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‘Life Unexpected’ bows out with unexpected, unappealing epilogue (TV commentary)

There’s a thin line between love and hate, and “Life Unexpected” proved that in its series finale on Tuesday. I love the show, but I hate how it ends, with a flash-forward to the Class of 2012 graduation ceremony (which means that Lux inexplicably graduates a year early, but I’ll set that aside for now) showing that Cate and Baze end up together, as do Ryan and Julia, and Lux and Jones. And Math and Alice, for some reason.

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John’s top 10 TV shows of 2010

This was the year when TV changed from low-definition to high-definition and from squares to rectangles (I still have a square, and I know I’m missing some things off to the sides, but at least I can hear everybody). Also, TV has never before been as accessible; unless it’s on a premium network, rare is the series that eschews free Internet broadcast (the fact that you can’t fast-forward commercials on the web is part of the appeal to advertisers, I’m sure).

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First episode (of new season) impressions: ‘Gossip Girl,’ ‘Life Unexpected,’ ‘Parenthood’ (TV reviews)

“Gossip Girl” Season 4 (8 p.m. Central Mondays, The CW)

1. The actors who play Dan and Vanessa continue to look like they punch a clock, sleepwalk through their scenes, punch out and go home. What’s particularly strange about this is that I thought both Penn Badgley and Jessica Szohr were good actors when “Gossip Girl” started.

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‘Life Unexpected’s’ Baze-or-Ryan: Shades of Jordan-or-Brian? (TV commentary)

If you’re worried about the fate of “Life Unexpected,” the ending of the first season couldn’t have made you feel too good about its chances for renewal by The CW. Baze bursts into the church right after the minister’s classic “Any objections?” line that only happens in movies and TV shows. Cate stares at him for a moment … and then kisses her groom, Ryan.

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My new favorite show is an ‘Unexpected’ pleasure (TV commentary)

I’m not surprised that “Life Unexpected” (8 p.m. Central Mondays, The CW) is good — after all, the cast is incredible and exec producer Liz Tigelaar boasts an impressive resume with “What About Brian” and other credits — but I am surprised that I love it as much as I do only five episodes into its run. Already, it feels like a fully formed series with distinct locations in rainy Portland, Ore., and a wealth of characters and possibilities.

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Midseason preview: My favorite actresses return, but will their shows be any good? (TV commentary)

Three of my favorite actresses return to TV this midseason, and that’s probably a good thing, but I’m a little ambivalent. In TV, I often start to think of a performer as being their character, so I’m resistant when they take on a new (lesser) role. To me, David Boreanaz is Angel, not Seeley Booth. Nathan Fillion is Captain Mal, not Castle.

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