TV Review: What I Watched Last Night: 02/02/12

New Girl - "Jess and Julia" (S01 E11) Fox (US) 31st January 2012 
As I said about the last episode, Zooey Deschanel and Lizzy Caplan really are my dream team. So it's lovely to see them spend a lot of time together in this episode, which is yet another fine slice of warm comedy. Jess enlists Caplan's Julia to help her get out of a traffic ticket, but it soon becomes apparent that Julia has a problem with Jess. Quite how this is possible, I don't know, but it does lead to a nice little storyline, and at the end up, the two seem to be slowly becoming friends. Elsewhere, it's nice to see the return of June Diane Raphael as Jess' lesbian gynaecologist friend Sadie, and Cece is back as well after an unexplained absence. The guys, especially Nick have some nice threads, and this New Girl is another strong episode of a show that has been consistently fun.
****

Raising Hope - "Gambling Again" (S02 E12) Fox (US) 31st January 2012 
Greg Garcia always likes to use actors he's previously used. Gregg Binkley, who recurred in My Name Is Earl is now a credited star in Raising Hope, while Jason Lee, Ethan Suplee, Eddie Steeples and Jaime Pressly have also appeared. This week, he re-uses a character, as Patty the Daytime Hooker plays an integral part of the episode. "Gambling Again" sees the Chances develop a common gambling problem. Attending a support group along with Barney, Frank and Patty, they realise betting against them sees them on a hot streak. It takes a sly intervention from Sabrina and Shelly to snap them out of it and see what's really important. It's a pretty funny episode, with some very funny moments, but not the best of what this show is capable of.
*** 1/2

That '70s Show - "Battle of the Sexists" (S01 E04) Fox (US) 20th September 1998 
One of the advantages of making a television show set more than twenty years in the past, is that you can tackle the issues of the day, knowing exactly how they turned out. The episode sees Donna continually beating Eric at sports and games, which irritates him to the point of him no longer wanting to hang out with her. As they both get advice, Donna from Jackie, and Eric from Kitty, they realise that having fun is more important than who wins. The relationship is bubbling along slowly, and it's nice to watch it grow. Elsewhere, Kelso is urged to stand up to Jackie by Hyde and Fez, while a bored Red decides to "fix" everything around the house, much to Kitty's dismay. That '70s Show's first season continues to be a really excellent repeat watch.
****

Better Off Ted - "Heroes" (S01 E02) ABC (US) 25th March 2009 
"Heroes" follows on from where the pilot left off, with Ted still having to do the right thing while Veronica pushes him to be ruthless. The episode sees Phil and Lem fall out when Phil is given a phony award to stop him suing the company following the botched cryogenic experiment of the pilot. This happens at a crucial time where they are attempting to crow cowless beef. Yup, it's a pretty ridiculous plot, but in the context of this show, Veridian Dynamics are a ridiculous company. There's also continuing sexual tension between Ted and Linda, which it looks like may go on for some time. Better Off Ted is off to a solid start.
*** 1/2