Sorry it's been a while since I updated this, but hopefully I'll make up for it over the next week or two with my thoughts on a lot of the current shows airing. Remember you can hear more of my week-to-week opinions on my podcast; TV for Vendetta. So, check that out, comment here or on our Facebook page and follow the show on Twitter @TVforVendetta.
How I Met Your Mother (C) – For fans of the podcast, they know I’m basically hate watching this show right now. I truly do feel that they’ve drawn out the premise of the show far too long and it is resulting in multiple out-of-character portrayals from the cast. The reason I won’t grade the show worse than a C is that there are moments in episodes or even full episodes where the heart of the show is remembered. The fourth Robin Sparkles episode was a standout. And while not a great episode, Barney’s proposal to Robin was a great moment. Now if only the show can do what is right, introduce the mother at the end of the season and let the final season be one where we get to follow along with Ted’s journey to marry her. How I Met Your Mother airs on CBS at 8 P.M. est.
Bones (C+) – Quite an uneven season to me and I believe it’s
feeling the effects of answering the lingering “will they/won’t they” question
with regards to Bones and Booth. The show still has it’s easy to watch procedural
elements and when they get into a juicy case, it’s a fun watch but those
episodes seem to be few and far between. The secondary characters from Angela
to Hodgins to Sweets to Cam have become plot devices to further the Booth and
Bones relationship and the only time that changes is when they’re a focus of an
episode. The one great redeeming factor of the season has been the continued,
but limited use of Pelant as a serial killer who keeps the entire Jeffersonian
staff guessing and off balance. Bones airs on Fox at 8 P.M. est.
Continuum (Inc) – Have only gotten to watch the pilot so
far, but did enjoy it and will hopefully catch up soon. The concept of the show
is that in the future, the country is ruled by corporations and they have their
own police force. Revolutionaries to this way of thinking are sentenced to
death but at their execution, they use a device that sends them to the past,
along with one of the police officers instrumental in their original capture.
It seems as if the show will play with whether or not the future she wants to
defend is worth defending, but I’ll find out more as I watch. Continuum airs on
SyFy at 8 P.M. est
2 Broke Girls (Inc) – Have fallen a bit behind on this so I
don’t feel comfortable giving a grade especially when I feel the show does
deserve two grades. All complaints about the show being too crass and degrading
itself to the lowest common denominator are valid, but I believe those flaws
could easily be fixed. The issue with the show is that I think there are 2
separate shows fighting for dominance. There’s the Max and Caroline cupcake
business and friendship that probably deserves an A- especially with the
introduction of Andy as a love interest for Caroline. The second show based on
Max and Caroline’s work at the diner and featuring Sophie deserves a D,
bordering on D-. It’s clichéd and stereotypical bad humor and over the top
caricatures just to push the envelope and the truth is it takes away from what
could be a really solid show with 2 leads who have great chemistry and timing
between them. 2 Broke Girls airs on CBS at 9 P.M. est.
The Following (A) – One of the best pilots I’ve ever seen
and the show hasn’t really fallen off at all. Great chemistry between the leads
Carroll and Hardy and that’s matched by the breakout chemistry Denise/Emma has
with everyone. The show takes the psychological drama aspect of serial killing
and ramps up the motivations behind the characters. The show, because of its
limited episode order, has not had any filler in its first few weeks and seems
to be entering the pinnacle of the drama. Looking forward to seeing how the
season wraps up and assuming a second season is ordered, if they move on to a
different case or continue with the Carroll/Hardy aspect. The Following airs on
Fox at 9 P.M. est.
Bunheads (B+) – Not much to say about this one except that
it’s just a fun and enjoyable way to spend an hour. It’s not very realistic
with the characters backgrounds and stories, but if you’re a fan of witty dialogue
and banter, this show will be enjoyable. Very similar to Amy Sherman
Palladino’s “Gilmore Girls” but with a more ensemble feel to it. The show is
clearly focused on Michelle, but the second half of the 1st season
has given the rest of the cast a lot of room to grow and they’re all unique and
fun in their own ways. Solid chemistry and acting all the way around, even if
the stories are off-the-wall and unrealistic for the most part. Bunheads airs
on ABC Family at 9 P.M. est.
Dallas (B) – While not having been a major television viewer
during the original, I gave the updated sequel a chance because of the casting
of Jordana Brewster and Julie Gonzalo, I have to say I am enjoying the show. I
know I’m not getting Larry Hagman at his absolute JR best and I know his time
is coming to an end on the show, but it has been an honor to watch even 75% of
one of the best villains in television history. And I have to say that Josh
Henderson’s portray of John Ross (JR’s son) gives hope that the continuation of
the legacy has at least a chance of surviving. As to the actual show, it’s not
much more than a typical soap opera, but it does have some great acting from
Hagman, Duffy, Henderson, Gonzalo, Brewster and a few others. It won’t ever win
any awards but there are worse hours of television. Dallas airs on TNT at 9
P.M. est.
Castle (B+) – Still one of my favorite hours on television.
This is probably one of the shows where I’ve read the most feedback on the
internet and while it’s fanbase will never compare to the obsessive CW
fanbases, it does come close. The biggest complaint about the current season is
the lack of Castle & Beckett romantic interactions now that they are a
couple, but I find this to be a really stupid complaint. To do anything above
and beyond what they’ve done would be a detriment to the show that they’ve
built over their history. Castle as a show has never been about beating you
over the head with the personal development of the couple, but it’s been about
the moments that made them into people compatible with each other. And this
season has followed that guideline very well. We still get to see the
relationship but it’s more of a behind the scenes growth. It’s the little
scenes that make them such a great couple. And as to the actual show, I think they’ve
had some misses, but their hits are big ones. The episodes dealing with
Beckett’s journey towards the apprehension of her mothers’ killers has been
portrayed brilliantly and the most recent episode with the kidnapping of Alexis
allowed Castle to show a darker side that has been bubbling below the surface
for a while. As his backstory continues to grow, I predict I will enjoy the
show more and more. Castle airs on ABC at 10 P.M. est.
Hawaii Five-0 (B-) – Not much to say about the typical CBS
procedural. The show relies on the chemistry of the main cast carrying the case
of the week format. And that’s the best thing the show has going for it…a great
cast with phenomenal chemistry. They’ve tried to do deeper storylines and those
have been hit-or-miss. And they’ve tried to expand their main cast and while I
personally have enjoyed the additions they attempted to make, none have caught
hold with the overall audience so we get a show mostly focused on McGarrett and
Danno with added help from Chin-Ho and Kono. Hawaii Five-0 airs on CBS at 10
P.M. est.
Deception (Inc) – Having only seen the pilot, I don’t have a
lot to say here. I will say that the pilot seemed like a mundane murder mystery
drama and didn’t hook me with any character or aspect of the show. I will
hopefully be getting to this soon, but it’s not a priority. Deception airs on
NBC at 10 P.M. est
Lost Girl (Inc) – Haven’t been able to watch much of the
current season yet, but from what I’ve been able to gather they are delving
into Bo’s dark fae side. I’m interested in seeing how this develops and will
make this a priority watch in upcoming weeks. I loved the first 2 seasons
because of, once again, the chemistry the cast exhibits with each other. The Bo
and Kenzi friendship is one of the best, most sincere friendships on television
and it’s fun to watch them interact with one another. Lost Girl airs on SyFy at
10 P.M est.
I would disagree and give Dallas an A, although not an A+. Dallas pioneered the night time soap opera when it first aired, and still does it better than anyone else. If you compare it with others in the genre, there's no question. I thought the reboot might be more like the recent entries in that particular genre, but it really does hold true to the spirit of the original, along with updating characters and issues.
ReplyDeleteOf course, the lack of an A+ is that even though it created the formula for night time soaps, it's done very little to break that mold. I've been able to predict almost every plot twist, and JR, while awesome, continues to be one step ahead of everyone (if not more) which is as unrealistic as it is awesome. There's only been one incident that has caught me off guard, to the point that I was truly shocked (but I don't post spoilers, so I'll not share it here). But even the aftermath of that was completely predictable.
Still, it follows the various tropes better than any other night time soap I've ever seen, just like the original. So I give it an A.