tv changes

Forget the writers strike, even if that gets resolved so the world can have new episodes of and The Office30 Rock not everything on the boob tube right now is fixable.

Case in point, Joe Mantegna recently replaced Mandy Patinkin as head of the FBI's Behavioral Analysis Unit on the show Criminal Minds. It was never going to be an easy task to fill the shoes of Inigo Montoya himself, and I have no qualms with Joe Montegna on principle. He's a legend in my mind. The problem is that whenever he is speaking on the show, I don't hear the voice of the haunted and complex character who heads the Behavioral Analysis Unit. I hear Fat Tony from the Simpsons.

It's not just me either. My wife and I sat giggling through the entire episode this week.

Another big change came on American Chopper. This has been one of my favorite shows on TV since it started. For those that know me and are scratching their heads, it's true. I'm not a chopper guy and I'm not a reality TV guy, but the family dynamic has been more than enough to keep me glued to this show for years. Vinnie DiMartino recently left the shop to pursue his own thing which is all well and good. He's been doing the heavy lifting for years at that shop and shouldn't be relegated to standing in the shadow of others. But he was more than an all-purpose shop rat and fabricator. He was the foil to the jackass-ery of the Teutul family and now that's he's gone, they are suddenly less sympathetic to me. I still like Mikey, he's the shit. But the show has lost more than just an employee at OCC.

The good news is I suddenly have 2 hours every week to fill by doing my own thing. What are the chances of me filling the void with something other than more television?


One in Infinity?