Scripted primetime programming: it’s why I watch TV. Sure, I enjoy Conan occasionally and I catch up on The Daily Show and The Colbert Report over the weekend, but they don’t warrant the same level of devotion I give to my favorite scripted shows.
That said, devotion does not always equal satisfaction. The first half of the season left me pretty pretty underwhelmed with Desperate Housewives, despite the five-year jump into the future, which seemed a little gimmicky to me. Ditto for Grey’s Anatomy. I liked Fringe, but still hadn’t warmed up to the main character, which is kind of important. However, instead of inspiring me to do something constructive with my time, the subpar quality of (some of) the shows I was watching really only served to plunge me further into a state of withdrawal during the weeks-long hiatus over the holidays.
Now (finally!) the shows we’ve been missing are starting to trickle back into our lives, and I don’t know if it’s just the rush of having new episodes to watch, but everything has been much more entertaining!
Desperate Housewives’ first episode back was a real gem. Note to the writers: Bob and Lee could use some more screen time! They always make me laugh, and I don’t think I’m alone in saying their appearance on the show ups it’s value. That, and the entire cast seemed to show a much more natural chemistry together than they usually do. The most recent episode with Beau Bridges was also classic. Jane is right — we need more Beau Bridges! This is when Desperate Housewives is at it’s best, a great standalone episode that gives us extra insight on the characters and their backgrounds, along with some hilarious one-liners.
Over at Grey’s Anatomy, Izzie’s “I have sex with dead people” storyline was really starting to bug me. Don’t get me wrong, I’m all for Jeffrey Dean Morgan, and I loved Izzie and Denny together — when he was alive. But it really seemed like they were milking it for all it was worth, dragging out what could have taken an episode or two to resolve. Thankfully, the story is now chugging along at a tolerable pace now that Izzy told Alex about her ghostmance. At the end of last week’s episode, when Denny sat down next to Alex and said they needed to talk, I could not have been more overjoyed, because (I’m hoping!) it means we are finally going to learn just what the hell is going on inside that head of Izzie’s.
Also temporarily breathing life into Grey’s is Eric Stolz as a serial killer who wants to die on his own terms in the hospital rather than be put to death a few days later. Say what you want about the character only being there to cause conflict for Derek and Meredith … Eric Stolz rocks! I can’t picture a better person for the role, and admit it, you totally got the willies when he used his teeth to throw his pillow on the floor and started banging his brain against the metal bar on the bed! As my dad would say, that made my knees hurt.
Fringe proved to me that sometimes, you just have to hang in there with a new show and let the characters prove their worth. I’ve heard a lot of complaining about Olivia Dunham, and I had some reservations myself, but holy crap! I don’t think we have ever seen Olivia be so badass as she was during Tuesday’s episode. Not only did she trick her captors into giving her a way to escape, but she managed to grab herself some evidence in the process! We also got to meet her sister and very adorable niece, which offers us a view of her less morose side. Let’s give Olivia a break, shall we? I don’t know if I’d be able to put on a happy face if I had to deal with all that weird science and conspiracy either.
Lastly, I would have to say the most pleasant surprise of the mid-season premieres so far has been Scrubs. Season seven, in a word, sucked. It very nearly bored me to death. When I found out it was going to be picked up for an eighth season on ABC, honestly, my first thought was “Why?” Well, ABC did us all a favor because Scrubs got its groove back in a big way. They toned down the antics and brought back exactly what made the show so wonderful to watch in the first place: offbeat humor coupled with storylines we could all relate to, portrayed with genuine emotion.
What do you think — have there been some major improvements on these shows or have I been blinded by the fact that I’m just happy the hiatus is over? Do you think the upswing in quality will last?
Clacked by Cate Cropp
on Jan 22, 2009 @ 12:30 EST5EDT
It’s like a sugar rush… I managed to past the hiatus with Friday Night Lights and Battlestar Galactica :-)
I’m a little overwhelmed, actually. Tonight, for instance, I have two hours of Bones, Supernatural, Greys Anatomy and Private Practice. That’s just too much TV. Bones and Private Practice kind of crept into a night where I already had enough to watch. That’s tough.
While Olivia may have had a few moments of kickassness under her belt on Tuesday, the rest of the program she still looked like she was trying to force something else out – and that’s what I can’t seem to get past. That “leave me alone I have to take a crap” cringe on her face. And the incessant deep breathy man voice. At the beginning of the episode, I was trying to figure out why I was watching a teenage boy strapped to the table. It wasn’t until she started kicking ass that I realized it was her! That’s just wrong. And not nearly enough Peter in that ep. More Pacey please!!!
I agree…Mondays went from too much to watch to almost nothing and now tonight…wow!
2 Bones, GA, PP, CSI, 11th Hour (though I kinda gave that up since CBS stopped showing them online), and most importantly…Burn Notice!! I ended up watching Bones and Burn Notice.
So, glad that cable shows are back!