Monday, September 21, 2015

Two for One Television--It's back! Your guide to all things TV--ish.




Here we are. Another TV season upon us. And I’m going to say it. A few bold declarations on my part:

1.     I need a bigger DVR. I can only record two channels at once. That does not work in 2015, my friends. We won’t get into the fact that I might have the smallest storage for any DVR in the history of said technology.
2.     I’ve fallen in love with sleep. Not sure how that is going to work for me this fall when I’ve got so much TV to watch. But then again, I live in an era when you can find any television show at literally any time.
3.     I no longer subscribe to TV Guide. It feels very weird to no longer have my original television bible at my disposal. But their website is prem-o, so there is that….
4.     There might be too much TV for me to watch. I mean. Seriously. Between the big 4.5 networks (I’m not giving the CW full network status…), Cable, Pay Cable and now the original programming on “networks” such as Netflix, Hulu, Amazon, and Yahoo…how is a girl even supposed to remotely keep up? Quite simply, you can’t. Would that I could, but that pesky day job seems to be getting in the way. And I’ve been validated by The Atlantic even! http://www.theatlantic.com/notes/2015/09/emmys-theres-officially-too-much-tv/406357/

But enough of the kvetching. Let’s start with Sunday, shall we?
 

Lots of the same dominates this night. CBS just bade fond farewell to the original CSI I thought last week, but my Entertainment Weekly says next week, which mean that now they are ready for their Sunday juggernaut. Madame Secretary (love it! Timothy Daly always wins, and it is reminiscent of the West Wing, one of the best shows ever.). Followed by the amazing Good Wife, this night just belongs to CBS. CSI: Cyber fills out the night at 10 pm. Did you miss that last year too? It is being retooled a bit with different actors, including Ted Danson who finished out the run on the original CSI, so if you like the CSI franchise, this is for you.

FOX brings nothing new to the table. But if you are not watching Brooklynn Nine-Nine, you should be. It really hit its stride last year and two words : Ha. Larious. I enjoy The Last Man Standing, but I often forget to watch it. I believe the rest of the night is their usual cartoon fair. (Not my favorite.)

NBC is showing football this fall. I’m currently watching Green Bay and the Seahawks. It is almost more than I can stand.

Over on the alphabet network, there are two new shows following America’s Funniest Home Videos (in its one billionth season), and Once Upon a Time (very enjoyable, but has been relegated to Netflix in my world). First up is Blood and Oil. Can you say old school drama? With Don Johnson? Set in the rough and tumble world of North Dakota (yep, I said it), it is about the booming oil industry in that region. Frakking in not a good way, I say. I think I’m in for the first few episodes at least. It is on many "one to watch" type of lists. In their 10 p.m. spot is Quantico. Definitely worth a check out. It is being labeled as a political thriller and a sexy romance. With the FBI and terrorism as a backdrop, it’s contemporary focus seems to be fun. Lots of good buzz especially around the female lead who is a established star in India. Meaning if you look for it, you can find her in a Bollywood movie!

Also of note, on cable and pay cable, you have Homeland, The Affair, The Walking Dead… a veritable treasure trove of television that is so very critically acclaimed. Starz has a new show called Flesh and Bone, with at ballerina center stage. PBS also has a new show, set in the Himalayas.

Sunday night TV starts rolling out next week on my baby girl’s birthday, September 27.

But on to Monday!


Monday, quite frankly, is all about one thing. And one thing only. Supergirl. Not a comic book nerd (said with love and affection, btw, not disdain)? Well, you’re wrong. You’re going to want to check this out, for sure. Not just because it is what brings Calista Flockhart back to TV, but because of all the buzz. Could it be a disaster? Obviously. But since it is on the big eye, one can only think that it will enjoy a full first season. It is an hour long drama, not debuting until November, where it will take over the spot of two comedies. I don’t know if it will have a permanent place on my fall TV roster, but I will definitely check out the first few. (Supergirl is played by a girl who was also in Glee—which could be why you recognize her. Jimmy Olson also happen to be African-American, played by the guy who was in True Blood. The times. They are a changing.) Premiering tomorrow, however, is another show I’m looking forward to, Life in Pieces. Maybe its James Brolin. Maybe its Diane Wiest. The premise isn’t bad either. Adult children in and out of their parents’ house—with an array of grandchildren and other situations, this looks funny. Scorpion returns at 9 (one of my favorites from last year—and not just because of geeks saving the world), followed by my main man LL Cool J and NCIS Los Angeles at 10.

ABC is an easy night to discuss. Either you are already all in with Dancing with the Stars or you’re not. Followed by Castle’s eighth season, this is a winning juggernaut for the alphabet.

NBC has a lot going on. There is the Voice, which is always entertaining, engaging and enthralling. Plus Adam Levine and Blake Shelton. Not to give short shrift to Gwen Stefani or Pherell, who are both crazy enjoyable as well. Followed by the much-hyped Blindspot, I will definitely be watching the first few episodes of this drama of a heavily tattooed woman emerging naked from a duffle bag in the middle of Times Square. Her tattoos tell a story. This show has the buzz and the feel of The Blacklist from a few years ago.

Over on FOX, we have Gotham. I watched the first few episodes last year, but at some point it seemed like a lot of work. TV shouldn’t seem like a lot of work, I say. This year is largely about the villains for those of you who watch this show, but don’t know what is going on. Minority Report is the show following Gotham, and it is based on the Tom Cruise/Steven Spielberg movie from a few years ago. The story centers on the “pre-cogs” or the people who can predict the murders, instead of the police officers who catch the criminals. If you like the movie at all, I’m sure you’ll want to check out the show.

Finally, at the CW, we have “Crazy Ex-Girlfriend” and “Jane the Virgin.” Jane is the one show I wish I had watched last season and is definitely on my Netflix to binge list. Their new show, “Crazy” is the story of an incredibly successful business woman in Manhattan who happens to run into her camp crush from ten years previous. She gives up her entire world to move to California to pursue him. It is also sort of a musical. I think it might be one of the more intriguing shows to premiere this fall and is getting huge buzz. Because of its CW placement, I think it will be around for a bit. But if it doesn’t find its niche quickly, I see this as not making it too far into the season.

New shows start rolling out tonight, so check your local listings!

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