WHITE COLLAR: There was a very playful tone to the first half of this week’s episode; I love when Peter, Neal and Mozzie have that banter going full force. The back half of the episode seemed a little bogged down in the machinations of the plot. I’m already looking forward to next week’s episode with guest star Joe Mangianello aka TRUE BLOOD’s Alcide. He’s also one of the guys shakin’ his moneymaker in the upcoming male stripper film MAGIC MIKE, along with Matt Bomer and Channing Tatum.
ROYAL PAINS: I’m not happy that Tom Cavanagh’s character Jack had a bad turn of events. I love Cavanagh on the show and though I know his arc is limited, I just like him a lot. I also have to cheer the continuing sweetness that is Evan and Paige; their collective jitters about their impending wedding was adorable without being cloying. ROYAL PAINS manages to be a light, smart show that moves at a quick clip and doesn’t get bogged down in emotion; not easy to do on a continuing basis.
TOUCH: The new show starring Kiefer Sutherland aired a preview last night which was the pilot episode; the show officially premieres March 19. The show was created by Tim Kring, the same writer who created HEROES. While I thought the TOUCH pilot looked beautiful and it was nice to see Sutherland onscreen again, I felt like there were too many similarities to HEROES and not in a good way: the jumping from place to place all over the globe trying to connect disparate characters, the portentious storytelling when it came to Jake’s (Martin’s young son) obsession with 3:18 coupled with Jake not speaking. At TCA, Tim Kring said the theme of interconnectedness is key to TOUCH and though the episodes will be standalone stories, there will be an underlying mythology. After HEROES, I don’t have a lot of confidence in Kring to make all the working parts fit together but I’ll watch more because of Sutherland. Did you like TOUCH? Are you going to watch more when the show premieres in March?
THE FINDER: I watched last week’s episode that had John Francis Daley guest as his BONES character Sweets the psychiatrist. Sweets visited Walter to see if he could sign off on Walter continuing to handle cases. We learned how Walter came to possess his finding skill which had its roots in Walter’s wartime experience. The flashback story was shot in a very stark style which I loved and Geoff Stults is very good as Walter; a guy with numerous eccentricities yet still relatable and human. Stults and Michael Clarke Duncan also have very good buddy chemistry which also helps the show. Finally, the show has a great music supervisor – I think his name is Kevin Edelman (if my Google search is correct); there were many good songs in last week’s episode and I expect they’ll keep doing that, budget permitting. Tune in and check out THE FINDER tonight if you haven’t already.
ON THE DVR: I’ll be catching up on JUSTIFIED and TOP CHEF: TEXAS tonight. I watched half of JUSTIFIED last night and was very happy to see Carla Gugino enlisting Raylan’s help on a case. Then again, I wish KAREN SISCO was still on the air.
PALEYFEST 2012: In case you missed it, here’s the lineup and the link to purchase tickets: http://www.paleycenter.org/paleyfest2012-ticketinfo – all programs will be at the Saban Theatre in Beverly Hills.
3/02/12 Opening Night: American Horror Story (7:00 pm)
3/03/12 Community (7:00 pm)
3/04/12 Once Upon a Time (1:00 pm matinee presentation)
3/05/12 New Girl (7:00 pm)
3/06/12 The Office (7:00 pm)
3/07/12 Sons of Anarchy (7:00 pm)
3/08/12 Bones (7:00pm)
3/09/12 Castle (7:00 pm)
3/10/12 The Vampire Diaries (7:00 pm)
3/11/12 Revenge (1:00 pm matinee presentation)
3/12/12 Two and a Half Men (7:00 pm)
3/13/12 Mad Men (7:00 pm)
3/14/12 Closing Night: Modern Family (7:00 pm)
EARLY HEADS UP FOR SUNDAY 1/29: David Milch’s new series LUCK premieres on HBO. This is a new drama about horse-racing and the people who inhabit that world. HBO aired the pilot back in December but the show’s official premiere is this Sunday 1/29.
TODAY’S SURF WRITTEN WHILE LISTENING TO: “Waltz for Peppy” from THE ARTIST soundtrack by Ludovic Bource: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r4zsGHMvDoA&feature=related
Equally lovely: the main theme from THE ARTIST: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A2CUVBAS0Nk&feature=related
Tonight’s rundown:
ABC: Wipeout (R), Grey’s Anatomy (R), Private Practice (R)
CBS: Big Bang Theory, Rob, Person of Interest (R), The Mentalist (R)
NBC: 30 Rock, Parks and Rec, 30 Rock, Up All Night (R), The Firm
Suze Orman guests on 30 ROCK. Note: there are two new episodes of 30 ROCK airing – one before PARKS AND REC and one after.
Leslie Knope hosts a bowling party to garner support for her campaign on PARKS AND REC.
It was announced yesterday that THE OFFICE will spin off Dwight Schrute into a new show. If I were to choose a character from the show to spin off, it would not be Dwight. He’s best in small doses. What do you think? Do you want to see an OFFICE spinoff?
Fox: American Idol: Galveston, TX auditions, The Finder
THE CW: The Covenant
Bravo: 11pm: Watch What Happens Live: Emmy Rossum and Alan Cumming guest tonight
MTV: 10pm: Jersey Shore
Food Network: 10pm: Fat Chef – series premiere
Chefs try to overcome their personal food addictions with the help of diet and lifestyle professionals.
Showtime: 11pm: Inside Comedy
David Steinberg hosts this series that has him talking to old and young comics about being funny and comedy in general. I saw clips at TCA and loved it so I’m definitely going to watch. Among the many funny people who visit with Steinberg: Mel Brooks, Don Rickles, Jerry Seinfeld, Larry David, Chris Rock, Ellen Degeneres and Tim Conway.
That’s a wrap for now.
