With the imminent return of the fall schedule, and an accompanying onslaught of promising pilots, it behooves the American TV-watching public to take a moment to mourn those beloved shows that fell behind. Gone but not forgotten, many of these fan-favourites will be dotting Netflix-instant queues across the nation for months to come. Here are three young, old and middle-aged (in that order) TV gems of 2011 worth remembering:

“GCB”: “GCB”, otherwise known as “Good Christian Belles”, other-other-wise known as “Good Christian Bitches,” was as difficult to understand as it apparently was to name. In bare bones format, “GCB” was a show about a former mean-girl, Amanda Vaughn (Leslie Bibb), who returns to her ultra-Christian, mega-wealthy Texas hometown after her embezzling, womanizer of a husband dies in a car-crash, leaving her and her children destitute and homeless. In returning to her old stomping ground, a now repentant Amanda also returns to the not-so-warm embrace of the community of women she once tortured in her misguided, Rachel McAdams-esque, youth. Hilarity ensues– well, yes and no and maybe. And therein lies the rub of GCB.

It is difficult to deny that “GCB” is a humorous show. Certainly, it has all the hallmarks of humour: there are jokes and everything! But the level of comedy behind the workings of “GCB” is very difficult to gauge. The writing so cheerfully and nonchalantly acknowledges the conservatism of society, in a world coloured by the liberal-tinged glasses of the east-coast media. You were tempted to watch the show as if it is a piece of absurdist satire. Indeed, though the rampant capitalist values and by-the-book devotion of some of the lesser characters are clearly hammed up and, thus mocked, by the creators of the show, the central character herself is a Good Girl who maintains an active involvement in church-life and can smoke a brisket with the best of the all-American carnivores.

Satire or no, though, there was something vivacious about “GCB” that could not be suppressed (until it was canceled, obviously.) Indeed, part of the irrepressible quality of the show no doubt owed itself to some memorably campy-beautiful performances by a great, well-seasoned cast; “JAG”‘s David James Elliott was a particular delight. One can only hope that he, and the other talented members of the “GCB” gang, will find themselves new roles on the TVs and in the hearts of the masses.

“House”: Though one of the most infuriatingly formulaic shows in, possibly, the history of TV, “House” was also the birthplace of one of the most beloved characters ever to have cherished a breathtakingly powerful cult of media personality: the eponymous Dr. Gregory House, a crotchety middle-aged Doctor chock-full of one-liners and prescription drugs.

Unlike in the case of “CSI: Miami”, a veteran TV series which also did not make it to 2012, “House” was successful because, not in spite, of its central dramatis personae. Hugh Laurie, assisted by a capable, and ever-changing cast of secondary characters (some highlights: Kal Penn, Omar Epps and Jesse Spencer), carried eight seasons (that’s 177 episodes!) of a show that invariably followed the same narrative pattern, and hinged on a last-minute medical twist that could only be comprehensible to someone who spent eight years in university earning the right to affix MD to the end of their surname. Thus, the only people who could truly understand the deus-ex-machinas of “House,” are also the people who are too busy actually saving lives to spend hours upon hours watching Hugh Laurie pretend to.

Regardless of these minor plot infringements, “House” deserves its place in the annals of pop-cultural history. To be sure, the current school of medical drama has been stripped of one of its best fictional doctors to ever wield a cane or berate someone named Thirteen.

“Chuck”: An adorable, Revenge-of-the-Nerds-type comedy, “Chuck” was a neatly-packaged show about a computer technician (Zachary Levi) who stumbled his way into the role of an International Superspy. What followed was five seasons of marshmallow goodness.

While not particularly distinguished in many ways, “Chuck” kept it light and fun — a welcome antidote to the button-pushing politics of “Girls” or “Louie” and the brash and in-your-face humour of Seth MacFarlane’s off-colour offspring. Indeed, if one was to praise “Chuck” for retaining any one quality, it would most likely be the show’s ability to remain blessedly innocuous from pilot to finale. Where “Psych,” which strikes much the same demographic chord as “Chuck,” is trite, smug and consequently grating, while “The Big Bang Theory” subtly insults the intelligence of its audience, “Chuck” is in no way painful to watch.

On the contrary, “Chuck” is the kind of show one could enjoy all in a single popcorn-fueled sitting and still remain relaxed and mentally at peace. To put it bluntly, “Chuck” is perfect Netflix-fodder. Perhaps, then, the show’s cancellation should not be mourned as the sad demise of a wholesome Fall stable, but, instead, it should be celebrated as a coming home (to DVD).

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On July 13, lucky fans at the 2012 San Diego Comic Con were able to enjoy the Nerd HQ panel, hosted by Zachery Levi (“Chuck” (2007), ‘Tangled’ (2010), starring geek god Nathan Fillion (“Firefly“ (2002), “Castle“ (2009) and fan favorite Adam Baldwin (“Firefly,” “Chuck”). The panel was also streamed live online to be enjoyed from coast to coast.

The format of the panel is similar to other ones at San Diego Comic Con. Fillion and Baldwin sat down and selected questions from audience members and answered them with plenty of jokes and interesting anecdotes. The fans’ questions ranged from personal to work-related and were delightfully diverse rather than simply focusing on the actors’ work on Joss Whedon’s “Firefly,” which incidentally had a reunion panel earlier that day. The highlights of the panel are below.

One fan asked Fillion and Baldwin what they considered to be the best lines from “Firefly” and ‘Serenity’ (2005), and if they could act them out. Baldwin did the infamous “we get paid” line from the pilot episode and then Fillion did Jayne’s line about his “very favorite gun” from “Our Mrs. Reynolds,” and then closed out the reenactment with the famous, “I’ll be in my bunk” quote that all fans know and love.

Another fan asked about what kind of pranks went on during the filming of ‘Serenity.’ Fillion was eager to tell them about how he copied some photos of a teenaged, goofy looking Alan Tudyk and then plastered the pictures all over the back of the bar scene in ‘Serenity’, which utterly confused Tudyk when he saw them and caused the crew to crack up when Tudyk confronted him.

Someone asked Fillion what his thoughts were on George R. R. Martin’s “Game of Thrones,” both the novels and the HBO series, and Fillion was excited to share how he got into it and demonstrated the many range of emotions he goes through while watching an episode. He noted that he is particularly fond of Tyrion Lannister.

A “Castle” fan asked if “Castle” season five would deal with Castle’s father, whom he does not know but was suggested to be involved with the CIA, and Fillion confirmed that it would be addressed later on in some capacity.

Fillion also pointed out a few “Castle” cast members he would like to see return like Adam Baldwin’s character, Ethan Slaughter, who appeared in season four, Michael Trucco’s character Det. Demming, who appeared in season two, and Fillion even said he’d love to see Zachary Levi join the cast in the future. Levi eagerly accepted the invitation.

Speaking of Levi, Fillion also said he has dreamt of being able to voice a character in a Disney/Pixar film, which amused Levi as he voiced the roguish thief Flynn Rider in Disney’s ‘Tangled.’

A young boy named Connor asked Fillion if he was excited about voicing Hal Jordan, aka the Green Lantern, in two DC Animated Original films, and the actor confirmed this by revealing how he wore his Green Lantern shirt in the recording booth each time he went in. He then started to say the oath, but then changed it into a hilarious little parody poem instead.

One of the “Firefly” fans asked where Fillion and Baldwin thought Mal and Inara would be five years after the events of ‘Serenity’ and both men agreed that by then, the pair would have consummated their relationship, but would not have settled down for a normal life.

The panel was topped off by a fan donating $1000 to charity in order to see Fillion and Baldwin give Zachary Levi a smooch each. Both men tossed down their own cash and planted big wet ones on Zachary, who sheepishly complied to the request, which set the room ablaze with laughter and applause. The panel could not have ended on a better note.

San Diego Comic Con 2012 is still underway so more news of the “Firefly” veterans will be coming in over the weekend. Stay tuned.

Image Courtesy of  Gage Skidmore

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Hosted by the star of NBC’s “Chuck” and avid gamer Zachary Levi, executive produced by Emmy Award winner Mark Burnett, and featuring cutting edge in-show augmented reality and world premiere footage from hotly anticipated releases, Spike TV’s ninth annual “Video Game Awards” proved to be a night to remember.

Industry giants gathered as the network celebrated the outstanding artistic and technical achievements in the world of gaming over the past year. Internationally, the ”VGAs” were seen in over 100 countries and territories around the world.

A host of the most influential members of the gaming industry, as well as stars from the worlds of sports, television, music, and movies gathered at the biggest night in video games and watched Bethesda Studios release “The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim” receive the highest honor a game can receive when it took home the coveted Vector Monkey after being named Game of the Year.

“The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim” also won Best RPG and garnered Studio of the Year honors for Bethesda Game Studios. Other multiple award winners included “Portal 2,” which won in five prominent categories, including Best PC Game and Best Multiplayer, and “Batman: Arkham City,” which won four Vector Monkeys, including awards for Character of the Year for the Joker, Best Xbox 360 Game, and Best Action Adventure Game.

“The Legend of Zelda” creator Shigeru Miyamoto made a surprise appearance to accept the first ever Video Game Hall of Fame Award on the groundbreaking franchise’s behalf. “We always push ourselves,” said Miyamoto, “and we’re grateful you notice.”

Additional honors included the second ever Gamer God Award, which was bestowed upon Blizzard Entertainment, the creators of the “World of Warcraft,” “Starcraft,” and “Diablo” series.  Original founders Michael Morhaime, Allen Adham, and Frank Pearce were all on hand to accept the prestigious award.

The “VGAs” debuted never-before-seen world premieres of the most anticipated games of 2012 and beyond, including Naughty Dog’s “The Last of Us,” the surprise reveals of “Command & Conquer: Generals 2,” “Alan Wake American Nightmare,” Epic Games’ “Fortnite,” “Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance,” “Tom Clancy’s Rainbow 6 Patriots,” “Transformers: Fall of Cybertron,” “BioShock Infinite,” and the winner for Most Anticipated Game “Mass Effect 3.”

This year’s show included presenters and appearances by major stars from all over the entertainment world, including Charlie Sheen, Brooklyn Decker, Seth Green, Felicia Day, LL Cool J, Jason Biggs, Seann William Scott, Tony Hawk, will.i.am, Anders Holm, game designers Cliff Bleszinski of Epic Games, and Hideo Kojima of Konami.

The show also featured a performance by Grammy Award winning rock duo, The Black Keys, and Grammy Award nominated dance music innovator deadmau5, who helped transform the show with his visual representation of sound into a real life video game experience.

Additionally, NFL Hall of Famer Jerry Rice was on hand to announce the results of the vote for Digital Cover Athlete of the forthcoming “NFL Blitz” from EA Sports, with Ray Rice of the Baltimore Ravens selected by fans who cast their ballot at vga.spike.com during the show.

A full list of winners is included below:

GAME OF THE YEAR
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

STUDIO OF THE YEAR
Bethesda Game Studios

CHARACTER OF THE YEAR
The Joker – Batman:  Arkham City

VIDEO GAME HALL OF FAME AWARD
“The Legend of Zelda”

GAMER GOD AWARD
Blizzard Entertainment

BEST XBOX 360 GAME
Batman: Arkham City

BEST PS3 GAME
Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception

BEST Wii GAME
The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword

BEST PC GAME
Portal 2

BEST HANDHELD/MOBILE GAME
Super Mario 3D Land

BEST SHOOTER
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3

BEST ACTION ADVENTURE GAME
Batman: Arkham City

BEST RPG
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

BEST MULTI-PLAYER
Portal 2

BEST INDIVIDUAL SPORTS GAME
Fight Night Champion

BEST TEAM SPORTS GAME
NBA 2K12

BEST DRIVING GAME
Forza Motorsport 4

BEST FIGHTING GAME
Mortal Kombat

BEST MOTION GAME
The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword

BEST INDEPENDENT GAME
Minecraft

BEST ADAPTED VIDEO GAME
Batman: Arkham City

BEST SONG IN A GAME
“Build that Wall (Zia’s Theme)” by Darren Korb – Bastion

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE
Bastion

BEST GRAPHICS
Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception

BEST PERFORMANCE BY A HUMAN MALE
Stephen Merchant as Wheatley – Portal 2

BEST PERFORMANCE BY A HUMAN FEMALE
Ellen McLain as GLaDOS – Portal 2

BEST DOWNLOADABLE GAME
Bastion

BEST DLC
Portal 2 Peer Review

MOST ANTICIPATED GAME
Mass Effect 3

GAMETRAILERS.COM TRAILER OF THE YEAR
Assassin’s Creed: Revelations – E3 2011 Trailer

EA SPORTS NFL BLITZ DIGITAL COVER ATHLETE
Ray Rice

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