Bubble Watch

It's that time of the year when TV show renewals are in the air, and that brings the dreaded "bubble watch."

Because the great unwashed masses are generally too dumb or inattentive to appreciate quality work, or because of the limited broad appeal of genre fare, many of the shows I wind up loving often face the damned bubble. Fortunately, some of my most loved shows are already guaranteed (or almost a lock for) a place on the schedule next year, such as Lost, Supernatural, Fringe and Big Bang Theory (among 50+ others with a place of honor among my Season Passes). Others aren't so lucky:

How it would hurt if these shows were cancelled:

Gaping, sucking chest wound; punctured eyeballs; followed by being set on fire:

• Chuck (The most charming show on TV. A little bit of everything: espionage, laughs, romance, intrigue, action. Go buy a Subway sub on Monday!)
• Dollhouse (Like most of Joss's shows, this is really hitting its stride as it gets deeper into the mythology and characterizations. Been nuthin' but AWESOME since "Man on the Street.")
• Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles (Is there no room on TV for intelligent, well written sci-fi?)

Compound fracture of the tibia:

• Castle (A cut above the usual procedural with likable characters and charisma to burn).
• Reaper (wandering and amiable, but holding its own against the Idol juggernaut. The addition of Nina and Morgan has helped, Ben is a deadpan master, and Ray Wise's Devil is Emmy worthy).
• Party Down (Really funny, with distinct characters and an offbeat tone).

Vicious punch to the solar plexus:

• Better Off Ted (Why isn't this fantastical workplace sitcom, which never fails to make me laugh, getting more attention?)
• The Unusuals (Another cop show, sure, but at least it's trying something different).
• Law & Order (I've been with it from the beginning, and this current cast is fantastic and the best since the glory days).
• Lie to Me (Unique premise that's held up better than I thought it would thus far. Tim Roth and Kelli Williams are great, and Jennifer Beals showed up last night as Roth's ex-wife. Good stuff).
  

Hangover:

• Samantha Who (Yeah, it's kind of slight, but Christina Applegate is a fantastic comic actress).
• My Name is Earl (Even when it aims and misses, Earl has a great top to bottom cast who can handle anything from farce to heartwarming).

Coronation for a stuffed animal (plus a bit more)

Hey there blogosphere. I'm back from recent travels and ready to catch up on a few things. What did I miss? Oh, let's see (SPOILERS AHOY)...

Jim didn't propose to Pam, but Andy did to Angela, who is shagging Dwight. Micheal found true love with the crazy chick from Ben Affleck's movie, but found out Jan is having a baby that isn't his. Jack learned Clarie is his sister, the freighter is gonna blow, Sun is now (or will be) Alexis Carrington, Hurley's odometer hates him, Ben always has a plan, Batmanuel has a band of merry men, Faraday knows something about The Orchid, Kate's baby timeline isn't very convincing and Oceanic Air thinks the only bad PR is no PR. 13 has Huntington's, House loves Wilson, Wilson loves Amber (and those two deserve Emmys), Amber is dead and Chase and Cameron collected easy paychecks this year. Stella may be the mother, Robin thinks Springsteen is the American Bryan Adams and Barney may love Robin. Penny and Leonard went on a date, and Schroedinger's Cat really describes relationships. Earl found karma again, got another divorce and you can still live in a sideways trailer. I was wrong about the Gormogon killer, because it turned out to be Zack (?!), Bones thought Booth was dead but he wasn't, Booth likes to drink beer out of a helmet in the bathtub reading comic books (who doesn't? I mean really) and the whole episode was crammed full and pretty disappointing. Athena's kid draws some creepy pictures and got Natalie Six pumped full of lead for it, Roslin gave Tory a verbal airlocking, Felix sings better without a leg, Tigh's eventually gonna have some 'splainin' to to do, the hybrid has a plan of her own and Micheal Angeli wrote a fantastic episode that didn't bludgeon you over the head with the dramatic beats and deeper meaning (for once).

And that was just since I've been home.

I caught up on Idol, too. While David Cook has been my favorite (except for Carly, of course) this year, I think tonight was the victory for the squinty, stuffed Koala bear. Personally, I liked Cook's performances better, but there's no doubt the tweens will text away for Archie. His Elton John tune in Round 1 was really, really good and many voters will probably cast sympathy votes because they think his dad will beat him like a rented mule if he doesn't win (which oddly made me think of this classic magazine cover). Cook had an impossible task to live up to with Bono, though I like the underrated Collective Soul and for the first time I can remember, actually enjoyed a "winning" song I'd never heard before (I rewound Cook's Round 2 performance and might pick that up on iTunes). I could go on and on, but here's a summary from Alan Sepinwall that sums up my feelings quite well (including Randy's cliche-ridden uselessness).

Whew. That's a lot to handle for one night.

Making it rain

Whereby we throw up a bunch of $1 entertainment nuggets onto the stage and see which STDs take them home.

Speaking of STDs, could there be any better news this morning than this? Go Fug Yourself has a funny take on Paris's impending incarceration. Sometimes, it really does appear that Karma works when wonky-eyed manholes get taken down a notch. One down, one to go.

So Lost is (maybe) ending in two years? On one hand, I like that there's a plan in place for an endgame and completion to the story (a la BSG). While the show started slowly in the "pod" of 6 episodes earlier this year, the back end of the season (with the exception of the Jack's tattoos ep) has been superlative. On the other, I hate to see quality scripted television go away for any reason, and probably be replaced by a cheaper alternative like "Macrame with the C-List Stars!" It will be interesting to see how this unfolds.

I thought Thursday's My Name is Earl was typically funny and sweet, though I didn't realize it contained an homage to Rudy. (Oddly, I've seen just about every sports movie under the sun, but somehow missed Rudy). I didn't do the "laugh and sniff" audience participation part of the show, but it was nice to see Billy Gardell, who I've missed since the wonderful Lucky was cancelled before its time.

How great was Shark's season finale? Sebastian's nemesis Wayne Collison returned, only to get put away at the end for a crime he didn't commit. That Shark executed an intricate plan to frame him was spectacular and completely out of left field. And I love that the character of Shark has kept his dark side, working outside the law to get what he knows is justice. More morally ambiguous characterization, a la Dexter. And it appears my worries about DA 7 of 9 going away were unfounded, if Jessica takes Shark's offer to work for him. Personally, I think this will add the drama and conflict within the show, now the roles have been reversed. Whodat: Frequent Guest Star Tracy Middendorf (24, Alias, House, X-Files, one of the three Ziyals on DS9) was Wendy, Wayne's supposed girlfriend. I'll always remember her from the pilot of Angel.

Although I'm sticking to my vow to be spoiler free, I actually read about this potential keffuffle before getting on the wagon. (Don't click the link or swipe the following text if you don't want possible CSI spoilers): Personally, I could care less if Jorja Fox leaves CSI. I've never really cared for the character of Sara (or thought the actress was all that talented or hot), and this will make the second time Fox thinks she's bigger than the rest of the cast and pulls a prima-donna stunt to haggle over salary. I say kill her off and hook Gil up with Lady Heather.

Whodat, Geekiness and Happy Endings

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Entertainment Nuggets

Thursday's My Name is Earl had to have more euphemisms for "balls" per minute than any other show in recent memory. (Little Chubbies, Gonad pouch, Humpty and Dumpty, Meat and potatoes among many others). And funny that the word "balls" wasn't uttered until the very end. Plus, what perfect casting! Norm MacDonald doing his "vintage Burt Reynolds" bit as Big Chubby's (Burt Reynolds) son? Awesome. It made me google some of his appearances on Celebrity Jeopardy for a few extra laughs. Words to live by from Little Chubby: "Don't trust a man who wants to put his finger in your butt."

30 Rock wasn't as laugh out loud funny as last week, but every time Liz uttered "Blurgh!" or "By the hammer of Thor!" I cracked up.

More insight on the Deadwood movies (damn, you HBO for not renewing this amazing show) here.