Friday, December 10, 2010
Horror!
So I now see that Amelia Shepherd is a regular character on Private Practice. Because what medical practice focused on treating the whole person doesn't need a neurosurgeon? And don't get me started on how Charlotte can apparently be the chief of surgery at St. Ambrose and run her sex practice at the same time. I'm beginning to think that St. Ambrose is kind of a crappy hospital.
Newish on TV: Outsourced, The Event, The Walking Dead
OK, a little behind on talking about new shows I've been watching, so a quick run-through.
Outsourced is NBC's sitcom set at an Indian call center for an American novelties company. It's not particularly brilliant, but it mines the cultural differences relatively well (compared to the horror show I was expecting). No serious concerns about the acting, though a number of the characters are one-note. I do find the two female Indian characters, Asha (Rebecca Hazlewood) and Madhuri (Anisha Nagarajan), to be the most interesting of the bunch. They probably do the most to demonstrate cultural differences (Asha is planning to have an arranged marriage, Madhuri supports her entire family with her job).
I'm not taken with the show quite yet, but I'm still watching.
The Event is the latest entry in the serial conspiracy drama genre. It apparently involves aliens who have some sort of control over space and time and a guy who's been pulled into the middle of this thing when his girlfriend was kidnapped by people (aliens?) plotting to kill the President by crashing a plane into an event (not THE event) he was attending. The plane disappears into thin air in the first episode's - and the series - biggest moment.
Moreso than other, similar shows, this one isn't asking us to think too hard about the details. Instead, please be distracted by our car chases and gunfire while we move what we're calling a plot along incrementally! It also doesn't help that each episode spends a significant time in flashbacks, often several years before current time.
So yeah, not a great show, but I'm willing to give it some time to develop.
And while it's now completed its first season, I should mention The Walking Dead, AMC's zombie apocalypse drama. I enjoyed it much more than I thought I would, especially as several of the characters annoy me (hello Shane, Lori, and Andrea!) and two that I'm interested in, Merle and Morgan, were absent for much of the season. I'm hoping that gets rectified in the second season, which sadly doesn't start until next October.
Outsourced is NBC's sitcom set at an Indian call center for an American novelties company. It's not particularly brilliant, but it mines the cultural differences relatively well (compared to the horror show I was expecting). No serious concerns about the acting, though a number of the characters are one-note. I do find the two female Indian characters, Asha (Rebecca Hazlewood) and Madhuri (Anisha Nagarajan), to be the most interesting of the bunch. They probably do the most to demonstrate cultural differences (Asha is planning to have an arranged marriage, Madhuri supports her entire family with her job).
I'm not taken with the show quite yet, but I'm still watching.
The Event is the latest entry in the serial conspiracy drama genre. It apparently involves aliens who have some sort of control over space and time and a guy who's been pulled into the middle of this thing when his girlfriend was kidnapped by people (aliens?) plotting to kill the President by crashing a plane into an event (not THE event) he was attending. The plane disappears into thin air in the first episode's - and the series - biggest moment.
Moreso than other, similar shows, this one isn't asking us to think too hard about the details. Instead, please be distracted by our car chases and gunfire while we move what we're calling a plot along incrementally! It also doesn't help that each episode spends a significant time in flashbacks, often several years before current time.
So yeah, not a great show, but I'm willing to give it some time to develop.
And while it's now completed its first season, I should mention The Walking Dead, AMC's zombie apocalypse drama. I enjoyed it much more than I thought I would, especially as several of the characters annoy me (hello Shane, Lori, and Andrea!) and two that I'm interested in, Merle and Morgan, were absent for much of the season. I'm hoping that gets rectified in the second season, which sadly doesn't start until next October.
Sunday, November 28, 2010
Annoying
I know I'm several weeks behind Grey's Anatomy and Private Practice due to our DVRing habits, but I did want to mention that I find myself unusually irritated by Amelia Shepherd. I don't know if it's the character, the actress, or an overall annoyance with the combined Grey's universe. I'd say it's 60 percent character (she has an unfortunate combination of brattiness and ego), 10 percent actress (Caterina Scorsone, who I think I've only previously seen in the UPN by way of CBC hockey drama Power Play), and 30 percent the show universe (which seems to favor whinier, needier characters over people I'd rather not see get hit by buses).
It may also be that I'm annoyed with Private Practice in general, as it's given up pretty much any pretense at being a medical drama. I'm pretty sure they only see patients who are lost or looking for a bathroom or something. There is part of me that expects that the show won't end until all the main characters have had sex with each other, which we're about one good sweeps episode away from seeing. Get working, writers!
It may also be that I'm annoyed with Private Practice in general, as it's given up pretty much any pretense at being a medical drama. I'm pretty sure they only see patients who are lost or looking for a bathroom or something. There is part of me that expects that the show won't end until all the main characters have had sex with each other, which we're about one good sweeps episode away from seeing. Get working, writers!
Tuesday, November 09, 2010
Conan. Very Funny.
I'll admit to not watching late night talk shows much anymore - I'm old, lame, have to commute, got a kid, etc. - but I did want to see how Conan O'Brien would do on his new show, which debuted last night on TBS. And I have to say I enjoyed it.
There was a good energy to the show, perhaps almost manic at times. Things moved along briskly, most notably (to me at least) the guests. Getting focus in a late night interview is often besides the point, but it seemed like people just got into the chair and Conan whipped them through their stories. Don't know if this was due to having more intro material on the first night, longer commercial breaks (TBS was probably earning a premium) or by having Jack White play (with Conan sitting in) and do a quick spot on the couch.
But I'm not really complaining, as the mood was good and the jokes funny. Having Andy Richter back helps, too, as he adds both in his repartee with Conan and in his own asides, which are easy to miss if you're not listening for him. Conan also noted during his monologue that there's no separation between himself and the audience, which I think helped his energy as he did interact with a couple of audience members, albeit quickly.
All in all, I'm looking forward to watching tomorrow's show. Now I just have to keep myself from falling asleep on the couch.
There was a good energy to the show, perhaps almost manic at times. Things moved along briskly, most notably (to me at least) the guests. Getting focus in a late night interview is often besides the point, but it seemed like people just got into the chair and Conan whipped them through their stories. Don't know if this was due to having more intro material on the first night, longer commercial breaks (TBS was probably earning a premium) or by having Jack White play (with Conan sitting in) and do a quick spot on the couch.
But I'm not really complaining, as the mood was good and the jokes funny. Having Andy Richter back helps, too, as he adds both in his repartee with Conan and in his own asides, which are easy to miss if you're not listening for him. Conan also noted during his monologue that there's no separation between himself and the audience, which I think helped his energy as he did interact with a couple of audience members, albeit quickly.
All in all, I'm looking forward to watching tomorrow's show. Now I just have to keep myself from falling asleep on the couch.
Wednesday, November 03, 2010
Aloha
One less show to watch, for now - I've given up on Hawaii 5-0.
I was fairly accepting of the deficiencies in story for the first couple of episodes, wanting to give the show some time to find its feet. What finally cut it for me was the episode involving the shooting death of a surfing company exec. The shooting took place from an area where there were no roads. How to get there? Cut to a scene of McGarrett and Chin blazing through the jungle on dirt bikes. Then cut back to the office for a couple minutes, then back to the jungle. Why? Just to have the action sequence, it appears.
In the balance this isn't the most egregious sin a show could commit, but it underscored the growing feeling I had that there was nothing compelling to bring me back every week. The over-arching story of police corruption that innvolved McGarrett's dad and his Tool Box of Clues, which seemed poised to give some added weight to the show, had pretty much ground to a halt as well. The last we saw of this story was McGarrett's ne'er-do-well sister putting the evidence on her phone. If she could get her hands on this information, I have a hard time believing that one of the cops involved in the plot hasn't managed to steal the box and throw it in the ocean by now.
I will happily chug along with Detroit 1-8-7, which at least tries to be compelling.
I was fairly accepting of the deficiencies in story for the first couple of episodes, wanting to give the show some time to find its feet. What finally cut it for me was the episode involving the shooting death of a surfing company exec. The shooting took place from an area where there were no roads. How to get there? Cut to a scene of McGarrett and Chin blazing through the jungle on dirt bikes. Then cut back to the office for a couple minutes, then back to the jungle. Why? Just to have the action sequence, it appears.
In the balance this isn't the most egregious sin a show could commit, but it underscored the growing feeling I had that there was nothing compelling to bring me back every week. The over-arching story of police corruption that innvolved McGarrett's dad and his Tool Box of Clues, which seemed poised to give some added weight to the show, had pretty much ground to a halt as well. The last we saw of this story was McGarrett's ne'er-do-well sister putting the evidence on her phone. If she could get her hands on this information, I have a hard time believing that one of the cops involved in the plot hasn't managed to steal the box and throw it in the ocean by now.
I will happily chug along with Detroit 1-8-7, which at least tries to be compelling.
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
New on TV: Hawaii 5-0 and Detroit 1-8-7
So these are the two new hour-long shows I've started watching, though neither is exactly new.
Hawaii 5-0 is an update of the original rather than a continuation. The basic premise is the same: Steve McGarrett leads a special unit of the Hawaiian state police, though this time the group's charge is a bit more nebulous, allowing them to venture into cases that touch upon national security and terrorism. I see how this allows the show more freedom with plots, but it also opens the door for this to become a 24-lite, and who wants that?
One notable difference between the original and the remake is that the newer show delves much more deeply into characters and their back-stories. McGarrett is a Naval intelligence office who agreed to head up 5-0 to catch the man who killed his father (and inherited an apparent investigation into police corruption). Danny Williams is a divorced dad who moved to Hawaii to be near his daughter. Chin Ho left the Honolulu PD under suspicion of stealing money from crime scenes, and his cousin, Kono, is a brand new officer (and, in this case, a woman).
I do like that there's more personal involvement with the characters, and that we get to see them grow as a unit. I'm less happy with the way the show handled bringing over some of the conventions of the old series (less so with the explanation of the nickname Dan-o, more so over how the team got the 5-0 name, which is kind of ridiculous). I'm most happy that the original theme survived, even if in cut-down form.
And if I'm going to nitpick, I'd like to complain that (a) there's not enough location shooting with the principal characters; most of what we see of Hawaii is B-roll, and (b) the effects used to simulate driving when McGarrett and Danny talk in the car are awful.
There's nothing special to point out about the acting. Scott Caan stands out as much as anyone does for his portrayal of Danny. I expect Daniel Dae Kim is missing the Lost writers about now, and Grace Park is surprisingly life-like. Alex O'Loughlin is inoffensively generic as McGarrett, running at about 75 percent of Jack Lord.
The new Hawaii 5-0 isn't perfect, but it's enough of a change from the cookie cutter procedurals to make it watchable, and with the location in the title we're less likely to get a spinoff like Hawaii 5-0: Phoenix.
Detroit 1-8-7 is a new show, but I liked it better when it was set in Baltimore and called Homicide: Life on the Street. It's hard not to compare when you have two shows set among the murder police of a decaying American city, and at best you can say that Detroit 1-8-7 doesn't force Jon Seda on an unwitting public.
Michael Imperioli plays Louis Fitch, a New York transplant who is kind of quirky and is having issues breaking in a new partner (hello Frank Pembleton). His partner, Damon Washington, is newly transferred into homicide, and at the end of their first case he's shot when the suspect gets a gun out of a police officer's holster (hello, Junior Bunk). The other pairs include a veteran closing in on retirement (part Bolander, part Giardello as he's an African-American who speaks Italian) and, in what might be a first, a partner of Indian descent, and a young female detective whose a Detroit native (part Lewis, part a much more competent Ballard) who is partnered with a new transfer from narcotics. There's some involvement with their commanding lieutenant and an assistant DA (Giardello and Danvers, respectively).
There's nothing about Detroit 1-8-7(except maybe the music) that's up to Homicide's level, but that's a pretty high bar to clear. It's at least as good as its contemporaries, and scores points for not being set in New York or Los Angeles. It's not pulling in Hawaii 5-0's ratings, but I think Detroit 1-8-7 is the better show. Stupid name notwithstanding.
Hawaii 5-0 is an update of the original rather than a continuation. The basic premise is the same: Steve McGarrett leads a special unit of the Hawaiian state police, though this time the group's charge is a bit more nebulous, allowing them to venture into cases that touch upon national security and terrorism. I see how this allows the show more freedom with plots, but it also opens the door for this to become a 24-lite, and who wants that?
One notable difference between the original and the remake is that the newer show delves much more deeply into characters and their back-stories. McGarrett is a Naval intelligence office who agreed to head up 5-0 to catch the man who killed his father (and inherited an apparent investigation into police corruption). Danny Williams is a divorced dad who moved to Hawaii to be near his daughter. Chin Ho left the Honolulu PD under suspicion of stealing money from crime scenes, and his cousin, Kono, is a brand new officer (and, in this case, a woman).
I do like that there's more personal involvement with the characters, and that we get to see them grow as a unit. I'm less happy with the way the show handled bringing over some of the conventions of the old series (less so with the explanation of the nickname Dan-o, more so over how the team got the 5-0 name, which is kind of ridiculous). I'm most happy that the original theme survived, even if in cut-down form.
And if I'm going to nitpick, I'd like to complain that (a) there's not enough location shooting with the principal characters; most of what we see of Hawaii is B-roll, and (b) the effects used to simulate driving when McGarrett and Danny talk in the car are awful.
There's nothing special to point out about the acting. Scott Caan stands out as much as anyone does for his portrayal of Danny. I expect Daniel Dae Kim is missing the Lost writers about now, and Grace Park is surprisingly life-like. Alex O'Loughlin is inoffensively generic as McGarrett, running at about 75 percent of Jack Lord.
The new Hawaii 5-0 isn't perfect, but it's enough of a change from the cookie cutter procedurals to make it watchable, and with the location in the title we're less likely to get a spinoff like Hawaii 5-0: Phoenix.
Detroit 1-8-7 is a new show, but I liked it better when it was set in Baltimore and called Homicide: Life on the Street. It's hard not to compare when you have two shows set among the murder police of a decaying American city, and at best you can say that Detroit 1-8-7 doesn't force Jon Seda on an unwitting public.
Michael Imperioli plays Louis Fitch, a New York transplant who is kind of quirky and is having issues breaking in a new partner (hello Frank Pembleton). His partner, Damon Washington, is newly transferred into homicide, and at the end of their first case he's shot when the suspect gets a gun out of a police officer's holster (hello, Junior Bunk). The other pairs include a veteran closing in on retirement (part Bolander, part Giardello as he's an African-American who speaks Italian) and, in what might be a first, a partner of Indian descent, and a young female detective whose a Detroit native (part Lewis, part a much more competent Ballard) who is partnered with a new transfer from narcotics. There's some involvement with their commanding lieutenant and an assistant DA (Giardello and Danvers, respectively).
There's nothing about Detroit 1-8-7(except maybe the music) that's up to Homicide's level, but that's a pretty high bar to clear. It's at least as good as its contemporaries, and scores points for not being set in New York or Los Angeles. It's not pulling in Hawaii 5-0's ratings, but I think Detroit 1-8-7 is the better show. Stupid name notwithstanding.
Thursday, September 30, 2010
Dry Hole
In case you missed it, your first casualty of the new TV season was Lone Star, the one man, two families drama that actually got some good press going into the season (which is why I left it off my dead pool list even though I noted during sweeps that I wasn't interested). Unfortunately, all the good press couldn't give it the edge it needed against Dancing With the Stars, the CBS sitcom block, and the strong debut of The Event.
Speaking of NBC, they may provide my first hit of the year, given how Chase is squandering whatever lead-in it gets from The Event. Keep your fingers crossed!
Speaking of NBC, they may provide my first hit of the year, given how Chase is squandering whatever lead-in it gets from The Event. Keep your fingers crossed!
New (To Me) on TV: Master Chef
The latest Fox-based Gordon Ramsey project, I'm catching up on it via the DVR. It's more or less Top Chef for amateur cooks, though somewhat in reverse. The main challenge occurs first (typically in teams, though not always), and the losers then have to compete against each other to see who goes home (a "Pressure Cooker" challenge). The main competition has mostly been cooking for groups (Marines, truckers, and in the next episode a wedding), while the elimination events have required contestants to pick out ingredients from a finished dish or name ingredients in their natural state using all the senses except taste.
It's an OK derivation of the cooking competition, helped by Ramsey taking it down several notches. His co-judges, chef Graham Elliot and restraunteur/vintner Joe Bastianich (frequent partner of Mario Batali's places and son of PBS fave Lidia) add a kind of good cop/bad cop element, as Elliot is more likely to champion contestants while Bastianich is more cutting (and, occasionally, pervy, at least in vibe). It is still a Fox production, which means lots of useless voice overs, banal contestant interviews, and the like.
It's not the best show out there, and it's not even the best cooking show out there. But I do like that there's now an outlet for amateur chefs, even if it's one that can tend towards insufferable. It's still better than The Next Food Network Star, though that's not saying much.
It's an OK derivation of the cooking competition, helped by Ramsey taking it down several notches. His co-judges, chef Graham Elliot and restraunteur/vintner Joe Bastianich (frequent partner of Mario Batali's places and son of PBS fave Lidia) add a kind of good cop/bad cop element, as Elliot is more likely to champion contestants while Bastianich is more cutting (and, occasionally, pervy, at least in vibe). It is still a Fox production, which means lots of useless voice overs, banal contestant interviews, and the like.
It's not the best show out there, and it's not even the best cooking show out there. But I do like that there's now an outlet for amateur chefs, even if it's one that can tend towards insufferable. It's still better than The Next Food Network Star, though that's not saying much.
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
New on TV: Blue Bloods
OK, I didn't watch the whole pilot episode, so take this for what it's worth. For what little I saw, this appears to be a servicable cop/family drama. I only saw scenes with Tom Selleck and Danny Walbergh, and while I liked them both there was too much stereotypical hot headed street cop in Wahlberg's character for my taste (would it surprise you that one of the scenes I saw involved Wahlberg's character getting information from a kidnapping suspect by repeatedly pushing the suspect's head into toilet water?).
The show did well, winning its time slot, and given the low to moderate expectations for Friday shows I expect it'll stick around. That's more than one can say for Outlaw, the NBC show about a Supreme Court justice turned lawyer for the little guy. It tanked, to the point where it couldn't best The Jay Leno Show's numbers from this time last season. That should be grounds for automatic cancellation.
The show did well, winning its time slot, and given the low to moderate expectations for Friday shows I expect it'll stick around. That's more than one can say for Outlaw, the NBC show about a Supreme Court justice turned lawyer for the little guy. It tanked, to the point where it couldn't best The Jay Leno Show's numbers from this time last season. That should be grounds for automatic cancellation.
Friday, September 24, 2010
New on TV: Hawaii 5-0 and Undercovers
It's premature to judge a series based on its pilot. As it's the episode made specifically to sell the series, you can have a ton of exposition that sets up the episodes to follow, or a lot of flash to get viewers hooked. This week, I've seen one pilot for each of these.
Hawaii 5-0 is the expositional one, as the hour delved into the creation of the 5-0 team and set up the back stories for each of the characters while trying to solve the murder of Navy officer Steve McGarrett's father. I didn't expect quite so much background from a series revival, but I think it was done because(a) current viewers under 40 have likely never seen an episode of the original, and (b) to differentiate the new version from the old for those of us who have seen it.
Getting past all of the set-up, the pilot did have a fair amount of action and more violence than expected, which I suppose gives the show a push towards the spectacle area. This, as well as the broad charge the governor of Hawaii (played by Jean Smart) gives McGarrett, makes me fear that this will be less a cop show and more a tropical riff on 24. Even so, I'm still going to give it a chance, and based on the ratings (the pilot won its time slot, and will likely be the most-watched new show of the first week), I'm not alone. Maybe we're all just happy they didn't mess with the theme song all that much.
Undercovers falls more squarely in the latter category. A married pair of retired spies is goaded back into service by a CIA handler (Gerald McRainey) to find a former colleague who has gone missing. In the course of the hour, the newly reinstated spies travel to three countries, con their way into a bank to see ATM camera footage, crash a wedding to steal information off of a cell phone, skydive, get involved in a rooftop fight and handle crises related to a wedding reception (the pair entered catering after leaving the Company). It's slickly done, has attractive leads with good chemistry, and promises a dashing mix of spy work and domestic semi-tranquility.
And yet I do not plan to watch it again. I just never quite engaged with the show. It was too light to take seriously, and just a bit too serious to completely lose any expectation of reality. When someone who devotedly watched Lost through all of the time travel, glowing island hearts and polar bears starts to think that a show is implausible, you may have a problem.
I'll also admit to feeling like I'm going to get burned again. The pilot to Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip was also energetic, featured attractive leads with good chemistry, and moved at a pace that made an hour seem like it was five minutes. And then the whole thing caved in on itself and got cancelled. One bitten twice shy, I suppose. I'll happily wait for whatever JJ Abrahms has cooked up for Michael Emerson and Terry O'Quinn.
Hawaii 5-0 is the expositional one, as the hour delved into the creation of the 5-0 team and set up the back stories for each of the characters while trying to solve the murder of Navy officer Steve McGarrett's father. I didn't expect quite so much background from a series revival, but I think it was done because(a) current viewers under 40 have likely never seen an episode of the original, and (b) to differentiate the new version from the old for those of us who have seen it.
Getting past all of the set-up, the pilot did have a fair amount of action and more violence than expected, which I suppose gives the show a push towards the spectacle area. This, as well as the broad charge the governor of Hawaii (played by Jean Smart) gives McGarrett, makes me fear that this will be less a cop show and more a tropical riff on 24. Even so, I'm still going to give it a chance, and based on the ratings (the pilot won its time slot, and will likely be the most-watched new show of the first week), I'm not alone. Maybe we're all just happy they didn't mess with the theme song all that much.
Undercovers falls more squarely in the latter category. A married pair of retired spies is goaded back into service by a CIA handler (Gerald McRainey) to find a former colleague who has gone missing. In the course of the hour, the newly reinstated spies travel to three countries, con their way into a bank to see ATM camera footage, crash a wedding to steal information off of a cell phone, skydive, get involved in a rooftop fight and handle crises related to a wedding reception (the pair entered catering after leaving the Company). It's slickly done, has attractive leads with good chemistry, and promises a dashing mix of spy work and domestic semi-tranquility.
And yet I do not plan to watch it again. I just never quite engaged with the show. It was too light to take seriously, and just a bit too serious to completely lose any expectation of reality. When someone who devotedly watched Lost through all of the time travel, glowing island hearts and polar bears starts to think that a show is implausible, you may have a problem.
I'll also admit to feeling like I'm going to get burned again. The pilot to Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip was also energetic, featured attractive leads with good chemistry, and moved at a pace that made an hour seem like it was five minutes. And then the whole thing caved in on itself and got cancelled. One bitten twice shy, I suppose. I'll happily wait for whatever JJ Abrahms has cooked up for Michael Emerson and Terry O'Quinn.
Sunday, September 05, 2010
Cop No Killer
So we finally watched the Grey's Anatomy finale a couple of weeks ago, and for all of the upheaval (for those who don't watch, a gunman was loose in the hospital and shot a number of people, killing many, including two of the new supporting characters) there was one scene that really irritated me.
One of the main characters was trying to sneak out and get blood for her boyfriend when she encountered the shooter. He was planning on killing her (she unplugged his wife from life support), but the gunshot we hear wasn't from his gun, but from a SWAT team member. The shooter takes the bullet to the left shoulder. After which the shooter gets up continues to wander the hospital, shooting at least one more person before taking his own life - seconds before a phalanx of SWAT cops enter the ward where he's holed up (in the room where his wife died, which seems like the first place you'd station someone once you learn the identity of the shooter).
While I'm not an expert on SWAT procedure, it seems kind of odd to me that the cop that shot the gunman didn't advance, either to help protect the doctor or to check the status of the gunman. At the least, he'd radio in a position so his colleagues could move in. But neither seemed to happen.
This just seems careless, either for the writer who stuck it in here to add a little tension or for the director/producer for perhaps not ordering scenes in a way that would make sense. It's kind of a thankless task to expect logical thought from this show - seeing as logical thought would have prevented something like 95% of the romantic entanglements from ever happening - but this once, it wouldn't have hurt.
One of the main characters was trying to sneak out and get blood for her boyfriend when she encountered the shooter. He was planning on killing her (she unplugged his wife from life support), but the gunshot we hear wasn't from his gun, but from a SWAT team member. The shooter takes the bullet to the left shoulder. After which the shooter gets up continues to wander the hospital, shooting at least one more person before taking his own life - seconds before a phalanx of SWAT cops enter the ward where he's holed up (in the room where his wife died, which seems like the first place you'd station someone once you learn the identity of the shooter).
While I'm not an expert on SWAT procedure, it seems kind of odd to me that the cop that shot the gunman didn't advance, either to help protect the doctor or to check the status of the gunman. At the least, he'd radio in a position so his colleagues could move in. But neither seemed to happen.
This just seems careless, either for the writer who stuck it in here to add a little tension or for the director/producer for perhaps not ordering scenes in a way that would make sense. It's kind of a thankless task to expect logical thought from this show - seeing as logical thought would have prevented something like 95% of the romantic entanglements from ever happening - but this once, it wouldn't have hurt.
Thursday, September 02, 2010
Bring Out Your Dead for 2010
I've once again set out to prove what little I know by entering the Ted Marshall Open, the Interweb's greatest TV dead pool. Ten shows, 20 points per show that gets canceled with bonus points based on how you rank your choices. My picks for the year:
1 - Smallville - widely announced as being in its final season, so easy points. I could have had even more easy points if I'd remembered that As the World Turns was packing it in this season. In my defense, this is the first year that non-prime time programming is eligible, and I thought that whatever long-running soap was ending had already done so.
Still, left points on the table, which is galling.
2 - Outlaw - I don't think it gets any worse than Friday at 10 on NBC for a time slot. Throw in a show with an odd premise (roguish Supreme Court justice steps down to take cases for ordinary folk) and it seems like a goner. Makes me wonder just who Jimmy Smits pissed off.
3 - Hellcats - a pre-law student needs money for school, so she parlays her gymnastics experience to get a scholarship as a cheerleader. It looks like it's trying to meld Glee with the Bring it On franchise, but as it's on the CW it will fail at both. It's also in the post-America's Next Top Model slot, which you think would help but never does.
4 - Raising Hope - Most of what I've read about this show is not positive.
5 - Defenders - I know two wrongs don't make a right, but with my luck Belushi and O'Connell will combine to win a Peabody.
6 - Chase - this story of a US Marshal and the criminals she tracks down just feels generic. It's also about 10 years too late to benefit from The Fugitive.
7 - Better With You - speaking of generic, here's the latest attempt at a multi-generational family romantic sitcom. I swear there's like a dozen scripts in a cave somewhere and the networks just change the names around every time they try this. My only fear with this show is that, nestled in ABC's Wednesday comedy block, it will be inoffensive enough to survive.
8 - Bob's Burgers - I'm hoping that this will be the season's Goode Family, existing only to provide faintly humorous content in a space that needs temporary filling. I can't see it cracking Fox's existing Sunday of animation.
9 - Running Wilde - this show scares the hell out of me, as it seems so ridiculous on its face that it should be a lock for cancellation. But you throw in Will Arnett and you think anything is possible.
10 - Shedding for the Wedding - some random NBC mid-season reality show that I assume is about brides trying to lose weight to get into their wedding dress. I suppose I'm way out of the target demographic for this, so I may be misjudging how it'll do. Or it'll be so bad that it won't air at all, either way.
Of course, there are some shows that made the top ten shows picked by all contestants that I didn't choose. They are:
Outsourced - the potential for this to fail is pretty high, and if it veers to far into lame ethnic stereotyping it's not going to last. But NBC was pretty tolerant with its sitcoms last year (thank you for renewing Community, BTW), so I left this off. It's the second most popular consensus pick, which usually means cancellation but not always (both Gary Unmarried and The Ghost Whisperer got a second season after landing in this spot; maybe you just need to be a CBS show to survive?).
Detroit 1-8-7 - thought of it, had some mixed reviews, but then I thought it might be a nice dose of action against The Good Wife and Parenthood. So I left it off, even if I do think it's the dumbest name for a new show this season. It's the consensus third-place show.
My Generation - I really should have put this in, as this is the sort of show I hate, with its fake nostalgia and forced surprise that the future you dream of as a teen rarely, if ever, comes to pass. I'm kind of pissed at myself now for not picking it. It's the fourth place pick, which just confirms that I should have trusted my instinct.
The Event - the latest attempt at forging drama out of government conspiracy. I'm not sure about it, but I'm hoping the current political climate makes it more appealing. Maybe Glenn Beck or one of his crowd will start referencing it like it's a documentary. That might help.
The Good Guys - there could be worse things than an old cop-new cop show. Like Bradley Whitford's sunglasses and mustache. Not crazy about the Friday time slot, but given the competition it could win regularly.
No Ordinary Family - I can see why this is on here, as it's really high concept and follows the collapse of Heroes a little too closely. Still, I think making this about a family rather than strangers is a nice direction, and I can't complain if I get to see Julie Benz on my TV every week. But I can see where this could go wrong quickly.
So there it is. Look for my complaining throughout the season.
1 - Smallville - widely announced as being in its final season, so easy points. I could have had even more easy points if I'd remembered that As the World Turns was packing it in this season. In my defense, this is the first year that non-prime time programming is eligible, and I thought that whatever long-running soap was ending had already done so.
Still, left points on the table, which is galling.
2 - Outlaw - I don't think it gets any worse than Friday at 10 on NBC for a time slot. Throw in a show with an odd premise (roguish Supreme Court justice steps down to take cases for ordinary folk) and it seems like a goner. Makes me wonder just who Jimmy Smits pissed off.
3 - Hellcats - a pre-law student needs money for school, so she parlays her gymnastics experience to get a scholarship as a cheerleader. It looks like it's trying to meld Glee with the Bring it On franchise, but as it's on the CW it will fail at both. It's also in the post-America's Next Top Model slot, which you think would help but never does.
4 - Raising Hope - Most of what I've read about this show is not positive.
5 - Defenders - I know two wrongs don't make a right, but with my luck Belushi and O'Connell will combine to win a Peabody.
6 - Chase - this story of a US Marshal and the criminals she tracks down just feels generic. It's also about 10 years too late to benefit from The Fugitive.
7 - Better With You - speaking of generic, here's the latest attempt at a multi-generational family romantic sitcom. I swear there's like a dozen scripts in a cave somewhere and the networks just change the names around every time they try this. My only fear with this show is that, nestled in ABC's Wednesday comedy block, it will be inoffensive enough to survive.
8 - Bob's Burgers - I'm hoping that this will be the season's Goode Family, existing only to provide faintly humorous content in a space that needs temporary filling. I can't see it cracking Fox's existing Sunday of animation.
9 - Running Wilde - this show scares the hell out of me, as it seems so ridiculous on its face that it should be a lock for cancellation. But you throw in Will Arnett and you think anything is possible.
10 - Shedding for the Wedding - some random NBC mid-season reality show that I assume is about brides trying to lose weight to get into their wedding dress. I suppose I'm way out of the target demographic for this, so I may be misjudging how it'll do. Or it'll be so bad that it won't air at all, either way.
Of course, there are some shows that made the top ten shows picked by all contestants that I didn't choose. They are:
Outsourced - the potential for this to fail is pretty high, and if it veers to far into lame ethnic stereotyping it's not going to last. But NBC was pretty tolerant with its sitcoms last year (thank you for renewing Community, BTW), so I left this off. It's the second most popular consensus pick, which usually means cancellation but not always (both Gary Unmarried and The Ghost Whisperer got a second season after landing in this spot; maybe you just need to be a CBS show to survive?).
Detroit 1-8-7 - thought of it, had some mixed reviews, but then I thought it might be a nice dose of action against The Good Wife and Parenthood. So I left it off, even if I do think it's the dumbest name for a new show this season. It's the consensus third-place show.
My Generation - I really should have put this in, as this is the sort of show I hate, with its fake nostalgia and forced surprise that the future you dream of as a teen rarely, if ever, comes to pass. I'm kind of pissed at myself now for not picking it. It's the fourth place pick, which just confirms that I should have trusted my instinct.
The Event - the latest attempt at forging drama out of government conspiracy. I'm not sure about it, but I'm hoping the current political climate makes it more appealing. Maybe Glenn Beck or one of his crowd will start referencing it like it's a documentary. That might help.
The Good Guys - there could be worse things than an old cop-new cop show. Like Bradley Whitford's sunglasses and mustache. Not crazy about the Friday time slot, but given the competition it could win regularly.
No Ordinary Family - I can see why this is on here, as it's really high concept and follows the collapse of Heroes a little too closely. Still, I think making this about a family rather than strangers is a nice direction, and I can't complain if I get to see Julie Benz on my TV every week. But I can see where this could go wrong quickly.
So there it is. Look for my complaining throughout the season.
Friday, July 23, 2010
Summer Season Selection
Quick hits on what I've been watching this summer:
The wife has gotten us into Wipeout, ABC's MXC ripoff. It's an hour of people falling into mud, getting coated with paint, and getting mocked by John Anderson and John Henson. The mocking isn't that funny, but watching people get decked by rotating padded arms is worth a guffaw.
We're apparently too lazy to then change the channel, as we're also watching three shows that come on after Wipeout. One is the Canadian cop drama Rookie Blue, which is more or less like every other TV show about rookie cops, except that the lead female character is apparently a former model turned cop (or so I assume, based on her appearance, we've not really watched the show closely enough to know if that's actually her backstory).
Then there's Downfall, a game show where contestants answer trivia questions to win cash and prizes. The twist is that as time goes on, the loot moves down a conveyor belt and, eventually, off the side of a building (the show takes place on its roof). The contestant can even get dropped off if all of the prizes go over. Theoretically, host Chris Jericho can also get dropped off, I assume if someone wins the $1 million top prize. As the contestants appear to be from the same excitable but somewhat dim contestant pool that most game shows use, Jericho is safe. Anyway, not a great show, either, but at least you get to see crap fall off a building.
Finally, there's Boston Med, the docu-series following doctors, nurses and patients in three Boston hospitals. I've only watched this in passing, and to my eye it seems like they spend a lot of time on the nurses, which should be to no one's surprise.
I was watching Through the Wormhole, the Science Channel's series about big universal questions hosted by Morgan Freeman. As much as I love Freeman, and as interesting as the topics are (episodes have covered time travel, whether there is a God, and what existed before the Big Bang), I never quite clicked with the show, and have given up.
We're also recording The Choir, BBC America's reality show about a choir director who puts together a singing group out of high school students with little to no musical background, which he then takes to an international competition in China. I'm sure its presence on the schedule is due in large part to the success of Glee, though outside of the superficial similarities they're very different.
And of course I've got the new seasons of Eureka and Mad Men to watch, so I'll be lucky to just get caught up before the new fall season starts.
The wife has gotten us into Wipeout, ABC's MXC ripoff. It's an hour of people falling into mud, getting coated with paint, and getting mocked by John Anderson and John Henson. The mocking isn't that funny, but watching people get decked by rotating padded arms is worth a guffaw.
We're apparently too lazy to then change the channel, as we're also watching three shows that come on after Wipeout. One is the Canadian cop drama Rookie Blue, which is more or less like every other TV show about rookie cops, except that the lead female character is apparently a former model turned cop (or so I assume, based on her appearance, we've not really watched the show closely enough to know if that's actually her backstory).
Then there's Downfall, a game show where contestants answer trivia questions to win cash and prizes. The twist is that as time goes on, the loot moves down a conveyor belt and, eventually, off the side of a building (the show takes place on its roof). The contestant can even get dropped off if all of the prizes go over. Theoretically, host Chris Jericho can also get dropped off, I assume if someone wins the $1 million top prize. As the contestants appear to be from the same excitable but somewhat dim contestant pool that most game shows use, Jericho is safe. Anyway, not a great show, either, but at least you get to see crap fall off a building.
Finally, there's Boston Med, the docu-series following doctors, nurses and patients in three Boston hospitals. I've only watched this in passing, and to my eye it seems like they spend a lot of time on the nurses, which should be to no one's surprise.
I was watching Through the Wormhole, the Science Channel's series about big universal questions hosted by Morgan Freeman. As much as I love Freeman, and as interesting as the topics are (episodes have covered time travel, whether there is a God, and what existed before the Big Bang), I never quite clicked with the show, and have given up.
We're also recording The Choir, BBC America's reality show about a choir director who puts together a singing group out of high school students with little to no musical background, which he then takes to an international competition in China. I'm sure its presence on the schedule is due in large part to the success of Glee, though outside of the superficial similarities they're very different.
And of course I've got the new seasons of Eureka and Mad Men to watch, so I'll be lucky to just get caught up before the new fall season starts.
Sunday, July 04, 2010
Close the Branch
I was going to go into this whole thing about how The Office can't go on without Michael Scott, but then realized it's a widely-held enough proposition that it doesn't exactly need my analysis to prop it up. That being said, I do think there are three ways one could keep the show going without Michael Scott to kick around.
1. Bring in David Brent. As unlikely to happen as Michael Scott staying, but it's the best shot the show has to keep going on and going on well.
2. Retool the show around younger staffers. You know, like the last season of Scrubs.
3. Nudity. Moreso Pam than, say, Kevin.
There is talk that the show will carry on, and that the ensenble cast is strong enough to keep the show going. That's probably true. Maybe they can go the Murphy Brown route and have a different guest star as manager every episode. Anyway, it certainly can go on (what else does NBC have to air?), it just shouldn't go on.
1. Bring in David Brent. As unlikely to happen as Michael Scott staying, but it's the best shot the show has to keep going on and going on well.
2. Retool the show around younger staffers. You know, like the last season of Scrubs.
3. Nudity. Moreso Pam than, say, Kevin.
There is talk that the show will carry on, and that the ensenble cast is strong enough to keep the show going. That's probably true. Maybe they can go the Murphy Brown route and have a different guest star as manager every episode. Anyway, it certainly can go on (what else does NBC have to air?), it just shouldn't go on.
Monday, May 24, 2010
Upfronts: The Recap
While I'm tempted to list the winners and losers of upfronts, I'm having a hard time decided who the losers really are thanks to the relatively mediocre line-ups we've been handed. It may be enough to say that networks lost by not trying to win.
That's with the exception of CBS, whose schedule shake up puts them in a position where they could win every night (well, maybe not Saturday, but no one really cares about Saturday). They won't, at least on a regular basis, but they could. That's more than any other network can say.
As far as individual shows go, there is no show that makes me think that I really want to see what it's about. The closest I get is interest in how CBS revives Hawaii 5-0. There is some potential out there - Outsourced could be the last piece NBC needs for Thursday nights, and I'll admit some interest in No Ordinary Family - but there's not much else out there that really grabs me.
The only other thing of note that I have is that there's obvious knock-off shows this year. There isn't the usual rush by all networks to find the next Lost or Grey's, and we don't have multiple networks mining the same specific topic (like the year there were three separate alien invasion shows). That would normally be a good thing, but this year, I think I'd have at least found more humor in the attempt.
Upfronts: The CW
For a network focused on pulling in the youngest viewers, there are a surprising number of aging shows on the CW lineup for next season. Only two new shows for next season, helped by the network sticking to its plan to program weeknights only.
What's gone - Melrose Place would be the most notable cut, given how the network pushed for the show to match the same relative success as 90210. Casting Ashlee Simpson may not have been such a great idea, in retrosepct. The Beautiful Life, the network's latest attempt to translate the success of America's Next Top Model into episodic TV, also got the hook. Among the others, I only stop to note that I never knew there was a show called Blonde Charity Mafia. The name alone cried for cancellation.
Day by Day -
Monday: 90210 moves over to partner with Gossip Girl, which seems like a good idea. Why have one hour of backbiting rich kids when you can have two?
Tuesday: One Tree Hill moves in with adoption drama Life Unexpected. Which is fine, I guess.
Wednesday: America's Next Top Model continues, and will lead in to Hellcats, which follows a pre-law student at a Memphis university who,after losing financial aid, parlays her youth gymnastics experience into a spot on the school's cheerleading team, leading the usual backstabbing and Bring it On-type shenanigans. I think.
Thursday: The Vampire Diaries leads in to Nikita, a show about a woman who was recruited to become a spy and assassin as a teen, and who had now turned against those that trained her, an outfit known as Division. Meanwhile, they keep turning out teenaged spies, one of whom is beginning to see why Nikita decided to turn. This should sound familiar, it being the basis, more or less, for two feature films and a previous TV series.
Friday: Brings Smallville and Supernatural together, in a sensible pairing, even if Smallville seems like it's been around since 1994. This is supposedly the show's last season, which seems at least one season too late. I can't say I'm thrilled about the network playing the usual game of sticking its sci-fi/fantasy type series on Friday nights, but if the network really does skew younger it may not be a bad move, as most of the fans should be too young to go out to bars.
I can't say this is the worst lineup the CW could have come up with, though they may be trading stability for some of their younger viewers. That also may not be the worst thing if they can bring in a few more viewers in their 20s. Still, I don't see them threatening NBC any time soon.
What's gone - Melrose Place would be the most notable cut, given how the network pushed for the show to match the same relative success as 90210. Casting Ashlee Simpson may not have been such a great idea, in retrosepct. The Beautiful Life, the network's latest attempt to translate the success of America's Next Top Model into episodic TV, also got the hook. Among the others, I only stop to note that I never knew there was a show called Blonde Charity Mafia. The name alone cried for cancellation.
Day by Day -
Monday: 90210 moves over to partner with Gossip Girl, which seems like a good idea. Why have one hour of backbiting rich kids when you can have two?
Tuesday: One Tree Hill moves in with adoption drama Life Unexpected. Which is fine, I guess.
Wednesday: America's Next Top Model continues, and will lead in to Hellcats, which follows a pre-law student at a Memphis university who,after losing financial aid, parlays her youth gymnastics experience into a spot on the school's cheerleading team, leading the usual backstabbing and Bring it On-type shenanigans. I think.
Thursday: The Vampire Diaries leads in to Nikita, a show about a woman who was recruited to become a spy and assassin as a teen, and who had now turned against those that trained her, an outfit known as Division. Meanwhile, they keep turning out teenaged spies, one of whom is beginning to see why Nikita decided to turn. This should sound familiar, it being the basis, more or less, for two feature films and a previous TV series.
Friday: Brings Smallville and Supernatural together, in a sensible pairing, even if Smallville seems like it's been around since 1994. This is supposedly the show's last season, which seems at least one season too late. I can't say I'm thrilled about the network playing the usual game of sticking its sci-fi/fantasy type series on Friday nights, but if the network really does skew younger it may not be a bad move, as most of the fans should be too young to go out to bars.
I can't say this is the worst lineup the CW could have come up with, though they may be trading stability for some of their younger viewers. That also may not be the worst thing if they can bring in a few more viewers in their 20s. Still, I don't see them threatening NBC any time soon.
Thursday, May 20, 2010
Upfronts: CBS
You're the most-watched network on TV. What do you do for the upcoming season? Retool and look to maintain your status in the new decade.
What's gone - A lot, but nothing huge. The most notable cancellations mark the dismantling of CBS's Friday nights, which they've owned the last couple of seasons. Both Ghost Whisperer and Numb3rs are gone, as are sitcoms The New Adventures of Old Christine and Gary Unmarried, among others. The most notable drama cancellation outside of Friday was Cold Case, though that was fairly well expected.
Day by Day
Monday: The Big Bang Theory moves out, and Rules of Engagement moves in. Replacing Accidentally on Purpose is Mike and Molly, the latest creation from Chuck Lorre. It focuses on a couple that meets at an Overeaters Anonymous meeting and are now trying to build a relationship while shedding pounds. If nothing else it's refreshing that we'll have some fat people on TV, even if they're only Hollywood fat.
The day ends with the revival of Hawaii 5-0, about which I'm of two minds. I love the original (I could watch '70s cop shows all day), but am concerned with the new version, which sounds like they've moved 24 to the islands. That and they've made Kono a woman, though I'm OK with that given the casting of Grace Park in the role. Speaking of casting, Daniel Dae Kim gets to stay in Hawaii, moving from Lost to play Chin Ho Kelly. I also approve of that, but for very different reasons.
Tuesday: Stays the same with NCIS, NCIS: Los Angeles and The Good Wife. No need to mess with success.
Wednesday: The night kicks off with Survivor, which moves from Thursday in the network's biggest change for an existing show. It will pair with Criminal Minds and a new show, The Defenders, which is sadly not a revival of the great 1960s courtroom drama that starred E. G. Marshall and Robert Reed. Instead, it stars Jim Belushi and Jerry O'Connell as Las Vegas defense attorneys. Honestly, your eyes kind of glazed over right after "O'Connell," didn't they?
Thursday: The Big Bang Theory lands here to kick off the night, which is now tailored to take on NBC's comedy bloc and ABC's dramas. It's paired with $#*! My Dad Says, which I am fairly certain is the first TV show ever based on a Twitter feed. In it, William Shatner plays the dad whose inappropriate comments become Internet fodder for his son Henry. They also target the other son, played by Will Sasso, and his wife, played by Nicole Sullivan. I don't know about this one - the Twitter thing seems like a gimmick to dress up a family sitcom - and there's always the fear that Shatner will be, well, himself. That could be a great thing, except when it's a horrible thing.
The night is rounded out by CSI, the original, and The Mentalist.
Friday: Medium moves up an hour to kick things off, and is then followed by CSI: New York, which makes me think that it'll disappear at some point so they can trot out NCIS: Random Coastal City. The night closes with the new drama Blue Bloods, which tells the story of the Reagan family, who have served the NYPD for generations, from the patriarch (and former chief) to the current chief (Tom Selleck) and his sons (Donnie Wahlberg and Will Estes). Bridget Moynihan plays the only Reagan woman, who as a girl apparently can't be a cop, so she's an attorney for the DA's office (and a single mom, hello art portraying life). There's likely some promise here, as the cast is good and Friday's not a bad night for a show that might be a little by the numbers.
Saturday: Two hours of Crimetime Saturday followed by 48 Hours Mystery. I suppose we should be thankful that they're running new programming at all.
Sunday: Mostly unchanged, as 60 Minutes, The Amazing Race and Undercover Boss all return to regular times, joined at 10 by CSI: Miami. Sunday at 10 seems later for a police procedural; it certainly didn't do Cold Case any favors.
So there you have it. Not sure if all the movement will bear fruit, but it's good to see CBS isn't being complacent. Just temporarily insane when it green lighted The Defenders.
What's gone - A lot, but nothing huge. The most notable cancellations mark the dismantling of CBS's Friday nights, which they've owned the last couple of seasons. Both Ghost Whisperer and Numb3rs are gone, as are sitcoms The New Adventures of Old Christine and Gary Unmarried, among others. The most notable drama cancellation outside of Friday was Cold Case, though that was fairly well expected.
Day by Day
Monday: The Big Bang Theory moves out, and Rules of Engagement moves in. Replacing Accidentally on Purpose is Mike and Molly, the latest creation from Chuck Lorre. It focuses on a couple that meets at an Overeaters Anonymous meeting and are now trying to build a relationship while shedding pounds. If nothing else it's refreshing that we'll have some fat people on TV, even if they're only Hollywood fat.
The day ends with the revival of Hawaii 5-0, about which I'm of two minds. I love the original (I could watch '70s cop shows all day), but am concerned with the new version, which sounds like they've moved 24 to the islands. That and they've made Kono a woman, though I'm OK with that given the casting of Grace Park in the role. Speaking of casting, Daniel Dae Kim gets to stay in Hawaii, moving from Lost to play Chin Ho Kelly. I also approve of that, but for very different reasons.
Tuesday: Stays the same with NCIS, NCIS: Los Angeles and The Good Wife. No need to mess with success.
Wednesday: The night kicks off with Survivor, which moves from Thursday in the network's biggest change for an existing show. It will pair with Criminal Minds and a new show, The Defenders, which is sadly not a revival of the great 1960s courtroom drama that starred E. G. Marshall and Robert Reed. Instead, it stars Jim Belushi and Jerry O'Connell as Las Vegas defense attorneys. Honestly, your eyes kind of glazed over right after "O'Connell," didn't they?
Thursday: The Big Bang Theory lands here to kick off the night, which is now tailored to take on NBC's comedy bloc and ABC's dramas. It's paired with $#*! My Dad Says, which I am fairly certain is the first TV show ever based on a Twitter feed. In it, William Shatner plays the dad whose inappropriate comments become Internet fodder for his son Henry. They also target the other son, played by Will Sasso, and his wife, played by Nicole Sullivan. I don't know about this one - the Twitter thing seems like a gimmick to dress up a family sitcom - and there's always the fear that Shatner will be, well, himself. That could be a great thing, except when it's a horrible thing.
The night is rounded out by CSI, the original, and The Mentalist.
Friday: Medium moves up an hour to kick things off, and is then followed by CSI: New York, which makes me think that it'll disappear at some point so they can trot out NCIS: Random Coastal City. The night closes with the new drama Blue Bloods, which tells the story of the Reagan family, who have served the NYPD for generations, from the patriarch (and former chief) to the current chief (Tom Selleck) and his sons (Donnie Wahlberg and Will Estes). Bridget Moynihan plays the only Reagan woman, who as a girl apparently can't be a cop, so she's an attorney for the DA's office (and a single mom, hello art portraying life). There's likely some promise here, as the cast is good and Friday's not a bad night for a show that might be a little by the numbers.
Saturday: Two hours of Crimetime Saturday followed by 48 Hours Mystery. I suppose we should be thankful that they're running new programming at all.
Sunday: Mostly unchanged, as 60 Minutes, The Amazing Race and Undercover Boss all return to regular times, joined at 10 by CSI: Miami. Sunday at 10 seems later for a police procedural; it certainly didn't do Cold Case any favors.
So there you have it. Not sure if all the movement will bear fruit, but it's good to see CBS isn't being complacent. Just temporarily insane when it green lighted The Defenders.
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
Upfronts: ABC
So what's in store for the Alphabet next season?
What's gone - Well, Lost, of course, though that's the only show ending of its own accord. Notable cuts that I don't think were already known include Scrubs (which never should have come back), Better Off Ted, and, most annoying for me, Flash Forward. I liked that show quite a bit, and never felt like it quite got the right treatment, from its placement on Thursdays with Grey's Anatomy and Private Practice to its lengthy hiatus for the middle of the season.
Day by Day -
Monday: The winning formula of Dancing With the Stars and Castle returns. I also had Castle on my dead pool list, so things go from bad to worse.
Tuesday: Starts off with No Ordinary Family, which is about a family that survives an airplane crash in the Amazon and discovers that they've developed super powers. I know there has to be Lost/Heroes crossover fiction online, but I didn't think you could get a TV show based on it. It does start Michael Chiklis and Julie Benz, so perhaps it won't be a complete bust.
This is followed by an hour of Dancing With the Stars results show (snore) and a new cop drama, Detroit 1-8-7, which with the numbering sounds soooo 1995. I would like to think of this as a Great Lakes version of Homicide, but I'm reserving judgment.
Wednesday: The successful comedy block survives and is supplemented with Better Together, which revolves around three couples - one long-dating but not married, one getting married after just weeks together, and one the parents of the women in the other couples. I can't say I'm impressed, but I suppose it's just different enough from The Middle and Modern Family to have a shot.
The night ends with The Whole Truth, a legal drama that's supposed to be inventive because it shows how cases develop from both sides. I suppose that is a little different, but I don't know how that makes this any more compelling than any of the other legal dramas we've been subjected to over the years. Rob Morrow and Joely Richardson star.
Thursday: Grey's and Private Practice return, and are led in by My Generation, which returns to a group of people who were the subject of a 2000 documentary their senior year of high school to see how things have panned out. I can't say I'm interested, but it's probably better suited for the night than Flash Forward was.
Friday: Starts with Secret Millionaire, which is Undercover Boss but with rich people moving to the ghetto to find the "unsung heroes" and give out some money to ease their consciences. This is followed by Body of Proof, which has Dana Delaney playing a surgeon who, after an accident that ends her surgical career, becomes a medical examiner. She, of course, uses her drive to discover not only what killed people but who. She also has to work on getting back into the good graces of her family, which she mostly ignored while building her surgical career. This might not turn out so bad, especially if it's played more for a family-centered audience than some sort of Quincy rehash.
The night ends with 20/20, which I don't think ABC is aware that it can cancel.
Saturday: College football in the fall, followed by repeats or movies or porn or something in the spring.
Sunday: Unchanged.
There are ton of mid-season shows in the offing, most notably Off the Map, a medical drama from Shonda Rhimes that puts doctors with baggage in an jungle clinic, and Mr. Sunshine, which stars Matthew Perry as the assistant manager of a sports arena who is re-evaluating his life now that he's turned 40. Off the Map sounds like a solid bet to replace My Generation and give us an entire night of soapy doctoring, while Mr. Sunshine co-stars Allison Janney, which is always a good thing. V is also returning at some point, and I'll just have to be happy about that.
Not sure if all of this is enough to stop ABC's casual slide, but I don't quite see another blockbuster in this group.
What's gone - Well, Lost, of course, though that's the only show ending of its own accord. Notable cuts that I don't think were already known include Scrubs (which never should have come back), Better Off Ted, and, most annoying for me, Flash Forward. I liked that show quite a bit, and never felt like it quite got the right treatment, from its placement on Thursdays with Grey's Anatomy and Private Practice to its lengthy hiatus for the middle of the season.
Day by Day -
Monday: The winning formula of Dancing With the Stars and Castle returns. I also had Castle on my dead pool list, so things go from bad to worse.
Tuesday: Starts off with No Ordinary Family, which is about a family that survives an airplane crash in the Amazon and discovers that they've developed super powers. I know there has to be Lost/Heroes crossover fiction online, but I didn't think you could get a TV show based on it. It does start Michael Chiklis and Julie Benz, so perhaps it won't be a complete bust.
This is followed by an hour of Dancing With the Stars results show (snore) and a new cop drama, Detroit 1-8-7, which with the numbering sounds soooo 1995. I would like to think of this as a Great Lakes version of Homicide, but I'm reserving judgment.
Wednesday: The successful comedy block survives and is supplemented with Better Together, which revolves around three couples - one long-dating but not married, one getting married after just weeks together, and one the parents of the women in the other couples. I can't say I'm impressed, but I suppose it's just different enough from The Middle and Modern Family to have a shot.
The night ends with The Whole Truth, a legal drama that's supposed to be inventive because it shows how cases develop from both sides. I suppose that is a little different, but I don't know how that makes this any more compelling than any of the other legal dramas we've been subjected to over the years. Rob Morrow and Joely Richardson star.
Thursday: Grey's and Private Practice return, and are led in by My Generation, which returns to a group of people who were the subject of a 2000 documentary their senior year of high school to see how things have panned out. I can't say I'm interested, but it's probably better suited for the night than Flash Forward was.
Friday: Starts with Secret Millionaire, which is Undercover Boss but with rich people moving to the ghetto to find the "unsung heroes" and give out some money to ease their consciences. This is followed by Body of Proof, which has Dana Delaney playing a surgeon who, after an accident that ends her surgical career, becomes a medical examiner. She, of course, uses her drive to discover not only what killed people but who. She also has to work on getting back into the good graces of her family, which she mostly ignored while building her surgical career. This might not turn out so bad, especially if it's played more for a family-centered audience than some sort of Quincy rehash.
The night ends with 20/20, which I don't think ABC is aware that it can cancel.
Saturday: College football in the fall, followed by repeats or movies or porn or something in the spring.
Sunday: Unchanged.
There are ton of mid-season shows in the offing, most notably Off the Map, a medical drama from Shonda Rhimes that puts doctors with baggage in an jungle clinic, and Mr. Sunshine, which stars Matthew Perry as the assistant manager of a sports arena who is re-evaluating his life now that he's turned 40. Off the Map sounds like a solid bet to replace My Generation and give us an entire night of soapy doctoring, while Mr. Sunshine co-stars Allison Janney, which is always a good thing. V is also returning at some point, and I'll just have to be happy about that.
Not sure if all of this is enough to stop ABC's casual slide, but I don't quite see another blockbuster in this group.
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
Upfronts: Fox
Fox is premiering more shows than I expected, but as they're doing their usual split season schedule I suppose it means more new TV for us. Whether that's a good thing remains to be seen.
What's gone - The big news is that 24 is done, though there'd been talk about that going into the season. I'm sure the Tea Party folks will find a way to blame this on Obama, too. Also out are Til Death, Past Life, Brothers, Sons of Tucson, Dollhouse, Out Little Genius (which I'd not heard of until seeing it listed as a cancellation), Sit Down Shut Up and The Wanda Sykes Show.
Also gone is Simon Cowell, whose long-expected departure was finally confirmed. No word on who will replace him, though I'd vote for Toby Young from Top Chef. He doesn't know music, but he as the acerbic wit and British accent required for the job.
Day by Day -
Monday: House shares the night with two shows. The fall will bring us Lonestar, which is sadly not about the character from Spaceballs. Instead, it's a Dallas meets Big Love soap about a Texas oil tycoon who has two families - and two identities - in separate parts of the state. Can he bleed both dry before being caught? Will I even pretend to care?
The spring will bring Ride-Along, where we take a passenger seat view of crime fighting in Chicago. The overblown description of the show makes it sound like a pulp novel come to life, though I think they thought it would evoke shows like The Wire and EZ Streets. I'd be marginally interested if the press release synopsis didn't try so hard to make it sound gritty.
Tuesday: Glee starts the night in the fall, followed by two new sitcoms. Raising Hope sees a young man at the center of a dysfunctional family cope with his infant daughter, who he gets to care for when he discovers a past fling had the baby while in prison. That half hour of cheeriness is followed by Running Wilde, which is apparently what you'd get if you crossed Ed with Arrested Development. Will Arnett stars as the spoiled heir to an oil fortune (what's with all the oil money?) who is trying to get the one thing he could never buy - the love of Emmy, the daughter of the Wilde family maid, played by Keri Russell. The set-up seems ridiculous, but that wasn't a problem for Arrested Development, so why would it be here?
For the spring, Glee and Raising Hope moves to Wednesday to make room for American Idol, and we get another new sitcom, Mixed Signals, a male-centered relationship show about which I can only say it features Roy from The Office.
Wednesday: Lie to Me returns and is paired with Hell's Kitchen. I have no idea why, but I find this combination amusing. In the spring, we get Raising Hope, a 30 minute AI results show (at least until Raising Hope is put on permanent hiatus) and Glee.
Thursday: Bones and Fringe remain on Thursday for the entire season, showing that Fox can resist the impulse to mess with something that works.
Friday: Human Target got renewed and lands here, I assume to draw in all those young males who stay home to watch TV to start the weekend. This also costs me a hit on the Ted Marshall TV Dead Pool, which is not going to go well for me this year.
For the fall, it shares the night with The Good Guys (assuming it survives its summer debut). It features Bradley Whitford and Colin Hanks as cops, one "old school" and one "by the books." I'll let you decide who plays which stereotype. Once this show is over or canceled or whatever, it gets replaced with Kitchen Nightmares, which continues its sad approximation of the superior British version.
Saturday: Cops and America's Most Wanted, which we can pretty much pencil in here for eternity.
Sunday: The animation block of The Simpsons, Family Guy, The Cleveland Show and American Dad continues, and once football is over they'll be joined by Bob's Burgers, a show about a crappy burger joint and the man who runs it (along with his family). The press release goes into some detail into the neighborhood surrounding Bob's, which makes me think they realize the main premise about the annoying guy and his requisite quirky family - is a little thin. Good thing Fox canceled King of the Hill so they could show us this.
Not scheduled but mentioned as a mid-season replacement is Terra Nova, a family drama that's part Lost in Space and part Land of the Lost. Initially set in the mid-22nd century, the show follows the Shannon family as they are sent back to prehistoric times to join a settlement which aims to prevent some of the missteps that have irreversibly damaged the planet in their present. Compounding things is some sort of dark family secret that puts the Shannons at risk of getting sent back, as well as a potential conspiracy within the settlement.
There are some big names involved with the show - Spielberg most notably, but also veteran TV guys Brannon Braga and David Fury. This could be the most interesting show of the year for Fox, assuming it doesn't morph into Avatar: The Series.
What's gone - The big news is that 24 is done, though there'd been talk about that going into the season. I'm sure the Tea Party folks will find a way to blame this on Obama, too. Also out are Til Death, Past Life, Brothers, Sons of Tucson, Dollhouse, Out Little Genius (which I'd not heard of until seeing it listed as a cancellation), Sit Down Shut Up and The Wanda Sykes Show.
Also gone is Simon Cowell, whose long-expected departure was finally confirmed. No word on who will replace him, though I'd vote for Toby Young from Top Chef. He doesn't know music, but he as the acerbic wit and British accent required for the job.
Day by Day -
Monday: House shares the night with two shows. The fall will bring us Lonestar, which is sadly not about the character from Spaceballs. Instead, it's a Dallas meets Big Love soap about a Texas oil tycoon who has two families - and two identities - in separate parts of the state. Can he bleed both dry before being caught? Will I even pretend to care?
The spring will bring Ride-Along, where we take a passenger seat view of crime fighting in Chicago. The overblown description of the show makes it sound like a pulp novel come to life, though I think they thought it would evoke shows like The Wire and EZ Streets. I'd be marginally interested if the press release synopsis didn't try so hard to make it sound gritty.
Tuesday: Glee starts the night in the fall, followed by two new sitcoms. Raising Hope sees a young man at the center of a dysfunctional family cope with his infant daughter, who he gets to care for when he discovers a past fling had the baby while in prison. That half hour of cheeriness is followed by Running Wilde, which is apparently what you'd get if you crossed Ed with Arrested Development. Will Arnett stars as the spoiled heir to an oil fortune (what's with all the oil money?) who is trying to get the one thing he could never buy - the love of Emmy, the daughter of the Wilde family maid, played by Keri Russell. The set-up seems ridiculous, but that wasn't a problem for Arrested Development, so why would it be here?
For the spring, Glee and Raising Hope moves to Wednesday to make room for American Idol, and we get another new sitcom, Mixed Signals, a male-centered relationship show about which I can only say it features Roy from The Office.
Wednesday: Lie to Me returns and is paired with Hell's Kitchen. I have no idea why, but I find this combination amusing. In the spring, we get Raising Hope, a 30 minute AI results show (at least until Raising Hope is put on permanent hiatus) and Glee.
Thursday: Bones and Fringe remain on Thursday for the entire season, showing that Fox can resist the impulse to mess with something that works.
Friday: Human Target got renewed and lands here, I assume to draw in all those young males who stay home to watch TV to start the weekend. This also costs me a hit on the Ted Marshall TV Dead Pool, which is not going to go well for me this year.
For the fall, it shares the night with The Good Guys (assuming it survives its summer debut). It features Bradley Whitford and Colin Hanks as cops, one "old school" and one "by the books." I'll let you decide who plays which stereotype. Once this show is over or canceled or whatever, it gets replaced with Kitchen Nightmares, which continues its sad approximation of the superior British version.
Saturday: Cops and America's Most Wanted, which we can pretty much pencil in here for eternity.
Sunday: The animation block of The Simpsons, Family Guy, The Cleveland Show and American Dad continues, and once football is over they'll be joined by Bob's Burgers, a show about a crappy burger joint and the man who runs it (along with his family). The press release goes into some detail into the neighborhood surrounding Bob's, which makes me think they realize the main premise about the annoying guy and his requisite quirky family - is a little thin. Good thing Fox canceled King of the Hill so they could show us this.
Not scheduled but mentioned as a mid-season replacement is Terra Nova, a family drama that's part Lost in Space and part Land of the Lost. Initially set in the mid-22nd century, the show follows the Shannon family as they are sent back to prehistoric times to join a settlement which aims to prevent some of the missteps that have irreversibly damaged the planet in their present. Compounding things is some sort of dark family secret that puts the Shannons at risk of getting sent back, as well as a potential conspiracy within the settlement.
There are some big names involved with the show - Spielberg most notably, but also veteran TV guys Brannon Braga and David Fury. This could be the most interesting show of the year for Fox, assuming it doesn't morph into Avatar: The Series.
Upfronts; NBC
Not surprisingly, there's a number of new shows on tap for NBC next season. That's what happens when your plan to fill five hours a week with a half-baked attempt at a prime time talk/variety show achieves its destiny by tanking. Still, it's not as bad as they year ABC brought on something like 25 new shows. So what's on tap?
What's gone - the two most notable cancellations are Law and Order and Heroes, neither of which was a surprise given the amount of chatter about cancellation beforehand. Mercy and Trauma also got the official axe, ending months of being on TV's version of a permanent vegetative state.
Night by night - here's how NBC's schedule looks as of now:
Monday - Chuck returns, thrilling its dozens of loyal fans. (That's a joke, save your hate mail). It will be paired with two new shows. One is the conspiracy thriller The Event, which sees an "Everyman" uncover what's described as "the biggest cover-up in US history" while investigating the disappearance of his fiance. The cast has some notable names (Blair Underwood, Laura Innez, Zeljko Ivanek), but from a first reading it comes off as Vanished 2.0, which is a problem given how few of us were interested in the original.
This is followed by Chase, a Jerry Bruckheimer-produced hour about a team of US Marshals who try to catch America's most dangerous criminals. Nothing really jumps out at me from the description or the cast, and if not for Bruckheimer's name I'd think this generic sounding show would be toast by Christmas.
Tuesday - Two hours of The Biggest Loser followed by Parenthood, which against all odds seems to be working.
Wednesday - This is likely going to be NBC's most talked-about night of programming going into the season. It starts with Undercovers, the post-Lost project of JJ Abrams. It follows a married couple - who met as spies and retired when they fell in love - who get back into the espionage game when a friend of theirs disappears while investigating a Russian arms dealer. As with Chase, I don't know if this would really interest me without Abrams' involvement. I am more likely to check this out than Chase based on Abrams alone, but I do fear it's going to go the Alias route.
This is followed by Law and Order: SVU and Law and Order: Los Angeles. I can't say I care about either, and while the franchise will likely benefit from the west coast reboot, I don't know that we need yet another show involving LA-based cops and lawyers.
Thursday - Almost unchanged, as the quartet of sitcoms in residence this season will return, just with a slight change of times (30 Rock and Parks and Recreation are swapping time slots). With Parks and Rec slated to return in the spring, the fall will bring us Outsourced, where an employee of a midwestern novelties company is sent to India to oversee its new call center. Wacky culture clashes ensue, which could be an amusing twist on a popular business phenomenon or a half-hour of poorly done ethnic jokes ("Did you ever notice that Bengalis drive like this, while Kashmiris drive like this...). Still, I'm hopeful.
We then get an hour-long comedy to end the night, Love Bites, or more accurately, Love: New American Style. Becki Newton (Ugly Betty) and Jordana Spiro (My Boys) play friends who are still single, and its around them that each week's trio of romantic plot lines will turn. The show promises an edgy and irreverent spin to things, though I don't suppose it'd promise to be sappy, would it?
Friday - Brings back Dateline NBC and the celebrity family tree-tracing Who Do You Think You Are?, and adds to it Outlaw, which features Jimmy Smits as a Supreme Court justice who quits the bench so he can defend the little guy. There's a suggesting that this won't be as hokey as it sounds - Smits' character is supposed to be a bit of a rogue, and the idea that he'll use his inside knowledge of the justice system may bring us some juicy moments - but this does not sound promising. This is apparently the show that NBC bought from Conan O'Brien, I'm assuming because they felt bad about what they did to him.
There is also the reality show School Pride, where a team goes all Extreme Makeover: Home Edition on a run down school, with the idea that a better facility will translate into a better student body. It's not the worst idea, either for TV or education.
Saturday - repeats
Sunday - Football for the fall, and the combination of Dateline, Minute to Win It, and Celebrity Apprentice in the spring. In other words, NBC will own the night for half the season and take a knee for the other half.
The Replacements - there are a number of shows waiting in the wings for the inevitable failures. For dramas, we have The Cape, where a cop framed for murder by his crooked department goes into hiding and fights the corrupt system in the guise of his son's favorite comic book hero, The Cape. This is sadly the better of the relief dramas, as Harry's Law looks to combine Six Degrees and Eisenhower and Lutz by creating a strip mall law firm out of people who just kind of run into each other.
The sitcoms are even less interesting, as you have rehashes of Friends (Friends with Benefits), How I Met Your Mother/Rules of Engagement/Any Show Featuring a Group of Married People (Perfect Couples), and Curb Your Enthusiasm/It's Garry Shandling's Show (The Paul Reiser Show). I really, really hope Outsourced doesn't suck. And as bad as these sound, they're no worse than a lateral move from The Jay Leno Show.
What's gone - the two most notable cancellations are Law and Order and Heroes, neither of which was a surprise given the amount of chatter about cancellation beforehand. Mercy and Trauma also got the official axe, ending months of being on TV's version of a permanent vegetative state.
Night by night - here's how NBC's schedule looks as of now:
Monday - Chuck returns, thrilling its dozens of loyal fans. (That's a joke, save your hate mail). It will be paired with two new shows. One is the conspiracy thriller The Event, which sees an "Everyman" uncover what's described as "the biggest cover-up in US history" while investigating the disappearance of his fiance. The cast has some notable names (Blair Underwood, Laura Innez, Zeljko Ivanek), but from a first reading it comes off as Vanished 2.0, which is a problem given how few of us were interested in the original.
This is followed by Chase, a Jerry Bruckheimer-produced hour about a team of US Marshals who try to catch America's most dangerous criminals. Nothing really jumps out at me from the description or the cast, and if not for Bruckheimer's name I'd think this generic sounding show would be toast by Christmas.
Tuesday - Two hours of The Biggest Loser followed by Parenthood, which against all odds seems to be working.
Wednesday - This is likely going to be NBC's most talked-about night of programming going into the season. It starts with Undercovers, the post-Lost project of JJ Abrams. It follows a married couple - who met as spies and retired when they fell in love - who get back into the espionage game when a friend of theirs disappears while investigating a Russian arms dealer. As with Chase, I don't know if this would really interest me without Abrams' involvement. I am more likely to check this out than Chase based on Abrams alone, but I do fear it's going to go the Alias route.
This is followed by Law and Order: SVU and Law and Order: Los Angeles. I can't say I care about either, and while the franchise will likely benefit from the west coast reboot, I don't know that we need yet another show involving LA-based cops and lawyers.
Thursday - Almost unchanged, as the quartet of sitcoms in residence this season will return, just with a slight change of times (30 Rock and Parks and Recreation are swapping time slots). With Parks and Rec slated to return in the spring, the fall will bring us Outsourced, where an employee of a midwestern novelties company is sent to India to oversee its new call center. Wacky culture clashes ensue, which could be an amusing twist on a popular business phenomenon or a half-hour of poorly done ethnic jokes ("Did you ever notice that Bengalis drive like this, while Kashmiris drive like this...). Still, I'm hopeful.
We then get an hour-long comedy to end the night, Love Bites, or more accurately, Love: New American Style. Becki Newton (Ugly Betty) and Jordana Spiro (My Boys) play friends who are still single, and its around them that each week's trio of romantic plot lines will turn. The show promises an edgy and irreverent spin to things, though I don't suppose it'd promise to be sappy, would it?
Friday - Brings back Dateline NBC and the celebrity family tree-tracing Who Do You Think You Are?, and adds to it Outlaw, which features Jimmy Smits as a Supreme Court justice who quits the bench so he can defend the little guy. There's a suggesting that this won't be as hokey as it sounds - Smits' character is supposed to be a bit of a rogue, and the idea that he'll use his inside knowledge of the justice system may bring us some juicy moments - but this does not sound promising. This is apparently the show that NBC bought from Conan O'Brien, I'm assuming because they felt bad about what they did to him.
There is also the reality show School Pride, where a team goes all Extreme Makeover: Home Edition on a run down school, with the idea that a better facility will translate into a better student body. It's not the worst idea, either for TV or education.
Saturday - repeats
Sunday - Football for the fall, and the combination of Dateline, Minute to Win It, and Celebrity Apprentice in the spring. In other words, NBC will own the night for half the season and take a knee for the other half.
The Replacements - there are a number of shows waiting in the wings for the inevitable failures. For dramas, we have The Cape, where a cop framed for murder by his crooked department goes into hiding and fights the corrupt system in the guise of his son's favorite comic book hero, The Cape. This is sadly the better of the relief dramas, as Harry's Law looks to combine Six Degrees and Eisenhower and Lutz by creating a strip mall law firm out of people who just kind of run into each other.
The sitcoms are even less interesting, as you have rehashes of Friends (Friends with Benefits), How I Met Your Mother/Rules of Engagement/Any Show Featuring a Group of Married People (Perfect Couples), and Curb Your Enthusiasm/It's Garry Shandling's Show (The Paul Reiser Show). I really, really hope Outsourced doesn't suck. And as bad as these sound, they're no worse than a lateral move from The Jay Leno Show.
Sunday, May 16, 2010
Sentenced to Death
So you've likely heard the big news leading up to this week's upfront presentations by the major networks - after 20 seasons, NBC is finally giving the axe to Law and Order: Original Recipe. There's been some talk that NBC would let the show carry on to give Dick Wolf the honor of creating the longest-running dramatic series in prime time history (a mark it will now share with Gunsmoke, though the western aired more total episodes), but given NBC's sorry state, it's a smart move to clear out a series that's clearly past its prime (though for me, the show never quite got over the loss of Jerry Orbach, whose Lenny Briscoe was the quintessential New York detective).
And it's not like Wolf and company are going to be crying poor mouth. Law and Order: SVU is expected to carry on, and NBC's likely to announce tomorrow that they're picking up a Los Angeles-based version of the original show. So while the show that started the procedural craze (for better or worse) may be gone, it's offspring will continue to chug along.
More on the upfronts as they happen. That's pretty much the whole reason I started this blog in the first place.
And it's not like Wolf and company are going to be crying poor mouth. Law and Order: SVU is expected to carry on, and NBC's likely to announce tomorrow that they're picking up a Los Angeles-based version of the original show. So while the show that started the procedural craze (for better or worse) may be gone, it's offspring will continue to chug along.
More on the upfronts as they happen. That's pretty much the whole reason I started this blog in the first place.
Wednesday, February 03, 2010
Water Cooler Talking Points - Lost
(As this is pretty much the only show I watch in something approximating real time, I figured it was time to bring back the Water Cooler Talking Points, five items that will give you a rhetorical foothold in an office conversation about the show.)
During the show tonight, the unLocke remarked to Ben that the last thing that went through actual Locke's mind was that he didn't understand what was going on. With that fitting metaphor for the Lost viewing audience out of the way, here's the skinny on what went down.
1. The bomb worked. Last season ended with Juliet detonating the h-bomb, a scene repeated to start this season. The explosion fades into Jack on the Oceanic flight, and while he looks a little confused at first he snaps back into passenger mode after some turbulence doesn't result in the plane going down (we also get a graphic depicting the island - including the DHARMA huts - completely underwater, apparently for some time). Over the course of the first hour we see Rose and Bernard, Sawyer, Kate, Charlie, Hurley, Sun, Jin, Boone and Locke. And Desmond, who wasn't originally on the flight. There are a few other differences - Charlie tries to kill himself in the lavatory, and Hurley now considers himself lucky as he's still won the lottery and successfully bought his chicken franchise. At the end of the hour, the plane lands in LA without incident.
2. The bomb worked? The second scene of the episode is the explosion, which now fades into Kate coming to in a tree... within sight of the post-failsafe Swan crater. Most everyone is accounted for, lastly Juliet, who is buried under a bunch of metal in the middle of the crater. Sawyer gets to her, but she dies before she can tell him something important. Sawyer recruits Miles to help bury her, and uses his talking to the dead mojo to find out she was going to tell him the bomb worked. Which, after a fashion, it did, as this group is back in the present that has the undead Locke and company over by the statue. Speaking of Locke...
3. Locke=smoke monster? After talking about Jacob's death, the unLocke sends Ben out to get Richard. Some of the other Agira passengers (who are apparently Jacob's bodyguards - and well done there) enter the statue and shoot at unLocke. Followed shortly by an appearance by the smoke monster, who kills all of them (including a guy who got in some sort of protective circle of ash or sand; the monster figured out a way to knock him out of the circle without entering it). Locke later apologizes to Ben for having to see him like that, suggesting that the smoke monster is what is also possessing the unLocke.
4.Going to the temple and we're gonna get cured. Back at the Swan hole, Hurley is with Sayid, who is bleeding badly. While he's alone with Sayid, Jacob appears to Hurley and says that he needs get Jin to take him to the hole in the wall of the temple. He does (along with most of the others), and once they enter they get jumped for their trouble. They're led to a temple, where the powers that be decide to shoot them - until Hurley says that Jacob sent them and that they need to save Sayid. A message inside a huge ankh suggests the same thing, and they take Sayid to a spring. One which no longer runs clear. Sayid is held in the spring - more correctly under the water of the spring - and he dies.
5 Meanwhile, back in Los Angeles. Kate manages to knock out her escort in the only deserted bathroom in LAX, and escapes with some help from Sawyer and from the escort's gun, which she uses to hijack a taxi and its passenger, the very pregnant Claire. Jack, meanwhile, has learned that his dad's coffin has gone missing, and the airline has no idea where it is. At this point he meets Locke, who had his case of knives go missing. A brief chat leads Jack to offer a free consult to Locke, with the goal of proving that his irreperable spinal injury can in fact be fixed.
6. There's gonna be a shoot out. Back at the temple, Hurley talks to the powers that be (a guy who speaks Japanese and his hippie sidekick) about Jacob, and mentions that his visit was portmortem. This freaks the powers out something fierce, and they begin to barricade the temple and spread ash/sand around, all aimed at keeping "them" out. They set off a rocket, apparently to warn fellow templars about the danger. The signal surprises Richard, as does the unLocke, who has come outside and greets Richard by (a) saying he's happy to see Richard out of chains, and (b) beating the tar out of him. The unLocke expresses his disappointment at the crowd and then picks Richard up and starts walking (we assume to the temple). The last scene is back at the temple, where the hippie seeks a private audience with Jack. Jack declines, and the hippe starts to make a deal out of it until Hurley interrupts. It seems that Sayid is not quite dead yet. He sits up and wonders aloud what happened. As do all of us watching.
During the show tonight, the unLocke remarked to Ben that the last thing that went through actual Locke's mind was that he didn't understand what was going on. With that fitting metaphor for the Lost viewing audience out of the way, here's the skinny on what went down.
1. The bomb worked. Last season ended with Juliet detonating the h-bomb, a scene repeated to start this season. The explosion fades into Jack on the Oceanic flight, and while he looks a little confused at first he snaps back into passenger mode after some turbulence doesn't result in the plane going down (we also get a graphic depicting the island - including the DHARMA huts - completely underwater, apparently for some time). Over the course of the first hour we see Rose and Bernard, Sawyer, Kate, Charlie, Hurley, Sun, Jin, Boone and Locke. And Desmond, who wasn't originally on the flight. There are a few other differences - Charlie tries to kill himself in the lavatory, and Hurley now considers himself lucky as he's still won the lottery and successfully bought his chicken franchise. At the end of the hour, the plane lands in LA without incident.
2. The bomb worked? The second scene of the episode is the explosion, which now fades into Kate coming to in a tree... within sight of the post-failsafe Swan crater. Most everyone is accounted for, lastly Juliet, who is buried under a bunch of metal in the middle of the crater. Sawyer gets to her, but she dies before she can tell him something important. Sawyer recruits Miles to help bury her, and uses his talking to the dead mojo to find out she was going to tell him the bomb worked. Which, after a fashion, it did, as this group is back in the present that has the undead Locke and company over by the statue. Speaking of Locke...
3. Locke=smoke monster? After talking about Jacob's death, the unLocke sends Ben out to get Richard. Some of the other Agira passengers (who are apparently Jacob's bodyguards - and well done there) enter the statue and shoot at unLocke. Followed shortly by an appearance by the smoke monster, who kills all of them (including a guy who got in some sort of protective circle of ash or sand; the monster figured out a way to knock him out of the circle without entering it). Locke later apologizes to Ben for having to see him like that, suggesting that the smoke monster is what is also possessing the unLocke.
4.Going to the temple and we're gonna get cured. Back at the Swan hole, Hurley is with Sayid, who is bleeding badly. While he's alone with Sayid, Jacob appears to Hurley and says that he needs get Jin to take him to the hole in the wall of the temple. He does (along with most of the others), and once they enter they get jumped for their trouble. They're led to a temple, where the powers that be decide to shoot them - until Hurley says that Jacob sent them and that they need to save Sayid. A message inside a huge ankh suggests the same thing, and they take Sayid to a spring. One which no longer runs clear. Sayid is held in the spring - more correctly under the water of the spring - and he dies.
5 Meanwhile, back in Los Angeles. Kate manages to knock out her escort in the only deserted bathroom in LAX, and escapes with some help from Sawyer and from the escort's gun, which she uses to hijack a taxi and its passenger, the very pregnant Claire. Jack, meanwhile, has learned that his dad's coffin has gone missing, and the airline has no idea where it is. At this point he meets Locke, who had his case of knives go missing. A brief chat leads Jack to offer a free consult to Locke, with the goal of proving that his irreperable spinal injury can in fact be fixed.
6. There's gonna be a shoot out. Back at the temple, Hurley talks to the powers that be (a guy who speaks Japanese and his hippie sidekick) about Jacob, and mentions that his visit was portmortem. This freaks the powers out something fierce, and they begin to barricade the temple and spread ash/sand around, all aimed at keeping "them" out. They set off a rocket, apparently to warn fellow templars about the danger. The signal surprises Richard, as does the unLocke, who has come outside and greets Richard by (a) saying he's happy to see Richard out of chains, and (b) beating the tar out of him. The unLocke expresses his disappointment at the crowd and then picks Richard up and starts walking (we assume to the temple). The last scene is back at the temple, where the hippie seeks a private audience with Jack. Jack declines, and the hippe starts to make a deal out of it until Hurley interrupts. It seems that Sayid is not quite dead yet. He sits up and wonders aloud what happened. As do all of us watching.
Tuesday, February 02, 2010
The Beginning of the End
Unless you've been living in a hole (or don't watch ABC), you know that tonight kicks off the final season of Lost. There's a level of fan excitement about this that's unusual, I think. Most fans would prefer that their favorite shows go on forever.
The difference with Lost, I think, lies in the questions. There's a desire to learn the reason behind every little secret, and the only way that will come close to happening is to have the show end. We should be happy that they're doing this in a thoughtful way and not running the risk of another Alias, where it seemed like things were slapped together solely to get the show to a conclusion.
Even so, I think there may be a little too much expected from tonight's episodes. My simple warning is that the folks behind the show have spent five years piling on questions while only providing a handful of answers. They have the entire season to even accounts, and it's safe to say that they'll use every single second to do so in a way that's organic. Not that the books will balance by the end; the folks behind the show have been very clear that there will be some questions left unanswered. Your call as to whether its out of deference to the story or because some of the questions are just too hard to answer in a way that's consistent with the rest of the show.
Not that there aren't other attractions to this season. We're going to get to see some of our favorite characters from the past (I'm hoping for some significant screen time for Mr. Eko), and there's been talk about a new narrative structure for this season, which given the way time is used on this show may mean anything.
In the end, I guess I'd say try not to get irritated if they don't throw out a bunch of answers tonight. Instead, savor the anticipation of each new episode while you can.
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
The Late Shift Redux
You've likely heard by now that Jay Leno's nightly 10 pm show on NBC is toast, and that after the Olympics the network is moving him to 11:35, where he'll do a half-hour show, with Conan and Jimmy Fallon each moving a half-hour later (no word on what happens to Carson Daly, who can't really move a half-hour later as it would put him into time held by the affiliates). The move has raised two major questions.
1. Will Conan stay or will he go? I'll admit to having no idea how Conan's contract is worded, but most stories on this note that he'll have to approve the move, and that rather than doing so he could walk away and start up on another network (Fox gets mentioned here most often, followed by ABC).
There are arguements both for and against Conan leaving. On the pro-leaving side, there's the idea that this suggested move is an indication that NBC still favors Jay, so sticking around makes no sense. There's also the lure of creating a new franchise and helping another network develop a late night presence. And, of course, there's the benefit of getting away from NBC, a network apparently incapable of engineering a smooth late night hosting transition. The move could also allow Conan to return to New York, which seems more like his sort of town.
On the other hand, Conan is the host of the Tonight Show, the most venerated property in late night. It's not something one gives up blithley. Also, there's a good chance that this move will only last this season, as if the new late night Leno show fails to deliver (which is almost certainly the case), it would go away and allow Conan to return to his rightful place at 11:35. There will be damage to repair, but if Conan could build a following out of his meager Late Night debut in 1993, he can do the same here.
I'm guessing that Conan will walk if NBC commits to this plan. It's clear that he's going to be second fiddle to Leno until Leno decides to drive off into the sunset.
Then there's the other question:
2. What is NBC going to show at 10 o'clock for the rest of the season? It's not easy to fill five hours of programming a week, but NBC may be less screwed here than they seem, as:
While there's still a great deal of uncertainty in this situation, there is one thing that is absolutely certain: this is a good year to be pitching a new show. NBC's going to need several come September.
1. Will Conan stay or will he go? I'll admit to having no idea how Conan's contract is worded, but most stories on this note that he'll have to approve the move, and that rather than doing so he could walk away and start up on another network (Fox gets mentioned here most often, followed by ABC).
There are arguements both for and against Conan leaving. On the pro-leaving side, there's the idea that this suggested move is an indication that NBC still favors Jay, so sticking around makes no sense. There's also the lure of creating a new franchise and helping another network develop a late night presence. And, of course, there's the benefit of getting away from NBC, a network apparently incapable of engineering a smooth late night hosting transition. The move could also allow Conan to return to New York, which seems more like his sort of town.
On the other hand, Conan is the host of the Tonight Show, the most venerated property in late night. It's not something one gives up blithley. Also, there's a good chance that this move will only last this season, as if the new late night Leno show fails to deliver (which is almost certainly the case), it would go away and allow Conan to return to his rightful place at 11:35. There will be damage to repair, but if Conan could build a following out of his meager Late Night debut in 1993, he can do the same here.
I'm guessing that Conan will walk if NBC commits to this plan. It's clear that he's going to be second fiddle to Leno until Leno decides to drive off into the sunset.
Then there's the other question:
2. What is NBC going to show at 10 o'clock for the rest of the season? It's not easy to fill five hours of programming a week, but NBC may be less screwed here than they seem, as:
- Friday Night Lights will be back, and can either take up an hour at 10 or allow another show to move.
- Law & Order will also be back, and while it's currently scheduled it's also got some history as a hole-plugger. Ditto for Dateline, which you have to figure will get at least one 10 pm slot.
- There are a variety of USA network shows that could be run, including Law & Order: Criminal Intent, Burn Notice, Psych and White Collar.
- They could order more episdoes of Trauma, which they cancelled but then brought back for a limited number of new episodes.
- They could also monkey around with their unscripted shows, as they have a new season of The Apprentice and Jerry Seinfeld's The Marriage Ref coming this spring and could, theoretically, hustle America's Got Talent into an early premier (though that would be reaching). Heck, why not a special week-long return of Deal or No Deal?
While there's still a great deal of uncertainty in this situation, there is one thing that is absolutely certain: this is a good year to be pitching a new show. NBC's going to need several come September.
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