Blog This!   Lee Geistlinger's Web Log
Blog Home
Blog Archives
LittleGhost Home

E-mail: lee AT geistlinger.com

Pic 'O the Day
Top 10 Lists
Everyone loves lists
Reviews
Books, Movies and so on
Blogroll
Dave Winer
Kottke
Tim Bray

(Almost archaic - nuked most links 9/2022)
Feed Me!

XML Feed

Feeds I Read

My Online Aggregator

Theme
• Default
• Spring
• Summer
• Autumn
• Winter
• Black & White
• Gray & White
• MT-ish
• Classic
Evidence of Efforts

This page is powered by Blogger. Isn't yours?

Valid CSS!

[Valid RSS]


TV  (Review Home)

TV - My impressions about the following:
Brooklyn Nine-Nine -- Final Season (8)
This was a really disappointing series finale season - had its moments, but overall "meh."

Some good closer action - the Pontiac Bandit (Craig Robinson is the best here) - but the rest was lame.

I get that they tried - over the first few episodes - to get past the (at the time) George Floyd, other police injustices. Too preachy, to me.

And not funny.

I get it - police were the bad guys then, but ... this is a comedy.

Failed for that beginning of the season reason (police are bad) and how it wrapped up with all the characters really didn't work for me.

Surprisingly good series (at the beginning) - I did not take Andy Samburg seriously - that had a good run and then kinda went "whatevva."

 - Originally reviewed: 10/03/2022, 7:26 pm
The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel Season 4
It seems like forever since we last heard from Mrs. Maisel and the gang. And, in streaming (Amazon Prime) times, it certainly has been forever.

All of Season 3 dropped 12/9/2019; the first two episodes of Season 4 finally landed 2/18/2022 (each following Friday unveiled two additional episodes, the last two of eight on 3/11/2022).

In between there was COVID - which was a challenge for all shows/movies. But remember the first episode of Season 3? The USO show in an airplane hanger with multiple performances and a thousand or so extras (the soldiers in the audience)?

Just can't do that in the age of COVID.

So they retooled and welcome to Season 4!

In many ways, this is - to me - the weakest, most disjointed season yet. Still, the show is of such high quality - acting. writing, visuals (still in 1960) - that the stumbles are forgiven.

The last two episodes - especially the last - tie together so many of the earlier loose threads that it makes going back to re-watch the first six shows. And we end with a big dose of Lenny Bruce, which is always a good thing - his chemistry with Midge - going back to the pilot - has been amazing. Of course he wants to sleep with her, but he sees in her a kindred spirit: He respects what she's trying to do and intimates that he truly believes she will succeed.

Some thoughts on Season 4 (spoilers abound!):

  • When is Midge going to get over her privilege? She gets fired, has no prospects, and she lands to two foci: 1) Keeping her swanky apartment and upscale lifestyle, and 2) No more opening acts - she needs to be the headliner. Huh?

  • Tony Shalhoub is not used well here. While Shalhoub excels in any scene he is in, he's put into weird situations. Would the Abe Weissman of the early seasons enjoy wearing a cape or watching TV shows while eating dinner off TV trays?? No... And would the nebbish, mathematical genius of early seasons be a ... theater critic? Again, no ...

  • Susie with an office/home overlooking Times Square? Yeah, there's a foreshadowing explanation, but still.

  • The magician client Susie takes on early in this season ... makes no sense. But Episode 7 is the very unexpected payoff. Great scene for Rose Weissman. So unexpected, so hilarious. And so revealing to Midge in many ways.

  • Joel is still a dick, but he's been supportive of Midge the whole time in a way that doesn't jibe with the times - 1960-ish. Everything points to Joel and Midge reconciling, but what's the deal with Joel & Mei? This season offered up a deep twist on the whole relationship (Joel/Mei) in several different ways (professional, relations with family and with Midge). Interesting how the showrunners extricated all the characters from this morass.

  • While Jane Lynch is her usual brilliant in the season (Sophie Lennon). I was glad not to see her in the last two episodes. Let's focus on Susie and Midge - that's the heart of the show.

  • Still unclear what Susie wants in life (beyond not being in debt), but she does demonstrate a flair for finding talent (like Midge). She catches a black stand-up that she signs - like an early Richard Pryor. Expect to see more from him in Season 5.

  • We see the beginnings of Lenny Bruce using morphine (he died in 1966 of an accidental morphine overdose). Will Season 5 go out to 1966, or will he just kind of circle the drain and it'll hit Midge what the inevitable end to this story will be?


Finally, the last episode gives all sorts of hints, plot lines for the next (final) season. Some dark, some potentially dangerous, but all point to Midge ending up Season Five playing Carnegie Hall.

You read it here first.

 - Originally reviewed: 03/29/2022, 7:16 pm
Loudermilk
Starring: Ron Livingston

While rummaging around Amazon Prime looking for something to watch, I ran across the TV series Loudermilk, and it turned out to be pretty good. Not great, but a good watch with some excellent writing.

The titular character - played with slacker energy (low) by Office Space's Ron Livingston - is a recovering alcoholic who leads a substance abuse group. He's also somewhat of an asshole.

The group - primarily men - are all recovering/lapsed addicts of some sort, so it's pretty much a circle of losers. Which, of course, can lead to some chaotic situations (and lots of profanity - stay away if at all put off by profanity or sexual talk).

It leans a little too heavily - for me - on "you have to understand that your sobriety is tied to everything you do so keep doing the work!" Reminds me a people who obsess over church or therapy; it often seems forced, as it is what you think you should do instead of what you want to do. But that's the backbone of the show, and it's not too preachy.

It ran for three seasons (2017-2020; 30 episodes) on some network that got gobbled up when HBO became HBO Max. A season 4 had been planned (and there were plotlines that could have been mined) but never happened due to the merger.

It's a good watch - no car chase, few rom-com plot points, just a lot of dialogue and weird little twists that are done well. Not great like Fleabag, but I'd watch it again sometime, skipping this or that episode/scene. Low key and watchable - and very human.

 - Originally reviewed: 03/08/2022, 7:07 pm
Upload - Season One
Starring: Robbie Amell, Andy Allo

From the creator of both the US version of The Office and Parks and Recreation - Greg Daniels - comes Upload, and not-too-far in the future sitcom dealing with the afterlife. In this future, we have (reliable) self-driving cars, 3-D printed meals (only the wealthy can afford real food), and the ability to upload your memories and your, well, essence into the cloud for some future day when you might be able to be downloaded and physically reunited with your loved ones.

So, instead of freezing your body, you can upload yourself to one of many clouds, where you exist much as a character in a video game, where you - as you remember yourself - is your avatar. It's all virtual, but you can interact with live relatives via VR and so on.

Starring Robbie Amell (who is uploaded) and Andy Allo (his handler at the cloud company), the story is divided between what happens on earth (who is paying for his "storage"? What are the stresses of handling someone who does/doesn't exist?) and what happens in what is essentially a video game but with your thoughts, memories and communications with those back on earth - and wondering what comes next.

Ah, and there's a big difference between clouds - the rich, of course, get the best cloud with the best service.

Half comedy, half philosophy, the ten episodes force you to think about what it means to be human, what a "good life" really is, and the control technology has over your life. It even addresses heaven - what if you are a believer who has lost someone but is convinced that when you die, you'll be reunited? If you upload, have you missed your shot at heaven and that reunion?

There is also a corporate-crime backstory and a bit of an unexpected connection between the main character and his handler. And I still swear that the main character's fiance is based in Ivanka Trump.

So there's a lot packed into the roughly 10 hours of the first season.

As he did in Parks and Recreation, Daniels handles tech issues in unique ways, such as new conglomerates (Oscar Meyer Intel), but he really takes it to the nth degree. It's a tech-based sitcom, after all. Those tech-based jokes are quick, understated and hilarious (drug store automatically measures you for condoms: "medium").

On a sad note, the entire first (Amazon Prime) was dropped May 1, 2020 (after what I would expect to be a looong CGI and editing cycle). With the pandemic still raging, when will they even be able to film Season Two (already green-lighted)?

Better than I expected - weird, clever and profane. It also has one of the most diverse casts I've ever seen in a regular sitcom (one not focused on queer issues or an ethnic identity - think Fresh Off the Boat or black-ish). Andy Allo (female), who is the cloud company's handler for the main character (Amell), is the breakout star of this show. Where has she been?

 - Originally reviewed: 05/19/2020, 7:51 am
Brooklyn Nine-Nine Season Six
Starring: Andy Samberg, Stephanie Beatriz, Terry Crews

This season was a real let down. It took until episode 4 (6?) for it to be funny.

Not quite sure why.

I think the division of Jake and Amy (she became a sergeant, and is now in uniform downstairs) is part of it, as is the season trying to come to grips with characters' issues (Rosa - bi; Gina - leaving the show). Kind of tossed some sand in the gears of a show that is a sitcom that is best when the characters are - in their own weird ways - try to accomplish something: Get married, solve a crime, try to not move to Canada...

The weirdness, I guess, was missing.

There was a very good attempt at addressing the #MeToo movement (He Said She Said); they didn't stick the landing, but at least it was a good effort.

Overall, very disappointing - but still there were moments/episodes that shined.

That's what you stick around for!

 - Originally reviewed: 02/06/2020, 7:31 pm
Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan
Starring: John Krasinski, Wendell Pierce

An Amazon Prime feature, both seasons (1-2) are .... OK.

Cross between Covert Affairs - smart, funny, spy-ish and 24 - more guns, less brains.

Good to watch, but will I repeat viewing? Doubtful.

Covert Affairs or 24 re-watches? Many - especially Covert Affairs go Annie!

 - Originally reviewed: 11/04/2019, 8:00 pm
The Americans - Season 6 (last season)
Starring: Keri Russell, Matthew Rhys

After a long gap, I finally watched the final two seasons (5-6) of The Americans over the last few weekends.

I had forgotten just how good it was.

While this is ostensibly a show about Cold War spy craft (it is), it's really more about how a marriage works - in this case, a quite unorthodox marriage.

The arc of the final year, which is set up by Season 5, is the overwhelming sense of "why?" - as in, "why are we trying to subvert the US for the Motherland?"

The husband asks this question first, and he actually drops out of the game. But by the end of the last season, even the wife, a hardened and loyal Russian, is asking the same questions.

Without spoiling anything, let's just say the ending episode is brutal, but not in a violent way. Instead, virtually everyone who, at one time or another, has demonstrated compassion and selflessness is ultimately punished for this transgression.

And - again - why? To what end?

Great show, and ended with circumstances that, reflecting, could have been no other. Everyone loses.

 - Originally reviewed: 06/29/2019, 3:57 pm
Fleabag - Series
Writer/star: Phoebe Waller-Bridge

Season One was brilliant.

Season Two: Much, much better.

See my blog entry about same.

 - Originally reviewed: 06/13/2019, 9:07 pm
Catastrophe
Starring: Sharon Horgan, Rob Delaney

American man hooks up with Irish-born schoolteacher in London.

It gets complicated.

One of the best new shows I've seen in a while - and I saw all of the series (4 seasons x 6 episodes x 24 min/episode) in one weekend binge.

Longer review on my blog.

 - Originally reviewed: 03/25/2019, 8:07 pm
The Handmaid's Tale: Season 1
Starring: Elisabeth Moss, Joseph Fiennes, Yvonne Strahovski, Alexis Bledel, Madeline Brewe

I read the novel back in 198x - wow, hits home now.

Incredibly intense, with a lot of great performances, but all eclipsed by Moss's Handmaid OffFred.

Watched the first episode of season 2 -- off the novel, still turning up the heat.

Awesome

 - Originally reviewed: 12/25/2018, 7:07 pm
The Good Fight - Season 1
Starring: Christine Baranski, Rose Leslie, Erica Tazel, Cush Jumbo, Delroy Lindo, Paul Guilfoyle

A surprisingly sharp spin-off of The Good Wife. Continuing the lives of some of that series' main actors (as well as a number of guest actors), the show continues The Good Wife's strong episodes of courtroom and cut-from-the-headlines scripts.

As a CBS streaming show, it can get away with more edgy content (mainly swearing, but done with restraint), and that helps.

There were a couple of episodes that focused more on office politics than I'd have liked, but that seems to be a perennial issue with law dramas. Is that really how law offices run? That cut-throat inside the company??

Anyway, bingeable. I thought it was a well-written drama very much like The Good Wife, minus the Floricks...

 - Originally reviewed: 04/14/2018, 9:34 pm
Good Wife, The - Season Seven
Starring: Julianna Margulie, Chris Noth

The final season of "The Good Wife" has earned some bad reviews, but I found it better than the very uneven season 6.

Also, season 7 focused more on the legal trials, rather than the workplace politics of other seasons, and that is something I prefer.

Two new characters were added in the final season - Lucca Quinn (Cush Jumbo), a lawyer Alicia first learns from and later mentors, and a PI, Jason Crouse (Jeffrey Dean Morgan). Both work surprisingly well in the seventh season of an ensemble drama.

A nice end to what might be the last high-quality network drama (all the good stuff seems to be coming from cable or streaming services).

And the last show ended as the first show began - the resignation of a disgraced politician, and - in the back hallway - a slap to the face that signals changes of power and a rift in the status quo.

But Alicia - present in both scenes - is a very different person in the beginning and ending episodes.

Is this a good thing? Good question...

 - Originally reviewed: 01/08/2017, 2:32 pm
The Americans - Season One
Starring: Keri Russell, Matthew Rhys, Holly Taylor, Keidrich Sellati, Annet Mahendru

Extremely well done - I won't give away stuff, but the premise is a couple - KGB agents - living in the US.

Unclear if they are a "sleeper" cell, but they have two kids in the early 1980s, and they are - at this point - doing stuff for the KGB.

It's like "Spy vs. Spy," where everyone is suspect (in SOME cases this is true...).

All in all, great. FX show I keep hearing about but never watch (go figger).

Looking forward to Season Two.

 - Originally reviewed: 02/14/2016, 7:15 pm
Brooklyn Nine-Nine Season One
Starring: Andy Samberg, Andre Braugher

When I first heard about this NBC comedy - with Samberg as a cop - I shrugged it off.

But it's not bad. There is no theatrical art here; it's just for fun. Stereotypes, stock plots and so on.

Some episodes work; some don't.

But, overall, it's a comedy in the vein of Parks & Recreation or Third Rock From the Sun. OF COURSE cops would never do this or that. Uh...it's TV?

Uneven, but better than expected comedy. Don't buy, but watch: Stream, rent and so on. If you don't like the first episode (the pilot), bail. If ya like the first; well, you'll probably like the rest of Season One (again - some duds).

 - Originally reviewed: 12/13/2015, 5:24 pm
Blacklist, Season 2
Starring: James Spader, Megan Boone

I don't believe I did a review of Season One - which was very, very well done.

I've only watched about six (of 22) episodes of Season 2, but it still holds up.

It's a show that's about this...but not. Is Spader's character Boone's real fathers? Probably.

Is Spader's character using Boone's character (FBI agent) to advance his own agenda - probably.

What is this agenda?

Lots of "whatevers" in this show; always one step ahead of the viewer.

Smart, sometimes sassy (sometimes trite: the co-worker with a drug addiction....), but overall - still a good watch.

 - Originally reviewed: 08/22/2015, 9:27 pm
Mad Men Season 6
Starring: Jon Hamm, Elizabeth Moss, January Jones

They are starting to tease Season 7 (beginning in April 2014), so I spent a few days doing a second pass on Season 6 (I have the DVDs)

It was better than I remembered.

Season 6 reminds me a bit of Season 4, where, basically, Don begins to circle the drain. In Season 5, he is (inexplicably) married, faithful (!) and almost happy.

In Season 6, he loses it again - as does Peggy and Peter. Lots of loose ends left at the end of Season 6; Season 7 (which is supposed to be the usual 13 episodes, but spread over 2014 AND 2015[boo!]) has a lot of directions to go.

This is still one of the best written and acted series of all time. Seasons 5 & 6 were weaker than 1-4; here's to hoping that it goes out like The West Wing, which after a weak-ass Season 6 had a very strong final Season 7.

 - Originally reviewed: 03/15/2014, 1:48 pm
House of Cards
Starring: Kevin Spacey, Robin Wright, Kate Mora

This Netflick-only political potboiler (now on DVD) is The West Wing written by Darth Vader.

Spacey is the centerpiece of this series, who - along with the help of his very politically savvy wife (Wright) - tries to consolidate power and use that not for his constituents or the good of the country, but to advance his own agenda, which is the career of his character. (If it helps others in the meanwhile, well, that's gravy and makes for a good soundbite with which to raise money.)

The whole series (which has been renewed) is a cliche of sorts: The show examines power vs. money, good vs. evil, does the ends justify the means, why we make the choices we do and so on. Sounds like a yawner.

It isn't. Surrounded by a stellar supporting cast, Spacey still stands out as the most interesting character. (To be fair, his pronounced South Carolina drawl fades as the series go on....). And there are multiple plot threads going on at once, some that intersect, others that may, but have yet to, converge. Season Two will be interesting.

I've catagorized this as TV, as it is episodic, but is it TV? Not a movie, as it was never on the big screen. But had I watched it streaming to my computer/mobile device, would it still be TV? Interesting gray area.

 - Originally reviewed: 08/31/2013, 9:44 am
Veep Season One
Starring: Anna Chlumsky, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Matt Walsh, Reid Scott, Tony Hale

This HBO political comedy has more in common with "The Mary Tyler Moore Show" than "The West Wing," but it has a wicked edge and promise for future seasons.

The show circles around Dreyfus' character, a rising senator whose presidential run crashes and burns, and she is forced to accept the Veep slot (and wins).

She finds that, as VP, she is in an unusual limbo where she is one accident/breath away from the most powerful position in the world - but, as Veep, has far less power than she had as a senator.

And - of course - hilarity ensues.

The writing is a little rough in this first season (here's hoping for season two...), but the cast is top notch, with running jokes that aren't dwelled upon, and dialog that I'd be surprised is all scripted. Improvisation seem to really help carry the show.

Great show? No. But it's in the vein of "30 Rock" - funny, topical and just enough out of the mainstream to have extra cachet. And since it's an HBO show, plenty of f-bombs. You have been warned.

 - Originally reviewed: 08/17/2013, 3:34 pm
Damages - Season 5
Starring: Glenn Close, Rose Byrne

The final season of Damages did not disappoint - Patty (Glenn Close) was just as evil as ever, and the first couple of episodes gave away so much that one wondered how they could keep up the suspense.

It did.

After a disappointing - to me - Season 4, Season 5 was almost as good as Season 1. Close and Byrne are both brilliant, and the writing carries this franchise.

Unresolved issues? Sure - but that is (sometimes) - the fun. You try to fill in your own blanks.

Could this series have ever happened on network TV. Probably not. (The Good Wife is close, but not as bitter.)

Good TV

 - Originally reviewed: 08/04/2013, 8:32 pm
Alias - Season One
Starring: Jennifer Garner (and others)

The pilot of this show - a two-hour premier - is, in many ways, the best pilot I've seen since The West Wing. Smart, sexy, kick-ass and so on.

I'd heard a lot about this series (debuted in 2001), but never got around to seeing same until recently.

Worth watching.

Update: Plot late s1 and s2 silly. So much so that I'm going to have to think hard and long before watching any other episodes. Sad.

 - Originally reviewed: 06/21/2013, 9:29 pm
Good Wife, The - Season One
Starring: Julianna Margulies, Chris Noth, Josh Charles, Matt Czuchry, Archie Panjabi

Short review: Good Series.

I just finished up season one, and it was a really well written show, with some great acting and subtle plot twists.

The show begins with Julianna Margulies' husband (Noth) - Illinois' attorney general in Chicago - resigning because of admitted dalliances with prostitutes and for alleged trading of professional favors for the hookers'...uh, professional favors.

Yet Margulies is next to him as he makes the announcement. She stands by her man (at least publicly).

She is The Good Wife.

With Noth in jail (planning an appeal), Margulies and her two children are forced to move out of a home in a pricey Chicago to an apartment in the city, and she has to go back to the work she had known before having children: An attorney. Trying keep what's left of her family together, to keep some sense of normalcy.

Again, The Good Wife/Mother.

The show reminds me a lot of Damages, but the Glenn Close vehicle is - to me - much better. But this is no LA Law. Like Damages, it's a darker, more introspective show than a lot of other TV law franchises.

But The Good Wife is a rarity on network (CBS) television today - a rock-solid, non-sensational drama.

And it sure doesn't make lawyers look good, that's for certain.

 - Originally reviewed: 04/06/2013, 8:55 pm
Homeland - Season 1
Starring: Claire Danes, Damian Lewis, David Harewood, Mandy Patinkin

I've watched this season twice now, and while it's one of the better shows I've seen in some time, there's just no way that its season one was better that the most recent season (five) of Mad Men. The latter show is still the best show I've seen since, well, maybe The West Wing.

Claire Danes is remarkable, and the way you trust her original insight - that Damian Lewis' character (a POW returned home as a hero) has been turned - but then go "nah," and then, "well, maybe..." without feeling like you're being led on is a testament to the writing and cast.

And so on.

Difficult to see where this goes in season two: In season one, we find out (early - no spoiler) that Danes' character is bipolar and she's on anti-psychotic drugs to keep her on track. Obviously, she can't say anything about this at work - she works for the CIA. She'd lose her security clearance (she is a top field operative).

By the end of the season, it's revealed (or is it?...) to at least her boss (Patinkin, playing the same type of role he had on Crimminal Minds, the wise mentor) that she's bipolar, so will she stay at the CIA??

 - Originally reviewed: 03/23/2013, 4:45 pm
Scandal - Season One
Starring: Kerry Washington, Columbus Short, Darby Stanchfield, Guillermo Diaz, Henry Ian Cusick

This is a sharp, well-written and acted drama.

Washington is an ex-White House aide, and she now has her own firm that is a "fixer" - much like George Clooney's role in Michael Clayton: clean up (in this case) messes that may hurt political careers.

This drama reminds me a of a mix of an Aaron Sorkin drama - fast talk - and Damages, where you are led to believe one thing and then that just blows up. Solid writing, and while it does (of course) get a little unbelievable at times, it is just a TV show.

It's an ensamble drama, but Washington is the focal point and is great in the role.

My only complaint? - The first season is just seven episodes! Boo!!!

And the season ended with a nice cliffhanger - not a "Who shot JR?" type of cliffhanger, but one that made you want to see the next episode.

Alas, it's not yet available; season one was released in June 2012, so there might be a few months before I can see season two. Blerg.

 - Originally reviewed: 03/23/2013, 4:31 pm
30 Rock - Season One
Starring: Tina Fey, Alec Baldwin, Jane Krakowski and many more

The last episode of the last season (7) of 30 Rock aired about 3 weeks ago, but - until this weekend - I had only seen one episode of this generally well-received series.

This weekend I watched all of Season One, and, hey, it's a really good show. Not up there with M*A*S*H, Seinfeld or other arguably great sitcoms, but very good, even for the first season.

Lots of topical humor, some inside references to movies such as Fey's Mean Girls, and host of guest stars that are a testament to the respect Fey commands (LL Cool J, Isabella Rossellini, Chris Mathews, Rip Torn, Nathan Lane and a bunch of SNL former/curent cast members - and that's just a quick list).

The series reminds me a bit of both Al Franken's too smart for its own good Lateline, as well as the always underrated NewsRadio - 30 Rock is an ensemble cast that is about, in this case, a live weekly TV comedy show (think of Saturday Night Live, obviously).

Overall, light, entertaining and funny in a sad-but-true way. Everyone takes a turn at looking sane/insane (like Helen Hunt and Paul Reiser on Mad About You). Looking forward to seeing more of this series.

 - Originally reviewed: 02/16/2013, 7:35 pm
Mad Men Season 1
Starring: Jon Hamm, Elizabeth Moss, January Jones

OK, I'll be the first to admit that I am woefully behind the curve on this one: They are currently in season five.

However, I have heard so many good things about this show - and really no knocks - that I kind of held off until I could find time to watch.

Worth the wait. A great - and somewhat complex - cut of American history (takes place around 1960). Mad Men are the Madison Avenue advertising sharks, and Hamm - as Don Draper - is one of the slickest of the bunch.

While Draper is the primary focus, this is an ensemble cast, and virtually all of the secondary characters are top shelf.

Yes, a dramatic series about ad execs, and it revolves around booze, cigarettes and unfaithfulness. The show's probably not big in the Bible Belt.

But the best part is that I am behind the curve on this show - so I have a lot more to look forward to!

One nit to pick: What they did at the end of the season to Elizabeth Moss was, well, weird. Let's hope season two explains same, because this one was really odd, flash for flash sake's moment.

Otherwise, pretty solid.

 - Originally reviewed: 06/17/2012, 3:25 pm
Damages - Season 1
Starring: Glenn Close, Rose Byrne, Ted Danson

I had heard many good things about this show, but when I finally watched the entire Season One (13 episodes) this past weekend, I was blown away: This is good. Unusually good.

Good actors, good concept, well filmed.

But the best part - to me - was the non-linear plot line: The pilot opens with a pretty sensational event four months into the future ... and then just jumps around for the entire series.

Without giving much away, some scenes are repeated but one sees them differently depending on where you are in the series. Hard to describe, but very well done. It keeps you guessing until the end and ... Season Two is (I'm guessing) foreshadowed in some weird scenes in Season One.

Glenn Close is brilliant in this - a total bitch of a top-gun lawyer - and the supporting characters are solid, as well.

I don't know if the show creators can keep this type of WTF? for more than one season; I look forward to the next installment to see what they do.

This is one of those shows that I could write almost endlessly about - it's that remarkable - but I'll leave it with what I said above: Can't wait to see Season Two.

 - Originally reviewed: 06/04/2012, 8:48 pm
Mr. Universe
Starring: Jim Gaffigan

This is the latest (2012) stand-up routine by Jim Gaffigan.

Funny as always - read my full review here.

Bottom line?

Funny. Watch.

And then watch more of his older stuff - hit YouTube and see what you can find!

 - Originally reviewed: 04/29/2012, 3:37 pm
Monk - Season 8
Tony Shalhoub

I watched the eighth - and final - season of “Monk” this weekend.

Overall, pretty well done. Monk is not classic TV, just fun.

The last season wrapped up things a little too tightly for me (don’t need full closure on everyone), but I liked the closure with Monk/Trudy. Worked for me.

Monk went out on a high note, and they (writers/directors/cast) seemed to have fun ending it all.

That’s a good thing…

 - Originally reviewed: 03/30/2010, 9:44 pm
Scrubs - First Season
Scrubs is one of those non-traditional sitcoms that you'll either like or hate.

I always enjoyed it, but - having not watched it much the last couple of years - it was fun to sit and go through the entire first year over a weekend.

Damn they are clever - fantasy sequences, fun with sound effects, fun with each other.

Like News Radio and Third Rock From the Sun, you either grok this type of comedy or you don't.

If you don't you are poorer for it...

 - Originally reviewed: 02/17/2007, 11:42 pm
West Wing Season Five
First non-Aaron Sorkin year, and it shows.

The West Wing didn't jump the shark this year (the following year they did, painfully - I stopped watching), but they came close.

It was a "let's shake it up" year, yet most of the changes didn't (to me) work. There were moments, but - overall - very weak compared even to Season 4 (weakest of 1-4).

 - Originally reviewed: 04/08/2006, 10:18 pm
^Top | Top Ten Home | Blog This! Home | Blog This! Archives