Entertainment Shakedown: AKA: I'm Back Baby!

First of all I want to apologize for the lack of updates recently, between Upfronts, family commitments, weddings and playoff hockey, let's go Devils, the month of May has been completely kicking my ass. But enough excuses, there is much to discuss. May brings all sorts of excitement to the entertainment world filled with renewals, cancellations and the announcements of the new shows to come.

I'm starting the news off with cancellations. Time to see how the "promising" shows of last year turned out.

ABC

The River - Ok, so it was pretty much a given that the little show brought to you by the guy who "brought us Paranormal Activity" was probably not getting a pick up. Which is sad because I really enjoyed it, and will even go so far as to say it may have been my favorite show of last season. While having a short season, only eight episodes, the show was a creepy, crazy ride that I am sad to see end. Although the show had a decent ending which could work as a season or series finale, I still wish that ABC had stuck with it. There was a rumor circulating a few months back that NETFLIX was interested in possibly picking the show up and producing new episodes, and since the first season was released on DVD, and available on Amazon, I am still holding out hope.

Pan Am - The show was cute, and had some really awesome guests, but it was mostly forgettable. I wouldn't have been upset if it was renewed but I can understand why it wasn't.

CBS

 
A Gifted Man - Let's be honest CBS rarely cancels shows, especially after only a season, but in order to make room for new shows something's got to go. It wasn't a terrible show, but it definitely wasn't helped by having a Friday night time slot.

CW

The Ringer - It's sad that a show with such an awesome cast, Sarah Michelle Gellar and Nestor Carbonell would only last a season, but even I have to admit the show got a little too soapy/predictable for my taste.

The Secret Circle - Honestly, this show was pretty much presented on a silver platter, based on a book series by the same author and with the same creative team as its ridiculously successful lead in The Vampire Diaries, it looked like this show was almost a shoe in for success. But alas, it lacked whatever magic, no pun intended, that has kept The Vampire Diaries audience captivated.

FOX

The Finder - It was pretty much a given when FOX decided to move their Bones spinoff to Friday nights that it wasn't going to get a second season. The show itself was fine, awesome guest stars, but as seems to be the current trend in tv land lately of you're not a "hit" right off the bat, you get the axe.

Alcatraz - It seems with JJ Abrams, his shows either do ridiculously well, or the crash and burn. Alcatraz fell into the later category. The concept itself was pretty awesome, and having Hurley in it definitely added to the appeal, however the show itself sort of fell flat. While I watched the shoe, and enjoyed it, I didn't LOVE it. If I missed an episode I wasn't feening to watch it as soon as possible.

Terra Nova - I sometimes feel like Jason O'Mara on a show is like having a show written/directed by Joss Whedon. Both are quite talented and yet most of their shows barely last a season. Let's face it though, with the mega huge budget required to keep this show going, if it wasn't an automatic television phenomenon, it was destined to be canceled.

NBC 

Awake - I will state again for the umpteenth time, I am still devastated to know that I live in a world where Awake was canceled and Whitney was renewed. The show itself was great, my only complaint was that it required A LOT of brain capacity for 10pm on a Thursday.

The Playboy Club - I know, I know it was canceled FOREVER ago, it only had three episodes air, but I still feel it is worth mentioning. Here we have another classic example of an NBC screw up. Instead of taking the controversy caused by the fact that the were airing a show called The Playboy Club to their advantage, they decided to stop airing the show after only three episodes despite having several more already filmed. Um, that just seems like a waste of money to me. Why not air the remaining episodes, in the hopes of picking up some new viewership? If it doesn't pick up then don't renew, but the money has already been spent to not air the remaining episodes and replace it with reruns of another failing show is just a waste. News flash NBC you are already in last place, the only place to go is up, take some risks. 

Other cancellations include:
ABC
Charlie's Angels
Missing
GCB
Work It

CBS
How to be a Gentleman
NYC 22
Rob
Unforgettable

 CW
H8R

FOX
Allen Gregory
I Hate My Teenage Daughter
Napoleon Dynamite

NBC
Are You There, Chelsea?
Best Friends Forever
Free agents
The Firm
Prime Suspect  
  
Next up...What's new for the fall/midseason 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.

Pan Am: AKA: Flying High with the 60's

Not sure when all the '60's nostalgia decided to overtake the airwaves but this fall in addition to AMC's long running hit Mad Men, we were given both NBC's Playboy Club and last night's Pan Am on ABC.

Pan Am centers around a group of Pan Am stewardesses in the 1960's, the highlight of the jet age. I'll admit the fashions, aside from the ever present girdle, almost make me run off to become a stewardess. Seriously how cute are those uniforms?

There are definitely several reminders that we are in a different time, the weigh in scene, the mentioning that women can only be a Pan Am stewardess till they turn 32 or get engaged.

There are a few interesting plot twists thrown in to make the show interesting, a spy element, a sibling rivalry. Plus once again we are treated to a cast of very attractive people, Mike Vogel, can we say yum? Also was pleased to see Will Chase's pretty little mug on my screen. Add in some very lovely ladies, including Christina Ricci, who will always be Kat Harvey to me, and it's a smorgasbord of pretty.

If nothing else Pan Am made me long for a simpler time, where flying the "friendly skies" was a luxurious experience, as opposed to the pain we go through now.  I'm curious to see where we're off to next.