Ads are getting odd. TV tie-ins are no new thing for ads – you can look back more than 50 years and find them – but these are generally designed to promote just the products using the influence of the TV shows.

Now we have a Dr Pepper ad featuring the character of Dr Spaceman (played by Chris Parnell, who also voices Cyril on Archer) from 30 Rock that's promoting both the show and Dr Pepper. That's just confusing.

[via]

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Doctor Who

• David Tennant to do Karate Kids narration
• Billie Piper and David Tennant to star in Love On The Murder Mile

Awards

• The results of the Oscars
• The results of the Razzies – surprising overlap with Oscars

Film

• Midnight Run 2 will happen
• New Iron Man 2 trailer  

• Sleepless in Seattle: the musical

US TV

• Scott Foley joins True Blue, plus other pilot casting
• Kathy Bates to star in Kindreds?
• Breckin Meyer and Mark-Paul Gosselaar to star in Franklin & Bash
• Worst Week's Kyle Bornheimer joins CBS pilot
• Fringe gets a third season
• The Office, Community and 30 Rock all get another season each
• NBC to pick up 24 if Fox doesn't?
• House re-runs to include extra footage

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Read other posts about: 30 Rock, Community, House

In the US: Thursdays, 10pm, FX. Starts January 14th, 2010

Who doesn't want to be a spy? Imagine the glamour, the excitement, the women/men you'd meet.

Of course, reality is going to be a whole lot different. It's all going to be screwed-up people stuck in relatively normal workplaces, quibbling about expense accounts – at gunpoint.

That, at least, is the premise of FX's new half-hour animated comedy Archer, which features the daring exploits of Sterling Archer, ace superspy for top secret organisation ISIS.

What kind of man is Sterling Archer? Well, imagine James Bond. Imagine his lifestyle, all the glamour, the excitement, the women – then imagine that instead of James Bond, you have an American, trust fund-holding, egotistical, self-centred, empty-headed, misogynistic jock douchebag with mummy issues.

It's brilliant.

Continue reading "Preview: Archer 1x1"

Read other posts about: 24, 30 Rock, James Bond

Firstly, I can't believe no one noticed I copied and pasted the intro last week from an old entry. In Israel again? Losing my luggage again? Surely not.

Anyway, that aside, secondly, this is the last "What have you been watching this week?" before Christmas, so let's make it special, hey? Give the present of your TV recommendations to your friends.

• Dexter – I should have done a "Season finale" review by now, but I haven't. Slave-drivers at work won't let me blog. Curse them. Fortunately, I'm still not sure what I think, so I can prevaricate so more. It was bold, it was interesting, it resolved things. I just don't know whether – or whether I didn't – like it. I just don't know.
  
• Community – A return to form for the Christmas episode, which has to have been one of the best Christmas episodes of any show I've seen. And I really didn't recognise Anthony Michael Hall throughout the entire episode.
  
• Misfits – Hopefully a series finale review coming soon. But that was a cracker of an ending.
• Gavin & Stacey – Not very funny this week. More about the pathos, but the ceremony at the end redeemed it in the comedy stakes.
• The Thick Of It – Another relatively sad one, but a good return to form by the end. Loved the fact that Tom Hollander has arrived as the mirror-Malcolm.
  
• Paradox – Possibly the least stupid episode so far, but also probably the least interesting. Is there some sort of correlation going on?
• Men of a Certain Age – Time and work meant I didn't manage to do that review I promised. It got better by the end of the first episode, but it feels like a whiny bunch of moaners. I didn't like Ray Romano moaning about his not-bad life on Everybody Loves Raymond. I still don't. Scott Bakula's great though.
• 30 Rock – Not bad. That's about as much as I remember.
  
• Better off Ted – I thought I'd give this a go soon it got good word of mouth over the summer. I've watched two episodes now and they've been what I would describe as "gentle comedy". There are a few nice moments per episode and I still love Andrea Anders from Joey/The Class, but it's too divorced from reality to be truly engrossing.
• Cougar Town – Caught up with the backlog. Still nothing sensational about it, but it's a solid half hour with a guaranteed laugh or two each episode and the characters are now all sympathetic and likable.
• My Ugly Best Friend – Obviously pure evil from the outset and now I've seen it, I can confirm it really is pure evil. I'm also less than convinced those two women were friends.
• CSI: Dark and a little bit silly. Interesting to see how they're bringing in the recurring villain this season

What have you been watching though?

As always, no spoilers unless you're going to use the <spoiler> </spoiler> tags, please. If you've reviewed something on your blog, you can put a link to it here rather than repeat yourself (although too many links and you might get killed by the spam filter).

Read other posts about: 30 Rock, Community, Dexter, Gavin and Stacey

Doctor Who

• Pictures from The End of Time

Film

• Brad Pitt's production company to produce action version of young Vlad the Impaler's story
• Tim Burton/Jonny Depp's Dark Shadows starts filming next year
• Frank Langella joins Unknown White Male
• CBS Films acquires Vengeance from Taken writer
• Zombieland writers to write X Men Origins: Deadpool?

Theatre

• Toby Stephens to star in revival of Tom Stoppard's The Real Thing

British TV

• Freeview considering IPTV
• Lorna Watson and Ingrid Oliver get a BBC2 comedy pilot
• Second series of Horne & Corden cancelled

US TV

• Elisha Cuthbert joins The Forgotten
• Monk finale sets cable TV record
• Anthony Michael Hall to guest on CSI: Miami
• CSI creator Anthony Zuiker writing CBS a cyber crimes series
• Elizabeth Banks to recur on 30 Rock

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So, other than Doctor Who, what have you been watching this week? As per usual, I've reviewed most of what I've seen, but of the regulars:

• Community – Very funny and took the show in odd directions. However, last night's seemed to ignore that direction. Which is odd, but they've mixed up episodes before now
  
• 30 Rock – Is it bad that the new Canadian guy seemed more interesting than everyone else on the show?
• Dexter – Ooh, some interesting twists and glad to see Rita having some fun for a change
• Stargate Universe – Very good and unexpected. I don't know if there was a magic reset button at the end or not (tonight's ep will reveal that), but even if it wasn't, it was a good way to end the ep, crediting the audience with some intelligence. They seem to be going in the direction of "you know all the crap things that can happen when you're exploring? Well we're going to show you them all."
  
• The Thick of It – Another good one. The opposition are starting to seem more interesting than the government though.

Still got this week's CSI, Cougar Town, Modern Family and Supernatural to watch. But I've decided I'm never going to watch this series of The Sarah Jane Adventures so I've deleted them from my line-up.

The Prisoner
Big almost watch of the week was the AMC/remake The Prisoner. First, a confession – when I was young, I loved the original so much I joined the appreciation society. So I might be biased. But this was excruciatingly dull. It was beautifully shot, but the direction was in no way involving, it was literal when it shouldn't have been, made sure it rammed home the face that some things might not be real, and was just hopeless in every way. It was also so edited in such a way that whenever there was a moment that needed explaining, they tried to do it with music and a montage – it was like a rock video version of The Prisoner at times.

Episode 2 was a brief uptick, and I did appreciate the little head-nods to the original show (the map, the taxis, Rover, the abbreviated episode titles, the blazer, as well as a few plot elements), but episode 3 got so dull, so soon, I abandoned all hope and gave up. I've since found out what the ending was, and I'm very, very glad I gave up, because that sounded rubbish.

What have you been watching though?

As always, no spoilers unless you're going to use the <spoiler> </spoiler> tags, please. If you've reviewed something on your blog, you can put a link to it here rather than repeat yourself (although too many links and you might get killed by the spam filter).

Read other posts about: 30 Rock, Community, CSI, Dexter, Stargate, Supernatural, The Prisoner

Doctor Who

• Cheryl Cole to guest on Doctor Who??

• Mandalay to adapt online novel Machine Man
• Johnny Depp to star with Angelina Jolie in The Tourist?
• Andy Garcia, Anthony Hopkins and Annette Bening to star in Hemingway and Fuentes
• Helen Mirren joins Bruce Willis and Morgan Freeman in Red

British TV

• Freesat to get iPlayer
• Jimmy McGovern developing The Accused for BBC

US TV

• Sarah Wynter and Reiko Aylesworth join Damages
• Numb3rs cut from 22 to 16 episodes
• Kim Kardashian and Vanessa Minnillo to guest on CSI: NY
  
• Julianne Moore to guest on 30 Rock?
• Trailer for Caprica featuring James Marsters
• FX developing a western
• 2012 TV series to be set in 2013

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Read other posts about: 30 Rock, CSI, Numb3rs

Doctor Who

• David Tennant SJA gets 1.14m viewers

Film

• Gerard Butler to star in Ralph Fiennes' Coriolanus
• Patrick Dempsey signs up for heist comedy
• Fox developing CIA remote viewing thriller
• Alan Cumming joins Burlesque

Theatre

• Ambassador Group buys Live Nation's theatres
• Prick Up Your Ears to close early
• The Shawshank Redemption to close early

British TV

• Liza Marshall quits as C4 head of drama
• C4, BBCW merger abandoned

US TV

• No more Flight of the Conchords?
• Chuck exec producer to become show runner for V
• Five more episodes of Accidentally on Purpose
• Heroes ratings up again past season opener
• Colin Hanks to star with Bradley Whitford in Jack and Dan
• CMT greenlights two adventure series
• James Franco to guest on 30 Rock
• Blair Underwood to return to Old Christine
• Dexter hits a series high again

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Read other posts about: 30 Rock, Dexter, Heroes, The Sarah Jane Adventures

In the US: Thursdays, 9.30/8.30c, NBC
In the UK: Comedy Central at some point

Season three of 30 Rock felt a little off. It wasn't quite the show it used to be, which is a shame, because by season two, it had become the funniest show on TV.

The problem was a reliance on plot. Yes, on plot. 30 Rock at its funniest is based on silliness and standalone episodes, rather than season-long plots. Watch the pilot episode and you'll recall that the dullest bit was the middle third that tried to establish plot and drama. Problematically, season three of 30 Rock had way too many unfunny story arcs.

Going into season four, the question is have Tina Fey and co noticed this, dropped the plots and gone for the funny?

Almost.

Continue reading "Review: 30 Rock 4x1"

Read other posts about: 30 Rock, Community

Doctor Who

• David Tennant's Hamlet to air on Christmas Day

Film

• Robert de Niro and Jude Law join Thor?
• Jackie Earle Haley to play the villain in Green Lantern?
• John Ashton to return to Beverly Hills Cop franchise?
• What's up with Deadpool, Wolverine 2 and Magneto
• Laura Dern joins Little Fockers

Theater/Theatre

• Alan Rickman's production of Strindberg's Creditors to run in New York
• Eoin Colfer to write swing musical

British TV

• TVCatchup comes to the iPhone
• Press pack for Minority Report-ish Paradox
• Amanda Burton to join Waterloo Road
• Tories to 'rip up' Royal Charter

Canadian TV

• Canwest launching a new channel

US TV

• Ratings: 30 Rock down 27% on last year, FlashForward recovers and more
• Victoria Beckham to appear on Gossip Girl?
• Two networks looking at Southland
• Fox picks up comedy Rehab
• Simpsons contest lets fans create new character
• Sarah Michelle Gellar's HBO pilot dead?
• Elisabeth Moss to guest on Mercy

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Read other posts about: 30 Rock, Gossip Girl