There's an interesting show headed your way on H2, and I have a giveaway for you to help celebrate. America's Book of Secrets aims to dig deep into our nation's secrets, and reveal a host of mysteries. Check out more info below, including a preview video, and enter to win some cool H2 items here, and check out another giveaway H2 is running through Facebook.

America’s Book of Secrets uncovers the controversial truths behind some of the most confidential secrets in American history. The new series takes a look at historical landmarks throughout the country and reveals mysteries through captivating footage and live interviews.

To celebrate the launch of this show H2 is running a daily contest on Facebook designed to challenge your knowledge of American history. Do you know America’s secrets? Take the quiz https://www.facebook.com/dishnetwork?sk=app_162800283829076 and earn a chance to win prizes like an iPad, Beats by Dre headphones and other great swag.

Tune in to the premiere of America’s Book of Secrets this Saturday, January 21st at 10pm on H2!

Behind the façade of some of America’s most public institutions and landmarks, there is another world that is hidden from view. Shrouded in secrecy, only a handful of people will ever have access to these forbidden corridors of intelligence. But their inside knowledge can actually mean the difference between national security…and national disaster.

Now, insiders and experts have pierced the shroud that conceals the covert world of seemingly familiar places. A gripping new 10-part series, AMERICA’S BOOK OF SECRETS, takes viewers behind the locked doors, security clearances and "Do Not Enter" signs into worlds they are not supposed to see. The series premieres Sunday, January 15 at 9pm ET on H2 and then airs Saturday’s at 10pm ET thereafter.

Through exclusive channels of access and deep research, AMERICA’S BOOK OF SECRETS reveals inside information about such icons as the White House, the Pentagon, Fort Knox, the FBI, Area 51, the Freemasons, and more. The series launches with the two-hour special, " AMERICA’S BOOK OF SECRETS: The Monuments."

Leave a comment below, and you are automatically entered to win a cool prize pack of H2 gear.

Winner will be randomly selected on January 26th. U.S. only.

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© 2012, Are You Screening?. All rights reserved. Reprinting without express permission of the author is prohibited.

The second season of Being Human kicks off on Syfy on January 16th, and the show delivered well enough the first season to warrant some real excitement when it comes to how things will continue on. It's becoming increasingly rare that British translations work out, and this one has been a welcome surprise.

To help kick things off, I have a couple of very cool clips, and an interview with the stars.

Let's just dive in.

‘Relationships’

‘A Look Ahead’

And, here's the interview.

Pictured: (l-r) Meaghan Rath as Sally, Sam Witwer as Aiden, Sam Huntington as Josh -- Photo by: Jeff Riedel/Syfy

Could you talk a little bit about what it’s been like to film season two and maybe touch upon some of the bigger things people see happening with you, and how it’s different to play these characters in the second season.

Sam Huntington: Sure, we loved the show so much, I think I can speak for all of us when I say that and so we were all really, really excited to get back.

And you know the funny thing is I personally expected it to feel a lot like just one giant bout of déjà vu and to be honest, like it really just felt as though we never had the hiatus. It just felt because it was all the same crew and a lot of the same cast it just felt like we had maybe a two day break and then we just rolled into season two, it was bizarre.

But at the same time it was great because I felt like we were able to really just pick up right where we left off which was a really cool spot. So yeah, anyway, like that.

Sam Witwer: Yeah, I guess I didn’t expect it to be - I mean okay there’s me and Sammy and Meaghan and we bonded I think all the way back during our first audition together.

But I guess you know you go away, we were so exhausted after the first season, I for months afterwards even the thought of doing season two would make me sleepy. And by - when we got back I guess I hadn’t expected to be as happy to see everyone as I was. The crew and all the directors and everyone and that kind of carried for me that carried me through the season. I wasn’t as exhausted this year, there was something about having a successful season one behind us and knowing the characters and having that momentum that was really positive this year.

Meaghan Rath: Yeah, and I think it was just script wise it was a lot easier to just fall back into it this year because there was no establishing who our characters were and what our circumstances were, we just jumped right into it. And that’s reflective of the first episode, we just get right into the story immediately which was really great.

Sam Witwer: Absolutely, and in the first season there was so much heavy lifting on everyone’s part to establish these characters and to try make this all work and now we had a - some - what do you guys think, I think we had a little bit of competence going on this time.

Sam Huntington: So much more, there was so much uncertainty in season one, it’s like imagine like any television show, your season one is you’re kind of biting your fingernails the whole time just saying to yourself God I hope people like this and I hope people watch this.

Sam Witwer: Right and you’re second guessing yourself.

What about a story line, you know what’s coming up, how season two felt different and just like the stories you’re getting to tell?

Sam Witwer: It’s extremely different, it’s very, very different. It’s - if season one was about putting these people who are at risk into a safe environment, well season two is all about what is that risk about? And I think it’s inevitable with these people and their adversities, you know specific risks that they have in terms of you know vampire, werewolf and ghost, what do those conditions mean. And basically what it means is these people are in trouble and we’re going to see a lot of that trouble this year. We’re going to see why they need so badly to have a sanctuary because things get a little bit darker this year.

It seems like your characters this season are sort of tempted by the darker parts of their natures. And are put in situations where that comes out. I was wondering how you maintain sort of their humanity when playing the dark parts and what kind of challenges there are in doing that.

Sam Witwer: Well Sam - Meg go for it.

Meaghan Rath: I was going to say I mean it’s - I think for me it’s important to keep in mind that these are real people and not to get sucked into the supernatural element of the whole thing. What makes the show different is that we’re playing into the supernatural stereotypes, we are trying to play these as regular people. So for me it’s a lot about just keeping in mind what I would do in this kind of situation and what’s great about the show is that it’s really acting, what would you do if you were put in this situation.

And so I think that’s where the humanity comes from, just being a good person and being with these challenges that sort of question your morality and your values.

Sam Witwer: Yeah I think Meaghan is absolutely right with that. For example in television we’ve kind of seen everything including vampires, werewolves and ghosts and we’ve seen people get killed and all kinds of crazy stuff.

What we’re trying to do as three actors is we’re trying to bring as much humanity into those events as possible. For example if someone dies, we’re going to show you - hopefully we’re going to tell a story where you realize that that is an awful sacrifice or that something has happened that is really, really terrible.

It’s all about the character’s reactions and I mean these three characters are the eyes through which the audience watches the show.

So we’re really trying to keep our reactions to all this giant supernatural stuff very grounded. And in terms of the dark stuff that comes up, I mean the messed up thing is that at first you’ll see our characters react with horror and shame and all this awful stuff. And then as time goes on you might see them kind of get used to it and that hopefully will be a very sad thing to watch.

Sam Huntington: Yeah, I think you just kind of hit the nail on the head. I mean a lot of times on the show I can say I think the characters are almost seeing these horrible things happen for the first time, so they’re almost like the audience. You know they’re viewing these things and so hopefully that’s what the audience can kind of grasp on to and also it helps as an actor it helps in form what you do. Because you’re like okay well what if this person was killed, what would the ramifications, what emotionally what would that mean to me and how would that affect me and how would that affect every aspect of my life.

And so it’s cool. It sets the show aside, we don’t just roll over these issues, we actually tackle them.

Pictured: (l-r) Sam Huntington as Josh, Sam Witwer as Aiden, Meaghan Rath as Sally -- Photo by: Jeff Riedel/Syfy

You guys as actors and as the characters you portray have these really likeable chemistry and it’s a very believable thing because you know you guys actually seem to get along with one another. So from season one to season two and this is sort of expanding on what a previous caller asked, how are you guys interacting differently as actors on set? Do you trust each other more, do you seek out advice from one another about how to deal with a scene? Do you feel more comfortable to bite and push back? How has your chemistry kind of changed as actors this sophomore year?

Meaghan Rath: I do not do a scene without first consulting Sam Witwer. He coaches me.

Sam Witwer: It’s true. And I give her the okay whether she should do it or not and sometimes she shouldn’t do it. I’m like look.

Meaghan Rath: Often it’s just don’t do it.

Sam Huntington: Those are horrible.

Sam Witwer: You have to march right back to the producers and tell them you’re not doing this.

Sam Huntington: Yeah it’s miserable. And I’m on the outside looking in, I’m just sitting there in my trailer waiting it out, you know what I mean?

Sam Witwer: Yeah well it’s kind of fun because Meaghan has almost gotten fired several times because of things that I told her to do.

Sam Huntington: Exactly. And the weird thing is she’s so loyal to Witwer that she won’t start, like no, there’s this guy who’s telling me not to do this.

Sam Witwer: Yeah, me and Meaghan have this relationship where it’s a little bit like the bond between kidnapper and victim.

Sam Huntington: Yes.

Sam Witwer: It’s a little bit like that.

Sam Huntington: Brainwashed.

Meaghan Rath: I have Stockholm syndrome.

Sam Witwer: So if this is partially answering your question like we really like hanging out. We really do and this year the three characters they get split up a little bit and they go off on their own little journeys and for us that just made us appreciate every time that we had a scene together all the more.

And you know I think there’s like one or two scenes with us at least in every episode with all three of us. But I think our favorite episode to shoot was this episode that’s coming up down the line. Where we’re in every scene together throughout the whole episode. That was kind of, for us it was like oh this is the way to do it, this is the way to do the show. Who needs other actors?

Sam Huntington: Yeah, it’s what the show is about and to be honest like we were comfortable with each other instantly on set. Our relationship in that regard hasn’t changed. I feel like we like pretty much learned who each other were by half way through the first season, not even and have - our friendship has grown and built and everything.

But we have so much trust and faith in one another and like I just know, when we’re in a scene with one another, it’s going to work and there’s going to be that shorthand and it’s going to be fun and it’s going to be loose and it’s going to be natural. So you just have that confidence going into it and then in all seriousness like I think we also - I can speak for myself anyway - when I have a question or if I have a concern or if I am struggling with a piece of motivation I always ask Sam or Meaghan what they think.

And because I respect and love them so much and trust them so much so it really is truly as lame as that sounds it’s kind of true and also I feel very fortunate to have that relationship with them.

Sam Witwer: I think something that’s really cool about our relationship is this thing with me and Sammy and Meaghan is that both of those actors can do a whole bunch of stuff that I can’t. And I think that’s really awesome. Like there’s not a lot of overlap in terms of personality and ability so we all have our own turf with which we have to play with but at the same time I love watching an episode and seeing what they’re doing.

Because it’s like wow, look at all the stuff that they’re bringing that I frankly don’t know how to do. I love watching them and then stealing from them when I can.

Meaghan Rath: Yah, I think the best thing about it is that the trust level has gone up so much and for me these two guys are the people I trust most on set and you always feel like in scenes you’re in good hands. Like you’re never questioning the direction the scene is supposed to go in because it just always works every time we’re together. We just are able to feed off each other in a way that I’ve never experienced before.

Sam Huntington: There’s a scene in episode one, it’s actually online right now, it’s the scene that they teased, the scene in the kitchen where Kristen comes down and she’s like you know I pulled this you know high school reunion invitation out the trashcan and Meaghan’s very funny, Kristen’s very funny.

Anyway when we - obviously it’s episode one so you get the set and you know we’re shooting that scene I’m like God is this - is it - like I couldn’t tell what I was doing, like it was still so fresh in the process of season two and we were like getting back into it. And I was like this feels good but I really hope it’s working and then you see that scene and it just - I personally think it’s fantastic. Like it just nails the relationship, it picks back up exactly where it left off.

And I was just so happy to see that.

Sam Witwer: And also Kristen Hager is just wonderful this season, she’s so great. She is such a talented actress and we - and it should be noted we feel tremendously bonded to Kristen as well.

You know she’s one of us and is really awesome when we see someone that we’ve worked with for so long and that we bonded with come to set, it’s like oh it’s her, it’s Kristen. You know she’s there a lot so that’s good.

Are we going to be seeing a lot of tension between the roommates this year and if so is it hard to keep a straight face when that happens?

Sam Witwer: We will be seeing tension between the three in ways that we didn’t see in the first seasons, things get pretty serious and I’ll say this, - the scenes feel really good when you do them. There’s some scenes that we have where we’re kind of at each other’s throats, I hope that doesn’t give too much away. And it feels really good in once sense to do because you know that you’re really cooking, like when it’s really working you feel great about that.

On the other hand I don’t like having to shout or be mean to Sammy or Meaghan, you know what I mean? That’s the tough part. Is you’re like oh, okay.

Meaghan Rath: I like when you yell at me.

Sam Witwer: But she loves it, she loves taking it.

Sam Huntington: She’s an odd duck. But you know what, you said is it hard to keep a straight face, generally speaking you know when it’s a really, really rough moment for one of us it usually means it’s a rough moment for all of us. And we always you know like we love each other so we always generally respect when somebody needs a moment or somebody needs to gather themselves for a take.

I usually give Meaghan a really hard time, but beyond that.

Meaghan Rath: It’s unreal the hard time that he gives me. No consideration at all. For the most part you’re great, but then there’s the odd moment where you just - I’m trying to focus and you’re like fake vomiting on me.

Sam Huntington: Yeah, it’s good times. Those are the nights that I sleep well, you know? But I just - oh, I lead a good day.

Sam Witwer: Or I really got her today, I really made her feel bad about herself.

Sam Huntington: Really tore her up, really made her feel (unintelligible).

Meaghan Rath: But yeah this season you will see a lot of tension between the three roommates because we all are on our own journey and trying to get ourselves out of these really desperate situations. So for the reason that we’re doing completely different things when we do come together there’s a question of can we still relate to each other and how non-judgmental are we actually going to be towards each other? And that generates a lot of tension between us.

Sam Huntington: And you know the temptation this season is just a beast. You know what I mean? Just a beast.

Are any interesting or favorite guest stars this coming season that you’d like to mention.

Sam Witwer: Mark Pellegrino.

Meaghan Rath: Yeah.

Sam Huntington: There you go.

Meaghan Rath: There are a lot of guest stars we can’t talk about.

Sam Huntington: I can tell you Kristen Hager is one of my all time favorite people to work with ever and one of the greatest scene partners and I’m such a lucky guy.

Sam Witwer, why do you think that Aidan is - seems to me so much better than other vampires as far as trying to keep his dark side in check?

Sam Witwer: Why is he trying to keep his dark side in check, well it’s interesting, again not knowing what other vampire shows are doing these days or vampire movies, I haven’t really watched them so I don’t know how new the idea of a vampire trying to become a good guys is. But our take on it with the whole drug addiction analogy is I think really fresh and cool and that analogy, that metaphor is alive and well this season in a big, big way.

And why is it, why is it cool, why - what’s better about it, yeah, I don’t know. I like the fact that this is generally - that all things considered if you take away the addiction this is a principled guy. I like that about the character and I don’t know, I really don’t know. I couldn’t tell you.

The others all seem to either embrace it, really get into it or just you know go with it, whatever and he seems to want to fight against it.

Sam Witwer: He wants to fight against it but this year you do see him embrace it a little bit. Kind of against his will, the thing that we have to remember is in the first season if he’s trying to kick the habit in a drug addiction sense well the first thing he’s got to do is stay away from his old drug buddies.

And this season he can’t so we start seeing older - we’re going to see an older version of Aidan this year and when I say older we’re going to see a worse version of him, we’re going to see some of his old character traits that he had over the past 200 years start to resurface.

We’re going to learn first hand why everyone seems to be afraid of this guy, why everyone’s - you know even in the first season Bishop gave him you know a wide berth and Marcus was wary of him and everyone was you know spoke so highly of him as this maniac, this really dangerous guy. And this year we kind of start learning why.

Sam Huntington: You see the old Aidan.

Sam Witwer: That’s right.

Being Human was originally a British show, Being Human UK so I was wondering if any of you have watched it and do you feel this coming season is a chance to break away from the original because I do know that the first season very closely matched the first season of Being Human UK.

Sam Witwer: Well this season - sorry, Meaghan you want to go?

Meaghan Rath: No, go ahead.

Sam Witwer: We as actors we didn’t watch the British series when we were shooting our first season because we wanted to do our own thing. We wanted to make sure that ours was its own animal.

And then afterward we watched it. We watched everything. I love their show and I truly dig on it and I got Sammy and Meaghan started by buying them the box sets for season one and they watched it since then, watched more of it since then.

And you know we’re all into it, but the writers, our writers hate it. No just kidding. Our writers, no our writers for the same reason that we avoided watching season one, they’ve avoided watching season two because they want season two to be its own animal.

So any - there is a little bit of cross over here and there in terms of things happening sometimes in similar ways. But it’s really coincidental considering our writers didn’t even know. So it’s interesting, whenever something would happen that was similar I’d read it in the script and kind of laugh.

Because they have no idea, but you know it’s for the most part extremely different.

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© 2012, Are You Screening?. All rights reserved. Reprinting without express permission of the author is prohibited.

A couple of FOX's big shows, mainly Bones and Fringe, have outstayed their welcome really, but Bones is at least trying to provide some more entertainment for its fans, sort of. Billed to some extent as a spin-off, despite having no justifiable claim to the idea, The Finder may nevertheless turn into a hit based on some theory we might connect to the general idea of spin-offs.

Generally speaking, having a show put together already, and then having characters from that show guest star on an already existing show does not magically turn the new show into a spin-off. However, there is something about The Finder that works as a kind of perspective spin-off. Much like Bones during its first couple of seasons, The Finder is in the category of "hopefully crazy enough to work." Pieced together with elements that connect it to the general crime drama, but centered around a unique spin that is completely goofy, The Finder is clearly at least some sort of child of Bones.

Geoff Stults gives a wonderfully quirky performance as Walter Sherman, aka The Finder, a one-time military man who has been given the gift of being able to find anything... apparently. According to the show, this gift came his way by virtue of a serious head injury, and this fact, coupled with his increasingly eccentric behavior, has some people rather concerned for his well-being.

Not among the concerned is his right-hand man, Leo Knox (also managed well by the often undervalued Michael Clarke Duncan), who came to his position when Walter "found" him, and just in time.

With his base of operations being a bar in the Florida Keys, the locations alone make for a decent amount of fun, and provide the perfect backdrop for the less-than-normal routine that makes up Walter's curious modus operandi.

My one nagging doubt about the show is that the case at the center of the pilot might not be the perfect choice. It still involves all the fun that the show will hopefully capitalize on, but the case itself feels more like something we would find a few episodes in, as opposed to the sort of thing that manages a good deal of establishment on its own.

THE FINDER: Walter (Geoff Stults, R) recovers one of John Fogerty's (guest-starring as himself, L) vintage guitars in the series premiere of THE FINDER, airing Thursday, Jan. 12 (9:00-10:00 PM ET/PT) on FOX. Cr: Isabella Vosmikova/FOX

The show gets most of its potential from the pure appeal of Walter (and Stults) as an almost uncooperative genius. Often hesitant to take cases, because people don't really like the fact that he actually will find anything, Walter is fanatic once he does, and will find what he's after, or die trying.

It's all pulled together with a wry, sarcastic brand of humor, and like Bones, it's focus is on how a completely different perspective interacts with the rest of humanity. Dissecting the show in this way ultimately connects it to some other hit shows (Monk springs to mind), and it deserves the comparisons it manages in this way, because it has that curious something that sucks you into the character far more than any examination of the episodic plots could ever explain.

This is probably in most people's uncertain category, but if there's one show of the winter season that is worth giving a chance, this is it. Trust me, you won't be sorry you caught this one.

Rating: ★★★★½ 

Iraq war veteran WALTER SHERMAN (Geoff Stults, "She's Out of My League") gained a reputation while serving in the Army Military Police as someone who was very good at tracking down insurgents, deserters and improvised explosive devices (IEDs). Unfortunately, Walter found one IED just moments before it found him.

Two months later, when Walter woke from his coma, he earned an honorable discharge and returned home. His resulting brain damage from the explosion transformed him from someone skilled at recovering people and things into something much more extraordinary: a Finder.

From the creator of the hit series BONES comes THE FINDER, the new one-hour procedural centering on a remarkable man who uses his unique gift to help others recover what they've lost.

Walter may have left the military, but his reputation as a discreet professional who can unearth anything and anyone has been passed on to generals, politicians and other powerful figures. His first post-military assignment was to find the CIA head honcho's missing daughter and bring her home. Walter did both, and since then has never been without an assignment.

After settling in Key West, Walter met the beautiful and worldly IKE LATULIPPE (Saffron Burrows, "Law & Order: Criminal Intent"), a woman with a mysterious past and many hidden skills. She tends bar at The Ends of the Earth, which also serves as a makeshift office and home base for Walter. Walter helped Ike escape a dangerous life, and for that, she is eternally grateful. Another island denizen dedicated to Walter is LEO KNOX (Michael Clarke Duncan, "The Green Mile"), once an obese lawyer who, after the deaths of his wife and children, completely reinvented himself into a gentle giant, philosopher and Walter's legal advisor.

Because of his skills, Walter is often asked to find a person or a thing that law enforcement either will not or cannot find. With the help of Ike and Leo, as well as a patchwork of indebted connections, he and his team ultimately find meaning in their own lives by finding something or someone other people have lost.

THE FINDER is a production of 20th Century Fox Television. Hart Hanson (BONES), Dan Sackheim ("Lie To Me") and Barry Josephson (BONES) are executive producers. The series is created and written by Hanson. Sackheim directed the pilot.

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© 2012, Are You Screening?. All rights reserved. Reprinting without express permission of the author is prohibited.

In the realm of reality shows with questionable audience interest, Dance Moms lives in a special place that makes its popularity especially difficult to understand. Generally, the arena of reality television I like to refer to as the "negative viewership" branch is split into two groups - the screaming, and the odd.

I say negative viewership, because by and large (one hopes) people aren't coming to the show with a positive outlook. For example, in the one category, people are not watching other people scream at each other because they like them, but because it's fun to watch crazy people yell at each other.

Screaming is simple enough, and any show that has as its main draw the fact that people lose it qualifies to be in that category. Everything else is in the odd category, and whether it's Hoarders, Toddlers & Tiaras, or any number of spins on addiction and disorders, these are shows that find their market by way of some new spin on schadenfreude, which is not so much pleasure at another person's misfortune, but a fascination with another person's lack of sanity.

Dance Moms, kicking off its second season tonight at 9pm/8c,  somehow manages to fall into both categories, featuring not only a group of people who are whacktastically interested in the "dance careers" of their daughters, ala Toddlers & Tiaras, but also a dance instructor of, frankly, questionable girth given her career choice and alleged ability to instruct in this particular field, who is most famous (by now) not as a dance instructor, but as perhaps America's foremost screamer. Hardly a minute goes by in the show without some shouting at someone, whether it is dance mom vs. dance mom, or dance mom vs. dance instructor, or some varying combination of participants.

At any rate, the show is back, and you know you'll be watching. Tune in tonight on Lifetime, and I have a prize pack available for you as well. Due to certain timing mechanics, this giveaway is going to be a Twitter follower giveaway. If you're following Are You Screening? on Twitter, you're already done. If not, jump on board.

The winner will be randomly selected from all Twitter followers on January 15th, and you will be notified via Twitter.

Dance Moms Work Out Prize Pack Includes:

•  One Lifetime Gym Bag
•  Dance Moms Gym Towel
•  Lifetime Water Bottle
•  Dance Moms Gym Shorts
•  Dance Moms Leg Warmers
•  Dance Moms Sweatshirt

Set in Pittsburgh’s renowned Abby Lee Dance Company, owned and operated by notoriously demanding and passionate instructor Abby Lee Miller, “Dance Moms” follows children’s early steps on the road to stardom, and their doting mothers who are there for every rehearsal, performance and bow … all under the discerning eye of Miller. Season 2 premieres Tuesday, January 10th at 9pm/8c!

 

RU?

© 2012, Are You Screening?. All rights reserved. Reprinting without express permission of the author is prohibited.

It has quickly become a holiday tradition, and this year Syfy pulls out all the stops for themed episodes of Warehouse 13, Haven, and the unfortunately already axed Eureka.

This season, you're really in for a special treat, at least, if you can stomach a send off visit to the town with all the smartest people in the world, because the Eureka episode is animated. Haven also gets seriously decked out in Christmas cheer, and that's sure to involve some things that will throw holiday for a loop as well. It's all coming your way Tuesday, December 6th, so mark your calendars, and check out some sneaks and images below.

Eureka Sneak

Warehouse 13 Sneak

Haven Sneak

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© 2011, Are You Screening?. All rights reserved. Reprinting without express permission of the author is prohibited.

Cr: Gavin Bond/FOX

I Hate My Teenage Daughter is a curious, but largely understandable, result of the trend in reality television and the absorption of that trend into the collective psyche. This is actually true of another new show this season, Suburgatory, and the two shows are largely cut from the same cloth.

Those who are not overly familiar with reality television as viewers, but only insofar as they are aware of such things as Real Housewives of Wherever, The Continually Less Aptly-Named Real World, Toddlers & Tiaras, and far too many others, find themselves dumbfounded by their continued existence and popularity.

From a removed perspective, they make no sense. Simply from the standpoint of being able to get people to be on the shows (nevermind facts like the interview process for The Real World involves little beyond the quesiton, "So, you drink like a lot, right?"), trying to work out the logic behind the phenomenon requires more effort than anyone is willing to put forward, and rightly so.

Those somewhat closer to the trend understand that at some point there was a certain shift in reality television, and the pre- and post-shift world of reality television are wildly different creatures. The shift, for simplicity's sake, happened when it was decided that nothing about the show or the people on it needed to have positive viewership. That is, to randomly pick an example, your show could be based solely on the fact that people will watch, and make fun of, the people dressing up their 8-year-olds like hookers. There need be no positive regard for whatever and whoever we're filming, and best of all, those in front of the camera will never even realize, or care, that the entire effort is mocking their existence.

You'd think, if you're from that first group, that there could never be a second season of Toddlers & Tiaras (much less a competing show!), or that more "Real" Housewives would step up, but that's because, quite frankly, you are simply lost as to the true state of the culture you're living in. Not only do we wear out stupidity proudly around these parts, we follow that up by offering tens of thousands of dollars to get people who are famous for nothing beyond being hopelessly stupid to speak at our colleges (that would be Snooki).

I Hate My Teenage Daughter, as I said, is another step along this overall trend. The show follows two moms, Annie (Jaime Pressly) and Nikki (Katie Finneran), who are best friends, live next to each other, and have equally spoiled, obnoxious, teenage daughters. The general gist of setup is that both moms were, for one reason or another, allowed to do very little growing up, and were more or less outcasts in school. Annie is from a super-strict family, while Nikki was overweight and (I guess) rather socially inept.

I HATE MY TEENAGE DAUGHTER: Nikki (Katie Finneran, third from L) and Annie (Jaime Pressly, second from L) have a discussion with their daughters Mackenzie (Aisha Dee, R) and Sophie (Kristi Lauren, L) in the premiere episode of I HATE MY TEENAGE DAUGHTER airing Wednesday, Nov. 30 (9:30-10:00 PM ET/PT) on FOX. 2011 Fox Broadcasting Co. Cr: Greg Gayne/FOX.

Naturally, as a result of their childhood experiences, they have spoiled their daughters rotten, and turned them into the exact girls that used to pick on them when they were school. We enter the show as our two mothers are finally realizing that they have to do something to correct the situation, but now they have their work cut out for them, not least because they are at this point rather scared of their daughters.

Of course, adding to the difficulty here is the fact that neither of these two mother have any idea what they're supposed to actually do, and have little inclination to do it. Much as it seems like the idea might be to ground their daughters, and not let them, for example, go to the big dance, they also really want to see their daughter's go to the big dance. The fathers also jump in here, and add inability to an already overfull cup, and Annie's ex-husband even throws in his brother to round out the gaggle of voices.

There are some moments of well-delivered humor, though they are largely masked but a general silliness, but overall the show offers little in the way of entry point, or avenue to engage. Like Suburgatory, we are thrown into a world of the unlikable, who can only legitimately exist as cues to mockery, but we are meant to walk along with two people representing the "sane" viewpoint, who are situationally-obligated to continually shoulder the "insane" one. As opposed to say actually dealing with the spoiled kids, or not dealing with the Real Housewives of Suburgatory, because then the show would end. That makes for a rough go at considering either of the viewpoints sane once you're watching it.

I HATE MY TEENAGE DAUGHTER: Annie (Jaime Pressly, L) does not approve of her daughter Sophie's (Kristi Lauren, R) wardrobe in the premiere episode of I HATE MY TEENAGE DAUGHTER airing Wednesday, Nov. 30 (9:30-10:00 PM ET/PT) on FOX. 2011 Fox Broadcasting Co. Cr: Greg Gayne/FOX.

Worse, while we at least have the trapped teen as a last bastion of hope in Suburgatory, I Hate My Teenage Daughter can only offer up the hopeful connection to a kind of dizzy, inept parenting as the potential to positive regard for any of its characters (save the uncle, perhaps). There isn't really anyone to like in the show, there are just varying degrees of schadenfreude at play, mixed with a generous dose of poking fun at the stereotypes available. Then, as they say, hilarity ensues... apparently.

Mind you, this could all well be translated as, "It will be probably do quite well."

Rating: ★★☆☆☆ 

I HATE MY TEENAGE DAUGHTER is a new multi-camera family comedy starring Jaime Pressly and Katie Finneran as single moms, best friends - and former nerds - who fear their privileged and overly indulged daughters are turning out just like the mean girls who picked on them in high school.

ANNIE (Pressly), who was raised in an ultra-strict, über-religious household where she had little-to-no freedom, pretty much allows her daughter, SOPHIE (Kristi Lauren), to do whatever she wants. Annie's best friend NIKKI (Finneran), once an unpopular, overweight social pariah, is now a pretty Southern belle who also allows her daughter, MACKENZIE (Aisha Dee), to do as she pleases.

The moms have given the girls everything they've asked for and everything they never had: clothes, money and self-esteem. The unintended consequence is that they have created two mean girls just like the ones who tortured them years ago.

The series also stars Eric Sheffer Stevens as Annie's ex-husband MATT, who wants to be a good parent, but doesn't know what that even means; Kevin Rahm as Matt's brother JACK, a father figure to Sophie whose meddling would annoy Annie more if she didn't have such a crush on him; and Chad L. Coleman as GARY, Nikki's ex-husband, who also tries to help raise his challenging daughter, but the couple's complicated relationship often makes his involvement more difficult.

As their daughters begin to experience their first high school dances and other life-changing teen events, Annie and Nikki are often reminded of their own tortured adolescent years. But when Sophie and Mackenzie's mean-girl antics cross the line, the moms quickly realize that they must, for the first time, dole out some real punishment and fix what is broken. They have no idea how to do that, but they do know one thing: They can't do it without each other.

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© 2011, Are You Screening?. All rights reserved. Reprinting without express permission of the author is prohibited.

MTV is full of fun today, and while you may think that has something to do with the clip of The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Pt.1 that is being revealed tonight, it actually has a lot more to do with the info that Awkward. is coming to DVD on November 14th.

That show blew me away from the first episode, and even though there were a few rough patches throughout the season, it's still a winner.

First, I've got some video clips, but be sure to check below for all the info on the DVD release.

Mac Miller stopped by for a "First Date" with MTV News' Rya Backer. Rya took the self-described "half-Jewish" rapper to NYC' Katz' Delicatessen. There, they enjoyed some pastrami on rye, talked Jewish rap history and Mac's 5 year plan: to win a Heisman, a Nobel Peace Prize and a Kids Choice Award.

Kelly Clarkson stopped by the MTV Newsroom and told us that she is willing to do just about anything for a guest spot on NBC's "Parks and Recreation."

 
MTV News stopped by the set of Big Sean's brand new video for "Dance (A$$)" featuring Nicki Minaj. The Detroit rapper talked about how the collabo came about and how the track and accompanying video are a reflection of his hometown.

 
Everybody is talking about Kim Kardashian's divorce. But comedian Rob Delaney is the only one actually doing something about it. The comedian has filed a lawsuit claiming that he is the victim of a Kim K perpetrated hoax - Her marriage.

 
Still, Rob wouldn't rule out the possibility that the suit is a massive (but hilarious) PR hoax.

MTV Releases “Awkward.” Season 1 on DVD for the First Time Through CreateSpace DVD on Demand – November 14, 2011

Two-Disc Set Features All 12 Episodes of the Hit Series Along with Special Features Including Webisodes, Character Intros and More

Photo courtesy MTV

CreateSpace, part of the Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ: AMZN) group of companies, and MTV today announced that the first season of the critically acclaimed international sensation “Awkward.” is coming to DVD exclusively via CreateSpace’s DVD on Demand platform on November 14, 2011. In addition to the 12 half-hour episodes, the first season of “Awkward.” on DVD will offer exciting special features for fans, including webisodes, behind-the-scenes tours of the set and wardrobe trailer as well as cast interviews about their characters and their real life most awkward high school moments.

“Awkward.” is MTV’s highest-rated new show to launch in the last two years, its highest-rated scripted show and the top show in its timeslot among females 12-34. “Awkward.” will return for a second season in 2012.

“‘Awkward.’ has created fans around the globe, and we’re happy that MTV chose CreateSpace to release this popular series on DVD for the first time,” said Libby Johnson McKee, managing director of CreateSpace. “Because CreateSpace is an on-demand distribution platform, this title will never be out of stock and customers will always be able to catch the series on high-quality DVD.”

Narrated in the first-person voice of the main character Jenna's blog posts, “Awkward.” captures the humor within the struggles and experiences everyone can relate to from their formative years. The series picks up in the aftermath of the accident as she must deal with a new not-so-fun stigma, while at the same time managing the other daily drama that comes with being a teenager. From a secret relationship with a popular guy, to being undermined by a mean girl, and parents who just don't get it, Jenna's misfortune will eventually serve as the catalyst for amazing change, but it’s not without some missteps and mishaps along the way.

“Awkward.” stars Ashley Rickards (“One Tree Hill”) as Jenna; Beau Mirchoff (“Desperate Housewives”) as Matty; Molly Tarlov (“Huge,” “iCarly”) as Sadie; Jillian Rose Reed (“Weeds”) as Tamara; Brett Davern (“Junk,” “Triple Dog”) as Jake; Nikki DeLoach (“North Shore,” “Love and Other Drugs”) as Lacey; Desi Lydic (“Traffic Light,” “Two and a Half Men”) as Valerie; Jessica Lu (“CSI,” “Law & Order: Los Angeles”) as Ming; Mike Faiola (“Seeing Other People”) as Kevin; and Greer Grammer (“iCarly”) as Lissa.

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© 2011, Are You Screening?. All rights reserved. Reprinting without express permission of the author is prohibited.

BURN NOTICE -- "Damned If You Do" Episode 513 -- Pictured: -- Photos by: Quantrell D. Colbert/USA Network

Burn Notice returns to USA this Thursday, and I have an awesome prize pack giveaway to celebrate.

You've probably noticed that I try to capitalize on every opportunity to promote Burn Notice, and this time, I really have a cool package. The series is returning with some incredible action, and the next few episodes look to really shake things up. To kick things off, we're headed off to Puerto Rico to track down a hacker.

Check out some clips from the episode below.

“Damned If You Do”

Michael and Fiona head to Puerto Rico to abduct a financial hacker whose software they need for Anson, but the hacker has some dangerous enemies waiting for him in Miami. Meanwhile, Sam and Jesse train Madeline to retrieve sensitive information from the police.

Guest Stars: Lauren Stamile, Jere Burns, Ptolemy Slocum, Ian Anthony Dale

Before we jump into the clips, let's take a look at the giveaway.

Your Mission is Clear: Win the Burn Notice Super-Fan Pack! (Valued at $200)

•  Custom Tote Bag
•  Season 4 DVD
•  Bar Set
•  Mojitos 101 Book
•  Branded T-Shirt
•  Branded Hat

To enter-

I want to mix this one up a bit, so I'm going to make this one a Twitter giveaway. So, you've got to tweet to enter, and here's how it's going to work.

Your tweet has to start with @areyouscreening and it has to end with #BurnNotice. Between those two extremes, tell me what you want to see happen this season if you could write the show. It can be anything you want. Love to see a certain guest star? Want to see something specific happen with the characters? Or, do you just want the crew to go to a certain location... Alaska maybe? Whatever.

That's it. Once you've tweeted, you've entered.

Winner will be randomly selected on November 10th.

Prizes provided by USA.

Remember, there are several seasons of Burn Notice also available in our Instant DVD Collection Giveaway.

 
Damned If You Do Clip #1 – Michael’s Dilemma

Damned If You Do Clip #2 - Michael and Fiona in Action

Damned If You Do Clip #3 - The Mission from Anson

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© 2011, Are You Screening?. All rights reserved. Reprinting without express permission of the author is prohibited.

Photo by: Eric Ogden/NBC

Grimm comes to NBC tonight, and while viewers probably feel they have all the information they need from the previews, there may be more here than most think... though I'm not sure what.

Nick Burkhardt (David Giuntoli) is a Portland detective, and as far as he's concerned, life is going along rather smoothly. There have been a few minor hiccups recently, like seeing people's faces turn into strange, monster visages, but other than that, he's doing fine. The job is going well, and things are working out with his girlfriend.

We witness some even stranger events, as people are seemingly attacked by werewolves and other foul creatures, but it's business as usual for Nick.

Then his aunt shows up with her strange camper in tow, and tells them they need to talk. She has some explaining to do about the family, and she asks Nick if he's "been seeing strange things lately."

Well, long story short, it turns out that Nick is the last surviving member of the Grimm family, and all those stories the Grimm Brothers wrote were more of a cross between a family album and a monster-hunter guide, and the whole fairy tale bastardization was more to hide the truth than anything. In fairness, if you read the original stories, and not many have, there is more chance of losing your lunch than tucking in children.

Now Nick, investigating a death that is described by way of the always popular "some sort of animal attack," has to come to grips with the fact that not only are monsters really out there, but they're everywhere.

The show is actually a very odd mixture, and not just for the obvious reasons. The pilot gives the impression that the writers aren't absolutely sure where they want to go with things, and as a result the audience finds themselves moved in a lot of directions. It's fairly serious through a lot of moments, focusing on the murder from the "cop" perspective, and it is largely outlandish, to the point of being campy, during many others.

Nick hooks up with a "good guy" werewolf (Silas Weir Mitchell) eventually, and he seems to serve mostly as a kind of comic relief. The mood and set design switch from your normal world (with perhaps spookier lighting), to an almost surreal fantasy infusion in a way that is almost rather brilliant, but the switches come at you in such a way that is hard to appreciate. As we get to the stage where we are closing in on the bad guy, it's hard to know what to make of anything. Is the show somewhat serious? Is it looking to beef up the "guilty pleasure" efforts (like Buffy or such) just enough that it somehow passes a legitimacy test?

GRIMM -- Pilot -- Pictured: (l-r)David Giuntoli as Nick Burckhardt, Russell Hornsby as Hank Green -- Photo by: Scott Green/NBC

The trouble with the show (and don't get me wrong, because it's kind of fun), is that I'm not sure how it wants me to take it, and a quirky show that isn't solidified in its effort is going to have trouble reeling people in. If it just went straight with the campy goof route, I think the show would have more going for it. Sure, throw more money at it, get some actors who can lend some real weight, especially as the guests, because a lot of people are obviously going to get whacked in the show, and let things fly. But, so far anyway, I'm not sure that's what we have.

My initial reaction is that it is trying so hard to meet the requirements of being serious and straight-faced enough to be on primetime, and camptastic enough to bring in the genre fans, that it isn't quite managing to be either.

Worse, I have a feeling that at best there's only room for either Grimm or Once Upon A Time (though neither is the most probable outcome), and if that's the case, the outlook is grim indeed.

GRIMM -- Pilot -- Pictured: (l-r) Silas Mitchell as Monroe, David Giuntoli as Nick Burckhardt -- Photo by: Scott Green/NBC

On the other hand, the actors are playing things out pretty well, and there is a chance that the pilot doesn't do the series justice. If we leave room for the fact that pilots of such shows are extremely tricky (what with spitting out the foundation for the nonsense), and give this one a chance for a few episodes, it could well be that things turn around completely. In fact, given a race after six or so episodes air, I might be inclined to lean toward Grimm over Once, just because the further adventures seem more clear.

In that future estimation, Grimm seems like it could win out toward being a decent show. Focusing on the episodic elements of whatever murder is next in the line, whatever new beastie is causing trouble, and Nick's efforts to keep his worlds from crashing is the sort of effort that could pan out if done right. At that point, it could get some "cult" love behind it, if things deliver in a way that can hook.

Now the question is, are those people on the fence going to invest in the possibility, when it's equally likely to get axed after three episodes? Or, should they?

Right now, the whole thing is a bit stagy, and it comes over almost as a bet that ran out of control. I have certain hopes, but the key to such shows is fun, and there isn't that much fun to be had, yet.

Rating: ★★½☆☆ 

Facebook: www.Facebook.com/NBCGrimm
Twitter: www.Twitter.com/NBCGrimm, #Grimm

Behind-the-Scenes Special Effects

20-Minute Preview

"Grimm" is a new drama series inspired by the classic Grimm's Fairy Tales.Portland homicide Detective Nick Burkhardt (David Giuntoli, "Turn The Beat Around") discovers he is descended from an elite line of criminal profilers known as "Grimms," charged with keeping balance between humanity and the mythological creatures of the world.

As he tries to hide the dangers of his new found calling from his fiancé, Juliette Silverton, (Bitsie Tulloch, "quarterlife"), and his partner, Hank Griffin (Russell Hornsby, "Lincoln Heights"), he becomes ever more entrenched in the ancient rivalries and alliances of the Grimm world.

With help from his confidant, Monroe (Silas Weir Mitchell, "Prison Break"), a reformed Grimm creature himself, Nick must navigate through the forces of a larger-than-life mythology, facing off with Hexenbiests, Blutbads and all manner of ancient evils, including royal lines dating back to the original profilers themselves, The Grimm Brothers. Reggie Lee ("Persons Unknown") and Sasha Roiz ("Caprica") also star.

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© 2011, Are You Screening?. All rights reserved. Reprinting without express permission of the author is prohibited.

USA's hot property Covert Affairs is returning on November 1st, and I have a very special "Jet Setter Pack" giveaway to celebrate. The series left off in pretty tricky circumstances at the end of the summer, and we kick things of with "Wake Up Bomb," an episode that changes things up a bit for Annie.

As I'm sure you know, Annie's hopes of having a normal life (and speaking to her sister) went out the window when last we saw her, at least for the immediate future, and Annie has to move on to a degree. It's tricky situations all around now, as Annie's latest assignment doesn't seem to go too well.

Make sure you tune in, because not only is this a great episode, but there are interesting things in store right around the corner... including more focus on Auggie.

Check out more info below, including some clips, and be sure to enter!

“The Wake-Up Bomb”
After failing a mission in Rio, Annie finds herself with no active operations, and begins to experience just how lonely being a CIA operative can be. But she’s quickly provided with a new assignment when she meets a chef with ties to the Basque separatist movement, ETA.

Guest Stars: Santiago Cabrera, Matias Varela

USA Network’s hit original series COVERT AFFAIRS returns for the second half of its sophmore season on Tuesday, November 1 at 10/9c. Recently renewed for a third season of 16 episodes, the series stars Golden Globe-nominated Piper Perabo (“Coyote Ugly,” “Beverly Hills Chihuahua”), Christopher Gorham (“Ugly Betty,” “Jake 2.0”), Kari Matchett (“Invasion”), Anne Dudek (“House,” “Mad Men”), Sendhil Ramamurthy (“Heroes,” “It’s a Wonderful Afterlife”) and Peter Gallagher (“The O.C.,” “American Beauty”). The critically-acclaimed international spy drama, COVERT AFFAIRS, stars Piper Perabo as Annie Walker, a young CIA operative whose exceptional linguistic skills make her invaluable to the Agency.

This summer’s mid-season finale was left with Annie finally forced to confess the truth of her job to her sister, Danielle (Anne Dudek), forever changing the balance of their relationship and threatening Annie’s hope of living a "pseudo-normal" personal life outside the agency. With Jai's (Sendhil Ramamurthy) position in the DPD in flux, we're left to question where his true loyalties lie. Annie continues to transform into a seasoned operative with more high-octane adventures spanning the globe.

Guest appearances for the second season continuation include Oded Fehr, Gregory Itzin, Devin Kelly and Santiago Cabrera. From Universal Cable Productions, COVERT AFFAIRS is executive produced by Doug Liman and David Bartis through Hypnotic and written and executive produced by Matt Corman and Chris Ord.

Enter to Win!

Live Like an International Spy with the Covert Affairs Jet Setter Pack! (Valued at $215)

•  Travel Tote
•  Passport Holder
•  Luggage Tag
•  World Travel Clock
•  Season 1 DVD
•  T-Shirt

For your chance to win, just leave a comment below and tell me your favorite part of the show. Are you an Auggie fan? Do the storylines suck you in? Whatever.

Winner will be randomly selected on November 5th.

*Prizing provided by USA Network. Contest open to US residents only.

Be sure to check out the show on Facebook! http://www.facebook.com/CovertAffairs

Wake Up Bomb Clip #1 – Annie and Auggie Magic

Wake Up Bomb Clip #2 – Trouble for Jai

Wake Up Bomb Clip #3 - Adventures in Flirtation

COVERT AFFAIRS was the top series on cable Tuesdays this summer among P25-54, total viewers and households. Summer to summer, COVERT AFFAIRS grew +7% in P25-54, +3% in P18-49, +2% in P18-34 and +5% in total viewers.

Heading into the fall, COVERT AFFAIRS returns with new digital engagement, highlighted by star Christopher Gorham's behind the scenes Travelogue. As the show production travels to international locations, Christopher will document every step of the way with photos, videos, and production insights. To get even closer to the stars, fans can chat live with cast and writers on Character Chatter, now available on Facebook where you can chat with everyone or just your friends. This season fans can join Covert Operatives to play games and win amazing prizes including collectable key art signed by the cast, DVDs and t-shirts.
 

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© 2011, Are You Screening?. All rights reserved. Reprinting without express permission of the author is prohibited.

It's hard to believe how long ago it was that I first interviewed James Roday, and even then he was hinting at wanting to do a vampire episode. It's finally here, and tonight's "This Episode Sucks," is everything PSYCH-O's could hope for.

Tonight at 10pm on USA, not only do you get a vampire episode, which is cool enough on its own, but the episode features guest appearances by "retro vampires" Kristy Swanson and Corey Feldman.

What's more, you get some interesting spins on the PSYCH world in this episode that was written and directed by Roday, and perhaps the most interesting is Lassie going along with the vampire theory.

As if that weren't enough, James Roday will be chatting live during the east coast broadcast, and you can jump in and ask him questions.

This is a great episode, and you don't want to miss a single second, because the intro itself is brilliant. Lassie finds himself a love interest while trying to blow off some steam at a bar, only to be abandoned. When a body turns up the next morning with telltale marks on the neck, and drained of blood, Lassie recognizes a certain necklace, and now our team will have to visit some very interesting places to follow the leads.

Of course, Shawn and Gus jump into this one full force, and once over the shock of Lassie agreeing with them, they pull out all the stops.

Check out the previews below, along with some images, and don't forget to Check In with GetGlue for an exclusive sticker.

By the way, you can catch up online if you missed the first two episodes.

PSYCH -- "The Episode Sucks" -- Pictured: (l-r) James Roday as Shawn Spencer, Dule Hill as Gus Guster -- Photo by: Alan Zenuk/USA Network

PSYCH -- "The Episode Sucks" -- Pictured: (l-r) James Roday as Shawn Spencer, Dule Hill as Gus Guster -- Photo by: Alan Zenuk/USA Network

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© 2011, Are You Screening?. All rights reserved. Reprinting without express permission of the author is prohibited.

The pre-mid-season efforts from the major networks are a wild affair at the best of times, and this season we're seeing just how far this unique mix of shows can go. With ABC's Once Upon a Time and NBC's Grimm kicking off rather near each other, we're about to find out if audiences are ready for the strangest of the strange to show their faces on network television.

We saw a certain amount of this sort of fare last season, and none of it turned out very well. What's interesting, is that it just keeps coming. Not only have we managed a wide range of original shows that are "out there," like last season's Eastwick, but we've also tried out hand at transporting shows that are already successful, like the attempt at running Merlin on NBC (of course, we had to move that to Syfy).

While a variety of similar shows and mini-series have worked out rather well on cable networks, nothing has gotten a good foothold on the primetime, major network market in a quite a while (not counting the CW, well... work out why I'm not counting them on your own).

The current theory seems to be that if you're going to have a show that's taking on a fairly screwy premise, you've got to go big or go home. At least, that seems to be where Once Upon a Time is coming from. Not only is it big insofar as the level of push and (more or less) the overall production, but it's pretty big in the level of screwy it's throwing at you as well.

The show opens in... well, I don't know, Fairytale Land or whatever, and we watch as Prince Charming rescues Snow White, and then marries her. All seems quite well for a few moments, but then the Evil Queen barges in and threatens to curse everyone in... wherever we are. Cut to Emma Swan (Jennifer Morrison) and the real world. Emma is a bail bondsman who collects her own bounties, and ten-year-old Henry has just shown up at her door. It turns out that he is the son she gave up for adoption, and now Emma has to return him to Storybrooke, Maine.

Well it turns out that the inhabitants of Storybrooke are the characters from Fairytale, only trapped in the real world, and with no knowledge of their "other" selves. Henry knows all about what's going on though, and in keeping with Rumplestiltskin's (Robert Carlyle) prediction, Emma (who is actually the daughter of Prince Charming and Snow White) has returned on her 28th birthday to... right wrongs or whatnot, I guess.

So, what we end up with, as a show, is a situation wherein Emma has to somehow be convinced that the people in Storybrooke are the alter-egos of those who are from Fairytale, despite the fact that such "normal" folk as Mary Margaret, Mr. Gold, and Archie Hopper, don't know that they are Snow White, Rumplestiltskin, and for some reason, Jiminy Cricket. Once we get her on board, with the help of Henry and his book that reveals things that really happened (or something), then we can... well, it isn't clear what we'll do really.

Here is a show that, if nothing else, makes quite clear the idea that one of the creative minds behind it also helped create LOST, because the only thing you can really be sure of (so far), is that you have no idea how to predict what you're going to get in the next episode. The premise layout (even considering the utterly shoddy treatment I've given it) seems like something that is at best a mini-series, and yet we're meant to somehow find ourselves captivated enough for the long haul. Even after watching the pilot (available at ABC's website now), things are offered up as though, basically - Emma will eventually be convinced of the truth, a random assortment of "hijinx" and "antics" will lead to the people of Storybrooke moving closer to the truth themselves, which leads to some fantastic battle, and Shazam! Happily Ever After.

How this setup turns into something episodic, with no projected ending is anyone's guess, and the question is, does anyone care to guess?

There's a certain amount of fun to be found here, and moving beyond the pilot there is a level of charm that the characters deliver. In fact, if there is any real hope for the show, it is in the way the characters are given to the audience (though mostly post-pilot to be honest). It's tough to argue against the imagination at work here, but I'm not sure there is enough for viewers to take hold of, especially when I have to consider that they probably better do it quick.

As usual, I'd love to see a show like this take off, and this one may be among the best chances we're going to get anywhere in the near future (mainly because it gets to say "LOST", and isn't afraid to), but I'm not sure I see people grabbing onto this with both hands, and I'm less sure what would inspire the water-cooler talk that gives it real legs. It's actually rather fun, but as much as you have to go big here, you need a big hook as well, and this is a show that comes across as determined not to have a hook. We'll see how that works out.

Rating: ★★★☆☆ 

Emma Swan’s life has been anything but a fairytale. A 28-year-old bail bondsperson, she’s been taking care of herself since she was abandoned as a baby. But when Henry—the son she gave up 10 years ago—finds her, everything changes. Henry is desperate for his mom’s help and thinks that Emma is actually the long, lost daughter of Snow White and Prince Charming. Yes, the actual Snow White and Prince Charming. Even stranger, Henry believes that Storybrooke, the sleepy New England town he calls home, is really part of a curse cast by the Evil Queen, freezing fairytale characters in the modern world with no memory of their former selves.

Of course the seen-it-all Emma doesn’t believe a word, but when she gets to Storybrooke, she can’t help sensing that everything’s not quite what it seems. As Henry shows Emma around with the help of his fairytale book, the town, and its inhabitants like Henry’s therapist Archie Hopper and the enigmatic Mr. Gold, seem just strange enough to set off her already suspicious nature. She becomes even more concerned for Henry when she meets his adopted mother, Regina, who he suspects is none other than the Evil Queen herself!

Storybrooke is a place where magic has been forgotten—but is still powerfully close—and happily ever after seems just out of reach. In order to understand where the fairytale world’s former inhabitants came from, and what ultimately led to the Evil Queen’s wrath, you’ll need a glimpse into their previous lives. But it might just turn everything you’ve ever believed about these characters upside-down.

Meanwhile, the epic battle for the future of all worlds, modern and fairytale alike, is about to begin. For good to win, Emma will have to accept her destiny and fight like hell.

Edward Kitsis and Adam Horowitz, two master storytellers behind Lost and Tron: Legacy, invite everyone to brace themselves for a modern fairytale with thrilling twists and hints of darkness, brimming with wonder and filled with the magic of our most beloved stories.

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Related articles

• Once Upon a Time - Fairy Tales Can Come True (televisionwithoutpity.com)
• 'Once Upon a Time' Offers a Mix of Hope and Cynicism (Review) (popmatters.com)
• Once Upon a Time: A Fairy Tale Beginning (gawker.com)

© 2011, Are You Screening?. All rights reserved. Reprinting without express permission of the author is prohibited.

We've entered that time of year that is a sort of television black hole, and I can hardly imagine something that better showcases this idea than ABC's Man Up!, a show that gives the impression that the writers are running out of material before the pilot ends. A kind of shtick series (think the pilot of Cougar Town), which one imagines will be forced to "level out" before, Man Up! centers around three men who have some serious questions about their inclusion in that particular category.

Will Keen (Mather Zickel) plays Call of Duty with his friends Craig (Jake Johnson) and Kenny (Dan Fogler), and something about that fact (and his penchant for hazelnut creamer) doesn't quite translate into "man," especially when he considers that his father and grandfather both fought in wars. Well, there's also the fact, though the show won't mention it exactly, that he's rather whipped by wife Theresa (Teri Polo), despite the fact that the show's official synopsis describes her as "awesome."

His friends aren't exactly helping him either. Craig is still hopelessly in love with his college ex, and the fact that she's getting married today isn't going to slow him down. Kenny has a certain handle on expressing anger, but he's not at the far right of the "Man" poster, and he's still whipped by his ex, Brenda (Amanda Detmer), who insists on bringing the very manly Grant (Henry Simmons) to a party at Will's house, largely to screw with Kenny.

The premise of the show is that men today are a good deal less manly by virtue of societal shifts, and the natural inclination of many of them to readily adopt these shifts. The show is called Man Up!, but the joke is that none of these guys know how to, and the aim of the comedy is actually to showcase their lack of manliness. One suspects that further down the line we'll spin things to suggest that whatever they're looking for isn't what it takes to "really" be a man, but that looks like wishful thinking to me, and it's a tired concept at any rate.

This is a show that has had me confused since I got my first look several months ago, and nothing has changed. As I said, audiences are used to this being a fairly strange time for television, with networks having to fill gaps left by the shows they've pulled after four episodes or less, and/or trying to build a base for shows that can take the slots of their specialty programs that will open soon, so this isn't usually the time we're looking for the very best efforts. Of course, these shows often reel in strong, niche fanbases, something I predict for certain efforts coming soon like Grimm, and Once Upon a Time.

Man Up! can't even manage that much hope, because I can't put my finger on the niche audience that would be interested. Really bitchy women? Actually "manly" men who are looking for a show that makes fun of less manly men? It's tricky even to figure out where this concept got its legs, and who might have put this comedy together.

Imagine the show Woman Up! (which, ok, loses something in the translation... it could have a different name), which looks to throw out some laughs based on the premise that women aren't very "womanly" anymore. Stereotype analogies often being tricky road, I suppose we would have to imagine this show might be about how women in today's society wear suits, have positions of power, and are "unattractively" direct and self-assured. Thus, it's time for them to Woman Up!, which considering we've heard this is going to actually air, we would assume meant something along the lines of women being able to showcase their "more feminine" side (whatever traits you want to assume that means, I'm not dumb enough to go there) while still following the societal trend toward more powerful, more fully-realized women. Indeed, as Man Up! may or may not (poorly) suggest, the background idea may be to continue to put forward a new definition of "woman," and/or "womanliness."

But, when we actually tune into the thing, it turns out that, no, it's a just a show poking fun at the fact that women just aren't "women," anymore, and the show focuses on three working women and their husbands/boyfriends who tell them to go put on high heels and a thong, and make them quit their jobs, and hilarity ensues. To complete the mimicry, instead of a "manly" new boyfriend intended to make an ex-husband jealous, one of the men shows up with a brain-dead swimsuit model (who never wears anything else), and the whimsical fun comes in when she sleeps with all of them.

Well, someone tried to pitch that show, and got strung up before he finished the pitch. But, TV Execs are savvy characters, and when one of them, "Well, we need a show. What are we going to do now?" another of them replied without missing a beat, "Same thing, but with men."

I'd give you more about the overused lines and situations, and how utterly boring the one-dimensional characters are (though it's only a partial fault when the theory of the show is to spit out silly stereotypes), but I have a feeling that if I write any longer I run the risk of reviewing a show that already isn't on the air anymore.

Rating: ☆☆☆☆☆ 

Will Keen's grandfather fought in WWII. Will's father fought in Vietnam. Will plays Call of Duty on his PlayStation 3 and uses non-dairy hazelnut creamer. So what happened to all the real men? They're still here -- they just smell like pomegranate body wash now.

Meet Will (Mather Zickel). His evolved, sensitive nature is why his awesome wife Theresa (Teri Polo) married him. But Will and his friends find themselves wondering -- in a world of body spray and manscaping -- what does it really mean to be a guy anymore? Will is more interested in finding the perfect gift for his son Nathan's (Jake Johnson) 13th birthday than in doing his job selling insurance, sensitive soul Craig (Christopher Moynihan) still pines for his college ex Lisa, and Kenny (Dan Fogler) clamps down on his anger and asks himself "What would Tobey Maguire do?" when his ex Brenda (Amanda Detmer) starts seeing a guy who is everything he's not (Henry Simmons). And though it may not come naturally, each new day brings these lovable beta males another opportunity to Man Up and be like their forefathers.

In the vein of The Hangover, Man Up! is the virile new comedy from writer/producer/actor Christopher Moynihan (100 Questions), executive producer Victor Fresco (Better off Ted), and director Beth McCarthy-Miller (SNL, 30 Rock), that follows the struggles of three modern male archetypes as they search for their identities and try to prove that "real men" really can use hazelnut creamer.

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© 2011, Are You Screening?. All rights reserved. Reprinting without express permission of the author is prohibited.

photo credit: Frank Micelotta

Nick Swardson's Pretend Time has already kicked off its second season, and I wanted to make sure you're all tuning in, and offer up some incentive. The completely wild sketch show which also features cuts of Swardson performing stand-up premiered the second season at the beginning of the month, and you can catch it Wednesdays at 10:30/9:30c. If you've missed out so far, Comedy Central is very good about giving you the chance to catch up online, and you can check past episodes here.

You can also catch a clip below.

To celebrate the return of the show, I have a giveaway for you, and have three copies of his DVD available.

DVD - Nick Swardson: Seriously, Who Farted?

Nick started stand up at the age of 18. In his first year of stand up he was chosen to perform at the U.S. Comedy Arts festival. In 2000, he hit a milestone in his career when he taped his Comedy Central half-hour special at the age of 22 (the youngest to do so). More recently, Nick wrote and starred in the Happy Madison-produced films Grandma's Boy and Benchwarmers.

 

DVD Features:

- Opening Act: Beardo & Dirt Nasty

- 28 Drinks Later Trailer

- Nick Swardson: Timeless Comedian

- A Very Terry Christmas

To enter-

Just leave a comment below, and tell me your favorite sketch, character... or something from Nick's show Pretend Time. Winners will be randomly selected on October 25th. U.S. only.

Now, in case you're out of the loop, check out the show.

He’s back! Nick Swardson's twisted world of trust fund kitties, cereal character Mr. Creepy and the infamous "Garry Gaga" will return as COMEDY CENTRAL presents the second season of "Nick Swardson's Pretend Time." The hit sketch series will premiere on Wednesday, October 5 at 10:30 p.m. following the fall season premiere of "South Park."

"Nick Swardson's Pretend Time" is a sketch show in which each sketch is filtered through the absurd point-of-view of stand-up comedian Nick Swardson. Swardson takes the viewer into his world through a series of sketches including the adventures of a wheelchair–bound cat, space alien paternity tests and pregnant babies. Swardson's world of make-believe incorporates every reach of the imagination - from monster doctors to a man’s unique face transplant. In between sketches, Swardson performs stand-up in front of an audience and is joined by back up guitarist, Beardo.

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© 2011, Are You Screening?. All rights reserved. Reprinting without express permission of the author is prohibited.

Image by Gage Skidmore via Flickr

So, that may or may not have managed to get your attention.

If you have absolutely no idea what the title may be referring to, Kurt Sutter is the writer/producer of Sons of Anarchy (he also worked on The Shield, and appears on Sons as Otto), and he apparently went off on TV Bloggers, especially those (I guess) who put out episodic recaps/opinions. I imagine some number of said TV Bloggers must have made negative comments about the show. Or, perhaps the mere fact that people report episodically finally caused him to snap.

As the story continues, apparently Tim Molloy at The Wrap responded to his rant- and Mr. Sutter even responded to this response via Twitter, offering Mr. Molloy the soothing note - "Thanks tim. this is funny. i've taken you off the cunt list."

I confess to not knowing what exactly it is about TV Bloggers that set Mr. Sutter off, but I feel somewhat obligated to spread the story around.

Now, I should point out that I'm a fan of Sons of Anarchy. It went a little screwy during the middle of last season, but overall it's an exceptional show.

That out of the way - let's look at Mr. Sutter's rant, as reported by Mr. Molloy, Molloy's responses include -

Sutter: fatfuck CUNT bloggers, step away from the computer, put down the twinkies, go fuck your spouse. it'll feel better than your hand,douchebags.

Molloy: It's probably too early for Twinkies, even for TV writers. Spousal sex preferable to masturbation: fair point.

Sutter: really, i'm not even in a bad mood. i'm actually rested. i just fucking hate the tweets and headlines from these fucking ridiculous tv blogs do people actually pay these assholes for these episodic opinions.

Molloy: The answer is often no. Most of them do it out of a love for TV and want shows to be good. I'm in the fortunate 5-10 percent, but also have to write articles about Netflix streaming deals.

Sutter: ...or are thier lives that fucking empty that they feel compelled to get daddy's attention every day on the interweb.

Molloy: No comment.

Sutter: fatcuntbloggers. don't work out your childhood rape issues online. no one fucking cares what you think.

Molloy: I personally know four people who became TV bloggers to work out their childhood rape issues online. I know Kurt Sutter was trying to be provocative, but this is very much a thing.

Sutter: fatcuntbloggers. keep looking for a reason not to fucking kill yourselves. it's gonna get harder everyday. eventually you will succumb.

and the day you lay bleeding out of the back of your head with a smoking gun barrel in your mouth, will be the day i begin my salsa lessons.

Molloy: When did the February-March era Charlie Sheen start ghostblogging for Kurt Sutter?

Now, to most people reading this, the Tweets speak for themselves. On one side of things, my work is really done simply in putting forward (to those who don't read The Wrap) their existence. Do with this what you will.

On the other hand, there are a few minor points I wanted to make on the subject, despite the fact that I don't think they're at all necessary, because I imagine I won't be telling anyone anything they don't already know.

Still...

First, TV Bloggers come in all shapes and sizes, and from all walks of life. Granted, some are hopeless nerds, and if you saw them on the street, they would probably fit quite well with the general idea of "computer geek." (Mind you, still lovely people by and large) But, people come to the "job" in a variety of ways, and a great many of them have various degrees, make more money than Mr. Sutter (much as he is not only a professional douche Tweeter, some are not only TV Bloggers), and/or have very fulfilled lives outside of the fact that they write about television. Still others, not to put too fine a point on it, are people he wouldn't dream of talking to in this way to their face on his best day. It may be that he is a little too long on time spent on the set of Sons, and have certain delusions, but he is actually rather wee.

More importantly (and he'll just have to try to follow along, or have someone decipher this for him, because there aren't bound to be many "cunts" or "fatcunts" in it), the general idea of the rant seems to come down to the line that - "no one fucking cares what you think" - and I'm afraid that's pretty flawed, and in more ways than one.

TV Bloggers covers a vast array of people, some who have pretty nice jobs working at big sites, and some who don't have much really, except a following. Some are people who actually vote for television awards. Some are people, despite what Mr. Sutter may think, who network execs pay a lot of attention to. Some are just people who have a lot of people listening to them. It may only be 1,000, and it may be 500,000, but if they didn't have a pretty good fanbase, he'd have certainly never seen their Tweets in the first place (dumbass). All of them, however, are fans of television, and people care what they think.

It might behoove Mr. Sutter to do a quick Google, and check around the "interwebs" for articles examining the influence of online journalism on ratings and cancellations. That influence is a large part of why his show is doing so well, and has done well, because critics have liked and endorsed his show.

So, Mr. Sutter... let's see how that works out for you.

In related news, stay tuned for Are You Screening's new Sons of Anarchy recap feature!

RU?

© 2011, Are You Screening?. All rights reserved. Reprinting without express permission of the author is prohibited.

It's that special time of year right now in the world of television. You know what it is. It's a few weeks after the big fall premieres, so it's time to start hearing about all the shows that are already done. It gets worse and worse every year, and with each new fall push, more and more people turn to cable networks, who at least stand behind their shows long enough to get more than four episodes out.

One of the main things I hear people talk about as fall approaches, is just how much they are scared to start watching a new show on the big networks. The Playboy Club was over almost before it started, barely getting beyond its establishment before it was already gone. You'd have thought that plenty of people would tune in for buxom women in bunny costumes alone, but apparently that's not the case.

Now Charlie's Angels has fallen by the way side as well, and you would similarly have predicted that, much as with the original, people would tune in to see hot chicks fighting and pointing guns, no matter what else was involved in the show. Not so... or at least, not enough so.

As I say, we are all well aware this is coming, and at least half a dozen new shows are likely to fall before too many more weeks go by. Of course, the next generation of replacements are already slated to make their appearance. It's hardly worth complaining about really, and a good number of us are clearly hesitant to start watching shows, because we aren't sure they're going to be around in a month, and why invest in that?

What we don't always expect, right this very moment anyway, is to hear about shows that recently ended their seasons being cut. Despite the somewhat odd timing, TNT has recently axed Hawthorne, Men of a Certain Age, and now Memphis Beat. I don't know if TNT is getting too big for their britches, in love as they are with The Closer, Rizzoli & Isles (which is donktastic, but is getting awesome ratings), and Falling Skies, but are you kidding me with Memphis Beat? That show was awesome.

Well, I suppose TNT is cleaning house to make way for even more options for The Good Wife fans, and Leverage will probably be next, but in the span of a couple of months, the network as a whole went from very high on the list to utterly off the radar. Good luck with that. I know not everyone had even heard of Memphis Beat, and the numbers weren't that strong, but numbers or no, I don't know a single person who admits to watching Rizzoli & Isles. Just sayin'.

And, just for the record, if there is any chance at all that you will cancel a show with Playboy bunnies in it after three (2?) episodes, just don't put the damn thing on at all.

RU?

© 2011, Are You Screening?. All rights reserved. Reprinting without express permission of the author is prohibited.

GRIMM -- Season:1 -- Pictured: (l-r) Sasha Roiz as Captain Renard, Reggie Lee as Sgt. Wu, Russell Hornsby as Hank Griffin, Silas Weir Mitchell as Monroe, David Giuntoli as Nick Burkhardt, Bitsie Tulloch as Juliette Anderson -- Photo by: Eric Ogden/NBC

If you're antsy to get to NBC's new series, Grimm, you're about to have your chance, and all you have to do is follow the show on Twitter.  http://twitter.com/NBCGrimm

Take a look at all the details below, and catch a quick preview.

NBC OFFERS TWITTER FOLLOWERS UNPRECEDENTED ACCESS WITH EXCLUSIVE FIRST LOOK AT NEW SERIES ‘GRIMM’

Followers of “Grimm” Show Handle Will Receive Full Pilot Episode Preview Beginning October 14 Prior To Broadcast Premiere on October 28

Multi-faceted Outreach also Includes 10-city Cross-country Screening Tour From Los Angeles to Washington, D.C. as well as 20 Minute Preview on NBC.com, Hulu, VOD, iTunes, PlayStation®Network, Sony Entertainment Network®, VUDU , Xbox and participating NBC owned and affiliate station websites

NBC is kicking off its edgy new drama “Grimm” with multi-faceted previews that include an unprecedented industry first allowing Twitter followers of the show handle to preview the entire series premiere beginning today, October 14, two weeks prior to the broadcast premiere on Friday, October 28 (9-10 p.m. ET).

The innovative initiative will also be accompanied by a 10-city, cross-country screening tour featuring a screening of the same "Grimm" premiere episode -- along with selected cast members and executive producers in key cities -- starting Tuesday, October 18 in Los Angeles.　 The tour will continue in Chicago, Philadelphia, Washington, D.C., Denver, Atlanta, Minneapolis, Phoenix, Seattle and as well Portland where "Grimm" is based and filmed.

The announcements were made today by Len Fogge, President, Marketing, NBC Entertainment.

"NBC is proud to introduce 'Grimm' in such a novel way by reaching out to the show's Twitter followers and allowing them to be the first to connect with an equally unique series," said Fogge. "Likewise, the 10-city screening tour will give early viewers an in-person preview of the first episode to see what the excitement is all about."

Beginning Friday, October 14, Twitter followers of the “Grimm” show handle (www.twitter.com/NBCGrimm) will receive a direct message via their twitter account with a URL and their own unique code, allowing them to access the premiere episode of "Grimm."　This preview will remain available until the season premiere on Friday, October 28.

The multi-city tour (locations below) will include a screening in every city. In addition, the Los Angeles presentation, which will be held at the Pacific Theaters at The Grove, will be include a post-screening Q&A with the executive producing team of Sean Hayes and Todd Milliner (Hot in Cleveland), as well as writer/executive producers David Greenwalt (Buffy the Vampire Slayer) and Jim Kouf (Angel). In Portland, the screening will be followed by a special Q&A that includes select cast and writer/executive producers David Greenwalt and Jim Kouf.

GRIMM -- Season:1 -- Pictured: (l-r) Silas Weir Mitchell as Monroe, David Giuntoli as Nick Burkhardt -- Photo by: Eric Ogden/NBC

Locations and screening times are:

Tuesday, October 18 - 7:30 p.m.

Los Angeles - Pacific Theaters the Grove - 189 Grove Drive, Los Angeles, 90036

Monday, October 24 - 8:00 p.m.

Portland - Whitsell Auditorium/Portland Art Museum – 1219 SW Park Ave, Portland, 97205

Tuesday, October 25 -7:30 p.m.

Chicago - Showplace Icon – 150 W Roosevelt, Chicago, 60605

Denver - Landmark Greenwood Village – 5415 Landmark Place, Greenwood Village, 80111

Minneapolis - Showplace ICON– 1625 West End Blvd, St Louis Park, 55416

Seattle- AMC Pacific Place– 600 Pine Street, Seattle, 98101

Wednesday, October 26 - 7:30 p.m.

Atlanta - Studio Movie Grill-Holcomb – 2880 Holcomb Bridge Road, Alpharetta, 30022

Philadelphia - The Pearl at Ave North – 1600 N. Broad St., Philadelphia, 19121

Phoenix - Harkins Tempe Marketplace – 2000 E Rio Salado Pkwy, Tempe, 85251

Washington DC – Landmark E Street – 555 11th Street NW, Washington DC 20004

“Grimm” will also get the star treatment at Universal Studios Hollywood’s annual Halloween Horror Nights. The series will have a themed fan interaction area on October 21, 22 & 23, which will include series artwork and the chance for participants to get their own theatrical silicon tattoo featuring the show’s logo.

And finally, NBC will offer a 20-minute preview of the series on multiple platforms including NBC.com, Hulu, VOD, iTunes, PlayStation®Network, Sony Entertainment Network®, VUDU , Xbox and participating NBC owned and affiliate station websites starting on October 21.

"Grimm" is a new supernatural cop procedural inspired by the classic Grimms Fairy Tales. Portland homicide Detective Nick Burkhardt (David Giuntoli, "Turn the Beat Around") discovers he is descended from an elite line of criminal profilers known as Grimms, charged with keeping balance between humanity and the mythological creatures of the world.

As he tries to hide the dangers of his newfound calling from his fiancée, Juliette Silverton, (Bitsie Tulloch, quarterlife), and his partner, Hank Griffin (Russell Hornsby, Lincoln Heights), he becomes ever more entrenched in the ancient rivalries and alliances of the Grimm world. Also starring are Silas Weir Mitchell (Prison Break), Reggie Lee (Persons Unknown) and Sasha Roiz (Caprica).

 

http://www.facebook.com/NBCGrimm

http://twitter.com/NBCGrimm

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© 2011, Are You Screening?. All rights reserved. Reprinting without express permission of the author is prohibited.

It's a bit out of the ordinary for us here at Are You Screening?, but if you're lucky enough to have access to TV5Monde USA (and are able to get anything out of the broadcast), there's a very cool show coming your way, and I wanted to give you some notice.

Epicerie Fine is a documentary series hosted by Guy Martin, and it takes a different spin on the culinary world of television. Each week, Guy goes behind-the-scenes of the restaurant world to explore the ingredients that make fine dining possible, and to meet the people who bring them to market.

Check out more below, including a short video, and keep your eye out for this one.

The new documentary series, hosted by three-star Michelin chef Guy Martin, debuts Sunday, October 16 at 7:30 pm ET only on TV5MONDE USA.

TV5MONDE USA is available in all major markets via Dish and your local cable provider. To find channel information, please visit www.tv5monde.com/usa.

EPICERIE FINE

OCT 16, 7:30 PM ET

OCT 23, 7:30 PM ET

OCT 30, 7:30 PM ET

Documentary follows Guy Martin, head chef of three-Michelin star restaurant Le Grand Véfour in Paris, as he travels the French countryside to discover and showcase ingredients of French cuisine. Chef Martin begins each episode with an encounter with an eminent local producer known for his/her demanding standards and passion. The conversation leads Martin into the field, where he is brought face-to-face with the men and women who grow, harvest, produce and prepare these prestigious products. With them, and thanks to them, each product is brought to life and a whole region reveals its gourmet personality.

In the premiere episode, Guy Martin examines the history, production and preparations of Tricastin truffles, from the origin of its name, its natural flavors, the varieties and evolutions in its use, to the current cultural, economical and environmental issues affecting the production of the product.

Southwestern black pig and Saint-Brieuc bay sea scallops are featured in the following episodes.

 

RU?

© 2011, Are You Screening?. All rights reserved. Reprinting without express permission of the author is prohibited.

Photo by: Alan Zenuk/USA Network

PSYCH returns tonight at 10/9c, and the hit show isn't slowing down this season. Still loaded with incredible guest stars and pineapples, it's as fun as ever, and somehow still comes through fresh as the first season. Of course, even I have to admit that a couple of episodes last season went a bit off, but there were also some amazing efforts in there, and this season is kicking off with some brilliant shows.

Tonight's episode, "Shawn Rescues Darth Vader," brings us guest stars Malcolm McDowell and Polly Walker, and gives us not only a good case, but throws us right into the heart of the relationship/work troubles sure to arise betweeen Shawn and Juliet. The case finds Shawn stuck in a rather serious predicament, and one that means he has to get unusually specific in his predictions, which raises its own red flags when you're playing up the vague psychic routine.

One of the best things about the show, over the span of seasons, has always been that it consistently tries to raise the bar. The episodes, and the inclusion of Shawn's "gift," always grow and change. Things are bigger, episodic arcs are more complex, and themes that don't really seem to work are made to fit anyway. Plus, while the comedy has its distinctive note, it also morphs along with the show, and that alone keeps viewers coming back for more, especially because the show never pushes too hard with the comedic side of things when the particular episode doesn't require it. Certain episodes are hilarious, but others are only mildly amusing at certain moments, and they all manage the same level of overall awesomeness.

In an upcoming episode this season, William Shatner guest stars as Juliet's father, and their strained relationship is front and center throughout the episode. Shawn wants to reconnect father and daughter, but daughter wants no part of it. The episode is pieced together wonderfully, and while Shawn is true to the overall air of "Shawn-ness," we never move to a point where things are exactly funny.

But, in an episode closer to air, when we finally get vampires to make an appearance (something James Roday has mentioned he has wanted for as long as I can remember), the show gives us a completely different tone (and Corey Feldman). Not only do we let down our guard, and throw out a much lighter, more nonsensical approach to everything that happens, and give Shawn's flippant nature its head, but we even mess with our character's own personas as Lassiter quickly breaks down and jumps on board with the vampire theory. Though that touch is something that spins the comedy, and is certainly good for a laugh, the level of genius behind it is easily overlooked.

It's a show that has always been ahead of its time, but that's hard to keep going. PSYCH somehow manages it, and this season is clearly primed to prove the point.

Also showing up this season - Danny Glover and Wade Boggs in a baseball episode, Kristy Swanson also appears in the vampire episode, John Rhys Davies, Joey McIntyre, Jason Priestley, Molly Ringwald, and The Miz from the WWE.

Malcolm McDowell and Polly Walker guest star in "Shawn Rescues Darth Vader," premiering tonight at 10/9C!

While on a mission to retrieve a stolen Darth Vader collector's item from the British Ambassador's son at the British Consulate Residence in Santa Barbara, Shawn finds a dead body left in one of the rooms. In order to get the SBPD on the case to find her killer, Shawn tells Lassiter and Juliet that the image of a dead body at the British Consulate Residence came to him in a psychic vision. However, Shawn's credibility as a "psychic" could be placed in jeopardy if the SBPD finds out he actually witnessed the dead body in person and didn't "divine" the image of her murder.

Check out the Psych #HashtagKiller interactive storyline & help Shawn & Gus solve the mystery! http://bit.ly/PsychHTK

CULT HIT SERIES AND FAN FAVORITE “PSYCH” STARRING JAMES RODAY AND DULÉ HILL RETURNS TO USA NETWORK ON WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 12 AT 10/9C FOR ITS SIXTH SEASON

Pop Culture Icon William Shatner Joins Impressive Lineup of Guest Stars for Season Six including Danny Glover, Kristy Swanson, Corey Feldman, Joey McIntyre, Malcolm McDowell, Jason Priestley, John Rhys Davies, Wade Boggs, Molly Ringwald & WWE Superstar The Miz

Be prepared for a run on pineapples as America’s favorite fake psychic team returns with all new episodes of PSYCH for its sixth season on Wednesday, October 12 at 10/9c. James Roday (“Shawn Spencer”), Dulé Hill (“Burton ‘Gus’ Guster”), Corbin Bernsen (“Henry Spencer”), Timothy Omundson (“Detective Carlton Lassiter”), Maggie Lawson (“Detective Juliet”) and Kirsten Nelson (“Chief Vick”) all star in this cult and fan favorite series. PSYCH is currently USA’s longest running series on-air.

From vampires to super heroes, hippie communes to mental institutions, season six of PSYCH will thrill and delight fans of Santa Barbara’s favorite psychic crime-solving team. A bevy of top names in entertainment will make guest appearances this season, including pop culture icon William Shatner as Juliet’s father; Danny Glover and Wade Boggs in a baseball escapade; Kristy Swanson and Corey Feldman in a vampire episode co-written and directed by James Roday; John Rhys Davies in an Indiana Jones inspired episode written and directed by Steve Franks; plus Joey McIntyre of New Kids on the Block fame, Malcolm McDowell, Jason Priestley, Molly Ringwald and WWE Superstar The Miz. This season, when it comes to Juliet, Shawn is making some grown up moves in their relationship and best friend and partner Gus deals with being a third wheel. Also, whether or not Shawn is a “real” psychic is questioned.

With nearly two million Facebook fans, this cult favorite stars James Roday as police consultant Shawn Spencer who solves crimes with powers of observation so acute the precinct detectives think he's psychic. With help from his best friend and reluctant sidekick, Gus (Dulé Hill) and his father, Henry (Corbin Bernsen), they continue to solve the mysterious and often bizarre crimes of the Santa Barbara Police Department. Also starring Timothy Omundson, Maggie Lawson and Kirsten Nelson. PSYCH is executive produced by Steve Franks, Kelly Kulchak and Chris Henze, from Universal Cable Productions in association with Tagline Pictures. Mel Damski serves as executive producer/director. Bill Callahan is executive producer. Saladin K. Patterson and Andy Berman are co-executive producers/writers. Todd Harthan is consulting producer.

Club PSYCH kicks off fall with an exhilarating digital ride with a massive social media murder whodunit engaging fans via Facebook, Twitter, Club PSYCH and USA's Character Chatter.  This season includes new levels of Squirrel Assassins, a '90s Challenge to test your pop-culture smarts, and more installments of the popular Find the Famous Pineapple.  In the mobile space, fans can download the new version of the PSYCH Vision App to get exclusive video like PSYCH outs, writer commentaries, and a making-of video on the go.

RU?

© 2011, Are You Screening?. All rights reserved. Reprinting without express permission of the author is prohibited.

The best thing ABC's Last Man Standing has going for it is that TV Land is now producing its own shows. If this Tim Allen effort had come out a couple of years ago, I might have bet that it had no chance at all. That isn't to say that I don't like it... it's average-ish when all is said and done..., but I wouldn't have had a lot of hope for it actually getting viewers.

It has some good elements to it, and if Tim Allen has proven one thing over the years, it's that he's rather watchable. The kill of the show, in terms of predicting positive results, is that it feels like it comes straight from the glory days of Home Improvement, as though we were throwing out another venture during the early '90s, as opposed to the early '10s. It's a show that, if I had to guess, might have taken off like a rocket somewhere around '93, but it feels like such a throwback, that it's hard to imagine it working in today's market.

Unless you're up on TV Land. Of course, something can be a hit on cable and not have anything like the numbers ABC is probably expecting, and at the same time, Tim Allen's pseudo-dopey, family feel-good playtime isn't in a '90s market, so you can certainly never be too sure, but it seems like someone might be onto something here.

It's actually not especially removed from the last time we saw Allen fumbling through "running" a household. He's still a manly man, only this time he's a fairly big man at a hunting retail store as opposed to a tool man, but he still mostly goes on about generally being manly, and scoffs at such things as fantasy football and not being able to change a tire. This time his family is comprised entirely of women though (insert joke about the staggering "difference" here), and now that his wife is taking a promotion, he's going to have to be the go to parent a lot more often.

If you turn back your internal clock a couple of decades, the general scheme is pretty familiar. Allen plays Mike Baxter, and he's dealing with his wife, Vanessa (Nancy Travis), and three daughters of a variety of ages, including Kristin, the 20-year-old with her own son. Not only is Mike's life turned around by the fact that he's going to be home a lot more often, but he's also gone from his dream job as the travelling catalog-producer for the most manly of stores, to the guy who has to figure out how to increase their online sales. In the end, taking a page from his daughter's, very general vlog that most relates "dad unhappiness," he uses the store's website to host his "man rant" vlog, which has little to do with selling anything, but has gone viral.

It may not be what you expect at this point, but the show delivers a kind of warm familiarity that is largely missing from television these days, and while not anything like the best show on television, it's one of the "easiest," and it's decidedly watchable for anyone who isn't immediately turned off by Allen in general.

We may not to get used to the daughters a bit more than the first couple of episodes give us in order to draw a solid conclusion, but they seem to work the camera, and the comedy, quite well to this point. From the inexplicable waterworks that Dad can make no sense of, to the fairly tomboyish daughter, who Mike still can't quite connect with, the family comes through well, and so does a more honest than normal look at the nonsense that actually takes up most of a parent's day.

If the show really gets legs, it will probably be the result of Hector Elizondo (as Mike's boss), who is already taking over every scene he's in, and Nancy Travis, who is still somewhat questionable as the matronly foil to Mike's "rub some dirt on it," uber-MAN.

The question, of course, is, should you watch it, and I think the answer's yes. I can only give the show about 3.5 stars out of five, but it's an easy recommendation nonetheless. You'll either fall for it, or you'll ditch it altogether, and you'll come to the decision pretty quickly. If the popularity of similar throwback shows is any indication, there's a decent audience for exactly this show, and you probably know who you are.

Rating: ★★★½☆ 

TV titan Tim Allen returns to ABC as Mike Baxter, world voyager and one daredevil of a marketing director who is about to face his greatest challenge yet...his family.

After Mike’s wife, Vanessa, (Nancy Travis) receives a promotion at work, Mike must spend more time in his female-dominated household. With years of advice and guidance from their nurturing mother, Mike’s three daughters are not prepared for their old-fashioned, hotheaded father to take over. Especially 20-year-old Kristin, who’s trying to raise her own son, Boyd, with more of a liberal approach than Mike can stand.

When he isn’t reclaiming the masculinity in his home, Mike works at the sporting goods man-cave, Outdoor Man: A place where men can buy guns, jerky and a camouflage recliner in one testosterone-fueled location. Mike’s boss, Ed, took Mike off of his thrilling magazine expositions and stuck him in front of the computer to supervise the company’s website. With the help of his naïve subordinate, Kyle, Mike runs the Outdoor Man video log, which not only explores the store’s stock of man-gear, but also helps Mike express his biggest concern with the 21st century: “What happened to men?”

Tim Allen stars as Mike Baxter, along with Nancy Travis as Vanessa, Hector Elizondo as Ed, Alexandra Krosney as Kristin, Molly Ephraim as Mandy, Kaitlyn Dever as Eve, and Christoph Sanders as Kyle. The series is from executive producers Jack Burditt (30 Rock), Tim Allen (Home Improvement, Toy Story), Marty Adelstein (21 Laps/Adelstein), Shawn Levy (21 Laps/Adelstein), Becky Clements (21 Laps/Adelstein), Richard Baker (Messina/Baker), Rick Messina (Messina/Baker) and co-executive producers Liz Astrof (King of Queens), Andy Gordon (Just Shoot Me), Kevin Hench (The Man Show), Marsh McCall (Just Shoot Me). Including Linda Figueiredo (Outsourced) and Kim Flagg (Home Improvement) as consulting producers. The show was created by Jack Burditt and directed by John Pasquin (Home Improvement), who will also be directing the series. The series is produced by 20th Century Fox Television.

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Related articles

• Tim Allen Is Back With A New Home, But This Is No Improvement (npr.org)
• Tim Allen Returns to Prime-Time TV in ABC's 'Last Man Standing' (inquisitr.com)
• TV Tonight: Last Man Standing (tunedin.blogs.time.com)
• Tim Allen in ABC's 'Last Man Standing': Survey says...you'll watch (insidetv.ew.com)
• 'Last Man Standing' could use some improvement (boston.com)
• Television Review: 'Last Man Standing' and 'Man Up!' on ABC - Review (tv.nytimes.com)
• 'Last Man Standing' Premieres Tonight, Guess The Ratings (Poll) (tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com)

© 2011, Are You Screening?. All rights reserved. Reprinting without express permission of the author is prohibited.

The season is kicking off well for FOX, even if I'm questioning the decision to keep Fringe going... that's just me, I'm sure. I'm loving New Girl, and the new season of Raising Hope has been keeping that show going in solid fashion (notice how they changed the opening credits like I told them to).

At any rate, here are some behind-the-scenes looks at the shows for you. Keep tuning in.

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© 2011, Are You Screening?. All rights reserved. Reprinting without express permission of the author is prohibited.

Hung is kicking off its third season this Sunday, and I wanted to make sure you all got notice of the fact. I know there is a lot going on right now, and it's hard to keep track of everything, but don't let this show slip past you.

HBO COMEDY SERIES HUNG, STARRING THOMAS JANE, JANE ADAMS AND ANNE HECHE, RETURNS FOR ITS TEN-EPISODE THIRD SEASON OCT. 2

Having skirted the watchful eyes of family and friends, Ray and Tanya are taking their business to the next level. But can they continue to fly under the radar of the law after setting up a new, very public front for their gigolo enterprise?

The Emmy®- and Golden Globe-nominated comedy series HUNG kicks off its ten episode third season SUNDAY, OCT. 2 (10:00-10:30 p.m. ET/PT), exclusively on HBO. Created by Colette Burson and Dmitry Lipkin, the show uses dark humor to tell the story of a man fighting to survive personal setbacks that have been compounded by a troubled economy.

Set in the (still) recession-plagued suburbs of Detroit, HUNG stars Thomas Jane as Ray Drecker, a former high school legend turned middle-aged hooker, who now has to contend with competition from a new, younger rival; Jane Adams as Ray’s business partner, Tanya Skagle; Anne Heche as Ray’s ex-wife, Jessica Haxon, now separated from her dermatologist husband and headed back into the workforce after 20 years as a housewife; Charlie Saxton as Ray’s son Damon; Sianoa Smit-McPhee as Ray’s daughter Darby; Rebecca Creskoff as Ray and Tanya’s former partner Lenore, now seeking revenge on them for stealing her “lifestyle idea”; Gregg Henry as Mike, Ray’s friend and fellow teacher; Lennie James as Charlie, Tanya’s fellow pimp, advisor and occasional paramour; and Stephen Amell as Jason, the new male hooker and client of Lenore’s.

Recurring guest stars on the third season include Kaitlin Doubleday as Logan, a former student of Ray’s; Ana Ortiz, as Lydia, a new client of Ray’s who likes to dress up like a cop; and Matt Walsh as Dr. Matt Kopylov, who hires Jessica to work in his office and is the husband of her estranged husband Ronnie’s mistress.

October’s episodes:

Episode #21: “Don’t Give Up on Detroit” or “Hung Like a Horse”

Debut: SUNDAY, OCT. 2 (10:00-10:30 p.m. ET/PT)

Ray (Thomas Jane) and Tanya (Jane Adams) must convince a bank officer and her friend that their “Wellness Center for Women” idea is financially sound. Lenore (Rebecca Creskoff) discovers a new prospect to rival Ray.

Written by Dmitry Lipkin & Colette Burson; directed by Colette Burson.

Episode #22: “Take the Cake” or “Are You Packing?”

Debut: SUNDAY, OCT. 9 (10:00-10:30 p.m.)

After Ray’s client is stolen by Jason (Stephen Amell), Tanya decides to handle the competition herself. Lenore learns a shocking secret about Jason. Jessica (Anne Heche) tries her hand at independence. Charlie (Lennie James) asks Tanya for a jailhouse favor. Ray meets a client who likes to dress up as a cop.

Written by Julia Brownell; directed by Uta Briesewitz.

Episode #23: “Mister Drecker” or “Ease Up on the Whup-Ass”

Debut: SUNDAY, OCT. 16 (10:00-10:30 p.m.)

Ray fears he’s blown his cover when he mistakes a former student for a client. Tanya finds herself in charge of a felon. Jessica is hired to work in the office of Dr. Matt Kopylov (Matt Walsh), the husband of Ronnie’s (Eddie Jemison) mistress. Lenore brokers a deal with Sandee (Analeigh Tipton).

Written by Eduardo Machado & Drew Lindo; directed by Gloria Muzio.

Episode #24: “F*ck Me, Mr. Drecker” or “Let’s Not Go to Jail”

Debut: SUNDAY, OCT. 23 (10:00-10:30 p.m.)

Ray and Tanya conspire to get rid of an explosive client. Charlie advises Tanya to keep Lydia (Ana Ortiz) happy. Lenore manages Sandee’s rising demands, and Matt and Jessica bond.

Written by Brett C. Leonard; directed by Dan Attias.

Episode #25: “We’re Golden” or “Crooks and Big Beaver”

Debut: SUNDAY, OCT. 30 (10:00-10:30 p.m.)

After Ray tells Lydia he’s leaving the business, she takes Ray and Tanya on a ride they will never forget. Darby (Sianoa Smit-McPhee) threatens to leave home, and Lenore confronts Jason about missing a date with a client.

Written by Colette Burson & Dmitry Lipkin; directed by Gloria Muzio.

HUNG is created by Colette Burson and Dmitry Lipkin; executive producers, Colette Burson, Dmitry Lipkin, Scott Stephens, Alexander Payne, Michael Rosenberg, Noreen Halpern and John Morayniss; co-executive producer, Angela Robinson; producers, Hilton H. Smith and Brett C. Leonard.

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© 2011, Are You Screening?. All rights reserved. Reprinting without express permission of the author is prohibited.

ABC's Suburgatory is a show that, whatever else it may manage, is going to have a lot of critics talking. A lot of them are going to love it, and I suspect a lot of viewers will as well, but a lot of them are going to wonder what the hell anyone could see in it. Either way, this is not a show that is going to slip past without comment.

On the other hand, it's also a show that may be in too tricky a situation to survive, no matter how many people are mentioning it to you. It's on Wednesdays following another popular sitcom, The Middle, and there is even a sense in which the two shows are somewhat aligned in their social commentary. As helpful as that may be, the reality is that both shows are on against X-Factor and Survivor. Of course, they are also up against two other sitcoms, Up All Night and Free Agents, so we have to factor that in as well.

I wouldn't normally mention the competition, but in this case it looks as though the show may have a very tough time pulling in sufficient numbers (though perhaps certain people take these things into account), and love it or hate it, it's at least pretty interesting.

On another note, the show may well fall to the curse of having people in it that I want to do well. Jeremy Sisto and Alan Tudyk are both in the cast, and we know how well my being a fan has worked out for them so far.

The show focuses on George (Sisto) and his 16-year-old daughter Tessa (Jane Levy). They lived in lower Manhattan until George found a box of condoms in Tessa's dresser. He immediately decided to move upstate to the picket fence world of the suburbs, and now Tessa has to figure out this vastly different world, that is not quite (to her mind) the living, breathing animal she's used to occupying. More like a limbo where people come to wait for their chance to be on Real Housewives, the suburbs are a social creature that Tessa is ill-equipped to handle, and George certainly has no better idea what to make of things.

On her first day at school, Tessa meets Dalia Royce, who is assigned to be her "buddy," and show her around school. Straight from the stock pool of vain, annoying High School princesses, Dalia is more or less Tessa's polar opposite in every way. Conveniently, George meets Dallas Royce on a job (he's an architect), and the parents arrange for a sort of "play date" at the mall.

Hilarity at the culture clash can now ensue.

(ABC/KAREN NEAL) JEREMY SISTO, JANE LEVY, CHERYL HINES, CARLY CHAIKIN

It's a hard show to get a real hold of, at least at first, and while Tessa is a character that could theoretically make her mark on popular culture over the next few years, it's hard to envision that happening when the rest of the show doesn't seem absolutely convinced about where it's trying to go.

It's mostly clever, and certainly takes a harder edge than most things that come your way, but the majority of the pilot is almost like Bring it On meets ludicrous, airhead, trophy wives (which means that it's making fun of them while exploring them in their natural habitat), but the end sort of let's them off the hook... which is odd. Why build a show, apparently, around the idea of ruthlessly mocking a certain set of people, and then leave us hanging for the next episode by pulling back from doing so? Especially when the style of the show is giving us a certain feel of ruthlessness?

Still, there is a certain similarity in many respects to MTV's brilliant Awkward., which has recently made a pretty big splash, and I suppose that fact alone has its own set of pros and cons. The most unfortunate part there is that it is hard to imagine the similarity won't jump to mind, and it isn't nearly as good. On the positive side, it's mostly bold enough to live up to the generality of the comparison, and if things move forward without pulling punches, it may yet turn into something that will hook viewers.

The real question of the show, one way or another, won't be answered in the pilot, because what the show ultimately comes down to is where writer Emily Kapnek is going to go, and where she's going to be allowed to go. I get the feeling that the pilot was "softened" from some original version, probably in many ways, and this just isn't the sort of show that works in such a state.

This is a show that, as it is laid out for us anyway, has to go big or go home, which is the difficulty in getting some of the best shows to network television. Not that there is anything built into the show that needs to be more graphic, or suffers from a lack of cussing, but the show needs to move away from tempering itself, and go for the throat. Of course, I'm sure a lot of viewers will be surprised that I don't think it is already, but this is a show that needs to go too far in order to be interesting enough to really sink its teeth into audiences.

The gritty-esque teen who laments her move to suburbia, and all the trappings of same, is enough to get us through a couple of episodes, but it isn't enough to last long. In the case of Suburgatory, pretty good isn't good enough. It's either awesome, or it isn't going to be watched... that's just what flavor this show is. That's a shame too, because I'd sign up to follow Tessa's adventures, but I'm not convinced that's the show I'll really end up watching. Perhaps to give you some understanding, all things being more or less equal, if this show was premiering on HBO or Showtime, I'd tell you to make sure you never miss it.

Still, I'd be happy if the show proves me wrong, and six or seven episodes down the line I get to tell you just that.

Rating: ★★★½☆ 

Single father George only wants the best for his 16-year-old daughter, Tessa. So when he finds a box of condoms on her nightstand, he moves them both out of their apartment in New York City to a house in the suburbs. But all Tessa sees is the horror of over-manicured lawns and plastic Franken-moms. Being in the ‘burbs can be hell, but it also may just bring Tessa and George closer than they’ve ever been.

Tessa (Jane Levy) and George (Jeremy Sisto) have been on their own ever since Tessa’s mom pulled a “Kramer vs. Kramer” before Tessa was even potty trained. So far George has done a pretty good job of raising Tessa without a maternal figure in their lives, but suddenly he’s feeling a little out of his league. So it’s goodbye New York City and hello suburbs. At first Tessa is horrified by the big-haired, fake-boobed mothers and their sugar-free, Red Bull-chugging kids. But little by little, she and her dad begin finding a way to survive on the clean streets of the ‘burbs. Sure, the neighbors might smother you with love while their kids stare daggers at your back, but underneath all that plastic and caffeine, they’re really not half bad. And they do make a tasty pot roast.

The show stars Jeremy Sisto (“Law & Order”) as George Altman, Jane Levy (“Shameless”) as Tessa Altman, Carly Chaikin (“The Last Song”) as Dalia Royce, Rex Lee (“Entourage”) as Mr. Wolfe, Allie Grant (“Weeds”) as Lisa Shay, Alan Tudyk (“V”) as Noah Lerner and Cheryl Hines (“Curb Your Enthusiasm”) as Dallas Royce. Ana Gasteyer (“Saturday Night Live”) guest stars. Jay Mohr appears in the recurring role as Steven Royce, Dallas’ husband.

Emily Kapnek (“Hung”) writes and executive-produces this bitingly ironic single-camera comedy. “Suburgatory” was directed by Michael Fresco (“Raising Hope”), who also executive-produced the pilot. It is produced by Warner Bros. Television.

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© 2011, Are You Screening?. All rights reserved. Reprinting without express permission of the author is prohibited.

I hope you've been watching Top Shot, and I hope you've enjoyed some of the truly amazing competitions this time around, even if you had to sit through various installments of "Jake is a tool," along the way. Seriously though, there were cannons!

I've got a cool prize pack giveaway for three lucky winners, and I wanted to make sure that everyone knows about the Facebook App as well. It's a fantasy game called The Gauntlet, and it works by choosing your competitors, and making predictions. It's pretty cool, and there are a lot of prizes available.

Top Shot Fantasy Game: The Gauntlet https://apps.facebook.com/topshotthegauntlet/ where Top Shot fans can make predictions of who they think will walk away with the Season 3 title and the $100,000 grand prize. Each week, fans will be allowed to arrange the players in the order in which they think they will be eliminated to earn points. The final Top 10 players will receive a Top Shot Prize Pack that includes a $100 Bass Pro Shops gift card, Top Shot Season 1 and Season 2 DVD sets, t-shirt, shot glass, and an iPhone case.

The giveaway I have for you is for a Top Shot T-Shirt, Season 2 DVD, and a Top Shot iPhone case. (Season One is in the picture below, but it's Season Two you'll be getting.

To enter -

Leave a comment below, and let me know who your pick is to win the whole thing this season. That's it.

3 winners will be randomly selected on October 4th.

 
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© 2011, Are You Screening?. All rights reserved. Reprinting without express permission of the author is prohibited.

The sit-com market is an especially tricky game these days, and Whitney is an effort that seems to be trying largely to go back to a construct that used to capture people in droves, mixed with a somewhat updated sense of humor. It has certain Mad About You feel to things, but we're watching a different couple, in a different age. These are people who grew up with Seinfeld, and their friends are fans of Cougar Town (after the revamp). It's a bit more adult, and this is an era in which comedy often means being a bit more open to the speaking of one's mind, and letting the censors figure it out later.

This is not in the sense that there is a lot of cussing or vulgarity, but in the sense that when Whitney becomes uncertain about whether or not she's having sex with her boyfriend often enough, she goes to a sex shop and surprises him with a saucy nurse outfit. Even that likely paints too graphic a picture, because Whitney (Whitney Cummings) is more whimsy than vamp, and her flirty rendezvous involves as much paperwork as foreplay.

The show centers around Whitney and her boyfriend of three years, Alex (Chris D'Elia), and their small circle of friends. While the show clearly focuses on their relationship, and the fact that Whitney is very uncomfortable with the idea of marriage, it's ultimately more about the new age we're living in, especially those of us in relationships. Whitney's formative years have not made her marriage's biggest fan, but she doesn't want to lose Alex either, not that he isn't on board. She wants to be married, she just doesn't want to get married, or call what they are "married."

The pilot throws a lot of emphasis on Whitney's problems with the institution, but once we have that established, the show wanders more into the area of a stable sit-com, just with a couple who isn't married. Whitney's friend Roxanne (Rhea Seehorn) provides a lot of the relationship angst, being recently divorced and incredibly cynical. More than anything that works out to be "about" relationships, as opposed to something that riffs on them fairly frequently, the show is really more of a look at the unbelievable number of things that happen in a day that make us want to just throw up our hands, and say, "Really?!"

The greatest positive the show has is that you'll know exactly where you are from the pilot. Like most sit-coms born as the next step in the career of comedians, Whitney Cummings either delivers your brand of humor, or she doesn't. Not only is it a brand I like, the show delivers a style of comedy that not only feels fresh, but just fits wonderfully with today's socio-cultural vibe (let's assume I know such things). Whitney is spunky and clever, but what she really has a handle on is the fact that she has no clue what the hell she's doing. That doesn't stop her from throwing something out there.

Pictured: (l-r) Whitney Cummings as Whitney Cummings, Chris D'Elia as Alex Miller -- Photo by: Jordin Althaus/NBC

So far, Whitney is one of the better sit-coms I've run across in a while, but I'm always a little hesitant about such shows. There is sometimes a real falling off point about six or seven episodes in. In my mind I figure this is because they worked for a long time on the general content of what they're going to pitch, and the next thing you know they have to start cranking things out. My gut tells me there won't be any such problem here.

As I say, you have to work out the brand of humor here, and it's a trickier game than is often the case. When Whitney rifles through her underwear drawer trying to find something sexy without any luck, and finds a hammer oddly living among her pseudo-lingerie, she stares at it for several beats. It's lost in translation of course, but that's either really funny, or the sort of thing that goes past you without your even realizing it was meant to be funny.

Most of the show is quick and obvious, and I laughed out loud more than I usually do watching television. There's good material here for even casual fans, but if you really fall for Whitney, it's going to have some connection to that hammer and other quirky points of real brilliance.

Rating: ★★★★☆ 

Below you can find a trailer, and the first episode. Below that, check out the news about NBC and Yahoo partnering up for early looks at Whitney and Up All Night.

NBC PARTNERS WITH YAHOO! TO OFFER EXCLUSIVE NEW EPISODES OF NEW COMEDIES ‘UP ALL NIGHT’ AND ‘WHITNEY’ TO BE STREAMED ON YAHOO! ON SEPTEMBER 27-28 BEFORE NETWORK BROADCAST

NBC will partner with Yahoo! to offer exclusive original episodes of its new comedies -- “Up All Night” (Wednesdays, 8-8:30 p.m. ET) and “Whitney” (Thursdays, 9:30-10 p.m. ET) -- that will be streamed and promoted on the site prior to the regular network broadcast beginning on the morning of Tuesday, September 27.

The exclusive first look at this Wednesday’s (September 28) episode of “Up All Night” features guest stars Will Forte (“Saturday Night Live”) and Jorma Taccone (“Saturday Night Live”). As Chris (Will Arnett) tries to get Reagan (Christina Applegate) to bring the sexy back into their relationship with some advice from his new friend Reed (Forte). Meanwhile, when Ava (Maya Rudolph) finds out her ex-boyfriend, B-Ro (Taccone), is getting married, she blames Reagan for the advice she gave her that caused them to break up.

Viewers streaming “Whitney” will get an advance look this Thursday’s (September 29) which features happily unmarried couple Whitney (Whitney Cummings) and Alex (Chris D’Elia) also finding new ways to keep it sexy. When Whitney realizes that she and Alex have never gone on an official first date she comes up with an unusual idea to recreate the past. Taking this role-play very seriously -- as only Whitney can -- she insists that they both follow the "rules" of a first date, including pretending that they don’t know each other. Thus the two awkwardly go to dinner and cap off the night by sleeping in separate apartments. Continuing the charade into the next day the two turn to their friends to plot their next moves.

In addition to the exclusive premieres, users can access previously broadcast episodes of “Up All Night” and “Whitney” on Yahoo!.

"Up All Night," created by Emily Spivey (NBC's "Parks and Recreation" and "Saturday Night Live") and executive produced by Lorne Michaels (NBC’s "Saturday Night Live" and "30 Rock"), is an irreverent look at modern parenthood.

"Up All Night" is a Broadway Video and Universal Television production. Along with Michaels and Spivey, Jon Pollack ("30 Rock") and Erin David ("Saturday Night Live") serve as executive producers. Christina Applegate, Eric Kranzler and Andrew Singer are producers.

NBC’s new multi-camera comedy “Whitney” is a hilarious look at modern day love, which centers around Whitney (Whitney Cummings, “Chelsea Lately”) and Alex (Chris D’Elia, “Glory Daze”), a happily unmarried couple. Together for three years, the duo is in no rush to get hitched, which seems to get a mixed response from their friends.

“Whitney” is produced by Universal Television in association with Stuber Pictures. Stuber (“The Break Up”), Quan Phung, Betsy Thomas (“My Boys”) and Barry Katz (“Last Comic Standing”) are executive producers along with Cummings and executive producer/writer Andy Ackerman (“Seinfeld,” “The New Adventures of Old Christine”), who directed the pilot.

Please follow “Whitney” on: http://www.facebook.com/NBCWhitney and at http://twitter.com/NBCWhitney.

Please follow “Up All Night” on http://www.facebook.com/NBCUpAllNight and at http://twitter.com/NBCUpAllNight.
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© 2011, Are You Screening?. All rights reserved. Reprinting without express permission of the author is prohibited.