Tom: I watch very little commercial television. While this somewhat to do with the in-out quality of watching a program that’s interspersed with advertisements, it’s mostly because Australian television is pretty crap. Instead of waiting for quality shows to drip their way down into one of the few stations that we have I’ll generally either buy/rent the dvd or, if it’s a show only just being aired (through no action on my part) they’ll magically appear on my laptop (seriously, it just happens). So while I don’t actually watch any of it while it’s airing, I do watch a lot of television and I thought I’d share my thoughts on a few of the shows that have premiered recently. I’ll try and keep spoilers to an absolute minimum so you should be able to read this even if you haven’t seen the shows yet.
Also, If you’re looking for a decent list of release dates for new shows (who isn’t) then I recommend here.
House
I watched the 90 minute premier of house only a few minutes ago so I’ll start with it while it’s still fresh in my mind. First of all, I’m a huge fan of the double length start they’ve begun the season with. Unless you’re chaining dvds together there’s usually a fairly lengthy period of waiting between watching the seasons of a show, so a nice long feature length presentation was a great way to get back into the swing of things. In fact, the entire thing plays out more like a movie than an episode of a series (apart from a brief appearance of Wilson, House is surrounded by entirely new set of characters). This suits the subject of the episode nicely as it doesn’t center around a particular case, instead it shows House as he fights his emotional problems inside a psychiatric hospital. With an entirely new cast of characters it’s a testament to the quality of the writing how quickly and easily you’re able to bond with them.
As you can usually expect from an episode of House, the show bounces all around the emotional spectrum and features plenty of House beating people down emotionally (something I don’t think I’ll ever get tired of). Overall, I tremendously enjoyed the entire episode and was glued to the screen for the full 90 minutes. The jaw-dropping season five finale left big expectations for the new season’s opener and it most certainly did not disappoint.
On another House note, Hugh Laurie recently voiced concerns that the limp he’s adopted for his role on House is taking its toll on his body.
“The show might last to series seven, eight or nine but I don’t know if I will,” he said last night, “because I’m starting to lose my knees a little bit.”
You can read the rest here.
The Big Bang Theory
I recently watched the first two seasons of The Big Bang theory on dvd and I found that it tended to get better as the show progressed. While I suppose it’s more common for a sitcom to get worse as the ideas run out, TBBT has tapped into a whole world of geek culture and I don’t think the show is going downhill any time soon. Now, while there’s nothing quite like the attention grabbing intensity of a show like House, I have great respect for sitcoms that can make me laugh time and time again. TBBT is certainly one of these and the new season’s premiere jumps in right where the last left off. The episode centers around a disagreement between the guys and Sheldon (a character performance Jim Parsons should have an Emmy for) and Leonard’s relationship with Penny. The latter seeing remarkable progress without the usual dilly dallying. In all, I really enjoyed the episode and I’m looking forward to plenty of laughs from the rest of the season. If you don’t already watch The Big Bang Theory I certainly suggest you give it a try, especially if you’re in any way geek oriented.
Bones
The finale of the last season of Bones ended in such a cliché I was worried where the show was headed. Well, it turns out I had nothing to fear. The new season has put an entirely new spin on the events that transpired at the end of season four. Cleverly, the writers have found a way to push the relationship between the shows leads back such a way that allows them to pick up right where they were before the tumultuous events of the finale. Cleverer still, is they’ve done it in a way that’s actually satisfying. Now, I’m sure there are those that wouldn’t agree with me, but I think a backwards step in Booth and Brennan’s relationship is necessary for the show. As for the plot of the episode itself, I’m not a big fan of mixing supernatural elements into a sciency show like this so the crime of the episode wasn’t one of my favorites (the crime is discovered by an annoyingly accurate psychic). That said, the back and forth between Booth and Brennan is still the major drawing point of the show and it’s really what makes it as good as it is. I enjoyed the first episode and I look forward to the rest of the season.
How I Met Your Mother
I didn’t really like the look of the promo for the new season. It had a strange quality about it and I think they could have used a better scene to advertise the new series. That aside, the episode restored itself to good ol’ HIMYM quality after a shaky start. The show also did quite well to establish Ted into his new job, which I’m sure will be a source of many laughs in future episodes. Overall, I thought it was great first episode that bodes well for the rest of the season.
Those four shows make up most of the releases I was waiting for this year. Another one that should be here soon is Dexter. I’m huge fan of the show and I’m definitely looking forward to the premiere of the new season. When it arrives I’ll be sure to let you know what I think.
Tom
Aaron
