Review: True Blood (HBO)

Review: True Blood, premiering September 7, 2008 on HBO.

What's it about:
Based on the popular 'Southern Vampire,' book series by Charlaine Harris, "True Blood" follows the adventures of a small-town cocktail waitress Sookie Stackhouse (who all her life was an outsider due to her gift/curse of being a telepath) and how her life is turned upside down when a member of the undead (the vampire race 'came out of the coffin' several years earlier) walks into her life one fateful night. (TV Rage

Who's in it:
Anna Paquin (Sookie Stackhouse) : X-Men: the Last Stand, X2, X-Men
Stephen Moyer (Bill Compton): Ultraviolet, Empathy, The Starter Wife, Lilies
Brook Kerr (Tara) : Cane, Passions
Sam Trammell (Sam Merlotte): AVPR: Aliens vs Predator- Requiem, What if God Were The Sun?, Cold Case, Dexter
Ryan Kwanten (Jason Stackhouse): Dead Silence, Summerland, Flicka, Home and Away

Who's responsible:
Alan Ball: 6 Feet Under






What others say:
The Futon's First Look

Quote: "if Renee tells you you're to young to watch a scary movie on HBO, than I'm siding with him."

What I say:
Folks I think we have a winner. I loved it, but than what do you expect. There's vampires, Stephen Moyer, and H/C...even better that's all found in just one scene. Oh and did I mention vampires?

There are so many characters I love and can't wait to see their story play out. There were some good lines, little jokes, good sex, deadly sex and even scary vampire sex...got to love HBO.

Can I tell you how excited I was to see Stephen Moyer from Ultraviolet? I really liked watching that series and would have liked to see where that story would have went...(cue dream sequence) after Jack gets resurrected Michael and him have hot makeup/breakup sex which is so hot it sends Michael back in time where he wakes up a Commodore chasing pirates in the Caribbean. Meanwhile heartbroken over losing M, Jack changes his name to Bill (Who would name a vampire Bill?) and heads to Lousiana where he meets up with Sookie Stackhouse...and the rest as they say, will be on HBO.

I will say there's nothing I love more than bad New Orleans accents *she says sarcastically*. In what world do people think British actors sound southern? I think that might just be the worst thing about this series I can come up with.

I hate to say it but this series is to niche and far out of the mainstream for HBO that I just can't see it lasting for to long...and Allen Ball has already moved on. True Blood we hardly knew ya. Prepare for it to go the way of some of the greats. I think I'll start building the memorial alter right next to Carnivale's.

Rating:
Watchability: 4 out of 5
S2 Chances: 0 out of 5

REVIEW: Fringe (FOX)

Yes folks it's that time again, the 2008 fall pilots are showing up around town and I'll be checking them out until I can't stand the sight of them.

First up is Fringe premiering on FOX September 9th at 8/7c.

who's in it:
Anna Torv: the Secret Life of Us, Young Lions
John Noble: All Saints, The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, Home and Away
Joshua Jackson: Dawson's Creek
Lance Reddick: The Wire, Oz
Kirk Acevedo: The Black Donnelly's, Law & Order: Trial by Jury, Oz
Mark Valley: Swingtown, Boston Legal, Days of Our Lives, Shrek 3
Jasika Nicole

who's responsible:
J.J. Abrams : Lost, Alias, Felicity, etc, etc, etc
Alex Kurtzman : Hercules: The Legendary Journeys, Xena: Warrior Princess, Jack of All Trades, Alias
Roberto Orci: Alias, Jack of All Trades, Xena, Hercules
Alex Graves: Director





What other's say:
the Futon's First Look
TV.Com Review Roundup

What I say:
This show was on my short list of fall series and one of the few offered in the meager pickings for scifi fans. Zap2it described it as, A young FBI agent has to team up with an eccentric, volatile scientist and his estranged genius son to solve crimes involving fringe science, the science of the supposedly impossible.

I call it X-Files meets Miracles meets 4400 meets The Cell meets...well you get the picture. Other than the X-Files (and The Cell) this show is every recycled plot from previously canceled scifi series that's been on television for the last 10 years. There were a few times I was even expecting crystal trees or Captain Jack to show up.

The pilot is such a mishmash of miscellaneous scifi plots I began to wonder if the writers had a spinning wheel of previously used ideas that they continuously spun to find what came next. Spin the wheel and land on infected plane. Need another idea, spin the wheel and land on cynical partner.
JJ: "What should we do next?"
Alex: *shrugs shoulders* Got me. Any suggestions Roberto?
Roberto" *yawning* Why not just spin the wheel to find out.
JJ spins wheel landing on "conspiracy theory".
Alex: JJ, you're a genius.


As much as I was looking forward to seeing this series I'm sad to say there wasn't an original idea in the 1 1/2 hour pilot. I found myself with, "Been there, seen that, lamented the cancellation" feelings. Given the unoriginality of the series I doubt the show will hold on to many of the viewers that were brave enough to last the complete premiere.


Ratings:
Watchability: 2 out of 5
Second Season Chances: 0 out of 5. I doubt it will get past the magic 13. Don't get to involved.

I wasn't expecting to hate this series as much as I do. There are times like this when as I read other reviews I begin to wonder what I missed...or how much they were bribed to write a good review.

Until next time.

Television Fall 2008 Series Previews Part 3

Next up is FOX

There doesn't seem to be any previews available as yet for NBC shows. When they become available I'll post them.



Fringe
A young FBI agent has to team up with an eccentric, volatile scientist and his estranged genius son to solve crimes involving fringe science, the science of the supposedly impossible.(Zap2it)
Starring: Anna Torv, John Noble, Joshua Jackson, Lance Reddick , Kirk Acevedo, Jasika Nicole and Mark Valley.

Comments:I'm adding another show to my watch list. "Fringe" looks pretty good...Given that it's from JJ Abrams and the muddled mess of "Lost" I don't know how long I'll last, and given FOX's itchy cancelation finger I don't know how long it will last, but it looks worth a shot.

Do Not Disturb
"Upstairs/Downstairs"-style look at the employees and guests at a ritzy New York hotel.(Zap2it)
Starring: Niecy Nash, Jerry O'Connell, Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Molly Stanton, Jolene Purdy, Brando Eaton

Comments: I think Zap2it says it best, "Niecy Nash is funny. Jesse Tyler Ferguson is funny. Jerry O'Connell is capable of being funny. The clips from "Do Not Disturbed" are not particularly funny". Although I've never really found Niecy Nash all that funny it still sums up the clips I watched. Plus it's a sitcom which gives it a pass in my book.

Dollhouse (Midseason)
Echo is a Doll. She can be imprinted with a new personality and past to do all manner of jobs, but when she isn't on the job she has no memory of her own. But when Echo starts having memories, things get complicated for her, the other Dolls and the FBI agent trying to discover the truth about the Dollhouse.(Zap2it)
Starring:Eliza Dushku, Tahmoh Penikett, Fran Kranz, Olivia Williams, Harry Lennix, Dichen Lachman, Enver Gjokaj

Comments: While I think the trailer looks good there are two things that totally kill all thoughts of watching the show; 1st Joss, am I really a glutten for his brand of pain? Could I really do another one of his shows and survive the torture? Those are the questions I keep asking myself and I don't think I have it in me to survive the pain yet again. 2nd, I'm not a fan of Eliza and wish there could be any other actress playing Echo but her...well except Robin Tunney. I didn't like Faith, I didn't like her in Tru Calling, and I haven't liked her in the couple of movies I've seen with her. She reminds me of one of those actors that is either always playing the same character or just playing themself. Since I don't know her I can't say if it's the latter, but it sure does seem that all characters are some variation of Faith.
I'll pass.

Sit Down, Shut Up (Midseason)
Animated Comedy about teachers at a high school in a fishing town that care more about their own disagreements and insecurities than about the welfare of their students. Based on an Australian format.(zap2it)
Starring:Will Arnett, Jason Bateman, Henry Winkler, Cheri Oteri, Will Forte, Regina King, Nick Kroll, Tom Kenny and Maria Bamford

Comments: How many animated series can one network handle? Since I don't watch any of the others I won't be watching this one either.

The Cleveland Show (Midseason)
Animated comedy about Peter Griffin's buddy Cleveland.

Comments: See my comments for "Sit Down, Shut Up" plus add I hate Family Guy and this gets a pass simply by association.

Secret Millionaire (Midseason)
A group of wealthy individuals go undercover in impoverished neighborhoods and learn valuable lessons about how the other half lives. At the end of their journey, each of the millionaires will give a donation of a minimum of $100,000 to a lucky recipient (or recipients). (Zap2it)

Comments: Oh goody a show with sob stories...I think I might just have to put this on my list lower than sitcoms and reality/game shows. I'll pass.

Television Fall 2008 Series Previews Part 2

Next up are the CW and ABC

The CW
Surviving the Filthy Rich
The show centers on Megan, a 23-year-old Ivy League graduate who gets fired from her magazine job and becomes a live-in tutor to the twin granddaughters of a cosmetics mogul. (Buzz Sugar)
Starring: Ashley Newbrough, JoAnna Garcia and Lucy Kate Hale

Comments: Why do sisters that rich share a bedroom? This looks mindless and without substance. I don't think anyone could pay me to watch this show. To think they canceled Veronica Mars and passed on VM Future only to bring the viewers shallow drivel like this.

Stylista (Game/Reality)

Comments: Didn't watch. This genre falls below sitcoms on my watch list.

There doesn't seem to be a trailer for the NEW 90210 series.

ABC
Opportunity Knocks (Game/Reality)
A mobile team heads to Anytown, America to give away big prizes to a chosen family while quizzing them on how well they know each other.

Comments: Ick

Life on Mars
Sam Tyler, a modern-day police detective who, after a car crash, mysteriously finds himself transported back to 1973 and still working as a detective. Based on the BBC series.
Starring: Jason O' Mara as Sam Tyler, Rachelle LeFevre as Annie Cartwright, Colm Meaney as Gene Hunt, Stephanie Jacobsen as Maya, Lenny Clarke as George Randall, Patrick Wenk-Wolff as Colin Raimes and Richard Benjamin as Milton Kornboll.

Comments: No John Simm. I really don't like watching the same scenes with different people while lacking the charisma of JS and Philip Glenister. I'll pass.

The Goode Family (Midseason)
An animated TV program that revolves around a family obsessed with doing the "right" thing environmentally, politically and socially. (IMDB)


Comments: Not a true preview clip but this bored me to death. If it was meant to interest me it didn't. The animation stills look horrid and the characters unrelatable.

Television Fall 2008 Series Previews

I ran across YouTube trailers of the new fall shows and found some more interesting than they sounded in the written description. In a bid to keep you from having to waste time searching them out, I've corralled them all into one place. Enjoy.

Watching the trailers and seeing who's in them has changed my opinion on a few shows. Some for the good and some for the not so good. What do you think?

1st up CBS

Worst Week
Sam Briggs (Kyle Bornheimer) is an entertainment magazine editor who will do anything to please the parents of his girlfriend, Melanie...but instead becomes a one-man wrecking crew whenever he's around them. (TV Spoilers on Yahoo Groups)
Based on the British limited run series, the focus of this single camera comedy is on a young couple’s hellish period before they officially start life together as a married couple.(Marc Berman)
Starring: Kyle Bornheimer, Erinn Hayes, Nancy Lenehan, Jay Maolone and Kurtwood Smith.

Comments: Not to judge a show by its trailer but I'll pass.

The Ex List
After a psychic tells a woman she has already met the man she is going to marry, she begins to track down each and every man she has ever dated. (Marc Berman)
Starring:Elizabeth Reaser, Rachel Boston, Alexandra Breckenridge, Adam Rothenberg and Amir Talai.

Comments: Blah. Pass.

The Mentalist
A man with psychic abilities (former The Guardian star Simon Baker) works as an independent contractor for the police. (Marc Berman)
Starring: Tim Kang, Amanda Righetti, Shaun Toub, Robin Tunney and Owain Yeoman.

Comments:Robin Tunney gives it a pass. Even if this show turns out to be the greatest thing on TV (even though it looks like a clone of Monk, Psych or pick any cop genius show) I still won't watch it based on Robin Tunney being in it. For some reason she always looks like she's in pain...or constipated making her painful to watch.

Eleventh Hour
A government scientist and his attractive counterpart try to save people from deadly scientific experiments.(TV Spoilers)
A professor who is an advisor to a government scientific agency partners with a government operative to troubleshoot any problems or threats to a specific scientific endeavor. (Marc Berman)
Starring: Rufus Swell and Marley Shelton

Comments: as much as actors like Eliza or Robin will turn me off from a show, there are actors like Rufus Sewell that I'll watch because of their past work. 11th Hour is one of those times. I'm not crazy about the trailer, but I was sold at first glance.

Project Gary
A recently single painting contractor and his controlling ex-wife face post-divorce mayhem after 15 years of marriage as they embark on new relationships. (Marc Berman)
Starring: Jay Mohr and Paula Marshall

Comments: Strike 1; it's a sitcom. Strike 2; I like Jay Mohr better on Ghost Whisperer and I won't watch it on that principle alone.

Harper’s Island (midseason)
An Agatha Christie-like murder mystery begins to unveil in this interactive drama after a group of friends meet on an island off the Seattle coast for a wedding. (Marc Berman)
Starring: Elaine Cassidy, Ryan Merriman and Samantha Noble.

Comments: While the trailer looks creepy and full of possibilites I can't help but think watching this series won't end well. The only hope is if it has a 13 episode order and wraps everything up nice and neat by the end. I can't think of any murder mystery series that ever left the viewer with a good resolution.