Gossip Girl: The College Years

I have long been a Gossip Girl devotee, but while my loyalty to the show remains in tact, I have to admit that it feels like a very different viewing experience this season (which is both good and bad). I'd say creatively, the show has survived the move from high school to college better than expected (and FAR better than other shows who've tried to make the leap), but for various reasons things just aren't clicking with me in the same way.

I'd say the biggest difference is with the relationship between Chuck and Blair. They've always been the centerpiece of the show for me and have generally been the reason I'm eager to tune in week-to-week. Last season really overhauled their dynamic. The evil, snarky, deceptive manipulations of season 1 were replaced by a devastating loyalty to one another. Both characters were broken down to the point of near annihilation, so it only makes sense that they couldn't come back from the brink as their old selves. Once the dust settled, the pair finally let go of the games and the facade of imperious control and decided to give the relationship a chance--a startlingly honest, very real chance.

Seeing the pair of them lay their emotions out there for the other to see was a serious divergence from the masked interactions of yore and it necessarily changed the dynamic between them. In general, when a couple finally finally finally gets together on a show (often after several seasons of will-they-or-won't-they teasing), the spark is extinguished and I lose all interest in them (Jim and Pam, Barney and Robbin, Sydney and Vaughn, Derek and Meredith, etc). Playing house just isn't as enthralling as one would hope... With Chuck and Blair, the writers have done a wonderful job keeping the relationship interesting and have managed to have them be a couple in a very satisfying way. In a sense, I'm almost too invested in them now. Before, when it was all mind games and masked agendas, the main thing that was at stake was the facade. If things broke down between them or one betrayed the other, it was generally on a superficial level, and therefore didn't impact the realities in such a potentially devastating way. Nowadays, each scheme, each lie, each manipulation is a very real, very personal assault on the other, and that's kind of hard to watch.

I've gotten to the point this season where I'm a little afraid to watch the episodes because there's just so much as stake for the both of them. This is the first time either of them has been honest with anyone about anything and the tension for the audience (at least for me) is palpable. Their relationship (which feels more like a detente at times) seems like this fragile arrangement that I'm constantly worried will fall apart. That sounds unduly dramatic, but after the hell on earth they survived last year, it just seems counterintuitive that anything could faze them at this point. They've been through so much and have revealed so much about who they are that there's just a tremendous amount at stake. Every episode I find myself just waiting for the other shoe to drop. It's a little nerve-wracking...

As anyone reading this post surely knows, I tend to get a little (read: very--like, to an unhealthy extent) invested in my shows, and in particular, with certain characters on those shows. Well, Blair and Chuck are my characters on Gossip Girl. Actually, for some reason, I find I'm most tied up and worried about Blair most of the time (kind of like Dr. Carter was for me on ER). She has a tendency to set herself up for total annihilation and that's exceedingly interesting, but ultimately very stressful to watch. Now that she has so much invested in Chuck, it just makes the whole relationship all the more precarious. For example, in the episode where Blair and Vanessa are both vying to give the freshman toast (or whatever that was), the fact that Blair lied to Chuck was almost painful to sit through. It's not that the episode was poorly written or that the storyline was out of character (far from it), it just that the whole set up these days makes everything a much bigger deal than it would have been in the past. Chuck seemed genuinely hurt by this, where in the previous two seasons, it would have just been round 1. Lying to and manipulating each other was par for the course in seasons past, and in fact, was the largest facet of the game they played. Now, every slight is seen as an utter betrayal. It's a stirring dynamic, but that doesn't make it any easier to watch. I spend the better part of every episode on pins and needles wonder when the roof is going to cave in.

My investment in Chuck and Blair and my fears about all the horrible that seems inevitable for the two of them wouldn't be as big of a deal if I were more invested in the other characters on the show. I've never been all that tied up in whatever Serena has going on or what has happened to Jenny lately, but this season, I find I'm even less enthralled. Whereas with Blair, I'm constantly concerned about what's going to happen and how her plans are going to blow up in her face, with the rest of the cast, it's just like watching a bunch of stuff happen to a bunch of people I don't know. When Serena makes a fool of herself or Dan makes a mess of things, it's just a series of events that don't concern me. It's really kind of a weird sensation because I'm interested to know what will happen, but whatever that may be, I don't generally care. With Chuck and Blair and I'm constantly pulling for things to work out a certain way, but with everyone else? They could get deported tomorrow and I'd want to know what happens, but wouldn't really care one way or the other. In this sense, their storylines are much easier to watch, but no where near as satisfying.

Speaking of everyone else, I think the area where the move to college was the most detrimental was with regard to Jenny and Eric--those poor saps who are still stuck in high school. They've had very little screen time thus far this season, and with good reason. I don't really care all that much about Jenny's reign over Constance Billard. No one can out-do Blair, so watching her try just seems a bit out of character and redundant. Eric has always been a bit lost in the shuffle, which is a shame given how much I enjoy the character. I'm hopeful the coming episodes will integrate them a bit better into the overall world of the show, but I'm just not too sure how that's going to work... Same goes for Rufus and Lily... I used to be quite invested in their storylines, but now? Even with Lufus (er, Scott) showing up, I just couldn't get behind them. I was interested in the love child storyline primarily because of Georgina, not Rufus or Lily, which is kind of a shame (not that Georgie isn't awesome, but I just would have liked a bit more emotional resonance with the actual parents).

Dan's journey thus far has been decent enough, but I never really cared about him anyways. Hilary Duff isn't as nauseating as expected, but I'd still prefer she shuffled off to wherever she came from. Nate... is just kind of there. The Bree Buckley storyline turned into something much more substantive than anticipated, but that was all due to Carter Bazien. Speaking of Carter Bazien, I never knew how much I missed you! I developed quite an admiration for Sebastian Stan during his stint on Kings and my affections clearly carried over into Gossip Girl. Unfortunately, from what I'm hearing, his appearances on GG have come to an end for the foreseeable future... I was shocked at just how much I enjoyed his and Serena's relationship. I went in expecting it to fall flat, but it really worked for me. Again, although I was interested, the fact that the relationship came to a crashing end seemed more like just something that happened rather than the nuclear holocaust that would result from a Chuck/Blair split.

Anyway, long story short, I still love the show, but it has become mentally taxing to watch at times. It has moved to the second tier, I'd say. I'll be interested to see where everything goes, but I think I'm hoping to become a bit less ridiculously invested in Chuck and Blair and quite a bit more invested in the rest of the cast. As with any show entering its third year, it simply can't hold the freshness and novelty of its first two seasons, but the show appears to be growing and I'll be sticking with it while it does. (It just might be a little more stressful to watch than I'd prefer...)

Hurtling Toward Total Destruction

Oh, NBC. Maybe you should just stop now while you're only woefully behind... Just when I think the network can't fall any further, it proves me wrong time and time again. NBC has been struggling for the past few years, but in just the past few months alone, it has re-branded itself as a pathetic wasteland where decent shows go to die and crappy shows find a feeble home. (And lest you think NBC might crawl its way back from the brink in the seasons to come, take a look at what they have planned. "Yikes" just doesn't quite cover it...)

Hot on the heels of cancelling Southland before it even had a chance to premiere its second season, the dumbasses that be at the peacock network have picked up Mercy for a full season over Trauma. I have mixed feelings about this, for various reasons, but my own proclivities aside, this is yet another sign that NBC has forsaken everything in the interest of ratings (and not even very good ratings at that). Trauma isn't a spectacular show or anything, but ounce for ounce, it's a hell of a lot better than Mercy will ever be.

You've all heard my thoughts on Mercy, but I never really assessed Trauma. It's a high-octane, paramedic based medical drama that has a lot more explosions than it does character development, but all in all, it's a fairly decent show that's actually pretty watchable. Mercy, on the other hand, is just as painful now as it was in the pilot. Uninspired, unoriginal, and sanctimonious as all get out, Mercy tries to be Grey's Anatomy for nurses instead of surgeons, but only succeeds in mimicking the craptacularity of recent seasons in spite of clearly aiming for the awesomeness of earlier seasons. Thanks, but no thanks. Honestly, when choosing between paramedics or yet another show focusing on nurses, I'll take paramedics any day. As would most people, methinks, if the brass at NBC has a brain among them.

What it boils down to is that Trauma is in a rather unenviable timeslot on Monday and Mercy is in the most uncrowded of slots on any other day but Monday. For those of you who have tried scheduling your DVRs for Mondays, you know exactly what I'm talking about. I catch it here or there when they re-air it later in the week and find it adequately entertaining for a rainy day. Whereas I fast-forward through far more than just the commercials during Mercy (which I only keep up with in the most cursory of senses--like I said, there's nothing else on at that time), I can sit through Trauma with very little annoyance or trigger happy fast-forwarding. Why am I lobbying for a show that I've given such a tepid assessment, you ask? Well, it's not so much lobbying for a cause as pointing out how bone-headed NBC has become. If they had put Trauma in a decent timeslot and promoted it the right way, it could have been a solid performer, but instead, the network would rather invest in a show they think has mass appeal rather than any actual creative potential--a recurring trend these days.

We all knew NBC was struggling, but after they cut their evening schedule for 5 hours to accommodate the terminally un-funny Jay Leno Show, it was clear that this season would be the worst yet. NBC has made a lot of bad decisions in its day (shuffling Life all over the schedule then cancelling it even after consistent ratings, placing Chuck in the most competitive possible timeslot and making a freshman show anchor the evening, etc, etc), but lately I've lost what little faith I once had. The network has become the new Fox (circa late nineties, early, um... zeros?) and writers/showrunners would rather take their shows elsewhere. Lucky for them, I say. On that note, it's looking more and more like Southland will find a home at TNT. I think that will prove to be a perfect home for the promising series and will fit in well with the network's other programming. NBC was apparently too scared to put something a little edgier out there and that sends a huge message to creative talents who are shopping pilots. The network's message? If you have a good show, take it elsewhere. If you have a bad show, you'll surely get picked up. Oy.

There are exceptions, of course, but the rule is thing to be afraid of. To NBC's credit, new comedy Community was also picked up for a full season, and very deservedly so. I never gave Parks and Recreation another shot, but I hear it has improved considerably since its lackluster first season. I can support those decisions, but they are so overshadowed with the bad decisions that it's hard to maintain focus.

Anyway, it's looking like Trauma (the only new show not to get a pick-up already) will go the way of so many others for NBC. And, while it won't really be missed all that much by me or anyone else it seems, it's a step in the wrong direction. I'm a bit torn, however, because it has become pretty clear to those in the know that the sooner Trauma dies, the sooner Chuck will be back. In a perfect world, Mercy would have gotten the axe three weeks ago and Chuck would already be back on the air, but alas, some poorly trained circus chimps appear to be calling the shots.

For professional television watchers such as myself, NBC's recent decisions act as a warning. Like the Fox network of not too long ago, one has to be cautious when getting attached to a show on NBC because odds are it won't survive. Fox has recently redeemed itself to large degree. I never thought I'd see the day when Fox would be a safer home than NBC, but here we are.

What's really clear after this rant is that the only thing more pathetic than NBC would have to be myself. I mean, really. It's just sad how invested I am in all this. Sad, sad, pathetic, and sad.

Oh so pretty...

If it ain't broke, don't fix it. This has been the USA network programming mantra for ages (near as I can tell) and their latest offering fits right in with the rest of the family. White Collar is just as fun and effortless to watch as you'd expect from USA network, and quite frankly, that's all right with me. In all honesty, the show could just be Matt Bomer reading a book on the history of chimney sweeps and I'd probably be tuning in. Good god that man is attractive... and dressing like a rat-packer certainly doesn't hurt either...

Bomer (whom you'll recognize as the late Bryce Larkin, Sarah's ex-paramour on Chuck) stars as Neil Caffrey, a convicted felon of the Ocean's Eleven-ish variety (art theft, forgery, bank robbery, etc.), who has forged a partnership with FBI agent Peter Burke (played by Tim DeKay), who had put him in jail several years prior. Burke needs help catching bad guys and Caffrey wants to stay out of jail (for obvious and not so obvious reasons--apparently his would-be ex-girlfriend might be in trouble or something), so the duo teams up to help each other out in a tenuous partnership.

The show is very light and has a definite Catch Me If You Can vibe to it that's easy to watch and enjoy. As you'd expect, Caffrey plays the charismatic, rule-breaking, reckless free spirit to Burke's straight-as-an-arrow, by-the-book G-man. It certainly isn't an unexpected dynamic, but as with every other time it's been done (which is quite a few, I'd say), it's a lot of fun to watch and gives both actors a considerable amount to play with. Bomer is perfect as the charming cad of a criminal and DeKay does a nice job playing the fed, but without going overboard on the type A personality front (which would have been all too easy). They make for very nice, if a bit too convenient foils for one another and I have high hopes. The overall lighthearted tone and semi-procedural narrative approach of the show will limit the depth of their relationship to some degree, but I think the show has left the door open for quite a bit of exploration into each of these characters.

As with most USA network projects, White Collar injects a fair bit of humor into its genre (which in this case would be somewhere between spy thriller and cop show) and so far, there's very little at stake for anyone involved. It's one of the perks and failings of shows on USA network. Now, don't get me wrong, I thoroughly enjoy a show that's nice and easy to watch (low commitment, high reward is always a nice balance to strike), but at the same time, I appreciate a show that makes me work a little harder for it. Judging from the pilot alone, I'm guessing White Collar will be one of those delightful shows that goes down easy, but that doesn't have you freaking out and throwing things at the TV. I have a fondness for such effortless enjoyment, but it does tend to limit a show's scope and emotional depth. It's a trade off and fine line to walk, and hopefully the writers will make it work--just as the other USA network shows seem to have perfected. Tonally, I'd say White Collar fits between Psych and Burn Notice. It's not as silly as Psych, but not as explosive or pulse-pounding as Burn Notice. It's not the widest gamut in the world, but the network does it proud.

The obvious center of the show (aside from the A-plot of the week) will be Caffrey's relationship/partnership with Burke. Caffrey has just gotten out of prison, and in spite of being the personification of charm, is mostly alone in the world. He has a very affable air about him, but at the end of the day, his girlfriend has basically disappeared and his most meaningful relationship over the past several years has been with the man who caught him. Burke is in a similar situation, in a way, in that his dogged pursuit of the Neil Caffreys of the world has led to a fairly lonely life--to the extent that he doesn't even know what his wife of 10 years would like as a gift for their anniversary (an anniversary Caffrey has to remind him of). Their relationships with the people around them (or lack thereof) puts these seemingly dissimilar men in the same boat. They each know each other better than they know just about anyone else, and although it's ostensibly an adversarial relationship, there's a familiarity there they makes them both feel comfortable in the other's presence.

In spite of a kind of playful antagonism between them, neither of them ultimately knows if he can trust the other. Caffrey has to wonder if Burke will send him back to jail and Burke has to worry that Caffrey will give him a reason to. It makes for an interesting (if somewhat predictable) dynamic that's quite a lot of fun to watch. They both appear pretty comfortable with their arrangement on the outside, but neither is sure how firm the ground is beneath them. In the pilot, Caffrey seems delighted to be helping out the FBI (a means of staying out of jail as much as a ploy to show off his skills and knowledge), but there's also a certain admiration for his criminal contemporaries. I have an inkling that honor among thieves and professional courtesy might just muddy the waters somewhere down the line. Caffrey wants to stay out of jail, but he also clearly respects the criminals he's trying to catch. At some point, that admiration just might get the best of him--a prospect both Caffrey and Burke should be concerned about.

Caffrey and Burke form the core of the show, but rounding out the cast is Saved By The Bell and 90210 alum Tiffani Thiessen (please reserve judgment until at least the end of this paragraph) and Willie Garson (although I'm not sure he's a series regular...). Thiessen (which I'm not even going to try to spell correctly) plays Burke's loving, understanding, and very easy-going wife who accepts the fact that her husband spends more time with criminals than with her. It was nice to have a wife character that wasn't the disapproving, nagging shrew for once. Thiessen was only in a few minutes of the pilot and I honestly didn't mind her. I've heard the pilot really doesn't do her justice and that her character becomes rather endearing in the episodes to come. I assumed I'd hate her from minute one, but she was actually pretty likable overall. Willie Garson did a wonderful job as Caffrey's friend/criminal colleague and I'm hopeful he's a regular on the show. His character helped flesh out just how alone Caffrey really is when even his friends have a cloak and dagger vibe to them.

Anyway, it's not the most innovative conceit and White Collar certainly won't be turning the industry on its ear, but what they've done has been done well and it's pretty clear that all parties involved are having as much fun at their jobs as the audience is watching them. USA network has a surprisingly solid track record with this kind of show and I'm confident they'll make this one as much of a joy to watch as everyone else in the family. After watching only the pilot, I already care about all the characters, but in the non-committal, casual kind of way that only USA network seems to be able to pull off.

Besides, as mentioned, Matt Bomer is very easy on the eyes, so even if the writers opt out of having any actual storyline or character development, we should still be good to go. (Not that I'm shallow or anything--I just have a really big TV and these kinds of things must be taken into consideration. There's a reason I don't watch CSI:Miami--well, many reasons, but a giant David Caruso is pretty high on the list.)

Pilot Grade: B

Spooks

You thought this might be a jaunty little post about Halloween, didn't you... Thought maybe just once I'd step out of the TV box and post about a widely recognized holiday instead, complete with pictures of ghosts and leaves and pumpkins perhaps?

Hells no.
Different kind of spooks.
Sorry.

Having tapped out my True Blood supply quicker than one would hope (the official story is that I had to hurry with it so that I could lend it out to my friends (the unofficial story is that that True Blood is the television equivalent of crack)), I was again in need of a supplementary series to round out my slate of current programming. After losing Alias several seasons ago and with Burn Notice on hiatus (damn you, USA network and you're sporadic programming schedule!), I figured it was high time for another spy thriller.

Enter Spooks (known more commonly to America as MI-5). It's basically Alias, only British-er.

Why they renamed it MI-5 for the American export, I simply don't understand. Spooks is a much better title, and quite frankly, we call our super-secret governmental agents "spooks" as well, so...yeah... Not sure who decided that was a good idea, especially given the fact that a fair number of Americans probably have no idea what MI-5 is, but what do I know. We Americans need to be spoon-fed, dontcha know. It's like Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone. Apparently they think we're just too stupid to care about a book like that, but Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, now were cookin' with oil! I realize that the word "sorcerer" has a flashier sound, but it doesn't even make sense in the context of the book, really. Oy. On a related note, I've been reading Stieg Larsson's The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, only to find out that the literal translation from Swedish of the real title is "Men Who Hate Women." Um, well, wow, that has a slightly different ring to it, now doesn't it? I'm only a couple of chapters in, but I'm glad I know what the real title is because with an evocative moniker like that, I have to assume it's important. I guess the publishers didn't think Americans would pick up such a book (which, to be honest, it is an off-putting title in English, but I'm sure that's kind of the point), so they completely changed the whole thing. I understand if it didn't translate across quite as one would like so changes had to be made, but to just scrap the whole thing and come up with a new title entirely seems a bit overboard.

But I digress. A lot. What were we talking about?

Oh, yes. Spooks.

The show follows a group of MI-5 operatives (including that guy who played Mr. Darcy in the Kiera Knightly version of Pride & Prejudice--don't worry, it took me the whole pilot to figure that out) as they work to protect Britain from everything from race riots to potential nuclear attacks. As mentioned, it's a lot like Alias, only with a different bent. For one thing, MI-5 is a domestic crew (as opposed to MI-6, which is more international--think James Bond), so they do a lot less travelling than our girl Sydney Bristow, but that actually leads to much more salient, palpable, often home-grown issues as opposed to the damn near fanciful larks on Alias. Being British and being much more grounded in reality means the show is less polished and glitzy than its American counterparts and errs on the side of grittier and more authentic than flashy. Don't get me wrong, it certainly has its James Bondish elements, but it also has seemingly real people, doing a real job, to counter real-world threats. In a way, it makes the show a bit harder to watch. A show like Alias is often so far removed from my own experience that I can watch and enjoy with blissful suspension of disbelief, happy to go along for the ride. Spooks comes across as much more authentic and in that sense, it makes for a more jarring experience. While Alias has plotlines like, "The, uh, Jordanians are planning some sort of attack on a... cargo ship headed for, um, Libya...yeah... Go get 'em, Syd!" with Spooks, it's more like, "Bush is visiting the country next week, sir. Expect riots, possible bombings, and scads of protestors." "Oh, bloody hell..."

It was actually pretty interesting to see another country's take on politics in this kind of format. In all honesty, I was pretty surprised at just how similar things are to what I would expect from an American approach. Although Americans weren't painted in the usual, positive, practically jingoist light that you can expect from a home-grown production (which, showing the Americans as pushy, arrogant politicos as is so often the case was a very nice change of pace), in other respects, the show is just as you'd imagine an American series to be. The approach to a perceived threat was very similar to how Alias would handle things, the chain of command and agency set-up was practically identical, and even the characters and their speech and mannerisms were surprisingly familiar... It may just be that I watch a lot more British programming than most, but I'm continually amazed as just how much we have in common. Seriously, at one point, some tweed-wearing, stodgy Brit told another to take a "chill pill." I'm sorry?! HUH? It didn't really seem out of place, exactly, but since when was that an international catch-phrase? Although, what do I know, maybe we stole it from them ('cause, you know, with solid gold like that, you have to pounce as quick as you can). At any rate, there are just a lot of little things that struck me as so oddly familiar and not how I would have expected a British take on spy work to be.

In spite of the similarities with American productions, watching Spooks feels like a very different viewing experience as a whole. As stated, it was a bit odd, though quite refreshing, to see the CIA and the American government get taken to task once in a while. All the A-plots are rooted in reality and draw from actual conflicts, social issues, and national threats. This approach makes for an almost uncomfortable viewing experience, but in a good way. Where an American show would shy away from hot-button issues a lot of time, Spooks just jumps right in. It doesn't pull any punches and tries not to sanitize situations (as in, second episode, one has to think to one's self, "Holy hell, did they really just burn that person's face off with acid?!"). Situations are what they are and this is how MI-5 might handle things (at least in the minds of the writers). In spite of similar concepts, I enjoy each show for very different reasons, finding that I tap into the escapism of Alias and the realism of Spooks in completely different ways. As such, Spooks can't be tossed aside as a copy or derivative, but takes a British bent that leads to a very different approach.

Actually, come to think of it, one of the biggest, most noticeable, and for me, totally distracting differences? The teeth. I know, I know, it's a total cliché, but wouldn't ya know it? It's a well-founded cliché. Holy mother of dentistry there are some unfortunate chompers out there! It was like flipping through the Big Book of British Smiles for 6 hours! The first episode had the real pinnacle, as far as I'm concerned. There was an actress playing a middle class, well-put-together, otherwise attractive woman whose teeth looked to be rotting out of her head. Seriously, the only roles that actress would be able to get in the states would be as homeless person, crazy cat lady, or meth addict. Fortunately, the major players week-to-week all at least have decent teeth, but every now and then someone comes on screen who really reminds you that you're not in Kansas anymore. I have a thing with teeth, so this was probably a lot more noticeable for me than most, but still...

In spite of the teeth, I've always been a big fan of British productions, but one thing that kind of drives me nuts is the number of episodes per season (or, as they would say, per series). Case in point, Spooks season 1 only has 6 episodes... Don't get me wrong, I've always thought the American tendency toward 22 episodes per season was way too many, but only 6? Or only 10? The season ends just as things are getting good! The same thing happened to me with Being Human. Just as all the characters had been established and fleshed out and the story arcs were all in full swing, the season ends... And there's no way to know if or when it'll ever be back. It's irksome. It's one of the reasons I'm very glad that I'm starting Spooks after the show has already filmed like 8 seasons. After the first season, they all seem to have 10, which is a marked improvement, but even then, I think the teens is where the sweet spot is. American cable networks seem to have the right idea, generally filming somewhere between 12 and 18: not so long that there's a lot of filler, but long enough that the story can really get somewhere meaningful.

Anyway, when the major complaint with a series is that it isn't long enough, you can generally assume it's a pretty good show. At times the solutions to their problems seem a bit too convenient or contrived for a show that has a firmer foot on the ground than the usual fare and I'd like to see more dynamic character-based arcs, but overall, it's a solid, engaging, spy thriller that has me wanting more. The end of the first season ends on a real "holy shit!" cliffhanger, so I'm working to procure season 2 as soon as possible.

I'm excited to see where things go in season 2 and hope they iron out some of the qualms with the show. It isn't perfect, but I'm digging it so far. I'm also excited to see what the slate of guest stars holds for next season. Just in season 1 alone, Hugh Laurie made more than a few appearances (as smarmily as one could ever dream for) and Anthony Stuart Head (Giles from Buffy) left quite an impression. And assuming the cast survives the cliffhanger (seriously, "WTF" doesn't quite do it justice), next season should be even more smashing than the first.

Good to the last drop...

Because I simply don't have enough television to watch, I recently started watching season 1 of True Blood on DVD (thanks, Kate!). I had heard from scads of people that it was excellent, but I was still a little afraid that I'd be all vamped out. Much to my delight, I needn't have worried. While True Blood has a lot of the same elements as other vampire fiction of late, it has a much more interesting, uncommon approach to the situation which manages to take a suddenly very popular construct and make it fresh and original.

While most of the vampire books, movies, and TV shows out there show vampires living in hiding and terrorizing humanity in secretive and mysterious ways, True Blood takes everything we know about vampires and instead makes them just another misunderstood minority group that's pushing for political rights and societal equality. True Blood operates in a world where synthetic blood has been developed to such a degree that vampires can live off of it alone. Without the need to drain actual people anymore, some members of the vamp community feel that they should be recognized as ordinary citizens who can live in society as any other group might.

It's a very clever way to present a story about vampires and allows for fantasy elements that are interlaced with biting social commentary (heh--"biting," get it?). The right wing and the religious nuts tow the usual party line and refuse to recognize this new minority group just as they do with certain religions, the gay community, certain racial minorities, leftists, socialists, hell, even environmentalists and scientists. The vamps are often discriminated against, largely born of fear (which is so often the case). The fact that the show is set in the deep south adds even more layers of complexity as it's an area with a long history of discrimination and prejudice. So, while we have pretty much your standard vampires (can't go out in the sun, DON'T sparkle (Twilight has an open invitation to bite me), need permission to enter a residence, mind tricks, etc.) the dynamics between the vamps, the humans, and everything else are much more unique and engaging than your typical vampire farce. The social, moral, and political atmosphere kind of reminded me of certain X-Men storylines. As much fun as it is having secret groups and clandestine objectives and whatnot, having it all out in the open takes things in a lot of new directions and has consequences that are unexpected. Alan Ball (writer and showrunner) and the original author of the True Blood novels have approached the supernatural in the most pragmatic and bald-faced of ways and totally managed to make it work.

Although these vampires exist in the real world and have "come out of the coffin," as it were, they certainly haven't been defanged. The show is dark and coarse and gritty and ribald, taking a barrelful of conceits and motifs and blending them together in an incredibly tantalizing way. The story centers around Sookie Stackhouse, a human with the ability to read minds (human minds, that is) and her new infatuation with Bill, the town's first vampire. While most of the town is wary of the newcomer, Sookie sees him as quite a novelty and a kindred freak. Their burgeoning relationship could have been your typical mortal/immortal tug-of-war, but with True Blood it comes across in a very different and quirky way. This show isn't for everyone, believe me (it's not PG in any sense of the word--you've been warned), but I think it would hold appeal for a lot of people who never dreamed they'd watch such a show. The show is well-paced, even, and surprisingly stable, given all the crazy that happens from scene to scene. The more serious elements are blended with a delightful dark humor that keeps the show from getting bogged down, the tawdry elements are cut with real emotion, the show contrasts the oldest vampire conceptions with a modern, meta context, and sets the preternatural within a context of down-to-earth reality that manages to keep even the craziest of elements grounded. It's a difficult and delicate balance to maintain, but so far, they've succeeded with flying colors.

Add to all the enthralling elements it has going for it so far an incredible knack for ending each episode on a cliffhanger and you've got a marathon just waiting to happen. I only started watching the series late last night and somehow ended up watching till the wee hours of the morning... I'm rather delighted with True Blood, so if you've been sitting on the fence trying to decide if you should give it a shot, rest assured it lives up to the hype. It's a hell of a lot of fun and has me completely sucked in (I'm sorry, but it's a post about a vampire show, people, I couldn't not use a pun like that--I could have said it was "bloody good," but I restrained myself). I certainly wouldn't recommend this one to everyone (it has more objectionable material than Dexter, if you'd like to use that as a measure), but I'd definitely recommend it in general.

Quite frankly, just the way Bill says "Sookie" so that it rhymes with "cookie" is enough to have me coming back for more...

TV Predictions: Who will get picked up?

It's barely October and the axe has already claimed a few victims. With ratings slipping for various shows across the board, I anticipate the bloodbath to only get bloodier. In better news, some shows that I truly adore have already received the back nine and others are holding strong. Below are the official pick-ups and drops so far and my predictions for the fates of other shows.

ALREADY AXED (OFFICIALLY)

• The Cleaner
  (I've only ever seen about half an episode of this show so clearly it never really grabbed me. I don't know why it's been cancelled exactly (I assume ratings, but who knows), but I don't think it'll be missed.
  
  
• The Beautiful Life
  Alas, poor Mischa... we hardly knew (or cared about) you. This ill-conceived mess of a show was pretty god awful from minute one, so I'm a little surprised it didn't fit right in at the CW. (Oooh, snap!) Seriously, given the other dreck on the network (One Tree Hill, I'm looking in your direction), I figured this train wreck would have garnered similar numbers. It did not. You know you're in trouble when your ratings are so bad the CW won't have you. Ouch.
  
  
• Southland
  This comes as quite a surprise, I must say. And a rather unwelcomed surprise at that. Even before the second season had a chance to premiere (it was slated to premiere on 10/23), the brilliant minds at NBC gave it the axe. I wasn't that dazzled with the show, but it ended strong and I was hoping to give it a second chance. I'm hearing that NBC simply didn't think it could work at an earlier time slot (what with the craptacularity that is The Jay Leno Show taking up the latest spot on the schedule every night), so they decided not to even give it a chance. It was apparently "too edgy" or something. Word is, there are six episodes that have already been produced, so who knows what will happen to those. The show is being shopped around to other networks, but I'm pretty doubtful it will find a home. The other big networks have pretty full plates at the moment, so I'm thinking basic cable will be the show's best bet. One critic mentioned that it might find a good fit on TNT and I'm inclined to agree. With Saving Grace coming to an end, I'm hopeful the slot gets filled by Southland. At the end of the day, the show probably would have failed eventually, but to pick-up the show only to cancel it two weeks before the premiere is pretty damn low, even for NBC.
  
  
• Saving Grace
  Speaking of Saving Grace, it has been cancelled as well. I know very little about the show and have never seen a single episode, so my commentary on this one is pretty useless (as you can clearly tell).
  

ALREADY PICKED-UP (OFFICIALLY)

• Glee
  Fox finally did something right! This is a quirky, dark, musical dramedy that should have had a hard time finding a solid audience, but rolling out the pilot several months before the show would actually begin airing was a smart move. Those months gave time for word-of-mouth to promote the show and also allowed for plenty of time for people to catch the pilot. Not every episode has been perfect, but I think the show has really hit its stride and I'm thrilled it already has a back nine order.
  
  
• My Boys
  This show rests somewhere at the bottom of my third tier. It's not one I'm at all excited about, but it generally airs during times of the year when there's little else on, so I keep up with it to an extent. It's a mediocre show that has brief and sparse moments of funny. Anyway, it's been granted another season, so if you're just dying to, um, find out, uh, whatever... I can't remember what the hell was going on with the show at the end of last season, but I don't really care (channeling voice of a certain board member for that last bit).
  
  
• Californication
  I finally have Showtime, but I kinda, sorta missed the first several seasons... At any rate, it's been granted another season.
  
  
• Nurse Jackie
  Yay! This show is one of the primary reasons I finally ordered Showtime. It's excellent and was granted another season after only a couple of episodes had aired. It's well deserving of many more seasons to come and I simply can't wait. That season one finale was insane and I'm eager to see how it all plays out.
  
  
• Top Chef
  ...will be around for many more seasons to come. This season has been pretty good so far, I must say. MUCH better than last season. My picks for the final four? The Volts, Jennifer, and Kevin. And in a weird twist of fate, I think I'd be fine with any one of those four taking home the prize.
  
  
• Flashpoint
  Well, if this isn't the little known show that keeps on ticking. I can't remember the details, but I want to say another 13 episode order came through for this one. Yeehaw...
  
  
• Bored to Death
  Never seen it, but I hear it's pretty decent. Apparently the network brass agrees because it's been given the green light.
  
  
• The Good Wife
  Never did I dream that this show would jump into my top tier, but here we are. When I first saw the promotional materials, I thought the show had promise, and now that I've seen the first few episodes, I'm very pleased that it well exceeded my already high expectations. I may be a bit biased, what with my love of legal dramas, but this show is consistent, well-written, and each episode just seems to fly by. Hats off to CBS for the pick-up. It's ratings have been excellent since day one and have been nearly identical week to week. Awesome.
  
  
• NCIS: Los Angeles
  Yeah... don't care... But, it's been granted the back nine, so, uh... good for them...
  
  
• Modern Family
  This show is well-written and entertaining, but I'm just not sure how it's going to fare as a series. I'm enjoying it, don't get me wrong, but the set-up doesn't really lend itself to longer story arcs, so it's hard to be giddy with anticipation. I'm hoping it finds a way to get me eager week to week, but for now, I'm just enjoying it on an encapsulated basis. The back nine were ordered, so apparently I'm not the only one.
  
  
• Cougar Town and The Middle
  Well, Cougar Town wasn't as bad as expected, but it still didn't warrant a spot on my schedule. The ratings are solid though and ABC gave the go-ahead for a full season. I never saw The Middle and never hope to. I hate Patricia Heaton. A lot. But somehow people still watched the show and it also got a green light.
  

MY PREDICTIONS
Below are my thoughts, predictions, and assumptions regarding the other shows that are out there. I've been wrong before and I'll be wrong again, but I follow the ratings and trends to an embarrassing extent and have a pretty good track record over all. Also, I'm not including obvious pick-ups of returning shows (like The Mentalist, CSI, NCIS, or The Office) because they're, well, obvious. And with that, here we go.

SHOWS THAT WILL BE PICKED UP (METHINKS)

• Castle
  This actually isn't solely wishful thinking. That's right, I have actual evidence and rationale to back this up! ABC has had a hell of a time filling the slot just behind Dancing with the Stars and has seen show after show crumble. While Castle's numbers aren't through the roof, it has held its own in this time slot better than past contenders and has consistently good numbers week to week. No official word has come down yet, but I expect a back nine order soon.
  
  
• The Vampire Diaries
  ...is a lock for a full season pick-up. For CW standards, its ratings are superb and with aging shows like Smallville and One Tree Hill hanging in there well past their expiration dates, The Vampire Diaries will surely get the back nine and will certainly be around for next season as well. I'm actually pretty surprised that official word hasn't come yet. I finally got caught up on the show and must say that it's gotten a lot better. It's not a first tier show by any means, but it's holding my interest pretty well.
  

SHOWS THAT HAVE A GOOD CHANCE OF BEING PICKED UP

• FlashForward
  The numbers are good, but have been slipping a bit week-to-week and if the show is going to stick around, they'll need to settle soon. The show is only 3 episodes, but I'm enjoying it. It has its failings, but I can't help but be sucked in. Even my brother accidentally got sucked in when he sat down to watch a bit of the show and ended up watching all three episodes. It's a huge investment for ABC and given the nature of the show's concept, I really think they'll give it a full season. If the numbers don't settle, we may have another story on our hands, but I think they will.
  
  
• Melrose Place
  I kinda think the reason the CW is delaying the official pick-up of The Vampire Diaries is that they're waiting to see if Melrose Place is really a viable show. Its ratings have been decent, for CW standards, but they could be a lot better. The network is hoping that a Heather Locklear appearance will boost ratings, but I really doubt any of the teens who are watching the show care one bit about Locklear. I think the show will ultimately make the cut, but only because the CW has very low standards.

SHOWS THAT COULD REALLY GO EITHER WAY

• Accidentally on Purpose
  It's a crappy show, but the ratings are okay-ish, and half-hour comedies are cheap to produce. I think it'll get the go-ahead for a full season, but unless things pick up, I doubt it'll get another season.
  
  
• Community
  ...has been moved to one of the most competitive timeslots available and is suffering for it. This show is now opposite Bones, The Vampire Diaries, FlashForward, and Survivor. I, like many others, I suspect, ultimately opted to watch it online. The ratings are still pretty okay, but if it continues to slide, it could really be in trouble. NBC is generally pretty patient with its half-hour comedies and is generally pretty forgiving (what with them having a whole lot of nothing else), so I think they'll give Community the benefit of the doubt. I certainly hope so. I'm really enjoying the show and I think I like it even better than Modern Family (which I adore)... The pacing is better and the overall concept seems to have a lot more going for it. Fingers crossed!
  
  
• Mercy
  It pains me to put this show in a category that doesn't mean it will certainly get the axe, but what can I say? NBC is a pathetic shell of its former self and is in serious need of programming. The ratings are decent for Mercy, but it doesn't perform well in the demos at all. That makes for a bit of a conundrum. I caught the most recent episode and it does seem to have gotten a bit better, but that's kind of like saying the arsenic is now 10% less fatal. With the fate of Parenthood still up in the air (although I just heard that Lauren Graham has joined the cast (taking Maura Tierney's vacated role)--wahoo!), I think NBC might just give Mercy a full season order.
  
  
• Lie to Me
  I was tempted to put this show in the "good chance of a pick-up" section, but I'm just not that certain. Its numbers are consistent, but not through the roof. The new showrunner this season has certainly improved things and has made the show much more watchable and much less annoying. I'm hopeful Fox takes a chance and gives the show a back nine pick-up because if it keeps improving, it might just be a real contender.

SHOWS THAT WON'T BE PICKED UP (METHINKS)

• Trauma
  This show started off with a whimper when it premiered and fell pretty steeply in its second week. NBC doesn't have a lot going for it, but between its two new medical dramas, I think they'll keep Mercy and drop Trauma. Neither is deserving of a pick-up, but NBC is just that pathetic. It makes the Southland cancellation all the more irksome...
  
  
• Eastwick
  Quite frankly, ABC has much much better (and more successful) shows on its docket and Eastwick's sinking ratings just won't make the cut. Fortunately, the show isn't very good, so it likely won't be missed (even by the 14 people who tune in every week). It would take some real magic to earn this show a pick-up.
  
  
• Hank
  Of ABC's four new comedies to premiere, it's the only one to NOT get an official pick-up already. It's a terrible show with terrible ratings and the only way it stands a chance is if ABC needs another half-hour show to fill in a blank 30 minutes on the schedule (which could happen). If it does get picked up, it will be by default, not by choice.
  
  
• The Forgotten
  I actually hear that the next episode is supposed to be pretty good, but I lost interest in this mess about 20 minutes into the pilot and I don't see that changing. The ratings aren't very good and this show never really seemed to fit in with ABC's other shows, so I'm doubtful it will survive. If the ratings settle, it might have a chance, but I wouldn't hold my breath.
  
  
• Three Rivers
  Only the pilot has aired, but the numbers were not good. CBS has very high ratings standards (it's the anti-CW, really) and while on another network the premiere numbers would have been pretty good, for CBS, they were no where near high enough. Odds are the show will lose a fair amount in the coming weeks and I just don't think it will survive. It's a not a good show in the first place, so I'm guessing CBS will cut its losses.
  
  
• Heroes
  How did Heroes make it onto my list, you ask? Well, the show didn't deserve a pick-up at the end of last season, and its numbers this year are even worse. A LOT worse. This year's premiere was down something crazy (like 46%) from last year's premiere. Ouch. To boot, its ratings week to week are slipping by sizable numbers. This show needs to be let go and while I'm confident NBC will let it finish out the season, they'd be crazy to pick it up again next year.
  
  
• Dollhouse
  ...is a surefire goner, folks. The ratings are absolutely terrible and I just don't see any way to save the show. I don't know how many episodes have been produced, but I doubt they will all air. I even doubt they'll produce the full 13 at this point. Things are not looking good... Yikes.

Do you know where your organs are?

Having seen the promotional materials for the original pilot for CBS's latest drama Three Rivers, I must admit that the reworked pilot does appear to be improved, but it was a pretty low bar... The pilot still felt like I was watching an hour-long PSA for organ donation, but the revised storyline was slightly less pious than expected. Still self-righteous as all hell, but what can you do... I never thought I'd say this, but maybe CBS should have gone with another crime procedural instead... (You know, when 87 simply isn't enough.)

Three Rivers focuses on a team of organ transplant coordinators and surgeons who, well, transplant organs. That's pretty much the whole concept... Alex O'Loughlin plays Dr. Andy Yablonski (yes, I'm serious) as the best damn transplant surgeon in the country who works at a 22nd century hospital (apparently--seriously, when he started scrubbing the images like in Minority Report, I had to seriously wonder where the hospital's funding was coming from). He anchors the show and is supported by the likes of the wonderful Alfre Woodard and The L Word's Katherine Moenning. By all accounts, the cast is solid, but somehow the acting falls flat. I think the unconvincing action can be largely chalked up to the format of the show. In supremely cheesy fashion, the show follows patients who will ultimately be the organ donors and recipients, focusing entirely too much on their stories rather than focusing on the doctors' stories. While I appreciate that the audience needs to care about the patients (even though in this poorly executed mess, they don't), it's the doctors who will be around week to week and who should be more of the focus of the show. The actors try desperately to convince us that they're doctors (or saints, as is driven home every ten minutes), but fail pretty spectacularly. There are some excellent actors among the cast, but even the best of them make supremely unconvincing doctors. I've watched a lot of medical shows in my day and the medicine has to be accurate and the doctors have to feel at home with the material. While I can't vouch for the veracity of the medicine involved to great extent, I can certainly judge that none of the actors felt comfortable with their materials.

When the actors don't appear at home in their environment and don't seem fully capable in the profession they've adopted, all suspension of disbelief is taken off the table. When you don't believe these people are who they're supposed to be, you can't really care about them, their patients, or any ongoing storyline. That's the rather unfortunate case with Three Rivers and is the show's primary problem. As far as I'm concerned, ER sets the bar for believable doctors and medicine, and I don't know if I've just been watching too many old re-runs or what, but Three Rivers kind of drove me nuts with its inferiority in this regard. I couldn't, even for a moment, bring myself to believe that any of these people knew any about medicine at all. I saw them as actors first, last, and always. It was really very perplexing, I must say. On an objective level, I know that most of the show's leads are excellent actors and have show their talents in spades in other projects, but here? Well, quite frankly, it was easier to believe O'Loughlin as a supernatural, former blood-sucking detective than as a doctor... Not a good sign.

In the actors' defense, they weren't exactly given gold to work with. The writing was self-righteous and schmaltzy from beginning to end and often earnest to the point of being unctuous. Like I said, it really felt like the world's longest public service announcement. After one particularly ugh-worthy scene where the daughter of a would-be organ donor explains that she foolishly thought that signing an organ donation card meant that the doctors wouldn't try as hard to save someone, I fully expected the words "The More You Know" to fly across the screen on shooting star... The writing was eye-rollingly cheesy at times and the show's own self-importance as it informs an ignorant public about the gift of organ donation was pretty painful to watch. It was kind of like how those god awful Truth ads kinda make you want to start smoking just to spite them (or is that just me?). I had the sudden urge to repeal my donor status after watching this show... Or, as it said on the application I filled out at the DMV, my "live-saving anatomical gift" status. Seriously, ER did more for promoting organ donation and that was with the occasional B-plot. It's a noble cause, don't get me wrong, but I already know that. I don't need to be hit over the head with it. (Just like I know cigarettes are unhealthy, Truth squad. Everyone knows that. Stop trying to convince us of what we already know! Man alive, I hate those ads.)

The show's other failing is that while it tries very hard to be a pulse-pounding, edge of your seat drama, it's exceedingly dull instead. The show employs the requisite anxious/excited musical queues when they're trying to decide if someone gets an organ and when the organ is in transport, but it just feels out of place and unwarranted. I should be biting my nails, but I just don't care. There was no genuine urgency or fear and the writers' attempt at a ticking clock fell completely flat. It may boil down to the fact that I didn't believe any of these people were doctors or that I seriously couldn't have cared less about the patients of the week, but I felt no real investment in what happened to anyone. After all was said and done, I didn't mourn for the guy who died, my heart wasn't warmed by the woman who lived, and the little boy who didn't factor into any of this? Dull as he was, somehow he was the most interesting one... And yet I still don't know why he was there in the first place.

All in all, Three Rivers could have been a good show with a great cast and sustainable premise, but ultimately, nothing really came together and I was left bored and annoyed. In spite of negative publicity and the inauspicious re-tooling of the pilot, I really went into this wanting to like it. It has enough decent bare bones that it should have been able to make something work, but it failed. It's a real shame so many good actors found themselves in such an unbelievably boring, unengaging, self-righteous and even condescending pilot. The rest of the world seems to have agreed with me because the ratings weren't so good... I don't anticipate this sucker will be around for long.

The good news? Maybe Alex O'Loughlin will finally move on to a show that's worthy of his talents and has enough appeal to survive.

Pilot Grade: D+

How We Doin'?

Well, after having barely survived the fall premiere schedule, my posting might be a bit on the sparser side for the next few weeks (or at least until V premieres...) Overall, I'd say it was a fairly disappointing fall, with only a few glimmers of goodness among the muck. Here's how things stacked up after all was said and done.

THE KEEPERS

• The Good Wife
  I'm as shocked as you are. Never did I dream that this would be among the top shows to premiere. Not only is it one of the strongest pilots of the season, but in a delightful and all too uncommon turn of events, its ratings are awesome. The pilot drew pretty big numbers (just over 13 million, as I recall), which is good news, but in even better news, its numbers for the second week were near identical. It's very rare that there's no drop off from the pilot to episode 2, so if The Good Wife can maintain close to this momentum, it's almost assured a pick-up.
  
  
• Community
  I'm totally enjoying this new comedy, and while I'm not sure how much longevity a concept and cast like this might have, so far so good (entertainment-wise, that is). The show started off strong in the ratings, but dipped quite a bit week-to-week. If it can maintain its current numbers, it should be okay, but if the slide continues, I don't think it'll survive...
  
  
• Modern Family
  Much like Community, I'm really enjoying this show so far, but I'm not sure how it's going to fare in the long run. It's holding strong in the ratings and I think it'll get picked up. Its companion comedy Cougar Town is also doing well in the ratings, but that's neither here nor there...
  
  
• FlashForward
  To be honest, I actually haven't seen week two yet (I was on a beach at the time, give me a break), but the pilot was solid and the ratings are very good. I should finally get time to watch the second episode tonight and if it's anywhere near as good as the pilot, I think we might have a winner on our hands. Not perfect, by any means, but I'm intrigued...

THE NON-KEEPERS

• Mercy
  The ratings aren't terrible, but the show certainly is. I actually tried to give the second week a chance, but it was just too god awful. The ratings are okay, but are slipping more week-to-week than the show would hope. Personally, I hope they keep on slipping...
  
  
• Eastwick
  Never have I been so bored during a show that features magic (and that includes what's-her-face's brother who wore a cape all the time and was only ever able to make the audience disappear). And according to the ratings, a lot of people agree with me. The show's week-to-week ratings slipped over 20%, so at this rate, this turkey will hopefully be cancelled here pretty soon.
  
  
• Accidentally On Purpose
  I enjoy Jenna Elfman to some extent, but this ill-conceived (ooh, no pun intended), unfunny farce is just plain bad. The ratings haven't been very good, and there's little to no buzz about the show, so here's hoping it gets the axe. Half-hour comedies tend to get a little more leeway in the ratings department due to their lower budget, so it'll likely stick around longer than it should, but that doesn't mean it doesn't suck.
  
  
• The Beautiful Life
  ...has already been cancelled. That's right, folks, the CW cancelled a show after only two airings. The new gold standard in bad ratings has officially been set (although it's looking Dollhouse is currently gunning for the title...) The Beautiful Life won't be missed. Poor Mischa...
  
  
• Trauma
  Well, it was big on explosions, but sadly lacking in actual story or character development... If you like to see things crash and burn, you might like watching this show, but the ratings portend that the next thing to crash and burn will be the show itself, so don't get too attached...
  
  
• Three Rivers
  Once again, I was sitting on a beach when this premiered and simply haven't gotten around to it yet... Then how can it already be in my "axed" pile, you ask? Well, if the previews for the show weren't enough to kill it, the ratings certainly are. The pilot kinda flopped and odds are episode two will be even worse. I'm also hearing that there are already plans for a replacement, so long story short? All you Alex O'Loughlin fans out there had better ready your hankies once again... I don't think this show is long for this world.
  
  
• The Forgotten
  It's not good peeps. And neither are the ratings. I don't expect this turkey to make the cut, so I'd start saying your goodbyes sooner than later...

STILL ON THE FENCE

• The Vampire Diaries
  I haven't seen the third episode yet, but the only real redeeming quality of the first two was Ian Somerhalder. I'll keep up with this one until I see exactly how much screen time he'll be getting and if the story ever ventures out of angsty teen crap, but it's touch and go at this point. The ratings are excellent (for CW standards), so fear not, fans of the show, it'll definitely be sticking around.

IN OTHER RATINGS NEWS

• Castle
  Finally I have some good news for Nathan Fillion. After a long line of shows that just didn't quite make it, Castle's ratings are solid and consistent. It's not a runaway hit with insanely high viewership, but the numbers are good and Castle has proven to be a contender week-to-week. It's not a lock yet, but I think Castle will definitely be getting the back nine. Yay!
  
  
• Dollhouse
  Ratings in the rest of the Whedonverse are no where near as comforting... Just when you thought Dollhouse's numbers could possibly get worse, somehow the show hit bottom, punched through the bottom, and found some new and depressing realm of network TV ratings that mean the show will certainly get the axe pretty soon... I enjoy the show, don't get me wrong, but it's pretty wildly inconsistent and the A-plots week-to-week are eroding my interest in the show overall... I just don't really care about what wacky hijinx Echo is dealing with or what imprint she has unless it affects the overall narrative. I love Joss Whedon, and it pains me to be critical, but Dollhouse just didn't come together quite as one would have hoped... Having the Friday night death slot certainly isn't helping matters either...
  
  
• Glee
  The first couple of episodes back (after the pilot, which premiered in the spring) were a little rocky for me, but the show seems to have really hit its stride now. To match my enthusiasm for the show, its ratings are solid and it has already been granted the back nine. Yay! I loves me some musical numbers and Glee has all that and more. I think Fox's marketing of the show was excellent and premiering the pilot several months before the show actually started was a great move. So yes, in a very strange turn of events, I'm actually praising the Fox network. I think I'll go throw up now...
  
  
• Heroes
  I stopped watching this sucker ages ago, but I like to watch its precipitous decline nonetheless. The premiere was down something like 46% from last season's premiere, so that was awful to begin with, but add to that a week-to-week slide that just won't stop and I think this old dog might just be ready to be put out of its misery. It won't be missed. AND, if it continues to tank (and it will), it just might get taken out back in time for Chuck to return and hopefully NBC will be so desperate for programming that it won't get cancelled. Fingers crossed! Heroes' loss is our gain. :)