I really really like this poster for The Vampire Diaries congratulating Nina Dobrev for her People’s Choice Award.
Best of the Week: 23rd – 29th Oct 2011
A weekly post with the purpose of highlighting the shows I watched during the week from Sunday to Saturday 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.
Again, too much work and FIFA12 for me to watch any decent amount of TV this week, but I will say that my top two shows this week were a much appreciated return to form. On top of that, I just don’t have the time to post anything substantial beyond what’s here in this draft form. I wanted to get something up so here it is.
1. It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia “Chardee MacDennis” (7×07) - I love these episodes where they never leave the bar. 7.5/10
2. Community “Horror Fiction in Seven Spooky Steps” (3×05) - Great viewing on the first occasion, good viewing on the second. 7/10
3. Parks & Recreation “Meet n Greet” (4×05) – It seems like this show can do no wrong lately. Then again, it’s been like that for pretty much this show’s entire life. I’m hopeful that the demise of Entertainment 720 will mean that Tom will return to work with Leslie. 7.5/10
4. The Vampire Diaries “Ghost World” (3×07) – Even average episodes of this show are above average. If that makes sense. 7/10
5. American Horror Story “Halloween Part 1″ (1×04) – It continues to be really random and all over the place, yet I continue to enjoy it. I can’t put into words why. 6.5/10
6. Whitney “The Wire“ (1×05) – This show is really starting to grow on me, and with impressive considering I don’t like the two other women and the Indian guy. This show succeeds on Whitney, Alex and Mark. 6/10.
7. 2 Broke Girls “And the Disappearing Bed” (1×06) – Meh. 6/10
8. The Secret Circle “Masked” (1×07) – Cassie has power outside of the circle. That’s good news because I didn’t want the development of the character to be hindered by the drama of the rest of the group. 6/10
9. How I Met Your Mother “Noretta” (7×07) – More lameness. 5.5/10
10. Survivor (23×07) – Poor. 5/10
11. Once Upon a Time “Pilot” (1×01) – The real world stuff was far better than the fantasy land stuff. I don’t have high hopes for this show moving forward, despite the presence of two Lost writers. 5/10
12. Beavis and Butthead (8×01) – I knew there was a reason I never got into this show back in the day. Because it’s annoying. 5/10
13. Grimm “Pilot” (1×01) – So very very lame. 4.5/10
Best of the Week: 16th – 22nd Oct 2011
A weekly post with the purpose of highlighting the shows I watched during the week from Sunday to Saturday 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.
Too much work and too much FIFA 12 led me to watch very little TV this week. It was good that a bunch of shows weren’t on this week as it meant I didn’t miss too much.
1. The Vampire Diaries “Smells Like Teen Spirit” (3×06) – No Klaus but Rebeka is still around so that’s a bonus. Stefan still sucks, whether he’s a good guy or a bad guy. I like that Vicky is back but it appears that storyline is over with now. Shame. Looks like ghost Mason is back, and hopefully for a while, because I actually like him. 7.5/10
2. It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia “The Storm of the Century” (7×06) – Rickety Cricket returns, and it’s another glourious appearance by David Hornsby. I liked Dennis’ weird zoning out when he spots the news lady. Plus Charlie was absolutely right when he said Dennis was a little too dark talking to those two chicks. 7/10
3. American Horror Story “Murder House” (1×03) – The show continues to be really random and all over the place, but I continue to like it. Although I’m at a loss to explain why. I liked that I got a little more of the back story for Constance and Moira. 6/10
4. 2 Broke Girls “And The ’90s Horse Party” (1×05) – It wasn’t that great and it wasn’t that bad. It’s just a standard multi-camera sitcom. I will say that Beth Behrs is certainly growing on me. 6/10
5. The Secret Circle “Wake” (1×06) – Thinking back on the episode it wasn’t that memorable. In fact all I can remember was that Nick’s brother turned up, so did a girl that wanted Cassie’s blood, and Diana broke up with Adam. Still, I know I enjoyed the episode while I was watching it. 5.5/10
6. How I Met Your Mother “Mystery vs History” (7×06) – Lame, as the show continues to be. 5.5/10
7. South Park “Bass to Mouth” (15×10) – If the episode had been solely about Cartman either getting people to kill themselves or helping that kid who shit himself to not kill himself it would of been much better. Instead we got a lame throwback episode to Lemmiwinks. 5.5/10
8. Suburgatory “Don’t Call Me Shirley” (1×04) – Jane Levy is still awesome and hot, but the show really isn’t that funny. It’s amazing what I’ll watch just to see an attractive girl. 5/10
9. Survivor “Free Agent” (23×06) – Mykayla is gone (to Redemption Island at least) and it’s fucking bullshit. 4/10
Three poster for THE SECRET CIRCLE
I’ve been watching The Secret Circle and so far I think it’s a nice companion to the superior The Vampire Diaries. It’s been a little slow to build and it certainly doesn’t move at the breakneck pace of The Vampire Diaries, but it’s been enjoyable enough.
Here are three new posters for the show, which in my opinion do not convey the tone of the show one little bit. A get a real LA vibe from these posters and that certainly doesn’t represent the small town feel of Chance Harbor. Also, Cassie doesn’t even look like herself in the third one.
Best of the Week: 9th – 15th Oct 2011
A weekly post with the purpose of highlighting the shows I watched during the week from Sunday to Saturday 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.
This week has again been dominated by FIFA 12, with the added bonus that I got the new iPhone 4S on Friday and didn’t watch any TV. This has led to a reduction in the number of shows I watched this week.
1. Breaking Bad “Face Off” (4×13) – An absolutely fantastic conclusion to the season and one which will hopefully set up next season (being the shows last) to be the one where Walt faces the possibility of actually getting caught by Hank. It’s a shame that Gus is gone but this was an amazing episode. 9.5/10
2. The Vampire Diaries “The Reckoning” (3×05) – When Klaus snapped Tyler’s neck I was happy. Not because I thought for one second that he was actually dead, but because I knew there was gonna be another change in the dynamics of the show. Either Tyler was going to die or he was gonna be turned into a hybrid. Good stuff. Plus we also got some info on the guy who’s chasing Klaus. His name’s Michael and he’s a vampire who’s also a hunter. Like I said, good stuff. 8/10
3. Community “Remedial Chaos Theory” (3×04) – I really enjoyed the alternate timelines, each one telling the same short story differently. It reminded me of the multiple endings to Clue, one of my favourite films of all time. 7.5/10
4. Parks and Recreation “Pawnee Rangers” (4×04) – Ron was awesome, as he always is, plus every episode where Ron and Leslie compete with each other is good. 7/10
5. American Horror Story “Home Invasion” (1×02) – It continues to be kinda weird and random, and I like it. This episode also benefited from the fact that Dylan McDermott wasn’t around much. He’s the week link for me so far. 6.5/10
6. 2 Broke Girls “And the Rich People Problems” (1×04) – Finally, the girls are starting to develop a friendship. 6.5/10
7. How I Met Your Mother “Field Trip” (7×05) – Kal Penn was wasted again, but this was certainly a better episode than last weeks. 6.5/10
8. It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia “Frank’s Brother” (7×04) – Some of it was good, but the gang did just about nothing for the entire episode. That’s a letdown. 6/10
9. Whitney “A Decent Proposal” (1×04) – I don’t think this is as good as previous episodes based on the fact that Whitney’s friends were sort of pushed to the foreground. I like that Mark was more involved this week though. 6/10
10. South Park “The Last of the Meheecans” (15×09) – This episode was so average I stopped watching after 5 minutes and went and made dinner. Chicken and pasta for those wondering. 5/10
11. Survivor “Taste The Victory” (23×05) – It continues to be average, but most seasons of Survivor usually are. 5/10
Best of the Week: 2nd – 8th Oct 2011: Twitter Style
A weekly post with the purpose of highlighting the shows I watched during the week from Sunday to Saturday 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.
NBA 2K12 and FIFA 12 have taken up a great deal of my free time this week so I’m gonna do my Best of the Week Twitter style. 140 characters or less.
1. Modern Family “Door to Door” (3×04) – A really great episode of Modern Family. Sometimes this show blows my mind with how good it is. 8.5/10
2. Parks and Recreation “Born & Raised” (4×03) – Ron and April should always be together. Plus another good appearance of Joan. 8/10
3. Breaking Bad “End Times” (4×12) – Not as good as last week, but impressive nonetheless. 8/10
4. The Vampire Diaries “Disturbing Behavior” (3×04) – I love how this show moves at such a brisk pace. Klaus is back in Mystic Falls. 7/10
5. American Horror Story “Pilot” (1×01) – It’s a weird, freaky, retro, David Lynchian horror drama from the creators of Glee. And I really liked it. I just hope they keep it weird. 7/10
6. South Park “Ass Burgers” (15×08) - Wow. This has to be the darkest episode of South Park I’ve ever seen. It wasn’t necessarily that funny, but it was pretty damn good. 6.5/10
7. Community “Competitive Ecology” (3×03) – Chang was completely unhinged and Todd was cool. Much better than last weeks episode. 6.5/10
8. 2 Broke Girls “And Strokes of Goodwill” (1×03) – Kat Dennings is still awesome, and Beth Behrs is growing on me. 6/10
9. It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia “Sweet Dee Gets Audited” (7×04) – Definitely a step down from the last couple of weeks. 6/10
10. Whitney “Silent Treatment” (1×03) – I just don’t get the high level of criticism this show get. It’s far superior to The Big Bang Theory in my opinion. 6/10
11. New Girl “Wedding” (1×03) – Another poor choice of having the guys support Jess by doing something dumb. You don’t need to force “heart”. Just be funny. 5.5/10
12. Suburgatory “The Barbecue” (1×02) – Meh. It was OK but that’s it. 5.5/10
13. How I Met Your Mother “The Stinson Missile Crisis” (7×04) – Lame. So very lame. 5/10
14. Survivor “Survivalism” (23×04) - Mykayla is still around so that’s good. 5/10
Best of the Week: 25th Sept – 1st Oct 2011
A weekly post with the purpose of highlighting the shows I watched during the week from Sunday to Saturday 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.
I’ve dropped Hart of Dixie, and I won’t be watching any more of Two and a Half Men, but I’m still willing to give some other new shows a little longer to keep me on the line.
1. Breaking Bad “Crawl Space” (4×11) – Holy hell. It’s episodes like this that ratchet the tension up to unbearable levels which shows you why this might be the best show on TV. I cannot wait to see what happens next. Although I can’t help shake the feeling that nothing of consequence will happen to the White family or Hank. It never does. They play the angle that someone’s in danger but there’s never that payoff. I hope the show proves me wrong. 9/10
2. The Vampire Diaries “The End of the Affair” (3×03) - Hooray, another great flashback episode from one of the best shows at doing that. I’m curious to know who the guy chasing the originals is. Plus, I really really hope that Stefan and Elena are a thing of the past. But something tells me Rebekah isn’t gonna be around for too long. Also, the perfect amount of Bonnie, Jeremy and Matt. None. 8/10
3. How I Met Your Mother “Ducky Tie” (7×03) - A massive massive improvement over the double episodes last week. This one felt far more like a classic episode of HIMYM. 7.5/10
4. Modern Family “Phil On Wire” (3×03) - Four enjoyable stories from each of the families (two from the Dunphy’s) and another set of impressive performances from Julie Bowen and Ty Burrell. 7/10
5. Parks and Recreation “Ron & Tammys” (4×02) - Neutered Ron is really creepy. Now I just hope there’s a showdown between all three Tammys. I loved the cameo by Roy Hibbert. One of my favourite young NBA players. 7/10
6. It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia “Frank Reynolds’ Little Beauties” (7×03) - An episode of this show based on kiddie beauty pageants, how could it not be weird and super uncomfortable? Thankfully this episode delivers like you’d expect it to. Dee berates a young girl, Frank is crazy inappropriate, and Mac, Charlie and Dennis do an awesome techno/Kraftwerk performance. 7/10
7. Archer “Heart of Archness: Part III” (3×03) - The last part of the trilogy opener to season 3. It was enjoyable, as all three episodes have been, but it feels like something’s missing. The show doesn’t seem to have that same spark that it had in earlier episodes. Still good though. 6.5/10
8. New Girl “Kryptonite” (1×02) - I kinda miss Coach, but this was another positive episode. It’s a little strange that there was another display of solidarity with the guys backing up Jess. I’m hopeful that’s not gonna be a running theme with this show. Still, Zooey Deschanel continues to be unbelievably charming, so what’s not to like about the show? 6.5/10
9. Whitney “First Date” (1×02) – A big step up from last week and a good episode in it’s own right. Despite what the various reviews I’ve stumbled upon might say. Plus I got to see Whitney in another slutty outfit. Hooray. 6.5/10
10. 2 Broke Girls “and the Break-Up Scene” (1×02) - I’m not sure why the reviews I’ve read said this episode was so bad. I enjoyed it. I could do without the horse, so I hope they sell it or it dies, but I thought Behrs was much better this week. I continue to love Kat Dennings. 6.5/10
11. Boardwalk Empire “21″ (2×01) - Oh my God this show is slow. Even the second season premiere didn’t build any excitement for the rest of the season. I know it’s gonna be good but couldn’t the writers at least tried to hook me with something. 6/10
12. Community “Geography of Global Conflict” (3×02) - Ken Jeong was the highlight in a pretty ordinary episode. The whole Annie’s nemesis plot was really lame. Props for Martin Starr though. Gotta love that guy. Freaks and Geeks FTW. 6/10
13. Person of Interest “Ghosts” (1×02) - Another show that improved on the season premiere. This time we got another standalone episode (which I think will be the norm with this show), but we also got to see some of the history surrounding the development of the machine. Some groundwork for the “mystery” of the founder of the company was also laid. All in all this episode gave me renewed enthusiasm for the show moving forward. 6/10
14. Pan Am “Pilot” (1×01) - You know what, it was better than I thought it’d be. And that’s worth something. 6/10
15. Suburgatory “Pilot” (1×01) - It was definitely better than I thought it would be, and I was very surprised to see Alan Tudyk. Hopefully he’s gonna be a major player for this show. I’ll be coming back to see how it develops. 5.5/10
16. Fringe “One Night in October” (4×02) – I made it about 20 minutes into the episode, up to the point where the guy was clearly going to discover that he was in some weird alternate universe, and then I quit. I’m not ready to give up on the show entirely, but I just hate these freak of the week episodes. Give me mythology all the time. 5.5/10
17. Glee “I Am Unicorn” (3×02) - More Brittany, which is always welcome, but the songs were extremely boring. I don’t watch this show for Broadway numbers. I watch it for pop and rock songs. That’s what I want. Any episode without that I typically find to be a letdown. 5.5/10
18. Survivor (23×03) - Brandon’s a dick. Mikayla is awesome. End of story. 5/10
19. The Secret Circle “Loner” (1×03) - I can’t get over the feeling that unlike the first season of The Vampire Diaries, this show just isn’t building any early momentum with the stories it’s telling. I want this show to develop into a good companion to The Vampire Diaries but so far I can’t help but be let down. 5/10
20. How To Be A Gentleman “Pilot” (1×01) - I thought I’d give this show a go just because I wanted something to watch, so imagine my surprise when I saw Glenn Howerton, Rob McElhenney and Charlie Day listed as producers. Unfortunately the show is nowhere near as brilliant as It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia. 4.5/10
21. The Big Bang Theory “The Pulled Groin Extrapolation” (5×03) - That’s it. 90 episodes of mind-numbingly shit television is enough. I will not be watching this piss poor excuse for comedy ever again. I’ve had a large enough sample to be able to say with concrete certainty that anyone who likes this show doesn’t know good TV. 3/10
22. Terra Nova “Genesis” (1×01 & 1×02) – I made it 17 minutes into this show before I had enough. That slow motion “reveal” of the kid in the back pack was just too lame for me. 3/10
Best of the Week: 18th – 24th Sept 2011
A weekly post with the purpose of highlighting the shows I watched during the week from Sunday to Saturday 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.
Oh my God, TV is finally back in full swing. Last week featured the return of It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia and the premiere of some new shows, but this week the floodgates really opened. And holy hell did I watch a shit ton of TV this week. Not only did I watch approximately 11 hours 39 minutes of shows that aired this week, but I also watched every episode of The Vampire Diaries. 45 episodes. The equivalent of roughly 33 hours and 45 minutes. I can’t believe I’d never seen an episode before last Saturday.
So for the week I watched about 45 hours 24 minutes of TV shows. And that doesn’t even take into account the movies I watched. I’m impressed with myself.
1. It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia “The Gang Goes to the Jersey Shore” (7×02) - What’s not to love about this episode. Dee gets braids, Mac is still fat, Charlie has a romantic moment with the waitress, Dennis and Dee smoke angel dust and people get shot, and Charlie, Dee and Dennis encounter two homeless guys fucking under the boardwalk. Awesome stuff. 8.5/10
2. Parks and Recreation “I’m Leslie Knope” (4×01) – What’s weird is nothing really stood out to me, but it was yet another great half hour of comedy, from one of the top 3 comedies on TV. I particularly liked Ann’s storyline of all the guys in City Hall sending her pictures of their dicks. 8.5/10
3. Community “Biology 101″ (3×01) – John Goodman and Jim Rash. I hope that becomes an ongoing thing this season. And Ken Jeong better get a whole hell of a lot more screen time or else I’m gonna be very disappointed. Props to this episode for also letting me get a glimpse of Annie’s (Alison Brie’s) underwear. 7/10
4. Breaking Bad “Salud” (4×10) – The Walter and Walt Jr stuff was crappy, the Skyler stuff was even worse, but the Jesse, Gus and Mike stuff easily made up for what was boring about this episode. Who the hell knows what’s gonna happen between now and the end of the season. 7/10
5. Modern Family “When Good Kids Go Bad” (3×02) – Julie Bowen was good in this episode. I mean, really good. Plus, “Kill the new baby”, how freaking funny is that. 7/10
6. Modern Family “Dude Ranch” (3×01) – Same rating as above, but I just didn’t like the setting of the episode that much. I did enjoy the New York kid and Alex’s scenes. And I can’t help but be a little disappointed that Dylan may no longer be around. 7/10
7. The Vampire Diaries “The Hybrid” (3×02) – Just the right about of Bonnie (none), too much Stefan, too much Jeremy, and nowhere near enough Caroline. It looks like Klaus is either aware that Elena is not dead, or he will be soon. Hopefully that means he returns to Mystic Falls. Plus Horn Rimmed Glasses guy from Heroes has arrived as Caroline’s father. 6.5/10
8. Glee “The Purple Piano Project” (3×01) - The gang singing The Go-Go’s “We Got The Beat” was the highlight of the episode, plus the wonderfully awesome Heather Morris and Naya Rivera are back on my TV. I really hope they get even more to do this season. And that they finally start their lesbian relationship. That whole storyline was easily the most effective and moving aspect of last season. 6/10
9. Archer “Heart of Archness: Part 2″ (3×02) – David Cross featured so that’s an obvious bonus, but Judy Greer did just about nothing, so that brings it back down. Plus for the most part it wasn’t very funny. 6/10
10. New Girl “Pilot” (1×01) – See my review. 6/10
11. The Secret Circle “” (1×02) – I’m hopeful that this show will develop like The Vampire Diaries has. The only thing which kinda concerns me at the moment is I don’t typically like “witch” stories. I think the whole genre lends itself to lazy and easy writing. Unlike vampire tales, which in general have rules which govern the powers (silver, garlic, vervain, stake through the heart), witch tales aren’t like that. If something can’t be done, then there’s a spell for it. I’ve seen it a couple of times in The Vampire Diaries so far. Someone dies and can’t be brought back, never worry because we just found a long lost spellbook. As long as The Secret Circle doesn’t fall into this trap I’m gonna enjoy watching it. And I hope down the line they do a crossover with The Vampire Diaries. 6/10
12. 2 Broke Girls “Pilot” (1×01) – Beth Behrs was completely underwhelming but I really do love Kat Dennings. Therefore, I rate it as slightly above average. I have a feeling the show will stick around thanks in no small part to the lead-in it has. 5.5/10
13. How I Met Your Mother “The Best Man” (7×01) – Has it really come to this? A show that I consistently thought was among the funniest on TV is now making jokes about its own lame storytelling device. Yeah, we get it, you’re gonna drag out the whole “how I met your mother” angle until the very end. Fucking bullshit. Not even Barney is funny anymore. Plus, I hate to say it, but Alyson Hannigan is starting to look old. 5.5/10
14. Survivor “He Has Demons” (23×02) – I want Ozzy to win. If not him, then Mikayla, Papa Bear, and Cochran. In that order. The problem is none of the people I want to win ever do. That inevitably leads me to get angry with the show. Just as long as Brandon goes soon I’ll be happy. And that’s coming from a massive fan of Russell. 5.5/10
15. Fringe “Neither Here Nor There” (4×01) – It was plainly average. I don’t have much else to say. 5/10
16. Person of Interest “Pilot” (1×01) – I’m hopeful that as the season progresses there will be an extra layer of intrigue introduced, because if it stays like it is in the pilot, it’s simply a by the numbers procedural. And that’s a waste of Michael Emerson’s talent. 5/10
17. Free Agents “What I Did for Work” (1×02) – Azaria and Hahn are so charming, it’s a shame the show doesn’t appear to be funny in the slightest. 5/10
18. The Big Bang Theory “The Skank Reflex Analysis” (5×01) – This show is always average to below average, and I can’t explain for the life of me why I continue to watch it. It must be because I’m continually hoping to see Kaley Cuoco in something vaguely slutty. 4.5/10
19. The Big Bang Theory “The Infestation Hypothesis” (5×02) – As above. 4.5/10
20. Two and a Half Men “Nice To Meet You, Walden Schmidt” (9×01) – I checked out the season premiere only because I actually like Ashton Kutcher, not because I’m a fan of the show. I watched the first three seasons over the last month or so for the first time, and found it to be even less funny than The Big Bang Theory. Kutcher didn’t help in the funny department. How this show continues to get good ratings is beyond me. 4.5/10
21. Up All Night “Cool Neighbors” (1×02) – So far this might be the worst kind of sitcom, one that goes for that “uncomfortable” humour and ends up being completely and totally unfunny. It doesn’t help that I truly dislike Christina Applegate. When oh when is Will Arnett gonna catch a break and end up on a good show again? 4/10
22. The Playboy Club “Pilot” (1×01) – In my eyes this show very clearly wants to be Mad Men. It’s trying for that same kind of style and awareness of the social mores of the time, but it fails at everything in the pilot. I didn’t expect it to be good and it’s not. I love it when I’m right. 4/10
23. Hart of Dixie “Pilot” (1×01) – I love The O.C.. And it should go without saying that I love Rachel Bilson by extension. But the pilot for Hart of Dixie was really underwhelming. I know I shouldn’t feel this way, but Rachel Bilson is just too hot to be a doctor. And it’s because of that (and my general distaste for medical shows) that I’m gonna have to give up on Hart of Dixie after just one episode. 4/10
Three posters for MELROSE PLACE
Here are the three new posters for The CW’s reboot of Melrose Place.
I never watched the original and I think I’m a little too old (31), a little too male, and a little to straight to be watching this when it airs in September.
(source = The Hollywood Reporter)