I meant to write this post last week, but following a nasty storm my internet has been out of wack until now.

Between finals and the last episodes of the shows I work on, I had no time at the end of the semester, and once I got home, all I wanted to do was sleep.

I started working one of my summer jobs already (sadly, not the fun one). I didn't quite have time to write blogs, comment on news, and participate in throwdowns the past few days anyway. Woe is me!

Well, those are my excuses for being absent from the friendly pages of TVFan for the past....ok, I don't even know how long. TOO long. But at least I can come up with bs reasons why I haven't been around. What I want now are reasons from the writers of some of my favorite shows as to why THEY haven't been around!

The strike's been over long enough that normal people in this country have more or less forgotten that it ever happened. Our shows, for the most part, are back--so why aren't all the writers?

My frustration is mainly targeted at NBC, specifically Comedy Night Done Right. I'm in no position to comment on My Name is Earl, having given up on that show quite some time ago, but week after week I've been consistently disappointed with Scrubs, The Office, and saddest of all, 30 Rock (Tina Fey, come back! I idolize you!)

I'll begin my dissing with the most obviously bad show--Scrubs. Of course, this show has gone from great to awful in the past few years, but it's almost as if they've stopped caring. The first episode back, "My Bad Too" was as weak as they come, resting on the inexplicable and endlessly boring immaturity of J.D. and Turk, with the latter spending way too much time obsessing over "Brinner". This episode was followed by several more stinkers, and as much as I have an emotional attachment to the show, the only reason I'm happy that it will continue on ABC is because the season finale was too god-awful a note to end things on. "My Princess" was my headache; a Turk and Carla joined creature only would have been funny back in season 3, before they got married but when they acted like a unit anyway, and why address the J.D./Elliot almost-kiss at all if to only dismiss it so quickly? At least the five post-strike episodes had one saving grace-"My Dumb Luck" was lovely, thanks to Dr. Kelso and his entirely appropriate tender looking back followed by gleeful quitting--a perfect sendoff for a character we all grew to love, and pretty much the only story advancement the show has had in a while.

In following the new timetable (which I loved!), my next target is The Office, which has had its weakest season by far. While I still enjoy the show, it has sacrificed quality humor in favor of cheap laughs that dumb down characters (mostly Michael), and leaves the actual office far too much. The real strength and uniqueness of this show lies within its ensemble, but there's been excessive focus on the more popular characters. I love John Krasinski as much as any straight woman with a pulse, but I want more from Oscar, Creed, Kevin, Angela, Kelly, Darryl, Stanley, and above all, Phyllis! At least the finale was an improvement, keeping with the tradition of PB & J disappointments, wonderful mileage out of the challenged Kevin joke (loved Holly as well!), and that bit of brilliance at the end with Phyllis, Angela, and Dwight.

SIDENOTE: I suspect the hush-hush Office spin-off will involve PB & J leaving Scranton for NYC, Jim to take over Ryan's job and Pam to pursue art.

And now, a personal letter to Tina Fey.

Dear Tina,

I know you can bring this show back to where it needs to be. You wrote "Tracy Does Conan", remember? Bring back that brilliance, I beg you! That, and maybe some more Star Wars references. I always enjoyed those.

Sincerely,

Amy

God, I'm nuts. But is anyone else with me? I do hope this lapse in quality is just a result of the strike, but I also have a little trouble believing myself given the high quality of other shows. Lost and Battlestar Galactica are obvious examples, although their fixed-lengths and pre-planned story arcs make me believe they were less affected than most shows. Therefore, my real shining examples of what a show should be post-strike are two shows that supposed fans of television are often quick to write off as frivolous, superficial, and stupid.

If you haven't already become addicted to the drama of Manhattan's Upper East Side, I suggest you get off your "teen dramas are stupid!" high horse and indulge in some Gossip Girl. Talk about back with a bang: each episode has just gotten better and better, and kudos on the addition of Georgina Sparks, a character whose evil rivals that of TV's all-time greatest villains. The writing on this show is structurally perfect, socially and culturally relevant, and funny, to say nothing of Josh Schwartz's unparalleled ability to build drama leading up to a finale. The character's of Gossip Girl are among the best written on television, and have grown perfectly throughout the season, both according to logic as teenagers as well as necessary dramatic development.

Also overlooked for its brilliant character writing is Grey's Anatomy, which not only came back from the strike intact but drastically improved from the fall. Gone are Gizzie and other vomit-inducing storylines; in their place, we have a finally mature and impossible to dislike Meredith Grey, perfect and compelling in her struggles with Derek's romance with Rose and her deep-rooted Mommy and abandonment issues (in spite of being an obvious and far-too-convenient plot device, I love the therapy scenes). Along with Mer, we have Christina struggling with post-Burke fallout (thank you, Shonda Rhimes, for finally giving Sandra Oh something to showcase her talent this year!), a newly single but ever badass Bailey, a humorous Chief, an almost-not-a-**** Sloan, and my favorite will-they-won't-they relationship in the history of the show: Callie and Hahn. With the possible exception of sex-obsessed Callie, these characters have grown up, and I couldn't be more pleased. The show would be impressive enough with these developments alone, but in addition the medical mysteries and patients have been as fascinating as ever, and this week's season finale sure looks promising.

Well, there you have it. I'm back, and obsessed as ever. Expect to hear more about Gossip Girl and Grey's as this week progresses, and Lost and BSG next week. Ah, I love talking about TV!