It’s that time again. I don’t think I cared much for the Emmys a few years ago, but I’ve managed to start watching more TV as I get older and more immersed in the entertainment world where now I can’t help it. In fact, I’m reminded that for a lot of entertainment reporters and personalities and the like, it’s part of their job to watch TV almost all the time. It might seem sarcastic in tone, but that’s hard work… seriously. I have so many hours of television backed up on DVR that it terrifies me to even think about sitting around all day watching it all. Okay, I’ll admit, a good maybe 50% of the disc space is Craig Ferguson and Conan, but still… that’s a lot of TV to get through. Congrats to Conan for his nod by the way. Team Coco FTW.
July 15, 2011
the emmy nominations of 2011
September 28, 2010
“no ordinary family” pilot review
Sorry, I couldn’t think of a snappy pun of a title for this post, and what’s worse is that I had a couple weeks to write it. I’m feeling pretty special that I was able to get an advanced screening before it’s actual premiere… like a profession critic! Woot!
abc.com
Anyway, I alerted people about No Ordinary Family a couple posts ago and I think most of us had heard about this show a few months ago as we were going through LOST withdrawal and looking for our next serial fix. (JJ Abrams fans still have Fringe to look forward to.) But I think ABC is looking for another show to keep that “Lost” audience. Another show No Ordinary Family is filling the void for is Heroes. Do I really need to explain why? Super powers!
And based on the commercials, I had a feeling what I was getting into. A bit predictable, but this show isn’t meant to be a mind puzzle, it’s just supposed to entertain. So I really don’t mind that it makes me think of Fantastic Four (doubly due to Chiklis), The Incredibles, and of course Heroes but with less characters. In my opinion, this is what will help NOF survive since it won’t have to worry about keeping track of about 20 different characters. Don’t get me wrong, I love that format, but there’s nothing wrong with keeping it simple. And to the point!
The show jumped right into the accident that caused their transformation. We, as the audience, had an inkling of what was happening to them but got to watch them discover it for themselves. Eventually, they pieced together the events from the crash and talked about it as a family, which, by the way, they had rarely done prior to the incident. They were shown to be a “dysfunctional” family that was too busy to actually be a family. No communication, always on the go, the son was at the low end of the intelligence pool, the daughter had regular teenage girl issues, the father was a depressed house husband, and the mother was always rushing but never on time. So, in a sense, it was a reflection of a typical modern family (this show would be perfect right after Modern Family, no?) in today’s busy-busy-busy society.
The father gets super strength, but he isn’t invincible. Oh, and he’s not Superman but maybe more like The Hulk without being green or angry. He also get’s a sidekick who provide test trials for him, and eventually a lair… with wifi. The contrast to his character is that before, he felt weak and insignificant. The mother gets super speed. She also has a friend who helps her test her limits. Her contrast is that prior to her powers, she was always rushing just in time to be late. But now, it seems, she has all the time in the world. What makes these parents with powers credible is their weaknesses. The father was shot and injured to near death. The mother must eat massive amounts of food and does get tired after so much running. But now with these powers, their esteem and even their boring marriage has been revived.
The children, in my opinion, have lesser powers but could prove handy when needed. Specifically the son who becomes a genius. Before, he was failing, behind in his class, needed special education due to learning disabilities. Then in class (a scene they saved closer to the end of the pilot after he was shown to be feeling left out) he takes a test that he masters after seeing the math problems magically make sense on the board. The daughter who is a typical teenage girl with boyfriend issues and gossiping girls discovers she is telepathic. Telepathy is always a win in the superhero world. Not necessarily a must like strength or speed, but definitely beneficial.
So this pilot, like any pilot, is used to set up our characters. It’s presented in a way that the
parents are talking to a therapist, which we don’t learn until the end. They are in couples therapy which seems to be going well for this first episode, so they kinda narrate some of story. Meanwhile, the father is engaged in tracking a bad guy and also learns he and his family aren’t the only ones with special powers. This baddie can teleport! Nice little twist there and a pretty good fight scene ensues.
Apparently there are more super powered baddies out there and we may get into some kind of The Incredibles-esque fun. I won’t be surprised if there is some cross promotion… Disney own Pixar and ABC… so why not? But this show seems like it can be a lot of fun for the whole family. I don’t think it’s quite the LOST replacement, but it’s a great show to tune into with the family. Now that I have DVR, it might not be the show I’ll watch live unless I’m already home and not busy. But it’s definitely a show I’ll follow and hopefully will last.
September 21, 2010
“the event” and other events last night
The Event is not this phone call.
Last night kicked off the beginning of premiere week for the new fall TV season. Technically, it started Sunday, but most were watching football or doing nothing at all. Many fan favorites returning from cliffhangers while some showed debuted for the first time ever, hoping to attract a brand new audience to their brand new show. I tuned into two brand new shows and one returning. How I Met Your Mother, The Event and Hawaii Five-O. The 30 minutes in between HIMYM and The Event I spent at Cartoon Network, in case anyone is wondering.
Just to get it out of the way, HIMYM was funny as usual. I may have to rewatch this episode due to missing a few things due to a badly timed nap and later a badly timed phone call. But apparently we are off to a good start.
I’m going to jump ahead and talk about Hawaii Five-O which I’ll admit I didn’t give my full attention to. For what it’s worth, it’s not a bad show and I’ll watch a few episodes due to my like of Daniel Dae Kim aka Jin from LOST and Scott Caan who I’m a fan of due to the Ocean’s movies. From what I saw, it wasn’t too bad. I wasn’t blown away, nor was I expecting to be. I never watched the original show, so I really didn’t know what to expect to be honest. But despite not fully paying attention or being thoroughly impressed, I’ll try out the show a few more times but I don’t see myself making any commitments to watch it. I even wonder if this show is a hit, I haven’t read too many reviews about it yet, but I know a lot of the Twitterverse followed the same route I did and tuned into this show after The Event. And like The Event, a good chunk of people liked it, while the others dismissed it.
And it’s The Event that I’ve been waiting to see and here to talk about. All the while, replaying the teasers and commercials we saw all summer long telling us what wasn’t “the event.” I was also convinced over the summer that “the event” wouldn’t be shown until possibly the second episode… unless that was deliberately misleading information. To which I say, good show sir. Even if it wasn’t the last five minutes of the show, or we won’t see it until the last episode, I’m interested.
But what everyone is and was talking about: is this our answer to the void left by LOST (and apparently 24 for those who watched that show)? Or is this possibly a show that will follow in FlashForward‘s footsteps and only be a one season show? I hope not, because like FlashForward, The Event has a five season plan that I hope they can follow through.
It’s no question LOST changed the game when it comes to best pilot ever for a serial drama. I think Heroes may have come close and kept it going with their stellar first season. But I hope The Event learns from past serial shows how to survive in this ADD entertainment world we live in. What is that exactly? As most shows do, they take a break in the winter. Where I think FlashForward failed is they took too long of a break, and fans forgot and/or lost interest by the time it came back on. I know I did. Plus a good handful of the writers/producers left the show, so there were signs something was wrong. The same happened with Heroes. I didn’t follow LOST until late in the game, but I like how they handled their last season, they only showed one rerun.
Story is also of crucial importance. And so far, there is more than enough going on in The Event that I don’t worry that will be its’ problem. It was and is continuing to be compared to LOST in many ways: airplanes, flashbacks, tropical areas, multiple character back stories. Oh yeah, and lots of mystery. All that’s missing is a couple polar bears and a smoke monster. Who are these prisoners? (I guessed aliens, like a bunch of other critics did too.) Where did this dude’s girlfriend go? What’s so special about these characters and who are they really? And by the way, for people like me, character development is what made LOST and even Heroes so great.
I wanted to keep this somewhat spoiler free so people still have the chance to watch the pilot for themselves. I’m pretty sure it’s not really a secret at this point, but the payoff was definitely worth the build-up of that hour watching these characters fight about this airplane and vacationing in paradise and dealing with government cover-ups.
So I don’t know about you, but I’m in. For the sake of having at least one serial drama to be committed to (since there aren’t any left unless you want to count Fringe), I ask that you check it out too. I’m interested in seeing where this is going and hoping this show becomes a hit so I can at least see a second season. But it’s so early in the game, who knows what’s in store? And in time, I think the LOST comparisons will start to fade as long as this show gets the chance to make a name for itself and NBC doesn’t do anything foolish. What’s also interesting, and probably what producers intended, it’s got people talking. If the ads didn’t get you, hearing your friends and family talk about it will. Or it might. Some have already signed off. Some are reluctant. I know this, and so do they. But I’m always up for a good story and I hope we get to see this one played out until it’s planned ending.
But we shall see. See you at The Event next Monday at 9PM, Indoobians!
And for the reviews I’ve read so far: CNN, EW’s Ken Tucker and Doc Jensen.
September 18, 2010
what i’ll watch this fall 2010
It’s time for fall, which means back to school, changing colors of the leaves, and bundling up your children (if applicable) before they go outside. It’s also time for TV show premieres! Some of them returning, some of them new, and some of them returning at a new time, which may or may not be a good thing depending on your schedule, what you are used to and if it conflicts with another show you watch, or if you don’t have DVR.
Allow me to say that I do not plan my life around television. As much as I love entertainment as a whole, I value more important things in my life than what’s on TV. Tennis ball collecting and cataloguing, for example. However, on occasion there are a few TV shows that have been deemed “appointment TV”, and I find myself rushing home or to the nearest television so I can get my fix. Those of you who were Losties like myself know exactly what I mean. And since one of the best shows on TV said goodbye a few months ago, we need to find a new show to make an appointment for. No worries. Rather than point to a show that has the possibility of failure (sorry about that FLASHFORWARD call), I will point to the shows that I’ll be checking out this season, whether they are new or returning. Check the schedule cheat sheet to follow along or map out your TV watching this fall. Sadly this doesn’t include cable shows.
Sundays, I rarely watch primetime TV. But my sources say that whatever you were watching will still be there. CSI: MIAMI is the only new show, so I’ll probably tune in for the first few minutes to watch Caruso delivery a corny line and put on his sunglasses.
Monday used to be the night for HEROES… which had a downward spiral since season 2. We won’t talk about that though. I’ve been a fan of CBS’s HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER for the past couple years but I’ve never really been home to watch it at 8. (Lately, I’ve been at Cartoon Network for a cartoon called ADVENTURE TIME, REGULAR SHOW and MAD, all starting at 8.) Also at the same time is CHUCK, which I keep hearing is an awesome show, but I can’t personally cosign on it yet. However, NBC has a new show that it has been teasing since late spring called THE EVENT starting at 9. I’ll be watching that to figure out what it is and if it’s a suitable LOST replacement. Speaking of 
LOST, Daniel Dae Kim will be starring in the reimaging of HAWAII FIVE-0 on CBS starting at 10. I never watched the original. ‘Twas before my time, and I wasn’t interested in TV Land reruns. But it features HEROES alum Masi Oka, so that could be fun. If it isn’t, hopefully I’ll own a Wii by then so I can have my own fun.
I’m excited about Tuesday because of a new show called NO ORDINARY FAMILY. Simple premise, an ordinary family gets superhuman powers. It reminds me of Fantastic Four (for more than one reason), HEROES and THE INCREDIBLES. It starts at 8 on ABC. I actually caught an advanced screening; this is a show I would follow. Unless there’s something on cable, I might take 30 minutes to work on my knitting until RUNNING WILDE comes on. I like Will Arnett and those who are fans of the cancelled-too-soon cult comedy ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT I hear won’t be disappointed. That’s on Fox at 9:30. At 10, I may watch the news or pull out my Crayolas and a coloring book.
I only had one important show to watch on Wednesdays: Emmy winning, hilarious hit comedy MODERN FAMILY. If you haven’t watched this show yet, please do so. Every episode in season one was a blast. That’s at 9 on ABC. I try to be home for this show. But let’s back up to 8pm because J.J. Abrams, one of the geniuses behind LOST, FRINGE, ALIAS, etc. is on NBC with a new show called UNDERCOVERS. I don’t care what it’s about, if Abrams is attached, I’m there. But rest assured you know I know what it’s about: married undercover agents. I was thinking of the movie MR. & MRS. SMITH, but this show might be better. Oh, and I ignored COURGAR TOWN for a while, but it’s not so bad. It’s on after Modern Family on ABC. I’m no longer desperately looking to change the channel.
However, Wednesdays at 10 have been reserved for USA network show PSYCH. They are going on hiatus until the winter, so I may check out THE WHOLE TRUTH. Apparently it’s a different kind of legal drama where you see both sides of the story, so we’ll see how that goes. Another new show at the same time is TERRIERS on FX. Just a warning, it’s more adult themed. I’d list shows like TRUE BLOOD and DEXTER but I don’t have HBO or Showtime. Sadness.
Thursday has two blocks of comedy starting at 8 on CBS and NBC. The shows I really want to see start at 8:30, though. The CBS show stars William Shatner called BLEEP MY DAD SAYS, the NBC show is a long time favorite of mine 30 ROCK. I have a feeling Tina Fey will probably win my heart. At least this season she isn’t competing with FRINGE at 9 on Fox. Fringe is must see TV for me. After that, I’m either on a trip to go mountain climbing or working in my laboratory.
Fridays have generally been known as the death slot for TV shows. Like a curse. I hope that isn’t the case for my new favorite cop show THE GOOD GUYS, on Fox at 9. I generally don’t plan on being home at all on a Friday. But if I’m not as some exclusive party in Manhattan or Hollywood, then I’ll at least watch that show if not picking up a movie.
I don’t really need to talk about Saturdays. No one is home anywhere in America to watch anything, and if they are, it’s DVR. And that hasn’t been lost on me: many people DVR everything, or catch it online the next day. So let’s make Saturdays official Catch-Up Days.
And just for fun, I’m going to guess which shows aren’t going to make it to see season 2, or even a season finale. I have no real evidence or inkling these shows won’t make it, these are just the shows I’m least interested in watching at the moment and know the least about. And I have nothing against the CW, it’s just a channel I never paid attention to. I also have very little use for most reality TV. I could be wrong with the following shows, but they are only guesses based on my opinion and without having watched anything yet.
MIKE & MOLLY (I just don’t think it’ll last)
THE DEFENDERS, OUTLAW (No reason, just a guess)
OUTSOURCED (I have my doubts…)
DETROIT 1-8-7, BLUE BLOODS (There are so many cop shows, at least one isn’t going to make it, plus one of them is on a Friday)
RAISING HOPE, BETTER TOGETHER (These don’t look funny from the commercials, but that’s judging books by their covers)
August 8, 2010
2010 emmy picks – drama
emmys.com
I snatched the following list from Entertainment Weekly because I wasn’t going to type out every single name and show when copy/paste works so much better. Anyway, since I can’t guess the Emmys as well as I can the Oscars, I’m just going to pick who I’d like to win, my pick will be bold. I may give a few comments to those I think may win… or just comments in general. However, there are a few categories I know nothing about due to shows I don’t watch. Lastly, since there are 20 categories, I’m splitting these posts. Thank me later.
*And just like any award show, there are what we call “snubs” meaning, shows or actors we, the audience, felts have been left out. I’ll include any that I personally felt have been overlooked or left out for at least a nomination.
To also save some time, I have some acronyms I’ll use
I hear good things and hope to check out someday – HGT
Fond farewell, schedule last season, nice goodbye gift – FF
DRAMA
OUTSTANDING DRAMA
Lost - C’mon… what did you think I would pick? FF
Breaking Bad - HGT
Dexter - I love Dexter, but I haven’t seen this past season yet
Mad Men – HGT
True Blood – I’ve only scene the first season, but I know it’s insanely popular
The Good Wife - I know it’s a hit, but I don’t have an interest in seeing this
OUTSTANDING ACTRESS IN A DRAMA
Julianna Margulies (The Good Wife)
Mariska Hargitay (Special Victims Unit)
Glenn Close (Damages)
Kyra Sedgwick (The Closer)
January Jones (Mad Men)
Connie Britton (Friday Night Lights)
OUTSTANDING ACTOR IN A DRAMA
Jon Hamm (Mad Men)
Kyle Chandler (Friday Night Lights)
Bryan Cranston (Breaking Bad)
Hugh Laurie (House M.D.)
Michael C. Hall (Dexter) - Cancer survivor points even if he doesn’t win
Matthew Fox (Lost)- Not only is this an FF, but well deserved for a challenging last season for his character
*John Noble (Fringe) – I don’t know if he’s considered a star or co-star, but his work this past season… wow.
OUTSTANDING SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A DRAMA
John Slattery (Mad Men)
Aaron Paul (Breaking Bad)
Martin Short (Damages)
Terry O’ Quinn (Lost) - Its the Globes you can have a tie, right? But seriously, this dude kinda played about 3 characters. FF
Michael Emerson (Lost) - I can’t find words to describe him… “No one else will have me…” FF
Andre Braugher (Men of a Certain Age)
OUTSTANDING SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A DRAMA
Sharon Gless (Burn Notice)
Christine Baranski (The Good Wife)
Christina Hendricks (Mad Men)
Rose Byrne (Damages)
Archie Panjabi (The Good Wife)
Elisabeth Moss (Mad Men)
OUTSTANDING GUEST ACTOR IN A DRAMA SERIES
Beau Bridges (The Closer)
Ted Danson (Damages)
John Lithgow (Dexter) – Again, I haven’t seen it, but I know he rocked this role.
Alan Cumming ( The Good Wife)
Dylan Baker (The Good Wife
Robert Morse (Mad Men)
Gregory Itzin (24)
OUTSTANDING GUEST ACTRESS IN A DRAMA SERIES
Mary Kay Place (Big Love)
Sissy Spacek (Big Love)
Shirley Jones (The Cleaner)
Lily Tomlin (Damages)
Ann-Margret (Law & Order: Special Victims Unit)
Elizabeth Mitchell (Lost) – I think she made everyone cry in the premiere, and again in the finale. Might I add the moment she appeared and the world collectively cheered, and then collectively felt the chills as she repeated those mysterious words at the vending machine. FF
Stay logged in for my comedy picks…
May 20, 2010
my (possible) 2010 fall schedule
The 2010 TV Fall schedules are out for the big networks. Here’s my Schedule. (Opens a PDF file.) One of many notes: I don’t watch that much TV. So this is tentative.
I didn’t make a key, but the light blue is what I already watch and will probably/possibly return to watching. The light green are new shows I plan to watch or at least check out. All of this is subject to change… so I’ll let you know in September/October how much I actually stuck to this plan.
As for details on the shows… I’ll get back to you later on that. I have a few months to figure it out. Plus I have yet to figure cable shows. And, of course, I might not be home to be a couch potato. In the meantime, I’ll be seeing what could fill my void since LOST is over. I might need more than one show… we’ll see.
May 4, 2009
what to do during no new tv show blues
It’s season finale season. The time of year when a lot of top favorite shows like to leave you at a wedding/death/twist cliff hanger to ensure your interest in the show so you’ll return in the fall. Or hope they return in the fall. Yeah, sometimes the powers that be will keep you from knowing secrets that may or may not ever be known unless they come out with a companion book, unaired episode or special feature DVD or movie version a year or so later if the viewership isn’t large enough to keep the show on the air. Some Arrested Development fans still aren’t forgiving FOX.
Today, NBC announced what shows they will or will not bring back for the fall, as well as some new shows line up. Meanwhile, EW resident gossip guru on all things TV has some scoop on the possibilities on TV shows’ fates.
The big news everyone is waiting to hear about is what’s going to happen to Chuck. Unfortunately, at this time, that’s a show I’m not onboard with. To date, I haven’t seen a single episode. So I can’t be on either side of the fence, but I can tell you what: I’ll DVD and Hulu to catch up to see what all the hoopla is all about.
That’s what the summer is for in TV land. TV networks know this, and they usually air reruns, special news fillers or a brand new TV show that didn’t quite make the cut to be in the fall season’s lineup. But hey, at least they are on TV, right? Chances are, they won’t be back next year (not always true).
For me, this is when I would catch up on shows I’m usually not home to see. My dearest sister and her husband would constantly contend that I lack the benefit of DVR. I’ll possibly have that in August. In the meantime, I’ll take Hulu and other shows streamed online. Plus that’s free.
This year, the TV shows I plan on doing some catching up on: How I Met Your Mother, Curb Your Enthusiasm, Dexter (season 3, whenever it’s released), Lost (seasons 4 and 5), Extras, Weeds, and Chuck. Not sure what else, but we’ll see as time goes by. And this is also considering I’m actually home or in front of a TV to watch these shows. Because it’s summertime. That’s another big reason TV show’s end around May: people start going outside. So make sure you get some sun, some rain (be careful if there is lightning, watch it from inside), and even some moon and starlit skies. But when you are done being burnt or attacked by bugs, the TV will be waiting for you.
