I read Todd's point as the irony inherent in the overall "uplifting" nature of the show. In other words, after the "uplifting" song is over, people are still going to be (select one or more) pregnant, hateful, unloved, confused, depressed and dim.

ESPN Classics
The ESPN Classics sketches are one of the few repeating ideas I like on SNL (also enjoy What Up With That? and the one with the guys sitting around singing a classic rock song; hate almost all of Kristen Wiig's annoying-character sketches). The problem with the ESPN sketches, however is that they…

Agreed on the dumb title, but I can't think of a replacement. I got as far as "Family Jules" and then began banging a frying pan on my head in punishment.

Here's me again, the awkward dude at the party
OK, OK, I love "Modern Family," it's the great, new, signature comedy of the millennium, blah, blah, etc., etc. The fact remains, however, that as great as MF is (and I agree with this week's grade, by the way), most weeks I laugh louder and more often at "Cougar Town,"…

Worried about the next episode
Having seen the coming attractions for the highly publicized Madonna episode, I'm very concerned. Not only is the episode going to feature an all-Madonna soundtrack, it's going to BEAT US OVER THE HEAD THAT IT'S ALL ABOUT MADONNA IN CASE WE HAVEN'T ALREADY FIGURED IT OUT. Characters use…

Please, no more Gilly … ever.

I must vote in favor of Meyers as Update anchor. When he's on a roll, as on the most recent Jon Hamm episode (I think it was), when he lambasted the GOP for attempting to take on Obama in straight debate, he's among the best WU has ever fielded.

Agreed that the major failing of the Roker sketch was Thompson's inability to capture a "serious" Roker. His on-the-air version should have been a smooth-voiced, sincere weatherman; instead, Thompson made him a mush-mouthed Muppet.

This season makes me look forward to a second season of "The Fashion Show."

No comment on the topic. I just love coming to A.V. Club, where I can read phrases like "I'm with Anal Bum Cover."

'Titan'-ic mess (see what I did there?)
The "Clash of the Titans" intro disgusted us so much, we refused to watch the rest of the show. (Although just a few seconds of Ryan Seacrest usually has the same effect.) My wife and I said in unison, "We'll just catch it on A.V. Club."

1956. Can remember where I was when I watched the first episode of "Star Trek: TOS" (and The Monkees and The Man from U.N.C.L.E. and Adam West as Batman) and when comic books went from 12 cents to 15 cents.

Ranking them
My order of preference for these new comedies:

LEE MAJORS!!!
That's all I have to say … LEE MAJORS!!!

My guess is that Ellen isn't being Ellen so much on Idol because she's realized, too late to do anything about it, that the Idol judges' panel is the wrong platform for her style of humor. You have Randy who, as another commenter has mentioned, stomps every one-liner she spouts into the ground with repetition and…

What's he/she doing there?
Both "House" and "Law & Order" last night featured the Rule of the Obtrusive Guest Star Spoiler: Why would a show cast a significant and/or well-known actor if they weren't up to something? In other words, you can pretty much figure out what's going on simply by reading the guest star…

It was classic, how Rabbi Chang chastised his brother for being known as Senor Chang.

Good post, Todd
Agree 100% with your points.

Pity poor 'Parenthood'
I've not watched NBC's latest version of "Parenthood," but based on the promos — as well as the original movie and the 1st attempt at a series — I feel kind of sorry for it. It's kind of like the young magician who shows up intending to impress his friends at a party, only to discover that…