Isaiah Mustafa

The whole “Look at your man, now look at me,” saying is something that has really caught on of late and Mustafa’s rendition of a self absorbed ego maniac is spot on.

Terry Crews

In some of the more outrageous spots by Old Spice, action hero (he will be seen in this year’s shoot-em-up Expendables) Terry Crews plays up his ridiculously fit body.

Neil Patrick Harris

Before he was known as Barney Stinson on How I Met Your Mother, Neil Patrick Harris’ most memorable role was as the boy genius Doogie Howser. In this spot for Old Spice, an older Harris pokes fun at the fact that he used to play a doctor on television and uses it as an excuse for people to trust him.

For An Older Audience: Lois And Clark (1993 – 1997)

In one of the first attempts to bring Clark Kent and Superman into a modern, more Generation X type environment, the television show Lois and Clark played out Superman’s life as a mid-twenties professional. Spanning four seasons and starring Dean Cain and Teri Hatcher as Clark Kent/Superman and Lois Lane, the ABC drama/comedy/sci-fi adventure series followed the Man of Steel as he struggled to balance his life a reporter, a super hero and suddenly a boyfriend. Lois and Clark was mildly successful in that it did run for longer than most shows, but during the mid nineties the story of the Clark Kent never caught on as much as the network had hoped.

Unfortunately Lois and Clark was canceled in 1997, but all four seasons can be purchased on DVD.

For A Teenage Audience: Smallville (2001 – Present)

In probably the most successful television rendition of the Superman story, Smallville continues to go strong as the ninth season has recently come to an end. Although the CW and cast members of Smallville have already stated that the tenth season will be the final season, fans still remain hopeful. Smallville follows the story of Clark Kent from high school through his early years working at the Daily Planet. During this time his dedication to the human race is constantly put to the test as Smallville‘s core story telling element is how Superman discovers his true meaning. With a much more science fiction feel to the story lines and characters, Smallville has garnered attention from the dedicated comic book audience as well as branching out and reaching a core teen audience. With stars like Tom Welling, Kristin Kruek, Allison Mack, Erica Durance and Michael Rosenbaum, it’s no wonder the teen audience has caught on.

The first nine seasons of Smallville can be purchased on DVD as we eagerly await the final chapter.

For A Young Audience: Superman The Animated Series (1996 – 2000)

When Warner Bros and DC Comics teamed up for the iconic Batman: The Animated Series, something amazing was discovered. Not only was the story telling a perfect meld of animation and traditionally paneled comic books, the show spoke to a young audience and introduced them to some of the super heroes their parents grew up on. The natural next step after the success of the Batman series was to create a series in the same vein for Superman. Superman: The Animated Series ran for four successful seasons on the WB and followed Clark Kent as he discovered some of his most famous enemies including Braniac and Lex Luthor. With voice talent from Tim Daly, Dana Delany and a host of other talented performers, Superman: The Animated Series was a hit for all ages.

All four seasons of Superman: The Animated Series can be purchased on DVD.

SyFy Channel – Taken

In one of the biggest North American produced science fiction television projects, Steven Spielberg took Thomas H. Cook‘s novel Taken and transformed it into a ten week mini series. Taken follows three main families and their subsequent generations from 1944 to about 2001. The Keys, Crawfords and Clarkes are all in some way effected by alien visitors dating all the way back to the second World War. With twists and turns like alien visitors taking the form of humans and memorable Roswell incidents, Taken embodies everything an alien abduction story should. But in true Spielberg fashion, Taken is less about the events and the aliens and more about the characters that have to deal with it all. Put them all together in a cross generational story arc that covers decades of family bloodlines, global events and politics and you could definitely waste your weekend exploring the inner emotions of the characters. The mini series has a large cast, but some bigger names you might recognize include Julie Benz, Dakota Fanning and Anton Yelchin.

HBO – Band of Brothers

Band of Brothers was the first big behind the camera team-up between two of Hollywood’s most powerful people, Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks. In the epic tale of WW II parachute infantry East Company original penned by Stephen Ambrose, Band of Brothers became a ten episode journey of brotherhood, companionship, war and tragedy. Although most television experiences center around one incident and build the story around it, Band of Brothers follows the growth of boys to men during one of the most difficult times our world has ever seen. From training days until the end of the war, Spielberg and Hanks go very deep into the psyche of a WW II soldier and show that it is always the characters that carry a story from beginning to end. Band of Brothers went on to become one of the most celebrated television events in history and stars recognizable names like David Schwimmer, James McAvoy and Ron Livingston.

HBO – The Pacific

The Pacific is the second installment of the Hollywood team up of Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg and follows three marines through separate combat missions in the Pacific War. Marines Sledge, Leckie and Basilone (played by Joseph Mazzello, James Dale and Jon Seda) carry The Pacific through events like the Battle of Tenaru, a memorable face-off at Peleliu’s Bloody Nose Ridge and the eventual home coming when the Japanese surrender. Although at first glance, The Pacific looks similar to Band of Brothers, the style is actually quite different. This ten episode mini series chronicles events in Okinawa, Iwo Jima and Australia, but like a lot of the other successful series’ from Spielberg, the strength is in the characters.

Before He Was Famous – Jon Favreau – Undeclared, Eric’s POV (2002)

Before Jon Favreau was the comic book feature film household name he is now, he was just a normal actor looking to get into the world of directing. After starring in and directing his first feature film Made, Favreau turned to the small screen to see if he had what it took to become a big time director. Although not a ton of shows came calling, a little Fox sitcom called Undeclared (created by Judd Apatow) about college freshmen living on campus needed a director for one of their final episodes titled Eric’s POV. The story was simple; Lizzie, one of the lead female characters, agrees to go to her ex-boyfriend Eric‘s birthday. Eric then turns to his stepfather (played by Ben Stiller) for advice. The episode wasn’t widely viewed, it probably isn’t even one of the best in the series and never made headlines, but Jon Favreau did a fine job filling in under the circumstances. It turns out that Eric’s POV was the final aired episode before Undeclared was canceled.

In His Comfort Zone – Quentin Tarantino – CSI, Grave Danger (2005)

After the monumental success and epic story of Kill Bill, Quentin Tarantino took a little break from directing for the big screen. He did some smaller jobs like guest directing for Sin City, but one of the more noticeable projects he took on was the two-part season finale of CSI in 2005. Titled Grave Danger, the two hour movie-like story put the CSI gang to the test. One of their own, Nick, was kidnapped and buried alive in a glass casket. Grissom and the rest of the gang then receive a package stating that Nick’s ransom would be a million dollars. With the mayor refusing to pay the ransom, Grissom arranges to meet with the kidnapper who then blows himself up leaving nothing but his own thumb as a the clue to finding where Nick is buried. In true Tarantino fashion (who directed and wrote the episode) the dialogue is wonderful and the violence is poetic. Although he never went full Kill Bill with CSI, QT did in fact create one of the best two-parters in dramatic television.

Branching Out – Joss Whedon – The Office, Business School (2007) and Glee, Dream On (2010)

From cult to mainstream, Joss Whedon is one of the best known directors of our time. With credits like Buffy The Vampire Slayer, Angel, Firefly and Dollhouse, Whedon’s television credits speak for themselves. It’s no wonder NBC‘s The Office and Fox‘s Glee jumped at the chance to have him be involved in their shows. In 2007, Whedon directed two episodes of The Office, the more memorable being Business School where Jim convinces Dwight that he is a vampire. A few years later Whedon and his new friend Neil Patrick Harris hit the small screen together for a memorable episode of Glee titled Dream On. Whedon has already shown his talent and versatility behind the camera so he’s probably just doing all of these shows for fun.

For The Completion Lover – Six Feet Under

Although Alan Ball and HBO only ran the wonderful show Six Feet Under for about five seasons, it remains as one of the best of all time (in most people’s books). The story of a family that loses their father and adopts a Californian funeral home will remain at the top of good story telling lists for not only the way the writers drew us in, but also in how they ushered themselves out. With the entire series surrounding the Fisher family and all of their friends and associates, Six Feet Under successfully dealt with issues like drug abuse, sex, violence and what it is like for the proverbial small fish in a big ocean when it came to the funeral business. Characters like Nate, Claire, Ruth, David, Rico and Keith will forever make up one of the great television stories ever. Although the stories throughout each season kept us engaged, it was really the finale season and specifically the final episode that capped everything off as a true success for Six Feet Under. In one of the best musically enhanced montages ever, writers told the story of what happens to the Fishers and all of their friends when the show finally ends. It was heart warming, sad, funny, ironic and provided closure to a series that we wished didn’t have to leave so soon.

For The Sitcom Lover – Friends

When it comes to network sitcoms, there aren’t a lot of shows out there that can compare to the success of the NBC hit Friends. Surrounding the lives of six twenty-something adults living in New York City, Friends made viewers smile, cry and laugh hysterically for ten hugely successful seasons. When the decision was made to finally end the show, it was not only emotional for the cast and crew, but also the fans who had seemingly grown up watching Rachel, Monica, Phoebe, Chandler, Joey and Ross. The final episode of Friends was more of a tip of the hat to what made the show successful. In one of the more publicized on-again-off-again relationships in television history (Rachel and Ross), the writers of Friends finally gave the fans what they’ve been waiting for. After courting, dating, breaking up and having a child, Rachel and Ross finally got together. It brought closure to the relationship on screen and enabled fans of the show to finally believe that there is always that special someone that you will inevitably end up with.

For Everyone Else – MASH

Hiding seriousness in a cloud of comedy is rarely done well, but in the case of MASH there is a major exception. As one of the most successful television shows ever produced, MASH provided a humanizing and humorous look into war through the eyes of a small group of friends working in an army hospital amidst the Korean war. Spanning over eleven successful seasons, fans of MASH fell in love with the likes of Hawkeye, Houlihan, Father Mulcahy and many others. As the series finally came to an end, it not only represented the end of a great television show, it ended an era that needed laughter during serious times. In the final episode the entire cast of characters had to deal with something they’d only thought of in passing over the past eleven years, going home… Leading up to the finale, the characters knew the war was finally coming to an end, but what they hadn’t dealt with was how their lives were going to be drastically different when they finally left the hospital. The series finale of MASH was the most watched television program of all time until the 2010 Super Bowl as a whopping 105 million viewers tuned in to see the 4077 MASH unit finally get to go home.

William Bell – Fringe Season 1 Episode 20 “There’s More Than One Of Everything”, Season 2 Episodes 10 “Grey Matters”, 22 and 23 “Over There”

The final curtain call for Leonard Nimoy came on Thursday, May 20 2010 as he played his last television character, Dr. William Bell on the Fox hit Fringe. Although Nimoy made only a handful of appearances on the actual show (including just his voice in some episodes), the existence of his character was integral for the first two seasons. Dr. Bell created Massive Dynamic, a technology-based company that always seems to have their hands in something strange. Bell himself had been traveling back and forth between universes hoping to stop an eventual war. Although this peace-keeping tactic proved successful for a while, the universe crossing made the molecules in Bell’s body unstable. In Nimoy’s final on-screen appearance he helped the main characters return to our universe by sacrificing his body. Kind of a perfect way to go out as Nimoy’s body disintegrated very similarly to that of ‘beaming’ in Star Trek.

Himself – The Simpsons Episode 71 “Marge Versus The Monorail”

In one of the most memorable episodes of The Simpsons ever produced, Leonard Nimoy’s voice almost didn’t make an appearance. Known mostly for the catchy monorail tune, the episode titled Marge Versus The Monorail provided not only great comedy, but a an overall high entertainment value. In the episode, Springfield unveils a brand new monorail and the maiden voyage is supposed to carry a celebrity. Simpsons writers originally cast George Takei, as he’d voiced Simpsons characters before, but after learning that the episode was satirically making fun of public transportation, Takei declined (Takei is part of the board of directors of public transportation in California). Instead, the writers approached Nimoy who accepted the role and became part of a cultural phenomenon.

Galvatron – Transformers The Movie (1986)

Although Nimoy never actually voiced a Transformers character on the animated television series, he played a major role in the 1986 cultural hit Transformers: The Movie. Playing the voice of Galvatron, Nimoy became the ultimate enemy for Optimus Prime and the Autobots. After being defeated yet again by the Autobots, Megatron approaches the powerful Unicron and is given the powerful new body of Galvatron. Galvatron then goes on to wreak havoc on the world of the Autobots and looks to bring ultimate destruction, until his creator, Unicron turns into a planet sized robot and devours him. Nimoy’s voice is not only synonymous with Star Trek lore, but also Transformers.

For the Clay-mation Fan – The PJ’s (1999-2001)

Created by Eddie Murphy, Larry Wilmore and Steve Tompkins, The PJ’s was produced in traditional stop motion animation. Each half hour episode took nearly two months to create from beginning to end, and although each episode was quite wonderful, the high budget ultimately cost The PJ’s their existence. If you were lucky enough to catch a few episodes on Fox or the WB, then you were treated to one of the more refreshingly funny animated prime TV shows ever to be canceled. Taking place in a Detroit public housing complex, the show followed main character Thurgood Stubbs (voiced by Murphy) as he tried to weave his way through life as a superintendent. But the show succeeded mostly because of the cast of characters. Thurgood was funny, but accompanied by characters like his wife Muriel, Smokey the crack-head and Jimmy Ho, and The PJ’s is a great way to spend the weekend.

For the Comedy Fan – Harvey Birdman, Attorney At Law (2000 – 2007)

If you are a fan of some the old Hanna-Barbera cartoons series’ from back in the 1970′s then Harvey Birdman, Attorney At Law is both a hilarious trip and a trip down memory lane. The show originated as a spin-off series of the Adult Swim show Space Ghost Coast to Coast, but soon after the pilot Harvey Birdman established a strong identity. The show centers around Harvey Birdman, a superhero turned attorney at law. If you were a fan of the old cartoons, then you’ll probably recognize Harvey from Birdman and the Galaxy Trio. The follows Harvey through his various Hanna-Barbera inspired cases, but never strays too far away from the superhero with a real job concept. His old enemies are no longer evil scientists out to take over the world. They are now opposing lawyers pit against Harvey in cases that involve recognizable cartoon characters. For a taste of nostalgia and some off-beat comedy, Harvey Birdman, Attorney At Law is a great way to waste the weekend.

For the Groening Fan – Futurama (1999-2003, 2010-???)

When it comes to fan appreciation and devotion paying off, no other show can compare to the Matt Groening sensation Futurama. After The Simpsons, Groening went on to create and produce Futurama which first became an underground phenomenon, then an unnoticed gem and finally a recognized and reborn star. Futurama is the hilarious show about the future through the eyes of Fry, a cryogenically frozen young man from our time who wakes up in the future. Fry finds a job with his new friend Lela, Zoidberg, Hermes, Professor Farnsworth, Amy and the robot Bender at Planet Express shipping and together the gang do everything from traveling to Mars to traveling back to their teen years. Futurama uses traditional sci-fi gimmicks like time and space travel, Dungeons & Dragons and aliens in one of the more hilarious and brilliant animated shows ever to be aired, then canceled and then put back on the air. The show originally aired for four seasons on Fox and was then canceled. Although the resurrection of television shows in their original formats are hardly ever heard of, Futurama has managed to pull it off. Back in 2007, Futurama came back in the form of movies that went straight to DVD and were chopped up and aired as half-hour episodes on the Comedy Central. They were so successful that Groening has announced that the show will once again be airing brand new episodes in June of 2010. Although Futurama has been revived, it is still one of the best animated prime time shows ever to be canceled.

For The Adrenaline Junkie – Deadliest Catch

Deadliest Catch is probably one of the best reality series’ on TV right now. It doesn’t deal with makeovers, the lives of celebrities or rich housewives; Deadliest Catch is real, dangerous and shows human flaw. Following the captains of five fishing boats off the coasts of North America, the show gives viewers a glimpse into the difficult lives of modern day fisherman. With story lines that follow the tides and conflict that involves things like sleep deprivation, stealing and how fisherman deal with living on a boat for an extended period of time, Deadliest Catch is a great way to learn about how that king crab made it from the ocean to your dinner plate.

For The Science Junkie – Mythbusters

Mythbusters has been entertaining us for a while now, but the show really took a turn for the better when they started to implement genre based episodes. Hosts Jaime Hyneman and Adam Savage give TV watchers a look into what is scientifically possible when it comes to things like ancient war stories and urban legends. I am a big fan of their movie myth based episodes where they determine whether or not people can actually outrun giant boulders (Indiana Jones), shoot two guns at the same time while diving through the air (The Matrix) or smash through a plate glass window and walk away unscathed (virtually every action movie ever). If you’re looking for a great way to waste your weekend full of comedic entertainment and scientific knowledge, Mythbusters is a great choice.

For The Game Show Knowledge Junkie – Cash Cab

When you hear the genre of game show, it is difficult to watch more than one episode in one sitting, but Cash Cab is different. The concept is simple; random NYC cab patrons board the Cash Cab and depending on how many questions they can answer, they have the opportunity to win cash. If they get too many wrong answers, they have to get out and find another ride. The questions range from extremely easy, to nearly impossible, but in NYC you never know who will board the Cash Cab and be able to take it all the across town. Follow host/driver Adam Growe as he picks up random people and gives them the opportunity to win some cash and get where they are going.

For The Canadian – “Kings Ransom” by Peter Berg

Peter Berg, known to a lot television fans for his work as an actor on Chicago Hope, is a huge hockey fan. In his hour-long documentary Kings Ransom, he explains his fascination with the predominantly Canadian game as well as tell the heart-breaking tale of how the Edmonton Oilers decided to trade the greatest hockey player ever to live, Wayne Gretzky. Kings Ransom is shot from Berg’s point of view and ends with a casual, yet honest interview with Gretzky himself. It follows Canadian and hockey culture from the moment Gretzky put on his number 99 in Edmonton, to the fateful day where he left the country for the sunny beaches of California. Not only does Berg explain the difficulties of transitioning to a new environment in sports, he shows what effect one player has on an entire country.

For The Stat Nerd – “Silly Little Game” by Adam Kurland and Lucas Jansen

Silly Little Game is actually one of the more interesting episodes in the series. Adam Kurland and Lucas Jansen tell the story of how Rotisserie Baseball, known to most simply as Fantasy Sports, was created. They slip in and out of modern interviews with the creators while splicing in old footage of some of the first drafts and reenactments of some of the events. Silly Little Game is funny, entertaining and actually quite interesting as the story unfolds. We currently have entire business empires built around the concept of Fantasy Sports and Silly Little Game explains how this all came to be.

For The Rivalry Junkie – “Winning Time: Reggie Miller VS The NY Knicks” by Dan Klores

If you’re a professional basketball fan, or simply just a basketball fan, then you are probably aware of what former Indiana Pacers guard Reggie Miller has done to the New York Knicks. Dan Klores tells his story of how one man, one lanky six-foot-seven guard with an unorthodox release on his jump shot singlehandedly destroyed the hopes and dreams of New York Knicks fans year after year. Winning Time is a deep look into the rivalry of not just the Indiana Pacers and the Knicks, but Miller himself and how he is now linked to Knicks history forever.

Although I’ve only mentioned three docs above, I really do suggest taking the time to get into this series. Airing dates are Tuesday’s on ESPN.

Still Going Strong – The Office (American) – 2005 – Present

When the British import came across the pond back in 2005, I had my doubts. There are countless examples of great UK-based shows that are completely butchered as studio networks try to “North-Americanize,” them. But The Office stands out in that it didn’t change the feel of the original show, it only added to it. Where the original Ricky Gervais created show played up the awkward feelings to the max, the NBC version has really built on this. The Office‘s mockumentary style, themes and even general plot remain the same as the original as it follows a group of employees working at a paper factory in middle America. Their boss cares for his employees, but does so in a way that will make you shoot milk from your nose. It also helps that comedic genius Steve Carell‘s rendition of boss-man Michael Scott is absolutely gut busting. Throw in the bored, yet talented character of Jim, the evil, yet hilarious character of Dwight, the self righteous Pam and a slew of others and The Office will have you chuckling through the weekend.

Going, But Not Gone – Better Off Ted – 2009 – Present

Better Off Ted was an absolute diamond in the rough in 2009. Although it hasn’t gotten the recognition it deserves, the half-hour comedy about office life in a bustling technology company will keep you entertained all weekend. Following the lead character of Ted, the office’s project manager that liaises between the big bosses and the R & D department, the show touches on some of the more hilarious office and work related subjects including sexual harassment, working a side job, the separation between work life and real life and how to complete a project involving conflicting personalities. Ted and his comrades Lem, Phil and Linda all work for a fictional technology company called Veridian Dynamics and their boss Veronica (played by a stunning Portia de Rossi) makes the big decisions. Not only is the gang hilarious in their own lives, but every time they are all put in the same room, nothing but great comedy ensues. Better Off Ted has yet to be picked up for another season, but we’re all keeping our fingers crossed.

Gone But Not Forgotten – Dilbert – 1999 – 2000

The comic strip turned animated television show Dilbert only lasted two full seasons on the now defunct UPN, but during its time on the air it gave viewers a glimpse into a ridiculous office lifestyle. Following the main character of Dilbert, an engineer with a sarcastic outlook on life, the animated program showed the life cycle of a project from idea through testing and completion. Along the way, Dilbert and his office coworkers Carol, Wally and his dog Dogbert struggle with everything from the naming of their product to the testing phase that always results in disaster. They encounter situations that include annoying new co-workers and a boss who doesn’t seem to understand anything. Dilbert is probably one of the better office comedies ever produced, not for the realistic situations, but for the hyperbolic characters it includes.

HBO

For The Historian – Deadwood (2004-2006)

Although Deadwood only lasted three full seasons and basically flew under the radar for most of it’s existence, the David Milch created series is an absolute gem. Deadwood is the story of the last remaining American region without governmental control in 1876. The three driving forces throughout the series are the town’s sheriff Seth Bullock (played by Timothy Olyphant), the owner of the town’s saloon Al Swearengen (played wonderfully by Ian McShane) and the resident rich girl Alma Garret (played by Molly Parker). Although it wasn’t given a proper send-off, the show never lacked dramatic arc, comedy or even guest performances from the likes of Kristin Bell, Kieth Carradine and Brian Cox. Whether you’re in it for the bad guys, the good guys or just in it for a glimpse into the past, Deadwood is a great way to waste your weekend.

For The Wise Guy – Sopranos (1999-2007)

The Sopranos is one of television’s most successful shows of all time. During it’s eight-year run it won over eighty international television awards ranging from Golden Globes to Emmys. With credentials like that you shouldn’t have to think twice about picking it up for the weekend, but one of the reasons this show was so amazing was that it broke ground. Although the Sopranos followed the story of New Jersey mob boss Tony Soprano and all of his personal problems, at it’s heart, Sopranos was about family. With themes like loyalty, old age and adjusting to change, Sopranos opened the eyes of the average viewer allowing them a glimpse into dark, yet extremely real life of a crime family. Although the Sopranos may not have ended with a finale that pleased everyone, we should appreciate the fact that it did in fact end and didn’t carry on for longer than it had to.

For The Dramatic – Six Feet Under (2001-2005)

When Alan Ball started writing for Grace Under Fire back in the early nineties, who would have guessed that he would eventually pen one of the most dramatic television shows to ever hit the airwaves? Six Feet Under is a great example of writing, acting and simply great television. With the perfect mix of drama, comedy, reality and fiction, the show about a family-based funeral home hit on all of the points that make television so amazing. Whether you’re looking for great performances from actors like Peter Krause or Michael C. Hall or amazing story lines like the one that follows the chain of funeral homes looking to take over the market, Six Feet Under really had everything. The strange part, the part that no other show has managed to emulate since, is that Six Feet Under didn’t have a style. It constantly shifted from sad to funny and frustrating to satisfying all without the viewer actually noticing. A show like Six Feet Under doesn’t come around very often so when it does, it’s worth borrowing the DVD sets.

For Your Consideration – Sex And The City, Curb Your Enthusiasm and Entourage

I would have loved to extend this list to include the likes of Sex and the City, Curb Your Enthusiasm and Entourage, but you would be wasting much more than a weekend. All three honorable mentions are great shows in their own right, but for great HBO television, start with the Deadwood, Sopranos and Six Feet Under.

The Over-The-Top Teenage Angst Choice – Vampire Diaries (2009-Present)

Vampire Diaries is one of the latest vampire shows to hit the airwaves as the CW rookie show will be finishing up their first season this year. Focusing on high school student Elana Gilbert, Vampire Diaries is based on the book series of the same name written by LJ Smith. Brought to the small screen by Kevin Williamson, Vampire Diaries is one of the top rated shows on the network. The show has steadily improved since the beginning and is slowly breaking away from the category of, “just another vampire show.” One of the main differences is that the show doesn’t always focus on the three main characters – it really focuses on the fictional town of Mystic Falls. With a cast that easily fills a six-page spread in Teen Vogue, Vampire Diaries actually presents something a little bit different; it involves family – specifically the dynamic love triangle between human Elena and vampire brothers Stefan and Damon. So if you’re in for a pop-culture laden show of steamy eyed teenagers and quick-witted dialogue, it might be worth checking out Vampire Diaries this weekend.

The Violently Mature Sexual Innuendo Choice – True Blood (2008 – Present)

The Sookie Stackhouse series originally penned by Charlaine Harris about life in Bon Temp Louisiana is something that show creator Alan Ball has taken to a new level. True Blood combines the violence, the sex, the gore and the underground world of the mystical all into an hour, but because of the nature of the story, True Blood was destined for HBO. True Blood doesn’t shy away from the fear and the violence of a world that openly includes vampires. The show immediately brings viewers into the world by using marketing and advertisements for a synthetic blood drink that allows vampires to feed without killing. Then viewers are introduced to the mystical with the main character of Sookie Stackhouse and her immediate vampire love interest Bill Compton. It includes shape-shifters, good and evil vampires, religious fanatics and will even include a werewolf this season. If you’re in for a show that will make you laugh, then scare you, then show you why they can only be on cable TV, True Blood is a great way to spend the weekend.

The Iconic Tongue-In-Cheek Cult Choice – Buffy The Vampire Slayer (1997 – 2003)

Joss Whedon‘s Buffy the Vampire Slayer is one of the most documented, talked about and popular vampire stories of all time. Beginning with the telling of how Buffy Summers becomes the super powered slayer, the story follows her life through high school and college until the inevitable ending… which I won’t spoil. Along the way Buffy and her gang of self-described “Scoobies,” solve mysteries, send demons back to Hell and save the world multiple times over. She is powerful, smart, real and gives fans of the show someone to cheer for every week. But a vampire story is nothing without a forbidden love, and the Buffy and Angel relationship is still one of the most talked about in television history. Joss Whedon couldn’t have translated it better for the small screen as the slayer falls in love with the vampire with a soul. With seven seasons spanning two networks, Buffy the Vampire Slayer is a great way to waste this weekend.

In the Beginning – Fringe Science and Massive Dynamic

In order to fully understand the world of Fringe, there are two key principles that you really have to open up your imagination to. One would be the general concept of fringe science. Watching the Pilot episode of Fringe will introduce you to the concept that there are some strange and powerful things that people can do as a result of scientific and technological advancement. We’re not talking about ray-guns and flying cars, we’re talking about dangerous toxins that can cause transformation and melding imaginations to experience the memories of others. Pilot is a good start to introduce yourself, but later episodes like Power Hungry (which follows the story of a man who can manipulate electricity), Unleashed (which follows the story of a monster created from other animals in the world) and Dream Logic (showing the audience that dream and reality are much closer than we think) are a good way to catch up.

But how does all of this fit together? How can a show survive purely on solving strange scientific mysteries? Well, one way is to present the one powerful entity behind it all, Massive Dynamic. The research and development organization headed up by William Bell is some how always linked to a strange scientific anomaly. Although the intentions of Massive Dynamic are yet to be determined, they are always in the picture some way or an other and are usually represented by robotic armed Nina Sharp. Again, the pilot episode is a good place to start learning about Massive Dynamic, but so are episodes like Dreamscape, The Transformation and Of Human Action.

Meet The Bishops – Walter and Peter

At the center of Fringe is Dr. Walter Bishop who could be described as a modern day Frankenstein that leans more on the side of crazy than any other. Throughout the show we are constantly reminded that Walter was/is a genius who takes his imagination and creates a reality out of it using science and technology. Although his inventions and experiments have gotten him into a lot of trouble in the past, as a man, Walter Bishop is loyal, funny and extremely entertaining. Fringe kicks off with Walter being released from a mental hospital by FBI Agent Dunham and his estranged son Peter, but as the series continues, it becomes clearer that a lot of the strange, unexplainable occurrences are actually variations of Walter’s work.

Then we have Peter Bishop, Walter’s son. Ever since he first showed up in Pilot, there was always something different about Peter, something that let us know that he just didn’t belong. Well, as it has been slowly revealed over the course of two seasons, Peter is actually from another universe. Walter and William Bell had discovered that there was another universe happening at the exact same time as ours. When a young Peter from our universe fell ill and eventually died, Walter crossed over to the other universe and took the other Peter. Some of the best episodes of Fringe surround this exact mystery beginning with The Arrival, There’s More Than One Of Everything and the latest episode simply titled Peter.

From Olive to Olivia – Agent Dunham Assembles the Puzzle

Every show needs to start off with that fish-out-of-water feel so the audience can be introduced to the world. Fringe uses the character of Olivia Dunham as a guide through the crazy maze. Olivia is the link between the Bishops and the FBI, but she plays a much bigger part in the entire story as it is slowly revealed that she was actually part of one of Walter’s experiments when she was just a little girl. When Walter and Williams Bell discovered the other universe, they were looking for a way to recognize if things were out of place or not, things that just didn’t belong. They discovered that there was an element in a child’s imagination that allows certain people to identify this. Olive, now going by Olivia, was one of these children.

Olivia’s story and her importance to the Bishops comes to fruition when a mysterious teleporting man named David Robert Jones tells her she is going to be an important ally for an upcoming war. The best episodes to watch in order to get the full story of Olivia and her past are In Which We Meet Mr. Jones, Bound, Ability, Bad Dreams, The Road Not Taken and Jacksonville.

The Good – One Tree Hill (2003 – Present)

The CW teen drama One Tree Hill treats basketball in a way that viewers can actually believe. Although the skill of the players in the show are quite fictional, basketball isn’t the center of the show – which is why it works. Premiering in 2003 on the now defunct WB Network, One Tree Hill originally followed the story of Lucas and Nathan Scott as they starred together on a North Carolina high school basketball team. Although they started out as enemies, the first few seasons saw them come together as teammates and family and follow them through various stages of their lives. One Tree Hill focuses more on the characters than the action and eventually basketball becomes less of the focus. The show works in that it uses basketball as a pacing tool and a subtle plot device, not the center of story. If you plan on spending some time away from the One Shining Moment this weekend,watch a few episodes of the first season of One Tree Hill.

The Bad – Hang Time (1995 – 2000)

When Hang Time premiered in 1995, NBC was at an ultimate high. They were successfully running NBA On NBC to please the big sports fans and they were successfully roping in younger viewers with their show NBA Inside Stuff. NBC executives must have thought the timing was perfect to then begin airing their newest addition to the Saturday morning TNBC line up, Hang Time. Boy were they wrong. Although the concept seemed like a fit the network’s youth oriented weekend sitcoms (girl makes boys high school basketball team in Indiana), it never really worked out. Hang Time was never really known for the dramatic game footage or realistic take on amateur sports, instead, it will forever be known as a show that couldn’t keep a cast. Up until the sixth and final season in 2000, Hang Time had completely overhauled their entire cast (save two characters) every single season. With the show being set in high school, characters leaving for college was a natural occurrence, but in Hang Time characters would leave after one season. Sure, the show touched on issues like high school dating, drug and alcohol abuse and even had a cameo from Screech himself, but by the time Hang Time ended, nobody seemed to care…

The Ugly – Basketball Wives (Coming April 11)

Back in December of 2009, VH1 announced that they will air a reality series titled Basketball Wives. The concept probably could not have come at a better time as just before the show was announced, the Tiger Woods scandal hit the grocery store line up. Basketball Wives will tip off on April 11th and will follow the lives of the wives, ex-fiances and girlfriends of current NBA basketball players. At the center of the show will be Shaquille O’Neal‘s wife Shaunie as she will also serve as a producer. Alright, so maybe you can’t actually watch this show, but you can imagine the drama that could potentially unfold with a show that centers around the constant paranoia of the spouse of a professional athlete. I doubt there will be a lot of basketball played on the show, but I’m quite certain you’ll see a lot of personal fouls – sorry, had to ;)

In the Beginning – Buffy The Vampire Slayer (1997 – 1999)

Boreanaz should really thank Joss Whedon for kick-starting his career. Back in the late nineties, Boreanaz was getting by with guest appearances on shows like Married With Children and uncredited work on some forgettable feature films. But when Whedon began casting his series Buffy The Vampire Slayer, he found his Angel in Boreanaz. What followed was a huge upswing in Boreanaz’s career as for the next decade he would be directly associated with one of television’s most memorable characters, Buffy Summers. The character development of Angel was taken head on by Boreanaz as he played the bruiting vampire with a sole. Although Angel began as a bit of a one-dimensional character the story line called for him to be painfully in love with the one person he could never be with. The potential of Boreanaz as a professional was then put to the test when Angel goes bad after achieving true happiness. Audiences and obviously Whedon saw so much potential with the range that Boreanaz showed during Buffy that they produced a hugely successful spin-off.

Coming Into His Own – Angel (1999 – 2003)

Although the character of Angel and Boreanaz himself were fan favorites of Buffy The Vampire Slayer, Whedon made a bold choice and broke the character off into his own series. The Buffy mythology worked with the Angel spin-off because Angel The Series begins with Boreanaz’s character still pining over his true love. But Boreanaz was able to make Angel his own show and not just a Buffy spin-off by helping develop Angel into a complete character with an interesting back story and a more developed personality. Although Angel and Buffy would cross paths a few times before the series’s conclusion, by the end there was no doubt that Boreanaz was Angel and Angel wasn’t just a spin-off.

A New Genre – Bones (2005 – ???)

One of the potential problems with playing such a recognizable and iconic character as Angel is that Boreanaz would never be able to step away from the character. But he took it in stride and after taking a couple of years away from the small screen, he stormed back onto episodic television with Bones. Playing the emotionally conscious sniper-turned FBI agent, Boreanaz has taken the character Seeley Booth and completely redefined his place in television. It may have taken Boreanaz a couple of seasons to fully separate himself from Angel, but he’s done it successfully with the help of his new cast and a producer role on the show. Bones follows Seeley Booth and Dr. Temperance Brennan as they and a group of scientists solve crimes using anthropology. With Brennan being the robotic right-and-wrong-type character, Booth adds an emotional element to the show by always focusing on the gray areas. You can probably guess that the two play off of each other extremely well.

The Popular Choice: Smallville (2001 – ???)

When the WB (now known as the CW) premiered Smallville back in 2001, Superman enthusiasts including myself were very skeptical. The previous television adventures of Lois and Clark were fun, but at the end of the day were not really what fans of the comic had expected. Smallville on the other hand did something new – it told the origin story, but focused less on the ultimate bad guys and more on the awkward situations of growing up with super powers. Having Tom Welling play Clark in the lead role was also extremely important. Welling has one of those faces that really doesn’t age all that much and as Smallville completes it’s ninth season (a tenth has been picked up for 2011), he still fits perfectly as Clark Kent. With actors like Kristin Kruek, Michael Rosenbaum, Annette O’Toole, John Glover and John Schneider having moved on from Smallville, the show has given itself a new identity as Welling carries a cast that still includes Erica Durance, Justin Hartley and Allison Mack. Now that Clark is in his mid twenties, Smallville is becoming a more mature show that deals with addiction, murder, intergalactic criminal activity and the overall arc of Clark eventually embracing his duo citizenship (human and alien) and becoming the inevitable hero.

The Nostalgic Choice: The Incredible Hulk (1977 – 1982)

I don’t think anyone will ever forget the imposing Lou Ferrigno as television’s first live action incarnation of the green Incredible Hulk. Movies and cartoons have followed since the eventual end to this iconic series, but it will always be difficult to associate a live action Bruce Banner and the Hulk with anyone but Bill Bixby and Ferrigno. The series itself wasn’t amazing other than the fact that it was adapted from one of the most popular comic book heroes of all time, but for the time that it aired The Incredible Hulk had a strong following. With a much different premise than the Marvel Comic series, The Incredible Hulk TV series took on the persona of a constant cat and mouse game between Banner and the authorities. Although the origin of Hulk’s existence was greatly altered for the small screen, many of the rules set up by Marvel remained. Banner would turn into Hulk when he got angry, Hulk was in fact human on the inside and he had a soft spot for helping those in need. The classic TV show never strayed too far from the lonely wanderer concept brilliantly displayed by the opening credits of the show and for what it is worth, became it’s own entity within comic lore.

The Newest Choice: Human Target (2010 – ???)

Although this adapted comic book series is only a few episodes into existence, DC‘s Human Target is quickly gaining cult status. Following the mysterious story of Christopher Chase as he helps those in need of specialized personal security, Human Target embodies a lot of the classic comic book traits. Chase is accompanied by former law enforcement officer Winston and computer genius one-liner expert Guerrero and together they are nothing more than a dysfunctional family with the special skills to get the job done. Human Target could be considered part A-Team and part Batman as Chase himself is a bit of a mystery, but his quick wits and his mysterious past create for very interesting story lines. If you’ve got some time to kill this weekend, Human Target is a good choice.

Season One, Episode Two – The Series Has Landed

I would consider the second ever episode of Futurama to be a better introduction to the show than the actual pilot for the simple reason that we are introduced to the entire staff of Planet Express. In The Series Has Landed, Fry, Leela and Bender meet Hermes, Dr. Zoidberg and Amy bringing together all of the main characters and essentially completing the introductions. But Futurama isn’t just about characters as The Series Has Landed sees the gang head to the Moon. Fry learns that half of the moon has turned into an amusement park and decides to find the site of the lost lunar landing instead of hanging around and playing the claw game with the rest. This is one of my top three episodes because it not only pokes fun at technology and pop-culture, it adds an element of realism with Fry’s life long dream to see the Moon.

Season Three, Episode Ten – Luck of The Fryrish

In a throwback episode that shows scenes from Fry’s youth in Old New York we’re introduced to Fry’s older brother Yancy and Fry’s obsession with luck and superstition. After learning that Yancy had stolen Fry’s lucky seven-leaf clover, Fry begins to blame Yancy for all of the bad luck he’s had since. Fry immediately jumps to the conclusion that Yancy stole his ideas about space travel as well as his name and became a national hero. But after deciding to rob his brother’s grave in order to retrieve the seven-leaf clover, we then learn that Yancy named his son after Fry who then went on to become famous. Luck Of The Fryrish wasn’t just a memorable episode for showing what Fry’s life was like before he was frozen, it was a great way to see into how much history Fry had actually missed.

Season Four, Episode Nine – Futurestock

My absolute favorite Futurama episode of all time is Futurestock where Fry meets a fellow defrosted person from the eighties. Taking the theme of movies like Wall Street, Futurestock tells the story of how Fry rises to the top of the business world and comes crumbling down because of his new friend. Futurestock was great for the classic one-liners like “Awesome. Awesome to the max,” and “Let’s practice execu-speak,” by the character simply known as “That Guy.” Eventually That Guy dies of a rare disease known as Boneitis, but Futurestock shows how some things in this world will never change.

The Popular Choice – Jennifer Aniston (Friends 1994 – 2004)

Tabloids aside, Jennifer Aniston is having what most would call a “storybook-career.” After a rough start to her television acting career, Aniston landed the role that changed her life as the infamous Rachel Green on Friends. Like most of her cast mates, before Friends, Aniston’s acting career consisted of a handful of failed pilots and a starring role in the classic horror film Leprechaun (probably not a classic for the reasons you’re thinking). But when Friends took off and became the staple hit sitcom, Aniston began to get much better movie offers. During her run on Friends, Aniston also starred in the cult hit Office Space, The Good Girl, Bruce Almighty and Along Came Polly. Since the conclusion of Friends she has gone on to star in The Breakup, Marley And Me and The Bounty Hunter. But I don’t think it matters how many big movies Aniston stars in, she will forever be Rachel Green.

The Niche Choice – Jennifer Garner (Alias 2001 – 2006)

Sorry to stay on the Jennifer path here, but it would be a crime to leave Jennifer Garner off this list of female TV actors turned movie stars. Although Garner is widely known for her work on Alias, it actually wasn’t the first show she’d been a major part of. Back in 1999, Party of Five actually gave Jennifer Love Hewitt her own spin-off show called Time of Your Life and Garner played Romy, the roommate and struggling New York City actor. But as many of us can agree, Garner’s role as Sidney Bristow on Alias is really what catapulted her to the big screen. During her time on Alias, Garner managed to make big screen appearances in 13 Going On 30, Daredevil and Elektra which seemingly jump-started her transition to full time movie star. Since the conclusion of Alias, she’s been in The Kingdom, Juno and most recently, Valentine’s Day.

The New Age Choice – Kristen Bell (Veronica Mars 2004 – 2007)

Veronica Mars was an iconic cult hit for a number of reasons, but none more than the fact that it represents the coming out party for Kristen Bell. Bell made small guest appearances on shows like Deadwood and American Dreams, but it wasn’t until she was able to show her quick witted timing and range of emotion on Mars that people really started to notice her. When her show was canceled in 2007, Bell made the jump to the big screen with Forgetting Sarah Marshall and Fanboys before returning to television for a season on Heroes. Although she continues to work in television quite a bit (as the narrator for Gossip Girl), Bell’s focus seems to be with feature films. She recently voiced a character for the animated feature Astroboy and her film When In Rome is currently in theaters.

The Popular Choice – Johnny Depp (21 Jump Street 1987-1990)

These days Johnny Depp is mostly recognized for his amazing portrayal of pirate Jack Sparrow in the famed Disney movie franchise Pirates of the Caribbean and could soon be known simply as The Mad Hatter. Although one of his first roles was in the original Friday The 13th, TV fans will remember him mostly as Tom Hanson from 21 Jump Street. The quick witted undercover cop was one of the main characters through the show’s early and more successful years. 21 Jump Street was just the tip of the ice-berg when it came to the potential of Johnny Depp’s stardom and in 1990 he left the show for the big screen. The rest reads like a “Must Watch” list from the video store as he went on to star in films like Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, Edward Scissorhands, Donny Brasco, Chocolat and the Pirates franchise.

The Nostalgic Choice – Tom Hanks (Bosom Buddies 1980-1982)

Before Tom Hanks roped in more Oscars than he can carry, he was a small time sitcom actor. Bosom Buddies ran from 1980-82 and Hanks played Buffy Wilson, one half of the Bosom Buddy drag-duo of Buffy and Hildegard. When Bosom Buddies ended, Hanks picked up small guest appearances on sitcoms like Taxi and Happy Days until he landed a main role in Splash. Tom Hanks hit the big time and never looked back as his Academy Award winning films like Forrest Gump, Philadelphia, Apollo 13 and The Green Mile have put him into his own category of stardom.

The New Age Choice – Shia LeBeouf (Even Stevens 1999-2003)

Disney has a habit of turning out big stars. They did it with Hillary Duff and Miley Cyrus and they did it with one of the most recognizable young movie stars of today, Shia Lebeouf. LeBeouf did make a few small appearances on shows like X-Files and ER, but in 1999 he was picked up by Disney after starring in the movie Holes and was cast as the lead character in the family sitcom Even Stevens. For the next four years LeBeouf played Louis Stevens, the youngest and most mischievous member of the Stevens family. When Even Stevens ended in 2003 LeBeouf landed small roles in movies like Constantine and Charlie’s Angels, but his big break came in 2007 when he was cast as Sam Witwicky in the Transformers franchise. Since then LeBeouf has been in Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull and will appear in the Wall Street sequel Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps.

The Popular Choice – Sex and the City – 1998 – 2004

Sex and the City – 2008

Alright, so Sex and the City never actually ended with the feature film in 2008. In fact, Carrie, Samantha, Charlotte and Miranda will be making a return to the big screen this May for Sex and the City 2, but before the first movie, fans of the show were given a nice salute with a big screen send off. When the show ended in 2004 each character had gotten what they had been working towards for the passed six years and although the fan reaction was lukewarm, Sex and the City was essentially over. But fans craved more. They wanted to know what happened beyond the finale, beyond 2006 and even beyond New York City. So show creator Darren Star gave them what they wanted and the response was huge. I wouldn’t consider the Sex and the City films as movies per-say, just really long episodes with a lot of time in between. So in preparation for the next big screen installment, pop in the Sex and the City movie and get reacquainted.

The Nostalgic Choice – X-Files – 1993 – 2002

X-Files: I Want To Believe – 2008

X-Files was one of the longest running shows ever to air on Fox and because of this, the number of fans during the nine year run were extremely devoted. Mulder and Scully has graced the big screen once before back in 1998 with Fight the Future, but audiences were aware that no matter what happened in the film, the FBI duo would be back on the small screen the following season. When the final episode aired a large chunk of the mysteries had been solved, but fans craved more Mulder and Scully. With the help of DVD sales and the fact that many sci-fi shows credit X-Files as a pioneer series for the genre, creator Chris Carter was able to make it happen back in 2008. X-files: I Want to Believe got mixed reviews (okay, not a whole lot of people enjoyed it beyond myself), but it did give a proper send off to Fox, Dana and Skinner. If you’re a sci-fi fan, pay homage this weekend by popping I Want to Believe.

The Lesser Known Choice – Firefly – 2002 – 2003

Serenity – 2005

The story of Joss Whedon‘s film Serenity is well documented (especially by himself in the DVD commentary), but the short version is this. Firefly never found a true home on TV. Fans had to scour TV guides during it’s run to find even one episode. When the show was finally put to rest, it was almost comical as Whedon wasn’t even able to air the final episodes. Fans were left to guess what happened to Mal, Wash, Zoe, Inara, Jayne, Kaylee and the rest of the crew on Serenity without anything to grasp onto. All hail the power of the Internet and DVD sales as fans petitioned and literally saved the series. Whedon didn’t get permission to continue Firefly on the small screen, instead he was given permission to wrap everything up with a feature film. Serenity is a true movie ending to a series where all of the main story arcs are completed, the mysteries are solved and main characters die. With a very small number of total episodes on DVD combined with the movie finale, you could easily waste this weekend with Firefly and Serenity.

Without giving too much of the plot away, Absolute Justice will showcase more than just Clark / Superman and his normal crew of Green Arrow, Lois Lane and Chloe. Below is the gist of what you need to know about all of the new characters before we head into Friday.

Hawkman (Carter Hall)

Under normal circumstances, seeing a man with wings and a mask would cause TV uproar, but in the case of Absolute Justice, this is one of the more daring and respected moves Smallville could make. Like many comic book characters, the origins of Hawkman vary throughout the years, but the one thing that remains is his ability. Hawkman’s suit, belt and hammer are made from “Nth Metal” or the ninth metal. This special substance is incredibly strong and allows Hawkman to fly. Although it would seem as though his wings do a lot of “flapping,” it is in fact the Nth Metal that gives Hawkman his powers. Hawkman is also one of the original members of the Justice Society.

Stargirl (Courtney Whitmore)

Similar to Hawkman, Stargirl’s powers originate with her equipment. As a curious teenager, Courtney Whitmore dawned the suit of the Star Spangled Kid – the suit of her step father’s original super hero partner. When Courtney put on the suit she inherited the power of strength and hand to hand combat along with a taste for heroism. She was later inducted into the Justice Society where she was given the Cosmic Rod which allows her to fly and shoot energy blasts at her foes.

Dr. Fate (Kent Nelson)

Dr. Fate is a magician who was trained by the mythical people of Nabu. Kent Nelson‘s father Sven discovered the tomb of a mystical being, but was soon killed leaving Kent an orphan to be trained in the dark arts. Dr. Fate’s history is probably the most robust of the group that will appear on Smallville, but for the sake of the show you can expect to see him as part of the original Justice Society complete with helmet and cape. His powers include the magical abilities to fly, shoot energy blasts from his hands, pass through inanimate objects like walls and bring statues to life.

Martian Manhunter (John Jones)

John Jones was introduced in Smallville a few seasons ago when Clark was tasked to track and capture aliens that had crashed on earth. John’s job then was to guide Clark and teach him some of the things Jor-El wanted his son to learn. Since then John has lost his powers on Smallville and become a police detective, but he retains all of his memories of when he was the Martian Manhunter. In DC lore, Martian Manhunter accompanied the Justice League of America on numerous missions by being able to change shape, fly and possessing super strength.

The Icicle (Cameron Mahkent)

The villain in Absolute Justice will be The Icicle. Although the incarnation of which Icicle will be featured in the 2-hour episode isn’t clear, it will most likely be Cameron Mahkent as he is the most recent. Mahkent is the second incarnation of The Icicle as his father was the original. As a super villain who created a specialized freeze ray, Cameron’s father passed down the genetic ability to freeze things with his hands along with a lot of malcontent towards the Justice Society.

Green Lantern (???)

This is merely an assumption based on the trailer for Absolute Justice that premiered in Canada last week. The promo showed a few images of the Green Lantern’s sign so there is a possibility he could show up, or at the very least be mentioned. As many people are aware of, Ryan Reynolds will portray Hal Jordan in a feature film about the Green Lantern, but I think Smallville will have someone or something completely different. The Green Lantern is an intergalactic police officer who wears a power ring that allows him to do basically anything from fly to create objects out of thin air.

FOX – 8:00 P.M. – American Idol

Victoria Beckham makes a second guest judge appearance on FOX‘s singing hit as American Idol travels to Denver for more auditions. With the number of tickets to Hollywood getting smaller by the week, contestants will be put through the proverbial ringer as Simon will no doubt be his worst. If you’re not all that interested in finding out what happened after Juliet set off the explosion on Lost, you can always wait to see the explosions of singing talent from Colorado.

CBS – 8:00 P.M. – NCIS

In an episode titled Masquerade, the Naval Criminal Investigation Service is pit against time and terrorists when a group threatens DC with a bomb. Although this doesn’t sound drastically different from any other episode of NCIS, you can probably bet there won’t be any mentioning of an island. So while other viewers are studying the recap of the first 5 seasons of Lost, you can catch up with Jethro, Anthony and Abby for an hour.

CBS – 10:00 P.M. – The Good Wife

Want to find out why Juliana Margulies won a Golden Globe a couple of weeks ago? Check out The Good Wife at 10PM on CBS to see the latest episode titled Bad. Alicia defends a man who is being accused of murdering his wife and even after she wins the case, remains to doubt his innocence. Nothing like a little court room drama to take your mind off of the Dharma Initiative for an hour.

Comedy Central – 9:00 P.M. – Southpark

Comedy Central knows better than to try and compete with Lost this Tuesday so instead of premiering something brand new, they have decided to air four back-to-back episodes of Southpark. At 9PM you can check out what happens when Cartman goes to a meteor party in the episode titled Two Guys Naked in a Hot Tub and at 9:30 you can check out the Southpark spoof of the flick The Day After Tomorrow as the boys get caught in Southpark when a beaver damn gives way. At 10PM the Stan‘s dad Randy looks into a world record and at 10:30PM Stan’s family travels across the country in search of an Internet connection. So if you’re not at all interested in finding out if Sun and Jin will be reunited on Lost, you can always switch on some primal 2-D animation.

CW – 8:00 P.M. – Aaron Spelling Repeats

Repeat episodes of both 90210 and the new Melrose Place will air on the CW from 8PM-10PM so if you’d like to watch high school and LA scandals unfold you can always flick it on to see what has happened. 90210 is re-airing their episode that includes a cameo appearance from musical artist Pharrell and the re-aired episode of Melrose Place focuses on Riley and Jonah as they have a blowout fight while filming a wedding. So if you really don’t care about how Lost will explain time travel, you can always tune into the CW and see all of the pretty colors.

As you can tell, it really is slim pick’ns this Tuesday. To be honest, if you’re not an avid follower of NCIS or The Good Wife, I suggest just grabbing the Lost DVD’s and catching up. Wednesday morning will be very lonely if you have no idea what is going on…

The Popular Choice: Friends 1994 – 2004

Although the character of Phoebe Buffet never understood the name of Central Perk until about season 3, the iconic coffee house played a major part in Friends up until the final episode. The coffee house served as the gathering place for Monica, Rachel, Chandler, Joey, Phoebe and Ross for ten years and actually made a name for itself in the coffee drinking world by featuring the Central Perk giant coffee cups. Rachel and Joey both worked at Central Perk during the series and countless cameos were made right on the couch during the ten year run. Stars like Robin Williams, Billy Crystal, Isabella Rosallini and the infamous “Russ,” have all made appearances in Central Perk, but my favorite character in the coffee house will always be Gunther.

The Nostalgic Choice: Seinfield 1990 – 1998

Similar to Friends, the Seinfeld set of the coffee shop/diner/restaurant played a part in almost every single episode. What die hard fans already know is that the restaurant actually started out with an actual name, Tom’s Restaurant. The exterior shot that a lot of us recognize is an actual restaurant on the corner of 112th and Morningside Heights in Manhattan. The Restaurant was a way for Seinfeld and other head writer Larry David to get the gang out of Jerry’s apartment and into a more public setting. It provided plot devices like the coincidental arrival of characters, a meeting place and a public forum for the gang to spout off on one of their unforgettable rants. Although the traditional item ordered off of the menu by Jerry, George, Kramer and Elaine was usually just coffee and a slice of pie, the gang has been known to order hot food off of the menu. Tom’s Restaurant is currently featured as part of the New York City Seinfeld bus tour.

The Lesser Known Choice: Two Guys And A Girl (and a Pizza Place) 1998 – 2001

Back in 1998 it looked like ABC had struck gold with their premier of Two Guys, A Girl and a Pizza Place. Starring a young Ryan Reynolds, Traylor Howard and Richard Ruccolo, the show focused on the threesome as they attempt to complete graduate degrees while working at a Boston pizza parlor named Beacon Street Pizza. Two Guy and a Girl‘s first couple of seasons used Beacon Street Pizza heavily as two of the main characters worked there; but after the conclusion of the second season, Beacon Street Pizza was dropped, and subsequently the name of the show was changed. It was during this time that ABC decided to move the show from mid-week to the dreaded Friday Night time slot where it eventually died. During the successful years of Two Guys and a Girl, Beacon Street Pizza was one of the main sets and played host to a wealth of characters like Mr. Bauer, the old man who would tell a story each episode that always resembled popular movie plots.

The Popular Choice: Alias 2001 – 2006

When Jennifer Garner took the role of Sydney Bristow for JJ Abrams‘ immensely popular spy show Alias, it basically put her on the map. Alias brought the elements of criminal mystery and sci fi together with real life as Sydney’s journey went way beyond the walls of SD-6. With family tree issues, an on-again-off-again relationship with her handler Michael (Michael Vartan) and handful of crafty evil enemies, Sydney’s plate was constantly full with a healthy serving of back stabbing and lies. The show itself was an action packed hour of international espionage sewn together with the grace of some of the most amazing wardrobes on television. Alias used the concept of double agents as a way to explain to audiences that nobody should be trusted – a theme explored throughout the entire five year run. Pop in an early season of Alias this weekend and experience Sydney’s journey from SD-6 to the CIA and back and forth – you won’t be disappointed.

The Nostalgic Choice: La Femme Nikita 1997 – 2001

Nikita didn’t put Peta Wilson on the map in the same way that Alias made Garner, but the show did take audiences through a new kind of narrative during its run. La Femme Nikita was the story of a homeless woman recruited by a secret counter terrorist organization, trained and sent back into the world to carry out dangerous missions. Each episode would take audiences, and Nikita, to a brand new dangerous destination where she would have to save, steal, rescue or blow something up. During early seasons this concept worked quite well on a weekly basis, but as the series continued, more information about why Nikita in particular was picked off the street and trained is revealed. With great ratings carrying Nikita through the first two seasons, it looked as though the series was going to be a mainstay, but with a changing of the guard over at the USA Network, Nikita began to plummet and was eventually canceled. A devoted fan base tried to resurrect the show through an Internet campaign, but La Femme Nikita was dead and gone. Thanks goodness for DVD’s!

The Lesser Known Choice: Once A Thief 1997 – 1998

If you blinked back in 1997, you probably missed the entire run of Once A Thief. Although the Canadian show about a trio of spies with a connected past had the big name of John Woo attached to it, Once A Thief barely made it through the first season. The show followed Li Ann Tsei played by Sandrine Holt, Victor Mansfield played by Nicholas Lea and Mac Ramsey played by Ivan Sergei as the trio are forced to work together under the watchful eyes of The Director. Tsei and Ramsey were once lovers and after growing up as thieves in the powerful Tang clan, they faked their own deaths and attempted to start a new life. Tsei gets away, but Ramsey is caught and sentenced to life in prison. Fast forward two years and Tsei is living in Canada working as an agent. Her new life includes a new love interest, ex-policeman Mansfield. All seems to be going well until Ramsey is released from prison and sent to Canada to work for The Director as part of a trio with Tsei and Mansfield. If you can find a copy of the first and only season of Once A Thief, this is a great show to lose your weekend with.

The Modern Choice: iCarly 2007 – Present

If you know someone within the ages of about eight and fifteen, chances are, they have at least heard of the Nickelodeon hit series iCarly. In 2009 it was nominated for an Emmy, but ended up losing to a popular Disney show called Wizards of Waverly Place. But for great content and a look into how television is just a part of media as a whole, iCarly is a perfect example. This is one of the only shows for kids that transcends the television screen successfully as the iCarly website lets audiences continue their viewing experience whenever they want.  iCarly follows characters Carly, Sam, Freddie and Spencer as they experience middle school in the modern age. How modern? Carly and Sam broadcast a web show called iCarly where they have become Internet stars. They perform skits, do zany (but safe) stunts and focus on hilarious subjects like eating spaghetti with your hands and how to give super wedgies.

The Popular Choice: Sesame Street 1969 – Present

It would be a crime to leave Sesame Street off any list consisting of TV shows for kids. As the longest running television show for kids ever, Sesame Street transcends time by teaching and entertaining on a lot of levels. Although some people may believe they have outgrown the show, chances are they still pause for a second when they catch a clip of it. With main characters Oscar the Grouch, Big Bird, Elmo, The Count (Wow the list could go on and on) still teaching kids math, reading and good intentions we should expect Sesame Street to continue to mold our youth for a very long time. The original vision still continues as Sesame Street‘s content surround educational goals over anything else.

The Forgotten Choice: Pee Wee’s Playhouse 1986 – 1991

Many words have been written to describe the brilliance behind Paul Reuben‘s kids show Pee Wee’s Playhouse, but a lot of it tends to forget how wonderful the show actually was for kids. Pee Wee’s Playhouse ended with a boat load of controversy, but with a focus on learning about imagination and stretching the visual capabilities of television way beyond what they were at the time, Pee Wee’s Playhouse was a huge hit for kids. The critics at the time of the show’s run also recognized it as Pee Wee’s Playhouse gathered a whopping 22 Emmy Awards during it’s five year run.