My Favorite Arrested Development Episode*

So Meredith and I are big Arrested Development fans on this blog.  After watching a few episodes this weekend I’ve come to the conclusion that the “Let ‘Em Eat Cake” which is the season finale of the first season might be my favorite episode–or at least one of my favorites.  After the jump, you’ll see why. 

Daily Crush

This guy plays a teacher in one of the best new shows on tv, Glee.  If you haven’t seen it, you should.  It’s a cross between Freaks and Geeks and High School Musical–but funnier.  Unfortunately, Fox isn’t airing the rest of the season until the fall in a new marketing effort in which they hope that by waiting four months, it will build anticipation in the audience. Well, it worked for me.  I’m STOKED for Glee and you should too.  Watch the pilot here.

So…Now, What?

Wednesday was the Lost season finale.  It ended on not one, but TWO cliffhangers that we’ll have to wait 9 months for in order to see the resolution.  Nine months? Great, what am I supposed to do with myself for nine freakin’ months?! There’s only one answer: get pregnant.

[boom]

Classic

So it turns out I watched a lot of TV when I was younger

My friend Liz was awesome enough to introduce me to this video “clip”.  It’s more like a power hour of all the shows that were played as I grew up.  It’s been around since 2006 so I’m sure most have seen this, but who doesn’t love a bit of nostalgia?

My favorites?

1. David the Gnome
2. Doogie Howser MD
3. Darkwing Duck (When I was 6 I walked around the house saying “Farkwing F*ck” until my mom made me stop.  I had no idea it was a bad word.  Oops.)
4. Family Matters (and all of TGIF for that matter)
5. Hey Dude
6. Heathcliff
7. The Muppet Show
8. Inspector Gadget
9. The Adventures of Pete and Pete (Ok, I never watched it, but I loved the intro song)
10. Smurfs
11. Rugrats
12. Perfect Strangers
13. Reading Rainbow
14. Adventures with Gummy Bears
15. Clarissa Explains it All (My roommates and I looked up Sam…not as dreamy as the 8 year olds us remember)
16. Beetlejuice
17. Double Dare (I wanted that Huffy bike like nobody’s business)
18. Planet Earth
19. Wonder Years (I actually cried when this show ended)
20. Legends of the Hidden Temple (aka. “Where Lost got their inspiration for the creepy tomb”–Seth)
21. My Little Pony
22. Mork and Mindy
23. Saved by the Bell (duh)
24. Dinosaurs
25. Bill Nye the Science Guy
26. Animaniacs/Pinky and the Brain (I bought this for my brother for Christmas last year.  It’s not nearly as funny as it is when you’re 10)
27. Alf
28. Fraggle Rock
29. Salute Your Shorts (best intro song EVER.  “Now get it right or pay the price!”)
30. Tale Spin
31. Fresh Prince
32. Chip and Dale: Rescue Rangers
33. Duck Tales
34. Muppet Babies
35. Lambchop’s Singalong (the worst outro song EVER

Shows not listed (and absolutely should be since these are the BEST):

1. Square One/Mathnet
2. Ghostwriter
3. Where in the World is Carmen San Diego?
4. Doug
5. Wishbone
6. Arthur
7. Step by Step

Um, yeah.  So I think I just recounted all the shows ever made.  Seriously, how in the world did I watch this much tv?  Did I miss any?  Is that possible?

Watch This Now: “Life”

So I like TV.  As I’ve mentioned before (and will again) there are some good shows out there. Like, ACTUALLY good and not just entertaining.  One, in particular, is “Life” on NBC.  Although it’s billed as a detective show, it’s more than that.  Sure, it’s based on a cop, but it’s not just a typical procedural with quirky characters where almost the same thing happens each week (see:  “Bones”, “NCIS”, “CSI”, etc.).  If you know me, you know I love a good procedural show and can waste weekends watching marathons of “Law and Order: SVU”, but seriously, “Life” is different and better.  Gina Bellafonte from The New York Times summarizes the premise nicely:

Charlie has come upon all of his money through a lawsuit leveled against the evil forces who sent him to life in prison for a murder he did not commit during the first chapter of his career as a police officer. The narrative structure of the show is incredibly satisfying: During each hour a crime is committed and solved, as Charlie’s search for who might have framed him provides the overriding arch, satisfying our short attention spans and taste for long-form narrative at once.

What makes “Life” different from the other detective shows is that the writing and acting are impecable.  The story is original, well thought-out and well executed by the actors.  It’s a show that builds solid supporting characters to the lead and you forget that these people are characters not real.  You become invested in the show, which is a reason that I don’t just like the show, but I respect it.  If you’ve seen “West Wing”, “The Wire” or “Friday Night Lights”, you know what I mean.

Anyway, I love this show.  The season finale aired tonight and if it doesn’t come back, I’ll be pretty sad, but honestly, what else is NBC going to air?  More Leno?  They should just promote the shit out of the good shows that they have already.  They kept “Friday Night Lights” (which I’ll post about on Friday) so I have hope.

Seriously, watch this show. It will be worth your time.  I’ll even include the link to Hulu (I’m soooo nice.)

Watch LIFE

My Boys: A Show About Guy Friends or Just Friends?

The Crew (Mike, Bobby, Brandon, Andy and Kenny)

So I am obsessed with some odd TV shows. On one hand I love critically acclaimed shows like Arrested Development and West Wing but on the other, I love some hokey stuff like Psych and My Boys. Tonight, My Boys was on, and man, I effing love this show. Not only does it take place in Chicago (Midwest, what what!), but I think it’s because I want to have her life…just a little bit.

This is the premise of the show: There’s a girl, PJ, whose close friends are all guys (and one girl) and they watch sports, drink beer, play poker and make jokes. I’m pretty sure I like this show because this is the life I want to have. Don’t get me wrong, I love my girlfriends, but most of the time, I just want to hang out, drink beer and play poker or shoot the shit. I don’t like going out on the weekends unless it’s to a dive bar to drink cheap beer, play Connect Four and just hang out.

I should mention that I’m a girly girl. I have more than four face lotions in my bathroom cabinet, I prefer dresses to jeans on most days and have seen Pride and Prejudice over 25 times–both versions.

Back to My Boys. I love that the guys the guys that PJ is friends with are totally normal dudes. They’re not all these hunks that are obsessed with looks–they’re just regular guys (ones balding, one has kids, one is a wannabe womanizer). These are the kind of guys that I like. Maybe I’m surrounding myself with the wrong guys in New York, but dang, these normal guys are hard to come by. All the guys I come across work in finance or consulting and are kind of self-centered assholes (side note: what in the world does consulting even MEAN. I swear it’s code for the mafia.)

Anyway, I’d like to think that My Boys romanticizes their friendship. I mean, like any show about friends, they have to play up the good parts, but honestly, with a group of guys there would definitely have to be more talk about farting, masturbating, farting and boobs. Right? So, I guess what I like about the show is just the nature of the friendships and the fact that it’s five guys and a girl is just by circumstance. PJ, on her own, is kind of the most boring character of the show anyway–it’s the entire cast’s interaction of the other guys that I totally dig.

Moral of the story: whether they’re guys or girls, I just want to hang out, drink beer and play games–while wearing my new dress.

My Boys [TBS]