Post by marcy on Nov 25, 2008 4:23:28 GMT -5
THE WATCHER: SEASON SCORECARD
Television: Mid-season report on what we're watching—and avoiding
By Maureen Ryan
November 25, 2008
[glow=red,2,300]Best furrowed brow: Kevin McKidd as Maj. Owen Hunt on "Grey's Anatomy." It's a good thing his blue eyes and crinkled brow are so appealing[/glow]—the rest of "Grey's Anatomy" (including the abrupt ejection of Dr. Erica Hahn and ridiculous Izzie-Denny story line) is majorly annoying this season.
Best improvement: After amping up the murder mystery, dialing back on the rather tepid lead couple and showcasing great supporting actors, HBO's "True Blood" finally sank its fangs into me.
Best guest star: As Holly Flax, Amy Ryan was a joy to watch on "The Office." The endearingly dweeby Holly and the gaffe-prone Michael Scott (Steve Carell) were a match made in comedy heaven; all I want for Christmas is to see them together again.
Best finale: The final episode of FX's "The Shield," which airs Tuesday, may just be the best finale in TV history. It's definitely better than the outing that ended "The Sopranos."
Missing in action: Call the TV police—wait, Dexter Morgan of "Dexter" is the TV police. Too bad this formerly addictive Showtime thriller is lacking much of the delicious tension that previous seasons created.
Saddest (possible) ending: I can't say I was ever "Pushing Daisies' " biggest cheerleader, but it's a shame that this whimsical concoction couldn't capture more viewers in its second season. It gives me no joy to say that it has been canceled.
Biggest imbalance: The fall's only new hit, "The Mentalist," seems to have imposed a rule: Only Simon Baker's character can smile—none of the supporting characters can. Can't they all lighten up once in a while?
Missing in action, part 2: Call the TV police, I'd like to report a theft. Somebody made off with 82 percent of "Ugly Betty's" devastatingly catty humor. Lately the show has been about as witty as a tax-preparation seminar. What's up with that?
Best import: "Britz" is an excellent two-part drama about a Muslim brother and sister who follow very different paths in a post-Sept. 11, 2001, world (it airs Nov. 30 and Dec. 1 on BBC America). It works as both a spy thriller and an earnest exploration of the tensions within Muslim communities in the West.
Best game: Rock-Paper-Scissors-Lizard-Spock, which was introduced by Sheldon (Jim Parsons) on "Big Bang Theory." "It's very simple," Leonard explained. "Scissors cuts paper, paper covers rock, rock crushes lizard, lizard poisons Spock, Spock smashes scissors, scissors decapitates lizard, lizard eats paper, paper disproves Spock, Spock vaporizes rock and, as it always has, rock crushes scissors." Brilliant!
Least hyped returning favorite: The third season of "Friday Night Lights" has been airing on DirecTV, but don't worry if you didn't catch it (or didn't even know it had avoided cancellation). All of those DirecTV episodes will air in early 2009 on NBC.
Most inconsistent: "Fringe" has had a couple of enjoyable outings, but also quite a few formulaic ones. It's not consistently entertaining, aside from John Noble's delightful performance as the dotty scientist Walter Bishop, and its leading lady is kind of blah. Is it too late to hope for a show as consistently intriguing as "The X-Files" was in its early years?
www.chicagotribune.com/features/lifestyle/chi-tv-scorecard-watcher-1125nov25,0,7794479.story
Television: Mid-season report on what we're watching—and avoiding
By Maureen Ryan
November 25, 2008
[glow=red,2,300]Best furrowed brow: Kevin McKidd as Maj. Owen Hunt on "Grey's Anatomy." It's a good thing his blue eyes and crinkled brow are so appealing[/glow]—the rest of "Grey's Anatomy" (including the abrupt ejection of Dr. Erica Hahn and ridiculous Izzie-Denny story line) is majorly annoying this season.
Best improvement: After amping up the murder mystery, dialing back on the rather tepid lead couple and showcasing great supporting actors, HBO's "True Blood" finally sank its fangs into me.
Best guest star: As Holly Flax, Amy Ryan was a joy to watch on "The Office." The endearingly dweeby Holly and the gaffe-prone Michael Scott (Steve Carell) were a match made in comedy heaven; all I want for Christmas is to see them together again.
Best finale: The final episode of FX's "The Shield," which airs Tuesday, may just be the best finale in TV history. It's definitely better than the outing that ended "The Sopranos."
Missing in action: Call the TV police—wait, Dexter Morgan of "Dexter" is the TV police. Too bad this formerly addictive Showtime thriller is lacking much of the delicious tension that previous seasons created.
Saddest (possible) ending: I can't say I was ever "Pushing Daisies' " biggest cheerleader, but it's a shame that this whimsical concoction couldn't capture more viewers in its second season. It gives me no joy to say that it has been canceled.
Biggest imbalance: The fall's only new hit, "The Mentalist," seems to have imposed a rule: Only Simon Baker's character can smile—none of the supporting characters can. Can't they all lighten up once in a while?
Missing in action, part 2: Call the TV police, I'd like to report a theft. Somebody made off with 82 percent of "Ugly Betty's" devastatingly catty humor. Lately the show has been about as witty as a tax-preparation seminar. What's up with that?
Best import: "Britz" is an excellent two-part drama about a Muslim brother and sister who follow very different paths in a post-Sept. 11, 2001, world (it airs Nov. 30 and Dec. 1 on BBC America). It works as both a spy thriller and an earnest exploration of the tensions within Muslim communities in the West.
Best game: Rock-Paper-Scissors-Lizard-Spock, which was introduced by Sheldon (Jim Parsons) on "Big Bang Theory." "It's very simple," Leonard explained. "Scissors cuts paper, paper covers rock, rock crushes lizard, lizard poisons Spock, Spock smashes scissors, scissors decapitates lizard, lizard eats paper, paper disproves Spock, Spock vaporizes rock and, as it always has, rock crushes scissors." Brilliant!
Least hyped returning favorite: The third season of "Friday Night Lights" has been airing on DirecTV, but don't worry if you didn't catch it (or didn't even know it had avoided cancellation). All of those DirecTV episodes will air in early 2009 on NBC.
Most inconsistent: "Fringe" has had a couple of enjoyable outings, but also quite a few formulaic ones. It's not consistently entertaining, aside from John Noble's delightful performance as the dotty scientist Walter Bishop, and its leading lady is kind of blah. Is it too late to hope for a show as consistently intriguing as "The X-Files" was in its early years?
www.chicagotribune.com/features/lifestyle/chi-tv-scorecard-watcher-1125nov25,0,7794479.story