Whew, finally I've made it to ABC's fall line-up. Granted, they announced their new slate of shows several weeks ago, but it took quite a while to sift through the other networks, so I'm only now getting to ABC. As with the other nets, the promising pilots are surrounded by a whole lot of crap. I, uh, can hardly wait...
For some reason, ABC seems to have a hell of a lot more pilots slated for next season than any other network, so that wasn't exactly enticing me to put this together any quicker. It has also led me to the decision to break this up into two posts.
Anyway, before we can move on to the new, here's the situation with the old.
AXED:
Cupid (which won't be missed), The Unusuals (which certainly will be missed), Samantha Who? (whose longevity of concept has always been in question), and According to Jim (whose success has always been a complete mystery).
PICKED UP:
Better Off Ted (yay!), Brothers & Sisters, Castle (double yay!), Desperate Housewives, Grey's Anatomy (groan!), Lost, Private Practice (double groan!), Scrubs (which will apparently be set in school now... oookay), and Ugly Betty. (Ugly Betty is being moved to the Friday death slot; Better Off Ted and Scrubs will airs Tuesday nights at 9 after Dancing With the Stars signs off in the fall.)
I'm completely psyched that Castle and Better Off Ted got picked up, but other than that, ABC has kind of fallen off my radar lately. Here's hoping the new crop can fill a few slots in my schedule. At present, there's entirely too much CBS on my plate for comfort...
Some pilots that you may have heard about didn't get the green light. ABC won't be tuning into The Bridget Show, starring Gilmore gal Lauren Graham as a talk-show host (according to Ausiello, it was unspeakably painful--i.e., it was so bad he declined to comment). Similarly, No Heroics (an intentionally funny version of Heroes) won't be gracing screens any time soon, and Limelight (a modern-day Fame) didn't quite make it.
Anyway, here are the newbies that did get the go ahead for fall:
FLASH FORWARD
My Take: As with so many other shows that start off with a very specific direction using a high concept pilot, I think this one could really go either way. I know ABC is hoping it goes the way of Lost, but there's always a good chance it will end up like The Nine or Six Degrees. If the audience buys into it and feels that the show has potential and promising longevity, it'll do well, if not, the show will be consumed by the concept and run out of steam early on. Given that the events of the "flash forward" appear to come to fruition in April 2010 (presumably the season finale), I have to wonder where the show would go from there. I'm hoping that the first season unveils a conspiracy, evil plot, or something or other that goes well beyond the flash forward itself. It looks like Joseph Fiennes will be charged with just such a task. Whatever is behind the blackout could take the show in great directions, or stop it dead in its tracks. My only concern is that if the week-to-week episodes don't handle this properly, the audience may lose interest before enough is revealed to make the show really work well. I'm intrigued, but cautious. There are a lot of shows that have come and gone that have had a crazy, mysterious shared experience that is illuminated over time to the audience. Some have been excellent, others have not. I think this one has a better chance for longevity than other recent entries into this pseudo-genre, so I'm hoping it makes the best of its high concept and really knocks it out of the park. Otherwise, I'm afraid I just won't care about "what they saw" and walk away. The cast appears to be very strong and the production values look solid. With the right writers and showrunner, I think this one could be a strong contender for fall, rather than the hokey Lost wannabe that it could be. Here's hoping.
COUGAR TOWN
My Take: Um, wow... Yeah, so this show appears to be trying to tap in to a demographic which I do not represent, comprise, or have a hell of a lot of interest in... That said, I don't think this one is going to be my cup of tea exactly. I get the impression that the "cougar" concept will be beaten to death in the pilot and then they'll just keep pummeling that dead horse for the majority of the series. I'd like to think that that's not going to be the case, but the preview does little to allay my concerns. Add to that the fact that Courtney Cox's character appears to be supremely annoying and more than a little stupid and I'm less than thrilled with the whole concept of the show. The preview wasn't completely charmless (I kind of enjoyed the guy wolfing down crackers with peanut butter on them because he couldn't stop thinking about it), but overall, I just don't think Courtney is going to be able to pull this one off. Her character's interactions with her son, friends, and dates seems forcibly awkward and off-putting (although her son is played by that kid from Aliens in America, so that's a plus). I get that that's kind of the point, but I just don't think anyone who's as successful and accomplished as her character is supposed to be would be that socially inept. Anyway, I don't think I'll be giving this one much of a chance. If I'm in the mood for illicit hook-ups and tawdriness (and a hell of lot less awkwardidity), I'll watch some Gossip Girl, thanks.
EASTWICK
My Take: Well, on the up side, Cougartown is suddenly looking a whole lot better... Yeah, Eastwick doesn't look like anything that will make it onto my regular rotation. Bad acting, bad writing, bad concept, bad "dialogue," bad... fountain-y statue thing... The whole thing just looks horribly contrived and even more horribly executed. I don't know what it would take to make this one look like a winner, but I'm pretty sure all the magic in Eastwick won't be enough. Yikes. I never actually saw the '80s flick that inspired this turkey (The Witches of Eastwick), but I'm going to guess it wasn't exactly begging to become a series.
HAPPY TOWN
My Take: Well, right off the bat, I have to disclose some prejudice for and against this one. Although not featured in the preview above, Amy Acker (aka Dr. Saunders on Dollhouse and Fred from Angel (and who was not Penny from Dr. Horrible--sorry about that one, Jack, I don't know what the hell I was thinking)) is among the cast. While having her on the show will undoubtedly make Happy Town better, it might also mean that her commitments on Dollhouse will be reduced. I'm more than a little torn... Anyway, the show looks fairly promising. I wouldn't say it's one of my favorite conceits, but a good murder mystery is always a good time. This show seems to be aiming for a more stylized, sugar-sweet exterior with a dark side than the usual fare, so hopefully they pull it off and make it work. It's the kind of approach that could be awesome or awful. The cast looks very strong (including Sam Neil, Amy, of course, and Jerry from ER/Larry Kubiak). I'll definitely be giving this one a shot, but deep down, I'm mainly just hoping it doesn't interfere with Dollhouse... If Happy Town can strike the right balance between style and story, I think it could be a solid show. It certainly has a lot of good qualities to work with, but I'm just not sure this one is going to find an audience. I'll be giving it a shot, of course, but based on the preview alone, it's striking me as a second or third tier show at most. I'll be truly surprised if it manages to grace the top tier (being all hallowed and lofty like it is).
Well, those are some of the new shows we can expect from ABC next year. Stay tuned for volume two, which will feature ABC's most anticipated new show (at least it's the most anticipated show in my circles), V, among various others
No, wait a minute... Hold on... Yep, we're good. We've got the HawthoRNe pilot riiiiight here.
TNT's newest addition takes your typical medical drama and, well, does very little to re-invent the wheel. No matter how much star Michael Vartan (Agent Vaughn of Alias fame and Big Shots infamy) seems to think this show is a completely new spin on an old premise, he's sadly mistaken. No, no, you see, this time, the show focuses on nurses, so it's totally different! Oh, sweetie, it's cute that you think that...
This show manages to take all the standard medical show clichés that exist, multiply them by 100, and squeeze them all into the pilot alone. Truly, the only way in which HawthoRNe (which, can I tell you how much I hate the cheeseballishness of putting the RN in caps? Gag me) could be considered innovative is that it is operating on the overweening assumption that, quite simply: Doctors baaaaad. Nurses good! It's a conceit that only succeeds on a case by case, doctor by doctor, nurse by nurse basis, so when it's shoved down your throat with each passing patient, it gets real annoying real fast.
HawthoRNe follows the trials and tribulations of Jada Pinkett Smith (in the titular role of Christina Hawthorne) and her band of nurses as they save lives from the largely evil, criminally negligent, grossly incompetent doctors... or at least that's the impression the pilot seemed hell bent on giving. I'm not saying that there aren't uncaring, pompous doctors out there in the world, but the show seems to think that nurses are the only caring souls in the whole hospital (with the exception of Dr. Vaughn, of course, because he gives lollipops), and as someone who happens to know a hell of a lot of doctors (and nurses for that matter), it just isn't the case.
Flaws in conception aside, the show falters equally in execution. The pilot begins with Christina, lying in bed, talking to someone off camera. Her conversation is just cheesy enough and contains just enough clunky exposition that it comes as little surprise that she's really talking to an urn containing the remains of her dead husband (yes, I'm serious). I suspected she would be talking to a picture of him or something, but either way, the reveal was wasted. As with so many sub-par pilots, the writers felt the need to explain every minute detail of who everyone is, what problems they have, and how they relate to everyone else, that even from this first scene, and throughout the rest of the pilot, it felt like a recap of the past few years rather than a natural window into their lives. The pilot basically felt like the longest previouslies in history. "Previously, on the past decade of HawthoRNe..." and then threw 43 minutes of back story and medical show clichés at the audience.
Anyway, as the viewer couldn't help but to learn right off the bat, Christina's husband died a year ago to the day of the pilot. Fortunately, Christina has been through the writers' room about 17 times and is tough as nails, but sensitive and compassionate, so she puts on a brave face and does whatever it takes to be the best damn nurse that she can be! She's a badass who isn't afraid to break the rules in order to do what's right. She's smarter and stronger and caring-er than anyone else, so when the shit hits the fan, she's the only nurse for the job... Sadly, that's not even that over the top a description of the show. Unfortunately, as a nurse, and not a doctor, most of her badassery revolves around reprimanding mean doctors, arguing with social services, and placing an IV. You want a badass nurse who bucks the system? I'm calling Nurse Jackie, thanks.
As I've mentioned in previous posts, I fully acknowledge that nurses are absolutely essential to pretty much everything that happens in a hospital. As Nurse Jackie would say (matter-of-factly, not saccharine after-school-special-y as Nurse Christina would), "Doctors diagnose, nurses heal." Where Nurse Jackie takes the perspective of nurses and offers a uniquely captivating, mordantly funny, realistically gritty character piece, HawthoRNe only manages to reinforce all the standard medical show clichés that we've seen a hundred times before, only with a lot less of the cool medical stuff.
Take, for example this exchange between Christina and Dr. Vaughn as they stand in the hospital hallway, discussing the anniversary of Christina's husband's death.
Dr. Vaughn: You should really go home, Christina. Christina: This is home.
Ugh. I knew it was all down hill from there. Add to that about a dozen other cheeseball medical show staples and you've got yourself this pilot. It's fine to examine recurring themes to the profession, issues that arise again and again, and character traits that many nurses and doctors may have in common, but this pilot had zero subtlety about it and was in no way as unique as they'd like to think. Quite frankly, if you've never watched a medical show before, you'd have very few problems with this show and probably be fascinated by the interplay between patients and their caregivers, but that's a pretty small percentage of the population. Anyone who would be turning into this show in the first place is probably a fan of the genre already, and has seen these things before, or the much-cooler equivalent.
Christina's fellow nurses and some assorted doctors round out the cast. The nurses are pretty much invariably saint-like, and with the exception of Vaughn, the doctors are almost invariably horrible. Now, I don't doubt that there is sometimes tension between the nursing staff and the doctors and am certain that some doctors don't give nurses their due, but from what I hear from the medical professionals I know, the two groups work together quite harmoniously most of the time and appreciate each other for the skills and dedication that is brought to the table. This knowledge made watching the doctors yell at the nurses for nothing, sleeping instead of treating patients, and only showing up after Super-Nurse had already saved the day was tedious and nonsensical from the get-go.
It's really a shame that this is the angle chosen by the writers because on the whole, the cast is good, the productions quality is fine, and the bare bones of the premise could have been turned into something wonderful. Instead, the viewer is left with redundancies, fallacies, and eye-rollingly cheesy, ham-fisted, well, everything (although that's starting to sound kind of tasty--nice and breakfasty).
The show held no surprises and very little charm or humor. At every turn, I could hear the writers room in my head and see exactly what they were trying to do. "Okay, here's where we set up an unlikely romantic pairing to keep people interested... Okay, so this male nurse is going to be the nice guy pining after the unattainable girl... Okay, to make this character more layered, we're going to give her a prosthetic leg, and to show the audience the prosthetic in a really exciting way, we're going to have a maniac stab her with a knife!" You think I'm joking with that last one? Wow, how I wish I were. It would have been an interesting and uncommon character aspect for her to have, but it was revealed in the lamest, more convenient possible way. In spite of this, her character really is the best of the pilot, as far as I'm concerned. Her line delivery was such that the painful dialogue was considerably more palatable. Not an easy feat.
I think this show most boils down to wasted potential. I realize it's unfair to judge a show based entirely on the pilot (a hell of a lot of shows have had bad pilots and yet turned into great serieseses), but everything that was set up was trite, over-thought, and forcibly earnest. Such qualities do not bode well for the series as a whole. This show honestly has some decent elements to work with, but if the writers keep insisting on the current treatment, I'm afraid I can't be bothered to care.
If I want to watch a truly complicated, strong, layered, badass nurse, I'll take Nurse Jackie any day. She'd take that million CCs of cliché and flush it right down the toilet--just like so much dismembered ear...
Wow, CBS. Way to play the field... Only ONE new crime procedural?! I'm shocked! Although, given that that new crime procedural is a spin off of NCIS, I'm going to have to revoke all praise. Aside from that, I have to say that it is nice to see them at least trying to diversify their portfolio. Only one of their fall offerings really looks all that promising so far, but hopefully by fall they'll have a few more viable options.
In all honesty, CBS has never taken up much space on my schedule, so the bar is pretty high. I'm hopeful Julianna Marguiles can buck the trend, but it won't be easy. ABC has always had a better track record. As such, the write up of their fall season is taking longer than one would hope. Eventually, eventually...
Anyway, here's what CBS has planned:
THREE RIVERS
My Take: Right off the bat? I'd say Alex O'Loughlin and his legion of Moonlight-lovin'devotees deserve much better. This looks like your run of the mill medical show, no matter how much they try to dress it up as something new and unique. This time, it's organ donors, recipients, and doctors, see... Yeah, not so much. The problem with focusing on one aspect of medicine is that it tends to pigeon-hole a series. One of the reasons ER was so successful is that it didn't focus on any one group in the hospital. In any given episode, there could be surgical patients (including organ donation scenarios), ER cases (well, duh), issues revolving around recurring patients, nurses, police, paramedics, hell, even the desk clerks. Having that kind of flexibility and variety kept things fresh for years and years. It looks like this show is angling for a procedural type approach to a medical show, and I have to tell you, I think that's going to get real old real fast. By and large, I really don't think I need an entire episode devoted to one set of medical circumstances. I already don't care if that kid will ever play basketball again (and didn't really care the first 874 times I saw a similar storyline elsewhere)... Also, the earnestness (and borderline saccharinity) of the doctors seems pretty eye-rollingly overbearing. It's a shame that such a promising cast (hey, hey! I thought I recognized Shane and lo and behold, it's her!) ended up in a pretty mediocre-looking show. Annnd, it sounds like I'm not the only one who's less than impressed so far. Looks like the brass at CBS is planning to re-tool the show before it premieres and will even do a fair bit of re-casting. The premise isn't terrible, really, it's just been done (and done, and done, and done). I'm hoping the revamp can add some life into this seemingly lackluster show. It's got decent bones to work with (wow, pun SO not intended) and a very promising cast, so I'm keeping my fingers crossed they can turn it into something viable. I happen to know a transplant surgeon, and from what I hear of his schedule, it really could be become something gripping, a little more unique, and a whole lot better. Seriously, this doctor I know only sleeps every third day... If that's a profession-wide phenomenon, you can go ahead and schedule me for surgery the morning after the third day, thanks.
My Take: I'm quite surprised, and a little delighted to say that this show actually looks really good. It may just be the vintage ER fan deep within me speaking, but Julianna Marguiles is just wonderful. This could have been your typical legal drama, but she infuses every role with something very real and engaging. I know so many women who have mortgaged their entire professional existence in a similar way to Marguiles' character and I've wondered how these women would fare if something horrible happened. I know there are rewards to raising children (so I've been told at least... I'm still on the fence), but the thought of taking such a promising career in something you're truly passionate about and just putting it on the back-burner for 13 years is unfathomable to me. And yet, it's so often the case. Better than that the scads of wives out there who have little to no education and practically no work experience to fall back in case of the unfortunate. As you can tell, I'm not an advocate of putting all your eggs in someone else's basket... Anyway, it's refreshing to see a character really take charge of her life after something so public, so humiliating, and so overwhelmingly game-changing happens. I think Marguiles is going to do great things with this role, and with a supporting cast that boasts Matt Czuchry (say what you will about Gilmore Girls, the kid can hold his own--god, I miss that show!) and Christine Baranski, I think The Good Wife has a hell of a lot of potential. In all honesty, it's been a long time since I had a good legal drama on my slate (since, like, The Practice, I dare say) and I'm hoping this little number lives up to expectations. Add to the solid foundation and excellent casting a clear, yet restrained sense of levity, and I think we have a winner here.
ACCIDENTALLY ON PURPOSE
My Take: Well, it's pretty much Knocked Up, the TV series, and I really, really, really hated Knocked Up... Granted, this doesn't look anywhere near as terrible as the film (what with the merciful lack of Katherine Heigl and the refreshing addition of a leading man who isn't utterly repulsive), but it's the same basic premise, only hopefully without all the same ridiculous trappings. What I hated most about the film was that the male characters were gross, unappealing, stupid, and useless and all the female characters where controlling, shrewish harpies. I don't know about you, but that's a whole lot of people I have no desire to watch (I still can't understand how anyone enjoyed that film even a little bit). Anyway, the cast here doesn't look anywhere near as repellant, so that's good, but the concept is still seriously lacking. Aside from just being a cheesy sit-com conceit, it once again begs the question of why she would go through with the pregnancy. For the sake of this show, I really hope they actually address that. Any woman who watched Knocked Up spent the better part of the film wishing to hell someone would either bring up the possibility of terminating the pregnancy or offering some sort of reason (anything!) that could explain why she's going through with it when it will undoubtedly uproot her life and ruin her career. I'm not saying there aren't viable reasons, because there totally are, but in Knocked Up, nothing is offered in any way, and it's ridiculous. I understand that the script was written probably entirely by men, and that that might not be as much of a consideration (at least that's the only explanation I can drum up), but for a couple who just met, have not chemistry whatsoever, and who DO NOT want a child, it's something even a male writer should have considered. Anyway, here's hoping this show has the brains to bring it up. I'm sorry this turned into a rant about a movie, but when the concept is this similar, the show has to be prepared for comparisons. In short, I already have a bias against this show, and then knowing that a child will be the focus of the second season (on the off chance it gets one), pretty much seals the coffin. Babies are the quickest way to ruin a show, so the good ones either avoid them entirely, or never actually have them as key plot points. This show has no such luxury. Blah.
NCIS: THE NEXT GENERATION (okay, so it's really NCIS: Los Angeles, but that's just no fun)
My Take: Never watched the first NCIS, no plans to watch this one. And if there's one thing I've learned about surveillance from Burn Notice, it's that it's boring. Seriously, when "surveillance snacking" is a square on our Burn Notice Bingo game (burn-o!), it's got to be pretty dull. So yeah, a show that's devoted to it? I'll pass. I've never understood why the original version was successful in the first place. What little I've seen has been pretty bad, if not extremely bad. Indeed, the only reason I've ever watched any of it is that I was stuck in a hotel room with nothing else on and no DVR to save me. Turns out, I should have just gone to bed. In spite of all this, knowing CBS, I fully expect you'll be seeing at least 3 or 4 dozen more spin-offs in the future. Maybe I'll give NCIS: Omaha a chance...
As mentioned previously, the powers that be at the CW decided not to pick up a new pilot called The Body Politic and that insiders have indicated that it's one of the best pilots you'll probably never see. Well, heretofore, I hadn't come across any clips or trailers for the show, so I just had to take their word for it...
That was then. Now that I've seen a few clips, I'm inclined to agree with my sources. Unlike the clips from the series that were picked up by the CW, the clips for The Body Politic actually make me want to watch the show. A novel concept, I know. And from what I hear from those who have seen the full pilot, not only is it a good show, but it could actually holds its own on a critical level as well as public.
Of course, it may just be that I miss Jason Dohring (Veronica Mars alum who portrayed my darling Logan Echolls back in the day)... I hadn't realized just how much I missed seeing him on TV until I watched these clips.
My take: I realize that I can't really make a full assessment based on three short clips, but I think this show would have had a hell of a lot of potential. The pace and timing of the show seems to be pretty spot on so the scenes flow naturally, but with some panache. The acting is solid across the board which is a clear reflection of good writing. It's a lot easier to say a line that's well written... When the actors don't have to try so hard to make interactions seem organic to the story, everything comes across as more genuine and less cringe-worthy (a nice change of pace from all the pilots the CW did pick up).
Jason Dohring always does a great job and the way he stood against the elevator wall when he first entered was so Logan Echolls-y it was squee-worthy. On a related note, how great does Jason look in this pilot? He's one of those people who can look great, yet often doesn't, but his styling in this show is really working for me (lovin' the suits and the Simon Baker-style vest...). As much as I love (and miss) Jason, it looks like Gabrielle Union definitely holds her own as well. The second clip was actually quite superb. I think I'm liking Senator Buckley the best of the bunch, quite frankly, but the scene between her and Gabrielle was excellent on both sides. The writing was just acidic enough to put Gabrielle's character in her place, but no so much so that it was catty. Really well written and acted.
I think my only major concern is with the voice-over. I'm not too familiar with Minka Kelly's work, but I hear she's excellent on Friday Night Lights. That said, I found her depiction here to be good, but the voice-over work just didn't quite work for me. This just doesn't seem like the kind of show that would need it... That, or I'm just entirely too accustomed to hearing Kristen Bell's saucy snark when I see Jason Dohring on screen.
Overall, I think this show had a lot of potential. The dynamic among the characters felt natural and familiar. I really felt like these people could actually be friends. Also, the basic concept definitely had long-term sustainability (unlike other shows which will remain nameless). The show had enough elements going that the potential storylines would have been extensive. Couple that with good writing, and this show could have had a long, fruitful life. I assume the brass at the CW were afraid that this show wouldn't appeal to the tween girl demographic (the only one they ever seem to focus on), but for the sake of the network, I have to say I think incorporating some programming that had a wider draw would have been a step in the right direction. Cancel the crap-pile that is One Tree Hill and finally, finally, finally pick up a series that has some broader appeal. I don't know what CW president Dawn Ostroff has been smoking, but passing on The Body Politic was a massively stupid move. Much like cancelling Veronica Mars. Hmm... maybe she just isn't as much of a Jason Dohring fan as I am...
Sigh... The only hope this show has of being picked-up is for mid-season. The CW has one slot open, and assuming the Gossip Girl spin-off is as rightfully dead as it should be, there's a chance they could pick up The Body Politic come January. Quite a lot has been said on the web regarding this series, so I'm hopeful (if skeptical) that Dawn Ostroff roams the internet as much as I do and has come to the realization that she and the other network heads really blew it when they passed on this one initially.
Okay, TV, this is getting absurd. It's always been pretty apparent that a ridiculous number of dramas center around law enforcement, the legal system, or hospitals, but the ratio is getting out of hand. Seriously, you count up all the shows that fall into one of those categories and you only have about 10% left over for everything else. This fall alone, CBS has a new legal drama, a new medical show, and an NCIS spin-off. Way to cover all the standard bases, CBS.
In recent years, Team Law Enforcement Show took the lead with spate of CSIs, CSI spin-offs, and other such detective/cop/procedural type shows. It's what CBS is made of, quite frankly. The late nineties were dominated by Team Legal Show, but that seems to have ebbed of late. Amidst all the crime and punishment, Team Medical Show has always held its own, and back when ER was in its prime, saw a dramatic increase in derivative programming.
Even the sharpest of possible increases would be hard-pressed to surpass the newest deluge of medical shows. Apparently, with ERfinally (I could almost hear the show sighing toward the end) retiring, all the networks decided to fill the medical void (that wasn't all that empty to begin with (House, Grey's Anatomy, Scrubs, Mental, In Treatment, Private Practice, etc.)) with a spate of new medical programming to rival the towering heap of law enforcement shows that currently dominate the airwaves.
Off the top of my head, I count 6 new medical shows premiering this spring or fall: Three Rivers, Mercy, Trauma, HawthoRNe, Royal Pains, and Nurse Jackie. I'm wagering there are more out there, ready to pounce, but those are the six that are currently on my radar. Add those to the already full plate of medical programming, and you've reached a surfeit. Now, I enjoy this kind of show as much as the next person, but after a while, you start seeing the same kinds of crises, the same kinds of characters, and the whole affair just gets old, overdone, and dull.
As such, for a show of this genre to make a splash, the creative really has to work hard to reinvent the wheel and give the audience something new and unique to take the focus off the formula. Most of the newbies don't premiere till this fall, but Showtime's Nurse Jackie and USA's Royal Pains both premiered last week.
ROYAL PAINS
If comments on the web are any indication, neither I, nor anyone else on the planet had a whole lot of hope for this show. I'm guessing it was such low expectations that made the pilot come across as not completely awful. Which isn't to say it was excellent either, but contrary to my suspicions, the pilot was fairly decent and watchable.
The bottom line with this show is that all the elements were "decent enough," but nothing was particularly good or bad. If I had gone on a date with Royal Pains, I'd say he was "nice." (And for those of you who don't know what implications that adjective has (as far as I'm concerned), "nice" is how you describe someone who isn't a horrible person or anything, and the date was agonizing painful or anything.... but... well... there's nothing else really positive to say but "nice"...) Royal Pains was better than I expected, but it was middle of the road in pretty much every regard. The only truly irksome element was the base concept... (no biggie, right?).
Royal Pains follows Dr. Hank as he gets fired from his prestigious job at a top NYC hospital because he opted to save some kid over one of the biggest financial donors to the hospital (or something like that). The old rich guy was stable, so Dr. Hank went to help the critically ill kid that he had brought in earlier. Well, quite a bit later on, Dr. Hank is informed that the old guy died and somehow that's his fault. It annoyed me for the better part of the pilot that a rare, inexplicable complication that came so much later could be chalked up to Dr. Hank in the first place, but that he would lose his job over it was just plain stupid. I can see where a wealthy family that had contributed to the hospital over the years might try to sue or blackball Dr. Hank, but that he would be immediately fired and basically barred from practicing in New York was just ridiculous. He followed standard triage procedure (which was finally pointed out at the very end of the pilot), so it would only serve to make the hospital look terrible to fire him. It's wrongful termination plain and simple. If he were to expose the reasons for his termination to the media, the hospital would come under tremendous ridicule. That preferential treatment is given to certain patients is a constant issue, and this would do nothing but confirm it. Especially given that the guy who died was an old white guy and the kid who Dr. Hank saved was a young African-American, I can't imagine the hospital would risk that kind of bad public relations and expose themselves to a lawsuit. Dumb.
There are a number of shows that I have some basic issues with the concept, but many of these make up for it in other ways. For example, Chuck and Pushing Daisies both have basic concepts that the viewer just kind of has to go with. In both cases, I'm more than happy to suspend my criticisms and disbeliefs because the show makes up for it in so many other ways. I gladly just take it for what it is and overlook any possible flaws. Royal Pains, on the other hand, was only pretty-okay in other respects, so the flaws with the initial premise were more annoying than they should have been.
Exhibit B: Apparently, if there's one thing insanely wealthy white people need, it's better access to medical care. Who knew? Dr. Hank ends up in the Hamptons with his brother for the weekend and apparently he's the MacGyver of doctors (a reference that a 16 year old makes, might I add, and which I just don't think would happen... do teenagers know MacGyver? Whatever.). In the course of a weekend, he saves two people's lives and is deemed the "concierge doctor" for the whole community. Why don't these wealthy people just go to a hospital for emergency medical care? Apparently the only medical services in the Hamptons are terrible, so people would rather take their chances on the floor of a mansion, with only a Bic pen, a plastic bag, and a jar of almonds to save them... For as idiotic as the concept is, it was actually fairly decently done and it helped me to overlook some of the lunacy. Some.
Some woman shows up from out of no where and has a trunk full of medical supplies and equipment, so she, Dr. Hank, and the brother form some sort of mobile medical services company. The whole thing was pretty cheesy and all the plot points were extremely convenient. How nice of you to show up on my doorstep with a everything we could possibly need to make this dubious concept work! Oy. The Toyota Hospital Series SUV only served to make the medicine on the show even more suspect than it already was (and believe me, it was). But, as far as the concept for this show is concerned, the medical equipment contained entirely within the back of her car is all Dr. Hank will need to save people... You know, because her car is totally big enough to fit a CT scanner, MRI, lab, pharmacy, etc...
Anyway, annoyances with the concept aside, the show was very middle of the road overall. The acting was okay, the characters were likeable enough, the production value was fine, etc, etc, etc. Nothing really reached out and grabbed me, but it honestly wasn't as terrible as I had feared. I think the real problem with the show will be sustainability. Given how weak the concept is, I just don't know how the writers are going to come up with medical emergencies that can be remedied out of the back of a truck week-to-week... If they can come up with a way to keep it fresh, it definitely has a chance, but I'll have to see it to believe it.
Bottom line? Meh.
Pilot Grade: C+
NURSE JACKIE
I don't generally have access to Showtime, but after threatening my satellite company with a switch to Comcast, it somehow magically appeared... Anyway, I've been pretty disappointed with the movies they've shown, but, as with so many past series on the network, their newest addition is excellent, plain and simple. I wasn't going to really give Nurse Jackie much of a chance (given that I only have Showtime for the next couple of months), but I had heard good things, so I tuned in for the pilot. This may be simply because I've seen a lot of mediocre pilots this year, but Nurse Jackie reminded me of what an excellent pilot should be. That sounds kind of sappy, now that I think of it, but it's true.
I don't know if it comes as a result of having little or no restrictions, but Showtime has a tremendous track record with serialized television. Nurse Jackie is no exception. From the opening scene to the insanely awesome reveal at the end, the pilot had me undeniably intrigued and almost immediately invested in every aspect of the show. Unlike Royal Pains and so many other medical shows, this one really sets itself apart and manages to make it so much more than your standard medical drama. The medicine is an important part of the show, to be sure, but it's not the primary draw.
Edie Falco is superb as the eponymous Jackie. Her character is complex and engaging without being contrived. I didn't have that ever-frequent sensation that the writers thought long and hard over the character and what her flaws would be. When I can practically hear the writers' room in my head and can see each machination as a belabored, deliberate tool, I say that I can "see the strings." With Nurse Jackie, not only did I not notice the strings, I didn't care to look for them at all. Like many great pilots, I just felt like I had been given a privileged look at this woman's life, her thoughts and feelings, and the world around her. It didn't feel like she had been cooked up on a laptop by some half-wit writer. It felt as though I was allowed to see a fully formed, fully realized person and wasn't bombarded with contrivances and gimmicks. It's a really lovely feeling when that happens.
The show centers around Jackie, a tough, but compassionate nurse who wrestles with her life, her career, her conscience, and her flaws as best she can. It sounds trite, I know, but it came across as incredibly genuine. As with the greatest of pilots, in my estimation, the show didn't spend the entirety of the pilot explaining to me who everyone is, what their motives are, how they relate to one another, and what dynamics exist among them. Nothing takes me out of the moment in quite the same way that lazy plot exposition does. I don't need the writers to explain everything to me, I'll pick it up as I go along. Nurse Jackie did this beautifully. I appreciate subtlety in story telling and the pilot managed to hint at a lot of things, illuminate others, and keep me guessing at most of the finer points, all without clunky descriptions or shameless plot exposition. I can be reasonably certain it was a good pilot when I can't remember most of the characters' names and I'm not sure how or if they're related. That sounds like it would be the hallmark of a terrible pilot, but it's not. The truly awful pilots use characters' first names over and over again for no apparent reason have characters answer the phone with, "Well, if it isn't my little brother Kevin! How is your new wife, Cheryl?" Um, thanks for the clarification? Don't get me wrong, it's nice to know who's who and all, but there are subtler ways to do it. In bad pilots, it's almost never seamless or smooth, it takes me out of the experience, and generally removes all suspension of disbelief. I'm more than happy to pick up information as I go along and am comfortable not knowing exactly what is going on 100% of the time. It makes it seem more authentic and I feel more immersed in the narrative.
That Jackie is dependent on prescription pain killers could have made her character a sad derivative of House, but the writers have very skillfully managed to avoid this. Jackie's dependence is largely a secret, and quite honestly reflects countless other people who have developed an addiction following an injury. Her dependence is compelling and it makes the fact that she's sleeping with the hospital pharmacist much more interesting and layered than your regular relationship. You have to ask yourself if she's seeing him simply to support her habit. The thought crossed my mind several times, but then was undercut by how they interacted with one another. He offered her pain killers for her back, which she initially refused, then ultimately accepted. This gave me the impression that she doesn't want to use him like that, but that her addiction is stronger than her resolve. I held this theory until the end of the episode when they were both standing in the rain under umbrellas. It was such a sweet, charming tableau that I had to reassess her motives. He gave her a Dr. Pepper, a moon pie, and some prescription narcotics before they both bid each other, "I love you," and departed. It was surprisingly sweet, almost childlike (in spite of the drugs), and even kind of touching. It made me reevaluate her motives once again. It was only the pilot and only their second scene together, but I already kinda, sorta adored them. They just seemed to make total sense together.
**SPOILER ALERT** (skip this paragraph if you don't want to know) It's to the pilot's credit that they established Jackie's relationship with the pharmacist so quickly and effectively that I was genuinely surprised and a little dismayed at the end when it is revealed that Jackie has two daughters and is ostensibly happily married. Once again, I had to question her motives, and once again, I ended up without any certainty whatsoever. That she gave the moon pie to her girls was just perfect. It seemed such a strange gift to give her, but he meant it for her daughters. I think that makes me adore him even more. That there's a husband in the picture throws a major wrench into the works and I didn't see it coming at all. The reveal was sad and sweet and horrible and wonderful all at once.
As if the show's dramatic elements were enough, the show is also genuinely, darkly funny. It cracked me up on more than a few occasions, yet still retained its edge and tone. It didn't feel like the show was asking for the laugh, as so many do, but was still funny, smirk-worthy, and witty. The scene at dinner where Jackie and another doctor from the hospital are at a table next to a woman who is choking was fantastic. Unlike so many other shows where the doctors spring to their feet, announce that there's a doctor in the house and save the woman's life, Jackie and her friend groan and try to shirk the responsibility. Jackie ultimately ends up saving the woman's life instead of her friend, very matter-of-factly, because the friend is paying for lunch. The whole scene cracked me up and managed to surprise me--a tall order for someone who watches as much television as I do.
Along with all the other brilliantly conceived aspects of the show, there's a religious undercurrent that adds yet another layer of complexity. I'm not a religious type, to be sure, so I was surprised at how much I enjoyed watching Jackie grapple with her own ethics and morals and how that is affected by her religious background. All these elements blend together in a very smooth, seamless, organic way, and for this reason, I don't find myself annoyed at the contrivance, but rather accepting of, and intrigued by the essential facts at hand. To this end, the religious aspects of the show made for perfect book ends for the episode, beginning and ending with the sage advice of the saints. That the episode ended with St. Augustine's words, who accepted that there was good within him as well as bad, was perfect for Jackie--a saint and a sinner.
"Make me good, God--but not yet."
A powerful ending to a fantastic pilot. Looks like I'll be threatening to switch to Comcast on a regular basis...
Oh, CW. It tries really hard to be a real network, but generally doesn't succeed... Quite frankly, after they cancelled Veronica Mars, I held very little loyalty to the net, but Gossip Girl helped soften the blow. Even the network's flagship serieseses don't yield tremendous ratings, but the CW seems to hang in there season to season (some how).
Well, with many of the CW's line-up reaching retirement age (oh god how I wish they'd retire them already), the waters ahead are looking even murkier (read: lowratingsy) than before. Standbys like Smallville, Supernatural, and (sadly, regrettably, embarrassingly) One Tree Hill (bleckk) are getting a little long in the tooth these days, and it's not just some wacky plotline. Smallville just wrapped it's 8th season (it's one of those shows I'm glad to say I broke up with back in its 3rd season and can't believe is still kicking, er, flying), Supernatural is already on to its 5th season starting this fall, and somehow (black magic, some seriously, seriously unfortunate karma, who knows), One Tree Hill has endured for 6 season and is coming back for its 7th (even if sans its two leads... somehow I don't think anyone will notice).
Anyway, in spite of the CW's willingness to keep these bad boys coming back year to year, they surely can't last forever (one would hope), so the CW really needs some solid pilots that can anchor the network in coming years. I'm not so sure the new slate looks any better than the old slate, but it certainly looks a lot like the mid-90's... I have it on good authority that the Melrose Place relaunch is a hell of a lot better than the 90210 relaunch, but that's like saying the arsenic has a smoother aftertaste than the hemlock, as far as I'm concerned...
The most promising sounding pilot, The Body Politic (starring Veronica Mars alum Jason Dohring), didn't get picked up for whatever reason and I'm hearing it's the best pilot we'll never see. Word is, it was a lot solid-er than most of the ones that did get the green light, so who knows just what Dawn Ostroff is smoking... Also, for all you Gossip Girls out there who have been hearing about the 80s spin-off that was backdoor piloted in the prom episode, it's looking less and less like anything will come of it. Ostroff insists it's still a possibility for mid-season, but I'm not holding my breath. Honestly, I was pretty underwhelmed by the backdoor pilot, so I'm kind of relieved it won't be airing...
Again, not being as privileged as my favorite TV reporters out there, I'm not privy to the pilots until they actually air, so I'm forced to base my assessments on clips and trailers alone. Fortunately, I'm just judgmental enough to be okay with that.
Anywho, here's what the CW will look like this fall. I'm actually hearing that none of the new shows is as bad as you'd suspect, but that's not exactly a ringing endorsement...
MELROSE PLACE
Oh, kiddies... Here we go again.
My Take: I actually didn't watch too much of the original series, so I'm kind of coming into this a little blind. I've heard from peeps on the web that the full pilot is actually kind of fun, but you know, in a horrible kind of way. Anything with Ashley Simpson pretty much gets a big "NO" in my book to begin with, so I don't have high hopes for this one. It looks like it's embracing the soapiness of the original right off the bat this time around (as opposed to getting progressively soapier), so if you're into that kind of thing, this is clearly the show for you. Already we have a murder mystery, blackmail, hidden pasts, alcoholism, uh, chef schoolery... Okay, so it's still got a ways to go before it's a full on soap operatic mess, but that was a fair showing for three short clips. I'm not exactly giddy for this one... bad acting, bad writing, weirdly off-putting drunk flirting... I'm hoping it's so bad it's awesome, but I'm guessing it'll be so bad it's awful. "She's the one who convinced me I could be a chef..." Oh, my god, this IS tragic! Heh.
THE BEAUTIFUL LIFE
On Wednesdays, America's Next Top Model will be followed-up by The Beautiful Life, a tale of wannabe top models living under one roof. The show includes an ensemble of Mischa Barton (The O.C.'s Marissa "I'm too drunk to stand... or act" Cooper, of course), Corbin Bleu (of High School Musical fame--now there's a pedigree to put in the press release...) and real-life supermodel Elle Macpherson as their modeling agency boss. It's produced by Ashton Kutcher, so you can make of that what you will... Anyways, here goes.
My Take: Oh, Mishca... As far as former O.C.ers are concerned, she's the one I'm least excited to see back in action. She's very one note. One bland, barely conscious note... This whole show looks like a mess. The acting is terrible (from Mischa? Whaaa?! Crazy, right?) and the whole concept is pretty weak. They've clearly tried to make everything seem a lot more important than it really is. I enjoy fashion well enough (lord knows Project Runway takes up more of my time than it should) and I'll admit to watching those crappy modeling competitions (I can't believe Branden won on Make Me a Supermodel--bleckk...), but at the end of the day, none of it really matters. Without some real substance to go with all the glitz, it's just a bunch of skinny girls stomping around and back-biting. Um, yay? Also, as much as I appreciate a good cameo, it's abundantly clear that Zach Posen should keep his day job. His bad acting managed to make everyone else's acting look a little better, but it really made the overall impression pretty awful. I doubt I'll be keeping this one on my schedule, but I'll tune in at first if for no other reason than to see Mischa's ignominious return to television (on a low budget CW disaster no less) after her film career... well, uh, yeah... [crickets] At least she's getting work? Maybe after a season or two she'll opt to get killed off again... For the sake of the show, one can only hope.
VAMPIRE DIARIES
Well, as is probably apparent from the title and governing network alone, this is clearly aimed at the Twilighters out there. I'm hearing it actually has some potential... which means it must be a hell of a lot better than its progenitor... So yeah, in case you've been experiencing an angsty vampire/mortal love story deficiency, search no more!
My Take: As with Twilight, my general opinion is if you're looking for some kick-ass vampire action and an ill-fated vampire/mortal love story, you'd be better off (MUCH better off) with Buffy. Joss Whedon actually knows what the hell he's doing. Stephanie Meyers and whoever is behind this show? Not so much. For what it is, it appears to follow all the rules and conventions accordingly, but I think it's more than a little hackneyed at this point. And once again, what's with the bad acting? Seriously, LA is teeming with young acting hopefuls and the CW ended up with the bottom of the barrel, it seems. To be fair, the acting in this one seems a lot better than in Melrose Place or The Beautiful Life, but that's not saying much... As ever, I'll give it a shot, but the whole concept is pretty woefully derivative and from the clips provided, I don't see that they've reinvented it in any meaningful way. My expectations are low to begin with, but god help me, if they sparkle in the sun, I might just have have a stroke.
The upfronts were last week and they came with more than a few surprises. The fates of NBC's shows were decided a while ago (yay for Chuck! (even if we'll have to wait till March)), so now I can move on to the other nets.
The Fox network has a long, painful, sordid, disappointing past, but they made a real effort to redeem themselves this year. Network president Kevin Reilly gave Dollhouse a stay of execution and allowed for a 13 episode initial pick-up for next season. In spite of criminally undeserved low ratings, Dollhouse's notable online numbers and Whedon's obsessive fans help get a renewal. Deep down, I think Reilly was just sick to death of Whedon fans decrying the network day in and day out, but motives aside, I'm thrilled it got a pick-up. It started out a little shakey, but really hit its stride as the season went on. And, if precedent serves, the second season will be even better than the first. The fledgling seasons of Buffy and Angel were good, but the second seasons were much, much better. So let it be with Dollhouse.
The DH renewal provided a win for nerds, but the cancellation of Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles was a fair blow for many. I never got into the show, but I hear it was really solid, and the fact that it featured Summer Glau (a Whedon alum) automatically wins it some points. The TSCC fans cried foul when DH got picked up and TSCC didn't, but TSCC got a reprieve last year and was granted two seasons total, so I say it's DH's turn. :) Plus, now Summer is free to jump shows. While she would make an excellent doll (let's face it, she's basically been playing that role for years now), it sounds like Joss has other plans in mind. Whatever happens, I'm excited to see it.
A final note on Dollhouse, before I get to the new pilots, it's sounding like the episode titled "Epitaph One" won't be airing on Fox and will only be on the DVD set (and possibly at Comic-Con). Felicia Day (aka Penny from Dr. Horrible) plays some sort of post-apocalyptic fighter girl, so I'm completely stoked. Oh, Joss. Only he would cast Felicia in such a role. Awesome. For an interview with Felicia where she talks about DH, go here.
Anyway, in other picked up and cancelled Fox news:
Pick-Ups: 24, American Dad, American Idol, Bones (for 2 seasons... yay...), Dollhouse, Family Guy, Fringe, House, Kitchen Nightmares, Lie to Me (for 13 episodes--initially), The Simpsons, and 'Til Death
Deaths: King of the Hill, Prison Break, Sit Down Shut Up, and TSCC
So yeah, those are the kiddies who will and will not be returning next year. Among those that will be returning will be a slate of newbies, most of which will suck. Here are the new shows you get to look forward to, or in the case of a few of these, avoid like the plague...
Below are the official descriptions and then my initial assessments of them.
PAST LIFE
Network Write-Up: From writer David Hudgins (“Friday Night Lights”), and inspired by the book “The Reincarnationist” by M.J. Rose, comes PAST LIFE, a new drama series about an unlikely pair of past-life detectives who investigate whether what is happening to you today is the result of who you were before. DR. KATE MCGINN is not your typical psychologist. Confident, outspoken and highly educated, she works at The Talmadge Center for Behavioral Health in New York City, a world-renowned institute dedicated to the study of the science of the soul. After experiencing a past-life regression in her 20s, Kate became a believer in reincarnation. Using regression therapy and her natural gift for reading people, Kate helps solve the mysteries of her troubled clients who suffer from present-day problems caused by past-life traumas. She believes there are levels of consciousness and explanations for human behavior that science can’t begin to explain. Accustomed to skeptics, but not bothered by them, Kate is an unapologetic believer and a force of nature who marches to the beat of her own drummer. Her partner, PRICE WHATLEY, is a different story. A former NYPD homicide detective, pragmatic and cynical, Price is a damaged soul who constantly battles grief and guilt over the accidental death of his wife. Price feels that Kate, though not certifiable, certainly operates on the fringes of science. It's a volatile relationship, but with Price's solid detective skills, and Kate's penchant for out-of-the-box thinking, together they make a formidable, if somewhat dysfunctional, team. A fast-paced emotional thrill ride, each episode finds Price and Kate working with their colleagues to unravel a new mystery involving the past-lives of their clients. DR. MALACHI TALMADGE (Richard Schiff, “The West Wing”) is Kate’s mentor and the center’s namesake, an avuncular but gruff elder statesman who is a legend in the field of cognitive research.
My take: Yeah, you lost me at "the world's authority on past lives." Apparently when all the real professions have been played out on TV, you have to start making some up. Fortunately, the people employed by this fake profession are pretty and blonde, so who cares! I don't know, in the right hands, with the right showrunner, and handled in just the right way, this could work, but the odds of that being the case just aren't good. The trailer alone struck me as nothing but lame. I kind of like the Minority Report cinematography (a conceit that was handled in just the right way so that it actually worked), but the concept is just so very silly that all the pizzazz in the world likely won't save it. It's a shame that so much money and talent went into such a cheeseball story. Richard Schiff? Really? I'm so disappointed...
HUMAN TARGET
Network Write-Up: It takes a brave, selfless man to make himself a “human target” in order to save the lives of those in danger. Based on the popular DC Comics comic book and graphic novel, HUMAN TARGET is a full-throttle action drama centered on CHRISTOPHER CHANCE (Mark Valley, FRINGE), a unique private contractor/security guard hired to protect. Call him what you like, because for Chance, it’s about one thing only: saving his clients’ lives. When there is an unusual or imminent threat that can’t be solved through “normal” means of protection, Chance is hired to completely integrate himself into his clients’ lives – to become the human target. If you’re a corporate manager whose disgruntled employee has gone violently off the deep end, Chance is your new auditor. If you’re the president of a bank who’s been tipped off to a potential heist, Chance is your unassuming bank teller. During each job, Chance, assisted by his business partner WINSTON (Chi McBride, “Pushing Daisies”) and hired gun GUERRERO (Jackie Earle Haley, “Watchmen”), puts himself directly in the line of fire as he races against time to save his client, while unraveling the truth behind the mission. With every new danger, Chance’s dark history will also unravel. Does anyone know who Christopher Chance really is, or what secrets lay buried in his past? What would make a man willingly become a HUMAN TARGET?
My take: This one looks like it could be fun, but it also looks like it's trying to be Burn Notice, and NO ONE can hold a candle to Burn Notice... It's got your typical "he's a badass with specialized skills who can do things no one else can" conceit, which is overdone, to be sure, but it has a solid cast (for the most part) and doesn't appear to take itself too seriously (which is appreciated). I love Chi McBride and Jackie Earl Haley always does a great job, but I have to admit, Mark Valley doesn't really do it for me... I didn't like him in Fringe, but I'm hoping he's better here. All in all, this one looks like it could be a lot of fun. It could also be a completely pointless shoot-em-up action show without any real substance, but I'm hopeful that's not the case. I'm not sure who the showrunner is at this point, so it's hard to tell. Based solely on the talent involved and the trailer, I think this one has some real potential. Don't get me wrong, I'd still much rather have Michael Westen watching my back or keeping me safe, but surely he can't save everybody (and would probably take pleasure in seeing Carla die in a train wreck). Overall, I think this show could work and I'll definitely be giving it a chance. Oy, speaking of, Christopher Chance? Seriously? That's the name? Was Warren Fearless already taken? Ugh. I'm going to choose to ignore that...
GLEE
Network Write-Up: McKinley High School's Glee Club used to be at the top of the show choir world, but years later, it has turned into a haven for misfits and social outcasts. But at McKinley, things for the Glee Club are about to change. From Ryan Murphy, the creator of “Nip/Tuck,” comes GLEE, an uplifting comedy musical series with biting humor that features a soundtrack of hit music from past to present. The show follows an optimistic high school teacher as he tries to refuel his own passion for singing while reinventing the school's glee club and challenging a group of ragtag performers to realize their star potential. WILL SCHUESTER (Matthew Morrison), a young optimistic teacher, has offered to take on the Herculean task of restoring McKinley's Glee Club to its former glory with the help of fellow teacher and germaphobe EMMA PILLSBURY (Jayma Mays). It's a tall order when the brightest stars of the club include KURT (Chris Colfer), a nerdy soprano with a flair for the dramatic; MERCEDES (Amber Riley), a dynamic diva-in-training who refuses to sing back-up; ARTIE (Kevin McHale), a geeky guitarist who spends more time avoiding bullies than chasing girls; and TINA (Jenna Ushkowitz), an awkward girl who needs to suppress her stutter before she can take center stage. Will's only hope lies with two true talents: RACHEL BERRY (Lea Michele), a perfectionist firecracker who is convinced that show choir is her ticket to stardom; and FINN HUDSON (Cory Monteith), the popular high school quarterback with movie star looks and a Motown voice who must protect his reputation with his holier-than-thou girlfriend and head cheerleader, QUINN (Dianna Agron), and his arrogant football teammate, PUCK (Mark Salling).
My take: Okay, so the Glee pilot has actually already aired, so my take actually kind of knows what it's talking about this time (for once). If you'd like to watch the full pilot, it's available here. Not only is it available, but it's pretty damn awesome to boot, so I would seriously suggest checking it out. The pilot was really solid, but I have to say that the preview of next season looks even better. (The pilot aired a couple of weeks ago, but the show won't officially start airing till this fall.) Anyway, this show is from the same guy who was behind Popular back in the day, and most recently worked on Nip/Tuck. I adored Popular and I quite enjoy me some musical elements, so it's little surprise the I enjoyed Glee. I think the only reason I didn't completely adore the pilot is that it's largely the same plot as the movie Election, with most of the same characters, only you have to substitute "student council" with "glee club." It even has the same tone and visual style. Don't get me wrong, Election was a great movie, so if you're going to borrow from something, I would highly suggest it, but it was a little off-putting just how many similarities there were. Anyway, deja vu aside, I think it's going to make for a great series. The pilot was a lot of fun, but also snarky, with an edge of dark humor. Even if you're not into musicals, I think you'd enjoy this show (which isn't really a musical anyway). Word is, Alias spydaddy Victor Garber, Pushing Daisies alum Kristen Chenowith, and Wicked star Idina Menzel will all be making appearances on this show coming this fall, so even if I had hated the pilot, I would still be tuning in. What can I say? I'm a sucker for a great musical number, and with Pushing Daisies over and dead, I need a new outlet. :)
SONS OF TUCSON
Network Write-Up:In the tradition of “Malcolm in the Middle” and “The Bernie Mac Show,” SONS OF TUCSON is a family comedy about three brothers who hire a charming, wayward schemer to stand in as their father when their real one goes to prison. What begins as a business relationship evolves into something more complex and compelling: a family unlike any we’ve ever seen. The three brothers find their dad-for-hire, RON SNUFFKIN (Tyler Labine, “Reaper”), at the local sporting good store. Ron will be forced to draw on a wide array of skills and a vast bag of tricks as he steps into the patriarch role to take care of the boys of the Gunderson family. ROBBY GUNDERSON, 8, is a loose cannon who doesn’t take garbage from anyone; GARY GUNDERSON, 11, is a bright and street-savvy leader who is every bit the con man his father is; and BRANDON GUNDERSON, 13, is a gentle free spirit who goes along for the ride. MAGGIE MORALES, Robby’s second-grade teacher and the object of Ron’s affection, might just be the only stable figure in the lives of this quirky quartet.
My take: Meh. It doesn't look terrible, but it didn't really jump out at me either. Tyler Labine never really held much appeal for me on Reaper, and I'm doubting he will here either. It looks like it could be all right, I suppose, but the whole "he's a fish out of water who doesn't know how to be a dad" thing could get real old real fast. In summation, meh.
MENTAL
Network Write-Up: When DR. JACK GALLAGHER (Chris Vance, “Prison Break”), a dynamic and radically unorthodox psychiatrist, is named Director of Mental Health Services at a Los Angeles hospital, his unconventional style leads some of his new colleagues to believe he may be as unstable as his patients. MENTAL is a medical drama that explores the complexities of the human mind as never before. To Jack, each case is a puzzle to be solved. Confronted with each patient’s crisis, including unknown, misunderstood, and even misdiagnosed conditions, Jack must plunge inside the mind of his patients long enough to uncover what might be the key to their long-term recovery, often times working against the clock and his patients’ wishes. Ever the rebel, Jack insists on getting to the root of his patients’ illnesses by exploring first who they are as human beings, but as he fights to help his patients quickly, he must often work within only a legal 72-hour hold to determine a diagnosis. Jack must reconcile his effective, yet highly unconventional practices with his conservative boss, hospital administrator NORA SKOFF (Annabella Sciorra, “The Sopranos”), who puts her own reputation on the line by hiring him. Unfortunately, his colleagues remain resistant to his treatment methods, including dedicated psychiatrist DR. VERONICA HAYDEN-JONES, who was passed over for Jack’s position, and DR. CARL BELLE, a master politician with a polished exterior who is dedicated to Jack’s downfall.
Here's a clip:
My take: This is another one of Fox's new pet projects which has already aired. I would provide you with the link to the full pilot, but trust me, it not worth the effort. The pilot was bad. I mean really, REALLY bad. Aside from Seymour (from Burn Notice) and Maury (from Gilmore Girls), the pilot had no redeeming qualities. And lest you think those two are enough to compensate for all the rest, they aren't series regulars. They were just patients of the week. The promos and brief clips for this show really don't do the horribleness justice. I'm shocked this turkey even got picked up. The writing was atrocious, the acting was almost as bad, and the overall concept has been done and redone a thousand times, only to a much more successful end. This show is basically House, but crappy. He's a renegade doctor who does what it takes to save the patient and doesn't care who he pisses off in the process. The guy on Mental isn't quite so snarky, and the woman playing the Cuddy on the show wears glasses, but otherwise, it's basically the same idea. Only awful. Don't waste your time with this one. The only real merit I found was in the risibility of the show. This show was so bad it was funny, but not so bad it was awesome. It was actually kind of sad to watch. That, and painful. Bad, bad, bad, bad, bad... It's crap like this that makes me understand how shows like The Mentalist stay on the air... The bar is low, people. Really low. I mean, they must have special ordered or sent away for that sucker...
Anyway, there were a couple of other shows on the slate, but neither jumped out at me. One was a new animated comedy that I assume will follow in the footsteps of Fox's current slate of comedies and the other was about a football player or something. I didn't read past "football."
So there you have it. As a professional TV watcher, I'll likely be checking most of these out, even if I don't really want to, but that's the burden I bear for having no life.
Another year, another 743,622 crazy things that happened in a Josh Schwartz production. Much like The O.C. before it, only insanely awesomer, more stuff happens in a couple of episodes of Gossip Girl than happens in three or four seasons of any other show. And with a storyline success rate of about 96%, that's a whole lot of awesome in a relatively short amount of time.
Awww, eases the pain.
Unlike some shows that experience your typical "sophomore slump" in their second season, GG started off strong, got even stronger, then hit a bit of a snag, then ended back at awesome. From a show like this, it's exactly the kind roller coaster I'd expect.
It's truly difficult to comprehend that it was only a few months ago that Blair was dating a British lord, Little J was homeless, and Serena has mysteriously grown attracted to greasy hair and scraggly goatees. Aw, memories. Although overall this show kicks just as much ass as ever, some storylines were more successful than others. It's honestly hard to quantify so much information...
Over the course of the season, I think you'd be hard-pressed to find many viewers who weren't the most invested in the trials and tribulations of Chair (or Bluck--neither portmanteau really works for them...). Chuck and Blair have long been my favorite characters and they're the primary reason I tune in every week. Unlike the insanely dull and eventless back and forth of Dan and Serena (which Leighton Meester calls "Derena" and says it sounds like some snack food--you know, "I could sure go for some Cool Ranch Derena right about now..."), the every changing relationship of Chuck and Blair was never dull, never prosaic or overdone, and even in their briefest and most seemingly humdrum of interactions, the pair was always a joy to watch and squee-worthy at every turn.
Leighton Meester and Ed Westwick somehow manage to imbue every scene with a whole lot more than you'd ever think possible. They have always had great chemistry, no matter how their relationship was defined at the given moment. Chuck and Blair make for devilish enemies, passionate lovers, the most loyal of friends, and ruthless competitors, and they do so all at once. It's really quite impressive. Their feelings and motives in season 1 were usually veiled and only occasionally naked and honest, but in season 2, with the unremitting horribleness that happened to them both, they each had to shed the facade more and more often, in spite of their desperate attempts to keep the charade going. I think Gossip Girl herself hit it on the head during graduation when she labeled Blair a weakling (which belies her ruthless, unrelenting Queen B routine), and Chuck a coward (who has built himself up as this amoral playboy who isn't afraid of anything). Chuck's father dying threw a wrench into the game they play (you know, the "you say it first" nuclear assault they'd been engaged in for so long). Chuck fell apart, and Blair quickly followed. After going through something so traumatic, it's hard to think they could put the masks back on, but that's only mode in which Chuck and Blair know how to operate...
Which brings us to the season finale where Blair, once again, tells Chuck how much she loves him, and he's too much of a coward to handle it. Being the spoiler hound that I am, I had it on good authority that it wouldn't end like that again, but it was still damned distressing to watch. The revelation that Blair had hooked up with Uncle Jack didn't play out how I had anticipated at all. In fact, it's pretty clear that the writers decided to seriously overhaul the storyline before it had all played out. Back during the episodes with Jack, there was a promo that aired with Chuck confronting Jack about Blair saying, "Blair wouldn't touch you."
That scene never aired in the actual episode. It would seem that Chuck was supposed to have found out ages ago, but they decided against it. In fact, even the nature of Blair's and Jack's New Year's secret seems to have been revamped (or else Blair simply isn't providing the horrible details--which is definitely a possibility). If you watch the scene at the opera where Jack tries to assault Lily in the ladies room, you can hear Blair's voice yelling/commanding/almost screaming for Jack to stop (see below, about 4 minutes in).
I think in it's original incarnation, Jack was to have raped or assaulted Blair in some manner and she agreed to keep her mouth shut if he brought Chuck back. Although that would have been a much more powerful story arc, I'm kind of relieved they scrapped it. Blair has quite enough horrible in her life without adding that to the mix. After it was clear that the writers had tossed out that idea, I was still certain that it would be revealed that she had slept with Jack as a means of persuading him to go get Chuck. I was sure when it was all revealed, Blair would have told Chuck that it was the only way Jack would go get him, or something like that. Alas, the big secret, although still damning, barely caused any waves at all in the finale. I really enjoyed that Blair likened her tryst with loathsome uncle Jack to Chuck's dalliance with Vanessa though. Heh.
Anyway, as a final note on Chair, I have to admit that the closing scene of the finale was delightful. I'm not of the opinion that they should stay together as a happy couple for long (we all know how boring that is), but it's nice to see them happy once and a while. There are fans out there who want nothing more than for the two of them to live happily ever after, and I just don't understand that at all. How dull would that be? Ugh. Chuck and Blair are at their best when they're at odds, and fortunately, for a show like this, it shouldn't be long for that to be the case once again. :) If it makes the Chair-shippers happy, I'm supremely confident that they can be at odds even more effectively while they're together than when they're apart. So really, it's a win-win (like goose grease). It was only fitting that the closing scene of the season had Chuck finally tell Blair that he loves her. It hasn't been a secret for ages and ages, but that he got up the gumption to admit it to her was fun to watch and extremely satisfying after all we've been through. I especially liked that Blair asked him to say it again. And again. Even when she finally gets what she wants, she likes to hold the reins. It's just so very Blair it's delightful. At first I thought that the scene should have been set in a more intimate space, but after thinking about it, out in the open was much more meaningful. Chuck really had been a coward, heretofore, and telling Blair he loved her in public was a lot braver.
As much as I would love for Chuck and Blair to be the entire show, there actually are other characters to keep track of. Sadly though, they are generally the aspects of the show that led to some less-than-stellar storylines (the 80s weren't quite as awesomely 80stacular as one would have hoped, for example). Serena's fling with Aaron Rose was unpleasant, don't get me wrong, but her back and forth with Dan got very old, very fast. Part of the reason for Serena hooking back up with Dan for the 87th time was that the writers decided to write Aaron off the show well before his story arc was supposed to be over. The fans hated him, the storyline wasn't really working, and the actor they had cast was about as unappealing as possible. As such, while Aaron was supposed to come back from Argentina with Serena, the writers just decided to leave him there (and I can't says I blame them). I think the problem with Aaron mostly came down to unfortunate casting. He was just bland, unkempt, and charmless from beginning to end. Anyway, curtailing that storyline left a void the ultimately led back to Dan. Again. They only mostly worked for me as a couple the first (and possibly second) time around, so this was overkill that really dragged for a few episodes and was clearly a patch job with the overall arc.
Another storyline that didn't really work out was Rachel Carr. I'm confident in saying the episode titled "Carrnal Knowledge" was my least favorite of the series (not season, series). Although her character served an important purpose, the way it all played out fell a little flat. I was glad to see the writers wrap that up as soon as possible and send her back to Iowa or wherever she was from. But, once again, cutting one storyline short led to some sloppy recovery. Add to that the fact that the brass at the CW ordered 3 additional episodes out of no where, and the writers were left with fewer stories to fill more episodes. Henceforth with the filler... Not that I don't enjoy the filler in a way, but it all just detracts from more important things. There were a few episodes toward the latter quarter of the season that were fun and all, but didn't have a whole lot of substance in the end. I was glad to see the show really rein things in at the very end and wrap up a lot of loose ends and terminate a lot of filler storylines.
Among the stories that didn't really work for me were the Eyes Wide Shut escapades in which Chuck inexplicably found himself mired. Elle was never really established as a real character, so she came across as a random obstacle between Chuck and Blair. As lackluster as the arc was, I thought they wrapped it up quite well. A lot of guys have a savior complex where the thought of rescuing some poor damsel (read: hooker) from the depths is appealing, and to see that Elle was the one taking the advantage the whole time really put Chuck in his place. He was being played by the very person he was trying to save, and the whole fantasy just fizzled as a result. It smacked him in the face with a few realities that he had been too stubborn to acknowledge which was something that needed to happen, one way or the other. I have to hand it to the show that even the most frivolous of storylines have a purpose, and even if they aren't executed brilliantly, they're almost never true throw-aways and always seem to matter (even if they only matter in so much as they lead characters to something that actually matters). Clear as mud, eh?
Peeps on the web had a whole lot of anger to express about Blair and Nate getting back together, but I was generally okay with it. That's not to say that I like them together as a couple (I'm not sure it would be possible for a pair to have less spark), but in terms of the characters, it felt more organic and natural than I was expecting. Nate's always just kind of along for the ride, looking pretty and staring off into space, so when Blair comes up with a plan, it makes sense to me that they would both fall into it. Again. They were both totally lost and nothing was turning out as it should, so why wouldn't they happily jump back into a setting that was safe and comfortable. I also quite enjoyed the dynamic it made between Nate and Chuck, with Chuck trying to be the friend, but presented with a situation that he genuinely cannot be objective. Not that I was sorry to see them break up, but I seem to have enjoyed that little detour more than most.
In any season of any show, there will be things that worked and things that didn't. This season had a good few that didn't really do it for me, but overall, the goods outweigh the bads by a significant margin. Little J's fashion line turned homeless train wreck was completely awesome (and it was a sheer delight to see a former O.C.er on board), Cyrus Rose (unlike his son) is inconceivably delightful and exactly what Blair needed in so many ways, Chuck's odyssey to the brink, beyond the brink, and back again made for the most powerful and devastating story arc of the series so far, and the Chuck and Blair emotional arms race was riveting from beginning to end. Even Lufus van der Humphrey turned into a more interesting plot twist than I would have expected. I think we all knew there was no way he was dead from the very beginning and had to assume he'd be making his way onto the show eventually, but I genuinely don't know what his motives are at this point, and quite frankly, can't wait to find out. The Lily and Rufus relationship lost all of its spark and interest over the season (at least for me), but I'm intrigued enough with their long lost son that it kept me going.
Lufus was just one of the many twists the finale had to offer. Front and center, the kiddies try to unmask Gossip Girl. Quite frankly, I'm kind of surprised they never did this before... Especially after being completely demolished with her gossip, I think I'd be trying to nail down who GG was, how he/she came to know what he/she knew, and where I could hide a body. I guess it speaks to the nature of the conceit that they never really pursued this in the past. Rumors, gossip, and intrigue form the basis of their little cutthroat society. Gossip Girl acts as more of a framework for how people interact with one another than as a person. Plus, as Gossip Girl points out, everyone on the show is Gossip Girl. They are the ones sending tips; they are the ones spreading and receiving rumors. They aren't just subject to the machine's wrath, they are the machine. They keep it going. It's a burden and a tool. A social structure and a menace. They love it, and they hate it. And it seems that only when Gossip Girl decides to make some truly incisive and accurate assessments does anyone stop to think of Gossip Girl as a person. No one sent Gossip Girl a tip saying that Chuck is a coward, Blair is a weakling, Nate is a whore, Dan is the ultimate insider, and that Serena is irrelevant. That wasn't a function of the machine at work. That was someone firing a shot across the bow, independent of the tipsters and gossip-mongers. All those monikers are accurate and that's what makes them powerful. I thought each assessment was perfect, correct, and just the thing to say to set each of those people off. The only person who would really worry about being an insider is Dan, who has pretended to be the lonely outsider for the past two years, even though he's been right in the middle of everything. Nate's moniker is just obvious, but still packs a punch. Blair's and Chuck's were addressed earlier and Serena's, while it likely won't actually happen, it's one of Serena's biggest fears. Does Serena matter if there's no Gossip Girl to write about her? Does she have anything to offer besides tabloid fodder? She doesn't really know, and that scares her to death. The finale had its weak points, but the titles doled out by Gossip Girl did a really nice job of boiling down who these people really are at the end of the day (or at least who they're afraid they are).
This show is based on perceptions, facades, secrets, reveals, and masks, so having Gossip Girl out everyone on everything leaves everyone dazed, confused, but ultimately... free. For the moment, anyway. I really loved the scene where Gossip Girl got them all to go to that bar only to realize that they are all cogs in the machine, but that for the moment, the machine isn't running. All the gossip there was to tell has been told. And in spite of Gossip Girl's assurance that she'll be following them to college, for the moment, no one really knows what to do with themselves. For the first time, they can just relax. There's no threat of nuclear attack, no worry that your darkest deepest secret will be revealed. For once, they're all out of nukes and secrets. It's a nice moment. And it sets up a clean slate for next season, although not without some teases...
The big finale set up a fair set of little cliffhangers, but nothing insanely huge, much like last season. The show is good at leaving things up in the air so that they can go just about anywhere with it. Serena and Carter (whom I hated at first, but after watching Kings, really quite enjoy him now) are apparently off to look for Keith van der Woodsen, Georgina made an awesome return to tie up the Ponzi scheme storyline (yet another that peeps had a lot of issues with, but that I thought worked pretty well) and will apparently be rooming with Blair next season (!), Lufus may or may not be up to no good, I'm still not sure where some people are going to school, Lily and Rufus got engaged, but under dubious circumstances (or shall I say, "doobie-ous"), and Little J took over the high school (!!). I, for one, can't wait. I don't know where season 3 will take us, but it'll surely be somewhere crazy. :)
