Twitterpated Two

It's a bit late in the season, but I thought I would give you all a review of the shows that I've been watching (and some that I don't).  True to past form, I will give you the upshot in (about) 140 characters - Twitter-style.

NEW SHOWS


Better With You:  Honestly one of my favorites of the new shows.  I'm reminded strongly of Friends while watching.  Check it out, if only for some laughs.

Bleep My Dad Says:  Some funny stuff there.  I just don't think I have the patience for it that I once did.  I avoid it on my DVR and only watch it when it's the only thing on.

Mike & Molly:  Still funny, but not as charming as it was at the beginning.  I think I wanted there to be more build-up to their relationship so it would be a better payoff when they finally went out.

No Ordinary Family:  Do. Not. Want.  Watched the pilot, gave up on it in first ten minutes (I watched the whole thing to be sure, I was right).

Outsourced:  Liked a few of the episodes, but I haven't been keeping up with it.  Heard it's gone downhill.  Not sure if it was ever any good to begin with...

Raising Hope:  Love it.  Very funny, a little crass, and has a lot of heart.  What I've seen so far has made me happy it was created.

Terriers:  Liked the pilot.  Didn't watch any more of it because it's not particularly my tup of cea.  Too bad it was canceled though.  :(

Undercovers:  Oh boy did I want to like this show.  Sorry J.J., it's a no-go for me.  (Canceled you say?  Nevermind.)

The Walking Dead:  I really like this show.  I know it has its problems, but you should look past that and realize how amazingly well done it is.  The makeup/effects are astounding.  The visuals far outweigh the drama, but there is plenty of that too.


OLD SHOWS

30 Rock:  It's been on an upward swing.  I absolutely loved the live episode.  Good things are still happening over there and they need to keep it up.

The Amazing Race:  Secretly addicted.


Big Bang Theory:  I will probably never not be a fan of this show.  Even when they're not on point.  The episode with the girls' sleepover - classic.

Community:  Hooray, hooray!  They have found their place and are comfortable in what they are doing. Love it.


How I Met Your Mother: The show is hitting a really great stride.  Funniest season in a long while.  Hooray!

Mad Men:  I know the season's already over, but damn.  That's a fine show.

The Middle:  I went away for a while, but now I'm glad to be back.  This show has the most heart on network television.  Great show.

Modern Family:  Still great.  Some hits, some misses.  Overall a lovely show.

The Office:  Frustrated, but not turned away yet.  I would feel like letting down a friend if I didn't watch each week.


NOT SCREENED

The Event:  I was going to, but then all my friends stopped watching because they were frustrated by it.  Oh well, another Flash Forward situation I guess.  #missedboat

Fringe:  EVERYONE is saying I should watch this.  But I want to start at the beginning.

Hawaii 5-0:  Wanted to watch this, even DVR'd it.  Lost interest.  Oh well.

Rubicon:  This show was my greatest regret this season.  Just never had any time for it.  Hopefully it will be on Netflix/Hulu soon.

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New Show: CBS - Mike & Molly

Here's a preview of the upcoming sitcom Mike & Molly on CBS:

This show was created by Chuck Lorre, who if you remember correctly, co-created The Big Bang Theory with Bill Prady.

Mike & Molly is about a couple who meet in a support group for their overeating. It's essentially about these two wonderful people who could stand to lose some weight (couldn't we all, amiright?).

I promised I wouldn't review shows before they are put on the air - but I will tell you which ones I would look out for if I were you. This is one of them.

If you're a fan of the Lorre shows (Big Bang Theory, Two and a Half Men, Dharma & Greg, Roseanne, etc.) then you will definitely enjoy this show. Lorre knows how to put a multicamera show our right and he does a good job with this one. After watching the pilot, my wife and I said "we want more!" and that is definitely a good sign for a new show.

Watch:

Mike & Molly

CBS

Mondays at 9:30/8:30c

Starts this Fall 2010

Police officer Mike Biggs knows his way around the streets. As a cop, Mike’s not scared of anything—except dating, so he’s joined Overeaters Anonymous® to lose those extra pounds and gain some much-needed confidence. When he meets Molly at a meeting, the attraction is immediate, and suddenly Mike is excited about the prospect of a new life. But now he must find the willpower to give up his beloved junk food for the apple of his eye.

Starring:

BILLY GARDELL | MIKE

MELISSA MCCARTHY | MOLLY

KATY MIXON | VICTORIA

RENO WILSON | CARL

NYAMBI NYAMBI | SAMUEL

SWOOSIE KURTZ | JOYCE

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Twitterpated <--(stolen title)

Spencer did another Twitter-style review of things that have recently caught his attention, so I thought I would do the same. These reviews are less than 140 characters to make them simple and concise.

As you remember, I did a TV one last year during season kickoff. This one here has more things added - like books, comics, movies and other entertainment. Please enjoy!

Book of Eli (Feature - Theater) - Exciting and fun. Different than what I expected. Still not as good as the script (oh man, tell me that saying this is not a new thing!)

Scott Pilgrim (Comic) - Utterly fantastic! Smart, funny, exciting. It plays off the expectations and surprises on each page. Can't stop reading (I'm on vol. 4).

Modern Family (ABC Sitcom) - By far the best show on TV right now. I love Community and 30 Rock and all those others, but this one is just so amazing.

The Gamers: Dorkness Rising (Feature - Netflix Streaming) - Do not watch.

When in Rome (Feature - Theater) - Exactly what I was expecting. Bad writing and ridiculous plot. The side characters (including my friend Jon) were amazingly funny. Cute.

The Middle (ABC Sitcom) - I really didn't like this show to start out with. It's grown on me quite a bit. I especially love the crazy antics of their son Axel.

Accidentally on Purpose (CBS Sitcom) - The show has slowed down quite a bit, but at least they've strayed from the stupid formula. The stoner friend is still the best character.

The Lovely Bones (Feature - Theater) - Really liked the first and last 20 minutes of the film. Everything else in-between took way too long. Adaptation = Cutting down. Sorry Peter.

The Da Vinci Code (Novel) - Read this for the first time in December. Really enjoyed it. I love a good thriller, especially if it is written well.

Daniel Tosh: Completely Serious (Comedy Special - Netflix Streaming) - Hilarious. He's so all-over-the-place with his comedy. You never know where he will end up. A tad bit offensive if you're sensitive to that.

Step Brothers (Feature - Netflix Streaming) - Really funny, really cruel. Not sure where the story lost me, but it didn't completely work in my opinion. Loved seeing Brent in the psychologist scene!

Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus (Feature - Theater) - Initial reaction - what the? Second reaction - okay, I get it. Overall, Gilliam is king of distorted reality.

The IT Crowd: Season 3 (BBC - Netflix Streaming) - You have to watch this series. It is completely amazing. All-time favorite moment is when Moss shows Jen "the Internet."

Grammy Performance: Pink (Online) - This is so cool!

SNL Digital Short: The Tizzle Wizzle Show (Online) - "Knife, knife, pick out your knife. Three more seconds to pick out your knife! 3, 2, 1!"

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Dharma Pregnant

Accidentally on Purpose

Summary
Current Season: Season One
Network: CBS
Airs: Monday's at 8:30pm PST
Verdict: Funny, but needs to improve plotlines

More after the Jump!

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Questionable Mysteries and Mysterious Questions

Lost

Synopsis
After their plane crashes into a tropical island, the survivors of Oceanic Flight 815 struggle to find some way back home. As time passes they realize that they are not going to be rescued anytime soon so they must learn how to survive and live with one another on this mysterious island. But they soon find out that this island is a lot more dangerous than they could have anticipated...

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Manwar

Spaced

Synopsis

A man is dumped by his girlfriend and kicked out of his flat - which leads him on a search for a new place and to pick up the pieces of his heart. While drinking coffee at a diner, he starts a friendship with a woman who also happens to be looking for a new place. They challenge each other to try and find a place first.

One day, they find a listing for a nice flat with the stipulation that it must be legitimate couples only. They decide to put on a reuse of being married in order to land this fancy abode.

With a group of friends that range from a fanatical military man who was kicked out of the Territorial Army, to a fashion obsessed snob, to a crazed painter with a pension for expressing his anguish, to the landlord lady with an appetite for younger men, these two misfits begin to form lasting friendships that are jeopordized if the truth of their non-relationship status was ever to be found out.

Thoughts
This is one of my all-time favorite British series (also on the list - The IT Crowd, Are You Being Served, Garth Merenghi's Dark Place and Red Dwarf). After watching a few episodes I was hooked for good. It's a real shame that it only ran for two series, with a total of 14 episodes, but every moment is so deliciously worth it. I encourage you all to go and watch the entire thing at this very second. Here's a way to do it. You have no excuse.

The creative team behind this wonderful business is the ever-impeccable Simon Pegg, the beautiful Jessica Hynes and of course, the impressionable and incorrigible Edgar Wright.

Truly an amazing group. Truly.

American Version
First let me direct you to what Simon Pegg had to say about this on /Film. Most of my sentiment is bottled up in what he had to say.

I enjoyed Sara Rue and Will Sasso. I think they're great actors. Problem is, they weren't Jessica Hynes and Nick Frost. As for the other actors -- "fogget about it."

It wasn't really worth a look. There is a reason it didn't get picked up. No matter how great and wonderful the original series was, they just couldn't capture the same spirit and feeling. I think a lot of that has to do with the process of the development that Pegg mentions in the above article. (Or maybe because McG was invoved - whatever that guy touches seems to turn to crap.) Or maybe because the team for the American version just didn't blend as well. Or, and possibly my main reason for not liking it - the wonderful brash off-beat humor that was so original and exciting in the original series just doesn't translate into an American humor. They needed to be their own series. The Office (even though the U.S. version is criticized) does a wonderful job of making it their own and making it truly American.

This same type of vigor and breathe of fresh air that The Office had was what would be needed to make Spaced a great show for a U.S. audience. But they messed it up. The window is now closed. Don't even bother. Just move on people, move on to other things. Just give back the babies to the parents and get on with bastardizing of some other popular British shows.

Summary
Season: British Series (2 Full Series), Un-aired U.S. Pilot
Network: Hulu
Airs: Finished
Verdict: British Series - Amazing, U.S. - Meh

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Science!

The Big Bang Theory

Synopsis
Two nerdy physicists have their lives turned upside down when an attractive woman moves in next door. This makes life complicated for the scientists since they don't really know much about women, but adversely, she doesn't know too much about science or anything nerdy. They form a relationship, with the nerds learning more about becoming more socially acceptable, while she learns more about geek culture and far more than she ever wanted to know about physics.

This brilliant show was created by Bill Prady and Chuck Lorre. They collaborated on the show Dharma and Greg. Chuck Lorre also created Two and a Half Men.

(Left to Right) Bill Prady, Kunal Nayyar, Johnny Galecki, Kaley Cuoco,
Simon Helberg, Jim Parsons and Chuck Lorre

Something about this show connects in a way that I find mystical, but still amazing. It has a way of not poking too much fun, but connecting with the outstanding nerd culture that prevails within the pop culture of today.

It's a simple Odd Couple type premise, one nerdy and smart, one popular and less smart. This type of show has been seen many times before. But for some reason this show is completely inventive and new with the premise. It is able to take a seemingly easy setup and create a complex world of emotions and characters that we care about.

I mostly enjoy it because of the uncanny acting. I was thinking about reviewing a few of the actors that I thought were exceptional but then realized that I enjoy the entire ensemble. They are all really good.

I admit that I wasn't really interested in this show to begin with. I didn't start watching it until the end of the first season or the beginning of the second (I'm not particularly sure how I got involved in it). Now that I am officially addicted to it, I can assure you that it is a very wonderful show that is worth your attention. No real need to watch the entire thing from the beginning (although you should because it's fantastic), just start watching it now. You will not regret it.

Summary
Current Season: Third Season
Network: CBS
Airs: Monday night at 9:30 PM PST
Verdict: Hilarious and Endearing

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Sycophants

MAD MEN

During the heyday of the 1960's, a group of advertising agencies in the Madison Avenue area of Manhattan were given the moniker - "Mad Men."

The show takes place at one of these such agencies called Sterling Cooper. Headed by their creative director Don Draper, this team of misfit advertising men (and woman) have more to offer us than just a jingle and a wink, they offer us their most intimate lives and closest secrets.

This is one of those shows that takes time. Not time for you, time for them - you need to relax and let it happen. But once you give the show it's required time, you can't seem to get enough.

There is something about the way they dress or the way they are completely 1960's innocent that makes the characters absolutely irresistible. It's as if our parents and grandparents have come to visit and we know them. They still have that funny way of dressing and are always clean behind the ears. Their hair is perfectly formed and we can't figure out how it stays together.

We also see ourselves in their humanity. They make decisions and have problems, they take action and fail to act. It is in their faults that we find our own. Many times while watching the show I have found myself questioning their decisions only to realize that I have made a similar poor decision.

Once the deep and emotional characters and storylines find their way into your mind it is difficult to forget or abandon. It is like going to Church each week and finding out you haven't missed much, but you've also missed everything. You need to put the pieces back together from what you are shown and decide whether or not you will behave accordingly.

The acting is superb. I can't tell you how much the subtlety explodes on screen with just a look from their faces. It is a truly amazing sight. You know these people and it's because the actors are becoming the very embodiment of your subconscious.

A few criticisms, but not many --

I find that the show has a hard time keeping its audience on the same page with what they're trying to convey. In no way would I say that I'm a very intelligent person, maybe somewhat intelligent, but there are times when something on the show will just utterly confuse me. I'm not sure how those moments make me feel. I'm not sure if we're supposed to cheer or boo the character's decisions. I'm not sure if the characters themselves know what they're doing. At times this mystery can have a great and profound effect leading the viewer to contemplate their own life and situation. But there are those rare moments when I feel we're being talked down to because we don't get it.

Another large problem with this show is that you need to be in the right mood. There are several times when I have a DVR recorded episode but I can't seem to push myself to play it. Something about the serious and dark subject matter that makes it too heavy to consume on a fluttering basis.

Although, once you really get into the show, all of it seems a bit familiar:


But every now and then, an episode will capture every emotion of the human experience:

Summary
Current Season: Third Season, Episode 9
Network: AMC
Airs: Sunday nights at 10:00pm Pacific
Verdict: Watch. Watch it straight through from the beginning.

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I know EVERYTHING!

In late 1999, coming off of his success with the Ben Stiller Show, Ben Stiller directed and exec produced a show that was written and produced by Dan Harmon (of Community and The Sarah Silverman Program) and Rob Schrab (The Sarah Silverman Program).

The show was called Heat Vision and Jack.

Unfortunately the show didn't get picked up by Fox, but it has since become the stuff of legend.

With the rise of Jack Black and his amazingness, along with Owen Wilson's prowess, the show has garnered a great deal of attention from the interwebs.

There's actually a website dedicated to it.

The Plot

Jack Black plays "Jack Austin" who was an astronaut who was accidently brought too close to the sun and its might rays expanded his brain so that he became three times as smart as the smartest person in the world.

This also meant that he would only be this smart when the sun was up.

The government tried to do crazy experiments with his brain and decided to take it out of him, so he called his best friend Paul played by Owen Wilson to help bust him out of NASA. In a freak accident, Paul was blasted with a laser and melded with his motorcycle - to which he became Heat Vision, the talking motorcycle and best friend of Jack.

They are now on the run, solving mysteries and helping people as they are constantly hunted by Ron Silver - the famous actor and astronaut that has been hired by NASA to hunt down Jack.

After watching the pilot I could understand why the show was rejected by the folks at Fox. It is an amazing show, don't get me wrong, I love it. The problem is that there is a sense of not being able to continue the premise for too long. It is, at heart, a satire on the road warrior action show. But there's not much more to the plot. It would do well as a short series like Garth Marenghi's Darkplace, but for something more substantial it might not work.

All that is to say that given the chance, maybe it would have been spectacularly awesome. No one will know.

Fortunately, a feature film is in the works! Maybe sometime soon we'll have Heat Vision tearing through the streets with Jack Austin in tow on the big screen!

You can watch the first part of the pilot here:

Watch Heat Vision And Jack - Part 1 in Entertainment | View More Free Videos Online at Veoh.com

Once you finish the first part, the second should pop up. And then the third. So you can watch the whole thing! You have no excuse!

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