On TV: 'Jon and Kate,' 'Idol' and AT&T, Summer Shows, More

Columnist Lisa de Moraes was online Friday, May 29 at 1 p.m. ET to take your questions about the drama, comedy and heartbreak of the world of television -- both onscreen and behind-the-scenes.

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washingtonpost.com:

Lisa de Moraes: Hi. Let's get right to this weeks Very Important WaPo TeamTV InstaPoll -- vote now, vote often....

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Dharnaville: Lisa, I really liked the premiere of "Mental." It does seem to be a bit of a "House" rip-off (un-disciplined doctor/enabling boss/etc...) but is still entertaining. Is FOX just burning these off for the summer or is there any chance it'll gain enough traction to come back sometime (mid-season/etc ...) ???

Lisa de Moraes: Of course if a new series does well over the summer it will be brought back by the network. "Mental's" debut Tuesday did not sest any records with just under 6 million viewers but it built on its "House" rerun leadin (4.3 million). Real test will come next week when we see the numbers which will tell us how many people who watched "Mental" Tuesday at 9 thought they were watching "The Mentalist" which CBS ran in the same timeslot...

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D.C.: Two questions/comments.

First. Loved "Glee." Are we going to see it in the fall?

Second. Love "Castle." I know it got picked up, how is it doing? What do you think of it? I know it is a well worn premise...but it seems to pull it off with a certain charm and freshness.

Lisa de Moraes: Yes, Fox's "Glee" is coming "back" (Fox aired the pilot after the final performance episode of "American Idol" last Tuesday)in the fall and is getting a good timeslot, Wednesdays at 9 following "So You Think You Can Dance" which Fox is going to give its first in-season run on Tuesday and Wednesday nights. Second, "Castle" was getting okay but not huge ratings -- but ABC execs like it and think it has promise. Yes, it's a well-worn premise but, really, what isn't? I subscribe to that old notion there are only seven ideas and it's all about the execution. And yes, "Castle" is kinda like easy-listening TV, but there's an audience for that, particularly these days.

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Arlington, Va.: Who exactly needed to "speculate" about Adam Lambert's sexuality? Was it EVER a question? Really? Has America's gaydar gone THAT haywire?

Lisa de Moraes: Frankly, I could not care less. Adam Lambert was participating in a singing competition. I have never known someone's preference in sex partners to affect their ability to interpret pop tunes...

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Upper Marlboro, Md.: Re: "Textgate"

I think it's obvious we'll never get the numbers out of AI and so we're left with anecdotal (but pretty convincing) evidence that AT&T (for whatever reason - just selling phones?) screwed things up royally. What's the fallout from this? Is Kris's win somewhat tainted (at least from the point of view of Lambert fans) or is it so obvious that Gokey's votes went to Kris that he would have won anyway?

I tend to fall in the latter camp although I believe Lambert to be the far greater singer. (Off the subject - the relationship between the two is quite interesting. What they've been through together (almost like wartime) has obviously joined these two disparate men together in a love (not, I may add, the one that dare not speak its name) very much like brothers in arms. Add into the mix the apparent force of Lambert's personality in enticing men and women to love him and it becomes even more fascinating.)

Lisa de Moraes: It's not about whether the AT&T staffers's participation in the voting the final night affected which Idolette won. This story is about a televised singing competition and employees of one of the corporate sponsors getting involved in helping people increase the number of votes they could cast for one of the competitors.

This is extremely inappropriate. If we discover AT&T employees had also attended Adam Lambert fan viewing parties to loan phones to fans to vote for Adam, and to teach them quickly how to power text -- turning one vote into 10 -- that would also be wildly inappropriate. This story is about AT&T, corporate sponsorship of a televised singing competition and Fox -- not Kris Allen.

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TR Knight: So the "new" word on the street is Knight isn't coming back the "Grey's Anatomy" in the fall. But I thought that was old news. Wasn't his departure discussed in this very chat?

washingtonpost.com: I think the last mention was from the Feb. 13 chat, and it was inconclusive: On TV

Lisa de Moraes: We are keeping our fingers crossed that he is not coming back. His contract was not up so ABC could, in theory, bring him back from the dead-ish. But of course they want us to be kept guessing so we will watch the season debut this fall in large numbers in order to find out and, of course we probably will not find out in the first episode back and will then have to watch the second and then we will be hooked for another season -- darn you, clever ABC!

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Seattle: I watched the new "Surviving Suburbia" sitcom and found it very funny, maybe because the Bob Sagat character reminded me of my husband. I love Cynthia Stevenson also so was happy to see her find work. What did you think of it?

Lisa de Moraes: I kept having post traumatic "Full House" flashbacks. It was not pretty....

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Riverdale Park, Md.: Ciao Lisa,

Are you watching the third season of "Primeval" on BBC America? It's shaping up to be even better than the first two seasons.

What surprises me is that the Brits now are able to do special effects. No more tin-foil-covered toilet rolls as ray guns or quarries in Wales as alien planets.

Lisa de Moraes: And for that reason I do not like it so much. I want my BBC dramas with tin-foil-covered toilet rolls as ray guns, and with quarried in Wales as alien planets (lol, btw) -- it's quaint, it's charming, it's very British....

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Goode Enough?: So: "The Goode Family" just wasn't "King of the Hill" funny, although there were a few amusing moments. Is it going to get better, or will the liberal Hollywood establishment take it out back and bury it in a compost pile?

Lisa de Moraes: hahahahaha.

Oh, you weren't kidding.

Okay, serious answer: no the liberal Hollywood establishment is not going to take it out back and bury it in a compost pile. The liberal Hollywood establishment -- that would be Disney-owned ABC -- gave it a throne (and not in the chamber-pot sense)of a timeslot, following the season debut of its very successful summer series "Wipeout." Only while 8.7 million people watched the second season debut of "Wipeout," only 3.7 million watched "Goode Family" immediately after.

So it appears viewers might be deciding to take it out back and burying it in a compost pile. More specifically, conservative viewers, who did not flock to the show and instead chose to stay away. Liberal Hollywood establishment would like it to succeed, because they have put it on their schedule and sold time to advertisers on it, and have a vested financial interests in its success...

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Arlington: You knew it was coming - the "Jon and Kate plus 8" question. I have always regarded TLC as a somewhat upstanding purveyor of reality television. Have they considered what airing this type of show would do to their image? It seems like TLC has been drinking the same Kool-Aid that FOX did at the start of the reality TV craze (remember those awful infidelity island shows?)

Lisa de Moraes: .. and, in TLC's defense, this started out as a nice little "golly can you believe they have eight kids" reality TV series. Only then it started doing well and Kate started getting shrewish and Jon started allegedly having a fling on the side and then 10 million viewers tune in to see the parents stare daggers at each other while talking about the "difficulties" they are going through and that's the biggest audience ever for the network and now they've gotten totally seduced by the ratings and it'll be all downhill from here. Unless, of course, advertisers start to say 'no thanks.' Oddly, as happens so often in these cases, it may be the advertisers who step in and put the brakes on the skank. Weird, isn't it?

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Any good summer shows?: Happy Friday! Are there any shows worth watching this summer now that all the season finales have occurred? Thanks!

Lisa de Moraes: Don't dismiss "Mental" and "The Goode Family" on broadcast, as previously mentioned. Not to forget "The Listener" -- NBC's summer "The Mentalist" knockoff. And you just cannot miss "Merlin" if you are a fan, as we are bigtime, of trainwreck TV. I don't know about you, but trainwreck TV is one of the things I enjoy most about summer TV viewing.

And once again, summer spells "cable bonanza": Do not miss "Nurse Jackie" on Showtime, and the Jada Pinkett Smith "Nurse Jackie" knockoff called "Hawthorne" on TNT. Also be sure to watch "Hung" on HBO about a former high school basketball coach who is very well endowed and decides to exploit it to "change his fortunes" -- sorry I cannot be more specific but this is a family-newspaper kinda company. Anyway, watch it. Also returning: "Eureka," always-worth-watching Timothy Hutton in "Leverage," "Psych" (okay, maybe this one's gotten a little stale)... summer is jammed with original programming worth checking out...

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RE: Oddly, as happens so often in these cases, it may be the advertisers who step in and put the brakes on the skank. Weird, isn't it?: Because everyone wants to buy the same brand diapers as the mean, strange, hateful couple.

Lisa de Moraes: my point exactly...if the parents are throwing used diapers at each other and they don't fall apart, what better endorsement could you want for the product?

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Anonymous: Have you thought of writing a column listing the families that have been broken up by reality TV?

Lisa de Moraes: Would that include acting couples that split because the wife suddenly became a much bigger star than the husband, causing pain and suffering? That would fill the entire Style section one day. Not that I'm against it. I adore the idea...

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Towson, MD: Looking forward to the new season of "Secret Life of the American Teenager" on June 22. ABC Fam has some great stuff--liking "Greek" a lot at the moment. At what point does ABC-Fam overtake the actual ABC in the ratings? And why aren't these shows on ABC?

Lisa de Moraes: Oh my gosh. Can't believe I forgot "American Teenager." But you're making the wrong comparison. "American Teenager" has pounded CW when it comes to young women viewers -- CW's target audience..."Greek" I can do without.

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RE: classic BBC: I also love how indoor scenes were always taped on grade-triple-z video tape while outdoor scenes were filmed on grade-triple-z film stock, thereby ensuring the most jarring indoor-outdoor transitions possible.

Lisa de Moraes: I love that! Why, oh why, do they want to make British shows look like American TV shows? It's a crime and a sin...

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I'm a Celebrity: Do tell - are you going to watch on Monday or not? It has potential to be some of the best programming on this summer - if you like watching B or C list celebrities get their butts kicked. Can't wait.

Lisa de Moraes: I must watch. I am a very dedicated, intrepid reporter...

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RE: Jon & Kate: Maybe they could get rid of Jon & Kate and just make the show "Plus 8" and reposition the show as an adult-free experiment like that "Kids Live In The Wild West and Drink Paint" show from a few years back.

Lisa de Moraes: Had CBS taken your advise and called that show "Kids Live in the Wild West and Drink Paint" it would have done a 9 share in the demo and it would still be on the air today. Sadly, they went with "Kid Nation" and did not embrace the Lord of the Flies-iness -- stupid scaredy-cat CBS -- and it was gone after one round...

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Ohio: What about the fact that the corporate sponsors of Shawn Johnson, winner of "Dancing With the Stars," also engaged themselves in trying to influence her vote count?

They apparently led very well organized email campaigns etc. -- all with the purpose of getting out the vote for Shawn Johnson.

Lisa de Moraes: There is a HUGE difference between a company that is a "corporate sponsor" of a celebrity who is competing in a show, in which the prize is a Giant Disco Ball of Hideousness, and a corporate sponsor of a TV competition series in which people are competing for a multi-million-dollar recording contract...

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Washington: I don't know whose idea it was to give Jimmy Fallon a talk show, but I've caught bits and pieces of his monologue lately on morning TV news shows and he is just awful.

Jokes don't seem too bad, but the delivery has GOT to ramp up a notch.

Lisa de Moraes: it's pretty lame all around, except when he's singing..

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Corona, Calif.: Hi Lisa! So...still mystified by the bone-headed programming mistake Fox made by not showing "Glee" during the summer! It would have made the perfect summer series. I realize the numbers were way off from the "Idol" lead-in, but the cast recording of "Don't Stop Believin'" is the No. 2 download on iTunes. By the fall everyone will have forgotten the show (which was great, btw). Disaster.

Lisa de Moraes: I know, I know.. But maybe Fox will rerun the pilot before the start of the fall season. It's their only hope of fixing it....

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more summer TV: Kathy Griffin starts back up June 1. You a fan?

Lisa de Moraes: Golly, I forgot a slew of great shows. I'm a big fan.

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Paula Marshall: Was watching Seinfeld on DVD with the "notes about nothing" on, which, by the way, I love. Anyway, there was Paula Marshall, guest-staring as the NYU report who "outs" Jerry and George, and while the DVD notes didn't call her by her famous nickname, they did mention her that she has starred in no fewer then 6 sitcoms since her Seinfeld moment. I thought of you. She looks really different these days.

Lisa de Moraes: Paula Marshall: No Longer a Show Killer. (I promised)

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Susan Boyle: Lisa, what would you look like and how would you react if you had cameras following you all the time? That morning coffee run wouldn't be so fun. I'm surprised Susan Boyle didn't snap earlier to be honest. Separately--has she and will she actually make any money from this?

washingtonpost.com: The Strain Is Plain as Boyle's Fame Is True Pain

Lisa de Moraes: I don't think I'd mind for at least the length of the run of a show like "Britain's Got Talent." Boyle only lasted about four weeks before she allegedly snapped. What is she going to do if she wins? I'm surprised the contestants on that show are not sequestered and hearded, like they are on "Idol" -- if the stories about her snapping in the bar are accurate which is, granted, a big "if."

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And don't forget Burnoff Theatre. . . : My DVR shows that the last of the unaired "Pushing Daisies" episodes will start airing tomorrow. I'l miss you, Pie Show.

Lisa de Moraes: It will be sweet and sad to watch. A lovely show killed by the writers strike.

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Carlisle, Pa.: I don't like many sitcoms, but I thoroughly enjoy the ABC Wednesday night stuff ... "The Goode Family" was great, edgy satire (and had a bit part with someone that looked like a grown up Beavis so that was great), and "Suburbia" has plenty of laughs too. Neither seems to be hitting the mark critically. What do you think of them? Any chance of staying power?

Lisa de Moraes: ABC has such a hard time getting traction with comedy. Makes me dispair for its new Wednesday lineup in the fall, when ABC will take a stab at an all-new primetime lineup, starting with four new sitcoms: "Hank," "The Middle," "Modern Family" and "Cougar."

The odds of this working are about the same as the odds of me winning "Britain's Got Talent" and being mobbed by fans demanding my autograph and tearing off shreds of my clothing for souvenirs...."Modern Family" btw -- truly great pilot episode...."Cougar" starring Courteney Cox also looked good, though we only saw clips at the upfront presentation..

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Nurse Jackie: Ohhhh noooooo. I am a nurse. Terribly offended by this show. Will miss, thank you very much.

Lisa de Moraes: Why? Because she's not a Florence Nightengale-type? You should see what they've done with journalists over the years on TV...wait -- now that you mention it, I've had a hard time with some of those shows. I take your point.

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Different Audiences: Ugh, I'm going to hate myself in the proverbial morning for posting this, but couldn't the dropoff in ratings from "Wipeout" and "Goode Family" be attributed to (for the most part) starkly different audiences?

At risk of using a giant brush, your average "Wipeout" watcher probably won't think "Goode Family" is that funny because it's not their brand of humor. It would be like putting "Arrested Development" after "Hole in the Wall."

FWIW, I am entertained by both "Wipeout" and "Goode" in different ways.

Lisa de Moraes: You know, the very hardest thing about being a reporter who covers television is learning how utterly average and typical I am as a TV viewer. I'm guessing ABC's research shows there were lots more like you who promised they would also be entertained by both "Wipeout" and "Goode" in different ways... That said, yes, "Goode Family" would have been more compatible on Fox's Sunday night, which has a very popular animated comedy lineup. But it is not in question that ABC gave "Goode Family" one of the best timeslots it has on its summer schedule. They are clearly rooting for this show. They were not dumping it, not sending it to Burnoff Theatre...

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Summer Shows: Don't forget the final season of "Monk." I will really miss this show. Also "In Plain Sight."

Lisa de Moraes: I'm trying to forget the final season of "Monk" -- yet another case of a show that lasted too long. And, let's face it, "Monk" is just "Murder, She Wrote" with OCD. And, while I'm on that subject, have you ever noticed how many of the basic cable shows TV critics and bloggers get all gushy about are really just broadcast TV shows? Really, if you want to see what CBS used to look like -- just watch basic cable...

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Help, I like Tori Spelling: I can't help myself. Her series is cute, her kids are cute, and her husband even called himself a "douchebag" for taking a day to go motorcycling instead of helping to unpack. Does this mean my IQ has shrunk, or are they really, well, just kinda cute?

Lisa de Moraes: I too find Tori Spelling oddly compelling as a reality-TV star. It's only when she tries to act she makes me want to gouge my eyes out. Remember that reality show she did before she got hitched to this latest husband -- I think it was "So NoTorious"? Anyway, she was brilliant on that...

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R.I.P. Reaper: So this one is really dead, right? It was starting to get a little tiresome, so I can't say I'll miss it too much, but I was hoping that the writers might have had just enough of a heads-up to provide more resolution in the season finale that became a series finale. Oh well...

Lisa de Moraes: bye bye Reaper...

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Alexandria, Va.: I am think I am one of those weird people who's favorite tv shows all come back in the summer. So do you know when the following shows come back on the air? "Leverage," "Psych," and "Eureka"?

I am also curious about when "Sanctuary" returns as well.

Lisa de Moraes: July 15, August 7 and July 10, respectively.

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Toronto: 1) I watched Jay Leno's best-of clips on last night's show, which was a wake up call because I'm not a regular viewer. And the clips were funny! "Hee Haw" funny! Season 3 of "Empty Nest" funny! Now I'm really looking forward to this fall. Also, where does Jay Leno wind up in two years after local affiliates revolt over their declining 11pm news audiences?

2) I know it's fun to bash NBC, but the clip I saw of "Community" made it look not-half-awful.

Lisa de Moraes: "Community" did not look bad, though I'm enormously skeptical of any show with Chevy Chase in it. Conventional wisdom is he will be gone by episode 6... and I'm told NBC stations are involved in formatting Leno's show to try to come up with some comedy bits that keep viewers hanging on til the bitter end every night, so they are still watching when the local news kicks in. His "Tonight Show" falls off a cliff at the end, ratingswise, and stations want to make sure the format of his primetime show prevents same from happening in the fall..

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Chantilly, Va.: My favorite candidate for a "Real Housewives of DC" show: Rita Jenrette (remember her?).

washingtonpost.com: Rita Jenrette

Lisa de Moraes: excellent choice!

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Adam Lambert was participating in a singing competition.: HAH! You crack me up, Pookie!

Lisa de Moraes: yeah, I know -- singing competition. What was I thinking?

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Brooklyn, N.Y.: Dear Lisa the Moraes:

I have a friend visiting from the UK, and he is convinced that TV is better over there than here. I don't really watch much TV, so I don't know how to respond, but I AM VERY COMPETITIVE. I WANT TO WIN. GIVE ME AMMUNITION!

Lisa de Moraes: Well, of course, we have "The Office" and "America's Got Talent" and "American Idol"..oh wait... Here's a better answer!: We've got Hugh Laurie, Jeremy Northam (in a new CBS drama "Miami Trauma" for midseason), Tim Roth, Kevin McKidd and, most important of all, Ed Westwick! Ha! That'll stump your pal for sure!....meanwhile, I'm sorry to report 64 percent of you firmly believe Washington D.C. is simply not sexy enough for "Real Housewives." We must do something about this. I need ideas for next week, in re how to sex-up Washington in time for the debut of "Real World DC" in '10...bye for now..

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