Where did the spring go?

No post since February? Lame. It's almost time for upfronts, so I thought I'd catch us up.

First, the blog started because Shonda Rhimes killed Lexie Grey. So let's get an update of where I am on Grey's Anatomy. Damn. I'm loving it again. Why? Because the doctors bought the hospital, and Jackson suggested that they call it Grey - Sloan Memorial Hospital. So, even though I still disagree with the decision to kill of Lexie Grey (and subsequently Mark Sloan), at least they are being honored in some way. Also, you know how sometimes characters die or move and then you never hear about them again? That's just not the case here--we're always hearing snippets about Lexie and Mark. So, it could be worse.

New shows:

• The Following: I kind of have a love-hate relationship with it. They keep using the kid to get leverage, and I hate that. It always feels contrived. But I love Kevin Bacon's character, Ryan Hardy. He is perfect.
• Hannibal: I kind of have a love-hate relationship with it. Reminiscent of the Night Stalker reboot a couple of years ago, I think I would like it better if they hadn't called it Hannibal and based it on characters we already know and love. Because these characters are different, and I'm not a big fan of "different."
• House of Cards: I've only watched a few episodes, but it is delicious. Can't wait to keep watching.
• Here are some things I didn't like, so I quit them--sometimes after a few episodes, sometimes after one, sometimes after 10 minutes: Golden Boy, The Americans, Monday Mornings, Bates Motel, Cult
• How to Live with Your Parents for the Rest of Your Life: The title is too long for me to watch. (Just kidding. I didn't like it, so I quit.)
• Family Tools: I like the people in this, but I don't think I'm going to like it. I'll probably quit.
• Zero Hour: I liked it, so it got canceled.
• Still haven't seen premiere dates for Dracula or Family Tree (mentioned in a previous post).

My favorite TV renewal scorecard was run by a blogger who recently passed away. :-( I had an alternative, but it really isn't as good. But that's the one I'll be using from now on. So let's see if any of my shows have been canceled.

[insert time to check http://tvline.com/2013/01/04/tv-shows-renewed-cancelled-2013-abc-nbc-cbs-fox-cw/]

OK, no. Nothing's been canceled yet. But while I was out there, I found out that Glee has been officially renewed through season 6. Really, Fox? It's so up and down this year--what makes you think it will get any better through season 6? Whatevs.

I also found out that The Following has been officially renewed, which is great. But based on the previews for the next few weeks, I can't imagine the story they're going to tell!

And that's all the TV news I have today. :-)

Regarding the (E)state of Downton Abbey

Downton Abbey, Season 1: Wonderful. Marvelous. Loved it. Just the right balance between upstairs and downstairs, meanness and kindness, love and hate. Could there be a better man than Lord Grantham? Could there be a finer love than Anna and Bates? Could anyone throw a barb like Maggie Smith?

Downton Abbey, Season 2: Started out wonderful. Started out marvelous. Started out with the right balance ... well, you get the picture. But many of the characters seemed to become caricatures. (I'm talking about you, Mrs. Crawley--get that chip off your shoulder!) The couple we loved to love got screwed by the couple we love to hate. Lord Grantham almost has an affair??? And don't even get me started on Daisy and William.

Downton Abbey, Season 3: Started out OK. Matthew and Mary's wedding? I'm in. Shirley MacLaine as a more tart Maggie Smith? I'll watch that. But this situation with Mr. Bates must be rectified. Mary has to be less bitchy--and Matthew must stop being so self-righteous (more caricatures). The creators *must* stop treating Edith so badly. And how is it that Lord Grantham has become such an idiot. He can't manage money, he can't manage Downton, he can't even manage ... well, I'll resist the urge to say lest I spoil episode 4 for those of you who haven't watched it.

But if you've been reading Love Talk, and if you're caught up on Downton, then you know why I'm writing a blog post.

Lexie Grey.

That's right. Julian Fellowes, creator of Downton Abbey, has apparently graduated from the Shonda Rhimes School for Killing People (or Giving Them Illnesses) for No Good Reason.

I didn't really care when he killed poor Mr. Pamuk. He's on a new show now anyway. Vera Bates? Rest in hell, bitch. William? Really, I didn't care about him. (No offense, William.) And I know they wanted to have Mary and Matthew together, but what did poor Lavinia ever do to anyone that they had to kill her? But this latest death? (Which again, I will not mention for anyone who's not caught up.) NO REASON FOR IT. STUPID. NO NEED. WTF? And I also don't want to spoil what's going on downstairs, but let me just say that I don't believe for a second that the person who had an illness scare earlier in the season is not actually ill.

So I once again am suffering from Lexie Grey-itis. I'm mad as hell, and I'm not going to take it anymore. Take that, television.

OK. That's enough for this week. I have to go watch Glee now.

Let the Winter Season Begin!

When last we met, I was culling my new shows, enjoying my old shows, and lamenting breaks and Lexie's death. (Yes, I am still obsessing. This week's Grey's had a reference to McSteamy and Shonda killed yet another character, and the preview for next week's Grey's SHOWED LEXIE AND MARK'S FACES AGAIN.

So I thought I'd check in with where I am on my existing shows and start to talk about some of the shows coming up in the "winter season." (Don't get me started on "winter season." We used to have one TV season. It ran from September through May, and that was good enough for us. Now we have a winter season, a summer season and the early-mid-late-early fall season. Why can't we just have three seasons that run consecutive episodes with no breaks: September through December, January through May, June through August. I should be the head of a network.)

OK, I stopped watching:

• 666 Park Avenue, which has since been canceled.
• The New Normal
• Arrow (although Vic still watches)
• Beauty and the Beast (although Vic still watches)

I was still watching Emily Owens, M.D., and Last Resort. These have both been canceled. Last Resort's finale is 1/24. Not sure about EO.

I'm back on the Glee train--but I can't say for how long. The last couple of episodes were pretty good, but there are still issues.

Downton Abbey started last week. I'm rewatching the first two seasons before I get started. If you need something to tide you over, I suggest Downton Arby's: http://screen.yahoo.com/downton-arby-s-28723019.html

Fringe ends this week. I caught a glimpse of Fauxlivia in the preview for this week's episode, but there are a lot of things that have me worried. I'm ON THE EDGE OF MY SEAT.

My summer shows are coming back (yes, even though they are no longer the exclusive purview of summer, I still call them my summer shows.

• Suits (1/17)
• White Collar (1/22)
• Psych (2/27)

The new show I'm most looking forward to is The Following, starting on Fox on Jan. 21. I love Kevin Bacon, I love James Purefoy, and, yes, I watch shows about serial killers. Other new shows I'm interested in:

• House of Cards, Netflix (2/1): I'm excited that Netflix is creating original programming--I mean, how else am I going to get new episodes of Arrested Development (premier date TBD)--but why can't I save this show to my Instant Queue before it starts airing?!?
• Golden Boy, CBS (2/26): A cop show from Greg Berlanti starting Mr. Pamuk from Downton Abbey and the marvelous Chi McBride. I don't have high hopes for it, but I'll give it a try.
• The Americans, FX (1/30): Keri Russell as a KGB agent who has infiltrated an American suburb in 1981? Count me in.
• Monday Mornings, TNT (2/4): Another medical show? I know. But it has Apollo from the reboot of Battlestar Galactica (insert purring noise here) and a bunch of fantastic actors, so I kind of have to give it a try. Did I mention it has APOLLO???
• Zero Hour, ABC (2/14): Hello Dr. Greene, welcome back to network television! Plus a show about conspiracy theories? Yes, yes, and yes.
• I don't know much about the three shows--no premiere dates, too lazy to look up stars and plots and even the networks they're on--but just given what they're about, I'm curious.
• Hannibal (about Hannibal Lecter)
• Dracula (about ... if I have to say it, you're too stupid to be reading this blog, no offense)
• Bates Motel (a Psycho prequel from Carlton Cuse, the guy who gave us LOST)
• Family Tree, HBO: Something from Christopher Guest. That's a must watch.

Regarding a couple of other new shows: I tried 1600 Penn--no, and I recorded Deception and couldn't bring myself to watch it. I've seen previews for Do No Harm, and that doesn't interest me.

That's all the TV talk I have this week!

Fall TV, Week 5--addendum

OK, I realize that last blog post was a little short.

And I'm sorry that I'm still obsessing over Lexie's death, but there was a flashback of Lexie's face in the promo for this week's Grey's—it's as if they don't WANT me to forget her. Plus another character on another of my beloved shows was killed off this week, and it brought back all those memories. I'm not surprised by her death, not like I might have been by Lexie's if I hadn't read about it (sort of) on Twitter first, but I'm disappointed in this new death. Why bring her on the show if only to kill her off? Sure, she was always a guest star, and I figured that meant something, but still. It's as if she was brought on simply to move the plot forward. As if there was no other way to accomplish what they accomplished. (I don't want to give away too much—I'm sensitive to spoilers.) Weak writing.

So ther than that, I really have nothing to report on this week's TV. We've settled down into one of my least favorite times of the year—let's see how much we can mess with our loyal audience by putting on specials, going on hiatus for the holidays but putting in a special holiday eposide that you're likely to miss if you don't have a DVR, and sweeps.

Don't get me started about sweeps. November, February and May every year. It's supposed to determine audience size so they can figure out how much to charge advertisers, but if they always put on specials and special episodes of existing shows, it doesn't really tell what the "real" audience size is. And all I know is, I either miss my shows for some asinine earthquake/hurricane/volcano event miniseries, or my shows do some sort of over-the-top stunt to attract ratings. Either way, I get screwed.

So I'll talk instead about two shows I haven't mentioned because they're not on the networks: Dexter and Homeland.

I love Dexter, even though after the first few seasons, it's really been kind of up and down. This new situation with Debra knowing what he is has potential. And Yvonne Strahovski (Sarah from my beloved Chuck) could add a lot to the season.

But Homeland. There aren't enough superlatives to discuss this show. The two leads plus Mandy Patinkin and Morena Baccarin are fantastic. The storyline is intense. I didn't know how they were going to pull off a second season, but so far, words can't express how much I'm loving it. And you all know me and words. Even the sound design is amazing.

But this week, the best thing about Dexter and Homeland is that they are not going to be preempted by the election or the World Series (although, as that's going, it's not going to be preempting very much this week either), they are not going to have special Halloween episodes, they aren't going to do anything for sweeps, and they aren't going to go on hiatus.

Fall TV, Week 5

Lexie is still dead.

Fall TV, Week 4

Finally all my TV shows have premiered, and the fall schedule is firmly under way. That must mean it's time to ... start taking breaks.

 

[begin rant]

My rant this week is about breaks. I get it. There's some sort of election coming up, and the two practically unknown candidates (and their running mates) have to go head to head to yell at each other about how they are lying, and then they have to give their canned campaign speeches in return. Like we couldn't get that anywhere else. (Three million commercials a day, anyone?) BUT WHY DOES IT HAVE TO PREEMPT MY SHOWS? Can't they debate on a Saturday night? Just sayin'.

 

I also get that there's some sort of sporting event going on, and there's a run-up of smaller games to get to the big game, and some people appear to be intensely interested in this little contest. But there's a WHOLE CHANNEL devoted to sports—several, in fact, especially if you count ESPN 8, the Ocho—so why do they have to show this event on network television? THE NETWORK THAT SHOWS FRINGE, I might add.

 

It's hard enough to wait a whole week to watch my favorite shows. (And don't anyone say "Well, why don't you just record them all and then watch them when the season is over?" That is not an option. There are spoilers to contend with, and potential malfunctions of the recording device could cause me to miss a crucial episode that migth not be avalable online.) And it's hard enough to follow some shows (yes, Fringe, I'm talking about you) when you watch them every week. But to wait two, three, four weeks between shows, and then have one show, and then it's Thanksgiving, and then there's one more show, and then it's Christmas—you might as well ask me to remember what I had for breakfast on August 17, 1978.)

 

Can we just do what Lost did? Don't start airing a show until you can air it uninterrupted for its entire season. Or maybe you can take ONE break around midseason, and then do a recap show just before picking it up again.

[end rant]

 

Now, on to my pointless ramblings about what I'm watching on TV.

 

Emily Owens, M.D. premiered this week. It's a lot like Grey's Anatomy when it first started—and like Grey's, I love it, and I hate it. I'm not a huge fan of voiceover—I feel like it's the tool of weak writing—but it had some great emotional moments. If I cry during a show, I'm likely to want to watch it again. Don't judge me. (Margeaux, what were your favorite surprises about casting and set location? Too bad it wasn't actually filmed in Denver!)

 

So now that the last show has premiered, where does that leave me? Still watching too much TV. A day-by-day rundown:

 

Sunday

• 666 Park Avenue—I'm still on the bubble with this one, but it did receive an order for an additional two scripts, so I guess I'll stick with it for as long as it sticks around. 
• The Good Wife
• The Mentalist

Monday

• Castle
• Hawaii 5-0
• Revolution—I am really enjoying this and am dying to know how and why the power went out, and what's going to happen when (if) it comes back on? We talked a lot about how well we'd survive if it happened to us. Let's just say the conversation got really depressing really fast.
• Bones
• Notice anything missing? I dropped Partners this week.

Tuesday

• Emily Owens, M.D.—Reviewed above.
• Go On
• The New Normal—I will probably drop this one this week.

Wednesday

• Modern Family
• Criminal Minds
• Arrow—I was kind of ready to drop this, but there's just enough intrigue to keep me hooked. It doesn't have a permanent home, but it'll stick around for a bit.
• Chicago Fire—Ditto my "Arrow" comment.

Thursday

• Last Resort—I feel like this show just keeps getting better and better. It and Revolution are my favorite new shows this year. Plus it just received an order for more scripts, so apparently ABC agrees!
• Grey's Anatomy—This week's episode had me sobbing (see above comment re: crying). When she's not killing Lexie, I like Shonda Rimes very much.
• Scandal—Ditto my "Arrow" comment.
• Person of Interest—My favorite new show from last year is not disappointing me this year.
• Glee—As I mentioned last week, I'll stick with it through the Grease musical, and then we'll see how I feel about it after that.

Friday

• Blue Bloods
• Fringe

Other TV tidbits:

• Animal Practice (Scrubs in a veterinary hospital) was canceled this week. The only wonder is that it lasted as long as it did.
• We're starting to see previews for the midseason shows already. The one I'm most excited about is The Following, with Kevin Bacon and James Purefoy.
• Have you heard of Mockingbird Lane? Bryan Fuller's reboot of The Munsters startrng Jerry O'Connell, Portia de Rossi and Eddie Izzard that was supposed to air midseason? Bryan Fuller did Pushing Daisies, which was such a cute show but didn't last long, and the casting of Mockingbird was ... interesting. I was really looking forward to it, but now I see that NBC is burning off the pilot on Friday. I guess that's better than nothing—and it does give Fuller time to work on his midseason show Hannibal (yes, that Hannibal)—but I was hoping for a little more Munsters.

Well, that's it for now. Hope everyone has a good week!

Fall TV, Week 3

Greetings from fall TV week 3. Only one show has yet to premiere: Emily Owens, M.D. It premiere's Tuesday.

 

Three shows premiered this week:

·         Nashville: I think I made it about as long as my niece Margeaux. I love Connie Britton and Eric Close, but I didn’t like their characters (especially his), and I didn’t like any other characters. Especially Hayden Panettiere. She was awesome as the little girl in Remember the Titans. Since then? Not so much.

·         Arrow: I love a good origin story (this is the story of the super hero Green Arrow), and this does not disappoint. We’ll see how it holds up across a series.

·         Chicago Fire: For the first 55 minutes, we were both saying “It’s not Rescue Me,” but the last five minutes were nice, so we’ll watch again.

·         Beauty and the Beast: I added this for Vic, but I watched the first episode with him. I won’t be watching any more. (Not that it was horrible, but I already watch too much TV, and something has to go.)

 

Where I am on my “bubble” shows:

·         666 Park Avenue: As I said, I’m intrigued. Tonight is the third episode, so I should be making a decision soon.

·         Partners. I do not know why I am still watching this.

·         The New Normal: I don’t know why I am still watching this.

 

Tidbits:

·         Looks like my friend Michelle and I were both wrong. She chose Partners as the first cancelled show. I chose Men with Kids (or whatever it’s called). But it was Made in Jersey. Thank goodness I dropped it before I started watching it.

·         You know what I love about Modern Family? Everything.

·         Grease is the word! I may be on the bubble about Glee, but I’ll stay with it for that!

·         I love how every episode of Revolution has an awesome twist in it.

 

To Niece Margeaux re Grey’s: They intended to air the information out of order. Vic was excited because when they played the first episode, he thought we were going to get to skip all the blah-bu-di-blah blah blah crap about their time in the woods and the first six months. He was mightily disappointed when the second episode aired.