Fall TV update

[dougo]

Time for an update on the new fall TV shows. In descending order of recommendation:

• Sons of Anarchy: This is the biggest surprise for me—I hadn't heard anything about it other than seeing enigmatic commercials on FX this summer, but I'm really enjoying it. In a nutshell, it's like The Sopranos except it's about motorcycle gangs in rural northern California. It doesn't have the same over-the-top sense of style and wit as The Sopranos, but it has a similar Shakespearean feel in the sweep of events and machinations of the protagonist gang and its rivals. It also has great acting, particularly Ron Perlman as the grizzled leader of the gang and Katey Sagal as his tough-as-nails "old lady", plus a lot of other familiar faces, like Mitch Pileggi from The X Files as the leader of the rival Aryan gang, and yes, Drea de Matteo from The Sopranos as Sagal's son's junkie ex-girlfriend. And also like The Sopranos, it has great writing that doesn't try to explain all the complicated backstory and lingo but lets us gradually figure things out on our own. Definitely check this one out; you can catch up with full episodes on the FX site.
• True Blood: It seemed to be getting negative buzz before it even started, but I am also really enjoying this HBO series based on Charlaine Harris's "Southern Vampires" novels (which I had never heard of before this). The show was created by Alan Ball of Six Feet Under and American Beauty fame, and while it's a bit different from those, being a "genre" show, it does have a similar vibe of exploring the dark sides of everyday life (in this world, vampires have come out of the shadows after the invention of a synthetic substitute for human blood and are trying to fit in with ordinary society, demanding equal rights) while not getting too dark. I always like Anna Paquin, and she's good here too as a blonde waitress naif with psychic abilities who's attracted to the Heathcliff-like vampire who's just moved into town trying to "mainstream". I thought I might get bored of the rural-Louisiana setting, and I do still wish they would show more of the effects of vampire integration on society at large, but the story and characters are textured and involving enough to hold my interest (not to mention the serial-murder mystery that's playing out in the background).
• Gary Unmarried: Staged sitcoms are seeming more and more anachronistic these days, but this is a pretty good one. Jay Mohr is funnier than I expected, Paula Marshall is great (though it's weird seeing her also be a recurring character on Californication), and Ed Begley is an old pro. I don't see this lasting all that long, but it works okay and has potential for improvement.
• Easy Money: This wasn't on ketzl's or my list, but I started watching this after seeing a commercial on The CW and was again pleasantly surprised. It's a serial drama about a family who runs a short-term-loan company in a suburban southwestern town, making somewhat sleazy deals to take advantage of down-on-their-luck locals. It's a well-made show, and I particularly like Laurie Metcalf (who I mainly knew from Norm McDonald's first sitcom) as a white-trash Lady Macbeth, scheming behind her somewhat clueless husband's back for the success of their company. Unfortunately this show was just cancelled, which is a little surprising because I didn't think The CW was a competitive enough network that they would cancel shows in mid-season, but I guess the dull-sounding premise just couldn't find an audience.
• The Ex List: Somewhat of a guilty pleasure, this is a high-concept romantic comedy series about a 30-something beach bunny/flowershop owner who's tracking down her exes one by one because a psychic told her she's already dated the guy who will be her husband. It could have been syrupy and lame, but the writing is smart and funny and the supporting characters are well-drawn. But, sadly, this show was also just cancelled. Oh well.
• My Own Worst Enemy: Christian Slater is a superspy who implanted an alternate personality into his brain to use as cover, but that alternate personality is starting to assert itself at inconvenient times during superspy missions. It's pretty enjoyable, but I'm not sure where they can really go with this premise. And Mädchen Amick is criminally underused as the unsuspecting wife.
• Crash: Another one that wasn't on my radar. It's on the Starz network, which is usually just a movie channel, but I guess they want to be another HBO or Showtime. It's loosely connected to ("inspired by") the Oscar-winning movie, and has the same six-degrees-of-separation-in-LA thing going, but without the atmospheric music and camerawork it doesn't have the same appeal. Not bad, though.
• Valentine: yet another show that I liked but was just cancelled, although it was really borderline for me anyway. It's about Greek gods living in modern-day LA, with Venus trying to assist mortals to connect with their soul mates, with the help of her son Cupid, Hercules, the Oracle of Delphi, and a mortal romance novelist. The episodic matchmaking plots were hit-or-miss, and overall the show felt kind of clunky and amateurish, but there were some flashes of brilliance, and an ongoing plot arc about something unknown causing the gods to gradually become mortal themselves that could have become interesting but was going a bit too slowly.
• Eleventh Hour: Another borderline show for me. It's sort of an X-Files with real science instead of aliens and the supernatural, which mostly works (better than Numbers, at least, which I found to be kind of dreadful), but the protagonist scientist and his FBI sidekick woman are just totally unengaging characters, and the completely episodic nature of the show leaves it feeling kind of hollow. I'll keep watching in the hopes that they'll bring in some sort of backstory or plot arc, but I'm more curious to see the BBC show it was based on, starring Patrick Stewart.
• Life on Mars: Yet another borderline show, and another one based on a BBC series that I expect might have been better. A modern day NYC police detective is hit by a car, falls into a coma, and is transported back to 1973, where he is also a detective but he works with Harvey Keitel, Michael Imperioli (from the Sopranos) (in a ridiculous 70s mustache), and Gretchen Mol (in a very hot police-lady uniform). Is this all a coma dream (like Tony Soprano's—do you sense a theme?), or is he time-traveling or in a parallel universe or something? Well, the show doesn't really go anywhere with that question, and instead he just goes around solving crimes while discovering just how backwards society was 35 years ago. Again, I'll keep watching to see if it gets any less static, but, enh.
• Starter Wife: And yet another borderline show. The miniseries was enjoyable, but there was a pretty big drop-off in quality after turning it into a regular series, with a few dropped characters and some recasting. And Debra Messing's performance is gradually declining back into Grace Adler, which doesn't really work without a studio audience (and Will).
• Fringe: The pilot was almost good, but it was just a bit too over-the-top sensational, and the music felt a little too much like Lost. (That is, I like it in Lost, but it's such a big part of that show that it doesn't feel right in something else.) The second episode just aggravated me, with the stereotypical mad scientist and the pseudo-science gobbledygook, so I gave up. The mysterious corporation controlling things behind the scenes was interesting, but not enough to keep me watching. Is anyone else still watching this? Did it get any better?
• Worst Week: Main character is a klutz who gets into embarrassing situations with his wife's family over and over again. Not my cup of tea.
• Crusoe: Pretty awful, aimed at 8-year-olds or something. I couldn't make it past the halfway mark of the pilot.
• Knight Rider: I missed the pilot, watched the first few minutes of the second episode, gave up in astonished disgust.

Returning shows, briefly:

• The Unit is still terrific despite the growing contrivances, and I'm thankful it's still on the air even though I don't know anyone else who watches it.
• Entourage continues to capture the craziness of the movie-star life. Very fun.
• Californication is sick but fun, and, surprisingly, emotionally affecting.
• Heroes is still meh but slightly better than last season.
• Survivor Gabon is not the best season for them to switch to HD, but still enjoyable.
• How I Met Your Mother finally wrapped up the wedding plot arc. I'm hoping we will somehow be able to meet the real Your Mother soon without it ending the show.
• South Park and It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia continue to outdo each other in a race to the gutter. Wincingly funny.
• Big Bang Theory, Two and a Half Men, 30 Rock, Simpsons, King of the Hill: all still top-notch comedies.

Yes, I watch too much TV.

Comments

[jtemperance.livejournal.com]

The BBC version of Life On Mars was awesome! I'm hoping that this one will improve. The best part for me is that the detective (in both versions) was 4 years old in 1973, and so was I. Even just seeing the recreation of NYC in 1973 is fun.

[tactical-grace.livejournal.com]

Still watching Fringe, mostly for lack of anything better to do. It's not bad, but neither is it overly engaging. There are a few moments of actual humanity in the characters, which gives me some hope.

Haven't given up on My Own Worst Enemy yet, either.

(I gave up on Worst Week after about 10 minutes...)

[ahkond.livejournal.com]

I let my TiVo record six or seven weeks of Heroes and didn't watch any of it, so I've deleted them all. Maybe I'll rent this season on DVD later on if I hear that it turned out to be tolerable.

[dkuznick.livejournal.com]

I like Fringe. It's not great but it's a lot better than I expected, and it feels like it keeps getting better.

I think Heroes is FAR better than last season.

Do you not watch Sarah Connor Chronicles? I am still enjoying it.

Oh, and no wonder you don't have a job. How would you be able to fit it in? ;-)

[dougo.livejournal.com]

I watched the first couple episodes of Sarah Conner last season, but was annoyed at the undercurrent of "all technology is evil". Also, the plot seemed to be moving too slowly, and the Summer Glau terminator was ridiculously inconsistent in how huamnlike and smart she was. So I gave up until urbaniak mentioned he had a part in the finale, so I watched that and the premier this season, but as soon as he was killed off I stopped watching again. It just didn't work for me.

[classicaljunkie.livejournal.com]

I seem to be the only one watching True Blood. I both love and hate it. I find two characters unwatchable so there is lots of fast forwarding and I really wish their parts were downsized (as they should be as someone who has read the book). So yeah my other issue is the differences with the books, which were better. Bill and Sookie were a pleasant surprise though and excellent actors for the part.

[dougo.livejournal.com]

Which two characters are unwatchable? I didn't like Tara at first but she's grown on me.

[classicaljunkie.livejournal.com]

Jason and Tara. Tara has gotten maybe a little less annoying but she still sucks and is very different from the books.

TrueBlood & Californication

[hinj.livejournal.com]

I *adore* true blood.

I think the show is a little explicit on the sex side (I know it happens, I don't need to see it), but somehow it works and I don't mind it all that much. I love it, though. It's an interesting thing -- and I wonder -- will it be legal for vampires to marry?

I also like Californication quite a bit. I watched the first season in a couple of days (thank you, OnDemand), and loved it. The explicit sex in this show *does* bother me.....but I love the characters. David Duchovny's character is so loopy, and so loveable, and he cares so much for his daughter..... I should really start watching the new season.

I actually enjoy Worst Week, because I *love* goofy comedies of errors....and this one is really error prone.

[xartofnothingx.livejournal.com]

i love sons of anarchy - so happy i'm not the only one out there..

you always can't go wrong with big bang, 2 and a half men, and how i met your mother.

this season is the last one for king of the hill

[dianamp04.livejournal.com]

Survivor Gabon has so few likeable characters that I'm just rooting for them to all stab each other in the back now. I usually have that underdog that I want to support, as with most reality shows, but really, I want them all to lose this year.

I love Fringe. I'm probably a bit biased, because I still have a crush on Joshua Jackson, but I find the stories interesting enough, though I find the fake Boston annoying. I'm familiar enough with Boston now that I can go "that's SO NOT BOSTON"

I love the theme song for the Unit, but the rest of the plots have kinda bores me. I actually prefer the wives plot vs. the guy's plots at this point. Which is odd, cause I use to hate the wive's part. But now the men act more like girls than the wives do.

My TiVO evidently did not approve of the wedding arc in How I Met Your Mother, because I'm pretty sure I missed like 3-4 episodes in it, but now it's taping it again.

My new fascination is Doctor Who. I'm actually netflixing all of the newest version. Obsessed.

I feel the same about Hereos that I do about Lost. It's a love hate relationship. I want to stop watching, but I just CAN'T.

I also find that now that I am only working part time and from home, I'm watching WAY to much television. Eli Stone and Chuck are good solid shows, along with NCIS. I also enjoy Sarah Connor Chronicles, but I recognize it's not really good TV and that there doesn't seem to be a plot arc in the entire series. I also have a sick obsession with Army Wives. It's like my version of a soap opera.

tv!!

[talking-sock.livejournal.com]

Hey, thanks for posting this :-) I didn't realize Jay Mohr was in that sitcom, or forgot - I'm running low on half hour funny, so I'll TiVo it.

My TV that's not yours and I'm liking: Sanctuary got much better after ep 1, even though I don't love the cast except Amanda Tapping. Some interesting plots, actually. Smallville is finally out of "seriously bad guilt" and into "seriously fun and who cares about the guilt" for me. I loved the BBC Life on Mars, and don't want to see this one, especially since I know how it ended. Stargate Atlantis has me really bored. I adore Chuck, still, and Heroes is Way Way Better this season. Also love Terminator.

Re: tv!!

[dougo.livejournal.com]

I can't remember if Sanctuary was never on my radar, or whether I did know about it and decided I wouldn't like it. Either way, I should probably give it a chance. Should I watch it from the beginning (taking into account your warning that it gets better after ep 1), or will it be okay to just dip in in the middle?

Re: tv!!

[talking-sock.livejournal.com]

It's okay to skip ep 1 and then go back to it. It was pretty slow and talky. The gist will be pretty obvious. The only important thing in ep 1 is that Dr. Magnus is really old (seems to not age).

[surrealestate.livejournal.com]

Of the ones I've seen, which is more than I might expect because my roommate records a lot of stuff on the Myth, so it's there, y'know?

My Own Worst Enemy: Recorded a bunch of episodes, saw many ads, but never watched it, then I caught one when my roomie was watching and there was just nothing there to compel me, even aside from some of the doofy bits of the premise.

Eleventh Hour: Recorded a few, watched the first few minutes of one, and decided it wasn't worth my time.

Life On Mars: I want to like it because a show set in NYC the year I was born has automatic appeal, but it gets worse with each episode. If the writing was at least period-authentic, it could be good, but ah well. Makes me miss Journeyman.

Fringe: Trying to the be the X-Files but failing. There was just way too much stupid for me to keep watching.

Crusoe: Plenty of stupidity, but I'm still enjoying it so far in a Disney-ride kind of way. Both leads are kinda awesome and the setting is both beautiful and interesting.

Knight Rider: I saw the pilot (and parts of later eps) and agree with your assessment.

Heroes gets dumber by the ep but I keep watching.
This isn't the best Survivor, but it's still Survivor.
BBT and 30Rock are awesome and I still dig my Sunday animations.

[mshonle.livejournal.com]

So, for the record, what do you think of the Whedon shows Buffy/Angel/Firefly?

[dougo.livejournal.com]

I love Firefly, probably my second favorite show of all time behind Twin Peaks. I disliked the couple episodes of Buffy that I saw, but one of these days I'd like to try again, maybe starting at the first episode. Never saw Angel.