The Sun Always Shines on T.V.: Phineas and Ferb

Ok so this is probably one of my favorite shows on TV right now. I know I say that a lot, but in this case it is a no brainer. Phineas and Ferb is a kids show on Disney Channel. Now I know what you are thinking...a kids show forget it. No, it is more than that. It is a smart kids show. There are tons of references to movies, pop culture, and other shows built into. No kid can pick them out, they are made for the adults who are watching. The show itself is about these two genius kids who try and find something to do for everyday they are on summer vacation. I knew there was something special about this show when I heard Phineas proclaim "Ferb, I know what we are going to do today..." It had a certain ring to it like Pinky and the Brain, another smart kids show.

So not only do you have these two genius kids building/doing impossible things, you have their sister who is constantly trying to catch them, think Ferris Bueller's Day Off. And why not throw in their pet platypus who is also a secret agent. Sounds silly I know, but it works. Perry the Platypus is always stopping Dr. Doofenshmirtz, and evil scientist who always tells his plot before he tries to kill Perry.


With Better Off Ted looking like its days are numbered, Phineas and Ferb is a solid replacement for a smart tv show with tons of sci-fi references. You can watch this episode and literally count the number of Star Wars references, even down to the RotJ reference when Luke said he was endangering the mission. Great show. They just started their second season and Disney shows usually last a good 5 years.

The Sun Always Shines on T.V.: Better Off Ted

Ok, this is probably one of my favorite shows on TV right now. I happened upon it one night while I was waiting for Scrubs and found myself laughing pretty hard. In a nutshell, it's about this guy who works at a company that builds products for war or the military. The show follows Ted (duh) and 4 others, so it is a small cast. The humor is quick and smart. There are a ton of references to science fiction, which I really enjoy.

The last episode had an interaction between Linda (the nice girl) and some head of a department at the company. Anyway, Veronica (boss and mean) and her try to get him to change his mind on the company's policy on fundraising, but he won't Linda tells the man she isn't leaving, Veronica says things that the Emperor himself said during Luke's battle against Vader. The classic line of "only your hatred can defeat him" was used. Only sci-fi fans would appreciate that line and let me tell you...I did.

Unfortunately, it appears as though Better Off Ted is going to be cancelled. It is going through the same fate as Scrubs, showing an entire season in a month...not good.

It's a shame that this show will only have 26 episodes under its belt when it is gone because it will never make it to syndication. This is a must buy for me on dvd.

here's a sample