TV News and Reviews

This week TV.com seems certain of the demise of Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles. Considering Dollhouse’s ratings are on the same level, it might not be long for the schedule, either, unless they decide to give Joss Whedon a chance to build momentum.

TV by the Numbers  seems similarly convinced that In the Motherhood, Cupid, Castle, and The Unusuals are doomed. Nothing official as yet, but the ratings aren’t all that fab. Better Off Ted is on the cusp.

You can see from my earlier blog posts that I won’t cry over In the Motherhood or The Unusuals. I would, however, cry over Cupid, Castle, and Better Off Ted. Especially Better Off Ted. That show is just outrageous and risky and crazy and damn funny. And I love every actor on it. The problem may be that it’s the perfect match for Scrubs, and if it ends up without a sitcom pairing next season, that could put it in jeopardy. Which would be a damn shame. But honestly, Scrubs‘ star has been waning for some time, so pairing Better Off Ted with another up and coming sitcom could actually improve its ratings.

I love Nathan Fillion, but Castle suffers from some weak casting. And terrible scheduling. I’ve missed it twice now because I’m watching Medium and forget to record Castle. Castle isn’t a powerhouse show, but Fillion is ridiculously charming and could do well in a more out of the way timeslot. It’s one of those times where I would welcome a timeslot shift and it could save the show from oblivion.

I suspect Cupid suffers in the ratings because the plot is a hard sell. It sounds incredibly cheesy to say this guy thinks he’s Cupid and goes around matchmaking people. But in actuality, the show is full of heart and sweetness and Bobby Cannavale zips out the one-liners so fast and charmingly it makes your head spin. Each week we get really cool guest stars that you can identify from other sitcoms or shows you’ve loved in the past, and there’s a new set of characters to fall in love with. It’s not brain surgery, but it’s a really pleasant way to spend an hour. It’s a great antitode to all the hard-edged crime procedurals and medical dramas out there.

If you want to save these shows, watching them online may help. If you’re not a Nielsen family, they have no idea you care. Visit the website, watch the vids, leave comments. Let them know people are watching!

Read up on the TV News and Reviews posts for Better Off Ted , Castle , and Cupid.

Well, we finally have news of the air dates for the final episodes of ABC series’ Eli Stone, Pushing Daisies, and Dirty Sexy Money. Critical favorites with strong fan followings, these primetime TV shows got axed in their prime and didn’t even get to finish out their runs during the regular season. The only good news is that ABC seems to be holding to their promise to finally get the finales out this summer. All three shows will air in the Saturday night 10/9c timeslot on ABC:

May 30, June 6, June 13: The final three episodes of Pushing Daisies.

June 20, June 27, July 4, July 11: The last four episodes of Eli Stone (which may include an actual finale).

July 18, July 25, August 1, August 8: The final four episodes of Dirty Sexy Money.

So mark your calendars, fans, to finally see the last of the series’ episodes of your favorite shows.

(Thanks to Zap2It for the scheduling info.)

Well, as I feared, In the Motherhood debuted to largely bad reviews from professional writers and home viewers alike. According to Variety , this coupled with only moderate ratings caused ABC to cut back the original order of 13 episodes down to six. ABCs official reason was of course that they just had too many shows to juggle and didn’t have room at the moment for the full order. In ABC-speak this could easily mean cancellation is in order.

Or not. After all, the critically acclaimed shows that had a solid base of loyal fans got canceled too. It all boils down to wooing young product-buying viewers. If In the Motherhood rallies in ratings, it could return at a later date for more episodes.

Right now, though, high ratings seems a tentative prophesy. Over at Entertainment Weekly and The Washington Post, much of the reviews and comments section are filled with scathing indictments of In the Motherhood: that it’s insulting to real life mothers, that it pales in comparison to the original webisodes it was based on, that it’s old hat and boring, and the kiss of death for any sitcom–it just plain ain’t funny.

Another talking point appears to be material inappropriate for children on at an early hour, including some information about Santa parents would rather their children didn’t have. While I agree that more care should be taken for family-friendly TV in the first hour of primetime, I think parents need to take some responsibility as well. Why would you sit down with your children to watch a show you knew nothing about? One ought to know by now not to trust the networks to show good judgement. One quick visit to the Internet would have shown plot information, including the Santa gaffe, and all these now-angry parents could have saved themselves the anguish of their kids seeing stuff they didn’t want them to see.

If you want to watch–or avoid–In the Motherhood, it airs on ABC Thursdays at 8/7c.