House and My Name Is Earl keep piling up on my DVR, but I haven’t felt the urgent need to watch them recently. I think that’s because, for the past couple of seasons, these two series in particular were starting to veer away from their formulas and play around a little more, and now it seems as if both shows threw their hands up and said: “Too far! We might be alienating loyal fans! Retreat! Retreat!”

Well, I liked the experimenting. House was especially strange, since it somehow managed to incorporate some reality-show elements into its fictional universe. The fourth season began with House sans a diagnostic team. He rounded up 40 potentials to fill the three open spaces. That was fun and exciting. There were a lot of new characters for House to play around with. The disposable ones were good for a joke and then they were out, the favorites got to stick around a little longer and maybe get a meaty storyline thrown their way. Mostly, choosing a new team gave House something to do besides diagnose the patients, harass Wilson, and learn things about himself.

The changes to My Name is Earl started off a little bit subtler. For a while, the show had a slightly dark tint cast over it. Earl was often put in situations where doing something to cross one person off his list would wind up hurting someone else. This was my favorite era of the show. Earl had to decide how to be a better person in situations that weren’t so clear-cut. Then things got really crazy: He went to prison to save Joy from a harsh three-strikes sentence, he worked his list in prison, he broke out and decided that the nice guy doesn’t finish first, disavowed the list, got hit by a car, and spent half a season in a coma dreaming that he was in a classic TV sitcom. Yeah, crazy. But I kind of liked it because, even with the whole coma-fantasy plot, Earl was really struggling with whether or not his list project was worthwhile. It just went a little deeper.

Now? House has a new diagnostic team. They diagnose patients. Often, those patients teach them something about themselves. Wilson was gone for a while—oh no!—but he came back.

And Earl? He’s out of prison, and out of his coma. He learned things about karma while in the coma, so he’s back on the list. Each week, he rights a previous wrong and feels better about himself.

Ho hum.

I’ve noticed some things this week while watching TV. Not anything that’s worthy of its own post, but perhaps all laid out together they will amount to something. There’s a funny video at the end!

• Why does Pushing Daisies keep putting Chuck in those hideous high-waisted pants? She belongs in adorable full-skirted dresses with matching scarves. No to high-waisted pants! No!
• John Corzine on the Daily Show? More like John BORE-zine. (Genius.)
• Why is House so upset about Cuddy’s adopting? Is he jealous? Lonely? Does he wish he could’ve made her pregnant himself?
• Everyone’s been saying this, but How I Met Your Mother could really slow things down a bit. I feel like Ted got engaged yesterday, and now everything’s status quo. At least Barney is taking his redemption at a reasonable pace (one step forward, two steps back).
• Has anyone besides me and Kyle been watching Gavin and Stacey on BBC America? It is delightful. Sometimes, either due to accent or UK-ishness, I don’t understand what’s going on, but that’s part of the fun. However, none of the characters seem to think ahead about anything. If you get married and move, you will not be able to live in your old house and keep your old crap, too. Stacey’s the worst at this. But whatever. It’s the Nessa and Pam and Bryn show as far as I’m concerned. Also: Move out of your parents’ house, you crazy kids.
• My love affair with Life on Mars may have ended yesterday, after only three episodes. Pull it together, Life on Mars! I liked it with the good music and the crazy clothes and the anachronisms. I don’t like the speechiness.
• At least if you’re dating Michael Scott you’ll totally know if/when he’s lying to you, and he’ll be extremely up front about his intentions/expectations. I suppose that’s a benefit to having no filter.
• Don’t read the next sentence if you don’t want to see one joke from next week’s 30 Rock. My personal favorite, mostly thanks to Alec Baldwin’s amazing delivery: “I worked the day shift at the graveyard and the graveyard shift at the Day’s Inn.”
• Still love: Greek. On the fence: Dirty Sexy Money. Probably dropping: Heroes.
• And here’s your video, via Videogum:

So, I have this friend who goes by the alias of Pandacita on the TiFaux comment board. Lately we’ve been speaking to each other in British accents and saying only one word: “Bamber.”

As in Jamie Bamber — renowned actor, star of Battlestar Galactica and international hottie.

(by the way, I finished the third season of Battlestar last night… say WHAT with the five Cylons?!?!)

Jamie Bamber, saying with his eyes: “Fancy a shag?”

“Jamie Bamber” is a really great name to say in a British accent (pronounced [horribly] ‘bamb-uh’). Pandacita and I have entire conversations where we just alternate saying “bamb-uh” and “hallo” and “morning guv’nah.” Perhaps tossing in a “Nice day, innit?”

It is truly disgraceful.

I don’t want to offend our English reader(s) (hello John W.) but it’s a fun discourse to engage in. speaking to a very intimidated reporter about his accent.

On that note, I thought I would make a fun little survey — who is your favorite English actor who speaks in an American accent. Here are your choices.

• Jamie Bamber (Battlestar Galactica): I was really pretty shocked when I found out that Jamie Bamber was British. I was always under the impression that the cast of Battlestar was under a heavy Canadian influence — with thick maple syrup running through their veins. Fortunately, they recruited Englishman Jamie Bamber and his hot, towel-dropping self to play the complicated, conflicted Lee “Apollo” Adama.
• Hugh Laurie (House): Once again, here’s a guy I had no idea had a British origin until way late in the game. I guess I never felt compelled to dig into Wooster and Jeeves during my formative years (too busy, I suppose, drinking hard cider and watching the Real World/Road Rules Challenge). In any case, Laurie’s American accent is a bit more staccato — perhaps it has to do with the severity of his character’s attitude, always pointing out everyone else’s problems.
• Johnny Lee Miller (Eli Stone): This show is growing to be a burden, I’m just going to say it. It’s not bad, but I don’t care what happens. The one thing that keeps me coming back is Johnny Lee Miller, his hotness and the knowledge that he’s masking his accent.
• Polly Whatserface (Cane): I’m not even going to bother looking up the last name of the chick from Cane for several reasons (I think it’s Walker but, as I said, I’m not going to look it up). First of all, no one watched that show but me and three other people. Two, she was a minor character. Three, no one would ever accuse her of having an awesome American accent because I, myself, always find myself wondering why an heiress from Florida always spoke like she was a college junior who had experienced a really influential semester abroad in London and hadn’t quite shaken it.

• Mary Ann from Gilligan’s Island arrested for pot
• E! Kristin has spoilers for How I Met Your Mother, Friday Night Lights, and more
• Will Arnett sex tape! (possibly NSFW)
• Financing secured for a Wire movie, but David Simon hasn’t signed on yet
• House feels snubbed by Britain
• Hulu.com, the collaboration with NBC and Fox to put shows online, goes live today
• Alicia Silverstone quits HIMYM, would rather be unemployed than work with Britney Spears
• Whole bunch of Buffy stuff on sale at this charity eBay auction

I know that Pinkerton is supposed to be their best one, but seriously. The Blue Album.

• A new reality show is trying to make us believe that parking enforcement officials aren’t going to burn in the fires of hell.
• Zoey 101 is because of Jamie Lynn Spears’ pregnancy. She shoulda thought of that earlier.
• China’s Next Top Model has premiered, despite being labeled “vulgar.”
• A Paradise Hotel 2 contestant has died in an unrelated accident before the series has debuted.
• A Yale doctor is trying to keep the people at House honest.
• The AV Club interviews Anthony Bourdain.
• Dirt starts up again March 2.
• A new Ask Ausiello is up with scoop on Lost.
• Ed Westwick teases the new Gossip Girl.

I need a Christmas haircut — my hair is just this amorphous pile on my head.

• Zach Braff will be .
• Sundance Channel is doing a Nimrod Nation marathon tomorrow (if that means anything to you).
• House’s Kal Penn updates everyone from Obama’s campaign trail.
• E-Kristin has a Christmas video.
• The SAG nominees are very cable-y too.
• Ruben Studdard has been dropped from his record label. In other news, he just finished a stage play called “Heaven, I Need a Hug.”  It co-starred Robin Givens.  No joke.

Sonar would be cool. Sleeping upside-down, not so much.

• You Ain’t No Picasso compiles songs in an homage to Pushing Daisies.
• Mindy Kaling has a strike treatise on her blog.
• Starred Review talks about Guitar Hero on Gossip Girl.
• The Red Hot Chili Peppers are suing the Californication people. I’m surprised it’s taken them this long.
• House’s Lisa Edelstein talks to TV Guide.
• Bones’ David Boreanaz does too.
• SNL staffers have been .
• Is Ellen violating the writers’ strike due to her ad-libbed monologues?
• Spoiler: The Bachelor did something crazy and awesome last night.
• Fun fact: Samantha Who? was created .
• Chelsea Handler’s life to be a movie.
• Spoiler chat with E-Kristin. She also talks with Kristin Bell!

House gets a case at the CIA tonight. I realize this sounds a little silly, but this is a show that has already done House on a plane. So silly is just kind of where’s it’s at.

The devil’s hatred of Halloween — and a great scene of him smoking, noir-style, in an abandoned meat processing plant — were highlights of last week’s generally okay Reaper. Who doesn’t love Patton Oswalt? No one, that’s who. I hope it steps up from generally okay, because I’m beginning to spend too much time staring at Sam’s cute little freckly nose.

We interrupt your regularly scheduled programming: I dunno. Talk about Heroes some more?

Things I Liked:

1. Jon, on the latest Democratic presidential debate: “It’s like the world’s most boring Neil LaBute play.”
2. In the boring moments of Reaper, Sam’s cute little freckly nose.
3. Evil Horse Lady insulting Kristin Chenowith’s cleavage on Pushing Daisies.
4. Free taco day. I didn’t eat one, but it still makes me laugh.

Things I Disliked:

1. Lily’s out-of-control financial irresponsibility on HIMYM (because girls love to shop, didn’t you know?), and that she’s lying to Marshall about it and has been for years, and that they made me hate Lily.
2. No Kristen Bell on Heroes.
3. The extreme grossness of the man with sludge blood on House.
4. See number 1. I understand why they did it for the story — it would’ve been terrible for her to make Marshall take the soulless job just to save her ass — but she’s lying to him. And she’s lying for such a stupid reason! I don’t like this. I don’t like this at all.

Since Maggie is currently sequestered during the day I’m going to take over Tonight on the Tifaux until she and her peers agree on a verdict. Let’s hope it’s soon because I long-ago abdicated the part of my brain that keeps track of TV schedules to the tifaux and Maggie.

Luckily tonight is a light night at Tifaux Central. Reaper has a Halloween-themed episode (naturally) with the Devil depressed by a holiday he thinks mocks his existence. I love how sensitive the Devil is. Of course I’m still hoping for the episode where his hair inexplicably turns white overnight. Speaking of which, if you haven’t seen it, now is a great time to start watching Twin Peaks. The pilot episode is finally available in the U.S. along with the rest of the series and it’s all in a fancy gold box. I won’t blame you if you stop watching a few episodes after you find out who killed Laura though. Since Maggie isn’t here I’ll tell you that she screamed so loud at that one part that she terrified the rest of us. Man that was a great episode. Too bad my mom gave away the secret back when I was 11. How was she supposed to know it would be available on DVD some day? If someone had told her, she probably would have said “What’s a DVD?”

At the same time as Reaper, we will magically be able to watch another TV show on another network, House, which I voted for in the most-improved category in our recent survey. After the endless “House is Out of Control” stories last season I’m glad they’ve gone in a new direction. House is totally out of control but the show isn’t trying to punish him for it anymore. Which is more fun? It’ll be nice to have Foreman back this week. I don’t miss having the old three as the focus of the show, but it’s great to have them around for color like Cuddy and Wilson. If we had a most-improved character category I would pick Wilson. He was such a self-righteous jerk last season.

We interrupt your regularly scheduled programming: ABC has the annual screening of the Waiting for Godot of children’s TV specials, It’s The Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown at 8pm tonight. The Great Pumpkin told me to tell you he won’t come this evening, but surely tomorrow.

By the way, did anyone out there in America get a Free Taco yesterday?