Disclaimer: I am not caught up on Mad Men, so it will not be on the list.
10. Modern Family- I won't argue that it didn't deserve its Emmy (though I will argue there were several shows that deserved it more), but I do find this show to be a tad overrated. Not Glee overrated, but overrated nontheless. It is a very funny show with a very good and likeable cast, but it has many weaknesses it needs to overcome. Modern Family has shown what it can do when it's firing on all cylinders ("Manny Get Your Gun", "Starry Night") but oftentimes it falls into the traps of exploiting a character's most annoying character trait only when it is required for a plot. This makes the characters inconsistent. One week, Phil might be your favorite character. The next week, you despise him. But it has shown the family comedy does not have to be what it was in the 90s and is still good for at least a couple laughs each week.
9. 30 Rock- 30 Rock is in the middle of one of the biggest comebacks I've ever seen. It struggled through most of its fourth season, failing to produce interesting plots and doing anything to get a joke in- even if it wasn't funny. But the quality suddenly ramped upwards towards the end of the fourth season, and the current season is just below where the show was at its peak. It's still smart, it's still funny, and it's still irrelevant.
8. Chuck- Chuck is a fun show. It's not a serious drama and it's not an all- out comedy. It falls in the middle. The show has suffered this year from obvious budget cuts (although this has become less of a problem in the fourth season) and the first half of the third season was rushed and messy (seriously, did anybody at all buy Sarah and Shaw together?). But one Shaw became a villain, the show quickly returned to its loveable self, once again showing why so many people fight to save it each May and why people do stupid stuff like this.
7. Futurama- Seven years after being canceled by FOX, Futurama returned to the television show format on Comedy Central this year. After a bumpy start, it showed that it hasn't missed a beat. Still the best animated show on television.
6. Parks and Recreation- After a mediocre first season, Parks and Recreation returned to a season that slowly built up quality each week to the point where it became one of the funniest shows on air and infinitely more entertaining than its Office counterpart. The ensemble is fantastic and have great chemistry, the writers understand the characters and use them to their full potential, and the setting just works. And who could forget Ron Effing Swanson? (Or DJ Roomba?)
5. Fringe- Up until the second half of its second season, Fringe was the most inconsistent show of television (well, besides Dollhouse). One thing was noticeable, however: the mythology episodes were always the strongest. So when the show finally did what so many other shows like Burn Notice need to do and embraced the mythology, the show became one of the most consistently awesome shows on television. And how can you go wrong with alternate universes?
4. Lost- Possibly the most controversial season of television in history. It depended what you ended up caring more about: the mythology or the characters. If it was the latter, you could all the closure you could possibly want. And I was definitely the latter. There comes a point where you realize that the mystery is part of Lost and it should stay that way. No answers could possibly not be lame with all the buildup surrounding everything. In the end, Lost delivered an emotionally moving, exciting, and all- around great final season.
3. Terriers- Terriers is pretty much Veronica Mars if the main character in Veronica Mars was actually two people who were both middle- aged former drug addicts. Terriers was great. The leads had insane amounts of chemistry, the plot lines were never dull, and the acting and writing were top notch. Funny, interesting, and gripping, it was by far the best new show of 2010. So, of course, it's been canceled.
2. Breaking Bad- What a season. A perfect example of getting payoff, the first six episodes of the season slowly built up the cousins, the cancer Walt has become to everyone in his life, and the broken partnership between Walt and Jesse. For anyone who complained about these episodes being boring will say thatthe sixth episode was worth it. And the season stayed at a high quality for the remainder of its run.
And the number one television show of 2010.....
1. Community- The most original, charming, funny, entertaining, and schizophrenic show on television. There's not much to say besides it's fantastic. It's got the best ensemble on tv, the best writing, the most unique and fantastic style of humor, characters, and the most insanity. It goes from zombie apocalypse to character study in one week and the crazy thing is, it all works.
Sunday, December 19, 2010
Saturday, December 18, 2010
The Best Episodes of 2010
We have reached the end of the year. Thus, it is time for the obligatory retrospective lists. The rules for best episode: Had to be a particularly noteworthy episode of television that aired this year (hopefully that's obvious) and no more than one episode from any given show will be on the list (although some shows will have honorable mentions, indicated in parenthesis). And DISCLAIMER: I am not caught up on Mad Men. I'm still on the first season. Don't expect it to be on the list. And now, in no particular order....
Breaking Bad: "One Minute" (Honorable Mentions: "Half Measures" and "Fly")
Chuck: "Chuck vs the Subway"
The Walking Dead: "Pilot"
Lost: "The End" (Honorable Mention: "Ab Aeterno")
Futurama: "The Late Phillip J. Fry"
The Office: "Classy Christmas"
Childrens Hospital: "Middle of the End"
Fringe: "Peter" (Honorable Mention: "Entrada")
30 Rock: "When it Rains, it Pours"
Modern Family: "Manny Get Your Gun"
Community: "Epidemiology" (Honorable Mentions: "Mixology Certification" and "Modern Warfare")
Terriers: "Change Partners"
Breaking Bad: "One Minute" (Honorable Mentions: "Half Measures" and "Fly")
Chuck: "Chuck vs the Subway"
The Walking Dead: "Pilot"
Lost: "The End" (Honorable Mention: "Ab Aeterno")
Futurama: "The Late Phillip J. Fry"
The Office: "Classy Christmas"
Childrens Hospital: "Middle of the End"
Fringe: "Peter" (Honorable Mention: "Entrada")
30 Rock: "When it Rains, it Pours"
Modern Family: "Manny Get Your Gun"
Community: "Epidemiology" (Honorable Mentions: "Mixology Certification" and "Modern Warfare")
Terriers: "Change Partners"
Score Roundup
The networks are winding down until mid- January, so not a lot to review this week.
How I Met Your Mother: "False Positive"- Best episode of the show in quite some time. Worked on every level. I particularly liked the use of Ted towards the end. In a way, he was yelling things the audience were yelling at the characters last season. He was tired of Robin easily being swayed in any which way someone felt like it, Marshall and Lily always changing their mind about the baby, and Barney...well, just being himself. It looks like the show is setting Ted up at several weddings to be the best man, leaving us to wonder which one is THE wedding. If we want it to happen this season, it'll most likely be Punchy's unless Robin hooks up with someone really, really fast. 9.4/10
Burn Notice: "Out of the Fire" and "Last Stand (Season Finale)"- Most of the time, Burn Notice's story arcs are just dumb. They advance slowly in the beginning and end of each episode and drag the same idea out for way longer than they need to. The one time the arcs seem to shine are the finales. And this arc shined all the way to the end. Although they were both very strong, the first half was better. Not only did it bring back Brennan AND Larry, it also made the list arc a lot more interesting. What was most interesting about the second part was that it seemed to bring a close to the main arc of the show thus far and preparing for something new. Obviously, Micheal's not going to remain a spy (how will the opening credits go? "My name is Michael Westen. I used to be a spy, then I was again, but now I'm not"). But the death of the charger and all the 'last stand' business and the defeat on Vaughn certainly seem to be pointing the show towards something else.
Just one little gripe though: when Michael and Larry are breaking in to use the computer with a method they did on an old mission, how did they pull that off in 1994 when it required cell phones?
How I Met Your Mother: "False Positive"- Best episode of the show in quite some time. Worked on every level. I particularly liked the use of Ted towards the end. In a way, he was yelling things the audience were yelling at the characters last season. He was tired of Robin easily being swayed in any which way someone felt like it, Marshall and Lily always changing their mind about the baby, and Barney...well, just being himself. It looks like the show is setting Ted up at several weddings to be the best man, leaving us to wonder which one is THE wedding. If we want it to happen this season, it'll most likely be Punchy's unless Robin hooks up with someone really, really fast. 9.4/10
Burn Notice: "Out of the Fire" and "Last Stand (Season Finale)"- Most of the time, Burn Notice's story arcs are just dumb. They advance slowly in the beginning and end of each episode and drag the same idea out for way longer than they need to. The one time the arcs seem to shine are the finales. And this arc shined all the way to the end. Although they were both very strong, the first half was better. Not only did it bring back Brennan AND Larry, it also made the list arc a lot more interesting. What was most interesting about the second part was that it seemed to bring a close to the main arc of the show thus far and preparing for something new. Obviously, Micheal's not going to remain a spy (how will the opening credits go? "My name is Michael Westen. I used to be a spy, then I was again, but now I'm not"). But the death of the charger and all the 'last stand' business and the defeat on Vaughn certainly seem to be pointing the show towards something else.
Just one little gripe though: when Michael and Larry are breaking in to use the computer with a method they did on an old mission, how did they pull that off in 1994 when it required cell phones?
Sunday, December 12, 2010
Just Like Real Like, Part 2
Remember when I listed some of the worst reality shows ever? I didn't realize how twisted some people are...
The Will- A rich guy makes his wife and children compete in the typical reality show humiliating games to earn a spot in his will. What a great way to write your will while simultaneously saying "Hey, I'm a giant tool!".
Who's You Daddy?- Exactly what the horrible, horrible title implies. Someone who was adopted meets three men and has to guess which one is her biological father. If she guesses right, she gets 100,000 dollars. If she guesses wrong, the person she guessed as her father gets the 100,000 dollars. Don't worry, they still told them who their father was even if they guessed wrong. I mean, they're not THAT heartless...
The Will- A rich guy makes his wife and children compete in the typical reality show humiliating games to earn a spot in his will. What a great way to write your will while simultaneously saying "Hey, I'm a giant tool!".
Who's You Daddy?- Exactly what the horrible, horrible title implies. Someone who was adopted meets three men and has to guess which one is her biological father. If she guesses right, she gets 100,000 dollars. If she guesses wrong, the person she guessed as her father gets the 100,000 dollars. Don't worry, they still told them who their father was even if they guessed wrong. I mean, they're not THAT heartless...
Score Roundup
The Walking Dead: "TS-19 (Season Finale)"- Enjoyable, but felt like a weird way to end the season. Now we have to wait a year to find out what CDC guy whispered into Rick's ear (is somebody pregnant?), but other than that, it just felt like a normal episode. I rolled my eyes at the typical "Oh my god, we haven't taken a shower in so long, look how much we're enjoying it!" scene. And nobody even remembers the name of the girl they killed. 7.8/10
How I Met Your Mother: "The Mermaid Theory"- Had a great deal of potential. In concept, everything was good but in execution, it's hard to explain but it just felt messy. And it feels kind of cheap to pull a 'goat' on us again, especially when it's as hard to see why I would care so much as it was the first time. And didn't Marshall and Robin hang out in "Little Minnesota"? The writers seemed to just ignore that. 7.0/10
Raising Hope: "Toy Story"- Most enjoyable episode of the show yet. Plot lines tied together in an amusing fashion and the manager's creepy toy obsession was hard not to keep giggling at. 8.8/10
Modern Family: "Dance Dance Revelation"- Modern Family suffers too much from bringing out very obnoxious aspects of their characters. One character might be my favorite one week and then I despise them the next. In this episode, Claire's obnoxious characteristics were brought out so much to the point where I wanted Danny Trejo to turn into his character from Machete and finish her. 7.4/10
Cougar Town: "The Same Old You"- It started watching Cougar Town (took me so long because of its ridiculously horrible name that now gets mocked in every opening credits sequence of the show) and it's the very definition of "goofy fun". Even goofier than Scrubs. 8.6/10
Community: "Abed's Uncontrollable Christmas"- Community is amazing. Every week, it's something almost entirely different and every week, it's awesome. This particular episode delved into the world of stop- motion Christmas specials. This episode further explores the character of Abed, a character that on almost any other show would not get this type of exploration and just be there as 'pop culture guy'. I really like the fact that the rest of the group were actually concerned about Abed's mental health when he announced he was seeing the world in stop- motions, sans Jeff's initial "I vote we just let it go." The animation was beautiful, my only complaint is that Jeff looked nothing like Jeff. The short musical numbers further fuel my desires for a musical episode (Shirley and Annie have some pipes!). And there were several great heartwarming moments throughout. Pierce on the train with Abed, Professor Duncan's (this episode was a great use of his character and a nice showcase for John Oliver) recollections, and at the very end, when the TV the group is watching turns off, you can see a reflection of all the live- action cast members. Little touches like that just make this show so enjoyable. That being said, the stop- motion did not allow the typical faces the cast makes that add to the humor, but I'm willing to overlook it because there wasn't really anything they could do about and everything else was so fantastic. It wasn't the funniest episode of Community, but it was definitely the most engaging. 9.8/10
30 Rock: "Christmas Attack Zone"- Not the best episode, but very, very funny. I enjoyed the return of Alan Alda. I always thought it was weird how the ended season 3 with an arc about him that didn't really end and then just never addressed it ever again. 8.3/10
Fringe: "Marionette"- I don't know why they didn't just end the season with last week's episode that closed that arc, but this episode kept us Fringe's now- 9 episode streak of awesomeness. This episode was particularly creepy but I liked the way the case tied into the main storyline. "I don't know what I brought back, but I know it wasn't her." 9.2/10
The Good Guys: "Partners (Season, probably series, Finale)"- Good way to end, I suppose. We meet Jack's old partner (how obvious was it he was involved in something from the second you saw him?), Dan's partner returns, and Dan finally goes to the CSI lab. For a gunfight. I particularly enjoyed the scene where Dan and Savage are sitting in the theater for the screening of 'Savage and Stark' and realizing that everybody thinks the movie is a comedy. It was also awesome when they reprised the scene from the movie later on to save Dan. The last scene was a great note for the show to go out on as well. 8.9/10
How I Met Your Mother: "The Mermaid Theory"- Had a great deal of potential. In concept, everything was good but in execution, it's hard to explain but it just felt messy. And it feels kind of cheap to pull a 'goat' on us again, especially when it's as hard to see why I would care so much as it was the first time. And didn't Marshall and Robin hang out in "Little Minnesota"? The writers seemed to just ignore that. 7.0/10
Raising Hope: "Toy Story"- Most enjoyable episode of the show yet. Plot lines tied together in an amusing fashion and the manager's creepy toy obsession was hard not to keep giggling at. 8.8/10
Modern Family: "Dance Dance Revelation"- Modern Family suffers too much from bringing out very obnoxious aspects of their characters. One character might be my favorite one week and then I despise them the next. In this episode, Claire's obnoxious characteristics were brought out so much to the point where I wanted Danny Trejo to turn into his character from Machete and finish her. 7.4/10
Cougar Town: "The Same Old You"- It started watching Cougar Town (took me so long because of its ridiculously horrible name that now gets mocked in every opening credits sequence of the show) and it's the very definition of "goofy fun". Even goofier than Scrubs. 8.6/10
Community: "Abed's Uncontrollable Christmas"- Community is amazing. Every week, it's something almost entirely different and every week, it's awesome. This particular episode delved into the world of stop- motion Christmas specials. This episode further explores the character of Abed, a character that on almost any other show would not get this type of exploration and just be there as 'pop culture guy'. I really like the fact that the rest of the group were actually concerned about Abed's mental health when he announced he was seeing the world in stop- motions, sans Jeff's initial "I vote we just let it go." The animation was beautiful, my only complaint is that Jeff looked nothing like Jeff. The short musical numbers further fuel my desires for a musical episode (Shirley and Annie have some pipes!). And there were several great heartwarming moments throughout. Pierce on the train with Abed, Professor Duncan's (this episode was a great use of his character and a nice showcase for John Oliver) recollections, and at the very end, when the TV the group is watching turns off, you can see a reflection of all the live- action cast members. Little touches like that just make this show so enjoyable. That being said, the stop- motion did not allow the typical faces the cast makes that add to the humor, but I'm willing to overlook it because there wasn't really anything they could do about and everything else was so fantastic. It wasn't the funniest episode of Community, but it was definitely the most engaging. 9.8/10
30 Rock: "Christmas Attack Zone"- Not the best episode, but very, very funny. I enjoyed the return of Alan Alda. I always thought it was weird how the ended season 3 with an arc about him that didn't really end and then just never addressed it ever again. 8.3/10
Fringe: "Marionette"- I don't know why they didn't just end the season with last week's episode that closed that arc, but this episode kept us Fringe's now- 9 episode streak of awesomeness. This episode was particularly creepy but I liked the way the case tied into the main storyline. "I don't know what I brought back, but I know it wasn't her." 9.2/10
The Good Guys: "Partners (Season, probably series, Finale)"- Good way to end, I suppose. We meet Jack's old partner (how obvious was it he was involved in something from the second you saw him?), Dan's partner returns, and Dan finally goes to the CSI lab. For a gunfight. I particularly enjoyed the scene where Dan and Savage are sitting in the theater for the screening of 'Savage and Stark' and realizing that everybody thinks the movie is a comedy. It was also awesome when they reprised the scene from the movie later on to save Dan. The last scene was a great note for the show to go out on as well. 8.9/10
Wednesday, December 8, 2010
Just Like Real Life
Suprisingly, ABC struck out big time with Skating With The Stars (if only there was some example a couple of years ago that could've warned them people don't want to watch Skating With Celebrities) which proved that maybe the general television viewer isn't as stupid as we (well, basically I) give them credit for. Inspired by this failure and my sister's blog, where she talks about stupid stuff people do, I'd like to take a moment to discuss the worst reality shows of all time.
My Super Sweet 16- I'm going to try to limit the amout of shows on this list that come from MTV, but I may not have that degree of self- restraint. On My Super Sweet 16, you got to watch a bunch of spoiled brats plan a ludicrously expensive party for their titular birthday. As you sit there and think 'Wow, I wish I could've spent that much money on my 16th birthday", you get to watch them bitch about that bitch Jessica being invited and their parents got them the wrong color Corvette! Them and their third world problems...
Any 'Celebrity' Show- I don't know why anybody watched these shows. I don't know who's flipping through channels and thinking 'You know, I wonder what Denise Richards is up to these days!"
The Littlest Groom- The show that perhaps began reality television's blatant explotations of short people, The Littlest Groom was pretty much The Bachelor with a midget. The show had a very short (see what I did there?) run of 2 episodes.
Hole in the Wall- A show where people jumped through holes in a wall. I don't know who thought this would be entertaining for more than five seconds, but after one season, it left a hole in Fox's schedule (two in a row!).
Wipeout- This show lives on because we, united as one world, enjoy watching people injure themselves on giant manufactured obstacle courses. And it's beyond obvious the show only exists for that reason, as each season the obstacles become less about 'How quick can you do this?' and more about 'How much will your hospital bill be?". If the tradition keeps us, my game show 'Mow the Lawn in a Minefield' is sure to be a big hit!
Moment of Truth- A televised lie detector test. The concept of this show, aside from its cruelty (which again, as a world, we love to watch) was also incrediby stupid. If you lied, you'd be exposed anyways. If you just told the truth, you'd still be exposed but you'd have a crapload of money. Nontheless, after likely several suicides, disownings, and divorces, FOX canceled the show.
Who Wants to Marry a Multi- Millionaire?- Apparently, some network executive at FOX just said to himself one day 'Let's see how close we can get to making a reality competition about prostitution?' And thus, Who Wants to Marry a Multi- Millionaire was born. Now, the basic concept itself wasn't too terrible, aside from the obvious gold-digging: several women competed for the love of a rich guy. But here's the thing: THEY NEVER GOT TO SEE HIS FACE!! Which not only limited the intentions of one side to purely money, but also limited the other side to 'Which of these girls do I wanna bang for the rest of my life?' At the end, the couple got married on live TV. However, it was subsequently anulled ON THEIR HONEYMOON! Turns out this guy wasn't as rich as he said and the 'lucky winner' discovered several restraining orders previous girlfriends had ordered against him.
My Super Sweet 16- I'm going to try to limit the amout of shows on this list that come from MTV, but I may not have that degree of self- restraint. On My Super Sweet 16, you got to watch a bunch of spoiled brats plan a ludicrously expensive party for their titular birthday. As you sit there and think 'Wow, I wish I could've spent that much money on my 16th birthday", you get to watch them bitch about that bitch Jessica being invited and their parents got them the wrong color Corvette! Them and their third world problems...
Any 'Celebrity' Show- I don't know why anybody watched these shows. I don't know who's flipping through channels and thinking 'You know, I wonder what Denise Richards is up to these days!"
The Littlest Groom- The show that perhaps began reality television's blatant explotations of short people, The Littlest Groom was pretty much The Bachelor with a midget. The show had a very short (see what I did there?) run of 2 episodes.
Wipeout- This show lives on because we, united as one world, enjoy watching people injure themselves on giant manufactured obstacle courses. And it's beyond obvious the show only exists for that reason, as each season the obstacles become less about 'How quick can you do this?' and more about 'How much will your hospital bill be?". If the tradition keeps us, my game show 'Mow the Lawn in a Minefield' is sure to be a big hit!
Moment of Truth- A televised lie detector test. The concept of this show, aside from its cruelty (which again, as a world, we love to watch) was also incrediby stupid. If you lied, you'd be exposed anyways. If you just told the truth, you'd still be exposed but you'd have a crapload of money. Nontheless, after likely several suicides, disownings, and divorces, FOX canceled the show.
Who Wants to Marry a Multi- Millionaire?- Apparently, some network executive at FOX just said to himself one day 'Let's see how close we can get to making a reality competition about prostitution?' And thus, Who Wants to Marry a Multi- Millionaire was born. Now, the basic concept itself wasn't too terrible, aside from the obvious gold-digging: several women competed for the love of a rich guy. But here's the thing: THEY NEVER GOT TO SEE HIS FACE!! Which not only limited the intentions of one side to purely money, but also limited the other side to 'Which of these girls do I wanna bang for the rest of my life?' At the end, the couple got married on live TV. However, it was subsequently anulled ON THEIR HONEYMOON! Turns out this guy wasn't as rich as he said and the 'lucky winner' discovered several restraining orders previous girlfriends had ordered against him.
Sunday, December 5, 2010
What's in a Name?
One of my favorite television critics, Alan Sepinwall, has recently been advocating for the FX show Terriers, which has been doing terrier-bly (see what I did there?) in the ratings. One of the reasons he seems to think people aren't watching the show is the name, saying "It's been stuck with an unfortunate name, one that makes sense if you've seen the show...but does a poor job explaining the what it is to outsiders". That made me wonder if names actually have an effect on the success of a show. Is our attention span so short that we need a name that can sum up the series to us to actually be motivated to watch something? I thought it was stupid at first, but it actually kind of holds up.
Think about some of the most successful shows of the past few years. Most of them, you can figure out the premise by the name. CSI is a show about a CSI unit. The Office is a show about an office. Lost was a show about people who didn't know where they were. How I Met Your Mother is a show about a guy telling his kids how he met their mother. The Walking Dead is a show about zombies. Go back even further. Hell...Friends is pretty much as close to naming a show 'Sitcom' or 'Drama' as you can get!
It goes the other way too. Think about the least successful new shows of this season. Rubicon, Chase, Outlaw, Detroit 1-8-7, My Generation, Blue Bloods. You have no idea what they're about based on their titles. This holds up for most of my favorite not- watched shows of all time: Chuck, Community, Fringe, Arrested Development, Pushing Daises, Freaks and Geeks, Firefly. They all failed to garner a significant amount of viewers.
There are some exceptions to the rule. I watched three seasons of The Big Bang Theory and I still have no idea why it's called The Big Bang Theory, yet it's a huge success. If the name of your show sounds cool, then you have a chance of success, i.e. The X- Files (even though it took a few seasons to garner an audience). If you have enough critical acclaim, you can build an audience. I finally got around to starting Mad Men this week and I had no idea what the show was about (although I figured it involved smoke...) until it was explained to me in the very first shot of the series. Point is, shows that have a title containing a brief description of the very basic premise of the show have a better chance of becoming a hit.
Think about some of the most successful shows of the past few years. Most of them, you can figure out the premise by the name. CSI is a show about a CSI unit. The Office is a show about an office. Lost was a show about people who didn't know where they were. How I Met Your Mother is a show about a guy telling his kids how he met their mother. The Walking Dead is a show about zombies. Go back even further. Hell...Friends is pretty much as close to naming a show 'Sitcom' or 'Drama' as you can get!
It goes the other way too. Think about the least successful new shows of this season. Rubicon, Chase, Outlaw, Detroit 1-8-7, My Generation, Blue Bloods. You have no idea what they're about based on their titles. This holds up for most of my favorite not- watched shows of all time: Chuck, Community, Fringe, Arrested Development, Pushing Daises, Freaks and Geeks, Firefly. They all failed to garner a significant amount of viewers.
There are some exceptions to the rule. I watched three seasons of The Big Bang Theory and I still have no idea why it's called The Big Bang Theory, yet it's a huge success. If the name of your show sounds cool, then you have a chance of success, i.e. The X- Files (even though it took a few seasons to garner an audience). If you have enough critical acclaim, you can build an audience. I finally got around to starting Mad Men this week and I had no idea what the show was about (although I figured it involved smoke...) until it was explained to me in the very first shot of the series. Point is, shows that have a title containing a brief description of the very basic premise of the show have a better chance of becoming a hit.
'Tis the Midseason
While I was on hiatus (fancy term for 'too lazy to write a blog post'), NBC and FOX announced their midseason schedules, both of which contain quite a bit of shaking up.
Let's start with NBC. NBC apparently thinks you have a DVR. The Cape will have a two hour premiere on Sunday, January 9th before moving into a Monday slot at 8 (all of these times will be Central Standard, by the way). All of these episodes will be burned off before the end of February, which would lead me to believe that NBC does not have much faith in it. Harry's Law is getting the same burn- off treatment. The Event is on a three month hiatus (because it worked so well for Flashforward...?) and will resume its original time slot once The Cape is done. Parenthood will move to Harry's Law's timeslot once it finishes, which does not bode well for either show.
The most interesting thing about NBC's schedule is the extention of the three- hour Thursday night comedy block. Community will remain where it is now, followed by Perfect Couples (which is apparently the only midseason comedy NBC has any faith in, as the status of the other two have not been announced). The Office will remain where it is now because it's the only success NBC currently has and they can't risk moving it. Parks and Recreation will now have the coveted post- Office timeslot it was always supposed to have. 30 Rock will start the 9'O'Clock hour, followed by Outsourced. What happens to these shows' ratings is wildly unpredictable as comedy doesn't typically do well after 9. NBC renewed 30 Rock as a symbol of good faith for the show and I think 30 Rock will stay constant at that time slot. Outsourced, however, I think will flop without the Office lead-in.
FOX seems done with putting up with mediocre ratings. Lie to Me and Human Target will both be burned off by February (Human Target is doomed to be canceled and Lie to Me could only be renewed as a summer series) and Fringe has been moved to Fridays. Fringe will only be renewed if it can maintain the ratings it has now or only drops slightly, as FOX has never had anywhere near a successful show on Fridays. I don't know how likely this is (it's called the death-slot for a reason) but if the audience is dedicated enough, it's a possibility. FOX also moved the second night of American Idol to Thursday, almost mocking NBC by pitting its only successful night against the number one show on television.
Let's start with NBC. NBC apparently thinks you have a DVR. The Cape will have a two hour premiere on Sunday, January 9th before moving into a Monday slot at 8 (all of these times will be Central Standard, by the way). All of these episodes will be burned off before the end of February, which would lead me to believe that NBC does not have much faith in it. Harry's Law is getting the same burn- off treatment. The Event is on a three month hiatus (because it worked so well for Flashforward...?) and will resume its original time slot once The Cape is done. Parenthood will move to Harry's Law's timeslot once it finishes, which does not bode well for either show.
The most interesting thing about NBC's schedule is the extention of the three- hour Thursday night comedy block. Community will remain where it is now, followed by Perfect Couples (which is apparently the only midseason comedy NBC has any faith in, as the status of the other two have not been announced). The Office will remain where it is now because it's the only success NBC currently has and they can't risk moving it. Parks and Recreation will now have the coveted post- Office timeslot it was always supposed to have. 30 Rock will start the 9'O'Clock hour, followed by Outsourced. What happens to these shows' ratings is wildly unpredictable as comedy doesn't typically do well after 9. NBC renewed 30 Rock as a symbol of good faith for the show and I think 30 Rock will stay constant at that time slot. Outsourced, however, I think will flop without the Office lead-in.
FOX seems done with putting up with mediocre ratings. Lie to Me and Human Target will both be burned off by February (Human Target is doomed to be canceled and Lie to Me could only be renewed as a summer series) and Fringe has been moved to Fridays. Fringe will only be renewed if it can maintain the ratings it has now or only drops slightly, as FOX has never had anywhere near a successful show on Fridays. I don't know how likely this is (it's called the death-slot for a reason) but if the audience is dedicated enough, it's a possibility. FOX also moved the second night of American Idol to Thursday, almost mocking NBC by pitting its only successful night against the number one show on television.
Catching Up
Well, it's been a month. Not that anyone actually reads this on a regular- enough basis to care/notice (although it appears I have a semi-regular reader in Alaska, *insert Sarah Palin joke here because that's the only thing anyone can associate with Alaska*). But just in case I'm underestimating Johnny Alaska's dedication and commitment to carefully reading every single of my posts multiple times, I'll just let you know I'm here to stay for the foreseeable future (read: 'the next few weeks'). I'm also making some changes. I'll be shying away from episode reviews (I'll try to keep them all contained within the weekly roundup) and more towards writings on various things related to television. I won't be doing a weekly roundup this week (cause its been, like...six weeks and it would just seem like a desperate grasp towards a higher word count) but I will talk about some things I feel to be notable enough to mention now:
Community- Community has quickly become my favorite show that I watch (which, of course, means it's in danger of being canceled). The cast is fantastic individually but especially as an ensemble, the writing is phenomenal, and the creativity is through the roof (which is ironic considering a lot of its humor/plots are homages/parodies). But what makes the show fun more than anything is you never know what to expect ("Community is like a box of chocolates...). The past five episodes have been zombie attack, Meangirls/Robocop homage (two great tastes that go great together?), bottle episode character study, conspiracy thriller parody, and Thursday's interestingly somber 'the gang goes to a bar' episode. What's more important is the show has excelled at each of these plots. It's amazing how the show can literally have all of the characters become zombies but still feel grounded in reality in later episodes. I think this is, in part, because of how well-rounded the characters have become. The writers have realized that while Joel McHale is as likeable as his character is sketchy, he doesn't possess the qualities to be the 'hero' of the group. The only characters not well rounded out so far were Shirley and Abed and Shirley was addressed in Thursday's episode while Abed looks to be the focus of next week's stop- motion Christmas episode, which I eagerly anticipate.
The Walking Dead- The Walking Dead has been an all- out hit for AMC as zombies appear to be the new vampire. Myself, I find the show to not necessarily meet the very high quality of Mad Men and Breaking Bad (possibly not even Rubicon, but I was so bored when watching that show that it's possible I dreamed all of the quality). It's tone is very similar to Breaking Bad, meaning it's depressing as hell, and I don't think it quite has well- built enough characters to withstand the depression for. So far, it's not really doing anything different from any other zombie literature (actually, it's pretty much the exact plot of 28 Days Later...also, Zombie Literature is the name of my indie metal band). But, for some reason, I'm oddly transfixed by the show. It has its strong moments and its pace feels excellent. For the time being, it's definitely worth sticking with it.
How I Met Your Mother- Although How I Met Your Mother has been feeling off for a couple seasons, this year's thanksgiving episode 'Blitzgiving' was one of my favorites of the entire show.
Community- Community has quickly become my favorite show that I watch (which, of course, means it's in danger of being canceled). The cast is fantastic individually but especially as an ensemble, the writing is phenomenal, and the creativity is through the roof (which is ironic considering a lot of its humor/plots are homages/parodies). But what makes the show fun more than anything is you never know what to expect ("Community is like a box of chocolates...). The past five episodes have been zombie attack, Meangirls/Robocop homage (two great tastes that go great together?), bottle episode character study, conspiracy thriller parody, and Thursday's interestingly somber 'the gang goes to a bar' episode. What's more important is the show has excelled at each of these plots. It's amazing how the show can literally have all of the characters become zombies but still feel grounded in reality in later episodes. I think this is, in part, because of how well-rounded the characters have become. The writers have realized that while Joel McHale is as likeable as his character is sketchy, he doesn't possess the qualities to be the 'hero' of the group. The only characters not well rounded out so far were Shirley and Abed and Shirley was addressed in Thursday's episode while Abed looks to be the focus of next week's stop- motion Christmas episode, which I eagerly anticipate.
The Walking Dead- The Walking Dead has been an all- out hit for AMC as zombies appear to be the new vampire. Myself, I find the show to not necessarily meet the very high quality of Mad Men and Breaking Bad (possibly not even Rubicon, but I was so bored when watching that show that it's possible I dreamed all of the quality). It's tone is very similar to Breaking Bad, meaning it's depressing as hell, and I don't think it quite has well- built enough characters to withstand the depression for. So far, it's not really doing anything different from any other zombie literature (actually, it's pretty much the exact plot of 28 Days Later...also, Zombie Literature is the name of my indie metal band). But, for some reason, I'm oddly transfixed by the show. It has its strong moments and its pace feels excellent. For the time being, it's definitely worth sticking with it.
How I Met Your Mother- Although How I Met Your Mother has been feeling off for a couple seasons, this year's thanksgiving episode 'Blitzgiving' was one of my favorites of the entire show.
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