This week on Once Upon a Time, we’re getting Jiminy Cricket/Archie Hopper’s origin story and as we’ve come to expect, it intertwines with other story book characters in unexpected ways. This episode wasn’t quite as compelling as the others, I think because it was about a thinker instead of a doer. Still, we discovered some important things from this episode. …

NBC is counting on mid-season series Smash to be just that, a smash hit for the troubled network. Early buzz has been good for the show, which follows the cast of a Broadway show about Marilyn Monroe, fronted by singer/actress Katherine McPhee. NBC just released the first music video for the series, with Kat belting out Christina Aguilera’s “Beautiful” and …

‘Tis the season for very special holiday episodes, and this year I’m giving thanks for Suburgatory‘s take on Thanksgiving. The show has been steadily improving since it’s September debut, leading up to tonight’s hilarious episode. It’s George & Tessa’s first holiday in the ‘burbs, and they’re both missing Manhattan. Dallas invites them to her spectacularly tacky Thanksgiving dinner, planned by …

Once Upon a Time has captured the hearts of millions of viewers, and we were sad that it was pre-empted this week for the American Music Awards. To ease the wait until the next episode airs (Sunday at 8/7c on ABC), we have a special spoiler column all about upcoming episodes of the magical series. CRICKETS: This week’s episode, “That …

One of the things I love about Castle is that the writers don’t forget about significant (or even small) events in the characters’ lives. In tonight’s tense episode, “Kill Shot”, the team is investigating what appear to be random sniper attacks in the city, triggering strong reactions from Kate. We saw her working through her own sniper attack back in …

Boardwalk Empire – 9/8c HBO “Battle of the Century” – Arriving in Belfast, Nucky and Owen meet with IRA leaders with a barter proposition. Meanwhile, in Atlantic City, Jimmy and his partners broker a deal with George Remus for his “medicinal” alcohol before taking a break to see/hear the Dempsey fight. Margaret frets when Emily’s illness takes a turn for …

Chuck – NBC 8/7c “Chuck vs. the Business Trip” – Chuck and Sarah go undercover at a Buy More convention to hunt down an assassin whose mission is to take down the new Intersect. Meanwhile, Morgan must deal with the consequences of having the Intersect. At the Buy More, Jeff begins to show a very different side of himself. Grimm …

Community – NBC 8/7c “Documentary Filmmaking Redux” – When the school board asks Dean Pelton to make a new commercial for the school, he enlists the study group to star in his production. As he gets swept away with the project, more of the student body is pulled into the fray, including Magnitude, Fat Neil, Garrett, Leonard, Star-Burns and even …

PBS has announced the return dates for fan favorites Downton Abbey and Sherlock. Hurrah! Season 2 of Downton Abbey will debut on Sunday January 8, 2012 while Sherlock will bow Sunday May 6, 2012.

A few days ago I had the opportunity to join Jason (TVAholic) and Amrie (My Take on TV) as a guest on their podcast, TV times Three. We discussed some of the early renewals that were announced, our DVD picks for the next couple of weeks, and what we thought of shows like Once Upon a Time, Grimm, 2 Broke …