Quick reviews

Rescue Me: I can't even express how gleeful this show makes me. I was nice to the show in my post yesterday, but the premiere episode hit me a lot harder than I even expected. I don't even want to discuss the plot so as not to give it away and waste another one of my clever spoiler warnings. But there are no other hourlong dramas that consistently cause me to pause the TiVo so I can stop laughing -- then five minutes later have me gasping or tearing up or agape at the brilliant story they're telling me.

The only thing that really annoyed me was the first five minutes the TiVo recorded were red carpet interviews with the cast at the premiere. There's no need for that. I'll watch it on the DVD or the TV Guide channel if I even wanted to watch it at all.

Last Comic Standing: I'm really mad at NBC for what they did to this show in seasons three and four. It was an abomination. Seriously. Season three destroyed the show and sent (the genius of the show) creator Jay Mohr away. Season four was just filled with pretty lame comics and the voting system stunk (not that any voting system that would allow Dat Phan to win a comedy contest is stellar by any means).

BUT! After the first episode of this season, I'm happy with the show again. The audition process is always entertaining, so I'm not overly excited. And I'm not really happy with the addition of Bill Bellamy as host and former contestant Ant as a talent scout (I'm cool with Alonzo and Kathleen, but I think you need to be funny to judge comics).

Anyway, I like stand up and I like the base premise of this show. Even Ant's tolerable when he's not doing the stereotypical flamboyant thing for his act. This is a good show if you do, too. Just pray that the funny people get through, because after season four, I was worried that maybe the show had found every funny person and thrown them asunder. OK, I've used the word asunder. I should move on.

Lil' Bush: Here's my problem: The jokes are all played out already. There are some cute moments and some funny gags, but what Bush joke hasn't been told already. That's My Bush was fresh and funny. This is old and a South Park ripoff.

*sigh*

From Variety:

NBC has tapped Bill Bellamy to host the upcoming fourth season of Last Comic Standing.

Bellamy, a standup/thesp whose credits include Any Given Sunday and the Fox drama Fastlane, replaces former host Anthony Clark. Clark was brought in last summer to replace the skein's original host, Jay Mohr.

In addition to a new host, Comic will return with a new panel of regular judges. Former Comic contestants Alonzo Bodden, Kathleen Madigan and Ant will replace Ross Mark and Bob Read as Comic's version of Randy, Simon and Paula.

Peacock is also broadening Comic's mission, expanding the talent search to London, Montreal and Sydney in a bid to find the funniest comedian in the world.

Yuck, yuck, YUCK. Can you name one show started in the past 4 years that wasn't somehow completely ruined by its network? I didn't think they could do any more to trash what will probably go down in history as the best of the find-the-next-big-whatever competition shows (even though it hasn't been that show since the second season) and I don't know what I hate Variety for more: the fact that they broke this terrible news to me or the fact that they call Bill Bellamy a "thesp."

And as if the show hadn't lost all credibility, Tonight Show geniuses Mark and Read are gone and replaced by one funny comedian, one tolerable comedian and ANT (!?). No way, jack.