Greetings Zayniacs! Sorry this particular series has taken longer to get to you than I originally planned. However, I'm going to try to do it all this week. We're going to structure this by day of the week. I'll be giving quick synopses of the new shows, sometimes my comments will be attached and I'll be giving youtube links regardless.
Sunday
Betrayal: This show looks part Unfaithful (the awful movie with Diane Lane) and part something else I really don't care about. I also don't know how a plot like this gets dragged out over a whole season but I don't particularly care to find out. There's is nothing in this trailer that looks interesting to me but hey, if it does to you, more power to you.
Betrayal
Monday
The Blacklist: James Spader plays the world's most wanted criminal that turns himself into the FBI and then proceeds to work with them to bring down other criminals on the most wanted list but clearly with an ulterior motive. I'm usually not a big James Spader fan but this show looks relatively good. Despite the very Silence of the Lambs overtimes, there's potential for a relatively fun weekly formula with an interesting arc. I'll be giving this one a shot in the fall to see where it goes.
The Blacklist
Almost Human: In the future where human police officers are paired with an android, one cop with no love lost for synthetic beings gets pair with an android that's more human than we'd like to think. From J.J. Abrams and a large portion of the team that brought us Fringe, nothing about this show looks bad to me. It's like I, Robot meets the buddy cop genre. I love Karl Urban and I'm slowly becoming a fan of Michael Ealy. This is in my top 3 most anticipated shows of the fall.
Almost Human
Sleepy Hollow: Ichabod Crane dies during the Revolutionary War after killing the Headless Horseman and wakes up in present day to discover that people are being beheaded all over town and that the things he's dealing with our bigger than he could possibly imagine. I heard modern day Sleepy Hollow and I rolled my eyes and groaned. Then I saw this trailer and I have to admit that I am very intrigued. Looks like National Treasure meets Supernatural and I am very okay with that combination. I don't know if this cracks my top 3 for most anticipated but it's certainly up there.
Sleepy Hollow
We Are Men: Four guys live in the same apartment complex and help each other navigate their different love lives. Nothing looks terribly exciting here. I'll be passing on it.
We Are Men
Mom: 3 generations of women living in the same house and supposed hilarity ensues. This show looks like such a waste of Anna Faris, Nate Corddry and Allison Janey. I'll watch the first couple episodes out of sheer morbid curiosity but I'm not optimistic.
Mom
Hostages: While this looks like an interesting premise with some really solids actors, I don't know how you stretch over an entire season, even a shortened one of 15 episodes. A government employee's family is taken hostage and she has to help them kill the President. I'll give it a shot and see how episodes 2 and 3 unfold.
Hostages
Intelligence: Josh Holloway (Sawyer from LOST) plays a man who gets a chip put in his head that lets him access, process, and control data while on cases. This looks like a really fun show and I'm looking forward to seeing how it plays out. This will take Hostages' time slot once it finishes. It looks like Chuck meets Mission Impossible meets something else. Or as Sawyer puts it in the preview, Secret Agent Disneyland for Men.
Intelligence
That's all for right now but I've got quite a few more great looking shows coming your way. Next up will be Tuesday's line up which contains my most anticipated new show that I'm practically foaming at the mouth to see. Stay tuned!
Tuesday, May 28, 2013
Thursday, May 23, 2013
The Good, the Not So Good, and the Pretty Freaking Ugly
I'm back! I know you're all relieved and super excited. Please contain yourselves...that's just embarrassing. Sorry for the delay. You can blame Mike Hefer for getting me addicted to a web series named Strip Search.
So I've got some catching up to do and I'm going to do my best to get to it quickly. We'll start with the next part of the Season Rundown.
The Following (Fox): I skipped over this one in an effort to comment about my disappointment about Go On. The other reason is that I'm doing this rundown off my series recordings, which The Following is no longer a part of. This show had such a promising start. It was fresh and interesting and the episode with the siege of the farmhouse was spectacular. However, the repeated incompetence of every branch of law enforcement and the sameness of the plots started to grate on me and the thoroughly unsatisfying finale sealed the deal. I think Kevin Bacon and Shawn Ashmore did great jobs but unless season 2 starts getting stellar reviews, I don't foresee giving this another shot.
Grey's Anatomy (ABC): This is the first season of the show I've watched weekly since season...3, maybe? I would usually just catch up on Netflix when it came out but I started to like the show again the past couple of seasons so I decided to go back to being a weekly viewer. I think the show has grown up a lot. Does it still have some pretty childish drama? Sure, but I choose to focus on characters that have legit problems that I can care about. I liked the new set of interns this year, mostly because I knew a couple from other things. I thought it was a relatively strong season and I'm looking forward to its next and probably final season.
Modern Family (ABC): Probably their best season since the original. Consistently one of the funniest shows on TV. If you're not watching it, shame on you.
Nashville (ABC): I had very high expectations for this show going into the Pilot and I was honestly pretty disappointed. I stuck it out because I love Connie Britton and Scarlett and Gunnar sounded great together. About midway through the season, they pulled a twist that was very fresh and surprising to me and I started to take more notice. A couple weeks later, this was very much appointment television for me. Now, all that being said, the finale was VERY soapy and over the top on several plotlines and *spoilers for last night* we got every soap opera cliche, an alcoholic falling off the wagon, a paternity reveal, a federal investigation, a car accident, a pregnancy, a proposal, and a closeted homosexual confronted with his dirty past. It was all just a little much to cram into a single hour of television. My eyes almost rolled out of my head by the end. It was "oh look, Rayna and Deacon are arguing in slow motion while driving a vehicle, what could possibly be coming? Oh, look, their car flipped a bajillion times, I'm so surprised.......... *spoilers over* The music was typically excellent and the show in general has reignited my love of country music that's been dead since middle school. I'll stick around for season 2 and hope they pull some original stories out of all the cliches thrown in my face last night.
New Girl (FOX): No sophomore slump stink on this show. Two words for you: True American. Best fake drinking game ever.
True American: This is the best video of it I could find but doesn't do it justice. 1, 2, 3, 4 JFK! FDR!
This show continues to make me laugh and surprise me on a fairly consistent basis. The progression of the will they/won't they was a pleasant surprise and I'm curious to see where they go with it. The only negative I will say is they spent an awful lot of time getting us to invest in CeCe's wedding, an event we knew would never actually happen.
The Office (NBC): I won't post any spoilers on the finale. I will just say that it's easily one of my favorite series finales ever. Excellent end to an excellent season and an excellent show. We will miss you The Office, but we're glad you went out on a high.
Once Upon a Time (ABC): In my opinion, this show knocked it out of the park this year. Sure, there was a small slump in the middle of the season but the first 7-8 episodes and the last 6-7 were something pretty special. The show consistently works to improve its formula. Changing the game and putting people in new situations. After successfully juggling 3 plot lines in season 2 (Storybrooke, Enchanted Forest Past, and Enchanted Forest Present), I'll be curious to see if they can do the same with seemingly 4 plotlines in season 3 (Storybrooke, Enchanted Forest Past and Present, and now Neverland)
Parenthood (NBC): This show is simply amazing and thankfully, after a criminally short order of 14 episodes this season, this fall will be the beginning of a 22 episode season. The show handled almost every storyline perfectly last year and I'm looking forward to spending more time with the Bravermans.
Parks and Rec (NBC): Best comedy on TV, hands down. Moving on.
Psych (USA): After a really disappointing season last time and an almost year break, I was very wary of Psych this season. However, they came back with a vengeance and an energy I haven't seen for a couple years from them. The 100th episode Clue homage was one of my favorite hours of TV ever and giants leaps in the main relationship of the show have been handled extremely well. I'm looking forward to the two-hour musical episode to close out the season. If any show can pull off something that ridiculous, it's Psych.
Revenge (ABC): What was a solid guilty pleasure show in season 1 became a bit of a chore to watch in Season 2. I'll probably watch the premiere of season 3 to see how the new showrunner handles the cliffhangers but I'm probably done after that. I have way too many shows that look interesting next year to continue on with shows that don't engage me more than half time.
Smash (NBC): Oh Smash, you fixed some problems of season 1, just to replace them with new problems in season 2. Megan Hilty as Ivy continues to be the one consistent bright spot in a sea of hit-or-miss characters. The music for the new musical was consistently stellar but the obnoxiousness of one of its writers made it hard to really enjoy. I'm sad that this show never really reached the potential it's premise had but I can't say I'm terribly sad to see it go.
Supernatural (CW): Yet another show that rebounded like a boss from a lackluster year. I thought the show had finally run its course after the very poorly executed Leviathans plot in season 7. However, this show came back with a season that will probably rank top 3 for me (below seasons 4 and 5)
The Big Bang Theory (CBS): This is really the only "traditional" sitcom I still watch. It's really hit or miss for me. There are things that I've found hilarious, like an entire episode dedicated to Sheldon's reaction to the cancellation of Alphas, and things that I've had to sit through to get to the good stuff, like most things involving Raj.
The Good Wife (CBS): Sweet Baby Jeebus this show is so freaking good. Season 1 was solid TV, Season 2 was mind-blowingly awesome, Season 3 was a little slower, but better when watching on DVD, and then Season 4 comes along. A show with this many high profile guest stars should not work but while the marketing department make a big deal out of it, the show writes the characters and these particular guest actors just merge into these roles seamlessly. Nathan Lane, Kristen Chenoweth, Michael J. Fox, Maura Tierney, Amanda Peet, Matthew Perry, Denis O'Hare. All of these actors are in recurring roles on this show and never once do they overpower an episode with their presence. They just complement everything that is already great about it. I can't recommend this show enough. Although most of your are probably wishing I could since this is attempt #237 to get you to watch it. It's one of my favorite shows on TV right now.
Tosh.0 (Comedy Central): I think this show might have run its course. There's so little laughable stuff left. Most of the time its too crass (even for me and that's a really high bar) or just plain gross. I had to look away from last week's episode because I started dry heaving and came this close to actually throwing up. That's no longer entertainment for me.
So that does it for my season rundowns. Please feel free to leave your own thoughts and comments below. Would love to hear from you. I'll be back possibly tomorrow but at the least next week with the first part of my Upfronts breakdown, complete with previews for all the surprisingly solid looking new shows next fall. Then again, I did strongly recommend Revolution and look that got us all.
Until then, Happy TV Watching (what little of it there is left)!
So I've got some catching up to do and I'm going to do my best to get to it quickly. We'll start with the next part of the Season Rundown.
The Following (Fox): I skipped over this one in an effort to comment about my disappointment about Go On. The other reason is that I'm doing this rundown off my series recordings, which The Following is no longer a part of. This show had such a promising start. It was fresh and interesting and the episode with the siege of the farmhouse was spectacular. However, the repeated incompetence of every branch of law enforcement and the sameness of the plots started to grate on me and the thoroughly unsatisfying finale sealed the deal. I think Kevin Bacon and Shawn Ashmore did great jobs but unless season 2 starts getting stellar reviews, I don't foresee giving this another shot.
Grey's Anatomy (ABC): This is the first season of the show I've watched weekly since season...3, maybe? I would usually just catch up on Netflix when it came out but I started to like the show again the past couple of seasons so I decided to go back to being a weekly viewer. I think the show has grown up a lot. Does it still have some pretty childish drama? Sure, but I choose to focus on characters that have legit problems that I can care about. I liked the new set of interns this year, mostly because I knew a couple from other things. I thought it was a relatively strong season and I'm looking forward to its next and probably final season.
Modern Family (ABC): Probably their best season since the original. Consistently one of the funniest shows on TV. If you're not watching it, shame on you.
Nashville (ABC): I had very high expectations for this show going into the Pilot and I was honestly pretty disappointed. I stuck it out because I love Connie Britton and Scarlett and Gunnar sounded great together. About midway through the season, they pulled a twist that was very fresh and surprising to me and I started to take more notice. A couple weeks later, this was very much appointment television for me. Now, all that being said, the finale was VERY soapy and over the top on several plotlines and *spoilers for last night* we got every soap opera cliche, an alcoholic falling off the wagon, a paternity reveal, a federal investigation, a car accident, a pregnancy, a proposal, and a closeted homosexual confronted with his dirty past. It was all just a little much to cram into a single hour of television. My eyes almost rolled out of my head by the end. It was "oh look, Rayna and Deacon are arguing in slow motion while driving a vehicle, what could possibly be coming? Oh, look, their car flipped a bajillion times, I'm so surprised.......... *spoilers over* The music was typically excellent and the show in general has reignited my love of country music that's been dead since middle school. I'll stick around for season 2 and hope they pull some original stories out of all the cliches thrown in my face last night.
New Girl (FOX): No sophomore slump stink on this show. Two words for you: True American. Best fake drinking game ever.
True American: This is the best video of it I could find but doesn't do it justice. 1, 2, 3, 4 JFK! FDR!
This show continues to make me laugh and surprise me on a fairly consistent basis. The progression of the will they/won't they was a pleasant surprise and I'm curious to see where they go with it. The only negative I will say is they spent an awful lot of time getting us to invest in CeCe's wedding, an event we knew would never actually happen.
The Office (NBC): I won't post any spoilers on the finale. I will just say that it's easily one of my favorite series finales ever. Excellent end to an excellent season and an excellent show. We will miss you The Office, but we're glad you went out on a high.
Once Upon a Time (ABC): In my opinion, this show knocked it out of the park this year. Sure, there was a small slump in the middle of the season but the first 7-8 episodes and the last 6-7 were something pretty special. The show consistently works to improve its formula. Changing the game and putting people in new situations. After successfully juggling 3 plot lines in season 2 (Storybrooke, Enchanted Forest Past, and Enchanted Forest Present), I'll be curious to see if they can do the same with seemingly 4 plotlines in season 3 (Storybrooke, Enchanted Forest Past and Present, and now Neverland)
Parenthood (NBC): This show is simply amazing and thankfully, after a criminally short order of 14 episodes this season, this fall will be the beginning of a 22 episode season. The show handled almost every storyline perfectly last year and I'm looking forward to spending more time with the Bravermans.
Parks and Rec (NBC): Best comedy on TV, hands down. Moving on.
Psych (USA): After a really disappointing season last time and an almost year break, I was very wary of Psych this season. However, they came back with a vengeance and an energy I haven't seen for a couple years from them. The 100th episode Clue homage was one of my favorite hours of TV ever and giants leaps in the main relationship of the show have been handled extremely well. I'm looking forward to the two-hour musical episode to close out the season. If any show can pull off something that ridiculous, it's Psych.
Revenge (ABC): What was a solid guilty pleasure show in season 1 became a bit of a chore to watch in Season 2. I'll probably watch the premiere of season 3 to see how the new showrunner handles the cliffhangers but I'm probably done after that. I have way too many shows that look interesting next year to continue on with shows that don't engage me more than half time.
Smash (NBC): Oh Smash, you fixed some problems of season 1, just to replace them with new problems in season 2. Megan Hilty as Ivy continues to be the one consistent bright spot in a sea of hit-or-miss characters. The music for the new musical was consistently stellar but the obnoxiousness of one of its writers made it hard to really enjoy. I'm sad that this show never really reached the potential it's premise had but I can't say I'm terribly sad to see it go.
Supernatural (CW): Yet another show that rebounded like a boss from a lackluster year. I thought the show had finally run its course after the very poorly executed Leviathans plot in season 7. However, this show came back with a season that will probably rank top 3 for me (below seasons 4 and 5)
The Big Bang Theory (CBS): This is really the only "traditional" sitcom I still watch. It's really hit or miss for me. There are things that I've found hilarious, like an entire episode dedicated to Sheldon's reaction to the cancellation of Alphas, and things that I've had to sit through to get to the good stuff, like most things involving Raj.
The Good Wife (CBS): Sweet Baby Jeebus this show is so freaking good. Season 1 was solid TV, Season 2 was mind-blowingly awesome, Season 3 was a little slower, but better when watching on DVD, and then Season 4 comes along. A show with this many high profile guest stars should not work but while the marketing department make a big deal out of it, the show writes the characters and these particular guest actors just merge into these roles seamlessly. Nathan Lane, Kristen Chenoweth, Michael J. Fox, Maura Tierney, Amanda Peet, Matthew Perry, Denis O'Hare. All of these actors are in recurring roles on this show and never once do they overpower an episode with their presence. They just complement everything that is already great about it. I can't recommend this show enough. Although most of your are probably wishing I could since this is attempt #237 to get you to watch it. It's one of my favorite shows on TV right now.
Tosh.0 (Comedy Central): I think this show might have run its course. There's so little laughable stuff left. Most of the time its too crass (even for me and that's a really high bar) or just plain gross. I had to look away from last week's episode because I started dry heaving and came this close to actually throwing up. That's no longer entertainment for me.
So that does it for my season rundowns. Please feel free to leave your own thoughts and comments below. Would love to hear from you. I'll be back possibly tomorrow but at the least next week with the first part of my Upfronts breakdown, complete with previews for all the surprisingly solid looking new shows next fall. Then again, I did strongly recommend Revolution and look that got us all.
Until then, Happy TV Watching (what little of it there is left)!
Tuesday, May 14, 2013
Business in the UpFront, Party in the Back....Front
It's that time of year Zayniacs. UPFRONTS!!! That magical time of year when networks roll out their schedules and preview all the new shows that will be tantalizing our melons in the coming year. We'll be getting to my UpFront Rundown by day of the week all in due time. But first, it's time for my yearly review.
As you know from reading this blog. I watch a lot of TV and I'm going to do my best to give you relatively short reviews on the overall seasons. Some finales have aired, some have not but we're going to do the best with what we have to work with.
Archer (FX): After a mildly rocky 3rd season thanks to their idiotic plan to air a 3-part episode in the fall and then the rest of the season in the spring, I can thankfully say that Sterling Mallory Archer sprang back to life in his 4th year. The writing was sharp as ever and every episode had a least a couple moments I had to rewind because I was laughing too hard to hear the next joke. If you're not watching this, you're missing out.
Arrow (CW): One of the few new shows to make both my and the network's cut this season. It's certainly not the best written show ever but it does its job well. Be a fun and competent weekly super hero show. Granted, no villain, despite extremely solid guest star casting, has really stood out from week to week outside of the season's Big Bad. The show continues to improve in almost every regard so I look forward to season 2 and what they'll do with their largely expanded cast.
Being Human (Syfy): I have 8 episodes still sitting on my DVR. After watching 70% of season 2 over a couple days, going back to week to week viewing in season 3 was not working for me so I started stockpiling again and have not gotten a big enough breather to watch it together. However, the first 3-4 episodes are wildly promising. This show took some huge leaps and so far, they've been really paying off. The first two seasons are on Netflix Instant and I would highly recommend them to anyone who wants a well-written supernatural show fix over the summer.
Bones (Fox): This is the first of my series recording victims. The finale this year was abysmal. After being strung along on the will they/won't they for 6 seasons, their coupling was handled awfully but I stuck with it. Now, (finale spoilers incoming) they get engaged only to break it off in the final moments because Pelant who is still a bad guy after two seasons threatens Booth's moral code. It's lazy writing and emotional manipulation and I'm not going to take it anymore. The cases of the week are not that interesting and if they character stuff is going to enrage me so much, it's not worth my time or my DVR space. Congratulations Bones, you've lost a viewer from season 1.
Castle (ABC): How appropriate for this to follow Bones on my rundown, because Bones' writers need to watch Castle to learn how to successfully couple their main characters and have it make the show better. This season of Castle started out with the absolute best episodes of the series so far. It unfortunately took a dip in the middle of the season with a few WTF episodes but it's always been at least mildly entertaining. However, these last 2-3 have been stellar and the final moments of the finale genuinely surprised me. Looking forward to next season.
Community (NBC): Somehow, Community got renewed for season 5 despite a very polarizing season 4. The creator/showrunner was fired at the end of season 3 and the tone of the show felt it immediately. After a relatively solid start, the show quickly became laughless for me. I might smile or chuckle but the full laughter had faded. The finale felt the most like old Community with the return of the Darkest Timeline from the series' best episode, Remedial Chaos Theory.
On the bright side, there are rumors that Dan Harmon might return for this presumably final season of Community and I can absolutely get excited about that.
Continuum (SyFy): You probably have no idea what this show is but if you're looking for a shockingly solid little sci-fi show, look no further. The story of a police office from 60 years in the future getting sent back to present day along with a group of terrorists could not have surprised me more with how good it was. The characters are instantly likable and Rachel Nichols (Alias, Star Trek) sells the crap out of it. This show handles time travel more deftly than almost anything I've seen before. Paradoxes are discussed and it actually made sense to me. The first season can be found on Netflix Instant and season 2 starts in about a month.
Cougar Town (TBS): Something about the show felt slightly off after its move to TBS. It was still amusing and the characters were still largely likable but some of the charm wore off a little. I'll still be watching the next season and hopefully I can find the love again.
Da Vinci's Demons (Starz): This show, created and written by the co-writer of The Dark Knight trilogy took me by surprise. Despite a few very ill conceived shock value concepts in the first episode, this show has become a very entertaining jaunt into Florence during the Renaissance. It's tone is what I imagine an Assassin's Creed 2 movie will feel like. Get past a couple of poor choices in the premiere that last for only a couple minutes and immediately vanish from the show and you're in for a period piece treat.
Elementary (CBS): I watched this show out of morbid curiosity to see just how bad it would be compared to Sherlock on BBC (watch it by the way) and found myself getting sucked into it. Is it as good as the BBC's version, absolutely not. Not even close, but it's good at what it does. It's a relatively entertaining case of the week with a few character plotlines carried over week to week. It's not appointment television by any means, but it's great filler.
Glee (Fox): If not for texting back and forth with a friend mercilessly mocking each episode, this show would have probably made me break my TV by now. Despite the injection of a new set of cast members that are better in every way than the originals and instantly more likable, the show continued to hover on old characters who should have moved on. Idiotic choices and unearned drama abounded this year.
Go On: The biggest tragedy of the merciless network act. This show was so great with a talented cast that had chemistry in spades. This show deserved 100% to make it season 2 and join Parks and Rec on Thursday nights but thanks to NBC's new moronic focus on family-skewing comedies and moving away from "hipster" shows, this gem has fallen back into the rough, never to be seen or laughed at again.
That's it for right now. We'll continue on later. Possibly tomorrow, possibly Thursday. Keep your internet tuned to my page or subscribe below for updates. If you have a specific show you'd like to know the fate of, please feel free to shoot me a line in the comments. If it's not already on my list, I'll do my research and add it into my next post.
Until then, Happy TV Watching!
As you know from reading this blog. I watch a lot of TV and I'm going to do my best to give you relatively short reviews on the overall seasons. Some finales have aired, some have not but we're going to do the best with what we have to work with.
Archer (FX): After a mildly rocky 3rd season thanks to their idiotic plan to air a 3-part episode in the fall and then the rest of the season in the spring, I can thankfully say that Sterling Mallory Archer sprang back to life in his 4th year. The writing was sharp as ever and every episode had a least a couple moments I had to rewind because I was laughing too hard to hear the next joke. If you're not watching this, you're missing out.
Arrow (CW): One of the few new shows to make both my and the network's cut this season. It's certainly not the best written show ever but it does its job well. Be a fun and competent weekly super hero show. Granted, no villain, despite extremely solid guest star casting, has really stood out from week to week outside of the season's Big Bad. The show continues to improve in almost every regard so I look forward to season 2 and what they'll do with their largely expanded cast.
Being Human (Syfy): I have 8 episodes still sitting on my DVR. After watching 70% of season 2 over a couple days, going back to week to week viewing in season 3 was not working for me so I started stockpiling again and have not gotten a big enough breather to watch it together. However, the first 3-4 episodes are wildly promising. This show took some huge leaps and so far, they've been really paying off. The first two seasons are on Netflix Instant and I would highly recommend them to anyone who wants a well-written supernatural show fix over the summer.
Bones (Fox): This is the first of my series recording victims. The finale this year was abysmal. After being strung along on the will they/won't they for 6 seasons, their coupling was handled awfully but I stuck with it. Now, (finale spoilers incoming) they get engaged only to break it off in the final moments because Pelant who is still a bad guy after two seasons threatens Booth's moral code. It's lazy writing and emotional manipulation and I'm not going to take it anymore. The cases of the week are not that interesting and if they character stuff is going to enrage me so much, it's not worth my time or my DVR space. Congratulations Bones, you've lost a viewer from season 1.
Castle (ABC): How appropriate for this to follow Bones on my rundown, because Bones' writers need to watch Castle to learn how to successfully couple their main characters and have it make the show better. This season of Castle started out with the absolute best episodes of the series so far. It unfortunately took a dip in the middle of the season with a few WTF episodes but it's always been at least mildly entertaining. However, these last 2-3 have been stellar and the final moments of the finale genuinely surprised me. Looking forward to next season.
Community (NBC): Somehow, Community got renewed for season 5 despite a very polarizing season 4. The creator/showrunner was fired at the end of season 3 and the tone of the show felt it immediately. After a relatively solid start, the show quickly became laughless for me. I might smile or chuckle but the full laughter had faded. The finale felt the most like old Community with the return of the Darkest Timeline from the series' best episode, Remedial Chaos Theory.
On the bright side, there are rumors that Dan Harmon might return for this presumably final season of Community and I can absolutely get excited about that.
Continuum (SyFy): You probably have no idea what this show is but if you're looking for a shockingly solid little sci-fi show, look no further. The story of a police office from 60 years in the future getting sent back to present day along with a group of terrorists could not have surprised me more with how good it was. The characters are instantly likable and Rachel Nichols (Alias, Star Trek) sells the crap out of it. This show handles time travel more deftly than almost anything I've seen before. Paradoxes are discussed and it actually made sense to me. The first season can be found on Netflix Instant and season 2 starts in about a month.
Cougar Town (TBS): Something about the show felt slightly off after its move to TBS. It was still amusing and the characters were still largely likable but some of the charm wore off a little. I'll still be watching the next season and hopefully I can find the love again.
Da Vinci's Demons (Starz): This show, created and written by the co-writer of The Dark Knight trilogy took me by surprise. Despite a few very ill conceived shock value concepts in the first episode, this show has become a very entertaining jaunt into Florence during the Renaissance. It's tone is what I imagine an Assassin's Creed 2 movie will feel like. Get past a couple of poor choices in the premiere that last for only a couple minutes and immediately vanish from the show and you're in for a period piece treat.
Elementary (CBS): I watched this show out of morbid curiosity to see just how bad it would be compared to Sherlock on BBC (watch it by the way) and found myself getting sucked into it. Is it as good as the BBC's version, absolutely not. Not even close, but it's good at what it does. It's a relatively entertaining case of the week with a few character plotlines carried over week to week. It's not appointment television by any means, but it's great filler.
Glee (Fox): If not for texting back and forth with a friend mercilessly mocking each episode, this show would have probably made me break my TV by now. Despite the injection of a new set of cast members that are better in every way than the originals and instantly more likable, the show continued to hover on old characters who should have moved on. Idiotic choices and unearned drama abounded this year.
Go On: The biggest tragedy of the merciless network act. This show was so great with a talented cast that had chemistry in spades. This show deserved 100% to make it season 2 and join Parks and Rec on Thursday nights but thanks to NBC's new moronic focus on family-skewing comedies and moving away from "hipster" shows, this gem has fallen back into the rough, never to be seen or laughed at again.
That's it for right now. We'll continue on later. Possibly tomorrow, possibly Thursday. Keep your internet tuned to my page or subscribe below for updates. If you have a specific show you'd like to know the fate of, please feel free to shoot me a line in the comments. If it's not already on my list, I'll do my research and add it into my next post.
Until then, Happy TV Watching!
Wednesday, May 1, 2013
Summer Movies, Had Me a Blast...
Greetings Zayniacs! I know it's been a long time, some would say too long, others, probably not long enough. By request, this post will be about movies. I know, what the heck do I think I'm doing not writing a post about all of the TV, good and bad, of this winter/spring season? Well fear not, my year end rundown series will be starting very soon. Several finales have aired and a couple have been officially removed from my DVR. However, we will get to that all in good time, probably starting early next week.
In the meantime, I will apparently be spending a majority of my summer indoors...at the theater...in a big comfy reclining seat. In anticipation of Iron Man 3 this Friday, I'll be doing a quick rundown of all the big movies this summer and a few tidbits about them.
May 3
Iron Man 3: This movie is going to be epic, there's no doubt about it. Coming off of Avengers, I can't imagine a better followup than the biggest, baddest, most armor-y-est (?) installment of this franchise yet. Go see it. The reviews are awesome, not that those should matter to you in the first place.
May 10
The Great Gatsby: If you have girl parts, I'm sure you're stoked for this movie. I, am not.
May 16
Star Trek: Into Darkness: I've had to cut myself off from trailer and commercials because marketing departments nowadays are dicks. I don't have any plot details to tease you with. Suffice to say, if you liked the first one, this should be a no-brainer for you.
May 23
The Hangover Part 3: I really liked the first one, the second one was okay. I don't know if I'll see this in theaters but I'll definitely see it at some point just to see how crazy they make a third one.
May 24
Epic: This is a new animated movie from the Ice Age people. It's about a woman who gets shrunk down in a forest where apparently a bunch of things live. It basically sounds like updated Ferngully with more action. I'll probably rent it from Netflix, just to see how much they ripped off.
Fast and Furious 6: Alright, I'm mildly ashamed to admit it, but I kind of like these movies. They're ridiculous, the acting is barely par level, and their plots make little to no sense, but damn it if they aren't really fun. This movie will be resurrecting a character whose death was a major plot point of 4 so I'm also curious what explanation they'll be pulling out of their butts for that.
May 31
The East: This is about a group that goes after corporations that have wronged the world and the FBI agent that tries to stop them. The trailer looks kind of interesting and the cast is solid with the likes of Ellen Page and Alexander Skarsgard.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AlbM1voHKYw
After Earth: This is the movie with Will Smith and his son playing father and son on a post apocalyptic Earth. It's by M. Night Shamalamadingdong so that instantly makes me not want to see it, then I watched the trailer...and it's even worse than I thought. Their accents change by the minute and overall it just looks like a movie with things that have been done better before. I will definitely be passing on this one, regardless of reviews.
Now You See Me: Ocean's 11 meets The Prestige. This movie looks fantastic. It's a group of magicians who use their acts as covers to pull off huge heists. The cast is huge and awesome, including Woody Harrelson, Jesse Eisenberg, Mark Ruffalo, Isla Fisher, Michael Caine, Morgan Freeman, Dave Franco. I hope the review are good because I will be severely disappointed if something with this much potential does not deliver. I'll be seeing this in theaters.
June 7
Much Ado About Nothing: This black and white update of the Shakespeare classic was shot by Joss Whedon, at his house, with a bunch of his friends, over the course of several days, right after he finished filming The Avengers....for fun. This is how he wound down from making one of the most successful movies of all time. Whedon alum abound in this remake whose trailer looks extremely interesting. The movie was very well received at SXSW and I look forward to seeing it finally.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AAMsDP_DMHE
The Internship: I had honestly never heard of this movie until yesterday but it looks pretty great. Vince Vaughn and Owen Wilson are back together in a comedy about two non-tech savvy guys trying to make it as interns at Google. I find it hard to believe that you could go wrong with these two together.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cdnoqCViqUo
June 14 (aka Zayne's Day at the Movies)
I've decided I'm just going to take the day off that Friday and just go marathon all 3 of the movies coming out on that day. I'll be starting with...
Man of Steel: This movie looks beyond awesome. I was cautious when it was announced, curious after the first teaser, intrigued after the first full trailer and then by the time the trailer from a couple weeks ago rolled around, I'm now foaming at the mouth in anticipation for this movie. It looks incredible. The effects, the emotions, the acting, everything is working for me on so many levels. I'm really not kidding about taking the day off for this movie.
You will give the people of Earth an ideal to strive for. They will race behind you. They will stumble. They will fall, but in time, they will join you in the sun. In time, you will help them accomplish wonders.
If you don't have chills at 1:55 in this trailer, something is wrong with you.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T6DJcgm3wNY
This is the End: 7 words say it all: Hermione just stole all of our shit. This movie looks hilarious. All of the actors in it are playing themselves. Basically the end of the world happens and this group of guys are trying to survive. I'm attaching a trailer but it's the Red Band so the language is very NSFW.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kliQSsD_npo
The Bling Ring: This movie, based on a true story, is an attempt by Emma Watson to really break away from Hermione. The movie doesn't look bad. It's about several teenagers who went around robbing different celebrities' houses.
June 20
Monsters University: A prequel to Monsters Inc. that I was quite skeptical about until I've now seen the trailers and think it looks great. I know some people would prefer a sequel, but this still looks good.
June 21
World War Z: Brad Pitt, pandemics, zombies (basically). They seem to keep wanting to generate buzz for this movie but I'm having a really hard time getting excited about it. Maybe something will spark my interest by release time but I'm not optimistic.
June 28
The Heat: I never thought I could see a Sandra Bullock movie that had a Red Band trailer but this movie with her and Melissa McCarthy pulls it off. It looks a little generic but also hilarious. There's a good chance I'll be seeing this in theaters. Bullock plays an uptight FBI agent while McCarthy plays an off the rails beat cop and they end up working the same case and hijinx ensue.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a5m7Ml76zoA
White House Down: First of all, didn't this movie come out a couple of months ago, only being called Olympus Has Fallen? Did it not do well enough so they're releasing it under a different name to try and recoup their losses? Also, Channing Tatum as a Secret Service Officer? Nice try, but no. Just no.
Despicable Me 2: The first one was...okay. It had more heart than I was expecting but the funny was not there. I'll be waiting for a movie channel release on this one.
July 3
The Lone Ranger: Honestly, this does not look good and Johnny Depp's Tonto seems borderline offensive. Pass.
July 5
The Way Way Back: Had not heard about this movie until yesterday but it looks kind of amazing. A kid with a douchey stepdad moves to a new town and attempts to find his place in the world. A really solid cast including Steve Carrell, Allison Janey, Sam Rockwell, and many more puts this movie on my watch list.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GiH5wmuexZY&feature=player_embedded
July 12
Pacific Rim: I knew very little about this movie outside of the basic concept of Giant Robots vs. Giant Monsters. However, the most recent trailers make it seem kind of amazing. Watch List.
July 19
Red 2: I really enjoyed the first one and I think this second one looks just as solid. I'll be checking it out.
R.I.P.D.: I had no clue what this was but it's apparently based on a comic book about law enforcement for the dead. The Rest in Peace Department tracks down lose souls and brings them in. It stars Jeff Bridges and Ryan Reynolds and looks kind of great. I'm certainly intrigued.
July 26
The Wolverine: Hairy guy with claws and a temper goes to Japan. Snore, next, moving on...
P.S. I hate Wolverine, he sucks. Seriously though, you couldn't pay me to go see this movie. He's awful. The worst. Iceman rules all. Suck on an Omega Level mutant you giant furry tool.
Wha...Where am I? I think I blacked out with nerd rage there for a second. Anyway, moving on....
July 31
The Smurfs 2: Haven't seen the first one, don't plan on seeing the second. Moving on.
We're going to have to pick up with August at a later date. My fingers hurt. Highlights include Percy Jackson 2, Kick-Ass 2, The To-Do List, and The Mortal Instruments.
Hope you all enjoyed your Summer Movie Breakdown Part 1. Catch you on the flip side.
In the meantime, I will apparently be spending a majority of my summer indoors...at the theater...in a big comfy reclining seat. In anticipation of Iron Man 3 this Friday, I'll be doing a quick rundown of all the big movies this summer and a few tidbits about them.
May 3
Iron Man 3: This movie is going to be epic, there's no doubt about it. Coming off of Avengers, I can't imagine a better followup than the biggest, baddest, most armor-y-est (?) installment of this franchise yet. Go see it. The reviews are awesome, not that those should matter to you in the first place.
May 10
The Great Gatsby: If you have girl parts, I'm sure you're stoked for this movie. I, am not.
May 16
Star Trek: Into Darkness: I've had to cut myself off from trailer and commercials because marketing departments nowadays are dicks. I don't have any plot details to tease you with. Suffice to say, if you liked the first one, this should be a no-brainer for you.
May 23
The Hangover Part 3: I really liked the first one, the second one was okay. I don't know if I'll see this in theaters but I'll definitely see it at some point just to see how crazy they make a third one.
May 24
Epic: This is a new animated movie from the Ice Age people. It's about a woman who gets shrunk down in a forest where apparently a bunch of things live. It basically sounds like updated Ferngully with more action. I'll probably rent it from Netflix, just to see how much they ripped off.
Fast and Furious 6: Alright, I'm mildly ashamed to admit it, but I kind of like these movies. They're ridiculous, the acting is barely par level, and their plots make little to no sense, but damn it if they aren't really fun. This movie will be resurrecting a character whose death was a major plot point of 4 so I'm also curious what explanation they'll be pulling out of their butts for that.
May 31
The East: This is about a group that goes after corporations that have wronged the world and the FBI agent that tries to stop them. The trailer looks kind of interesting and the cast is solid with the likes of Ellen Page and Alexander Skarsgard.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AlbM1voHKYw
After Earth: This is the movie with Will Smith and his son playing father and son on a post apocalyptic Earth. It's by M. Night Shamalamadingdong so that instantly makes me not want to see it, then I watched the trailer...and it's even worse than I thought. Their accents change by the minute and overall it just looks like a movie with things that have been done better before. I will definitely be passing on this one, regardless of reviews.
Now You See Me: Ocean's 11 meets The Prestige. This movie looks fantastic. It's a group of magicians who use their acts as covers to pull off huge heists. The cast is huge and awesome, including Woody Harrelson, Jesse Eisenberg, Mark Ruffalo, Isla Fisher, Michael Caine, Morgan Freeman, Dave Franco. I hope the review are good because I will be severely disappointed if something with this much potential does not deliver. I'll be seeing this in theaters.
June 7
Much Ado About Nothing: This black and white update of the Shakespeare classic was shot by Joss Whedon, at his house, with a bunch of his friends, over the course of several days, right after he finished filming The Avengers....for fun. This is how he wound down from making one of the most successful movies of all time. Whedon alum abound in this remake whose trailer looks extremely interesting. The movie was very well received at SXSW and I look forward to seeing it finally.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AAMsDP_DMHE
The Internship: I had honestly never heard of this movie until yesterday but it looks pretty great. Vince Vaughn and Owen Wilson are back together in a comedy about two non-tech savvy guys trying to make it as interns at Google. I find it hard to believe that you could go wrong with these two together.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cdnoqCViqUo
June 14 (aka Zayne's Day at the Movies)
I've decided I'm just going to take the day off that Friday and just go marathon all 3 of the movies coming out on that day. I'll be starting with...
Man of Steel: This movie looks beyond awesome. I was cautious when it was announced, curious after the first teaser, intrigued after the first full trailer and then by the time the trailer from a couple weeks ago rolled around, I'm now foaming at the mouth in anticipation for this movie. It looks incredible. The effects, the emotions, the acting, everything is working for me on so many levels. I'm really not kidding about taking the day off for this movie.
You will give the people of Earth an ideal to strive for. They will race behind you. They will stumble. They will fall, but in time, they will join you in the sun. In time, you will help them accomplish wonders.
If you don't have chills at 1:55 in this trailer, something is wrong with you.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T6DJcgm3wNY
This is the End: 7 words say it all: Hermione just stole all of our shit. This movie looks hilarious. All of the actors in it are playing themselves. Basically the end of the world happens and this group of guys are trying to survive. I'm attaching a trailer but it's the Red Band so the language is very NSFW.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kliQSsD_npo
The Bling Ring: This movie, based on a true story, is an attempt by Emma Watson to really break away from Hermione. The movie doesn't look bad. It's about several teenagers who went around robbing different celebrities' houses.
June 20
Monsters University: A prequel to Monsters Inc. that I was quite skeptical about until I've now seen the trailers and think it looks great. I know some people would prefer a sequel, but this still looks good.
June 21
World War Z: Brad Pitt, pandemics, zombies (basically). They seem to keep wanting to generate buzz for this movie but I'm having a really hard time getting excited about it. Maybe something will spark my interest by release time but I'm not optimistic.
June 28
The Heat: I never thought I could see a Sandra Bullock movie that had a Red Band trailer but this movie with her and Melissa McCarthy pulls it off. It looks a little generic but also hilarious. There's a good chance I'll be seeing this in theaters. Bullock plays an uptight FBI agent while McCarthy plays an off the rails beat cop and they end up working the same case and hijinx ensue.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a5m7Ml76zoA
White House Down: First of all, didn't this movie come out a couple of months ago, only being called Olympus Has Fallen? Did it not do well enough so they're releasing it under a different name to try and recoup their losses? Also, Channing Tatum as a Secret Service Officer? Nice try, but no. Just no.
Despicable Me 2: The first one was...okay. It had more heart than I was expecting but the funny was not there. I'll be waiting for a movie channel release on this one.
July 3
The Lone Ranger: Honestly, this does not look good and Johnny Depp's Tonto seems borderline offensive. Pass.
July 5
The Way Way Back: Had not heard about this movie until yesterday but it looks kind of amazing. A kid with a douchey stepdad moves to a new town and attempts to find his place in the world. A really solid cast including Steve Carrell, Allison Janey, Sam Rockwell, and many more puts this movie on my watch list.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GiH5wmuexZY&feature=player_embedded
July 12
Pacific Rim: I knew very little about this movie outside of the basic concept of Giant Robots vs. Giant Monsters. However, the most recent trailers make it seem kind of amazing. Watch List.
July 19
Red 2: I really enjoyed the first one and I think this second one looks just as solid. I'll be checking it out.
R.I.P.D.: I had no clue what this was but it's apparently based on a comic book about law enforcement for the dead. The Rest in Peace Department tracks down lose souls and brings them in. It stars Jeff Bridges and Ryan Reynolds and looks kind of great. I'm certainly intrigued.
July 26
The Wolverine: Hairy guy with claws and a temper goes to Japan. Snore, next, moving on...
P.S. I hate Wolverine, he sucks. Seriously though, you couldn't pay me to go see this movie. He's awful. The worst. Iceman rules all. Suck on an Omega Level mutant you giant furry tool.
Wha...Where am I? I think I blacked out with nerd rage there for a second. Anyway, moving on....
July 31
The Smurfs 2: Haven't seen the first one, don't plan on seeing the second. Moving on.
We're going to have to pick up with August at a later date. My fingers hurt. Highlights include Percy Jackson 2, Kick-Ass 2, The To-Do List, and The Mortal Instruments.
Hope you all enjoyed your Summer Movie Breakdown Part 1. Catch you on the flip side.
Wednesday, January 30, 2013
Like a 7th Grade Girl's Tennis Serve: Slow, Out of Bounds, and Pulling Balls Out of the Skirt
Greetings Zayniacs! If that post title means nothing to you, it means you don't watch Happy Endings, and for that, you should be ashamed of yourself.
Alright, enough shaming, let's get on to the February premieres! No fuss, no muss!
February 3
Superbowl XLVII
Elementary: This isn't really a premiere but if you watch this show, make sure to set your recording on Sunday to go way past the end time.
February 4
Monday Mornings: This is a new show on TNT that from what I can tell, deals with M&Ms (morbidity and mortality conferences) at a hospital. It goes without saying with the subject matter, but this will be a very heavy and dark show. However, you have actors like Ving Rhames, Alfred Molina, and Jamie Bamber in it, so I'll be giving it a try.
February 5
Emily Owens M.D.: Series Finale. I wanted this show to be better because I liked the people in it but I thought the writing was a little sloppy to me.
Smash: There has a been a lot of talk about the goings on behind the scenes of this show in between seasons. We have all new showrunners, along with a lot of cast changes, mostly good. There was enough good about season 1 that I'll be watching season 2 and hope that the changes they made, bring out the good and remove the bad.
Tosh.0: In all honesty, parts of this show have started to get really tiresome. However, stupid people are still funny and it's a good way to wind my brain down before bed on Tuesday nights.
February 7
Community!!!!! After delays and terrible promotion, the little show that could returns to Thursday nights to make the world a better place. I've heard generally positive things about the episodes that have been shown to critics and I'm confident that I'll still enjoy it, despite the departure of Dan Harmon.
February 8
Touch: I didn't watch more than the first episode of season 1 but they apparently tweaked the show so if you were a fan, hopefully you still will be after the premiere.
February 10
The Walking Dead: This season has absolutely rocked my face off this year and I can't wait to see how the back half plays out. I couldn't be more pleased by the pace and twists.
Battlestar Galactica: Blood and Chrome: If you were a fan of BSG but was disappointed with Caprica and The Plan, then you'll want to watch this to restore your faith in the universe. However, it will destroy what little faith you may have had in SyFy because they did not pick this up to series. They also cancelled Alphas...and we're going to move on quickly from that before I turn this post explicit. Anyways, watch this if you were a BSG fan, it's good.
February 13
Survivor: Caramoan - Fans vs. Favorites: Skeptical cat's skept-o-meter is reading off the charts for this one. The "favorites" they brought back are generally people that I loathe. I've never seen the word favorite used quite so broadly. I assume that means that they took a poll of the 5 lowest IQ Survivor fans and asked them who they liked. I'm very disappointed in the cast, especially after my favorite season in a while.
Southland: I honestly did not know this show was still around. I've always meant to go back in watch it because it's supposed to be very good but that's very far down my list of to-watches unfortunately.
February 14
Zero Hour: ABC must have a ton of confidence in this show to premiere it on Valentine's Day. That or they assume that anyone who watches this show that's part National Treasure, part Davinci Code, part LOST will not have dates and be free to stay at home, watching this premiere. It has Dr. Green from ER but every preview I've seen for this show just makes me want to go watch National Treasure instead.
February 17
The Amazing Race: After the incredibly disappointing finish of last season (the ONE TEAM I didn't want to win out of the final 3 of course, did win. Sure they were nice enough, but the other teams were better), I'm hoping this season has a good cast to get invested in like this year and that a better, more deserving team wins. From what I've seen of the cast though, I'm not super optimistic.
February 19
Cult: This show looks weird and I don't completely know what to make of it. It's a show, about a CW show that has developed a cult following....literally. It seems almost too meta for its own good. I'll probably watch the pilot just out of curiosity, but The Following is happily filling my very small interest in crazy cults.
Body of Proof: I don't watch this but I think some of my readers do, so hear you go. They've retooled (again) this year with some cast changes and a shift in focus to more high profile event cases.
February 21
Suits: Season 2 finale. I thought we had more episode on the back end so I'm sad it's ending this quick. However, any bit of content I get from this show, I will take gladly.
February 24
Academy Awards: I'm not terribly interested in watching it this year but if you are, there ya go.
February 26
Golden Boy: This flashback driven show about a police chief reminiscing about how he rose quickly to prominence doesn't sound terribly interesting to me but it does have Chi McBride ( Boston Public, Pushing Daisies) who I really enjoy so I may watch the pilot.
February 27
Psych: Bolded only because this show has been off the air for far too long. After a slightly lackluster season, I'm hoping this season can bring back the greatness. This season will include a Clue homage complete with the actors who played Colonel Mustard, Miss Scarlett, and Professor Plum. Also, a 2-hour musical episode.
And that does it for February ladies and gentleman.
Before we go, Friendly Reminder that The Americans premieres to night. The reviews have been solid and I'm really looking forward to it. Hope you enjoy!
Happy TV Watching!
Alright, enough shaming, let's get on to the February premieres! No fuss, no muss!
February 3
Superbowl XLVII
Elementary: This isn't really a premiere but if you watch this show, make sure to set your recording on Sunday to go way past the end time.
February 4
Monday Mornings: This is a new show on TNT that from what I can tell, deals with M&Ms (morbidity and mortality conferences) at a hospital. It goes without saying with the subject matter, but this will be a very heavy and dark show. However, you have actors like Ving Rhames, Alfred Molina, and Jamie Bamber in it, so I'll be giving it a try.
February 5
Emily Owens M.D.: Series Finale. I wanted this show to be better because I liked the people in it but I thought the writing was a little sloppy to me.
Smash: There has a been a lot of talk about the goings on behind the scenes of this show in between seasons. We have all new showrunners, along with a lot of cast changes, mostly good. There was enough good about season 1 that I'll be watching season 2 and hope that the changes they made, bring out the good and remove the bad.
Tosh.0: In all honesty, parts of this show have started to get really tiresome. However, stupid people are still funny and it's a good way to wind my brain down before bed on Tuesday nights.
February 7
Community!!!!! After delays and terrible promotion, the little show that could returns to Thursday nights to make the world a better place. I've heard generally positive things about the episodes that have been shown to critics and I'm confident that I'll still enjoy it, despite the departure of Dan Harmon.
February 8
Touch: I didn't watch more than the first episode of season 1 but they apparently tweaked the show so if you were a fan, hopefully you still will be after the premiere.
February 10
The Walking Dead: This season has absolutely rocked my face off this year and I can't wait to see how the back half plays out. I couldn't be more pleased by the pace and twists.
Battlestar Galactica: Blood and Chrome: If you were a fan of BSG but was disappointed with Caprica and The Plan, then you'll want to watch this to restore your faith in the universe. However, it will destroy what little faith you may have had in SyFy because they did not pick this up to series. They also cancelled Alphas...and we're going to move on quickly from that before I turn this post explicit. Anyways, watch this if you were a BSG fan, it's good.
February 13
Survivor: Caramoan - Fans vs. Favorites: Skeptical cat's skept-o-meter is reading off the charts for this one. The "favorites" they brought back are generally people that I loathe. I've never seen the word favorite used quite so broadly. I assume that means that they took a poll of the 5 lowest IQ Survivor fans and asked them who they liked. I'm very disappointed in the cast, especially after my favorite season in a while.
Southland: I honestly did not know this show was still around. I've always meant to go back in watch it because it's supposed to be very good but that's very far down my list of to-watches unfortunately.
February 14
Zero Hour: ABC must have a ton of confidence in this show to premiere it on Valentine's Day. That or they assume that anyone who watches this show that's part National Treasure, part Davinci Code, part LOST will not have dates and be free to stay at home, watching this premiere. It has Dr. Green from ER but every preview I've seen for this show just makes me want to go watch National Treasure instead.
February 17
The Amazing Race: After the incredibly disappointing finish of last season (the ONE TEAM I didn't want to win out of the final 3 of course, did win. Sure they were nice enough, but the other teams were better), I'm hoping this season has a good cast to get invested in like this year and that a better, more deserving team wins. From what I've seen of the cast though, I'm not super optimistic.
February 19
Cult: This show looks weird and I don't completely know what to make of it. It's a show, about a CW show that has developed a cult following....literally. It seems almost too meta for its own good. I'll probably watch the pilot just out of curiosity, but The Following is happily filling my very small interest in crazy cults.
Body of Proof: I don't watch this but I think some of my readers do, so hear you go. They've retooled (again) this year with some cast changes and a shift in focus to more high profile event cases.
February 21
Suits: Season 2 finale. I thought we had more episode on the back end so I'm sad it's ending this quick. However, any bit of content I get from this show, I will take gladly.
February 24
Academy Awards: I'm not terribly interested in watching it this year but if you are, there ya go.
February 26
Golden Boy: This flashback driven show about a police chief reminiscing about how he rose quickly to prominence doesn't sound terribly interesting to me but it does have Chi McBride ( Boston Public, Pushing Daisies) who I really enjoy so I may watch the pilot.
February 27
Psych: Bolded only because this show has been off the air for far too long. After a slightly lackluster season, I'm hoping this season can bring back the greatness. This season will include a Clue homage complete with the actors who played Colonel Mustard, Miss Scarlett, and Professor Plum. Also, a 2-hour musical episode.
And that does it for February ladies and gentleman.
Before we go, Friendly Reminder that The Americans premieres to night. The reviews have been solid and I'm really looking forward to it. Hope you enjoy!
Happy TV Watching!
Wednesday, January 2, 2013
Another Year, Another Metric Crap Ton of TV!
Greetings Zayniacs! As you may or may not have noticed, I haven't posted a blog in quite some time. This is partially due to work and partially due to the fact that I burnt myself out like crazy last fall. A large amount of disappointing television mixed with a bunch of other junk made for an exhausting back half of 2012. However, I am back from 2 4 day weekends in a row, rested, revitalized, and ready to tell you about what you've got coming your way TV-wise in 2013.
I'm going to break January down by day with what is premiering, new and ending shows will be bolded. As far as when Fall shows start back up again, I'll leave that to your DVRs. However, if you're just super awesome exciting about a show and want to make sure your moronic DVR doesn't miss it, say so in the comments and I will get you the info. Alright, off we go!
Last night
Parenthood (whoops! guess I should have done this yesterday)
Tonight
Nashville - Recap Episode If you're at all interested in jumping on the Nashville train, this recap episode is the place to start. After a rough beginning, this show is turning into a solid guilty pleasure show with good music.
January 6
The Biggest Loser: I only started watching a couple seasons ago and last season kind of wore me out so we'll see how long I last this time around. 2 hours is long time to keep my focus on weight loss.
Downton Abbey: I've only ever seen the first episode of this show but I like it and I will eventually watch the rest.
January 7
The Bachelor
Switched at Birth
Bunheads - Season 1.5
The Mob Doctor - Series Finale (Never made it past the first episode, especially after I saw it wasn't long for this world)
Deception - Honestly, I don't know a ton about this show other than a cop infiltrates a rich family she used to know when her friend in that family turns up dead.
January 8
Pretty Little Liars - Season 3.5
The Lying Game
Cougar Town - Yes I know Cougar Town isn't new but it has moved to TBS so I wanted to highlight the change. Also, you should all be watching this show.
Justified
January 10
1600 Penn - Despite the fact that the previews for this comedy about a dysfunctional First Family look relatively dumb, the reviews haven't been horrible so I'm going to check out an episode or two. Now that I How I Met Your Mother has been renewed for a 9th season and will mostly likely be cancelled off my DVR by the end of the season, I may be in the market for a new sitcom.
January 11
Banshee - New show on Cinemax from the guy that brought you True Blood. I think it's about a con man that somehow ends up the sheriff of a small town. It sounds like a mildly interesting concept but the trailers did not grab me, plus, I cancelled my HBO/Cinemax and probably won't renew it until Game of Throne is back.
January 13
The Golden Globes - The only reason this makes the list is because Tina Fey and Amy Poehler are hosting and the 10 second promo I saw got rewound twice to laugh at it again.
Girls
Shameless
Enlightened
House of Lies
Californication
January 14
Being Human
Lost Girl
Continuum - This new show on Syfy follows a cop from the last 21st century, Rachel Nichols (Alias, Star Trek), who gets sent back to 2012 to chase down some criminal who somehow made it back in time. The concept is interesting and the reviews have been decent so I'll give this a shot and see if I have a new sci-fi companion to Being Human on Monday nights.
The Carrie Diaries - This 1980s-set prequel to Sex and the City follows a young Carrie through high school. Despite pretty solid reviews, I'll be passing on this one.
January 16
American Idol - The additions of new judges make me want to watch this show less, especially when those judges are Nicki Minaj and Mariah Carey. Also, Randy is inexplicably still a judge. How is that possible?
Archer
Suits - Season 2.5 - WATCH THIS SHOW!!
January 18
Fringe - Series Finale - Fringe, we say farewell to one of the best sci-fi shows of recent television. I hope you go out in a way befitting your awesomeness.
January 19
Ripper Street - New BBC series that takes place around the time of Jack the Ripper and I believe follows the team attempting to catch him.
January 21
The Following - One of only 2 new shows to get my pre-premiere endorsement. Yes, I know that turned out less than great for Revolution but I'm trying to get back my credibility. This show follows an FBI Agent (Kevin Bacon) who is called back to confront a serial killer (James Purefoy) he caught about a series of copycat killings. This series will be tense and dark and hopefully, good TV.
January 22
Parenthood - Season Finale
Private Practice - Series Finale
White Collar - Season 2.5
Wild Things with Dominic Monaghan - This appears to be Crocodile Hunter, if the Crocodile Hunter were played by Charlie from LOST.
January 23
American Horror Story - Season Finale
Necessary Roughness - Season 2.5
January 24
Last Resort - Series Finale
January 25
Spartacus: War of the Damned (Final Season)
January 28
Dallas
January 30
The Americans - This is the second show getting my endorsement. Keri Russell (Felicity, Waitress) and Matthew Rhys (Brothers and Sisters) play two Soviet sleeper spies in American during the Cold War. This show looks to be a great spy thriller with some fun action. Keri Russell kicks some guy's head through a wall in one of the previews. Plus, it's airing on FX so being a cable show, instantly gives it a better shot at not sucking.
January 31
30 Rock - Series Finale (It's time)
Do No Harm - This appears to be a Jekyll and Hyde thing that looks mildly interesting. I'll probably give it a shot but I don't have high hopes. This will be the Mob Doctor of NBC I think.
That's all for January folks. I'll be in a couple weeks to give you a rundown of February premieres. I may pop in sporadically to give my input on new seasons and new shows but it won't be with the kind of regularity I had in the fall.
As always, please leave any questions, comments, or cheap shots below and I will respond.
Happy New Year!
I'm going to break January down by day with what is premiering, new and ending shows will be bolded. As far as when Fall shows start back up again, I'll leave that to your DVRs. However, if you're just super awesome exciting about a show and want to make sure your moronic DVR doesn't miss it, say so in the comments and I will get you the info. Alright, off we go!
Last night
Parenthood (whoops! guess I should have done this yesterday)
Tonight
Nashville - Recap Episode If you're at all interested in jumping on the Nashville train, this recap episode is the place to start. After a rough beginning, this show is turning into a solid guilty pleasure show with good music.
January 6
The Biggest Loser: I only started watching a couple seasons ago and last season kind of wore me out so we'll see how long I last this time around. 2 hours is long time to keep my focus on weight loss.
Downton Abbey: I've only ever seen the first episode of this show but I like it and I will eventually watch the rest.
January 7
The Bachelor
Switched at Birth
Bunheads - Season 1.5
The Mob Doctor - Series Finale (Never made it past the first episode, especially after I saw it wasn't long for this world)
Deception - Honestly, I don't know a ton about this show other than a cop infiltrates a rich family she used to know when her friend in that family turns up dead.
January 8
Pretty Little Liars - Season 3.5
The Lying Game
Cougar Town - Yes I know Cougar Town isn't new but it has moved to TBS so I wanted to highlight the change. Also, you should all be watching this show.
Justified
January 10
1600 Penn - Despite the fact that the previews for this comedy about a dysfunctional First Family look relatively dumb, the reviews haven't been horrible so I'm going to check out an episode or two. Now that I How I Met Your Mother has been renewed for a 9th season and will mostly likely be cancelled off my DVR by the end of the season, I may be in the market for a new sitcom.
January 11
Banshee - New show on Cinemax from the guy that brought you True Blood. I think it's about a con man that somehow ends up the sheriff of a small town. It sounds like a mildly interesting concept but the trailers did not grab me, plus, I cancelled my HBO/Cinemax and probably won't renew it until Game of Throne is back.
January 13
The Golden Globes - The only reason this makes the list is because Tina Fey and Amy Poehler are hosting and the 10 second promo I saw got rewound twice to laugh at it again.
Girls
Shameless
Enlightened
House of Lies
Californication
January 14
Being Human
Lost Girl
Continuum - This new show on Syfy follows a cop from the last 21st century, Rachel Nichols (Alias, Star Trek), who gets sent back to 2012 to chase down some criminal who somehow made it back in time. The concept is interesting and the reviews have been decent so I'll give this a shot and see if I have a new sci-fi companion to Being Human on Monday nights.
The Carrie Diaries - This 1980s-set prequel to Sex and the City follows a young Carrie through high school. Despite pretty solid reviews, I'll be passing on this one.
January 16
American Idol - The additions of new judges make me want to watch this show less, especially when those judges are Nicki Minaj and Mariah Carey. Also, Randy is inexplicably still a judge. How is that possible?
Archer
Suits - Season 2.5 - WATCH THIS SHOW!!
January 18
Fringe - Series Finale - Fringe, we say farewell to one of the best sci-fi shows of recent television. I hope you go out in a way befitting your awesomeness.
January 19
Ripper Street - New BBC series that takes place around the time of Jack the Ripper and I believe follows the team attempting to catch him.
January 21
The Following - One of only 2 new shows to get my pre-premiere endorsement. Yes, I know that turned out less than great for Revolution but I'm trying to get back my credibility. This show follows an FBI Agent (Kevin Bacon) who is called back to confront a serial killer (James Purefoy) he caught about a series of copycat killings. This series will be tense and dark and hopefully, good TV.
January 22
Parenthood - Season Finale
Private Practice - Series Finale
White Collar - Season 2.5
Wild Things with Dominic Monaghan - This appears to be Crocodile Hunter, if the Crocodile Hunter were played by Charlie from LOST.
January 23
American Horror Story - Season Finale
Necessary Roughness - Season 2.5
January 24
Last Resort - Series Finale
January 25
Spartacus: War of the Damned (Final Season)
January 28
Dallas
January 30
The Americans - This is the second show getting my endorsement. Keri Russell (Felicity, Waitress) and Matthew Rhys (Brothers and Sisters) play two Soviet sleeper spies in American during the Cold War. This show looks to be a great spy thriller with some fun action. Keri Russell kicks some guy's head through a wall in one of the previews. Plus, it's airing on FX so being a cable show, instantly gives it a better shot at not sucking.
January 31
30 Rock - Series Finale (It's time)
Do No Harm - This appears to be a Jekyll and Hyde thing that looks mildly interesting. I'll probably give it a shot but I don't have high hopes. This will be the Mob Doctor of NBC I think.
That's all for January folks. I'll be in a couple weeks to give you a rundown of February premieres. I may pop in sporadically to give my input on new seasons and new shows but it won't be with the kind of regularity I had in the fall.
As always, please leave any questions, comments, or cheap shots below and I will respond.
Happy New Year!
Thursday, October 18, 2012
I'm Not James Patterson, But I Do Okay.
Greetings Zayniacs! It has been a really long time. Life has been kicking my ass, mostly in a good way. However, that means I have not been able to spread my ever-wise TV opinions. Obviously I’ve watched a ton of stuff since my last blog post so we’ll start with the few new shows the premiered last week and then get into some highlights from the last week and a half.
Real quick, we have our first two cancellations of the season. Made in Jersey got first honors by being cancelled after only two episodes. It’s shocking, I know. Today, the second one bit the dust. Animal Practice is officially canned with Whitney taking its place in November.
Arrow: A solid premiere with a lot of potential.
Nashville: A decent show but I think I’d built it up a little too much in my head.
Chicago Fire: Trite and predictable. Skip it.
Emily Owens, M.D.: Despite really wanting to like it considering the cast, I’m just not completely sold yet.
Vampire Diaries: A really solid start to the season. Hopefully that quality continues tonight.
The Walking Dead: Wow, just an amazing premiere and you all should be watching.
Castle: On course to have its strongest season yet.
Once Upon a Time: Speaking of strong seasons, this show is easily in my top 3 this year so far.
We’ll start with these for now and maybe get to more later.
So first out of the gate, we have Arrow. I had fairly high expectations for this show going into it. I kept hearing really good things about it and the more I heard about how many comic characters were going to be making appearances I got excited about a show that seemed poised to be the kind of DC Universe show that Smallville flirted with being several times throughout its run. Thankfully, I was not disappointed. I thought the show did a really good job of introducing the characters and giving us a solid base to build from. The action sequences were fast paced and well-choreographed. The main actor did leave a little to be desired but that kind of stuff can improved if you have a good world to live in and a solid writer behind you.
The second episode improved on the show greatly. The fight scenes were still great but I thought the tighter focus on Ollie and Dinah (I refuse to call her Laurel, it’s freaking Black Canary, just call her Dinah) helped out the pace of the story a lot. I also really liked seeing a long look at the formation of a Bruce Wayne-esque playboy persona. We got it very briefly in Batman Begins but I think this show is going to explore the toll that kind of duality can have on someone. In Batman, he’s stated several time that Bruce is his mask and Batman is who he really is. I think Ollie still views his Arrow persona as the mask and so when he has to put on another mask as Ollie, it’s hard for him and Stephen Amell did a really good job portraying that in his face. I look forward to seeing how they deal with all of this in later episodes.
I was completely prepared to call Nashville my biggest disappointment of the new season. Thankfully, I watched the second episode and I’m glad I did. The difference, to me at least, was night and day. I thought the premiere seemed really scattered and packed with storylines I don’t necessarily care about. The soapy elements were kind of out of control and I like the more defined conflicts of this episode with Rayna and Juliette vying for Deacon and Gunner trying to convince Scarlett to record the demo. I still really don’t care about the political storyline and it feels like a waste of Powers Boothe’s time. It also helped that I enjoyed the songs a lot more this week. I thought that besides the last song of the episode (which was incredible), the premiere’s music was very underwhelming. Don’t get me wrong, the soapy elements are still there but the levels were much more tolerable.
Chicago Fire is bad. There’s really not much else to say. Despite a generally solid cast, the characters are flat, the writing is stilted, and the plotlines are overused and poorly executed. This one doesn’t deserve a second chance.
Emily Owens is a very conflicting show. The actors are very good but the writing feels like it was done by a teenage girl in some spots. I understand the analogy of being an intern at a hospital being like high school but do the characters have to act like teenagers? It feels like a waste of their talent. With lines like, “my nemesis is being particularly nefarious”, I’m not sure how serious they expect me to take the show but then we have a plotline with a character giving the news to their mother about stage 4 pancreatic cancer. It just feels a little all over the place. I’ll give it another shot but unfortunately it’s in a very busy time slot for me so this may get cut sooner than it normally would because it’s competing with Go On, Happy Endings, Don’t Trust the Bitch, New Girl, and The Mindy Project, all shows that have impressed me a lot more than this show did.
Vampire Diaries opened solidly. I’m glad they didn’t find a way to bring Elena back to life because that just may have been stupid enough to get me to quit watching. However, human characters are becoming more and more scarce on that show and I feel like they do need to hold on to a couple. Jeremy is the usual damsel in distress so he’ll probably stay human but Matt seems more and more like he’s filling the role of the heart and conscience of the group so I hope they go more into that. I wish Klaus would have died but they unfortunately wrote themselves into a corner and now we’re stuck with him. I can only hope that they find something interesting for him to do this year instead of constantly being verbally menacing without any action to back it up.
The Walking Dead should teach a class on how to write an amazing premiere. The pace was non-stop and the body count was off the charts. I couldn’t even give you a ballpark of how many zombies died in that episode. I was initially skeptical that there was a time jump but I can’t argue with the really fun results of the team being such a cohesive unit now. The push into the prison in the phalanx formation was amazing to watch. I don’t want to say anything else too spoilery in case some of you haven’t gotten a chance to watch it yet but I have to say that I’m now extremely excited about this season.
Castle continues to knock it out of the stinking park every week. Putting Kate and Castle together might be the best thing they could have done for this show. The writing is faster and smarter than ever and the jokes are all landing. There were several moments of the episode that I rewound just to laugh again. I couldn’t be more pleased with the season and I look forward to seeing how the crap hits the fan when Ryan lets it slip that he knows.
Once Upon a Time really found a way to change their show for the better. There was a certain LOST-ness to it the way they did flashbacks last year but thankfully, they’ve added the dual present storylines as well now and it has helped out the pace significantly. The biggest issue I had last year was that in the middle of the season, it really started to feel like they were treading water but there is none of that this year. It feels like they have so much story to get to and I can’t wait to watch them do it. The character moments are all excellent and Snow and Emma’s talk in her could-have-been nursery was very touching. The other refreshing aspect to the show is the way characters are reacting to each other. Sleeping Beauty was being a whiny, irrational hooker this week and instead of coddling her, Mulan told her to stop being a baby and suck it up. I appreciate that.
Unfortunately, that’s all for now kiddos. I’ll try to get to some more thoughts some time tomorrow. In case, my workload doesn’t lighten, next Tuesday brings us the season premieres of Happy Endings, one of my top 3 comedies on TV right now and just keeps improving, and Don’t Trust the Bitch in Apartment 23, which had a shockingly solid start last year. James Van Der Beek playing himself was consistently hilarious and the chemistry between the two leads is promising.
Hope you all enjoyed and as always, please feel free to leave your thoughts and questions in the Comments section below. Have a Great One and Happy TV Watching!
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