Report Card for Fall, 2010 Shows

To be exact, this is a report card on shows I watch. I am afraid to report that I watch only bits and pieces of new shows. This was just not a good year for new shows.

I may not be blogging much (blame my two little niblets for that!), but I'm still watching television. I may not watch the show in the same week it airs, but I'm still watching. This post will discuss how I think the shows are faring this new season.

Chuck

One of the marvels of Chuck is that it has taken science fiction conventions and turned them on their head. In this case, Chuck's family all knows about his superhero powers (I guess that's what you'd call the Intersect) and he landed the hot babe. Chuck's sister is extremely smart, so the writers would have to stretch credulity far more than they already do to have Chuck keep that secret hidden. However, Ellie has made Chuck promise to leave the spy game, a promise Chuck has broken. How long can he hide that from her? Who knows?

Many have decried Chuck's relationship with Sarah Walker as a Moonlighting moment, claiming that the affair has caused the show to jump the shark. I disagree. From what I've read (amazingly enough, I never watched Moonlighting), Moonlighting lost it's spark long before the leads shared a bed. Plus, keeping Chuck and Sarah apart in the past two seasons alone has stretched the writers' abilities, so it was time for them to either come together or get rid of one. And what would Chuck be without Sarah? Or Chuck, for that matter? No, I think the relationship is fine, though some of their arguments are as manufactured as the plot points that kept them apart.

The major reveal of the season is Morgan Grimes, Chuck's Buy-Moron best friend. Last year Morgan learned Chuck's secret and joined the CIA. This season, he was made manager of the CIA-front Buy More, earned John Casey as a mentor, and started dating Casey's daughter. He's a bumbling fool who more often than not is right. In other words, in a way, he's taken on the role Chuck used to have. He's the outsider whose perspective and unusual ways have earned him the respect of John Casey (brilliantly portrayed by Adam Baldwin). He's also earned my respect, and has become the heart of the show.

The first half of this season has focused on Chuck finding his mother (who - surprise, surprise - is also a spy). This plot line has been underwhelming, though Timothy Dalton as the psychotic Volkoff has been a joy.

The Volkoff plot has been a bust, but Morgan makes the grade higher: B.

House

Last season ended with House starting a relationship with Cuddy after almost relapsing into narcotics abuse. Huddy fans rejoiced.

I was never a Huddy fan, but I preferred House with Cuddy than Jennifer Morrison's self-righteous Cameron. Cuddy, at least, was House's emotional and intellectual equal. Plus, unlike Cameron, you knew Cuddy would know exactly what she was getting herself into. And that's what's been so cool about the season. House and Cuddy both know their weaknesses, and have been trying to address them as adults. House has not been made softer (watch him describe his relationship with Cuddy as an episode from Wild Kingdom), and he has resorted to form by lying and manipulating her to get his way, both at work and in their relationship. Many television romances are predictable, and thus boring, but this one so far has not been. I have no idea if they will make it or not. And I like that I don't know.

The only other thing worthy of note is that Peter Jacobson and Olivia Wilde have finally been added to the credits, and Jennifer Morrison's name has been removed. Cameron, I hardly missed you.

That said, this show is clearly aging, and the writers don't seem to acknowledge it. The cases are becoming less interesting, and House's arguments about human nature have been aired many times before. The acting remains top-notch. Grade: B-.

Human Target

This show is the perfect comic book television show. It has succeeded in a way that Heroes can only imagine. Christopher Chance is a former assassin who is now attempting to atone for the harm he has caused. He knows many languages and forms of fighting. He can protect people better than anyone else, but often puts his own life in danger, simply because he doesn't really care if he lives or dies. If he lives, he wants to continue to help others. He is joined by Winston (the incredible Chi McBride) and Guerrero (Jackie Earle Haley, how steals just about every scene he's in, except with McBride).

I learned just recently that I missed last season's finale, I presume because of all the changes in cable boxes we experienced this last year. From what I can tell, enemies of Chance took Winston captive to force Chance to help them. Winston was nearly blown up, and Chance was so traumatized that someone he loved almost died because of him. So he joins an ashram in Nepal. Or Tibet. Whichever. He is found by a Melinda Gates-like woman, who's life is in danger after her husband was murdered. After Chance saves her, she essentially "buys" his business. So Indira Varma (of Rome fame) joins the cast.

I've only seen two of three episodes so far this season, and so far, I've found the series to be the same in tone and atmosphere as last season. Mark Valley as Christopher Chance brings a warm, self-deprecatory humor to the role, and the addition of Varma (and a female thief who idolizes Guerrero) has not interfered with that yet. We'll see. In the meantime, I'm giving the show a provisional: A.

Community

Community is the only comedy I have on DVR. I like its zany humor, and I love that John Oliver from The Daily Show with Jon Stewart has a recurring role. Last season, the show struck comedy gold when it parodied every bad action flick, with the students of Greendale Community College join a paintball war with the winner earning the right to priority registering. This season they've parodied zombie films and Apollo Thirteen films. Like last season, the episodes are a bit inconsistent - Betty White's guest turn was underwhelming - but it's always a fun half-hour. I'm giving a B+.

Bones

Last season, the group broke up. Bones went to some remote island to study the beginnings of humankind, Booth went to Afghanistan to train would-be snipers, Hodgins and Angela went to Paris, and Sweets grew a beard (or something like that). Caroline Julian, one of Bones' recurring characters who's more interesting than some of the main characters, brings them back to save Camille Saroyan's career. After doing so, the gang's all back together, like nothing's changed.

Or so it would seem. Angela's pregnant (and the storyline where everyone figures it out but keeps it from Hodgins because he wanted to surprise them was deadly dull) and Booth has a serious girlfriend. The girlfriend is the real source of dramatic tension this season, as Bones has to deal with the fact that she rejected Booth, who has moved on. The girlfriend is an accomplished journalist, and quite likable, and Bones has made an effort to be a friend. But it's obvious she recognizes what she passed up, and that Booth still cares for her. It appears that soon Bones' inner turmoil will be expressed. I'll be curious to see how that works out.

Bones remains, as ever, inconsistent, so I'll give it a B-.

Fringe

Fringe is one of those shows that just gets better each year. Last season ended with Walter successfully finding Peter in the other dimension and bringing him home. However, unbeknownst to both of them, they brought along the other dimension's Olivia, called "Fauxlivia". "Our" Olivia remained in the other dimension, where she was experimented upon to discover what it was that allowed her to cross dimensions. While maintaining the "monsters of the week" story line, the show managed to show Fauxlivia's attempts to accomplish whatever she was sent over to do and Olivia's eventually successful attempts to return home.

Anna Torv has shown herself to be a far better actress than she was ever given credit for. Many complained that she was too flat in her portrayal of Olivia, but I thought her lack of affect made sense, given the fact her lover was initially thought to be a traitor. This season, she played two Olivias, and managed to show the tiny, subtle differences that exist between the two. John Noble has always been recognized as a great actor, and his portrayal of two Walters has not disproved that. We see in the alternate Walter - called "Walternate" - what our Walter could have been, and it is not a pretty picture. Joshua Jackson as Peter Bishop remains as watchable as ever.

The Olivias have returned to their rightful universes, and only time will tell what damage Fauxlivia managed to wreck here. The immediate fall out, of course, will occur between Olivia and Peter. Somehow, Peter will have to reconcile his affair with Fauxlivia, and his own inability to recognize her as an impostor. This is one show I look forward to seeing week after week. Grade: A+.

Project Runway

I've already blogged about my impressions of the great season of Project Runway we just had. I never posted my thoughts about the fact that Gretchen won over Mondo, but I refuse to let that disappointment sway me from my opinion. Grade: A.

The Good Wife

I remain captivated by this show, in large part driven by Juliana Margulies's portrayal of a betrayed wife. This season, Alicia's husband campaigns to win his job back, while the law firm she works for has merged with another. The firm's merger may have saved it from bankruptcy, but has created a whole new set of problems, including the addition of a potentially felonious investigator and Diane's decision to leave the firm. Meanwhile, Alicia has just learned that Will apparently left her a message detailing how he feels about her, a message she never got because Eli Gold deleted it. Will's moved on, assuming Alicia moved on. This sounds like a soap opera, doesn't it? But it's still good, and my description doesn't do it justice. The writing is excellent, the acting is impeccable, and the plots are interesting without being predictable. I'm definitely giving this an A.

I never did watch Undercovers. I eventually deleted the episodes. Apparently, I wasn't the only one not watching - the show was canceled.

I've watched a few episodes of Raising Hope. It is amusing, but Cloris Leachman's character is a little too broad and silly for enjoyment. It's fun to watch when I come across it.

I've started watching The Office, and I must say, it turns out I'm a fan. Who knew? I've not seen enough this season to have an opinion as to its grade. Maybe at the end of this season.

You might be justified in accusing me of grade inflation, and you may be right. But why waste my valuable time watching a show that doesn't even warrant a B-?

Project Runway Returns to Form

I can't keep up with how long Project Runway has been on Lifetime, but I recall enough to know that this is the best season since it changed cable networks. As with any competition show such as Project Runway, the success of the show depends almost entirely on their contestants. Yes, they have to have good hosts, etc., and challenging projects for the contestants, but if the contestants are dull, so is the show.

This season, we've had a number of very talented designers, such that the last two eliminations were almost as difficult for me as for the eliminated contestant. As I watched the most recent episode (the first half of the finale), I just about had to reach for a Kleenex. But we've also had characters with...well, character. Some have been good, and some have not. We even had a hometown contestant in Peach Carr, who has a shop in the northern suburbs of Chicago. She was the oldest contestant, and was a favorite. I didn't think she'd win, and I'm spoiling nothing here when I comment that she didn't, but she fit in well with the group and was genuinely a nice person. (I know, you can argue that I have no idea if she's really a nice person of if she's the beneficiary of good editing. Leave me alone!).

Mondo Guerra is another contestant, and my favorite at this time to win. He dresses uniquely, and is extremely talented, especially at mixing patterns and using colors. I didn't think he'd make it at first, given that he felt disconnected from the other contestants. But he was the first to notice that Michael C (discussed below) was actually not a bad designer.

Let's not forget Casanova, from Puerto Rico, who made one of the most god-awful outfits in the first episode that I wouldn't have been surprised had he been auf'd. (He was, much later). His English was iffy at best, but he was quite amusing and appeared to be loved by all. He certainly smiled a lot.

Much of the drama centered around Michael Costello (called Michael C to differentiate from Michael Drummond). No one thought Michael C had any talent or skill. Yet he won challenge after challenge. At one point, the contestants had to rely on another to execute their design, and Mondo found himself partnered with Michael C. Mondo wasn't happy at first, but he later acknowledged that he had been a bitch for no reason. Michael C made it to the final four.

Ivy was a contestant I couldn't stand. An excellent seamstress, she didn't seem to have any real talent for designing, but she did for stirring up trouble. She told the other contestants that Michael C was calling her names, and when brought back for a challenge after being eliminated, accused Michael C of cheating earlier. I was never so proud of Tim Gunn as when he basically said that no producer or camera saw anything, and since it occurred a while ago, the incident was closed. I'd like to add that no camera caught Michael C calling her names either.

Next week the show is having its first reunion in a number of seasons. With this cast of characters, the reunion should be exciting.

The Best Series of the Decade

For some reason, it hasn't hit me that many people consider this to be the end of a decade - the first of this new century. I'm honestly confused about whether a decade begins with "0" or with "1", but I'll just go with the popular consensus.

This list includes shows that may have started at the end of the 1990s, but to me, they are shows of the decade. This means that one of my favorite shows ever, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, will not be on the list - it definitely is a show of the '90s.

That said, here's the list, in no particular order:

1. Lost - of course Lost is first on my list. Even if it had been in order, no other show this decade has come close to this show in character development, suspense, mythology, and emotional involvement.

2. The Wire - okay, true confessions, I've seen two episodes of this show. But too many people and critics for whom I have respect love this show for me to leave this off the list.

3. The Sopranos - I was a latecomer to this show, not having HBO for a long time. But once I started watching, it was impossible to quit. It may have been uneven in its past couple of years, and a lot of people were frustrated by the wait between seasons, but still, these characters and their stories always stuck. Tony's mother always scared me more than most of the mobsters.

4. The Closer - the best of the TNT dramas focusing on an eccentric character played by a big name, The Closer has excelled in drawing some of the best character studies out of the whole ensemble. Flynn and Provenza never fail to delight.

5. House - if I did have this in order, this show would probably be lower, simply because of its unevenness. However, anyone who's spent time with Hugh Laurie's acerbic doctor recognizes the brilliance of that portrayal. House's struggle with his Vicodin addiction and recovery has been nothing less than phenomenal. I really hope Laurie gets that long-deserved Emmy next year.

6. Mad Men - yes, people argue that it's all atmosphere, but no one does it better. There aren't too many characters on this show that I'd like to spend time with, but I do thoroughly enjoying watching them. This year's season finale was exceptional - Don Draper finally takes control of his life!

7. Friday Night Lights - I have watched two episodes of this show, but, like The Wire, it is too well recommended for me to ignore.

8. 30 Rock - uneven, but never less than hilarious. Alec Baldwin is fantastic.

9. Top Chef/Project Runway - the Bravo reality competition series that have set the standard. Unfortunately, the quality of each season is often dependent on the cast of characters/contestants competing for the prize, but they are both fun to watch.

10. Arrested Development - ended far too soon. Always funny, and with its own skewed view of the world, this show never failed to make me burst out laughing.

Thursday Update

I've been more than a little frustrated this month. A number of events have led to my being behind on a number of my shows, including Mad Men and Glee, and a semi-work event on Thursday night led to my missing the Thursday night shows completely. Thank goodness for DVR.

And what a night of riches for a television watcher Thursday presents. I had on tap Bones, Fringe, Community, and Project Runway, all waiting for me this weekend. Next Thursday, FlashForward will be thrown into this mix.

Bones

As many of you know, I was not as disappointed by the Bones season finale as most everyone I read was. I thought it was a nice little fantasy, and I didn't feel cheated that Brennan and Booth didn't really have sex. In the season premiere, we learn that Brennan read Booth her now-deleted book which confused Booth when he finally woke up from his coma. He thought they really were married and about to become parents together (sadly, we did not get to see that discussion!).

Six weeks have passed, and Brennan is back from Guatemala or some such place and Booth has just been cleared to return to duty. Although there was a mystery to be solved, the mystery was just a vehicle to get Cyndi Lauper's psychic to talk about what's going on between Booth and Brennan. Cam and Dr. Sweets both figure out that Booth believes himself to be in love with Brennan, and both warn him to be careful with her. However, Sweets is concerned that Booth's feelings for Brennan might be more related to his recovery from brain surgery than a real feeling, a belief that Booth doesn't dismiss after being amused rather than homicidal by a clown's antics. So, instead of admitting his romantic love, his admits his brotherly love for her. Which she reciprocates.

I enjoyed the episode, and I appreciated the fact that Cam and Sweets were both very protective of Brennan. But I was somewhat annoyed by Sweets. Hadn't he already figured out that Booth is attracted to Brennan? What am I missing?

Fringe

Along with The Dollhouse, Fringe was my most anticipated returning show. And this episode was not disappointing. Yes, I was annoyed that Nimoy's William Bell was no where to be seen, but I know better than to expect the producers to have him show up in the premiere episode. I guess I'll just have to get over it.

This episode seemed to focus more on Peter than usual, which is just fine by me. Of all people, it is Peter who saves the Fringe division, at threat from a budget panel who wants to see results. But we also watched Peter as he realized how much he cared for Olivia when everyone believed she was dying. Yes, Olivia's crazy sister told Peter that Olivia "likes" him (what did that mean, anyway?), but that wasn't explored much in the episode, thank goodness. We also watched Peter with his father, Walter, who is determined to prepare custard for Peter's birthday, even though Peter doesn't like it. Well, Peter, there was once a version of you that did like it. I don't think it will be pretty when you learn that part of your history.

The "mystery" of the week focuses on a shapeshifter who crashed into Olivia to prevent her meeting William Bell. Because he was not successful, he was ordered to determine what information Bell gave her and then kill her. Needless to say, the shapeshifter, a soldier in some kind of army, fails in his objective, but manages to take over the body of Olivia's partner, Charlie Francis. Francis is dead, but no one else knows but us. RIP Francis.

Project Runway

We still don't have Nina Garcia or Michael Kors judging, but the episode was fine. The designers are all beginning to become a little catty, especially Irina and Nicolas. The challenge this week was to create an outfit inspired by and made of newspaper, with a few tools to help with the support of the outfit. One of the designers, Johnny, created an origami dress which Tim panned. After trashing the dress (literally), Johnny told his model and the judges that his dress was actually ruined by an iron spitting too much steam. To their credit, the judges didn't believe him and he was auf'd. Bye bye Johnny. We won't miss you.

Community

First, I must say that any show that includes John Oliver from The Daily Show with Jon Stewart already has many plus signs in front of it. Beyond his presence, I found the show quirky, farcical and interesting, and I will be giving it a second look.

What did you think? Did you catch up on Grey's Anatomy?

Project Runway

I have to watch Project Runway when B isn't home, because the designers always annoy him. I missed the show for the past year while Bravo was suing Lifetime. I don't really know how that worked out, but Project Runway is now on Lifetime.

There have been few changes in the program due to the switch in networks. Tim Gunn still encourages the designers to "Make it work!" Heidi Klum still kisses the losers as she tells them "auf Wiedersehen". The designers are still neurotic drama queeens. And sometimes, the winning outfit makes me say, "Hunh?"

But there are two changes this season that are probably connected. The first change is the location; the show is now situated in Los Angeles instead of New York. This change doesn't mean much to me, since the designers are usually in the design room trying to create their outfits. It's no more sunny in the LA design room than it is in the NY one. However, Michael Kors has been absent as a judge for the past three weeks. Nina Garcia was absent this week. Frankly, I enjoy the judging of Klum, Kors, Garcia, and the judge-of-the-week. They have chemistry. One of the judge's in this week's episode insulted one of the models! Not cool.

Was LA too far away for the New York City-based Kors and Garcia? I don't know, but I do hope that Kors and Garcia are in future episodes. Their absence is greatly missed.

After Project Runway runs a show that can only be called a guilty pleasure: Models of the Runway. As everyone knows. the models are in competition as well, and whoever models for the winning designer gets a magazine spread. We get to watch the models' reactions as designers are eliminated as well as their own elimination. We also see their interactions with each other and the designers. Catfights will occur, that I can assure you. I read somewhere that Models of the Runway is a little hard to watch, because the models pretty much have no control over their fate on this show. And that's true. The designers were switching their choices of models for a while, but as the weeks progress, they are likely to stick with the same model from here on out. Designers design, the models strut. The eliminations are based on designs, not strutting. Either way, I'm pretty sure that I lose millions of brain cells every time I watch.

PS. I have to be careful when searching the web about Project Runway. This season was taped a year ago or so. The winner has already been declared. I don't want to know!