Fall TV 2016!

I'm a little late with this year's post because of my knee surgery (which I may or may not blog about later--suffice it to say that I'm still struggling but getting stronger every day).

Also, because of my knee surgery, this post is going to be short, sweet and to the point. Here goes.

Sunday:

• Still watching Madam Secretary, which starts next week. I really like the idealism of this show, and of course, I love Tea Leoni and Tim Daly--both the actors and their on-screen relationship.
• Starting Westworld (HBO, 10/2). It has a lot of good people in it, but probably the one I'm tuning in for is James Marsden, Prince Edward from Enchanted. I just love him.

Monday:

• Trying Conviction and Timeless, both of which start on 10/3.
• Conviction is about a special unit inside the DA's office that reviews past convictions. It's probably going to be too soapy for me, but I like the idea.
• Timeless is about a guy (Goran Visjnic, the hot Croatian doctor Luka from ER) who (I think) steals a time machine and starts mucking about in the past. Three intrepid heroes take another time machine to try to stop him. This will probably suck, but I love time travel, so I have to give it a try.

Tuesday:

• Trying American Housewife, which starts on 10/11. I'm basically trying this because there was a great soundbite in Entertainment Weekly. I've started watching shows for less.
• Watched the first episode of Bull. Not sure I liked it, but I'll give it a second try.
• Trying No Tomorrow (starts 10/4). I think it's about what if you knew the world was going to end in eight months? 
• Watched the first episode of This Is Us. Every review mentioned this huge twist, which sucked me in. Many reviews said this was a replacement for Parenthood. Let me give you my review of Parenthood: 40 minutes of whining, bickering and complaining followed by 5 minutes of amazing television. For weeks, I was sucked into that 5 minutes--and then I realized the ratio of suckitude to happiness, and decided to drop it. That said, the first episode of This Is Us was no Parenthood. It was 45 minutes of solid happiness (I mean, of course there was some sadness, too, but I really liked the people and the relationships--and the twist. It's probably my favorite new show I've watched so far.
• Still watching Chicago Fire. It premieres 10/11.

Wednesday:

• Watched the first episode of Speechless. It could get old fast, but I really liked the family. Plus being somewhat disabled myself right now, I see things (like people who let their bushes grow over their sidewalks so I have to walk with my walker in the street and how in certain neighborhoods, the sidewalks are actually slanted a little, which makes walking with a walker kind of challenging--so I'm back out in the street), and I understand how a mom with a severely disabled son would fight for things to make his life easier. So I'm definitely watching it again.
• Still watching Modern Family. Can't help it. I love Phil.
• Watched the first episode of Designated Survivor. I like how they make it believable--like, he's the Secretary of HUD, but he's smart enough to be president because he paid attention to security briefings at cabinet meetings. And I liked his family. (Liking the main family is hugely important to me.)
• Still watching Criminal Minds. It starts 9/28.
• Trying Frequency, which premieres 10/5. I loved the movie, and I've read that the show is not like the movie. But why not give it a try?
• Vic is still watching Blindspot and Chicago PD.

Thursday:

• Still watching my beloved Grey's Anatomy, but not in love with it right now. I really hate when people take actions because they don't know the whole story, and I really hate when people don't tell other people the whole story. It's like, don't say "It's complicated" or "It's not what it looks like." Just say really fast and loud "I got drunk and DeLuca took me home and he wasn't trying to sleep with me so please don't smash his face in."
• Trying the Great Indoors, which premieres 10/27. I like Joel McHale, and in my drug-addled state, I don't remember anyone else that's in it, but I remember liking a few other people as well.
• Still watching Life in Pieces, which premieres 10/27.
• Watched the first episode of Pitch. It was OK, and there was a good twist at the end that made me want to watch the next episode.
• Watched the first three episodes of The Good Place. Interesting premise, but it wasn't high on my list--until the twist at the end of episode 3, and now I definitely want to watch episode 4.
• Vic is still watching The Blacklist.

Friday:

• Vic wants to try McGyver, so that's on the DVR for him.
• Still watching Blue Bloods.

Saturday:

• Trying Dirk Gently on BBC America, which premieres 10/22. Please don't ask me anything about this. I was reading the fall preview issues of my magazines when I was taking a lot of Vicodin, so I don't remember anything about it. It looks interesting, and it's on BBCA. If you want to know more, use Google. lol.

Miscellaneous:

• We have already watched and discarded Lethal Weapon. The movie is a drama with funny parts. The TV show seems more like they're going for a comedy with dramatic parts, and the comedy is way too broad for my taste.
• We have already watched and discarded Notorious. I like people who are good and the best of their professions (West Wing, the Newsroom), not people who are bad and the best of their professions.
• Longmire started up on Netflix on 9/23, but I haven't watched any episodes yet. Can't wait to start the binge!
• I also plan to binge all four seasons of Orange is the New Black while I'm still on medical leave. I've watched the first two seasons, but they were so good I want to watch them again before I watch S3 and 4.
• A couple of late-breaking additions: Undercover on BBCA starting 11/17 and People of Earth on TBS starting on Halloween. Don't remember anything about them, but I wrote them down. I'm sure I'll find out more when it gets closer to the time. :-)

That's it. I've been sitting at my desk for two hours, so it's time for a two-hour nap.

If it's a holiday, it must be time to update you on my TV!

I know a lot of you have been waiting weeks for this (OK, one of you has been waiting a few days), but I have been lazy. Shocker. But today is a holiday, so I have a little more time. Yea!

Herewith, my thoughts on the new season so far.

Sunday

• I loved the first episode of Madam Secretary. It's still in fine form.
• I liked the first episode of The Good Wife. It is really frustrating for me that they couldn't just let Alicia and Cary start their own firm in that funky warehouse. They could have competed with Lockhart Gardner (or whatever it's called now), and that could have been really interesting. Now Cary's back at Lockhart Gardner (or whatever it's called now) and Alicia is struggling to get cases in bond court? I'll see where it goes, but I'm frustrated
• Quantico: The first episode was kind of interesting, but the second episode not so much—every week, she's going try to figure out who framed her while trying to avoid the people who are trying to capture her. We aren't a huge fan of chase TV shows. Chase movies are bad enough, but TV shows just get really repetitive. And also, I find it hard to believe that every single person at Quantico would have a secret that's so bad that, if it gets discovered would be devastating to the person. Plus, as I suspected, it's soapy. We dropped it after two episodes.

 

Monday
 

• "Normal ups and downs" my ass. They have really messed with Castle, and not in a good way. Beckett can't let go of the past, and Castle is just being stupid. Wrap up this storyline, showrunners, or I'll wrap you up.
• Life in Pieces: Not as hilarious as I'd hoped, but the people are really good. I would like them to make the younger couple less stereotypical; the other couples and the single brother are pretty funny. Keeping this for now—but still not on my permanent viewing schedule.
• Minority Report: Similar to Quantico. First episode was kind of interesting, but it too is going to be the same thing over and over—trying to save the world while trying not to get caught. Dropped it after the second episode..
• Blindspot: While I haven't added this to my viewing schedule, I am interested in it. We really like the tattooed lady, but not so much the FBI agent. Others in the FBI are more interesting characters. It continues to be on my bubble.

Tuesday

• Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: This was a Vic show that was often on the Vic bubble. Bubble no more—he dropped it.
• The Muppets: We don't love it, but it is growing on me. The Liam Hemsworth episode was hilarious, except for the Nick Offerman part. I'll keep trying it week to week. Like an apartment you're not sure you want to commit to.
• Grandfathered: Not as funny as I'd hoped, and this week's episode was particularly annoying. One more try.
• The Grinder: Favorite show of the new season by far. I've watched the first episode twice and saved it on the DVR so I can watch it one more time when I'm not stitching. That's right. I have a show I want to watch, not listen to. Rob Lowe and Fred Savage are brilliant. The supporting cast is awesome. The writing is sharp and harkens back some of the things Rob and Fred have done before. I hope they can keep it up!
• Scream Queens: Ugh. The mystery is interesting (why do I keep using that word?), but the mean girl talk is not. Dumped it after 1.1 episodes.

 

Wednesday

• Modern Family: Still funny and heartwarming for me!
• Code Black: First impression, frantic but with some incredibly touching scenes. Second impression, just frantic. It's going to be like that every week, and I just don't think I need another medical show, even though Grey's Anatomy isn't much of a medical show anymore..
• Rosewood: Meh. It's OK. I don't hate it, but I don't love it. Still on the bubble, though..

Thursday

• My Beloved Grey’s Anatomy: A somewhat annoying second episode, but I can't quit her.
• Scandal: As I said before, I don’t care how implausible this show is, it’s just a guilty pleasure.
• Bones: A similar theme to Castle—in this case, Booth has gone undercover and hasn't told Brennan, but does she think they're marriage is in trouble? No. She knows he might have to keep some secrets from her. This is how you do it, people.
• Heroes Reborn: First cancellation of the new season. I'm not sure we even made it through the whole first episode. Bummer.

Friday

• Blue Bloods: The mustache is still performing well.

Update

• I still don't see a premiere date for Person of Interest—and in fact, I am seeing rumors of cancellation after this season—but I did see a hilarious teaser trailer here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ibuwlwstd0c (thanks, Seth!).

Premiering this week

• Crazy Ex-Girlfriend
• Fargo
• Chicago Fire
• Manhattan. I don't know why I'm putting this here, because WE NO LONGER GET THE CHANNEL IT'S ON. Thanks, DirecTV.

And that's all the news from here! I gotta go watch TV now—as you can see, I watch a lot. ;-)

You guys! It’s my favorite TV time of year! And I know a lot of you won’t even think of picking new shows until I tell you what I’m watching, so let’s get right to it! New shows are in italics. Returning favorites are bold.

A couple of notes:

• I use a lot of actors’ names, but I don’t say what shows they’ve been on before or otherwise identify them. I assume you all have access to IMDb, so if you don’t know who someone is, you can look them up.
• I’m only commenting on shows we watch or plan to watch. If you have heard about a show and want to know if it’s any good, Google it. There are plenty of good reviews out there. And just because I’m not watching something doesn’t mean it’s no good. For example, there’s a new show called The Bastard Executioner. It is just not for me (or Vic), so I’m not watching it. But it’s getting really good reviews, so you might want to check it out.

Sunday

• I am excited about the return of Madam Secretary and The Good Wife. I love the relationship between Tea Leoni and Tim Daly on Madam Secretary and though it had a good freshman year. I wasn’t in love with The Good Wife last year—I was really disappointed that Finn Polmar (the hot and delightful Matthew Goode, whom I don’t think is on the show any longer) wasn’t integrated more, and there was too much political intrigue, but I’m hopeful for a creative resurgence in season 6.
• Interesting note: Madam Secretary is the only new show from last year that we are still watching.
• Quantico: It looks a little too soap opera-y for me, but both TV Guide and EW make it one of their picks for the best of the season, and we like things about the FBI, so we’ll give it a shot.
• Agent X: This is a new show on TNT with Sharon Stone. One of my magazines said it was a cross between National Treasure and … something else. (Come on. If I can’t even remember which magazine I read it in, how am I supposed to remember what it’s about?) Whatever the case, it sounded good.

 

Monday

• Castle is getting a little long in the tooth, but (a) they do seem to be able to write the changes that keep a show fresh in a way that is logical and makes sense. They’re not going to have a season where Castle spends a year on the moon. And (b) I’ve been promised that they aren’t going to mess with Castle and Beckett’s relationship—just the normal ups and downs.
• Life in Pieces: This show looks downright hilarious … but the I’m not seeing it on anyone’s favorite list. Still, the reviews have been positive if not glowing, and I can’t wait to see it. It’s one of my most highly anticipated shows. (So it will probably be one of my biggest disappointments.)
• Crazy Ex-Girlfriend: I had lunch with my friend Julie on September 5, and when I reviewed the fall season in anticipation of our discussion, I wrote this: I am not going to watch this—but I’m putting it in here because I kind of want to.” Since then, I see that it is on TV Guide’s and EW’s “best show” lists, so that justifies my tuning in, even if only for one episode. Vic will hate this (don’t ask him about The Last Five Years, a movie that I adored and he despised—so much so that he says it’s one of the worst movies he’s ever seen. Ever. Ever.)
• Minority Report: Mmm. We’ll see. TV Guide really dislikes it, and it’s not an EW pick. I’m guessing we’re better off sticking with the movie.
• Supergirl: I started Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. I started Arrow. I started Flash. So I must start Supergirl. Melissa Benoist is from Colorado, so you gotta support her, Calista Flockhart as a bitchy boss is a must-watch. And Supergirl’s sister is played by Chyler Leigh, my beloved Lexie Grey. In watching the preview, it appears that virtually everyone knows her secret identity already, but I actually like that better. This could be a funner (yes, editors, I know that is not a word) superhero show, and it’s a TV Guide Editor’s Choice.
• Blindspot: I dig mysteries like this. Let’s see if they can sustain it. It’s an Editor’s Choice in TV Guide, so it can’t be all bad.
• Fargo: We started last season but didn’t like it, so we dropped it. This season is completely different and is again getting rave reviews, so why not try it?
• Legends: This is a show Vic watches, so I really have nothing to say about it. But it’s on my list as something we watch, so I had to include it here.

Tuesday

• Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: This is a Vic show. He keeps dropping it and picking it up, so I suspect an early cancellation in the Love household.
• Chicago Fire: This is the only one of the “Chicago” franchise I watch. I never think of it as one of my favorite shows, but I always like it when I’m watching it. Weird.
• Manhattan: This is another one of Vic’s shows that I feel obliged to mention here because it’s on my list, but I have nothing to say about it. lol.
• The Muppets: I mean, I don’t know if I can watch forever, but I have to start. Plus it’s a TV Guide Editor’s Choice.
• Grandfathered: Looks funny and heartwarming. Good combo. Great people. TV Guide Editor’s Choice
• The Grinder: Rob Lowe. Fred Savage. I don’t even need to know what this is about to add it to my viewing schedule. And when I watched the preview, my thoughts were confirmed—hilarious. Add to that the TV Guide Editor’s Choice pick and a pick as one of EW’s favorite shows, and it’s a no-brainer.
• Scream Queens: I saw some previews for this over the summer. Looks … interesting. TV Guide does not like it—Matt Roush gave it one star in his review—but predicted it would be a “critic-proof hit.” Evidence: EW named it one of the best new shows of the season. I will try it.
• Chicago Med: Vic watches the whole “Chicago” franchise, so he will try this as well.

Wednesday

• Modern Family: All I can say is that I love this show and I’m glad it keeps coming back.
• Criminal Minds: This is another show that’s getting long in the tooth. It’s very dark and very grim, but I will keep watching until it goes off the air.
• Chicago PD: See “Chicago Med” above.
• Code Black: Shoot. I wasn’t going to watch another medical show. In the commercials, this one looks really melodramatic and overbearing, but in the preview on EW.com, it looks … dangit … good. Fortunately, it’s not appearing on any “best” lists, so maybe I’ll be able to drop it.
• Rosewood: I like Morris Chestnut, and he drives a Goat, and the preview looks awesome, so I’m going to watch it. It is not getting good buzz, though, so I’m not hopeful for a long life for this show.

Thursday

• My Beloved Grey’s Anatomy: Look. I don’t want to watch it. She’s killed off George, Lexie, McSteamy and McDreamy (as well as countless other people I love and Jackson and April’s baby, in what was one of the best hours of Grey’s Anatomy of all time). But I have to. Don’t judge me.
• Scandal: Really shaking things up this year as the president’s mistress moves into the White House and the president’s wife starts campaigning for … president. I don’t care how implausible this show is, it’s just a guilty pleasure.
• Bones: Yet another “long in the tooth” show. I’m really only watching now because I’ve been watching for 10 years or whatever.
• The Blacklist: I gave this up after season 1, but Vic still watches. It just wasn’t quite what I wanted it to be. Still, this season looks interesting, so I look forward to Vic’s weekly recaps.
• Heroes Reborn: So, I liked the first season (or two) of the original Heroes, and then it just got … weirder. So we stopped watching it. But I’ll give this another try, if only because Zachary Levi is in it. Plus it’s a TV Guide Editor’s Choice.
• Angel from Hell: I love Jane Lynch and Maggie Lawson. It might get old, but it’s certainly worth a look.

Friday

• Blue Bloods: Yes, I’m still watching this. I find it to be one of the best-acted shows on television. And yes, I know a lot of people think Tom Selleck isn’t a good actor, but he’s Tom Selleck. You watch for the mustache.
• Grimm: Another show I watched in the first season (or two) and then left for Vic, who still loves it.

Streaming

• The Man in the High Castle: This is an Amazon original series based on a Philip K. Dick novel about what if the Axis powers won World War II? That alone intrigues me, but to know it is also a top pick of both TV Guide and EW sways me even further.

Not scheduled yet

• Containment: I love stuff like this—outbreaks of contagious diseases. Totally gonna give it a try.
• The X-Files: Come on. It’s The X-Files. With David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson. Of course I’m gonna watch it!
• The Catch: I am opposing this on principle. It’s a Shonda Rhimes show, and she has killed more of my favorite people than I care to think about. But it sure looks good. Maybe Vic will see a commercial for it, and then he’ll want to watch it, and I’ll be all “Oh, OK. If you want to watch it.”
• Update: Just showed the preview to Vic. He’s in! Yea!

Last note:

• WHERE IS MY PERSON OF INTEREST? CBS has confirmed that Sarah Shahi is coming back to the show and that it is “premiering soon,” but it is not on the calendar. What gives??? I assume they’re just waiting for one of their new shows to crash and burn, which is kind of sad. Like they don’t even have enough faith in their own line-up to not have a show waiting in the wings.

See you next week to report on the 12 shows that premiere between now and then. Also, Happy Emmy Night!

Beloved No More (SPOILERS)

Not quite three years ago, I started this blog because one of my favorite characters had been killed off one of my favorite shows, which, in retrospect, does not seem like an appropriately momentous reason to start a blog.

And yet, here I am, three years later, blogging ... BECAUSE ANOTHER ONE OF MY FAVORITE CHARACTERS HAS BEEN KILLED OFF ONE OF MY FAVORITE SHOWS, and to make matters worse, IT'S THE SAME SHOW: My Beloved Grey's Anatomy.

If you know me at all, you know I've had a love-hate relationship with Grey's since it started. Loved it at first. Then they bring on "the wife" at the end of season 1, and I actually stopped watching it at that point. I did not want to see a show about a love triangle. But it kept going, and people said they were liking it, so I tried it again and got hooked. I actually liked "the wife." But I didn't like the on-again/off-again will-they-or-won't-they relationship of Meredith and Derek. (I almost never like that. I don't really know anyone who dated someone for a while, then broke up, then started dating, then broke up, then started dating, ad nauseum until they finally got married—and then divorced—and then remarried, and what have you.) I didn't like Izzy having sex with Denny's ghost. (Yes, it was ridiculous as it sounds.) I didn't like the merger with Mercy West. But I loved so many other aspects that it was worth the roller coaster ride. And by the time Meredith and Derek got married on a Post-It (I'm one of the few who think that was perfect), I was all in.

That's why I suffered (although not in silence) through Lexie's and Mark's deaths. Calizona's marital woes. April's neuroses. Because when Grey's Anatomy is good, it is very, very good. When April and Jackson's baby died earlier this season, I cried more than I have since I read "The Fault in Our Stars." But in a good way—because it felt believable. I felt that this was happening to my friends April and Jackson, not TV-characters-who-aren't-even-real April and Jackson.

It must be pointed out at this time that I understand that these characters are not real. That when these characters die, or when the actors who play them get fired or leave a show, or when a show gets canceled, the actors generally go on and get other gigs (I'm talking about you, Matthew Perry. I will watch you in anything. Except The Odd Couple. Please find a new show.)

But the whole point of art is to make you feel something, and television—just like movies and books and music and theater—is an art form. One thing that Shonda Rhimes did very effectively was make me feel something for these characters. (Well, most of them. I don't give a hoot about the new interns or residents or whatever they are—I care so little about them that I haven't even bothered to figure out what their status is in the hospital.)

Well, now she's gone and done it. She's killed Derek Shepherd.

Stepping back into the "it's only a TV show" lens, I knew there was always a chance that I would lose Derek (just as, regardless of the fact that the name of the show is Grey's Anatomy, I could lose Meredith). After all, Patrick Dempsey is an employee. And last time I checked, employees can quit or be fired. And I don't know what the case is here—maybe Patrick Dempsey wanted off the show (although that is not the impression I get from interviews with him—he just signed a two-year contract with Grey's last fall).

Regardless of the reason, Shonda Rhimes killed Derek Shepherd.

And that just doesn't work for me. This time, my issue is more with the way she did it than the actual death. Which is not to say I wasn't upset about the death. (See previous paragraph re: "my friends April and Jackson." Derek was my friend too.) But in the "this is a story, not real life" world, I do get that death opens up different and meatier story lines for Ellen Pompeo (and the rest of the cast) than my pedestrian options for how Shonda could have written him out of the show (and those options are many and very detailed, LOL). And I do appreciate that she made Derek Shepherd a superhero in his last episode, and that was very, very right.

But here's what was very, very wrong to me. First, I knew it was coming. The first scene of the April 9 episode was Derek and Meredith talking to each other about how great things were between them. when he left to go to D.C., Meredith said "I wish you didn't have to go," and Derek said "I'll be right back." If you consume any kind of media—TV, movies, books, whatever—you know "I'll be right back" means "You'll never see me again."

Second, she strung it out across three episodes. Even Lexie died in 20 minutes. And did we really need a hashtag? (#WhereIsDerek? Puh-lease.)

Third, I knew it was coming. Yes, I know I already said that, but here are some things that happened between that first scene and Derek's death:

• Mer and Derek's sister Amelia had a conversation where Ami says to Mer, "You've never lost the love of your life." Thus ensuring that Mer would lose the love of her life.
• Mer's voice-over at the beginning of the April 16 episode questioned why bad things happen to good people and discussed how you never know how you'll react when your worst-case scenario happens.
• And in the April 23 episode (the death episode), Derek stops his car in the middle of the road. When you see a camera angle from outside the passenger door looking at the driver, you know that driver is going to be T-boned.

And that brings me to fourth reason: Derek is not so stupid that he would pull out in the middle of a road on a blind curve, stop the car, and look for his cell phone. That's just poor writing. There are a million more interesting ways he could have been critically injured at that accident scene. Getting T-boned by a truck is the most cliche of all of them. In fact, all of the "I knew it was coming" issues were poor writing. And quite frankly, I expect more from Shonda Rhimes. She has penned some of the most beautiful moments in TV history. (OK, that might be a little strong—but Grey's Anatomy didn't become My Beloved Grey's Anatomy because Shonda Rhimes and her staff can't write.)

Fifth—and this is really a nit—she didn't even give him the ability to make a difference after death by being an organ donor. I think that honoring the character Derek Shepherd would have required organ donation. (And I get that this really makes it seem as if I don't understand the difference between reality and a TV show.)

Sixth (maybe this will be the last one?), I really feel like an opportunity was missed when the little girl that Derek saved didn't pull Meredith aside and at least talk to her, let alone tell her how Derek described their first kiss. Maybe that will happen at the funeral (assuming the little girl can find a way to get there), but that would have really made me smile through my copious tears.

Yup, that was the last one.

So where do I go from here? Obviously, I must watch the "very special" two-hour episode this week for Derek's funeral. I need this closure. But do I pull the plug myself at that point? I hate leaving Meredith (although I know Meredith will not know). Yet I really don't want to open myself up to another death on My Beloved Grey's Anatomy. I never considered breaking up with the show after George died. When Lexie died, a break-up was a very real option, but there were some really sweet things afterward. Besides, I couldn't imagine that Shonda would break my heart so completely again.

But then she killed Derek Shepherd.

The Fault in My Blogging

So, I haven't written anything for a few weeks. Here's why.

First, I read the book The Fault in Our Stars. Have you read it? If you haven't, you must. Yes, it's YA. Yes, it's about kids with cancer. Yes, I cried through most of it. Sitting on the bus. Often laughing through my tears. Sometimes guffawing while sobbing. And the book has stayed with me—it's going on my all-time favorite list. (It's not my all-time favorite of all time—that, of course, is To Kill a Mockingbird. And should I put it higher than Harry Potter? I don't think so.)

At any rate, then I wanted to see the movie, so I had to watch a Netflix movie I would have one to send back. And because I missed the cutoff date—it came out the day after a mail holiday—I thought I'd be better off watching all my Netflix movies so I'd have a better chance of getting it.

And then, of course, I had to watch the movie.

So I got a little behind in my TV watching.

Then work got busy. I worked several evenings and all last weekend. I'm not complaining, mind you. (OK, yes, of course I'm complaining. Who wants to work evenings and weekends? But I've been less than busy all summer, so having some work is a "refreshing" change of pace.) That put me even more behind.

And to top it all off, I got sick. Just a cold, but a cold with a hacking cough that Won't. Let. Go. So I often don't feel like watching TV.

But I have caught up a little, and I do have some Love Cancellations (as well as official cancellations and predictions) to discuss. I'm just going to go night by night.

Sunday:

• We are loving Madam Secretary and are keeping that.
• After a rocky start, I am getting back into The Good Wife. I did not think I wanted her to run for state's attorney, but I'm kind of liking it—and the way it's changing the dynamic between her and Peter.
• We dropped Resurrection, despite the addition of Michelle Fairley, whom we always like. It just wasn't doing anything for me.

Monday:

• We're down to just Castle and The Blacklist. Castle is not at its peak form, but I like the cast, so I'm not about to drop it. The Blacklist—it's never been my favorite, but I want to know who Jennifer is, and I really want to know who Lizzie has locked up. I think it's her husband.
• We canceled Scorpion. It was kind of fun, but it was the same thing every week, and the characters aren't that lovable.
• We tried and canceled Jane the Virgin. I know it got good reviews critically. I know it was compared to Ugly Betty, which I enjoyed (at least for the first couple of seasons). But we just didn't get into it.
• State of Affairs (the new Katherine Heigl show) starts mid-November. I don't love her, and TV Guide was brutal (“The saddest case yet of Homeland envy, with Heigl’s unstable analyst overstepping her bounds so ludicrously in the first hour … that it’s hard to take any of the convoluted intrigue seriously.”), but I do like Alfre Woodard, and so I'll just try it before I cancel it.

Tuesday:

• Selfie: I have one more episode on the DVR, and then I think I'll cancel it. I really like John Cho. I really like Karen Gillen. But the show just doesn't give me enough change every week to make me want to stick with it. Plus Zap2It predicts cancellation.
• Manhattan Love Story: I have one more episode on the DVR, but since I read today that this was the first official cancellation of the new season, I think I'll just delete it. What's the point? They weren't really doing it for me anyway, but I was too lazy to delete it from the Series Manager. I mean, it's a half-hour show. What's the harm in watching it when you need to fill a 22-minute block of time?
• The Flash: Vic canceled it.
• Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: Vic is still watching this, but he's not in love with it. It may be on the bubble.
• Marry Me: I have two episodes on the DVR. A friend of mine says "meh," and I'm not sure I'll like it, but it got good buzz, so I will at least try.
• Forever: We canceled it. Zap2It predicts cancellation as well.
• Person of Interest: After a rocky start, I am loving it again. I loved last week's episode, where they showed the beginnings of The Machine and how everything they tried, The Machine ended up taking over—and not in a good way—and how they tied that to the present day.
• Chicago Fire: I've said it before; I'll say it again. I don't love this show, but it's so well done that I have a hard time saying no to it.

Wednesday:

• Arrow: Vic canceled it.
• Modern Family: I know it's getting a little long in the tooth. I know critics like other comedies better. But I love the Dunphy-Pritchett clan, and I will never quit them.
• Criminal Minds: This week's episode was so grisly that it made me wonder why I watch it. But I've been watching it for so long, it's hard to put down.
• Stalker: This week's episode was so grisly that it made me wonder why I watch it. This one is in a lot more danger than Criminal Minds since I haven't been watching it for long. Interestingly, Zap2It does not predict cancellation, which I know will make one of my friends happy. She frequently starts a new show and gets hooked, only to have the show cancelled. Not this year, MF. Not this year.
• Red Band Society: It's no The Fault in Our Stars. But I'll keep watching it. Until it gets canceled, as Zap2It predicts.
• Chicago P.D.: Vic just loves this show, so he's keeping it.

Thursday:

• Grey's Anatomy: Don't make fun of me, but this is my favorite show on television.
• Bones: Make fun of me. We're keeping this, but I think I'm only keeping it because I've been watching it for so long.
• Scandal: I really want them to bring cases back to the show instead of keeping the focus on Huck's family and the president's kid. But I'll keep watching it—for now.
• Gracepoint: Still can't bring ourselves to watch it. I have all the episodes on the DVR, but one of my friends said it was beat-for-beat the same as Broadchurch, but with David Tennant having a bad accent. So if we get caught up with everything else and having nothing to watch, maybe we'll start it. Or maybe we'll just eventually delete it. Especially if it gets cancelled, as predicted by Zap2It.
• Bad Judge: It is not a good show, but she is so funny, and we are enjoying her interactions with the other cast members. Plus, it had Captain Awesome (from Chuck) on two episodes, so who knows what other great guest stars might show up? Finally, it's only 22 minutes. Sometimes, you just need to fill a block of time. As I said before. Unfortunately, Zap2It predicts cancellation.
• A to Z: Still haven't decided. I'm kind of done, but Vic was up for one more episode. Zap2It predicts imminent cancellation.
• How to Get Away with Murder: In a twist worthy of the show itself, we cancelled it. The people just aren't nice people, and I just don't have enough time to watch mean people.

Friday:

• Does it make me racist if I didn't like Jane the Virgin or Cristela? Because I didn't like Cristela either, and we cancelled it. It was as much a victim of the laugh track as anything. If any of you are long-time blog readers, you know how we feel about the laugh track.
• Blue Bloods: I'm just loving it more and more this season.
• Grimm: This is one of Vic's shows, and it just started Friday. So I'll report on that later.
• Constantine: This just started Friday, so I'll report on that later.

I mentioned Zap2It's cancellation predictions. If you want to see what they're predicting for your shows, visit the site here: http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/the-renew-cancel-index/

Nothing new coming this week, so I'll adjourn for now with a happy Halloween!

See you next week! (Or some other time.)

Fall TV season 2014, end of week 2

I think we're settling in nicely to the new fall season. I'm seeing a few things I like a lot, a lot of things that are OK, and a few things that are ... let's just say not as good as I'd like.

As always, we start with new shows watched:

• Selfie: Vic was done with this in the first five minutes. I was done after 10. Then he said, "I thought this was going to be [John Cho's] show," and I said, "It is—it's My Fair Lady, and he's Henry Higgins. She just has to hit rock bottom first." So then he thought maybe we judged it too quickly, but I had already deleted it. So now we're just waiting for it to appear on demand, where we'll watch the whole episode before we ditch it. lol. 
• Manhattan Love Story: I like the girl. The guy is an ass hat. The voice-over I'm sure will get tiring—yet we didn't hate it enough to ditch it outright. We'll watch another episode.
• Makers: Watched the first season from Netflix last night, and it was great. We'll watch the second season in a binge session when all three episodes have aired..
• Stalker: I actually didn't hate it. Three times.
• Gracepoint: We haven't decided what to do about this yet. We'll leave it on the DVR for awhile and maybe binge watch it later.
• Bad Judge: Not great, but pilots—especially for comedies—can be rough. We'll give it another try, but I'm not holding out great hope. That said, I did decide that if we could get a dramedy where Kate Walsh and Debra Messing were sisters, we would totally watch that.
• A to Z: We didn't hate this either, except for the friend of the guy. Horrible character. We'll see if he gets any better. It is interesting that they've set an expiration date. The couple dates for eight months and change. Do they break up at the end of that time, or get engaged/married? We'll see. If they break up, I will be so pissed off I will never watch the show again. Although I imagine we'll find that out on the last episode, so I guess it's a moo point.

Returning favorites watched: 

• Resurrection: Interestingly, although Vic was tired of this by the end of the season (and I was not), now I'm a little tired of it and he is intrigued. We'll keep it for a few more episodes, see what happens.
• Castle: Shocker, they found Castle, and he was alive. I assume we'll spend a few episodes figuring out where he was. I wonder what they'll do about the wedding?
• Criminal Minds: I said last week, "Not in love with the addition of Jennifer Love Hewitt. We'll see how that goes." It goes as expected—I don't like her in this. But the show hasn't changed a bit, so I'll watch it.

New shows, second viewing: 

• Madam Secretary: Still love it.
• Forever: Still deciding.
• Scorpion: Still deciding.
• How to Get Away with Murder: Still like it—but it's definitely not my favorite show of the season, and that surprises me.

Returning favorites, second viewing: I'm only commenting on those shows that I was a little noncommittal on last week or ... you know ... just want to comment on.

• Person of Interest: Much better episode this week. Firmly back in "one of my favorite shows" territory.
• Chicago Fire: Still hooked in, but still not my favorite show, despite how well-done it is.
• Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: Vic said he wasn't thrilled with the direction this show was taking.
• Chicago P.D.: Vic really likes this show.
• Bones: I haven't cried all through an episode since the Lexie Grey/Mark Sloan debacle of 2012. (No. I will never get over it. Don't even ask me to try.) Nice ending, "Lime in the Coconut," last sung by Sweets as they took away Vincent's body in season ... whatever season it was.
• Grey's Anatomy: Vintage episode. Loved the singing sturgeon telegram.
• Scandal: Hmm. Vic is growing weary of it. Me too. We need more cases. We need to get the band back together.

My new shows premiering this week:

 

Only two premieres this week: 

• The Flash: This is for Vic. It's a spin-off of Arrow, which he likes. It looks good, but I feel like I'd eventually drop it, so I'm not even going to start.
• Cristela: Could be funny, but does it have a laugh track? That's a definite minus for me.

Returning favorites premiering this week: 

• Arrow: Again, this is for Vic.

Vic and I were talking over lunch, and we mentioned that there seem to be a lot of shows with voice-overs or interior monologues these days. So I'm going to keep track of them this week and report back on how many shows I watch that have voice-overs—and I will rate how much I hate them. lol. I may also try to rate the shows I watch to see if that helps me decide what to cut out. Have a good week, all!

Fall TV season 2014, end of week 1

Well, that was a week!

New shows watched:

• Madam Secretary: Loved it. Added it to our viewing schedule. One of the things I love most about the show is the relationship between Tea Leoni and Tim Daly's characters (husband and wife). I've read that they will have a healthy relationship—which doesn't necessarily mean they won't fight; only that it won't be the central point. I feel like marital problems are just a way to say, "We don't have enough plot points for the protagonist, so we'll add in an angry husband or wife to make the protagonist's job harder." That won't happen here, and that makes me happy. One of my friends said she wanted it to be more bad ass and less "aw shucks, I'm just trying to save the world." I agree with that—and I think it's funny because I can hear Tea Leoni saying it. (Credit: Anna Bloom.)
• Gotham: The first casualty of the new season. I still love the idea of seeing the origin stories of all the characters in the Batman stable, but I just didn't like the show. Dropped after one viewing.
• Forever: For me, this show is just MOR (middle of the road). I don't really have much to say against it—but I don't have too much to say for it. Three timer.
• Scorpion: This was the most preposterous, implausible, ridiculous show I've seen in a long time. But it's a rag tag band of misfits trying to save the world, and that speaks to me. (Hello, Firefly? Leverage?) Three timer.
• Black-ish: It was what I expected, and although there were some funny moments, we canceled it.
• How to Get Away with Murder: I was hooked less than halfway through—however, I do have a couple of gripes, and that worries me. The gripes may contain spoilers, so read at your own peril. My main gripe is how inept the kids are at covering up ... whatever they are covering up. A murder, an accidental death—I can't be sure. Now, I get that they are, what, 25 years old? And stress makes you do stupid things. But I could cover up a murder better than they are trying to, and I'm of average intelligence (they are the four smartest students in their law class). Sure, I've watched procedurals on TV for 30 years and they haven't even been alive for that long, but they're in law school. I think that makes them with my 30 years of TV watching. They used bleach in the house with the murder was committed. Cops always notice bleach. They cleaned up the murder weapon and put it back in the house. Cops always find something on the murder weapon. DESTROY IT. They rolled up the body in a rug from the house where the murder was committed. Because no one will notice a gigantic floor rug missing. And they burned the body to get rid of the DNA. As if Temperance Brennan (Bones) couldn't solve the murder from a burned corpse. Other gripes: the characters aren't that likeable. Seems like everyone is sleeping around indiscriminately. I don't understand how a law professor can hire five first-year students for her firm. Don't they have, I don't know, other classes? Homework? Still, it is compelling, and I'm definitely coming back for more.

Returning favorites watched:

• The Good Wife: I did not see that coming. (No spoilers—but you can email me if you want to talk more about it.) I kind of wanted to have the Florrick+Agos+Lockhart thing wrapped up by the end of this episode, so I was disappointed that it wasn't wrapped up. (Sure, that's a little spoiler, but not much of one.) I am excited to see what Taye Diggs is going to do on the show as a series regular. Love him!
• The Blacklist: Solid start. Looks like they're getting the band back together.
• Person of Interest: Definitely not interested in the direction this is going, but I do love the characters, so I'll keep going. For now.
• Chicago Fire: You know, this is a really well-done show. But I just have no affinity for the characters. this week, they Shonda Rhimes'ed* one of them, and I didn't even care. They're threatening to do the same next week too—and I don't care about that either. Why am I still watching? They tend to give me one story line or one cliffhanger that I want to see resolved. When it is, then I vow to stop watching—and in comes another story line or cliffhanger. This week, nothing. So I'll give it "one more try" and see what happens. ;-)
• Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: Vic has not watched this yet, so no review.
• Sleepy Hollow: We watched this, and it just didn't grab us. It has morphed into something ... different than what we liked in the first season. I loved what Ichabod had to say about Benjamin Franklin, but that's not enough to sustain me. We canceled it.
• Modern Family: What can I say? I love this show!
• Chicago P.D.:
• Bones: Spoilers ahead. This episode must have been guest written by Shonda Rhimes, because—you guessed it—they killed off one of the main characters for No. Good. Reason. I read that he's directing a movie and asked for some time off, and the producers said they couldn't think of a way to write him out for four months. Within five minutes, I had come up with a dozen good ways to write him out for four months. I don't think they were trying hard enough. Or maybe they wanted to shake things up. That they did, and not for the better. Grr.
• Grey's Anatomy: Meanwhile, I guess Shonda's time at Bones took her away from Grey's, because nobody died. Yea! Grey's is similar to How to Get Away with Murder in that I have gripes about the episode (spoilers: April, stop trying to get the guys to make Major Hottie feel better. He's fine. Callie, stop being so selfish. Interns who aren't important enough for me to remember your names, stop being so annoying. Meredith, when McDreamy says he picks you, be happy about it.). But it's my beloved Grey's, and I'm still 100 percent on board!
• Scandal: Less on board with Scandal. Why would you leave a gorgeous island that you basically have all to yourself with a hunky guy who treats you like a queen (and apparently gives you the best sex of your life) for a city that eats people up and spits them out? That said, the best part of the episode was the grieving Mellie in sweatpants, Uggs, and a bathrobe. She must be having the time of her life in this role.
• Blue Bloods: Still a solid performer. Great episode.

New shows, second viewing:

• Red Band Society: Still loving it. Very touching. Adding it to my viewing schedule.
• The Mysteries of Laura: Meh. It could be a great comedy, if they stuck to the comedy. It could be a great cop show, if they stuck to the cop show. But in trying to do both, they do neither well. We canceled it.

My new shows premiering this week:

This week is the week of "not a lot of shows I'll probably add to my schedule." So why am I watching any of these? Why not? Some have good casts. Some made me laugh. I hope that at least one surprises me.

• Selfie: Basically a Pygmalion for the digital era, this does not look that good. The preview had me laughing, though, and I like John Cho. Not expecting to pick it up, and here's what TV Guide said: "giddy waste of charismatic talent it too inconsequential even to qualify as an epic fail."
• Manhattan Love Story: Ditto previous comment, except for the Pygmalion part. TV Guide hates the voice-over ("I’ll race you to the mute button"), which is usually a sticking point for me as well.
• Makers: This is a PBS show about women (the first season was called "Makers: Woman Who Shaped America"). It's in the "new" section because I didn't watch the first season, a fact I shall rectify tonight, thanks to Netflix.
• Stalker: Not overly in love with Dylan McDermott, but I like Maggie Q. TV Guide wasn't kind: "Glum, woodenly acted formula. Stalk away from this one."
• Gracepoint: I liked this show when it was Broadchurch on the BBC. What I'm hearing is that if you didn't watch that, watch this, because it's not bad. Or just get the original. However, I'm interested in how they change the ending. So I'll probably watch it. It's a limited run series anyway, so it's only 10 episodes of wasted time.
• Bad Judge: I love Kate Walsh, and the preview made me guffaw. But it is not getting good reviews (TV Guide: :the bar doesn't get set much lower"), and it's probably going to suck.
• A to Z: TV Guide: "the stars' chemistry is the draw, even when the show around them is either too cloying … or too forgettable." Ouch.

Returning favorites premiering this week:

• Resurrection: Vic tired of this in the end, but I'm still intrigued. We'll see if the show can bring Vic back to it. If not, we'll see if it intrigues me enough to watch it in bed after he falls asleep.
• Castle: They'd better get this show back on track pronto after last season's "cliffhanger" (Castle's car on fire by the side of the road, no Castle anywhere). But it's not really a cliffhanger, is it? Because the show's called Castle.
• Criminal Minds: Not in love with the addition of Jennifer Love Hewitt. We'll see how that goes.

And that's it for this week. Stay tuned next week for more reactions to the new season!

*Shonda Rhimes'ed = killed