Once Upon a Time

October 22, 2012

Last night's episode of Once Upon a Time was another example of why I love this show!! Excellent story, excellent writing, excellent characters...

Mr. Gold/Rumplestiltskin is an awesome character - one of those bad guys that you tend to pull for once in awhile... and I love how he is the Beast from the Beauty and the Beast AND now with the addition of Captain Hook, Rumplestiltskin is the (tick-tock) crocodile! What a great spin on our beloved stories!!

And as much as I love the addition of characters I fear for less time for regulars: Snow White, Charming, Emma and Henry. This is the central (royal) family and I miss them when we don't see them as much. In regards to Snow & Emma - Ginnifer Goodwin and Jennifer Morrison play the mother-daughter relationship really interesting; I love seeing them stranded together and relying on each other as they learn more about each other. It will be interesting to see how Captain Hook adds to the dynamic - Colin O'Donoghue is now a series regular, and making his way to Storybrooke!

I'm expecting a really exciting season, and look forward to each Sunday night! Sunday night is a powerhouse night and the fact that this show is gaining viewers speaks to how amazing this show is!! Entertainment Weekly just did a full cover story on it - click here - or pick up a copy at the store! It has a lot of information and will get you ready for next Sunday night!

Comedy Favorites: Friends & New Girl

I like comedies, they make me laugh!

But seriously, it's hard to like comedies - they either play it safe with typical and cliche jokes, or they try to push the envelope and can make things awkward!

My favorite comedy show of all time is FRIENDS - I grew up with that show. I remember my favorite lines and moments even without all the reruns! I have a few other comedies on my favorites list: The Cosby Show & Family Ties (but those are there for mainly nostalgia reasons); currently they include Modern Family & Happy Endings

But the one I really want to rave about is NEW GIRL!! I seriously laughed OUT LOUD at least five times during last night's show; not bad for a program running 23 minutes! Here are some of my favorite moments from last night:
"We'll be there with bells on! Dolla-dolla bells y'all"- Schmidt
Prank Sinatra
Jewish Peter Pan
"That's how she casseroles"
All those 80's sitcom impersonations!
Nick's pranks making Schmidt turn into an old man!

If you are not watching this show I highly recommend it! And if you are a fan of FRIENDS as well, TVGuide wrote this article that may get you on board!

New Comedy Shows

I watched three new comedies since Tuesday: Ben & Kate (FOX), The Mindy Project (FOX), and The Neighbors (ABC)

I can describe both Ben & Kate and The Neighbors as weird, quirky, and hopeful! I really like the premise of Ben & Kate - with them as siblings and not a couple. Ben is a weird character but I like how Kate interacts with him; and the daughter (Maddie, played by Maggie Elizabeth Jones) brings the adorable factor! The writing is quirky and I loved how at the end Kate runs into the drums after putting her daughter to sleep; Friends would have said "come on" and Grey's Anatomy, "seriously" - I liked how these writers kept their voice unique with the interaction between Ben & Kate! That's also why I find this series hopeful... it should fit right in on a Tuesday night with New Girl and Raising Hope.

The Neighbors is more weird than quirky; the whole premise is not normal. A family moves into a community to find that all their neighbors are aliens with pro-athlete names. I'm not sure if this show will fit on Wednesday nights with The Middle and Modern Family - I like Happy Endings a whole lot better. One saving grace of this show may be the chemistry between Jami Gertz (from Still Standing) and Toks Olagundoye (who plays Jackie Joyner-Kersee) - they should build more off of their friendship.

My least favorite of these new comedies, though, is The Mindy Project - I can appreciate the humor and can understand the audience it's going after (Bridesmaids anyone?). But I think they need more supporting players rather than the randomness of the work friends and girlfriend. They just come and go and Mindy has to be in the room in order for them to be on the screen -- not sure if that will last long. Even though it's on FOX and may find an audience, I think some things need a little tweak before hitting their stride.

Monday's Review

Fall TV is back!!!

Thank goodness! TV Nerd is happy again!

Even though The Voice won the night, I was watching CBS. Here are my thoughts:

How I Met Your Mother, CBS - I've heard that this may be the last season so I'll probably watch it more! I watched this series when it first premiered, and watched Season 1... Since then I've been keeping up with it even if I don't watch it on a weekly basis. I love all the characters and writing is good. Not always consistent, but good. Viewers will most likely learn identity of Mother this season - which is why I started watching eight years!! Hopefully it'll be a good season!

Partners, CBS - new show, same concept as Will & Grace. I love Michael Urie (Ugly Betty), and he has great chemistry with Sophia Bush... but I'm not sure if this show will last. The writing was fast - not sure if they're trying to be like Aaron Sorkin -- at times it seemed too fast; but something wasn't clicking. It'll be interesting to see if this show lasts, or gets replaced with Big Bang Theory reruns.

2 Broke Girls, CBS - no second season slumps here. This isn't one of my favorites... but their voice is consistent (raunchy/heartfelt), chemistry between Kat Dennings and Beth Behrs is obvious (the two went on a summer Europe trip together!) and story-line keeps things interesting. Not sure if I'll watch weekly, but will definitely keep up with it.

On the DVR - Revolution, NBC - have to wait to watch with the husband. But I enjoyed last week's series premiere; and I'll pretty much watch anything J.J. Abrams creates!

Fall TV

Fall TV is in full swing! Some shows have already been canceled (Lone Star, My Generation, OutLaw, and The Whole Truth) and there haven't been any real major hits like last year's Glee and Modern Family, but there are about five shows that I truly enjoy. In no particular order, here they are:

1. The Event This show is like 24, LOST, and X-Files all rolled into one! The first episode absolutely intrigued me, and I made sure everyone I know was watching the second episode! The show is a mystery in that the audience only knows very little about each of the principle characters. It's been revealed that aliens landed in Alaska sometime in the 1940's and the government, or some super secret group, has been keeping them locked away from the public. The show has kidnappings, abnormal medical mysteries, terrorist threats, and government corruption. Whatever you like, this show has... good storyline included!

2. Raising Hope I love this show! It is hilariously funny and awkwardly funny all in the same half-hour. An eighteen year boy, Jimmy, knocks up a murderous hottie. She gets the chair, he gets the kid. He's raising his daughter, Hope, while living with his parents and great-grandmother. The dynamic of this family brings new meaning to young family comedy. The parents were young themselves when they raised Jimmy, so he's trying to learn from their mistakes in raising his own child... with them learning as well. It's sweet, funny, charming, and a must for your DVR!!

3. Hawaii Five-0 I didn't think I would like this show... but Scott Caan has made me a believer! The first two episodes were great in story line and visuals, but by the third it was starting to feel redundant in the crime department. I wish they would explore why the main character decided to stay in Hawaii, and maybe explore the supporting characters more too. The only reason I keep watching is the dynamic between Scott Caan and anyone else. He's great! And you should check it out at least once to see him.

4. The Defenders Jim Belushi makes this show great. There were two other new lawyer shows that started this season as well, and they have both been canceled. Why? Because they didn't have Jim Belushi. He plays a lawyer really well! His character is not just another swarmy lawyer, he cares about his clients and knows how to manipulate the law/jurors/judges to get what he wants. The storylines are nothing new, but the way The Defenders approaches them, specifically Jim Belushi's character, makes me keep this new show on my DVR.

5. Grey's Anatomy I know what you're gonna say, "This isn't a new show." Well... it kind of is this season! If you think about it, so much has changed from that first season: the cast, the writing, the storylines. Originally there were eight people shown in first casting picture. Three of those are gone, replaced by six new and dynamic characters. And I think that the writing has gotten better as well as the storylines (bye, bye weird ghost issues). Grey's Anatomy has been sort of a rollercoaster series, but one very much worth the ride! I feel like it has had new life breathed into it, and so I put it on my list of new favorites! It's my list, I can do what I want!

RUBICON

There aren't many shows this summer that have grabbed my attention... the summer was starting to look bleak. Then I heard rumblings in the TV world of a show called "Rubicon." Mystery and intrigue were the key words thrown around a lot; the show's catchphrase is "not every conspiracy is a theory." I wasn't sure what the show was about in terms of characters or plots, and since it was on AMC I wasn't really sure I was going to check it out (No, I'm not an AMC fan for all you mad men people, ugh!). But I kept hearing about the show and reading up on it, so I got interested. One person wrote that "Rubicon" wasn't like anything else AMC had produced. I decided to give it a try.

Within the opening credits some old guy commits suicide, and the camera tilts down to reveal a four-leaf clover. Hmm... okay, a clue to remember. Then we get into a think tank of code breakers. Not so much clues the audience needs to pick up, but a lot of character development. These people are smart, especially Will Travers, the main character. We start to see some connections between the co-workers and then BOOM, another guy dead (or is he?!?). About half-way through the show I start considering every new character the next dead person. But there were no more deaths, just a lot of clue finding and breaking to try to uncover the plot.

I'm not sure how the show will run; if this one puzzle will carry through the season or the series. But so far I really like it. I've only watched two of the three episodes, and I've heard the third one is amazing. I like that the show doesn't drag on the puzzle pieces; once Will finds a clue he can usually break it, or find someone else that can (like that old, retired guy). I know we haven't met all the pieces to this puzzle, but what's even more interesting is that the pieces/characters are really well developed. Everything is interconnected and has meaning. A show that makes you wonder what's around the corner, and doesn't make that corner too far off.

Check it out when you can! Just be sure you're not too sleepy or trying to do something else at the same time. "Rubicon" is a show where you must pay attention, because every detail is of value. "Rubicon" is on Sunday nights, 9/8c, AMC.

Summer TV

What idiot starts a TV blog in the middle of summer?!? Oh yeah... me. Sorry for the hiatus, I'll be better now. Promise.

ABC has turned Monday Night into Date Night. Tonight is the return of Dating in the Dark (8/7c); a social experiment of how we judge each other in the dating process. It's actually not too bad of a show, an interesting concept that obviously did well enough in season one to bring it back. My one wish for this show is that they would update on the couples afterward. ABC's other dating show is the new Bachelor Pad (10/9c). This show has the rejects from the Bachelor/Bachelorette shows in a Big Brother type setting. It should bring all the hook-ups, break-ups, and drama of both shows, we'll see if it brings the ratings.

Speaking of Big Brother! This show is my summer guilty pleasure! I don't know why I love it, but I do! It's like watching a bad car wreck or something, you can't look away! This season is the year of the saboteur... which the contestants voted out in week 1. But... in good ole' Big Brother fashion, they're bringing back a saboteur for two weeks in the form of Ragan. I hope he does well... I like him and wouldn't want this to spoil his game! I'm on the "get rid of Rachel/Braden" bandwagon. Not just because they can be annoying at times, but because they're obviously a huge threat in the house. She keeps winning HOH and he keeps winning POV; that's a troublesome pair. One of them has got to go. I'm also not really a fan of the Brigade... they're gonna be trouble at some point. And not just for the rest of the house, for each other as well. I predict Matt is the first out of that alliance; his crazy little lies are going to catch up with him!

Summer TV is here now, but never fear - Fall TV is just around the corner! Most shows start back up in the first two weeks of September! Can't wait!!