Four Supporting Actresses Who Deserve Their Own Show and One Who Actually Got It

Posted on February 3, 2012 by Kris M.

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You probably know who Judy Greer is, even if you don’t know her name. This funny gal has made a career for herself playing supporting roles such as Kitty from Arrested Development and “Fatty Magoo” from It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia. If you don’t recognize her face, you might recognize her voice as clueless secretary Cheryl on the animated comedy Archer.

Even if you don’t know Judy Greer by now, you will get to know her soon enough. Greer has her own sitcom in the works over at ABC called American Judy, in which she plays a city gal who moves to the suburbs with her new husband and his family. For those of us who have been following this talented comedic actress, it’s about time she got the recognition and starring role she deserves.

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Judy Greer isn’t the only supporting TV actress to be recently promoted to a starring role. Mindy Kaling, who plays vapid customer service rep Kelly on The Office, is in talks to star in her own sitcom at Fox. We love both these funny ladies and wish them all the success in the world on their new shows.

We also can’t help but wonder which other supporting sitcom actresses deserve the chance to step into a starring role. These four actresses are poised to hit it big, if and when their chance to star in a sitcom ever comes along.

Kristen Schaal

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Kristen Schaal is best known for her portrayal of obsessed fan Mel on HBO’s Flight of the Conchords, but the actress has also provided commentary on The Daily Show and the voice of Louise on Bob’s Burgers. Her next gig will be playing a reoccurring NBC page character on 30 Rock. Schaal has a knack for playing oddball characters, which would translate well into a single-camera comedy.

Ellie Kemper

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Even after eight seasons on the air, The Office is still pumping out comedy stars. Ellie Kemper joined the cast in 2005 as Erin, the happy-go-lucky but incredible naïve secretary. Since then, she’s gone to play a memorable supporting role in the hit movie Bridesmaids. Kemper plays innocent-yet-stupid with an effortlessness that almost makes you wonder how much she’s faking it.

Aubrey Plaza

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Audiences know Aubrey Plaza as Ron Swanson’s sarcastic assistant April on Parks and Recreation. This stand-up comedian turned actress has also had memorable roles in movies like Funny People and Scott Pilgrim vs. the World. We love her dry, deadpan sense of humor and would love to see this young actress rise to prominence over the next few years.

Jane Lynch

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We all know who Jane Lynch is by now—her Sue Sylvester character on Glee is practically infamous at this point. She’s done it all—she played an actress turned waitress on Party Down, she made memorable cameos in a number of films including The 40-Year-Old Virgin, she even hosted the Emmy Awards. Lynch can only get bigger from here and it’s time prove that with a starring role.

The Week in Momentous TV News

Posted on January 20, 2012 by Bailey C.

Daniel Radcliffe Hosting Saturday Night Live

Image Source: Huffingtonpost.com

Ah, Friday. A time when all things seem new and possible. Unless you’re me, in which case you live in Portland so it’s raining and you have to get up at five-thirty in the morning and immediately interact with six-year-olds, which is a fate I would wish upon very few people. But though my socks might be dampened, my spirit is not–plus, it was quite the week for television. Continue reading →

10 Muppet TV Cameos That Would Be as Perfectly Matched as Miss Piggy and Project Runway

Posted on January 20, 2012 by Kris M.

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Miss Piggy, the swine starlet of The Muppets, has always been a felted fashionista. So when the designers of Project Runway All-Stars were tasked with creating a cocktail dress worthy of her approval, it was a match made in hog heaven.

Although the Muppets have been making cameos everywhere lately since their newest movie hit the theaters, we want to see more perfect Muppet matches like Miss Piggy and Project Runway

Sweetums on Dancing with the Stars

Obviously there are technical issues that prevent most Muppets from dancing with a human partner—but not Sweetums. This full-sized friendly monster could probably pull of a basic ballroom dance better than most of the stars on Dancing with the Stars.

Rowlf the Dog on Glee

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Would anyone even really notice if the mute accompanist on Glee was replaced by Rowlf the Dog? Most of the songs are presented as fantasy sequences, so his appearance wouldn’t even need to be necessarily explained.

Sam the Eagle on The Colbert Report

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The patriotic, right-wing Sam the Eagle was Stephen Colbert before Stephen Colbert. Always the stodgy conservative, he’d make the perfect wing-man for Stephen on an episode ofThe Colbert Report.

Oscar the Grouch on Curb Your Enthusiasm

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Larry David and Oscar the Grouch are both grumpy loudmouths who just want to be left alone. Curb Your Enthusiasm frequently features actors making cameos playing exaggerated versions of themselves—why not Oscar?

Bunson and Beaker on Mythbusters

Mythbusters Jamie and Adam are real-life versions of Bunson and Beaker—the eccentric Muppet scientists who shock, burn and maim themselves in the name of science. Bring these four together and prepare for the explosions.

Bert on Antiques Roadshow

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Bert may be a nerd, but he knows the value of a good bottle cap collection. We wouldn’t expect him to do any appraising, instead he’d be there to provide color commentary and help attract a younger audience.

Animal on Jersey Shore

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The Jersey Shore roommates like to get a little wild—just like the Muppets’ resident drummer, Animal. Actually, after all the working out, partying and fighting is said and done, it might be Animal who is too tired to keep up.

Kermit the Frog on Saturday Night Live

Kermit recently hosted a Weekend Update sketch with Seth Meyers, but frankly it wasn’t enough. This famous froggy has paid his dues—it’s time for Kermit to host an entire episode of SNL.

Pepe on The Bachelorette

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This crustacean Casanova would break many a Bachelorette’s heart if given the opportunity. Instead we see Pepe giving our lovelorn hopefuls a few lessons in speaking with passion from the heart.

Miss Piggy on Bad Girls Club

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As much as Project Runway was a perfect match for Miss Piggy, so too is Bad Girls Club, after all Piggy has always toed the line between naughty and nice. Get her in the Bad Girls mansion to learn how to curb her nasty tendencies—or just to stir up trouble.

Countdown to Glee: Season 3′s Best Performances

Posted on January 12, 2012 by Brett

It’s Tuesday night, and typically that means a check-in with our favorite Glee club over at Lima, Ohio’s McKinley High School. Unfortunately, the gang at McKinley has one more week until ~~school gets back in session~~ FOX starts airing new episodes. In preparation, we’re counting down season 3′s best glee club performances.

Continue reading →

When TV Characters Overstay Their Welcome

Posted on January 11, 2012 by Kris M.

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Although “Glee” seniors Kurt, Rachel and Flynn are graduating at the end of this season, it was recently announced that the three characters would be returning anyway for Season 4. The age of the characters will prevent them from attending school or participating in glee club, but co-creator Brad Falchuk hinted that the characters will still have a reason to stick around.

Either this means we’ll watch the glee club seniors branch out into the real world, while still coming back to McKinley High to visit now and then—or they’ll shoehorn the characters back into the school as teacher’s assistants or volunteers. There’s nothing sadder than a recent high school graduate who can’t let go of high school, and unless the writers have something spectacular up their sleeves, it’s likely that we’ll spend the next season wishing these characters would grow up already.

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Sadly, popular television characters often overstay their welcome when audiences continue to stay invested in them even when they no longer matter to the plot. Shows set in a school tend to fall prey to this practice more than others because high school only lasts for four years—even though the show may be on for longer than that.

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So we end up watching a bunch of character who love their high school so much, they’ve decided to stay there forever. These teens should see a doctor because they have a bad case of separation anxiety. Remember when Screech came back to Bayside High in “Saved by the Bell: The New Class” to be Mr. Belding’s new assistant? Even “Degrassi: The Next Generation” features grown-up versions of the original cast from the 80s.

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Students aren’t the only characters who stick around for longer than necessary. Mr. Feeny from “Boy Meets World” is a prime example. When the show began he was Cory’s junior high teacher, but then he became the principal of Cory’s high school. Mr. Feeny went on to become a college professor when Cory moved on to college. As much as we love Mr. Feeny, you have really feel sorry for a guy who makes major career decisions to stalk his former student.

That 70's Show Cast Without Eric

Sometimes TV characters can overstay their welcome when a main character leaves the show. When Eric Formen left for Africa on “That 70’s Show,” his friends continued to hang out at his house with his parents Kitty and Red without him. On “Scrubs,” the absence of J.D. caused Turk and Dr. Cox to become med school professors so that the show could continue on without him.

The phenomenon is likely to continue as long as ratings continue to be the biggest factor driving the television industry. Network executives would rather milk a character completely dry than let him have him quietly move on after his moment in the spotlight is over.

6 Gay TV Characters Who Raise Gender Questions

Posted on January 10, 2012 by Dabney B

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In the popular HBO series True Blood, an amazing new synthetic blood beverage allows vampires to come out of the coffin, as it were, and announce their identities to the world. We can’t help but see an obvious parallel between these blood-suckers and LGBT folks in real life (that stands for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender).

Gay rights were a touchy subject for quite some time, and it’s still a hot topic in modern America. Overall, though, the trend is towards a greater acceptance of LGBT people, and that trend is pretty obvious in modern TV. Here’s a rundown of some of the most prevalent LGBT characters on television.

6. Mitchell Pritchett and Cameron Tucker – Modern Family

The very fact that a show called “Modern Family” includes a gay couple says a lot about modern perceptions about LGBTs. This clip, while poking fun at stereotypical homosexual mannerisms, suggests that homosexuality is present even in children, an idea that would ruffle a few feathers.

5. Callie Torres and Arizona Robins – Grey’s Anatomy

One of the jokes about soap operas is that everybody ends up sleeping with everybody. In Grey’s Anatomy, the writers expanded upon that idea a bit with a lesbian couple. But it gets trickier from there: one of the women slept with a man, and now the two women (with occasional help from the guy) are raising a child. This whole plot doesn’t just put traditional gender roles into question, it smashes them into a billion pieces.

4. Ian Gallagher – Shameless

To say that this show explores LGBT issues is an understatement. Sexuality is such a confusing issue on this show that a lot of the characters aren’t even sure what their orientation is. As suggested by the show’s title, however, these characters have nothing to be ashamed of, regardless of which gender they’re attracted to.

3. Just about Half the Cast – Glee

A staggering number of Glee cast members, particularly in the ’09 season, have LGBT identities. They don’t just bring up gay and lesbian issues, they explore much more complicated concepts like pansexuality. And all in a show directed at teens? What is our world coming to?! A more open and accepting society, evidently.

2. Any Reality Show – Any Network

Turn on Face Off, What Not to Wear, Project Runway, NY Ink, The Glee Project, Girls Who Like Boys Who Like Boys, or just about any reality TV show. More than likely, one of the guests will be gay, perhaps even blatantly so.

1. Marcus Bachmann?

Do I dare make the joke? It’s just too good to resist. He’s got plenty of screen time and media attention, so why not add him to the list? He’s certainly a recent TV celebrity, though probably not for the reasons he would prefer.

If we’re looking at shows that explore the sometimes confusing journey towards sexual self-discovery, then Marcus might be one of the best examples out there. I think news viewers out there are just as confused as he is. Marcus claims he’s straight as an arrow, but I’ll let you make up your own mind.

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Is the TV Theme Song an Endangered Species?

Posted on January 4, 2012 by Kris M.

We’ve all heard the story of a man named Brady, moved on up to the east side and learned the facts of life through TV theme song lyrics. In the early days of television, the theme song of any given TV show might provide you with the entire premise of the plot As long as you heard the theme song, you’d never wonder why Green Acres was the place to be or how the castaways of the S.S. Minnow wound up on Gilligan’s Island.

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The TV theme song is quickly becoming a lost art form. Nowadays many TV shows rely on quick title cards with short instrumental accompaniment to save time. Sacrificing a theme song allows producers to have more available time for the show itself, while still allowing for commercial breaks. The theme song from “Lost” wasn’t even a song—it was just one long crescendo with the title flying towards you.

Instrumental themes are a popular choice in modern television programming because they can be easily shortened whenever the producers need to save on time. “The Office” seems to have a multitude of different openings, depending on how much time they need for the episode. Reality shows get away with not needing an opening title sequence because they can rely on narration instead. Even shows about music, like “American Idol” and “Glee” have title cards instead of the full-blown musical numbers they deserve.

Since premium channels are commercial free there is more time for an opening theme, therefore more HBO and Showtime shows have longer title sequences. However, the majority of premium channel programming still relies on instrumental tracks or pre-existing pop music for theme songs, despite the extra time and budget afforded to them to create original pieces.

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Theme songs could possibly be disappearing completely from premium channels too. The Showtime series “Weeds” used to play a different version of the folk song “Little Boxes” in almost every episode—for the first few seasons anyway. From the fourth season afterward, the theme has been completely replaced by a shortened title card sequence with no theme music whatsoever.

There still lies some hope for classic TV theme songs in the genre of animation. Adult animated comedies like “Family Guy” and “South Park” keep the tradition going with tongue-in-cheek theme songs reminiscent of yesteryear. Children’s shows also continue to produce catchy theme songs—after all, everybody knows who lives in a pineapple under the sea and how to get to Sesame Street.

Future generations of TV watchers may never get to experience the excitement of a good TV theme song, other than from old reruns. Cherish these moments and these catchy tunes while you still can.

Predictions for the 2012 TV Season

Posted on January 2, 2012 by Kris M.

It doesn’t take a crystal ball to predict where TV is heading in the year to come. Based on what was trending in 2011, and looking ahead to the television events already on the horizon, we can make some educated guesses as to what the TV landscape will be like in 2012.

Music TV Will Be Everywhere Other Than MTV

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Sure MTV might not stand for “Music Television” anymore, but who needs one channel dedicated to music when every channel is breaking out into song and dance. In 2012, expect singing competitions like “The Voice” and musical dramas like “Smash” to keep the musical trend going. After all, as they say, the beat goes on.

Vampires Are Out, Magic is In

Image: Hollywood Reporter

The vampire craze may have finally peaked, however it may be replaced by magic and fairy tales in the years to come. Shows like “Grimm” and “Once Upon a Time” proved that TV viewers could handle magical fairy tale themes in prime time. Even HBO’s “True Blood” has shifted focus from vampires to witches and fairies in the recent seasons.

New Faces Hosting Your Favorite TV Shows

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Everywhere you look in 2012, there will be new faces on daytime TV. Kelly Ripa still hasn’t found a suitable host to replace Regis, but we’re expecting for her to finally settle on a co-star sometime in early 2012. Meanwhile, NBC has been openly considering “American Idol” host Ryan Seacrest to takeover hosting “The Today Show.”

What’s Old is New

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The recent success of “90210” and “Hawaii Five-O” has proven that TV remakes are a viable option for networks to rely on. In 2012, producer Bryan Fuller of “Pushing Daisies” fame will be remaking “The Munsters”—which goes to show that in 2012 any remake is possible.

The Olympics Provide a Reason to Stay In This Summer

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You might want to cancel your vacation to Legoland this year because the London 2012 Olympics may just occupy your summer. All eyes will be watching to see how London tries to top the mind-blowing opening ceremonies from the Beijing 2008 Olympics.

Horror is in the House

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Although horror is usually considered a niche genre, the popularity of AMC’s “The Walking Dead” and FX’s recent hit “American Horror Story” have proven that there’s an audience for macabre programming. Expect things to get much darker on TV from now on, especially around Halloween 2012.

Say So Long to Soaps

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The last few soap operas will likely call it quits in 2012, making it the end of a long era of serialized television stories. Nowadays fans are too busy to keep up with their soaps, while prime time televisions dramas are swooping in to fill the void.

Campaign Comedy

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Since 2012 is an election year, we can expect plenty of political humor in the coming months. This is when shows like “Saturday Night Live” and “The Daily Show” are at their best as the 24-hour news cycle allows for every second of the election to become satirical fodder.

3 TV Couples that Would Hook Up if TV had eHarmony

Posted on January 2, 2012 by Dabney B

Managing your love life in a TV show can be rough. Unless you’re either the Protagonist or the Love Interest, they you are consigned to a fate of endless dating, complicated romance, and unhappy encounters. And even if you are the Protagonist or his fated babe, it doesn’t get much better. TV protocol dictates that you must endure no less than 2 seasons of unconsummated sexual tension before you can save the love interest’s life, kiss each other in a moment of passion (which probably gets interrupted), and then wait another season or 2 before the moment is right to go on a date.

What the world of TV really needs is eHarmony so that couples can find their perfect matches.

1. Sheldon and Hikaru Sulu – The Big Bang Theory and Star Trek

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Hikaru Sulu is the helmsman of the famed USS Enterprise. Sheldon is a devoted nerd who loves Star Trek more than anything on earth. Right off the bat, you know that the first date between these two waifish nerds would include plenty of conversation.

Beyond that common interest, these two are actually quite similar in temperament. According to Gene Roddenberry, Sulu is supposed to represent peace in Star Trek universe. Likewise, Sheldon is a pacifist who abhors conflict and is mortified by the sight of blood.

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These geeks would be 2 peas in a bod, enthusiastically adoring each other for the rest of their years.

2. Nathan Young and Quinn Fabray – Misfits and Glee

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The Gleeks are just a little bit too wholesome. Life isn’t all sing-song romance and cheerful teenage flirting. Sometimes, you need a good dose of dark realism to counteract all the frou frou silly romance. And there’s no better way to inject a heaping dose of dark realism than introducing a blonde cheerleader to a foul-mouthed Brit with super heroes. Well, it’s only kind of realism.

In any event, Nathan would be sure to repulse Quinn at first, but she’d have a hard time resisting his pure animal magnetism.

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We’ve seen it a million times: a sheltered American teenager thinks that popularity is all that matters. Then she hits college and gets introduced to alcohol and bad boys, and things take a rather dramatic turn. And when Quinn makes that turn, Nathan will be there to show her the ropes.

3. Dexter Morgan and Claire Bennet – Dexter and Heroes

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As a serial killer, Dexter has a compulsive urge to kill people. There are a couple of problems with that. First off, it’s sort of illegal. Second, he has to find a new person to kill every time he gets the urge. That can really suck up a lot of time that he could have otherwise spent wining and dining a lovely lady.

Claire Bennet is gifted with the supernatural power of constant regeneration. You can stick a dagger in her gut and she just keeps on ticking. As an insecure high schooler, what Claire wants more than anyone else is a guy who can accept her for who she is, despite her unusually high metabolism.

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With these two, we’ve got a match made in heaven. Dexter can just murder Claire every time he’s feeling the urge, and Claire will have a guy who adores her regenerative abilities. It may be one of the more f’d up TV couples out there, but can you possibly imagine a happier, bloodier couple?

TV Secret Santa, Part 1

Posted on December 24, 2011 by Dabney B

It’s only 2 days to Christmas, and for many of us, that means ornaments, spiked eggnog, and awkward dinners with distant relatives you can barely stand. But, hey, presents! That more than makes up for it, right?

This year, many of your favorite characters from Infinity Dish shows are participating in Secret Santa. What did these characters get you for Christmas? Click on the presents to find out!

1. Homer Simpson – The Simpsons

While this lovable oaf may not be the brightest bulb in the shed, he’s got enough heart to remember the important things. Don’t expect a collection of Mozart’s classics, but you can be sure that he’ll give something that anybody would love.

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2. Dexter Morgan – Dexter

Holidays aren’t really Dexter’s thing. He doesn’t understand the all the cheer, the lights, the parties, and just all of the happiness in general. Why go to all the trouble of trying to act like you’re buddies with people that you barely know? It’d be so much easier to stay at home. But it would be weird not to exchange presents, and it’s important to look… normal.

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3. Sheldon – The Big Bang Theory

Christmas is an archaic tradition that has no place in a perfectly rational society, but if you insist on adhering to such ludicrous cultural habits then we may as well exchange gifts in a token gesture of friendship.

Image: Flickr Ahhyeah

4. The Doctor – Doctor Who

One of the best things about traveling through the time-space continuum is that you get to participate in all of the bizarre, eccentric cultural traditions. Just don’t ask what Daleks do under the mistletoe. It ain’t pretty.

So, after travelling billions of light years and millions of decades through time, what is the greatest treasure the Doctor has to share?

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5. The Singers of Glee

High School can be a tough time, especially when you’re trying to make it as a hit singer. For some, the pressure is just too high. I’m sure that the staff of Glee will give you the perfect gift to help you make it as the world’s most popular high school vocalist.

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