Holy shit. FX just keeps on pumping out cool shows. To go along with Archer, It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, Terriers, Louie, and Justified, FX now has a remake of an Aussie show (which I’ve never heard of) called Wilfred.
God damn it looks good.
Not long until TERRIERS premieres
It looks like FX is going to be adding yet another cool show to its lineup, this time the pretty awesome looking Terriers.
FX says:
Terriers from Creator/Executive Producer Ted Griffin (Ocean’s Eleven, Matchstick Men) and Executive Producer Shawn Ryan (The Shield), is a comedic drama starring Donal Logue (The Tao of Steve) and Michael Raymond-James (True Blood). It centers on “Hank Dolworth” (Logue), an ex-cop, who partners with his best friend “Britt Pollack” (Raymond-James) in an unlicensed private investigation business. Comedic, edgy, original, a show about high stakes in the face of low expectations, Terriers explores what it’s like in today’s America to be “too small to fail.” Co-stars include Laura Allen (Dirt) as “Katie,” Britt’s girlfriend; Rockmond Dunbar (Prison Break) as “Detective Mark Gustafson,” former colleague of Hank; and Jamie Denbo (Weeds) as “Maggie Lefferts,” Hank’s attorney. Craig Brewer (Hustle and Flow, The Shield) directed the pilot episode.
Check out the latest poster below and a video which gives you a hint of the tone of the show. Terriers premieres on September 8th.
Best of the Week: 7th-13th Feb (Twitter style)
A weekly post with the purpose of highlighting the shows I watched during the week and how I ranked them. It’s not intended as a list of all shows on the air, only those that I actually watched during the week. Watching something on Monday that aired on Friday won’t make the cut.
Like everything on this site it’s for my own enjoyment but feel free to comment.
Once again my study commitments have raised their ugly head and I just haven’t had the time to post anything. I’m still getting in some TV watching but even that has shrunk a little with the workload. I’m gonna do my Best of the Week in a Twitter style 160 character format this week in an effort to get something posted and to save just a little time.
1. Archer “Skorpio” (1×06) – Either Carol or Lana naked or in lingerie for the entire episode. The best story and some of the funniest lines yet. Best episode so far. 9.5/10
2. 30 Rock “Anna Howard Shaw Day” (4×13) – Five cool cameos. Horatio Sanz, Dean Winters, Jon Hamm, Jason Sudeikis, and Jon Bon Jovi. Liz tripping balls was awesome too. 7.5/10
3. Survivor “Slay Everyone, Trust No One” (20×01) – Steph is back. That alone makes the return of Survivor kick ass. But add in Russell, Amanda, Tom, Courtney, Rupert, Colby & Jerri too. WOW!! 7.5/10
4. Community “Communication Studies” (1×16) – The Breakfast Club montage alone made this ep superb, but Senior Chang dancing like Michael Jackson sustained the greatness. 7/10
5. Lost “What Kate Does” (6×03) – I hate to put it this low but Kate episodes are always so dull. The few revelations in this ep didn’t make up for it’s mediocrity. 5.5/10
6. How I Met Your Mother “Rabbit or Duck” (5×15) – Why is HIMYM so average this season? Maybe if they actually introduced the “mother” it would inject some life into the show. 5/10
7. The Mentalist “Blood In, Blood Out” (2×14) – Cho’s a former gang member. That’s the biggest leap this show’s asked of me, and that’s saying something. None of these CBI guys are tough. 4.5/10
Best of the Week: 17th-23rd Jan
A weekly post with the purpose of highlighting the shows I watched during the week and how I ranked them. It’s not intended as a list of all shows on the air, only those that I actually watched during the week. Watching something on Monday that aired on Friday won’t make the cut.
Like everything on this site it’s for my own enjoyment but feel free to comment.
Just under two weeks until Lost premieres. Oh my God I can’t wait. I tried to get as much TV watching in as I could this week but I haven’t felt too crash hot. Plus I watched a lot of late night talk shows and finally saw Sherlock Holmes and The Fantastic Mr Fox so all that ate into the time I could spend on prime time TV. I’m also trying to catch up on The Mentalist, The Office and I’ve started to watch Chuck so I’m going right back to the beginning on that one.
1. Archer “Diversity Hire” (1×03) – The show’s only three episodes old and it’s already getting hard to come up with ways to say it’s damn funny and the best show on TV. So aside from that I’d also like to mention the fabulous voice work by all of the actors. Every single one of them does a superb job. Roll on the next episode. 8/10
2. 30 Rock “Winter Madness” (4×11) – The gang head to Boston as a reason for Jack to meet up with Nancy. I loved when Tracy said nothing bad could happen and behind him Pete says “smash cut to”. It’s writing like this which makes the show so damn good. 7.5/10
3. Better Off Ted “Lust in Translation” (2×10) – I really enjoyed this episode. All three stories were fun. Especially Ted and Greta using the translator with Phil’s voice while having sex. The episode also had more great stuff with Linda and Veronica. Whenever those two are together it makes for some awesome scenes. 7/10
4. Fringe “What Lies Below” (2×13) – A good standalone episode. That’s been a hard thing to come by this season. I especially liked the idea of a virus decimating the Earth hundreds of thousands of years ago and then being defeated by a volcanic eruption. It seems very X-Files to me but not in a derivative way. I wasn’t too fond of Peter going crazy from the virus but I guess there had to be personal stake for everyone involved. And there was once again more hints as to Peter’s death and Walter getting an alternative. The next episode is titled “The Bishop Revival” so I’m really hoping that the show finally deals with what Walter did after the original Peter died. 7/10
5. Community “Interpretive Dance” (1×14) – This episode was actually an improvement over the last few but it still wasn’t anything too great. Danny Pudi continues to be the best thing about the show but he doesn’t seem to be getting much to do. I’m not to fond of the idea that Britta is gonna be jealous of Jeff and the accounting teacher. I don’t want another will they or won’t they show. 6.5/10
6. How I Met Your Mother “Jenkins” (5×13) – Yeesh. Talk about fucking average. HIMYM is fast becoming a hit or miss show. One week it’s brilliant and the next it’s barely acceptable. It was nice to see Amanda Peet on the show but she was completely wasted with such a shitty story. The same happened with Rachel Bilson last week. They better not fuck up Carrie Underwood’s appearance. 5/10
7. The Mentalist “Bleeding Heart” (2×12) – Eh. Eco-terrorism and local council politics don’t make for a good episode. Average as always but Jane wasn’t really that compelling this week. And as much of a fan as I am of Robin Tunney in Empire Records and Encino Man I’m fast approaching a can’t stand her attitude to her on The Mentalist. Her performance/character just rubs me the wrong way. Amanda Righetti too. I really wish there were more Red John stories on the show ‘cos a couple per season isn’t anywhere near enough. 4.5/10
Best of the Week: 10th-16th Jan
A weekly post with the purpose of highlighting the shows I watched during the week and how I ranked them. It’s not intended as a list of all shows on the air, only those that I actually watched during the week. Watching something on Monday that aired on Friday won’t make the cut.
Like everything on this site it’s for my own enjoyment but feel free to comment.
TV finally came back in a substantial way this week so that means I can do my Best of the Week post again. It was an especially great week because we got double episodes of Fringe, 30 Rock, Better Off Ted, Chuck, and Archer, and there was comedy gold on just about all the late night talk shows concerning the Leno vs Conan vs NBC drama that’s been unfolding.
1. Archer “Training Day” (1×01) – Ever since I saw the pilot back in September (which I guess is no longer the pilot considering the order that FX chose to show the first two episodes) I’ve been dying to see some more. I’m thrilled beyond belief that I wasn’t let down. I loved the Archer and Cyril story about training him and thinking Cyril killed a hooker. I always know a show or movie is good when the time flies while watching it, I don’t even once look at my watch, and it leaves me wanting more as soon as it ends. All the best shows do that. 30 Rock, Parks and Recreation, South Park. Archer is already up to that level. Two episodes down and it’s already the clear frontrunner to be my favourite new show this year (and second only to Lost as my favourite of everything on TV). 9/10
2. Archer “Mole Hunt” (1×02) – It’s still hilarious after all the times I’ve watched it. If anyone’s interested I did a little review of this episode back in September. Check it out here. 9/10
3. Parks and Recreation “The Set Up” (2×13) – Aziz Ansari said that this may be his favourite episode of Parks and Recreation yet and I think I have to agree. Not only did we get a guest appearance by Amy Poehler’s husband Will Arnett as the uncomfortable date that Ann sets Leslie up with, but we also got the first episode in Justin Theroux’s arc and the supremely great Aubrey Plaza once again shined with some increased screen time. Nick Offerman also continues to be balls out hilarious. 9/10
4. 30 Rock “Klaus and Greta” (4×09) – James Franco as himself and in love with human sized pillow with an anime girl on it. Priceless. Kenneth and Jack on a mission was also fantastic. 9/10
5. 30 Rock “Black Light Attack!” (4×10) – It was nice to see Danny again, and for Liz to get some action (in back to back episodes no less), but overall it just wasn’t as good as the previous episode. The Jenna and Tracy stories really brought it down a notch or two. 8.5/10
6. The Tonight Show – Late night talk shows don’t really belong in this list but the circumstances have been rather unique this week. Conan moving to The Tonight Show resulted in him curtailing some of his more outlandish behaviour and that was a real shame. However, with all the drama surrounding his probable ousting from the show this week it’s freed him up to do the type of comedy that he’s great at. Not to mention the almost continuous attacks on both NBC and Leno have been a thing of beauty. It’ll be a shame when Conan goes off the air and Leno returns to suck NBC’s cock and fondle their balls like the bitch he is. 8.5/10
7. Better Off Ted “The Impertence of Communicationizing” (2×08) – The outtakes for this episode which were posted online during the week were far better than what was actually used, but it was a nice episode about following company mandates despite how illogical they may seem. Better Off Ted does a good job of highlighting the bureaucracy of company life and this was another solid example of that. 7/10
8. The Mentalist “Rose-Colored Glasses” (2×11) – I watched about half of the 1st season of The Mentalist and then gave up on it for no real reason. I figured I’d give it another watch seen as how it’s doing really well in the ratings on Thursday against some good competition. I can tell you it hasn’t changed at all since about the same point last season. Simon Baker is still effortlessly charming as Thomas Jane and the rest of the gang are still D grade wanna be FBI Agents. The show lives and dies by Baker’s performance and as long as Thomas Jane doesn’t become a one trick pony the show is at least mildly entertaining. Other than that it’s just the current procedural du jour. 6.5/10
8. Better Off Ted “The Long and Winding High Road” (2×09) - Another good episode of Veronica using Rose as a tool to get what she wants. I love it when they do that in the show. Aside from that though it was a pretty average episode. 6.5/10
9. Fringe “Johari Window” (2×12) – A pretty decent standalone episode which has been a rare thing so far this season. I wish they’d get back to the mythology of the show though. That’s where the real gold is. And you gotta believe that Peter is gonna find out about being a double at some point this season. There’s been too much of it so far for it not to be revealed. 6/10
10. How I Met Your Mother “Girls vs Suits” (5×12) – A real letdown for the 100th episode. There was nothing for Jason Segel or Alyson Hannigan to do and Cobie Smulders was left to be a jealous hot chick. Plus there was more of that damn annoying mother teasing. Either the mother is important to the premise of the show or she isn’t, but 100 episodes in should be far enough for her to be revealed by now. If she’s important she should be in the mix by now, and if she’s not then introducing her doesn’t need to be some huge revelation. I wish the writers/producers would just bite the bullet and cast someone already. 5.5/10
11. Jimmy Kimmel Live! – Once again, another late night talk show appears on the list. This time thanks to Kimmel impersonating Leno for an entire show. Props to Chevy Chase for also making a minimal effort to appear as Conan. 6/10
12. Fringe “Unearthed” (2×11) – Fox airing a previously unaired season one episode was just stupid. Charlie Francis died early this season yet there he is in all his glory being a bad ass FBI Agent. It made zero sense in the context of the season and I’m sure I’m not the only one who was confused when I first saw him on the screen. Couple that with the fact that it was a very average episode and I get the feeling that Fox is burning off episodes so that the show can be dumped at the end of the season. 4.5/10
Best of the Week: 8th-14th Nov (Twitter style)
A weekly post with the purpose of highlighting the shows I watched during the week and how I ranked them. It’s not intended as a list of all shows on the air, only those that I actually watched during the week. Watching something on Monday that aired on Friday won’t make the cut.
Like everything on this site it’s for my own enjoyment but feel free to comment.
Due to time constraints concerning my damn Uni commitments this installment of Best of the Week will be in Twitter style 160 characters form.
1. Survivor “Tastes Like Chicken” (19×09) – Russell survived yet again. Another Idol, really? Laura is pissed because he’s better than her. Hope that bitch goes next. 9/10
2. South Park “Dances With Smurfs” (13×13) – About time someone took on that asshole Glenn Beck. I hate him so damn much. Nice nod to Avatar too. Definite improvement over recent eps. 8.5/10
3. How I Met Your Mother “The Rough Patch” (5×07) – Finally Robin & Barney broke up. They weren’t the same together. Loved the fat suit showing how the gang perceived Barney. Roll on ep 100. 7.5/10
4. 30 Rock “The Problem Solvers” (4×05) – About as close to a Liz/Jack romance as there will be. Great ep. Loved the new guy. “Who said I’ve been alive forever”. Classic. 8/10
5. Fringe “Of Human Action” (2×07) – OK, but still not enough mythology for my liking. This week’s Observer-centric ep should fix that though. 7/10
6. Community “Debate 109″ (1×09) – Finally Jeff & Annie kissed. Not meaningful in any way so far, but hopefully they’ll hook up & not Jeff & Britta. Abed continues to rock. 6.5/10
7. Dexter “Slack Tide” (4×07) – Last season it was a brother replacement, this season it’s a father replacement. Get over it Dexter and kill Trinity already. Rita too. 5.5/10
8. The League “Sunday at Ruxin’s” (1×03) – Only watch because of Katie Aselton and the funny character of Taco. Any guy who has a Genesis is cool in my book. 5/10
Best of the Week: 20th Sept
First off, I know I’m very late with this, but I wanted to get it up so that I could once again emphasise how great I though Archer was. Hopefully this post will be a weekly thing going up on Saturday or Sunday with the purpose of highlighting the shows I watched that week and how I ranked them. It’s not intended as a list of all shows (for instance I would ordinarily watch Sons of Anarchy but I’m still making my way through the 1st season and therefore I’m not watching the 2nd season), and it only counts shows I actually watched during that week, so watching something on Monday that aired on Friday won’t make the cut.
Like everything on this site it’s for my own enjoyment but feel free to comment.
- Archer – See review, but it’s probably the funniest show I’ve seen since Arrested Development.
- Parks & Recreation – Built upon the development that occurred over the 1st season. A great episode about gay marriage told through the story of two penguins being married at a zoo in order to attract visitors. Leslie Knope (Amy Poehler) continues to develop and has broken away from her one-dimensional nature from when she was first introduced. Aubrey Plaza had the most screen time she’s had so far. That’s a VERY good thing. I was also very happy to see Chris Pratt back. 8/10
- Fringe – Great that the show’s back but there was so little about the alternate reality that I felt kinda let down. I was waiting for the death of Charlie like Kirk Acevedo stated on his Twitter. Looks like he literally meant Charlie was gonna die and not that he was losing his job. A good episode but not as good as a season opener should be. 7/10
- Survivor – As good as a reality show can be. The real highlight is the presence of Russell. I don’t know if I want him to win but I certainly want him to stick around and make life miserable for everyone else. His hijinks are sure to be the best thing in each installment. 6/10
- Community – See review.
- True Blood – The season started off well but the Maryanne storyline was really dull and uninteresting. Not to mention the fact that I hated Eggs. I’m very glad that both of them are gone for good. The Jason storyline was equally shit. The finale that we got is what should have been expected from such a disappointing season. In order for the 3rd season to be better I think that we need Eric to have a greater presence (not necessarily as a love interest for Sookie) and the Queen’s role should be greatly expanded. 5/10
- The Jay Leno Show – I only watched the premiere and 2nd episode. Both were full of boring, stale, safe, middleground humour. Neither were any good. Leno even managed to make Dan Finnerty and the Dan Band shit. The two main interviews (Jerry Seinfeld and Michael Moore) were pretty decent, but I hate those chairs. He should be behind a desk. 10@10 was average and would almost certainly be scripted or the questioned OK’d in advance. I highly doubt I’ll be watching this again unless there are some drastic changes. 3/10 & 4/10
ARCHER 1×01 review
Title: “Pilot”
Written by: Adam Reed
Air date: 17th Sept 2009
The show follows the exploits of Sterling Archer, a 007 agent type who works for ISIS, and the various other employees at the organisation. The pilot, like just about every other pilot, sets up the characters and their individual relationships.
I usually have at least an idea about what’s coming on TV with regards to new shows, but it’s especially true for shows I think I’d be interested in. I had no idea that Archer was going to be on and I had no clue what it was about. The only reason I found out about Archer is because I was checking the schedule on TheFutonCritic.com and saw that an animated show was premiering on FX. As with most new animation, I check the voice cast behind it, and in the case of Archer there’s a pretty decent level of talent, including Judy Greer, Chris Parnell and Jessica Walter. All this combined to make Archer a show I was very interested in seeing. My instincts proved right on.
Almost immediately I was struck by how perfect this show felt to me. This one episode taster seems very close to Arrested Development in terms of comedy perfection, with gags that push the limits of not only what an animated show can be but also what a regular show can be. It’s not juvenile or gross-out humour like you’d expect in South Park, but something far more tailored for adults. The jokes come thick and fast with hardly a break between them. But don’t think there’s an over-reliance on jokes at the expense of story (eg Family Guy/American Dad/The Cleveland Show) as Archer manages to fit in a decent groundwork for what the show is likely to be about. Namely espionage, family tension, and sexual relationships.
The whole episode was simply brilliant and trying to highlight just a few parts really does it a disservice. That being said, some of my favourite parts were:
- “Just the tip.”
- Archer threatening his butler with rubbing sand in his eyes and then ordering the butler to go buy sand.
- “That’s how you get ants.”
- Malory (Archer’s mother) masturbating under her desk whilst having phone sex and having Archer walk in on her.
FINAL RATING: 9/10
CONCLUSION
Checking the FX website reveals that Archer isn’t scheduled to hit the airwaves until January 2010. I guess the pilot was just to whet our appetites. It worked. Archer is one of the best shows I’ve seen in a long time, and is a great adult orientated animated show. FX is really building a very strong stable of shows. Waiting until January for Archer is almost as difficult as waiting for Lost, but after seeing the pilot I’m extemely confident that the show will be worth it.