December 16, 2011
By now most TV shows have had their “midseason finales” and are taking a break for the holidays so we can watch movies and TV specials. So now seems as good a time as any to clean out my DVR, since it's 89 percent full and I need to make room for next year. Here are some quick thoughts on how this TV season is going and how to organize my DVR.
SPOILER ALERT: I would hate to give anything away even in the slightest to people haven't seen the shows, so If you aren't caught up this season skip reading that show. You have been warned.
“Chuck” – I love this show but this season has just been OK. I do love that Chuck gets to be more nerdy now that the Intersect is gone but also remembers some of his spy moves. But I thought Morgan having the Intersect would be awesome, and it wasn't. This is the last season so I'm giving it the benefit of the doubt that it will improve. There are only a few episodes left, including the return of Shaw, so I have high hopes for them.
“Community” – I really like this show. I think the writing is really clever. I love Troy, Abed and Annie living together. But I am a little worried that they are making Jeff seem like the bad guy like they did Pierce last season. I am really worried that NBC has taken it off their schedule with no return date yet. I was really looking forward to another paintball battle.
“Parks and Recreation” – Hands down my favorite comedy on TV. This year they are making it really sweet but still managing to keep it really funny. My favorite episode: “The Treaty.” My favorite line: “What are you going to do without tides, Peru?” My favorite scenes: Andy eating the silver M&Ms. I laughed for five minutes after that one.
“Raising Hope” – I find this a funny show. Burt and Virginia the are best things about this show. I like watching it just to see which word Virginia will misuse.
“New Girl” – My favorite of the new shows this year. I love Jess being zany and how the guys really do try to look out for her. And the guys interacting is pretty hilarious. I'm going to use the term “fancy fix” in my everyday life now.
“Modern Family” – Always funny. The Dunphys are my favorite, followed by Gloria, Mitchell, Manny, Cam (he was ranked higher, but in the last two seasons I don't think the writers have known what to do with him) and Jay.
“Top Chef” – I'm a big fan of good food. And everything they make looks so tasty. This season, they are in Texas and catering to some interesting tastes. I really hope that Heather gets kicked off soon, because I don't care how good her food is, it doesn't make up for her attitude.
“The Walking Dead” – This season started out really slow but man, did it redeem itself with that last episode. Time to leave the farm, people.
“Once Upon a Time” – I'm really liking this show. Maybe it is because I have needed something to fill the serial drama void when “Lost” left. Convenient that it is written by a “Lost” writer.
“The Office” – It just isn't the same without Michael Scott. I like Andy but he is too nice. I think they should have kept Robert California as the boss and see how that went. I am glad that they went back to Jim and Dwight fighting. That has always made me laugh.
“Grey's Anatomy” – This show dropped off the “must-watch now” list a while ago and was on probation until that fantastic season finale with the gunman in the hospital. This season has been OK; nothing spectacular, but still good to watch.
“Suburgatory” – This show is pretty funny. I have always loved Jeremy Sisto and really like his character George. And I love good strong female teen characters. Tess is the teen I wish I was in high school.
“2 Broke Girls” – Kat Dennings makes this show. Without her I probably wouldn't watch it. She delivers witty, snarky lines perfectly. I loved the hoarder episode. I'm worried that this show could become one-note if they don't start making more money for the cupcake shop.
“The Middle” – An underrated show, I think. This show isn't as funny as “Modern Family” but it is a lot sweeter and more down-to-earth. We all have the problems the Hecks have; they just have a TV show about them. Axel makes me laugh the most and I love Brick's obsession with libraries.
“How I Met Your Mother” – This last episode is the reason I pushed this show to probation. It hasn't been all that great in a while, but at least it had Neil Patrick Harris and Jason Segel to keep me coming back. But after telling me I was going to get some answers and then pulling the rug out from under me at the last second, it is dangerously close to getting dropped. I need some answers, people, or I won't bother tuning in next season.
“Bones” – I used to love this show. Smart, entertaining and I didn't have to watch the shows in order, really. But now they have gone and drained all the fun sexual tension out of it. And we didn't even get to see how Booth and Bones came to the decision to live together. I feel cheated. The writers spent a long time getting them together and then we were just robbed of seeing it finally happen.
“Whitney” – I dropped this show after the first episode. I didn't find it all that funny and I think there is better TV to watch.
“Terra Nova” – I really wanted to watch this show — or so I thought. I recorded three episodes but never got around to them. The clips I did see of it didn't have any dinosaurs in it and I think that is when my interest faded. I eventually dropped it because I wasn't watching it and the episodes were taking up valuable real estate in my DVR.
“American Horror Story” – This show just got too creepy for me. I would watch it late at night and that was a no-no. A lot of people like it and I am rethinking my stance on this one. Maybe if I watch a bunch of episodes during daylight hours, I might not find it as creepy.
“30 Rock” – They should have plenty of new fuel with it being the year of the Mayan Apocalypse.
“Cougar Town” – This show got really funny when they decided to make it more like “Friends” and less like a woman dating younger men. I love the cul-de-sac crew and their shenanigans.
“Justified” – There are few characters on TV as badass as Raylan Givens. And Timothy Olyphant looks good in a hat.
“Mad Men” – I can't wait to see what it has in store for us this year after a great Season 4. Such great writing and acting on this show. I am excited to see how everyone handles the developments that happened at the end of last season.
“The Firm” – Based on the John Grisham book. I loved the book, so I'll give this one a few episodes. I always did like Josh Lucas.
“Alcatraz” – I'll give anything from J.J. Abrams a try. An added bonus: Hurley from “Lost” is in it.
“The Finder” – The spinoff from “Bones.” It looks kinda interesting. I like the episode of “Bones” with him in it. I just hope they do a better job of telling us exactly how he “finds” things and not make it look like magic.
“Work It” – Looks like a terrible “Bosom Buddies” with no Tom Hanks.
“Are You There Chelsea?” – I can barely handle Chelsea Handler for 10 minutes, I don't know how I'll be able to watch 30 minutes of this show.
“Rob” – While I do enjoy Rob Schneider in Adam Sandler movies, I don't know how I feel about him being the leading man in his own show. I think I'll let other people watch this one and see if they like it.
So am I missing something? Should I give something another try? What do you think of TV shows this season?
Comments
Michael Buckelew 1 year, 6 months ago
Your probation list has me very worried, almost as much as the exclusion of "The Big Bang Theory." Or maybe I'm just a huge nerd and get way too much stuff on that show.
The most disappointing thing on TV right now is "Chuck" ending literally halfway through a season. I am only caught up on my DVR through the end of Season 4, which would've been a great finale if you cut out the last five minutes or so. What shows are so great that NBC can't give "Chuck" a full final season to reach 100 episodes? The network has gone so downhill that it had to throw in an hour of Brian Williams -- great newsman, but prime time? The midseason slate includes "America's Got Talent," "Fear Factor," "The Voice" and "The Apprentice."
"Chuck" gets an early goodbye but those shows get spots? Cue "'Really?' with Seth and Amy." About the only good decision NBC has made is to keep making "The Sing-Off" bigger.
CBS and Fox seem to get us in the key demo. CBS somehow sucked me into "Two and a Half Men." Oh DVR, you are our best friend!
Remote_Controlled 1 year, 6 months ago
Corinne, Your list and opinions seems to eerily mirror my wife's tastes, except for "Gossip Girl", which happens to come on the same time as "Monday Night Football" so I'm safe.
One show that you are missing is "Hell on Wheels." What seems to be yet another great AMC drama has, so far, great writing, excellent acting (Common, who would have thought) and great cinematography and sets. If you still nurse a void left by the abrupt ending of "Deadwood", this is the show for you.
mimio 1 year, 6 months ago
I don't watch much network TV, but Mad Men is by far the best show on any network! Also, where do you rate Breaking Bad? I wouldn't miss is if my house was on fire.
Corinne Nicholson 1 year, 6 months ago
Buckelew: I have watched "Big Bang Theory" and found it funny. It just comes on on Thursdays when everything else does so I had to cut something.
Remote: I might have to check out "Hell on Wheels," I was a big fan of "Deadwood."
Mimio: I haven't really watched "Breaking Bad," but I know I should. I have been told it is the best thing on TV. I am thinking of catching up over the summer with Netflix.
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