Tellyman returns

Not really, no.

Well, not in so much a way as before?

Ah, who cares, it is just a post about some televisionic observations I have had of late (and maybe later…).

So, I was watching Heroes last night, which has been so very good the past three epsiodes, and NBC is running ads for their newest show sure to fail, Raines. Now, was the pitch for this show something along the lines of “let’s put Medium, Tru Calling and The Ghost Whisperer in the blender and sprinkle with a little bit of Monk… oh, and we’ll get Jeff Goldblum!” Really?

Anyone else watching The Black Donnelly’s? I feel compelled to watch, you know, as an Irishman… yeah. Well, if you are, do we really need Joey Ice Cream as a narrator? The sudden insertion of himself into a scene, with subsequent character reaction, is unnecessary and seems forced as a way to try and distinguish the storytelling as unique or different. The story being told does the job just fine… which is to say, mediocre at best. Not sure this one is going to fair much better than Studio 60.

Speaking of which, I’ll be sorry to see Studio 60 go. It was good enough to watch each week even if I was never left wanting to see how anything turns out the next week. The laughs in the show were sufficient, and speaking of laughs… the move to put 30 Rock after Scrubs on Thursday night worked for NBC in the case of me. I’ve been watching it ever since and while it isn’t nearly as funny as the three shows that precede it that evening, Alec Baldwin has been worth the price of admission. Funny how neither show makes me want to watch SNL though…

Hey, Andy Barker, P.I. is starting up the same night as Raines… gonna watch that? As much as I enjoy Andy Richter, I’m not so sure this show will fair any better than his others. I’m basing this solely on the commercials aired to date and I feel the show can only be as good as his supporting cast, which doesn’t look good. It has the Scrubs lead-in, so I’ll be a sheep.

Back to Heroes, love the introduction of Eric “They took my f-ckin thumb Charlie!” Roberts as H.R.G.’s boss and the revelation that Claude was his former partner. Mr. Sulu as a member of this mysterious syndicate, that may or may not also include Linderman — who I thought was going to be Donald Sutherland from the preview, but turned out to be an even better casting in Malcolm McDowell — has been a great injection of forward momentum.

Before this, I felt like things were slowing down a tad too much for my taste, but I guess, not as slow as Lost has become. So, is Grandma Petrelli — she knows the link to Claire, but Nathan doesn’t? — working with the syndicate too? In bed with Linderman? Working both sides (if they aren’t the same side)? Sylar v Peter II should be an interesting fight now that Peter has a better idea of what he’s doing.

Oh, and lastly, I like the new chick that just turned on H.R.G. Her power, looks to be same as Mystique of X-Men villain fame, was unexpected for me. I didn’t think they’d go there, but then, how is it any more of a reach than Hiro or Peter’s powers? I guess they seem less evolutionary than most others, but are certainly welcome. One question I already have on it though is, how was it Simone’s body disappeared when she assumed her form? Is she really assuming the form or is she projecting an illusion in people’s minds? Is that why there seems to be a shockwave effect emanating out or in when she uses it? More to come I suppose.

I’ll leave my comments on Lost where they usually are, over on The Ed Zone. I am at least four epsiodes behind on Friday Night Lights. Is this show cancelled or just on a hiatus or what? I thought it had an order for a full season? It is a good show and a critical darling, but I don’t think the ratings are good enough for NBC to bring back next year, which will be too bad.

I also haven’t picked Jericho back up since it has returned from its time off. I could never invest enough in the characters and the overall mystery behind the events wasn’t compelling enough to keep my interest.

Lastly, the first-run [adult swim] line-up has undergone significant changes as of late, with more to come. None of these new shows interest me in the least and I wonder if that’s the case for everyone else outside of the stoner college kid crowd. I think these new live action shows like Tim and Eric Awesome Show Great Job! and Saul of the Mole Men are unwatchable. That was in addition to Assy McGee and 12oz Mouse, which while cartoons, were also unwatchable. They have to be for kids with A.D.D. and on drugs, or maybe that’s who wrote them. I know at least one of the ATHF guys created 12oz, but I thought they might already be high anyway. Lastly, I can’t tell if the ads they run for www.superdeluxe.com are for a new show or not, but it looks easily as bad as the others and I refuse to click all up on it.

Howabout season 2 of The Boondocks instead? How about more Venture Brothers? At least they are going to start playing Frisky Dingo in reruns starting this Sunday night.

Anyway, enough complaining. I’ll just finish up here with an update to my show watching list. Instead of by night, I’ll just split up by must-see and will watch if I feel like it.

Must-see:

  • How I Met Your Mother
  • Heroes
  • Friday Night Lights
  • Lost
  • Smallville
  • The Office
  • Scrubs

Will-watch:

  • The Black Donnelly’s (and Studio 60 before it)
  • Rules of Engagement (only for Patrick Warburton)
  • Veronica Mars
  • In Case of Emergency (to look at Kelly Hu because the show sux)
  • My Name Is Earl (been much better the last five shows than earlier this year)
  • 30 Rock
  • Las Vegas (season finale this week)

[adult swim]:

  • Futurama
  • Family Guy
  • Samurai Champloo
  • Bleach
  • Eureka 7
  • Frisky Dingo (reruns)
  • ATHF (no more new ones?)