Dollhouse, Season 2

As if the remarkable “Epitaph One” wasn’t setting the bar high enough, along comes this unbelievably cool and eye-catchingly original poster for the second season of DOLLHOUSE. Seriously, if the upcoming season can live up to even half of this just-released promotional poster’s awesomeness… (Starting September 25 at 9PM on FOX and Global TV in Canada.)

[Source:TVAddict]

A Second Opinion: Least Promising Fall Shows

Last week the five major broadcast networks outlined their new fall schedules and previewed clips of new series for advertisers at their annual upfront presentations. After taking a look at these clips myself, I’ve compiled a list, divided into what’s most promising, what’s roughly in the middle, and what looks horrible. These aren’t reviews per se, they’re just immediate reactions to very brief footage – I’ll re-evaluate after I’ve screened the pilots later this summer. First up, least promising of the bunch… Alex O’Loughlin fans, please don’t hurt us?
100 QUESTIONS (NBC)
Buzz was that NBC was high on this comedy before its upfront presentation and that it was being touted as “the next FRIENDS.” Highly doubtful, and I’m pretty sure the laugh track was the only thing laughing during the dreadfully unfunny trailer.
BROTHERS (FOX)
Starring former New York Giant Michael Strahan…plays former NFL player Mike Trainor, who returns home to help his brother’s struggling restaurant business. CCH Pounder from The Shield and Carl Weathers also star as their parents. Strahan does fine, but what would really be great is if the whole thing didn’t feel so strained and dated.

THE DEEP END (ABC)
GREY’S ANATOMY with lawyers. Because it refuses to stop.
THE FORGOTTEN (ABC)
A band of amateur detectives work to identify victims and solve their murders. Looks like a COLD CASE lookalike CBS passed on – and with good reason.
HANK (ABC)
Kelsey Grammar plays a CEO who loses everything in the stock market, forcing him and his family to relocate to suburban Virginia. It’s the recession comedy of the year: humble, and kind of cheap.
HAPPY TOWN (ABC)
I demand a moratorium on prefacing previews with “from the network that brought you [insert cult favourite here].” Just because you mention TWIN PEAKS, doesn’t make this murder mystery set in a town Where Bad Things Don’t Happen Twin Peaks. Got it?
MELROSE PLACE (The CW)
Sydney Andrews, of the original Melrose, inexplicably survived her seemingly fatal death and has returned to collect rent from a whole new gaggle of tenants, which include Ashlee Simpson-Wentz in her return to TV. Like the 90210 remake, it seems to lack the balance of soap and melodrama. Needs a Heather Locklear sooner than later.
PAST LIFE (FOX)
Honestly, it’s the silliest sounding show I’ve heard in a while. About “an unlikely pair of past-life detectives who investigate whether what is happening to you today is the result of who you were before,” I couldn’t decipher from the clips previewed whether this reincarnation drama was a joke or a sadly mistaken idea for a procedural.
THREE RIVERS (CBS)
MOONLIGHT’s Alex O’Louglin is a star dammit! It’s great CBS is so enamored with him, but could they find a role any more thankless than as a surgeon at a organ transplant hospital? I don’t even like him that much I know he deserves better than this.
TRAUMA (NBC)
It’s THIRD WATCH, with a bigger budget (so more explosions) and about paramedics. Already I’m feeling medical drama fatigue.
THE VAMPIRE DIARIES (The CW)
Twilight = icky. Twilight x Dawson’s Creek’s Kevin Williamson = slightly less icky, but still pretty icky.
[Source: Aleks Chan, TV Addict]

A Second Opinion: Most Promising Fall Shows

In an effort to fill the news void between May’s season finales and September’s fall premieres comes even more filler post-Upfront analysis courtesy of our very own Ken Tucker in-training Aleks Chan, who shares his take on this fall’s most promising new shows.
COUGAR TOWN (ABC)
Sure, the whole women-of-a-certain-age bit is a bit played-out, but this one, about a recent divorcé getting back into the dating game in her 40s, is helmed by SCRUBS creator Bill Lawrence and stars an especially game Courteney Cox, who is much better served by slapstick than being icy and bitchy on her short-lived FX series DIRT.
COMMUNITY (NBC)
THE SOUP’S Joel McHale plays a smoothly operating lawyer who’s busted for having a fake degree, and is forced to attend a junior college to save his career. McHale looks like he’s breezing through another episode of his E! show, and from the looks of the trailer, the material’s just as funny as him.
GLEE (FOX)
FOX has already aired the pilot last week, and it’s leading the pack right now. Crossing my fingers that it’s not a huge case of pilotitus.
THE MIDDLE (ABC)
Patricia Heaton, whom I’ve never been a huge fan of even in her Everybody Loves Raymond years, is finally in a role that truly suits her: the furrow-browed, frumpy wife and mother who’s begging to know what happened to her life. The trailer seemed to be aiming for a Malcolm in the middle vibe, and it seems like it will mostly work.
MODERN FAMILY (ABC)
The Alphabet net is so confident about this comedy about three different families that it aired the entire pilot during its presentation last week – it might not have been completely kooky to do so: out of all the previews, it garnered the most audible laughs. It’s like a strange combination of the office and ABC’s one-season tanker sons & daughters. The clips make me thing it’s more of the former.
V (ABC)
A remake of the ‘80s miniseries, it could possibly be the most topical conspiracy/invasion drama ever: aliens come to earth, claiming in peace, and effusively spread their notions of change – but they’re up to something. Looks creepy good, unlike the miniseries, which was mostly corny good. Plus: Juliet!
[Source: Aleks Chan, TV Addict]

Eureka, Season 3

Episode 3.18: What Goes Around Comes Around

Airdate: September 11, 2009

Episode 3.17: Have an Ice Day

Airdate: September 4, 2009 (2009-09-04)

Episode 3.16: You Don't Know Jack

Airdate: August 28, 2009 (2009-08-28)

It's a busy day for Global Dynamics and Eureka as Allison's labor begins during a sonic cleaning of the company, and the townspeople exhibit Alzheimer's disease at the same time.

Episode 3.15: Shower the People

Airdate: August 21, 2009 (2009-08-21)

Jack investigates the deaths of scientists who drowned in less than liquid circumstances. Meanwhile, Allison's baby shower goes green.

Episode 3.14: Ship Happens

Airdate: August 14, 2009 (2009-08-14)

Henry's 20-year-old ship project returns with more on board than it left with, and Carter thinks it may be linked to the town's deadly electrical anomalies.

Episode 3.13: If You Build It…

Airdate: August 7, 2009 (2009-08-07)

Strange things happen in Eureka when teenagers begin to build a space jump receiver and the "alien" ship lands in Eureka. Meanwhile, Fargo abandons his car "Tabby" or "Tabitha"who then kidnaps him and Larry (the new owner) to teach them a lesson. To make matters worse, Fargo also has important information regarding the ship to give to Allison. In the end Henry arrives and wipes some of the dust off, revealing the ship to have a US Flag, and thus be of Earthly origin…

Episode 3.12: It's Not Easy Being Green

Airdate: July 31, 2009 (2009-07-31)

Tempers and tensions run high as Eureka hosts long-term rival Area 51 in their bi-annual Eureka-fied bowling tournament. When a series of escalating pranks turns deadly, Carter finds himself chasing down a creation of blob-lical proportions.

Episode 3.11: Insane in the P-Brane

Airdate: July 24, 2009 (2009-07-24)

A scientist at GD seems to have gone mad as he starts to measure ghosts and spirit, but when things start to fly it's not a joke anymore. Carter believes it has something to do with the re-opening of section 5, and its new member Tess. Carter and Tess become trapped in the 5th dimension while investigating these strange phenomena.

Episode 3.10: Your Face or Mine?

Airdate: July 17, 2009 (2009-07-17)

While Carter is isolated in a D.O.D. recertification test, Deputy Lupo gets to be Acting Sheriff. But she is not acting at all like herself - someone is slowly stealing her identity, Eureka style…

Episode 3.09: Welcome Back Carter

Airdate: July 10, 2009 (2009-07-10)

Following Carter's dismissal, Fargo and General Mansfield decide to field-test a new robotic sheriff named Andy. However, the unfortunate robot seems to be the target of random gravitational anomalies which repeatedly crush him, and Carter cannot help but get involved. After Carter and Andy save the town yet again, Andy realizes that Eureka is better off in Carter's hands and exploits a loophole in the town charter to have him reinstated. At the end of the episode an alien object is detected heading straight for Eureka.

Episode 3.08: From Fear to Eternity

Airdate: September 23, 2008 (2008-09-23) (Fall Finale)

A doomsday weapon built in the abandoned military complex is discovered, as is the secret Thorne wants to stay hidden - she's 107 years old, real name Mary Perkins, and was involved in a pre-Eureka research project that developed the first atomic bombs (using radioactive material from meteorites). Meanwhile, Jo and Zane get stuck together, literally, and Zoe's life is imperiled by the aging syndrome that killed Mary's colleagues. Allison is found to be pregnant with Nathan's child. After Jack lets Thorne go, General Mansfield tells Carter that his services are no longer needed by the town of Eureka.

Episode 3.07: Here Come the Suns

Airdate: September 16, 2008 (2008-09-16)

It's Election Day in Eureka, but voting is the least of the town's concerns when an artificial sun threatens to go supernova. Lexi is going to have twin boys.

Episode 3.06: Phased and Confused

Airdate: September 9, 2008 (2008-09-09)

A mysterious "superhero" who can walk through walls and fly is causing a ruckus in Eureka. Meanwhile, Zoe and her friends are trapped in a forgotten bunker that was built before World War II. Zoe slips and falls in a mysterious substance.

Episode 3.05: Show Me the Mummy

Airdate: August 26, 2008 (2008-08-26)

Sheriff Carter ends up with an accursed mess on his hands when the opening of an Ancient Egyptian tomb unleashes lethal effects on those who opened it as a swarm of Ancient Bugs are rehydrated (and reanimated). The Bugs use humans as hosts dehydrate and eventually kill them. Once they almost overrun the town, the sheriff and Global Dynamics must contain it or let Eureka fall in to the mercy of a 3000 year old plague.

Episode 3.04: I Do Over

Airdate: August 19, 2008 (2008-08-19)

On Allison and Stark's wedding day, Sheriff Carter finds himself stuck in a time loop, causing him to experience the same lousy day over and over again. Meanwhile, Sheriff Carter's sister, Lexi, visits Eureka. As the time distortion escalates and threatens the town and entire universe, Carter's team takes desperate measures.

Episode 3.03: Best in Faux

Airdate: August 12, 2008 (2008-08-12)

It's time for Eureka's robotic dog show, and the android canines are out in force. However, when sudden mysterious earthquakes shake Eureka, Sheriff Jack Carter ends up with a pure-bred disaster on his hands.

Episode 3.02: What About Bob?

Airdate: August 5, 2008 (2008-08-05)

Sheriff Jack Carter and Allison Blake investigate when a scientist mysteriously disappears from within a sealed biosphere. Meanwhile, the Corporate Fixer attempts to make Eureka’s efforts more… profitable.

Episode 3.01: Bad to the Drone

Airdate: July 29, 2008 (2008-07-29)

Success comes at a price, as several citizens of Eureka discover when the DOD sends a corporate fixer, reputed for completely revamping more Fortune 500 companies than anyone else, to town during an Anti-Missile test that sees the target drone named Martha threatening Eureka.

[Source: wiki]

Dark Blue, Season 1

Carter Shaw (played by Dylan McDermott) is the head of a crack undercover team of LAPD officers who are so covert, many of their own colleagues do not even know they are involved. His team includes a recently married cop (played by Omari Hardwick from TNT’s Saved) who struggles with personal relationships he has developed while undercover; a shoot-from-the-hip officer (played by Logan Marshall-Green) whose activities make fellow team members wonder if he has gone over to the bad side; and a callow patrolwoman (played by Nicki Aycox) brought in because of her excellent skill in lying and her shady past.

Cast:


Carter Shaw (Dylan McDermott) is a tough, street-wise cop whose relentless pursuit of LA’s worst criminals has cost him a marriage and any semblance of a personal life. Having worked everything from homicide to vice, Carter has lived in the city’s dark underworld long enough to know that to fight crime you have to almost be more criminal than cop, an attitude that makes him a pariah on the force and a harsh taskmaster to the crack team of undercover cops he now runs. This is a 24/7 job for Carter and, because he has no family or social connections to distract him, he sometimes expects his team to act as if they too have no family, friends or social life. Running this group of undercover cops constantly challenges Carter to strike a balance between results and risk, unspoken compassion for his team and the dangerous line they cross each time they go under. Though it seems Carter’s willing to sacrifice their lives to catch the bad guys, there’s nothing he wouldn’t do to protect them.


Jaimie Allen (Nicki Aycox) is the greenest member of the team. She has been chosen not because of her honesty, but rather because she successfully fabricated her entire past on her police application, a skill that would be very useful for an undercover cop. She keeps her true history private, indicating something shady or emotionally scarring lurks in her past. Having just joined the team, she is still developing her ability to think and act on the fly, but she’s driven to succeed because this job may be penance for whoever she was before joining Carter’s unit.


Dean Bendis (Logan Marshall-Green) is the gun-slinger in the group, a seat-of-your-pants, fearless loose-cannon who gives 110 percent to every assignment he takes. He is very quick on his feet, able to thin-slice a problem in a split second and determine a fresh course of action. Dean knows how to circumvent departmental policies in order to achieve the desired result in a case. But more importantly, he knows how to get around Carter. Dean’s shoot-from-the-hip attitude is what makes him so effective undercover, but it also makes him the wild card of the team.


Ty Curtis (Omari Hardwick) is a gifted undercover cop but, now that he is married to a beautiful and loving wife, Melissa, there are some concerns as to whether his heart is truly in the game. Ty tells Melissa his current stint with Carter’s team is nothing more than a stepping stone to something bigger and better, possibly even his own police command. Ty’s devotion to Melissa could eventually become a liability, especially given the number of acquaintances – and even past romances – he has forged in the underworld of Los Angeles.

Do you know even more about the characters? Contribute to the wiki character guide for Dark Blue now.

Episode Guide

Episode 1.01 – Pilot
Aired: 15/07/2009
After an undercover FBI agent’s body is dumped on the side of the road, all eyes turn toward Dean Bendis, an undercover LAPD officer currently embedded with the gang believed to be responsible for the FBI agent’s attempted murder. Dean’s boss, Carter Shaw, is determined to bring the gang leader down while also ensuring that Dean has not turned and switched loyalties. Carter sends in Ty Curtis, who must leave his life as a newlywed to return to the seedy underbelly of the criminal world and get Dean out. Meanwhile, Carter recruits and trains the latest member of his team, Jaimie Allen, a patrol cop who has successfully fabricated her entire past. James Russo of Extremities fame guest stars

Episode 1.02 – Guns, Strippers and Wives
Aired: 22/07/2009
Ty goes undercover to search for a gun trafficker, but nearly blows his cover by breaking a crucial rule and seeing his wife on her birthday. Team leader Carter must come up with $100,000 in less than 12 hours to keep Ty's mission protected...and to save his life. Gregg Henry of The Hunt for the BTK Killer fame guest stars

Episode 1.03 – Purity
Aired: 29/07/2009
A ruthless drug trafficker with a background as a lawyer proves a difficult target for the team, especially when the sting operation’s deadline gets pushed up. Jaimie is on the front lines of this case, which may be her hardest challenge yet

Episode 1.04 - K-Town
Airdate: 5/08/2009
Ty and Dean go after a major Korean gang into everything from drugs to counterfeiting. Their target is known as President Lee, an old-school mob boss who doesn’t take lip from anyone. But their biggest problem might be more internal, as Ty and Dean butt heads over every aspect of the case, with Ty being too cautious and Dean throwing caution to the wind.

Episode 1.05 – August
Airdate: 12/08/2009
The team is assigned to infiltrate and rescue a kidnapper’s victim. However, when the FBI gets involved, the team and the victim are put in danger, making Carter angry

Episode 1.06 – Ice

Airdate: 19/09/ 2009

Carter and his team try to take down a major criminal ring that launders money through diamonds. As Ty tries to make inroads with a club owner interested in pulling a diamond heist, Dean and Jaimie pose as a married couple in order to forge a connection with the biggest fence in the business. Meanwhile, Ty begins to second-guess the danger he faces on the job after Melissa tells him she wants to start a family.

[Source:TNT.tv, wiki character guide]

True Blood, Season 2

Episode 2.11: Frenzy
Airdate: August 30, 2009

With the crisis in Bon Temps careening out of control, Bill seeks out the advice of Sophie-Anne (Evan Rachel Wood), the Vampire Queen of Louisiana, but must exercise patience before she gives him critical information. Meanwhile, Sookie and Lafayette find that protecting Tara from herself is more difficult than they anticipated; a desperate Sam turns to an unlikely source for assistance; and Jessica tests Hoyt’s allegiance to Maxine.

Episode 2.10: New World In My View
Airdate: August 23, 2009

Sookie, Bill and Jason return to a Bon Temps turned upside down by Maryann. Lured to Merlotte’s by Arlene, Sam and Andy find cold comfort in their refuge from a group of bloodthirsty revelers. Bill discovers that traditional vampire techniques don’t work on Maryann; Hoyt and Jessica try to keep a lid on Maxine’s madness; and Sookie tries to push through the darkness consuming Tara. With all hell breaking loose, Jason takes the bull by the horns to rescue Sam, at least for the moment.

Episode 2.09: I Will Rise Up
Airdate: August 16, 2009

A wounded Eric plays Sookie for a sucker, to Bill’s dismay, and ends up getting inside her head. Later, Sookie and Jason bond over their recent adventures. Blaming Eggs for Tara’s bruises and bizarre behavior, Lafayette and Lettie Mae try to figure out a way to pry their kin from Maryann’s clutches. Hoyt defends his relationship with Jessica to Maxine, to no avail. Jailed by Bud along with a group of Bon Temps revelers, Sam looks for a way to escape and avoid capture by an increasingly obsessed Maryann. In Dallas, Eric and the vampires defend their recent actions to Nan Flanagan and are shocked when Godric decides to take the fall for their PR disaster.

Episode 2.08: Timebomb
Airdate: August 9, 2009

Sookie’s captivity takes an unexpected turn when Eric arrives to do his master’s bidding on the eve of the Fellowship’s lockdown. In Bon Temps, Sam finds himself in hot water after making a gruesome discovery at Merlotte’s, and Andy proves no help in coming to his defense. Sent home by Bill, Jessica and Hoyt learn that when it comes to sex, every time is the first time. Tara and Eggs devour a mysterious meal prepared by Maryann, with unexpected results. After Jason pays off his debt to the vampires, Godric looks to enlighten his more single-minded followers.

Episode 2.07: Release Me
Airdate: August 2, 2009

Betrayed by Daphne, Sam finds himself in an unenviable predicament at the hands of Maryann and her wild-eyed minions. Imprisoned with Hugo in the F.O.T.S. church, Sookie uses her telepathic powers to reach out to Bill, who’s being detained at the hotel by a stubbornly obsessive Lorena. After crossing a line with the Newlins, a fearful Jason tries to sever his ties with the Fellowship of the Sun, but gets plenty of resistance from Steve and his enforcer Gabe.

Episode 2.06: Hard-Hearted Hannah
Airdate: July 26, 2009

Accompanied by Isabel’s human boyfriend Hugo (Christopher Gartin), Sookie embarks on a dangerous mission to locate Godric. Meanwhile, Bill is shocked when a vampire from his distant, more violent past resurfaces in Dallas. In Bon Temps, Daphne presses Sam to get comfortable in his own skin(s); Hoyt (Jim Parrack) continues his unlikely courtship of Jessica; Andy (Chris Bauer) interrogates Lafayette about his disappearance; and Tara and Eggs (Mehcad Brooks) take a detour while on a road trip. At the Light of Day camp, Jason faces difficult emotional and physical choices.

Episode 2.05: Never Let Me Go
Airdate: July 19, 2009

In Dallas, Sookie connects with one of her own, then joins Bill and Eric for a strategic summit at the lair of the missing vampire, Godric (Allan Hyde), attended by his lieutenants, Stan (Ed Quinn) and Isabel (Valerie Cruz). Meanwhile, Jason shows his mettle at a Light of Day boot camp, and is rewarded for his hard work with a gift from Sarah (Anna Camp). Rebuffed by Tara in her relocation efforts, Maryann decides to cast her spell on the staff of Merlotte’s, softening Tara up towards her new “family.” Eric shares a little-known secret about his past with Bill, and Sookie makes a decision that might solve the Godric mystery – or get her killed.

Episode 2.04: Snap and Fingerpop
Airdate: July 12, 2009

With Jessica (Deborah Ann Woll) in tow, Bill (Stephen Moyer) and Sookie (Anna Paquin) head to Dallas to carry out Eric’s (Alexander Skarsgård) vampire-reconnaissance mission – but a surprise awaits them at the airport. At the Light of Day Institute, Jason (Ryan Kwanten) falls victim to a practical joke, but has the last laugh when the Newlins anoint him for a higher calling. Maryann (Michelle Forbes) throws Tara (Rutina Wesley) a birthday party at Sookie’s, attracting much of Bon Temps to its Bacchanalian revelry. Sam (Sam Trammell) postpones his departure from town to attend the bash, connecting with Daphne (Ashley Jones) in the process. Having barely escaped Fangtasia, Lafayette (Nelsan Ellis) finds himself reluctantly pulled back into Eric’s orbit.

Episode 2.03: Scratch My Back
Airdate: June 28, 2009

When Sookie is attacked by a mysterious creature, Bill must enlist Eric’s (Alexander Skarsgård) help to save her. At the Light of Day retreat, Jason has second thoughts about the sect’s anti-vampire agenda, but Sarah and Steve counter his doubts with flattery and promises. After snapping at Tara (Rutina Wesley) and new employee Daphne (Ashley Jones), Sam decides to cut and run. A bored Jessica heads over to Merlotte’s, where a smitten Hoyt (Jim Parrack) falls under her spell. At another Maryann-hosted party, Tara finds her attraction to Eggs (Mehcad Brooks) interrupted by a swirling, aphrodisiac fog.

Episode 2.02: Keep This Party Going
Airdate: June 21, 2009

Sookie is forced to cope with Bill’s obligations to Jessica, as well as the romantic inconveniences the teen vampire’s presence creates. At the Light of Day leadership conference, Jason makes a favorable impression on its ambitious leaders, Steve (Michael McMillian) and Sarah Newlin (Anna Camp), though not on his jealous roommate Luke (Wes Brown). Maryann casts her spell on Merlotte’s patrons, and Sam proves helpless to stop the revelry.

Episode 2.01: Nothing But the Blood
Airdate: June 14, 2009

A shocking murder outside Merlotte’s has Bon Temps reeling. Meanwhile, Sookie’s (Anna Paquin) relationship with Bill (Stephen Moyer) is tested when she learns about Jessica (Deborah Ann Woll), and of his involvement in her uncle’s death. Sam (Sam Trammell) recalls a shape-shifting encounter he had with Maryann (Michelle Forbes) as a 17-year-old. Jason (Ryan Kwanten) gets a sudden windfall that allows him to pay for a leadership retreat with the Fellowship of the Sun. Two adversaries find themselves sharing a mysterious dungeon and, possibly, the same fate.

[Source: SpoilerTV]