Four Months?!?!?!

Here is my problem with cliffhangers. I would watch the next episode without the cliffhanger. I do not need to be left hanging in May for 4 months to return to the show in the Fall. Then, because there are shows that build in cliffhangers the shows that do not build in cliffhangers almost give the impression to viewers that they were sewing things up in case they weren't renewed. I don't want to wonder for four months if... ok I won't spoil anything for anyone who hasn't watched Grey's or CSI because they have it DVRed. I read spoilers, I don't spoil.

Now I get that there are some shows that are built solely on cliffhangers... the mystery is the show and I can go for that. I was very into Reunion and am frustrated they didn't get the chance to sew it all up for us. I think that if a network takes a chance on a show that revolves around a mystery it owes it to the viewers, however few there may be, to explain it through. I am fine with going online to watch the episodes through their completion. Those of us who do get swept into a plot line and invested in the characters want to know. I don't want to have to dig for some article that might have the creator give it away because the network won't give us the closure we need. Ok, I know right now you are thinking this girl is too obsessed... but then you need to look up at the header and remember that I already confessed to that.

My other gripe with cliffhangers is that if you are going to build them in there is no reason to write at the end of the episode "To Be Continued". It darn well better be continued if you want me to keep watching. CSI tonight, again giving nothing away, ended the episode with "To Be Continued". At least if you are going to close with that statement let the continuation happen within a reasonable amount of time. Four months to wait for it "to be continued" is too long in my book. I actually saw that and went through the online guide to make sure that I was correct in thinking tonight was the finale. Yes, I know tonight is the finale, and I know every season CSI makes some huge storyline finale where someone from the CSI is in trouble which is always resolved when the Fall Season returns, so why put "To Be Continued".

Tonight's questions- do you enjoy cliffhangers? Would you continue to watch a show if there were not cliffhangers built in, especially applying to would you pick up watching again in the Fall without the storyline needing to be resolved? How should a network resolve an ending for a mystery based show, or should they?

Private Practice (Please Please Please Change the Name)

Yes, the title today is my appeal to ABC to show some class, restraint, wisdom, fill in your own appropriate descriptor here, to Please change the title for the Grey's 2.0 from Private Practice to just about anything that isn't going to make me squirm each time I hear it. So, let's hear 'em, your ideas for the Grey's spin-off title. Maybe something based off the name of the clinic "Oceanside Wellness Group".

Why the appeal after I already slammed the first glimpse of the show? Because ABC gave the show the greenlight, as you might remember I did predict in that post. Next question, do I think it will make it? If Brothers and Sisters is any sort of example for what ABC can get their writers to do when the first few shows don't flow as well as they should, then absolutely. I watched Brothers and Sisters from the first show it aired. I was sooooooo disappointed with that cast and an interesting premise that the show wasn't better. They went on a short hiatus, came back revamped, and my husband said isn't that the show you said wasn't very good. Yup, but it got better. ABC did its job, gave the writers and cast a chance to pull together what should have been great from the beginning, and it has completely paid off for them. Can they do it again with (cringe) Private Practice? I for one hope so.

I have been very impressed with what Shonda Rhimes has done with Grey's. There are race and weight barriers that she is breaking down with this show and while it may not seem to be enlightening in anyway she is sneaking those ideas in just through the casting. To give this idea some merit compare ER which was a "groundbreaking medical drama" when it first came out. Dr. Benton (a resident at the time) was the only doctor of color and there were only two female doctors. There are now more female and African American doctors, but the only Hispanic doctor to ever be on the show was a completely out-of-control drug-addict adulterer. Grey's has a diverse cast that has minorities in many of the key power areas: Chief of Staff, Cardiotheracic Surgery, as residents leading the interns. In the running for chief resident - three women, one Caucasian, one African American, and one Hispanic, two are what defined by tv standards would be considered overweight. It almost sounds like a set-up for a bad joke, but instead it is the making of a great show. Shonda Rhimes said she wanted to cast to portray America, well one can argue that the actual cast make-up looks nothing like the proportions actually living in America or who have degrees in medicine, but it does look like the America I see when I walk through the mall and I give her props for that.

So, Shonda as you revamp, keep the talking elevator if you want, definitely keep some of the eye-candy, but PLEASE, PLEASE bring up some substance (you can sneak it in if you feel you have to) and almost as importantly please find a new name... yes, this is begging, I am on my knees.

Ok everyone, let's give her some ideas on that new name, my first is Oceanside Wellness.

May Bittersweeps

I am redubbing "May Sweeps" "May Bittersweeps". I know I should enjoy May Sweeps since some of the absolute best writing on television comes during these two (give or take) weeks, but it is all bittersweet for me. Watching a series finale of a beloved show is like parting with an old friend knowing you will never talk again. I will never know if Rory Gilmore found someone she would be willing to factor into her future plans. I will never know if Lorelai and Luke ended up with a family of their own. The saga didn't continue... it came to a dead end tonight.

The sweet side, along with the finales which remind you exactly why you kept watching through some of the slow or inconsistent story lines, is as all of these shows are coming to an end either for the season or (sniffle) for good, the networks release The Fall Line-Up. Hope...

So, as I wipe away my tears (I've never been good at goodbyes) the next few days weeks, I will be bringing you some of my own insights into what I think will make it based solely on the pitch of the show for next year's premieres. I will also need some shows to fill up my time this summer during REPEAT HELL. I am compiling a list for you to vote on what I should watch that I didn't take the time to or didn't give a chance when it was first on tv.

P.S. While I stocked up on tissues prior to the Bittersweeps, if you live in the near vicinity I may need more supplies.

Breaking News on Entertainment Tonight - '7th Heaven' Comes to an End- FINALLY!

Not so much breaking news as about *!#&(* time news in my opinion. It is finally coming to an end after 11 seasons about 5 of which were good. Jessica Biel bared all and got kicked off, Lucy got married and decided to become a pastor since her whiny nature and indecisiveness would be so well passed on to others, Ruthie grew up, and the birth of the twins... there were so many times and ways that this show jumped the shark, the ultimate though was when they decided to come back after filming their series finale last year. Brilliant move there CW, really. (Yes, my eyes have rolled so many times here that I have spiral vision.) People tuned in not because they thought it was a great show and wanted it on another year (point proven by this year's ratings), but because they were anxious to see it end and see if Jessica would return for the farewell.

Reading that first paragraph you may think that I hated the show... which is not the case. The first few years were fantastic, BUT then it went from a well meaning Christian family show to one that HAD to deal with issues and take a moral high ground and those issues usually took the main characters to places that the initial set-up did not lend them to. The show changed to adapt to society and lost what made it great in the first place. I mean seriously, Ruthie got a tattoo of the guy she was pre-engaged to, what is that?

So, how long is too long? When did you think 7th Heaven jumped the shark and if you didn't watch choose another show that long outlived even its fan's loyalty and tell when you thought that show jumped the shark?

Uninspired

These days there is so little that is new and unpredictable. Writers aren't expected to be completely originally, they are expected to be formulaic. If I find a show that is surprising, teaches me something new, that I can't predict- that is what gets me watching. That is why How I Met Your Mother, House, and West Wing all entered my viewing habits. I want some inspiration. I don't want to watch 3 different versions of CSI. I tried really hard with Miami and NY, but they couldn't compare to the original cast and didn't bring much new to the table. That is also why I don't watch a single version of Law and Order.

Ok, I admit there is complete formula to the list presented above, especially House, but at least I can't predict what rare illness the person is going to end up having... and the show isn't really about the case anyway (unless the case doesn't get solved)- and yes, it does teach me things. I will not wear a brand new pair of jeans without washing them after that episode this season.

So, what is the most inspired writing on a show that you have seen? I'm looking for the unpredictable, the truly funny (stupid funny or witty funny which ever way you lean), the writers that memorize through amazingly intricate ramblings called monologues (thanks Sorkin). I want to hear the shows that move you and why.

The Truth About Grey's and Grey's 2.0

I was anticipating the 2-hour mega- Grey's/ Grey's 2.0 all week, cleared my whole Thursday evening for it. Rushed through Ugly Betty as quickly as possible, and even watched some of the commercials during the show so I could savor the whole experience. The Truth.... I was let down, disappointed, ready for some substance and there was none to be had. I should have rewatched Ugly Betty which really stole the show on Thursday.

Combining Grey's during sweeps and premiering a "possible" (yeah right like Shonda Rhime's isn't going to get a green light on anything she asks for right now) spin-off both took away from the building story lines of Grey's and the excitement around a premiere of a new show with beloved characters and a fantastic (and HOT) cast.

Grey's 2.0 (my own name since one hasn't been determined yet and the one being put out there, Private Practice, well it is a bit creepy) jumped in with both feet into a concrete pool. Seriously, substance, where was it? I didn't feel bad for Addison except for the two seconds they devoted to her not being able to reproduce. There were all sort of inconsistencies like how did she all the sudden have two eggs left when she was supposedly barren, is that supposed to leave an opening for her to finally get pregnant and show how wonderful her BFF really is? But, I was so excited to see some of my favorite actors from over the years return to TV in a show I know I will be glued to even if the premiere sucked on Thursday.


Taye Diggs- one of the hottest men on TV in America. Ok, so I didn't watch his last two attempts on the small screen Daybreak or Kevin Hill, but on Ally McBeal he was HOT!!! and still is. We need to coin a new Mc name for him, Mc2.0? His is the only character there was any mystery about really. What could possibly be wrong with him to dump Merrin Dungey?

Merrin Dungey- Loved her in Alias and I think she will be able to create a great character with whatever she is given, but how do they develop this character. What they have given her so far looks flat and like she will hang on to the hope of Taye for a while and while I can understand lusting after Taye Diggs, I don't want to see someone else doing it every week.

Chris Lowell- Coming over from Veronica Mars where he hasn't been given the shot he deserves (until this week). The best reason to tune back in is to see him shirtless again. Ok, so that whole surfboard scene was pretty flashback to the Desperate Housewives car washing scene, but at least since women are the ones who watch these shows we are finally getting some serious eye candy.

Amy Brenneman- I will confess that I became a closet Judging Amy its last season while I caught up on TBS drama in the daytime. Seeing as how I crammed 6 seasons into one, I kind of felt let down to have it end, and am glad to see her get another shot, even if it is as a cliched psychiatrist who can't solve her own problems.

Tim Daly- I was so excited about Tim Daly's return to TV. I desperately tried to watch The Nine. I am so glad he is going to be on a show that will last a full season. I am quite certain I have seen every Wings episode once, twice maybe even three times. That kiss was hot, even though it left me wondering would this be a better show if there was a better actress than Kate Walsh in the lead?

So this leads me to my final rant about this merged failure to make me enjoy either show in the 2 hour-"special". Kate Walsh as Addison on Grey's Anatomy fit a needed spot. She was just enough bitch, but had a softer side we were getting to know. She wasn't the main character or even one of the top 5, but she left us a bit intrigued. Can she carry a new show? I think the cast of actors I just described are going to carry her. That kiss. Seriously, she is a self-sufficient, successful, driven woman. Who swoons that much over a kiss they knew was coming because they were asked? Could it have been that much better than McDreamy or McSteamy, or Karev for that matter? Is the character that desperate to be swept off her feet or is Kate just a mediocre actress being put in a position over her head? I know this is harsh. But that scene ruined the chance of my enjoying any of the two hours. I don't want to think of them as actors, I want to think of them as the characters they are playing. Don't wake me from that dream world by over-acting! I go to TV to escape and become swept into a fictional world.

Ok... that is my version of the Truth about Grey's/Grey's 2.0. What are your thoughts? Did you love it, hate it, are you excited about any of the new actors coming on board? Will you be watching?

In Mourning

I had hoped it wouldn't be true because the spoilers I am reading are not ending this show any where near satisfactory for the loyal fans and there were negotiations for a shorter half season next year. But, now I will go into mourning (notice the black font). Gilmore Girls is ending. This leads to the question, should writers expecting the end give the fans what they want for the "final" show- or could it have a backlash as in Felicity and 7th Heaven where the writers are stuck scrambling for new shows?

'Gilmore Girls' canceled

CW, WBTV wrap production on show

By JOSEF ADALIAN

'Gilmore Girls'

Say goodbye to "Gilmore Girls."

After weeks of talks aimed at bringing the show back for a limited run next season, the CW and Warner Bros. TV have decided to wrap production on the quirky dramedy that focused on fast-talking femmes. Skein, now in its seventh season, will air its final episode May 15.

"Gilmore" was a holdover from the now-defunct WB network. Debuting in 2000, it quickly became one of the Frog's signature skeins, with crix eating up the witty banter between mom Lorelai (Lauren Graham) and her daughter Rory (Alexis Bledel). Series was set in the fictional hamlet of Stars Hollow, CT.

CW and WBTV released a joint statement noting the passing Thursday morning.

"Announcing the final season of 'Gilmore Girls' is truly a sad moment for everyone at The CW and Warner Bros. Television," statement read. "This series helped define a network and created a fantastic, storybook world featuring some of television's most memorable, lovable characters."

David Rosenthal exec produced and served as showrunner on the current season of "Gilmore," which was created by Amy Sherman-Palladino. WBTV and CW thanked the producers and cast for their work, as well as crix who supported the show with glowing reviews.

"(We) promise to give this series the send off it deserves," statement said.