Less than a week
Since my last post. Maybe we're picking up a bit of steam, here.
So, I think pretty much everything of interest has premiered now, so how about we put on London Calling and do a day-by-day rundown? Yes. Yes, I think that's what we'll do.
Sunday: The choice between cartoons and football is one no man should have to make. Fortunately it's not a choice I'm confronted with for the month of October, while FOX takes a break from its normal programming to air the MLB playoffs. Generally, however, I watch the cartoons and flick back to football at the commercials. I was a bit underwhelmed by the first few episodes of Simpsons, Family Guy, and American Dad, but they all had their moments.
Monday:
Heroes - they made some questionable stylistic decisions in the pilot (the opening "crawl" really bugged me for some reason - I think static text would've worked better), and some of the characters' stories are more interesting than others, not to mention the shit that makes absolutely no sense whatsoever, such as the Indian professor never having read Origin of the Species, but generally I think this could work. Plus, I <3 Greg Grunberg.
Studio 60 - I don't know. It's good enough, I suppose, but I can't help but get the sense that Sorkin's arrogance and didacticism is really overwhelming the scripts at certain points, not to mention the fact that Sorkin appears to vastly overestimate the importance of the behind-the-scenes wrangling to the general public (though I suppose that ties into the arrogance aspect). In any event, it might be wise not to get too attached to this one.
Tuesday:
Gilmore Girls - crash and burn. The trademark wit of the previous seasons is pretty much gone. They're just going through the motions at this point. Time to pull the plug.
Friday Night Lights - beyond excellent, even though the football game itself was a bit predictable. Unfortunately, I'm going to try not to get too invested in this one, too.
Standoff - adequate and fun. Have loved Ron Livingston since Office Space (I'm one of the few who saw it in its original theatrical release, as opposed to the 4,304,157 times it's aired on Comedy Central since). A procedural that doesn't take itself too seriously (*cough* L&O). Again, gone for October, but it probably won't last.
Veronica Mars - Despite the occasional plotting problem, there are few shows on TV that are better. Witty dialogue + Kristen Bell's charisma = total winner. Seriously, I totally want to have 10,000 of Kristen Bell's babies.
Wednesday:
Lost/The Nine - Fuck me, that's two hours of fantastic TV. I know debates are raging as to whether Lost has "lost its way" - I'm still totally engaged (though not to the same level as those who pour over every frame for clues to unlock the mystery). The pilot of The Nine was incredibly engrossing - similar enough to Lost to make it a good companion series, but different enough so that it doesn't feel like a carbon copy (besides the obvious departure in terms of setting, the main difference is that the main characters know what happened, while we're kept in the dark - on Lost, we find things out as the characters do). Plus, I've had a huge crush on Kim Raver since she came on 24 a couple of seasons ago.
Thursday:
The Office - it's been somewhat uneven so far this season - it feels like everyone's overacting a bit. Still, it's had its moments, and the scripts have lost little of their trademark deadpan wit. And Jim sending the "gaydar" to Dwight had me in tears.
Grey's Anatomy - solid straight through. Robbed at the Emmys.
Friday:
Battlestar Galactica - they were a bit heavy-handed with the Iraq war/insurgency parallels, but this show is still tough to beat quality-wise. Give Katee Sackhoff an Emmy right fucking now, please. It's a shame more people aren't watching this - the general concensus is that their tiny little brains can't get past the name.
Saturday:
Who gives a fuck?
Already DOA, as far as I'm concerned: Vanished, Six Degrees, and Justice. Justice was okay, I guess, but seemed constrained by its formula. Six Degrees lost me in the first half-hour. Another show about how magical NYC is? Fuck that, I say. New York is a goddamn toilet. Vanished was a big yawn. Didn't really care about any of the characters, and it would appear that a lot of people agree with my earlier assessment that it's a 24/Da Vinci code mash-up.
So there's your fall TV. If I haven't mentioned it, I haven't watched it, which is to say it's not worth watching. That's right, Project Runway fans, I said it. Come get me! :-P
I feel like I've been watching too much TV - now that I look at all of this, I know I have been. I hate the idea of hoping that some of these will get cancelled (even the ones that are utter shit), but it will really take some pressure off.
Okay, more later.
So, I think pretty much everything of interest has premiered now, so how about we put on London Calling and do a day-by-day rundown? Yes. Yes, I think that's what we'll do.
Sunday: The choice between cartoons and football is one no man should have to make. Fortunately it's not a choice I'm confronted with for the month of October, while FOX takes a break from its normal programming to air the MLB playoffs. Generally, however, I watch the cartoons and flick back to football at the commercials. I was a bit underwhelmed by the first few episodes of Simpsons, Family Guy, and American Dad, but they all had their moments.
Monday:
Heroes - they made some questionable stylistic decisions in the pilot (the opening "crawl" really bugged me for some reason - I think static text would've worked better), and some of the characters' stories are more interesting than others, not to mention the shit that makes absolutely no sense whatsoever, such as the Indian professor never having read Origin of the Species, but generally I think this could work. Plus, I <3 Greg Grunberg.
Studio 60 - I don't know. It's good enough, I suppose, but I can't help but get the sense that Sorkin's arrogance and didacticism is really overwhelming the scripts at certain points, not to mention the fact that Sorkin appears to vastly overestimate the importance of the behind-the-scenes wrangling to the general public (though I suppose that ties into the arrogance aspect). In any event, it might be wise not to get too attached to this one.
Tuesday:
Gilmore Girls - crash and burn. The trademark wit of the previous seasons is pretty much gone. They're just going through the motions at this point. Time to pull the plug.
Friday Night Lights - beyond excellent, even though the football game itself was a bit predictable. Unfortunately, I'm going to try not to get too invested in this one, too.
Standoff - adequate and fun. Have loved Ron Livingston since Office Space (I'm one of the few who saw it in its original theatrical release, as opposed to the 4,304,157 times it's aired on Comedy Central since). A procedural that doesn't take itself too seriously (*cough* L&O). Again, gone for October, but it probably won't last.
Veronica Mars - Despite the occasional plotting problem, there are few shows on TV that are better. Witty dialogue + Kristen Bell's charisma = total winner. Seriously, I totally want to have 10,000 of Kristen Bell's babies.
Wednesday:
Lost/The Nine - Fuck me, that's two hours of fantastic TV. I know debates are raging as to whether Lost has "lost its way" - I'm still totally engaged (though not to the same level as those who pour over every frame for clues to unlock the mystery). The pilot of The Nine was incredibly engrossing - similar enough to Lost to make it a good companion series, but different enough so that it doesn't feel like a carbon copy (besides the obvious departure in terms of setting, the main difference is that the main characters know what happened, while we're kept in the dark - on Lost, we find things out as the characters do). Plus, I've had a huge crush on Kim Raver since she came on 24 a couple of seasons ago.
Thursday:
The Office - it's been somewhat uneven so far this season - it feels like everyone's overacting a bit. Still, it's had its moments, and the scripts have lost little of their trademark deadpan wit. And Jim sending the "gaydar" to Dwight had me in tears.
Grey's Anatomy - solid straight through. Robbed at the Emmys.
Friday:
Battlestar Galactica - they were a bit heavy-handed with the Iraq war/insurgency parallels, but this show is still tough to beat quality-wise. Give Katee Sackhoff an Emmy right fucking now, please. It's a shame more people aren't watching this - the general concensus is that their tiny little brains can't get past the name.
Saturday:
Who gives a fuck?
Already DOA, as far as I'm concerned: Vanished, Six Degrees, and Justice. Justice was okay, I guess, but seemed constrained by its formula. Six Degrees lost me in the first half-hour. Another show about how magical NYC is? Fuck that, I say. New York is a goddamn toilet. Vanished was a big yawn. Didn't really care about any of the characters, and it would appear that a lot of people agree with my earlier assessment that it's a 24/Da Vinci code mash-up.
So there's your fall TV. If I haven't mentioned it, I haven't watched it, which is to say it's not worth watching. That's right, Project Runway fans, I said it. Come get me! :-P
I feel like I've been watching too much TV - now that I look at all of this, I know I have been. I hate the idea of hoping that some of these will get cancelled (even the ones that are utter shit), but it will really take some pressure off.
Okay, more later.
posted by the breakfast ninja at 6:28 PM
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