Gossip Girl: Reasons to still watch

Mira and I are always kind of groaning over how bad Gossip Girl can be sometimes. It seems like she's always contemplating dropping the show but then getting sucked back in, whereas I've kind of just given in and am probably just in it for the long haul. Because, I mean, it's really not all that bad. Some things will always suck (like Vanessa) but there are still some things that the show does well. Here's my list:

Blair and Serena. They were my pick for favorite best friends and this season they're living together, going to Columbia together, and have seem to put their jealousy issues and catfighting aside for the moment. They're both really always better when supported by the other.

No Jenny! Okay, this actually ends tonight. But the first five episodes of the season were so blissfully Jenny-free.

Katie Cassidy. I dropped the new Melrose Place reboot after just the first episode, but Katie Cassidy was one of the only things I liked about it. She fits in perfectly here as Juliet, and of course, Nate is dumb enough to fall for her despite her shady behavior. I still have no idea what's going on with her vendetta against Serena but I'm enjoying the ride and hopefully the payoff won't be lame.

Blair and Chuck. I didn't really buy Chuck's new identity or his thing with Eva (I kept wanting to call her Fleur because she was in Harry Potter) because Blair and Chuck are just always better in storylines together, even if they're feuding and not a couple. I don't know how long this latest "war" will last, or how much more back-and-forth the audience will be able to handle, but as long as we keep getting scenes like that gorgeous one in the train station in the season premiere, I'll be happy.

Chuck and Lily. For some reason I find it kind of touching that Chuck seems to still trust Lily, and that Lily is still interested in being a parent to Chuck despite everything. Lily is so not the paragon of motherhood but I'm glad they remember that this relationship exists. Also, I hope that we've left any and all Lily and Rufus drama behind us, but maybe that's wishful thinking.

Dan staying in Brooklyn, for the most part. Surprisingly the whole thing with Dan being the father of Georgina's baby didn't come off as ridiculous as it sounded like it was going to. Vanessa's annoying as usual, but they kind of deserve each other and I prefer when they stick to their own storylines. Although, I do love it when Dan helps Blair with her scheming...

Serena getting called out. She does always find herself in the most ridiculous situations and it was kind of hilarious when the dean warns her about the drama that always surrounds her. Also hilarious how she takes cabs to class and can never be on time.

If you're still watching, what things are keeping you interested?

fall 2010

My life has been especially nutso this semester with school and work and, well, trying to keep my DVR percentage low enough to record all the shows in the coming week (it's a hard life!), so blogging has been difficult... But here's a quick little run down of my opinions on Fall TV thus far:

Shows I've already dropped:
- $#*! My Dad Says -- The comedic pauses are just awkward and annoying. Shatner is not the most annoying actor on the show, which already speaks volumes in my mind. One last thing, the show had one funny line and it was not shit said by the dad. Shatner is at the DMV taking the eye exam and is asked to read the large E at the top of the chart. Shatner: "I've never been rear-ended by a large letter E." DMV employee: "You've never driven on Sesame Street."
- Running Wilde -- I love Keri Russell but even she can't keep this show on my priority watch list.
- 90210 (though I dropped it halfway through last season) -- I know I already dropped this, but seeing the stuff going on and reading the spoilers on what is to come... Good riddance!
- Life Unexpected -- Jenn's entry sums it up perfectly. Forced dramatic story lines are just too much! Though it cracks me up that a Melrose Place (new, not old) reject has landed over here.

Shows I'm already committed to:
- Nikita -- Somehow this show became an immediate watch show for me, but I really like the complexity of each character and the fact that they all contribute layers of depth to the show.
- Hellcats -- I like peppy tv shows.
- Grey's Anatomy -- I forgot about the season ending with the shooting spree and the new season dealing with aftermath of that has been built up brilliant so far.
- Private Practice -- I still like the characters on the show enough to keep watching it, though the storylines aren't captivating.
- Parenthood -- This show just keeps getting better for me. The best family drama.

Shows I meant to watch but forgot about:
- Better With You -- Like Jenn, I really like Joanna Garcia.

Shows still sitting on my DVR:
- Lone Star
- The Event
- Hawaii Five-O
- Undercovers
- The Whole Truth
- My Generation
- Chuck

Shows I'm still looking forward to:
- No Ordinary Family -- But the stupid show is on at the same time as Glee and NCIS! Sigh, so this may end up going the route of Modern Family, where I mean to catch up online but forget to. Hopefully not!
- Glee, Episode 2 (cuz Episode 1 was a bit disappointing) -- Cannot wait for Brittany (my favorite character!) and BRITNEY (Spears)!
- The Good Wife
- Friday Night Lights, the final season! :(

On the cusp:
- Outlaw
- How I Met Your Mother -- We better meet the stupid mother this season. And that wedding in the season premier better be Barney and Robin's wedding.
- Gossip Girl

BTW, an awful lot of weddings in the season premier this year -- Grey's Anatomy had one, Private Practice had one, HIMYM had one!

M: gossip girl finale -- i really need to give up this show!

So before I actually saw the finale of the episode, I decided to read a bunch of very complete recaps of the show. In reading these recaps I was horrified with the insane direction the finale had taken. C takes J's V-card?! D picks S over V, but can't chase S to Paris because G shows up preggerz?! C proposes to B and we almost get C and B back together again but D punches C for sleeping with J?! Then C gets mugged and shot?! Oh and N is now channeling his inner C and sleeping around with girls after breaking up with S. And J is finally sent off packing.

Yeah, I read all that, rolled my eyes, and proclaimed that I was ready to be DONE with Gossip Girl! In the same way I completely dropped 90210 and Melrose Place this past season, or The OC before it ended. I tend to have difficulty dropping shows completely, but there is a level of extreme absurdness or extreme wow-I-just-don't-care-anymore. And I decided after reading all those recaps that Gossip Girls had hit that level.

Then I watched the episode.

I don't know what it is about this show. It has NUTSO storylines; it is lacking of truly likable characters because every single character has proven to do truly unredeemably evil, bad, selfish things... But I've watched every single episode to this day. To the show's credit, it does pack a lot into 40 minutes of TV, and maybe that's why I enjoy it? It's ability to zoom right through all its crazy storylines? I have no idea. Maybe I just like Kristin Bell's narrating? ;-) Truthfully the only character I still like on the show maybe 80% of the time is Blair, and that's 50% because of Dorota. Everyone else falls into a likable 20% of the time or less category. So tell me... Why did watching the season finale *not* make me want to give up the show? Reading about it did. But watching it... Now I'm curious to see where they'll take it next season! Is something seriously wrong with me?

I still want C and B to end up together. D is just annoying and V gone is kinda nice. S is a bitch and I hate her. J is finally gone (for a little while at least?). I actually like E a lot, but whenever E is on the screen more than 5 minutes he starts getting evil and annoying, too. N is boring. I used to believe that the best "ship" on the show was B and S but even they're so boring and played out now! So um... Why am I planning on watching more Gossip Girl?!

Monday Madness

Shows I watch that air on Mondays:
How I Met Your Mother (CBS)
The Big Bang Theory (CBS)
Chuck (NBC)
Gossip Girl (CW, currently on hiatus)
Life Unexpected (CW)
Make it or Break it (ABC Family)
Greek (ABC Family)
Castle (ABC)
Damages (FX)

Shows I watch that air on Tuesdays:
None

What the heck??

fall 2009 - initial thoughts

My DVR is still full of shows that I need to catch up on (both from last season and this season) but because it was getting so full, there were many shows I had to catch up on to open up space for more recording... :) In any case, I had a few initial reactions to shows, old and new, that I've been following this season.

Old:
-- 90210: So very angsty! I think it's because Darcy... or whatever her name is, Annie?, is so very angsty this season and she was all sunshine and optimism last season. I'm not sure I like it, but I do like the strong bond forged between Naomi-Adrianna-Silver. Actually I've gotta say that as a whole I kind of hate it, but there's something about high-school angst tv shows that draws me in... Oy.
-- So You Think You Can Dance: Having to watch audition episodes week after week after week is kinda getting sucky. Plus, it's so weird to have a new season of it SO SOON. Especially since last season, while it had its moments, for the most part it was underwhelming. But, I'm glad to see that there are breakers and well, non-contemporary and non-ballroom dancers auditioning! Plus I'm still waiting for Natalie to come back!!
-- How I Met Your Mother: This show is so reliably fun. I really do hope we finally get to meet the damn mother this season. I'm not sure how many more seasons of NOT meeting the mother I can go through. But I do love Barney. And it'll be interesting to see how Barney-Robin develop, but I really hope that doesn't become the focus of the show.
-- Greek: I caught up with all the old episodes right before this season started. SO much fun. This is my happy show of the moment.

New:
-- Melrose Place: Not really sure why, but I'm enjoying this show. Maybe it's just that I never get to watch soap operas anymore and this show is the perfect night-time soap opera: psychotic characters, tons of secrets, murder, betrayal, and good-looking people. Plus the character that's the most fascinating to me is Ella, who I sort of see as a new generation Heather Locklear. BTW, I didn't actually watch the original MP when it aired back in the day, though I've caught a few episodes of it here and there on Soapnet in the past few years.
-- Glee: I was expecting this to be my happy show of the moment, but no, it's definitely a lot darker than a happy show can be. I love the musical numbers and truthfully, I watch just in anticipation of those. I like the main teacher-guidance counselor romance undercurrent, hate the psycho wife, love the psycho cheerleader coach, and am very amused by the awkward football coach. I could care less about the kids, but the gay kid is the most interesting by far.
-- The Beautiful Life: This show has already gotten canned, thank goodness! Well, it's mostly a thank goodness because if it didn't get canceled, I would probably continue to watch it. So, I really am glad that the network is taking this off of my insane list of tv shows I watch. :)
-- Community: I had high hopes for this show but so far it's been amusing at spots, still has good potential, but hasn't really delivered. We'll see.
-- Accidentally on Purpose: One episode was enough, I do believe I have the willpower to stop watching this show.
-- Eastwick: Uh, I might continue to watch this, but mostly because it kinda satisfies the part of me that was sad to lose Cashmere Mafia and Lipstick Jungle (and yes, I may be the only person in the world that was sad to lose those shows).

Still waiting to be watched on the DVR:
-- Grey's Anatomy
-- Gossip Girl
-- Heroes
-- House
-- The Good Wife
-- Cougar Town
-- Modern Family -- have high hopes for this one!!
-- Flash Forward

Gossip Girl: Blair vs. Serena

I was glad that Blair and Serena made up at the end of this week's episode, if only to see the end of Queen S. Their rivalry is totally believable and it's never really going to be over but I found bitchy Serena to just be pretty unbearable, and it seems that no matter what happens, I'm always going to be Team Blair.

I'm not saying that her actions were at all condonable--and she generally ends up making things worse for herself along the way--but I get her. She says and does all those mean things to Serena because of her insecurities, and the reality of the situation that Serena does breeze through life getting things handed to her that she didn't even know she wanted. But Serena? She showed up at Yale purely to spite Blair, knowing full well that she wouldn't even have to try that hard to throw Blair off her game, at the school that's been her lifelong dream. I mean, while Blair bringing up Pete was pretty low, it's not like Serena even cared about Yale in the first place! And in the end, it was still Blair that ended up looking bad and Serena getting offered early admission. I'm glad that the show hasn't shied away from the fact that this is just how it is, and it's not just in Blair's head. I think they'll pretty much always have this between them, but it shouldn't stop them from being friends. The people you know the best are the ones you can hurt the most I guess?

This episode brought back some memories of when I was visiting colleges...I totally remember some kids getting out of limos at the admissions office when I visited Princeton. Were they Upper East Siders? Haha. I definitely did not have one-on-one interviews with deans though, and why the heck does Dan need all those recommendations? You don't have to declare a major on your application, and I doubt getting into the undergrad English department is that difficult.

I did think it was somewhat fitting that Dan and Nate are finally becoming friends because they're so similarly dumb and judgmental. Yet again Nate fails to recognize that Chuck was just trying to help him out. And did anyone else think that those Skull & Bones guys just tying Dan to a statue in his boxers was kind of...tame? I thought they would have something way worse planned.

In other news, Jenny is suddenly the most talented young fashion designer ever and gets to quit school. WTF? And doesn't home-schooling mean that Rufus has to spend so many hours with her every day anyway? And aren't there like limits to the number of hours she can work since she's underage? I'm glad that Rufus brought up the Professional Children's School at least, though in real life I think afterschool or weekend programs at FIT or Parsons or something should suffice...

Still loving Gossip Girl

You know, I just wanted to mention how much I'm enjoying Gossip Girl this year. I'm so glad that Serena and Dan appear to be done for awhile...for some reason the show was kind of treating them like the one real romance of the show but I was never really that into it. Especially because Dan has just been sucking more and more. I'm not sure what I think about this new development with Serena suddenly morphing into Queen S. I always had the impression that Serena, back before she went to boarding school, was more the "it" girl that everyone wanted to be friends with not necessarily because she was mean but because everything came easy to her. Blair's the one who's had to manipulate and intimidate to gain her position. It'll be fun to see Blair and Serena battle it out for a little bit though...in the books Blair was always feeling like she was in Serena's shadow. Hopefully it won't last TOO long though...I'm a fan of their friendship.

I am really glad that Marcus and Catherine are off the show though. I figured that it was inevitable but I totally didn't expect the way it happened. Creepy love polygon indeed. Last week I was a little disappointed at how Blair didn't seem to have any qualms about scheming against Nate for her own benefit but this week she kind of redeemed herself in getting the Duchess to pay off Nate's family's debts. But of course Vanessa had to go screw it up! Sigh. I felt kind of bad for both of them though...Vanessa for kind of just not knowing any better in general and Blair for always having such terrible boyfriends.

Speaking of terrible boyfriends, I also totally didn't see it coming that Chuck manufactured the whole Amanda situation in order to dethrone Blair and make her come back to him. In fact it was maybe a little too clever for him to get it all working. But it definitely worked like a charm and made Dan seem like more an ass than ever. It's funny, looking back at the pilot, who would have thought that I'd despise Dan and love Chuck? I mean, Chuck is still pretty reprehensible but he's just so damn entertaining. I think like Veronica and Logan, it'll be much more fun seeing Chuck and Blair keep sparring than actually be a couple.

Other thoughts: is Jenny going to change schools like she did in the books? I doubt she'll be leaving the show and I find her much more bearable now that she's not always social-climbing. How in the world did she get picked as a "project" last year though? If they had those files they would have known she was from Brooklyn and brough no perks along with her. Also, I've been wondering for awhile now how the heck Nelly Yuki went from being sabotaged to being part of the clique but maybe she's supposed to be like the brains of the group? It seemed she was the one in charge of all the files. And what is the deal with Penelope and Is and the other girls? (And where the heck was Hazel?) It almost seems like they're the ones controlling the school by picking their leader. That last scene with Serena asserting her new position over Blair was just bizarre. Leighton Meester continues to have the greatest facial expressions though. Her look of confusion/disbelief as Serena ties her scarf around her neck was so perfect.

Oh and check OUT those lockers. Geez, no ugly metal for Upper East Siders!

excited

The season premier of Gossip Girl had it's ups and downs, but I thoroughly enjoyed it and am excited that it's back! Yay!

Best line so far: "Damn that motherchucker." (And you know the writers were giddy with glee to get to use it!)

:) Totally on Team Blair-Chuck! Team Bluck? Team Chair?

Yay for the start of a new Fall season of TV. And hopefully no writers strikes this year!!! In which case, yay for the start of a new FULL season of TV!!! :D

Jennifer's season mega-wrap-up: Favorite new shows

Gossip Girl: Probably hands down my favorite show of the season, new or returning. I am super glad that they came back with new episodes after the strike (instead of waiting for a re-launch next year like a few others) but I do feel like the shortened number of episode compressed things a bit too much. Way too much was happening and storylines were just getting resolved too soon.

In some cases, that wasn't necessarily a bad thing...I'm kind of glad we're done with the Blair-Jenny power struggle. Because I mean, was there any doubt that Blair was going to win? Although because I'm weirdly obsessive I did find myself kind of dissecting the dynamics of that little clique though. At first I thought that Penelope and Hazel were just taking advantage of Blair's shunning to take control of the group and I didn't see why they would ever let Blair back in now that they were "in charge." But then in the SAT episode, it started to seem like they just liked the perks of being friends with Blair. But then they started to see Jenny as kind of a leader and I totally didn't get that. And then finally they turn on Jenny too! It's all so complicated! I was pretty amused that Nelly Yuki is suddenly part of the group and appears to be Kati's replacement but with a lot more lines...

I did enjoy Michelle Trachtenberg as Georgina. She definitely had the scary bitch thing down and while the whole "maybe-murder" thing turned out to be a bit of a letdown I did like that she was kind of the stimulus to the Serena-Dan breakdown. They've always been a little boring. I'm not necessarily saying that I support Serena/Nate or Dan/Vanessa like the cliffhanger was trying to imply, but I'm kind of glad that they left things a bit open. Dan flat out sucks in my book right now though. "Most understanding person in the world" my ass.

I didn't really like the up-down-ness of Blair and Chuck in the finale though. You know, I was really reluctant to like Chuck because I just felt like his behavior in the first couple of episodes was nearing unredeemable but he has totally grown on me. And Blair is awesome. Period. I wonder if they're one of those couples that's best when they're kind of at odds though, like Logan and Veronica? But giving them like, two minutes of happiness before they start flirting with other people was just...strange.

Oh and man this show makes me wish I was back in New York. Not that I ever hung out where these kids did and not that I ever will but I just love that the whole show is filmed there, because you can really tell when they're faking NYC on TV (like on Ugly Betty though there are rumors that they'll be moving over for real next season!).

Samantha Who?: Just a fun little comedy, maybe sometimes a little over the top, but the characters are all really funny. Love Melissa McCarthy (Sookie from Gilmore Girls) and Jennifer Esposito as Sam's kind of angel-and-devil duo (they're hilarious playing off of eachother), love Sam's parents, especially Jean Smart (Martha Logan from 24), love Frank the doorman, and surprisingly, love Todd, Sam's ex-boyfriend, despite my previous dislike of Barry Watson. I guess we've been all wanting Sam to get back together with Todd but all season long I've kind of been wondering why Sam doesn't kick him out of her apartment. It's her apartment! Is he even paying rent?? Or is this just another thing to chalk up to amnesia?

Gossip Girl, yes I do know I love you

Wow. I am going to miss this show SO MUCH while the writers' strike deprives us of new episodes. My love for show came on kind of gradually...I mean, I knew I was predisposed to like it, and I was pretty much hooked from the first episode, but now I'm finding myself rewatching the episodes twice in a week and I'm actually kind of looking forward to the reruns so I can watch them all over again.

And for the last episode in awhile, this was pretty awesome. You had to know this was all coming to Blair for being bitchy and terrible to everyone for so long, but I really couldn't help feeling bad for her too. For someone who's reputation and status is the most important thing to her...getting snubbed by everyone at school and all her friends (who were those two random girls that pushed her out though? Why have we not seen them before? And why do Kati and Is STILL never say anything?) and then getting it from Nate and then even Chuck...it was all pretty harsh. I'm so glad that Serena came around in the end though, and I hope Blair comes back with a vengeance.

I've probably said this before, but I think Blair and Serena's friendship one of my favorite things about this show. It's kind of rare for a teen show to be centered around a friendship instead of some epic or ill-fated romance, and I think it's refreshing. The way they're constantly fighting and making up is just so believable. You know it's funny, in this world of insanely rich and privileged people, the person who's probably the least realistic is...Dan. I mean, what kind of high school guy is that calm when he hears that his girlfriend might be pregnant??

Gossip Girl: parent swapping

So I realize that this is a soap, and that it's more interesting and convenient to create relationships among existing characters, but why must the adults on teen shows always have romances with the parents of their childrens' friends'? Is it really like this with rich people? Like on the OC, there was Kirsten and Jimmy, and Julie dated Kirsten's dad, Summer's dad, and Ryan's dad, and didn't Taylor's mom date Summer's dad too? And now we have Lily choosing between Chuck's dad and Dan's dad. It's just ridiculous! And I mean, I don't get why not choosing Rufus meant that she had to marry Bart Bass. I don't see why she NEEDS to get married. Sigh, where is this storyline going?

Anyway, as for the younger set, it seems like most teen shows tend to have this kind of episode where the entire gang gets into trouble and things get all messed up before getting sorted out. I have to say that I started liking Nate a lot more this episode. As soon as he thought Blair was the one who had the key, he fake-confessed to protect her. That IS pretty romantic. It definitely sucks that he got suspended where Serena only got community service though...

One thing I really love about this show is how well they've constructed all the characters' fashion identities. Like Chuck at the pool party: I KNEW he wasn't going to be wearing some regular old swim trunks...and of course he was wearing a shirt. And of course Serena was wearing one of those one-piece swimsuits that only tall and skinny girls can wear. But what possible explanation can there be for Kati and Iz always dressing alike? Are they trying to copy Blair but can't do it alone and can only construct one outfit per occasion so they both wear it?

jumping on the bandwagon...

Here are my entertainment favorites from 2007...

1. So You Think You Can Dance -- hands down my favorite reality tv show, EVER.
2. Harry Potter & the Deathly Hallows -- yay for closure!
3. How I Met Your Mother -- quickly becoming one of my FAVORITE tv shows. My favorite episode of Season 3: "Spoiler Alert"
4. The re-release of My So-Called Life on DVD!
5. Internet broadcasting of TV shows -- special thanks to ABC (Pushing Daisies, Samantha Who), CBS (How I Met Your Mother) and The CW (Gossip Girl). My DVR is already working overtime and I can't record all the shows I want to watch along with all the shows Russ wants to watch, so it helps to be able to catch the shows on the computer. :)

Honorary Mentions: Pushing Daisies (favorite new tv show of the 2007-8 season), Twilight/New Moon/Eclipse (favorite new series), the writer's strike (gives me a chance to catch up on tv)

Gossip Girl: Chuck or Nate?

So I guess I should never start complaining about how TV hasn't been compelling right before November sweeps.

Up until recently Gossip Girl has kind of just been a fun guilty pleasure but now it's totally sucking me in. And interestingly, it's not at all the Dan and Serena storyline that's hooked me. I mean, don't get me wrong, I think Dan is completely awesome and I would have loved to have had a boyfriend like him when I was in high school (or college...or now...?) but I find him and Serena to be kind of boring as a couple. And all the parallels with them and their parents is just...weird. And now with Rufus basically admitting that he's not really over Lily? I don't know, I liked the idea of Allison coming home and having one functional family on the show but so far I've been underwhelmed by her. But I can't really root for Rufus and Lily either...oy.

Anyway, what's really sucked me in is Blair. Leighton Meester is totally killing in this role. She started off being a little too queen-bee-bitchy but she's quickly become probably the most interesting character on the show. Along with Chuck. And in that way, it's totally fun and crazy and kind of perfect that they ended up hooking up. But as an actual relationship? Like...in public? That just seems a bit...wrong. Especially since Chuck's, uh, predatory past still creeps me out. Not that Nate's really right for Blair either. But for some reason I do kind of have a soft spot for Nate, even though we've really never seen him be in all that into Blair until this episode really...he's been perpetually preoccupied with Serena and his dad and all that. But after the Thanksgiving episode I now believe at some point that they were really good together. Generally I'm kind of meh on love triangles but this one kind of intrigues me because really not a single one of them knows what they want. It's all messy and confusing and unpredictable, which makes for some pretty great TV.

Oh, and I KNOW that I'm way past high school but hearing that Blair wants to be a member of Yale's class of 2013 make me feel really old...

blog may seem abandoned, but we're still watching tv... ;)

... at least until the shows start running out of episodes.

I'm probably in the minority, but I'm kinda glad this writers' strike is going on because it means I have a chance to catch up on all my shows. I'm still a few episodes behind, but here's what I'm still watching...

Every week:
* Heroes
* Chuck
* How I Met Your Mother
* Samantha Who?
* House
* Gossip Girl
* Pushing Daisies
* Private Practice
* Project Runway
* Grey's Anatomy
* October Road

Sometimes:
* Shark
* Dirty Sexy Money
* Las Vegas
* The Unit
* Numb3rs
* Friday Night Lights

Playing catch-up

I know, I know, I've been a bit delinquent with the blogging lately. So here's some random stuff on the shows I've been watching:

Gossip Girl: My favorite new show of this season, hands down. And I'm not afraid to admit it. New York Magazine loves it too, and their weekly recaps are totally hilarious. I'm kind of disappointed in what they did with the Vanessa character though. I might be completely making this up but in the books I thought she was a bit more...dark and sullen and edgy. The TV Vanessa is positively sunny, and she's not different enough from Serena to really be a good alternative for Dan. And the way they've set up Dan and Serena to be the like "it" couple for the series...I'm kind of not sure what she's even doing there besides giving random sage advice to Jenny. Oh well.

Friday Night Lights: I'm so glad Coach Taylor's back in Dillon. I thought the first couple of episodes of the season were just kind of too depressing but they've returned to more of a balance. I'm kind of meh on the whole Landry storyline...both Jesse Plemmons and Glenn Morshower are acting the hell out of their roles but I liked Landry better when he was the comic relief. And I'm sort of meh on him being on the football team...the episode where he saved the game and everyone was chanting his name was a bit much for me. I am glad that Julie has gotten over her heinous rebellious stage and apologized to Matt. But I'm also glad that Matt hasn't given into her. That new cheerleader is so just a random rebound though. Loved Smash inviting Riggins over for dinner, though I kind of wished we got some wisdom from Mama Smash. I don't really know what they're doing with Jason though...he keeps diving into things that he thinks will give his life meaning: first quad rugby, then coaching, but I guess he's still looking for something else. I did kind of like him as a coach though...

Ugly Betty: Soo....as much as I like Henry, all the Betty and Henry angst is getting kind of boring, and I almost want him to just go away so that Betty can get over him. I mean, that whole Wicked episode was kind of just terrible. (I'm actually still waiting to see Wicked on Broadway but I really didn't need to watch all those clips of the show.) Otherwise though, the show is still pretty awesome. I LOVE Marc and Cliff! It's just so cute and sweet and I'm just eating it up. And Victoria Beckham was actually pretty funny in this past week's episode. Oh, and did anyone else flash back to Caleb Nichol when Bradford keeled over at the altar??

The Office: I know that Michael's antics are kind of like the basis for this show, but I have to say that it's almost always the other stuff that I enjoy more. Sometimes the stuff that he and Dwight do is just so preposterous and stupid that I don't find it terribly funny. That said, I really liked the little tag at the end of this past week's episode where Michael and Jim have that really normal conversation. It was really refreshing to see that Michael's not insane all the time, and it was still funny.

Heroes: Finally got somewhere last week. And interestingly, Tim Kring, the show's executive producer has gone on record admitting that the beginning of the season pretty much sucked. Let's hope things get better from here on out. Although with the writers' strike thing there's a possibility of no new episodes after December...

Chuck: This show has really been growing on me these past couple of weeks. I don't know why nobody, including me, can stop comparing it to Reaper, but while Reaper's been suffering from bad pacing and repetitive storylines, Chuck's been getting more enjoyable by the week. Each episode has Chuck and Sarah and Casey going on some mission or whatnot, but the variety so far has been pretty great. Even the B-stories at the Buy More have been entertaining. This past week's episode we got to flash back a bit to when Chuck was at Stanford and how he got kicked out, which I really loved. I remember in the pilot I was having trouble buying Chuck as this socially inept person but now I totally see how he was really a pretty happy average guy at Stanford and it was him getting kicked out that just messed him up. I mean, I know that we've been told this all along but now I finally believe it.

The Amazing Race: It's back! I can't believe how long it took for me to get hooked onto this show...NINE seasons aired before I starting tuning in. This season has some interesting pairs, including those requisite bickering dating couples that you wonder how they ever decided that going on the race would be a good idea, and a pair of Goths who I wonder how long are going to keep up with their makeup. Fun times.

And finally, Project Runway Season 4 premieres this week! Am excited beyond words.

Checking in with the new fall shows

I've been swamped with work and school these past couple of weeks, and with a week or more of TV backed up on my DVR, it's interesting to see which of the new shows I find myself wanting to watch first. So far, there have only been two shows that I've been watching live or almost immediately (Gossip Girl and Pushing Daisies), a couple more that I've been genuinely enjoying, and the rest are either still on trial or I've already given up. Here's the rundown, from best to worst:

1. Gossip Girl: I can't help it, I LOVE this show. Blair and Serena are just so perfectly cast and are really believable as those best friends that really are close but find themselves alternately warring and hugging. Also really loving Dan and Jenny and even boring Nate and jerky Chuck are watchable. The little romance with Dan and Serena has been cute, but I'm not getting too attached...at least based on the books, though I don't know how closely they're going to following them. I'm totally addicted.

2. Pushing Daisies: I actually didn't really like the second episode...I thought the whole dandelion car thing was just too much and it all looked a little too Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. But this week's episode really won me over. The Ned-Chuck romance is so sweet and I love all the funny ways they're getting around the touching thing: holding hands with gloves, kissing through plastic wrap...I'm also glad that Ned came clean with Chuck about some of the details of his power. I was a bit worried they'd drag that out too long, though of course he's still yet to tell her about her father. I figure that's a sweeps type storyline. I'm also totally loving Emerson Cod. He knits! And the Pooh thing from this week was genius. Chi McBride's done a lot of dramatic stuff and I never expected him to be so funny, but he's really stealing a lot of scenes here.

3. Kid Nation: Um yeah. I don't think it's really getting good ratings at all but for some reason I just really love this show. Obviously I'm susceptible to getting hooked on reality but I find it to be really entertaining. A lot of it is extremely contrived but the kids are an interesting mix...much more diverse than any other reality show.

4. Dirty Sexy Money: I think what I like about this show is that every character was introduced really well. All the wild and crazy things rich people do are really entertaining, and Peter Krause does a great job keeping it down to earth a bit. There's a little bit of a mystery going on too. It's just really a lot of fun and I hope they keep it up.

5. Aliens in America: The only sitcom on my list (though I've yet to check out Samantha Who? about which I've heard some good things). It's short, sweet, and satisfying, and all the characters are really likable.

6. Reaper: This is where things start to get a little questionable. I did think the pilot was funny but the next couple of episodes had me a little bored, and honestly, they kind of remind of all the bad episodes of Buffy. I mean, even the bad episodes of Buffy had good things about them, and it's the same here, but...yeah. They're still kind of bad. Sock continues to amuse, Sam's pretty easy to root for, and Ray Wise as the Devil is perfect, but I wonder if maybe they need a little bit more of an ongoing storyline.

7. Chuck: I'm a couple of weeks behind with this one, and maybe it's gotten better but I kind of it's just a little too silly at times. And I don't know, Chuck just seems a little too Seth Cohen 2.0 for me. I guess his dorkiness is kind of endearing but I found myself thinking he was just lame a lot of the time. Adam Baldwin is pretty hilarious though. It's not all working for me yet but I'm willing to give it a few more weeks.

8. Journeyman: Really makes absolutely no sense but I kind of like Dan, the main character. I'm kind of afraid to get too into though because it sort of seems doomed for early cancellation.

9. Bionic Woman: I want to like this show, I really do, but it's just so heavy and humorless. And Jamie still has no personality. I guess it's the butt-kicking babe thing but I can't help comparing Jamie to Sydney Bristow. Sydney might have gotten a little cold as the series progressed, but she kind of instantly made you care about her. Jamie's just...blah. I'm still liking Sarah Corvus and Jae though. Oh, but was I like not paying attention during the pilot and Will is already dead? That's maybe a plus because I thought he was annoying. I'm trying to stick it out, really, but it's getting tough.

Off the DVR: Moonlight (boring), Cane (boring), Private Practice (bad/uninteresting), K-Ville (uninterested), Life (boring), Big Bang Theory (uninterested), Big Shots (stupid).

Pilot reviews part 1 - the Josh Schwartz edition

No, I'm not a TV industry insider who gets to preview new shows (as much as I'd like to be), but yes, these are early pilot reviews! The first episode of Gossip Girl is a free download on iTunes, and all of NBC's new dramas are available for free on my Comcast OnDemand. I've only watched Chuck so far, but look for my reviews of Bionic Woman, Journeyman, and Life coming up soon.

So taking pretty much no break at all after the end of the OC, Josh Schwartz has come back with two new shows this season: Gossip Girl for the CW, and Chuck on NBC. And judging from the pilots, they've both made my TV schedule for this year.

Gossip Girl is based on a popular series for teenage girls that I actually even blogged about awhile back talking about how while it was a trashy guilty pleasure I kind of worried about young girls aspiring to the sort of lifestyle portrayed in the books. But you know, it really can't be more perfect for a TV series, and who more perfect to run it than Josh Schwartz? He tackled the rich kids of Orange County, why not New York City? There are some similarities with the OC...the pilot of that show started off with plenty of alcohol and drugs and a threesome, and the pilot of Gossip Girl drops you right into all of that too. But while the OC was really built around a nice family story and was actually really goofy at times, I'm not sure if Gossip Girl is going to have any of that. The leads are girls, Blair and Serena, and I think there'll be a lot more bitchiness and backstabbing than we ever saw on the OC. The real predecessor to the show I think, is Cruel Intentions. Which you know, I kind of loved. And I think Gossip Girl is going to end up just as much a guilty pleasure as the books were.

I'm pretty pleased with the casting. Leighton Meester I remember from 24 and Veronica Mars, and she really has the right look and prissiness for Blair. And Blake Lively from Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants has that slight dreaminess but wild child thing going that's perfect for Serena. I'm also glad to see Penn Badgley in the mix. Though he's not at all what I pictured Dan to be like, I've been a fan of him since that really short-lived show Do Over from a long time ago. He's had a ton of failed pilots though, so I hope this one succeeds for him. Taylor Momsen is kind of all wrong for Jenny, but I never really liked Jenny in the books anyway so I don't care so much if that's inaccurate. Overall, a pretty glamorous show that I think the teen girls (and people like me) will eat up.

Chuck, in a way, is more similar to the OC. Chuck, played by Zachary Levi, definitely has that Seth Cohen adorkable thing going for him, and the tone of the show is kind of goofy--the pilot was really really funny. The show is about Chuck, a socially impaired member of the Nerd Herd at Buy More (i.e. Geek Squad at Best Buy) who gets an email from a college friend, a rogue CIA agent, containing pretty every government secret there is. It was encoded in images, and now that Chuck's seen all of them, they're all just contained in his head. So now he's going to being watched over by the NSA and CIA and occasionally work with them.

It does kind of sound a lot like Jake 2.0, which I loved, but I think it might be even better, because Chuck hasn't been ridiculously physically transformed: he just has a lot of sensitive information stored in his brain. And there's more of a spy show vibe than a sci-fi one, so it might appeal to more people.

Anyway, Adam Baldwin, a Firefly/Serenity favorite, plays one of the agents assigned to Chuck's case, and the cast also includes Sarah Lancaster, who I've kind of never liked, even dating back to her Saved By the Bell: The New Class days, but here's she's Chuck's sister, and not a love interest, which makes her more bearable. Zachary Levi is great in the lead role, he's very much a Seth Cohen type, though less self-obsessed and neurotic (which isn't a bad thing), and he's really easy to root for. Definitely definitely check this one out.