A Bit Of A Huge Roundup

This is going to be a little short but over the last two weeks, there have been some good shows to watch over.

Lip Service - Pretty interesting finale. I'm not gonna lie that I didn't see Cat/Frankie happening because it was pretty obvious that was going to go there and it'll be interesting to see if Cat does choose her ex-girlfriend over Sam. I did also like Frankie's mystery being resolved and it was nice to see Tess sort out her friendship with Ed, get a good acting gig and spark up a relationship with Finn. Pun intended. Hoping this series returns for a second run.

Merlin - what is it with Uther trying to crush other people's love interests? First, he ended up banishing Gaius's one, Alice after it was revealed that her hand was being forced by a Manticore and thanks to Morgana's scheming, he almost ended up having Gwen executed as well. I have to admit to enjoying Merlin using a disguse in order to save Gwen and give both Uther and Arthur a piece of his mind. Now, I need to go and catch with last night's episode.

Thorne - I really enjoyed the last two episodes of this series but I'm hoping for a little more of an oomph if we get a next series. Thorne's guardianship over Charlie and his scenes with his father, Phil and Ruth were fantastic but Sandra Oh was surprisingly disappointing as Sarah Chen and I wasn't too sad to see her killed by Martin. Overall, a worthwhile addition to Sky1's staple.

Accused - Christopher Eccleston and his gritty dramas, eh? He certainly seems to enjoy them and the start of this six-parter from Jimmy McGovern was a decent stab at something for Monday nights. Each week sees a court case and this week saw Eccleston's character steal money to pay for his daughter's wedding and ending up getting six years as well as having his affair quietly revealed in the background. Certainly not a good day for Willy.

The X Factor - Well, in the last three weeks, we've had TreyC, Aiden and Paije all fall to the sides whilst Katie Waissel and Wagner have triumphed yet again. Having weeks dedicated to both Elton John and the Beatles certainly has been telling but at this point, I just know that either Matt Cardle or One Direction are going to win this, so it doesn't matter what controversy Katie generates, though to her credit, she did a cracking version of Help.

I'm A Celebrity, Get Me Out Of Here - Maybe it's a form of twisted karma but for a woman who examines other people's poo for a living, Gillian McKeith certainly has managed to become a figure of fun and scorn for the general voting public and her fellow teammates. Personally, while I'm not glued to this series, I am finding the excess picking on Gillian a tad too mean and I don't even like the woman.

The Apprentice UK/Irish Versions - Mmm, I'm watching the Irish more and actually enjoying it more. We've lost misery guts Tara and moronic Dave (while still being lumbered with patronising git, Jamie) and with any luck, Will will develop a personality and Michelle will win the bloody thing. As for the UK versions, I wasn't too sad to see the departures of either Alex or Sandeesh to be honest.

Let's Not Use The Beiste In That Way

Glee - Certainly the most eventful episode of the season so far. Kurt's bullying is something that's become out of hand in the last while and the constant fact that no-one seems to defend him against the closeted Karofsky is beginning to become increasingly frustrating. New guy Blaine definitely tried his damndest but it's the likes of Will and Figgins who really should be stepping up to the plate with this but hats off to Ryan Murphy for highlighting Kurt's plight all the more. In terms of the other storylines - I felt bad for Beiste being used by the kids as a source of 'cooling off' but I also wondered if it was wise of Will to give Beiste her first kiss as well. The song varied - liked the Dalton boys take on Teenage Dreams, our guys mash-up of Stop In The Name Of Love/Free Your Mind but wasn't overly impressed with the girls rendition of Start Me Up/Livin On A Prayer. As for Puck and Artie's friendship - it certainly has potential.

Lip Service - why haven't BBC3 confirmed a second season of this? It's becoming one of the best programmes they've done this year and this episode was certainly a corker and a half. Tess's birthday escalating from one disaster to another (bad botox, Chloe's engagement, Ed finally admitting his true feelings) were one this but the whole Sadie/Frankie/Cat/Sam quadrangle got interesting and messy all at once, especially given that Sadie left Frankie and Sam is becoming increasingly aware of how much closer Frankie and Cat have become. In terms of Frankie's own mystery, there wasn't much forwarding on that one and I wasn't too fussed about Becky finding out about Frankie and Jay either but overall, this was certainly a brilliant episode to watch.

The Vampire Diaries - The last two episodes I've seen have been fun ones to watch. Whether it's dealing with Matt's unpleasant mother or Elena becoming proactive in trying to track her own biological one, the show is certainly not sitting on it's honkers, that's for sure. While I had guessed that opening the tomb wouldn't give Katherine back to Damon, I am pleased to have Pearl around and I was pretty sad to see Bonnie's grandmother die but Alaric after being sidelined a little has become more interesting now that both Damon and Stefan are aware of who he really is. Why can't TG4 speed up with this series already?

Misfits - I fell in love with this series over the summer and I certainly wasn't intending on waiting for Channel 4 to air Season 2 in 2011 to see if it lived up to the first one. If this opener was anything to go by, then this season is going to be a lot of fun. Lucy the menacing shapeshifer caused chaos but evaded reprisals, the gang became aware of Nathan's immortality and Simon bumping off Sally all too quickly and there's a masked guy stalking the gang as well. More importantly the humour is still also pretty much intact as well, so overall, it's an almighty welcome back for this gang of troublemakers.

Desperate Housewives - I think apathy is beginning to set in because I'm just not loving this season as much as the last one. I don't really think Renee is fitting in that well as a character, I find Paul's attempts of trying to buy some of the neighbours houses not that interesting (even if he is trying to blackmail Susan at the moment) and seeing Lynette and Tom argue over and over again - this time over the latter's mother has gotten more and more repetitive than ever. The only bright sparks have been Gabby and Carlos coming to terms with meeting their biological daughter and Bree and Keith's fooling around. Five episodes in and this season needs to step up a gear.

- Rob Kazinsky has been cast as Dr Rick, the ex-boyfriend of Odetta Yustman's character, Annie for one episode of Brothers And Sisters.

- Courtney Ford has been cast as Andy Bellefleur's lawyer sister, Portia in the fourth season of True Blood. IDW will be releasing further comics of the series in 2011 as well.

- Teri Hatcher has revealed that she's done her cameo on Smallville as a gesture of respect for fans. How sweet!

- The younger versions of the Glee kids appears in next week's episode. Blaine is also not as confident as he appears to be as well.

- Kevin McKidd will direct an episode of Grey's Anatomy. He's the second cast member to do it this season.

We're Off To See The Fisher King

Another UK TV based blog. I'll do another US one next Thursday after I've finished Dexter off and seen the first episode of The Walking Dead.

Lip Service - Terrific fourth episode. Okay, I might not find Frankie the most likeable of people but she certainly keeps things interesting to a degree. Not only did she nearly get arrested for trashing a house with Sadie and sleeping with Jay at the end of the episode but her search for her past is starting to cause problems for Sam and Cat as well. Speaking of them, I cringed a little when Sam had to meet her girlfriend's parents. I think I could go a healthy stretch without seeing Cat's mother to be honest. As for Tess, the internet being a disaster storyline was cliched but amusing enough. I still think in spite of Lou's douchey behaviour that she'll end up going back to Tess. Dating Tom the prick can't be doing her the world of good and Lou is preferable to Ed getting with Tess. I like him but I'd rather that him and Tess didn't get it on if that's possible.

Merlin - Eight episodes in and this season still feels like it's on the slow path. This week did try to make some progress with Arthur going on a mission for an artefact whilst unaware of the fact that it was actually Merlin's destiny to meet the dying Fisher King (look, it's Kemp from Being Human) and get some water from Avalon while Gwaine did some monster slaying. Another plus to this episode was Warwick Davis's cameo appearance and the fact that Gwen became privy to Morgana's evil ways and confided in Gaius about it. Overall, an enjoyable episode though Morgause was wasted to a cameo this week.

The X Factor - It was Halloween during the weekend, so there was perfect excuse to use it as a theme for the show on Saturday. Well, it would've been perfect if more than a handful of contestants actually had songs/costumes that adhered to the theme. If I never hear Wagner's take on Bat Out Of Hell or Aiden's odd version of Thriller, it won't be too soon. Cheer up, Aiden. In terms of songs, I actually thought that Cher's version of Stay With Me worked the best, even if Simon's comments about the similarities between Cher and Cheryl are about two months too late. Oh and Belle Amie left but that wasn't much of a surprise.

The Apprentice - UK/Irish Versions: I have to admit that between the two of them, I'm actually preferring the Irish version a little more this year. The UK version has had some good moments in the last weeks and I was glad to see both Melissa and Paloma get the boot in the last two weeks but the Irish one is making me laugh. Especially with Panos being gloriously out of his depth and the figure of fun with a bad game during a task for Cadburys in a local village. Oh, and kudos to Michelle being project manager given that her dictator style actually meant that people get things right and given that she was on the team that lost out to an 11 month calender last week, it was nice that she was able to get a victory. I wasn't too bothered to see Sarah and Nagaite go though I'm hoping that Jamie is next.

- Nina Dobrev has revealed that more will be revealed about Katherine's colourful past in an upcoming episode of The Vampire Diaries.

- Kevin and Scotty will be taking in a young girl named Olivia in Brothers And Sisters.

- Gwyneth Paltrow's character on Glee will be called Holly Holiday. Burt and Carol will also be getting married in an upcoming episode as well as Kurt possibly transferring/spying on another school.

- HBO have ordered a pilot from Steve Coogan and Justin Theroux.

- Eliza Dushku will be playing an FBI agent in The Big Bang Theory, whose job is put in danger by Sheldon.

- True Blood's fourth season will finally introduce Andy's sister, Portia as well as cage-fighter Naomi, z-list palm reader, Marnie (who gets posessed by a witch's spirit - Hallow?), fairy Queen Mab and Suzanne McKittrick, who's a shapeshifter. Casting for these roles has yet to be confirmed.

Brief Catchup

I will get up to speed on more UK television later in the week but for now, here's a brief rundown on three programmes from last week.

Lip Service - Interesting third episode. I don't know whether I should love or loathe Sadie as a character. While I don't care about her stealing Becky's necklace (sorry, I find Becky annoying), I didn't like that she exposed Lou's affair with Tom, even after said affair destroyed her relationship with Tess. I think both Tess and Frankie need to watch out for her. As for Jay and Hayley doing ketamine - there's a lesson to be learned there. Frankie's ongoing research is a lot better than most her scenes with Cat, which rightfully got a firm reality check at the hands of Sam this week. At the halfway point of this series, I definitely do find myself enjoying it more and more.

Single Father - I have to ask, was there really any doubt that Dave would have fathered the rest of Rita's kids and similarly was there any doubt that Lucy in the end would choose Dave over her own biological father? No on both accounts but as a final instalment to the mini-series, it was a satisfying ending to everything. Okay, I could've done without Sarah revealing that she had planned to get pregnant when she slept with Dave but overall, this was a good ending to an enjoyable if not wholly original series.

Thorne: Scaredycat: Okay, the first instalment to this new series and it's not the best. I'm still enjoying the series overall and David Morrissey is the best actor for the role of Thorne but I found Sandra Oh deeply annoying as Sarah Chen and as for the murders of some prostitutes, well, it's not as gripping as the first killer we encountered, is it? Still, the next two episodes could change everything. One thing I did like was Thorne looking after the young lad whose mother died and both Thorne and Phil dealing with the consequences of nearly being exposed for Frank's murder. Tughan still might catch them out though.

Siblings Reunited

Okay this is going to be brief runover of what I've seen in the last few days and sorry for the delay.

Merlin - Two very interesting episodes here. With the first one I've seen, there was the return of the fairy creatures from the first season and a young woman named Elena, who sensibly did not want to be Arthur's suitor. Top marks to the writers for keeping the goofiness at the right level and for the sympathy drawn for Elena. As for the second episode, nice to see Gwen's brother and the return of Cenred but I would like the Morgana/Morgause stuff to move a little more forward now.

Lip Service - I really do like this show. Okay, so the comparisons to The L Word probably won't end soon but it's certainly more believable and less elitist take on lesbian culture and the characters are definitely interesting to watch. Frankie's not too likeable but she's fascinating and it's hard not to lovbe/feel bad for Tess, given that Lou's pretty much messing her about and she lost her job after impersonating a child psychologist badly. Plus Cat's burgeoning relationship with Sam is nice to watch as well. Not really too bothered about Jay and Ed or Becky - yet.

Thorne: Sleepyhead - Going on the second episode alone, this is definitely taking a different route than the books, which isn't a bad thing. Thorne and Phil's fractured friendship over an old secret is definitely interesting and it was nice to see some of Holland's home life as well as a means for Allison to try and communication with Thorne and Anne but the cliffhanger at the end of the first episode seemed resolved a little too quickly, even if a fair amount of time passed for Tom. I'll comment about the last part of Sleepyhead in a later blog.

Single Father - I'm not going into hyperbole about how this is a brilliant show but the hype surrounding it is certainly justified, that I will admit. Taking Dave to the levels of seeking out Lucy's bio-dad and then sleeping with Sarah after learning that Rita had one secret too many did all make sense, even if it was terribly predictable. The acting in this, especially from the youngsters does continue to impress but I can see some difficult decisions ahead for Dave in the next two episodes.

The X Factor - Ah, the last two weeks of this have been fun. In the space of four shows, we've lost Storm Lee, Diva Fever and John Adeleye (the latter I was sad to see go) but more importantly, we've also had Cheryl plug her latest rubbish song as well as a totally manufactured feud between her and Louie to endure. Um, guys, this show is about the contestants, not the judges. Speaking of contestants, I find it hilarious that for all the negative publicity she's generated that Katie has still managed to be saved for the last few weeks. And my sister keeps nagging me about the greatness of Mary Byrne. I get it, already - Dublin should be proud.

The Apprentice - Ireland/UK Versions - I'm beginning to think that I need to seperate these two because at the moment, I'm enjoying them in equal measures and find myself supporting certain candidates and bemused by others. In the UK version, Shibby bemused me but his bad decisions with the task made it just for Alan Sugar to give him the boot, whereas I also find myself a little taken with Jamie. The Irish version makes me wonder why Dave hasn't been booted out but I guess it had been fair for Caroline to get the chop over the ad fiasco, even if her comments about certain people coasting along might be true. Either way, I bet BBC1 and TV3 are very happy with the ratings for these shows nonetheless.

- Keith Carradine has been cast as Penny's father in an upcoming episode of The Big Bang Theory.

- Robert Englund will be guest starring in next week's Halloween themed episode of Chuck.

- Kristin Davis is set to star in upcoming NBC series, The Happiness Project about one woman's quest for true happiness.

- Mariah Carey is being rumoured for the US version of The X Factor.

- Chandra Wilson has recently directed an episode of Grey's Anatomy.

Earthquake

Desperate Housewives - why I am nervous that both RTE2 and Channel 4 are airing this early? Oh, maybe because they did this before with Season 5 and that turned out to be rubbish. Might be premature to write off Season 7 though one thing I will say is that I'm not sold on Vanessa Williams's character, Renee Perry just yet. Too much like a watered-down Wilhemina for my liking and I just can't buy into her and Lynette's 'friendship' either. I'll need further convincing but on the plus side, it does look like the Paul vs. Felicia arc could be a lot of fun and the storylines with Gabby/Carlos lying to each other and Bree having the hots for her decorator, Keith have potentia. Susan's one involving cleaning in skimpy clothing for her landlady's website only seems to prove that the writers are struggling to come up with storylines for her nowadays. As for the first three minutes of this episode - some of the best/nostalgia fuelled ever.

Smallville - Martha Kent is Red Queen? What the hell? I'm all for seeing a bad ass side to Mrs Kent but not to this extent. I actually thought at one point that she was going to shoot Tess. After all, she had no problems using kryptonite on her own son, so shooting a morally ambiguous girl like Tess wouldn't have been a step too far but luckily, she didn't. I get that part of Martha's big plan was to protect her son/the world but I kind of wished she gone about it in a better way. Still, it was heaps better than the Clark/Lois stuff this week and I did like the return of Perry as well.

The Vampire Diaries - Memo to Damon, if you keep killing every person that wrongs you, eventually someone is going to get lucky and actually finish you off. There's only so many times that Damon will be able to save himself or require assistance from Elena or Stefan before meeting the end. I actually didn't blame Bree for setting Lexie's boyfriend on Damon and it's a shame that Damon killed her in this one because I'd rather see Gina Torres in this show than Gossip Girl. The stuff with Elena's adoption only served to prove how little versed I am in this world but I can already tell that Jeremy's new friend isn't what she seems. However the best stuff of this episode was the insight into Alaric's past and the Stefan/Bonnie interactions this week. I am definitely glad that I'm watching this show.

Modern Family - for a hyped episode, the earthquake episode was certainly interesting. Nathan Lane had an amusing cameo as an embarrassing friend of Mitchell and Cameron's and I certainly liked that Claire came to the realisation that she was turning into her mother but I'm beginning to think that Gloria is going a little overboard with her religious beliefs. Maybe she should accept the fact that Jay doesn't share them, instead of getting into a hissy fit over it, eh?

Lip Service - another overhyped new drama but I liked this one. Sure, it's pretty much The L Word in Scotland and certain characters here are similar to other (Frankie/Shane, Tess/Alice) but overall, this is a pretty decent series for BBC3 and while the sex scene in the funeral home won't be to a lot of people's tastes, I do think the show has the potential to be interesting enough without trying too hard to be shocking. Most of the characters are well rounded and the cast do seem to click well with each other. Even Roxanne McKee from Hollyoaks is working well on this one. Definitely one to consider.

- No Ordinary Family and Brothers And Sisters have both been commissioned four extra episodes each for their current season.
- It's looking more likely that Sam will now be a love interest for Quinn in Glee instead of Kurt. Oh, and Puck won't be pleased about it.

- Necar Zadegan has scored a recurring role as mystery character Isabelle on The Event. The series starts on Channel 4 on Friday at 9pm.

- V will return on January 4th on ABC and the series will be exploring more of the mythology behind the Visitors.
- HBO are developing a pilot for a fashion series with Tea Leoni called Spring/Fall. Six Feet Under scribe Kate Robin is writing the pilot for the series.

First Look: Lip Service

It was only a matter of time before someone realised that the success of a show like The L Word could be translated for a UK audience and lo and behold, we've got Lip Service. A six part drama based on the loves and losses of six twenty something lesbian females (and a few token straight males).

Created by Harriet Braun, the series sees Cat (Laura Fraser) unnerved by the return of her ex-girlfriend, Frankie (Ruta Gedmintas) while best mate Tess (Fiona Button) seems to have a bad taste in women.

Catching some of the trailers online, the comparisons to The L Word are inevitable and fair but this does look like an interesting show in it's own right and it's nice for some more drama on BBC3.

Lip Service airs Tuesdays at 10.30pm on BBC3 from October 12th.

Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FnI2n9W5a34&feature=related