Nick Offerman is Parks and Rec’s meat and breakfast foods aficionado Ron Swanson. Here is a mosaic made entirely of images of his favorite meals. Get the full-res image at NBC.
You’re welcome.
Update: There’s a video sitting after the break called “Swanson vs. Food.” ‘Nuff said. And again, you’re welcome. Continue reading The Ron Swanson Mosaic
Ready for some brand-spankin’ new TV!? Every year the big networks hold their own press events to preview their new programming to advertisers and audiences. The Upfronts is a time when the networks release TV program information to the public like the creators, producers, and stars behind their new fall and mid-season shows. Jump after the break to browse the Peacock’s upcoming TV lineup; there you’ll find trailers, synopses, and the complete fall schedule. But first start here and get acquainted with the fresh programming.
NBC’s 2011-12 schedule includes 12 new series. New comedies include All Night, Free Agents, Whitney, Are You There, Vodka? It’s Me, Chelsea, Bent and BFF. New dramas include The Playboy Club, Prime Suspect, Grimm, The Firm, Smash, and Awake.
When and where can you find these programs in the schedule? I’ll tell you! On Monday and Tuesday, NBC is pairing new and returning dramas (respectively) with returning reality shows. On Monday The Sing-Off airs from 8-10PM and is followed by The Playboy Club. On Tuesday, The Biggest Loser airs from 8-10PM and is followed by Parenthood. Wednesday serves as a hybrid comedy/drama block for the network. New half-hour comedies Up All Night and Free Agents are followed by returning series Harry’s Law and Law & Order: Special Victims Unit. Thursday is packed with four half-hour comedies–Community, Parks and Recreation, The Office, and freshman Whitney and closes the night with the new drama Prime Suspect. The confirmed final season of Chuck (which will consist of 13 episodes) moves to Friday and is followed by new genre drama Grimm and Dateline NBC. Saturday is home to encore programming, and Sunday has NFL-related programs Football Night in America and NBC Sunday Night Football.
A number of NBC shows are being held for mid-season premieres. 30 Rock will return to Thursday at an unspecified time-slot; the post-football Sunday lineup will consist of Dateline NBC, The Celebrity Apprentice (Trump announced he is not running for president so he will return as the boss), and new drama The Firm; on Mondays The Sing-Off and The Playboy Club will make way for the second season of The Voice (in a two-hour format) and new musical drama Smash; and the following new series will enter the fray around this time as well: comedies Are You There, Vodka? It’s Me, Chelsea, BFF, Bent, and drama Awake.
And if you’re keeping track, the following NBC shows have been cancelled and will not be returning next season: The Cape, The Event, Chase, Law & Order: Los Angeles, Outsourced, and Perfect Couples.
*As specified above The Event will not be returning to NBC next season, however it may not be 100% dead yet. Executive producer Steve Stark is apparently not giving up on the show so fast. According to various sources he is shopping the underwhelming sci-fi drama to various cable and digital entities including Netflix. Universal Media Studio is providing “full support” for a potential move. Says Stark, “NBC has been an amazing partner, it launched the show beautifully.” Added creator Nick Wauters, “We have a dedicated fan base, and we promised them we will deliver one way or another and will continue to tell our stories.” If The Event does get picked up for a second chance at life, you’ll find out as soon as I get wind of it.
The man known ’round the world as James “Sawyer” Ford is about to make a visit to Greendale in the upcoming paintball episode of Community. Lost actor Josh Holloway plays Black Rider, “a mysterious stranger who’s thrown a wrench into the paintball game,” as described by show creator Dan Harmon. NBC plans to air the Community finale in two parts. The next paintball epic will begin May 5 in the episode titled “A Fist Full of Paintballs,” and Holloway will make his mark here. Part 2 airs May 12.
In an interview with EW, Harmon details how the two-parter will work. “It’s designed to exist both as one story but also two separate episodes. [The first] one has a Sergio Leone Western motif, so there’s more emphasis on tension, scarcity of ammo, and who might draw on who. But the second one erupts — the Western motif falls away and an out-and-out war happens. There’s a kind of an epic, wartime, band-of-rebels-against-a-larger-force Star Wars feel to the second one … If we only did the Western one, there might have been some people who said, ‘Oh it’s great, but it’s not ‘Modern Warfare.’ And then there’s other people who, if we had only done ‘Modern Warfare,’ would say, ‘Eh, same thing again.’”
Watch the brief but titillating preview featuring Black Rider’s first interaction with Alison Brie’s Annie. Tune into Community Thursday nights at 8PM on NBC.
And here is your proof. TVShowsOnDVD has managed to get their hands on this image of the DVD packaging for NBC’s failed series The Cape. Notice the branding: The Cape: The Complete Series. Typically networks release DVDs with the marking “The Complete First (or second or third) Season,” and as you can see that is not the case here. Nail, meet coffin. We all saw this coming, didn’t we? First the network decreased the show’s episode count by three, and then it refused to broadcast the series finale and put it online. I never want to even think about this show ever again. Yes, it was that bad.
[Via IGN]
Oh, I can already feel the tears swelling up. Tonight’s episode of The Office is called “Goodbye, Michael” and it will be the final episode starring the brilliantly talented Steve Carell.
The Office boss is going out with a bang, thankfully. The super-sized episode is extended from a half hour to fifty minutes in length; it will air from 9PM to 9:50PM, followed by a beefier episode of Parks and Rec (9:50PM-10:30PM) to soften the blow.
Don’t miss Michael Scott’s swan song tonight (4/28) at 9PM on NBC. The Office will attempt to forge on without him; two more episode will follow, then the season seven finale airs May 19. Perhaps this impressive slate of upcoming special guests will have you excited for the final three episodes. Will Ferrell, Ricky Gervais, Ray Romano, James Spader, Catherine Tate, Will Arnett, and Jim Carrey will all be vying for Michael Scott’s managerial position at Dunder Mifflin’s Scranton branch! Continue reading TV Reminder: Steve Carell departs ‘The Office’ tonight
Oh, what more can be said about the Pawnee gang? The all-star cast that makes up NBC’s Parks and Recreation is delightfully genuine and wickedly hilarious. If you don’t watch the show this 15-minute blooper reel should still leave you in stitches. But if you do watch it the reel will shine a new light on these characters for you (literally tons of profanity are contained within) and at the same time remind you why you fell in love with them in the first place. Also, April (Aubrey Plaza) smiles! Now that’s a first. The Parks and Rec season 2 gag reel rests above.
New episodes return April 14 at 9:30PM on NBC.
Update: Looks like NBC took it off YouTube. Found another copy at Perez!
This week NBC made the decision to end midseason comedy Perfect Couples earlier than expected to make way for The Paul Reiser Show. Low ratings, per usual, are to blame for the scheduling change which more than likely will lead to the show’s cancellation. Couples will conclude its shortened first season in mid-April, having only aired 11 of the 13 ordered episodes. NBC has not specified when/if these final episodes will air at a later date (not likely) or come packaged in a DVD set. It’s strange to admit, but this show actually started to grow on me after a while. However, I won’t be complaining much once NBC officially puts the kibosh on it.
In case you’re wondering… The Paul Reiser Show is a single camera comedy that follows the actor’s post-Mad About You life. Here’s the official description: “It’s been a few years since his hit TV series went off the air. Since then, he’s been enjoying the quiet life at home with his lovely wife, Claire [Amy Landecker], and kids and generally minding his own business, writing and producing television but enjoying life out of the spotlight. Getting him into trouble — and into adventures — are a group of new “friends,” most of which he didn’t choose since they’re the husbands of his wife’s friends and the dads of his kids’ classmates.” It begins Thursday, April 14 at 8:30PM.
[Via Deadline]
Here is the very first image of Adrianne Palicki (Friday Night Lights) suited up as Wonder Woman. NBC wants to reboot the classic 1970s series and they’ve tapped David E. Kelley to write and executive produce it. Can the man with a TV degree in law (The Practice, Ally McBeal, Boston Public, Boston Legal, Harry’s Law) successfully bring back the DC Comics superheroine in a way that is relevant and exciting? Time will tell. But for now gaze at the wonderful image sitting above. Palicki certainly has the looks to play the part. But I’ll wait for a teaser before making any further judgement. Cary Elwes (Saw), Tracie Thoms (Cold Case), Pedro Pascal (The Good Wife), and Elizabeth Hurley are attached to the Warner Bros TV project.
[Via Deadline]
Fantastic news everybody: NBC has renewed Community, Parks and Rec, and The Office for a third, fourth, and eighth season, respectively! NBC’s other staple comedy 30 Rock was renewed for a sixth season late last year. It will surely be interesting to see how The Office performs without its star Michael Scott (Steve Carrell) and I’m equally looking forward to the return of the Greendale and Pawnee gangs. These shows have proved time and time again that they’ve found their stride. I am beyond elated that NBC has saved these shows from sitting on the cancellation fence and determined their value residing in the network’s Thursday night comedy lineup.
NBC chairman Bob Greenblatt: “Along with 30 Rock, they represent the best of what the NBC comedy brand stands for in terms of originality, wit, and sophistication. The Office continues to fire on all cylinders on the most competitive night of television; Parks & Recreation has come into its own this season as the rightful companion to The Office; and Community is one of the freshest comedies on any network and a solid foundation for Thursday night.”
Greenblatt has ordered 13 comedy pilots each vying for a spot in this talented lineup. Things are not looking up for Outsourced and midseason player Perfect Couples.
For those of you who follow the ratings game: The Office averages a 4.0 rating/10 share in adults 18-49 and 7.7 million viewers; Parks and Rec sees a 2.8/7 and 5.5 million viewers; Community gets a 2.1/6 and 4.7 million.
If you’ve been following the recent adventures of The Cape, you should know that the network ultimately decided to break up what was supposed to be a two-hour finale on February 28 into two pieces. The first hour “Razor” aired on that date then Chuck took over the 10PM slot. Last week The Event returned from its three month hiatus and claimed The Cape‘s regular 9PM slot. With no room in the Peacock’s scheduling for the last hour of the show with dismal ratings, they’ve decided to stream it exclusively online with hopes that fans of the short-lived series will flock to the website and watch the conclusion there.
“Endgame,” the season (likely series) finale of The Cape will be uploaded to the official NBC site tonight at midnight and will live there probably until the network decides to shut down the page. Here’s a synopsis of the episode:
THE CAPE AND VINCE FARRADAY’S WORLDS COLLIDE AND HARD TRUTHS ARE REVEALED — Police Chief Marty Voyt (Dorian Missick) lands behind bars, in the hands of ARK Corporation, fearing he may receive the same fate as Vince (David Lyons). Attempting to learn more about Vince’s disappearance, Dana (Jennifer Ferrin) takes on Marty’s case, and the impervious ARK Corporation , only to discover secrets of betrayal. The Cape’s double identity becomes blurred when Max (Keith David) and the carnival of crime attempt to protect Dana, Marty and his family.
I’m trembling with anticipation. Not.
[Via TVLine]
Somewhere on or between Monday, April 4 and Tuesday, May 24 your favorite NBC programming will conclude in hopefully satisfying fashion. Notable finales include half of the Thursday night comedy lineup–The Office, Community, and Parks and Recreation will wrap up their respective seasons with extended one hour episodes. Look after the break to see all of the finale dates listed in chronological order. Don’t see The Cape listed there? Here’s why.
[Via TVLine] Continue reading NBC reveals season finale dates for its programming slate
After an extended three month hiatus, NBC’s sci-fi drama The Event returns to the airwaves tonight. After a promising start (remember–what happened to that plane?!), the mysteries started piling on top of each other with no cohesive plot thread tying them together and this resulted in contrived, lackluster plotlines that failed to challenge the viewer intellectually (or in any way for that matter). Save for the handful of character-driven episodes the first half of the season was dominated by run-of-the-mill action sequences, cheesy dialogue, and lots of running (Sean and Leila need more to do!). As the show’s creativity lost its touch early on, viewers dropped in significant numbers. The long hiatus provided the show’s creators plenty of time to retool things; I have faith that the show can transform itself from a rollercoaster of good-decent-filler episodes into a reliable mystery drama that’ll make me want to tune in every week. But first things first–they’ve got to tell us what the event IS! Perhaps episode 15 will provide some answers.
The Event returns tonight at 9PM on NBC. It’s a 2 hour, erm, event, so set your DVRs accordingly. Check out photos from “And Then There Were More” and “Inostranka” in the gallery below. Beware of minor spoilers. Need a refresher? Jump after the break to watch a brief recap.
Update: To the surprise of no one The Event returned not with a bang but as a bust. Though the two-hour return was (for the most part) fast-paced with some fun action segments, the writing is still poor and the story is, well, uneventful. The ratings agree: the show drew a 1.4/4 in the 18-49 demo and 5.2 million total viewers. That’s down 26% from its last original airing back on November 29. If these numbers don’t start to steadily increase and stabilize between now and April, you can kiss this thrill-less sci-fi thriller goodbye.
Continue reading TV Reminder: ‘The Event’ returns tonight on NBC [Update: Low ratings]
