So, I’ve decided to watch a variety of shows and let you know if they’re, er, watchable. I know many of you are doing to same thing. The new TV season started yesterday so let’s see what’s worthy of TAM 🙂
I have to admit, I did not watch Dancing with the Stars. With the exception of one particular season 😉 it’s never really interested me. It premiered last night, any reviews?
Here’s what I’m TiVo, with what I expect. When I watch it I’ll report back here with updates.
Playboy Club, NBC, 9/19
Already recorded, not rushing to watch, expect it to be horrible. Hoping I’m wrong. Clearly an attempt to follow in Mad Men’s shoes, but in a more cynical, pathetic way. I’ll let you know if I’m right.
CSI
Ugh. My fave show for years, but with a recent cast change, makes it impossible to watch. A real shame. Plus, why did Marg Helgenberger mess up her face with awful plastic surgery? Ted Danson also joins the show this year. Ack. TiVoing, expect to delete.
Body of Proof, ABC, 9/20
Premiere’s tonight, loved last season. Dana Delany manages to make episodic dramedy sublime. Hope she keeps it going this year. Looking forward to it 🙂
Prime Suspect, NBC, 9/22
Really looking forward to this. Maria Bello stars, and it’s a take on the Helen Mirren UK version. This could either really be awful or be really good. I’m hoping for really good.
Charlie’s Angels, ABC, 9/22
Expect this to be awful, but I’ll watch and let you know.
Fringe, Fox, 9/23
Favorite. Really looking forward to it. Thank god it was renewed. Also liked “V” from last year but it got cancelled.
Pan Am, ABC, 9/25
Obviously one of the many attempts to do a “mad Men” type show. I expect this to be bad, but there’s room for them to do this right when it comes to portraying strong women, but I’m not betting the farm.
House, Fox, 10/3
House was my favorite show but with the departure of the Lisa Cuddy character (which made it watchable) I’m torn. I’m TiVoing this last season but don’t expect to last.
This is my plan? What are you watching? Any suggestions, warnings… ? Help your fellow TAMs be entertained or not waste their time 🙂
I lost interest in a lot of series television when I finally got a home satellite system in 1998, so there have been very few series I’ve watched since that time. I did get into Mad Men last year, but other than that the only show I regularly DVR is a cartoon – Batman: The Brave and the Bold on Cartoon Network. For fans of DC Comics, it’s a really fun show to watch, with guest appearances by some lesser-known DC characters and a lot of in-jokes to past DC history. New episodes started last week, but unfortunately I don’t think the show has been renewed (the first season has come out on DVDs, however). Still, if you’re a comic geek, I’d recommend watching it. One warning: there is an episode where Obama makes an appearance (although Plastic Man, who guest-starred in the episode, had no clue who he was, so it was still kind of funny).
I love to watch Castle that airs at 10 p.m. Monday on ABC. The basic premise is that Castle ( a murder mystery writer) played by Nathan Fillion gets involved with the NYPD when someone starts killing people like he does in his books. Detective Kate Beckett played by the beautiful and talented Stana Katic takes an instant dislike to Castle’s lack of regard for the rules and playboy antics. Through working together on the case, Castle gets the idea to write a new book and base it on Detective Beckett. Kate is not thrilled with this idea because it means she has to continue working with Castle as he does research for his book but reluctantly agrees because she is given an order by the police captain. The show is in its third season which started last night. However, I would recommend watching the first two seasons before moving on to the third. You will enjoy Castle if you like humor, mystery, drama, romance, strong female leads and great acting.
I LOVE Nathan Fillion from “Firefly”. “)
He is awesome in everything and cute! : )
Loved Firefly!
I’m a ‘Whedonite’ so I agree with this message! 😉 Since Joss doesn’t have a show on, chances of me watching any TV this fall are slim and none, and slim left town. (I can’t believe I just said that) 😉 If you never watched Firefly or Dollhouse both were awesome. IMHO (Assuming most know about Buffy and Angel) Sorry, I live in the past. 😉
Fox, History channel, and NASCAR/most sports.
The Playboy Club is campy in a Dynasty meets Showgirls meets Valley of the Dolls kind of way.
LOL! Very wrong or very right 😉 Maybe it depends on how martinis are involved
It seems to be unaware how bad it is. The best is old Hef narrating- fondly looking back at his scrapbook of memories. Also the sadistic and ambitious “Bunny Mother” Carol-Lynne is priceless. There IS gay and lesbian interest and characters BTW. Also a fake glossy Playboy magazine like take on “serious” 1960’s issues as compared to Mad Men’s more complex view.
I’ll be DVRing “Prime Suspect”. Bello has some awfully big shoes to fill. Will constantly be compared to the sublime Mirren original. Hope Bello and the writers can find a way to make it their own in some way.
Thoroughly enjoyed Delaney in “Body of Proof” last year. Will watch again.
“NCIS”, 9/20 — favorite for years. Quality show.
“The Good Wife”, 9/25 — AWESOME!!! Terrific cast and clever, smart writers.
Will also give “Homeland”, 10/2 on Showtime a try. Stars Claire Danes. Revolves around a CIA officer (Danes) who suspects a recently rescued long-time POW of being part of Al Qaeda terrorist plot against U.S.. (I know. This could go VERY wrong… .)
Don’t stress yourself on my account watching that trash. I watch Antiques Roadshow, American Pickers, PBR (Pro Bull Riding). And bits and pieces of some of the sporting events my husband watches: football, baseball. I have too many things to do to sit and stare at a television.
When I had cable I found that the History Channel, Discovery Channel, and Learning Channel usually had something to watch.
Also, NASCAR is interesting.
I might also add, any John Wayne/Clint Eastwood westerns.
Oh dear. My choices are a bit different.
Top number 1 best show of all times is Dexter.
Dr.Who Torchwood The Hour
returning soon Luther Boadwalk Empire
NCIS -even the re-runs
Poirot Foyle’s War Inspector Lewis Doc Martin on PBS
Haven Alphas -only on demand when nothing is on
Breaking Bad which has become addictive
I think I’ll stick to listening to old time radio shows on the web. In today’s times one has to have laughs and the likes of Jack Benny, Eddie Cantor, Bob Hope, Burns & Allen, Fanny Brice, etc. can always provide them even if it’s been 60 years since they were on the air.
not much network- watch a lot of Discovery: Sons of Guns; History: pickers, pawn stars; auction hunters;jeff lewis on bravo- some housewives; hgtv. otherwise sports with music on.
have monty python on dvd, along with dr strangelove and the nature stuff.
I’m somewhat reluctant to really “get into” a series after ER broke my heart when it ended. (The nerve of them!:) ) But Maria Bello was on ER so maybe I will give Prime Suspect a shot. So far, am quite addicted to Chopped – sooo much going on – competition and/or camaraderie between the competitors, graceful sportmanship and sometimes petulant losers. And the judges — a bunch of characters, especially Scott Conant, a real control freak. So now you have my 2 cents, for what it’s worth. (Well, 2 cents, I guess 🙂 )
Loved ER. Created by the Michael Crichton. Excellent writers and actors.
My first time posting in any forum but LOVE TV so thought I would jump in.
Love: Fringe(FOX), House(FOX), Modern Family(ABC), The Walking Dead(AMC), The Killing(AMC), Damages(Moved to DirectTV 🙁 ), Project Runway(Lifetime), Top Chef(Bravo), Burn Notice(USA)
Enjoy: Body of Proof(ABC), Parks & Recreation(NBC), The Office(NBC), Cougar Town(ABC), Eureka(SyFy)
New & Curious: Revenge(ABC), Person of Interst(CBS), Terra Nova(FOX), Prime Suspect(NBC), Grimm(NBC)
I quit watching CSI after they portrayed a group that they thinly veiled as pseudo-Tea Party as a violent group–two years or so ago. CSI-Miami is questionable because “H” violates Constitutional rights constantly and should have been tossed into the poky long ago. I still watch CSI-NY and NCIS: they still haven’t become offensive–but give them time. I’ve seen Ringer and it is not a bad show at all–I see some interesting twists and turns: however, Sarah Michelle Gellar still runs like Buffy. Other than the shows mentioned I only watch something from my vast DVD library when I have time.
I canceled my “pay TV” long ago and all shows are recorded on VCRs. I know what you’re thinking but old tech is not all bad and my Toshiba machines are tough and I still have blank tapes. I also have two digital/analog converters as all of my equipment is analog and I watch a 13″ tube TV 99% of the time anyway.
I prefer to invest in PPE instead.
I’m looking forward to Fringe. I’m also looking forward to House and Bones. I have a feeling this may be the last season for both; Lisa Cuddy (House) left, Dr. Temperance “Bones” Brennan expecting. It will be interesting to see how these two shows play out this season. I also like NCIS.
As for me, I have a few “must see TV” shows. Nothing on the Majors:
Parameters: Must be continuing programs/includes the ‘split season’ series. No repeats(which cancels out Monk, Sopranos and ST:NG for instance)
In no particular order:
TOP GEAR-BBC America. 3 Brit Car Nuts drive/race the most exotic and fastest cars in the world. You won’t ever see these in America because of ‘safety’/crash test rules. Shame. The Video Production Values are doublegood. Plus their English slang is priceless.
TOP SHOT-History Channel-Marksmanship Contest-$100K grand prize. Celebrates the 2nd Amendment.
HOT IN CLEVELAND-TV_Land-Victoria Chase(Wendie Malick); The funniest, best written character on TV. Laugh Out Loud Hilarious. The guest stars are the icing on the cake.
BREAKING BAD-AMC-Every episode, to me, has this feeling of ‘foreboding’ and ‘dread’; Gives me ‘the creeps’, I like it.
BURN NOTICE-USA Network-Spy Drama set in Miami-Fantastic stories with cliffhangers and story ‘arcs’, Top notch cast. The BEST car chases and explosions.
IN PLAIN SIGHT-USA Network-Mary Shannon? What a great character, with a deep backstory, with action, and romantic sentiment. Scripts are excellent.
PSYCH-USA Network-Comedy/Mystery. You have to listen hard for all the pop culture references of the ’80’s. Love the wordplay. Very, very clever premise.
and course, the greatest program of all:
SOUTH PARK-Parker and Stone do NOT let up or cut anyone any slack.
They relentlessly mock everything and everybody, except when Viacom got chicken-s*** with the Mohammed episode.
Ciao’
posted 9/20 830pm Texans for Palin Time.
Let’s see…
Eureka – which they cancelled
Warehouse 13
Star Wars: The Clone Wars
Sanctuary
Gymnastics and swimming/diving when they are actually on tv…
and I have about 850 VHS tapes left to transfer over to DVD out of 1000.
Now that I think about it I will add Dr. Who to my list, as well as the Lakers – if the owners and players union don’t torpedo the season…
I need funny, happy, music, not scary or showcasing people being menacing to others:) My favs:
Modern Family (acting, storytelling, character development, hilarious),
Parks and Recreation, (Hilarious in an absurd way)
The Middle,
How I Met your Mother (Neil Patrick Harris- brilliant!)
Hot in Cleveland
The Sing-Off- love acapella and Ben Folds
Red Eye
Man vs. Wild (crazy amazing!)
Nothing new interests me.
Don’t forget Broadwalk and Game of Thrones on HBO. Broadwalk premieres on Sunday Sept. 25. Great shows.
MAJOR Beef with HBO. It has Maher on it. Boycotting it.
I read the “Fire and Ice” book series, of which “Game of Thrones” is the first book. It is awesome. I was so happy when the actor who played Tyrion, one of the best and most original characters in literature, won the Emmy. I don’t get HBO, but bought the DVD set.
Doctor Who, Redeye, Fox,Business Channel
(FFC) Nightly Scoreboard (when a certain TAM is on there!
yup, this is an eclectic group!
agree with house maybe jumping the shark after cuddy leaves. but i did hear there is an outside chance she’ll be back.
sad about how CSI is on the downward slope
big ncis and criminal minds fan here.
rick
I am DVRing “Modern Family” and “The Big Bang Theory”; the comedy is great, and the shows are apolitical. I consider them both bubble gum for the mind, but a well balanced person makes time for light-hearted fun.
One show I have to recommend strongly for the TAMs is Spike-TV’s “Deadiliest Warrior”. Basically, you have a biomechanical engineer, an emergency room physician, and history geeks analyzing two historical warriors (or groups of fighters) to determine who would win a battle between the pair. Example: IRA vs Taliban, Spartan vs Ninja, Joan of Arc vs William the Conqueror, and Vampires vs Zombies.
While it is quite graphic (especially with the use of medical dummies and fake blood), the history and technology reviews are fascinating. Check it out – [link redacted due to no links rule–sorry ;(]
TEA PARTY BONUS: One of the consultants of the show is a big supporter of citizen activism.
Since there’s not really anything on tv I’m interested in right now I thought I’d throw in a couple of movies. These go on the shelf next to “A Face in the Crowd” because these two are also good for making application to today’s corporate world. I can’t recommend them highly enough.
First, “Executive Suite” with Barbara Stanwyck and William Holden.
And “Patterns” with Van Heflin and Ed Begley. This one originally aired on tv from an original script by Rod Serling in 1955. This made his career. The movie version was made later in 1956.
These should be mandatory viewing for everyone working at a corporation, or business, or in government for that matter. They could learn that when the struggle comes, as it always does, to an honest person, it is possible to hold on to your integrity, but it takes courage.
Watched the new show Unforgettable on CBS last night – looks promising. Strong female role and original approach to investigating crime…the main character has photographic memory. Here’s a link to the series premiere [link redacted due to no links rule–sorry ] Won’t get my hopes up … waiting for the liberal input that will eventually make me go away. I also like Body of Proof and will catch up with that On Demand.
This is a great idea Tammy…we need breaks from the madness and we might as well watch the best shows this season and support ones that are not to “lefty”.
Love the Fringe. Burn Notice, Psych (slapstick funny), In Plain Sight (TAMs will appreciate this one), Always Sunny In Philadelphia (with Danny DeVito – sick/funny), Sons of Guns (but getting a little to big for their britches, and anything that Urkel is on (just kidding – would rather eat glass)
“In Plain Sight” is terrific!! 🙂
Whenever time permits and I’ve had my fill of the news shows, I like the TV classics. On AMC Saturday mornings now they’re running one of the best shows ever produced — “The Rifleman”. There was no mistaking the good guys from the bad on that show!
Lucas McCain: “Mark, you got chores to do son.” Mark McCain: “But paw!”
I love “Justified” on FX! It stars Timothy Olyphant as a U.S. Marshall in the backwoods of Kentucky. The storyline is based on the works of crime novelist Elmore Leonard, including his short story “Fire in the Hole”. Margo Martindale just won an Emmy for her role as a very creepy hillbilly crime-matriarch in Season 2. The show was renewed for a 3rd season but they haven’t said when it will start.
Agree!! Role of a lifetime for Martindale. Nice she got recognition. Will miss her in the next season.
Just a Few (lol) of my Favorites this Season:
Son of Guns
Tabatha’s Salon Takeover
Modern Family
The Middle
I Hate My Kitchen
Alphas
Cougar Town
New Girl
Rules of Engagement
The Hunted
Nurse Jackie
Outsourced
Better With You
I Shouldent Be Alive
Ghostly Encounters
Gunsmoke (B/W)
I Surivied…Beyond & Back
Happy Endings
Parks and Recreation
In Plain Sight
Family Guy
I did like Tammy asked, “….if you can get Fox Business channel, get it…” so I did, and a few more…..HappyFace..Smile
Thanks Tammy,
E-C-U
I never watch CBS, ABC, NBC or local LA channels, when the 2008 election coverage started the ugly came out of a lot of people and never went back. I like the vampire shows, favorite True Blood, Nurse Jackie, Shameless, The Big C, Bravo reality shows, HGTV,Entourage, Fox Business channel and I haven’t been to a movie since Juno, I know, that long. Does anyone have Roku? I would like to get rid of Direct and use it, it’s cheaper and more choices but it’s still new, getting better I hear.
My favorites are:
Flipping Out
Guiliana & Bill
South Park
aaaannndddd FNC, History, C-SPAN…
I just discovered The Big Bang Theory. It may be a new favorite of mine. I watched a couple episodes and I was laughing so loud I worried my neighbors would notice (the truth hurts and makes you laugh!).
If any of you watched the first season of The Apprentice, Guiliana & Bill is about the lives of Bill Rancic, the winner of The Apprentice in that first season, and his wife of four years.
I watch so little TV now, and there’s quite a bit that I can get online, that I’m considering just ditching cable TV.
I recently subscribed to Glenn Beck’s new online network GBTV.com. It’s familiar territory, but so far I’m not impressed. I’ll see how it goes, though. I liked his shows on FNC better, because he got more into history, and did a lot more of the exposes on scumbags trying to get their jollies by sticking it to The Man with an army of useful idiots. He was great at that stuff.
Update:
Charlie’s Angels=Cancelled after 4 episodes.
Playboy Club=Cancelled after 3 episodes.
Pan Am=Descending for a very rough landing. Prediction? 3 more shows.
My ‘new’ favorite show?
‘Chopped’ on the Food Network. Extreme, hi-pressure, competition between 4, then 3, then 2 Chefs as they prepare an appetizer, an entree and then dessert, and get eliminated, in turn, through the courses. Strict time limits with very strange, odd, weird and unusual mandatory food components.
Grand Prize? Ten Thousand Dollars!(before taxes, of course! LOL!)
Fasten your seat belts and return your tray tables into the full, upright and locked position or ELSE!
posted 10/15 1000 Texan for [Fill in the Blank] Time.