The TV Chick

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.

All three new CW network shows are incredibly good this fall season, but The Secret Circle stood out to me from the moment it started. It’s based on the book series by L.J. Smith (who brought us The Vampire Diaries) and centers around Cassie Blake (played by Britt Robertson) who moves in with her grandmother to a new town after her mom dies. She is quite the talk of the town and almost instantly has a new group of friends. She finds out later that these new “friends” are part of a group called “The Circle,” and they are all witches. Up until this moment, Cassie had no idea she was a witch. Add into the mix, Adam (played by Thomas Dekker) whose dad is an alcoholic, Faye Chamberlain (played by Phoebe Tonkin), the bad-ass with a mysterious, distant mother Dawn (played by Natasha Henstridge), Diana (played by Shelly Hennig), the leader of the circle, and her Dad Charles (played by Gale Harold, who we learn in the first scene is responsible for Cassie’s mom’s death). Apparently, The Circle is much more powerful now that Cassie has arrived, and I am very interested to see where that goes.

The town in The Secret Circle, much like Mystic Falls, has an air of mystery. Witchcraft spans generations and there is much more to The Circle than we could possibly know. In the pilot episode, we learn that something really bad happened with the parents’ “Circle” that made them stop practicing witchcraft. And a lot of them (like Cassie’s mom) are no longer alive. Kevin Williamson, who is an Executive Producer on this show and The Vampire Diaries, always brings fantastic mythology to any show he works on, so I’m very excited to learn more about the town and all of the witches in it. And then we add the love triangle of Adam, Cassie and Diana and we have the makings of a hit. The Secret Circle is in a word, enchanting. Britt Robertson is great in her new lead role. Phoebe Tonkin completely blew me out of the water. She was an absolute highlight of the show for me. And Thomas Dekker is fantastic as well.

The show makes a perfect companion piece to The Vampire Diaries, because it exists in a very similar world. While there are witches, these teenagers are going through life like any normal teenager would, just with another element added in. One of my favorite moments of the pilot is when Cassie wasn’t quick to accept she had her powers. She didn’t believe in witchcraft. That part made the whole show feel so grounded to me. And just like Mystic Falls, I am sure there might be more supernaturals lurking about. I personally am holding out hope for a crossover episode with The Vampire Diaries, but Kevin Williamson says it’s not in the works. In any case, if you love The Vampire Diaries for all its drama, angst and great writing (and Ian Somerhalder, let’s be honest), you will also love The Secret Circle. It is beautifully shot, wonderfully written, and all you would hope for in that hour after The Vampire Diaries.

Be sure to tune in tonight at 9 PM to the CW for the series premiere of The Secret Circle!

Up All Night premieres tonight on NBC and it centers around Reagan and Chris (played by Christina Applegate and Will Arnett) who have to figure out a way to balance their former (partying) lives with their work and their newborn baby. It co-stars Maya Rudolph as Ava, Reagan’s confidant, who is the host of a talk show that Reagan produces. Nick Cannon plays Calvin, Ava’s co-host. The pilot was significantly re-shot to change Reagan and Ava’s workplace, to add Calvin and increase Maya Rudolph’s presence. I adore Maya Rudolph and thought she was the best part of the original pilot and she’s still great as an Oprah-type character. However, they cut a few characters (Reagan’s assistant, for one) who I liked, so the reshoot was a mixed bag for me.

The concept is funny and original. The actors are fantastic. But it was missing something. Christina Applegate and Will Arnett are both hilarious in their own rights, I just wanted to see a little more chemistry. Both of them have babies in real life so the show definitely mirrors what they are going through at home. And I would love to see more of Applegate and Arnett’s true personality shine through. We saw a bit more of Arnett’s as he has a hilarious scene in a grocery store that one of my favorite parts of the pilot. Up All Night has a ton of potential. As I said, it has a phenomenal cast and I really think once the show finds its voice, it’s going to be great. Pilots generally don’t tend to be the best episode of a show, with a few exceptions, so I am hopeful that this one will capitalize on the talent that they have. The pilot made me laugh a few times and that’s more to be said for some other new comedies this season, so I am looking forward to seeing how it develops.

Up All Night premieres tonight at 10 PM on NBC.

The Bravermans are back on my TV, which means all is right in the world. Well, once the Salvatore’s come back, all will be right in the world, but I digress. The second season finale of Parenthood left us with Kristina’s unexpected pregnancy, Julia’s inability to get pregnant and Amber falling off the handle a little bit (well, a lot) after getting rejected from Berkley. We pick up six months later.

Continue reading “ADVANCE REVIEW: Parenthood Third Season Premiere “I Don’t Want To Do This Without You”” »

Ringer is one of three absolutely stellar new shows on the CW Network. It centers around twins Bridget and Siobhan. Bridget, in some sort of trouble with the law, goes to see her twin sister Siobhan who leads what seems to be a rich, fulfilled life. They haven’t seen each other in years and they go out on a boat ride and when Bridget wakes up, she thinks Siobhan has killed herself. Left with no real choices, Bridget takes on Siobhan’s life and finds there’s a lot more to her than we know. Her husband Andrew (played by Ioan Gruffudd) is strangely distant. Henry, her best friend’s husband (played by Kris Polaha — love seeing him back on my TV!), is having an affair with her. And Victor (played by Nestor Carbonell) who was involved in Bridget’s mysterious “case” before she took on Siobhan’s persona, suddenly shows up at her doorstep. But not all is what it seems. Siobhan is not completely out of the picture and there is a huge element of the unknown. Why would she fake her own death? Why does Bridget feel she has no choice left but to take over Siobhan’s life? Was it meant to play out that way?

Continue reading “FALL PREVIEW: Ringer” »

By now, I’m pretty sure most of you know my love for ABC Family. This summer has been an especially good one for the network with the return of one of my favorites, Pretty Little Liars and the welcome addition of Switched at Birth and The Nine Lives of Chloe King. And now, to fill Switched At Birth’s recently vacant time slot, comes The Lying Game. Based on the novel by Sara Shepard (same author of the Pretty Little Liars books), The Lying Game centers around Emma Beckett and Sutton Foster, two twin sisters who found each other online. Emma is living in a foster home with a creepy brother who wants to get with her and a crappy mother who doesn’t seem to pick up on this. Sutton has it all — a loving family, money and popularity. But not all is what it seems on the surface. She may have the boyfriend and the best friends but is she happy?

Continue reading “ADVANCE REVIEW: Series Premiere of The Lying Game” »

Get True Blood and all of your favorite HBO shows with qualifying DIRECT TV Packages.

It’s that time again! Some of my favorite supernatural beings are back in Bon Temps for another exciting season. Season four picks up where it left off. When we last left Sookie, she learned from Eric that Bill’s intentions for her were not pure, and she wanted to get the heck out of town. She goes to faerie land in the premiere, which is very surreal and very un-True Blood. She meets her granddad and realizes that time is not what it should be in this “magical land.” While she wants to learn more about herself and her family, she realizes that this might not be the place to do it.

Continue reading “ADVANCE REVIEW: Season 4 Premiere of True Blood” »

I will be reviewing Pretty Little Liars all season, so instead of a simple Advance Review of tonight’s premiere, I thought I’d do something a little different and give you five little tid-bits about tonight’s premiere. They aren’t super-spoilery so I hope you enjoy!

1. The girls go to therapy. I know a lot of you have probably seen the promo photos with the girls in a therapy session. What the picture doesn’t tell you is that the girls consider telling the therapist about A. I won’t tell you if they do or don’t but it is an amazing edge-of-your-seat type moment.
2. Shirtless Ezra. I almost put this as my #1 but I decided to be slightly more classy. Yes, ladies (and gentlemen), Ezra is shirtless in the premiere. Enjoy!
3. The parents get involved. Up until now, we’ve definitely seen the parents take a relatively active role in the girls’ lives but in the premiere, they are going to lay down the law. They don’t think the girls are good for each other. It will be interesting to see the girls find ways around the fact that their parents don’t think they should see each other.
4. A is back, bitches. And she/he is more creepy and crazy than ever.
5. Spencer and Toby. There is a really great moment with them in the premiere. They will be turning to each other for the support they need and aren’t getting from their families. I really love this couple and I’m excited to see how their relationship unfolds this season.

Be sure to tune in tonight at 8 pm to ABC Family for the season two premiere of Pretty Little Liars “It’s Alive.”

Chloe King is just your average, quirky 16 year-old trying to navigate through high school. Except for this one little thing. It turns out she’s a descendant of the Mai — an ancient race that hails from the Bastet, and possesses cat-like abilities/powers. Did I also mention that she has nine lives and is the Uniter of the Mai to protect them from human assassins and she had no idea until her 16th birthday? Cat powers are probably pretty awesome until you learn that any (human) boy you kiss will probably die. Chloe learns of her fate through two Mai who have been watching her at school: Alec and Jasmine. Naturally, she’s a little shocked by the revelation. And then there’s Brian, her new crush, whose Dad somehow is associated with the Rezza Capital (Mai enemies I’m guessing) and has hired someone to make sure Chloe King dies (nine times to make it stick of course). There’s a lot of mythology in one premiere, I know, but it’s important in order to set up what’s to come.

Continue reading “ADVANCE REVIEW: Series Premiere of The Nine Lives of Chloe King” »