Monday, September 20, 2010

TBG TV: 2010 Fall Preview -- Monday


Shows I'm Already Watching: Nothing. Still! I tried to rectify that last fall with CBS' freshman entry Accidentally on Purpose. Unfortunately, star Jenna Elfman and an unspectacular cast were handed a dated concept – older woman carries the baby of a younger, immature man – straight from the sitcom syndication days of the late 1980s. (Seriously, "That Bootleg Teen" would've watched the 1989 version starring Ann Jillian in the lead role – fresh from her run on It's A Living – and the guy who played Mallory's bouffant boyfriend on the just-ended Family Ties as her baby-daddy. Oh, come on! My imaginary show is no worse than We Got It Made, She's the Sheriff or Small Wonder.)

Now, I know a lot of friends and co-workers who swear by CBS' Monday Night lineup, but I have a hard time getting in on established shows – even the ones that are episodically insulated like most situation comedies. Years ago, several of my readers implored me to give Arrested Development a try. "The humor is right up your alley", I was told. I never watched and it was cancelled. Do I blame myself? Well, no more than I blame all of YOU for the cancellation of Pushing Daisies. It was a good show!

New Show to TiVO: Twenty years ago, I was one of the few people in America who wasn't watching Roseanne. Today, I get the opportunity to be one of the few people in America who'll tune in for the ersatz version -- the series premiere of Mike & Molly (CBS). Billy Gardell and Melissa McCarthy are a plus-size, working-class couple who…well, he's a beat cop and she's an elementary school teacher. I'm setting the "over/under" for the first episode's number of donut jokes at 1.5 and the number of adorably mean-spirited digs from the teacher's grade school kids at two. Place your bets.

New Show with No Chance: Sorry, The Event (NBC). If recent history is any indication – and it ALWAYS is – here's how my viewing experience with your twisty-turny show will go: (1) I'll watch the premiere. (2) I'll mention to Mrs. Bootleg – who dozed off after the first 15 minutes – that your show didn't grab me out of the gate, but I'll give it a chance. (3) Your next four episodes will sit undisturbed on my DVR before I delete them with a half-assed promise to Netflix the first season on DVD and jump on board for the start of the second season. I respectfully offer up The Nine, Invasion and Flash Forward as exhibits A, B and C.

4 comments:

Other Joe said...

I respectfully offer up The Nine, Invasion and Flash Forward as exhibits A, B and C.

You forgot about Heroes and Persons Unknown. I watched Heroes until the end of season 2 and just didn't care any more. Persons Unknown was weekly DVR viewing until the week they did not show it and it was only available streaming on NBC's website. Didn't care enough about the show to do that.

The Event was "okay," but it certainly didn't pull in like the premiere of LOST did. I'll watch another episode and if I'm not pulled in by then I'll wait til December to see if it is cancelled before I get too invested.

Dumbest thing CBS did was move The Big Bang Theory to Thursdays. I've got NBC comedies to watch and the future Mrs. Other Joe watches Grey's/Private Practice.

SHough610 said...

I tried to watch Heroes, I'm a comic fan, it should be right up my alley! But it was awful. I gave up when Stan Lee was driving a f*cking bus. Just clapped my hands and said, "I'm out" like a blackjack dealer. I tried to watch the premiere of season two, but gave up when Claire says, "Dad! Don't tell me what I can't not do!".

I'd recommend trying to get into How I Met Your Mother, Cam. It works in spite of the sit-com format. The strong ensemble (Colbie Smulders, Jason Siegel, Alyson Hannigan, and especially NPH) make up for the main character who gets a little douche-y as the show goes on.

Yvonne said...

OK so...am I going to have to be the one to point out the glaring omission in your Monday night viewing habits? A certain "soap opera for men" that you and my husband text each other back and forth about while it's on? :)

Aaron C. said...

@Other Joe -- I love how all these shows that are hyped as "Lost-esque" in their mystery and mythology are driven my promises that viewers won't have to wait long for the answers. Love it or hate it, wasn't the *wait* one of THE qualities that made Lost...*Lost*?

@Yvonne -- Monday Night Football? Fine, I watch it. :)