Pushing Daisies – Season 1

Archived review:

Perhaps the lesson learned from both Heroes and Friday Night Lights' second-year decline is that it's awfully hard to keep a much-hyped show going with the same enthusiasm as when it first entered the map. Celebrate Pushing Daisies then, whilst it still feels so fresh. It's a "forensic fairytale comedy" that focuses primarily on Ned (Lee Pace), a piemaker who can solve murder cases by bringing the dead victims back to life. When his childhood sweetheart Chuck (the adorable Anna Friel of Brookside-lesbian-kiss fame) gets killed, he brings her back and they begin a sweet and intriguing relationship (interesting because they're not allowed to touch lest she die again, for good). Pushing Daisies' influences are clear; It retains the same comedic outlook on death as the show's predecessor Dead Like Me (fortunately losing that show's unfortunate melancholic tone) and stylistically looks like it came from Tim Burton himself. Parallels with Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events have been made, although I haven't seen this.

So why is it such a treat to watch? Let's make it clear, this is definitely a love-it-or-hate-it show. You're either going to be drawn in or repulsed by its quirkiness (where musical numbers can occasionally happen without warning) and its over-the-top sugary commentary on love and life. For the moment though, it's still brimming with new ideas that keep the whole thing feeling fresh, and fortunately the writers still know how to pace ongoing storylines well, neither forgetting nor rushing continuing plots/questions from previous episodes. Having said that, a couple of revelations were made in the final pre-strike episode that may have had more impact later on in the show's lifetime. Kudos also to Chi McBride and Kristin Chenoweth, who in true Will & Grace style have already made their characters Emerson and Olive outshine the leads by being so damn funny and intriguing. Whenever this show returns after the strike (and this actually does seem like a certainty), I can't wait for more madcap adventures and snappy one-liners.

Heroes – Season 2

Archived review – the strike-shortened second season:

Ah, sweet, sweet justice! After a successful first season, I got tired of everyone jumping on the 'Heroes is better than Lost' bandwagon. Now after the fuss has died down a bit, this show's going through a rough patch for similar reasons given for Lost's disapproval not long ago - the introduction of rubbish characters meaning less screentime for old favourites, some storylines going at a snail's pace for episodes on end, and the occasionally awful bit of expository dialogue. Sure, Heroes may answer questions much more quickly, but when the "answer" is a cheap plot device such as magical healing blood, does it really matter? An entire volume (of eleven episodes) has now been broadcast and it wasn't all bad. The final few episodes were as exciting as ever, and several great characters/actors have been introduced such as David Anders' Kensei and Kristen Bell's Elle, but all in all this season's just made me realise how much I've missed Lost with its tighter episodic structure, superior character development and plotlines that actually mean something (I don't see Charlie cheating death as easily as some of our heroes have this year). Still, as <i>Lost</i> proved with its second-season decline and subsequent return to form, I'm not giving up on Heroes just yet, and gladly await new episodes. Whenever that may be.

NB – I think "gladly" may not have been the appropriate word. I didn't see any of the third season, at first due to being too busy to watch, then followed by hearing rumour of an even bigger downturn in quality. It's fairly safe to say I will never catch up with this sinking ship.

South Park – Season 11

Archived review

This is the first time I've ever even considered reviewing this show because it's only in the past year or so I've realised exactly how amazing it can actually be when it hits the right notes. Yes, it's immature and puerile, but it can also be incredibly well-plotted and even life-affirming. So why do I not always give it much attention? It's just so hit-and-miss. With every With Apologies to Jesse Jackson> to give a well-deserved round of applause to, there's a More Crap to bring it right back down again. The biggest mistake in the most recent batch of episodes was to have three episodes dedicated to the Imaginationland concept. Whilst quite a good concept (and at times quite ambitious), the story finds trouble stretching to two episodes, let alone three. Still, the season ended well with an amusing (and if you've played the game, accurate) parody of the Guitar Hero phenomenon, as well as an entertaining look into the evil of little girls in The List. One of the few shows to luckily avoid the writers' strike, and hopefully they'll come up with a worthy parody whenever the show does return.

Mad Men – Season 1

Archived review

This period-piece about advertising agents in 1960s New York has started on small cable channel AMC, hoping to follow the footsteps of HBO, FX and showtime in producing quality edgy material that would be deemed too unsuitable for the big networks. Mad Men deals intelligently with all the cultural trends of the time, including casual sexism, casual racism and other casual isms. Sadly, the subtletly and intelligence used in the writing means I found the show quite inaccessible to start with, but I was glad I stuck with it as, much like The West Wing, it becomes a lot easier once the characters are established and well-known. Jon Hamm is fantastic as the lead character Don Draper, an enigma whom after an entire season it's still clear not enough has been revealed, and Christina Hendricks steals every scene she's in (sadly too few) as the knowing secretary Joan. There was a huge (and quite dubious) plot twist in the final minutes of the finale, which has put me in great anticipation for when the show returns (probably next summer, and hopefully not affected by the strike).

As regards these smaller cable shows, I'm going to start paying them much more attention in future, because (a) they can be better than most network shows (b) they often air over the desolate summer months and (c) I can play catchup with them as the writers' strike stalls all the network shows Rescue Me and Weeds are first on my to-do list.

NB – Weeds fell off my radar, but Rescue Me (despite a less than stellar fourth season) is recommended, and I will do its fifth season justice once it has been fully broadcast.

Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip - Season 1

Archived review. I had this to say about the pilot (and should probably be looking for a new set of intestines right about now!):
Abbreviations aren't common round these here parts, but now it's a necessity. I think my wrists would be strained too much if I didn't condense The West Wing into WW. Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip is essentially its spiritual successor, transferring the trademark wit, strong clever characters and compelling behind-the-scenes scenarios from the White House to a Saturday Night Live - type entertainment show. NBC is hoping for a repeat of WW's initial fortunes, and after seeing the pilot episode I'm compelled to say that this seems more than possible.

It's hard not to be impressed by the amount of talent behind this show. Another brainchild of WW collaborators Aaron Sorkin (whose departure that series never recovered from) and Thomas Schlamme (promoter of the infamous ‘walk-and-talk’ style of filming), the pilot reeks of their touch, from the opening one-shot reveal of the studio to the final sentimental lines spoken to the background music of "Under Pressure". There's also several WW alumni in front of the camera, not only stars Matthew Perry and Bradley Whitford (more on them later), but Timothy Busfield whose role as journalist Danny in WW was perhaps that series' greatest non-regular role.

The plot? After Studio 60...'s executive producer rants live on TV about the state of modern TV, it's up to the new President of the fictional network NBS (a nice addition that will allow NBC to let the show be a bit more risque) to pick up the pieces. She decides a radical change is needed, and drafts in controversial writer Matt (Perry) and director Danny (Whitford) to take over the show. To use comics slang, it's nice that this show gets an origin story from the get-go (one of the most frustrating absences from the first season of WW) and also great that it's much more accessible than WW's often confusing American politics. Hell, after just two viewings of this pilot, I already feel like I've grasped the entire situation and dynamics of all the ensemble characters, and am certainly keen to see what happens next.

As for casting, it's a mostly excellent ensemble. Whitford is essentially Josh Lyman again in all but name, and WW proved that a character like that can go the distance. But it's Perry who steals the show for the pilot; He has just as much heart and can turn a damn fine dramatic performance, but it's the overly-medicated subplot that allows him to bring out the Chandler and get the laughs right where they're needed. Amanda Peet plays Jordan as 'nasty network executive with a surprisingly nice streak'. I haven't warmed to her just yet, but she certainly has potential. Some of the smaller roles, such as nice-guy controller Cal (Busfield) and Christian-but-not-preachy cast member Harriet (the magnificent Sarah Paulson) shine almost as brightly as the major ones. In fact, it's probably Harriet who gets the best line in the pilot, as she responds to a drunken no-goer making a God jibe with, "You had [just] two lines tonight, and you stepped on one of them. So until you either accept Jesus Christ as your personal saviour or make someone laugh, why don't you talk to somebody else?"

I'm prepared to bet my small and large intestines that there's no way this show will fail. It's a winning formula with a large amount of talent. I've seen only one episode, and it's probably already my favourite show of America's new season (and given that the only competition is Battlestar Galactica, it's certainly my favourite non-genre show!)

The following was written after the midseason finale ‘The Christmas Show’:
Oh dear. I reviewed the premiere a few months back with enthusiasm and delight. The second episode was even better. Then things went a bit pear-shaped. Sorkin just couldn't stop himself from teaching the viewers morality lessons and showing the inherent goodness of all mankind. Even the show's resident bastard, network chairman Jack Rudolph, has already revealed his heart of gold in "The Christmas Episode". Where's the sniping? Where's the non-love? The show has suffered from other problems, not least of them being the "what's the point?" issue. The White House is and should be a hotbed for the latest political and religious issues facing modern society. A television studio shouldn't be; It should be where they make television. OK, I'm being a bit harsh, and in all fairness the most recent few episodes have returned to the 'making a comedy show' aspect that should have always been at the forefront. Viewing figures have not been great and the future of the show is in question. This is a shame as with Sorkin wielding the pen and stalwarts such as Bradley Whitford, Matthew Perry and Sarah Paulson in front of the camera, this show is one of the most well-written and well-acted out there. Sadly Sorkin's already had his chance; Even if the show returns in January to kick some ass like The West Wing did in its heyday, viewers have already passed up on it and the harsh American network environment won't continue a show that's doing poorly. It has only avoided cancellation so far by virtue of the vast amounts of money NBC has already invested in it. Fingers crossed, both for an increase in quality and quantity.

And after the season (and indeed, series) finale:
I just watched the finale for the Aaron Sorkin-written, Matthew Perry/Bradley Whitford-starring topical drama and I'm in mourning. Not because it was an amazing series (it wasn't) or because there were too many loose ends left (there weren't), but because it seemed like the kind of show that would find its creative feet eventually. Sadly, this never happened in the first and only season. Sorkin started off by writing The West Wing: The TV Studio Years, keeping the same political banter but relocating the corridors that everyone would walk-and-talk down each episode. This worked only partially, because the issues seemed much more forced and viewers were left to wonder why these characters, whose job unlike WW is not saving the world, should care about it so much. Sorkin (and the network, presumably) realised these flaws and when the show returned in January it had magically transformed into a romantic comedy, spending much more focus on rather rushed relationships (two major characters go from single to engaged and with a child in just 10 episodes) that, again, viewers had not spent enough time to be invested in. This was the show's worst phase and ironically only recovered from this slump once all was lost; Sorkin pulled out all the stops for the final four episodes even though he knew the show was long dead. Crisis upon crisis emerge, and the plotlines are all excessive in their ridiculousness, but the politics return and the dialogue sparkles once more - it was just like watching WW 7 years ago.
It's a great shame this show didn't work. It was in fact one of the best-written, best-acted and best-directed TV shows of the year, with possibly both the best pilot episode and best finale of the year, yet the concept was so fundamentally flawed there was no way it could survive. I really hope this disaster doesn't dissuade Sorkin (and associated acting/directing friends) from attempting a series once again, he just needs to pick his next project much more carefully.

Battlestar Galactica – Season 3

Archived review – My thoughts on the first 10 episodes of the season:

This is a hard one to comment on, since everyone's sick and tired of me saying how uber-amazing and superior this show is compared to anything else currently on TV. Even I'm tiring of it. The trouble with Season 3 is that its first few episodes were fantastic. Too fantastic. The occupation of New Caprica, complete with its thinly veiled allegory with Iraq, was perhaps the most gripping storyline I've seen from a TV show. Everyone had important parts to play, and I was completely surprised that my favourite scene (a death scene, no less) was between two actors/characters I previously had not much sympathy/liking for. It speaks volumes for the show that such a moment between two unlikeable characters can bring a (mostly) grown man to tears; Nothing this side of the death of Buffy's mother has done that! But sadly, that was where the show peaked. Once everyone was back in space and on the run from the Cylons, the reset button may not have been pressed, but the format and quality has reverted back to how it was in Season 2 - still amazing, but with occasional faults and slow-burners. The midseason finale was excellent, but didn't pack quite the same punch as previous finales. So in summary, still the greatest show on TV, but possibly harming itself by becoming too good :-)

I didn't get around to reviewing the second half of the season. Bad James, no Monster Munch for you! However, I do remember at the time being highly interested in Baltar's trial (and seriously impressed by Lee's heartfelt testimony), but not a whole lot else.

Lost – Season 3

Archived review – After the six-episode arc that aired before Christmas:

Only six episodes have been shown so far, thanks to the inventive scheduling that is 'showing one episode every week without countless repeats'. My, how did no one ever think of that before?! Because of this, it's kind of hard to figure out whether season three will be any good or not. Certainly, the first six episodes have been fairly good, of a similar (but not better) standard to Season 2. We've already had the introduction of the intriguing Juliette, a lot of information about the Others, and the surprising death of a fan favourite. Flashbacks have been a bit disappointing so far as they've all focused on characters we know so much about already. Also, the focus on the Others mean there's been little screen time for a lot of people; Hardly anything has been seen of Hurley, Claire, Jin/Sun and two new characters that have not yet shown any promise. The jury's still out.

And at the end of the season:

After an amazing first season, a so-so second season and those initial six unanswering autumn episodes, Lost has finally returned to form in what might overall be its best season yet. Once the show returned in January (or at least once Hurley's episode broadcast and finally lifted people's spirits from the previous era of capture/torture/depression), the pace got a little faster and questions were finally being answered. Such a conspiracy show is never going to hit the breakneck speed of, say, Heroes, but at least something significant seemed to happen every episode. Even more standalone episodes such as Expose, in which the writers admitted that the two new shoehorned-in characters were annoying and no-one cared about them by killing them off in an entertaining way, proved to be captivating detours. And someone please give newcomer Elizabeth Mitchell an Emmy for her performance in One of Us, or at least a nomination. The finale achieved everything that is so good about Lost - the death of a major character showed that anyone is expendable, there were brief moments of hope and joy amidst what is quite a sombre and despairing show. And for the first time ever, everyone was working together, a pleasure to watch after all the separation and trust issues raised this season. There was also an exciting twist that could change the entire format of the show (although I don't think there will be much impact for a while yet) and with the announcement of an endgame after 48 more episodes, hopefully the quality can be retained and a satisfying conclusion can be achieved with most major questions answered. For such a popular cult show, it would be a shame for it to peter out like The X-Files did. Here's hoping.

Veronica Mars - Season 3

Archived review

The sort-of-Buffy-but-not-quite show about a teenage detective is dead, and despite it being a pretty good show, I'm not too sad to see it go. I don't think I've ever mentioned this show before because I only started watching it this year, and the first two seasons took up much of my spare tired-and-depressed time in the winter months. The first season I would recommend to anyone, as I would the first season of 24 - There's a huge plot arc spanning the whole season that gets wrapped up nicely, but with VM there are also individual mysteries to be solved each episode. It works as a self-contained season and the main plots about who killed Veronica's best friend and who raped her (she's had a difficult time, to be sure!) are both intriguing and very personal (I even cried at the scene that resolves Veronica's paternity questions, which took me by surprise). However, unlike 24, there wasn't much more ground to be covered after that. Season 2 was too much a clone of the first, and Season 3 just didn't work. Struggling to find viewers, the format changed to smaller 7ish-episode arcs, and eventually standalone episodes, to make the show more accessible. Sadly, none of it was ever as emotionally affecting as Veronica's first-year troubles. Like Buffy, the show worked best when the title character was going through hell and had great difficulty dealing with it. As she got older and moved to college, Veronica learned to take things in her stride which made the show a bit harder to get invested in. Also, the dialogue in Season 3 wasn't quite as witty as before, or perhaps it was and I had just tired of it, much like the 'Buffy-speak' of old. So goodbye Veronica, it may have gone downhill but we'll always have that first season. I shall return to watch you again someday.

24 – Season 6

Archived "review" – Don't worry, I did go back for Season 7, and I'll give that season some love:

I only watched half of this sixth season of what was once an astonishing show before I lost interest. I'll sum it all up in five words; Oh dear. What a pity.

Heroes – Season 1

Archived review – My thoughts halfway through the first season:

The most promising new show has been this tale of ordinary people "across the globe" (although it's not long before they've all converged in America) that develop extraordinary powers. Taking influences from the serial storytelling of Lost to the 'connected-by-coincidences' aspect of Magnolia but fortunately dropping the camp and spandex that comes with most multiple superhero stories, the show impressed in the first few episodes simply by some of the most amazing and jawdropping cliffhanger endings ever. It stumbled on for a while longer and has only recently shown a lot more promise. A lot of this is to do with the characters finally meeting up and helping each other out. It's uncertain how long it will take for these guys to become a fully formed super team, but it's certainly interesting to see how they are assembling. I'll definitely keep watching for the time being.

And what I made of the second half:

One of my favourite new shows this year, Heroes has been a breakthrough hit (I'd say it was surprising for a fantasy-based show to be this successful, but it happened for Lost and this is slightly more accessible), a serialised drama about the lives of 'real' people across the world (i.e. in America) who gain superpowers. The no-camp-or-spandex policy works well, and it's only in the second half of the season that characters start to meet up and form alliances, making comic book geeks wet their pants in excitement. There are some flaws though. Being such a huge ensemble show, there are so many characters and storylines to keep track of that there is almost always no natural flow to an episode - it comes across as a 'sketch drama', where scenes seem disconnected and there's no guarantee that you'll get a successful resolution in the same episode. This really is a show that requires your full commitment. One of the most satisfying episodes so far was 'Company Man', which focused only on one particular location/storyline (coincidentally, it also featured illuminating flashbacks so it felt very Lost-like) and made for a spectacular hour. Hopefully the show will attempt more episodes of this format next year. Overall, Heroes has been one of the most exciting and fast-paced shows around. Unlike Lost, it answers questions. However, some of the acting is a little wooden and I'd be lying if I said I wasn't disappointed by the lacklustre finale which ended with a whimper rather than the promised 'boom'. There's talk of the show going down the Veronica Mars route and going with smaller episode arcs rather than a whole 22-episode run. This would probably be a good idea, and the lack of restrictions on such a fantasy-based show means it's unlikely to run out of steam just yet.

Scrubs – Season 6

Archived Review

For a couple of years now I've been complaining about how my favourite comedy has been going downhill, and with this season it finally occurred to me; it hasn't lowered in quality (much), it's just that it has evolved into the sort of show I find more difficult to like. As creator Bill Lawrence put it in the most recent DVD, earlier seasons saw a drama show with bits of comedy thrown in, but it is now a comedy show with bits of drama thrown in. And this is where I see the problem. When the focus of a show is drama, comedy is appropriate at almost all times (this is evident from Joss Whedon being able to switch the entire tone of a scene in Buffy from horror to comedy to drama to comedy in mere seconds) but when a show is just trying to get laughs, a dramatic turn can often seem as if it has been shoehorned in awkwardly, and the sudden sentimentality can be jarring. It's a problem because Scrubs had to change; It was initially a show about nervous interns who could be emotional wrecks and there were also many fraught working relationships. In later years, everyone has hit their stride, become confident and grown to be rather fond of each other (even if they still pretend otherwise). The only way to go, without hitting 24-like excessive disasters, is to lighten the show up and play it for gags. In that respect, Scrubs is still as funny as it's ever been, although perhaps a few more jokes fall flat than in the past, and certainly some of the staple ingredients of the show have gotten tiresome, most notably the still 1.5-dimensional recurring characters and Dr. Cox's long monologues which have lost much of their wit. Occasionally, it still has just as much dramatic impact too; Carla's farewell to Laverne was a tearjerker, but still not a patch on Brendan Fraser's death in Season 3.
A show like this obviously has a limited lifespan so I shouldn't be too hard on it for changing its ways, given that it couldn't carry on the same. At the same time, I am glad it is being put to bed next year. If we get at least one more brilliant episode like last year's "My Way Home" or this year's "My Musical" I'll be happy.

NB – I never got around to writing about the shortened (writers' strike, what else?!) Season 7, but most of the above still applied. Season 8 would bring the unexpected turnaround of the show...

Friday Night Lights – Season 1

Archived review – Rather rushed, sorry!

I caught up with this show only in recent weeks and I have to say I'm in love with it. And I still don't know why. Describing it as 'a sentimental family drama about a Texas high school football team' is probably the worst thing I could do, as you'll all be backing away from me cautiously, shaking your heads in disapproval. And that's the thing, there is no hook to this show - no 'out-there' high concept, no stunt casting, not even one original plotline. It's just superbly written and acted and, best of all, it's consistently great with each episode. It's often quite traumatic, particularly the thread that follows star quarterback's accident in the first episode that leads to his paralysis and his grieving girlfriend to cheat on him. Just as captivating is the story of the mild-mannered boy chosen to replace him as quarterback. However, top gold stars go to the coach and his wife (played superbly by Kyle Chandler and Spin City's Connie Britton), whose every conversation is always a pleasure to watch. I couldn't recommend this show any more highly, just watch. You won't be disappointed...