Fall 2010 TV Season

Let's start with the fact that I suck as a blogger. I haven't updated this thing in almost a year. In the "Facebook era," I prefer to just say what I have to say in quick spurts. (I'm sure my friends at work who end up having long conversations with me about TV wish I spoke in quick spurts!)

So one week has gone by with new TV on every night of the week. My favorite time of the year! I love the anticipation of a brand new show, how it may possibly bring something new to think about or just something new to enjoy in our everyday lives. Nothing wrong with our everyday lives, mind you, but I love being able to just let it all go at the end of the day and enjoy some mindless television.

So, without further ado, my thoughts on the season so far:

Monday night saw our 2 DVRs working overtime, with all of our favorites returning and four new shows to record. The new ones were The Event, Lonestar, Mike & Molly, and Hawaii Five-O. This night is hands down my favorite new tv night. Number one for me was The Event. NBC, I hate giving in and watching this one because I will hate you forever if you let me down. Give us the entire story, or don't even start it. How hard is that? Just do it.

Coming in close behind is Hawaii Five-O. I never saw the original, but this one had interesting characters, a good story, and kept me hooked from the beginning. Lonestar was good, but I don't get why some critics thought it was the best new show of the season. Yes, the lead is hot and the story line could become very intriguing, and yes, I will still watch (hello, lead is hot, didn't you read that part?) so it will remain on the ole overheated DVR.

Mike & Molly was okay and has potential. The leads are funny and Swoosie Kurtz is hysterical as Molly's mom, but it wasn't "must see tv" for me.

The only new show I recorded on Tuesday was Raising Hope. I originally wasn't going to see this one but Entertainment Weekly did name it one of the top five new shows, so I thought I would give it a chance. It's definitely a different kind of humor (I think a lot like My Name is Earl -- you laugh at things then look around to make sure no one saw you laugh at it). I just wish my DVR would start recording shows for their entirety and not cut them off at the end all of the time! Stupid thing was created for that - not for me to set up every recording to record for five extra minutes.

Wednesday night's only new show for me was The Whole Truth. I love the premise: see the defense's story, see the prosecutions story, then in the end, see what really happened. Loved Maura Tierney in it, didn't love Rob Morrow but also didn't hate him, and only wished that the last minute showed even more details because while I was under the impression it would be a scene of the actual crime, it was only a scene that showed you clues as to whether the person was guilty or innocent. Still, it worked.

And we come to Thursday, where I was most disappointed. I was so looking forward to My Generation. Told in documentary-style, it is the story of 9 high school graduates that were followed in high school for a documentary, and now it is ten years later and the same documentary crew is catching up with them. Maybe my problem with it was all of the important scenes were already spoiled in the commercials. I honestly don't know why I didn't love it because I was so hoping I would. It isn't yet coming off the DVR list, but it may soon.

And we end with Friday night's Blue Bloods. Yes, another cop drama. Yes, another family cop drama. But it's got Tom Selleck and Donnie Wahlburg, so can it really miss? No, it can't, and it doesn't. Ratings were good and I thought it had a very Homicide feel, mixed with any good family drama show.

This coming week I'll check out No Ordinary Family and the new Law & Order LA. And continue watching all of these shows, plus my returning favorites. And, once again, I thank the creator of the DVR for such an incredible invention.

Funny is back!

For years, I've only been interested in one-hour dramas. To me, that was really all that was on. Even now, some of my favorites are Friday Night Lights, Lost, FlashForward, Medium, 24, and Lie to Me.

But this year, something has changed. Either I've decided I would rather laugh, or comedies have gotten better!

My husband and I, during the summer re-run season, found out that we actually love Two and a Half Men, and that was the first new (at least, new to us) half-hour comedy that we wanted to let take up space on our DVR. Before that, the only one was How I Met Your Mother, and it is still taking up space, too!

Soon to follow was The Big Bang Theory, which doesn't always bring the major laughs, but is sometimes pretty dang hilarious.

Then, the new season started. Me, like I said, I'm usually a drama girl. My list of new shows I wanted to watch included The Vampire Diaries and the new Melrose Place. I decided the new vampire show was not for me before it even aired, and hated the new Melrose Place one episode in.

Then, the "real" television reviewers started talking about a new comedy on ABC called Modern Family. It was supposed to be the next Arrested Development. Problem was, my husband and I never liked Arrested Development. But, low and behold I got an email with a link to the premiere episode and decided to give it a try.

Let me say, I wasn't halfway through before I called dear husband and told him he absolutely, positively, had to see this show! Especially the part where one of the fathers in the show accidentally shoots the daughter's boyfriend with a toy gun! I could see our family in the show, not necessarily yet since our daughters aren't the age for dating yet, but someday. And the other kids in that family are always fighting, so we can definitely relate to that! We were hooked and our DVR had another comedy taking up space.

Then, a co-worker told me about The Middle, another comedy and this one has Patricia Heaton from Everybody Loves Raymond and the very good but failed Back to You (the father I mention above in Modern Family was also in Back to You -- just a quick side note). Heaton plays Frankie Heck, the mother in a middle class family who also works as a car salesman. I know, the premise sounds "plain," but this show is simply hilarious! I came to the show late, so I've only seen a few episodes, but when Frankie and her husband have to deal with a social worker after Frankie accidentally hits their son in the arm with a beer bottle (after frantically cleaning up the house to try to meet the trash truck --- yes, I know it isn't as funny in writing), I thought "that could totally be us!" Of course, the only reason they are having to deal with the social worker is because the son, who was told "please don't tell anyone mommy hit you with a beer bottle" promptly tells someone at school who asks "what happened to your arm?"...."Mommy told me not to tell." That always goes well, doesn't it?

So, The Middle goes into the DVR schedule, and my DVR is in overdrive! In fact, I think it might be time for a third one.

Can I write about music on my TV blog?

I can't remember the last time I bought a cd for me. Something that wasn't High School Musical, Hannah Montana or the Jonas Brothers. Don't get me wrong. I love letting the girls play "their" songs in the car, but every once in a while, I'd like to sing as loud as I can in the car to something a bit more adult.

I also can't remember the last time I played a cd over and over and over again. But yesterday I got the new cd by Kelly Clarkson and it is quintessential Kelly Clarkson. Kelly Clarkson is back. I honestly didn't hate her last cd, but it was nothing to write home about. This one....well, I'm writing about music on my TV blog, so I must love it!

The first single, "My Life Would Suck Without You" is fun, upbeat, dancable, cool to jam with in the car (but not the really cool to let the kids to sing to)...all in all, just great. After two days of listening to it and nothing else, there isn't a song on the entire cd that I don't like. My standouts are "Already Gone," an incredible ballad about a relationship that just wasn't meant to be, and "I Want You," a bubblegum treat that I defy you to try to not sing along to in the car! The girls even love it and have picked up the words already, thus allowing me to finally have something to play in the car from a vocalist over 25!!

Get it. Love it. Never look back at that Kelly Clarkson that took a little detour. Because she has found her way back.

Okay, okay, I'll update this thing!

I've been asked by a few friends "Where are your blog updates?" so I figured it was time to update this thing. Here's my problem. I don't have many nice things to say about TV these days!

I'm pissed that ABC canceled Dirty Sexy Money, Pushing Daisies, and Eli Stone and never bothered to give us even a tiny bit of closure. Why the hell did I waste my time watching any of them? Right now, I'm so pissed at ABC I refuse to watch Castle even though I've heard it is pretty good and I love Nathan Fillion (have you seen him in Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog? Fab U Lous!)

I'm pissed at NBC for canceling My Own Worst Enemy, and, again, no closure. Why? It's like reading half a book that you like a lot, then having someone rip it in half and destroy the last half. And there are no more copies of the book anywhere on earth.

So, I'm sticking with the only show I know will get some closure. Lost. Finally, this season, we are getting some answers. I think putting a definitive end on the show was the best thing that could have happened to it. Now the producers and writers know they can start giving us answers. Of course, with every answer we get more questions, but none of that matters. Because after every episode, I am counting down the hours until the next. They even took a character I didn't care about too much either way (Juliet) and turned her relationship with Sawyer into my new favorite television pairing (okay, Coach Taylor and Mrs. T will always be my absolute number one, but James/Juliet are a close second). Then stupid Kate has to show up and ….oh, who knows what will happen. But the best thing is, something will happen, and it won't be years down the road! Because Lost is ending and we all know it and the writers are writing towards that end. And I just know it will all be worth it. Because I won't have half a stupid book in my hands.

Why haven't you updated this thing?

I’ve been reminded that I haven’t updated my blog in a very long time. Of course, it didn’t really hit me until then that I haven’t updated it because for the first time in a long time, I honestly don’t care much about what is on television. Oh, don’t get me wrong. I still have a completely full DVR. In fact, we now have two! One is almost always full because we record only shows in HD on it, and they take up more space. But here is my problem. My other is full of shows that I’m not rushing to watch. In fact, I have caught myself on countless occasions recently just looking at my long list of shows on my DVR and not being interested in watching any of them!

What has happened to the exciting television shows that we couldn’t wait another week to watch? Well, in my case, they aren’t airing until next year. I cannot wait to for the return of Lost, 24 (it’s been way tooooo long!), and Friday Night Lights (when it airs on NBC). These are the ones that consistently having me begging for more, keeping me thinking about them for days.

But everything on my DVR now, honestly, I could probably delete all of them and not feel as if I’ve lost anything. A year ago, there is no way I could have said the same thing.

So what happened? Well, many say it is the strike. That for all of those shows that had half a season and didn’t come back with any new shows after the strike – well, no one really cares anymore. I think there is some truth to that. I loved Dirty Sexy Money and Life last year, and while I still enjoy them, I often have to remind myself of when they actually air. Even older shows are not keeping my attention. Heroes. Grey’s Anatomy. I’m not even sure I recognize these shows any more.

Here is what I am enjoying tremendously.
Gossip Girl (now I really wish I had given the first season more of a chance!)
Desperate Housewives (the fast-forward five years really gave it a nice kick in the pants)
How I Met Your Mother (the only half-hour comedy I truly watch every week)
The Starter Wife (even better than the six episode mini-series last summer)
My Own Worst Enemy (Christian Slater is fabulous in this!)

So, I’ll do my best to try and come around here more often. Hopefully before my favorites return next year!