How to Spin-Off

Tonight on AMC, along with the midseason premiere of The Walking Dead, Better Call Saul makes its debut in hopes of taking the greatly successful character of Saul Goodman from Breaking Bad and giving him his own hour-long show. Spin-off shows are a tricky business. Sometimes the result of a spinoff is a television staple from the last 35 years in the form of ‘The Simpsons’*, and sometimes you get Joey. The allure of Joey Tribbiani apparently wore out after spending a decade with his ‘Friends’ in New York.

*That’s right, ‘The Simpsons’ is actually a spinoff. They originated on ‘The Tracy Ullman’ as a short cartoon break. Eventually they got turned into a full half hour comedy and became the most financially lucrative show of all time. Here’s a video of what they used to look like back then: [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gp4TBRawxSA&w=854&h=510]

So what is the key to making a good spin-off show? It may sound simple, but it really comes down to the writing. It’s easy to simply rely on the pre-established character, or characters, from the last vehicle they were attached to, but in order for a new show to be successful it has to stand on its own. To switch angles for a second, Marvel Studios does a really excellent job of doing just this. While their ultimate goal is to build towards ensemble movies (The Avengers, Avengers 2: Age of Ultron, Captain America: Civil War, etc.), that doesn’t mean they can just assume the audience is coming into the movie with all pre-existing knowledge of these characters in mind. In the first Avengers, it doesn’t take long for them to establish that Tony Stark likes to play by his own rules and Steve Rodgers is about planning and teamwork. Within a few lines of dialogue exchanged between the two, we see these character traits on display and it is clear that their personalities will clash going forward. We could have made this assumption just from seeing their individual movies, but to take a few seconds to establish character in the world of The Avengers is important for that specific film.

In the realm of television, you have more time to get to this point, but the same principal is in play. One of my favorite, and most successful, spin-off shows is Frasier. Frasier Crane first appeared in the season 3 premier of Cheers as a local Boston psychiatrist who started dating Diane Chambers, the female lead of the show. Only a guest-starring role at the time, Kelsey Grammer would go on to play the character for 20 consecutive years in primetime. In nine seasons on Cheers it was well-known that Frasier was quite pretentious and full of himself, but that he’d often cave to, and join in, the juvenile behavior of his other bar-mates.

So when the show of Frasier started, they didn’t take away everything that fun about Frasier Crane, but they changed what was around him. He moved across the country (Boston to Seattle), he got divorced from his wife Lilith, he got a new job as a radio host, and they surrounded him with strong characters for him to form new relationships with. So while the character was essentially the same as he was on Cheers, the new show felt and looked completely different.

That’s what Better Call Saul needs to strive for. They have the luxury of Breaking Bad never really exploring what made Saul Goodman tick as a person. Sure, we always knew that most of his actions were driven by greed, but we have no idea how he spent his personal life and how he got to be the man that he became. The key for BCS will be to not make it look or feel like a small scale version of Breaking Bad. It has to feel like its own story that we would have cared about without ever having seen the show that originated the character. Time will tell if Bob Odenkirk, and the show’s creators, are up to the task.

Some thoughts on what became of 'How I Met Your Mother'

When ‘How I Met Your Mother’ began, it was a very clever show. It quickly shook off the immediate ‘Friends’ comparisons because it had an overlying mystery of love looming over it that made people want to keep tuning in every week for clues as to this elusive Mother is. It was fun and it was something that had never been seen before in the sitcom world.

Also, in its early days, it struggled for viewership. When it went on hiatus during season four for the writers’ strike, the writers speculated about what their contingency plan would be if they were cancelled, (they jokingly said the mother would have been the coat check girl) which was a strong possibility at the time.

But then they started getting viewers, lots of them. With the help of reruns airing on cable and Netflix they actually gained viewers in its later years (which is extremely rare for any type of television show). Seeing that the show was really profitable now, CBS decided to keep extending it. This through off the writers’ original plan that the show would end with Ted meeting the Mother and there would be no more.

The popularity caused a major problem for this plan. With CBS renewing them one year at a time, they would have no way of knowing when the finale would be or how to lead up to it. With literally a hundred more episodes to fill than they would have expected, all of the sudden they needed to figure out a way to make new stories without diverging from their original plan, thus creating many, many filler episodes and plotlines that were really forced (I’m looking at you Zoe).

If they could do it over again, I think and hope they would have done it differently. They reached the point of no return about not introducing The Mother earlier in the series run and really handcuffed their ability to tell fresh stories.

****FINALE SPOILERS AHEAD. IF YOU HAVE NOT SEEN THE FINALE AND DON’T WANT IT SPOILED, STOP READING NOW****

So why was the finale so abysmal in my opinion? They completely undercut the original story and cheated us, and Ted Mosby’s children, of the romantic story this show was originally built around. If you don’t remember, Ted Mosby used to be Mr. Romantic. This was supposed to be the story of a nice guy, who had great friends, just trying to find the love of his life. That’s the story that we were presented with, and that’s the story I wanted to see.

I didn’t want to see Barney have a dog as his wingman. Or Robin be unnecessarily mean to a coworker who liked her. I wanted to see Ted get the woman of dreams after many hardships and have his friends help get him to that place. Obviously any time a show gets stretched out for as long as ‘HIMYM’ did, the characters have to change, otherwise it will become stale. But after season 4 they really began to sell out on many gags and started going back to well far too often for some of the running jokes.

I still think ‘How I Met Your Mother’ was a very successful sitcom, but I’ll always wonder what could have been if this story had been told in the amount time (or altered to accommodate a longer life) that was originally intended.

10 Great Shows Lacking Viewership

Hello Something About TVers (that really rolls off the tongue). I was taking a look at some television ratings lately and, as usual, I was completely disappointed in the shows that get boatloads of viewers compared to much higher quality shows. So, here’s my list of some of the best shows currently on the air that struggle for viewership while Two and a Half Men is still running rampant:

1. Justified (FX)

I can’t recommend Justified nearly enough and for anyone looking to replace their Breaking Bad fix, this is the show you want. Currently on its fifth season, it’s the story of Raylan Givens (played by Timothy Olyphant), a U.S. Marshall who is as much sarcastic as he is a badass. The story begins when he gets relocated back to his home town of Harlan County where most of the citizens have grown accustomed to minimal interference with lawmakers. It’s also home to Boyd Crowder (Walton Goggins) who is the constant foil to Raylan and is known for using every word in the dictionary. Boyd really separates Justified from other dramas because we get to follow the side story of him building his crime empire with stories that are interspersed with Raylan.

2. Brooklyn Nine-Nine (FOX)

Nine-Nine has really excelled in its first season and has avoided any really bad episodes. Led by Andy Samberg, Terry Crews, and Andre Bruagher, the show has a fantastic cast with a lots of actors who know their way around a joke. Taking place in a police station sets up for some hilarious storylines as they are constantly taking serious police stories and telling them from a more comedic angle. The ratings have been rough but critical praise should get it a second season at this point. There’s going to be a new episode following the Super Bowl and post-Bowl episodes of shows tend to have an easy to follow storyline for new viewers if you want to hop on the train.

3. Parenthood (NBC)

I can’t praise Parenthood enough for showing so simple things that families go through. It follows the story of the Bravermans (Bravermen?), 4 adult siblings that all have families of their own with different types of dynamics. It’s loosely based off the Steve Martin film by the same name and was adapted for television by Jason Katims, the same guy who did Friday Night Lights. Currently in its fifth season, it’s become a staple that you’re in for a good cry at least once per episode.

4. Parks and Recreation/Community (NBC)

At first glance you may be wondering why I included these two, especially considering all the memes that circulate on imgur from the shows, but year after year these shows are on the bubble of being cancelled. In fact, both shows combined don’t even equate to half the number of viewers Big Bang Theory gets. Both shows are getting up there in age but unlike many sitcoms they can still churn out fresh stories and bring big laughs when done right. Not to mention that the return of Dan Harmon has really invigorated Community in its current season.

5. The Americans (FX)

If you’re looking for a good spy thriller this is the show for you. The only thing is you find yourself rooting for KGB during the Cold War. It follows the lives Elizabeth (Kerri Russell) and Phillip (Matthew Rhys) who appear to be your average American family with two kids, but are instead cold hard Russian killers who have infiltrated the US to get information on what America is planning. As an added obstacle, their new neighbor coincidentally is an FBI agent (Noah Emmerich) who gives perspective on the other side of the story. The show really struggled for viewers in its first season but was able to scratch out a second season which premieres Feb 26.

6. Girls (HBO)

Created by and starring Lena Dunham, this is probably the most controversial show on the list as it really polarizes people who watch it. While I can’t argue with people who don’t like it, I do find it a very interesting watch. It essentially follows the lives of four 20-something girls who try to make it in New York. The problem is that for the most part they’re pretty terrible people who are in no way aware of their pretentiousness. All I can say here is give it a chance for a few episodes but if it isn’t for you then it isn’t for you.

7. Orange is the New Black (Netflix)

I’m actually not sure if this show doesn’t get many viewers because Netflix doesn’t release that information. However, most of the buzz around Netflix originals circles around House of Cards and season 4 of Arrested Development and OITNB is even better than those two. It’s dark, depressing, heart-warming, and at times hilarious as it gives us a look inside a women’s prison. It’s done an absolutely fantastic job of building strong characters and making us feel connected in some way to all of them.

8. Game of Thrones (HBO)

What!? Everyone watches this show! Yeah everyone does watch it but that’s because it’s the most pirated show on television. It still gets high ratings but that’s not nearly as representative as what it could get. I don’t want to get up too high on a soap box but this show is ridiculously expensive to produce, between a huge cast and greatly detailed wardrobes and environments. I know it’s hard to justify doling the money out but if you enjoy something of high quality, and want it to stay that way, then it may be something to consider.

9. Cougar Town (TBS)

Everyone wrote this show off based off the title (in fact that’s becoming a running meta joke on the show) but don’t let that sway you away from watching it. Created by Bill Lawrence and starring Courtney Cox, there are constantly guest stars showing up from Scrubs and Friends. ABC actually cancelled the show but TBS decided to save it (unfortunately they couldn’t do the same for Happy Endings, RIP) and its’ maintained the same level of laughs since switching networks. If you start from the beginning, the show doesn’t find itself until halfway through the first season but it doesn’t look back after that. Also, Penny Can!

10. Mad Men (AMC)

Ah, the best for last. Now that Breaking Bad is off the air I consider Mad Men to be the best drama on television, heck before Bad’s final eight episodes I could argue they rivaled for that spot. With one season remaining (Broken into two parts like the last season of Breaking Bad) it still remains the best written show on television and Don Draper (Jon Hamm) is still the man you love to hate. For those unfamiliar with the story, it follows the advertisement world in the 1960’s and the lives of the men and women who work within that world. Between Draper, Pete Campbell, Peggy Olsen, and Roger Sterling it may have the most well developed cast of characters on television.

Honorable mentions to Hannibal, Trophy Wife, and Portlandia which could have easily made the list. Any shows I left off? Let me know in that comment section below.

Cougar Town: ‘Like a Diamond’

As an unabashed Friends fan, these cameos of Courtney Cox’s former cast mates put the nostalgia part of my brain into overdrive. ‘Like a Diamond’ was no different as Matthew Perry becomes the fourth member of the old gang to appear on the show. Although my bias wooed me over to smile at every interaction Perry and Cox were having, the rest of the episode around it wasn’t one of the best we’ve seen out of the Cul-de-sac Crew.

Don’t get me wrong, consider it’s in the fifth season Cougar Town is still churning out fantastic jokes for the characters that they haven’t had to alter much since season one. However, I feel like we’ve seen variations of these stories over and over again. I mean there are only so many ways you put a twist on an Ellie/Laurie fight where they both eventually come out of it respecting the other a little bit more. Not to mention the countless times we’ve seen the child-like wonder and hope of Bobby questioned by another member of the group, only to see a “miracle” come through at the end which lead them all to believe “hey maybe I should chill out and be a little more like Bobby.”

But since these are only qualms with the storytelling aspect of the show I’m not too worried. What I would like to see going forward is more experimental episodes in the vein of what Community does. Considering the characters are so well established I think an episode or two like that would help shake things up for the better and I’m willing to bet the cast and writing staff would be game for something like a spoof of American Hustle.

In terms of this particular episode, I’m glad they didn’t go too meta with the Sam/Jules, Chandler/Monica dynamic, but it was really fun to see the two actors interacting on screen again (not counting Courtney Cox guesting on Go On last year). Also, I still say Matthew Perry is the best television actor for delivering a sarcastic line: “I’ve been sitting here for about four hours. You don’t work much do you?”

Other moments of note:

• The opening credits tag this week was “Cougar Town: Now with more Friends”
• I’m always a fan of doppelganger stories, especially if it involves Busy Phillips doing a weird Southern accent and saying things like “Bite me, little eyes.”
• “I like wine. Oh, and I also sell real estate.” - Jules
• Laurie was born and conceived in a Jacuzzi and has been medically dead four times.
• “I’m in really good shape!” -Grayson … “Okay, I’ll try to spread the word.” - Sam
• “Grayson, Monica.” – Perry addressing Grayson and Jules in an outtake. 

New Girl: ‘Basketsball’

After last week’s flash-back, character development heavy episode, I’m glad that New Girl came back with a very sitcom-y half hour filled with a bunch of silly premises and one liners that make this show so much fun to watch.

The main story revolved around Jess trying to get Coach(*) to start viewing her as his friend as opposed to his “buddies girlfriend.” The interactions with Jess and Coach were fun for a while but, like most New Girl plots, Nick came out of this one with the most to do. As a Bulls fan I’m sure I got an above average amount of glee from hearing him describe Coach’s Piston fandom compared to the Bulls: “His teams the Pistons. I mean they were great in the 80’s, but then we got Jordan. Then they started getting good, then we Thibodeau, whatcha’ you going do now?”

 (*) As far as I’m aware of, Damon Wayans Jr. has still only signed on as a guest star for the rest of season, but I’m not sure why the show would go to trouble of making it seem like Coach was in this for the long haul if he is just going to be gone in a few episodes anyway.

Eventually the story becomes primarily about how Jess and Nick become locked in a battle for who will turn the “sex tap” back on first which would have been a fine story on its own and I’m not sure exactly why it became shoehorned into this one. But all’s well that ends well as Coach and Jess become best buds and hopefully this leads to more Coach-centric stories going forward.

Over on the Schmidt side of things, he’s tasked with having two people shadow him for a day on the job, one being Winston and the other is Ed, an elderly gentleman the company hired to avoid an ageism lawsuit. I liked seeing Schmidt, Winston, and Nick (albeit unknowingly) teaming up to best Ed, but I’ve yet to see a story involving Schmidt’s office that I’ve liked so far. The biggest revelation here is that Cece convinces Winston he should be a cop, making it two straight weeks where she has settled someone’s career path.

Other moments of note:

• Does Schmidt still live in the other apartment? I think he does and I feel like the show is missing out on an opportunity to do some kind of “apartment wars” bit. Although, it’s possible he may have moved into Jess’ room since her and Nick are an item now.
• Chalk up another great Jake Johnson facial expression, this time it was the look of disgust on his face from seeing Jess in a Pistons t-shirt.
• “Michael Jordan is the first person who taught me I can love another man.” - Nick
• “There is too much going on in whatever metaphor you’re trying.” – Cece trying to decipher Schmidt’s ramblings.
• “Once your screen breaks, your information is all out there in the Twitterverse.” – Nick
•  “I’ve never seen a baby pigeon before.” Me neither Coach, me neither.

How I Met Your Mother: ‘Slapsgiving 3: Slappapointment in Slapmarra’

Picture of Segel regretting signing on for a ninth season.

There were more than a few slaps going around in ‘Slapsgiving 3: Slappapointment in Slapmarra.’ Unfortunately, though, several of them were inflicted on myself as the front of my hand kept finding itself raising up towards my eyes and covering them in a facepalm-esque manner. This was a truly painful episode to watch, from a complete lack of plot and character usage to utter lack of execution of a gag that once had so much promise.

As far as the latter goes, I’m really disappointed by the way the writers have gone about Marshall giving the slaps ever since the third one. What made the first slap so great was this ridiculous premise of making a bet that kept escalating until it ended with Barney taking his first slap of five that could be dealt out any place, at any time. My personal favorite was the second slap because it was so unexpected, and deserving, and set the table for what I thought the future slaps will be like.

After the first “Slapsgiving” the gag started seeing diminishing returns, especially since they tried to make every one a spectacle and base an entire episode around it. As cool as it was to see Boyz II Men perform a cover of ‘You Just Got Slapped’ I thought the whole buildup was far too childish to be funny and I wish they had stuck to the original premise where Marshall would catch Barney, and the viewer, off guard. Maybe they can salvage the final slap by making it be a flash-forward where Marshall has built an elaborate “slap room” with his hand prints painted on the wall. With lights flickering Barney wakes up not knowing where he is, shaking and traumatized. Finally, Marshall appears behind him, slowly creeping up to him as the light bounces from his face to Barney’s. He raises up and one final the slap of justice comes down upon Barney’s face. Or, ya know, something like that.

But seriously, last season I would always post in my “other moments of note” section that “at least Barney didn’t have a dog as his wingman,” a point I considered an all-time low for the series. While parts of this episode, like a tree slapping Marshall, came close to this, it was able to avoid the complete stinker label. Hopefully, although I highly doubt it, this will be the last awful episode of the season.

Other moments of note:

• Was it just me or is Jason Segel looking really skinny?
• When was the last time we saw Carl the bartender? I feel like it’s been a while.
• At least Barney didn’t have a dog as his wingman. 

2014 Golden Globes Live Blog

Once again Tina Fey and Amy Poehler are hosting the award show with the globes that are golden, ensuring that NBC will get at least a few more viewers who appreciate good comedy will watch. As always, the nominees for most of the larger categories are ridiculous (I’m looking at you Liev Schreiber for Ray Donovan) but hopefully at least a few deserving nominees will come away with the award. And if they don’t? Well I’ll just rant about it here.

The monologue begins with a greeting of “good evening to all the women and gay men watching at home.” I’ll try to hit on some of the best jokes. Tam Hunks is here as Amy apparently knew she was going to mess up on that difficult name to remember and pronounce. Tina speaking to Matt Damon: “Matt on every other night, in any other room, you would be a big deal, but tonight you’re just a garbage person.” ‘Explosion at the Wig Factory’ was the original title for American Hustle. Amy Poehler asks the cameras to get a shot of Amy Poehler and they cut to Jennifer Lawrence who has a good laugh about it. Tina describes Gravity as: “It’s the story of how George Clooney would rather float away into space and die then send one more moment with a woman his own age.” Poehler should make impersonating Scarlett Johansson her job as she tries to convince Tina that she was the voice of the computer in Her. Tom Hanks is still wearing his prosthetic genitals he got from Saving Mr. Banks.

Sandra Bullock and Tam Hunks present the first award of the evening for Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture. In what comes as little surprise, Jennifer Lawrence comes away with the award for American Hustle and immediately thanks director David O. Russell for making her career what it is. As always she comes across as sweet and humble and yadda, yadda, yadda we all love her.

Channing Tatum and Mila Kunis present the second award for Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Series, Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television and Jacqueline Bisset for Dancing on the Edge. She appears to be genuinely shocked, possibly drunk, as she accept the award. The music does its best to play her off but she Jacqueline isn’t having it. After a bit of swearing she finally gets around to thanking her friends and family. Unfortunately she probably just cost Tina and Amy a couple of jokes to fit the time constraint but wow that was something to watch. 

Next up in the “no surprise whatsoever category” is Behind the Candelabra winning for Best Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television. Yay? Getting another of the mini-series awards out of the way, Elizabeth Moss wins Best Performance by an Actress in a Mini-Series or a Motion Picture Made for Television for Top of the Lake. I haven’t seen TOL yet but I’m just going to go ahead and view this as a win for Peggy.

Fey and Poehler are back out and thanking the Associated Press for putting the whole event together, along with a bunch of ridiculously hard to pronounce names from the Foreign Press. Jonah Hill and Margot Robbie are out to introduce The Wolf of Wall Street but they’re accidentally given the wrong teleprompter lines, Margot adorably doesn’t want to improvise so someone is nice enough to bring out a paper with the right words on it. Aaron Eckhart and Paula Patton (wearing a comforter?) are out to give the award for Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series - Drama. The award appropriately goes to Bryan Cranston for Breaking Bad. Heisenberg getting his damn recognition! Get back on up there Cranston, Breaking Bad wins for Best Television Drama and all remains right in the world. Actually, I can’t complain about any of the award selections so far.

Philomena is a real person? Did not know that. Kate Beckinsdale, P-Diddy and Usher are out to present Best Original Score for a Motion Picture with the winner being Alex Ebert and his hair for All is Lost. Haven’t seen the movie yet but I’m happy for Roger’s son. Best Original Song for a Motion Picture goes to ‘Ordinary Love’ for Mandela. Great, all Bono needs is something else to pump up his ego…

Amber Heard and the interchangeable Chicago Fire hunks are out to present Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Series, Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television. Jon Voight unfortunately comes away with the award for Ray Donovan. Not a fan of Voight and very much not a fan of Donovan but hey they can’t get all the awards right…oh wait they can? Well, that’s a bummer. Robert Downey Jr. arrives to join the fun and he announces that no matter what name he calls from this envelope, he’ll leave tonight as a winner. Amy Adams very deservingly wins Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy for American Hustle. Such a fantastic movie and role, glad Amy got her due and that her daughter was able to teach her basic human emotions.

Kevin Bacon and Kyra Sedgwick the Entertainer are the next presenters. Does Kevin Bacon have to do a six degrees joke every time he’s out in public now? Their daughter Sophie Bacon joins them and Tina Fey has brought her adult son Randy along too. Randy, played by Poehler, hilariously asks if Idris Elba is his real Dad. Robin Wright wins Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series – Drama for House of Cards. She calls the Foreign Press a gaggle of characters and references Merrit Weaver’s great speech before heading off stage. Jim Carrey comes out and gives Shia LaBeouf a jab by making a plagiarism joke. After a clip of American Hustle Christoph Waltz is out to present the Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture and it goes to Jared Leto for his very transformative role in Dallas Buyers Club. If it’s body changing that is swaying the voters this year then that bodes well for Christian Bale and Matthew McConaghey.

Emma Thompson, who can probably do no wrong, comes out holding her heels and a glass of wine to present the award for Best Screenplay. Spike Jonze wins for Her; I want to see this movie so very bad. Julie Bowen and Seth Myers are out to present the award for Best Actor in a Comedy Series with the award going to Andy Samberg. I’m genuinely shocked but really happy Brooklyn Nine-Nine is getting some recognition. Hopefully this will all but assuredly lock the show into getting picked up for a second season.

Right out of commercial we get the winner for Best Foreign Language Film and The Great Beauty wins. The director pretty much does part two of the bit where Tina and my start listing off a bunch of insanely difficult names to pronounce. Poehler and Fey come back out to point out that Julia Louise Dreyfus has returned to the television section, now eating a hot dog. Melissa McCarthy and Jimmy Fallon are the next presenters, unfortunately a sandbag fell on Melissa’s head and she now thinks she’s Matt Damon. Michael Douglass wins Best Performance by an Actor in a Mini-Series for Television or Something Like That for Behind the Candelabra. Congrats Douglass, but we don’t need the “cool guy pointing out hi other cool guy buddies” thing in your acceptance speech. You’re not a middle-schooler who just won for class treasurer.  


The award for Best Animated Feature Film and Frozen takes home the glory. Emilia Clarke and Chris O’Donnell are presenting the award for Best Actress in a Comedy and finally, FINALLY!, Amy Poehler wins for Leslie Knope on Parks and Recreation. So long overdue, so happy for her. Hopefully the Emmys learn something from this and recognize her performance this year as well.

Emma Stone, who will be in Woody Allen’s next film, comes out to introduce the clips from Woody Allen’s 74 movies. Diane Keaton appropriately takes the stage to accept the Cecil B. DeMille Lifetime Achievement Award for Woody. She gives a great Woody quote about how art can only truly measured by how impactful it is in the moment. Verging on the edge of creepy territory she sings a song about how she and Woody are friends forever, but she clearly had good intentions and did well by Allen.

Ben Affleck, last year’s winner for Best Director, is out to present the award to Alfonso Cuaron for Gravity.  It’s tough to argue this one as the directing had to be spot on for such an image-driven film. Gravity wasn’t the best movie of the year but Cuaron deserves the win for putting the spectacle together. Also, thanks to Sandra Bullock for not quitting the film after he threatened to give her herpes. "Michael Bay described our next presenters as... oh, um, sorry, can't do this." -Tina Fey. Chris Evans and Uma Thurman are next out of the gate, Best Comedy Series goes to Brooklyn Nine-Nine. Wow did anyone see this coming? If this doesn’t guarantee a second season I don’t know what will.

Two-time Golden Globe winner Jennifer Lawrence get to present the award for Best Actor in a Comedy and it goes to Leonardo DiCaprio for The Wolf of Wall Street. He pokes fun at the fact that he, and other very serious actors, are nominated in the “comedy” category because let’s face it, the Globes do it just so they can get more people to come to their little party. In related news, Leo still doesn’t have that Oscar.

Chris Hemsworth and some old racing dude (Nicky Lauda) take the stage to present a clip of Rush. Following them, Drew Barrymore comes out in her finest Easter dress to present the award for Best “Comedy” or Musical Motion Picture. The Golden Globe goes to American Hustle. I spoke earlier when Adams won for best supporting actress but this movie was easily my favorite of the year and it was certainly worthy of the win.

With 16 minutes remaining before 11:00, it’s looking like we’re going to be over on time. Leonardo returns to the stage to give Cate Blanchett the award for Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama for her role in Blue Jasmine. Cate thought the Magic Castle was weird compared to this, good thing she didn’t let Tobias Funke take her there. Jessica Chastain gets to give out the award for Best Performance by an Actor in a Drama Series and McConaughey is going home a winner. Those Foreign Press guys love their weight-loss AIDS movies. Always fun to hear McConaughey do a Matthew McConaughey impersonation. And apparently he does a Borat “my wife” impression too.

The final award for the night is of course Best Motion Picture – Drama. Johnny Depp gets the honors to deliver the coveted award that doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll win Best Picture at the Academy Awards but is usually a pretty good indicator. In a tone that suggests he’d rather be watching a documentary about how paper plates are made, Depp announces the winner is 12 Years a Slave, which would also be my choice and prediction for The Oscars. It’s got everything you’d expect out of a “best picture” and it was brilliant to watch s no complaints here.

All-in-all I thought it was a much better than average Golden Globes. Tina Fey and Amy Poehler crushed it in the monologue and probably the biggest qualm I can gather is that there wasn’t more of them throughout the show. As far as the awards themselves go there were certainly a few that weren’t perfect but hey, at least Liev didn’t win for playing Ray. They finished on time and with the end of the show comes the end of my live-blog, thanks for reading it everyone!