Time | Network | Show | Viewers | 18-49 |
---|---|---|---|---|
8PM | CBS | Big Brother 12 | 6.63 | 2.2/8 |
NBC | Minute to Win It | 5.94 | 1.8/6 | |
FOX | So You Think You Can Dance | 5.33 | 2.0/7 | |
ABC | The Middle (R) | 4.18 | 1.0/4 | |
CW | America’s Next Top Model (R) | 1.08 | 0.4/1 | |
8:30PM | ABC | The Middle (R) | 4.04 | 1.1/4 |
9PM | NBC | America’s Got Talent (R) | 9.52 | 2.5/8 |
CBS | Criminal Minds (R) | 6.29 | 1.6/5 | |
FOX | So You Think You Can Dance | 5.35 | 2.0/6 | |
ABC | Modern Family (R) | 4.07 | 1.4/4 | |
CW | Plain Jane | 980,000 | 0.4/1 | |
9:30PM | ABC | Cougar Town (R) | 3.27 | 1.1/3 |
10PM | CBS | CSI: NY (R) | 6.25 | 1.3/4 |
NBC | Law & Order: SVU (R) | 4.78 | 1.5/5 | |
ABC | Castle (R) | 3.54 | 0.8/3 |
Search Results for: family
Must Read TV: HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER, THE BIG BANG THEORY, LONE STAR & More!
• For Your Consideration: MODERN FAMILY’s Ty Burrell talks Emmys.
• A MOTHER mea culpa, with HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER creators promising a new direction for season 6.
• On a more positive albeit somewhat spoilery note, HOW I MET YOUR MOTHE creators reveal plots for next season.
• Rumor Patrol! ABC Entertainment boss resigned amid sexual harassment probe.
• Good News: Lack of big bucks for BIG BANG cast won’t delay the season.
• Let the [much-deserved] hype begin, as Fox plans mega-marketing blitz for LONE STAR.
Review: PLAIN JANE & HUGE
Touchy is the subject of one’s self image. We will at the same time glamorize the frail, shining figures of movie starlets as they grace the cover of a magazine as we trumpet the powers of inner beauty as a greater reflection of one’s character. For every show stalked with leggy, tanned twenty-somethings there’s likely to be a form of counterprogramming in a makeover/weight loss/reinvention program. Both types of shows have proven successful, but have yet to settle the dueling schools of thought: At what point (if such a place exists) along the inner vs. outer beauty spectrum, does true “beauty” shine?
PLAIN JANE, though it argues for the former, is strongly rooted in the latter, perhaps even unknowingly. The premiere opens to a montage of “Plain Janes” cribbed from bad Katherine Heigl movies and a Taylor Swift music video in which they play characters we are meant to suspend their obvious Hollywood beauty and accept them as “normal” looking. That no actual “normal” woman would be cast in either role and that this warped image of normality is a contributor to so many’s self-loathing is an irony completely lost on this show, which touts as its tagline: “Transforming you from the inside out.”
Hosted by fashionista and overall cheeky Brit, Louise Roe (who herself wouldn’t be out of place in a fashion spread), the show takes one girl each week in dire need of help and intervention and turns them around to conquer feats of fashion, hair, and dating. The premiere stars Cristen, a mousy music business worker who is madly in love with her friend of six years, but lacks the confidence to make a move. In comes Louise, who walks us and Cristen through a series of steps to transform our stringy-haired girl into a well-tressed woman. The process is a bizarre pastiche of transformative style programs and FEAR FACTOR challenges: In order to earn a shopping spree, Cristen is forced to overcome her immobilizing fear of snails by reaching inside a giant vase of the sluggers – in a later step, she is given a minor electric shock for incorrectly hitting on guys at a dog park.
Hair and makeup follow and by the end of the episode all has fallen (rather too conveniently) into place. I’d be interested to see a followup segment, months after Louise has left her, just to see if her tips have stuck – I’d expect them to, seeing how this poor girl seemed so intimidated by what fresh hell this Brit might incur next. Throughout the process Cristen can’t help but emphatically (though it appears insincerely) agree with everything Louise throws at her, hoping to not have to face another daunting challenge. Apparently, to transform a Plain Jane is to scare it out of her. Fine, but as a indistinguishable, trifling hour of fashion, hair, and bugs, it could use some sprucing up.
HUGE, a teen drama set at a weight-loss camp called Camp Victory, offers an interesting cross-section of the inner-vs.-outer beauty argument: Where does feeling confident and comfortable with your body intersect with being healthy? Based on the young-adult novel by Sasha Paley and helmed by MY SO-CALLED LIFE creator Winnie Holzman, it offers a strictly nonjudgmental viewpoint of understanding, acceptance, and support, staged against a less successful dramedy that features a winning turn by Hairspray’s Nikki Blonksy.
Blonksy plays Willamina (or Will, as she prefers to be called), a sarcastic, opinionated teen who is determined to gain weight during her stay, contingent in her belief that she is being made to hate herself for her weight, turning the the blame to societal obsession. She hoards a secret stash of junk food and begins dealing to her fellow campers, ensuing a fun scene where Will is perched inside a bathroom stall like a notorious dealer of contraband. She blithely tosses aside the remarks of stern camp director Dr. Rand (Gina Torres) and quickly befriends repeat camper Becca (Raven Goodwin) and makes merry torturing the thinner and radiant Amber (Hayley Hasselhoff, daughter of David).
Will’s attitude is of course a defense mechanism against her own unhappiness, her brazenness a form of liberation she needs to survive. In the opening scene of the pilot, she is reluctant to appear in her bathing suit, but after being harped on by Dr. Rand, she turns her insecurity into empowerment: she performs an aggressive, hyper-sexualized striptease, whipping her clothes off before the camp director with palpable defiance. Shortly after, she audibly regrets her actions, quickly crossing her arms to hide behind herself.
This is where HUGE succeeds: pinpointing those delicate moments when denial becomes acceptance, however painful or powerful they may be. It at times is in serious danger of playing it too close to an after school special (it handles a bulimia story line with almost too much righteousness and tears), though this seems to be more of an after effect of what is really an overwrought, conventional drama. Too often does the show turn to moody music, histrionics, and sullen glares across the screen; Will’s lines are notably zipless. It’s admirable how HUGE explores the relationship between weight acceptance and self esteem, but it would be better served by a punchier, less melodramatic delivery. Perhaps this is a future case for Louise Roe.
PLAIN JANE premieres Wednesday July 28 at 9PM on the CW, HUGE airs on ABC FAMILY on Mondays at 9PM
Is a contributing writer to The TV Addict. He has seen every episode of BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER four times, has once referred to his DVR as his “best friend,” and has only seen the pilot episode of THE SOPRANOS — and has no intention to apologize for it. He lives in Austin, Texas. Email him at alekschan.thetvaddict@gmail.com or follow him on Twitter (@alekstvaddict). His name is pronounced like Alex.
Watch, PVR, Pass: Tuesday July 27, 2010
WATCH: PRETTY LITTLE LIARS (8PM ABC Family, MM in Canada)
Last minute preparations for Alison’s memorial gets derailed when Alison’s brother returns back to town. Also not helping, the fact that “A” won’t stop text messaging. Also being watched tonight: DEGRASSI (9PM TeenNick, MM in Canada)
PRETTY LITTLE LIARS Star Shay Mitchell Shares Some Pretty Big Secrets
By: Melissa Girimonte
ABC Family’s hit teen soap PRETTY LITTLE LIARS has become this summer’s most addictive series, and the hottest guilty pleasure for the over 25 set. Emily, played by Shay Mitchell, is the sporty, shy, and sexually confused member of the teenage quartet left to deal with their friend’s mysterious disappearance and death.
Shay enthusiastically chatted with us about her burgeoning relationship with Maya, why Alison’s brother returning to Rosewood could stir things up, and promises that upcoming surprises will knock us off the edge of our seats!
PRETTY LITTLE LIARS is targeted at a young adult audience, but has managed to attract quite a few more mature followers. Did you think that the show would attract such a broad audience?
Shay Mitchell: Honestly, yes, from reading the script and the books. Even my mom was really really into it, and she started telling all of her coworkers, and they were really into it. It’s dealing with our parents’ relationships and stuff that they’re going through, so I did know that it was going to be broad spectrum. I was still surprised to see just how many people liked it, though. They’d come up and say, “Well, we really didn’t watch ABC Family before because you think it would be for a younger age group, but we’re really addicted to this show.” I think that’s awesome.
TV Ratings: Sunday July 25, 2010 (It’s Not Looking Good for SCOUNDRELS and THE GATES)
Time | Network | Show | Viewers | 18-49 |
---|---|---|---|---|
8PM | CBS | Big Brother 12 | 7.23 | 2.5/8 |
AC | Extreme Makeover: HE (R) | 4.36 | 1.2/4 | |
NBC | Law & Order: CI (R) | 4.25 | 0.8/3 | |
FOX | The Simpsons (R) | 3.83 | 1.7/6 | |
8:30PM | FOX | Cleveland Show (R) | 3.75 | 1.7/5 |
9PM | FOX | Family Guy (R) | 4.69 | 2.3/7 |
CBS | Undercover Boss (R) | 4.67 | 1.4/4 | |
NBC | America’s Got Talent (R) | 3.83 | 0.9/3 | |
ABC | Scoundrels | 2.22 | 0.6/2 | |
9:30PM | FOX | Family Guy (R) | 5.08 | 2.5/7 |
10PM | NBC | America’s Got Talent (R) | 3.76 | 1.1/3 |
CBS | The Good Wife (R) | 3.58 | 0.8/3 | |
ABC | The Gates | 2.89 | 0.9/3 |
Your Comprehensive Video Guide to Enjoying Comic Con From the Comfort of your Own Home
Couldn’t make it to Valhalla this year for the Annual Nerd Pilgrimage? Live blogs and tweets 24/7 still not enough San Diego Comic Con coverage for you? Never fear, theTVaddict.com is here. With — as this post’s title suggests — what we believe to be the most comprehensive of comprehensive guides to enjoying Comic Con from the comfort of your own home (or iPhone!). See for yourself, after the jump.
TV Ratings: Wednesday July 21, 2010
Time | Network | Show | Viewers | 18-49 |
---|---|---|---|---|
8PM | CBS | Big Brother 12 | 6.48 | 2.2/8 |
NBC | Minute to Win It | 6.13 | 1.8/6 | |
FOX | So You Think You Can Dance | 5.61 | 2.1/7 | |
ABC | The Middle (R) | 4.10 | 1.1/4 | |
CW | America’s Next Top Model (R) | 1.20 | 0.4/2 | |
8:30PM | ABC | The Middle (R) | 4.15 | 1.2/4 |
9PM | NBC | America’s Got Talent (R) | 9.86 | 2.6/8 |
CBS | Criminal Minds (R) | 6.61 | 1.5/5 | |
FOX | So You Think You Can Dance | 5.80 | 2.2/7 | |
ABC | Modern Family (R) | 4.53 | 1.7/5 | |
CW | America’s Top Model (R) | 1.05 | 0.4/1 | |
9:30PM | ABC | Cougar Town (R) | 2.91 | 1.0/3 |
10PM | CBS | CSI: NY (R) | 6.09 | 1.3/4 |
NBC | Law & Order: SVU (R) | 5.67 | 1.5/5 | |
ABC | Castle (R) | 3.58 | 0.8/3 |
TV Ratings: Tuesday July 20, 2010 (Gordon Ramsay Scares Up a Demo Win)
Time | Network | Show | Viewers | 18-49 |
---|---|---|---|---|
8PM | CBS | NCIS (R) | 9.64 | 1.5/5 |
ABC | Wipeout | 8.34 | 2.9/10 | |
FOX | Hell’s Kitchen | 5.98 | 2.7/9 | |
NBC | Losing It With Jillian | 3.67 | 1.1/4 | |
CW | One Tree Hill (R) | 1.25 | 0.4/1 | |
9PM | NBC | America’s Got Talent | 10.04 | 2.7/8 |
CBS | NCIS: Los Angeles (R) | 7.06 | 1.1/3 | |
FOX | Hell’s Kitchen | 6.96 | 3.2/9 | |
ABC | Downfall | 3.37 | 1.2/3 | |
CW | Life Unexpected | 830,000 | 0.2/1 | |
10PM | NBC | America’s Got Talent | 10.66 | 3.2/9 |
CBS | The Good Wife (R) | 5.33 | 0.9/3 | |
ABC | Primetime: Family Secrets | 3.02 | 0.9/3 |
TV Ratings: Sunday July 18, 2010
Time | Network | Show | Viewers | 18-49 |
---|---|---|---|---|
8PM | CBS | Big Brother | 6.98 | 2.3/8 |
ABC | Extreme Makeover: HE (R) | 4.54 | 1.1/4 | |
NBC | Law & Order: CI (R) | 4.54 | 0.8/3 | |
FOX | The Simpsons (R) | 3.56 | 1.5/5 | |
8:30PM | FOX | Cleveland Show (R) | 3.81 | 1.7/5 |
9PM | CBS | CSI (R) | 5.05 | 1.0/3 |
NBC | America’s Got Talent (R) | 4.53 | 1.2/4 | |
FOX | Family Guy (R) | 4.24 | 2.0/6 | |
ABC | Scoundrels | 3.16 | 0.7/2 | |
9:30PM | FOX | Family Guy (R) | 4.44 | 2.1/6 |
10PM | CBS | Cold Case (R) | 5.79 | 1.1/3 |
NBC | America’s Got Talent (R) | 4.79 | 1.5/4 | |
ABC | The Gates | 2.97 | 0.9/3 |