Tuesday, April 19

8 p.m. — When do you give up on a show? I guess the obvious answer is when the cons outweigh the pros, and I'm moving ever towards that point with Glee (Fox). I put up with it because I'm a theater queer at heart, and I find many of the performances winning — I wouldn't be the first to point out that the show managed to turn the host of Guts into a remarkably affecting dramatic actor. But how much ridiculous dialogue and flat-out stupidity can I take?

At least enough to make it through next week's “Born This Way” episode.

Wednesday, April 20

8 p.m. — ABC is dominating the Wednesday-night comedy market, so much so that I think it rivals — and complements — NBC's Thursday night block. With NBC you get a bit more edge — sitcoms that poke at the conventions of the form (like Community) or get weird with it (like 30 Rock). But the simpler pleasures of Modern Family, Cougar Town, and Happy Endings are the homemade mac-'n'-cheese of my TV life: they may not be startling revelations, but damn if they don't always make me feel good.

That being said, I'm worried about how the station's handling its shows. (It really is like NBC!) Keeping Cougar Town off the air in favor of the non-starter that was Mr. Sunshine is pretty bad, and the decision to show two episodes of Happy Endings each week is convincing no one that the studio actually believes in the show. But they should! Maybe I'm just easy, but I laugh my way through both episodes of the show this week. ABC's comedians have an abundant supply of charm; I'd hate to see it wasted because of mismanaging.

Also of note: Elisha Cuthbert is wearing a truly insane shirt in this episode of Happy Endings. It looks like Labyrinth had a bastard child with Jean Cocteau.

Thursday, April 21

8 p.m. — I wonder how much communication shows on the same network have with one another, especially when the shows are filmed in L.A. (like Community) and NYC (like 30 Rock), because both shows have inspired takes on the flashback trope this week. Do you think they knew what they were doing?

If I must choose, I say Community does a better job of it — not only are they having flashbacks to events we never witnessed (but oh how I wish we had!), but they addressed meta concerns, like Pierce's villainy and Jeff and Annie's sexual tension, in a way that didn't seem petty or superior. So often when shows “address the viewers' concerns,” they actually “tell the viewers they're stupid.” I'm glad this series has more respect for its audience.

And 30 Rock was 30 Rock, a reliable zinger machine, if a bit overlong at sixty minutes. (Or is it twenty?) But I did appreciate the loopiness of the gas leak. It was definitely more upside cow spider Prince Albert mhgrrrzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.