I woke up on Sunday with a start. I ran to my TV and immediately checked my TiFaux. I sighed with relief—everything had recorded as I intended.

I was worried, because I didn’t realize until that morning that, for the first time, Pushing Daisies and Kings were actually airing on the same night. I was afraid that they were even in the exact same time slot—and that one would bump the other off the record schedule—but Kings is on at 8 pm, and Pushing Daisies wasn’t on until 10.

Sadly, this will never happen again. Pushing Daisies is officially over. Kings still has a few episodes to go—if NBC will forgive its dismal-even-for-Saturday ratings—and then it joins Pushing Daisies in the category of “Shows I Like, Canceled.”

Which brings me to my question: What’s wrong with people? Why didn’t these shows catch on?

Kings I can almost understand. If you don’t love it the way I do, it would be unbearable. You can’t just dip into an episode and half-pay-attention and expect to follow what’s going on. Still, I’m surprised that it didn’t develop a nerdfollowing niche, the way Dollhouse—which is a lesser show on almost every level—has. When I watch Kings, I actually feel refreshed. I love that it gives me something that no other TV series possibly can. I really enjoy the crazy world, the weird pretentious way the characters speak, the alternate history (I’d love to see an episode that took place before Silas was king and everything was chaos), the fact that God is actually a character, and, most of all, the king in the basement. I especially love that I can tell the creators’ vision of the show is so complete, but I have absolutely no idea where it’s going. It’s not like House, where you wince every time they go to the MRI machine because you know that the patient is going to freak out inside of it. So, I really want to know: Why wasn’t anyone else as taken in as I was? Was it the difficult language? The melodrama? The heavy history?

Pushing Daisies at least was critically beloved, but I don’t understand why it wasn’t a huge hit. It was pretty, the stars were adorable—and, for TV, recognizable—and it really didn’t challenge its audience too much. I could see people of any age really getting into it. Sure, the mysteries were a little thin. But I didn’t watch it for that, I just wanted to hear the quick banter and melt with the love stories. (For people who love will-they-or-won’t-they romances, at least this show had a good excuse for why their stars never kiss.) I also love the colorful world of Coeur d’Coeurs, with all those luscious pies. So, what was wrong with it? Did the mysteries not involve enough forensic evidence? Were you turned off by the quirkiness? Did they speak too fast? Was it too cute? Do you hate love, and things that are lovely?

Really, if you hated one of these shows, I want to hear from you, because I don’t understand you. Tell me: What’s wrong with you?

To me, both of these shows were precious because they were unlike anything else on television. I really hope that wasn’t their undoing in the end. I’m not sure I want to be on the TV beat when every single show is about investigators, hospital employees (new show ideas: Physician’s Assistant Josie! Courier Bob!), and over-privileged teenagers.

Don’t look now, but there’s something worth watching on Logo!

The network is launching Jeffery and Cole Casserole on Friday at 11 — it’s a television version of the VGL Gay Boys that I posted on a while back. The show promises to have the low production values and made-in-a-bedroom feel as the Web series.

Here’s a promo:

I love these guys. For those of you who fancy the opposite gender, you may not know that most gay comedy and gay music is uniformly horrible. The movies tend to be unimaginative, campy farces. So it’s a welcome change of pace to see some homos making good comedy.

For those of you concerned about LOGO, I’m sure they’ll keep showing those awful coming-of-age gay movies and aged reruns of Queer As Folk. Not to worry.

Weeds returned with its fifth season last week and, in the process, reminded me why the show tortures me so much. It’s like milk chocolate.

If you have a piece of dark chocolate, you can just savor it and let it melt in your mouth. When you’re done, you’re done and you can go on with your life.  Project Runway is dark chocolate — one episode is fine for me and I can deal with waiting a week. Weeds, on the other hand, is milk chocolate. It’s the kind where I just keep eating and eating and wanting more and more until I’m surrounded by Hershey and Krackle wrappers. And all of a sudden I’m filled with shame because I couldn’t control myself.

I’ve seen the first three episodes of Weeds and it seems like it’s going to be forever until I get to watch the fourth. But I’ll catch you up.

When Weeds left off last season, Nancy had just accidentally saved herself from certain death. After ratting out her (hot) Mexican mobster boyfriend’s drug operation, she presented him with the sonogram of his unborn child — thereby preventing her from an unceremonious execution. Elsewhere, the Botwin family is still highly dysfunctional. Andy realized he’s in love with Nancy, Silas is looking to expand his drug operation and freeloading friend Doug just botched a suicide attempt (which, by the way, I was really disappointed he failed at. Good lord, that guy is annoying).

People seemed discontent with the show’s fourth season, which found Nancy and company packing up and moving from the posh suburban hamlet of Agrestic (which was in the process of burning to the ground) to an oceanside town near San Diego. I think people reacted to the transition like it was a new Facebook layout — screaming and crying about the change until they realized it was a necessary transition. If they had just kept their panties on, they would have learned that it would all work out.

But the first three episodes of the season have proved to be in the traditional Weeds style — a quick and merciless wit, shocking plot twists, unbelievably bold characters.  Moving to a different town and changing up the cast a little hasn’t changed the inherent character of the show.

One of the biggest changes in the new season, though, is Nancy’s relationship to her family. After several seasons of chaos, she’s understandably found herself alienated from her brood. This is most evident in one scene from the premiere, when Nancy returns after a long absence to find her family arguing over who gets her room if she doesn’t come home.

It’s all catching up to Nancy, and Mary Louise Parker plays the role perfectly.

This is where I go out on a limb and say that Mary Louise Parker is the best actress on television right now. I’m just going to say it. Tina Fey has always been a top-tier writer and has evolved into a top-tier actress on 30 Rock. Glenn Close is icy and wonderful on Damages. But Mary Louise Parker has an original and well-rounded character in Nancy Botwin, who gives her the opportunity to deliver both killer punchlines and perform some gut-wrenching dramatic scenes.

Parker plays Botwin with an ethereal, glassy-eyed sensibility. If not for her acute ability to tell everyone what is going on, you’d swear she was constantly high. The perennial image I have of Nancy is that of her delivering a line with a California deadpan while nursing her ever-present iced coffee. She’s addicted to adrenaline and drama, prone to self-destructive behavior, and still you root for her because she seems to be doing the best she can.

I’ll always be happy when Tina and Glenn with the Emmys, but I’m going to be in Mary Louise’s corner.

Weeds is on Showtime on Mondays at 9.

Hey kids — got nothing of substance for you today, but here’s a clip of PJ Harvey and John Parish on Letterman (via Sterogum). Tomorrow I’ll try to have something for you on the premiere of True Blood.

The intro is cute — it’s David Letterman riffing on PJ’s awkward album title — A Woman A Man Walked By. He basically seems completely at peace with the fact that he’s a bit out of touch with the music the kids are listening to.

As far as the performance itself, PJ is barefoot and cute, despite the fact that the music is artfully ambiguous and slightly eerie.

So, Futurama is back. Buzz wonders: Is this cause for celebration — or just puzzlement? (BuzzSugar)

This week, Sandie interviewed Angel Coulby and Anthony Head from the new NBC show, Merlin. (Daemon’s TV)

I discovered Firekites through a great design blog I read. It’s a little odd that I read a design blog, considering the fact that I generally don’t care what things look like.  I appear to have missed the gay gene where you’re supposed to have a flair for interior design (case in point my 30-year-old hand-me-down living room furniture).

But I watched the video and found myself much more carried away with the song than the video (which is, admittedly, pretty cool). The song is by an Australian band called Firekites and they make some subdued, mostly acoustic music that brings to mind Tunng or Sufjan Stevens (although is everything that is quiet compared to Sufjan? I think so. Oh well).

Here’s the video — it’s called Autumn Story.

Buzz gathered up her favorite quotes from the TV season in a mega “Who Said That Line?” quiz. How many do you remember? (BuzzSugar)

This week, Sandie got a chance to interview Stephen Moyer who plays Bill on HBO’s True Blood. (Daemon’s TV)

Scooter spent most of his week still dancing with the GrooGrux King and the Dave Matthews Band. (Scooter McGavin’s 9th Green)

Vance chats about the newly announced Season 5 Top 20 So You Think You Can Dance dancers with his new bsytycdff LowResJoe, TwoP Lauren S and ABChau. YAY! It’s STARTING!!! (Tapeworthy)

This week, Jace offered advance reviews for the first six episodes of Showtime’s Nurse Jackie and the first three episodes of Weeds and reviewed the pilots for CW’s Melrose Place and ABC’s The Middle. (Televisionary)

Marisa’s liking Conan so far on The Tonight Show, but it’s only been a few episodes. Let’s not get too excited. (TiFaux)

Yes, it’s true!  Comedy Central has picked up more brand effing new episodes of Futurama. Quoth a CC press release:

Futurama will return to production on 26 new half-hour episodes more than six years after the series aired its last original episode…The new episodes will be available in mid 2010 to be shown on COMEDY CENTRAL.

Okay, that sounds a little dry, but at least the creator David X. Cohen had a little bit more fun with his quote:

“We’re excited and amazed that the show is coming back, perhaps due to some sort of mysterious time loop. We look forward to working with COMEDY CENTRAL and 20th Television to make this the best iteration of the loop yet!”

See, that’s the kind of nerdy fun I can get behind.

In honor of this momentous occasion, enjoy this clip from Futurama Classic, featuring Beck.

If I weren’t (barely) a TV blogger, I would have no idea that there was a show on TV called Mental.

No, not The Mentalist. Just Mental.

As it turns out, there is such a show. And it’s on FOX.  And it’s incredibly average.

Mental centers around psychologist Jack Gallagher (Chris Vance), the new head of psychiatric services who (predictably) doesn’t play by the rules and throws caution to the wind. In his first scene on the pilot episode, Jack gets naked in front of the entire hospital staff in an effort to settle down an unruly mental patient.  Later, he breaks into a patient’s house to learn more about his condition.

He’s a good guy with bad boy tendencies… blah blah heartthrob blah.

Mental isn’t truly awful — but it is aggressively mediocre. Chris Vance’s handsome face and impish smirk  almost make up for the fact that his character — despite it all — hasn’t proven himself worthy of being the centerpiece of a medical drama. For a show that stakes a lot around the eccentric personality of its lead character, you’d think he’d have a few other quirks to spice up the character — that is, other than a general problem with authority and dislike of the doing things the old-fashioned way. I’m not saying that he should have an addiction to painkillers (like half of all TV doctors), but maybe spice up him up with a dark secret. (Not really a spoiler alert: he does have an ambiguous phone call at the end of the episode. It’s not that interesting either.)

Side note: Gallagher (and by Gallagher, I mean Chris Vance) resembles a less haggard-looking Jason Bateman with a gym body and jeans that fit him really well. Perhaps Michael Bluth’s lost twin brother who became a personal trainer in London (oh yeah, he’s English).

The pilot episode of Mental sets the stage for some predictable conflicts. There’s the buttoned up Dr. Veronica Hayden-Jones (the hyphenated last name, presumably, indicates her stubborn nature) — who colors within the lines and uses tried-and-true psychological techniques to get results. The way they’ve set up the show, the conflict between Veronica and Jack will likely play out in really obvious ways. She doesn’t want to take a risk, he wants to jump in head-first with wild theories.

It’s pretty black and white. She’s the Scully, he’s the Mulder. She’s the Felix, he’s the Oscar.

Besides Jack and Veronica, there’s a rather forgettable supporting cast. Two hot latin residents forge a forced sexual tension (well, he likes her — she won’t come around til the end of the season, most likely). A hospital administrator (who won’t put up with any more of his shennanigans!) has a briefly mentioned cancer backstory, but I was too distracted by the actress’ wooden delivery to be truly moved. There’s also some foreshadowed mischief with a doctor who asks Jack if he can keep a certain degree of “autonomy” in his work — leading us to believe he has a testing facility full of schizophrenic patients he uses as guinea pigs.

Mental is on FOX Tuesdays at 9. Which means you just missed it last night.  Sorry.  I guess it might be worth watching if you’re really into medical shows (in which case, you’ll probably be better off getting into Nurse Jackie).

I usually try to avoid liking things solely based on nostalgia, but even my cold little heart was tickled by this: Zack Morris appeared as a guest on Jimmy Fallon last night, big ’80s cell in tow.