Fall Premieres, part 4

This week is starting to tire me out! I was really busy in work yesterday (in meetings most of the day), so I didn't get a chance to post. So, we've got two days worth of TV to talk about.

Wednesday:

Back to You - After two episodes, I am officially tuning out on this one. I'm not sure if it was the boob joke, the dead fish thing (which really stopped being funny after the second or third fish), or when Patricia Heaton's character started having mood swings like a manic depressive with PMS. Either way, I'm sick of this show already. I have to admit, the taser thing was funny (tasers are always funny), but it's nothing I can't watch on the REAL news - and it's always funnier when it's real.

Gossip Girl - Still not sure how I feel about this one. I don't particularly like it - rich snobs aren't really my thing - but I feel somehow compelled to find out what happens next. It's that soapy nature that sucks you in.

Dirty Sexy Money - This is another one that I'm not sure how I feel about it. I love Peter Krause and Donald Sutherland, and the plot is intriguing, but I'm finding a problem in that I hate every other member of the Darling family. They all feel like caricatures, mostly asshole-ish ones, and most of them don't have any redeeming qualities that make you like them despite their faults.

Thursday:

Without a Trace - Fairly unremarkable procedural. I wouldn't be watching it at all if it weren't for James Marsters (check out the TWoP interview... it's like my two favorite things coming together). I doubt I'll watch past his episodes. Dammit, James, get better shows! (He's also going to be coming back to Smallville for a few episodes, which I refuse to sit through.)

Speaking of Smallville, I am pleased to say that I am NOT crazy (shut up!). That Supergirl commercial DID use the Buffy music.

Fall Premieres, part 3

Finally! Something worth watching!! I think Reaper is my favorite new show so far. But let's go in order.

I watched the Bones season premiere, even though I'm not caught up on the season 2 DVDs. I saw enough episodes when they aired on TV that I knew what was going on (and I saw the season 2 finale already, so it's not like I'm going to spoil anything). Good episode, and it seems like this cannibalistic serial killer is going to be an on-going thing, which is cool... except that they already did cannibalism in season 1, so it didn't quite pack the same punch as it would have if they hadn't done that earlier ep. I'm not too in love with the "finding Angela's husband" plot... it seems a little silly for this show, but then again, maybe they need some levity.

I feel like they're forcing the tension between Booth and Brennan. I can understand how Booth arresting her father might be awkward, but why are they making a big deal about the wedding thing? I was right there with Brennan when she had no idea what Angela was talking about. Yeah, okay, symbolism and all that... but really, Booth and Brennan aren't anywhere near the stage in their relationship where marriage would be a pressure (since they're not even, you know, actually dating...), so I don't get why it would make her uncomfortable. I was very glad to see that most of Brennan's weirdness went away as soon as Zack came back. Speaking of that awkward little dude, I love that they sent him home from Iraq because of his social skills. That's so... Zack.

Now, onto the new stuff. Reaper was excellent. It's a bit silly, yes, but I laughed out loud more than a couple times. Okay, every time the friend (was his name really Socky, or did I hear that wrong?) threw something at Sam's head, I laughed. I'm easily amused. But the dialogue was pretty funny ("Is this a carjacking?" "For this? If it was an Escalade, maybe..."), and there were some clever moments (like how they're wearing SMOKE DETECTORS strapped to them to fight the fire-demon-thingy... I totally cracked up when it started beeping). It's got a good mix of comedy and supernatural and satire. The Buffy comparisons will be made, of course, but I think it might actually be warranted.

Sidebar: Someone please reassure me I'm not going crazy. While I was watching Reaper, I saw a commercial for Smallville, and I SWEAR it had the music from the Buffy series finale. You know, the battle in the Hellmouth music. The commercial just had Supergirl, and I only saw it once, but I'm convinced that's what I heard.

Okay, last show of the night was Cane. It was good, but possibly not my style. It's a family drama, and after one episode, I'm not sure if I'm interested in the dramas of this family. But I'll definitely give it another shot (although the time conflict with Damages is annoying). The cast is great, and there's a few fun familiar faces (Meg from Veronica Mars!). I totally kept getting thrown, though, hearing Jimmy Smits talking about the President and Senators and stuff. I'm like, "But you ARE the President!" (I still live in denial. The West Wing lives on.)

Fall Premieres, part 2

I'm still in a DVD frenzy, trying to catch up on last season's shows before the new seasons begin. I'm miserably behind. I have, like, four whole seasons of television to watch. So, right off the bat, I'm telling you two shows I did not watch last night: How I Met Your Mother and Heroes. Don't worry, I taped them, and I'm sure I'll catch up eventually, but in the meantime, no talking!

So, here's what I did watch. First, Chuck, which is about a computer store nerd who somehow ends up with top-secret government files downloaded into his brain. (Don't even ask me how that happened. I have no idea.) The highlight of this show - for me, anyway - is that it stars Adam Baldwin (previously of Angel and Firefly). I wasn't overly impressed. (Sidebar: I think "not overly impressed" is going to be my catchphrase for the entire premiere period.) It was occasionally funny, but not particularly engaging. I sort of found myself getting lost in the plot holes you could drive a truck through. If a show is witty and/or compelling enough, the ridiculous parts don't bother me, but this one didn't quite manage it. I'll keep watching Chuck as long as I'm forced to tape HIMYM, but once I can watch HIMYM, I highly doubt that Chuck will be worth taping.

Next up, Journeyman. Guy travels back in time and changes events, somehow without screwing up the fabric of time (that's one of my pet peeves, btw). As Kelly can attest, I was pretty confused about what was going on for most of the episode... why is he going back in time? Obviously, to "fix" things, but who/what is sending him back to these specific times and places? How do his actions change the future without royally screwing things up? Shouldn't there be an effect - like, for example, the fact that he met his ex-girlfriend before he was supposed to. Wouldn't that change their relationship? Bottom line, this pilot left me with more questions than answers, and not necessarily in a good way. I'll give it a shot, but if it doesn't clear up a few things pretty quickly, I don't think I'll make it.

Tonight: The return of Bones (yay!), and the premieres of Reaper and Cane. Top of the DVD queue: Heroes and The Office.

Why's it Monday already?

Did everyone have a good weekend? I went out karaoking with Ben for his birthday and observed while he failed to score with women by serenading them with Billy Joel songs. I did not sing. (I learned my lesson well from that little Love Shack incident last time. Can't fool me twice.)

It turns out Barney (from How I Met Your Mother) has a blog. Check it out. Yes, okay, it's been around for two years now, but I only started watching the show, so get off my back. Besides, that just means you've got some catching up to do.

I guess procedurals are the hot new thing lately with Buffy actors, because not only is James Marsters guest starring on Without a Trace (10pm Thursday on CBS - watch it!!), but Nicholas Brendan just announced a role on Criminal Minds.

Also, there's civil unrest in Belgium. Seriously? Belgium? They seemed so peaceful, with their chocolate and their waffles.

Fall Premiere Season Begins

Considering that about 90% of the TV shows I watched last year have been canceled (in other words, all of them except Bones and 24), I'm really hoping for some good shows this year. I was pleasantly entertained this summer with Psych, Damages, Mad Men, and Burn Notice, but they're all wrapping up their seasons now. So, Fall TV Season, what do you have to offer me?

So far, not much. Last night I watched the premieres of Back To You and Gossip Girl, and was sadly unimpressed with both. Back To You is... well, I think the best phrase to use is "a tired sitcom." A lot of TV critics like to say that the era of sitcoms is over, which I don't think is true. How I Met Your Mother and The Office, for example, are great and original and funny. But for the most part, yeah... sitcoms seem to be directed at people my parents' age, recycling the same characters and jokes from funnier (and, at the time, more original) sitcoms of the '90s. And that pretty much sums up Back To You. I'll probably give it another episode or two, at least until something better premieres in that time slot (8pm Wednesdays), but I have scant hope that this will become a "must see."

In the same vein, Gossip Girl seems exactly like every other show in its genre - the soapy CW teen drama. I've never been interested in shows like The OC or One Tree Hill, and I admit, I wouldn't have watched this at all, if it weren't for the Kristen Bell voiceovers, but it was still a disappointment that she went from Veronica Mars to this. I'm actually pretty skeptical of the premise, that there are blogs dedicated to the lives of high school kids. I mean, do people really care? No one blogged about me in high school. But apparently, if you're rich and live in New York and go to a preppy private school, this really does happen. Don't know how long I can stick with this show. I guess that means I'll just have to watch Heroes to get my VM fix.

Speaking of which, Quentin Tarantino doesn't watch Heroes, either. See? I'm not the only one. DVD update: Heroes is next on my queue, but is listed as a "short wait" (along with Bones season 2 and The Office season 3), so I may be watching Brothers and Sisters next.

Good news for Psych fans - it's been renewed for a third season, starting in summer 2008. This is in addition to the second half of season 2, which is supposed to air in the spring. There's been some confusion on that, especially since USA was calling last week's episode the "season finale," but I'm pretty sure there are still 7 more episodes to air in the second season after the break.

Also, an update on the new season of 24, which will also start in the spring. I'd already heard the news about no more CTU, the show moving to Washington, DC, and Jack being on trial, but now more excitement - Tony Almeida's not dead! Ordinarily, I'd say it's cheesy to bring a character back from the presumed-to-be-dead, but honestly, there's such a dearth of good characters on 24 (because they killed them all) that I'm happy to have Tony back. Also, I sort of suspected that this would happen, since he didn't get the "silent clock" that marks most main characters' deaths, despite him apparently dying on screen.

Shiver me timbers!

Dang. I was going along at a good clip there, before I didn't post for a week. I suppose I'll never be consistent. But at least I have a good reason. I was down the shore for my friend Jill's wedding this past weekend. Lots of fun, lots of fake relatives. Sadly, no drunken cousin stories (Brian was surprisingly well-behaved). Most of the guys were But in other news...

Arrr! It's Talk Like a Pirate Day! So, go brush up on your pirate lingo, and use one of the pirate pick-up lines to snag yourself a saucy tavern wench.

I was actually surprised at the lack of fanfare this year about 9/11. Maybe I'm just oblivious or something, but I didn't even realize it was coming up until I looked at the date today. It made me wonder if maybe we've settled down and can treat this like any other remembered event, rather than ripping open the wounds every year. I hate to be disrespectful, but after a while the 9/11 stuff seemed more like dwelling than remembering, and dwelling isn't really the way to recover.

Personally, the one thing that still amazes me is that six years later, we're still at war. I could rant about that for a while, but I'll tone down my liberal and just shake my head in disgust.

Why I Don't Like "Heroes"

...even though I have never watched it.

I will admit, I do have a slight aversion to the uber-popular franchises, Harry Potter being top of the list, simply because everyone goes so friggin' nuts over them. I don't know why, but the more people gush about HP, the less I want to watch the movies or read the books. I much prefer the charm of a little-known show like Veronica Mars or Psych. The kind of show that feels like you just discovered something awesome, rather than just blindly following the mass of people into the movie theater.

That's how I feel about Heroes. I didn't watch it at first, because the idea of a whole bunch of superheroes doesn't interest me. But people said it was good, so I thought, "Maybe I should check it out." I didn't get around to it, though, and then the momentum started to build and I ran in the other direction. Every time I heard "save the cheerleader, save the world," it only strengthened my resolve to avoid it. The more people freaked out about the OMG!supercrazy cliffhanger endings, the less I wanted to watch.

I think it's the over-marketing that turns me off. It's tiresome. And Heroes' marketing has only gotten worse in the run-up to season 2. I mean, seriously, how many cast members can you possibly add? Every day, there's a new cast member. They really could be recognized as their own country. And then there's the merchandise. And the spin-off series. And the world tour. Seriously? A world tour? Is that really necessary?

And yet, even with all of that, I will be sucking it up and renting the season 1 DVD, so that I'll be all caught up for season 2. For one reason, and one reason only. Damn you, Kristen Bell.

What if 24 were written by liberals?

Okay, you know something's funny when you're sitting at your desk in work, and the person in the next cubicle over keeps poking their head in to see what you're giggling at. This is one of those things.

My favorite part?

TERRORIST #2 frantically looks for a means of getaway. He runs up to a car at a red light and opens the DRIVER's door.

TERRORIST #2
What kind of car is this?

DRIVER
T-Toyota Camry.

TERRORIST #2
Camry hybrid?

DRIVER
No.

TERRORIST #2
That won't do.

Happy Labor Day

Hope everyone enjoyed their three-day weekend, celebrating labor by, uh, not working. I slept late, went to a barbecue, and had a fun adventure at the beer distributor - who knew you couldn't buy six-packs of malt beverages in PA? Sidebar: I now have half a case of Mike's Hard Lemonade in my trunk. Don't tell the state police.

In other news, I just discovered another awesome TV show. Okay, I'm a little behind the times on this one, but in my defense, I watched an episode and just didn't like it. Maybe it was a clunker. Anyway, How I Met Your Mother. Willow from Buffy, Doogie Howser... and, uh, other people. Watch it - it's funny. Season 1 is out on DVD right now. Season 3 starts Sept. 24th. The minor hitch in the plan is that season 2 doesn't come out on DVD until two weeks after season 3 starts (Oct. 2nd), but you're enterprising folk - I'm sure you can figure it out.

And finally, I want to go on record stating this wasn't me.