The TV Season is halfway over, with pretty much every show having had it’s “fall finale.” (When did that even become a thing, anyway?) At the season’s midpoint, I’ve decided to weigh in with my unsolicited opinions on the shows I’ve been watching, in order of the night in which they air.

SUNDAY
The Simpsons is still amazingly funny. This season has had some truly great episodes, “The Food Wife,” “The Book Job,” and “Holidays of Future Passed” all come to mind as modern-day classics. Of the MacFarlane shows, I still maintain that American Dad is the funniest of the lot. The Cleveland Show has its moments on occasion, and Family Guy has just been really tough to watch lately. Suddenly it’s become much more of a preachy and heavy-handed show and less of a funny show. I’m enjoying Allen Gregory so far – it’s pretty unique, utterly bizarre, and weirdly entertaining.

The Walking Dead has had more than it’s share of issues this season, as my buddy Brett has already wonderfully outlined. There’s been far too much talking, the Sophia storyline dragged on way too long, and the fact that Herschel never mentioned that he found a little girl is going to be tough to explain when the show comes back. Boardwalk Empire on the other hand, had a superb second season. The last three episodes in particular each had some pretty shocking and tough to watch moments, but I mean that in the best way possible.
HI
MONDAY
HIMYM has continued to prove this season that it can be funny and yet still pack an emotional punch There has yet to be any major movement on Ted actually, you know, finding the damn mother, but that’s just going to have to wait until the series ends, so whatever. We watched a few episodes of the new Charlie Sheen-less Two and a Half Men, and that was all we could take. The show was always low-brow and silly, but the simple fact is that Sheen was an infinitely better lead than Ashton Kutcher. Oh well.

Terra Nova I have mixed feelings on. The pilot was full of potential, but then the show’s mythology quickly took a backseat to ridiculous one-off episodes. I mean, an amnesia storyline in episode 3? Really? Things have picked up lately, but the pacing feels unnecessarily slow at some times, and insanely rushed at others. I’m writing this before the season (series?) finale, and I am still curious to see where they tale the story… and if the ratings will justify a second season for the big budget show. My guess is no.

TUESDAY
Parenthood is an amazing show, and one of the series I most look forward to. That said, there were some pretty big plot holes this year that kind of took me out of the show. Namely, the parents of the kid that Alex punched pressing charges against Alex. Underage kids were drinking at their house; why on earth would they want to involve the authorities? Haddie was drinking there – wouldn’t it have been simpler for Adam and Kristina to remind the parents of that small but important fact right away? And then later in the season, Sydney can’t figure out the rules of Charades, but she knows how to play chess? Huh? These are minor gripes, but I only nitpick because I love the show so much, and the fact that it feels so real and genuine is one of it’s greatest charms; watching that fall away just bums me out. Still, I love that Julia and Joel have a meaty storyline, and hey, Drew has a girlfriend! Yay!

Then there’s Glee. Ah, Glee. I keep on watching this show, yet I’m not totally sure why. There is so much potential for great stories with all of these characters, but it seems like so many of these plot threads just get left by the wayside, never to be mentioned again. Maybe I’m just expecting too much for a show where a bunch of people in their mid- to late- 20’s play teenagers that know the words to every song ever written and can dance in perfect unison without a single rehearsal.

I also tried to get into Ringer due to my love of Sarah Michelle Gellar, but I just couldn’t. Waaaaaaaaaaay to soapy for my tastes. Sorry, SMG, I love ya, but I think now that Smallville is gone, I am officially done with the CW.

Come back next week for Part 2!

After contract negotiations between Fox and the show’s actors and producers hit a wall and threatened to end the show, an agreement has been reached,and the show has been renewed for not just one, but TWO more seasons after this one! In other words, The Simpsons will live to see their 25th season! Hooray!

And while 25 seasons is an unprecedented run, I love how showrunner Al Jean refuses to say that the show should end there, instead aiming to make it an even 30.

I’m quite convinced that anyone who says the show has gotten stale over the past few years simply isn’t watching. The show has had some fantastic episodes recently, and I’m a firm believer in the show going on for as long as humanly possible.

And so are the people who make the show – after the news hit about the renewal, this promo started making the rounds, which features an update on the song “They’ll Never Stop The Simpsons.”

You know what’s crazy? The original song appeared in a clip show in the show’s 13th season. And now they’re able to update it ten years later! If you’re curious to hear the first version of the song (and frankly, why wouldn’t you be?), give it a listen:

It’s been a while since I weighed in on my thoughts on TV’s finest programming, so without further ado (or Apu, if you prefer), here are some quick thoughts on the current season through the halfway point. Beware of spoilers.

The Simpsons – Still funny after all these years, The Simpsons continues to be funny, occasionally touching, and culturally relevant. (Their triumvirate of jabs at Fox News got some positive and negative coverage.) I’m not sure about how I feel about their pretty racy Katy Perry gag, not because it wasn’t funny, but because it seemed like the kind of thing that would have felt more at home on Family Guy. And speaking of…

Family Guy, The Cleveland Show, and American Dad! – I lump these three shows together because they are pretty similar in tone, though I do stand by my assertion that of the three, the funniest and best written remains the under-appreciated American Dad! Cleveland has its moments, but it still feels like a Family Guy clone (as did American Dad before it found its own footing). And Family Guy has been pretty inconsistent – the murder mystery premiere was pretty lame, but the recent Christmas show had some good moments. Which proves that they CAN tell a story well, if and when they choose to actually do so.

Boardwalk Empire – Does it feel pretty similar to The Sopranos? Sure. But was it pretty damn entertaining anyway? Yup. There is plenty of gratuitous violence and nudity, but the characters and stories are really well fleshed out. And though I wasn’t totally sure about buying Buscemi in a lead role, his supporting cast goes a long way at making the world seem real.

How I Met Your Mother – HIMYM is still making funny observations about life in clever ways, like the “Where’s the poop?” bit and “The Mermaid Theory.” And while I do wish that Ted would actually start to come close to maybe perhaps finding the damn Mother already, the show’s use of flashbacks and flashforwards are still used to great effect. My main complaint with this season so far is the Zoey storyline – I’m just not feeling it. We know she’s not the Mother, so it feels like the show is just spinning its wheels.

The Event – Look, I’d love for TV to have another Lost-esque show on the air. But you can’t force a square peg into a round hole, and despite starting off promising, The Event got really lame really fast. Too bad.

Parenthood – Why aren’t more people watching this show? And why does it so frequently got pre-empted by The Biggest Loser? Parenthood is an amazingly well-written and well-acted show, with a realistic depiction of family life. Check it out! It’s honestly a lot better quality than…

Glee – Sure, I love the music. But this season it just seems like the writers are trying to shoehorn as many songs as possible into every show. I get it – iTunes downloads are what makes the show profitable, but when there are 7 songs and no story, the show suffers. And for every interesting storyline – like Kurt being bullied – there are many more retreads – Emma breaks Will’s heart by getting married, Rachel and Finn fight, Sue turns evil then good then evil again.

South Park – SP had a strong fall season, with the Jersey Shore spoof and Randy’s obsession with Food Network being standouts. The Coon arc could have been a two-parter instead of a trilogy, but the payoff at the end made it all worth it. Mint Berry Crunch!

30 Rock – Still brilliant. Tracy still gets a never-ending stream of hysterical and quotable lines. The humor works on every level, and the meta stuff never crosses the line of being “too meta,” if that makes sense.

The Office – Also going strong in Michael Scott’s final season. I have to say that after each episode I become more and more convinced that the honorable thing to do is to end the series on a high note with his departure, but the odds of that happening seem slim.

Community – Another under-rated show that is very funny. Their parodies are always spot-on, and the show seems to be embracing the whole cast now instead of being focused primarily on Jeff and Britta. Although it does seem that every episode has a theme about what great friends all of our characters are.

Fringe – Damn this show is amazing. The whole Olivia/Fauxlivia storyline played out beautifully over the first half of the season, and the upcoming battle between the two universes looks very promising. I personally don’t mind that the show is being moved to the “death slot” of Friday nights since we DVR everything anyway, but at least the new promos show that the producers are willign to make light of their new night.

Star Wars: The Clone Wars – This has to be some of, if not the, best political commentary around today. These are war stories, but they also focus on corruption, greed, and the behind the scenes machinations of the military-industrial complex. Heavy stuff for a kids show on the Cartoon Network, right? Well, there are plenty of fights and lightsaber battles, too, for good measure. And even though the last few episodes have been Galactic Senate-heavy, the second half of the season looks to heavily feature action – and Darth Maul’s brother!

Smallville – You gotta give it to the team behind Smallville – they are doing all they can to make this season memorable. Storylines are moving at a furious pace, and the Lois-Clark relationship has never been so fascinating, and as much as I loved Lana, her romance with Clark pales in comparison. Having less main characters has given the show much more focus, although I do miss Chloe. And it’s been nice seeing some old familiar faces, with the appearance of Lionel Luthor particularly well done. (Although I have to wonder why Earth-2’s Clark is named Clark also – the Kents named their adopted son after Martha’s maiden name, so it seems strange that Lionel would pick the same first name. Whatever.) I’m looking forward to more guest stars in the second half, as well as seeing more of Darkseid and his minions. The show has a nasty record of flubbing season finales, but I will hold out hope that it can nail the series finale.

Spoiler Alert if you haven’t seen last night’s Simpsons Halloween episode, I guess.

I am not one of those people who think The Simpsons isn’t funny anymore.  I still watch every episode, and I happen to think they have been putting out some really amazing stuff over the past several seasons.  In fact, I actually get angry when people start talking badly about the show, and I encourage poeple to keep on watching to see how great the show still is.

But that makes last night’s Treehouse of Horror episode even more disappointing.  The Halloween episodes have provided some of the show’s funniest moments and lines, but the funniest part of last night’s show was the parody of The Office in the opening sequence, and it was all downhill from there.  What on Earth are they parodying now?  Jumanji?  Huh?  Why?  I get that they have run out of a lot of “classic” genres and things to pull from for these segments, but come on, there must be something else they could spoof for these shows.  Making fun of Twilight was a good natural choice, but not having seen any of the movies or read the books, I was not impressed by the inside jokes they were going for.  Are they funny if you know the movies?  I’ll assume so, but even still, a great parody should be amusing even if you aren’t familiar with the source material.  But more than the fact that I didn’t “get” what they were doing in these three stories, I just didn’t find them that funny.

This was the 21st THOH episode – these specials can now legally drink, for crying out loud.  They all can’t be grand slams, I get that.  And if they do another 21 of these shows, I’ll watch every single one.  But I do wish they;d find ways to tie the 3 stories together like they used to, and occasionally give Kodos and Kang something to actually do, more than just being cameos.  And why not spoof more things that are current and popular to the audience?

Just my two cents – but to all of the haters, I will again say that I think this season has been pretty strong, this episode not withstanding, so check back in on the show, and you’ll probably be pleasantly surprised.

The Simpsons, a show famous for its guest stars, has a slew of awesome celebs lined up for the upcoming 22nd(!) season. The season premiere will feature some cross-promotion for the Fox network as Lea Michele, Cory Monteith and Amber Riley (Rachel, Finn, and Mercedes from Glee) lend their voices as artistic campers.  And the counselors will be played by Brett and Jermaine from Flight of the Conchords!

Hugh Laurie and Daniel Radcliffe will be making cameos in the Treehouse of Horror episode, Martha Stewart will appear int he Christmas episode, and Jon Hamm will appear as an FBI agent in an episode featuring Joe Mantegna’s Fat Tony.  Not to mention guest stars Halle Berry, Paul Rudd, Facebook creator Mark Zuckerberg, Kristin Wiig, Cheech and Chong, Alyson Hannigan, and a second appearance by Ricky Gervais!

Of course,a great guest appearance does not a great episode make, but I for one think The Simpsons has been on a real roll recently, and these cameos give me great hope for the upcoming season.

Oh, and speaking of our favorite family, Steve gave me this heads up that Chelsea Clinton wasn’t the only famous daughter who got/was scheduled to get married this past weekend.

The Eighties
A decade of amazing pop culture milestones, sitcoms in the 1980’s knew how to do a theme song. The crème de la crème:

Perfect Strangers – the greatest TV show ever about a guy named Balki and his cousin.

Family Ties – the “sha-la-la” at the end is legendary,

Who’s the Boss – “the choice is up to you, my friend” – how inspirational!

The Dukes of Hazzard – technically the show began in the 70’s, but come on, this is a classic.

The Greatest American Hero – I never watched a single episode of this show, but what a song!

The CW
Sure, most of the shows on the WB/UPN/CW are aimed at teeny boppers, but there have been some gems – gems with killer theme songs no less.

Veronica Mars – The Dandy Warhols brought it with their theme song, although they really did make it lamer in Season 3.

Smallville – this song is best sung by James and myself in the highest pitch possible.

Smallville Theme
Uploaded by smallville92. – Explore more music videos.

It’s Not TV, It’s HBO
Remember when HBO used to just air movies, and not amazing series with fantastic theme songs?

The Sopranos – how else can you make a drive through New Jersey seem cool?

True Blood – everything about this show is cool, especially the way it starts.

Kid Friendly Fare:
Shows for kids need to have an amazing theme song to hook the kids in – it’s just good marketing.

The Muppets – no one from our generation does not have this song memorized.

Spongebob Square Pants – a true modern sing-a-long classic.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles – They’re heroes in a half shell… and they’re green!

Lyric-less
Sometimes, a great theme doesn’t need any (or just a few) words in order to be super catchy.

The Simpsons – universally know because of the show’s popularity, but a great theme in its own right.

30 Rock – a great tune that lets you know you’re in store for hilarity.

The Office – this was Courtney’s ring tone for a while, and it never got old.

On December 17, 1989, the face of television changed forever, as the first episode of The Simpsons aired. It was a half-hour episode featuring a crudely animated family struggling to make their Christmas memorable. Few people would have imagined then that in two decades time, the show would still be profitable.

I won’t pontificate on how The Simpsons have changed the TV landscape, as it’s all been said before; they gave new life to the fledgling Fox network, they pushed the boundaries of what was acceptable in primetime (although what was controversial then is incredibly tame by today’s standards), they inspired numerous other animated shows targeted at older audiences, and of course they created a huge empire in their own right, full of world-famous characters and catch-phrases.

When I think of The Simpsons turning 20, I reflect on how big a role the show has played in my life. It’s easily my favorite TV show of all-time – there are a lot of other great shows that I love and obsess over, but nothing has been more consistent for me than The Simpsons. I’ve been watching the show religiously since I was 10. Since I was 10! That’s quite a streak. Other than playing video games, I can’t think of anything else that has been such a regular part of my life for so long. Hell, I met all of my childhood friends that I’m still in touch with after I met The Simpsons.

I’m fairly obsessive in my fandom, although of course there are far more uber-nerds out there. I’ve seen all 449 episodes of the show, from the very best (Cape Feare, Itchy and Scratchy Land) to the worst episode ever (The Computer Wore Menace Shoes), and I have always made it a point not to miss the latest show. In college, I would get to the TV lounge early on Sunday nights to make sure no one else would even attempt to put on another channel. And my parents who liked to call on Sunday nights were forbidden from checking in when The Simpsons were on. I even was known to watch four episodes of repeat episodes in a row; Ithaca picked up both the Fox Binghamton and Fox Syracuse stations, and one would air 2 shows form 6-7pm, and the other from 7-8pm. (Of course, that was only on special occasions, and this fact in no way negatively influenced my grades.”) Clint and I had a whole Sunday night ritual before settling in for Futurama, Simpsons, and The X-Files. When I would visit Courtney on weekends at Cornell, I would stay late on Sundays to watch the show with her and Mehler and Deej, even though it meant me getting back home at some unholy hour, while everyone else was still asleep in their comfy, comfy beds. When I was a Page at Saturday Night Live and I would get home at 11am on Sundays after being awake for over 24 hours, I’d sleep straight through until Monday morning – except to get up and watch The Simpsons.

But it’s not just the way I’d schedule my life. The Simpsons also has affected the way I speak. I remember once a friend at work commented that she and her friends once spoke in nothing but Simpsons quotes for an entire meal. I responded that my friends and I did the same thing, only for all four years of college. Honestly, how often did we say things like “I’m gonna allow this,” and “They have the internet on computers now” and even “Eeont?” For the non-members of D.U.M.B., “eeont” was the sound of the football hitting Hans Moleman in the groin in the Springfield Film Festival. We weren’t even quoting a LINE from the show, but a freaking sound effect! (For anyone wondering, yes, we did drive away the ladies en masse with our Simpsons speak.)

And my obsession with the show wasn’t merely a teen/college phase. It’s easier now with DVR and my Archos, but I still never miss a new episode. I still get all of the DVD’s and listen to all of the commentaries and watch every single piece of bonus footage. Nick and I went to see a midnight showing of The Simpsons Movie when it first came out, and I then saw it again that night with D.U.M.B. I still name all of my video-game characters Thrillho. I still quote random Simpsons moments to people who have no idea what the hell I’m talking about, as I tell them that something is a perfectly cromulent word, I complain about paying the Homer tax, and I ask where I can get some of these placebos. (Did you catch the few quotes/paraphrased quotes I threw into this post?)

Fox is airing a big 20th anniversary special next year, and they are releasing Season 20 on DVD even though they haven’t yet released Seasons 13-19. (Check out this new and updated poster jam-packed with characters that will accompany the Season 20 DVD.) The show has been renewed to go through a 22nd season, but it’s hard to imagine the show ever going after the air. I know that will be a sad day, not just for Comic Book Guy nerds, but for television fans everywhere.

So Happy Birthday, Simpsons! What are some of your favorite memories/episodes/quotes from the show?

Nope, that’s not a photoshopped picture. It is the real cover of the November 2009 Playboy. And Marge isn’t just on the cover – she’ll also be featured in a pictorial in the magazine as well. It’ll be on newsstands and in the hands of subscribers very soon.

I’m not totally sure how I feel about this. I mean, I love Marge, and she’s certainly a beautiful woman. But I don’t know that I really need to see her naked. I mean, she’s just not your average hot celebrity; she’s a woman I’ve been watching on TV for the past two decades. After seeing her nude, will I ever be able to look at her clothed in the same way again?

In the end, I know I’m going to look at the pictures – how will I be able to resist? I just hope that the photos are tasteful, and that Marge did the shoot for the right reasons. (Celebrating the show’s 20th anniversary is the reason she’s giving to the press, but my guess is there’s more to the story. Most likely Homer got involved in some wacky shenanigans that, after a bizarre series of events, resulted in Marge being in Playboy.)

Eh, I don’t know what I’m so worried about. Olivia Munn and Heidi Montag were featured on recent covers, and their “pictorials” ended up being total letdowns. In other words, its a safe bet that any questions regarding her blue hair will not be answered by these photos. (Besides, doesn’t everybody know that, as revealed in episode 1F20 “Secrets of a Successful Marriage,” Marge uses Blue Dye #56, having gone gray at the age of 17??)

The Simpsons are coming to a post office near you!

OK, I’m not really a stamp guy, but as a Simpsons fan, this is pretty cool.  TV shows have been made into stamps before, but never while the show was still running in primetime.  Long live the Simpsons!

The Homer one is great, although I’m not sure why they made Maggie look so pissed off – she’s generally a pretty happy baby.  (When she’s not packing heat, of course.)

I also love the quotes from the guys on the show quoted at cnn.com:

Matt Groening: “This is the biggest and most adhesive honor ‘The Simpsons’ has ever received.”

James L. Brooks: “We are emotionally moved by the Postal Service selecting us rather than making the lazy choice of someone who has benefited society.”

Deej, you should totally get these for your wedding invitations, and see what kind of reaction you get! We used the Star Wars stamps for ours, and we got… no reaction whatsoever.

Why didn’t they check with me first?

If they had, I would have politely told them that when someone tells you a final price, it should be a FINAL price, and that the word “final” is pretty specifically defined, and is not really open for much interpretation.

Then, this Sunday night I come home to find that instead of airing The Simpsons at 8pm like they always do, Fox decided to pre-empt the show with NASCAR. That’s right, NASCAR.

Why didn’t they check with me first?

If they had, I would have politely told them that no one cares about NASCAR, and watching a bunch of rednecks turn left for six and a half hours is just not entertainment. Now a show about a cartoon family that has been on the air for TWENTY FRIGGING YEARS is, in fact, quite entertaining, and that should therefore take precedence. Also, us non-rednecks have DVR’s that record our shows for us, and when things like this happen, we just get screwed over. The hillbillys who like their racing could very easily change the channel on their TVs to FX or some other channel, which wouldn’t interfere with their VCR recordings of their favorite “sport.” Now, I have to find 22 minutes to watch the show on Hulu, which is just inconvenient enough for me to whine about on my blog.

Then, I come to find that not only did I not win the raffle to buy Mets Opening Day tickets, but single-game season tickets will go on sale on March 15th, when Wifey and I will be on vacation.

Why didn’t they check with me first?

If they had, I would have politely told them that I am plenty displeased with how they are handling their ticket buying process. The fact that tickets are going on sale so late, the fact that the promotion schedule has still yet to be released, and the fact that their color-coded stadium pricing chart contains 42 shades of fuchsia all make for a rather annoying process.

So, in the future, if everyone could check with me before anything happens, it would be much appreciated. Thanks.