Premiere Week!

I love premiere week, this is like the 12 Days of Christmas, or 8 Days of Hannukah. Continued goodness and excitement for a week or two in September!

Sunday:
I sat through the 2 hour long premiere of Law & Order: SVU's 12th season. L&O: SVU this is an impressive run, especially considering that the core team has been together for at least 10 seasons and Benson & Stabler have been at the heart of the show since it's inception in 1999.
What made the premiere extra awesome? A guest star in our love of Lostie island. Henry Ian Cusak. He really knocked it out of the park, and it was great to have him on the small screen again.

Monday:
This is when things started to get hairy. The premiere of four shows; two are strongly appointment viewing, and two that my fingers were crossed for a rebound from the mess that was their previous season, you suss that one out.

Chuck: First a few Highlights: Casey has feelings (of love & caring, I think I saw a tear); Harry Dean Stanton as the Repo Man; Sex Writing; General Beckman live and in person (and tiny!); and an awesome baby on the way!
Very pleased with the return of this show, in it's third season the plot has become more complicated and this premiere did a good job of recapping what the show is about for new viewers while keeping the plot moving forward for us loyal viewers.

Castle: I actually think this show may have revolutionized television is some scary way, screw 3D and smell-o-vision, this was like emote-o-vision. I could actually feel the love from the cast/characters emanating through my television screen into my living room. Who knew that a show containing so much grizzly violence could leave its' audience with an epic case of the warm and fuzzies. Great to see the Castle crew back in action both in the squad room and at home with the fam.

House: Mixed feelings on this premiere episode in terms of what it means for the rest of the season. I found it to be an enjoyable hour of television and if I ignore the part where Cuddy seemed to totally forget/not care about her daughter, the totally isolated getting wrapped up in a relationship without thinking it through thing felt eerily real and familiar. It is exactly that kind of relationship that is perfect in a bubble but is then subject to the complications of... real life.
Bonus highlight: Chase going for it with Thirteen, you have a zero percent chance of scoring if you don't take the shot.

How I Met Your Mother : This week's HIMYM felt like it was really back on track, we're sort of getting to the mother, in the round about way this show goes it seems like real headway was made by reintroducing her roommate. Barney's sleaze was funny instead of forced, and the emotional root of the show, the group's dynamic was back to what we remembered from earlier seasons.

Tuesday:
Glee: This was the show that I loved to hate over the summer. I relished in ignoring it's inordinate amount of press releases despite claims of secrecy for the upcoming season. It's smugness was a huge turn off.
However, last night's premiere really brought the show to it's first half of it's first season glory. Perfect comedic timing, quick pacing and most importantly, incorporating the fantastic music into the story rather than letting it become a weird separate entity.
Bonus! Exciting, eccentric new characters introduced. I'm most excited for Cheyenne Jackson as the new vocal adrenaline coach. This canuk was hilarious on 30 Rock last season and even showed off his pipes for a brief moment there before Jenna was threatened and he had to put 'em away. I'm sure Glee will allow him to sing more.

Coming up...
Tonight: Undercovers, Modern Family
Tomorrow: Big Bang Theory on it's new night, 30 Rock, The Office, Community, Bones, Fringe...

Casting News: Michael Trucco heats up on Castle

Relationships on ABC's Castle are never stagnant. Fantastic Canadian co-stars Nathan Fillion (Castle) and Stana Katic (Beckett) bring the heat to their partnership week after week, but it certainly isn't exclusive.

The latest love interest for Beckett will be none other than Michael Trucco, the sexy Battlestar Galactica alum fresh off of a guest appearance on V. He will be kicking off a multi-episode arc on Monday's episode "Den of Thieves"as Detective Tom Demming.

Castle meets Captain Mal in Halloween episode

I already love Castle and Nathan Fillion, so obviously his reference to Firefly was a great start to a week of Halloween themed TV. In this opening scene Castle also references cult favourites Buffy (which he also played a character in) and Underworld (ties to which are unknown).
Video

Nathan Fillion as Richard Castle appears in this Halloween themed episode of Castle dressed as a space cowboy. This Halloween costume looks suspiciously like one Captain Malcolm Reynolds. Fantastic!

My favourite exchange regarding the Firefly reference was between Castle and his daughter Alexis.

*****

Quick cuts of belt being fastened, boots zipped and laced, suspenders pulled on, swinging pistol into a holster, tight-pants and a flare of a long brown coat.

We stop and ask ourselves, which Nathan Fillion show have we tuned into tonight?

Richard Castle bursts into the living room in full Captain Mal costume, pulls the pistol and strikes a pose. Alexis looks up, hardly surprised.

Alexis: Hey

Castle: Hey

I was...I was just trying on my Halloween costume...

Alexis: What exactly are you supposed to be?

Castle: Space cowboy. he says matter a factually

Hmm... that punction music sounds familiar

Alexis: Okay; a) there are no cows in space, and b) didn't you wear that like 5 years ago

Yes he did! On a little show called Firefly!!!

Castle: So?

Alexis: So, don't you think you should move on?

From Firefly? I sure haven't

Castle: I like it

And so do I!

*****

Loving it! Great sophomore season so far, keep up the great work Castle!

Castle is picked up for a full second season

Castle, a procedural crime show starring none other then the incredibly charming Nathan Fillion as an author hoping to find inspiration by going into the field and becoming part of a team of homicide detectives has been picked up for a full second season.

ABC has commissioned a full 22 episodes, the show has dropped in numbers but has managed to hold onto a decent amount of the Dancing with the Stars lean-in viewers.

More Nathan Fillion is always good news!

Source