F

Flavorwire

NBC

Television

Mapping the ‘The Office’s’ Slow Decline

By Chloe Pantazi on

For the dedicated fans of The Office who haven’t been offended/ disappointed/ heartbroken enough by its gradual decline over the seasons to abandon it entirely, tonight’s series finale may be its biggest disappointment yet. For all the show’s flaws, the Dunder Mifflin employees have indeed become something like family — not just among themselves, but to those committed viewers who have stuck with the gang through the good times and the very bad ones. Now that it’s time to bid the show goodbye, here’s our guide to the show’s steady descent, in a series of moments that made The Office really start to suck balls. (That’s what she said.) … Read More

Television

Let’s Overanalyze These Stills From ‘The Office’ Finale

By Chloe Pantazi on

NBC has released a series of promo stills from the upcoming finale of The Office, and the urge to over-analyze them is just irresistible. Following Vulture‘s mild spoiler, which hinted at a possible wedding, it looks like this will indeed be the case — but who’s getting hitched remains the crucial question. Take a look through the photos below to hazard a guess and hypothesize over what else will be happening to the Dunder Mifflin employees as we bid them our last adieu. … Read More

Pop Culture

Staff Picks: Flavorwire’s Favorite Cultural Things This Week

By Julia Pugachevsky on

Need a great book to read, album to listen to, or TV show to get hooked on? The Flavorwire team is here to help: in this weekly feature, our editorial staffers each recommend the cultural object or experience they’ve enjoyed the most in the past seven days. Click through for our picks, and tell us what you’ve been loving in the comments. … Read More

Television

A Brief History of the Battles for Late-Night TV Supremacy

By Jason Bailey on

If you’ve felt a sense of déjà vu in TV news lately, you’re not alone. The television blogs and trades are once again dominated by rumors, gossip, and inside information on NBC’s attempts to oust Tonight Show host Jay Leno for the younger, funnier, and more youth-friendly host of Late Night. The names are different, but the story’s the same — the only suspense is whether it’ll play out differently this time around. Then again, the post-local news slot on the Peacock Network has always been a contentious place; even a quick glance at the history of The Tonight Show reveals decades of battles, back-stabbings, and would-be usurpers. Join us after the jump for a brief rundown of the show’s many heavyweight bouts. … Read More

Television

‘Community’ Season 4, Episode 5 Recap: The Darkest Timeline Update

By Jason Bailey on

After creator Dan Harmon was unceremoniously dismissed from his role as showrunner at the end of Season 3, Community‘s loyal fans feared its departure would plunge the show into what Abed Nadir would surely call “the darkest timeline.” But despite our concerns, we hold out hope that the new showrunners and their stable of writers are able to make the best of this worst possible role of the dice. This week’s episode, “Cooperative Escapism in Familial Relations,” finds the gang dealing with family discomfort, holiday-style. … Read More

Television

10 Reruns Networks Should Show Instead of Their Current, Low-Rated Series

By Jason Bailey on

Here’s one of those instances where you have to remember that The Onion and A.V. Club are separate entities, so when you see a headline like, “Things are so bad for NBC, The Office and 1600 Penn are being bumped in favor of Matlock reruns,” you realize that this is not a parody story, but a thing that actually happened. Yes, WKYC, the Cleveland affiliate for NBC (which finished the last sweeps period in fifth place, behind CBS, Fox, ABC, y Univision) preempted last Thursday’s reruns of The Office and Law and Order: SVU, and a new episode of 1600 Penn, to air a two-hour Matlock episode from 1992. And here’s the best part: in the first hour, WKYC got better ratings for a show old enough to be a drinking human than it did for brand-new programming from the struggling Peacock. The Cleveland station may be onto something: what if networks replaced new shows dwelling in the ratings cellar with reruns of classics that would appeal to the same (or a larger) audience? We’ve got some suggestions after the jump. … Read More

Television

Peruse Leslie and Ben’s ‘Parks and Recreation’ Pinterest Wedding Album

By Chloe Pantazi on

Last week on Parks and Recreation, Leslie and Ben tied the knot in an impromptu wedding. There was a makeshift wedding dress (designed by the beautiful angel Ann Perkins) that, of course, made a political statement. Andy of Mouse Rat sang. Unsurprisingly, Leslie got emotional. And so did Ron Swanson, to our astonishment – we’re pretty sure we saw his mustache quiver. And now, so we can hold onto the memories, NBC has posted Leslie and Ben’s wedding album on Parks and Rec‘s Pinterest. Page through our favorite shots below. … Read More

Television

‘Community’ Season 4, Episode 3 Recap: The Darkest Timeline Update

By Jason Bailey on

After creator Dan Harmon was unceremoniously dismissed from his role as showrunner at the end of Season 3, Community‘s loyal fans feared its departure would plunge the show into what Abed Nadir would surely call “the darkest timeline.” But despite our concerns, we hold out hope that the new showrunners and their stable of writers are able to make the best of this worst possible role of the dice. This week’s episode, “Conventions of Time and Space,” finds the Greendale 7 attending a geeked-out celebration of Inspector Spacetime, with varyingly successful results. … Read More

Television

‘Community’ Season 4, Episode 2 Recap: The Darkest Timeline Update

By Judy Berman on

After creator Dan Harmon was unceremoniously dismissed from his role as showrunner at the end of Season 3, Community‘s loyal fans feared its departure would plunge the show into what Abed Nadir would surely call “the darkest timeline.” But despite our concerns, we hold out hope that the new showrunners and their stable of writers are able to make the best of this worst possible role of the dice. This week, we celebrated Halloween on Valentine’s Day with “Paranormal Parentage” — and it wasn’t nearly as awkward as it could have been. … Read More

Television

‘Community’ Season 4 Premiere Recap: The Darkest Timeline Update

By Judy Berman on

After creator Dan Harmon was unceremoniously dismissed from his role as showrunner at the end of Season 3, Community‘s loyal fans feared its departure would plunge the show into what Abed Nadir would surely call “the darkest timeline.” But despite our concerns, we hold out hope that the new showrunners and their stable of writers are able to make the best of this worst possible role of the dice. In our first “Darkest Timeline Update,” we evaluate the Hunger Games-themed Community Season 4 premiere, “History 101.” … Read More