Real Time with Bill Maher

Real Time comes back Friday, and I have just one thing to say:
I always enjoy me some Sully, along with my boyfriend Andrew Ross Sorkin and The New York Times' conservative columnists, but most importantly, moar Eliot Spitzer plz. kthxbai.

TV Fall Preview: New Shows

As promised, Part II of my Fall preview. The following excerpts are highlights from TWoP's "Best and Worst New Shows" feature, and include my added comments.

-Terriers (Premieres September 8) The premise admittedly sounds more like a USA Network show -- an ex cop teams up with his best friend to solve crimes -- but FX's execution is dark, gritty and enthralling. Donal Logue stars as a loser who's lost his job, wife and pretty much everything else and is now forced to take on any sort of investigations that come his way. Michael Raymond-James (the vampire-hating Rene from True Blood) plays his younger partner with domestic issues of his own. With its focus on blue-collar underdogs solving mysteries that threaten to expose the corrupt upper class of a California town, this show reminds us of both Ross MacDonald's Lew Archer novels and the late lamented Veronica Mars, which is high praise indeed.

I don't really have time for FX shows (i.e., they're not a priority), but this one made TWoP's "best" list, so it might be worth a viewing.

-Boardwalk Empire (Premieres September 19) We're waiting with bated breath for this highly touted HBO series from Sopranos scribe Terence Winter and producer Martin Scorsese. This period crime drama literally looks fantastic, with Steve Buscemi at the center of the action in a Prohibition-era Atlantic City. If it's half as good as we think it will be, it'll still be the best show of the fall.

Three Letters: HBO.

-The Event (Premieres September 20) This is another complicated, high-concept show like FlashForward, so we were totally hesitant about getting invested. Now that we've seen the pilot, we already like Jason Ritter far more than Joseph Fiennes, although we're worried the show will fall victim to unflattering Lost comparisons (and not just because both had crashing planes in their pilots). The storyline involves a mysterious government operation and how it affects the lives of everyone from the president (Blair Underwood) to a guy on vacation with his girlfriend. Laura Innes co-stars in a totally shady role, which brings back fond ER memories. There's enough intrigue in the premiere to make us want to go along for the ride... but if Dominic Monaghan suddenly shows up with a missing finger, all bets are off.

Though I'm more than a little turned off by the comparison to Lost, I missed FlashForward, so I'm more than a little interested in this. But it might be too...complicated.

-Lone Star (Premieres September 20) We don't like this show just because it co-stars Friday Night Lights alum Adrianne Palicki, but that certainly doesn't hurt. We were actually won over by the concept, which sounded iffy on paper, but succeeds on screen. James Wolk is a con artist who lives a double life, wheeling and dealing and dating one girl while married to another. He swaps identities with ease since he's been doing it for years at the behest of his con-man father David Keith. But when trying to scam the uber-wealthy father of his wife, played by Jon Voight, he ends up trying to be a good person instead of taking the money and running. The pace may feel a little slow at first, but the tricky nuances and character development definitely pay off.

Mostly appealing because of Adrianne Palicki, but the rest sounds cool too.

-Detroit 1-8-7 (Premieres September 21) This is network cop drama done right... which probably means that it'll get cancelled quickly. It's fairly gritty, it's all about disturbing homicide cases, it has a strong cast and it has some dark humor. The premise is straightforward -- cops solving crimes and being badass in a very rough town -- but it's well executed. We're naively hopeful that this will last longer than Michael Imperioli's last cop series, Life on Mars.

I never watched the Sopranos, but Michael Imperioli impressed me in those few Law & Order episodes he was in (in as much as anyone can be impressive in L&O). I also like the idea of a gritty network cop drama done right.

-Running Wilde (Premieres September 21) The good things about this show: It's from Mitch Hurwitz, who brought us Arrested Development. It stars our beloved Felicity (a.k.a. Keri Russell, who is making her return to TV) and Will Arnett (who can make us laugh in anything... even the horrible When In Rome) and David Cross. What's not good about this show? Pretty much everything else. It's an odd premise (which admittedly worked for AD) about a rich playboy wants to woo the highly principled girl of his dreams by trying to be a better man, but it just isn't funny. At. All. In fact, instead of laughing, we were cringing.

This was on TWoP's "worst" list, but I'm excited to see Keri Russell back on TV and Will Arnett with more than a recurring role.

-The Whole Truth (Premieres September 22) Yes, it's another courtroom drama, but it's actually got a novel twist: it focuses equally on both the defense and the prosecution and their overlapping trial prep, culminating in a suspenseful verdict pronouncement. The great cast includes TV vets Rob Morrow as the laid-back criminal attorney and Maura Tierney as the DA. Here's hoping that this procedural show ups the ante throughout the season like The Good Wife did last year.

I probably don't need another courtroom drama, what with L&O: LA premiering and all, and I'm actually not a big fan of Maura Tierney, but I <3>
-Undercovers (Premieres September 22) Putting aside the overuse of the word "sexpionage" in the pilot and the trailer, this is actually a fast-paced, well-produced show about the spy world overseen by the guy who brought us Alias. Here, J.J. Abrams promises the show will be a little less mythology-based (you don't need to have a doctorate on Rambaldi just to watch an episode) but will still have action-packed, kick-ass scenes. And it doesn't hurt that the married duo who get sucked back into the CIA are played by the extremely attractive stars-in-the-making Boris Kodjoe and Gugu Mbatha-Raw.

Again, not something I'm dying to watch, but it is getting a lot of hype, and it is J.J. Abrams. Perhaps it should not be overlooked.

- Law & Order: Los Angeles (Premieres September 22) It's hard to judge this one since we haven't seen it, but we're guessing that if you like the rest of Dick Wolf's Law & Order franchise, then this will be your cup of tea. Here, Alfred Molina is the deputy DA, Regina Hall is the ADA, Skeet Ulrich and Corey Stall are cops and Wanda DeJesus is the lieutenant. Something tells us we'd just rather be watching Southland.

Two words: SKEET ULRICH (because of one word: Jericho). Oh, and two more words: Law & Order.

-My Generation (Premieres September 23) The gimmick of this show sounded irksome when we first heard it, but it actually turned out to be kind of an intriguing concept. A few members of a high school are selected to participate in a documentary, then ten years later the crew follows up on their lives to see if they lived up to their potential and achieved their dreams. They're not a group of people who would necessarily be friends or even cross paths, and there's no irksome murder and slowly doled-out reveals like on Reunion. What we learned about the characters from the first episode definitely whetted our appetite for more.

I saw a the trailer for this and thought "barf." Girl is in an unhappy marriage, guy feels unaccomplished, other girl is looking for marriage material, other guy gets call from third girl that she had his baby after they slept together on prom night...blah blah blah. But it's supposed to be about MY generation, so I'm supposed to want to watch it. Either it's supposed to make me feel extremely pathetic, or comforted because there are other people out there as aimless as I am, and I'm betting on the former. But, TWoP did put it on the "best" list...
-No Ordinary Family (Premieres September 28) Don't worry, this show isn't really attempting to be the new Heroes; these aren't folks from all around the world coming together to prevent some massive catastrophe. Instead, the show's about a family that goes on vacation, crash-lands in a mysterious lagoon and ends up returning home as supercharged beings with powers of speed, strength, smarts and telepathy. It's more like The Incredibles with the spirit of the original Stan Lee-Jack Kirby Fantastic Four. Michael Chiklis plays an unstoppable force (much like his Fantastic Four character); Julie Benz, Kay Panabaker and Jimmy Bennett round out the nuclear family. Romany Malco from 40 Year Old Virgin steals most of his scenes as Chiklis' overenthusiastic best friend and advisor.

Sounds pretty cheesey, but it made the "best" list and I'm glad Julie Benz found a steady gig after Dexter mercilessly brutalized her last season.

- Blue Bloods (Premieres September 24) It's a cop drama headed up by Tom Selleck as the patriarch of a family in which all the members of his family are in some branch of law enforcement. Donnie Wahlberg, Bridget Moynahan and Will Estes are among the offspring. Expect skeletons in the closet, sibling rivalry and, of course, some backstabbing.

Selleck, Wahlberg, others...not a bad cast.

Obviously I'm not going to watch all these, and the casts appeal to me more than most of the plots, but hopefully some will end up being high quality for seasons to come.

TV Fall Preview: Returning Shows

The first of two posts about the television season soon to be upon us. Reprinted below are highlights of TWoP's preview of returning shows, with my own comments added:

-Sons of Anarchy (Returns September 7) One of the best series on television returns with a vengeance, and we're not expecting any dip in quality in the third season. We have more faith in this show than probably any other (with maybe the exception of Mad Men... and Jersey Shore). Gemma's on the run with Unser, Abel's been kidnapped by a crazy Irishman, Jax and Clay are far from reconciliation -- it's going to be a gory, gripping, excellent season. Can't wait for the ride.

I have never seen this show, but the hype around it, combined with the lecture Henry Rollins gave about his experience as a cast member last time I saw him speak make me curious. Worth some DVR space? Possibly.
-The Vampire Diaries (Returns September 9) Our heads are still spinning from the season finale. Seriously, Katherine is one badass vampire, and we cannot wait to see how it all plays out. Also, there will be some new residents in town, which we expect to lead to major characters getting killed. After all, there's no mercy on this show.
WTF is up with vampires? and this show? it won a bunch of TWoP Tubeys, and the only reason I even know it exists is because Nina Dobrev, previously of Degrassi: The Next Generation fame is in it. Not on my watch list. I just had to rant.
-Parenthood (Returns September 14) This show turned out to be a nice little surprise last year. It's a little corny and slightly boring at times, but the talent is great and it frequently delivers some genuinely moving moments and mindlessly enjoyable light entertainment. Plus, Peter Krause's face is on it! This season, Peter Krause's face returns, and there will be more of Dax Shepard's adorable son Jabbar, who is now a series regular. Unfortunately this does not mean less Dax Shepard, but it could be worse -- Billy Baldwin could be replacing Jason Ritter as Lauren Graham's love interest! Oh wait... crap.
It is super corny, and Billy Baldwin can't possibly help it out of any of the major holes it dug itself into last season, but despite not loving Peter Krause's character, I have been a fan of him since Sports Night, so I'll probably keep watching, if only to witness Mae Whitman's superb acting and hope to figure out wtf is up with that Joel character.
-The League (Returns September 16) If you didn't watch the short-but-sweet six-episode first season of this comedy about fantasy football fanatics, you have 13 more chances. That's how many episodes FX has ordered for the second season, so expect more hilarity from this group of friends that's only superficially about football. Bengals player (and Dancing star) Chad Ochocinco guest stars in the season premiere, when the League goes to Vegas.
More Ochocinco on TV?! Can't miss that! But seriously, this sounds interesting. I may have to DVR it.
-Chuck (Returns September 20) She'll be back. In this case, the "she" in question is Mama Bartowski, and she'll be played by the one and only Linda Hamilton. How cool is that? Also Dolph Lundgren, Olivia Munn, Stone Cold Steve Austin and the Old Spice Guy will be put in guest appearances and likely make Chuck's life miserable.
Another rant: I never got into this show. Why all the love? I'm especially baffled by the nominations Yvonne Strahovski got for her portrayal of Sarah Walker, Chucks handler. I always thought she was terribly miscast.
-How I Met Your Mother (Returns September 20) Will we meet the mother? Hard to say. The producers have promised that the season will open with a big, game-changing event and that there will be a general push towards revealing the mom's identity. We do know that Rachel Bilson will be back and that Laura Bell Bundy will be on the show as Robin's new co-anchor.
I continue to watch this show, despite no sign of the mother, and incredibly stupid plot devices, like breaking Robin up with everyone she has a seemingly serious relationship with. The TWoP teaser promises big things, though, so hopefully this season will top the last one. Any mention of Stella or the presentation of any Stella-like character/relationship, though, and I'll have to rethink my loyalty.

-Glee (Returns September 21) It's Britney, bitch! The show will reportedly tackle the music of Ms. Spears as the TV juggernaut heads into its second season. There's also a Rocky Horror Picture Show episode in the works, Kurt might get a boyfriend, Kristin Chenoweth will be back and Javier Bardem may stop by.
A guilty pleasure. How could I not watch Glee?
-Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (Returns September 22)
While last season saw medical examiner Melinda Warner get shot in the chest in the shocking finale and Assistant District Attorney Sharon Stone leave the show after her arc, look for more famous faces to arrive this season. The new ADA will be played by Paula Patton (Precious), and Jennifer Love Hewitt will guest-star in the first episode as a rape victim who refuses to leave her house. Plus, some scenes will take place in L.A. -- perhaps tying in to the new L&O series Law & Order: Los Angeles.
I'm pretty addicted to this show. After realizing I'd seen every episode ever in syndication, I had to start watching new episodes, which I will keep doing despite being blasted with a new ADA with some lame/ridiculous plotline every few episodes. Hopefully Paula Patton won't be an alcoholic, detective's former lover, or anything else crazy. Let's hope for consistency.
-Modern Family (Returns September 22) Last season was as stellar a debut year as any show could hope for, so it's no surprise that Modern Family is back for round two. Hopefully they can keep the momentum going and the perfectly over-the-top characters from turning into caricatures, but at this point, we are nothing but optimistic about the show's sophomore season. And that's despite reports of a Nathan Lane guest appearance, so you know our passion really runs deep.
I only saw one episode of this last season. It was entertaining. It was funny. It won a lot of awards. DVR-worthy? Perhaps.

-30 Rock (Returns September 23) To certain critics, this show has lost a bit of its luster, but for us, it's still one of the few sitcoms that consistently makes us laugh, and we'll be loyal to it until it doesn't. Which might happen this season, unfortunately, as Jack Donaghy and Avery become parents, Liz Lemon calamitously dates her astronaut and the show finds a way to negate Kenneth's transfer to Los Angeles in some flippant throwaway reversal in the first episode. A lot of it sounds either like a beleaguered trope (a new baby? Ugh) or a stale device relied on far too much by this show (how romantically undesirable can Liz Lemon possibly be, and how many times in a row can we stand to watch it?), so we're a little worried. But only a little.
I'm a little worried too. I hated Avery last season, and I don't see how a baby can help that. But hopefully they'll throw in episodes as good as Season 3's "Generalissimo" every once in a while. As long as Tina Fey keeps being Tina fey, I'll be watching.

-The Big Bang Theory (Returns September 23) The show is moving to Thursday nights. That's the big news. Additionally, Sheldon and Mayim Bialik will be continuing what is certainly the most awkward romantic relationships on TV.
I think I watched last season's finale at least 3 times. After seeing a couple Season 2 reruns, I tuned in for Season 3 soon after it started. It took me less time than I thought it would to get over Kaley Cuoco's relatively bland character, mostly because the nerd-dom displayed here is so fascinating (and, somehow, relatable). And Jim Parsons won an Emmy. Yay!

-NCIS (Returns September 24) Do you watch this show? Neat! You are one of 18 million people we have never encountered. If we had met you, maybe you could have explained this show's appeal to us, but since that didn't happen, we're going to continue ignoring it as usual.
I think TWoP's attitude toward this show is odd. I don't tune in to the new episodes every week, but the reruns got me on TNT, so I understand the appeal.
-Dexter (Returns September 26) It's going to be next to impossible to match the Trinity season in quality, but we've decided to be optimistic. Yes, certain plot elements and truly awful guest stars (Julia Stiles? Come on!) we've been hearing about sound annoying, and the fact that the series' showrunner jumped ship after killing Rita makes the show seem like it's in a free-fall, but you know what? The trailer for the new season is awesome. It looks terrifying, actually, and though Quinn is a poor man's Doakes, the stakes seem incredibly high this season, and either way, we know Michael C. Hall will be a joy to watch throughout. So we're going to wait until episode three or so before deciding whether to deem it a total failure.
I'm still pissed about Rita. I know a lot of viewers hated her, but she held some things together. I was almost ready to boycott this season, but the trailer really does look awesome.
-Bored to Death (Returns September 26) You know you have a unique show on your hands when the season ends with a battle royal between two rival magazine editors and their posses. Season 2 looks like more of the same: Jason Schwartzman's writer/detective, Zach Galifianakis' comic book artist/worrier and Ted Danson's editor/drug addict going on adventures, solving crimes, being pathetic and smoking marijuana. In Brooklyn.
I didn't really want to like this show, what with its hipsterness and incessant pot smoking, but I found Season 1 quite entertaining, and have been waiting for its return, which should have come much sooner.

There's also a bunch of shows I either stopped caring about or never got into in the first place. One day I'll catch up on House, start caring about Bones again, and give Community the regular viewing it probably deserves.