Fall TV In Review

We're officially about 2 weeks into the fall TV season and I'm ready to assess the shows I'm watching thus far. Warning: Spoiler alerts coming. If you aren't caught up, check back once you are!

Dexter: A- After an abysmal 6, Dexter is back with an amazing premise. FINALLY, Deb is in on it, and it couldn't be more uncomfortable. I was SURE that when Dexter called Deb for support that he was going to kill Louis and pretend he hadn't. But maybe Dexter really is going to change? According to TVLine.com, episode 3 has one of the best deaths we've seen in several seasons. So, maybe our protagonist isn't quite ready to put away the knives. Obviously, the Trinity season was the best there ever was or will be, but I like the way this season is going so far. The only hitch is his annoying son Harrison. Couldn't he go live with Rita's parents? I feel like trying to explain where he is each week is cumbersome.

The Mindy Project: B+ My most anticipated debut of the season, this show seems like it is written for me. Granted, Mindy's book made me feel like like she and I should (obviously) be best friends, but I am pleasantly surprised at the snappy writing and good character development of this show. I could do without her receptionists and the new nurse, but I have laughed out loud at several lines and I love the SNL alums who make cameos as potential love interests.

Nashville: A Ok, so we've only seen one episode, but man, does this show have potential. Connie Britton is fantastic, but I'm more surprised by how amazing Hayden Panettiere is. There is so much drama in this show and I am really excited about where this season is going. Plus, with T-Bone Burnett in charge of the music, there is actually something worth listening to.

Gossip Girl: No Comment. Yes, this show is a guilty pleasure and I have been watching it since day one. I only mention it because did anyone else hear Blair say in episode 1, "Serena isn't what I'd call 'Country Strong.'" an obvious reference to the movie Leighton Meester was in with Gwyneth Paltrow. A cute wink to those in the know.

Revolution: C- I always give at least a couple new shows a chance and this one didn't hold me past episode 2. I think J.J. Abrams found something special in Evangeline Lilly and Matthew Fox and any attempt to recreate that is a fool's errand. I felt this way about Alcatraz and despite claims that Revolution is the next big thing, I'm over it. The characters are too pretty and I just don't buy it.

Grey's Anatomy: A- I've stuck with this show for 9 years, and I am happy to say that it does not disappoint. There is nothing more effective than tragedy on a grand scale and to end last season with a plane crash and to begin this season with the death of a beloved character is the best thing they could have done. Although I've never been a fan of April, I'm interested to see what happens with her and Jackson and the Christina fugue state was interesting. And Meredith as the new Bailey? I love it!

30 Rock: B- This is the last season of my favorite show and I just want it to end with some of the greatness that we've seen throughout the years. I thought the first episode was a letdown. I couldn't care less about Kristen Schaal's Hazel, and for some reason, Kenneth only pops when he's a supporting player to Tracy or Jenna. The second episode was way better. I'm really hoping to see more of those great one-liners that made the show great initially. I did enjoy the word "slut" on Jenna's bachelorette t-shirt, which is an obvious reference to the episode where Cerie asks Liz and Jenna to be bridesmaids and Jenna says that the theme of the bachelorette party should be sluts.


Elementary: B- The only reason I don't love this show is because I JUST finished watching the British show Sherlock, which features an Asperger's (?) inflicted Sherlock Holmes played by Benedict Cumberbatch....I could not even make that name up. God knows I love me some Jonny Lee Miller (ever since the days of Hackers), but I'm not sure I prefer the recovering drug addict to the clever and funny! Sherlock of the BBC.

Parenthood: A If you had asked me a month ago how I felt about Ray Ramano, I would have punched you in the face and asked you never to speak his name around me again. Oh, how the tables have turned. Here were are, three episodes into the new season and I'm actually rooting for his character!!! I've never been a huge Monica Potter fan but with the development of Christina's breast cancer, I feel like I need to invest in Kleenex because I cry during the last two minutes of Every. Single. Episode. I agree with my parents that with so many storylines, it's hard to fit everything in and sometimes the episodes feel clogged, but who doesn't love Mae Whitman? And I think there is a potential love interest between her and FNL alum Matt Lauria (Luke Cafferty), which I am so psyched about.

Homeland: A I was a fan of this show before it won every single award possible at the Emmys. Damien Lewis is amazing, especially since he's British and you would never know it. But Claire Danes is really what pulls it together. I'm a little bummed that she's knocked up, only because it means the shots will get tighter and tighter as the season goes on and I feel like it will affect the character development a bit. The suspense each week is worth the price of admission.

Obviously, I watch many, many other shows, but these are the ones that I felt deserved attention. I am still waiting for the premieres of American Horror Story, Happy Endings and The Walking Dead, but I think I've got enough good TV to make it through the winter. Hit up the comments with your own assessments.

I Wanna Do Bad Things With You

I used to play a little game with Time Warner when I lived in Maine. Get HBO for six months for shows like True Blood or Six Feet Under and then when they were over, switch to Showtime in late August just in time for Dexter and Weeds. Nowadays, the premium channels are on to me, and insist on delivering great programming year round. As May network TV finales wrap up, I always feel let down and resigned to a summer of crappy Bravo reality shows (minus Top Chef, which is amazing) and catching up on shows I missed the first time around like Alias and Dollhouse. But this year, I feel like there is so much summer TV to look forward to that I can barely keep up. Here is a rundown of some great shows on the way.

Mad Men, Girls, Game of Thrones, Nurse Jackie and The Big C: These shows are a great segue from the network finales to the premium debuts. With just a couple weeks left of each of these shows, I feel better about the fact that I have to wait 6 months to find out who lives on Grey's Anatomy and what happens between Will and Alicia on The Good Wife. Mad Men has been spectacular this season (as always), and Girls is the breakout hit of the year. They are great place holders until we get to the heavy hitters of summer...

True Blood: Premiering June 10, we will finally get to see if Tara lives or dies (unfortunately, I think she makes it) and what Chris Meloni is like as a vampire. Now entering its 5th season, True Blood has strayed so far away from the books that I don't think Charlaine Harris recognizes much of her own original concept. However, by keeping entertainment like Layfayette, eye candy like Alcide and Eric and Arlene's creepy baby, this season looks very promising. And I've made a drinking game out of the weird way that Bill whispers, "Sookie".

Breaking Bad: If you aren't watching this show, go to the video store, logon to Netflix or go On Demand and catch up NOW. Vince Gilligan has done an amazing job of showing the drawn-out, painful deterioration of our protagonist from a loving family man who just wanted to do right by his wife and son to a cold, calculated killer. I love that this show has an end date and that we know at some point Walt will hit rock bottom. I can't imagine a finale more explosive (pun intended) than last season, but if any show can pull it off, this one can. I never thought I would sympathize with a teacher-turned-meth-maker, but this formula (i.e. Dexter) seems to be working for me.

The Newsroom: I happen to be one of the 10 people in the world who actually loved Aaron Sorkin's short-lived show "Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip". I'm hoping that by living outside of the constraints of network TV and heading instead to HBO that The Newsroom can be everything that Studio 60 wasn't able to be. I'm ok with the fact that the cast strays away from Sorkin's usual crew (Bradley Whitford, Timothy Busfield, etc) and I can't wait to see how Jeff Daniels carries the show along with Emily Mortimer and Jane Fonda. Seriously, I could not be more excited for this show.

Add to those shows the opening of movies like Moonrise Kingdom, Your Sister's Sister and Ted and I think I can break my cycle of spending the entire summer watching 6 seasons of some 90s show that I missed the first time around (although season 3 of The West Wing is next on my Netflix queue).  :)

Why Happy Endings is ah-mah-zing

I didn't give this show much of a chance when it first came out in 2011. All I knew was that it seemed like another Friends rip-off, starring Elisha Cuthbert, who I only refer to as mountain lion (after that awful episode of 24 when she was chased by a mountain lion). After some prodding by my friend Cory and a couple good reviews by EW, I decided to give it another chance. I watched all of Season 1 on Netflix streaming and now that they are into season 2, it's one of my favorite shows to watch each week.

Here's why it's great:
1. It isn't stereotypical AT ALL. Yes, there is a gay character, but do they make him flamboyant and a good dresser? NO! He's constantly teased for being fat, sloppy and just plain lazy. In fact, we probably wouldn't even know he was gay unless they occasionally gave him a love interest.

2. This show has great throw-away lines that span the decades. When Penny gets excited about potentially having a new step-brother, she talks about her childhood companion:
Penny: "I always wanted a sibling, but the closest I got to a kid sister was a My Buddy doll."
Max: "Why didn't you just get a Kid Sister doll?"
Penny: "I did, but we weren't that close."

That one was for the 80s kids. In this week's episode, Alex gave us a 90s reference:
Alex: "I just got the Criterion Collection of Clueless, so I'll see you later. I hope not sporadically."

And finally, in this week's episode, in the midst of Brad and Jane's big fight, the guys want to go to a strip club and a steakhouse, but Brad would rather stay home and "catch up on Downton Abbey."

The show is truly funny, in part due to the improvisational styles of all of the characters (except Elisha Cuthbert. She's still kind of the weak link). Casey Wilson, as Penny, gets to show off her comedic skills way better than she ever did on SNL. The characters also make fun of themselves. There was a great scene last season when Elisha Cuthbert claims she isn't ready to date yet, and Penny asks, "But what if you were being chased by a mountain lion and your dad was, like, this counter terrorist guy".
Or in last week's episode when Penny gives a tongue-in-cheek reference to her catch phrase:
Penny: "It's ah-mah-zing. What? I haven't said it barely at all this season!"
Dave: "Season? You mean winter?"
Penny: "Yeah, it's more of a summer saying."

The show is quirky, sometimes a little too quirky (I didn't care for the Max as a bear plotline), but most of all, it makes me laugh, out loud, every week. If you haven't seen it, get season 1. Watch it all in one sitting, preferably without any distractions, and tune in Wednesday nights to catch up with Season 2. You'll thank me.

Books I read in 2011

My friend Jessie suggested a couple years ago that we post what we've read throughout the year. I love seeing what other people are reading and am always looking for suggestions, so add your favorites to the comments section!

Side note: In the 2nd grade, my grandmother gave me a sweatshirt with patches sewn on that read, "Reading is cool" and "Books Belong". I wore it once, was made fun of, and never wore it again. If I still had that sweatshirt (and it still fit), I would wear it proudly.

Books I read in 2011
1. The memory Keeper's Daughter by Kim Edwards
2. Secrets of Eden by Chris Bohjalian
3. The Living Great Lakes: searching for the heart of the inland seas by Jerry Dennis (I read this book for book club and really loved it. I learned a lot about the history of the Great Lakes.)
4. Room by Emma Donoghue
5. The Friday Night Knitting Club by Kate Jacobs
6. Night by Elie Wiesel
7. Squirrel seeks Chipmunk by David Sedaris
8. Full Dark, no Stars by Stephen King
9. Every Last One by Anna Quindlen
10. Wench by Dolen Perkins-Valdez
11. Glass Castle by Jeanette Walls
12. Matched by Ally Condie
13. Bossypants by Tina Fey (Such a fun read. I think we can all relate a little bit to her childhood)
14. Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese
15. Sarah's Key by Tatiano DeRosnay (Heartbreaking. I thought they did a good job with the movie adaptation)
16. A Reliable Wife by Robert Goolrick
17. The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot
19. The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemmingway
20. Palo Alto Stories by James Franco
21. Her Fearful Symmetry by Audry Niffeneggar (NOT as good as the Time Traveler's Wife)
22. The Lonely Polygamist by Brady Udall
23. Mennonite in a Little Black Dress bny Rhoda Janzen (Ugh)
24. Under the Dome by Stephen King (Believe it or not, this was my favorite of all the books I read this year. The character study and intense plot line made the 1,000 pages fly by. It was also cool to get all the Maine references. I just bought his new one 11/23/63 to read in 2012)
25. The Postmistress by Sarah Blake
26. Before you Know Kindness by Chris Bohjalian
27. American Gods by Neil Gaiman
28. Admissions by Jennifer Sowle
29. Is Everyone Hanging out Without me? by Mindy Kaling - My second favorite book of the year. She is totally relatable, I laughed out loud several times and I want to be her friend.
30. Winter Garden by Kristen Hannah
31. Heat Wave by Richard Castle (I know, I know. But somebody took the time to write the actual book, so I took the time to read it. And it was free on my Kindle)
32. Fall of Giants by Ken Follett (Jessie Jones lent me this book in July and it took me almost 6 months to finish. Not as quick of a read as Pillars of the Earth, but a great historical fiction account of WWI told from the point of view of several characters in different parts of the world. I can't wait for the next book in the trilogy)
33. Ape House by Sara Gruen
34. The Leftovers by Tom Perrota (I loved Election and Little Children and this new one from him was really cool)

Happy New Year everyone and here's to great reading in 2012!

Fall TV Preview

It's the most wonderful time of the year! As it gets colder outside and I start to go into hibernation mode, my DVR heats up and the fall TV season begins. In terms of new programming, so far I think I'm going to invest in The New Girl, A Gifted Man (I love me some Patrick Wilson) and Up All Night. I gave Charlie's Angels one episode. It reminds me a lot of Alias (especially with Victor Garber as Charlie), but as much as I like Minka Kelly, I hate that girl from Grey's Anatomy last season. No thanks. I'm also ditching a few shows this year. Don't judge, but I've been watching Gossip Girl and Desperate Housewives since they both debuted and I think I'm done. Surprisingly, I also decided to get rid of the Biggest Loser. It's just too long. I don't have two hours every week to watch ads for Jennie-O turkey.

Ok, let's break it down by day:

Sunday: I'm super into The Good Wife after watching the first two seasons on DVD over the summer. I've heard that Michael J. Fox is coming back this season too, so yay. The Walking Dead, Dexter, Homeland (new), Breaking Bad and The Amazing Race make for an exciting start to the week. I got through 4 episodes of Boardwalk Empire over the summer, but I just consider it too much of a "boy" show. Sorry Buscemi.

Monday: House without Dr. Cuddy is hard to imagine, but sending House to prison is a great way to break up the formulaic monotony of the show. I'm a little skeptical about the whole Charlyne Yi storyline, but have missed Dr. Crankypants over the summer. I've heard 2 Broke Girls is funny and may give it a shot. I don't watch singing or dancing reality shows, so don't try to get me to watch Dancing with the Stars or America's Got Talent.

Tuesday: I have enjoyed the first two episodes of Ringer and will probably continue with that. The fact that it's on the CW gives them a little more leeway with outrageous plotlines and it's about time Sarah Michelle Gellar was back on TV. I'll be honest. I'm only watching Glee this season to see the story arcs of "The Glee Project" winners and if they are all like Linday's performance last week, I'm in. I think Parenthood is one of the best shows on TV right now and can't wait to see what happens to the Bravermans this season. Is Michael B. Jordan leaving?

Wednesday: I loved Modern Family before they won every Emmy possible. That show is hilarious. Survivor: South Pacific is entertaining this season because the dragon slayer and a hippie version of Ozzy are back. If I can get through Top Chef: Just Desserts, Top Chef: Texas is starting in a couple weeks.

Thursday: I had to give up hosting trivia Thursdays to have time to watch all my Thursday shows. You think I'm kidding. Parks and Rec without a Ben/Leslie pairing is heartbreaking, but that cast is phenomenal and I'm sure this season will rock. I'm not so sure about the Office sans Steve Carell. It seems a little gimmicky, but I'm willing to go along for the ride. I hate having to wait until January to get my Liz Lemon fix on 30 Rock, but I'm sure the wait will be worth it. I'm also watching Grey's Anatomy and The Mentalist (I love a man in a 3-piece suit). I had been watching Project Runway over the summer, but may give it up.

Friday and Saturday: Now that my beloved Medium is over, I'm giving Patrick Wilson's a Gifted Man a chance, although I really can't stand that actress who played Rita on Dexter. And of course, SNL makes for good hungover Sunday morning DVR watching. It's not gay if it's a 3-way.

Time to wrap up in my Slanket and settle in for the long haul. What am I missing?

Farewell Tommy Gavin & 62 Truck

I was first introduced to Tommy Gavin and the rest of 62 Truck during the summer of '09. I think FX was starting the latest season of Rescue Me and I wanted to know what all the fuss was about. Since I am obviously too impatient to wait for Netflix, I went to Videoport 3 or 4 times that weekend and plowed through the first couple of seasons. The show follows one house of the NYFD in the wake of 9/11. Tommy Gavin, played by Denis Leary, lost his cousin and best friend on 9/11 and deals with it through alcohol, infidelity and numerous other self-destructive behaviors.

In the series finale, Tommy has a dream that leads us to believe that 5 firefighters died in the big warehouse fire, but we eventually find out that Lou is the only one who did. Janet has her baby at home in a matter of 3 minutes and Tommy wants to name him Lou, but Janet decides on Shea, which was Lou's last name. The final episode had a lot of the typical goofiness, but comes full circle when Tommy shows the new probies a banner with the names of the firefighters who died on 9/11 and tells them what it really means to be a hero.

Although the show dipped into the absurd a few times (mainly involving Sean's love life), there were some really touching moments throughout the seasons. It's fitting that the show wrapped up almost to the day of the 10th anniversary of 9/11. Rescue Me gave us an insight to the guilt, rage and eventual healing that the firefighters of New York felt in the years following 9/11. I could have done without the actress who played Tommy's daughter, Katie. In fact, she was terrible, but guest appearences by Maura Tierney, Tatum O'Neal and Michael J. Fox more than made up for it.

All in all, an entertaining and inspiring show. I raise my glass to you, Tommy Gavin!

Why There Should Be A "Glee Project"-Type Competition For Every Show

I just now got to watch Sunday's season finale of the Glee Project. If you aren't familiar with this show, Oxygen network looked at 40,000 auditions and narrowed it down to 12 finalists competing for a 7-episode arc in season 3 of Glee. Each week, the contestants had a group song and music video featuring a theme (vulnerability, sexuality, etc). The producers would choose three contestants who didn't do so well to perform last chance performances for executive producer Ryan Murphy. His least favorite would go home. The downfall to the show is that Murphy ultimately chose the winner as opposed to audience votes (otherwise, Cameron would be the winner). While I think that Glee is fine on its on, I am way more excited to watch this season when I know Damian and Sam's back stories and know what they had to go through to get the role.

SO, imagine how fun this type of show would be for, say, House. Contestants would compete to replace Olivia Wilde when 13's character leaves this season. Challenges would involve tongue twisting medical monologues or seeing who has the best chemistry with Omar Epps. Or, how about a competition to find the next trainers for The Biggest Loser. Instead of sticking us with the "unknowns" like they did last season, let me decide before the season even starts whether I'll want to watch it based on the trainers' catch phrases and interesting training techniques.

As anyone who knows me knows, I always claim not to watch singing or dancing reality shows, but when the prize is a role on a show that I watch, I'm in! There's something about rooting for the unknown, little guy that I love. It's like we're in on a secret about the show and I always like to be in the know. So, as we head into the fall television season, let's think about this method for some of our favorite shows. Let's use the method to find the new boss for the office, a third lab tech for Walt and Jesse on Breaking Bad or a fifth douchebag to hang with Vince and his posse on Entourage.