Tag Archives: the good wife

fall tv 14

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Hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving (if you celebrate)!

Oh man. I haven’t blogged about TV in 2 years. TWO years! That’s insane.

I’m still watching A LOT of TV but not participating in online discussions or general fandom anymore. That’s what happens when you get older — no more time! But I still like sharing my random thoughts so thought I’d list my TV schedule here… 🙂

SUNDAYS:
Brooklyn 99 – LOLARIOUS. I never used to be a sitcom person but I’ve come around lately. The characters make this show for me. They get into some of the most ridiculous situations but somehow it all works because they’re all so well drawn. My absolute favorite is Captain Holt. His deadpan delivery is AWESOME.

The Good Wife – Still one of my favorite shows on the air right now. But I’m bummed that they’re finally giving Cary a real storyline and it’s kind of killing his character.

I gave up on Once Upon a Time last season when they introduced Peter Pan. Didn’t work for me at all. I wonder if the new Frozen arc is worth trying to catch up.

MONDAYS:
Gotham – I want to like this show much more than I do. The idea of exploring Gotham before Batman is intriguing. Plus I have a soft spot for Ben McKenzie. Unfortunately this has not become appointment viewing. I can’t pinpoint exactly why that is — I guess a combination of the formulaic weekly procedural storylines and the show taking itself too seriously. Also not a fan of Barbara.

Stopped watching The Originals. I got all the way through the first season but it just wasn’t grabbing me (not even with the promise of seeing Elijah every week :P). Also gave up on The Blacklist. The characters drove me crazy.

TUESDAYS:
One of my favorite nights of television!
The Mindy Project – THE BEST! I adore this show. And absolutely love the theme song. I do wish they could find more for Jeremy to do, though. I’m still not sure why they had to introduce Peter — they just sidelined Jeremy even more! Sigh.

New Girl – Still watching but it’s not my favorite. Mostly because they’ve gone SUPER over the top with the characterizations. Like, Schmidt is just straight up crazy now. He used to be my favorite!

Marvel’s Agents of SHIELD – Ahhh, this show. Last season was rough. It was promising in the beginning, then it hit a creative rut, and finally it reached its potential once it had the chance to capitalize on Captain America’s storyline over in the cinematic universe. That momentum has definitely carried over to this season — I just wish the creative resurgence would equal a rise in ratings too!

The Flash – My favorite new show of the season. This show spun out of my other favorite show Arrow. It’s considerably lighter and funnier and that’s a good thing. They need to loop in poor Iris, though — her pretty much being the only main character who doesn’t know about Barry’s alter ego makes her look really clueless.

I also watched the first episode of Selfie and didn’t love it (I guess lots of people felt the same way since it’s been cancelled). I love John Cho, though — why can’t he get cast on a good show?!

WEDNESDAYS:
Arrow – Love this show. It’s probably my favorite right now. The storylines are entertaining and I really truly like the cast and characters. They make me root for the show so hard. I even like Laurel. I just wish they knew what to do with her.

ABC Comedy Block – Modern Family, Black-ish, The Goldbergs – Lately I’ve been enjoying sitcoms more and more — mostly because there’s less of a time commitment and almost no emotional investment, lol. I was a little worried Black-ish would be cringe-worthy but I think it balances thoughtful commentary with comedy really well. And The Goldbergs is just a gem.

THURSDAYS:
Big Bang Theory – I do think they could do better by the female characters but I find the show entertaining so I guess I’m not that easily offended.

How To Get Away With Murder – UGH. This show is not good. AND YET I KEEP WATCHING. The mystery and terrible characters keep me coming back. I can’t help it. It’s a short season, 15 episodes, so I’m going to stick it out.

Scandal – I’m not sure why I watch this show either. I enjoyed the fast pace and shock value of the first two seasons but now I’m having a hard time rooting for anyone. I’m a sucker, though, so I’m sure I’ll finish off the season to satisfy my curiosity.

I’ve also been recording The Vampire Diaries but haven’t felt compelled to watch. I guess I have vampire fatigue.

FRIDAYS:
Hawaii 5-0 – Yes, I still watch this show. The cases of the week are pretty weak but I’m here for the characters and their relationships anyway.

I’ll watch Glee, Hart of Dixie and Downton Abbey when they’re back on the air. I also want to check out Jane the Virgin.

Rob watches The Walking Dead and Sons of Anarchy so I know enough to have opinions (ie. Gemma suuuuucks and I can’t wait for Jax to confront her).

I also tried watching Breaking Bad but it was so depressing and intense I couldn’t make it past the first half of season one. Homeland seemed promising but I finished the first season and just never felt the urge to keep going.

So what are all of you watching? Anything I’m missing?

fall tv 12

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I’ve been a little out of the TV loop lately. I haven’t even finished reading through my Entertainment Weekly Fall TV Preview issue…

But oh well, here we go with my TV schedule (and some brief comments)!

SUNDAYS:
Once Upon a Time @ 8pm (ABC) – I can’t help but love this take on beloved fairy tale characters.
The Good Wife @ 9pm (CBS) – My absolute favorite show on the air right now. I just wish they would give Cary a storyline. He deserves better. While I’m at it, Kalinda too. Her husband suuuuucks.
Revenge @ 9pm (ABC) – Soap-y goodness.

Rob marathon-ed all of The Walking Dead over the summer so I’ll probably also get sucked into that show…

MONDAYS:
Gossip Girl @ 9pm (CW) – Last season! *sniff* The show has seriously gone off the rails the last few seasons (and they tangled Dan/Blair in front of me and took them away) but I love it. I will miss Blair and her headbands.
Revolution @ 10pm (NBC) – I DON’T KNOW. The premise of this show has potential. But I CANNOT stand Charlie. One of the leads. This does not bode well. This one probably won’t make it past the most recent episode…
Hawaii 5-0 @ 10pm (CBS)

I stopped watching Bones and don’t miss it in the least. It was getting a little tired.

TUESDAYS:
Hart of Dixie @ 8pm (CW) – LOVE
Go On @ 9pm (NBC) – I don’t really find this sitcom that funny but Matthew Perry is the BEST. I want him to do well.
New Girl @ 9pm (FOX) – I HEART SCHMIDT SO HARD.
Emily Owens, MD @ 9pm (CW) – Watching for Justin Hartley.
The Mindy Project @ 9:30pm (FOX) – My favorite new show of the season.

WEDNESDAYS:
Arrow @ 8pm (CW) – Intrigued.
Modern Family @ 9pm (ABC)
Nashville @ 10pm (ABC) – I’m at least going to check out the pilot. For Mrs. Coach (Connie Britton).

THURSDAYS:
Big Bang Theory @ 8pm (CBS)
The Vampire Diaries @ 8pm (CW)
Last Resort @ 8pm (ABC) – Enjoying this show so far. I’m hoping they start revealing more about the conspiracy — I hate when shows keep audiences in the dark too long (FlashForward and The Event come to mind). Also, how does Jessy Schram keep getting cast in shows? Is that mean of me?
Glee @ 9pm (FOX) – Still just watching solely for the musical performances. If I think about continuity or characterization or storyline at all, my head hurts from the whiplash.
Scandal @ 10pm (ABC)

FRIDAYS:
Nikita @ 9pm (CW)

I also plan to watch Dexter when we can get our hands on the latest episodes. Heh.

Also, Rob and I started watching season 1 of Homeland and it is SO GOOD. We’ll have to hurry up and finish so we can get caught up.

So what are all of you planning to watch? 🙂

tv season wrap-up, part 1

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I’ve barely written any TV blog posts this year so now that the 2010 – 2011 broadcast season is over, I figured I’d write some quick finale thoughts…

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!

midseason tv report card, part 1

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It’s midway through the 2010 – 2011 broadcast TV season and I thought it was about that time to do a midseason TV report card (gosh, it’s been awhile since I’ve done this)…

Chuck – A
One of the few shows I have to watch immediately. I love it. The past couple of seasons have been really solid with the story arcs about The Ring and Chuck’s mom and I’m so happy that Chuck and Sarah are a REAL couple! And they’ve been together since last season! I’ve always hated how fleeting TV relationships usually are. Chuck and Sarah prove that there’s always drama to mine in any romantic relationship (especially since they’re spies!).

Hawaii Five-0 – B+
This show isn’t reinventing the genre or anything but I enjoy it. Doesn’t hurt that Steve and Danno are totally HOT (and totally in a bromance — come on, they banter back and forth every single episode). But as much as I love Scott Caan, I’m not sure why he was nominated for a Golden Globe for this show. He’s basically playing himself!

Gossip Girl – B+
This season’s major story arc (so far) involving Juliet and her obsession with revenge against Serena is so ridiculously over the top. But that’s what I love about this show. I may not care for her but I have to admit that Juliet brought new life to the Upper East Side with all her mischief-making. Minimal Jenny and Vanessa is also a good thing. It’s too bad because I actually like both characters — the writers just don’t know what to do with them and they no longer have any redeeming qualities. I’m also intrigued by the thought of Dan/Blair. I used to ship Chuck/Blair but that relationship is seriously MESSED UP and beyond repair (I loved them so this is really disappointing). Blair deserves much better.

No Ordinary Family – C
Ehhh. I don’t know. This could actually be a decent show (they have the acting talent!) but it’s just so bland. There’s no spark. I expected much more from Greg Berlanti. But I’ll probably stick it out until the end of the season to see if it gets better. If not, I probably won’t tune in next season (if I’m being honest, I don’t think the show will get renewed; the ratings are pretty dismal).

Glee – B
I have a lot of issues with this show (treatment of Will and Rachel’s characters, portrayal of women, Kurt making everything all about him, etc) but I can’t help it. I love the singing! And sometimes there are flashes of brilliance as evidenced by The Duets and The Substitute, which are episodes that reminded me why I love these characters and why I continue to watch the show. I also discovered Darren Criss this season — he’s a new favorite!

One Tree Hill – C-
Same old show. I seriously can’t believe it’s on its 8th season. WHAT. As per usual, the show is slow-paced and isn’t scared to put its characters into unbelievably melodramatic situations (the stalker turned shooter comes to mind). At this point, I’m only watching for Brooke and Julian’s wedding and to see if the writers can give Nathan and Haley a storyline worthy of their awesomeness. I could care less about Clay/Quinn (OMG, most snooze-worthy relationship EVER) and Chase/Alex (I’m *still* in shock that Stephen Colletti is on this show — from none other than Laguna Beach: The Real Orange County).

The Good Wife – A-
A favorite. This season hasn’t been as good overall as the first. It feels like the writers are trying too hard to match the magic of the first season. Even still, it’s miles better than most other shows on the major broadcast networks. Anyway, I’m torn about the new characters — I wanted so badly to like Bond (Michael Ealy) and Blake (I’m a huge fan of Scott Porter’s from Friday Night Lights) but they’re not layered enough characters for me to understand their motivations. All I know is that they’re taking away precious air time from the characters I love, like Kalinda! But the season seems to be ramping up for some interesting reveals and I’m looking forward to it.

Modern Family – B+
I’m normally not a sitcom person but this one is HILARIOUS! The kids are the best. Especially Manny! It’s nice to have some levity on my TV schedule.

Part 2 in the next few days… 🙂

the good wife

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Had a great Labor Day weekend. Hope you did as well. 🙂 It was way too short (as usual) but I got to…

Introduce Diesel to Rob’s aunt and uncle’s puppy Marley who he HATED. My dog is a snob!
Hang out with good friends from out of town.
Celebrate a friend’s birthday with seafood and ice cream.
Accompany my best friend as she chose “THE” wedding dress. SQUEE.
Make an unexpected (but totally awesome) trip to IKEA.

Phew.

In the midst of all that, Rob and I also managed to sneak in an entire season 1 marathon of The Good Wife.



Yes, that’s right. We watched ALL TWENTY-THREE episodes. We started Thursday night and finished up on Monday. Now I know what the hype is all about. It’s truly a great show. And I’m sad that season 2 doesn’t start for another few weeks.

My favorite character is Kalinda. I love her cynicism and mysteriousness. Plus, one of my absolute favorite movies is Bend it Like Beckham and I loved Archie Panjabi in that too. I’m also intrigued by both Peter Florrick and Cary Agos. I don’t think I’m supposed to like them as much as I do. I can’t help it! Sure, Peter’s a cheater and Cary can be cruel but they’re also incredibly charming and layered characters. Also love Eli Gold. Mostly because Alan Cumming is freaking amazing.

As far as the storylines, I was most drawn to Peter’s trial and his relationship with Alicia after the scandal. While I like Will (and adore his intimate voice), I’m not sold on him and Alicia… yet.

There’s not much I don’t love about this show. I know I’m notorious for watching mostly teen shows (Gossip Girl, One Tree Hill) or other such fluff but sometimes a 30 year old needs a real thought-provoking, adult show. This fits the bill for me. And you should watch it too!