Autumn TV Report

As we approach halftime of the now not so new season, let's take a look to see where we stand. Remember that these are the shows I have been watching. I have no idea what Julianna Margulies is up to on The Good Wife nor do I care that you have subjected yourself to watching Bristol Palin dance.

Monday

House: They've handled the House-Cuddy relationship well in that it has been business as usual at Princeton-Plainsboro. The major change has been that All-Star Olivia Wilde has been off filming a movie and they've called up Amber Tamblyn to fill her spot. No offense to Tamblyn, but this isn't exactly a fair swap. That said, her wholesome med school genius is a good foil for House and a better character for the show. What to do when Wilde returns?

Tuesday

No Ordinary Family: Disappointingly, there's been a steady decline from a very entertaining pilot. The problem isn't with the very likable stars (Michael Chiklis, Julie Benz, and Autumn Reeser, who I'd really like to see in her own sitcom next year). The problem is that in the wake of recent darker adult sci-fi shows like Lost and Heroes (which I didn't watch), there is too much of an ABC Family hokiness vibe here. I was all set to end its relationship with my DVR when they pull out an ace: Amy Acker. That's right, one of my favorite actresses (Angel, Dollhouse) in the mix. So what do they do with her? Have her shot in her first episode. Don't worry, she's alive, but I can't say the same for the show. I think there's potential here, but I only have time for kinetic.

Raising Hope: Staying strong after a good debut. Garret Dillahunt, who has made a living playing creepy sociopaths, has been a revelation as a comic actor. Really, he makes me laugh out loud. Martha Plimpton has been great and I have been won over by Shannon Woodward. Just very good casting. (The senile grandma played by Cloris Leachman feels, not offensive, but cheap and unnecessary. I don't see her going away, though...unlike the live-in cousin who was in the pilot. I remember things, TV.) I'm still worried about its shelf-life, but for now the biggest surprise of the season.

Running Wilde: The show isn't that great and Keri Russell's character is a little on the grating side, but Will Arnett plays obliviously arrogant better than anyone and it's very hard not to appreciate that. He's helped by Mel Rodriguez as his butler and Peter Serafinowicz as his equally clueless rich man-child neighbor (the latter played Simon Pegg and Nick Frost's housemate in Shaun of the Dead). Nothing ground-breaking here, but entertaining enough.

Sons of Anarchy: After Mad Men, the show I most look forward to each week. I was nervous about this season being undermined by the kidnapped baby storyline, but it ended up serving as a catalyst to not only up the ante for everyone on the show but permanently change the landscape. 

Wednesday

South Park: I've been proselytizing for the appreciation of this show for years. Unfortunately, I think the initial hype surrounding it led a lot of people to write it off as a fad. However, I don't know another scripted show that covers current events better, especially with the ability to put popular hysteria into perspective. Sometimes they miss, as with this season's take on NASCAR (people who watch it are poor and stupid--get it?) But their misses are still more relevant than most shows (I even got Vinny Guns to watch--and like--the episode about Inception).

Thursday

Community: This is a very ambitious show and deserves credit for that. However, that also leads to each episode being more about style over substance. It feels like the writers are just trying to one-up each other in who can be the most hip and meta. Though the cast is good, there's just no investment in the characters.

30 Rock: The best sitcom on TV right now.

The Office: Slow, awkward start to the season, but they've rallied in recent episodes by falling back on their strength: Steve Carrell's Michael Scott. He's their Homer and I really don't see how they're going to keep this thing afloat when he leaves. Take Jim and Pam instead.

It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia: Suffered the same malaise as The Office, which is typical of successful shows that are on the other side of their fifth season. I think that struggling hunger is understandably gone and it takes a few episodes to get back to full steam. And like The Office and Michael, here more Charlie means more funny. Seriously, no more Mac episodes.

The League: This doesn't have the substance of some of the great comedies, but its in-the-moment laugh factor is pretty high. Second best comedy of the season so far.

Friday

The Increasingly Poor Decisions of Todd Margaret: This six episode series on IFC starred David Cross as a salesman who fakes his way into getting transferred to England to head the campaign to sell Thunder Muscle energy drink. Cross also plays a recurring character on Running Wilde...and Arnett shows up here as  Todd's chain-cursing boss. It was funny and worth catching on DVD, though I think they got all they could out of the plot and I can't say I'm excited about a rumored second season.

Saturday

Saturday Night Live: No, don't worry, I haven't started watching this. I just thought I should mention that, yes, this is still on and I can't even remember when I did last watch (not consistently, but at all) this one time can't miss show. I can't see it turning around as long as Lorne Michaels is still calling the shots. They desperately need a new voice behind the scenes and a fresher perspective on current sketch comedy talent.

Sunday

The Simpsons: The recycling of material is getting more and more noticeable, but what do you expect at this point. If you've watched it this far you're in it for the long haul. However long that haul may be.

Luther: I had moderately high hopes for this BBC detective show starring The Wire's Idris Elba. I watched one episode and was done. It may have gotten better, but I didn't like Elba's character (you know, the guy from the title). And there was a lot of choppy (sorry, cutting-edge) editing that was, well, annoying. Probably for the best. Who needs more TV to watch?

Mad Men: I thought this may have been the best season yet. A brilliant character arc for Don Draper within the overall arc that is the show as a whole. And excellent casting, as usual, for his love interests: Cara Buono (she was Artie's girlfriend in Beer League? Really?) and Jessica Pare. I admit, I was Team Faye, but Megan ain't a bad Option B. 

The Walking Dead: An excellent adaptation of Robert Kirkman's comic series that even zombiephobe Vinny Guns is digging. Ok, so here's a gripe: having read the comics, I'm distracted by the changes they made for TV. Not that they made changes, but that they only changed some things, often for reasons I'm not sure were necessary. And then those changes force other changes and it becomes a whole thing. But that's me. It's been re-upped for a second season of 12 eps. I'm worried about the direction it's going, but I'll watch. For you.

And really, this has all been for you. I wouldn't have wasted my autumn like this if it weren't for SMC. But things are better now. By my count, now that Sons, Walking Dead, and Mad Men are done, I'm down to about 4 hours a week. That's not bad. Maybe I'll cure a disease or learn to spelunk. Or  better, watch some movies.

Autumn TV Update 2: Judgment Day

 Where were we? Right, watching TV.

Sunday

The Simpsons: Sigh. More of the same, and all we can expect at this point. It's impossible to sustain inspiration after this many years. Still solid and better than most shows on TV, but it now simply is what it is. While it was enjoyable hearing Flight of the Conchords' charming Kiwi accents again in the premiere, it felt 3-5 years too late for hipness' sake, a recurring negative trend on the show. Which just makes you wonder how South Park can turn around a hot topic in a week.

Monday

House: Early indications are that they will be able to handle the new House-Cuddy love dynamic. The show has a perfected template and whatever storyline they plug in works as fine as any other. Hugh Laurie carries every episode and that won't change. I still feel this should be the last season, but no one at FOX has returned my calls.

The Event: Oh, it's about aliens. And a government conspiracy. I'm grateful they cleared that up right away so I didn't have to waste anymore time. Two episodes in and I realized my attention was not willing to cooperate. It's not bad, but it's also not Lost. Is that fair? Is that my problem? Anyway, here's another picture of Sarah Roemer.

Hawaii Five-O: Watched the first episode and was entertained. Scott Caan is the money here, finally tapping into his genes lately (see: last season of Entourage). I wasn't so big on the lead, Alex O'Loughlin. Actually, I didn't like him at all. They'll probably soften him up as the series goes on, but right now he comes off as a dull jerk, especially compared to Caan's comic relief. As for James Marsters' role on the show, it looks like a few times a season deal. He was shot and fell into the ocean after being underused in the pilot, but his body wasn't found. He killed O'Loughlin's dad, so he'll be back. And maybe I'll watch it then. Right now, it's a solid cop show, though not one I'll be watching weekly. If it's when you're looking for something to watch, it's definitely worth the hour.

Tuesday

No Ordinary Family: I really don't want to watch that much TV and the only reason I have in the past two weeks is because of you, dear readers. I know and you're welcome. But, I do have an open TV-watching slot after the end of Lost, and it looks like I found a winner. The pilot was a lot of fun and after The Shield, I was willing to watch Michael Chiklis in just about anything. Plus, I like Julie Benz who plays his wife. I am worried about the high concept (regular family gets superpowers) holding up, but if it doesn't, I'll just stop watching. (There's a really good fight scene in the first episode between Chiklis and a de-materializing bad guy--think Nightcrawler--that eased my worries about the potential TV sfx.)

Raising Hope & Running Wilde: Both were still funny enough the second time around to stick in the playlist. And before you ask, I don't count these as new shows to watch. I just like having half hour shows on the DVR as boredom safety valves.

Wednesday

Terriers: Recorded three episodes. Didn't watch any. Had to pull the plug. It's supposed to be pretty good so maybe this is a future DVD watch. 

Thursday

30 Rock: Picked up where it left off as the best comedy on TV. Tracey Morgan is so good on this show.

The Office: I thought the opening "lip dub" was embarrassing. Here's the life cycle of every great comedy: Discovery (when it finds its legs and clicks with the audience); Peak (usually early, season 2 or 3); Plateau (still funny, but getting too comfortable, too easy for the writers to redecorate old material); Fall (going through the motions, usually to get to syndication. This is when shows get gimmicky or begin adding new characters like babies or cute little black kids). If a show lasts longer than this it can no longer be considered great and has damaged its legacy. The Office is falling. I hope it pulls its chute before it goes splat. 

Community: Another DVR time filler. May lose playing time to the two Tuesday sitcoms.

Outsourced: This had a very low ceiling and needs to jump off a stepladder to even hit that. The first episode wasn't painfully bad, it was worse. It was immediately irrelevant. I don't think America is going to watch a sitcom set in India and they're definitely not going to watch a dull one. Everyone's a caricature, but not even in an interesting offensive way. Ok, I shouldn't waste time on this but two things from the pilot: 1. The main character was told he had to move to India to manage his company's relocated call center. He's a young guy with no family. He doesn't want to go, but is told if he doesn't he will lose his job at the novelty company. So...of course he moves all the way to India. Only a retard would do that. 2. One of the Indian women at the call center refuses to speak. She was hired to talk on the phone. Get it? That's just a cheap, lazy gag (and yes, they stole it from Police Academy...in 1984.) Here's the thing: Network Prime Time is like the Major Leagues. Only the best of the best should be there. Crap like this just doesn't have the talent to deserve the shot. Outsourced couldn't carry 30 Rock's jock.

Always Sunny in Philadelphia: I'll say it: it's been a slow start to the season. I'm not sure what it is yet, but I'm hoping it's not that success has made them complacent, or worse, bored. I'm hoping they haven't plateaued (see, it's catching on). Not panicking yet. 

The League: Has shot right up my list. This is a funny show. Watch it. 

 

Autumn TV Update

It's that time again (I know, can you believe it?) for the first annual Mid-Unofficial First Week of the Autumn TV Season Update. For those of you playing along at home, remember to use a pencil and not a pen to mark your screens. You're not professionals.

Monday
What I'll Watch: 
House: Haven't yet. I will. Relax.
Monday Night Football: Saints-Niners. Watched a little. Eh.

What I'll DVR:
Hawaii Five-0: I did. It got good ratings. Will I watch it? Let's find out together next week.

What I Mentioned:
The Event: DVR'd it...and watched it. I know, what can I say, I was curious. Verdict? A little less curious. No, I don't know what it's going to be about, or what "the event" is. I'm just not that interested in finding out. Is it aliens? I hope it's not aliens. The pilot jumped around in time to build suspense for the climatic money shot. There's a government conspiracy at play because no one wants to watch a show about health care reform. I didn't buy in for whatever reason. The lead actor, Jason Ritter, didn't do anything for me. Actually, the only reason I'd watch another episode is Sarah Roemer. It's the freckles.

Tuesday
What I'll Watch:
Sons of Anarchy: They're handling the potentially show-killing kidnapped baby storyline very well. I should have given them more credit. I apologize.

What I'll DVR:
Running Wilde: Did and watched it. Better than expected. It had a mini horse, so how could it not have been. I'm not sure about Keri Russell and the premise is ridiculous. Actually, the entire show is based on Will Arnett's charming smugness. Not exactly a confidence-building long range plan. Time killer right now.

What I Didn't Mention:
Raising Hope: Sitcom on before Running Wilde so I just recorded it as well. And watched it. And liked it. It was created by Greg Garcia, who also created My Name is Earl which was one of the better shows on TV during its first season. Garcia has a knack for mining humor out of poor people without using them as the punchline. Earl got gimmicky and lost its way, so I wouldn't bank on Garcia's track record. Here's what we have here: 20 year old guy has one night stand with a girl who turns out to be a serial killer. She gets pregnant and eventually electrocuted and he is left with the baby. Yes, they electrocuted her on the show and, yes, it worked as comedy. Have to admit, I didn't see that coming. Anyway, the guy's mom is Martha Plimpton, who has actually gotten better looking with age. I know, that's not saying much, but considering where we started, it is. Her character, however, comes across very similarly to Jaime Pressly's in Earl. For that matter, the lead, Lucas Neff, sounds a lot like a combination of Earl and his brother, Randy. There's some promise, but I'm not sold yet.

Wednesday
What I'll DVR:
Terriers: I did. Three weeks in a row now. That's the limit. If I don't watch one this weekend, I have to pull the plug. I think I know how this is going to end.

Autumn TV Preview: Fridays & Saturdays

There was a time in the not so distant past (er, my childhood) when there was actually something to watch on the weekend. In fact, Dallas was one of the two top rated shows on TV for 5 straight years at one point while airing at the now dead man's time of Friday at 9 (fyi, it was Kristen). Then there was ABC's long-running popular TGIF family block that my sisters would always watch despite me telling them over and over how lame they were...as I was sitting there next to them (did I do that?) And Saturday used to be an even bigger destination viewing night. Now? Literally nothing. There are zero scripted programs scheduled for Saturday night. I'm not blaming them for giving up. I don't do anything and I still don't watch TV on Friday or Saturday night. 

What I'll DVR and Probably Get Around to Watching

The Increasingly Poor Decisions of Todd Margaret (IFC): As you can see from the above pic, this stars "Arrested Development" alum David Cross and Will Arnett and, yes, that's enough. I don't even know what it's about. Does it matter? It's only six episodes.  

Added Frank Cred: that young bloke on the left up there? That's Blake Harrison from The Inbetweeners. Just watch it.

Autumn TV Preview: Thursdays

Well, we're over the hump and picking up speed. That's gravity, folks. So powerful a force it even holds sway over figures of speech. Thursday has been the money night for a long time now and this season is more of the same. Must see? That's a bit extreme. Consider it a strong suggestion which you better heed. Or else.

What I'll Watch

30 Rock (NBC): The funniest network show, surpassing "The Office" two seasons ago. Tina Fey may be a bit overexposed right now, but she continues to back up the hype. Let's enjoy it while it lasts. And let's enjoy Tracy Morgan while we can. I think he's a naturally funny guy and his performance here is one of the most consistently entertaining things in any medium. But he's also a funny guy in the other sense of the word in that he needs a very clearly defined role, like he has here, to fully harness his humor. It's quickly obvious when he's just thrown into a role and expected to be "funny." Let's also remember to enjoy it an hour earlier at 8:30 because NBC has gone with the innovative strategy of screwing with a good thing.

The Office (NBC): Still on and still holding onto to the long outlived premise of a documentary in progress. That's fine, but without that natural end point the narrative lost its immediacy and devolved into a series of directionless gags. Granted, there are still a lot of inspired comedic moments, but the show has reached the point all shows reach where its continued existence is its sole reason for existence. I am excited about the return of Amy Ryan and I expect Steve Carell to up his game for his last season. Maybe someday the rest of the show will do the same.

It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia (FX): The official sitcom of SMC. If you haven't seen it yet despite our proselytizing, don't fear! You can pick up this show without missing a beat. Bonus: you then will have 5 seasons to catch up on. Discussion Question: Is Kaitlin Olson the best comedic actress on TV? 

The League (FX): I missed the first season last year, but Vinny Guns has said, like Sunny, don't worry about it. Of course, the SMC draw here is that it stars Mark Duplass. We like him.

What I'll DVR the First Episode Of and Maybe Watch Eventually

Outsourced (NBC): "The Office"...in India. All I know for now is that it's on after "The Office," so I'll give it a shot. I am interested to see what the viewer response will be to an Indian-heavy cast.

What I'll DVR For Some Reason and Probably Get Around to Watching Because It's Only a Half Hour

Community (NBC): I liked Joel McHale on "The Soup", so I had reasonable expectations when this debuted last autumn. It was reasonable to expect to laugh once an episode, right? Well, it took them some time to figure things out (like adding jokes to the script), but it got betterish as the season went on, including one of the better episodes of any show last year. I'm still not excited, but I think it's already programmed to record. Score another one for laziness.

Autumn TV Preview: Wednesdays

One of my favorite parts of "The Wonder Years" was when the dad came up grumbling about busting his hump at the office. It's a great expression, made even better by the fact that you don't even need the innuendo of that other more common use of the word. Kinda like referring to Wednesday as "hump day," although I've heard my share of cheap jokes about that. It's a bit disappointing that there isn't a fun origin story for that as it simply alludes to Wednesday being a hill in the middle of the week. I know, you were hoping for some sort of Scottish fertility angle, too. There is the HUMP! amateur sex film festival which was at the center of one of my favorite movies of last year, Humpday. All of which is my way of saying there's nothing on Wednesdays.

What I DVR'd and Haven't Watched Yet But Still Plan To

Terriers (FX): FX has built up a lot of goodwill in recent years and this has gotten good buzz. It doesn't hurt that "The Shield" mastermind Shawn Ryan is an exec producer. Looks like it could be fun, but I just have to find the time to watch it. Stay tuned.

Also, keep an eye out for FX's boxing drama, "Lights Out," in January. That's a preview in a preview. Kaufman-esque, ain't it?

Autumn TV Preview: Tuesdays

What I'll Watch

Sons of Anarchy (FX): This has always been better than it should be. It's an over-the-top show about outlaw bikers that's grounded by addictive writing and compelling performances. Season 2 was terrific, aided by white powerful sleaze of the earth turns by Adam Arkin and Henry Rollins, but ended on a disturbing note. No, not the disturbing gang rape way it began, but the disturbing kidnapped baby way that usually signals writer's block. Babies don't bring anything to the table except cred-killing melodrama. That said, I watched episode 1 last night and, baby be damned, they brought it. The last minute was game-changing, season finale worthy insane. Also, great theme song.

What I'll DVR the First Episode Of and Maybe Watch Eventually

No Ordinary Family (ABC): The premise of a super-powered family was already played out before they wrote the script. However, that doesn't necessarily make it bad. The casting of Michael Chiklis, on the other hand, necessarily makes it good. Or, at least, watchable. If only he played a super-powered Vic Mackey (which would support my theory that actors should just play their signature characters in everything). Julie Benz and Autumn Reeser add to the promising cast. So, I'll promise I might watch it. Take that to the bank, Nielsen.

Running Wilde (FOX): Two things working against this from the jump. One, FOX has a depressing record of live-action comedies, and two, it's in the 9:30 dead zone. The DVR actually negates that second one as no one has to remember when it's actually on. Which is good because the only reason I'm thinking about this at all is because it marks the Will Arnett's return to television. Ok, the other reason is because I keep hoping it's a reality show about chasing Olivia Wilde.

What I Would Maybe Watch, But Probably Won't

Detroit 1-8-7 (ABC): Speaking of returns to TV, Michael Imperioli is back on the less cool side of the law as a detective in the titular punchline metropolis. This was originally shot as a mockumentary, but they changed their mind and re-shot it as just another cop show. Better safe than interesting. But back to my earlier point, wouldn't you just picture Christopher Moltasanti the whole time. Give us what we want, Hollywood. And by "us" I mean "me." Everyone else will fall in line.

Autumn TV Preview: Mondays

There was a time when I could tell you what I was going to watch each of the 22 prime time hours (though I'm not sure there was a time when you would have cared). I feel fortunate, and a little proud, that I have curtailed my viewing quite a bit over the years. I'd like to attribute it to natural maturation or even to new found sophisticated pastimes. I'd also like to not lie to you, sweetie, so I'll have to admit it's more intolerance than anything else. It happens to the best of us, which in our case would be me (so what's that say about you?). Have my tastes changed? Maybe. I'd like to assume a couple of degrees of refinement. Have I learned to appreciate the intrinsic value of time, the supply and demand in the free market of my own mortality? Yeah, probably not. I think I'm just cranky.

Don't get me wrong, this isn't another diatribe about the boob tubery of society. In fact, some of the greatest forms of entertainment ever made are only a remote or mouse click away. Unfortunately, so is a godawful tonnage of crap. So much so that most of it is just white noise at this point and I'm tired of wading through it or, worse, drowning in it, pulled under by some tenth generation hellspawn of a remake of a once moderately original version of a show. What I may be trying to say is do we really need Law & Order: Los Angeles (NBC) and Harry Loves Lisa (TV Land)? Or is that what the terrorists want us to watch?

It was rhetorical, stay with me. So, after plenty of ado, here's what I'll be watching this fall. It won't make you as cool as me, but it's a start. So, take notes. No, there won't be a test, unless you consider every day a pop quiz. Which you should. And there's no curve. But there is extra credit. It's called a bribe. Cash or cookies will be accepted.

What I'll Watch

House (FOX): I hope this is the final season, not because I wouldn't keep watching Hugh Laurie give one of the best performances of all time, but because I would. Stories need an end. It's not like Stieg Larsson kept adding pages to The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo once it became popular. No, he died. (Yes, there are 2 sequels, nerd, but my point is that an entire TV show is one story, like one book. Except "The Wire." Whatever.) A less drastic alternative would be to start a new story. Any show in this discussion has already generated a good deal of money for its creators, so keeping it on life support for more will only lessen the one thing they can't buy: artistic fulfillment. Then again, they could buy some really cool other shit instead.

Monday Night Football (ESPN):  I usually don't even watch the whole game unless my favorite team is playing. I tend to go off and do something more productive like flossing orphans or, well, this. Then I'll check the score in the second half and end up staying up too late completely ruining the next day and not adding anything to my life. Again, unless the Cowboys are playing (what? I'm a real American. Don't expect an apology). Then I spend three hours yelling at Tony Romo.

What I'll DVR the First Episode Of and Maybe Watch Eventually

Hawaii Five-O (CBS): This didn't look like anything more than another breezy cop show...until they cast James Marsters as the main villain. Now it looks like another breezy cop show with James Marsters. So, that's something.

I should mention The Event (NBC), an alien invasion conspiracy, though I wouldn't think intergalactic traversing higher beings would need a labyrinthine plot. I'm thinking more like giant lasers. Anyway, it's this year's Lost, not to be confused with last year's Lost, Flash Forward, which I did DVR and only got around to watching one episode which turned out for the best since it was canceled before anything was explained.

Til Tuesdays.