The new season of The Office premieres tonight on NBC; I‘m so excited I can hardly stand it. Of course, like most Office fans, I will be approaching this season with a little trepidation, seeing as it is Michael Scott‘s last season. All summer I have been firmly ensconced in the "The Office needs to end when Michael leaves" camp, but after watching the behind the scenes videos with: Ed Helms (Andy), Brian Baumgartner (Kevin), Ellie Kemper (Erin), and John Krasinski (Jim), I realized how much I have missed the Dunder Mifflin gang during the summer hiatus.  Read more »

The biggest gamble of the TV season has paid off. CBS decided to move its hit comedy The Big Bang Theory to Thursday to start a new night of comedy and try to steal the thunder from NBC‘s long-standing Must-See TV lineup.Mission accomplished.  Read more »

If there is one thing that NBC does right, it is Thursday night comedies. The peacock network has long championed some of TV‘s best sitcoms. The jury is still out on whether or not their new effort Outsourced will be the next buzzy show like Community, or an unfortunate misfire like Kath & Kim. Either way NBC still has a solid lineup of comedies that has kept me tuning in all these years.Here are some clips, interviews and deleted scenes from last night‘s best three comedies: The Office, 30 Rock and Community. Read more »

How about some of today‘s TV news in 300 words?The Office May Get a HeroHeroes‘ alum Jack Coleman, who played Noah Bennet on the NBC series, is in talks to guest star on an upcoming episode of The Office. If he takes the role, Coleman (who just shot an upcoming episode of The Mentalist) will play a wholesome government agent. What in the world is a government agent doing on The Office? I wonder if a government agent‘s presence has anything to do with the malfunctioning Sabre printers? Or, perhaps it has to do with Michael Scott‘s exit? The suspense is killing me! [Ausiello] Read more »

In Scranton it was an all office showdown. We saw battles that pitted: Michael vs. Toby, Pam vs. Gabe, and Dwight vs. the "appearanceists" at the Steamtown Mall. Pam, frustrated by her lack of sales skills,  used her smarts to create a position for herself. She started a whispering campaign to make others believe that she had been promoted to the position of office administrator. The way she finagled her way into getting everyone‘s signature proved that she is an excellent sales woman. When Gabe caught wind of Pam‘s scheme he tried to weasel it out of her, but Pam‘s power play/staring contest worked when she didn‘t own up to any wrong doing. Read more »

When the seventh season of The Office opened with Andy initiating that glorious lip dub, I thought: "I need more Andy." This week‘s episode of The Office promises to give me exactly what I want! The episode, titled "Andy‘s Play," revolves around the opening night of Andy‘s community theatre production of Sweeney Todd. We all know that the Andy is an accomplished singer, but I‘m sure he has other reasons for being in the play ... like impressing Erin.I was pretty shocked to see that the season opened with Erin dating Gabe (seriously Erin ... Gabe?). I‘m hoping that there will be an arc this season that features our favorite Cornell grad winning back the heart of the red headed receptionist. Just like Holly Flax is a perfect match for Michael Scott, so is Erin for Andy. Each coupling is perfect for each other because they share the right amount of zany behavior, big personalities and even bigger hearts. Plus, if Andy finally hooks up with Erin we can finally bury that lame Andy/Angela storyline.    Read more »

Take a moment to grab a bite of the latest TV news in 300 words.A Gleeful OfficeGet ready to Gleek out Office fans. Word is out that an entire upcoming episode of The Office will be dedicated to Glee. Well, watching Glee that is. Even though no one from Glee will appear in the episode I am really hoping the office mates do their take on the cast and sing-a-long with the show. After The Office season 7 opened with such a glorious lip dub, it should come as no surprise that the employees at Dunder Mifflin are all about Glee. And if the episode they watch is as quotable as this week‘s Glee, we are in for a treat. It‘s pretty cool of NBC (or is it?) to devote an entire episode of The Office to promoting an already hit show on FOX. [Ausiello] Read more »

It is impossible not to view every episode of The Office season 7 through the lens of Michael‘s future departure. Every bad joke, smirk, blank stare, and awkward moment coming from Michael reminds me just how much I‘m going to miss having our boss around next season. The good news is, the first three episodes of The Office season 7 have worked hard to remind me that there are other people on this show that I love, and will continue to love, as long as the show lasts (so long as they keep up the good work). This week‘s episode, "Andy‘s Play," did a remarkable job of reminding me why I fell in love with The Office to begin with. Sure the episode had severely uncomfortable moments (Michael finding out he didn‘t get a part in the play was devastatingly funny) but it also had surprisingly touching moments. Early fans of The Office tuned in every week not only to see what shenanigans Michael was up to, but also wanted to follow the touching "will they or wont they" relationship drama of Jim and Pam. Aside from Michael‘s dalliance with Holly, there hasn‘t been much relationship drama on The Office to fill my craving, especially now that Jim and Pam are domesticated.  Read more »

Holiday themed episodes are one of TV‘s oldest and best traditions. And if you‘re a fan of TV (that‘s why you‘re here of course) then you know that Halloween themed episodes are a great way to get in the spirit of season and gear up for the big night. So lock the doors, get out the candy, and prepare to be spooked because it‘s that time of year again where our favorite TV shows treat (or trick) us with Halloween themed episodes. With All Hallows‘ Eve right around the corner we‘ve rounded up a motley list of TV shows that will be airing haunting episodes and channels that will be celebrating all month long. Take a look at the list of upcoming Halloween episodes and see if your favorite show has anything creepy planned. Read more »

After such a classic episode as last week‘s "Andy‘s Play," it‘s perfectly understandable that this week‘s installment of The Office was just OK. The premise seemed golden; Michael reunites with all his former lovers to figure out who gave him herpes. (I‘m laughing just typing that synopsis.) But the direction the episode took wasn‘t conventional and ended up being a more interesting introspection of Michael Scott. I know that awkward moments are what The Office does best but seeing Michael embarrass himself in front of all his former lovers was almost too hard to watch. The episode tricked us into thinking that Michael confronting all his exes would be funny. The result wasn‘t funny but rather sad. Watching Michael come to the realization that he has either screwed up or over romanticized all past relationships left me feeling really bad for the guy. But he shouldn‘t feel too bad about Jan, she really turned out to be quite a mess.Discuss who Michael should end up with.  Read more »

Sometimes in work or life you need a good distraction. TV can be a great source of ideas, and I have found four examples of great ways to waste time, resolve fights, get drunk or just argue with your friends over a trivial matter.  Read more »

Did anyone else notice the common threads holding all the amazing comedy episodes together last night? There were girls‘ name insults on both Community and 30 Rock, and Mean Girls references on both Community and The Office. (Hey, Tina Fey made that movie. The NBC comedy circle is complete! Sorry, Outsourced.)OK, maybe there were only two specific common threads, but while we‘re on the topic: The more 30 Rock and It‘s Always Sunny in Philadelphia that I watch on the same night, the more I think that Tracy Jordan would fit in with the gang, and that he and Charlie Day are soul mates. Tracy would totally provide a photo of Bruce Jenner as his resume. He probably already plays Nightcrawlers, but just doesn‘t know what it‘s called. And if Charlie had the money to facilitate it, he‘s almost certainly get a submarine DUI.This is a new weekly segment I plan to write every Friday with my favorite/the best (synonyms, duh) quotes and moments, storylines and what-not from last night‘s 30 Rock, The Office, Community and It‘s Always Sunny from Philadelphia. (And Parks and Recreation, when it wakes up and moves back into my heart.) It‘s also a place for you to say your own thoughts on these shows, because I know you have them, and I bet they are different from my thoughts, and I bet that they are interesting both for that fact and in their own right! Plus: There are other shows on Thursday night. Do you like The League? Outsourced? How about, umm ... other shows? Feel free to talk about those, too. Aren‘t Thursday nights the greatest?  Read more »

It is the considerable opinion of BuddyTV that the people should not be allowed to vote. This morning the 2011 People‘s Choice Award nominees were announced and the choices are less than inspired. Sure, like a broken clock, some of the choices show an impressive exhibition of taste (nominating Ian Somerhalder‘s highly entertaining performance on The Vampire Diaries), but mostly, it‘s an embarrassment. Read more »

It‘s the second installment of Thursday Night Comedy Club! I hope that today you‘ll join me in sharing your favorites from last night‘s comedies, because so far I‘m the only member of this club, and that is a sad and painful sensation I haven‘t felt since I tried to start the Grammar Club in high school. (Kids just don‘t get fired up about misplaced modifiers like they used to.)Anyway: Wow! Last night‘s episodes, from 30 Rock‘s sexy butts (I‘m talking about Liz Lemon‘s and John Slattery‘s, obviously) to Community‘s laugh-a-second bottle episode to It‘s Always Sunny‘s homemade Lethal Weapon sequel, was, to borrow a phrase from another classic comedy, solid as a rock. And while The Office wasn‘t exactly keeping pace with the others on the laugh ratio, it certainly contained another touching redemption moment for Michael and some heartbreaking development for characters we‘ve grown to know and love despite themselves, like Andy and Angela. Good work all around. And what about The League? Outsourced? Big Bang Theory? I didn‘t watch any of those, but maybe you did, and maybe you have something to say about them! But real quick: My favorite quotes from the shows I did watch. TGIF. LOL.  Read more »

NBC announced its mid-season schedule today, and I‘m confused. It feels like the network is playing a game of program Boggle, putting all its shows into the cube, shaking it up, and letting random chance decide where shows end up.  Read more »

Here we are again, comedy pals! Last night was another solid one when it came to yuckin‘ it up, even doubly so for me, because instead of staying in and watching these shows when they aired, I went to an actual comedy club and saw the very funny comedian Kyle Kinane do live comedy. It is his job, and he is way too good at it. (He has a Comedy Central Presents coming out soon. Watch it. You will like it.) And then, when I got home, I had all these hilarious recorded TV shows waiting for me. Sometimes life is just a chuckle-fest, you know?Speaking of people who are too good at their jobs of making us laugh: Community, 30 Rock and It‘s Always Sunny in Philadelphia have been on some real hot streaks lately, haven‘t they? After last night‘s "Conspiracy Theories and Interior Design," I came to the conclusion that Community is revolutionizing how much funny you can stuff into 22 minutes. And 30 Rock is at the top of the field when it comes to pretty much telling the same story over and over ("Liz Lemon can‘t be cool!") but making it feel new and great each time. Any Sunny episode all about Charlie is great, and last night‘s "Charlie Kelly: King of the Rats" was no exception.Full disclosure, I haven‘t watched The Office‘s "WUPHF.com" yet, but maybe you did, so you be the blog: What did you think of it?Here are the highlights of those other shows I just mentioned, plus quotes and videos: Read more »

Tomorrow night, the Thursday Night Comedy Club will magically transform into the Thursday Night Christmas Comedy Club, with three extra-special holiday-themed episodes airing on NBC.So bust out your ‘nog, throw a log in the fire and kiss your DVR under the mistletoe. (What? I don‘t know.) Here are five great reasons to watch NBC between 8 and 10pm tomorrow: Read more »

This morning the Golden Glode Award nominations were announced, and the TV side featured some truly outrageous nominations. While shows like Glee and 30 Rock picked up many expected nominations, who could‘ve seen someone like Scott Caan getting nominated for Hawaii Five-0? Or Piper Perabo for USA‘s Covert Affairs?The Golden Globes also gave love to new shows like Boardwalk Empire, The Walking Dead and The Big C. Read more »

Just two days after the Golden Globe nominations were announced, the Screen Actors Guild unveiled their nominations. While the drama side is rather predictable, the comedy line-up is full of surprises, including two nominations for TV Land‘s Hot in Cleveland.  Read more »

It‘s almost the New Year: The exciting time of change and new beginnings, yes. But in order to make that change happen, we also need to make it the time of honest self-assessment and (hopefully) absolution. And so I must come clean: Among these TV-themed bad habits, I have been guilty of at least five. OK, more like seven. Fine, nine. Screw it, I‘ve done ALL OF THEM. Nobody‘s perfect, and me, even less so. But I hope that laying them all out here will put us (talking at you, my fellow mistake-making TV fans out there) on the right track to a better relationship with our shows and screens going forward. It‘s important work, and that‘s why we do it.So here I come, New Year. Here are the TV habits I hope to kick in 2011:  Read more »

Ricky Gervais is officially having the best week ever. Friday was the season 2 premiere of his hilarious animated HBO series, The Ricky Gervais Show. On Sunday he hosted the Golden Globes and received more press than any of the winners for his caustic wit. Now comes news that Gervais will soon be appearing on the American version of the show he started, The Office.  Read more »

Welcome to The GBU, a weekly column coming every Monday where I look at the Good, the Bad and the Ugly on TV.Recently there‘s a huge boom of American remakes of British shows. MTV has Skins, Showtime has Shameless and Syfy has Being Human. While it‘s still far too early to adequately judge any of these three shows to see if they have a lasting impact, there have been plenty previous attempts to adapt a British series for American audiences. Some have succeeded, most have failed.  Read more »

Did you make it through NBC‘s first marathon Thursday Night Comedy Block last night? I won‘t lie to you, Internet: Three hours is a long time to do anything, even laugh. I don‘t blame you if you skipped out on a few minutes to eat or sleep, especially if you did it during Outsourced. But why am I talking about Outsourced? That‘s breaking my New Year‘s Resolution to pretend Outsourced doesn‘t exist. (It‘s my life and it‘s precious and that‘s how I want to live it!)But back to shows that ought to be celebrated for existing: Here are my quick thoughts and favorite clips from Parks and Rec, The Office, 30 Rock and Community. What say you, laugh-mongers?  Read more »

Most of us are probably happy that spring is fast approaching, but there‘s one dark cloud on the metaphorical horizon, at least for TV fans: Spring means no more Steve Carell on The Office, as he announced he‘d be leaving the show a few episodes shy of the season 7 finale.With the return of Amy Ryan as Michael‘s lady-love Holly, and many of the office workers coming into their own in various ways, this season of The Office has been about building up to a worthy and fitting send-off for Michael Scott. Yesterday, NBC announced another way they plan to ease viewers into the idea that The Office can survive without Michael, or at least distract from the idea: Will Ferrell is coming to Scranton! Read more »

Who‘s ready to see their Office universes collide? It‘s the weird moment Office fans have been waiting for: Tonight, Ricky Gervais cameos on The Office as David Brent, the original Michael Scott before Michael Scott was even Michael Scott. And we‘ve got the moment right here, so you can sneak a peek before the episode, or simply play and replay after you watch all of "Seminar" when it airs at 9pm tonight on NBC.Even if the cognitive dissonance gives you an icky feeling deep inside (that‘s what she said), I dare you not to smile as David and Michael share a brief and magical encounter. Dare you. WATCH: Read more »

Watch clips and read my favorite parts from the first two hours of NBC‘s Thursday Night comedy block last night, then share your own! I didn‘t watch Perfect Couples again (because I‘m single and it‘s forbidden) or Outsourced (because I do not like that show) but feel free to chat it up about those, too. I watched Archer and Jersey Shore instead. Did you watch Archer? Archer is great.PS: As always, all these full episodes are available to watch on NBC.com and Hulu. Happy Friday to us! Read more »

The news that Will Ferrell will guest star at the end of this season of The Office, just as Steve Carell makes his much-discussed exit (along with lady-love Amy Ryan/Holly Flax), led many fans to theorize that perhaps Ferrell would not just be stopping by to ease the pain or distract from the extraction, but that his "inappropriate branch manager" character might instead be Michael Scott‘s replacement. Though the news that his arc would only span four episodes didn‘t bode well for this theory, Carell and Ferrell‘s comic similarities and co-starring history were enough to give the theory legs--at least in our imaginations.Alas, no dice, Ferrell fans: EW spoke with Office star Rainn Wilson, who assures us that Ferrell is a guest and only a guest:  Read more »

In many sitcoms, the humor comes from laughing at the characters. They‘re so stupid, so crazy or so offensive that we need to mock them. Every once in a while, however, a comedy arrives on television that allows us to laugh with the characters. Traffic Light is one such comedy, and it‘s great. Read more »

Ahh, Valentine‘s Day. Whether it makes you want to kiss Cupid for stabbing you or stab Cupid for making no one want to kiss you, there are two solid reasons to be glad the holiday exists, and they both air tomorrow night: Community‘s "Early 21st Century Romanticism" and The Office‘s "PDA." Check out preview clips and some teaser bits for both hilarious holiday-themed episodes below: Read more »

The countdown is on until Steve Carell makes his highly (high as the heavens!) anticipated exit from The Office at the end of this season, and UK Office creator and star Ricky Gervais has officially made his suggestion for Michael Scott‘s replacement at Dunder-Mifflin: Will Arnett. "Had a little meeting with NBC about various things and recommended Will Arnett for a regular in The Office. Thoughts? I think he‘s amazing," Gervais wrote in his blog. My thoughts: Like most of Gervais‘s ideas, I like it! So he didn‘t say "Michael‘s replacement" in so many words, but it‘s hard to imagine Arnett in another "regular" role than as the bossy, hapless and hilarious new regional manager. He‘s just too big a personality, and a talent, to play second-string to a different new character, don‘t you think?Arnett is probably available, since his FOX show Running Wilde was canceled earlier this year, and we know he‘d fit right in on NBC Thursday nights: He recurs on 30 Rock as closet-case Devon Banks, and made a delightful cameo last season opposite his real-life wife Amy Poehler on her show (which is killing it again this season), Parks and Recreation. Isn‘t The Office the next logical step? (And then, if he showed up on Community, would he win some sort of awesomeness bingo?) Read more »

Welcome to The GBU, a weekly column coming every Monday where I look at the Good, the Bad and the Ugly on TV.It‘s Valentine‘s Day, and as cold and shriveled as my heart may be, I still love a big, romantic gesture. Love Actually is one of my favorite movies because there‘s nothing better than professing your love in a huge, glorious spectacle. But there‘s a right way to do it, and a wrong way.  Read more »

Last night The Office tried something very different by premiering Michael Scott‘s film, Threat Level Midnight. He‘s been working on it for 10 years, and the majority of the episode was the actual film he‘d made. But was it a hit?Absolutely not.  Read more »

Life is complicated. TV can help. "What Would TV Do?" attempts to explore life‘s mysteries, problems and everyday situations with the assistance of the life lessons offered by television. Read more »

Ahhh, St. Patrick‘s Day. The day we all celebrate Irish heritage by eating corned beef and cabbage, wearing green, kissing gingers and ... getting monumentally, masochistically, merrily, magnificently TRASHED.Maybe because they‘ve got so many good "This one time, when I was wasted..." stories, or maybe because watching drunk people is just so funnyyyyy, TV comedy writers love to get their characters drunk and let them wreak havoc. And we love watching them do it!So warm up for your own epic drinking adventure tonight with these 9 hilarious drunken escapades from recent TV past. Or use them as a warning to regulate your own behavior this evening. Your choice! Read more »

In a move that proves all TV executives are not soulless monsters out to destroy quality television, the chairman of NBC has announced the renewal of three of its Thursday night comedies: Community, Parks and Recreation and The Office. Read more »

Hmm ... just a few weeks after Ricky Gervais posted on his blog that his dream replacement for Steve Carell on the US Office is Will Arnett, both comedy heavyweights are now slated to appear in the one-hour season 7 finale, set to air May 19.Details about the pivotal episode are slim, according to EW, who broke the story this morning. Not because they‘re keeping secrets (though they‘re likely doing that, too!) but because the episode is still being written. As we learned earlier this spring, Will Ferrell will also appear in a few episodes as a guest (and only a guest, not a Michael Scott replacement), and EW notes that "there will be other notable guest stars as well."Steve Carell‘s last Office episode airs April 28, and it‘s all still speculation as to who will replace his character as the new regional manager. EW‘s source warns us that "one shouldn‘t assume that just because Gervais and Arnett are in the finale, that either is going to replace Carell next season as the Office boss." But Gervais‘s recent cameo as David Brent, and his declaration that Arnett might be the best man for the job, certainly point to their both being frontrunners for the gig. Or am I just hoping and dreaming here?  Read more »

Tonight on The Office, Michael will prepare to pop the big question to Holly, cuing all of us to prepare for Steve Carell‘s big exit from the series in a few weeks. (*sniff*)But in true Michael-style, the question isn‘t just whether Holly will say yes. As you can see in the clip below, the first question is whether he‘ll survive his own attempt at grand romantic gesture: Read more »

Michael Scott is leaving. Thursday‘s emotional episode of The Office ended with Michael‘s genuinely romantic and funny proposal to Holly as well as the shocking revelation that he‘s leaving to go to Colorado with her.  Read more »

Yesterday, EW reported that Will Ferrell revealed he was planning, or at least hoping, to join The Office full-time after his upcoming four-episode guest arc this season. Here‘s what he told them when they ran into him on the Comedy Awards red carpet:"Yes, I‘m taking over. [...] My character‘s name is Deangelo Vickers, he loves the American Southwest, and he‘s just kind of in his own way going to step into Michael Scott‘s shoes and try to fill them."When asked if the multiple episodes could become a regular gig, Ferrell replied, "Yeah. A regular, full-time gig."Even EW was skeptical when they reported this "news," including two anonymous "insider" naysayers and Rainn Wilson as saying Ferrell was probably kidding, because as a star who pulls $20 million a film, "he‘s got other fish to fry." And it turns out Ferrell was totally kidding, as Vulture caught up with Office producer Paul Lieberstein (aka Toby Flenderson!) to clear up the rumor once and for all: Read more »

Now that the rumor has been cleared up once and for all, we can finally get away from speculating whether Will Ferrell is replacing Steve Carell (he‘s not) and move on to simply appreciating his presence as a fabulous guest to the Scranton gang.Check out how Ferrell is making himself at home at Dunder-Mifflin, and how the rest of the cast is adjusting to the managerial transition: Read more »

Is all this Office casting news making your head spin yet? Well, screw it back on tight, because there‘s more speculation to be had ... right now:TVLine reports that Ray Romano, British actress Catherine Tate and the great James Spader (Boston Legal) will all appear in the Office season 7 finale, which already boasts guests Will Arnett and Ricky Gervais. Ausiello suggests that these three could be on the short list as Steve Carell replacements, but Mindy Kaling‘s recent tweets tell a different story: The Office writer/Kelly Kapoor says Arnett will play the Scranton Strangler, while Spader will play his public defender. It‘s possible Kaling could be misdirecting us, but since she also joked about how Spader and Arnett would share a "Secretary"-like storyline, the Strangler reveal sounds more legit. It at least sounds like more exciting casting than a room full of comedy heavyweights all vying for one little regional manager gig.  Read more »

Next Thursday, The Office returns in the company of one of its biggest guest stars to date: The great Will Ferrell, who will swoop in after the news of Michael‘s departure to take over as regional manager.How will the Dunder-Mifflinites react to the change? And what‘s DeAngelo‘s deal? We don‘t know the whole story yet, but these two clips from the April 14 episode set the scene: Read more »

As a lady who doesn‘t know much about sports, isn‘t from the Northeast, doesn‘t wear hats and only knows the names of professional athletes if they‘re involved in a sex scandal or date a Kardashian, it would seem that I am about as far away from New Era‘s target demo as I could be. But I do love primetime comedies, and the sexy, funny leading men who star in them. Which is why I bring you this New Era commercial starring 30 Rock‘s Alec Baldwin and The Office‘s John Krasinski. I could listen to these two banter about anything, and I have a feeling that is exactly New Era‘s strategy in hiring these two as their new spokes-duo, representing the age-old Yankees/Red Sox rivalry. Even though I have no stake in the matter, I can still appreciate a good banter session when I see one. So good job, New Era! Way to give us comedy nerds (and ladiezzzz) a break. We might not buy too many hats, but we will watch your new commercial:  Read more »

Fred Henry. Merv Bronte. Nellie Bertrum. Robert California.These folks may not be real, but these are their real names, folks. Mindy Kaling says so herself! The Office writer and actress got the go-ahead from Paul Lieberstein (hi, Toby!) to share the upcoming Office guest stars‘ character names with us today, and they‘re on par with Ferrell‘s DeAngelo Vickars, as fake awesome names go: Read more »

Three weeks ago, we all watched with joy as Michael Scott made Holly Flax the happiest, wackiest girl in the world and put a ring on it, as the kids say. It was one of the sweetest Office moments ever -- up there with Jim and Pam‘s first kiss and their Niagara wedding, as far as happy chills go. And then the inevitable bomb, the one we‘ve been speculating about for what seems like a hundred months now: Holly needs to go home to Colorado to care for her ailing father, and her new fiance, Michael, has decided to go with her. All this, as we know too well, to set up Steve Carell‘s very real departure from the series. For good.So that‘s the context that brings us to tonight‘s Office return, "Training Day," and one of their biggest guest star "gets," as those in the ‘biz say: Will Ferrell. Whether you love him or hate him in the movies, I‘m guessing you approached his three-episode stint on The Office with a bit of anxiety. We all fear change. Especially when it comes in the form of one well known comedy actor replacing another on our beloved show. So: How‘d he do?  Read more »

The CW typically gets ignored as a second-rate network, especially when compared to the others. Typically, when looking at the ratings, the shows on the CW are the lowest-rated programs of the night. Well, not today.Last night, a new episode of the CW‘s The Vampire Diaries beat the second episode of NBC‘s new comedy, The Paul Reiser Show. The Vampire Diaries was watched by by 2.65 million while The Paul Reiser Show got a measly 2.5 million.  Read more »

If you want proof that The Office needs to be taken out behind the woodshed and put down like a rabid dog, look no further than the latest episode, "Michael‘s Last Dundies." The half-hour was painfully unfunny and a sad reminder of what The Office used to be.  Read more »

Tonight marks Steve Carell‘s last episode of The Office. (Nooooo!)Today, we take a look back at some of Michael Scott‘s most vital life lessons from his tenure at Dunder Mifflin. So grab your "World‘s Best Boss" mug, put on a little "Lazy Scranton," and read them. Learn them. Live them.  Read more »

"The people that you work with, when you get down to it, are your very best friends. They say on your death bed you never wish you spent more time at the office, but I will. Gotta be better than a death bed. I never understood death beds. Who would buy that?"He made us laugh. He made us cringe. He even made us cry (or come close) at times. And now, after much deserved ado, he said goodbye. Catch you on the flippity flip, Mike.It was a little difficult to remember that last night‘s Office episode, "Goodbye, Michael Scott," wasn‘t the final episode of the season. As we‘ve been saying for more than a year now, in many ways The Office is Michael Scott. But the hour-long episode made sure, alongside as much deft and genuine care it took to give Michael a fitting farewell, to also remind us that the series, and the other characters, will go on without him. Too much of a softy to handle a protracted goodbye (even to the point of missing his own send-off party -- normally that amount of attention would send him over the moon), Michael told everyone he‘d be leaving for Colorado the next day, but in truth he was flying off to meet Holly that evening. And so he spent his last day at the office saying his individual farewells to each of the workers, who (mostly) didn‘t know that they were saying farewell. It was an hour full of sweet moments and touching call-backs to everything that they, and we along with them, have been through together. Each goodbye hit a chord, calling to mind just how deep and dimensional the relationships between these characters have grown over the years, but here are the five final Michael moments that really tugged at my Office-loving heartstrings: Read more »

The smartest character on The Office is the unseen camera man. While the show doesn‘t often reference the documentary film crew, Michael Scott‘s final episode did as the ex-boss took off his mic before leaving forever. While the goodbyes were sweet, there was something even bigger going on in the background of the episode that some fans may have missed: The connection between Erin and Phyllis.  Read more »

We heard reports about the Office finale guest star rampage a couple weeks ago, but the teaser video after last Thursday‘s "Goodbye Michael Scott" (watch the preview again below!) made the news feel real: Spader, Tate, Romano, Arnett, Gervais and Jim Carrey are all coming to Scranton to "throw their hats in the ring" to replace Michael. Although Mindy Kaling has been tweeting character details that hint not all the roles will be middle-management material. One thing we now know for sure: Ray Romano will be wearing glasses. It looks weirder than I thought it would. With three more episodes to go in season 7, The Office has a lot of ground to cover, starting with getting rid of Deangelo, and this preview shows we‘ll have plenty of laughs along the way. And they‘re not the only ones with exciting guest stars! This Thursday, the Pawnee Parks and Recreation department will visit the fancy-pants Eagleton government to discuss a pressing fencing issue, and they‘ll be met by the legendarily hilarious Parker Posey. Meanwhile, Community‘s upcoming double-episode paintball epic will get some heavy-lifting help from super-hot (per usual) Josh Holloway. Watch the clips now:  Read more »

Last week‘s final Steve Carell episode of The Office was pretty dramatic. But you don‘t know true Office drama until you‘ve heard the dramatic tale of Subtle Sexuality, the girl group started by Kelly and Erin that burst onto the Scranton scene with their instant classic, "Male Prima Donna," in 2009.Check out the latest Subtle Sexuality webisodes, both directed by Mindy Kaling, telling the band‘s origin story and debuting their latest single, "The Girl Next Door."  Read more »

What a great Thursday night for FOX. Rupert Murdoch broke out the good champagne to fill his pool with last night. Both American Idol and Bones saw sizable increases in viewers over last week. CBS fared well with The Big Bang Theory and The Mentalist.It was announced yesterday that Bones, FOX‘s hit forensic crime figurehead, would be renewed for a seventh season, despite star Emily Deschanel‘s pregnancy. Bones flourished under the news, with a whopping 18% increase over last week, and a total of 11.09 million viewers. Looks like FOX made the right call in renewing Bones. Read more »

OK, now these casting leaks are just getting weird. But still good-weird. I hope.Variety reports that billionaire investor Warren Buffett will join the long list of celebrity guest stars slated to appear in the upcoming Office season finale. He‘ll pop in for a cameo as one of the many people applying for Michael Scott‘s vacant regional manager position, alongside the already reported Ray Romano, James Spader, Catherine Tate, Ricky Gervais, Will Arnett and Jim Carrey. Kathy Bates will also appear in the episode, "Search Committee," as Sabre CEO Jo Bennett.Variety sheds some light on how and why Buffett got hooked in -- apparently, he owes them a favor:  Read more »

Ed Helms is hosting Saturday Night Live this weekend, with musical guest Paul Simon, meaning that we may just be able to double-down on solid episodes with inherently funny hosts after last weekend‘s Tina Fey-filled hour. Unless Ed succumbs to terrible amnesia or keeps missing simple hand cues, as he does in these promos with Fred Armisen. And below that, JUST FOR FUN, check out one of Helms‘ oldie-but-goodie segments from when he was a Daily Show correspondent. I was inspired to check out the online archive after a Daily Show commercial reminded me that I could do that. Thanks, The Internet! Read more »

After a big increase last week for FOX viewers, ratings normalized last night for shows like American Idol and Bones. Idol saw a slight drop, while Bones remained steady. We also saw slight drops across the board.Idol‘s results show last night, in which the Halford-like rocker James Durbin was dealt the voter axe, dipped just slightly in viewers over last week, with 23.58 million viewers tuning in. Still a hefty number, and enough to put FOX on top for the evening. The elimination of James is a bit of a shock to some Idol fans. Many envisioned the young rocker making it to the final two. Will his leaving the show affect the viewership? Likely not. Besides, history has shown that winning Idol isn‘t always the most lucrative prize, as the runner-ups often see more success. Read more »

In a year when it seems like the networks are all rushing to get their next-season news out before each other, we probably shouldn‘t be surprised that NBC has chosen to announce its 2011-2012 season on a Sunday morning. The schedule has a few familiar names, a whole bunch of new stuff and a fair amount of shuffling. Read more »

It‘s hard to believe the SNL season is almost at an end, but The Hangover and Office star Ed Helms helped ease us into the idea with a light, fun, generally likable penultimate episode. And musical guest Paul Simon wasn‘t the only legend (musical or otherwise) at 30 Rock this weekend. Check out the must-watch sketches of the night: Read more »

Here‘s your BuddyTV High Five: The five big moments and questions from tonight‘s episode of The Office, "Goodbye Michael Scott."High Five Highlights:1. On Michael‘s second-to-last day at the office, he begins saying his goodbyes to everyone and gives them all parting gifts. He repairs his and Dwight‘s relationship by asking for advice about the bears in Colorado and giving him a letter of recommendation as his parting gift. They meet for a paintball match behind the building.2. Gabe is losing it after Erin publicly dumped him at the Dundie Awards. He corners Andy in the bathroom and tells him to stay away from Erin. Jim witnesses the incident but is more concerned that the cameras were filming in the bathroom. Later, Gabe and Erin argue in the ladies‘ room when Erin learns of Gabe‘s recent behavior.3. Michael gets cold feet when he starts to realize how different life will be in Colorado. He calls Holly to tell her he can‘t do it, but ends up being reassured when he hears her voice.4. Jim realizes Michael is planning on leaving today, not tomorrow. They share a special moment as Jim tells Michael, "What a great boss you turned out to be."5. Michael has to leave without saying goodbye to Pam; she was out all day shopping for a new shredder. Pam catches Michael just before he gets to airport security. They say their goodbyes and share a big hug before Michael heads off to Colorado. Read more »

Last night, FOX dominated with the steadily rising American Idol and the season finale of Bones. Bones aired its season finale last night, and ended the episode with quite the surprise. The episode was Bones‘ highest rated finale since 2008, with 10.05 million viewers. Fans are hungry for more Bones, so it‘s going to be a long summer.And if you missed last night‘s finale, check out our Bones recap here. Read more »

Before the episode aired, I‘d read reports saying that last night‘s one-hour Office season 7 finale, "Search Committee," would not resolve the question we‘ve been posing for what feels like two years now: Who will replace Michael Scott? To the disappointment of my waning curiosity, those reports proved true, as Jim and his committee interviewed several, err, interesting candidates, but at the end of the hour are still nowhere near a decision about who will be manager of the branch when we return to Scranton in the fall. I‘m not typically so impatient, but seeing that we‘ve been seriously analyzing this impending decision since September, I was hoping for at least a little movement on the matter, even if it meant finally, decisively, knocking a few candidates‘ hats out of the ring.  Read more »

Summer used to be a total bummer for us TV fans. As the last of our favorite shows wrote "S.W.A.K." in our yearbooks on their way out of town for the summer, one question haunted our dreams on those hot June nights: "What am I supposed to watch now?"That is, until Netflix Instant was born. For just $8 a month, you now have more hours of quality television living inside your computer (or fancy TV) than you could ever hope to watch. Netflix is not paying me to say this. They don‘t HAVE to, because it‘s a no-brainer. And if you watch enough streaming television this summer, you can be a no-brainer, too. No need to go outside at all this summer. What are you, a settler from olden days?There‘s so much to choose from on Netflix Instant that you may not know where to begin. That‘s what this handy Netflix Instant Summer Guide is for. Just pick your mood and dive head first into the stream.  Read more »

Have you ever wished that you could jump inside the brain of your favorite TV star or writer so that even when the show wasn‘t on, you could witness their brilliance, insight and hilarity at all times?Well, even if you haven‘t wished it, since that‘s sort of a creepy (but understandable) wish, now you can, thanks to Twitter. Getting inside a star‘s head has never been easier! (Or less messy, if we‘re being literal. Which, for the record, we are not.)Here are our picks for 25 people on and involved with TV (both real and fictional!) that you‘ll want to make sure you follow this summer.  Read more »