My Thoughts on the "6 New Shows to Look Forward to"

I thought I would give my thoughts on the "6 new shows to look forward to" that I posted a few months ago. I must say, I'm a little disappointed....

1. In the Motherhood - By far the worst of the 6 shows. My DVR stopped recording it a few weeks ago- I'm not sure if they have just been repeats or if there is a glitch in my DVR but I don't even care enough to figure it out. Megan Mullally is disastrous as Rosemary, the carefree single mom to a teenage son. Her bad-ass attitude is laughable and contrived. Jessica St. Claire as the "perfect" mother and wife, Emily, is so annoying that the thought of her makes me cringe. The third, and least memorable, character Jane played by Cheryl Hines is a pitiful portrayal of a working mom trying to juggle her family and career. The plots are ridiculous and predictable, the one-liners are not funny, there is no character development nor is their any believable interactions or relationships on the show. I feel sorry for all involved.


2. Cupid - After the pilot, I found myself pleasantly surprised. I enjoy Bobby Cannavale and Sarah Paulson, I enjoy the plot (he thinks he is Cupid - as in the actual God of Love from Mount Olympus, she is a psychiatrist and voice of reason that is assigned to his case), I enjoy each episode as a mini-movie with new characters and a new love story to be told. I have an interest in Roman and Greek mythology which adds an extra layer for me. The only complaint I have is that each episode seems a little repetitive, but that can easily fixed. Sadly, I have a feeling it will be cancelled before it has the chance to get better.


3. Southland - It set out to portray a raw and gritty look at the work of L.A police and it does exactly that. It reminds me of E.R in the way that it is realistic and confusing and non-linear, however E.R accomplished its character development right from the pilot, while Southland struggles. We see the work of the L.A police, but we haven't really been introduced to the lives of the L.A police. The first few episodes were centered around Ben Sherman - the rookie. No complaints from me, Ben Mckenzie can brood on my tv all day, but there are some really great actors on the show that I am hoping have time to shine. I'm intrigued by Officer John Cooper, because rumor is that he is gay - which would be awesome because he will definitely be the least stereotyped gay character on television. I also like Regina King as Detective Adams - they finally gave her more of a back story in the last episode. I am hoping they continue to provide more depth with the rest of the characters. I'll definitely keep watching this one, but I am hoping for more. On a side note, I like to pretend that Ben Sherman is Ryan Atwood all grown up.


4. The Unusuals - One of the more interesting shows, The Unusuals has great, quirky characters, unusual plots and a likeable cast. Unlike Southland, The Unusuals gives an equal amount of screen time to all of it's characters. It also isn't as grim and dark as Southland is, instead it has a lot of humor and idiosyncrasies. I like Adam Goldberg and Harold Perrineau as complete opposites forced together, I find humor in Jeremy Renner's sarcasm and I actually think Amber Tamblyn isn't half bad. I think this show will keep getting better if they give it a chance. Start watching it people!


5. Dollhouse - I wasn't too impressed by the first few episodes, but then it started getting really great...but then it went back to mediocre. The assumption is that Dollhouse will not be returning for another season, which is disappointing because I feel that it is one of those shows that needs a little time to hit its stride. I like what they have been using the "dolls" for - for example a woman wants to find out who killed her so they imprint her memory after she is dead into a "doll" to investigate her own death. There is really nothing they can't do, which is extremely intriguing. However, I am not too impressed with the mythology behind the whole "alpha" thing. We finally learned who "alpha" is but I didn't even really care. I think they built up the tension so much in the beginning, but the past shows have barely mentioned him. I feel like they might be preparing for an ending so they needed to introduce him before it got cancelled? But it felt extremely rushed and forced to me - I have a feeling Joss Whedon did not plan it that way.


6. Parks and Recreation - A little too much like The Office, yet The Office is a brilliant show - so that might not be a bad thing. I just wish there was a little more originality to the show. The cast is terrific and I usually find myself laughing through most episodes, which is rare nowadays. It's one of those shows where you have to pay attention to the little things to see how funny it actually is - like the names of Andy's band that changes every week ("Just the Tip" and "Three-skin formerly known as Foreskin"). Come on - that is funny!