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So, it's now towards the end of October, which means that I've finally nailed down my TV watching routine. Mondays are the worst because it's apparent that the studios don't want any of the shows to succeed. But overall there's a lot for me to watch on the DVR while I do my laundry so good times:
Mondays: Chuck, How I Met Your Mother, Gossip Girl
Chuck:
The show is on fire this season. So far they have yet to make a wrong move, even at the break-neck speed at which they are setting up and working through their plotlines. In just 4 episodes, we've seen them deal with the new Intersect, deal with Chuck being outdated (Thanks Bryce! Even though you're an inglorious bastard), and see hints of Chuck growing into the spy world. On the romance front, we've gone from Chuck and Sarah admitting that they have feelings for each other to acknowledging that it can't work right now and maybe not ever and that they're going to try to be adults about it. We've gotten backstory for Sarah, more hints about Fulcrum, and soon we'll be getting to Jill. Most shows take a whole season to get through what they've done in 4 eps.
The guest stars are hilariously awesome this season too- Michael Clark Duncan, John Laraquette, Melinda Clark, Ben Savage? Pretty soon we'll be getting Arrested Development people in there too (not gonna spoil who it is).
Bottom line: If you aren't watching this show, you should because I guarantee you, you'll feel better and lighter in spirit after watching it because Chuck is *such* a good guy. Let's be clear- this isn't hard hitting drama ala West Wing or Mad Men. It isn't the jokes and punchline hilarity that is Scrubs or How I Met Your Mother. It's pure, unadulterated fluff.
But it's fluff done right, and it's so heartfelt and earnest and FUN the way Bones was in its best seasons. I love all the characters because they could be charicatures but the actors involved give them much more depth, so much so that it can surprise you when they knock a dramatic scene out of the park. The show is just fun and I hope it can keep this quality up for the rest of the season:
Comedy gold, I tell you, with a side of fluff so sweet you'll get a toothache.
HIMYM:
Like Chuck, I love this show so much. It's not perfect- I was kinda annoyed in World's Greatest Burger when everyone seemed intent on acting like an asshole- but for the most part, this show is still on the ball and can deliver on a consistent basis the way few shows can. It's smart, it's heartfelt, and the jokes never really feel like jokes for a show, but rather jokes and stories that either happen to you or you tell your friends. Intervention was so accurate in the panic attack that sets in the transition-y periods of life, that I had flashbacks to 2003.
And again, the characters are like people I have in my own life, who are awesome and hilarious and they just seem like tons of fun to hang out with. Lily and Marshall remain the World's Greatest couple- awesome without being smushy (although Marshall totally needs to cut his hair). Lily as the supportive secret keeper for Barney is pretty awesome as well, and I love where they are going with Barney, making him grow inch by inch without changing what we love watching about him. They made him in love with Robin while still being Barney. And speaking of which, Robin/Cobie is on a roll this season. She worked with marshmallow throwing monkeys, y'all. If that isn't dedication, I don't know what is.
As for Ted, well, Ted's so far in denial that it's hard to watch him with Stella (I love Sarah Chalke, but thank god the Stella arc is over.) It hurt to finally hear Robin's words, even though I was totally behind everything she said. But he needed it to grow up and it totally jives with why Saget!Ted is starting the story at the beginning, to understand the ending. I really can't wait to see where they're all going to end up next and what new lessons Ted's going to have to learn until he's finally ready to meet The One.
Gossip Girl:
Look, it's not high-brow entertainment. I can't even say that it's campy the way Grey's and Ugly Betty are. Mostly it's like a trainwreck you can't look away from.
But it's just so trashy that I love it, because it's not even trying to be high class. They basically take storylines that are designed for adults and give them to high schoolers- then have said high schoolers act out EXACTLY the way teenagers would. Take Nate, for example. Oh Dad's on the lam and your family's in debt? Clearly the correct response is to refuse money from your best friend who can afford it and to whore your family's way out of debt by being a sex toy to a married Dutchess. Clearly. Oh and P.S. Did I mention the Dutchess is also sleeping with her step-son? No?
You see what I mean by it not even trying?
It is what it is- as salacious and scandalous and ridiculous as the spoiled teenage socialites it emulates- but like gossip, there's always some element of truth with it, which is also part of the charm of this show. Cuz honestly, there are kids like this, I've met them and they really are this ridiculous. And I dig the dialogue for the one-lines, so I continue to watch, heaven help me. It helps that pretty pretty people all of legal age (well, okay except for Taylor but girl could pass for 21, I swear) pretending to be teenagers is always fun to watch. I also find it amusing that out of the 6 people in my immediate family, 2 out of the 3 people who watch it are male. And my 30 year old cousins in Canada watch this show obsessively. So it's nice to know that I'm not alone in watching this, admittedly trashy (but AWESOMELY trashy) show.
Tuesdays: House, Fringe (pending), Eli Stone (pending)
House:
Eh, I watch it but I'm kinda getting tired of it, mostly because it's the same old, same old. Wilson and House continue to amuse, but after 5 years, House hasn't had any real growth and that kinda bores me. There was such promise in the finale and now? Meh. It doesn't help that they don't know how to use their cast. Can they please do *something* with Kutner? And I miss the old ducklings. Also Cuddy, officially qualifies as the worst.authority.figure.ever. Seriously, she and Webber on Grey's seem to be in a competition on how much they will let their employees steamroll over them with inappropriate actions.
Wednesdays: Bones, Pushing Daisies, Private Practice, Dirty Sexy Money
Bones:
Bones is still on notice. I'm still not happy with the rotating interns, mostly because I miss Zack so so much. Yes, you made him not!the!killer, but he's still not in the lab, we have to deal with (ugh) Sweets, and I miss the experiments and King of the Lab. Also, Angela and Hodgins totally need to get it together, because they broke up over nothing. It's so dumb, it's annoying because honestly they're going to get back together. I know it, you know it, even the newly casted Roxie knows it. You watch, it would be just like the show to have Hodgins and Angela break up and make up with the appearances of Angela's exes.
Don't get me wrong- Booth and Bones are still awesome. But they need to dial the twee back a notch and not be so blatant about the flirting. The flirting is great, but I'll take actual development of their issues more, thanks. The dog episode was good, though. More of that, please.
Pushing Daisies:
There aren't enough words to describe how gorgeous this show is. The cinematography, the costume designs, the actors? As golden as Digby's fur. The show is totally a fairy tale, complete with the shiny whimsy and the absurd and dark, freaky stuff that comes with the real fairy tales (Hi, the real Little Mermaid turned into foam and the ugly stepsister in Cinderella cut off her toes, remember? No? Just me?)
But seriously, I love this cast. Lee and Anna are great, Chi and Cheno are HILARIOUS, and I really really really want a musical episode. Please. This cast and show deserves it. Please don't cancel it, ABC.
PP:
To sum up: Better than last year but I still miss the old Addison. Hopefully Charlotte will be able to woo Addison over with surgeries as a way to dig the practice out of debt. I enjoy Charlotte when she interacts with Addison. It's the only way she's tolerable. Cooper's pissing me off, and they are wasting Amy and Tim on this show. Please get it together, Shonda, because while showing some signs of promise, it is a textbook example of wasted potential and lamenting the lost brillance.
DSM:
Campy, fun, and hilarious. It's Gossip Girl in the hands of better actors and more appropriately aged characters. Blair, Chuck, Serena, and Nate will all grow up to be like the Darlings, while Vanessa, Jenny, and Dan can only hope to become as cool as Nick George. That said, I love Peter Krause, and Blair Underwood is appropriately skeezy and untrustworthy. I approve whole-heartedly of this cast, and it stands heads and shoulders over Lipstick Jungles of this season because it's got good family drama behind it in the hands of better writers and better actors. No one writes funny family drama, especially daddy issues, quite like Greg Berlanti.
Thursdays: Ugly Betty, Grey's Anatomy, Office
UB:
After last season's slump, it's getting better, and while I'm sad to see the yummy Eddie Cibrian leave the show, it's just as well that he's gone. Also sad? Alexis' departure. Yeah, they didn't know what to do with her and she needed out of the show to go on maternity leave because RR needs time to take care of her twins, but she and Judith Light always brought the awesome, so sad to see her leave.
That said, I'm glad that we're back to the basics: Wili and Daniel duking it out. An awesome Meade parent cutting in here and there. A single but not quite totally broken Hilda. And Marc and Mandy back together again. There really isn't enough Marc and Amanda on this show. Once we finish the Lohan guest stint, I'll be interested to see where they are going to take this, as most of the on-going arcs are coming to an end- esp since Christina looks like she's going ot have that baby any second now.
GA:
Wow, we made it to 5 season already? Well, the good news is that it's getting back to the basics of what we loved about S1 and S2 of GA. Doctors fighting over medicine and surgeries, not boys. Funny lines and roommate issues, as well as crushes and teasing from colleagues. Actual, you know, interesting cases and balancing the actual drama with the melodrama. Plus, we get Kevin McKidd to replace douchey Isaiah Washington, which is a total upgrade. So yay.
But I remain cautiously optimistic. I'm loving little Lexie Grey. George is working his way back to being redeemable. Alex continues to grow just a little bit more. Cristina is back to being awesome and a good friend, and hopefully will be getting some hot hot lovin from Major McBadass (or McVorenus, take your pick). Bailey, as always, is awesome.
That said, Derek is still kind of being an ass. I haven't forgotten the hell that was S3-S4. And they're threatening us to make Melissa Freakin George, aka Vaughn's evil wife with horrible OmniAccent, a regular instead of Mary Frakking McDonnell who is infinitely better. You're still on notice, GA, but I'm liking the progress I have been seeing. Just don't screw it up.
Office:
JAM is awesome and I love Holly. She makes Michael better. That's all that really needs to be said, really.
Friday: Life
I just picked up this show and kinda love it in a "I don't have to watch every week, but Damien Lewis has pretty pretty eyes, and I'm a sucker for red-heads" kind of way. He's quirky, he's funny, and he eats fruit. But it's all quite charming in a way that could be irritating, but isn't. I don't like the new boss, but Charlie and Dani make such awesome platonic partners, that not since Elliot and Olivia have I bought a strong male-female partnership that shows no hint of romance, just solid support. And Ted? Totally Alfred to Charlie's Batman, but hilariously so.
Sunday: TAR, Brothers and Sisters
TAR 13:
I don't like anyone. Not a single team has me rooting for them completely. Terrence and Sarah are just hair-ripping-out-of-my-scalp passive aggressive, the frat boys prove that even the non-model ones can still be jerks, and don't get me started on the all girls teams. The divorcees are just...WOW. So unintentionally funny, but in the way that really makes you pity them. Even though I love the locations and Phil always brings the awesome (we got to see his dad!) I'm not so great on this season. Better casting, next time, okay show?
Brothers and Sisters:
As mentioned above, no one writes family drama like Greg Berlanti. I remain wary of Rebecca and Justin, not because I find it squicky but because I wonder if Rebecca only thinks she's in love with Justin because she loves their entire family. Then again, she and he were like inappropriately obsessed with each other when they thought they were siblings, so it works. And you gotta feel for her for having such a crappy mom in Holly. Geez, what a terrible, terrible mother. Nora is so much better, neuroses and all.
Personally I'm more interested in seeing Kevin and Robert duke it out. Rob Lowe is always awesome when he's talking politics with a foil. Kevin is so going to be the uber liberal gay version of Ainsley Hayes to Robert's Republican!Sam. And hey at least he doesn't have to share screen time with Balthazar anymore, given their awkwardness due to BG's philandering.
So yeah, that is my massive TV catch-up post. Comment at will.
Mondays: Chuck, How I Met Your Mother, Gossip Girl
Chuck:
The show is on fire this season. So far they have yet to make a wrong move, even at the break-neck speed at which they are setting up and working through their plotlines. In just 4 episodes, we've seen them deal with the new Intersect, deal with Chuck being outdated (Thanks Bryce! Even though you're an inglorious bastard), and see hints of Chuck growing into the spy world. On the romance front, we've gone from Chuck and Sarah admitting that they have feelings for each other to acknowledging that it can't work right now and maybe not ever and that they're going to try to be adults about it. We've gotten backstory for Sarah, more hints about Fulcrum, and soon we'll be getting to Jill. Most shows take a whole season to get through what they've done in 4 eps.
The guest stars are hilariously awesome this season too- Michael Clark Duncan, John Laraquette, Melinda Clark, Ben Savage? Pretty soon we'll be getting Arrested Development people in there too (not gonna spoil who it is).
Bottom line: If you aren't watching this show, you should because I guarantee you, you'll feel better and lighter in spirit after watching it because Chuck is *such* a good guy. Let's be clear- this isn't hard hitting drama ala West Wing or Mad Men. It isn't the jokes and punchline hilarity that is Scrubs or How I Met Your Mother. It's pure, unadulterated fluff.
But it's fluff done right, and it's so heartfelt and earnest and FUN the way Bones was in its best seasons. I love all the characters because they could be charicatures but the actors involved give them much more depth, so much so that it can surprise you when they knock a dramatic scene out of the park. The show is just fun and I hope it can keep this quality up for the rest of the season:
Comedy gold, I tell you, with a side of fluff so sweet you'll get a toothache.
HIMYM:
Like Chuck, I love this show so much. It's not perfect- I was kinda annoyed in World's Greatest Burger when everyone seemed intent on acting like an asshole- but for the most part, this show is still on the ball and can deliver on a consistent basis the way few shows can. It's smart, it's heartfelt, and the jokes never really feel like jokes for a show, but rather jokes and stories that either happen to you or you tell your friends. Intervention was so accurate in the panic attack that sets in the transition-y periods of life, that I had flashbacks to 2003.
And again, the characters are like people I have in my own life, who are awesome and hilarious and they just seem like tons of fun to hang out with. Lily and Marshall remain the World's Greatest couple- awesome without being smushy (although Marshall totally needs to cut his hair). Lily as the supportive secret keeper for Barney is pretty awesome as well, and I love where they are going with Barney, making him grow inch by inch without changing what we love watching about him. They made him in love with Robin while still being Barney. And speaking of which, Robin/Cobie is on a roll this season. She worked with marshmallow throwing monkeys, y'all. If that isn't dedication, I don't know what is.
As for Ted, well, Ted's so far in denial that it's hard to watch him with Stella (I love Sarah Chalke, but thank god the Stella arc is over.) It hurt to finally hear Robin's words, even though I was totally behind everything she said. But he needed it to grow up and it totally jives with why Saget!Ted is starting the story at the beginning, to understand the ending. I really can't wait to see where they're all going to end up next and what new lessons Ted's going to have to learn until he's finally ready to meet The One.
Gossip Girl:
Look, it's not high-brow entertainment. I can't even say that it's campy the way Grey's and Ugly Betty are. Mostly it's like a trainwreck you can't look away from.
But it's just so trashy that I love it, because it's not even trying to be high class. They basically take storylines that are designed for adults and give them to high schoolers- then have said high schoolers act out EXACTLY the way teenagers would. Take Nate, for example. Oh Dad's on the lam and your family's in debt? Clearly the correct response is to refuse money from your best friend who can afford it and to whore your family's way out of debt by being a sex toy to a married Dutchess. Clearly. Oh and P.S. Did I mention the Dutchess is also sleeping with her step-son? No?
You see what I mean by it not even trying?
It is what it is- as salacious and scandalous and ridiculous as the spoiled teenage socialites it emulates- but like gossip, there's always some element of truth with it, which is also part of the charm of this show. Cuz honestly, there are kids like this, I've met them and they really are this ridiculous. And I dig the dialogue for the one-lines, so I continue to watch, heaven help me. It helps that pretty pretty people all of legal age (well, okay except for Taylor but girl could pass for 21, I swear) pretending to be teenagers is always fun to watch. I also find it amusing that out of the 6 people in my immediate family, 2 out of the 3 people who watch it are male. And my 30 year old cousins in Canada watch this show obsessively. So it's nice to know that I'm not alone in watching this, admittedly trashy (but AWESOMELY trashy) show.
Tuesdays: House, Fringe (pending), Eli Stone (pending)
House:
Eh, I watch it but I'm kinda getting tired of it, mostly because it's the same old, same old. Wilson and House continue to amuse, but after 5 years, House hasn't had any real growth and that kinda bores me. There was such promise in the finale and now? Meh. It doesn't help that they don't know how to use their cast. Can they please do *something* with Kutner? And I miss the old ducklings. Also Cuddy, officially qualifies as the worst.authority.figure.ever. Seriously, she and Webber on Grey's seem to be in a competition on how much they will let their employees steamroll over them with inappropriate actions.
Wednesdays: Bones, Pushing Daisies, Private Practice, Dirty Sexy Money
Bones:
Bones is still on notice. I'm still not happy with the rotating interns, mostly because I miss Zack so so much. Yes, you made him not!the!killer, but he's still not in the lab, we have to deal with (ugh) Sweets, and I miss the experiments and King of the Lab. Also, Angela and Hodgins totally need to get it together, because they broke up over nothing. It's so dumb, it's annoying because honestly they're going to get back together. I know it, you know it, even the newly casted Roxie knows it. You watch, it would be just like the show to have Hodgins and Angela break up and make up with the appearances of Angela's exes.
Don't get me wrong- Booth and Bones are still awesome. But they need to dial the twee back a notch and not be so blatant about the flirting. The flirting is great, but I'll take actual development of their issues more, thanks. The dog episode was good, though. More of that, please.
Pushing Daisies:
There aren't enough words to describe how gorgeous this show is. The cinematography, the costume designs, the actors? As golden as Digby's fur. The show is totally a fairy tale, complete with the shiny whimsy and the absurd and dark, freaky stuff that comes with the real fairy tales (Hi, the real Little Mermaid turned into foam and the ugly stepsister in Cinderella cut off her toes, remember? No? Just me?)
But seriously, I love this cast. Lee and Anna are great, Chi and Cheno are HILARIOUS, and I really really really want a musical episode. Please. This cast and show deserves it. Please don't cancel it, ABC.
PP:
To sum up: Better than last year but I still miss the old Addison. Hopefully Charlotte will be able to woo Addison over with surgeries as a way to dig the practice out of debt. I enjoy Charlotte when she interacts with Addison. It's the only way she's tolerable. Cooper's pissing me off, and they are wasting Amy and Tim on this show. Please get it together, Shonda, because while showing some signs of promise, it is a textbook example of wasted potential and lamenting the lost brillance.
DSM:
Campy, fun, and hilarious. It's Gossip Girl in the hands of better actors and more appropriately aged characters. Blair, Chuck, Serena, and Nate will all grow up to be like the Darlings, while Vanessa, Jenny, and Dan can only hope to become as cool as Nick George. That said, I love Peter Krause, and Blair Underwood is appropriately skeezy and untrustworthy. I approve whole-heartedly of this cast, and it stands heads and shoulders over Lipstick Jungles of this season because it's got good family drama behind it in the hands of better writers and better actors. No one writes funny family drama, especially daddy issues, quite like Greg Berlanti.
Thursdays: Ugly Betty, Grey's Anatomy, Office
UB:
After last season's slump, it's getting better, and while I'm sad to see the yummy Eddie Cibrian leave the show, it's just as well that he's gone. Also sad? Alexis' departure. Yeah, they didn't know what to do with her and she needed out of the show to go on maternity leave because RR needs time to take care of her twins, but she and Judith Light always brought the awesome, so sad to see her leave.
That said, I'm glad that we're back to the basics: Wili and Daniel duking it out. An awesome Meade parent cutting in here and there. A single but not quite totally broken Hilda. And Marc and Mandy back together again. There really isn't enough Marc and Amanda on this show. Once we finish the Lohan guest stint, I'll be interested to see where they are going to take this, as most of the on-going arcs are coming to an end- esp since Christina looks like she's going ot have that baby any second now.
GA:
Wow, we made it to 5 season already? Well, the good news is that it's getting back to the basics of what we loved about S1 and S2 of GA. Doctors fighting over medicine and surgeries, not boys. Funny lines and roommate issues, as well as crushes and teasing from colleagues. Actual, you know, interesting cases and balancing the actual drama with the melodrama. Plus, we get Kevin McKidd to replace douchey Isaiah Washington, which is a total upgrade. So yay.
But I remain cautiously optimistic. I'm loving little Lexie Grey. George is working his way back to being redeemable. Alex continues to grow just a little bit more. Cristina is back to being awesome and a good friend, and hopefully will be getting some hot hot lovin from Major McBadass (or McVorenus, take your pick). Bailey, as always, is awesome.
That said, Derek is still kind of being an ass. I haven't forgotten the hell that was S3-S4. And they're threatening us to make Melissa Freakin George, aka Vaughn's evil wife with horrible OmniAccent, a regular instead of Mary Frakking McDonnell who is infinitely better. You're still on notice, GA, but I'm liking the progress I have been seeing. Just don't screw it up.
Office:
JAM is awesome and I love Holly. She makes Michael better. That's all that really needs to be said, really.
Friday: Life
I just picked up this show and kinda love it in a "I don't have to watch every week, but Damien Lewis has pretty pretty eyes, and I'm a sucker for red-heads" kind of way. He's quirky, he's funny, and he eats fruit. But it's all quite charming in a way that could be irritating, but isn't. I don't like the new boss, but Charlie and Dani make such awesome platonic partners, that not since Elliot and Olivia have I bought a strong male-female partnership that shows no hint of romance, just solid support. And Ted? Totally Alfred to Charlie's Batman, but hilariously so.
Sunday: TAR, Brothers and Sisters
TAR 13:
I don't like anyone. Not a single team has me rooting for them completely. Terrence and Sarah are just hair-ripping-out-of-my-scalp passive aggressive, the frat boys prove that even the non-model ones can still be jerks, and don't get me started on the all girls teams. The divorcees are just...WOW. So unintentionally funny, but in the way that really makes you pity them. Even though I love the locations and Phil always brings the awesome (we got to see his dad!) I'm not so great on this season. Better casting, next time, okay show?
Brothers and Sisters:
As mentioned above, no one writes family drama like Greg Berlanti. I remain wary of Rebecca and Justin, not because I find it squicky but because I wonder if Rebecca only thinks she's in love with Justin because she loves their entire family. Then again, she and he were like inappropriately obsessed with each other when they thought they were siblings, so it works. And you gotta feel for her for having such a crappy mom in Holly. Geez, what a terrible, terrible mother. Nora is so much better, neuroses and all.
Personally I'm more interested in seeing Kevin and Robert duke it out. Rob Lowe is always awesome when he's talking politics with a foil. Kevin is so going to be the uber liberal gay version of Ainsley Hayes to Robert's Republican!Sam. And hey at least he doesn't have to share screen time with Balthazar anymore, given their awkwardness due to BG's philandering.
So yeah, that is my massive TV catch-up post. Comment at will.