This fall season has been very different from previous seasons for me. There were only three shows I was interested in checking out. Of those three, there's one I quit watching, one that has yet to premiere, and one I like enough to actually set a scheduled recording for on my DVR. I also happened to catch the pilot of one new show on the plane to England in September, but I'm not really counting that one since I wouldn't have watched it if I wasn't trying to pass the time while I was on a plane for seven hours.
I'm not sure why there are so few new series I'm interested in, whether it's me - or the shows. I'm gonna go ahead and say it's the new shows. It certainly can't be me. *wink*
Last year there were seven series that I was interested in, and I ended up sticking with three (The Flash, Forever, and Jane the Virgin). I'm glad that The Flash and Jane the Virgin were renewed, but I was sad about Forever being canceled. I really liked it. And it had Ioan Gruffud in it. Come on!
If you have read any of my TV review posts, you may probably have already guessed which new series I decided to watch, and maybe which other shows I watched and dropped. And if not, you'll have to wait until the end of this post to find out.
First, let's talk about my favorite returning shows and how I feel in general about their new season.
****Spoilers ahead****
Arrow
This show just gets better and better with each new season. I've really liked seeing Oliver grow and change. I enjoy seeing an Oliver Queen that realizes how much he needs others to help him in his quest to "save his city."
I'm happy to see the old Felicity back. When she came on the show she was such a breath of fresh air, but then as she got more romantically involved with Oliver she became so judgmental and preachy. I'm happy to see that she's getting her old mojo back.
I like how Thea has grown, and her story is going in an interesting direction now that she's been affected by the Lazarus Pit. I hope they don't go too far with her though. I don't want her to do anything that she can't come back from.
The Big Bang Theory
We're now in season 9 of this show, and I'm so tired of seeing Sheldon pretty much in the same place as he was in season 1. He was funny in the first few seasons, going into the ninth season - not so much. His character hasn't had much growth in eight years. I hated the episode where he found out that Leonard wanted to move out and live with his new wife. I hated that he threw his little tantrum, just as he always does when he doesn't like things changing or doesn't get his way, and Leonard and Penny actually gave in to him. They treat him like a child. Sheldon is an adult, and he needs to be treated like one by his friends, or he'll never grow up. Life isn't always fair, you don't always get what you want (okay, you usually don't get what you want), and Sheldon needs to learn to deal with that.
I am glad that Amy hasn't gone back to Sheldon after she broke up with him. As much as her character annoys me, I feel that she deserves a relationship with someone who treats her the way she should be treated, someone who doesn't make her sign a relationship contract that's all about him. Amy needs to find a guy she can have a healthy relationship with, or Sheldon needs to grow up and realize how to be a loving, giving boyfriend. And if Sheldon can't change, Amy is better off without him.
There have still been some funny episodes when the focus is on the geekiness of "boys," but otherwise, it's just the same old, same old.
Castle
This is another show that I'm frustrated with the direction it's gone. Why can't a series actually have a happily married couple? We spend seasons and seasons waiting for main characters to realize they love each other, then we have a wedding, and then... one of them decides that it's "safer" for the other person if they separate. It's such a old trope, and this show didn't need to go there.
I still like the show, and the episodes have been good for the most part, but Rick and Kate just need to get back together.
Doctor Who
This has been a great season so far. I'm so glad the Doctor has become less curmudgeonly. I really like Peter Capaldi, and he is such a great actor. I just don't think last season did him justice. But so far this season, each episode has been tops for me.
The only complaint I have is that I'd like to see more episodes set on a different planet than earth, and where the Doctor isn't trying to save all mankind. I like more intimate stories where the stakes aren't so high, the threat is more personal, and we're introduced to new characters that we care about.
The Flash
The second season of The Flash has been really good so far. Since I haven't read any of the comics, I didn't know the significance of the hat that came through the wormhole at the end of season 1, but I know now, and I think it's great that we have two Flashes, except I'm sad that Jay doesn't have the abilities on our earth that he had on his own. I hope we find out why, and that he gets them back. I'd love to see both Barry and Jay working together.
The introduction of Earth 2 is a great twist, and I look forward to finding out what kind of man Harrison Wells from Earth 2 is, and I hope he's a good guy. Tom Cavanaugh is a great actor, and I was sad when his character died last season, more because the actor was gone, than the character. I loved the dynamic between Barry and Harrison before they knew he was a bad guy. I loved how he mentored Barry, and I look forward to seeing that again. I just don't want them to visit the same story and make him a bad guy.
Grimm
I was sad about the two deaths at the end of last season, and I was excited see what was going to happen with Diana. After the first episode of the season, we're not completely certain of one of the deaths (although I think she's dead), and we haven't seen Diana yet. The first episode wasn't the strongest I've seen from this series, but it was a good start for the upcoming season, and set up a lot for future episodes.
I'm interested in seeing how being a father will change Nick. Will they show him involved much in his son's life? Most series don't incorporate babies much into their story lines, until you forget there ever was a baby. It will be interesting to see what Grimm does with Kelly - and Diana, for that matter.
Jane the Virgin
This show has some of the strongest writing I've seen in a long time. The format is so clever. The story lines are interesting, and Gina Rodriguez is so good in her role as Jane. It hasn't yet gone through any kind of second season slump, and it doesn't look like it will.
Also, there has never been a character in a tv series or movie quite like Rogelio. I love him. His lines are as funny as his ego is big. The show juggles many plot lines, and not one of them suffers. It's just a great series.
Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D
I love this show. The unevenness of the first season really turned many people off, and I'm sure many of those viewers have never returned to it, but they should. The writing is so strong, as are the characters. In a show that has many characters and can have several plots going on in each episode, last week gave us a very intimate episode where we found out what happened to Jemma after the monolith transported her to another world. The entire episode featured only two actors, until we see Fitz at the end with Jemma. It was a wonderful performance by Elizabeth Henstridge, and it was very well written. The episode also made us want to see if FitzSimmons can rescue Will, and if he does, will the Will they save be the Will Jemma came to care about on that freaky, evil world, or will Will be a freaky, evil Will? (Sorry, I couldn't resist.)
One thing that Joss Whedon is good at is ensemble casts, and Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. is proof again that when Joss has his in hand in a project, even though the characters may suffer, the characterizations do not.
Nashville
Oh, Nashville. Talk about characters suffering...Why does every character have to be so miserable? I don't know why the writers can't give anyone a happy story line. Juliette's postpartum depression is probably the worst. I don't understand why the writers have made everyone abandoned her when she needs her loved-ones the most. It's one of the most depressing and hard to watch stories I've seen on television. Especially since Hayden Panettiere (the actress who plays Juliette) has said that she actually has been suffering from postpartum depression since the birth of her own baby. It's so difficult to watch. And the suffering just doesn't end, it just gets worse for everyone. Especially the audience.
I'm not quite sure why I still watch this show. It's kind of like Once Upon a Time - I liked the first season, and I keep watching, hoping it will be good again, or at least until someone has a happy moment.
Once Upon a Time
I don't like Emma as the Dark One. I think it was a great idea to make her the Dark One, but I think the plot has been really boring. And I really don't like Jennifer Morrison's portrayal as the Dark One. It's been very one note. I'm thinking she's a better actress than the material they've given her, or the direction she's been given. I'm not quite sure what the deal is.
And why did they make King Arthur a villain!!!!???? That is one of the worst ideas the showrunners have had. I didn't like it when they made Peter Pan the villain, and this is even worse. There's also no reason to have him the villain. If they just concentrated on Emma being the villain, instead of wasting time on making Arthur bad, then Emma's plot might not be so boring.
Again, they introduce new characters to the detriment of the regular characters. Why even have regulars when they just keep adding new characters with new stories every 12 episodes, who we know will be gone soon? If the writers want it that way, why not just make it like American Horror Story and change everything up every season - or half season?
And where is Will Scarlet (Knave of Hearts)? He was the best thing in Once Upon a Time in Wonderland, and because he was an audience favorite, they brought him over to Once Upon a Time, only to give him nothing to do except be a possible romantic interest for Belle. Well, that went out the window quickly, as did he. I want him back, and I want him to have a good reason to be back.
I almost feel like I'm so jaded with this show that nothing is going to make me like it like I did season 1. They could have the best episodes, and I would still find something wrong. *sigh*
Reign
I enjoyed Reign for the most part its first season. I really didn't like it much the second season and I stopped watching it on a regular basis. This season they have added a new queen to the mix, Elizabeth II. I think it's a good idea, since the influence Elizabeth had on Mary (and vice versa) was huge, even though Mary and Elizabeth never met in real life, as far a historians know. Elizabeth was afraid that Mary was going to take her throne, and eventually Mary was executed to prevent this. No one knows if Elizabeth really wanted her cousin to die, but Elizabeth's advisers made sure it happened to remove a large threat to her crown.
I like the addition of Elizabeth, and her real relationship with Robert Dudley certainly makes for interesting drama. I'm just waiting for Amy to fall down those stairs (read up on Robert Dudley if you're curious about that).
So far this show has not been very historically correct (the closest they came was the death of Henry II), but this season the writers couldn't ignore one big event that happened in the real life of Mary, Queen of Scots. Her first husband died. King Francis died of complications from an ear infection when Mary was 18. Following Francis's death, Mary returned to Scotland. I'm actually ready for Francis to die, because the stories of the relationships Mary had after she returned to Scotland are actually more interesting than what the writers could make up themselves. If we get that far, I'm interested to see how they deal with Lord Darnley, David Rizzio, and the Earl of Bothwell. Now, that's good television.
Sleepy Hollow
This has been an interesting season. I love the sub-plot with Jennie and Joe Corbin, and I'm excited to see where that is going to go. I love Ichabod and Abbie's characters and their relationship, regardless of the plot, but I really wish they would get to the point with Pandora. If every episode is just going to be about Ichabod and Abbie having to deal with the monsters that Pandora unleashes, then I'm going to be bored really quickly. I want to see them deal directly with Pandora, and then move on to something new.
And don't get me started on Betsy Ross. Arrrggghhh! First it was getting to be annoying that Ichabod was involved in every historical event during the Revolutionary War, and knew every founding father. Now, Betsy Ross is involved in everything and with everyone too. It's so annoying. And her dialogue drives me up the wall. It's so modern. Why is it that Ichabod is the only character who speaks so archaically? I don't think anyone else in the flashbacks speaks like he does, and they should - for consistencies sake.
And now, for two shows I checked out and didn't feel the urge to watch any more:
Grandfathered
This is the pilot I watched on my way to England. There were funny parts, but nothing about it grabbed my interest enough to want to watch anymore. Maybe I was overly tired and I should give it another chance, but I don't think I will.
Crazy Ex-Girlfriend
This has a very funny premise, as well as Santino Fontana (from Broadway's Cinderella), and it's a musical. What could be better? Umm, almost anything else. The cold opening was promising. The first musical number was funny, but it went downhill from there for me. The second musical number about getting ready for a date was excruciating. Paula's sudden change from disliking Rebecca to being her best friend was not believable. However, this is a musical sitcom, so I guess I should give it some slack. Okay, I'll give some slack, but I'm still not going to watch it.
And... the new series I'll keep watching...
Dun dun dun...
Supergirl
I've never reader of superhero comic books, but I certainly am a watcher of television adaptations of superhero comic books. For me it started with Wonder Woman when I was young. years later came Smallville, and most recently Arrow, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., and The Flash. And now there's Supergirl. It's nice to have a female super hero again.
I enjoyed the pilot a lot. I think Melissa Benoist was a great choice to play Superman's "older" cousin. It's nice to see Jeremy Jordan on television again. Smash was a great show for him to make his television debut, because he is such a great voice, but his character was a bit infuriating on that show. Now he can play a lighthearted character, and hopefully show some depth also.
I'm not the biggest Calista Flockhart fan, and so far she's a bit one dimensional in her portrayal of Cat Grant, but I'm hoping that in future episodes she will have a chance to deepen her character and not just be an imitation of Miranda Priestly from The Devil Wears Prada.
I love how Kara is like Barry (the Flash) regarding her super-abilities. She is excited to be able to use her powers to save people. She isn't full of angst and meloncholy like the Arrow, or Batman. The tone of the show is really good, and I hope it continues to have humor and that it doesn't take itself too seriously.
I am glad to see Laura Benanti in the show. I really like her, and I'm excited that we get to see her play a villain, as well as Kara's mother.
The new series I want to see that hasn't started yet is...
DC's Legends of Tomorrow
Another series based on comic books. Surprise!
This show will feature characters that have already been introduced in Arrow and The Flash. That makes it more appealing to me, and probably to other fans of those two shows. I'm also excited to see Arthur Darvill in another television series. He played Rory in Doctor Who for three seasons. He is playing a time traveler in this new series, which is very apropos.
Shows I'll be watching when they return midseason:
Galavant
I was excited about this show when I first heard about it, but it didn't live up to my expectations - especially the music. I'm hoping that Alan Menken will write more memorable songs now that he has more time to work on them. I'm not saying that Menken can't write good music quickly. I'm just saying that I don't think any of the songs in Galavant were anywhere near his best work.
I really want to like Galavant, and I want good new Menken songs to download, so I hope this season gives me plenty to like about it.
Beauty and the Beast
I believe this is the last season for Beauty and the Beast. I'm surprised that it's lasted this long, just based on ratings. I have enjoyed this series better than I thought I would after I saw the first episode. I thought that Kristen Kreuk was totally wrong for the role of Catherine, but now I actually like her in the role. I excited to see where it goes in its last season. The last season of the original 1980's series, Beauty and the Beast, which I loved, was horrible. So we hope history doesn't repeat itself.
What new shows are you watching? What old shows are you still watching? Do you think this is a strong new season or weak?
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