In the US: Tuesdays, 8/7c, ABC
In the UK: SyFy, 2010

Time for one of these third-episode verdict things on V, ABC's remake of the 1980s mini-series/series.

I've not really much further to report since the first episode, other than the fact I'm getting déjà vu - although not for the reason you might think.

Continue reading "Third-episode verdict: V"

Another update to the list of new US shows worth watching, now we're a month further on, have a few more results in and with a couple of new arrivals.

Watch
Community (NBC): Review (Carusometer rating: 1) [Picked up for a season]
Cougar Town (ABC/Living – 2010): Review (Carusometer rating: 2) [Picked up for a season]
The Good Wife (CBS/More4-Channel 4 – 2010): Review (Carusometer rating: 2) [Picked up for a season]
The Middle (ABC): Review (Carusometer rating: 2) [Picked up for a season]
Modern Family (ABC/Sky 1 – October 15): Review (Carusometer rating: 2) [Picked up for a season]
Stargate Universe (SciFi/Sky 1 – already airing): Review (Carusometer rating: 2) [Low ratings]
Trauma (NBC): Review (Carusometer rating: 2) [Cancelled]

Undecided
V (ABC/SyFy): Review [Ratings dropped significantly for second episode]

Don't watch
Accidentally on Purpose (CBS/E4 – 2010): Review [New episodes ordered]
Bored to Death (HBO): Review (Carusometer rating: 3) [Picked up for a season]
Brothers (Fox): Review [Probably dead, but not officially cancelled]
Eastwick (ABC/SciFi – 2009/2010): Review [Cancelled]
FlashForward (ABC/Five – already airing): Review (Carusometer rating: 3) [Picked up for a season]
The Forgotten (ABC): Review [Endangered, but new episodes ordered]
Hank (ABC): Review [Cancelled]
Mercy (NBC): Review [Picked up for a season]
The Vampire Diaries (The CW/ITV2 – 2010): Review [Picked up for a season]
White Collar (USA): Review (Carusometer rating: 3) [Endangered]

Read other posts about: Community

In the US: Fridays, 10/9c, USA Network

Three episodes into White Collar and I haven't changed my mind much about the show since I previewed the first episode. In fact, it's gone slightly down in my estimation, not by being worse per se, but by becoming blander.

Continue reading "Third-episode verdict: White Collar"

In the US: Tuesdays (for four weeks, resuming in 2010), 8/7c , ABC
In the UK: SyFy, 2010

Way back in the 80s, aliens came among us, some time during the Los Angeles Olympics, in fact. They looked like us, they pretended to be our friends.

But they turned out to be very dangerous lizard Nazis.

Let that be a warning to you.

Anyway, the mini-series that demonstrated just how you shouldn't trust any group that wears identical uniforms and has a youth league turned out to be the most popular US mini-series in history. It naturally spawned a full series, which wasn't very good. To be fair, neither was the mini-series. Bloody "star child".

Never fear though, because ABC has remade the show and is going to be blasting it at you in small chunks. It stars Elizabeth Mitchell of Lost as an FBI agent, and follows what happens as alien spaceships descend over cities around the world, only to reveal 'the visitors', a bunch of nice looking aliens who offer universal healthcare in exchange for water.

But it turns out that maybe those nice visitors aren't as nice as they first seem.

Here's the first nine minutes for your enjoyment, or if you prefer, a three-minute trailer.

Continue reading "Review: V 1x1"

I've not seen it, but for lovers of The Wire, there's an attempt to do a real-life documentary series equivalent over on the US's Sundance Channel. Called Brick City, it follows Newark, New Jersey's mayor Cory A Booker, various citizens on the front lines, developers, gang members and youth mentors.

In case you don't know Newark ain't Baltimore, but it's not Manhattan either. I've no idea if this is going to be a puff piece or not, but I thought I'd mention it out of interest.

Read other posts about: The Wire

In the US: Fridays, 10/9c, USA Network. Starts October 23rd

You may remember that while watching Chuck recently, you thought to yourself, "Why that dashing and handsome young Matt Bomer - who plays the possibly, possibly not evil secret agent Bryce Larkin - is so dashing and handsome, he deserves his own TV series."

Someone at USA Network seems to have thought the same thing, because here comes White Collar, a show about just how dashing and handsome Matt Bomer is.

The ostensible plot of the series is that Bomer is one of the world's smartest white collar criminals. Forgery, art theft, con tricks: you name it, he's done it, although he's only ever been caught once. When the man who caught him - FBI agent Peter Burke (Tim DeKay) - finds himself stumped in his hunt for another art thief, he turns to the first thief to catch his second thief.

But, in actuality, the show is merely about Bomer going around being charming to various women while looking pained because of his lost love, who appears to have run away.

Guess the intended demographic. Go on. I dare you.

Continue reading "Preview: White Collar 1x1"

Read other posts about: Burn Notice, Lost

In the US: Thursdays, 9.30/8.30c, NBC
In the UK: Comedy Central at some point

Season three of 30 Rock felt a little off. It wasn't quite the show it used to be, which is a shame, because by season two, it had become the funniest show on TV.

The problem was a reliance on plot. Yes, on plot. 30 Rock at its funniest is based on silliness and standalone episodes, rather than season-long plots. Watch the pilot episode and you'll recall that the dullest bit was the middle third that tried to establish plot and drama. Problematically, season three of 30 Rock had way too many unfunny story arcs.

Going into season four, the question is have Tina Fey and co noticed this, dropped the plots and gone for the funny?

Almost.

Continue reading "Review: 30 Rock 4x1"

Read other posts about: 30 Rock, Community

Just to update the list of new US shows worth watching, now a few more results are in. I've added their current Live Feed status if there is one, in case you worried they might be cancelled once you start watching:

Watch
Community (NBC): Review (Carusometer rating: 1) [OK]
Modern Family (ABC/Sky 1 – October 15): Review (Carusometer rating: 2) [Safe]
Cougar Town (ABC/Living – 2010): Review (Carusometer rating: 2) [Safe]
The Good Wife (CBS/More4-Channel 4 – 2010): Review (Carusometer rating: 2) [Safe]
Stargate Universe (SciFi/Sky 1 – already airing): Review (Carusometer rating: 2)
Trauma (NBC): Review (Carusometer rating: 2) [Endangered]
The Middle (ABC): Review (Carusometer rating: 2) [OK]

Don't watch
Brothers (Fox): Review [Endangered]
The Vampire Diaries (The CW/ITV2 – 2010): Review [Safe]
Bored to Death (HBO): Review (Carusometer rating: 3)
The Forgotten (ABC): Review [Endangered]
Accidentally on Purpose (CBS/E4 – 2010): Review [OK]
Eastwick (ABC/SciFi – 2009/2010): Review [Endangered]
FlashForward (ABC/Five – already airing): Review (Carusometer rating: 3) [Safe]
Mercy (NBC): Review [Endangered]
Hank (ABC): Review [Endangered]

I'll update the list again, once shows like Hard Target starting showing up on the map.

Read other posts about: Community

In the US: Wednesdays, 8.30c/7.30c, ABC

We're in a comedy boom. Suddenly, there are decent comedies everywhere - as well as a few rubbish ones like Brothers and Accidentally on Purpose.

ABC has most of them: it's got Cougar Town and Modern Family, although NBC has the best - Community. It's also got The Middle.

Most years, The Middle would do well for itself - in fact, it's already had a full season pick up - because it's not bad. In fact, it's pretty good.

Okay, it's not really what you'd call funny. It's accurate. You sit there through every episode thinking, "Oh yes, I recognise what this pithy look at middle class, middle America life is getting at. These situations are very familiar to me, and no doubt everyone who's ever had to deal with life in The Middle."*

But it's not something you really laugh at. The producers try to make you laugh. They've assembled a good cast. They try to come up with funny situations. And you can sit through every episode with a wry-ish smile on your face. But laugh? Not so much.

The jokes just never seem to hit home, because they're just too silly. The characters are all pretty unappealing and despite their everyperson situations, they're hard to identify with.

It's so very near the edge of great, but it never quite gets there.

So, despite this actually being okay, I'm dropping it in favour of other shows. Bad luck The Middle.

Carusometer rating: 2
Rob's prediction: Will last a season at most but not get renewed

* Okay, I'm not American, don't have kids and I don't live in Indiana, but some things are universal.

Read other posts about: Community

In the US: Mondays, 9/8c, NBC

Time for a third-episode verdict on "Jerry Bruckheimer's Casualty" aka Trauma. After an opening episode that made it hard to spot the wheat (most of the writing and characters) from the chaff (the colossal, ridiculous explosions and accidents), Trauma settled into a second episode that did more or less the same thing again - but with fewer explosions.

Episode three, however, was a far better beast. There's still the Casualty/House gambit of setting up an obvious accident then substituting a less obvious accident later on - in the world of Trauma, the obvious accident is the mysterious arrival of a car from nowhere which then ploughs through pedestrians/the wall of a house/whatever.

But the whole episode was considerably less over the top and gave us a kind of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead view of a typical police drama: while the exciting hostage negotiation is going on, we found out what the paramedics have been up to the whole time and they're pretty impressive, as it happens.

The third episode also saw the characters begin to work dramatically for me. Until now, they've just really been types and case studies, but they're starting to becoming more real now. Cliff Curtis's chopper pilot is still the most interesting character (although not necessarily for the right reasons), although Anastasia Griffith's promiscuous but authoritative lead paramedic comes a close second. The others need work, but are getting there.

I'm very tempted to keep watching, now the writers are getting on with telling stories rather than establishing the characters, but it's not engrossing enough that I'm guaranteed to. In all likelihood, I'll give up. But it's good enough that I'm split on the decision.

Carusometer rating: 2
Rob's prediction: Very expensive (c$3m per episode) so liable to get cancelled very soon. But better than Mercy and a lot of the other new dramas, so deserves more of a chance at life than them.

Read other posts about: House