45 Favorite Episodes: 15

This is an example of meta television at its finest. Back to the Pilot is one of those classic Brian and Stewie centric episodes of Family Guy that represent a large portion of the show's finest installments. This one, rather than traveling to the North Pole or to multiverses, however, sees Brian and Stewie return to the pilot of Family Guy. So many in-jokes and references that become a perfect commentary on the nonsense that began to pervade Family Guy over the years, but all of these take a back seat to the one moment in the episode that would put this at number fifteen, regardless. When all of the versions of Brian and Stewie have congregated, with one lost Peter joining them, they take a vote on whether or not to allow 9/11 to happen with concern over the space-time continuum. Peter, oblivious to what is going on, still votes for 9/11 to happen anyway. It's subtle and amazing and underrated and I love it so much.

45 Favorite Episodes: 16

Live from Studio 6H, the second live episode done by 30 Rock, is definitely the more enjoyable of the two. It's so self-aware while also being completely funny with cameo appearances from Will Forte, Kristen Schaal, Chris Parnell, Jon Hamm, Fred Armisen, Donald Glover, Amy Poehler, Jimmy Fallon, Paul McCartney, and more. It also has a good meditation on the state of television and I cannot believe Alec Baldwin didn't win all the Emmys for this episode. It's just so damn good and most importantly, it's so damn enjoyable.

This Week's Entertainment by David

45 Favorite Episodes: 17

The Fight is my favorite episode of Parks and Recreation. It has some of the most iconic moments of the show (Ron Swanson drunkenly dancing) and some of the best lines ("I'm pretty...boring" and "Ann took a cab, Tom's in the trunk, Jerry's on the roof.") The episode revolves around the whole Pawnee crew getting wasted at the Snakehole Lounge with Tom's "Snork juice" that is over seventy percent alcohol. Of course, a very entertaining episode ensues.

2015 Power Hall of Fame Inductees

Here is your answer to the "what could be coming next?" post from yesterday! It's one of our favorite traditions here at the blog of power! We are going to be adding some more names to that list over on the right side and some more faces into the Power Hall of Fame. The Hall certainly could use some updating! We haven't updated it since 2014! Well, the crew we have in there so far is a solid one and I'm exciting to be inducting these six!

Amy Poehler. Of course she's going to be inducted! Hell, I almost brought her into the Hall last year. But 2015 seems just as good, too. She's done so much that should be treasured. Her stint on Saturday Night Live is one that of one of the all-time greats (her Kaitlin character is particularly amazing), her baby, Parks and Recreation, is one of my favorite television shows ever, her book, Yes Please, was amazingly written, and she has a new movie with Tina Fey coming out this year called Sisters. It's truly a great time to be a fan of the Poehler Bear.

How could it be a Power Hall of Fame without Andy Samberg? This man is the greatest. He has such raw talent and a constantly-hilarious sense of humor. His character on Brooklyn Nine-Nine, Jake Peralta, is my favorite from the program and one of the (surprisingly) most underrated. He's got that perfect mix of awkward and confident that Samberg perfected during his time on SNL. An amazing time that featured the Vogelchecks, a killer set of Mark Wahlberg and Rick Santorum impressions, and a slew of amazing Digital Shorts. Andy is the man.

Who's better than Drew Barrymore? She's the queen of romantic comedies, one of my favorite cinematic genres, but she's also terribly endearing. 50 First Dates is one of my all-time favorite movies and, yes, Fever Pitch is up there, too. But those movies are what they are because of her performances because she's just the type of person who would show up to lip sync a song from the Dirty Dancing soundtrack with Jimmy Fallon after the Super Bowl in Arizona. And oh, that's right. She did do that.

Paul Rudd is awesome. He is the absolute best. He really is. I love everything he does. Friends, Wet Hot American Summer, Anchorman, Our Idiot Brother, This Is 40, This Is the End, They Came Together, Saturday Night Live, Parks and Recreation. It's all so awesome. He is definitely in the pantheon of comedic actors. It's so easy to make me laugh by watching this man. And I trust Ant-Man is going to be more of the same. And what's wrong with that?

Now, here's one I didn't expect to be on the list at this time last year. Peter Quill, also known as Star-Lord, from Guardians of the Galaxy. I'm not familiar with the comic book version of the character, but I positively adored the one from the Marvel Cinematic Universe film, Guardians of the Galaxy, as portrayed by the impeccable Chris Pratt. I always thought that Tony Stark was my favorite superhero. Or maybe it was Superman or maybe it was Spider-Man or maybe the Hulk or maybe the Human Torch. But after this movie it became apparent. I am obsessed with Peter Quill.

Imagine if you had a chance to create your own Hall of Fame, but you never put the actual second coming of Jesus Christ himself in it. Of course, Tom Brady has to be inducted. He is God. And if God exists? He's better than God. He sneezes peace and coughs beauty. He throws touchdowns, wins Super Bowls, and deflates absolutely nothing. It's important to support him in this time and what better way to do that than to induct him?

So what do you think of these six additions to the Power Hall of Fame? I think they're very suitable inductees who are very worthy and live up to the ideals of the Hall. Congratulations to them all!

45 Favorite Episodes: 18

Remedial Chaos Theory is a quintessential episode of Community. High-concept, ends with a speech, the characters love each other, and uproarious humor. I remember the afternoon before it aired, one of the writers for Community tweeted that it was the best episode the show had ever done. I was a bit skeptical, but once I watched it, I knew it was something special. It was unlike any episode of television that had ever come before it. The six different timelines, the fact that Jeff is a conniving son of a bitch, the googly eyes, the subtle racism. It's all just a perfect episode. And that moment when Troy walks in through the door to witness the chaos? Put yourself in Troy's place and realize that it's a perfect moment. After all, chaos already dominates enough of our lives.

The Last Day

Inside Amy Schumer is a sketch comedy series on Comedy Central that is of immense quality, thanks in large part to the humorous genius that is Amy Schumer. But in this sketch, the most buzzed-about of her new season, she got a little help from a few other comedic geniuses. Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Tina Fey, and Patricia Arquette made appearances to help properly skewer the view of aging women in Hollywood. This sketch is gold.

Big Day Tomorrow

Tomorrow is going to be a big day for this blog. This wonderful blog of power. An annual tradition has made its way to demanding necessity and that need will be satiated tomorrow. Hope you're excited! If you want a hint as to what special event is happening tomorrow, look at the right side bar.

Happy Memorial Day 2015

Memorial Day is a time for remembering those who sacrificed their lives in war. Every war. Both sides. Enjoy the day!

This Week's Sports by David

The Last Stop in the Quest

As you know, we've been trying to find the best sketch from this season of Saturday Night Live on this blog all year long! And we are keeping that quest going with this final installment. Three episodes have aired since the last time this was updated which means we now have to examine two sketches from each episode and determine the best. Vote for the ones you like best from each!

May 2 - Scarlett Johansson/Wiz Khalifa





May 9 - Reese Witherspoon/Florence + The Machine





May 16 - Louis C.K./Rihanna

Anna Kendrick and Her Essays

Add Anna Kendrick's name to the ever-growing list of comedians/actors/celebrities writing a book of autobiographical essays about his, or her, life. Kendrick, whose book is still untitled, will publish her first novel in the autumn of 2016 through the publishing company, Touchstone. Now, unlike someone along the lines of Gilbert Gottfried or Mike Tyson or Nicole Polizzi, Anna Kendrick is someone by whom I am actually entertained and she seems to have a particular deftness with intelligence in her craft, so I actually do have some interest in the book. Hope it's good!

Fletch Is Returning

Fletch and Fletch Lives were two comedy movies starring Chevy Chase from back in the day based on novels about an investigative reporter named Irwin "Fletch" Fletcher by Gregory McDonald. Now, it seems Fletch will be returning to the big screen, but in a rebooted capacity. Jason Sudeikis is eyeing the lead role in a new Fletch movie that will take the character from scratch, but the thing is that (unlike Jason Lee a few years ago), Sudeikis is actually involved in the production of the movie so it seems likely that it will happen. As of right now, it is "in the works." Should be interesting, I'd say.

2015's Time 100

This year's Time 100 list is...an interesting one, to say the least. But it's definitely worth checking out. I clicked through the list and, as usual, I recognized some and didn't recognize others. The two I was most delighted to see make the list were Lorne Michaels and Chris Pratt; I believe they're deserving. Brandon Stanton was another excellent decision to the crew. Not too sure about Kanye, but you can make your own decisions by seeing all one hundred here.

45 Favorite Episodes: 19

The Time Travelers is the definitive episode of How I Met Your Mother in that it has both heart and humor, but also a plethora of inside jokes for the fans of the show. We get a raging debate over whether Robots v. Wrestlers is worthy of attending and some great, high-concept, meta humor with multiple Barneys and multiple Teds (their rendition of For the Longest Time is the best musical moment in the history of the show). But all of the fun is sobered up real quick when Barney tells Ted that he's all alone in the bar. Then, Ted (with this added bonus of hindsight) dashes to his future wife and tells her how much he adores her and wishes he could have more time. I honestly believe that "perfect" is the only adjective to describe this episode.

New Star Wars Trailer

This is big. The teaser trailer for Star Wars: Episode VII: The Force Awakens debuted back in December and it was pretty good. The new droid and the new Stormtrooper and that amazing shot of the Millennium Falcon flying to the classic Star Wars theme made for a pretty good trailer, but this changes the game. We see Darth Vader's mask! We hear Luke Skywalker's voice! WE SEE HAN SOLO AND CHEWBACCA TOGETHER AGAIN! This is how you do a trailer. Amazing. Absolutely amazing.

Neil deGrasse Tyson to Host a Talk Show

There's a new late night talk show host coming into the mix. Neil deGrasse Tyson's popular podcast, StarTalk, is being turned into a talk show for the television world. The show is obviously geared toward science and like it did when it aired the most recent Cosmos episodes, National Geographic will serve as the outlet for Tyson's show. This really seems like a perfect idea. I'm going to have to check it out.

45 Favorite Episodes: 20

The best holiday episode of Friends and the twentieth episode on this countdown is The One with the Holiday Armadillo. The episode features story lines that are lined up to merely pale in comparison to the greatness that ensues once Ross obtains an armadillo costume rather than a Santa Claus one. (This, after he talks to the costume shop employee who asks Ross, "Hey! You here to return those pants?" Everything that takes place (especially Chandler's baffled confusion) is complete gold and complete justification for its place on the list. I adore this.

This Week's Entertainment by David

Mitch Hedberg Meets The New Yorker

It's a testament to the genius of Mitch Hedberg's comedy that years after his unfortunate death, his jokes are still being celebrated. Buzzfeed was the latest one to honor the great Hedberg as they turned eleven of his best jokes into cartoons for The New Yorker. There are so many good ones and they get even better when you Czech them all out here. There's a couple thinkers in the bunch.

45 Favorite Episodes: 21

One of New Girl's more recent episodes, Background Check (Season 4, Episode 6), is also its best. Background Check is an all-out bottle episode that takes place completely in the loft as Winston is being evaluated by the LAPD before he joins the force. Unfortunately, it won't be an easy routine as Jess accidentally forgot that she had a colossal amount of meth in her room. So the rest of the them try to hide it, naturally. Hilarity ensues. An episode I did not expect to be so great, but an episode that catapulted New Girl back into the good graces of modern television.

Justin Timberlake Is a Father!

Justin Timberlake and Jessica Biel have welcomed their first child! Isn't that fantastic news? Silas Randall Timberlake was born on April 11th of this year, this coming after Timberlake first revealed his wife's pregnancy on Instagram back in January. Hopefully, Silas has many play dates with Winnie and Frances Fallon! Congratulations, JT.

Live from New York Trailer

A new trailer has surfaced for a brand new documentary about Saturday Night Live that doesn't focus on the history of the show, but rather the show's impact on history. The trailer is greatly interest piquing and I obviously have it on my to-watch list. But the best part? This doc will be released in theaters, unlike James Franco's recent documentary, Saturday Night, that found its release on Hulu. I'm there, movie theaters!

45 Favorite Episodes: 22

Two words: Lassie. Jerky. The found footage genre is a severely overdone genre of both television and film, but Psych executed the format perfectly. When Shawn and Gus venture into the woods on a long string of hunches, things obviously go awry quickly as Carlton Lasseter is thought dead multiple times and the potential nearby murderers continue to become more and more blurred. But the episode is so great for its absurd inanity that is able to provide some truly great lines. For example, when Gus screams and inexplicably tries to run away in a moment of chaos, he calls out to his friend, "Just do you, Shawn!" I adore this episode.

SNL and Castle

Carly Rae Jepsen recently served as the musical guest for the Michael Keaton-hosted episode of Saturday Night Live back in April, but she will be celebrating the show in another capacity. An upcoming episode of Castle will possess the theme of Saturday Night Live where Sid Ross, the creator of a sketch series is murdered. Jepsen will, naturally, appear as the show's musical guest. The episode title? Dead from New York. Isn't that just a blast?

Fun with Gators

Here's a quick bright spot in the current state of the University of Florida athletic program. J.J. Schwarz, a freshman catcher for the Gators baseball team, hit four home runs in a game back in March. But, the fun part? He got a fun treatment upon returning to the dugout. The silent treatment. To a hilarious extent. Ah, the traditions of the youth.

45 Favorite Episodes: 23

This is the only pilot episode to make the list, but boy is it deserving. My entire world changed upon viewing the very first installment of Will Forte's genius series, The Last Man on Earth. It was unlike anything I had seen before on television. Minimal dialogue (but when he spoke there was a real heart) and just filled with the antics of Phil Miller. This episode is a perfect example of television genius, comedy at its best. It is endlessly rewatchable.

This Week's Sports by David

More Arrested Development Is on the Way

In a recent interview with Bill Simmons, an executive producer for Arrested Development, Brian Grazer, revealed that a fifth season of the timeless comedy is imminent. Instead of being vague about the future of the show, Grazer stated bluntly, "We're going to do another seventeen episodes." It's very good to hear that this show will be back and if Mitch Hurwitz's wishes are any inkling, it's safe to say that we'll have all nine on screen together at the same time once again. This is not a huge mistake.

New Header and Poll

In honor of our new countdown of the best episodes to grace television, a new header was created! It was difficult to think of images to go along with the television so I decided to switch gears and make it more minimalist. As for the new poll, I am asking you which episode of Saturday Night Live you thought was best. Personally, I voted for Bill Hader, Martin Freeman, and Michael Keaton. They had some great episodes. I hope you enjoy the new set-up as, starting tomorrow, the blog is back in full gear!

The Most Beautiful Lines in The Great Gatsby

There's no doubting that, in literary terms, F. Scott Fitzgerald could write prose like no other writer that came before or has come since. He was the master, the true embodiment of what it meant to "have a way with words." As such, Buzzfeed created a list, in honor of the book's ninetieth anniversary of publication, of the fifty (and they could probably fit more) of The Great Gatsby's most beautiful lines. There are so many good ones on here and I can recite the ending from my memory. But my favorite is: "I was within and without, simultaneously enchanted and repelled by the inexhaustible variety of life." You can read the entire list here.

45 Favorite Episodes: 24

This is everything an episode of The Office should be and more. So many great one-liners from its supporting characters. (Toby: "But it's beach day." Stanley: "I would rather work for an upturned broom with a bucket for a head than for somebody else in this office besides myself. Game on." Kevin: "I just want to lay on the beach and eat hot dogs. That's all I've ever wanted.") Andy floats away and is left alone, fun and nice Stanley is fun and nice, Dwight scalds his entire body on the coals. But what makes the episode perfect is the ending as Pam's season three character arc comes full circle and she is completely visceral and honest with her emotions. "I miss having fun with you," she says to Jim. And we all know his response in the subsequent episode, The Job. <3 p="">

45 Favorite Episodes: 25

Steve Carell once said about The Office that truly great television can change the future and direction of comedy in one degree. If the show does its job, then television will be changed by one degree. Rainn Wilson later affirmed that The Office managed to do that. Silicon Valley managed to do it in its eighth episode. Optimal Tip-to-Tip Efficiency changed the game in so many ways, but it receives its lofty notoriety for containing the most high-brow dick joke in the history of humor. There's so much that I could say about the episode that would be rendered meaningless if the reader has not yet seen the sequence of which I'm speaking. Seriously. Check it out.

This Week's Entertainment by Davids

45 Favorite Episodes: 26

The Pen. This is what Seinfeld is, at its core. The Chinese Restaurant is a great example of the show's characterization and nothingness, The Contest is a great example of television greatness. But it is The Pen that is so Seinfeld, through and through. Jerry and Elaine go to Florida and they stay with their parents for varying degrees of motivation. The heat gets to Elaine which in turn causes the muscle relaxers to get to her. ("STELLA!") But the true genius of the show and its phenomenally real dialogue comes when Jerry takes the neighbor's pen that can write upside down. Such a frustrating episode and that's exactly why it's amazing.

45 Favorite Episodes: 27

Downer Ending, while the eleventh episode of BoJack Horseman's first season of twelve, is the episode that made me realize BoJack Horseman was a very special program. I mean, the show had already hooked me, but Downer Ending was where it went from good to great. While trying to rewrite his entire memoir so he seems like a better person (?), BoJack embarks on a major drug trip that is so sobering you forget that Will Arnett is voicing a cartoon horse who used to star on a Full House-esque sitcom titled Horsin' Around. We see his inner turmoil in a visceral manner and then the episode ends just as the title suggests. With a downer. But it's so powerful and so heart-wrenching, so sad that I can't stop watching it again and again.

45 Favorite Episodes: 28

This episode still does it for me. The series finale of Chuck, Chuck Versus the Goodbye, changed me as a person because it never really sank in that the little-watched, but highly-beloved spy comedy-drama was coming to an end. It didn't sink in when Jeffster absolutely crushed their performance of Take on Me, it didn't sink in when Chuck had to "find the porn virus, find it now," it didn't sink in when John Casey actually hugged Chuck Bartowski. No, it sank in during the last scene when Chuck, on the same beach from the pilot, told Sarah their story as Rivers and Roads by The Head and the Heart played. I don't care what anyone says; this was a perfect way to end Chuck.

This Week's Sports by David

The Haunted Mansion Lives

Remember when Disney went really hard on announcing a whole slew of movie adaptations of their theme park rides? (The Jungle Cruise, The Haunted Mansion, Mr. Toad's Wild Ride, The Magic Kingdom, etc.) Well, there's finally been development on one of those productions. (So far, all we've seen come to fruition from those is a blockbusting franchise of Pirates of the Caribbean movies and the upcoming release of Tomorrowland.) Guillermo del Toro's adaptation of The Haunted Mansion seems to be making progress as Ryan Gosling has been cast the movie's lead. This is great news! There's still hope for The Magic Kingdom yet.

Next Level Marriage Proposal

Well, this guy has raised the bar. (This is also a bit of a risky game.) To propose to his girlfriend, Johnny Whiteboard Dean Smith asked her 365 times. But she was only aware of one. He filmed himself with a different message every day for a year and then while on vacation, he showed her the video on the beach and asked her in person. It's a long video that you really need to commit to, but I thought it was good.

45 Favorite Episodes: 29

S.O.B.s, one of the last episodes from Arrested Development's initial run, is also one of the show's finest. It does what Arrested Development always did best. Tongue-in-cheek in-humor, satirical meta-comedy, and smart self-referential writing. The whole episode is basically a front for the show trying to save itself from being canceled by FOX. Every aspect of the show goes towards that as S.O.B.s stands for Save Our Bluths. It's an episode that if you ever sit down to watch it, you have to completely devote yourself to it. Follow the story, pay close attention to detail, and revel in its genius.

45 Favorite Episodes: 30

This season seven episode of Parks and Recreation was one of its finest. Leslie and Ron (yes), another bottle episode, let the viewers know that the final season was going to be a special one. Sure, the whole Leslie and Ron friendship being torn asunder thing was a bit contrived, but it became oh so worth it after seeing this gift of a half hour. New foes Knope and Swanson are forced to stay in the parks office together, alone, and for the entire night in the hopes of resolving their issues. There is initial reluctance, but once everything is explained, the beauty begins to unfold. And as we watch these two having fun together one last time as Buddy by Willie Nelson plays, all of our troubles melt away, too. Why would anyone watch anything besides Parks and Rec?

People are idiots, Ron.

This Week's Entertainment by David

45 Favorite Episodes: 31

Three words. Digital. Estate. Planning. If there's one thing Community does well, it's theme episodes. Cooperative Calligraphy? Gold. G.I. Jeff? Gold. Geothermal Escapism? Gold. Digital Estate Planning? The goldest. There is so much in this episode that it might actually be the overall funniest in the show. ("He was suffering!" "Yeah from axe wounds!" "He's shooting lightning and I'm naked!" "Which one am I? I assume nothing because I'm not racist.") There's so much to love in Digital Estate Planning and aside from the great jokes and quality storytelling, it almost entirely takes place in the eight-bit format. Only Community could pull off such a feat. There's also some heart to this episode that does not come solely from Pierce's relationship with Gilbert, but from Abed's with Hilda. Cool, cool, cool indeed.

45 Favorite Episodes: 32

This is a great example of a bottle episode done right: Seinfeld's The Chinese Restaurant. The whole thing takes place in the waiting room for a Chinese restaurant. And the problems are the ones you'd expect both from the show and situational comedies in general. Elaine is hungry, Jerry doesn't want to be late, and George wants to make a phone call. But the frustrating inability for any of them to reconcile their problems for twenty-two minutes is what makes this episode pure gold. And you don't even need Kramer! Just: Cartwright!

Happy Cinco de Mayo!

Donde esta la biblioteca! Happy Cinco de Mayo everybody! Celebrate responsibly. And, oh yeah! Happy retroactive Cinco de Cuatro!