Jedi's TV round up
I figured I’d put together a report card of the TV shows I watched this year. Wow I watch a lot of TV.
New Shows I picked up this year:
Arrow - This show...I just don’t know. I think it might improve if I just sat and watched it through again. As is I could never decide if I actually liked the show or it was a guilty pleasure. But it will be back next year and I’ll probably watch it some more. But it hasn’t really earned much loyalty from me.
Grade: B-
Bomb Girls - EVERYONE SHOULD BE WATCHING THIS SHOW, except you can’t because it got cancelled. Still I go and rewatch the two seasons we got I suppose and bemoan forever that we won’t see more. It doesn’t even seem like a great show for fanfic endings, or maybe I’m just not inclined towards it here. Still it is AWESOME and y’all should go check out what it had.
Grade: A- (it has a couple snags in the second season and the fact that it left us THERE has to cost something)
Castle - I am very happy I picked up this show because it is great. There are plenty of times I wish it wasn’t a procedural because it could benefit from some more focus on the straight up drama. And I did have some problems with the structure of the last few episodes that I’m working through and probably deserve their own post. But those are mainly the issues that normally keep me from watching procedurals but don’t keep me from watching this pretty great show.
Grade: A-
Downton Abbey - I can see why this show is so beloved, I love it too now. Even if I do have to object to the repeated use of birth/death drama this last season. I don’t have a lot to say, but I’ll be back for more next year.
Grade: A
Go On - Apparently this show was cancelled, and I can’t say I’m surprised. It was charming and sort of fun, but I can see why it had trouble gaining an audience. Still with two of their big sitcoms ending you’d think NBC would have given this one a second chance.
Grade: C+ (it’s still passing, but it’s mostly average)
Miranda - This show is just charming, and if you’re in the mood you can catch up on it in an afternoon (I took a couple days at least, but you could). I assume it’s going to have a fourth season, or else leaving it there is just cruel.
Grade: B+
Stuff I kept watching:
30 Rock - I’m going to miss this show, but it was probably time for it to go. And it did go out well I still must say. So I’m okay with it all around.
Grade: B+
Community - Do I understand why a lot of people were disappointed in this season? Yeah. Do I agree with them? Only a little. I still think this show is wonderful and fun and I almost always have fun watching it (but I do disagree with some of the directions the show has taken and seems to be headed in). I am definitely glad that it gets to continue though.
Grade: B+
My Little Pony - This show...is getting kind of weird. I still like it but parts of this season were just...odd. It was also a while ago I watched it so aside from the ending weirdness I’ve kind of forgotten what my objections were.
Grade: B
Once Upon a Time - A lot of people seem really put off by this season and I only kind of get why. Was it as good as season 1? In parts, but in a lot of ways no. Kind of like Arrow, I wish they would just drop the flashbacks unless they have a real reason to happen (it served a point in season 1 for us to know who the characters really were when in Storybrooke we only saw their cursed selves). I think they had so many things to juggle in the modern story that the flashbacks by and large got in the way of that...or something. I don’t think that’s the only problem of having so many things they wanted to do but no clear thought on how to do them.
Grade: B
Revenge - I’m not quite sure how I feel about this show at this point, but I think they’ve finally set a lot of things up for next year (getting back to the revenge aspect of the show rather than meandering spite). This one was kind of a wash and unfortunately one of the things they’ve set up is Emily/Jack to rear its head again. So I’m less than happy with this year but cautiously optimistic for next I guess...maybe.
Grade: B-
The Office - A lot of this season was kind of awkward, but in most cases I guess I get what they were going for. But the ending was just about perfect and that’s what’s on my mind right now so I have warm fuzzy feelings towards the show even if I didn’t for most of the season.
Grade: B (I guess, it’s a compromise)
The Vampire Diaries - there remains exactly one episode all season I have bothered to rewatch, and that one I mostly just keep watching the same few scenes over and over again. This show...it’s never been a good show but I have never been as angry at it as I have this season almost the whole way through. I am so very VERY sickened by a lot of the things that have happened this year that the few...”good” things that happened barely resonated with me through the dreck. And yet I’ll keep watching won’t I?
Grade: D (and that’s mainly for Bonnie’s arc, ND’s amazing acting on the rare occasions Elena was allowed to be a character especially in 4x15, and the E/E and Elena-Kat-Rebekah scenes in 4x18)
Young Justice - I read somewhere this show was cancelled but for now I’m trying not to believe it, because his show is just so much fun. THIS is what I want on a superhero show, people being superheroes; aliens, mad scientists, actual superpowers. And M’gann being completely precious and adorable. I’ll miss this show if it’s gone, but it had two good seasons to leave behind.
Grade: A-
Stuff on a different schedule:
Game of Thrones: season 3 is still going on, and show fandom is going is explode next week and book fandom is going to point and laugh...at the dents in the wall when we all threw the book across the room at that point (apparently my sister literally did that thing a lot of people claim to have done; I didn’t, but I’m gentle with my books).
Korra: I should look up when this show comes back, though my gut tells me it’s a fall or winter show this time around. I’m looking forward to it coming back, even though I did have some issues with how last season was so tied up.
Merlin: Actually I still have s5 to watch, but I did finally watch s3&4 a while back, so there’s that.
Psych: I’m so behind on watching this, I keep meaning to but getting distracted by other things.
Saving Hope: I’m not even sure why I’m so looking forward to this coming back, is it just that TVD didn’t give me enough DG this year and I’m *that* desperate? Because it’s not like I’m crazy about this show.
The Originals: (What, we got what was effectively is pilot episode so it counts) - Oh man, I wanted good things from this show, and yeah all it really needs to be for me if Elijah kicking ass and taking names and occasionally making speeches about honor and family (ideally I’d have Elena go along so we could get some eye-sex too but I’ll settle for great Elijah sans Elena) and the backdoor pilot did give me that but it also gave me magical mystery babies and not enough Rebekah so...we’ll see. I’ll be there the day it premiers though, so it didn’t turn me off.
A few stray thoughts:
-Apparently the back half of the DW season was something of an improvement. But I’m still not terribly tempted to watch.
-It was so great to have new Red Dwarf this year that I kind of didn’t pay attention to how I actually felt about it. Are they going to keep coming back?
-I’ve started making my way through Parks and Rec but it’s slow going at this stage; not in love with it yet.
-I haven’t watched any of Project Runway s11 yet. It’s never been appointment TV for me, but still I might be letting go of it even more.
-There do appear to be some interesting shows on the horizon for next season, and a few that started recently that are in my to watch queue but we’ll see when I get to them.
New Shows I picked up this year:
Arrow - This show...I just don’t know. I think it might improve if I just sat and watched it through again. As is I could never decide if I actually liked the show or it was a guilty pleasure. But it will be back next year and I’ll probably watch it some more. But it hasn’t really earned much loyalty from me.
Grade: B-
Bomb Girls - EVERYONE SHOULD BE WATCHING THIS SHOW, except you can’t because it got cancelled. Still I go and rewatch the two seasons we got I suppose and bemoan forever that we won’t see more. It doesn’t even seem like a great show for fanfic endings, or maybe I’m just not inclined towards it here. Still it is AWESOME and y’all should go check out what it had.
Grade: A- (it has a couple snags in the second season and the fact that it left us THERE has to cost something)
Castle - I am very happy I picked up this show because it is great. There are plenty of times I wish it wasn’t a procedural because it could benefit from some more focus on the straight up drama. And I did have some problems with the structure of the last few episodes that I’m working through and probably deserve their own post. But those are mainly the issues that normally keep me from watching procedurals but don’t keep me from watching this pretty great show.
Grade: A-
Downton Abbey - I can see why this show is so beloved, I love it too now. Even if I do have to object to the repeated use of birth/death drama this last season. I don’t have a lot to say, but I’ll be back for more next year.
Grade: A
Go On - Apparently this show was cancelled, and I can’t say I’m surprised. It was charming and sort of fun, but I can see why it had trouble gaining an audience. Still with two of their big sitcoms ending you’d think NBC would have given this one a second chance.
Grade: C+ (it’s still passing, but it’s mostly average)
Miranda - This show is just charming, and if you’re in the mood you can catch up on it in an afternoon (I took a couple days at least, but you could). I assume it’s going to have a fourth season, or else leaving it there is just cruel.
Grade: B+
Stuff I kept watching:
30 Rock - I’m going to miss this show, but it was probably time for it to go. And it did go out well I still must say. So I’m okay with it all around.
Grade: B+
Community - Do I understand why a lot of people were disappointed in this season? Yeah. Do I agree with them? Only a little. I still think this show is wonderful and fun and I almost always have fun watching it (but I do disagree with some of the directions the show has taken and seems to be headed in). I am definitely glad that it gets to continue though.
Grade: B+
My Little Pony - This show...is getting kind of weird. I still like it but parts of this season were just...odd. It was also a while ago I watched it so aside from the ending weirdness I’ve kind of forgotten what my objections were.
Grade: B
Once Upon a Time - A lot of people seem really put off by this season and I only kind of get why. Was it as good as season 1? In parts, but in a lot of ways no. Kind of like Arrow, I wish they would just drop the flashbacks unless they have a real reason to happen (it served a point in season 1 for us to know who the characters really were when in Storybrooke we only saw their cursed selves). I think they had so many things to juggle in the modern story that the flashbacks by and large got in the way of that...or something. I don’t think that’s the only problem of having so many things they wanted to do but no clear thought on how to do them.
Grade: B
Revenge - I’m not quite sure how I feel about this show at this point, but I think they’ve finally set a lot of things up for next year (getting back to the revenge aspect of the show rather than meandering spite). This one was kind of a wash and unfortunately one of the things they’ve set up is Emily/Jack to rear its head again. So I’m less than happy with this year but cautiously optimistic for next I guess...maybe.
Grade: B-
The Office - A lot of this season was kind of awkward, but in most cases I guess I get what they were going for. But the ending was just about perfect and that’s what’s on my mind right now so I have warm fuzzy feelings towards the show even if I didn’t for most of the season.
Grade: B (I guess, it’s a compromise)
The Vampire Diaries - there remains exactly one episode all season I have bothered to rewatch, and that one I mostly just keep watching the same few scenes over and over again. This show...it’s never been a good show but I have never been as angry at it as I have this season almost the whole way through. I am so very VERY sickened by a lot of the things that have happened this year that the few...”good” things that happened barely resonated with me through the dreck. And yet I’ll keep watching won’t I?
Grade: D (and that’s mainly for Bonnie’s arc, ND’s amazing acting on the rare occasions Elena was allowed to be a character especially in 4x15, and the E/E and Elena-Kat-Rebekah scenes in 4x18)
Young Justice - I read somewhere this show was cancelled but for now I’m trying not to believe it, because his show is just so much fun. THIS is what I want on a superhero show, people being superheroes; aliens, mad scientists, actual superpowers. And M’gann being completely precious and adorable. I’ll miss this show if it’s gone, but it had two good seasons to leave behind.
Grade: A-
Stuff on a different schedule:
Game of Thrones: season 3 is still going on, and show fandom is going is explode next week and book fandom is going to point and laugh...at the dents in the wall when we all threw the book across the room at that point (apparently my sister literally did that thing a lot of people claim to have done; I didn’t, but I’m gentle with my books).
Korra: I should look up when this show comes back, though my gut tells me it’s a fall or winter show this time around. I’m looking forward to it coming back, even though I did have some issues with how last season was so tied up.
Merlin: Actually I still have s5 to watch, but I did finally watch s3&4 a while back, so there’s that.
Psych: I’m so behind on watching this, I keep meaning to but getting distracted by other things.
Saving Hope: I’m not even sure why I’m so looking forward to this coming back, is it just that TVD didn’t give me enough DG this year and I’m *that* desperate? Because it’s not like I’m crazy about this show.
The Originals: (What, we got what was effectively is pilot episode so it counts) - Oh man, I wanted good things from this show, and yeah all it really needs to be for me if Elijah kicking ass and taking names and occasionally making speeches about honor and family (ideally I’d have Elena go along so we could get some eye-sex too but I’ll settle for great Elijah sans Elena) and the backdoor pilot did give me that but it also gave me magical mystery babies and not enough Rebekah so...we’ll see. I’ll be there the day it premiers though, so it didn’t turn me off.
A few stray thoughts:
-Apparently the back half of the DW season was something of an improvement. But I’m still not terribly tempted to watch.
-It was so great to have new Red Dwarf this year that I kind of didn’t pay attention to how I actually felt about it. Are they going to keep coming back?
-I’ve started making my way through Parks and Rec but it’s slow going at this stage; not in love with it yet.
-I haven’t watched any of Project Runway s11 yet. It’s never been appointment TV for me, but still I might be letting go of it even more.
-There do appear to be some interesting shows on the horizon for next season, and a few that started recently that are in my to watch queue but we’ll see when I get to them.