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[ivysaur12]

Did Up All Night or Parks ever get key art for this season? Weird.

 

[bigboss370]

watched Last Resort pilot, i'm so in.

 

[Pastry]

watched Last Resort pilot, i'm so in.

Just watched it and thought it was great, way better than Revolution. Will watch for sure.

 

[RatskyWatsky]

Premiering today:

The third season of Haven on SyFy at 10/9c

 

[Cornballer]

- The Season 3 premiere of Raising Hope is available for streaming

 

[NotTheGuyYouKill]

Premiering today:

The third season of Haven on SyFy at 10/9c

Oh hell yes.

 

[TripOpt55]

I'll be watching Haven. Feels like forever since it was last on. I kind of liked it airing in the summer as opposed to the madness of Fall.

 

[RatskyWatsky]

Premiering today:

The third season of Treme on HBO at 10/9c

 

[Slayven]

Go On was a happy surprise. Sappy, but I loved it. But I can't see how they make it go past a season.

 

[Dany]

Glad to hear about Last Resort. Can't wait.

 

[RatskyWatsky]

Today is the first official day of the 2012-13 primetime TV season!

Premiering today:

The eighth season of How I Met Your Mother on CBS at 8/7c

Dancing with the Stars: All-Stars on ABC at 8/7c

Partners on CBS at 8:30/7:30c

The second season of 2 Broke Girls on CBS at 9/8c

The third season of Mike and Molly on CBS at 9:30/8:30c

The third season of Hawaii Five-0 on CBS at 10/9c

The fifth season of Castle on ABC at 10/9c

American Masters: The Day Carl Sandburg Died on PBS at 10/9c

Reviews:

Sepinwall - Partners

D

There's potentially a funny comedy to be made about a selfish jerk who constantly walks all over the people who care about him. But it would need to be a much, much darker show that's aware of how toxic Louis is on the people around him. Because of how these characters were created, Kohan and Mutchnick can't see that, unfortunately, and "Partners" mistakenly believes that Louis is so charming — and so secretly good-hearted, despite ample evidence to the contrary — that we will all love him despite his ample flaws, and despite the complete lack of platonic chemistry between Krumholtz and Urie.

The show around Louis is filled with a lot of creaky set-up/punchline humor, much of it based around forced double entendres; a running gag in the pilot involves Wyatt wearing a heart pin on his scrubs, just so he can say "I've got a heart-on" and offer to give one to Joe.

I watched the second episode just to see if the creators had softened Louis any, since Urie is working overtime on such a terrible character and deserves better. If anything, Louis is worse in next week's show; the pilot at least makes a token effort towards having Louis fix the mess he created, where in the second episode, he's largely oblivious to what he's doing.

"You know, you are not a good person," Joe tells him at one point in that outing.

"I get that a lot," Louis says. "Please be more specific."

Mo Ryan - Partners

"Partners," is just a tiresome collection of hacky scenes and lines (a Clay Aiken joke in 2012? Really? Here's another actual line: "Joke joke joke, gay gay gay, I will cut you." And that's just in the first two minutes, folks!). Michael Urie's character manages to unite almost every single tired stereotype about gay men, and Brandon Routh, who displays a stunning lack of comic ability, laboriously plays his boyfriend. Everything about their scenes is painful to watch. David Krumholtz is fine, more or less, but he is unable to rescue this grating, unpleasant train wreck from itself. Nobody expects innovative or edgy comedy from CBS, and that's fine; the network has made a ton of money aiming squarely at the mainstream. But CBS programs generally display a level of basic competence that this "comedy" falls woefully short of.

 

[NotTheGuyYouKill]

Happy that Hawaii 5-0 and Castle are back. HIMYM I just lost interest in, and 2 Broke Girls I have to catch up on the last ten episodes.

 

[Steelyuhas]

Hawaii Five-0, Vegas, Modern Family, Parks and Rec, New Girl, Last Resort, and Sons of Anarchy on the docket to watch this week.

Holy shit, I'll never find the time to watch those this week.

 

[freshair]

Started watching Go On and I'm quite enjoying it. Hope Matthew Perry gets a hit on his hand because I enjoy his brand of humor (I also liked Mr. Sunshine).

 

[Wes]

The Paradise - BBC (trailer here) is starting tonight (no prior warning as far as I'm aware, this happened fast. I knew the BBC were pushing to get this out before ITV's similiar show but still).

Three character introductions are also here:
Denise (Joanna Vanderham)
Miss Audrey (Sarah Lancashire)
Moray (Emun Elliott)

==================================================

A new BBC comedy I missed, just read an article about it. It starts tonight:

Cuckoo (BBC Three - 6 Episodes)


(Click for trailer)

Ken and Lorna Thomas' daughter Rachel has returned from her gap year with a new husband, Cuckoo - self-appointed spiritual ninja. He is every parent's worst nightmare - a slacker full of outlandish, New Age ideas. Ken and Lorna have no choice but to welcome him into their family home - and if every Englishman's home is his castle, then this hippie has stormed Ken's fortress and plundered everything, most unforgivably, his princess.

And yes, that is Andy Samberg in the titular role. On related BBC comedy news, we are three episodes in to the new series of The Thick Of It and it is absolutely fantastic.

 

[RatskyWatsky]

Premiering today:

The tenth season of NCIS on CBS at 8/7c

Dancing with the Stars: All-Stars Results Show on ABC at 8/7c

An all new episode of New Girl on Fox at 8/7c

Ben and Kate on Fox at 8:30/7:30c

The fourth season of NCIS: Los Angeles on CBS at 9/8c

The super-official second season premiere of New Girl on Fox at 9/8c

The Mindy Project on Fox at 9:30/8:30c

Vegas on CBS at 10/9c

The sixth season of Private Practice on ABC at 10/9c

Brickleberry on Comedy Central at 10:30/9:30c

Reviews:

Sepinwall - The Mindy Project - Ben and Kate

When I look at "Ben and Kate" and "The Mindy Project" I can't just do some simple arithmetic about how much each pilot made me laugh. (Each did, but only sporadically.) It's a more elaborate calculus about whether these feel like they have the raw material and the voice to become really good.

And I think both do.

I instantly liked all three characters [in Ben and Kate]. I just didn't find them incredibly funny in this first outing. There are stray laughs here and there — a number of them from Lucy Punch as Kate's inappropriate best friend BJ, who gives her dating advice like "Draw attention to your mouth. Constantly." — but the first episode is more of a pleasant experience that holds the promise of something better down the road.

Ben and Kate - B

There are a few rough patches — a blind date gone awry scene (with Kaling's old "Office" co-star Ed Helms) pushes Mindy's behavior to the point where she seems unstable rather than just neurotic — but overall, "The Mindy Project" is a comedy that arrives knowing what it wants to be and what kinds of stories and jokes it wants to tell.

The Mindy Project - B+

Sepinwall - Vegas

B

At a press conference for the show last month, lead producer Greg Walker said the ultimate goal was a structure like "The Good Wife" has: a mix of Case of the Week and bigger arcs, and no strict formula on how much time has to be devoted to either one in each episode.

The ratio in the pilot leads to the most straightforward version of the show possible. Quaid and Chiklis will keep me watching for a while, but in the long run I'd like to see a more ambitious approach to the material.

Mo Ryan - The Mindy Project - Ben and Kate

Neither comedy is really there yet, but "Ben and Kate" is the more promising of the two, which is weird, given that "Mindy Project" is the first solo project of "Office" writer-actor Mindy Kaling. Both deserve more time to figure out what they want to do, but my patience for "Mindy" is far more scanty than I thought it would be.

Mo Ryan - Vegas

"Vegas," like most of the network's shows, is all about The Man Who Breaks the Rules to Get Things Done and The Loyal Team That Helps Him. It's hard to escape the conclusion that, week to week, "Vegas" could well be just one of many crime procedurals on a network known for them. Even dressed up in cowboy hats and shiny Mobster suits, won't these characters likely be put through increasingly familiar paces? Much depends on how willing the show is to examine the ambiguity built into the relationship between Savino and Lamb, who need each other in order to keep the peace, for locals and tourists alike. I'll keep watching, given the caliber of the cast and the solidly made pilot, and I'll hope that "Vegas" gives these actors more to do than standing over bodies and leveling shotguns at city slickers.

AV Club - The Mindy Project

Todd VanDerWerff - I’m torn on The Mindy Project, to be honest. The pilot is something of a mess, and it tries to do far too much. On the other hand, in a fall when so many comedy pilots seem mostly interested in recreating the shows of the ’90s, over-ambition is more promising than the same old thing all over again. B

AV Club - Ben and Kate

Molly Eichel - I didn’t find Ben And Kate outright, LOL-filled, but with a show like this, that’s okay. The lack of guffaws may be seen as one of the supposed determinants of toning down a ostensibly wacky character, but it also makes them bearable to be around when the initial pratfalls start falling flat (see, again: Stinson, Barney). For a show like Ben And Kate, it’s less important to me that I’m hit with laugh line upon laugh line because I want to continue to be with these characters and see them progress. They have plenty of time to make me laugh later on.

Poniewozik - The Mindy Project - Ben and Kate

Each of these comedies has double-edged potential: Ben and Kate could be too slight, The Mindy Project too abrasive. But each could have the ingredients to follow their schedule-mate New Girl, which began with strengths (sharp buddy humor) and problems (overfocusing on Jess’ quirks) to figure itself out on the fly as an ensemble comedy. This year’s new girls—and guy—could learn something from it.

Poniewozik - Vegas

The pilot has a strong sense of mood and place but not yet a really original voice. It could easily fall into cornball mob clichés on the one hand (we’ve seen too many lame attempts to do The Sopranos under broadcast TV limitations) or become mainly a cop procedural on the other.

But it is at least attempting to do a similar thing—combining a bigger story or stories with the kind of anthology crime shows that viewers expect from CBS—and if nothing else, we should be glad CBS is trying. CBS doesn’t have to be synonymous with safe, formula cop shows; after all, this is the same network that once made Wiseguy and EZ Streets in the ’80s and ’90s. So while I’m not putting Vegas on my must-watch list right now, it’s at least nice to see that the network that recently defined Las Vegas through CSI is still willing to gamble.

Tim Goodman - The Mindy Project

If, like most sitcoms, Mindy still is in a growth phase, it’s clear the writing and acting are there to be developed. Here’s to one of the few half-hours of merit this season, a beacon of hope among the bleak fall offerings.

Tim Goodman - Ben and Kate

Few sitcoms — and none this fall — find their tone quite as quickly as Ben and Kate has. Faxon, especially, brings his A game to this role, and the series helps make Fox’s new four-comedy Tuesday lineup a don’t-miss destination.

Tim Goodman - Vegas

There’s a lot to recommend in CBS’ new drama Vegas, but perhaps the best thing is that nothing has looked like such a sure-thing lock on television in years. It would be stunning if Vegas -- despite the overused and bland name -- doesn’t become yet another CBS drama hit.

The trick to whether Vegas ultimately can reach its potential (which might not happen even if it’s a runaway hit) is getting the audience to identify with Lamb to the extent that they see the transformation of Las Vegas through his eyes. That means the ongoing cat-and-mouse game with Savino must be real and have patience. If it devolves into Lamb busting up bikers each week or a killing-of-the-week at various casinos, then it will fall short on ambition.

 

[RatskyWatsky]

The Paradise - BBC (trailer here) is starting tonight (no prior warning as far as I'm aware, this happened fast. I knew the BBC were pushing to get this out before ITV's similiar show but still).

==================================================

A new BBC comedy I missed, just read an article about it. It starts tonight:

Cuckoo (BBC Three - 6 Episodes)


(Click for trailer)

And yes, that is Andy Samberg in the titular role. On related BBC comedy news, we are three episodes in to the new series of The Thick Of It and it is absolutely fantastic.

Thanks for the heads up! I updated the OP for posterity's sake. They both sound pretty intriguing, so hopefully they eventually make their way stateside.

 

[Hindle]

We've heard nothing about Frank Darabonts LA NOIR.

 

[RatskyWatsky]

We've heard nothing about Frank Darabonts LA NOIR.

I believe it's currently in production for a spring/fall 2013 release, though I'm not 100% certain. The most recent article I could find was from mid July, and it stated that the show was nearing a series pick up at TNT.

 

[Cornballer]

I believe it's currently in production for a spring/fall 2013 release, though I'm not 100% certain. The most recent article I could find was from mid July, and it stated that the show was nearing a series pick up at TNT.

There are a few similar mentions ("show is nearing a series pick up") in early September, but that's about all I could dig up with a quick search.

 

[ivysaur12]

Anyone want to make a Go On thread? I've seen more than a few people express that they like the show.

 

[RatskyWatsky]

There are a few similar mentions ("show is nearing a series pick up") in early September, but that's about all I could dig up with a quick search.

That's odd. I guess it's just sitting in limbo right now?

 

[Cornballer]

That's odd. I guess it's just sitting in limbo right now?

They might be recasting roles or reworking the pilot, and they don't want to announce anything before they have all of their ducks in a row. Considering the talent involved, I'm a little surprised it isn't full steam ahead by now.

 

[sparky2112]

(I also liked Mr. Sunshine).

THANK YOU. Shame on everyone for not watching this. Perry was great, Alyson Janey (sp?) was GREAT, her son was great, etc., etc. Very much a missed opportunity.

 

[985boi]

Vegas pilot episode is free on iTunes.

 

[RatskyWatsky]

Premiering today:

The fourth season of The Middle on ABC at 8/7c

The regular time period debut of Animal Practice on NBC at 8/7c

The regular time period debut of Guys With Kids on NBC at 8:30/7:30c

The fourth season of Modern Family on ABC at 9/8c

The eighth season of Criminal Minds on CBS at 9/8c

The fourteenth season of Law & Order: SVU on NBC at 9/8c

The Neighbors on ABC at 9:30/8:30c

The thirteenth season of CSI: Crime Scene Investigation on CBS at 10/9c

The second half of the sixteenth season of South Park on Comedy Central at 10/9c

The second season of Key and Peele on Comedy Central at 10:30/9:30c

Reviews:

Mo Ryan - The Neighbors

In the right hands, the idea at the heart of this show -- a normal family moves in to a housing development occupied by human-looking aliens -- could be a lot of fun. Needless to say, this show is not in the right hands (or tentacles, or antennae). It's stiff, lifeless, unfunny and the entire cast fails to register in any meaningful way. Once again, there's so much potential humor here -- the humans are fish out of water among the weirdo aliens, and the aliens themselves don't understand human customs and communication -- but this show fails to abduct nearly all of it. Think of it as "Work It," but instead of men in women's clothing it's got creepy aliens in polo shirts. Hilarity does not ensue.

AV Club - The Neighbors

C-

The Neighbors seems content too often to go for the obvious “wacky alien” gag, often at the expense of logic. One key to having an audience accept your premise is to play by your own rules. No matter how convoluted or outlandish a fictional world, people will be more inclined to stick with it as long as your rules remain consistent, but in The Neighbors, a gag is a gag, no matter if it takes the viewer out of the experience. It’s mildly funny to have the Weavers wake up to the sight of neighbors not knowing how to use hedge trimmers or garden hoses properly, but then you start wondering how in the hell their insulated community is so perfectly groomed. If the aliens have been here for 10 years and seem to eat by incessantly reading our books, then why, in the second episode, have they no concept of what a mall is? And why are they so afraid of riding in Marty’s car when, presumably, they know what cars are and ride around in golf carts every day? This carelessly breezy approach to its own world extends to the pacing of the pilot as well. The Neighbors is in such a rush to settle into its comfy “hijinks of the week” structure that it whooshes right past the central reveal by the 11 minute mark in order to set up a plot about Larry Bird needing to respect Jackie Joyner-Kersee that wouldn’t feel out of place on The Honeymooners. Except, you know, with kooky alien make-up sex.

Poniewozik - The Neighbors

In the two episodes ABC sent to critics, the show doesn’t do as much with the absurd situation as does ABC’s Suburgatory, which has the disadvantage of being entirely about humans. It turns out suburban life is funny because, um, everybody has crazy-neat lawns! People go to malls for fun! Man, shopping sure can be nuts! And raising teenagers–whew, amirite?

Cavemen–that underestimated work of 21st-century satire–started weak and got written off too, so maybe I’ll check back at some point. But for a bizarre comedy with the potential for some really pointed wackiness, this alien vehicle doesn’t get off the ground.

.

They might be recasting roles or reworking the pilot, and they don't want to announce anything before they have all of their ducks in a row. Considering the talent involved, I'm a little surprised it isn't full steam ahead by now.

That makes sense, though I too am surprised that it isn't full steam ahead into production. It seems like it should be a high priority for TNT.

 

[RatskyWatsky]

Premiering today:

The sixth season of The Big Bang Theory on CBS at 8/7c

Last Resort on ABC at 8/7c

The tenth season of Two and A Half Men on CBS at 8:30/7:30c

The ninth season of Grey's Anatomy on ABC at 9/8c

The second season of Person of Interest on CBS at 9/8c

The second season of Scandal on ABC at 10/9c

Elementary on CBS at 10/9c

Reviews:

Sepinwall - Last Resort

B+

The "Last Resort" pilot episode is far and away the best I watched for this fall season. There are some bumps in the next two episodes, but also some very promising signs that, coupled with the talent involved, has me wanting to believe there is a great series here, and not just a great pilot that the series can't possibly live up to.

Sepinwall - Elementary

B

Miller and Liu have excellent (platonic) chemistry, and Miller is far more charming and alive than when he was battling an American accent on ABC's "Eli Stone." I'm not a huge fan of procedurals, but I watched a lot of "Criminal Intent" over the years because I enjoyed watching Vincent D'Onofrio work, and I can see myself checking in on "Elementary" from time to time just for the two leads.

CBS may have wanted to adapt Steven Moffat's take on Holmes, but all the network really wanted was a show that could comfortably slot in after "Person of Interest" and not have to worry about. "Elementary" is definitely that.

Mo Ryan - Last Resort

You'll see a lot of reviews of this drama that say something along the lines of, "I don't know what the fifth (or sixth or seventh) episode of this show will be." That's a valid point, but the first hour of this show is so enjoyable that, at this point, I'm quite willing to follow this crew wherever they go. In the first hour of "Last Resort," Andre Braugher plays the captain of a nuclear sub that gets drawn into some very high-stakes geo-political maneuvers; to say more would risk taking away the excitement of the show's various twists and turns. One of the chief pleasures of this pilot is how well it balances all its subplots and character beats and yet still manages to crackle with energy. "Last Resort" is one of the new season's riskiest dramas, but it's also, in my opinion, the best one.

Mo Ryan - Elementary

Miller's "Elementary" character is just an abrasive, impulsive and pretty smart Brit, and these qualities do not a Holmes make; There's much more to the character, but "Elementary" seems quite willing to ignore all that. The British import "Sherlock" is a far, far more pleasing modern-day adaptation, but "Elementary" doesn't just fail because it's not as good as the Benedict Cumberbatch vehicle. The CBS show has a whole host of problems that hobble it: Lucy Lui gives a flavorless, boring performance as Joan Watson. Watson is written as a mere scold and literal babysitter and thus the relationship between the two lead characters -- which must be of interest for the enterprise to work at all -- is not compelling in the least. To shove this venerable duo into CBS' procedural format, the show's producers have managed the unlikely feat of removing almost everything interesting about them. And before you ask, no, I don't care that Watson is female -- that could have been an interesting twist. But the two leads lack any kind of chemistry, platonic or otherwise, and the storytelling lacks the smarts and insight of one of TV's best Sherlockian creations, "House." With all due respect to Miller's performance, I deduce that when it comes to "Elementary," the game is most assuredly not afoot.

AV Club - Last Resort

The characters largely fall into broad archetypes, and their motivations are very, very basic, like how Kendal just wants to get home to his wife (Jessy Schram). Robert Patrick’s character, the COB, Joseph Prosser, is an asshole just so the show can have an asshole. And so on.

That’s the gamble Ryan and Gajdusek are making: If they can get audiences hooked on an hour that races forward with less heed for the slower, more revealing moments, those audiences will be down with future episodes, which spend more time fleshing out the characters and the world of the show (which is our world, but only just). In this regard, it’s similar to, again, Lost and Battlestar Galactica, which both had frantic pilots that were all forward momentum and little time for stopping for breath. Yet both of those pilots also had plenty of character moments, and if they didn’t develop the characters, exactly, they at least gave viewers a better sense of who they were than the Last Resort pilot does. On the other hand, Lost had 90 minutes to work with, while Galactica had a full miniseries. Last Resort only has an hour, so it takes a gamble. Betting on sucking audiences in with a propulsive plot and filling in details later is probably the right gamble to make, but it’s definitely a risky one.

That said, episodes two and three do fill in those details, even if they suffer a bit from not having the pilot’s budget.

But these are the kinds of problems shows want to have, right? Wouldn’t audiences who’ve gotten used to big, complicated cable dramas rather watch shows where the failures are those of over-ambition, rather than simply settling for the status quo? Last Resort is like nothing else on TV, and if it’s busy feeling its way toward a format that will work week-to-week, those are the kinds of growing pains shows like this often have. The series already understands how to break a larger story down into disparate chunks, as all three episodes have important tasks that must be accomplished before the hour is up, and that’s often the hardest struggle for a serialized show to overcome.

Plus, the whole thing puts one in mind of another pilot that valued plot momentum over character and told the audience implicitly that, hey, some of this stuff would get filled in later. That pilot was The Shield’s, and it led to one of the best dramas in TV history. The Shield, of course, was created by Shawn Ryan, this show’s co-creator, and he’s earned some latitude to figure this show out, based on his prior work. Last Resort might have problems, but they’re almost all good problems to have.

Poniewozik - Last Resort

There are a lot of reasons Last Resort is one of the few new series worth getting excited about this fall, but the chief one is that the pilot never lets you forget that you are in the hands of skillful actors and producers who know how to make an hour of television. Co-producer Shawn Ryan has made shows for both cable and broadcast, from dead serious to comic (The Shield, The Unit, Terriers, The Chicago Code), and Last Resort strikes a good balance between mass popcorn entertainment and idea-driven drama.

Tim Goodman - Elementary

Liu’s calm mannerisms play well with Holmes’ more outlandish stunts, and instead of screaming and going into hysterics about his behavior, she demands access to his process and respect in the relationship. That’s a lot more difficult to pull off because the chemistry between the two is hard-earned (and should be), and there’s no inkling of any of it being sexual. In fact, the producers have gone out of their way to thankfully confirm Elementary won’t be a will-they-or-won’t-they situation. They won’t, period, no matter how much eventual tension there might be.

That’s an excellent decision because it makes Elementary focus not just on what CBS does best -- hourlong procedurals in which a mystery is solved and the execution of it is done with minimum cliche -- but also on the character-driven aspect of the show. Now that’s what’s going to make Elementary eventually become an excellent drama.

 

[NotTheGuyYouKill]

Person of Interest Season Premiere?

I'll be checking out Elementary as well.

 

[985boi]

Elementary pilot episode is free on iTunes if anybody missed out on it.

 

[RatskyWatsky]

Premiering today:

The ninth season of CSI: NY on CBS at 8/7c

Made in Jersey on CBS at 9/8c

The third season of Blue Bloods on CBS at 10/9c

The fifth and final season of Fringe on Fox at 9/8c

Reviews:

Mo Ryan - Made in Jersey

In a premise that recalls the '80s movie "Working Girl," ambitious working-class lawyer Martina Garretti (Janet Montgomery) goes to work at a high-end Manhattan law firm, which is full of uptight, WASPy people who are, naturally, either intrigued by her or disdainful of her accent. But, as the show's press materials assure us, what Martina "lacks in an Ivy League education she more than makes up for with tenacity and blue-collar insight." Ha ha, the joke's on you if you paid a lot of money to go to Harvard or Yale, which secretly deprive graduates of their tenacity! In fairness, the cultural preconceptions in the pilot go both ways (even if the deck is stacked against the Manhattan types): The upper-class people are often presumptuous and condescending (or just a little clueless, in the case Martina's boss, played by Kyle MacLachlan), and Martina's big family, not surprisingly, values carb-laden food, big hair and boisterousness. For all its predictable moments, however, "Made in Jersey" is still more or less watchable, thanks to Montgomery, who is an effortlessly appealing actress. If this show doesn't work, no doubt she'll soon be snapped up by another. She's the main reason to watch the very traditional "Jersey," which should appeal to the audience that is already devoted to CBS' other New York-set Friday drama, "Blue Bloods."

Tim Goodman - Made in Jersey

The snobs at the law firm are paper-cutout characters, her family doesn't seem dysfunctional enough to mine stories from (that could change, of course), and Garretti seems too removed to truly gain viewers' sympathy (after all, she's beautiful and a lawyer -- it's not like being from Jersey is such a crippling problem).

Most of the chatter about Made in Jersey probably will be about how accurate Montgomery's accent is (she's an excellent actress, regardless) and how many Jersey stereotypes will be mined for drama (Calvo is from New Jersey, and has said she wants to foil the stereotypes so prevalent on television -- but the pilot doesn't seem to put that desire into action).

The predictability is out in force on this series, and despite CBS' ability to make a hit out of pretty much anything it films, this one doesn't really stand up and make a case for itself.

New York Times - Made in Jersey

The novelty of this bumpkin-in-the-land-of-custom-suits gimmick might wear off quickly, but if the show’s writers can deepen the characters, “Made in Jersey” just might continue to be worth watching. Yes, that would perpetuate a New Jersey stereotype that deserves to be exterminated, but that battle is never going to be won. So might as well settle in for a pedicure, choke down the accent and enjoy.

SFGate - Made in Jersey

The one thing "Made in Jersey" has going for it is Montgomery, a stunning British actress who manages to do the whole "Joisey" thing with passable credibility, aided and abetted by very big hair. The fact that Martina looks a great deal like Sarah Shahi's Kate Reed on "Fairly Legal" only underscores how much "Made in Jersey" seems like a USA show, but not as good.

Montgomery makes the show mildly enjoyable and will survive its probable short life span. In fact, she's due later this season with the BBC America miniseries "Spies of Warsaw."

 

[RatskyWatsky]

Premiering today:

The fifth season of Star Wars: Clone Wars on Cartoon Network at 9:30/8:30c AM

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles on Nick at 11/10c AM

48 Hours Mystery on CBS at 10/9c

Reviews:

AV Club - Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

B+

Definitely a kid’s show; we won’t be covering it week to week. However, it is recommended as a palliative for adults who accidentally ruined the turtles of their childhoods, or who want to get their franchise nostalgia on without destroying their self-image of having been born with pretty good taste.

 

[TripOpt55]

Will anyone be doing a thread for the new season of Revenge? That show is great. First season is on Netflix. Everyone should try it. At least if you like soaps.

 

[RatskyWatsky]

Premiering today:

60 Minutes on CBS at 7/6c

The second season of Once Upon a Time on ABC at 8/7c

Call the Midwife on PBS at 8/7c

The Amazing Race on CBS at 8/7c

The twenty-fourth season of The Simpsons on Fox at 8/7c

The third season of Bob's Burgers on Fox at 8:30/7:30c

The second season of Revenge on ABC at 9/8c

The seventh season of Dexter on Showtime at 9/8c

The fourth season of The Good Wife on CBS at 9/8c

The eleventh season of Family Guy on Fox at 9/8c

The eighth season of American Dad on Fox at 9:30/8:30c

666 Park Avenue on ABC at 10/9c

The fifth season of The Mentalist on CBS at 10/9c

The second season of Homeland on Showtime at 10/9c

Reviews:

Mo Ryan - Call the Midwife

This six-part series, which takes a little while to get going, follows the education of a sheltered young woman who goes to work as a midwife in London's rough East End. As is so often the case in U.K. dramas, the supporting characters steal the show on "Midwife": Miranda Hart is particularly delightful as an awkward upper-class nurse and Jenny Agutter provides a solid center as one of the tough-minded but compassionate nuns who guide the young midwives with whom they live. It's an eye-opening but resolutely non-grim look at an interesting time and place, so don't forget this modest gem when you're loading up your DVR with season passes this fall.

AV Club - 666 Park Avenue

There are some corny lines, which are only saved O’Quinn’s modulated approach, and the threat of a mythology that could be effective, but could also bog down the series. While back-story can be useful, or even revelatory, it’s ultimately never as interesting as what’s happening right now, which is something far too many shows seem to forget.

Going forward, the big question is how all of this will play as an actual week-to-week show. Given how much happens in the pilot, there’s no clear indication of how 666 Park Avenue’s episodes will function; most likely, Jane and Henry’s story will proceed, while other souls of the week will pop in and out around them. It could be a mess, but there are enough smart touches to offer hope for O’Quinn fans, and right now is the perfect time for a tale of power corrupting, the allure of easy money, and the slippery slope of self-interest.

B+

AV Club - Call the Midwife

What distinguishes this particular series of heartwarming fluff is its disarming lack of pretension. Gone are the long, moody silences where the audience is meant to think about the gravity of all the nothing that is happening. No, Call The Midwife dives right in. The opening shot follows Jenny Lee through her rambunctious new neighborhood. She quickly meets the nuns and nurses at her new convent and takes a few patients. Redgrave wraps it all up in some talk about life and death and love, but it’s a harmless bow. She’s shallow, but she’s not wrong. Call The Midwife knows exactly what it is.

B+

Tim Goodman - 666 Park Avenue

The problem with 666 is there’s not much mystery to it. If there are greater mysteries -- and there are hints a few exist -- then they’re probably not bigger than the one we already know: The devil runs this apartment, and if you make a deal with him, it will end badly.

On the plus side, it’s easy to watch O’Quinn do anything. He always looks evil, even when he’s not supposed to. There’s not enough for Williams to do in the pilot, but the camera always has loved her, so there’s that, at least until she busts out her character’s evil side.

Taylor and Annable also are likable, but you can’t shake the fact that they should know this is too good to be true; it’s tough to buy they’d be so easily duped. Perhaps the worst offense by 666 is that it’s not even an ounce scary. Maybe if the couple had moved into the complex and Gavin and Olivia were not so blatantly menacing, etc., weird things could have started happening slowly and more creepily, a la The Shining. Eventually the freak-out scare factor would rise, then maybe in the season finale we’d find out -- gasp -- he’s the devil! Who knows. But the show has chosen another path.

 

[Wafflecakes]

Watching The Good Wife.

Kalinda is such a badass.

 

[catmincer]

Really enjoyed 666 Park Avenue. ^_^

 

[RatskyWatsky]

Premiering today:

The third season of Raising Hope on Fox at 8/7c

The second season of Heart of Dixie on CW at 8/7c

 

[Wes]

Really enjoyed 666 Park Avenue. ^_^

Personally I found it incredibly dull. It has some good actors but I don't think it's for me at all.

 

[Fusebox]

666 Park Avenue pilot was superb, it felt like a really good film. Can't wait to see what happens in this series!

 

[jamesinclair]

There no official thread for park ave?

 

[RatskyWatsky]

There no official thread for park ave?

Nope!

 

[AngmarsKing701]

666 Park Avenue pilot was superb, it felt like a really good film. Can't wait to see what happens in this series!

The trailers made it look like The Devil's Advocate. I skipped it but my wife thought it was decent.

 

[TripOpt55]

Might have to check out 666 Park Ave. I skipped it for whatever reason.

 

[RatskyWatsky]

Premiering today:

The Neighbors on ABC at 8:30/7:30c - (regular time period debut)

The eighth season of Supernatural on CW at 9/8c

 

[Cornballer]

Did someone make a new 30 Rock thread? I checked this morning and couldn't find one.

Spoiler

No, I'm not volunteering to make it.

 

[Wes]

Hunted starts tonight in the UK. I'm making a thread for it now. How should I tackle the fact that it doesn't begin in the US for a couple of weeks - same kind of warnings as in the Downton thread?

 

[Cornballer]

I made a quick thread for House of Cards since Netflix announced today that they're releasing all 13 S1 episodes on February 1st. This is the political drama from David Fincher that stars Kevin Spacey, Robin Wright, and Kate Mara.

Hunted starts tonight in the UK. I'm making a thread for it now. How should I tackle the fact that it doesn't begin in the US for a couple of weeks - same kind of warnings as in the Downton thread?

That seems reasonable to me. I'll check that out in a few weeks when it hits here.

 

[Wes]

I do enjoy a good political drama! Sounds good.

Hunted OT here. I think I'll do one for BBC's The Paradise soon too. I've seen two episodes and it's really enjoyable thusfar.

 

[RatskyWatsky]

Premiering today:

The seventh and final season of 30 Rock on NBC at 8/7c

Red Dwarf X on Dave HD at 9 (US TBA)

Hunted on BBC One

The sixth and final season of Jersey Shore on MTV at 10/9c

I made a quick thread for House of Cards since Netflix announced today that they're releasing all 13 S1 episodes on February 1st. This is the political drama from David Fincher that stars Kevin Spacey, Robin Wright, and Kate Mara.

Wow, that soon?

Hunted OT here. I think I'll do one for BBC's The Paradise soon too. I've seen two episodes and it's really enjoyable thusfar.

Added to the OP!

-

Also, the pilot for ABC's Nashville is now on Hulu! You can watch it right here!

 

[Cornballer]

Raxus put up an OT for Nashville.

 

[TheDanger]

Sooo hyped for The Vampire Diaries on Thursday and The Walking Dead the following Sunday.

Can't fucking wait anymore.