NIKITA: The second episode screened at last night’s CW Fall Preview at the Paley Center and it’s another strong episode in which we learn a few more bits of backstory about Nikita and Alex. I like Aaron Stanford as a tech wizard working with Division. And Shane West continues to impress in his most adult role to date. Maggie Q continues to show real star quality in the title role too.
IT’S ALWAYS SUNNY IN PHILADELPHIA: Tonight’s premiere episode is “Mac Fights Gay Marriage.” Why say more? Just watch this relentlessly funny show; it’s some of the best warped comedy on TV at the moment. I can’t wait to find out how they get Dee pregnant.
THE LEAGUE: This show quickly became a favorite of mine last season even though a) I don’t watch football and b) I don’t belong to a fantasy football league. It’s a great ensemble of actors and the show is loosely scripted and has a good amount of improvisation from the gifted actors. Look for the guys to be starting the new season and doing their draft picks in Vegas. There’s also a special sports guest star but I don’t want to spoil anything for you so I’ll stay mum about that and let you watch and enjoy.
TOP CHEF FINALE: I can sum it up in two words: BOOOOOOOOO! Ridiculous! After last night’s winner was announced, all I could think is that the producers are purposely trying to screw with us and it’s so wrong. I call bulls**t!
CLICKER.COM & THE THURSDAY NIGHT TV BATTLE: As of next Thursday, the 8pm timeslot is a battle royale of audience favorites: THE BIG BANG THEORY, COMMUNITY (ok, it’s one of MY favorites), BONES, THE VAMPIRE DIARIES and the new ABC drama MY GENERATION. That’s a lot of good TV in the same timeslot. If, like most TV fans, you’re trying to figure out a way to watch all the shows you want to see without going crazy or buying more DVRs, check out www.clicker.com. Take a few minutes to register with Clicker (it’s fast, easy and very user-friendly) and it’ll complement your TV viewing by letting you see what’s available online, on iTunes, and anywhere else you can find your favorite shows. So when a particular timeslot becomes a problem – such as Thursdays at 8pm – Clicker will let you know what you can find online and what you can’t. This issue came up for me last season; Warner Bros. TV does not put most of their shows online and they produce a whopping number of shows. BIG BANG THEORY is not online at CBS.com or anywhere else as far as I know. I’m a big VAMPIRE DIARIES fan and episodes can be found on The CW website but it’s usually a few days after the episode airs. Most of all, I’m a huge fan of COMMUNITY and as it’s the little train that could this season, I want to support it because it’s a comedy that deserves to have a much larger audience so I’m going to watch it live every week. And no, I’m not a Nielsen household but I want to show support for the show and watch it when it airs. It’s not that I don’t love BIG BANG THEORY; I think the show is very funny and I was happy to see Jim Parsons win the Emmy for his performance, but the show already has a huge audience and COMMUNITY is a show that deserves to grow and prosper. I always want more great comedy rather than less, don’t you?
TNT RENEWALS: HAWTHORNE and MEMPHIS BEAT have both been picked up for another season. I don’t watch either but I guess there’s enough of an audience for both to warrant pickups.
EARLY HEADS UP FOR FRIDAY NIGHT: REAL TIME WITH BILL MAHER returns at 10pm on HBO with guests Michael Moore, Jon Hamm, Martha Raddatz, Mark McKinnon and Robert Reich.
TODAY’S SURF WRITTEN WHILE LISTENING TO: Bettye LaVette’s cover of the Paul McCartney classic (at least I think it is) “Maybe I’m Amazed” and owning it:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J6xI4jVD7PU&feature=related
Tonight’s rundown: Latenight notes: Bill Clinton is Jon Stewart’s guest on THE DAILY SHOW tonight, Christiane Amanpour is Stephen Colbert’s guest on THE COLBERT REPORT.
ABC: 8:00 p.m. Wipeout (R) 9:00 p.m. Grey’s Anatomy (R) 10:00 p.m. Grey’s Anatomy (R)
CBS: 8:00 p.m. The Big Bang Theory (R, new time period) 8:30 p.m. The Big Bang Theory (R) 9:00 p.m. The Big Bang Theory (R) 9:30 p.m. The Big Bang Theory (R) 10:00 p.m. The Mentalist (R)
NBC: 8:00 p.m. The Office (R) 8:30 p.m. The Office (R) 9:00 p.m. The Apprentice (season premiere, two hours)
FOX: 8:00 p.m. Fringe – both parts of the last season’s finale are repeating tonight.
THE CW: 8:00 p.m. The Vampire Diaries 9:00 p.m. Nikita
Bravo: 9pm: Real Housewives of DC, 10pm: Watch What Happens Live
FX: 10pm: It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia season premiere, 1030pm: The League season premiere
Lifetime: 9pm: Project Runway, 1030pm: On the Road with Austin & Santino
MAD MEN’s January Jones is the guest judge on RUNWAY tonight.
MTV: 10pm: Jersey Shore
USA: 11pm: Covert Affairs season finale repeats if you missed it Tuesday night.
That’s a wrap for now.
