Community: "Documentary Filmmaking: Redux": AKA: It's Not that Easy Being Dean...

The first episode after the benching announcement and the Communies were out in full force. Twitting up a storm attempting to trend such phrases as #savecommunity and #sixseasonsandamovie. They even took to tweeting sponsors as their commercials aired to prove that despite what Neilson may say, we are watching. Take note NBC, "We will not go quietly into the night!" We will not vanish without a fight! We're going to live on! We're going to survive!" That's right, I just quoted Independence Day at you.

The episode itself included all the mad cap craziness we've come to know and love. Opening with a classical cheesy 1980's-esq commercial advertising our beloved Greendale. Turns out the Dean has finally gotten the board to allocate funds for a new commercial. Of course the natural choice to star in this new ad is every one's favorite study group, with the priceless idea to have Jeff play the Dean. Gotta say in his Dean garb Jeff bares a striking resemblance to Damon Lindelof. True to form rather than be in the commercial, Abed decides to film a documentary on it's creation.

Things don't go exactly as planned and when Louis Guzman calls and tells the Dean he would LOVE to be a part of the commercial, it all start to go awry. The episode was full of all the things fans love about the show. From the Dean's epic meltdown to Abed coming through to save the day, it was completely ridiculous, and yet some how completely sincere. It's very rare for a half hour comedy to find a perfect balance of absurd and heartfelt, yet Community seems to have been able to achieve just that.

So come on NBC, get off your ass and tell us when we can expect to see the Greendale gang back in our weekly schedule.

Once Upon A Time: AKA: A Fairy Enchanted World

Confession: I am a fairy tale junkie, always have been, always will be. One look at my literature collection and you'll notice several versions of the classics, not mention the various fairy tale variant movies I own. From the evil dark Brothers Grimm versions, to the happy Disney-ified tales, to everything in between, I love it all. I've even started working on a novel featuring a twist on the classic Little Red Ridding Hood story. There's a reason these stories are classics, that we all know them, and this year's fall line up goes to show, the classics can still hold their own.

Last night ABC premiered their new fairy tale based show, Once Upon A Time, written by Adam Horowitz and Edward Kitsis. Yes that's right, Adam Horowitz and Edward Kitsis of Lost. Suddenly the clock being stopped at 8:15 make so much more sense.

The pilot was jam packed with action and exposition, it had to be with a storyline as big as the one they are trying to mount. The Wicked Queen has won, at least for now, and banished all the fairy tale characters we know and love, to the town of Storybrooke, Maine, where time stands still and they have no idea/memory of who they truly are. Their only hope in breaking the curse, lies in Emma Swan, a bail bonds person, who unbeknownst to her is the daughter of Snow White and Prince Charming, who is brought back to Storybrook, by her estranged ten year old son Henry. At first unwilling to believe all this fairy tale nonsense, something eventually takes hold of Emma and she decides, at the urging of Henry to stay, "for just a week".

I have been in love with this pilot since I first heard they were casting it, and I am so happy that so far, it was so greatly received. I can't wait to see what is in store for the denizens of Storybrooke, this show has defiantly clinched a spot in my must watch TV line up.

Week Four: AKA: Making Decisions

So we're into week four of the fall tv season, and decisions are being made. I've gone through several weeks of new shows and am starting to make my decisions onto which shows I am going to make the commitment to. So far here are my updated verdicts:

Sundays

Homeland (10pm Showtime)
Ok, so I've only gotten my hands on the pilot, but as I've said before I ADORE Mandy Patinkin and as I think the concept an amazing new take on a familiar fear. I'm definitely looking forward to seeing more.

Pan Am (10pm ABC)
I wasn't sure I was going to continue watching this show after the pilot, but three episodes later and I find myself looking forward to each new episode. I adore Captain Dean (AKA: Mike Vogal, who will always be Dean from Grounded For Life to me), and Kate Jennings Grant has a recurring as role as Judith Cameron, Laura and Kate's mother. She just flat out rocks, and she is way prettier then they make her up to be.

Mondays

Terra Nova (8pm Fox)
I am well aware I need to be watching this show, and fully admit to it being my fault that I have yet to catch up. However due to my due to my commute anything airing before 10pm is a gamble on whether or not I make it home to watch.

Hart of Dixie (9pm CW)
It's a cute show, and three weeks in and I am still entertained. Is it a thought provoking master piece? Hardly, but it's sweet and a good way to the hour before Castle.

Playboy Club (10pm NBC)
Well the decision was made FOR me here. It wasn't the best show I had ever seen, but it was interesting enough. I was really looking forward to seeing where the storyline between Sean and Bunny Alice was headed. Homosexuality in the 1960's is not something we, the viewers, have been readily exposed to, I was really interested to see how they handled it. Unfortunately we may never know.

Tuesdays

Ringer (9pm CW)
This is one of the saddest hings I've typed. I was psyched for the premiere and raced home for the second episode, I was beyond excited to have Buffy Summers and Richard Alpert once again gracing my screen. Yet now after three episodes, I've realized I don't really care about the story. It's not a bad show, it just seems to be moving fairly slowly, and I don't really care about the characters themselves.I'm going to stick with it or awhile but sad to say when the mid season replacements start up, I'll probably end up watching something else instead.

Wednesday

Revenge (10pm ABC)
This show was honestly a pleasant surprise. I wasn't sure how they were going to sustain this as a tv show, as opposed to a movie, but, at least for now, it seems to be working quite nicely. More importantly, I actually "care" about the characters. I want to befriend Nolan, console Jack about his father, and while I'm not 100% sure how I feel about Victoria, I know that I want to know more about her.

American Horror Story (10pm FX)
We're only one episode in and honestly I am still in WTF mode. I'm not giving up on it just yet, but honestly the jury is still out on whether or not it's being added to my regular schedule. 

Thursday

Person of Interest (9pm CBS)
I still need to catch up but I'm gonna stick with it, because let's face it Ben Linus always has a plan.

Person of Interest "Pilot": AKA: Some People were just Born to Play Creepy

So when CBS announced they were doing a new show created by JJ Abrams and Jonathon Nolan, which would star Michael Emerson, I couldn't be happier. Seriously the amount of genius in that sentence is just crazy.

Person of Interest debut last Thursday on CBS at 9pm. Michael Emerson, better known as Ben Linus of Lost, plays a mysterious billionaire who hires Jim Caviezel, better known as Jesus of The Passion of the Christ, a down on his luck ex-CIA man, whom everyone, government included, believes is dead to help him on a mysterious mission. It seems that mysterious billionaire has created a machine that can predict violent crimes. However all he has to go on is a social security number. He doesn't know if the person who's SS# he has is the victim or the perpetrator, all he knows is that they are involved.

Perhaps the most unnerving thing about this premiere/show is the use technology as surveillance. The grainy black and white surveillance footage, from cameras all over the city, add in the pairing of her cell phone which allows Reese, aka Jesus, to listen in on her conversations, and it's enough  to make anyone paranoid. Big Brother is definitely watching, and the scene of Resse discovering about September 11th while in Mexico with his girlfriend, is a subtle reminder of why.

We live in a post September 11th world, where so many freedoms have given away to constant surveillance in the name of safety. As Emerson's, Finch explains, "The public wanted to be protected, they just didn't want to know how they were being protected." It has become something we are so used to that most of us don't even notice/realize it anymore.

All and all Person of Interest is a very interesting premise, and with JJ Abrams and Johnathan Nolan at the helm, I'm very excited to see where they go with it.

Fall Television: AKA: It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year

CW Ringer Promo Photo

While I love that summer brings cute outfits unburdened by coats, and winter brings the holidays, my favorite season by far is Fall. Fall bring a lot of my favorite things, Halloween (probably my favorite holiday), yummy pumpkin flavored treats (lattes, muffins, beer and more), Hoodie weather, and the opportunity to start wearing knee high socks and skirts (one of my fave combos...I own far more knee socks than anyone my age probably should) and boots (my foot wear of choice).

Most importantly though, the fall signals the beginning of NEW tv shows, and new episodes of returning favorites. Huzzah! My view schedule kicks off tonight with CW's  Ringer, starting Sarah Michelle Gellar and Nester Carbonell at 9pm....Wait..Tuesdays at 9pm? Anyone else having Buffy flashbacks here?

TV Guide describes the show as:

Ringer (CW) 

Premieres: Tuesday, Sept. 13 at 9/8c
Sarah Michelle Gellar's back! And this time, there's two of her! Gellar plays twins Bridget and Siobhan — both decidedly un-Buffy-like — in this mystery thriller that was originally developed for CBS. Bridget, a recovering alcoholic, is on the run from some baddies and decides to hide out by taking the identity of her wealthy twin sis, who is thought to be dead. Turns out taking on Siobhan's persona puts Bridget in a very different kind of danger. Lost alum Nestor Carbonell co-stars, but don't expect any sci-fi stuff, à la Lost and Buffy, on Ringer. "No hatch! No island!" Gellar says. 

 

I have to admit I am excited to have SMG back on my television screen each week. I'm even more excited to see her taking on a more grown up/non campy role. Don't get me wrong I LOVED Buffy the Vampire Slayer, still do and always will, but let's be honest here, she can't play high school forever. Since the show ended, and I get that she took time "off" to travel and be with family, which isn't a bad thing at all, but there hasn't been much that she has done that made me really excited, TMNT being the exception, because I am a huge dork.  So I am excited to see her take on new more complex character. Also, seeing Nestor Carbonell's gorgeous lashes grace my tv screen again, is a welcome addition to my fall line up.

There are plenty of other shows I'm eagerly anticipating. I'm sure after a few episodes some of the newer shows may fall to the wayside, but as of now, here's how my nights are looking:

Sunday
8pm
Once Upon a Time (10/23)

10pm
Pan Am (9/25)
Homeland (10/2)

Monday8pm
Terra Nova (9/26)

9pm
Heart of Dixie (9/26)

10pm
Castle (9/20)
Playboy Club (9/19)

Tuesday8pm
NCIS (9/20)

9pm 

Ringer (9/13)
The New Girl (9/20)

Wednesday8:30pm
Suburgatory (9/28)

10pm
Revenge (9/21)
American Horror Story (10/5)
Psych (10/2)

Thursday8pm
Community (9/22)

9pm
Person of Interest (9/22)
Bones (11/3)

Friday
9pm
Grimm (10/21)


Winter Premieres I'm eagerly awaiting:
Alcatraz
Apt 23
Awake
The Finder
Good Christian Belles
The River
Scandal
Smash

 

Like I said I'm sure I'll fizzle out on  some of these, as every year I start off with and overly ambitious schedule, which inevitably gets trimmed down, but I am so glad that this year is offering a ton of new shows that I'm actually excited to see.

For a full calendar of fall premiers, you can download you're copy of the "Official JOpinionated 2009 Fall TV Calendar" here, created by the amazing Jo Garfein.

 

Tonight you will find me curled up on the couch with a bowl of popcorn kicking off the new fall season.