It's Thanksgiving time again, and while I am obviously thankful for my family and my friends and finding out that the nasty rash I had was nothing to be concerned about, it's a time for nods to TV-related things that I'm thankful for.
1. Mad Men. I hate to be boring by picking the same thing as I did last year as my number one thing I'm thankful for, but did you see that season finale? Holy crap. It was the capper to a fantastic season. This is the best show on television (and a thanks-within-a-thanks for this being on AMC and not some other network).
Ho Ho Ho... you're going to Afghanistan. Not exactly a Christmas present to be happy about. Having said that, Cal must surely be happy about what he accomplished in last night's episode of Lie to Me.
Sent to a US Marines outpost in the middle of the desert near Kabul, Cal was tasked with uncovering the truth about a deep-cover US operative who got left for dead and had to join to Taliban to survive. Cal was able to get plenty of info from his subject about two missing Marines but we ended up learning far more about Dr. Lightman as a result of his methods.
It seems like ESPN has been around forever, doesn't it? Can you even remember a time when there hasn't been an ESPN to turn to for a score or breaking news or updates? I can't. But along with the news ESPN provides, the ESPN brand has expanded to include a bunch of networks, a magazine, restaurants and lots of tchotchkes. But let's just look at the TV shows, shall we? One note: SportsCenter is not included because it's more of a daily news show as opposed to the programs that are more talk and game-oriented. Here's the top ten ESPN created shows, from the worst to the first.
10. Sports Nation
This is a relatively new daily show on ESPN with radio talker Colin Cowherd and Michelle Beadle co-hosting. It's supposedly an interactive program with surveys that include the fans, but all the bells and whistles can't change the fact that Cowherd is an obnoxious know-it-all that dominates the conversation – when they have one. It's new and shiny, but it's a mess.
(S02E10) ""A wife and a fiance catfight ... please can we stop for popcorn on the way?" - Castle
Molly C. Quinn is such a cutie. I loved the storyline this week where she volunteers to categorize evidence, and in doing so, uses her skills to help return someone's precious "brag book" to them. She takes after her dad in the "big heart" department.
Castle is good about that. They could have made Richard Castle as a roguish playboy who chases women and loves a good time, and while he's got some of that in him (see above quote), he's also a dedicated family man. The writers are good about the characters that way. Beckett is a hard-nosed detective, but she's also good with people, excelling at giving them bad news in such a way as to soften the blow.
The new Target holiday ads are out, and if you've been scratching your head, trying to figure out who that vaguely familiar-looking woman is who's playing that competitive and slightly demented Black Friday shopper, scratch no longer.
It's Maria Bamford, the cute but decidedly off-kilter stand-up comedian who is probably best known for participating in the Comedians of Comedy tour with Patton Oswalt, Zach Galifianakis, and Brian Posehn.
Most of the ads show Bamford playing the competitive shopper, pulling full Target carts uphill and sleeplessly decorating a gingerbread village in preparation for the store's big Black Friday sale. But in some of the spots, Bamford also plays the woman's more "normal" sister, who doesn't need to be there as soon as the doors open. Problem is, she also puts her wreath up using a staple gun. So how normal can she be? One of the ads is below, and a couple of more are after the jump:
Adam Lambert has been on a lot of shows with "America" in the title, including American Idoland The American Music Awards. He won't be appearing on another show with that word in it though.
ABC has confirmed that Lambert's appearance on Good Morning America on Wednesday has been canceled. And yes, we can all assume that it's because of Lambert's ridiculous performance on the AMAs over the weekend, where he made out with a guy, dragged another guy along on a leash, and also simulated oral sex with a dancer who was down on this knees. You know, because Lambert wanted to be so EDGY. (Update: Lambert will appear on CBS' The Early Show instead, and Dick Clark Productions has released a statement about the performance.)
If you don't already know her story, get ready to hear all about it. On December 13, the TV Guide Network will present a Susan Boyle special. An hour all about the unlikely Scottish singing sensation. I Dreamed a Dream: The Susan Boyle Story is a one-hour documentary/interview/performance special chronicling the rise of the Britain's Got Talent performer who became a You Tube phenom and has just released her first CD.
American Idol's Simon Cowell is the mastermind behind this production, which will also be broadcast in England on the ITV1. It'll have celebrity interviews including Simon himself, footage of Susan's hometown, her TV appearances till now, and -- naturally -- Susan singing songs from I Dreamed A Dream, the new CD.
The Mystery Science Theater 3000 alums at Rifftrax are taking Christmas down a notch in a nationwide event next month, and you can win a trip to sunny San Diego to watch in person.
Michael J. Nelson, Kevin Murphy and Bill Corbett will team up again with partner and live event specialist Fathom to bring a collection of old-school Christmas shorts to theaters across the country in a live big screen broadcast.
The final episode of David Tennant's run on Doctor Who "The End of Time" has been posted online. Well, not the entire two-parter, but just the first three minutes or so. It was broadcast in England on the BBC as part of their Children in Need special. The first episode is scheduled to be shown in the U.K. on Christmas Day with the final episode on New Year's Day.
This, my friends, is a no-brainer. Psych is one of USA's more reliable hours, a comedy-mystery series that has a loyal following. This past summer season -- which will soon be completed in the winter when the second half of the episodes air beginning in late January (the date hasn't been confirmed yet) -- the show performed especially well in younger demographics.
(S03E09) As soon as I read the episode info and saw that Kripke was going to be making an appearance, I lost all hope of this episode coming anywhere close to matching the brilliance of last week's. I was not wrong. I don't like Kripke. I don't find a speech impediment to be funny, and with him, it's completely extraneous. Sheldon could just have an enemy (I don't doubt he had many, in fact). You don't need to give the character this extra identifying mark.
So not only was I dismayed by Kripke's appearance, his practical joke was just mean-spirited and again, not something that I found funny. I don't like watching people getting humiliated. Sheldon dressed up for a radio interview. That's adorable, and then to not only be embarrassed for absolutely no reason in front of a national audience, but to have his friends laughing at him as well, just made me sad. Luckily, Wolowitz's uh, love triangle with Bernadette and Katee Sackhoff saved the episode for me.
No Generation X'er can forget the monochrome colors and compromising frame rate of 1970s Hanna-Barbera animation. Take that unmistakable style and some autumnal inking, and you've got The Thanksgiving That Almost Wasn't.
Boomerang is reaching into the Hanna-Barbera archives to bring back this all-but-forgotten TV special from the 1970s. You can catch it at 10 a.m. and at 7 p.m. (ET).
According to a network release, The Thanksgiving That Almost Wasn't "chronicles one dangerously fateful day for Johnny Cooke, a young Pilgrim, and Little Bear, an Indian boy, who are discovered missing. The first Thanksgiving feast cannot start without them, and when their friend Jeremy Squirrel hears they are in peril he goes on a daring rescue mission."
(S06E09) "There's no point in putting a band together if we're not going to play any gigs." - House
I'm torn over the best way to tackle this review of "Ignorance is Bliss." I have far more bad things to say about the episode than I do good things, yet I loved it. The outcome I (and presumably most other fans) want to see (House and Cuddy together) is hopefully going to be achieved. This just isn't my ideal path to get there.
(S04E11) I am thankful that we are finally getting to the meat of this volume. I am thankful that we are inching closer to the inevitable conclusion of this battle between Sylar and Nathan over who will retain control of the body. And I am thankful that Angela Petrelli, the always incomparable Cristine Rose, was back this week.
Also making a return appearance for the Bennett family Thanksgiving dinner was Sandra, along with her new beau Doug. And, of course, Mr. Muggles. It's sweet that Muggs fell in love with Doug's dog, but that doesn't excuse Sandra for dating such a total tool. It's a little awkward to think of going to your ex's holiday, but it's not unheard of. Particularly since she probably already knew Claire was going to be there.
Not to be outdone, Samuel had a Thanksgiving dinner of his own back at the Carnival, but Hiro certainly wasn't thankful to be there.
It's Thanksgiving time again, and while I am obviously thankful for my family and my friends and finding out that the nasty rash I had was nothing to be concerned about, it's a time for nods to TV-related things that I'm thankful for.
It seems like ESPN has been around forever, doesn't it? Can you even remember a time when there hasn't been an ESPN to turn to for a score or breaking news or updates? I can't. But along with the news ESPN provides, the ESPN brand has expanded to include a bunch of networks, a magazine, restaurants and lots of tchotchkes. But let's just look at the TV shows, shall we? One note: SportsCenter is not included because it's more of a daily news show as opposed to the programs that are more talk and game-oriented. Here's the top ten ESPN created shows, from the worst to the first. 
(S02E10) ""A wife and a fiance catfight ... please can we stop for popcorn on the way?" - Castle
Adam Lambert has been on a lot of shows with "America" in the title, including 
At 8, ABC has a new V, then the two-hour season finale of Dancing with the Stars.
If you don't already know her story, get ready to hear all about it. On December 13, the 
The Mystery Science Theater 3000 alums at Rifftrax are taking Christmas down a notch in a nationwide event next month, and you can win a trip to sunny San Diego to watch in person.
The final episode of David Tennant's run on Doctor Who "The End of Time" has been posted online. Well, not the entire two-parter, but just the first three minutes or so. It was broadcast in England on the BBC as part of their Children in Need special. The first episode is scheduled to be shown in the U.K. on Christmas Day with the final episode on New Year's Day.
USA Network is losing Monk this year, but it's not about to let Psych go. The adventures of Shawn and Gus will continue. 
No Generation X'er can forget the monochrome colors and compromising frame rate of 1970s Hanna-Barbera animation. Take that unmistakable style and some autumnal inking, and you've got The Thanksgiving That Almost Wasn't.
TV Squad Ten: Top Ten ESPN shows from worst to first
Andy Richter: The TV Squad Interview
Have any questions for Vik Sahay of Chuck? Ask them here!
