Commander In Chief: Didn't I Call It?
Commander In Chief has been pulled from the schedule with no word on when it might get put back. Golden Globe be damned!
February 02, 2006
January 24, 2006
Welcome to the Dead List
The Dead List is a new category here where I'm moving all the shows that we liked that were cancelled, the shows we thought were okay but didn't have time for, and the shows we tried and just couldn't take.
Threshold: Saddened
I hoped this show would be good enough to keep Karen Sisko and Data working, but it didn't hold up to the ratings war.
Sigh. I liked it. Dead List.
Threshold: Saddened
I hoped this show would be good enough to keep Karen Sisko and Data working, but it didn't hold up to the ratings war.
Sigh. I liked it. Dead List.
Invasion: Missed Out
With so many Sci-Fi/Mystery shows this year, we had to take one off our schedule. Invasion was it. Seems to be doing well though. Maybe we'll catch it in reruns and bring it back from...
...the Dead List.
Invasion: Missed Out
With so many Sci-Fi/Mystery shows this year, we had to take one off our schedule. Invasion was it. Seems to be doing well though. Maybe we'll catch it in reruns and bring it back from...
...the Dead List.
Everybody Hates Chris: Blargh
Insufficiently funny or original. An early casualty in this year's watch list.
Moved to the Dead List.
Ghost Whisperer: Faded From View
Nice enough show (Lisa really liked it) but too much else was better and Jennifer Love Hewitt is too cloying for large doses.
Moved to the Dead List
Commander In Chief: Just didn't get it
Moved to the Dead List. We enjoyed it somewhat, but it was just too much family drama. We watch shows like The West Wing because we like the drama of people in high pressure jobs. Commander In Chief was just too fluffy, and too much else good was on.
Seems we're not alone in our feelings. Despite Geena Davis' Golden Globe, the ratings continue to drop like a rock.
Commander In Chief: Just didn't get it
Moved to the Dead List. We enjoyed it somewhat, but it was just too much family drama. We watch shows like The West Wing because we like the drama of people in high pressure jobs. Commander In Chief was just too fluffy, and too much else good was on.
Seems we're not alone in our feelings. Despite Geena Davis' Golden Globe, the ratings continue to drop like a rock.
January 23, 2006
Early Cancellations
According to CanWest news service this morning The Book Of Daniel is most likely cancelled, having failed to win a spot on NBC's announced Spring schedule. Joey also hasn't found a spot, although NBC isn't saying if it's gone.
Scrubs is getting a permanent home, but it ratings don't get better, it will also likely be cancelled.
And it has been announced that this IS the final season for the West Wing, and that the decision was made before the death of John Spencer in December. Expect a big finale on May 14, followed by a one-hour retrospective.
December 13, 2005
Night Stalker: Sci-Fi To Show Night Stalker
if you want to know what happened in part two of the two-parter that ABC failed to show, and in the two episodes that followed it, you are in luck. The Sci-Fi channel is going to show all ten episodes this summer. Very likely Space here in Canada will do it as well.
Night Stalker: Sci-Fi To Show Night Stalker
if you want to know what happened in part two of the two-parter that ABC failed to show, and in the two episodes that followed it, you are in luck. The Sci-Fi channel is going to show all ten episodes this summer. Very likely Space here in Canada will do it as well.
November 17, 2005
Night Stalker: Now We'll Never Know
I understand that shows get cancelled, that's fine. Six episodes is longer than a lot of shows get. But why cancel Night Stalker right after part one of a two-part episode?
That's just mean.
Night Stalker: Now We'll Never Know
I understand that shows get cancelled, that's fine. Six episodes is longer than a lot of shows get. But why cancel Night Stalker right after part one of a two-part episode?
That's just mean.
October 04, 2005
Threshold: Aliens of the Past
So the big reveal of the last show? Apparently alien 4-D technology came to Earth at least a hundred years ago. No word on why they weren't successful back then. Maybe the aliens are allergic to clean air.
The team now has two captive mutant humans to play with. Excellent.
Threshold: Aliens of the Past
So the big reveal of the last show? Apparently alien 4-D technology came to Earth at least a hundred years ago. No word on why they weren't successful back then. Maybe the aliens are allergic to clean air.
The team now has two captive mutant humans to play with. Excellent.
Night Stalker
Not everyone knows that the original Kolchak: The Night Stalker was an inspiration for The X-Files, so if ABC's new show, Night Stalker feels like X-Files, you know why.
And it does. Tightly written and acted, with a believing investigator (newspaper reporter Carl Kolchak) and his skeptical female partner, it strikes many of the same chords. Good chords.
Night Stalker
Not everyone knows that the original Kolchak: The Night Stalker was an inspiration for The X-Files, so if ABC's new show, Night Stalker feels like X-Files, you know why.
And it does. Tightly written and acted, with a believing investigator (newspaper reporter Carl Kolchak) and his skeptical female partner, it strikes many of the same chords. Good chords.
Commander In Chief
We were all prepared to dislike Commander In Chief. More American propoganda, woo hoo.
But Geena Davis is so darn likeable. She's like a big presidential puppy that you just want to scratch behind her ears. Plus you are all sympathetic about her over the first episode. As the president lays dying, he tells his VEEP that while she is the first female vice-president ever, it was a stunt and she should resign before he kicks it. Then he dies before she does and she has the choice to take office or let it fall to the next guy, a warmongering jackass who thinks women are basically useless and who will stoop to the lowest trickery to get his way.
So she takes the office. Go little presidential puppy!
Looks like we're in for several episodes of her trying to keep her head above water, and then we'll probably go right into election mode (technically, she has a year and a half left in her term). Both plots sound boring to me, but we'll see.
Commander In Chief
We were all prepared to dislike Commander In Chief. More American propoganda, woo hoo.
But Geena Davis is so darn likeable. She's like a big presidential puppy that you just want to scratch behind her ears. Plus you are all sympathetic about her over the first episode. As the president lays dying, he tells his VEEP that while she is the first female vice-president ever, it was a stunt and she should resign before he kicks it. Then he dies before she does and she has the choice to take office or let it fall to the next guy, a warmongering jackass who thinks women are basically useless and who will stoop to the lowest trickery to get his way.
So she takes the office. Go little presidential puppy!
Looks like we're in for several episodes of her trying to keep her head above water, and then we'll probably go right into election mode (technically, she has a year and a half left in her term). Both plots sound boring to me, but we'll see.
September 28, 2005
Out of Practice: Kinda Forced, Still Funny
It's like they're not settled in yet, and everything seems a little forced. The acting should feel more natural by now, but it's like they are all on a live stage, over-saying their lines to reach the back row. Weird.
The moment at the end, where Stewart shows up in Ben's empty apartment to try to cheer him up after the wife left with all the furniture and he's eating cereal off a stack of cardboard boxes? Funny AND sincere. Best moment in the episode.
Again, this one is falling to 'watch it when nothing better is on' status.
Threshold: Not Quite The White Lodge
The Threshold team goes to a military academy where it seems the aliens may be influencing our young warhawks.
The cast seems to be settling into their roles, and Arthur answered by plaintive 'Why are they all doing so many jobs?' question when he is offended at doing office work. Apparently, they all have to double up as best they can, to minimize leaks. So, okay. Still doesn't explain why they are all so good at multiple jobs.
Little known fact: Linguists can tell if you are lying. Sean, did you know you could do that?
In any case, the aliens seem to be actively trying to get the Signal out to the general public. Their plan? Put it on the Internet. Wouldn't anti-spam devices defeat that plan, or are they trying for a more viral, person-to-person plan. Like a meme. A takeover meme. Pass this on to ten friends and you will get a surprise in your cerebral cortex!
P.S. Our heroine seems to be spending a lot of time in some sort of Dreamspace. As long as no one talks backwards, I'm fine with it.
Threshold: Not Quite The White Lodge
The Threshold team goes to a military academy where it seems the aliens may be influencing our young warhawks.
The cast seems to be settling into their roles, and Arthur answered by plaintive 'Why are they all doing so many jobs?' question when he is offended at doing office work. Apparently, they all have to double up as best they can, to minimize leaks. So, okay. Still doesn't explain why they are all so good at multiple jobs.
Little known fact: Linguists can tell if you are lying. Sean, did you know you could do that?
In any case, the aliens seem to be actively trying to get the Signal out to the general public. Their plan? Put it on the Internet. Wouldn't anti-spam devices defeat that plan, or are they trying for a more viral, person-to-person plan. Like a meme. A takeover meme. Pass this on to ten friends and you will get a surprise in your cerebral cortex!
P.S. Our heroine seems to be spending a lot of time in some sort of Dreamspace. As long as no one talks backwards, I'm fine with it.
Ghost Whisperer
First off, I'm convinced that this show will not get cancelled. It's too touchy-feely to be cancelled. The same folks that kept Touched By An Angel on the air will love it.
But not me. Too much smarm. But there were some interesting facets to this tale of a sweet young lass who sees dead people and helps them send messages to the living. First, there is some good production values and the spook factor is well done, if a bit cheesy. Plus there is this whole 'Who told you to find me?' subplot that might be intriguing.
Likely we won't be watching any more episodes, unless there's nothing else on. And looking at the season so far, that won't be the case.
Everybody Hates Chris
You know, I think the show might be funnier without Chris Rock narrating. But that's just me.
Still, it's an entertaining half hour. A good pairing with My Name Is Earl. These two are likely the only comedies this season to make our 'must watch' list.
September 22, 2005
Invasion
The final entry in the 'weird shit' triumverate that also includes Surface and Threshold. While Threshold is about weird shit happening and how the government hushes it all up with the main characters on the inside of things, and Surface is about weird shit happening and how the government hushes it all up with the main characters on the outside of things, Invasion is about weird shit happening and how the aliens hush it all up with the main characters being basically screwed.
Hurricane hits lower Florida, and the show is mostly filled with scenes of Dealing With The Hurricane. But some weird alien lights erupt from the eye of the storm and people start acting strangely. I think their all pod-people.
For characters we've got Ranger Dad, Dad's Hot Reporter Wife and her Cliched Conspiracy Theory-Spouting Brother. There's the Young Teenage Son and the Daughter Dumb Enough To Go Looking For Her Cat In The Hurricane. Then there's Anal-Retentive Doctor Mom and her Creepy Sheriff Husband and his Jailbait Daughter Who Looks Disturbing Like Rena Sofer. Doctor Mom doesn't trust Ranger Dad to look after the kids. Jailbait Daughter sure looks like she has a crush on her step-brother. Cat-Loving Daughter comes from the same Kid Mill as any other young star these days.
Anal-Retentive Doctor Mom disappears in the storm and is found naked and unconscious. After she wakes, she morphs into Creepy Doctor Mom, likely the result of Alien Implantation. Creepy Sheriff Husband seems to have gotten the alien bug early and looks to be a ringleader of the takeover.
Hard to say which of the three shows will win -- it's doubtful all three will make it even as far as Christmas. Production values are high here again, but the acting wasn't particularly stellar, and the writing wasn't amazing. Seriously, why would Hot Reporter Wife take her husband's ex-wife's husband's daughter shopping? Neighbors banding together in a crisis is one thing, but this...
Anyway, it has promise and, as I can't help but watch all sci-fi on the air, I'll let you know how it goes.
Invasion
The final entry in the 'weird shit' triumverate that also includes Surface and Threshold. While Threshold is about weird shit happening and how the government hushes it all up with the main characters on the inside of things, and Surface is about weird shit happening and how the government hushes it all up with the main characters on the outside of things, Invasion is about weird shit happening and how the aliens hush it all up with the main characters being basically screwed.
Hurricane hits lower Florida, and the show is mostly filled with scenes of Dealing With The Hurricane. But some weird alien lights erupt from the eye of the storm and people start acting strangely. I think their all pod-people.
For characters we've got Ranger Dad, Dad's Hot Reporter Wife and her Cliched Conspiracy Theory-Spouting Brother. There's the Young Teenage Son and the Daughter Dumb Enough To Go Looking For Her Cat In The Hurricane. Then there's Anal-Retentive Doctor Mom and her Creepy Sheriff Husband and his Jailbait Daughter Who Looks Disturbing Like Rena Sofer. Doctor Mom doesn't trust Ranger Dad to look after the kids. Jailbait Daughter sure looks like she has a crush on her step-brother. Cat-Loving Daughter comes from the same Kid Mill as any other young star these days.
Anal-Retentive Doctor Mom disappears in the storm and is found naked and unconscious. After she wakes, she morphs into Creepy Doctor Mom, likely the result of Alien Implantation. Creepy Sheriff Husband seems to have gotten the alien bug early and looks to be a ringleader of the takeover.
Hard to say which of the three shows will win -- it's doubtful all three will make it even as far as Christmas. Production values are high here again, but the acting wasn't particularly stellar, and the writing wasn't amazing. Seriously, why would Hot Reporter Wife take her husband's ex-wife's husband's daughter shopping? Neighbors banding together in a crisis is one thing, but this...
Anyway, it has promise and, as I can't help but watch all sci-fi on the air, I'll let you know how it goes.
September 20, 2005
Surface
Last week we had Threshold, which is about weird shit happening and how the government hushes it all up with the main characters on the inside of things. Surface is about weird shit happening and how the government hushes it all up with the main characters on the outside of things.
It's got high production values (the underwater scenes are really, really good) and the cheese factor was somewhat low (the whole bit with the kid bringing the strange egg home which sets off all sorts of bizarre things and no one seems to notice/care that something weird is happening except the kid? Heavy cheese.) and it seemed much more solid than some of the other new sci-fi offerings.
It's got Lake Bell who was in Boston Legal last year and Miss Match the year before. Hope she lasts longer this time.
Out Of Practice
Much like How I Met Your Mother, we watched Out Of Practice because we wanted to see Rizzo and Fonzie's new sitcom. The set up: Mom, Dad, three kids. All are practicing physicians, except one son who is a psychiatrist. Mom and Dad are recently divorced. The sister is a lesbian. The psychiatrist is married to an eco-nut who dumps him in the pilot episode on his answering machine. Dad is now dating his receptionist, who was recently mammarially enhanced by the shallow plastic surgeon son. Mom is anal-retentive enough to have emergency presents pre-wrapped in her trunk.
There's the whole episode for you.
There was a moment it felt like an old Three's Company episode with the old situation switcheroo -- two different things happened and each person thinks they are talking about the other one, with more and more bizarre comments being said until someone clues in and everything goes to hell.
Weird. Oh, and the main character starred in Jake 2.0 two years ago and Medical Investigation last year. Poor guy. Three cancellations out of three. I'm assuming, of course, but you wait. I'll be proven right.
September 19, 2005
Threshold Pilot
Threshold. Okay, the idea was certainly good. Aliens appear from space, so the government activates the recommendations of a top-level contingency analyst. A team of scientists is assembled in various fields and off they go to find out if it's friendly or not. It's got Carla Gugino, Charles S. Dutton, Brent Spiner, and Peter Dinklage, so the casting is top-notch.
But it's so cliche! Opening a curtain in the abandoned ship? Somethings going to leap out! Only one survivor found? Think he'll be BAD? You shoot him and the body disappears? You think he's reappear at some point?
Plus the specialists are good at everything. An astronautical engineer is brought along as someone who knows stuff about spaceships. Fine. Why does he know so much about four-dimensional geometry? Okay, the little guy is a skilled linguist and mathematician, but to decode some electrical interference into a mathematical pattern for triple-stranded DNA? Oy!
Plus they packed as much exposition into the opener as possible. Things move clickety-click for the whole two hours.
Still, there's something engaging about it, like Supernatural, that'll make me stick around for another few episodes.
Threshold Pilot
Threshold. Okay, the idea was certainly good. Aliens appear from space, so the government activates the recommendations of a top-level contingency analyst. A team of scientists is assembled in various fields and off they go to find out if it's friendly or not. It's got Carla Gugino, Charles S. Dutton, Brent Spiner, and Peter Dinklage, so the casting is top-notch.
But it's so cliche! Opening a curtain in the abandoned ship? Somethings going to leap out! Only one survivor found? Think he'll be BAD? You shoot him and the body disappears? You think he's reappear at some point?
Plus the specialists are good at everything. An astronautical engineer is brought along as someone who knows stuff about spaceships. Fine. Why does he know so much about four-dimensional geometry? Okay, the little guy is a skilled linguist and mathematician, but to decode some electrical interference into a mathematical pattern for triple-stranded DNA? Oy!
Plus they packed as much exposition into the opener as possible. Things move clickety-click for the whole two hours.
Still, there's something engaging about it, like Supernatural, that'll make me stick around for another few episodes.