Me: "It is really nice out. I should take the dog for a walk."
Him: "It is great. There is a breeze and its overcast. It's a great time for a walk."
Me: "Well, I just turned on the TV right now to check the Weather Channel to see the update on the storm, but I don't know what channel that is on my cable."
Him: "Is he a good walker?"
So being the junkie of television that I am (at night, cough, cough), I like to try to watch all of the new shows of the season and give my readers my opinion. It is only my opinion, and obviously not being considered by the networks. Out of the 17 shows I reviewed last year, I gave eleven a score higher than 5, and only five of those shows are returning, and one of them I gave up on toward the latter part of the season. But, in my mind, this just proves that the majority of television viewers are idiots and don't know good writing and acting. I do. So there. THE GRINDER, PEOPLE. BEST SHOW THAT GOT CANCELLED.
In the past I've rated them 1-10 which I'm changing up this year. I'm going to grade them A-F this year in the good old school fashion because frankly, some of them are F$;^%$. I made that word up, by the way. I will tell you, as I always do, that I am more of a drama person and not so much a sitcom watcher. I rarely find them funny. Most of them I find juvenile and poorly written, and catering to, well, the idiots I mentioned early. So keep that in mind, and if you like the shows I dislike, well, ahem, love you...
2016 New Shows I viewed
- Bull - I've watched two episodes of this show. It reminds me of Lie to Me, a fav show. The premise is that Dr. Bull, played by Michael Weatherly, is an expert at helping lawyers pick out juries. This show is based on the early life of Dr. Phil McGraw. WHAT? Who knew? I liked the second show better than the first, and I'll tell you that while I find it basic, I think the problem lies with Weatherly for me. He is no Tim Roth. I don't know Weatherly, an alum of NCIS (a show I never watched, but one my mother loved), but I feel like in this character he is trying too hard. I want to believe the character is that person. I don't believe Weatherly is Bull, or even that he likes the guy. I'll keep the show in my cue as a fluff show to watch when I'm ironing or just need my mind to rest. Number of episodes watched: 2 Grade: C
- Conviction - The president's daughter, poor little thing, has felt alienated and left out her entire life while her parents danced along the political trail. To compensate for her pitiful childhood, teen angst years, she does naughty childish things, the last being getting caught with cocaine in her possession. To keep her from going to jail, her mother works out a deal with the district attorney. In exchange for a clean record she agrees to head his new Conviction Integrity Unit. So she and her team look into wrongful convictions each week and save the day. Uh, nothing new here. Team comprised of people with background issues, lead character is beautiful with an expensive wardrobe, sexual tension, yada, yada, yada. Not horrible, but not great. Fluff TV. Number of episodes watched: 1 Grade: C
- Designated Survivor - First of all, how many people even knew this was a real thing? Just in educating the public alone raises this show. In our country one member in the presidential line of succession, usually a member of the Cabinet, is kept in an undisclosed location when the president and other top leaders are gathered at a single location in case of a catastrophic event that would wipe out the big guys. This is the truth and the premise of the show, and I love it. Keifer Sutherland is good as the Department of Housing and Urban Development who suddenly becomes the president when a bomb goes off during the State of Union Address. While the Capitol and bomb scenery are SO terribly fake, the rest of the show is pretty good. Sutherland is over his head thrust in his new roll, still reeling from losing his co-workers, but slowly he is adjusting and trying to do what is right for the country. If only we had two candidates running today that felt that way. This isn't up to the par of Madam Secretary, but it is a close second. Number of episodes watched: 2. Grade: B+
- The Good Place - I try to watch each episode twice, but I just couldn't with this one. Tom and I both gave it a try, and while I would have ended it way earlier than we did, we continued to slog through it trying to make it to the end. We didn't make it. I like Ted Danson and love Kristen Bell's commercials with her husband Dax Shephard, but this show, despite being created by a The Office and Parks and Recreation alum, sucked. Sorry, to those who like it, but I just couldn't find anything to like about Bell's character. Frankly, when I head out of this world and into my next I want it to to be smooth sailing, and to land in a world where someone else is screwing it all up for me, after I worked so hard to be good? Yeah, ugh. It wasn't very funny to me, although the reviews were great. Maybe just my sitcom phobia, and I should give it another try like I did Life in Pieces which I rated a 7 and would now give it a 10. But I probably won't. Ted Danson deserves better. Thank god Larry David is planning another season of Curb Your Enthusiasm so Danson has a decent role. Number of episodes watched: 1 Grade: F
- Kevin Can Wait - I don't see the difference between this and main man Kevin James' King of Queens sitcom which I actually liked in reruns. He was his usually funny self, but the wife turned me off maybe because she wasn't Leah Remini. Nothing really wrong with this show, but not for me. Number of episodes watched: 2 Grade: C
- Lethal Weapon - I gotta tell you that I'm over the whole cars, trucks, vans, etc. coming out of nowhere and smashing into a main character's car. Sometimes they live and sometimes they die, but I find myself constantly worrying I'm going to get hit as I drive through intersections. Having said that, the rest of the show went better than I expected. The partnership is close to the original, the dialogue comical, and while the plots are like all cop shows on television, there were surprises that kept me watching. Damon Wayans needs to relax some to pull off the Danny Glover character, but Clayne Crawford does a fine job pulling off Riggs. Number of episodes watched: Number of episodes watched: 2 Grade: B+
- MacGyver - Can we not come up with anything new? Why are we rebooting old shows? It is always hard to compare new shows to old ones, but in this case I never watched the original MacGyver. I will say, however, that Richard Dean Anderson was way hotter than this baby faced MacGyver. I did not like the voice overs explaining things to me like I'm a child, and I didn't feel much for the team of operatives, although I did like the role of Jack Dalton. He should have been MacGyver. You want to watch a show just like this one that was WAY better? Try Leverage on Netflix. Number of episodes watched: 1 Grade: D
- Notorious - I didn't know what this show was about even after watching it. TV Guide had to fill me in, and even then I was asking, "what" because I think it missed its mark. We have two stories going on, one a lawyer with his clients, the other a news producer with her show, eventually merging, but everyone is too beautiful and too unlikable in this show. Probably the only reason I watched it a second time is because of Daniel Sunjata, my boy from Rescue Me. He is nice on the eyes. Now he would have made a better MacGyver. Number of episodes watched: 1 Grade: D
- Pitch - I don't believe that women will ever break into the men's professional league, at least not in the next three years, but I like the belief. Maybe I'll be wrong and a woman will coach in the NFL, but for now I'm content to watch a woman playing in the MLB league in Pitch. Kylie Bunbury rocks in the role of Ginny Baker, and it is nice to see Dan Laurie back on the screen, although if he doesn't get on board with a girl on his team and take care of his locker room he might not be around much longer. Havng the old guy about to be forced out as Baker's ally, is good, and Mark-Paul Gosselaar is good in that role. This season is all about remakes and twists, and this show delivers the twists, but the writing is solid, the story new, and the cast exemplary. Number of episodes watched: 2 Grade: A
- Son of Zorn - This show is one you either laugh at or you don't. The main character is a cartoon who use to be married to a human. He returns to earth to get to know his son, and hilarity ensues. Frankly, I laugh out loud. Creative, stellar cast, and sharp, witty zinger lines. It won't be for everyone, but hey, it isn't the same old, same old, well, except for the penis and pee jokes. (Hey, writers, NOT needed) Number of episodes watched: 3 Grade: A
- Speechless - Minnie Driver and Micah Fowler make this show. A sitcom that dares to discuss a not usually discussed topic, and a cast that includes an actor who actually has cerebral palsy. The writing isn't top notch with too many cliches, but I can root for a mother who will do anything to get her son a chance at a normal life. Number of episodes watched: 2 Grade: B
- This is Us - BEST SHOW THIS SEASON. Good writing, good acting, believable characters, and twists that keep us interested and coming back. The first episode I didn't see the twist coming, the second I did, but I love the surprises. Also, love that a show is finally addressing overweight issues in a real light, but I do find it hard that fraternal twins (triplets, but one dies) have such a huge discrepancy in body types, especially with the parents skinny as twigs. Number of episodes watched: 2. Grade: A-
*** Huge Shout to Fox who makes it super easy to watch shows online, including interactive commercials that cut down the time spent watching the same ads over and over again. No making me sign in, no asking me a million questions, just hey, welcome to our network, feel free to catch up on our great show.
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