New Dramas

Over the weekend, I watched three of the new Fall dramas via the Internet.  Any network not putting their progamming on-line is missing out.  Hear that NBC!  I'd have liked to see Harry's Law as I watched a few episodes last season and it conflicts with Modern Family but no, they can't put the whole thing on-line.

Anyway, I watched Revenge, Unforgettable (which I consistently forget the name of it) and a Gifted Man.

Revenge - ABC has hyped this to death like all their new shows but this is the only one where they put the first few minutes on-line so you could actually get a preview.  Combine that with a favorable review by my husband who typically watches just about everything new at least once and I decided to give it a try.  It was engaging and I'm surprised to add it to my watch list for the weekends.  Surprised because I really didn't think this had legs.  How much revenge can you take?  Plus it is set in the Hamptons and begins in September?  Still it seems to work for me. It isn't gory; she doesn't even kill off everyone.  She has other ways of getting her revenge which makes it far more interesting and her far less likely to get caught. I'm interested in the main characters backstory. Still, I can't see this lasting more than a couple of seasons, but it can still be a good drama.

Unforgettable - This was the one of the three I most thought I wanted to see.  I'd seen the 60 Minutes piece about people who remember every day of their lives.  This is totally bizarre especially when the character in the series starts telling someone what time the sun came up on a certain day.  I don't know what time the sun came up today!  Poppy Montgomery is very good in this role. She is sharp and yet vulnerable.  I love the interaction she has with a particular resident at the nursing home where she volunteers - good irony by the writers.  I'm just not sure the weekly stories are going to keep me coming back so it might get forgettable for me.

A Gifted Man - I was stunned to like this show!  Really stunned. First off, I don't care for ghost stories - good ghost or not.  I watched it Sunday when there was truly nothing else I wanted to see.  Yet the main character is not what I expected.  He seems like a pompous jerk and he is yet he has friends, he has family that loves him and he does indeed have a heart. His ex-wife - the ghost - is the kind of person you just want to be around so it is no wonder he doesn't want her to leave his life.  One wonders why he would have divorced her in the first place.  The patients were also very watchable.  The only downside to this drama is that it airs on Friday night which is where shows typically go to die. CBS has had tons of great dramas that either started out on Friday or were parked there where they lost their audiences - Early Edition, Picket Fences, and others I can't even remember now.  So I hope this one will survive its time slot to live on.

Priorities

Michael definitely needs to get his priorities straight if he is more interested in protecting the warehouse than getting Dante medical treatment.  Thank goodness Abby and Carly were there to set him straight or rather to take over.  Now can Shawn figure out Anthony planted drugs before they are discovered?  I'm thinking the police are already all over that warehouse.  Johnny is right; Anthony had definitely ended the peace.

Olivia called Sonny before she called Lulu apparently quite a bit before since Sonny and Kate had time to get to the hospital.  And they just thought that wedding went off without any gunshots.

It made for more drama to have Lulu waiting around for Dante but I do think Olivia should have called her more promptly.  So now Lulu looks like a young Laura?  Well, I didn't watch when Laura was on so I'll buy it. Who is at Windemere?  I had assumed it was Luke but a slashed portrait of his great love doesn't fit.

I'm anxious to see what deal Alexis has struck with Sonny and can someone say Menopause?  Those are hot flashes, Alexis!  I do hope they do a storyline on this.  Too many times these programs are too youth oriented.  ATWT did a very small bit on Lisa going through "the change" years ago but now they talk about everything so why not that.

Finally, I'm really disappointed in the return of James Franco. Yes, he is creepy but I want to see him do something besides plant funny little spy cameras and dance around with a dress.  He needs to interact with the cast.  I suppose they are dragging out his appearance. Maybe he will appear in Hawaii if we are invited along on Sam and Jason's honeymoon.

Kaboom!

First, I want to say to all the fans of All My Children.  I feel your pain.  I lost As the World Turns and I do know how you feel.  It is like a member of your extended family -sometimes more so because you spend 5 hours a week with the show and its characters.  I truly hope the show succeeds on-line.

Now onto General Hospital and the most disastrous but perfect non-wedding ever.  There was nothing about this wedding that was predictable except that Maxie was going to continue to be disappointed. You knew when she unzipped those garment bags that they wouldn't have the right contents in them.  Loved that the Quartermaines were present even though Spinelli apparently still can't even send an e-mail.  He had better recoup his technowizardry soon because he will surely need it.

I'm wondering how the package Carly left behind is going to fit into everything.  She seems to be the only one who was planning to arrive with a gift.  Will she or Michael go back and retrieve it and find Dante with a bullet hole in his chest or his back depending on who hits him. I'm betting it is Dante since Lulu is all dressed up and waiting to accept his proposal.  Clearly it isn't going as she planned.

So what is Franco up to?  I always am left wondering with this guy.  He can't be that far away as he was lurking around yesterday and stole the wedding dress.  Will he appear at the rehearsal in person?  Will he have something to do with the drug business?

I'm also assuming that Anthony will survive the shootout because he has to put Lisa back to work making trouble.  She is about to awaken.  Let's hope it is a short recovery.  Surely she isn't at GH. Someone would notice if she was getting more meds wouldn't they? Then again this is GH where drugs get stolen and security is non existent.

Jason and Sam may not get that Hawaiian honeymoon.  Shawn is probably not going to be enough to keep trouble away from the Corinthos organization for long what with Anthony, Johnny and Franco all gunning for them.

Fall 2011 Week 1 in Review

Wow, that sounds like an imposing title.  I just wanted to post my thoughts on the first week of the fall TV season.  Notice the week isn't over but it might as well be.  Friday and Saturday are dead TV nights.

So here's what I think of what I've watched so far:

Two and a Half Men.  Yes I was one of the 27 million viewers to see what the return without Sheen would be like. I thought the funeral with all the old girlfriends and Rose being at the heart of his demise to be well done.  Jon Cryer really got a chance to shine in this episode which he deserved.  However - and you knew there would be a however - the new version of the show is clearly going to be more of the same.  Personally, I think this show should have ended two seasons ago. The characters hadn't grown any.  If anything, they had all gotten worse!  No, I won't worry about watching this on Monday nights.

Two Broke Girls is the only new show I've seen so far.  The girls are well portrayed and interesting.  Unfortunately, the rest of the cast is a dud.  I don't expect this to last.

Modern Family - I've set a high bar for this show. It is the funniest thing on TV.  The first of the two episodes on Wednesday was a bit disappointing.  There were humorous spots but they seemed forced to me.  This may be because ABC had played some of them to death.  Now I do understand why Gloria kept singing when everyone else had stopped.

ABC does the worst series promotion of any network.    They run the same previews over and over.  They also don't take advantage of the web and offer a few minutes preview of new shows.  Placement of their previews is also questionable.

Now I feel better and back to Modern Family.  The second episode where Cam and Mitchell prepare to tell the family about adopting another baby is much better.  Very funny lines and one of those where it all comes together in the end.  They bring it all back to family.  I'll be watching next week for sure.

Big Bang Theory - Two hysterical episodes!  We both laughed so hard at Sheldon and the red chair!  I'm hoping Leonard's romance with Pria fizzles.  She was a good character for awhile but it is time for at least one of the girls to move on and she is the one I want to see swapped.  Amy and Bernadette are keepers for sure.  Nothing about this show is getting stale.  Clearly someone knows what they are doing.

Person of Interest - I lost interest in this supposedly 'highly anticipated' new show after about 30 minutes.  I finished it out but it will be the last one for me.  The main character is one of those invincible Rambo types who always has the skills he needs, always gets a break and never fails to clear a room of bad guys with his fists or conveniently place weapons.  The back story is weak and done to death - guys drops out of society after something happens to the women he loves.  Yawn.

Tonight is a rerun of Revenge so I might watch it.  I saw the first few minutes on-line - the only one of the new ABC shows to be presented that way.  It shows promise and my husband liked it.  However, again however, it seems more like a mini series to me.  Doesn't look like there would be enough here to make an ongoing series.  Still I may give it a try.

Wedding in a Chinese Restaurant

It sounds terribly corny. It was sweet and romantic.  I loved Jason and Sam's wedding!  And I loved the preemptive wedding idea because since everything is happening tomorrow night, we know there would have never been a ceremony.  Let's just hope none of our favorite of Port Charles perish in all the action!

I had to laugh at Maxie who seems to think all her plans are actually working???  Really, the guests haven't been invited, the flowers are in the wrong church, there is no music and that is without all the usual things that can go wrong for a wedding - particularly a Port Charles wedding.

I guess I was wrong in that Lulu is going to say "Yes" just in some special way.  Only problem is, she is planning it for the fateful tomorrow night.  Dante may be in suspense for awhile yet.

Marriages or not

Is Sam having second thoughts?  I doubt it, at least not about marrying Jason.  But she sure is giving him a scare.  Seeing the bride in her wedding dress before the wedding may or may not be bad luck but it is a sure sign in soap opera land that we will not see the wedding go off as planned.  I'm bettting she ditches all of Maxie's plans which aren't coming together all that well anyway. What is wrong with Maxie?  She can usually do anything.

It amazes me that Olivia is so quick to give everyone relationship and marriage advice when she has never been married.  Actually she has never had a committed relationship that I can tell.  Yet there she is telling Kate, Sonny, Dante, Carly and anyone else how to manage their marriages or relationships.  Poor Dante, I think he will be shot down on this one.

Ethan is getting more lovable by the day. Not helping his sister disappear and making a visit to Kristina in the same day!

Franco is just getting creepy.  Ok, he was always creepy but this is even more so. I hope this is his last visit to Port Charles.

Winners!

I feel like a jinx.  Usually when I watch an awards show, the people I want to win, don't.  But not last night.  I watched most of the first hour as that was the comedy portion and then my husband wanted the TV.  Everyone I wanted to in comedy win, did!  It was terrific.

Ty Burrell gave the best acceptance speech I've ever heard.  I loved that Melissa McCarthy was a surprise winner.  And Jim Parsons is just terrific.  Kind of feel sorry for Steve Carrell even though I don't watch his show.  But Parsons is just so good; he deserves another win.

Julia Margulies won again for the Good Wife which was well deserved.  I would have liked to see Alan Cummings get an Emmy for playing Eli. He has taken what I presume was to be a throw away character and turn him into a fan favorite.

Tonight, the new season resumes.  Thank goodness, reruns are over for at least a few weeks anyway!