Exactly what I suggested. Well done.

Well, all I have to say is next week on The Office, they're merging the Scranton and Stamford branches, which means Pam and Jim will be back in the same office! (Pay no attention to the slutty sales rep behind the curtain.) And Variety reported today that NBC has officially signed Studio 60 for a full year. Clearly the writers, producers and executives of these two brilliant shows have been reading my blog and checking my away messages, which obviously helped them make these decisions, since they're doing exactly what I suggested.
(wink, wink. nudge, nudge. Hehe. Wouldn't it be nice if that's how it worked?!)

Quality TV wins again!!

(Oh, and on a side note -- the house and the senate and... wait for it... Rummy's gone! Which I know has nothing to do with quality TV, but I have to say I'm thrilled.)

TV rundown: Confessions of an obsessed fan

I'm getting pretty excited for November sweeps (insert teasing here about how TV is my life). I was really bummed last week that TV was full of reruns, and not having Studio 60 this Monday started this week off with disappointment as well. (Not to mention outrage at the Fox News article about Studio 60's possible demise... see last blog entry.) I proceeded to be disappointed Tuesday when I tuned in to Gilmore Girls only to see Rory re-opening that rocket from Logan. Reruns! Curses! But the rest of my shows came through. I decided to write a little something about a few of my favorite TV moments from this week.

Very briefly, I'd like to say that I can't believe I haven't been watching Veronica Mars all this time. I just started watching it this season, and I love it! It's cute and very clever. But where has Piz been lately? Hopefully they're saving him for sweeps week.

I'm so glad Fox is back to its regular programming. That means House is back! This week's episode was as good as ever. And House is as bitter as ever! Gotta love it. I can't believe he got arrested. Actually, what I can't believe is that we hadn't ever seen him arrested before. How great was it when Cuddy checked the pregnancy test at the end? Every week I laugh so hard when House cracks jokes about such-and-such not being "good for baby" - but I think everyone secretly wondered if she really was pregnant. That was a great moment. Speaking of Fox programming, I know I'm probably the only person in the world who watches it, but I'm glad Standoff is back too. This week's episode was surprisingly touching. (And a little gross, with that blood spilling all over the floor.) I just hope it doesn't get cancelled.

Again on Fox, Wednesday night's Bones did not disappoint. I liked the storyline this week - pagent stage moms always make for an exciting murder mystery. I didn't expect the killer to be one of the girls. Tap shoes, eh?... I always thought they'd make for a pretty good weapon. In this hopeless romantic's opinion, the best parts of this week's episode were the date Angela and Hodges went on and the scene between Booth and Bones at the end. I'm relieved that whatever's going on between Booth and Cam is over. But I'll admit it - the Booth/Bones relationship is the reason I watch. So let's move on.

I'm getting a little tired of The Nine. It's one of those shows I DVR or watch every week, but then once the next week comes I can't remember what happened. I really liked the premise when the show started, but I've been losing interest. I think they're dragging it out a little too much. I love the girl from 24, and I think all the acting is great. I'm still curious about what happened in those missing 52 hours, so I guess that's a good sign, but every week the show ends leaving me dissatisfied with what they revealed - or, more importantly, didn't reveal. Hopefully November sweeps will provide some impetus for revelation - or at least a little excitement.

Anyway, let's move on to the best night of TV - Thursday! I still haven't started watching Ugly Betty, but I DVRed it this week. Everyone keeps telling me to watch it. So my opinion on that is forthcoming.

The Office! Oh how I love thee. This week's episode was jam-packed with stuff to process. The episode was written by the girl who plays Kelly. Which makes Michael's impression of Kelly that much more hilarious. (Is there anyone who doesn't sit there thinking, "AHH! Kelly, SHUT UP." That character just grates on your nerves. So Michael's impression had me in hysterics.) I have a love/hate relationship with Michael Scott. (I had a dream about him the other night... I think maybe that's a sign you're watching too much of The Office.) We all knew a Dwali celebration would be perfect fodder for Michael's insensitivity, and he didn't disappoint. And yet when that episode ended, I felt so bad for him. Proposing to Carol in front of all those people was classic Michael Scott behavior... as was being surprised when she said no. And - ew - then he tried to kiss Pam!! But admit it, that wasn't unexpected. (Neither was Pam's deadpan response.) I'll just never cease to be amazed by these writers and how well they know the characters. I'm sick of reading reviews where people say they're warming up to that other girl Jim's working with (I refuse to even remember her name). Is there anyone else out there who wants Jim and Pam to be reunited?! Come on, people. I almost died when Pam texted Jim this week. (And very nearly had a heart attack when he was passed out on his desk and didn't answer.) Is it just me, or did you carefully inspect the TV for the rest of the half hour to see if Jim was anywhere near his phone -- and wait impatiently, hoping he'd text her back at the end? Also, I thought it might just be my insanity - I freely admit I'm obsessed with Pam and Jim - that made me wonder whether these two are always sending texts back and forth, until I read EW online and the writer also mentioned wondering that. (Yes! I'm not the only obsessed one!) I heard that next week the Scranton branch is closing, which I knew was going to happen because that's what happened on the British version. This leaves me with great hope that Pam and Jim will be reunited once again during sweeps. Even if you're not a fan, cross your fingers - if only to maintain the sanity of your friend Lisa.

Last but not least, Grey's Anatomy. How great was the Bailey/Cristina/Burke storyline this week? Maybe it's because for so long Bailey was portrayed as such a hard-ass, but there's something about seeing her insecurities that's very satisfying to me -- and manages to conjure up huge amounts of sympathy, too. Actually, maybe that's it... Cristina and Burke are portrayed the same way as Bailey. So I guess it's the parallels between the three of them - there's just something about seeing each of their raw motives and blatent insecurity. And I don't think the storyline is over, either... because by the looks Burke and Bailey both gave Cristina at the end of the episode, there's definitely more to come. (It's not just me, right? Bailey definitely figured out Cristina's the one who erased her name.) I feel so bad for George - and I thought the "are you the chicken or the pig? the ham or the eggs?" line was totally cute. When he called Callie a pig - that was classic George. Speaking of classic George, how great was the scene in the elevator when George said he'd be Meredith's Cristina if she'd be his Izzie? And who wasn't cheering for Izzie when she figured out the girl with the burn on her hand did it on purpose? Sorry Meredith, but your smugness is not McCharming. Speaking of, I think the best line of the episode was when Izzie said, "McDreamy's McSister is McBitchy!" I love that the McDreamy nickname has spiralled into a whole "thing"... McSteamy, McVet, etc. It's cute, and for some reason it never gets old. Seriously.

Okay, I guess that's it for my TV rundown. Of course those weren't the only shows I watched, but those are the noteworthy ones of the week. If you even bothered to read any of this, you may now go back to your regularly scheduled programming. (It's Saturday afternoon, so there's not much on TV... except lots o' pop culture goodness on VH1... otherwise I suggest going outside. At least till Sunday night rolls around. Then Desperate Housewives and Brothers and Sisters will be set to record on my DVR...)

Requiem

I just wanted to offer a requiem for Studio 60 as it goes the way of most of the rest of Aaron Sorkin's work. I'm sick of listening to people bitch about how it's too autobiographical and muttering about Sorkin's self-importance and megalomania. (Hello people, he's a writer/producer. And a good one, at that. What do you expect?) Granted, I'm slightly biased - I happen to be one of the biggest Sports Night fans you'll ever find. (For those of you who haven't had the pleasure, Sports Night is a brilliant 30-minute comedy Sorkin wrote in the late '90s that only survived two seasons. Dear smart people: get it from Netflix. You'll thank me.) But regardless, I love Sorkin's quick, witty dialogue - and I think he's a fricking genius.

I've read all the articles; I hear the complaints. "Why should we CARE about yuppie television writers on a Saturday Night Live- type show? It's a bad premise." I disagree. Why should we CARE about people who work in an office in Scranton, PA? Why should we CARE about fictitious people stranded on a fictitious desert island? Why should we CARE about doctors in love in a hospital? I mean, really? Is that the argument we're going to use? Why should we CARE about a group of friends who live in apartments? Why should we CARE about bizarre friends who live in New York City and talk about nothing? It doesn't matter why. Good shows are good shows, yuppies or not.

I'll concede that last week's episode was a little in-your-face with its point. (We GET it. The Hollywood Ten. We know. The history of the network. Great. Afghanistan. Okay. Moving on.) But as far as writing, pacing, and story arc, you can't deny it was a lovely work of craftsmanship. Plus, come on - these kinds of topics are smart. (Although, as I'll get to in the next paragraph, that's clearly the problem.) And if you're watching this show and not chuckling at or at least appreciating the dialogue, you're not paying close enough attention. Or you don't get the references. (In which case, your friendship with me is on the rocks.)

And here we are at the problem.

The rumors and articles say NBC is planning to replace Studio 60, as well as most of its shows in the 8-9 timeslot, with game shows and reality TV. Shoot me now. Seriously. We're canning smart, funny dialogue and complex characters for mindless game shows and people eating bugs?? Really?! I don't understand why people watch "Deal or No Deal," except possibly to witness Howie Mandel's obsessive-compulsive behavior first-hand. Besides that, it's a game that doesn't even require any skill! (At least on American Idol they have to sing something and on Millionaire they have to answer questions.) I've never understood it, and it's breaking my heart that those kinds of shows are getting the ratings at the expense of quality TV.

Speaking of quality TV - as I learned in Bob Thompson's quality TV class, the highest quality shows always take a long time to gain a fan base. "Long time," as in, years. Some of the best shows in television's history never would have made it past a season if the producers and network executives were trigger-happy and hadn't given them a chance despite dwindling ratings. (Steven Bochco, where are you?! Please go talk to someone at NBC.) But today quality doesn't matter. Game shows and bug eaters (much to my chagrin and utter disgust) are getting the ratings -- and thus are getting the highest ad revenue. Which is what it ultimately comes down to.

All I know is, the people participating in the Nielsen ratings are a bunch of idiots. And extremely infuriating.

The fact that Studio 60 (a show about bringing a network back from the depths of crappiness) is getting cancelled just says it all. Especially with SNL in its abysmal state. (I'm not getting the humor on there at all anymore. Seriously, I haven't laughed once. Oh Will Ferrell, where art thou?) Maybe Aaron Sorkin should take over NBC instead of writing a TV show about it.

In an episode a few weeks ago, Jordan (the producer on Studio 60, played by Amanda Peet) chose to buy quality programming over a crappy reality tv show. Sorry, Sorkin - wishful thinking.

NO DEAL. Ugh.

Brief thoughts

1) Pat Buchanan is hateful and ignorant.
2) Katie Couric should reconsider her line of work, and CBS should reconsider its choice of Evening News anchor. (Unless the network is trying to end the legacy of evening news altogether, which I think is a pretty good idea since I don't know anyone in my generation who actually watches it.)
3) 7th Heaven, which really shouldn't be back on the air at all, is going to drive the new CW into the ground.
4) I'm in love with Jon Stewart and the guy who plays "Jim" on The Office.

The end of an era

I can't help but wax nostalgic tonight as the WB signs off forever. Sure, I know, it's a pathetic network for lovesick teen girls. And yes, I know, most of the programming now lives on the new CW, the WB/UPN conglomerate merger offspring. It's not like all the shows are gone forever. But tonight as the WB aired old pilot episodes of Dawson's Creek, Buffy, Angel and... yes, as you know, my favorite... Felicity in a final-night attempt to pay tribute, I wonder what will happen to the WB part of me I hold so dear.

Somehow this helped the WB's final farewell feel like my final foray into adulthood. Those of us who WERE pathetic tv-addicted teenage girls watching the WB saw Felicity, Joey and Buffy as our peers. They were each a more glamorous, stronger, wiser, incredibly more eloquent version of ourselves. They weren't our role models. They were more like rose-colored mirrors. But the WB's signoff means Buffy, Joey and Felicity are going forever into the annals of TV history with Donna Martin, Jessie Spano and Natalie from the Facts of Life. What makes the WB girls different is their shows aren't just gone -- their entire network is too.

I don't know why this makes me so sad. Believe me, it's not the little frog with the top hat that I'll miss. He was actually kind of obnoxious. And hey, I used to make fun of the WB with the best of 'em. It's not even like I have a huge attachment to shows that are being transferred to CW (except Gilmore Girls and Top Model).

I guess it just feels like the end of an era. Do teen girls these days even have peers on TV like Felicity, Buffy and Joey? Where in the world of television are the lovesick teen girls who are maneuvering through the complications of college, seriously maiming a crapload of vampires or dealing with heavy issues like AIDS and... prom dates... from a front porch in Capeside? (Okay, maybe that last one doesn't sound so meritorious, but you get what I mean.) Today's teens are watching, what, Laguna Beach? The O.C.?

There was something about the girls on the WB that made you feel like you didn't have to take off your clothes or lose all your brains to be a successful, much-adored, well-adjusted teenage girl.

And again, there's something about the WB girls that's part of me now. It sounds really pathetic, I know, I know. But it feels like now that my girls are gone forever, my girlhood is too. And to that, most people would say, "Helloooooo Lisa. Welcome to reality." Well hello reality. The WB is gone. Let's just hope that the spirits of Felicity, Joey and Buffy - yes, as whiny as they were and as much as some of you hated them - don't die forever along with the network that reared them. Cuz I'll tell ya one thing - some of those teenage girls today could stand to take a few lessons from the WB girls I knew and loved.