Thoughts on What I’ve Watched This Week
Minor and major spoilers on various TV shows. I’ll write the name of the show first, so you can skip to the next show— or skip this whole post altogether—if you care to not know what happened or what I thought about it.
Men in Trees. I’ve seen the first and third episodes (I’ll get to the second when I get a chance) and have to say I mildly enjoy it. I’ve tired of the 30-ish person who’s looking for love shows that are all over, so this is a breath of fresh air because the main character is trying to find out who she is as a single person.
In the pilot, I was a little put off that everyone in Alaska was “backward” and “simple”, but that seems to have been toned down by the third episode, and now Marin is the “odd duck”. The simple lives these people lead (not needing Starbucks, or Fitness Centers, etc simple—not that they are simple-minded) are ones to admire, and I think that’s a unique look at life.
It’s not a great show, and I’m still not sure Anne Heche can carry a show herself, but I’ll be sticking around a while longer.
Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip was as great as you can expect from Aaron Sorkin. The pilot was a bit slow, but the show needed time to be set up. I think by the end credits, the premise of the show has been established nicely.
As I noted in a previous post, I liked the early rant by Judd Hirsch’s character and from bouncing my thoughts off my friend, Brian, I stand by it. Network TV is about as opposite of daring as you can get. I’m not saying the Big Five need to be offensive, but they do need to take chances in quality. Saturday Night Live, which was once the pinnacle of satire, has sucked @$$ for around five years (I stopped watching regularly three years ago and have been sorely disappointed each of the handful of eps I’ve watched each year since) and the slap in the face this show gave SNL is one I hope the new crew over there takes to heart.
If you missed the pilot, you may have another chance on NBC or its cable networks over the weekend (I haven’t checked, but it seems likely it will air again) to check it out. The writing is great and the cast is extremely high caliber.
How I Met Your Mother maintained its status as the best plotted comedy airing right now (IMHO). The episode was a little tricky for a newcomer (thanks to Brian for pointing that out), but fans from last year should not have been disappointed. Ted and Robin finally got together (thank you, producers, for not letting that drag out) but Marshall and Lily are still broken up. The glee on Neil Patrick Harris’ (“Barney”) face when he thought he, Ted, and Marshall were finally all single was priceless; topped only when he realized that Ted wasn’t single anymore.
I can’t pin down why this show is so great. There are better comedies out there, but this one just hooks me. The twisting, turning plots are amazingly put together, and the characters are all likable—even womanizing, over-confident Barney (Harris should have been nominated as a supporting actor in a comedy at the Emmy’s; yet another crime this year’s ceremony committed).
The Office. Well, we waited all summer for the big “will they or won’t they?” moment everyone was expecting between Jim and Pam. So, uh, have you been watching the show at all? Of course this series wasn’t going to blow its wad this early. If this show has proven anything, it’s that we should know by now that to get from “A” to “C”, we’re not hitting “B”, but instead are going through “D”, “L”, and “W”. Yes, Jim and Pam will get together eventually, but there’s still a lot of story left to tell.
I’m hoping we get that wonderful moment the original Office gave us at the very end between Tim and Dawn in this series. I don’t know if America can wait that long, but I hope they hold it off as long as possible. I don’t want to see Jim and Pam as a couple—but I certainly don’t want an overdone Ross & Rachel bit, either.
Leave the romance on the slow burner.
That said, is there any other show where we know so little about the characters and yet whatever they do, it’s perfectly in character? Stanley’s rant about not being able to take back his wedding present to Pam and Roy was spot-on. As was Creed’s mentioning that he may have had sex with a man because he had lots of sex in the ‘60s at concerts where people were covered in mud.
My Name is Earl picked up right where it left off. This is one of the most surprising shows I watch. Even if I know the basic plot or have seen the previews, I still have no idea how these characters get there. It’s an unusual show that can surprise me every single episode.
And you can’t beat the lines this show has.
Friday, September 22, 2006
Monday, September 18, 2006
Quick hits
Culled from tvguide.com and scifi.com:
Prison Break's Amaury Nolasco ("Sucre") said we'll be seeing a darker Sucre in the beginning of the season. He also mentioned that someone else dies-- and they're working on episode 8 as he was being interviewed. Ep 5 just aired tonight, so doing the math... Someone bites it in the next three weeks (presumably).
Cobie Smulders of How I Met Your Mother (one of the best written comedies of last year-- and has one of the best supporting goofballs on TV [Neil Patrick Harris' "Barney"]) said Robin and Ted's relationship is worthwhile to explore-- even though we know they won't stay together. She also said Alyson Hannigan's "Lily" returns. Oh, and we get to meet Barney's brother, who's just like him-- except gay.
I only saw the first twenty minutes of Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip, but I can already see that we've got a great show (as expected). Judd Hirsch's speech in the first ten minutes is one of the best I've seen on a network show. Ballsy of NBC to air this tirade against network television (especially since many of the criticisms were leveled at NBC shows). I hope it doesn't let up. We're in a second Golden Age of Television, but there's still a lot of garbage and very little cutting edge programming on the networks. It's nice to see someone "calling out" the networks...
NBC's Heroes is sounding better and better. Comic book great Jeph Loeb is one of the writers and his frequent collaborator, Tim Sale, is painting the pictures for the pre-cog artist (Isaac, I believe, is the name). There will also be an online comic found at nbc.com that will run concurrently with the show. And not everyone with powers is a hero. The first season deals with a super-powered serial killer that forces the characters together. I was over at nbc.com and checked out the trailers and profiles for this show. It looks good.
Just make sure to watch at the least the first two hours, as the original 2 hour pilot was re-edited into two hour-long episodes.
I also watched The Class premiere tonight. It has potential to be a great fit with How I Met Your Mother, but it's not there yet (keep in kind: Mother took a few episodes to get rolling). I'm not liking the comparisons to Friends I've been reading; let this show be its own show.
I watched HBO's Inside the NFL, and as I mentioned in a previous post, that network does the best sports shows, hands down. I care about football only as much as it helps me in my Fantasy leagues, but this show gave me a very human perspective on the Pat Tillman story.
I just didn't like the attention this guy got because he was a "name" and he was killed in Afghanistan after leaving the NFL and joining the Army. I thought "why is this dude more important than the other thousands who have died so far"? Peter King's interview with Tillman's friend Jake Plummer on Inside the NFL opened up my eyes.
Tillman was a person who was a great man in every sense of the word, and the largest tragedy concerning his death is that the Pentagon has given his friends and family four lines of bullsh** so far (the fifth investigation is pending) about his death. It's unconscionable that any family has to go through that.
As usual with an HBO sports show, I'm glad as heck to have seen it.
Lewis Black's tirade at the end of the show was pretty good, too. He went on a rant that the show shouldn't be celebrating being 30 years old because things go downhill after 30. Best, trademark, Lewis Black line: "Sorry to piss on your candles."
Prison Break's Amaury Nolasco ("Sucre") said we'll be seeing a darker Sucre in the beginning of the season. He also mentioned that someone else dies-- and they're working on episode 8 as he was being interviewed. Ep 5 just aired tonight, so doing the math... Someone bites it in the next three weeks (presumably).
Cobie Smulders of How I Met Your Mother (one of the best written comedies of last year-- and has one of the best supporting goofballs on TV [Neil Patrick Harris' "Barney"]) said Robin and Ted's relationship is worthwhile to explore-- even though we know they won't stay together. She also said Alyson Hannigan's "Lily" returns. Oh, and we get to meet Barney's brother, who's just like him-- except gay.
I only saw the first twenty minutes of Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip, but I can already see that we've got a great show (as expected). Judd Hirsch's speech in the first ten minutes is one of the best I've seen on a network show. Ballsy of NBC to air this tirade against network television (especially since many of the criticisms were leveled at NBC shows). I hope it doesn't let up. We're in a second Golden Age of Television, but there's still a lot of garbage and very little cutting edge programming on the networks. It's nice to see someone "calling out" the networks...
NBC's Heroes is sounding better and better. Comic book great Jeph Loeb is one of the writers and his frequent collaborator, Tim Sale, is painting the pictures for the pre-cog artist (Isaac, I believe, is the name). There will also be an online comic found at nbc.com that will run concurrently with the show. And not everyone with powers is a hero. The first season deals with a super-powered serial killer that forces the characters together. I was over at nbc.com and checked out the trailers and profiles for this show. It looks good.
Just make sure to watch at the least the first two hours, as the original 2 hour pilot was re-edited into two hour-long episodes.
I also watched The Class premiere tonight. It has potential to be a great fit with How I Met Your Mother, but it's not there yet (keep in kind: Mother took a few episodes to get rolling). I'm not liking the comparisons to Friends I've been reading; let this show be its own show.
I watched HBO's Inside the NFL, and as I mentioned in a previous post, that network does the best sports shows, hands down. I care about football only as much as it helps me in my Fantasy leagues, but this show gave me a very human perspective on the Pat Tillman story.
I just didn't like the attention this guy got because he was a "name" and he was killed in Afghanistan after leaving the NFL and joining the Army. I thought "why is this dude more important than the other thousands who have died so far"? Peter King's interview with Tillman's friend Jake Plummer on Inside the NFL opened up my eyes.
Tillman was a person who was a great man in every sense of the word, and the largest tragedy concerning his death is that the Pentagon has given his friends and family four lines of bullsh** so far (the fifth investigation is pending) about his death. It's unconscionable that any family has to go through that.
As usual with an HBO sports show, I'm glad as heck to have seen it.
Lewis Black's tirade at the end of the show was pretty good, too. He went on a rant that the show shouldn't be celebrating being 30 years old because things go downhill after 30. Best, trademark, Lewis Black line: "Sorry to piss on your candles."
Sunday, September 17, 2006
TV Premieres This Week
The new TV season explodes this week. Get ready. All times in CST.
And I'll try to note the must watch shows out there. I've had a pretty good track record with my picks to watch (at least for me). Others, I'll just recommend you watch to see if they end up being any good.
Sunday, 9/17
Cartoon Network [adult swim] notables tonight. Sorry I don't have the times on me (the beauty of a DVR-- it just records it for me):
Robot Chicken Season 2 Part 2 premieres. Toy doing naughty things.
Squidbillies Season 2. Funny for a while, but I stopped watching after a few eps.
Korgath of Barbaria Series premiere. A near-future barbarian who spends a great deal of time drinking.
Monday, 9/18
The Class Series Premiere; CBS, 7:00
This comedy has enjoyed good buzz. It's one of TV Guide's Matt Roush's favorite shows, and he hasn't steered me wrong much. Must watch.
How I Met Your Mother, CBS, 7:30; Two and a Half Men, CBS 8:00; New Adventures of Old Christine, CBS 8:30; CSI: Miami. Season Premieres.
Wife Swap, ABC, 7:00 and another new ep at 8:00. Season Premiere.
CW Preview Special CW, 8:00 pm. Check out the new season of old WB & UPN shows-- and two new series.
Deal or No Deal, 7-9 pm NBC. Season Premiere.
Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip, 9-10 NBC. Series Premiere.
Created by Aaron Sorkin. Let's see: Sports Night-- great. West Wing (until he got canned)-- great. This show is one of the ones I'm most looking forward to. Must Watch.
Tonight Show with Jay Leno. Guest/: Jason Lee
Tuesday, 9/19
Boston Legal, ABC, 9 pm. Season Premiere.
Guest star: Michael J. Fox, who was great last year.
NCIS, CBS 7-8 & The Unit, CBS 8-9 Season Premieres.
Smith; CBS, 9-10 Series Premiere.
The Ray Liotta/ Virginia Madsen series about a high-end thief. Must Watch.
Law & Order: Criminal Intent, NBC 8-9; Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, NBC 9-10. Season Premieres.
Wednesday, 9/20
Jericho, CBS, 7-8. Series Premiere
A man returns to his hometown amid a mystery. Then a mushroom cloud appears on the horizon, and the town is cut-off from civilization. Must Watch.
Criminal Minds; CBS, 8-9 and CSI: NY; CBS 9-10. Season Premieres.
Biggest Loser; NBC 7-9. Season Premiere.
Kidnapped; NBC, 9-10. Series Premiere.
A wealthy son is kidnapped. The FBI is brought in, but the parents hire an anti-social "retrieval expert". I'm sure it's better than FOX's similar Vanished, but I'm not sure if it'll be great. A half-hearted Watch.
America's Next Top Model; CW, 7-9.
Has anyone ever heard of the previous winners? I don't give two craps about modeling, but you think I would have heard about the winners by now...
Tonight Show. Steve Carell discusses the new Office season.
Thursday, 9/21
Grey's Anatomy, ABC, 7-8 (recap) & 8-9 (season premiere).
Let the bloodbath begin: Grey's vs. CSI
Six Degrees, ABC, 9:01-10. Series Premiere.
Six strangers meet through a series of random events. Kinda Watch.
CSI: Crime Scene Investigation; CBS 8-9. Season Premiere.
Shark; CBS 9-10
James Woods stars in this series about a House-ian prosecutor who mentors young DA's. There's some buzz about this one, so I'll give it a Watch.
My Name is Earl; NBC 7- 7:30. season premiere.
The second season kicks off. Slight changes include more story arcs-- and Earl will not accomplish his task each episode, and may instead take a few episode to cross something off the list.
The Office; NBC 7:30-8. Season premiere.
Michael accidentally outs a gay employee. The Jim/Pam situation is addressed. And sometime this season, the riotous Ed Helms (The Daily Show) joins the company.
ER; NBC 9-10. Season Premieres.
This show is still on? I guess some big sh** went down in the 12th season finale, and this 13th season picks up the pieces. Some people are kidnapped, a pregnant woman is knocked out and bleeding, someone got shot, and John Stamos finally becomes a series regular.
Conan O'Brien, NBC. John Krasinski shows up to discuss The Office.
Friday, 9/22
Ghost Whisperer, CBS 7-8; Close to Home, CBS 8-9; Numb3rs, CBS 9-10, season premieres.
Friday Night Smackdown!, CW, 7-9:00; season premiere.
Law & Order, NBC, 9-10; 59th season premiere.
Conan O'Brien, NBC; Jason Lee discusses My Name is Earl.
Saturday, 9/23
I'd never recommend the horrible crap that was Saturday Night Live from last year (I watched Dane Cook, Jason Lee, and Steve Carell nearly destroy their careers in that wasteland), but the repeat from February NBC is airing was considered a high point with Steve Martin as host and Prince as musical guest. I'll be watching it-- very cautiously.
Sunday, 9/24
Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, ABC 6-8.
The fourth season opens.
Desperate Housewives (ABC, 8-9) looks to pull out the horrible tailspin it was in last year. I think they'll put it off.
Brothers & Sisters, ABC, 9:01-10.
New show with tons of great actors. The show had great buzz, then the pilot was pretty much scrapped to accomodate acting changes. There's been lots of bad buzz since, but I think this is a Must Watch-- at least the first half-dozen episodes.
Cold Case, CBS 8-9, and Without a Trace, CBS 9-10 season premieres.
12 oz Mouse, Cartoon Network [adult swim], 11:45.
A new season of the show I just didn't get-- but has a rabid fanbase (as does most [adult swim] shows).
I hope to explain how I can watch so much (no, I'm NOT watching all the things I post here) in the near future. But since the new season is on top of us already, let me just say one word: record. Watching TV live is not the way to maximize your time. Use the "r" in VCR or DVD-R and record your shows to fast forward through the commercials and watch on your schedule.
Even better: get a DVR. Screw High Def, the DVR technology is the best television invention since color.
And finally: Sorry for the delay between posts. It's been a busy few weeks. Hopefully, I'll get back in the swing of things.
And finally Pt 2: I didn't have time to proofread this post, so please forgive any eggregious spelling/grammer mistakes. I'll try harder next time...
And I'll try to note the must watch shows out there. I've had a pretty good track record with my picks to watch (at least for me). Others, I'll just recommend you watch to see if they end up being any good.
Sunday, 9/17
Cartoon Network [adult swim] notables tonight. Sorry I don't have the times on me (the beauty of a DVR-- it just records it for me):
Robot Chicken Season 2 Part 2 premieres. Toy doing naughty things.
Squidbillies Season 2. Funny for a while, but I stopped watching after a few eps.
Korgath of Barbaria Series premiere. A near-future barbarian who spends a great deal of time drinking.
Monday, 9/18
The Class Series Premiere; CBS, 7:00
This comedy has enjoyed good buzz. It's one of TV Guide's Matt Roush's favorite shows, and he hasn't steered me wrong much. Must watch.
How I Met Your Mother, CBS, 7:30; Two and a Half Men, CBS 8:00; New Adventures of Old Christine, CBS 8:30; CSI: Miami. Season Premieres.
Wife Swap, ABC, 7:00 and another new ep at 8:00. Season Premiere.
CW Preview Special CW, 8:00 pm. Check out the new season of old WB & UPN shows-- and two new series.
Deal or No Deal, 7-9 pm NBC. Season Premiere.
Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip, 9-10 NBC. Series Premiere.
Created by Aaron Sorkin. Let's see: Sports Night-- great. West Wing (until he got canned)-- great. This show is one of the ones I'm most looking forward to. Must Watch.
Tonight Show with Jay Leno. Guest/: Jason Lee
Tuesday, 9/19
Boston Legal, ABC, 9 pm. Season Premiere.
Guest star: Michael J. Fox, who was great last year.
NCIS, CBS 7-8 & The Unit, CBS 8-9 Season Premieres.
Smith; CBS, 9-10 Series Premiere.
The Ray Liotta/ Virginia Madsen series about a high-end thief. Must Watch.
Law & Order: Criminal Intent, NBC 8-9; Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, NBC 9-10. Season Premieres.
Wednesday, 9/20
Jericho, CBS, 7-8. Series Premiere
A man returns to his hometown amid a mystery. Then a mushroom cloud appears on the horizon, and the town is cut-off from civilization. Must Watch.
Criminal Minds; CBS, 8-9 and CSI: NY; CBS 9-10. Season Premieres.
Biggest Loser; NBC 7-9. Season Premiere.
Kidnapped; NBC, 9-10. Series Premiere.
A wealthy son is kidnapped. The FBI is brought in, but the parents hire an anti-social "retrieval expert". I'm sure it's better than FOX's similar Vanished, but I'm not sure if it'll be great. A half-hearted Watch.
America's Next Top Model; CW, 7-9.
Has anyone ever heard of the previous winners? I don't give two craps about modeling, but you think I would have heard about the winners by now...
Tonight Show. Steve Carell discusses the new Office season.
Thursday, 9/21
Grey's Anatomy, ABC, 7-8 (recap) & 8-9 (season premiere).
Let the bloodbath begin: Grey's vs. CSI
Six Degrees, ABC, 9:01-10. Series Premiere.
Six strangers meet through a series of random events. Kinda Watch.
CSI: Crime Scene Investigation; CBS 8-9. Season Premiere.
Shark; CBS 9-10
James Woods stars in this series about a House-ian prosecutor who mentors young DA's. There's some buzz about this one, so I'll give it a Watch.
My Name is Earl; NBC 7- 7:30. season premiere.
The second season kicks off. Slight changes include more story arcs-- and Earl will not accomplish his task each episode, and may instead take a few episode to cross something off the list.
The Office; NBC 7:30-8. Season premiere.
Michael accidentally outs a gay employee. The Jim/Pam situation is addressed. And sometime this season, the riotous Ed Helms (The Daily Show) joins the company.
ER; NBC 9-10. Season Premieres.
This show is still on? I guess some big sh** went down in the 12th season finale, and this 13th season picks up the pieces. Some people are kidnapped, a pregnant woman is knocked out and bleeding, someone got shot, and John Stamos finally becomes a series regular.
Conan O'Brien, NBC. John Krasinski shows up to discuss The Office.
Friday, 9/22
Ghost Whisperer, CBS 7-8; Close to Home, CBS 8-9; Numb3rs, CBS 9-10, season premieres.
Friday Night Smackdown!, CW, 7-9:00; season premiere.
Law & Order, NBC, 9-10; 59th season premiere.
Conan O'Brien, NBC; Jason Lee discusses My Name is Earl.
Saturday, 9/23
I'd never recommend the horrible crap that was Saturday Night Live from last year (I watched Dane Cook, Jason Lee, and Steve Carell nearly destroy their careers in that wasteland), but the repeat from February NBC is airing was considered a high point with Steve Martin as host and Prince as musical guest. I'll be watching it-- very cautiously.
Sunday, 9/24
Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, ABC 6-8.
The fourth season opens.
Desperate Housewives (ABC, 8-9) looks to pull out the horrible tailspin it was in last year. I think they'll put it off.
Brothers & Sisters, ABC, 9:01-10.
New show with tons of great actors. The show had great buzz, then the pilot was pretty much scrapped to accomodate acting changes. There's been lots of bad buzz since, but I think this is a Must Watch-- at least the first half-dozen episodes.
Cold Case, CBS 8-9, and Without a Trace, CBS 9-10 season premieres.
12 oz Mouse, Cartoon Network [adult swim], 11:45.
A new season of the show I just didn't get-- but has a rabid fanbase (as does most [adult swim] shows).
I hope to explain how I can watch so much (no, I'm NOT watching all the things I post here) in the near future. But since the new season is on top of us already, let me just say one word: record. Watching TV live is not the way to maximize your time. Use the "r" in VCR or DVD-R and record your shows to fast forward through the commercials and watch on your schedule.
Even better: get a DVR. Screw High Def, the DVR technology is the best television invention since color.
And finally: Sorry for the delay between posts. It's been a busy few weeks. Hopefully, I'll get back in the swing of things.
And finally Pt 2: I didn't have time to proofread this post, so please forgive any eggregious spelling/grammer mistakes. I'll try harder next time...
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