Monday Morning Quarterback Part II
By BOP Staff
November 9, 2011
Jim Van Nest: I'm with Max on Person of Interest. I think the whole premise of the show is weak, but as long as Michael Emerson keeps being weird and Jim Caviezel keeps kicking ass, I'll keep watching. An American Horror Story is up there on my list. Weird and creepy, I can't stop watching. Homeland (on Showtime) and Boss (on Starz) are very well done shows, but they are some serious drama and I find myself having to get worked up to watch them. Even though I really like them when I do, I have to be in the mood for them. And I don't care what anyone says, my favorite guilty pleasure new show has to be Terra Nova. It's like the dinosaurs created Homo Sapien Park. I love it.
Kim Hollis: The last time we had this discussion, I think I mentioned that Revenge is the only new show I'm really up for on a continued basis. I'm DVR-ing some others, but never get around to watching them. I really dig the campy fun on Revenge, though, and Emily Van Camp is terrific. Since then, Once Upon a Time and Grimm have debuted, and for the near future, I'll continue to be excited about both of them. I like Once Upon a Time significantly more. I love fairy tales, and the combination of story world and real world works really well for me. It's also got a super cast. As far as Grimm, it's pretty much another version of Supernatural, one of my favorite shows of the last decade. It feels like a rehash, but it's a really well done rehash. The fairy tale aspect is really minimal in that one, but the blutbad (aka big bad wolf) portrayed by Silas Weir Mitchell is a heck of a fun character.
I'm also really happy to have Beavis and Butthead back on my TV, and am anxiously awaiting the return of Cornholio. You know it will happen. With regard to other returning shows, I continue to love love love Modern Family. Last week's episode killed (Cameron picking up a woman).
David Mumpower: Long time readers of the site are aware of BOP's fondness for Fables, the Bill Willingham comic book that ABC optioned at the end of 2008. Almost exactly two years later, the network acknowledged that they had abandoned plans for the adaptation. With the release of Once Upon a Time, I now understand why. They have effectively paid Willingham for his (brilliant) idea then used it as the basis for a similarly themed show that has wider appeal.
While I am openly horrified by such a predatory business practice, I too am thoroughly enjoying the show thus far. The decision to create Lost-style flashbacks to the Happily Ever After before the current living arrangement is sage. I particularly enjoyed the highwayman reveal in the most recent episode, which is a nice touch. Once Upon a Time is extraordinarily well cast and has a big future as long as the ratings are good. If they are not, this is going to be yet another show I fall in love with that is far too expensive to produce and thereby gets cancelled too quickly.
I am also enjoying Grimm, which is probably a formulaic show long term. In the early episodes, however, it's building a mystery quite well. In addition, Hollywood blueblood Kate Burton (google her) has been brilliant as the previous slayer. Given her heritage and her acting ability, I'm surprised that she has never had a higher profile in the industry. Hopefully, she makes a lot of future appearances on the show, because I love what she has done with her character thus far.
Finally, I finally caught up to The Good Wife. I had resisted the show for the past couple of seasons, but the Sports Night reunion of Dan Rydell and Bonnie Bernstein was too tempting. In point of fact, The Good Wife has been begging me to watch for a while now, using their casting department to set the bait. Titus Welliver? Scott Porter? Michael Ealy? Matt Czuchry? Gary Cole? Jill Flint kissing girls? How are they reading my mind? I can only say no so many times. Humorously, the moment I finally gave in and started watching, they had a guest appearance by Worst Actress in the World Parker Posey, which makes the entire situation feel like a bad relationship. I was wooed and wooed and then when I finally gave in to temptation and allowed myself to be seduced, The Good Wife immediately started sabotaging our relationship.
What I particularly enjoy about the series is that a rotating set of judges and lawyers has been introduced. The moment each one appears, the viewer realizes what the tone of the entire lawsuit will be. I admire that sort of background character development. And that goes double since they have occasionally returned Michael J. Fox to television, which was long overdue. I don't know what the trigger was that convinced Fox this was the right time to work, but I treasure every appearance he makes.
The Good Wife is serial television that I had expected to be in the vein of Desperate Housewives. I am surprised to discover that it is closer to The Practice with the occasional injection of Boston Legal humor. I'm a huge fan of the first two seasons. Also, Kalinda is already one of my favorite television characters ever.
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