TV 2009-2010: 10 Things I Hate About You

10 Things I Hate About You

Again, this is a show I shouldn’t like. A high-school show based on a movie that was released ten years ago (how often are those shows any good?). But this isn’t a typical CW-type teen show with bad acting, ridiculous situations, and insane sexual situations. This is a modern show with an old-school heart.


Teen sisters Kat & Bianca move to a new city with their widower father and try to fit into their new school. Bianca dreams of being in the popular crowd—by way of the cheerleading squad—but always manages to inadvertently insult the team captain, who makes her do humiliating things as penance. Kat wants nothing to do with petty high school desires; she’s out to save the world.

The show is very clever, and even the “seen it before” plots are given facelifts by the tight lines and the actors’ abilities to raise their game. Meaghan Jette Martin plays Bianca perfectly. She can have a bit of “over-her-head” moments and yet remain strong in our minds. She usually plays the “straight girl”, and has the ability to make us like her while pining for one boy—and rebuffing another who pines for her. That’s tough to manage; to be lovesick in one scene and confidently managing to not break someone else’s heart in another. Larry Miller plays the father, Walter, and I can’t think of another actor who could fill the role as perfectly as he does. He got thrown in the deep end of the pool with the death of his wife (which does not define the character as it normally would on a TV show; it happened, and he misses her—but he has two teenage daughters to raise), but he deals with it as most real fathers would.

The supporting actors also play their characters well. Unfortunately, the characters didn’t get the chance to progress beyond the surface stereotypes (headstrong/bitch cheerleader captain, befuddled/lovesick boy pining for someone out of his league, good-looking idiot football captain, goofy). Of note is Ethan Peck’s Patrick, the “loner”, brooding love interest of Kat. He, too, hasn’t had much to do to make his character more than the “rebel without a cause”, but he holds himself incredibly well in scenes with Lindsey Shaw’s Kat—and was been given some more to do in the back half of the season (which, sadly, lacked the magic of the first half).

And that brings us to Lindsey Shaw, who gained my attention in a big way in the fantastic Aliens in America a few years back. In that show, she was a supporting character, but on this one, she’s the center of attention. Bianca and Kat both have their plotlines, but the show focuses on Kat’s life more. And it’s well-deserved because Shaw is fantastic. She has an incredibly magnetic presence on screen—even when the scripts let her down a little. I don’t want to jinx her career or anything, but I could see big things from her. Maybe not on the big screen (yet), but she could be a major force on TV for years to come if she keeps finding great shows to be on. Unfortunately, this show, like Aliens in America, didn’t get a second season, so she’ll have to try to find another one to shine in.

Red Dead Redemption Bird People Glitch

I wish I had a PS3...

Premieres and Notables; June 21-27

Monday, 6/21

BrainSurge; Nickelodeon. 5 pm CST. 2nd Season Premiere.

Saving Grace (TNT; 8 pm CST). Series Finale.

Inedible to Incredible; TLC. 9 pm CST. Series Premiere.
Another cooking show...


Tuesday, 6/22

Wipeout; ABC. 7 pm CST. 3rd Season Premiere.

Downfall; ABC. 8 pm CST. 2nd Season Premiere.
Some sort of gameshow...

Hawthorne; TNT. 8 pm CST. 2nd Season Premiere.; TNT. 9 pm CST.  Series Premiere.

Memphis Beat
Jason Lee, Alfrie Woodard, and D.J. Qualls star in this show about a man who is a detective during the day who sings Elvis tunes during night.

Primetime: Mind Games; ABC. 9 pm CST. Mini-series.
A five-part look at how people can be brainwashed.

Real Sports With Bryant Gumbel; HBO. 9 pm CST. Season Premiere.
One of the best shows airing.  Check it out.


Thursday, 6/24

Futurama; Comedy Central. 9 pm CST. Season Premiere.Series Return
Seven years after FOX cancelled, it Comedy Central made an order for 26 new episodes.

Boston Med; ABC. 9 pm CST. Mini-series.
An eight-part look at surgeries in three Boston hospitals.


Friday, 6/25

Party Down (Starz; 9 pm CST). Season Finale.


Saturday, 6/26

Dinocroc vs. Supergator; Syfy. 8 pm CST. Movie.
I have a friend who's a little bugged that "Sci Fi Channel" changed to "Syfy".
I wasn't all that excited about it either-- but shit titles (and I'll give this a 99% likelihood this is a shit movie as well) like this one is one more reason to keep the word "sci fi" away from it.


Sunday, 6/27

Hung; HBO. 9 pm CST. 2nd Season Premiere.

Entourage; HBO. 9:30 pm CST. 7th Season Premiere.

TV 2009/2010: Community

 Community

This season brought us a good number of great new comedies, but the one I enjoyed the most was NBC’s Community. Not since the early seasons of the U.S. The Office have I looked forward to the random hilarity of a network comedy as much as I did for this show.


At first, I came for Joel McHale, who was able to maintain that snarky attitude that has served him so well over the years on The Soup on this show as a lawyer who got knocked down a few pegs. But the show quickly became an ensemble piece that is eclectic enough to allow this very limited concept (following a Spanish study group and their adventures within the community college campus) to go in many directions. I honestly had no idea what was going to happen next, and that’s pretty impressive for a network comedy.

Most comedies take the majority of their first seasons to click, but I think Community hit its stride as early as November as the Halloween episode was the one that stood out for me; the one that made me love this show. Bookended with the equally excellent paintball episode from May, and you have a really great season. I can see this show being the Thursday anchor that NBC needs when The Office and 30 Rock end (which I believe will be sooner rather than later).

TV 2009/2010: Glee

Glee.

I shouldn’t like this show. It’s about high school. It’s a musical. There are a number of silly-- to ludicrous-- plotlines…


But I highly enjoed it. I’ve laughed out loud more at this show than at almost any other show this year.

There is an incredible type of magic working behind this show. The characters are broad and stereotypical at first (and at second and third), but the actors and the writers somehow make them feel fresh. They manage to find that perfect song for the moment that makes it very difficult to not stand up and clap after it’s sung. If you would have told me a year ago that I would think Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believin’” or Neil Diamond’s “Sweet Caroline” are great songs, I would have laughed. But somehow, in the context of the show and how the songs work into the plot, they are pretty great.

[Of course, the show may be beginning to suffer from “too much of a good thing” as the back half of the season had musical numbers jammed into the episodes a bit more noticeably than the front half. I hope the show doesn’t go overboard with songs just to sell a few more of them on iTunes.  In fact, had it not felt so cluttered in the back-half of the season, it would have been in the running of my favorite show of the year.]

Even the fact that the show absolutely plays on my emotions is magical. I know that certain scenes or lines were done just to get me to feel one way or another. I can see it coming a mile away. But I can’t help feeling how I am “supposed” to feel when the moment arrives. I fight that kind of blatant manipulation as much as I can with everything I watch or read—but this show hooks me damn near every time.

It’s wonderful to just, plain feel good while watching a show.

Of course, I’m making it sound like it’s all sunshine and roses, and this show is not. One of my favorite elements is the dark humor. These kids are kids. They constantly rip on each other. No one can ever get a break. That’s how teenagers behave; they can’t let someone else get the upper hand.

And while the entire cast is capable, for the most part, I have to single out Jane Lynch as being one of the most reprehensible, evil villains in my many years of television watching. Her cheerleading coach is so wildly over-the-top, you have to love her. You can’t look away. Lynch is usually excellent in any role I’ve seen her in, but this may be a career highlight for her. Loud, sarcastic, and sharp as a knife.

And I also have to mention my favorite character, Brittany. The prototypical dumb cheerleading blonde. She doesn’t get to say much, but I looked forward to her one line an episode, such as “Dolphins are gay sharks” or “I think my cat is reading my diary.” Never makes sense, never has anything to do with anything. She’s just, plain hilarious.

So, yeah, the show has its silly moments-- and its downright “what the Hell were they thinking?” moments (fake pregnancies, anyone?)-- and the cast doesn’t always ring completely true… But the show is fun, it’s smart, it makes you feel for the characters and the situations, it uses music in ways that not many other TV shows (or movies) have used it, and it has made pretty great use of guest stars or recurring actors (Mike O’Malley really impressed me). It’s definitely worth watching.

Beatboxing Dog

And the beatboxing dog singing "Trololo":

TV 2009-2010: Modern Family

Modern Family

I’m not sure if I enjoyed this one any more than I enjoyed The Middle before it or Cougar Town after it, but I do think Modern Family is a great new way to return to an old-style comedy concept. It was also the most consistent of the three new ABC comedies.


First off, you’ve got a great cast. Every single actor knows his/her role in the series—and knew it from the very beginning. Props, too, to the writers and directors who didn’t play around with the concept or the characters. This show knew what it was from the wonderful pilot and continued in that same tone throughout the season.

But the most “magical” part about it was while it kept its mostly-grounded sense of reality, it also wasn’t mean-spirited. I’m all about funny, scathing humor—but I also appreciate a show that can maintain a level of warmth while remaining very funny. This is one of very few recent shows that is able to do that. I’m also impressed that the children are active participants in the humor. Most shows have the kids appear once or twice and then are forgotten about; this one not only keeps them on screen (such as the constant presence of the baby Lily), but often uses them to move the plot or as be active in the humor (such as the wonderful Manny).

Like most comedies, I expect to become a little more comfortable with the show in subsequent seasons (forgetting how original it is in this climate), but this show definitely is a different animal for being normal, and it should be commended for it.

TV 2009/2010: Justified

Justified.

I tried to curb my excitement for what on paper sounded like a “sure thing” because more often than not, those “sure things” end up being duds. But I should have let myself get excited. I mean, Graham Yost adapts an Elmore Leonard short story, damn near to the letter, for FX; a studio that can easily allow for a grittier show—but not so uncensored that anything goes. Yost chooses Timothy Olyphant to play Rayland Givens, a U.S. Marshal who has a tendency to come out of shootouts without a scratch—and the other person comes out in a body bag. What makes Olyphant a great choice is not only the fact that he’s a great actor, but his work on Deadwood showed he can play not only a likeable, but an honorable, character that has rage simmering just below the surface. Then Yost takes an actor that FX fans love (Walton Goggins) and gives him a character that is hard to love— which Goggins transforms into a character that is impossible to resist. And, finally, Yost surrounds Olyphant with actors playing characters that are fun (and funny, in some cases) to watch.


The writing and directing are great, but Olyphant owns this show. I’ve been a big fan since Deadwood, and it’s good to know his work there wasn’t an aberration. Raylan Givens, as noted before, is an angry man. He doesn’t seem like it, but look at his eyes as he deals with people he considers threats, and you can see it bubbling. But he also has a smart-aleck quality such as when dealing with people he knows he’s smarter than. His eyes dare the other character to do “something stupid”. Olyphant has the eyes and the purposeful walk that served his Deadwood character (Seth Bullock) so well. And the hat... Leonard was against Givens’ Stetson at first, but Yost overruled him as well he should have. Givens is not defined by the hat, but it adds a certain lawfulness to the character. You know who the good guy is on the show.

TV 2009/2010: Attack of the Show

Attack of the Show

I had seen it a few times here and there throughout its run, but I began watching it regularly inJanuary (watching almost every ep since then). I started watching for the Around the Net feature, where five video clips are shown each day (many of which I pause during to run to the computer to find and embed in this very blog), and that’s worth the price of admission. And while the clips are normally pretty good (or bizarrely horrible), hosts Keven Pereira and Olivia Munn’s intros and outros are usually very funny.

But after I started watching a few episodes in a row, I noticed just how clever Pereira and Munn can be. They have a great chemistry and a similar attitude, so it’s fun to see their reactions to each other when either goes “off script”. Both are pretty fearless and are willing to bomb for the sake of a joke. But usually the humor works. Even Kevin, dry humping new tech devices at an electronics convention, is funnier on screen than you’d think it would be.

Aside from ATN clips and stunts, AOTS (better start learning the acronyms if you want to be a fan) features such weekly segments as “DVDuesday” where movie critic Chris Gore gives his take on that day’s new releases; “Gadget Pr0n”, with the always silly Chris Hardwick reviewing tech items; “The Loop”, where experts in a particular subject discuss the latest big news and its impact on consumers; “Epic Fail” (video clips of stunts gone awry), and “Moments on DeEvolution” (video clips of stunts purposely designed to hurt people—or at least of people doing really stupid things). And Pereira and Munn have great interviews with actors and musicians that go beyond the usual tripe you’d see on most talk shows.

While the segments are fun and/or informative enough, the real gems of the show are Pereira and Munn. Either can play the “straight man” while the other goes off on some tangent. Like I said before: great chemistry. The show itself seems to have a great feel for what’s required, so when Chris Hardwick and (my newest crush) Alison Haislip are tapped to fill in, they don’t miss a beat.

So if you dig tech, video clips, movies, and games, check out this show.  And if you can't commit to four hours a week, check out the review episodes that air on Friday.  They take the best clips and best skits, interviews, and segments of the week and squish them all together in one big hour.

Alligator Handler Fails

TV 2009-2010: The Inbetweeners

The Inbetweeners 

This would have been my favorite show of the year had the #1 show not blown me away during a viewing marathon. 

Raw, offensive, hilarious. New kid in school, Will, finds himself “settling” on a group of friends who are not cool—but not complete burnouts/morons. They’re in the middle of the social groups.

Will is the smartest of the four—and, unfortunately, he still hasn’t learned to keep that to himself. He is constantly making comments that are overheard—or just, plain sticking his foot in his mouth by not thinking before speaking. Just as he starts to “climb to the top”, he trips and falls back down. His home life is such that his mom has left his dad and moved to this new city. And tougher than being a child of divorce, Will also has to deal with the fact that every male in his school considers his mom pretty hot—and they never fail to mention that to him. Knowing your mom is a masturbation fantasy of your peers does not help one’s self-esteem.

Simon is the good-hearted and love-sick member of the group. He pines for classmate Carly, who considers him nothing more than an old friend (they’ve been neighbors since they were very young). Simon probably has the best chance to land a girlfriend, but he inevitably sabotages his chances by going after Carly instead. Simon, fortunately, has not only a drivers license, but also a car (which the others are embarrassed to ride in), so the others have to deal with his skittishness around women in return for the mobility he and the car provide.

Jay is the classic teenage horndog. Everything he says revolves around sex; every thought that pops into his head is about sex. And, as with most teenage boys, he has a severe lack of respect for the act or his potential partners. He constantly refers to girls in vulgar terms—and, as such, he never comes close to “landing” a date. Of course, he has a wild imagination about his prospects and his conquests—but the others have caught on to the fact that he’s full of crap on both. And while his friends calling out his bullshit is bad enough, his father is far, far worse to him. Your dad telling you that you have small penis in front of your friends is also not good for a teenager’s self-esteem.

Neil, quite possibly, could be the most normal of the group, if only he were a bit smarter. His lack of understanding of how uncool he is gets him into situations were he stands out—and is noticed to be as uncool as he is. He is also good at coming up with ideas for the group that eventually unravel as very basic questions are asked of the plan; things he just hadn’t thought through. Neil also has the unfortunate circumstance that his friends think his dad is gay. Luckily, his lack of wit is such that he doesn’t try to stage a comeback; he just says, “No he isn’t,” as his only defense.

This show never fails to make me laugh out loud numerous times in every half-hour episode. The pains of being a teenager are hyper-realized in this show, and it is gut-bustingly hilarious from start to finish. It may take a couple of episodes to get the language down (the speed of The Queen’s English and its slang, combined with numerous bleeps, can make it difficult to hear at first listen), but you can catch up quick.

The show isn’t for everyone. It is about teenage boys—and it is incredibly ribald pretty much from start to finish. But if you can handle the tone, you’ll laugh yourself hoarse.

2009-2010 TV Roundup

Okay, okay-- I'm a little late.  But it's been tough getting the needed time to post this properly.

Like in years past, I'm going to list the TV series I watched from about June 2009 to June 2010.  Why list them?  To give you an idea of what I watch (and what's worth watching) as well as giving a backdoor explanation why something's not on the Top Ten list (like Lost; I didn't put it in the top because I haven't watched it yet.

After that, over the next few days, I'll list my favorites from this past year.  They're not always the best, but they usually gave me the most pleasure and excitement.  They're definitely ones to check out when the new seasons start-- or something worth checking out on DVD.  I'll admit, I wrote up most of the Top Ten list during my lunches at work in April and May, so they may be a little rough. I apologize for that-- but if I tweak them much more, I'll never be able to post it in anything resembling a timely fashion.

So, here goes. The compete list:

Accidentally on Purpose; CBS; 2 eps

American Dad; FOX
Archer; FX
Aqua Teen Hunger Force; adult swim
Attack of the Show; G4; since Jan. 2010

Better Off Ted; ABC
Big Brother 11; CBS

Californication; Showtime
Caprica; Syfy
Chelsea Lately; E!
Clash of the Gods; History
Community; NBC
Cougartown; ABC
Curb Your Enthusiasm; HBO

Desperate Housewives; ABC
Dirty Sexy Money, ABC

Eastwick; ABC
Entourage; HBO

Family Guy; FOX

Gary Unmarried; CBS
Gavin and Stacy; BBC America
Glee; FOX

Hank; ABC; 2 eps
How I Met Your Mother; CBS

Inside Studio 42 with Bob Costas; MLB Network
It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia; FX

Joe Buck Live; HBO
Justified; FX

La La Land; Showtime; 3 episodes
Leverage; TNT

Men of a Certain Age; TNT
Metalocalypse; adult swim
Modern Family; ABC
Mythbusters; Discovery

National Parks: America’s Best Idea; PBS
Nurse Jackie; Showtime

Parenthood; NBC
Parks and Recreation; NBC
Penn & Teller’s Bullshit; Showtime

Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel; HBO
Real Time with Bill Maher; HBO
Robot Chicken; adult swim
Romantically Challenged; ABC; 3 episodes
Rules of Engagement; CBS

Scrubs; ABC
Shaq Vs.; ABC
Sons of Tucson; FOX
South Park; Comedy Central

10 Things I Hate About You; ABC Family
That Mitchell and Webb Look; BBC America
The Big Bang Theory; CBS
The Cleveland Show; FOX
The Goode Family; ABC
The Inbetweeners; BBC America
The Lazy Environmentalist; Sundance
The League; FX
The Middle; ABC
The New Adventures of Old Christine; CBS
The Office; NBC
The Ricky Gervais Show; HBO; 3 eps
The Sarah Silverman Program; Comedy Central
The Simpsons; FOX
The Soup; E!
The Soup Presents; E!
The Venture Brothers; adult swim

30 For 30; ESPN
30 Rock; NBC
Titan Maximum; adult swim

Tosh.0; Comedy Central

Ugly Betty; ABC

V; ABC

Web Soup; G4
Weeds; Showtime
Wipeout; ABC

Z Rock; IFC


Not new during June 2008-May 2009:
Californication Season 2
Doctor Who Season 2
Doctor Who Season 3
Doctor Who Season 4
Doctor Who Specials
Secret Diary of a Call Girl Season 2
Who Wants to Be a Superhero Season 2

Star Wars Old Republic 2010 E3 Trailer

This one blew me away.



When I first heard about this MMO, I thought, "Who's not gonna be a Jedi?"

Then I watched the kick-ass soldier in that trailer. Damn!



And here's last year's:

I, seriously, wonder if this is part of his normal gig

Motorcyle + Merry-go-Round

= Pain

Dog Shows Junk

Premieres and Notables; June 14-20, 2010

Tuesday, 6/15

It's Effing Science; G4. 7 pm (I think) CST. Series Premiere.
Taking a semi-regular feature from Attack of the Show and making a series around it may not seem like a winner, but I think this show will do okay.  Using science principles, the crew makes wicked experiments happen, like a gigantic potato gun (that looks more like a bazooka). 
There are other shows that kind of do the same thing, but they rely on "mystery" elements that keep viewers from really seeing how this stuff is made.  I don't think this show will do much of the same; they pretty much laid out how to make the potato gun in the clips I saw.

Hell's Kitchen; FOX. 7 pm CST. 7th Season Premiere.

Cupcake Wars; Food. 8 pm CST. Series Premiere.
Who knew making cupcakes was so badass?

Kathy Griffin: My Life on the D-List; Bravo. 8 pm CST. 6th Season Premiere.

Double Exposure; 9 pm CST. Series Premiere.
A reality show that follows two professional celebrity photographers.


Wednesday, 6/16

Top Chef: Washington, D.C.; Bravo. 8 pm CST. Season Premiere.

Man V. Food; Travel Channel. 8 pm CST. Season Premiere.

Hot In Cleveland; TV Land.  9 pm CST. Series Premiere.
Three middle-aged L.A. women have a layover in Cleveland and decide to stay there because they are "hot in Cleveland" as opposed to just being "old" in L.A. 
A not-great concept that could be comedy gold when the three women are Valerie Bertinelli, Wendie Malick, and Jane Leeves.  Throw in Betty White as their landlord, and it's a killer cast.
Unfortunately, everything I've read from critics has said it's not very funny.  I'll stick it out a couple of episodes in the hopes it gets better-- but then, I'm a glutton for TV punishment (and I think this cast's past work has earned a little loyalty from me).

The Fabulous Beekman Boys; Planet Green.  8 pm CST. Series Premiere.
This docuseries follows two gay city-boys as they head to a farm in upstate New York to start their own organic foods business.


Thursday, 6/17

Moonlight; The CW.  8 pm CST. Repeat.
This vampire show from 2008 gained a pretty hardcore fanbase (maybe largely attributed to women's dream, star Alex O'Loughlin), and The CW bought all 16 episodes to run after The Vampire Diaries. 
I never ended up watching the first run (it aired too soon after the painful Angel finale), but I may give it a shot this time...

Supreme Court of Comedy; The 101 Network (DirectTV?). 9 pm CST. Season Premiere.


Friday, 6/18

Past Life (FOX; 7 pm CST). Series Finale.

Battle of the Wedding Designers; TLC.  9 pm CST. Series Premiere.
Good God...  Just what the world needs: another freakin' wedding planner series.


Saturday, 6/19

The Ultimate Fighter 11 (Spike; 8 pm CST). Season Finale.


Sunday, 6/20

'Til Death (FOX; 6 pm CST). Series Finale.
Like you were still watching it...

Jonas L.A. Disney Channel. 7:30 pm CST. Season Premiere.

Scoundrels; ABC. 8 pm CST. Series Premiere.
A family of con-artists decide to go legit when their father gets jailed.  Then they find the "legit" world isn't all that honest, either. 
Seems like a decent cast (including David James Elliot and Virginia Madsen), and the premise has worked elsewhere (this is an adaptation of the New Zealand show Outrageous Fortune), so it may be worth trying out.
But it is an adaptation/remake-- and it's premiering in the summer-- so who knows...?

The Tudors; Showtime. 8 pm CST. Series Finale.

Leverage; TNT.  8 pm CST. 3rd Season Premiere.
This is summer TV at it's best: light, fun, better-than-it-should-be.
Check it out if you have an hour to spare...

The Gates; ABC. 9 pm CST. Series Premiere.
Ah-- the networks are finally jumping on the vampire craze...
This series follows the attempts of a chief of police who has to keep the vampires within the limits of the gated community they live in.

Merlin (Syfy; 9 pm CST). Season Finale.

The Real L Word; Showtime. 9 pm CST. Series Premiere.
Hmmm.  Showtime decides to follow-up its lesbian drama with a lesbian reality show...