My Thoughts on 3 New Shows to Watch

Back in January I wrote a post about 3 new mid-season shows I would be watching. Here are my thoughts:

1. Perfect Couples - Although it is already on the chopping block to be canceled - I actually think the show is kinda cute. However, I think that the premise is done better on Better With You (p.s doesn't that show have the BEST theme song? I get it stuck in my head all the time) - the characters are more relateable and it is just plain funnier. With Perfect Couples, I really like the individual characters but they haven't been explored enough, because the real focus is on the "coupling". Dave & Julia are the "normal" couple - a little more balanced than the other 2, while Vance & Amy are the "opposites attract" couple that are as tumultuous as they are passionate and Rex & Leigh are the "attached at the hip" couple that kinda makes you want to vomit. In the more recent episodes, it seems like they are attempting to flesh out their individuality a little more which will improve the show tremendously. I hope they give it another season to find its niche. My favorite episode so far is when Leigh food poisons everyone (but refuses to admit it) and Dave & Julia are dealing with figuring out what is "gender appropriate" within a relationship. I actually laughed throughout it's entirety. Bonus points that I really like all of the actors on the show - they all have great chemistry together.

2. Mr. Sunshine - Much better than I expected. Of course I love Matthew Perry, but I was surprised at how great Allison Janney is - her character is completely outlandish but it somehow works really well. I also think Andrea Anders is adorable (I loved her on Better Off Ted) and oddly so is the guy that looks like a chubbier version of Nick Swardson (Terry from Reno 911). I was disappointed when I realized it wasn't him, but luckily Nate Torrence is just as funny. The pace of the show actually reminds me of Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip - basically just replacing a live tv sketch show with a live event (sporting, circus, concert etc). I think the show is interesting because it is something different plus so far - I have laughed out loud with every episode. I will definitely keep watching.

3. Skins - So as I said back in January - I am only watching this so that I have proof when I talk about how awful it is. The first episode stayed true to the original (FYI - I am a huge fan of the original) yet it somehow was a complete disaster. The acting. The characters. The dialogue. The pace. Everything was awful. It is kind of weird that one show captures the energy and dynamic of the next generation and makes it interesting while the other makes me want to vomit. The next few episodes were similar to the original but as the episodes air it seems like they are veering away and trying to do their own thing - which is even worse. I think my biggest problem with the show is the characters - they murdered my three favorite characters from the original: Cassie (who is Cadie on the US version) an original dumb blond with heart (think Brittany from Glee on anti-depressants), Maxxie an openly gay teen who is too adorable for words (changed to lesbian Tea - thanks MTV for perpetuating the idea that lesbians are more acceptable on television that gay men and for also having her sleep with a guy which perpetuates the idea that lesbians are just confused) and Chris who is probably the closest to the BBC version yet the heartbreaking episode when his mother abandons him isn't nearly effective in the US version. Chris is one of those characters that you just want to give a big hug to. He laughs through his pain yet still evokes this pain through his subtle expressions- but in this version he is just plain annoying and the actor doesn't even try to grasp the concept of subtlety. I don't mean to be mean - but my other problem is that the US version of actors are not hot. At all. Especially the girl that plays Effie (She is supposed to portray an "unattainable" girl) - I do, however, appreciate that the girl who plays Cadie is probably the most flat-chested girl to ever appear on an MTV show. I don't actually find the show that shocking (I guess because the BBC version was more so) - I did think it was a little disturbing to have the girl masturbate to a picture of Audrey Hepburn. I am interested to see if they end the season the same way the BBC did (shockingly). I am also interested to see if MTV picks it up for another season - it is not exactly a hit series. I think it just proves that you shouldn't mess with perfection.