Tuesday, May 15, 2012

The TV MegaSite's Blog Post #91

Happy Spring to everyone!

Our site is doing well. Of course with the economic down-turn, and TV slowly dying, especially soaps, it's not really helping our site and its ad revenue. But fortunately, our site doesn't cost too much to maintain, and it will thrive no matter what because I pay for it out of my own pocket whenever I have to. That's how it started, anyway!

We could really use more volunteers. It's always hard for me to find time to go post for more help, too, since that takes time away from making new content for the site. We always have a lot of great volunteers, though!!  It's a huge site, so we always need more. If you have a few hours of free time every week or so, please email me. Check out our Volunteer Jobs page.

As always, you can check out all our site's new content at our What's New Page. We put new stuff up daily.

This time of year is when the networks (well, the "top" ones like ABC, NBC, CBS, FOX and the CW, not cable) tells us what will be on their fall schedules. They announce which shows are being canceled or not. A lot of them, they tell us about here and there as the year progresses. It's always a painful time in some ways for us viewers!  Especially us TV addicts.

A few years ago I declared that I would only watch one new show per "semester" because I got tired of being so upset when they canceled my favorite shows. This year was tough because I watched more than that. I figured about 8 new shows I watched regularly got canceled and 4 did not.

The ones I'm most disappointed in are "Terra Nova" and "Ringer". I liked "Secret Circle", but they had a pretty good ending and it was not my favorite show. They didn't have as good writing as Vampire Diaries and the show lacked humor. I loved seeing Gale Harold in it, and I hope he gets another good job. I just wish they had ended with Cassie and Adam together. Oh, well.

The guy who created "The Secret Circle" (Or TSC to its fans) is married to actress Eden Riegel, who used to play Bianca on "All My Children" and then Heather on "The Young & The Restless". It's funny because on her Twitter feed she was always bemoaning the fact that her poor husband was always so late at work, and now she is somewhat relieved. But she did take care to thank the fans for their support...

I'm just so thrilled that "Fringe" got another season, even if it is a short one. I was so worried about that one. Now with "House" gone, next year I will only watch 3 FOX shows regularly, "Family Guy", "Bones" and "Fringe". I can't stand most of their comedies, and their animated stuff is mostly not funny any more. Their new show "The Mob Doctor" looks interesting, but I'm not sure it's my type of show. As much as I love Tim Kring and Kiefer Sutherland, "Touch" is too touchy-feely, new-agey for me. Too bad about "Alcatraz" and "The Finder" being canceled because I thought they were both pretty good shows. Ditto for "The Firm" and "Harry's Law" on NBC.

I am very relieved that "CSI: NY" was saved. I stopped watching "CSI: Miami" last year because it just got too right-wing for me. There was just too much police brutality on the part of Horatio Caine and the others. That had been true for years, but the straw that broke the camel's back was when they made some very gratuitous anti-Occupy movement comments in one episode. Too bad because I really loved the cast, and I like all the CSI shows. I think Ted Danson being on the Las Vegas "CSI" has really energized that show. I like the new cast members, too.  They had a really great season-ending episode, too - one of the best this season.

I enjoyed some other season finales, such as "Vampire Diaries" - always a great shocker anyway. Sorry to see Alaric go...I will really miss him. Maybe he will come back some more as a ghost for Jeremy. I guess it was sort of inevitable for Elena to become a vampire, too. Sad that we won't see the actor who plays Klaus any more, and sad that Tyler is dead (even if we will still see the actor who plays him).  I'm glad Elijah and everyone else is still around.  It will sure be interesting next year!!!

I am also sad that "Desperate Housewives" is gone, and "House" soon will be, even though both shows were showing their age.  They were both still better than most of the crap on TV! :)   I only watched the past two years of DH, so I look forward to seeing the others on DVD. I thought Scott Bakula was fantastic as Bree's lawyer. I hope he gets another job soon. He was AMAZING in his cable show "Men of a Certain Age" (a show I'm still very upset that they canceled late in 2011).  Make sure to check that one out on DVD if you never saw it, especially if you are over 40. Truly great show.

I have to admit I would still watch "House" even if Hugh Laurie left, even though he is the most interesting person on there. It had such fun writing and characters.  I hope the guy who ran that show does something else again very soon.  It occurred to me yesterday that House's character was very similar to the character that Robbie Coltrane played in the great British series "Cracker". Both lived life to the extreme and said/did whatever they wanted, their relationships with women were very troubled, and yet they were brilliant detectives who loved to solve puzzles.  To a certain extent, Patrick Jane of "The Mentalist" fits that same mold, albeit in a more light-hearted way. He is way more charming and handsome than the other two.

I was reading on Twitter that Hugh Laurie might do another project with his old buddy Stephen Fry. They starred in the British series "Jeeves and Wooster" together and also both worked on "Blackadder". They are both fabulous actors and comedians, so that will be great.

"Castle" was another great season finale. Yay!  They finally had sex, but more important, they admitted their feelings. It will be interesting to see what happens, especially with death threats hanging over her.

I keep trying to boycott ABC, unsuccessfully :) After they canceled "All My Children" and "One Life to Live" I vowed not to watch any more of their shows, but I still have to watch "General Hospital", "Castle" and "Body of Proof". Last year I also added "Desperate Housewives" and "Once Upon a Time".  I also really enjoyed "Pan Am".  It's tough being a TV addict! I would need to get rid of my TV altogether to really cut back on it, I think.

As I said, I'm really sad that "Ringer" got canceled, but they did cram a LOT of story into one season. I just loved that show. They did such a great job with the characters and with the twists and turns of story. I tuned into it just because of Sarah Michelle Gellar, but the show got better and better and sucked me in big time. I'm just going to pretend that she and her husband, and her sister, worked things out. :)

I did not watch "Revenge" beyond the first episode, but I know it's a really good show. I'll have to catch that one on DVD. I really love the fabulous show "Once Upon a Time". Every single episode was great, and the season finale was super. I can't wait until next year!

"Bones" also had an excellent season finale, so sad but also exciting. They had a short season, it seemed. I wonder if Wendell is working with the bad guy? Seems like he must have a spy at the Jeffersonian. I always love seeing Ryan O'Neal!!!

I was surprised but pleased that "Grimm" survived...I only watch that one a little...I am always behind on it. There are some shows I watch online, and that is one, but I rarely get time to watch online, so....that is the problem. I'm also very behind on watching the UK's "Being Human", "Sherlock", "The Fades", and "True Blood", for the same reasons. I love them all, and also the Syfy "Being Human", which got even better this year.

I'm looking forward to this week's season finales of "The Mentalist" and :Supernatural"!!  They are both great shows that I never miss.  I think it is pretty clear that Jane is making everyone think that he's gone nuts in order to draw out Red John...but who knows, he's always kind of half-nuts anyway, so maybe it's not an act :)  This seems to be the only drama I watch where there is a male and female lead, where they are not doing anything at all romantic between them...or if they are, they are going very very slowly about it.  It's good that they are, of course...but part of me also wants them to hurry up already!! :)

Every season I think "Supernatural" must run out of ideas, but they don't. They somehow manage to keep it fresh. I can't wait to see what happens, every single time.  Like "Vampire Diaries", they are very good at balancing horror, tragedy, and humor. They have fantastic guest stars, too. I don't know why everyone doesn't watch this show. It should be at the top of the ratings because it's not only very well written but has great action and so much fun.

I can't wat for the "NCIS" season finale. I'm sure it will be excellent. It's so funny that this show is so successful now. It's been on for years but only got to the top a few years ago. It only did so because of scheduling. There is nothing opposite this show that would conflict with it. They put lame sitcoms or "Vampire Diaries" or reality shows on, all of which would largely have different types of audiences. It was the only show on the schedule like that. So it suddenly became this huge hit and still is. It's a good show but not really a #1 show, quality-wise, so it's very amusing to me how it became #1. I enjoy it, and it has a great cast, but the stories are so-so.

"Criminal Minds" is another somewhat-mediocre show that has been on a long time, yet it still gets pretty good ratings. The finale this week is two hours and sounds interesting. Someone leaves and someone gets married.

I think "Hot in Cleveland" was on fire this season - they were even better than last season. First season was okay, fun, but not all that funny. This season was hilarious. And so many great guest stars!! I don't know if they had their season finale or not, I can't remember, but it's always a super show. They should make more shows like this. It's the only "sitcom" that is on my "can't miss" list.

I have been enjoying the off-season shows "Mad Men" and "The Killing". I thought this week's episode of "The Killing" was the best one yet.  Those people who stopped watching last season are crazy and don't know what they're missing.  It's just so great- slow but intense. I don't know how they do that. It's like a slow burn, a lit fuse that never completely explodes.  I really don't know, either, how Darren will win...I don't think the voters would ignore the fact that he seems to be always hiding something. That will be interesting to see.

"Mad Men" is always both fun to watch and often hard to endure...it's kind of like literature that way. You know it will have a bad ending and all the people are miserable, but yet, it is just so well done, you have to watch. I live for the fun lines, like the ones Roger always has.  It's another show I started watching because of Joss Whedon :) Pete is played by the actor Vincent Kartheiser, who played Angel's son on "Angel", and he's why I started watching it. I'm so glad I did, since it's such a great show (and great soap opera). "Mad Men" is kind of like House...a soapy drama with a lot of very funny lines.

Speaking of soapy dramas...I'm also very glad that "Smash" was renewed!  It is so fun, like watching a Broadway musical every week. And I do love the other musical show "Glee", but it is more of a farce. "Smash" is somewhat more realistic.

I am always a little behind on watching "Glee" because I record it on my secondary DVR and then have to move it to DVD and watch it later. It's the same with "Law & Order: SVU" and  "Person of Interest", two more good shows that I'm glad will still be around next year. I also watched "Unforgettable" that way this year, and I'm a bit sad that it got canceled. It really got better as it went along.


"Eureka" is another fabulous show I never miss. It's one of my favorites, but I'm so very sad that this is the last season. It is just so much fun scifi, like "Star Trek: The Next Generation", but funnier. I don't know why they are getting rid of it, but it sucks that they are.  It's probably my second- or third-favorite show on right now.

I always love to watch "Fairly Legal", too, but I think it was dumb of them to mess with it...it was better last season, especially with Richard Dean Anderson on a couple of episodes!

I have to say that of the shows that were canceled and are now finished this year, the one that was the most heart-breaking was "Men of a Certain Age". None of the other networks canceled shows I really loved this year. Nothing hurt like the cancellation of recent shows "Medium", "Dollhouse", "Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles", "Caprica" or "Stargate: Universe". Nothing like when they canceled "Port Charles" or "Jericho", either. My heart still hurts over those.

I am of course upset about all the soap opera cancellations, but what made those even worse is how the networks, particularly ABC, destroyed the shows first before they canceled them. Canceling them was ALMOST putting them, and us, out of our misery.

They send me DVD's of some upcoming shows to review... the new USA show "Common Law" is kind of interesting, a somewhat-humorous buddy cop show. Kind of like Starsky and Hutch for the 21st century, in a way.  I have been enjoying episodes of "Franklin & Bash" and the new "Dallas", both on TNT. The new "Dallas" is awesome!! I watched all of the old show, and it's just as good as that one, if not better.

There are a lot of great returning summer shows that I can't wait for, like "Warehouse 13", "Burn Notice", "Haven", "Leverage", "Drop Dead Diva", "The Closer", "Damages", "Louie", "Wilfred", "Rizzoli & Isles", "Necessary Roughness", "Royal Pains",  "Suits", "Falling Skies", "White Collar", "Retired at 35" and "Alphas"...yeah, I know, I watch too much...

I can't believe I have to wait until next Fall to see more episodes of "Dexter" and "Doctor Who". It seems like they've both been gone FOREVER! "Dexter" is my favorite show and "Doctor Who" is up there. "Doctor Who" was my favorite until David Tennant and Russell T. Davies left...I still enjoy it, but not as much.

There are some shows I record on DVD and never get around to watching, like "Blue Bloods" and "Hawaii Five-0"....maybe I will one day get around to watching them, who knows?

I'm sure you've noticed I don't watch too many sitcoms, and no reality shows. I don't like reality shows and won't watch them unless they send me a DVD to review. I just don't like most of them, anyway, but also I just have no time. I prefer fiction, so I avoid all non-fiction, even those I'd probably like, like "Dancing with the Stars" and all those singing shows (I'm a singer, too, so I know I would like some of them). It's just easier for time management.

Lately we have been watching the DVD's for HBO's "Curb Your Enthusiasm" and really enjoying them. My husband and I watched every episode of "Seinfeld", so naturally...we love this one, too. It can be a little hard to watch, though, because of the awkwardness, but it's always very funny. I don't like most awkward shows, like "The Office", but this one is so funny that it's worth it. Otherwise, the only other non-animated half hour comedies I watch are "The Colbert Report" and "The Daily Show". I think they are the funniest shows on TV right now. I have seen most of the sitcoms and don't care for them...most are just not that funny to me. I sometimes watch "Two and a Half Men". It can be funny, but it's basically the same jokes over and over, and it's not as funny without Charlie Sheen. I think most of the other comedies spend way too much time on character development instead of jokes.

My husband and I always catch "Family Guy" and "South Park", but neither is as funny as it used to be. Last week's "Family Guy" was pretty funny (making fun of the Tea Party), but it's rarely that funny. We stopped watching "American Dad" and couldn't get past one episode of "The Cleveland Show".  I am probably a lot pickier about comedy than drama. I like "30 Rock" and "Big Bang Theory", but not enough to catch them regularly.  I will watch them on DVD sometimes.

Besides those 2 sitcoms and the aforementioned "Revenge", there are many shows that I would like but don't watch, believe it or not. It's just because of time - I can only watch so much. I hope one day to catch them on DVD, along with "Game of Thrones", "Merlin", "Lost Girl", "The Glades", "Teen Wolf", "The Walking Dead", "Pretty Little Liars", "The Lying Game", "Switched at Birth", "Episodes",  "Army Wives", "In Treatment", "Covert Affairs", "Boss", "Breaking Bad", "NCIS: Los Angeles", "Harry's Law", as well as some past shows that I still haven't watched like "The Wire", "Lost" and "Friday Night Lights".

A couple of other new shows this summer look interesting: "Longmire", "The Newsroom", "Perception", and "Anger Management"... we'll see how they go.....There is plenty to watch, that's for sure. It's not like the old days when it was all re-runs in the summer.

There are only so many hours in the day :) I hope your favorite show didn't get canceled.

Stay cool and have a great summer! Far out! LOL!!!