Returning shows I'm looking forward to

After waiting all summer, the time has finally come for the shows that ended in May, to return. Thought there are many shows I'm looking forward to returning, there are some that I'm looking forward to more.

The Vampire Diaries
This show was one of the best new shows last year. It had the ability to keep me on the edge of my seat every episode and its finale was no different. It was a finale that had me buzzing about it weeks after I saw it. I was surprised by how much I enjoyed it from the very first episode as I was rolling my eyes at yet another show about vampires but somehow it continues to be fresh.

Grey's Anatomy
Like The Vampire Diaries, it was one of my favourite finales but for different reasons - it played upon the emotions. We were promised a game changer and it certainly delivered. How the characters deal with the aftermath is the question.

Fringe
This show is in my top 5 shows and like the previous two, was one of my favourite finales. The show just keeps getting better with outstanding performances and storylines. With the alternative universe being shown more, the show looks to keep up its consistency of being something not to miss.

Community
This is one of my favourite comedies and if you haven't seen it already, just watch the episode Modern Warfare and you'll be hooked. It has one of the best ensembles with funny and consistent writing. I shall continue to review the episodes on Series.nu

Other shows that I'm looking forward to but just not as much
Parenthood
Life Unexpected
Modern Family
Cougar Town
Glee
Castle
The Middle
The Good Wife

Two shows that I was considering dropping form my viewing list were Gossip Girl and Desperate Housewives but the casting of Katie Cassidy and Vanessa Williams respectively have breathed a new sense of anticipation for me and I shall keenly watch to see how both shows utilize the actresses.

Review: Community - The Science of Illusion (Series.nu)

My review of episode 20 of Community is now up on Series.nu. Go check it out.

Review: Community - Beginner Pottery (Series.nu)

Check out my review of episode 19 from Community, now up on Series.nu

Fav Scene of the Week 10th - 16th Jan

Hidden underneath the drama on NBC's latenight, the network gave a double helping of 30 Rock on Thursday. There were too many scenes for me to pick from but I chose Liz finally revealing her secret friend for Jenna.

Liz is always having to take care of Tracy and Jenna, sometimes you forget that Liz and Jenna used to live together before 'The Girlie Show'. It's funny the lengths that Liz goes to make sure the show goes on.

Letterman weighs in on NBC/Leno/Conan

The NBC Leno/Conan situation has definitely been the kind of drama that some shows dream of writing.

Having taken scripted content off 10pm for Leno, the network will now be looking for things to fill the spot now Leno is being moved to 11:35pm. David Letterman offers his own idea of a drama that can fill the now vacated timeslot.

My Misses List of 2009

There have been a lot of best and worst of 2009 lists floating around and I thought I'll do my own little list. I warn you now, that this isn't your standard best show and worst show list. I've been a little inventive with my awards. I start of with the misses list.

What were you thinking? - NBC cancelling Southland before the new series was aired

I can't believe you're still on the air - Heroes

Hail Mary attempt at more viewers - Claire's lesbian kiss, Heroes

It's not what it says on the packaging - FlashForward. Some billed it as the next Lost, well it's not.

I should really turn it over - The Cleveland Show

Stop and stare moment - Heather Locklear's face. There's something going on that I can't quite figure out.

Biggest waste of an hour - The Beautiful Life

Biggest waste of half an hour - Hank

I like you but I couldn't keep watching your show - Alex O'Loughlin and Alfre Woodard, Three Rivers

Is it you or your character that annoys me - Joseph Fiennes, Mark on FlashForward

Are you trying to kill the show on purpose? - Fox moving Fringe from Tuesday to overloaded Thursday

Do you want people to watch you? - NBC's dwindling primetime scripted shows.

Most obvious outcome in a cliffhanger - Grey's Anatomy with George and Izzie

Fav Scene of the Week 6th - 12th Dec 09

Well I have to say that this choice was a particularly had one to make with many of the shows airing their holiday episode/mid season finale episode. Modern Family was in the frame, which seems to be a regular occurrence. Glee and Community were also a possibility but instead I went for Parks and Recreation.

This show is one of my favourite new shows and the episode as a whole kept me laughing throughout. I picked the scene with Leslie having to deny an affair, on a TV show. There is also a scene with Ron sandwiched in between.

I Think We Have An Emergency

What can be said about the three new hospital dramas that debuted this fall? Mercy, Three Rivers and Trauma have aired to less than impressive ratings and less than favoured reviews. There was a big gap left in NBC’s schedule after ER ended; it was a mainstay in the schedule for 15 seasons. It puzzled me that NBC went for both Trauma and Mercy but hey, I’m no network exec.

I’ve watched all three of these dramas and in the case of Mercy and Trauma; I’ve already stopped watching them. With Mercy, I lasted 3 episodes and 5 minutes of episode 4. My problem with this show was that I just didn’t care. I didn’t care that one of them had issues since returning from war. I couldn’t sympathise with her or understand her to any extent. I found Michelle Trachtenberg’s character a bore and more annoying than her character in Buffy and I never thought that could ever be possible. I couldn’t find a character to route for and the storylines were boring. The show has been picked up for a full season.

What can I say about Trauma? A quote from my mother sums it up “Trauma is traumatic to watch.” The last episode I watched had someone being electrocuted, another guy’s arm cut off and a guy falling on something that went straight through his body. The show seems to be intent on finding ways to try and gross people out. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t get grossed out easily, I’ve seen four of the Saw films and will watch the latest. I don’t mind watching things like this on film, but I don’t want to see this week in and week out. It wouldn’t be such a bad problem if there was a storyline, some character development, anything to keep people interested. it seems like a mini-movie with no plot and just an aim to see how much they can spend on effects.

News came this week that NBC was to air 13 episodes but it was as good as cancelled. Someone mentioned that it would at least give it time to wrap up storylines, what storylines?

This then moves me on to Three Rivers, which I'm still watching. This is a very slow paced show and even with a storyline about a bus crash, it's still failed to ignite anything in this show. For a couple of episodes, ratings for this show haven’t been helped by extended football games but that is no excuse. The slow paced drama has one thing over the over two - three actors with a fan base. Alex O'Loughlin, Alfre Woodard and Katherine Moennig are probably keeping some viewers watching despite the show itself. In some ways, that's probably part of the reason I'm still watching it. All three of them have been part of shows that I've watched (Moonlight, Desperate Housewives and Young Americans). I feel like I'm waiting for something to happen, I'm just not sure what it is yet.

I have yet to hear of anyone with the opinion that they think Three Rivers or Trauma will get a second season. I'm not looking for an ER replacement, as I stopped watching it for the last few seasons that were aired. I just think that with medical dramas, there should be a good balance between the medicine, the characters, the story within the episode and the story within the season. I don't want a snooze fest either, just a well-written drama.

Fav Scene of The Week - Oct 11th 09

There were a number of candidates which were all comedies. I'm yet to find something that caught my eye in a dramatic sense, though Brother and Sisters did fly near the radar.
Possible candidates were the plane flying scene from Modern Family and Sue's Monologue from Glee. I chose a scene from The Office instead. It would have been easy for me to pick the wedding dance but I decided to chose a different dance involving Andy.

Heroes...Going, Going, Gone

So it finally happened and I joined the other millions that have done the same thing. I have officially dumped Heroes. After avoiding watching the season opener for nearly two weeks, I finally sat down to watch the double episode. Day after day I had put this episode to the back of the queue watching everything else that had been aired in between. Yesterday I finally decided to just sit down and watch but only because there was nothing left to watch.

I found myself pausing constantly as I was getting bored, I just couldn't find myself interested. Halfway through the first episode, I went to get myself a drink and I had a brief chat with my mother. She had stop watching the show two episodes away from the end of last season. She asked me why I was flogging a dead horse and that it's not a new show so I shouldn't give it the same chance I was giving those (I adopted a policy if giving the new shows 3 episodes to get me interested). It got me thinking about the time I originally wanted to stop watching it until now. Two seasons and it still hasn't got any better. I got to the end of the first episode and rolled my eyes at the thought of trying to watch another two and that's when I made the decision to finally break up with the show.

I would have placed money on one of the new shows being the first to drop off my TV guide but I was wrong. It was a long time coming and I mentioned it in a post a couple of months ago. The quality of the show has declined as fast as the viewing figures and it should be given it's marching orders (as mentioned in my cancellation predictions). On Monday Trauma, which starts straight after Heroes, got more viewers (5.49m compared to 5.41m though Heroes had a better figure with the 18-49 demo).

I mean there's even a Twitter campaign to get people to stop watching it. I as well as millions of others have said goodbye to Heroes and so should NBC.

My Cancellation Predictions

"It lacks cohesion." A quote from the season opener of CSI: Crime Scene Investigation. This is something that can be said of many shows on TV and is often thrown at new shows in particular.

I've watched most of the new shows that have been aired so far. I've taken a look at the ratings for their debut and in some cases, their second outing. I'm going to loosely predict what shows I think will be cancelled as well as predict some more established shows. The first one on my list was going to be The Beautiful Life but the plug was already pulled before I got the chance to write this.

Lets get one thing straight, though I'm predicting the following, it doesn't mean I necessarily dislike the shows that I've picked, as there are a couple that I like but still think they will be canned.

Ugly Betty - Now this hasn't even been shown yet and that is one of the points of why I feel it will be cancelled. This week ABC announced that Betty's season opener air date has changed. It was moved to Friday which is the least watched week day (I'm looking at it in terms of the highest viewed show per day). CBS so far has that night in the bag with Medium, Ghost Whisperer and Numbers. The viewers were already dwindling before this move.

Hank and The Middle - They're just not as good as ABC's other two new comedies Cougar Town and Modern Family. That and the ratings are reason enough.

Trauma/Mercy - I can't really choose between the two but I think one of them will go. My personal opinion is Mercy but Trauma had the worst debut. Not sure why NBC went for two new shows about the emergency services.

Cold Case - I like this show but there were rumours that this was up for the chop with Without A Trace and it was an either or decision. With CBS cutting costs in both primetime and daytime, I see this as one to go.

Dollhouse - Another show that I like but not enough people are watching this. It also doesn't help when SyFy's Stargate Universe and encores of shows already shown in the week get better rating numbers.

Smallville - I haven't watched this since the first season but like Ugly Betty, it has been moved to Friday. I don't see why it couldn't have been moved into The Beautiful Life's vacated spot instead of a Melrose Place rerun. These are the reasons I have this down plus the length of time it's had on air.

I've had to put the following in a separate section as if they were on any other network, I think these shows would be canned but as NBC's figures as a whole haven't been as good as CBS or ABC this week (in some cases Fox either) then it's hard to tell what they would actually get rid of.

Heroes - I really don't think I should have to explain this one as those that no longer watch it know why. It should have been cancelled last season but they persisted and gave it another go. The characters have become annoying, they've killed off some interesting and popular characters, it's lacked direction and decent story-telling and people are abandoning it fast, including many of my family and friends.

Parks and Recreation - I really like this show but it's the worst performer out of NBC's Thursday comedies.

The following ones I'm debating and could go either way depending on how they do further down the line. I won't go into my reasons, in some cases, you just have to watch them to know.

Eastwick
The Forgotten
Accidently On Purpose
Brothers
Till Death
Melrose Place
Castle

The last one I am mentioning is just what I think should end.
One Tree Hill - I think it should have ended last season as I think it was time and ended on a good note, which I mentioned in a previous post. Now it feels like they are just dragging things out. If you have to have Dan Scott married to Rachel Gatina and another Nathan may or may have cheated storyline, then you need to end it.

Obviously Lost isn't included in any of the lists, as we all know that it will be airing it's last season. I think it was good that they announced a couple of seasons ago the timeline for the show.

We shall see what shows are still on when I do this again, after the mid season shows have aired.

Version 2.0

The popular thing amongst the TV networks seems to be bringing back things to life. Whether it be an old TV show or a film, networks are looking to the past for their future shows.

With CBS resurrecting Hawaii Five O and a number of shows either in the pipeline or already showing, it seems that networks are running out of fresh ideas. Why the case for all the reboots?

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Dawn Ostroff was quoted as saying "When you do a remake you have built-in fan base and that's a huge advantage for us." But as we know in some cases, a fan base for an old show doesn't guarantee success now. All you have to do is look at the ratings for Melrose Place and 90210. Granted that they are both on The CW but even so, they aren't the most popular shows. Another case, Knightrider didn't last too long on the air. I never watched it myself as I couldn't see myself watching a pale imitation of a show I used to watch as a kid.

You can compare the reboots to a band reforming or giving an old relationship another go. Sometimes the chemistry just isn't there, things are forced and you're going through the motions. With the reboots, they seem to have more to prove than a new show would because everyone is keen to see where things go and what old characters come back. Sometimes when you bring old characters back, it can take things away from the new ones. Then there are some cases where you just don't care about the new characters. Where do you find the balance?

The latest news this week was that William H Macy was going to be in the US version of the hit UK show Shameless. These kinds of reboots at times fail to do anything. Kath and Kim didn't work out last year. To me the US version just wasn't as funny as the Australian version. I won't even mention Coupling's demise. There is always an exception to the rule and in these types of reboots; it would be The Office, which is currently in its sixth series. It isn't as easy to find a TV gem these days.

With a couple of the new shows that are to air, I've never had the opportunity to watch their predecessor. I didn't even realise that V would fall into this category. Even though there might be many reboots, some are just a completely new show to me.

Are They Still Heroes?

The networks have put out there fall schedules and I for one know what shows will be on my schedule. One show that I'm still debating on watching is Heroes. I have stayed loyal to this show even when people I know had abandoned it but having finally watched the last two episodes, and it took me a month to even want to see what happened, it didn't have me excited.

I believe that I should have stopped watching it a year ago but I'm not sure why I haven't. I think that there is some secret hope that it might get better. Sometimes I like to see where things are going and how they play out but I'm running out of patience.

The return of Bryan Fuller was meant to rejuvenate it and some people thought it had. To me, I don't think he had enough episodes in the arc to impact my opinion as I think I was too far gone to be brought back. With news breaking that he has quit the show again, what does it mean for the direction of the next chapter. With dwindling viewers and constant criticism, would this be one of the shows that we might not see at the Upfronts come May 2010. Maybe they should do what Lost has done and set a time frame to end it. This might actually help as it can give it some sort of direction, which at times seems to be lacking. It will now be up against the more popular House and Dancing with the Stars, so I see it losing more viewers instead of gaining then. Only time will tell.