Even though it seems to have blown out of proportion with a movie, a record, a book and a tour, I wanted to do a list in honor of the 20th anniversary of the best American band out there. I decided to go with Top 5 Songs, which was almost as hard as picking the Top 5 Beatles Songs. I kept the list to only original songs, leaving Last Kiss and Leaving Here, both strong candidates, out of the running. A couple things I thought while researching this list... I always liked Binaural but most fans consider it the bands worst album, upon further listening I still don't get it. I think it's a much better album then both Riot Act and Pearl Jam, which I find lackluster. Also, I always considered the era of great Pearl Jam albums to end with Vitalogy, everything after seemed to be pretty formulaic, but listening again I couldn't help but love No Code, probably the most underrated Pearl Jam album. But enough about the albums, here are my Top 5 favorite Pearl Jam songs...
5) Just Breath (Backslider)
Super simple lullaby style song. For a band that is at it's best when it goes big, loud and fast, this is a great departure. Eddie Vedder has always had a special style of singing that worked great the bigger songs, but here he shows that he has the versatility to do slow and subtle as well. That says nothing about the powerful lyrics, something Vedder has never had a problem producing.
4) Life Wasted (Pearl Jam)
Ok, it was a mostly lackluster album. It had a couple really good tracks and this was probably the best of the Formulaic Album era. I liked the Wasted Reprise even better then the song, but since it was called a reprise and was just the chorus with only an organ as accompaniment, I considered it part of the song as a whole.
3) Better Man (Vitalogy)
Some times this song takes some knocks for being to commercial, so I guess I really like commercial music because I love this song. The way it builds from a guitar, to guitar and lyrics, to all out rock fest is perfect and fits the subject matter wonderfully. Vedder's lyrics are best the more personal they get and it doesn't get more personal then this song.
2) Porch (Ten)
I'm not sure there is a song that gets me more pumped up then Porch. Another song that uses the art of building up to a furious crescendo, it starts with Vedder singing with only a guitar riff backing him up, then adds a little drums before the song erupts into a crazed frenzy. The unplugged version from Pearl Jam's MTV Unplugged is just as intense and easily Pearl Jam at it's best. I keep my fingers crossed any time I see them live that this one makes the setlist, because it makes the show that much greater.
1) Black (Ten)
This one is special to me for various reasons outside of how great it is as a song. Even though it is closer to a rock ballad then the type of Pearl Jam song I enjoy the best, it's easily my all time favorite. The lyrics strike home and have given me comfort many times over the years. Vedder's intensity by songs end leaves me breathless every time I hear it. It's possibly one of my top ten favorite songs by any band ever.
Honorable Mentions: Alive (Ten), Yellow Ledbetter (Old Dogs), Footsteps (Old Dogs), Go (Vs), Rearviewmirror (Vs), Blood (Vs), Corduroy (Vitalogy), Hail, Hail (No Code), Lukin (No Code), Do The Evolution (Yield), Breakerfall (Binaural), Nothing As It Seems (Binaural)
Wednesday, October 26, 2011
Tuesday, October 25, 2011
How I Met Your Mother: Noretta
2-4-1. That's the current HIMYM record after another unfunny, uninteresting episode. Although it gave me a few chuckles, like the opening gag with the bar booth crowded with everyone's significant others, and had at least one well written construct, the episode had too many holes and too many stories I just didn't care about. It's starting to look more and more like the "Duck Tie" episode was an aberration rather then a come back.
The only joke or story that I thought really worked can still be looked at as a failure because there was more not to like about it. The main theme of the episode was the idea that everyone ends up dating one of their parents. And while it made me chuckle once or twice, it just isn't a premise to base a whole episode around. I loved when centered around Lilly and Marshall, the way they tied Marshall's love of board games with Lilly's dad was clever, but everyone else's problems just weren't interesting or felt forced to fit the theme. The other problem was the pay off. Barney says he doesn't mind dating someone like his mom because she was one of the greatest person he knew and this seems to put Lilly and Marshall at piece with the problem. One small problem, Lilly hates her dad! He's one of the worst people that she knows. So how will this comment by Barney put her at ease? Wouldn't make her more upset?
Other problems I had with the episode... I get that they were trying to set up Nora to be like Julie Andrews to fit with the mom storyline, but her using all those British sayings is annoying and I find it hard to believe, after all the shit the group gives Robin for being Canadian, that they would not make fun of her every time she uses one. The writers are either missing out on some jokes or just trying to annoy me.
And of course, Kal Penn is still on the show. The Kumar countdown is now at 4 episodes left (I write with my fingers crossed).
The only joke or story that I thought really worked can still be looked at as a failure because there was more not to like about it. The main theme of the episode was the idea that everyone ends up dating one of their parents. And while it made me chuckle once or twice, it just isn't a premise to base a whole episode around. I loved when centered around Lilly and Marshall, the way they tied Marshall's love of board games with Lilly's dad was clever, but everyone else's problems just weren't interesting or felt forced to fit the theme. The other problem was the pay off. Barney says he doesn't mind dating someone like his mom because she was one of the greatest person he knew and this seems to put Lilly and Marshall at piece with the problem. One small problem, Lilly hates her dad! He's one of the worst people that she knows. So how will this comment by Barney put her at ease? Wouldn't make her more upset?
Other problems I had with the episode... I get that they were trying to set up Nora to be like Julie Andrews to fit with the mom storyline, but her using all those British sayings is annoying and I find it hard to believe, after all the shit the group gives Robin for being Canadian, that they would not make fun of her every time she uses one. The writers are either missing out on some jokes or just trying to annoy me.
And of course, Kal Penn is still on the show. The Kumar countdown is now at 4 episodes left (I write with my fingers crossed).
Tuesday, October 18, 2011
How I Met Your Mother: Mystery Vs History
After last night the HIMYM record now stands at 2-3-1. The idea of Barney and Robin as some type of special agent team guiding Ted through his dating adventures had so much potential but ultimately the writers has no idea where to take it. This episode just wasn't funny. The jokes about what Janet might be hiding were as easy and obvious a series of jokes as you will ever find on TV. If I've said it once, I've said it a hundred times, I expect more from this group of writers then what this episode gave us. There was gold to mine with this premise but the writers just couldn't find it.
Complaining just about the mystery or history premise and it's lack of humor is ignoring two more major problems with the episode. One: The Marshal/Lily story line felt forced and shoe horned in. For whatever reason, I just don't care about their kid and would much rather have them doing and dealing with other things. But the kid is coming at some point and will probably become an A storyline at some point this season, so I guess I better start getting used to it. Two: Kal Penn needs to go. Has there been a character added since season one that has been likable in any way? Penn is stiff and awkward and just has no chemistry with anyone in the cast. His presence alone seems to kill whatever funny that may be happening. Hopefully his eight episode run will be it and we will never see him again. I'm counting them down... 5 more Kumar episodes left!
Complaining just about the mystery or history premise and it's lack of humor is ignoring two more major problems with the episode. One: The Marshal/Lily story line felt forced and shoe horned in. For whatever reason, I just don't care about their kid and would much rather have them doing and dealing with other things. But the kid is coming at some point and will probably become an A storyline at some point this season, so I guess I better start getting used to it. Two: Kal Penn needs to go. Has there been a character added since season one that has been likable in any way? Penn is stiff and awkward and just has no chemistry with anyone in the cast. His presence alone seems to kill whatever funny that may be happening. Hopefully his eight episode run will be it and we will never see him again. I'm counting them down... 5 more Kumar episodes left!
Monday, October 17, 2011
Walking Dead: What Lies Ahead
The long 10 month wait for the return of The Walking Dead is finally over. And, boy, was it worth the wait. What Lies Ahead was able to capture everything that makes The Walking Dead one of the best shows on television. It was gory, suspenseful, gory, emotional, gory, thought provoking and... did I mention gory? Not five minutes into the show the writers have the viewers hearts in their throats and don't let off the pedal, even as the show comes to an end. After an hour and a half of hiding under cars, hunting lost children, mutilating zombies, arguing amongst survivors, where left with a cliff hanger that makes me wish I had let a few episodes build in my TIVO before I started watching. Almost everything about this episode was perfectly crafted, making the long wait worth it.
If there was anything that bothered me about the episode it was how much it seemed to rely on the gore at times. I realize that most zombie fans are tuning in just for the gore, I mean what else is a zombie story if not extremely gory, but I always thought what made the comic special was how it dealt with issues away from the zombies and I've always believed in the premise that what is not seen is scarier then what is. At times it seemed like the show makers were going out of their way to make the scenes as gory as possible and as much as I understand that this helps depict the horrible circumstances these people now find themselves in, it just felt gratuitous. I would like to see the show dial back the gore and rely more on great story telling and old fashioned suspense.
Not that there wasn't plenty of great story telling in this episode. The argument between Dale and Andrea and the survivor's doubts about Rick's decision to leave Sophia are both classic The Walking Dead. I've always felt the show is best when it deals with the moral dilemmas a zombie apocalypse would cause rather then just killing zombies. Both these scenes did a great job of just that.
What Lies Ahead is a great start to season two. Lets hope it's more of the same going forward.
If there was anything that bothered me about the episode it was how much it seemed to rely on the gore at times. I realize that most zombie fans are tuning in just for the gore, I mean what else is a zombie story if not extremely gory, but I always thought what made the comic special was how it dealt with issues away from the zombies and I've always believed in the premise that what is not seen is scarier then what is. At times it seemed like the show makers were going out of their way to make the scenes as gory as possible and as much as I understand that this helps depict the horrible circumstances these people now find themselves in, it just felt gratuitous. I would like to see the show dial back the gore and rely more on great story telling and old fashioned suspense.
Not that there wasn't plenty of great story telling in this episode. The argument between Dale and Andrea and the survivor's doubts about Rick's decision to leave Sophia are both classic The Walking Dead. I've always felt the show is best when it deals with the moral dilemmas a zombie apocalypse would cause rather then just killing zombies. Both these scenes did a great job of just that.
What Lies Ahead is a great start to season two. Lets hope it's more of the same going forward.
Wednesday, October 12, 2011
Book Review: Hunger Games
I have a problem with the sudden popularity of teen and young adult literature. My problem isn't that it's popular with kids, these are the people who are supposed to enjoy it. In fact, I'm ecstatic that young adults are finding such enjoyment from reading, something that has been lost with recent generations of kids. My problem is how popular these novels are with adults. As interesting as some of the storylines may be, they aren't written for the adult mind. I've read Harry Potter And The Philosopher's Stone. I've read Twilight. The language is simple, the themes are dumbed down. These are books written for the enjoyment of children, adults should find them childish and boring. If you are an adult looking for these types of stories read Tolkien's Lord Of The Rings or Erin Morgenstern's Night Circus or Ann Rice's Vampire Chronicles. These are books that use adult vocabulary and tackle adult themes.
Even though I have these issues with Young Adult literature, I have another problem which is my need to know what all the fuss and hype is all about. That is why I read Harry Potter. That is why I read Twilight. And that is why I asked my middle school teacher friends if they had a copy of Hunger Games I could borrow. Like most of you, I couldn't avoid hearing about this series of novels and the up coming movies; how the premise was so new and fresh and empowering to young women. The thing is, the premise didn't sound so fresh to me. I had read a Japanese novel called Battle Royal years ago about a class of school children forced by the government to fight to the death on a secluded island. If you combine that novel with Shirley Jackson's "The Lottery" and any number of today's reality television shows you get the premise of Hunger Games.
So I procured a copy of the book and read in an attempt to prove just how right I was and just how unoriginal and unworthy of buzz the book was. The first half of the book didn't let me down. The book's writing was clearly aimed at a 14 year-old girl. There was nothing challenging about the language or themes, nothing of any interest in the story for an adult and every plot point and twist rang of something taken from another already established source. And then, mid-story, something changed. The language was just as simple and the writing just as geared for children, but suddenly the characters had more depth and their dilemmas were becoming more complex. I found the way the game messed with Katniss' emotions endlessly intriguing. Was her relationship with the baker for real or an act needed for survival? How was her behavior going to affect her future relationships? What does her ability to compartmentalize her emotions say about her as a person? And will any of this have an affect on both her physical and emotional growth? By books end I found myself interested in what was going to happen next, how Katniss was going to deal with the very adult emotional tangle she found herself in, where else was this story going to go, something I could not say about either the first Harry Potter or Twilight books.
I'm not sure whether to classify Huger Games as a guilty pleasure or an excellently written young Adult novel. It certainly doesn't come with the acclaim of the Harry Potter books, which in all honesty I only read on of and couldn't find a compelling reason to read more of. The style style and themes of the book are very much aimed at young girls, but it never pretends or sells itself as anything else. Even with that against it, I found it much more enjoyable a read then any other Young Adult novel I've read as an adult (other then Slam which probably had more to do with the fact I love Nick Hornby). I enjoyed it so much I've been asking the same teacher friends for the follow up novels. So, I guess there are instances where adults can find pleasure in Young Adult novels after all.
Even though I have these issues with Young Adult literature, I have another problem which is my need to know what all the fuss and hype is all about. That is why I read Harry Potter. That is why I read Twilight. And that is why I asked my middle school teacher friends if they had a copy of Hunger Games I could borrow. Like most of you, I couldn't avoid hearing about this series of novels and the up coming movies; how the premise was so new and fresh and empowering to young women. The thing is, the premise didn't sound so fresh to me. I had read a Japanese novel called Battle Royal years ago about a class of school children forced by the government to fight to the death on a secluded island. If you combine that novel with Shirley Jackson's "The Lottery" and any number of today's reality television shows you get the premise of Hunger Games.
So I procured a copy of the book and read in an attempt to prove just how right I was and just how unoriginal and unworthy of buzz the book was. The first half of the book didn't let me down. The book's writing was clearly aimed at a 14 year-old girl. There was nothing challenging about the language or themes, nothing of any interest in the story for an adult and every plot point and twist rang of something taken from another already established source. And then, mid-story, something changed. The language was just as simple and the writing just as geared for children, but suddenly the characters had more depth and their dilemmas were becoming more complex. I found the way the game messed with Katniss' emotions endlessly intriguing. Was her relationship with the baker for real or an act needed for survival? How was her behavior going to affect her future relationships? What does her ability to compartmentalize her emotions say about her as a person? And will any of this have an affect on both her physical and emotional growth? By books end I found myself interested in what was going to happen next, how Katniss was going to deal with the very adult emotional tangle she found herself in, where else was this story going to go, something I could not say about either the first Harry Potter or Twilight books.
I'm not sure whether to classify Huger Games as a guilty pleasure or an excellently written young Adult novel. It certainly doesn't come with the acclaim of the Harry Potter books, which in all honesty I only read on of and couldn't find a compelling reason to read more of. The style style and themes of the book are very much aimed at young girls, but it never pretends or sells itself as anything else. Even with that against it, I found it much more enjoyable a read then any other Young Adult novel I've read as an adult (other then Slam which probably had more to do with the fact I love Nick Hornby). I enjoyed it so much I've been asking the same teacher friends for the follow up novels. So, I guess there are instances where adults can find pleasure in Young Adult novels after all.
Tuesday, October 11, 2011
How I Met Your Mother: Field Trip
This week's episode has me a bit torn. It didn't offend me, but it wasn't the funniest episode either. I got a few good laughs, but at the same time it left a bad taste in my mouth. Since I don't think it was bad enough to warrant a loss, nor good enough to reward it with a win, "Field Trip" is going down in the record book as a tie giving the HIMYM's writers a record of 2-2-1 on the season.
What bothered me about the episode was a sense of having been there before. We're getting to a point in the history of the show where it's going to get tough keeping the storylines fresh. I couldn't help thinking of Ted and Stella as I was introduced to a forbidden relationship between Robin and her psychologist. Although it wasn't exactly the same, they way they non-dated every week at the dinner felt a lot like Ted's two minute date with Stella. That's not even mentioning that both Stella and Kevin refuse to date Ted and Robin at first because they are their patients. Barney's fear of dating Nora after finding out she didn't like the Ewoks also ran familiar and at first felt like an insult to the continuity of the show. The HIMYM writer's have already mined the problems of dating someone who doesn't like Star Wars when Ted first started dating Robin. Which also made it odd why Barney had a problem with Nora, he'd already dated someone who didn't like Ewoks. If I didn't find his actually reasons for fearing Nora so funny, I'd have a problem with him not realizing the real reason Nora didn't like them due to his past experiences.
But I did find it funny, funny because it's true. There is defiantly a line that differentiates Ewok fans from non-fans and it almost certainly has to do with date of birth. The fact that Barney would use this to assume that Nora was older then she said she was had me in stitches. It was this kind of thing that made me fall in love with HIMYM, this use of pop culture to run the characters everyday lives. It's something that has been sorely missed the last few seasons. If you were listening there was also an Ewok reference during Marshal's law firm scenes. They were playing the Ewok celebration song in the background while the lawyers were partying.
Another thing that made me laugh and reminded me of HIMYM when it was still great was the use of Ted's students. The idea of having them vote to solve all of Ted and Barney's arguments was genius. "Pollstered" is sure to become yet another classic HIMYM catchphrase.
What bothered me about the episode was a sense of having been there before. We're getting to a point in the history of the show where it's going to get tough keeping the storylines fresh. I couldn't help thinking of Ted and Stella as I was introduced to a forbidden relationship between Robin and her psychologist. Although it wasn't exactly the same, they way they non-dated every week at the dinner felt a lot like Ted's two minute date with Stella. That's not even mentioning that both Stella and Kevin refuse to date Ted and Robin at first because they are their patients. Barney's fear of dating Nora after finding out she didn't like the Ewoks also ran familiar and at first felt like an insult to the continuity of the show. The HIMYM writer's have already mined the problems of dating someone who doesn't like Star Wars when Ted first started dating Robin. Which also made it odd why Barney had a problem with Nora, he'd already dated someone who didn't like Ewoks. If I didn't find his actually reasons for fearing Nora so funny, I'd have a problem with him not realizing the real reason Nora didn't like them due to his past experiences.
But I did find it funny, funny because it's true. There is defiantly a line that differentiates Ewok fans from non-fans and it almost certainly has to do with date of birth. The fact that Barney would use this to assume that Nora was older then she said she was had me in stitches. It was this kind of thing that made me fall in love with HIMYM, this use of pop culture to run the characters everyday lives. It's something that has been sorely missed the last few seasons. If you were listening there was also an Ewok reference during Marshal's law firm scenes. They were playing the Ewok celebration song in the background while the lawyers were partying.
Another thing that made me laugh and reminded me of HIMYM when it was still great was the use of Ted's students. The idea of having them vote to solve all of Ted and Barney's arguments was genius. "Pollstered" is sure to become yet another classic HIMYM catchphrase.
Monday, October 10, 2011
Fall TV: Part Two
Here's part two of me going through all the season premiers on my DVR...
Modern Family
I know this is everyone's favorite sitcom and the winner of numerous Emmys, but for me it's incredibly hit or miss. When it's a hit it's fall off the couch funny, but when it's a miss it's hardly worth watching. The season premier, set at a dude ranch, was a huge miss. I know the show has more to offer so it's not going to hurt my thoughts about it, but this was an extremely auspicious start for "the best comedy on TV." I think the cast is wonderful, especially Julie Bowen, who I would watch on anything, so any short fall on the laughs side of things must come from the writing staff. As uneven as the laughs may be, it's still a must watch.
VERDICT: Staying put at #8 on Season Pass Manager
Community
This show gets my vote for the funniest show on TV. It's the perfect blend of off beat comedy, pure silliness, culture references and your typical sitcom fare. Every cast member is hilarious in their own style, from the main characters like Jeff and Brita right down to the bit players like Star Burns and Dean Pelton, which makes the show a true ensemble effort. I'm not sure where the writers are going with the whole Jeff and Annie thing, but the show is always best when it's not focusing on the soap opera aspect of sitcoms, something I think the writers are aware of, so I'm not to concerned. If there is one thing I would like to see going forward it would be Chang returning to his first season form. He became awkward and annoying after being one of the funniest parts of season one. I'd love to see him gain some credibility and power back and in the process get more funny.
VERDICT: Due to other shows slipping, moves up from #3 to #1 on Season Pass Manager
Charlie's Angels
Not sure how long a show that pisses me off in the first 15 minutes is going to last. In this age of female empowerment, this seemed like an obvious choice for a reboot and could be a big hit. But the show runners proved they didn't know what they were doing when they killed off the one Angel, Nadine Velazquez, with any personality or appeal. Don't get me wrong, I think Minka Kelly is gorgeous, but the other two ladies are nothing special and neither of the three could act their way out of a paper bag. Add to that a couple of lack luster mysteries for the girls to solve in the first two episodes and I'm having a hard time finding reasons to keep tuning in. I had high hopes for this one, but the writers and producers seemed to have dropped the ball with both the casting and stories.
VERDICT: Deleted from Season Pass Manager after two episodes
The Office
At one time this was appointment television, but things have changed and while it still has it's great moments, it just doesn't pull me to my TV like it once did. Whether this is just due to familiarity and staleness after so many years or a downgrade in the writing, the loss of Michael Scott, aka Steve Carell, doesn't help. Andy as boss just doesn't work comically like Michael did. As much as I love this show and hate to see it go, without Carell it's just a shell of what it once was. I can't see it lasting much more then another season unless someone is brought in to fill the void Carell left. For now, it's still a must watch, more out of loyalty then anything else, but that could change very easily if it slips anymore.
VERDICT: Slips from #2 to #12 on Season Pass Manager
Whitney
Another old school multi-camera sitcom. This season is riff with new additions in this genre. And oddly enough, this is another good one. As much as I dislike the canned laughter and the set-up/joke, set-up/joke writing style, I couldn't help but find myself laughing. Whitney Cummings may be the name sake of the show and it's main character, but for me the show is all about Chris D'Elia. The way he plays off Whitney's odd behavior and messes with her is what has me excited about the show. The show is far from perfect, I could do without the Mark character, he's just stupid and annoying, but I think it has promise. So far, it's probably the third best new sitcom this season behind New Girl and Suburgatory (which I will get to).
VERDICT: Added to Season Pass Manager
Fringe
The last couple of seasons of this show have been phenomenal. Unfortunately nobody has been watching and the show has been moved around in an attempt to find a spot on the schedule for it, leading to it being dumped on Friday nights (television purgatory) and altered to appeal to a wider audience. I have no idea where this show is going, which is usually a good thing, and feel like it has lost everything that made it special. It feels more like a police procedural and less like an X-files style sci-fi show. But I still have faith. The oddities that made the show different are still present, even though they are down played, and the writers still have to explain what happened to Joshua Jackson's character and find a way to bring him back. Something tells me it's at that point that the show will pick up again, for now I'm just watching and waiting for one of my favorite shows to return to form.
VERDICT: Stays at #3 on Season Pass Manager (for now)
Pan Am
The second of the network Mad Men rip offs and a much better one at that. Pan Am, unlike Playboy Club, feels a lot more like it's own show then a rip off. It also seems to actually accomplish much better what Playboy Club claimed to be about, a story of women empowerment. Pan Am is much better written and much better acted. I do wonder how fresh you can keep a drama set in an airplane, though. How much time can you spend in the cabin telling new and interesting stories? At the moment, it's working and this show is my favorite new drama of the season so far. Hopefully it can keep up the intriguing storytelling.
VERDICT: Added to Season Pass Manager
Family Guy
This was one of my favorite shows when nobody, and I mean nobody, was watching. Then it got canceled. Then it came out on DVD and suddenly it was everyone's favorite show. Then it came back. Not much has changed about Family Guy over all that time. It's still crass. It's still apologetically inappropriate. And it's still funny as hell. This isn't some people's cup of tea. I get that, but for me it's hands down one of the funniest shows ever made.
VERDICT: Stays at #9 on Season Pass Manager
Terra Nova
One of the most expensive shows ever made, with a ad budget to match. Easily one of the most talked about shows of the new season. I'm not sure the hype was warranted, but it's not a huge disappointment either. Basically, it's a family drama masquerading as a science fiction/action show. For all the special effects and action sequences, it's really just a show about a family that was pulled apart trying to put the pieces back together. This show would have been a staple Sunday night show when I was growing up. Sci Fi fans might be tricked into tuning in, but I doubt they will keep watching. So the questions becomes, will fans of family drama tune in or will they be scared off by the sci fi stuff before giving it a try? I like it enough to keep watching, but I'm not sure it's going to find the right audience to keep going.
VERDICT: Added to Season Pass Manager
Suburgatory
This show is great! A must watch!! If it wasn't for New Girl and Zooey Deschanel, this would be the funniest new show and my favorite of the new season. The writing is amazingly sharp and witty and the acting is great. Jeremy Sisto, Cheryl Hines, Jane Levy, Rex Lee, Ana Gasteyer, Allie Grant. They may not be big time names, like those in Up All Night, but they are all quality actors who have great comic timing. The depicting of suburbia is more cartoonish then satiric, but once you realize that you can't help but fall in love with the humor and the well written characters.
VERDICT: Added to Season Pass with a bullet
Happy Endings
This was billed as the new generation Friends and although it has it's funny moments, it far from lives up to it. I like the cast and the situations the writers put them in do feel new and fresh. The humor is much more absurd then anything Friends tried to do and because of that it's much more hit or miss. At the moment, the misses are much more frequent then the hits, but the hits have been strong enough for me to keep viewing. I'm slightly upset that it got renewed because I loved Damon Wayans Jr. on New Girl, but while it's on, I'm watching.
VERDICT: Stays at #19 on Season Pass Manager
I'll be back in a couple of weeks with the third and final installment of my Fall TV review.
Modern Family
I know this is everyone's favorite sitcom and the winner of numerous Emmys, but for me it's incredibly hit or miss. When it's a hit it's fall off the couch funny, but when it's a miss it's hardly worth watching. The season premier, set at a dude ranch, was a huge miss. I know the show has more to offer so it's not going to hurt my thoughts about it, but this was an extremely auspicious start for "the best comedy on TV." I think the cast is wonderful, especially Julie Bowen, who I would watch on anything, so any short fall on the laughs side of things must come from the writing staff. As uneven as the laughs may be, it's still a must watch.
VERDICT: Staying put at #8 on Season Pass Manager
Community
This show gets my vote for the funniest show on TV. It's the perfect blend of off beat comedy, pure silliness, culture references and your typical sitcom fare. Every cast member is hilarious in their own style, from the main characters like Jeff and Brita right down to the bit players like Star Burns and Dean Pelton, which makes the show a true ensemble effort. I'm not sure where the writers are going with the whole Jeff and Annie thing, but the show is always best when it's not focusing on the soap opera aspect of sitcoms, something I think the writers are aware of, so I'm not to concerned. If there is one thing I would like to see going forward it would be Chang returning to his first season form. He became awkward and annoying after being one of the funniest parts of season one. I'd love to see him gain some credibility and power back and in the process get more funny.
VERDICT: Due to other shows slipping, moves up from #3 to #1 on Season Pass Manager
Charlie's Angels
Not sure how long a show that pisses me off in the first 15 minutes is going to last. In this age of female empowerment, this seemed like an obvious choice for a reboot and could be a big hit. But the show runners proved they didn't know what they were doing when they killed off the one Angel, Nadine Velazquez, with any personality or appeal. Don't get me wrong, I think Minka Kelly is gorgeous, but the other two ladies are nothing special and neither of the three could act their way out of a paper bag. Add to that a couple of lack luster mysteries for the girls to solve in the first two episodes and I'm having a hard time finding reasons to keep tuning in. I had high hopes for this one, but the writers and producers seemed to have dropped the ball with both the casting and stories.
VERDICT: Deleted from Season Pass Manager after two episodes
The Office
At one time this was appointment television, but things have changed and while it still has it's great moments, it just doesn't pull me to my TV like it once did. Whether this is just due to familiarity and staleness after so many years or a downgrade in the writing, the loss of Michael Scott, aka Steve Carell, doesn't help. Andy as boss just doesn't work comically like Michael did. As much as I love this show and hate to see it go, without Carell it's just a shell of what it once was. I can't see it lasting much more then another season unless someone is brought in to fill the void Carell left. For now, it's still a must watch, more out of loyalty then anything else, but that could change very easily if it slips anymore.
VERDICT: Slips from #2 to #12 on Season Pass Manager
Whitney
Another old school multi-camera sitcom. This season is riff with new additions in this genre. And oddly enough, this is another good one. As much as I dislike the canned laughter and the set-up/joke, set-up/joke writing style, I couldn't help but find myself laughing. Whitney Cummings may be the name sake of the show and it's main character, but for me the show is all about Chris D'Elia. The way he plays off Whitney's odd behavior and messes with her is what has me excited about the show. The show is far from perfect, I could do without the Mark character, he's just stupid and annoying, but I think it has promise. So far, it's probably the third best new sitcom this season behind New Girl and Suburgatory (which I will get to).
VERDICT: Added to Season Pass Manager
Fringe
The last couple of seasons of this show have been phenomenal. Unfortunately nobody has been watching and the show has been moved around in an attempt to find a spot on the schedule for it, leading to it being dumped on Friday nights (television purgatory) and altered to appeal to a wider audience. I have no idea where this show is going, which is usually a good thing, and feel like it has lost everything that made it special. It feels more like a police procedural and less like an X-files style sci-fi show. But I still have faith. The oddities that made the show different are still present, even though they are down played, and the writers still have to explain what happened to Joshua Jackson's character and find a way to bring him back. Something tells me it's at that point that the show will pick up again, for now I'm just watching and waiting for one of my favorite shows to return to form.
VERDICT: Stays at #3 on Season Pass Manager (for now)
Pan Am
The second of the network Mad Men rip offs and a much better one at that. Pan Am, unlike Playboy Club, feels a lot more like it's own show then a rip off. It also seems to actually accomplish much better what Playboy Club claimed to be about, a story of women empowerment. Pan Am is much better written and much better acted. I do wonder how fresh you can keep a drama set in an airplane, though. How much time can you spend in the cabin telling new and interesting stories? At the moment, it's working and this show is my favorite new drama of the season so far. Hopefully it can keep up the intriguing storytelling.
VERDICT: Added to Season Pass Manager
Family Guy
This was one of my favorite shows when nobody, and I mean nobody, was watching. Then it got canceled. Then it came out on DVD and suddenly it was everyone's favorite show. Then it came back. Not much has changed about Family Guy over all that time. It's still crass. It's still apologetically inappropriate. And it's still funny as hell. This isn't some people's cup of tea. I get that, but for me it's hands down one of the funniest shows ever made.
VERDICT: Stays at #9 on Season Pass Manager
Terra Nova
One of the most expensive shows ever made, with a ad budget to match. Easily one of the most talked about shows of the new season. I'm not sure the hype was warranted, but it's not a huge disappointment either. Basically, it's a family drama masquerading as a science fiction/action show. For all the special effects and action sequences, it's really just a show about a family that was pulled apart trying to put the pieces back together. This show would have been a staple Sunday night show when I was growing up. Sci Fi fans might be tricked into tuning in, but I doubt they will keep watching. So the questions becomes, will fans of family drama tune in or will they be scared off by the sci fi stuff before giving it a try? I like it enough to keep watching, but I'm not sure it's going to find the right audience to keep going.
VERDICT: Added to Season Pass Manager
Suburgatory
This show is great! A must watch!! If it wasn't for New Girl and Zooey Deschanel, this would be the funniest new show and my favorite of the new season. The writing is amazingly sharp and witty and the acting is great. Jeremy Sisto, Cheryl Hines, Jane Levy, Rex Lee, Ana Gasteyer, Allie Grant. They may not be big time names, like those in Up All Night, but they are all quality actors who have great comic timing. The depicting of suburbia is more cartoonish then satiric, but once you realize that you can't help but fall in love with the humor and the well written characters.
VERDICT: Added to Season Pass with a bullet
Happy Endings
This was billed as the new generation Friends and although it has it's funny moments, it far from lives up to it. I like the cast and the situations the writers put them in do feel new and fresh. The humor is much more absurd then anything Friends tried to do and because of that it's much more hit or miss. At the moment, the misses are much more frequent then the hits, but the hits have been strong enough for me to keep viewing. I'm slightly upset that it got renewed because I loved Damon Wayans Jr. on New Girl, but while it's on, I'm watching.
VERDICT: Stays at #19 on Season Pass Manager
I'll be back in a couple of weeks with the third and final installment of my Fall TV review.
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