Man in the Mirror: Mad Men Recapped

One of the reasons I loved The Sopranos so much was that it managed to expertly mix high drama and deft comedy, lots of times within the same hour-long episode. I'd watch an episode and literally laugh out loud, but by the end, something so dark or shocking would happen that my mouth would be left agape, my emotions drained. For all the trailblazing that The Sopranos and David Chase accomplished, that might be their most unique and indelible mark on the television landscape.

It should come as no surprise that Mad Men manages to do the same thing. Matthew Weiner wrote some of the flat-out funniest Sopranos episodes ever--Chasing It and, my personal favorite, Luxury Lounge, among them--so he clearly "gets" comedy. The throwaway line that Pete Campbell uttered in the latest episode, "Maidenform," about a miserable looking model who happened to be a cheerleader ("For who? The University of Dour?") was as funny as anything Tina Fey or Steve Carell said all year.

2008 Fall TV Preview: Fox

Fox hasn't had a hit show in quite sometime. Bones and Prison Break, both with varying degrees of success, are entering their fourth seasons. House is in season five. The O.C. came and went, leaving Fox with a teen void that they've seemingly willingly seceded to The CW. Even 24, the old Fox warhorse, is just that: old.

Last year, Fox rolled out Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles, a show which I can proudly say I've never seen one second of. (Could anything Terminator related be more boring or feel more dated? When did the trials of John and Sarah Connor become this epic story for our times?) It's still on their schedule for this year, but I'm personally shocked it got a second season.

Needless to say, Fox needs a hit, much like ABC did back in 2004. Back then, they called J.J. Abrams and got LOST. Fox is hoping to do the same.

It's time once again to take a look ahead at the Fall and all the goodness that the new television schedule promises to offer. We've already looked at CBS' Fall schedule, as well as NBC's. Now it's Fox's turn.

Bloody Sundays: Mad Men Recapped

Here is something so painfully obvious, it almost doesn't need to be written: the big difference between this season of Mad Men and last, has been the increasing concentration on the lives our heroes lead outside of the office. Thus far, the main beneficiary of this narrative decision has been Peggy and with regards to her, that decision is for the better. With her arch sister and obtuse mother (Audrey Wasilewski and Myra Turley, respectively), two women so genuine and perfect in their roles and performances that they look like they were found at Central Casting, circa 1962, Peggy's extended life has been a treat to watch.

The 2008 Fall TV Preview: NBC

Almost in spite of itself, NBC seems to have a roster of shows that I really enjoy. Sure there's a lot junk--stuff that you couldn't get me to watch with wild horses dragging me towards my flat screen. But like flowers amidst the weeds, there is 30 Rock, The Office and Chuck, shows which I genuinely, to varying degrees, love.

Last Fall, NBC gave us Chuck (yay!), Journeyman (R.I.P), and, Bionic Woman and Life (Boooooooooooo!) And this year, it looks like more of the same hit and miss.

That's right: it's time once again to take a look ahead at the Fall and all the goodness that the new television schedule promises to offer. We've already looked at CBS' Fall schedule. Now it's NBC's turn.

Good Afternoon Everybody, How Are You Today?: The Final Mike & The Mad Dog Ever

I don't want to sit here and blog about my feelings, if only because blogs like that are really crappy. However, I don't know how I could write about the dissolving partnership of the greatest radio show in the history of the medium without getting emotional.

In short: I love Mike and the Mad Dog like they are family members.

Alright, Alright, Alright: Mad Men Recapped

In the latest masterful episode of Mad Men--another home run episode on a series that acts like Josh Hamilton participating in a game of Home Run Derby--Don Draper unleashed his inner Wooderson.

He just loves those redheads.

The 2008 Fall TV Preview: CBS

The dog days of Summer TV are upon us. If you're anything like me, your DVR is a barren wasteland filled with old movies that you'll never watch, multiple Around the Horn episodes, and at least one totally random Arrested Development.

But fear not! Soon the quiet, idyllic Summer life we've come to know, a life free from episodic television, will be shattered by the newness of Fall. No longer will we be able to spend a weekday night out, living an actual social life. Instead we'll be trying desperately to keep up with that the networks have to offer; plowing through a DVR filled with old favorites, and hopefully, some new ones as well.

That's right: it's time once again to take a look ahead at the Fall and all the goodness that the new television schedule promises to offer. First up: CBS.

Half Baked: Pineapple Express Reviewed

One thing is certain: Pineapple Express is a David Gordon Green movie. It's slow and ambling, filled with empty spaces, static shots and at least one cutaway to a field of grass blowing in the wind; think of it as All The Real Buds. Like its lead duo, Dale (Seth Rogen) and Saul (James Franco), the film is not entirely concerned with getting anywhere, content to stroll along at half pace while occasionally stopping to look around and say something absolutely hilarious. And for the most part Pineapple Express works decently enough, until a finale of pitched violence that is much more boring than it should be. Dare I say, this is the first major Judd Apatow comedy to fall short of my expectations.

Everything's Been Taken Care Of: Mad Men Recapped

One of the dangers of the Summer Television Season here in 2008 is that, outside of Mad Men, there is nary a thing on the tube worth even thinking about, let alone writing about. Weeds is atrocious and uncomfortably bizarre--having a kid use pictures of his naked mother to, um, stimulate himself, is almost beyond the pale.

Secret Diary of a Call Girl was still-born, a DOA dud that managed to be both incredibly boring and totally unsexy, a problem for a show that is ostensible all about sex.

Generation Kill might be the best show ever, but I can't imagine watching yet another show or movie or anything about the horrors of the Iraq war. Yes, I get it. It's bad.

The reality shows that I don't watch remain out there, taunting me with their trash and nostalgia (Is Jon Henson really hosting one of those?), but I refuse to be sucked in.

So it's Mad Men or bust.