I honestly thought it was going to be more difficult than this to come up with random thoughts for my weekly round-up... When I stole this feature from all those other sites, I assumed they actually had to work at it, but it's actually a little too easy... (This is all code for: Sorry for the length... this sucker got away from me.)
Worst Tech: Chuck
I’m sorry, but who the hell puts a beeping sound on their spy gear? People who want to get their agents killed in a wine cellar, that’s who. Really, it didn’t occur to anyone in the tech department to add a vibrate feature to their microchip detector thingamajig (because spies never need to sneak around or anything)? But if it doesn’t beep at them when they get closer, how will they know they’re in proximity?! A swift bullet to the head my give them a clue…
Best Accident: How I Met Your Mother
Although I totally saw the pocket dial coming when Marshall said he had a voicemail from his dad, it was still a happy accident and the least annoying instance of a pocket dial on record. Hats off to the Foley artist for the pocket dial recording, by the way. Spot on. (He probably just used a message he already had saved on his phone. Or simply asked anyone on the planet to use theirs.) It’s not easy for a comedy to tackle something like a devastating death, but this episode really made it work.
Biggest Tease: Castle
Mean. Just plain mean. So yeah, after offering up the “most titillating preview of next week’s episode” after last week’s outing, I was met with a rerun last night. I was unduly irked. When a preview tells me “in 2 weeks” I always notice, and I certainly didn’t remember being outraged after last week, so I literally queued up last week’s episode to see if I’d somehow missed it. No, those saucy minxes simply put, “On the next all new episode of Castle…” or some other such bait and switch. Boo. I guess they figured they’ve been dangling the kiss carrot for 2 ½ years now, what’s one more week? Cause for revolt, that’s what.
Most Apparent Style Over Substance: Shameless
It was only the second episode of Shameless, but it already felt like the writers were spinning their wheels. I couldn’t decide if they were simply so focused on trying desperately to shock viewers that they simply forgot to have any real narrative drive behind the episode or if they’ve already run out of road, but I got kind of bored. They seemed to be having a hard time filling an entire hour, and an event harder time shocking me, so they let scenes drag on for entirely too long. So far, the only thing that has been truly shameless is their economy of narrative. If this is the going trend for the show, I might not be hanging on for very long…
Best Awards Show: The Golden Globes
Given that TV is my specialty, and that I see maybe 2 movies a year in theaters, the Oscars holds very little appeal to me. Same goes for Grammys. Seriously, I’m more attuned to the nominees at the Tonys, which is really saying something (something fabulous, I suspect). This is why I enjoy the Golden Globes so much. Sure it’s a ridiculous farce, but for once, I’m actually curious in the outcome and I have an informed opinion. Not all those who deserved to win actually won (or were even nominated), but with Ricky Gervais at the helm, I don’t think anyone really cared who won. He’s the perfect host for such a laid back affair, particularly because his shtick is more roast than host. Introducing Bruce Willis as Ashton Kutcher’s dad kind of made my night.
Best Sartorial Surprise: Trent Reznor looking sharp and dapper in a suit at the Golden Globes. Seriously, as he and that other guy were walking onto the stage, I couldn’t help but think, “Uh, where’s Trent Reznor?” Between the designer suit and the short haircut, I think we all did a double-take… No that wearing Prada doesn’t say “I want to fuck you like an animal,” but you know what I mean.
Worst Sartorial Surprise: Just about everyone else at the Golden Globes. Who knew the 80’s were still back… and with such a shoulder-paddy vengeance.
Most Perplexing Lack of Dye Job: Miss America Teresa Scanlan
Seriously, you’re competing in the ditzy dingbat Olympics, the pinnacle of all a beauty queen could ever hope to achieve in life (besides trophy wifedom, of course), and it didn’t occur to you to get your roots touched up? Oh sure, you remember the hemorrhoid cream for the bags under your eyes and the kitchen spray to keep your bikini stuck to your ass, but you didn’t look in the mirror long enough to see that they’ll be placing your crown on some bleached blonde tendrils hovering over your, shall we say, humble roots? Wow.
Biggest Fundamental Flaw: Harry’s Law
You know you’re in trouble when the only real, huge, show-threatening flaw in your legal procedural is the fact that it’s a legal procedural. The first half of the pilot was actually pretty good… but then, inevitably, there was a second half. The characters were quirky and funny (Kathy is a pro and I love Nate Corddry) and the set up had some promise, but the actual courtroom scenes and legal antics were absurd and annoying. I kept thinking that the producers must not know a damn thing about how the law actually works and have never even seen a show that knew. But, to my dismay and surprise, I found that David E. Kelley was at the helm, so not only has he seen shows that knew about law, but he’s produced them (The Practice, Ally McBeal, etc). So I guess the real flaw here is amnesia… Worst of the worst? “Turns out, the only one we needed was the judge…” Of course he was the only one you needed! Judges doe the sentencing! We all already knew he was guilty! And so did you! This was never about getting a “not guilty” verdict, and yet, when the verdict was announced, you looked so surprised, Kathy! Boo.
Most Unnecessary Remake: the US bastardization of Skins
For a show like Skins, you’d think bastardization would be a good thing (semantically speaking), but believe me, this is yet another pathetic attempt at revamping an excellent British show for primetime TV. In all honesty, I couldn’t even bring myself to finish the first episode. Scene for scene, the story is very similar to its superior British counterpart, but in execution, it’s yet another American embarrassment. The US version is water-down and tamed to the point where it doesn’t even make sense. The greatest of America’s sins when it comes to adopting foreign shows is with censorship, and with Skins, censorship is the death knell. It made this version seem completely inauthentic and lame. I’d say it was akin to a fourth grade class putting on a production of Rent. Or, how about a Glee version of Rocky Horror… Dear America, please stop. Seriously though, the British version is gritty, sharp, realistic, ballsy and incredibly creative. If you’re looking to add such a show to your rotation, seek out the British version. It’s on Netflix Instant Play, so it doesn’t get any easier than that. It is far better than the ersatz crap that MTV is offering. Trust me.
Best Way to Distract a Jury from the Presumed Nazism of the Defendant: Throw a Scientologist into the mix, a la The Good Wife
Man alive, this show is exciting, intricate, cerebral, sexy, and funny as hell. When their client is thought to have Nazi sympathies (he was actually a WWII buff who participated in reenactments, but that didn’t make the pictures any less incriminating), the defense comes up with a plan to give the jury someone new to hate by going after the religion of one of the witnesses. I honestly couldn’t think of what religion they could possibly attack that would deflect some of the presumed Nazi sympathies… Oh my god, I about died laughing when it was revealed to be Scientology. Ha! Nice job, Kalinda. I love her. No wonder she was one of Cary’s top concerns when deciding to take a new job. He tried to play it off all cool, but trust me Cary, no one would fault you for accepting a job simply because Kalinda was there.
Most Linguistically Ridiculous Final Straw: Off the Map
I tried to give this sucker one more episode, but after about 10 minutes of its second outing, I called it quits. Much like Matt Saracen not knowing what a “gringo” is (and apparently never having owned a TV or driven by a restaurant before), now Mamie Gummer seems terminally stupid. Apparently she couldn’t be bothered to learn what the Spanish word is for “sick” prior to moving to South America to provide medical care in a rural clinic, and somehow managed to get through more than 20 minutes on the job without picking up that little tidbit. It’s ridiculous on about 87 different levels. I’m pretty sure that the main thing esta enferma on this show is the writing. Annnnd, we’re done. Stop. Delete. Buh-bye.
Quotes of the Week:
Alicia: “Yes, your honor, I’m all laced up and ready to go.”
(The Good Wife, where Alicia manipulates the judge with hilarious enthusiasm, and more than a few sports-related colloquialisms. The true context would take forever to explain, but I seriously busted up. You had to be there.)
Gloria: “Why the whoosh? Where is the email?! It sended! Make it come back!”
(Modern Family)
Abed: “We should really start learning people’s names.”
Jeff: “I agree with the brown Jamie Lee Curtis.”
(Community)
“She has eaten 7 couches and 2 chairs.”
(My Strange Addiction, regarding a woman who had been eating the yellow foam cushions of furniture for over 20 years.)
Showing posts with label Off the Map. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Off the Map. Show all posts
Friday, January 21, 2011
Friday, January 14, 2011
Week-In-Review
By the time Friday rolls around, I've generally watched a hell of a lot of TV. I often have little opinions that don't warrant an entire post, so I'm adding a new feature to my blog: The week-in-review. Enjoy! (And I'll try to keep it to shows that actually aired for the first time this week, as opposed to something that happened on Lost five years ago.)
Best Guest Star: Fred Weller for The Good Wife
You’d think this nod would have to go to Leelee Sobieski for the very same episode of the very same show, but she elicited little more than, “Oh, it’s Leelee Sobieski. Huh.” Whereas Fred Weller brought forth hand clapping and an excited “US marshal Marshall Mann!!! Eeeee!” Hats off to The Good Wife for bringing back guest stars when you least expect it and in the twistiest and most conniving possible ways.
Worst Performance by an Inanimate Object: the cape
Worst Performance by an Animate Object: Mr. "The Cape”
Funniest Indicator of a Sexual Relationship: Ian Gallagher and his boss on Shameless
Upon entering the convenience store and seeing his brother and his brother’s boss awkwardly stocking shelves, Lip realizes who Ian has been sleeping with by simply noting their attire. You’d guess that his assumption was based on disheveled shirts or missing articles, but no, it’s all in the shoes, with Ian and his boss each wearing one white and one black sneaker. “You’re fucking him?!” Oops. Aside from the fact that his brother is sleeping with his boss, which Lip didn’t know, Lip also didn’t know for sure that Ian was gay. Well, he does now.
Most Titillating Preview for Next Week’s Episode: Um, CASTLE!
Yeah, so being the TV maven that I am, I had seen a picture of Castle and Beckett either just before or just after a kiss, so it isn’t a total surprise here, but I’m still quite excited for it (what with it having been building for the past 2 1/2 seasons and all). I'm also a little afraid of it… I’m confident this will simply make things more interesting and complex, but there’s always a chance that it will simply quash any and all sexual chemistry they once had… It’s happened before…
Most Justifiable Reason for Screwing-over your Colleague: Southland
After listening to recovering addict Office Dewey spout off about AA, rambling incessantly, and make racist remarks for an entire episode, Michael Cudlitz has finally had enough after he rails against a couple of female police officers for having the guts to call him on his shit (hats off to Regina King for finally smacking him in the face). After listening to Dewey call them “bitches” about a dozen times, Cudlitz does what anyone would do. He stops at a convenience store for coffee (where a fellow unit happened to be), waits for Dewey to go inside, then drives away (with Ben McKenzie in tow). While I had to feel bad for the poor officer who got stuck with Dewey after that, it’s hard to argue this one. It made me love Cudlitz character about 300% more, even if it meant that Chickie got screwed. Heh, the look on Ben’s face when Cudlitz told him to get in the car was classic.
Characters I’d Most Like to See Trapped in an Episode of I Shouldn’t Be Alive: the three newbs on Off the Map
As is, Off the Map is your standard Shonda Rhimes medical melodrama, only with more ferns. You really want to shake things up and reinvent a genre? Shatter someone’s pelvis, give them malaria, trap them under boulder, and then have them treat patients.
Best Lie: Cary Agos (aka Logan Huntzberger) on The Good Wife
Okay, I’ve always loved Cary a ridiculous amount, but his most recent turn as conniving ASA, lying and manipulating his way to a confession, has me positively gleeful. I don’t generally enjoy seeing Will and Alicia get played, but that was awesome. And then calling in US marshal Marshall Mann for back-up? So awesome.
Second Best Lie: Antonia on Top Chef
Upon being told that if her teammates Jamie and Tiffany hadn’t sucked so much, Antonia would be in the winners’ circle and would have won the whole challenge (including a trip to Amsterdam), Antonia starts to tear up. The judges predictably ask what the tears are for. The real answer is, “I can’t believe I missed out on my ONE CHANCE to win a challenge AND an effing trip to Amsterdam because dumb and dumber over here don’t know how to cook!” but Antonia quickly covered with, “I… just don’t want to see anyone go home.” Sure you don't. But, nice save. I was sure she’d shoot herself in the foot or make an ass of herself, but she managed the situation incredibly well.
Most Overdue Dismissal: Speaking of Top Chef, hey look, it's Jamie!
I’m not sure when exactly the show decided to start rewarding terrible chefs who constantly screw over their teammates, but apparently that was the order of the day for this season. Jamie has been a pathetic waste of space for the past several weeks, but only just now sent home. Either she’s secretly the daughter of the executive producer or she’s sleeping with him. That’s really the only possible explanation.
Least Convincing Argument for Participating in "Sports": Lights Out
Man alive, I wanted to like FX's new drama Lights Out, I really did, but the show seems to operate in universe where people actually care about boxing and manage to think of it as anything but a couple of morons beating the crap out of each other. I can suspend my disbelief as much, if not more, than the next person, but that's going too far. Show about a guy who can bring people back from the dead with a single touch? Mmm, okay! Show about vampires and werewolves and witches? Why not! Show where boxing is cool? Whoa, whoa, slow down there, people. Honestly, it was probably a very good pilot with strong themes and a specific perspective, but I was so annoyed at the notion that boxing is a sport that it was hard to care. The dialogue and acting weren't spectacular, but overall the show would have been fine if it had focused on just about any other sport. Seriously, I watch Friday Night Lights and the football doesn't bother me.
Best Guest Star: Fred Weller for The Good Wife
You’d think this nod would have to go to Leelee Sobieski for the very same episode of the very same show, but she elicited little more than, “Oh, it’s Leelee Sobieski. Huh.” Whereas Fred Weller brought forth hand clapping and an excited “US marshal Marshall Mann!!! Eeeee!” Hats off to The Good Wife for bringing back guest stars when you least expect it and in the twistiest and most conniving possible ways.
Worst Performance by an Inanimate Object: the cape
Worst Performance by an Animate Object: Mr. "The Cape”
Funniest Indicator of a Sexual Relationship: Ian Gallagher and his boss on Shameless
Upon entering the convenience store and seeing his brother and his brother’s boss awkwardly stocking shelves, Lip realizes who Ian has been sleeping with by simply noting their attire. You’d guess that his assumption was based on disheveled shirts or missing articles, but no, it’s all in the shoes, with Ian and his boss each wearing one white and one black sneaker. “You’re fucking him?!” Oops. Aside from the fact that his brother is sleeping with his boss, which Lip didn’t know, Lip also didn’t know for sure that Ian was gay. Well, he does now.
Most Titillating Preview for Next Week’s Episode: Um, CASTLE!
Yeah, so being the TV maven that I am, I had seen a picture of Castle and Beckett either just before or just after a kiss, so it isn’t a total surprise here, but I’m still quite excited for it (what with it having been building for the past 2 1/2 seasons and all). I'm also a little afraid of it… I’m confident this will simply make things more interesting and complex, but there’s always a chance that it will simply quash any and all sexual chemistry they once had… It’s happened before…
Most Justifiable Reason for Screwing-over your Colleague: Southland
After listening to recovering addict Office Dewey spout off about AA, rambling incessantly, and make racist remarks for an entire episode, Michael Cudlitz has finally had enough after he rails against a couple of female police officers for having the guts to call him on his shit (hats off to Regina King for finally smacking him in the face). After listening to Dewey call them “bitches” about a dozen times, Cudlitz does what anyone would do. He stops at a convenience store for coffee (where a fellow unit happened to be), waits for Dewey to go inside, then drives away (with Ben McKenzie in tow). While I had to feel bad for the poor officer who got stuck with Dewey after that, it’s hard to argue this one. It made me love Cudlitz character about 300% more, even if it meant that Chickie got screwed. Heh, the look on Ben’s face when Cudlitz told him to get in the car was classic.
Characters I’d Most Like to See Trapped in an Episode of I Shouldn’t Be Alive: the three newbs on Off the Map
As is, Off the Map is your standard Shonda Rhimes medical melodrama, only with more ferns. You really want to shake things up and reinvent a genre? Shatter someone’s pelvis, give them malaria, trap them under boulder, and then have them treat patients.
Best Lie: Cary Agos (aka Logan Huntzberger) on The Good Wife
Okay, I’ve always loved Cary a ridiculous amount, but his most recent turn as conniving ASA, lying and manipulating his way to a confession, has me positively gleeful. I don’t generally enjoy seeing Will and Alicia get played, but that was awesome. And then calling in US marshal Marshall Mann for back-up? So awesome.
Second Best Lie: Antonia on Top Chef
Upon being told that if her teammates Jamie and Tiffany hadn’t sucked so much, Antonia would be in the winners’ circle and would have won the whole challenge (including a trip to Amsterdam), Antonia starts to tear up. The judges predictably ask what the tears are for. The real answer is, “I can’t believe I missed out on my ONE CHANCE to win a challenge AND an effing trip to Amsterdam because dumb and dumber over here don’t know how to cook!” but Antonia quickly covered with, “I… just don’t want to see anyone go home.” Sure you don't. But, nice save. I was sure she’d shoot herself in the foot or make an ass of herself, but she managed the situation incredibly well.
Most Overdue Dismissal: Speaking of Top Chef, hey look, it's Jamie!
I’m not sure when exactly the show decided to start rewarding terrible chefs who constantly screw over their teammates, but apparently that was the order of the day for this season. Jamie has been a pathetic waste of space for the past several weeks, but only just now sent home. Either she’s secretly the daughter of the executive producer or she’s sleeping with him. That’s really the only possible explanation.
Least Convincing Argument for Participating in "Sports": Lights Out
Man alive, I wanted to like FX's new drama Lights Out, I really did, but the show seems to operate in universe where people actually care about boxing and manage to think of it as anything but a couple of morons beating the crap out of each other. I can suspend my disbelief as much, if not more, than the next person, but that's going too far. Show about a guy who can bring people back from the dead with a single touch? Mmm, okay! Show about vampires and werewolves and witches? Why not! Show where boxing is cool? Whoa, whoa, slow down there, people. Honestly, it was probably a very good pilot with strong themes and a specific perspective, but I was so annoyed at the notion that boxing is a sport that it was hard to care. The dialogue and acting weren't spectacular, but overall the show would have been fine if it had focused on just about any other sport. Seriously, I watch Friday Night Lights and the football doesn't bother me.
Thursday, January 13, 2011
Been There, Sutured That
You know, most writers have a signature style that you can pick out or at least suspect when watching something new, but with Shonda Rhimes, it's not so much a signature as a lazy copy and paste job. After watching her latest venture, ABC's Off the Map,
it's more apparent than ever that Rhimes only has one very specific card to play, so she plays it again and again and again.
All the elements that worked in her previous shows (the once-awesome Grey's Anatomy and the befuddlingly successful Private Practice) are present in her new show, and had I never seen her previous work (or any other medical drama ever), I probably would have enjoyed this show quite a bit more than I did. As is, I spent the entire pilot remembering that I had seen this dog and pony show before, with the exact same dog, and only a slightly different pony (a less exotic pony with duck lips, as it were).
As with its predecessors, Off the Map focuses on some eager new doctors as they make their way into the medical world. But this time, it's completely different because they're working in a small, rural clinic in the jungle. You'd think the new location would engender a lot more differences than it did. I don't know if I've just seen it all too many times before, but I was pretty bored. If you've seen one medical drama (especially a Shondaland medical drama), you've seen them all. Try as they might to give the cases-of-the-week urgency, personal investment, and excitement, I just couldn't seem to care all that much. Sure the mode of injury was a bit splashier than usual, but the basic fundamentals of a doctor show bled through every scene. A-plots in general aren't really my cup of tea, so when it comes to a procedural or medical drama, it has to boil down to character development and ongoing arcs and themes. As with the set-up, there wasn't anything specifically wrong with the characters, I just felt like I'd seen them all before.
The real highlights of the regular cast are Mamie Gummer (Meryl Streep's daughter, most recently guesting on The Good Wife), and our good friend Zach Gilford (whom you know better as Matt
Saracen from Friday Night Lights). They both did a great job embodying eager young doctors (but with heartbreaking baggage, of course) who have found themselves in some of the most difficult working conditions around (although to be honest, for as rural as this clinic is, it seems surprisingly well outfitted). I can't remember their character names (or anyone else's for that matter), but these two are up and coming power-players who made the most of what they were given... which sadly, wasn't a whole hell of a lot. Or maybe it was. I honestly can't tell anymore with this genre, but it all seemed pretty hackneyed and overly-familiar to me. Their character designs did little to break the mold, and somehow the writers actually managed to make Matt Saracen kind of a dick, but the actors both added as much warmth and quirkiness as they could to make them the best part of the pilot. It was really nice to hear Matt Saracen without the mumbly teenage Texas drawl, even if what he was saying was eye-rollingly trite. Weird, but nice. (I think I forgave his character a hell of a lot of his unappealingness simply because I adore Matt Saracen...) 
The rest of the cast is all likable enough, with the hunky Dr. McDreamy character bringing quite a lot of charm and sex to the table, but for me to really invest in such a predictable, formulaic show, I think I'm going to need a whole lot more in terms of character.
Clearly, Off the Map is unabashedly Grey's Anatomy in the jungle, with the usual cast of beautiful young doctors embarking on a medical adventure with equally beautiful mentors. It pretends to be set "somewhere in South America," but it's quite obviously Hawaii. Sadly, trying to identify exactly which Lost location they were standing in was one of the most entertaining aspects of the pilot. It was also a bit distracting, to be honest. I was trying to care about whichever random patient they were treating at the moment, but it always ended up in the realm of, "Boy, that guy's arm looks really bad, I wonder if he'll-- Hey, look! It's Hurley's golf course!" I realize that logistically they couldn't actually film in South America, and the Lost locales are gorgeous and always nice to see, but
at the very least they writers could have come up with an actual location for the story. Instead, all we get is the vague "somewhere in South America" card on the screen and some similarly vague tidbits about the location like it's 200 miles from the nearest hospital and that there are mountains and cliffs to avoid. Even that would be easy to overlook if it didn't present some serious logistical nightmares for the narrative. In a desperate attempt to reinvent an overdone genre, I fear the writers may have shot themselves en el pie.
You see, when you're in the middle of nowhere South America, 200 miles away from civilization, you're going to be surrounded by a local community that speaks Spanish (or any host of indigenous languages). Even this would be surmountable if the principle cast were multi-lingual, but instead, the writers have gone out of their way to make sure that none of the new, hot young doctors
speak even basic Spanish. It was only the pilot and I was already annoyed. Don't get me wrong, I'm aware that ugly Americans expect everyone to speak English, but for them to uproot their lives and move to South America without even having learned travel Spanish is absurd. Quite frankly, for people in their twenties, who grew up in the US, most from major cities, to not speak any Spanish is in itself ridiculous. I kid you not, as one point, cocky party-boy doctor Matt Saracen (so basically, the Alex Karev of the show) was called a "gringo," which is a term he had apparently never heard before. Really, show? You expect me to believe that a twenty-something guy from Chicago has never heard of a "gringo" before? You have got to be kidding me. He also didn't know what "trece" meant, which, I'm sorry, if you're moving to South America, you're going to at least learn basic numbers.
Again, if you really want your characters to be that utterly clueless, fine, that's up to you, but its going to make your job a hell of a lot harder and make watching your show a hell of a lot more annoying. Most of their patients will logically speak Spanish in the local community, so in order for the doctors to actually be able to speak with people, they either need a translator (not exactly an ideal narrative set-up) or you're going to have to have patients who just so happen to speak English. Which is essentially what they did for the pilot and is what I suspect
they'll be doing all series long. The main patient in the pilot was an American tourist injured on a zip line and the main patient in the next episode appears to be an English-speaking adventurer or wildlife scientist or something. How incredibly convenient! We're in the middle of nowhere and yet we're surrounded by English speakers who just so happen to need serious medical intervention! Who knew this location that's so obscure it can't even be given a specific name was such bustling tourist attraction!? Suffice it to say, the language barrier is going to be a problem. A major problem. I realize that having the barrier adds to the "fish out of water" aspect of the show, and the ugly Americans notion, but I'd much rather read subtitles than watch the majority of the principal cast making ridiculous hand gestures at people and talking too loudly. For the sake of the writers, the show, and the audience, those characters can't learn Spanish fast enough.
Overall, it's a well-made show with beautiful scenery, but very little spark or sizzle (or, you know, logic). It had all the basic elements that a formulaic network medical drama always has, but very little else. For as much as the writers were clearly hoping that the exotic
location would invigorate a tired genre, for me, a guy bleeding to death is a guy bleeding to death, pretty foliage notwithstanding. The characters were all very pretty and likable, but not all that interesting. The pilot rather ham-fistedly imparted some backstory for each of the new young docs, but none of those stories struck me as particularly unique or intriguing. I found myself wishing that the actors had been given a lot more to work with, because frankly, the cast is extremely talented and could have made this show something really special, given the chance. As is, they were unceremoniously plopped into a genre, from which there seems to be no escape... even in South America.
If the medical drama is a genre that you aren't completely sick of, you'll probably enjoy this show quite a bit. They did very little to reinvent the wheel here, so if you're looking for anything beyond your typical, predictable doctor show, you should probably look elsewhere. I often think that when it comes to programs about doctors, lawyers, and cops, there's simply nothing left that can be done. I think to myself that the genres have been so overdone that there's no way to invigorate them again. But then a show like Mamie's most recent credit, The Good Wife, comes along and proves me wrong. In the proper hands, even the most exhausted of conceits can be given new life, going well beyond the standard cliches and instead giving audiences one of the best shows on air. What I'm trying to say is that it is possible for the medical drama to thrill audiences once again, but Off the Map
fell short. I'm going to stick around for a couple more episodes for Mamie and Matt Saracen (who will hopefully get better material to work with in coming weeks), and I'd like to think that something about the show will grab me, but I'm doubtful. Even the best of characters are going to have a hell of time overcoming the confines of Shondaland. Methinks Mamie and Matt would be better suited to a different show (especially Matt, who plays adorable better than douchey).
Pilot Grade: C
it's more apparent than ever that Rhimes only has one very specific card to play, so she plays it again and again and again.All the elements that worked in her previous shows (the once-awesome Grey's Anatomy and the befuddlingly successful Private Practice) are present in her new show, and had I never seen her previous work (or any other medical drama ever), I probably would have enjoyed this show quite a bit more than I did. As is, I spent the entire pilot remembering that I had seen this dog and pony show before, with the exact same dog, and only a slightly different pony (a less exotic pony with duck lips, as it were).
As with its predecessors, Off the Map focuses on some eager new doctors as they make their way into the medical world. But this time, it's completely different because they're working in a small, rural clinic in the jungle. You'd think the new location would engender a lot more differences than it did. I don't know if I've just seen it all too many times before, but I was pretty bored. If you've seen one medical drama (especially a Shondaland medical drama), you've seen them all. Try as they might to give the cases-of-the-week urgency, personal investment, and excitement, I just couldn't seem to care all that much. Sure the mode of injury was a bit splashier than usual, but the basic fundamentals of a doctor show bled through every scene. A-plots in general aren't really my cup of tea, so when it comes to a procedural or medical drama, it has to boil down to character development and ongoing arcs and themes. As with the set-up, there wasn't anything specifically wrong with the characters, I just felt like I'd seen them all before.
The real highlights of the regular cast are Mamie Gummer (Meryl Streep's daughter, most recently guesting on The Good Wife), and our good friend Zach Gilford (whom you know better as Matt
Saracen from Friday Night Lights). They both did a great job embodying eager young doctors (but with heartbreaking baggage, of course) who have found themselves in some of the most difficult working conditions around (although to be honest, for as rural as this clinic is, it seems surprisingly well outfitted). I can't remember their character names (or anyone else's for that matter), but these two are up and coming power-players who made the most of what they were given... which sadly, wasn't a whole hell of a lot. Or maybe it was. I honestly can't tell anymore with this genre, but it all seemed pretty hackneyed and overly-familiar to me. Their character designs did little to break the mold, and somehow the writers actually managed to make Matt Saracen kind of a dick, but the actors both added as much warmth and quirkiness as they could to make them the best part of the pilot. It was really nice to hear Matt Saracen without the mumbly teenage Texas drawl, even if what he was saying was eye-rollingly trite. Weird, but nice. (I think I forgave his character a hell of a lot of his unappealingness simply because I adore Matt Saracen...) 
The rest of the cast is all likable enough, with the hunky Dr. McDreamy character bringing quite a lot of charm and sex to the table, but for me to really invest in such a predictable, formulaic show, I think I'm going to need a whole lot more in terms of character.Clearly, Off the Map is unabashedly Grey's Anatomy in the jungle, with the usual cast of beautiful young doctors embarking on a medical adventure with equally beautiful mentors. It pretends to be set "somewhere in South America," but it's quite obviously Hawaii. Sadly, trying to identify exactly which Lost location they were standing in was one of the most entertaining aspects of the pilot. It was also a bit distracting, to be honest. I was trying to care about whichever random patient they were treating at the moment, but it always ended up in the realm of, "Boy, that guy's arm looks really bad, I wonder if he'll-- Hey, look! It's Hurley's golf course!" I realize that logistically they couldn't actually film in South America, and the Lost locales are gorgeous and always nice to see, but
at the very least they writers could have come up with an actual location for the story. Instead, all we get is the vague "somewhere in South America" card on the screen and some similarly vague tidbits about the location like it's 200 miles from the nearest hospital and that there are mountains and cliffs to avoid. Even that would be easy to overlook if it didn't present some serious logistical nightmares for the narrative. In a desperate attempt to reinvent an overdone genre, I fear the writers may have shot themselves en el pie.You see, when you're in the middle of nowhere South America, 200 miles away from civilization, you're going to be surrounded by a local community that speaks Spanish (or any host of indigenous languages). Even this would be surmountable if the principle cast were multi-lingual, but instead, the writers have gone out of their way to make sure that none of the new, hot young doctors
speak even basic Spanish. It was only the pilot and I was already annoyed. Don't get me wrong, I'm aware that ugly Americans expect everyone to speak English, but for them to uproot their lives and move to South America without even having learned travel Spanish is absurd. Quite frankly, for people in their twenties, who grew up in the US, most from major cities, to not speak any Spanish is in itself ridiculous. I kid you not, as one point, cocky party-boy doctor Matt Saracen (so basically, the Alex Karev of the show) was called a "gringo," which is a term he had apparently never heard before. Really, show? You expect me to believe that a twenty-something guy from Chicago has never heard of a "gringo" before? You have got to be kidding me. He also didn't know what "trece" meant, which, I'm sorry, if you're moving to South America, you're going to at least learn basic numbers.Again, if you really want your characters to be that utterly clueless, fine, that's up to you, but its going to make your job a hell of a lot harder and make watching your show a hell of a lot more annoying. Most of their patients will logically speak Spanish in the local community, so in order for the doctors to actually be able to speak with people, they either need a translator (not exactly an ideal narrative set-up) or you're going to have to have patients who just so happen to speak English. Which is essentially what they did for the pilot and is what I suspect
they'll be doing all series long. The main patient in the pilot was an American tourist injured on a zip line and the main patient in the next episode appears to be an English-speaking adventurer or wildlife scientist or something. How incredibly convenient! We're in the middle of nowhere and yet we're surrounded by English speakers who just so happen to need serious medical intervention! Who knew this location that's so obscure it can't even be given a specific name was such bustling tourist attraction!? Suffice it to say, the language barrier is going to be a problem. A major problem. I realize that having the barrier adds to the "fish out of water" aspect of the show, and the ugly Americans notion, but I'd much rather read subtitles than watch the majority of the principal cast making ridiculous hand gestures at people and talking too loudly. For the sake of the writers, the show, and the audience, those characters can't learn Spanish fast enough.Overall, it's a well-made show with beautiful scenery, but very little spark or sizzle (or, you know, logic). It had all the basic elements that a formulaic network medical drama always has, but very little else. For as much as the writers were clearly hoping that the exotic
location would invigorate a tired genre, for me, a guy bleeding to death is a guy bleeding to death, pretty foliage notwithstanding. The characters were all very pretty and likable, but not all that interesting. The pilot rather ham-fistedly imparted some backstory for each of the new young docs, but none of those stories struck me as particularly unique or intriguing. I found myself wishing that the actors had been given a lot more to work with, because frankly, the cast is extremely talented and could have made this show something really special, given the chance. As is, they were unceremoniously plopped into a genre, from which there seems to be no escape... even in South America.If the medical drama is a genre that you aren't completely sick of, you'll probably enjoy this show quite a bit. They did very little to reinvent the wheel here, so if you're looking for anything beyond your typical, predictable doctor show, you should probably look elsewhere. I often think that when it comes to programs about doctors, lawyers, and cops, there's simply nothing left that can be done. I think to myself that the genres have been so overdone that there's no way to invigorate them again. But then a show like Mamie's most recent credit, The Good Wife, comes along and proves me wrong. In the proper hands, even the most exhausted of conceits can be given new life, going well beyond the standard cliches and instead giving audiences one of the best shows on air. What I'm trying to say is that it is possible for the medical drama to thrill audiences once again, but Off the Map
fell short. I'm going to stick around for a couple more episodes for Mamie and Matt Saracen (who will hopefully get better material to work with in coming weeks), and I'd like to think that something about the show will grab me, but I'm doubtful. Even the best of characters are going to have a hell of time overcoming the confines of Shondaland. Methinks Mamie and Matt would be better suited to a different show (especially Matt, who plays adorable better than douchey).Pilot Grade: C
Tuesday, August 17, 2010
ABC Pilots: Volume 2
In this here volume, I'll be polishing off the dramas and hopefully tackling the comedies as well. I don't review reality shows in this capacity (since they aren't really pilots, per se), but don't you worry, they have a new Undercover Bossish show where the filthy rich get a taste of what poverty is all about. I'm sure they're aiming for heart-warming and revelatory, but I'm guessing we'll end up with infuriating and schmaltzy.
And, after taking full account of ABC's new slate, it appears they feel rather stung by the past few seasons seeing as all efforts to do anything original have officially flown out the window. Literally, the basis for their new fall agenda includes a cop show, a legal show, a crime procedural, and a medical show. Way to... not step out of the box. At all. I think failed "out of the box" shows like Pushing Daisies, FlashForward, and to large extent, V, have left ABC a little gun-shy, spurring them to run for the safety of convention and cliche. It's a real shame that more unique, more serialized shows have had such a hard time, but to be honest, their past attempts at legal shows and crime procedurals were even less successful, so who knows what ABC is thinking. What I'm thinking so far is that they've done a pretty piss-poor job of selecting new pilots and that I have very little to be excited about... Sigh.
Anyway, preamble over. On with the show... er, shows...
OFF THE MAP
Description: Stars Martin Henderson as Ben Keeton, Caroline Dhavernas as Lily Brenner, Enrique Murciano as Manny Diaz, Mamie Gummer as Mina Minard, Jason George as Otis Cole, Valerie Cruz as Zita (Zee) and Jose Julian as Charlie. “Off the Map” is executive-produced by Shonda Rhimes and Betsy Beers, and created/executive-produced by Jenna Bans.
My Take: Well, what ABC fall schedule would be complete without a Shonda Rhimes enterprise on the list? A good one! Ba dum bum! Oy. You know, most showrunners at least pretend to try new things. Shonda? Not so much. Here we have Grey's Anatomy: Survivor. Ooh! Or Grey's Safari? Eh? Eh?! Okay, lame, but only 80% as lame as this show appears to be. If I had never seen a show like this, I'd probably think it looked like a fun little medical romantic dramedy, but having seen 622 shows just like this, 613 of which were from Shonda herself, it's hard to watch that preview with anything but a groan. Mamie Gummer is wonderful, but I don't think she can carry a show. I didn't recognize anyone else, but I'm better neither can they. Who knows. I really did enjoy the first few seasons of Grey's, so maybe Shonda will hit another one out of the park. It's slated for midseason though, so it sounds like ABC might not be all that confident in it... or, they're just hoping to hell the same thing that happened to midseason sensation Grey's will happen to this one. I'm not holding my breath. It genuinely doesn't look awful, it just looks awfully familiar. And when you watch as much TV as I do, a little originality goes a long, long way. Every character type, every medical situation, every tense moment, every untoward relationship, every hunky doctor... I've seen it all before. Here's hoping lightning strikes twice for Rhimes. God knows it has to be better than Private Practice. Brushing away all pre-conceived notions of Shonda's shows, it looks like it might be all right. At it's core, it'll be a character-driven show, so assuming some of these new faces really make a splash, it might be worth keeping around. I doubt it'll ever be a top tier contender, but I could see it falling into second tier guilty pleasure territory. If you are or were a fan of any of Shonda's other projects, you should definitely check this one out. If not, skip it. She appears to have done absolutely nothing to reinvent her wheel other than move it to a purdy location. For me? I don't think that's going to be enough.
THE WHOLE TRUTH
Description: Stars Rob Morrow (“Numb3rs”) as Jimmy Brogan, Someone Someoneson as Kathryn Peale, Eamonn Walker (“Oz”) as Sr. ADA Terrence “Edge” Edgecomb, Sean Wing as Chad Griffin, Anthony Ruivivar as Alejo Salazar and Christine Adams as Lena Boudreaux. The pilot was written and co-executive produced by Tom Donaghy, and the executive producers are Jerry Bruckheimer and Jonathan Littman.
My Take: Why yes, yes that was Jerry Bruckheimer's ominous moniker you noticed! And we know that always means quality! If only... This one actually looks like it might be kind of interesting, even if still stuck in this omnipresent genre. I generally enjoy a good legal drama and they've at least tried to take a new spin on it. The problem? Well, Joley Richardson has already dropped out of the show, so it's impossible to know exactly what it will look like in the end. It's also unclear why she dropped out. The official reason is that she wanted to spend more time with her family... My guess would be that if it were a really good show, "family time" wouldn't be that high on her list. I assume her real reason is something along the lines of, "jumped ship before it sank," which I can respect. Her departure is the primary reason I'm apprehensive about this one (aside from Bruckheimer). I'm hearing that Maura Tierney might take over as the female lead... Yeah... no good. I like Maura well enough, but this is not a good role for her. She's just so dour and vulnerable. Anyway, in terms of construct, I actually quite like the idea of getting to see both sides of the case in a more straight-forward fashion (most shows kind of show each side, but the audience knows who the writers want you to pull for). But, knowing TV, it will probably turn out to be your standard legal show in the end and they've had a spotty success record lately at best. With Richardson dropping out, I suspect script changes will follow. All the behind-the-scenes changes leave me a bit wary of this one and the more changes and cast shake-ups there are, the worse a show generally is. Based on this already defunct trailer alone, it looked like it could be an interesting take on the genre (albeit not the most imaginative take), but it's looking like it'll be a very different show come this fall. As such, I'll be tuning into whatever incarnation appears, but I'm not carrying a torch for this one. Here's hoping they go with someone other than Tierney and that she can really hold her own. Here's also hoping she has chemistry with Rob Morrow because I give it exactly 3 episodes before the writers simply can't help but to hook the two leads up (or at least head in the will-they-or-won't-they direction). Actually, yeah, they probably plan on hinting at a hook-up for the next 5 years... ugh... Mercifully, I doubt they'll be around that long anyways.
Boy, with heaping dollops of awesomeness in the drama department (note sarcasm), I can't wait to see what comedies we have in store! Honestly though, comedy is the only arena in which ABC has had any real success in the past few years, so maybe this is their niche. Here goes!
BETTER TOGETHER
Description: Stars JoAnna Garcia as Mia, Jennifer Finnigan as Maddie, Josh Cooke as Ben, Jake Lacy as Casey, with Kurt Fuller as Joel and Debra Jo Rupp as Vicky. Shana Goldberg-Meehan is executive producer and writer. The pilot was directed by James Burrows.
My Take: Oh. Dear. God. This looks awful. I mean awful. To say it looks criminally unfunny would be generous. I never so much as a cracked a smile during this preview, and that comes from someone who’s a bit of a grammar snob herself! Good lord, this one looks positively painful. Oh, look how hilarious couples are! It’s funny because it’s true! Everyone can relate to this crap, right? Oh, he's funny because he's stupid! Get it?! Dear ABC, just stop. You knocked it out of the park with Modern Family. Let’s leave it at that, shall we? Please? Is there someway I can convince you that passing on crap this is somehow... uh, greener(?) than other options? Maybe? Wait, I know, speaking of “better,” how about you stop picking up shit like Better Together and instead, market pure genius like Better Off Ted in a way that will actually garner viewers. It makes it all the sadder than Better Off Ted was canceled when you see the drivel they’ve pinned their hopes on for this fall. This is the first comedy I’ve screened, so hopefully the others are (adjusting expectations according to ABC’s current worth)… watchable? Is that asking too much? Better Together is a generic mess that is pretending to have a new spin, but totally doesn’t. The stock characters are even more stock than usual and none of them appears to be even slightly likable. Worst of all, several respectable names are attached to this steaming pile. Even with as little faith as I have in the American viewing public, I don’t think this show will catch on. I suspect it will go the way of other multi-camera comedies of late and die a quick, yet eye-gougingly painful death, a la 100 Questions and Romantically Challenged. How bad was the trailer? I don’t think I’ll even be giving the pilot a shot. And I give just about everything a shot! The morbid curiosity has me tempted, but seriously, the three minutes the trailer offered led to some serious brow furrowing and eye rolling. The couples on this show may be better together, but I’m quite confident this show and I are better apart. Way apart.
HAPPY ENDINGS
Description: Stars Elisha Cuthbert (“24”) as Alex, Eliza Coupe as Jane, Zachary Knighton as Dave, Adam Pally as Max, Damon Wayans, Jr. as Brad and Casey Wilson as Penny. From executive producers Jamie Tarses, Jonathan Groff (and no, this is not the same guy who played Jesse on Glee--at least not that I know of), Anthony & Joe Russo, and co-executive producer David Caspe, “Happy Endings” examines the complex network of long-term friendships. The pilot was written by David Caspe and directed by Anthony & Joe Russo. The series is from Sony Pictures Television and ABC Studios.
My Take: Okay, I don’t know if it’s the Better Together aftertaste talking or what, but this actually looks like it might have some potential. It’s pretty obviously the spawn of Friends, but now with 16.67% more diversity! Geez, it was ridiculous in 1994 that the entire regular cast of Friends was white, but now it’s 16 years later and we still have 5 out of 6? Seriously? Oy. I’m trying to give this show the benefit of the doubt and assume that it’s set in a largely Caucasian city (you know, unlike Friends, wherein New York City is akin to Mayberry), but even then, it’s still fairly irksome. Anyway, aside from that, this show looks like it might be kinda fun. Whereas My Generation (formerly called Generation Y) doesn’t seem to speak to me at all (in spite of the fact that I fall smack dab into the middle of that particular demographic), Happy Endings holds much more appeal and seems more relatable. I myself haven’t made any new friends in like a decade, so I guess it’s nice to see that I’m not the only one. The cast seems likable enough (I never watched 24, for Cuthbert doesn’t present as many obstacles for me) and there were moments of the trailer that genuinely made me smile, even if it didn't rise to the level of actual laughing. I think if I grew to know and adore these characters, I’d find it considerably funnier, but even as is, it seemed pleasantly amusing, if not uproarious. The fact that that guy really does look like “if Paul Rudd gave up” definitely won them some points. Long story short, it’s basically Friends, but you know, I quite liked Friends, so here’s hoping this show takes a modern angle on it… and by “modern” I mean “Ross-free” of course. I'll definitely be giving this one a shot. I was leary of Covert Affairs as an Alias reboot, but that is totally working for me, so maybe it's just time the mid-90s were rebooted. Good god, I feel old.
MR. SUNSHINE
Description: Stars Matthew Perry (“Friends”) as Ben, Allison Janney (“The West Wing”) as Crystal, Andrea Anders (“Better Off Ted”) as Alice, James Lesure as Alonzo, Nate Torrence as Roman and Portia Doubleday as Heather. The Pilot was written by Matthew Perry and Alex Barnow & Marc Firek and directed by Thomas Schlamme.
My Take: As one of the 9 people who enjoyed Studio 60, I couldn’t help but to smile at Matthew Perry anchoring another series along with Tommy Schlamme. Add to that Allison Janney and Andrea Anders, and I must admit, I went into watching the trailer with fairly high hopes. After watching it, I’m a little torn. It looks like the kind of set up that could really have some potential, and you’d be hard-pressed to find a stronger cast, but there was just something a little off about it. I think they’re relying a bit too much on wackiness for my tastes. As seen in Friends, Perry can definitely work with wacky if he has to, but it’s not the style of comedy he’s best at. He does appear to be playing the straight man in all this though, so hopefully he’ll be right at home. Even just from the preview, it looks like Janney is poised to be the scene stealer of the series. Fortunately, I love her, so that totally works for me. Andrea Anders wasn’t my favorite character on Better Off Ted, but she can certainly hold her own. I wasn’t wowed by the trailer, but I’m optimistic for the series. It has a hell of a lot going for it, so with any luck, that will translate to the screen. At the very least, it’s refreshing to have a new setting for a comedy to inhabit and new situations for them to face. Based on the trailer alone, it felt a bit like the writers were trying a bit too hard, but comedies usually settle in after a few episodes, so that doesn’t worry me too much. I’ll certainly be giving this one a chance, but it sounds like I’ll have to wait till midseason… which often speaks to a network’s overall confidence in a show… Here’s hoping Mr. Sunshine bucks the trend. It has to be better than Better Together, right? Good god, in the span of only one blog post, that show has become my new benchmark for awful. Ouch...
And, after taking full account of ABC's new slate, it appears they feel rather stung by the past few seasons seeing as all efforts to do anything original have officially flown out the window. Literally, the basis for their new fall agenda includes a cop show, a legal show, a crime procedural, and a medical show. Way to... not step out of the box. At all. I think failed "out of the box" shows like Pushing Daisies, FlashForward, and to large extent, V, have left ABC a little gun-shy, spurring them to run for the safety of convention and cliche. It's a real shame that more unique, more serialized shows have had such a hard time, but to be honest, their past attempts at legal shows and crime procedurals were even less successful, so who knows what ABC is thinking. What I'm thinking so far is that they've done a pretty piss-poor job of selecting new pilots and that I have very little to be excited about... Sigh.
Anyway, preamble over. On with the show... er, shows...
OFF THE MAP
Description: Stars Martin Henderson as Ben Keeton, Caroline Dhavernas as Lily Brenner, Enrique Murciano as Manny Diaz, Mamie Gummer as Mina Minard, Jason George as Otis Cole, Valerie Cruz as Zita (Zee) and Jose Julian as Charlie. “Off the Map” is executive-produced by Shonda Rhimes and Betsy Beers, and created/executive-produced by Jenna Bans.
My Take: Well, what ABC fall schedule would be complete without a Shonda Rhimes enterprise on the list? A good one! Ba dum bum! Oy. You know, most showrunners at least pretend to try new things. Shonda? Not so much. Here we have Grey's Anatomy: Survivor. Ooh! Or Grey's Safari? Eh? Eh?! Okay, lame, but only 80% as lame as this show appears to be. If I had never seen a show like this, I'd probably think it looked like a fun little medical romantic dramedy, but having seen 622 shows just like this, 613 of which were from Shonda herself, it's hard to watch that preview with anything but a groan. Mamie Gummer is wonderful, but I don't think she can carry a show. I didn't recognize anyone else, but I'm better neither can they. Who knows. I really did enjoy the first few seasons of Grey's, so maybe Shonda will hit another one out of the park. It's slated for midseason though, so it sounds like ABC might not be all that confident in it... or, they're just hoping to hell the same thing that happened to midseason sensation Grey's will happen to this one. I'm not holding my breath. It genuinely doesn't look awful, it just looks awfully familiar. And when you watch as much TV as I do, a little originality goes a long, long way. Every character type, every medical situation, every tense moment, every untoward relationship, every hunky doctor... I've seen it all before. Here's hoping lightning strikes twice for Rhimes. God knows it has to be better than Private Practice. Brushing away all pre-conceived notions of Shonda's shows, it looks like it might be all right. At it's core, it'll be a character-driven show, so assuming some of these new faces really make a splash, it might be worth keeping around. I doubt it'll ever be a top tier contender, but I could see it falling into second tier guilty pleasure territory. If you are or were a fan of any of Shonda's other projects, you should definitely check this one out. If not, skip it. She appears to have done absolutely nothing to reinvent her wheel other than move it to a purdy location. For me? I don't think that's going to be enough.
THE WHOLE TRUTH
Description: Stars Rob Morrow (“Numb3rs”) as Jimmy Brogan, Someone Someoneson as Kathryn Peale, Eamonn Walker (“Oz”) as Sr. ADA Terrence “Edge” Edgecomb, Sean Wing as Chad Griffin, Anthony Ruivivar as Alejo Salazar and Christine Adams as Lena Boudreaux. The pilot was written and co-executive produced by Tom Donaghy, and the executive producers are Jerry Bruckheimer and Jonathan Littman.
My Take: Why yes, yes that was Jerry Bruckheimer's ominous moniker you noticed! And we know that always means quality! If only... This one actually looks like it might be kind of interesting, even if still stuck in this omnipresent genre. I generally enjoy a good legal drama and they've at least tried to take a new spin on it. The problem? Well, Joley Richardson has already dropped out of the show, so it's impossible to know exactly what it will look like in the end. It's also unclear why she dropped out. The official reason is that she wanted to spend more time with her family... My guess would be that if it were a really good show, "family time" wouldn't be that high on her list. I assume her real reason is something along the lines of, "jumped ship before it sank," which I can respect. Her departure is the primary reason I'm apprehensive about this one (aside from Bruckheimer). I'm hearing that Maura Tierney might take over as the female lead... Yeah... no good. I like Maura well enough, but this is not a good role for her. She's just so dour and vulnerable. Anyway, in terms of construct, I actually quite like the idea of getting to see both sides of the case in a more straight-forward fashion (most shows kind of show each side, but the audience knows who the writers want you to pull for). But, knowing TV, it will probably turn out to be your standard legal show in the end and they've had a spotty success record lately at best. With Richardson dropping out, I suspect script changes will follow. All the behind-the-scenes changes leave me a bit wary of this one and the more changes and cast shake-ups there are, the worse a show generally is. Based on this already defunct trailer alone, it looked like it could be an interesting take on the genre (albeit not the most imaginative take), but it's looking like it'll be a very different show come this fall. As such, I'll be tuning into whatever incarnation appears, but I'm not carrying a torch for this one. Here's hoping they go with someone other than Tierney and that she can really hold her own. Here's also hoping she has chemistry with Rob Morrow because I give it exactly 3 episodes before the writers simply can't help but to hook the two leads up (or at least head in the will-they-or-won't-they direction). Actually, yeah, they probably plan on hinting at a hook-up for the next 5 years... ugh... Mercifully, I doubt they'll be around that long anyways.
Boy, with heaping dollops of awesomeness in the drama department (note sarcasm), I can't wait to see what comedies we have in store! Honestly though, comedy is the only arena in which ABC has had any real success in the past few years, so maybe this is their niche. Here goes!
BETTER TOGETHER
Description: Stars JoAnna Garcia as Mia, Jennifer Finnigan as Maddie, Josh Cooke as Ben, Jake Lacy as Casey, with Kurt Fuller as Joel and Debra Jo Rupp as Vicky. Shana Goldberg-Meehan is executive producer and writer. The pilot was directed by James Burrows.
My Take: Oh. Dear. God. This looks awful. I mean awful. To say it looks criminally unfunny would be generous. I never so much as a cracked a smile during this preview, and that comes from someone who’s a bit of a grammar snob herself! Good lord, this one looks positively painful. Oh, look how hilarious couples are! It’s funny because it’s true! Everyone can relate to this crap, right? Oh, he's funny because he's stupid! Get it?! Dear ABC, just stop. You knocked it out of the park with Modern Family. Let’s leave it at that, shall we? Please? Is there someway I can convince you that passing on crap this is somehow... uh, greener(?) than other options? Maybe? Wait, I know, speaking of “better,” how about you stop picking up shit like Better Together and instead, market pure genius like Better Off Ted in a way that will actually garner viewers. It makes it all the sadder than Better Off Ted was canceled when you see the drivel they’ve pinned their hopes on for this fall. This is the first comedy I’ve screened, so hopefully the others are (adjusting expectations according to ABC’s current worth)… watchable? Is that asking too much? Better Together is a generic mess that is pretending to have a new spin, but totally doesn’t. The stock characters are even more stock than usual and none of them appears to be even slightly likable. Worst of all, several respectable names are attached to this steaming pile. Even with as little faith as I have in the American viewing public, I don’t think this show will catch on. I suspect it will go the way of other multi-camera comedies of late and die a quick, yet eye-gougingly painful death, a la 100 Questions and Romantically Challenged. How bad was the trailer? I don’t think I’ll even be giving the pilot a shot. And I give just about everything a shot! The morbid curiosity has me tempted, but seriously, the three minutes the trailer offered led to some serious brow furrowing and eye rolling. The couples on this show may be better together, but I’m quite confident this show and I are better apart. Way apart.
HAPPY ENDINGS
Description: Stars Elisha Cuthbert (“24”) as Alex, Eliza Coupe as Jane, Zachary Knighton as Dave, Adam Pally as Max, Damon Wayans, Jr. as Brad and Casey Wilson as Penny. From executive producers Jamie Tarses, Jonathan Groff (and no, this is not the same guy who played Jesse on Glee--at least not that I know of), Anthony & Joe Russo, and co-executive producer David Caspe, “Happy Endings” examines the complex network of long-term friendships. The pilot was written by David Caspe and directed by Anthony & Joe Russo. The series is from Sony Pictures Television and ABC Studios.
My Take: Okay, I don’t know if it’s the Better Together aftertaste talking or what, but this actually looks like it might have some potential. It’s pretty obviously the spawn of Friends, but now with 16.67% more diversity! Geez, it was ridiculous in 1994 that the entire regular cast of Friends was white, but now it’s 16 years later and we still have 5 out of 6? Seriously? Oy. I’m trying to give this show the benefit of the doubt and assume that it’s set in a largely Caucasian city (you know, unlike Friends, wherein New York City is akin to Mayberry), but even then, it’s still fairly irksome. Anyway, aside from that, this show looks like it might be kinda fun. Whereas My Generation (formerly called Generation Y) doesn’t seem to speak to me at all (in spite of the fact that I fall smack dab into the middle of that particular demographic), Happy Endings holds much more appeal and seems more relatable. I myself haven’t made any new friends in like a decade, so I guess it’s nice to see that I’m not the only one. The cast seems likable enough (I never watched 24, for Cuthbert doesn’t present as many obstacles for me) and there were moments of the trailer that genuinely made me smile, even if it didn't rise to the level of actual laughing. I think if I grew to know and adore these characters, I’d find it considerably funnier, but even as is, it seemed pleasantly amusing, if not uproarious. The fact that that guy really does look like “if Paul Rudd gave up” definitely won them some points. Long story short, it’s basically Friends, but you know, I quite liked Friends, so here’s hoping this show takes a modern angle on it… and by “modern” I mean “Ross-free” of course. I'll definitely be giving this one a shot. I was leary of Covert Affairs as an Alias reboot, but that is totally working for me, so maybe it's just time the mid-90s were rebooted. Good god, I feel old.
MR. SUNSHINE
Description: Stars Matthew Perry (“Friends”) as Ben, Allison Janney (“The West Wing”) as Crystal, Andrea Anders (“Better Off Ted”) as Alice, James Lesure as Alonzo, Nate Torrence as Roman and Portia Doubleday as Heather. The Pilot was written by Matthew Perry and Alex Barnow & Marc Firek and directed by Thomas Schlamme.
My Take: As one of the 9 people who enjoyed Studio 60, I couldn’t help but to smile at Matthew Perry anchoring another series along with Tommy Schlamme. Add to that Allison Janney and Andrea Anders, and I must admit, I went into watching the trailer with fairly high hopes. After watching it, I’m a little torn. It looks like the kind of set up that could really have some potential, and you’d be hard-pressed to find a stronger cast, but there was just something a little off about it. I think they’re relying a bit too much on wackiness for my tastes. As seen in Friends, Perry can definitely work with wacky if he has to, but it’s not the style of comedy he’s best at. He does appear to be playing the straight man in all this though, so hopefully he’ll be right at home. Even just from the preview, it looks like Janney is poised to be the scene stealer of the series. Fortunately, I love her, so that totally works for me. Andrea Anders wasn’t my favorite character on Better Off Ted, but she can certainly hold her own. I wasn’t wowed by the trailer, but I’m optimistic for the series. It has a hell of a lot going for it, so with any luck, that will translate to the screen. At the very least, it’s refreshing to have a new setting for a comedy to inhabit and new situations for them to face. Based on the trailer alone, it felt a bit like the writers were trying a bit too hard, but comedies usually settle in after a few episodes, so that doesn’t worry me too much. I’ll certainly be giving this one a chance, but it sounds like I’ll have to wait till midseason… which often speaks to a network’s overall confidence in a show… Here’s hoping Mr. Sunshine bucks the trend. It has to be better than Better Together, right? Good god, in the span of only one blog post, that show has become my new benchmark for awful. Ouch...
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