Thursday, October 06, 2011

The 2011-2012 TV Season

The new TV season has been in swing for three weeks and I've tried to watch as many of the new shows that I can.  I'm a drama queen so those are the shows I enjoy most. For the most part, I find most sitcoms silly, poorly scripted, and just plain crap, but I've missed some little gems like, How I Met Your Mother, so I'm branching out and giving it all a try. Here are my hits and misses thus far:

Mondays:
  • 2 Broke Girls - I missed the first episode, but caught the second and wished that I hadn't. Stupid. Not funny. I actually like the character of Max and the actress playing her, but jeez there is no real plot and the dialogue and humor is nil. The whole thing, from the ugly waitress outfits and the Asian restaurant owner to the creepy cook and ding dong boyfriend just seemed wrong. I felt dirty after watching it. Rating: No Go.
  • The Playboy Club - This show is a look back in history when the Playboy Club was all the rage in Chicago in the 1960's.  It stars LeeAnn Rimes' new husband, Eddie Cibrian, who is one nice looking hunk with dimples.  The girls are all actresses that I've never seen anywhere else, but who are interesting and not bad.  The storyline is the typical mob storyline, but then that is the the time when these mob stories started so I forgive them that.  I enjoy the drama and am interested.  RatingKeeper 
  • Two and a Half Men -  Yes, I know this one isn't really new, but it actually is almost. Now that Charlie Sheen is gone, replaced by Ashton Kutcher, it has a new storyline so I gave it a try. I watched this show before in reruns during the summer, and although the humor is juvenile, I found it entertaining. Unfortunately, the "new" version isn't. Despite Chuck Lorre's attempts and Ashton Kutcher's gorgeous face and body, this was a show made for Charlie Sheen and his character. Without that it is just another poor sitcom with bad, prepubescent humor. Are writers not learning anything from Modern Family? Rating: No Go
    Tuesdays:
        • New Girl - I enjoyed Zooey Deschanel in 500 Days of Summer so I thought this was one I might enjoy. It started off rough, but in the premiere when the three guys left their big party to make sure Jess was alright I decided it was sweet and I'd give it another go. Zooey is cute, although the big glasses to make her less attractive is so not necessary, but I do love the singing thing she has going on. The skinny guy who takes off his shirt all the time is too Axel from The Middle, but I liked the other two guys a lot (then they go up and change one character by the second episode)..  RatingKeeper View

        • Unforgettable - First of all, the premise of this show is actually fresh, not to mention real life. It is about a homicide detective with hyperthymesia, a condition in which the person remembers everything that has every happened in his life. I was fascinated in hearing about it so I did some research on hyperthymesia and found that it does exist, only about 10 people in the world have it, and that actress Marilu Henner is one of them. Then I found out she is a consultant on this show and I thought that genius. It wasn't the best of writing or plot, but it has potential.    RatingKeeper
        Wednesdays:
        • Suburgatory -  My first thought in watching the beginning of this show was how strange it was that this girl would actually listen to her father and leave college because he demanded it.  Then I realized she was suppose to be in high school and I thought, really, they couldn't have found an actress that looks like she belongs in high school?  That right there threw the whole thing for me.  The humor is typical sitcom humor that we've seen thousands of times.  I hated the whole plastic, blonde, boob-job mom cliche along with the one character that doesn't fit that mold ugly, and fat.  I found Cheryl Hines' character interesting and I actually liked the Dad.  By the end of the show I was a little conflicted on whether or not I would watch it again as I laughed at some of it and liked the ending.  I may try it once more.  RatingHmmmmm
        • Revenge -  A good one here. I caught this one a week late On Demand and was so happy that I did. Good mystery with the past and the present. Interesting storyline and certainly interesting characters. It got me thinking afterwards, and I was disappointed that I had to wait until the next episode. I'm not sure how they will keep this show past a year, and I would be greatly impressed if it was around only for one year, but I'm sure if it is ratings gold it will continue on until it ruins it.  The second show wasn't as good as the premiere, too pat for my tastes, but I'm still wondering what she will do next.  Rating: A Keeper 

        • Up All Night - Not exactly sure how this sitcom plans to continue with its storyline of being tired because their baby keeps them awake, but I don't plan to find out.  While I like Christine Applegate and think her hubby actor is nice to look at I didn't care for the show.  The only humor I found in it was when they decided they shouldn't bleep curse in front of the bleep baby.  The rest of it was about a couple that I couldn't relate to, and I didn't care for Maya Rudolph's character at all.  I never felt the need to go back to my earlier life after Madison was born.  I certainly didn't go out and party all night long drinking til I puked while someone else took care of my baby til the wee hours of dawn.  The next episode's previews looked a bit better, but I think there are other things I'd rather watch on this night.Nah.    RatingCatch it in reruns

        • Free Agents -  Don't ask me what this show is about because I haven't a clue.  Two people who have lost in love have a one night stand and they work together.  The dialogue and plot was so bad that I gave up midway through.  Even my husband agreed.  Rating:  No Go
        Thursdays:
        • Charlie's Angels - I started this one late at night and hated it immediately. I thought the blond chick was the worst actor ever. I thought Charlie's voice sounded like a used car salesman or an announcer on a TV show. I hated the young Bosley. By the time Minka Kelly entered the picture I thought how she must really hate this job as she is so far above this show in everything. I stopped watching it and went to bed. I eventually finished it and thought it wasn't as bad as I had first thought. I still hate Charlie, but Bosley is easy on the eyes. I like the African American girl and I love Minka Kelly. Still not a big fan of the blond as she comes across as too pompous for me. Might try one more week of this before making a decision. Rating: Undecided
        • Person of Interest -I didn't really get the whole machine thing that spits out these names of people that are in some kind of trouble, but it is an interesting concept. Apparently this computer program tells this millionaire guy who developed it the name of a person who is connected to a violent crime. Unfortunately it does not tell him whether the person is a victim or the perpetrator, which I didn't know in the beginning and which was what made this show suddenly more interesting. The millionaire somehow finds an ex-CIA guy who is presumed dead and hires him to help figure everything out. The storyline seemed too easily wrapped up, but it was entertaining. Rating: Give it A Go

        • Whitney - I missed the first episode of this sitcom, but caught the preview that my cable company offered with Whitney and the actor playing her husband introducing some of the scenes.  I thought it funny enough that I caught the episode the second time around.  I think the preview was funnier then the show.  I agreed with Kelly that although the show is filmed in front of a live audience they still used a laugh track which was just plain weird.  RatingNo Go
        • Prime Suspect - So far the best new show on TV. I love Maria Bello's character. I love her rawness, her humor, her serious intensity to her job, and her love for those she cares about. I found the storyline good and plausible. I thought it far superior to any other new show. Highly recommend it. Rating: Keeper
        Fridays:
        • A Gifted Man - Enjoyed this one. Patrick Wilson is the son of our local newscaster so I wanted to support him. I liked his character, thought he played the uptight surgeon well, and he is nice to look at. Like the story of his ex-wife's ghost coming to him so that he can help her finish up some things in her past life.  Like the Anton character who wants to help the doc understand the other world.  And really, let's face it, he is a brain surgeon and I certainly can relate to that having played on myself when I wear my scrubs.  Rating: A Keeper


          I still have Pan Am on the DVR and am looking forward to Grimm and Once Upon A Time.  Read today that The Playboy Club has already been cancelled due to low ratings (really? we only give it three weeks?) so here we go already.  Every new show I get hooked into watching tends to be cancelled so that's why I tried to watch as many of the new ones as I could.  Also tried some old shows that I hadn't watched, but so far nothing stands out as great.  Here's hoping some good ones emerge and stay around a few years!

          No comments:

          Post a Comment