BUT. I’ve been watching lots of new TV. YAY! So some thoughts…

Scandal
HAHAHA. SO typical that I would watch this show. But I swear I had no idea it was a Shonda Rhimes creation. Until I watched the pilot. The rapid-fire dialogue, cliched phrases (“gladiator in a suit”) and quirky characters are a dead giveaway. And yet. I liked it. I always seem to be drawn to legal/political dramas, though. Interestingly enough, I haven’t warmed up to any of the characters. Not even Olivia (Kerry Washington). Ok, maybe Stephen (Henry Ian Cusick). I WANT to like Harrison (Columbus Short is a cutie) but ugh, he definitely needs to be developed because right now he’s all exposition and no substance. Anyway, what’s kept me around so far are the storylines. I’m intrigued by Olivia’s relationship with the President, his recent alleged affair with an aide (also, why can’t he seem to keep it in his pants? heh), and the firm’s war with the White House. Just the perfect guilty pleasure for me.

Veep
From a political drama to a comedy… I thought the pilot of Veep was solid. Smart. Funny. A hilarious take on the power of the Vice Presidency (or in this case, the lack of power). And oh man, Julia Louis-Dreyfus’s line delivery is classic. My favorite lines -

- “Glasses make me look weak. It’s like a wheelchair for the eyes.”
- “Are you kidding? Do these not bend the fuck back?” – about her melted corn starch spoon
- “Did you just pencil fuck my speech?” HAHAHA

Only 1 episode so far but I have high hopes!

But OMG, maybe it’s just me but seeing Anna Chlumsky makes me REALLY feel my age. I will always remember her as Vada from My Girl (Thomas J!).

Girls
I’m torn. I like the premise of the show but it’s almost too… #first world problems. The girls, especially the lead character Hannah, aren’t likable at all. And actually come across as super entitled. Hannah’s reaction to getting cut off financially by her parents killed me (“I could be a drug addict! Do you realize how lucky you are?”). Argh. So frustrating. But I guess that’s the point. When you’re that young, and just out of college, your view of the world is still pretty narrow. I do like that the show “goes there” and isn’t afraid to cast the characters in an unattractive light. There’s definitely potential here (despite the cringe-worthy sex scenes) and I like the tone and voice of the show enough to continue watching.

Don’t Trust the B in Apt 23
I only tuned in to this show because after YEARS of hating Dawson (and by extension James Van Der Beek), I’m actually coming around. I think it was this Funny or Die video that finally made me separate him from Dawson. Heh. I’m only watching this show for him and it’s been worth it. I especially loved his attempt to out teach James Franco at NYU and his coffee shop act that ended with Dawson’s Creek questions (I want to know the answer to the question about him and Joshua Jackson being drunk during takes). The storylines with the girls are ok — a little over the top (Chloe setting up June with her dad) but entertaining. I do like Krysten Ritter so I’ll stick around at least for the rest of this season.

So that’s it. I’m also looking forward to HBO’s new Aaron Sorkin show, Newsroom. The trailer looks promising.

I’m behind on the rest of my shows… gotta catch up and write a big end of season wrap-up someday.

Any other shows I should be watching?

Chuck
*SOB* I can’t believe it’s over. What I loved most about this show is its heart (I know, so cheesy) — but seriously, despite some of the questionable mythology (all the details about the Intersect made my head spin), the through line of the show was always Chuck & Sarah.

And they’re the reason why I’m SO TORN about the series finale. SO. TORN.

Immediately after I watched the finale, I was satisfied. I liked that the show didn’t spell out the ending and left some of it up to the viewer’s imagination. But now that it’s been a few weeks, part of me is a little sad that they *didn’t* wrap everything up neatly. The storyline of Sarah losing her memories could have been incredibly compelling. If it was done a few episodes in advance of the finale. As it was, it felt rushed and unexplored. But my biggest issue is that the last image we have of Sarah isn’t the Sarah that we’ve watched and loved these past 5 seasons. Not really. She’s back to the Sarah we met when the show first started. Sure, there are indications that she’s starting to regain her memories but DAMN IT, can’t she and Chuck just have their happily every after?

All that said, I absolutely loved the last scene of Chuck & Sarah at the beach. It was a wonderful call back to the pilot, except that now their roles are reversed and Sarah’s the one who needs to trust Chuck. LOVE.

See? I’m torn.

I guess I just wanted to have a more lasting image of their happiness. I’m a sap, I know. I miss this show!

Smash
There was a lot of hype surrounding this show. Maybe a tad too much. So unfortunately, my expectations were pretty high and I finished the pilot feeling a little underwhelmed. (I haven’t watched the second episode yet so maybe my opinion will change). I just couldn’t get over how predictable everything was. I mean, casting couch (come on, is Karen really that naive?!)? Debra Messing as the straight half of her writing duo? And the experienced veteran pitted against the beautiful new ingenue for the lead role? REALLY?! But admittedly, the production value and musical numbers on this show are spectacular so I’ll be sticking around for at least a few more episodes. I’m a sucker.

Any other new shows I should be watching?

Quick thoughts on the new shows I’m watching…

Revenge
LOVE THIS SHOW. This is *so* what I wanted Ringer to be. Sure, it’s pretty much a primetime soap but the revenge angle gives everything additional meaning. And to think I was worried about how the show would sustain the storyline. I’m loving Emily’s tactical takedown of the Graysons (oh man, Victoria is wickedly awesome) — and of course, Emily VanCamp’s portrayal of the hatred underneath the sweetness. As far as the love triangle, I LOVE Daniel. And I’m sad that he might be dead. Please say it isn’t so. Since they never showed his face in the pilot, I’m holding onto hope that the body might be Tyler (can’t stand him anyway). I’m finding Jack to be a tad bit *too* noble for me (selling his boat for his dad and all) but I have a soft spot for Nick Wechsler (Roswell!) so I hope they do something more with his character. Overall, GOOD stuff.

Hart of Dixie
So great to have Rachel Bilson back on TV (I still miss The OC). Love her. This is your typical CW show. It reminds me of both Gilmore Girls and Everwood though not quite as good as either one. So far, the characters (particularly Lemon) and the storylines are kinda cliched but the show is so charming that I find myself not caring. I love the unlikely trio of Zoe, Wade and Lavon and surprisingly I don’t ship Zoe and George (I wish I did, though, I’m a sucker for Jason Street — I mean Scott Porter). A show very rarely makes me smile the way this one does so I’m on board. I need a fun, light show in my life anyway!

The New Girl
I’ve said before that I’m NOT a sitcom person. I don’t know why. I just don’t find most of them that funny. It’s possible I don’t have a sense of humor. BUT. I downloaded this pilot free on iTunes and watched it on the way to Vancouver and thought it was HILARIOUS. Jess is a little *too* quirky for me but I don’t care cause I love the guys. So excited for it to return tomorrow.

I’d like to check out Once Upon a Time too. I’m only 2 episodes behind so maybe I’ll be able to catch up? I’ll need something to replace Ringer and Grey’s Anatomy since I’ve lost interest in both…

I thought I’d go ahead and write up some quick thoughts on the CW premieres even though I’m already behind and haven’t seen the second episodes yet…

Ringer
I DON’T KNOW. I guess it was… fine? The special effects (like the boat scenes) were terrible, though. I like all the actors involved so hopefully it loses its soap-y predictability in the next episodes. Because REALLY, I didn’t think it was such a surprise finding out Siobhan is still alive. Or that she was having an affair with her best friend Gemma’s husband. OR that the attacker that tried to kill Bridget was really after Siobhan. DUN DUN DUN. Anyway, Ioan Gruffudd was a highlight as I expected and maybe I’m crazy but I’m totally shipping his character Andrew with Bridget. They have great chemistry! And I know this is a drama but I hope the writers infuse *some* humor in the dialogue — I always thought Sarah Michelle Gellar did a great job with that on BtVS. Anyway, I’ll keep watching. Not much else on Tuesdays anyway.

The Secret Circle
Gawd, I’m such a typical CW viewer. I liked this a lot! Well, except for the main theme song. It totally freaks me out. Anyway, it’s basically a show about teen witches helmed by Kevin Williamson. I’m drawn like a moth to a flame. Heh. I have a soft spot for Britt Robertson from her role as Lux on the dearly departed Life Unexpected and I enjoyed her here too. The rest of the “secret circle” didn’t really impress me much. I found Diana & Adam pretty dull and Faye slightly rage-inducing. But that’s usually the case with pilots — there’s so much to set up that the characters don’t have much depth. It’ll be interesting to see if the show manages to keep the adults (yay Gale Harold) as entrenched in the story as they seem to be. They always start strong then fade into the background (ie. 90210, Gossip Girl).

The Vampire Diaries
Good season opener. I’m not a huge fan of Klaus and his quest for an army of hybrids so I wish Stefan wasn’t saddled with him. Actually, I wasn’t sold on anything involving the 3 leads (Elena, Stefan, Damon). Not even Stefan killing Andie. Or Stefan’s tearful phone call with Elena (who I love but really found kinda annoying in this episode). However, I totally adored Caroline & Tyler! They were funny and awkward, frustratingly adorable, then scorching hot. I love them so. But ACK! WTH Mrs. Lockwood! Finally, I’m so glad Jeremy has his own storyline — AND that it will apparently involve Matt. Both characters deserve something better to do than react to everyone else’s shenanigans.

Sooo glad it’s the weekend. I plan to catch up with TV. Definitely need the mindless entertainment. STAT.

MONDAYS:
Gossip Girl @ 8pm (CW)
Hart of Dixie @ 9pm (CW) – Rachel Bilson back on TV. Plus Scott Porter. I’m SO there.
Hawaii 5-0 @ 10pm (CBS) – I can’t resist. So much damn eye candy on this show.

TUESDAYS:
Glee @ 8pm (FOX) – I fully admit I’m watching solely for the musical performances. And Darren Criss.
Ringer @ 9pm (CW) – Please be good. I LOVE SMG.

WEDNESDAYS:
Psych @ TBD time (USA)
Modern Family @ 9pm (ABC)
Revenge @10pm (ABC) – I adore Emily Van Camp. I’m not too sure about the premise, though — EVC is the main character, Emily (lol), plotting revenge on wealthy Hamptons residents who destroyed her family. I enjoy primetime soaps but I wonder how this story is going to be sustained, particularly for multiple seasons.

THURSDAYS:
Big Bang Theory @ 8pm (CBS)
The Vampire Diaries @ 8pm (CW)
Grey’s Anatomy @ 9pm (ABC)
The Secret Circle @ 9pm (CW) – Totally up my alley. Kevin Williamson has not steered my wrong — see Dawson’s Creek, The Vampire Diaries.

I’m also considering Person of Interest @ 9pm (CBS) cause I like Michael Emerson. Maybe even Charlie’s Angels @ 8pm (ABC). These will be game-time decisions.

FRIDAYS:
A Gifted Man @ 8pm (CBS) – PATRICK WILSON. Enough said.
Chuck @ 8pm (NBC) – Last season. *sniff* I’m excited to see how this “little show that could” wraps up.
Nikita @ 8pm (CW)

SUNDAYS:
Once Upon a Time @ 8pm (ABC) – Fairytale drama? I’m intrigued.
The Good Wife @ 9pm (CBS) – I hope the new night works out. I love this show so much.
Dexter @ 9pm (Showtime) – Hmmm. We don’t have Showtime. Maybe we’ll wait until DVD or… ?

I stopped watching Supernatural last season (got bored) and I’m tempted to do the same with Bones as well. It’s a solid show but I’m not invested in the characters. I probably won’t watch the CSI franchise regularly either. Quality has declined and I’m tired of the formula.

Someday I’ll catch up with Parenthood and Fringe.

So… am I missing anything? What are you planning to watch?

Hellcats
Poor cancelled show. It totally ran out of gas in the last half of the season. I got whiplash with Alice/Jake (who I really liked), Alice/Lewis, and Kathy/Lewis. And I think the show lost its way when Marti and Savannah were given completely separate storylines with their families instead of focusing on their relationship with each other and their team. It’s too bad. This was a fun cast!

Gossip Girl
Oh show. I can’t quit you. Even though you fail to give Nate any meaningful storylines (at least he’s good for eye candy), can’t seem to commit to consistent characterizations (Blair, Chuck, their relationship), and keep introducing the C-R-A-Z-Y (Juliet, now Ivy). But despite all that, I’m so on board for next season. Serena in LA. Blair’s wedding that is SO not going to happen. A secret pregnancy. Dan’s tell-all book!!! I hope there’s room to develop the Dan and Blair friendship even more. I can’t help that I love them so.

Grey’s Anatomy
%$#@ has hit the fan! And it’s pretty damn depressing. Like REALLY. I’m torn. Especially about Cristina/Owen and their pregnancy. Isn’t this her second unplanned pregnancy? Shouldn’t someone who clearly (it’s practically written on her forehead) doesn’t want kids be more careful? So I’m sympathetic but at the same time I’m not. (I realize that sounds weird). And while I agree with Owen that Cristina shouldn’t make a decision about abortion without him, I also feel like he was trying to guilt-trip her which bothers me. And then there’s Meredith/Derek. I’m inclined to side with Derek about the clinical trial because that’s a professional issue and Meredith was wrong to switch the medicine. But leaving her? Stranded with their newly adopted baby? These storylines are rubbing me the wrong way. But I’ll keep watching because I’m a sucker.

Nikita
I liked this show from the beginning but the quality really got better and better as the season progressed. The finale was especially great. I’m a sucker for a great love story (Nikita and Michael on the run, yay!) but this show reeled me in with Nikita and Alex. And to see the conflict and tension between them in the finale killed me. It’ll be interesting to see the two of them working against each other (well, at least from Alex’s point of view). And I’m excited that the plot seems to be moving at a good pace now that the show has found its footing.

The Vampire Diaries
My current favorite show next to The Good Wife. I actually think the penultimate episode of the season felt more like a finale (with the ritual and the epic deaths) than the actual finale, which was mostly set-up for next season. I’m not terribly enamored by Damon/Elena (I like her with Stefan, what can I say) but I’m intrigued by Jeremy seeing dead people (Anna!) and the return of Stefan the Ripper. Should be GOOD.

Annnddd that’s it.

Oh. Except that at some point I need to finish watching the last 2 episodes of Smallville. OOPS.

Now to figure out my Fall TV schedule…

White Collar.
My favorite bromance is back. Though the show still features a “case of the week,” I’m really enjoying the tension just beneath the surface between Neal and Peter. It adds some depth to the show that wasn’t previously there. Good stuff! But I hate the new opening credits. Bring back the old credits!

Suits
Discovered this show thanks to Christie. I guess I can’t resist cute boys in suits (see above: White Collar) cause it’s become my new obsession. I love the mentor/mentee banter between Harvey and Mike. My only complaint is that I wish they wouldn’t spend any more time on Mike’s personal life, in particular his relationships with Trevor and Jenny. I know it’s necessary to show his time away from the office, not to mention his character growth but UGH… they are not interesting characters. Hopefully they’ll veer away from this storyline in upcoming episodes.

Game of Thrones
A few weeks ago, Rob arrived home after a weekend in Las Vegas and at the airport, he picked up the first book in this series. I hadn’t been particularly interested in it before but somehow, Rob convinced me to check out the show. And we devoured all 10 episodes in a few days. I absolutely love Tyrion and Arya (such spunk!) and can’t wait to see if I’ll enjoy them as much in the books. That is, if Rob ever finishes it so I can read it.

So You Think You Can Dance
As much as I love this show, it’s become too contemporary-focused, which is unfortunate. The first week of eliminations definitely proved that to me with Iveta and Nick getting the boot. On the other hand, I’m glad they’re using new choreographers this season. Routines were getting stale and the show needed some new blood to mix things up. So far, my favorite dancers are Tadd (can’t help it – he’s filipino!) and Melanie and Marko (talk about power couple!). Sasha and Ryan are my least favorites — they are OVER-HYPED.

I’m also working my way through the first seasons of True Blood and The Tudors (yes, again). WOOT.

It’s a good summer for TV.

In other fandom news, complete Comic-Con programming has been released. Just under 2 weeks now! I’m not 100% sure what panels I’m going to try and see but I do know that I’m bummed my TV boyfriend Joshua Jackson isn’t attending this year. Sadness.

Chuck
The Vivian Volkoff arc in the latter episodes of the season left a lot to be desired (I think it was partly because the actress just wasn’t that believable as a villain) but the finale provided a satisfying resolution to that storyline while setting up new adventures. Honestly, I would have been ok if the show didn’t get renewed – we got to see Chuck save the day without the Intersect (although I have questions about how Sarah managed to stay alive so much longer than other Norseman victims), Sarah & Chuck’s wedding (their vows! LOVE) complete with flashbacks to their relationship (I guess the writers were thinking series finale), and our favorite team back together as freelance spies. But that’s not to say I’m not ridiculously happy that NBC is giving the show a chance to go out on its own terms. I’m excited to see what the writers have in store for the last season, especially now that Morgan has the Intersect uploaded to his brain. !!! I didn’t care for Morgan in the first few seasons but he’s become one of my favorites and it’ll definitely be interesting to see how he and Team Bartowski handle this uhhh… unique situation.

Hawaii Five-0
I don’t take this show too seriously so I thought the finale was pretty darn awesome. There were some WTF moments (anything related to Danny/Rachel and the need to leave for New Jersey THAT DAY) but I totally didn’t expect the twist with the governor and Wo Fat. Now that I’ve had time to think about it, I wonder if this was planned from the very beginning of the season. Maybe the governor put together the 5-0 task force as a way to keep Steve close and monitor what he was doing. Really good set up if that’s the case. Now Steve is arrested for murder (they have to see his taser burn, right?!), Kono’s suspended (I can’t believe the eyewitness testimony could be considered credible at this point), and Chin’s back at HPD (I have hope he’s going to be their “inside man” and try to help the others somehow). Phew. I have no desire to see Danny back in a relationship with Rachel (ugh, cheaters!) so he better stay in Hawaii to help his friends (although I don’t know why they bother with the drama of him moving to NJ — he’s a main character and isn’t likely to leave).

No Ordinary Family
So much potential (love the actors, especially Autumn Reeser) but this wasn’t a good show. I’m sorry! The writing was lacking (terrible storylines, inconsistent characterization), the episodes were slooooow, and there was just no spark. The premise really intrigued me but the execution was all wrong. Disappointing. Not surprised it didn’t get renewed.

Glee
It may seem as if I don’t like this show… but I really do. I just have problems with its inconsistency. Especially this past season. I think I got a little whiplash with all the back and forth between good (Duets, Original Song) and terrible (A Night of Neglect – WTF) episodes. But I’ve come to accept that I’m here for the characters, the minimal development and interaction they get, and above all, the songs and performances. I’m ok with that.

One Tree Hill
Oh, this show. Just when you think it’s over, it goes and gets renewed. Again. I still watch because I’ve really grown to like the characters but it’s lost a lot of the fun and spark it used to have in the earlier seasons. Plus, there’s been veerrrryyy little storytelling in the last few episodes. Nothing really happens! It’s no wonder they keep doing time jumps to change things up. In any case, the finale was fine. Everyone had their moment and their happy ending — Brooke gave birth, Haley opened her cafe, Nathan and Clay found their star, and Chase returns from the Air Force to reunite with Alex (who I actually love now). See! Would have been a great series finale. I’m not really sure what other stories they have to tell but I have two requests — can they PLEASE limit Chuck and Jamie’s screentime? They’re taking screentime from characters I actually care about. And they are not cute kids, I’m sorry. ALSO, and maybe more importantly, PLEASE bring back the original theme song full time. As interesting it is to hear different artists’ take on the song, it’s just not the same.

The Good Wife
I love this show. But I think it suffered slightly from trying to do too much in its second season. They introduced characters that didn’t really work, dropped storylines (the deleted voicemail kills me), and sacrificed the screentime of major characters in the process. The last few episodes, though, after Bond was ousted and Peter and Kalinda’s past was revealed, were pretty much on par with the best episodes of season 1. Not to mention that they did a great job of setting up storylines for next season. Like Alicia/Will exploring their relationship (loved that Alicia was the one calling the shots that night) — how is that going to affect their interactions with Peter? Will’s conversation with Peter in the finale was already fraught with awkward tension. Or Eli moving his business into the Lockhart Gardner offices — does this mean more Alicia/Eli interaction? Yes please! And with Alicia/Peter’s separation, I sure hope it means less Jackie. The actress may be a Dawson’s Creek alum (Grams!) but I CANNOT stand the character. I know she’s a mother and loves her son but COME ON. Cheating is not ok and she acts like Peter did nothing wrong. She irks me so much. The only thing I’m dreading about next season is the move to Sundays. Especially on CBS after football. Isn’t this where they put shows to die?

Ok, that’s it for now — back again with the rest soon. Happy 4th of July!

It’s no secret that I’m pretty critical about the show. But who cares about that. The concert was GREAT! It was 80 minutes of infectious, gleeful FUN.

Evidence of my attendance.

I took photos during the concert but our nosebleed seats combined with the point and shoot I was using didn’t translate into good shots. But I’m going to post some of them anyway.

Opening number was “Don’t Stop Believing”. This was my favorite song of the concert. You could totally feel the anticipation of the audience when the first few bars of the music started playing. Then the cast came out and the excitement was palpable. Awesome.

What I loved most of all was that the concert really showcased everyone. Like you’d expect, Lea Michele, Chris Colfer and Amber Riley had solos but most of the cast did too. Heather Morris performed “Slave 4 U” and while I’m pretty sure she was lip-syncing, I think she out-Britney’d Britney. Her dancing was fan-freaking-tastic. Naya Rivera, Mark Salling, Cory Monteith and Kevin McHale had their own moments in the spotlight as well.

Ok, I’m biased. I love Darren Criss and I love The Warblers. So I was overjoyed when I found out they would be on the tour! They sang a mini-set of 3 songs and were terrific.

… And it was all over so soon. They closed the show with “Somebody to Love”.

I’m seriously amazed at how much time this cast puts in to their work — probably more than any other TV cast out there. During the season, not only do they film the show, they also have to lay down the tracks and practice for the musical numbers. And now when they should be on hiatus, they’re performing in this multi-city arena tour. Amazing.

Posting the set list for reference because I like this kind of stuff…

The opening credits are AMAZING. Visually stunning. Usually we’ll fast forward through the credits of most shows but Dexter’s are so unique (and the theme song so catchy!) that it’s a great way to set the tone for each episode.

Each season is only 12 episodes long, which is just enough time to introduce, develop and close out the main storyline of the season. That doesn’t leave much room for filler episodes or superfluous storylines (though there are a few of those — Angel & Maria comes to mind).

Brief overall season comments (no specific spoilers here)…

Season 1
SO GOOD. This is my favorite of the 4 seasons I’ve seen so far. You’re thrown right into the season’s main storyline while learning about Dexter, his life, and the people in it.

Season 2
OK. Still a very good season but there were a couple of things that bothered me. First, a new character, Lila, was introduced who develops a relationship with Dexter. I HATED HER. I understand why someone like Lila was needed to show another side of Dexter but I just couldn’t stand her. Maybe it was the actress? Also, I was disappointed in the closure for this season because there was doubt raised heading into the finale but everything was resolved without those questions ever being addressed (not even in seasons 3 or 4).

Season 3
So much better! I didn’t like Jimmy Smits’s character at first but he grew on me and found his friendship with Dexter intriguing.

Season 4
WOW. Very close second to season 1 for me. The Trinity Killer storyline was set up and executed at a great pace (with unexpected twists!) and culminated in one of the best season finales I’ve ever seen.

Highly recommended! You can easily catch up via instant Netflix or DVD. Now, what show to marathon next?