This volume should round out NBC's new dramas. Below you'll find clips and snap judgments on The Event, which will premiere this fall, as well as Harry's Law and The Cape, which are slated for midseason. Whether or not that's how things will actually pan out, however, is up for grabs. As you may have noticed on NBC's fall schedule, Wednesday nights have Law & Order: Los Angeles penciled in for a fall pairing with SVU. I say "penciled in" because as near as I can tell, they have yet to do absolutely anything with this yet (you know, aside from killing off original flavor just one season shy of the record). Beyond the title, they don't seem to have a clue in hell what this is going to be (and I suspect, if this is going to be). At any rate, the total lack of anything about this one means I don't have much to review really, so at least I can knock one pilot off my list. (The fact that LOLA got picked up without so much as a pilot makes the unceremonious death of The Rockford Files reboot all the more embarrassing. Word is, even after re-cutting the pilot extensively, it was still too dull to make it on the air--ouch.)
Anyway, without further ado, here's three more of NBC's deluge of pilots (seriously, I don't know how they are affording all these new shows and can't imagine they'll have the budget to promote them properly)...
THE EVENT
Description: Stars Jason Ritter (The Class, and most recently as Lorelai's love interest on Parenthood), Sarah Roemer (Disturbia), Blair Underwood (Dirty Sexy Money), Laura Innes, (Dr. Weaver from ER), and Scott Patterson (Gilmore Girls). Ian Anthony Dale (Daybreak) and Emmy winner Željko Ivanek (Damages) also star in the ensemble drama. Steve Stark (Medium, Facing Kate) serves as executive producer, Nick Wauters (The 4400, Eureka) is creator/co-executive producer and Jeffrey Reiner (Friday Night Lights, Trauma) is the director/executive producer; Evan Katz (24) also is an executive producer.
My Take: Well, they certainly told us a whole lot about what The Event is not, I'll give it that much. The very fact that they have titled the show with such a bald-faced plea for this show to become appointment TV is annoying enough, but then for the trailer to be all vague in a "you can't handle the truth" kind of way is bordering on obnoxious. It honestly looks like a slick, high-budget, high-concept show with some serious talent on and off the screen, so I guess I'm mainly just quibbling with how it was presented. They're quite obviously aiming for the kind of mystery and intrigue that gave Lost its luster, but the trailer for Lost had people salivating for more. When people first started watching Lost, no one really knew just how many twists and turns they were in for. With The Event's trailer, the producers are basically shouting at potential viewers, "Hey, look over here! There's going to be all sorts of mystery, and everyone loves a good mystery, right!? Okay, I'll give you a few hints... The assassination plot isn't the event. Are you glued to your TV yet?!" I, for one, am not. I'm not saying it won't be a good show, because it very well may be, but the way they're promoting it just isn't doing it for me. As with other recent high-concept serials like The Nine, Six Degrees, and FlashForward, I have a sinking feeling that unless they start presenting this to people in a more tantalizing, concrete way, the show is going to start off very strong, then falter. Off the bat, it strikes me as a good idea for a movie or miniseries than a TV show. But, once again, it's hard to really sum up the show given that the trailer basically told us a whole bunch of what the show isn't. I'm not even sure what the base conceit is, so really, we have a mystery at the core, surrounded by more mysterious mysteries. At the end of the day, really good thrillers are as solid in some areas as they are amorphous in others. They should give you an idea of what you're in for week-to-week, but hold back enough to keep you sucked in. So far? The Event gives me nothing tangible to latch onto. On the plus side, this series has some real power-players at the helm, so assuming the pilot tells viewers even 1% of what is going on, they might just be able to hit this one out of the park. The trailer was too unnecessarily disjointed to really get a feel for who's who (one minute the president knows Dr. Weaver, the next minute he doesn't? One minute Jason Ritter's fiancee is missing, the next she's running with him?), but assuming the show itself manages to define them, it could be pretty spectacular. I'm no fan of Blair Underwood, but the rest of the cast is very strong. I'm not too familiar with the behind-the-scenes production crew though, so it's a tough call. This one could really go either way. I was unimpressed and a little annoyed by the trailer, but I was able to parse out enough solid fundamentals that they might just pull it off. Again, I'm left with the feeling that I don't actually have any clue in hell what this show is going to be (seriously, who are these people?), so I'm not exactly chomping at the bit to tune it. My prediction? Well-made, engaging pilot with strong ratings, soon to be followed by people losing interest as the show meanders its way through 873 mysteries while it forsakes actual substance. For those of you hoping to break into the biz, that, my friends, is not the impression a trailer should be hoping to make. Inexplicably, I learned a hell of a lot more about the show based on this blurb about it on the web than I did from the trailer:
"The Event" is an emotional high-octane conspiracy thriller that follows Sean Walker (Jason Ritter), an Everyman who investigates the mysterious disappearance of his fiancée, Leila (Sarah Roemer), and unwittingly begins to expose the biggest cover-up in U.S. history. Sean's quest will send ripples through the lives of an eclectic band of strangers, including: newly elected U.S. President Martinez (Blair Underwood); Sophia (Laura Innes), who is the leader of a mysterious group of detainees; and Sean’s shadowy father-in-law (Scott Patterson). Their futures are on a collision course in a global conspiracy that could ultimately change the fate of mankind.
Oh, so that's what this is?! Good to know! Why, that's the kind of information that should have been delivered via the trailer! Oy... Anyway, at least from the blurb it sounds like they have a plan. Probably an overly-ambitious plan, but a plan nonetheless. This show has gotten quite a lot of buzz on Twitter and elsewhere, so it looks like the trailer has sucked others in more so than myself. Here's hoping this is simply a classic case of bad trailer, awesome show, because by most accounts, this show looks to have some serious promise.
HARRY'S LAW
Description: From Emmy Award-winning creator David E. Kelley (The Practice, Boston Legal). Stars Kathy Bates (Misery, About Schmidt), Ben Chaplin, (Me and Orson Wells, The Truth About Cats and Dogs) and Aml Ameen (Kidulthood). Also stars Brittany Snow (Hairspray) and Beatrice Rosen (Dark Knight) David E. Kelley and Bill D’Elia (Boston Legal, The Practice) serve as executive producers.
My Take: Well, after several years of drought in the "legal drama" department, we seem to have an inundation on our hands. Last season, it was all about medical shows (what with ER coming to an end and all), and before that, it was nothing but crime procedurals. What sparked the resurgence of lawyer shows, you ask? It's a good question and a tough call. On NBC alone, three of their new dramas fall into this category. The legal drama has always been a mainstay of primetime television, and after a prosperous time in the 90's, hit a rough patch in the oo's. My theory? After the success of CBS's The Good Wife, and declining ratings in the "cop show" arena, networks decided it was time to resurrect the genre. Why the hell they can't design a show that doesn't revolve around one of those three professions (cops, docs, or lawyers), I'll never understand. Anyway, preamble aside, Harry's Law has its fair share of standard legal cliches (rogue voice fighting for the little guy in blustering, heart-wrenching speeches about justice, etc.), but this show is at least aiming for some originality as well. I'm honestly not too sure how the two fellas will play into the show (the English bloke appears to be some sort of teacher who decides to work for her after she saves him... I assume the other guy will do the same?), but at least it's an interpersonal dynamic that has a unique spin and seems worthy of exploring. I'm not sure what this says about the series as a whole, but the most exciting part of the trailer? Paul McCrane! (aka Dr. Romano from ER--hey, hey, they've combined two of the three to professions now). He isn't listed as a series regular, that I've found, so that's a bummer, but even as a recurring guest star, I'd be delighted. This show is slated for midseason, and while it has some original-ish elements, I'm afraid the trappings of the genre might just be its undoing. All legal shows are a lot alike, especially all legal shows by David E. Kelley, and from what I've seen, I'm not convinced Harry's Law is going to have enough going for it to really make a splash. It seems like the kind of show that will appeal to my sensibilities, but doesn't strike me as a top tier contender right off the bat. Kathy Bates is a true power player and the supporting cast is strong, so that's something. I think the show is going to have hard time finding a sizable audience with an older actress anchoring the show, however. Geez, even The Good Wife skews to an older demographic and it has about a million times the sex appeal of this show. Unfortunately, advertisers, and by extension networks, don't exactly melt into puddles of joy for shows that skew older. Hopefully the supporting cast attracts some younger viewers, but I honestly don't think your average college student is going to be twittering over this one. All in all, it seems fairly generic, but at least they're trying for a new take on things. I'll certainly be giving it a shot, but I'm not chomping at the bit for this one--except for maybe some cartoon nostalgia from my childhood... good god, I loved that woodpecker.
THE CAPE
Description: Stars David Lyons (ER), Jennifer Ferrin (Life on Mars) Ryan Wynott (Flash Forward), James Frain (The Tudors), Keith David (Death at a Funeral), Summer Glau (Terminator: The Sarach Connor Chronicles, Firefly), and Dorian Missick (Six Degrees)Universal Media Studios and BermanBraun production from executive producer/creator Thomas Wheeler (Empire), executive producer/director Simon West (Con Air), the executive producing team of Gail Berman and Lloyd Braun (NBC’s Mercy), and executive producer Gene Stein (Accidentally on Purpose).
My Take: This one proving to be incredibly difficult to snap judge. On paper, it sounds horrendously god-awful (seriously, when I stumbled across an internet blurb about it, it reads like a cheesy short-story written by a middle school student). But, in its finished state, it looks like it could have some serious potential. I think it's all going to boil down to execution with this one. This is the kind of concept that needs to be handled in just the right way or it'll be laughable. It'll be a fine line to walk. From the trailer, it hard to tell if the show is taking itself too seriously, or just seriously enough. As with so many shows that sound positively ridiculous on paper (teenage girl slays vampires with her friends, high school student moonlights as a private eye, computer geek has government database downloaded into his head), this will take a skilled hand... and looking at the production team behind this one, I'm pretty skeptical about their ability to pull it off. Most of the executive producers most recently helmed terrible beyond terrible shows, so here's hoping that was more the writers' faults than their own. At least the on-air talent seems solid. It's a tough call. I'm definitely intrigued, but still cautious. I keep expecting pure horribleness (in which some aspects of this show appear to be striving for a PhD), but am usually met with better. The thought of a bad guy using his cape as his weapon still smacks of lame on more than a few levels, but the special effects are slick enough for me to suspend my mocking. The go-go gadget goblet retrieval aspect of the cape didn't really dazzle me, but the poofy disappearing act was admittedly snazzy. I'm still not sold on him learning to fight bad guys from some ragtag group of circus performers, but whatever. I guess it might be okay...? The bare bones seem workable, and the concept could turn out to be pretty stellar, but so far, the dialogue had me cringing. Good lord, there weren't even that many lines said in the trailer and I was absolutely rolling my eyes. It all sounded a little Michael Bayish in that we're-trying-a-little-too-hard-to-be-badasses kind of way. "Say hello to Dorothy, bitch!" Ugh. That's a writer who's trying too hard and succeeding too little. If a show has a solid concept and superior execution, it shouldn't have to rely on cheesy one-liners. I'm really hoping that whoever put the pilot together just happened to think those lines were hilarious and picked out the few eye-rollers of an otherwise brilliant script, but I'm not holding my breath. Bad dialogue will ruin just about any show for me and this one appears to have it in spades. When it's not trying desperately to be badass, it's striving unsuccessfully for profundity and heart. Again, I've only seen the trailer and read a few things, but so far? It's too close to call. The good and the bad seem about equally weighted at this point. Hopefully this is a case where the creative team comes up with something fairly ridiculous that turns out to be insane genius, but looking at said creative team? I'm not so hopeful...
Thursday, May 27, 2010
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
Wonder Woman vs. Superman
***SPOILER ALERT***
If you haven't watched the Chuck season finale, turn back now! No, seriously.
You thought this was going to be a geektastic juxtaposition of Wonder Woman and Superman, extolling the virtues of each and crowning one to be superior, eh? Yeah, not so much. But don't worry, it's only slightly less geeky than that.
Chuck season 3 came to a surprisingly satisfying close last night after several less-than-stellar episodes before it. This season has been plagued since day one by the brass at NBC, so I tend to give the show a pass. Not only did they get pulled off
the air for nearly a year prior to the current season, but then they were given an initial order of 13 episodes (which they wrote and were well into production), and ultimately NBC decided they needed 6 more episodes, so Josh Schwartz and company had to kind of scramble. This is essentially two mini-seasons that had to be lumped into one. The first 13 came together quite nicely, but fitting an entire new story arc into only 6 episodes? Not so easy... With that in mind, I'd say I'm satisfied with how things played out. The past few episodes left a bit to be desired. To be honest, I wasn't all that stoked for the two-part season finale... until I actually started watching it and the show reminded me of why I love it. I wouldn't say they were the best two episodes ever or anything, but they really pulled everything together in an exciting, thoughtful way--a feat that I didn't think was going to be possible just a few episodes ago.
I'm going to try to keep this short, so bear with me... we all know that's not my strong suit.
As I've mentioned before, I actually quite enjoyed Shaw as a character early on and rather dug his and Sarah's onscreen chemistry and relationship. I realize I'm in the minority here, but I have to tell ya, having liked him initially, his turn into a big bad was all the more wrenching. If I had hated him from day one, I'm not sure the turn would have had as much gravity and impact as it
did, nor would his terminator-like return from ashes been so menacing. Awesome. I spent the better part of the episode thinking to myself (oh, let's face it, saying out loud, through gritted teeth), "I hate that Superman!" The Ring always seemed like a bit of an amorphous enemy for team Bartowski, so it was nice to see Shaw really amp up the evil, because let's be honest, SD-6, it ain't. The Ring Elders always felt more like that people from the future in Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure. You know, with the robes? And all the "Be excellent to each other" aphorisms? Not exactly striking terror into the hearts of millions there... I think Shaw acquitted himself admirably as a baddie when all was said and done, even if the whole "You killed my wife, prepare to die!" of it all left me a little underwhelmed.
Who better to go up against Evil Shaw? Well, I'd say Team Bartowski, but... they're all in custody at the moment... so, uh... Team Morgan? Well, all righty then... I was always a bit unconvinced by the "Morgan is a spy" angle the show was taking (even if it was entertaining, it just never really quite worked), but in the end, he really stepped up to the plate. The finale managed to integrate Mor
gan (and just about everyone else) in a more cohesive and logical way than in the entire rest of the season. In the first season, and even well into the second, the Buy More and all the ancillary characters were integrated into the fabric of the spy narrative brilliantly, hilariously, and seamlessly. Nowadays? Well, I've complained about the inexplicable role of the Buy More for some time now, so when they blew it up, I have to say, I was pretty excited to see it burn. And the fact that Jeff and Lester are the presumed bombers? Even better. I honestly don't know what the show is going to do with the Buy More aspect of the show next season. At present, they appear to be writing that angle out of the show. I, for one, won't be sad to see it go. Don't get me wrong, I love the Buy More crew and happily acknowledge that they've provided some of the best moments ever on the show, but it just doesn't fit anymore. It's hard to see the writers struggling to include them, you know? But, is Chuck still Chuck without the Buy More? The show is predicated on the notion that Chuck is a geek who is thrown into this crazy world of espionage and is in over his head. Well, this season Chuck became a real spy, so... where does that leave us? I think it leaves us with a more typical spy thriller rather than the goofy spy comedy of yore. Which is fine, but is certainly different. I'll be very interested to see where things go next season. They'll only have 13 episodes to work with (assuming they don't get a back 9 order, and I'm willing to wager they won't), so here's hoping they make the most of it.
How exactly will they make the most of it, you ask? Mama Bartowski, that's how. We all knew she'd show up eventually, but it was still fun and surprising to see her actually materialize. Man alive, the only way it could have been more
Alias-y would be if she had shot Chuck. "Mom?!" BANG! Classic! My first impulse was, obviously, "Irina Derevko!" and while it would be beyond awesome to see Lena Olin play yet another evil-but-only-most-of-the-time spymommy, both my brother and I took one look at the back of Mama Bartowski's head and thought "Lynda Carter!" Yesseriebob, it has officially been decided that Wonder Woman needs to play Mary Elizabeth Bartowski next season, so hop to it, casting directors! Let's face it, Shaw escaped the season finale alive, so if he's going to come into play yet again next season, I think the only person to take Superman down once and for all would have to be Wonder Woman (and besides, she totally looks the part). What's more, rumors have been speculating 
about a Wonder Woman movie for a good long while and on most internet geek's shortlist for the role? Sarah Lancaster, aka Ellie Bartowski. It would be beyond spectacular, so here's hoping the powers that be decide to shine down on the little show that could and deliver an invisible plane, a lasso of truth, and some bullet-deflecting bracelets. :)
In other Parent Bartowski news, Papa Bartowski... didn't quite make it through the finale. I wish I could say I was sad to see him dead and gone, but he was annoying at best. Although he seriously won't be missed, I'm not loving the dynamic his death set up. Ellie has always gotten the short stick in the character department. She's been forced to play the wet blanket and smothering maternal element for way too long and now it has just gone overboard with the whole "we're all e
ach other has, so you better quit your day job, young man" ultimatum. Given the Mama Bartowski reveal, and, well, the basic concept of the show, I have no doubt her behest will get much attention in the coming season, but the thought of having to hear her whine about it is off-putting to say the least... I wish the show could find something substantive for her to do. I was so psyched to see her following Shaw and the captive Team Bartowski in her car, but then of course she loses them. I thought she was finally going to get something redeeming to do, and it once again falls to others. I used to like Ellie quite a lot, but as with the Buy More, it seems the writers have no idea what to do with her anymore. Sigh. The creative team has their work cut out for them in season 4. Here's hoping they rise to the occasion.
At the end of the say, I was starting to think that Chuck had run its course and that I wouldn't have been too heartbroken if it had finally gotten the axe. But, presented w
ith the promise of Mama Bartowski next season (and in spite of the Casey-has-a-long-lost-daughter angle...ugh--it just didn't work for me), I'm actually pretty excited. Should they cast Lynda Carter, as we all know they should, I might just have to forgive any and all reservations or criticisms I've ever had of the show ever. And then she and Superman need to fight. And she needs to win. :)
Anyway, season 3 managed to come together in the end and I'm pretty stoked to see what's in store for next year. Have a good summer, show. By which I mean, you'd better be working your asses off to figure out what the hell next season is going to look like because in spite of my suggestions, I have absolutely no idea what kind of an animal we'll be met with in the fall. Which is a good thing. Can't wait!
If you haven't watched the Chuck season finale, turn back now! No, seriously.
You thought this was going to be a geektastic juxtaposition of Wonder Woman and Superman, extolling the virtues of each and crowning one to be superior, eh? Yeah, not so much. But don't worry, it's only slightly less geeky than that.
Chuck season 3 came to a surprisingly satisfying close last night after several less-than-stellar episodes before it. This season has been plagued since day one by the brass at NBC, so I tend to give the show a pass. Not only did they get pulled off
the air for nearly a year prior to the current season, but then they were given an initial order of 13 episodes (which they wrote and were well into production), and ultimately NBC decided they needed 6 more episodes, so Josh Schwartz and company had to kind of scramble. This is essentially two mini-seasons that had to be lumped into one. The first 13 came together quite nicely, but fitting an entire new story arc into only 6 episodes? Not so easy... With that in mind, I'd say I'm satisfied with how things played out. The past few episodes left a bit to be desired. To be honest, I wasn't all that stoked for the two-part season finale... until I actually started watching it and the show reminded me of why I love it. I wouldn't say they were the best two episodes ever or anything, but they really pulled everything together in an exciting, thoughtful way--a feat that I didn't think was going to be possible just a few episodes ago.I'm going to try to keep this short, so bear with me... we all know that's not my strong suit.
As I've mentioned before, I actually quite enjoyed Shaw as a character early on and rather dug his and Sarah's onscreen chemistry and relationship. I realize I'm in the minority here, but I have to tell ya, having liked him initially, his turn into a big bad was all the more wrenching. If I had hated him from day one, I'm not sure the turn would have had as much gravity and impact as it
did, nor would his terminator-like return from ashes been so menacing. Awesome. I spent the better part of the episode thinking to myself (oh, let's face it, saying out loud, through gritted teeth), "I hate that Superman!" The Ring always seemed like a bit of an amorphous enemy for team Bartowski, so it was nice to see Shaw really amp up the evil, because let's be honest, SD-6, it ain't. The Ring Elders always felt more like that people from the future in Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure. You know, with the robes? And all the "Be excellent to each other" aphorisms? Not exactly striking terror into the hearts of millions there... I think Shaw acquitted himself admirably as a baddie when all was said and done, even if the whole "You killed my wife, prepare to die!" of it all left me a little underwhelmed.Who better to go up against Evil Shaw? Well, I'd say Team Bartowski, but... they're all in custody at the moment... so, uh... Team Morgan? Well, all righty then... I was always a bit unconvinced by the "Morgan is a spy" angle the show was taking (even if it was entertaining, it just never really quite worked), but in the end, he really stepped up to the plate. The finale managed to integrate Mor
gan (and just about everyone else) in a more cohesive and logical way than in the entire rest of the season. In the first season, and even well into the second, the Buy More and all the ancillary characters were integrated into the fabric of the spy narrative brilliantly, hilariously, and seamlessly. Nowadays? Well, I've complained about the inexplicable role of the Buy More for some time now, so when they blew it up, I have to say, I was pretty excited to see it burn. And the fact that Jeff and Lester are the presumed bombers? Even better. I honestly don't know what the show is going to do with the Buy More aspect of the show next season. At present, they appear to be writing that angle out of the show. I, for one, won't be sad to see it go. Don't get me wrong, I love the Buy More crew and happily acknowledge that they've provided some of the best moments ever on the show, but it just doesn't fit anymore. It's hard to see the writers struggling to include them, you know? But, is Chuck still Chuck without the Buy More? The show is predicated on the notion that Chuck is a geek who is thrown into this crazy world of espionage and is in over his head. Well, this season Chuck became a real spy, so... where does that leave us? I think it leaves us with a more typical spy thriller rather than the goofy spy comedy of yore. Which is fine, but is certainly different. I'll be very interested to see where things go next season. They'll only have 13 episodes to work with (assuming they don't get a back 9 order, and I'm willing to wager they won't), so here's hoping they make the most of it.How exactly will they make the most of it, you ask? Mama Bartowski, that's how. We all knew she'd show up eventually, but it was still fun and surprising to see her actually materialize. Man alive, the only way it could have been more
Alias-y would be if she had shot Chuck. "Mom?!" BANG! Classic! My first impulse was, obviously, "Irina Derevko!" and while it would be beyond awesome to see Lena Olin play yet another evil-but-only-most-of-the-time spymommy, both my brother and I took one look at the back of Mama Bartowski's head and thought "Lynda Carter!" Yesseriebob, it has officially been decided that Wonder Woman needs to play Mary Elizabeth Bartowski next season, so hop to it, casting directors! Let's face it, Shaw escaped the season finale alive, so if he's going to come into play yet again next season, I think the only person to take Superman down once and for all would have to be Wonder Woman (and besides, she totally looks the part). What's more, rumors have been speculating 
about a Wonder Woman movie for a good long while and on most internet geek's shortlist for the role? Sarah Lancaster, aka Ellie Bartowski. It would be beyond spectacular, so here's hoping the powers that be decide to shine down on the little show that could and deliver an invisible plane, a lasso of truth, and some bullet-deflecting bracelets. :)In other Parent Bartowski news, Papa Bartowski... didn't quite make it through the finale. I wish I could say I was sad to see him dead and gone, but he was annoying at best. Although he seriously won't be missed, I'm not loving the dynamic his death set up. Ellie has always gotten the short stick in the character department. She's been forced to play the wet blanket and smothering maternal element for way too long and now it has just gone overboard with the whole "we're all e
ach other has, so you better quit your day job, young man" ultimatum. Given the Mama Bartowski reveal, and, well, the basic concept of the show, I have no doubt her behest will get much attention in the coming season, but the thought of having to hear her whine about it is off-putting to say the least... I wish the show could find something substantive for her to do. I was so psyched to see her following Shaw and the captive Team Bartowski in her car, but then of course she loses them. I thought she was finally going to get something redeeming to do, and it once again falls to others. I used to like Ellie quite a lot, but as with the Buy More, it seems the writers have no idea what to do with her anymore. Sigh. The creative team has their work cut out for them in season 4. Here's hoping they rise to the occasion.At the end of the say, I was starting to think that Chuck had run its course and that I wouldn't have been too heartbroken if it had finally gotten the axe. But, presented w
ith the promise of Mama Bartowski next season (and in spite of the Casey-has-a-long-lost-daughter angle...ugh--it just didn't work for me), I'm actually pretty excited. Should they cast Lynda Carter, as we all know they should, I might just have to forgive any and all reservations or criticisms I've ever had of the show ever. And then she and Superman need to fight. And she needs to win. :)Anyway, season 3 managed to come together in the end and I'm pretty stoked to see what's in store for next year. Have a good summer, show. By which I mean, you'd better be working your asses off to figure out what the hell next season is going to look like because in spite of my suggestions, I have absolutely no idea what kind of an animal we'll be met with in the fall. Which is a good thing. Can't wait!
Monday, May 24, 2010
NBC Pilots 2010: Volume 1 (of many)
Now that Upfronts are over, the real fun begins. Below is NBC's new fall schedule and the first handful of pilots (this is going to take a few volumes to get through--you've been warned). NBC is in serious need of rebuilding the entire network (basically), so they have quite a few new shows to look at... like, 187 or so, many of which will premiere at midseason. Some look more promising than others... (and by "others," I obviously mean Jerry Bruckheimer's new crap pile Chase--see below for exciting details!).
MONDAY
7-8 p.m: Chuck
8-9 p.m: The Event (new)
9-10 p.m.: Chase (new)
TUESDAY
7-9 p.m.: The Biggest Loser
9-10 p.m.: Parenthood
WEDNESDAY
7-8 p.m.: Undercovers (new)
8-9 p.m.: Law & Order: Special Victims Unit
9-10 p.m.: Law & Order: Los Angeles (new)
THURSDAY
7- 7:30 p.m.: Community
7:30-8 p.m.: 30 Rock
8-8:30 p.m.: The Office
8:30-9 p.m.: Outsourced (new)
9-10 p.m.: Love Bites (new)
FRIDAY
7-8 p.m.: Who Do You Think You Are?/School Pride (new)
8-9 p.m.: Dateline NBC
9-10 p.m.: Outlaw (new)
SUNDAY
6- 7:15 p.m.: Football Night in America
7:15-10:30 p.m.: NBC Sunday Night Football
SUNDAY (midseason)
6-7 p.m.: Dateline NBC
7-8 p.m. – Minute to Win It
8-9 p.m. – The Celebrity Apprentice
That fall schedule has a fair slate of new shows to begin with, but then there are a whole slew of other new shows that are being held till midseason. Methinks NBC has decided to hedge its bets and see what falls flat so it can be replaced by something new. What does this mean in the long run, you ask? It means Chuck's ratings had better improve or it's going to be in trouble. It was picked up for an initial 13 episode order, and if even a few of NBC's new shows catch on, I think Chuck will be a goner.
Midseason Replacements (usually airing in January, after the winter break, and after the pilots that premiered in the fall have tanked):
Comedies: Friends with Benefits, The Paul Reiser Show, and Perfect Couples
Dramas: The Cape and Harry's Law
Where's the much-rumored remake of the Rockford Files, you ask? Good question. In short, your guess is as good as mine as to why this didn't get off the ground. I haven't heard anything definitive, but it is conspicuously absent from NBC's slate, so who really knows.
And with that, on to the pilots that actually did get picked up officially...
UNDERCOVERS
Description: Stars Boris Kodjoe ("Resident Evil: Afterlife"), Gugu Mbatha-Raw, (“Bonekickers”), Jessica Parker Kennedy (“Smallville”), Carter MacIntyre ("American Heiress"), Gerald McRaney ("Deadwood"), and Ben Schwartz (NBC’s “Parks and Recreation”). J.J. co-wrote, produced, and directed the pilot. Josh Reims (“Brothers and Sisters”) also serves as a co-writer and executive producer and Bryan Burk ("Fringe," "Lost, "Alias") is an executive producer.
My Take: Well, you could hardly ask for a better pedigree behind the scenes, but I'm still not sold. This is NBC's great white hope/ace-in-the-whole, so for their sake, I hope I'm wrong about this one. I'm mostly unfamiliar with the cast (which can be a very good thing (allowing for viewers to come at the characters without any pre-conceived notions) or it can point to the reason why they're relative unknowns...) and I'm just not sure they are capable of anchoring the series as well as I would have expected. Granted, I've only seen five minutes, but the actors just didn't really grab me. I think the biggest problem with the show will be the boilerplate storyline (so, you know, no biggie). When I initially heard about the Undercovers, I thought it sounded very promising, and it still very well could be as awesome as one could ever dream, but I seriously doubt it. This show is quite obviously Mr. and Mrs. Smith meets Alias or a modern day Hart to Hart. A lot of shows are boiled down to such (one show + another show = our show!) recipes when they are initially pitched, so that's not the problem and is often quite a good thing when trying to woo viewers. It quite frankly gives you a sense of what you're in for. I guess the difference here is that the comparison doesn't stop there. With Undercovers, it doesn't just give you a sense of the tone and style of the show, but as near as I can tell, lays out the whole concept of the show and base storylines. Such comparisons should be evocative, but unspecific. Tantalizingly vague, if you will. When you hear that the pitch for Grey's Anatomy is ER meets Sex in the City, you have a notion of where you're headed, but you have no idea what it's going to look like when you get there or what's going to happen. Undercovers doesn't really pique my deepest curiosities because, well, I've seen all the shows in its recipe, and the end product is, well, exactly the same, it seems... Hell, they even have a Marshall Flinkman on the other end of their comms, for crying out loud. When a show can be summed up so easily and so completely, it's hard to see where show will bring anything truly unique to the table. I'm not saying the show will be terrible or anything. In fact, it looks like a well-made, splashy, expensive, movie-style production with one hell of a creative team behind it. From the trailer alone though, I guess it just feels a little... uninspired. It feels a bit like JJ phoned this one in and we're left with a very familiar, almost generic spin (no, wait, there is (presumably) no spin) on an old routine. It just doesn't feel special the way that Alias felt special and I'm just not sure where this show is going to go 3 or 4 seasons down the line. I'm hopeful there's a lot more to it than the trailer leads on, but so far? I'm rather underwhelmed. It just seems a bit too generic to really pique my interest, which is a real shame. Here's hoping they prove me wrong.
CHASE
Description: This is billed as a fast-paced drama from Emmy Award-winning executive producer Jerry Bruckheimer (“CSI” franchise, “The Amazing Race,” “Pirates of the Caribbean” films) and executive producer Jennifer Johnson (“Cold Case”). Stars Kelli Giddish (“Past Life”), Cole Hauser (“K-Ville”), Amaury Nolasco (“Prison Break”), Rose Rollins (“The L Word”) and Jesse Metcalfe (“Desperate Housewives”). Bruckheimer, Jonathan Littman (“CSI” franchise, “The Amazing Race,” “Cold Case”) and Johnson serve as executive producers, while KristieAnne Reed is co-executive producer. David Nutter (“The Mentalist,” “Without a Trace” “The X-Files”) directed and is executive producer of the pilot that was written by Johnson.
My Take: I don't suppose I could just say "painfully generic" and leave it at that, could I? How about simply, "groan"? This is your typical cop-style piece of crap where some rag-tag crew is the best in the world at what they do blah, blah, blah, but don't worry, there's a new guy on the scene so they can explain how awesome they are to the audience by explaining how awesome they are to the straight-laced what's-his-name who just doesn't understand how things are done by the cool kids. Ugh. I hate that set-up, always have, always will. I don't need everything explained to me (especially when there's basically nothing to explain). I'll catch on, I promise. If you must use some new guy as a lazy tool for exposition, as least be subtle about it. This looks absolutely horrendous and the "talent" both behind and on the screen leave much to be desired. Kelli Giddish was awful in the awful beyond awful Past Life (use a word twice in one sentence, and the third usage is free), and yet someone saw fit to let her anchor yet another show? WTF? Not that even the awesomest lead could save this show from a big steaming pile of cliches and the total hack that is Jerry Bruckheimer. I'm not sure I'll even make it through the whole pilot. I tried to watch a couple of clips online, but fast-forwarded through them. Cheeseball, hackneyed, overwrought, unoriginal, etc. And lest you think I'm being too harsh, her name is Annie Frost? Seriously? Bad. "When Annie comes gunning. Start running." Oh, I'll be running all right... as far away from this piece of shit as possible. If you want to see a kick-ass show about US Marshals, I suggest you tune into In Plain Sight on USA. But, knowing the American viewing public and their thirst for crime procedurals, this just might be a hit. I doubt it'll make it onto my rotation, but I can see where this might have some mass appeal and long-term potential. Lord knows CBS has been milking this type of genre for years now, so why not NBC.
OUTLAW
Description: Stars Jimmy Smits (“NYPD Blue,” “The West Wing”), “Outlaw” is a new drama from executive producer John Eisendrath (“Alias,” “Felicity,” “Playmakers”). Also stars Jesse Bradford (“The West Wing”, "Bring It On"), Carly Pope (“24″, "Popular"), Ellen Woglom (“Californication”) and David Ramsey (“Dexter”). Eisendrath is executive producer along with Terry George (“Hotel Rwanda,” “Reservation Road”), Conan O’Brien, Jeff Ross and David Kissinger (“Andy Barker, P.I.”). “Outlaw” is written by Eisendrath and directed by George.
My Take: Well, when the preview started, I was actually quite intrigued, but toward the end... not so much. Off the bat, I have to hand it to the writers for being ballsy enough to take the legal genre and add something new and unexpected. As the preview started off, the prospect of a supreme court justice abdicating the thrown (as it were) to help change the broken legal system really appealed to me (even in spite of the Jimmie Smits of it all--what can I say? After an entire season of suffering through his Miguel Prado on Dexter, I was happy to see Dex, uh, take care of things...). As things wore on, however, the show seems to have a fairly cheesy, self-righteous vibe going through it that I am definitely not digging. I have no problem with emotional storylines and meaningful messages, but I don't need to be hit over the head with them, thanks. It all just seemed a little too heartwarming and saccharine to be the hard-hitting drama I initially expected... Here's hoping the trailer simply doesn't do it justice (oh good god, that was an unintentional, yet rather painful pun). The good news is that the supporting cast elicited some serious teenesque nostalgia. I had to tweak the description of the show that I pulled off the web because they left out the truly important credits. Jesse Bradford, co-star of the awesomely awesome Bring It On (which was left off his bio inexplicably) and Carly Pope, whom I hardly even recognized! I haven't seen her since Popular (which was likewise left off her bio--seriously who's writing these things?) and it was nice to see her working again (in something that I might actually watch). Seeing them back in action was a bit of a thrill and quite frankly hold a lot more appeal for me than Smits at the helm. It's not going to be the most original show on earth, but at least they've put a new spin on an overdone genre. I loves me a good legal show, but the odds of this one living up to the standard set by The Good Wife are pretty slim. I think it'll boil down to Smits' ability to anchor the show, and so far, not so good. I've never been a huge fan of his, so maybe it's just me, but I don't know that he (or his character) has enough quirk or uniqueness to really draw me in. Only time will tell. I'll definitely give this one a shot, but I have a sinking feeling they've taken an original spin and let it devolve into more of the same. To boot, it's been given the Friday night death slot, so I get the feeling NBC isn't all the confident in the show. I think it's going to have a hard time finding an audience, so for its sake, I hope NBC has lowered their expectations in terms of ratings. Even if they have, I doubt this will make it past midseason.
MONDAY
7-8 p.m: Chuck
8-9 p.m: The Event (new)
9-10 p.m.: Chase (new)
TUESDAY
7-9 p.m.: The Biggest Loser
9-10 p.m.: Parenthood
WEDNESDAY
7-8 p.m.: Undercovers (new)
8-9 p.m.: Law & Order: Special Victims Unit
9-10 p.m.: Law & Order: Los Angeles (new)
THURSDAY
7- 7:30 p.m.: Community
7:30-8 p.m.: 30 Rock
8-8:30 p.m.: The Office
8:30-9 p.m.: Outsourced (new)
9-10 p.m.: Love Bites (new)
FRIDAY
7-8 p.m.: Who Do You Think You Are?/School Pride (new)
8-9 p.m.: Dateline NBC
9-10 p.m.: Outlaw (new)
SUNDAY
6- 7:15 p.m.: Football Night in America
7:15-10:30 p.m.: NBC Sunday Night Football
SUNDAY (midseason)
6-7 p.m.: Dateline NBC
7-8 p.m. – Minute to Win It
8-9 p.m. – The Celebrity Apprentice
That fall schedule has a fair slate of new shows to begin with, but then there are a whole slew of other new shows that are being held till midseason. Methinks NBC has decided to hedge its bets and see what falls flat so it can be replaced by something new. What does this mean in the long run, you ask? It means Chuck's ratings had better improve or it's going to be in trouble. It was picked up for an initial 13 episode order, and if even a few of NBC's new shows catch on, I think Chuck will be a goner.
Midseason Replacements (usually airing in January, after the winter break, and after the pilots that premiered in the fall have tanked):
Comedies: Friends with Benefits, The Paul Reiser Show, and Perfect Couples
Dramas: The Cape and Harry's Law
Where's the much-rumored remake of the Rockford Files, you ask? Good question. In short, your guess is as good as mine as to why this didn't get off the ground. I haven't heard anything definitive, but it is conspicuously absent from NBC's slate, so who really knows.
And with that, on to the pilots that actually did get picked up officially...
UNDERCOVERS
Description: Stars Boris Kodjoe ("Resident Evil: Afterlife"), Gugu Mbatha-Raw, (“Bonekickers”), Jessica Parker Kennedy (“Smallville”), Carter MacIntyre ("American Heiress"), Gerald McRaney ("Deadwood"), and Ben Schwartz (NBC’s “Parks and Recreation”). J.J. co-wrote, produced, and directed the pilot. Josh Reims (“Brothers and Sisters”) also serves as a co-writer and executive producer and Bryan Burk ("Fringe," "Lost, "Alias") is an executive producer.
My Take: Well, you could hardly ask for a better pedigree behind the scenes, but I'm still not sold. This is NBC's great white hope/ace-in-the-whole, so for their sake, I hope I'm wrong about this one. I'm mostly unfamiliar with the cast (which can be a very good thing (allowing for viewers to come at the characters without any pre-conceived notions) or it can point to the reason why they're relative unknowns...) and I'm just not sure they are capable of anchoring the series as well as I would have expected. Granted, I've only seen five minutes, but the actors just didn't really grab me. I think the biggest problem with the show will be the boilerplate storyline (so, you know, no biggie). When I initially heard about the Undercovers, I thought it sounded very promising, and it still very well could be as awesome as one could ever dream, but I seriously doubt it. This show is quite obviously Mr. and Mrs. Smith meets Alias or a modern day Hart to Hart. A lot of shows are boiled down to such (one show + another show = our show!) recipes when they are initially pitched, so that's not the problem and is often quite a good thing when trying to woo viewers. It quite frankly gives you a sense of what you're in for. I guess the difference here is that the comparison doesn't stop there. With Undercovers, it doesn't just give you a sense of the tone and style of the show, but as near as I can tell, lays out the whole concept of the show and base storylines. Such comparisons should be evocative, but unspecific. Tantalizingly vague, if you will. When you hear that the pitch for Grey's Anatomy is ER meets Sex in the City, you have a notion of where you're headed, but you have no idea what it's going to look like when you get there or what's going to happen. Undercovers doesn't really pique my deepest curiosities because, well, I've seen all the shows in its recipe, and the end product is, well, exactly the same, it seems... Hell, they even have a Marshall Flinkman on the other end of their comms, for crying out loud. When a show can be summed up so easily and so completely, it's hard to see where show will bring anything truly unique to the table. I'm not saying the show will be terrible or anything. In fact, it looks like a well-made, splashy, expensive, movie-style production with one hell of a creative team behind it. From the trailer alone though, I guess it just feels a little... uninspired. It feels a bit like JJ phoned this one in and we're left with a very familiar, almost generic spin (no, wait, there is (presumably) no spin) on an old routine. It just doesn't feel special the way that Alias felt special and I'm just not sure where this show is going to go 3 or 4 seasons down the line. I'm hopeful there's a lot more to it than the trailer leads on, but so far? I'm rather underwhelmed. It just seems a bit too generic to really pique my interest, which is a real shame. Here's hoping they prove me wrong.
CHASE
Description: This is billed as a fast-paced drama from Emmy Award-winning executive producer Jerry Bruckheimer (“CSI” franchise, “The Amazing Race,” “Pirates of the Caribbean” films) and executive producer Jennifer Johnson (“Cold Case”). Stars Kelli Giddish (“Past Life”), Cole Hauser (“K-Ville”), Amaury Nolasco (“Prison Break”), Rose Rollins (“The L Word”) and Jesse Metcalfe (“Desperate Housewives”). Bruckheimer, Jonathan Littman (“CSI” franchise, “The Amazing Race,” “Cold Case”) and Johnson serve as executive producers, while KristieAnne Reed is co-executive producer. David Nutter (“The Mentalist,” “Without a Trace” “The X-Files”) directed and is executive producer of the pilot that was written by Johnson.
My Take: I don't suppose I could just say "painfully generic" and leave it at that, could I? How about simply, "groan"? This is your typical cop-style piece of crap where some rag-tag crew is the best in the world at what they do blah, blah, blah, but don't worry, there's a new guy on the scene so they can explain how awesome they are to the audience by explaining how awesome they are to the straight-laced what's-his-name who just doesn't understand how things are done by the cool kids. Ugh. I hate that set-up, always have, always will. I don't need everything explained to me (especially when there's basically nothing to explain). I'll catch on, I promise. If you must use some new guy as a lazy tool for exposition, as least be subtle about it. This looks absolutely horrendous and the "talent" both behind and on the screen leave much to be desired. Kelli Giddish was awful in the awful beyond awful Past Life (use a word twice in one sentence, and the third usage is free), and yet someone saw fit to let her anchor yet another show? WTF? Not that even the awesomest lead could save this show from a big steaming pile of cliches and the total hack that is Jerry Bruckheimer. I'm not sure I'll even make it through the whole pilot. I tried to watch a couple of clips online, but fast-forwarded through them. Cheeseball, hackneyed, overwrought, unoriginal, etc. And lest you think I'm being too harsh, her name is Annie Frost? Seriously? Bad. "When Annie comes gunning. Start running." Oh, I'll be running all right... as far away from this piece of shit as possible. If you want to see a kick-ass show about US Marshals, I suggest you tune into In Plain Sight on USA. But, knowing the American viewing public and their thirst for crime procedurals, this just might be a hit. I doubt it'll make it onto my rotation, but I can see where this might have some mass appeal and long-term potential. Lord knows CBS has been milking this type of genre for years now, so why not NBC.
OUTLAW
Description: Stars Jimmy Smits (“NYPD Blue,” “The West Wing”), “Outlaw” is a new drama from executive producer John Eisendrath (“Alias,” “Felicity,” “Playmakers”). Also stars Jesse Bradford (“The West Wing”, "Bring It On"), Carly Pope (“24″, "Popular"), Ellen Woglom (“Californication”) and David Ramsey (“Dexter”). Eisendrath is executive producer along with Terry George (“Hotel Rwanda,” “Reservation Road”), Conan O’Brien, Jeff Ross and David Kissinger (“Andy Barker, P.I.”). “Outlaw” is written by Eisendrath and directed by George.
My Take: Well, when the preview started, I was actually quite intrigued, but toward the end... not so much. Off the bat, I have to hand it to the writers for being ballsy enough to take the legal genre and add something new and unexpected. As the preview started off, the prospect of a supreme court justice abdicating the thrown (as it were) to help change the broken legal system really appealed to me (even in spite of the Jimmie Smits of it all--what can I say? After an entire season of suffering through his Miguel Prado on Dexter, I was happy to see Dex, uh, take care of things...). As things wore on, however, the show seems to have a fairly cheesy, self-righteous vibe going through it that I am definitely not digging. I have no problem with emotional storylines and meaningful messages, but I don't need to be hit over the head with them, thanks. It all just seemed a little too heartwarming and saccharine to be the hard-hitting drama I initially expected... Here's hoping the trailer simply doesn't do it justice (oh good god, that was an unintentional, yet rather painful pun). The good news is that the supporting cast elicited some serious teenesque nostalgia. I had to tweak the description of the show that I pulled off the web because they left out the truly important credits. Jesse Bradford, co-star of the awesomely awesome Bring It On (which was left off his bio inexplicably) and Carly Pope, whom I hardly even recognized! I haven't seen her since Popular (which was likewise left off her bio--seriously who's writing these things?) and it was nice to see her working again (in something that I might actually watch). Seeing them back in action was a bit of a thrill and quite frankly hold a lot more appeal for me than Smits at the helm. It's not going to be the most original show on earth, but at least they've put a new spin on an overdone genre. I loves me a good legal show, but the odds of this one living up to the standard set by The Good Wife are pretty slim. I think it'll boil down to Smits' ability to anchor the show, and so far, not so good. I've never been a huge fan of his, so maybe it's just me, but I don't know that he (or his character) has enough quirk or uniqueness to really draw me in. Only time will tell. I'll definitely give this one a shot, but I have a sinking feeling they've taken an original spin and let it devolve into more of the same. To boot, it's been given the Friday night death slot, so I get the feeling NBC isn't all the confident in the show. I think it's going to have a hard time finding an audience, so for its sake, I hope NBC has lowered their expectations in terms of ratings. Even if they have, I doubt this will make it past midseason.
Friday, May 21, 2010
CW Upfronts: Last, but not... well, yeah, kind of least...
Oh, little CW, you try real hard, dontcha? Honestly though, for as pitiful a network as it is, it always seems to have a show or two that I can't live without. Last year at this time, that show would 
have been Gossip Girl... Well, what a difference a year makes. Nowadays, Gossip Girl is barely even on my radar (this season just... hasn't... quite... done it for me) and The Vampire Diaries has kind of taken over my life. Speaking of which, if you didn't get in on the ground floor and are sick of hearing me talk about it without having seen it (or if you're Nicole and you started late to the series), they are going to be airing reruns of The Vampire Diaries all summer, starting with a rebroadcast of the pilot on May 27th. Set your DVRs to awesome.
Honestly, TVD is the only show I really care about on the network this year, so the upfronts came with very little fanfare. There was no Veronica Mars for me to worry about and most of the decisions were forgone conclusions. The only serieseses that were up in the air? Well, that would be the CW cagematch: Life Unexpected vs. One Tree Hill. Otherwise known as the wussiest cagematch in the history of the universe. I wasn't impressed by Life Unexpected and One Tree Hill has been awful since day one, so you can see that this is a battle in which I am wholly invested. See below for the thrilling details! (Spoiler alert: The CW took the easy, "I don't wanna get yelled at" way out.)
Quick note: I'll be publishing all the fall schedules in the next couple of weeks and an assessment of what shows will be going to battle for timeslot supremacy. Also, it was pointed out by commenter Jess that I had made an error regarding the CBS scheduling moves. The Big Bang Theory is moving to Thursdays at 7 pm, opposite Community. I don't know why I was thinking Wednesday, but it's been corrected. (Boy, is my face red...)
Anyway, on with the show, er, shows...
***SHOWS THAT HAVE BEEN PICKED UP***
Life Unexpected AND One Tree Hill
Surprise! Okay, not really. After several months of speculation and rumor that only one show would survive, the CW took the pathetic way out and picked up both serie
s for an initial order of 13 episodes each. I assume one of them will premiere at midseason, or, when the CW's new cheerleader catastrophe Hellcats tanks (at least I hope to hell it tanks), then one of these shows will fill the scheduling gap. I'll be posting clips of new shows in the coming weeks, but for now, I'm just glad to be wrapping up the Upfronts alive. I honestly can't stand either of these shows (although I hear Life Unexpected has gotten considerably better), so I wasn't much invested in this most-pathetic of cagematches. Poor CW. Having to choose between these two little gems must have been quite the Sophie's choice...
90210
I only made it through the pilot... and even then, I'm pretty sure I may have suffered some brain damage. It's not Melrose Place in terms of eye-gougingly painfulness, but it's close. So of course it'll be back! Oh, CW. How I wish you were more of a real network...
The Vampire Diaries
My darling Vampire Diaries is quite thankfully the most successful show on the network, so there was never any doubt that it would be back. I was going to post a big
wrap up after the finale, but then Upfront season was upon us. Hopefully I'll get some time next week. That'll give me some extra time to watch the last 10 minutes of the episode a few more times. Holy hell! It's going to be a looooong summer, peeps. Not sure if I'm going to make it. Already... going... through... withdrawals...!
Gossip Girl
My used-to-be darling GG will also be back. I'm sorry, but this season has fallen completely flat for me (and as near as I can tell, everyone else too). I just don't care anymore. The season started off well enough, but after a few eps, I was basically done. It's gone beyond being a chore to watch and I have at least 9 or 10 episodes saved up on my DVR that I honestly don't know if I'll ever watch. Maybe this summer? Maybe (make that probably) not...
America's Next Top Jumpsuit, er Model
I haven't watched the past few cycles of Tyra's progressive insanity, and I'm very comfortable with that decision. I saw enough clips of the show on The Soup and The Dish to never need to see this show again (so many jumpsuits, so little time). It was always only ever a guilty pleasure, but now it's just guilty--of oh-so-many offenses. Plus, the complete misnomer of a title has to be a little off-putting for contestants these days. Top models they are not. Hell, models, they are not.
Smallville
I watched the first couple of seasons of this show, then fell off the wagon. Next thing I know, it's been on for nine years. Mercifully, I have heard confirmation that season
10 will be its last. Did he ever even start flying? I have to assume he did... At any rate, the show should be wrapping up next year.
Supernatural
As much as I just loved Dean on Gilmore Girls, I don't think I ever need to see him again. But, this show has one of the most rabid fanbases in town. Small though it may be, they are vocal and passionate to say the least. I guess they weren't GG fans originally, because Jared Padalecki is a dealbreaker, whether his hair is looking "cool, or not so cool."
***SHOWS THAT HAVE BEEN CANCELED***
Melrose Place
Yeah, it was pretty much the only show on the network to get the boot (save for the three episodes of The Beautiful Life that managed to air--methinks that doesn't really count as ever having been on the air). This was
god-awful on a truly painful scale. It won't be missed. Hell, even firing Ashlee Simpson's sorry ass couldn't save this particular train wreck, and in my experience, getting rid of Ashlee Simpson is usually the first step in recovery: admitting you have a problem. A botoxed, plastic, wooden dingbat problem. (Me? Judgmental? Well, I never!)
The Beautiful Life (in case you forgot)
You know you've got a terrible show on your hands when it gets canceled by the redheaded step child CW after three episodes. This is a network that gave Melrose Place an entire season... Ouch.
have been Gossip Girl... Well, what a difference a year makes. Nowadays, Gossip Girl is barely even on my radar (this season just... hasn't... quite... done it for me) and The Vampire Diaries has kind of taken over my life. Speaking of which, if you didn't get in on the ground floor and are sick of hearing me talk about it without having seen it (or if you're Nicole and you started late to the series), they are going to be airing reruns of The Vampire Diaries all summer, starting with a rebroadcast of the pilot on May 27th. Set your DVRs to awesome.Honestly, TVD is the only show I really care about on the network this year, so the upfronts came with very little fanfare. There was no Veronica Mars for me to worry about and most of the decisions were forgone conclusions. The only serieseses that were up in the air? Well, that would be the CW cagematch: Life Unexpected vs. One Tree Hill. Otherwise known as the wussiest cagematch in the history of the universe. I wasn't impressed by Life Unexpected and One Tree Hill has been awful since day one, so you can see that this is a battle in which I am wholly invested. See below for the thrilling details! (Spoiler alert: The CW took the easy, "I don't wanna get yelled at" way out.)
Quick note: I'll be publishing all the fall schedules in the next couple of weeks and an assessment of what shows will be going to battle for timeslot supremacy. Also, it was pointed out by commenter Jess that I had made an error regarding the CBS scheduling moves. The Big Bang Theory is moving to Thursdays at 7 pm, opposite Community. I don't know why I was thinking Wednesday, but it's been corrected. (Boy, is my face red...)
Anyway, on with the show, er, shows...
***SHOWS THAT HAVE BEEN PICKED UP***
Life Unexpected AND One Tree Hill
Surprise! Okay, not really. After several months of speculation and rumor that only one show would survive, the CW took the pathetic way out and picked up both serie
s for an initial order of 13 episodes each. I assume one of them will premiere at midseason, or, when the CW's new cheerleader catastrophe Hellcats tanks (at least I hope to hell it tanks), then one of these shows will fill the scheduling gap. I'll be posting clips of new shows in the coming weeks, but for now, I'm just glad to be wrapping up the Upfronts alive. I honestly can't stand either of these shows (although I hear Life Unexpected has gotten considerably better), so I wasn't much invested in this most-pathetic of cagematches. Poor CW. Having to choose between these two little gems must have been quite the Sophie's choice...90210
I only made it through the pilot... and even then, I'm pretty sure I may have suffered some brain damage. It's not Melrose Place in terms of eye-gougingly painfulness, but it's close. So of course it'll be back! Oh, CW. How I wish you were more of a real network...
The Vampire Diaries
My darling Vampire Diaries is quite thankfully the most successful show on the network, so there was never any doubt that it would be back. I was going to post a big
wrap up after the finale, but then Upfront season was upon us. Hopefully I'll get some time next week. That'll give me some extra time to watch the last 10 minutes of the episode a few more times. Holy hell! It's going to be a looooong summer, peeps. Not sure if I'm going to make it. Already... going... through... withdrawals...!Gossip Girl
My used-to-be darling GG will also be back. I'm sorry, but this season has fallen completely flat for me (and as near as I can tell, everyone else too). I just don't care anymore. The season started off well enough, but after a few eps, I was basically done. It's gone beyond being a chore to watch and I have at least 9 or 10 episodes saved up on my DVR that I honestly don't know if I'll ever watch. Maybe this summer? Maybe (make that probably) not...
America's Next Top Jumpsuit, er Model
I haven't watched the past few cycles of Tyra's progressive insanity, and I'm very comfortable with that decision. I saw enough clips of the show on The Soup and The Dish to never need to see this show again (so many jumpsuits, so little time). It was always only ever a guilty pleasure, but now it's just guilty--of oh-so-many offenses. Plus, the complete misnomer of a title has to be a little off-putting for contestants these days. Top models they are not. Hell, models, they are not.
Smallville
I watched the first couple of seasons of this show, then fell off the wagon. Next thing I know, it's been on for nine years. Mercifully, I have heard confirmation that season
10 will be its last. Did he ever even start flying? I have to assume he did... At any rate, the show should be wrapping up next year.Supernatural
As much as I just loved Dean on Gilmore Girls, I don't think I ever need to see him again. But, this show has one of the most rabid fanbases in town. Small though it may be, they are vocal and passionate to say the least. I guess they weren't GG fans originally, because Jared Padalecki is a dealbreaker, whether his hair is looking "cool, or not so cool."
***SHOWS THAT HAVE BEEN CANCELED***
Melrose Place
Yeah, it was pretty much the only show on the network to get the boot (save for the three episodes of The Beautiful Life that managed to air--methinks that doesn't really count as ever having been on the air). This was
god-awful on a truly painful scale. It won't be missed. Hell, even firing Ashlee Simpson's sorry ass couldn't save this particular train wreck, and in my experience, getting rid of Ashlee Simpson is usually the first step in recovery: admitting you have a problem. A botoxed, plastic, wooden dingbat problem. (Me? Judgmental? Well, I never!)The Beautiful Life (in case you forgot)
You know you've got a terrible show on your hands when it gets canceled by the redheaded step child CW after three episodes. This is a network that gave Melrose Place an entire season... Ouch.
Thursday, May 20, 2010
The Good Guys... not so good...
When I first heard that
Matt Nix, showrunner and creative genius behind Burn Notice (which is back on June 3rd, mark your calendars), had a new show, I was over the moon. Now that I've actually seen the fruits of his labor? Not so much...
Nix's new pet project The Good Guys (formerly called Code 58) premiered last night on Fox, and while I did enjoy certain aspects of show and could appreciated that it was decently made, at the end of the day, I am most certainly not in love. I'd like to think that my disappointment was based on assumptions that I would be instantly smitten (as I was with Nix's stellar Burn Notice pilot), but ultimately, I think the vintage buddy cop show just might not be my kind of show... on second thought, make that "think" a "pretty damn certain"...
Now, you know I try not to judge an entire show based solely on the pilot, so I'll give The Good Guys a couple of more episodes to find its feet, but I'm not optimistic. The pilot started off well enough, but by halfway through, I was bored and disinterested, and by the end, good god I was glad it was the end. That makes it sound much worse than it was, but for whatever reasons, I just couldn't connect with this show. It was honestly a decently made pilot with panache and a very specific goal, but unfortunately, neither of those things happen to jive with my television sensibilities. (Of course, on paper there's nothing about Southland or Justified that jive with my sensibilities either, but I quite enjoy both of those shows, so I can't excuse The Good Guys based solely on genre incompatibilities. I can enjoy any genre, when done in just the right way, but this is not one of those situations.)
The Good Guys is an obvious and intentional throwback to old school cop shows and relishes in embracing all the trappings therein. Bradley Whitford stars as Dan Stark, the grizzled has-been cop who is constantly spouting off about the good old days to straight-as-an-arro
w new partner Jack, played by Colin Hanks. It's a concept we've all seen before, but Nix doesn't pretend to be reinventing the wheel here. It's abundantly clear that he wanted to make a tongue-in-cheek homage to 70s style detective work and that's exactly what he's done. It felt a little like when Quentin Tarantino picks a genre and makes a concerted effort to display all the cliches you'd expect in a very self-conscious way. Tarantino is considerably more successful at this than Nix was here, but I can appreciate the effort and what Nix was trying to do. By all accounts, he succeeded. But, just as I don't Netflix old episodes of vintage cop shows, I don't think I'll be sticking with The Good Guys for very long. In all honesty, I think the show is going to have a hell of a time finding an audience. Vintage can be done in a way that brings it back into vogue, but I don't think that's what's happening here, although not for lack of effort. The entire approach was very bald-faced and honest with itself. Indeed, even calling the show "The Good Guys" points to exactly what creative angle they're taking. This is not going to be a deep, psychological look into the inner-workings of hard-boiled detectives. As near as I can tell, this is a very unambiguous nod to an older style where good guys were good guys and bad guys were bad guys. Its aim is fun escapism, and for what it's worth, they don't pretend to be doing anything else.
The pilot actually started out well enough. After the first ten minutes, I honestly had some hope for the series as a whole, but things ultimately unraveled for me. The initial set-up of the two leads had a certain charm and Matt Nixiness that I rather enjoyed. What better way to establish Hanks character as a clean-cut, anal-retentive cop than with grammar. As it turns out, the primary reason he was assigned to Whitford as a partner was for correcting his superiors. I couldn't help but to chuckle as he defended his actions, saying, "I'm sorry, but there's no such thing as a 'statue of limitations!'" Heh. What can I say? The way to this girl's heart is with geeky, linguistic-based humor. You had me a "statue," or so I thought... Whitford is likewise presented in typical fashion as the washed up, aging detective who's a loose cannon, blah, blah, blah, but after the initial introduction, I just didn't really care about him all that much--which is a shame and a surprise because I love Bradley Whitford (less so with the mustache...). The two did admirable jobs with the roles they were given, but it just didn't gel for me. I guess it might just take some time for the chemistry between them to really start to work, but after the pilot alone? I was wholly uninvested (yeah, I
know it's not a word) in the two main characters. This may come as a shock, but that's generally not a good sign...
It's not always immediate that I fall in love with main characters, so as long as the base concept is sound, I can usually hold out until they grow on me. It took a good 4 or 5 episodes of In Plain Sight for me to really invest in the whole package, but I knew the idea was solid, so I was happy to give it some time. The base concept of The Good Guys isn't quite as sound, to say the least... While I was quite charmed at the knowledge that these two cops were the Property Crimes beat (heh), I'm not sure how that's going to play out in the long run. It was pretty funny to see the title card shoot across the screen (a nice nod to Burn Notice) with "Case 42013: Stolen Humidifier" (complete with gunshot sound effects), I'm not sure it's a conceit I would be able to care about in the long run. Or, actually, the short run, as it seems. Don't get me wrong, by the end of the episode things had gotten quite a bit more intense (never seen so many shoot-ups and car chases in one pilot before), but I'm not sure that's a good thing... It's hard to know exactly where the show plans to go with things week-to-week, but I get the impression that Whitford and Hanks will start off each week with a seemingly mundane property crime to investigate that will invariably lead to drug smugglers and assassins. In all honesty, and for as dull as property crimes generally are, I think that's what I'd rather see. What can I say? The thought of not having a corpse at the center of a crime procedural appealed to me. A funny, tongue-in-cheek look at cops who do what most cops do: investigate random, minor offenses. If they had really taken that concept and run with it, I think it could have been pretty awesome. If the writing is solid, I don't need twenty minutes of car chases and stylized shooting.
As with most aspects of the pilot, the ideas may have been good, but the execution foundered for me (I keep saying "for me" because I can absolutely see where people who love this genre would have adored this pilot, but I ain't one of them). I really did appreciate a more unique, stylized approach to the action and storytelling. I just wish it had worked better. For instance, and again, reminded me of Tarantino, the show uses non-linear storytelling which adds a less common narrative approach, which is generally appreciated. Unfortunately, once again, it kind of falls flat. On a show like Ho
w I Met Your Mother, non-linear narrative structure is employed to great effect (you know, except for the current season, which is... yeah...). I love it when characters start out in one place, with the audience not knowing how everyone got there, and then have the pieces filled in by flashbacks, flashforwards, and asides. HIMYM does this with tremendous aplomb which leads to satisfying reveals. In The Good Guys, however, not only did I not really care where the characters started off, but I definitely didn't care how they got there. I'm fairly certain that if I cared more about the cast, I'd have enjoyed the structure much more, but when you're not invested in the people, you can't be invested in what's happening to them or why. Good idea, stylishly done, but ultimately, a failure.
Like I said, the pilot started off okay and then devolved as it went along. The supporting players (who are very few and far between--seriously, there's Hanks' ex-girlfriend who works for the DA's office and the chief of police and that's about it) didn't get much screen time and didn't really have time to be actual characters and felt more like placeholders... and yet somehow, they proved to be some of the best parts of the pilot. For what little set-up they got, they actually had more charm and interested me more than the fellas. They make for a dynamic that could work really well, but so far, simply didn't. The show focused most of its time on campy, intentionally over-stylized shoot-ups and car chases to really establish characters that I could care about. That may be just what some people are looking for, but I have to have a strong character base or I mentally tune out. I'm not saying there isn't a chance that the characters could grow on me over time, but based solely on the pilot, I'm not sure I want to give this show another second.
I think this show is going to struggle. As with Human Target (which I actually enjoyed more than this pilot--ouch), throwbacks to vintage styles don't necessarily work. Sur
e Human Target eeked out a pick-up for next season, but in the back of my mind, I keep thinking, "Yeah, maybe this style went out of style for a reason..." Neither of these shows is proving to be my particular cup of tea, and it's not just because these are shows aimed at men. I quite enjoy a number of shows that aren't aiming for my demographic. To boot, their ratings indicate that I'm not alone in being underwhelmed. I think the problem with both of these shows lies at the character level. It really doesn't matter how awesome or badass the action is if you don't care who lives or dies and are just as comfortable seeing the character succeed or fail. The audience needs to be on the edge of their seats desperate for things to go a certain way and that can only be achieved when you truly care about the people in question. It's the only way there's enough gravity to make the show matter.
Bottom line? I'm not in love. I wouldn't say I'm in total hate necessarily either, but I'm going to have a hard time giving this show another episode to grab me. Looking at the creative team and the acting talent, I wanted to like this show, I really did. It's incredibly disappointing that it fell so spectacularly flat. Everyone just seemed to be trying way too hard and succeeding way too little--which isn't exactly a recipe for success. I suspect this show is going to struggle and quite frankly, I'm kind of hoping it just gets the axe so all the awesome people associated with it can move onto better things. But, what do I know, maybe other people totally loved this. My cup of tea, however, it is not.
Pilot Grade: D+
Matt Nix, showrunner and creative genius behind Burn Notice (which is back on June 3rd, mark your calendars), had a new show, I was over the moon. Now that I've actually seen the fruits of his labor? Not so much...Nix's new pet project The Good Guys (formerly called Code 58) premiered last night on Fox, and while I did enjoy certain aspects of show and could appreciated that it was decently made, at the end of the day, I am most certainly not in love. I'd like to think that my disappointment was based on assumptions that I would be instantly smitten (as I was with Nix's stellar Burn Notice pilot), but ultimately, I think the vintage buddy cop show just might not be my kind of show... on second thought, make that "think" a "pretty damn certain"...
Now, you know I try not to judge an entire show based solely on the pilot, so I'll give The Good Guys a couple of more episodes to find its feet, but I'm not optimistic. The pilot started off well enough, but by halfway through, I was bored and disinterested, and by the end, good god I was glad it was the end. That makes it sound much worse than it was, but for whatever reasons, I just couldn't connect with this show. It was honestly a decently made pilot with panache and a very specific goal, but unfortunately, neither of those things happen to jive with my television sensibilities. (Of course, on paper there's nothing about Southland or Justified that jive with my sensibilities either, but I quite enjoy both of those shows, so I can't excuse The Good Guys based solely on genre incompatibilities. I can enjoy any genre, when done in just the right way, but this is not one of those situations.)
The Good Guys is an obvious and intentional throwback to old school cop shows and relishes in embracing all the trappings therein. Bradley Whitford stars as Dan Stark, the grizzled has-been cop who is constantly spouting off about the good old days to straight-as-an-arro
w new partner Jack, played by Colin Hanks. It's a concept we've all seen before, but Nix doesn't pretend to be reinventing the wheel here. It's abundantly clear that he wanted to make a tongue-in-cheek homage to 70s style detective work and that's exactly what he's done. It felt a little like when Quentin Tarantino picks a genre and makes a concerted effort to display all the cliches you'd expect in a very self-conscious way. Tarantino is considerably more successful at this than Nix was here, but I can appreciate the effort and what Nix was trying to do. By all accounts, he succeeded. But, just as I don't Netflix old episodes of vintage cop shows, I don't think I'll be sticking with The Good Guys for very long. In all honesty, I think the show is going to have a hell of a time finding an audience. Vintage can be done in a way that brings it back into vogue, but I don't think that's what's happening here, although not for lack of effort. The entire approach was very bald-faced and honest with itself. Indeed, even calling the show "The Good Guys" points to exactly what creative angle they're taking. This is not going to be a deep, psychological look into the inner-workings of hard-boiled detectives. As near as I can tell, this is a very unambiguous nod to an older style where good guys were good guys and bad guys were bad guys. Its aim is fun escapism, and for what it's worth, they don't pretend to be doing anything else.The pilot actually started out well enough. After the first ten minutes, I honestly had some hope for the series as a whole, but things ultimately unraveled for me. The initial set-up of the two leads had a certain charm and Matt Nixiness that I rather enjoyed. What better way to establish Hanks character as a clean-cut, anal-retentive cop than with grammar. As it turns out, the primary reason he was assigned to Whitford as a partner was for correcting his superiors. I couldn't help but to chuckle as he defended his actions, saying, "I'm sorry, but there's no such thing as a 'statue of limitations!'" Heh. What can I say? The way to this girl's heart is with geeky, linguistic-based humor. You had me a "statue," or so I thought... Whitford is likewise presented in typical fashion as the washed up, aging detective who's a loose cannon, blah, blah, blah, but after the initial introduction, I just didn't really care about him all that much--which is a shame and a surprise because I love Bradley Whitford (less so with the mustache...). The two did admirable jobs with the roles they were given, but it just didn't gel for me. I guess it might just take some time for the chemistry between them to really start to work, but after the pilot alone? I was wholly uninvested (yeah, I
know it's not a word) in the two main characters. This may come as a shock, but that's generally not a good sign...It's not always immediate that I fall in love with main characters, so as long as the base concept is sound, I can usually hold out until they grow on me. It took a good 4 or 5 episodes of In Plain Sight for me to really invest in the whole package, but I knew the idea was solid, so I was happy to give it some time. The base concept of The Good Guys isn't quite as sound, to say the least... While I was quite charmed at the knowledge that these two cops were the Property Crimes beat (heh), I'm not sure how that's going to play out in the long run. It was pretty funny to see the title card shoot across the screen (a nice nod to Burn Notice) with "Case 42013: Stolen Humidifier" (complete with gunshot sound effects), I'm not sure it's a conceit I would be able to care about in the long run. Or, actually, the short run, as it seems. Don't get me wrong, by the end of the episode things had gotten quite a bit more intense (never seen so many shoot-ups and car chases in one pilot before), but I'm not sure that's a good thing... It's hard to know exactly where the show plans to go with things week-to-week, but I get the impression that Whitford and Hanks will start off each week with a seemingly mundane property crime to investigate that will invariably lead to drug smugglers and assassins. In all honesty, and for as dull as property crimes generally are, I think that's what I'd rather see. What can I say? The thought of not having a corpse at the center of a crime procedural appealed to me. A funny, tongue-in-cheek look at cops who do what most cops do: investigate random, minor offenses. If they had really taken that concept and run with it, I think it could have been pretty awesome. If the writing is solid, I don't need twenty minutes of car chases and stylized shooting.
As with most aspects of the pilot, the ideas may have been good, but the execution foundered for me (I keep saying "for me" because I can absolutely see where people who love this genre would have adored this pilot, but I ain't one of them). I really did appreciate a more unique, stylized approach to the action and storytelling. I just wish it had worked better. For instance, and again, reminded me of Tarantino, the show uses non-linear storytelling which adds a less common narrative approach, which is generally appreciated. Unfortunately, once again, it kind of falls flat. On a show like Ho
w I Met Your Mother, non-linear narrative structure is employed to great effect (you know, except for the current season, which is... yeah...). I love it when characters start out in one place, with the audience not knowing how everyone got there, and then have the pieces filled in by flashbacks, flashforwards, and asides. HIMYM does this with tremendous aplomb which leads to satisfying reveals. In The Good Guys, however, not only did I not really care where the characters started off, but I definitely didn't care how they got there. I'm fairly certain that if I cared more about the cast, I'd have enjoyed the structure much more, but when you're not invested in the people, you can't be invested in what's happening to them or why. Good idea, stylishly done, but ultimately, a failure.Like I said, the pilot started off okay and then devolved as it went along. The supporting players (who are very few and far between--seriously, there's Hanks' ex-girlfriend who works for the DA's office and the chief of police and that's about it) didn't get much screen time and didn't really have time to be actual characters and felt more like placeholders... and yet somehow, they proved to be some of the best parts of the pilot. For what little set-up they got, they actually had more charm and interested me more than the fellas. They make for a dynamic that could work really well, but so far, simply didn't. The show focused most of its time on campy, intentionally over-stylized shoot-ups and car chases to really establish characters that I could care about. That may be just what some people are looking for, but I have to have a strong character base or I mentally tune out. I'm not saying there isn't a chance that the characters could grow on me over time, but based solely on the pilot, I'm not sure I want to give this show another second.
I think this show is going to struggle. As with Human Target (which I actually enjoyed more than this pilot--ouch), throwbacks to vintage styles don't necessarily work. Sur
e Human Target eeked out a pick-up for next season, but in the back of my mind, I keep thinking, "Yeah, maybe this style went out of style for a reason..." Neither of these shows is proving to be my particular cup of tea, and it's not just because these are shows aimed at men. I quite enjoy a number of shows that aren't aiming for my demographic. To boot, their ratings indicate that I'm not alone in being underwhelmed. I think the problem with both of these shows lies at the character level. It really doesn't matter how awesome or badass the action is if you don't care who lives or dies and are just as comfortable seeing the character succeed or fail. The audience needs to be on the edge of their seats desperate for things to go a certain way and that can only be achieved when you truly care about the people in question. It's the only way there's enough gravity to make the show matter.Bottom line? I'm not in love. I wouldn't say I'm in total hate necessarily either, but I'm going to have a hard time giving this show another episode to grab me. Looking at the creative team and the acting talent, I wanted to like this show, I really did. It's incredibly disappointing that it fell so spectacularly flat. Everyone just seemed to be trying way too hard and succeeding way too little--which isn't exactly a recipe for success. I suspect this show is going to struggle and quite frankly, I'm kind of hoping it just gets the axe so all the awesome people associated with it can move onto better things. But, what do I know, maybe other people totally loved this. My cup of tea, however, it is not.
Pilot Grade: D+
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
CBS Upfronts: Bloodbath
I've never had a whole lot of stake in CBS (what with my attention to countless hours of crime procedurals proving less than compelling) and given that the only shows I actually watch on the network have already been picked 
up for next season, I wasn't exactly on pins and needles for their upfronts. Quite frankly, the only shows I watch on the network comprise the lion's share of the meager 3% of programming that isn't currently focused on combing through trash cans for body parts or zooming in on some tiny smudge on a surveillance feed and magically (and I mean that) clarifying the image so that everything is conveniently wrapped up in a nifty bow so we can start again next week (venting over... for now).
But wait! What's this?! CBS has canceled three procedurals!? I never thought I'd live to see the day... I don't know much about their fall pilots, but it looks like those procedurals won't be replaced by new ones (necessarily), so it looks like CBS may have finally broken out of the decade of procedural programming that it has clung to so desperately... by slashing their schedule. They canceled seven shows (most of which were long-running and well-established, to boot). That's a lot, trust me.
I honestly don't follow much of what goes on over at CBS and don't know a whole lot about the programming, so this more perfunctory than anything else. I don't even really know which of their shows is on the bubble... Accidentally on Purpose is really the only show coming to mind that I know may be in trouble. I just don't really care. Maybe if they have some awesome new pilots this fall, but right now? Meh.
One more quick note of semi-import: The fall schedule has been seriously revised. Granted, the only two shows I really care about stayed exactly where they were, but The Big Bang Theory has moved to Thursdays (I accidentally put Wednesdays initially--nope, they'll both be on Thursdays, anchoring the night at 7pm). Why does this matter, you ask? Well, it didn't until I realized that it would now be going up against Community. Not. Good. Community already has ratings struggles without the inexplicable ratings behemoth competing with it. Ugh. Anyway, I'm trying to move past it...
Henceforth, I'll cut the crap and get to the goods.
***SHOWS PICKED UP FOR NEXT SEASON***
The Good Wife
This is really the only show on CBS whose future I was ever all that concerned about and it was granted an early renewal several weeks ago. Yay! It really is one of the best shows on the air and if you haven't given it a shot, you really should. I know, I know, on the surfac
e it looks like a Lifetime movie of the week, but in reality, its one of the best dramas out there. It's subtle and mature, but still completely engaging. It tends to skew older and female, but that's simply because the younger set hasn't given it much of a chance. I'm continually amazed at how many forum commenters cop to being 22 year old males. Such a great show. I'm all the more thrilled that it got an early pick-up because it's numbers over the past few weeks have been a bit discouraging. Hopefully word of mouth will create some positive buzz over the summer. Quite frankly, I think CBS finally realized that it needed to diversify its programming and brand name and took a chance here. (The fact that its current slate of procedurals has been slipping of late also may have helped. The trio of CSIs are showing their age and I think CBS knows it.)
How I Met Your Mother
Aside from the fact that this season has been downright painful to watch, I'm glad this show got picked up out of lingering loyalty. Seriously, the more episodes I watch, the more I wish last year's season finale had been the serie
s finale. The show is stale, no one has anything interesting to do, and most damningly of all, we're nearing the end of the FIFTH SEASON and we still haven't met the effing mother! Ugh. I get closer and closer to breaking up with this one with each passing episode. Here's hoping they can get their acts in gear and make season 6 worth having.
The Mentalist
We all know how I feel about this show and I've heard that if you can't say something nice...
Two and a Half Men
Words simply cannot express how sad it is for humanity that this show still exists.
CSI/ CSI:Miami/ CSI:NY (the unholy trinity)
Oh yes, they'll all be back. Aren't you relieved!? Yeah, me neither. CSI prime is the only one I've ever really watched and even then, I couldn't care less that it survived. This p
ast season has been nigh unwatchable (and that's saying something for a show that's always only been sorta watchable). As for the others? I know I could live without ever seeing David Caruso's pock-marked face again, but apparently I'm in the minority here. I want to say NY might have been on the bubble, but again, don't really care.
NCIS/ NCIS:Los Angeles (the unbearable duo)
More shows I don't watch and don't care about! Yay!
Survivor
...will, of course, be back. Ugh. CBS may have finally given some ground on the crappy procedural front, but have yet to give an inch on the crappy reality competition whateverness front.
Medium
The torture continues (meaning the show and Patricia Arquette's awards show wardrobe).
The Big Bang Theory
...which I type "The Big Bank Theory" every time I ever write it ever. I choose to blame that on my job's focus on tissue banking (which means that just one more way in which I can absolutely loathe it). I can only handle this
show in the smallest of doses, but, it does have it's moments, so I guess I'm glad to see it back again. It has some of the highest ratings anywhere, so there was really no threat. But then again, we're nearing the end of the THIRD SEASON and we still have yet to see the big bank! Oh, wait... (If you didn't read the comments about HIMYM, that last bit doesn't make a whole lot of sense...)
Criminal Minds
I couldn't pick this procedural out of a line-up if I had to. I assume it has, you know, like, actors in it?
Rules of Engagement
I want to say this is a comedy (?)... a comedy that's terrible... and that apparently won't go away and die already.
***SHOWS THAT HAVE OFFICIALLY BEEN AXED***
New Adventures of Old Christine
...will not be back. I've never even met someone who watches this show, so there's not really much for me to say. All I know is that
Wanda Sykes was on it, and that's more than enough deterrence... I hear there's a chance (some say 50/50) that the show will move to ABC. I'll believe it when I see it (assuming I even hear about it--again, not a show I care about no matter what network it's on). I realize ABC doesn't have a whole hell of a lot going for it all of a sudden, but I still think this is unlikely. The only way this will happen is if ABC has an odd number of half-hour comedies and needs a filler.
Miami Medical
Arrived with a weak pulse, quickly declined, then flatlined. No loved ones were notified as no loved ones existed.
Gary Unmarried
Good god, who knew CBS has so many shows...?! I want to say this is another comedy? Oh, who the hell cares. It won't back, so too bad, you random handful of viewers, you...
Ghost Whisperer
Whoa, whoa, whoa, this thing was still on?! Well, I'll be damned, maybe communicating with the dead isn't that far fetched after
all... Clearly, anything is possible. Or was possible. Finally, finally, finally, this crap pile has been sent to the grave. Or has it? In a truly bizarre turn of events, I'm hearing rumors that ABC is considering picking up the show... Annnd we're back to anything being possible. Even truly, truly horrible anythings. (In the interest of full disclosure, I've never seen an entire episode. Not that that should be seen as any sort of ringing endorsement, but I guess there's a chance the show got 8 million times better after I bowed out 10 minutes in... again, anything is apparently possible.)
Three Rivers
...died a long time ago, for the same reasons listed under CBS's other pathetic attempt at adding a medical show to their line-up (cough Miami Medical cough)...
Accidentally of Purpose
...seriously will not be missed. I barely made it through the pilot. Awful. Simply awful.
Cold Case
This was a show? I always kind of thought it was a subtitle to another show. You know, like Law & Order: Cold Case. Right? Oh, silly me, it might actually be on the air next season if that were case...
Numb3rs
I can't believe this show lasted this long. But, it has (sorry, had) a Whedonverse alum at the helm, so I'm glad it survived for
however many years it survived (can you tell I was loyal viewer, or what). On the other hand, shows that do cutesy things with their titles deserve to die swift deaths, David Krumholz notwithstanding... It's about time he moved on to bigger and better things... that involve Joss Whedon... seriously, I'll take anything these days. (I assume everyone saw his episode of Glee last night, right? AWESOME. He needs to direct EVERY episode of Glee, that's all there is to it. For the first time in a long time, the story and the music melded together seamlessly. Well done, Joss. Well done, indeed.
up for next season, I wasn't exactly on pins and needles for their upfronts. Quite frankly, the only shows I watch on the network comprise the lion's share of the meager 3% of programming that isn't currently focused on combing through trash cans for body parts or zooming in on some tiny smudge on a surveillance feed and magically (and I mean that) clarifying the image so that everything is conveniently wrapped up in a nifty bow so we can start again next week (venting over... for now).But wait! What's this?! CBS has canceled three procedurals!? I never thought I'd live to see the day... I don't know much about their fall pilots, but it looks like those procedurals won't be replaced by new ones (necessarily), so it looks like CBS may have finally broken out of the decade of procedural programming that it has clung to so desperately... by slashing their schedule. They canceled seven shows (most of which were long-running and well-established, to boot). That's a lot, trust me.
I honestly don't follow much of what goes on over at CBS and don't know a whole lot about the programming, so this more perfunctory than anything else. I don't even really know which of their shows is on the bubble... Accidentally on Purpose is really the only show coming to mind that I know may be in trouble. I just don't really care. Maybe if they have some awesome new pilots this fall, but right now? Meh.
One more quick note of semi-import: The fall schedule has been seriously revised. Granted, the only two shows I really care about stayed exactly where they were, but The Big Bang Theory has moved to Thursdays (I accidentally put Wednesdays initially--nope, they'll both be on Thursdays, anchoring the night at 7pm). Why does this matter, you ask? Well, it didn't until I realized that it would now be going up against Community. Not. Good. Community already has ratings struggles without the inexplicable ratings behemoth competing with it. Ugh. Anyway, I'm trying to move past it...
Henceforth, I'll cut the crap and get to the goods.
***SHOWS PICKED UP FOR NEXT SEASON***
The Good Wife
This is really the only show on CBS whose future I was ever all that concerned about and it was granted an early renewal several weeks ago. Yay! It really is one of the best shows on the air and if you haven't given it a shot, you really should. I know, I know, on the surfac
e it looks like a Lifetime movie of the week, but in reality, its one of the best dramas out there. It's subtle and mature, but still completely engaging. It tends to skew older and female, but that's simply because the younger set hasn't given it much of a chance. I'm continually amazed at how many forum commenters cop to being 22 year old males. Such a great show. I'm all the more thrilled that it got an early pick-up because it's numbers over the past few weeks have been a bit discouraging. Hopefully word of mouth will create some positive buzz over the summer. Quite frankly, I think CBS finally realized that it needed to diversify its programming and brand name and took a chance here. (The fact that its current slate of procedurals has been slipping of late also may have helped. The trio of CSIs are showing their age and I think CBS knows it.)How I Met Your Mother
Aside from the fact that this season has been downright painful to watch, I'm glad this show got picked up out of lingering loyalty. Seriously, the more episodes I watch, the more I wish last year's season finale had been the serie
s finale. The show is stale, no one has anything interesting to do, and most damningly of all, we're nearing the end of the FIFTH SEASON and we still haven't met the effing mother! Ugh. I get closer and closer to breaking up with this one with each passing episode. Here's hoping they can get their acts in gear and make season 6 worth having.The Mentalist
We all know how I feel about this show and I've heard that if you can't say something nice...
Two and a Half Men
Words simply cannot express how sad it is for humanity that this show still exists.
CSI/ CSI:Miami/ CSI:NY (the unholy trinity)
Oh yes, they'll all be back. Aren't you relieved!? Yeah, me neither. CSI prime is the only one I've ever really watched and even then, I couldn't care less that it survived. This p
ast season has been nigh unwatchable (and that's saying something for a show that's always only been sorta watchable). As for the others? I know I could live without ever seeing David Caruso's pock-marked face again, but apparently I'm in the minority here. I want to say NY might have been on the bubble, but again, don't really care.NCIS/ NCIS:Los Angeles (the unbearable duo)
More shows I don't watch and don't care about! Yay!
Survivor
...will, of course, be back. Ugh. CBS may have finally given some ground on the crappy procedural front, but have yet to give an inch on the crappy reality competition whateverness front.
Medium
The torture continues (meaning the show and Patricia Arquette's awards show wardrobe).
The Big Bang Theory
...which I type "The Big Bank Theory" every time I ever write it ever. I choose to blame that on my job's focus on tissue banking (which means that just one more way in which I can absolutely loathe it). I can only handle this
show in the smallest of doses, but, it does have it's moments, so I guess I'm glad to see it back again. It has some of the highest ratings anywhere, so there was really no threat. But then again, we're nearing the end of the THIRD SEASON and we still have yet to see the big bank! Oh, wait... (If you didn't read the comments about HIMYM, that last bit doesn't make a whole lot of sense...)Criminal Minds
I couldn't pick this procedural out of a line-up if I had to. I assume it has, you know, like, actors in it?
Rules of Engagement
I want to say this is a comedy (?)... a comedy that's terrible... and that apparently won't go away and die already.
***SHOWS THAT HAVE OFFICIALLY BEEN AXED***
New Adventures of Old Christine
...will not be back. I've never even met someone who watches this show, so there's not really much for me to say. All I know is that
Wanda Sykes was on it, and that's more than enough deterrence... I hear there's a chance (some say 50/50) that the show will move to ABC. I'll believe it when I see it (assuming I even hear about it--again, not a show I care about no matter what network it's on). I realize ABC doesn't have a whole hell of a lot going for it all of a sudden, but I still think this is unlikely. The only way this will happen is if ABC has an odd number of half-hour comedies and needs a filler.Miami Medical
Arrived with a weak pulse, quickly declined, then flatlined. No loved ones were notified as no loved ones existed.
Gary Unmarried
Good god, who knew CBS has so many shows...?! I want to say this is another comedy? Oh, who the hell cares. It won't back, so too bad, you random handful of viewers, you...
Ghost Whisperer
Whoa, whoa, whoa, this thing was still on?! Well, I'll be damned, maybe communicating with the dead isn't that far fetched after
all... Clearly, anything is possible. Or was possible. Finally, finally, finally, this crap pile has been sent to the grave. Or has it? In a truly bizarre turn of events, I'm hearing rumors that ABC is considering picking up the show... Annnd we're back to anything being possible. Even truly, truly horrible anythings. (In the interest of full disclosure, I've never seen an entire episode. Not that that should be seen as any sort of ringing endorsement, but I guess there's a chance the show got 8 million times better after I bowed out 10 minutes in... again, anything is apparently possible.)Three Rivers
...died a long time ago, for the same reasons listed under CBS's other pathetic attempt at adding a medical show to their line-up (cough Miami Medical cough)...
Accidentally of Purpose
...seriously will not be missed. I barely made it through the pilot. Awful. Simply awful.
Cold Case
This was a show? I always kind of thought it was a subtitle to another show. You know, like Law & Order: Cold Case. Right? Oh, silly me, it might actually be on the air next season if that were case...
Numb3rs
I can't believe this show lasted this long. But, it has (sorry, had) a Whedonverse alum at the helm, so I'm glad it survived for
however many years it survived (can you tell I was loyal viewer, or what). On the other hand, shows that do cutesy things with their titles deserve to die swift deaths, David Krumholz notwithstanding... It's about time he moved on to bigger and better things... that involve Joss Whedon... seriously, I'll take anything these days. (I assume everyone saw his episode of Glee last night, right? AWESOME. He needs to direct EVERY episode of Glee, that's all there is to it. For the first time in a long time, the story and the music melded together seamlessly. Well done, Joss. Well done, indeed.Tuesday, May 18, 2010
ABC Upfronts: Bleak House
When thinking about television networks that are in trouble, the mind invariably goes to NBC first, then the CW. But, now that I'm actually looking at things, ABC isn't exactly sitting pretty either. I guess it points to the problems with the medium overall, but somehow ABC kind of flew under the radar. I mean, I knew 
that a lot of their pilots (pretty much everything but the comedies) were foundering, but until I actually put the list together, I didn't really grasp just how much trouble they're in.
Various disasters from last year's development slate have led to quite a few new pilots for fall. I'll be posting clips of everything in the coming weeks, but for now, see below to see who made it and who didn't. I certainly hope their coming agenda has some winners because after last season, all they're really left with are modest ratings-getters and aging used-to-be powerhouses...
There really haven't been a whole lot of surprises with this year's upfronts, but ABC at least tried to shake things up with their pair of bubble shows, but only in that they were more generous than expected. For ABC, it's Network Cagematch: SciFi Edition (oooh!) between V and FlashForward. Turns out, my earlier predictions were correct.
***SHOWS THAT MANAGED TO SURVIVE, EVEN IF SOME OF THEM SHOULDN'T HAVE***
V
I'm a little surprised and a little not. I had predicted earlier that V would survive and FF would get the axe, and although I was ultimately correct, at the end of the day, I had feeling both might be canceled, given V's less-than
-stellar ratings of late. I fell off the V bandwagon a while ago, but now that it's been picked up, I'm more inclined to get caught up on the show. If only it had some characters that I actually cared about... Anyway, I think this pick-up was more than a little influenced by the fact that ABC's docket of new shows from last fall were such failures (for the most part). With the exception of a few comedies, this past year has been largely disappointing for the network. I think picking up V was more about saving face than making money. Plus, given the scheduling strategy for the show, I'm guessing they plan on plugging holes left by even less successful shows. Its ratings have been modest at best lately, but they did see a slight uptick last week. That may have been the final point it needed for a pick-up. It's only been picked up for 13 episodes though, so you can see just how much confidence ABC has...
Grey's Anatomy
This one comes as no surprise whatsoever, even if maybe it should. The show's ratings aren't what they used to be, the creative aspects have been hit or miss, and many of the shows breakout stars and original cast members have either hit the road or want to. I gave up on this sucker a couple of seasons ago and have no plans to give it another shot. I'd have taken it out back and shot it a long time ago, but its ratings are some of the best on the network, so it's not going anywhere.
Private Practice
Well, at least Grey's started out as a good show... Private Practice? Yeah, not so much. I suffered through about a season and half of this one and regretted just about every minute of it. I just kept expecting it to get go
od, but instead it somehow got increasingly preachy and after school specialy. I say "somehow" because from where it started, I wouldn't have thought that was possible. It's also way soapier (and not in a good way--note the picture I chose... um, seriously?) than I can handle, so I cut this one loose ages ago (and yet, somehow, still not soon enough). I'd be cutting the dead weight if I were ABC, but the ratings are still strong enough to keep it. Blah. Poor ABC, I don't know what happened... They had a few years of being on top, but somehow everything seems to be falling apart.
The Bachelor/The Bachelorette
Hour-long embarrassments to humanity with each passing episode. In a world where For the Love of Ray J gets air time, you had to know these two crap piles would survive. At least they provide hilarious cannon fodder for The Soup week-in and week-out. So in that vein, welcome back!
Modern Family, The Middle, and Cougartown
Truly, this is the only area in which ABC's development slate from last season succeeded. I don't watch The Middle or Cougartown, but Modern Family is prob
ably the funniest, sharpest comedy since Arrested Development. It has also had top ratings pretty much every single night its been on. For once, the creative and the consumer actually see eye-to-eye. Where the hell were all these viewers when the Bluths were struggling to survive? And Better Off Ted, for that matter!?! (Nope, not bitter. Not bitter at all...)
Dancing with the Stars
...will obviously be back. I'm pretty sure the only way I'll ever get around to watching the show for real is if Johnny Weir competes next season, but until then, The Soup gives me as much as I'd ever want... and then some. I assume we all saw Bruno Tonioli (and I mean all of Bruno Tonioli) the other day? Wowzers, it was fun to see Joel look more than a little discombobulated by the situation. Awesome.
Castle
One of the very, very few hour-long successes for the network lately, Castle is one of my darlings and I'm thrilled it'll be back. It's nice being
able to root for a show because it's good and not just because you're desperate to see Nathan Fillion find steady work. What a nice change of pace... (What's that? You say I forgot about Drive? Yeah, so did everyone else. But don't you worry, I absoulutely sat through all four episodes just out of Whedonverse loyalty.)
Desperate Housewives
...will be back again next year, even in spite of creative decline and Nicollette Sheridan's caterwauling about being assaulted by Marc Cherry. The show is getting pretty long in the tooth and the ratings aren't what they used to be, but it's a solid performer (somehow). I certainly wouldn't have shed a tear if it were canceled, but apparently someone would.
Brothers and Sisters
I watched the pilot as I recall, but that was enough for me. It's yet another of ABC's aging dramas, however, so who knows how many more seasons it has left in it. Quite frankly, if last fall's crop of pilots had been more promising, I think some of these tired, stale shows would be in much worse shape.
***SHOWS THAT JUST... DIDN'T... QUITE... SURVIVE... (by which I mean most of them crashed and burned in spectacularly embarrassing fashion)***
FlashForward
...lost the SciFi battle and was rightfully canceled (among so many others). Okay, this loss is a bit of a shame, but not really. It started off promisingly enough, poised to be ABC's answer to Lost ending and presented
one of the best pilots of last fall. But, after three sets of showrunners, a painfully earnest, self-important, and dour creative angle, and a base concept that really lends itself better to a movie of the week, people just stopped caring. Including yours truly. The show has been having its ass handed to it by its competitor on the CW for weeks. I don't know if you've met TV, but that's an insult. (Even if the show it's up against is The Vampire Diaries, which is awesome, big four shows are almost never beaten by the fare on the red-headed stepchild CW). In the show's defense? The four-month hiatus really didn't help the already slow momentum of the story, but ultimately, I don't think this show had much of a chance anyway. Geez, you'd think a show about a global catastrophe would be enthralling, not tedious. You'd be wrong, apparently.
Better Off Ted
It comes as absolutely no surprise, but it still hurts. In all honesty though, the second season was a Dollhouse-sized miracle, so I'm mostly just grateful it survived that long. The anemic ratings, ridiculous
scheduling schema, and show/brand mismatch never gave Veridian Dynamics a real chance. Sigh. You will be missed, show. Sorely missed. Oh, who am I kidding with this "will be missed" crap. I've been missing the show for months and am still wondering if they're ever going to air the rest of it! Note to ABC, AIR THE LAST TWO EPISODES. finally This show had so many great one-liners and laugh-out-loud moments that it's hard to choose just one, but in the end, my parting quote from the show simply had to come from Veronica. "I'm thinking I might need new breasts. These are covered in sadness." So long, awesometacular show, so long...
Scrubs
The show that just wouldn't die finally, finally has. After I don't know how many seasons on two different networks, the peeps at Sacred Heart can finally get new jobs and move on with their lives. I only caught this show on occasion, and not at all during the past few seasons, so I certainly won't miss it. From what I hear about Scrubs 2.0: The New Class (i.e. this past season), neither will anyone else.
The Deep End
Wow. Just, wow (the show, not the fact that is was cancelled). This was one of the most painful misfires I've sat through (although, to its credit, I did make it through the whole pilot--an accolade not afforded to all, Miami Medical). Grey's Anatomy + Lawyers = Awful, apparently. Yikes. It won't be missed.
Happy Town
Who's happy now!? Not ABC, that's for sure. This show never had a chance (and never should have been greenlit in the first place) and ABC knew it. I didn't even make it through the pilot. Aside from the fact that the pilot was bad, bad, bad, I
knew the show had no chance, so I wasn't willing to give it much attention. I wasn't too keen on this one the second it stole Amy Acker away from Dollhouse, which was a slap in the face, but then to find that she ventured outside the Whedonverse for a show that's insanely awful? Well, that's just more like when you're stomping grapes on live TV and you fall and make a lot of really inhuman sounds and then the show anchors try desperately not to laugh at you while feigning concern for your well-being... "Gee, Phil, I sure hope she's okay." "Me too, Karen. In other riveting news, kittens were born yesterday..."
Romantically Challenged
Has been canceled after only 3 episodes aired. In my opinion? That's about two and three quarters episodes too many. This show's title alone was begging for cancellation, so this comes as no surprise whatsoever. "Comedically Challenged", "Ratings Challenged", "Acting Challenged" (holy hell, ACTING CHALLENGED indeed)... When those are the review titles floating around, you know the end is near. Hopefully this means
Alyssa Milano can guest star on Castle again... you know, a show that doesn't suck.
Ugly Betty
You know, I never watched a single episode of this show. Not even the pilot. I hear it was good... Maybe someday I'll give it a shot... No, probably not... (What can I say? I have a very busy viewing schedule as is, and given the number of shows I have waiting for me on DVD, I'm afraid Betty and her braces just never made it onto the list, and likely never will.)
The Forgotten
How's this for sad? The Forgotten was so bad and was cast aside so long ago that I forgot to put it on this list initially... Heh. Same goes for Hank, which doesn't even warrant a heading. Fortunately I'll never have to remember it ever again. Unless of course I end up on some sort of gameshow that focuses on embarrassing amounts of televisual acuity... (No, no, no, that's not my life's ambition at all. Silly rabbits.)
Lost
...is finally coming to an end, but you already knew that. Unlike Ugly Betty, this is a show that I absolutely intend to see one day. When will that day be? Who the hell knows, but at least it's been penciled in (quite an honor, I hear).
that a lot of their pilots (pretty much everything but the comedies) were foundering, but until I actually put the list together, I didn't really grasp just how much trouble they're in.Various disasters from last year's development slate have led to quite a few new pilots for fall. I'll be posting clips of everything in the coming weeks, but for now, see below to see who made it and who didn't. I certainly hope their coming agenda has some winners because after last season, all they're really left with are modest ratings-getters and aging used-to-be powerhouses...
There really haven't been a whole lot of surprises with this year's upfronts, but ABC at least tried to shake things up with their pair of bubble shows, but only in that they were more generous than expected. For ABC, it's Network Cagematch: SciFi Edition (oooh!) between V and FlashForward. Turns out, my earlier predictions were correct.
***SHOWS THAT MANAGED TO SURVIVE, EVEN IF SOME OF THEM SHOULDN'T HAVE***
V
I'm a little surprised and a little not. I had predicted earlier that V would survive and FF would get the axe, and although I was ultimately correct, at the end of the day, I had feeling both might be canceled, given V's less-than
-stellar ratings of late. I fell off the V bandwagon a while ago, but now that it's been picked up, I'm more inclined to get caught up on the show. If only it had some characters that I actually cared about... Anyway, I think this pick-up was more than a little influenced by the fact that ABC's docket of new shows from last fall were such failures (for the most part). With the exception of a few comedies, this past year has been largely disappointing for the network. I think picking up V was more about saving face than making money. Plus, given the scheduling strategy for the show, I'm guessing they plan on plugging holes left by even less successful shows. Its ratings have been modest at best lately, but they did see a slight uptick last week. That may have been the final point it needed for a pick-up. It's only been picked up for 13 episodes though, so you can see just how much confidence ABC has...Grey's Anatomy
This one comes as no surprise whatsoever, even if maybe it should. The show's ratings aren't what they used to be, the creative aspects have been hit or miss, and many of the shows breakout stars and original cast members have either hit the road or want to. I gave up on this sucker a couple of seasons ago and have no plans to give it another shot. I'd have taken it out back and shot it a long time ago, but its ratings are some of the best on the network, so it's not going anywhere.
Private Practice
Well, at least Grey's started out as a good show... Private Practice? Yeah, not so much. I suffered through about a season and half of this one and regretted just about every minute of it. I just kept expecting it to get go
od, but instead it somehow got increasingly preachy and after school specialy. I say "somehow" because from where it started, I wouldn't have thought that was possible. It's also way soapier (and not in a good way--note the picture I chose... um, seriously?) than I can handle, so I cut this one loose ages ago (and yet, somehow, still not soon enough). I'd be cutting the dead weight if I were ABC, but the ratings are still strong enough to keep it. Blah. Poor ABC, I don't know what happened... They had a few years of being on top, but somehow everything seems to be falling apart.The Bachelor/The Bachelorette
Hour-long embarrassments to humanity with each passing episode. In a world where For the Love of Ray J gets air time, you had to know these two crap piles would survive. At least they provide hilarious cannon fodder for The Soup week-in and week-out. So in that vein, welcome back!
Modern Family, The Middle, and Cougartown
Truly, this is the only area in which ABC's development slate from last season succeeded. I don't watch The Middle or Cougartown, but Modern Family is prob
ably the funniest, sharpest comedy since Arrested Development. It has also had top ratings pretty much every single night its been on. For once, the creative and the consumer actually see eye-to-eye. Where the hell were all these viewers when the Bluths were struggling to survive? And Better Off Ted, for that matter!?! (Nope, not bitter. Not bitter at all...)Dancing with the Stars
...will obviously be back. I'm pretty sure the only way I'll ever get around to watching the show for real is if Johnny Weir competes next season, but until then, The Soup gives me as much as I'd ever want... and then some. I assume we all saw Bruno Tonioli (and I mean all of Bruno Tonioli) the other day? Wowzers, it was fun to see Joel look more than a little discombobulated by the situation. Awesome.
Castle
One of the very, very few hour-long successes for the network lately, Castle is one of my darlings and I'm thrilled it'll be back. It's nice being
able to root for a show because it's good and not just because you're desperate to see Nathan Fillion find steady work. What a nice change of pace... (What's that? You say I forgot about Drive? Yeah, so did everyone else. But don't you worry, I absoulutely sat through all four episodes just out of Whedonverse loyalty.)Desperate Housewives
...will be back again next year, even in spite of creative decline and Nicollette Sheridan's caterwauling about being assaulted by Marc Cherry. The show is getting pretty long in the tooth and the ratings aren't what they used to be, but it's a solid performer (somehow). I certainly wouldn't have shed a tear if it were canceled, but apparently someone would.
Brothers and Sisters
I watched the pilot as I recall, but that was enough for me. It's yet another of ABC's aging dramas, however, so who knows how many more seasons it has left in it. Quite frankly, if last fall's crop of pilots had been more promising, I think some of these tired, stale shows would be in much worse shape.
***SHOWS THAT JUST... DIDN'T... QUITE... SURVIVE... (by which I mean most of them crashed and burned in spectacularly embarrassing fashion)***
FlashForward
...lost the SciFi battle and was rightfully canceled (among so many others). Okay, this loss is a bit of a shame, but not really. It started off promisingly enough, poised to be ABC's answer to Lost ending and presented
one of the best pilots of last fall. But, after three sets of showrunners, a painfully earnest, self-important, and dour creative angle, and a base concept that really lends itself better to a movie of the week, people just stopped caring. Including yours truly. The show has been having its ass handed to it by its competitor on the CW for weeks. I don't know if you've met TV, but that's an insult. (Even if the show it's up against is The Vampire Diaries, which is awesome, big four shows are almost never beaten by the fare on the red-headed stepchild CW). In the show's defense? The four-month hiatus really didn't help the already slow momentum of the story, but ultimately, I don't think this show had much of a chance anyway. Geez, you'd think a show about a global catastrophe would be enthralling, not tedious. You'd be wrong, apparently.Better Off Ted
It comes as absolutely no surprise, but it still hurts. In all honesty though, the second season was a Dollhouse-sized miracle, so I'm mostly just grateful it survived that long. The anemic ratings, ridiculous
scheduling schema, and show/brand mismatch never gave Veridian Dynamics a real chance. Sigh. You will be missed, show. Sorely missed. Oh, who am I kidding with this "will be missed" crap. I've been missing the show for months and am still wondering if they're ever going to air the rest of it! Note to ABC, AIR THE LAST TWO EPISODES. finally This show had so many great one-liners and laugh-out-loud moments that it's hard to choose just one, but in the end, my parting quote from the show simply had to come from Veronica. "I'm thinking I might need new breasts. These are covered in sadness." So long, awesometacular show, so long...Scrubs
The show that just wouldn't die finally, finally has. After I don't know how many seasons on two different networks, the peeps at Sacred Heart can finally get new jobs and move on with their lives. I only caught this show on occasion, and not at all during the past few seasons, so I certainly won't miss it. From what I hear about Scrubs 2.0: The New Class (i.e. this past season), neither will anyone else.
The Deep End
Wow. Just, wow (the show, not the fact that is was cancelled). This was one of the most painful misfires I've sat through (although, to its credit, I did make it through the whole pilot--an accolade not afforded to all, Miami Medical). Grey's Anatomy + Lawyers = Awful, apparently. Yikes. It won't be missed.
Happy Town
Who's happy now!? Not ABC, that's for sure. This show never had a chance (and never should have been greenlit in the first place) and ABC knew it. I didn't even make it through the pilot. Aside from the fact that the pilot was bad, bad, bad, I
knew the show had no chance, so I wasn't willing to give it much attention. I wasn't too keen on this one the second it stole Amy Acker away from Dollhouse, which was a slap in the face, but then to find that she ventured outside the Whedonverse for a show that's insanely awful? Well, that's just more like when you're stomping grapes on live TV and you fall and make a lot of really inhuman sounds and then the show anchors try desperately not to laugh at you while feigning concern for your well-being... "Gee, Phil, I sure hope she's okay." "Me too, Karen. In other riveting news, kittens were born yesterday..."Romantically Challenged
Has been canceled after only 3 episodes aired. In my opinion? That's about two and three quarters episodes too many. This show's title alone was begging for cancellation, so this comes as no surprise whatsoever. "Comedically Challenged", "Ratings Challenged", "Acting Challenged" (holy hell, ACTING CHALLENGED indeed)... When those are the review titles floating around, you know the end is near. Hopefully this means
Alyssa Milano can guest star on Castle again... you know, a show that doesn't suck.Ugly Betty
You know, I never watched a single episode of this show. Not even the pilot. I hear it was good... Maybe someday I'll give it a shot... No, probably not... (What can I say? I have a very busy viewing schedule as is, and given the number of shows I have waiting for me on DVD, I'm afraid Betty and her braces just never made it onto the list, and likely never will.)
The Forgotten
How's this for sad? The Forgotten was so bad and was cast aside so long ago that I forgot to put it on this list initially... Heh. Same goes for Hank, which doesn't even warrant a heading. Fortunately I'll never have to remember it ever again. Unless of course I end up on some sort of gameshow that focuses on embarrassing amounts of televisual acuity... (No, no, no, that's not my life's ambition at all. Silly rabbits.)
Lost
...is finally coming to an end, but you already knew that. Unlike Ugly Betty, this is a show that I absolutely intend to see one day. When will that day be? Who the hell knows, but at least it's been penciled in (quite an honor, I hear).
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