Everybody Loves Saturday Night

Friday Night Lights Spoilery Scoops

We already know Smash and Street will be leaving.  Here are a few articles with lots of spoilerific news about how next season begins.  Since I don't know if I'll even be able to watch it until January, I'm not sure how I'm feeling about any of this.

Mo Ryan.  Ausiello.  Alan Sepinwall.

FNL Season 3

I think we've already talked about how FNL will be on DirecTV in the fall - then (repeated?) on NBC later (January or spring).

No Street.  No Smash.

Hello, 2008. Goodbye to TV?

The strike is really too depressing to talk much about.  Let's just say: a) the writers are completely in the right, I mean COME ON, they make 7 cents off a DVD and NOTHING off Internet?  and b) all joy is gone until the big corps get off their butts and realize the # of people who will actually watch reality TV every stupid night is far smaller than the amount who appreciates well-written TV.  Right?  Fuck, I hope so.

Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles started last night / continues tonight.  I loved it.  A little backstory / some good fights.  Everyone is beaten down and miserable and barely keeping it together.  Good performances by the three leads.  I'm looking forward to more, although if you read the article in the latest EW, I do have concerns given the actors all seem a bit lost without the writers there during the majority of the filming (9 eps written out of 13 pre-strike, but the writers not around to discuss even what was already written).

And as for a mid-season (but potentially end-of-season) review of everything else I'm watching:

Brothers & Sisters. I still enjoy the repartee, and still enjoy watching Justin and Kevin... but I think it's pretty lame that EVERY marriage has to wind up with infidelity on this show. Same old, same old. Watch out, Calista & Rob, you're next!

Heroes.  First half of season sucked ass. Last four eps were fairly awesome, at least up to season 1 standards.  Not thrilled to be getting sucked back in...just in time for the strike.  But this is definitely one of the shows I enjoy more on DVD (as with LOST).

K-Ville.  Predictable and overly melodramatic. But enjoy the two leads and their buddy/partner chemistry.

Bones.  MY FAVORITE SHOW OF THIS SEASON (even over #2 FNL knocked out of the top spot and #s 3 Pushing Daisies/Office tie and #4 Life) Loving it. Loved every minute of this season. So sad not to be seeing new episodes right now.

Reaper.  Up and down but for the most part I do enjoy each episode even when afterward I think "What was the point of that / or they forgot about this / or they dropped the ball on that".  None of it has lived up to the Kevin Smith-directed premiere for me. Ep 3 was close but all else has been mediocre in comparison. Still laugh at it though, so find it worth watching.

Gossip Girl.  At first I was only watching this on iTunes but since it's one of the few with new eps left, I've moved to watching it in real time.  A guilty pleasure, indeed.  It's like The OC but without the annoying attempt at seeing real life next to the rich kids.  Even Dan and Jennie are not Ryan Atwood poor.  There are no well-meaning, morally upstanding (despite being rich) parents (Sandy Cohen, I'm talking to you). It's all boys, bitches and bling. What's not to like.

Pushing Daisies.  My #1 new show of the season.  The sweetness and charm, and the retro rich colors of the filming.  So much to love.  (So much to miss.)

Life.  My #2 new show of the season.  Love the lead, love the partner chemistry with both his old & new partners, love the fight to lead a zen life vs. the fight to get revenge. Love the creepiness of the bad cops and the bad non-cop dudes. Love it all.

The Office.  Continued to be brilliant. Funny and crass and yet sweet and kind, all at the same time.  Nobody does that better.

30 Rock.  As funny as the Office with a little less sweetness (there really is no situation comparable to Pam/Jim on this show, in my opinion).  Comedic actors doing the type of brilliant work they would never get recognized for on the big screen.

Grey's.  Sucks.  Contrived. Ridiculous. Trying way too fucking hard.

Friday Night Lights.  (STILL HAS AT LEAST ONE OR TWO NEW EPS LEFT) Still love some of it.  Still has these just blindingly beautiful moments of true feelings / true situations / bitingly real scenarios.  At the same time, so much of it has been very contrived this year (and not just the murder mystery).  Some of the really good bits are starting to be overshadowed by the ridiculous bits.  Peter Berg, would you please step back in and get control of these writers (when the strike ends, I guess) as almost none of the episodes have held a candle to last year's.  It's like they actually didn't know which parts made them a success and have gone off in the wrong direction. (And p.s. let's have dinner, you and me.)

NUMB3RS.  Still not what it once was. But last few episodes have had some nice tension and some nice scary-without-a-zillion-shoot-em-ups bits.

I think that's all I've been watching in real time.  Isn't it?  Man, can't even remember, now that most shows have gone dark.  Still catching up with How I Met Your Mother on iTunes, I'm somewhere in the second season. 

And looking forward to the beginning of Lost and Jericho, although I don't think there's a full season written of either one, is there?  Didn't watch last season of The Wire because the schoolroom focus was just too painful to watch. Will probably try to watch it on DVD at some point so going to save the current season for then. I do love me some James McNulty though.

FNL News Flash.

Known mostly for his role as Rory's Ritchie Rich boyfriend on Gilmore Girls, Matt Czuchry will appear on FNL as a "Christian radio broadcaster."   Also according to Maureen Ryan's recent post, FNL should have 15 episodes in the can before they run out of pre-strike written material.  Last 2007 ep is Dec 7 but there are six more already written after that.

I know I haven't written up last week's episode. Let's just say that a) there is sooooo much to love but b) that's complete bullshit that Landry's dad would burn the car.  I just cannot be down with that storyline for many reasons including that Tyra was ALREADY seeing Landry as potential before that crap even started. Bygones. A lot to love going on. More to say later. Maybe. If you're lucky. Work is really bringing me DOWN and making blogging about TV just one more thing I haven't been doing.

FNL: Cheesy but I loved it.

Dear Michelle,

Did you catch Friday's episode of FNL?  While there were a few just outright cheesy moments, I totally loved it!

Almost too cheesy for words:

• Jason's suicidal dive into the waters, followed by the underwater realization "I DO want to live afterall!"
• Matt & Smash:  "BFFs once again!"

Lovedlovedloved:

• Coach & Tami's will they / won't they throughout the show.  His very measured "are you sure about that?" followed by the lightning fast drag to the bedroom. 
• Matt standing up for himself to Jules!  Yes, I'd love to see these two get back together, but not without Matt saying how he really feels.  Love that he called her out on the cheating.
• Matt standing up to Coach (and Smash!)
• Lyla "dancing" with both Street and Riggins, kissing each of them and then running away:  "I've got to pray!"

Broke my heart:

• Oh Tyra. She did a great job of lying to Landry. I wish he would have seen her crying in her car!!!

Didn't love but was sort-of OK with:

• Landry becomes the football hero.  Presumably it will be a fluke and he'll never be this good again. Because I don't think I can live with them turning Landry into both a) a murderer and b) a football star.  My willingness to keep watching this show after both those stunts would be under severe duress.

Hated:

• The previews for next week with (apparently?) Lyla's "project" joining the football team?

Wondering:

• Who is Matt kissing in that preview?  Is it Grandma's nurse?  (Ugh)

What did you think? 

Smooches!!

Rounding up last week.

Dear Michelle,

Last week was pretty rough on the Duff household's TV viewing and even after a somewhat relaxing weekend, I still have DS$ to go! 

Reaper was OK.  I don't feel as "why oh why isn't it as great as episode one? why is it disapointing us?" as most critics I'm reading.  On the other hand, I think "STOP WHINING."  Several times Sam has come to the "this is actually sort of a worthwhile thing to be doing" realization...and then comes the next episode and "WHY do I have to do this and WHY can't I get time off and WHY is some other dude liking Andy" to which I say "would you like some cheese with that WHIIIIIIINE?"  I am still entertained enough but I would like a little "YEAH LET'S GO KICK SOME ASS" and maybe not crying so much about having to do it.

Pushing Daisies was awesome. But of course.  The bees!  And how they always confront their latest issue.  They always have the talk and poor Emerson in the backseat listening.  And how Olive's jealousy just couldn't overcome the affection she's begun to feel for the Aunts. And when Emerson said something like "A MAN NEEDS MORE YARN".  And the old cars, and the wooden arm and the wooden leg with the secret container of diamonds...  So much love for this show.

The Office was good, but A-HA I KNEW in losing some of its time (length, per episode), it would also lose some of its tenderheartedness.  I yelled A-HA I TOLD YOU SO when I read this post by the AV Club.

Bones was awesome. So many good things going on with that show right now but you don't watch it so bygones.

Life was pretty good although they toned down both the zen quirky AND the fruit obsession sooooo much.  Can they just tone down one or the other?  Reese's slowly oncoming zen-ness, which is making her crazy, is a pretty funny touch though.  I'm worried that the White Roosky as I called him (did he not wear white in every scene he was in?) will become a recurring character.  There are already a shitload of characters on this show.

30 Rock I didn't find that funny.  Enjoyable, yes.  Outright laughing, not much.  Alex Baldwin is really a master of mimicry, no?

And as for Friday Night Lights, I felt that, as has been the case this season, there were a LOT of things to love but still a few things to NOT.  Smash and Saracen are, presumably, going to be a big focus this week as they got short shrift.  Tim is slow on the draw but once he gets there, he's THERE.  All in, asking for help. 

What did you think of last week's shows?  Are you ready for Heroes tonight?  Can it step up its game? 

HEROES, I ask you [you, the show, Heroes, not you, Michelle, or you, the other Reader(s)], DID YOU COME TO PLAY?  Then hey, why don't you?  Stop with the lollygagging and the moseying around and fucking play.

OK back to workyworky.  Smooches to you.

p.s. I still don't know your weekly viewing schedule. Is this not a NEED TO KNOW item? Yes, it is!  GO!

FNL: Good episode of a very different show.

Dear Michelle,

So while so many of my friends are at Rhinebeck this weekend, I've really had nothing better to do than rewatch and think about Friday Night Lights. And here's what I've come up with.

If I'm going to continue watching this show, I just have to realize that it's not the same show as last year, and it's never going to be again. It's all flashy and dramatic and overemotional and, as so many people have noted, seems like the writers got a memo "More soap opera please! More ridiculous! More drama mama!"

Last year's show certainly had its dramas, but much of the most dramatic and most emotional moments happened in very quiet ways. Tim and Lyla in the Riggins' living room: "You Hungry?" Matt kissing Julie on the football field: was a moment just between them (and Tami). The I Love Yous in the car. Tami and Coach in the mirror after the Roast. Tami and Coach on the deck at the hotel.

Nobody killed anybody. Nobody's character seemed to do a 180 (Julie).

Other things that are strikingly different about this year:

Both Matt and Tim have reverted a lot from the growth they showed last season. Matt's back to being a shy wallflower who shows his emotions by NOT performing on the football field. And Tim's back to drinking and not caring and treating himself like crap.

Tyra and Lyla are acting in vacuums where they only interact with one or two other people (Lyla with Tim and her Dad, Tyra with Landry or people connected to Landry (rally girl, his dad)). Everyone on the show has been doing this to a certain extent, but it's been worse for those two, to my mind.

So if you think of this as NOT last year's show, but a brand new, totally different show: Then this was a pretty good episode! (I am going to TRY not to think about last year but I don't know if I can do it...)

DS$ and FNL: I'm conflicted.

Dear Michelle,

Are you watching Dirty Sexy Money? I really enjoyed the premiere, thought episode two was just OK but oddly early with some of the revelations (the affair, Nick accusing Trip), and now after episode three I'm kind of wondering, where is this show going?

Peter Krause is excellent here, and Nick's search for his dad's murderer is one of the few actual "storylines"...but it gets only a few moments of screen time in each show. And there seems to be an odd conflict of tone from scene to scene. Are we supposed to think these people are ridiculous, not necessarily because they're rich, but because of how they think they can act because they're rich? (Say, when Karen a) lies about the tape then b) admits to the tape then c) whispers "tell Daddy I didn't know the camera was there...) Or are we supposed to find them sentimental and sweet and learn to like them despite their richness? (Say, the scene with Juliet and Jeremy (yum) up on the roof, where she's thaking him for sticking up for her and he says well you're my sister and they're holding hands...)

Other than Nick's search and maybe Paddy's run for Senate, which has gotten more screen time as the weeks have gone by, there don't seem to be many actual storylines. Whether or not Brian's wife finds out that the "orphan" is his child or not doesn't seem very consequential. Paddy having a tranny mistress...well I thought it was odd that they didn't have an actress as his wife in one scene or another until episode three (and we still have yet to see them interact) but again that seems a sidestory that could be dealt with and dismissed speedily.

So what's the show working toward? What's its point? I certainly don't know yet and I'd have to wonder whether the show does either. I'm enjoying watching it but with sort of a) a jaded eye and b) a certain level of disengagement/disinterest. Entertaining, but not heart-engaging.

And as for the heart-engaging-to-the-point-of-breaking, Friday Night Lights is really floundering right now. And not just for me, but in the ratings, where it had a serious dropoff from episode one. Everything feels very disjointed here, the same people who didn't get any screentime in episode one were missing from episode two as well, it seemed like there were 97 million more commercials than usual (and I HATE the halfway "here's what happened on the show so far tonight" thing they're doing this year. HATE IT.), and the bad decisions by the writers/producers/etc. seem more and more like network stunts.

It's so disheartening I can hardly bear to write about it, and if you go read Alan Sepinwall's post, I'd have to say I agree with pretty much everything he said.

• Landry did not have to kill someone for Tyra and him to become close(r). And they are dragging this out way too long. Suddenly Tyra has no screen time with anyone else? And has gone from being sooo strong at the end of last season to this?
  
• Matt and Julie's breakup, Julie's acting out, still seem very true to teenage-dom. Their conversation by the pool was just torture to watch. "I think we need to talk." "Ok. Talk." "You didn't do anything." "I know I didn't do anything." Ow Ow Ow.
  
• Lyla is still, I think, not quite where she's going to be. The christianity turn seems an overreaction to the family turmoil but I think the show is playing it out hilariously, particularly Tim trying to distract her during prayer. They had some nice moments tonight with her dad. "I've seen a lot of alcoholics in my time. He's not an alcoholic. He's just sad."
  
• Did you notice that Herc is gone? He has a bit role on Bionic Woman. I miss Herc. (Never thought I'd say that.)
  
• Tami is really struggling, and Coach left a great job for a shithole job. Not only for shithole spoiled college players but also to be treated like crap by the other coaches and basically used for his moral standing. (Could any of the rest of them made that speech at the hearing? I think not. They were just mad the kid got caught, not that he did it in the first place.) From the previews, looks like they're about to tie up this storyline faster than any of the other issues going on. His return to Dillon cannot come soon enough.

Since none of the writers' "try to grab headlines with THIS" storylines are working too well, do you think they'll lay off them and go back to the true-to-life, small-town heartbreaks that made this such a great show last year? Seeing Tami slap Julie in the previews makes me think not.

I AM SO FRUSTRATED WITH THIS SHOW RIGHT NOW. It still has a big piece of my heart, but it's wranglng the shit out of it. I had a long, hard, miserable week, and to come home to that on Friday night? It's almost more than I can take. What did you think?

Smooches...

FNL Finally! So much good, and one big, big bad.

Sorry it has taken me for-evah to get around to posting about my beloved FNL.  I actually watched the premiere (five times, just because) a few weeks ago, so Friday night's showing was old news to me (of course I still watched it anyway!!), and I'm still struggling with the "big big bad".  But let's save the worst for last, shall we?  Let's talk about the gooooood because there was a lot of it!

Obviously I cannot be brief about FNL so I'll spare the front page of this blog and post in the extended...

More FNL Love, and other TV blogs...

Maureen Ryan has a huge Friday Night Lights post up today complete with scenes from the first episode (tomorrow night! yay!) and spoilers from the first five...

In addition to Maureen Ryan, here are some other TV blogs I'm readin' these days:  What's Alan Watching; On the Air (Jenn, bonus: Seth Green photo today!); Season Pass; and TV Club.