2011 TV Show Guide UPDATE

A Bachelor/Bachelor Pad free Monday? What am I supposed to do with myself now?

Well, after writing about what I planned to watch last week, I figured I'd write about what I actually watched.

THE GOOD

REVENGE

Not sure how I forgot to mention this since it was on my list. Unfortunately, I left my Fall TV Preview edition of Entertainment Weekly on the plane and that rocked my world.

Regardless, it's a new show on ABC. Very weird pilot. In some ways, it almost not suitable for broadcast. I've never seen green screen shots look so fake and awful. It seemed like a presentation for execs only rather than a real TV show.

And then I saw the credits and realized that it was directed by Philip Noyce, who is a big time feature director. Not sure why he mailed it in, maybe he thought that a show about a girl getting revenge couldn't possibly last for more than one episode.

But it was saved by the story. Mike Kelley created the show, and he did one of my long forgotten - and canceled after 1 season - favorites, "Swingtown". He knows what he's doing. And the pilot was well constructed and interesting. I'm on board, for now.

One other interesting thing about this show: Madeleine Stowe. Where has she been? I guess her and her husband Brian Benben quit Hollywood or something and now she's back. And the crazy thing is: she looks exactly the same. She may have had her head frozen somewhere, cause it hasn't aged. Not sure the same is true for Benben, we'll have to wait for the Dream On remake.

Oh, and there's another actor who I love who I haven't seen in a million years: Henry Czerny. He got hot about 10 years ago as a bad guy, and he was a great one. You may remember him from Clear and Present Danger (directed by Phillip Noyce!) and the first Mission Impossible. He's awesome, great to see him on TV.

One problem with this show: the lead girl is not hot enough. I don't say that simply for boner reasons, I say it because it is a factor in the plot.

UP ALL NIGHT

In fairness, I did not see the pilot, and I know a lot of people didn't like it. I saw the second episode, and while I didn't think it was that great, the show has potential.

A possible factor in the pilot not being good: they reshot it and changed the jobs of Christina Applegate and Maya Rudolph's characters. Maybe that hurt things.

I liked the tone of the show, especially when you compare it to Wil Arnett's last piece of garbage, Running Wilde. In this one, there isn't so much forced wackiness. It seems like he and Applegate are just relaxed and enjoying each other. Maybe they've produced so much crap in the past they've finally reached "who gives a fuck?" stage. Seriously, one more failed series and they're entering Christian Slater/Eliza Dushku territory.

I have hope.

PAN AM

I guess I'm a sucker for soap operas. Here's another one where I don't see how this is a series. But I really don't see how this is a series. Every episode stuck in a plane? That doesn't seem like a good idea.

The pilot was solid though. Professional. In contrast to Revenge, the lead girl in this is freaking beautiful. And the guy pilot is good too. And Christina Ricci's giant forehead plays the part of the runway.

However, the flight attendants as spy thing seems awful, but what else is there to do? It's a show about flight attendants!


THE MERELY OKAY

THE PLAYBOY CLUB

Everyone hated on this show and I expected the worst. It's not that bad. It's not good either, but it's no Charlie's Angels, that's for sure. Compared to Charlie's Angels this is Mad Men.

This one is sorta like Pan Am where it's like, okay, interesting era, interesting occupation, but what's the show? I don't think they know what it is.

Case in point: the plot of the pilot episode was essentially the same as the murder/cover up plot that they did in Friday Night Lights when every fan cried foul because it was such a terrible idea. And that story was the pilot of Playboy Club! They have nothing.

But I will watch episode 2.

TERRA NOVA

This was 2 hours, with way more dinosaur action than I expected. I thought that was just going to be on the periphery, but it was like watching God Damn Jurassic Park.

This thing has a giant budget, and it's fun to look at. How can you even really compare it to anything else? But is it an awesome show? Not yet.

It's trying to be Lost with a little bit of Walking Dead (dinosaurs = zombies) mixed in, and it's neither. But maybe it can improve.


THE GOD AWFUL

CHARLIE'S ANGELS

Holy shit. What the hell? I mean, really.

This is easily the worst show I watched. It is so bad. And after the meetings I've been on recently, with seemingly very smart people, you wonder how a piece of shit like this gets through the system. I guess when you have a built in audience with a title, you don't have to earn all the things that original idea shows do.

Poor Minka. Oh, Minka. Sadly, I realize now that Minka absolutely cannot act. The genius of Friday Night Lights, and her boobs, made her look good. But this show exposes all that is wrong with her.

And the other Angels aren't cute! How do you get that wrong?