A look back at the best and worst of TV in the past week (Dec. 4-Dec. 11), and a peek at what’s coming up.
Highlights
1. “Top Chef” (Bravo). Even with the misleading editing, the unfairly random sous-chef draw (Jen vs. Preeti? Wow) and the Sonoma County snub, it was still a great hour of TV. I love this series because once you cut through the product placement and gimmicky challenges, it comes down to extremely talented professionals doing what they do best, and the three finalists were simply a joy to watch in the kitchen.
2. “The Amazing Race” (CBS). A season finale that had it all: perfect teamwork vs. bickering, cool & calm vs. meltdowns, the frontrunners falling to last place and working their way back up as the last place team grabbed the lead but couldn’t hold on. It was tense, exciting and a terrific end to a so-so season.
3. “The League” (FX). The funniest half hour on TV this past week, hands-down. I really got into this show over the past six weeks, and the brutally filthy way this group of fantasy football buddies treat each other is so, so true to life. Thursday’s finale, where poor Shiva was oblivious to her obscenely iconic status in their little group, had me gasping for air between laughs. Taco’s hot-chicks-drive-Jettas storyline was great too. Just the fact that he’s nicknamed Taco (which has never been explained) cracks me up. Can’t wait until the second season comes out next summer.
Honorable mention: “Glee” (Fox) went out with a bang in its fall finale, deftly balancing a number of storylines and bringing them to satisfying (if temporary) conclusions. So many great one-liners too — my favorite was Sue Sylvester’s line about Will’s “lesbian haircut.” The series won’t be back until April, giving the now-dethroned Sue plenty of time to plot her revenge. And “Modern Family” (ABC) showed that a Christmas-themed episode doesn’t have to be lame (take notes, “The Office” and “30 Rock), with a great episode that had hapless Phil overreacting and threatening to cancel Christmas.
Lowlights
1. “Scrubs” (ABC). I turned it off after 10 minutes. The relaunch is failing across the board, from rehashed plots to new characters who are utterly uninteresting to veteran characters who’ve become cartoonish caricatures (when did J.D. become so flamboyantly gay? Not that there’s anything wrong with that…). Very, very disappointing to see a once great series end up sputtering around like this. Kinda like seeing Jerry Rice as a Seahawk. Just sad.
2. “Gossip Girl” (The CW). Wolves? Really? WOLVES? Absolutely ridonkulous. Chuck’s dramatic brooding and Nate’s sudden burst of awesomeness (who didn’t cheer when he clocked Trip?) couldn’t make up for Serena’s chronic idiocy, Trip’s inexplicable foxhunt garb, or Rufus’ cluelessness. And don’t tell me Jenny and Eric made up that easily! What was the point of their feud then?!? This show is getting so frustrating to watch.
3. “White Collar” (USA). The twist ending was so shocking, so out of left field and so out of character that it left me with my mouth agape. There has to be a verrrry clever explanation coming, because if not, what I thought was one of fall’s best new shows just threw away all the sense of fun that made it so appealing in the first place. Ever see the alternate ending to “Clerks”? Where a robber comes in and shoots Dante, and that’s how it ends? It reminded me of that — a twist that absolutely ruins everything that came before it. I’ll trust the writers and withhold final judgment until the series returns in January, but they’re walking on a very thin line here.
Looking forward to . . .
1. “Top Chef Reunion” (9 p.m. Wednesday, Bravo). Reunion shows almost always disappoint, but hey, I’m a sucker. Besides, the preview teased something about Kevin wanting to quit at some point, and that has my curiosity piqued.
2. “Saturday Night Live Presents: A Very Gilly Christmas” (8 p.m. Thursday, NBC). I don’t get why Gilly’s supposed to be funny, but some of the clips from the past surely will be: Eddie Murphy as Mr. Robinson, Alec Baldwin’s Schwety Balls and (hopefully) Dan Aykroyd’s most unsafe toys.
3. “Survivor: Samoa” (8 p.m. Thursday, CBS). Wow, they know Russell’s a fraud and they still won’t vote him out. He might actually make the finals.
