Toob Talk

There are a lot of new and old shows on their way back. A lot of them, I’ve watched or am looking forward to watching. There’s also a bunch I’m dreading or that I’ve given up on. You can make your own plans using this handy dandy calendar of premieres over at TV Guide.com.

NCIS (Tuesdays, 8 pm, CBS)

As spin-offs go, NCIS has done quite well for itself. I’d be tempted to say it’s gotten even better than JAG, it’s parent show. As with every previous season, last season’s finale left me wondering how, exactly, the team would continue pushing on. Granted, over the years, a bit more humor and self parody have crept in. Hopefully the balance will hold and this season will be a good one. But, hey, as long as I get me some Pauley Perrette, all is good. (Premiers 8/23)

The Mentalist (Tuesdays, 9 pm, CBS)

The new show stuck in the middle of CBS’s crime-time Tuesdays looks an awful lot like the cable gem Psych, except with a little more class. Then again, Simon Baker always brings a little class to the shows he’s in. While that wasn’t enough to save Smith a couple seasons ago, he did manage to make The Guardian a pretty decent series (even if the premise was flimsy to begin with). Maybe The Mentalist will click, maybe it won’t. I’m not sure how I feel about it. But I’m willing to give it a chance. (Premieres 8/23)

Knight Rider (Wednesdays, 8 pm, NBC)

OK, so some parts of the recent TV movie that revived the Night Rider franchise weren’t totally horrible. But enough of them were to make me seriously concerned that this iteration of the idea will be as bad as those that have come before–like, as bad as the original, except without the fun. I’ve been of the opinion that they should have just gone for a total reboot of the series instead of tying it in to the original. And, y’know, stuck with the Trans Am. I’ve seen some possible leaks of script bits and the ads that have been running lately and neither of them do anything to increase my confidence in this doing anything other than tarnishing my golden memories of The Hoff and his sweet ride. (Premieres 8/24)

Lipstick Jungle (Wednesdays, 10 pm, NBC)

This show I tuned in to mainly for Brooke Shields. I’m a fan from way back… like when she showed up on the original Muppet show and stuff. I was suitably impressed by the rest of the cast to keep coming back. Last season progressed well through the lives of all the key characters. Yes, it’s got a bit of a Sex in the City vibe, but it’s also a little more grown up. And I, for one, will proudly keep watching to see where it goes this season. (At least I’ll keep watching until it starts to really suck… then it’s all on its own.) (Premieres 8/25)

Grey’s Anatomy (Thursdays, 9 pm, ABC)

Despite the fact that I keep wishing death on the title character, I keep watching. (Please! Can’t she just stay dead the next time it happens… there’s another Grey on the show now… I like her a lot better.) Overall, the show is pretty solid and a tremendous amount of fun most of the time. Last season was really a time for many of the supporting cast to shine. And all the guest bits over the years have been spectacular. The show has been generally well-written, so as long as the continues, I’ll probably keep watching. (Premieres 8/26)

ER (Thursdays, 10 pm, NBC)

This show is entering its 15th season. I stopped watching regularly at least five seasons ago. They’ve done every story they could do. In fact, they did that about ten years ago. All they’ve done now is stretch the bounds of reality to ridiculous lengths and swapped out old characters from the old plots. I say all this because it seems the network is finally putting this lame horse down. I will watch the last episode of ER with as much excitement as I watched the first episode back in September of 1994. If only to make sure it’s over.

Chuck (Mondays, 8 pm, NBC)

OK, I’ll admit, I consider this show a guilty pleasure. It’s generally light, fun and full of action and sexy sexy women. It was just announced that NBC has picked up another nine episodes of Chuck, giving it a lock on a full season before the first bit of ratings are even in. If this show is to really thrive, though, it’s got to get more creative and things need to expand in scope. Having two main jokes (“haha look at the geeky guy and the hot girl together, isn’t that cute and awkward?” and “Ooo! He’s got all sorts of stuff in his head but he doesn’t always read it right.”) is good for one short season. Much more than that and you need to grow your operating paradigm before it gets really silly. After all, Chuck’s not getting any new super secret information in that database he’s got in his head–that stuff’s getting old quick.

Life (Mondays, 10 pm, NBC)

Life is another one of the few shows that caught me off guard with just how good it was. The plot is interesting but the presentation by Damian Lewis of quirky cop Crews is what really seals the deal. One part zen master, one part vindictive, sadistic vengeance-seeker, one part damn fine cop… that’s a character I can get behind and be endlessly fascinated by. My biggest fear is that too many people won’t “get” the show and it’ll be bounced around the schedule a few times before being unceremoniously and quietly canceled.

And that more or less wraps up the new/returning stuff that I give a damn about in September. But, as seasons continue to become more amorphous, a good handful of show premieres have crept into October. More on those later…

There are a lot of new and old shows on their way back. A lot of them, I’ve watched or am looking forward to watching. There’s also a bunch I’m dreading or that I’ve given up on. You can make your own plans using this handy dandy calendar of premieres over at TV Guide.com.

House (Tuesdays, 9 pm, FOX)

From the first episode, I’ve loved this show. Last season, they shook things up a bit adding in a bunch of new cast members and moving most of the familiar supporting cast to the background. The final two hours of the season were mind-blowing and unusually emotional for the show. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t terribly curious to see how those events effect our favorite heartless healer and his only real friend. (Premieres 9/16)

Smallville (Thursdays, 8 pm, CW)

I don’t know why I still bother with this show. It has proved again and again to be one of the most unevenly scripted, acted and directed things on TV. They’ve diverged far from the “normal” Superman cannon and introduced so many quirks and conspiracies that it gives The X-Files a run for its money. But the good episodes are incredibly good. And so I keep watching, suffering through the crap to catch those ever-fewer nuggets of gold (like last seasons Luther on Luther confrontations–those were fantastic). (Premieres 9/18)

Supernatural (Thursdays, 9 pm, CW)

Of course, Supernatural may be the reason I sit through Smallville. This show has consistently nailed the horror genre. There have been episodes that were more terrifying than half the R-rated horror films I’ve seen over the years. The Winchester brothers play wonderful off of one another, which is going to make this season particularly interesting seeing how last season (inevitably) ended. (Premieres 9/18)

The Big Bang Theory (Mondays, 8 pm, CBS)

I almost didn’t watch this show again after its premiere episode. I’m glad I did. It quickly became my favorite new sitcom… and one of my favorite sitcoms of all time (so far). Maybe I relate a little too much to the characters, but the dialog and situations are hilarious regardless of how much one can directly relate. If you haven’t seen it, tune in and watch it. (Premieres 9/22)

How I Met Your Mother (Mondays, 8:30 pm, CBS)

This show is one of the rare cases where a show I really liked has not only survived, but thrived. When it premiered, I tuned in mostly to see what Allison Hannigan would do not playing a Joss Whedon character. I stayed because of the rest of the cast. Again we have a very consistent series where the show runners and the actors know their characters well enough to keep the writers in line (or, at least, smartly pick the right writers for their show… a lesson that could be learned by a good number of higher-budget shows). HIMYM has the perfect mix of ridiculous situations, nostalgia, romance and Niel Patrick Harris. I just hope they end it before they run out of funny. I’d really hate to have to hate this show. (Premiers 9/22)

Heroes (Mondays, 9 pm, NBC)

The first season of Heroes caught me a little off guard by how tightly plotted and solid it was… and how seriously it took itself. Things floundered a little in the second season–some poor scripting decisions and character introductions cluttered things up and then the writers’ strike cut things short. Being cut short, in fact, is probably the best thing that happened to season two. It makes it more of a transition than anything else. The upcoming third season looks like it’s going to be a total blockbuster. The first season gave us a big-deal threat to worry about–now we’re getting something more. We’re getting the real conflict, internal and external, between heroes and villains. I’m kind of excited about it. (Premieres 9/22)

Worst Week (Mondays, 9:30 pm, CBS)

Yet another in a series of what I like to call “lowest common denominator” sitcoms. Everything about this show looks trashy and insulting. No need for wit, just debasing insult humor. It’ll probably be a big hit for a little while, then the novelty will wear off and, before the end of the season, it will be gone. When that happens, TV will be a better place. (Premieres 9/22)

Boston Legal (Mondays, 10 pm, ABC)

I love me some quirky lawyers–especially when they’re written by David E. Kelley. I do, however, worry that this show has gone about as far as it can without devolving into total self-parody (and it was already pretty far into “wink, wink, nudge, nudge, look we’re a TV show” territory). Hopefully, this season will continue to walk that fine line between comedy-parody and biting social commentary. And more Shatner actually acting would be nice… the serious episodes with Denny as the focus were some of the best last season.

Still more next time…

It’s that time again!

A handful of returners and a smattering of new shows begin showing up this week. TV Guide has a very useful little calendar, so you can plan your viewing (or time shifting) accordingly. As usual, I’ll be watching a whole lot of what shows up. But before that, I think there’s already some clear winners and losers out there.

Prison Break (Mondays, 8 pm, Fox)

When this show kicked off the early debuts a few years back, it surprised me greatly. Last season, after I had cheered the tense planning and execution of the escape (season 1) and sat on the edge of my seat while the escapees eluded capture and exposed the conspiracy that started the whole thing (season 2), it just got a little silly and I lost interest. Now that we’re heading into the fourth year of this, the show has long-outlived it’s basic premise and, coincidentally, it’s title. I’m far from caught up and I don’t plan on being. By all means, watch it for the eye candy (heck, maybe we’ll even see some more of that tattoo that’s spent most of the last two seasons covered up), but this is one of those shows that should have had a set story arc and then just let it all go. (Premiers 9/1)

90210 (Tuesdays, 8 pm, CW)

I grew up with the original Beverly Hills, 90210. I’m digging the fact that we’re going to get to see some old characters all grown up and a new batch of students at good ol’ West Beverly High. What I’m not digging is that the powers that be have decided to go the ultra-lame route of recycling the exact same basic plot idea of two new students–a brother and a sister (though obviously not twins)–from a non-hip and trendy middle-of-nowhere town who get thrown into the social web of the 90210-ers. But, the CW crew seems to know it’s target audience (which, admittedly, I’m not… having grown up on the original 90210 and all), and they’ve done a good job with other shows, so I’ll be tuning in and giving it a chance. (Premieres 9/2)

True Blood (Sundays, 9 pm, HBO)

This one looks interesting. It’s a vampire show, so it’s got some big shoes to fill but, well, I’m a sucker for vampires and I’ll give it a chance. The viral marketing/alternate reality game campaign they did was kind of neat. And it’s got Anna Paquin. Here’s hoping it’s worth the time. (Premieres 9/7)

Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles (Mondays, 8 pm, FOX)

The short first season of this show rocked my socks. Yes, there was some unevenness and yes, it did take some work to get used to the new Sarah Connor, but overall, I think the show has a lot of potential and I’m eager to see where it’s going to go. Especially with a new Terminator movie on the way. (Premieres 9/8)

Fringe (Tuesdays, 8 pm, FOX)

One half of the highly anticipated new “spooky” shows that Fox will be rolling out (Dollhouse being the other). Some are setting this one up for a fall by saying it’ll be “the next X-files!” From what I’ve seen so far (which isn’t much), it has potential to be good and most definitely interesting. It all really depends on how the cast gels and how the writing quality pans out. There has been many a show in the past (including the X-Files) that managed to stab itself in the eye because it’s writing was uneven. (Premieres 9/9)

Do Not Disturb (Wednesdays, 9:30 pm, FOX)

Oh, look, Jerry O’Connell in another sit come. Because, you know, his last one (the awful Carpoolers worked so well last year). I’ll watch it, but I’m not expecting much. Especially since it sounds a bit like yet another import and change of a classic Brit-com. (Premieres 9/10)

Hole in the Wall (Thursdays, 8 pm, FOX)

Go read the description. Then join me in the chorus of “Why? Why? Why? Why? Why?”

More of these later…

Less than a year after the original Stargate series made the jump to direct-to-video movies, Stargate: Atlantis seems to have gotten the ax.

It won’t be completely gone right away, though. Thanks to the odd way the Sci Fi Channel breaks up its seasons, the current (fifth) season will run through January some time. Then there’ll be a two hour movie some time later in 2009. There may be other movies after that.

According to a quote over at Multichannel News:

“We’re excited to tell Atlantis stories on a bigger canvas,” Brad Wright and Robert C. Cooper, co-creators of Stargate SG-1 and Stargate Atlantis and currently executive producers on Atlantis, said in a statement. “The successes of the two original Stargate [direct-to-video] movies The Ark of Truth and Continuum have shown us the opportunities that the movie format offers. We have plans for both SG-1 and Atlantis to remain vital as we expand the franchise.”

I can’t exactly say I’m sad to see Atlantis go. I’ve always found it to be more than a little uneven as a show. There have been some really solid episodes, but there have been just as many that left me scratching my head wondering “How the heck did they no see how bad this was before they spent all that money making it?” Somehow, they managed to never get their characters quite as vibrant as SG1 did in the same time frame.

Which, I suppose, is one of the reasons SG1 lasted a decade and Atlantis only five years.

For those die-hard Stargate fans, though, there’s little reason to really despair. There’s already a new series that’s been pitched and it’s been promised to be bigger and better than either of its predecessors.

Stargate: Universe, while it has an unfortunately silly title, seems to be based on a good concept. According to the GateWorld website, the premise focuses on a project the Ancients (you know, the race that built the gates, fought the Wraith, created the Replicators, ascended into two warring camps and did all sorts of other questionably intelligent things) started and just kind of let run. That project? Seeding the entire universe with stargates using an automated ship. That ship’s been out there, bouncing along for thousands of years at this point. The second part of that project? A second ship following it to explore the areas around the new gates.

That could be interesting. Kind of a return to the Star Trek idea of “new worlds and new civilizations” being found using a starship. With the extra added bonus that, thanks to the gates, you could easily arrange cameos from favorite characters from the previous two series.

Of course, I’m not going to hold my breath on this show getting made, let alone made well. As a third generation derivative being run by the same people that ran the previous two incarnations of the franchise, it automatically has a lot of baggage to deal with. As we’ve learned with the Star Trek and Star Wars franchises the temptation to apply the same formulas to incompatible ideas is hard to resist. But I’ll wait to at least hear that the series has a green light before I fully rip into it.

In other SG news, it looks like the Stargate Worlds MMORPG is still on track. I can’t imagine it will do exceptionally well if there’s no series to tie into, though. I know I’d be willing to play it… if I had the time and money. And  maybe my own group of friends to put together into a solid SG team. (I’ve signed up to maybe get in on the beta of the game, just for fun.)

So, there you have it. We’ve gone from a little movie that got a big following to a series that started on a pay cable network, segued into syndication and then was picked up by a regular cable network and spawned a spin-off with a bigger scope to an online game and, possibly a third series with an even larger scope than its predecessors. Here’s hoping it doesn’t just leave a bad taste in a lot of fans mouths.

On a lazy Sunday, I’ve been going back through some things on the good ol’ DVR.

One of them is a History Channel documentary about the lost pyramid in Egypt, about five miles outside of Giza. Interesting bit of detective work to piece things together. But that’s not what I’m going to talk about.

The documentary runs about two hours, with commercials. We all know that at least 20 minutes or so are eaten by said commercials. There’s something else that eats a lot of time out of this documentary, too–the utterly ridiculous number of re-hashes done after every commercial break. They’re basically truncated “The story so far” bits. But they seem to be done after every commercial break. That eats at least another 15 minutes.

Add to that the fact that they’re utterly inane–usually reviewing things that were just discussed right before the just ended commercial break–and you have something that frustrates me (and people like me) greatly.

I’ll (grudgingly) accept the fact that people have ridiculously short attention spans these days. I’ll readily accept the fact that people tune in to things at odd times (though not too terribly odd–most shows out there still only start on the half-hour). But I have to wonder if the History Channel should be quite so concerned with those with the goldfish-sized attention spans. After all, we are talking about history and people who can’t retain focus and memory over a commercial break can’t possibly grok the concept of history let alone be all that interested in watching something about history to begin with.

If this were a show targeted at children, maybe I’d be more accepting of the “repeat everything as often as possible” tactic being employed. This documentary is most definitely not targeted at children.

That means either the documentary makers or the network decided that either they didn’t have enough actual content to fill the time or don’t understand that, yes, some of us (those interested in what you’re trying to say, in fact) can remember what we just watched three or four minutes ago. In fact, some of us can even pause our recorded show for a couple of hours and not need to start from the beginning when we come back–even if we’ve been doing other things!

Sad thing is, this isn’t the first time I’ve noticed this. It isn’t isolated to the History Channel, either. Even worse, it seems to be a growing trend all around.

People’s brains work more like muscles than most realize. If you’re not using it, it goes soft and, eventually stops working all together. This sort of incessant repetition actually encourages people to not retain knowledge from one moment to the next. We are generally lazy creatures, after all, and if we get stuck in the habit of knowing we don’t have to remember things from a few minutes ago because, if they’re important, they’ll be repeated right before we need to know them, we’re not going to bother making an effort to pay attention.

That’s a slippery slope to not paying attention at all, leaving the job of telling us what’s important and what’s not to the person telling us what to do. Or, at least, to lazy thought patterns and a great deal of difficulty having enough in our heads to draw our own conclusions.

Hopefully, this is only a temporary thing and will pass.

I’m not going to hold my breath, though. TV could have been something great for education, but most of that potential has been squandered at this point.