MagneticMediaFed

This is it, kids.  This is the big one.  And assuming that an an asteroid doesn’t smash into the Earth this Monday, we will have the great fortune of getting 12 weeks of IASIP on FX.  Now, I fully understand that I’m running the risk of building the show up to levels it can’t possibly live up to, but sometimes you have to sacrifice some greatness in exchange for an audience.

The important thing to remember is this: its a comedy, and comedy has found itself to be ever-so-rapidly evaporating from the television frontier.  Because of this its our obligation as people who enjoy watching things to support those comedies that take chances and provide real laughs. So do what needs to be done, but turn to FX at 10pm et for the first two episodes of the sophomore season of It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia.

There. I’m done.

For those still trying to come to terms with last week’s Rescue Me your best bet is probably going to be Alan Sepinwall’s cutting-to-the-chase interview with Denis Leary and Peter Tolan. Leary does a good job of addressing the concerns by many about the shows apparent misogyny.

“The truth of the matter is that on the job guys are extremely resentful that they had to go through a physical exam that involved so many difficult things, including running up seven flights of stairs with 100 pounds of equipment strapped to you and picking up a 150-pound dummy and carrying it, running down seven flights of stairs with it. If you can’t do that, you can’t do the job, so when these women and other people are legislated into the job, it pisses these guys off to no end, because it puts their lives at risk, as well as the people they’re saving. And that’s an issue that will never go away, it’s only going to get worse…”
-Denis Leary

Aaron Barnhart of the Kansas City Star writes his recent column on Dan Rather’s departure and its relation to Harry Shearer’s radio program Le Show. Shearer has been doing an impression of Rather in sketches called “Bad Day At Black Rock” for years. (Barnhart also posted the audio of his Shearer interview.)

And over at Channel Island Scott Collins posts about how The Daily Show is destroying the very fabric of democracy after a recent report claims that the show is making young people cynical about politics. I’m not sure who said it, but it’s probably politics that is making young people cynical about politics.

And finally.

It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia starts in THREE days.

If my incessant screaming wasn’t enough, here’s another opportunity. iTunes is giving away a free episode of IASiP (#103, where the bar becomes high school hangout), in addition to two promo for the new season (the first is a collection of some of the best moments from the first season, and the second is a 15 minute making-of featurette that has some footage from their original pilot tape used in the FX pitch).

Otherwise, the new season premieres JUNE 29TH, @10PM EDT ON FX.

First of all, I don’t mean for this to turn into the Rescue Me blog, but until It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia starts up next Thursday (premiering with two new episodes!) Rescue Me is simply the most interesting show on all of television. But before I get to the actual basis of this post, a few words about last night’s episode [#304]. It ended with a fairly troubling scene involving Tommy forcing himself on his ex-wife. It was troubling in the same way Straw Dogs is troubling. Its yet another example of how this series finds a way to seemlessly walk its audience from the comforts of frat-boy humor to the depths of the human experience. It makes for a great ride.

Now then, I’m watching tonights episode, and like every night I watch the show, I think to myself, “Damn, Rick. This has one of the best title sequences ever, but certainly the best on TV right now.” Sometimes I reply to myself, “You should post about that, and perhaps include some other good intros,” but frequently I just sit silently and go back to drinking my beer.

Not today! Check out five of the best show openings by clicking below…

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A little about the past couple night’s worth of TV:

Dog Bites Man
(Comedy Central, Wednesday’s 10:30pm)

The second new mockumentary to hit the cable spectrum this week is about a fake news team. Comedy Central probably has some sort of graph with fake news running down one side and mockumentary running down the other. Statistically, Dog Bites Man is a can’t miss, and based on the first episode, the math seems to be correct. What’s impressive about the show is the unexpected bit of gravity it seems to be carrying (exactly whats missing from Lovespring International. It never gets heavy like The Office, but it suggests that there might be a little more to these characters than simple quips. And really, that’s just it: characters. The speedy 22 minutes of the premiere didn’t give a lot of room to get much out of the four primaries, but Matt Walsh’s character, Kevin, proves that Walsh isn’t just the better improviser than most of the people on shows like this, but he’s also a better actor.

Rescue Me (#302)
(FX, Tuesday’s 10:00pm)

First and foremost, this episode might have been the funniest one they’ve ever aired, peaking with what has to be the greatest sound cue on television in years (ever?). In addition to having the second sugar-induced-vomiting from a child I’ve seen on TV this week, the episode also managed a teriffic rug-pull, where all the laughs and all the fun just stopped, suddenly and violently. GREAT episode (rrrrrrrrriiiiiiiip).

The Late Show with David Letterman
(CBS, weeknights 11:35pm)

They’re doing this new runner involving Sue Hum, the costume designer walking up behind Dave’s desk holding some sort of food and then just standing there. Hillarious.

The Hills
(MTV, Tuesdays 9:00pm)

My DVR screwed me and this didn’t record. I wonder if MTV will rerun it this week?

TV Guide is reporting that Shawn Ryan has given the go-ahead for another season of The Shield.  This is in addition to the 10 episodes that will start airing either late this year or early next (apparently they’re calling them the back-half of season 5, which is fine except no other season has produced more than 16 episodes in its run).  Either way we can expect another 13 or so come in late 2007 or 2008.  Wait, 2008?  Won’t our TV appetite consist almost exclusively of YouTube’d videos of singing Korean girls by that time?

• FX is going to begin production of a new series this fall (slated to air early 2007) called Dirt. It’s produced by and stars Courtney Cox Arquette as the editor of a tabloid newspaper.
• Deadwood will end its propper run after the upcoming season 3, but appears to be coming back in the form of a feature-length movie. Huzzah!

Info via Cynopsis

Thank god Rescue Me started up last night (among a list of other shows), because the previous week of reruns was starting to get to me. There are two universal truths in terms of what can make someone happy. The first is friends and family. The second is coming home from work and having something on the DVR. Last week I was not truly a happy person.

Rescue Me season three started with a wholely solid episode– exactly what I’ve begun to expect from the show. No other place on television does a show balance real comedy and real drama like this one. The way it manages to pull this off is by walking the viewer to the line. It’s not like The Sopranos where action and drama can escalate at the drop of a hat. Rescue Me never springs it on you. If something is going to go down, its a slow built from laughing to crying. Not to say the show is slowly paced, it’s just perfectly paced.

As far as plotlines this season, Tommy and his wife have split again and it appears this time it might get a little volatile (understatement of the week). Lou discovered that his “ex” (the one who robbed him of $30k) has appeared in porn movies. He seems to be on a consistent slide into depression and all that comes with it. The probie is about to graduate, and Tommy’s godson Damien is nailing his science teacher. Sounds like promising subject matter to me.

More: Smoking and Joking with ‘Rescue Me’ [Zap2It]

There’s nothing more shocking than a recurring character getting killed off of a television series. Well, maybe that’s a lie. I’m sure there are plenty things MORE shocking– like waking up in the morning only to realize that someone has stolen your kidneys, or perhaps, putting a fork in an electrical outlet. Nevertheless, it’s a dramatic trick as old as sweeps itself: killing off characters. This past season has been no exception, as many lives were claimed and many plots were twisted (some were killed off in such a dramatic fashion they were forced to leave TV altogether for the movie biz).

Anyway, please click below to pay respect…
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It’s nice to watch a series that over time takes a gradual turn for the better. This rarely happens because shows, especially on networks, are never going to be given the time needed to complete this curve (notable exceptions being Seinfeld and The Simpsons). Typically, a good show will either stay good, or will slowly erode away all the things that you liked about it. Keep reading by clicking below…

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Last night was the Lost and American Idol finales. You know this because every person in America was watching television last night (those who claim to have NOT watched television last night are not only un-American but deserve your public scorn). Because of this, Lost (and I guess American Idol) deserve posts that are much larger than what I’m able to deliver right now (I’m about to go to a baseball game… Yeah, that’s right, OUTDOOR entertainment. It can happen).

So in the meantime…

• The New York Times recaps the Lost finale. It’s a good article and has some interviews with the producers in regard to what they were shooting for.
• In my neverending ploy to get everyone in America to watch It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia, this news is coming out of Zap2It about how season one episodes will air on FOX starting Sunday, June 11th. WATCH.
• A great podcast, “Brill and Eric Watch TV” cover what makes a good season finale? Good commentary, and they have a great, kinda-hostile, on-air relationship.
• And finally… it appears that a group of Tom DeLay supporters have become confused by Stephen Colbert’s on-screen performance. [via TVSquad]

So there we go, obviously there will be more later. GO METS!

It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia, the current reigning champ of televised comedy will be making its glorious return to the FX network on June 29th at 10pm edt. If you have yet to see this show, you can now download episodes via iTunes for the wee price of $1.99 (season one only had seven episodes).

I’m so convinced that you’ll enjoy this show I’m offering a one-time, MagneticMediaFed guarantee: if you don’t like It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia I’d be willing to recommend something else you might like instead. NO CHARGE. See, everyone wins on MMF.