Kyle MacLachlan – Tiffany A White's Ooo Factor

October 17, 2012October 17, 2012

Why It’s Worth a Watch Wednesday – Made in Jersey and Staying There

Fall Television is officially here! With all of the new TV programs airing this fall, Amber West and I have a ton of homework to do. This week, we tuned in and watched two brand new shows with female leads for our Why It’s Worth a Watch Wednesday reviews—ABC’s Nashville and CBS’s Made in Jersey.

What do you get when you cross a high-powered New York law firm with street-smarts from New Jersey? The perfect attorney for the job—Martina Garretti (Janet Montgomery, from Human Target and Entourage).

Of course, that doesn’t mean the other members of her firm won’t doubt Ms. Garretti’s abilities—after all, most of her colleagues have Ivy League educations. Plus, with a traditional Italian family back at home, we can expect Martina to be pulled in many different directions. Despite all of the naysayers and interruptions, will she successfully balance her family life with a high-powered legal career?

The series also stars: Kyle Maclachlan (Twin Peaks, Desperate Housewives) as firm founder, Donovan Stark; Kristoffer Polaha (Ringer) as Nolan Adams; Stephanie March (Law & Order: SVU) and a few other familiar faces.

A few weeks ago, I previewed Made in Jersey on my Tele-Tuesday series. Granted, I wasn’t very excited about this new show. Heck, I even rated it at the bottom along with Mob Doctor when I ranked the week’s previews in order of which ones I was most excited about. But, I still watched it…

I went in with very low expectations, but the series fell in-between two of my Friday favorites—CSI: New York and Blue Bloods—so I gave it a whirl. First, the lead character (Ms. Garretti) is very likable; viewers can’t help but yell for her as she works with some really snooty people who think she’s many rungs in the social and educational ladders beneath them. While she may appear confident on the outside, she’s still a tiny bit insecure and her job and co-workers make her very nervous. But, Ms. Garretti has worked hard to get where she is and she’s not going to let anyone stand in her way of upholding the law, of defending her clients, or of her future.

I won’t lie; I was pleasantly surprised with Made in Jersey.

After watching the first episode, I hung in there for the second. It appears that the series will feature a new legal procedural each week and not an ongoing in-depth storyline that we all have to work hard to follow. In other words, if we miss an episode, we can pick right back up where we left off without worrying too much about what we’ve missed. After all, Friday night is a tough night for watching television…

Usually when I review a new television program, I can’t help but award it with the SSTV rating; but not today. That’s right—I’m not awarding Made in Jersey with any rating! Why? Because CBS has already cancelled the show and removed it from the television schedule. Made in Jersey is the first to suffer the axe so far this season.

This is upsetting… not because Made in Jersey was my new favorite show, but because of how, in essence, the network treated this series.

Back to my Friday night comment above…

Friday night is our night to unwind from the week’s events. Friday night is the start to our weekend. Friday night is not typically a night we’re sitting in front of the television just waiting for our shows. Therefore, on more than one occasion, Friday night has proven fatal to many TV programs.

So why is it that the networks are so quick to judge? Knowing that Friday nights can be fatal for television shows, why schedule a new series on the toughest night of the week? Even when sandwiched between two network favorites and Friday night success stories, a freshman series can still struggle, so why not give it a chance? Why not air more than two episodes, or move it to another night or time slot? Or why not at least air the episodes already “in the can” instead of hastily removing it from the TV schedule?

Networks, please stop playing with viewers. Give us a chance to fall in love with new shows. Dropping a bomb on a freshman series like this does not make us, particularly me, want to give the new shows on your network a chance until they’ve established themselves… and by then, it could be too late.

Did you watch Made in Jersey? Are you surprised with the early cancellation? Do you think the networks should give the new shows more of a chance or just cut ‘em when they’re not working? I’d love to hear from you!

Now click over to Amber’s blog and see what she thinks about ABC’s Nashville.

Come back next week when Amber and I take on the CW and review Arrow and Beauty and the Beast!

Remember to stop by the #watchwed hashtag in Twitter to discuss any of today’s reviews, or to mention any television programs that you’d like to see on Why It’s Worth a Watch Wednesday in the future.

A Recap of The WatchWed Review System:

GTV (Gourmet TV): Everything we want and more
MacTV (MacNCheese TV): Guilty pleasure. Not perfect, but is satisfies
GMacTV (Gourmet MacNCheese TV): A combination of fine wine and comfort food
JFTV (Junk food TV): It’s not great for us, but we’ll go back for seconds
TBPTV (Twice Baked Potato TV): Part gourmet and delicious, while absolutely horrible for our cholesterol
SSTV (Still Simmering TV): It has potential, but the jury is still out
NIV (Nyquil Induced Viewing): Perfect for that late night television sleep timer
LOTV (Liver&Onions TV): Do we really have to explain? Blech

November 9, 2011November 8, 2011

Why It’s Worth A Watch Wednesday – Battle of the Network Funnies

This week, Amber West and I review a few of the more established comedies on NBC and CBS in a Why It’s Worth a Watch Wednesday: Battle of the Network Funnies.

Who will win: Monday nights on CBS with How I Met Your Mother and Two and Half Men or Thursday nights on NBC with Parks and Recreation and Community?

We begin with the popular sitcom, How I Met Your Mother. Commonly abbreviated to HIMYM, the series follows the main character Ted Mosby (Josh Radnor) as he narrates to his children in the year 2030 the story of how he met their mother. Well, Josh doesn’t narrate, Bob Saget does.

Although we’re seven seasons in, we still haven’t met the mother of Ted’s children; but we have grown to love his best friends: Barney Stinson (Neil Patrick Harris), Robin Scherbatsky (Cobie Smulders), Marshall Erikson (Jason Segel), and Lily Aldrin Erickson (Alyson Hannigan).

HIMYM has a true ensemble cast as each character plays just as important a role as Ted. But why do we really love this show?

There are the character quirks including: Barney’s womanizing ways with his “hot/crazy” scale, or his “Bro Code” justifications, or even his insisting everyone “suit up” before they go out on the town; Robin’s extensive misuse of the word ‘literally’; and Ted’s constant romantic gestures as he looks for love, including stealing a blue French horn for Robin during their courtship.

There are the enduring moments like when Ted finds out his parents are divorced; or when Marshall struggles with the decision to take a position as a corporate lawyer instead of working for an environmental cause; or when Barney sets out on a mission to learn the true identity of his father (once he discovers Bob Barker is indeed not his biological dad).

There is the comedy: Robin’s teenage Canadian pop-band flashbacks; Marshall and Barney’s on-going Slap game (Marshall earned five free slaps, and he saves them for when Barney least expects it); and the group’s hilarious interventions for one another.

But, most importantly, we love the realistic friendships between all of the characters. We’re watching as these friends experience life together; as they celebrate Lily and Marshall’s pregnancy; as they mourn the loss of Marshall’s father; and as they bounce back from multiple broken romantic relationships.

It’s reasons like these that I award How I Met Your Mother with a MacTV rating. As far as sitcoms go, it ranks among the best available on TV today. Can the show survive many more seasons? Probably not. But will we tune in until Ted meets the mother of his children. Absolutely.

Oh, and before we move on, HIMYM hosts guest stars galore: Regis Philbin, Katie Holmes, Wayne Brady, Enrique Iglesias, Sarah Chalke, Britney Spears, Rachel Bilson, Jennifer Morrison, Kyle MacLachlan, John Lithgow, Kal Penn, and Martin Short just to name a few.

How I Met Your Mother is “Legen…wait for it…dary.”

A half hour later on CBS, another sitcom veteran airs on millions of television sets across the globe with Two and a Half Men. Definitely not as enduring as HIMYM, Two and a Half Men promises comedy a bit more raunchy than anything else on TV (Archer wins most raunchy).

For the first eight seasons, Men starred Charlie Sheen as Charlie Harper, the wealthy and drunken songwriter who opens his Malibu beach house to his recently divorced brother (Alan Harper played by Jon Cryer) and nephew (Jake Harper played by Angus T. Jones).

The series follows Charlie’s sexual escapades, Alan’s incessant need to mooch off of his brother, and Jake’s hilarious adventures through childhood and the teenage years. But, despite the title, Two and a Half Men wouldn’t be the same without the women: Alan’s ex-wife Judith (Marin Hinkle); Charlie’s foul-mouthed housekeeper Berta (Conchata Ferrell); the Charlie obsessed next door neighbor Rose (Melanie Lynskey); and the Harper matriarch, Evelyn (Holland Taylor).

Speaking of women, the Harper brothers have dated a few familiar females over the years including Courtney Thorne-Smith, Judy Greer, and Jenny McCarthy. Ironically, the most fruitful male/female relationship on the show is between Charlie and his therapist (played by Jane Lynch).

We didn’t watch Men religiously until we caught the show in syndication. For many Saturdays in a row, we sat and caught up with the Harpers, laughter guaranteed in each episode. But, sadly, a few real life mishaps forced the show’s creator to kill off the character of Charlie and replace him with a fresh face: Ashton Kutcher.

Season nine begins at Charlie’s funeral – and BRAVO Chuck Lorre and other Men writers. The funeral scene was absolutely brilliant. Many past guest stars return and ex-girlfriends applaud Charlie’s death (in a respectful, yet Charlie Harper deserved way). The best of the half hour was undoubtedly the return of Rose and her eulogy, or was it a confession?

After the funeral, Alan reluctantly prepares to move out of the house he can no longer afford without his brother’s money. Suddenly, there is a wet, sad man standing on his patio. Alan opens the door, literally and figuratively, when he meets Walden Schmidt (Kutcher) after an attempted suicide in the ocean.

It just so happens that Walden is rich like Charlie, and agrees to buy the beach house. Before we know it, he hires Berta to stay on as his housekeeper and he also invites Alan to move in for as long as necessary.

Same story, new characters.

Some like the change, some don’t. But, the new direction was enough to bring Men back to our DVR and we haven’t removed the future recording setting just yet. For that, I award Two and a Half Men the JFTV rating. The series isn’t great for us, but we keep digging our hand right back down into that greasy bag of chips. Heck, before we know it, we’ll probably suffer chest pains much like Charlie’s character on multiple occasions.

So, what do you think? Do you watch HIMYM or Two and a Half Men? Which network airs the best comedies: CBS or NBC? How much longer can the series last before Ted meets his future wife? Do you like the addition of Ashton Kutcher on Men? I’d love to hear from you!

Now click over to Amber’s blog and check out her review of NBC’s Thursday night laughs, Parks and Recreation and Community.

Come back next week when Amber and I review AMC’s Mad Men and The Walking Dead.

A Recap of The WatchWed Review System:

GTV (Gourmet TV): Everything we want and more
MacTV (MacNCheese TV): Guilty pleasure. Not perfect, but is satisfies
JFTV (Junk food TV): It’s not great for us, but we’ll go back for seconds
SSTV (Still Simmering TV): It has potential, but the jury is still out
NIV (Nyquil Induced Viewing): Perfect for that late night television sleep timer
LOTV (Liver&Onions TV): Do we really have to explain? Blech

October 19, 2011October 18, 2011

Why It’s Worth a Watch Wednesday – Just How Desperate are They?

This week, Amber West and I are flipping channels over to ABC and sharing our Why It’s Worth a Watch Wednesday reviews of Desperate Housewives and Body of Proof.

We all mourned the loss of the ‘80s night-time soap operas Falcon Crest, Dallas, and Knots Landing. But in 2004, the genre was revived with Mark Cherry’s Desperate Housewives when the television world was introduced to a close group of residents on a unique street in a fictional town.

The series begins with the mystery surrounding Mary Alice Young’s (Brenda Strong) suicide, one of the housewives on Wisteria Lane. Her death leaves behind devastation to her closest friends and her family (husband Paul, played by Mark Moses, and son Zach).

Mary Alice narrates Desperate Housewives at the beginning and at the end of each episode; she shares her friend’s secrets and paints a picture for the audience explaining how and why the housewives make the decisions they do.

Meet Susan Mayer (Teri Hatcher).

The series starts with Susan’s recent discovery that her husband Karl (Richard Burgi) has cheated on her. She files for divorce and immediately takes a liking to the new neighbor, plumber Mike Delfino (James Denton), and marries him twice. Susan is the classic train wreck – she’s quirky, loving, and genuine; but nothing seems to go her way.

Meet Lynette Scavo (Felicity Huffman).

Lynette escapes her rough childhood by using her drive and intelligence to obtain a degree in Advertising. She meets her husband Tom (Doug Savant) in college, and Lynette decides to change her career path to a stay-at-home-mom once she and Tom start a family. Four kids later, the cabin fever sets in and Tom and Lynette switch roles – she goes back to work and he becomes Mr. Mom.

Lynette’s ambitions take over and she begins to man-handle her husband constantly (think an alpha-dog or a my-way-or-the-highway sort of relationship). Tom loves Lynette and for the longest time doesn’t fight back, until….sorry, no spoilers here.

Meet Bree Van de Camp (Marcia Cross).

Bree is described as Wisteria Lane’s Martha Stewart-Stepford Wife. She’s a perfectionist and an obsessive compulsive with a side of neuroses. A gun-toting Republican, Bree marries her first husband Rex (Steven Culp) and starts a picture-perfect family; until, that is, he cheats on her. Bree files for divorce, Rex dies, Bree marries Orson Hodge (Kyle MacLachlan), and Bree later files for divorce.

In and out of relationships and marriages, Bree finds her solace in the kitchen. She briefly owns and operates a gourmet catering business until Rex’s son, from an affair, blackmails it away from her.

Meet Gabrielle “Gaby” Solis (Eva Longoria).

Abused by her step father, Gaby flees Texas and never looks back. She takes her beauty to New York, its runways, and its magazine covers. After years of a successful modeling career, Gaby meets her husband Carlos (Ricardo Antonio Chavira), a self-made wealthy and cut-throat businessman.

These two have had it all – poverty and wealth, affairs and loyalty, blindness and beauty, superficial happiness and familiar bliss. Kinda. The laughs never stop with Gaby and Carlos; they are by far my favorite duo on the lane.

Many other housewives have lived on the lane over the years including: Edie Britt (Nicollette Sheridan), the beautiful yet spiteful real estate agent, often times regarded to as the “neighborhood slut” by many of the girls for bedding Susan’s ex; Betty Applewhite (Alfre Woodard), the neighbor who keeps her son locked up in the basement; Katherine Mayfair (Dana Delany), the once-upon-a-time neighbor who returns with dark secrets surrounding the identity of her daughter; Angie Bolen (Drea de Matteo), the housewife running from the mafia; Renee Perry (Vanessa Williams), Lynette’s college best friend and recent divorce’ trying to define herself without her famous baseball player husband; and Karen McCluskey (Kathryn Joosten), the senior citizen neighbor who supports, babysits, and provides a bit of a reality check to the over-the-top housewives.

Desperate Housewives is a television dramedy at its finest. For this reason, I must award the ladies of Wisteria Lane with a MacTV rating. Guilty Pleasure? Check. Not Perfect? Check? Satisfying? Definitely, Check.

Honestly, can’t you just picture Susan, Lynette, Gaby, and Bree curling up to watch Falcon Crest with a warm bowl of Mac-N-Cheese? Okay, well maybe not Bree….unless it was baked gourmet style with green chilis and bread crumbs.

From watching each and every one of the seasons, this eighth and final season should close with a bang. The history of Desperate Housewives proves that no one is safe. It wouldn’t be out of the ordinary for some of the housewives to die or even go to jail. It’s doubtful that Cherry will wrap everything up with a pretty red-bow, and for that, we thank you!

Here’s to a doozy of a series finale coming this spring…..

What do you think? Have you watched Desperate Housewives? Who is your favorite character? How do you think Mark Cherry will close out the series? I’d love to hear from you!

Now click over to Amber’s blog and check out her review of a former Wisteria Lane housewife’s new show, Body of Proof.

Come back next week when Amber and I talk some laughs with a double dose of TV’s new comedies: Suburgatory, New Girl, Up All Night, and 2 Broke Girls.

A Recap of The WatchWed Review System:

October 5, 2011October 5, 2011

Why It’s Worth a Watch Wednesday – Last Law & Order Standing

This week, Amber West and I are flipping channels over to NBC and sharing our Why It’s Worth a Watch Wednesday reviews of Harry’s Law and Law & Order: SVU.

For the past twenty plus years, Dick Wolf’s productions have dominated the NBC primetime slots. He first created the original Law & Order, and then added spinoffs SVU and Criminal Intent, as well as the short-lived Trial by Jury and LA.

The last of the franchise still standing today is Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, currently in its thirteenth season. Like the original, SVU has a great ensemble cast, and it showcases gut-wrenching storylines.

The Special Victims Unit is a specialized department that focuses on assault and rape cases in New York City, often times inspired by today’s headlines.

For the first twelve seasons, the SVU team depends on lead detectives Olivia Benson (Mariska Hargitay) and Elliot Stabler (Christopher Meloni). Benson, the product of her mother’s rape, and Stabler, the father of five children, take the cases personally and sometimes take actions we as viewers wish we could see more of on television – in other words, they’re not always by the book, and therefore one of the partners is always in trouble.

SVU’s cast, for the most part, has remained the same for all thirteen seasons, including: Captain Cragen (Dan Florek), and also detectives Tutuola (Ice-T) and Munch (Richard Belzer).

The original Law & Order split the hour-long program into two parts – “the police who investigate crime and the district attorneys who prosecute the offenders.” [t1] SVU doesn’t follow the exact same formula, but does of course involve the district attorney’s office in each episode (returning favorites in season 13 – Casey Novak played by Diane Neal, Alexandra Cabot played by Stephanie March, and Michael Cutter played by Linus Roache from L&O).

This season, viewers will see a new cast of characters following Meloni’s departure from the show and Hargitay’s rumored request for a lighter workload. Danny Pino (Cold Case) joins as Det. Nick Amaro from warrants and narcotics, and Kellie Giddish (Chase) transfers to NYC from Atlanta as Det. Amanda Rollins.

In addition to SVU’s fictionalized accounts of current events, viewers can count on a large revolving door of guest stars. So far in season thirteen, we’ve seen a familiar story line where a hotel maid accuses a foreign diplomat of rape. In episode two, SVU landed guest stars Dan Lauria (The Wonder Years), Mehcad Brooks (Necessary Roughness), and real-life basketball greats Chris Bosh and Carmelo Anthony.

This week (tonight actually), Kyle MacLachlan (Twin Peaks, Sex and the City) and Paige Turco (Damages) guest star as husband and wife in a fictionalized account of a particular politician’s scandal.

Before rating, I must issue this warning – the writers don’t sugar-coat things. If you don’t like watching bad things happen to children, don’t watch!

The past few weeks, the GTV rating has been awarded left and right; but, not today. While I do watch Law & Order: SVU religiously, I can only award the JFTV rating. SVU is like junk food, particularly like that bag of greasy potato chips – it’s not great for us, but we keep coming back for more.

SVU is the last of the franchise airing new episodes. I simply can’t imagine television today without hearing this:

Of course, I am worried that I will soon have to get my Law & Order fix watching reruns only (thank you, TNT!).

What do you think? Do you prefer the original Law & Order, SVU, or Criminal Intent? Will SVU survive Meloni’s departure, or will this be the last of the L&O franchise? I’d love to hear from you!

Now click over to Amber’s blog and check out her review of Harry’s Law. The GTV ratings came to an end over here; will Amber award another top review over on her site?

Come back next week when Amber and I switch over to FOX and review two supernatural programs – the new hit, Terra Nova, and the returning favorite, Fringe.

Remember to stop by the #watchwed hashtag in Twitter to discuss any of today’s reviews, or to mention any television programs that you’d like to see on future Why It’s Worth a Watch Wednesday posts.

A Recap of The WatchWed Review System:

[t1]Opening narration spoken by Steven Zirnkilton

August 31, 2011August 30, 2011

Why It’s Worth a Watch Wednesday – Seriously, Queue This Up!

Amber West and I are back with Netflix on this week’s Why It’s Worth a Watch Wednesday. Courtesy of all the programs that television has to offer, we’ve got a few more series that are definitely worthy of queuing up!

I’m taking a trip down memory lane and recommending one of, if not the greatest television Whodunit mysteries of our time: Twin Peaks.

Remember Dallas’ ever-so famous mystery back in 1980: Who shot J.R.?

How about 1984’s Wendy’s slogan: Where’s the beef?

The 1990’s wasn’t far behind with its very own unique conversation starter: Who killed Laura Palmer?

Created by David Lynch and Mark Frost, Twin Peaks first aired April 8, 1990. The series opened with the beautiful scenery of fictional town, Twin Peaks, Washington with the peaceful song “Falling” performed by Julee Cruise playing in the background.

And then the hook – a teenage girl’s dead body is found wrapped tightly in clear plastic on the bank of the town’s river. The sheriff and town doctor arrive only to identify the body as Laura Palmer (Sheryl Lee), the local homecoming queen.

News of Laura’s death quickly spreads across Twin Peaks. We see the devastation the news brings to her mother (Sarah Palmer played by Grace Zabriskie) and father (Leland Palmer played by the great Ray Wise). Both of Laura’s parents suffer some sort of breakdown – Leland sporadically breaks into song and dance and his hair turns white overnight, while Sarah begins seeing psychic visions of a white horse and a long-haired man.

We also watch Laura’s high school classmates cry when the announcement pours through the loud-speaker. Sadness sweeps through the school, and the crazy begins. For example, Laura’s boyfriend, Bobby, begins howling like a dog – and this is just episode one.

Everyone loved Laura.

Or did they?

Making matters worse, this small town encounters another young girl walking aimlessly along the rail road tracks. She’s badly injured and in shock. Are the two incidents related?

Enter FBI Special Agent Dale Cooper (Kyle MacLachlan). Agent Cooper is a very special, or shall I say odd, individual. His peculiarities fit right in with the bizarre townsfolk of Twin Peaks, but more on those individuals later. When satisfied, he enjoys giving a thumbs up, he loves a good piece of pie and cup of coffee, and he constantly records case notes into his microphone addressing someone named Diane. Quirkiness aside, Agent Cooper is one heck of an investigator.

Together, Agent Cooper and Sheriff Harry S. Truman (Michael Ontkean) begin investigating the two cases. What happened to Ronette Pulaski, the girl found wandering the same morning Laura’s body was discovered, and who killed Laura Palmer?

Almost immediately, they learn that Laura is not quite who she appeared to be. Everyone knew she was dating the football star, Bobby Briggs (Dana Ashbrook), but only her best friend, Donna Hayward (originally played by Lara Flynn Boyle, and later by Moira Kelly), knew that Laura was also seeing supposed bad-boy, James Hurley (James Marshall).

Next, Agent Cooper and Sheriff Truman discover that not only was Laura in the middle of a love triangle with the teenage boys, she was also working as a prostitute for Leo Johnson (Eric Da Re) and Jacque Renault (Walter Olkewicz).

The twists and turns don’t stop there. It seems every single person in the small town of Twin Peaks has some secret of their very own. Well, if not a secret, they are so weird that they can’t be excluded from the investigation (like the lady who carries around a log as if it’s a child). The cast of characters in Twin Peaks is one of the best ensembles I’ve ever had the privilege of seeing on television, that’s for sure. And the acting skills? Simply superb.

Characters and appearances include: Richard Beymer, Russ Tamblyn, Miquel Ferrer, Kiefer Sutherland, Billy Zane, Chris Isaak, Piper Laurie, Everett McGill, Peggy Lipton, Heather Graham, Ian Buchanan, and David Duchovny.

Twin Peaks also introduced a young and talented cast. In addition to Laura, Donna, Bobby, and James, alumni also include the beautiful Sherilyn Fenn (Audrey Horne) and Madchen Amick (Shelly Johnson). The female cast was so hot that even Rolling Stone Magazine featured them on the 1990 College Special.

The success of the television series spawned numerous Emmy and Golden Globe Awards. It also prompted a prequel motion picture, Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me, and book stores sold The Secret Diary of Laura Palmer (I have that somewhere…).

Twin Peaks can only be described now as a cult classic.

Lynch and Frost’s masterful whodunit mystery kept me on the edge of my seat week in and week out in the early ‘90s; therefore, I’d be remiss to not give Twin Peaks a GTV rating. When viewers learn who the murderer actually is, it’s shocking. One can also get lost watching the colorful characters like Ed’s crazy patch-wearing wife who thinks she’s still in high school.

The plot, characters, and conflict of Twin Peaks are unlike anything on television today.

If asked what my favorite television program of all time, I’d say Twin Peaks. I may be dating myself a bit, but I proudly own the entire series on VHS. Of course, I no longer have a working VHS player in the house….but I sometimes am lucky enough to find Twin Peaks marathons on Chiller.

And, as much as I love Twin Peaks, I have to tell you that the series lost its flare once the murder of Laura Palmer was solved. But, regardless, it’s only 30 episodes – so I highly recommend you Queue It Up!

The USA Network’s hit television series, Psych, honored Twin Peaks last year in probably my favorite episode: “Dual Spires”. James Roday outdid himself writing the episode: he perfected the oddities of the characters from Lynch’s bizarre murder mystery; he mimicked the eerie music and peculiar dancing to a “T”; and, he incorporated a few of the Twin Peaks iconic elements such as the dead girl’s body wrapped in plastic found by the water, the diner, the log lady, the caged bird, and the pie.

Even better yet, Psych cast a few of the Twin Peaks alumni for the episode: Sheryl Lee (Laura Palmer), Dana Ashbrook (Bobby Briggs), Ray Wise (Leland Palmer), and Sherilyn Finn (Audrey Horne).

Walter Biship - Fringe — Walter channeling Dr. Jacoby

Fox’s Fringe has also paid homage to Twin Peaks. Walter Bishop has worn Dr. Jacoby’s famous glasses with one red lens and one blue lens, and he also dated the actress who played Josie Packard (Joan Chen) in one episode.

Flipping back to the USA Network, White Collar also hosted a few Twin Peaks veterans this year: Dana Ashbrook and Madchen Amick.

If so many current day television programs honor Twin Peaks, shouldn’t you at least check it out? Seriously, queue it up!

So, how about you – did you watch Twin Peaks? Did you figure out the mystery or were you surprised? What is your favorite aspect of the series – the mystery, the unique characters, or the constant intermingling of character conflicts? Are you a David Lynch fan? I’d love to hear from you! *Please try not to give away any spoilers here for those who haven’t watched it yet *

Now click over to Amber’s blog and see why she recommends everyone queue up BBC’s Sherlock!

Come back next week when Amber and I review a few of our favorite FOX programs returning this fall – House & Bones.

A Recap of The WatchWed Review System:

GTV (Gourmet TV): Everything we want and more
MacTV (MacNCheese TV): Guilty pleasure. Not perfect, but is satisfies
JFTV (Junk food TV): It’s not great for us, but we’ll go back for seconds
SSTV (Still Simmering TV): It has potential, but the jury is still out
NIV (Nyquil Induced Viewing): Perfect for that late night television sleep timer
LOTV (Liver&Onions TV): Do we really have to explain? Blech

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