As host of The Late Late Show, Craig Ferguson spent much of his 10-year tenure dragging the talk show format into increasingly bizarre territory. So when he hosted his final episode on Friday, it was only fitting that Ferguson would cap it off with an homage to some of the most inexplicable twists in television history.
Kenny Powers fooled us twice.
There was never any doubt that Breaking Bad cared about its viewers. The show's most impressive feat to me was its devotion to clarity, no matter how complicated its character dynamics or intricate its plot developments. Breaking Bad explained everything and then re-explained it. Jumps in logic were extremely rare and when they were employed—Jesse's a-ha ricin moment from earlier this season, in which he deduced way too much given way too little information, and wielded his hunch like a weapon—they sent the plot forward with too much velocity to upset anyone but nitpickers.
A&E's Intervention, the reality show about addiction-cum-vehicle for some of the most extreme human behavior ever shown on television, ended with last night's episode. It was its 194th. A&E announced the cancelation in May, and while the network didn't specific exactly why, it's clear that the 8-year-old show has been eclipsed in ratings by newer A&E franchises. Last week's new Intervention episode nabbed 1.35 million viewers, while a Duck Dynasty rerun that aired Wednesday night did 1.56 million viewers.
And now it's dead...almost. Last night's episode of Jersey Shore found the show's guido/guidette family packing up and moving out of Seaside Heights, NJ, for good. The girls cried, Vinny got an itchy eye and the entire goodbye scene was full of euphemism, as many acknowledged how the show changed their lives without specifically being able to say that. Insert Snooki "Waaaaah!"
Today, after 25 years, The Oprah Winfrey Show came to an end. And unlike the two-day, star-studded extravaganza that preceded it, Winfrey's final episode was more subdued, with nothing more than her and her studio audience having one last emotional chat. Here are the episode's final moments.
Obama's week has been all about screwing up his critics' new releases. First, he unveils his birth certificate just days before publication of the birther tome Where's the Birth Certificate? Then he went and killed Osama bin Laden right as he was preparing to release a hot new jihad tape.
Back in January, MTV released several gormless and repellent teenagers onto an unwitting Baltimore suburb in an experiment called Skins. What would happen? Would the teens run rampant? Would they organize? Would they produce a whole generation of dead-eyed youths who do nothing but give each other handjobs while high on club drugs? Last night, the Skins study came to a close, finally giving us the shocking results that we've been long awaiting.
All little children do grow-up, even those students over in Ohio's Cyprus Rhodes University. Tonight, we said our goodbyes to Casey, Cappy, Ash and the gang in Greek's series finale.
Grab yer spurs and saddles, kids! This finale-train is headed for the rodeo. All aboard!
Bianca's addiction started in an unusual, but not completely unheard of way. Like many children with an iron deficiency, Bianca ate dirt when she was younger. Unfortunately, the dirt transformed into whole pieces of pottery and cigarette ashes.
Tonight's finale was an emotional one. While Paula Abdul no longer has access to her tear ducts, she dry-cried through a heartwarming speech before the winners were announced. Watch to find out who is the "Best Dance Act in America."
That's all, folks! The Roloff family bid adieu to their reality show in a terribly depressing episode. The twins want to move out, they're selling the farm, and Mom and Pop Roloff are contemplating divorce. Who needs a happy ending?
Technically, FX has not canceled Terriers, but the ol' Magic Eight-Ball says "Outlook Not So Good." Meanwhile, was this week's season finale an object lesson is quality television? "It Is Decidedly So."
