Monday, September 25, 2006
The New Season So far.
The 2006/7 season has officially begun. In fact for some shows it's been several weeks. While we all take a morbid fascination in figuring out which show will bite the dust first, I thought I'd take a look at some shows I've caught and see if I can figure out which will last and which will not.
SIT-COM
The Class
Plot: A guy who met his fiancee in the third grade holds a birthday party for her and invited the whole now grown up class. She freaks and leaves and those who show up stay around for some reason.
How is it?: Not bad, but not good also. It's an interesting plot but it's really thin. The best thing going for it is that it's paired with How I Met your Mother, a much better show.
Hit or Dud?: Dud. It may make the season, but not much longer.
DRAMA
VANISHED
Plot: The wife of a senator disappears mysteriously and the FBI tries to find her while the husband keeps mysterious secrets.
How is it?: There are the odd twist and turn in this one, like the fact that the wife seems to have a mysterious past. And the fact that the media are all over this story gives it a here and now feeling. Unfortunately the best parts about the show were the bits with some mysterious secret society which may or may not turn out to be a mysterious sub sect of the Masons. This is bad because this part didn't rear it's mysterious head until about episode three then was mysteriously ignored for two more episodes. for some mysterious reason.
and, oh yeah, the Senators daughter is a slut. Not mysterious, but good.
Hit or Dud?: Dud. There is no way they can keep this interesting all season, let alone for eight or so years.
STUDIO 60 ON THE SUNSET STRIP
Plot:The legendary producer of a late night TV sketch show blows up on air, so two former fired members of the crew who went out and became famous are brought in to fix things.
How is it?: It's an Aaron Sorkin show, which means I was bound to hate it much like I hated Sports Night and just plain didn't care for The West Wing, but dammit I'm hooked. While the premier episode was slow, the second episode dove right in and blew me away. Folks, I am now a convert to the church of Sorkin.
Hit or Dud?: Hit, hit, hit. It is, as far as I am concerned right now, the best new show on TV.
SMITH
Plot: Husband by day, art thief by night. That's pretty much it.
How is it?: Slow. Very, very slow. There was nothing romantic about the home life. There was nothing exciting about the art heist. And yes, the wife knows, there goes that surprise.
Hit or Dud?: Dud. A very long and boring dud.
SCI FI
Heroes
Plot: Ordinary people from all walks of (naturally) American life find out they have superpowers. One man, an Indian whose father predicted these Supers, fiddles about the edges for some reason.
How is it?: The premier had it's moments, but it has timing problems. Each of the Supers have different levels of knowledge and understanding of their powers. From a (Naturally) good hearted stripper who has no idea what's going on, to an Asian (The only non-American so far) who knows, accepts, and can't wait to see where these powers take him.
The two twists at the end were good and made me want to watch more, but it's got to tighten up timing and get that Indian guy more involved or the whole thing will turn out to be a big old slow mess.
Hit or Dud?: Hit, but only if they tighten up the timing and get those Lost-esh elements into play and soon.
Jericho
Plot: The prodigal son returns to a small town named (oddly enough) Jericho when it appears a nuclear bomb goes off in nearby Denver and (as we later learn) Atlanta. Now it seems the fate of the world rests in good old fashioned, down home people of Jericho.
How is it?: Eh. So-so. I saw something in the pilot and hope they start the plot moving in the second episode. It hints that it's going to go the Lost route, so they should start moving that way soon to keep interest hot.
Hit or Dud?: Sorry, dud. No matter how good it gets (and believe me, the building blocks are there) it's just going to be drowned out by better shows. I give it a half a season.
SECOND EPISODE UPDATE: Ok, I was wrong. The second episode was tight and added those mysterious elements I was waiting for, namely in the form of the Skeet Ulrich and Lennie James characters, both of whom seem to know more than they are letting on. I change my Hit or Dud rating to possible hit.
So there you have it. A brief overview of the new season as I see it. I'll do a quick update as new shows premier.
SIT-COM
The Class
Plot: A guy who met his fiancee in the third grade holds a birthday party for her and invited the whole now grown up class. She freaks and leaves and those who show up stay around for some reason.
How is it?: Not bad, but not good also. It's an interesting plot but it's really thin. The best thing going for it is that it's paired with How I Met your Mother, a much better show.
Hit or Dud?: Dud. It may make the season, but not much longer.
DRAMA
VANISHED
Plot: The wife of a senator disappears mysteriously and the FBI tries to find her while the husband keeps mysterious secrets.
How is it?: There are the odd twist and turn in this one, like the fact that the wife seems to have a mysterious past. And the fact that the media are all over this story gives it a here and now feeling. Unfortunately the best parts about the show were the bits with some mysterious secret society which may or may not turn out to be a mysterious sub sect of the Masons. This is bad because this part didn't rear it's mysterious head until about episode three then was mysteriously ignored for two more episodes. for some mysterious reason.
and, oh yeah, the Senators daughter is a slut. Not mysterious, but good.
Hit or Dud?: Dud. There is no way they can keep this interesting all season, let alone for eight or so years.
STUDIO 60 ON THE SUNSET STRIP
Plot:The legendary producer of a late night TV sketch show blows up on air, so two former fired members of the crew who went out and became famous are brought in to fix things.
How is it?: It's an Aaron Sorkin show, which means I was bound to hate it much like I hated Sports Night and just plain didn't care for The West Wing, but dammit I'm hooked. While the premier episode was slow, the second episode dove right in and blew me away. Folks, I am now a convert to the church of Sorkin.
Hit or Dud?: Hit, hit, hit. It is, as far as I am concerned right now, the best new show on TV.
SMITH
Plot: Husband by day, art thief by night. That's pretty much it.
How is it?: Slow. Very, very slow. There was nothing romantic about the home life. There was nothing exciting about the art heist. And yes, the wife knows, there goes that surprise.
Hit or Dud?: Dud. A very long and boring dud.
SCI FI
Heroes
Plot: Ordinary people from all walks of (naturally) American life find out they have superpowers. One man, an Indian whose father predicted these Supers, fiddles about the edges for some reason.
How is it?: The premier had it's moments, but it has timing problems. Each of the Supers have different levels of knowledge and understanding of their powers. From a (Naturally) good hearted stripper who has no idea what's going on, to an Asian (The only non-American so far) who knows, accepts, and can't wait to see where these powers take him.
The two twists at the end were good and made me want to watch more, but it's got to tighten up timing and get that Indian guy more involved or the whole thing will turn out to be a big old slow mess.
Hit or Dud?: Hit, but only if they tighten up the timing and get those Lost-esh elements into play and soon.
Jericho
Plot: The prodigal son returns to a small town named (oddly enough) Jericho when it appears a nuclear bomb goes off in nearby Denver and (as we later learn) Atlanta. Now it seems the fate of the world rests in good old fashioned, down home people of Jericho.
How is it?: Eh. So-so. I saw something in the pilot and hope they start the plot moving in the second episode. It hints that it's going to go the Lost route, so they should start moving that way soon to keep interest hot.
Hit or Dud?: Sorry, dud. No matter how good it gets (and believe me, the building blocks are there) it's just going to be drowned out by better shows. I give it a half a season.
SECOND EPISODE UPDATE: Ok, I was wrong. The second episode was tight and added those mysterious elements I was waiting for, namely in the form of the Skeet Ulrich and Lennie James characters, both of whom seem to know more than they are letting on. I change my Hit or Dud rating to possible hit.
So there you have it. A brief overview of the new season as I see it. I'll do a quick update as new shows premier.
// posted by Gord @ 9:59 PM 
