The Littlest Winslow

On May 26, Netflix will air a fourth season of one of the most beloved-yet-cancelled TV sitcoms to ever grace your living room television. The show is so underrated and unknown that I bet none of you know about it. It stars that guy from Teen Wolf 2, (you know, the teen wolf who’s not Michael J. Fox). It also stars the dude Amy Poehler ditched, and that nerdy kid who was in that movie where he played two versions of himself, except one version of himself was just like, him with a mustache. (In fact, he played a nerdy character so well, that he basically played it in like 10 more movies after that movie.) Oh, and Ellen’s wife is in it too.

Since Fox decided to cancel Touch, Kiefer Sutherland has some free time on his hands…and his new day job just might be a 24 revival.

I’ll pause for a moment for your brain to explode.

If the series does make it back to the small screen, sources say it may just be for 12 episodes. Showrunner Howard Gordon (who now serves as an Executive Producer on Homeland) came up with the idea for the return, which will most likely play out like a final season. The film version of the show is most likely dead in the water.

Movie…TV show…I personally don’t care how 24 returns, I just want to see Jack Bauer one last time. Season 8, though very solid and a return to form, just didn’t end the series appropriately. We can’t have Jack just disappear into the night again! We need more finality than that and hopefully this mini-season can satisfy the Bauer craving in us all. (E! Online)

Look out, Neptune: Veronica Mars is coming back to town. Hopefully.

Kristen Bell and Rob Thomas announced today that a Veronica Mars movie is in the works and has been in the works for over a year! But, the project is a Kickstarter one, and it needs our help.

Our favorite blonde sleuth could be on the big screen as early as Spring 2014, but according to Thomas and Bell, they need $2 million in 30 days in order to make it happen. If the money comes through, Mars Investigations is back in business and they shoot this summer. Not only does the $2 million in donations help the cause, but it also shows Warner Bros. (who still owns the rights to VMars) that fans care enough to step up, get involved and demand more Veronica. Warner has agreed to pick up the tab for marketing, promotion and distribution, should the Kickstarter campaign be a success (It’s looking good kids – a mere 2.5 hours later and we’ve raised $519,628!)

Thomas and his team hope to release the movie in the first quarter of 2014 for a limited-time theatrical run, followed by VOD, iTunes and other digital platforms.

Rewards packages on Kickstarter start as low as $10 (updates during production and a copy of the script on the day of release) and go as high as $10,000 (a part in the movie), with all sorts of goodies in between, including physical DVDs, Bluray/DVD combos, voicemail messages from Bell and the rest of the cast, and even a set visit and lunch with the cast. So donate now, dammit!

Follow Bell and Thomas on Twitter and check out the Veronica Mars Facebook page for all the glorious updates. I can also be found on Twitter and Facebook, squealing in delight and skipping like a school boy. Or something like that.

Lets do this.

*Edit* The Kickstarter page is now up to $763,752 as of 2 p.m. EST!

[Every so often, TLW has guests write in about whatever the snapbracelets they want to write about. This time, Jess wrote in to recommend the Canadian TV show Todd and the Book of Pure Evil. Check it out!]

By Jess Toman

As a lover of horror, I often search Netflix streaming for decent undiscovered fare. The Canadian TV show Todd and the Book of Pure Evil happened to be a rare find. With the tagline: “Fighting Evil with Mixed Results,” I couldn’t resist.

Todd is a metal head and a stoner. He searches for a satanic book that is wreaking havoc throughout his high school. He gets help from his best friend Curtis, who has a prosthetic hand, the hottest girl in school, Jenny, and geeky Hannah who crushes on Todd. He also receives help from Jimmy the janitor, played by Jason Mewes (of Jay and Silent Bob fame), and a group of three older, metal head stoners who sit on their car waiting to help Todd in his quest. The evil guidance counselor Atticus and his cloaked minions try to stop Todd and get the book first.

The school experiences trouble such as a giant baby crushing students, to a medusa penis turning students to stone. Whoever finds the book seems to have their wishes come true, but instead, it usually leads to their demise and the demise of others. (It appears that teachers and parents have no concern whatsoever for all the deaths at the high school either.)

This horror-comedy, full of ridiculous blood and guts, won’t scare you to death, but you are going to laugh out loud. It’s a fun find and I recommend checking it out.

Collaborating is fun! If you have something you want to recommend, discuss, kick around, or force upon the world, holler at me on Facebook or Twitter. Let’s chat and produce stuffs!

Who doesn’t love BJs?

I never thought I’d say this, but James Van Der Beek is amazing. And so are his “Beek Jeans.”

I’m somewhat bummed to hear that ABC has quietly pulled Don’t Trust the Bitch in Apartment 23 from its line-up, but it’s hard to blame them. Starting as a mid-season replacement in the 2011-2012 TV season, Bitch in 23 always had modest ratings. Hell, the network even premiered it after one of its staple comedies, Modern Family. Then, it was surprisingly renewed. To say the fledgling show didn’t have a fair shot, well, isn’t quite fair. From a network perspective, it’s a pretty cut and dry scenario. It simply under-performed.

But dammit, this show had some great moments. Although Krysten Ritter was fantastic as “the bitch”  Chloe (who truly got away with some zany shenanigans while still remaining extremely likable), James Van Der Beek was really the star here. Playing a fictionalized, uber-douche version of himself, “James” starred (and flopped) on Dancing With the Stars, considered reuniting with his Dawson’s Creek cast, and even created his own line of jeans. Beek Jeans.

I’m sad to see this one go, but having Bitch get axed makes me think that maybe…just maybe…Happy Endings will have a chance at survival.

Alas, thanks for the memories Bitch in 23. It’s been real. It’s been fun. It’s been real fun. Beek Jeans shall live forever. I bid Ritter and Van Der Beek luck in landing some kickass roles in the future.

Series Grade: B

Here is a picture of Dawson crying. I couldn’t work it in here, but really, I just wanted to include this picture of Dawson crying.

Who the shit is more lovable than the muthertruckin’ Winslow family?

You don’t need be Mother Winslow to know that the answer to that question is “no one.” That’s why here at TLW, we’re counting down the Top 5 best Family Matters episodes ever! This will probably be the most insightful and life-changing tale you’ll read all week! (You can thank me later)

Here we go, in reverse order:

5. Baker’s Dozen – Season 1
In this oldie-but-goodie, Rachel convinces Carl to sell his lemon tart recipe to a local restaurant. But, uh-oh! The restaurant orders, like, a bazillion tarts and they all have a food fight instead! Classic, Winslows. I’m a sucker for a good food fight, too. Probably because the 3rd grade version of myself always had “FOOD FIGHT” on his bucket list. Hell, it’s still on my bucket list. Bring it on, bitches.

4. It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Urkel – Season 4
This was always a fave growing up…probably because I liked Christmas. And presents. And watching Kellie Shanygne Williams act like Steve Urkel in that dream sequence. Lots of laughs, I tell you. And suspenders.

3. Making the Team – Season 3
I shall let this YouTube video speak on “Making the Team’s” behalf. It is entitled: “Laura Winslow shows everybody wassup.”

2. Driving Carl Crazy – Season 4
“3, 2, 1….1, 2, 3….what the heck…is bothering me?” In this episode, Carl gets mad at Steve and has to go to the Doctor or something. He has high blood pressure and stuff. Except he lies to his wife, and doesn’t go to the Doctor cuz he’s scared. What a wuss.

Drumroll please!

And the very best episode award goes to:

1. Life of the Party – Season 2!
This episode takes the cake for so many reasons, it’s not even funny, you guys. First of all, there’s a rooftop party, and Steve accidentally gets drunk when these mean guys spike the punch. Then, he pulls out the fucking URKEL DANCE (boo to non-embeds). Boom. As if that wasn’t enough, he almost falls off the roof, and Rachel has to walk a tightrope (!?!?) in order to save him. It’s sheer bananas! The Urkel dance went on to revolutionize the TGIF line-up, and for all of these reasons combined, “Life of the Party” WINS! What a showstopper!

What a fun trip down memory lane this was. C’mon! Everybody do the Urkel!

THREE’S COMPANY FANS: ASSEMBLEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Yes, I am actually writing about this. No, you don’t have to read it. But goddammit, you should!

When I was in high school, watching an episode of a sitcom was part of my morning breakfast routine. It just happened to be that Three’s Company was, at the time, airing on TBS at 6:30 a.m. My mom would peek around the corner: “Why are you watching this!?” she’d ask. I didn’t really have an answer, at first. Later, however, the answer became clear: Because it is fucking hysterical!

What’s better than a cutting-edge and groundbreaking sitcom about a man and two women living together in the 70′s? Nothing. It was scandalous and sexed up, and walked a fine line between obscenity and innocence for its time. Throw in a heaping spoonful of farce and plenty of John Ritter’s classic pratfalls and you have a Three’s Company in a nutshell.

My unconventional admiration for this program continued through college. For my Arts and Language of Television course, I wrote a 10-page term paper chronicling the show’s production and struggles throughout its eight-year run. Color my friend, Erin, surprised when she walked into my dorm room to find the book, “Come and Knock on Our Door: A Hers and Hers and His Guide to Three’s Company,” by Chris Mann, displayed on my desk. (Uhh…Nice to meet you, Erin?).

Over the years, I’ve collected all of the seasons on DVD and silently prayed that the day would come when Suzanne Somers and Joyce DeWitt would bury the hatchet, be friends again, and sail off into the sunset together. And for the first time in 30 years, the two finally sat down together to chat about Three’s Company on the set of Somers’ new Web Series/show Suzanne Somers Breaking Through.  Here is their three-part encounter (try not to get too giddy!):

Just recently, NBC made the horrific decision to table Community until God knows when. This is a terrible idea for many, many reasons. Not only does Community follow one of the best ensembles found on television today, but it also shatters conventional storytelling methods for sitcoms at large. Whether an episode about paintball, zombie-like students, or a complete Christmas cartoon extravaganza, the show exudes creativity and masterful writing skillz in almost every episode. I could continue gushing, but it all comes down to this: Shelving Community is an NBCFail.

Exhibit A:

I rest my case.

Check THIS out:

Don’t know who the hell spent the time to make this, but I DO know that they’re awesome. Look at little Blue Tobias! And Gob’s Segway! And the orange-donning George hiding around the corner! Man. This truly encompasses the blissful beauty of the Internets.

Check out a slideshow, including some close-up shots here. Bask in excellence.

Thanks to Ryan K. for the link!

This post contains spoilers from United States of Tara’s
third and final season.

And another one bites the dust. The last episode of United States of Tara aired almost a month ago, but the hauntingly perfect season-turned-series finale is still running rabid in my mind.

Over the last three seasons, we’ve seen Tara Gregson (Toni Collette) struggle between balancing a normal family life for her husband and two kids, while trying to survive a debilitating bout of Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID). As her chaotic existence unfolded in front of our very eyes, we got to know her many alters – separate characters of the show, all beautifully performed by Collette. There’s the elegant 50′s housewife Alice, impulsive southern macho man Buck, and the raging and hormonal teenager, T. Although Tara’s life was turned upside down, we watched these four characters, Tara included, co-habitate one life, one body…one family. The strange part was – most of the time, it worked!

Starting from the beginning of the series, the Gregsons pulled off the most normal family life possible. As we peered into their daily lives, son and daughter Marshall and Kate (Keir Gilchrist and Brie Larson) had good heads on their shoulders – kids wise beyond their years – while husband Max (John Corbett) was ultra support-guy. Shit got weird, but the Gregsons kept their heads up and held strong.

In its final season, we saw Tara became a real danger to herself and those around her. An alter kidnaps her sister’s newborn, she feeds crab to her very-allergic professor, and another alter violently accosts her son.  New alters sprouted up unexpectedly, intensifying the drama and stress level for all involved. And then at the height of the show’s prime, Showtime pulled the plug. No season 4 for us. Do not pass Go. Do not collect $200.

Thankfully for viewers, the final episode left us with a nice, yet chilling ending – one that provided us with enough answers to part ways with, and one that  reminded us just how far we had come and how special this fictional family actually is. We caught a glimpse of support-guy Max breaking down and learned why he would never abandon his family. We saw lost-in-life Kate find her way, at least for now. We witnessed Marshall overcome the loss of his ex-boyfriend.

In the series’ last few moments,  it was decided that Tara must flee to Boston to seek the help of specialist for a few months. As Tara is saying goodbye to her family, Marshall tells her: “When you get to Boston, don’t let them pull out all the good parts.” Tara replies, “You guys are my good parts.” As Tara and Max drive down the highway, Max assures her that he turned the child-proof locks on, which Tara admits is probably a good idea. She sticks her head out, feels the rush of the wind, and smiles onward toward new beginnings.

For a show that didn’t know its time was up, Diablo Cody and her team of writers ended the season beautifully. In life, there never is “an ending,” really. No nice, neat packages; no bows on top. We should all learn to be a little more like the Gregsons – keeping our heads high, while laughing through the tougher times.  And when times are tough, we look forward to the hope for a better tomorrow as our ongoing sagas and dramas continue to roll on.

And I can’t explain how devastating it is that we won’t get to see Tara’s tomorrow.