Ah, Sundays with the Griffins, they're my favorite weekend guests. Sure, they bring along a pot-smoking dog, a pedophile neighbor, a diabolical baby and ... Meg.
But they mean well, the baby never does succeed in destroying mankind and the pedophile is so old he can't do any harm.
(Having said that, I don't think a Mr. Herbert prequel is a good idea.)
All about Sunday network TV (with a little wandering into pay cable) ... it's starts right now.
7 pm
Watching -- 60 Minutes (CBS)
Recording -- Bored to Death (HBO East coast HD feed)
Skipping -- Football (NBC), America's Funniest Home Videos (ABC), Reruns on the West coast (Fox)
The one, the only, the originator and the industry leader, 60 Minutes returns for its 42nd year on the air. You aren't officially informed about the events of the day if you're not watching, it's as simple as that.
Kicking off the season are reports from Lara Logan on the fighting near the Afghani/Pakistani border, an interview with New Orleans Saints QB Drew Brees and his wife and a story on the Park 51 community center in NYC, or for those of you who have no tolerance for other religions, the Ground Zero Mosque. Preview the latter feature in a clip by clicking this.
New for the show is it's enhanced web presence. The producers have created a new, original web show that will debut weekly after the network broadcast. 60 Minutes Overtime is (per that website):
60 Minutes Overtime is a web show that begins where the television broadcast ends. Each week, Overtime will air original web videos with new angles on 60 Minutes reports, conversations with correspondents, and revealing moments from our 40-year archive. After 60 Minutes credits roll on Sundays, continue the conversation here on 60MinutesOvertime.com.
And against it on the broadcast networks is nothing major. I will admit that the occasional America's Funniest Home Videos episode does prevent the onset of adult grumpiness, though I usually just catch a rerun on TBS when I have the need to see a nun slip on a banana peel.
There's something on pay cable however, starting it's second season tonight. Last year I caught the first episode of Bored to Death from HBO and didn't come back for the second ep. This past week, though, I caught Craig Ferguson's interview with creator Jonathan Ames (LINK) and I enjoyed him so much that I decided to try again, this time with much more enjoyment.
It's a very quirky show starring Jason Schwartzman as a just-broken-up-with-girlfriend writer named Jonathan Ames who while screwing up the nerve to work on his second novel decides to place an ad on Craigslist offering his services as an unlicensed detective. He also writes for a magazine run by Ted Danson and is constantly recruited by Danson's George Christopher for various hijinks that usually include smoking a joint first.
Zach Galifianakis is Ames' cartoonist friend the indescribably delicious Ray Hueston. He's all kinds of damaged, beaten down by what seems like a horribly strident girlfriend and ... well, you just gotta see him do the role to understand said deliciousness, it's like watching a chocolate addict with a chocolate allergy roll around in a vat of the stuff loving and hating it alternately and getting whiplash from his battling emotions.
Season one recap viewable by clicking this link. If you have HBO on Demand (and you probably do, check your cable VOD options) you have one more day to catch the first five episodes of season one before they disappear. I watch five in the last two days. You're welcome, Jonathan Ames.
8 pm
Watching -- The Simpsons and The Cleveland Show (Fox)
Recording -- Nothing, absolutely nothing (though I've already recorded Mad Men and Rubicon on the AMC East coast HD feed by this hour)
Skipping -- Amazing Race (CBS), Extreme Home Makevover (ABC)
Sooner or later we will all be sick and tired of the kids from Glee. It is not yet that time, however. Apparently. Because they'll show up this season on both The Simpsons AND Family Guy ("Simpsons Did It!").
Homer, Marge and the kids return for their 22nd season tonight and while Marge and Homer accompany Krusty the Clown to Geneva to pick up his Nobel Prize -- WHAT?!?!? -- Lisa gets to go to performing arts camp and ... blah blah blah song song song joke joke joke ... I'm not spoiling it for you, you're welcome. Camp counselors include Jemaine Clement and Bret McKenzie of Flight of the Conchords.

Here's a clip from the premiere (LINK).
After The Simpsons stay tuned (or tune out, your call) for Kanye West (okay, but only for you, Cleveland Brown) guesting on the season premiere of The Cleveland Show. Cleveland's task for the episode? Mentor Kanye's returning Kenny character and get his rap career started.
There's also an appearance by the Basketball Player in Chief, though I don't think he voiced his own character. I hope it was someone that does him well, though. Finesse Mitchell (ex-SNL) does a particularly good Obama.
Preview clip here (LINK).
I just have never gotten into watching The Amazing Race, despite my love for travel shows. The competition aspect just ruins the whole thing for me. And Ty Pennington has been transforming homes for needy people for a while, still hasn't made a dent in that needy person demo at all, we just keep making new needy people. That makes me sad.
The rest of the night after the jump, click over for it.
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