Summer TV

[ghost2]

I think the pickings this summer are far worse than they were last year. :( As usual, I've been checking out many of the new shows, at least on the major networks, and am very underwhelmed.

Merlin: NBC has aired four episodes so far. This show sure isn't finding much of an audience. The first two episodes had mediocre ratings, then the pair last night shed a lot more viewers to end up at just over a puny four million. That's opposite reruns, which makes it even more pathetic. Of course, I don't think the quality is very good so far. The younger cast members are uniformly horrible actors, and the dialogue is pretty bad. Still, it's watchable enough, for summer fare, and I'm desperate for new episodes of almost anything. Will give it more time to see if it picks up.

Mental: That guy who was Whistler on Prison Break is a psychiatrist here. Again, not a very good show and I have a feeling this one doesn't have much potential to improve anytime soon. It's like a really watered-down House. It's also not finding much of an audience.

The Philantropist: Rich guy with tragic past decides to help those who need it. Broken record time: The pilot was not good. OTOH, it wasn't that dreadful. One TV reviewer suggested that this series is the worst show ever. What, he's never seen Dollhouse, Cop Rock, The Bedford Diaries, or Head Cases (the gloriously awful Chris O'Donnell series that aired all of two episodes)? Shows that burn in the memory like those disasters come along only every so often. The Philanthropist doesn't even come close to being in their league. So, I will check it out again.

So You Think You Can Dance: I was always mildly interested in this reality series and watched it during the summer because of lack of options, but I finally stopped this season. Why? Because of judge Mary Murphy. Simply put, she laughs too damn much and has one of the most annoying laughs ever. It sounds something like this: HAW, HAW, HAW, HAW, HAW! I used to grit my teeth and tolerate her whinnying with poor grace, but this summer it wore me down. In a last-ditch attempt before quitting the show, I tried to hit the mute button at moments when she might potentially let loose with another loud cackle. The problem was, she laughed in the middle of dancers' auditions; she laughed when other judges gave their evaluations; she laughed when stating her own opinions. In short, she didn't know how to friggin' shut up! Thank you, Mary Murphy, for ruining the show for me.

Comments

[happydalek.livejournal.com]

Ah, TV. I remember when I used to watch that. Thanks for the summaries, guess I'll still be giving it all a pass. After what House did last season and Kings got canceled, I've got no reason to bother with any of it anymore.

[ghost2.livejournal.com]

I watch a heck of a lot of TV during the regular season. Summer is just so disastrous, though. :( It's such a dumping ground for junk, with only a few exceptions. Of course, I enjoy some of that junk even while recognizing it for what it is. For instance, in a couple of weeks I'll be watching Big Brother yet again.

I prefer dramas, though, and there aren't any good new ones so far this summer.

[prof-pangaea.livejournal.com]

my roommate loves true blood so i've been watching that with him a bit, and this season is pretty damn good -- it seems to have found a balance between crack, drama, excessive violence and trashy sex. i don't know if you watch cable so that may not be helpful at all, though.

[ghost2.livejournal.com]

Thanks for the reminder. Often, I forget what's on cable if it's on a station I don't receive. Which is the case with HBO. I did get to see the first season of the show and I mostly liked it. The current season had basically slipped under my radar but I'll work on catching it. I live for new dramatic episodes of TV shows.

[neutralalienist.livejournal.com]

BUT MERLIN IS SO CUTE. I'll admit it, it's like my telly cupcake. I do think it gets Properly Good around the second half; To Kill A King is pretty damn awesome.

I've mostly been catching up on good shows I missed. I suck at tv, so I miss a lot.

(What did you think of True Blood's first season? I enjoy the books, but...)

[ghost2.livejournal.com]

Merlin feels like a show that might just take a while to get into stride, so I'll hang in there for a while.

I kind of liked the first season of True Blood. It wasn't what I expected going in, since I've read the book series and had my own ideas about what things could/should be like. I do have mixed feelings about some of the changes they made from the books, and I definitely could live without the nudity and some of the other graphic elements. Basically, I grew to appreciate the show more as the season went along.

[stellastars]

Adding my agreement to neutralalienist's comment above -- the writing for Merlin does improve mid-season and the episode To Kill A King has some very nice moments. Also, I'm happy to keep watching and daydreaming that Merlin is actually Jethro Cane on a medieval adventure with the Doctor. ;-)

My summer watching always includes The History Detectives, cause I'm just that much of a PBS/history geek!

[ghost2.livejournal.com]

Another reason to stick with Merlin, then. It has nine more episodes to air this summer, so we'll see what I think by the end of those.

[amaresu]

I was never able to get into Merlin. Lots of people seem to like it though.

I enjoyed the first episode of The Philantropist. Enough to see how they're gonna spin this out into a series.

My summer tv is done on USA, a.k.a the Dealer of Crack Network. Burn Notice and In Plain Sight are both so damn good. Royal Pains is okay. I'm not sure I'd watch it if it wasn't on after Burn Notice.

Leverage is coming back to TNT and that makes me happy. I gets to have Leverage again. I also recently picked up The Closer and The Cleaner to watch. And Sci-Fi has a new show starting on Friday that looks interesting.

Clearly, for me, summer tv is all about cable.

[ghost2.livejournal.com]

I don't know if Merlin would have held my attention during the regular season, when so many other shows have new episodes going on. Airing in the summer has definitely helped it get me to watch. Maybe, as I see more episodes, I'll end up really liking it.

I was very taken aback when I read the article by the critic who suggested that The Philanthropist is the worst show ever. That seemed incredibly harsh. The pilot was definitely at least watchable, and like you, I want to see how it goes on a long-term basis.

I always forget when USA or other cable networks have new shows. They don't get as much publicity as the major networks do and I tend to overlook them. I ought to pay more attention. I've seen Burn Notice before and liked it, haven't yet caught In Plain Sight. I also have the first season of Leverage waiting for me to watch it (seems like the sort of show I'll like).

[amaresu]

Merlin just seemed to hit my embarrassment squick far too often. I figure when I'm thinking that a show might be better to watch with commercials it's probably not a show for me.

They don't get as much publicity as the major networks do and I tend to overlook them

Which is a shame because USA is great at taking chances with their shows. And they usually pay off. If you like Burn Notice you'll probably like In Plain Sight. It has the same sense of humor to it and much like everything else on USA it really focuses on the characters. And speaking of characters the main character is Mary Shannon. Yes, a girl is the lead.

There are three other main female characters (two in the first season). So if you've been looking for a show with lots of awesome women this might be a good one to check out.

Leverage is just good fun. It's the A-Team meets Mission: Impossible.

[cersia5.livejournal.com]

I guess it's rather pathetic of me but my eldest daughter and I enjoyed the hell out of Merlin...together. Which is rather weird because well I really don't enjoy what she likes and vice versa of course. It had the feel of the Crystal Cave series by Mary Stewart to it (I suppose that's why I enjoyed it). Merlin in the stocks well that was just plain fun and enjoyment. Unfortunately, I had forgotten that it was on this week, which to me means it needs a more memorable time slot. It's a rather interesting take on it that Merlin and Arthur are about the same age and well have this love/hate relationship at first, which actually seems to work for me. I really enjoyed it all but I suppose my expectations of what makes a great Arthur series are low. It sure beats the hell out of watching reality series after reality series. As for True Blood, after Blade: The Series...I just don't want to get into another vampire series.

[ghost2.livejournal.com]

I'm not judging anyone. I watch Big Brother, which has to be far more pathetic than watching Merlin is. ;) Only I don't care, because I enjoy it no matter how bad it is.

[lilly-rose.livejournal.com]

I can't help it, I'm stuck on Merlin. The cheese factor is only a bonus for me. I know the core Arthurian legend by heart, so I'm interested to see how they get the characters from where they have them now to where they should be. Then there's shallow me: I'd watch Anthony Head in practically anything, Merlin and Gwen are adorable, and it's not fair that anyone should be so gorgeous as the girl playing Morgana.

[ghost2.livejournal.com]

I know the basics but am not particularly familiar with the legend. It's an interesting idea for a show, anyway, and I expect I'll see more of that potential on display in upcoming episodes.