Review time. The new TV season is well underway, and through the magic of the internet, I've managed to catch, and keep up with, a few of the shows that are debuting this autumn. Now remember, kids: piracy is theft. But when you're fresh out of options and don't want to wait a year (or two - or forever) for local networks to pull their thumbs out of their arses, BitTorrent is Your Friend. Just don't copy something you can buy, because there's no excuse for that. As for me, I'll probably pick up most of these on DVD down the line:
Lost (ABC). The best of the new:
Jurassic Park meets
The Lord of the Flies, but without the dinosaurs and the kids. Twists & turns aplenty, and we've just begun. I watched the pilot back in early August and loved it to death, and when a fresh episode hit the airways last week, it didn't disappoint. In fact, it keeps up the pace and manages to deliver a few genuine surprises and proper scares in a mere forty minutes. The cast is appealing, the locations lush, the writing fine, and the effects solid. I haven't watched yesterday's episode yet - saving it for the weekend - but I'm definitely with this one for the duration of the ride. I can't wait to see where they'll take us.
Veronica Mars (UPN). I was pleasantly surprised by this one. The positive buzz got me watching it, and the first two episodes were fantastic. Think Nancy Drew meets Buffy, but without vampires and magnifying glasses. It's quirky, it's dark, it's funny, and Kristen Bell is very cute. I can't imagine it'll last the season, so let's appreciate it while it's still around.
Father of the Pride (NBC). Meh. It looks great, it really does. Top notch production values, great actors, and the
premise works better than it sounds...but it hasn't yet hit its stride, and I don't know if it ever will. It's raunchy, sometimes funny, but despite the solid cast, the characters are pretty bland and the writing is so-so. I thought
Shrek 2 was hit-and-miss, and this one confirms the suspicion that PDI's got some amazing artists and animators, but they're sorely lacking in the story department. It's an expensive show, and the ratings have been so-so, so look for this one to get the boot at the end of the season.
CSI: NY (CBS). I never fell for the Miami edition, but this one could grow on me. I'm still a
CSI: Classic guy, and while Gary Sinise is a fine actor, three episodes in he hasn't yet hit his stride - his character is a blank slate - but I'll keep watching this for a while to see where it's heading. They're wearing the franchise a bit thin by now, but some cases are still surprisingly engaging. Good entertainment, then, but not much more than that.
Life As We Know It (ABC). It starts off on the wrong foot, gets worse within minutes, and then - when I'd pretty much written it off - it miraculously begins to redeem itself. It could grow on me, though I'm not holding my breath. The premise? Three high-school boys want to get laid. Well, that's where it starts, anyway. Think
Porky meets any coming-of-age show ever produced...before it turns into something that stretches a bit further than that. Unfortunately, I don't much like the characters - at least so far - but I'll give it another shot to see where it's heading.
...and the less said about
Joey, the better. Hopefully
Lost will be a winner, and one classic show is about all you can expect from a new season. If
Veronica Mars survives, it'll be a miracle, but fingers are firmly crossed.
