First Casualty of the Season

Fox has cancelled Lonestar after only two episodes. While this show wasn't on my watch list, it's sad that this show didn't get much of a chance. I wonder if they factor online views into their decision. I saw the first episode online and was quite impressed.

I think that the title, Lonestar, didn't perhaps portray the show. Most people were probably thinking a Dallas type show. That's all I could imagine from the title. You really had to watch the commercials to see that the show was about a guy and his father were scamming people and the lead character was leading two lives.

 I'm upset that I really didn't get a chance to enjoy this show. But the first weeks ratings were only at four million and the second week dropped to 3.2 million. The show was up against stiff competition from Dancing with the Stars, NBC's The Event and CBS Monday night comedies. The lead-in was also House, a steady rating dropper over the last few years.

Well, hoping that they air the remaining shows that were shot and don't make me wait until they come on DVD. Update: Just learned that Lie to Me will be returning earlier than expected to fill the gap for this canceled show.

Photo subject to Copyright

2010 Fall Season: Pass or Fail?

I'm looking forward to this new season. The major networks are investing a lot of money into new programs. I'm so happy there isn't as many reality shows, but we still can't seem to get rid of those. Here's my watch, DVR and ignore lists…

Shows to watch:

• The EVENT (NBC) – I need to know what the "Event" is, and I heard it's not going to be like LOST and they will reveal the "Event" in early episodes. Plus, I love Blair Underwood.
  
• Undercovers (NBC) – The first African American drama EVER! And its produced by Alias' JJ Abrams. Add that to Boris Kodjoe and it may be a hit.
  
• Hawaii Five-O (CBS) – Loved the original, and like they characters the picked for this one, let's hope it lives up to the old show. Glad they kept the theme song pretty much intact.
  
• Mike and Molly (CBS) – Looks like the only promising new comedy this season, just hope it's not all fat jokes.
  
• Detroit 1-8-7 (ABC) – Being from the Detroit area, I need to see how bad the city is going to be portrayed. I can say that noticed I some text changes to their site since it was first announced. They aren't referring to Detroit at the murder capital anymore.
  

DVR and catch it on a rainy day:

• Nikita (CW) – show seems to moving slow right now, let me know when the action starts
  
• Chase (NBC) – Good for a rainy day, but seems like The Fugitive, with a new fugitive each week.
  
• Blue Bloods (CBS) – This cop drama looks like it's got too many family issues going on, but I'll spend my weekend with Tom Selleck and Donnie Wahlberg anytime.
  
• S#*! My Dad Says (CBS) – Looks like it could be funny, but not sure how good it's actually going to be, and can't believe they are getting away with a name like that.
  
• Outlaw (NBC) – saw the first episode and think it has promise
  
• Raising Hope (Fox) – Looks funny and promising. And Cloris Leachman has some funny one-liners.
  

Ignore, well cause they doesn't interest me:

• Lonestar (Fox) – a show about a schemer looks like a scheme to me
  
• The Defenders (CBS) – Jerry O'Connell and Jim Belushi as lawyers in Vegas. It won't last six episodes.
  
• My Generation (ABC) – Another show about more lawyers.
  
• Outsourced (Fox) – Looks like a bunch of stereotypical jokes about call centers in India
  
• Hellcats (CW) – Watched the first two episodes, and not impressed. I don't think I'm the target demo for this show. Seems like CW has found a niche with teenage girls and is sticking to it.
  

So what do you give a pass or fail?

Fox’s Crazy Schedule

I love the fact that Fox was one of the first stations to produce quality original programming in the summer months instead of showing reruns. However, now they are working on like four different seasons. Shows air for six to twelve weeks. Take off another six to twelve weeks and then return for the remaining episodes.

Sometimes when they came back for the second half of their season, they even switch days and times. This was very irritating when they did it with Glee. I ended up not watching Glee the second half, because I had found myself getting interested in a show on another network. I resorted to watching Glee online.

What's even more irritating, is scheduling around the World Series. The new season starts this week, and only about four episodes will air before taking off a week or so to show baseball. The problem with this hiatus is that I'm given an opportunity to watch shows on other networks, and I may not make it back to one of Fox's shows.

So Fox, please stop with all these crazy interruptions! Lie to Me is one of my favorite shows. Season two began on September 28, 2009. Ten episodes were aired and then the show went on hiatus in December. The second half of the season then returned in June and the remaining 12 episodes of the season were aired. It returns for its third season on November 10^th. I'm so confused! I thought the summer season was the third season.

Sometimes a rerun is good, I love sitting at home watching TV, but I also need to go out and have a life. So give me a chance to see it again, without streaming it on my computer.

Nikita is No Alias

The CW's Nikita is only in its second week, so I'm hoping that it starts to get better. I can see that they are going to do some back story on this show. So far it has had a slow start. It was nothing like JJ Abrams Alias, that had you hooked on the first episode (I will admit the last two seasons of Alias were a little crazy with all that Rembaldi artifact chasing).

I believe that Nikita has some promise. I loved the movie Le Femme Nikita, so I'm going to hang in there and hope for the best. I just hope the ratings stay up. Soon the show will have to compete with Grey's Anatomy. And after last season's shoot 'em up two hour finale, I can't wait to see what happens on Grey's.

Nikita will definitely be in my DVR. It has some pretty good action scenes, some new and upcoming actors and promising plot. Girls fighting and kicking butt is just awesome, Girl Power! Just hope they don't drag the plot along and we lose interest.

I’m Not Cheering for Hellcats

The other new show to the CW is Hellcats. The show is about a brooding young woman, Marti (Alyson Michalka) trying to get her college degree so she can get out of town (and get away from her mother) and go to law school. But at the beginning of the semester, she loses her scholarship due to budget cuts. She picks on Savannah (Ashley Tisdale), the cheerleader captain before finding out that there is a cheerleading scholarship.

I think that the show moved too fast in its first two episodes, so I'm not sure where they have to go besides character development. And we have already learned a lot about the two main characters already, their family problems and school problems. In the first episode the main character had already made the squad, and was teaching them to cheer like the movie Bring It On.

They were also competing in their first competition in the second episode. And much like the Glee premise, they must win nationals or they will have their funding cut. There's also a jealous teammate, because Marti (takes her spot after an injury, introduces a new way to cheer and her ex-boyfriend also seems to have a crush on her. There's a mother that leans too much on her daughter, and it seems as if the parental roles have been reversed, which I believe some people may be able to relate.

I wonder if the future of the show has been considered. No one has mentioned their class status (freshman, sophomore, etc.), but it has been mentioned they are 21, and often hang in a college bar and have drinks. When I turned 21 I was going into my senior year.

I only watched the first two episodes because nothing else was on, and CW was smart enough to start their season early. I'm not even sure if this show is worth space in my DVR. But maybe I'm too old for the target demographic.

NBC Lied about Persons Unknown

I was looking forward to Persons Unknown to fill my summer television schedule. When the show was marketed, it was supposed to be a 13 week mini-series event. "Great," I thought. A show that I would fill my summer and come to a good conclusion at the end. No waiting for six years as I had done with Lost.

The show had a great premise. Thirteen strangers were kidnapped and brought to this unknown town. They had to learn about each other and also try to figure out why they were brought to this town and how to get out.

Many things affected what could have been a good show. First, they switched the day that it premiered. It moved from Monday nights, a good night in the summer to sit at home, to Saturday nights. A couple weeks were skipped here and there to show sports. Which left one episode to be viewed online. Then being in the Metro Detroit region, WDIV preempted the show three additional times, even during the finale! Instead of showing the first hour of Persons Unknown, they aired Wheel of Fortune and an infomercial. So I was completely lost when the second hour of the finale was aired.

Throughout the summer, NBC kept claiming that you will find out what it all means by the last episode. So after following this show through schedule changes and catching up online when it wasn't aired, I find out on the last episode that NBC lied. It's not a mini-series, with all the questions answered. It looks like they want to have a second season, which has not been verified. They answered nothing, and just left us all hanging, saying "welcome to level 2". Seriously! I just wish the questions were answered and I could go about my merry way. Not wondering what the company is, how many people are involved, and what was up with that board of directors.

Am I the only one that feels lied to about this show?

TNT is Bringing the Drama

About 15 years ago, the only networks that tried to create hour long drama’s were the big three: ABC, NBC and CBS. Even Fox and WB/CW (who knows what they are or were) stuck to half hour comedies and sitcoms. Then the paid cable channels like HBO and Showtime got into the original dramas like “The Sopranos” and “Dexter”. Now more and more stations are getting into the drama game. Fox has delivered quality shows like “Fringe” and “House”. The CW is hitting the teen crowd drams with a “90210″ remake, “Life Unexpected” and “Gossip Girl”.

But one network I have been shocked by is TNT. The channel was always good for picking up syndicated shows like The Pretender and Charmed (which I never watched until it was on TNT). For the last few years they have been creating quality original dramas.

“The Closer” was one of their first original drama’s that got my attention. Kyra Sedgwick plays a detective from Georgia that moves to Los Angeles to lead the Major Crimes Division. Though I must admit that I’m not into this show as I was during the first two seasons.

But recent drama’s from TNT have gotten me hooked. Many I didn’t begin watching their first seasons, but got caught up online or on DVD.

“Leverage” is a great show about a group of thieves, computer hackers and cons that act as modern day Robin Hoods. They pull elaborate cons targeting the greedy and the corrupt who have deceived their working class clients. Premiering in 2008, the show has steadily risen in ratings.

New this year is “Memphis Beat”. The show centers on Dwight Hendricks (Jason Lee), a quirky City of Memphis, Tenn. Police Detective, with an intimate connection to the city, a passion for blues music and a close relationship with his mother. His new boss (Alfre Woodard) is irritated by his freestyle detective work. And the ex-wife of whom he just can’t let go often enters the picture.

I’ve got the newly debuted “Rizzoli and Isles” in my DVR, so please no spoilers. But it looks like this show is already getting a good start. The show recently set a new ad-supported cable viewership record for a series premiere.

So be sure to check out www.TNT.tv, here you can catch up on old shows and learn about new ones. Also take a peek at their other shows like “HawtoRNe”, “Southland” (which TNT took over production when NBC canceled it) and “Dark Blue”. TNT has proven to be a real contender for original drama series.

Originally published July 28, 2010

What's in Those Gates?

Okay I’ve been watching this show since the first episode, and I’m still very confused. Not sure if they can last much longer without revealing more of the plot. It’s defiantly not like Lost that had a decent story and character development to bring you in on the first episode.

This show is filled with so many characters, I feel like I haven’t had the chance to really get to know any of them. Honestly, I can’t even tell you their names!

I’m mainly watching this show to see what’s going on. Is everyone in the Gates special? How did these people become special and how did they all get in this one town. Who knows who is special or what? And what the hell is a succubus!

They’re slowly starting reveal some of the characters, but is it too late? Will the rating tank them, along with the budget of an hour long drama.

Do you have any clue what’s going on? Do you think that the show will last much longer?

Originally published July 26, 2010

I've Lost My Hero's

I’ve spent four seasons watching Heroes, waiting to see what will happen. How did they become? Will Cylar turn good? Will they tell the world about their abilities? And even though last season kinda sucked, I still stood by them and watched. Hoping that I would get the answer to some of my questions.

So what was announced this week? NBC is canceling my Heroes! What! I’m not completely shocked, their ratings have been on a steady decline since their second season, after they saved the cheerleader. However, they did have the same ratings as their Monday night lead-in “Chuck”

So what happened? Did people just grow tired of the story? As Heroes steadily decreased, Chuck was increasing in ratings and online views. Did the Good vs Evil story line get over played, while not concentrating on the characters abilities? Did The Company completely confuse everyone?

There are talks that there may be a mini-series or movie made to finish out the Heroes storyline. I really hope that happens, because I felt there were a lot of unanswered questions.

Originally published May 21, 2010

CBS Says Goodbye

CBS announced its fall lineup this week. They have plans to debut quite a few new shows, but they are also saying goodbye to some fan favorites.

I was shocked to see “New Adventures of Old Christine” go. The show was pretty funny and I thought the ratings were pretty decent. However, Christine’s antics were getting pretty old. But she was always funny and having a new problem, and I was so excited to see that she had finally started dating someone this season.

Though I didn’t watch “Ghost Whisperer” much, I was floored to see this CBS staple go when they had the same ratings as “Medium” which was kept. I guess since they spent so much time and effort trying to get Medium from NBC that they didn’t want to give up on it quite yet.

I was a big fan of “Numb3rs” but only so many crimes can be solved with mathematical equations. It had a good run, and I think the writers and producers new it. The season finale ended with a final tone. It was also in the Friday death slot, so I’m happy to see it lasted as long as it did.

Sometimes I think that CBS should stick to dramas. Their efforts with “Gary Unmarried” and “Accidentally on Purpose” weren’t that good. So I’m not too shocked to see those go to the trash bin. I was surprised when “Gary Unmarried” made it a second season, but I think that they just had an extra half hour slot to fill.

Where'd You Go?

As the fall season is being announced, I’m seeing where they are moving all of my favorite shows. Many are staying in their current spots. Others may have been moved so they can be canceled. Who knows?

CBS

I’m sad to see that they moved Big Bang Theory to Wednesday at 8 p.m. I really enjoyed their Monday comedy block. I don’t see this show getting canceled anytime soon though, since they just received the highest price ever for syndicated shows. We may be in for a mid-season move though if one of their new comedies don’t work out.

Do they want to cancel CSI:NY? It was just moved to the death day, Friday nights at 9 p.m. And with Medium as a lead-in. Don’t expect for them to keep the high ratings they’ve enjoyed for the last few years.
CSI: Miami has also been moved, to Sunday’s at 10 p.m. Though I’ve been a fan of this show, I’m already set on watching “Brothers and Sisters” at that time. So it’s going to be hard to choose.

NBC

This network doesn’t seem to be making a lot of moves in their schedule, but they are adding several new shows. “Law & Order:SVU” will be moved to Wednesday at 9 p.m. Although I’m having trouble remembering where they were this season after all the juggling after the cancellation of Jay Leno

Fox

This crazy network plans on doing crazy stuff with their shows this year. They will have a lot of mid-season replacements for some of their new shows. Once again “Glee” will change time and days mid-season. Hopefully there will be less of a gap between “Glee” episodes next year.

ABC

The alphabet network isn’t moving any of their current shows. I guess they realize that they have a good formula and don’t want to mess with it.


originally published on May 19, 2010.

I Heart TV

TV has been one of the many constants in my life. No matter what was going on I could always use TV to escape my reality. As a child, I watched cartoons, Silver Spoons, Punky Brewster and Webster. I could watch these shows, and imagine that’s how my life could be. Surrounded by happy families and no matter what happened during the show, in the end of 30 minutes, everything worked itself out.

Cartoons were always good for a laugh. And they honestly don’t make them like they used to (but that’s another post for another day). Smurfs, The Jetsons, Flintstones, Alvin and the Chipmunks, Jem and others, were great. Back then, Saturday morning was filled with cartoons. Every channel played them from 7am to noon. My mom always left a bowl, a box of cereal on the table (after she discovered me climbing on the counter). She could spend the day sleeping in, and this was my time to control the remote. This was before there was a TV in every room of the house. And also before cable, but still all of the channels provided some good Saturday morning laughs.

As an adult, I know that life is more difficult than what TV makes it seem. Nothing is solved in a half hour, and family is rarely like what it is on TV. The closest TV family to mine was Rosanne. Now TV is my escape.  It’s what I turn to when I want to forget about work, bills, family and everything going on in my real world.

I like a lot of crime shows. I remember first watching NYPD Blue when I was like 12. It got me out of my shelter life, and showed me that there was real crime out there. Now they have a variety of shows that concentrate on everything. From Criminal Minds and the  psychology of the crime to CSI and the forensics. The funny thing is now there doesn’t seem to be many real “cop” shows anymore.

 I was never much of a soap opera person, but shows like Lost and 24, may as well be the primetime version of them. So I get caught up in the storylines. I also like comedies like How I Met Your Mother, 30 Rock and New Adventures of Old Christine.

Television is my escape. And thanks to cable, there are so many more shows on now. However, it still never seems to be anything on Sunday afternoons. What is your escape?

The End of Some of My Fav's

Well, 2010 is going to see the end of some very good TV shows. Many of these shows had a cult following, and others really never found their spot on air.
Here are some of the shows that I am sad to see go:

• Lost
• Ugly Betty
• 24
• the forgotten
• Dollhouse
• Nip/Tuck

If you’re not a Lost fan, then you probably just don’t get it. The story arched over every season. Between flashbacks, flash forwards and side ways flashes, many people just got lost. But to those that really watched the show, it was a great series. It was also one of the few series that asked the network for an ending date. They knew if they didn’t have one, that the story could go in a million directions and they could end up losing viewers. With only five episodes left (as of this post), it is great seeing how everything is coming together in these six seasons.

Ugly Betty is a show that really never found its spot. It had great potential, and this season we were finally seeing the ugly duckling turn into the beautiful swan that she was on the inside. This show was based on a Colombian telenovela (soap opera). Though the first two seasons had good ratings, NBC started playing shuffle with its time slot. First moving it to the TV death day of Friday, then moving it mid-season to Wednesday. By the time it was moved to a better day, people had already found shows to watch, and it was forgotten.

24 started off strong in 2002. It’s original release date was actually set for just a couple of weeks after 9/11, but Fox smartly decided to hold back the TV show on terrorism. The premise of the show was also creative. Each one hour episode, would be one consecutive hour in one day.  This show featured the first black president, but also gave a look into what happens when there is a national terror threat. The show was fast paced, and many claimed to get confused if the missed a few episodes, but it was great to have a 24 marathon on a cold, rainy weekend. The show may be ending, but a movie is in the works!

the forgotten was a good show, that unfortunately was put up against other good shows. This show gave a voice to the John and Jane Doe’s that are found murdered. A small team of regular people would try to find the name of the person killed. Once having a name, they would often find the killer as well. However, the forgotten may not be forgotten yet. No official word on cancellation has been announced, but they did cut the season short by three episodes and went straight to the season finale.

Dollhouse was a great show by Joss Whedon, who also created Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel, and Firefly. The show however was placed on the death day of Friday. I thought it had potential, when I was home to actually watch it. A group of people were like dolls, they had their memories erased every day, and given new memories and hired out to do different things. Sometimes they were dates, other times they were assassins. The show ended pretty weird however. I think the story line got rushed, but Joss wanted to make sure that the show was given a real ending, unlike so many other shows that are ended, but with no closure.
So these are shows I’m sad to see leave. Are there any you’re going to miss?