Where There's Smoke... and Fire
Thanks to TiVo timeshifting, I watched most of Wednesday night's TV on Thursday morning. So my Mile-a-Minute Comments are a tad tardy. Without further ado, 60 words on last night's/this morning's shows:
30 Rock: First ep that felt like this show has a future. It was consistently funny, nicely unhinged, and the players stuck to their games (i.e. no more pratfalls from Tina Fey). If it can maintain this tone, it’s worth a watch, although I might avoid more “aw, shucks” subplots with the witless page.
Lost: And they say nothing happens on this show. See? Smoke! Death! Smoky death! Opening up the cast beyond the main survivors has been fine, but Perky New Girl and Eurotrash Boyfriend solving the mystery of Pearl station and revealing Eyepatch Guy – in about 15 seconds – is a bit pat. Will be interesting to see how the show survives winter hiatus.
The Nine: So far, so good. Inverting Lost’s format – flashing back to the defining event and watching the ripple effects in the present – is working well. Felt like a bit of a catchup episode, as we revisited some topics (Jeremy/Franny, Randall/Felicia) and the big tease – was Eva involved in the holdup? – proved to be just that. That said, still gripping.
Top Chef: Thousands of submissions and a grueling competition to find the country's best chef who can… create a dish for TGIFridays? Huh? Project Runway falls into this trap, too: corporate sponsorship waters down the contest. Also, too many recipe themes – first make ice cream for kids, then something for Fridays based on a childhood memory, tested by firemen. Again, huh?
30 Rock: First ep that felt like this show has a future. It was consistently funny, nicely unhinged, and the players stuck to their games (i.e. no more pratfalls from Tina Fey). If it can maintain this tone, it’s worth a watch, although I might avoid more “aw, shucks” subplots with the witless page.
Lost: And they say nothing happens on this show. See? Smoke! Death! Smoky death! Opening up the cast beyond the main survivors has been fine, but Perky New Girl and Eurotrash Boyfriend solving the mystery of Pearl station and revealing Eyepatch Guy – in about 15 seconds – is a bit pat. Will be interesting to see how the show survives winter hiatus.
The Nine: So far, so good. Inverting Lost’s format – flashing back to the defining event and watching the ripple effects in the present – is working well. Felt like a bit of a catchup episode, as we revisited some topics (Jeremy/Franny, Randall/Felicia) and the big tease – was Eva involved in the holdup? – proved to be just that. That said, still gripping.
Top Chef: Thousands of submissions and a grueling competition to find the country's best chef who can… create a dish for TGIFridays? Huh? Project Runway falls into this trap, too: corporate sponsorship waters down the contest. Also, too many recipe themes – first make ice cream for kids, then something for Fridays based on a childhood memory, tested by firemen. Again, huh?
2 comments:
My wife is begging me to TiVo "30 Rock." I watched the first 10 minutes of the pilot. It was ok. But only ok. Do you suggest I should give it further attention?
I'd say give it a go. It's not exactly appointment viewing, but seems to have stablized from the pilot, where describing it as "shaky" would be kind.
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