rec.arts.tv Commentary:

MY REVIEW: Summer 2004 TV Series Review:

This article was written, by me, and posted to the 
rec.arts.tv newsgroup on September 7, 2004. 
That original article has been slightly edited by me 
before being placed on the web on September 12, 2004.

Note: Your best bet is just to pick out the shows you watch, and read those reviews - few people read my whole dang review!

A summary of the grading scheme can be found at:
  http://homepage.mac.com/ijball/grading-guide.html

[List of Graded Shows] [The Show Reviews]

LIST OF GRADED SHOWS:

Rank   TV SERIES                GRADE    OTHER COMMENTS
----  -----------               -----    --------------
      The Dead Zone               B+      
      The Amazing Race 5          B
      North Shore                 B
      The 4400        pre-finale: B-; finale: C
      The Days                    C+
      Missing                     C+
      Summerland                  C
      Big Brother 5               F
      Monk                        INCOMPLETE
      Wild Card                   INCOMPLETE

THE SHOW REVIEWS:

Reviewed shows are listed, starting with Sunday shows, and going all the way through Friday(Saturday) shows.

OVERVIEW:

The good news? Somebody actually brings a self-contained, storyarced, limited-run series to American television. Finally! (And with NBC planning to do it again later on this season with "Revelations", maybe it's the beginning of a long over-due trend! Thank you advent of DVDs!!)

And the real advantage of a limited-run series is that you can take care in designing series with a beginning, a middle, and (hopefully) an ending with a "payoff".

The problem with USA's "4400" is that beginning was great, the middle was pretty good, but the "payoff" floundered (badly).

And that's been a perennial problem with recent Skiffy TV series, particularly ones with a "mystery" storyarc and a promised "pay-off".

While movies as diverse as The Sixth Sense, The Usual Suspects and Memento have yield "dramatic" pay-offs that were not only buttressed by the preceding narrative, but actually, in retrospect, enhanced it, Skiffy TV has, far too often, had the opposite happen - in the case of "The X-Files", apparently in the case of the short-lived "John Doe", and now in the case of "The 4400", the resulting resolutions to those shows' "mysteries" have had the effect of sullying everything that came before.

Which is too bad in the case of "The 4400" - while I didn't think the first 5 episodes were "brilliant", per se, I did think the show was fairly interesting and reasonably entertaining.

But then the resolution of "We're from the future!" hit, and everything went to crap.

Sigh.

WHAT WORKED:
    Some of the cast performances, especially Laura Allen and Mahershala Karin-Ali, and to a lesser extent Billy Campbell (and I guess Conchita Campbell, as little Maia), were quite good, as were some of the guest stars. This show should be commended for trying (if not always succeeding) in taking not just a character-driven approach to the material, but also a sociological approach as well. FWIW, even though the science in the premiere episode was horrid, I did find it relatively suspenseful, and felt it was the best episode in the bunch.
WHAT DIDN'T WORK:
    Some of the other cast performances (e.g. Joel Gretsch, Jacqueline McKenzie, and Peter Coyote) were, IMO, less than successful. I'm not sure I liked the "mutant/4400 of the week" approach to some of the later episodes either.
    Ultimately, this show promised more than it delivered, and that finale has seriously cut into the odds that I'll catch any follow-up.

OVERVIEW:

Johnny Smith continues his mission into a 3rd season, in what is probably TV's best Skiffy show on the air right now.

It's hard for me to compare the just-finished season #3 with last year's two-segment season #2. I think season #2 might have been better overall, but like season #2, season #3 had a couple really great episodes (notably "Cold Hard Truth" and "Shadows"), a couple of episodes that were just good fun ("Total Awareness" and "Looking Glass"), and one or two episodes I could have lived without ("Instinct"). And, like season #2, the Stilson-arc progressed, ending in a pretty dandy little season-ending cliffhanger.

Works for me!

WHAT WORKED:
    I liked that they reiterated the importance of Bruce (John L. Adams) to Johnny in "Shadows". I think it's probably also a good move that they wrapped up the Sarah (Nicole DeBoer) angst and the hanging JJ/paternity issue this season. It's also smart not to forget the Stilson-arc, though some people around here seemed to want to drop it. Finally, they did a really good job of fleshing out Rev. Purdy (David Ogden Stiers) in season #3. I enjoyed the episodes mentioned above.
WHAT DIDN'T WORK:
    Cutting Dana Bright (Kristin Dalton) was a serious, and unneeded, error, IMO - I hope they reverse themselves and at least bring her back in season #4 to wrap her storyline up. While we're at it, I really don't think Sarah Wynter's Rebecca Caldwell added much of anything to the show. The aforementioned "Instinct" may have been the worst DZ episode to date. And, "Boooo!" to USA for holding the second-part of the season finale back to season #4.

OVERVIEW:

If you ever wondered what a low-rent, 2nd rate knock-off of a Herskovitz-Zwick show would look like, look no further than ABC's summer series "The Days".

For, whatever their faults (and, IMO, Herskovitz-Zwick do have some faults!), they were usually much subtler, and much more poignant, than anything "The Days" ever managed. In fact, all "The Days" ended up doing for me is pointing up how difficult it is to calibrate a Herskovitz/Zwick-type show and get it right.

WHAT WORKED:
    In general, the cast of actors for this show was good, with probably the biggest surprise being Real Cancun vet Laura Ramsey as daughter Natalie (someone whom I'd never seen before); also, it was nice seeing "Homefront" alumnus David Newsom again. Also, guest actors Courtnee Draper (Emma), Brittany Irvin (Zanni) and Claudette Mink (as co-worker Tyler) were top-rate. Overall, the acting was the only thing saving this show from a straight 'C'.
WHAT DIDN'T WORK:
    OK, first off, major demerits have to go to the camera work - whoever thought it would be a good idea to marry "NYPD Blue"-style "drunken cameraman" filming with "family drama", should never work again! Beyond that, this show never got the balance between whimsy and pathos right, which seriously detracted from the whole effort. Frankly, it was never as poignant as it thought it was (nor as effective as it should have been).
    Ultimately, I found the show more annoying and unbelievable than anything, and even strong performances can't overcome that.

OVERVIEW:

Due to the timeslot change, I think I've seen all of about one episode of "Wild Card's" 2nd season. As such, it's hard for me to judge it. But it's pretty clear that it's been "retooled", in that the work lives of Chris Potter and Joely Fisher have been strongly emphasized, and the home life of Fisher's character has been deemphasized, to the point where it is now essentially an afterthought (whereas before it was an important element of the show).

If that is indeed the case, put me down in the camp that would call this another "retool" gone awry, as I liked the first season vision of the show better.

OVERVIEW:

Good, clean, silly, soapy summer fun. (And this show delivered on that.)

If anyone expected anymore than that, they weren't paying attention!

Frankly, I'm glad it has apparently been picked up for more episodes - yeah more good, clean, silly Fall TV fun!! (And may it live a long life, just to piss off the preening pinheads like Marc Berman and the folks at Entertainment Weekly!!)

WHAT WORKED:
    Despite myself (and despite the fact that I don't think Brooke Burns is up to the acting of it), I actually find myself enjoying the Jason/Nicole "old flames/lost loves" storyline (at least, at first) - so sue me! And, again, while I don't think the really stunning looking Amanda Righetti is up to the task either, her Tessa character (villainess?) is the best part of the show. Also, while James Remar is solid (though he probably deserves better than this - still, it's a paycheck!), I quite like Nikki Deloach (M.J.) whom I've never seen before. FWIW, Jason Momoa (Frankie) has actually improved since his "Baywatch: Hawaii" days (though I'm not exactly sure that that means anything!)...
    Aside from all that, unlike "Las Vegas", this show has so far managed to make the 'guest' storylines interesting, as well as being integral to the show (well, until the 9/6 episode, anyway) - I hope they don't lose sight of this important aspect.
WHAT DIDN'T WORK:
    While Corey Sevier isn't lighting the screen on fire, the more important point is that his surfer Gabriel character adds nothing to this show, and is an unneeded distraction - dump him!
    In general, outside of probably Polaha and Deloach, this show is never going to be much of an actor's paradise.
    The near-term addition of Shannen Doherty makes me nervous.

OVERVIEW:

The worst cast yet, combined with the most braindead "twists" yet from the ostensible "producers" of this show, has finally bankrupted the franchise.

This show needs to get back to basics if it has any hopes of getting back on track.

WHAT WORKED:
    In this edition? pretty much nothing - while her "act" was pretty obvious, the only cast member I ever got a bang out of was Holly, and she was the 3rd evicted.
WHAT DIDN'T WORK:
    Where to start?! This was the most worthless, contemptible, least diverse cast yet! There was no one to root for, they were boring, and they were loathsome! Contrary to perception, this loathsomeness made them not "more watchable", but unwatchable! But the worst part is WE'VE SEEN ALL OF THESE "TYPES" BEFORE (either on previous editions of BB, or on other reality shows) - there is no originality left in the casting here!! IOW, if I see one more 20something wannabe actor on this show, I will drive up to Burbank and burn that house down myself!
    The so-called "twists" this season destroyed the integrity of the game even more than last season's "X-Factor" did.
    Even Julie Chen looks bored.
    Bottom line: Arnold Shapiro and Allison Grodner have ruined this show, with their horrid "stunt" casting and their idiotic "game twists". Until they are finally canned, BB will continue to descend into the sinkhole of present-day reality TV.

A solid, if rather simple and repetitive, entry in the "reality" sweepstakes, the one thing that really manages to set "The Amazing Race" apart from all the others is that it hasn't succumbed to the one thing that is slowly killing reality TV - while the casting of other reality TV series has become rote to the point that there is now a definable "reality TV TYPE" (e.g. 20- or 30-something "cute" wannabe actor, with an aggressive and narcissistic personality - see, for example: BB5), TAZ race generally manages to cast a good cross-section of demographic groups without most of the obvious reality-TV "personality traits".

WHAT WORKED:
    See above - the casting is what generally works on this show, along with the exotic locales. Also, some people like the "race"/gameshow aspect of this series more than I do.
WHAT DIDN'T WORK:
    This show gets to be repetitive after a while - it's always, "Detour", "Road Block", "non-elimination round", blah, blah, blah, blah, blah! Too bad Mirna & Smirna are gone. And Colin is a pr*ck!

OVERVIEW:

More "family show" prattle from Aaron Spelling, this show's main claim to fame seems to be that it strikes you as a little less annoying than "7th Heaven". Barely.

WHAT WORKED:
    Well, Shawn Christian and Merrin Dungey are pretty good actors, though I'm not sure what crimes they've committed to deserve serving time in this particular show. The "teen stories" centered around Bradin and Nikki are uniformly this show's most "interesting"(loose definition!) ones (and, surprisingly, the "deepest" ones... well, as "deep" as "Summerland" is capable of, anyway), but I'm not sure if that's to be expected or is a warning sign for the show.
WHAT DIDN'T WORK:
    Do they intend for Ava (Lori Loughlin) to be this annoying?! The show's lead character is also the show's least appealing character, by far! and that makes getting through a number of "Summerland" episodes a real chore. Do they really need Ryan Kwanten (Jay) and Taylor Cole (Erika) around?! - this is a case where I think they've got a couple of extraneous characters here. The show's "adult" storylines (i.e. the ones based around the 4 adults) are laughably simplistic (just like they are on "7th Heaven"! go figure!!) Also, unlike "Everwood", this show really, really skimped on the kids' "grief" angle, like they assume we, the audience, aren't capable of handling it, or something... [rolling eyes]
    All in all, this show is barely passable summer viewing, and I'm not sure it'll survive long airing against the 'big boys' this coming Mid-Season...

OVERVIEW:

I'm of two minds on this show's second season.

On the one hand, it has been "retooled", and it bears the unmistakable fingerprints of a "Golberg & Rabkin retool" - the action quotient is up, and the more character-driven humaneness of the show's 1st season is mostly gone. In other words, season #2 is slicker, more action-oriented, but less satisfying.

On the other hand, I think we are getting more of this show's best feature in season #2: Caterina Scorsone. And she, pretty much all by herself, has been the main reason to watch this show anyway.

All in all, I think I still preferred season #1's slower pace, larger cast and more obvious "Lifetime-y" tone and focus. And, yet, I think I've watched most of season #2's episodes (in fact, I've seen more of season #2 than I did of season #1). So they must be doing something right.

WHAT WORKED:
    Duh! - the focus on Caterina Scorsone's Jess is even more of a reason to watch this season. Vivica A. Fox is fine, and didn't annoy me as much as I might have expected. The mysteries usually don't suck. Oh, did I mention Caterina Scorsone?!
WHAT DIDN'T WORK:
    It's too bad Scally's not still around - this show may sport Justin Louis' most annoying performance to date! And, while we're at it, Mark Conselous isn't as annoying as I might have expected, but I still don't care for him.
    The most obvious, and in my estimation callous, G&R retool to this show was making Jess a "rookie FBI agent" - while that does more firmly ground the Jess character in the action of every episode, it's also such a obvious and cynical move that it really kind of turns me off: it's basically a (bad) TV cliche.

OVERVIEW:

Not being a huge fan of this show (and airing it on Fridays at 10pm sure doesn't help in getting me to remember to watch it!), I haven't seen all that much of "Monk's" 3rd season, certainly not enough to give it a "grade".

But, from what I have seen, it seemed to me that the 3rd season started off stronger than the show's 2nd season (which I thought got off to a rocky start).

There's not much to this show, IMO, beyond the performances of Tony Shalhoub and Bitty Schram (the mysteries are pretty par for the course for the genre), but usually the performances of the two leads are enough to be entertaining.

And that works for a lot of people. Good for them.

Too bad Bitty Schram is gone, as of now. In other words, with Schram gone, "Monk" will soon be toast...

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