Fall TV: What I'm Watching

As you can probably tell my movie watching has taken a back-seat as of late - and my blog writing has also been knocked back. I have been working a lot, and at odd hours, which has made some of these rather difficult.

Also, to top that off, the Fall TV season is in full effect. And, as I have said before, I watch a lot of television. To keep my TiVo from overflowing I must stay on top of my shows - which means, they come first over any new movie watching for now.

So, I felt it was time to take a look at the shows I am watching currently and make sure to tell what shows should be absolutely watched.

I guess I should just break this down by day.

Sunday

Desperate Housewives: This is not one of my go-to shows, but I got into it a few years ago with my wife and I have been watching it with her ever since. I am not going to tell any of you to rush out and watch this, especially since it is in its final season. But, if you were watching it before - you might as well stick with it to the end. I have a few episodes still backlogged I need to get to - so this isn't one that I rush to watch.

Pan Am: On the 2-hour block last year with Desperate Housewives was Brothers & Sisters. So, when that went off the air we looked to fill the void, and Pan Am sort of fit our schedule perfectly. Christina Ricci was possibly my first crush when she was Wednesday Addams, so yet another reason to give this show a chance. It's not amazing, but the actors and actresses are pretty good, and the week-to-week spy game is also pretty interesting.

Dexter: Catch up immediately. I don't know how, but start with season one and start getting caught up. I didn't start watching this show from the beginning, but I watched the first three seasons back-to-back within a few days and I was hooked. Start watching this show if you are able to. It's amazing.

Monday

How I Met Your Mother: I am not really sure where to put How I Met Your Mother. It is a good comedy about relationships and the interaction within those relationships. It's all a flashback story where future Ted is retelling the story of how he met his wife to his children. Now, along the way to actually getting to that he recalls a ton of other romantic relationships and his interactions with his friends - and their romantic relationships. Not sure if this is what I will be doing in 10 years with my children, but it makes for a pretty funny show. Hopefully, one of these days, we will actually see a glimpse of the actual mother.

Mike & Molly: Sort of an underrated hit that has gotten a little more attention after Melissa McCarthy's role in Bridesmaids blew her up. I was a fan of Billy Gardell in small roles on Yes, Dear and My Name is Earl so it was nice to see him get a starring role. Plus, I really like Reno Wilson, who plays Gardell's partner on the Chicago police force.

2 Broke Girls:  This is a new comedy about pretty much two girls from the opposite ends of life. Caroline has been rich all of her life, but when her father goes to jail for the way he actually got most of their money, she is forced to fend for herself - and actually learn to fend for herself. She gets a job at a diner where she meets Max, a girl that has come from nothing and has learned to live her life without truly having anything. I really enjoy the snarkiness that is Kat Dennings as Max. I am not a huge fan of the actress playing Caroline, but the two together seem to work, so I am willing to accept her.

House: Another show, like Desperate Housewives, that I cannot tell you to start watching if you haven't in the past. This is supposed to be the final season of this franchise. The last few years have been a little crazy as the show tries to change things up from its ailment of the week. It is still a wonderfully written show, the diseases are interesting, and Hugh Laurie does an amazing job.

Tuesday

New Girl: This was one of the new shows I was most excited to see when the new television shows were announced. I really enjoy Zooey Deschanel and I really had high hopes for this show. It is not horrible, but nothing has really jumped out about it either. I am still enjoying Deschanel, but the guys in the show really haven't jumped off the screen yet. I hope it finds its feet, though.

Last Man Standing: The return of Tim Allen to television since the final episode of Home Improvement. This is a little like his old show, but three boys are replaced by three girls. Allen works in an outdoor sporting goods store, and is a bit of a man's man - despite living with four women in his household. So far, I am down with the show. It's pretty funny and is something that you don't see too often anymore - a family oriented show.

Biggest Loser: I have to admit, I was never into watching this show. But, one night I watched it with my wife and we began watching it together ever since. It's pretty interesting to see just how people can let themselves go so far - and how to get themselves back in shape. The show changes itself with every season, whether it be with families, or couples. It also has recently made the change as Jillian Michaels left the show - and Anna Kournikova joined. One thing I am not a fan of is the show's host - Allison Sweeney really annoys me.

Wednesday

CSI: This is the original in the franchise. I started watching the other two in the franchise as well, but last year I decided to drop the other two. Now, I just focus on the original. The show has gone down a bit since the departure of William Petersen - the show was still pretty good, but it needed a new actor to be the focus. Last year they tried Laurence Fishburne, but that didn't work out - now Ted Danson is on the case, which I have enjoyed so far. If you watched before, you may want to come back.

The Middle: Added this to my TiVo mainly because of Neil Flynn, or the Janitor in Scrubs. I thought I at least owed it a chance because of how he made me laugh so much before - but I was hooked. The show revolved around a family that is struggling to get by. They have three children, all with some sort of weird quirks. There's Axl the oldest, who hates school but is athletic - as soon as he is home, though, he immediately walks around in his boxers. Sue is the middle child and wants to be involved in absolutely everything - unfortunately, she has no real ability in anything. Brick is the youngest child, he loves to read, be by himself and whispers words to himself.

Happy Endings: I tossed this on my TiVo because of Eliza Coupe, or Denise from the final two seasons of Scrubs. What I didn't realize as that the gorgeous Elisha Cuthbert would also be in the show. The show is pretty Friends-esque. It revolves around six friends (three guys, three girls) and all of their odd happenings that they do throughout the day. A pretty funny show. Watch this show.

Modern Family: I sort of stayed away from Modern Family even after all of the buzz when it first came on. But, eventually I found myself bored one day and decided to catch up on the show. And, I am glad I did. It's a show that features the family of Jay Pritchett, the patriarch of the family. The show, filmed much like a documentary like The Office, follows Jay's family, including his daughter (her husband and three kids), his son (his husband and adopted daughter), and his new, younger wife (and her son). I have to admit, it can be pretty darn funny - but also has its touching moments that shows just how important family can be.

Survivor: This was my first ever reality show that I watched, and I have stuck with it over all of the years. I am not sure what season exactly it is in - somewhere in the 20s - but I have stayed with the show for the most part (I think I missed the conclusion of two seasons). They are constantly mixing up how they do things which keeps the show interesting - some are horrible ideas (3 person finale) and some are good (hidden immunity idols - and so far redemption island). I may be in the minority, but I enjoy seeing some of the favorites from past seasons return. If anything, they are there because they entertained us. It's the new people who are dumb enough to actually let them win.

Thursday

Community: I have gushed about this show many times, but again I fear it must be done. This is the best comedy on television, hands down. For some reason this show does not get the viewers that it should. Everything I read about the show has it so highly regarded - and the fan base is rather rabid, so where are the viewers? As I have compared this show before to my beloved Scrubs I fear that it has a particular fan base that just doesn't seem to grow. The only good thing for Community is that it has stayed on the same night during its first three seasons - which is good, so far. Watch this show.

Parks & Recreation: I gave up watching SNL along time ago, which I think was right around the time that Amy Poehler was on. I never really got her comedy, but at times I have enjoyed it. When the show was announced, again I stayed away. I didn't think yet another show like The Office would be able to work. But, I was wrong. Again, I caught up on the show when I was bored and I am glad I did. This show is hilarious - especially the relationship of Andy and April.

The Office: I am not sure when I started watching the show, but I believe I said before that the lone part of the show that I was not a huge fan of was Michael Scott's character. Now, he did grow on me over the years, but I still say the show is more about the other people in the office - and now is their chance to shine that Scott has left. The show still remains funny, but I am hoping for it to branch out a little more - I would love to get to know the other characters even more, especially Creed.

Whitney: This was the one show this season that I was absolutely all-in on from its commercials. It had the guy from the underrated Glory Daze that should have never been canceled, and the up-and-coming hot, new comic in Whitney Cummings. So, I thought this would be the hit, new show. Now, I don't believe it is as horrible and deserves canceling like all of the others out there, but it certainly has been a little bit of a let down. It certainly isn't an absolute, must watch like I was hoping, but it still provides a few laughs each episode - which, for now, is enough for me to keep watching. I do hope it finds a way to get even funnier.

Grey's Anatomy:  OK, I know that some of the shows on this list are - how do I say this? - girly. But, for the most part I got into watching them to spend time with my wife and I got hooked on the show, it happens. This one, however, was totally me. My wife has never watched this show. I started watching it from the beginning and I am still watching it now. I love it. This season has been really good and it continues to toss out great episodes.

Friday

Fringe: This show has never truly gotten a fair shake. It has been moved all over the place since its original season. The show originated on Tuesday nights and ran after House which I thought was a beautiful pairing - and the show did pretty well. Then, for some odd reason, FOX moved the show to Thursday night at the exact same time as NBC's comedy block, ABC's Grey's Anatomy and CBS's CSI. Well, the ratings dipped - of course. Now the show has been stranded on the dreaded Friday night, but the good thing is they don't appear to expect much from Friday night shows. All I know is this show is one of the most interesting and well done shows on television. Watch this show.

Okay, so that is my list of Fall television I am currently watching. This list does not include some of the other various shows that I am also watching - it also does not include some shows that have ended their season. I may do another list for the rest of those as well in the future - some are must watch as well.

So, in recap. I don't watch a ton of shows that I am telling you to go watch right now. Shows like House and Desperate Housewives are ending - so no real reason to start watching now, you can catch up later on instant streaming if you want.

If I were to tell you to watch any shows, it would be Community, Dexter, Parks and Recreation, Fringe and Happy Endings. I would also give Last Man Standing, Pan Am and The Middle are shows that I would at least give a chance. Finally, The Office, CSI, Grey's Anatomy and How I Met Your Mother are oldies that continue to impress - so if you left them, come on back to some old friends.

Fall Television

Even though it doesn't appear that many people are stopping by here much anymore - and I suppose that is my fault for my posts being few and far between - I am going to do my best to get something rolling on here again. Hopefully, the people will return.

So, the new Fall television lineup has been on for nearly two months now and with each new season comes the very difficult decision to select a few new shows to start watching.

This is a difficult process. There are many factors that have to be met. For instance, does it fit into our current show watching lineup? Does it look somewhat intriguing? Does it have staying power?

The last question is always the hardest to judge. I have been burned before by the networks. We have selected a show to watch, enjoyed that show and then watched the network yank it right off the air.

Luckily, this season I didn't get swayed by any FlashForward-type shows - the type of show that really needs to be on the air for more than one season to truly answer those longing questions that it has created.

That being said, Mrs. Kano and I did select a quartet of new shows that - knock on wood - have all been picked up for an entire season. So, at least we will have them for that length of time.

I will start off with the comedies:


Mike & Molly: Mike (Bill Gardell) is a Chicago police officer, who also happens to be an over eater. He meets Molly (Melissa McCarthy), a fourth grade teacher, at an Over Eaters Anonymous meeting and the two really hit it off. The show is about finding love and breaking through the issues that society has placed upon heavier people. The show takes shots at both characters due to their girth, but I don't feel it goes too far. Each character has some sidekicks which is where most of the comedy comes from. Mike's sidekicks are his partner Carl McMillan (Reno Wilson) and their waiter at their favorite cafe, Samuel (Nyambi Nyambi). Molly's come in the form of her sister, Victoria (Katy Mixon) and her mother, Joyce (Swoosie Kurtz). I would say this is a pretty solid comedy, but I can't put it anywhere near the top where Community and Big Bang Theory preside. But, it's a nice watch with at least a couple laugh out loud moments per episode.


Shit My Dad Says: Henry (Jonathan Sadowski) has just lost his job and is forced to move in with his father, Ed (William Shatner). Unfortunately, Ed is the type of father that has always had things his way and refuses to bend at all - he is also the type of person that says whatever is on his mind, no matter who it might hurt or offend. Henry's brother, Vince (Will Sasso) and his wife, Bonnie (Nicole Sullivan), leave close by and are over to the house a lot. This show is based off of the book, which itself was based on the popular twitter feed. I feel that Mike & Molly is a little bit better than this comedy, although this one can still have its moments. I am not that huge a fan of the actor that portrays Henry and honestly I feel that the Vince and Bonnie characters have far more interesting things to say and do. They really raise the level of this show.

As for the dramas:


Hawaii 5-0: I wasn't planning on watching this, but I had heard such great things so I gave it a shot and I actually really enjoy it. CBS has given Alex O'Loughlin his third shot at a television series and I think it might have finally pulled off. Here he stars as Steve McGarrett, a former Naval officer that is given the run of the island and its resources by the governor. He chose Danny Williams (Scott Caan), a new to the island cop from NY, as his partner. Also in their gang is Chin Ho Kelly (Daniel Dae Kim) and Kono Kalakaua (Grace Park). I never saw the original series so this is all new to me, and it is pretty fun. Show is set up like a crime drama with a lot of action and quite a few jokes thrown in as well.


The Defenders: Another that I had no intentions of watching, but it also sucked me in and I think it may be my favorite of the new shows. Nick Morelli (Jim Belushi) and Pete Kaczmarek (Jerry O'Connell) are defense lawyers in Sin City. Much like most law shows, each week one or both of them is defending someone and they have to find a way to get them off or get the best possible outcome. They also have a young, up and coming lawyer Lisa Tyler (Jurnee Smollett) to help them out (you may remember Ms. Smollett as Michelle Tanner's friend in Full House). I was definitely frightened by this show fitting into my questions from above. Belushi is coming off a long run on According to Jim that everyone appeared to hate and O'Connell has had terrible luck with shows as of late - so I was afraid no one would tune in. But, so far, it looks promising. And, like I said, this one may be the best of these new shows.

Fall TV - So Far

I know it has been yet another month or so since I have been able to post. I also know that I continue to make excuses - but the time has just not been there to be able to sit down and post. Plus, I can't really remember the last movie I sat down to watch.

Besides watching Monsters vs. Aliens with my son this weekend.

My time is pretty much pulled to the brink with my graduate classes and homework. Not to mention working on top of that - so the little time I do have I try to spend with my family, and I haven't really had time to sit down and write something on here.

But, we have been able to watch some television. So, I thought with the few minutes I have here on my lunch break I would mention a few shows that I have been watching - shows that are brand new this season.

Let's start with comedies. There haven't been a large amount of comedies that I have been able to get behind over the last few years. I enjoy How I Met Your Mother and Big Bang Theory. Not to mention my favorite show of all-time, Scrubs. I was pretty late to the party for The Office and 30 Rock.

This season, there are actually a trio of comedies that I have started watching and actually enjoy.

Let's start backwards:

The Middle

I was up-in the air about this show. Patricia Heaton hasn't exactly been lighting the screen on fire since leaving Everybody Loves Raymond, and her character on that show actually became pretty intolerable. But, Neil Flynn from Scrubs was cast as her husband so I thought I would at least give it a try. This actually fits pretty well with Heaton, who stars as Frankie, a horrible car salesman married to Mike (Flynn) with three kids. Mike is a manager at the quarry, and between the two of them they make just enough to squeak past. Their children are a bit odd, Axl the oldest walks around the house in his boxers all day and has no real passion for anything. Their daughter Sue tries out for everything at school, but has no real talent for anything. Brick, their youngest son, is a highly intelligent loner who reads everything in sight and talks in a weird low voice to himself.
So far the show has been pretty good, but I hope they find a little more for Chris Kattan to do. He can be pretty funny when used correctly.

Cougar Town

Cougar Town is a show that I really hope can succeed, as it is helmed by Scrubs creator Bill Lawrence. Although, I was less-than pleased with Courtney Cox's appearance on Scrubs she fits in a little better on this show. Cox plays Jules Cobb, a divorced mother of a high schooler, who is getting back in the game, and begins picking up some men a lot younger than she is. She is brought along by her co-worker Laurie Keller (Busy Philipps), but also stays a bit grounded thanks to her friend Ellie Torres (Christa Miller).
The show has started off a little slow for my taste, but has had a few good moments. I do hope that it can find its footing as there is great potential.

Community

I have to admit I was not going to watch this show. The premise seemed very odd and not very funny. But, I was able to view the pilot one afternoon on Facebook, and I thought the show had a pretty good base. Jeff (Joel McHale) is thrust back into school after his law degree is found to be less-than valid. He meets Britta (Gillian Jacobs), who is struggling with Spanish and lies to her that he is a tutor to get close to her. In their first session, Britta has invited a very eclectic bunch of classmates to join the tutoring session. Once it is found out that Jeff has been lying, they all give him another chance and continue their 'study group'.
McHale is pretty good as the lead in this show, but I have to admit the secondary characters are hilarious. Abed (Danny Prudi) and Troy (Donald Glover) have pretty great chemistry together - make sure to stick around for the credits, they always do something very funny. Senor Chang (Ken Jeong) is his usual hysterical self as the Spanish teacher. Finally, Chevy Chase turns in a very solid performance as Pierce Hawthorne. Chase has sort of become a joke in films as of late, but he is a bit more laid back and very funny as a background player in this show.
Possibilities are endless here and I am very excited for them.

Due to my classes and already large amount of television shows that I must watch, I only selected one new hour-long show this season.

FlashForward

With Lost about to check out for the last time at the conclusion of the year I thought it best that I find a new show that makes you think, although Fringe certainly continues to do that as well. FlashForward looked to me as though it may be a replacement on ABC for Lost and it even has a pair of former Losties in Sonya Walger and Dominic Monaghan in the cast. The show's premise is pretty simple - yet very complicated - the entire world blacks out at exactly the same time for two minutes and seventeen seconds. During that time a vision happens of a date in the future, April 29, 2010. As everyone begins to wake up and see what has happened during the time the blacked out, Agent Mark Benford (Joseph Fiennes) begins sorting things out using his vision of the future. The FBI is looking into what caused this event, and what can be done to stop it from happening again.
Meanwhile, some of the futures are not so appealing to those that had them, including Agent Demetri Noh (John Cho) who didn't have a vision. Possibly meaning that by April 29, 2010 he may be dead.
The layout to the show is amazing and it appears to have a handful of great actors. Much like Lost, however, I do hope that the show has given itself a proper end date or I feel things could be dragged out far too long. But, so far I am hooked.

NOTE: Monsters vs. Aliens was actually quite cute and B.O.B. (Seth Rogen) was downright hilarious. If I have time in the future I may touch on this as well.

Fall Television

Each year when the Fall television schedule is finally announced I quickly go through the list of my returning to favorites to make sure there isn't too much of a drastic change in either time or airing date.

This happened a few years ago when Grey's Anatomy which started out on Sunday, was moved to Thursday nights at the same exact time as CSI. So, I was a bit peeved, but luckily my DVR (one of two in the home) records two shows at once, and I was out of my predicament.

So, with the release of the Fall television schedule, I make a list of shows on each channel. Then I start to plug them in to what shows my wife and I watch as to record on the DVR. Hopefully, if all works out, each of our favorite shows can fit into the schedule without any complications - and it worked out again this season (so far).

After the schedule is made there are also holes. These holes are where a show is not being recorded. So, it's here where we look at the newcomers - the new shows of the season. Unfortunately, if there is a new show we are interested in, but it doesn't fit, it sometimes goes unwatched. We have our favorites for a reason.

Last season, despite the writer's strike, we managed to pick up a handful of new shows that we watch regularly now. The all-too underrated comedy called The Big Bang Theory and the new Terminator series.

Despite not having the CW Network anymore, my wife has also grown pretty attached to Gossip Girl and I to Reaper. Our only way to watch these, however, is through the website - and it is usually a few days after they originally air.

And, thanks to the writer's strike I guess, we are also watching Ghost Hunters and Destination Truth. Shows that we started watching because there wasn't anything else on, and we became attached to them.

This season, the main show that sticks out to me is Fringe. It comes from the mind of J.J. Abrams, who also gave us the awesome show, Lost. Fringe also stars The Mighty Ducks and Dawson's Creek alum Joshua Jackson. So, I will checking that out as well.

Dollhouse from the mind of Joss Whedon (Firefly) has also struck my attention, but does not get going until the Spring schedule.

So, a few other shows that were not definite watches on our part have squeaked through for what I call a screening. If we like it after the first few episodes it can stick around - if not, it gets the axe. Life on Mars which appears to be a cop show about a man in modern day, who somehow gets knocked back into the '70s. He has all the knowledge of a modern day cop, solving crimes in the '70s.

My wife has also chosen The Ex List and Kath & Kim. The Ex List is a show about a woman who after going to a fortune teller learns she has already met her husband - so she starts going back through the men in her life to try and find him. Kath & Kim looks to be a comedy that stars Molly Shannon and the lovely Selma Blair.

I am looking forward to the upcoming season, especially the return of Heroes which is one of my top two favorite shows - it hasn't been on since last fall. Unfortunately, Lost, Reaper and Scrubs have all been saved until the spring.