I ain’t gonna lie: Each and every summer, I become an addict and BIG BROTHER is the drug I crave. So of course, I tuned in last night for the season premiere. I had high hopes that the much-touted “mystery guest” would turn out to be Janelle, one of the most-loved houseguests in memory. But in the end, we wound up with musclehead moron Jessie. CBS’s bio of the guy calls him “the all American boy next door” but in reality the guy is an egotistical hothead with more issues than Entertainment Weekly. Early faves? While it’s hard to say since the opening hour didn’t offer a whole lot of insight into the houseguests, hottie Jeff came off as a pretty decent guy, while brainy Michelle would win my “first impression” rose if this were THE BACHELOR. Something tells me Chima is going to get annoying real quick and that Laura’s boobs — sure to be featured in men’s magazines from coast-to-coast — will be much discussed in chat rooms.
If there’s one show that I’m extremely distressed about the cancellation of, it has to be KINGS. While the first episode left me somewhat cold, it quickly found its footing and became a fascinating blend of almost lyrical dialogue, operatic storytelling and dynamic acting, particularly on the parts of Ian McShane and and Susanna Thompson as King Silas Benjamin and his queen, Rose. If you want to see television at its finest, go to NBC.com or Hulu.com and watch the episode titled “The Sabbath Queen”, in which secrets come to light during a blackout in the kingdom. It saddens me to no end that this show will soon conclude it’s run — although I’m glad to know that it will, reportedly, have a satisfying conclusion — so as to make room for yet more reality television. One recent twist in the story that came out of left field was the off-screen death of socialite-turned-Minister Of Information Katrina Ghent (played by the gorgeous Leslie Bibb, who seems to be popping up all over the place recently). The rivalry between Katrina and the queen was one of the highlights of recent episodes, so I was saddened by the character’s departure.
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By: CT
For far too long, major cliffhangers have been relegated to the daytime soaps (and even many of them seem to have lost touch with the art they perfected many moons ago) and primetime’s season finales. But I’m happy to report that the cliffhanger is alive and well… and being used to great effect by some of television’s most intriguing dramas.
Although last night’s season premiere of TRUE BLOOD seemed headed toward a “Sookie dumps Bill… again” ending, the show wisely avoided breaking the pair up in favor of a shocking cliffhanger in which Eric’s animal side came out as Lafayette cowered in fear, leaving us to wonder what the heck is going on in that weird torture chamber (which seems to be located beneath a salon based on the villainous vamp’s interrupted-in-progress dye job!).
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WHAT WE’RE WATCHING:
IN THE MOTHERHOOD (8PM ABC, CityTV in Canada)
Emily and Jason fear that their son’s imaginary friend might be something of a troublemaker. My family went through something similar when my folks began to suspect that Little Lord Soggybottom, my foppish imaginary friend, was plotting to bring down the government. All I know is Soggybottom was sent to live on a mysterious farm with our dog, Benji, and was never heard from again.
PARKS & RECREATION (8:30PM NBC, CityTV in Canada)
The pilot didn’t blow me away, but I’m willing to give another shot to anything that puts Amy Pohler on the screen. Tonight, her alter ego, Leslie, goes door-to-door in the hope of building support for her latest project.
THE OFFICE (9PM NBC)
This show has taken a very unfunny turn of late, but one thing that definitely works is the relationship between Jim and Charles. It’s easy to see how the behavior we’ve found charming in Jim over the years would be viewed completely differently by a corporate type. Tonight, Dwight decides to become Charles’ new best bud.
30 ROCK (9:30PM NBC, CityTV in Canada)
With film execs considering pulling the plugs on Jenna’s Janis Joplin project, she and Jack work to stir up some buzz. And Liz? She’s going a little bit nuts thanks to her forced suspension.
HARPER’S ISLAND (10PM CBS, Global in Canada)
The wedding party goes on a scavenger hunt, but what they’re likely to find is another body! This fun romp is officially my favorite show of the spring season. (At least until GLEE launches in May!)
SOUTHLAND (10PM NBC, CTV in Canada)
An abandoned baby stirs up memories of the past in Lydia, while Bryant and Moretta take unusual steps to protect a young woman.
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SOUTHLAND
The Good: Complete with bleeped-out epithets and a diverse cast that’s fairly easy on the eyes, producer John Wells and creator Ann Biderman’s gritty and intense look at the seedy underbelly of Los Angeles may in fact do for cop dramas what ER did for medical ones. You know, make them interesting again.
The Bad: That gritty and intense realism comes at a price. Not only did SOUTHLAND’s docudrama shaky cam have us this close to pulling a Ben Mackenzie of our very own (Read: Running outside and hurling on our lawn). The downer of a plot that included gangland violence, drug dealers and sexual predators made for one helluva depressing hour.
The Verdict: While we’re definitely curious enough to take another trip (or two) down south, Wells and Biderman need throw in a victory or two for the boys (and girls) in blue every once in a while. That, or risk losing viewers to lighter time slot competitors like HARPER’S ISLAND and PRIVATE PRACTICE.
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Because as it would turn out, TiVoing Passover wasn’t a viable option and my family didn’t exactly see eye-to-eye with my belief that NBC’s “Must See TV” was important enough to skip the second Seder, this TV Addict is once again passing the buck to you — my far smarter and better looking readers — to post away with your thoughts on last night’s installments of THE OFFICE (x2), PARKS AND RECREATION, SOUTHLAND and HARPER’s ISLAND.
WHAT WE’RE WATCHING:
THE OFFICE (8PM NBC)
Michael assembles his new company’s dream team, which means Ryan should expect a phone call any minute now.
PARKS AND RECREATION (8:30PM NBC)
In the series premiere, mid-level bureaucrat Leslie Knope (Amy Poehler) must turn an abandoned construction site into a community park. Which sure sounds simple enough, until you consider the fact that Knope must do so in a comedic manner that attracts just enough viewers to save NBC President Ben Silverman’s job.
THE OFFICE (9PM NBC)
Putting to test the age-old question: Is there such a thing as too much OFFICE-like mockumentary comes a second helping of THE OFFICE revolving around Andy and Dwight’s frienaissance, Charles demanding a “rundown” from Jim and Michael holding a Paper and Pancakes company luncheon which might end up as a flat affair.
30 ROCK (9:30PM NBC)
The economic meltdown hits 30 Rock, with word of imminent budget cuts putting a damper on TGS’ 50th episode celebration.
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By: Aleks Chan
When I first heard CBS had picked up HARPER’S ISLAND last spring, I was intrigued: killing off attendees of a wedding party on a secluded island every week sounded like it could be Agatha Christie-style fun, especially with the decision to make it a limited series with a set end date. It had the potential — and I surmised this after seeing a few preview clips during last year’s upfront presentations – to be the sort of television event that seems such a distant idea now. Dreaming, in this case, is for suckers.
HARPER’S ISLAND doesn’t aspire to be anything but a means to repurpose old slasher films and gory teen flicks where melodramatic pretty folk get sliced up with the kind of visceral uninhibitedness that somehow dictates that all horror movie deaths must be done as grisly as possible. And in a way, it isn’t so bad: HARPER’S ISLAND isn’t the kind of suspenseful thriller you would ostensibly want it to be, but is rather the silly, preposterous train wreck that you can’t look away from.
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