Monday Musings

A quick addendum to Sunday nights, for those of you with cable beyond the basic. The TV peeps are abuzz about The Affair on Showtime. The story is told from multiple points of view, and is being heralded as one of the top ten for the season. Also, The Comeback is making a comeback. You can see the original on Netflix and it stars Lisa Kudrow. It begins in November on HBO. 

So, Monday kicks off all of the insanity that is the new TV season...

 

Far too many choices? How will you choose? It will be a tough one, that's for sure.

Let's start with our only new show on CBS, Scorpion. I'm intrigued. It is about a group of super smart people who work for the government at the end of the pilot (oops...late on the spoiler alert there). You'll recognize a couple of the actors, include Katherine McPhee from American Idol (she has a genius kid). The pilot, directed by the same people as The Fast and Furious, is just that--really fast paced. I liked the trailer a lot. But the professionals say it has a long way to go before it is CBS solid. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j9-6DRiLsYE

The only thing new on NBC doesn't start until November and heralds the return of Katherine Heigl to television. State of Affairs takes place in Washington DC, and Heigl plays a CIA analyst. POTUS is Alfre Woodard (because this is a 'Merica that elects a black female president--talk about fiction) who was almost Heigl's mother-in-law. I've read one review that states this is no Homeland, and another that says give it a try. Here's the trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nlPJVmeA3t8

FOX has the show that many, many people are excited for--Gotham. That'd be before Batman, of course (although he is 11 in the show and under the tutelage of Alfred). I'm in because I'm a nerd, but also because Ben McKenzie plays Detective Jim Gordon--and anytime I can reference back to the OC, I'm pretty dang happy. Anyway, huge cast, Gothic sets and filming--it has all the hallmarks of a hit. The plan is that each season will follow an arc with an established Batman villain--the Penguin and Gordan are sort of frenemies in the first season. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0d1zpt6k5OI


The final new show is receiving mixed reviews--Jane the Virgin. The premise is that a straight-laced girl accidentally gets artificially inseminated during an ob-gyn check-up. Based on a Venezuelan telenovella, I've read more good than bad. The main criticism having to do with the word virgin in the title. One critic compares it to Ugly Betty and says this comedy is super sweet and fun. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bgDz0s7xw8A

My plan for this full night of television:

I'll DVR Gotham, watch the comedies on CBS. I will check The Voice on-demand. Stupid 9 pm is a huge problem. Three shows, with only two DVR spots (and only half of the big four are on demand on my cable box). Not for sure what I'll do, but my thought is I'll stick with Sleepy Hollow (although it is the scariest thing I watch--and I did DVR the repeat of the season finale to remind me what the hank was going on...) and Scorpion, and watch Jane online. And we've long been Castle fans, so obviously that isn't changing anytime soon. As for The Blacklist, it became one of my victims of Netflix--I decided I'd catch up on it later. While the violence was slightly problematic for me, I know it is worth catching up on eventually. As for the two shows I didn't mention, I'll eventually watch The Originals, but that's for a rainy Netflix day. And what can I say about Dancing with the Stars? I keep up for quality conversations with Dad. ;)