NBC's Thursday Night Comedy

A very quick, very dirty review of first impressions from the premiers of NBC's Thursday night comedy line-up (sans 30 Rock):

SNL Weekend Update Thursday - Completely unnecessary. I understand that this was widely popular during the run-up to the election last year, but a.) you had Tina Fey as Sarah Palin and b.) well... Tina Fey! I think Seth Meyers is a great writer and has clearly ushered in a new era of SNL watchability, but this format needs to go away quickly. Most of the bits were unfunny (Kristen Wiig is becoming one of my least-favorite cast members), and "Really?!? With Seth and Amy" missed the most obvious subjects of ridicule... the public (over)reaction to Kanye/Serena!
Grade: D

Parks and Recreation - Season 1 definitely ended on a high-note with "Rock Show," and this season started strong with "Pawnee Zoo." The concept of Leslie Knope (Amy Poehler) getting in trouble for marrying two male penguins is both hilarious and a little too realistic. Although I'm interested in how they'll move forward with the budding relationship between Ann (Rashida Jones) and Mark (Paul Schneider), I'm sad to see that Andy (Chris Pratt) will likely have a smaller role in the show... he killed in the season finale last year! I really hope people start watching this show, and I know that the writers will start using Aziz Ansari and Aubrey Plaza more. Underwriting for those two would be a crime.
Grade: B

The Office - I have to say it: this show is getting unwatchable. It's not necessarily bad, but it's less and less funny, and the mini-renaissance it had last year with the Michael Scott Paper Company plot line is over. I understand that they work from a very specific concept, but the scenarios they're writing are just unbelievable. No one is as dumb as Michael, and I think that was proved with this week's ludicrous "Start rumors to hide rumors" plot. I feel like I'm watching The Office out of loyalty to their earlier seasons, which is never a good thing. It's not something I look forward to every week, and while I hope they can turn it around, I'm worried this cast has become stale.
Grade: C+

Community - What can we really say after just one show? A lot of the really funny scenes were in the extended preview that NBC gave us a while back, so there wasn't a lot of new plot or dialogue on display (although the test answer tete-a-tete between Joel McHale and John Oliver was pretty funny). That being said, I feel like the cast has a lot of potential to display strong chemistry, and it'll be very interesting to see where they take the show over the course of a season (right now, the plot is relatively narrow). Still too early to call, but I'm predicting a solid first season.
Grade: B-

Let the Up-Fronts Begin!

For those of you not in the TV know - it's that time of year when networks start to unveil their fall lineups - revealing which shows are getting renewed and introducing new pilots.  NBC led things off today.  While there is still no official word for Chuck fans, the most exciting news from today was the official pickup of a new comedy series called "Community."  With executive producers from Arrested Development and the comic talents of Joel McHale and Chevy Chase (yes that Chevy Chase) it certainly has the pedigree to be another solid addition to NBC's already superior comedy line-up.  It has just enough of the irreverent sense of humor and pop culture references we like here at GSATW - check out the preview clip below and let us know if you think you'll be tuning in come fall.

Hearing Music Whilst Watching Television

TV On The Radio - Saturday Night Live (NBC, 11:30pm) and The Colbert Report (Comedy Central, Monday, 11:30pm)

Critics rarely agree on anything, but TVOTR brought all those bespectacled, tight-clothed, scruffy-so-it-looks-like-I'm-a-slacker-but-it-takes-me-an-hour-to-get-ready writers together last year by releasing Dear Science,. They're on a victory lap, of sorts, and will be playing on SNL this weekend (that dude from Wedding Crashers... Sac, or Zac, or something... he was the d-bag... will be hosting), with a follow-up performance on the Colbert Report Monday [MLT: I fought hard to use a "TV On the Radio... On the TV!" joke. ARW: But that's lame.] This isn't meant to be a review of the album or a discussion on the band, but anyone who likes music should be listening to TVOTR. Start with Dear Science, and if you don't want to check out the rest of their catalogue, I'll take it back.

Various Artists - 51st Grammy Awards (CBS, Sunday, 8pm)

51st Grammy Awards, and the first relevant Grammy Awards in as long as I've followed music. This should actually be a really interesting show; between the rumored collaborations, the strong nominees for the major categories, and the insane Katie Couric interview of Lil' Wayne this week, nothing could surprise me. I can't wait to see if they have the balls to give a major award to Lil' Wayne (this generation's James Brown). We'll have a full recap of the Grammys next week, breaking down performances and the winners. Grad Student style.