Laugh Tracks: Two words – John Lithgow, pt 3
By Amy Van Veen (Staff Writer) – Email It’s time for the bachelor and bachelorette parties on Perfect Couples. Vance is looking forward to emotional transcendence with his buddies, but Dave doesn’t want him hyping it up too much. The boys plan on spending the night under the stars thanks to Dave’s accomplished Boy Scout [...]
Laugh Tracks: Roadtrip to Pawnee, pt. 3
By Amy Van Veen (Staff Writer) – Email The Pawnee Harvest Festival has come to life thanks to the Parks & Recreation department and it can only really be described with “I want to go to there,” but a little more won’t hurt. Lil Sebastian is the famous mini-horse, not a pony, in Pawnee that [...]
Laugh Tracks: Roadtrip to Pawnee, pt. 2
By Amy Van Veen (Staff Writer) – Email Mr. Sunshine has lingerie football at centre stage. Yea. That’s a real thing. Roman is so endearingly stupid, he admires Ben’s boldness in scoring a date with the star quarterback Jessie. In the meantime, Alonzo tries to get a couple of dotcom millionaires to donate to one [...]
Laugh Tracks: Roadtrip to Pawnee
CBS is holding back their good shows and offering viewers only the weakness that is Mad Love. FOX gives viewers everything they need for a Tuesday night with their two epic shows. ABC gives viewers some much appreciated sunshine in the midst of reruns and NBC brings forth new episodes of all shapes and sizes, except for a certain paper company, with the obvious front runner of Parks & Recreation.
Laugh Tracks: A Few Good Shows
With half of the shows standing up their fans this week, there was more of a chance for greatness to shine through instead of falling through the cracks. Anticipation for next week’s shows is rising as NBC is coming back with all new episodes as Michael Scott prepares for his inevitably tearful farewell on The Office.
Laugh Tracks: Happy Endings on the horizon, pt. 2
Remember those days of Everybody Loves Raymond when Debra Barone would constantly be harassed and intimidated by Marie? Those days are back thanks to Doris Roberts’ guest appearance as Brick’s math teacher Ms. Rinsky on The Middle. While Mike and Frankie go back to third grade to learn how to help Brick out of a D, Sue and Axl reluctantly visit Aunts Edie and Ginny. The last time they were there, Axl was asked about his latest BM and Sue accidentally drank their denture water.
Laugh Tracks: Happy Endings on the horizon
With NBC and Thursday night’s CBS taking a break this week, the TV load was a little easier to manage. All of the remaining shows this week elicited a strong bellow of laughter from even the most cynical audience member. For those who don’t think the line-up is funny enough, ABC announced the spring premiere date of their new half hour comedy Happy Endings.
Laugh Tracks: Fox Brings It, pt. 2
Better With You steals NY Yankee Nick Swisher from his cameo on HIMYM and puts him smack dab in the middle of Ben’s favourite bar, The Shamrock. The problem is Ben is the one who dropped a blanket on Swisher, making the Yankees lose the game. When Joel and Casey still want to go, Ben plays along as a gay, Mudslide drinking Escalade salesman in order to not get punched in the face. In the ladies world, Vicki has only two tickets to her fundraiser for Skid Roses, which teaches the homeless how to make flower arrangements. Mia and Maddie, who at first fight over who doesn’t have to go, soon change their tune when they see the gift bags. Mia was always Ariel, even though Maddie always wanted to be the red-haired mermaid princess, but thanks to a sunburn and volleyball injury that forced her to walk sideways, she was only known as Sebastian the crab. Truths are revealed, the opening and closing sequences reveal some foodie habits for each of the couples, and the show barely scrapes by with some basic humour.
Laugh Tracks: Fox Brings It, pt. 3
The Office cold open showcases Dwight’s ever so wonderful Dwightness. All of his survival shelter food is about to expire, meaning it’s time for him to eat some eight year old canned tomatoes and the like and it’s also time for his desk mate to stir up a classic Jim/Dwight moment. Todd Packer is looking for a desk to call his own and Michael’s deluded respect for him means Holly hires him back without properly evaluating exactly who Mr. Packer is. After she finds out his hideousness, Michael can’t face the truth, so Jim and Dwight band together to pull a prank on Todd. Their plans give rise to the greatest quote of season 7 thus far: “Who is Justice Beaver?” “He’s a crime fighting beaver.” Along the sidelines of this major drama, Pam buys reception a new computer, but when Andy switches with Erin, Pam lets him know she can only save him if his computer is broken. Darryl catches onto their plot and scams her into giving him some vacation days. Pam is full on corrupt and Michael allows for Jwight’s prank to follow through as Packer leaves for Tallahassee.
Laugh Tracks: Fox Brings It
CBS fell flat with HIMYM and Mad Love, but did manage to bring back the Shenny love, ABC brought quite a few laughs to Wednesday night and overall NBC made Thursday night fairly alright, but the real winner this week is FOX’s laugh out loud hit Raising Hope and their new frontrunner Traffic Light.
Laugh Tracks: CBS looking for another HIMYM?
CBS started this week off with a new episode of HIMYM and a brand new pilot for those who love HIMYM at 8 pm, but would like to see a lookalike show at 8:30. FOX stayed strong going into week two of their shows on Tuesday night and ABC is still basking in the sunlight of Matthew Perry on Wednesday. All new shows on Thursday night for both NBC and CBS made for a very fulfilling week of laughs.
Laugh Tracks: Love is in the sitcom air
With Valentine’s Day just around the corner, half hour shows are diving at the chance to share in the love, and for those that haven’t jumped on the V-Day wagon, there’s still time this week to love it up. Two new shows have popped up, too, making for a packed Monday through Thursday.
Laugh Tracks: Cougar Town stays strong
ABC gave viewers an early taste of Valentine’s Day with Cougar Town this week. Jules just really wants Grayson to open up emotionally, making for a rather awkward V-Day session. Even more awkward is when Laurie helps Travis take a sexy photo for his girlfriend, even though Kirsten was thinking more along the lines of a clothed sexy photo instead of, well, what Trav, Laurie and Bobby come up with. What’s even more glorious is Ellie’s megaphone announcement to her neighbours: “Attention neighbourhood idiots! Christmas was seven weeks ago! Take down your tacky lights or die. Thank you, that is all.” Andy and Bobby have a bro-mantic evening out while Ellie angrily sits at home stewing about how much she hates February 14th. For those Cougar Town fans who can’t get enough, check out abc.com for a series of webisodes entitled “Andy’s Dreams” that follow Andy’s siesta naps.
Laugh Tracks – Thursday night’s alright
This week was definitely a week that had NBC shining in the spotlight. CBS has decided, for yet another week, to keep HIMYM fans stewing over the ‘Last Words’ episode and Big Bang fans will apparently get their next fix on February 3. ABC just can’t make up its mind with what new episodes they’ll air (Cougar Town), which reruns they’ll show (The Middle and Modern Family) and which shows they’ll be so undecided about they don’t even get a rerun slot (Better With You, anyone?).
Laugh Tracks: Third time’s a charm
It looks like third week’s a charm for the 2011 prime-time schedule. Now that NBC is back with three hours of comedy, there is something for everyone from Monday to Thursday (or Monday, Wednesday, Thursday until the FOX Tuesday night line-up returns with new episodes).
Laugh Tracks: An Empty Week Two
At first, ABC seemed to be the only network on the ball for week number two of 2011, that is until Better With You was at the last minute replaced by a rerun filler of The Middle in which Thanksgiving returns once more. Cougar Town stood up their fans, too, and was replaced by a Modern Family rerun in which Cam’s mother is introduced.
Laugh Tracks: The Cold Open
Another year ends, a new one begins and “Auld Lang Syne” could be sung, or the credits and theme songs can start to run for 2011’s fall comebacks. The first week already has CBS and ABC bringing their shows back, while FOX and NBC are less keen, probably still nursing their hangovers. Despite the fury of Survivor followers and the reality craze that has been littering network TV for the past decade or so, half-hour comedy sitcoms have remained a constant through game shows, medical dramas and the next Crime Scene Investigation spin-off.
