Monsters of Television

“No, wait, actually that’s a half-burned-down McDonald’s.”

If you’ve been reading along with us since we’ve started, you know I had a turbulent relationship with 30 Rock last season, and kind of came around to the show again by the end of the last season. I was prepared to start this season, season 5 as the show kept reminding me, anew with fresh (if a bit lowered) expectations and also prepared for Carol and Avery to just be off-screen characters (I was correct on at least one count).

“The Fabian Strategy” has moments of hilarity (most of them centering around The Barefoot Contessa), but much like Jack’s prized relationship strategy, I feel like 30 Rock kept running away from me so much last season that now I’m just tired and happy to have it back and will accept most anything at this point, so long as it makes me smile for most of the 22 minutes. Read more »

Isn't this supposed to be Jennifer Connelly in a dress...?

As part of the new fall season coverage, we’re doing what we call audition reviews for new shows. An audition review doesn’t necessarily mean the show will enter the normal rotation, but it will provide an initial reaction to a new series. Especially in light of time shifting practices, we think this is a valuable way to read brief reviews on new series to help you decide if you want to watch the show. For those who watch it live, it’s a good way to begin a conversation about a new series. These reviews will typically be shorter than our regular reviews, and may include thoughts from more than one of our writers.

In the show HBO hopes will make itself not TV again (it’s been floundering with its original programming due to a mess of executives, like a broadcast network), Steve Buscemi plays Enoch “Nucky” Thompson, the gangster/pillar of the community that has been allowing Atlantic City to thrive. But times, as they say, are a changin’, and Nucky has to figure out how to navigate the feds enforcing Prohibition and young upstarts, like his driver Jimmy (played by the never aging Michael Pitt).

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“That’s why they call me the Bart Simpson of Scranton.”

Do it, Dwight. Do it.

Jerry Seinfeld gave an interview to Time where he mentioned a few episodes he wished he’d done before the end, including an all-Claymation episode and an episode featuring all the secondary characters with the main character story happening in the background. It appears to me that The Office, hearing the death knell with the exit of Steve Carrel (even if BJ Novak just got a 2-year extension), is ready to go full-steam ahead on a train already barreling out of control from its roots, no regrets in the caboose. The cold open to season 7 is a lip-synched, fourth-wall-breaking (although the genre lends to fourth-wall-breaking anyway) sequence with all the people from Scranton branch involved in a choreographed single-take through the office.

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“No saws! One circumcision was enough.”

Amy Fowler is not Sheldon’s girlfriend. Now that we have that out of the way.

The move to Thursday had many (myself included) worried for the continued success of The Big Bang Theory. Tonight’s premiere was phenomenal and if it can keep up the quality it has a fighting chance to reign supreme over the already doomed My Generation, the self proclaimed comedy underdog Community, the “Will they, won’t they? Just kill me now” Bones and Twi-lite Vampire Diaries.

The Sheldon/Amy (Shamy. Genius.) relationship is sure to be a major arc for season 4 and for good reason. Not only does a female version of Sheldon add a whole new level of humor to the show but it’s a great catalyst for some serious character development. And not just for Sheldon.

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“Is this you being me-TA?”

Oh, Community. I missed you and our wily knowledge of sitcoms (and of my funny bone).

A common trait for shows, of any genre, is to ramp up the things that seemed to work well in the first season and just keep doing it. Lost decided that it needed a lot more crazy mystery stuff because that’s what people were talking about, so ramp it up to 5 or 6 hatches and some creepy microfilm (and more survivors!). Veronica Mars went with a more layered mystery and more looks into Neptune, ramping up the noir Naked City (not as gritty, of course).

For its return to the screen, Community keeps the meta humor running full blast, and while I do find meta humor very funny and engaging, it does crowd out the less meta and more humane, emotional beats that I’ve always felt the show excelled at. Read more »

“Did you just say the word sexpionage?”

Having followed J.J. Abrams for my entire life it’s easy to see how he has gotten to Undercovers. It’s a little Mission Impossible III, a little Alias and yeah, some Felicity thrown in there as well. Abrams is at the top of his game with this action-packed, funny and just plain cool spy show.

I know I probably sound like a J.J. fanboy (and that’s because I am) but the show really does rock. Let’s break it down, shall we?

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“The wings of Daedalus. Good call.”

Warehouse 13 doesn’t go out with a bang so much as it just kind of goes out. “Reset” excelled where the show usually does but failed to hit with the same “umph” that a finale should. Cool artifacts, quirky characters and entertaining banter are all present and normally what I say to sell a person on the show. Unfortunately, pay-off may not be a characteristic I include.

The HG storyline was exciting from the beginning. The “is she evil or isn’t she?” game was interesting and flirted with tediousness without ever fully committing. I was excited to see what her season long long con would produce. Alas, the journey was far better than the destination.

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As part of the new fall season coverage, we’re doing what we call audition reviews for new shows. An audition review doesn’t necessarily mean the show will enter the normal rotation, but it will provide an initial reaction to a new series. Especially in light of time shifting practices, we think this is a valuable way to read brief reviews on new series to help you decide if you want to watch the show. For those who watch it live, it’s a good way to begin a conversation about a new series. These reviews will typically be shorter than our regular reviews, and may include thoughts from more than one of our writers.

Read more »

“It was real.”

Unjustifiably inappropriate

This week’s episode of Life Unexpected decided it was time to show the lighter side of an SVU episode. It’s not always about locking underaged girls in a basement or using a position of authority to permanently scar or continually reopen gaping emotional wounds in a fragile young girl. It has to start somewhere cuddly and sometimes it begins with a simple car ride with a stranger to an undisclosed location only to find out said stranger is in charge of all kinds of little girls. And then he takes his shirt off. At school. In a classroom walled with glass. Surrounded by your daughters.

The episode itself wasn’t all about pervy Mr Daniels and his “I wish I knew how to quit you” attitude towards Lux. The episode in general is about failure. Cate is a failure after being fired from the show that had her name in the title. Baze is a failure because he hasn’t chased his heretofore unspoken desires to be a financial advisor (what?). Jamie is a failure because Portland is no place for minorities so it’s time to write him out of the show. Seriously. The guy was unceremoniously written out of at least this episode by announcing he’s too poor. And I don’t see anyone else on the show that doesn’t have skin that could be described as either milky or pasty (even poor Natasha was flung far, far away from our oddly-named cast).

But, because if there’s a theme to this series it’s that we follow family sit-com tropes, not everyone is a failure for very long. No, the moral of this story: if you can’t win, settle. Also, Lux is a cheater.

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As part of the new fall season coverage, we’re doing what we call audition reviews for new shows. An audition review doesn’t necessarily mean the show will enter the normal rotation, but it will provide an initial reaction to a new series. Especially in light of time shifting practices, we think this is a valuable way to read brief reviews on new series to help you decide if you want to watch the show. For those who watch it live, it’s a good way to begin a conversation about a new series. These reviews will typically be shorter than our regular reviews, and may include thoughts from more than one of our writers.

Matt’s Take

Oh boy.

Short and sweet. Well, short and sour. This show is not good. I wanted it to be. I love Keri Russell and I love Will Arnett and I wanted nothing more for the two of them to have a triumphant return to television. But this isn’t it.

There are jokes, you can tell where they are, they’re just not funny. The premise is forgettable, the supporting cast is unimpressive, it’s just a mess all around.

That’s all. I’m gonna go drown my sorrows in Felicity and Arrested Development episodes now.