Category Archives: Reviews

You Really Don’t Want to Watch Fox’s ‘I Wanna Marry “Harry”’

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wanna marry harry

No. Just, no. Proving that it has learned exactly zero lessons since foisting The Next Joe Millionaire upon the public, Fox has once again failed to clone its 2003 reality mega-hit, Joe Millionaire. This time around, we’re stuck with I Wanna Marry “Harry,” in which 12 dimwits vie for the hand of a man they think just might be Prince Harry. As I wrote at The Daily Beast,

Instead of upending the genre as Joe Millionaire did, the inert Harry mostly shows how much things have changed since then. Very few Bachelor viewers—despite the efforts of host Chris Harrison—wholly buy into that show’s fairy-tale storyline anymore. The turning point came in 2010, as audiences were exposed to the creepy serial killer vibe given off by Jake “Stop Interrupting Me” Pavelka during his nasty on-air split with “winner” Vienna. Then, there was a near revolt this past Bachelor season, as almost all the women (and even Harrison himself) ultimately turned against Bachelor Juan Pablo Galavis as a result of his douchey behavior both onscreen and off.

Now, many contestants and viewers have realized that the real way to “win” The Bachelor/Bachelorette isn’t by becoming the last suitor standing and getting engaged. Instead, the key is to play your cards right and score the better prize: either become the runner-up who was compelling and beloved enough to be selected as the next Bachelor/Bachelorette, or embrace the villain(ess) persona that’s a direct ticket to getting booked on spinoff shows like Bachelor in Paradise (airing this summer). Continued employment, not true love, has become the real Bachelor allure.

If you wanna watch Harry, you’ll only get an uninspired retread of a once-revelatory idea.

You Really Don’t Want to Watch Fox’s ‘I Wanna Marry “Harry”’

How ‘Marvel’s Agents of SHIELD’ Finally Found Its Way

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agents of shield s1

No series arrived this season with more hype, and more disappointment, than Marvel’s Agents of SHIELD. The show seemed destined to seamlessly expand Marvel’s bigscreen dominance to television, but as I wrote at The Daily Beast,

Instead, for much of its dreary first season, S.H.I.E.L.D. was a pretender, saddled with cut-rate CGI, one-dimensional characters (and in some cases, half-dimensional actors) and most damning of all, devoid of anything even remotely resembling fun. Yet in true comic book fashion, just when it seemed that all hope was lost, in the past month the show—against all odds—finally found its way. Now, Tuesday night’s feisty, rewarding season finale has me doing something I never would have thought possible: counting the days until next season.

I delve into the show’s many problems this seasons, and how the big twist from April’s Captain America: The Winter Soldier has finally helped Agents of SHIELD became the thrilling show it was always supposed to be.

How ‘Marvel’s Agents of SHIELD’ Finally Found Its Way

‘Live Another Day’ Review: Can Jack Bauer Save ‘24’ From Itself?

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24 live another day

Four years after the clock ran out on 24, Jack Bauer is back. Fox has relaunched the franchise with a 12-episode “event series” called 24: Live Another Day. I only wish the show was closer to the show’s exhilarating early seasons rather than the formulaic later ones. As I wrote in my Daily Beast review,

Aside from the thrill of seeing Jack—and Sutherland—back on the clock, barking orders and unleashing new methods of ass-kicking (for his next trick, he’ll do it with the hands cuffed behind his back!), 24’s absence hasn’t made me grow fonder of its tropes. This time around, many of them—Jack being underestimated by everyone around him, his first anguished utterance of “Dammit!,” the first of what will be many double-crosses—seemed more dutiful than inspired. The later seasons of 24 indicated that all the format’s tricks had been exhausted, and so far, Live Another Day’s writers haven’t indicated that they’ve discovered any new ones.

“Damnit, Chloe, I need more innovation!”

‘Live Another Day’ Review: Can Jack Bauer Save ‘24’ From Itself?

‘The Blacklist’ is Dead Without the Psychotic Red

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blacklist

Few shows have been as agonizingly schizophrenic this season and NBC’s The Blacklist, which is unmissable whenever James Spader is on screen as Raymond “Red” Reddington, and unwatchable whenever he is offscreen. As I wrote at The Daily Beast, the producers have done a superb job at dialing back on Red’s camp from the pilot:

Rather than going over-the-top, Spader has chosen a markedly more intriguing route. While he’s always the only one on screen having fun, he’ll frequently pull back the curtain to reveal the heartache and torment lurking underneath, especially in a rapt monologue about the torment of discovering his wife and child’s murdered corpses, or a recent conversation with Keen about how one comes to terms with taking a person’s life. More heart than ham, Red has become an intriguingly complex character, a 10-course-meal the likes of which broadcast television rarely concocts these days, and Spader has dug into each new dish with relish.

The rest of the show, however, is a mess, and I propose some radical changes that would help fix the series — and make Red even more compelling.

‘The Blacklist’ is Dead Without the Psychotic Red

Where Did All the Inspiring TV Politicians Go?

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house-of-cards

I returned to The A.V. Club for a story about how much the depiction of political leaders have changed on TV from the days of The West Wing’s Josiah Bartlet. As I wrote,

Seven years after The West Wing ended its run, audiences now gravitate toward political shows like House Of Cards, Scandal, Veep, and the new Alpha House, which are all marvelous (okay, maybe not Alpha House, though John Goodman provides the hope that it might find its way), but revolve around presidents and other leaders who are either despicable, incompetent, or both. In other words, they’re just as selfish, sleazy, and/or stupid as we perceive many contemporary leaders to be.

Where Did All the Inspiring TV Politicians Go?

Supporting Characters Bring New Life to Shows

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modern family lily

I made my debut at The A.V. Club for my latest story, a look at how long-running shows lean on their supporting characters for a fresh burst of comedic energy that they can no longer get from their leads. I focused on Modern Family, which has turned Lily Tucker-Pritchett (Aubrey Anderson-Emmons) into the show’s MVP. As I wrote,

This is the latest example of a sitcom reaching way down its supporting bench, plucking out an underused actor, and relying on their unique, refreshing comic flavor to ride out a rough patch. It’s an essential asset, especially for sitcoms, which thrive on repetition.

Supporting Characters Bring New Life to Shows

‘Breaking Bad’ Finale, ‘Homeland’ Premiere: How to Survive DVRmageddon

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dvrmageddon

I’ve been saying for years that there’s too many great shows on TV, but I can’t remember one night that has been packed with so many can’t-miss programs before: there’s the series finale of Breaking Bad, the season premieres of Homeland and The Good Wife, the series premiere of fall’s best new drama and much more. It’s DVRmageddon, and at The Daily Beast, I explain the best way to make it through the night and watch everything you need to see:

Did you have angst last Sunday night deciding whether to watch the Emmys, Breaking Bad or the Dexter series finale? Well, that was just a warm-up for the main event, this Sunday at 9 p.m.: DVR-maggedon, when many of fall’s most ravenously anticipated episodes—including the Breaking Bad series finale, the Homeland and Good Wife season premieres, and the debut of fall’s best new drama—air simultaneously. How can anyone possibly navigate that murderer’s row of programs? We’ve crunched the numbers, seen (almost all) of the episodes in question, and devised this handy guide to ensure you catch every show worth seeing on Sept. 29—in time to deconstruct them with your friends and coworkers on Monday.

Good luck!

‘Breaking Bad’ Finale, ‘Homeland’ Premiere: How to Survive DVRmageddon

Why ‘Sons of Anarchy’s’ Controversial Season Premiere Twist was a Mistake

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sons of anarchy

I had big problems with tonight’s Season 6 premiere of Sons of Anarchy; specifically the school shooting that closed out the episode, which to me was the first time that the show, which always pushes the envelope, finally went too far. I first saw the season premiere during TCA summer press tour, and at the time, creator Kurt Sutter insisted that he wasn’t doing the school shooting to be sensational, explaining that sets everything in motion this season. As I wrote at The Daily Beast,

So a few weeks later, when FX sent out the season’s first three episodes, I watched them with Sutter’s words in mind. Judging the first three episodes as a whole, he’s right: the school shooting isn’t just a gratuitous jolt, as it seems to be in the premiere. Instead, it’s far more damaging to the series and its characters.

I had to admit that this review got away from me a bit, and I don’t think I did a great job articulating my issues (in other words, kind of like what happened to Sutter himself in this episode). And I think it’s best for all involved if step away from writing about the show going forward. Some shows are just no longer worth the headache…

Why ‘Sons of Anarchy’s’ Controversial Season Premiere Twist was a Mistake

‘Dexter’ Season 8: The Serial Killer Drama Still Has a Few Twists Left

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dexter

I’m still not sure why I stuck with Dexter after the show hit rock bottom in Season 6, but the show managed to crawl its way back to respectability last season. That trend continues as the show returns for its eighth and final season. As I wrote at The Daily Beast,

Now Dexter enters its final season with a largely confident run of early episodes that prove Season 7’s rejuvenation was not just a final gasp of breath.

It could still all unravel, but this early episodes give me hope that Dexter knows what it’s doing as it prepares to say farewell.

‘Dexter’ Season 8: The Serial Killer Drama Still Has a Few Twists Left

‘Smash’ Ends Its Run: What Happened to This Once Promising Show?

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Smash

I had such high hopes for Smash — as did NBC. But the show is now a shell of the powerhouse pilot that premiered the day after the Super Bowl last year. As it limps to its season finale Sunday, I reflected on its sad demise for The Daily Beast:

Smash, on life support for much of the season after viewers rejected all its new organs, finally draws its last breath Sunday. NBC is dumping the two-hour season finale—now officially a series finale—over Memorial Day weekend, one final indignity to a show that appeared to be overstuffed with promise and talent and managed to squander away almost all of it. Twice.

Well, at least we’ll always have “Let Me Be Your Star.” And scarves. Lots and lots of scraves.

‘Smash’ Ends Its Run: What Happened to This Once Promising Show?