Month: September 2017

Fall TV 2017: ‘Young Sheldon’ adorable, skip ‘SEAL Team’

Fall TV is finally here!

Usually a round of shows premiere in the beginning/middle of September, but this year, the only show that’s premiered before the latter half of the month was Fox‘s “The Orville.”

That show, created by and starring Seth MacFarlane, isn’t sure what type of show it wants to be. The pilot had a crazy mix of romantic comedy, science fiction and thriller. It was uneven and predictable. I’m not sure TV was the right medium for it.

But now that we’ve finally hit the first week of new shows, here is my short take on each new regular series show:

‘Star Trek: Discovery‘

8:30 p.m. Sundays streaming on CBS All Access

To boost the CBS version of Hulu, “Star Trek: Discovery” premiered Sunday on CBS. Episode 2 was available during the broadcast.

The sci-fi show definitely has a movie feel to it, including a long thematic opener.

I was definitely out of the loop since I have little knowledge of the world of Star Trek, but it kept my attention.

Compared to “The Orville,” this is true sci-fi. And I can appreciate that there are women in leadership on this show.

Grade: B+

‘Young Sheldon‘

8:30 p.m. Thursdays on CBS

While this show will regularly air starting in November, the spinoff of “The Big Bang Theory” had a special premiere.

This comedy is filled with BBT easter eggs, including a perfect opener with Jim Parsons narrating while a train went around.

The casting of young Sheldon and his mother was perfect (Zoe Perry, the daughter of Laurie Metcalf, who plays Mrs. Cooper in the original, plays her in this show, and she carries a spot-on accent and demeanor). The only casting that bothered me was Sheldon’s dad, only because he played a character on “The Big Bang Theory.”

For BBT fans, this show is not a letdown. For non-BBT fans, it’s still a pretty adorable show.

Grade: A-

‘Me, Myself and I‘

9:30 p.m. Mondays on CBS

Starring Bobby Moynihan, this show focuses on one person in three phases of his life: middle school after his mom gets remarried, post-divorce and raising a daughter, and a just-retired man who just had a heart attack and is figuring out what’s next.

It’s an interesting concept, but very disjointed, even with the small-world moments between the generations.

In one of the last moments, two of the generations crossed over. Not sure if there will be more, but I thought it played well.

Grade: B-

‘The Brave‘

10 p.m. Mondays on NBC

Remember Anne Heche? It seems like she pops up on TV shows every year or so, and here she stars in a drama about of team of government officials trying to protect Americans.

From what I can tell, the team will be the focus, and there will be a new story/mission each week.

But what was supposed to be a nailbiter turned out pretty dull. As we learn more about the team, I expect to care more about the characters, but that wasn’t the case in the pilot.

Grade: C+

‘The Good Doctor‘

10 p.m. Mondays on ABC

The pilot of this medical drama surrounds an interview for Dr. Shaun Murphy, a potential new surgical resident at a hospital. Oh, and Murphy (played by Freddie Highmore, who still looks so young even after his run in the sinister “Bates Motel“) is autistic, so his appointment is controversial.

While I think it’s great to show the challenges and misperceptions of the autism, as well as having the chance to discuss autism in a new way, the show seems unrealistic.

In flashbacks, it’s revealed that Murphy and his brother ran away after their father killed a pet bunny, but his brother also dies at a young age. So how the heck did Murphy go to school, especially medical school?

With other drama that’s sure to pan out in the show, I’m not sure we’ll find out.

Also, similarities abound between Murphy and Sheldon on “The Big Bang Theory,” and it was distracting.

Grade: B

‘SEAL Team‘

9 p.m. Wednesdays on CBS

This pilot had an eerily similar plot to “The Brave,” including the third-act twist. And it wasn’t well done.

Between poor audio (it’s like some actors were sick or not mic’ed properly for most of it), shaky camera work (which may have been a director’s choice, but it was hard to tell), and bad acting, it was tough to watch.

The drama focused mostly on the SEAL team, even though ads for the show mentioned that SEAL members have two families. I don’t know what the plan is, but it’s uninteresting.

David Boreanaz (“Bones“) should’ve waited another year before returning to TV; maybe he could’ve gotten a better show.

Grade: C-

What new shows are you enjoying?

Emmys 2017: 3 disappointments from the TV awards show

The 2017 Emmys have one leg up on the 2017 Oscars: There was no mixup.

But is it just me, or are these starting to get boring?

Maybe there are just too many shows to keep up with nowadays, but I felt much less invested in the winners this year.

Here are my 3 biggest gripes from the show:

Have award shows gotten too political lately?

It’s not news to say we live in a tumultuous political climate. Tensions have been running high for about two years, and it’s not ending anytime soon.

The Emmys, like other award shows this year, took time to make sly (or not-so-sly) jabs at the current political environment. Some were funny, some were poignant…but overall, I’m done.

Award shows are supposed to be a time of celebration. Is it really necessary to bring down the great spirits with divisive talking points?

It’s not that we need to be politically correct all the time, but I don’t believe award shows are the place for that commentary.

If it’s part of someone’s acceptance speech, fine. You can’t control that. But for a bit, let’s leave out the scripted bits.

Stop dividing awards into unique categories

While I appreciate that this year the show wasn’t one hour of comedy, one hour of limited series and one hour of drama, this format wasn’t much better.

They announced by award types by category (lead actress/actor in 3 categories, director/show in all categories, etc.). It felt so stale.

Mix it up. I hate how shows leave the top awards for the end of night just to keep up ratings. But it’s overdone and makes the show seem routine.

Where was Stephen Colbert?

Colbert hosted this year, right?

Admittedly I wasn’t paying attention the whole time, but I felt like I saw Jermaine Fowler from CBS’ “Superior Donuts” more.

Fowler was the show’s “announcer,” giving anecdotes and fun facts throughout the 3-hour show. But he doesn’t have the clout that Colbert does, so it was confusing to see him show much.

I’m not the biggest fan of Colbert, but I hope Fowler got paid as much. Doubtful.

I hope next year’s show is better.

‘Moone Boy’ brings feelings of nostalgia to Hulu

This blog was originally published on elkharttruth.com on June 9, 2015. “Moone Boy” premiered five years ago today.

Being a kid was the best.

No cares in the world, not much responsibility, no work … just lots of time with friends, family and fun.

Childhood is personified in a unique way on Hulu’s “Moone Boy.” Created by Chris O’Dowd, of “Bridesmaids” fame, the comedy follows an Irish family, specifically the lone son, Martin Moone, of the household and his invisible friend, Sean Murphy, played by O’Dowd, in the late 1980s/early 1990s.

The Irish family is also very Catholic, which causes conflict when one of the sisters is with child, whose father works at the town’s church.

The interactions between Martin (David Rawle) and his invisible friend make the show fun. It’s an inventive concept that you don’t see on TV often, though “The Whispers” on ABC seems to be taking the creepy angle of invisible friends (I can’t make myself watch that show yet).

O’Dowd is a writer, producer and director on the show, and his love for childlike antics and Ireland shine through in this comedy. He’s also not afraid to poke fun at himself, which means he sometimes dresses in hilarious outfits and makeup.

His character, although a figment of Martin’s imagination, has a life of his own, sometimes deviating from Martin’s moves.

“Moone Boy” also has a sense of nostalgia. The theme song includes drawings on loose-leaf paper — you know, the kind you had in second grade — and the fashion is a mix of ’80s and ’90s.

Martin isn’t the sharpest kid, but he has ambition. And he’s learning through success and failure, but usually with his invisible friend by his side.

Unfortunately, while “Moone Boy” has all of its new season 3 episodes on Hulu, only seasons 1 and 2 and episode 1 of season 3 are available without Hulu Plus. With only six episodes per season and each episode less than 30 minutes, it’s a quick watch. (Note: This show is still available on Hulu, which is a paid subscription site now.)

‘Glee’ unsuccessfully strives to gain viewers back in Fox show’s final season

This blog was originally published on elkharttruth.com on Jan. 29, 2015.

Gleeks, rejoice!

“Glee” is back for its sixth and final season. And many of the main actors have returned to the Fox show at McKinley High.

Wait. Back up. How does that work? Wasn’t Artie (Kevin McHale) in film school? Wasn’t Rachel (Lea Michele) on her way to L.A. for a career in TV? Weren’t Blaine (Darren Criss) and Kurt (Chris Colfer) at the fictional NYADA? Wasn’t Mercedes (Amber Riley) about to go on tour?

That’s how season 5 ended … with tons of possibilities.

But that’s all been left behind for season 6. Because as the show lost viewers and focus, it has grasped on to old concepts, which is not a good thing.

After a time jump, Rachel is back leading the new New Directions, which means Sue (Jane Lynch) is back tormenting the glee club. Kurt is back, too. And Quinn (Dianna Agron). And Puck (Mark Salling). And even Tina (Jenna Ushkowitz), who, let’s face it, never really had much to give to the show after her character admitted she lied about having a lisp in season 1.

Even stranger? Kurt and Blaine are no longer engaged. OK, that’s not strange considering the characters are around 19, but Blaine is now with Dave Karofsky, an old bully of Kurt’s. The relationship feels forced because, although Karofsky (Max Adler) had an important supporting storyline in season 3, his character didn’t need to come back. But he’s recognizable on the show, so why not bring him back? Almost every other character is back, as per showrunner Ryan Murphy’s not-so-wise plan to return focus to the original characters.

I’ll admit, I’ve seen every episode of “Glee” at least once. But I’ll also admit that somewhere around seasons 3 and 4, it lost its spark.

I hate to say this, but the show was hurt by the death of Cory Monteith, who played the lovable Finn Hudson. Obviously it was a shock. The tribute episode they did for him was stellar, but he was a huge component of the show. And his character’s relationship with Rachel was a key moment to the show’s series finale Murphy had originally planned.

But to go back to the old ways of the show feels stale and backward. Season 6 comes back to auditions, rival glee clubs and weekly themed lessons. The show was progressive in how it handled music and storylines, but now it’s just a rehash of season 1.

This show is supposed to be about dreamers. But with season 6, it’s just starting over with a new cast mixed with old stars who have lost focus. It’s not enjoyable anymore.

They should’ve just canceled “Glee” after season 5. Or found better ideas.