Glee, whose fourth season premieres tonight, is at a crossroads. At this point, the once-revolutionary musical comedy-drama has alienated most of the critics (and, judging by its falling ratings, some of the viewers) who once rallied around its quirky storylines and underdog characters. Perhaps that’s why, during May’s upfronts, creator Ryan Murphy announced that the show will be a bit different this year, splitting its focus to both remain at William McKinley High and follow some newly graduated characters to performing arts school in New York. Whatever the cause behind the change turns out to be, the show is clearly experiencing some growing pains. So, while we hope Glee will get it together in Season 4, we think it’s only fair to provide viewers with a (spoiler-filled) guide to spotting a teen TV show that has exceeded its expiration date. … Read More
Skins
10 Teen Dramas That Adults Will Also Love
Tomorrow brings the season premiere of Pretty Little Liars, and we couldn’t be more excited. (OK, we could be more excited, but a Mad Men premiere only comes once every 18 months or so.) But wait, you might say, isn’t Pretty Little Liars a show for teenage girls? Well, as far as we’re concerned, while it may be about teenage girls it isn’t for them alone. We thoroughly enjoyed this murder mystery’s first two seasons and have come to count it among the many teen dramas that are smart, fun, and absorbing enough to interest adults as well. We’ll tell you why, and list a handful of similar shows you might want to marathon during the summer TV lull, after the jump. … Read More
A Selection of Awesome Table Read Videos from TV and Film
Every now and then, we’ll come across footage of an awesome table read. Y’know — when the cast of a film or TV show comes together, sits at a table, and reads through a new script. Because we’re so accustomed to seeing these performances in their final formats, it’s pretty enjoyable to watch our favorite actors chatter through their characters’ famous lines for the very first time. After stumbling upon the hilarious Superbad sex-scene table read (via Reddit, naturally), we were inspired to gather a collection of ten more similar videos. … Read More
Matchmaking for TV Teens: 8 Gay Couples We’d Like to See
Right now, Kurt Hummel and Blaine Anderson from Glee are arguably the sweetest, most talented young couple on television. Often celebrated as paving the way for gay teens on TV (don’t worry, we didn’t forget about you, Billy Douglas), the duo has defied the odds of Glee couple failure to prevail as one of its most functional long-term pairs. Indeed, other gay teen characters sometimes find similarly successful matches within their respective series, but we’ve never seen a pair never quite as Entertainment Weekly cover-worthy as Kurt and Blaine. So, we’re reprising our role as trans-series matchmaker with some LGBT high schoolers we’d like to see together. Check ‘em out after the jump, and hit the comments to let us know of any other pairings you’d like to see. … Read More
The Year’s Most Underrated TV Actors
As last week’s Golden Globe nominations reminded us, our favorite entertainers don’t always get the recognition they deserve. So, as part of Flavorpill’s end-of-year extravaganza, we’re tipping our woolen winter hat to ten TV actors who did a fantastic job in 2011 but, so far, aren’t getting a lot of credit for their success. While some play minor characters who always shine, others have been overshadowed by famous co-stars or are standouts on shows most critics and awards voters don’t take seriously. Let us know which television actors you don’t think are getting their due in the comments. … Read More
10 Foreign TV Shows That America Ruined
Now, before you get crazy, we’re not going to say The Office. In fact, there have been many television shows, including the aforementioned classic, that were adapted from foreign versions and have done great in America, or even been improved upon — American Idol began as the UK’s Pop Idol, Sanford and Son was originally a British hit called Steptoe And Son, and of course, the Columbian telenovela Yo soy Betty, la fea was remade as the great Ugly Betty. But for every successful American remake of another country’s show, there are five failed attempts — some of which are so bad they never even saw the light of day. Click through to see our list of ten foreign TV shows (yes, they’re mostly British originals, but that’s the trend in life as well as in our list) that America remade and totally ruined, and let us know your own major remake disappointments in the comments. … Read More
10 TV Shows That Tried to Sell Sex — and Failed
Sex sells. That’s the theory hacky admen, tabloid reporters, and TV execs subscribe to, at least. But salacious subject matter isn’t always a recipe for success. Earlier this week, we learned that NBC’s once-buzzy drama series The Playboy Club has earned the distinction of becoming the first canceled show of the season. Although plenty of steamy shows are thriving — True Blood is certainly in no danger of cancellation — this is far from the first time TV networks have gambled on sex and lost. After the jump, we’ve rounded up ten series that prove T&A can’t save otherwise terrible programming. … Read More
The Most Realistic TV Shows About High School, Like, Ever
Only in its first season now, and just recently renewed for a second, MTV’s Awkward. is one of the most unexpectedly honest series about high school we’ve seen in years. Sure, we all like to gape at the impossibly glamorous teen dramas dreamt up by Josh Schwartz, of The O.C. and Gossip Girl fame. But in real life, high school is raw and uncomfortable and histrionically mundane, and it takes an exceptionally perceptive program to get at the mood of those terrible and wonderful years. In celebration of Awkward., we’ve rounded up the TV shows we think best capture the high school experience. … Read More
TV’s Best Same-Sex Teen Romances
Gay TV characters are nothing new; they’ve been around for nearly 40 years. But it’s only in the past decade or so that we’ve seen a lot of queer teenagers on television. Now that the tide of public opinion is turning in favor of LGBT rights, it seems like every teen drama has a gay character. We have to imagine that this is a big deal for real-life gay, lesbian, a and bisexual kids, who are finally seeing themselves and their relationships represented in popular culture. In celebration of Gay and Lesbian Pride Month, we’ve put together a list of our favorite same-sex teen romances on TV. Tell us who we missed in the comments. … Read More
The Morning’s Top 5 Pop Culture Stories
1. Barack Obama has officially announced that he’s running in 2012; watch his kick-off campaign video — which is notably missing both the President and any talk of “change” — here.
2. NPR is streaming Tomboy, the new Panda Bear record. [via Pop Candy]
3. UK Skins co-creator Jamie… Read More
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