Elfman's Favorite TV Shows of 2008

5) The Mentalist
Okay its not Masterpiece Theater, but I really like this show.The Mentalist is pure entertainment. It's mindless TV, but it's good Mindless TV.
Forget the dark sub plot and comparisons to USA's Psyched . The Mentalist delivers an hour of neatly wrapped crime solving suspense, but with a bit of a twist. Simon Baker (The Guardian) plays Patrick Jane, a former phony psychic who now works for the CBI (California Bureau of Investigation) now using only his observational skills to assist the team in solving murder cases. The show goes a long way on the charisma of Baker and a stellar cast including Robin Tunney (Prison Break). An hour of polished crime drama. Deep but not too Deep.



4) Mad Men
No other television show in recent memory has been so critically acclaimed (if viewer hungry), then Mad Men. And it has the Emmy and Golden Globe Awards to back this up. Madmen explores the deceptive and twisted world of power advertising in the 1960's. It follows the high pressure life of Don Draper, the best rep at Sterling Cooper, and certainly one of the best on Madison Avenue. Don, among others has some dark secrets in his past however. The show is a slow moving character study of successful but misguided troubled people and it sucks you into their lives on a weekly basis. Jon Hamm, Elizabeth Moss, John Slattery, and January Jones head up a cast that defines excellence. It is also interesting to see how many things have changed for the better since the 60's when you see all the inequality for women, blacks and gays of the period. Another sign of the times is the amount of drinking on the job, constant smoking by everyone in the cast and even littering.



3) Brothers and Sisters
Want to feel better about your own screwed up dysfunctional extended family for at least one hour a week? Then you must tune in to ABC Sunday Nights at 10 for the very entertaining Brothers and Sisters. The prime time sudser follows the lives of The Walker Clan, led by intrusive, but loving matriarch Nora Walker (Oscar and Emmy Winner Sally Field). The death of William Walker leaves the family to deal with the matter of running the family winery and the discoveries of all his extramarital affairs and indiscretions. Seems there is always a new Walker sibling showing up at the door step.
The plots are well written and finely polished for a soap covering the gambit of soap storylines including politics, addiction, gay marriage, and forbidden love..This show should be sponsored by Pepsid AC because I don't know how any of them get through a family dinner without sever indigestion.
Besides Field the cast includes seasoned professionals Rob Lowe, Colista Flockhart and Rachel Griffiths.



2) Raising the Bar
I accidentally caught this show while channel surfing on Monday night and am extremely glad I did. From Emmy winning producer Steven Bochco(NYPD Blue), Raising the Bar follows a group of young public defenders in their daily lives and courtroom battles for the underdog with the powerful DA. Each week offers a gripping hard hitting drama but with a lot of heart there too. It stars Mark-Paul Gosselear (NYPD Blue, Saved by The Bell) as Jerry Kellerman, one of the most idealistic of these young attorneys who leaves no stone unturned for the rights of his clients. He has become one of the finest young actors on television today. His hair, however will remain a moot point. The superb cast is rounded out by Gloria Reuben (ER), Jane Kaczencrek (Malcom in the Middle) and Teddy Sears (One Life to Live).



1) Bravo Network
There's a new melting pot in America and it's right here on Bravo TV. No other network has ever assembled such an eclectic group of diverse interesting characters. How can you not be intrigued by the rich and powerful, sometimes back-stabbing women of the Real Housewives series, notably Nene (Atlanta) and Vicki (Orange County)? And how about Jeff Lewis of Flipping Out, who has raised OCD to an art form?
Bravo didn't invent reality TV, but they sure perfected it with shows like Millionaire Matchmaker and Top Design. But nowhere is this more evident then in the Network's two most successful shows, Project Runway and Top Chef. These shows take you behind the scenes of the competitive worlds of chefs and upcoming designers and their claw to the top. The judges are smart, tough and funny with Chef Tom Colicchio on Chef and Michael Cors doing the honors on Runway. They've got eye candy too with Top Chef's food-tasting temptress Padma and Runway's Heidi Klum, the queen of Victoria's Secret. There's also father figure and style mentor Tim Gunn, who has become a superstar in his own right from the designing show.
And how can you forget some of the contestants. There was the constant back-stabbing between Betty and Marcel on Top Chef season Two. Some of the chefs even went as far as to try to scalp Marcel during a night of drinking. And how about the knife wielding road runner Hung, from season 3?
Runway has its favorites too. There was season 4 winner Christian, who showed superstar designing talent and coined the phrase "That's Fierce". And the constant whining and underhandedness of style princess Kenley from last season. Bravo for me is Must Watch TV.

My Top 5
I don't know why I've been agonizing over this, maybe because it seems so final ... here it is ... My Top 5 TV Shows of 2008:



5. Sons of Anarchy (F/X)
This is the only "new" show to make my list, and for good reason. When I first read about it in TV Guide, it was heavily compared to the Sopranos. As a fan of the latter, I had to check SOA out. And I wasn't disappointed! Starring Brit export Charlie Hunnam (another reason I wanted to watch), Ron Perlman and Katey Sagal (in a stunning, career-reviving performance), the show centers around the lives of a close-knit motorcycle club operating in Charming, a fictional town in the San Joaquin Valley in Northern California. The club specializes in running guns and ammo around the country and look-out if you decide to get in their way! Well-written and even more well-acted, this show easily fills the void left by my favorite Jersey gangsters. I only wish it were on HBO or another pay channel where it could get real nasty. Who knew Peg Bundy could be so tough?



4. nip/tuck (F/X)
It was early this past year when we last saw Drs. Sean McNamara and Christian Troy, but they'll always be close to my heart (and I'm sooo looking forward to the eight new episodes starting in January!). The show, originally set in Miami, moved last season to Hollywood and the already over-the-top shenanigans got even higher. Dylan Walsh's McNamara became a consultant on Hearts and Scalpels, a show loosely based on his own practice; dated a starlet with an eating disorder (doesn't everybody in H'wood?) and was stalked by his murderous agent (Sharon Gless, was that Cagney or Lacey?). While the hottest Doc on TV (McDreamy and McSteamy can't compare), with the biggest libido, Julian McMahon's Troy continued to bed everybody - oh and unintentionally (??) threw one of his problematic conquests off a roof to her death. Bye-Bye Gina! Nip/tuck is cheese at its best, I absolutely love it! Who knows ... maybe the Carver will return next season ... now that would make my New Year!



3. The Shows of Bravo
The Elfman and I totally agree on this one! Thinking about my Top 5, I realized I watch a lot of Bravo! He put it better than I ever could, but here's my rundown starting with the show that put Bravo on the map - Inside the Actors Studio. Though not in any permanent time slot, I still look for it on a regular basis and not for the guests. I find host James Lipton fascinating! Remember he made my most fascinating list last month, and for good reason. If you can, check out his book - Inside, Inside - you'll see what I mean. If you're a regular reader of this blog you already know that I love Project Runway, Top Chef and all the Real Housewives. But I also make time for Million Dollar Listing (Chad, get a real hairdo dude!), Tabitha's Salon Takeover (someone's gonna kill that woman), Sheer Genius (Kim Vo - WTH?), The Rachel Zoe Show (Brad, grow a pair) and Flipping Out (Jeff Lewis, don't ever change man). Looking to 2009, I can't wait for these shows to return, with the exception of Project Runway, of course, who's move to Lifetime is still being held up in court. So I say Bravo to Bravo, my favorite Guilty Pleasure!



2. Torchwood
Torchwood is a British science fiction drama that deals with the machinations and activities of the Cardiff branch of the fictional Torchwood Institute. An anagram of Doctor Who, from which this show is spun, Torchwood delves into darker subject matter and is also sexier and adult oriented. Starring the dashing John Barrowman as Captain Jack Harkness, a man who can't die, the team deals mainly with incidents involving extraterrestrials and time- and universe-travel. A little cheesy, but that's how I like my Sci-Fi, Torchwood got even better in its second season. Although not currently airing on BBC America, the show can be found on DVD. Try Netflix.



1. LOST
Is anyone surprised that this made my No. 1? Ever since Oceanic Flight 815 crashed on a supposedly deserted island on September 22, 2004, my TV world has never been the same. After watching the first three episodes, I was, well, lost! And I haven't found my way back yet, although last season really pulled out all the stops. What other show could possibly end their season by moving - yes, moving - an entire island? Season 3 ended with us finding out that some castaways actually got off the island and went home, while Season 4 showed us everything that led up to that fateful day, leaving us wondering what happened to everybody else? Sun lost Jin, Claire found her dead father in Jacob's cabin (and he seemed alive), Desmond found Penny, Jack and Kate left Sawyer behind and we found out, after a year of speculating, who was in the coffin. Are you LOST reading this? If so, too bad. If you haven't been watching, it's too late now unless you go back on DVD and watch from the beginning. I can't remember a show that had me debating theories with complete strangers before. And I mean heated debates. Fans of this show are passionate and for good reason. Looking forward to its return on January 21!

Honorable Mentions: Since we limited it to 5, here's the rest I considered good TV, in no particular order. Survivor: Gabon, Big Bang Theory, Dexter, Entourage, Skins (another BBC show), Doctor Who, Californication and The Graham Norton Show.

Happy New Year Everyone - don't spend tonight watching TV - go out and enjoy!

As predicted, comedian Jeffrey Ross was sent packing during Dancing with the Stars second night of celebrity hoofing. The sound you have heard around 9:50 p.m. last night was millions of men turning off their TVs in response. That's because Ross' partner was the gorgeous, scantily-clothed Edyta Slawinska, a male fan favorite!

Alas, that's the down side of America's favorite dance show, even if you don't like the "celebrity," the pros have developed their own strong fan-bases, and there are more men (claiming to be forced to watch by their wives) watching the hot young female dancers than you think!
Tonight at 8 p.m. on ABC, the Dancing marathon continues for another hour and yet another celebrity will trade their dancing shoes for walking shoes.

In other Dancing news: Celebrity chef Rocco DiSpirito, who improved greatly in last night's peformance, has an upcoming serieso n A&E. Rocco Gets Real will premiere Oct. 4.

By the way, Monday's season premiere of DWTS averaged 21.3 million viewers to help ABC deliver its most-watched season-opening Monday since 1999.

Last night Fox offered up another intriguing episode of their new hit Fringe. The pattern and Massive Dynamics involvement have furthered the conspiracy. And I'm happy to pass on to you that last week's season premiere of Fox's proven hit House was just what the doctor ordered ... improving Fringe's (which follows House) ratings by over 4 million. According to TV Guide Fringe's primere garnered 9.1 million viewers and was up last week to 13.3, retaining 90 percent of House's audience. This is good news indeed.

And speaking of Fringe, don't you just love the way Fox let's you know, prior to every commercial break, how many seconds till Fringe returns! That really does come in handy. Kudos to Fox.

Haven't caught up on 90210 from last night yet ... although I can report that according to the NY Post, the CW has given a full-season order for the show. Whether they return for next season is anyone's guess at this point.

I have to tell you, Monday night while I was watching the LOST marathon, the Sci-Fi channel spent a lot of commercial time promoting a new series starting Friday, Oct. 3, at 9 p.m. Described in TV Guide as "A forensice psychiatrist follows the trail of an unusual boy who fled from a crime scene, and encounters a doctor with a unique proposition," Sanctuary looks pretty cool. You might want to save a space in your Friday night viewing ... http://www.scifi.com/sanctuary

And speaking of TV Guide, there's a pretty great article on Desperate Housewives new season in the Sept. 29-Oct. 5 edition, out now. There are lots of spoilers, but what I found most interesting was a sidebar on the show's creator Marc Cherry. In it, Cherry admits the inspiration for this season's 5-year jump forward came from the Season 3 finale of .... ready -- LOST!

For those of you who don't watch, during the last 5 minutes of the Season 3 finale, the audience found out that all the "flashbacks" we saw for those past 2 hours, were actually "flashforwards" and Jack and Kate were actually off the island!
According to Cherry, "Everyone on my staff was talking about it (LOST). The critics were rapturous. The fans were apparently ecstatic. This left me jealous and intrigued. I wasn't sure exactly what they'd done (I don't watch LOST, mostly because don't have the time, a little bit because I know it's so good, I'd just resent it), but I got the brilliance of it all. And I decided I had to make a bold move with my show."

On TV tonight: Well, I have a bit of a dilemma, there are 3 shows all on at the same tonight that I want to see. All at 10 p.m. What will I do?
I'll, of course, by starting with Project Runway on Bravo at 9 p.m. According to http://bloggingprojectrunway.blogspot.com/ on tonight's episode, Tim Gunn promises us "the most unique show Project Runway has ever seen" as our five remaining designers battle it out in Rock N' Runway for a chance at the S5 crown. With an expected major model shake-up in the cards, the drama quotient should be high.
And we'll all be keeping an eye on the runway's newest bitch, Kenley, who over the last 2 weeks has gone from fan-favorite to villian! Who will she belittle tonight?

And following Runway at 10 p.m. I have to stay tuned for Top Design. While a tried to watch this show last season (its debut), I couldn't stand respected designer and show host Todd Oldham. Yes, I'm a fan of his designs, but his hosting abilities left something to be desired ...

Anyway, tonight's guest judge is none other than our favorite obsessive-compulsive house flipper, Flipping Out's Jeff Lewis! I absolutely can't wait. The promos for tonight's ep have Jeff saying "I thought the show was called Top Design, not over-the-top-design!"
For more information on Top Design, visit http://www.bravotv.com/Top_Design/season/2/index.php
For information on Flippin Out and Jeff Lewis visit http://www.bravotv.com/Flipping_Out/season/2/index.php

Also at 10 p.m. NBC's premiering Season 2 of Lipstick Jungle. I like this show, primarily because it was created by Candace Bushnell, creator of one of my all time faves, Sex and the City. While I wouldn't go as far as to say it's as good, it's held my interest. Tonight's premiere finds star Brooke Shields' character a high-powered film studio exec, dealing with a visit from her mother, played Mary Tyler Moore (might be worth watching just for that). For more info, click here http://www.nbc.com/Lipstick_Jungle/

And, of course, the show I'll actually watch at 10 p.m. (while taping the other two) will be FX's Sons of Anarchy. I'm liking this one more each week! For info visit
http://www.fxnetworks.com/shows/originals/soa/#Nav/Homepage

That's all for now, but coming tomorrow -- Survivor Gabon preview!

OK, so I'm guilty! Yes, I spent another LOST Monday with the Sci-Fi channel's 4-episode marathon of my favorite psychological thriller. I won't go into any details, just to say that if you ever wanted to get in on those LOST conspiracy conversations at work, Monday nights provide the perfect chance for you to get caught up for Season 5, debuting in January.

Back on over at ABC last night, Dancin' with the Stars made its season debut. I would say it was a loooong two hours, but I taped it and watched at 11 p.m. And although I said yesterday I could get thru it in about 20 minutes just watching the dancing and critiquing, it actually took about 35 minutes. Which is still way better than 2 hours of mostly filler and commercials!
All the contestants danced last night and one will go home during tonight's broadcast, another 2 hours, from 9-11 p.m. And the fun continues Wednesday night, with a 1-hr. results show at 8 p.m. during which another contestant will be voted off.

Anyway, here's my thoughts ... judge Bruno Tonioli was on fire last night -- where does he come up with those wacky euphemisms? He compared comedian Jeffrey Ross (who I think will be going home tonight) to the horrendous atrocity of Cloverfield in 3D. Cloverfield, for those of you who don't know, featured a gigantic monster lumbering its way thru New York City, knocking down everything in its path. And I think it was a correct comparison. Poor Ross, he seemed to be really trying, but some people just don't have it on the dance floor.
The Cloverfield Monster

I can't say much more for celebrity chef (is this guy still famous?) Rocco DiSpirito. He faired a little better than Ross, but not much.

82-year-old Cloris Leachman stole the show, not with her dancing, but with her antics at the judges stand. She slung her bare leg up and on the table right in front of a flabbergasted Bruno (the first person ever to leave him speechless), got on her knees and prayed in front of Len Goodman and practically sat in Kari Ann's lap!
I'll also put Susan Lucci in my bottom three. Don't get me wrong, she looked great! But she also looked incredibly uncomfortable performing her segment. I'm only hoping her strong fan base keeps her around for a while ... her partner, Tony Dovolani is delicious!

My faves from last night were the adorable Cody Linley (of Hannah Montana fame). He lucked out by getting 2-time champ Julianne Hough as a partner. She makes everybody look good.
Also, after admitting he was the "worst dancer in N'Sync, Lance Bass proved he can work it on the dance floor. I'm looking forward to his improvement in future episodes. His partner is newcomer Lacey Schwimmer.

Derek Hough
And the top vote getter from the judges was model/TV spokesperson Brooke Burke, who was lucky enough to land Julianne's bro, the super cute Derek Hough, as her dance partner.
My gut tells me that Maurice Greene is also one to watch this season. He was the last dancer of the evening and he has the other 2-time champ, Cheryl Burke, to guide him straight to the top. His dancing style was reminiscent of Season 3 winer and fave Emmett Smith!

My primary reason for watching, though, was the return of my fave pro -- Maksim Chmerkovsky! He's the hottest thing to hit the dance floor since Tony Manero in Saturday Night Fever! Unfortunately, his partner is Olympian Misty May-Treanor, and he's really got his work cut out for him. The girl doesn't have any dancing experience, but she's an athlete, and athletes have a dedication that has been unmatched by other contestants so far (remember Apollo Ohno and last season's winner Kristi Yamaguchi?). Maybe he'll be able to turn it around to their advantage! We'll have to wait and see.
Overall, the show's contestants were not as impressive as previous seasons, with some even earning 4's from the judges. "I forgot we had a 4," quipped host Tom Bergeron of the low score. Overall scores ranges from 23-12 (Burke and Ross, respectively).
For more info visit the official website at http://abc.go.com/primetime/dancingwiththestars/index?pn=index

On TV Tonight: Australia's handsome Simon Baker returns to network TV on CBS at 9 p.m. as The Mentalist. He stars as the roguish mentalist, whoonce made his living fooling people into believing he was a psychic.

Though he cannot really read minds, he developed a keen intuition about people, leading him to his current occupation as a consultant for the California Bureau of Investigation on murder cases. For information and full episodes visit http://www.cbs.com/primetime/the_mentalist/

Over on NBC, the competition continues on The Biggest Loser: Families, with a special guest appearance. Fresh from his debut (and possibly last night) on Dancin' with the Stars, Rocco DiSpirito teaches the contestants to shop for and make healthy and affordable meals.

I'll be reluctantly tuning in to 90210 on the CW at 8 p.m. Only because E! News reported over the weekend that Luke Perry IS in talks to reprise his role as Dylan MacKay!! YAY! As I reported last week, Brenda revealed in a conversation with Kelly that Dylan is indeed the father of Kelly's son Sammy (my only reason to keep watching).

And, Fox is offering up another vexxing episode of it's new JJ Abrahms thriller Fringe! I'm really getting into this show. It's not too late to check it out. Tonight's episode will center on another occurance in "The Pattern" featuring a bus full of frozen commuters. For more information visit http://www.fox.com/fringe/
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FX is rerunning last week's episode of Sons of Anarchy tonight at 11 p.m. It's not too late to get in on this fine show. Think of it as the Sopranos on Harleys.

So, against my better judgment, I actually watched The Hills last night, after completely missing last week's episode. It just happened to be re-airing at 11 p.m. last night, just when my LOST marathon was ending. And for something completely different, Lauren Conrad was MIA for most of the episode ... she was on some trip and only arrived back home at the very end and guess what? The show wasn't really better/worse without her. All these "characters" (I mean we all KNOW its scripted, right?) are so interchangeable that it really doesn't matter who's onscreen.
Unfortunately, next week's ep actually looks interesting with Heidi's mom coming to visit. And guess what? She's going to give Heidi a hard time about her fiance Spencer (does anybody LIKE this guy???)

TV on DVD: Well, not exactly, but it was one of HBO's most successful series. Sex and the City: The Movie bows on DVD today. And, yes, being a huge fan of the show, I ran right to the theater to see it last June. Although critics complained that it was like a 2-hr. episode, I loved it! I mean, that's what we the fans wanted wasn't it?

Anyway, if you're a fan of the show, I highly recommend the movie. If you've never seen the show, it doesn't make much sense to watch the movie. Enough said.

OK, sorry, I got my information a little wrong about last night's Project Runway. While designer Cynthia Rowley was the guest judge in a Mother-Daughter challenge, the returning contestants I mentioned yesterday were actually on the show following the Bravo hit -- Top Design, which aired at 10 p.m. My bad.

Regarding Runway, last night we said Auf Wiedersehen to Joe. I will admit I was a little nervouse for Suede, he's growing on me and I didn't want him to go yet. I think the judges feel the same way. I'm picking him, Jerell and Leanne for the finalists. For now we'll have to wait and see ... by the way, what was that feathered thing on challenge-winner Jerell's head last night?

For more photos of last night's challenge or more info on the Runway visit http://bloggingprojectrunway.blogspot.com/

F/X delivered another great episode of Sons of Anarchy last night, featuring Carnies, castration and those motorcycle mavens with a heart. For X-Files fans, there was another treat -- Mitch Pileggi turned up from a rival gang. Pileggi played Mulder and Scully's boss, Agent Skinner. You can see more here http://www.fxnetworks.com/shows/originals/soa/#Nav/TheShow/AboutTheShow

And Pileggi shows up this season on the CW's Supernatural, which has it's premiere at 9 p.m. Yes, demon hunters Sam and Dean Winchester are back for Season 4! When we last saw them back in May, evil demon Lilith trapped the brothers and sent Dean (Jensen Ackles) to Hell, fulfilling Dean's contract to sacrifice his life for Sam (Jared Padalecki).

Tonight's opener apparently has Dean literally digging himself out of his grave! Pileggi will appear in a future episode playing the boys' grandfather. But, if I have to be honest, although I love all things supernatural, the real reason I stick with this show is for the eye-candy -- the Winchester Bros. are hot!


And speaking of eye candy, I caught up on this week's 90210 last night too. I was just about to give up on this show, when Kelly Taylor (Jenny Garth) spoke the only word that would make me keep watching -- Dylan! As in former Beverly Hills alum Dylan McKay (Luke Perry)! (OK, so I would still have kept watching if she had said Brandon.) Yes, it seems that Kelly's young son Sammy is the spawn of my favorite 90210 hottie.

Before the new show started back in August, there was plenty of Internet rumors about Perry returning for a few guest shots, possibly as the father of Kelly's son. Perry's camp is quick to point out that at the moment the actor has no intention of returning. But we all know that can change ...

Also, I must admit I do enjoy seeing Rob Estes on 90210 (he plays West Beverly's principal and father of the main characters Annie and Dickson). I've always liked Estes, ever since he used to star in the upscale detective drama Silk Stalkings. I'll never forgive the USA Network for killing him off at the end of Season 5. And I'm not alone. The show quickly sank into ratings oblivion after that.


On TV Tonight: I'll be watching my favorite British chef in need of anger management -- Gordon Ramsay. His Kitchen Nightmares at 9 p.m. on Fox is one of my favorite guilty pleasures.

Say what you want about his management style, the guy knows what he's talking about. Just check out his bio on http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gordon_Ramsay and I'm sure you'll be impressed. Anyway, if you're not familiar, Nightmares features a different failing eatery each week, which Ramsay makes over and turns into a profit maker. Check it out. It's very different from his signature cooking contest show Hell's Kitchen.


Also cake-maker extreme Duff Goldman is back with another new episode of his hugely popular Food Network show Ace of Cakes! This show truly is a joy to watch. Not only are the cakes amazing, the employees make up a cast of characters worth watching. So check out the jovial chef along with Mary Alice, Geof, Sherri, Anna, Adam and the rest of the gang at 10 p.m. Just Duff's boisterous laugh alone is enough to keep me watching.
Or if you just can't wait, you can visit Baltimore's Charm City Cakes at http://www.charmcitycakes.com/

Over on ABC at 9 p.m. last season's 2-hr. finale of Grey's Anatomy plays out again. So if you just can't wait until next week's season premiere, you can refresh your memory of the goings'-on of Meredith, McDreamy, McSteamy, and the rest randy doctors at Seattle Grace.

Till tomorrow ...

So last night the second episode of Fox's Fringe aired. And it did not disappoint. If you haven't yet, you need to start watching this show. It's full of intrigue, conspiracy, horror and humor.
You can actually catch up on their offical website http://www.fox.com/fringe/ You can either watch the episodes or read a detailed episode recap if you don't have the time to watch.
Last night's episode had Agent Olivia Dunham and father/son Walter and Peter Bishop investigating strange phenomena involving a baby grown to term in minutes, only to die four hours later from old age.
Somehow, it's all part of The Pattern, which is how Olivia's boss, Agent Phillip Broyles, describes the strange events the Fringe team will be investigating. John Noble as "mad" scientist Walter Bishop once again stole the show with his insane musings -- he likes the seat warmer in the car -- "it warms my ass." (Take that Jack M.)
And somehow, I'm sure if the show stays on long enough, we'll find out that the erie corporation Massive Dynamic was somehow responsible for the crash of Oceanic 815!
Check it out for yourselves ...

Taped 90210, didn't watch it yet. My enthusiasm is seriously waning for this show.

Tonight brings us another exciting episode of Bravo's Project Runway at 9 p.m. The contestants design window displays inspired by the show's creations. Guest judge is designer Cynthia Rowley. The episode will also feature guest appearances by former contestants Daniel Franco, Santino Rice, Sweet P, Andrae Gonzalo and Season 3 winner Jeffrey Sebelia.
As blogged about here on Monday, you can see the Bryant Park runway shows of the remaining contestants at http://bloggingprojectrunway.blogspot.com/

Over on Fox tonight at 8 p.m., Dog Whisperer star and canine guru Cesar Millan guests on Bones. The episode centers on the discovery of the mutilated body of a veterinarian leading to an investigation that uncovered the deceased's gamblingaddictionand possible ties to an illegal dogfighting enterprise. By the way, National Geographic's Dog Whisperer will celebrate its 100th episode Friday at 9 p.m.


But what I'm most interested in seeing is on F/X at 10 p.m., the third episode of their new hit Sons of Anarchy. The series, if you haven't read this blog before, centers on a gun-running motorcycle club the Sons of Anarchy. Starring British actor Charlie Hunnam (looking pretty sweet), it also stars Ron Perlman as the current gang leader and Katey Sagal as Hunnam's hard-talking, over-bearing mom. Sagal shines in this part, like it was made for her. Peg Bundy would be so proud!

The show draws strong comparisons to The Sopranos, which is never a bad thing. For more info in this brilliant check out their website http://www.fxnetworks.com/shows/originals/soa/#Nav/Homepage

In other news, Britain's former Prime Minister Tony Blair will mix it up tomorrow night with Jon Stewart on The Daily Show. I don't know about you, but I find Blair extremely entertaining. I love his quick-witted, dry sense of humor.


Believe it or not: The Jerry Springer Show begins its 18th, yes 18th, season Monday! Shamelessly (shameless, Spring? who would've thought?) plugging for a Daytime Emmy on his website, www.jerryspringertv.com, fans can vote by clicking on "Why Jerry Deserves an Emmy."

Fox has suspended filming of Season 7 of 24 for a couple of weeks -- don't freak out yet. Sources say its because they've decided to retool the last six episodesand filming should begin again in two weeks. This will not cause any delay in Season 7's air-time schedule.

The same network has also halted production on Joss Whedon's new series, Dollhouse, for the time being. Apparently execs are not sure if the characters are "likeable" enough, and that the plot may be too confusing for viewers.

Dollhouse, starring Buffy alum Eliza Dushku, revolves around a group of people who've had their personalities erased and replaced with new personas.
Shooting is scheduled to resume next week.


And the ratings are in: HBO's True Blood, which didn't get stellar ratings in its debut, only went up a small percentage this week. Last Sunday's second episode came in at 1.8 million (not what I'd call good for an HBO original), while the premiere ep only garnered 1.4 million. In comparison, other recent HBO series' premieres scored much better -- Big Love with 4.5 million, Rome with 3.8 and Deadwood with 5.6.

TV Guide reports this week that Fringe (which I found is the best new show so far), opened last week with 9.13 million viewers, which put it behind America's Got Talent (11.61 million), in its time slot. So people, please, start watching this show!

In more disturbing news: Guess which pretty, vapid reality star just signed a 3-book deal with publishing giant HarperCollins? -- MTV's own Lauren Conrad, that's who. How does this happen? The Hill's star will be writing young adult fiction -- gag!


On that note, I'm done for today ...

Ok, so as promised, last night I caught up on Fringe, J.J. Abrams latest attempt to drive us all crazy. And, I have to say, that after just one episode, I'm hooked.
The show features a flesh-eating disease, FBI agents looking for a cure, and, references to disasters happening around the world (classic Abrams), including plane crashes (sound familiar Lostees?). Not only that, but one of the main characters is portrayed by Lance Reddick, the same actor who played prominently as Matthew Abaddon in the last 3 episodes of LOST last season .... hmmmm, could there be a possible crossover episode in the future (maybe somehow connecting the Fringe storyline to the crash of Oceanic 815)? It's enough to keep me tuned in.
Also, it's nice to see actor John Noble portraying a "mad" scientist, instead of the insufferable Lord Denathor, steward of Gondor (LOTR/ROTK, look it up).
So, if you're a fan of LOST, Alias or even Heroes, you'll definitely want to check this show out. Fortunately, Fox will be broadcasting an encore presentation of the pilot episode Sunday night at 8 p.m. And you can also watch the episode and get more information on the show at
http://www.fox.com/fringe/
And here's another reason to tune in to Fox Sunday night -- how about a preview of the new 24 season prequel "Redemption"? According to www.nypost.com, although the new season of the popular Keifer Sutherland series won't be debuting until January, there will be a 2-hour prequel that will air in November. It's a roughly three-minute preview, so tune in early.
Also debuting will be a an extended scene from the movie remake of "The Day The Earth Stood Still," scheduled for release in December.

Moving on to what was actually on TV Wednesday night: The Sons of Anarchy's second episode on FX didn't disappoint. I actually think the already good show got even better. In case you missed it, you can watch the episode and get any news about the show on FX's website
http://www.fxnetworks.com/shows/originals/soa/#Nav/Homepage Of course, I'm sure FX will be re-airing the episode over the weekend, but you'll have to watch the pilot on the Net.
Anyway, the show, compared to The Sopranos, about a gun-running motorcycle gang is really shaping up. Featuring British actor Charlie Hunnam in the lead role as Jax, son of the former, now deceased, gang leader, and Ron Perlman as Clay, the gang's current leader, it's Katey Sagal who is really starting to shine. Sagal plays Gemma, Jax's mom and girlfriend to Clay, who is trying to keep her family together as well as ensure her son's ascent as rightful leader of the gang. She's a stronger version of Carmella Soprano, if you can imagine. So much for Peg Bundy.

And it wouldn't be Thursday without bringing up who was asked to leave the Runway last night. I absolutely love Project Runway. I was late getting to the party, only picking up this show after friends begged me to half way thru the third season. We're now well into Season 5, and as I said yesterday, the finale is being filmed tomorrow at Fashion Week in Bryant Park, NYC.
This show continues to enthrall me, mostly because these people can take fabric and turn it into something beautiful (most of the time) in a matter of hours! Something I couldn't do in a matter of months, or even years!
Anyway, last night we said "Auf Wiedersehen" to two contestants this week -- Terry and our fave "holla atchaboy" Blaine. At least we still have Suede. In case you missed it, you can watch the replay this weekend on Bravo or at http://www.bravotv.com/Project_Runway/season/5/index.php

On TV tonight: The History channel presents "102 Minutes That Changed America" in honor of the 7th anniversary of the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon by reconstructing the events in chronological order using footage from more than 100 sources, amateur and professional.

And in poor comparison to that one, I'll be tuning in to one of my guilty pleasures -- Gordon Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares at 9 p.m. on Fox. I find the show interesting in a way that makes me NEVER want to eat out at a restaurant again!

Hello fellow TV enthusiasts and welcome to "On The Set". For those of you who are curious, this blog will be dedicated to all things television. You know what I mean. The type of things you tend to discuss when you get into work in the morning.
Who did what to whom on TV last night, who got voted off the island, who was asked to leave the runway, who's fooling around with who on Wisteria Lane, what really happened to Oceanic 815, what happened to Mad Men, and how the hell is Jack Bauer going to save the world this time? All generally based on what I watch on TV.
Along the way, I'll share any info about upcoming TV moments and events, any new shows/castings I hear about, preview/review new shows and hope to share your opionions as well as mine. So feel free to add your comments to any postings or email me at kim.gardengal.toth@gmail.com
For those of you wondering about that address, I've spent this past spring and summer blogging as Garden Gal for The Mercury and will continue to do so, only as the weather gets colder, there's not as much gardening to write about.
And as the nights get longer, we'll all be spending more time indoors, and I'll be catching up on lots of TV. The new Fall season is just around the corner, but some new shows have already got the jump on them.
You can check out my profile for my preferences, but in general my TV tastes run from Reality to Entourage to Mad Men. I can always find something on TV that I like. My faves are LOST (yes, I'm one of those people), Survivor, Amazing Race, 24, Project Runway, Top Chef, The Soup (in case I missed anything) and just about anything on BBC America (my current fave channel).
So let's get started with what was on last night: I would've liked to start with J.J. Abrams newest, "Fringe," but, having taped it earlier to watch later, I fell asleep halfway thru. Not because the show was bad, actually it was quite interesting, I just started watching it too late. Abrams, for those of you who don't know, is the creator of LOST and Alias, and Fringe is supposed to be in the same vein. I let you know tomorrow.
Oh, and yes, I said "taped." I can't bring myself to pay for DVR yet, when there's nothing wrong with my 5 VCRs. Yes, I need 5 sometimes to get everything I want to see. And since my cable company charges a monthly fee for DVR, I'd rather use that money to pay for more channels!
So, on to what I actually watched: The CW's new 90210. Yes, I have to admit, I liked last week's show. I was a HUGE fan of the original from the '80s and the nostalgic value of the new show was hard to resist.
Anyway, unfortunately the new show jumped the shark (yes, I know that the phrase jumped the shark has effectively jumped the shark itself, but I didn't know how else to put it) about halfway thru when one of the young characters (it's too soon to now all their names) made a reference to The Hills' dastardly villian Spencer Pratt! Yes, I also watch The Hills, but I wouldn't say I'm fanatic about it. Then 90210 went on with the old show's typical formulas, parents wanting to have a "family night out", kids arranging for their friends to "meet" them there, one character discovers her father's having an affair and, of course, the alcoholic mother whose daughter doesn't know how to cope. Boring ... I'll give it another shot next week.
I also wasn't too impressed with the show that came after either. "Privileged" is about a woman who gets hired to tutor two insanely rich and spoiled teenage girls (think Paris and Nicky Hilton about seven years younger) in ritzy Palm Beach, Florida. I'm sure you can imagine all the stereotypes that played out in this show.
But that's what the new Fall season is always about: Trying out new shows and seeing if you want to stay with them.
One show I can definitely recommend is actually on tonight. Presented on the FX channel at 10 p.m. is the second episode of "Sons of Anarchy." Think The Sopranos, only with a gun-running motorcycle gang instead of the mob. Starring British actor Charlie Hunnan as Jax, the son of the former leader of the gang, and probable successor, last week's pilot episode was full of drama, guns, explosions, drug-dealing and, of course, rival killings. Don't get upset, I'm not condoning violence, it's just a TV show.

In TV news, www.nypost.com is reporting that Project Runway judge Nina Garcia is getting her own show. "Running in Heels" will feature Garcia and her staff at Marie Claire, and is set for a March premiere.
Also Project Runway, which is moving after this season from Bravo to Lifetime, will not be premiering in October as previously planned. (Still no word on whether any of the judges or my fave, mentor Tim Gunn, will be part of the new line up.) It's now going to start in early next year. The current season will be taping its finale Friday at New York's Fashion Week in Bryant Park and will feature guest judge Jennifer Lopez.
Stay tuned ...