2011 Fall TV Conclusions

In a previous blog, I lamented the new fall season of television programs and laid out my intentions of not watching any new shows until they proved themselves.  I actually broke down and recorded a couple of new shows, but have yet to watch any of them.  I also spoke about what I was still watching.  Particularly, I had a pretty scathing review of Ashton Kutcher’s acting and his character on Two and a Half Men (Charlie Sheen actually seemed to agree with me <scary>).  I may actually need to rescind my comments and I’ll explain why.  I’m also interested in what people thought of the fall season.As I said, I had very low expectation for Two and a Half Men and figured I would stop watching it about midway through the season.  While I had every intention of doing that, the episodes got progressively better and I honestly couldn’t bring myself to stop recording it.  It was JUST good enough to keep watching.  I was simply writing this off as a “guilty pleasure” of mine.  However, the writing has improved by leaps and bounds in the most recent episodes.  In fact, it has gotten to the point where I think it has surpassed the final season or two with Charlie Sheen, which I admit had gotten quite stale.  I found myself laughing out loud, like I did with the early seasons of the show.  I think Chuck Lorre found a home for Ashton’s acting abilities and was able to bring the “funny” back to the show.  That said, I’ve also noticed that the better episodes don’t include many of the supporting actors, which sort of says something.  In the end, I have to admit that Ashton and Chuck have managed to bring me around and the show will continue being a part of my recording schedule.  If you gave up on it, you might want to give it another try.  Am I alone on this one?

I broke my non-binding, non-promise to not record anything new when I decided that Terra Nova, American Horror Story, Grimm, and Once Upon a Time were generating enough buzz to warrant recording.  I still have yet to watch any episodes and, should Terra Nova get cancelled, I will not be heartbroken, nor will I bother watching any episodes at all.

I just finished watching the 4th season of Sanctuary and was blown away by the final episode.  It would be a fine way for it to go bow out, but I would really like to see it continue.  I’m not very optimistic that it will be picked up again, but I really have enjoyed the story lines.

Boardwalk Empire continues to impress me.  Without a doubt, it’s “must watch” TV for me and it’s the fantastic story arcs they keep writing, which keep me coming back.  I’ve seen better acting, but the writing is so well done that even a poor delivery manages to make for compelling TV.  Also, you simply never know who might die in any given episode.  When a show isn’t afraid to kill off major characters, the show is anything but predictable.

Being a fan of Chuck Lorre, I also decided to give Mike & Molly a go and both the wife and I have enjoyed it.  We had caught some glimpses of the show because it followed Two and a Half Men.  These 30 seconds shots had enough funny moments to cause us to give it a shot.

I only watched one episode of Spartacus so far, but I wasn’t all that impressed with the premier episode.  I do have faith that it will get better and a single episode with a new actor in the lead role is definitely no way to guage an entire show… as Two and a Half Men proved, quite admirably.

The wife is watching The Secret Circle and Up All Night, but I simply have no interest in those shows at the present time.  If anyone has a strong opinion on them, feel free to try and sway me.

Based on other Missing Remote users, I started recording Justified and we just completed the first season.  To whomever it was who mentioned how good it was:  Thank you!  The writing is amazing and the acting is impressive, to say the least.  This is not the type of show I would have ever checked out and that would have been a shame.

Did I miss anything?  What’s everyone watching or looking forward to?