Ch- ch- ch- changes
As someone firmly in the middle of that oh-so-desirable 18-34 year old demographic, I must say news of the new
CW network has me all atwitter. Representatives for the new network have stated their intention to keep targeting my beloved (and let's not forget profitable) demographic, so I'm feeling cautiously optimistic. In their current incarnations, UPN and the WB have been host to some of my favorite shows (Buffy, Gilmore Girls, and Veronica Mars, to name a few). However, there's a high potential for sucktasticness with a capital S when I reflect back on some of the gems that have come out of them in the past.
Shasta McNasty.
The Mountain.
Britney and Kevin: Chaotic.
Tarzan. Seriously, people. Did you think I would forget?
I won't forget, but I
can forgive - provided I see a glorious Gilmore Girls-Veronica Mars lineup come Tuesdays in September. Don't cross me, bitches. You'll rue the day.
Is there anything fluffier than a cloud?
If there is, I don't want to know about it.
Similarly, is there anyone more likable than
Tom Cavanaugh? I'm hard-pressed to think of another television actor who wields the boyish charm Tom, formerly of
Ed, wields. This is a guy who, with his toothy grin and openhearted approach to life and love, definitely cries out for a hug. Will that hug come in the form of a substantial audience for his new show,
Love Monkey (Tuesday, 10PM, CBS)? Hard to say.
Tom's huggability notwithstanding, the show still has an appealing cast.
Judy Greer, who has been fabulous in everything from
Adaptation to
Arrested Development, plays the Sally to Tom's Harry. She's centered where he's scattered, pragmatic where he's got his heart on his sleeve and his head in the clouds. I already find myself wondering if these two crazy kids will get it together, because I certainly don't want Tom to end up with
the other chick they've set up as a love interest who is supposedly hot but who makes me feel like she wants to eat my soul whenever I look her in the eye and who walks with a little too much swing in her hips, as if all too aware of the ripeness of her female form. Capisce?
There's also the foxy
Christopher Wiehl, who I remember best from his creepy-cute guest spot as a Buffy boy toy in Season 1, as a buddy of Tom's. Add the genial, now-softer-around-the-edges-! Jason Priestley and the hip-but-earnest Larenz Tate to Tom's circle of friends, and you've got a nice blend.
Upon reflection, I didn't find
Love Monkey particularly funny, but I wasn't bothered by the lack of laughs. I was just so darned giddy to spend a pleasant hour with a cheery crew of friends backed by a well-chosen soundtrack.
Top Five of 2005
As 2005 draws to a close, critics throughout the country usher in 2006 with enough 'Best of 2005' Top Ten lists to choke even the hungriest of hippos. So what do the critics know that I don't? Whatever it might be, it's not stopping me from following suit. Here are my 100% biased, 100% awesome, Top Five TV shows of 2005:
1. Veronica Mars
2. Arrested Development
3. Everwood
4. How I Met Your Mother
5. Grey's Anatomy
Why five rather than ten? Because there's so much I didn't watch this year that I wanted to - for example, Battlestar Galactica (already in the Netflix queue) and Entourage (waiting for the DVDs) - that I don't want to leave off anything amazing. I want to explore more before making up my mind. Heck, one of my personal favorites for 2005 didn't air a single new episode during 2005 - I discovered sci-fi gem Farscape on DVD, and spent blissful months catching up on it. Man, did that show rock my universe...
