TV Mad Man

Thursdays = the biggest night for my DVR and the most night shows get pushed to Hulu and OnDemand. Here are some returning highlights for Thursday premiere night.

The Big Bang Theory – 8/7c on CBS

Thursday nights are here to stay for The Big Bang Theory, now the second most popular comedy on TV, it will no doubt find a large audience and create a brand new comedy night for CBS. The premiere of the geek ensemble is one of the strongest episodes since season one. The half-hour finds Sheldon going on a date with his new friend Amy (Mayim Bialik) but we all know he can’t drive so Penny has to stay for the long haul. Also, Wolowitz (Simon Helberg) gets a big episode when he is stuck in an awkward situation with a robot.

Community – 8/7c on NBC

Unfortunately, the Big Bang Theory‘s growing success is going to hurt NBC’s stellar sophomore comedy Community. With already low ratings, a big comedy powerhouse can’t help but we can only hope new viewers will see the Joel Mchale-led ensemble. The premiere also brings out the big guns, and yes I mean, Betty White. She plays a new professor at Glendale that really gets the gang going. I  really hope you tune in and DVR Big Bang, because we need to give this show all the eyes it can get.

Fringe – 9/8c on FOX

I. Love. Fringe. It never has been the must-see TV on Thursday, it should be but it is now. After seeing both of this season’s premiere, yes there is too, it showed it can be a new force in science fiction, and delivered two of the best hours of the series. The first premiere takes place “Over There,” where our original Olivia Dunham was stuck in the season finale, played by Emmy-contender Anna Torv, she is stuck and Waternate (John Noble) has no interested in helping her out. The premiere showcases Torv’s versatility, especially when you see her alternate version next week in an equal strong episode. This one you should be watching, stat.

Outsourced – 9:30/8:30c on NBC

New show, comedy, set in India, could not be that bad right in NBC’s workplace comedy block? Well, you would be very, very wrong, in my book Outsourced takes the cake by a landslide for this season’s worst new show. It is offense, un-fanny, and childish, it takes Indian stereotypes to an unnecessary extreme that should not even be on TV. Do yourself a favor, and tune way out. Sorry but lets bring back Parks and Recreation!

Fringe science is a prickly beast, and on Fringe it often presents us with a out-of-the-box case that works, but sometimes when a show strays from its grain just a little it can give you something, well, wonderful….

What FOX Says:

Walter flashes back to 1985 while explaining Peter’s otherworldly origins to Olivia. Also, Peter’s mother (guest star Orla Brady) is introduced, and details of the neighboring world reaffirms that there is more than one of everything in the all-new “Peter” episode of FRINGE airing Thursday, April 1 (9:00-10:00 PM ET/PT) on FOX.

Tonight’s first of eight in row episodes of the recently renewed drama is properly named “Peter,” but the funny thing is that the man we have known as Peter Bishop does not appear. At least not in the way we are used to seeing him as played by Joshua Jackson. The hour is almost entirely set in the 1980′s following Walter, and only features some main players like Nina Sharp, and Olivia is there to set the scene of the episode.

In the winter finale, we learned that are suspicions were true and Peter was not from “this” world, however from the alternate universe that includes a blown-up White House, and standing Twin Towers. After watching this episode, I was left reeling. Catching my breath from what I witness, and I witnessed a lot. The main draw was the tremendous acting by John Noble (Walter) and the transformation he went through from old-time Walter. The look, the feel, and the emotion of his journey was just breathtaking, the story created was one of heartbreak, renewed hopes, and happiness. Orla Brady (Shark) plays Peter’s mother who gives a great performance as a woman in a very tough place.

“Peter” is my favorite episode of the series so far, and adds another layer of what Jeff Pinkner and crew are capable of creating. It is one of those hours of television I will remember for a very, very long time, and will forever be engrained in my memory. Fringe airs tonight at 9/8c on FOX.

Check out this nice little video on the all new Fringe airing Thursday at 8/7c on FOX. The episode called “The Bishop Revival” follows a toxin that is released to a group and how it relates to Walter’s old cases!

Here is my thoughts on everything I watched this week, some short, some long, and some spoilers so be aware. What do you think on them all?

How I Met Your Mother: Barney and Robin have been a highlight of all the episodes so far this season which has overall being pretty good. This week was episodes was one of the best of the year even though it marked the end of Barney and Robin. Alan Thicke was great in a fun cameo too.

Lie to Me: Can I just want to say I want Alicia Coppola on a show now. I loved her in Jericho and she was great as Agent Reynolds pal in this week Reynolds-centric outing. I have seen next week’s very much relevant episode on Black Friday and it is one of the best of the show.

So You Think You Can Dance: When the season started and they had that fantastic showcase show I thought this year would be outstanding, so far this year, so not. Nobody is wowing me except for maybe Jakob who is just so fun and brilliant. I still love Mollee and Nathan even though the performance was cringe-worthy.

V: V is my favorite new show this year. It is so epic in its feel and just fun to watch. Elizabeth Mitchell and Joel Gretsch are a perfect pair, and it was great to see Rekha Sharma (Battlestar Galactica) as a FBI friend of Erica or is she. Plus any show with Alan Tudyk is a win in my book. The one area the show lacks though is in the teenagers, better dialogue and story is needed or the ratings could just go down even further.

Melrose Place: Heather Locklear we need you know. Just a million viewers is pathetic for what is a pretty fun soapy drama, next week is the week. Amanda is back and will it help, I hope so.

The Good Wife: I would watch The Good Wife just for the judges alone who have all been great in the series and next week Peter Riegert comes to the panel, love him. This week presented a nice dilemma with a lawyer/non lawyer for Alicia and the story with the son keeps me interested in her personal life.

New Adventures of Old Christine: Julia Louis-Dreyfus is funny. Really funny. This cast is really fun which it turn makes me laugh so much.

Top Chef: She is gone and I am a little sad. Robin who should have been voted off in Week 1 finally had to pack her knives and somehow I don’t think the show will be as great just because of not as much drama. However, Nigella Lawson was the perfect judge. Opinionated, funny, and adorable, I wouldn’t mind her being on each week.

FlashForward: Like I have said before the show is not bad, the story is interesting and gets better when Rocky Jay shows up but the writing is not good, and that combined with the TERRIBLE acting of Joe Finnes overshadows any good performances by Christine Woods or John Cho. The show needs to get better soon with more episodes like last week’s fantastic “The Gift.”

Survivor: Best season EVER? With episodes like the last two with brilliant blindsides, I think so. Russell is one of the best contestants ever. Love this show.

Parks and Recreation: I love this show too. By far the funniest show on NBC and the second best comedy on air behind a certain ABC comedy. The supporting cast is unstoppable.

Private Practice: Last night’s episode was off the hook. I cried and was engrossed by the emotion and story in this medical drama. Everything was perfect except for the unnecessary last scene, brought me out of it just a little.

Fringe: This week, pretty good. Next week, fantastically freaky.

The Vampire Diaries: So this show is surprising me. As I watched it this summer, I hated it. Found it so cliched and stupid, now I look forward to it each week. This week was strong once again but the episode left me hanging and confused. First, Alaric is obviously a vampire of something but when the episode ended with Jenna’s old boyfriend and supposedly dead Logan, my first thought was that somehow Alaric changed his body to his. The reason I came to this conclusion was that he said something along the lines of “Will you let me in,” and when Alaric left the house he said something like “You will let me in some other time.” Just the way the dialogues intertwined made me think they were one in the same. Crazy or no?

What was my favorite show last year? The answer is Fringe. The FOX supernatural drama was so spectacular in the execution of its story line, the imagination, and characters, added up to be a great first year. The season premiere is tonight on its new day, Thursdays at 9/8c on FOX following Bones. It is up against steep competition but hopefully that audience it got after Idol will stick around. I did not get to see the season premiere in its entirety but you can catch a minute and a half of it below. It is really awesome and from what I have heard the season is great.