My Latest TV Query: True Blood

I realize it's probably old hat to anyone who reads this blog (surely there are a couple of you out there), but I'm a huge fan of Matt Roush's column and get a giddy thrill when he posts my questions.

Well, my most recent inquiry was insanely lengthy and I was sure he wouldn't publish it. In the back of my mind, I thought there might be a chance that he'd post a truncated version, but I wasn't holding my breath. Much to my utter delight and surprise, not only did he post my endless epistle, but he posted it in its entirety. Awh, shucks. :) I love that man. Not too long ago I wrote to him about Modern Family vs. Community, and while my question came off more pointed that I had intended, he took it in stride. I wrote him a bit of a clarification/apology some days later and he responded via email almost immediately. He's a class act all the way.

Anyway, here's my latest inquiry and his response. I honestly didn't mean for it to be so lengthy (seriously, most of the questions are about 4 lines long), but it just kind of happened. Regardless, he included. Because we're tight. ;)

• Question: I just re-read your column on the return of True Blood a few weeks ago and I think you zeroed in on exactly what is most appealing about the show, most notably, the dynamic between Sookie and Eric and the introduction of witches into Bon Temps' supernatural milieu (which seems to be bubbling over like the cauldron I have to believe will be in an upcoming episode). The season is only three episodes in and I must say I'm already more enthralled by witches than I ever was with werewolves. From what I've heard from devotees of the book series, the amnesiac Eric storyline is one of the very best and from what I've seen so far, I can see why. Alexander Skarsgard's performance is hilarious and heartbreaking at the same time, delivered in a surprisingly subtle and effective way. As with previous seasons, the interactions between the human world and the vampires is the true heart of the show for me and is far and away the most captivating aspect. Even Bill, who has long played the lovesick puppy, finally has a storyline that has drawn me in and injected him into the action in a more interesting way.


  
  Bearing that in mind, over the course of last season, I began to realize that not only do I find the vampire/human interaction the most enthralling part of this delectable guilty pleasure, but more and more, this interest is to the exclusion of other storylines on the show. Whereas the first two seasons had a central storyline to tie all the characters together in a cohesive way (a season-long "big bad"), seasons three and four (so far) seem disjointed and sprawling. With so many characters engaged in so many disparate arcs, I find myself losing interest in the periphery. Characters that I once loved and who seemed pivotal to the show now seem inconsequential, and at times, boring. I keep assuming they'll be re-integrated into the meat of the show at some point, but it never seems to come. As I watched the last couple of episodes, I found myself desperate to watch the brewing battle between the witches and vampires, but was instead pulled away by Andy's addiction to V, Jason's were-panther problems, Sam's new shifter social circle, Tara in general, Tommy's induction into the Fortenberry clan, Arlene's demon baby, the reintroduction of werewolves and Jessica and Hoyt's relationship woes. While some of these storylines are working better than others, at the end of the day they all seem so distant from the rest of the action that I'm having a hard time really investing. 

  
  I think the show could learn a few things from The Vampire Diaries. Rather than allowing the cast to swell and the storylines to spiral out of control in every direction, I think True Blood would be well-served by a willingness to kill off characters. It seems ridiculous to accuse True Blood of being gun-shy about killing people, but in terms of the principal cast, there have been surprisingly few deaths and an alarming number of additions. Paring down the cast would make for a more cohesive narrative and it would raise the stakes, so to speak. For all the insanity that happens on this show, I'm never all that worried that someone I love might get killed. One of the most compelling aspects of The Vampire Diaries is that viewers genuinely don't know who might die at a moment's notice. It keeps the cast at a manageable level and keeps the audience on their toes. Do you find yourself losing interest in various aspects/storylines of the show? Does it still have the same bite it once did? Is the best yet to come and I'm just being impatient? — Lacy
  
  
• Matt Roush: I'm enjoying this season much more than last year, and a lot of that has to do with how marvelously Alexander Skarsgard is playing the vulnerable amnesiac Eric. Sunday night's drunk scene was a new high of feisty hilarity, and his hissing match with Alcide in the water was a riot, but then after his sunburn, watching him submit to Sookie's ministrations was awfully touching. Loving it. The witch storyline is fairly strong as well, and the great Fiona Shaw is killing it as Marnie. I agree that the Sam/Tommy subplot dragged down much of last season and feels tacked on again this year — but that's the only part that feels off to me right now. Andy's V addiction, Jason's gory misadventures with the were-panthers in Hotshot, Alcide and Debbie Pelt, Arlene's demon baby (those scenes crack me up, and they're not overdone yet) and anything involving Hoyt and Jessica all feel germane to me as this sprawling cast of characters continues to deal with the supernatural in their midst. As long as the focus stays primarily on Sookie, which the Eric storyline should ensure, I'm at peace with it. You make a good point about Vampire Diaries' ruthlessness when it comes to sacrificing characters and I marvel at the way that show burns through story, but I have to say that True Blood does a better job for me at conveying a milieu, which is to say I believe in Bon Temps and feel transported there in a way I don't where the phonier Mystic Falls is concerned.

Ask Matt

Someday I'll actually get back to maintaining this blog as I have in the past, but that might be a couple weeks off. Till then, my favorite television critic, Matt Roush, has included a couple of my questions in his weekly column. I know that I've sung his praises on numerous occasions, so I'll try to rein this in, but he really is one of my most trusted sources. He has excellent taste and makes wonderful suggestions, critiques, and observations. And, he's not currently dying, so he's considerably better at keeping up with his site than I. Here's the latest:

Question: Showtime's drama Shameless started off a little shaky and uneven in my opinion, but as the show found its footing, it really turned into a fine ensemble drama. As season 1 came to a close, the overall quality, narrative drive and character dynamics drew me in in ways I hadn't expected. That said, I was a little disappointed with the season finale. Where episodes like "But at Last Came a Knock" and "Nana Gallagher Had an Affair" had me chomping at the bit (and my fingernails), the finale seemed a little anticlimactic. I guess after the season they've had, I expected the stakes to be a lot higher in the end. There really were some lovely and interesting moments, but overall, it just didn't seem to pack the narrative punch of previous episodes. 

In the plus column, Emmy Rossum (Fiona) has proven to be a surprise power-player, outshining the likes of William H. Macy. I was also quite impressed by scene-stealers Cameron Monaghan (Ian) and Jeremy Allen White (Lip), whose individual storylines were second only to their joint storylines. Most surprising of all would have to be Emma Kenney's turn as Debbie. I'm generally not too fond of child actors, but pound for pound, the pint-sized 10-year-old had more classic one-liners than anyone else on the show. The finale didn't strike a chord the way I had expected (as the camera panned away from Fiona, I honestly thought it would reveal someone or something surprising on the street — it just didn't sit right for the episode to be ending), but overall, I think Shameless turned into one of my favorite programs. Anyway, I haven't heard much about the show in your column in quite a while and I'm wondering if you stuck with it past the iffy early episodes and what you thought of its freshman season if you did. — Lacy

Matt Roush: I haven't made it yet to the end of what seemed to be a very uneven freshman season for Shameless — though since it was renewed, I will probably catch up with some of the episodes (perhaps the ones you singled out) before its return — but I agree with you 100% that the remarkable Emmy Rossum and her scruffy siblings were the best reason to watch.

Question: I was thrilled to see that you're enjoying The Killing as much as I am. It's dark and serious and understated, but utterly compelling. With the tone of the show in mind, I was wondering what you think of the interactive online fan-builder touted at the end of the show. Maybe I'm just taking the show too seriously, but I think it's completely misguided, and although I realize that this is fiction, it almost seemed insensitive to the Larsen family in a way. Maybe it was just that the voice pitching the online features was too enthusiastic or something, but after a truly haunting couple of episodes, it struck me as extremely odd.

 I think the producers are kidding themselves if they think viewers who just watched the devastation of these characters and who have embraced the macabre nature of the subject matter would want to excitedly hop online to trade theories with other fans, view suspect profiles, and worse of all, take a virtual tour of Rosie's bedroom. Seriously? How twisted is that? Take a tour of her room? You mean the room where her mother, near catatonic with grief, is huddled on her late daughter's bed, clutching Rosie's last earthly possessions because that's all she has left? That room? Um, no thanks.

I can understand where the producers (or the network or whoever is behind it) were hoping that The Killing might turn into watercooler gossip the following morning, with fans discussing "Who killed Rosie Larsen?" with as much fervor as the ad campaign clearly hopes, but I just don't see that happening. This isn't the bizarre fate of Laura Palmer, the soap opera pursuit of who shot JR, or even the quirky teen noir of Veronica Mars, and I really can't imagine gabbing with friends about the fate of Rosie Larsen. This production is a searing character piece with haunting undertones, looking at the ramifications of a young girl's agonizing death, not a sudsy whodunit. Rather than a "watercooler fodder" type of show, it seems more like a "stare blankly out a window and ponder the cruelty and brevity of life" kind of show. Am I just putting way too much gravity on this or do you think the advertising strategy is off the mark? — Lacy

Matt Roush: I admit, I wasn't even aware of this gimmick. Getting screeners in advance, I'm not always watching the on-air broadcast of a show like this, and I don't pay much attention to the marketing/hype that surrounds it. But this does sound tone deaf, to say the least. Might be suitable for something as goofily pervy as Pretty Little Liars, but The Killing is for adults. Still, it's the sort of thing that it seems to me can easily be tuned out — and maybe there is a dedicated mystery-fan following that will want to play along. I can't really blame AMC for trying to make some noise with this show and to milk their investment with ancillary online tie-ins, but I agree this creepy story is much grounded in realism than Twin Peaks with its wacky cast of characters, and this voyeuristic approach may smack many as being of bad taste. My advice: Put the TV on mute when it goes to these promos and wallow in the emotion, not the promotion.

Pilot Catch-Up

Well, it's been a bad week, peeps. Not for TV, but for me. I've been slowly dying and just haven't had the time or the energy to maintain this here blog as I prefer. As such, this is going to be a rather jumbled, slightly half-assed round-up of new pilots. I wasn't going to do one at all, but a hell of a lot has been going on while I've been circling the drain.

I'm going to skip the week-in-review this week because I don't know how closely I was paying attention to my shows anyways. In short, Justified and The Good Wife are the best shows on TV, Margo Martindale deserves an Emmy for her amazing turn as Mags Bennet, Matt Czuchry also deserves an Emmy for not cracking up while talking to the Glenn Childs lion (seriously, The Good Wife is not only the best drama on network TV, it's also completely hilarious when it wants to be--I've got to get me one of those lions immediately), and I'm beyond thrilled to finally get The Vampire Diaries and Nikita back. Things are getting very interesting on Nikita, you know, for the 9 of us who watch the show... Oh, and speaking of small groups of which I am a member, I'm one of the very few who not only has heard of Reelz Channel, but who also gets it. I watched maybe 2 minutes of The Kennedys and that was plenty. Katie Holmes is simply atrocious as Jackie. Take a moment and let the shock wear off.

The Borgias
I had every intention of writing a thorough review of this one, but it hit right about the time my illness did. As such, here's the short short version, where I skip all the plot summary and in-depth character analysis. It's an impressively made show, and certainly has its assets, but it wasn't quite what I'd hoped it would be. For a show about sex, murder, betrayal, and power-plays, it was a bit dull in places. It doesn't rely on subtlety in any way, shape, or form, so it should have been an over-the-top guilty pleasure, but it was rather more sedate than anticipated. Maybe the papacy just isn't my bad (shocking, I know), but I'm hopeful it'll draw me in more once I get to know the characters. I'm a huge fan of historical documentaries, but this is based in reality in only the most fleeting of ways. That said, I did learn that Pope Innocent VIII was rumored to have more than a dozen children just in time to get a Jeopardy question right, so it's not completely without historical merit. A couple of things I noted: Why the hell do they all sound English? A family of Spaniards, living in Italy, apparently sound like Jane Austen warmed over? Oookay. That always annoys the hell out of me. Especially when every single character has a different English accent, even though they're supposedly in the same family. I'm rather attuned to dialect, so this drives me nuts. Also of note, there's an obvious incest vibe between the eldest brother and his younger sister. I don't know why exactly, but not only am I totally fine with that, but I'm kind of eager to see those two crazy kids get together. How twisted is that? I think it's that the show did absolutely nothing to establish a brother-sister relationship before they had them interacting in a very non-brotherly-sisterly kind of way. Again, subtlety wasn't on the menu for this show, so they threw it out there with reckless abandon. So, to sum up the review of The Borgias... incest has never looked so appealing? Yeah, I'll give you two guesses as to the romantic pairing I'm talking about in the photo, and it ain't Jeremy Irons and the church...

Pilot Grade for The Borgias: B-

The Killing
This one I'm particularly bummed about not being able to write a complete review. The Killing was beautiful, understated, and heartbreaking. As you'd expect from AMC, the writing it deliberate and engaging, and the narrative set-up isn't quite what you'd expect. Even though this show centers on the death of young girl, a concept we've all seen too many times to count, it's done in a sobering, enigmatic way that draws you in without being over the top. Aside from the misguided and misleading promotional campaign for the show, there's very little to complain about. It's a lot slower paced and more depressing than your standard fare, so if you're looking for a sudsy whodunit, you may want to look elsewhere, but I think it's well-worth the effort. The acting is superb, and even though the lead actress looks like she should be winning the sixth grade spelling bee, not solving horrific murders, she totally pulls it off. I have written to my darling Matt Roush regarding the off-putting promotional tactics for the show as such:

I was thrilled to see that you’re enjoying The Killing as much as I am. It’s dark and serious and understated, but utterly compelling. With the tone of the show in mind, I was wondering what you think of the interactive online fan-builder touted at the end of the show. Maybe I’m just taking the show too seriously, but I think it’s completely misguided, and although I realize that this is fiction, it almost seemed insensitive to the Larsen family in a way. Maybe it was just that the voice pitching the online features was too enthusiastic or something, but after a truly haunting couple of episodes, it struck me as extremely odd. I think the producers are kidding themselves if they think viewers who just watched the devastation of these characters (that phone call between Rosie’s parents was gut-wrenching to say the least) and who have embraced the macabre nature of the subject matter would want to excitedly hop online to trade theories with other fans, view suspect profiles, and worse of all, take a virtual tour of Rosie’s bedroom. Seriously? How twisted is that? Take a tour of her room? You mean the room where her mother, near catatonic with grief, is huddled on her late daughter’s bed, clutching Rosie’s last earthly possessions because that’s all she has left? That room? Um, no thanks. I can understand where the producers (or the network or whoever is behind it) were hoping that The Killing might turn into watercooler gossip the following morning, with fans discussing “Who killed Rosie Larsen?” with as much fervor as the ad campaign clearly hopes, but I just don’t see that happening. This isn’t the bizarre fate of Laura Palmer, the soap opera pursuit of who shot JR, or even the quirky teen noir of Veronica Mars and I really can’t imagine gabbing with friends about the fate of Rosie Larsen. This production is a searing character piece with haunting undertones, looking at the ramifications of a young girl’s agonizing death, not a sudsy whodunit. Rather than a “watercooler fodder” type of show, it seems more like a “stare blankly out a window and ponder the cruelty brevity of life” kind of show. Am I just putting way too much gravity on this or do you think the advertising strategy is off the mark?

I'll let you know if Matt responds in his column or if I'm just off my rocker and not worth addressing. Whatever the ad campaign, it's a beautiful show that I'm confident in recommending (to the right audience... this show isn't for everyone, that's for sure). A final thought, after watching one torrent of rain after another, I'm not sure which is more of a deterrent to living in Seattle: the grisly murder or the sogginess.

Pilot Grade for The Killing: A-

Chaos
What's that? You've never heard of this show? Yeah, neither had I until the day it premiered. Yeah, few people keep as close of tabs on this kind of thing as I do, so when a show catches off-guard, you know the network wasn't exactly behind it. The fact that it airs on Fridays doesn't exactly do it any favors either. Yeah, I couldn't even find a promotional poster for the show, and that picture right there is one of maybe three that popped up. Anyway, once again dispensing with any recap, it was an okay pilot. I was entertained, if not completely enthralled. To harp on my attention to accents once again, Chaos offered one of the worst American accents I think I've ever come across. There's a notion out there that American actors simply can't do a convincing English accent, but more and more, I think the Brits are just as bad. It took all of about a sentence to determine that actress Carmen Ejogo wasn't going to pull this one off. Seriously, mere seconds after she opened her mouth, it was painfully apparent that "Whoa, she's English," and that it was going to be an annoying struggle from there on out. Terrible. Simply terrible. So terrible in fact that I'm starting to wonder if maybe her character is supposed to be English after all... That doesn't make a lick of sense for the show, but that's all I can muster as an explanation. Anyway, aside from that, the pilot was fine, I suppose. It's an action movie, basically, and is even directed or produced or something by Brett Ratner (which isn't exactly an endorsement I'd spread around if I were the show). I can't say it'll make my regular rotation, but hey, it was better than Breakout Kings. Friday doesn't exactly have a whole lot else to offer, so if you're in need, this one was an enjoyable, escapist diversion.

Pilot Grade for Chaos: C+

Week-In-Review 2.2

It's that magical, magical time again. I'm not sure what it is, but this seemed like a really long week. I choose to blame some sort of space time anomaly on the length of this post... In related news, Dear Blogger, try to suck less. Sheesh.

Biggest Fumble: Glee’s Superbowl Episode
What the hell was that? Some people were reasonably pleased with the much-hyped post-superbowl Glee episode, but I was completely underwhelmed. I’m sorry, but who the hell put Ian Brennan in charge of their biggest episode ever?! Ian Brennan equals: bad songs, no discernable storyline or plot development, but good one-liners. He can’t be trusted with any episode, let alone the most watched one ever. Sheesh. As far as Brennan’s episodes were concerned, it was fine I guess (better than Funk at any rate), and it had its fair share of classic one-liners, but as is so often the case with Brennan’s episodes, I kept getting the feeling that Brennan doesn’t actually watch the show. All of a sudden Sue is asking the girls to put chicken cutlets in their bras when a few episodes back she was demoting Santana to the bottom of the pyramid for implants? Uh, okay? What’s worse, the songs in Brennan’s episodes almost never have anything to do with the story, which we all know I hate. I wouldn’t say it was a bad episode exactly, but it sure as hell isn’t the one I’d put in front of new viewers. Seriously, show of hands: Everyone who’s sick to death of the whole Glee vs. Football ridiculousness? Half the effing team is in the Glee club. I think even a bunch of dumb jocks would have let it go already. Not that I’m hoping they shift their abuse to the debate team… we have enough problems already.

Oddest Choice: Glee
Speaking of Glee and fumbles, why the hell did Fox choose Glee for its post-superbowl extravaganza? It’s not like the show needs the ratings. Another certainty is that anyone who doesn’t already watch Glee probably has a reason for that… I can only imagine the reaction a bunch of middle-aged male football nuts had upon seeing Glee on their screens and the horror at not being able to find the remote. What would have been the better choice, the smarter choice, the better-than-a-snowball’s-chance-in-hell-of-having-some-demographic-overlap choice, would be The Chicago Code. It could certainly have used the viewers and might even have sparked a new hit.

Funniest Ruse: Mama and Daddy Cannon on Glee
I know, I know, Glee has made a comeback to the blog in a major way. Even if the episode itself wasn’t a homerun, it still had some great moments. Sue’s entire ruse to get Brittany into the cannon was hilarious, but when she told her that Mama Cannon has fibromyalgia, so she can’t work, I complete busted up. Poor, sweet Brittany. With two little cannons at home and a baby cannon on the way, she couldn’t not get herself killed.

Best New Show: The Chicago Code
Hands down, best new pilot of the midseason, one of the best new pilots of the year, and easily one of the best shows on network TV. Here’s hoping it keeps the awesome going.

Most Conflicted Kiss: Ted and Zoey on HIMYM
I think I’m about as conflicted with this one as the characters were. Don’t get me wrong, anything that possibly gets us closer to finding the mother gets a gold star in my book after 6 seasons, but as far as potential candidates goes, Zoey ("What is that, short for Zoseph?") isn’t at the top of my list. At this point, I’ll take what I can get though. She’s nice enough, and is getting a lot better. I’ll side with the twitterverse on this one, “True on all counts. RT @hitfixdaniel: Zoey became likable once #HIMYM abandoned her character & [wrote] her as "Jennifer Morrison is cute."” Here here!

Best Guest Star: Denis O’Hare for The Good Wife
The Good Wife always seems to have awesome guest stars, and Michael J. Fox is great and all, but Denis O’Hare’s turn as Judge Abernathy is one of my favorites. Not quite as fantabulous a character as vampire king Russell Edgington on True Blood, but O’Hare is great in anything. “And now for the weather. Tiffany?” Best of all? Judge Abernathy was promoting a blood drive. Hehe.

Worst Guest Star: Katy Perry for… does it really matter?
It was HIMYM, if you must know, but frankly, it doesn’t really matter what show she was in. She’s takes the cake. “Oh, honey,” indeed. Her “acting” was, well… well, you saw the quotation marks, right? Baaaaaad (and not in a cute, sheep kind of way). Let’s just she somehow managed to make playing herself look difficult.

Most Unfortunate and Entirely Undeserved Promotion: Hilarie Burton on White Collar
Ugh. Of all the people who did not need to be made a series regular, she’s pretty much the whole list. What’s worse, it’s not like they didn’t have better options. Alex is sitting right there and is infinitely better than Hilarie any day of the week. I’m sorry, but as far as I’m concerned, anyone who’s ever spent any time on One Tree Hill should automatically be restricted from appearing on anything else. And this is regarding a show that has a Saved By the Bell alum! I think it’s safe to say she’ll be the new love interest in Neal’s life, which means that Compazine will be the new love in mine. Geez, just when I heralded this show for doing things so very right this season, they go and screw things up. Boo. The writers of this show apparently don't understand chemistry because they also seem to think that Neal and Kate had any sizzle at all.

Most Underused Asset: Elizabeth on White Collar
The writers only occasionally incorporate Elizabeth into the A-plot (although it seems to be ever-increasing), but when they do, she’s solid gold.

Shadiest Dealings: Bond on The Good Wife
Spywaring your colleagues, eh Bond? Well, retribution is at hand. That’ll learn you to cross Will and Diane, but mostly it serves him right after screwing over Kalinda. That’s just beggin’ for punishment. The web keeps getting more and more tangled and I keep getting more and more delighted. Such a great show. How much did you love Will and Diane’s low-five? Classic.

Most Embarrassing Musical Number: Blaine singing “When I Get You Alone” to Captain Gap
It’s a pretty high bar, what with two episodes of Glee this week, but wow… that was painful and more than a wee bit creepy. I love Blaine, and I always enjoy his renditions of songs, but that Gap ad was truly unfortunate. I realize that that’s exactly what the writers were going for, but wow. I watched the better part of it through a gap in my fingers. In related news, poor Kurt. Quick note, this was a Ryan Murphy episode (which equals: kind of ridiculous with way too many songs, operating in some sort of parallel universe that resets after each episode), but that means that we should be due for a Brad Falchuk soon! Falchuck equals: appropriate number of songs, well-integrated into a story that actually makes sense. God I hope we’re due for one of those, because otherwise we might need to break up… I should clarify, I wasn’t over the moon with “Silly Love Songs”, but it was still better than the superbowl episode by a long shot.

Badass-iest Return: Justified
It’s been nearly a year, but it was well worth the wait. Picking up right where season 1 left off, season 2 kept pace, tied up some loose ends, and sparked a new season with a hell of a lot of panache. With Bo Crowder biting the big one last year, I wasn’t too sure where the show would go with season 2, but it’s even more awesome than I would have guessed. Enter the Bennett clan, stage (er, moonshine still) left. After killing off most of the season 1 baddies in the aptly titled Bulletville (it’s more than geography, it’s a way of life), they’ve seamlessly and brilliantly added a whole new crew of potential foes with a Hatfield/McCoy vibe to them that I’m absolutely loving. Matriarch Mags heads the family and is certifiably badass enough to tackle just about anything, methinks. That closing scene between her and Loretta’s father was hard core. And seriously disturbing. To go toe-to-toe with Raylan, you’ve got to be pretty intense and terrifying, and Mags excels at both, all while plying her guests with homemade Apple Pie Moonshine. She somehow balances warm and motherly with ruthless and deadly from one moment to the next. It’s disarming and scary and fabulous. She’s a force to be reckoned with, and if the previews for the rest of the season are any indication, Raylan does a hell of a lot of reckoning. I love the pace and tone of this show. It’s unlike just about any other show on the air. The writers brilliantly opened this season with a quick trip to Miami (not only harkening back to the pilot, but once again establishing Raylan as a wild west gunslinger, not a metropolitan police officer) which gave audiences a few minutes of what they’re so accustomed to seeing on TV, then switching gears and shipping us back to Kentucky where things are a bit slower, a lot less flashy, and far more grounded. Seeing Raylan in a setting like Miami is always a bit of a shock. He’s almost like an anachronism amid the scantily clad bikini models and million dollar mansions. He’s offered the chance to return to Miami, but Raylan, like the audience, can see that that’s no place for him. One of the things I love most about this show is that it delivers a different brand of good and evil. The good guys and bad guys on this show are just as serious as those on any other show, but the stakes seem a lot more genuine here. There’s no pomp and circumstance, no flashy car chases or slick costumes, it’s a glimpse at a very different culture than we usually see on TV. Indeed, more often than not, rural or Southern characters on any other show are often portrayed as backwater fools who don’t know a damn thing. That’s not really the case and Justified knows it. This show has an entirely different flavor than anything else I watch and gives its characters a whole other world to inhabit. I’m not sure how Boyd is going to factor into this season exactly, but I can’t wait to find out. The thought of him, Raylan, and Mags waging war with one another has me positively giddy. Matt Roush, my favorite critic and my superior in every conceivable way sums it up far better than I can, saying, “Justified is expert at taking the audience by delightful surprise, lulling you with its laid-back attitude, only to jolt you off the couch with a shock of grisly mayhem. But unlike many of its dramatic FX peers, the tone isn't gloomy or nihilistic or cynical. It's a blast.” Agreed. Let the family feud begin!

Crossover I Most Want to See: Raylan Givens makes a quick trip to Miami and has a mojito with Michael Westen
Man alive, it seems so completely absurd an idea because Miami and Kentucky may as well be on different planets, but that’s a meeting I’d pay good money to see.

Hottest and Most Ridiculous Retail Item in Mystic Falls: Scarves
Seriously, I just need to set up a boutique outside the Salvatore mansion and rake in the cash. “Can I interest you in something from our Animal Attack collection or the equally popular My Boyfriend Drank a Pint of My Blood but I Don’t Remember It line?” At least in Bon Temps people actually noticed the prevalence of scarves and called it into question. In Mystic Falls, scarves are basically the new black. Every single season. I have to wonder why Damon doesn’t bite people in less conspicuous places…

Best Way to Ruin a Dinner Party: Imply that the hostess is a prostitute...
Michael, I realize you’re trying to protect Alex on Nikita, but I can’t imagine it’s going to do a whole lot for her cover ID for her neighbors to think she’s a hooker. You know, because that’s not a profession that begs any questions at all. It also makes for the worst dinner ever. “Tonight we’ll be having seared awkward with a side of steamed uncomfortable…”

Quotes of the Week:

“They needed to think of something cooler than ‘Red Matter’ to be the main widget this time around. There were a few dozen meetings involved before they came up with Blue Chocolate, which has half the calories and can turn planets into marzipan. Mmm... marziplanets.”
--io9.com, making up reasons why the Star Trek 2 script isn’t done yet.

“Just knowing your tits are trying to kill you? That’s gotta suck.”
--Frank, from Shameless, trying to be sensitive at a cancer support group, and kinda sorta failing.

“Just in time for an April 1 release? RT @james_hibberd: 'Arrested Development' creator: Movie may be out this year.”
--via Twitter, courtesy of TVWithoutPity. I’ll just file this one under “Sad, but probably true.”

Quinn: “I’m torn.”
Santana: “Well, I’m not.”
Brittany: “I’m Brittany.”
--For all of Glee’s faults, and there are a lot of them, Brittany’s deliveries make the one-liners pure gold.

“I don’t want to die yet. At least not till One Tree Hill gets canceled.”
--Oh, Brittany, I should certainly hope OTH gets canceled before you do.

“Blaine and I love football. Well, Blaine loves football. I love scarves.”
--I'm guessing Kurt hails from Mystic Falls originally...

“On TV was a typical Mystic Falls local news broadcast. After several dead bodies had been found THAT MORNING, it seems the authorities had decided to skip the whole homicide investigation part and gone directly into memorial service mode. Fair enough. Nothing unusual about a bunch of dead bodies turning up. More animal attacks probably. At this point the town is just like, ‘Well, the animals are in charge now. Moving on.’"
--Price Peterson for TV.com, regarding the rash of dead bodies on The Vampire Diaries and the total apathy attached. In the chronology of the show, the entire series has taken like, a couple of months maybe? And at least 87 have died. They must have a hell of a lot of people moving to Mystic Falls on a regular basis or they’d have run out by now. I guess with all the death there were be more than a few jobs open… Hey, it's a tough economy out there, people.

Castle: “Get out of town, he’s right down the crater from me!”
Beckett: “Why doesn’t is surprise me that you have property on the moon?”
--I like to think he made a few celestial investments back on that “show [he] used to love.”

“He also told me, you poke a bear, you better have a shotgun pointed at his face.”
--Jarek, from quality new Monday night option The Chicago Code. That line pretty much sums up the show. You take on a corrupt political infrastructure, you better be prepared.

“I think I’ll overrule that on absurdity alone.”
--Denis O’Hare as Judge Abernathy on The Good Wife, hilariously shooting down Michael J. Fox in one of the best courtroom scenes to date.

Peter: [scoffs] “What was my nickname? Burke the Jerk? [pause] Oh, come on!”
Neal: “You tell me what else rhymes with Burke.”
Peter: “Work. Lurk. Smirk. Clerk works…”
--Hehe, oh White Collar, I love it that Peter’s name for Neal was James Bonds, completely badass and something Neal would love, and Neal’s name for Peter was so simple and insulting. Awesome.

Brittany: “Maybe try rocking back and forth, people do that in movies.”
Santana: “I just try to be really really honest with people when I think that they suck. You know?”
--Ryan Murphy episodes of Glee always seem to have an undercurrent of mean, which is actually the best part. And hey, honesty is the best policy… or whatever.

“It’s the boat buying event you’ve been waiting for!”
--I accidentally watched some commercials the other day. Good thing, or I might have missed the nautical retail event of the century! For thousands of years my people have waited for this day…

“Just ‘cause I’ve shot the occasional person doesn’t make me a thief.”
--Raylan Givens on Justified, explaining that his proclivities tend toward the deadly, not thieve-y.

Troy: “Why does being a librarian make her even hotter?”
Abed: “They’re keepers of knowledge. She holds the answers to all of our questions like, who will I marry, and… why are there still libraries.”
--Community, as ever, asking all the right questions.

Shameless

I recently asked my darling Matt Roush (one of my favorites in the wonderful world of TV--he has actual opinions and isn't afraid to share them) if there were any good midseason offerings to look forward to. As expected, it sounds like the Big Four are bringing very little to the table (from what I've seen so far, I'm unimpressed and a little afraid), but cable has some goodies in store.

• Question: Having seen several dozen ads for Showtime's new series Shameless over the past few months, I was only mildly intrigued. The cast looks phenomenal (William H. Macy, Emmy Rossum), but the concept didn't initially grab me. However, I caught the 20-minute preview after the Dexter finale (well played, Showtime) and it really piqued my interest. I was actually pretty surprised at how invested I became after only a few minutes. I'm not sure it'll make my top-10 list (too soon to tell), but I think it has a lot of potential. Have you seen the full pilot? What did you think? Also, are there any other new midseason shows worth watching? After a fall slate of new pilots that was almost universally underwhelming (with a few shining exceptions — I miss you already, Terriers), I'm really hoping that midseason brings some better options. Based on precedent, I'm guessing network TV probably isn't the desired destination, but are there any surprise winners I should look out for? Or will the big four simply fill in scheduling holes with second-string pilots that weren't good enough for fall? Again, I'd love to hear your thoughts. — Lacy
  
  Matt Roush: I've seen three episodes so far and I am mostly on board, especially where Emmy Rossum is concerned. She's electrifying, and there's something compelling about watching her and her endearingly scruffy siblings scramble to survive (while ministering to their degenerate drunk dad) that put me in mind of Fagin's den of thieves in Oliver Twist. The show sometimes pushes too hard for shock value, especially where Macy and an agoraphobic lunatic played by Joan Cusack are concerned, but that kind of overindulgence comes with the pay-cable territory. Shameless is a distinctive show that will likely get a lot of critical attention — but I'm more fond of Showtime's other Sunday newbie: Episodes, the TV satire starring Matt LeBlanc and two sensational British actors, Stephen Mangan and Tamsin Greig, as comedy writers whose vision is corrupted by Hollywood. Beyond that, though, and FX's darkly compelling drama Lights Out, there isn't much in this first wave of midseason programming (at least that I've sampled so far) that is wowing me. The network stuff in particular is as uninspired as most of the fall disappointments, and that is not a happy observation to make this early in the new year.
  

If you don't already frequent Matt Roush's column, I'd highly recommend it. Aside from posting comments from brilliant and esteemed television viewers (*cough* speaking of shameless *cough*), he's willing to give an honest, unflinching review of shows. Many of the gossip columnists I frequent have personal relationships with actors and showrunners that can lead to bias (Michael Ausiello) or they are simply too afraid of offending someone to put it all on the line (Kristin Dos Santos). Matt never holds back or waters down his perceptions. While other websites offer more in terms of spoilers and gossip, Matt has a more straight-forward critical eye that's very much appreciated.

Michael Ausiello, who used to work for Entertainment Weekly, has a new website that looks very promising. He teamed up with a couple other TV gurus (Matt Webb Mitovich among them) and created TV Line, which just launched with the new year. Those personal connections to actors and showrunners that may lead to bias also lead to some great interviews, titillating spoilers, and comprehensive television news coverage. Highly recommended. For those of you who were a little shocked and dismayed by Monday's countdown to devastation on How I Met Your Mother, you'll definitely want to check out TV Line's interview with show creator Carter Bays. I think all viewers were a little perplexed and saddened by that particular twist and it was nice to have some answers from the powers-that-be with the show. I really liked the countdown device. I wasn't sure if it was counting down to something great or something horrible, but it definitely gave the episode a lot more weight and urgency than it otherwise would have. I think most viewers probably suspected that it was counting down to conception, and that was certainly on my list of possibilities, but there was something a little ominous about the ticking clock that made me wary. The current season of HIMYM has managed to renew my love of the show after a disappointing previous season and Monday's outing was one of their best.

Terriers: The Best Show No One is Watching

Whenever I get my questions to TV pundits published on their blogs, I tend to geek out a bit. Even though I totally realize that no one cares about such things but me, poor Annie still has to listen me to giddily account how I wrote an email... an then sent it! It's scintillating stuff, let me tell you. I was going to restrain myself from nerdily posting the fruits of my total lack of labor here, but it actually gives me a chance to talk about a show that I accidentally fell in love with: Terriers. My darling Matt Roush posted my concerns about the show's ratings in his column today. If you don't already follow him, I'd highly recommend it. Here is a link to his latest "Ask Matt" column and he's also available on twitter. We have had differences of opinion on occasion in the past, but by and large, he's one of the names I trust most. He has turned me on to several excellent shows in the past. Anyway...

• Question: In a near-accidental turn of events, I started watching FX's new series Terriers amid the glut of fall premieres, and much to my surprise, the show grabbed me almost instantly. The pilot was sharp and witty and smoothly plays against all the TV clichés I've grown to hate over the years. I watch a lot of TV, so when I come across a show that surprises me, I sit up and take notice. I expected a typical crime procedural, but instead was met with a solid, engaging and hilarious serialized character piece. Not since I just happened to catch Nurse Jackie and stumbled onto Justified have I been so delighted by an accidental find. The suspense and mystery are brilliantly underlined by a dark humor that really appeals to me.
  
  That said, I'm concerned for the future of Terriers. I've recently seen Terriers listed alongside various shows with anemic ratings (mostly of the "Vote to Save a Show" variety) and have become concerned. How has Terriers been doing? Do you think it will survive? I'm also curious as to what you think of "Save a Show" style polls. Do they ever have any real effect? I seriously doubt it, but I find myself voting regardless. In a fall pilot season that left me largely unimpressed, I'd hate to see Terriers go the way of Lone Star (the best broadcast pilot of the year and sadly the first to get the axe). I'm sure that Terriers has a better chance given its network, but even FX must have a ratings threshold to maintain.
  — Lacy
  
  Matt Roush: I don't know the exact numbers, but I do know they're below what FX would like them to be, and it's disappointing to the network and the studio. The show is so offbeat in tone and texture, and is done no favor by its too-quirky title, that it probably would have been a slow build even if it hadn't been scheduled against the fall network onslaught. But the reviews have mostly been rapturous, and the show has just gotten better as it goes. I love the fact that no two episodes are quite alike, and the blend of mystery and comedy and palpable emotion is unlike anything else currently on TV. But as we've seen (and as you noted with the Lone Star debacle), being too different and resistant to pigeonholing can work against a show's commercial prospects. I hope FX sticks with this, but you're probably right to be concerned. As for save-the-show polls, it can't hurt to participate and make your voice heard. But such efforts rarely budge the numbers the programmers are looking at to determine a show's future.

Ahhh! That's me! That's me!!!

Annnnd, I'm back. Sorry about that. As you can see from my query above, I basically stumbled onto this little gem by accident. That's why I never wrote a review of the pilot. I never had any intention of actually watching the show, so I figured it would be one of the calculated omissions from my fall reviews. Yeah, that was stupid. In a fall pilot slate that ultimately had very little to offer, Terriers stands out as one of the best new shows on TV. Aside from the already-canceled Lone Star, HBO's Boardwalk Empire, and awesomely ridiculous Nikita, I dare say it's the only other new show to warrant a spot in my top tier, nay, a spot on any tier at all. (Seriously people, this fall was sad.)

Well, it's high-time I atoned for past televisual sins and gave Terriers its due--even if it is likely to be canceled. I'm more than a little bewildered at FX's programming strategy with this one. To debut a new show on cable alongside the swell of network crap in September seems completely illogical to me. To boot, it isn't really paired with a more established show nor did it receive much fanfare. Sigh.

Terriers is the kind of show that doesn't sound very good on paper, but that comes together beautifully. At first glance, I suspected it would be your typical procedural, but with a dash of quirky thrown in for good measure. This show is so very much more than that. The pilot was everything you'd ever want in a show and somehow things just keep getting better episode to episode.

The show follows two best friends who, after a few errant left turns in life, ended up working as freelance detectives. It sounds completely hokey on paper, but believe me, it works. Donal Logue (ER, Life) stars as ex-cop/reformed alcoholic Hank Dolworth and his best friend Britt Pollack, a former thief, played by Michael Raymond-James (best known for playing psycho serial killer Rene on True Blood). After playing a character so spectacularly creep-tastic as Rene, it's nice to see him in a role that's incredibly likable. Hank and Britt are the center of the show and play off each other in a very natural, believable way. They have great onscreen chemistry and make for a convincing pair of best friends/screw-ups/rough-and-tumble detectives.

Based on the concept alone, I assumed this would be your standard genre show with a slight Psych bent to it, but that's really not how it operates. There are certain elements that smack of a procedural, but rather than this being a show about detectives who happen to be people, it's actually a show about people who happen to be detectives. In this sense, it reminds me of Nurse Jackie. Sure, she works in a hospital, but Nurse Jackie certainly isn't a medical show. It's a dark comedy about actual characters, not just the job they do. The same goes for Terriers, a similarly brilliant show that blends harsh reality with a hell of a lot of charm and humor. Donal Logue's comedic timing is perfect and he makes every scene something more interesting and surprising than you'd expect. The comedy in this show can be subtle at times, so you have to pay attention, but for those in the audience who are, this show has a number of hilarious moments. The show doesn't feel the need to force the laugh, so it all comes off as genuine and funny.

At its core, Terriers is really a character piece. Even when the show has case-of-the-week type elements, they always relate to the characters themselves in a meaningful way. This could be painfully ham-fisted in the wrong hands, but here it works naturally. It's impressive and strange how the writers pull it off every week, but some seriously crazy things happen in a very grounded manner. This show seems more authentic than most out there, but at the same time has A-plots that are outlandish and peculiar. The fact that the A-plots are unique and that they relate to the characters in substantive ways makes me actually invest in them, which for me in quite rare. I find myself genuinely interested in the happenings of their detective work and never casually fast-forward through the A-plot. Indeed, this is the kind of show where the ending sneaks up on you. Seriously, I get so immersed in what's going on that when the end credits start, I'm always like, "Wait, it's over already?"

I think my favorite part of the show is the interpersonal dynamics between characters. Hank and Britt are solid bases for the show, but the supporting cast is what brings it all together. Hank's ex-wife Gretchen and their lawyer Maggie are completely delightful, even if their roles thus far have been fairly limited on the show. The real shining star of the supporting cast is Laura Allen, who plays Britt's girlfriend Katie. The interplay between Britt and Katie is funny and charming and, unlike so many relationships on TV, it doesn't annoy the hell out of me. So often the girlfriend in this kind of relationship is a whiny, bitchy, nagging drain on a show, but here? It's completely the opposite. Not only does this relationship have a firm grasp on reality, but the interplay between the pair is smart and endearing. Upon finding out that Britt asked her out after he had seen a picture of her on her refrigerator (he had broken into her house during his thief days, you see), I fully expected Katie to explode and some major melodrama to unfold. Instead, in a wealth of twists and surprises offered by the show, Katie instead tells Britt to go outside, wait five minutes, and then break into the bedroom through the window. Where lesser shows would use this as a platform for a bunch of screaming, Terriers sees it as a total turn-on. Heh. Awesome. The refreshingly intelligent characterizations of women doesn't stop with Katie. As mentioned, Gretchen and Maggie have slightly smaller roles on the show, but they're equally engaging and multi-dimensional. Hank and Gretchen are ex-spouses, but there's still a lot of love and respect between them. The show takes the road less traveled and avoids the omnipresent "evil ex" cliches and even makes the possibility of the pair reuniting more complicated than expected. Gretchen's new beau is actually quite a good guy who tells a white lie to Gretchen in order to protect Hank. Most recent addition to the cast (as a recurring character rather than regular), is Karina Logue (Donal's real life sister) who plays, conveniently enough, his quirky, dark, slightly mentally ill sister on the show. She's brilliant and broken and in the world of Terriers, the fact that she secretly lives in her brother's attic just makes good sense. She isn't a series regular, but I do hope she'll stick around for a good long while.

All in all, I'm rooting for these characters in a way I simply don't for most other characters on air at the moment. The fact that this show is actually a serial masquerading as a pseudo-procedural is a big part of that. When I truly care about the people in a show, I care about what happens to them, even if it's a one-off A-plot. Even better, the A-plots are meaningful, but not in a heavy-handed after-school special kind of way that Grey's Anatomy does. We just see how these characters would react to the given situation in an authentic way. Nice. With this kind of set up, though, the writers have to try a lot harder to craft characters that really work. Fortunately, Terriers succeeds in spades. This show makes for an odd mix of mystery, drama, comedy, and dollops of just about everything else. You'd think it would be all over the place, but it's surprisingly balanced and never feels sloppy or uneven. I didn't realize just how invested I was in these characters until a truly heartbreaking scene between Katie and Hank where she confesses to screwing up and being afraid to tell Britt. I truly felt for her and found myself hoping Hank would succeed in convincing her to never tell Britt what happened. Hank couldn't bear the thought of devastating Britt, and quite frankly, neither could I. That's when I consciously realized just how much I've been enjoying this show and began to fear for its future.

As mentioned, the ratings are not good. Terrible, in fact. But the show has received nothing but praise from critics (as far as I know) and has been getting more and more buzz online lately. I'm cautiously optimistic that FX will see the potential here and give Terriers some time to build an audience. They really should have premiered this show in the summer or during one of the off-seasons when it would have had less competition and more of a chance to attract some viewers.

I don't know if Terriers will be around for more than a season, but it's definitely worth even a precarious investment.

Show Grade: A

Oh my god, I'm famous! Again!

Just when you thought the-little-TV-blog-that-could couldn't possibly get more high profile, I recently submitted another question to one of my favorite TV aficionados, Matt Roush, and he posted it in his column. As uber-fans of my blog (who are still theoretical, but I'm sticking to it!) may recall, this is the same Matt Roush who posted my previous question. Sigh [of satisfaction]. I feel so loved.

Honestly though, as far as my fantasy TV inner circle is concerned, he's one of the very best. Where columnists like Kristin Dos Santos are too chummy with TV personalities to give a brutal review of a show and folks like my darling Micheal Ausiello tend to focus more on breaking news than criticisms, Matt Roush fills the void and isn't afraid to let his opinions be known. We don't always agree, but he's one that I know puts a lot of thought into his assertions and can back up his claims in a logical way (even if they are diametrically opposed to my own views).

Henceforth, and without further ado, below you will find my most recent step toward television greatness... bask in its warm glowing warming glow...

• Question: While I applaud network TV for trying to tap into the summertime scripted market (a bastion for cable's success), I can't help but be pretty unimpressed thus far. ABC's efforts have been almost universally disappointing. Scoundrels is a disaster, The Gates is painfully derivative (and for a show about vampires, werewolves, witches and who knows what else, is inexplicably boring), and Rookie Blue is a rip-off of Grey's Anatomy in just about every way (but, you know, with cops instead of surgeons). Based on the ratings for these shows (with the modest exception of Rookie Blue), it seems to me that ABC's foray into summertime has been a failure. Other networks are faring no better. Fox's new series The Good Guys really didn't appeal to me (even though my fidelity to Matt Nix made me really, really want to like it), and given its anemic viewership, I'm not the only one. Lie to Me seems to be one of the few that's doing reasonably well, but it developed a fan-base during the regular season, so I don't think it counts exactly.

 That said, I'm wondering if you have any theories as to why basic cable networks like TNT, ABC Family (although I must say I disagree about Huge—I found it dour and charmless, much to my chagrin), FX and, most notably, USA have such a grasp on summertime scripted programming while the basic networks are foundering. What is it that cable is doing so right and the big four are doing so wrong?
  
  I look at USA Network in particular and wonder if it's primarily an issue of branding. USA seems to have the best grasp on what it is as a network and has built a portfolio of shows that all seem to work together on a schedule (indeed, you'd be hard-pressed to find someone who watches one show on USA and doesn't watch at least two others). I do wish USA would branch out and make some riskier moves at times, but when looking at the success of their programming model, it's hard to argue. Indeed, USA's newest series, Covert Affairs, looks like it'll be yet another fun, light-hearted dramedy feather in USA's cap that will do very well (pairing it with White Collar was yet another strategic boon). That said, I'm more apprehensive about Covert Affairs than I have been about other USA series. I've never been much impressed by Piper Perabo and honestly don't think she can anchor a show. Have you seen the pilot? Does she pull it off? Or is it more like watching Perabo trying desperately to be Alias's Jennifer Garner and failing miserably? I'd love to hear your thoughts.—Lacy

• Matt Roush: Let's start with USA. In some ways, I look at that network as the cable equivalent of CBS. It knows what works for its audience and its brand and it stays mostly on message. Which means a lot of sameness from show to show, with a few doing the job better than others. (I'm particularly fond of Burn Notice and White Collar right now, but can make the case for others, while finding few of them qualifying as actual can't-miss appointment TV). I too wish USA would try a bit harder to surprise us, but like you said (which also applies to CBS's schedule, excepting the standout rookie The Good Wife), why mess with success? Covert Affairs has the look of another winner. Not because it's great; it's a bit too cutesy for my taste—which applies to the lead performance and a few of the more whimsical subplots and characters—but as a harmless caper paired with White Collar's second season, if it doesn't click I'll be surprised. And I tend to enjoy USA's shows more once they get past setting up the premise in their overstuffed pilot episodes, so I'll keep an eye on that one.
  
  While I more or less agree with you about the broadcast networks' mostly feeble attempts to try scripted shows in the summer—you left out NBC's burn-offs, which may be the worst of the bunch—I'm glad they're at least trying something other than mind-numbing reality in a few time slots. One of these days, I'm hoping we'll witness the next Northern Exposure and have something to celebrate. As I noted in a recent magazine review, the difference between network and cable in the summer is that many cable operations put their very best shows on during the summer, promoting the heck out of them. With the networks, that is certainly not the case. The most we can hope for (and rarely get) is something too offbeat to air during the regular season that can be nurtured during the off-season. Maybe next summer ...

I realize that the unbridled giddiness at having my query posted somewhere is disproportionate to the actual importance of such an event, but hey, I have very little to live for, so I get my kicks and giggles where I can.

The Hype, Much Like the Shooting, Was Justified

Every now and then, I decide ahead of time that I won't be giving a show a shot. Not even just the pilot. This generally happens when I hear a basic premise that turns me off or see a clip that leaves me unimpressed. With the new FX series Justified (which is based on some works by Elmore Leonard), it was a little of both. In most cases, my preemptive write-off of a show proves correct, but Justified, as with Nurse Jackie before it, totally proved me wrong. Not that Justified was as stellar as Nurse Jackie, but it made for a surprisingly solid, engaging, accomplished hour of television.

I initially pooh-poohed Justified based on a brief description and an even briefer clip of the pilot. This may seem shocking based on my general televisions tastes and sensibilities, but a US marshal returning to his hometown (a prodigal son of sorts) so that he can shoot up bad guys in the modern-day Wild West of Harlan, Kentucky didn't exactly send shivers of excitement down my spine. Not that it sounded like the worst concept ever or anything, just not one that would generally strike a chord with yours truly. Oooooh, you say it's got guns, the middle of nowhere Kentucky, AND backwoodsy accents?! What more could a girl ask for!? Yeah, not so much...

I ultimately decided to give Justified a chance based on several good reviews I'd heard and word that Matt Roush had deemed it the best midseason pilot of the year. Now, don't get me wrong, it's been a pretty pathetic midseason so that could have meant anything, but I was confident that the positive buzz would actually materialize on the screen. My devotion to Matt Roush was shaken of late given his praise of Life Unexpected (a show which I tried really, really hard to like, but ultimately failed--it was finally deleted from my DVR queue after several unwatched episodes sat there for weeks while I rewatched episodes of The Good Wife), so I was going to really have to reevaluate our relationship if Justified turned out to be a dud as well. Saints be praised, he was right. It really is the best midseason pilot of the year. Easily.

Justified stars Timothy Olyphant as Deputy US marshal Raylan Givens, an old school gunslinger (the fastest draw in the West, er... East...) seeking justice in a more restrained, litigious world. After exacting some 19th century justice on a baddie in Miami, he's sent packing back to the 19th century... which is apparently tantamount to modern day Kentucky (and which also happens to be former stomping grounds). What initially turned me off to the show was a brief clip of Givens, but as it turns out, it was simply, and unfortunately, out of context. Givens is quiet and austere, but unexpectedly powerful and likable at the same time. At the very end of the pilot, he's described by his ex-wife as able to hide it well, but essentially being the angriest man she's ever known, and by the end of the pilot, you can absolutely believe that ( even if such a statement catches you off-guard). He really does hide it well and seems cool and unassuming, but you know there's more to him. He's a complex character with a lot of depth, a lot of heart, and yes, a lot of anger, but even when he's in the worst of possible situations, his calmness and confidence make for a very serious, casual character. With that much going on and that amount calm, cool vengeance simmering under the surface, you'd expect him to be standoffish, aloof, and unlikeable, but somehow there's a certain Southern charm that tempers the still waters. I thought the writers did a particularly nice job of setting up numerous layers for the character right off the bat, and not in a way that was obvious or overly expositional. Mere minutes after seeing Raylan calmly and prosaically kill a man (the other guy pulled first, so apparently it was "justified"--I kept hoping for a Han Solo reference when it came to who pulled first, but alas, to no avail), the viewer sees him show up at the house of a woman he knew several years ago and greet her in a very comfortable, casual, warm manner. Not the kind of gal to let a former crush of hers get away with kissing her on the cheek, she kisses him on the mouth and he very matter-of-factly kisses her back. It seemed very natural and organic to the characters, even in spite of seeing Raylan's gun-toting ways not ten minutes prior. It was a nice way to tell the audience that there's more going on with this character than meets the eye.

Timothy Olyphant does a lovely job as Givens and absolutely anchors the show in an engaging and effective way. I'm not too familiar with Olyphant's previous work, but I had heard that everyone was pretty excited to see him at the helm of a new show and now I know why. I can't even quite pinpoint what makes him an appealing actor, but he really is. Not bad too look at and a great dramatic talent to boot. Yes, please. Although Olyphant is certainly the core of the show, the supporting cast is equally strong and their characters have a hell of a lot of potential, even if the pilot didn't allow for a ton of development right away.

Nicest casting surprise? Natalie Zea. I greatly adored her as Karen Darling on Dirty Sexy Money and was thrilled to see her playing Givens ex-wife (and I suspect, soon to be "will they or won't they" love interest on the show) Winona. I actually didn't remember that her name on the show was Winona till I looked it up and it was like, "Of course her name was Winona..." Awwwh, Kentucky. Anyway, as Zea proved previously, she can take what easily could have turned into a one-note, stereotype of a character and turn it into gold. Karen Darling could easily have been your typical rich girl, but Zea made her quirky, likable, and conniving, all at once. She didn't get a whole lot of screen time in the pilot, but what little she had, she owned, and I suspect she'll bring nothing but her A-game in the future. And let's face it, playing a former flame and "will they or won't they" love interest is something she already excels at, so this should be fun to watch. She and Olyphant had an instant and complex chemistry together that I'm excited to see fleshed out.

Rounding out the cast of good guys are the other US Marshals who, in spite of even less time than Zea, already felt like very real, very intriguing characters who will bring a hell of a lot to the show. Justified did a wonderful job taking my expectations and turning them upside down, even with the most minor of players. I honestly didn't expect the skinny, bookish, slightly milquetoasty marshal to respond to a shoot-out with, "Boss, do you want me to wing 'em or kill 'em?" and then, at being advised, "Let's start with wingin' 'em," to do just that. On the first shot, no less. Like Givens, they're all cool and collected, but still passionate and aggressive. They have certain things in common and complement each other well, but each still has his/her own edge, which I'm totally digging thus far. Hell, even the bad guys who got killed off after a few minutes were well-rounded and interesting, so after even just the pilot, I get the feeling the sky's the limit. The pilot's primary baddie, a racist church bomber (a real catch, in other words), is a former acquaintance of Givens and has a lot more going on than the seemingly simply schemes he pulls would have others believe. Givens sees through his ruse, and the layers beneath start to unfold. Even the nastiest of the nasties bring a whole lot to the table. Nice. Well done, show. Well done.

As is evident by the way I received the characters on the show, the writing is solid throughout. Given the rural setting and Wild West-y tone and vibe of the show, I wasn't expecting a whole lot of complexity and was prepared for your standard macho, hackneyed, old West cheesefest. Mercifully, Justified embraces old west themes and motifs, but avoids the genre's pitfalls and predictabilities. The storyline was slick and well-paced throughout, knowing where to give more character and where to give more action. It could have easily fallen into your typical western cliches, but didn't. Even when making references to how fast a draw Givens is, it didn't seem forced or trite, it just felt like a very natural part of who this character is. Instead of feeling overdone or overwrought, it felt vintage and kind of classic.

I guess it's the tone or the writing or something, but somehow the Kentucky backdrop works really well. I expected to be bored to tears in minutes, what with the prevalence of a whole lotta nothin' in the more rural areas of the country, but there was something undeniably appealing about a country setting and an old world pace. As much as I love seeing big cities play host to 97% of shows on TV, it was like a breath of fresh air to see some new scenery (GREEN scenery) and I'm eager to see what kinds of trappings come with it. It's not a setting you see all that often and it made for a new dynamic for me to enjoy. Not an easy task, given my level of TV watching, but this show really pulled it off. Knowing your way around the hectic maze of a big city is impressive, but so is knowing where some rural road is that can't even be mapquested. I'm not sure how this setting will play out in the long-run, but so far, I'm much more intrigued that I ever would have thought. It was a good move on the writers' part to open the pilot with him in Miami (seriously, the opening scene could easily be Michael Westen in a cowboy hat). It made the contrast between big city and rural outpost all the more striking. And appreciated. The pacing is necessarily and charmingly slower given the rural setting and archetypal character profiles, but that doesn't make it any less exciting. The folksy drawl and deliberate pace could have been fodder for boredom, but even during the most seemingly unimportant of conversations, I was intrigued. The dialogue felt natural and kind of old-fashioned, but was still sophisticated and riveting to listen to. The actors' accents could use a little work (some more than others--you know who you are), but all in all, they really pulled off the tone they were aiming for.

Having only seen the pilot, I can't be certain what kind of show this will turn into, but so far, and at the very least, it doesn't look like a standard procedural and that wins it about a million points. I enjoy the occasional procedural show (whether it be legal, medical, or most perniciously, crime), but almost invariably, I couldn't care less about the story-of-the-week A-plots. In a more traditional drama, you have different story elements week-to-week (obviously), but they aren't the be-all-and-end-all of the story, which I greatly appreciate. There really aren't a whole lot of straight-up dramas out there these days, so I'm hoping shows like Justified do well and let the networks know that people can handle an ongoing storyline. Also, it would make sense for a show with more old-fashioned sensibilities to have a more old-fashioned narrative set-up. After seeing the preview of things to come this season, it doesn't look like I'll have to worry about this becoming your standard procedural (what with the main baddie surviving his gunshot wound and Ava sticking around for more than just the pilot) and that, my friends, is a welcomed change of pace. Here's hoping that assumption is correct.

Given the old world justice that was frequently doled out in the pilot, it should come as no surprise that Justified is grittier and less restrained than your typical prime-time show. They didn't pull any punches and didn't sanitize the subject matter for mass appeal (the fact that the show airs on FX certainly helps). The writers also left morality is a grayer area than most shows would which made Givens more complex and made for an interesting dynamic between characters. I was a little put-off by the old school style justice and the surprisingly high body count, but that really just speaks to my sensibilities about cops and robbers and guns in general. The "shoot first, ask questions later" approach doesn't exactly jibe with my own perspectives, but it was certainly interesting to watch. The show didn't try to espouse the numerous virtues of this brand of justice or anything, but acknowledges that for Raylan Givens, it's just how it is. It fit very well with the show's story and style and forms the backbone of the Wild West feel to the show. Again, having the lines blurred in such a way was unexpected and therefore, appreciated. It's not the kind of thing I see everyday, so even if certain aspects were off-putting, that's more than okay. That's probably exactly what was intended.

This show has some definite long-term potential. Again, a more standard drama is a narrative style that's dying out, so I welcome any newcomer who's willing to embrace a storyline that doesn't get wrapped up in a neat little bow at the end of the hour. There were certainly aspects that I would have changed, but overall, I quite enjoyed the pilot and I'm sucked in enough to be excited for next week. I'm not sure if the rural trappings or the backwoodsiness will eventually wear out their welcome, but so far so good. I'm not sure I'd recommend this show to everyone, but before having seen it, I wouldn't have recommended it to myself either. It's definitely worth giving a shot, because really, I never would have dreamt I'd have enjoyed it myself.

Pilot Grade: B+

TV's Inner Circle + 1 (ME!)

As is clearly evident by the focus of this blog, TV is a fairly large part of my life. I troll the interwebs in search of TV-related information and televisually kindred spirits on a fairly regular basis. There are several gossip columns that I follow, more than a few spoiler sites that keep me informed, and assorted sites focuses on ratings and industry news that round out my regular rotations. For far too long these entities have seemed like unreachable celebrities who would not deign to entertain the meager hopes and dreams of a minor leaguer such as myself... but not anymore!

It's truly sad just how giddy I am to report the following news, but said giddiness means I can't bring myself to stop typing, or by extension, my complete and total lameness. Henceforth, here we go!

I've written questions to my peeps (read: random gossip columnists who couldn't care less about my existence) on various occasions, but have never seen them posted in their respective columns. Michael and Kristin have both heartlessly ignored my queries. I assumed that was simply par for the course and did my best to move on with my life, even giving up on sending them anything [insert sad Charlie Brown music]. I figured, "It's not them, it's me..." and tried to let it go [and by "it" I mean my hopes, dreams, and aspirations in life--no biggie].

Well, as it turns out, it is most certainly was NOT me! Oh yeah, it was them all along!

Not one week after writing to TV's Guide's Matt Roush (as I described to Annie, "THE Matt Roush!" Thanks again for the feigned enthusiasm, Annie. The feigning was only mostly perceptible) did he post my query in his column and provide a response in the Ask Matt section. It's beyond embarrassing how much I geeked out over the following, but what the hell. (I figure my geekiness reached a critical mass somewhere in the nineties, so at this point, what's the difference.)

• Question: I have followed your column for a very long time and have found that we generally have pretty similar taste in shows. Most recently, I’d like to thank you for recommending the hilariously ribald BBC America comedy The Inbetweeners. It’s because of this that I’m so perplexed by your recommendation of the CW’s newest drama, Life Unexpected. I started watching the show expecting a return to the glory days of the WB (Gilmore Girls and Everwood were staples in my routine), but was instead met with a cast of thoroughly unlikable characters stuck in a cheesy and predictable set-up. The pilot was decent, and had a few moments that almost grabbed me, but the best events were undercut by maudlin self-importance and terrible writing. As Lux is about to blow out her birthday candles and is told she needs to blow them all out or her wish wouldn’t come true, I couldn’t help but wince when she actually said, “I think it already has.” I saw it coming a mile away, but that didn’t make it any less painful.
  
  I had high hopes that subsequent episodes would temper the ridiculousness of the conceit (the writers for this show don’t seem to have a very close relationship with reality, especially legal reality), an improvement in the writing, and that the characters would grow on me, but much to my chagrin, the writing has only gotten worse and the characters haven’t gotten any more likable. Shiri Appleby’s portrayal of Cate is so shrill and annoying that it overshadows the more tolerable aspects of the cast. All in all, I’m extremely disappointed with this predictable, largely irritating, generic addition to the CW’s slate and can’t understand where so many critics have fallen in love with it. Am I missing something? Is there some secret appeal to this show that I’m not seeing? And most importantly, does it get better? I don’t typically give up on a show after only three episodes, but for this mess, I might have to make an exception. —Lacy
  
  Matt Roush: To date, I’ve only seen the same three episodes you have, so I guess this is a case where we’ll have to agree to disagree. Many of the reviews and much of the mail I’m seeing on this show reflect a willingness to embrace it for being a big step in the right direction—at least tonally—for the CW after several years of cynical missteps with soapy retreads and a steep and seemingly irreversible decline for the former signature show that was Gossip Girl. If Life Unexpected occasionally errs on the side of schmaltz, I can live with that. And I’m not pretending it’s an instant top-10 contender the way Gilmore Girls was at its peak. I worry that they will make Lux too much the precocious know-it-all who’s more grown-up than her screwed-up biological parents, but I like the fact that their lives are so messy. If there’s room for improvement, there’s also time.

That's ME! I'm that Lacy!

I'm so happy [in Kuzco voice].

As Annie can attest, as I giddily shrieked over the cubicle wall at like 8 o'clock in the morning, my response was, well... enthusiastic. I have long followed Matt's column, so I was a wee bit star struck (if you look on the back of your season 1 Chuck DVDs, Matt Roush (my Matt Roush) is quoted--oh yeah, he's a big wig). I tried to keep cool (very casually mentioning to Annie that my question had been posted and then actually waiting for her to obligatorily ask for the link (all the while my hand is poised over the send button... "What's that you say? You'd like me to send you a link? Oh, I suppose...") but in my head, in thinking of my new relationship with Matt, it was a conga line of, "Oh my god! It's like we're best friends!"

Rest assured, I'm coherent enough to realize that we are not, and if I engage in any more posturing, I suspect a restraining order will be acquired, but from 500 yards, I'd say he and I are pretty tight these days.

What can I say? It's nice to know there are people out there who think about these things as much as I do. I'm pretty sure that's at least one horseman of the apocalypse, but I don't care. I'm going to go pretend I have an actual friendship with these people and wile away the hours in blissful oblivion.

I suggest you join me.

All the cool kids are doing it...