Pop Culture Curmudgeon

Random thoughts about Winter TV 2012 so far…

Y’all. I don’t even know where to start, so I guess I’ll go by day of the week.

Downton Abbey: Maggie Smith’s awesomeness continues to be showcased, but I haven’t been wowed by the rest of it so far. Will I continue to watch? Absolutely. Masterpiece and a glass of wine is Sunday night tradition at my house. Am I excited about it? Not really.

House of Lies: SO disappointed by this show. I’ve seen two episodes now, and that’s all I really need to see. A fantastic cast squandered. It hurts me to say this because I really want Kristen Bell to have a successful show, but I’m going to let this one go by the wayside.

Shameless: I really like that it’s becoming more of it’s own thing with every episode and leaving the BBC original behind. The Gallagher children are all excellently portrayed and Emmy Rossum has been a revelation. I do, however, continue to find William H. Macy’s Frank distracting. It’s continually perplexing to me that such a fine actor is the weak link in this show, but he is.

Alcatraz: Honestly, I fell asleep. I’m going to give it another try, but it’s still waiting on my dvr.

Castle: The way they’re setting up the big bad for the rest of the season is intriguing. Monday night’s return was a great episode, and I’m really looking forward to see where the writers are going to go with it.

Raising Hope: Miss Smartypants, the mid-season premiere, was quite possibly the funniest episode to date. Do yourself a favor, get to Hulu.com and see it if you haven’t already.

Justified: Oh. My. Gosh. So much goodness. No discernible drop in quality from last season. 100% pure awesomeness.

Southland: If you like the show, it’s more of the same, but with a surprising number of name brand guest stars.

White Collar: Is it groundbreaking television? Hardly, but I do enjoy the chemistry between the leads, Tim deKay and Matt Bomer. It doesn’t hurt that Matt is exceptionally easy on the eyes, either. lol

The Finder: The changes made from the pilot were all good moves, but I just didn’t get that I HAVE TO WATCH feeling.

Bones: pretty gruesome, but the chemistry between the characters continues to be excellent. That’s the real reason I keep tuning in, not the procedural stuff.

Vampire Diaries: so much goodness, so little time. I’m loving the new dynamic to Damon/Elena, Stefan makes an excellent bad guy, and insane amounts of stuff continues to happen every episode. You’re going to think I’m nuts, but I really think they have some of the best writers in television. They go through more stuff in an episode than some shows have in an entire season.

Secret Circle: Do I watch? Yes, on dvr. Is it appointment t.v.? not in any way, shape or form.

Supernatural: I’m watching, but several episodes at a time. It just hasn’t been as good this year, and the leviathans haven’t been particularly scary. HOWEVER, I thought this past episode with the trip back to the 40s was a lot of fun.

AWESOME NEWS! Cougar Town comes back on Feb. 14. I’ve already got my Big Carl ready to go.

I’ll make another post soon as more shows premiere and/or return. What are your feelings about t.v. so far in the new year?

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Uncategorized | katie71483 | January 17, 2012 11:57 pm

5 Comments

By Lisa, January 18, 2012 @ 9:09 am

I can’t wait until Cougar Town comes back! I like the comedies way more than the dramas, so I was happy to see new episodes of Two Broke girls- funnier every week- and Glee.

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By Jen, January 18, 2012 @ 6:30 pm

I am giving up on the Secret Circle. I stuck with it for a while, but it is a real snoozefest.

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By katie71483, January 19, 2012 @ 8:25 am

Yes, indeed it is. But Jake is HOT and I have an abiding affection for Gale Harold left over from Queer as Folk.

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By elisamaza76, January 23, 2012 @ 10:47 pm

THERE IS A SPOILER AT THE END OF THIS COMMENT!

I am so glad my friend made me watch Vampire Diaries when it started — it is truly the little show that could. Hot hotness aside…oh, who am I kidding — the hot hotness is central. In narrative terms, there are some continuity issues, and all actors are not created equal, but it is consistently entertaining, and often surprises (in good ways). AND THE DAGGER IS FINALLY OUT!!! I cannot wait for that debriefing.

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katie71483 Reply:
January 23rd, 2012 at 11:06 pm
If only we didn’t have to skip a week! Darn The CW, making us wait until Feb. 2…

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