BEST DRAMA SERIES

Boardwalk Empire
Dexter
Friday Night Lights
Game of Thrones
The Good Wife
Mad Men

Who Will Win: Mad Men. This is there year to break through the Breaking Bad wall. Boardwalk has a strong chance as well, but I think the boys at SCDP are going to be happy come Emmy night.

Who Should Win: Friday Night Lights. The final season of FNL was not its best (season 1 or 4), but was still very good, and getting a symbolic win in its last season would be great to see. Don’t hold your breath though.

Who Was Snubbed: Justified. Seriously, how was this show forgotten?

BEST COMEDY SERIES
Big Bang Theory
Glee
Modern Family
The Office
30 Rock
Parks and Recreation

Who Will Win: Too Close to Call. This is a really tight category, where any of these shows could take the statue, but…

Who Should Win: Parks and Recreation. Hands down the funniest show with the best cast. The show went nuts this year, with no weak episodes, and if it doesn’t win, I’ll go on a hunger strike (or probably just be mad for a few days).

Who Was Snubbed: Community. The show had a few brilliant episodes this season, including a few that were light on the wacky humor that helped build the shows fanbase, but heavy on tremendously done storytelling. A shame it didn’t get a nod.

BEST DRAMA ACTOR

Timothy Olyphant, Justified
Steve Buscemi, Boardwalk Empire
Kyle Chandler, Friday Night Lights
Michael C. Hall, Dexter
Jon Hamm, Mad Men
Hugh Laurie, House

Who Will Win: Jon Hamm. It’s his year to hold the statue before Cranston comes back. And honestly, if you saw the episode “The Suitcase,” you’ll have no problem agreeing with me.

Who Should Win: Kyle Chandler. Like FNL in the Drama Series category, this would be symbolic, though Chandler was pitch perfect in his final season as Coach Taylor, and deserves it outright.

Who Was Snubbed: This category is surprisingly tight. Not much you can argue here.

BEST DRAMA ACTRESS
Connie Britton, Friday Night Lights
Julianna Margulies, The Good Wife
Kathy Bates, Harry’s Law
Mariska Hargitay, SVU
Mirelle Enos, The Killing
Elisabeth Moss, Mad Men

Who Will Win: Elisabeth Moss. If you saw Hamm in “The Suitcase,” you know Moss deserves an Emmy for her work too. She’s past due, and this will be her year.

Who Should Win: Connie Britton. If I had a vote, I’d vote for Moss, but Britton spent five years doing phenomenal work as Tammy Taylor, and it’s sad to see her come away from it all empty handed.

Who Was Snubbed: January Jones, Mad Men. I’m not the biggest January Jones fan, and Betty didn’t have much to do this season, but when she was on screen, the whole mood of the scene changed. Betty was fascinating to watch this year, thanks in large part to Jones.

BEST COMEDY ACTRESS
Edie Falco, Nurse Jackie
Tina Fey, 30 Rock
Laura Linney, The Big C
Melissa McCarthy, Mike & Molly
Martha Plimpton, Raising Hope
Amy Poehler, Parks & Recreation

Who Will Win: Amy Poehler. Tina Fey might surprise, but I think this is Poehler’s year. She was very good all season, and I think that will be hard to ignore.

Who Should Win: Amy Poehler. Seriously. She was great.

Who Was Snubbed: Alison Brie, Community. Annie is one of the sweeter, more fun characters on TV right now. Just watch her try and be someone else in the bar night episode, you’ll see what I mean.

BEST COMEDY ACTOR
Alec Baldwin, 30 Rock
Matt LeBlanc, Episodes
Jim Parsons, The Big Bang Theory
Steve Carell, The Office
Johnny Galecki, The Big Bang Theory
Louie C.K., Louie

Who Will Win: Steve Carell. He hasn’t won an Emmy yet for playing his most iconic roll, and this is the last chance. Voters won’t forget that.

Who Should Win: Louie C.K. It seems like an odd nomination, but it’s sort of Louie‘s consolation prize.

Who Was Snubbed: Joel McHale, Community. The longer he’s on Community, the better he’s getting.

OUTSTANDING SUPPORTING ACTOR, COMEDY
Chris Colfer, Glee
Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Modern Family
Ed O’Neill, Modern Family
Eric Stonestreet, Modern Family
Ty Burrell, Modern Family
Jon Cryer, Two and a Half Men

Who Will Win: Ty Burrell. It’s gotta be someone from Modern Family, and it might as well be the most consistently funny.

Who Should Win: If not Burrell, Eric Stonestreet. After Phil, Cam is among the funniest characters on TV.

Who Was Snubbed: A long list here, including Danny Pudi, Aziz Ansari, Nick Offerman, Rainn Wilson, all of whom did fantastic work this season on shows that were not Modern Family.

OUTSTANDING SUPPORTING ACTOR, DRAMA
Peter Dinklage, Game of Thrones
Josh Charles, The Good Wife
Alan Cumming, The Good Wife
Walton Goggins, Justified
John Slattery, Mad Men
Andre Braugher, Men of a Certain Age

Who Will Win: John Slattery. Like I said, it’s Mad Men’s year to break through the Breaking Bad wall.

Who Should Win: Walter Goggins or Peter Dinklage. Both were fantastic, but will certainly be forgotten come voting time.

Who Was Snubbed: Not to bring in more Mad Men, but the more the show has gone on the more I like Vincent Kartheiser as Pete, who has yet to get a nomination.

OUTSTANDING SUPPORTING ACTRESS, COMEDY
Jane Lynch, Glee
Betty White, Hot in Cleveland
Julie Bowen, Modern Family
Sofia Vergara, Modern Family
Kristen Wiig, Saturday Night Live
Jane Krakowski, 30 Rock

Who Will Win: Kristen Wiig. This will be her anointment into stardom, much the same way Tina Fey (and hopefully Amy Pohler) got her first Emmy en route to a successful movie career. She deserves it too.

Who Should Win: Julie Bowen. Claire isn’t a likable character without her.

Who Was Snubbed: Rashida Jones, Parks and Recreation. Poor, beautiful Anne.

OUTSTANDING SUPPORTING ACTRESS, DRAMA
Archie Panjabi, The Good Wife
Kelly Macdonald, Boardwalk Empire
Christine Baranski, The Good Wife
Margo Martindale, Justified
Michelle Forbes, The Killing
Christina Hendricks, Mad Men

Who Will Win: Christina Hendricks. This is a really tight category full of deserving actresses, but she’ll have the Mad Men luck behind her.

Who Should Win: Margo Martindale. If you’ve watched Justified, you know why.

Who Was Snubbed: No one here. Fantastic group of actresses.

OUTSTANDING MINISERIES OR MOVIE
Cinema Verite
Downton Abbey
The Kennedys
Mildred Pierce
The Pillars of the Earth
Too Big to Fail

BEST VARIETY SERIES
The Colbert Report
Conan
The Daily Show with Jon Stewart
Late Night with Jimmy Fallon
Real Time with Bill Maher
Saturday Night Live

OUTSTANDING REALITY PROGRAM
Antiques Roadshow
Undercover Boss

OUTSTANDING REALITY COMPETITION
The Amazing Race
American Idol
So You Think You Can Dance
Top Chef

Presented in no particular order, our 15 favorite episodes of TV from 2010.

Mad Men – The Suitcase
If there was one episode of television that may have won its stars an Emmy, it was “The Suitcase,” a beautifully performed, perfectly written hour of television. Jon Hamm and Elizabeth Moss were extraordinary, their chemistry never better, as Peggy and Don spend a night battling and bonding in the SCDP offices. Mad Men has had several top notch episodes, but few can rival “The Suitcase.” (M)

Community – Modern Warfare
Community had several solid episodes leading up to “Modern Warfare,” but it was there that the show reached the creative peak of its first season. “Modern Warfare” is part parody, but there is also a lot of reverence to the source material thrown in. There are so many hilarious little details and references throughout the episode, which gets better and better with each viewing. (M)
Read Michael’s original review here.

Lone Star – Pilot
The big comment most critics had regarding the pilot for Lone Star was that it was a great idea for a movie, but maybe not a TV show. Given the show’s swift demise, we’ll never know, but the first episode was about as entertaining as any TV show or film you’ll find. Great performances from Jon Voight and newcomer James Wolk drove a compelling, self contained episode that unfortunately will have to stand on its own as a great piece of TV. (M)
Read Michael’s original review here.

Boardwalk Empire – Boardwalk Empire
When you hire Martin Scorsese to direct the first episode of your TV series, this is what you get. The extra-long series premiere of Boardwalk Empire was jam-packed with gangland violence, political intrigue, and fascinating historical tidbits, all administered at such a quick pace that viewers understandably got whiplash once the show settled into a slightly more sedate weekly pace. From the apocalyptic ringing-in of Prohibition to the staccato, rim-shot scored stick-up sequence, “Boardwalk Empire” was a tense, exciting glimpse into a world that I couldn’t wait to spend more time inside. (J)
Read Jonah’s original review here.

The Walking Dead – Days Gone By
One of the most anticipated new shows of the fall, The Walking Dead delivered a chilling, highly entertaining first episode that instantly won it a legion of fans. Functioning just as well as a standalone story as it did a pilot, “Days Gone By” is about as cinematic as you can get on television. If nothing else, “Days Gone By” did a fantastic job of quickly luring in a loyal fanbase that made the show one of basic cable’s biggest. (M)

Party Down – Party Down Company Picnic
“Party Down Company Picnic” takes the show’s cast out of their bowties only to find that there is no escape from the tedious cycle of boredom that is their lives. Henry breaks up with Uda and steps down as Team Leader, Ron’s attempts at climbing the ladder put him right back where he started – occupying the now vacant Team Leader job – and Party Down gets their asses kicked by Valhalla. In an inspired second (and tragically, final) season, few episodes wrung as much laughter out of as much pain as this one did. (J)
Read Michael’s original review here.

30 Rock – Brooklyn Without Limits
People (like myself) who were ready to give up on 30 Rock after a substandard season were jumping the gun, as the show has come roaring back in 2010. Nowhere was the resurgence clearer than “Brooklyn Without Limits,” a piece of vintage 30 Rock mayhem, complete with a guest star (John Slattery) who feels put to use well without dominating the episode. Add to that Lemon’s new jeans and Jenna’s insecurities and “Brooklyn Without Limits” was another worthwhile addition to the series. (J)

Better Off Ted – Lust in Translation
We decided that there weren’t really enough Better Off Ted episodes in 2010 for us to put it on the series list, so this will have to stand as our tribute to one of our favorite fallen shows. “Lust in Translation” featured a premise that was classic Better Off Ted, complete with an angry-voiced multi-translator, a talking frying pan, and a panoply of Three Stooges references. From Phil and Lem’s realization that they are evil scientists to the triumph and heartbreak of Lindabagel, “Lust in Translation” is a reminded of how sharp and funny Better Off Ted could be and how sad it is that its gone. (J)
Read Jonah’s original review here.

Lost – Happily Ever After
The joy of Lost is the joy of discovery and adventure, the feeling that the boundries of the show’s world are limitless and ever-expanding. Every time a new piece of mythology was introduced or a new question asked, viewers’ minds started racing, imagining all the possibilities that existed. It is not shocking that the best episodes of the show, then, are the ones that asked questions, not the ones that answered them. So “Happily Ever After” gets our vote over the still-terrific-no-matter-what-anybody-says finale because it was vintage Lost: Desmond and the audience stranded in a strange world whose very existence was a mystery to us. And by grounding that mystery in the show’s sweetest love story, Lost made “Happily Ever After” as moving as it was intriguing. (J)
Read Jonah’s original review here.

Parks and Recreation – Telethon
“Telethon” worked in everything from a harrowing look into Jerry’s sex life (shudder) to ex Indiana Pacer small forward Detlef Schrempf while maintaining its focus on classic P&R elements like Leslie’s boundless enthusiasm and Ann and Mark’s relationship. The series of callbacks (Pawnee Today, Sweetums, Mouse Rat) and the endless parade of one-liners (“there are two kinds of diabetes but only one kind of caring: type one caring”) make “Telethon” feel like a summation of everything that made season two so special. (J)
Read Michael’s original review here.

The Office – Niagra
Jim and Pam have always been at the emotional center of The Office, so it’s not a huge surprise that their wedding would be the best episode in a season of the show that was less than stellar. It was a sweet, funny episode that was reminiscent of the show’s peak, and helped remind us why we fell in love with The Office in the first place. (M)

Breaking Bad – One Minute
Breaking Bad does tension like no other show currently on TV. So when the twin assassins who seemed to be the season’s main concern turned their attention to DEA agent Hank, all while Hank’s life is collapsing around him. From his violent confrontation with Jesse to his heartbreaking confession to his wife, Hank finds himself coming to the sad realization that he can no longer be a cop anymore, which only makes it that much more tense that two reapers are coming for him. Then a mysterious phone call and a Breaking Bad-style chain of causation turn the tables on the cousins. The fact that, while all this is going on, the show still manages to find time to take Jesse and Walt’s relationship to a new place and work in some vintage Saul Goodman smarm is icing on the cake of what may be the most tense episode of television ever. (J)

How I Met Your Mother – Rabbit or Duck
With a plethora of call backs and references and classic HIMYM troupes throughout, “Rabbit or Duck” was a classic episode of the show that helped salvage a lackluster season. The main story of Robin falling in love with co-worker Don bringing the emotional thread and the b-story of Barney and his always ringing cell phone bringing the laughs, “Rabbit or Duck” is a complete episode, one that can be enjoyed from all angles. (M)
Read Michael’s original review here.

Modern Family – Truth Be Told
Modern Family deserved all the praise it got for its first season, as highlighted by “Truth Be Told,” an episode in which all of the show’s strengths are put on display. There aren’t many weak links, and the physical comedy of Phil evading his ex-girlfriend while Claire remains oblivious was one of the funniest bits the show did. Coming in the second half of the season, “Truth Be Told” solidified Modern Family as the best new comedy of they year. (M)
Read Michael’s original review here.

Justified – Pilot
More pilots should be like Justified’s zippy and thrilling introduction. Of course, most pilots don’t have the benefit of being adapted from Elmore Leonard short stories. Portraying US Marshall Raylan Givens gives Timothy Olyphant a character right in his wheelhouse, an easy-going man of righteousness and violence with a seething anger burning underneath the surface. Raylan returns home and quickly butts heads with Boyd Crowder, an old coal-mining buddy of his played perfectly by Walton Goggins. The pair’s cat-and-mouse game unfolds over the course of the hour and comes to an exciting conclusion that wisely keeps both men around to antagonize each other for the remainder of the season. As an introduction to Justified’s world or just as an hour of TV, “Pilot” works on just about every level. (J)

10. Lost
It would have been impossible for Lost to answer every lingering question and appease everyone in its final season, but for those hoping for closure for the characters they had grown to know and love, it was an extremely satisfying season. Yes, it’s easy to go after things like the “Heart of the Island,” but there were so many moments, especially in the FlashSideways, that tugged at the heartstrings. Ultimately, the last season of Lost reminded us that the reason the show succeeded while the knockoffs failed because it had characters we wanted to be happy, and in that regard, the ending was a complete success. (M)

9. Treme
If there’s one thing Treme was not, it’s The Wire 2. Viewers looking for Omar and Hamsterdam and “Where’s Wallace” type scenes were bound for disappointment. Those who stuck around, however, were rewarded with a series of rich, warm character portraits. Featuring one of the best casts on TV (including standouts Melissa Leo, Khandi Alexander, Clarke Peters among others), the show felt more alive and more human than anything else currently airing. Even if some of the plot points didn’t quite gel the way we might have hoped (Sonny), the show itself made for a promising start from one of TV’s brightest visionaries. (J)

8. Louie
It’s hard for comics to successfully move their act to a sitcom setting, but Louis C.K. did it successfully in his brilliant new show. Louie is truly unlike any show on TV, a brutally honest, downright hilarious exploration of everything, whether its politics, homophophia, God, terrorism, and the challenging experience of flying, all with signature point of view of its creator. Serving as writer, director, and editor, Louis C.K. has created a comedy that plays more like a series of short films than it does a typical tv show. (M)

7. Community
Community makes it easy to focus on the gadget episodes and pop culture awareness by being so good at it. Episodes like “Modern Warfare” and “Abed’s Uncontrollable Christmas,” Community has made a name for itself with some of the smartest parody episodes ever on TV. But what makes Community a truly outstanding show is the measure of heart and empathy it displays for each one of it’s off-beat characters. From a smarmy lawyer to a high-strung overachiever, the characters on Community have transcended their simply types and become a rich collection of people. (J)

6. Boardwalk Empire
HBO has always been successful at creating full realized worlds within their shows, but Boardwalk Empire takes that to a whole new level. With stunning sets and visuals and top notch acting, the Prohibition Era drama is the successor to The Sopranos the network has been searching for. Steve Buschemi shines as Nuckie Thompson, owning the role completely, and the supporting cast is absolutely phenomenal all around. The first season of Boardwalk Empire ushered in a new era for cable dramas, one in which no idea is too big to put on the small screen. (M)

5. Terriers
The people who solve crimes on TV don’t look and act like Donal Logue and Michael Raymond-James. They don’t worry about how to make rent or take cases for a bank manager just to try to secure a loan. And their cases don’t involve women who pretend to have affairs at their husband’s insistence or helping wealthy landowners rob themselves. But Terriers wasn’t like other shows. It had a shaggy, easy-going energy that blended perfectly with its noir elements and some of the best performances on TV. Terriers could regularly punch you in the gut in a way no other TV show did and TV is a flatter place without it. (J)

4. Parks and Recreation
After a tepid first season, Parks and Recreation emerged in its second season as one of the best shows on network television. The show finally emerged from the shadow of its older brother, The Office, consistently being the funniest show in NBC’s strong Thrusday night lineup. Parks and Rec learned to play up the strengths of its phenomenal cast, with Amy Pohler leading the way, but with Aziz Ansari, Nic Offerman, Aubrey Plaza, and Chris Pratt adding just as many fantastic moments. With the late additions of Rob Lowe and Adam Scott, Parks and Rec looks like it will continue its greatness when it returns in early 2011. (M)

3. Mad Men
At the end of its third season, Mad Men liberated Don and Betty Draper from their suffocating, destructive marriage, and then spent the fourth season teaching them to beware what they wished for. This season structured itself like a series of interlocking short stories, giving the audience an even more intimate look at the show’s characters than in years’ past. And, in the end, it made all too much sense to see Don fall back into his same pattern, proposing out of nowhere to his pretty secretary while casting aside his intellectual and professional equal Faye. In the end, this season of Mad Men was about what every season of Mad Men is about: the more things change the more they stay the same. (J)

2. Party Down
It’s a shame that the best comedy of 2010 was one of the least watched or heard of shows of the same year, yet it seems fitting for a show about characters seemingly doomed for failure. The show didn’t miss a beat all season, and actually added more depth to their characters by taking them out of the parties they catered in episodes like “Steve Gutenberg’s Birthday” or “Party Down Company Picnic.” Ken Marino was once again the show’s MVP as perpetual loser Ron Donald, but I could go on and on how good the rest of the cast was. If you missed out on Party Down, you’re not the only one, but do yourself a favor and correct that. You won’t be sorry. (M)

1. Breaking Bad
I meant to recap this season of Breaking Bad, but I just couldn’t do it, at least not without watching each episode three or four times. One week, Breaking Bad could deliver episodes loaded with tension to the point of explosion and then follow them with softer hours that put a close-up focus on the people at the show’s core. Breaking Bad doesn’t let its characters out of making difficult decisions, it doesn’t go gentle on the audience, and it doesn’t play by the rules. From the compelling men at its center – Walter White and Jesse Pinkman – the fascinating characters in their orbit and even people at the periphery, Breaking Bad has created and depicted a world that is fully realized and detailed. (J)

Now for your listening pleasure, the Tangled Up in Wires podcast. Yes, as part of an innovative new content delivery system, TUIW has decided to add a podcast. Now you can have the dulcet tones of our voices lull you to sleep, as we use yet another soapbox to mock Two and a Half Men share insightful thoughts into the most interesting corners of pop culture. On this podcast, Michael and Jonah discuss the 2009-10 TV season, look at why summer movies have been so disappointing so far, and talk about our favorite music of the year:

Tangled Up In Wires Podcast #1

Like it? Hate it? Vehemently disagree? Sound off in the comments below and enjoy the podcast!

I’m getting ahead of myself here. I commented last week that Community felt like it was wrapping things up a week early with the study group passing Spanish 102 and figuring out what they’d take together the next year. I was pretty confused as to what they were going to do with the finale, given that the basic premise of the show had been resolved and the Britta-Jeff thing had been dropped a week after they did it during paintball. But how foolish of me not to give credit to Dan Harmon and the Community writers, who have done such a good job all season of putting the right things at the right time. “Pascal’s Triangle Revisited” was a finale that brought the season full circle, and demonstrated why, even with The Big Bang Theory up against it next year, Community might be here to stay for a while.

It’s the end of the school year at Greendale, and the episode starts by revisiting nearly everything and everyone that was significant throughout the year: Jeff parks his paint splattered, Senor Chang damaged car in the parking spot he got for participating on the debate team, three episode callbacks in the first 30 seconds. He meets up with Annie, and the two of them run into Dean Pelton, who tells them that Britta has been nominated for queen of the Transfer Dance, a prom like celebration of all the kids transferring to other colleges. Naturally, they begin to give her a hard time about it, but the group is also preoccupied with the impending summer, especially Troy, who needs to move out of his house. He makes a comment to Abed regarding his bunkbed, only to be ignored. He gets an offer from Pierce, but remember Pierce is creepy.

After a wasted session with Professor Duncan (John Oliver (!) back in yet another episode call back), Britta decides to enter the contest, largely out of jealousy over the resurfaced affections of Professor Slater for Jeff. Just before the dance (renamed the Tranny Dance), Annie learns that Vaughn has made a prestigious hacky sack team at another college in Vermont. Annie confides in Jeff she’s going with him, but as a transfer, a fact that bothers Jeff, but one that he knows might be right for the girl that spent three months researching which backpack to get.

At the dance, Abed explains to Troy that the two of them shouldn’t live together, for fear they could ruin their friendship. Troy doesn’t get it until he realizes, via the giant cookie he mistook for a cookie no one had yet claimed, that there such thing as too much of a good thing, and he decides to take up Pierce on his offer.  As those two are figuring out their issues,it appears that the two women are both going after Jeff with everything they have. Things come to a head when Britta mistakes the reading of her name for her being named queen for “being hot,” and she’s forced to make her big move: telling Jeff she’s in love with him. Jeff is stunned, but only for a moment as Slater too proclaims her love for him. Suddenly, the whole room is waiting in anticipation to find out who Jeff will pick, and in my favorite moment of the night, Troy sneaks up to Jeff to let him know this fact. The crowd divides into Team Britta and Team Slater (with Starburns yelling “Bring back Conan!”), but Jeff doesn’t decide, leaving both women standing there.

Outside, he runs into Annie, who has come to her senses and realized she needed to stay with her friends at Greendale instead of following Vaughn to Vermont. Jeff fills her in on what happened and tells her that he’s glad she decided to stay. It’s a sweet moment made even sweeter a beat later as the two kiss(!), a somewhat out of nowhere plot twist that was the perfect way to end the episode.

Annie and Jeff have had romantic tension since “Debate 109,” and I suggest back then that it was compelling because of the chemistry between Alison Brie and Joel McHale. But since that episode, Community found a way to shift its focus and figured out its characters a little bit. The story moved largely away from Jeff and Britta, and until “Modern Warfare,” made it seem like a thing of the past. I think by dropping it completely last week and bringing it back full force for “Pascal’s Triangle Revisited,” it made the Annie and Jeff hook up even more surprising, even though there have been hints that the two like each other.

Community really impressed me over the course of the season for its uniqueness, and while “Pascal’s Triangle Revisited” seemed to make itself known as a season finale, the episode largely managed to bring all of the things that have made it such a fun show to watch into the fold. It didn’t have the gut busting hilarity or parody of “Modern Warfare” or even “Contemporary American Poultry,” but it was a solid episode that managed to highlight the shows strengths and I think it made a strong case for itself for next season, as an established sophomore comedy instead of a “good new show.” It will have a ratings struggle with the hugely popular Big Bang Theory, but I can tell you right now, Community isn’t just funnier, but it has a hell of a lot more heart and soul.

Other Notes:

- Donald Glover had me in stitches all night. When he picked up that cookie, I about died, but what really put me over the edge was when he came up to Jeff to let him know everyone was waiting for his answer.

- John Oliver! Now that Senor Chang is just a student, perhaps we’ll see more of him next year? Favorite line: “Who has your car keys?” “In the taco meat.”

- Was it the hyper-excited Lost nerd in me, or was Chang telling Duncan he’d find a loophole a Man in Black-Jacob reference?

- Dean Pelton invites not one, but TWO dates in dalmatian outfits.

- “Oh, and for the record, there was an episode of Happy Days where a guy literally jumped over a shark. And it was the best one.

Michael’s Score: 81

TUiW Grade: A-

Mondays

Chuck will lead off the night in its normal 8 pm time slot after finally getting a renewal that didn’t come at the 11th hour. That will be followed by The Event, which stars Jason Ritter and Blair Underwood, which is about “an Everyman (Ritter) who investigates the mysterious disappearance of his fiancée, Leila (Sarah Roemer, “Disturbia”), and unwittingly begins to expose the biggest cover-up in U.S. history.” Underwood plays the president, and the show will also feature fine acting/always creepy Željko Ivanek. At 10 will be another new show, Chase, from Jerry Bruckheimer, who will try to work his formulaic C.S.I. magic on NBC. I’ll let the network describe it, since it’s too good not to let them: “Kelli Giddish (“Past Life”) stars as U.S. Marshal Annie Frost, a cowboy boot-wearing deputy whose sharp mind and unique Texas upbringing help her track down the violent criminals on the run.” Here’s hoping she also takes off her sunglasses a lot and says things like “looks like these boots aren’t made for walking anymore.”

Tuesday

Nothing new here, as the night will be filled with The Biggest Loser (presumably for two hours) and Parenthood, a show that has steadily improved since it’s only okay beginning.

Wednesday

Wednesday kicks off with Undercovers, the highly touted show from J.J. Abrams (it’s in fact the first pilot he’s directed since Lost). Undercovers is about two former CIA spies (Steven Bloom and Samantha (Gugu Mbatha-Raw) who retired when they fell in love and got married, but are thrust back into action when one of their spy friends goes missing. The show has gotten some of the biggest buzz because of Abrams involvement, which unlike with Fringe, has him as a co-writer on the show. Fans mourning the end of Law and Order can rejoice in the knowing the rest of the night will be filled with its spin-offs, starting with Law and Order: SVU and followed at 10 by the new Law and Order: Los Angeles. Wondering who is going to be on LO:LA? So is NBC. Apparently, they picked up the show before a script has even been finished, let alone a pilot. I’m going to guess it has hard nosed cops and lots of helpless wannabe actresses getting killed. Just a hunch.

Thursday

NBC’s comedy night has had a perfect lineup this year, so naturally, NBC is going to mess with the formula. Kicking off the night again will be Community, which will be followed by 30 Rock, an hour before it’s current air time, with The Office going into its possible final season in its normal 9:00 slot. It will be followed at 9:30 by a new comedy, Outsourced, which is about a guy who has to go to India to train the outsourced workers, and tries to inject a little American life into their working habits. The show is an adaptation of the charming indie film of the same name, though it appears the show will have little to nothing in common with it, other than the the premise of a guy going to India to train the staff of his company. The good news about it is that it’s being produced by Ken Kwapis, who despite a lot of fairly boring movies, has done well with The Office. At 10 will be Love Bites, a show about the last two single girls in a group of friends that are all married. Their story will anchor the show which features different stories each week that feature guest stars as couples. Noticeably missing is Parks and Rec. More on that in a bit.

Friday

The least watched night of television will probably stay that way for NBC, who will feature the lame Who Do You Think You Are? returning in the fall, followed by Dateline and a new show, Outlaw, which features Jimmy Smits as a recently-resigned Supreme Court justice that returns to private practice. The fact that NBC has put it at 10 on a Friday indicates to me that it probably doesn’t have high hopes for the show.

Sunday

Football will once again dominate NBC’s Sunday nights all fall, and in the Spring, Dateline, Minute to Win It, and Celebrity Apprentice will return.

Midseason Replacements

Harry’s Law, the new show from David E. Kelly, features Kathy Bates as a former high powered attorney who (I kid you not) opens up a new law firm in an old shoe store with a wacky former teacher and a former student of his. Perfect Couples is about three couples and the ups and downs of relationships. The show’s only saving grace is that it features  the very funny Mary Elizabeth Ellis, better known as The Waitress from It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia. The Paul Reiser Show is a return to TV for the Mad About You star, in which he plays Paul Reiser trying to get back into the game. Friends With Benefits features Party Down‘s Ryan Hansen as a guy trying to find his ideal woman with the help of his friends. Without Hansen and the involvement of producer Brain Grazer, this show would be as boring as they come. The last new show is School Pride, a Cheryl Hines produced reality show where the crew comes in and transforms a run down public school.

Other Notes

First off, there is no Parks and Rec in the fall. It will show up in January, and apparently has nothing to do with Amy Poehler’s pregnancy. NBC has moved their best comedy to the Spring in order to make room for Outsourced. This is incredibly stupid to me, as the show is currently in production for its second season. It was already going to lose creative momentum when Poehler has her baby, but now that it won’t even be on until January has me worried, not to mention that it’s unlikely that the show will gain more viewers in 8 months as opposed to three.

Overall, NBC was pretty ambitious with their fall lineup, but I’m honestly not sure how much of it will be any good. Chances are that NBC is banking on shows like Law and Order: Los Angeles and Chase as a way to just grab viewers, just as CBS did a few years ago with the C.S.I. and NCIS franchises. Undercovers has to me the biggest potential, and The Event could be good if it doesn’t fall into the usual problems that NBC dramas have had in recent years. Overall, the fallout from the Leno Debacle is still effecting programming, and NBC has a lot riding on this next season after spending much more than usual on development. Here’s hoping the Peacock doesn’t disappoint.

It’s finals time at Greendale and The Study Group was stressing out, though for different reasons. Everyone obviously wanted to pass the Spanish 102 final, but Annie was equally concerned with making sure that they all could remain a study group next year. With Spanish 103 (I love that there’s no 200 level course) at 6:30 in the morning, she was proposes anthropology for everyone to take. Everyone seems fine with it, except Jeff, who’s reverted back to his old self. You see, Jeff remembered why he was at Greendale, and he wasn’t going to take any classes that he didn’t need to so that he could get back to being a lawyer, which seemed to bother Annie more than everyone else.

I think part of the reason we were reminded that Jeff was once a lawyer was to facilitate what happened next. Senor Chang approaches Jeff before class (promptly dismissing everyone from the room first), asking him where he got his fake diploma. It seems that Chang’s keytar ambitions got in the way of his education, and he’s been faking it as a professor. He warns Jeff that if he shares this information, their entire year of Spanish could be completely negated. Jeff promises, but doesn’t realize that Annie’s digital recorder, which she uses to record all her lectures, has been sitting there the whole time, getting every word.

She naturally turns Chang in and he’s replaced by a real Spanish teacher, and now the whole class is in trouble. Jeff flips out on Annie for it (after a nice sequence in which everyone’s groans is can’t disguise Annie’s happy sigh), and convinces the whole group not to give in to her young cuteness (“Picture her as Paul Giamatti!”). Annie storms off, and when she doesn’t show up for the final, Jeff comes to his senses and gets everyone to go find her. Turns out she’s with Senor Chang, who’s showing off his keytar skills, and they announce that Senor Chang is going to enroll in some music and education classes and work on becoming legit. Jeff and Annie apologize to each other, and turns out everyone passes Spanish (thanks to Pierce sleeping with the professor) and Jeff encourages them to take anthropology next semester.

I liked the goofier side of the episode, in which Troy discovers his gift for pluming, more than I did the main plot. It started hilariously with Troy approaching a chalkboard full of math equations, Good Will Hunting style, and I laughed pretty loudly when he picked up the chalk, only to pocket it. But it turns out Troy is really good at pluming, and they school’s maintenance staff keeps trying to get him to join them. It was a pretty turn around on the Good Will Hunting lines, and the part where Abed tells troy the best part of his day is when he thinks he’s not in class was great.

Overall, I think “English as a Second Language” was an off-kilter episode. It felt like a season finale (that’s next week), it brought back the earlier season “I’m just here because I have to be” version of Jeff, and it had a funnier B-story than main plot. It was an episode full of zingers and great lines, but it felt so oddly out of place. I can only assume that the intention was to establish that they were all going to be together again next year before the finale so that it can focus on something different, and I do remember that the mid-season break had an episode that felt like a winter sweeps episode the week before the actual one. I have a lot of confidence in this show after “Modern Warfare,” so I’ll differ to the writers on this one, but here’s hoping that Community rallies before it closes out its first year at Greendale.

Other Notes:

Favorite line of the night was Annie to Britta: “It’s obvious from your name your parents smoked pot.”

Michael’s Score: 65

TUiW Grade: B-

Jeff and Britta kick off the episode with their normal bickering, but it seems that it has the Study Group more annoyed than usual. It seems that their frustration with each other makes everyone else agitated, and Abed points out that their Ross and Rachel ways are preventing them from being friends. While Jeff and Britta down play the gang’s suggestion that they simply blow off some steam so to speak, Shirley mentions her Mother’s Day plans that involve her making her own breakfast, and then having her kids serve it to her in bed. Then walks in the Dean, who tells of the Spring Fling later, with a paintball assassin game that has a prize TBD. Jeff leaves to take a nap in the car as the group argues. And then everything changes.

Jeff wakes up, the campus a desolate war zone of paint splashes. A confused Jeff wanders into Greendale, where Abed saves him from a possible attack. They meet up with Troy, who is elated to see Jeff okay. They catch him up: The Prize has been selected, and it’s Priority Registration. The classes you want, when you want. It seems that after the Dean shared this information, the entire school went crazy on each other. Abed and Troy joined together though, with the strategy that if they stuck together, they could last longer, and have a better shot at one of the two of them getting The Prize. Jeff has no other choice but to take off his shirt and join them.

After a quick take down of the Chess Club, and a meet up with Pierce (who shoots Starburns), the three of them decide they’re going to take a bathroom stop. Everything looks clear…that is until Abed notices a little big of paint dripping down the wall. Before they know it, the three guys are in a standoff with Britta, Shirley, and Annie, who jumps out of the trashcan. They all realize they have too much to lose by take one another out,  so they join together. As they head out onto the Quad, Troy offers Shirley a deal: take out the group, and go on the two of them. Before they have a chance to decide though, Troy is shot in an ambush by the Cast of Glee…er…the Glee Club. In the ensuing attack, Pierce and Annie get shot, and the Cast of Community slams Glee for being awful. (Except you Jane Lynch. You are always awesome.)

The four survivors gather around a fire in the library and talk about what they’ll do with The Prize. Shirley tells them she’ll use it to take morning classes so she can spend more time with her kids, and Britta promises her that if she wins, she’ll give her The Prize. Jeff disagrees, and before he and Britta can bicker too much, they’re ambushed by disco loving roller skaters. In the attack, both Troy and Shirley are lost. Jeff is actually injured (“oh good, it’s just blood!”), and as Britta fixes him up, they finally kiss and, well, blow off steam.

Meanwhile in the Dean’s Office, the Dean is getting worried about the never ending paintball war. Enter Senior Chang, a professional paintballer who can end it all if the Dean just registers him for a class.

In the library, Britta pulls a gun on post-coital Jeff, who wisely has pulled the clip. Before they can resolve anything though, they’re interrupted by a supremely bad-ass Senor Chang and his automatic gun. Britta sacrifices herself for Jeff after a kiss, and it looks like Jeff is safe, that is until Senor Chang opens his jacket to reveal a paint bomb. Jeff dives from the room just as it explodes into a green tidal wave. When he makes it to the Dean’s Office, a crazed Jeff learns there is no Priority Registration, just a DVD player (with remote). But Jeff has come too far. He uses force to get just what he came for.

And suddenly it’s all over. The floors are being mopped, and an awkward Jeff and Britta decide its best to just pretend nothing happened and not tell anyone, but Abed feels something is different. No matter, as no one else catches on. Jeff shows off his Priority Registration, and also his generosity by giving it to Shirley so that she can spend time with her kids, a move that genuinely touches Britta.

And thus was a terrific half hour of television. Community started with a slight meta streak, and has since transformed that into their own blend of parody and humor that has only improved as its phenomenal cast and writing staff have figured out their strengths and weaknesses. When Community returned from it’s midseason break, it suddenly decided it wasn’t content being about a fancy lawyer mixed with the rejects, a formula that was actually working quite well for it. But it started with the plot involving the Greendale newspaper, with Jeff as editor and Annie as the no-nonsense reporter. Then came the episode with the sailing class, that allowed for some maritime parody. Then there was the Goodfellas tinged episode about chicken fingers. And now, there’s “Modern Warfare,” and episode that has taken the show to the point I believe it was always supposed to reach. Now that Jeff has embraced life at Greendale, it would make complete sense that he’d embrace the goofiness and melodrama of paintball war, complete with images like Senor Chang bursting into the library, automatic gun in hand. Greendale has gone from being a loser populated community college to being a big time newspaper, an ocean, a mob front, and now, the biggest of all, a war zone. I can’t wait to see what they do next.

Michael’s Score: 98

TUiW Grade: A+

EDITORS NOTE: The last paragraph has been updated since the original post.

The National

This May is shaping up to be a really great month of media. In addition to a stellar lineup of new music, May is also the start of the Summer Movie season and TV season finales. We’ve provided below a list of some of the best media this month, as well as links to find more.

MUSIC:

The Hold Stead - Heaven is Whenever

05-04
Broken Social Scene: Forgiveness Rock Record [Arts & Crafts]
The Fall: Your Future Our Clutter [Domino]
The Flaming Lips/Stardeath and White Dwarfs: The Dark Side of the Moon [Warner Bros.]
Flying Lotus: Cosmogramma [Warp]
The Hold Steady: Heaven Is Whenever [Vagrant]
Minus the Bear: Omni [Dangerbird]
The New Pornographers: Together [Matador]
Josh Ritter: So Runs the World Away [Pytheas Recordings]
Paul Weller: Wake Up the Nation [Yep Roc]
The Whitsundays: Saul [Friendly Fire]

05-11
CocoRosie: Grey Oceans [Sub Pop]
The Dead Weather: Sea of Cowards [Third Man/Warner Bros.]
Holy Fuck: Latin [Young Turks/XL]
Japandroids: No Singles [Polyvinyl]
The National: High Violet [4AD]
Sleigh Bells: Treats [NEET/Mom + Pop]
UNKLE: Where Did the Night Fall [Surrender All]
Woods: At Echo Lake [Woodsist]

05-18
Band of Horses: Infinite Arms [Brown Records/Fat Possum/Columbia]
The Black Keys: Brothers [Nonesuch]
LCD Soundsystem: This Is Happening [DFA/Virgin]
Jamie Lidell: Compass [Warp]
Janelle Monae: The ArchAndroid [Wondaland Arts Society/Bad Boy]
Nas and Damian Marley: Distant Relatives [Universal Republic]
Rhymefest: El Che [dNBe Entertainment]
The Rolling Stones: Exile on Main St. [Universal] [Deluxe Edition reissue]
Talib Kweli and Hi-Tek: Revolutions Per Minute [Blacksmith/Warner Bros.]

05-25

David Cross: Bigger and Blackerer [Sub Pop] [CD/DVD]
The Cure: Disintegration [Three-disc reissue] [Polydor/Universal]
Karen Elson: The Ghost Who Walks [Third Man/XL]
Tobacco: Maniac Meat [Anticon]

More Movie Releases Here

MOVIES

Iron Man 2

05-07
Iron Man 2

05-14
Robin Hood

05-21
Shrek Forever After
MacGruber

05-27
Sex and the City 2

05-28
Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time
George A. Romero’s Survival of the Dead
Micmacs

More Movie Release Dates Here

TV (Season Finales)

L O S T

FlashForward: Thursday, May 27 @ 8 pm/ET
Lost: Sunday, May 23 @ 9 pm/ET (two hour series finale)
Modern Family: Wednesday, May 19 @ 9 pm/ET
How I Met Your Mother: Monday, May 24 @ 8 pm/ET
24: Monday, May 24 @ 8 pm/ET (two hour series finale)
The Cleveland Show: Sunday, May 23 @ 8:30 pm/ET
Family Guy: Sunday, May 23 @ 9pm/ET (one hour)
Fringe: Thursday, May 20 @ 9 pm/ET
House: Monday, May 17 @ 8 pm/ET
The Simpsons: Sunday, May 23 @ 8 pm/ET
30 Rock: Thursday, May 20 @ 9:30 pm/ET
Chuck: Monday, May 24 @ 8 pm/ET (two hours)
Community: Thursday, May 20 @ 8 pm/ET
The Office: Thursday, May 20 @ 9 pm/ET
Parenthood: Tuesday, May 25 @ 10 pm/ET
Parks and Recreation: Thursday, May 20 @ 8:30 pm/ET

More Finale Dates Here