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Archive for the 'TV: Reviews' Category

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The Watcher’s New-Show Report Card

October 5th, 2009, 5:10 pm by The Watcher

We have a winner - but you knew that already

We’re done with new network shows for now - until “V” rears its alien head Nov. 3.

The Grades
A-Record it! B-Watchable C-Take it or leave it D-A waste of time F-Offensively bad

THE KEEPERS
“Glee” (Fox) - On the outside, “Glee” is a wacky comedy that turns “High School Musical” upside down. On the inside, it’s a thoughtful work about the conflict between who we want to be and who we’re expected to be. And you haven’t heard “Rehab” or “Gold Digger” until you’ve heard them from a show choir. A
“Modern Family” (ABC) - A surprisingly gentle-hearted take on the contemporary extended family. Short of brilliant, but consistently funny. B+
“Flash Forward” (ABC) - From the name to the opening shot to a handful of shared actors, this show desperately wants us to think it’s “Lost II.” It’s not, but it is intriguing in its own right. B+
“The Middle” (ABC) - Patricia Heaton’s new family comedy is more “Roseanne” than “Raymond.” For the most part, it works. B+
“The Good Wife” (CBS) - A straight-forward, not-too-cute legal series. After “Boston Legal” and “Raising the Bar,” that’s not such a bad thing. B-
“NCIS: Los Angeles” (CBS) - This is exactly what we would expect from an “NCIS” spinoff: competent, occasionally exciting, not very compelling. B-

THE TWEENERS
“Cougar Town” (ABC) - Courteney Cox’s new comedy manages a few moments, but mostly it’s trying too hard. C+
“Community” (NBC) - The premise ought to produce a great series, but this show lacks grounding. C+
“The Jay Leno Show” (NBC) - What’s funny at 11:30 is dull at 10. C+
“Melrose Place” (CW) - When it comes to prime-time soaps, we’ve seen much worse. C
“The Cleveland Show” (Fox) - “Family Guy” fans might enjoy this spinoff, but no one else is likely to. C
“The Forgotten” (ABC) - Christian Slater’s wry style is completely wasted in this way-too-earnest yawner. C-
“Mercy” (NBC) - If you like “HawthoRNe,” you’ll like this, because it’s pretty much the same show. C-
“Three Rivers” (CBS) - Like “House” without the sense of humor. C-
“Trauma” (NBC) - Does everything have to explode? C-

THE DISCARDS
“Brothers” (Fox) - Surprising: Michael Strahan isn’t half bad. Not surprising: “Brothers” isn’t even half good. D+
“Eastwick” (ABC) - “Desperate Housewives” plus magic equals a big mess. D+
“Hank” (ABC) - Kelsey Grammer tries again, fails again. This makes “According to Jim” seem cutting edge. D+
“Accidentally On Purpose” (CBS) - Everything we hate about CBS sitcoms, and then some. D
“The Vampire Diaries” (CW) - The typically brainless high-school soap opera becomes even more so with the addition of vampires. D
“The Beautiful Life: TBL” (CW) - The CW craves the young female audience, but even 10-year-old girls must roll their eyes at the stupidity. (The season’s first cancellation!) D-

Posted in: TV: Reviews • TV: Scripted shows • The Watcher | 4 Comments »

‘The Jay Leno Show’: Is that all there is?

September 15th, 2009, 9:57 am by The Watcher

Kanye and JayEveryone has that comfortable pair of shoes for kicking around the house. But who wears them to a cocktail party?

Therein lies the Watcher’s problem with “The Jay Leno Show,” which began its overhyped life last night. What is comfortably amusing in the bedroom when you’re falling asleep at 11:30 is much less enjoyable when you’re in the living room, wide awake, at 10.

As expected, we were treated to “The Tonight Show” sans desk: Jay’s gentle, non-partisan topical humor, Jay’s fascination with the shocking ignorance of the average American, celebrity guests with products to sell and not much to say.

The closest we got to interesting in the interviews was Jay grilling Kanye West over his mistreatment of Taylor Swift at the VMAs - if only Kanye misbehaving at an awards show were something out of character.

I’m making “The Jay Leno Show” sound worse than it is. Like Jay’s late-night show, it’s pleasant and mildly amusing. But at such an important viewing hour, I want more.

Grade: C+

THE NUMBERS

The premiere was a raging success in the ratings. According to TV by the Numbers, 17.7 million viewers tuned in. More important than the raw numbers, the show did great among adults 18-34. If they stick around, NBC could care less how many old people make their way back to the “CSI” troika.

We’ll check back in a couple of weeks to see how many 18-34s have returned to “The Daily Show” and their PlayStations.

PREVIOUSLY ON … THE WATCHER

Posted in: TV: Reviews • The Watcher • • | 9 Comments »

REVIEW: ‘There Goes the Neighborhood’ isn’t half bad

August 10th, 2009, 11:24 am by The Watcher

There Goes The Neighborhood

It’s not unusual for the Watcher to change his mind on a show - “Rescue Me” or “Breaking Bad,” for example - but for my opinion to turn around in one episode is rare.

CBS’s new reality series is essentially “Big Brother” with families from the same neighborhood - and given the Watcher’s proven dislike for both “Big Brother” and reality shows with families, this seemed like a loser from the start.

And for the first 30 minutes or so, it was. The editors managed to make it over-the-top dramatic and Milkbone dry at the same time. And let’s face it, Matt Rogers isn’t any better a reality host than he was an “American Idol” contestant.

But once the introductions were out of the way and game play got started, things got very interesting. Both intra- and inter-family relationships became very important, as the contestants struggled with issues like friendship and the post-game consequences of their actions.

This being a Mike Fleiss creation, the over-the-top dramatics are not likely to disappear, but if you can stomach that, the show has more to offer.

Grade: B-

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The Watcher’s New-Show Report Card

June 30th, 2009, 8:10 pm by The Watcher

philanthropist1Wrapping up the June newbies:

“Hung” (HBO) - Ray Drecker’s life is absurd; he’s divorced, broke and living in a tent in front of his burned-out house. His plan to resurrect his pride and bank account is equally absurd: He’s going to become a straight male prostitute. Unfortunately, the level of comedy doesn’t quite match the goofy premise; it’s too laid-back and subtle. Maybe it will grow on us. B-

“The Philanthropist” (NBC) - This is a great-looking show, which earns valuable points from the Watcher. It is also pretentious and silly, which does not. It might be one of those series that works better with the sound off. And let’s not forget all that product placement! C-

“Make It or Break It” (ABC Family) - This teenage gymnastics drama calls on every hoary sports-movie cliche one can imagine. The target audience may be too young to realize these are cliches, but adults will roll their eyes every couple of minutes. D+

The Grades
A-Record it! B-Watchable C-Take it or leave it D-A waste of time F-Offensively bad

KEEPERS
“Nurse Jackie” (Showtime) - Already renewed for season two. Grade: A-
“Top Chef Masters” (Bravo) - The chefs’ skills will make your head spin A-
“Royal Pains” (USA) - Another solid series from USA - B+
“Expedition Africa” (History) - Needs less arguing, more adventure - B
“Obsession” (A&E) - Neurotics gets their due - B

TWEENERS
“I Didn’t Know I Was Pregnant” (Discovery Health) - Interesting once - C+
“NYC Prep” (Bravo) - The kids are more interesting than any ‘Housewives’ - C+
“Wedded to Perfection” (TLC) - Her designs are nice - C+
“Science of the Movies” (Science) - Host is hard to take - C
“Cake Boss” (TLC) - “Ace of Cakes” is better - C-
“The Goode Family” (ABC) - It’s no “King of the Hill” - C-
“HawthoRNe” (TNT) - Tough to buy into - C-
“Is Your House Killing You?” (Sundance) - Semi-interesting import C-
“Jesse James Is a Dead Man” (Spike) - Over-the-top narration must go - C-
“The Listener” (NBC) - It’s tough to get past the absurd premise - C-
“Merlin” (NBC) - A “Flintstones” take on the Middle Ages - C-
“Tosh.0″ (Comedy Central) -Another “funny” video show with too little funny - C-
“Your Worst Animal Nightmares” (Animal Planet) - Tabloidy Australian import - C-

LOSERS
“Wedding Day” (TNT) - Gee, can we have more product placement? - D+
“Mental” (Fox) - “House” lite - D+
“Tattoo Highway” (A&E) - And the point of this is? - D
“The Little Couple” (TLC) - Like watching your next-door neighbors - D
“Superstars” (ABC) - Unbelievably boring - D-

NOT YET GRADED
“The Lazy Environmentalist” (Sundance)

Posted in: TV: Reality shows • TV: Reviews • TV: Scripted shows • The Watcher | 5 Comments »

March proves a tough month for new shows

March 23rd, 2009, 7:53 pm by The Watcher

WIth the normal February ratings “sweeps” pushed to March this year, the networks had an interesting decision for their new spring shows: Wait until April to bypass sweeps, or go ahead and bring them out in March and hope for the best.

Most split the difference, but waiting clearly was the wiser course.

The new shows we’ve seen this month have been a mixed bag in terms of quality, but all but one have been losers in the ratings.

“Castle” is the lone success, no doubt thanks to its lead in from “Dancing With the Stars” on Monday nights. It’s a fun show, with overtones of “Moonlighting,” although I think Castle’s home life gets in the way of the central relationship.

But even “Castle” is not without numerical disappointment. It’s giving up more than half of the “DWTS” audience and getting hammered by “CSI: Miami.” Still, it figures to get a second season.

The Watcher rather likes “Better Off Ted,” which resides in the same absurd world as ABC predecessors “Carpoolers” and “Knights of Prosperity.” Of course, that should give you a clue as to how the ratings were. TVbytheNumbers said “Ted” had the worst debuit of any ABC comedy in four years, making it pretty much DOA.

“The Chopping Block,” sort of a hybrid of “Last Restaurant Standing” and “Hell’s Kitchen,” isn’t half bad - although better editing would make it more like three-quarters good. Its numbers, though, are 100 percent awful. The second outing gave NBC a rare fifth-place finish at 8 p.m. Wednesday - and that’s not counting cable or Spanish-language broadcast.

Read the rest of this entry »

Posted in: TV: Reality shows • TV: Reviews • TV: Scripted shows • The Watcher | 5 Comments »

‘Superstars of Dance’: Welcome to the new NBC

January 5th, 2009, 11:00 am by The Watcher

NBC, the network that brought you “Hill Street Blues,” “Seinfeld” and more than 20 years of great Thursday nights now offers you deadly dull reality shows - two boring hours at a time.

Joining “The Biggest Loser” - a series that is half as good now that it’s twice as long - and the upcoming “Celebrity Apprentice” in the two-hour-episode gang is “Superstars of Dance,” which started Sunday and moves into its regular 8-10 p.m. slot tonight.

There aren’t many shows I want to watch two hours of at a time, and “Superstars of Dance” certainly is not one of them. Ten minutes of it had me hoping a “Bad Girls” rerun might be on Oxygen.

Another seff-congratulatory Nigel Lythgoe production in the vein of “So You Think You Can Dance,” “Superstars” ostensibly is a competition pitting teams of dancers from various countries. The dancing is second-rate at best, but the judges and choreographers spend much of their time trying to convince us otherwise.

Despite the obligatory hysterical crowd that leaps to its feet for evey performance, the show lacks energy. Leading the low-voltage way is host Michael Flatley, the Lord of the Dance himself. Flatley might be an entertaining dancer but he’s a dim bulb with a microphone in his hand.

A couple of years ago, a goofy waste of time like this would be slated for summer in the hopes that it would find an audience the way “America’s Got Talent” did. But this is the new NBC, filling prime time with cheaper reality and game shows and handing the good series to USA Network.

Still, even a cheap reality series should be better than “Superstars of Dance.” And shorter.

Grade: D

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TV 2008: The top 10 dramas

December 31st, 2008, 5:01 pm by The Watcher

Here’s what I promise will be the last list of 2008. It was a great year for dramas. Had “Big Love” and “24″ managed to show up, 2008 would have been epic.

1. “The Shield” (FX) – It was hard to choose from among my five leaders, but “The Shield” earns the top spot for its stunning series finale, the TV episode of the year.
2. “Mad Men” (AMC) – Intelligent, sophisticated, more than a little bitter: “Mad Men” is a show for grown-ups.

3. “Lost” (ABC) – Sure, we only got 10 episodes, but most series don’t generate that much excitement in 10 years.

4. “The Wire” (HBO) – Sometimes the stories didn’t go far, but “The Wire” featured the finest collection of characters anywhere.
5. “Dexter” (Showtime) – Acting or alchemy? Michael C. Hall makes a likeable hero out of a serial killer.

6. “Sons of Anarchy” (FX) - The best new series of the year reset the classic gangster tale in a small-town motorcycle gang. A fantastic cast.
7. “The Tudors” (Showtime) - The most improved series. Season one’s over-the-top antics gave way to a more measured - but more exciting - second year. Natalie Dormer was so good as Anne Boleyn that we were sorry to see her get chopped.
8. “Friday Night Lights” (DirecTV) - The strongest season yet for the now 4-year-old drama. The much-derided killing of season three was forgotten, and we welcomed the return to small-town drama.

9. “Life on Mars” (BBC America and ABC) - We’ll let both versions share a spot. The British side gets a slight edge, but the American version succeeds on its own.

10. “The Closer” (TNT) - Of the zillion or so detective shows out there, “The Closer” remains the most entertaining, thanks to Kyra Sedgwick and the writers’ liberal application of humor.

Posted in: TV: Reviews • TV: Scripted shows • The Watcher | 2 Comments »

TV 2008: The top 10 realities

December 30th, 2008, 10:37 am by The Watcher

Another year in which the classics dominated. The only new shows on the list come in at 9 and 10 - not counting the welcome revival of “The Mole.” Will the next great reality competion ever arrive?

1. “Survivor: Micronesia” (CBS) - Splendid game play led by Amanda Kimmel, certainly the best player never to win a season. If only she knew how to talk to the jury.

2. “Project Runway” (Bravo) - A season and a half that was fierce and a half. Was Christian Siriano PR’s best contestant ever?

3. The Amazing Race” (CBS) - Race No. 13 was infuriating and fun all at the same time - and the right team won. And let’s not forget the last few episodes of Race 12.

4. “American Idol” (Fox) - Simon, Paula and Randy may have quit caring, but the singers and the viewers haven’t. Lots of talent in the top 12, although we could have used Sanjaya.

5. “Top Chef” (Bravo) - One of those shows where the sum is greater than the parts. Season four, featuring Stephanie Izard and Richard Blais,  was particularly strong.

6. “Survivor: Gabon” (CBS) - A weak season of “Survivor” still bests 99 percent of everything else. Both  seasons in Africa were subpar: a coincidence?

7. “The Mole” (ABC) - One of summer’s great delights was the return of “The Mole” from beyond the grave. It was worth the five-year wait.

8. “Dancing With the Stars” season 6 (ABC) - The best dancer (Kristi Yamaguchi), the funniest contestant (Adam Carolla) and plenty of surprising moments. Everything season 7 wasn’t.

9. “The Alaska Experiment” (Discovery) - City folks head to the wilds of Alaska to survive for a month in the fall. Engrossing and more than a little harrowing.

10. “The Baby Borrowers” (NBC) - As is usually the case, the “controversy” completely missed the point of this social experiment.

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TV 2008: The top 10 comedies

December 29th, 2008, 5:29 pm by The Watcher

Comedy had a tough year on the tube, as many of the more hilarious shows of the past few years - “Arrested Development,” “Curb Your Enthusiasm,” etc. - disappear and nothing arrives to take their place. The Watcher had to scratch a bit to come up with 10.

1. “The Office” (NBC) - In a bear market for laughs, the folks at Dunder-Mifflin fulfilled their quotas. Off a bit from previous years, but still good enough for No. 1.

2. “30 Rock” (NBC) - 2007’s top comedy lost the coin flip to its Thursday night partner. More inconsistent this fall than in seasons past.

3. “Samantha Who?” (ABC) - The Watcher’s pleasant surprise of the year was how strong this show became in its sophomore season. The quartet of Christina Applegate, Jean Smart, Jennifer Esposito and Melissa McCarthy stands up to any other ensemble.

4. “Pushing Daisies” (ABC) - The most delightfully weird and visually appealing show going. Or not going, as the case may be.

5. “Carpoolers” (ABC) - Perhaps this would have run out of gas in a second season, but it would have been nice to let it try.

6. “Gavin & Stacy” (BBC America) - The obligatory British comedy import. “G&S” wasn’t “The Office” or “Clatterford” or even “Green Wing,” but we enjoyed it.

7. “My Name is Earl” (NBC) - Given its somewhat gimmicky premise, I never pictured Earl & Co. succeeding in season four, but I’m glad I was wrong.

8. “Free Radio” (VH1) - I know, the concept of a good show on VH1 is somewhat disconcerting, but here it is. Stupid fun.

9. “Notes from the Underbelly” (ABC) - I’m not disappointed this was cancelled; it really had run its course when the baby arrived. Still, it was good while it lasted.

10. “Chuck” (NBC) - Another show I thought would have sophomore difficulties remains enjoyable, thanks in large part to the Buy More crowd.

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TV 2008: The 10 worst shows

December 29th, 2008, 10:33 am by The Watcher

Strange thing about the modern TV world. The good shows are better than ever, but the bad shows are worse. Classic turkeys like “Mr. Ed” or “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air” could not crack 2008’s bottom 10.

1. “Psychic Kids” (A&E) – The exploitation of troubled children for entertainment. Nice.

2. “New York Hollywood Double Shot of a Real Flavor Rock Chance at Charm School Love” (MTV/VH1) – These innumerable matchmaking shows make the First Amendment seem like a bad idea.

3. “The Real Housewives of …” (Bravo) – Orange County, New York, Atlanta, Indianapolis – it doesn’t matter. Real Housewives are dull and petty wherever they come from.

4. “Knight Rider” (NBC) – The plot holes are so big that any given episode is far more hole than plot.

5. “Destination Truth” (SciFi) – This crew found Yeti and the Loch Ness monster, yet somehow that didn’t make it into the papers.

6. “Secret Talents of the Stars” (CBS) – Listen to George Takei sing “On the Road Again” and you’ll understand why these “talents” were kept secret. Mercifully cancelled after one episode.

7. “The Hills” (MTV) – This show has gotten so foul and phony that even the teenage girls are giving up on it.

8. “Living Lohan” (E!) – As if Dina Lohan didn’t do enough to America by giving us Lindsay, she tries to make a music star of daughter Ali – and puts the effort on television.

9. “Dance War: Bruno vs. Carrie Ann” (ABC) – Take a group of young people who can both sing and dance but can’t do either very well. Make them sing and dance on TV for weeks on end. Turn this into a confusing contest. Broadcast.

10. “Do Not Disturb” (Fox) – Jerry O’Connell had the distinction of starring in one of the funniest (“Carpoolers”) and unfunniest (this) shows of the year.

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