Central Arkansas Confidential: Entry 09-06-003

Well, a ton has happened on the tube, and that’s where my focus has been so let’s get down to gravy.  Now I have been discussing everything that’s on, but looking back that was just the caffeine induced ramblings of a madman whose been waiting for the season to start.  Damn you Starbucks©!

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TUESDAY

     When we last left off, boys and girls, I made predictions on what I was “definitely” going to watch, those were mostly “guidelines”, but here’s what ended up catching my attention. 

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7PM:  House (FOX), really in that time slot, there’s not much competition.  The show is good, the guy playing house is great, and the diseases are always interesting, what else could you want.  Oh, the supporting cast to rise up to the lead’s level?  Well, probably not going to happen, though they have realized they were under using Robert Sean Leonard (with too many credits to list here).  Bryan Singer (Superman Returns Director) Exec. Produces this show, so there’s plenty of know0how on board and the rest of the cast, save Omar Epps, is relatively new to the biz, but they work well together and its the most solid thing on in that time slot.  Check your listings, House is apparently moving from this slot back to its old one, which I want to say was Thurs. at 7pm, but I’m not sure and their website is not helping.

     I used to watch some Gilmore Girls (CW) but they lost me when Rory went to Princeton and had three boyfriends at once and most of her high school friends miraculously were still around.  I can only take so much.  They should have expanded more on the bevy of characters they created in Stars Hollow over the first three seasons instead of following every minute of the mother and daughter serial lovers. 

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PLEASE STOP DANCING WITH THE STARS

     If anyone has any ideas on how to make that happen, let me know.

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8 PM:  The Unit (CBS) – Well, I watched it, and I liked it.  I wish I knew more of the back story, but it was all the covert ops stuff you could want.  The cast is lead by Dennis Haysbert (most recently seen on 24 and in those Allstate Commercials) with Scott Foley (Felicity), Robert Patrick (T-1000) and Genie Harper (I’ll Fly Away, good show) as well as others including someone named, and this is what it says, Max Martini.  Wow, great name.  I liked the dichotomy of the the soldiers are doing and what their wives are dealing with back in the states.  This show reminds me a little of “Over There” from FX(which was sadly cancelled before making most of that cast insanely famous, maybe you shouldn’t let your brother write the theme song) but it lacks a little something, maybe they need a new team member or something.  Foley is respectable in this role, but he doesn’t have to carry the load either.  I recommend checking the Unit out as an alternative to Law & Order #3, Criminal Intent and definitely instead of Dancing with the “Stars”.

9PM:  Smith (CBS) – Ray Liotta leads a great cast begging for a GQ cover.  Following the lives of a gang of high-end specialty thieves, the first episode was a mini-movie and a great intro to the characters.  Presented with “limited interruptions” and sponsored by that new Leonardo “Gotta win Scorcese and Oscar” DiCaprio flick.  Limited Interruptions rocks, I wish it was like that all season, but alas without commercials we’d have no shows.  Has anyone ever thought if Ray Liotta wasn’t an actor, he would have to be a made man?  No matter what he does, I always get this glimpse of him ordering a hit over linguini somewhere in Brooklyn.  He is such a smooth actor, no hiccups or bumps, well, watch Smith, you’ll see.  Virginia Madsen plays his wife, who suspects, but doesn’t know for sure about the double life her husband leads.  She has her own set of problems and there much intrigue and secrecy going on with all the characters.  This is really how you make a show, go out and get the talent to go with the writing, everyone in this cast can play ball, with Simon Baker and Franky G being the low men on the totem.  Baker has a sweet assignment as Jeff, watch the show, you’ll see, he’s not all there.  I highly recommend you people watch this show, so that I can keep watching it and it gets picked up for another season.

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MY PICK FOR TUESDAY:  SMITH (CBS) 9:00 PM CDT

 

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WEDNESDAY

This isn’t really getting shorter, huh?  Who knew I watched this much television, I may need an intervention…

7PM:  Jericho (CBS) – Another “SciFish Doomsday” show, starring Skeet Ulrich (The Craft, Chill Facto), whose a decent youngish actor whose character is returning to Sleepy Jericho, KS when there is some kind of explosion in Denver, CO illustrated by the mushroom cloud everyone in town stares at for the first fifteen minutes of the show causing no less than five vehicle accidents that pertain to the plot of the pilot.  We don’t know what the explosion was caused by or if there were others (actually you get a clue), but the town loses all communication save walkie talkies and HAM radios, loses power and spirals into chaos until the small town mayor, played by Gerald McRaney (Simon & Simon, Major Dad) gets control.  I had children running around and screaming so I was a bit distracted, but I like the set up. 

     Jericho should re-air on Saturday night at 7PM followed by the re-airing of SMITH, so if you missed either of them, here’s your second chance.  Also interesting, Jericho has already created an online extension, with full episodes available on innertube.com, whatever that is and Beyond Jericho – which is a series of companion shorts on the Jericho website that give clues to the plot lines and follow survivors outside Jericho.  I like the idea of webisodes, especially when they add to the show’s world.  The streaming wasn’t working well when I tried it, but if I stay with the show, these will probably be a requisite addition.

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8PM – Grey’s Anatomy (ABC) – it was a re-run of the two season finale from last year.  Good stuff and it made it all fresh for Thursdays premiere on their new night.  I love this show, I just love it, but more about that on Thursday.

9PM: – Kidnapped (NBC) – Well, well, NBC comes out with their own kidnapping show (I’m sure theirs was in the pipeline before Fox’s Vanished).  Stars Jeremy Sisto (Six Feet Under), Timothy Hutton (every 80’s movie ever), Dana Delaney(China Beach) and others who deal with Hutton’s and Delaney’s son being kidnapped and Sisto, playing a rogue bounty hunter specializing in bringing kidnapped victims back without the help of the authorities.  The pilot was pretty good.  The kids are good, not too cute, and not too weird.  Hutton and Delaney are pro’s and hopefully Delaney will be used for a lot more than crying and pacing.  Sisto is a good actor with a lot of chops, which I didn’t see a lot of in the pilot.  See for yourself as it also re-airs Saturday at 9PM on NBC.  But if you are making a choice, choose Smith over on CBS.

MY PICK FOR WEDNESDAY: JERICHO (CBS) 7PM

THURSDAY

7PM:  My Name is Earl /  The Office (NBC) – Granted, I missed Earl due to a scheduling conflict, so I don’t know how the season premier was, but I’m gonna say he crossed something off his list and it was funny with some white trash humor.  I’ll catch it next week hopefully.  I did watch The Office.  And it was hysterical!  This is the best ensemble cast on television and this show is living up to everything its English counterpart was.  Steve Carrell is brilliant, but the rest of his castmates are quickly catching up to him in the funny department.  I can’t pick a favorite scene, character or actor; it’s all just so perfect.  I am not to be bothered during those 30 minutes, don’t call, don’t text, don’t come over unless you are prepared to watch The Office.  Do yourself a favor, watch this show.  Let me know if you need an update where we are, I watched the English version and got a little confused not knowing what had happened.

8PM – Grey’s Anatomy (ABC) – The season premiere was great.  We picked up where we left off last season, in complete and utter chaos and ridiculousness.  Everyone is back, save Denny, who had to die.  This is another show that you should be watching and if you aren’t you should start.  Granted, Ellen Pompeo (who plays the lead), isn’t Glenn Close, yet, but I think she’s doing pretty well and fits the Meredith Grey character.  The real attraction of this show is the rest of the supporting characters.  Sandra Oh and Chandra Wilson are two of the best actresses on television right now.  I think they were both up for Emmy’s for this show already and it’s on its third season.  T.R. Knight, in his first big career role, will be up for an Emmy soon and may be the show stealer again this season.  The rest of the cast is just as good and continues the quality come-drama that made this show a break out hit.  And if you haven’t noticed, Patrick Dempsey has resurrected his career via age, great conditioner and a smirk.  Chris O’Donnell looks to be a re-occurring character again this season, and I look forward to seeing where the aftermath of last season takes us.

  I was a little put off with the fade to white flashbacks, the intros were kind of hokey, but we did get to see some pivotal moments in the characters past which was cool.  You’ll notice I didn’t list what these people have done, they have credits, but they’ll be recognized on the street for this show.  Watch it people, do as I say!  Do it! Now!

9PM – 60 vs ER – First of all, what is with the shortest names possible?  I’m going to make a show call “?!”.  Well, J.J. Abrams (Lost, ALIAS, anything cool in the last three years) is at the helm of this one and apparently it’s all the buzz around Hollywood seeing as he’s been making television gold lately.  Again, I had distractions, but I also taped it to watch again this weekend.  The concept is great and very Abrams.  He specializes in real life mixed with real weird, and 6 degrees (I’m not using the superscript button anymore, sorry) takes the concept of 6 degrees of Kevin Bacon(see The Oracle of Bacon at UVA for more info) and applies it to a group of strangers in NYC.  This theory being you can be linked to anyone through a series of six people.  The pilot brought one six degrees full circle and it went, a little too conveniently at times, through all the main characters.  I’m excited to see if this show can live up to the standards of Abrams other shows, we’ll have to see.  It’s a young, relatively unknown cast except for Campbell Scott, who is back and as good as ever.  Scott is a great actor and has one of the best voices.  I like to think he works when he wants to know, not when he can.  I’m glad to see him back on screen.

ER – [SPOILER]I taped it, I haven’t watched it. ER has been on for 13 seasons and is still one of the top shows.  I have been watching it from the pilot when I was in high school, wow, so I can wait to watch it, its like chicken soup, and its good reheated.  When last I saw, there had been a shoot out and Jerry had been shot…that being said [SPOILER] Jerry is dead, ya’ll, and I know that because I watched Men In Trees last week and he’s one of the main characters on that, so he must be dying on ER, cause he ain’t got time to do both of them shows, okay?  

MY CHOICE FOR THURSDAY:  THERE’S TOO MANY! THE OFFICE (NBC-7:30 PM)/ GREY’S ANATOMY (ABC-8 PM)/ 6O(9 PM – ABC) – [GO WITH ER IF YOU DON’T LIKE THE 6O]

Well, that’s that I suppose, anymore TV blogging is going to have to be daily or weekly from now on, this was ridiculous….

But there’s more!  What to watch this weekend:

FRIDAY:

Grey’s Anatomy – ABC – 7PM

Men in Trees – ABC – 8PM

SATURDAY: 

ARKANSAS V. ALABAMA – CBS – 2:30 PM GO HOGS GO!

JERICHO – CBS – 7PM

SMITH – CBS – 8PM

KIDNAPPED – NBC 9PM

SUNDAY

THE SIMPSONS/ AMERICAN DAD – FOX – 7PM

DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES (SEASON PREMIER) – ABC -8PM

SONS AND DAUGHTERS (SERIES PREMIERE) – ABC – 9PM

All right, another stupidly long television blog, what is wrong with me, all right, Mr. Ricky’s gonna go keep it confidential, try to do the same. 

 

 

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