(no subject)
So, as I keep explaining to people when they are flabbergasted at my complete ignorance of shows like Full House, Saved By the Bell, Fresh Prince, etc, I did not watch much television before my junior year of high school. As in, nearly none. As in, the occasional twenty minutes with the discovery channel on, or the baseball game with my dad.
Seriously, your nineties television references are lost on me, unless they involve something that aired on PBS, a la Arthur (which, by the way, if you didn't like, you lacked a soul. You were DAMIEN).
However, once upon a time I decided to get serious. Now, I read reviews and watch a ton of the pilots of the new season, eventually narrowing it down to the one or two shows I'll follow. Today, I figured, seeing as I essentially already do this with movies, why not give the tee vee a shot as well? Keep in mind you can catch all of these on the respective websites of the shows--who has time to watch TV in the evenings, anyway?
Here's a sampling, for your reading (and perhaps eventual viewing) pleasure, with the obligatory disclaimer that, for the most part, I've only watched the pilot episodes of these shows.
Chuck
NBC, Mondays 8/7c
Comedy
Chuck, in a nutshell, is supremely silly and entirely lovable. The titular character is an ex-Stanfordite engineer that works at the tech-support desk in an electronics store (think Geek Squad). He is an adorable nerd--which, for one reason or another, is entirely IN at the moment--with an annoying friend and a sister that just wants him to meet a nice girl. Through a STUNNING turn of events by which the show is made possible, Chuck's old roommate--who, unbeknownst to Chuck, has become a rogue spy--e-mails him a whole passel of government secrets, which are in turn downloaded into poor Chuck's unsuspecting brain. Suddenly, he is a government asset, with various secret agencies fighting over the use of his head (so to speak), and an unrealistically (but predictably, as this is television and the Average American Viewer likes teh pretty) attractive CIA (or is it NSA?) agent watching over him. The episodes start good, and get better. The verdict: Chuck is not really my cup of tea, but there's no denying it has a very sweet charm and great writing, and is a lot of fun. And, they use the first track off the latest Spoon album in the second episode, which gets a big freakin thumbs-up from me. Don't make me a target.
Bonus points: Firefly alum Adam Baldwin as a pissy NSA agent, who works undercover as a colleague of Chuck's. Let the hilarity ensue.
Big Shots
ABC, Thursdays 10/9c
Comedy
Not to sound harsh, but..one critic said this should be renamed "Big Drips," and I can't help but feel he was suffering from a case of understatement. Gotta love this smarmy,casually sexist and vaguely racist show about a foursome of rich white businessmen that are morally and charismatically bankrupt (and not even in an interesting way!). Or, you know...not. A prime example that you can't trust test groups, as this was ABC's highest testing pilot. Are you listening, execs??
Christopher Titus is the sole redeeming force on this show for me, but I'd rather see him doing more standup. Mostly, the forty-five minutes of my life I spent watching this pilot is some time I'd like back. Dylan McDermott as the CEO of a makeup company has ironically deplorable grooming (the carefully cultivated stubble and ruffled hair are meant to be sexy, I suppose, but this guy is no Hugh Laurie, and it just looks forced). I don't care about any of the characters one way or another, save that I'd like to smack them in all their self-pitying minor drama. Even the ordinarily cute Michael Vartan is annoying. Save this one for never. Verdict: Supposed to be a comedy, but is nothing but comically bad. I've heard Rob Thomas has signed on to produce, so perhaps it will stop sucking at some point, but I've officially signed off on this one. It's in the garbage along with October Road.
Dirty Sexy Money
ABC, Wednesdays 10/9c
Drama
This show annoyed me from the start with the title (because, let's be honest, that's just a big fat ploy to get viewers), but I'm warming up to it. Sort of. Peter Krause, he of Six Feet Under fame (I'll always be for Michael C. Hall, but whatevs), plays a lawyer that rarely does any lawyering to a family of spoiled socialites. Hey, at least Samarie Armstrong is finally in a role that fits her (an airheaded wannabe actress).
The babysitting Krause's character does is tiresome, and the subplot about finding out who killed his father is even moreso, if you can believe it or not. Despite Donald Sutherland's semi-enjoyable presence, most of my time was spent in curious fascination with the many ways Krause attempts to hide the fact that he is balding, and with the stunningly stupid ways the family gets itself into trouble. Verdict: I found the pilot off-putting, and I hear it gets better, but this has not made my list of priorities. Next!
Moonlight
CBS, Fridays 9
Drama
Unequivocally the worst pilot I watched this season. Granted, I haven't seen them all by a long shot, but I'd be an unhappy camper if any of them sucked harder than this bad boy. Ugh, let's see...a vampire crime-fighter with all the emotive range of a soggy cardboard box with nice biceps. A "reporter" that would give Stacey Zelenko a run for her money re: cheese, but is meant to be taken seriously. The name. Seriously, Moonlight? According to these guys, vampires can walk in sunlight without getting anything worse than a nasty headache. So...not only is the title horrendous, it's horrendous and MEANINGLESS.
Everything about this one was awful. The production values and the cinematography (as well as the occasional special effect) were tacky on the level of a bad student film (And hey, at least student films generally have a little wit and ingenuity to them). The acting was so bad it was actually amusing. And the plot sounds about as contrived as a Panda Bear teaching kindergarten without his rabies shots and falling in love with the serial killer janitor (actually, I might watch that). The verdict: No. Just...no. I predict this baby is the first canceled of the season--which would mark a rare instance of something getting the axe that actually deserves it. Ugh.
Bionic Woman
NBC, Wednesdays 9
Drama
Bionic Woman is a remake of the 70s show of the same name. An ordinary (OR IS SHE??) young woman is literally rebuilt after a near-fatal accident, and must come to terms with her new powers, the death of her fiance, and her apparent new obligations to the government.
This show was resolutely glum, and, worse, it was dull. One critic termed it as similar to watching "the worst episode of Alias ever," and, while I only watched a little bit of the latter-day Alias episodes, I think that's probably a fair assessment. I mean, these guys had Katee Sackoff (of Battlestar Galactica) as a femme fatale robot assassin, and they still managed to make it boring. How do you do that? The plotting of the entire pilot was rushed and jumbled, filled with exposition meant to get the audience to the "good part." Trouble is...the good parts never show up. It doesn't help that the leading lady has all the charisma of a toaster oven, without any of the toasty perks. The verdict: I won't be sticking around for this one, though I can see a little potential lurking beneath all the bad writing and emoting.
Private Practice
ABC, Wednesdays 9/8c
Drama/Dramedy
The spinoff bid of the ever-popular Grey's Anatomy juggernaut centers on Kate Walsh's character of Addison as she moves to southern California to start a new life away from the baggage of an ex-husband and a few failed relationships in Seattle. I'd give Kate Walsh a shot in anything, really, and she was the best part of Grey's for a good chunk of last season (at least, for as much of last season as I watched), but I have a baaaaaad feeling about this one, Harvey.
The fact that this dramedy about a wellness clinic in L.A. seems to fail is all the more disappointing given the stellar cast ABC and Shonda Rimes managed to assemble. Taye Diggs, Audra McDonald (is there going to be a cast sing-along? Please say yes), Tim Daly, Amy Brenneman, Paul Adelstein...each one is brilliant in their own right, and having them trapped in a sappy, contrived piece of melodrama like Practice is shaping up to be is a downright crime. The worst part is Brenneman's psychiatrist character, who not only does the entire field she represents a disservice with her completely false attitude towards the subject, but is also a totally spineless human being--a tragedy, given Brenneman's entirely capable of carrying a role with some meat in it. The verdict: Most of the time, this clinic feels like a twittering, gossiping, middle-school sleepover. Again, I can see the room for potential here, and with such an amazing cast I'm tempted to stick around...but, given the tight schedule of the modern student, it's doubtful I'll bother. Disappointment.
Pushing Daisies
ABC, Wednesdays 8
Unclassifiable
You know what's not a disappointment? My favorite show of the new season, that's what. I know I haven't seen them all, but I don't care even a little bit: none of them can be better than Pushing Daisies. I feel comfortable making that statement because we all know there will never be another Wire.
At the risk of spoiling the wonder that is this show for you, I will give a bare-bones premise. Ned, the protagonist, discovers as a young boy that he can bring deceased beings back to life with one touch. However, if he touches them again they promptly go back to being dead...forever. Jump-cut: Ned is all grown up and owns a pie restaurant, where he makes pies with ultra-delicious resurrected fruit and carefully guards his secret. But things shake up quickly: a private investigator inadvertently discovers Ned's gift and recruits him to help him solve murders (when the victims can actually tell you who killed them, it speeds things up a bit, and a second touch puts them right back to being dead). When the only girl Ned has ever loved becomes one of those victims, however...things get complicated.
Pushing Daisies is like Amelie crossed with The Addams Family with a sprinkling of Grimm's Fairy tales, and is directed by Barry Sonnenfeld. The production values are stunning and the visual style is completely unique. The writing is pitch-perfect, and QUIRK is written all over it--in a good way. Also, Kristin Chenoweth has a role. Not enough for you? The narrator, Jim Dale, also did the Harry Potter books. This baby warms my heart. The verdict: The best show of the new season, and definitely one of the best on television at the moment. Watch. It.
So, to wrap this thing up (whew!), the shows that I'll be watching this year will likely be Dexter, Friday Night Lights, and Pushing Daisies.
Oh, and by the by, if you missed Mad Men this summer....your loss.
Seriously, your nineties television references are lost on me, unless they involve something that aired on PBS, a la Arthur (which, by the way, if you didn't like, you lacked a soul. You were DAMIEN).
However, once upon a time I decided to get serious. Now, I read reviews and watch a ton of the pilots of the new season, eventually narrowing it down to the one or two shows I'll follow. Today, I figured, seeing as I essentially already do this with movies, why not give the tee vee a shot as well? Keep in mind you can catch all of these on the respective websites of the shows--who has time to watch TV in the evenings, anyway?
Here's a sampling, for your reading (and perhaps eventual viewing) pleasure, with the obligatory disclaimer that, for the most part, I've only watched the pilot episodes of these shows.
Chuck
NBC, Mondays 8/7c
Comedy
Chuck, in a nutshell, is supremely silly and entirely lovable. The titular character is an ex-Stanfordite engineer that works at the tech-support desk in an electronics store (think Geek Squad). He is an adorable nerd--which, for one reason or another, is entirely IN at the moment--with an annoying friend and a sister that just wants him to meet a nice girl. Through a STUNNING turn of events by which the show is made possible, Chuck's old roommate--who, unbeknownst to Chuck, has become a rogue spy--e-mails him a whole passel of government secrets, which are in turn downloaded into poor Chuck's unsuspecting brain. Suddenly, he is a government asset, with various secret agencies fighting over the use of his head (so to speak), and an unrealistically (but predictably, as this is television and the Average American Viewer likes teh pretty) attractive CIA (or is it NSA?) agent watching over him. The episodes start good, and get better. The verdict: Chuck is not really my cup of tea, but there's no denying it has a very sweet charm and great writing, and is a lot of fun. And, they use the first track off the latest Spoon album in the second episode, which gets a big freakin thumbs-up from me. Don't make me a target.
Bonus points: Firefly alum Adam Baldwin as a pissy NSA agent, who works undercover as a colleague of Chuck's. Let the hilarity ensue.
Big Shots
ABC, Thursdays 10/9c
Comedy
Not to sound harsh, but..one critic said this should be renamed "Big Drips," and I can't help but feel he was suffering from a case of understatement. Gotta love this smarmy,casually sexist and vaguely racist show about a foursome of rich white businessmen that are morally and charismatically bankrupt (and not even in an interesting way!). Or, you know...not. A prime example that you can't trust test groups, as this was ABC's highest testing pilot. Are you listening, execs??
Christopher Titus is the sole redeeming force on this show for me, but I'd rather see him doing more standup. Mostly, the forty-five minutes of my life I spent watching this pilot is some time I'd like back. Dylan McDermott as the CEO of a makeup company has ironically deplorable grooming (the carefully cultivated stubble and ruffled hair are meant to be sexy, I suppose, but this guy is no Hugh Laurie, and it just looks forced). I don't care about any of the characters one way or another, save that I'd like to smack them in all their self-pitying minor drama. Even the ordinarily cute Michael Vartan is annoying. Save this one for never. Verdict: Supposed to be a comedy, but is nothing but comically bad. I've heard Rob Thomas has signed on to produce, so perhaps it will stop sucking at some point, but I've officially signed off on this one. It's in the garbage along with October Road.
Dirty Sexy Money
ABC, Wednesdays 10/9c
Drama
This show annoyed me from the start with the title (because, let's be honest, that's just a big fat ploy to get viewers), but I'm warming up to it. Sort of. Peter Krause, he of Six Feet Under fame (I'll always be for Michael C. Hall, but whatevs), plays a lawyer that rarely does any lawyering to a family of spoiled socialites. Hey, at least Samarie Armstrong is finally in a role that fits her (an airheaded wannabe actress).
The babysitting Krause's character does is tiresome, and the subplot about finding out who killed his father is even moreso, if you can believe it or not. Despite Donald Sutherland's semi-enjoyable presence, most of my time was spent in curious fascination with the many ways Krause attempts to hide the fact that he is balding, and with the stunningly stupid ways the family gets itself into trouble. Verdict: I found the pilot off-putting, and I hear it gets better, but this has not made my list of priorities. Next!
Moonlight
CBS, Fridays 9
Drama
Unequivocally the worst pilot I watched this season. Granted, I haven't seen them all by a long shot, but I'd be an unhappy camper if any of them sucked harder than this bad boy. Ugh, let's see...a vampire crime-fighter with all the emotive range of a soggy cardboard box with nice biceps. A "reporter" that would give Stacey Zelenko a run for her money re: cheese, but is meant to be taken seriously. The name. Seriously, Moonlight? According to these guys, vampires can walk in sunlight without getting anything worse than a nasty headache. So...not only is the title horrendous, it's horrendous and MEANINGLESS.
Everything about this one was awful. The production values and the cinematography (as well as the occasional special effect) were tacky on the level of a bad student film (And hey, at least student films generally have a little wit and ingenuity to them). The acting was so bad it was actually amusing. And the plot sounds about as contrived as a Panda Bear teaching kindergarten without his rabies shots and falling in love with the serial killer janitor (actually, I might watch that). The verdict: No. Just...no. I predict this baby is the first canceled of the season--which would mark a rare instance of something getting the axe that actually deserves it. Ugh.
Bionic Woman
NBC, Wednesdays 9
Drama
Bionic Woman is a remake of the 70s show of the same name. An ordinary (OR IS SHE??) young woman is literally rebuilt after a near-fatal accident, and must come to terms with her new powers, the death of her fiance, and her apparent new obligations to the government.
This show was resolutely glum, and, worse, it was dull. One critic termed it as similar to watching "the worst episode of Alias ever," and, while I only watched a little bit of the latter-day Alias episodes, I think that's probably a fair assessment. I mean, these guys had Katee Sackoff (of Battlestar Galactica) as a femme fatale robot assassin, and they still managed to make it boring. How do you do that? The plotting of the entire pilot was rushed and jumbled, filled with exposition meant to get the audience to the "good part." Trouble is...the good parts never show up. It doesn't help that the leading lady has all the charisma of a toaster oven, without any of the toasty perks. The verdict: I won't be sticking around for this one, though I can see a little potential lurking beneath all the bad writing and emoting.
Private Practice
ABC, Wednesdays 9/8c
Drama/Dramedy
The spinoff bid of the ever-popular Grey's Anatomy juggernaut centers on Kate Walsh's character of Addison as she moves to southern California to start a new life away from the baggage of an ex-husband and a few failed relationships in Seattle. I'd give Kate Walsh a shot in anything, really, and she was the best part of Grey's for a good chunk of last season (at least, for as much of last season as I watched), but I have a baaaaaad feeling about this one, Harvey.
The fact that this dramedy about a wellness clinic in L.A. seems to fail is all the more disappointing given the stellar cast ABC and Shonda Rimes managed to assemble. Taye Diggs, Audra McDonald (is there going to be a cast sing-along? Please say yes), Tim Daly, Amy Brenneman, Paul Adelstein...each one is brilliant in their own right, and having them trapped in a sappy, contrived piece of melodrama like Practice is shaping up to be is a downright crime. The worst part is Brenneman's psychiatrist character, who not only does the entire field she represents a disservice with her completely false attitude towards the subject, but is also a totally spineless human being--a tragedy, given Brenneman's entirely capable of carrying a role with some meat in it. The verdict: Most of the time, this clinic feels like a twittering, gossiping, middle-school sleepover. Again, I can see the room for potential here, and with such an amazing cast I'm tempted to stick around...but, given the tight schedule of the modern student, it's doubtful I'll bother. Disappointment.
Pushing Daisies
ABC, Wednesdays 8
Unclassifiable
You know what's not a disappointment? My favorite show of the new season, that's what. I know I haven't seen them all, but I don't care even a little bit: none of them can be better than Pushing Daisies. I feel comfortable making that statement because we all know there will never be another Wire.
At the risk of spoiling the wonder that is this show for you, I will give a bare-bones premise. Ned, the protagonist, discovers as a young boy that he can bring deceased beings back to life with one touch. However, if he touches them again they promptly go back to being dead...forever. Jump-cut: Ned is all grown up and owns a pie restaurant, where he makes pies with ultra-delicious resurrected fruit and carefully guards his secret. But things shake up quickly: a private investigator inadvertently discovers Ned's gift and recruits him to help him solve murders (when the victims can actually tell you who killed them, it speeds things up a bit, and a second touch puts them right back to being dead). When the only girl Ned has ever loved becomes one of those victims, however...things get complicated.
Pushing Daisies is like Amelie crossed with The Addams Family with a sprinkling of Grimm's Fairy tales, and is directed by Barry Sonnenfeld. The production values are stunning and the visual style is completely unique. The writing is pitch-perfect, and QUIRK is written all over it--in a good way. Also, Kristin Chenoweth has a role. Not enough for you? The narrator, Jim Dale, also did the Harry Potter books. This baby warms my heart. The verdict: The best show of the new season, and definitely one of the best on television at the moment. Watch. It.
So, to wrap this thing up (whew!), the shows that I'll be watching this year will likely be Dexter, Friday Night Lights, and Pushing Daisies.
Oh, and by the by, if you missed Mad Men this summer....your loss.