[worry]

An Idiot Abroad Series 2 apparently started tonight. Pretty psyched.

[Abyss]

So with a few premieres done...

HAWAII 5-0 - still fun. Stupid fun, but fun all the same. Plus Terry O'Guinn is so much fun to watch. Great addition to the cast.

FRINGE - BOO-YAH.

PERSONS OF INTEREST - I liked the premiere enuf to watch a another ep, but it's hard to speculate on staying power. Gun-Jesus Jim Caviezel was stiff and Michael Emerson wasn't nearly at his 'Ben Linus manipulative but can also break your neck with his pinky finger' best. The plot was simple and the twist wasn't nearly as clever as it wanted to be. But it was good enough to bring me back... wondering if they're going with some kind of Evil AI sub-plot.

NIKITA - I'm out. Premiere was everything i didn't enjoy about the last half of S1.

THE X-FACTOR - i despise AMERICAN IDOL and all it represents. I consider 99% of reality tv to be grounds for the extinction of the human race. And yet... and yet... oh fuck me i liked this... i watched and I LIKED IT. I feel so dirty.



Tonight...

TERRA NOVA premieres... so sceptical but still going to look.

[Coco with marshmallows]

agree with Abyss on Hawaii five-0.

I think one of the big things for me is that i went there on holiday a few years back and like seeing places i've been to. Granted that's an astonishingly petty reason, but what the hell, eh?

Also, guess Masi Oka is now going to be a regular rather than an occasional guest, which is cool.

Also also, in the same vein of dumb but fun: NCIS:LA

watched the latest episode, and enjoyed it.

[QuickTidal]

I've got TERRA NOVA ready to PVR tonight, and won't get to see it till tomorrow at the earliest.

I still think ITV's DOWNTON ABBEY is one of the best things to happen to TV in a while, and it just gets better with every episode.

I watched the first two episodes of THE SECRET CIRCLE, and you know what? It's not too shabby. It's nothing mind-blowing, but it is entertaining enough to be interesting and the plot point that shows up in the pilot about Cassie's dead father as having been scary, evil, and powerful has me a little excited...oh and I have a monstrous crush on the Aussie girl who plays Faye...so that ought to keep me coming back. The effects were decent enough, though I'd like to start seeing powerful people fling fireballs...

TWO & A HALF MEN - premiere, minus Charlie Sheen (AKA they had a funeral scene where ALL the women guest stars show up and talk about what a jerk he could be and how he gave them all venereal diseases) and adding Ashton Kutcher in what I can only deem was a STRANGE role. A billionaire who tried to kill himself by trying to drown outside the beach house because of unrequited love of his ex...he just spends the episode being naked and behaving like an odd nice guy/ womanizer. I'm truly not sure what sort of character he's meant to be. I was meh about this series and only watched to see the transition, so I doubt I'll tune in again.

FRINGE - I have not gotten to watch yet as my viewing partner was out all weekend.

RINGER - Oh, Sarah Michelle Gellar.. turns out if it's not Buffy, it's boring. Once you realize that the gimmick/hook for this show is that she's a twin trying to assume her twin sister's life (which ain't all rosy as it looked) to escape her own mob-ridden life...there just isn't any worthwhile substance and I can't fathom where it could go. It literally has no interesting or redeeming qualities. I probably won't tune in again.

This post has been edited by QuickTidal: 26 September 2011 - 05:07 PM

[Abyss]

Cocoreturns, on 26 September 2011 - 04:49 PM, said:

agree with Abyss on Hawaii five-0.
...guess Masi Oka is now going to be a regular rather than an occasional guest, which is cool.
...

Agreed. He does quirky supporting character very well. The bit with him driving Macgarret's car was hysterical.

QuickTidal, on 26 September 2011 - 05:06 PM, said:

...FRINGE - I have not gotten to watch yet as my viewing partner was out all weekend.

SO WATCH IT TWICE. Jeez, do i need to explain EVERYthing around here....???

Quote

RINGER - Oh, Sarah Michelle Gellar.. turns out if it's not Buffy, it's boring. ...

Yep. And i got that just from the previews. No disrespect intended to SMG, but the RINGER concept isn't playing to her strengths. I give it six weeks.

[Obdigore]

So anyone watch Terra Nova?

I was unimpressed, but the 'slashers' were cool. It could get interesting, I will give it another episode or two I think.

[QuickTidal]

Always try to watch one or two past the pilot...since the pilots of nearly every show I love (barring probably LOST) were kind of lackluster. Futurama, Fringe, Buffy, Dollhouse, Sarah Connor...the list goes on and on.

It usually takes a show a few eps to find its feet.

[Abyss]

Haven't seen TERRA yet, but 'it's going to get better we promise' is a thin, thin basis to build an audience, and typically fails, especially with genre shows (see FIREFLY).

On average, i figure a show has about two commercial breaks to suck in an audience and hold them. It's go big or go home.
FRINGE started with a plane full of dissolved people and a massive 'splosion. BUFFY started with a hawt cheerleader jamming pointy things into vampires. SARAH CONNOR started with two Terminators shooting up a schoolyard.


Last night's HAWAII 5-0 was just plain bad.

[QuickTidal]

Abyss, on 27 September 2011 - 03:01 PM, said:

On average, i figure a show has about two commercial breaks to suck in an audience and hold them. It's go big or go home.
FRINGE started with a plane full of dissolved people and a massive 'splosion. BUFFY started with a hawt cheerleader jamming pointy things into vampires. SARAH CONNOR started with two Terminators shooting up a schoolyard.

But in comparison to episodes later in the seasons of all those shows, the pilots were pretty by the numbers.

TERRA NOVA has rampaging dinosaurs. Fucking dinosaurs! That's all I need to see in the first episode. LOL

[QuickTidal]

Okay watched the TERRA NOVA two-part opener. Enjoyed it. Started out well, the characters, whilst by-the-numbers, are not what I expected, and dino's looked decent enough, and the Slasher Dino's are cool. Beyond which LOVE the idea of the Sixes, and the missing son, not to mention the weird geometric patterns in the rocks by the waterfalls. Some cool plot points to follow from the out.Good fun stuff!

FRINGE opener, decent, I like that Peter is showing up FIGHT CLUB (one frame at a time) style and more Lincoln is always good. The new HQ is coolio, and consider me monumentally impressed that John Noble is playing yet ANOTHER (a 3rd) personality of Walter with his Walter-minus-Peter-tempered-by-Olivia-instead version.

This post has been edited by QuickTidal: 28 September 2011 - 01:09 AM

[Traveller]

QuickTidal, on 27 September 2011 - 12:42 PM, said:

Always try to watch one or two past the pilot...since the pilots of nearly every show I love (barring probably LOST) were kind of lackluster. Futurama, Fringe, Buffy, Dollhouse, Sarah Connor...the list goes on and on.

It usually takes a show a few eps to find its feet.

Especially in the case of Firefly, where the channel decided to broadcast a later episode as the pilot, because it had more 'action' in it. Small wonder no one knew what was going on. (What was wrong with the 1st Futurama?!)

[QuickTidal]

Traveller, on 28 September 2011 - 09:59 AM, said:

(What was wrong with the 1st Futurama?!)

In comparison with the rest of the 1st season, the Futurama pilot is simply so-so.

[McLovin]

Watched the final season of THE TUDORS. It wasn't great, but overall I enjoyed the series. I could wish they extended the series to post-Henry Mary, because that's a story we haven't seen, plus I really liked that actress (Sarah Bolger). Oh well.

[amphibian]

Most shows take about five or six episodes to settle into some sort of early groove. Some shows take a full season (see Parks and Recreation). It takes long-term stability and a practiced, truly glommed together writing crew to get a consistent tone and better written shows on the TV.

The Futurama example is great - rough pilot, decent first season and then launched itself into brilliance that'll go down forever as one of the most inventive comedy/occasionally serious shows ever made.

I think only Louie didn't have that really rough stumble out of the gate. Occasional down episode, but somehow it started out good and then jumped to "consistently effin' brilliant" within one season and we saw the fruits of that in the second season.

[Abyss]

Traveller, on 28 September 2011 - 09:59 AM, said:

QuickTidal, on 27 September 2011 - 12:42 PM, said:

Always try to watch one or two past the pilot...since the pilots of nearly every show I love (barring probably LOST) were kind of lackluster. Futurama, Fringe, Buffy, Dollhouse, Sarah Connor...the list goes on and on.

It usually takes a show a few eps to find its feet.

Especially in the case of Firefly, where the channel decided to broadcast a later episode as the pilot, because it had more 'action' in it. Small wonder no one knew what was going on. (What was wrong with the 1st Futurama?!)

But a good show should draw a viewer in at virtually any point in the first few eps. FIREFLY failed for various reasons, but i don't think the choice of first ep was it.

[McLovin]

It's surprising Babylon 5 got through its first half-season, given how weak some of those eps were. Glad it did, but still, some of those eps are just awful.

[Abyss]

Watched the TERRA NOVA 2hr premiere.

It was... unsubtle. The set-up was good enough, notwithstanding the massive amounts of lampshading that took place (dude can just sneak into line at the time machine device that's supposed to save the world... riiiIIIIIiiight. And then he justs decks a guy and jumps through for good measure. uh-huh. yeah. suretainly.). But the attempt to hammer in a 'Lost' type mystery with the Sixers and the carvings was so fists-of-ham as to verge on insulting. And the dino fx were mediocre.

I'll give it another ep or two, but pessimism is running high.

[Abyss]

PLAYBOY CLUB cancelled after 3 eps, first victim of the Fall 2011 TV season.

http://tvbythenumber...anceled/105994/


- I, am Abyss' complete lack of surprise.

[QuickTidal]

Abyss, on 04 October 2011 - 06:34 PM, said:

PLAYBOY CLUB cancelled after 3 eps, first victim of the Fall 2011 TV season.

http://tvbythenumber...anceled/105994/


- I, am Abyss' complete lack of surprise.

Watch PAN AM follow it quickly.

Hey Network producers...just cause you have an idea for a show that takes place in the 60's doesn't mean you have a MAD MEN on your hands.

Something I didn't even know about, but watched the first two episodes of on the weekend was REVENGE on ABC and it was not only good, but really good. Loosely based on THE COUNT OF MONTE CRISTO. Probably my fave new show of the Fall TV season.

I was only moderately impressed by PERSON OF INTEREST, but I'll keep watching hoping that it might give me something more to work with.

This post has been edited by QuickTidal: 04 October 2011 - 06:46 PM

[Abyss]

QuickTidal, on 04 October 2011 - 06:45 PM, said:

...
I was only moderately impressed by PERSON OF INTEREST, but I'll keep watching hoping that it might give me something more to work with.

Liked the first ep. Second ep was dull, at times bordering on silly.

Emerson still not playing to his potential, especially when he tries to make his manipulative genius do-gooder more sensitive. FFS, establish him as a cold-blooded (yet caring) bastard FIRST, back story and hugs LATER.

Gun-Jesus, on the other hand, needs to remember he's not playing the Terminator and loosen up just a tiny bit.

Ep 2 also failed to really make any interesting use of the tech element that is supposedly at the heart of the series. it was a loose starting point (the computers say she's alive, but she's DEAD!) and then ignored.