What You Should Have Watched #6

2010-2011 Season

It’s mid-August, so that means it’s time to take a look at the upcoming television season. Looks like I’ve got everything mapped out with only a couple of new shows in the mix. NBC is coming out strong on mid-season replacements, though.

Here’s what I’ve got. Click on any of the shows to go to their official pages.

Sunday

Saturdays and Sundays are going to be my catch-up days. I’ve got three kids I’ve got to feed, bathe and put to bed, and then I’ve got to go about the business of cleaning up from the evening and making lunches for the next day. I’m lucky if I get to start watching TV at 8:00. 9:00 seems like a better target. So with absolutely nothing to watch on Saturday and only two shows on Sunday, my DVR is gonna get a workout.

I’m pretty blasé toward the Simpsons, but every now and then they can still deliver a good episode. Family Guy, though, I am all over. Even the mediocre episodes are pretty damn funny.

7:00     Simpsons (Sept. 26)

8:00     Family Guy (Sept. 26)

Monday

We’ve got the first of new shows with The Event. I’ve heard nothing about the show except for the vague promos that NBC is running. I’ll give it a chance; it could be good. Chuck is my guilty pleasure. It’s not really that great of a show, but I love the actors and the characters. And Castle, well, it’s Nathan Fillion. I’ll watch him in anything.

7:00     Chuck (Sept. 20)

            How I Met Your Mother (Sept. 20)

7:30     Rules of Engagement (Sept. 20)

8:00     The Event (Sept. 20)

9:00     Castle (Sept. 20)

Tuesday

New shows here include a new superhero show and something from the creator of Arrested Development. I like Michael Chiklis and love love LOVE Julie Benz. This could be decent, but it’s also got me worried that it’ll turn to crap. Then we’ve got Will Arnett in Running Wilde, the new show by Mitch Hurwitz. Those are two names who will get a pass for anything.

I’ve just started catching up on Parenthood via OnDemand. I swear to God I teared up at the end of the 4^th episode of the first season when the daughter brought her boyfriend to a family get together. It hit me that I’m going to be the father of a teenager in a decade, and I’m going to have to meet boyfriends. Ugh.

The nine o’clock hour shows the first time when I’ll have a show I can’t DVR. That’s okay, though, since any of those three shows is either available OnDemand the next night or on the shows website.

Sons of Anarchy is one of the best shows on TV, and I’ll give the finger to anyone who says otherwise.

7:00     No Ordinary Family (Sept. 28)

            Glee (Sept. 21)

8:00     White Collar

8:30     Running Wilde (Sept. 21)

9:00     Parenthood (Sept. 14)

            Sons of Anarchy (Sept. 7)

            Covert Affairs

10:00   Louie

Wednesday

Right now Wednesday has the biggest amount of possible drops. The Middle was mildly entertaining for a bit last season, and I’m going to do my best to catch up, but I won’t be disappointed if it doesn’t happen. Undercovers is a spy show by J.J. Abrams, so I’m sold right there. I’m sick of standard cop procedural shows, but I like Benson and Stabler too much to give up on SVU. We’ll see if that attitude lasts through the season.

The biggest surprise of last season was how much I enjoyed Cougar Town. This and Modern Family gave Community a good run in the best new comedy race last season.

7:00     The Middle (Sept. 22)

            Undercovers (Sept. 22)

7:30     Better with You (Sept. 22)

8:00     Modern Family (Sept. 22)

            Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (Sept. 22)

8:30     Cougar Town (Sept. 22)

9:00     Terriers (Sept. 8)

            Psych

Thursday

This brings us to my first conundrum. If I could, I would watch Big Bang Theory and Shit My Dad Says online, but CBS never posted BBT last season, and I don’t expect it to this one. So that means I HAVE to DVR those shows. I love Community and 30 Rock so much that I have to watch them as close to their live airings as possible, so waiting the watch them on Hulu the next day is out of the question. That means Bones doesn’t get DVRed, and that makes me a little sad.

Fringe WILL be DVRed, and in HD no less. I’m going to give Nikita a chance, even though I’ve never seen La Femme Nikita, Point of No Return or the French film Nikita. Maggie Q, man, Maggie Q. So I’ll Hulu The Office and the new offering, Outsourced.

7:00     Community (Sept. 23)

            Big Bang Theory (Sept. 23)

            Bones (Sept. 23)

7:30     30 Rock (Sept. 23)

            Shit My Dad Says (Sept. 23)

8:00     The Office (Sept. 23)

            Fringe (Sept. 23)

            Nikita (Sept. 9)

8:30     Outsourced (Sept. 23)

9:00     It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia (Sept. 16)

9:30     The League (Sept. 16)

Friday

I hate myself for watching Smallville, but I can’t bring myself to stop. I feel like, as a rabid comic book fan, I HAVE to watch it. But it’s SOOOOOOO bad. The plots are bad. The acting is bad. The writing is bad. But the girls are so very, very pretty, so at least there’s that.

7:00     Human Target (Oct. 1)

            Smallville (Sept. 24)

8:00     Supernatural (Sept. 24)

Mid-Season Replacements

ABC    Mr. Sunshine

It’s a comedy with Matthew Perry, so I’m in.

NBC    The Cape, Friends with Benefits, Perfect Couples

The Cape is superhero show but looks corny as hell, so there’s a good chance I won’t make it past the first episode. Friends with Benefits looks like a generic 20-something comedy, as does Perfect Couples, but PC has Olivia Munn in it, and she’s my new girlfriend (just don’t say anything to her about it…she wants to keep it on the down-low).

CBS    Mad Love

Another generic rom-com, but it’s got Sarah Chalke in it, so I’ll give it a try.

FX       Lights Out, Justified, Archer

Lights Out is the only new show, but I’ll watch it without even knowing a thing about it. FX gets my viewing for anything.

TV Reviews for the Week of Dec. 7, 2008 Pt. 1

"Bart, stop Milhousing your sister."

Lisa-centric episodes are pretty boring and predictable, where Homer will eventually, whether by accident or on purpose, will save the day and be his daughter’s hero.

"Oh, you know I’ve always wanted to live in the city and pretend I was poor."

Wow. She started showing quickly. It almost seemed like the wedding and the baby softened up Dick a little, but that still doesn’t mean what’s-his-name can’t act like an ass a little.

"Why do I feel like I’m the one who just got the prostate exam?"

Good for Leonard, gettin’ his swerve on. And the trick his lady doc pulled on Sheldon to get him to shut up? Priceless. I wonder how long they can keep doing that before he figures out that nothing is actually wrong with him. He strikes me as a hypochondriac, so I bet it would work a number of times.

"Go ahead and do the typey type."

It was nice to see a bit of Sarah’s past, and who doesn’t like watching Jack Cole? Will Sarah and Chuck finally get together (for real this time) at all this season?

"Okay, it’s clobberin’ time."

Will Sasso was one of the only actors I consistently enjoyed on Mad TV, so it was nice to see him here. I wouldn’t mind seeing him as a recurring character. He seems to be a fun, quirky character.

"No urinating in the stairwell. That’s the golden rule."

Okay, now I think they’ve done one switcheroo too many. So the company is helping save Michael? And it looks like someone, I couldn’t tell who but it looked like a woman’s hand and not the General, actually cared for him. Is their mother still alive? The doctor said he had seen Michael’s condition only once before. Could it have been his mother? After being a dick for two seasons, Alex got shit on a lot this season, and I felt sorry for him when he realized he wasn’t going to meeting with the Attorney General. I hope things turn out well for him in the end. Right now I don’t give a crap about Don or what’s-her-name, and really, T-Bag got what he deserved. With Michael out of the picture for a bit, it’ll be interesting to see how Linc, Sarah and what’s-his-name (I’m blanking on names lately) will get Cilla (sp?) back.

"Cake?"

I’m a bit disappointed that Elle is dead, but only a bit. I like Sylar as a villain, I just hope he finally stays that way. It’s like they went all this way just to get back to the beginning. And I thought it was odd that nobody heard...Sam?...scream when Sylar cut her open, because three people were apparently right outside the door. Hiro’s scene with his mother was pretty touching, the stuff with Claire, not so much. She already had a good home life and both parents, hell, all four parents, are still alive. Then Arthur had to go and steal the last gift Hiro’s mother gave him. When Arthur telekinetically threw Hiro off of the building, it looked like he was tossed pretty damn far. Either that flag pole was really long, or he was just tossed off the side rather than thrown. At least Sylar is up to his old tricks again.

Sometimes I wonder if criminals or wannabe criminals ever try to use any of the ideas on any of these crime shows? Is there really a drug out there that bends the human will and steals memory? I guess only Gob Bluth knows the answer to that. Olivia has had it rough lately. At least the scumbag was put away. Happy days all around.

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Listening to: Beck - Heaven Hammer (Missing)
via FoxyTunes

TV Reviews for the Week of Nov. 23, 2008 Pt. 1

Jack Bauer is back! Yeah!!!!!! This is one of the most unrealistic and ridiculous shows that has been on TV in the last, what, 6 years? But damn, the action, the suspense, the backstabbing…it’s riveting. This was a very good teaser for the new season in January. It was very much a stand-alone story, where you didn’t have to know anything about Jack or his past. But it’s very good at making you want to come back in January to see how it ends up. What’s going to happen to Jack? What’s going to happen with the coup and who are the Americans that are funding it? Why did the outgoing President not consult with the President Elect since everything transpired within hours of her inauguration? These are the questions that’ll bring me back in January. These and the fact that Jack kicks much ass: lobbing dynamite, stabbing people, withstanding torture and red-hot machetes, and killing people with one leg.

So now Riley is from the future, too? Damn, John just can’t catch a break. I think having Cromartie as the mouthpiece for John Henry is a good idea. That’ll end up creeping people out.

Who knew transporting a bride to a wedding could be so hazardous? That part of the episode was good, but it seemed to be going through the motions. The meat of the show was actually what was going on back home. Bob and Kim are working together to see what’s going on with Kim’s employer. He’s now got Bob working for him, and he’s trying to get into Kim’s pants. Oh, and his last nanny just turned up dead. Hmm.

“I’m so excited right now that I’m sporting a yule log.”

I’m not much of a Christmas special kind of guy, but I’m very much a Stephen Colbert kind of guy, so this is a no-brainer for me. The one thing I’m not enjoying is the laugh track. I’m actually just into this for Stephen and his persona’s un-PC views. I can actually do without the guests (well, Jon Stewart can stay) and musical numbers. Okay, Willie Nelson as a wise man with the gift of pot was pretty funny, and the song was pretty damn good. And the Jon Stewart bit, and John Legend’s nutmeg. Maybe I dismissed the songs too quickly. I think I’m going to have to get the soundtrack for this. This version of Peace, Love and Understanding probably tops A Perfect Circle’s version as my favorite.

Yet another excellent Sheldon episode. I actually expected him to ruin Leonard’s relationship, but kudos to Sheldon. And I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, I’m glad they quickly dropped the Leonard/Penny thing. It’s actually probably better for the show that they went and got through it early on so it wouldn’t rear up and destroy the show during later seasons.

“You already broke my heart. Is it necessary for you to shoot it, too?”

Converse to the Leonard/Penny situation in Big Bang Theory, I really want Chuck and Sarah to end up together. You know what they say, “The family that spies together, stays together,” or something like that. I will miss seeing Jordana Brewster, though. I’m sure she’ll rear her gorgeous head again.

This was probably the funniest episode of the season so far. I just wish I had an opportunity to use the naked man. Hell, I guess if Lily can use it, so can I.

This season may actually surpass the first season in its greatness. Of course, it doesn’t take much to top the crap that they gave us last year. Every time there has been a double-cross or a new trick pulled out of a random hat, it’s made perfect sense. ALL the guys in the vault with Scilla (sp?) when it only looks like Michael is there. Agent Self showing his true colors. That lady turning out to be that guy’s daughter (yeah, so I don’t know EVERYONE’S name). Good acting, good stories, good twists…I’m looking forward to what is coming next for our heroes.

Good but average episode. Mohinder and his cocoon was disgusting. I’m interested in seeing how everyone gets their powers back, whether it’s natural or if it’s Mohinder.

Oh, that’s awesome. I always wondered how you set a swimming pool on fire. And who didn’t see the confrontation with the preacher coming (pun slightly intended)? I was surprised that they went and got the wedding finished this episode. It makes me wonder if there are any other episodes left, because they seemed to gloss over a lot of possible misadventures at the reception.

“I just got an erection.”

Normally I’d rail on a show using a clever device more than once within months of each other, especially when it’s the first season for the show. But they used the memory tank thingy differently this time with different results. Nice. And once again I’m floored by Walter and his social ignorance. As for the science, well, Eleventh Hour used the hallucinogenic frog trick earlier…but not near as well.

Andre 3000 is a good actor. Too bad we won’t get more of him against Aceveda. From the beginning of this episode I had this horrible thought of Shane killing his wife, killing his kid, then killing himself. His frame of mind, the choices he has left, I have no doubt that he would do it. As I type this I’m only an hour into the episode with 45 minutes left. I’d like to think I was wrong, but I don’t think it’s going to go that way. Shit. And it looks like I wasn’t wrong. Dammit. But I couldn’t see any other way out of it. After Vic told him he and Ronnie had immunity, it was all over. I just hope Vic doesn’t take care of the Ronnie situation by taking him out. I know Vic is the “hero” of this story, but I hope he doesn’t get off scott free. His family is gone, so that’s one thing, but Shane was right…he’s not the high and mighty family man that he claims to be. Oh holy crap Vic is in Hell. A cubicle, a desk, a suit, no weapon, no family, no friends, no contacts…Shane’s option may look pretty viable right now. At the end, you could see him weighing all of his options until it hit him…this is the best it will get for him.

Fuck the Sopranos. There, I said it. Fuck the Sopranos. You want a superb drama with a bad guy at the center, something that hits every episode with top-notch acting, great stories, and believable characters, start renting (or heck, it’ll be worth your money to buy them) each and every season of The Shield until you’re done watching it. Then go back and watch it again, because Tony Soprano ain’t got shit on Vic Mackey, and Christopher Montisani (sp?) ain’t got shit on Shane Vandrel. I only wish I could watch this for the first time again. It was so good that I want to get amnesia, forget I ever saw it, then watch the whole damn thing all over again. Fuck the Sopranos.

This may sound mean, but this is the best I’ve ever seen Clea Duvall look. She actually looks pretty, rather than mannish in Heroes, The Faculty or Buffy the Vampire Slayer. This episode was a bit tricksy. One murder leads to another one that happened decades ago. It was some good writing that, at the end, paralleled the older woman with Clea’s character. Judith Light scares me. She needs to eat a burger or something.

TV Reviews for the Viewing Week of Nov. 16, 2008 Pt. 1

"Will and shorts, two things I’m no longer allowed to change by myself."

Homer’s new job was a lot funnier than Lisa’s crossword addiction. Homer or Ralph, those are the two characters that’ll make an episode for me. Doesn’t matter if they’re the focus of the episode or just show up to make a couple of quips.

Hmm, a couple of call-backs early on. You’ve got Cleveland in his bathtub falling out of his house, and you’ve got Frank Sinatra, Jr. singing with Brian. Okay, if you can find it, it’s probably on YouTube, that news special that Stewie did is actually based on an actual news feature. Otherwise it was a pretty lackluster episode. Maybe it’s just my mindset lately, but it’s taking a lot to impress me.

Good for Mac, but I’m wondering what will end up happening to Col. Ryan. Will he stay as their commanding officer? If not, I would hope they would find a role for him in some capacity. Robert Patrick is a good actor.

Ah, poor Wolowitz. Always unlucky in love. But good for Leonard. And seriously, why didn’t someone just pick something that would beat Spock?

Angie made a comment while walking through the room, and it was so obvious, yet I hadn’t seen it. It’s a weekly dose of Meet the Parents/Fokkers. Except this guy is more likeable than Ben Stiller. Actually, all the actors are more likeable than their movie counterparts.

Of course. Something was going right for Chuck, so there had to be something wrong about it. I guess we won’t be seeing as much of Jordana Brewster as I was hoping we would...although we saw a decent amount of her toward the end of the episode. Same with oh my God I have forgotten the blonde’s name. Sarah, that’s her. Yeah, shower scene. Not all that sexy, but still.

Hmm, not a bad episode, but not all that great. I do need to start implementing conference calls at the office. I just don’t think my company is big enough or I’m important enough to actually get away with it, though. I forgot how Barney and Ted met. Would anybody believe that they’re best friends rather than Ted and Marshall?

On the surface, I am really enjoying this season. But underneath, fundamentally, there are flaws. Now, I don’t know if this is because it’s trying to cram in things that were supposed to happen last season but didn’t because of the strike, or if the writers are just trying to do too much, or if the writers are just sloppy. Gabriel and Elle were cured of their bat-shit craziness way too easily. I mean, it’s good that those two crazy kids (pun not intended, but enjoyed by the writer nonetheless) found each other and are able to know love and blah blah blah, but really, they were cuckoo for Cocoa Puffs, and one bowl doesn’t magically cure that. I’m very excited about next week. Seth Green shows up, and it’s a shame that there’s been too little of Seth Green on TV.

Watching Gretchen and the General together seriously nauseates me. The last half of the episode was pretty intense. The fact that there was no dialogue and no sound other than some mood music really ramped up the tension. You knew something bad was going to happen, but Sucre’s slip-up still got to me.

Well, if I’ve heard correctly, this show has been cancelled. I would have thought it would have at least gotten a full season, what with Slater’s star power. And of course after the cancellation notice, we get more into a conspiracy against Edward/Henry, going back to the murder of his parents by the KGB.

"I guess that depends on if he has succeeded in killing himself yet."

Another excellent episode with a brief look into Walter’s time at the institution. It seems as if there is something hinky going on with Walter’s former doctor. He was too eager to keep him locked up, and not just because he thinks Walter isn’t fit for human interaction.

Wow. Now that’s an inventive way to kill people. I personally enjoyed the, how many was it? Five? Five hyenas that killed the rapper. Who knew that animal smuggling was such a high-risk, high-dollar enterprise. And all that work just to teach Stabler the importance of family.

"How much memory does that thing got?"

The look on Blondie’s face when Vic tells her about killing Terry and then about reselling confiscated drugs, oh my God that was priceless. And her boss in the back room? The realization that Vic was a master criminal with a badge? Fuckin’...priceless. Oh, and then there are Claudette and Dutch when they hear that Vic has full immunity on everything he confesses to. It’s too bad about Ronnie, though. He’s followed Vic through everything, even after getting his face burned. And as things seem to have all worked out in Vic’s favor, everything has gone to shit for Shane.

Are John and Cameron going to hook up? That would be weird. Would the Terminators make themselves anatomically correct? Is it just some inherent flaw in robots that they always want to be human? Considering what John grows up to do, it would be incredibly kinky and messed up if he hooked up with a Terminator. I always enjoy seeing Buffy alums working, even though they usually don’t get major parts.

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Listening to: Free - All Right Now
via FoxyTunes

TV Reviews for the Viewing Week of Nov. 9, 2008 Pt. 1

"That’s your trouser devil talking."
"He’s not talking, he’s yelling."

Fourth of July weekend? Really? I’m getting bored with the show. The best part was when Bart and Lisa were acting like an old married couple.

"I’m Peter Griffin, and I am the Greatest American Hero. My special power is being somehow memorable after a very short run on TV."

The Lincoln bit was priceless, and the Jackass stuff was pretty funny. Mumm-Ra, right out of left field, just what I like about this show.

Holy crap, I knew these guys were hard-core, but I didn’t realize they had a code of killing an officer who was found sleeping with one of their wives. This was a fierce, fierce episode. The kidnapping, Betsy consciously leaving a blood trail, Col. Ryan getting injected with radiation and getting taken hostage, Jonah going postal on the Bedouin roadblock, and Molly haranguing the shit out of Tiffy. This show just doesn’t stop, and that’s why it’s one of my favorite dramas.

"Oh, c’mon. Everybody loves lolcats ‘cause they’re cute and can’t spell...’cause they’re cats."

I do! I do love icanhascheezburger! I’ve even got a link to it on the right side of the page. And I will say this every week: Kaley Cuoco is gorgeous. And you know, the writing is so good on this show, I actually buy it that her character would hang out with these guys.

So it looks like we’ll be seeing more of Jordana Brewster, that’s a good thing. It should make for some interesting confrontation between her and Sarah. And Chuck is really getting screwed over by the CIA this year. I’m thinking that’ll have ramifications by the end of the season.

Eh, just a so-so episode. I didn’t even think any quotes were good enough to pull out. As usual, Barney’s scenes seemed to be the best. Lily wasn’t cute as a baby, she was just pitiful.

Had Bellick died in either of the previous two seasons, I’m doubting any of the other characters would have given him a second thought. But he really stepped up this season. Heck, even T-Bag almost got weepy. I’m surprised that hot secretary chick is actually an FBI agent. So Don already knew that that organization had something to do with the Company? Hey, whatever, as long as we get to see more of the secretary.

"I lied. It’s not your mother’s recipe."

Okay, so my timeline for this show is all messed up. How long has it been from the first episode to the present? It couldn’t be all that long if a year ago Claire’s birth mom (who happens to be the sister of blue flame guy) was caught by the Company, but by the time we get to the middle of the first season, she’s not in custody. Ah, that’s why. At first I was thinking that she started the fire that Claire pulled the guy out of in the first episode, but that’s the wrong timeline. No, no, no. By the time Claire saved the guy from the train fire, Nathan’s dad was already dead...wasn’t he? Well, I am enjoying the symmetry between this episode and the various scenes from the first season. I wasn’t expecting the ending, though. African dream-time guy is killed by Arthur, who now has Hiro in his clutches...literally.

Good episode with Henry and Edward’s problem about to be found out. We also meet another agent, and we found out what happened when an agent is terminated. I think we also found out what Henry/Edward may have in their future family-wise if they aren’t extremely careful. I also thought the son’s bo staff fight was pretty damn cool.

"I’d be willing to try, but not here. My breath is atrocious."

This was an excellent episode. The parasite around Loeb’s heart was extremely creepy looking, like a giant centipede. Bishop’s fascination with his breath, talking with the dead guy and Peter remembering that his dad experimented on him when he was a kid, all excellent touches. I like the multiple uses for mind altering drugs they’ve come up with, and I love just how insane and smart Bishop is. I think I already like this more than I liked the X-Files.

Okay, these actresses playing the pregnant girls are great; I want to smack all of them, multiple times, about the face and head. I usually think these pulled from the headlines stories are giant schlock fests, nothing more than ways to get people to watch so they can say, "Hey! I remember that!" But this one was pretty good. It was pretty heartbreaking, not just for the needless death, but for the attitudes of the girls who were in the pregnancy pact, and for Tina, who ended up with both her brother and mother in jail. But there was still a bit of light at the end, as the baby’s grandfather wanted to take her in rather than see her and the baby go into foster care. Really, one of the better SVU episode in a long time.

Oh the tangled webs we weave. Everybody’s machinations are coming unglued. Everything is building and building and building until it’s all going to come crashing down around EVERYONE.

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Listening to: Tantrum 1997 - (01) Banned In The USA
via FoxyTunes