New Shows to Watch
Entertainment Weekly recommends five new shows to watch this season: Reaper, Dirty Sexy Money, Back to You, Bionic Woman and Aliens in America.
I agree about Reaper. Critics who loved the Kevin Smith pilot have been griping that it’s the same thing over and over. Each week, though, a little bit more is revealed, and I think there’s a lot to explore. (Wild guess: Andi’s dad will be a demon of the week, either during sweeps or in the season finale.)
I also agree about Dirty Sexy Money. I was skeptical at first, and didn’t think they could handle the wild changes in tone required for the soapy dramedy. But the past few episodes have shown a remarkable ability to handle the wide range of situations. Peter Krause is amused and exasperated by the Darlings while still trying to stay grounded and find out who killed his dad. The episode where Jeremy and Tripp fight, and Brian’s illegitimate son owns up to the wife, was filled with really good, emotionally authentic dialogue. One problem I have is Samaire Armstrong. Does she have a swollen tongue, or a speech impediment? Why does she speak so strangely? (Wild guesses: Nick’s half sib is either Karen or Brian, not the twins as was hinted last week. Also, Nick’s dad isn’t dead; no body was found.)
I can’t speak about Back to You. I haven’t watched it. But I haven’t even been tempted. “Old-style sitcom” is not a winning recommendation, to me.
I gave Bionic Woman three weeks. I found it badly written with a disappointing actor in the lead.
I watched Aliens in America exactly twice. The pilot was good, but the next episode I watched didn’t make me laugh in the first laugh. I think it’s being pushed by critics more for its acceptance message than for its funniness as a comedy.
Instead of the last three, I like Life, as I’ve written before. There’s a strong lead actor, and an interesting mystery as backstory, of why he was set up for a multiple murder and served twelve years of a life sentence.
November 4th, 2007 at 1:51 pm
I tried Life and wasn’t totally in love with it although I do L-O-V-E the main actor. We have settled on Chuck- good Monday evening fare and Aliens in America which has made us laugh each several times an episode.
November 5th, 2007 at 4:19 pm
Good to hear about Aliens in America. Maybe I’ll give it another try. I like the main character in Life so much that it carries me over the boring bits. He’s both good and interesting to look at, and a good actor.
We picked Reaper over Chuck–both together felt redundant. As that sentence might be.