The TV Chick

Tonight’s episode of Pretty Little Liars is a prequel. It’s a full hour where Alison is alive, where Jenna can see and where the girls are ruling the school. I couldn’t get enough of this flashback episode, and to be honest, I hope they do another one. “The First Secret” takes place on Halloween, and the girls gear up for Noel Kahn’s big party. Before the party, Alison meets new girl Jenna, who seems like she might have been the first girl to ever challenge Ali. Ali is still up to her manipulative and mean girl ways, but in this prequel, we learn there’s a lot more to Ali than we knew.

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I’ve heard generally negative reviews of American Horror Story, the new FX offering the creative minds behind Glee (Ryan Murphy, Brad Falchuk and Dante DiLoreto). So I was very hesitant when I popped in my screener. Also, I scare rather easily so that was another hesitation. But I actually enjoyed it. There was a ton of creepy stuff and some gross heads in jars and some very bizarre camera movements and storylines (I generally focus a lot on the visuals because I work in television), but overall, it intrigued me. I am curious to see more. And that is a sign of a television show I can get invested in.

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Glee is back! And I don’t mean that it’s simply back on TV, but I firmly believe that the show is back to what I fell in love with. “Asian F” has a fantastic Mike Chang storyline, a Mercedes story that was good (but I think she deserves consistency, more on that later), and some really fantastic musical numbers. Oh, and they cast West Side Story! But I won’t be spoiling that for everyone. Seriously though, even though I think I enjoyed “I Am Unicorn” slightly more than “Asian F” (I’m sorry, nothing can beat Idina Menzel and Lea Michele singing “Somewhere”), Glee very clearly wants to get back to basics and win the doubters back. For the record, I never lost faith in the show, but I am very glad it is showing signs of greatness this season.

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The season premiere of Glee was very solid. I wasn’t crazy about the song choices but I like what was set up for the season. Tonight’s episode, “I Am Unicorn” is amazing — brought me to tears, must watch numerous times amazing. The musical numbers were fantastic, although all were from the Broadway realm. I was blown away. The episode centers around Kurt running for Senior Class President and Brittany’s hilarious and grandiose campaign ideas. She wants to run his campaign based on the fact that he is a unicorn, which means he’s special. But it’s not exactly what Kurt had in mind. Also, Shelby (Idina Menzel) comes back into town as a part time Show Choir director. Don’t worry, she’s not going to try to take down New Directions (there’s been plenty of that already). She was hired by Sugar’s (played by the amazing Vanessa Lengies) wealthy father to make her the star of a show choir. Shelby’s presence obviously has a huge impact on Rachel, Quinn and Puck. There’s a big part with Quinn and Puck wanting to see their baby, Beth. I don’t want to spoil too much, but it sets up a very interesting arc.

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Hart of Dixie premieres tonight on the CW, and this pilot totally won me over. The show centers around Dr. Zoe Hart, who thinks she has her entire life planned out. She’s going to follow in her dad’s footsteps and become a cardio-thoracic surgeon. But first, she’s going to win a prestigious fellowship in that field. Her dreams don’t turn out the way she planned them though. Her boyfriend dumps her because she cares more about being a doctor than being in a relationship, and she gets denied the fellowship because her professor tells her she needs better bedside manner. Then she recalls an older man, Dr. Harley Wilkes, who offered her a job at her medical school graduation in Blue Bell, Alabama. He keeps sending her postcards to come down there, but she keeps ignoring them. But when she’s left with no job options, she decides to give Blue Bell a chance.

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Parks and Recreation is back! And I couldn’t be more thrilled! I think it was easily my favorite comedy of last season (comparatively, I think it had a better season than Modern Family) and we pick up right where it left off. Leslie is in a meeting about her political future and she realizes she has to break it off with Ben. You guys, I love them together, don’t break up! Ahem. Anyway, the entire episode, Leslie is avoiding the inevitable and I can’t say I blame her. I obviously hope they are able to work something out even with Leslie running for City Council. Another big part of the episode is Ron’s preparation for his first wife, Tammy 1′s arrival. Let’s just say it involves a cabin in the woods.

Continue reading “ADVANCE REVIEW: Parks and Recreation “I’m Leslie Knope” & Video Preview” »

Person of Interest isn’t your average CBS procedural drama. It will presumably center around a case an episode but it has an air of mystery that will inevitably be the focal point of the season. The show centers around Mr. Finch (played by Michael Emerson — so happy he is back on TV in an equally creepy role), who has developed a computer program that can predict the identity of people who will be involved with violent crimes in the future. The only big flaw in the system is it can’t tell whether the person will be committing the crime or a witness to the crime or the victim of the crime. Because Mr. Finch has physical limitations and can’t stop the crimes himself, he hires John Reese (played by Jim Caviezel). Reese is a former CIA agent who has presumed dead, which ups the stakes even more.

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“This is not a story about forgiveness” are the hauntingly chilling words that Emily Van Camp’s character Emily Thorne/Amanda Clark says at the end of the pilot episode of “Revenge.” And it perfectly sums up the premise for the new amazing ABC Drama. Amanda Clark (Van Camp) grew up with her loving dad and new puppy in a picturesque Hamptons town, until her life was stripped away from her. At the time, she was just a child, forced to get by on her own and come to terms with her father’s downfall. When she’s eighteen, she meets quirky Nolan Ross (played by Gabriel Mann) as she gets out of some sort of prison. Her father has since passed away and Nolan gives her a box full of things that her father left for her. In Amanda’s mind, her father was a bad person who did horrible things, but what she comes to find out is a very different story.

In present day, Amanda moves to the Hamptons, to the same house she grew up in, and changes her identity. Her purpose is this: to get revenge on those who wronged her family. But there’s a hierarchy in the Hamptons. There are wealthy people with a lot of power who clearly can take anyone down. Amanda takes on the persona of Emily Thorne, and she does a damn good job covering her tracks. The beginning of the episode starts with a death (I won’t tell you who dies) and Emily’s engagement party. Then it flashes back to show us the story of the summer and Amanda/Emily’s master plan. We throw into the mix her love interest Daniel Grayson (played by the super good looking Josh Bowman), Daniel’s mother Victoria (the “Queen” played by Madeline Stowe) and her mischievous sister Charlotte (played by Christa B. Allen). There’s also the Porter family Declan (played by “Gossip Girl’s” Connor Paolo) and Jack (played by Nick Wechsler) who are helping to keep the family bar/restaurant afloat.

The pilot of Revenge is absolutely phenomenal. It was one of my favorite dramas of the fall season and it continues to hold up through episode two. Emily Van Camp is an absolute treasure and she fits perfectly into this role. The supporting cast is also fantastic and it is just such an intriguing story. There’s only so much we learn about her family in the pilot and there is so much more we need to find out. And how does Nolan factor into the whole equation? Will anyone figure out her secrets? Will anyone figure out her true identity? Only time will tell. If you choose one drama to watch this season, watch Revenge. You won’t regret it.

Be sure to tune in tonight at 10 PM to ABC for the series premiere of Revenge!

New Girl was one of the last of a huge pile of screeners that I decided to watch. I very much enjoy Zooey Deschanel, but I just hadn’t heard much about New Girl and I wasn’t sure what to expect. Let me just tell you, I was blown away. The crop of new comedies this fall season is very weak. There is one fantastic mid-season show and I did enjoy 2 Broke Girls and Up All Night, but other than that, there weren’t any real stand-outs for me. New Girl completely stood out. Zooey Deschanel plays Jess, who suffers through an unexpected and big breakup and moves in with three guys: Nick (played by Jake Johnson), Schmidt (played by the super charming Max Greenfield), and Coach (played by Damon Wayans, who will be written out after the pilot because of Happy Endings).

Jess is super quirky, makes up her own theme song, often sings to herself (welcome to my world) and FOX is describing her as “adorkable.” I think she is a fantastic lead. It’s great to see a strong woman character who is not afraid to just be herself. She’s not afraid to sing at the top of her lungs, cry while watching “Dirty Dancing” over and over and move in with three strangers to start her life over. I found myself relating to Jess because she is such a grounded, quirky character. Zooey Deschanel is a wonderful actress, and it is nice to see her comedy chops, as we have seen her mostly in dramatic roles. The guys are equally as great as Zooey. Schmidt means well but often finds himself having to put money in the “douchebag jar.” Nick is often the voice of reason but is also trying to get over an ex. And Coach has no clue how to talk to women. They all have a lot to learn from each other, which makes for a very interesting pilot. They might be unlikely friends but they are all navigating the world together.

The show is well-written and hilarious. Despite the upcoming absence of Damon Wayans (and the addition of a new character), I am very excited to see what’s to come. I highly recommend this show. I think you will find it charming and lovely. And you will probably find yourself laughing out loud a whole lot.

Be sure to tune in tonight at 9 PM to FOX (right after Glee!) for an the series premiere of New Girl!

In a field of rather weak new comedies across multiple networks, 2 Broke Girls was one that stood out to me. The show centers around two waitresses living in New York City, trying to make ends meet. Max (played by the charming Kat Dannings) comes from a working-class family and Caroline (played by Beth Behrs) comes from a family who has recently been financially ruined — think Bernie Madoff. The show is from the brilliant mind of Michael Patrick King (“Sex and The City”) and Whitney Cummings (who I much prefer in this role than her role on “Whitney”). Caroline obviously has no work experience at all and is hired at the diner where Max works, for her good looks. Max is not thrilled about the situation but somehow this unlikely duo becomes roommates and friends.

I wasn’t sure what to expect with 2 Broke Girls. I generally am not a huge fan of laugh tracks and that was my real one complaint with this show. The laugh track was distracting but I’m sure it can be toned down in future episodes. I thought the acting was great. Dennings has been a star for a while but hasn’t had a real break out role. I hope 2 Broke Girls serves that purpose. And Behrs, who is a relative newcomer to television, is charming and has great comedic timing. I found myself laughing out loud several times during the pilot and that to me, is a sign of a good comedy. There’s a hilarious bit about a horse (let’s just say Caroline still has one despite having no money) and some cute moments between Max and Caroline. I also thought the two characters were relatable. Obviously, I don’t come from a Bernie Madoff type family but both Caroline and Max’s struggles and relationships are common things that people go through in their 20s. As long as the show gets past the laugh track limitations, I think it’s going to be a good new comedy for CBS. I recommend tuning in!

2 Broke Girls premieres tonight at 9:30 PM on CBS.