10 April 2009
New Show Reviews
Usually I do my new show reviews in October. But this year, only one of my new shows (Fringe) premiered in the fall. Dollhouse started in February, Kings started in March, and The Unusuals and Southland both premiered this week. So, here were are in April, and I'm finally ready to do my reviews.
It feels a little odd, because I've seen fifteen episodes of Fringe, nine episodes Dollhouse, four episodes of Kings, but only the pilots of The Unusuals and Southland. It seems unfair, but that's just how it is.
Ready? Here we go....
Fringe
The main character is bland and uninteresting. The supporting characters, however, are fun and funny. The father/son characters of Walter & Peter Bishop are pretty much why I keep watching. They're awesome. If only the plots were a little more intriguing....
Dollhouse
This was the show I was most excited to see. It was created by Joss Whedon (a.k.a. the creator of Buffy, Angel, Firefly/Serenity, and Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog) and stars Eliza Dushku (Faith on Buffy) and Tahmoh Penikett (Helo on Battlestar Galactica). The first few episodes were decent, but the last few have been fantastic. The rumor is that the network, the almost-always-idiotic FOX, meddled with the initial episodes, but eventually let Joss Whedon do his thing. It's really, REALLY obvious when the network stopped meddling. It's unlikely that Dollhouse will get renewed for a second season, and I think that's a shame.
Kings
Every once in a while a scifi/fantasy show I watch will do an alternate universe (AU) episode. With very few exceptions, I LOVE these episodes! So when I heard there was going to be a entire AU show, I was excited. Unfortunately, the show varies from being pretentious and over-written to dull to (occasionally) mildly interesting. The main characters are bland and earnest or scenery-chewing bores. Some of the supporting characters (primarily the Queen and the Prince) are interesting, but don't get nearly enough scenes. I think what killed this show for me was a scene in last week's episode: Main-character-hero-guy has been sent to quell a political protest. When he started to speak, everyone politely quieted down. When a protester asked him a question, the question was well-phrased and asked in a oddly unemotional tone of voice. I think the show-runners are going for epic and dramatic, but they've made a show that is pretentious and boring.
The Unusuals & Southland
These two shows premiered the same week, and have a lot in common: They're both cop shows. They both star a former "teen" actor (former Joan of Arcadia Amber Tamblyn on The Unusuals and former O.C.-er Ben McKenzie on Southland). Both of their characters are new to their jobs. (She's a detective who has been suddenly transferred from vice to homicide, he's a rookie uniform cop.) All of their co-workers have secrets to hide. Both have rocky relationships with their new partners. And for both, their best ally seems to be the only female cop in their unit.
That being said, the shows are completely different. The Unusuals mixes the quirky in with the dark, and is occasionally quite funny. Southland was gritty and filmed in a quasi-documentary style.
The other big difference: If I remember, I'll probably watch the next episode of Southland. On the other hand, as soon as I finished watching the premiere of The Unusuals, I wanted to re-watch it. It's my second favorite new show of the season.
It feels a little odd, because I've seen fifteen episodes of Fringe, nine episodes Dollhouse, four episodes of Kings, but only the pilots of The Unusuals and Southland. It seems unfair, but that's just how it is.
Ready? Here we go....
Fringe
The main character is bland and uninteresting. The supporting characters, however, are fun and funny. The father/son characters of Walter & Peter Bishop are pretty much why I keep watching. They're awesome. If only the plots were a little more intriguing....
Dollhouse
This was the show I was most excited to see. It was created by Joss Whedon (a.k.a. the creator of Buffy, Angel, Firefly/Serenity, and Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog) and stars Eliza Dushku (Faith on Buffy) and Tahmoh Penikett (Helo on Battlestar Galactica). The first few episodes were decent, but the last few have been fantastic. The rumor is that the network, the almost-always-idiotic FOX, meddled with the initial episodes, but eventually let Joss Whedon do his thing. It's really, REALLY obvious when the network stopped meddling. It's unlikely that Dollhouse will get renewed for a second season, and I think that's a shame.
Kings
Every once in a while a scifi/fantasy show I watch will do an alternate universe (AU) episode. With very few exceptions, I LOVE these episodes! So when I heard there was going to be a entire AU show, I was excited. Unfortunately, the show varies from being pretentious and over-written to dull to (occasionally) mildly interesting. The main characters are bland and earnest or scenery-chewing bores. Some of the supporting characters (primarily the Queen and the Prince) are interesting, but don't get nearly enough scenes. I think what killed this show for me was a scene in last week's episode: Main-character-hero-guy has been sent to quell a political protest. When he started to speak, everyone politely quieted down. When a protester asked him a question, the question was well-phrased and asked in a oddly unemotional tone of voice. I think the show-runners are going for epic and dramatic, but they've made a show that is pretentious and boring.
The Unusuals & Southland
These two shows premiered the same week, and have a lot in common: They're both cop shows. They both star a former "teen" actor (former Joan of Arcadia Amber Tamblyn on The Unusuals and former O.C.-er Ben McKenzie on Southland). Both of their characters are new to their jobs. (She's a detective who has been suddenly transferred from vice to homicide, he's a rookie uniform cop.) All of their co-workers have secrets to hide. Both have rocky relationships with their new partners. And for both, their best ally seems to be the only female cop in their unit.
That being said, the shows are completely different. The Unusuals mixes the quirky in with the dark, and is occasionally quite funny. Southland was gritty and filmed in a quasi-documentary style.
The other big difference: If I remember, I'll probably watch the next episode of Southland. On the other hand, as soon as I finished watching the premiere of The Unusuals, I wanted to re-watch it. It's my second favorite new show of the season.
# posted by mamurd @ 10:29 PM 
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Well-written reviews, good job!
I was not impressed with Southland, either. We'll see.
Eliza Dushku had a good run as the lead in Tru Calling as well. I liked the show, even though it was a bit dark. Course, I liked Groundhog Day as well.
I was not drawn into the Unusuals. I thought Amber Tamblyn had her best role as Joan of Arcadia as a high school kid, so it might be awhile before I can accept her in adult roles.
I was not impressed with Southland, either. We'll see.
Eliza Dushku had a good run as the lead in Tru Calling as well. I liked the show, even though it was a bit dark. Course, I liked Groundhog Day as well.
I was not drawn into the Unusuals. I thought Amber Tamblyn had her best role as Joan of Arcadia as a high school kid, so it might be awhile before I can accept her in adult roles.
Thank you!
I never made it past the second episode of "Tru Calling".
Re: Amber Tamblyn. Yeah, she's probably too young for that role. She should be playing a rookie uniform like Ben McKenzie. But I still enjoyed the show.
P.S. If you like "Groundhog Day", I've got a list of Groundhog Day episodes from my various TV shows!
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I never made it past the second episode of "Tru Calling".
Re: Amber Tamblyn. Yeah, she's probably too young for that role. She should be playing a rookie uniform like Ben McKenzie. But I still enjoyed the show.
P.S. If you like "Groundhog Day", I've got a list of Groundhog Day episodes from my various TV shows!
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