Monday This n That

Let the fall tv madness begin.

A few shows have begun their fall tv seasons, but this week, many of them arrive in full force. I’m not too crazy about where some of my favorite shows have been rescheduled to – specifically, Chicago Fire moving from Wednesday night to Tuesday night. Tuesday nights are always busy nights at work and I usually don’t get the chance to do more than casually glance at the shows as they’re airing. Yet, most of my favorite shows seem to end up on Tuesday nights. Damn!

Tonight brings the return of 2 Broke Girls and Castle. I haven’t really been much of a fan of Castle, but have been watching a few reruns lately on TNT. I guess it’s one of those shows that if it’s on my tv screen, I’ll probably watch. It used to be that I’d just change the channel if it was on, so I guess that’s progress, right? I consider myself a ‘casual’ watcher of 2BG and if I remember that it’s on, I’ll watch, just to get my fix of Max snarkasm. However, since it’s a comedy, I don’t really get too invested in the show. For some reason, comedies just can’t keep my interest.

Tonight also brings two new shows that I’m interested to check out – Hostages and The Blacklist.

 

As luck would have it, they’re both on at the same time. Of course.  Sleepy Hollow premiered last week. It wasn’t too bad, but I’m hoping there are a few less head-choppings as the show continues.

Tomorrow brings the season 11 premiere of NCIS



 I know this show is going to destroy me. I’ve heard the first two episodes of the season deal with Ziva’s departure, and I’m just not ready to deal with that. From what I’ve heard about the various characters who will come & go until they settle with Ziva’s eventual replacement, Bishop, I just may have to ‘let go’ of this show for a little while. 

The season 2 premiere of Chicago Fire is tomorrow as well. I’m glad to have this show back, after we left season 1 with a bunch of different storylines – Mills not making squad and going to the Police Academy for an application (I wouldn’t mind him leaving for the PA. He started out as a sweet, naïve newbie, but they turned him into a whiny, grumbly pain in the ass), Severide & Shay running into a pregnant Renee, a big sports bar starting up right down the block from Molly’s, Dawson consoling Casey after the loss of Hallie, Mouch meeting his online girlfriend, and the birth of Kenny Hermann.

There are a few new shows that premiere tomorrow that are on my radar. I’ve watched the pilots for two of them – The Goldbergs and Trophy Wife – and predictably, I didn’t get past the first five minutes of either of them before giving up. Two other new shows – Lucky 7 and Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. – I have yet to see. However, I’m guessing I’ll probably like MAOS since it’s on at the same time as NCIS, because that’s just how my luck runs.

Revolution returns on Wednesday. However, this might be a show that gets crossed off my list, considering that they killed off the main reason I watched this show – Daneilla Alonso’s character, Nora. 

Other returning shows on Wednesday include SVU and CSI. SVU returns with Liv in the clutches of a monster. And CSI…well, I guess I never did watch last season’s finale, but I know that there’s apparently a ‘significant’ character that ends up in a coffin in the season premiere. Since Chicago Fire isn’t on at the same time as CSI this season, maybe I’ll catch a few more eps. Then again, probably not. The only CSI episode on my radar is the 300^th, which brings back Marg as Catherine Willows.

A new show starting up this Wednesday that I had on my ‘to watch’ schedule was Back in the Game. I wasn’t impressed after watching the pilot, but hopefully things will improve as I do kind of like some of the cast. It feels like a crass version of “Bad News Bears.”

As usual, shows on the ‘to watch’ list for the rest of the week are pretty slim. Parenthood returns on Thursday night. I didn’t really watch much of that show last season. They just never have enough Bonnie Bedelia screen time for my liking. I’m not sure yet about Robin Williams and The Crazy Ones yet, but I’ll check it out on Thursday night. 

Tuesday This n That

The arrival of Memorial Day usually signals the beginning of summer (knowing Mother Nature, that won't come for another two months!). It also means it’s that in-between time. The time where the fall/winter tv season has been completed and the summer tv season is getting ready to kick in. That gives us time to both look back and ahead.

Let’s start with the ending of the fall/winter season first.

NCIS ended with the big vendetta/investigation against NCIS (specifically Gibbs); Gibbs talking to/seeing the ghost of Mike Franks;  Mc Tiva (that’d be McGee, Tony & Ziva for those that don’t get the portmanteau) turning in their badges in defiance. Then Gibbs going on a secret mission to shoot…Fornell? Really? I don’t buy it. We know with Gibbs’ abilities as a sniper that he can shoot him somewhere that won’t kill him. I’m guessing the beginning of next season will have Fornell supposedly dead, but actually laying low to flush out whomever they’re targeting.

Then there’s Chicago Fire. It was nice that they combined the birth of Kenny Hermann with the news of Renee coming back pregnant, along with Shay’s IVF not taking. I liked the part where it became firefighters vs the prisoners. This is much more preferable to the whole firefighters vs Chicago PD and Voight. Speaking of…now that Voight and Anthony Dawson will be on their own show (Chicago PD) this fall, maybe we can finally get them out of this show and focus more on the firefighters/paramedics than on the PD and dirty cops.

Revolution is coming down to the ending of the season, with the finale next Monday. I loved the episode where Nora was tortured (in a dress, no less) and held out for several weeks until she could handle the drugs no more.

CSI had their finale a week ago, but I still haven’t watched it…and not sure I ever will – especially since Jorja wasn’t in it. It’s interesting how just a few changes can make me stop being interested in a show that I had watched for over a decade.

Yes, in my tv viewing world, it’s the actors who determine whether I like a show or not.  I started watching CSI because of Marg. Then I grew to love Jorja, Louise and Eric because of their characters. I mainly lost interest in the show during the Laurence Fishburne/Ray Langston era. Yes, it was just one new character, but it was a character who seemed to take over the entire show. That’s not what the show had been about.

On the opposite side of the coin, there are shows like Chicago Fire and Defiance (one of my new faves). They are both shows that I really didn’t know any of the actors to begin with, but immediately grew to love not just one, but many different characters (and actors as well).

Turning to the summer shows –

Rizzoli and Isles returns June 25^th. I’m so glad they pushed it back from the original starting date. With this new date, I might actually be home to watch it. I love the promos for the new season, especially the ones in handcuffs.

 

I’ve done some research and actually found out just what the two ladies are hiding under that tablecloth.

Now I know why they were hiding the body – because looking at J&M is much more appealing than looking at that guy. They should have just put Giovanni under the blanket instead.

Other returning shows include Longmire, which aired yesterday, but I haven't watched it yet.

Necessary Roughness 6/12, Continuum 6/7 on Syfy, and also Burn Notice will be starting up.

New shows include Motive on ABC. This is a Canadian show that's already been airing there, and now will start in the U.S. I had the chance to watch the episode (1x13?) that featured Amanda Tapping, and loved it. It helps that the show features a few actors that I like.

Another new show that looks really cool is CBS’ Under the Dome. The previews remind me of the Sanctuary episode, Caranten, where Helen & Will were trapped in the time dilation field and couldn’t leave the bubble.

On a slightly different topic, the China Beach full dvd set is available now. I went to amazon to check it out. It’s $400? Seriously? I guess those music rights were worth more than all of the gold in the world – or maybe worth more than all of the Kardashians put together. Seriously? $400? I think I’ll wait for a while before getting that.  Maybe a long while.

Speaking of tv show dvds, I’m still waiting for season 6 of Facts of Life to be released. Why in the heck does it take so long to get more seasons of shows released? I’ve got the first five already, bring me more. Bring. Me. MORE!  Dammit! I saw this short article with Lisa & Mindy in the latest issue of People magazine.

On the music front – I saw the other day that Sheryl Crow tweeted that her new album will be coming out September 10^th. Really? Still another 3 ½ months? Sheesh. All good things come to those who wait, and wait, and wait, I guess.

Speaking of music, for the past two weeks I’ve had Tegan & Sara’s “I was a fool” running through my head. I love the song dearly, but it’s driving me nuts that it’s been stuck in my head for so long. 

Thursday This N That

Where, oh where does the time go? In my part of the universe, time seems to be forgotten as it’s nearing the end of April and Mother Nature still has not brought us spring. As I’ve learned from Sam Carter and Stargate SG-1, time is relative. Funny how I never really learned that in my high school science classes back in the day, but when it’s said by Sam, I seem to remember things easier. Go figure.

I’ve been pretty much spending my time lately with Twitter, which is usually much easier to ramble in 140 characters or less than typing up sensible blog posts (are any of them really ‘sensible’ to begin with anyway?). 

Anyway…back to the topic at hand – which would be tv shows.

Many of the fall/winter shows will be wrapping up their seasons shortly.

That includes NCIS, and from what I’ve seen, it sounds like probably a cliffhanger (which I absolutely hate!), but at least we’re going to get a bit of Tiva goodness in the eps leading up to the finale. I know they won’t give us much, but I’m grateful for the bits & pieces that we’ve gotten over the years.

I watched the NCIS:Red pilots that were part of the NCIS:LA episodes, and they were pretty good. I actually liked them until they brought in John Corbett as an antagonist/ex-lover for Kim Raver’s character. Why do the main characters usually have to be spurned lovers with a history? Oy! I liked the premise of an NCIS ‘mobile’ team that wasn’t stuck in one place for too long.

Chicago Fire has only a few more episodes to go. Unfortunately, it seems that bad-cop Voight is out of jail again and will be in the thick of the plot to end the season. That is SO annoying. I’m also not too thrilled with the Mills/Dawson/Casey love triangle thing. Hopefully with the return of Hallie, things might cool off with that. (doubtful) I also don’t like how they’re using every lesbian cliché they can think of when it comes to Shay. So annoying. All they need to do is bring me episodes with a bunch of call-outs and emergency rescues and I’ll be happy.

Revolution is into its second half of the season now. I’m not too pleased with some of the storylines, and I really could use more Nora. Since they’ve got Daniella Alonso on the show, which means she can’t get back on Rizzoli and Isles any time soon, they’d better give the woman some more damn screen time to make it worth my while. After all, she’s the only reason I’m watching this show.

Speaking of R&I, I saw the new promo pic for season 4 with Jane and Maura handcuffed together, and both in bright red outfits.

Nope. There’s nothing remotely lesbian about that pic, right? Didn’t think so. Haha. I have to wonder, though, why they have June 16^th as the premiere date, when 1) that’s a Sunday, not a Tuesday 2) the premiere date is actually June 25^th. Somebody in the PR department needs to be arrested by Jane and charged with ‘false advertisement’.  I do love that season 4 will bring us through Paddy Doyle’s trial, and of course, Hope will be there too. Now, if we could only get Constance to come back, and it would be nice to see the elusive Mr Isles. Whatever they do, there had better be no Jane/Maura angst this season like the beginning of last season. I don’t think my heart can handle that again.

A few new shows are getting underway now.

I watched the first couple episodes of Bates Motel (based on the movie, Psycho), but it was a bit too dull for my tastes. I’ll probably catch an episode here or there down the road when I remember that it’s on. I struggled through the premiere of Hannibal a couple weeks ago. I liked the visualization of Will Graham being ‘in the moment’ at the scenes and the way they shot them. However, the presence of Laurence Fishburne killed any enthusiasm I had of making this a regularly watched show. He’s just way too dull. All I could think about is that it’s Ray Langston incarnate, and that made me remember the bad-old-days of CSI. The show about Hannibal Lecter also made me yearn for a Jodie Foster appearance – or at least someone named Clarice Starling. This Lecter seemed much slimier than the highly-intelligent Doctor that Anthony Hopkins played.

One series premiere that I greatly enjoyed was Defiance, shown earlier this week.

 
I instantly fell in love with Doc Yewll. It may have been because of her witty sarcasm & one-liners – “good human,” and “if you rush me, we all go boom. If you yell at me, we all go boom. Now you know how I’m doing up here.” And how can you not love a new show that basically starts out with two main characters singing along with Johnny & June on “Jackson”?! That made me smile from ear to ear. One thing that kind of annoys me is that they occasionally talk in a different language. However, there’s one Castithan word that will easily stick with me: Shtako (translation = the 4-letter “S” word, crap, poo, doo doo, etc). Why are the curse words always the easiest to remember? LOL

There will be a few more shows starting soon, including Warehouse 13 Season 4.5 returning April 29^th on Syfy. 

Weekend This N That

Wow, where does the time go?

Last week, I was reminded of why I hesitate to bother taking time off from work. While it's nice to get away for a few days, it almost doesn't make up for how much extra work is there waiting for me when I get back. I guess it's maybe a good thing that I get an extra hour next weekend when we turn the clocks back to Standard time.

Mother Nature has just reminded me that November is almost here by dumping 4 inches of snow. I can remember a few years during my childhood when we had to do our Halloween Trick-or-Treating while walking through two feet of snow and wearing snowmobile suits under our costumes. At least I remembered to buy a new snow shovel last weekend.

Speaking of Halloween, I'm guessing that means it'll be a week for all of the scary movies. I'm not a 'scary movie' person. My list is basically limited to movies like Silence of the Lambs, The Shining, or Amityville Horror. That's as 'scary' as I can usually get.

I will confess - season 13 of CSI is starting out pretty darn good. I think it's because they have more than one thing in each episode to capture my attention. In the last episode, they spotlighted Greg (FINALLY) and the continuity of his book on Old Vegas.  It was really touching. It was heartwarming to hear a few mentions of Sam Braun, although I was really hoping that they could have included Catherine in there somehow as well. See, now if TPTB would have had Catherine leave CSI to take over Sam Braun's empire (or at least one casino) instead of going to the FBI, this could have been a great tie-in to at least have a mention of her (because I know it's probably way too soon to actually have her return.)

Since the story revolved around a piano, it also garnered my interest. After about 10 years of piano lessons as a kid, I still can't really play worth shit, but love to hear the instrument. It was cute how they had Jim Brass playing 'chopsticks' to begin the episode - in the middle of a field, no less. And then Sara & Brass going to the music store.



  


Okay, let's take a poll - when Sara was in the music store, how many of you were thinking of Jorja & Gary on the CBS Early Show?





And how many of you cringed when DB scratched that vinyl record to get the vinyl shavings like the ones on the body? I hope there was no one who didn't actually know what a vinyl record was. And then there's Jay Acovone as Tommy Grazetti. I know him better as Major Charlie Kawalsky on Stargate SG-1.




While I consider CSI to be pretty good these days, that time slot still belongs to Chicago Fire for me. I like that they're going to have Jason Beghe in a recurring role. He's always such a good baddie.








It's still another month before the return of Rizzoli and Isles for the final five episodes of season 3. As I was watching some reruns of R&I as well as Stargate SG-1 the other night, it hit me how similar Jane & Maura are to Jack & Sam.



Jane Rizzoli and Jack O'Neill are both well-versed in sarcasm. Both have a short tolerance for 'big words' - Jack with Sam's "technobabble" and Jane with Maura's "Google-speak" - yet both indulge their counterparts up to a point. Both Jane & Jack are "Shoot first, send flowers later" people, who are the first to put their lives in the line of fire to save others. I guess that's why I love both of the shows.