Blogulator Radio 74 & 75: Shippin' Parenthood & Robot Prejudice

Episode 74 of the netcast features Qualler and Brigitte
giving you an update on the progress of NBC's fourth season of
everyone's favorite inconsequential family drama, Parenthood.

Episode 75 of Blogulator Radio offers up Chris and Jerksica's
great debate on the multi-cam vs. the single-cam sitcom on the
heels of the news that Up All Night will be turning multi-cam,as
well as a guessing game about shows in development
that may or may not involve Atticus Finch defending robots.

It's been a few weeks since we've updated this here blog. Sowwy. Above you will find links to the latest episodes of the Blogulator Radio netcast, courtesy of the Fancy Pants Gangsters netcast network. And as always:

Blogulator Radio is brought to you in part by Netflix, where you can stream your favorite TV shows and movies from your TV, computer, or many other devices as often as you want for just 7.99 a month. Start your free two week trial today and help support independent netcasting. For up to the minute updates all up in your upness, be sure to subscribe to Blogulator Radio via iTunes or RSS.

Blogulator Radio 73: Mental Gasps

Click here to witness a very sleep-deprived married couple
try to speak coherently about a bunch of new TV shows they
watched recently.

It's pilot season! And because Chris and Jerksica like to binge on both television and judging, they have watched nearly a dozen new shows that have aired on the major networks so far this fall and would like to share their opinions about them with you. There are three sitcoms they both genuinely like that they've discussed already and check back in on a few episodes into their debut seasons (including FOX's The Mindy Project at the top of their list), an unfortunate handful that neither Chris nor Jerksica have any affection for (such as NBC's confusingly lauded Revolution, the dreadful Ryan Murphy "comedy" The New Normal, and much more), and finally a number of shows they disagree on. There's some that Jerksica enjoys much to the bewilderment of Chris (*cough cough* Animal Practice) and some that Chris is a sucker for despite Jerksica's constant eye-rolling (like the ABC dramas Nashville and Last Resort). And last but not least they check in on some of their favorite returning shows that have premiered recently, especially NBC's Parks & Recreation and the surprisingly well-retooled New Girl and Up All Night. So yes, there is a lot going on here. Buckle up.

0:00-12:33 New Shows Chris & Jerksica Like
12:33-27:57 New Shows Chris & Jerksica Dislike
27:57-39:12 New Shows Upon Which Chris & Jerksica Have Mixed Opinions
39:12-50:25 Returning Shows Chris & Jerksica Like

Blogulator Radio is brought to you in part by Netflix, where you can stream your favorite TV shows and movies from your TV, computer, or many other devices as often as you want for just 7.99 a month. Start your free two week trial today and help support independent netcasting. For up to the minute updates all up in your upness, be sure to subscribe to Blogulator Radio via iTunes or RSS

Blogulator Radio 68: No Active Hate

Chris and Jerksica don't actively hate FOX's two new sitcoms.
In fact, they kinda like 'em. Click here to hear why.

Returning from the chaos of a new school year starting, Chris and Jerksica continue to wade through the barrage of network pilot previews available for the new fall season. FOX has released the first episodes of their two new flagship sitcoms The Mindy Project (featuring The Office's Mindy Kaling) and Ben & Kate (featuring Oscar winner Nat Faxon) on various On Demand platforms (check your local cable provider or Hulu) and Chris and Jerksica...don't actively hate them. In fact, they both might even have promise. Is FOX's Tuesday night going to be the new NBC Thursday night? They also look back into the past and talk Scrubs, a show they once hated but have grown to love since it went off the air. It's their Netflix Pick o' the Week. And lastly, TV news bits of note include shows in development revolving around Michael J. Fox, director Jodie Foster, and a reboot of Eddie Murphy's adventures of Axel Foley.

 0:00-20:50 The Mindy Project and Ben & Kate
20:50-27:22 Netflix Pick o' the Week: Scrubs 
27:22-42:36 TV News: S.H.I.E.L.D., Michael J. Fox sitcom, Showtime's "Female Sopranos", Beverly Hills Cop procedural

Blogulator Radio is brought to you in part by Netflix, where you can stream your favorite TV shows and movies from your TV, computer, or many other devices as often as you want for just 7.99 a month. Start your free two week trial today and help support independent netcasting. For up to the minute updates all up in your upness, be sure to subscribe to Blogulator Radio via iTunes or RSS.

Blogulator Radio 66: The Subtle Differences Between Incredulous Looks and Blank Stares

Is Matthew Perry giving you an incredulous look or a blank
stare? Listen to this week's Blogulator Radio to find out!

Chris and Jerksica have realized that it's pretty hard to record a single take hour-long netcast when there is a baby that is constantly pooping, crying, and not letting them have pretentious conversations about television in their midst. So, here's something new (to them, not to the world of netcasting): a four-part episode with each segment focusing on a new aspect of TV discussion. Join them this week as they review Go On and Animal Practice (NBC's two new comedies whose pilots were previewed during the Olympics), as well as talk some in-development news about The Americans (FX's new spy drama starring Keri Russell) and more, plus their new feature, the Netflix Pick o' the Week, in which they...uhhh...pick a show available on Netflix Watch Instantly that they think is pretty cool.

0:00-12:04 -- Go On 
12:04-31:20 -- TV News: FX's spy drama, Kelsey Grammer's police procedural, and Joss Whedon's Marvel series
31:20-42:48 -- Netflix Pick o' the Week: Cheers 
42:48-52:41 -- Animal Practice

Blogulator Radio 64: How To Join A (Television) Cult

Click here for the latest episode of Blogulator Radio, which
just might blue your mind. Wait, that doesn't sound right.

"Cult TV" is a term that's been bandied about for years, but has never really made much sense to Chris and Jerksica. So when Entertainment Weekly ran a second edition of its Top 25 Cult TV Series of All Time for its latest issue, naturally they had a few things to say about it. What follows is a sprawling conversation about the definition of cult pop culture, the increasing prominence of sci-fi/fantasy television, and the boons and pratfalls of extended mythologies amongst geek shows. Including commentary on everything from rabidly adored short-lived sitcoms like Arrested Development and Party Down to strangely quirky and unique dramas like Twin Peaks and Veronica Mars, is the branding of "cult TV" in the internet age just another way to say "great and greatly missed TV"? Also, what did EW inevitably leave off the too-truncated list that infuriated Chris and Jerksica (and maybe yourself)?

Blogulator Radio is brought to you in part by Netflix, where you can stream your favorite TV shows and movies from your TV, computer, or many other devices as often as you want for just 7.99 a month. Start your free two week trial today and help support independent netcasting. For up to the minute updates all up in your upness, be sure to subscribe to Blogulator Radio via iTunes or RSS.

Blogulator Radio Episode 61 - Louie & Tim, Not Will or Bill

Click here to listen to a married couple talk about gorillas,
Mormons, faceless corporations, and more!

Chris and Jerksica return to Blogulator Radio after a few weeks off due to baby-raising and what have you and boy do they have a lot to talk about. This week’s episode is split into two parts, not unlike the way their two most recommended shows discussed within the netcast itself. First they’ll catch you up on what’s worth watching that’s currently airing on the boob tube, the most important being the third season of FX’s Louie. Between the little girl from Sleepless in Seattle, Melissa Leo, and the best gorilla joke of all time, y’all should watch. Chris also takes a minute to recommend TNT’s sophomore season of Falling Skies for all the soft-sci-fi fans out there. Lastly, they quickly agree with Qualler and Brigitte from a couple weeks back that ABC Family’s Bunheads is pleasant and HBO’s The Newsroom (especially lead character Will McAvoy) is entertainingly horrendous. Then for the second half of the show Chris and Jerksica dive into old television they’ve been watching during the new-show-drought of the summer and heartily recommend the entire animated series The Life & Times of Tim, available on HBO Go. Unfortunately, they also spent too much time finally completing HBO’s polygamy saga Big Love after a long break from the show after its disappointing fourth season. What was once a solid family drama surrounding Bill Henriksen and his three wives wrapped up in rushed and ill-planned fashion. Listen to find out why and check back next week when Chris, Qualler, and Brigitte give the skinny on the much-anticipated fifth season premiere of AMC’s Breaking Bad!

 Blogulator Radio is brought to you in part by Netflix, where you can stream your favorite TV shows and movies from your TV, computer, or many other devices as often as you want for just 7.99 a month. Start your free two week trial today and help support independent netcasting. For up to the minute updates all up in your upness, be sure to subscribe to Blogulator Radio via iTunes or RSS.

Blogulator Radio Episode 58 - "Sad Men"

Click here to hear a married couple jibber jabber about
the merits of heavy-handed symbolism and the like.

This week on Blogulator Radio: Chris and Jerksica dish about Mad Men on the heels of the AMC institution’s season 5 finale this weekend. Since they haven’t chatted about Don Draper and co. since the premiere, there’s a lot of ground to cover, including but not limited to the big water cooler moment with Joan, the abrupt departure of a major firm partner, and why or why not Harry Crane is cute. They also tend to get quite esoteric about the whole thing, because they take this crap seriously, so you’ve been warned. Was it worth the 16-month hiatus wait for another thirteen episodes about people being sad in the 1960s? Should we all sit idly by with bated breath for the final two seasons of Matthew Weiner’s brainchild? Listen to Chris and Jerksica argue for an hour to find out!

Blogulator Radio is brought to you in part by Netflix, where you can stream your favorite TV shows and movies from your TV, computer, or many other devices as often as you want for just 7.99 a month. Start your free two week trial today and help support independent netcasting.

For up to the minute updates all up in your upness, be sure to subscribe to Blogulator Radio via iTunes or RSS.

Reflections of a New Parent on Television, or How I Learned to Stop Worrying About My Street Cred and Love Terrible Television

"Really, Mom? Bent? You're embarrassing yourself."

Everything changes with a newborn (duh!), including one’s ability to love and loathe television programs. Having spent the last six weeks caring for a tiny, crying, needy, eating machine (plus a baby- hey-o! Sorry, Chris), I have experienced first-hand the desperation and shallowness with which a new parent engages with the electric story box.

There are a few factors that impact my television choices these days.  First, I’m nursing a baby, and that means I practically have a tiny, but voracious dinosaur attached to me for like six hours a day. This leaves me wanting several things from television.  First, that it is on when I’m nursing. Constantly. Otherwise I fall asleep, make up songs about sore nipples or unyielding baby poop avalanches, or start styling my poor son’s hair like various celebrities (Jersey Shore regulars, Brian Williams, and Justin Bieber are inspirations).  Constant television means that you run out of “top tier” options quickly, and become a hell of a lot less discriminating. Second, it’s May.  That means all my favorite shows have wrapped up the airing of new episodes for the season. Third, I spend a lot of time with my beautiful television in the wee hours of the night, when (ruling out infomercials) the buffet of delightful cable offerings features slim pickings.  Like, really slim. Like, the buffet closes in twenty minutes, and all that’s left is one tough, overly-sauced riblet under a heat lamp slim.

However, even with these limitations, I find postpartum television watching to differ from my pre-parenting habits.  I’m a little more desperate, infinitely more tired, and I can’t commit to an hour-long program with much consistency.  I also can’t focus on complex plots (or, let’s face it, even moderately interesting plots or serialized shows).  Sorry, Mad Men, Community, and Veep, the oscillation between subtle humor and wacky plotlines are too much for me these days.

I believe all of this will change with time, but in the interim, I’m enjoying watching shows I hadn’t (had to) before. So, for all you new parents, bed ridden caretakers to small monkeys, or inattentive insomniacs out there, here’s my take on what to watch (or begrudgingly accept) during this time of immersion into dumber television:


Canceled Shows: New shows still available on On Demand or Hulu that have already gotten the boot from networks are the awesome hook-up buddies of TV.  They’re generally unsatisfying and leave you feeling cheap, but they meet your immediate needs without the fear of commitment.  It doesn’t matter if the baby cries relentlessly or I’m running to wash spit-up off the couch, because I don’t care at all about the characters, and the long-term narrative of the show promises to end abruptly and disjointedly anyway.  I particularly recommend GCB and Best Friends Forever for a steamy one-season stand.




Cooking Competitions: Available on live television 20 hours a day, food competitions make for pretty, superficial viewing pleasure.  Only have 15 minutes of calm from the baby in your arms?  That’s just enough time to find out who lost the appetizer round, and what the X durian fruit is.  Also, food. Is. Delicious. If I can coordinate watching one of these shows with actually eating something, I feel particularly self-satisfied. Once, I caught myself saying “Jerksica, for the win!” during one of these moments, and my son gave me a pitying frown.  He’s so smart, he’s judging others at a nine-month level. I recommend Chopped, Iron Chef, Cupcake Wars, and Sweet Genius.  Sweet Genius is especially good for 2:00 a.m. feedings, when the equally cloying desserts and host, conveyor belt of ingredients, strange accent, and intensely weird props match my own late-night delirium.




Old School Sitcoms: Great (and not-so-great) sitcoms are on in syndication somewhere on your remote 24 hours a day.  They’re also mindless, occasionally funny, and nostalgic.  I don’t identify any more readily with the parents on Roseanne or Home Improvement that I did pre-baby, but I appreciate a well-delivered one-liner from the family matriarch or a slapstick accident with installing a home security system just as much.  More even, depending on how sleep-starved I am on any given night.  Plus, if I can find any humor in a circular saw getting the better of Tim Allen, I can definitely navigate any bodily function Baby throws my way.  And if not, I can always console myself with television.

Blogulator Radio Episode 56 - New Crap Airing This Fall Pt. 2

Click the link to hear the Blogulator gang complain about
all the horrible television premiering this fall!

Chris and Jerksica told you all about the pilots ordered to air this fall for ABC and CBS last week and now this week they asked Qualler and Brigitte to join them to discuss the new crap that FOX, NBC, and The CW are rolling out come September-ish. What follows is way too much arguing/awkward pauses about The Vampire Diaries, monkeys/why Brigitte is afraid of them, what makes a network a network, and probably the longest discussion of minor television actor Tate Donovan that's ever been put to tape. Oh and they also talk about a bunch of new shows including but not limited to The Carrie Diaries, Animal Practice, The New Normal, Arrow, 1600 Penn, Ben & Kate, Go On, and The Following. 

Blogulator Radio is brought to you in part by Netflix, where you can stream your favorite TV shows and movies from your TV, computer, or many other devices as often as you want for just 7.99 a month. Start your free two week trial today and help support independent netcasting. For up to the minute updates all up in your upness, be sure to subscribe to Blogulator Radio via iTunes or RSS.

Blogulator Radio Episode 55 - New Crap Airing This Fall Pt. 1

This week on Blogulator Radio, take a trip to the magical land of the upfronts, where creative television dreams are twisted and shlockified for network executives and target demographics. Every May the big five networks roll out their new programming for the fall at this sordid presentation and Chris and Jerksica would like to spend this week focusing on the new programming on ABC and CBS that you’ll be welcoming to your television (whether you like it or not) in the latter part of 2012. In this week’s first installment of previewing the trailers and press releases for first season series that may or may not be canceled before the pilot even makes it to Hulu, Chris and Jerksica skewer and ponder the possibilities of new shows like Mistresses, Nashville, Malibu Country, and Zero Hour (and more!) on ABC and Last Resort, Vegas, Partners, and Elementary on CBS. The exciting claptrap that FOX, NBC, and The CW have to offer you will all be covered in next week’s episode. In the meantime, enjoy the skepticism!

Blogulator Radio is brought to you in part by Netflix, where you can stream your favorite TV shows and movies from your TV, computer, or many other devices as often as you want for just 7.99 a month. Start your free two week trial today and help support independent netcasting. For up to the minute updates all up in your upness, be sure to subscribe to Blogulator Radio via iTunes or RSS.

Blogulator Radio 53: The Overvalidation of Carson Daly

 Click here to stream or download the latest episode of
Blogulator Radio via the Fancy Pants Gangsters netcast network!

Chris and Jerksica are back to netcasting about television after taking a brief leave due to Jerksica giving birth to a beautiful baby boy that never lets them sleep. So what have they been watching while home with a newborn? Well, something that doesn’t require a lot (read: none) brain cells, such as NBC’s The Voice. The second season finale is happening this week and Chris and Jerksica would like to give you a rundown of all the chaos and inanity that has been happening with Cee-Lo Green, Blake Shelton, Adam Levine, Christina Aguilera, and Carson Daly (plus all the, you know, singing contestants) on this year’s competition. They share their predictions for America’s final vote as well as their critique on how they’ve improved and/or devolved since last year’s surprising hit inaugural season, but the real highlights include discussion of The Muppets (specifically Electric Mayhem), mild death threats, and drunk Cyndi Lauper. All this while they hope their baby doesn’t wake up from the delirious cackling in the next room!


Blogulator Radio is brought to you in part by Netflix, where you can stream your favorite TV shows and movies from your TV, computer, or many other devices as often as you want for just 7.99 a month. Start your free two week trial today and help support independent netcasting. For up to the minute updates all up in your upness, be sure to subscribe to Blogulator Radio via iTunes or RSS.

The Best Episodes of the Month: April 2012

As you may know by now, our opinions (about television) here at The Blogulator are valid. And as such as is true, we'd like to start helping you keep track of when the shows we love churn out particularly spellbinding and/or hilarious episodes. Below you will find five different opinions from five different Blogulator contributors as to what were the most successful episodes that aired (or were seen) in April of 2012. If there's one you've missed, get to Hulu, iTunes, Amazon, or your local cable On Demand menu stat!

Mad Men - "Mystery Date" (buy on iTunes or Amazon)

For as many gripes as I've had about the new season of Mad Men, I realize after every episode that my gripes don't really make a whole lotta sense, because this show is still one of the best shows on TV. And, specifically, outside of the somewhat bloated two-hour premiere, this season is knocking every episode out of the park in its own subtle way. Although, "Mystery Date" is perhaps one of Mad Men's least subtle episodes ever. Joan tells Greg to get the eff out of her house, poor little Sally learns about the nightmarish things going on in society, and Don has a literal fever dream nightmare where he freakin' strangles Madchen Amick to death and pushes her under her bed. It's an episode shrouded in darkness, so much so that this fake horror movie trailer made out of the episode actually isn't so far off from the overall tone. It certainly seems to be a harbinger of things to come as the season progresses. [Qualler]

Justified - "Slaughterhouse" (buy on iTunes or Amazon)

A lot rested on the third season finale of Justified. This season was more serialized than the two that preceded it. And with two new adversaries competing with Boyd Crowder for Marshal Raylan Givens' scornful looks, some have said this season tried to do too much in a short amount of time and paled in comparison to Season 2. While it did take a few episodes for Robert Quarles to gain some depth beyond being a wacky, volatile villain, once he did give us a peak into his disturbing past, steely-eyed Neal McDonough's performance jumped into Emmy-worthy status. And every episode subtly layered Mykelti Williamson's performance as Limehouse, a sort of down-home Wizard of Oz, smart enough to know when to strike, be even wiser to know when to just sit back and watch everything play out. And, for the most part, as exceptionally entertaining as this season was, the audience was also forced to sit back and watch how everything played out as well. Luckily, "Slaughterhouse" more than rewarded viewer patience a brutal final confrontation between Quarles, Limehouse and Givens. We were also given the extra payoff of Raylan realizing that, over the course of events spanning the entire series, his father had developed a deeper relationship with Boyd Crowder than he ever did with his own flesh and blood. So deep that to keep Boyd out of jail, Arlo took the fall for killing a man that betrayed Boyd in addition to confessing to shooting a State Trooper. Even just thinking about Raylan saying that Arlo "saw a man in a hat pointing a gun at Boyd" still gives me chills. What a way to cap off a ridiculously enjoyable season while adding one more thing to boil under that hat of our favorite US Marshal. [Sarc]

Revenge - "Scandal" (watch for free on Hulu)

God, this show. I started watching it at the beginning of the season with eyes narrowed in suspicion. The ubiquitous ad campaign and huge hype made me think that, like most things that networks (and studios and publishers) push heavily, it was expensive, but absolutely no good. I didn't think the sweet girl from Everwood could pull off being a cold-hearted vengeance machine, and figured that even if she could, she wouldn't be compelling because she was too inhuman and unlikeable. I didn't like the guy who plays Daniel when he was Max on Make It or Break It (yeah, that's a thing that happened), and don't even get me started on how much I dislike Madeleine Stowe. Nevertheless, I started watching--AND COULDN'T STOP. "Revenge" is probably one of the best shows on television, and for the most part lives up to its hype. Every time you think that the story is about to devolve, that Emily can't possibly lie her way out of this one, the show turns everything around, just to show you how wrong you are. "Revenge" is an intricate dance, a complex perpetual motion machine that defies prediction, and multiple satisfying surprises and twists give the impression that the show has so much more up its sleeve. I picked "Scandal" as my favorite ep of the month, but they're all good; "Scandal" does contain a couple of nice reveals, however--what really happened between Daniel and Tyler on the beach, Emily's emerging, genuine feelings for her ersatz fiance, the unsettlingly obtuse machinations of Emily's revenge master, Takeda (how awesome is it that she has a revenge master?), and heretofore uninteresting Ashley's attempt to leverage the Grayson family tragedy for her own gain by releasing bloody pictures of Daniel at the crime scene to the tabloids. I'm glad the show has another bit of scandal to chew on besides the David Clarke/terrorist/plane crash thing, which has always felt like a wrong note in the show, both because of its "too soon" element (anything that smacks of using a 9/11-ish event as a subplot in what is basically a really good soap opera is, I think, kind of cheap) and its general weird unbelievability. Not that I think it's going away--it's integral to the premise of the show--but the fact that other fucked up things are happening keeps it from turning into a stale old chestnut. Now if someone would just actually straight up kill Amanda, that would be super. [Anna]

Community - "Basic Lupine Urology" (watch for free on Hulu)

It's no secret how much I and 90% of the rest of the nerd contingent of the internet adores the Greendale gang, but upon returning after the dark nightmare that was its third season hiatus, every episode of this show just kept punching me in the groin more than the last - in a good way. And in particular, it took me a few minutes to realize why I loved "Basic Lupine Urology" (AKA the Law & Order ep) even more than the two other perfect episodes the show did this month (the Dr. Who/dreamatorium ep and the Ken Burns/pillow fort ep): because while I maybe wish I had a much deeper understanding of Dr. Who and/or Ken Burns documentaries, I am far more familiar with the tropes and minutiae of Dick Wolf's franchise. Just like great homage/parody Community eps of yore, such as the chicken fingers/GoodFellas one or the Charlie Kaufman/Abed is the Messiah one, every beat is played pitch-perfectly, a couple of my favorite details being the abundance of Greek NYC coffee cups suddenly on campus and Britta's role as the photograph analyzer (which in this case just means she can Instagram it to make it look old-timey). The biggest complaint that many have already hobbled at this twelve-jokes-a-second romp is that it lacks that tender center that deepens our love for the characters like so many forays into the study group's world has before, but I say they just had their cake and ate it too. The episode ends with yet another classic L&O bit, where the climax of solving the case is undercut with an out-of-left-field development that one of the case's primary constituents has died in the most horrifically tragic way possible, and here we got the off-screen death of one of the show's longest-running minor characters: Starburns. It's not huge, but it's a joke and a morbidly hefty moment at once, as we'll now always remember that the weird guy with the top hat and the cosmic facial hair died at the end of the Law & Order episode of Community. [Chris]

30 Rock - "Live From Studio 6H" (watch for free on Hulu)

"...because they thought two black people on the same show would make people nervous. A rule that NBC still follows today!"

Now, I wasn't the biggest fan of the initial foray of 30 Rock into a live episode.  Don't get me wrong- I LOVE a good gimmick.  Can't. Get. Enough. Gimmicks.  This is why I'm one of the only Blogulator crew that unabashedly watches competitive reality television (and not the high-rated shows either).  However, the previous live episode of 30 Rock just fell flat; it was live for the kitsch of being live without any, what do you call those?  Oh yeah, jokes.  Flash forward to the 2012 episode and it's genius.  All the gimmick, plus hilarious jokes and guest stars.  The live episode actually seemed like watching TGS. There were sketches, and funny ones at that.  I love the "flashbacks" to television past narrated by Kenneth, inserted for the purpose of "saving" TGS as a live show.  I watched several television parodies repeatedly, including the sketch of news reporters befuddled by Tina Fey's sex, and the Amos n' Andy spoof Alfie and Abner. Dr. Spaceman got some much needed play, Jon Hamm was in my two favorite sketches, and Paul proposed to Jenna after singing "Zou Bisou Bisou" from Mad Men - "A Little Kiss."  Perfection? Maybe not.  But consider my funny bone satisfied. [Jerksica]

Happy Birthday, Dignan Lutz!

We here at The Blogulator are often prone to sarcasm, snark, and what we think are valid opinions, but we are reduced to puddles of joy when happy things come along. And thus, we had to shut business down for a couple of days on account of the newborn son born to Chris and Jerksica last week, Dignan Lutz. He's 8 lbs, 11 oz., mom and baby are doing well, and the first TV program he encountered as a living being was last Thursday's episode of Community.

Congrats, Chris and Jerksy!

(Back to regularly scheduled opinions tomorrow.)

Nostalgia for Television Conventions Past

Hello Blogosphere! It is I, Jerksica, joining the realm of writing here on the interwebs instead of merely running my mouth on the weekly Blogulator podcast. As a generally discontented person, I'm looking forward to sharing with you one of the few things I don't hate - television.

Okay, so that's not entirely true. There are a great many things I hate about television. It hasn't been a perfect love affair, but who needs perfect? My relationship with television is symbiotic and co-dependent (or at least I like to think television needs me too). I could do without its passive-aggressive shrugging at my insightful, constructive criticism, and its proclivity for bringing unwanted guests like commercials and sporting events into my home. But television has also given me so much sincere joy that I simply cannot trust anyone who says they "never watch television" or need to remind everyone that "they don't even own a television." Hey Hippie: sometimes I eat entire pints of ice cream and don't wear pants. I don't feel the need to brag about my faults and shortcomings. If you don't own a television, get some therapy and try to make yourself worthy of its glowing electrical love.

In any case, dear readers, television, like all of us, has changed, man. The conventions of television's past co-exist with today's brave new social media, streaming, DVR world. Here I share my old, crotchety lady perspective on what I miss from the television I knew in my childhood.

Watching Live Television: Remember when you would schedule AROUND the airing of a specific show? And people would call you on your land line, and you'd say, "call me back later, real human friend looking for interaction. I'm watching my program full of scripted friends that love me the way I deserve to be loved!" I know it may seem convenient to have On Demand and DVRs and web streaming now, but I long for the days when the TGIF line-up on Friday nights brought us all together from 7-9, when you'd wait for the commercial break to grab a snack, and when cliffhanger episodes meant something other than a need to just click on the next episode.

Full-Length Theme Songs:

The 80s and 90s were awesome because television believed in the power of the theme song and full-length opening credits. Hey, I enjoy the sparse aesthetic of the title "Revenge" appearing over a stormy ocean as much as anyone, but I have a soft spot in my usually tiny, hard heart for a good theme. Sure, it made a 22 minute sitcom actually a 20 minute show, but what you lost in additional saccharine dialogue, you regained in sweet neon titles, gratuitous dancing, and actors mugging at the camera in faux-surprise. And those themes would live beyond the show itself, ear candy worming its way into your brain. I still remember all the lyrics to "Hangin' with Mr. Cooper" and "Family Matters." And I'm not embarrassed to admit that I've gathered around my smart phone with other theme song lovers to answer the question, "how did that Perfect Strangers song go again?" Sure, there are several shows today that offer theme songs - New Girl and Raising Hope come to mind. But these drip with irony, and leave hollow, bastardized remnants of theme song greatness in my ear holes.

Crossover Characters: Remember when networks would meld the realities of their shows, crossing one character into another show's universe for promotional purposes? Yeah, that rawked. Steve Urkel would show up to help Stephanie Tanner come to terms with glasses, or the Spin City crew would tune in to watch Sports Night. Last season, there was a romance between Abed on Community and Cougar Town. Danny Pudi appeared as an extra in a Cougar Town scene and it blew my mind. Where was I? Was it 1991? Had I forgotten to take my pill?

These are the conventions that kids today just don't understand or appreciate. Come on television, let's catch the early bird special at Denny's and make it home in time to share some live prime-time together.

Blogulator Radio Episode 50: Parenting and Buffoonery

 Click here to listen to Chris and Jerksica talk about TV dads and
moms and kids and stuff on this week's episode of Blogulator Radio!

It’s the big 5-0 episode and while it would make more sense for your hosts Chris and Jerksica to do a theme episode about cop shows, they instead want to talk at you about depictions of parenting on television. The reason for this is, well, because Jerksica’s about to burst and they’re about to have a son. It’s kind of on their minds a lot. So join them for a fun-filled yet sincere conversation about the shows they’re watching now that feature parenthood as a focal point (including NBC’s Up All Night and FOX’s Raising Hope) as well as some old favorites like Veronica Mars and The Wonder Years. Then they top it off with the mother of all shows that feature parents in prominent roles (for us kids that grew up in the 90s): The Simpsons, in which Chris reads off and comments on the Top 10 list entitled “The Top 10 Simpsons Episodes in Which Parenting Plays Into the Plot Based on a Cursory Research of Wikipedia.” Can you believe this will be the first time we’ve talked about The Simpsons on a netcast about TV? Oh, how they long for the 2nd-10th seasons of the show.

Blogulator Radio is brought to you in part by Netflix, where you can stream your favorite TV shows and movies from your TV, computer, or many other devices as often as you want for just 7.99 a month. Start your free two week trial today and help support independent netcasting. For up to the minute updates all up in your upness, be sure to subscribe to Blogulator Radio via iTunes or RSS.

Blogulator Radio Episode 48: Blow Them A New One

 Click here to listen to the new episode of Blogulator Radio

courtesy of the Fancy Pants Gangsters netcast network.

Chris and Jerksica return a full month since they last graced your computer speakers for a potpourri-style episode that ranges in discussion topics, but ultimately focuses on two ends of the TV spectrum: highbrow fare like the fifth season premiere of AMC’s smash hit drama Mad Men and lowbrow absentmindedness that they still love like NBC’s second season of the singing competition show The Voice. Also, Chris has a triumphant story about how he got Jerksica to watch the final ten minutes of the season finale of The Walking Dead, while Jerksica is not-so-happy to report that somehow they both found themselves drooling on themselves a few feet too far away from the remote and thus caught the first two episodes of the new reality show Fashion Star, in which contestants try to woo buyers from department stores with something called “bat sleeves.”

Far more importantly than any of this, however, Blogulator Radio is proud to announce an overhaul of their main site TheBlogulator.com starting April 9th, which will feature a new host of Twitterers, writers, and podcast co-hosters for a wider swath of you TV obsessives out there. Spread the word!

Blogulator Radio is brought to you in part by Netflix, where you can stream your favorite TV shows and movies from your TV, computer, or many other devices as often as you want for just 7.99 a month. Start your free two week trial today and help support independent netcasting. For up to the minute updates all up in your upness, be sure to subscribe to Blogulator Radio via iTunes or RSS.

Being a modern show for modern people, we’ve got all sorts of ways to find us online. We’ve got your Facebook and your Twitter and your Google+, and you can follow Qualler and Chris on Twitter as well. Of course we always welcome comments or questions either in the comments below or through email at bradio@fancypantsgangsters.com.

Blogulator Radio 44: Oscar Gets Crystallized

Check out the latest episode of Blogulator Radio by clicking right...about...here. 

OK, so the Oscars are not technically in the realm of television that Blogulator Radio, but hear us out. The Oscars are, indeed, one of the most-watched television programs of every year, with 39.9 million suckers catching last night’s movie awards. So, to celebrate, Qualler, Brigitte, Chris and Jerksica dissect the best moments (spoiler alert: there weren’t many) and the most cringe-inducing moments, as well as the most beige moments of all (spoiler alert: most of the show.) Why do we watch this again? Oh yeah – because it’s fun to snark.

Blogulator Radio Episode 43 - Diapers for Cats

 Click here to stream/download the latest episode of Blogulator Radio
courtesy of the Fancy Pants Gangsters netcast network!

Chris and Jerksica are back and have, as usual, watched a veritable shit-ton of television since the last time you heard from them. Unfortunately, there is also a veritable shit-ton of television they failed to watch. So consider this a cornucopia episode of ADHD proportions. They start by discussing NBC’s new highly-hyped drama Awake, the pilot for which you can view here at NBC.com before it airs on March 1st. They nitpick, but they like it a lot. Then comes discussion of new comedy on TV, including the triumphant return of 30 Rock, Comedy Central’s new sketch comedy show Key & Peele, and most of all, the joyous new season of ABC’s Cougar Town, which everyone should watch so it eeks by with another renewal (the rest of the internet agrees with us). Finally, there is some harsh criticism of FOX’s new JJ Abrams show Alcatraz, and mentions of a whole lot of other shows (both new and returning) that need to be watched talked about sometime on Blogulator Radio, but will have to wait another week or two. Join them (and their vocal cats) for some good old fashioned end-of-a-three-day-weekend television blabbering.

Blogulator Radio is brought to you in part by Netflix, where you can stream your favorite TV shows and movies from your TV, computer, or many other devices as often as you want for just 7.99 a month. Start your free two week trial today and help support independent netcasting. For up to the minute updates all up in your upness, be sure to subscribe to Blogulator Radio via iTunes or RSS.

Being a modern show for modern people, we’ve got all sorts of ways to find us online. We’ve got your Facebook and your Twitter and your Google+, and you can follow Qualler and Chris on Twitter as well. Of course we always welcome comments or questions either in the comments below or through email at bradio@fancypantsgangsters.com. We also invite you to check out our non-audio version at TheBlogulator.com for more than just TV talk.

Blogulator Radio Episode 41 - "Law & Order: Special Addicts Unit"

 Stream or download the latest episode of Blogulator Radio
via the Fancy Pants Gangsters netcast network!

With special international TV correspondent Lady Amy back in the States temporarily, Chris and Jerksica have a roundtable discussion with her about the mysterious addictiveness and longevity prowess of NBC’s 13-seasons-and-still-chugging-along crime procedural Law & Order: Special Victims Unit. Having not tuned in a while, especially since the news of Elliot Stabler aka Christopher Meloni aka Sam the Eagle’s departure from the show, Lady Amy convinced her blogcasters in crime (pun intended) to check it out and to their chagrin, it is indeed still the same competent Dick Wolf production it always was back in its heyday. The three discuss some of the latest episodes, recent cast additions, and pop cultural peripheries that have helped keep the show running strong while still firmly remaining in the “entertaining” and not “meaningful” category of television. Somehow, even after The Wire, Justified, and many more, plus the glut of ripoffs that have since become more popular, SVU still remains watchable primetime programming.

Blogulator Radio is brought to you in part by Netflix, where you can stream your favorite TV shows and movies from your TV, computer, or many other devices as often as you want for just 7.99 a month. Start your free two week trial today and help support independent netcasting. For up to the minute updates all up in your upness, be sure to subscribe to Blogulator Radio via iTunes or RSS.

Being a modern show for modern people, we’ve got all sorts of ways to find us online. We’ve got your Facebook and your Twitter and your Google+, and you can follow Qualler and Chris on Twitter as well. Of course we always welcome comments or questions either in the comments below or through email at bradio@fancypantsgangsters.com. We also invite you to check out our non-audio version at TheBlogulator.com for more than just TV talk.

Blogulator Radio Episode 39 - "Golden Gripes"

 Click here to download/stream this week's episode of 

Blogulator Radio presented by the Fancy Pants Gangsters netcast network!

The Blogulator crew watched the Golden Globes last week and while eight days is like a million years in internet time, Chris and Jerksica wanted to talk about the evening’s awards for television, and so they did. In fact, it serves as a good starting point to look forward to what TV is going to be like in 2012 and how our favorite shows will stack up as they either age finely like Cheez-Its or get tiresome like “clever” car insurance ads. Therefore you cannot complain about the married couple that watched too much boob tube living in the past, man. As they discuss the relevance of the Ricky Gervais-hosted quasi-legitimate awards show, there’s also discussion about the post-holiday hiatus returns of Parks & Recreation, Happy Endings, 30 Rock, and New Girl.

Blogulator Radio is brought to you in part by Netflix, where you can stream your favorite TV shows and movies from your TV, computer, or many other devices as often as you want for just 7.99 a month. Start your free two week trial today and help support independent netcasting.

For up to the minute updates all up in your upness, be sure to subscribe to Blogulator Radio via iTunes or RSS.

Being a modern show for modern people, we’ve got all sorts of ways to find us online. We’ve got your Facebook and your Twitter and your Google+, and you can follow Qualler and Chris on Twitter as well. Of course we always welcome comments or questions either in the comments below or through email at bradio@fancypantsgangsters.com. We also invite you to check out our non-audio version at TheBlogulator.com for more than just TV talk.