Digital Video

So the thing you won't see in the interview below is the adoration in my eyes as I stare at Zachary Levi, star of Chuck. But that's OK. He's the one you should be watching anyway. He talks about where the show is headed in season two (find new episodes here), his character's romance with superspy Sarah and bro-mance with supergeek Morgan (Joshua Gomez, who appears in this interview as well). And stick around to the end to hear from "Captain Awesome" (Ryan McPartlin), who discusses the appropriate use of his character's favorite word. -- Stephanie Reid-Simons, TV Demander

I'll be honest: My Own Worst Enemy did not top my Fall TV most-anticipated list, though I did amuse myself by thinking of the ironies of that title vis a vis the bad-boy history of the show's star (Christian Slater). But now that I've seen it, I'm hooked. (Enemy doesn't make its official NBC broadcast debut until next week, but you can see it free right now at Amazon Video On Demand.) The show opens with a moment that right away captures the essence of the show -- Slater's character speaking directly to the camera, with urgency, highlighting a secret drama of the suburban staple (kids' sports): "My name is Edward. By now, you have forgotten all about me. But you need to listen very carefully to what I have to say. First, call your wife and tell her you're going to miss the soccer game. Your life depends on it." Seconds later, he's doing spy stuff and (ahem!) other things with shirtless urgency, making the show sexy, shoot 'em up and mysterious less than five minutes in. Enter Alfre Woodard as this show's M, and I'm extra sold. See for yourself! -- Stephanie Reid-Simons, Amazon Video On Demand

The Watchmen is here! Wait, not THAT Watchmen. The much-anticipated film won't be out until next year. However, the "Motion Comics" version of the classic story is unfolding on digital video platforms, including Amazon Video On Demand. Here's some of what what Dave Gibbons, who drew the original graphic novel, told Newsarama about the new thing:

The source material was never designed to be animated and this has created a lot of logistical problems with extended drawing, additional movement to figures that never had it, etc. I think it’s always going to be a hybrid; it’s never going to be the pure thing anymore than the multi-million dollar motion picture will be the real thing. Watchmen the comic book is the real thing.

I still do think it’s an attractive and exciting way to present the material and I also think it shows the great strengths of Alan’s original story and, with modesty, the accessibility of my art style that I used on it. I think people can enjoy the graphic novel, they can enjoy the Motion Comic and they can enjoy the movie. I don’t think enjoying the presence of one excludes enjoyment of the others. I was particularly struck by the reaction of people who did not read the initial graphic novel. They were used to getting their visual excitement and storytelling from YouTube, TV or DVD. I think it’s a way of bridging that gap – bringing people hopefully to Watchmen the graphic novel and hopefully to other graphic novels and comics in general.

The Motion Comics are a great way to get into the world of The Watchmen, but be advised. The graphic novel is indeed graphic, and so are the videos. -- Stephanie Reid-Simons

Recently, I had the chance to talk with Rainn Wilson (aka Dwight Schrute) and executive producer Greg Daniels about the new season of The Office (find episodes here) and the appeal of the Dwight character (aka, the Fonzie of the 21st century). Enjoy! -- Stephanie Reid-Simons, TV Demander

The Office is all about the comedy of awkward, and it's been able to ride the wave of pained laughter to become probably the most successful U.S. re-imagining of a U.K. TV hit. Kath & Kim similarly celebrates awkward ... but will the Molly Shannon/Selma Blair version of the Aussie favorite make a splash on this side of the world? Their Kath & Kim makes its broadcast premiere on NBC next week, but you don't have to wait that long to see the show and decide for yourself. It's available to watch now  -- free, of course -- at Amazon Video On Demand, following in the fall sneak peek footsteps of Chuck, Life, Knight Rider and Lipstick Jungle. Kath & Kim is odd, but it did make me laugh, like when Kath breathlessly described an adored sweater this way: "It's like they threw a leopard in the air and caught it in embroidery." Instead of the workplace, their canvas is the mall, and the lives of those who consider the apex of culture. -- Stephanie Reid-Simons, TV Demander

I already had a thing for Bravo, but now I love it even more -- looks like the network is going to pick up my summer favorite, Swingtown, and give the show's 13 episodes another run starting in October. Yes, Bravo made it very clear that they're not planning to produce new episodes at this time, but at least the show's getting a chance to shake its groove thing one more again. Maybe that whole "popular demand" notion can do its work. (You can also cast your vote, as it were, by checking out Swingtown here.)  And accompany your viewing with some nice Rosy Perfection Salad (see episode 3, "Double Exposure").

Meanwhile, the Fall TV ax is already swinging and FOX's Do Not Disturb has the honor of being the first cancelation casualty. And apparently Amazon Video On Demand favorite Terminator: Sarah Connor Chronicles (SO not an 8 p.m.show) is not looking so strong on the broadcast front (a situation likely to get worse once it starts facing genre competition from Chuck, which begins its second season tonight). I wasn't busted up about the demise of Do Not Disturb, but I'd really miss Sarah Connor, which I think is off to a strong second-season start (melty metal Terminator! yay! -- Stephanie Reid-Simons, TV Demander

So I recently had the pleasure of chatting with Tony Shalhoub, the Emmy-winning star of Monk, aka the show that helped establish the USA network as the enjoyable "characters welcome" place it is today. He talked about reaching the 100-episode mark with Monk this month (and how it's different from hitting 100 episodes of Wings), how the show gets cool guest stars like Stanley Tucci (hint: personal connections help) and the future of the series, which will return from its midseason break next year but has yet to be renewed for an eighth season. See the latest episodes here, and enjoy the conversation. -- Stephanie Reid-Simons, Amazon TV Demander

Michael Moore, ever the subversive character, released his new movie, Slacker Uprising, today. But it's not in theaters. It's only available online (including at Amazon Video On Demand). Oh, and it's free (not unlike the ramen and clean underwear Moore famously gave out to said slackers to motivate them to hit the polls). The movie follows Moore on a tour of swing states in 2004, and as I watched it I kept thinking of Titanic. Not because Kate Winslet plays Moore's love interest (wouldn't that be interesting), but because we know how this "Get John Kerry elected!" story ends (I guess that makes Karl Rove the metaphorical iceberg). Anyway, here's Moore's official quote on the whys and wherefores of this film: "This is being done entirely as a gift to my fans. The only return any of us are hoping for is the largest turnout of young voters ever at the polls in November. I think 'Slacker Uprising' will inspire millions to get off the couch and give voting a chance." -- Stephanie Reid-Simons, Amazon Video On Demand

Heroes is back, and the early word is that it's back strong. Fans went wild for what they saw at Comic-Con over the summer, and anticipation is high with Volume 3 ("Villains") just launched on TV (see it commercial-free at Amazon Video On Demand). Recently, I had the chance to take part in a wide-ranging Q&A with series creator Tim Kring and series star Zachary Quinto, who plays uber-villain Sylar (the watchmaker's son with a deadly taste for other people's powers). They discussed their plans for the new volume (which will be 13 episodes long), how Heroes helped Quinto get the role of Spock in the much-anticipated movie reboot of Star Trek, what the future holds for Sylar and the fans' impact on the show. Specifically, they heard the complaints about Volume 2 (too slow, too much time spent with new and not-super-engaging characters). Kring says this season "we are not really introducing any new characters that have their own storylines. We are concentrating very much on the core characters that we've had for, you know, two seasons now." And in "Villains," they "are all feeding one, giant story." And Quinto adds, "for a cast as large as ours, I think all of my fellow actors would agree that each of us gets a significant amount to chew on in all the episodes that we're in. There's never a feeling that one storyline is suffering in favor of another." And if you're new to Heroes, Kring says they've worked to make it comfortable to dive in. "We didn't want to feel like you had to have watched two years of this show to catch up. We wanted to answer things really quickly so that you could move forward on this volume and have a kind of clean path in front of you." See the rest of the Q&A here. -- Stephanie Reid-Simons, TV Demander

Sure, we've had some great shows make their fall comebacks already (hello, House!), but this week is the biggie: Heroes, The Office, How I Met Your Mother, Law & Order: SVU, NCIS, Grey's Anatomy and one I'll be hearing about on a regular basis from my cubicle neighbor, Dancing With the Stars (go Cloris Leachman!). There's much more, of course, which is why I'm already worried about having enough time for things like, you know, sleeping. On top of all that, though, Amazon Video On Demand has early availability of two shows that are at the top of my "looking-forward-to" list: Chuck and Life, both of which had strike-shortened debut seasons last time around. Chuck, I've raved about at length: geektastic spyjinks plus humor plus engaging stars equals a show you should be watching. Life is a procedural with a twist: The cop is a con who spent 12 years behind bars (for a crime he didn't commit). I'm pretty burned out on   procedurals, but Life is different enough to keep me coming back. Watch them here now. Free. No commercials. No time to tarry -- I've got to see 'em before Heroes hits tonight! -- Stephanie Reid-Simons, TV Demander