TV Wilfred

There is no expiration date on any of Williams’ innumerable energetic performances, but we thought now would be a good time to celebrate a selection of his most memorable television roles and appearances. Hop into the egg ship and come along with us, won’t you?

It almost didn't happen. When we last saw Wilfred, the comedy still hadn't been renewed for its fourth season, which makes the ending of last year's finale seem even more audacious. Obviously, FX ended up coming through with the renewal, especially good news since Season 4 is just as unique, compelling and stunningly shot as the previous three although not quite as funny. Trying to provide answers when crafting a characters' mythology can be serious and often dark business.

The Summer TV season is upon us. With new shows like Extant, Rush and Tyrant -- among others -- joining the lineup, and returning series like True Blood, Doctor Who, Under the Dome, Defiance and Graceland lined up, TV has plenty to offer us this summer.

It has been a huge week for TV, with the upfronts laying out everything that the basic cable networks will be offering viewers for the next year or so. Not to be outdone, the quality control specialists at FX and FXX have released their summer schedule, covering both returning shows and those new to the airwaves.

The third season of Wilfred came to an end last night but we don't know if "Regrets" will also mark the end of the entire series. Despite still being one of the most bizarre, beautiful and funny half-hours on TV, ratings have slipped and there's been no word of renewal except the executive producer's discouraging tweets. We still need to find out the answer to the series' big secret! The writers will surely be filled with regret if the show ends with it still in tact.

"Heroism" was not just the penultimate episode of Wilfred’s third season but could very well end up being the penultimate episode of the entire FX series. There has been absolutely no word of renewal from the network and executive producer David Zuckerman has gone from "cautiously optimistic" (a week and a half ago) to sharing that, "if the show comes back, I’m hoping to return full time. It’s all up to FX." Like Bonnie Tyler said, we need a hero!

It's been two weeks since the last recap of Wilfred so it's probably a good idea to preface talk of "Stagnation," the third last episode of the third season, with a quick status report on the show that has, in executive producer David Zuckerman's words, "underperformed this season." And despite updating his assessment to "cautiously optimistic" after last night, if you want the original FX comedy to get another season to unfold the mystery, it's time to post flyers and get everyone you know watching.

It's at this point in the summer that you're either too busy with summer fun to have time for television, or you're sunburnt and sick of barbecue and looking for some alone time, just you and your Netflix. The thing is, Netflix is like a virtual buffet. The thought of feasting on all of the goodies is exciting, but a little bit overwhelming.

Not to start on a depressing note, but Wilfred is in the doghouse. No official word has come from FX, however, David Zuckerman shared the series seemingly dire circumstances saying, “we need big ratings to get to Season 4!” So be sure to watch live. And set your DVRs. Sorry, if I’m coming on too strong but “Confrontation” compelled me to come right out and tell everyone to make sure the network doesn’t put the bizarre, beautiful and very funny series down.

Wilfred has been having a great season so far even if the episodes leading into last night have been relatively tame. Not in terms of the humor, the series has never shied away from an off-collar joke, but they haven’t been as narratively daring as the standout installments of previous years. Yet. Ryan’s been growing more unsteady with last week’s "Intuition" put him right on the edge, forcing the character to try and gain some “Perspective" on his situation.

Even though there wasn’t going to be a recap for last week’s Wilfred, the comedy went ahead and aired a new episode anyway. How dare they? Or is it delusional to think that FX would paws (sorry) the series while some of us were busy watching the Wilfred panel at Comic Con? Speaking of “Delusion," it was also the titular theme of the missed installment that, along with this week’s “Intuition," continued the third season’s string of solid episodes.

Making its third appearance at SDCC, the Wilfred panel finally managed to avoid questions about The Hobbit. FX's surreal comedy about a mentally disturbed young man and the odd relationship he has with his neighbor's dog or, more appropriately, man in a dog suit stars Elijah Wood and he appeared on the panel via satellite while Jason Gann, Fiona Gubelmann and Dorian Brown as well as showrunners Eli Jorné and Reed Agnew and executive producer David Zuckerman were all in there in person.

After taking a week off, Wilfred came back full of “Shame" and with a very comfortable episode for the first solo installment of the third season. And just like seasons past, the series continues to employ a nice balance of episodic and serialized storytelling with “Shame" offering some over-arching lessons while also telling a solid, albeit somewhat safe, one-off story. Oh, and as a nice treat, Kristen Schaal guest stars!

FX is gearing up for Comic Con with a number of series set to return to the convention this year. The cable network has managed to spread their panels out to cover almost each day of SDCC, Saturday excluded. Wilfred, Archer, It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia and Sons of Anarchy will represent FX (and FXX) at Comic Con this year, with Wilfred leading off the pack late Thursday afternoon.

Wilfred’s one hour premiere kicked off Season 3 in fine form and washed away any worries that came with the comedy having new showrunners. The first two episodes delivered on almost all fronts, quickly reestablishing the show’s unique tone with the perfect mix of gross-out humour, philosophical musing and unparalleled cinematic style. This week once again featured back-to-back installments, both of them forcing Ryan into the world to deal with some real human relationships.

I was a little worried about the new season of Wilfred with the series having recently switched showrunners but the FX series seems to have made it through the transition unscathed. Part stoner comedy, part existential mystery and all fantastically photographed, the show continues to be ‘must see TV,’ starting its third season off right with a stellar back-to-back episode premiere. First comes “Uncertainty,” and then “Comfort.”

To be honest, I was worried. Going back through the annals of television history (especially recent history) not much good usually comes from a switch in showrunners and I was worried that Wilfred, one of the most inventive and daring comedies currently airing, would experience the same ill fate. Well, it only took about four or five seconds of the third season to realize that FX's comedic answer to LOST was going to be just fine.

Those looking for a male character who's a beacon of hope, goodwill and high morals can head into theaters this weekend to catch the highly anticipated Man of Steel. Those looking for more of a dark side in their hero (or anti-hero) have only to turn on the television in the coming weeks. We looked over the Summer TV line-up and found that this year's scripted programming has a pretty fantastic selection of bad-boy characters looking primed to cause some trouble.

It seems like just yesterday that Wilfred became a part of FX’s lineup. However, the hit comedy starring Elijah Wood and Jason Gann is actually prepping for its Season 3 release. On Monday, FX announced Season 3 will be returning to the schedule on Thursday, June 20 with special back-to-back episodes at 10 and 10:30 p.m. ET.

Out of nowhere, FX has become the best network on television when it comes to comedy. Argue all you like but there isn't another channel that can even come close to matching the cabler's line-up that includes great series like Louie, It's Always Sunny and Wilfred. And it looks like they mean to keep it that way by locking up that last piece of the puzzle for another year with FX finally renewing Wilfred for a third season.