Hey, all! I have no idea if this marks my triumphant return, or if this is just a quick hop back in and then right back out, but this comic came to mind nearly fully-formed, and I couldn’t NOT share it with you. Hope you like it, and if you do, please re-share, re-tweet, or otherwise socialize the heck outta this thing.

Granted, I’ve never actually been on a game show, so the cameras and the audience may do something to the contestants, but it seems to me that all the people who are on them – and yes, I’m particularly singling out that Hangman for Money-Hoarders classic, Wheel of Fortune – are missing a few brain cells. They’ll look at a board that says something like “J__K _ND J_LL WEN_ _P _HE H_LL”, and, rather than solving the puzzle, or even spinning to get more money, they’ll inexplicably buy a frakkin’ vowel! Now, if they buy an “O”, here, and the next guy gets a shot…he’s got it all figured out. He spins, lands on $2,500 or whatever, and smugly calls out “C”, then solves the puzzle. Didn’t think of calling out “T” and netting twice as much, didja there, hotshot?

Oh, and don’t miss the alt-text of this one. Little bit of mind-bending trivia for all you folks!

This strip is based on a recent conversation had at my house. It didn’t end the same way, though.

Similarly, perhaps, but not the same way.

Anyone else out there face this particular dilemma? How did you solve it? Inquiring minds want to know!

Yeah, this tidbit threw me for a loop when I realized the same as Jane, here. I’ve also occasionally worked out what albums Billy Joel had already had under his belt by the time he was my age (he’d done “An Innocent Man” by now), and I try hard to forget that Kate Winslet is only a month older than I am.

Anyone else have comparisons out there like this? Let me know in the comments!

No further comment, Your Honor.

Well, except for this, in case you have no knowledge of what I’m talking about! The Purple Smurfs

This happens to me all the time. It’s particularly vexing given how spoiler-phobic I am, so I end up fast forwarding into the first few seconds after the commercial break, thus destroying the dramatic tension.

I think this came from a word puzzle my father-in-law was working on the other day, but it’s decidedly fuzzy. What I do remember is singing the theme song to the show, on the spot. It was … special.

But hey, you know what I just thought of? The Love Goat’s perfect sidekick: Gopher!

My 7-year-old son has recently begun watching Wheel of Fortune and Jeopardy! with my mother and me in the evenings. This has been quite enjoyable, and he’s rather excited about getting to watch the “gaaame shooows” (as he always says, slowly and with wild eyes). I’ve always imagined that I’d kick massive amounts of butt on either show, but realize that if I were in the studio, facing the hot light, the cameras, and with actual money on the line, I’d probably be the one constantly trying to buy an F…

Production note: I’m pretty proud of how my Jeopardy! slides turned out. They feel ‘right’ to me, which is pretty much the point, innit? Hope you agree. Which would be even more the point.

Mitch, Scrappy, Zoid, and Jane

The other night, while The Eponymous Neaner and I were watching an episode of The Event– Okay, okay. To be honest, I was settling in to watch an episode of The Event. She was bundled into a sea of blankets and pillows on the futon next to me, preparing to drift off into Super Happy Slumber Land. After the opening teaser and credits rolled by, though, she glanced at the screen and noticed something. Well, two things, actually.

First, was Željko Ivanek, the go-to actor of late for TV shows that want a vaguely evil, yet bureaucratically so, governmental figure. She remembered seeing him on the first season of 24. We’ve seen him in a number of other shows of late (Heroes, Lost, House, etc.), but his work in 24 left an impression. I was very impressed.

And then she pointed at the credits going by. “Hey, aren’t those in the same font as 24?”

I love this woman so much.

I just don’t understand it.

There are many different subsets of demographics out there that watch TV. Among them, there are certain shows that appeal to the “geek” set, and there are a number of other shows that… well, don’t. So, why does it seem like nearly all the networks throw those geek-friendly shows on together at the Same. Frakkin’. Time?! And then they yank those shows after less than a season because they’re not getting the ratings they “expected”.

Monday nights at 8, Thursday nights at 9, and Friday nights at 8 seem to be focal points for these decisions of dubious intelligence. And then what do they throw on Saturday nights? Cops and football. They say that nobody watches TV on Saturday nights. Could that be because you guys long since gave up on Saturdays, leaving that as our best option to catch up on the overload from earlier in the week with our DVRs, rented iTunes shows, and Netflix subscriptions?

Oops, pardon me, I need to go fan off my DVR. I think it’s overheating…