Category: tv

Apparently, there was an American version of the brilliant John Cleese sitcom Fawlty Towers called “Payne”. Starring John Larroquette, the show was faithfully “ported” to America, even down to the bumbling butler.

It only aired from March 1999 to April 1999, but I’ll have to see if my TiVo can find any reruns for me.

In comments to my confused-about-Buffy post, Leia writes:

Do you have cable? FX has the syndicated Buffy episodes and they just started the whole series again with #1 the other night.

Yeah, I have cable, and I do get FX. So, I should give that a try, eh? I was concerned about watching the first season, as many shows only catch their stride after a season or two. For instance, I'm a big TNG fan, but I just skip over any first-season episodes that my TiVo records for me. My rule of thumb: “Riker sans beard? Stay away.” Of course, a hella-young Wesley didn’t help, either.

But, back to Buffy. So, I'll suppose I'll check out those early episodes. And, Julie writes:

And if you ~really~ want to pace yourself, I have the entire first season on DVD.

Ooh, now that could be nice. Better quality and no commercials? Sounds good to me :). Perhaps I could pick those up at the DFWBlogs Cocktail Event on Wednesday?

Well, as planned, I recorded Buffy the other day. I made sure to record an episode from UPN so that I'd get the current season (as opposed to syndication).

I recall that the episode was “After Life”. And, near as I could tell, Buffy had been buried in a cemetary, cast to hell, but then somehow she returned to Earth. And, she then gets back with her regular pals. It's been 147 days since she left, so she's a bit out of it and she doesn't talk much. Err, and some demon “hitchhiked” with Buffy when she returned from hell. So, there’s this bad-CG demon running around the place, and through walls and such.

Confused? Yeah, so was I. I felt like I needed a Buffy-HOWTO. I made it through 37 minutes of the episode, but couldn’t get much further. But, I haven't given up on the series yet. Maybe it was a “bad episode for Buffy-beginners” or something. So, if someone can recommend a good starter-episode to look out for, I’m all ears.

Pleasantly, while most other shows are in reruns, Junkyard Wars has brand new epsidoes! Unfortunately, I see that they also did a little host flip-flop since the last season: Robert Llewellyn is out, and Tyler “I’m not Canadian” Harcott is in. Robert Llewellyn had a certain British charm and wit, but Tyler Harcott is a bit of a goof. He tries to play down his Canadian background, though it is amusing when an occasional “aboot” slips out.

Nonetheless, Junkyard Wars is still one of the best shows on TV. And, I especially look forward to tomorrow’s episode, as The Geeks are from my brother’s fraternity at MIT. I’ll be rooting for them as they compete in the Sand Yacht challenge!

Bonus link: Check out The Geeks’ FAQ on Junkyard Wars — it's quite enlightening, especially the bit about hours-remaining.