Brief TV Rants: April 2012

Friday, April 20, 2012

Nigel and the Jays are no more?

I thought America's Next Top Model is getting quite insufferable as of late when they get the contestants who may not have the vocal chops to sing, dance and make their own music videos, but ANTM sans Nigel, Mr and MISS JAY?! WHAT?!

I watch that show through thick and thin over the years and even when it had its dodgy as hell photoshoots in recent cycles and crazy loony contestants, but ANTM without Nigel, Jay and Miss Jay? CANNOT!!

Just as well - it's not like those guys have nothing else going on. They'll be around.

The network might as well just cancel the show already - As it is, Tyra is getting loonier in her old age, coming up with all these crazy things (don't get me started on the "pot ledom" nonsense) in an attempt to keep the show, what, current? relevant? I don't know what she's going for.

I'm not sure if I'll even watch the next cycle.

Dear CW, just cancel the show already.

Kthnxbai.

Monday, April 9, 2012

Scandal (ABC)

When I saw the pilot of the new show Scandal, I almost did not believe that the woman who created both Grey's Anatomy and Private Practice came up with this show, but it is quintessentially a Shonda Rhimes show. I think I saw the same preview clip everyone saw online a long while when it was announced last year and didn't think too much of it. I knew that it had something to do with crisis management. I also don't love or hate Kerry Washington particularly, so I'm not emotionally invested.

I have not read too much about the show since the announcement so I totally forgot about it until the premiere last week. But I didn't know that Olivia Pope was based on a real person.

I like that they opened the pilot with a fast-paced job interview for the new recruit (aka audience proxy) at a crowded bar and how quickly everyone and what they do at Olivia Pope and Associates are introduced in the first 15 minutes. It felt like a heist movie, in terms of speed and mood.

It's a show with lawyers that don't actually practice law, but are into crisis management or what people call "fixers". Well, calling it Olivia Pope and Associates would not give anyone the idea that they're a crisis management firm. Just saying.

I had to watch the first 15 minutes twice, especially to catch what was said. I suppose it's a good thing that it's not just another lawyer show with courtroom scenes. I thought Scandal was okay, but I need to see some more before I could objectively say whether it's any good or not.

PS. Am I the only one that thinks Henry Ian Cusick sort of, kind of looks like The Nanny's Mr Sheffield?

Saturday, April 7, 2012

Neal Caffrey on GLEE?

Disclaimer: I don't care for GLEE and I don't really watch it (watching nearly 30-year olds play high school students is a bit too much for me to take), but I was piqued when I heard that White Collar's Matt Bomer was cast to play the older brother of Darren Criss's character and that episode is to be aired soon. FOX released this little tease of a clip to get people to watch the show - the TV siblings singing Gotye's Somebody I Used to Know.

No. 1 - His character's name is COOPER ANDERSON. They couldn't think of another name? Coincidence, I think not.

I remember when he was singing in character on White Collar, but that was a few lines. He sang a little more than that here, but it was just... meh.

I think I can watch this and still be able to claim never to watch GLEE.... :P

Friday, April 6, 2012

Initial impressions of NBC's Awake

I know Awake has been on the air for a few weeks now, but I only just got around to catching up on it. When I first heard buzz about this show, I liked the concept and the premise. A cop living two different realities in the aftermath of his car accident and somehow still closes cases with clues from both living situations to solve the other? Sign me up!

I reveal my age a little when I say that Jason Isaacs for me will always be Lucius Malfoy to me. I just have to get used to seeing his mug sans wig. His (somewhat generic) American accent I can live with.

They made it easier (visually) to tell which world he's in - the wife with the warm tones; the son, the cooler tones. You know, besides the different-coloured rubber bands he's wearing in each. It's also nice to see Steve Harris (of The Practice fame) and Wilmer Valderrama (Fez!), as his partners in the different worlds. Same for BD Wong, which I must say - after playing a shrink on SVU for 12 years, he's now playing a shrink on another NBC show? Really?

Any realist would say that the man is burning out, living two universes like this, then I have to tell myself that it's just a TV show.

I'm not sure how long it'll be before they reveal which one is real and which isn't... or as some online commenter mentioned, he could be in a deep coma the entire time and the whole thing is just a dream.

The pilot was just okay, but I wouldn't discount it just yet. I like the show, I just don't like that it's on NBC, who's track record of show cancellations... I don't want to talk about that.