"iCarly" [Schneider, 2007] Season 1 [Sep. '07- Jul. '08] [TV-Y7]

This adolescent-comedy show improves on Dan Schneider's previous safe program of the same genre, "Drake & Josh," by, um, being funnier. It is also much weirder, which is primarily what holds the show, including its humor, back. Topic: a webshow hosted by the 15-year-old title character, with her delinquent, masculine friend Sam(antha) and wimp-nerd archetype Freddie [sic] behind the camera. And indeed, its weirdness will occasionally become unbearable, but usually just sits there, so to speak, being an underlying "ideology" (not aesthetic so much) of the show. Grade: B PLUS

"South Park" [Stone-Parker, 1997] Season 12 [Mar.- Nov. '08]

This show, having been tremendously simplified on a grand scale since its creation twelve years ago, has at very, very long last finally come, by precisely those means, to possess some salient virtues. The two most impressive episodes seem thus far to be "Tonsil Trouble" and closer "The Ungroundable," which exemplify what I have just mentioned and are no doubt the best SP episodes yet-- perhaps even worthy of A's, were they not juxtaposed amidst such egregiously-doomed-to-failure political-didactism sessions as "About Last Night..." and (brace yourselves) "Canada on Strike" (admittedly, the latter focuses less on actual politics and more on attempting (not for a societal good, of course) to create a national identity for a country that has never had one), although there are a greater variety of bad South Park episodes than is typical for one season. However, this season's "Over Logging" features South Park's first successful satire (of our society's overdependence on the Internet) and its first successful adaptation of something made by people (or, in this case, one person) with actual talent and focus: "The Grapes of Wrath" by John Steinbeck. I would, as ever, like to give this season higher marks--in fact, really, really badly, since I actually had genuine hope in Messrs. Stone and Parker. But alas, it simply isn't consistent enough. Grade: B

Effective immediately, the Consumer Guide to TV is officially going bimonthly!

This will ensure the quality of the site will remain as high as possible, or at least as high as I feel like it has to be, since I will now have enough time.

"Aqua Teen Hunger Force" [Maiellaro-Willis, 2000] Season 4 [Dec. '05- '06]

This animated comedy has essentially the same modus operandi as Frisky Dingo, only this one is more gritty, realistic, and straight-up outrageous: to carry its comedy forward, there is nowhere Matt Maiellaro and Dave Willis won't go. Having slacked off somewhat here from the astonishingly brilliant work of art that was its second season, there is absolutely nothing (else, anyway) about the show that has changed since then. Two standout episodes: "Hand Banana" and "Carl Wash," in which Carl is, respectively, scammed and raped. And indeed, many of the others seem to fall a little flat. Grade: B PLUS

"Degrassi: The Next Generation" [Moore-Schuyler, 2001] Season 1 [Jul.- Oct. '02]

This extraordinarily dour and quasi-realistic Canadian (De Grassi was originally a street in Toronto) comedy-drama, (aimed at teens, no less), has been around for some 8 years and is one of the most popular shows of its genre in all of Canada-- if not at the top. And indeed, it is clearly rather accessible, given the huge amount of popularity it has attained here in the U.S. as well. But what do we really have here, in the show's very first season? Well, like all dramas, this one being pretty much the archetype of its genre, it takes a bit of time for it to really "grow on you". But once it does, its realism may well strike a nerve, but what really matters here is how much you are able to take it seriously, how untransparent it is as a whole. Don't believe the hype-- not all of it, anyway. Grade: B PLUS

"Frisky Dingo" [Reed-Thompson, 2006] Season 1 [Oct. '06- Jan. '07]

I have always been skeptical of this show, since I never got its awkward sense of humor for quite some time. And indeed, I condemned it to failure in execution in an earlier column I wrote, but I can now safely take that back. It seemed just too good to be true-- that this show could actually pull off what so many others have tried and failed at. But it can-- and it's only a little bit weaker here than in its astonishingly brilliant second season. Grade: A MINUS

"Jonas" [Curtis-Schulman, 2009] Season 1 [May- Aug. '09]

Honestly, who had HIGH expectations for this show? I mean, first the Jonas Brothers, who can't sing, form a band, and now a TV show based on that band's members under a new band name, "JONAS"? And not only that, it's on Disney Channel. It seems virtually like a recipe for disaster-- but-- no, wait a minute, you don't even NEED to lay back and enjoy its comedic brilliance, finding it in every imaginable scenario as only commercial engineers like these Disney employees can-- it's an engaging experience, and perhaps it need not even cede its best-current-Disney-show title to Phineas & Ferb-- perhaps it is even TIED for that honor, given that P&F has been slacking off a bit recently. One of very few modern-day successful Disney Channel programs. Or, "In which the unbelievably dull Disney production studios fabricate the brightest actual pop (kiddie-comedy) TV season of 2009." [Also, I'd just like to apologize that this review is coming so late.] Grade: A MINUS

"Scrubs" [Lawrence, 2001] Season 8 [Jan.- May '09] [TV-PG-DL/TV-14-DLS]

This ER, or Grey's Anatomy, or something (I don't watch shows like that very often) comedization and by extension non-rip has always been quite brilliant, tolerable in times of sincerity, and soft-with-the-blows as regards humor. This hasn't really changed, but the writing has regressed a little bit in this season, in spite of all the rightfully devoted fans of the show who didn't want it to die ("No! Not yet!"). It's a good thing, then, that it has changed so little. Indeed, this season, rounded up a little bit because of my "devotion" to the show, is almost genuinely enjoyable in its own right. How about that for "jumping the shark"? Grade: B PLUS

And Now, It is time for the July 2009 Consumer Guide, featuring good seasons of TV shows.

Among these: Phineas & Ferb, Seinfeld, Scrubs, and The IT Crowd. My uncle introduced me to this last, which is British and significantly better than Garth Marenghi's Darkplace was ever, which is saying something.

"Code Geass" [Taniguchi, 2008 (U.S.)] Season 1 [Apr.- Oct. '08 (U.S.)

This thoroughly Japanese anime drama centers around a boy--younger than me, quite surprisingly-- named Lelouch who, via a strange "The Force"- like power, becomes able to "transform or destroy just about anything"[--Newtype]. He has pledged to use this power to overthrow the foreign dictatorial powers of "Britannia," which has taken over his homeland of (wait for it...) Japan (naw!). He seeks revenge on, more specifically, his dad, who disinherited him upon his mother's death. But he wants to kill the Emperor and overthrow the Britannian government too, rest assured. This isn't really what is put in the spotlight most of the time, though-- instead, it's all the conflicts-turned-drama inside the "system" itself. Once it settles down, this season might actually be worth watching, not that it's all that great or anything. Grade: B PLUS