TV reviews

In the US: Showtime, Sundays, 10pm

In the UK: Acquired by FX for showing in early 2007.

You’ve got to hand it to Showtime. For years, the ITV1 to HBO’s BBC1, it’s finally got its groove back and is putting out some great stuff, like Weeds, Brotherhood, Sleeper Cell, The L Word and now Dexter.

All the same, you’d have thought serial killer dramas like Dexter would be a bit passé . They’re unrealistic and pretty much all the same: bad man who attacks women gets chased by nice police people, who build up clues and an idea of the killer’s mind until he’s apprehended or killed.

So Dexter, if it’s possible to feel welcoming towards a gory serial killer drama, is indeed welcome for providing a new twist. The eponymous ‘hero’, Dexter, is indeed a serial killer. But he’s a member of the police – a CSI in fact. And get this: he only kills other killers.

Continue reading “Review: Dexter”

In the US: ABC, Thursdays, 8/7c

In the UK: Don’t know. Can’t seem to find anyone who’s picked it up. But it will be. Oh yes.

“Telenovelas” are this South American thing (apparently. I’m just taking the word of others here, since I have no knowledge of the South American TV industry whatsoever). They’re like soap operas except they’re of fixed length, with a pre-defined beginning, middle and end.

Ugly Betty (aka “Yo Soy Betty La Fea”) is one of Colombia’s most popular telenovelas and now ABC has adapted it and made it its own. Given that the first episode cranked up 16 million viewers or so, making it the most popular of the new TV shows of the season, how much do you want a bet that ABC, the network that likes to say “Can we have more Lost? Or something that’s like an anagram of Lost? Or something a bit like Lost anyway?”, is going to be able to call it a day once the story is over?

Continue reading “Review: Ugly Betty”

In the US: The CW, Thursdays, 8/7c

In the UK: Coming soon to E4

Characters re-cast: 0

Major characters gotten rid of: 2

Major new characters: 1

Format change percentage: 10%

Storylines rest back to zero: Many

The first episode of every season of Smallville is like a treasure hunt. Typically, many, many things happen in the previous season’s finale: people die, are trapped in inescapable prisons, learn Clark’s secret, declare their undying love for someone, etc. But somehow, by the end of the season premiere, everything will be back to normal again.

The trick for the viewer is to find the magic reset button. Will it be under a rock? Behind a tree? Disguised as a mantelpiece ornament?

This season, clue-hunters, the magic reset button will be disguised as a badge. A badge. A badge.

Continue reading “Review: Smallville 6.1”