TVSquad

• At 8, ABC has a new FlashForward, followed by new episodes of Grey's Anatomy and Private Practice.
• CBS has a new Survivor, then new episodes of CSI and The Mentalist.
• NBC has a new Community, followed by new episodes of Parks and Recreation, The Office, 30 Rock, and The Jay Leno Show.
• FOX has new episodes of Bones and Fringe.
• The CW has a new Vampire Diaries at 8, then a new Supernatural.
• At 9, Spike has a new TNA Wrestling.
• Cartoon Network has a new Total Drama Action at 9.
• TLC has a new American Chopper at 9.
• Current has a new SuperNews at 9.
• Also at 9: History Channel has two new episodes of WWII in HD.
• At 10, Lifetime has the season finale of Project Runway, followed by the season finale of Models of the Runway.
• FX has a new It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia at 10, then a new episode of The League.
• At 10:30, Current has a new Rotten Tomatoes Show.
• At 3AM, FOX News has a new Red Eye.

Check your local TV listings for more.

After the jump, the late night talk shows.

(S06E10) This week we had a bit of a head-scratcher. I want to like this episode because of how it pushed the corporate end of the story along, and I want to like it because it showed Michael in a bit of a different light than we expected, especially at the end. There were also a couple of laugh-out-loud moments (especially one involving Creed... but, then again, Creed is guaranteed laughs).

But overall, the episode felt tentative. The writers set up the murder mystery part of the episode to offset some of the bad news at DM, but didn't seem to go far enough.

• At 8, ABC has a new FlashForward, followed by new episodes of Grey's Anatomy and Private Practice.
• CBS has a new Survivor, then new episodes of CSI and The Mentalist.
• NBC has new episodes of Community, Parks and Recreation, The Office, 30 Rock, and The Jay Leno Show.
• FOX has a new Bones at 8, followed by a new Fringe.
• The CW has a new Vampire Diaries at 8, then a new Supernatural.
• Current has a new Current Exposed at 8, followed by a new SuperNews.
• TCM has Dial M For Murder at 8, then Rear Window.
• At 9, Comedy Central has a new Jeff Dunham Show.
• TLC has a new American Chopper at 9.
• Spike has a new TNA Wrestling at 9.
• Cartoon Network has a new Total Drama Action at 9.
• TruTV has a new World's Dumbest at 9, followed by two new episodes of It Only Hurts When I Laugh.
• At 10, Lifetime has a new Project Runway.
• There's a new It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia at 10, then a new episode of The League.
• Comedy Central has a new Tosh.0 at 10.
• Also at 10: Bravo has a new Real Housewives of Orange County at 10.

Check your local TV listings for more.

After the jump, the late night talk shows.

Like most National Football League teams, the Kansas City Chiefs spend their free time creating parodies of NBC Thursday night comedies. So far they've done The Office (below) and 30 Rock (after the jump - warning: it plays automatically).

I don't know how funny these are, but they're well produced and cast. Which one do you think is better?

(S06E09) There was so much comedic potential in this week's episode, that I ended up coming away from this one unsatisfied. It played out as essentially two mini-episodes, and while the second one was better than the first, neither was particularly funny.

Michael Scott is always funnier when he produces cringe-worthy moments via his cluelessness. Cruelty just doesn't suit him well, and the only time it really works for him is when he's dressing down Dwight. What I was expecting to see during his and Helaine's double date with Pam and Jim was some blissful obliviousness on Michael's part and seething anger on Pam's part. What we got was a Michael that was about as cruel as he's been to anyone in quite some time.

We've got a new e-mail address for the podcast! If you have any questions or suggestions about the 'cast, please e-mail us at tvsquadpodcast [at] google [dot] com.

This week, actress Linda Purl joins me, Jason Hughes and Kona Gallagher to talk about her guest starring stint as Pam's mom on The Office -- she's on tonight's episode, by the way. She also chats about her long acting career (remember her during the waning days of Happy Days?), her work with the California International Theatre Festival and her current success as a touring lounge singer.

After the interview, which is about 30 minutes, Kona, Jason and and I talk about the following:

• What constitutes a spoiler and what doesn't,
• An "Ask TV Squad" segment on PBS,
• Our picks for the week.

Run time is 56:00.

You can listen to the podcast below, or download from here or by subscribing to our RSS podcast feed. It is also available via iTunes. Feel free to leave us feedback in the comments.

By the way, the music at the beginning and end of the podcast is "Life" by Justin Trawick.

• Syfy has a Legend of the Seeker marathon all night.
• At 8, ABC has a new FlashForward, followed by new episodes of Grey's Anatomy and Private Practice.
• CBS has a new Survivor at 8, then new episodes of CSI and The Mentalist.
• NBC has new episodes of Community, Parks and Recreation, The Office, 30 Rock, and The Jay Leno Show.
• FOX has a new Bones at 8, then a new Fringe.
• The CW has a new Vampire Diaries at 8, followed by new episodes of Supernatural.
• TCM has Fourteen Hours at 9, then High Noon.
• At 9, Comedy Central has a new Jeff Dunham Show.
• TLC has a new American Chopper at 9.
• Bravo has a new Real Housewives of Atlanta at 9, then a new Real Housewives of Orange County.
• Cartoon Network has a new Total Drama Action at 9.
• Also at 9: Food Network has a new Extreme Cuisine with Jeff Corwin.
• At 10, Lifetime has a new Project Runway.
• FX has a new It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia at 10.
• There's a new Tosh.0 on Comedy Central at 10.

Check your local TV listings for more.

After the jump, the late night talk shows.

The candy manufacturers had better watch out, because as Halloween is approaching, TV shows have been coming up with their own candies, inspired by some of the more colorful, interesting characters. Take a look at this list, and see which are treats and which are tricks. And, listen, tell us what kind of candy your favorite TV characters might inspire!

8. How I Met Your Mother - Robin Scherbatsky's Canadian corn
Oh, Canada. Slutty pumpkins aside, Robin had to convince her American friends that Canada not only celebrates Halloween, but Canadian corn is the best Halloween candy ever. That's right, Canadian corn. It's like candy corn, only it's orange on the top and white on the bottom. It also tastes like pancakes because it isn't made with corn syrup; it's made with maple syrup.

If The Real Housewives of Atlanta can record an upbeat party tune, why not (the beautiful and mysterious) Kelly Kapoor and (the pretty) Erin Hannon from The Office? They may fictional characters on a sitcom, but they are just as real as the Housewives. And their debut song, "Male Prima Donna," is a lot more fun than tardiness in regards to the party.

Kapoor and Hannon are the new singing sensation Subtle Sexuality, and "Male Prima Donna" dropped just after midnight this morning. They already have a Web site, a merchandise page with t-shirts, mugs, and tour posters. es, they list several dates in and around the Scranton, PA area and one in Ithaca. If you happen to be in the Dickson City, PA area tonight, you can catch the tour kickoff at Idle Hour Bowling Karaoke.

Rules are meant to be broken... especially for these ten television characters. For them, the rest of the world has one standard to live by and they have another. It makes them interesting and fun to watch... you just wouldn't necessarily want to be the person having to deal with them because they could drive you to distraction. Here's my ten pack of characters who live in a world of their own, according to no rules except their own. From the not-too-bad to the really bad.

10. Patrick Jane, The Mentalist
You would think that as a consultant to the CBI -- California Bureau of Investigation -- Patrick Jane would be compelled to uphold the rules and regulations of the department. However, Jane is a free spirit when it comes to office protocol. He does his own thing. For instance, bugging the office of a CBI higher-up is definitely not kosher. Jane doesn't care; he did it anyway and will probably get away with it.

Since Fringe comes on at the same time as The Office now, I'm a little behind on my Office viewing. But no worries, because the folks at SlashControl are fantastic about getting new episodes on the site shortly after they air. That means even if you missed last week's episode of The Office, "The Lover," and your DVR / TIVO failed to record it for you, you can watch it at SlashControl.

(S06E07) "You know, I really would have appreciated a heads up that you were into dating mothers. I would have introduced you to mine." - Dwight

Ahh, that's more like it. After last week's garbage episode, "Mafia," The Office seems to be back on track by exploring two of the best plots the show has had in quite some time. Jim and Pam's wedding is obviously still the high-water mark, and it will probably continue to be that way for quite some time, but "The Lover" was certainly a step in the right direction.

• At 7:30, FOX has Baseball Playoffs, the Yankees vs. the Angels.
• At 8, ABC has a new FlashForward, followed by new episodes of Grey's Anatomy and Private Practice.
• CBS has a new Survivor at 8, then a new CSI.
• NBC has new episodes of Community, Parks and Recreation, The Office, 30 Rock, and The Jay Leno Show.
• ESPN has College Football at 8, Florida State at North Carolina.
• At 9, Comedy Central has the series premiere of The Jeff Dunham Show.
• MTV has a new Rob Dyrdek's Fantasy Factory at 9, followed by a new Nitro Circus.
• Spike has a new TNA Wrestling at 9.
• Cartoon Network has a new Total Drama Action at 9.
• TLC has a new American Chopper at 9.
• Also at 9: IFC has a new Monty Python: Almost The Truth (The Lawyer's Cut).
• At 10, FX has a new It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia.
• Comedy Central has a new Tosh.0 at 10.
• Bravo has a new Real Housewives of Atlanta at 10.
• Food Network has a new Ace of Cakes at 10.

Check your local TV listings for more.

After the jump, the late night talk shows.

In this age where there seems to be an awards show every three weeks, is the People's Choice Awards relevant anymore (if it ever was)? More than anything else, it seems like an award based only on popularity, which is why you get some really lame nominations and winners every year.

In the Favorite TV Comedy category, Gary Unmarried is nominated along with shows like 30 Rock, The Office, Chuck, and How I Met Your Mother. In the Favorite TV Comedy Actor category, David Spade is nominated.