TV Review: Mega Review

I have fallen majorly behind on the TV reviews over the last few weeks due to a number of more pressing concerns. So instead of trying to play catchup and review things I watched weeks ago, here's the ratings associated with what's been watched. And normal service will resume this week!

2 Broke Girls

A passable episode, but more akin to what they were producing at the start of the season rather than the stronger recent episodes

"And the Very Christmas Thanksgiving" ***

American Dad

2 very solid and very funny episodes, with some good guest voices, and Klaus and Hayley getting some much needed (if still brief) screen time.

"Virtual In-Stanity" ****

"The Scarlett Getter" ****

Awkward.

The two part season finale. Started pretty black, became impressively upbeat and finished with a brilliantly written, heartbreaking revelation. As close to perfect as could have been. Season 2 can't come quick enough.

"I Am Jenna Hamilton" ****

"Fateful" *****

Beavis and Butt-head

Gloriously stupid as ever. The two shorts format works better than the extended episode format, but still hella funny. Although saying that, "Holy Cornholio", one of the extended episodes was the best of the bunch.

"Drones" *** 1/2

"Holy Cornholio" **** 1/2

"Supersize Me" ****

"Bathroom Break" ****

Bored to Death

Consistently one of the best shows currently on air. Two fantastic episodes, the latter with a huge revelation right at the end, leading nicely into this weeks season (and hopefully not series) finale. Superb.

"Two Large Pearls and a Bar of Gold" **** 1/2

"Forget the Herring" *****

Community

Another inexplicably low rating show. A Dean Pelton heavy episode, with some brilliance from all the characters. A superbly written half hour of television.

"Documentary Filming: Redux" **** 1/2

Family Guy

A pile of crap episode followed up by a passably funny one. Still as hit-and-miss as ever.

"Thanksgiving" **

"Amish Guy" *** 1/2

Fresh Meat

A slow starting season finale that grew in stature as it went on. Served to strengthen some relationships, while seemingly ruining others. Good character driven drama in an episode light on the comedy, but heavy on quality.

"Rock On" ****

Happy Endings

The one I found myself the furthest behind on. Three good episodes, the latter very good indeed, with one held over from early in the run that stank. Easy to see why it wasn't shown earlier, as it could have ruined renewal chances.

"The Girl With the David Tattoo" *** 1/2

"You've Got Male" ****

"Bo Fight" **

"The Shershaw Redemption" **** 1/2

How I Met Your Mother

A huge disappointment. A plot that made very little sense (although was well executed) and characters not reacting how they should. Messy but still enjoyable.

"The Rebound Girl" ***

Modern Family

A show that has stalled slightly. Still producing good episodes, but running out of ideas a little. Not as solid as it once was, and I hope it can rebound.

"After the Fire" ***

"Punkin Chunkin" ***

New Girl

Justin Long stops by as the male version of Jess. This will be great in small doses. Furthered the Jess/Nick endgame idea, which I hope they don't trigger too soon. All in all, a good episode.

"Thanksgiving" ****

Raising Hope

I like episodes that give Burt some depth. He's a great character. The slow burn on Jimmy and Sabrina continues, and Maw Maw gets some great lines in. Good work.

"Burt's Parents" ****

South Park

A season finale with a better concept than execution. Some funny moments, but fell flat in places.

"The Poor Kid" *** 1/2

The Big Bang Theory

An episode so forgettable, I actually had to look up what the entire plot was. Long story short, Sheldon and Amy are now a couple, but nothing has changed about their relationship. What could have been a classic, was only average. Which is unfortunate.

"The Flaming Spitoon Acquisition" ***

The League

Jeff Goldblum shows up as Ruxin's dad. The delightful Sarah Silverman shows up as Andre's slutty sister, and Jenny accidentally cooks a guinea pig and feeds it to the gang. Fantastic episode.

"Thanksgiving" **** 1/2

The Middle

Vying with Modern Family to be the best family sitcom on TV, The Middle is just about pulling ahead. The Thanksgiving episode was weak compared to the previous week's effort, but still two solid episodes, even though character progression has slowed.

"The Play" ****

"Thanksgiving III" *** 1/2

The Office

I'm not sure how much life this show has left in it. After a brief upturn in quality, it has hit the pits again. I hope a return to form is imminent, but I'm just not sure it's going to happen.

"Pam's Replacement" ***

"Gettysburg" **

The Simpsons

A fairly solid couple of episodes, with an unexpected classic in the middle. "The Book Job", an elaborate "Oceans 11" - and heist movie in general - parody was the best episode of The Simpsons in years. With Neil Gaiman lampooning himself brilliantly in a starring role, and a dig at Twilight included, this shows that The Simpsons can still do it.

"The Food Wife" *** 1/2

"The Book Job" *****

"The Man in the Blue Flannel Pants" *** 1/2

Two and a Half Men

A dream sequence episode from an increasingly delusional Alan works nicely, as he imagines his worst nightmares coming true. It's followed by the best episode of the season so far, as we see some insight into Walden and Jake finds his calling as a lackey. It's really been pretty good.

"Frodo's Headshots" *** 1/2

"A Fishbowl of Glass Eyes" ****

Up All Night

The trio of Will Arnett, Christina Applegate and Maya Rudolph are the absolute beating heart of this show. Their characters are so believable and you can't help but fall in love with them. Jason Lee's recurring Kevin looks like a great addition as well (although he is ageing rapidly!). Good trio of episodes.

"First Night Away" ****

"Hiring and Firing" *** 1/2

"Week Off" ****

Whitney

The bane of my existence. It's juvenile, the jokes are really obvious and there's only one really likeable character (Alex, who is awesome). But I can't help enjoying it and watching every week. This is a stupid episode, but it's funny. But that said, it's criminal that this gets moved to anchor a full night on NBC while Community gets benched.

"Clarence" ****