paint the sky with stars

It really has been a busy television week!

Limitless

I wasn't originally interested in this one, until I saw that Jennifer Carpenter, aka Deb from Dexter, was in it. So I decided to check it out and yeah, it was okay. Another twist on the police procedural, which is at least something different.

But I have to say that nothing really grabbed me about this one. It wasn't bad or anything, it was just ... average. And in the competitive world of TV these days, average just doesn't cut it. So I won't be watching any more of this, unless it becomes the next Big Thing (TM) and I don't really see that happening.

Minority Report

First off, I've never read the short story or scene the movie for this one. Which turns out to be okay, because the show gives a quick synopsis of stuff and then immediately rushes off into the future, as it's set about a decade after the movie.

Again, we have a bit of a police procedural with a twist, but this one brings it very sci-fi, since there is future technology, and we also have the precogs running around to keep things interesting. I'm not entirely sold on Dash as main character, since he seems way in over his head compared to Arthur and Agatha. But I'm definitely intrigued so far, so I'll be continuing with this one.

And I probably should get around to seeing the movie too - the same thing happened when Sarah Connor was on the air, since I saw it before actually seeing any of the Terminator movies.

Okay, time for a quick New Show Report, Old Show Report, and a few bits about TellTale's Game of Thrones, Episode 5.

The Muppets

So, as sometimes (though rarely) happens, this show is airing a day earlier in Canada then in the US. And it's pretty much a guaranteed watch for me, because it's the Muppets.

The first episode was pretty good too. I like the talkshow premise, since it means it's easy to work in cameos, as well as Muppet hijinks. Not all the jokes worked for me but enough of them did - especially everything that came out of Sam the Eagle's beak.

Plus, there was Kermit. My goodness, what a great character Kermit is.

&heart;

Life in Pieces

So, this one had an interesting gimmick, with four brief stories each week telling about the life of a family.

I lasted about two and a half stories before turning it off. It was just not that funny and actually a little creepy and gross. Oh well, I knew a couple of the new shows had to be duds.


I also taped Minority Report and Blindspot tonight but don't have time to watch them. I also thought I might as well talk a bit about the returning stuff for this year, which includes Gotham, which was also taped tonight but will have to wait to be viewed later. But I do have one thing to talk about.

The Big Bang Theory

This show left off on quite the cliffhanger last year and picks up right away. I thought it was an okay episode, though I'm a bit annoyed at Penny for pretty much all of her actions in the episode, with the exception of her support for Amy.

Also, I think Stuart needs a character makeover ala Wolowitz, because he's just getting a little creepy and gross. Maybe he needs to crossover into Life in Pieces and never come back.


TellTale's Game of Thrones: Episode 5

Since I'm hoping episode 6 is going to be coming out sometime soon, I finally got my second playthrough caught up with the most recent episode.



One thing I realized while playing this is that pretty much every version of the characters in my second playthrough is inferior to the version in my first one. Some of that is on purpose, since I wanted to try out the different choices, but I was still surprised to realize that I just don't like this set as much.

Which of course was good for the ending, since it made it easier to leave Rodrick behind to die. Actually, with Royland as the traitor, his decision to save Asher's life and make him the new lord really worked, since Rodrick was beginning to think that he had made every wrong decision (of course, as the player, I know he was pretty much screwed no matter what).

I also do like how my second Asher is a bit more unpredictable, which is something Ethan says about him in ep 1, and I think becoming lord could be quite an interesting development for him. Also, I look forward to a reunion with Gwyn so SO SO much. Though I also need to make sure he makes things up to Beshka like mad, because she has put up with a lot from him.

Second!Mira pretty much has no friends or allies now, which sucks for her. Not sure she quite realizes how bad things are getting - hopefully she'll take Tyrion's words to heart. It is sad to see the complete reversal of her relationship with Sera though - first!Mira kept her confidence and has all and all been quite a good friend.

Gerad is probably the character who suffers the least in comparison to his first playthrough counterpoint. I actually have to admit, I really enjoyed going for it and killing the guy who murdered his family - kicking him off the wall was very cathartic. But the story in ep 5 was pretty much the same, minus Finn since Second!Gerad didn't bother befriending him.

All and all, I'm ready for episode 6. Though also very worried about what sort of ending it will have, though at least all of TellTale's stuff that I've played has had an ending that tied as much up as possible, while leaving room open for more.

Checking in with these season's new line-up!

A to Z

I'm iffy about this one. I really considered dropping it but then decided to watch the episodes I had recorded and remembered that I do enjoy parts of it. Andrew and Zelda are cute and I do like the overall conceit of the show, even if I have no idea how it's supposed to last for more than a season. But most of the supporting characters are pretty grating and even the two leads don't really feel all the developed, particularly in comparison to the HIMYM cast, who seemed like real people pretty early on in season one (except for Barney).

Selfie

This one is still actually working for me, more or less. The characters seem both more shallow than A to Z's but also give the impression of greater hidden depth. And the chemistry between Eliza and Henry is pretty adorable.

Gotham

I know this one is getting lots of mixed/negative reviews but I really like it. I would probably say it is my favourite of the season so far, though there are still a few shows I haven't been able to see since I don't get a channel that carries them. But I think it has some great casting and interesting ideas for Gotham, which continues to be the WORST CITY EVER (assuming that Bloodhaven doesn't exist, that is ... and I'm not even sure it's still around in the comics).

Red Band Society

This one has gotten better, though I'm still wary about the "waiting for a main character to inevitably die" thing that is built into its premise. I also have fallen a bit behind with this one but I'm trying to get caught up with stuff (I'm even getting close to being caught up with Agents of Period Abuse for the first time in almost a year!).

How to Get Away with Murder

I've also fallen behind with this one but I am still enjoying it quite a bit and should be caught up again soon.

The new show report continues!

Gotham

So, this show ended up being pretty damn good. So far, it really feels like a television adaptation of Gotham Central, which is awesome. At very least, it's definitely inspired by GC, since we have a lot of the same cast of characters, including the always amazing Renee Montoya. Who appears to have had a thing with Gordon's fiancee, which is interesting (and nice to know they aren't going to avoid dealing with Renee's sexuality).

Really the only thing I am iffy about right now is young Poison Ivy actually being named Ivy, instead of Pamela. No idea why they made that change. The rest works pretty well and I'm excited to see where it goes.

Also, Gotham is definitely the worst city ever. Never move there.

How to Get Away with Murder

I wasn't going to check this one out initially but the hype got to me, plus I do still have fond memories of Grey's Anatomy, so I gave it a chance. And I'm very glad I did because this was a very good pilot. While I question how much longevity this concept has, I definitely think season one will be one hell of a ride and I'm looking forward to being part of it.


Selfie premieres tomorrow, so that will be the next new show I talk about. And then A to Z starts on Thursday, so I guess this is romcom week.

I am avoiding the next two days of the Vampire Diaries meme because they require a bit too much thought, since I want to come up with some good rec lists that aren't dominated by Caroline/Klaus =P

So instead, let's talk more about the new TV shows.

The Blacklist

This continues to be my favourite new show and the only one that I rush to watch when I see it is airing/recorded. Yes, it's pretty bad guy of the week but it's been interesting, plus the dynamic between Reddington and Elizabeth has me hooked. I really can't see the reveal being anything different than the obvious, that he's her father, but I definitely think that story has some awesome potential to it so it would work.

Sleepy Hollow

This one is growing on me, mainly because the two leads are really good. And the whole twist of making the Headless Horseman one of the Four Horsemen is a pretty interesting one. I don't think it's episodicness works quite as well as The Blacklist's but OMG Ichabod is awesome and I love him. And Abby is pretty kickass too.

Please no romance.

Please.

Agents of S.H.E.I.L.D. (aka show with too many periods in its title)

Finally started watching this one and I like it okay so far. It probably has the strongest start of any Whedon show I've seen (with the exception of Angel, which, as a spin-off, doesn't really count). I wouldn't say I love it yet but I'm engaged enough to want to see more. I still have a few episodes to catch-up on.

Interestingly though, while I do like the team so far ... I really don't like Coulson. He seems to be just there to spout clever Whedon lines, which makes them less clever in the end.

Also, this show may finally get me to put an effort into seeing The Avengers, finally. That, and the fact that the trailers for the next Thor movie have make me think I might be invested enough in those characters to care about things.

The Originals

I am definitely getting into this show. I am pretty sure the main reason is Marcel because he is a pretty awesome character. And, of course, I love Klaus and Rebekah. And am definitely growing to love Haley, now that she is actually getting some decent character development and stuff like that. Very interested to see where things go next ... though not so interested in seeing a love triangle form with Marcel, Klaus, and Cammy. I am still far too invested in Klaus/Caroline to be happy to see either of them have new love interests. Cross-over time, now!

Trophy Wife

This is probably my favourite of the new sitcoms so far. It's pretty fun and I do enjoy the characters. I just wish it was perhaps a bit less sitcom-y. I doubt it will go there though so I'll take some fun and be happy with it.

The Michael J Fox Show

This one is ... still just okay. I probably wouldn't watch it if not for MJF but he's still a solid reason to keep at it.

The Crazy Ones

The last episode showed promise for this to develop into something better. But I think right now they really need to tone down Robin Williams a bit. Or maybe more than a bit. Don't get me wrong, he's a funny guy, but sometimes less really is more.

Though I do still like the past tense line: "Past tense. We have a past and now it's tense."


I recorded Once Upon a Time in Wonderland, which I will probably watch soon-ish (as well as catching up with regulare Once Upon a Time). I also plan to check out Dracula, because of Jonathan Rhys Meyers and I'll be watching Almost Human. I don't currently have plans to watch any other new shows, though if I'm missing something good, let me know.

Also, I have been enjoying the trial I signed up for with Crunchyroll, that is finally letting me see last season's big hit, Attack on Titan. In case you haven't seen it, here's the AMAZING, MADE OF AWESOME OPENING.

Just got caught up on some PVR watching and I am now officially ready to do a ranking of the new shows I am (still) watching.

Unfortunately it looks like Made in Jersey is cancelled or at least dead in the water, after only 2 episodes (2 are scheduled to air in a couple of weeks but who knows if that will happen and whether we'll see more) so it is officially out of contention. I am sad though because I quite liked it.

Anyway, without further ado, here is what I think!

1. 666 Park Avenue

This is easily the best show quality-wise of the new stuff. Having Terry O'Quinn of course is a big reason for this because I could watch him and his smile any day - and he is particularly delightful as a villain. But the rest of the cast is great, the characters are amazing, the chemistry between our two leads is some of the best I've seen, the Drake itself IS a character and just ... wow. Even the one-off characters are pretty damn awesome. It definitely is the bold choices in characterization that make this show work, since the premise itself is, admittedly, not super original (evil dude with evil house).

The only really not glowing thing I can say about this one is that it gets off to a fairly sedate start, with only small hints about the bigger plot, which has meant that I don't yet have a driving OMG MUST WATCH IT NOW feeling for this one. But it's getting there and I look forward to seeing where it goes next!

2. Hot Set

I've always loved reality shows that look at a specific industry and gives a truncated idea of how things are done, so it's pretty natural that I love this show. It's amazing to see how a concept is created and then brought to life. I probably like Face Off a bit better but I think that's mainly because it has a regular cast, whereas Hot Set has a different pair of competitors each week. But they are both great fun and I enjoy them (and I love that Nicole won, I was a bit sad for Laura until I finally saw the last two make-ups they did and saw that Nicole really hit it out of the park).

3. Underemployed

I really wasn't sure if I was going to like this one or not but I really adore the cast. Even in episodes like the most current which I just watched, that tread some very familiar ground, the characters were so much fun to watch. I utterly adore Daphne and Sophia, especially the former because she really is unlike any other character I've seen on television before. All and all, it's surprisingly edgy at times which I didn't really expect from MTV, who are better known these days (at least to me) for shows that exploit teen mothers (admittedly I sort of love Teen Mom but that's another story).

4. The Mindy Project (mistakenly called The Mindy Report previously)

I haven't seen this one for a bit because of weeks without episodes and the PVR missing the Halloween episode, but it's another I didn't know if I would like but I find fun. Maybe it fills a bit of the hole left in my heart by Grey's, which I haven't watched in years. Plus it, and Underemployed, have some actual diversity in their cast which is always nice. So yeah, enjoying it so far and it was one that I would watch first if I had to choose, though that could be because it was only half an hour and so less of a time commitment.

5. Revolution

Ah, Revolution. Why do you have such a good supporting cast that keeps me coming back for more?

I think Revolution's biggest problem is that pretty much everything is stuff we've seen from JJ Abrams before, most notably the character I call replacement!Hurley but the other stuff too. But there are these character moments and little storytelling twists that hint at something more, something better, and it's just enough to keep me watching for now, though it is definitely one of the more likely to be cut if things don't pick up for the better and soon.

6. The Mob Doctor

I think the quality of this show is probably higher than a 6 out of 6 ranking suggests but so far I haven't found anyone to really connect with. I do enjoy the story and I think the chemistry is good, especially between Grace and her mother, but I can't say I have a favourite character and I can do that for all the others, Hot Set excluded for obvious reasons. So I feel like I may stop it sometime soon but I'll give it a little more time.

Time for another instalment of the New Show Report. There are still a few shows on my radar that haven't premiered by we are coming to the end now.

I watched some of Arrow and Beauty and the Beast but neither of them grabbed me enough to keep going. A show that did absolute grab me however is next ...

666 Park Avenue

I love Terry O'Quinn. He was consistently one of the best things about Lost, enough that I was even cheering for him for most of the last season (until he threatened Rose & Bernard). And so having him alone was enough for me to check this show out. But the premise also appeals and it did not disappoint.

The idea itself is not really all that original, I'll be the first to admit. It reminds me so far a lot of a mix between demon deals from SPN and xxxHolic. But since I like both of those things, I'm interested in seeing where it goes.

And they have a great cast of characters, based on the first episode, that goes beyond the deliciousness of Terry's villain. I am already feeling interested and a bit invested in some of these characters and their stories.

I also love the fact that the Drake itself is already pretty much its own character, even beyond its apparent ability to uh, eat people? Sort of? It's complicated. But the set has been pretty amazing, the atmosphere created is incredible.

Definitely a show where lots of thought and attention to detail is given, down to the one character who has chipped nail polish, a fact that fascinated me each time I watched it.



For updates on other shows, other than my two reality picks, Face Off (admittedly not new) and Hot Set, the shows I'm up to date with are The Mindy Project (surprisingly) and Made in Jersey (not so surprising). I have other eps PVRed for The Mob Doctor and Revolution but haven't yet felt like watching them.

Thanks to the wonder that is the PVR, I plan to check out a lot of the new shows this season. So far, I've seen four of them and thought I would do a quick look at each.

Hot Set

So far the best of the bunch, this sort of spin-off of Face Off (which I also just started watching and am loving) is about set design, which is something that really interests me. I'm a fan of all things creative and it's just incredible to see what can be made, especially in such a short time. And as someone with the vaguest of screenwriting dreams, I think it's nice to know that your vision can really be created and made even more amazing.

The Mob Doctor

The best of the scripted shows that I've seen. This one definitely has an interesting premise that I see as being a great launching pad for exploring various shades of grey morality, in a similar way to Dexter only probably not to the same extent (Grace already refused to kill someone, after all). Mainly I'm interested in the mash-up of doctor procedural and organized crime story.

Revolution

A new JJ Abrams show. Be afraid, be very afraid.

So far, this one is only so-so. There have been some good moments and interesting characters but there are lots of issues I have with it (I already see this show's version of Hurley and someone clearly saw/read The Hunger Games before making this). It had enough to make me want to give it more episodes but I am not completely sold as of yet.

Also, while the sets have been great the costume designer really needs to get up to speed because those clothes do not look 15 years old or so, despite being clearly machine-made.

The Mindy Report

Just watched this one tonight and it's in the same category as Revolution: it had some good in it but still needs to do more to impress me. I think part of it could be that I'm just getting sick of the medical drama with so much drama in it. But Mindy is likeable and maybe a bit too relatable, plus the obvious love interest is, well, interesting. So we'll see how it goes.



I've got a few more shows lined up to start airing soon so I will try to do this sort of thing again, once I have more material to talk about. And I'll update as I begin to see more episodes, since Hot Set is the only one I've seen more than the pilot for.