TV

THIS PAGE CONTAINS TV SERIES SUGGESTIONS AND REVIEWS

Breakout Kings

Seeing as there wasn't a lot of advertising involved with this show, I didn't have any expectations. The first episode was off to a bit of a rocky start. However, it seems despite the sometimes repetitive, and bland storylines of the main characters, the guest stars make up for the lack of entertainment with their own compelling storylines.

Oddly enough, in the second episode, two of the characters from the first don't return and are replaced by another. After doing a little digging, I found the show was originally set to air on FOX. However, after shooting a pilot episode in early 2010, FOX decided not to pick up the show and instead sold it to A&E. This explains the cast change.

Basically, shows with a crew set up require characters with certain skills necessary for investigating and catching the criminal. By getting rid of Gunderson (the tracker), and Philly (the femme fatal) they were able to combine his skill with her appeal in the new female character, which I think was the best move.

Breakout Kings is about three convicts trying to lessen their sentence by assisting the US Marshals in tracking down and recapturing escaped convicts. In addition to Erica (the super observant femme fatal tracker), they have Shea (the African-American drug smuggler with connections and street smarts) and Lloyd (the obnoxiously smart ex-psychology professor).

Managing the team are Charlie (a straight-laced Marshal previously chained to desk duty with a bad ticker), Ray (an ex-Marshal trying to redeem himself after stealing from a crime scene), and Julianne (the tech girl denied entrance into the Marshals because of her various psychological disorders).

One of the main elements of the show is that if one of them screws up, it screws everyone's chances of lessening their sentences. This coupled with the constant mention of Erica's daughter gets tiresome. I feel that there is a wealth of backstory in these character's lives that could be better utilized instead of harping on the same old things.

The best thing about the series is hands down it's guest stars. While I love Jimmi Simpson as Lloyd and enjoy the performances of the rest of the cast, the writers go all out on the escaped convicts' storylines, and casting goes all out on hiring actors. So far they've had, Robert Knepper, Mark Pellegrino, Richard Burgi, and Lauren Velez. I'd say the show's guest stars' storylines mirror the past greatness of Law & Order, only on a smaller scale.

While I don't love this show in it's entirety as much as I do, say Hawaii Five-0 (which by the way, has been doing some major product placement as of late...weird), I find it's guest stars' storylines to be so engrossing I can't help but tune in every week, just to see who they'll have next. Plus, you never know what kind of inappropriate comment will come out of Lloyd's mouth.

If this show were on a major network, it might not have had a chance at a second season (especially this year), however, since it's on A&E, I think it has a good shot at returning. If they can tweek the main characters' storylines and make them as entertaining as their guest stars' storylines, I think they will have a solid hit on their hands.

Being Human

So, as with Hawaii Five-0, I was a very leery of this show. Especially after the fiasco with Life on Mars. However, my man Jeremy Carver was writing it, so I figured the only way it could be that severely screwed up was because it was going to be on SYFY.

So, putting my doubts aside I watched it with my sister who was interested as well; though, she's never seen the original, so it's interesting to talk to her about the differences. Turns out, as I mentioned in the post, it was not a horrifying spectacle, and I am proud of both Carver and SYFY for their accomplishments.

Jeremy Carver was a writer on my favorite show, Supernatural, until the end of last year when he left to write Being Human. After watching his work there, I was anxious to see what he would do with his own show, a remake of another I loved. I will say I'm not disappointed.

However, the difference between the way the BBC writes TV and the way America writes TV is perhaps because of our consumer society that causes us to want everything to happen as fast as possible and with as much action as possible. BBC shows, on the other hand, tend to be slower, more dialogue heavy, and, typically, have fewer episodes per season.

This is the main reason behind Carver adding more to the characters' storylines. While Aiden/Mitchell follows closely to the original, he tends to be more involved in Josh/George's and Sally/Annie's storylines.

Josh/George, on the other hand, has a completely unique storyline in the form of his sister. I wasn't sure I liked the addition at first because Josh/George intentionally doesn't get into contact with his family. However, as I recall his storyline in the BBC version was a bit flat. I think that him dealing with his family in the remake adds an emotional element that improved upon the original.

Sally/Annie seems to be spending more time on learning about being a ghost. Her storyline with her ex-fiancee and her best friend is also slightly tweaked. By making the girl her best friend instead of the slut-next-door, it gives us more of an emotional connection to them and causes more distress when the ex-fiancee reveals his darker side.

As for the actors, I'm not so much a fan of Sam Witwer or Meaghan Rath. Their performances are not very engaging for me. However, Sam Huntington keeps me thoroughly entertained-as an actor should. Finally, I love (LOVE LOVE LOVE) Mark Pellegrino, in whatever show he's in.

While I don't find it as good as the original-which I feel was better crafted, I don't think that the changes do it any injustice. Carver and SYFY did right by handling the show with kid gloves for the first season. I just hope they take a few leaps of their own and can make the show unique and interesting in it's own right. Even if it veers off the path of the original.

Hawaii Five-0

When I heard they were going to create this show, I thought, "Not another remake! I just know they're gonna screw this up again, like they've done with soooo many others." However, I can happily say I was proven wrong.

Now, I've never seen the original Hawaii Five-0. However, from what I've seen, I'd say they couldn't have done too much of a disservice to the first.

What I like most about the show is the cast. I will admit, I didn't do my homework before watching, so all I knew was that Alex O'Loughlin was in it. I was pleasantly surprised to see Daniel Dae Kim and Grace Park as regulars.

The role O'Loughlin is playing is vastly different from all the other roles I've seen him in. Instead of the goody-goody guy, he's body slamming people in just about every episode. It's odd, but quite refreshing to see him break his typecast.

As for his partner, Scott Caan, his and O'Loughlin's constant banter is the best part of the show. Though, I have to say I'm glad they got over that "Book 'em Dano" thing, because it was a little forced when they tried it. To top it off, James Marsters plays the main bad guy, though we haven't seen him since the first episode, the thought that he'll come back gives me pleasant goosebumps.

While the show has a great cast and a sound structure, it isn't without it's weak points. It can be a bit too structure based, so much so that the episodes can get a bit boring. But, people still enjoy CSI-which I can't understand why-and this is no worse.

Also, I feel like the dialogue given to Kim and Park's characters could be wittier, like Caan and O'Loughlin's; and, their personalities brought out more during the course of the story.

I like the direction of the show. It's in an exotic place and gives work to ethnic actors. It's got a solid through line (finding out why O'Loughlin's character's father was killed), has great potential to generate episode ideas, and is a popular remake.

It's got it's twists to the detective genre and a charm to it's dialogue. It isn't one of those blockbuster shows, but it has what it takes to last, like the Criminal Minds, NCIS, and Without A Trace before it.

$#*! My Dad Says

%@^* Blogger!! Since it deleted this section of my page somehow. It was there and then I tried to upload my Hawaii Five-0 post; and it was gone. So, I'm gonna try to rewrite from memory what I originally wrote in this section.

This show kind of surprised me a little. It's not amazing but there is something that sets it apart from other sitcoms on tv right now, well two if you include the fact that it stars Williams Shatner.

The thing I like most about this show is that it's multi-generational. Unlike so many comedies on tv that you would die before you let your kids watch with you, this is something that the whole family can enjoy. It reminds me of the sitcoms of ole; All in the Family, Sanford and Son, etc. The crotchety old man who disapproves of everything his stupid children do.

Now, William Shatner is not the first person I would have chosen for the role, and he may not be the best. But, he isn't bad. He's a name brand, and he sells the show. Plus, it's nice to see him doing something besides Priceline commercials.

Also, most of the actors on the show have a plethora of experience in comedies, save the youngest star. However, he does quite well in his role. Personally, I'm just glad to see Nicole Sullivan have a full-time job again after Rita Rocks.

It's not Chuck Lorre funny, so I'm a bit worried for it's security. On top of that, there are people who won't watch it for the shear fact that Shatner is in it. On the other hand, it's structure makes it relatable to America's middle class families, which is television's biggest demographic. I, for one, would like to see it mature and continue simply because I can go home, watch it with my parents, and still have a good time.

Lonestar

First of all, this show is on the wrong network.

I like the concept of the show. It's slow moving, but I don't think it's a bad show. FOX, however, is not the place for it. There aren't any other shows on the network that fit in well with it. It's not a viable lead-in, and the only show with enough clout to lead-in to it is Glee, which would break up the FOX comedy block, which the network can't do.

It would work better on a network like CBS or ABC, paired with Medium or Brothers & Sisters. However, I don't think it has the kind of pace needed for network television. I feel it would do better on a cable network, where it could also get the dedication to story it needs for it to unfold at it's highest dramatic point.

Part of the problem it has, in my mind, is that it's just not interesting enough. The reason being, when the show started he was already con-ing both families. If they had him get involved with the second family during the course of the first season instead of it being already set in place, it would have made it more intense, in my opinion.

Unfortunately, this show has fallen prey to one of the worst possible illnesses of the business, a good concept executed poorly. The cast was great, and the main character was enjoyable to watch. However, it's easy to see from the way it's set up that it's going to be hard to go where they want it to.

Knowing now that it's cancelled, I can't say I didn't see it coming. Only that I wish it had been given the proper tools to make it through more than a few episodes.

The Defenders

This was one of those shows that looked rrreeeeaaaallllyyyy good in the previews. So good, that I was worried it would actually be awful. I was pleasantly surprised.

This show is better than I thought it would be. It is funny, sexy, and fuzzy. FUZZY?! What I mean is it gives you a nice, warm, fuzzy feeling when it's over. It's not the kind of court show that's all about discovering how the crime occurred. It's about the people and sticking it to the man. I compare The Defenders to the first season of Eli Stone (I make that distinction because anyone who watched the show will tell you how shitty the second season was).

Jerry O'Connell and Jim Belushi have great chemistry together. The minor characters need a bit more work in terms of becoming plausible because right now their personalities are a somewhat lifeless. With possibly the exception of the DA lady. I would like to see her character more. She makes for a great villain.

One of the things that I think makes the show great is it's ability to show the defense as the good guys. Often times we see the defense defending murderers and crooks and only think badly about the kind of people who take those jobs. It walks that moral line in what is considered the most immoral city in the US. Of all the shows I've seen this season, it is probably my favorite.

Mike And Molly

I for one was very excited to see Chuck Lorre's new show. After years of Two and a Half Men and The Big Bang Theory, it's time for something new and mind-blowingly funny. Plus, it's about fat people, and I'm a fat person. So is a good chunk of America. So, he definitely has relatable down from the get go.

Keep in mind I was watching this while trying to watch Lonestar, so I didn't get to see the full episode, but I watched most of it. I have to say, I was a little disappointed. It wasn't quite as comical as I'd hoped, but it was certainly funny enough to keep it afloat. We'll see how the next couple episodes go, but for now I'm just going to chalk it up to being pilot-failure (because like it or not, 99% of tv pilots are the usually the worst episode of the series).

Some sitcoms I could have spent better use of my time counting the threads on my couch for thirty minutes, this is not one of them. It's actually funny. The actors are good. The story makes sense. God help me that's all I want, and sometimes for networks it's like pulling teeth to get it. While it's off to a bit of a rocky start, it's still better than half the stuff on television.

Though, I have to say there are a few problems I see that need resolved. I'm guessing they're treating it like a newly weds sitcom, where the couple is surrounded by crazy friends and family who are constantly roaming between irritating and helpful advice giving. Though, the only person that seemed to be doing any of that from what I saw was Mike's friend Carl, who didn't seem to have much personality past being funny.

Which brings me to my biggest problem, I don't think the characters are as well developed as they could be. They left me desiring something more. Hopefully that will be filled in over the next few episodes. But, to top it off, there wasn't a funny man (usually there is one character that draws you in, i.e. - Charlie, Sheldon, Barney), but, I didn't feel like they had that person marking their territory yet.

In order to be successful, I think they need to fix their characters in the next few episodes because even a sitcom can't run on just jokes for long, no matter how good they are.