Television Review: Nashville

I will start out by saying that I actually liked Nashville --- the city and the television show. Having actually traveled there it was nice to see some places I remember visiting or at least driving by.

Now on to the show Nashville ---

Connie Britton plays Rayna Jaymes, a 40 year old one time country music star, who is being pushed aside for a younger, newer, more heavy on the cleavage, Juliette Barnes ( Hayden Panettiere).

The two first meet backstage and the claws start coming out. Juliette remarks that her Mama listened to Rayna when she (Juliette) was still in her Mama's belly, and after Juliette sashays back out of the room, Rayna asks "What the hell was that?"

We quickly learn that THAT was Rayna's newest competition. The men love her, the fans love her and much to her dismay, even Rayna's girls love her. Rayna at first thinks Juliette is just another flash-in-the-pan, but when she learns that her record label wants to combine her tour with Juliette's, she realizes that this young girl is a real threat.

Since this was a pilot, (and as usual) a lot of characters are thrown at us and we have to quickly figure out who is who and what is what. We first meet the men in Rayna's life --- her husband, Teddy (Eric Close) and her bandleader,  Deacon Claybourne (Charles Esten), and her estranged father Powers Boothe (Lamar Wyatt).

Then we start to learn a little about Juliette. She knows she's hot. She knows men want her and --- as we discover --- she is not above using what she's got to get what she wants. We also find out that she has a vulnerable side and her mother (an apparent drug user) wants to be in her life, but it appears to be more for getting money from her famous daughter than love for her daughter.

There were a lot of little subplots brewing in tonight's show. I'm not sure which ones will play into the series and which ones are window dressing, but we learn that the record label wants to combine Rayna's tour with Juliette's (which Rayna is none too happy about), Rayna's husband wants to run for Mayor of Nashville, Rayna apparently had a fling with Deacon (and possibly a child), and Juliette seems to be determined to not only take away Rayna's stardom, but Deacon and anything else she can get her hands on as well.

As I mentioned at the beginning --- I like this show. I do kind of wonder how it will hold up week to week as a drama. It seems like there will only be so much that can occur without it turning into a daytime soap opera. For now, however, I'm along for the ride and the great Nashville scenery.

TV Review: CBS Elementary

As a huge Sherlock Holmes fan, I want to like Elementary. I really do. But...I just wasn't feeling the love last night.

Neither Jonny Lee Miller (Sherlock) or Lucy Liu (a female Watson) seemed completely comfortable in their roles. It was almost as if both knew that the shoes they had to fill were just a little too big for the both of them.

Miller, didn't seem to know whether to play Holmes as manic or slightly crazy. When he attempted to do both manic and slightly crazy together and at the same time --- it didn't make for a very likable character, just an annoying one.

Lucy Liu, on the other hand, clearly wanted Joan Watson to be sympathetic and likable. Unfortunately, the charisma that the Watson character usually carries, just wasn't there.Instead, she seemed to go through most of the night as if she didn't know what her back-story was. It was as if she had never read a Sherlock Holmes story or seen someone else play the character of Watson.

And there....perhaps lies the problem. There are "rules" to be followed when it comes to Sherlock Holmes and Elementary broke them. The PBS version of Sherlock, however  follows them brilliantly. Even though that version of Sherlock Holmes is completely modern, Holmes still lives on Baker Street. He still has his housekeeper/landlord Ms. Hudson and he's too troubled to be in a sexual relationship unless perhaps it is with Irene Addler, whom many consider Sherlock's one true love (or some say Watson was --- but that's another story...).

Perhaps, as the show goes on --- they will adapt to and follow some of the rules. It would be fun to see a New York version of The Hounds of Baskerville or A Scandal in Bohemia. An appearance by MyCroft would be nice and (of course) Professor Moriarity.

As for the Pilot itself. The case was extremely ho-hum with a doctor overloading his patient on steroids so he could have him kill his wife. The case was hardly worthy of Sherlock Holmes attention and yet --- there we were. Hopefully, next week will be better as our characters settle more into their roles.

For now --- Sushiboofay gives this premiere episode 6 Sushi Rolls and will re-evaluate as it goes further into the season.

TV Review: BBC America's Copper

I have eagerly awaited BBC America’s Copper for about two months now. All of the commercials I have seen made it look like a cross between Sherlock Holmes and the Wild, Wild West. In reality, it is kind of a mix between the two, but not quite. I’ll get to that in a minute, but first --- what it is all about.

Tom Weston-Jones plays Kevin Corcoran an Irish-American police detective in New York. Only, this New York is set in 1864 and Corcoran is a “Copper” who doesn’t follow the same rules that the modern-day detectives you see on “Law & Order” or “Blue Bloods” are forced to stick to.

The police shoot first and ask questions later. They help themselves to the loot after killing a gang from a bank robbery, and Corcoran (who is maybe more of an anti-hero than a hero) would make Elliot Stabler proud when he beats up a suspect that he is convinced killed a little girl.

In tonight’s premiere, Corcoran investigates the murder of this young girl and we start to learn who she was and why she matter. Kate was apparently taken in a by a woman called “The Contessa” (who already had her sister Annie) only to be handed over to an aristocrat with a thing for little girls, who then rapes and murders her.

Along the way we get to meet the other regulars of the show. Corcoran’s new love interest who is a madam named Eva (Franka Potente), an African-American valet named Matthew Freeman (Ato Essandoh) who assists Corcoran as an unofficial coroner, and two other Irish-American detectives, Francis Maguire (Kevin Ryan) and Andrew O’Brien (Dylan Taylor), who for now appear to have Corcoran’s back.

Corcoran also has a friend named Robert Morehouse (Kyle Schmid) who served with him in the war (the Civil War --- in case you‘re trying to put the timeline together). Robert had to have his leg amputated and owes his life to Corcoran, so they are able to overlook the fact that Robert comes from money and Corcoran is basically from the other side of the tracks (if the tracks have been built --- which at this point in American history I am not entirely sure about).

I have often said that premiere episodes tend to launch everything at you all at once and then your brain tries to take it all in to figure out who is who and what is what. There is usually a throw-away plot and we get to learn some background about the main character. Well, in this case while we do learn that Corcoran’s daughter was killed and his wife disappeared, the plot was not actually a throw-away as it continues into next week’s episode. This time, we know who the killer is, but getting the bad guy when someone else is already about to be hung for the crime, makes the job a little harder.

Now, to the series itself ---

I didn’t really love it and I didn’t really hate it. I think it would have helped tremendously if they had rolled a little more wording onto the screen in the beginning to explain the history of early New York and give us a little more than the year and a location. As it was, it’s kind of a learn-it as you go and while a true New Yorker might know the history of Five Points, for those of us who have only briefly been on the ground in the state of New York when we changed planes at the airport, there was a lot of catching up to do. I spent most of my time trying to remember what all was occurring during that era and realized I really could have used a cheat sheet.

Anyway, the show is gritty and dark and interesting and confusing all at once. It almost seemed like it would have been better to have based it in London (since we all remember the history of Jack the Ripper), but then I guess you wouldn’t have an Irish-American cop, which is the whole point of the show.

I’m going to give it a few more episodes. I liked it and I didn’t. I have hope for it and I don’t. Perhaps, next week’s episode will give me more to go on --- but for now --- I’d say catch an episode if you can and let’s wait to see how it all develops before throwing in the towel.

TV Review: Major Crimes Equals Major Disappointment

Sharon Raydor is no Brenda Leigh Johnson which may be why "Major Crimes" is no "The Closer."

Granted, Major Crimes came riding in on the coattails of the riveting finale episode of The Closer just seconds after it ended, so it is probably too early to pass judgment, but Raydor is going to have to really step up her game if she is going to fill the high heels of her predecessor.

While the character of Sharon Raydor worked as a secondary character, as the main lead in a new show, she falls a little flat. You can tell that the series producers want you to like her, but they seem to have forgotten the secret that made Brenda's character work. When we first me Brenda we immediately knew she was a bit flaky and neurotic, but her back story made her likable. With Raydor, you can't quite put a finger on who she really is or what made her that way. She seems to want to play by the rules and most people that do are....well....boring.

The rest of the team seemed out of sorts as well. It occurred to me rather belatedly, however, that this was initially the way they were when Brenda showed up. This time though it didn't really seem to work. Everyone already knows Raydor. Why would they suddenly ALL not know where they are in the pecking order? Only Lt. Provenza should actually have a complex. Instead, everyone seemed to be running around looking like they were lost and it was their very first day at work.

And...on that note....poor Fritz. Is Jon Tenney's character going to continue to come in for a couple of minutes at a time to show that Major Crimes still works with the FBI? Each time he came through the office, Tenney appeared unsure of what he was still doing there. 

As far as plots go this one was okay. Some ex-military guys are robbing grocery stores, but when they change tactics and rob what appeared to be a mall, it ends in a shootout. The pieces quickly fit together and we discover that one of the officer's sons is part of the crew. As pilot (or in this case premiere) episodes go, it was all standard and tied up with a pretty red bow by the time the first episode came to an end.

Anyway, I'm not writing this one off yet, but the writers are going to have to do more than give Raydor a teenager to look after to make her more lovable. We need to know what makes this character tick and if they want to keep viewers around, it's going to have to happen rather quickly.

Sushiboofay gives this one 2 fish with a side of Wasabi.

Review: TNT's PERCEPTION

When it comes to quirky crime dramas, TNT is king.

Last night's premiere of "Perception," however, took quirky to a whole new level.

Eric McCormack (Will & Grace) plays Dr. Daniel Pierce, a college professor and neuroscientist. People that meet him think that he is eccentric, but we quickly learn that he's a delusional schizophrenic.

Luckily, he's also brilliant when it comes to crime-solving and when his former student now turned FBI agent, Kate Moretti (Rachel Leigh Cook)  needs to solve a murder, she turns to him for help.

As usual, with Pilot episodes it's more about the characters and less about the murder plot. A husband is murdered. The wife is accused. There are only four suspects. Keep ruling them out and crossing them off the list until there is only one left.

The real interest here is on Pierce and what we find out about him. He is off his medication. He has a live-in assistant named Wikki (Arjay Smith) who seems to be channeling "Natalie" from Monk. We learn that Pierce has hallucinations, but what he sees is helpful in solving crimes. He also has a love interest who appears to be a hallucination too.

I kind of wondered what people who have mental disorders thought of this show. Are they glad to be represented by a television character who will no doubt draw attention to schizophrenia, or is Perception simply exploiting people who actually have this condition?

As far as the show itself, it seemed to be The Mentalist, Monk, Sherlock Holmes and Numbers all rolled into one. With The Closer down to 5 episodes (as we were constantly reminded last night), Dr. Daniel Pierce looks like a good replacement for our favorite crime solver Brenda Johnson. Let's see if the audience agrees.

Sushiboofay gives this one  3 1/2 fish!

Rookie Blue Returns

Is Rookie Blue really already in season three? It seems like it was only yesterday that Andy was a new recruit!

Season three starts with Andy literally taking a major jump back into her life. The first scene opens with Andy planning to go skydiving , then almost bailing out until she gets the call that the tribunal to get her job back has finally been scheduled. With that news - Andy flings herself out of the plane and we know she's back on the force and and the tribunal will just be a formality.

Actually, all of the gang is back although in this episode they were all just mostly supporting characters. The real story was Andy coming back on the force, the introduction of Nick (more on him in a minute) and a guest starring appearance by William Shatner who plays an interesting fellow named"Henry."

Although I expected William Shatner to have a bigger part in this episode, he was actually only in a few scenes. Arrested for DUI after causing an accident, Noelle realizes Henry is actually the grandfather of a missing girl from a case that she worked years ago. Upon questioning Henry, she discovers that he was pursuing a van after he saw his granddaughter get into the back of it. This fits together with the fact that at the accident scene, Andy (who was picked up by Sam at the airport and isn't officially on duty), helps a girl get out of a burning van. When she takes Sam over to see her, however, the girl is gone.

Meanwhile, there is a new guy on the team. Peter Mooney joins the cast as Nick Collins, the new rookie with a military background. Although Nick's storyline is a little sketchy (as of yet), we do learn two things. He has a hero complex (noted after he jumps 40 feet into the water to apprehend a suspect) and he was once engaged to Gail. While we don't get to learn exactly what happened between Nick and Gail, it is quite apparent that Gail is not happy to see him.

The episode winds to a close with Henry reunited with his granddaughter. Andy getting her job back (of course) and Sam deciding to forgive Andy for staying away from him for three months even though she promised to give them a shot at a normal relationship.

With Andy and Sam together, will season three of Rookie Blue still manage to be summer's guilty pleasure? We can only hope so.

TV Review: Common Law

USA Network rolled out its newest series "Common Law" this past Friday. This show takes the place of the recently departed "In Plain Sight."

Although it might be a bit of a stretch, there was a vague feeling of familiarity between the love/hate "Common Law" banter of Wes and Travis (Warren Kole and Michael Ealy) and  the"In Plain Sight" dialogue between Mary and Marshall (Mary McCormack and Frederick Weller).

The big difference, of course, is that Wes and Travis are cops and Mary and Marshall are Federal Agents. No...wait...that's not right....The difference is that Wes and Travis are in 'couples therapy' and Mary and Marshall were able to work out their differences without physically fighting or drawing their weapons on each other. At the end of the day, however, both couples  partners are able to work as a team when it matters and that is usually when they are solving the case.

In truth, Common Law is not bad for Friday night television. There is some witty banner, the 'bromance' works and the two are kind of like the old time Oscar and Felix from "The Odd Couple," but much, much better looking.

I won't give away much about the storyline because you still have several opportunities to catch this first episode. Basically, without giving away spoilers, it was just the standard throw-a-way plot where we meet the characters and some things happen and at the end of the day the heroes win and the bad guys lose. Only at times --- the show was quite funny.

The big question: Will I be watching? Yes! This fish has set her DVR list up for weekly recordings. I feel like once the characters are a little more fleshed-out, USA network should have another summertime hit on its hands!

TV Review: NYC 22 is No Rookie Blues

I expected great things from NYC 22 when it debuted this past Sunday night.

For starters, Robert Di Nero is an executive producer. Then there is Adam Goldberg who plays Ray. Ray was once a veteran news reporter, but decides to become a cop after he is laid off from his job.

If you're like me, you recognized Goldberg's face, but couldn't place where you know him from. Come to find out - you know him from a lot of different places, as he has been on every television show from " Medium" and "DeJa Vu", to "My Name is Earl."

Unfortunately, the debut episode fell rather flat for me. As usual, when you have a large ensemble cast, there is the adjustment period of figuring out who is who and what is what and how each character fits into the order of things. I thought this was the problem, but it wasn't the case. Instead, I decided that there is no point of view (POV) here. And that's where NYC22 fails.

Unlike "Rookie Blues" which centers around Andy, this episode tossed together our 6 rookie cadets and then sent them off in pairings of two to allow them to misbehave. Where "Rookie Blues" started with the other characters pivoting off of Andy and then expanding into their own storylines, "NYC 22" just gives us a chapter of each.

So--- we see Ahmad (Tom Reed) get profiled by other officers because he is from Afghanastan, Tonya (Judy Marte) with a chip on her shoulder, and Jayson (Harold House Moore) the once-professional-basketball-player, who has to convince his friend to turn himself for extorting money from shop owners.

We also see Ray lament his life and give himself the nickname "Lazarus" and Jennifer (Leelee Sobieski), who is a wisp of a thing, but was an MP in the military. Oh, and finally Kenny (Stark Sands), the token "all of my family have been police officers and I have a thing to prove" rookie. (I swear Jamie from "Blue Bloods" once listed almost the same pedigree - perhaps he and Kenny are related?)

Anyway, as you expect each pair gets into trouble. Two try to break up a gang fight in Harlem, two end up in a domestic situation with a gun to their heads, and two get assigned to help an old lady unstop a toilet. Or... maybe those two broke up the gang fight?

In the end, it was really hard to care. The characters were cardboard. It made me miss Andy and Sam and I wondered why the "22" would pair up two rookies and make them walk a beat instead of having them trained and mentored by more experienced officers who could tell them whats what.

I may give this one another try, but only when the DVR isn't busy recording "Desperate Housewives" and "Mad Men," which are on at the same time. I also may be wrong, but I don't think that even Robert Di Nero's name is going to keep this one around too long. It will be interesting to see.

TV Review: Scandal

Shonda Rhimes has done it again.

Thursday night, ABC debuted "Scandal" in its "Private Practice" slot following the Golden Child, otherwise known as "Grey's Anatomy."

The show "Scandal" steps away from the medical field, and introduces us instead to the world of crisis management. More specifically, the world of Olivia Pope (Kerry Washington), a super-tough crisis manager who runs a tight ship filled with "strays" as one of Olivia's employees tells newbie Quinn Perkins (Katie Lowes) on her first day.

This cast of "strays" include; Stephen Finch (Henry Ian Cusick), a cad lawyer that Olivia deems needs to have a "normal life." Harrison Wright (Columbus Short), the self-appointed regal "gladiator in a suit." Abby Whelan (Darby Stanchfield), the no-nonsense private investigator, and Huck (Guillero Diaz), a computer genius who once worked for the CIA.

When introducing a large group of people to an audience, the first episode is generally a mish-mash of scenes that is short of plot substance and quick on trying to explain what---is what. This episode of "Scandal" was no exception.

In short order, we had a suspected murderer introduced and sentenced to spend the rest of the episode in a closed office. We had some kind of subplot with a kidnapped baby kept in a file box (???) that is ultimately rescued from the Russian Mob when a $3 million dollar ransom is paid, and perhaps more importantly, we learn that Olivia once had an affair with the President of the United States and appears to still have a thing for him despite the small fact that he is married.

It's often hard to judge a first episode when it is fast-paced. Since Rhimes is at the helm of this speed cruiser, we'll have to give the show some time to develop. Can it reach "Grey's Anatomy" success, or is it a watered-down version of Private Practice? If you're a fan of the other two, you couldn't help but see some similarities between Olivia and Addison. You might have wondered if Quinn is the new Meredith or is she just another Amelia Shepherd?

In other words, switching from Seattle Grace and the Oceanside Wellness Center to a lofty law office in Washington DC may take a bit of getting use to, but it should also be interesting to watch.

TV Review: The River

After missing in the Amazon for over six months world-renowned television host Emmett Cole (Bruce Greenwood) has been declared legally dead. The recent discovery that his personal beacon is still giving out a signal, however, convinces his wife, Tess (Leslie Hope) that he is still alive and she makes plans to rescue him.

The only drawback to this plan is that she doesn't have the money for the search, but if she can convince her son, Lincoln (Joe Anderson) to come along for the ride, the network that produced her husband's documentaries will pay for the trip.

...and so begins the journey for our merry band of misfits.

My first thought while watching The River last night was that I was happy the Smoke Monster from LOST had found work. What else could explain the odd similarities between The River's ghostly presence on The Magus (Emmett Cole's ship) and the black smoke that the gang from Lost kept running into?

There were other similarities (Lincoln is a doctor (Jack?) and the documentary producer, Clark Quietly (Paul Blackthorne) is surly (Sawyer?)), but as the night moved along this became less obvious. Well, not entirely...but I stopped comparing the two shows as much.

The River WANTS to be a classic horror thriller, but at times it seemed a bit campy. You know as soon as the group discovers tombstones in the middle of the Amazon that they are going to play into the story. Later, when they must rush back to the spot to dig up one of the graves, (Lincoln needs to reunite a ghostly daughter with her mother) it just seemed silly rather than creepy.

Still, the show did have some fun scary moments. Finding a tree full of hanging dolls is creepy and waiting for the dolls to move or look at someone was a nice spooky touch. It also gave us some questions to ponder about our cast of characters. Did Tess have an affair? Why was Emmett contacting Lena (Eloise Mumford) instead of his son or wife? What does the security guy know that no one else does?

Will I keep watching? At the moment, The River is sandwiched in between two of my favorite shows (NCIS, White Collar), so there's no reason not to unless the show does get really scary (which I doubt) or the network moves it against another one of my "must-see" shows.

For now - Sushiboofay gives it Two Fish with an order of sticky rice on the side!

The 2012 Winter Season Cometh

I'm always excited when new television shows premiere and it looks like there are a ton of them headed our way.

Since New Years is often used as a time to make predictions for the upcoming year, I thought it might be kind of fun to predict which shows I think will survive for more than one season and which shows I think will crash and burn.

I don't know much about any of the following shows other than commercials I have seen or blurbs I have read on the Internet. These predictions are based on what my gut reaction was when about the show the first time I heard about it.

The Candidates:

The River: (February 7 - ABC) I WANT this show to survive. I love Paul Blackthorne. But.....every show he has ever been on has been canceled and my fish sense tells me that this one won't make it.

Smash: (February 26 - NBC) This show will make it. Will I watch it? Ehhh....we'll see. I wasn't a big fan of "Fame" and I kind of see this being that kind of show. With X Factor, American Idol and You Think You Can Dance being hot reality shows, this show has the same promise Glee (another show I don't watch) does.

Touch: (January 25 - Fox) Will I watch. Yes. Will the show make it. If it lands on Friday night where the audience embraces shows like "Numbers," then I think it has a good chance. Otherwise....doooommeed....

Lost Girl (January 16 SyFy) Undecided. Guys wanting to watch a hot chick succubus might embrace this kind of show. The fans of Being Human might also give it a go. I will probably watch, but I'm just not sure how much action and weekly series ideas you can get out of a succubus. Still, SyFy likes this kind of quirky stuff and will probably let it have a couple of seasons at least.

Alcatraz: (January 16 Fox) I'm a big Jose Garcia fan, so I hope this show does well. The plot seems little too Flash Forward, Heroes(ish) to me, however, and I'm not sure if it can build a fan base quickly enough to get more than a season. Those of us who have missed LOST though - will most likely watch until the bitter end.

The Finder: (January 12 Fox) Unless they totally revamped this show after they spun it off on a BONES episode - I predict this one will come and go in a flash. The characters were shallow in the original episode and bboooorrrringggg.


To be continued.....