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[milkmanpaperboy]

Forgotten Kids' TV Shows

Bob in a Bottle   A  Japanese anime series also known as The Genie Family that first aired from 1969 to 1970.  It was about a boy who owned a bottle and whenever he sneezed, Bob the genie would appear to grant his wish.  Bob was really clumsy so he’d usually stuff it up.  He often said, “You sneeze, I please!” as he came out of his bottle.  

The Biz A British drama series that first aired from 1994 to 1996 and centred on a group of teenagers who attended Markov's School of Dance and Drama.  The storylines often included romance, rivalry, ambition and mini disasters.  It had a very catchy theme song that included the lyric, "'Cause they're just dreams unless you know that nothing else will do!"  

The Dr. Fad Show An American invention series that aired from 1988 to 1994 and was named for Ken Hakuta, aka Dr. Fad.  He made popular the Wacky WallWalker - a toy shaped like an octopus that when thrown against a wall would walk its way down.  The show would have three kids not only showing off their inventions but competing in inventive and creative challenges.  In every episode they would have a famous guest inventor come on and talk about their creations.  The kids got to wear the coolest lab coats and got geeky prizes like a trip to the Earth Shuttle Program or Space Camp.

Daring & Grace: Teen Detectives A Canadian adventure/detective series that aired in 2000 and 2001.  High school jock Dick Daring had to take over his father's detective agency when he faked his own death to evade his enemies.  His father needed his help to find out the truth and to do that he needed a computer whiz.  So Dick enlisted Tracy Grace (get the play on words yet?) to help out and then she secretly fell in love with him and vice versa.  

Ghostwriter The American mystery series that aired from 1992 to 1995 had a theme song that said it best: “Ghostwriter!  WORD!  We don't know where he came from.  He just showed up one night.  What is that thing?  He’s not an alien.  What is he?  We think he might be a ghost.  Be serious.  He wants to be friends with us.  He can't hear and he can't talk.  He can read anything.  He takes letters and he writes with them.  We're the only ones who can see him.  That means he wants you on the team.  You have to promise never to tell anybody about Ghostwriter.  Hey, cool!  We're the Ghostwriter team.  We check out clues and solve mysteries.  He’s a ghost, and he writes to us - Ghostwriter!  GHOSTWRITER!  Ghostwriter, what a trip.”  Set in Brooklyn with a multi-racial cast, this show taught writing and reading skills to small kids.  The episodes were continuous until a mystery was solved.  Each of the team members got their own pen on a string so they could write anytime, anywhere.  The most memorable episode was Attack of the Slime Monster where a Gooey Gus doll came to life and slimed people with his purple goo and said things like, “You laughing at me?”, “Slime, anyone?” and “I’m burning mad!  I’m steaming mad!”  

Mot An animated Canadian series that first aired from 1988 to 1989.  Mot was a purple monster from the Monstrous Organicus Telluricus family and could teleport from one universe to another.  During one trip he accidentally arrived in a boy's room via his wardrobe door and the two became best friends.  The nosy neighbour would always spy on them and try to catch the monster while always screeching, "Something weird's going on!"  

Orson and Olivia A French/Italian animated series that aired in 1993 and told the story of two orphans, Orson and Olivia, who lived on a boat in London around the 1900s with their dog Falstaff.  They often struggled to find food, had brushes with the law, caused trouble with their fellow street children and got their dog to catch rats to sell.  The theme was completely about food and included these gems, "At Mrs Jones', the guests eat marmalade with buttered scones", "What do they munch?", "What do they crunch?" and "We live on air!"  

Read All About It!   A Canadian mystery mini series that first aired from 1979 to 1983.  This was another educational show that aimed to educate kids on writing, reading and history but all while telling a story of mystery and intrigue!  There were a bunch of kids who ran a newspaper called The Herbertville Chronicle from a coach house that had robots and a teleportation machine that transported fictional characters like the Queen of Heart and Captain Hook to the office.  The kids had to use the machines to help them solve crimes and conspiracies.  

Ready or Not   A Canadian teen drama that aired between 1993 and 1997.  The story followed two girls, Amanda and Busy, and their journey through puberty.  Amanda was your typical girly girl who couldn't wait to wear a bra and have her first kiss and Busy was a tomboy who liked to play the drums and wear comfy clothes.  The theme included the catchy, "Whether you're ready or not."  

Tales From Fat Tulip's Garden   A British live-action, semi-improvised, story-telling series that aired from 1985 to 1987 and featured Tony Robinson telling stories to the camera in different voices as he walked, bounced, crawled and ran through a house or garden.  Fat Tulip was the owner of the house and in his backyard were two frogs named Ernie and Sylv that often got into trouble, there was also a dog and a Baddy and many other colourful characters brought to life by the narrator.

[milkmanpaperboy]

TV Characters Who Love to Eat

Lorelai and Rory Gilmore (Gilmore Girls) Every Friday night they ate at Lorelai's parents' house and the rest of the week consisted of meals at Luke's Diner and take away.  They loved Chinese, pizza, Mexican, Indian and whatever was being served up at Al's Pancake World.  They were known to have movie night pig out sessions with marshmallows, cookies, Pop Tarts, cookie dough, chips and an array of other junk food.  They once ate four Thanksgiving dinners. Lorelai: "What are we if not champion eaters?"   

Homer Simpson (The Simpsons)   His favourite foods are pork chops, donuts, bacon, Krusty burgers, pizza, hot dogs and chocolate.  He once ate sixty four slices of American cheese as a midnight snack.  He made his own waffle creation - a waffle wrapped around a stick of butter.  He was once thrown out of an all-you-can-eat buffet for eating too much.  He sold his soul for a donut. Homer: "You know that feeling you get when a thousand knives of fire are stabbing you in the heart?  I'm having that right now...Ooh, bacon!"   

Various Full House characters Steve Hale  DJ's boyfriend is seen gathering items out of the Tanner's fridge in the opening credits of Season 6.  Pretty much summed up this character. Steve: "It's like ordering a pizza and stopping after only six slices."  Joey Gladstone  He had a good appetite but his main thing was making a mess while eating. Joey: "Will you stop bothering me?  I'm trying to make a sandwich."  Michelle Tanner   In nearly every episode you would see Michelle eating either cake, cookies or ice cream.  It was mostly for comic value where she would steal food or stuff her face or ruin a perfectly good cake.  Instead of telling her off, all the adults would just laugh and think it was cute.   Michelle: "Ice cream is very important."   "Birthday cake makes me crazy!"   

Liz Lemon (30 Rock)  She is violent when she's hungry.  She pushed a table over because someone stole her mac and cheese and threatened to hurt her co-workers because they ate her sandwich.  She is known to eat a lot of hot dogs, cheese at night, other people's chocolate covered cherries and cheesy blasters, which are hot dogs stuffed with Jack cheese and rolled in a pizza. Liz: "Thanks, it's my own recipe.  I use Cheddar cheese instead of water."  "Once in college, I pooped my pants a little bit at a country steaks all-you-can-eat buffet and I didn't leave until I finished my second plate of shrimp."    

Fez (That '70s Show)   He loved candy.  Actually he was obsessed with it.  Everything from Sugar Babies and Tootsie Rolls to Good and Plenty and Pixy Stix.  He once ate something off the floor because he thought it was an M&M and ate a whole box of Valentine's Day candy that was meant for his girlfriend.  He wished he had a pizza made of boobs.   Fez: "An apple?  Where's my candy, you son of a bitch?"   

Serena Tsukino (Sailor Moon) Her nickname "Donut Head" was due to the way she styled her hair but she did like to indulge in sweet foods like donuts and ice cream. Serena: "Food...I need food."  

Salem Saberhagen (Sabrina the Teenage Witch) Salem ate everything and anything in large quantities.  Except cat food. Salem: "Let me just lick the jam off your knife."   

Fat Monica Gellar (Friends) Monica was overweight when she was younger and once tried to eat the macaroni glued to her jewellery box when she was sent to bed without dinner.  She would eat a large amount of cookies on Friday nights and uncooked batter because she couldn't wait for the brownies to bake. Monica: "You didn't just sit on my Kit-Kats did you?"   

Joey Tribbiani (Friends)   He loved lasagne, pizza, pasta and turkey but sandwiches were his favourite food.  When everyone else was disgusted by Rachel's meat trifle, he liked it.  Once when the boys were in a cop car and heard what they thought were gunshots, Joey tried to save his sandwich over his friends. Joey: "Joey doesn't share food!"  

Sylvia Fine (The Nanny)    She was constantly stuffing something in her mouth.  She once stole Grace's Halloween candy and once on a diet, hallucinated people were meat.  Her "medicine" was Hershey's Chocolate Syrup.  Her foods of choice were cake, chocolate and chicken. Sylvia: "Do I smell banana fritters with fresh fruit compote?"  Niles: "No." Sylvia: "Could I?"   

Fran Fine (The Nanny) She didn't have her mother's appetite but she definitely could have gone there.  She loved candy and ice cream and liked to stash leftovers in her bag. Fran: "...Mint Chocolate Chip, Jamocha Almond Fudge, Pralines 'n' Cream.  That's it.  That's thirty.  Oh my God, they lied.  Why?  Thirty's a lot. Is thirty one so catchy?  Oh, wait a minute.  I forgot the sherbets. Alright, I'll start again.  Vanilla, Chocolate..."   

George Costanza (Seinfeld)   He once ate an eclair that he found in the rubbish.  He was shown on TV shoving down an ice cream sundae like a slob.  He liked spicy Kung Pao but it made him sweat profusely.  He lost his mind when a mechanic ate his Twix.  He mistook an onion for an apple but continued eating it after he discovered his mistake.  He once decided to involve food in his sex life and was consequently caught eating a pastrami sandwich in bed during foreplay.  He liked bananas in his jello.   George: "George likes spicy chicken."   "I was free and clear.  I was living the dream.  I was stripped to the waist eating a block of cheese the size of a car battery."   

Shaggy Rogers and Scooby-Doo (Scooby-Doo)   Their favourite thing to do was eat.  They could be bribed with Scooby Snacks (dog cookies).  They liked midnight snacks and weird foods like chocolate covered hot dogs and extra cheese pizza with pickles.   Shaggy: "Being in a constant state of terror makes us constantly hungry!"   

Jughead Jones and Hot Dog (The Archie Show) They were both addicted to food.  Jughead's favourite was burgers. He frequented Pop Tate's Chocklit Shoppe.  He liked to eat things in large quantities which led him to compete in eating competitions which resulted in him once eating twelve pizzas in one sitting and a colossal burger made up of sixteen different burgers. Archie: "You haven't invented a food enlarger.  It's invisible paint! Jughead: "Invisible paint?  Hmm...  Hey, that's even better!  I can paint hamburgers and eat 'em in class!  Without the teacher knowing it."  

Greedy Smurf (The Smurfs) He was a chef who liked to bake cakes and pastries and then eat them.  He often baked Smurfberry Muffins.   Greedy Smurf: "You know me.  I like to cook almost as much as I like to eat."  

Michelangelo (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles)   Pizza, pizza and more pizza!  All of the turtles loved it but Michelangelo more than the rest.  He was once hypnotised to make him stop craving it.  He ordered the strangest and most disgusting topping such as: -Tuna fish, peanut butter and grape jelly -Peanut butter, avocado and extra pickles -Marshmallow and pepperoni -Marshmallow and asparagus -Guacamole and marshmallow -Butterscotch, onions and anchovies -Tea and toast -Chocolate sauce and clam sauce -Chocolate fudge and extra garlic -Chocolate fudge, sardine, chili pepper and whipped cream -Anchovy and hot fudge -Pepperoni and hot fudge -Pepperoni and pickles -Jelly bean and sausage -Salami and double yoghurt -Shredded coconut and sweet pickles -Strawberry surprise and anchovy sauce -Hot oatmeal -Popcorn -Anchovies and banana -Goulash -Granola and licorice Michelangelo: "I don't want to look at it, I just want to eat it." "Wise men say forgiveness is divine, but never pay full price for late pizza." "Hey, dudes!  It's scarfing time!" "Face it, bud.  Peanut butter and clams is an acquired taste."   

Garfield (Garfield and Friends)  His love for lasagne came from him being born in an Italian restaurant and immediately eating all the pasta and lasagne in sight. Garfield: "Once again, my life has been saved by the miracle of lasagna." "All I do is eat and sleep.  Eat and sleep.  Eat and sleep.  There must be more to a cat's life than that.  But I hope not."  

Cookie Monster (Sesame Street) Before they made him have a balanced diet, he mostly ate cookies.  He's known to eat inedible items like letters and paper bags. Cookie Monster: "Me eat cookie!"  

Dean Winchester (Supernatural)   He is often seen eating burgers and diner food and has a great love for pie.    Dean: "Bring me some pie!"   

Buster Baxter (Arthur) He'll eat almost anything including expired foods.  He has a personal food collection.  He is a member of The Potato Chip Club which organises chips into official categories before eating them.   Buster: "Mmm...mung bean!  Sounds good."

[milkmanpaperboy]

Top 10 Female TV Characters Who Sing

1.  Maria DeLuca (Roswell) - Majandra Delfino

Phil Collins - In the Air Tonight (click for video)

Which Roswellian could forget the first time Maria sang on the show?  Sure, her backstage calming technique and rock star outfit were ridiculous but she could sing!

2.  Haley James Scott (One Tree Hill) - Bethany Joy Galeotti

Sarah McLachlan - Elsewhere

Ah yes, the moment when Haley sat Nathan down at Karen's Cafe and sang to him to make him feel better.  I think we all felt better. 

3.  Caroline Forbes (The Vampire Diaries) - Candice Accola

The Bangles - Eternal Flame

When Caroline compelled that band member so she could sing a romantic song and woo Matt, I think everyone was wooed.

4.  Phoebe Buffay (Friends) - Lisa Kudrow

Phoebe Buffay - Smelly Cat

She didn't have the greatest voice in the world but she made you smile and sing along to all her goofy lyrics!

5.  Veronica Mars (Veronica Mars) - Kristen Bell

Blondie - One Way or Another

Her sassy go at karaoke made everyone bop in their seats and clap enthusiastically (except the Tritons).

6.  Ashley Banks (Fresh Prince of Bel-Air) - Tatyana Ali

Ashley Banks - Make Up Your Mind

The moment when someone other than Carlton performed!  I know it was the '80s but a bra?  Really?  

7.  Hyacinth Bucket (Keeping Up Appearances) - Patricia Routledge

Charles H. Taylor - For Tonight

She was tone deaf and sang unaware that nobody wanted to hear her but man, is she worth your time.

8.  Maggie Beckett (Sliders) - Kari Wuhrer

Maggie Beckett - Tight Pants

This is a weird pick, I know.  But ever since I saw this I can't get the song out of my head.  "Tight pants!"  Brilliant.

9.  Jenna Maroney (30 Rock) - Jane Krakowski

Jenna Maroney - Muffin Top

Yes, it's really called Muffin Top and it's not just about the baked goods.  "Then kiss my muffin top"!

10.  Lorelai Gilmore (Gilmore Girls) - Lauren Graham

Dolly Parton - I Will Always Love You

It started off as a fun dedication to her daughter and ended up being a sweet serenade to Luke.  You melt my heart, Gilmore.

[milkmanpaperboy]

TV's Most Annoying Neighbours

 Kimmy Gibbler (Full House)   Her feet stunk.  She never knocked.  Her outfits made you dizzy.  She liked to insult Danny, Jesse and Stephanie.  Her catch phrase “Hola, Tanneritos” would have been really irritating.  

Joey Tribbiani and Chandler Bing (Friends) They (Joey) always ate all the food.  Their pet chick/rooster made too much noise.  They made a bet that cost Monica and Rachel their apartment.  They were always around even when the girls weren’t.    

Gladys Kravitz (Bewitched) She was so nosy!  “ABNER!”    

Cosmo Kramer (Seinfeld) He would burst through the door whenever he wanted.  He was unemployed so he’d always mooch.  He once took a bath when Jerry wasn't home.     

 Bob and Midge Pinciotti (That ‘70s Show)   Bob always came over to eat or "borrow" food.  Midge made all the teenage boys act like idiots.  They had sex everywhere.  They were nudists.  They were dumbasses.     

Colleen Smart (Home and Away) She drops in constantly (either to spy or gossip).  She says, “Yoohoo, only me!”    

Babette Dell (Gilmore Girls) She was a blabbermouth.  Her garden gnomes were creepy.  She over-shared.  She asked annoying favours.  She was a fusspot.   

Ned Flanders (The Simpsons) His doodlily oodily way of speaking would surely get on your nerves.  He’s always preaching his religion.  His kids are weird.  His optimism can get old.  He screams like a girl.   

Steve Urkel (Family Matters) His voice was grating.  His pants were too high.  His walk was creepy.  He was always pissing someone off.  "Did I do that?"  Yes, you did, Steve.  

Marcy D’arcy (Married...with Children) She was always acting holier than thou.  She was always in a bad mood or a really good mood.  Her feminist preaching got irritating.            

Frank and Marie Barone (Everybody Loves Raymond) Marie was always meddling and undermining Debra.  Frank always had his pants undone.  They were both unwelcome.  Who wants to live across the road from their in-laws?    

 All of the Desperate Housewives There’s no such thing as privacy on Wisteria Lane.  You’ll most likely get attacked, humiliated, divorced or arrested.

[milkmanpaperboy]

My Take on the Upcoming Pilots

It's what they call "Fall TV" in the US.  A bunch of new TV shows come out and some get 'picked up' and some get cancelled.  I've seen the promos and here's what I think of them...

COMEDY

2 Broke Girls - The title is super lame but it has Kat Dennings (Nick and Nora's Infinite Playlist) in it so it’s got something going for it.  She plays a waitress in a Brooklyn diner who isn’t happy with the new Paris-Hilton-type waitress who’s been forced to work since her billionaire daddy lost everything.  Your typical sitcom...again, you’d probably just watch it for Kat Dennings.

Apartment 23 - The biggest selling point for me is that James Van Der Beek plays himself.  Amazing!  A girl needs an apartment and unknowingly moves in with a crazy con artist (Krysten Ritter - Confessions of a Shopaholic) who helps her out in the most backwards way. A sitcom with a a twist and a bit of Dawson – sold!

Free Agents – Another remake of a British comedy.  Hank Azaria (The Simpsons) plays a newly divorced man and Kathryn Hahn (Crossing Jordan) plays a woman who recently lost her fiance.  They’re both dealing with the dating scene and their attraction to one another in their workplace.  I don’t think it’s going to translate into something good.

Good Christian Belles - A woman (Leslie Bibb - Popular) returns to her hometown to be greeted by some not-so-happy old friends including Kristin Chenoweth (Glee) whose onscreen husband is none other than David James Elliott (JAG)!  The premise seems a bit flat but the cast creates intrigue.

How to Be a Gentleman – Kevin Dillon (Entourage) plays a guys guy who tries to toughen up David Hornsby’s (It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia) character who is a refined gentleman.  It doesn’t seem to be a breakout comedy, just your typical Big Bang Theory or Rules of Engagement.  Good enough if there’s nothing else on but not something I’d tune in every week for.  Despite that, the supporting cast is impressive – Dave Foley (NewsRadio), Mary Lynn Rajskub (24) and Rhys Darby (Flight of the Concords).  It’s nice to see Johnny Drama again!

I Hate My Teenage Daughter - The title is the whole plot.  Two women (one being Jaime Pressly - My Name is Earl) who...hate their teenage daughters.  I'll let you make up your own mind on this one.

Last Man Standing – Tim Allen (Home Improvement) is back!  It’s very exciting.  It’s a My Wife and Kids scenario where Allen plays a father of three daughters who is unhappy with the lack of masculinity in today’s society.  Nancy Travis (Becker) and Hector Elizondo (Grey’s Anatomy) also star.  It’s a family sitcom which delivers to the demographic it’s aiming at but nothing beyond.

Man Up –This has a very Modern Family vibe and is also similar to Last Man Standing in that it’s about three men being manly (even though they’re clearly not).  The cast is good, the plot can definitely go somewhere and I did find myself laughing at some of the jokes even though they weren’t all that funny.

New Girl - Jess, a super dork, has just broken up with her boyfriend and is looking for somewhere to live.  She moves in with three guys who only agree because she says all her friends are models.  The guys all try to help her get back on the dating horse in an attempt to free up the couch.  Jess is played by Zooey Deschanel (500 Days of Summer) who brings a whole new level of adorable geek to TV.

Suburgatory – Despite the silly name, the show has great potential!  A girl and her dad (Jeremy Sisto - Clueless) move from Manhattan to the 'burbs and despite the actual proximity of the move, it seems like a different planet.  The town is full of your typical stereotypes - high school girls with nose jobs, dumb jocks, slutty cocktail mums.  The girl hates it, which is why she dubs it Suburgatory. Other cast to look out for: Rex Lee (Entourage) and Alan Tudyk (Firefly).

Up All Night - I'm not seeing a long life for this one which is unfortunate because it's got some awesome people in it!  It's about a new mother (Christina Applegate – Samantha Who?) and father (Will Arnett - Arrested Development) who are clueless, her boss (Maya Rudolph - Bridesmaids) who hates kids and that’s really it.  Sure, the humour’s there but the concept’s a bit ‘been there, done that’.

Whitney – Whitney Cummings (writer for 2 Broke Girls) stars as a comedienne in a long term relationship which doesn’t know where to go.  The promo got a chuckle out of me but for the most part it seems a bit boring.  It’s like the female equivalent of Seinfeld but without the awesome characters and constant laughs. 

     DRAMA

A Gifted Man – A wealthy and gifted doctor goes through life treating people poorly until one day he runs into an ex (Jennifer Ehle – Pride and Prejudice) who he then finds out has been dead for two weeks.  The freakiness continues when she returns to see him in order to help him on a new path in life that revolves around helping others with his gifts.  After the first couple of minutes of the promo I was sure this was going to be boring but at the end I found myself falling for it.

Alcatraz - This is a strange concept - a special task force is after some prisoners who disappeared from the prison 30 years ago and who suddenly start reappearing in the present day.  The prisoners are killing people and are seemingly having their strings pulled by an anonymous source.  It's a J.J. Abrams (Lost) project so it's bound to get weirder for those who are willing to immerse themselves in the world.  The impressive cast includes Jorge Garcia (Lost), Sarah Jones (Sons of Anarchy), Sam Neill (The Tudors) and Parminder Nagra (ER).  

Awake - A man (Jason Isaacs – Harry Potter) loses his wife and son but continues to believe he's living with them.  One morning he'll wake up and his son will be dead but his wife alive and vice versa.  A psychological drama that has an intriguing premise and a great lead. 

Charlie's Angels – Yet another ‘70s remake.  It’s like there are no ideas left in the world!  But let’s give it a chance since Hawaii Five-0 is holding its own.  Minka Kelly (Friday Night Lights), Rachel Taylor (Transformers) and Annie Ilonzeh (General Hospital) play three bad girls who get a chance to make something of themselves (become angels aka save people’s lives and such).  Ramon Rodriguez plays Bosley (their “assistant”) and Drew Barrymore (Whip It) produces.

Grimm – A mix between a fairy tale, a horror movie and a cop show.  A Portland policeman discovers he has the ability to identify the supernatural and must use this skill to help protect humans from them.  How many fairytales can they go through?  Hey, I’m interested to find out. 

Hart of Dixie – A doctor (Rachel Bilson – The OC) from New York runs out of options and has to move to a bodunk town in the South where she isn't all that welcome!  Some cute local boys, a nasty Southern belle and an alligator on the loose.  While it’s hard to buy Rachel Bilson as a medical professional, I’m keeping my fingers crossed for this one.

Once Upon a Time - This is definitely one of the most out-there TV shows coming out (it’s from the writers of Lost so duh).  Emma (Jennifer Morrison - House) moves to a town called Storybrooke, Maine.  Her long lost adopted son (a local) lays it all out for her - the town is a parallel world and the townspeople are actually from fairy tales but don't remember it.  Ginnifer Goodwin (Big Love) plays Snow White in the show which might not have a happy ever after.  I'm a sucker for a fairy tale so I'll be watching.

Pan Am - Mad Men but their office is an airplane.  It's set in the ‘60s and is about the Pan Am airline and its stewardesses - some of which include Christina Ricci (Monster) and Margot Robbie (Neighbours).   They’re beautiful, glamorous and well-travelled – every girl’s dream or nightmare.  Definitely worth a look.

Person of Interest – Despite the boring title, the story is definitely appealing.  J.J. Abrams tells the story of a man who is currently homeless but previously worked for the government and is persuaded to join a wealthy man with the technology to preempt crime.  A lot of action, men in suits and motive questioning predicted.

The Playboy Club – Also set in the ‘60s (another one riding the Mad Men wave) when the Playboy women were a lot classier.  They actually wore bunny costumes.  The leading man is Eddie Cibrian (CSI: Miami) and the female lead is Amber Heard (Zombieland).  There's death, sex, ambition and you know, bunnies.  This has been called try-hard by critics but I’m interested to see for myself.

Prime Suspect – A detective (Maria Bello – The Jane Austen Book Club) moves to a New York precinct where she’s the only female.  I know what you’re thinking - another police drama?  This one has potential because most of these types of shows have male leads whereas this is all Bello.  So it’s preaching girl power, something that these shows are generally lacking.

Revenge - A girl (Emily Van Camp - Brothers and Sisters) whose childhood was torn apart seeks revenge against those responsible.  It's set in The Hamptons so it’s Gossip Girl meets The OC  meets Desperate Housewives .  It's got possibilities!

Ringer – Sarah Michelle Gellar (Buffy the Vampire Slayer) makes her return to TV portraying a set of twins.  Bridget gets into some trouble so she goes to her sister Siobhan who ends up disappearing, leaving a desperate Bridget free to impersonate her.  Little does Bridget know that her sister was living a life filled with a bucket load of deceit.  It’s bit of a Days of Our Lives storyline but who says that’s a bad thing? 

The River – A cross between The Wild Thornberrys and Anaconda.  Steven Spielberg (Jurassic Park) produces so the show’s definitely got the fear factor.  It's about an explorer who goes missing on an Amazonian river.  His family go look for him and that’s when scary stuff starts to happen.  An invisible threat?  It would be interesting to see where this one leads just as long as it’s not a wasted journey.

The Secret Circle - A woman dies in a super suspicious fire so her daughter moves to her mother’s hometown.  The people in this town are we-ird.  It turns out to be witch country and she’s from a family of them!  A few local youths try to get the girl to join their circle to make it complete.  It’s a teen drama that will fit right in with The Vampire Diaries and Teen Wolf (yay!).

Smash - What do you think when you hear that title?  Violence?  No.  Broadway!  It's about a girl (Katherine McPhee - American Idol) who wants to make it in musical theatre and a woman (Debra Messing - Will and Grace) who wants to make a musical about Marilyn Monroe.  The strong cast also includes Anjelica Huston (Ever After) and Jack Davenport (Pirates of the Caribbean).  I think this Glee-for-an-older-audience will live up to its name.

Terra Nova - Dinosaurs.  Time jumping.  Another Steven Spielberg big budget sci fi.  What is it with this guy and dinosaurs?  The show’s universe is complicated and interesting and Jason O'Mara plays the lead (Life on Mars).  Let’s hope the dinosaurs are scary and worth watching every week.

Unforgettable – A detective has a condition that doesn’t allow her to forget.  The only thing she can’t remember is who murdered her sister.  A personal quest/cop show.  This one has the feeling of Medium.  Too many cop shows!  

[milkmanpaperboy]

Top 10 Dangerous Fictional TV Towns

1.  Sunnydale, California, USA (Buffy the Vampire Slayer)

Demons, apocalypses, magic, nightly attacks against humans and it's literally mouth of Hell. 2.  Charming, California, USA (Sons of Anarchy)

Criminals, gunplay, knife fights and various intimidating bikies riding down the main drag. 3.  Harmony, New England, USA (Passions)

Natural disasters, rape, murder and a witch who likes to wear noisy bangles and start trouble. 4.  Neptune, California, USA (Veronica Mars)

A vicious gang, a killer on the loose and a unusual amount of high school criminal activity. 5.  Bon Temps, Louisiana, USA (True Blood)

Possessions, vampires, werewolves, witches and some crass graffiti. 6.  Summer Bay, New South Wales, Australia (Home and Away)

Natural disasters, false imprisonments, stalkers, alcoholics and neighbours who like to drop in a lot. 7.  Mystic Falls, Virginia, USA (The Vampire Diaries)

Your best friend will probably end up being a vampire, werewolf or witch. 8.  Rosewood, Pennsylvania, USA (Pretty Little Liars)

Murder, hit and runs, risky love connections and a pesky anonymous blackmailer. 9.  Tree Hill, North Carolina, USA (One Tree Hill)

Attempted murder, actual murder, infidelity, revenge and an overbearing father/creep. 10.  Springfield, ?, USA (The Simpsons)

Acid rain, avalanches, volcanic eruptions, pollution and a nuclear power plant that is run by a bunch of idiots.