Now, I’ll be the first to admit I’m probably not the best person to review this show. By no means whatsoever am I the target demographic for a show about a relationship counsellor (played by Anne Heche) who gets cheated on by her fiancé and who decides to “find herself”.
It’s like there’s a protective oestrogen aura, just around the concept alone, that’s designed to fend off male viewers.
But if I can get through every episode of Sex and the City, I can get through Men in Trees, particularly since its creator, Jenny Bicks, was one of the headwriters and exec producers of that hallowed show.
I’m back. Again. While any journo worth his salt will be able to regale you with a dozen “And then I stayed up drinking until 7.30 in the morning, half an hour after I was supposed to get up, so I had to head off straight to the interview, reeking of alcohol, wearing the clothes I flew in on. I knew I was in trouble, because I hadn’t prepared, but then suddenly, in the back of the cab, which I’d had to direct using Inuit hand signals because he didn’t understand a word of English, I came up with the perfect question. I pulled it all together, wrote it up, and Sir John Gielgud said it was the best interview he’d ever done” stories, this was relatively dull and had a disappointing sleep:alcohol:work ratio, so I won’t regale you (much) with my exploits.
But just in case you were thinking of topping yourself and reading this blog was on the verge of pushing you over the edge, hold off! There are reasons to live still. For if you’ve never been to a Munich beer hall, watching a group of Germans dancing on tables in traditional Bavarian costumes to gay anthems played by a band fronted by an Emily Procter-lookalike drummer, there are still things in life to experience. Head off there now, while you still can.
On the other hand, you might be asked to try some German food. If it’s a choice between death and German food, might I heartily recommend the death option?
Anyway, coming up today should be that review of Men in Trees I promised, and maybe a couple of others, so hold on tight.
Just in case you missed BBC4’s daily run of I, Claudius a month or so ago, it’s back again, being shown weekly, starting on Thursday 21st September (this Thursday).
Oh, and one of my stupid theories was right: Vanished revealed (subject to double-bluffs) its villains last week and I was right! Woo hoo! Don’t know what my accuracy rate is, but all the same… I got one right!
I liked the first episode of Justice. Fresh TV from the House of Bruckheimer, it was a touch more CSI: Miami than CSI – the kind of show where no one just has a meeting, they have to stand up the whole time, shout and have handheld cameras swung between them – but it was new and different. Do I like it now, three episodes in?
Yes, I do. It’s toned down the CSI: Miami stupidity and still continues to offer some incisive views on law as practised in big media cases in the US. Victor Garber’s Ron Trott is a fantastic piece of haminess. And you’re never sure who you’re supposed to be rooting for.
There’s still little characterisation going on – although as is the case with many third episodes, characters started throwing out random bits of background history to give the illusion of characterisation:
“Like I tell my son, never get caught in a compromising position with an inebriated woman.”
“Your son’s five years old”
“It’s never too early to start telling them.”
But that’s no bad thing at this early stage, as long as the plots remain strong, which they do. The fact we’re dealing with defence attorneys rather than prosecutors remains a relatively novel twist, particularly since we’re never sure until the end if the defendant is guilty or innocent. The third episode had a particularly interesting development on that score, which I won’t spoil anyone by revealing. The fact they’re also quite a sleazy bunch is equally novel, although I’m sure Boston Legal fans would disagree.
All in all, I’d say keep watching (or start watching come October if you’re in the UK) Justice since slick and glossy it might be, it’s still smart in the areas that count.
Here’s a YouTube vid for you. It’s the first seven minutes from the pilot episode and gives you a fair idea of what the show’s like if you haven’t watched it yet.
Other interesting nuggets of news that popped up last week that weren’t about Doctor Who.
Thanks to overwhelmingly fantastic critical reaction, The Wire‘s been picked up for a fifth season, despite getting less than 2 million viewers for its first episode. This final season will look at the mass media; given The Wire‘s co-creator used to be a journalist on the Baltimore Sun, it should at least be authentic.
James Cromwell, the ‘dad’ of that adorable pig called Babe, is to be killing-machine Jack Bauer’s dad in 24. There’s versatility for you.
FX in the UK has picked up Showtime’s Brotherhood. To counteract people forward-winding through ads, the network plans to create commercials for the show that feature the same image for 30 seconds. Silly plan or not, I do recommend watching Brotherhood if you can. Despite my luke-warm first and third episode reviews, Brotherhood is now firmly on my weekly viewing schedule, thanks to a compelling cast and its look into the shady world of local politics.
Thank God CSI doesn’t feature on-screen episode titles, or there are going to be a few raised eyebrows in Britain when Fannysmackin’ airs
Aaron Sorkin answers critics who suggest that Studio 60 is based on his life by saying they’re right – up to a point. Interestingly, he used to date Kristin Chenoweth, who played the squeaky deputy press secretary in The West Wing and is a devoted Christian.
And finally, just in case you wanted to know what The Hanso Foundation is and what all those numbers mean in Lost, someone’s assembled all the video clips from The Lost Experience (which, my street urchins tell me, is some kind of online game thing). Press the Play button to find out what’s up.
Just in case you missed BBC4’s