sometimes even shows with fairly good ratings are sent to the chopping block.

Here at TV Squad, we're doing our part to bring attention to cool shows that were axed in the recent upfront announcements. Last week, I put out a call for considerations for The Arrested Development Award, a.k.a. The Show Least Deserving of Cancellation Award.

You made your opinions known - thank you! - and now we're into Phase 2: The Nominees. The Squad will pick our own winner, but we're giving you the chance to pick a Reader's Choice winner. Here are the nominees, and be sure to vote in the poll at the bottom.

Last summer, I was reviewing an-hour long commercial for Visa for TV Squad. It was slightly more interesting than an infomercial, though. There was this guy named Johnny Smith who could see the future or the past when he touched people, and he always made sure to use his Visa card in sticky situations that would arise from this ability. Oh wait... What's that you say? That wasn't a commercial? That was an actual show? Then why did Johnny Smith make such a big deal of showing off his Visa card REPEATEDLY?

Oh, product placement. We love you so. It's not enough that we all got Tivos so we didn't have to watch the commercials that interrupt our favorite shows. Oh no. The sneaky advertisers don't need us to watch the commercials at all anymore. They just stick their products into the shows and let the actors use them. TV Squad. Simple. Inescapable, unless you plan to give up television entirely (and I don't.).

Of course, some products are necessary. Most people eat or drink something during the day, and it would be weird in today's world if television characters didn't have cell phones. TV Squad. But it's a little distracting when you are in the middle of watching a riveting episode of Moonlight, and you are distracted because Hey! There's a picture of Mick on Beth's iPhone! I wish I had an iPhone. Mick has an iPhone too! I wonder who programmed their pictures into the phones -- was it the actors, or some props person? Do you think the actors get to keep those iPhones? Oh wait, somebody just got killed.

So, in honor (not!) of the blatant use of product placement in our favorite shows (those darn Oceanic 815 survivors and their Dharma mayonnaise!), we bring to you The Brought to You by TV Squad Award. What are your nominees for the show who should receive this award, and what product are they pimping? Please nominate your favorites in the comments.

The TV Squad Awards are in full swing, and I have the pleasure of moderating The Arrested Development Award, a.k.a. The Show Least Deserving of Cancellation Award.

Since we're focusing on shows from the 2007-2008 season, that lets out a few contenders, like Veronica Mars , Firefly, and the award's namesake, Arrested Development. But there are plenty of recent shows deserving of the honor. Five that made my list:

1. Journeyman (NBC). This time-shift puzzle starring Kevin McKidd as deer-in-the-headlights Dan Vasser took a while to hook me, but by mid-season, I was there. I love shows that make you think, and although this one developed a formula (Dan saving someone who would later go on to change history), the logistics always had you scratching your head. I was sad to see it absent from NBC's Fall 08 schedule.

(S01E16) "Leeroy Jenkins!!!!"-- Logan Griffen

I deliberately chose a humorous quote to help us say farewell to Moonlight, rather than a more somber one. But other quotes in the running were: "Can my code name be Lando Calrissian?" and "It's going to be a freaking vampire apocalypse." It is not a spoiler but a fact that CBS decided earlier this week not to pick up Moonlight for a second season. The fat lady hasn't finished quite singing yet, though: Our own Brett Love reported that Nikke Fink thinks the CW might pick up the show after all. So, keep your eyes pealed for that possible announcement.

In the meantime, however, we have the season (and, thus far, series) finale to contend with. I don't know whether the writers suspected that the series would be ending, but surely they knew (along with everyone else) that the show was on the bubble. So, they ended the season in a manner that would provide some closure for us all, while also keeping things open in case it was continued. I, for one, appreciate that.

This is it, Moonlight fans. Vampires might be immortal, but this cult favorite is not. Today, sources at CBS have confirmed (though this is "not truly official" yet): The bubble has been popped, and the network has decided not to renew the series for a second season. You can't say the fans haven't tried to save this show, hosting nationwide blood drives and showering the network with garlic cloves. But according to The Hollywood Reporter, the show couldn't sustain viewers after Ghost Whisperer on Friday nights. Rabid, repeat viewings by diehard fans don't really count as multiple viewers, I guess.

This will cast a pall at this month's Moonlight Convention, I'll bet.

Last week, it was Men in Trees. Now the end has officially come for another ABC drama series. ABC has confirmed that October Road is over. The long and winding road is no more, so to speak. ABC has no room in the fall lineup, apparently, and a plan to move October Road and Men in Trees to Lifetime never panned out. So all the die-hard fans who've been writing the network and crafting petitions can give it up. No amount of peanuts or blood drives -- oh, wait, that was Jericho and Moonlight. The Roadies had a different tack; buy the DVD, donate it to a library to get more people watching and writing to ABC. Despite the sincere efforts, the network still chose to end the road and move on to a newer, different show.

(S01E15) "What do you think of Elliot for a boy?" Beth to Mick about their imaginary future children, kidding.

This was a great episode, with a twist! But the twist can wait until after the jump. One of the most interesting things about this episode was how Mick's longing to be human (with Josef hilariously teasing him about blood oranges and how confusing that must be) was the bread at the beginning at the end that sandwiched the rest of the episode. His longing has always been there, but it has become more pronounced in some ways because of his short stint as a human, and also because of certain revelations from this episode.

We also got to find out Josef's one regret about being a vampire, which I don't think he admits to very often. But first things first: There is a little boy missing, and Mick is going to find him.

• At 8, ABC has the special TV's All-Time Funniest, then a new 20/20.
• CBS has a new Ghost Whisperer at 8, followed by new episodes of Moonlight and Numb3rs.
• The CW has a new Smackdown! at 8.
• PBS has a new Washington Week at 8, then new episodes of NOW and Bill Moyers Journal.
• A trio of end-of-the-world flicks on TCM starting at 8: Five, The World, The Flesh and the Devil, and On The Beach.
• Also at 8: Sci-Fi has two new episodes of The Sarah Jane Adventures, followed by new episodes of Doctor Who and Battlestar Galactica.
• At 9, NBC has a new, two hour Dateline.
• There's a new Man vs. Wild on Discovery at 9.
• VH-1 has a new Best Week Ever at 9.

Check your local TV listings for more.

(S01E14) "Then you know how I'm going to handle this." Josef to Beth about Dean Foster

Things are really starting to heat up in important ways. I know that a lot of fans thought last week's episode was phenomenal, especially because of the scene between Josef and Mick, but this episode was even better. There are two reasons for this: First, that the plot really worked, moved quickly, created suspense, and second that the plot actually had ramifications for Mick's future (and Beth's, and their possible future together). That's called synergy, and I like it.

Let's also talk about what was better this week: Jason Dohring wasn't stiff at all. He was both funny and dangerous, just exactly what he needs to be. Eric Winter was also better, pensive, and not such a prick. But everybody looks stupid with those bluetooth earpieces. Why can't all actors wear the wired earpiece like Jason Bourne? I am just not even going to comment on Beth's wig apart from saying that I suppose I am just going to have to live with it. I am going to be Switzerland about the wig.