Hence why I was a weepy mess after last night’s episode in which Abby finally says goodbye to County General after 10 years. And, you know, I’d be worrying about spoiling you on that except every promo for the past few weeks has talked about Abby’s farewell episode. It’s possible the writers meant for her swan song to be just as abrupt for the viewers as it was for the folks at County General but NBC promoted the hell out of it so that wasn’t really possible. Of course, even Abby can’t escape without a little fanfare so I guess her words to the others about spilling the news a little too soon applies to those promos too.

Either way, I thought it was perfect goodbye for this character. The show has certainly done its fair share of send off episodes over the years and they always manage to get to me, even when I don’t particularly like the character that is leaving. This time, though, they kept it simple and still managed to remind us of the Abby we’ve known all these years. Not only did she leave on her very first day as a “real” doctor, she got to save the day the same way she’s saved the day so many times over the years, with knowledge she’s got crammed in her head from all those years as a nurse. Her screwed up life made it possible to bond with the kid who felt responsible for what was happening to his coach and she talked him away from the edge the way she has so many others over the years. She’s never been the type to take anyone’s crap or to keep her opinions quiet both of which were in evidence with how she handled the new chief and stood up to the board for Sam. She called Neela out on liking Lucien and not doing anything about it much like she and Neela have always called each other out on their crap over the years. I may miss their friendship almost as much as I’ll miss Abby herself. I think you get the point. It was the quintessential Abby episode and I can’t think of a better way to spend my last hour with her.

And I need to wrap this up because it’s really quite sad that just typing about the episode has me crying again. I’m character girl. I get overly attached and I know that. I’m excited to see what Maura Tierney does next but I’m going to miss Abby. Probably more than I’ll miss ER itself when it signs off at the end of this season. I have to thank the writers for letting Abby’s exit be the start of a fresh new life for her and for the last shot being a happy one. Abby’s endured a lot over the years. It’s nice to know she’s going to get her shot at happiness now.

And some other videos to help you say goodbye:

• Cast & Crew Talk About Maura’s Last Day
• Abby Scenes Over the Years
• Abby Hide & Seek Video
• Abby Catalyst Video
• Season 8 Gag Reel

And now, if you’ll excuse me, I have to go pretend I was crying over some sad news story I saw online and not videos of TV character…

“We’re going to miss you so damn much.”

You guys, I’m starting to panic about all my shows being gone! Obviously I’ve known about this forever but actually being to watch all of my shows on the night they air and comment on them the next day is forcing me to face the reality of the situation. Of course, that reality should be that I watch way too much freaking TV but instead it’s that soon I’m going to have to actually do something other than veg on the couch every night from 6 to 11 (those extra 2 hours being used to catch up on taped shows). Every time I update the Episode Countdown, I wince at having to bold another show. Here’s hoping that this deal between the DGA and AMPTP really is a step in the right direction.

I have been saving some shows, figuring in a couple of weeks I’ll need something to watch. I had given up on Big Shots but decided to keep watching after I found out who was cast as Brody’s wife. I actually have no idea how many new episodes they have left but I’m saving them all for a later date. Also on ice is Boston Legal as it’s one I enjoy really paying attention to and the 10PM time-slot never makes that easy. I did, however, watch Project Runway, Ugly Betty, Celebrity Apprentice, and ER this week. Let’s talk briefly about each.

Project Runway
I know why Kit is gone. I can’t really argue it too much but I think the judges could have gotten away with ditching Ricky this round. Clearly they felt it wouldn’t be fair after it became obvious that both dresses were based on Kit’s conceptions. They could have pointed out that Ricky should have realized the design wasn’t going to cut it and asserted himself more or even that his overall performance compared to the others was enough to eliminate him but, ultimately, I accept their reasoning. That said, both Kit and Raimi’s avant-garde designs definitely deserved to be in the bottom. Though I don’t think Jillian and Victorya’s design was really avant-garde enough either, it looked magnificent so there’s no way it was going to land the girls in trouble.

Going back to Kit and Ricky for one moment, putting aside their failure to execute “avant-garde,” can someone tell me how their ready-to-wear dress made any sense? It was a cute enough little sun-dress but I didn’t get the connection to the other dress at all. Using the same fabric from one dress to the other doesn’t make them connected! (For the record, I feel this way about Jillian and Victorya’s ready-to-wear dress as well.) I dunno, I just don’t see how that really captures the spirit of the avant-garde design. I guess the judges didn’t either!

As for Raimi and Sweet P, yeesh, who knew they’d be one of the worst teams I’ve seen on PR?! Who was Raimi’s partner in that other pairs challenge? I can’t remember him being such a control freak that time. I think we saw a bit of his ego coming out there. It was clear he doesn’t think much of Sweet P’s designs and that’s why he wasn’t willing to listen to her ideas. When the judges were discussing who should go and they brought up those slacks and Sweet P being responsible for them, I wanted to point out that Raimi basically made them himself since he hovered over her the entire time and brushed away her concerns about them. Oh well, at least they could see that he was trying to lay all the blame on Sweet P instead of admitting that his design didn’t cut it. I’ll be curious to see how much longer he lasts. The judges can already see that he’s a one trick pony.

On to Victorya and Jillian and, man, these two are so SLOW. Jillian’s comment about their issues with time management was an understatement. Design-wise, I actually liked their clothes the best. I’d have worn their avant-garde outfit which is why I don’t really think it was avant-garde enough. I typically think of avant-garde fashions as something I’d never be caught dead in on the street. Jillian’s boast about them actually ending up with three looks made me laugh. Not only because of the nasty look it elicited from Christian but because it made it obvious that their ready-to-wear look was thrown together at the last minute. As with Kit and Ricky’s ready-to-wear dress, I don’t see how the dress captured the spirit of their avant-garde design. I know they didn’t have much time (especially since they hadn’t even begun their second outfit until the morning of the runway) but I think they could come up with an amazing ready-to-wear piece based on their freaking trench coat alone. Wouldn’t a truncated trench coat in that same black material with a similar design have been sweet?! I’d have worn something like that.

How great of a team were Christian and Chris? Team Fierce indeed! The two of them were just too cute working together. I don’t know if they could have done it on a more mainstream outfit but their styles perfectly complemented each other here. I must say, for a reality contestant I couldn’t stand at first, Christian sure has grown on me! I can’t stand his inability to take criticism but he makes me laugh and this show would be rather boring if he wasn’t around to make catty little remarks and act insane. I’m also glad that Chris got to come back. I’m not sure his designs can stand the test of time but his subtle dry humor wins me over every week. But back to the designs, eh? Their avant-garde dress was out of this world and that wouldn’t have been possible without Chris. Yes, the ruffles were insane but the neck thing was the coup de grâce. Plus, I really liked that I finally saw a connection between one of the ready-to-wear outfits and the avant-garde piece. They definitely deserved the magazine layout.

So a final thought, to all future Project Runway contestants, always expect more. It drives me nuts when Tim shows up to throw a wrench in the designers’ plans and they get all flustered and upset. How many weeks does he have to do that before you realize that it’s what happens on reality shows? You’re not signing up for Design Camp, people! Expect the freaking unexpected already.

Ugly Betty
Uh, yeah. I’m not going to have much to say here. There were some moments that made me chuckle and I liked some of what the supporting cast got to do but, overall, I was less than impressed with this episode. I do like that Claire Meade has been cleared of the charges of murder (though I wonder how she managed to get off on all the other things she did, like breaking out of prison, etc.) and I like the idea of her in charge of Meade Publications. Does this mean that Daniel and Alexis will once again be vying for top spot as Editor-in-Chief? Or will the struggle be between Alexis and Claire as who gets to be top woman? Since I’ve always enjoyed Claire and Wilhelmina interactions, I like the way things are headed.

All I really have to say about the rest of the episode is, thank goodness that wasn’t the episode we ended on! I look forward to next week’s episode leaving us with a positive memory of Ugly Betty’s second season. I don’t think the show has been as strong this year as it was last year but there’s enough good mixed in with the bad to still make it one of my favorites.

ETA: Oh! I completely forgot about this and it deserves to be mentioned… the Grey’s Anatomy/Private Practice conversation between Hilda and Justin? Loved it. They were just saying what almost every GA fan is saying, right? It’s those type of moments that I fell in love with on this show.

Celebrity Apprentice
Does anybody not think Gene purposely got himself fired? Quite frankly, I couldn’t tell if the Kodak people were just really put off by Gene or if that loss was rigged. Because there’s no way the men should have won this round, even if the women’s message wasn’t all about ink. I was really hoping the men would be a little more humble about this win than they were given the disaster they were facing after the laptop incident. Note: I hope Trump hooked that designer up because I’d have been PISSED if it had been my laptop those guys had destroyed.

So, as I was saying, Gene absolutely decided he was done. To be truthful, I was always curious how they had gotten him in the first place and I suspected he wouldn’t be around long. I mean, really, what the hell does Gene have to prove? He came on, got himself a little camera time, assured the public that he hasn’t changed and now he’s off to doing whatever the fuck he wants again. Meanwhile, the producers are left having to make the rest of these celebrities seem interesting without Gene around to drop his little gems all over the place.

I loved Alec showing up and openly outting Stephen for being a bullshitter. Tell us something we don’t already know, Alec. I still don’t really care for Piers. He was pretty much right about everything this week but he’s a perfect example of how you need to be both savvy and smooth. Being a bully isn’t the best way to get people to listen to you. As for the women, Nely better push the women to a win next week or she’s toast. Trump has it in for her at this point and he’s like a dog with a bone once he decides a contestant needs to go. I predict the producers will focus on Omarosa now that Gene is gone and, sadly, she’ll eat it up. I don’t like the woman but she is smart. She’s learned her reality show lessons. Everything that comes out of her mouth is all about protecting and positioning herself in the boardroom. She’s not afraid to stick her knife in anyone’s back if it means she makes it back up to the suite.

I’m torn about whether I’m really enjoying this show. I’ve always watched The Apprentice for the tasks. Not so much for what the teams end up doing so much as just being fascinated with the tasks they come up with and imagining how I’d approach them. At this point, this show is very much about the celebrities and they aren’t really “celebrities” that I care about. I’ll admit to being slightly fascinated with how they’ve interacted up until now but I don’t know if it’ll be enough to keep invested the entire time. But, as we’re all saying at this point, it’s not like there’s anything else on…

ER
How come I have so much more to say about the two reality shows here than the two scripted shows? Am I finally seeing episodes that were filmed after the writers were on strike? That would actually explain a lot. It’s not that this episode was bad. It just wasn’t particularly good. Very, uh, fluffy. The hockey game was kind of funny as was the fight when they were all brought to the ER (although I couldn’t see how any of them actually needed to be wasting the time and money of the hospital for injuries that weren’t ambulance and emergency worthy. But, whatever, it was meant to be funny and not serious so I won’t dwell on it.

The prison guard storyline failed to engage me. I didn’t even cry this week. What’s my TV coming to?! I’m not too sure about Gates and Sam either. I’ve liked their chemistry up until now and I’ve always figured the writers would end up hooking them up because of it but the kiss was a little anti-climatic. I can’t even put my finger on what was lacking. It just needed a little more oomph. (My God, I’m a critical genius!) The whole episode was like that for me. Hopefully next week will be better.

On my schedule for tonight: Moonlight and Psych

I didn’t realize how desperate I was for new TV until I finally got some last night. True, I’ve had new reality show episodes to get me through the holidays but those just aren’t the same as scripted TV. I scoff at people who believe reality TV will ever completely replace scripted TV for this very reason. I like a well done reality show as much as the next average American viewer but they’ll never be the same as getting lost in a good story.

This week I had new episodes of Project Runway and ER plus the premiere of Celebrity Apprentice. Don’t look at me that way; I used to be an Apprentice junky. I had to at least check out the newest edition. So far, it’s a hell of a lot better than the Los Angeles Apprentice which I don’t think I ever finished watching. I’ll probably keep watching for the time being. It’s not like there’s anything else on at that time.

Project Runway
This was a fun task! I wish they’d do more of these. They always seem to be more of a challenge and I think give us more unpredictable results than the typical “come up with a design for X client” tasks. Plus, it ups the pressure on the contestants to design outside of their elements.

That said I’m SO glad that Elisa is gone. She went out with such grace that I feel kind of bad saying that. Still, she’s consistently been in the bottom and I’ll admit that I rarely liked her designs. They never seemed to match what she thought she was putting out there. Plus, she always pretended to understand the criticism being given to her but it was obvious that she was either willfully ignoring it completely or not understanding. Perhaps it was just a communication thing. You’d say A and she’d hear B. I dunno. Either way, I was glad that she didn’t manage to hold on another week while a designer who has just had one bad week or some bad luck gets booted. Not that I necessarily think the person saved this week, Sweet P, is all that great. Her final product wasn’t bad but it wasn’t nearly as great as it could have been. I think she should have stuck with her original idea. It might not have come out exactly as she planned but at least it wouldn’t have bored the judges.

I was impressed that Jillian managed to pull her outfit off. Her model definitely helped in that success and I love that she was so willing to help because it’s true and they both lose if Jillian’s outfit fails. However, I didn’t think the dress was as great as the judges did. I liked the bottom and it definitely had the most movement of all the designs but the bodice didn’t look comfortable at all. I don’t know that she deserved to be one of the top three. Except that I’m sure they wanted to talk to her about her design. I actually liked Chris’ outfit the best but I did think Rami’s was pretty darn cute. I was happy that they were both in the top and Rami won. It was too adorable when Rami went backstage and giddily hugged Chris. Awww!

Celebrity Apprentice
Surprisingly this show wasn’t bad at all. Trump is still Trump but he won’t start to grate on my nerves for at least a few more episodes (although I found him annoying in the previews so maybe it’ll just be one more episode). I’ll admit upfront that I do NOT like Omarosa. It’s too bad that she provides so much friction. No doubt that means she’ll be around to at least the middle of the season. Just long enough to ensure we see her helping the two finalists at the end.

I can’t believe that Omarosa got away with making a huge mistake in not wanting the women to use their celebrity status unscathed. Trump didn’t really give her the dressing down she deserved for that screw-up. After all, that was exact reason the women lost this challenge. The gap between what the two teams earned was so great that it wouldn’t have mattered if Tiffany had been the best saleswoman in the world, they still would have lost. And, quite frankly, I’d bet she’d have called Heffner if the woman had all decided to use their celebrity status and contacts. Too bad she couldn’t stand up to Omarosa in the boardroom because, if she had pointed to that as the reason she didn’t call Hugh, Trump would have turned on Omarosa in a heartbeat. Oh well.

As for the men, I won’t lie, I’d be happy if Piers left next. That shtick gets old fast. His rudeness to the people on the street was pissing me off. In some ways, I was hopeful that Gene’s contacts wouldn’t come through for them so that Piers would get some flack for driving people away. Except, of course, that he would have probably been able to argue that he had managed to pull in more money by forcing people to pay more and saved himself from being fired. Either way, the men should just be glad that Gene came through for them. If any of the others tried calling in some favors with their friends, we certainly didn’t see it. Those big donations from Gene won the task for them. Stephen lucked out on that.

So, overall, I liked it. Definitely better than the previous season of this show. The celebrity part probably helps. Trump can’t be quite as full of himself as he usually is when almost everyone else in the room is a celebrity in their own right. It should be interesting to see what other tasks they are given and if they’ll be free to draw on their celebrity status throughout the entire run or not.

ER
I had almost forgotten where we left the folks of County General. I’m glad that Abby was still gone during this episode. Her return will feel more realistic this way. However, while the break helped in that storyline, it left me confused about Pratt’s. I caught up on what was going on but it felt odd since it’s been so long since he was not put in charge of the ER after whats-his-face’s departure. I’m glad that he’s stepping up. He’s gotten a little stagnant lately so this will open some good opportunities for character development. On the other hand, I have to point out that it seems unlikely that he’d get the job so soon after last year’s prescription debacle. Not only can I see that being a concern for the people running County General but you’d think it’d also have Northwest a little hesitant to call him as well.

Of course, while I’m picking on the continuity there, I have to commend them for bringing back Jeanie Boulet and actually having her mention the Rosses, Carter, and Kerry. So nice to see old faces and hear about old characters! They did a really good job of capturing those characters and showing us how they have and haven’t changed over the years. It made me quite nostalgic for the ER of old. So much so that I was actually happy to hear that Carter would be back sometime this Spring instead of annoyed that the show had spoiled his visit for me. (Yeah, yeah, I know there’s no guarantee but Noah W. has come back several times so I’m sure he probably will show up… if we get more episodes this season, that is.)

Oh and they also did a good job of continuity with Sam and the rape thing. Because what the soldier was describing was almost exactly what happened with Sam and Sam’s never been the type to not share herself with the patients. I’m a little confused about what’s going on with Gates, though. I’m beginning to think that he’s just one of those types who gets attracted to the people he’s working with. First Neela, then the chaplain, and now Sam? Because what was that if not Gates flirting? In a weird way, I wouldn’t mind those two together. They’re similar in a way. On the other hand, I really liked Sam with the cop. I feel like she deserves someone great and I’m not sure Gates fits that bill.

Hmmm, I know I had more to say but I’m not sure what it was now. Other than to admit that this show makes me cry pretty much episode and last night was no exception. I really don’t know how they do it. Don’t get me wrong, I appreciate it. I love when shows have me so wrapped up in the lives of the characters (even ones we see only once or two) that I get emotional about what’s happening to them. Although, when you’re congested and sneezing every ten seconds (damn allergies!), the crying thing just makes it all worse.

One Tree Hill
I finally caved and watched the One Tree Hill Fast Forward videos the other day. I’ll admit it; I kinda missed those wacky kids. However, I’m still not impressed with the whole four years in the future thing. Mostly because it’s only four years. Given where we’re supposed to believe they’re all at in their lives, that’s not nearly enough time for me to swallow it. Some, like Mouth and Haley and even Peyton, aren’t too hard to believe. It’s Lucas and Brooke that I’m going to have the biggest issue believing. (Actually, I may have an issue with Haley too but I don’t know enough yet to be sure.)

Who knows, maybe once I see what they do with it, I’ll be able to hand wave my issues. Especially if the new characters give the show some much needed new blood pumping through Tree Hill. I’m just not holding my breath. I know that’s probably not fair and bad expectations can be a very bad way to go into something new but I can’t seem to shake the feeling. Still, these are characters that I actually care about and a show I have always liked (despite the grief it gets elsewhere in the TV blogging world) so I’m hoping that it surprises me. Especially since I definitely need something to watch on Tuesdays.

On my schedule for tonight: Women’s Murder Club

As you probably gleaned from reading parts one and two of this recap, the three lead actors on the series Chuck really do like each other. When Zac Levi, Adam Baldwin, and Yvonne Strahovsky are in the same room together there is a light and jokey atmosphere, like kids on a playground or cousins hanging out before Christmas dinner. Unfortunately we didn’t get to spend that much time with the three of them together—Zac was late getting back from his promo shoot and shortly thereafter Yvonne had to leave for an appointment—but I feel like we got a pretty good sense of what it is like on the set and I think I can safely say that working on Chuck is just as fun as watching it.

For instance, when speculating how Zac might get Yvonne back for tipping Josh Gomez (Morgan) off to the “present” he left in his trailer (see Part Two), Adam jokes that the ultimate retaliation prank would be deportation. Yvonne and Zac laugh as Adam describes the scene on the set when the immigration officer arrives to take her back to Australia. Zac: “April Fool’s!” When discussing whether or not a rutabaga is a root vegetable Zac does his best cartoon Ahnold impersonation—”It’s not a tuber”—and cracks Yvonne and Adam up. But the best is when Yvonne confesses that she has never sampled any of the wieners on the Weinerlicious set and [gasp] she has never even tried a corn dog. Zac can not believe this. He and Adam go on and on about why she should and why they are the perfect food. Yvonne asks what you put on them and Zac goes on a wonderful tangent, something I am sure he is famous for on set, and it’s just so perfectly Chuck Bartowski that I had to recount it word for word for you: “I used to be all about ketchup and hot dogs when I was a kid but I burned myself out on it. Now on hot dogs I like mustard and relish and onions, but I don’t like ketchup. Isn’t that weird? Am I weird? Does that make me un-American?”

Shortly after Zac’s very Chuck-like speech–but not because of it–Yvonne has to leave. Her co-stars jump up to hug her goodbye and they all wish each other happy holidays. Zac suggests that they all get together to “go do things” before she leaves town for winter break. I take the following picture of the three actors and Eric from IGN and we talk some more with Zac and Adam before Adam finally has to leave and we bloggers are left alone with Mr. Levi.

When we sit back down we thank Zac and Adam for staying. It is now 2:00 after all and that was supposed to be the cutoff time for our lunch date. Adam says not to worry and that it is actually fun for him. He says it is “a wonderful opportunity” for him to be able to talk to bloggers. He speaks so highly of what we do that I am a little humbled as he encourages us to keep writing and getting our opinions out there. Zac pipes in with, “Especially when you like Chuck” and we all laugh.

Talk turns to the huge mound of pork on Zac’s plate (the rest of us have already eaten and cleared our trays). Adam deadpans that like the wieners mentioned before, he likes pork. “I like pork wieners actually.” Zac asks us if we have ever noticed that all breakfast meats are pork. I say I have and laugh to myself because just two days earlier my roommate and I had discussed that very topic. She was cooking a pork loin for dinner and was wondering if the leftovers could be used the next morning as a breakfast meat. I said I didn’t think that would work and then realized how weird that was since ham, bacon and sausages are all pork. At the time I never expected that just days later I would have the same conversation with the lead actor on my favorite new show! My life is weird. (See proof below.)

Somebody asks Zac what he can tell us about what’s to come on Chuck and he tells us that there are a lot of the mysteries the writers don’t share with the actors both to keep it under the radar and to help them as actors so that they don’t have to forget something their character isn’t supposed to know yet when they go into a scene. “I’m just as interested to find out as you are.”

When asked, Zac says he is not ready for Chuck to learn fighting skills yet, but in the future, “Hell yes! One of the funnest [sic] things about the show and being able to work on it is all the action stuff: blowing stuff up and guns and bullets and bombs and kung fu and jumping out of buildings. So, for me, absolutely, I want to do all that stuff because that’s what I signed up for.” Me: “Maybe a little music montage?” Zac: “Right? A little music montage? With the learning… [singing, hilariously] ‘You’re the best around. Nothing’s ever gonna keep you down!’” We all laugh hysterically and Zac returns to the topic (he’s really good at that): “I so badly wanna do that, but they’ve also already told me, ‘Look, you’re not gonna get a gun in your hand until Season Three . . . maybe.’ So I gotta wait patiently and watch these yahoos screw it up all the time.”

Jace from Televisionary makes a joke about how cool it would be for there to be an episode where Chuck and Casey switch bodies. I ask whether or not that is possible in this world and Zac reminds me I am the one who said earlier that Chuck takes place is a sort of alternate universe. Zac: “This is Chuck’s world. There are no rules.” Adam: [points to Zac] “He starts grunting.” Zac: [to Adam] “Yeah. I could start grunting and you could become a stammering idiot.”

I mention Rachel Bilson’s awesome guest spot and say something about how well set-up this show is for guest stars before tangenting off into a possible Heroes crossover. This leads to one of my favorite portions of the interview in which Zac geeks out about comic books and discusses how much he would love to do a crossover with another NBC show.

Zac: “I’ve actually talked to some of the producers about doing that. I’m a big comic book fan or I was when I was younger but I still very much appreciate the medium and the characters. And one of my favorite things about comic books—and I’ve been so disappointed with television that they haven’t adopted more—is crossover . . . I love that stuff! I think the biggest problem is that Chuck and Heroes, though I think they have a very similar demographic, aren’t necessarily the same [tone]. If you had anybody from Heroes come onto Chuck it would be more of a comedy; if you had anybody from Chuck go onto Heroes it would be much more like comic relief in a particular scene or a more dramatic meatier thing. But that being said, I’m totally down to do it.”

I mention that there can sometimes be actor crossover too without role crossover and Zac says that in his mind that is not as good and is usually “more of a publicity stunt than a cool creative thing.” He then returns to the comic book comparison and adopts this adorably nerdy voice and says, “Let me geek out for a minute. Hmmm. The Infinity Gauntlet series circa 93-94…” The voice is hilarious and impossible to explain except to say that it is very similar to the voice Conan uses when he does his version of a geeky fan discussing LOTR: “Mmmm. Gandalf!”

Zac drops the voice and gets serious: “The Infinity Gauntlet was one of these cool series that was just epic in the whole comic book world. You had literally every character… You had The Avengers and everybody with that, Captain America and the Fantastic Four and the Silver Surfer, and all of the X-men and Spiderman and Silver Sable and all of these random characters who were all trying to beat this one dude who was ultimately going to kill everybody… And I remember reading this as a kid and going, ‘This is so great. This is so cool.’ I know it is much more expensive to do it with television . . . but [I wish they would do more of it].”

Jace jumps in to ask “If the characters from Chuck crash landed on the creepy Lost island, who would be the first person to eat Morgan?” Zac laughs and asks Jace if he has an aversion to Morgan. Jace says he’s actually grown on him. Zac gestures to me and says that was what I had said earlier. Then he asks us for a show of hands and asks us to be honest [while pointing to himself], “Who is, as a blogger, your favorite character on the show?” Araya from Daemon’s TV says Morgan. Adam (who I should point out is not a blogger) says Lester. Jace says Sarah. Sandie from Daemon’s TV says she doesn’t know which character to choose which Zac says is “very diplomatic… and weak.” (Heh.) I am about to say Chuck is my favorite character (he is!) when Zac tries to cut into his pork chop and breaks the handle off his plastic fork. We all laugh as he pulls the broken fork out of the hunk of meat and looks incredulously at it. I make a crack about The Little Mermaid and Zac mimes combing his hair with it. Adam appears with a pile of forks and when we are finished laughing we get back on topic.

Someone says they can’t imagine the show without the three actors we met today. I say that even though Chuck is the title character and as Adam was saying earlier, because of that nothing can ever really happen to him, Chuck is actually an ensemble show. Zac agrees and says that he thinks all TV is ensemble work. “Seinfeld was called Seinfeld and it was Jerry Seinfeld… but that show never would have worked without George and Elaine and Kramer and Newman all the other cast of characters.”

Since we are talking about shows named for their main characters that are actually great ensemble pieces and I am always looking for ways to bring up Veronica Mars, I go for it.

Zac: “What about Veronica? You like Veronica?”
Me: “It’s my favorite show.”
Zac: “Is it really? Have you ever met KBell?”
Me: “A couple of times. I’ve seen you guys in pictures recently.”

Zac: “She’s a friend of mine. [speaks into the tape recorder] PLATONIC. She’s so sweet and so talented. She’s great on Heroes, right? She’s wicked.”

Araya asks Zac about Martin Lawrence (who he worked with on the sequel to Big Momma’s House). Zac has nothing but positive things to say about how professional the comic was. He says that he couldn’t even imagine what it would be like to be a star as big as Lawrence or someone even bigger like Brad Pitt or Angelina Jolie. He talks about how blessed he is to get to do what he does but how the lifestyle can take its toll on you. He makes sure that we know that he is not complaining and that he thinks he is doing exactly what he is supposed to do and what God made him for but that it can get weird sometimes. We talk about the insane time commitment the job requires and how the lines between your professional and private life get blurred. I ask him how weird it is that going to social engagements is part of his job. (I am not unaware of the irony since we are currently having lunch with him as part of his job.)

[Adam has to interrupt at this point because he has to leave. He says goodbye to all of us individually and we all thank him for his time. Zac says he’ll talk to him soon and it sounds like he means it.]

Eric brings us back on topic by saying he has seen the social engagement as work thing first hand at the infamous TCA parties (where the actors and the press awkwardly mingle with one another). Zac says that even though Less than Perfect was on for four years, back then no one except the reporter from his hometown paper in Ventura ever wanted to talk to him at the TCA events. He said he would get a cocktail and hit the dance floor and that would be that. This year, however, people were so excited about Chuck that he spent the whole night doing interviews.

Someone asks him if it was weird to see billboards of himself all over town. I joke that he loves it. Zac deadpans, “It’s as it should be.” before saying it is “really surreal.” He then points out that since he works so much he doesn’t actually see them unless they are on the drive between his house and the Warner lot. It is at this moment that I realize Zac Levi and I live near each other. He notices that I am smiling and he asks me if I live in Studio City. I say yes and he says “It’s it the greatest?” I nod my head vigorously because I really do love my neighborhood and it’s pretty exciting to find out Zac loves it as much as I do. Eric lives in the Valley too and the three of us geek out about restaurants and comic book stores we like in the area. Zac tells us about a sushi place where you aren’t allowed to order, where the chef brings you whatever he wants to bring you and that’s that. I am reminded of the Chinese place Booth goes to in Bones but I don’t mention it.

Jace asks Zac what he wants for Christmas. Zac wants sleep and more time to play the video games he already owns. Eric asks him which games he is into right now. Zac says Rock Band mostly. He says Mass Effect is still in the plastic because he has been so busy, but that he can’t wait to open it. “Gomez played that for like 48 hours without stopping but he had a catheter bag so no worries.” He said he is excited about Drake’s Fortune and even though he has no idea when it is coming out (Summer 2008 according to the site) he is looking forward to the LEGO Indiana Jones. He thought the LEGO Starwars was fun. He and his buddies played it for hours when it came out. Other games on Zac’s radar: Army of Two, Kane and Lynch, GTA 4, and Little Big Planet.

Zac jokes that he and Josh Gomez should be getting paid for the amount of video games they pimp on the red carpet but he says that is not why he mentions them, it’s just the stuff he is interested in. He says he and Josh have actually asked the writers to let them geek out on video games more on the show. “Josh and I truly are gamers… If we didn’t have to go to work we wouldn’t be at work. We would be at home—not even interacting with each other in real life—we would be on headsets on X-box live… ‘Have you gotten to that part yet? Yeah, that’s so killer… What blaster are you using right now?’ I mean, that’s the kind of stuff we talk about. It’s ridiculous.”

I ask Zac if he has ever done theatre. He says he grew up his whole life doing theatre and that actually right after he booked Chuck he auditioned for the lead role in Young Frankenstein and he got it. They waited to see if Chuck was going to get picked up before taking him out of the running. “Roger Bart is doing it now and Roger Bart is awesome but I hope that I get another opportunity like that because I was really torn when all that was coming down because I thought I might be giving up my only chance to originate a role on Broadway.”

Zac’s publicist comes over to let us know it is almost time to wrap it up and Zac asks us if we have any more questions. I tell him that I am still trying to figure out which NBC show Chuck could most seamlessly crossover with. He says the question is whether it would be comedy or drama. 30 Rock comes up and Zac says, “Baldwin is so genius it drives me crazy.” Then he starts to think about a possible crossover and realizes the while it could work tone-wise, the different locations could make it difficult. Zac: “Heroes could work for some of their storylines. Life could work.” Me: “You could end up in the ER.” Zac: “We could end up in the ER!”

He then tells us that all the hospital scenes in “Chuck vs. The Truth” were actually shot on the ER sets. We talk about how cool that is (set crossover!) and how awesome it was for Alias fans to see Kevin Weisman on Chuck. Zac: “He plays a bad guy really well. He’s really kind of lascivious and smarmy.” We talk about how fun it was to see him in another spy show but in such a completely different role. This gets Zac’s wheels turning: “Grunberg would be fun to get over.” I am so excited by the idea I almost jump out of my seat. Just when I think the possibilities couldn’t get any better someone mentions Kristen Bell as Chuck’s new love interest.

Zac: “You know, I talked to Kristen about the whole crossover idea because they keep trying to think of ways to bring another woman into Chuck’s life that’s not gonna work. Nothing says ‘doesn’t work’ like evil powers.”

Someone says something about Heroes needing the help more than Chuck. Zac asks us if we watched it during the first season and if we liked it. We all say yes. He asks us why we think it isn’t working as well this season. We all give our theories, including one Eric and I share (the loss of Bryan Fuller) and we discuss glaring continuity problems like Peter forgetting which powers he has when it is convenient for the writers. Zac: “That stuff drives me crazy. Because it’s lazy writing.” He says that even with Chuck he sometimes he gets frustrated when something that’s been established in one episode gets seemingly forgotten in the next. We all agree Chuck’s continuity problems are minor in comparison.

We talk about the acting on Heroes and I say how impressed I am with Christine Rose (Angela Petrelli). Zac geeks out and tells us that he is in a movie with her called Shades of Ray. He says she is so nice and that he was so excited for her when he first saw her on Heroes. Talk of great acting turns the conversation to another one of Zac’s favorite shows, Friday Night Lights. In addition to the great acting and writing, Zac really appreciates the way they shoot it. The look of a show is important to him and one of the things he loves about McG as a director is that he is always referencing something visually with his shots.

Zac is proud to say that the reasons why people watch Chuck are diverse. Some people like the relationships, some people like the action, some people watch for the hot chicks… “One of my favorite things to hear–and I’ve heard it a lot from people who are really burned out on television–is ‘I hate television, but I love watching your show.’ That means everything to me because I don’t really like television that much either.” He goes on to clarify that most of what is on TV doesn’t do much for him. Procedurals are great for people who want to tune in and zone out, but that’s not why he watches television. He likes deeply layered shows with well drawn characters like Lost and Pushing Daisies and Heroes. (And some multi-camera comedies like The Big Bang Theory. He thinks the actors are great and he saw the pilot and he laughed his ass off.)

Zac: “I can’t watch shows that everybody is like ‘Oh my God, it’s the greatest show in the world!’ and I watch it and I go, ‘That was some of the cheesiest writing and acting and action I’ve ever seen in my entire life.’ Because for me, entertainment has one standard: is it done to the best of everybody’s ability. Is every grip, every camera guy, every painter, every transpo, every actor, writer, director, producer… Is everybody coming in every day bringing their A game and saying, ‘Let’s make the best damn product that we can make.’ And I don’t feel that way when I watch [certain shows]… and I hate that. I feel like I am getting the short end of the stick. I want to watch a show like Chuck where I know that every single person on that cast and crew is giving 110% every single day.”

And there it is. Zac Levi has just explained what it is that makes my favorite shows my favorite shows. The people who work on them care deeply about what they are putting out there. And it is that level of commitment that ensures the integrity of the story is served above all else. The people behind Chuck care about the world they are creating and that is probably why so many of us here at Ramblings of a TV Whore have fallen in love with it.

If you haven’t tried Chuck yet, give it a shot. I guarantee you’ll find something to like about it.

I spent most of my Sunday enjoying quality time with my DVR and went to bed completely caught up with my TV schedule. Of course, I went to bed early and didn’t watch any of my new shows last night so I’m behind again but I’m getting there! I want to write up commentary on everything I watched but that seems like an insurmountable task at the moment. Instead, if I remember specific things I wanted to note, I’ll mix them in with my commentary this week. But I do want to do want to give a quick rundown of what I liked and didn’t like.

I didn’t re-watch any of the pilots I had already seen. Too many things I hadn’t seen, not enough hours in the week. The second episode of Back to You was better than the first but I’m still not finding it all that funny so I’m dropping it. Also off my schedule is Gossip Girl. Though it goes against my “three episode” rule for shows, I didn’t even watch the second episode. My apathy for is just too great. Unlike everyone else out there, I actually liked Private Practice and will be watching regularly. For the curious, Chris’ haircut did NOT bug like I thought it would! I loved the premieres of Ugly Betty, Grey’s Anatomy, and ER. I really liked Dirty Sexy Money and plan to keep watching and, surprisingly, also liked Big Shots. The latter wasn’t great but it also wasn’t the pile o’ crap that I was expecting. Bones was decent and Boston Legal had plenty of moments to love.

What else? I know that’s not all I watched!

Oh. Footloose Avatar-style was fun if a bit silly. Katara is smokin’ this season!! And, finally, The Office was humorous and there were some things I adored but there were also things I didn’t really like. I could go on and on about that one so I’ll stop myself there. I think I’ve covered everything from last week except Top Chef and Survivor: China and I can’t be brief while talking about those.

Before I move on to tonight’s shows, I thought it was worth noting that Cane was the one show that I had people calling and asking about last week. My offline friends don’t really pay any attention to premiere week buzz. I’m lucky if they even know one or two of the new shows starting each Fall. I had friends tell me they couldn’t wait for Chuck, Reaper, and Bionic Woman to start but mostly they’re all more interested in the return of their already established favorites. So, it was interesting that at least two of those friends watched and liked Cane but didn’t like some of the more buzzed about pilots. I’ll be curious to see what kind of ratings it turns in this week. I still think it could very well be a sleeper hit for CBS despite people online thinking it was lackluster and boring.

So, on my schedule for tonight: Chuck, How I Met Your Mother, Aliens in America Prison Break, Heroes, Weeds, and Californication

Note that I’ve decided to drop Journeyman. The promos for tonight’s episode look kind of fun but I wasn’t interested in this show from the get-go and the one twist in the pilot that caught my attention wasn’t intriguing enough to get me to tune back in. Of course, it’ll now become a huge hit and I’ll kick myself for giving up on it so early. Oh well.

Also, tonight is the premiere of Aliens in America @ 8:30PM on the CW. I’m taping it because I want to see how Scott Patterson plays as the father but I’m not sure it’ll make it on to my schedule permanently. However, CBS did post this Aliens in America music video of PJ Olsson & Salmon Ahmad covering Nick Lowe’s “What’s So Funny ‘Bout Peace, Love and Understanding” that kinda makes me want to keep watching: