News bits: Jay and Jimmy, the Bluths and that celebrity game show

The Big News this week, obviously, is that Jimmy Fallon will take over for Jay Leno as host of "The Tonight Show" in spring 2014. As part of the handoff, the show will move back to New York.

I don't have a lot to add to all the talk swirling around the transition, partly because it had already been widely reported before this week's announcement, partly because we've seen it all before in the Conan debacle of a few years ago, and partly because I watch neither Leno nor Fallon and frankly don't care that much.

But I can see where Leno's longtime followers -- he's been host of "Tonight" for 22 years, all told -- might feel some sadness. These are folks who watch Leno by actually turning on the TV at 11:35 p.m., as opposed to checking out short, funny and talked-about video clips the next day, as I sometimes do with Fallon -- and as, I suspect, many of Fallon's fans do, since video shorts are part of his shtick. Though it will be interesting to see if Leno's crowd will stick around for the young and hip Fallon, maybe the bigger question on their minds is whether they've seen the last of their favorite big-chinned comic. Several critics who say they have a handle on how Leno thinks suspect he'll find some way to stay in the spotlight.

Read on for some other news of the week:

Review: ABC's "How to Live With Your Parents"

I wish TV didn't repeat itself.

The worst elements of "How to Live With Your Parents (For the Rest of Your Life)," which premieres tonight on ABC, are recycled: quick flashbacks to punctuate a joke, bleeped out swear words, sentimental summation.

The concept is also familiar: Single mom Polly (Sarah Chalke), recently divorced, returns home and intends to stay with her parents (Brad Garrett and Elizabeth Perkins) for just a short while, but ends up staying indefinitely. Polly is the "normal" one of the family, her parents the eccentric, free-spirited type. Her doofus ex-husband (Jon Dore) is still in the picture. But in a departure from recent trends, her young daughter (Rachel Eggleston) is blissfully non-precocious.

With the recycled elements, "How to Live With Your Parents" simply feels like it's trying too hard. But the show has something in Garrett and Perkins, especially, and it succeeds in moments when it sits back and lets them play off each other. They have an easy relationship, one that comes across as believably long-term: When they talk over each other, as they often do, it's subdued and usually serves to complement what the other is saying. Their hands-off approach differs from Polly's, providing the genesis of most conflict on the show. Chalke does a fine job navigating the waters as Polly tries to figure out how she wants to raise her daughter. Polly can be a little manic sometimes, and her life is not nearly as out of control as she pretends it is, but she's charming.

This is not really a laugh-a-minute show, but it could be. Give it a try.

Game of Thrones Review: Valar Dohaeris

"Game of Thrones" is back and ... underwhelming. But in individual moments, still incredible.

The premiere spent most of its time doing the necessaries: picking up where the characters left off, introducing new ones and laying the groundwork for things to come. Not much room for anything to get the heart pumping.

That said, there were a lot of little things I enjoyed quite a bit. Top of the list were Tyrion's encounters with Cersei and, especially, Tywin. Tyrion is still licking his wounds from the after-effects of the Battle of Blackwater. He's been disfigured by a slash across the face (put there by someone Cersei hired), removed from his position as Hand of the King and longing for a little recognition for the stellar job he did. Though he's a dwarf, he has never really seemed small -- until this episode. He holds his own with Cersei as she gloats over his circumstances and tries to pump him for information, but his usual calm with her is replaced by a jumpy wariness. And he's feeling so vulnerable that he goes to his father and openly asks for what is his by rights -- despite knowing how much Tywin loathes him, and being told so again.

While Tyrion is getting beaten down, Dany's fortunes are looking up as she considers buying an army of 8,000 Unsullied warriors from a slave trader. Though the warriors' show of force was small, their precision was impressive and their backstories horrifying. The books spent a great deal of time on her moral opposition to slavery, and I'm curious how much of that will make it into the show. Jorah seems to have already convinced her that she would be a much nicer slave owner than the other guy.

Meanwhile, Jon is falling in with another army north of the wall led by Mance Rayder, played by Ciaran Hinds. I'm not sure about Hinds yet, but he seems to give Rayder just a touch of levity, which works for me. Elsewhere in the camp, there's a giant doing menial labor. Love it.

Other highlights/lowlights:

-- I was happy to see Davos alive, but unhappy to see him carted off. Also, the Stannis/Red Woman dynamic is rather flat by now.

-- Behind Tyrion's scenes, probably my favorite one was the brief exchange between Ros, the prostitute-turned-brothel manager (or whatever), and Shae, the prostitute-turned-lady's maid. For all the sexposition that goes on, it's nice to be reminded that these two women have become far more complex and interesting characters.

-- Nice touch on the main titles, showing Winterfell now as a smoldering mess.

-- Yeah, the dragons are bigger and badder, but they're also less convincing than when they were smaller. But I won't hold it against you, VFX guys, because the direwolves still look awesome.

-- Looking forward to next week, when we get to check in with Arya, Bran and Jamie.

What did everyone else think?