A TV post! It’s been a long time. This TV season has been pretty underwhelming for me so I haven’t felt compelled to write about it.

BUT. New midseason shows are premiering and I remembered to catch Off the Map, a medical drama set in an unnamed South American jungle.

The show’s been getting mixed reviews but I love Zach Gilford so I figured why not. The pilot was… ok. It didn’t wow me or make me fall in love with the characters but it wasn’t so terrible that I wouldn’t watch it again.

But seriously, as much as the producers want us to believe that Off the Map is not Grey’s Anatomy in the jungle, I’m here to tell you…

IT’S TOTALLY GREY’S ANATOMY IN THE JUNGLE.

At least as far as I can tell from the pilot.

I know Shonda Rhimes didn’t create this show (a former Grey’s writer/producer, Jenna Bans, did) but it sure has her fingerprints all over it. There’s a scene in particular when Lily, Mina and Tommy (the newbie doctors) are at the bar standing in front of an oscillating fan to beat the heat. They’re complaining about the craziness of their first day and Lily (who appears to be the Meredith Grey-type lead character) smiles, says “Just follow the fan” and they all simultaneously lean to the side. So quirky. So Shonda.

As an aside, what was up with drinking and then going immediately to check on a patient? So it’s not a requirement to be sober while at work?

Something else that bothers me is that none of the doctors (aside from Valerie) seem to speak or understand even the tiniest bit of Spanish. You’re moving to a foreign country to practice medicine and you don’t know basic words and phrases to communicate with patients?! Argh. I learn the basics when I travel and that’s just for a few weeks not for a prolonged length of time.

Anyway, there’s potential here. The premise is intriguing. And the cast is amazing, particularly Mamie Gummer, Caroline Dhavernas and of course, Zach Gilford (though sadly his character’s backstory is the weakest which saddens me because he deserves much better material). I just hope the writing improves and the show can somehow differentiate itself from Grey’s. Right now there’s too many similarities — from the characters (Lily is totally Meredith, Mina is Cristina, Valerie is Bailey, etc) to the dialogue and even down to the patients acting as the week’s “life lesson.” It needs more spark and less familiarity. I already watch and enjoy Grey’s. I don’t need to watch a forgettable, average version of the same show. I’ll give it a few more episodes to see if it finds its footing.

Did anyone else catch the premiere? What did you think?

The heat has been unbearable these past few days. BUT it gave Rob and me the perfect excuse to stay home, indulge in some air-conditioning, and watch all the TV that accumulated on our DVR while he was out of town.

Quick comments…

Hawaii 5-0
Total fluff. But I liked it. Mostly for the group camaraderie.

Lonestar
ARGH. I really liked this. Reminded me of old school night time soaps like the original Melrose Place. Sadly, it tanked in the ratings and this is FOX sooo… I’m not holding out hope that it’ll last longer than a few more episodes. Anyway, I actually found Bob really likable. Even if he is a conman with 2 different lives. His life in Houston intrigues me (yay Adrianne Palicki!) but I can’t say the same for his life in Midland. Is it terrible that I was actively rooting against his girlfriend Lindsay? I don’t know if it was the character or the actress but I didn’t care about her. I wonder if this show would have had better luck as a mini series instead?

Undercovers
Again with the fluff. I liked it well enough but the pilot was severely underwhelming. It wasn’t as clever or engaging as I’ve come to expect from JJ Abrams (see: Lost and Alias). The only thing I did like was that the leads are already married so we won’t have to deal with any “will they or won’t they” storylines (I hope).

I also checked out a couple of shows that weren’t on my original “To Watch” list…

The Event
Hated it. I think I’m over these types of shows (see: Nine, Lost and FlashForward) where something catastrophic happens and we’re trying to figure out what caused it and why. I didn’t even find Sean & Leila’s romance compelling. And normally I’m a sucker for that. But not even they or Blair Underwood could save this. Won’t watch again.

My Generation
This show sounded interesting enough but at the end of the pilot, I did not like a single character — Anders annoyed me because he is so obviously still in love with Brenda even though he married someone else, Brenda was too cold, Kenneth strikes me as creeeeeepy when I think he’s supposed to come across as naive and endearing, Caroline had no right to judge Steven for not meeting his son when she was the one who waited 10 years to tell him he was a father… etc etc etc. Another thing that rang false is how so many life events affected these characters (9/11, the 2000 election, Enron). Way too Forrest Gump for me.

Not really a great track record. :/ We’ll see how these shows hold up in the next few weeks.

Rob’s been out of town these past few days so I have barely watched ANY new TV this week. I can’t wait for the weekend so we can catch up. YAY.

So I finally had the chance to read through my Fall TV Preview issue of Entertainment Weekly so of course I had to put together my TV schedule for the year (it’s jam-packed as per usual)…

MONDAYS:
Chuck @ 8pm (NBC) – One of my favorite current shows. It’s a great blend of spy action, romance, and geekiness!
Lonestar @ 9pm (FOX) – This show sounds like it has so much potential (I have yet to watch the premiere). For a season at least. Too bad it tanked in the ratings.
Gossip Girl @ 9pm (CW) – This is one of those shows where I enjoy the characters so much that I could care less what kind of antics they get into. Even the whole mess with Chuck and Blair. But their implosion did lead to a wonderfully romantic scene in the latest episode.
Hawaii 5-0 @ 10pm (CBS) – I wasn’t sure if I was going to watch this show (I mean, really CBS? Alex O’Laughlin AGAIN?) but over the past few weeks heading into the premiere, I’ve seen many articles praising the quality of the pilot so I’m going to check it out. Plus, Daniel Dae Kim and Scott Caan rarely disappoint.

TUESDAYS:
No Ordinary Family @ 8pm (ABC) – Sounds like Heroes without the unneccessary drama. And Autumn Reeser’s in the cast. Love her.
Glee @ 8pm (FOX) – I’m not as enamored with this show as I was when it premiered. Overall, the first season was a mixed bag for me and I have real problems with several storylines (fake pregnancy, almost everything Mr. Schuester related, and the general way female characters are treated). Buuut, I’m a sucker for the music and the actors sooo… here it is.
One Tree Hill @ 8pm (CW) – Guilty pleasure.
Life Unexpected @ 9pm (CW) – Actually, I’m on the fence. I spent the past few days watching the last half of the first season and was really disappointed with the way it ended (love triangle culminating in a finale where Baze rushed to the church only to see Cate & Ryan get married). UGH. Enough with the love triangles. There’s so much drama they could mine without it.
The Good Wife @ 10pm (CBS) – YES. SO looking forward to this season. Definitely one of my new favorite shows.

Looks like V is premiering sometime in November but I probably won’t watch anymore. Snoozefest.

WEDNESDAYS:
Undercovers @ 8pm (NBC) – I have a feeling the promos are sexier and flashier than the actual show. But it’s a JJ Abrams show and I’ll give him the benefit of the doubt.
Modern Family @ 9pm (NBC) – The only sitcom I watch regularly.
Hellcats @ 9pm (CW)
The Whole Truth @ 10pm (ABC) – Will probably watch on and off. Only watching to begin with because of Rob Morrow.

No more Cougar Town for me. I watched the first half of the first season and kinda forgot about it. I think 1 sitcom is enough for me.

THURSDAYS:
Bones @ 8pm (FOX) – Last season was disappointing. Hoping this season will be better…
The Vampire Diaries @ 8pm (CW) – Another one of my current FAVES. The characters are awesome and all the storylines are important and relevant. Seriously, this show is amaze-balls.
Grey’s Anatomy @ 9pm (ABC) – I didn’t watch the last half of season 6 but I did catch the finale and it doesn’t seem like I missed much. The finale was completely over the top (and probably only done to thin out the cast) but that’s why I like this show.
CSI @ 9pm (CBS)
Nikita @ 9pm (CW)

FRIDAYS:
Smallville @ 8pm (CW) – I barely watched last year but since this is the final season, I’m going to watch regularly. I hope. AND OMG Teri Hatcher will be playing Lois Lane’s mom. SO AWESOME. I’m also crossing my fingers for Michael Rosenbaum to return as Lex Luthor. While I’m at it — maybe Kristin Kreuk too?
Supernatural @ 9pm (CW) – Another show that was disappointing last season but I love the Winchesters so much I can’t give them up… yet.

SUNDAYS:
CSI: Miami @ 10pm (CBS)

My cable shows are on hiatus so it’s all network TV for now. I think that’s it. BWAHAHAHAHA.

I’d also love to check out Castle, Parenthood, Dexter and Fringe but I feel like I need to watch the previous seasons first. Maybe someday.

So… what are you planning to watch this season?