In honor of this week's title, it's an all couples version of Three Up, Three Down.
Three Up
1. Henry and Betty Francis. At some fundraiser another member of the New York GOP propositions Betty (who is now all the way back to her old form, and then some), and Henry gets all turned on by this. But her enjoyment at being the future Mrs. Senator Henry Francis doesn't stop her from having a roll in the hay with Don while both are visiting Bobby at camp. She has a pretty interesting post-coital talk with Don, revealing that she's more or less over their history and that she feels badly for Megan, as the worst way to hold on to Don is to love him (which hits Don pretty hard, as he'd never made that connection). In the end, Betty is back with Henry and in wife mode and keeping Don at length, though one wonders how long that will last.
2. Bob Benson and Joan Harris. The trip to the hospital has created some sort of friendship here, as Bob is now in her life enough to have a beach trip with Joan and Kevin. But it does get dicey when Roger drops in unannounced with a present for Kevin (the result of a disastrous day out with his grandson, more of which anon). Bob also learns from Joan about Pete's need of a nurse for his mother, and is able to give him a reference to a nurse who got his father back to health. They're on their way to making a cute couple, though after Joan tells Roger that he's not Kevin's father in any sense other than biological, Bob may want to get his resume in order.
3. Duck Phillips and Pete Campbell. And speaking of resumes, old friend Duck Phillips is back, now working as a headhunter. Pete's seeing him based on a conversation with Harry, coupled with Pete's concern of his position at the new firm. Duck sees this and talks about Pete's lack of position, but also hits on how the lack of clarity in Pete's personal life will prevent clarity in his work life (Duck claims a similar issue was his own downfall, though Pete does helpfully mention gin). It's a nice scene, and you can see Pete start to get things in order with getting his mother a nurse who she hopefully won't run off.
Honorable Mention. Harry Crane and his delusions. Harry still thinks he'll be a partner when all is said and done. He's holding on to that thought pretty tenaciously, not that it's going to get him anywhere.
Three Down
1. All of the men in her life and Peggy Olsen. Peggy's become the pawn in Don and Ted's battle at work, and while she's trying to stay out of it she's got Don telling her to pick a side and Ted trying to woo her. Home life isn't giving her a respite, as Abe got stabbed coming off the subway and refuses to cooperate with police, saying to Peggy that the muggers don't have a choice. He's also disappointed that Peggy would so readily take the cop's side. Later, though, after a broken window incident, Abe relents that moving to this part of the city may have been premature. He agrees to put the place back on the market. But before they can move out (and maybe even the same night?), Peggy accidentally stabs Abe with her kitchen knife on a pole when she thinks someone is breaking in. It's on the ambulance trip that Abe decides that he can't abide with Peggy's advertising work, that it stands against everything he believes and he can't get past that. This frees Peggy for Ted, but it turns out that their previous conversation about putting their kiss behind them has worked, as he treats her in a very professional matter. That he and Don are all congratulatory with each other over progress with Fleischman's only underscores how physically depleted Peggy looks at the end.
2. Don and Megan Draper. While Don is off in the woods getting it on with his ex-wife, Megan is trying to deal with playing two different characters on her soap (sisters) and getting little support from Don, who is more than happy to blow off Megan's problems (and her dinner) to watch TV. She glumly accepts this and turns to co-star Arlene for help. They chat a bit about Megan's concerns, but between the wine and Megan's helplessness, Arline takes it as a signal and kisses Megan. Megan, of course, doesn't play that way, and now has to worry that Arlene will cause trouble by talking about this with her husband, the soap's head writer. Arlene seems fairly put out by this, but puts on a brave face when she leaves. Megan does have a good heart to heart with Don about her concerns for their marriage and how she's trying to recapture what brought them together. Don agrees that they need to try to reconnect, though it's hard to tell how much of this is Don taking Betty's comment to heart and how much of it is Don being Don.
3. Roger Sterling and all the women in his life. Roger opens the show by looking after his grandson. He ends it by having his daughter say he can only see his grandson under Mona's supervision, as the boy (4 years old) is having nightmares after seeing Planet of the Apes with Pop-Pop. This is what leads Roger to get a present for Kevin, but finding Bob Benson at Joan's, and then hearing from her that Glenn is Kevin's father, regardless of the biology, puts Roger in a difficult, but not wholly unfamiliar, place.
Honorable Mention. Bobby 2 and Bobby 5. Bobby Draper is Bobby 5 (due to the plethora of Bobbys at camp, I assume). He says hi to Bobby 2 across the restaurant, but doesn't get much of a reaction from him. I don't think Bobby 2 is that into you, Bobby 5.
Monday, May 27, 2013
Saturday, May 25, 2013
Three Up, Three Down: Mad Men, "The Crash"
Three Up
1. Betty Francis. A short but effective appearance by Betty, as the revelation that the kids were alone in Don's apartment while it was being robbed lets her lay into him for neglecting the kids, into Megan for putting Sally in charge, and New York in general for being dirty. She got to throw in that Henry is running for office into the mix, too. And on top of it all, her "reducing" campaign is working. So she gets to look good while feeling good about how everyone/thing she hates has failed her. All she needs now is to shoot at some birds to cap things off.
2. Henry Francis. He's not in the episode much, but he does get to be the only adult in the room when Don comes back and finds out about the robbery. Most of the reason this posting is so late is that I couldn't figure out who, if anyone, should have finished here. I didn't think Rizzo should be higher than third (and wasn't going to be more than an honorable mention except for the lack of positives in the episode). So Henry gets this by pretty much being written to form and not appearing in most of the episode.
3. Stan Rizzo - he finally makes the pass at Peggy we've been waiting for, but she rebuffs him. Turns out he's lost a cousin in Vietnam, and his behavior over the season (drinking, drugs, etc.) is likely related. Peggy gives him some good advice about feeling the loss so you can move on, which Stan will follow... well, not now, as he's busy nailing Gleason's hippy dippy daughter (while Cutler watches like a creep). I suppose that's a win?
Honorable Mention: Whoever taught Aaron Staton to tap. Pretty impressive footwork by the hugely put-upon Ken Cosgrove.
Three Down
1. Don Draper. Don may want to stay away from drugs, as the "vitamin complex" and stimulant shot sends him right into flashback territory, which shows us how young Don became a man thanks to the ministrations of a particularly caring prostitute. Turns out he incorporated the woman into an early ad campaign, which wraps up what Don's been working on all weekend - a pitch to Sylvia to take him back. The other Creative staff don't twig on to this until he runs out of the office, though they have no idea what he's been working on if not Chevy.
His crazy, muttering self gets home only to find Megan, Betty, Henry, the kids, and representatives from the NYPD there. They explain the robberies, Betty gets to yell a lot, and Don passes out. That's probably for the best, as it allows him enough time to either forget or rethink his pitch to Sylvia. The pair wind up sharing a very long and silent elevator ride on Monday, so that's apparently over for good. But the final blow comes when Don meets with Ted and Cutler to say that he's done with Chevy - he'll review work as needed as Creative Director, but he's not going to deal with Chevy's day to day nonsense. He compares the agency when working on a car account to a whorehouse, which just puts a bow on things.
2. Ted Chaough. Ted's feeling the pressure from Chevy, who keep rejecting ideas and have come up with a multi-year timetable for the campaign that includes wanting more ideas on Tuesday. So with the prospect of a working weekend, Ted then finds out that Gleason has passed away, which ruins him. He does get some consolation from Peggy (nothing randy), but he's feeling adrift, as Gleason was the negative force that kept Ted in check. And once Don says he's not going to play Chevy's game, Ted's well and truly cut off.
3. Sally Draper. With the kids visiting on the weekend where Don has to work, Sally winds up minding Bobby and Gene when Megan has to go to a play so her agent can introduce her to producers, etc. Sally's done this before (and gets cool clothes out of the deal, which Betty dislikes), but what she's not encountered before is a large African-American woman who is rifling the cabinets. The woman says she's Sally's grandmother, which confuses Sally but she at least plays along (though her call to the police does get the woman to leave, after taking all of Don's watches and other stuff). Turns out the woman was a thief, and while everyone shows appropriate concerns for the kids, Sally realizes that the thief seemed to know a lot about Don, more than Sally does. This is the first time she's realized this, which makes Don's apology and reassurance that Sally did everything right kind of hollow.
Honorable Mention: The Gleason family. They lose their dad and then the daughter, Wendy, winds up at the agency for the weekend, reading the I Ching and hooking up with Rizzo. She may have been better off in the West Village.
1. Betty Francis. A short but effective appearance by Betty, as the revelation that the kids were alone in Don's apartment while it was being robbed lets her lay into him for neglecting the kids, into Megan for putting Sally in charge, and New York in general for being dirty. She got to throw in that Henry is running for office into the mix, too. And on top of it all, her "reducing" campaign is working. So she gets to look good while feeling good about how everyone/thing she hates has failed her. All she needs now is to shoot at some birds to cap things off.
2. Henry Francis. He's not in the episode much, but he does get to be the only adult in the room when Don comes back and finds out about the robbery. Most of the reason this posting is so late is that I couldn't figure out who, if anyone, should have finished here. I didn't think Rizzo should be higher than third (and wasn't going to be more than an honorable mention except for the lack of positives in the episode). So Henry gets this by pretty much being written to form and not appearing in most of the episode.
3. Stan Rizzo - he finally makes the pass at Peggy we've been waiting for, but she rebuffs him. Turns out he's lost a cousin in Vietnam, and his behavior over the season (drinking, drugs, etc.) is likely related. Peggy gives him some good advice about feeling the loss so you can move on, which Stan will follow... well, not now, as he's busy nailing Gleason's hippy dippy daughter (while Cutler watches like a creep). I suppose that's a win?
Honorable Mention: Whoever taught Aaron Staton to tap. Pretty impressive footwork by the hugely put-upon Ken Cosgrove.
Three Down
1. Don Draper. Don may want to stay away from drugs, as the "vitamin complex" and stimulant shot sends him right into flashback territory, which shows us how young Don became a man thanks to the ministrations of a particularly caring prostitute. Turns out he incorporated the woman into an early ad campaign, which wraps up what Don's been working on all weekend - a pitch to Sylvia to take him back. The other Creative staff don't twig on to this until he runs out of the office, though they have no idea what he's been working on if not Chevy.
His crazy, muttering self gets home only to find Megan, Betty, Henry, the kids, and representatives from the NYPD there. They explain the robberies, Betty gets to yell a lot, and Don passes out. That's probably for the best, as it allows him enough time to either forget or rethink his pitch to Sylvia. The pair wind up sharing a very long and silent elevator ride on Monday, so that's apparently over for good. But the final blow comes when Don meets with Ted and Cutler to say that he's done with Chevy - he'll review work as needed as Creative Director, but he's not going to deal with Chevy's day to day nonsense. He compares the agency when working on a car account to a whorehouse, which just puts a bow on things.
2. Ted Chaough. Ted's feeling the pressure from Chevy, who keep rejecting ideas and have come up with a multi-year timetable for the campaign that includes wanting more ideas on Tuesday. So with the prospect of a working weekend, Ted then finds out that Gleason has passed away, which ruins him. He does get some consolation from Peggy (nothing randy), but he's feeling adrift, as Gleason was the negative force that kept Ted in check. And once Don says he's not going to play Chevy's game, Ted's well and truly cut off.
3. Sally Draper. With the kids visiting on the weekend where Don has to work, Sally winds up minding Bobby and Gene when Megan has to go to a play so her agent can introduce her to producers, etc. Sally's done this before (and gets cool clothes out of the deal, which Betty dislikes), but what she's not encountered before is a large African-American woman who is rifling the cabinets. The woman says she's Sally's grandmother, which confuses Sally but she at least plays along (though her call to the police does get the woman to leave, after taking all of Don's watches and other stuff). Turns out the woman was a thief, and while everyone shows appropriate concerns for the kids, Sally realizes that the thief seemed to know a lot about Don, more than Sally does. This is the first time she's realized this, which makes Don's apology and reassurance that Sally did everything right kind of hollow.
Honorable Mention: The Gleason family. They lose their dad and then the daughter, Wendy, winds up at the agency for the weekend, reading the I Ching and hooking up with Rizzo. She may have been better off in the West Village.
Thursday, May 16, 2013
Upfronts; The CW
Last but not least (except for ratings) is The CW, which has become the traditional cap to network upfronts. Hey, whatever gets you out to JFK or Newark on time.
Who Stays? Who Goes?
No surprises here, as the notable cuts - 90210, Gossip Girl, Cult and Emily Owens M.D. were either expected to end or were dropped from the schedule early on. Supernatural is back for a ninth season - no word on it being a final season. Nikita, though, will be back at some point to wrap things up over six episodes.
What's Coming?
Monday - Hart of Dixie and Beauty and the Beast move to Monday, the younger female option to Dancing With the Stars and Castle on ABC.
Tuesday - Opens with The Originals, which follows the original vampire family as its patriarch tries to uncover a plot to destroy him that may involve other family members. It's a spin-off of Vampire Diaries, as you might imagine. It's followed by a relocated Supernatural.
Wednesday - Arrow stays here to open the night, followed by The Tomorrow People, an adaptation of a British show about genetically-advanced teens who develop powers like telekinesis, transportation, and so on. Sounds like a younger version of Heroes, but hopefully without the dopey and melodramatic opening voice overs.
Thursday - Starts with The Vampire Diaries and ends with Reign, which follows a teenaged Mary, Queen of Scots, as she travels with her ladies in waiting to France to see the prince she's been arranged to marry. I never quite thought of The CW as a home for period drama, but a little Tudors-lite bodice ripping may be a nice change of pace.
Friday - The Carrie Diaries move here and gets paired with America's Next Top Model. I'm less surprised by the pairing than the night, but looking at the numbers The Carrie Diaries never quite caught on, so Friday it is, though I'd imagine the target demo for the show will be at the mall (time to count the DVR viewers!).
No specific date is given for the 20th cycle of ANTM, but I'm seeing summer 2013 everywhere, so I'm assuming it'll run into the fall. Same judges, etc. as the last time, but the models will include men for the first time. It's a nice wrinkle, though I wonder if they should have interspersed regular and themed cycles to goose ratings and not create an expectation for themed cycles (this being the fourth one in a row).
Kicking around for mid-season are Star Crossed (a teen-centered aliens openly live on Earth drama that's reminiscent of Alien Nation and District 9), The 100 (a group of juvenile delinquents is sent from a space station to repopulate a nuclear disaster-ravaged Earth), and The CW's annual horrific attempt at a reality show, Famous in 12 (an everyday family has 12 weeks to become famous, or at least CW-level famous).
The Verdict?
I suppose The CW has met their goal of bringing in new programming that will appeal to its desired demo of younger females. How wrong can you go with more vampires and young princesses? Friday is worrisome, but Friday is the one night where having slightly lower ratings is expected. I don't think any of the new shows will be the next Gossip Girl, but I don't think they'll be the next Emily Owens, either.
Who Stays? Who Goes?
No surprises here, as the notable cuts - 90210, Gossip Girl, Cult and Emily Owens M.D. were either expected to end or were dropped from the schedule early on. Supernatural is back for a ninth season - no word on it being a final season. Nikita, though, will be back at some point to wrap things up over six episodes.
What's Coming?
Monday - Hart of Dixie and Beauty and the Beast move to Monday, the younger female option to Dancing With the Stars and Castle on ABC.
Tuesday - Opens with The Originals, which follows the original vampire family as its patriarch tries to uncover a plot to destroy him that may involve other family members. It's a spin-off of Vampire Diaries, as you might imagine. It's followed by a relocated Supernatural.
Wednesday - Arrow stays here to open the night, followed by The Tomorrow People, an adaptation of a British show about genetically-advanced teens who develop powers like telekinesis, transportation, and so on. Sounds like a younger version of Heroes, but hopefully without the dopey and melodramatic opening voice overs.
Thursday - Starts with The Vampire Diaries and ends with Reign, which follows a teenaged Mary, Queen of Scots, as she travels with her ladies in waiting to France to see the prince she's been arranged to marry. I never quite thought of The CW as a home for period drama, but a little Tudors-lite bodice ripping may be a nice change of pace.
Friday - The Carrie Diaries move here and gets paired with America's Next Top Model. I'm less surprised by the pairing than the night, but looking at the numbers The Carrie Diaries never quite caught on, so Friday it is, though I'd imagine the target demo for the show will be at the mall (time to count the DVR viewers!).
No specific date is given for the 20th cycle of ANTM, but I'm seeing summer 2013 everywhere, so I'm assuming it'll run into the fall. Same judges, etc. as the last time, but the models will include men for the first time. It's a nice wrinkle, though I wonder if they should have interspersed regular and themed cycles to goose ratings and not create an expectation for themed cycles (this being the fourth one in a row).
Kicking around for mid-season are Star Crossed (a teen-centered aliens openly live on Earth drama that's reminiscent of Alien Nation and District 9), The 100 (a group of juvenile delinquents is sent from a space station to repopulate a nuclear disaster-ravaged Earth), and The CW's annual horrific attempt at a reality show, Famous in 12 (an everyday family has 12 weeks to become famous, or at least CW-level famous).
The Verdict?
I suppose The CW has met their goal of bringing in new programming that will appeal to its desired demo of younger females. How wrong can you go with more vampires and young princesses? Friday is worrisome, but Friday is the one night where having slightly lower ratings is expected. I don't think any of the new shows will be the next Gossip Girl, but I don't think they'll be the next Emily Owens, either.
Wednesday, May 15, 2013
Upfronts: CBS
Another year, another CBS upfront where they get to show it's good to be number one.
Who Stays? Who Goes? As you'd expect from a network that's doing well, there aren't that many cuts that weren't already known. The most surprising is Vegas, whose late spring hiatus led to a drop in viewers from which it never recovered. The Eye also finally put Rules of Engagement out of our misery and retired CSI:NY one year too late.
What's Coming?
Monday - we get the largest collection of new shows on Monday, with How I Met Your Mother (in its last season) at 8 and Two Broke Girls at 9. In the 8:30 slot we get We Are Men, the latest attempt at a guy-centered sitcom, this time located at an apartment complex that caters to short-term renters (kind of a live-action version of Kirk Van Houten's life at the Bachelor Arms). Tony Shalhoub, Kal Penn and Chris O'Donnell are some of the tenants, not that a well-known cast has helped similar shows long since cancelled.
At 9:30 there's Mom, which stars Anna Faris as a recovering addict with two kids who winds up living with her recovering alcoholic mom, played by Allison Janney. This feels a lot like ABC's Back in the Game. I'm hoping Chuck Lorre's involvement will help elevate this.
At 10, we start the season with Hostages, starring Toni Collette as a surgeon whose family is taken hostage by a rogue FBI agent (Dylan McDermott) who wants Collette to assassinate the President when she operates on him. I expect the show will involve more of whatever conspiracy that's behind the kidnapping, otherwise they're going to have to push the surgery back a few seasons.
This will be replaced at midseason by Intelligence, which follows the exploits of a secret agent whose been implanted with a chip that allows him access to the Web, etc. I feel like this has been done before, or maybe it was an old April Fool's joke from Google. Anyway, can't say I'm interested.
Tuesday - NCIS leads to NCIS: LA and then to the relocated Person of Interest. Not sure it's wise to put so many highly-rated shows on one evening. On the other hand, there's not really a night that really needs the help from any of these shows (though they could have moved Person of Interest to Monday and let one of the new dramas go here to soak up the ratings).
Wednesday - unchanged with Survivor, Criminal Minds and CSI.
Thursday - Opens with The Big Bang Theory and closes with a relocated Two and a Half Men and Elementary. In the middle at 8:30 there's The Millers, starring Will Arnett as a recently divorced TV newsman whose dad (Beau Bridges) takes this news as a sign that he should divorce his wife of 43 years (played by Margo Martindale). Mom moves in with Arnett's character, Dad with his daughter and her family. Hijinks apparently ensue, not sure if the high-profile cast will tempt me to see if hijinks actually happen.
The other new sitcom is The Crazy Ones, which sees Robin Williams return to situation comedy as the boss of an ad agency whose success is due to his almost uncontrollable genius. Providing what control she can is his daughter, played by Sarah Michelle Gellar. As these things go she's the focused and organized one, and she, with the help of the agency's best and brightest (which includes James Wolk, Mad Men's Bob Benson) keep her dad in line. I actually like the chances for this one, as the timing is right with 30 Rock and The Office going away, the casting will draw early viewers, and it's the most original attempt at ripping off Mad Men to date.
Friday - Undercover Boss and Blue Bloods remain, with Hawaii 5-0 moving in between them.
Satuday - reruns and 48 Hours
Sunday - unchanged with 60 Minutes, The Amazing Race, The Good Wife and The Mentalist. I do wonder when CBS will finally give in and schedule the NFL overrun.
The lone new midseason show is Reckless, which is like Hart of Dixie, except for grownups. A lawyer from Chicago moves to Charleston and gets involved with the city attorney, a local guy, just as a scandal in the police department pits them against each other professionally (and may have More Sinister Implications, as you'd expect).
The Verdict?
CBS is going to stay on top, and will do so even if all of their new shows tank. Which they won't. I'm slightly more bullish on the new sitcoms here than at the other networks, though that may be from all the familiar names more than anything else. The dramas all fall in that Revenge/Scandal/Single Name Suggesting Serious Import mold that I'm not that interested in. But I assume at least one of them will be good enough - and get enough viewers thanks to its lead-in - to stick.
Who Stays? Who Goes? As you'd expect from a network that's doing well, there aren't that many cuts that weren't already known. The most surprising is Vegas, whose late spring hiatus led to a drop in viewers from which it never recovered. The Eye also finally put Rules of Engagement out of our misery and retired CSI:NY one year too late.
What's Coming?
Monday - we get the largest collection of new shows on Monday, with How I Met Your Mother (in its last season) at 8 and Two Broke Girls at 9. In the 8:30 slot we get We Are Men, the latest attempt at a guy-centered sitcom, this time located at an apartment complex that caters to short-term renters (kind of a live-action version of Kirk Van Houten's life at the Bachelor Arms). Tony Shalhoub, Kal Penn and Chris O'Donnell are some of the tenants, not that a well-known cast has helped similar shows long since cancelled.
At 9:30 there's Mom, which stars Anna Faris as a recovering addict with two kids who winds up living with her recovering alcoholic mom, played by Allison Janney. This feels a lot like ABC's Back in the Game. I'm hoping Chuck Lorre's involvement will help elevate this.
At 10, we start the season with Hostages, starring Toni Collette as a surgeon whose family is taken hostage by a rogue FBI agent (Dylan McDermott) who wants Collette to assassinate the President when she operates on him. I expect the show will involve more of whatever conspiracy that's behind the kidnapping, otherwise they're going to have to push the surgery back a few seasons.
This will be replaced at midseason by Intelligence, which follows the exploits of a secret agent whose been implanted with a chip that allows him access to the Web, etc. I feel like this has been done before, or maybe it was an old April Fool's joke from Google. Anyway, can't say I'm interested.
Tuesday - NCIS leads to NCIS: LA and then to the relocated Person of Interest. Not sure it's wise to put so many highly-rated shows on one evening. On the other hand, there's not really a night that really needs the help from any of these shows (though they could have moved Person of Interest to Monday and let one of the new dramas go here to soak up the ratings).
Wednesday - unchanged with Survivor, Criminal Minds and CSI.
Thursday - Opens with The Big Bang Theory and closes with a relocated Two and a Half Men and Elementary. In the middle at 8:30 there's The Millers, starring Will Arnett as a recently divorced TV newsman whose dad (Beau Bridges) takes this news as a sign that he should divorce his wife of 43 years (played by Margo Martindale). Mom moves in with Arnett's character, Dad with his daughter and her family. Hijinks apparently ensue, not sure if the high-profile cast will tempt me to see if hijinks actually happen.
The other new sitcom is The Crazy Ones, which sees Robin Williams return to situation comedy as the boss of an ad agency whose success is due to his almost uncontrollable genius. Providing what control she can is his daughter, played by Sarah Michelle Gellar. As these things go she's the focused and organized one, and she, with the help of the agency's best and brightest (which includes James Wolk, Mad Men's Bob Benson) keep her dad in line. I actually like the chances for this one, as the timing is right with 30 Rock and The Office going away, the casting will draw early viewers, and it's the most original attempt at ripping off Mad Men to date.
Friday - Undercover Boss and Blue Bloods remain, with Hawaii 5-0 moving in between them.
Satuday - reruns and 48 Hours
Sunday - unchanged with 60 Minutes, The Amazing Race, The Good Wife and The Mentalist. I do wonder when CBS will finally give in and schedule the NFL overrun.
The lone new midseason show is Reckless, which is like Hart of Dixie, except for grownups. A lawyer from Chicago moves to Charleston and gets involved with the city attorney, a local guy, just as a scandal in the police department pits them against each other professionally (and may have More Sinister Implications, as you'd expect).
The Verdict?
CBS is going to stay on top, and will do so even if all of their new shows tank. Which they won't. I'm slightly more bullish on the new sitcoms here than at the other networks, though that may be from all the familiar names more than anything else. The dramas all fall in that Revenge/Scandal/Single Name Suggesting Serious Import mold that I'm not that interested in. But I assume at least one of them will be good enough - and get enough viewers thanks to its lead-in - to stick.
Tuesday, May 14, 2013
Upfronts: ABC
How do you spell ABC? M-E-H. That describes the network's overall ratings (stuck in third with NBC closing) and the general offerings, which tend not to fail miserably but also don't wow. And with one or two exceptions, we're getting more of the same for 2013-14.
Who Stays? Who Goes? There's nothing tremendously surprising for ABC in the shows they brought back and those they cut loose. Based on premise alone I'd slated The Neighbors for cancellation, but the aliens next door sitcom found a place in and among ABC's other (higher-rated) shows and is coming back. Two of last year's borderline renewals - Body of Proof and Happy Endings - met the axe this time around. Otherwise, the shows you expect to be back are back and those that aren't aren't.
What's Coming?
Monday - Dancing with the Stars expands to two hours, and will apparently combine performance and results. Curious to see how that works out, as it could be a guide for other mature reality shows whose sagging ratings may have something to do with padded episodes covering multiple nights. It's followed by Castle. And while it's not listed, you have to expect at some point during the season The Bachelor will show up in here.
Tuesday - all new, and led by what might be ABC's most notable new show, Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. It's Marvel's first TV show, and set in the same universe as its movies (Avengers, Iron Man, etc.), expect some synergy (if not actual appearances by the movies' stars). It's about an elite organization whose members battle the most dangerous criminals. Joss Whedon is involved, which just doubles the amount of fanboy hysterics.
Not sure if this is scheduled too early. It's a good time to draw in the younger eyes, but may not be able to be adult enough for those fans.
Then comes two sitcoms, The Goldbergs and Trophy Wife. The former is set in the 1980s and is about the titular family and their wacky antics, as seen through the eyes of 11-year old Adam and his video camera. As far as I can tell it's not related to the radio-turned-TV show of the same name, and the premise makes me miss Everybody Hates Chris. Trophy Wife is about a woman who meets a guy at a karaoke bar and winds up married to him a year later. She then has to figure out how to be a stepmom while under the watchful eye of two ex-wives. There are some notable names in the cast (Bradley Whitford, Marcia Gay Harden), but the set-up doesn't do much for me.
The night ends with Lucky 7, a drama about a group of gas station employees who play the lottery together, their lives, and how their lives would change if they ever win. They'd better win by October sweeps, otherwise I don't know what keeps this show going.
Wednesday - The Middle and Modern Family are at 8 and 9. In the first half hour we get Back in the Game, where a single mom and her son moves in with her dad (James Caan!). Both dad and daughter are former athletes who never reached their potential, and the son is basically inept at sports. Caan's character winds up coaching his Little League team, so there won't be any vicarious living through the kid, nosiree.
The other half hour is Super Fun Night, where a trio of party girls have a standing night out (the Super Fun Night of the title) disrupted when one of them gets a promotion and a new boyfriend, who can get them into an even more hip/exclusive/expensive bar. So is every episode some sort of two dates/one night scenario, where the one woman bounces between her guy and her friends? I don't quite get it, though I am of an age and gender where I'm not supposed to get it.
The night ends with Nashville.
Thursday - opens with Once Upon a Time in Wonderland, where Lewis Carroll gets the Once Upon a Time treatment. Alice is, like the real Alice, a girl in Victorian England, but in this case she has actually been to Wonderland, and the authorities want to drug her up so she'll forget her hallucinations. But a couple of Wonderland creatures show up and they escape down the rabbit hole and on to new adventures. I suppose if you're into the parent show you might be into this one. Fair warning: John Lithgow will be on hand to chew the scenery - literally and otherwise - as the White Rabbit.
Grey's Anatomy and Scandal close things out.
Friday - It's an all-returning lineup, with Last Man Standing, a relocated The Neighbors, Shark Tank and 20/20.
Saturday - college football in the fall, reruns or other crap in the spring.
Sunday - things are familiar up to 10 pm, with America's Funniest Home Videos, Once Upon a Time, and Revenge. The last show of the night is Betrayal, about a man and woman who enter into an affair only to have the man wind up defending a murder suspect who is being prosecuted by the woman's husband. I think the suspect is also the defense attorney's brother in law, the description is a little confusing. But it seems like it'll fit in here as well as anything else.
Of all the possible midseason shows, the only one that caught my eye was Resurrection, where a young boy suddenly wakes up in rural China, thousands of miles away and 30 years after dying in Arcadia, Missouri. He's returned home by an Immigration agent, and while the expected questions come, the boy also remembers details about his death that only he'd know as the decedent, which makes things extra awkward, I'm sure. I could see this as part of a revamped supernatural Tuesday.
The Verdict?
This seems like a line-up created to keep ABC in third place. They might get a bump if the dramas take off, but the sitcoms are a pretty dull bunch, which is a problem. The network should be using Modern Family to develop and launch other shows into other nights, but they need to come up with something that can develop and audience and keep it when it moves. Suburgatory might have been able to do that, but it's been handled in such a way that it's not going to happen.
The best hope here is that S.H.I.E.L.D. blows up and gives the network a foothold on Tuesday that they can exploit. Otherwise, ABC will probably be in the same place - or worse - this time next year.
Who Stays? Who Goes? There's nothing tremendously surprising for ABC in the shows they brought back and those they cut loose. Based on premise alone I'd slated The Neighbors for cancellation, but the aliens next door sitcom found a place in and among ABC's other (higher-rated) shows and is coming back. Two of last year's borderline renewals - Body of Proof and Happy Endings - met the axe this time around. Otherwise, the shows you expect to be back are back and those that aren't aren't.
What's Coming?
Monday - Dancing with the Stars expands to two hours, and will apparently combine performance and results. Curious to see how that works out, as it could be a guide for other mature reality shows whose sagging ratings may have something to do with padded episodes covering multiple nights. It's followed by Castle. And while it's not listed, you have to expect at some point during the season The Bachelor will show up in here.
Tuesday - all new, and led by what might be ABC's most notable new show, Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. It's Marvel's first TV show, and set in the same universe as its movies (Avengers, Iron Man, etc.), expect some synergy (if not actual appearances by the movies' stars). It's about an elite organization whose members battle the most dangerous criminals. Joss Whedon is involved, which just doubles the amount of fanboy hysterics.
Not sure if this is scheduled too early. It's a good time to draw in the younger eyes, but may not be able to be adult enough for those fans.
Then comes two sitcoms, The Goldbergs and Trophy Wife. The former is set in the 1980s and is about the titular family and their wacky antics, as seen through the eyes of 11-year old Adam and his video camera. As far as I can tell it's not related to the radio-turned-TV show of the same name, and the premise makes me miss Everybody Hates Chris. Trophy Wife is about a woman who meets a guy at a karaoke bar and winds up married to him a year later. She then has to figure out how to be a stepmom while under the watchful eye of two ex-wives. There are some notable names in the cast (Bradley Whitford, Marcia Gay Harden), but the set-up doesn't do much for me.
The night ends with Lucky 7, a drama about a group of gas station employees who play the lottery together, their lives, and how their lives would change if they ever win. They'd better win by October sweeps, otherwise I don't know what keeps this show going.
Wednesday - The Middle and Modern Family are at 8 and 9. In the first half hour we get Back in the Game, where a single mom and her son moves in with her dad (James Caan!). Both dad and daughter are former athletes who never reached their potential, and the son is basically inept at sports. Caan's character winds up coaching his Little League team, so there won't be any vicarious living through the kid, nosiree.
The other half hour is Super Fun Night, where a trio of party girls have a standing night out (the Super Fun Night of the title) disrupted when one of them gets a promotion and a new boyfriend, who can get them into an even more hip/exclusive/expensive bar. So is every episode some sort of two dates/one night scenario, where the one woman bounces between her guy and her friends? I don't quite get it, though I am of an age and gender where I'm not supposed to get it.
The night ends with Nashville.
Thursday - opens with Once Upon a Time in Wonderland, where Lewis Carroll gets the Once Upon a Time treatment. Alice is, like the real Alice, a girl in Victorian England, but in this case she has actually been to Wonderland, and the authorities want to drug her up so she'll forget her hallucinations. But a couple of Wonderland creatures show up and they escape down the rabbit hole and on to new adventures. I suppose if you're into the parent show you might be into this one. Fair warning: John Lithgow will be on hand to chew the scenery - literally and otherwise - as the White Rabbit.
Grey's Anatomy and Scandal close things out.
Friday - It's an all-returning lineup, with Last Man Standing, a relocated The Neighbors, Shark Tank and 20/20.
Saturday - college football in the fall, reruns or other crap in the spring.
Sunday - things are familiar up to 10 pm, with America's Funniest Home Videos, Once Upon a Time, and Revenge. The last show of the night is Betrayal, about a man and woman who enter into an affair only to have the man wind up defending a murder suspect who is being prosecuted by the woman's husband. I think the suspect is also the defense attorney's brother in law, the description is a little confusing. But it seems like it'll fit in here as well as anything else.
Of all the possible midseason shows, the only one that caught my eye was Resurrection, where a young boy suddenly wakes up in rural China, thousands of miles away and 30 years after dying in Arcadia, Missouri. He's returned home by an Immigration agent, and while the expected questions come, the boy also remembers details about his death that only he'd know as the decedent, which makes things extra awkward, I'm sure. I could see this as part of a revamped supernatural Tuesday.
The Verdict?
This seems like a line-up created to keep ABC in third place. They might get a bump if the dramas take off, but the sitcoms are a pretty dull bunch, which is a problem. The network should be using Modern Family to develop and launch other shows into other nights, but they need to come up with something that can develop and audience and keep it when it moves. Suburgatory might have been able to do that, but it's been handled in such a way that it's not going to happen.
The best hope here is that S.H.I.E.L.D. blows up and gives the network a foothold on Tuesday that they can exploit. Otherwise, ABC will probably be in the same place - or worse - this time next year.
Monday, May 13, 2013
Up Fronts: Fox
It's not been a great year for Fox, what with American Idol ratings falling and not much of the new stuff catching on with viewers. So how are they going to try to recapture the Fox Attitude?
Who's Staying? Who's Going? - Odds are if you like a Fox show it's going to be on air again, which is interesting given that Fox is slumping. About the only surprise on the cancellation list is The Cleveland Show.
What's Coming?
Monday - the year will start with Bones, followed by Sleepy Hollow, a contemporary take on the Ichabod Crane tale, except that Crane is resurrected and brought to the present day to help solve a mystery dating back to his own time so as to save humanity. Wait, what?
Mid-season brings Almost Human (think Robocop meets Blade Runner, with JJ Abrams lending his name), leading into the second season of The Following, which I've enjoyed, even if I find it hard to buy into all of the successes that Joe Carroll and his plucky band of psychopaths have had against the FBI.
Tuesday - Brings two new sitcoms. One is Dads, where a pair of video game creators (Seth Green and Giovanni Ribisi) have to deal with taking in their dads (Marin Mull and Peter Riegert). Generic, but will hopefully use the cast to good effect. The other new sitcom, and possibly the most promising new show, is Brooklyn Nine-Nine, a police comedy starring Andy Samberg as the hotshot detective and Andre Braugher as his new captain. They had me at Andre.
New Girl and The Mindy Project finish the night.
Wednesday - gives us The X Factor in the fall and the Randy Jacksonless American Idol in the spring. I wonder how much longer Fox is going to try to make The X Factor a thing.
Thursday - results shows for the two singing shows lead into Glee in the fall and new show Rake in at midseason. Rake stars Greg Kinnear as a defense attorney who lives on the edge and takes on the unwinnable cases, addicted to the challenge as much as he's addicted to anything else. I assume there will be no singing.
Friday - leads with Junior Masterchef, a version of Masterchef for kids. American Juniors was apparently not enough of an object lesson on why this is a bad idea. It's followed by reruns of Sleepy Hollow (because, huh?). Later in the fall, Bones moves here along with Raising Hope and new comedy Enlisted, a military comedy set at an Army base in Florida.
Saturday - sports and reruns
Sunday - Animation Domination, unchanged.
As for unscheduled stuff, the big announcement is the return of 24 for a special 12 episode run. Not much info besides that, but bringing Jack back will boost ratings. The only other unscheduled show that looks interesting is Gang Related, about cops taking on gangs in Los Angeles, but that's mostly from a casting perspective (Terry O'Quinn and RZA, together at last).
The Verdict?
Fox has a really good looking Tuesday, and Monday could work out for them once Sleepy Hollow gets out of the way. Sunday should be fine, too. They've got a burgeoning hole in the middle of the week with the reality shows, especially if they can't figure out a way to shore up AI). A more consistent and coherent Glee wouldn't hurt either. And while Friday nights are typically low risk, I have no idea what they're trying to do there. They'd better hope some of their returning shows stay strong or even build.
Who's Staying? Who's Going? - Odds are if you like a Fox show it's going to be on air again, which is interesting given that Fox is slumping. About the only surprise on the cancellation list is The Cleveland Show.
What's Coming?
Monday - the year will start with Bones, followed by Sleepy Hollow, a contemporary take on the Ichabod Crane tale, except that Crane is resurrected and brought to the present day to help solve a mystery dating back to his own time so as to save humanity. Wait, what?
Mid-season brings Almost Human (think Robocop meets Blade Runner, with JJ Abrams lending his name), leading into the second season of The Following, which I've enjoyed, even if I find it hard to buy into all of the successes that Joe Carroll and his plucky band of psychopaths have had against the FBI.
Tuesday - Brings two new sitcoms. One is Dads, where a pair of video game creators (Seth Green and Giovanni Ribisi) have to deal with taking in their dads (Marin Mull and Peter Riegert). Generic, but will hopefully use the cast to good effect. The other new sitcom, and possibly the most promising new show, is Brooklyn Nine-Nine, a police comedy starring Andy Samberg as the hotshot detective and Andre Braugher as his new captain. They had me at Andre.
New Girl and The Mindy Project finish the night.
Wednesday - gives us The X Factor in the fall and the Randy Jacksonless American Idol in the spring. I wonder how much longer Fox is going to try to make The X Factor a thing.
Thursday - results shows for the two singing shows lead into Glee in the fall and new show Rake in at midseason. Rake stars Greg Kinnear as a defense attorney who lives on the edge and takes on the unwinnable cases, addicted to the challenge as much as he's addicted to anything else. I assume there will be no singing.
Friday - leads with Junior Masterchef, a version of Masterchef for kids. American Juniors was apparently not enough of an object lesson on why this is a bad idea. It's followed by reruns of Sleepy Hollow (because, huh?). Later in the fall, Bones moves here along with Raising Hope and new comedy Enlisted, a military comedy set at an Army base in Florida.
Saturday - sports and reruns
Sunday - Animation Domination, unchanged.
As for unscheduled stuff, the big announcement is the return of 24 for a special 12 episode run. Not much info besides that, but bringing Jack back will boost ratings. The only other unscheduled show that looks interesting is Gang Related, about cops taking on gangs in Los Angeles, but that's mostly from a casting perspective (Terry O'Quinn and RZA, together at last).
The Verdict?
Fox has a really good looking Tuesday, and Monday could work out for them once Sleepy Hollow gets out of the way. Sunday should be fine, too. They've got a burgeoning hole in the middle of the week with the reality shows, especially if they can't figure out a way to shore up AI). A more consistent and coherent Glee wouldn't hurt either. And while Friday nights are typically low risk, I have no idea what they're trying to do there. They'd better hope some of their returning shows stay strong or even build.
Up Fronts: NBC
It's that time of year again, when the broadcast networks put their 2013-14 schedules into shape in the hopes of selling lots of ad time. First up this week is NBC.
Who's Staying? Who's Going? If you liked a first season show on NBC this season, I hope you didn't like it too much. Only two new shows made it to a second season, Revolution and Chicago Fire (which is getting a spin-off). Perhaps the only surprising cancellation was Rock Center with Brian Williams, which wasn't doing all that well but gave the network a chance to fill time with some news-entertainment synergy.
As for what's staying, I have to give the network kudos for renewing Community. It seemed like a goner after Dan Harmon left and the season premiere was bumped from October to February, but between the critical support, small but intense fanbase, and the retirement of 30 Rock and The Office, there's a sensibility in keeping it around.
The other surprise renewal for me was Parenthood, though being on the same night as The Voice must have helped.
What's Coming?
You schedule for the week starting in the fall:
Monday - The Voice takes two hours and leads into The Blacklist, about a long-time figure on the FBI's Most Wanted List (played by James Spader), who turns himself in with an offer to catch a terrorist, with one condition: he will only work with newly-trained FBI profiler Liz Keen.
To me this sounds like a combo of 24 (rogue government agent, super bad guys) and The Following (the one on one relationship between criminal and agent with a heavy dose of mystery), which isn't necessarily a bad thing. I do wonder how quickly they'll catch the terrorist and this will become a bad guy of the week procedural. Depends how long Spader's blacklist really is.
Tuesday - All returners, with The Biggest Loser, The Voice results show, and Chicago Fire. At midseason we jettison The Biggest Loser for two sitcoms. The Family Guide is told in flashback form (Jason Bateman filling in for Bob Saget), recapping from a son's perspective how his parent's divorce let the members of the family discover who they really are. The parents are a pair of eccentrics played by J.K. Simmons (he's blind but still does all the dad stuff, with Bateman's 11 year-old character as his wingman) and Parker Posey. Curious, but the description makes it sound like it's trying too hard.
The other show is About a Boy, which is based on the Nick Hornby book and ensuing movie. It might as well be called One and a Half Men.
Wednesday - Revolution starts the night (which I think is a mistake, it's not strong enough to start an evening, and the earlier hour will likely dial back the action), followed by Law & Order: SVU, and finishes with Ironsides, a remake of the Raymond Burr original about a paralyzed police detective (played now by Blair Underwood) who, with the help of a hand-selected team, takes on the tough cases and puts the bad guys away.
I'll admit to loving the original show (I love old cop shows), but am leery of how this will go given the fate of other remakes in the recent past. I'm also wondering how well the show will work outside of the backdrop of the 1960s, where having a woman and an African-American in detective roles was pretty rare.
Thursday - opens with Parks and Rec, and then comes the onslaught of family sitcoms. We have:
* Welcome to the Family, where two recent high school grads find out they're expecting. One family is white, the other Hispanic. Cross-cultural hilarity ensues. I'd like to call it a remake of Condo but I think I'm the only person who remembers that show. It would explain why networks keep trying to make a sitcom with this premise. Too bad, too, as I like the cast.
* Sean Saves the World, where Sean Hayes plays a divorced gay dad who has his teenaged daughter move in full-time. Life-work balance hilarity ensues. There's also a pushy mom played by Linda Lavin. Snore.
* The Michael J. Fox Show has its namesake playing a news anchor set to return to work after taking time off to be with family and fight Parkinson's Disease. Work-life-incurable neurological illness hilarity ensues.
I'm hoping Fox's show pans out, for obvious reasons.
The night ends with Parenthood, which confirms that NBC isn't looking to rebuild its Thursday night ratings juggernaut. It seems like a fine show - I've seen an episode or two - but carrying Thursday night is beyond its powers.
Friday - it's fantasy night on NBC, starting with Dateline and Grimm and leading to the new 10 pm show, Dracula. Which, as you might imagine, is about a vampire. In this case, Drac has moved to London in the late 19th century to find the people who made him undead and make them pay. He's also into science and stuff, apparently.
At midseason the blood sucker moves aside for Crossbones, which stars John Malkovich as Blackbeard. This is really going to be awesome or horrific. Or awesomely horrific. Too bad it's been put in the sci-fi/fantasy ghetto.
Saturday - repeats
Sunday - football, then at midseason we get American Dream Builders (aka Extreme Makeover: Home Edition 2.0), Believe (a show about a kid with all sorts of supernatural mental powers and the group that protects her from those looking to exploit her powers), and Crisis (the kids of various DC power brokers are kidnapped while on a school trip, forcing their parents to cross wits with the mastermind of the kidnapping).
Unscheduled at this point are Community (which I assume will fill in for whatever Thursday night show first gets the axe), Chicago Fire spin-off Chicago P.D. (which, in Dick Wolf style, will eventually spawn Chicago EMT, Chicago Health Inspector and Chicago Sealer of Weights and Measures), a very generic-sounding dude sticom (The Undateables), a very generic-sounding medical drama (The Night Shift), a cross between Millionaire and Big Brother (The Million Second Quiz), and a show that might as well be called Master Top Chef (Food Fighters).
The Verdict?
It's not horrible, especially by recent NBC standards. Sunday (during football season), Monday and Tuesday look like they'll do well, though I'm worried NBC is running The Voice into the ground. The problem day for me is Wednesday, especially if Thursday and Friday trade in ratings for critical/genre success. I like Revolution but don't think it's at the point where it can lead off a night.
It's also hard to say without having seen any of them, but it feels like NBC is still trying the "broader" sitcom approach, albeit not quite as broad as, say, Animal Hospital. Michael J. Fox's show is the wild card here, I think.
Who's Staying? Who's Going? If you liked a first season show on NBC this season, I hope you didn't like it too much. Only two new shows made it to a second season, Revolution and Chicago Fire (which is getting a spin-off). Perhaps the only surprising cancellation was Rock Center with Brian Williams, which wasn't doing all that well but gave the network a chance to fill time with some news-entertainment synergy.
As for what's staying, I have to give the network kudos for renewing Community. It seemed like a goner after Dan Harmon left and the season premiere was bumped from October to February, but between the critical support, small but intense fanbase, and the retirement of 30 Rock and The Office, there's a sensibility in keeping it around.
The other surprise renewal for me was Parenthood, though being on the same night as The Voice must have helped.
What's Coming?
You schedule for the week starting in the fall:
Monday - The Voice takes two hours and leads into The Blacklist, about a long-time figure on the FBI's Most Wanted List (played by James Spader), who turns himself in with an offer to catch a terrorist, with one condition: he will only work with newly-trained FBI profiler Liz Keen.
To me this sounds like a combo of 24 (rogue government agent, super bad guys) and The Following (the one on one relationship between criminal and agent with a heavy dose of mystery), which isn't necessarily a bad thing. I do wonder how quickly they'll catch the terrorist and this will become a bad guy of the week procedural. Depends how long Spader's blacklist really is.
Tuesday - All returners, with The Biggest Loser, The Voice results show, and Chicago Fire. At midseason we jettison The Biggest Loser for two sitcoms. The Family Guide is told in flashback form (Jason Bateman filling in for Bob Saget), recapping from a son's perspective how his parent's divorce let the members of the family discover who they really are. The parents are a pair of eccentrics played by J.K. Simmons (he's blind but still does all the dad stuff, with Bateman's 11 year-old character as his wingman) and Parker Posey. Curious, but the description makes it sound like it's trying too hard.
The other show is About a Boy, which is based on the Nick Hornby book and ensuing movie. It might as well be called One and a Half Men.
Wednesday - Revolution starts the night (which I think is a mistake, it's not strong enough to start an evening, and the earlier hour will likely dial back the action), followed by Law & Order: SVU, and finishes with Ironsides, a remake of the Raymond Burr original about a paralyzed police detective (played now by Blair Underwood) who, with the help of a hand-selected team, takes on the tough cases and puts the bad guys away.
I'll admit to loving the original show (I love old cop shows), but am leery of how this will go given the fate of other remakes in the recent past. I'm also wondering how well the show will work outside of the backdrop of the 1960s, where having a woman and an African-American in detective roles was pretty rare.
Thursday - opens with Parks and Rec, and then comes the onslaught of family sitcoms. We have:
* Welcome to the Family, where two recent high school grads find out they're expecting. One family is white, the other Hispanic. Cross-cultural hilarity ensues. I'd like to call it a remake of Condo but I think I'm the only person who remembers that show. It would explain why networks keep trying to make a sitcom with this premise. Too bad, too, as I like the cast.
* Sean Saves the World, where Sean Hayes plays a divorced gay dad who has his teenaged daughter move in full-time. Life-work balance hilarity ensues. There's also a pushy mom played by Linda Lavin. Snore.
* The Michael J. Fox Show has its namesake playing a news anchor set to return to work after taking time off to be with family and fight Parkinson's Disease. Work-life-incurable neurological illness hilarity ensues.
I'm hoping Fox's show pans out, for obvious reasons.
The night ends with Parenthood, which confirms that NBC isn't looking to rebuild its Thursday night ratings juggernaut. It seems like a fine show - I've seen an episode or two - but carrying Thursday night is beyond its powers.
Friday - it's fantasy night on NBC, starting with Dateline and Grimm and leading to the new 10 pm show, Dracula. Which, as you might imagine, is about a vampire. In this case, Drac has moved to London in the late 19th century to find the people who made him undead and make them pay. He's also into science and stuff, apparently.
At midseason the blood sucker moves aside for Crossbones, which stars John Malkovich as Blackbeard. This is really going to be awesome or horrific. Or awesomely horrific. Too bad it's been put in the sci-fi/fantasy ghetto.
Saturday - repeats
Sunday - football, then at midseason we get American Dream Builders (aka Extreme Makeover: Home Edition 2.0), Believe (a show about a kid with all sorts of supernatural mental powers and the group that protects her from those looking to exploit her powers), and Crisis (the kids of various DC power brokers are kidnapped while on a school trip, forcing their parents to cross wits with the mastermind of the kidnapping).
Unscheduled at this point are Community (which I assume will fill in for whatever Thursday night show first gets the axe), Chicago Fire spin-off Chicago P.D. (which, in Dick Wolf style, will eventually spawn Chicago EMT, Chicago Health Inspector and Chicago Sealer of Weights and Measures), a very generic-sounding dude sticom (The Undateables), a very generic-sounding medical drama (The Night Shift), a cross between Millionaire and Big Brother (The Million Second Quiz), and a show that might as well be called Master Top Chef (Food Fighters).
The Verdict?
It's not horrible, especially by recent NBC standards. Sunday (during football season), Monday and Tuesday look like they'll do well, though I'm worried NBC is running The Voice into the ground. The problem day for me is Wednesday, especially if Thursday and Friday trade in ratings for critical/genre success. I like Revolution but don't think it's at the point where it can lead off a night.
It's also hard to say without having seen any of them, but it feels like NBC is still trying the "broader" sitcom approach, albeit not quite as broad as, say, Animal Hospital. Michael J. Fox's show is the wild card here, I think.
Sunday, May 12, 2013
Three Up, Three Down: Mad Men, "Man With a Plan"
Three Up
1. Ted Chaough. We're mid-merger, and Ted gets to both show Pete Campbell up by giving up a seat in a meeting to a secretary and leads a very non-Don meeting about a new account. This leads to some friction with Don, but they smooth it over with some drinks and Don doing his thing. They maybe smooth things over too much as Ted passes out. He does get his back when he flies Don up to a meeting with Mohawk and is obviously more comfortable with traveling by single-engine plane. He also has a good chat with Gleason that helps to get Ted less concerned about understanding Don. It's not a big win, but it goes a long way to helping Ted find his way.
2. Joan Harris. She spends most of the episode feeling twinges and getting sick, and it turns out that she has an ovarian cyst. This makes her worry about what would happen to her son if she were to die. She also has a couple of nice Joan moments, one where she puts Ted's secretary in her place and the other when she saves the job of...
3. Bob Benson. Bob's smarminess apparently has a level of compassion, as he takes it upon himself to see Joan to the hospital to get checked out. He then drops by Joan's apartment the next day with a present for Kevin and to check in. Joan's mom likes what she sees, but Joan thinks he's too young. We'll see if Joan comes around to her mom's point of view.
Honorable Mention: Bud Campbell. As part of the subplot with Pete and Bud's mom, Bud gets to give Pete a ration for both not keeping tabs on their mom (who is clearly losing her mind and has pushed Bud's wife to the edge) and for not coming to him for SCDP's IPO underwriting. Bud gets to push mom on to Peter and put in first dibs on the IPO of the merged firm.
Three Down
1. Pete Campbell. Pete sees trouble at work with the merger, as not having a seat at the partners' meeting represents to him a looming lack of position. This isn't helped when Don and Ted go to take the meeting at Mohawk without him. They do that because of Pete's new personal problem - his mom. She shows up at the apartment thinking it belongs to Pete's dad (who is dead), and is clearly in the early stages of mental decline. He tries to have her stay with him at the apartment, but it's problematic, as her attempt to make tea leads to a fire that Pete has to respond to, which is how he misses the Mohawk meeting. Things just keep getting better for Pete.
2. Don Draper. He overhears a fight at the Rosen's (it sounds like Arnie is getting a job at the Mayo Clinic, Minnesota is mentioned), which is followed shortly by a call from Sylvia. They meet at a hotel, and then Don goes into creepy dominant mode, from ordering Sylvia to crawl around and find his shoes (which she does not do, exactly) to sending her a dress just so she can get undressed for him. But as much as Sylvia seems to want him, a dream leads her to break it off, which visibly upsets Don and leads to a certain despair at his domestic situation (a conversation with Megan fades to nothing, for example).
3. Sylvia Rosen. Marital troubles are compounded when she starts to play into Don's games, and it's pretty clear that she'd have stayed in that hotel room doing naked cartwheels if Don ordered it. Which is why it's surprising that a dream leads her to end the affair entirely. Not that there weren't signs of this before; it could just be that Sylvia's conscience needed time (and creepiness) to get her to that point. She may be unhappy with her husband, but she'll apparently take that over the disaster that would come from having to continue the facade (though I think Sylvia versus Megan would be a pretty epic fight).
Honorable Mention: Burt Peterson. Canned twice by Sterling Cooper, it was pretty entertaining to see both Roger getting so much pleasure at firing him twice and Burt getting all in a snit again (albeit less physical than the first one).
1. Ted Chaough. We're mid-merger, and Ted gets to both show Pete Campbell up by giving up a seat in a meeting to a secretary and leads a very non-Don meeting about a new account. This leads to some friction with Don, but they smooth it over with some drinks and Don doing his thing. They maybe smooth things over too much as Ted passes out. He does get his back when he flies Don up to a meeting with Mohawk and is obviously more comfortable with traveling by single-engine plane. He also has a good chat with Gleason that helps to get Ted less concerned about understanding Don. It's not a big win, but it goes a long way to helping Ted find his way.
2. Joan Harris. She spends most of the episode feeling twinges and getting sick, and it turns out that she has an ovarian cyst. This makes her worry about what would happen to her son if she were to die. She also has a couple of nice Joan moments, one where she puts Ted's secretary in her place and the other when she saves the job of...
3. Bob Benson. Bob's smarminess apparently has a level of compassion, as he takes it upon himself to see Joan to the hospital to get checked out. He then drops by Joan's apartment the next day with a present for Kevin and to check in. Joan's mom likes what she sees, but Joan thinks he's too young. We'll see if Joan comes around to her mom's point of view.
Honorable Mention: Bud Campbell. As part of the subplot with Pete and Bud's mom, Bud gets to give Pete a ration for both not keeping tabs on their mom (who is clearly losing her mind and has pushed Bud's wife to the edge) and for not coming to him for SCDP's IPO underwriting. Bud gets to push mom on to Peter and put in first dibs on the IPO of the merged firm.
Three Down
1. Pete Campbell. Pete sees trouble at work with the merger, as not having a seat at the partners' meeting represents to him a looming lack of position. This isn't helped when Don and Ted go to take the meeting at Mohawk without him. They do that because of Pete's new personal problem - his mom. She shows up at the apartment thinking it belongs to Pete's dad (who is dead), and is clearly in the early stages of mental decline. He tries to have her stay with him at the apartment, but it's problematic, as her attempt to make tea leads to a fire that Pete has to respond to, which is how he misses the Mohawk meeting. Things just keep getting better for Pete.
2. Don Draper. He overhears a fight at the Rosen's (it sounds like Arnie is getting a job at the Mayo Clinic, Minnesota is mentioned), which is followed shortly by a call from Sylvia. They meet at a hotel, and then Don goes into creepy dominant mode, from ordering Sylvia to crawl around and find his shoes (which she does not do, exactly) to sending her a dress just so she can get undressed for him. But as much as Sylvia seems to want him, a dream leads her to break it off, which visibly upsets Don and leads to a certain despair at his domestic situation (a conversation with Megan fades to nothing, for example).
3. Sylvia Rosen. Marital troubles are compounded when she starts to play into Don's games, and it's pretty clear that she'd have stayed in that hotel room doing naked cartwheels if Don ordered it. Which is why it's surprising that a dream leads her to end the affair entirely. Not that there weren't signs of this before; it could just be that Sylvia's conscience needed time (and creepiness) to get her to that point. She may be unhappy with her husband, but she'll apparently take that over the disaster that would come from having to continue the facade (though I think Sylvia versus Megan would be a pretty epic fight).
Honorable Mention: Burt Peterson. Canned twice by Sterling Cooper, it was pretty entertaining to see both Roger getting so much pleasure at firing him twice and Burt getting all in a snit again (albeit less physical than the first one).
Wednesday, May 08, 2013
Three Up, Three Down: Mad Men, "For Immediate Release"
Three Up
1. Don Draper. It's kind of a miracle win for Don, as he started out by firing Jaguar - Herb wanted a kid who writes fliers for him to review Don's work, so you can imagine how that went - which put the firm's plan to go public in jeopardy (Don was unaware of the plan) and pissed of Joan, who now feels like she slept with Herb for nothing (as she noted, she was able to deal with him, so Don should have been able to).
But there are two things that saved the night for Don. First, he gives Al Rosen some decent advice about making one's own opportunities, which puts Rosen's long term needs ahead of Don's short term desire to nail Al's wife. Second, Don come up with the idea that landed the new Chevy account - the merger of SCDP and CGC.
2. Roger Sterling. Roger proves he can still work accounts by using a spy - an airline club room hostess who he's also bedding - to find out when executives are traveling so he can chat them up. This is how he meets a Chevy exec - in town to meet with other agencies about a new car - and lands SCDP a shot at the account. He also proves adept at the spycraft himself, ordering a fake Gibson - water and an onion - while plying the Chevy guy with Jim Beam.
3.Marie Calvet. In town for Mother's Day, Marie continues to be implacably French - offering up her Mother's Day flowers to Al Rosen when he needs to come up with a gift to Sylvia from their son and talking smack about Herb's wife during the abortive Jaguar dinner (in French, thankfully). This is more entertaining than how it reads on the page. She gives Megan some sexist but apparently successful advice about reconnecting with Don (provocative dress) and gets to give Roger the business when he calls after blowing off the Jaguar dinner. Very entertaining.
Honorable Mention: Spy music. The music on the show is usually great, and I have to admit to having much love for the spy/wacky plan music that's been showing up. Pretty much anything Roger does should get this for a soundtrack.
Three Down
1. Pete Campbell. Pete is playing a central role in the public offering, and even gets nice words from Cooper about how his work laid the foundation for things. He even appears to be in line for a rapprochement with Trudy, who has him over for the weekend and is taking note of his renewed interest in her.
But then things get all Campbelled up when, at a whorehouse to celebrate looming IPO riches, he runs into his father in law in the hall. Awk-ward. While Ken says nothing will happen - the only way for both men to come out of the encounter unscathed is to not say anything - turns out that Pete's father in law pulls Vick's account because he is not right for his daughter. This leads Pete to tell Trudy about her father, which wrecks any progress the two of them has made (though Trudy may be coming around to thinking Pete is telling the truth).
Oh, and Pete manages to spill the beans on the IPO during a very public confrontation with Don, which starts with Pete tripping on the stairs. Pete's right to be mad, but he looks like and idiot, as usual.
2. Peggy Olsen. She and Abe have bought their building in a transitional neighborhood, and Peggy's not buying into it thanks to Abe's attempts at renovation, their junkie tenant, and kids who apparently live on their stoop. Her disillusionment turns into actual illusionment when she starts picturing Ted Chaough when getting down with Abe. She also expresses a distaste for change which blows up in her face when she finds out about the merger and that she'll be working for Don again in some capacity. And they ask her to write the press release about the merger with almost no guidance.
Oh, and she mentions that she loves Bobby Kennedy. It's going to be a tough 1968 for Peggy.
3. Ted Chaough. First, he learns that Gleason - the pessimistic artist partner - is dying of pancreatic cancer, and that buying his share out after his death will probably lead to the end of the firm. Any hope of rescuing things is wiped out when he learns that SCDP is pitching Chevy, as two small firms will cancel each other out. And then he has to swallow the idea of merging with the enemy, which is really the only way to both land the account and keep both firms afloat (SCDP having lost Jag and Vick's at this point). In between all of this he also manages to kiss Peggy (he's at least tipsy when he does so), which isn't going to help his marriage.
Honorable Mention: Trudy Campbell. Learning that your husband went to a brothel while he explains to you that your father was also there will not be a highlight of Trudy Campbell's life. That she may be giving the idea fair consideration rather than sticking with the denial she gives Pete might be worse, give how it will change her relationship with her father forever. I'd have bumped this up to the bottom three except the revelation also put her relationship with Pete back on the skids, which is good for her.
1. Don Draper. It's kind of a miracle win for Don, as he started out by firing Jaguar - Herb wanted a kid who writes fliers for him to review Don's work, so you can imagine how that went - which put the firm's plan to go public in jeopardy (Don was unaware of the plan) and pissed of Joan, who now feels like she slept with Herb for nothing (as she noted, she was able to deal with him, so Don should have been able to).
But there are two things that saved the night for Don. First, he gives Al Rosen some decent advice about making one's own opportunities, which puts Rosen's long term needs ahead of Don's short term desire to nail Al's wife. Second, Don come up with the idea that landed the new Chevy account - the merger of SCDP and CGC.
2. Roger Sterling. Roger proves he can still work accounts by using a spy - an airline club room hostess who he's also bedding - to find out when executives are traveling so he can chat them up. This is how he meets a Chevy exec - in town to meet with other agencies about a new car - and lands SCDP a shot at the account. He also proves adept at the spycraft himself, ordering a fake Gibson - water and an onion - while plying the Chevy guy with Jim Beam.
3.Marie Calvet. In town for Mother's Day, Marie continues to be implacably French - offering up her Mother's Day flowers to Al Rosen when he needs to come up with a gift to Sylvia from their son and talking smack about Herb's wife during the abortive Jaguar dinner (in French, thankfully). This is more entertaining than how it reads on the page. She gives Megan some sexist but apparently successful advice about reconnecting with Don (provocative dress) and gets to give Roger the business when he calls after blowing off the Jaguar dinner. Very entertaining.
Honorable Mention: Spy music. The music on the show is usually great, and I have to admit to having much love for the spy/wacky plan music that's been showing up. Pretty much anything Roger does should get this for a soundtrack.
Three Down
1. Pete Campbell. Pete is playing a central role in the public offering, and even gets nice words from Cooper about how his work laid the foundation for things. He even appears to be in line for a rapprochement with Trudy, who has him over for the weekend and is taking note of his renewed interest in her.
But then things get all Campbelled up when, at a whorehouse to celebrate looming IPO riches, he runs into his father in law in the hall. Awk-ward. While Ken says nothing will happen - the only way for both men to come out of the encounter unscathed is to not say anything - turns out that Pete's father in law pulls Vick's account because he is not right for his daughter. This leads Pete to tell Trudy about her father, which wrecks any progress the two of them has made (though Trudy may be coming around to thinking Pete is telling the truth).
Oh, and Pete manages to spill the beans on the IPO during a very public confrontation with Don, which starts with Pete tripping on the stairs. Pete's right to be mad, but he looks like and idiot, as usual.
2. Peggy Olsen. She and Abe have bought their building in a transitional neighborhood, and Peggy's not buying into it thanks to Abe's attempts at renovation, their junkie tenant, and kids who apparently live on their stoop. Her disillusionment turns into actual illusionment when she starts picturing Ted Chaough when getting down with Abe. She also expresses a distaste for change which blows up in her face when she finds out about the merger and that she'll be working for Don again in some capacity. And they ask her to write the press release about the merger with almost no guidance.
Oh, and she mentions that she loves Bobby Kennedy. It's going to be a tough 1968 for Peggy.
3. Ted Chaough. First, he learns that Gleason - the pessimistic artist partner - is dying of pancreatic cancer, and that buying his share out after his death will probably lead to the end of the firm. Any hope of rescuing things is wiped out when he learns that SCDP is pitching Chevy, as two small firms will cancel each other out. And then he has to swallow the idea of merging with the enemy, which is really the only way to both land the account and keep both firms afloat (SCDP having lost Jag and Vick's at this point). In between all of this he also manages to kiss Peggy (he's at least tipsy when he does so), which isn't going to help his marriage.
Honorable Mention: Trudy Campbell. Learning that your husband went to a brothel while he explains to you that your father was also there will not be a highlight of Trudy Campbell's life. That she may be giving the idea fair consideration rather than sticking with the denial she gives Pete might be worse, give how it will change her relationship with her father forever. I'd have bumped this up to the bottom three except the revelation also put her relationship with Pete back on the skids, which is good for her.
Wednesday, May 01, 2013
Three Up, Three Down: Mad Men, "The Flood"
Three Up
1. Peggy Olson. It doesn't all go her way - she doesn't win the local ad award she's up for, and the apartment she wants to buy goes to someone else - but in talking about the apartment with Abe she learns that he has envisioned a future with her, with kids, living somewhere more diverse than the Upper East Side. Betty is visibly moved by this, not that Abe notices (he's working on article related to the Martin Luther King, Jr. assassination, which frames the episode).
2. Henry Francis. He goes with Lindsay to Harlem, and while he's invigorated by being on the front lines of unrest, he's not happy with how the mayor laid the groundwork for limited unrest by previously cutting deals that allowed for police corruption and giving breaks to thugs. His growing distaste with this sort of dealing leads him to a potential state senate run (with an eye to becoming state attorney general). Betty is pleased, as she says its what she's always wanted for him.
3. Bobby Draper. It doesn't start easy for him - Betty discovers he's been peeling wallpaper and gives him a week without TV as punishment - but between some kind words to a movie theater usher and concern that Henry will get shot (which Don typically dismisses saying Henry isn't important enough to get shot), we see some unexpected empathy from Bobby. God know where he got that from.
Honorable Mention. Megan Draper. She actually does win a local ad award, not that anyone cares at that point, but things get tough for her between the actual assassination and the responses of both her father (who comes up with some sort of Marxist interpretation that infuriates her) and Don (who ditches her, Sally and Gene to keep an eye on "sick" Bobby, meaning they go off to the movies and Don has a few). She has the strength to confront Don on this, and in return gets a pretty stunning revelation that helps Megan understand Don better (and help Don understand himself in the process). That's better than some Lucite-encased plaque.
Three Down
1. Don Draper. His lover is stuck in DC with her husband, Betty forces him to bring his kids into the city (regardless of the danger), and Megan calls him out for letting alcohol create a buffer between him and those he loves. Don suggests Megan is better with the kids, but after further prodding Don admits that he doesn't love his kids, but acts as if he does. He lays the blame here on his childhood, which we've seen was not great, and questions about his father having the same lack of feelings for him. He does mention that Bobby did something to help melt the ice, but Don still has to deal with this reality.
2. Betty Francis. Her Parent of the Year campaign continues with her overblown reaction to Bobby's peeling of wallpaper (not so much in the actual punishment but in her description of his behavior) and her demand that Don drive up, get the kids and bring them back into the city through the riots. She is pleased to hear that Henry is entering politics, but has doubts at the end as she compares dresses to her larger frame, fearing her role in Henry's potentially public new career.
3. Michael Ginsburg. He returns home from work to find a young woman sitting with his father. Turns out his dad plays chess with the woman's dad, and he's trying to set them up (she was told Ginsberg knew, which he clearly did not). Their date is awkward (Ginzo admits to being a virgin, for example), and ends abruptly when news of the assassination breaks. But there was some small glimmer of headway there, which is a good thing considering Ginzo's dad is apparently fixated on finding his son a wife. Ginzo says he can find his own women, but hasn't quite demonstrated that yet.
Honorable Mention: Harry Crane. Harry and Pete comisserate over the lack of secretaries,but things quickly goes sour when he talks to Pete about how business is being effected by the assassination. Pete calls him racist, and while Cooper get the two to shake and "make up" (though that's an abject failure), there's something sad about not being able to take the moral high ground against Pete Campbell. This should have landed him in the bottom three, but then you remember it's Harry Crane, and figure this may be the best he could have done in the circumstances.
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