At the end of the season, the “winners” go to LA, where they compete once again to find the worst driver in America.

The show premieres on March 14, Sunday, 10p E/P, in San Francisco, CA.

Meet the Drivers

Deborah and Becca are the mother/daughter team. Becca, the daughter, thinks she’s the better driver. First of all, she doesn’t space out when she drives. She doesn’t mistake the accelerator for the brakes and drive through the garage door. But Deborah has done all of these, and Becca is convinced she’s the worst driver in America.

Matt and Eli are best friends, and Eli is scared to be in the same car with Matt when he’s driving. Matt doesn’t pay close attention to the road, never signals, never checks his blind spot. He’s hit 20 parked cars.

Kevin and Kyle are twins brothers. Kevin is a truck driver, and Kyle is an independent contractor. Kevin thinks he’s the better driver, since he does it for a living and always dishes out tips and advice to Kyle to improve his driving.

Kelly and Brian are siblings born and raised in San Francisco. Kelly is always scared for her life when in Brian’s car. When in the car, Brian becomes another persona, a meaner and angrier one. He gets terrible road rage, and his passengers always fear for their lives. Brian is aware of this but can’t seem to find a way to control it.

These four drivers will get a chance to battle out who is the worst driver among them. Tune in on March 14 to find out who’s going to be named Worst Driver of San Francisco.

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If you love TV, you probably love the movies, too.  I mean, nobody watches the network shows but turns away in horror when TBS runs their movie o’ the month for the 13th time.  Movies and TV, they go together.  They’re made for each other (quite literally in some cases).

So, Oscar Night on TV makes sense.  I don’t care about the rich, pampered Hollywood elitists patting themselves on the back, but I can see why some people do.  Just like I may not see the appeal of 30 Rock, but I never miss Community.  Po-TAY-to, Po-TAH-to.  We’re all in this together.

I even can accept the reality TV craze.  It’s not my thing, but I get that some people might get a visceral thrill from peeking into the life of people whose lifestyles are foreign to them.  If you’re into watching stupid drunks acting like idiots, why go down to the local bar when you can stay at home and watch Jersey Shore?  To each their own.

But can someone explain to me the appeal of the Red Carpet session before the Oscars?  I just don’t get it.  It’s just people getting out of their cars and walking inside.  What’s the appeal?  If you want your celebrity fix, wouldn’t it be more interesting to see the celebs partying it up inside?  Surely what’s happening inside is more interesting.  That’s why the stars are going inside.  They’re just passing through the red carpet area to get from their car to the party.

Can one of my fellow Tubers explain this to me?  Why do you care?  Do you care?  Surely there are a lot of viewers who are interested, or else they’d stop showing this tedium.  I just don’t get the whole red carpet thing.  I’m flipping over to a rerun of Star Trek.

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1. I am a faithful fan of The Office.  I have been watching since the beginning.

2. I loved watching “Niagara”, Jim & Pam’s wedding episode.  It was so well done that it had me crying, both from laughing so hard and being so moved by the poignancy.

3. Birth scenes usually bring me to tears.  Being a mom, it reminds me of that amazing moments when I met my children.

Having shared those facts, I have to state that I didn’t like last night’s back-to-back episodes, “The Delivery 1 & 2″.  Sure, there were a few good moments:  Pam’s fear of not being able to “do this”.  It is a real feeling that many women experience.  Dwight throwing numerous weapons out of his car window as he was being pulled over by a police officer.  Nothing like Dwight to remind us how crazy he is!  Kevin’s excitement to eat extra meals with a friend was fairly amusing.

But the sad truth about last night’s one hour of The Office is that it left me feeling disappointed.  There weren’t many scenes that made me laugh.  The arrival of the baby wasn’t that moving.  And the accidental breastfeeding of another baby was so predictable.  As soon as the baby started crying, I (and the rest of the world) knew it wasn’t Baby Halpert.

So, while I won’t give up on The Office yet, I am fearful that it’s days may be numbered.  I hope that this show hasn’t jumped the shark.

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Waaaay back when, one of the top shows on TV was Happy Days. As silly and dated as it seems now, it was very popular at the time. Happy Days was a mixture of nostalgia and humor. It made us laugh, and it felt familiar and comfortable. As the seasons rolled on, the characters developed and grew. Due to the intense popularity of Henry Winkler’s character, Fonzie went from a bit part to a kind of a co-lead in an ostensible ensemble cast. The show was on the top of the Nielsen charts and spawned several spin offs.

Then, one fine night, for no particularly good reason, Fonzie was challenged to jump over a shark tank on water skis. He did so, wearing his trademark leather jacket, naturally, even though his opponent chickened out. And so began the rapid descent of a once great show. Soon after, Richie left the show and immediately was replaced by a previously unmentioned cousin. Fonzie grew a beard and became a teacher. Before long, the show was off the air.

It seems that all shows will jump the shark if left on long enough. The shark jumping phenomenon is especially prevalent and virulent in sitcoms, but it can take down any genre of show. If you look back on a series that has passed its prime, you can spot when a show jumped the shark. As often as not, it happens when the guy finally gets the girl (see this season of Two and a Half Men or How I Met Your Mother), or when the writers invent such an implausible reason for the guy to not get the girl that it defies all logic (Friends and My Name Is Earl come to mind).

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Mr. Sunshine

Starring Matthew Perry, it’s the story of a second-rate sports arena manager who thinks only of himself and is forced to reevaluate his life on his 40th birthday. This is his first TV series since Studio 60 On The Sunset Strip (The End Of Steve was never picked up). It’ll be fun to watch him on the small screen again. He was always my favorite in Friends, and I’ve always tried to keep up with his career after the show ended. Alex Barnow and Mark Firek co-wrote the series with Matthew Perry. Allison Janney and Andrea Anders will co-star with Perry on the show.

Freshmen

Freshmen is an ensemble show about three first-year members of Congress. Greg Malins (of How I Met Your Mother) will be writing it. Arianna Huffington will be producing it. And Pam Fryman (of How I Met Your Mother) will be directing it. Sarah Chalke (of How I Met Your Mother and Scrubs) will be the lead role.

Wright vs Wrong

Stephnie Weir (of Mad TV) is the writer behind Wright vs Wrong, about a conservative expert who tries to maintain her public person despite her weaknesses. No cast yet.

Funny In Farsi

Funny In Farsi follows the life of an Iranian immigrant growing up in Newport Beach in the 1970s. Nastaran Dibai and Jeffrey Hodes will be penning the show, and Barry Sonenfeld will be directing it. Cast includes Maz Jobrani (Better Off Ted) and Hrach Titizian (24), among others.

How To Be A Better American

Steven Cragg and Brian Bradley are the writers behind How To Be A Better American. It’s about a father who embarks on a journey to become a better person and drags his family along with him.

It Takes A Village

It Takes A Village centers around a teenage boy with divorced parents living in houses across from each other. He shuttles back and forth, living between the two houses. His father has come out, and his mother has a boyfriend. Casey Johnson and David Windsor (of Greek) are writing. No cast yet.

Who Gets The Parents

Joe Port and Joe Wiseman are the writers behind Who Gets The Parents, about three adult siblings who have to deal with their parents’ later-in-life divorce. No cast yet.

Other Shows

There are several untitled shows that were signed with ABC. Shana Goldberg-Meehan (Friends) has written a show about two sisters in different stages in their romantic life. Joanna Garcia and Jennifer Finnigan play the two sisters; one who is unmarried but in a long-term relationship, and the other who married because she was pregnant.

Dana Gould (The Simpsons) has written a new comedy about a father, also a high school counselor, who’s caught between his conservative upbringing and his wife’s progressive ideals. Brian Dennehy stars as the father.

Damon Wayans, Jr. will be starring in a comedy about a couple who breaks up at the altar. Their friends now are trying to figure out how to maintain their relationship.

Any of these shows got you excited for the fall season?

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The show is primarily hosted by Jamie Hyneman (the owner of M5 Industries, a special effects workshop) and Adam Savage (an artist/movie maker/designer/magician).  The show has Tony Belleci, Kari Byron, and Grant Imahara  hosting the secondary plot of the show.  The show is filmed in M5 Industries’ workshop/warehouse in San Fransisco.

They have a general habit of just blowing stuff up, as most myths involve death or destruction.  My two favorites were the flaming pilot’s hair myth and the explosive concrete removal myth.  In the pilot myth, a Canadian fighter pilot was flying his jet when a spark from his radio sent his extravagant hair up in flames.  The myth says the pure oxygen environment caused a lethal explosion, but the mythbusters proved that the hair would burn, though it would not explode lethally.  According to the other myth, concrete companies have been using different varieties of explosives to blast hardened concrete out of old cement trucks.  This was busted, as  the amount of explosive needed would damage the trucks.  So, after learning this, they packed the truck full of explosive and blew it apart.  It literally disappeared.

The show is fun because Adam and Jamie like to explain what actually causes the myth to happen… or not to happen.  They explain the factors that go into an experiment. The science is interesting to a science-interested person like me.  At the same time, the humor prevents it from being science class, although we did watch it in science one day.

I think Mythbusters is one of the best science shows on TV, and great for all!

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Man v Food

Adam Richman is passionate about food, which makes him the perfect host for Man v Food. He travels from city to city all over the US to take on food challenges everywhere. He’s battled the hottest curry in New York, the hottest ramen in Los Angeles, the 11-lb. Carnivore Pizza Challenge in Atlanta, the Big Badass 6-lb burrito challenge in Las Vegas, the Acme Oyster House 180 oyster challenge and the Firebrand Chili Challenge in Springfield, among others. He ’s lost some fights but triumphed over others. Few people can and will attempt what Adam Richman is doing for Man v Food. Just last season, at the finale, he challenged himself to finish a 48-oz steak in just 20 minutes. Crazy? You gotta be to even try any of these challenges.

Man v Food, Wednesday, 10p E/P

Bizarre Foods with Andrew Zimmern

Traveling to different places all over the world, Andrew Zimmern not only tries the local cuisine, he also tries the city’s most bizarre dishes, no matter how eccentric or gross they can be. He’s discovered banana beer and cow’s blood in Tanzania, eaten termites in Uganda, tried pickled bull’s heart in St. Petersburg, sampled seven courses of snake in Vietnam, relaxed in a beer spa in Germany and ate an 18-day old duck embryo, in the Philippines. He’ll try anything at least once and will go back for seconds (or thirds) if he likes it. Have you got the courage to try and eat the bizarre and unfamiliar?

Bizarre Foods, Tuesdays, 10p E/P

Samantha Brown

Samantha Brown has hosted so many shows on the Travel Channel. She has gone from showing us great vacation homes to the best beaches to great cruises to Latin America to Europe and to great weekends. And now, she’s back to give us more info on where to go for great weekend getaways.

Samantha Brown, Premieres Sat, May 8

So, what’s your favorite Travel Channel show?

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Almost every week there is a moment in the show that brings the viewer an almost guilty, voyeuristic feeling, as if you are watching something that you just aren’t meant to see but you don’t know how to back out of it gracefully.  The sublimely inept Michael, played by Steve Carell, repeatedly finds himself embroiled in bad situations of his own making that are at once bizarre and somehow familiar.

The entire staff of the Dunder Mifflin office also feels familiar, although exaggerated to extremes.  From the office cool guy (Jim, played by John Krazinski) to the office stick in the mud (Angela dryly acted by Angela Kinsey) to the office pain in the butt (Dwight, who is portrayed by Rainn Wilson), The Office takes character traits and personalities from real life and then cranks them up to eleven.

The show has progressed from a knock-off of the original, British version of the show to a Dilberesque parody of office life to something else altogether.  Having mined the office life pretty deeply, the show has turned to focus more on the absurdly idiotic boss of the branch office, Michael.  The show succeeds where others of the like have failed by taking steps to flesh out the characters.  Instead of being a one-dimensional parody of a bad boss, Michael is the embodiment of the Peter Principle, which states that good workers are promoted to their point of incompetence.  In Michael’s case, he was a great salesman and is rewarded by being promoted into management, where he languishes in his own ineptitude.

NBC has somehow maintained a stranglehold on Thursday night comedies for decades.  The Office, which is on at 9 PM ET every Thursday, is a worthy flag bearer for that tradition.

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ABC

From the same creator of Friends comes a comedy about sisters. Scoundrels, from Shana Goldberg-Meehan, is about two sisters in different kinds of romantic relationships. Jennifer Finnigan plays the sister in a long-term but unmarried relationship and Joanna Garcia plays the other sister, who gets pregnant and marries the baby-daddy.

CBS

An untitled Criminal Minds spinoff is set to be introduced during an episode of Criminal Minds this spring. Starring Michael Kelly and Forest Whitaker, the series centers around a group of profilers working outside the FBI bureaucracy.

A new comedy is set to premiere on CBS called True Love. Written by Scrubs’ Matt Tarses, the story is about four friends in New York, looking for love. Minka Kelly is set to play one of the friends, Kate, a “sweet but strong-willed romantic”.

NBC

Jerry Bruckheimer is set to bring a new show to NBC called Chase. Starring Rose Rollings, it revolves around a “high-priority fugitive-apprehension team in South Texas”. Rollings will be playing the group’s weapons and tactical specialist.

FOX

Bret Harrison will be starring in a new comedy produced by Adam Goldberg. Directed by Seth Gordon, it stars twenty-something computer geniuses, cracking computer security systems.

ABC

A new comedy called Awkward Situations For Men is set to premiere on ABC. Starring Danny Wallace and Laura Prepon, Wallace moves to the US and gets in trouble with the Americans because of his British habits.

Shonda Rhimes brings another medical drama to ABC. Off The Map stars Enrique Marciano, as one of three doctors who leaves the States to work in an isolated tropical clinic. Marciano will play a plastic surgeon.

Another comedy, written by Mad TV’s Stephanie Weir, called Wright vs Wrong, was signed by ABC. No news yet on the cast.

CW

Two reality shows are set to debut on the CW: Fly Girls and High Society. Fly Girls follows the lives of five Virgin American flight attendants. High Society follows the lives of New York socialite Tinsley Mortimer and her friends. Both shows are set to premiere this March on the CW.

Syfy

Syfy has signed a new supernatural drama series called Haven. It stars Emily Rose as an FBI agent who arrives in Haven, Maine, to solve the murder of a local ex-con and discovers a refuge for people with supernatural powers.

Are you excited to watch these shows?

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1.  The opening ceremonies begin at 6:00 pm PT.  So, if you live on the east coast and want to watch the whole ceremony, you should plan on being awake past 10 pm.  Of course, it is Friday, so most likely you can sleep in on Saturday, if you’re not a late night person.

2.  During the opening ceremonies, “We Are the World 25 for Haiti” will premier.  Although the staff at Couch Tuber has searched diligently, there is no exact time for this event.

3.  In addition to the opening ceremonies, the first event occurs today- ski jumping.

4.  For more information regarding events and tv viewing, visit NBC’s Olympics site.

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