Behind Mad Men Are...Women

These tropes are so overused, they're not funny anymore

(NEWSER) - If you're tired of hearing sitcom characters joke that they just threw up in their mouths or ironically comment, "That went well," after something decidedly didn't, you're not alone. On Vulture , Margaret Lyons lists 10 overused TV situations and lines she'd be happy to never hear again:

• "And by [thing], I of course mean [opposite of thing]." Lyons would say, "Chandler Bing called and he wants his ironic detachment back," except that joke is "even more overdone."
• "He's standing right behind me, isn't he?" Sure, it is plausible that in real life, a person might be caught gossiping. "But no one has ever actually, authentically said, 'She's standing right behind me, isn't she?'"

Did we really need the first 'Love Boat,' let alone the second?

(NEWSER) - Hollywood is constantly churning out movie remakes that really should never have been greenlighted, but TV doesn’t get off scot-free. The Huffington Post lists 11 boob-tube remakes we really never needed to see:

• Knight Rider: “The original starring The Hoff is a camp classic,” writes Ross Luippold, but “not even Will Arnett, who was cast as the voice of KITT until being replaced by Val Kilmer, could save this dud.”
• The Love Boat: “The 1970s were encapsulated in The Love Boat: polyester clothes, soft lighting, and a swingin' good time.” Something that time-sensitive should never be remade.

Forget new shows: You're missing out on these old shows

(NEWSER) - This fall, instead of trying to figure out what NBC's sure-to-be-mystifying The Event is actually about, why not pick up a great show that's already on the air? Kevin Fallon gives his 12 picks in The Atlantic :

• Cougar Town: Don't count Fallon among the many Cougar Town haters . He calls the Courteney Cox show one of "television's strongest ensemble comedies," a "sharply written sitcom about a quirky group of friends and neighbors."
• In Treatment: Don't be scared by its unusual format (often, "the screen is shared by just two actors for an entire episode"): Gabriel Byrne 's show about therapy is "one of the finest acting showcases in television."

Conservatives, liberals see the show through different eyes

(NEWSER) - The fourth season of Mad Men starts Sunday, providing a political litmus test of sorts for viewers. The shift from the 1950s to the '60s fills conservatives with "apprehension" and liberals with "anticipation," writes Natasha Simons for the National Review . Each camp sees it through the prism of its choice: Liberals rejoice that the '50s—filled with "sexism, racism, and general prejudice"—will get their comeuppance, while conservatives fear the impending doom of the "Me Generation" and its hedonistic self-indulgence. More»

January Jones says she was trying to elude photographers

(NEWSER) - January Jones, who plays the beleaguered wife of Mad Men’s Don Draper, is accused of leaving the scene after hitting three parked cars. Jones allegedly lost control of her Range Rover last night and caused major damage, TMZ reports. She left on foot, saying, “I can’t deal with this commotion,” but returned during the investigation and explained she bailed because paparazzi were following her. Alcohol and drugs were not involved, cops say. More»