In addition to capable headliners from popular comedy-infused shows, both installments of NBC’s horror-anthology series share something else: a greater sense of chilling suspense than in any of the preceding episodes. “The Family Man,” directed by Ronny Yu (Freddie Vs. Jason, The Bride of Chucky) and penned by Dan Knauf (Supernatural), is a typical body-swap tale on paper, but the cast makes it so much more on the small screen.

Married father of two Dennis Mahoney (Ferguson) becomes the victim of a tragic car crash that lands him in the hospital, near death. Shortly after arriving, we suddenly see him walking the hall near the visitors’ waiting room in an increasingly agitated state. He has a legitimate reason, too, since it turns out viewers are the only people who see him at that point; his young daughter Courtney (Nicole Leduc) doesn’t even acknowledge his presence as she plays from the other side of a window.

Dennis is quickly confronted by another man, Richard Brautigan (Thief‘s Clifton Collins Jr.), who caused the car accident, and he informs Dennis they’re both dead. But Richard is proven wrong when, in an instant, Dennis suddenly wakes up and discovers to his horror that he now looks exactly like Richard. To compound his terror, he also learns Richard is a suspected serial killer being held in jail while the state builds its case against him, the most hated individual in the area due to his sadistic crimes torturing and killing entire families and then refusing to identify where their remains are.

Bad only goes to worse subsequently since there’s yet another shock in store for Dennis, who has to eventually face the fact that the serial killer is now inhabiting his body and home, complete with his beautiful wife and two children. I imagine that’s a special kind of horror for a family man, and Ferguson’s dual performance as first devout and upright citizen Dennis and then wicked evil and gleefully deceitful murderer Richard is what makes “The Family Man” work as a piece of gripping, albeit somewhat predictable, entertainment. Collins does an equally outstanding job and deserves no less praise for the episode’s success making audiences cringe in disgust, if not necessarily fear.

The Verdict: B+

Tags: Clifton Collins Jr., Colin Ferguson, Fear Itself, NBC, television, The Family Man, tv

The reunion actually threw out a few tidbits even alert fans might not have noticed. Some of the things I personally learned include:

• If you believe Internet chatter, coupled chefs Zoi Antonitsas and Jennifer Biesty are coupled no more — Love how they refused to confirm or deny that by not commenting directly since it really isn’t anybody’s business anyway
• There was a whole lot more man-love going on around the chef’s shared home than the aired episodes showed, and the guys involved don’t care who knows it — Good for them!
• Although Andrew D’Ambrosi claims he’s not gay, he would totally get it on with Evangelos “Spike” Mendelsohn, and he doesn’t care who knows that either — Good for him!
• Dale Talde is nowhere near as much of a jerk as the show presented him as being
• Shockingly, sourpuss Lisa Fernandes is also less offensive personality-wise than the show presented her as being, although she’s still a bitter pill to swallow
• Judge Gail Simmons takes naps on the set during boring segments and doesn’t deny that she has/had/will always have a crush on competitor Andrew
• Being on a team with The Black Hammer, better known as Antonia Lofaso, was almost a guaranteed kiss of death since four competitors who came into too-close contact with her during the challenges got booted
• If you get bumped earlier than, say, the fifth round, nobody cares about you, judging by the general lack of participation during the reunion from the first four to get shown the door this season: Nimma Osman, Valerie Bolon, Erik Hopfinger, and Manuel Trevino
• People really, really love first female victor Stephanie Izard because, for the first time in Top Chef history, the overall winner was also the chosen Fan Favorite — Good for her!
• All this time I thought I just enjoyed Top Chef when I actually had a Culinary Boner for it — Didn’t think that was possible, being a girl and whatnot

Tags: Bravo, Reunion Special, television, Top Chef, tv

In honor of tomorrow’s June 20th summer solstice, which is the first time the event has occurred on a day other than June 21st since 1975, I’ll be participating in the Blog Off through my two television blogs at b5media, Comedy Centric and Grrl TV.

Along with numerous other b5 bloggers, I’ll attempt to post relevant content once per hour at both blogs during the 24-hour period that makes up June 20th. The event will support two important organizations dedicated to achieving commendable goals: The Actors Fund, a charity that helps professionals in the performing arts and entertainment industries when they are in need, and ACCION International, a charity that helps small businesses worldwide become established through small, manageable loans and business advice.

If you’re feeling in a charitable mood, you can show your support of The Actors Fund and ACCION International simply by contributing a guest post to any of the participating blogs, stopping by to read and/or comment on posts at any of the participating blogs, or making a one-time monetary contribution to either of the sponsored charities.

Tomorrow is going to be a fun day for readers and a hectic day for bloggers, but it will definitely all be worth the effort for both groups! Learn more about the Blog Off event in the official b5media announcement.

Tags: ACCION International, b5media, Blog Off, Comedy Centric, Grrl TV, television, The Actors Fund, tv

Intervention: The fifth season of television’s most disturbing and potentially uplifting reality series begins. [9pm EST/A&E]

Psychic Kids: Honestly, I don’t even want to know why a network — or parents — would bother to subject young people to this kind of exposure, but I’m guessing it’s the money, as usual. Psychic Tots probably isn’t too far away. [10pm EST/A&E]

Weeds: Get high on the hit comedy’s fourth season. [10pm EST/Showtime]

Secret Diary of a Call Girl: A new U.K. comedy import about a so-called high-class London “call girl,” played by former Doctor Who companion Billie Piper. I’m calling it all right — The Ho Show, not to be confused with The Cho Show coming to VH1 this August and starring comedienne Margaret Cho. [10:30pm EST/Showtime]

Tuesday | June 17

America’s Got Talent: Season Three begins with a two-hour premiere. [9pm EST/NBC]

Flipping Out: Season Two begins on basic cable’s Reality TV Channel, er, Bravo. [10pm EST/Bravo]

Tori & Dean: Home Sweet Hollywood: As the third season begins, the updated title clearly shows this couple, new parents of a baby girl just last Monday, are no longer Inn Love. [10pm EST/Oxygen]

Wednesday | June 18

Ghost Hunters: The fourth season ends with a tale about an ax murderer. Now that’s the way to go out in style! [9pm EST/Sci Fi Channel]

Top Chef: A reunion special, in case you’ve already forgotten what happened during the fourth round of competition that ended exactly one week ago. [10pm EST/Bravo]

Thursday | June 19

Penn & Teller: Bullshit!: The sixth season starts up with a focus on porn. Now that’s the way to begin in style! [10pm EST/Showtime]

Randy Jackson Presents: America’s Best Dance Crew: Get ready for a second season of movers and shakers. [10pm EST/MTV]

Friday | June 20

35th Annual Daytime Emmy Awards: The show that honors stuff that comes on during daylight hours … in other words, the stuff I rarely watch. [8pm EST/ABC]

Saturday | June 21

U.S. Olympic Gymnastics Trials: For the ladies primarily — two hours of power stretching and daring dynamics. [8pm EST/NBC]

The Ultimate Fighter: For the gentlemen primarily — three hours of combat during a seventh-season finale. [9pm EST/Spike TV]

Sunday | June 22

100 Million BC: Last week’s scheduled Saturday-night flick, NYC Tornado Terror, was quickly and wisely yanked from the schedule following the tragic, deadly tornado in western Iowa on Wednesday, June 11. I can’t imagine this week’s movie suffering a similar fate considering the title. [9pm EST/Sci Fi Channel]

Guys Choice 2008: I think it’s an awards show, but I’m not sure since I’m not a guy and I haven’t watched the network regularly since it canceled Blade: The Series (idgits!). [10pm EST/Spike TV]

The Two Coreys: Enough people actually watched this the first time around for it to return tonight for a second time around? Shocking! [10pm EST/A&E]

Tags: television, tv

That’s not to say that the cast members of the first episode, “The Sacrifice,” are untalented, however. They just happened not to find themselves in the episode with the more character-driven plot.

“Spooked” was all about character, too, mainly Roberts’ Harry Bender, a disgraced cop with a bad attitude. He’s forced to work as a private investigator sniffing out adulterers after his violent style of interrogating witnesses, guilty or not, results in him losing his badge immediately after he solves the high-profile kidnapping of a senator’s son.

You know you’re disliked on the job — or have some pretty darn terrible karma — when you break the case, find the victim, and still get kicked to the curb. Talk about harsh.

Fifteen years later, enter Watros’ Meredith King, who identifies herself as a distressed social worker convinced her husband is cheating on her when she’s at work. Meredith convinces Harry to take her case with the requirement that he conduct his surveillance from the house across the street since her spouse would quickly notice a van parked outside.

This meeting and one other in the same restaurant are pivotal because they alone contain most of the clues needed to unravel a sizable chunk of the story’s mystery.

Of course, Harry is willing to grant Meredith’s request — why shouldn’t he since it sounds very reasonable? — the central mistake that leads first to his mental unraveling and then his ultimate fate.

Did “Spooked” spook me? Actually, no, it didn’t; but that wasn’t from lack of trying. I was just studious enough to pick up on those clues capable of helping me prematurely figure out what Meredith was up to, which lessened the impact of the events inside the eerie house.

What the episode did do, though, is puzzle me repeatedly. Every time I thought the plot had reached the end of the line, another twist in the road revealed itself. Add to the mix Watros’ terrific performance — alternatively innocent and malevolent when necessary — and I almost don’t mind that the horror element was missing in action.

Almost, I say, because I still need me some scares; otherwise it just doesn’t seem right calling Fear Itself a horror and suspense anthology series.

The Verdict: B-

Tags: Cynthia Watros, Eric Roberts, Fear Itself, NBC, Spooked, television, tv

As far as I’m concerned, Atlanta’s Richard Blais came in an impressive second, and there was no third place since the finals became a two-way race the second severely personality-challenged Lisa Fernandes wasn’t ordered to pack her knives three episodes ago and New York chef Dale Talde got his walking papers unfairly instead.

Take a look at an absolutely and understandably glowing Stephanie in the victory video below as she discusses what it’s like to emerge triumphant in the biggest challenge of her life thus far. I’m psyched for her, too.

Tags: Bravo, Stephanie Izard, television, Top Chef, tv

Master of Dance: They’re kidding, right? Yet another dance show? Hosted by Blossom‘s Joey Lawrence?! Uhhh! [8pm EST/TLC]

Roman Polanski: Wanted And Desired: The notorious — and extremely talented — director (The Pianist, Chinatown, Rosemary’s Baby) gets the award-winning documentary treatment. [9pm EST/HBO]

Nashville Star: Hey! Didn’t this fantastic, countrified music talent show use to be on basic cable? Yep, and it has a two-hour, special broadcast-TV premiere tonight. [9pm EST/NBC]

Tuesday | June 10

Work Out: Say ta-ta to Jackie and her fitness crew … for now. There’s no word yet of another season, but fans shouldn’t jump to negative conclusions so soon. [10pm EST/Bravo]

Wednesday | June 11

Celebrity Circus: And you know what the saddest part is? That title is not one long, massive typo. NBC is not joking — it’s giving the world a circus of celebrities, and not the kinds that are normally in a circus. Please, don’t watch, even out of morbid curiosity. It only encourages the idiots people who come up with these stupid reality shows. Did CBS’ Secret Talents of the Stars teach them nothing? Clearly not. [9:30pm EST/NBC]

Men in Trees: I still can’t believe this one got canceled. It’s a shame because it was good. [10pm EST/ABC]

Top Chef: Season Four of competition finally ends, and that witch (but begins with a b) Lisa better not win! [10pm EST/Bravo]

Thursday | June 12

The Bill Engvall Show: Well, hello, Bill! Season Two begins. [9pm EST/TBS]

Kathy Griffin: My Life on the D-List: Well, hello, Kathy! Season Four begins. [9pm EST/Bravo]

My Boys: Well, hello, PJ! Season Two begins. [9:30pm EST/TBS]

Bravo’s A-List Awards: It’s just what the title says, with not-so-D-List comedienne Kathy Griffin hosting. [10pm EST/Bravo]

Friday | June 13

Battlestar Galactica: The fourth-midseason finale arrives without any news of when the season’s back half will begin. Yeah — that sucks on two levels, especially since this is the show’s final season. [10pm EST/Sci Fi Channel]

Saturday | June 14

NYC: Tornado Terror: Honestly! How can anybody resist movies with titles like this? Aren’t you just a little bit curious? [9pm EST/Sci Fi Channel]

Dana Carvey: Squatting Monkeys Tell No Lies: Ditto. [10pm EST/HBO]

Sunday | June 15

The 62nd Annual Tony Awards: The theater crowd gets its big, star-studded night in the spotlight. [8pm EST/CBS]

Saturday Night Live: The Best of Mike Myers: Counterprogramming for those who couldn’t care less about the theater crowd. [9pm EST/NBC]

Britain’s Worst Teeth: What was that I said about irresistible titles? [10pm EST/BBC America]

Tags: television, tv

Ten finalists started the arduous battle in the kitchen during the premiere to earn the coveted title: Nipa Bhatt, Jennifer Cochrane, Lisa Garza, Adam Gertler, Cory Kahaney, Shane Lyons, Aaron McCargo Jr., Kelsey Nixon, Kevin Roberts, and Jeffrey Vaden. By the time the episode was over, however, one of the aspiring celebrity chefs, New York’s Kahaney, was destined to become the first “fatality.”

Viewers can stay on top of events this season by visiting the show’s official website, where numerous resources are available, as well as the show’s Facebook Fan Page. This site is also hosting a giveaway that will allow one lucky winner to receive a fantastic prize package containing:

• Host Bobby Flay’s Cookbook Bobby Flay’s Grill It!
• One Food Network Key Chain
• One Next Food Network Star Poster
• One Next Food Network Star Postcard
• One Next Food Network Star T-shirt

The giveaway ends on June 20 at 11:59pm EST. To enter, simply leave a comment on this post and share the name of your favorite dish, whether it’s an appetizer, snack, desert, drink, or entree. Also make sure to include a valid email adress so I can contact you if you’re the winner.

If you don’t want to reveal your email information to the public, then submit your entry through the contact page instead. Different process, same result.

Now meet this season’s competitors in the following video and Good luck!

Tags: Bobby Flay, Food Network, television, The Next Food Network Star, tv