Showing posts with label The Unusuals. Show all posts
Showing posts with label The Unusuals. Show all posts

The Unusuals, Barney Miller

Wednesday, September 2nd, 2009

12.00 The Unusuals
01.00 Barney Miller

The Unusuals. Episode 10. "E.I.D." Casey becomes emotionally involved, while most of the rest of the squad track burglars who make porn movies wherever they break in.

The last episode of The Unusuals is a normal episode and - as such - offers no closure to the ongoing stories of the regulars.

I'm disappointed, but hardly surprised. The most I would have hoped for was this was written as Season One Finale and - with that in mind - it might have brought some things to a head.

It didn't.

Instead, we got two case-of-the-week stories and - as you would expect - both were very good.

Barney Miller. Episode 13. "The Hero" Chano kills bank robbers, and the squad try to frighten a kid into going straight.

A mixed bag. A cute kid storyline has no place in Barney Miller, but it's possible Danny Arnold and Chris Hayward included it to offset the bleakness of the main plot: Chano has a minor meltdown after he has to kill two bank robbers.

Gregory Sierra does a great job showing us the grief-stricken Chano, but the script lays it on a bit heavy at first. The more understated his pain is, the more successful the episode is and the scene with Chano and Barney alone in his apartment is the episode's best. Pity that it's so short.

Highlight? The Unusuals (very good)
Yet Another TV Review Podcast
Yet Another TV Review Book
Yet Another Film Review Blog
Follow Me on Twitter

Arrested Development, The Unusuals

Wednesday, August 26th, 2009

06.00 Arrested Development
06.30 The Unusuals

Arrested Development. Season 2, Episode 11. "Out On A Limb" Is Michael about to become a dad again?

Not as laugh-out-loud funny as the previous episode, but this is one of the cleverest scripts and the culmination of all the foreshadowing with regard to Buster losing his hand (it happens in the closing seconds of the episode).

Julia Louis-Dreyfus returns to the show (always a good thing) but she gets fewer scenes and fewer laughs this time around. Some of the best comedy comes from Tobias and Lindsay's break-in at Maggie's house.

The Unusuals. Episode 9. "The Apology Line" Alvarez plays a prank, Cole thinks of his fallen friend (from earlier in the season) and Delahoy visits the hospital. At midnight.

Noah Hawley delivers a great script here. The idea of the apology line is inspired, and the show really knows how to use it. The Alvarez-plays-a-prank-on-Walsh scene might be the funniest one in the entire series, and the Casey's relationship issues are compelling and interesting. When I think of this show, and in the years ahead I surely will, I will remember it best for Delahoy's journey but - with episodes like this - I can see that Alvarez and Casey are on journeys, too. Alvarez just wants to fit in and so, I suppose, does Casey.

Delahoy gets more screentime than last week, but still has a fairly minor subplot compared to earlier episodes. He and his 'doctor' have sex in a hospital supply closet after midnight. Do they have a future? Does he? (The show doesn't, sadly.)

Highlight? The Unusuals (Alvarez pranks Walsh)
Yet Another TV Review Podcast
Yet Another TV Review Book
Yet Another Film Review Blog
Follow Me on Twitter

Notes From The Underbelly, The Unusuals, Kojak, Barney Miller

Wednesday, August 19th, 2009

06.00 Notes From The Underbelly
06.30 The Unusuals
01.00 Kojak
02.00 Barney Miller

Notes From The Underbelly. Season 2, Episode 4. "Not Without My Noodles"

"Women are crazy, men are wimps" is the underlying theme of this show, it seems. But, as off-putting as I find that, I have to say the show can be very funny. Sometimes.

This is a funny episode. There are two plots. One tied nicely into the premise of the show, and another one which could be used on any situation comedy.

The friendship between Lauren and Cooper (my favourite character, and the funniest character) shows major strains as Lauren gets more and more involved in the world of babies and all that lark. Rachael Harris and Jennifer Westfeldt are very funny (particularly Rachael Harris) and Leslie Grossman is a great guest star, as Cooper's spur-of-the-moment revenge-friend.

While all of that stuff is going on, Lauren's husband is involved in a plot that could be used on any sit-com: his friends (and series regulars) Julie and Eric hire him to work for them, which leads to all sorts of 'hilarious' conflict. This plot only really works if you buy the fact that Julie is flat-out crazy and Eric is too much of a wimp to assert himself and calm her down. It's fine. The best bit of this plot is the final seconds of it. A nice twist, and funny.

The Unusuals. Episode 8. "The Dentist" Alvarez is in charge when the precinct is robbed. Banks gives up on the outside world and decides to stay in his appartment full time.

Back on form. Jorge Zamacona's script is one of the best the show has used. Delahoy is side-lined (boo!) but this is still an A+ episode all the way. The two stories are superb and the writer knows how to present Alvarez and Banks in an interesting way and make us care about them.

The amazing David Costabile makes a very welcome guest appearence. This guy morphs from role to role so you really have to be alert to spot him. I hope somebody builds a TV series around him soon.



Kojak. Season 2, Episode 12. "The Best War in Town" Rookie Cop stumbles into the middle of mob hit, which leads Kojak and the squad into the middle of a complex war for territory.

Written by Burton Armus, and directed by Richard Donner, this is a truly superb episode of Kojak.

When you watch this you get three things: a strong story of a mob war, a strong character study of Theo Kojak, and character sketch on a guest character.

The plot involves what appears to be a turf war between two mob lieutenants, but - from the viewers perspective - is actually a clever outsider trying to play two factions against one another. We know this. But the detectives in the story have no reason to suspect it until the story is nearly over. Very enjoyable storytelling from start to finish.

Mark Shera guests as a young cadet, reporting for his first day in Kojak's squad room when he walks into the middle of a mob hit. He tries to help, but makes mistakes and an innocent woman is killed by the hitmen's getaway car. As the story unfolds we get to see his indecision over whether to remain with the police or not, as he battles with Kojak and battles with his mother and - in the end of the story - puts his life on the line to see justice done.

The character of Kojak dominates this episode as he investigates the mob way and deals with the young police cadet who wandered into the middle of the mess on his first day on the job. Kojak isn't particularly nice to him. In fact, he spends most of the episode treating the kid like an annoyance that must be dealt with. And when they do speak they tend to yell at one another. Some of these scenes (particularly the one in the young guy's apparement) are superb. Dramatic stuff at it's best. Telly Savalas blows everybody off the screen, of course, but Mark Shera does a damn fine job of standing toe to toe with him.

If you never saw Kojak before, this is a great place to start. When this hour is over, you will see him in all his glory, and with all his 'flaws' on display. If you watch this you will understand why I've loved this character since I was a kid. He's not going hard on the kid to make him a better cop, or anything like that, he's going hard on him because he made mistakes. And there's more to it than that. It's part of who Kojak is.

Great stuff.

Barney Miller. Episode 12. "Hair" Scruffy new cop joins the squad, while Bernice shows up to check on Fish.

Another episode where the regulars cope with an outsider in their midst. Barney enforces the dress code, for instance, as means towards making the new guy conform. Turns out that under his big beard he sports a baby face.

Bernice, meanwhile, shows up (again) and we discover that Fish visited a massage parlour that afternoon.

It's a good solid episode. Nothing spectacular. Things take a very dramatic turn at the very end when two of the cops are injured in a shoot out. So, the flavour of the show is captured but not really showed off in all it's glory.

Highlight? Kojak (truly superb)
Yet Another TV Review Podcast
Yet Another TV Review Book
Yet Another Film Review Blog
Follow Me on Twitter
A Briefing With Michael: One Year Ago

Arrested Development, Better Off Ted, The Unusuals, Barney Miller

Wednesday, August 12th, 2009

08.30 Arrested Development
09.00 Better Off Ted
09.30 The Unusuals
02.00 Barney Miller

Arrested Development. Season 2, Episode 8. "Queen for a Day" Michael buys a car, everyone in the family sells their stock in the company. Except Buster.

The stuff with Michael being indecisive about buying a new car is funny, but I fail to see how it pertains to his character. It's funny. But it's filler, isn't it?

Lucille Austero returns. She is not introduced in any way, or described as being an ex of Buster's. For fans, like me, that doesn't matter but for new viewers this is bound to be confusing. She shows up and plays a large part in the episode and (unless you've seen Season One) you won't have a clue who she is or how she fits into the bigger picture. This doesn't bother me in the slightest, and I don't think that TV should talk down to it's audience, but I hold it up as an example of how AD 'lost' the casual viewers. People tuned in, didn't understand what was happening and never came back...

Better Off Ted. Episode 11. "Father, Can You Hair Me?" Hair-growth formula, and Veronica's dad shows up.

This one really blew me away. Not only did they successfully generate laughs using a terminal illness to drive the story, but they avoid anything even remotely mawkish or sentimental and managed to end the tale on a true high note that brought a tear to the corner of my eye. It was wonderful. Simply wonderful.

Likewise, the (apparently simple) Ted-storyline ended on a very touching high point. Neither of these stories took the usual route taken by this type of story on TV. And both were hilariously funny.

As a total sidebar: I love when the show writes Veronica and Linda in a conversation. I can't think of very many shows that put women in conversations. Conversations that are friendship-driven, and have nothing to do with romance.

The Unusuals. Episode 7. "The Tape Delay" A rich guy is kidnapped, and an old guy goes on a crime spree.

Treena Hancock and Melissa R. Byer deliver a very pedestrian episode. Rich guy fakes his own kidnapping? Seen it before! Old guy on crime spree talking about living life to the full? Seen it before! Girl chastises boyfriend for stuff that happened in a dream? Seen it before! Delahoy and his 'doctor' inching towards romance? Seen it before! Or, at the very least: expected it to happen before it did.

This one didn't dazzle, even if the characters did, and - for that reason - it was disappointing.

Barney Miller. Episode 11. "Escape Artist" The guys arrest a guy who has made a reputation for breaking out of prison.

I've seen Roscoe Lee Browne in many roles, but this must be his finest. This one really impressed me. Charlie Jeffers is written/played as a very wise, very dignified man. His observations on the world are profound and it's easy to see why the guys in the squad room fall under his spell. I did.

Also in the cell is Leonard Frey as a man who says that he can fly. Both are dreamers. And the script (by Danny Arnold, Chris Hayward and Howard Leeds) knows how to write them and make them affect you.

Other stuff happens, too: Harris mentions his novel for the first time ever, and Fish gets all the best one-liners (that guy cracks me up).

But the episode belongs to Roscoe Lee Browne as Charlie Jeffers. Profound stuff.

Highlight? Barney Miller (profound stuff)
Yet Another TV Review Podcast
Yet Another TV Review Book
Yet Another Film Review Blog
Follow Me on Twitter

Wed, Jun 17, 09 - Notes From The Underbelly, Unusuals, Barney Miller

09.00 Notes From The Underbelly
09.30 The Unusuals
10.30 Barney Miller

Notes From The Underbelly. Season 2, Episode 3. "Heather's Visit" Lauren's sister visits.

A story which has nothing to do with the premise of the show. Any sitcom could do this one. And Notes does nothing special with the idea.

Peter Cambor raises a few good laughs, as Andrew tries very hard to keep up with his sister-in-law's need to party-hearty.

The Unusuals. Episode 6. "The Circle Line" A cop shows up with amnesia, did he commit a murder? Meanwhile Delahoy and Banks (best cops on TV right now) must deal with identity theft.

Delahoy is just gonna haunt me when this short-lived gem of a series is finished. His journey towards death is an example of the way fiction comes into our lives and allows us the chance to vicariously live through the most extreme of situations. And Adam Goldberg has never done better work. He is fantastic.

There are two threads connected to Delahoy in this one: he is seeing a vision of his high-school sweetheart, and his identity is stolen by a man who (in his eyes) has made a better go at making a good life for himself than he has.

Conor Leslie made a great impression as the high school sweetheart (vision). In one scene she appears as every person in the room! But her best moments are in the final scene, as Delahoy stands in the snow and stares into the house of the man who is now living his life under his name. Both Leslie and Goldberg are great here.

Barney Miller

Barney Miller. Episode 6. "Stakeout" The gang go on stakeout, from an empty apartment.

A change-of-pace episode. Normally the show never leaves the squad room, but this story is set completely in an empty apartment. Normally the show's stories come from the criminals and victims who cross paths with the regulars, but the people in this episode are not connected to crime, just a variety of folks who live near the apartment Barney and his men are using.

The style of comedy is a bit different here, too. The show is pushing towards farce with this episode. Lots of crazy interruptions, and an ending where Barney rushes from the building with nothing but a towel wrapped around him.

Fish gets a strong/serious storyline and Florence Stanley makes a fantastic debut as his wife. But, while I really enjoyed it, it just didn't feel like an episode of Barney Miller.

Highlight? The Unusuals (Delahoy)
Yet Another TV Review Podcast
Yet Another TV Review Book
Yet Another Film Review Blog
Follow Me on Twitter
A Briefing With Michael: One Year Ago

Thu, Jun 11, 09 - Notes From The Underbelly, The Unusuals

09.30 Notes From The Underbelly
10.00 The Unusuals

Notes From The Underbelly. Season 2, Episode 2. "The Blackout" Panic over making the house baby-proof. Cooper tries to be more popular with her underlings at work.

The stuff involving the main couple is amusing, but nothing special. The show comes to life when Cooper (Rachael Harris) is on-screen. She's funny.

the unusuals, Amber Tamblyn, Monique Curnen, Adam Goldberg, Harold Perrineau, Jeremy Renner, Terry Kinney, Kai Lennox, Joshua Close

The Unusuals. Episode 5. "42" Cole's past catches up with him, causing Beaumont to get shot. Meanwhile, Delahoy and Banks (best cops on TV right now) must deal with a psychic.

It's a pity The Unusuals didn't catch on. The show is balls-to-the-wall superb and it's gives the cop show genre a much-needed boost. Suddenly we have a cop show that is... fresh and fun and inventive. I watched the Southland pilot and I liked it. But it was the same ol', same ol' from a hundred other gritty cop shows.

Not since Boomtown has an ensemble cop show impressed me this much.

Pity it didn't catch on.

In this episode, the writers opt to bring the major on-going story-arc to a conclusion. The guy who has been blackmailing Cole finally makes his move, we get some all-out action stuff and a dramatic face-to-face confrontation at the end. Great stuff.

The show has a great score, too. Not so much the background music, per se, rather it's the sudden guitar riffs we hear between scenes that really impress me.

But what I love most are the characters. The characters are fantastic. All of them. Delahoy and Banks are two of the all-time best cops ever to appear on TV.

And I love the fact that almost none of the regulars could face going into the hospital to see Beaumont. Walsh (who loves her) sits in his car outside. And various others join him there as the episode unfolds. None of them (except Cole, who feels responsible) can face going inside a hospital because they are haunted by their own personal demons.

Fascinating stuff.

Highlight? The Unusuals (best cops on TV right now)
Yet Another TV Review Podcast
Yet Another TV Review Book
Yet Another Film Review Blog
Follow Me on Twitter
A Briefing With Michael: One Year Ago

Thu, Apr 30, 09 - Lost, Always Sunny, Unusuals, 24

06.00 Lost
08.00 It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia
09.30 The Unusuals
10.30 24

Lost. Season 5, Episode 14. "The Variable" Daniel returns to warn everyone.

Nice brain-twisting episode with a great performance from Jeremy Davies (despite wearing a comedy-wig in a couple of flashback scenes).

It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia. Season 4, Episode 1. "Mac and Dennis: Manhunters" Half the gang turn manhunters, and half turn cannibal.

Disappointing opening episode, with a small number of laughs. The best episodes are the ones where the gang come up with some hair-brained (offensive) scheme that will "change their lives", and throw themselves into the scheme with 100% conviction.

This is not one of those.

Mac and Dennis decide to hunt Cricket for reasons that make no sense, even in this oddball world of theirs, and - except for the nipple feeling scene - yield no laughs. Charlie and Dee, meanwhile, are fooled into thinking they have eaten human meat. Funny, yes, but not enough to sustain a full storyline. The scenes got repetitive very fast, and the laughs faded.

The Unusuals. Episode 4. "Crime Slut" Beaumont tracks a stolen watch, and hides a shameful secret, while Delahoy and Banks (television's coolest cops) track a zombie.

Wow. This is superb stuff. Delahoy and Banks are - quite simply - the coolest cops on TV and the storyline of the 'zombie' is both inventive and genuinely touching. This show has found a way to make the cop show genre exciting and fresh for the first time in years.

Beaumont, meanwhile, is deeply in debt. A great story idea. Superbly handled/told.

24. Season 7, Episode 20. "3AM-4AM" Jack questions Hodges, Tony urges his mysterious bosses to stage an attack, Olivia decides to execute the man who murdered her brother and... Chloe returns to active duty.

Wow. Rarely are the "no action" episodes of 24 this bloody good. For a start, this episode contains the best Jack/Chloe scenes ever filmed. They hugged, for frak's sake!! And he talked her like a real person, like a friend. It was a wonderful scene. And things stayed fantasic as Chloe when to work. I especially loved it when she put Janis (Chloe-lite) in her place.

Tony's scenes were fascinating. Kudos to Carlos Bernard, who is amazing in the role. I must admit that there is a part of me, who deeply wishes that Tony is not bad. I would love it if they could find a way to redeem him at the end. What if he was doing all of this to get to the man who ordered Michelle's death? That revelation would redeem him in the fans eyes...

Olivia got several great scenes in this one. I thought the show would write her out. Instead they give her a great new storyline. A storyline that... makes sense. And seems like a logial extension of everything that happened earlier in the season.

Never has 24 delivered a season that holds together as one unit so well.

Wow.

Highlight? 24 (Chloe is back!)
Yet Another TV Review Podcast
Yet Another TV Review Book
Yet Another Film Review Blog

Thu, Apr 23, 09 - Parks And Recreation, Unusuals, Sarah Connor, 24, Better Off Ted

06.00 Parks And Recreation
06.30 The Unusuals
07.30 The Sarah Connor Chronicles
08.30 24
01.30 Better Off Ted

Parks And Recreation. Episode 2. "Canvassing" Leslie, Tom and the gang head out on the street to hear from local residents about the proposed park.

Definitely not as funny as the first episode. I like Leslie. A lot. But when she speaks I hear Michael Scott. And, apart from her, there wasn't much to laugh at in this episode.

The Unusuals. Episode 3. "One Man Band" Casey calls in favours to get a rich kid out of prison, Banks and Delahoy work inside a 'Murder Shop'.

Banks and Delahoy are two of the coolest cops I've ever seen on TV, and this is a fantastic show. Every story, every scene, every character is full of invention and creativity. This is one of the freshest and most exciting cop shows to come along in decades. It is taking the genre and shaking it by the balls.

Never in a million years would I have paired actors like Adam Goldberg and Harold Perrineau, but they are awesome together. And both characters are fascinating. As are all of the regular characters. Noah Hawley has created something special here. I hope it lasts.

The Sarah Connor Chronicles. Season 2, Episode 20. "To the Lighthouse" Sarah and John stay with Charley, while Cameron and Derek work together and John Henry faces a very surprising attack.

Wow. A lot of powerful surprises in this very strong episode. Yet, despite all the developments, this is still a completely character driven installment. Many of the scenes are just the characters sharing small private moments, or not speaking at all. And when they do speak, much of it appears inane. It's not, of course. The show is so bloody subtle in it's characterisations that you only appreciate the significance of what is happening when you've watched all the episodes.

I watched this with someone who has never seen the show before. Indeed he had never heard of it. A die-hard fan of shows like Heroes and Smallville, he wasn't at all impressed with Sarah Connor because nothing much happened. Yet, to a loyal viewer, this was significant episode from start to finish (watching Sarah turn to Derek, watching Cameron talk with Derek, etc.)

The ending was action-packed and brutal. Charley's death hit me hard. For many reasons. His place in Sarah's heart was clearly established. And John loved him, too. First Riley, now Charley. John Connor is headed for some very dark places.

And then there was all the stuff with John Henry. That was a total shock to me. I thought the story was headed in a very different direction. Now, I'm confused. And eager to see more...

24. Season 7, Episode 19. "2AM-3AM" Jack vs. Tony.

24 deals with it's biggest-ever twist in superb fashion. I was anxious to see Tony unmasked, but the show wisely allowed us to see more of his machinations before Jack began to put the clues together.

The detective work, when it finally came, was extremely well handled. The show uses events we never saw (but assumed to have happened) against us in spectacular fashion. We trusted Tony, so we accepted his word about things that were said to have happened off-screen.

I am not at all happy that Tony has turned bad, but I will be the first to applaud the masterful storytelling that got us to this place. I am not all happy that Tony has turned bad, but - in the context of the way they have told the story - I see how it was happening all along. That's some feat.

The only downside? Jack's illness has become an annoyance. Since we know that Kim will save his life, the delay in getting it done is starting to bore me. We know he will accept her help and return to full strength for the final hours of Day 7, so the fake waiting is boring me at this stage. Surely Kiefer has his Emmy submission tape in the can by now, let's get Jack back to 100% strength. We need him now more than ever!!!

Annie Wersching once again displays considerable acting chops. Her reaction to Larry's death and the following scenes were superb.

Best scene (that had nothing to do with Tony)? The revelation about Kim's baby (and her name being Teri) brought a lump to my throat. Can't wait for Jack to hear about that.

Better Off Ted. Episode 6. "Goodbye, Mr. Chips" Ted is wiped from the company database.

Another winner. This show has a great sensibility. Very anti-corporations. And some of the lines are comedy gold.

A show this good deserves to be a hit.

Highlight? 24 (Jack vs. Tony)
Yet Another TV Review Podcast
Yet Another TV Review Book
Yet Another Film Review Blog

Thu, Apr 16, 09 - Unusuals, Lost, 24, Office, Better Off Ted

06.00 The Unusuals
07.00 Lost
08.00 24
11.00 The Office
11.30 Better Off Ted

The Unusuals. Episode 2. "Boorland Day" A family with crime in the blood.

Everything I liked about the pilot of this show is back, and re-enforced in this superior first regular episode. This one is a keeper. A really good story with a lot of interesting invention when it comes to the details.

Lost. Season 5, Episode 13. "Some Like It Hoth" Miles' story is told.

It's mild stuff. Very enjoyable, but a lot less frantic/eventful than the previous episode. Many of the key issues from last week are ignored, but it's a solid fill-in-the-blanks tale.

24. Season 7, Episode 18. "1AM-2AM" Tony kills Larry.

Damn. I did not see that coming. I am in shock. This is clever stuff. They opened the season with the revelation that Tony had gone bad. Something no true fan of 24 wants to see. And they quickly 'revealed' that that was not the case. And we embraced it. And... forgot about it.

Now it comes back to bite us on the ass.

This may be the best ever twist in the history of 24 (no mean feat) but it could also be a serious jump-the-shark moment. Every fibre of my being does not want Tony to be bad. So how they handle the remaining episodes of this season will dictate how I feel about 24 from here on in...

The Office. Season 5, Episode 20. "Dream Team" Michael sets about putting together his dream team for his new company.

Clever scripting. It opens with a shattered Michael being carefully put back together by a calm Pam (who only means about half of the things she is saying) and it ends with a shattered and broken Pam being carefully put back together by a calm and collected Michael (who only means about half of the things he is saying).

I love that kind of stuff.

Better Off Ted. Episode 5. "Win Some, Dose Some" Ted and Veronica compete, Linda is accidentally drugged by Lem and Phil.

Five weeks in and everyone has found their stride. This show is a delight. A major high point of the week and something I look forward to very much indeed.

So, of course, it will be cancelled very soon.

Highlight? 24 (shocking)
Yet Another TV Review Podcast
Yet Another TV Review Book
Yet Another Film Review Blog

Mon, Apr 13, 09 - In The Motherhood, Surviving Suburbia, Southland, Unusuals, Harper's Island, Parks And Recreation

06.00 In The Motherhood
06.30 Surviving Suburbia
07.00 Southland
08.00 The Unusuals
09.00 Harper's Island
10.00 Parks And Recreation

In The Motherhood. Episode 1. "It Takes a Village Idiot" Jane has a date.

I presumed that I would not like this show. And, as a consequence, I ended up enjoying it much more that I expected to. I didn't find the characters offensive and selfish, and it made me laugh several times.

From the regular cast Cheryl Hines and Megan Mullally were the funniest. Mullally plays an total oddball (who, in this episode, pretends to be pregnant in order to get attention from strangers) and makes her funny and likable. Hines shines as the everywoman.

Apart from them the other laughs came from the guest stars. Ken Marino is always reliable (here playing a guy who keeps doing unfunny things) and Rachael Harris totally steals the show as Hines' boss. She's easily the best thing about the pilot and they should be making a show about her instead.

Surviving Suburbia. Episode 1. "Hero" Steve causes a fire in a neighbours house, but is mistaken for a hero.

Awful, generic sit-com about a goofy dad and a hot mom, where the dad screws up and learns a lesson. Ugh.

What a waste of the talents of Cynthia Stevenson. Sigh.

Southland. Episode 1. "Unknown Trouble" Ben's first day on patrol ends with a crazy shoot-out.

A solid cop show. Good stuff.

Exactly like many other solid, good, cop shows that have gone before it. The always-superb Michael Cudlitz is a standout as the tough veteran cop, and Ben McKenzie brings everything to the role of the rookie that is needed to make you care about him.

Across the board, it's a strong cast. And the story in this first episode is very, very good.

The only problem is: I've seen this exact show several times before, and I'm not sure I have time to watch it again.

I probably should. High Incident and Boomtown are two of my all-time favourite shows.

The Unusuals. Episode 1. "Pilot" Casey transfers to homicide to help solve the murder of a cop.

When this was over and I looked back on it, I realised that it was much more quirky than I had realised. When I was watching it, and enjoying it, I wasn't really aware of how odd some of the little things were. I just accepted them. So, for once, here we have a show that's not self-consciously quirky. The quirky is pushed to the sides of the stories so you are not really aware of it until you think back on it later.

I hope they can keep this up. I'll certainly be watching more.

Harper's Island. Episode 1. "Whap" Strange mixture of dreary soap opera and gruesome murder mystery.

The cast is fantastic. The characters... not so much.

I'm not sure I care enough about any of them to go back and see who gets killed next.

Parks And Recreation. Episode 1. "Pilot" Leslie decides to turn a hole into a park.

Hilarious opening episode with many funny sequences that are worth rewinding and rewatching.

So what if it's a total clone of The Office? Many new shows tries to ape The Office with no success, what's wrong with a show that copies The Office being made by the same writers/producers as The Office?

In my book: nothing. Especially if they can make it this funny every week.

Highlight? Parks And Recreation (funny)
Yet Another TV Review Podcast
Yet Another TV Review Book
Yet Another Film Review Blog