The Prolific Blogger (or Fall TV, Week 1)

OK, OK, I haven't blogged since Lexie died. But you always knew that, given the choice between writing a blog and, say, stitching and watching TV, the blog was always going to suffer.

But it's the beginning of the new fall season, and I have a lot of people who follow TV with me, so I thought this was the best way to keep everyone up-to-date. About my TV watching. Which is almost as important as Vic's cancer updates—and almost as interesting.

After the upfronts in May (which were just before Lexie's death, not that I'm still bitter), I started looking at the new fall shows and made my preliminary picks. Most of my picks are based on who is in the shows. Some are based on the shows themselves. Then I get my Fall TV issue of Entertainment Weekly (EW) and TV Guide to either whittle down my choices or to add to them.

These are the new shows I chose to try this year:

• 666 Park Avenue (picked Vanessa Williams and Terry O'Quinn—if you don't know who the actors are that I cite, use imdb.com to find out!)
• Partners (picked for Michael Urie and Brandon Routh)
• Revolution (picked for J.J. Abrams, creator of Lost)
• Vegas (picked for Dennis Quaid, Jason O'Mara and Michael O'Neill)
• Emily Owens, M.D. (picked a little for the lead actress—Meryl Streep's daughter Mamie Gummer—and a little for the show)
• Ben and Kate (picked because "everyone" says it's going to be a great new show)
• The Mindy Project (ditto)
• Go On (could the reason I picked this show be any more obvious?)
• The New Normal (picked for Justin Bartha)
• The Neighbors (picked for aliens)
• Nashville (picked for Connie Britton)
• Arrow (picked because it was getting good buzz)
• Animal Practice (Scrubs with animals—what could go wrong?)
• Chicago Fire (I will try almost any new cop, fire, lawyer or medical show)
• Last Resort (picked for Andre Braugher)
• Elementary (picked for Jonny Lee Miller and Lucy Liu and for Sherlock Holmes)
• Beauty and the Beast (picked for Vic)
• Made in Jersey (picked for subject—sounded cute.

So how do things stand after week 1?

• Several shows haven't aired yet (666 Park Avenue, Emily Owens, Nashville, Arrow, Chicago Fire and Beauty and the Beast), so I won't comment on those.
• Partners: It was ... OK. I wasn't in love with the laughing (either a laugh track or an audience being told when to laugh), Michael Urie was a little over the top, Brandon Routh was a little ditzy/dumb, and David Krumholtz was a little stiff. Still, I'm going to hang on to it for another week for a few reasons:
  --Pilots can be rough on a show like this.
  --It was created by the same guys who created Will and Grace, which I liked for several seasons.
  --There was some heart.
  --I liked David Krumholtz's girlfriend.
  
  My friend Michelle thinks this will be the first canceled show of the season. I disagree—although if she is right, it wouldn't surprise me. I predicted Guys with Kids. But see below.
• Revolution: Loved the pilot. A couple of great twists at the end. My friend Seth said "meh," and I couldn't see why he would say that. Then I watched the second episode. I still like it more then "meh," but I could see how it could become "meh." Mostly, the young girl, always insisting on having her way and then finding out that Oh! The adults know what they're doing! Still, I'm intrigued enough for a third episode.
  --Note: I rarely blow off anything after one episode, but I've found that three episodes are usually where I know whether I want to keep somethign. I mean, if I'm not loving something after three episodes—or, if not love, if I don't at least want to go on a fourth date—I probably won't. No need to waste my time on it.
• Vegas: Ahh, now there's a "meh" for you. It wasn't bad. It just wasn't for me. Part of it is that I just don't like mob shows.
• Ben and Kate: Droppped after the first five minutes, thus going against my "I rarely blow off anything after one episode" scheme. I didn't really want to watch it in the first place, but the critics loved it, so I thought I'd give it a try. I could see how the Ben character could annoy the crap out of me week in and week out, so I nipped that in the bud.
• The Mindy Project: Ditto, only substitute "Mindy" for "Ben."
• Go On: Fell in love with this when it premiered during the Olympics. The second episode wasn't as good, but the third was. I hope it can overcome its unevenness.
• The New Normal: Haven't watched it yet.
• The Neighbors: Oh, so disappointing. Dropped after the first five minutes. Wouldn't be surprised to see this be the first show canceled this season.
• Animal Practice: I didn't love it after its Olympic preview, but Vic did, so we kept it. Still didn't love it after episode 2, so I told Vic, "This will just be one of your shows." He said, "No, it won't." Dumped. Wouldn't be surprised to see this be the first show canceled this season.
• Last Resort: LOVED it. Tense, tight, well-acted, intriguing, smart. I still don't know how they can keep it going, but I'm willing to find out!
• Elementary: I love the new PBS show. Benedict Cumberbatch as Sherlock is just right, and Martin Freeman as Watson is astounding. I want to love this version ... but I don't. But because I want to, I'm going to hang on for another episode.
• Made in Jersey: dropped before it aired. It got an F+ in last week's EW. I don't have time to watch an F+, no matter how cute it might be. I wouldn't be surprised to see this be the first show canceled this season.

And I hate to make this blog post any longer, but I have to run down my existing shows:

• Three shows haven't premiered yet: Once Upon a Time, The Good Wife and the Mentalist. I'll run them down next week.
• I haven't watched two shows off my DVR yet: Scandal and Blue Bloods. I'll run them down next week too.
• Castle: Love it. I'm hoping they can redefine how to get your leads together without killing the show or jumping the shark.
• Hawaii 5-O: Can you say LEXIE GRAY? Why do they have to kill people off? But otherwise, it takes place in Hawaii and has lots of beefcake, banter and heart. I'll keep it.
• Bones: I've grown weary of this show, but I've been with it so long, there's no reason for me to dump it.
• New Girl: Never loved it as much as the critics did, but every time I was ready to dump it, it would do something fabulous. That's what I'm seeing this year as well—not off to a great start, but I'll give it a few more episodes.
• Modern Family: Still loving it.
• Criminal Minds: Why do they keep messing with my cast? I'm not in love with Jeanne Tripplehorn, but I love the rest of the peeps, so I'll keep this one.
• Grey's Anatomy: Eff Shonda Rhimes. But I can't stop watching.
• Person of Interest: Best new show of last year; still shaping up as an awesome show this year.
• Glee: Love-hate relationship with this. We'll see how long I can keep it up.
• Fringe: LOVE this show. NOT loving the direction it's taking in it's final season. But it is, in fact, the final season, so I will keep it.
• Grimm: Gave it up over the summer. It's one of Vic's shows now. It just stopped holding my interest.
• Haven: Normally a summer show but didn't start until the fall. I don't love it, but I don't know why I can't stop watching. Maybe I just want them to solve the mystery.

And that's it for TV this week. Let me know how you're liking your new shows!