Back with more reviews of the 2011-2012 TV shows I watched at least one episode of! Use these as your guide when scouring Netflix or Amazon for a new thing to get into.
This is part 3 (part 1 is here, part 2 here). In case it hasn't been clear, I'm only reviewing shows that debuted between August 2011 and August 2012--this doesn't include all the "veteran" shows that I watch. Yes, I watch a lot of TV. But as these posts show, I do it at least in part as a public service to my readers. Plus, I still exercise at least some self-control--check out this list of 2011-2012 shows I was willing to give the old one-episode tryout, but chose not to:
GCB, Man Up!, Revenge, Scandal, Suburgatory, Work It (ABC); Bunheads (ABC Family); 2 Broke Girls, How To Be A Gentleman (CBS); Ringer (The CW); Anger Management (FX); Girls, Life's Too Short, Veep (HBO); Are You There, Chelsea?, Awake, Bent, Best Friends Forever (NBC); Homeland (Showtime); Men At Work (TBS); Dallas (TNT)
See? I'm a model of restraint. (I also don't want to pay for premium cable channels.) Anyway, let's get on with the reviews! I'm still listing them in ascending order of quality, which means that by the end of this installment we'll finally reach some shows that were semi-decent.
Duets, ABC
Episodes Watched: 9 of 9
Status for 2012-2013: Don't know (though it's still featured on ABC's website)
For those who like: Singing competitions but don't like watching the auditions; incomprehensible scoring systems
Comments: I shouldn't really say I "watched" all 9 episodes; I mostly just had it on as background noise while I was working. But even if I was giving it my undivided attention, I still don't think the way the first few rounds of eliminations would've made any sense. The highlight of the short season was definitely learning that Robin Thicke sounds just like his daddy.
Grimm, NBC
Episodes Watched: 6 of 22
Status for 2012-2013: Renewed for second season
For those who like: The non-Disney versions of fairy tales
Comments: This show lives up to its name. It's much more dark and violent than the other new fairy tale-themed show, Once Upon A Time (which I'll cover in Part 4), and therefore much less to my liking. I also didn't find the lead actor very likable, or very convincing as a hero. This is either the best bad show or the worst decent show in these rankings, I can't decide.
Person of Interest, CBS
Episodes Watched: 1 of 23
Status for 2012-2013: Renewed for second season
For those who like: Superhero franchise mashups
Comments: This show is kind of like "Batman meets Bourne," except in this case it's the Alfred-type who has all the money. It's a much more exciting version of Touch (people with special, unexplained powers, 9/11 connections, etc.). The premise was at least somewhat intriguing, but the presence of Michael Emerson (Ben Linus from Lost) ensured I'd be checking it out. (The other star is Jim Caviezel, which added another level to the strangely long list of connections between Lost and the movie Frequencey. May have to blog about that someday.) If this had been on any other network, I probably would've watched the whole season. But CBS doesn't put their shows on Hulu, and they make watching anything on their own website a major chore (ultra-long commercials, frequent streaming interruptions, etc.). As a result, the only things I watch on CBS are Survivor and March Madness, even though they air several shows I'm pretty sure I'd like (including Person of Interest).
Pan Am, ABC
Episodes Watched: 4 of 14
Status for 2012-2013: Canceled
For those who like: Aviation and sexism
Comments: Like Playboy Club, Pan Am tried to capitalize on the nostalgic popularity of shows like Mad Men, while seemingly overlooking the fact that setting a show in the '60s doesn't automatically mean your show will have good writing or acting. Still, Pan Am was a much better and more interesting show than Playboy Club (I work in the airline industry, so it's quite possible I'm a little biased in favor of Pan Am), and I hope to see the rest of the episodes at some point.
Missing, ABC
Episodes Watched: 3 of 10
Status for 2012-2013: Canceled
For those who like: James Bond, but wish he was an American housewife
Comments: Ashley Judd looks amazing, even when she's trying to look "normal," whether in this show (where she attempts to realistically portray a mother of a college-age son) or in real life. But the plotting and action sequences in this show are ridiculously unrealistic. There are several scenes in the handful of episodes I watched that make some of the more outlandish moments of 24 seem plausible. As I'm typing these comments, I'm realizing I probably ranked Missing too high. But I'm not going to change it now.
Terra Nova, FOX
Episodes Watched: 1 of 11
Status for 2012-2013: Canceled
For those who like: Dystopian dinosaur adventures
Comments: I didn't think the pilot was as bad as the reviewers were saying, or as the commercials made it seem like it would be. The special effects were good. That said, it clearly wasn't good enough to keep me watching.
Up All Night, NBC
Episodes Watched: 8 of 24
Status for 2012-2013: Renewed for second season (just 13 episodes)
For those who like: Mad About You
Comments: It's sad that a cast featuring hilarious people that I've loved in past shows (especially Will Arnett and Maya Rudolph) is so bland. It's a fine show, but there's absolutely nothing remarkable or memorable about it. Up All Night would've probably been a huge hit with audiences and critics in the '80s or '90s, but I expect more humor and creativity from my sitcoms in 2012.
Check back soon for the final installment, including my favorite new show of the season!
Status for 2012-2013: Don't know (though it's still featured on ABC's website)
For those who like: Singing competitions but don't like watching the auditions; incomprehensible scoring systems
Comments: I shouldn't really say I "watched" all 9 episodes; I mostly just had it on as background noise while I was working. But even if I was giving it my undivided attention, I still don't think the way the first few rounds of eliminations would've made any sense. The highlight of the short season was definitely learning that Robin Thicke sounds just like his daddy.
Grimm, NBC
Episodes Watched: 6 of 22
Status for 2012-2013: Renewed for second season
For those who like: The non-Disney versions of fairy tales
Comments: This show lives up to its name. It's much more dark and violent than the other new fairy tale-themed show, Once Upon A Time (which I'll cover in Part 4), and therefore much less to my liking. I also didn't find the lead actor very likable, or very convincing as a hero. This is either the best bad show or the worst decent show in these rankings, I can't decide.
Person of Interest, CBS
Episodes Watched: 1 of 23
Status for 2012-2013: Renewed for second season
For those who like: Superhero franchise mashups
Comments: This show is kind of like "Batman meets Bourne," except in this case it's the Alfred-type who has all the money. It's a much more exciting version of Touch (people with special, unexplained powers, 9/11 connections, etc.). The premise was at least somewhat intriguing, but the presence of Michael Emerson (Ben Linus from Lost) ensured I'd be checking it out. (The other star is Jim Caviezel, which added another level to the strangely long list of connections between Lost and the movie Frequencey. May have to blog about that someday.) If this had been on any other network, I probably would've watched the whole season. But CBS doesn't put their shows on Hulu, and they make watching anything on their own website a major chore (ultra-long commercials, frequent streaming interruptions, etc.). As a result, the only things I watch on CBS are Survivor and March Madness, even though they air several shows I'm pretty sure I'd like (including Person of Interest).
Pan Am, ABC
Episodes Watched: 4 of 14
Status for 2012-2013: Canceled
For those who like: Aviation and sexism
Comments: Like Playboy Club, Pan Am tried to capitalize on the nostalgic popularity of shows like Mad Men, while seemingly overlooking the fact that setting a show in the '60s doesn't automatically mean your show will have good writing or acting. Still, Pan Am was a much better and more interesting show than Playboy Club (I work in the airline industry, so it's quite possible I'm a little biased in favor of Pan Am), and I hope to see the rest of the episodes at some point.
Missing, ABC
Episodes Watched: 3 of 10
Status for 2012-2013: Canceled
For those who like: James Bond, but wish he was an American housewife
Comments: Ashley Judd looks amazing, even when she's trying to look "normal," whether in this show (where she attempts to realistically portray a mother of a college-age son) or in real life. But the plotting and action sequences in this show are ridiculously unrealistic. There are several scenes in the handful of episodes I watched that make some of the more outlandish moments of 24 seem plausible. As I'm typing these comments, I'm realizing I probably ranked Missing too high. But I'm not going to change it now.
Terra Nova, FOX
Episodes Watched: 1 of 11
Status for 2012-2013: Canceled
For those who like: Dystopian dinosaur adventures
Comments: I didn't think the pilot was as bad as the reviewers were saying, or as the commercials made it seem like it would be. The special effects were good. That said, it clearly wasn't good enough to keep me watching.
Up All Night, NBC
Episodes Watched: 8 of 24
Status for 2012-2013: Renewed for second season (just 13 episodes)
For those who like: Mad About You
Comments: It's sad that a cast featuring hilarious people that I've loved in past shows (especially Will Arnett and Maya Rudolph) is so bland. It's a fine show, but there's absolutely nothing remarkable or memorable about it. Up All Night would've probably been a huge hit with audiences and critics in the '80s or '90s, but I expect more humor and creativity from my sitcoms in 2012.
Check back soon for the final installment, including my favorite new show of the season!
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