Wednesday, January 30, 2013

Hope this one sticks


A new Matthew Perry show? Of course I'm in! I remember watching the first episode back when it aired on TV, but for some reason I wasn't paying attention that my brain decided to categorize the episode as unmemorable, making me miss the next episodes. But, the internet has been kind to it; I've read a few articles saying that it might be the best new sitcom of the season; it's receiving decent-to-good ratings; and most importantly, people likened its bizarreness to Community's (which, by the way, will be back very, very soon! *happy face*). I have just rewatched the pilot episode, along with episodes two and three, and I do enjoy it. It's always nice to have Matthew Perry back on TV; his last two shows, Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip and Mr. Sunshine, were canceled too early, in my opinion. The latter, co-starring Allison Janney, I watched all nine episodes when they aired, but I still haven't watched the four unaired episodes.

Go On is about Ryan King (Perry), a sports talk radio host who is forced to attend support group sessions to help him move on from the death of his wife. This, in a way, is very similar to Community's introduction to the show. Ryan was reluctant to go to the sessions, as was Jeff in going to community college, until becoming friends with the group of people they were forced to be around. Go On's plot involving troubled, grieving people in a support group is great because it allows for more craziness.

NBC has made a full season order of 22 episodes, the fifteenth of which aired a few hours ago. Here's hoping for a second, third, and maybe even fourth seasons!

Also, watching this reminds me that I should also watch Matt LeBlanc's Episodes.

Tuesday, January 29, 2013

Can we move away from the relationship stuff please?

To be honest, I'm still undecided on what I think about this show.

I've only watched four episodes so far, but that's almost halfway through the 10-episode season. And, the thing that throws me off the most is the "relationship mess" part of the show: the Will/Mac jealous ex with lingering feelings, and the Jim/Maggie she's taken but they're obviously into each other. They seem to be throwing it in our faces and force us to go along with it. These relationships are also cliched and tired, and it feels like the show doesn't even try to do anything new in this aspect. They're getting annoying, instead of charming or appealing that I think they are meant to be. So, can we just drop them please? The show would be much more interesting and stronger without them.

Side note: I think, out of all of Aaron Sorkin's shows, The Newsroom has the least chemistry between the cast and characters, which is why I don't fall in love with it as quickly as I do the other shows.

Monday, January 28, 2013

Trying something new...

Excluding the current TV shows that I follow each week, I always watch older shows one at a time. I watch one episode after another, and I enjoy not having to wait a week (sometimes longer) to see what happens next. However, I do sometimes wonder if rushing through episodes takes away from the overall experience. It might throw off the pacing of the show; the creators might have intended for episodes to be watched weeks apart; different plot lines get jumbled up and missed. So, I've decided to try watching multiple shows at once. Not necessarily one episode of one show followed by one of another show, but maybe a few episodes of one show and then a few days of other shows.

I'm still in the middle of watching Parenthood, I'm at the beginning of season 3 right now and honestly, I'm getting tired of all the drama. I watched the pilot episode of Dirty Sexy Money last night, and it seems pretty interesting; lighter in the drama department than Parenthood so it might be easier to watch. I also have Six Feet Under downloaded and ready to be watched, which I'm going to start...right now. All three shows star Peter Krause so I might need to drop one (or two) of them. As substitutes, I can continue watching The Newsroom, of which I've only watched the first 5 or 6 episodes; and I can also go back to Battlestar Galactica, since I stopped somewhere at the beginning of its second season.


Thursday, January 24, 2013

Parenthood


I've always liked Lauren Graham so I was quite excited when I learned that she was going to star in a new show. I remember watching this show when it first aired, in 2010, but I'm not sure how far I got before I stopped watching; it was probably just a few episodes. I don't know why I stopped; I think it's just because I wasn't in the mood for dramas. This time, I watched the first season in 3 days.

Parenthood is a comedy-drama that revolves around the three generations of the Braverman family. The grandparents Zeek and Camille Braverman; their four children, from oldest to youngest (and it took me at least half of season 1 before I figure this out): Adam the go-to guy and problem fixer, Sarah the single mother raising two teenagers, Crosby the erratic, irresponsible, and childish one, and Julia the successful lawyer. The show portrays the daily lives of this family, along with their significant others and children, and the constant struggles of relationships and finances of their lives. Although I can't really relate to their problems (since my life hasn't been nearly as dramatic), the show manages to make everything seems real and believable. I have cried quite a few times during the thirteen episodes I've watched.

And I now really, really miss my family.

After watching Sports Night, followed by this show, and with Six Feet Under just downloaded to my hard drive, I think I'm going to have a crush on Peter Krause (if I haven't already). I do love the tone of his voice.

Tuesday, January 22, 2013

Sports Night


In my attempt to fend off the temptation of The West Wing, I decided to watch another of Aaron Sorkin's shows: Sports Night. I'm immediately greeted by the Sorkinisms I'm accustomed to: the walk-and-talk, the quick pace and banters, the rhythm of the dialogues. Unlike his other shows of hour-long dramas that I'm familiar with (TWW, Studio 60, The Newsroom), Sports Night is a half-hour comedy. It's not a sitcom; the humor is much drier than the typical sitcom, but it's definitely funny. They used laugh tracks in season one, and it's awkward and distracting; I'm glad they dropped that in season two.

Sports Night shows us the action behind the production of an ESPN-esque show. The show within the show is modeled after ESPN's SportsCenter; and its presenters, Dan (Josh Charles) and Casey (Peter Krause), are modeled after SportsCenter's Keith Olbermann and Dan Patrick. The onscreen banter emulates Olbermann and Patrick's, and the behind-the-scene struggles for ratings and against network execs mimics their real-life counterparts.

I watched the episodes in a marathon. No, in a sprint. It only took me a few days to finish the two seasons. There are a few "themes" that I recognized from Sorkin's other shows, and the setting reminded me a lot of Studio 60. It's a great show, and it's a shame that it was canceled before its time. It's not The West Wing –– I think Sorkin's style of writing works best in TWW –– but it has that sense of humor that I really enjoy. It's funny, it's smart, and unfortunately seems to be one of those great shows that many people missed. I now have to look for another show to watch. I might try to catch up on The Newsroom next so I don't miss the Sorkinisms, or look for great, older shows that I've missed.

Friday, January 18, 2013

I can't help it

A few weeks ago, Netflix made all seasons of The West Wing available for streaming. Not only was it available, it keeps being pushed towards me; both through /r/NetflixBestOf, and Netflix's many lists of recommendations. My lack of self-control means that I caved in and rewatched the show again. Yes, I'm really blaming Netflix this time.

I absolutely loved watching the earlier episodes again; especially seeing CJ being nervous and not nearly as experienced as I remember her to be, when going in to the press briefing room. I've missed the dynamic of the team very much. And I've definitely missed the friendship between Josh and Sam, and CJ and Toby by extension.

The more episodes I watch, the sadder I get because I know Sam Seaborn is leaving. Moreover, not too long after Sam's farewell, Amy Gardner would soon join him in leaving the show. Those two are my favorite characters after Josh Lyman and the show is just not the same without them; yes, even though Amy was never really a regular on the show. I really wanted Josh to end up with Amy; I thought she was more of a match to him than Donna ever was. Sure, Josh and Donna shared some cute banters, but they're far from the scope and level of Josh/Amy banters. This blog post takes the words out of my mouth, and then polished them and expressed my points more clearly. I honestly can't believe that there are so many Amy-haters out there. What's not to love about her? I understand that most people shipped Josh and Donna since the beginning of the show, and to have this very attractive woman come in and steal the man can be aggravating, but how could they not see how perfect Josh and Amy are? Okay... Taking my shipper hat off now...