Fall TV Makes Me Happy for Netflix

Needless to say, there haven't been a lot of really great new shows on television this fall.  I consider myself somewhat of a TV junkie and it's nice to have a few shows to turn to over the course of the week, but this fall, I find myself turning to Neftlix more often than prime time television.

The Event
Personally, I tried out a few new shows, but the only one that I've managed to stick with is The Event. Now, The Event is by no means a perfect show, but it's suspenseful and has a pretty interesting plot. Right now, that is more than enough for me to stay tuned.

Undercovers
I stuck with this one for three episodes. The only reason that I even watched it to begin with was because it was a creation of J.J. Abrams, but that wasn't really enough to make it good. It wasn't terrible, but it wasn't anything special either and with rumors abound of cancelation, I decided to drop out.

No Ordinary Family
I only watched the first two episodes before I simply forgot about it and failed to record it. I think that says it all. The show is completely forgettable. I thought it did have some potential, but the writers need to find a way to make the show live up to its title.

For returning shows, I'm only watching Chuck, The Office, and Caprica. Chuck and the Office have been fantastic, but I'm still on the fence on Caprica. I didn't really like the first episode very well and I haven't worked up the energy to watch the second yet, though I did record it. I have a feeling that I'm going to give up on this one too, which is probably fine, because it sounds like it will be cancelled.

Now that I'm down to just a few shows, I'm finding myself with more time for Netflix than I expected. This actually works out pretty well, because I'm really enjoying the second season of Supernatural and the final season of Angel as much as or more than anything on prime time TV.

Chuck vs. the Coup d' Etat

It's no secret that Chuck is currently my favorite show on TV. I thought tonight's episode was pretty good. It had humorous moments, a great cast (no surprise there), an amusing adventure, and some more serious moments. Overall, it made me laugh, it kept me entertained, and it left me feeling good. Job well done in my book. Here are my top six moments:

6. The Generalismo of Costa Graves
This guy could only be more ridiculous if they gave him the line, "I don't always drink beer, but when I do, I drink Dos Equis."

5. Gratuitous bikini shots
It may have been a bit excessive, but, let's face it, I'll never complain about seeing Sarah in a bikini.

4. Chuck finally comes clean to Ellie, sort of
Well, at least he told her that he was looking for their mom. Will he ever come clean about still being a spy? I don't know. Would she ever be able to just him after that? I don't want to think about it.

3. Chuck's smirk
It was so heartwarming to see Chuck smile after Sarah professes her love while she thinks he's sleeping.

2. Morgan gets some action
Go Morgan. Alex is cute, but she's Casey's daughter. I see many humorous moments to come from this relationship.

1. Awesome's statue
Can you honor a guy more than by carving his likeness into a 9 foot block of marble? I think not.

I wanted to do my top ten moments, but it's late and I'm lazy. Anyways, I thought the show was as entertaining as usual, but I'm looking forward to seeing more Linda Hamilton and Summer Glau.

Caprica is Back, But Do I Care?

So I just watched the new episode of Caprica on Syfy. I wanted to call it the season premiere, but it's not. Technically, we are only halfway through the first season. It's bad enough that Syfy split up the show for this long, but it was actually going to be worse. Syfy had originally planned on airing the episodes in January. But enough on that.

Anyways, I wasn't all that impressed. I watched the first half of the season last whenever and I could never get that into it. I would watch a couple episodes and start thinking I should just stop and then it would deliver a much better episode and I would keep watching. Unfortunately, there were only enough "good" episodes to string me along, not enough to actually make me excited about the show.

Tonight's episode was just not that great. The whole religious stuff with all the infighting and terrorist plotting just does not thrill me. Some religion that is. No wonder everyone thinks they are crazy. I just can't figure out what the writers are trying to tell us with this stuff. Are they the villains? Tragic heroes?

I think that pretty much sums up the whole problem; I can't figure out who I'm supposed to root for. I don't actually like any of the characters. There are only two decent characters (Zoe and Tamara) and they ARE DEAD.

The virtual reality aspect is really the only part of the show that I do like. The scenes that take place in New Cap City are gripping, action packed, and compelling. I think Tamara's story arc in the first part of the season was the only thing that kept me watching. And now to close last night's episode, we get a kick-ass scene of Zoe in New Cap City, complete with ninja moves and sword fighting. Which means that I'll have to watch the next episode, because, let's face it, I want to see more of that. The rest of it, I could take it or leave it.

The Event

I think Monday night is my favorite for television so far this fall. I've been a pretty big Chuck fan for awhile now and the episodes this season have been as good as ever. I really do like this show quite a lot and part of me just wants to write about how awesome it is and its ridiculous stunt casting, but, instead, I think I'll talk about the other show that is making Monday night so enjoyable: The Event.

I actually saw the pilot episode at Comic-Con and, honestly, I just wasn't sold on the show. I didn't love the way it jumped around the timeline so much, nor did I love the acting.

Nonetheless, I was intrigued by the plot and watched the second episode last week. I found that I still didn't love the way the show jumped around, but I got used to it, and maybe the acting isn't Lost quality, but it's not bad either. But what really changed for me was the plot. As it turns out, the show is about ALIENS. Yeah. That's pretty cool. I can dig that.

We got a little backstory in bits and pieces and I'm really intrigued now. Apparently these aliens landed in Alaska in 1944. The aliens look exactly the same as humans, but they do have some minor cellular differences. Most of them were detained, but at least a few managed to sneak off and have assimilated into the U.S. culture. Their motives are unknown.

So last week's episode was pretty cool. It gave us this backstory, but Sean Walker's story heated up as well. One of the producers is from 24 and the influences are very apparent (Sean is basically the Jack Bauer of the show), but those influences keep the show exciting and suspenseful.

Now this week, we're starting to see how the conspiracy surrounding "the event" runs deep and discovering the root of that conspiracy is probably going to be the only thing that keeps Sean from getting killed. I'm still not sure how he is wrapped up in the whole mess, but I am confident that we'll get the answer before too long. So far, most of the answers have come pretty quickly.

I wouldn't say that The Event is my favorite show on television, but I think I can say that it's my favorite new show. I'm not really watching that many new shows, so maybe that isn't saying a lot either, but it really is pretty decent and I think its a great replacement for anyone suffering from 24 withdrawal.

No Ordinary Family

Tonight, No Ordinary Family, starring Michael Chiklis and Julie Benz, premiered on ABC. The pilot episode was decent, but didn't grab me as something really special. I do think the show has potential, but it isn't quite there yet.

Michael Chiklis plays the role of Jim Powell, a slightly discontent police sketch artist, while Julie Benz plays his wife, Stephanie, a successful research scientist. They have two kids, Daphne and JJ, who are both teenagers. The pilot begins with the family on a vacation in Brazil, but trip doesn't go as planned and a plane crash leaves them with super hero-like abilities. As a result, Jim ends up having super strength, Stephanie is super fast, Daphne is telepathic, and, apparently, JJ is super intelligent.

The pilot episode was fairly good and acted as an origin story of sorts for the entire family. Jim got the biggest piece of the pie this week and it seems that his plot line will be the most important for the show. He was the first to discover his new power and, like many superheroes before him, tries to put it to use fighting crime.

Probably the best part of the episode was Jim's second fight with the criminal. It actually looked pretty cool, a bit like the opening Nightcrawler scene from X-2, and it also helped set up the underlying story arc.

Unfortunately, the title of the show, didn't quite ring true. The show is not terribly original. The superpowers are very basic and standard as those things go. Even the concept of a family superhero unit isn't really that new; The Incredibles did an awesome job exploring that concept a few years ago and the Fantastic Four also comes to mind.

I think the thing that is going to make or break this show is whether the writers are able to keep it fun. Sure, they can tackle the serious family and marital issues that were already prevalent in the pilot, but they need to do it with a little humor or it could get a little too preachy for the crowd that ABC is targeting. I think I'll give it another shot next week, but I'm not signing up for the long haul yet.

Undercovers

I decided to check out Undercovers despite the fact that the commercials made it look incredibly cheesy and, really, it wasn't too bad.

Undercovers is a show starring two married ex-spies. They have been out of the game for five years and are running a catering business at the start of the show. A veteran CIA agent manages to recruit them for one more operation to find a man, Leo Nash, that both Steven and Samantha Bloom know from their spy days.

Undercovers is yet another J.J. Abrams brainchild and his second foray into the spy world. Alias, his first spy-fi series, starred Jennifer Garner and had a couple of fantastic seasons to start off, but gradually declined over the following three. For those living under a rock the last six years, J.J. Abrams was also the creator of Lost, which is a show that I really enjoyed, and recently directed the Star Trek reboot. I have to admit that I'm a bit of an Abrams fan and I gave him the benefit of the doubt and gave the series a chance despite my reservations about the promo commercials.

Overall, I found the pilot to be a pleasant surprise. It was entertaining; there was a lot of good action sequences (some involving bazookas) and the dialog was fairly witty. I think the "sexpionage" gag missed the target, perhaps because it was overused the trailers for the show, but other than that, I thought the pilot was a solid episode and I'm interested in seeing where the story goes.

I'm not sure if Undercovers has quite the charm that Alias did early on (it was so easy to fall in love with Sidney Bistro and the SD6 plot was just superb). It certainly doesn't evoke the sense of suspense and mystery that Lost was famous for. What it does have is likable characters, pretty good dialog, and good action. I can already tell that I'm going to like Leo. Undercovers may turn out to be a bit of an eye-candy series, one that you don't have to think about too much, but it's not always a bad thing to keep one of those around for when you just need to unwind.

I'm going to check out the show again next week and see where it goes. The pilot was good, but not amazing, so I'm going to have to feel it out for a few weeks. After about a month, I'll probably know whether I'll stick with it for the season or not.

Chuck Is Back!

Chuck is back and filled with awesome, spy-fi goodness! I was really excited about the premiere, especially after seeing how excited the cast was at Comic-Con, and it did not disappoint. Chuck is basically my favorite show right now and I've got very high expectations for season four.

The premiere certainly delivered with the mix of action and humor that have come to define the show. Seriously, tonight's episode was a blast. They did a great job wrapping up the loose ends from last season's finale and getting right back into the action.

My Top 10 Moments

1. Amazing casting. Dolf Lundgren. Olivia Munn. Linda Hamilton. A geek's fantasy. Enough said.
2. The Buy More is back and better than ever.
3. Gretta. (Oh crap, I just drooled on my keyboard.)
4. Chuck is a spy again, after about a 10 minute break.
5. Casey's groans.
6. Morgan as Chuck's sidekick.
7. Sarah. (Drooling again).
8. Sexting!
9. Chuck is still a badass.
10. Chuck's mom is even more badass.

I really want to say more, but it's late and I need to sign off for the night. Godspeed!

Supernatural: Season One

Over the course of the summer, I have been working my way through the first season of Supernatural and I just finished watching the final two episodes. When I first started watching the show, I wasn't completely sold. There were a lot of horror elements that I just wasn't that into, but as the season went on, I got more and more wrapped up in the characters and the underlying plot and found that as soon as I finished watching an episode, I was ready to watch the next.

The show definitely got better as the season progressed. In the pilot, we were presented with the backstory that frames the main plot for the entire season, but many of the early episodes didn't focus too heavily on that story arch. Instead, they were one-shot, monster-of-the-week type episodes, somewhat reminiscent of the first season of Buffy. However, as the season progressed, the episodes became more and more engrossed in the central story line and just got better and better.

Probably the best part of the show for me was the characters. Sam and Dean are two brothers that have a lot in common, but have pretty different personalities. They have a great chemistry, a camaraderie that only brothers can share. But then, they really had to be perfect in order for the show to work. Sam and Dean are the only characters to appear in every episode so if the chemistry was off or one of the actors wasn't great, then it would have been very easy for the show to have failed early on.

Another thing that I really liked was how the show was geared around the concept of family. Sam and Dean are fiercely loyal to one another. They have very different relationships with their father, but it is clear that no matter what happens, they love each other and will stop at nothing to keep their family together. Family really is the primary theme throughout the show and it worked really well as a backbone to the plot.

Despite the macabre elements, the show had enough lighthearted moments to take the edge off and gave me a few good laughs. I also liked the use of classic rock. I'm pretty sure that every episode featured at least one classic song. I'm a big classic rock fan so I was always eager to listen for the song and find out what they decided to use. Sometimes, the song was very fitting and would be played at a critical moment (Don't Fear the Reaper comes to mind), but often, they would just sneak in a song while Sam and Dean were driving.

Overall, I really enjoyed season one and I can't wait to start in on season two. The finale ended with quite the cliffhanger and I'm dying to find out what is going to happen next.

Honestly, I would recommend this show for anyone, but especially fans of the paranormal or horror, or fans of Buffy or Angel. The first season definitely had a lot in common with those shows, so if you liked either of them, I think there is a good bet that you would like Supernatural as well.

LOST: The New Man in Charge

I FINALLY got to see the 12 minute epilogue to Lost that was released on the Season 6 DVD and it was awesome!

Right now, Lost is basically my favorite show ever. I loved the mystery, the drama, the characters, the story; I loved it all. That's not to say that there weren't some things that I found to be annoying or disappointing, especially some of those unanswered questions and "Stranger in a Strange Land," but I've forgiven the writers for some of their shortcomings and decided that I don't care (that much). The characters and story were always the most important pieces to me and, on those fronts, Damon and Carlton delivered.

But when my mind cleared after witnessing a very emotional and beautiful season finale, I realized that there were a lot of questions that went unanswered and some of them were kind of a big deal. Then I heard that there was going to be an epilogue with Ben and Hurley on the Season 6 DVD and I was really excited, hoping that we would get a look at their time on the island and maybe an answer or two.

The epilogue leaked on YouTube shortly thereafter, but by the time I got home from work, it had been taken down and I was forced to wait and, in doing so, my eagerness dissipated and my forgetfulness took over until I realized just the other day that I still hadn't seen it! A quick Google search directed me to the video and I can now say that I have been enlightened.

Basically, Ben visits a couple of dudes at a Dharma (Raiders-of-the-Lost-Ark-esque) warehouse in Guam and ends up showing them a training video starring Piere Chang, which reveals the answers to a number of mysteries like what the Hurley bird was and why pregnant women die on the island. From there, Ben visits Santa Rosa and recruits a teenage Walt to join him on the island. Ben and Walt join Hurley in a Dharma van and the epilogue concludes with them driving off. Based on Hurley's comments, we are led to believe that Walt was special because he was a candidate.

Overall, it was pretty cool. I mean, this thing was a total fan treatment and their were a lot of nods to things that only the dedicated fans would understand. I definitely enjoyed it and, in fact, I may need to go back for a second viewing. If you are a Lost fan, do yourself a favor and check it out.

Fall TV Programming

Blastr has posted a complete guide to 20 new and return sci-fi TV shows just a day after I decided to peruse the major networks' web sites to see what is on tap for this fall. As it turns out, I'm not really that excited about the lineup at this point, but here's what I've got to say about each series.

The Big Bang Theory - I've heard this is very funny, but I've never watched it. I may just try to hop in anyways and catch up on previous seasons via Netflix.

Caprica - The second half of season one was scheduled to debut in January, but got bumped up to October. I watched the first half and thought it was decent so I'll give the second half a whirl.

Chuck - I'm really excited about Chuck. I'm expecting it to be my favorite show this year since Lost is over. I really enjoyed season three and I think they'll do a good job with it again this year. The writers seem to have a knack for catering to their fans.

The Event - I saw the premiere at Comic-Con and thought it was decent. I think it could go either way, but I think I'll give it a shot.

Fringe - I watched the first couple episodes and stopped, but I've heard it just keeps getting better. I won't be watching it this fall, but I may check it out on Netflix later.

Human Target - I thought this got canceled. No? Oh. Well, I didn't watch season one and I'm not planning on watching season two.

Medium - I've never watched this show and I'm not interested in starting anytime soon.

Nakita - I never saw the original series that this is based on, but I was always under the impression that it was rather cheesy. The new show promises the same. No thanks.

No Ordinary Family - I think I'm going to check out this show about a family with super powers. I heard it didn't get amazing buzz at Comic-Con, but that might not mean anything.

Sanctuary - I haven't had a chance to check this one out yet so I'll have to pass again this fall.

Smallville - Considering that I've only seen a handful of episodes from season one (which I enjoyed), there is just no way that I would consider jumping in for season ten.

Stargate Universe - I've heard mixed reviews on this one and I've never watched any other the other Stargate shows so I've got no plans to start watching this fall.

Star Wars: The Clone Wars - I started watching this when it first aired a couple years ago, but it was a little too cute for me. I know that there are some people that are really into it (adults included), but I'm not sure if I'm capable of watching a children's program anymore, even though I love Star Wars.

Supernatural - I just started watching this series on Netflix this summer and I'm really getting into it. Unfortunately, I'm still working through season one so I'm going to hold off on season six until I catch up.

Tower Prep - I have no idea what this is so I'll pass.

Ugly Americans - I did see one commercial for this and I thought it looked terrible.

Undercovers - I'm not sure this is really sci-fi, but it is from J.J. Abrams so he'll probably work in some sci-fi at some point. Honestly, it looks pretty cheesy, but I'm usually willing to at least give an Abrams program a chance.

V - I started watching last season and I hated the storytelling. I thought the concept was decent, but the execution was terrible. Oh and the son was a total moron. I couldn't handle it and gave up. I'm not planning on picking it up again.

The Vampire Diaries - Oh god no.

The Walking Dead - I'm not really a big zombie guy, but I heard the comic series is excellent and I did absolutely love Zombieland so there is a slim chance that I may check this out.

Well, out of the 20, I plan on watching Chuck and Caprica for sure; I'll be giving newcomers No Ordinary Family, Undercovers, and The Event a shot; and I may try to pick up on The Big Bang Theory. Combine those with football, hockey, and Netflix and I'll soon be spending far too many hours in front of the TV.

Summer TV: Supernatural

I recently started watching the first season of Supernatural after hearing good things about the show for awhile. At this point, I've watched the first four episodes and I have say that I'm enjoying it so far. I'm not really huge into the whole horror scene, but I'm not that concerned about that as I'm also not a huge vampire fan and yet and I love Buffy and Angel.

I think the main thing that has drawn me in so far is the characters. Sam and Dean really just feel like normal guys, like real, down-to-earth people, despite the fact that they are hunting demons for a living. Maybe they are a little one dimensional at this point, but I think we are going to see more layers as the story progresses.

I also like the background story that helps string together the one-shot episodes. Only four episodes in and I'm already dying to find out what is going on with their father and find out what happened with their mother and Sam's girlfriend.

Lastly, I dig the music. I like how they use classic rock to set the mood of a scene and it seems to work pretty well. Sometimes it seems a little forced, but I love classic rock and I'll give them a pass. I mean, anyone that uses Rush in a TV show is okay in my book.

New-To-Me TV

This summer, I have been trying to find some TV show to fill the void left by LOST, Heroes, Dollhouse, and 24 (which all ended or were cancelled this spring). I think the only shows that I watch that are returning this fall are Chuck and The Office. I also watch Caprica, but that won't return until the winter. Netflix has been my biggest ally in my quest. Here's what I've tried out so far:

Veronica Mars - I've watched the first four episodes and I'm still on the fence. I like the mystery aspect, but I'm not into the whole teenage angst stuff so much. I may continue to feel it out for a few more episodes before I decide whether to stick with the full season or not.

Farscape - I have heard so many good things about this show, but it wasn't exactly what I expected. The whole puppet element threw me off to say the least. I'm only three episodes in, but I'm still on the fence with this one too.

Eureka - I caught the Warehouse 13 / Eureka panel at Comic-Con and it inspired me to check out the show. I have watched two episodes from the fourth season and it's just good fun. I think this is a show I could enjoy and I think I'll continue watching. I also want to catch up on Warehouse 13. I watched part of season one and liked it, but dropped the ball and stopped watching.

Supernatural - I've watched the first two episodes and I think I'm getting into it. I'm not a big horror guy, but I like the characters and I dig the classic rock. I'll think I'll be sticking with this one.

Arrested Development - This may be the funniest show since Seinfeld. I think its even funnier than The Office. I'm about halfway through season two and I'm sure I'll finish the series before the summer is out. This is the best new-to-me show I've discovered this summer. I just love it.

I'm also thinking of checking out Dexter and The X-Files, but I haven't had time yet. They may have to wait until I whittle down this list a little. They have been more than enough to keep me busy.

Well, I'm out. Godspeed.