Kimputer's Weblog

With this comeback (airing on HBO) Lisa Kudrow kills a bird with three or four stones. Technically it is her comeback on the small screen (after Friends), but she also had developer’s credits (writer/exec. producer), and the show itself is about an actress’ comeback from a sitcom, who alongside has a reality show filming this comeback. However, this semi-reality isn’t anything fresh. That thunder had already been stolen with Unscripted (also HBO) and in some degree Fat Actress (Showtime), all from this past TV season. Of course, anything can work if it’s really well written, but this series is not. Lingering too long on the same joke, and unimaginitive situations makes this one of the lower quality show ever to air on HBO. If it wasn’t TV’s low season, I’d drop it a long time ago.

Having complete faith in J.J. Abrams’ ability to steer this new series from a mysterious island to a successful show (which will increase his star power in Hollywood, with Mission Impossible III and possibly another one or two new TV shows coming up) was no mistake. We get to see backstories on almost every character in flashbacks intwined in the current storyline. Revealing the past while the mystery unfolds in the present works pretty well. Then you have the influence of mystery on the characters, and how everyone gives another meaning to it. It’s almost formulaic, but it never gets boring. With almost every episode having a cliffhanger, they just topped it at the season finale with just a flick of the fingers.
J.J. Abrams has the gift to make the unbelievable very believable (as the down to earth yet myth dripping Alias has proven already), so I don’t mind clearing the Wednesday night (as both shows are currently scheduled) for the next ten years.

Season openers and finales tend to bring the best out of this series, as it happened time and again. For this season, even more so. It’s only the opener and finale that stick out out this episodic season. Continuing a bit on an intriguing myth, the story arc dropped to a bare minimum. Bringing a new Teague/Luthor rivalry this season seemed a good move, but the repeating death threats from here to there and back again made it a bit laughable at the end. On a personal level, again, it gained only a little this year. Needless to say, the red warning flag for repetition alert went up quite a few times, making this season one of the lower points of the four year run. The finale, again, brought some new mystery to the story, so let’s hope the series will regain its strength in season 5.

New medical drama’s performed very well this year, ratings-wise (NBC’s Medical Investigation, Fox’s House), unlike a few years ago (in 2002 ABC’s MD’s and CBS’ Presidio Med flunked the first year). For me though, this is the only one that touched ground. Acting was pretty solid, and stories seem to develop at a reasonable pace, so I’ll be there when the second series starts (strange scheduling abilities at ABC made 4 episode from this season carry over to the next, making season 2 clocking in at 26 eps, and the series it replaced, Boston Legal, had the same treatment, making season 2 a 27 episode run.)

With the end of the series (as in, too expensive ($2 million per ep, highest ever for a “reality” show) for the current ratings to try it again for another season), it proved interesting and testosterone buffed enough to last till the end ($1 million fight after eliminating 14 fighters during its run). Mark Burnett’s reality TV producing skills are a given, and the boxing takes care of the rest. It’s not the creme de la creme of entertainment (it was moderately entertaining), but I might even watch a second season if there was one.

And so ends the fourth day in Jack’s life. Any sane man would have a half bald grey scalp and an ulcer the size of a football, but Jack still manages to live his one dutiful as ever. As the real time show has proven in the past, the twists and turns keep coming the full day, with nailbiting and chairglue all the way to the end. As Fox renewed the show for 2 extra season, I’ll say, Jack, for God’s sake, here’s a cup of coffee, it’s on me.

And another one goes down. Still the king of all procedural shows, this season has held its high standard all the way to the end. Strong writing on new cases, and only a bit of personal stuff gets mixed in (could have been a lot more though). With continuing strong ratings, it’s one of the few shows this year to get a 25 episode order (the other one being Lost), but that’s not all. Of all the episodes, only the last two will stand out.
The most notable guest spot is actually behind the cameras. Written and directed by Quentin Tarantino, it’s probably the most intense, the best written, the best directed episode of the whole run till now. Dynamically directed with strange quirks we’ve come to expect from him, using music in the same strange way to transfer the drama into the living room as only he can, he elevates it to a cinematic experience. What a way to go out and start a sixth season with confidence.

And another freshman series ends. This one also for good, which isn’t such a terrible thing. Series was always on the mediocre side, and had a repetitive and dull direction. With nothing new to offer, let’s hope UPN’s new schedule will cater for something more exciting.

More and more movie stars are trying out the small screen (and even more coming up for the 2005/2006 schedule), and for NBC’s limited series, it’s Bill Pullman heading a spiritual religious thriller mini series.
Produced and written bij David Seltzer, who has done previous thriller/horror stuff close to this series’ subjects, it actually amounts to totally nothing at the end (but that could also be that it’s written with a second season in mind, which will not come as per NBC’s revelation of the new fall/midseason schedule).
The first three episode seem to build the characters and story to what might seem interesting, with Indiana Jones like flying around the world relic hunting. But with all the prophecies and biblical quotes, the latter part seems utterly boring. Gearing towards the end of the world which of course doesn’t come, will leave you feeling quite disappointed, especially with all the not so subtle symbolisms and non-meaningfull intermezzos filling the cavities of the story. If Bill Pullman’s brooding scientist character wasn’t there, I’d never make it till the end. As it stands, even if a second series would return, I’d probably skip it.

And another show finishes conveniently in May, clocking in at 13 episodes. As a mid-season replacement, it proved successful enoough (ratings-wise) to have a season renewal under its belt. Quality-wise, it could go up a few notches. It’s not bad at all, but if it doesn’t improve, I might leave it for the same reasons I don’t watch NCIS anymore. Losing a team player will be another downer, so let’s wait and see who’s going the replace Sabrina Lloyd in season 2. I don’t think I could hold on much longer without a co-starring hot chick.

And so comes an end to a series with four not so remarkable years. While I let the bigger part of this season go by me, I decided to drop back in for the last few steps. And again, quality-wise, I was not impressed. The only episode where my finger was twitching above the fast forward button was the last episode, with a personal touch by Rick Berman and Brannon Braga, giving it a TNG feeling and quality. Who knows, if they’d done it more often, the series might not have died (hahah, who am I kidding). While there are a few years coming with no Star Trek on screen (which hasn’t ever happened from 1987 till now), the end of this show doesn’t leave me crying out with tears. When they muster enough creative power to make a show as cutting edge as TNG or DS9 was, I’m more than willing to pick it up again. For now, finally let the recycle bin be a trash bin.

It’s May, time for shows to end. First one up is Jack and Bobby. After a few dips after the winter hiatus, it did get back to the highest level of writing, making this one of the few pilot seasons to make a mark in history like this. And maybe because the big word on a next season is still out there, the last few episodes were fast-tracked to an admirable series ender, but still leaving a lot of interesting stuff open for a possible second season. Now it’s waiting for the big bosses to decide if ratings (continuous last (6th) place on the Wednesday nights) are more important than a specialty show no network can compete with.

ABC’s fortunes have quite changed this year, with slouching ratings going up and up due to hit series and lead out shows profiting along the way. This time it’s a mid-season replacement (effectively bumping Boston Legal to an early hiatus), Grey’s Anatomy. Not an entirely coincidental title, being a book (in its 39th edition already) that’s mandatory reading for medicine students, it’s a reference to the title character of this show. This show focuses mainly on Meredith Grey, a med intern, and her fellow colleagues in a fictional Seattle hospital. Of course we get to see the residents and the attendings, and their daily routines, which include sucking up to superiors, competing for surgical assisting spots and the effect of the crazy long working hours.
Stories don’t move as fast as E.R., but the series as a whole, also feels sluggish. Still, a few interesting things seem to be developing, so I’ll be sticking around. Let’s see if this series has the same longevity as its paper equivalent (the 38th edition lasted for 10 years).

Another short series on Showtime, spanning only 7 half hours. But it’s not the quantity that matter, nor is it the size of the actress. Since her debut on the silver screen (Star Trek 2: The Wrath of Kahn) to her success on the small screen (Cheers, Veronica’s Closet), Kirstey Alley has grown into quite the fat lady. It’s not extreme, but it’s QUITE noticable. After Veronica’s Closet cancellation, she had 5 years to think about it, and the result is this amusing short series of semi-reality sitcom. As outrageous as she is in here, she’s not the least afraid of a bit of self-deprecating and racy humor. Her search for a big return on TV are filled with funny cameos, and the storylines are pretty decent. I would not object to another season, as the battle against her weight continues.

During the last review of the beginning of Alias’ fourth season, I had my doubts. Now I’m ashamed I doubted J.J. Abrams. His ability to lead no less than two top-notch series is almost unparalleled. Slowly, the mystery pours back in, and the depth of characters and storylines are developing at a rapid pace. It’s exactly the same must-see TV it used to be. ABC probably knew this already, and hence a fifth season has been confirmed.