Office Wedding Draws Cheers, Tears, Few Jeers

Jim and Pam are the height of bland

(NEWSER) - After 5 years of the will-they-or-won't-they dance, Jim and Pam of The Office will tie the knot in the Oct. 8 episode, and the prenuptial PR blitz has sent one blogger around the bend. "We're already sick of these two insufferable lovebirds," enemy of drawn-out romance Brian Moylan writes for Gawker. "Christ, it took them two years just to freakin' kiss! And now their engagement, which has been prolonged since last season's premiere, is the same way." More»

Why NBC should pull the plug

(NEWSER) - Sure, sure, The Office is still funny, but it’s becoming increasingly obvious that it’s running out of steam, and should just close up shop when Steve Carell departs. “You can sense a weariness and desperation setting in,” writes Matt Zoller Seitz on Salon . “Are we seeing yet another example of network TV's factory mentality (26 episodes a year, series run extended indefinitely) squeezing the vitality and focus from a once-great show?” More»

As Playboy clubs are relaunched, show about clubs arrives

(NEWSER) - Playboy is coming to primetime. NBC ordered the pilot of the imaginatively-titled Playboy, a one-hour drama about the Playboy bunnies working in a Chicago Playboy club in the 1960s. There were once 22 Playboy clubs around the world, but all closed by 1991, Variety notes. The show arrives just as they may be experiencing a comeback, with new locations in Las Vegas and Macau. Also in TV-related Playboy news: Read about how the Playboy channel is reinventing itself by trying to appeal to women. More»

Star of 'The Hangover' proves a good fit for late night

(NEWSER) - Zach Galifianakis provided a bright spot in an up-and-down season of Saturday Night Live, critics agree. The star of The Hangover brought his stoner demeanor and—for most of last night's episode—bounteous beard to Studio 8H. Some reactions:

• The opening monologue "was pretty much just Galifianakis doing his stand-up," Annie Wu writes for TV Squad . "But his stand-up is fantastic, so no complaints here."

When it comes time for the holiday episode, don't expect a surprise

(NEWSER) - Christmas “takes over the airwaves as comprehensively as it does malls, office lobbies, and public service announcements”—but unfortunately, the Christmas TV plotline always falls into one of three categories, writes Torie Bosch for Slate :

• Money woes: “A holiday season without gifts doesn't really feel like a holiday at all,” so when Christmas bonuses are denied, tragedy ensues. But, as Bart Simpson said in one such situation, “If TV has taught me anything, it's that miracles always happen to poor kids at Christmas.”