Crockett and Tubbs had style. David and Maddie were explosive. And it was all about subtext when it came to Mulder and Scully. TV has seen a number of crime-fighting duos in its years, and the ones we remember most always had that certain “It” factor. On-screen chemistry — and we’re not speaking strictly in the romantic sense — is hard to come by, and lucky for us, there’s no shortage of it at the moment in the buddy cop/taking down evil rich people and terrorists field. In anticipation of Sunday’s Revenge and Homeland season premieres, we’ve decided to rank our favorite crime-fighting duos on TV, from “hotter than Bon Temps on a mild summer day” to “sexier than Inigo Montoya.” Is there a special couple we missed? Let us know! … Read More
True Blood
10 Bizarre Fan Theories on TV’s Most Popular Shows
In the year ahead we’re expecting to get answers from some of television’s most mystery-ridden shows, from How I Met Your Mother and Homeland to The Office, and even, one day, Breaking Bad (it’s hard to believe now, but that day will come). And so, while we still sit in the space between questions and answers, we decided to round up the most popular and/or bizarre fan theories we’ve seen (some spoilers may be ahead). Have some to elaborate on or share? Let us know! … Read More
Has ‘True Blood’ Become One of the Most Family-Minded Shows on TV?
[Warning: Spoilers ahead if you haven't seen the Season 5 finale.] It’s no secret that fans have become increasingly cold toward True Blood’s myriad subplots, and last night’s birthing-in-a-bar sequence seemed to be one the show’s most incongruent, especially in relation to the bloodbath that followed at the Authority. But underneath its familiar visage of guts and primal sex, the heart of this season has been family and friendship, making Andy Bellefleur’s foray into fairie fatherhood (i.e. “my light broke”), perhaps not so awkward after all. In a world (with the exception of Salt Lake City and a silly little group of moms) increasingly accepting of the “new normal,” supes fit right in. … Read More
TV’s All-Time Greatest Himbos
Damn those short HBO seasons. This year’s True Blood run seems like it just started, yet we’re now only three days away from the finale. We enjoyed this season a great deal, the Vampire Authority’s internal intrigue providing a welcome break from Sookie Stackhouse’s supernatural love triangle — not to mention a surprisingly insightful commentary on what happens when church and state mingle. But one character whose development has remained fairly unexamined this season is Sookie’s brother, Jason. Originally presented as an empty-headed looker with a womanizing streak, he’s recently turned the himbo stereotype on its head. To celebrate his under-the-radar evolution (and the fact that he’s still sometimes a little too stupid for his own good), we’ve collected a selection of TV’s all-time greatest male bimbos — or “himbos” — most of whom aren’t nearly as multi-dimensional. … Read More
What’s On at Flavorpill: The Links That Made the Rounds in Our Office
Today at Flavorpill, we tempted the fate of all our relationships (current and future) by checking out 12 of the best break-up books. We discovered that the Romney campaign spent big bucks at a Chick-Fil-A. We visited 10 great nude beaches in North America. We read what Jennifer Grey had… Read More
Which ‘True Blood’ Character Drove Us Craziest This Week?
No TV show says summer to us more than True Blood, its Southern Gothic atmosphere and pulpy pleasures providing the perfect complement to sweaty evenings spent drinking mint juleps at home after another exhausting day in the hot sun. But while we love the people — and supernatural creatures — of Bon Temps and want them to never, ever change, we’ve noticed over the years that Sookie, Bill, and co. have a tendency to annoy the crap out of us. So, in the spirit of good-natured complaining about a show that we actually adore, every week this season we’ll be shouting out the three characters who drove us craziest, and also anointing the episode’s single most campily awesome character. Find out who made us groan this time, when the baby vamps rampaged and the US government got involved, below. … Read More
Exclusive Supercut: TV’s Year of Kick-Ass Women
This Sunday’s Political Animals finale marks the near-end of one great year in television — specifically for the ladies. What was supposed to be the year of “the sad men,” ended up being the year of women kicking ass, in their jobs, on the battlefield, and (at the risk of sounding cheesy) in being true to themselves. Yes, Liz Lemon and Jess Day have received their share of flack, but they own their weirdness, and not in a faux-geek way (see Newsroom‘s Maggie Jordan dodge those bullets). From Pawnee and Capitol Hill to Westeros and beyond, television’s past year of intelligent, empowered, and awesomely flawed female characters is nearly enough to make us forget Sorkin’s “women problem,” which has been stealing our attention for over the past month (some publications have even kept tabs with their own Sorkin Sexism Watch). So here’s to the ladies, and what we hope will be an even better season beginning in September. If you’d like to pay tribute to your own personal favorite TV goddess, please do so in the comments. … Read More
25 Behind-the-Scenes TV Photos That Will Mess With Your Mind
Last week, we took a look at some of Hollywood’s most mind-blowing behind-the-scenes movie photos, and that post left us wondering whether those images might have equally impressive TV equivalents. Good news: they do. Despite the fact that film budgets tend to run higher than their small-screen counterparts, television has plenty of its own magic that’s ripe for elucidating (or, you know, ruining). After the jump, we collect 25 behind-the-scenes TV photos that are sure to change how you see your favorite shows. Find out how Breaking Bad gets its famously crazy point-of-view shots, witness True Blood vampires on set in broad daylight, learn what those Mad Men are really smoking, peek into the not-so-intimate bedroom of Friday Night Lights’ Mr. and Mrs. Coach, and watch living characters hang out with dead ones (or just their pint-size doppelgängers) in our gallery. … Read More
Which ‘True Blood’ Character Drove Us Craziest This Week?
No TV show says summer to us more than True Blood, its Southern Gothic atmosphere and pulpy pleasures providing the perfect complement to sweaty evenings spent drinking mint juleps at home after another exhausting day in the hot sun. But while we love the people — and supernatural creatures — of Bon Temps and want them to never, ever change, we’ve noticed over the years that Sookie, Bill, and co. have a tendency to annoy the crap out of us. So, in the spirit of good-natured complaining about a show that we actually adore, every week this season we’ll be shouting out the three characters who drove us craziest, and also anointing the episode’s single most campily awesome character. Find out who made us groan this time, when Sookie got up close and personal with pigs while Salome did what Salome so famously does best, below. … Read More
The 20 Best Opening Scenes in Television
Although we’re about settled into TV’s second wave of summer programming — namely, Breaking Bad, Louie, and Political Animals — it’s impossible to get too comfortable. Thanks to Comic-Con and the TCA tour, buzz for fall 2012 is nearly in full swing and has us bracing for the series of snap judgements we’ll have to make about the new season of television. As many showrunners have pointed out, it’s unfortunate that a TV show only has a limited window to prove itself. At the same time, we can’t complain when a series starts out with a bang. And, as shows like Breaking Bad have proved, a stellar start and well-plotted story development don’t have to be mutually exclusive. To follow up our recent look at the best opening scenes in cinema, we decided to recall some of the best TV pilot opens, taking into account style, innovation, and sheer ability to capture the attention of easily distracted brains. Have a favorite we missed? Please let us know in the comments! … Read More
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