BLOGS
We already receive our most important life lessons from television, but we're hoping producers, studios and networks themselves learn from the successes and failures of this fall. Here are our big takeaways from the first half of the 2011-12 season:
10. There Are Only So Many Times You Can Remake Charlie's Angels
You can put all the hot girls you want into tight outfits, but unless you find a way to reboot that concept Hawaii Five-0-style, no one is going to watch. Especially when we can just watch the movies or the classic TV show. They should have gone full-on camp, especially given the lack of acting "talent" in the reboot.
9. Will Arnett Should Stick to Playing Nice Guys
Running Wilde was awful and obnoxious, but on Up All Night, Arnett might finally have a show that will last. Why? Because he's playing a nice, normal dude. It's refreshing.
8. A Little Whitney Cummings Goes a Long Way
She's got not just one, but two shows on TV -- Whitney and Two Broke Girls. While 2 Broke Girls is better, there's still a lot that's wrong there. Perhaps if she'd focused her energies a little more, she could have created one really great show.
7. If You're Going to Make a Family Drama, Some of the Characters Have to be Likeable
Is it wrong that we hope for most of the Shannon clan on Terra Nova to get lost in the jungle and die? They are the show's least interesting characters; we still don't know why they had that whiny little girl and we don't actually care all that much about finding out more about them, which hasn't exactly made this generally disappointing show any easier to watch.
6. You Shouldn't Cut the Budget of Your Most Popular Show
The Walking Dead is AMC's biggest hit... so they cut the budget in order to pay for more Mad Men and the show suffered. There weren't nearly enough walkers this season, and far too much time was spent at that boring farm.
5. Colin Hanks Is Not a Convincing Villain
In the past, Dexter has had good luck with taking unlikely people and casting them as season-long killers (Julia Stiles, anyone?). But Colin Hanks was not one of them. This season with the Doomsday Killer has been almost unwatchable and the big twist involving Edward James Olmos left us entirely underwhelmed.
4. Ryan Murphy Should Stick to Weird and Scary
Glee is almost entirely terrible now and that Christmas episode nearly made us lose faith in television altogether. Still, American Horror Story is the freaky little show that could. It's weird and wild and reminds us of when Murphy did Nip/Tuck. And there's not an ill-covered pop tune in sight.
3. Some Actresses Deserve Another Chance to Make a First Impression
We were almost ready to write of Revenge because Emily VanCamp isn't exactly known for her acting skills -- she was passable on Everwood and utterly irritating on Brothers & Sisters. But on ABC's freshman drama, she's deliciously evil. Glad she grew up and sunk her teeth into something disturbingly meaty. Same goes for Claire Danes, who has been floating around in whiny and largely forgettable roles since My So-Called Life (Temple Grandin, is the exception). On Homeland, she's absolutely terrific as a bipolar CIA officer... even when she ugly cries.
2. There Is Only One Mad Men and It Cannot Be Copied
Pan Am and The Playboy Club both tried to capture a little bit of the period drama that Mad Men has so masterfully achieved. But neither one could successfully bring the swinging '60s to life, ending their runs prematurely (or so we presume in Pan Am's case).
1. Nicole Scherzinger Should Not Be Allowed to Judge Things
The Sing-Off was about 100 times better without her, as Scherzinger leaving paved the way for Sara Barielles, who was competent and utterly adorable. Meanwhile, Scherzinger joined the unwatchable X Factor and really did nothing but drag the show further down with her inability to market to older people and make any kind of important decision whatsoever.
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I think you made a mistake with number one: shouldn't it be "Nicole Scherzinger shouldn't be allowed to judge or sing"?
Emily VanCamp "was passable on Everwood"? That's just ridiculous.
The fact that TWD got boring had nothing to do with budget cuts and everything to do with terrible, terrible writing.
If you're going to remake Charlie's Angels, it needs a twist. Charlie's Angels in the Old West. Charlie's Angels in high school.
Charlie's Angels, with one of them being male to female transgendered.
I've seen a lot of love for Homeland on TWOP lately, why again aren't you recapping this show? A serious TV blog/site should probably gotten in front of one of the biggest breakout shows of the season - but at least you've got "Person of Interest" covered - good for you! :/
Here's my advice for all the people who have bitched endlessly about Glee since forever: STOP WATCHING if you don't like it! It's that easy. But the whole thing with keeping on watching and then flooding the internet with negativity about it for months - no thank you. The remote has an off-switch, you know.
Good call, Nazifa. The Abbotts had the most convincing father/daughter relationship I've ever seen on TV.
I agree about Homeland. You cover a lot of shows you don't seem to like very much, why not cover one you do like? Or is this going to be like "The Good Wife", where you wait until the 3rd season for no reason at all?
No one cares about your advice. Art/entertainment is meant to be critiqued. Rather than telling people to shut up, how about YOU get off the internet if it bugs you so much that people disagree with you? Your computer has an off-switch, you know.
I thought EVC was one of the best things about Everwood and was great on Brothers and Sisters until they de-Walkered her character.
She IS delicious on Revenge, but the girl always had range, IMO.
Agreed about Glee, however. It's beyond horrible now.
JB,
Here's a little advice - Kerry has every right to complain about TWOP's complaining. However, you don't have the right to complain about Kerry complaining about TWOP complaining.So STOP reading the comments if they bother you so much. Your eyes have an off switch you know.
JB,
Here's a little advice - Kerry has every right to complain about TWOP's complaining. However, you don't have the right to complain about Kerry complaining about TWOP complaining.So STOP reading the comments if they bother you so much. Your eyes have an off switch you know.
Enjoy American Horror Story while it lasts. As we saw with Glee and Nip/Tuck, it will eventually degenerate into an unwatchable mess.
Aw, I like Claire Danes. I think her problem was picking bad roles, but she always made the most of them, usually. Well, as much as she could.
Charlie's Angels would have worked, if the writing was better, and they cast actresses who could act.
Forgive me "Derek", but I'll refrain from deferring to your expert advice on who has rights and who doesn't. What a load of crap. FYI, when someone advocates blanket silence so that their favorite TV show can be free from criticism, they've already lost the argument. Furthermore, telling someone to stop watching Glee if they don't like it is rather redundant when that person's job is to review TV shows. So thanks for the input "Derek", but no thanks.
People complain about a t.v. show when they feel let down by it. I wanted Glee to be watchable - it's an adorable concept full of teachable moments for teenagers and guilty pleasure potential for goofy musical-loving adults. I wanted The Walking Dead to be epic - it's zombie apocalypse for pete's sake. And the networks completely destroyed both of them. That's why I complain on the interweb. Because I wanted better!
I always thought Emily VanCamp had talent.
JB,
I was clearly being sarcastic. Relax.
I think we also learned that if NBC and ABC combined their budgets for fairytale shows, there might be some money for believeable effects that enhance the fantasy part of those shows.
Derek FTW!
Derek FTW!
I disgaree with 3 big-time. Seriously who wrote this? It's around the wrong way. EVC was great on Everwood, sucked on B&S and is passable on Revenge. That 'Amanda Clarke no longer exists' with the squinty eyes and pursed lips - that's deliciously evil? Seriously she's the worst thing about that show. Interchange Madeline Stowe and then I'll agree.
I have an issue with number 6. Cutting a budget may hurt, but in the end, bad writing is bad writing. You can flourish with a lack of budget. This season of Walking Dead suffered from godawful writing, plain and simple.
It wasn't clear.
only one?
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That was a reveal on Dexter? Really? I saw it coming a mile away. This season has been the worst (especially last week with Deb's therapist) and I love Dexter.
That was a reveal on Dexter? Really? I saw it coming a mile away. This season has been the worst (especially last week with Deb's therapist) and I love Dexter.
The whole, "X show was great at first but now it's a mess that I wish I could tear myself away from" pretty much describes how I feel about TWoP these days.
The whole, "X show was great at first but now it's a mess that I wish I could tear myself away from" pretty much describes how I feel about TWoP these days.
@ChelleG Sing it! I completely agree about TWoP. How are the mighty fallen? What has happened? They put the best writers on the dumbest shows. They cover shows seemingly arbitrarily stating that they don't cover procedurals then, proceed to cover them as it suits them in whatever season they so choose. Coverage generally is alarmingly inconsistent. Off topic, I know. But since you brought it up, I couldn't help myself. And kind of on topic since we're on the topic of lessons. TWoP learn yours, be more improve the quality of your product please.
Bow howdy! Since the end of the Sars/Wing Chung era there has been a severe trend down in TWOP quality. I read an old Couch Baron recap of OZ and wept at the lack of freedom and creativity in snark and interest in show that abounds in post-Bravo TWOP. I seriously agree with #4: even at its most WTF Nip/Tuck stomped the crap out of Glee. I had hope that Glee would be like N/T for teens featuring music, but sadly I was wrong.
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