The Community-Cougar Town Connection

There is some cross-network/cross-show lovin' going on... and I am liking it!

It's no secret that the writers, producers and cast of Community are in love with Cougar Town (and vice versa). The Pulp Fiction episode of the NBC comedy just showed its viewers just how much they adore the Courtney Cox starrer by having Abed mention the title more than 10 times!

In this incredible scene, Abed was talking to Jeff about him being an avid fan of Cougar Town and how he became an extra in the comedy. So I thought that was the end of that. But what happened next completely blew my mind. In Cougar Town's 2nd season finale, Abed WAS in the background! I never thought this would actually happen since the two shows come from different networks (Community is on NBC while Cougar Town is on ABC). But there it is. Abed (NOT Danny Pudi, mind you), was in Cougar Town!

There were some misalignment with Abed's story and his actual scene in the ABC comedy. One, he wasn't walking, and two, Courtney Cox wasn't in the scene. (Scheduling conflicts were the reason for this.) But who cares? It's still as awesome!

This also happened after Dan Byrd and Busy Phillips, both stars of Cougar Town, had (blink-and-you'll-miss-it) cameos in Community's second season paintball finale.

(To those of you who want to rewatch the Community finale, this clip was taken from the scene when the Human Beings were cheering for their victory against City College.)

I think what these two under-appreciated shows are doing is really wise. They are definitely quality comedies but they don't have the biggest following that they deserve. Having each show give a shout out to the other will only help them both in the long run.

***If you like this post, recommend it! Or better yet, follow Couch Patatas to get regular TV updates. Follow me on Twitter too! @ansis_aldrich

Happy Watching!
-Ansis 

The Office: So Who's Your Boss?

If you haven't seen the season ender of The Office, I suggest you to stop reading this article since it contains spoilery details about the episode. Just come back after watching it. To the other Office loyalists, read on.



I honestly thought that the season finale will finally bring us some answers as to who will replace the incredible Michael Scott after Steve Carell left the show a few weeks back. The episode, entitled "Search Committee", gave us a bunch of candidates for the highly-coveted branch manager position. But sadly, by the time the credits rolled, we were still left hanging.

I shall list down the potential replacements for Scott below and discuss who I'd want to see next season in that Scranton office.

Will Arnett

 
Here is someone who has ABSOLUTELY no chance of becoming the next boss. Why? Because of this.

James Spader

This overly confident candidate seemed to intimidate and scare Jim a little during his interview. This is why I don't think this character will be a right fit for the show and the cast. Although Spader did make me cough up a few laughs in the episode, I think we've already had enough creepy bosses for one series, right? (I'm looking at you Will Ferrell/Deangelo.)
 
Ray Romano

 
Romano should take up some self-esteem classes from fellow candidate James Spader. He also seem to be out of the running to become the next branch manager seeing that he sabotaged himself in the interview after Spader tricked him into believing that the Scranton office was the worst possible place to work in. Eating a sandwich in an interview? Really, Romano?

Ricky Gervais (a.k.a. David Brent)

 
So the general manager of the Slough offices from The Office U.K. also applied for Scott's job! Of course, Brent coming to Scranton permanently will never happen. Besides, Gervais is too busy working on the Chinese and Swedish and other foreign versions of The Office.

Jim Carrey

  
He did a cameo toward the end of the episode. Sadly, Carrey is too big of a star to be a regular character on TV.

Catherine Tate

 
If I were to choose, I'd like Catherine Tate to be the next boss! She's perfectly likeable, goofy and British for the show. And please let her Zen Office idea happen. The line where she described Suki(iiii!), the Thai massage therapist, had me (laughing) in tears. Plus, I heard that the producers have her on the top of the list to be the next boss.


Darryl, Andy and Dwight
  

Before the episode, I thought Darryl was the best candidate for the job. He seemed to be the most qualified one to be a manager. This is why I was surprised to see him tank his interview. First, he didn't prepare a resume (or knew how to create one at all) for the search committee. Then, he made a 4-page one to the disappointment of CEO Jo. And after all of these, he brought his adorable daughter to the office and used her to say things like "Daddy are these the people who are gonna make you manager?" and "I don't know if he's gonna be a good manager, but he's a really great dad!" Oh Darryl, I expected a lot more from you.

Andy will be a safe choice for the job, but let's focus on his love story with Erin next season, shall we?

And you can always count on Dwight for some laughs. But we've already tried him as the boss, and somehow, it didn't work for me. He can still be the assistant to the manager though.

What do you think? Do you think Tate will be a good replacement for Carell? Or do you prefer the other candidates? And can we talk about Creed for a second? This underutilized character had me rolling the entire episode when he was the manager! Let's have more Creed please.

Happy Watching!
-Ansis







 

Modern Family Finale [SNEAK PEEK]

Here's something to be excited about next week- the Modern Family season finale! I know the Dunphy, Pritchett-Delgado and Pritchett-Tucker households need their well-deserved rest after a spectacular season of this sophomore comedy; but a part of me just wishes that the show never goes on a hiatus EVER. The finale's certainly a bittersweet thing (how can we wait another 5 months for the next season?); but there's also so much to look forward to in this season's final episode.

Below is a sneak peek for "The One That Got Away." I also have one sort of major-y spoiler after the clip. So Spoiler Alert! Read at your own risk. But I tell you, it's a good one.



And now for the spoiler. Once again, Spoiler Alert!


There's gonna be a new family member in Modern Family! Probably next season! And how will this happen?

Well, in the season finale, Cam and Mitchell decide to extend their family! Everybody now: AAAWWWW. Lily needs a brother or sister, right? I'm excited how this will boost the dynamic of the entire cast next season.

And just when I thought Modern Family can't make me love them more... they bring me this great news. Can't wait for season 3!

Happy Watching!
-Ansis

How to be a Gentleman [PREVIEW]

Check out this preview for the upcoming series How to be a Gentleman.

I'm not sure about this one. Maybe I'll catch an episode or two. It just seems mediocre to me, especially with the other promising comedy shows next season. (New Girl, anyone?) I'll watch for the guy with an accent though. Everything's funnier when delivered in an accent, no?

2 Broke Girls [PREVIEW]

Check out this preview for the upcoming series 2 Broke Girls.

I chuckled a bit in this preview, which is more than I can say from ABC's comedy upfronts for next season. CBS sitcoms have always been hits or misses for me. I hope 2 Broke Girls is more Big Bang Theory and HIMYM rather than S#*! My Dad Says.

Which Whitney Cummings show are you gonna watch next fall? 2 Broke Girls which is produced by Cummings? Or Whitney (over at NBC) where she stars in?

The Great State of Georgia [Summer/Spring 2011 TV #3]

I've been too excited about the recent pick-ups for Fall 2011 that I completely forgot about the new and returning shows of the summer and spring months of May to August.

 
I'm having a vision about the future... Raven will be back on your TV screens! (Who misses That's So Raven as much as I do?) This time around though, there will be no visions and flash forwards. In The Great State of Georgia, which premieres June 29/June 30, Raven plays an aspiring actress from the south who moves to New York with her geeky best friend to make a name for herself. Now, I really wish I had visions like Raven did so that I'll be able to see if this new show is actually good to deserve my attention. Sadly, I don't. And I can't find any trailer/preview over Youtube either. I guess I'll just have to tune in to find out.  

Work It [PREVIEW]

Check out this preview for the upcoming series Work It.

I won't lie, I am disappointed with the previews we're given for ABC's new shows. And I will be skipping Work It if it weren't for the cast. It's Amaury Nolasco from Prison Break and Rebecca Mader from Lost like we've never seen them before! But seriously, 2 men losing their jobs and deciding to go drag to be pharmaceutical reps? Please.

But you have to agree with me, Nolasco does good drag. Also, plus points for the awkward dancing!

Man Up [PREVIEW]

Check out this preview for the upcoming series Man Up.

This clip made me smile, and the lead seems likeable. Aside from Apartment 23, this is one ABC comedy I'll surely check out.

Last Man Standing [PREVIEW]

Check out this preview for the upcoming series Last Man Standing.

From the looks of it, ABC's new bunch of comedy shows is weaker than the last couple of seasons'. But to be fair, it will be difficult to keep up with shows like Modern Family, Cougar Town and even Happy Endings. I'll probably skip Last Man Standing, especially when the other networks are offering seemingly promising and funny shows.

I Hate My Teenage Daughter [PREVIEW]

Check out this preview for the upcoming series I Hate My Teenage Daughter.

The concept seemed promising for a sitcom: two women tackle motherhood and try to make their teenage daughters not become like the mean girls who bullied them in high school. But the trailer seems to disappoint, no? I chuckled a bit when the mothers were dancing to embarrass their daughters (only because I love any type of awkward dancing) but that's it. Oh please Kevin Rahm, just go back to Desperate Housewives. Pretty please?

I'll still give the pilot a try though, 'coz I might be wrong with my first impressions. And besides, I'll only be losing 20 minutes of my life.

Bent [PREVIEW]

Check out this preview of the upcoming series Bent.

First impressions? MEH. I didn't really care for it. Well, to be fair, this is only less than a minute of the pilot.

Are You There, Vodka? It's Me, Chelsea [PREVIEW]

Check out this preview of the upcoming series Are You There, Vodka? It's Me, Chelsea.

AYT,V?IM,C (abbreviating this show is gonna be hard) is based on Chelsea Handler's book and follows Chelsea Hanson (Laura Prepon) in this semi-fictitious autobiographical sitcom. And it looks funny! 

Whitney [PREVIEW]

Check out this preview of the upcoming series Whitney.

I just hope the actual sitcom is funnier than this preview. Will this be one of NBC's first casualties this Fall 2011?

Free Agents [PREVIEW]

Check out this preview of the upcoming series Free Agents.

This actually made me chuckle once or twice. Free Agents is about a recent divorcé who finds love in a talent agency with someone who just lost her fiancé. What do you guys think? Will it be another one of NBC's quality comedies or will it just give us a bunch of cheap jokes? I'm hoping for the first.

Couch Patatas is Online!

Couch Patatas is live! To my (future) foreigner followers, “patatas” means potato in Filipino.
So welcome my fellow couch potatoes! This Tumblelog will be dedicated to (as if you don’t already know) the wonderful world of television.

Disclaimer: this will be a selective TV blog. Meaning, we’ll only be discussing shows I like watch.
And what do you know, it’s May sweeps! It’s almost the end of the TV season which means TV deaths, marriages, pregnancies, hook-ups, twists and turns! If you want minor (and major) spoilers, you’ve come to the right place.

We’ll also be talking about the new dramas and sitcoms networks have been picking-up (Charlie’s Angels! new J.J. Abrams drama!).

If you have any questions and suggestions, and if you have TV shows you want me to check out or discuss, just leave comments.

Happy Watching!
-Ansis