07:00 Perfect Strangers
07:30 My Boys
11:30 In Bed With MeDinner

Perfect Strangers. Season 2, Episode 3. "The Unnatural" Larry is managing the baseball team (and he really wants to win). Balki wants to be on the baseball team (but he's never played before). Larry promises to put him on the team, but changes his mind. What will win out? Friendship or Larry's desire to win at all costs? If you think you can write this one in your head, you are... quite right. It plays out exactly as you would expect, but with good physical comedy and two actors able to talk about "friendship" (at the end) with sincere emotion. A perfect example of why this is a wonderful, feel-good sitcom.

Jennifer and Mary-Anne appear in this episode (as part of the team) but neither one has any dialogue! Strange. Production numbers would indicate that this was filmed late in the season, so that might account for it. But, still, I would have preferred that they aired a proper Jennifer/Mary Anne episode after their introduction. (I really love Jennifer and Mary Anne.)

My Boys. Season 2, Episode 7. "Opportunity Knocks" TV's funniest sit-com gets more serious with Andy's marriage now in trouble. Martin Mull steals the episode as a self-obsessed marriage counselor. Meanwhile PJ is trying to decide whether or not to date Bobby's brother. Bobby's marriage is getting closer and closer. He's not actually going to marry her, is he?

In Bed With MeDinner. Season 4, Episode 3. "Jessico the Dancing Outlaw and Johnny Rubbish" I'm not a fan of hyperbole but I have to say, because I honestly believe, that Bob Mills is a comedy genius. When somebody comes along and manages to be funny in a completely new way I fail to think of any other was to describe them. Mills hosted this series for four seasons in the '90s. The format was as follows: Bob used props, stories and video clips to make us laugh. Nothing unusual in any of that, of course, since many shows have been like that. No, Bob's genius lies in the world he creates around this concoction of elements and his ability to deliver non-jokes that fall flat in front of a studio audience in order to set up a (hilarious) gag that won't materialise until much later in the show.

In Bed With MeDinner was a cheap show that aired after midnight and was aimed at the insomniacs in society. Naturally I saw nearly every episode! The format is always the same: Bob returns home (to a studio audience!) and tells some stories about him and his celebrity mates, this often involves props (odd products or books that the research team have procured) and Bob weaves intricate tales about how he came by this stuff ("my mates in Oasis left this here", or "here's a book I wrote"). Sometimes the show is broken up with short segments Bob filmed while out and about. It appears that Bob wandered around with a camera crew and when something odd caught his fancy he improvised and filmed a quick skit, weaving another story (again involving his celebrity mates, or members of his family, or some famous television show that he is working for).

The meat and potatoes of the show, however, are the film clips. Bob spends most of each episode sitting in front of a TV screen, pressing buttons on a VCR and showing us clips from various shows: live shows from the 70s, low-budget documentaries, self-help videos, etc. Bob usually spends ten minutes on each one and - with consummate skill - weaves tales around the clips to incorporate them them into this world of his, where he and his "celebrity mates" are responsible for mostly everything we see. None of what he says is mean-spirited in the slightest, but it must be said that the main appeal of the show is laughing at odd people or badly made TV.

This particular episode is a classic. Bob showcases a very odd (and probably dangerous) dancer and a very bad (and probably in-danger) comedian.

Highlight? In Bed With MeDinner. Genius.
Yet Another TV Review Podcast

06:30 The Middleman
07:30 Kyle XY
08:30 Supernatural
12:00 Soap
01:00 Greg The Bunny
01:30 Good Morning Miami

The Middleman. Episode 4. "The Manicoid Teleportation Conundrum" I sit down to watch this show wondering, cheerfully, what stuff it is going to throw at me. So what is it this week? A colony of aliens, living on Earth, where they fit in by looking like victims of too-much plastic surgery, who are being hunted by an big-game hunter, who is a local TV celebrity in the Dr. Phil mold. Nope, not seen anything quite like that before!

Kyle XY. Season 2, Episode 11. "Hands on a Hybrid" Bit of a mixed bag, this one. I have no interest in the Andy-has-cancer storyline or where they are taking it. And the stuff with Hillary uncovering vital plot information in her cameraman's raw footage was genuinely awful. Simplistic and silly. Or to call a spade a spade: it was really bad. However, this was also the episode where Kyle read Jessi's mind and deduced that she was just like him. All of those scenes (and the scenes with Tom Foss being mind-probed) were very good.

Supernatural. Season 2, Episode 5. "Simon Said" Bit of a mixed bag, this one. But not evenly mixed. I'd call this one as 80% good and 20% bad. The case-of-the-week is terrific, and anything to do with the Roadhouse sucks. Even better/worse this episode gave two completely new reasons to hate the Roadhouse!

Dean and Sam find themselves up against a foe who can make people do whatever he tells them do (in one hilarious scene Dean cheerfully gives up his car). The story has a great cast and a nice twist. I knew there would be a twist, but I completely picked the wrong person. As a seasoned TV Viewer I knew from the start that the guy with the power wouldn't turn out to be the bad guy, but I totally love the way the brothers also suspected it. Right from the start, they were willing to debate whether the guy with the power was actually evil or not. Sure, each one of the brothers had his own reason for saying what he said, but - still - it's writing like this that makes them seem smart and keeps me interested. As I've said before there is nothing worse than a show where the viewer at home is always two steps ahead of the hero.

So, a good case, a good foe and a good climax.

Then there's the (stupid) Roadhouse. Now, instead of merely travelling from A to B when there is trouble, the boys travel to the Roadhouse to ask their computer geek friend where to go?! Stupid, stupid, stupid! That totally undermines the lead characters, and is a total step-back from what they were able to do back in Season One, where they were a force to be reckoned with: following clues around the country and getting information any way they could. Now, we get to see Sam sitting and telling some (annoying) character what to type into a computer. Impotent, much?

Plus, it reeks of the sort of silly re-vamp that made Knight Rider even worse in it's 4th season. Not only was KITT rebuilt by a gang of street-kids (give me a break) but now he could change shape and rush to the rescue. Suddenly he was always miles away for the climax of every episode and had to rush! to! the! rescue! Very exciting. But silly, considering he never needed to do that before. Now, suddenly, we find Dean and Sam asking Ash for directions. Huh? They never needed to do that before.

But, that is as nothing compared to the ill-conceived final scene: where the boys are scolded and forced to confess about what is going on with them. Yes, Eric Kripke, because there is nothing cooler than seeing our heroes being chastised by their "Mum". (Next season on 24! Jack Bauer's mother makes him apologise!).

Seriously, this show does not need an authority figure. It's so fundamentally wrong for the show that I wonder does the production company even fully understand it's appeal. Aside from the fact that it makes them less cool, the show is about orphans on the road. That's the frakkin' point of the show. Now, suddenly, they have a mum to worry about them and scold them. Yuck. That's a different show.

Luckily, this crap is kept to a minimum and the rest of the episode is stellar stuff. If I was a more obsessive fan, I might do a little DVD editing and remove the scenes with the Roadhouse from the episode for all future viewings.

Oh, one final thing: is the show now going for romance between Dean and Jo? I thought the hint was that she was his sister? Or am I missing something here. It doesn't help that Jensen Ackles and Alona Tal have zero on-screen chemistry.

Soap. "Episode 31" Burt is my favourite character (by a long, long mile) and the Burt/Mary romance/marriage makes them one of my favourite TV couples. Mary is back in school now, and her professor makes a pass at her. Watching Burt go crazy at the thought of losing his wife is both hilarious and genuinely sweet. Later, in an effort to help Danny deal with his crazy wife Elaine, Mary tells a lovely story that gives us even more reason to love her and Burt as a couple. Speaking of Elaine, she gets the episode's best scenes. When Burt tells her that Danny can't stand her I thought my heart would break for her. Poor kid. But, then, the dinner scene where she and Danny were nice to each other and we got to see the effect this had on her was wonderful.

Greg The Bunny. Episode 8. "Jimmy Drives Gil Crazy" I had totally forgotten about this episode. It's hilarious. Man, I had better re-think my views on this show. Sure, it had some lame episodes early on, but once it got rolling, it really got rolling. This is an inspired episode. Warren (who still gets all the best lines) sends Jimmy and Greg round to his house on a errand. Greg waits in the car, while Jimmy runs in. Inside he finds a naked girl swimming in Warren's pool. She explains that she has snuck in to skinny dip on her way from school. Turns out that she's an 18 year old catholic schoolgirl (complete with uniform) who is feeling a bit naughty and wants to experiment with video cameras. Watching Jimmy react to each of these wonderful revelations (eventually he cries tears of pure joy) is some of the funniest work Seth Green has ever done. Meanwhile, Greg has woken up to find that Warren's car has been stolen by Warren's neighbour Corey Feldman who has gotten into a prank war with Warren. Thing is, the police don't understand and they find themselves in a high-speed police chase. A televised police chase. Which, of course, is seen by everybody at work. Who assume that Jimmy has flipped out and is still driving Warren's car. Each of them in turn feels guilty for stuff they have said to Jimmy (while Alison just gets incredibly turned by the revelation that he is a bad boy) and Gil eventually runs off to join the chase and save his son. The same son who, at that exact moment, has been tied up by the Catholic School Girl and is being 'forced' to make various animal sounds while she films him.

As the episodes switches from location to location it just keeps getting funnier and the climax where Gil unwittingly declares his boundless love for Corey Feldman is a real classic. Funny because Feldman leaps from the car to reciprocate the love!

Good Morning Miami. Episode 4. "It Didn't Happen One Night" Now this is more like it. Jake accidentally causes a rift between Dylan and Gavin. So we get the hope that he'll hook up with her without the baggage of him seeming like a relationship destroying scumbag. Even better, when she shows up at his place - drunk and sad - he totally doesn't take advantage of her. His niceness, of course, is what sends her back to Gavin in the end but it's good to finally have an episode where we can like Jake and feel for him: in love with a girl he cannot have.

Highlight? Greg The Bunny. Hilarious.
Yet Another TV Review Podcast

06:00 Dexter
08:00 Burn Notice
10:00 NewsRadio
11:30 Rising Damp
12:00 Jesse Stone

Dexter. Season 2, Episode 5. "The Dark Defender" Dexter briefly sees himself as comic-book hero in this one. Clever. Dexter has always reminded me of Wolverine. How cool to see him seeing himself in these terms. Also, the fact that he's saving his own mother in this vision makes it all the more interesting/sad. Truly the writers have turned Dexter into a complex and wonderful character (how much of who he is, is due to his father's well-meaning training?). And, it must be said, they have served all the characters in the show just as well. This episode has some wonderful stuff between Laguerta and Doakes. Interesting chiefly because of what we know about them from previous episodes. Laguerata fascinates me. I alternate between liking her and being shocked by her. Great stuff.

Burn Notice. Season 2, Episode 3. "Trust Me" Business as usual, again. For the first time this season, Michael is seen helping an ordinary person: a dumb guy who got conned, while trying to help his mother (the always wonderful Cindy Pickett). Michael's mum has some nice scenes with Fiona this week, a nice way for the writers to keep the Michael/Fi romance alive without actually giving them any romantic scenes together.

NewsRadio. Season 2, Episode 16. "Houses of the Holy" David Cross guests as an oddball magician in pursuit of Beth. He's typically hilarious. As is the episode. Joe fills in for Catherine on-air, much to Bill's dismay. Bill had originally picked Joe for the job as a way to annoy Dave, who - of course - wanted to put Lisa on-air. Best scenes? Bill and Joe trying to put each other off with difficult questions. At one stage Bill rips up a sheet and then asks Joe to read the story.

Rising Damp. Season 2, Episode 1. "Permissive Society" Parts of the series that have only been hinted at before are brought out in the open with this episode. Rigsby makes a proper play for the affections of Miss Jones and Alan is revealed to be a virgin (I think). He certainly is found out as being totally clueless with regard to women. Up to now, we all knew that Rigsby liked Ruth but he never made any direct play for her (if you don't count waving that smoking stick about!) and while we certainly suspected that Alan was pretty clueless he never actually said it to anyone else on-screen before. With the start of the second season, I suppose Eric Chappell was just making the conceits of the series more concrete. Whatever the reasoning behind it, it's certainly one of the funniest episodes. All the best scenes are the ones between Rigsby and Alan and - on this viewing - I think their friendship is my favourite part of the show.

Jesse Stone. Episode 4. "Sea Change" The least enjoyable episode so far. The rain/mist, piano music and sadness are in-place but the show is lacking a strong murder mystery to keep it moving. Jesse is bored without a case to work on, so he digs up a cold case from the early '90s and investigates it at his leisure. Which is the problem. Since only Jesse cares, and he only cares because he is bored/unhappy, there is no great reason for us to care. We do care, however, about Jesse and from that angle the movie is very successful. Jesse's strange relationship with his ex-wife hits a rough patch when she starts dating and wants to stop their nightly phone calls. The case, such as it is, does have a nice twist at the end, but the violent conclusion seems out of place and tacked-on. Possibly in an effort to make things more exciting and give the movie some gunplay at the end?

Highlight? Dexter. Cool.
Yet Another TV Review Podcast

10:00 McMillan And Wife
12:00 Two Guys And A Girl
12:30 That '70s Show
01:00 Barney Miller

McMillan And Wife. Episode 4. "Husbands, Wives, and Killers" Silly stuff, but very entertaining nonetheless. While the previous movie was padded out to fill the required length, this one has enough plot for two movies. In fact, it got so complex towards the end I had totally lost track of who was doing what to whom! Not that it really matters. The point of this show is to be entertained watching Mac and Sally do their thing and to enjoy the running gags, which are sustained here in fine style. For instance, there is still nobody that can read the maid's handwriting, Mac gets pulled over by a traffic cop and the Mayor is tied up in strike negotiations. Previous stories have shown Enright being dragged out of bed at odd hours by phone calls from Mac, this time he's shown repeatedly trying to eat a large sandwich and the writers find clever ways to sustain the joke for several scenes.

Unlike previous stories, Mac takes the lead in this one and Sally has a very slight involvement. He returns home from time-to-time (to talk things out with her and - on one occasion - get very drunk) but this is mostly about Mac and Enright investigating some robberies that are tied to the McMillan's group of friends. The ending, however, finds a silly way to put Sally in jeopardy. But lots of this is silly: Mac running around in a pink bunny suit, for instance (like how exactly did he drive his car with those huge feet?). No matter, it moves fast and is very entertaining.

Two Guys And A Girl. Season 3, Episode 9. "Bridesmaid Revisited" One of the show's more unusual episodes. Many times during it's run, Two Guys did different types of experimental episodes. This one involves musical numbers acted out by an acappella group that are 'invisible' to the regular cast. Specifically Sharon and Ashley who get drunk in this episode and - as a result - become better friends. All of their scenes are interrupted by sequences in which the lighting changes and three male singers pop-up to sing songs that have a bearing on the action. Once done, they duck down, the lighting changes back to normal and the girls carry on talking as if nothing had happened. There's no real reason for any of this, but it sure does look cool.

The bit-at-the-end where Sharon and Ashley talk serious for a minute is superb. Ashley is always the outsider in the group and scenes like this show the writers take time to write about the friendships of these characters.

That '70s Show. Season 6, Episode 3. "Magic Bus" Donna is leaving Eric to go off to college and this is their last day together. He, of course, ruins it. Typical Eric. The ending is wonderful. They make up and he takes her to the bus station. He wants to ask her to stay, but doesn't. Then, in a clever twist, she stays anyway (sneaking off the bus). One of my favourite scenes ever on the show.

Barney Miller. Episode 3. "Snow Job" Not as strong as the second episode but still pretty good, as the gang deal with a suicide attempt from one of the prisoners. The drama on this show works best when there is a human element to what is happening. Something to make us care about the characters. The guy who tries to kill himself here is little more than a cartoon character, so there's no great level of engagement from the audience. We don't really care about whether he lives or dies. But it's still interesting to see the gang do their thing.

Highlight? That '70s Show
Yet Another TV Review Podcast

06:00 Wings
06:30 In Plain Sight

Wings. Episode 3. "Return to Nantucket" A very enjoyable episode that goes to the heart of the characters, and to the concept of the whole series. Carol, the woman that Brian stole from his brother Joe, is passing through Boston on her way to a new life in London. Brian runs to Boston in an effort to win her back, Helen runs after Brian to pick up the pieces (which is what she does for the Hackett brothers) and Joe runs after both of them (and maybe Carol, but he won't admit it). Even more than in the pilot you get a sense of who these people are and what their shared history actually is. It's also a funny episode. The funniest part comes at the end when Carol (who hasn't shown up to meet Brian) sends a very grump cab driver to deliver some messages of love.

Before that, all the best laughs come from the character of Lowell.

In Plain Sight. Episode 6. "High Priced Spread" The story is awful (because it's been done a hundred times before) but the character work on Mary is good. She's helping two brothers (one of whom is a talented basketball-player with a gambling addiction) and it reminds her of her childhood with her father before he disappeared. In the end one brother is kidnapped by the bad guys so that the other brother will fix the outcome of the big game. Yawn. On Gemini Man, it was a boxer, wasn't it?

The sister and mother (both of whom I'm very fond of now) have almost no screen-time this week.

Highlight? Wings. Funny.
Yet Another TV Review Podcast

06:30 The Closer
07:30 Flashpoint
11:30 Perfect Strangers
12:30 Night Court

The Closer. Season 4, Episode 2. "Speed Bump" Having Brenda and Flynn differ over how to treat the murder of a murderer is hardly original. We've seen it before. What makes it (just about) worth watching are the subtle character moments between them and the acting from the guest cast. I also loved the bit at the very end where Brenda put aside the wine bottle and lay down to sleep beside Fritz. Very romantic.

Flashpoint. Episode 1. "Scorpio" I love when a pilot exceeds your expectations and takes you in interesting new directions. I loved this pilot. I didn't know it would be about the aftermath of the crisis: the sadness and paperwork that goes into killing somebody legally. And I was completely fascinated by it. It's got a great cast and a wonderful style. This one goes right to the top of my must-watch list.

Perfect Strangers. Season 2, Episode 2. "Hunks Like Us" I love this episode, so I had to watch it again. I couldn't take my eyes off Rebeca Arthur this time around. Of the four leads, she has the least to do in this episode, but she demonstrates that she is a perfect comic straight-woman and she has a wonderful chemistry with Bronson Pinchot.

Night Court. Episode 3. "The Former Harry Stone" More drama than comedy, this is another truly superb episode. Harry talks about his childhood, and specifically about something he did that disappointed his father. It's wonderful stuff, and very emotional. Meanwhile, Judy Landers guests as the sexiest bride ever to appear on TV. This, too, is wonderful stuff and certainly brought forth some emotions from me :)

Highlight? Flashpoint. Wow.
Yet Another TV Review Podcast

06:30    Perfect Strangers
07:00    My Boys
07:30    The Mentalist

Perfect Strangers.  Season 2, Episode 2.  "Hunks Like Us"  As much as I love the first season, it is really only with this episode that the Perfect Strangers that I know (and love) it begins.  This is the episode where Jennifer and Mary-Anne are introduced.  If the show was perfect with Larry and Balki alone, then it goes beyond-perfect with the introduction of their girlfriends.I love everything about this episode.  Larry falls hopeless in love with Jennifer at first sight.  He even tells Balki that he will marry her (years later, he does marry her).  While it is Larry who chases Jennifer, it is Mary Anne who walks up to Balki.  This, too, is perfect.  And in keeping with the way the relationships panned out.

This episode has some inspired physical comedy.  Larry and Balki at the gym is a dream come true for skilled comedy perfomers, and these two guys milk it for everything they can.  Later, back at the appartment, it gets even funnier when the boys are in agony (from over-doing it at the gym) and try to cover it up so they can still have a date with the girls.

Larry and Jennifer are one of TV's best couples.  And the introduction of Jennifer allowed the show to effortlessly generate stories.  Much of what drives the show is Larry's ideas, schemes and fears.  Giving him a girlfriend gives focus to all of these elements. Writers no longer have to reach for new things to put in Larry's way.  Instead, they just have to find new ways for him to lie to Jennifer.  And it works.  From here on in, about a third of the stories come from the presence of Jennifer and Mary-Anne.

My Boys.  Season 2, Episode 6.  "Dudes Being Dudes"  Just like this show captures the real feeling of hanging out with real friends in real life, it also manages (in this episode) to capture the feeling of really being out for the night.  Nothing overly-dramatic happens, people come and go, some plans don't pan out, someone has a bad night, but other people end up having a lot of fun.  This is also the episode where the storyline with Andy gets serious, and it looks like Andy and PJ are having a fight.

The Mentalist.  "Pilot"  Another show about a clever/oddball detective.  He works with a team created at the the CBS House of Generic Teams.  Simon Baker is great, and so is the character he plays, but I find the trappings very off-putting.  Two of my best friends were really impressed with this, so I might give it another shot when the season rolls around, but - on first viewing - this is mediocre stuff.

Highlight?  Perfect Strangers

04:00    My Boys
04:30    The Closer

My Boys.  Season 2, Episode 5.  "Take My Work Wife... Please"  I have mixed feelings about giving Andy an ongoing storyline.  In one way it's good, because the storyline is interesting.  But, in another way, it's bad becasue Andy's not as funny anymore.  He works best as a supporting character, always popping up and being the funniest one in the scene while the others have storylines.  Now, suddenly, he's got a story, too.  So there's less time for the funny.  Oh well.  Minor complaint, really.  This season rocks.

The Closer.  Season 4, Episode 1.  "Controlled Burn"  A great performance from Jason O'Mara (returning to the show) highlights another solid Closer outing.  It fun watching Brenda and the gang do their thing, and show usually delivers very strong stories.  Like this one about an arsonist.

Highlight?  The Closer

07:15    Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog
11:15    Keen Eddie
12:15    Joey

Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog.  "Act II"  This is wonderful stuff.  Nathan Fillion is perfect and the music is to die for.  Also, there is a strong case to made for "the hammer is my penis" being the funniest line every uttered.  In anything.  Ever.

Ever.

Keen Eddie.  Episode 5.  "Who Wants To Be In A Club That Would Have Me As A Member?"  When I think of the Keen Eddie TV series this is the episode that comes to mind.  It's my favourite.  It's the episode that turned me into a hardcore fan.  And it's simply wonderful.

Eddie and Monty investiage bullying at a private school when a boy is left hanging from a bridge (and nearly killed) as a prank.  They meet stony faces and brick walls at every turn.  Nobody wants to talk about it.  Not even the boy who was bullied.  He and Eddie becomes great friends and Eddie learns that the boy just wants to fit in, and will do anything to be part of the gang.  Eddie digs around and finds out that another boy died five years earlier at the same school.  He, too, was trying to be part of the gang.

While the first four episodes were set in the world of London crime and London crimelords (or cartoon versions of same) this episode looks and feels different.  But, in changing tone, it creates a stronger sense of time and place than any other episode so far and makes the show all the more likely to acquire a cult following.  Which, I understand, it did.

While Eddie is dalign with his 'adopted' teenager, exactly the same thing is happening to his flatmate Fiona.  A teenage runaway seeks her our in his time of crisis and she hides him from his crazy family and gives him some solid advice on how to move forward.  Fiona is a great character.  And the writers always strive to give her solid storylines which balance out whatever is happening to Eddie.  It also gives the viewer a chance to see the nice side of her, since all her scenes with Eddie highlight their bickering and considerable sexual chemistry.

Speaking of sexual chemisty, this episode contains another wonderful Miss Moneypenny scene.  Eddie and Monty meet her as she steps into a lift.  Eddie asks his usual question and - of course - gets another XXX answer.  Waiting for these moments is one of the joys of this show.  This time out, Eddie thinks for a second that Monty heard it, too.  But, alas, it was only for his ears.  Again.

SPOILER: In the end of the episode the boy that Eddie was trying to help has opted to keep quite about who was responsible for the prank that could have cost him his life and Eddie has to leave without a case to prosecute.  It's a downbeat ending.  But the only ending that would make sense.  Had the show gone in any other direction I would have had no respect for it.  The fact that they ended the story in this way turned me into a fan for life.

Joey.  Season 2, Episode 22.  "Joey and the Wedding"  After two seasons Joey reaches the end of the line with this average episode.  Once again, the story is driven by what is happening to Jimmy (why are the writers so taken with this god-awful character?) but Jimmy himself doesn't get a lot of screentime.  The whole cast (minus Zach, who has long vanished at this stage) are given stuff to do and most of the focus is (quite rightly) on Joey and Alex.  The ending where they all stand around and Joey toasts them is meant to be emotional, but it isn't.  Although I liked the show overall (and loved the last half of Season One) it really wasn't anything very speical and, in the grand scheme of things, it won't be missed...

Highlight?  Keen Eddie

07:30    NewsRadio
08:00    Flying Blind
09:00    Wings
11:00    Perfect Strangers
01:00    Night Court
01:30    Barney Miller

NewsRadio.  Season 2, Episode 15.  "Zoso"  Mr. James (Stephen Root, my favourite member of the cast) takes Lisa and Beth under his wing to teach them negotiating tips.  The Beth storyline falls flat at the end, with a strange unfunny meeting with her business partner, but it's great fun to watch Lisa trying Mr. James' tactics out on Dave.  I love the playfulness in their relationship.

Flying Blind.  Episode 1.  "Flying Blind"  There are three great short-lived romantic-sitcoms and Flying Blind is the best (Almost Perfect and Good Morning Miami are the other two).  Flying Blind is superior because is the most profound.  On one level it is a male fantasy, and on another level it is a metaphor for living your life to it's full potential.

Flying Blind is the story of a very ordinary guy in a dead-end job who is swept off his feet by an amazing woman and introduced to a world of over-the-top individuals and constant chaos.

It's great fun.  I think every man watching would want to date Alicia, played by Téa Leoni, and share adventures with her.  Leoni is sexy and funny and simply amazing in the part.  With Alicia she creates a truly unique and remarkable character.  Distinct.  Unlike anything else she has ever done.

But there is more to the show, I feel, than the fun element.  While every man watching might want to date Alicia, few - I feel - actually fantasise about being "saved" by an exciting woman and led into a new life.  Flying Blind is - I think - more about attitude to life in general.  Alicia represents life and all that it has to offer.  And Neil's acceptance of her is symbolic of his willingness to grab onto life and hold on tight.

The theme song chosen, by David Byrne, certainly helps in this reading of the series.  The lyrics tell us that "I ain't gonna work here no more.  Honey, come and dance with me 'cause I ain't gonna work here no more".  This conflict between Neil's job and his chosen lifestyle is a recurring theme of the first 13 episodes and goes - I imagine - to the heart of the series' appeal.

When this show first aired in my part of the world - early 1994 - it used to air late on a Wednesday night.  Back then I worked long, crazy hours in a job that I loved.  But, still, it was long crazy hours.  Wednesday night was always the toughest, and it wasn't unusual to find me returning from work at 2am or 3am.  Or later.  Much as I loved my job, I was very aware that it was draining me and I shouldn't really be doing it.  I felt like I was giving 100% to the wrong job.  And I had nobody to blame but myself.

I related to Neil on those Wednesday nights long ago.  Related no so much to the idea of Téa Leoni appearing to drag me off to a new life (although, of course, I would love if Téa Leoni appeared to do something like that!) but more to the idea of embracing life the way Neil did, and getting away from my job and seeing what else was out there.

Mid-way through the run of Flying Blind I got the opportunity to work in another country and I grabbed onto it the way Neil grabs onto Alicia.  It was a great time for me.  Years later, I even found myself someone just like Alicia.  A window into a crazy new world (for me).  It didn't last very long, but it sure was fun while it did.

A bit like the "Flying Blind" TV series, really.

Wings.  Episode 2.  "Around The World In Eighty Years"  Everything I remember about Wings is in place by Episode 2.  The contrast between the brothers, Helen being totally gorgeous, Lowell getting all the best laughs, etc. etc.  There's a sweet story in this one where Fay meets a man who is back from travelling around the world and is afraid to finish the journey in case he dies.

Perfect Strangers.  Season 2, Episode 1.  "Hello Baby"  Echoes of Laurel & Hardy when Larry and Balki must share a bed (because Balki's pregnany lady-friend is staying over).  That scenario - combined with Larry's obsessive rehearsing of plans to get them to the hospital as fast as possible - gives plenty of opportunity for good physical comedy.  Perhaps more comfortable now, it's notacable that some of the comedy comes from one of the guys simply reacting to the actions of the other.  Or Larry doing a long slow burn to the presence of Balki's stuffed sheep in their bed.

Night Court.  Episode 2.  "Santa Goes Downtown"  Night Court wears it's connection to Barney Miller very much on it's sleeve in this great episode.  The whole episode is devoted to the story of a man who thinks he is Santa Claus and his impact on two young runaways.  Jeff Corey is superb as the Santa and Michael J. Fox is just as superb as one of the angry, lonely teenagers.  With the regulars taking a back seat to the (strong) story it is very reminiscent of the best of Barney Miller.  Being a Christmas-themed episode, the twist at the end is very easy to predict but no less wonderful.

Barney Miller.  Episode 2.  "Experience"  After watching (and hating) the first episode, I assumed that it would take a while for the show to morph into the "Barney Miller" that I knew and loved.  Wrong!  They nailed it from Episode 2 onwards.  First off, this episode has no scenes of Barney's home life.  Second, the story is as much dramatic as it is funny.  Two serious elements dominate the episode: a bomb has been planted in the squad room, and Fish is thinking of retiring.  It's predictable how the two plots will intersect but that doesn't matter.  Both stories are good, and there are lots of laughs as well.

Highlight?  Night Court

07:00    Perfect Strangers
07:30    My Boys
10:00    NewsRadio
10:30    Back To You
11:00    Wings
11:30    That '70s Show
12:00    Roughnecks: Starship Troopers Chronicles

Perfect Strangers.  Episode 6.  "Happy Birthday"  Mindful of the fact that this series had a very long run and the lives of the characters changed a lot over the course of the series, there is an extra level of pleasure to be had in this season one finale, when Larry takes stock of his life and all the things he wants to accomplish.  It's a sweet episode, with some wonderful sentiments expresed between the cousins at the very end.  It's also a very funny episode.  There are two birthday parties in the story.  The first one is abandoned when Larry is in a bad mood, which means Balki has to hide not only the decorations, but also the guests.  Hilarious.  My favourite part?  Balki throws the birthday cake out the window, as the window closes... keeping the cake in the room!

The second party is just a funny, Balki fills the appartment with random strangers he finds on the street at 3am!  I love this show.

My Boys.  Season 2, Episode 5.  "Take My Work Wife... Please"  I'm fascinated by what is happening to Brendan this season.  They are really taking him down a sad, lonely road.  I wonder where it will lead?  Kenny is now my favourite character on the show.  I love (a) the way he's turned into a babe magnet, and (b) Mike not being able to deal with it.  Genius.

NewsRadio.  Season 2, Episode 14.  "The Song Remains the Same"  Charged with clearing of the desk of a guy who has just quit working there, Beth finds evidence to suggest that he had a secret crush on her and starts to have a fantasy relationship (based on the things she continues to find).  It's crazy, yes, but it works.  So much of the comedy in this show comes from Dave standing beside one of the crew trying to bring them back to reality.  It seems as if most of his dialogue starts with a sigh followed by the words:  "No, Beth..." "No, Matthew..."  "No, Joe... or  "No, Bill..."

Back To You.  Episode 13.  "The New Boss"  Uncomfortable to watch.  Some genius thought it would be funny to write about the firing of Montana after Ayda Field was fired from the show.  Or maybe she left the show?  I don't know.  But the point is she is not in the last six episodes and this laugh-free zone is too self-conscious about the whole affair to be anything other than excruciating.  Really, honestly, who thought it would be funny to watch Ryan (who has a crush on her) firing Montana?  To watch him crying as he did it?  Or watch her crying after it had been done?  Genuinely tasteless TV.  Nice one, FOX!

Wings.  Episode 1.  "Legacy"  I've always thought of Wings as Perfect-Strangers-without-the-physical-comedy.  And this episode (with it's strong contrast between the leads, and sentimental ending) does nothing to dispel that idea.  And, of course, I love it.

That '70s Show.  Season 6, Episode 2.  "Join Together"  Genuinely hilarious episodes.  As always.  The best scene is the one where Red attempts to thank Eric for staying around and helping out with family finances.  As well as being very funny, it's a great character moment.  Red is so in-character and such a great example of a very real type of father.  It's wonderful to see it captured so well on TV.

Roughnecks: Starship Troopers Chronicles.  Episode 2.  "Plasma Bugs of Navarone"  After a stellar start, the show stumbles slightly with this tale set in two locations: Carmen is trapped in a remote base under bug attack, while Johnny works outside to help in her rescue.  The scenes inside are fantastic, but the stuff outside with Johnny and his team is less exciting/interesting and distracts from the tension inside.  A few less scenes of Johnny would not have changed the (great) ending: he is able to clear a path for air support to mount a rescue, so he "saves" the woman he loves but she has no reason to know it was him.

Highlight?  That '70s Show

06:30    The Middleman
07:30    Kyle XY
08:30    Supernatural
12:00    Greg The Bunny
12:30    Good Morning Miami

The Middleman.  Episode 3.  "The Sino-Mexican Revelation"  There are two reasons to love this show.  First, it's audacious.  How else do you describe a show which dares to tell a story where a masked sensei is kidnapped by 100 Mexican Wrestlers (who are later killed in a fight to the death with that same masked sensei)?  Everything about this show is creative and exciting.  There's nothing quite like this on TV.  And I love that.

Second, it works.  It really works.  It's funny and cool.  It could have been a horrible mess, but Matt Keeslar's delivery and Natalie Morales' attitude make it work.  Throwing crazy elements into a script is no guarantee of success.  You need the right cast to make it work.

(This is the episode where Natalie Morales poses as a scantily-clad waitress.  There's no part of that previous sentence that I don't love.)

Kyle XY.  Season 2, Episode 10.  "House of Cards"  Kyle brings Declan onto 'the team' and - together with Tom Foss - they plan a heist: To get Kyle's ring back.  Everything that has been set up in earlier episodes is starting to pay off and the show is getting even more satisfying to watch.  It's also great fun to see Foss and Declan on-camera together.  Kyle does some cool stuff in this episode and (of course) his 'secret life' causes him to cancel a date with his new girlfriend.  The show takes these clichéd situations and bends them to suit the characters.  So the episode ends not with a fight but with a sweet kiss.  This is why the show "works for me" (to quote Rick Hunter).  Amanda is nice.  And the script doesn't make her behave mean to Kyle to create false drama.  Instead the drama comes from Kyle's innocent with these situations.  We are nervous for him and therefore engaged in what is happening between him and Amanda.  Her reaction to him makes for great character writing, too.

It's a great show.  I don't watch Smallville (I saw the pilot and hated it) but I presume Kyle XY is a kinder, nicer version of Smallville.

Anyway, Smallville was a rip-off of the far superior Roswell.   But I digress...

Supernatural.  Season 2, Episode 4.  "Children Shouldn't Play With Dead Things"  Now this is more like it!  A really good episode.  The story is much better than the previous one, and it's fits into the ongoing character arc for Dean in a much more natural way.  While the parallels with their own father's death and their feelings about it seemed forced in the previous episode, in this outing every reference to the dead and the desire to bring them back seemed natural and worked wonderfully.  In context of what the brothers have just gone through.  This would have made a much better Episode 2.

Great guest casting helps make for a strong episode.  Tamara Feldman is very scary as the Big Bad Evil and Christopher Jacot is wonderfully earnest as the guy who brings her back from the dead.  For love.  Poor schmuck!

This show is remarkable in the way is balances comedy with the serious/sad stuff happening on-screen and never seems to trivialise the pains of the guest characters.  This episode is a prime example.  Dean and the dead girl's female friend share a scene which is works perfectly on two levels.  We are engaged and sad for the girl grieving over her dead friend, and we are laughing at Dean.  How the show plays both cards together impresses me.  Every week.

The character work on the boys is top notch.  It always is.  From silly stuff (Dean catches his younger brother watching motel porn) to weighty stuff (Dean finally talks out his feelings on their father's death).  "A+" stuff all the way.  That final scene was gobsmacking.  I didn't expect it.  I didn't expect Dean to say that stuff.  Man, I can't wait to see what happens next.  I'm so glad Sam didn't give him any trite answers before the show faded to black.  I had a few written in my own head as I watched, but - upon reflection - they all sucked and the show ending was... perfect.

Greg The Bunny.  Episode 7.  "Father & Son Reunion" has always been my favourite episode of Greg The Bunny.  I haven't seen them all, of course, and I now realise that Episode 6 is brilliant also, but I still think this is aces.  Greg, Jimmy and Gil get high on hash brownies and go throw eggs at the house of someone they all hate.  Or, at least, try and throw eggs at the house.  Their shots go wildly askew and the whole attack degenerates into a very odd conversation over a hedge.  Hilarious.

I normally don't like the serious elements of Greg The Bunny episodes.  When the show tries to teach lessons about being nice or some such crap.  Usually the 'heartfelt's stories leave me cold, and seem like added-on network interference.  But Rochester's death (in the previous episode) and the father-son stuff (in this episode) really work.  Even if the rest of the episode wasn't very, very funny I would still enjoy these stories.  But, as it happens, the rest of the episode is very, very funny.

Susan The Monster, Tardy Turtle and Snookums have hilarious small scenes.  Jack and Dottie have a funny sub-plot about random meetings outside of work and Warren (my favourite character) gets to give a great monologue and get into a fight with his audience.

Good Morning Miami.  Episode 3.  "The Heart Is a Lonely Apartment Hunter" I've watched season one of this show many times.  And I love it very much.  But I've never written reviews of it before. And ,while this is a good episode, I can't help but notice how hard it is to like Jake.  He is, after all, plotting to split Gavin and Dylan, because he is after falling in love with Dylan (having just met her).  He seems, when you analyse him, to be a bit selfish and immature.  The show tries to make us dislike Gavin, I think, but he's actually a fairly likable guy.  So, upon reflection, Jake is scum.  Sorta.  But, it never bothered me before.  And, upon reflection again, it doesn't bother me now that I am aware of it.  Why?  Well, I guess I'm just a sucker for a love story.  And what happened to Jake in the pilot and how has dealt with it, is romantic.  He changed his while life around because of a chance meeting with a woman.  Works for me (to quote Rick Hunter).

The only flaw in this episode is the sub-plot devoted to the unfunny Weather Nun who works on their TV show.  She's a one-note charact, and devoting an entire plot line to her only serves to illustrate how pointless she is.  Even worse, this plot uses Frank and fails to make him funny.  Frank is a fantastic character, the funniest character in the whole show, how can you fail to make him funny?

The best part of the episode revolves around Penny.  Penny rapidly became my favourite character and this episode is an example of why.  She deduces that Jake has a crush on Dylan and immediately stops being a wiseass and offers him the hand of friendship.  It's a lovely, lovely moment, and an example of why I love this show so much.

Highlight?  Good Morning Miami

08:00    Dexter
09:00    Burn Notice
11:00    The Mary Tyler Moore Show
11:30    Rising Damp
12:00    Night Court
12:30    Barney Miller
01:00    NewsRadio
01:30    Soap

Dexter.  Season 2, Episode 3.  "An Inconvenient Lie"  Since my favourite thing about this show is it's insight into the male mind when part of a relationship, my favourite parts of this episode are the ones where we see Rita withdrawing from Dexter as a means to getting him to do something she wants.  Ultimately it's a good thing for him, and it certainly sets him off down an interesting path, but it's very interesting to see her tactics.  It comes back to bite her anyway because, in the end, she finds that Dexter has made a new friend: a hot new friend.  Hilarious ending, yes, but fascinating to see the way the script 'punishes' Rita for her earlier behaviour.

Burn Notice.  Season 2, Episode 1.  "Breaking and Entering"  It's been a long wait, but the wait has been worth it.  This opening episode is a while lot of fun.  Yes, I feel cheated that Michael's "big exit" from last season amounts to nothing and he's back in town almost immediately.  It has an air of "so what was all that about" after the big thrill of seeing him drive up into that truck last year.

Never mind.  Michael is back in town, he has an interesting client and (most important) his team are by his side.  Michael's cool, yes, but the show is the show it is because of the team he has beside him.  I love Sam to bits (well, it's Bruce Campbell for frak sake!) and the relationship with Fiona is one of the very best romances on TV right now.  How sad was that ending?  She walks away and he admits (to us, if not to her) that he likes her...

The Mary Tyler Moore Show.  Season 2, Episode 17.  "Just a Lunch"  My favourite parts of the show are when Mary and Lou are alone in his office.  All those scenes are comedy gold.  In general I love the realationship between Mary and her boss.  He's so protective of her, and often refers to her as a daughter.  This is one of those stories where Lou leaps to Mary's defence.  She's been pursued by a jackass and is too nice to tell him where to go.  Lou steps in.  Literally, at one stage, when the whole gang are round at Murray's for a party.  It's hilarious stuff.  Firmly rooted in character.

It's also worth noting how fantastic Ted Knight is in his role.  Ted raises several great laughs in this episode as he gets the tour of Murray's house and (later) tries to play some party games.

Rising Damp.  Episode 6.  "The Prowler" is a classic.  One of the best and funniest episodes of Rising Damp.  Miss Jones sees a prowler.  While Rigsby checks the house, a policeman shows up and starts to question everyone.  Is the 'prowler', in fact, someone inside the house?  Great fun watching everyone get a grilling.  It's a chance to see how innocent Alan really is, and a chance to see Rigsby rant and rave when he becomes the number one suspect.  Frances de la Tour gets some of the biggest laughs in this one, as we can see that  Miss Jones has some very mixed feelings about the 'unwanted' attentions of a strange man.

Night Court.  Episode 1.  "All You Need Is Love" might bear little resemblance to the show that Night Court ultimately became, but it's a cracker of a pilot.  Judge Harry arrives for his first case and uses his unorthodox methods (a double-headed coin, for example) to put a couple back into their own marriage.  Gail Strickland isn't funny and Karen Austin is over the top but the show as a whole really works.  The story is serious and parts of it are like watching a stage play (I love stuff like that).  Most important: you come away from this liking Harry and wanting to see what he does next.

Barney Miller.  Episode 1.  "Ramon"  I grew up watching and loving Barney Miller, but I came late to the party therefore this (fairly awful pilot) is nothing like the show I remember so fondly.  For a start, having only seen the show from season three on up it's very jarring to see so much of the screen time devoted to Barney's time at home with his wife and kids.  Secondly, in common with many long-running shows, a lot of the best characters weren't there at the start.  I watching this and kept missing Dietrich.  Wojo and Harris were there, yes, but relegated to small roles.  It was strange.

As for Barney's wife and kids.  The kids were bland and forgettable and the wife was one of the most dislikable characters I've ever seen on TV.  She was obsessed with gettting Barney to quit his job and kept harping on and on about the crime rate in the city.  Why would Barney marry such an obnoxious woman?  And why would the writers/producers think we would like to visit with her every week?

The show comes alive when Barney is at work.  The hostage siege at the precinct house is as interesting as it is funny and (while far from being the best that the show would offer) it's an example of the fine drama that came from this highly-regarded sit-com.

NewsRadio.  Season 2, Episode 13.  "In Through The Out Door"  When you watch NewsRadio you are watching skilled duellers at play.  Every line is thrust into the mix with rapier skill and it's one of the most rewatchable shows in the history of TV.

Soap.  "Episode 30"  My favourite sit-coms are the ones with a lot of serious stuff going on.  I like lots of drama with my comedy.  And Soap offered up lots of it.  Sure, the actual plots were fantasy, but the human emotion in the middle of it all was very real.  Witness the scene in the middle of this episode where Eunice tells Jessica of her love for Dutch.  Given the fact that he is a wanted fugitive it's a pretty hopeless love and Jessica's response is wonderfully heartfelt.  Both Jennifer Salt and Katherine Helmond are wonderful in this scene.  Helmond was especially wonderful in this series.  She took her character to extremes of silliness and extremes of heartache.  Often within the same scene.  Now, that's skill!

Highlight?  Rising Damp

04:00    My Boys
04:30    My Boys
05:00    My Boys
05:30    My Boys
08:00    The Greatest American Hero
01:00    Stingray

My Boys.  Season 2, Episode 1.  "The Transitioning"  On second viewing, I find that this isn't as good as I remember.  The weakest of the first four episodes.  Too much time spent on the emotions of the situation and not enough on the comedy.  Makes for a less fun the second time around.

My Boys.  Season 2, Episode 2.  "Dinner Party" is a classic.  I found it to be even funnier on second viewing, if that is possible.  If I had to pick out one thing in particular as being utterly brilliant I would go for everything between Kenny and Mike.  The Office might be a better show (more inventive, more dramatic, etc.) and Flight Of The Conchords might be cooler (more inventive, more rewatchable) but My Boys packs more laughs into it's episodes.  It's the funniest show on TV.

My Boys.  Season 2, Episode 3.  "The Shirt Contest"  It's fun to go back and watch these episodes again and notice how all the ongoing storylines progress from week to week.  The Mike/Kenny stuff, Stephanie's book, Andy's friend Joe, Brendan's job, and - of course - Bobby's romance with Elsa.

My Boys.  Season 2, Episode 4.  "Spit Take"  Second time around the ending to this is still heartbreaking.  Kyle Howard (a favourite of mine since his days on Grosse point) is wonderful to watch as he convey's Bobby's simple love for Elsa.  Jordana Spiro has never been better as PJ, wearing her heart on her sleeve yet hiding it from Bobby and wishing him well in his impending marriage.

The single funniest line of the episode goes to Kellee Stewart's Stephanie: "I can't believe I watched a twenty-minute sketch about it!"  One wonderful one-liner in a show full of them.

The Greatest American Hero.  Episode 7.  "Fire Man"  For the second time in the season one of Ralph's student's has trouble and it is up to him to sort it out.  Once again the story is told over the course of a few hours, so there is a lot of running around and a lot of excitement generated by the fact that everything is happening fast.  This manages to give these early episode of GAH the air of being something "special".

Tony (Michael Paré) is suspected of being an arsonist-for-hire and is currently on the run and hiding out at Ralph's house.  Ralph enlists Pam's help.  She's great in this episode.  But Bill wants to turn Tony over to the cops so, in a wonderful scene, Ralph and Pam blackmail into helping them.  But, apart from that, there are no great scenes of the team together.  Most of the episode is taken up with the story and the ending is more action-packed than the show usually delivers.

With more reliance on stunts and story and less cast-chemistry than normal this is an average episode.  It doesn't help that I don't like Ralph's class, with the phony street-talk.  Plus they are all too old for their roles.  Michael Paré is 23, Faye Grant is 24, etc.  The show works best when it is Ralph and Bill, or Ralph and Pam and Bill.  The "kids" don't interest me.

Interesting piece of trivia (well, interesting to a TV Nerd like me!): "Fire Man" is also the title of a first season Hunter episode, and is used as a title for a book in an episode of another Stephen J. Cannell production: Stingray.  Obviously, it's a title that Cannell likes!

Stingray.  Season 2, Episode 7.  "Autumn"  I had the pleasure this evening of putting a question to Stephen J. Cannell while he was appearing on a talk show.  As a fan of most of his forty TV shows, I could have asked about any of them.  But I chose Stingray because I always wanted to hear his views on it, and why is failed to catch on when it is - quite simply - one of the best TV shows ever to appear.

This episode is one of the most memorable.  I'd not seen it for twenty years yet I could remember basically every scene set-up and every word of dialogue.  Almost.  The first quarter shows us what happens when 'Ray is hired by a beautiful woman to find her missing father and gets caught up in a web of mystery and dead bodies.  All of these early scenes are narrated (by a woman) in the style of a old-style private eye book.

As we enter the second quarter of the story, our perspective switches.  We learn that every thing 'Ray is going through is fake.  A scenario set up by a successful (and elderly) mystery writer who is looking for a fresh idea.  She has hired actors and lured 'Ray into the middle of a made-up mystery to see how he will react.  Then she will have something to write about.

The third quarter takes the story in yet another direction.  'Ray has figured out that everything he is going through is fake and he sets about getting to the bottom of what is going on.  This sequence is almost surreal, as our hero confronts all the 'players' at the same time, all standing around in a park waiting on their paychecks.

Finally, 'Ray confronts the writer, discovers that she, herself, has been targetted for murder, and sets-up another scenario to lure out the killer.

It's completely daft, yes, but you have to go with it and get sucked into the story of bluff and double bluff and triple bluff.  In essence three stories are being told, in parallel.  The whole thing has a distinct look: lots of rain and thunder, the sun is always low in the sky, the leaves are red and falling and the editing get's 'jumpy' when the action gets going.  Nick Mancuso is at his best in this episode: showing 'Ray's fear and confusion at every turn.  He also gets to go undercover as a means of lying to get information.  The scenes is wonderful, but so is the look of compassion Mancuso gives the woman after she believes his lies.  'Stingray' (whoever he was) might have been the coolest hero on TV, but he was also - in many ways - the most human.

Highlight?  My Boys: "Spit Take"
A Briefing with Michael [Blogger]
Yet Another TV Review Podcast

06:30    Rules Of Engagement
07:00    The Big Bang Theory
09:00    Hunter
10:00    The Guns Of Will Sonnett
10:30    Keen Eddie
12:30    Joey

Rules Of Engagement.  Season 2, Episode 15.  "Pimp My Bride" raises a few good laughs with one of the standard sit-com plots: two characters who normally never spend much time alone are forced to do so.  At first things are awkward, but - in a 'surprise' twist - they find common ground and become great friends.  In this story, it is Jeff and Jennifer who are forced to spend a day together.  It works because Patrick Warburton is very funny as Jeff and the extremes of his character allow for some pretty silly comedy (like not knowing Jennifer's last name).

The other storyline pairing Audrey and Russell is less successful because I still don't 'get' why any of them would be friends with Russell.  When the laughs flow freely it never bothers me, but when the comedy is thin on the ground I find it harder to swallow.  Never mind, most of this episode is about the other plot and the way the show causes the two plots to crash into eash other at the end is inspired.  And very, very funny.

The Big Bang Theory.  Episode 11.  "The Pancake Batter Anomaly"  Another simple idea, another great script: Sheldon has the flu and everyone avoids him.  It's very funny and - what I love most about this show - the whole thing is driven by the characters and how they behave.  You could drop any story idea into the middle of these characters (not matter how slight) and they will be able to carry it and make it funny.  A great sit-com.

Hunter.  Season 3, Episode 5.  "High Noon in LA"  Average episode with above-average touches.  Although this is a direct sequel to the "Rape And Revenge" two-parter from the previous season the link is tenuous and it works just fine as a stand-alone story.

A man (whose brother was killed by Hunter) shows up wanting revenge.  The twist? He has diplomatic immunity and - despite numerous threats to kill Hunter - there is nothing the cops that do to get him arrested or out of the country.  The story is as old as the first western (hence the title, I suppose) and it only works because (a) the diplomatic immunity factor is a good twist, and (b) it serves as a prolonged treatise on the character of Rick Hunter and his views on killing.  Fred Dryer does a great job keeping Hunter macho and tough, yet wearied and disinterested by the thought of more killing.

The final third of the episode is the best: with both men alone in the woods, talking through the night.  And while the shoot-the-gun-out-of-his-hands ending is too cliché for my liking, I still found myself liking the episode, just not loving it.  B+

The Guns Of Will Sonnett.  Season 2, Episode 9.  "Guilt"  Nice simple morality play with a great guest cast: Robert Donner, Bo Hopkins and Larry D. Mann.  When the Sonnett's arrive in town, looking for nothing more than a night's rest and break from their search for Jim, they inadvertantly cause panic in one local household.  Three brothers live there and one of them admits to the other two that he robbed and killed Jim Sonnett and he figures that the Sonnett's have arrived in town for revenge.  We know that this is untrue which makes everything that follows all the more tragic.  The cowardly brothers loses his life to the fast guns of Will Sonnett and his remaining kin (though disgusted by his cowardice) feel compelled to ride into town and avenge their brother.  It's a good story.  At the middle of it all, Will and Jeff Sonnett have no idea why any of this is happening.  Tragic.

Keen Eddie.  Episode 4.  "Citizen Cecil"  Delightful.  Only four episodes into the run and the show is already breaking with expected conventions.  First off, it is well established at this stage that Eddie and Fiona share a house and hate one another.  In this episode, a misunderstanding causes them to start being nice to one another.  The way this totally throws both of them off their game is hilarious to see.

A running gag on the show involves Eddie hearing sexual comments from his bosses secretary that nobody else can hear.  It always starts the same way, Eddie asks her a simple question ("How are you today?") and her reply is X-Rated.  Except in this episode.  He speaks, the camera takes time for a long slow zoom-in and she... says something very ordinary.  Genius.

Finally, there is the case-of-the-week.  After a bunch of crooks are robbed by five youths in Duran Duran masks ("That explains what they've been up to since the 80's") one of their number takes the law into his own hands, and sets out to retrive part of the loot (two tickets to a very important football match) inflicting a lot of Grievous Bodily Harm in the process.  His attacks involve a swift kick between the legs, and he is leaving a trail of injured men and very unhappy girlfriends in his wake.  But Eddie and Monty are on his trail...

Everything is quirky: the visuals, the story, the humour and the music.

Joey.  Season 2, Episode 21.  "Joey and the Holding Hands"  Lot of laughs in this one.  Although there is a feeling that we've seen it before, it's nice to see Joey trying hard to make his relationship with Alex amount to more than just sex.  It's funny that Alex is suddenly sex obsessed, even if it is a tad silly and a bit too easy.  Michael - sadly ignored for much of the recent episodes - gets a nice funny storyline and Howard gets some of the biggest laughs with his ill-timed attempts to woo Gina and - later - Alex.

Highlight?  Keen Eddie

10:00    The Sentinel

The Sentinel.  Season 3, Episode 9.  "Red Ice"  Another good episode.  This one starts off with an assassination at a political rally.  Jim is actually there when the shot is fired, but his super-senses do not warn him of the attack.  When he discovers why, he also discovers that the hitman is an old foe of his from his time in Peru, and the two of them are set for a rematch.  To the death!

Lots to like here.  This show never ever lets the super-powers of the hero dominate the fact that the show is a cop show first.  Even episodes like this, which have Jim using his powers a lot, are still just police dramas.  And it's a pretty solid police drama at that.  The story has two strong female guest characters (one of them from an earlier episode) and it plays them off one another in an intelligent way.  Even better, by the end of the story, the two women have found some common ground in their political differences and becomes something close to friends.

As well as interesting guest characters (one a Russian cop, the other a Russian smuggler) the show has a great foe.  A hi-tech assassin who, as Blair points out, is using technology to duplicate the things that Jim can do naturally.  All of this without ever knowing that Jim has "super powers".  In fact, the show earns much respect from me because it never goes down the route of peripheral characters wondering how Jim is able to do the things that he does.

The episode ends with a very long action sequence where Jim, Blair and the two women are trapped in a remote cabin while the Bad Guy cuts the place to shreds with gunfire.  Everything about this is good: The way it is filmed, the soundtrack/music used, the final fight scene above a waterfall, etc.

The Sentinel is great visceral entertainment.  Sometimes (like when you are very tired) you just want to sit back and see something straight-forward: an Alpha Male who tracks Bad Guys and beats them up.  The Sentinel delivers.

07:00    Perfect Strangers
07:30    My Boys

Perfect Strangers.  Episode 5.  "Check This"  Two of the standard elements of Perfect Strangers are present in this episode: Balki creates problems by making an innocent mistake and there's lots of physical comedy involving Larry.  This is the one where Larry convinces Balki to move his money (all one hundred and twenty eight dollars of it) to a bank, instead of keeping it under his mattress.  Balki, of course, misunderstands how a bank works and spends over three thousand dollars on new furniture.  While all of this is going on, Larry is dealing with the pains of a sore back, which means he is bent over double for a good portion of the episode.

In what is probably a unique situation in the history of TV, series regulars Belita Moreno and Sam Anderson appear in this episode but neither one is playing the character they will eventually play on the series.  Both make strong impressions with their guest work so it's obvious why the producers wanted to use them later in the run, and ditch Lise Cutter and Ernie Sabella.  Cutter is sweet and nice, but she's just not funny.  Sabella can be funny sometimes but his comedy style is wrong for the tone of the series.  Moreno and Anderson, by sharp contrast, are both very funny and have great chemistry with the boys.  Anderson is a great straight-man and his short scene with Balki (in the bank) produces many laughs.

One of my favourite elements of this show is the fact that it always has a message, something to say.  This episode has one of very best, when Larry goes crazy over the loss of his original furniture and explains why (he comes from a large family where nothing was ever 'his').  It gives all of the comedy a great grounding in reality.  And adds a consistency to the character(s) that lasted for years.

My Boys.  Season 2, Episode 4.  "Spit Take"  It's not just the funniest sit-com on TV (and it is) it's also got one of the best on-going romantic storylines.  Witness: PJ's crush on Bobby and her attempts to deal with his engagement to Elsa (Mini Anden).  This storyline provided all the best moments of the episode.   First the scene where Stephanie 'outed' PJ to Brendan, which perfectly captured the feeling of having your 'secret crush' revealed to your friend/s against your will.

And, secondly, there was that long final scene where PJ and Bobby have their long talk and she... doesn't say anything.  Sure, we've seen it on TV before.  I don't care.  Fact is, we've all lived through that moment in our lives and I always welcome the chance to see it played out in fiction.  It's cathartic.  A reminder that that even our lonliest moments we are not alone.  Someone else has lived though this, too.

Beyond all things PJ, there was much else to savour in this episode.  Jim Gaffigan stole all his scenes.  That's a given.  If Gaffigan wasn't the funniest thing in the show then there would be something to write about!

The on-going Kenny/Mike contrast gets funnier every week.  Mike has less and less luck with women, Kenny has turned into a babe magnet, Mike gets more and more frustrated and angry and Kenny is largely oblivious to any of it.  It's genius.  And the funniest work Jamie Kaler and Michael Bunin have delivered on the series this season.  Their chemistry and Bunin's chemistry with Kellee Stewart are other great elements of this show.

Speaking of Stewart, I love the way the writers are able to make Stephanie a large part of every episode without making her part of the group.  And I love the fact that she and Kenny hate one another and we don't know why.  Again, it just seems like a very real part of having a large group of friends together.

Highlight?  My Boys.

06:30    The Middleman
07:30    Kyle XY
08:30    Supernatural
12:00    That '70s Show
12:30    Two Guys And A Girl

The Middleman.  Episode 2.  "The Accidental Occidental Conception"  This is a funny show.  The dialogue is snappy and witty and guaranteed to provoke a laugh or two.  A lot of the ideas are audacious, too.  It's a creative show.  So much so that you are inclined to think: I can't believe they are doing this.  It has echoes of the best ideas of Reaper and the pace of Pushing Daisies.  So, all things considered I'm pretty happy with The Middleman.

Kyle XY.  Season 2, Episode 9.  "Ghost In The Machine"  It starts off with one of the worst ideas ever used in the series, but it quickly develops into one of the very episodes this show has offered.  Lori decides that she wants to do something reckless and visit the site of a recent murder.  Huh?  What the frak is that about?  The writers are - I think - so embarrassed by this lame idea that it happens off-screen and we first learn of it when we hear Declan and Kyle talking about it.  Of course, this (nutty) quest brings all of the main characters into the woods and back to the place where Jessi committed the murder.  Which, of course, is also beside Zzyzx.

Very lazy writing, guys.

Once that nonsense is out of the way, the episode that follows is one of the very best: Kyle 'time travels' back into some 'memories' he didn't know he had acquired, we get a further clue on the whole 'should Kyle trust Foss' mystery and we see that Jessi has been reprogrammed by Madacorp and is no much more focussed on Kyle.  Pity.  I like her.

The scenes with Kyle walking around in the past are very cool, the confrontations with Foss are great, but the revelation as to the identity of the real Bad Guy is something that was predictable at the very start of the season.

Never mind.  Great episode.

Supernatural.  Season 2, Episode 3.  "Bloodlust"  I didn't like this episode at all.  This is the one where they put forward the idea that everything supernatural doesn't have to be killed and introduce some nice vampires (who live off cow blood).  I watch Supernatural for a lot of reasons.  But not to see rehashed ideas from other shows!  It was painful to see the show deliver such a pedestrian script.  I knew right from the start where this was going.  Once the other hunter was introduced I figured out they would ending up fighting him, one of them (probably Dean) being late into the fight and - at the end of it all - the brothers would be a bit closer.  Or something.

One of the strengths of this show is that you cannot write the final scene after watching the first ten minutes.  And this week, much to my disappointment, I could.

I also strongly feel that there is no place for "nice" supernatural entities in the world of this show.  We've seen that.  Supernatural should be more of a bleak world-vision.  I keep saying that.  But only because that was the way it was during season one and I don't want the show 're-vamped'.

Plus, in another of my pet-hates, in a moment of crisis I do not want to see Sam phoning his Mommy-figure back at the bar.  Sam shouldn't be telling Dean "X is bad because so-and-so tells me", he should be saying "X is bad news because my gut instinct tells me".  That's cooler.  And more interesting.

So, did I like anything about this episode?  Yes, two things.  The pre-credits sequences was supremely creepy and the idea of Dean opening up about his grief to an outsider is brilliant.

That '70s Show.  Season 6, Episode 1.  "The Kids Are Alright"  This is more than just one of television's best ever sit-coms to me, it's a time-trip back to the early '00s when I first started sharing a house and 'forcing' my housemates to watch the TV shows that I liked.  That '70s Show played night after night back then.  Easy-going comedy that was guaranteed to make everyone fall about the room in hysterics.  The channel airing it in my part of the world bleeped out all the swear words, but apart from that it was perfect.

It still is.  The sixth season is where we kinda fell away.  I used to put all the episodes I could on tape and then we'd watch them in the right order.  I kept missing key episodes of season 6 when they re-ran and used to take weeks for the show to loop round again to Season 6.  So it kinda fell off the viewing list in our house.

Until last week when I stumbled across an episode by accident (they still silence out the bad words, by the way!).

Season 6 starts off with Red recovering from his heart attack.  Some of the best scenes are the ones with the (dysfunctional) Foreman family.  Eric's rage and desire to get away are very real and very easy to relate to.

Watching the show again for the first time in years, I'd forgotten how much I love Donna and how much she reminds me of one of my girlfriends from that time years ago.  One of my housemates used to tease me a lot back then because she reckoned I only watched the show night after night because the girl in it reminded me so much of that girl I used to date.

She was only partly right.  I watched it cos it was funny, too.

Two Guys And A Girl.  Season 3, Episode 7.  "Berg's New Roommate"  It was ABC's answer to Friends but, in many ways, it was better.  The Sharon-Johnny romance was certainly as good as anything the NBC show every offered up.  And this is one of the key episodes: Sharon lures Johnny into competing with another couple to secure the date and church they want for their wedding.  In the process she lies about stuff that supposedly happened with Johnny and that leads her to confessing to Johnny that she once had feelings for Pete.  Great stuff.  Funny.  But real, too.  Real in the sense that Johnny and Sharon deal with their fight in a mature real-world kind-of-way.  He's annoyed that she had feelings for someone else (who lives downstairs) but he has to suck it up and deal with it without any huge 'moment' to prove that Sharon thinks he's The One for her.  That only happens on TV, you know.

Highlight?  That '70s Show

06:00    Man From Atlantis
07:00    The Mary Tyler Moore Show
07:30    WKRP In Cincinnati
08:00    Rising Damp

Man From Atlantis.  Season 2, Episode 1.  "Melt Down"  Victor Buono is fantastic as Mr. Schubert returns to menace Mark Harris and - indeed - the world in general.  This first episode of the regular series is a curious mixture of things that suck and things that are great fun.  The stuff that sucks is as follows: the story starts when Mr. Schubert makes the water level rise by six inches all around the world, and the only person to notice this is Mark Harris!  (What!?)  The episode also contains several scenes with Mark and a random-girl-on-the-beach-who befriends-him.  All of these scenes, and the supposed comedy they bring, are painful to watch.  Finally, Patrick Duffy's Mark is such a dreadfully dull hero, it's hard to give a fig what happens to him.

Never mind, there's lot of good stuff in this episode, too.  First off, I repeat that Victor Buono is superb.  I can see why the producers brought him back.  He's hilarious and menacing in equal measure.  Mark Harris is more like a super-hero now.  He spent the four movies that started the series doing very little in the way of super-heroics, but the producers have sorted that out.  Mark uses his sonar powers (twice) to blow things up.  Both above ground and under water.  He also gets into a very physical fight with four massive goons and he has no trouble tossing them around like were fluffy toys.

With advent of the regular series, Mark and Elizabeth are no longer mere passengers on the Cetacean, they seem to be in charge of the whole thing.  They run around barking orders at the crew like nobody's business.  And while this makes absolutely no sense, it is definitely a lot cooler than the way things were before.

Finally, Mr. Schubert's plan is quite clever.  And the episode provides one or two successful twists at the tale unfolds.  I also like the special effects.  Like the scene where the Cetacean must outrun some rapidly freezing water.  Cool.

The Mary Tyler Moore Show.  Episode 16.  "Party is Such Sweet Sorrow" is one of the best episode so far.  It's not only very funny (Mary gets drunk at her going away party) but it shows how much Mary loves the gang she works with and how much they love her.  Particular Lou Grant.

WKRP In Cincinnati.  Episode 63.  "Secrets of Dayton Heights"  Arthur Carlson is a great creation.  He's the buffoon in most episodes (playing with kids toys and avoiding people as much as possible) yet when his people need someone to stand by them (in the show's more serious episodes) he is the one who is always there.  This time out it is Les who needs Carlson beside him when he discovers that his mother lied to him about the identity of his father.  It's a great episode.  Light on laughs, but you feel that you are watching a good stage play instead.  Particularly in the long final scene where Les goes to visit his father and doesn't tell him who he is.  The show never tries to pull on the heartstrings and is all the more powerful because of it.

Rising Damp.  Episode 5.  "All Our Yesterdays"  A very simple idea (one of the tenants is playing his radio too loud and annoying everyone) is used to great effect and produces a lot of laughs as the regulars gather together and try and convince themselves that they are not afraid to challenge their unpleasant co-tenant: Spooner the wrestler.

Highlight?  The Mary Tyler Moore Show