The Porlandia finale explains how locals deal with a power outage.
I presume that torch is made from locally-sourced materials.
News
In talking with The Hollywood Reporter, Ryan Murphy said that if Glee gets a fifth season, the show would be "very different." While he avoided getting specific, he said he will probably have a large chunk of the cast staying in the same location.
The end is near for the gang at West Beverly Hills as TVLine revealed that 90210 will end this season. Ratings have been so bad this season the only debate about 90210's future was if it would end this season or if it would get a farewell season like Gossip Girl did.
However, our main reason for suffering through Adrianna's storylines has already found his next role, as Zap2it reports that Trevor Donovan has joined the ABC Family comedy Melissa & Joey as the boy who lived next door to Mel when they were children.
The next classic comedy reunion to happen on a TV Land sitcom will see Carol Burnett and Tim Conway appear together in an August episode of Hot in Cleveland.
ABC is developing a miniseries based on the documentary How to Survive a Plague, according to The Hollywood Reporter. David France, who co-wrote and directed the documentary about AIDS activists, says he hopes the story can be exapnded in its transition to a scripted drama, "We know we’d like it to be an extended story that’s not just about AIDS and what AIDS wrought but about this tremendous civil rights movement that grew from the ashes of AIDS."
Suburgatory might be losing its Body. TVLine says that Parker Young has joined the Fox comedy Enlisted, a comedy about three brothers who work at the same Army base in Florida.
I figure some of you will be interested in checking out Vulture's slide show of the many suits Olivia Pope has worn in the current season of Scandal. Olivia Pope is to coats what Kalinda Sharma is to boots.
Deadline reports that Scrubs alum John C. McGinley has joined the workplace comedy (Scrubs creator) Bill Lawrence is creating for TBS. The series, Ground Floor deals with a 29-year-old alpha male who discovers that the company's support staff is a happy and carefree bunch. I hope the script calls for plenty of ranting from McGinley's character because he does ranting so very well.
Syfy has ordered a fourth season of Lost Girl.
Jon Benjamin Hickey has joined the CW pilotBlink. The series follows a family as it deals with the aftermath of a car crash that leaves the father in a condition where he can hear and see what's happening around him but can't speak or move. Hickey will play the father who narrates the series and generates fantasy sequences. Earlier this week, the pilot added Johnny Simmons from The Perks of Being a Wallflower to play the family's middle child.
Chris Zylka has joined the NBC pilot Bloodlines about two feuding crime families, according to The Hollywood Reporter. He joins a cast that includes Jonathan Banks and Tom Everett Scott. Zylka will play a man who has been raised for a life of violence, undergoing training since he was a boy, but who retains his sensitive side.
A part of me hates to agree with Slate's complaint about Modern Family getting stuck in a rut, but I've been feeling the same way for a while, even if I still love it. That's why I appreciate the episodes that lets us see different combinations of the Pritchett clan, like when Mitchell spends the day with his nieces.
Here's another reason to get excited about Showtime's Masters of Sex, Allison Janney has signed up for a five-episode story arc.
The Esquire Network (which will take over the spot taken by G4 soon) has picked up the rights to air repeats of Late Night with Jimmy Fallon. The new channel will re-air LNJF episodes a week after they've aired on NBC. Based on their programming, so far The Esquire Channel has made Adam Scott, Ilan Hall and now Jimmy Fallon as the faces of its idea of the modern man. Two out of three isn't bad.
One of the interesting things Marc Cherry says in interview with Vulture comes when he compares Eva Longoria with Rue McClanahan, " Rue McClanahan was so fantastic at being able to play an unlikable character with such a high degree of likability that you were really allowed to get away with stuff that you can't get with normal characters... . I figured out that Eva was good at being vain and self-involved, and yet you still liked it. I suddenly realized I had another Rue McClanahan on my hands." I'm starting to realize why I found Desperate Housewives so frustrating, I only liked Gabi when she got to be more than vain and selfish.
Friday's Listings
Anderson Live (syndicated) Check local listings
Today sees Vivica A. Fox join Anderson as his co-host while Psych's Dule Hill visits to talk up the new season.
Days of Our Lives (NBC) Check local listings
Will has one of those adorably earnest moments that leave us wanting a DNA test to prove he's related to Sami but nevermind that... apparently there's a story about Cameron changing clothes? That is getting a liveblog so be sure to join us starting at 1PM Eastern!
Nikita (CW) 8:00 PM ET
The re-corruption of The Division continues as Ari approaches with a deal to stop Amanda's latest plan, one serious enough to consider making a deal with someone as awful as Ari. First you're making deals with unsavory people, then the next thing you know you're rationalizing why you're reactivating the kill chips.
Malibu Country (ABC) 8:30 PM ET
Reba gets a visit from her brother Blake (played by Blake Shelton) who has a weakness for get-rich-quick schemes, like his current plan to sell Lilile Mae's BBQ sauce. He has a sister with a big house in Malibu, wouldn't it be enough to come up with an excuse to move in?
Degrassi (Teen Nick) 9:00 PM ET
Wow. Just... wow. Cam got a powerful arc, one that captured the pain of depression and all the emotions people go through in the immediate aftermath of a suicide. Of course, that's not the kind of thing you can completely deal with in just a short period, so tonight we see Eli deal with post traumatic stress from finding Cam's body.
Spartacus (Starz) 9:00 PM ET
Just as he's ready to take a strike against Crassus, Spartacus' plans are undermined by a betrayal from within, which probably means all those tensions within the slave camp aren't getting any better.
Portlandia (IFC) 10:00 PM ET
Aw, I hate it when a season of Portlandia ends but this season finale has Bill Hader as a sportsman who shows the people of Portland what to do when the power goes out... other than descend into chaos, of course.
Banshee (Cinemax) 10:00 PM ET
I had the opportunity to check out Cinemax's newest series and it's a wickedly compelling ride. I'd call it a noir True Blood but I'd be afraid that would lead you to expect a petulant heroine who makes a lot of foolish choices and becomes more insufferable over time. There are characters who could turn insufferable but I don't think Rebecca— who finds herself trying to figure out how to start her life over after the Amish community kicks her out this week — is one of them.
Out There (IFC) 10:30 PM ET
While my cable listings marks this week's episode — where Chris tries to get away from an effeminate nickname — as new, I'm pretty sure that's the one that was previewed a few weeks ago.
"What do you mean it's time for the Enlightened finale? This season has been too good to end!"
Saturday's Listings
The Surrogate (Lifetime) 8:00 PM ET
Lifetime's got another movie about a happy couple whose happiness is ruined when they don't notice that the woman they're hiring is wearing some designer crazypants this weekend. Cameron Mathison stars in this one that sees a surrogate mother get a little too attached to the husband who has hired her. She better hope that house doesn't have a picket fence.
Supah Ninjahs (Nick) 9:00 PM ET
There's an Evil Grandpa to beat this week, I'm really hoping that means George Takei got to enjoy a double role. Evil twins are so much fun to play and it's been way too long since "Mirror Mirror."
The Graham Norton Show (BBC America) 10:20 PM ET
This week Graham is talking with Richard Gere, John Malkovich, Saoirse Ronan and Taylor Swift. I wonder if he can get Swift to sing a song about that movie where we saw Gere's junk.
Saturday Night Live (NBC) 11:30 PM ET
Kevin Hart goes from creator of a hit reality TV parody to SNL host this week. Meanwhile, Mackemore & Ryan Lewis are this week's musical guests. Let's hope they plan on performing their marriage equality song, "One Love" because it could use even more national exposure.
Sunday's Listings
Once Upon a Time (ABC) 8:00 PM ET
This is the episode with Lesley Nicol, who you might recognize as Downton Abbey's Mrs.Patmore, so I'm expecting that everyone will get told off and to start acting sensibly, effectively wrapping up most storylines. At least, that's how I plan on remembering this episode.
The Amazing Race (CBS) 8:00 PM ET
The Race heads to New Zealand where THERE BETTER BE A HOBBIT CHALLENGE, DAMMIT.
The Simpsons (Fox) 8:00 PM ET
The revelation that Grandpa is the most interesting man in Springfield continues with the revelation that he once was one of the most feared pro-wresting villains. Yeah, I'm starting to feel like they've gone to the "Grandpa's forgotten past" well a little too often. I get that it's probably supposed to mirror how Homer has had a ridiculously eventful life (or maybe I'm giving the Simpsons writers too much credit) but I'm still feeling weary of these stories.
The Cleveland Show (Fox) 8:30 PM ET
Cleveland has largely fallen off my radar after a long period where Terry barely appeared and the rest of the show failed to hold onto my interest. However, this week's episode has Terry and the gang trying to spice up their friendship with a trip to an abandoned amusement park. I sure hope the rumors about it being ha-ha-haunted turn out to be true (even if the ghost turns out to be cranky Mister Mathers in a day-glow tiki mask).
The Apprentice (NBC) 9:00 PM ET
Usually when a game show adds "Celebrity" to its title, that's a sign that the end is near but NBC is getting ready to debut a sixth season that brings back celebrities who've already groveled before the big orange hairpeice. The All-Stars include Marilu Henner and La Toya Jackson but (thankfully) no one faboo enough to compel me to suffer through this exercise in horrible.
The Good Wife (CBS) 9:00 PM ET
So far, the combination of Elsbeth and Eli has managed to get more and more wonderful, even as the case looks tougher. Elsbeth's next crazy maneuver involves filing a civil case against AUSA's Josh as a fishing expedition. If this turns out to be one of those moves that ends up delighting Josh like it were a damn fine cup of coffee, that just makes this storyline even more fun. Spin-off, please? Meanwhile, as if The Good Wife needed to reinforce the "stellar guest cast" reputation, keep an eye out for an appearance by Lily Rabe.
Girls (HBO) 9:00 PM ET
Hannah's parents return, just as she's worried about her book... no she's not, the book's fine! Fine! There's nothing wrong, why are you asking?
Shameless (Showtime) 9:00 PM ET
Finally. Fiona goes for it and tries to get custody of her siblings away from Frank. Meanwhile, poor Sheila is reminded why you should never answer the door unless you look through the peephole and see some delivery driver's uniform.
The Walking Dead (AMC) 9:00 PM ET
Rick may be doing everything he can to help us compile that list of reasons why no one should let him lead anything, but at least he's smart enough to plan a mission to find more weapons (and ammo, I'm guessing they're going to need ammo, too) before he takes any action against The Governor.
Enlightened (HBO) 9:30 PM ET
It's time to call in the security guards as Abaddon executives learn about the expose that's about to appear in the paper and Amy is escorted out of the building. Meanwhile, fans are hoping HBO isn't about to similarly escort Enlightened out of the schedule. At least, we'll get one final appearance by Amy Hill first.
Vikings (History) 10:00 PM ET
Following its massively successful scripted miniseries, the History Channel is debuting its first scripted series, one that hopes to take a more complex view of the Vikings' reputation as savage conquerors. At the very least, the publicity pictures make it look like this isn't one of those period dramas where the good looking guys hide their looks behind awkward, period-appropriate facial hair.
