Promocional de Dirty Sexy Money

Para todos aquellos que disfrutaron las peripecias de Nick George, el abogado idealista que intentaba mantener sus principios al tiempo que servía a la corrupta familia Darling, puedes ahora tenerlos  en tu videoteca. La última temporada de Dirty Sexy Money, una de las mejores comedias negras de la televisión, que no por ello dejaba de tener su buena dosis de drama, estará próximamente disponible, así que no puedes dejarla pasar. La serie es producida por ABC.

These are some of my favorite scenes last Seasons 1 &2.

1.) When Nick is trying to figure out the code of the briefcase left by his father, Tripp suggested to try Tish’s ,his wife, birthday. Nick did so and “unfortunately” the briefcase opened. Tripp’s reaction was like he was hit by some kind of iron on his head. He loved Tish so much but sad that he didn’t have her heart throughout the years they’ve been married. Tish have always loved Dutch, Nick’s father who died in a plane crash, because she felt like she was a different person whenever she’s with him.They hid their love affair from Tripp for almost 40 years.

2.) When Tripp decided to confront Tish, wanting to make sure that all of his kids were his, and not with Dutch. He showed the copy of the DNA results to Tish but before they unsealed it, Tripp wanted to hear the truth straight from Tish’s mouth. Tish went nuts and offered Tripp to promise her that whatever’s gonna be the truth, nothing will ever change. Confessions were made but it wasn’t shown on that episode. In the latter part, it was revealed that Brian was not Tripp’s real son. He was Dutch’s son with Tish. Maybe that’s the reason why there has always been an interesting connection between him and Nick.

3.) When Juliet caught her friend kissing with the guy she invited in her Marie Antoinette inspired birthday party. She ran away and told her other friend to just “Let them (her guests) eat cakes”. The very line that made Marie Antoinette infamous. Missing her other twin Jeremy who is throwing a separate party in Brooklyn Bridge, she went to the venue and witnessed her brother singing All By Myself while walking along the heights of the bridge, drunk. Jeremy just found out that her girlfriend Natalie who happens to be Juliet’s bestfriend lied to him, that she was not really pregnant and that made him need her twin even more. Looks like their so-called ‘twintuition’ worked.

4.) When Jeremy and Nola made out again, Pat and Carmelita met again, Brian’s son sneaked inside the plane back to New York, Nick went home and was looking for his wife Lisa and while these scenes were sliding there’s this song that I’ve been googling all through out my time surfing the net. Gawd, I can’t find it.

5.) Daisy’s late introduction and how the Darling family publicist would keep on grandiosely introduce herself before every conversation. Of course, the beautiful New York cityscapes and the racial diversity in the casting of the series.

Dirty Sexy Money di Craig Wright (USA 2007) Prima stagione

Bizzarra serie televisiva che sembra fondere “Dallas” e “I Tenenbaum”. Protagonista, Nick George, un giovane avvocato dai sani principi che deve prendere il posto del padre (morto in un sospetto incidente aereo) come avvocato di famiglia della più ricca e chiaccherata famiglia di New York.

Come spesso capita la puntata pilota è intrigante, ma il resto della stagione si invischia in eccessi di macrotrama (chi ha ucciso il padre di Nick? chi è il figlio illegittimo nella famiglia Darling) e la vagonata di intrighi, scandali, gelosie e intrallazzi sentimentali che in genere vengono usati ed abusati per tentare di fidelizzare lo spettatore alla serie Tv. Anche se la serie è ben confezionata con una fotografia elegante, una buona regia ed un cast notevole (Donald Sutherland, Jill Clayburgh, William Baldwin), la formula di “Dirty Sexy Money” tende subito a stancare. Il tono grottesco e comico di questa famiglia scandalosamente ricca e decadente abbinato ad una trama contorta e parzialmente drammatica, non funziona del tutto. Per non parlare dell’odioso attore che interpreta Nick George, ovvero Peter Krause protagonista della serie “Six Feet Under”, che sa esibire anche qui come in “Six Feet Under” solo tre espressioni: perplesso, irritato e perplesso-irritato. Fantastica invece come sempre l’interpretazione di Donald Sutherland, sempre qualche metro sopra il resto del cast, ma che non basta a salvare questa serie dal meritato oblio. La ABC infatti ha cancellato “Dirty Sexy Money” dal proprio palinsensto alla fine della seconda stagione a causa del basso seguito da parte del  pubblico.

Voto: 5 secchi di vomito

¡Hemos vuelto! Y, como no podía ser de otro modo, nos despachamos con las nuevas series de la temporada, diseccionando con especial mimo la nauseabunda Flashforward. Sí, ya sabemos que a ti te gusta y te entretiene muchísimo, pero a nosotros no. ¿Qué le vamos a hacer?

Dentro de nada, os hacemos un comentario más picadito que este. Mientras, podéis hacer clic en la imagen o aquí y escuchar la tertulia.

Como siempre, los teleginios fuimos Irene de Bytheway, Marina de El diario de Mr. McGuffin y Juanjo de Mi caja tonta. Con la camisa de fuerza en una mano y el látigo en la otra, la gran Arena de el Reloj de Arena.

Craig Wright, criador de ‘Dirty Sexy Money’, se uniu ao produtor Mark Burnett para criar um novo projeto para a CBS.

Ainda sem título, o piloto, escrito por Wright, será produzido pela Sony Pictures TV e fala sobre um advogado que após um acidente de carro quase fatal, recebe uma segunda chance do fantasma de sua ex-mulher.

O roteirista também está atrelado a produção, ao lado de Burnett e sua mulher, Roma Downey. O acordo com a CBS possui uma multa com grande compensação financeira caso o piloto não se transforme em seriado.

Para quem não é familiarizado com Craig Wright, foi roteirista de ‘Lost’ e ‘Six Feet Under’, ganhando um WGA Award pela primeira e um Emmy pela segunda. Wright também foi produtor executivo de ‘Brothers & Sisters’, drama da ABC.

Continuamos con el repaso de las series americanas que podemos ver en España, gracias a nuestros canales de televisión ya sean en abierto o de pago. Os recuerdo que no es un análisis de todas las series que se emiten en nuestro país, sino de aquellas que han estado en las parrillas americanas durante la temporada televisiva 2008/09.

Hoy le toca el turno a la ABC, cuyas series están bastante repartidas en abierto, pero que cuando hablamos de canales de pago es FOX la que se las lleva de calle.

- Anatomía de Grey. Cuatro ya ha emitido la quinta temporada de la serie, es decir, estamos en el mismo punto que la emisión americana. También se ha visto en Fox.
- Mujeres Desesperadas. Al igual que la anterior, también estamos al día con esta serie en su quinta temporada gracias a La2 en abierto y a FOX por pago.
- Perdidos. Tras varias temporadas en TVE, Cuatro compró este año los derechos de todas las temporadas de la serie. Tras emitir la primera temporada los fines de semana, y hasta la cuarta temporada en horario de tarde, se prevé que estrenen próximamente la quinta en prime time. De momento FOX ya ha emitido dicha temporada por pago.
- Cinco hermanos. Cuatro tiene los derechos de la serie de la que ha emitido varias temporadas, aunque no todas. Fox emite actualmente la tercera temporada de la serie.
- Sexy Money. Ya ha sido emitida íntegramente por Antena 3 en abierto y TNT en pago. Curiosamente en España se acabó de emitir antes que en USA.
- Eli Stone. Casi al mismo tiempo que la anterior, Antena 3 estrenó ‘Eli Stone’, en cambio de esta serie sólo pudieron verse los primeros episodios. Entera la ha emitido FOX.
- Sin cita previa. La otra serie que compró Antena 3 de la ABC es esta. El verano pasado emitió la primera temporada entera (sólo diez episodios), y sus resultados, muy regulares, hicieron que la cadena perdiera toda la confianza en la serie. Recientemente estrenaron la segunda temporada en el late night del domingo con malos registros.
- Criando malvas. Sus derechos en abierto los tiene TVE pero aun no han dicho de emitirla, eso sí, por pago la ha dado Canal+. Emitió ya su primera temporada y ahora está con la segunda y última.
- Samantha Qué. Al igual que la anterior, sus derechos en abierto están comprados pero no se ha hecho uso de ellos. Concretamente los posee Cuatro, mientras que por pago se ha podido ver gracias al canal TNT.
- Ugly Betty. Aunque por pago sí podemos seguir la tercera temporada de la serie gracias al canal Cosmopolitan, en abierto Cuatro emitió la primera temporada y no parece, en vista de los resultados que consiguió que vaya a volver.
- Castle. Las andanzas de Nathan Fillon aun no han llegado a la televisión en abierto pero sí pueden verse en el canal de pago AXN.
- El mundo según Jim. Hace bastante tiempo esta sitcom fue emitida en las tardes de laSexta, pero después desapareció.
- Scrubs. La sitcom de médicos se suele ver en Canal+, y además se vio en Cuatro. La cadena fracasó cuando la emitió en la sobremesa, pero en cambio obtuvo buenos resultados con ella en el late night este año tras ‘Saturday night live’, aunque más tarde desapareció y nada más se supo.
- Life On Mars. Los derechos en abierto de la versión americana de la serie de la BBC han sido comprados por Cuatro, pero aun no les ha dado uso. Mientras, los derechos en canales de pago los tiene Canal+, quien sí la ha emitido.
- Boston Legal. Esta serie de abogados que terminó esta temporada pasada se ha podido ver por pago en Fox, pero no entera, mientras que en abierto la ha emitido Neox recientemente, aunque desconozco hasta dónde ha llegado.

- Las que no han llegado: Ninguna de las comedias estrenadas en la midseason ha llegado ha España. De hecho, de ‘In the motherhood’ ni siquiera se encuentran subtítulos, ya que consiguió poco interés y fue prontamente cancelada. Tampoco la sitcom ‘Better off Ted’ ha sido emitida o comprada ni las series ‘Cupid’ y ‘The Unusuals’.

Wednesday

The 9/8c time slot is the busiest on my grid this year. In fact, I’m glad I upgraded to a third HDDVR at the beginning of this month since it’s the one time of the week when I’m recording six shows simultaneously. I’m sure the full slate won’t survive through October, but at least I’m prepared.

ABC – It appears ABC is making an attempt at assembling a sort of “Super New Wednesday” with a full slate of new shows. I certainly hope it doesn’t meet the same fate as the schedule from a couple years ago when we got hooked on Pushing Daisies and Dirty Sexy Money, only to have the writer’s strike kill their freshman seasons, a fate they never recovered from.

Kelsey Grammer makes another attempt at his triumphant return to network television in a sitcom with a premise that sounds almost exactly like his FOX failure from two years ago, Back to You. Successful guy loses success and has to learn to live with a family he has ignored. My love of Frasier means I’ll check out at least a couple episodes, but I doubt this one will last. In an odd coincidence, Grammer’s Back to You co-star Patricia Heaton stars in The Middle, another traditional sitcom that also marks an attempt to show us that network television understands what it’s like to be affected by our current recession. Both shows premiere September 30th.

A less traditional hour of programming follows, starting with Modern Family, a show that follows three families in a documentary style (think The Office) and features an exceptional cast including Ed O’Neill (Married with Children) and Julie Bowen (Boston Legal). As many of you know, I’m a big fan of comedies sans laughtrack, so I have high hopes for this one. Following Modern Family, Courtney Cox returns to network television with Cougar Town. I haven’t learned much about the show, but it was created by Bill Lawrence (Scrubs) so I think it has a much better shot at success than say….Joey. These two shows premiere September 23rd.

Rounding out the night, we have Eastwick, a re-imagining of the 1987 movie The Witches of Eastwick and the John Updike novel of the same name. Be careful when setting this one on the DVR, I would hate for you to end up with a late night showing of 2005’s The Witches of Breastwick.

CBS – Criminal Minds returns in its normal slot for a fifth season on September 23rd. Minds has quietly become a very consistent performer for CBS, which surprises me considering how little support it got when it started. If you haven’t watched this at all before, I would recommend checking out an episode–each week is pretty self-contained so it isn’t hard to jump on.

Comedy Central – The boys are back October 7th for the second half of South Park Season 13, and plenty of ultra-topical shenanigans will be there. Following South Park is a new live-action show called Secret Girlfriend. The show is basically about a group of guys partying and attempting to get laid. I have no idea if it will be good, but the network only ordered six episodes so I’ll check it out.

DirecTV 101 – Continuing their partnership with NBC from last season, DirecTV gets the exclusive premiere of Friday Night Lights season four, starting October 28th. Dillon is in for some big changes with Coach Taylor headed to the newly re-opened East Dillon High School to lead the Lions. Taylor “Gambit” Kitsch and Zach Gilford return, although Gilford will likely make a mid-season exit a la Smash and Street before him. For those who haven’t figured it out yet, Kyle Chandler and Connie Britton as Eric and Tami Taylor are the best couple on television. Also, have no fear FNL fans, DirecTV and NBC have already inked a deal that ensures 13 episodes for this season and another 13 next year. Game on.

Discovery – Mythbusters picks up for the second half of season seven on October 7th. From the look of this story, they busted a few windows making the episode in March of this year.

FOX – Are you watching Glee yet? If you aren’t, I’m not sure you’ll need me to tell you to. FOX has declared a media war on anyone who thinks this is just another lame attempt at a tv musical. If creator Ryan Murphy’s name isn’t enough to get you on board, I don’t know what will work. Murphy’s nip/tuck helped start the cable drama revolution a few years ago and now that he’s done with it, he’s decided to do something kids can watch too. In addition to normal promotion, The songs will be taking over iTunes each week, and two albums are already scheduled, with the first one dropping in November. Glee premiered September 9th.

FX – As I posted last week, nip/tuck returns October 14th for its second-to-last season. I would have said penultimate season, but I’m tired of people saying penultimate.

MTV – Real World Road Rules Challenge is back again to meet our need for some sweet guilty pleasure tv. My advice is to DVR it, fast forward through the manufactured drama bullshit, and just watch the challenges. The show premieres September 30th.

NBC – Mercy is yet another new medical show, and normally I wouldn’t give it the time of day. However, it has James Tupper from the ill-fated Men in Trees, so I can’t help but tune in. Apparently, nurse shows are the new surgeon shows–what a super original idea!

On ABC’s Dirty Sexy Money, one of the main characters, Karen, gets pregnant and as the story goes, the pregnancy is UNWANTED.  Needless to say she runs to the abortion clinic in her Jimmy Choos to deal with the unpleasant situation, but suddenly has a change of heart and cannot go through with it. (How truly brave of her.) So I got to thinking.  This particular situation comes up often on TV and in movies and yet 9 times out of 10 the pro-choice Hollywood writers let the characters keep the babies rather than abort them- think Sex in the City and Juno.  I wonder why that is? If abortion is such a safe, common, and easy procedure -hell it’s not even a baby- then why not depict abortions on TV and in movies? Why not let the characters like Karen actually go through with it and get on with her life?  Because after all, we don’t want her dealing with the stress of being “punished with a baby” do we?

-Hannaloves27

Arriva, piano piano, l’autunno e porta con se l’inizio delle nuove stagioni delle serie tv che seguo regolarmente.
Già il fatto che parli al plurale dovrebbe far capire che ne seguo più di una, chi mi segue da tempo dovrebbe saperlo, per i nuovi, lo ribadisco non senza vergogna: sono 18. Diciotto.

Alcune sono finite con somma tristezza (battlestar galactica), altre nuove mi hanno appassionato (Hung, Lie To Me, Defying Gravity), alcune forse non supereranno la prova della nuova stagione (90210), altre ancora mi incolleranno al video come sempre (How I Met Your Mother, The Big Bang Theory, Heroes, Fringe), infine alcune fanno ben sperare visti i precedenti (Caprica), fatto stà che ci vuole un grande impegno e un’organizzazione meticolosa per riuscire a rimanere al passo.

Se volete entrare nel mondo delle serie tv in lingua originale (io le guardo senza sottotitoli, ma se non ce la fate subsfactory e itasa fanno un lavoro immenso) vi consiglio di cuore eztv, è una vera manna per gli appassionati, registrandovi potete anche creare una lista delle vostre serie e scaricare i torrent appena sfornati. Lo so che ci sono gli streaming e megavideo e tutte quelle cose li, ma l’idea di poter vedere solo 72 minuti alla volta mi sconforta.

Ora bando alle cancie e via con la lista che stavate aspettando:

90210, The big bang theory, Californication, Caprica, Chuck, Defying Gravity (ABC l’ha cancellata, ma confido tornerà), Dexter, Dirty Sexy Money, Fringe, Gossip Girl, Grey’s Anatomy, Heroes, House, How I met your mother, Hung, Lie to me, Lost, Weeds)

NB: in corsivo le serie con cui non sono in pari con il broadcasting americano.

Normalmente, toda serie de televisión o película está pensada para que su protagonista o protagonistas sean los personajes más carismáticos, los más queridos o con los que más se sientan identificados los espectadores. Pero pasa a veces que estos protagonistas son demasiado neutros, demasiado buenos, nunca se equivocan, no hacen nada malo y caen en el error de ser unos sosos con respecto a unos secundarios que, al tener menos “responsabilidades” con la serie, acometen más locuras o acciones más interesantes. Así, en ciertas series tenemos la sensación de que nos gustaría que cambiasen el foco de sitio para ver qué sigue haciendo el secundario cuando sale de plano, nos gustaría esquivar al protagonista y mirar qué ocurre tras él.

Quizás el caso más llamativo sea el de Ted, el protagonista de ‘Como conocí a vuestra madre’. Aunque a mí no me cae mal ni me parece insoportable, como puede leerse en muchas opiniones de otros blogs, sí que está claro que su personaje es el más soso, con diferencia, de su grupo de amistades. Prefiero a Lilly y Marshall, y reconozco que Barnie destaca mucho más, aunque nunca he conectado del todo con ese personaje que tanto suele gustar. Incluso la estable Robin tiene salidas más llamativas que las de Ted.

Siguiendo dentro del género sitcom, tenemos el ejemplo de ‘Will & Grace’. En esta serie, sus dos protagonistas no dejan de ser divertidos, pero poco en comparación con los dos secundarios, Karen y Jack. Mientras que Will y Grace están más centrados y cargan con las tramas dramáticas, los otros dos están para aportar locura y comedia, haciéndoles brillar más.

En ‘Ugly Betty’ pasa que, aunque la protagonista sí que tiene cierto carisma y gracia, no está a la altura de unos grandiosos secundarios. Mientras que Betty puede aburrir en muchas tramas relacionadas con sus amores o la familia Meade, destacan personajes como Amanda y Marc, cuya locura y excentricidad ensombrece a la protagonista. Claro ejemplo de ello es promo de “la casa ABC” en la que Amanda tiene más protagonismo que Betty. Y tampoco se quedan atrás la perfecta enemiga malvada que es Wilhelmina, o el sobrino gay de Betty, Justin, quien tiene frases de oro.

También me pasa con Carrie de ‘Sexo en Nueva York’, serie que estoy viendo ahora. La protagonista me aburre tanto como su relación con el cansino Mr. Big, mientras que sus tres amigas me llaman más la atención, la promiscua Samantha, la neurótica Miranda y la modosa Charlotte.

Otros que aburren bastante son Serena y Dan de ‘Gossip girl’. Tan buenos, tan perfectos y tan ideales pierden interés, mientras que lo gana la turbia relación entre Blair y Chuck.

En ‘Dirty Sexy Money’, el protagonista, el abogado Nick es mucho más aburrido que cualquiera de los miembros de la familia Darling, dentro de los cuales sentía especial predilección por Karen y Brian, aunque también me gustaban los patriarcas Tipp y Letitia, aunque esta última era un personaje muy secundario. Mientras que cada Darling se dedica a hacer una barrabasada aun mayor que la anterior, el centradísimo y santurrón de Nick va de un lado a otro haciendo gala de su sosez.

El caso de ‘Queer as folk’ es un poco distinto. No es que el protagonista, Bryan, sea soso y aburrido, sino que directamente me cae mal. Sé que es un personaje hecho para tal fin, pero aun así, me cansa y prefiero conocer qué les pasa a otros personajes como Emmet, Ted e incluso la gran Debbie.

De ‘Mujeres Desesperadas’ no se puede decir que tenga una protagonista. Unos pondrían el foco sobre Bree y otros sobre Gabrielle, aunque desde la propia ABC parece que vean como más protagonista que al resto a Susan. Este personaje, supuestamente más cómico tendrá sus adeptos, pero para mí es la peor de las desesperadas, y no podría terminar esta entrada sin comentar cómo el personaje de Susan queda altamente reducido en los confrontamientos con el personaje de Edie, que con su punto ácido me parece más interesante que la buena de Susan Meyer. En esta serie, otro secundario que brilla es la huraña señora McCluscky, y no obstante han surgido rumores sobre un posible spin-off protagonizado por ella.

Hat mich jemand vermisst?

Zugegeben, ich habe diesen Blog leider sehr vernachlässigt – und das wird vermutlich auch noch einige Zeit so bleiben, da mich meine neue Zweigstelle doch ganz gut auf Trab hält.

Das hat leider dazu geführt, dass sich für diesen Blog hier so einige Dinge angesammelt haben, zu denen ich allerdings nicht versprechen werde, dass ich sie jemals wirklich aufarbeiten werde.

Aber zumindest mit den im letzten Jahr gesehenen Serien will ich jetzt endlich mal beginnen.

Dabei werde ich mich aber aller Voraussicht nach dieses Mal nicht ganz so ausschweifend äußern, was verschiedene Gründe hat. Zum Einen natürlich muss ich auch den anderen Blog noch am Laufen halten und zum Anderen sind es in diesem Fernsehjahr noch mal mehr Serien geworden: Insgesamt stehe ich bei 44 Serien, von denen ich mindestens eine komplette Staffel geschaut habe – ohne solche Dinge wie Colbert Report, Daily Show, Tonight Show with Conan O’Brian, Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson oder Saturday Night Live, die auch immer mal wieder geschaut werden (vor allem die ersten beiden finden eigentlich regelmäßig den Weg auf meinen USB-Stick).

Bevor wir ans Eingemachte gehen, wenden wir uns aber erst einmal den Serien zu, die bei mir irgendwann unterwegs früher oder manchmal auch später aus den verschiedensten Gründen verreckt sind.

Castle

Mit Castle haben wir hier direkt mal einen eher untypischen Vertreter dieser „Misfit“-Kategorie, denn ich glaube, unter anderen Umständen, wäre der Funke vielleicht übergesprungen. Unglücklicherweise habe ich mit Castle aber, aufgrund einiger positiver Erwähnungen in anderen Blogs, zu einer Zeit angefangen, als ich schon recht viel im Programm hatte und da ich dann nicht so richtig viel Aufmerksamkeit aufbrachte, schoss ein möglicher Funke irgendwie ins Leere. Ich kann mich nicht mal direkt erinnern, ob ich tatsächlich die ersten zwei oder drei Folgen gesehen habe…

Es geht um einen erfolgreichen und hochnäsigen Krimiautor, dessen geschriebene Mordfälle einen Nachahmer in der Realität finden. Nachdem er bei der Aufklärung helfen kann, hat er plötzlich Gefallen an der Polizei- und Detektivarbeit gefunden, auch wenn er (oder weil er?) mit der zuständigen Polizistin immer wieder aneckt.

Yet another fish out of water Schnüffler-Geschichte, die vielleicht etwas Charme aus den Dialogen zwischen Nathan Fillion und Stana Katic ziehen dürfte. Vielleicht bekommt sie irgendwann mal wieder eine Chance.

Dark Blue

Das immer noch existierende Sommerloch spült immer mal wieder die eine oder andere Serie an die Oberfläche, die man unter anderen Umständen womöglich nicht gesehen hätte. Das ist oftmals durchaus erfreulich, da einem ansonsten mal wieder das „Hidden Gem“ eines kleinen Kabelsenders entgangen wäre – hier ist das leider nicht der Fall.

Ein total geheimes Undercover-Team ermittelt in der Unterwelt von L.A. und übertritt dabei regelmäßig die Grenzen des Gesetzes – aber der Zweck heiligt ja die Mittel.

Das Problem ist, dass die Serie derart übertrieben ernsthaft ist, dass sie beinahe schon keimfrei wirkt. Dazu ist sie so schrecklich düster, dass einem beim Zuschauen schon fast die Augen zufallen. Aber gut, ich hatte ja schon an Training Day damals keinen wirklichen Spaß.

Was ich aber wirklich überhaupt nicht verstehen kann, ist die Entscheidung des Senders TNT, diese Serie im Doppelpack mit dem ganz vorzüglichen, aber eben locker flockig inszenierten „Leverage“ zu programmieren. Zwei Serien könnten kaum unterschiedlicher von der Grundaussage und der Tonalität her sein. Keine Ahnung, wer hier so besoffen war.

Dirty Sexy Money (S02)

Eigentlich reicht es glaube ich schon, wenn ich zu meiner letztjährigen Besprechung der ersten Staffel verweise, wo ich mein eher unterkühltes Verhältnis zu DSM recht deutlich gemacht hab und auch erklärt habe, dass DSM zu den Serien zählt, deren Episoden ich meist nachhole, wenn wirklich Zeit vorhanden ist.

Dies hat sich mit Staffel 2 nicht gebessert. Im Gegenteil, da aufgrund zusätzlicher Serien die verfügbare Zeit noch knapper geworden ist. Und als DSM irgendwann dann auch noch abgesetzt wurde und die verbliebenen Folgen auf irgendwann im Sommer verschoben wurden, habe ich endgültig den Faden verloren und die Serie Serie sein lassen. Bedauern tue ich es nicht wirklich.

East Bound and Down

Ehrlich gesagt, ist mir erst bei der Recherche zum Serienguide wieder bewusst geworden, dass ich ja auch mal irgendwann im Sommer 2008 den Piloten zur HBO-Comedy East Bound And Down sah und mir dieser damals sogar ziemlich gut gefiel. Da der Pilot damals allerdings sehr frühzeitig als Pre Air-Version geleakt wurde, hatte ich ihn bis zum tatsächlichen Serienstart wieder aus den Augen verloren.

Es war zwar kein überragender Pilot, aber doch eine ganz witzige und HBO-typisch unflätige Geschichte über den abgehalfterten Ex-Baseballprofi Kenny Powers, der wider Willen in seiner Heimatschule als Sportlehrer anheuert, um nach einem deprimierenden Ende seiner Karriere irgendwie versucht über die Runden zu kommen. Danny McBride in der Hauptrolle war schon ziemlich klasse, dazu noch Will Ferrell in einer Nebenrolle und natürlich ganz HBO-like alles schön unzensiert. Wäre vielleicht auch mal wieder einen Blick wert…

Eleventh Hour

Dröge bis zum geht nicht mehr war der Pilot dieser „Bio-Mystery-Ermittler-Serie“, die bei mir so gar keinen Anklang finden wollte. Vielleicht hing es damit zusammen, dass ich kurz zuvor eine von Stimmung, Machart und Ansatz her sehr ähnliche Serie begonnen hatte (Fringe), deren Pilot mich zwar auch nicht vom Hocker riss, aber doch im Direktvergleich gewann (und meinen Mystery-Bedarf schon hinreichend abdecken konnte). In Anbetracht der Absetzung von Eleventh Hour, habe ich dann im Nachhinein wohl auch aufs richtige Pferd gesetzt.

HawthoRNe

Ein weiteres Sommerloch-Spülobjekt war diese Krankenhausserie mit Jada Pinkett-Smith in der Rolle der alles wissenden und immer Lösungen findenden Chefkrankenschwester Christina Hawthorne. Zwar habe ich es bis Folge 7 oder so ausgehalten in Ermangelung von Alternativen, aber dann ging mir diese allwissende Nurse, die immer unfehlbar ist, doch irgendwann kräftig auf den Zeiger. Zumal auch der Rest der Serie dies nicht mal im Ansatz kompensieren kann, da es nur um die gleichen Wer-Mit-Wem-Spielchen geht, die eine Serie wie Grey’s Anatomy viel besser und spannender und mit mehr Sexappeal und Glamour inszeniert. Und mit dem wesentlich besseren Soundtrack.

Eine Serie, die die Welt nicht braucht.

My Own Worst Enemy

Christian Slater als Hauptdarsteller einer Serie war natürlich schon mal eine Hausnummer. Und auch die Grundidee von Geheimagenten, deren Cover als parallele Identitäten in ihrem Gehirn eingespeichert sind, klang zumindest interessant. Schließlich ist der Ansatz der Serie zu zeigen, wie dieses System nicht mehr fehlerfrei funktioniert und die Identitäten plötzlich und unkontrolliert anfangen zu wechseln.

Die Serie begann dann auch ganz ordentlich mit gutem Tempo, aber mit der Zeit verzettelte sie sich dann leider auch immer mehr. Vieles blieb unklar, ohne dass es aber eine Struktur gab, die die Serie wirklich vorantrieb und zudem konnte man auf der inhaltlichen Seite viele der technischen Dinge nur mit wirklich großem Augenzudrücken akzeptieren.

Dementsprechend kam die vorzeitige Absetzung denn auch nicht ganz so überraschend, denn die breite Masse (inklusive mir) konnte die Serie trotz der relativen Starpower nicht erreichen.

The Ex-List

Eine weitere vorzeitig abgesetzte Serie war „The Ex-List“, eine Comedy, in der es um eine junge Frau geht, der vorhergesagt wurde, dass sie ihren zukünftigen Ehemann schon mal früher gedatet hat. Daraufhin macht sie sich daran, alle ihre „Ex-Freunde“ wieder zu treffen, um herauszufinden, wer dies ist.

Klingt grundsätzlich nicht schlecht, war in der Umsetzung aber maximal leidlich okay und wurde dann auch schneller wieder abgesetzt, als ich mich wirklich einfinden konnte. Lediglich schade vielleicht um Hauptdarstellerin Elizabeth Reaser.

True Blood

Bei True Blood ist es auch eine eher gemischtere Angelegenheit. Tolle Bilder, solide Story, exzellente Produktionsqualität, gute Schauspieler – und doch hat es bei mir nicht so recht gefunkt. Woran es genau liegt, kann ich nicht sagen. Vielleicht, weil mir das Thema der Geschichte an sich nicht so ganz zusagt, da ich mit dieser Vampir-Mystik nur bedingt etwas anfagen kann.

Da halt dann auch eben hier wieder die Zeitlimits griffen, habe ich, trotz der wundervollen und anbetungswürdigen Anna Paquin, so bei Folge 7 oder 8 irgendwann aufgehört weiter zu schauen. Immerhin, die restlichen Folgen der ersten Staffel liegen hier weiterhin noch auf Halde und könnten u.U. durchaus demnächst noch geschaut werden.

Aber deswegen ist dieser Abschnitt eben auch mit „Misfits“ überschrieben und nicht mit „Scheiss-Serien“. Es passte halt einfach nicht.

United States of Tara

Ebenfalls nicht gepasst hat diese ambitionierte Serie mit Toni Colette in der Hauptrolle, die eine Mutter mit multipler Persönlichkeitsstörung spielt und deren Familienleben diese Serie als zentrales Thema genommen hat. Auch hier wiederum wirklich hochwertig produziert, mit guten Schauspielern und schönen Dialogen – aber eben halt nichts, was mich so richtig fesselte, so dass ich hier sogar schon nach drei Episoden die Lust verlor, um weiter dran zu bleiben.

Valentine

Hauptsächlich habe ich damals in den Piloten reingeschaut wegen Hauptdarstellerin Jaime Murray, die mir in ihrer Rolle bei DEXTER schon sehr gut gefiel. Dieses Produkt, das auf CW ausgestrahlt wurde und sich um eine Familie von Göttern dreht, die unter den normalen Menschen lebt, ist allerdings doch eher sehr überflüssig gewesen und insgesamt sehr kitschig und seifig, so dass das Schauen nun wirklich keinen Spaß machte. Auch die Absetzung folgte dann recht bald und auch durchaus zurecht.

Mehr dann demnächst. Irgendwann. Vielleicht morgen. Vielleicht in zwei Monaten. Wir werden sehen. =)
[Dann aber auf jeden Fall mit Sex, Sekretärinnen, Switch-Geschichten, Survivaltalenten und äh Handwerkern]

]]> http://michaeljlewis.wordpress.com/2009/09/02/rescue-me-and-weeds-sign-off-in-style/ Wed, 02 Sep 2009 06:13:37 +0000 michaeljlewis http://michaeljlewis.wordpress.com/2009/09/02/rescue-me-and-weeds-sign-off-in-style/

So for most people who watch TV, the summer is the boring, slow, nothing-on time.

For me, it’s when the best stuff is aired. My two favorite shows left on air (since ABC stupidly killed “Dirty Sexy Money,” and yeah, I’ll get over it eventually) both ended fantastic seasons the last two nights, and since I can’t call every one of you and discuss the season finales of “Rescue Me” and “Weeds,” well, that’s what this blog is for!

Warning: If you’re a fan of the shows and haven’t seen the season finales, you might wanna stop reading here until you’ve seen them. Because I’m gonna be talking about the shocking endings of both. OK, we now resume our regularly scheduled blog.

My first thought: They’re not really going to kill Tommy Gavin, are they?

After so many near-misses, after he survived a hundred building explosions, and Sheila drugging him and setting his house on fire, and all the other times he should’ve been killed, this is how they’re going to kill Tommy? Will crazy Uncle Teddy shooting him and then not letting anyone go for help?

It’s delicious to think they might have Denis Leary’s lead character die, and then have him come back and haunt people as some sort of revenge for Jimmy Keefe and Jesus and his son Connor (Tommy’s son, not Jesus’, that sentence sounded weird so I wanted to clarify) haunting him all these years.

But they’re not going to kill Tommy. Leary and co-creator Peter Tolan admitted as much in an interview I just read on TV Guide. They’ll find some way to keep him alive.

Still, pretty freakin’ great ending, to a great final episode of a great “Rescue Me” season. Before I go any further, I must pay homage again to Leary and the writers, for so many classic scenes and lines this year:

My three favorites have to be the “Sean’s penis has turned a different color, and everyone must weigh in,” the brilliantly written and acted scene where Lou completely turns the tables on Candy and steals all of her money and calls the cops on her (and the true beauty of that scene? We were waiting, waiting for Lou to turn on her, and finally get revenge. And just when I’d lost hope it was going to happen? BAM.),

And of course, the scene that had my wife and I laughing so hard we had to stop the DVR for 2 minutes, when Probie, Sean and Damian discuss “Carpe Diem” and Joba Chamberlain and Indians. You have to see it to believe it (and damn it I can’t find it on YouTube.)

Anyway, back to the season finale: I loved that finally someone said out loud why I’ve been wondering: Why are Sheila and Janet fighting so hard over Tommy?

Fantastic line, too by Maura Tierney’s character Kelly, about Sheila: “She’s like Joe Pesci with tits!” Perfect.

And the ending? Well, I guess it’s sort of coming full circle, though Teddy blaming Tommy for his wife’s death, because he was the bartender the night she got wasted, drove drunk and died, seemed a bit of a stretch. But Teddy’s always been a loose cannon, and his ending speech over a prone Tommy was picture-perfect.

Only 19 more episodes of “Rescue Me,” Leary and Tolan have announced; two more short seasons and the whole thing will be over.

I’m already missing the best show on TV.

OK, “Weeds.” Shane Botwin just kicks so much ass I can’t even tell you.

All year, we’ve seen no-longer little Shane go through a lot of crap on “Weeds,” the most subversive show going for five seasons now.

Dude got shot, he held a knife to some other guys’ throat, and he watched one of Esteban’s goons beat the holy hell out of a golfer at a driving range. Shane has some issues, no doubt. Ever since the first season when he wrote the greatest “white boy rap” ever (I’d embed it but my Mom reads this blog), and then shot that wild bear or whatever the hell it was roaming Agrestic, I knew Shane had some violence in him.

But killing evil Mexican puppeteer druglord Pilar with a croquet mallet was just brilliant.

Also loved seeing Celia put together her own drug cartel, with the terminally underrated Sanjay back in the fold! Now if they’d just bring Helia and Conrad back to the show, I’d be really happy. Seeing teenager Isabelle declaring herself the “brains” of the operation was fabulous; no one there could argue.

And of course, Andy hasn’t grown at all; wimps out completely when the nut-job from the abortion clinic Audra works at shows up to terrorize them. I love Andy; they always give him the best lines but man I just wish once in a while he’d act like a grown up. Esteban, too, seemed wildly wussy-ish (is that word? probably not) this season; he’s supposed to be this big powerful drug lord, and yet he’s powerless to control anyone in his life.

Fabulous season for Weeds, can’t wait for it to come back, and God bless Mary-Louise Parker for being such a fabulous actress on such a fabulous show.

OK, I’m done.

Oh yeah, my tennis blog from the U.S. Open, Day 2, is up: Check it out:

New DVD’s that will be added to our shelves on Tuesday August 18th.

Fast and Furious
Dragonball Evolution
Miss March
An American Affair
Angel of Death
Bart Got a Room
Green Lantern
Fifth Commandment
Juncture
Necessary Evil
• Hanna Montana, the Movie
• Last House on the Left
• Labor Pains
• Mutant Chronicles
• Streets of Blood
• High Noon
• Midnight Bayou
• Northern Lights
• Tribute
• Tyson
• Bridge to Nowhere
• Bundle
• Gradulation
• Lost Stallions: The Journey Home
• Love Comes Lately
• Pete’s Dragon
• Poker House
• Might Machines’s Ships Ahoy
• Dirty Sexy Money: Season 2
• Gossip Girl: Season 2

For more information on these movies such as ratings, synopsis, reviews, and video trailers click on the movie title above. This will open the NewThisWeek.ca website.

To be notified of new releases, sales, and contests > Sign Up to our E-Newsletter.

Montagem: Sanny Saraiva

Os fanáticos pelos enlatados norte-americanos – aqueles mesmos, alienantes e tal – têm infinitas razões para intensificar a devoção às mais inusitadas e imprevisíveis histórias advindas das esquizofrênicas cabeças de roteiristas do Tio Sam. Desde o início de agosto, séries consagradas exibem suas novas temporadas e emissoras lançam novas produções, que já estreiam despontando como novidades no inóspito e disputado cenário do entretenimento televisivo.

Como já é conhecido, o gerenciador desta, por assim dizer, miscelânea midiática é um assumido e compulsivo fã das séries americanas e repudia qualquer hipócrita manifestação contrária, de famigerados arautos da razão, a essa predileção.

A exemplo do ano passado, quando expus minhas impressões acerca desse próspero período e descrevi algumas de minhas preferências, tecerei comentários sobre as  séries que acompanho religiosamente.

Fall Season 2009/2010

Domingo, 2 de Agosto

Defying Gravity, 1ª temporada (ABC)

Sexta, 7 de Agosto

Psych, 4ª temporada (USA)
Monk, 8ª temporada (USA)

Domingo, 16 de Agosto

Mad Men, 3ª temporada (AMC) – Infelizmente ainda não encontrei brecha em minha atribulada agenda de ócio criativo para acompanhar esta série. Mas, confesso, o fato de ela, não raro, abocanhar as principais estatuetas do Grammy e do Emmy desperta em mim certa curiosidade e vontade de agregar mais esta a minha extensa lista.

Quarta, 19 de Agosto

Top Chef, 6ª temporada (Bravo)

Quinta, 20 de Agosto

Project Runway, 6ª temporada (Lifetime)

31 de agosto

Greek, 3ª temporada (ABC Family) – Acompanho, entusiasticamente, a saga de Casey, Rusty e cia desde o início. Greek fora produzida para preencher buraco de programação, no canal ABC Family. No entanto, com um roteiro afiado e maroto, embora um tanto pueril, a série conquistou seu espaço e cativou um público-alvo específico. Para tanto, os responsáveis pelo seriado utilizaram-se de fórmulas consagradas – por vezes, batida – no intuito de estabelecer um padrão temático e constituir fiéis seguidores. A única ressalva que tenho em relação à essa terceira temporada, é o fato de a trama ter perdido sua vilã-mor, a ardilosa Frannie. Os roteiristas terão que se desdobrar para darem continuidade aos inusitados conflitos, outrora, ocasionados pela referida antagonista. No mais, a série tem tudo para emplacar mais uma bem-sucedida temporada.

Terça, 8 de Setembro

90210, 2ª temporada (CW)
Melrose Place (2009), 1ª temporada (CW)
Sons of Anarchy, 2ª temporada (FX)

Quarta, 9 de Setembro

America’s Next Top Model, 13ª temporada (CW)
Glee, 1ª temporada (FOX)

Quinta, 10 de Setembro

Supernatural, 5ª temporada (CW)
The Vampire Diaries, 1ª temporada (CW)

Segunda, 14 de setembro

Gossip Girl, 3ª temporada (CW) – Assim como já explicitei em algumas ocasiões, repito: Gossip Girl é a malhação de luxo dos nova-iorquinos. O roteiro é absurdamente superficial e, às vezes, de uma ingenuidade risível. Contudo, acredito que o glamour e os mistérios que circundam a vida dos personagens contribuem para que o congênere do seriado global se sobressaia em alguns aspectos. A famigerada temática de idas e vindas de casais, que, em tese, nasceram para ficarem juntos (Dan e Serena; Chuck e Blair), sempre proporciona bons momentos, além das armações dos autoproclamados antagonistas. A expectativa da temporada fica por conta do surgimento do meio-irmão de Dan e Serena.
The Jay Leno Show, 1ª temporada (NBC)

One Tree Hill, 7ª temporada (CW) – Dramalhão mexicano sem precedentes, que deixei de acompanhar há muito.

16 de Setembro

Bones, 5ª temporada (FOX)
Community, 1ª temporada (NBC)
Fringe, 2ª temporada (FOX)
It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, 5ª temporada (FX)
Parks and Recreation, 2ª temporada (NBC)
Survivor: Samoa (CBS)
The Office, 6ª temporada (NBC) – Comédia sofisticada. Tão sofisticada a ponto de, em certos momentos, não ser engraçada. Acompanho-a esporadicamente, mas, normalmente rende cenas antológicas.

Domingo, 20 de Setembro

Curb Your Enthusiasm, 7ª temporada (HBO)
Bored to Death, 1ª temporada (HBO)

Segunda, 21 de Setembro

Accidentally on Purpose, 1ª temporada (CBS)
The Big Bang Theory, 3ª temporada (CBS)
Castle, 2ª temporada (ABC)
CSI: Miami, 8ª temporada (CBS)
Dancing With the Stars, 9ª temporada (ABC)
Heroes, 4ª temporada (NBC)
Two and a Half Men, 7ª temporada (CBS)

House, 6ª temporada (FOX)– Esta, certamente, está inclusa no meu Top Five de séries. É incrível a capacidade de David Shore e dos demais roteiristas deste aclamado seriado de se reinventar a cada nova temporada, reservando, sempre, situações absolutamente inesperadas. Falar da interpretação de Hugh Laurie é redundância, a julgar pela quantidade de indicações em Emmys e Grammys que ele conquistou. Na última temporada, havia o receio pela substituição da equipe do Dr. House, no entanto, o terrificante, degradante e genial processo seletivo imposto por House pulverizou qualquer preocupação acerca da troca de subalternos. Ao contrário, a modificação revitalizou a história e deu novo ritmo à trama. O único percalço fora a súbita saída do Kutner (Kal Penn), que, para os que ainda desconhecem, debandou da série em função de compromissos políticos assumidos com a gestão Obama. A despeito da próxima temporada, muitas surpresas aguardam o séquito de fanáticos seguidores do seriado, a começar pela estadia de House em uma clínica psiquiátrica.

How I Met Your Mother, 5ª temporada (CBS) – Atualmente, esta é a minha série de comédia predileta, ao lado de 30 Rock. É impossível não se entregar às desventuras de Ted Mosby para encontrar a mãe de seus filhos e às inapeláveis, por vezes rascantes, encrencas que seus amigos Marshall, Robin, Lily e Barney se metem. Em sua quinta temporada, parece que finalmente contemplaremos os decisivos momentos que culminarão no esperado encontro da mulher que se casará com Tedy e, com ele, terá dois filhos.

Terça, 22 de Setembro

The Forgotten, 1ª temporada (ABC)
The Good Wife, 1ª temporada (CBS)
NCIS, 7ª temporada (CBS)
NCIS: Los Angeles, 1ª temporada (CBS)

Quarta, 23 de Setembro

Cougar Town, 1ª temporada (ABC)
Criminal Minds, 5ª temporada (CBS)
CSI: NY, 6ª temporada (CBS)
Eastwick, 1ª temporada (ABC)
Gary Unmarried, 2ª temporada (CBS)
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, 11ª temporada (NBC)
Modern Family, 1ª temporada (ABC)
The New Adventures of Old Christine, 5ª temporada (CBS) – Outra que acompanho bem tangencialmente, mas, que, sempre, acabo gostando.
Parenthood, 1ª temporada (NBC)

Quinta, 24 de Setembro

CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, 10ª temporada (CBS)
Flash Forward, 1ª temporada (ABC)
Grey’s Anatomy, 6 ª temporada (ABC)
The Mentalist, 2ª temporada (CBS)

Sexta, 25 de Setembro

Brothers, 1ª temporada (FOX)
Dollhouse, 2ª temporada (FOX)
Ghost Whisperer, 5ª temporada (CBS)
Law & Order, 20ª temporada (NBC)
Medium, 6ª temporada (CBS)
Numb3rs, 6ª temporada (CBS)

Smallville, 9ª temporada (CW) – Os fãs do super boy que me perdoem, mas, com a saída de Lana e Lex da trama, esta série perdeu a razão de ser e de existir. Simplesmente a ignorei e a deixei de lado. Em minha opinião, Smallville clama por um final digno, o quanto antes. Não há mais fôlego para sua continuidade.

Southland, 2ª temporada (NBC)

Sábado, 26 de Setembro

Saturday Night Live, 35ª temporada (NBC)

Domingo, 27 de Setembro

The Amazing Race, 15ª temporada (CBS)
American Dad, 5ª temporada (FOX)

Brothers & Sisters, 4ª temporada (ABC) – Atualmente, esta atração é, sem sombra de dúvida, a minha predileta. É simplesmente impossível não se sensibilizar diante do carisma que emana naturalmente da família Walker. Sally Field está sensacional como matriarca de uma gigantesca e pródiga prole. Seus cinco filhos, todos eles com características absurdamente únicas, proporcionam momentos de descontração, drama, comédia e suspense, sempre mantendo uma verossimilhança assustadora com os hábitos familiares. Em dados momentos, a comunhão dos personagens é tamanha, que facilmente somos transportados a um plano no qual, ilusoriamente, pensamos que eles realmente fazem parte de uma mesma família. A depender da sua situação emocional, é provável que, em algum momento desta série, você já tenha ansiado ter uma mãe tal como a Nora; uma astuta irmã, como a Kitty; ou cálida, como a Sarah; ou um perspicaz, como o Kevin. Enfim, sou fã incondicional desta brilhante produção e faço votos de que sua vida útil se estenda por muitos e produtivos anos.

Californication, 3ª temporada (Showtime) – Aguardo ansiosamente – quase em cólicas – pela terceira temporada desta série. Com um roteiro sagaz, ágil e despudorado, Californication é uma das séries mais inovadoras da atualidade. É inevitável não torcer pelo protagonista, o escritor Hank Moody (David Duchovny), ante as agruras impostas pela vida em função de decisões equivocadas. Todos os personagens são essencialmente peculiares e marcantes. Becca, a filha de Hank; Karen, a ex; Charlie, o agente; Mia, a ninfeta; e Marcy, mulher de Charlie. Esta nova fase mostrará o dia a dia de pai (Hank) e filha (Becca), agora, morando juntos, já que a mãe, Karen, foi para Nova York.

The Cleveland Show, 1ª temporada (FOX)
Cold Case, 7ª temporada (CBS)

Desperate Housewives, 6ª temporada (ABC) – A última temporada terminou de forma eletrizante, com a morte de Edie, a volta de Susan e Mike, a derrocada de Dave, a nova gravidez de Lynette Scavo e muito mais. São premissas auspiciosas que permitem que vislumbremos uma nova etapa em Wisteria Lane, repleta de situações inusitadas, dramas, comédia, surpresas. A exemplo do roteiro inventivo de House, Desperate Housewives adentra à sua sexta temporada com fôlego de sobra e muitas histórias para se explorar. Mais uma vez, certamente, seremos presenteados com um show de interpretação das quatro protagonistas deste seriado, que também habita a lista do meu Top Five.

Dexter, 4ª temporada (Showtime) – Como um serial-killer reage ante a paternidade? Esta é a pergunta que todos os fãs de Dexter estão se fazendo no momento, às vésperas de a quarta temporada inaugurar os trabalhos. Provavelmente este será o mote que norteará as ações da nova fase de Dexter, uma série instigante e envolvente, haja vista a dose de tensão e suspense que permeia todas as situações. O elenco é afiadíssimo e Michael C. Hall incorpora o protagonista de forma visceral. A depender da situação, é quase impossível cerrar os olhos durante um episódio sob risco de se perder algum detalhe determinante para os rumos da trama.

Family Guy, 8ª temporada (FOX)

The Simpsons, 21ª temporada (FOX) – Tenho sido uma ovelha desgarrada deste decano das séries. Mas, faço questão de ressaltar, ainda compartilho da ideia de vitaliciedade a esta sensacional produção.

Segunda, 28 de Setembro

Lie to Me, 2ª temporada (FOX)
Trauma, 1ª temporada (NBC)

Quarta, 30 de Setembro

Hank, 1ª temporada (ABC)
The Middle, 1ª temporada (ABC)

Quinta, 1º de Outubro

Private Practice, 3ª temporada (ABC)

Sexta, 2 de Outubro

‘Til Death, 4ª temporada (FOX)
Stargate Universe, 1ª temporada (Syfy)

Terça, 6 de Outubro

Scare Tactics, 1ª temporada (Syfy)

Nip/Tuck, 6ª temporada (FX) – Acompanho Nip Tuck desde o início. Assisti a todas as cinco temporadas e, portanto, posso afirma com propriedade que esta série descambou para o lado circense (ridículo). Os dramas e tragédias se potencializaram de tal modo que se tornaram cômicos. Os inesperados destinos de Sean e Cristian desagradaram a todos – sem falar da Julia. Não é que a série tenha perdido o fôlego, mas, sim, o fio da meada. Até pouco tempo atrás, considerava-a inovadora por explorar temas intocados, porém, agora, para mim, ela não passa de mais uma produção banal que aborda questões superficiais, sem a menor importância.

Quarta, 7 de Outubro

South Park, 13ª temporada (Comedy Central)

Sexta, 9 de Outubro

Sanctuary, 1ª temporada (Syfy)
Ugly Betty, 4ª temporada (ABC)

Quinta, 15 de Outubro

30 Rock, 4ª temporada (NBC) – Destaco dois pontos principais desta série genial e, por vezes, incompreendida: o roteiro e os atores. O texto é de uma primazia e agilidade inquestionável, com sacadas atuais e sagazes. A atuação de todo o elenco é impecável – diria impagável. Há uma sintonia singular entre todos. A relação entre Liz e Jack é indescritivelmente cômica. Os demais personagens compõem uma confraria de humor extremamente refinado: Tracy é hilário; a Jena, indefectível; e o Kenneth, surreal. No seu terceiro ano, 30 Rock continuará a exibir as investidas de Jack em sua mesopotâmica missão de ascender ao cargo máximo da NBC; as peripécias da vida privada de Liz Lemon; e as mazelas da intrépida trupe do mais improvável programa de TV.

Terça, 3 de Novembro

V, 1ª temporada (ABC)

2010 – Estreias e séries confirmadas

Caprica, 1ª temporada – 22 de Janeiro
24, 8ª temporada – Janeiro
American Idol, 9ª temporada – Janeiro
LOST, 6ª temporada – Janeiro
Damages, 3ª temporada – Sem data confirmada
Breaking Bad, 3ª temporada – Sem data confirmada

Chuck, 3ª temporada – Sem data confirmada – Sou um apaixonado inveterado pelas maluquices de Chuck e da sua destemida equipe de agentes secretos do governo norte-americano. Surpreendentemente, em vias de iniciar sua terceira temporada, Chuck ainda não caiu no gosto popular. Uma pena, pois suas histórias são envolventes, intrigantes e geram incontáveis expectativas acerca do futuro do Intersect, da relação de Chuck com Sarah e das mazelas vivenciadas na Buy More. Nesse novo ano, a apreensão dos fãs da série reside em dois pontos: quais serão os desdobramentos das novas habilidades adquiridas pelo personagem principal; e se essa será será a derradeira temporada da série, uma vez que seus produtores já deram mostras de que não estão satisfeitos com o desempenho da produção em termos de audiência.

Party Down, 2ª temporada – Sem data confirmada
Royal Pains, 2ª temporada – Sem data confirmada
Burn Notice, 4ª temporada – Sem data confirmada

Weeds, 6ª temporada – Sem data confirmada – Comecei a acompanhá-la há pouco, no entanto, já reuni subsídios suficientes para constatar de que se trata de uma série imperdível. A temática é inovadora – rompe uma série de tabus e paradigmas, por tocar em um assunto normalmente posto de lado em sociedades permeadas pela hipocrisia moral (maconha). A protagonista Nancy é apaixonante e seus complexos filhos, encantadores.

Big Love, 4ª temporada – Sem data confirmada
Dexter, 5ª temporada – Sem data confirmada
Entourage, 7ª temporada – Sem data confirmada

Hung, 2ª temporada – Sem data confirmada – Atualmente, Hung está próxima do final de sua temporada inaugural. À primeira vista, a série é aviltante; traz para os nossos lares um tema árido, nem um pouco frugal, de difícil absorção. Porém, com o desenrolar da trama, o telespectador acaba desenvolvendo uma grande empatia com o personagem principal, Richard. A despeito da premissa inicial do seriado, que, para os desavisados, pode soar como pornográfica, os roteiristas conduzem a questão da exploração do dote fálico do protagonista de maneira sutil e bem real. Portanto, não há motivos para temer possíveis cenas cujo mote lascivo possa ferir os princípios de ditos puritanos.

True Blood, 3ª temporada – Sem data confirmada – Como abordar a temática de vampiros sem descambar para o ridículo, a fanfarronice e a bizarrice? Longe de ser a panacéia das produções artísticas desse segmento, True Blood surgiu com uma poesia contemporânea inserida nesse contexto de vampiros. Há momentos, sim, em que há certa apelação, mas, nunca, de forma ridícula. A interpretação de Anna Paquin, como Sookie, é visceral, intensa e extremamente convincente. Há de se ressaltar, também, a peculiar beleza da referida protagonista. Agora, sei que serei alvo de críticas, Stephen Moyer, como Bill, deixa muito a desejar, sobretudo em cenas que demandam maior expressividade e elevadas doses de drama. Falo isso mesmo levando em conta que o personagem de um vampiro milenar deve ser de uma impassibilidade marmórea quase inexorável, mas, ainda assim, Stephen se perde na tentativa de transparecer uma aura austera. Os demais personagens dão um verdadeiro show: Jason, Sam, Tara, Lafayette, entre outros. A série está no auge de sua segunda temporada e, portanto, seria incoerente de minha parte projetar a terceira, sendo que muitas incógnitas ainda estão por se descortinar.

Friday Night Lights, 4ª temporada – Sem data confirmada
Friday Night Lights, 5ª temporada – Sem data confirmada
Nurse Jackie, 2ª temporada – Sem data confirmada
Scrubs, 9ª temporada – Sem data confirmada
United States of Tara, 2ª temporada – Sem data confirmada
Happy Town, 1ª temporada – Sem data confirmada
In Plain Sight, 3ª temporada – Sem data confirmada

Das novidades do primeiro semestre deste ano, a única que aparentemente não emplacou foi: Mental. O que não representa nenhuma surpresa, já que, assim como mencionei em outra oportunidade, a série já iniciara suas atividades com uma mácula: roteiro batido – clínica, médicos, casos quase impossíveis, destemida equipe, doutor rompedor de paradigmas e eticamente questionável.

Para finalizar este imenso post, gostaria de acrescentar a essa pródiga lista de produções, a série The Diary of Anne Frank, produzida pela BBC de Londres. Dividida em cinco emocionantes episódios, a trama é baseada no diário da menina judia Anne Frank que, ao lado de sua família e outros judeus, viveu reclusa por dois anos num sótão de um prédio, na Holanda, durante a Segunda Guerra Mundial. Durante essa estadia, Anne compôs um diário, com esmero e destreza gramatical digna de grandes escritores, contendo relatos sobre o dia a dia naquele lugar e as impressões que tinha acerca dos outros e das relações que matinha. Após deflagrado o esconderijo e Anne e sua família serem levadas a campos de concentração, o diário fora encontrado por uma amiga e, posteriormente, publicado, tornando-se um Best-Seller, traduzido para diversos idiomas. Na série, é espantosa semelhança da garota que interpreta Anne com a real. O elenco, correto e irrepreensível, consegue traduzir perfeitamente o terror e o pânico os quais a família fora submetida à época.

Not only is this the day that Sons of Anarchy gets released on DVD and Blu-Ray we are also sponsoring a giveaway of three of the titles that are coming out today.  Lots to talk about so let’s get right to it.

• Sons of Anarchy: Season One & Sons of Anarchy: Season 1 [Blu-ray]- If you’ve been reading this site for a while you know about my love for FX’s gritty show Sons of Anarchy, set in the world of outlaw motorcycle gangs.  In my opinion it was the best new show on TV last year.  I can’t wait tot get to the store this morning and pick this title up.  The new season starts mid-September so hurry up and get ready!

• Dexter: The Complete Third Season & Dexter: The Complete Third Season [Blu-ray]- Dexter is Amazon’s best selling DVD right now.  Not too shabby for a show about a seriel killer that’s on showtime.
• Dirty Sexy Money: The Complete and Final Second Season- I just realized that we have releases from 2 of the main characters from HBO’s Six Feet Under being released today.  I’m giving away a copy of this DVD here on the site later today, so come back and check it out.
• Everybody Hates Chris: The Final Season
• Gossip Girl: The Complete Second Season
• iCarly: Season 2, Vol. 1
• Eli Stone: The Complete Second Season- Another title that we will be giving away later today.
• Man vs Wild: Season Three
• Greek: Chapter Three- The last title that we are giving away today.  I haven’t watched Greek, but I hear wonderful things about it.

The Simpsons: The Complete Twelfth Season & The Simpsons: The Complete Twelfth Season (Limited Edition Comic Book Guy Head Packaging)- Remember when The Simpsons was good?  This was it.  Season 12 was right there in the heart of the run that made this show legend.  Why would you not buy the Limited Edition version of this DVD?

Wow, what a great week for TVontheDVD.  I need to go home and start watching right now!

Here is a silly picture of Peter Krause they have on ABC.com, and that fact is exactly my reaction to what I just watched.

These last few episodes weren’t terrible but by the last one I remembered what problems I had with it and why this show did get canceled. Way to much Blair Underwood and Lucy Liu. I don’t know if they became the central focus because of who they were but it really slowed the show down. I didn’t care for their plotlines and it took away from what the first season was about, the crazy antics of the Darling family. In fact I felt like the Darling’s became so removed from the show that really the entire thing just centered around was the Nick/Lisa drama, Simon Elder being a bastard (and a lame one mind you), and Nola Lyons trying to get her brother back. If they didn’t try to have these “serious” plots mixed in with the crazy plots then things wouldn’t have unraveled so bad.

By plots I mean the ones that the show took seriously. I found the whole thing to be ridiculous but the writers and producers thought the audience would by into the ludicrous plots of organic gasoline and former spouses fighting on a Today Show esque talk show.  Why do I hate those plots yet I am fine with Jeremy Darling having fake amnesia or Brian moving into his half-brothers apartment instead of to a hotel? Because the latter two are completely acceptable because all of the Darlings are immature and make terrible decisions. When supposedly smart and grounded characters like Nola Lyons are stabbing people with scissors it makes it takes us out of the play world of the Darlings and makes the situation look contrived.

The first episode back “The Facts” was a terrible plot about the chauffeur telling a reporter these fake lies so that she would use him as her confidant. It was useless and all of the plots were stupid and underdeveloped.

The only episode I actually enjoyed was probably “The Convertible.” It mainly focused around Glenn Fitzgerald and Natalie Zea as they drove in a car (ridiculous yet completely Darling) to their destinations in Washington D.C. after their plane almost crashed. Karen was looking for a sperm donor and Brian was meeting up with his ex-wife. It also had some genuine moments in it and the whole episode wasn’t focused at all on those I said above. Yes there was a Lisa storyline but who cares for that.

The last two just got really muddy as they tried to wrap some story lines up and even began a few that will of course never pan out. We learned that Dutch, Nick’s father, is in fact alive she of course is a big middle finger to the audience who wanted to know which Darling did him in. Plus we hardly saw Tripp at all. Was Donald Sutherland to buy or to ashamed to be working on this show by then?

I had to watch it to see how it ended and I was disappointed. Supposedly this show had time to rewrite the ending so I don’t know where it went because things were open ended at the end and just ridiculously drawn out. Maybe if I see the second DVD on sale for 10 dollars I’ll pick it up but right now I have no plans on ever watching this again.

But if you want to watch a great first season, then pick it up, this second one is a joke.

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“There is a place in this world, a place in the human heart, for vengeance.” —Tripp Darling, DIRTY SEXY MONEY

Garret Dillahunt plays Roman Nevikov, a Russian gangster working the system as a federally protected witness, on LIFE. He plays Roman as slightly less human than the triple-8 he portrays on TERMINATOR: THE SARAH CONNOR CHRONICLES. On the other hand, Sarah Shahi showcased Dani Reese’s human side more than ever when Dani started drinking again. She actually showed up at Charlie’s place soused! (When he asked if she’d been drinking, she replied, “Since I was 12.”) She revealed she needed to be liquored up to ask him what he knows about her crooked father. Tidwell was very protective of her (after all, he wants her to meet his father!), and ordered her back to AA — 90 meetings in 90 days.

•Charlie shot his own father — do you think there’s something Oedipal about that? 
•I think Charlie drives around in a car full of bullet holes because the car is just like him: battered but still rolling on.
•Charlie arranged bodyguards for Ted in the big house. “This is the world,” the tough guy mused. “That’s something Charlie Crews taught me.”
•Agent Wagner is becoming more and more special every week. He showed up when Charlie called the Joint Terrorism Task Force about a threat to a federal building.

The episode ended with a cliffhanger when Charlie was shot by an unknown assailant. Well, everyone has been telling him lately that he’s making a big mistake, so… Never fear, Charlie fans: LIFE returns to the schedule on Feb. 4.

Previously on DIRTY SEXY MONEY, Chase crashed Patrick’s inauguration to spray the podium with bullets. Last night’s episode picked up the action several weeks later with a news report (featuring Ty Treadway): Nick was winged, Jeremy suffered amnesia, Chase was gunned down and left in a coma — and poor Carmelita was killed! The story centered on the comatose Chase: his wife was fighting his DNR order when all the Darlings (and Simon Elder) wanted his plug pulled. Not helping: Chase actually woke up for 90 seconds right on cue, just like any self-respecting soap character, to “prove” he wasn’t entirely dead. But the real drama was about Nick. He and Lisa split, and were in the middle of trying to decide how to share custody of Kiki. With that emotional backdrop Chase’s wife put her 10-year-old daughter on the witness stand to plead that her comatose Daddy be allowed to live. This cut Nick to the quick, because Lisa was trying to cut him out of Kiki’s life — much like Nick’s own father had been suddenly yanked out of his life. Nick’s brother Brian, meanwhile was contemplating severing his marriage to Andrea. Brian got to make a wonderful speech in a really terrific scene that gave Glenn Fitzgerald a chance to really sink his teeth into the material. Here’s hoping he earned himself another job now that DSM has been iced. Brian and brother Nick raised an intriguing possibility: Is Dutch actually still alive? Does he have $1.6 million lying around to spend on a giant pipe organ? And does Tripp have a soul? “There is a place in this world, a place in the human heart, for vengeance,” the patriarch intoned while trying to egg his son Patrick into killing the helpless Chase. (He refused.) Way to share the holiday spirit, Tripp!

Who would have expected NCIS to be filled with the Christmas spirit? Pondering what gift to give surly Gibbs, goth doll/lab rat Abby asked that eternal Christmas question, “What do you get the man who has nothing — and wants nothing?” I was taken by surprise by Abby’s Christmas spirit. She was positively enchanted by a visiting doctor who was dressed as Santa, and revealed that she hasn’t slept on Christmas Eve since she was 4. Gibbs showed some holiday benevolence by hugging Abby, and she later retaliated by planting mistletoe in her lab as an excuse to plant one on Gibbs’ cheek. She left a bright lipstick mark on his cheek, and he gave her a wry stare.

Using the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in a Christmas story was a curious decision, because no other landmark in Washington, D.C., conjures such feelings of sadness. I have visited the memorial, and it is a powerful experience that I highly recommend. The black edifice itself is oppressive in its starkness and the simplicity of its message — the names of 58,256 dead and missing service personnel — is overwhelming. Even if you are too young to remember the conflict, just being confronted by the massive wall of names is an emotional experience. And maybe that’s what the-powers-that-be were looking for from this holiday story: to tug the heartstrings hard, and remind folks that, just like DiNozzo’s movie, as long as you have people who love you, It’s a Wonderful Life.

Everybody thinks THE MENTALIST’s Simon Baker is wonderful, and while his particular personal charms are lost on me, I do like his show. And I will watch anything featuring the gifted actor Gregory Itzin, best known as the dastardly President Logan from 24. In this week’s episode, Patrick revealed that he had a mental breakdown and was confined to a facility. When his former psychiatrist, Dr. Sophie Miller, was accused of murder, Patrick insisted on helping her. Dr. Miller was played by Elisabeth Rohm, whom you might remember as the sudden lesbian ADA Serena Southerlyn from LAW & ORDER, but I recall her as Detective Kate Lockley, vampire Angel’s not-quite love interest from ANGEL. We got periodic flashbacks of Patrick’s stay at the facility, peppered into a story about murder at a research lab that claimed to have invented a machine that could alter human morality. How ironic then, that Patrick exploited the basic human urge toward good morality to elicit a confession from the bad guy. Now that’s what I call psyching someone out.

There was no doubt what the story of the night was: Laurence Fishburne joining CSI, the top-rated scripted series on TV. When I tuned in, I was pleasantly surprised to see Grissom (William Peterson) calmly and casually resign before the opening credits. Anybody who was going to watch the episode already knew Peterson was departing and Fishburne was coming in, so I’m glad the-powers-that-be did not try to drag out the reveal for the whole episode. Fishburne plays Dr. Raymond Langston, a former pathologist who now works as “an itinerant college lecturer” specializing in teaching about the mentality of criminals.

Fishburne, better known as Morpheus in the Matrix movies, was introduced slowly, presumably so he would not appear to be taking over. He had little to do last night except establish his character as an intelligent guy who is brave enough to stand up to a serial killer, cops, and a lecture hall full of underclassmen. That’s because Langston just happens to be teaching a course in Las Vegas on Nathan Haskell, an incarcerated mass murderer who chatted with Langston’s class via Webcast. Bill Irwin, who is known for his comedic roles, here turns in a cool, reserved performance as the murderous Nathan Haskell. Maybe it was the horn-rimmed glasses. (Once again, the fashion statement of choice for guys; perhaps I should get myself a set of those frames! Would that make me as awesome as HRG on HEROES?) Haskell’s demeanor telegraphed a sense of power and control. (He doesn’t need to wild gestures to attract attention.) Haskell’s calm permeated everything.

The storyline was some confusing gobbledygook about a serial-killer copycat who just happened to kill a previously unknown assistant to notorious killer Haskell. (Was somebody watching LIFE? See below.) But the really atmospheric filming engaged my curiosity. Perhaps it was the knowledge that Grissom was leaving, or just the oppressive shadows that dominated every scene, but the episode was shot through with a sense of dread and foreboding. The soundstages were barely lit, so sometimes it was tough to figure out who was speaking — but it looked good.

Speaking of looking good on the surface, ELEVENTH HOUR continues to be a bit disappointing to me, because it still plays like HOUSE with a location budget. I think Dr. Hood needs to face more non-medical mysteries. He’s supposed to be the FBI’s science adviser, so how come he’s only used on medical cases? Perhaps it’s time to import David Duchovney) and investigate some alleged aliens? Rufus Sewell and Marley Shelton deserve better and more diverse material. Giving Hood a personal life — he actually (sort of) asked a woman out on a date for the first time — is a great first step. It’s worth noting that the original British version of this series only lasted four episodes, so the American adaptation is already ahead of the game.

The game was entering its final phases on SURVIVOR: GABON — EARTH’S LAST EDEN. Science teacher Bob has surprisingly emerged as the dominant player, winning four straight challenges and painting a target on his back. But he’s not the only threat. Sugar is proving to be an adept manipulator, and the secret to her power this week stemmed from her willingness to share information, such as revealing to the seemingly doomed Matty the members of her alliance, or cluing in Bob that the others were planning a blindside. Unfortunately, her Achilles heel appears to be her highly emotional state; she’s too quick to empathize (and get teary) with other players. Her insta-feelings for Matty proved highly entertaining when she gave him her Hidden Immunity Idol, thus sabotaging the other players who were hoping to pick off the physically powerful Matty. In the end, Crystal ended up getting the boot, because she garnered the second-highest number of votes.

Hard to believe, but it’s already time for the finale this Sunday. I’m going to go out on a limb and predict the final two will be Bob and Sugar, with Bob taking the prize, because the jury will feel he played a more straight-up game. However, I’m rootingfor Sugar.

I’m a bit out of the target demographic for Harlequin romances, so I have no idea if the “Dutch love spoon” cited as a key piece of evidence in the murder mystery on PUSHING DAISIES is real, but hey, this is a documentary, right? (Olive said the spoon is supposed to symbolize the sweetness lovers feed each other forever.) The spoon came up because Olive was helping Emerson investigate a murder involving a lighthouse-keeping family. (No, not light housekeeping!) In addition to Olive demonstrating aptitude as gumshoe, portrayer Kristen Chenoweth got to exercise her Broadway lungs again with a song! However, the episode was dominated by the antics of Chuck’s resurrected father, Charles Charles, who feared Ned would accidentally touch his daughter again and send her back to the Great Beyond. Charles warned the Piemaker to stay away from Chuck, or he would tell the world their secret. Charles moved in with Ned, but felt trapped and freakish. And not just because he’s a reanimated corpse — Charles actually preferred cake to pies!!! Horrors! Speaking of horrors, I was actually kind of shocked when the Ned/Charles conflict was externalized into a broom/mop fight. For a show the features so much death, violence is relatively rare, so to see two guys going at each other was a surprise. But that was more than counteracted by Olive obtaining themed rain slickers to battle the downpour that raged throughout the episode. She bought herself a raincoat with olives on it, Emerson Cod got one with fish (they looked like salmons to me, but could have been cod), and Ned’s was adorned with pies. What other show would dare such on-the-nose nonsense? It’s tragic this show has been clipped in the flower of its youth.

The very next hour also featured a type of flower – LIFE opened with a body buried up to its neck in the ground with flower petals arranged into a pattern around it. Why do I like this show? Because after the body was removed, Charlie climbed into the hole to get a corpse’s eye view of the crime scene. And he spotted a clue!

Much like Thursday’s CSI, this episode of LIFE concerned a possible serial killer copycat or “tribute killer.” Again, it was too complicated to follow the details (especially since characters were using assumed names!) but I did enjoy watching it unfold. I also enjoyed seeing soap veterans Jessica Dunphy (ex-Alison, AS THE WORLD TURNS; ex-Devin, THE SOPRANOS), Rachel Miner (ex-Michelle, GUIDING LIGHT; Dani, CALIFORNICATION) and Mary Gross (ex-Aunt Raylene, GENERAL HOSPITAL). Miner was especially effective as Squeaky, the breathy curator of a museum devoted to murder memorabilia, as was Gross, whose loopy delivery made her character’s tale of how her father killed a man while wearing handcuffs morbidly funny.

Surely Reese and Tidwell don’t think they can hide their relationship from Charlie? And how long will it last, seeing as he admitted he wants two kids, while Reese doesn’t want any? Poor Ted got violated back to jail in order to send Charlie the message that he has to play ball with the feds. Uh-oh…

Speaking of uh-oh, DIRTY SEXY MONEY ended with a cliff-hanger worthy of GH: Grief-addled Chase dressed as a cop to infiltrate Patrick’s swearing-in ceremony and open fire. But whom was he shooting at? Was Nick hit? Is Jeremy okay after hitting his head on the pavement? I’ll tell you this much: You do not want to miss next week’s episode…

There was no doubt what the story of the night was: Laurence Fishburne joining CSI, the top-rated scripted series on TV. When I tuned in, I was pleasantly surprised to see Grissom (William Peterson) calmly and casually resign before the opening credits. Anybody who was going to watch the episode already knew Peterson was departing and Fishburne was coming in, so I’m glad the-powers-that-be did not try to drag out the reveal for the whole episode. Fishburne plays Dr. Raymond Langston, a former pathologist who now works as “an itinerant college lecturer” specializing in teaching about the mentality of criminals.

Fishburne, better known as Morpheus in the Matrix movies, was introduced slowly, presumably so he would not appear to be taking over. He had little to do last night except establish his character as an intelligent guy who is brave enough to stand up to a serial killer, cops, and a lecture hall full of underclassmen. That’s because Langston just happens to be teaching a course in Las Vegas on Nathan Haskell, an incarcerated mass murderer who chatted with Langston’s class via Webcast. Bill Irwin, who is known for his comedic roles, here turns in a cool, reserved performance as the murderous Nathan Haskell. Maybe it was the horn-rimmed glasses. (Once again, the fashion statement of choice for guys; perhaps I should get myself a set of those frames! Would that make me as awesome as HRG on HEROES?) Haskell’s demeanor telegraphed a sense of power and control. (He doesn’t need to wild gestures to attract attention.) Haskell’s calm permeated everything.

The storyline was some confusing gobbledygook about a serial-killer copycat who just happened to kill a previously unknown assistant to notorious killer Haskell. (Was somebody watching LIFE? See below.) But the really atmospheric filming engaged my curiosity. Perhaps it was the knowledge that Grissom was leaving, or just the oppressive shadows that dominated every scene, but the episode was shot through with a sense of dread and foreboding. The soundstages were barely lit, so sometimes it was tough to figure out who was speaking — but it looked good.

Speaking of looking good on the surface, ELEVENTH HOUR continues to be a bit disappointing to me, because it still plays like HOUSE with a location budget. I think Dr. Hood needs to face more non-medical mysteries. He’s supposed to be the FBI’s science adviser, so how come he’s only used on medical cases? Perhaps it’s time to import David Duchovney) and investigate some alleged aliens? Rufus Sewell and Marley Shelton deserve better and more diverse material. Giving Hood a personal life — he actually (sort of) asked a woman out on a date for the first time — is a great first step. It’s worth noting that the original British version of this series only lasted four episodes, so the American adaptation is already ahead of the game.

The game was entering its final phases on SURVIVOR: GABON — EARTH’S LAST EDEN. Science teacher Bob has surprisingly emerged as the dominant player, winning four straight challenges and painting a target on his back. But he’s not the only threat. Sugar is proving to be an adept manipulator, and the secret to her power this week stemmed from her willingness to share information, such as revealing to the seemingly doomed Matty the members of her alliance, or cluing in Bob that the others were planning a blindside. Unfortunately, her Achilles heel appears to be her highly emotional state; she’s too quick to empathize (and get teary) with other players. Her insta-feelings for Matty proved highly entertaining when she gave him her Hidden Immunity Idol, thus sabotaging the other players who were hoping to pick off the physically powerful Matty. In the end, Crystal ended up getting the boot, because she garnered the second-highest number of votes.

Hard to believe, but it’s already time for the finale this Sunday. I’m going to go out on a limb and predict the final two will be Bob and Sugar, with Bob taking the prize, because the jury will feel he played a more straight-up game. However, I’m rootingfor Sugar.

I’m a bit out of the target demographic for Harlequin romances, so I have no idea if the “Dutch love spoon” cited as a key piece of evidence in the murder mystery on PUSHING DAISIES is real, but hey, this is a documentary, right? (Olive said the spoon is supposed to symbolize the sweetness lovers feed each other forever.) The spoon came up because Olive was helping Emerson investigate a murder involving a lighthouse-keeping family. (No, not light housekeeping!) In addition to Olive demonstrating aptitude as gumshoe, portrayer Kristen Chenoweth got to exercise her Broadway lungs again with a song! However, the episode was dominated by the antics of Chuck’s resurrected father, Charles Charles, who feared Ned would accidentally touch his daughter again and send her back to the Great Beyond. Charles warned the Piemaker to stay away from Chuck, or he would tell the world their secret. Charles moved in with Ned, but felt trapped and freakish. And not just because he’s a reanimated corpse — Charles actually preferred cake to pies!!! Horrors! Speaking of horrors, I was actually kind of shocked when the Ned/Charles conflict was externalized into a broom/mop fight. For a show the features so much death, violence is relatively rare, so to see two guys going at each other was a surprise. But that was more than counteracted by Olive obtaining themed rain slickers to battle the downpour that raged throughout the episode. She bought herself a raincoat with olives on it, Emerson Cod got one with fish (they looked like salmons to me, but could have been cod), and Ned’s was adorned with pies. What other show would dare such on-the-nose nonsense? It’s tragic this show has been clipped in the flower of its youth.

The very next hour also featured a type of flower – LIFE opened with a body buried up to its neck in the ground with flower petals arranged into a pattern around it. Why do I like this show? Because after the body was removed, Charlie climbed into the hole to get a corpse’s eye view of the crime scene. And he spotted a clue!

Much like Thursday’s CSI, this episode of LIFE concerned a possible serial killer copycat or “tribute killer.” Again, it was too complicated to follow the details (especially since characters were using assumed names!) but I did enjoy watching it unfold. I also enjoyed seeing soap veterans Jessica Dunphy (ex-Alison, AS THE WORLD TURNS; ex-Devin, THE SOPRANOS), Rachel Miner (ex-Michelle, GUIDING LIGHT; Dani, CALIFORNICATION) and Mary Gross (ex-Aunt Raylene, GENERAL HOSPITAL). Miner was especially effective as Squeaky, the breathy curator of a museum devoted to murder memorabilia, as was Gross, whose loopy delivery made her character’s tale of how her father killed a man while wearing handcuffs morbidly funny.

Surely Reese and Tidwell don’t think they can hide their relationship from Charlie? And how long will it last, seeing as he admitted he wants two kids, while Reese doesn’t want any? Poor Ted got violated back to jail in order to send Charlie the message that he has to play ball with the feds. Uh-oh…

Speaking of uh-oh, DIRTY SEXY MONEY ended with a cliff-hanger worthy of GH: Grief-addled Chase dressed as a cop to infiltrate Patrick’s swearing-in ceremony and open fire. But whom was he shooting at? Was Nick hit? Is Jeremy okay after hitting his head on the pavement? I’ll tell you this much: You do not want to miss next week’s episode…

Take a deep breath, Night Shifters: It’s time for a catch-up blog, in which I get to be even more long-winded than usual… 

Dean Winters (ex-oh, never mind, he’s been on just about everything in prime time…) made a return visit to LIFE ON MARS, where he played Sam’s father, Vic, alongside Jennifer Ferrin (ex-Jennifer, AS THE WORLD TURNS) as Sam’s mother, Rose. Sam’s birthday was approaching, which meant that little 1973 Sam was about to turn 4, and wanted to see his Daddy on his big day. Unfortunately, Vic was involved in a kidnapping plot — and of course adult Sam was on the case under his pseudonym, Detective Luke Skywalker. I liked Sam making an oblique QUANTUM LEAP reference when he wondered if he was “sent” to 1973 to make sure his father doesn’t go down the criminal path. How much does Sam miss his father? He sniffs the guy’s coat! But the perfect moment of the episode came when Sam recalled playing basketball as a kid — and fantasized about icons from the 1970s Knicks, including Walt Frazier, Dave DeBusschere and Phil Jackson. Sam also got some insight into father’s struggles to make ends meet and why he was constantly on the road during Sam’s childhood. And can I just compliment LIFE ON MARS for consistently employing soap actors? Last week’s cameos by Grant Aleksander (Phillip, GUIDING LIGHT) and Elizabeth Hubbard were far too brief, but welcome. 

Back in the present, SUPERNATURAL built on last week’s Anna Milton’s story with the revelation that she is actually a fallen angel. A rebel in heaven, she chose to fall so she could experience human emotions. During the fall, she became separated from her angelic “Grace,” and the race was on between heaven and hell to recover that celestial power. I really enjoyed that creator Eric Kripke is willing to tackle a story about heaven and angels. It’s long been the accepted unwritten “rule” of fiction that while you can address hell and demons with impunity, viewers/readers would be “offended” if anyone tried to depict heaven. That’s garbage, and I’m glad Kripke’s series is “going there.” He has even given heaven a political structure! And even angels have to take the existence of God on faith — because only four angels have ever seen the face of God. That’s wading in with both feet! 

Mark Rolston is playing lead baddie Alistair with a kind of soft-spoken Marlon Brando-inspired voice. (And when I hear the name Alistair I can’t help thinking of the late PASSIONS…) 

The major revelation of the night, however, was that Dean spent 40 years in hell (because time travels at a different rate Down There), and he finally told Sam what happened. He spent 30 years being “sliced and diced” by demons, and then was restored only to begin the torture all over again. Eventually, Alistair was able to tempt Dean into ending his suffering by letting someone else take his place on the rack. So the victim became the tormentor. Alistair even noted that Dean had promise as a demon. But now Dean faces a different kind of torture: the memory of what he did. “I wish I couldn’t feel a damn thing,” he told his brother. 

Raw feelings were on display in spades on DIRTY SEXY MONEY. Brian desperately wanted Andrea to fight her cancer, but she felt content to try to live with the terminal diagnosis.Nick and Lisa were having trouble getting over their separation, and in classic soap fashion, Lisa jumped to the wrong conclusion after learning Nick was talking to Karen in his office. Lisa tracked Karen to a charity ball and took a swing at her! The two mixed it up in an all-too-brief catfight before Nate literally jumped into the fray and separated them. He was brave to get between those two hellcats! 

On the subject of catfights, nobody tell Mala, but I gave her treasured NCIS a pass the other night because I had the impression from promos Brenda and Kelly were going to tangle on the refurbished (but not improved) 90210. But instead of hair-pulling, I saw peer-pressure angst and product placement run amok. In fact, the products weren’t so much placed as they co-starred in the episode — complete with loving closeups. That one…texting device (no, I’m not pimping it here) almost had enough airtime to compile an Emmy reel. Shame the actual humans did not fare quite so well. Dethroned Queen Bee Naomi was reduced to playing gopher for some mean girls. Meanwhile, Annie hated being a Queen Bee and dressed up like a giant Wildcat. Tabitha’s story about Jean-Luc and the chihuahua completed the animal theme. If you ask me, the TV in the writers’ room must have been tuned to Animal Planet that week. So where was my catfight, huh? The old pals had a pretty good verbal sparring match, in which Brenda pointed out they have had nothing in common since high school. Then Brenda, who was performing in Macbeth, fell off the stage and broke her arm, precipitating the confession that she slept with Ryan. Apparently Kelly didn’t want to take on a one-armed foe, because she sniffed, sighed and walked out. (Boo!) At least the episode ended with a good song: Death Cab for Cutie’s “I Will Follow You Into the Dark.” 

That tune led nicely into the sinister FRINGE, which opened with a musical prodigy being kidnapped by a mysterious woman who uses flashing colored lights to disable her victims. Luckily, Walter once did some investigation into creating a system of flashing lights that would hypnotize consumers into buying products. The advertising firm that commissioned Walter’s work was never identified, but we just know it was Sterling Cooper, right?! Walter got to get out of the lab and do some field work — by returning to St. Claire’s mental hospital to get information from a former fellow inmate. 

This story gave John Noble a chance to really emote and widen his performance, and he really took advantage of the opportunity to grow in his portrayal of Walter. Strangely, he seemed more lucid inside the asylum, becoming almost a voice of reason. But Noble effectively transformed Walter’s body language into a beaten-down, broken prisoner the moment he heard the gates slam. Walter had to go inside because fellow inmate Dashiell Kim was declared 10-27 — “criminally insane with knowledge of state secrets.” After getting back out, a gravely serious Walter recalled his struggle to get through to the brain-addled Dashiell, and asked Peter a heartbreaking question: “Is that what it’s like to talk to me?” 

Finally, I want to mention LIFE, which, the last I checked, is now scheduled for Wednesdays at 9 o’clock. It’s totally worth the detective work to track down this quirky cop series. When you find it, your reward will be to watch the burgeoning opposites-attract romance between hottie detective Dani Reese (Sarah Shahi) and lumpy Captain Tidwell (Donal Logue). This week their halting courtship took two steps forward: They went to dinner — and the shooting range. And the gunplay-as-foreplay scene was hot! While standing in close proximity, each took a turn firing the other’s weapon, then they holstered each other’s guns. Good thing their beepers went off before there were any…er, misfires.