NGTV Guide: Monday, March 15

Are we the only ones suffering from Gossip Girl fatigue? You may have noticed it missing from our Monday night lineup; we really didn’t miss it when it was on hiatus. Speaking of hiatus, Castle is a repeat tonight in advance of the doubleheader coming next Sunday & Monday.

Chuck – NBC 8/7c
“Chuck vs. the Tic Tac” – Casey (Adam Baldwin) carries out a side mission for his old commanding officer James Keller (guest star Robert Patrick) that leads to him committing treason. When Chuck (Zachary Levi) learns the dark truth about Col. Keller, he and Sarah (Yvonne Strahovski) set out to break Casey out of jail and clear his name. Meanwhile, Awesome’s (Ryan McPartlin) plan to keep Ellie (Sarah Lancaster) out of danger gets more difficult when she gets her dream fellowship. Joshua Gomez also stars.

Life Unexpected – the CW 8/7c
“Formal Reformed” – Jones (guest star Austin Butler) asks Lux (Britt Robertson) to be his date for the Winter Formal. Baze (Kristoffer Polaha) finds a condom in Lux’s room, and thinking it belongs to Jones, shows up at the dance to try and stop Lux and Jones from having sex. Cate (Shiri Appleby) agrees to chaperone the dance, but being at her old high school for Winter Formal brings back painful memories about the night Lux was conceived.

NGTV Guide: Monday, March 8

Happy Monday! For some reason I’m feeling quite chipper on this first day after the weekend. Feel free to smack me.

Chuck - NBC 8/7c
“Chuck vs. the Beard” – Chuck (Zachary Levi) feels like his life is falling apart when he can’t flash and gets left behind for a mission. While Shaw (guest star Brandon Routh), Sarah (Yvonne Strahovski) and Casey (Adam Baldwin) go on without him, Chuck finds himself in a sticky situation back at the base. Joshua Gomez, Sarah Lancaster, Ryan McPartlin, Scott Krinsky, Vik Sahay and Mark Christopher Lawrence also star.

Life Unexpected – the CW 9/8c
“Bride Unbridled” – Cate and Ryan are forced to put on a happy face as the hosts of a wedding expo, but the unfortunate situation becomes even more unfortunate after Baze and Math show up at the event. After watching Lux mope around the house for days, Baze solicits help from Jones in an effort to cheer her up.

Castle – ABC 10/9c
“The Mistress Always Spanks Twice” – When a half-naked woman is found covered in caramel sauce and hanging by bondage cuffs in a public park, Castle and Beckett’s investigation takes them into New York’s underground world of sexual domination. Naturally the case serves as sexy fodder for their already charged relationship banter

NGTV Guide: Monday, March 1

The Olympics are over and sweeps month begins tonight. Get ready for some stellar episodes of our favorite shows!

Chuck – NBC 8/7c
“Chuck vs. the Fake Name” – Chuck promises to cook dinner for Hannah (guest star Kristin Kreuk), Ellie and Awesome  but must first assume the identity of the world’s most dangerous assassin for his latest mission. Meanwhile, Sarah  is determined to keep her relationship with Shaw (guest star Brandon Routh) strictly professional.

Life Unexpected - the CW 9/8c
“Crisis Unaverted” – In the midst of feeling like he is being pushed out of Lux’s life by Cate and Ryan, Baze wins the chance to compete against Ryan in a radio station contest and is determined to be the last man standing. Cate contemplates finally telling Ryan the full truth about Baze, but can’t bear the thought of what might happen if she does. When Tasha (guest star Ksenia Solo) tells Lux she may have to move three hours away to a new foster home, Lux decides to help Tasha track down her mother who is still living in town.

NGTV Guide: Monday, February 15

Most of our shows have gone on hiatus in deference to the Olympics, so the NGTV Guide will be pretty light for the next two weeks.

Winter Olympics – 8/7c NBC
Qualifications and competitions are going on all day, but here’s what to expect in primetime: Pairs Figure Skating concludes with the free skate (live ET/CT). Also, Snowboarding (men’s SBX), Speed Skating (men’s 500m) and men’s downhill.

Life Unexpected – 9/8c the CW
“Turtle Undefeated” – Off to a rocky start at her new school, Lux offers to throw a party in Baze’s  loft in an effort to impress the high school quarterback, Jones (guest star Austin Butler), and his friends. Cate worries that her relationship with Lux will never measure up to the bond Lux has so easily made with Baze.

NGTV Guide: Monday, February 8

The Olympics start this weekend, but before we become enraptured by speed skating and ice dancing, we’ve got another week of scripted TV to watch!

Chuck – NBC 8/7c
“Chuck vs. the Mask” – Chuck and Hannah (guest star Kristin Kreuk) unexpectedly become part of agent Daniel Shaw’s (guest star Brandon Routh) latest mission. Much to Sarah’s chagrin, she gets paired with Shaw, who seems to be trying to get close to her. Meanwhile, Morgan and Ellie continue their mission to get to the bottom of Chuck’s secretive and strange behavior.

Life Unexpected – the CW 9/8c
“Bong Intercepted” – When Lux gets suspended from school, Cate does her best to convince Principal Dugan (guest star Merrilyn Gann, “Everwood”) to give Lux a second chance, but, unfortunately, her efforts may have made the situation considerably worse for Lux. Meanwhile, Baze is insulted when he finds out that Cate and Ryan are hosting a radio station event at the bar across the street.

Castle - ABC 10/9c
“Suicide Squeeze” – A beloved former major league baseball player is found dead after a goodwill trip to Cuba. The investigation, which includes running into Joe Torre (guest starring as himself), leads the detectives into New York’s Cuban community to solve the murder. Meanwhile, Alexis’ genealogy project forces Castle to consider the identity of his unknown father.

I’m Confused About LUX

So Life Unexpected is better than I, you know, expected. Good cast with interesting chemistry; not too schmaltzy but still endearing; a fresh take on the family drama; etc. I watch it while on the treadmill and it makes my workout fly by, for which I’m always grateful. But something has been nagging at me since the pilot: I cannot figure out the timeline for Lux’s conception and birth.

At first I was under the impression that Cate and Baze were seniors in high school when Lux was conceived, what with all the references to getting knocked up at the prom and the yearbook from 1993. That would make them 17ish when she was conceived and 18ish when she was born. However, it’s been established that both Cate and Baze are now 32, and Lux just turned 16, so that math doesn’t work.

A couple of times someone has referred to Cate being a mom at 16, including Cate herself. That makes Lux turning 16 when Cate & Baze are 32 work, but that would mean Cate & Baze went to the prom at 15 or shortly after they turned 16. I was pretty sure they referred to their one date being to the senior prom, though, and at that age they were juniors at best but probably sophomores.

It’s a minor detail in the grand scheme of the show, but it’s nagging me. Can someone help a Nice Girl out here and tell me what I’m missing?

Nice Boy of the Week: Kristoffer Polaha

This week’s Nice Boy is not really a new face in TV Land, but with his role as Nate “Baze” Bazile on the CW’s Life Unexpected, he’s certainly becoming the most memorable.

Kristoffer was born in Reno, Nevada, and became interested in acting while attending Robert Louis Stevenson boarding school in Pebble Beach CA. He graduated from NYU’s “Tisch School Of Arts” earning a bachelor of arts in 99.

Most recently from Mad Men, Kristoffer has also appeared in North Shore, Miss Guided, Dollhouse, It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, Bones, Better Off Ted, CSI:Miami, Without A Trace, Close To Home, Roswell and Tru Calling.

Polaha’s character on Life Unexpected is a very carefree, playful, single guy who is suddenly faced with a teenage daughter, beautifully played by Britt Robertson. As we watch “Baze” dealing with fatherhood, we see Polaha skillfully pulling us into his emotional storm; at one time making us laugh and cry. Lux connects with him faster than her birth mother largely, I think, because he’s such a child himself.

Polaha is married to actress Julianne Morris and they have two small boys, Kristoffer Caleb Polaha, Jr. and Micah.

NGTV Guide: Monday, February 1

Happy February, everyone! Castle is a repeat tonight, but Chuck and Lux are stepping up to the plate.

Chuck – NBC 8/7c
“Chuck vs. the Nacho Sampler” – Chuck juggles his two lives as he trains new Nerd Herder Hannah (guest star Kristin Kreuk) and gets his very own asset who is caught up with The Ring. Chuck thinks he can handle his asset all on his own but Sarah and Casey feel the need to intercede. Meanwhile, Awesome must lie to Ellie when she starts to ask questions about Chuck and Morgan, Jeff and Lester do some recon work to learn more about Hannah.

Life Unexpected – the CW 9/8c
“Rent Uncollected” – When Baze tells his parents (guest stars Robin Thomas and Susan Hogan) about Lux, they insist on planning a dinner at which they can meet their granddaughter and Cate. Cate reluctantly agrees to go to the dinner and is further annoyed when her overbearing mother (guest star Cynthia Stevenson) and neurotic sister (guest star Alex Breckenridge) show up unexpectedly. Meanwhile, when Cate hears about a gang fight at Lux’s school, she immediately decides to have Lux transferred to her and Baze’s alma mater, Westmonte.

NGTV Guide: Monday, January 25

Mondays are turning into a must-see lineup again. Here are the goodies in store for us tonight.

Chuck – NBC 8/7c
“Chuck vs. First Class” – CIA agent Daniel Shaw (guest star Brandon Routh) assigns Chuck to his first solo mission in Paris, ignoring Sarah and Casey’s wishes. During the flight to France, Chuck befriends Hannah (guest star Kristin Kreuk) and flashes on another passenger — the imposing Hugo Panzer (guest star “Stone Cold” Steve Austin). Meanwhile, Casey helps Morgan battle Jeff and Lester for control of the Buy More. (ChuckTV.net is giving away a press kit this week.)

Life Unexpected – the CW 9/8c
“Home Inspected” – Cate (Shiri Appleby) and Baze (Kristoffer Polaha) are paid a visit by a social worker whose job it is to evaluate both of them and determine if they are fit parents. Lux (Britt Robertson) is torn when her boyfriend, Bug (guest star Rafi Gavron, “24″), and best friend, Natasha (guest star Ksenia Solo), suggest that Cate and Baze may not be in it for the long haul and that Lux should return to her old life and the people who love her most of all. Meanwhile, Cate is pressured by the executives at the radio station to deny that she has a daughter in order to save her job.

Castle – ABC 10/9c
“The Third Man” – Mysteries abound when a family returns from vacation to discover a dead man in their daughter’s bed. Thinking they’re investigating the murder of a squatter, Castle and Beckett soon find themselves unraveling a multi-million dollar heist. Meanwhile, Castle tries to keep Beckett from finding out that they’ve been romantically linked when he’s featured as one of New York’s 10 most eligible bachelors.

Life Unexpected is a Welcome Change

During the heyday of Warner Bros., the network specialized in gripping dramas such as Felicity, Gilmore Girls, Roswell, Everwood and Dawson’s Creek. But after the merger of the network with the United Paramount Network, those compelling dramas diminished significantly.

Enter the new CW series: Life Unexpected. A much-buzzed about drama created by Liz Tigelaar (Brothers & Sisters and What About Brian) about 15-year-old Lux (Britt Robertson, Swingtown) who has bounced from one foster family to another in Portland, Oregon. She decides it is time to take control of her life, seeking to become an emancipated minor. As she journeys through the legal maze of this process, she finds her biological father, Nate “Baze” Bazile (Kristoffer Polaha, North Shore), who owns a bar and lives like an aging frat-boy with two slacker roommates Jamie (Reggie Austin, The Starter Wife) and Math (Austin Basis).

Baze is very surprised to learn he has a teenager daughter; and, in turn, he tells Lux who her mother is: Cate Cassidy (Shiri Appleby, Roswell), a star on the local “Morning Madness” radio show, who partners (on and off the air) with Ryan Thomas (Kerr Smith, Dawson’s Creek). Lux has been listening to Cate’s voice on the radio for as long as she can remember and feels an instant connection with the mother she has never met. When Baze takes Lux to meet her mother, Cate is shocked and saddened to learn that Lux has grown up in foster care; but is thrilled to meet her daughter.

Unexpectedly, a judge decides that Lux is not ready for emancipation and decides to grant temporary joint custody to Baze and Cate, who agree to move beyond the awkwardness and give Lux the family she deserves.

Critics have been raving about this new series since its inception and the buzz has continued to build, especially since the recently held winter press tour by the Television Critics Association earlier this month.

Will the CW have a winning drama on their hands? Tune in and decide for yourself; but I would trust the critics this time around as this looks like a return to the days of old.

Life Unexpected premieres tonight (January 18) on the CW at 9/8c and the pilot episode will reair on the network at 8/7c on Wednesday, January 20. The series will remain in this time slot until March 8 when it moves to its new timeslot of 8/7c and should conclude its final episode on April 12.

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