tenny talks.

the good guest.

 

the good wife is filling its guest star slots rather well this season. so far, we've had the great pleasure of enjoying anika noni rose in a small (but pivotal) part as lawyer turned surprise third state's attorney candidate, wendy scott-carr. a tony award winner, rose first captured my attention and heart in the no. 1 ladies' detective agency as quirky, efficient and utterly adorable mme grace makutsi. scott-carr is a different breed of strong- a woman who knows exactly what she is doing, and executes it with smarts, occasional sweetness but an undercurrent of quiet power. rose brings all those qualities to the surface in a way that leaves us wondering just what she is capable of. here's hoping we see more of her this season.

next up is  michael j. fox, who guests on tonight's episode. he plays a shrewd and cynical attorney suffering from a neurological condition, which he uses to influence the jury in his client's favour. there is talk that he will appear in more than one episode, and from the sounds of it, he could be quite the thorn in lockhart gardner and bond's side.

 

• the good wife airs tuesday nights at 10 pm, on cbs.

temple grandin.

i do wish i had written this post a month ago, but better late than never, i suppose. it's a quick one, only to say that the movie temple grandin is a must see. claire danes delivers such a surprisingly transformative and winning turn as the movie's inspiring protagonist, that i wouldn't at all be surprised if it wins her an emmy. the story and direction are heartwarming like i haven't seen in a while, AND it features one of my most favourite actors (and hollywood's most under celebrated), david strathairn. so much to enjoy in this one- be sure to check it out before it disappears.

• temple grandin airs on hbo canada all this month, check the website for schedule.

monday madness.

just a wee reminder that two of your favourite shows are back for their second seasons tonight: nurse jackie and united states of tara. arguably two of the best new shows from last season, their return has been much hyped with ads almost everywhere you turn. here's hoping they deliver...

• nurse jackie airs on monday nights at 10 pm followed by united states of tara at 10:30 pm, both on tmn.

suck it, nbc.

i actually can't be bothered to comment on nbc and the jay leno show fiasco, that has only somewhat ended, even though i claimed interest in how it would play out. it failed. is anyone surprised? no. does nbc have a mess on its hands? yes. do i miss quality dramas? yes.

on that note, i am to happy to report that one of my favourite new dramas from last year, southland, was picked up by tnt after it got cancelled in the jay leno show drama massacre. tnt will be tinkering with the format, so it may not be the exact show we came to love- but i'm still eager to see. what this all means for canadian viewers, je ne sais pas. hopefully one of the canadian broadcasters will pick it up so we can finally see where things go post last season's cliffhanger finale.

• the jay leno show no longer airs every damned day at 10 pm on nbc.

a salute to sidekicks.

     

a few people have mentioned the noticeable absence of posts of late. honestly? this television season has been a tad lackluster (aside from the fabulously shocking dexter finale). if it hasn't been uninspired writing making me yawn, it's been shows like grey's wrapping for the holidays nearly a month in advance. i mean, come on. thankfully, new shows i thought showed promise (accidentally on purpose, the good wife, cougar town), haven't failed me- all three were picked up for the rest of the season. i realise they're not everyone's favourites, but these shows managed to figure out what works for those tuning in, and have delivered each week, their first season in.

i've decided to toast their success by celebrating the interesting thing they all have in common: fabulous sidekicks. so often these women get the short end of the stick in terms of credit, so i'm making sure to recognize their talent and contribution.

accidentally on purpose features two gal pal costars to jenna elfman's billie. the first, most will recognize as scottish christina from ugly betty. played by ashley jensen, i find that she's somewhat funny, but not quite in that effortless way you'd prefer in a sitcom. that honour goes to sidekick numero dos, lennon parham, who plays billie's sister. her lost in suburbia monotone yet bubbling over with anxious excitement tone renders lines hilarious to the point of rewinding. often a whole episode will be made by something she said and the way she said it. so while elfman delivers, it's parham who brings the comic sensibility i look forward to every week.

on the more dramatic side is archie panjabi who plays toughie kalinda on the good wife. while panjabi's muted english accent drove me crazy at first, i've really come to adore her take on her hard-nosed law firm investigator character. kalinda is cynical and shrewd, intrusive in all the right ways, and fantastic at her job, all while remaining a total enigma (though they have hinted at her liking the ladies on a few occasions...) but it's panjabi's style in playing kalinda that makes this supporting character one that intrigues and serves as the perfect complement to julianna margulies' alicia florrick- making the good wife that much more compelling to watch.

the last on the list, busy philipps, is most known for her sidekick role eons ago on dawson's creek. she annoyed the hell out of me then, but playing laurie keller, courtney cox's young ditzy real estate assistant, she now entertains the hell out of me on cougar town. it's a character that so easily could have gone the way of irritating, but you instead grow to adore laurie's silly antics because you believe how dedicated she is to her best friend jules. this is owed to phillips' ability to strike the balance between silly and sincere, leaving us rooting for her and her bestie (and even plastic face, christa miller, who hilariously makes fun of laurie at every turn).

a hearty congratulations to these three sidekicks. it's a tough job supporting the main player without any of the glory, but each of these women have had a substantial hand in giving their shows an extended life this season. well done, ladies- someone is taking note.

• accidentally on purpose airs monday nights at 8:30 pm on cbs, the good wife airs tuesday nights at 10 pm on cbs, cougar town airs wednesday nights at 9:30 pm on abc.

ms. beals.

oh how i love me some jennifer beals. i can't help but miss her since the l word came to an end, so i'm very happy to catch her guest appearances on fox's lie to me. she plays lying expert dr. cal lightman's attorney ex-wife zoe landau, giving us more of that authority in a pantsuit we've come to adore on her. the show itself is almost interesting enough to watch for an hour, but beals makes her episodes worth my while. so just in case you need the essence of bette porter back in your life- you now know where to find it.

• lie to me airs monday nights at 9 pm on fox.

two more.

two more new shows from last week...

hank - big business dude loses his job and moves his family back to its small town roots. sitcom number two post frasier for kelsey grammer- and it's another dud. basically like watching a less sympathetic frasier in a small town, with kids. i say: no.

• hank airs wednesday nights at 8 pm on abc.

the middle - mother struggles to balance working as a car salesperson with being a wife and mother of three pretty strange kids. patricia heaton's last failed sitcom was with grammer, so it's ironic their new shows air back to back. heaton's fares slightly better. i liken the middle to a similarly named malcolm in the middle- both about loopy but loving families. this show had its moments, though i'm not sold just yet. the best part so far has been the odd duck son brick- really funnily written and even better played by talented little atticus shaffer. if this show finds its groove, it could very well find its audience. i say: try it out if you're home on a wednesday night and see if it takes.

• the middle airs wednesday nights at 8:30 pm on abc.

happy birthday, l&o.

'in the criminal justice system, the people are represented by two separate yet equally important groups- the police who investigate crime, and the district attorneys who prosecute the offenders. these are their stories.'

how i love that intro followed by the unmistakable 'dun-dun.' tonight's season premiere of law & order marks the start of its 20th season. that's right- twenty seasons. that makes it the longest running primetime drama currently on television, and ties it with gunsmoke for longest running primetime drama in american history. no small feat. some say this will be the last season for the show. with a move to friday nights as well as airing at 8 pm (the jay leno show is wreaking havoc on the usual primetime schedule at nbc), they could be right. it's been a memorable 20 years of dramatic storylines, a revolving door of actors and guest stars and a format that has spawned many a franchise- let's hope they celebrate tonight with a classic knockout episode.

• law & order airs friday nights at 8 pm on nbc.

new shows, thus far.

it's fall which means  my pvr is loaded to the brim. returning shows and entirely new ones dominate my free time. i won't bore you with thoughts on shows i already love- for now. instead, my take on new shows i found time to check out this week...

accidentally on purpose - woman dumps her commitment-phobe boss then gets pregnant after a one night stand with a much younger man, and decides to keep the baby. jenna elfman actually made me laugh a bunch in this pilot. the chemistry between her and costar jon foster is palpable and the setup interesting enough to warrant a second viewing. i do wish ashley jensen's olivia was toned down just a bit- her wry style in playing christina on ugly betty is missed. also? not sold on grant show being able to pull off comedy. but...we'll see. i say: check it out if you're a fan of cbs' monday night comedy lineup.

• accidentally on purpose airs monday nights at 8:30 pm on cbs .

the good wife - woman returns to work and readjusts much of her family's life after her powerful state's attorney husband is caught with a hooker and thrown into jail. julianna margulies isn't the most emotive actress around and law & order will always have my vote as most interesting legal drama...but i'm curious to see where this one goes, both in terms of character development as well as layers in storylines. i'll give it a few more episodes and see if it nabs me. i say: worth a viewing if you are free on tuesday nights.

• the good wife airs tuesday nights at 10 pm on cbs.

modern family -  the story of the everyday lives of three untypical families who just happen to be related. has gotten some buzz and a lot of pr push. but honestly? i laughed twice. fine, fine- the ed o'neill family also made me smirk a few times. but there's something about the performances and/or writing that makes the effort to be clever or edgy too obvious to my eye. i could give it another shot next week...but for this genre, i'd rather revisit arrested development or wait for the new season of united states of tara- both do it better. the irony here is that most every reviewer has loved this show. makes me wonder if their screeners had enough episodes to give a better impression than the pilot did. they all say: you'll love it! i say: i'm not sold on why you would- just yet.

• modern family airs wednesday nights at 9 pm on abc.

cougar town - 40 year old recently divorced woman hits the dating scene (or as one reviewer aptly described it: 'friends in 10 years, minus chandler').  this show isn't thaaat bad, but it's another example of how network shows come across as a little try hard while cable gets the subtle nuance of writing that is both out there and believably entertaining. courteney cox does well here, with her crazy energy bringing much to her character, but she could do with dialing it down a smidge at times. i'll definitely give cougar town a few more tries and see where it goes. (i will, however, still cringe at christa miller's face every time i see it- she can barely smile she's had so much work done.) i say: give it a go and see if you like it- it won't be the biggest waste of your time this season.

• cougartown airs wednesday nights at 9:30 pm on abc.

eastwick - basically a tamer the witches of eastwick, on television. so nice to see rebecca romijn back again, with her always underrated pepper dennis costar lindsay price in tow. eastwick though, isn't a big winner. it has its merits such as romijn's ability to deliver and stories that could excite in that cheesy charmed sort of way, if the writing gets just a little less hokey. it does have its drawbacks, one of which is a miscast paul gross as darryl. few can muster jack nicholson's charisma, and gross just sounds ridiculous (and reallllly canadian) trying. that being said, this show and all its mystical mysteries could very well work on the ghost whisperer crowd. so i say: if that's you, check it out. and if it's not, don't bother and rent the flick instead.

• eastwick airs wednesday nights at 10 pm on abc .

an end note: i have to say how much i'm enjoying the actors being cast as the kids on all these new shows and the dialogue that's being written for them. this ain't the days of 80s sitcoms with syrupy sweet innocent children whose biggest moral dilemmas are whether to drink at the school dance or not. oh no, these are kids who are damn witty and miles ahead of their parents, in the best of ways. this is making television incredibly funny and refreshing to watch.

nurse jackie.

unless you've been living under a rock, you've heard a thing or two about nurse jackie, the fabulous new show from the people at showtime. edie falco plays a nurse with her own brand of wonky morals who manages to keep you in her corner no matter what iffy things she does. (fyi: from what i've read, this season will reach new depths with an unravelling of sorts for our robin hood in scrubs.)

falco demonstrated her incredible talent on the sopranos for six seasons, but playing jackie peyton has allowed her to go in a whole new direction, and it's a complete joy to watch. this in part due to a dedicated supporting cast and i wanted to make special mention of one of these supporting players, because she keeps grabbing my attention every week.

merritt wever plays jackie's protégé zoey barkow- a sweet and shy but smart and earnest nurse, desperately trying to get a handle on how things work. all reviews i've read thus far have deservedly praised falco and the show as a whole, but wever's work is also worthy of note. she plays zoey with an original charm and winsome quirkiness, making what could have been a terribly irritating character the underdog you love watching. she's caught this television lover's eye, and i can't help but look forward to seeing her work the rest of this season and beyond.

and if you still haven't seen nurse jackie, take this as your official cue to tune in.

• nurse jackie airs monday nights at 10 pm on the movie network, or you can catch it on TMN on demand.