fall finale: flashforward

Like many Lost fans, I was really excited about FlashForward, but also trying not to rely on the comparison. Afterall, Lost took a while to develop, and FlashForward should be given the same space. After three episodes, I stopped watching FlashForward live and the episodes began to pile up in my DVR. Seven weeks later, it was fall finale time, and I needed to catch up, which is what I did over the past few days.

The fact that I quit watching was a bad sign, but I actually think watching the episodes straight through made them more enjoyable. FlashForward is certainly not what I hoped it would be - many seem to agree given the weak ratings - but there is some significant potential in many aspects of the show. In order to make it a little easier to recap my thoughts on the fall season, I'll go through the different characters/character groups:

Mark Benford: Mark is the hero. And here is where I think the primary problem with FlashForward lies. Although it is an ensemble cast, a show like this does still rely heavily on the hero. If nobody liked Jack Shepherd, Lost would never have made it. The central idea of Jack as the hero was essential to the heart of the show at the beginning and worked to maintain a loyal audience. Joseph Fiennes is a very talented actor - he plays the intensity and the strife very well - but something is missing from the character emotionally, and he is not connecting with the audience. He does play the heroic leader - perhaps displayed most prominently in the fall finale scenes in Hong Kong - but as a viewer, I don't find myself rooting for him. This is a problem.

Demitri: For me, John Cho is the most pleasant surprise of this show. I've been consistently impressed with his performances playing what could easily become a melodramatic character. The mystery of his blank flashfoward/death premonition has been an interesting story in itself. I could take or leave Gabrielle Union as his fiance, but I'm greatful for Demitri as Mark's partner - this is when I think Mark is at his best as well. So far, Demitri is the leading man for me.

The FBI Crew: Courtney B. Vance as Wedeck and Christine Woods as Janis are both quite strong and have just enough story to keep me interested. The venture into Wedeck's Washington, DC connections seemed a little out-of-left-field. I was glad they tried to explain why an LA branch of the FBI would be leading the investigation into a massive worldwide incident, but the whole DC story seemed unnecessary. Janis' story is an intriguing distraction from the rest of the FBI business, I'm interested in seeing where it goes. Lastly, I'm still unsure how I feel about Al's suicide. On one hand, it was a good way to challenge the central theme of the show - the question of whether or not you can change the future. But how do we know his suicide won't indirectly cause that woman's death? Also, the rest of the FBI folks haven't stuck to Al's lesson. I liked the idea of showing the extreme of what can happen when people catch a glimpse of their future, but it didn't seem to have as strong of an effect as I'd hoped.

Aaron Stark: I'm sorry, but I'm done with Mark's sponsor. The Afghanistan story is curious, but they better make some sort of connection with the rest of the story because I'm ready to start fastforwarding through his parts. Also, the actress playing his daughter is pretty terrible.

Olivia Benford: I simply can't say a bad word about Sonya Walger, so I won't. I will say that the character of Olivia has become a lot more likable (and believable) in later episodes. When she stopped feeling guilty and started challenging Mark for not trusting her when she's done nothing wrong, I started to like her more. I enjoy both Mark and Olivia better when they're not together. Olivia at the hospital is much more compelling to me, especially now that she's no longer acting freakish about her flashforward. Although, I thought going from avoiding Lloyd at all costs to casually admitting that she doesn't fault him for causing the blackout was pretty unbelievable. It's obvious we'll be seeing more of her involvement with Dylan, which I don't mind.

Bryce Varley: For me, Bryce has the most interesting flashforward story. Everyone else's seems too cause/effect or too related to the incident in itself - if that makes sense. Bryce has the only flashforward that was actually caused by the vision in the first place, which is a really interesting concept. Bryce and Keiko (one of my favorite characters by the way) search and find each other solely because of the vision they both had on October 6th. Because of that, they make decisions they would not normally have made - Keiko moving to LA, Bryce not committing suicide. It's interesting to look at all the other flashforwards from that same perspective - is everyone just unknowingly fulfilling their destiny because seeing this vision was part of their destiny all along? If you make decisions based on the experiences you have every day, what if that vision is just part of your experience? Shaping who you become? Still with me?

Lloyd Simcoe: We now know that Lloyd's physics experimentation may have caused the blackout. He seems like a good guy, but remains a mystery, and I'm sure that's intentional. I'll tell you what, at this point, I wouldn't mind if he stole Mark's girl. One thing I find interesting is his mention of the many-worlds theory- he and Olivia would have met if she had gone to Harvard in 1998 as he did, so according to the many-worlds theory, it did happen in some parallel world. What if the visions during the blackout weren't of the future, but of those other worlds?

Simon Campo: I was as excited as the next Lostie to see Dominic Monahan. So far, Simon has mostly confused me though. I'm looking forward to him working more closely with the FBI crew to solve the mystery. His conceded scientist shtick is actually pretty funny if you can get over the creepiness. I'm sure there's quite a bit more to his character.

As for the mysterious Persian woman in Hong Kong, D. Gibbons, and the blue-handed people, it's all intriguing for sure, but I'm not jumping out of my seat. The fall finale was obviously designed to through a few curveballs, but I didn't find my jaw dropping. Maybe that's because the show is still so new. They need more time to plant the seeds of the story. I just hope they get to it quickly because I don't think FlashForward has strong enough ratings to keep it afloat.

The preview scenes at the end of last week's fall finale told us that FlashForward won't be coming back until March 2010. Probably a good call by ABC, so it won't be competing with the Olympics. I just hope the audience doesn't forget about it. It's unclear whether the April 29th episode will still take place on April 29th as originally planned. I have to say, I am interested to see what they have planned for post-blackout date.

FlashForward will be on my schedule for March 2010 - Demetri, Bryce, and Keiko can be thanked for that.

fall finale: white collar

A few shows have been backed up on my DVR for the past few weeks, and sick day combined with an expectedly heavy-ish snowstorm has given me the time to catch up. So, I'll be writing a few blogs about my impressions of fall seasons as we enter the deep, dark abyss of hiatus (not actually true).

White Collar has gone under the radar on this blog, but it's becoming one of my favorite shows. This week, Monk ended it's final season on USA. I didn't watch Monk religiously, but did catch episodes here and there. When Monk first started in 2002, virtually no one was watching basic cable shows. Now we have Monk's success to thank for USA's quirky crime dramas like Burn Notice, Psych, and Royal Pains. Crime procedurals can get stale (The Forgotten comes to mind...or doesn't), but with strong characters and good writing, these shows have garnered great ratings for a cable network. Their "Characters Welcome" tagline pretty much sums it up.

White Collar is the new kid on the block and already earned a spot at the top. I would argue that Matt Bomer and Tom DeKay have some of the best chemistry of any partnership on television. Here's the premise in a nutshell: Neal Caffrey (Bomer) is a successful conman of the Frank Abagnale persuasion. Peter Burke is the FBI agent who finally caught and jailed him. Through the years, their cat and mouse game turned them into unlikely friends, and Peter agrees to give Neal a four year ankle-monitored sentence of FBI work. They're now working as partners solving white collar crime. If you haven't seen it, you should stop reading and catch reruns on USA (or Comcast OnDemand) before the midseason premiere in January.

If you have seen it, here's my take on the fall finale, which presented quite a twist. All season, we've watched two stories progress - the story of Peter and Neal's partnership and the side story of Neal searching for his wife Kate, who we've known is being held against her will by a mysterious bad guy wearing a pinky ring.

The Neal/Peter story has been a series of cases filled with both dramatic and comedic moments between Neal, the smooth criminal genius who has a soft spot for his nemesis-turned-partner, even befriending Peter's lovely wife (Tiffani Theissen), and Peter, a bit of a bumbling, awkward, but obviously talented and dedicated FBI agent. Together, the two seem formed a dream team of sorts playing off of each other's strengths and building a tentatively trustworthy bond.

Before I get to the surprise twist, just a word about the supporting cast. I've said it before, but shows like these are made by the strong secondary characters. Some of the best scenes involve Tiffani Theissen as Peter's wife Elizabeth, and Willie Garson as Neal's old friend and fellow con artist Mozzie (you know him as Sanford from Sex & the City). These two bring something special and fun to the show, and fit easily into each episode without feeling forced. They also bring important depth to Neal - showing the loyalty of a best friend and colleague through years of well-orchestrated criminal activity, and Peter - showing that this awkward, but well-intentioned workaholic has a great woman who loves and believes in him (and in his friendship with Neal).

In this week's fall finale, the case involves a rare diamond gone missing. FBI internal investigator Agent Fowler (played by Noah Emmerich from my favorite movie Beautiful Girls) suspects Neal's involvement. A conflicted Peter tracks down proof that Neal was involved - in the form of Neal's microscopic initials carved into the fake diamond. With Neal in jail, and Peter feeling unsure about his guilt, Neal and Mozzie begin investigating Agent Fowler and the other members of the FBI believing Neal has been set up. We know from last week's episode that Neal believes Kate is being held by a member of the FBI.

With Mozzie and Peter's help, Neal is able to prove his innocence, but not before raising questions about Agent Fowler's motives. He believes Fowler has something to do with Kate's disappearance and manages to track him down in a local hotel room. Here, Neal discovers that Fowler is in fact conducting an investigation called "Mentor" but Neal is not the subject, Peter is.

In the last scene, we see Kate entering a hotel room to speak with her pinky-ring-wearing captor, who is none other than... Peter. Gasp. So, we're lead to believe that Peter set Neal up for the diamond crime in order to throw off Fowler and his crew.

Revealing Peter as a villain changes the entire dynamic of the show, and also undermines the character we have come to know and love. There are really two possible scenarios:

1. The Peter we have been watching is a sham. He's actually getting revenge for all the times Neal eluded him by using Kate to uncover one of Neal's bigger crimes. But wouldn't it be easier to allow Kate to be revealed and keep working his friendship angle with Neal? Chasing after Kate has been the biggest threat to Neal's successful captivity.

2. Peter is acting undercover as Kate's captor for a larger purpose. This is the theory that I'm leaning toward. I just can't see this man willingly wearing a pinky ring. He's pretending to keep Kate captive for her safety in the wake of some larger threat.

But what about Elizabeth? Is he also keeping this a secret from her? Does Elizabeth really know her husband or is she a pawn in the game? Or an accomplice?

We'll have the answers in January!

glee: smiles and mattresses

I don't usually write full recaps or reviews of the Glee episodes. One, because they're just too fun to watch, and I don't want to risk over-analyzing. But also, there isn't a coherent plot sequence for the most part. This doesn't bother me, but it makes critiquing plot points unnecessary.

But last night, one of the major stories came to a head. Mrs. Shuester was revealed!

Overall, the first part of the episode moved pretty slowly. No music for nearly 30 minutes? Unacceptable. However, I liked hearing Emma talk about her reasons for marrying Ken. The whole thing seems rushed, so it was good to hear her thinking behind it - as cooky as the whole idea may be. And the yearbook photo drama was a good reminder that - even though they're really coming together as a group - these poor kids are still social pariahs at school. But how great was Quinn blackmailing Sue for their page in the yearbook? And poor Rachel posing alone for the captain photo. I have to say, every time I think I'll start getting annoyed by her, I just end up loving her more.

All of this going on and leading up the mattress commercial scene, which I loved, made the Shuester fight seem a little out of place. We've been waiting for the pregnancy hoax fall out for a while now, and it seemed to come out of nowhere. A really great scene between Matthew Morrison and Jesslyn Gislig though. It's was good to see such anger come out of Will - there was no way he was crawling into his shell for this one. It's the first time we've seen Will really acknowledge how poorly Teri treats him. I'll admit, my heart did break a little for her, but she definitely had it coming. Our marriage works better when you don't feel good about yourself? Really Teri?

Kicking Mr. Shue while he's down after he slept on one of the mattresses seemed a little too nutty. Couldn't he have just paid for the mattress? Glee loves the convenient story lines, and I won't fault them for it.

As for the musical numbers, Rachel and Finn's first "Smile" performance wasn't my favorite. It seemed like they just stuck it in there for a an extra song. "Jump" was super fun, and the second "Smile" was very sweet. I'll be downloading both of those.

And our friend Sue. I was hoping Will would punch her more than ever during this episode, but the "fatties and uglies" monologue was hilarious.

Lastly, a quick shout out to Heather Morris as Brittany. They're always quick, but her lines have been making me laugh more than any others lately. Her delivery is perfect.

So, in the end. The kids are going to sectionals without Mr. Shuester. Emma and Ken are about to head down the aisle. And the fate of the Shuester marriage and Quinn's baby remain to be seen. Next week is the midseason finale, then we have to wait until April for more!

Oh, and congrats to the show earning number one in the ratings for their timeslot! Smile!

what to watch in december

As our regular shows start packing it in for the holiday hiatus, we're left with many reruns. But alas, December is not the television wasteland it once was. Here are few things to watch:

December 1:
The new season of Scrubs premieres on ABC. It's a goodbye JD and hello to a new class of student doctors under the watchful eye of Turk and Cox. It's hard to believe they're keeping this show around, but great for the fans I suppose.

December 2:
You know you've been waiting for it. Dog the Bounty Hunter season six premieres on A&E. It's just comforting to know he's out there, right? Also, Launch My Line is starting on Bravo. I think this one was originally supposed to air in the fall. It will feature 10 established designers paired with 10 industry professionals - stylists, music producers, CEOs, etc., who have always dreamed of having their own clothing line. The teams will work together through challenges to bring their vision to life and create a fashion line. In the end, one team's line will be launched. Acclaimed designers, twin brothers Dean and Dan Caten of DSQUARED2 will host.

December 3:
Reality show Jersey Shore premieres on MTV. Yup, it's exactly what you think. Also, Men of a Certain Age premieres on TNT. Pretty intrigued by this one, which I already wrote about here.

December 8:
Better Off Ted returns for a second season on ABC. If you haven't seen it, I strongly suggest catching up on season one, which is currently streaming on Hulu. You won't regret it. This show is the unsung hero in ABC's comedic resurgence. Also, ABC is airing a new Disney half-hour animated holiday special about an elite group of elves called Prep & Landing.

December 9:
The G4 network is premiering a new show called Campus PD about (you guessed it) campus police departments in college towns. Admit it, you're a little curious.

** This is also the sad day of Glee's midseason finale.

December 11:
TLC has a new wedding show called Four Weddings where four brides attend each others weddings and determine which one is the best. This can only be good. I'm sure there will be no caddiness whatsoever.

December 13:
A tale of two families, with a six-part series called The Jacksons: A Family Dynasty airing on A&E and season four of Keeping Up With The Kardashians premiering on E!. How wrong is it to group the two?

December 14:
NBC's The Sing-Off starts a 4-night competition between eight different a capella groups competing for a record contract.

December 30:
The Real World begins its 23rd season in my great city of Washington, DC. 23rd season?? I'm old.

If you're looking to take advantage of the hiatus to get acquainted with a new show or two, I would suggest getting started with: Modern Family (ABC), Glee (FOX), and White Collar (USA), then take another look at Fringe (FOX) and Parks & Recreation (NBC), which are both having stellar second seasons.

If you're poised for some holiday movie marathons, visit CliqueClack TV's 2009 Guide to Holiday TV Programming for a complete list of what's airing and when on every channel. It's quite useful!

Finally, if you have time to dive into some serious DVD action, my favorite old standbys are The West Wing, Freaks & Geeks, Dexter, and X-Files. My favorite new discovery is Veronica Mars, which I'm just starting. And you will be held accountable if Mad Men is not on your list.

Happy hiatus!

new comedy for nicole richie?

I love ABC for bringing some great comedy to television this year. Modern Family, Cougar Town... and Better Off Ted is returning next week. Has this success gone to their head? Will they use their power for good? This remains to be seen.

Variety is reporting that Nicole Richie will star in single-camera half-hour comedy in development at ABC. Really? Scripted television? I'll admit, she was funny as the ballsy brat on Simple Life, and I even liked her guest spot on Chuck last season. But her own half-hour comedy on primetime? I'm skeptical.

The show would feature Nicole as a "professional woman with complicated family relationships and struggling to figure out what role she'll take as her life and family evolve." Vague enough for you? I think they just described every female-lead comedy ever written.

I'm a fan of Nicole's in general. She really seems to be doing well these days. I always love her clothes, the babies are adorable, and Benji seems like a swell guy. But I have a feeling this show will have me wondering, yet again, why Samantha Who? got the boot.

Note: Keep in mind, this isn't even a pilot yet. The journey from a script to a full-blown series pickup is a long and arduous one. I'll keep you updated if I hear anything more.

TNT cancels raising the bar

TNT has annouced the cancellation of Raising the Bar after two seasons. Anyone sad? This wasn't on my regular watch list, but I did catch an episode here and there.

It seemed to have all the right ingredients - strong cast, good stories, etc. - but didn't quite come together. I had trouble with the believability of some of the main characters. It felt like major story arcs were set up to fall flat as it struggled with that fine line between a procedural and a serial drama. Characters like Jane Kaczmarek's Judge Kessler could have been used a lot more effecively.

If nothing else, it proved that Mark-Paul Gosselaar can hold his own as an adult actor. And thanks bunches for ridding him of that unfortunate hair situation from season one.

Quote from a TNT rep on TVGuide.com:

"Everyone at TNT had a great experience working on Raising the Bar with Steven Bochco and the rest of the show's terrific cast and crew. We're proud of the series and appreciate the efforts of all of the creative people who were involved. Unfortunately, ratings for Raising the Bar's second season did not reach the levels required for TNT to renew the series."

UPDATE fall 2009: fate of new shows

** I'll bring this post to the top every time there's an update.

News is starting to come in about the fate of the new fall shows. We know the first ship to sink was The Beautiful Life, which CW cut after airing only 3 episodes. I will keep a running list on this post.

FYI when reading this, "picked up for a full first season" means the network ordered enough episodes for the show to complete a full season. Usually, when a pilot is ordered and put on the schedule, they only ask for 8 or 9 episodes to see how the ratings go. If the network likes what they see, they order a "back nine" or a full season. Early full season pickups are usually a good sign for a second season order. We may even see early announcements for second seasons, so I'll list those here as well.

There are also notes about returning shows at the bottom (as they come in). If there's a show that I'm not including, please post a comment, and I'll do my best to track it down.

NBC
The Jay Leno Show
Trauma - thought cancelled, but NBC ordered 3 more episodes on Nov. 19 leaving 6 unaired episodes after the holiday hiatus, no word on when those will air
Mercy - picked up for a full first season, but ratings are struggling
Community - picked up for a first full season

ABC
The Forgotten - network ordered five more episodes, but future looks bleak
Hank - cancelled, no plans to air the remaining five episodes
The Middle - picked up for a full first season
Modern Family - picked up for a full first season
Cougar Town - picked up for a full first season
Eastwick - network decided not to order more episodes after initial 13, essentially cancelled
FlashForward - picked up for a full first season, but the showrunner left, which is curious
V - airing 4 weeks starting Nov. 3 then scheduled to return after the Olympics

CBS
Accidentally On Purpose - picked up for 5 more episodes in addition the original order
NCIS: Los Angeles - picked up for a full first season, and increased order to 24 episodes
The Good Wife - picked up for a full first season, and increased order to 23 episodes
Three Rivers - removed from the schedule on Dec. 1, no immediate plans for remaining episodes
Medium (new to CBS)

FOX
Glee - first half of the season wraps on Dec. 9, back nine episodes will start in April
Brothers - pulled from the Nov. sweeps lineup, last episode on 12/27, no word of a renewal
The Cleveland Show - picked up for full first and second seasons

Other
The Beautiful Life (CW) - cancelled after three episodes aired
Melrose Place (CW) - Colin Egglesfield & Ashley Simpson-Wentz axed in a "creative overhaul"
The Vampire Diaries (CW) - picked up for a full first season
Stargate Universe (Syfy)
White Collar (USA)
Bored to Death (HBO)

News on Returning Shows:
Southland (NBC) - cancelled by NBC, but TNT will air the 7 episodes from last season, plus 6 news ones already produced by NBC starting Jan. 12. After that, we'll see if they decide to make more.
The Bill Engvall Show (TBS) - cancelled
Castle (ABC) - picked up for a full second season
Parks & Recreation (NBC) - picked up for a full second season
In Treatment (HBO) - picked up for a full second season, but will take a break in January
Lie to Me (FOX) - network ordered 3 more scripts, but ratings are struggling
Dollhouse (FOX) - cancelled, finale tentatively scheduled for jan. 22
Numb3rs (CBS) - cut back from 22 to 16 episodes for this season