Melissa & Joey @ Wikipedia
Melissa & Joey @ IMDb

Mel Burke is a councilwoman who takes care of her niece and nephew after their parents went AWOL and to prison. Since she can’t handle it by herself she hires a nanny – a former businessman who lost his company.

Melissa Joan Heart from Sabrina the Teenage Witch plays the lead in this laugh track sitcom. I don’t know any of the others. But I enjoyed the first three episodes. It was light-hearted fun and I think the comedy between Mel and Joe works well.

Of course there are similarities to Who’s the Boss? and The Nanny but I don’t mind as long as it’s funny on it’s own.

Categories: Short Review
Tags: Melissa & Joey · Sabrina the Teenage Witch · The Nanny · Who's the Boss?
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Deutsche Version | Those that came … those that went … those that did both … and those that did neither nor

The Big Bang Theory

A sitcom (with laugh track) about four scientists and their hot neighbour.
I’m still enjoying this show very much. I don’t understand why they broke Penny and Leonard up (especially because it felt like one of the most normal relationships on TV) but at least they didn’t put any bad blood between them.

Bones

Forensic anthropologist Dr. Temperance “Bones” Brennan and FBI Special Agent Seeley Booth investigate murders where only a skeleton is left of the victim.
Quite a few episodes of this season where just “OK” but it’s still watch-worthy and I assume that next season will have a totally new dynamic due to the “time leap”.

Burn Notice

Michael Westen is a former spy who has been “expelled”. He now works as a “problem solver” for people whom the police can’t help.
It’s a good show but I hope that one day they’ll drop the whole “I want to go back to the spy game” aspect of it and just run with the main plot.

Castle

Richard Castle is a best-selling thriller author who solves crimes with Detective Kate Beckett who has become his inspiration for his novel heroine “Nikki Heat”.
They are only in their second year and both characters already know they have feelings for each other. Progress! While the WTWT is certainly an aspect of the show that can’t be ignored, I tune in because of the crimes they have to solve and the ways they do it. For me, it’s the unofficial sequel to Murder She Wrote.

Chuck

A guy who works in an electronics superstore get all the secrets of the government uploaded into his brain. From now on he works as a spy and helps to put the members of the most dangerous organisations behind bars.
I enjoyed the first third of the third season but then disliked where the show was going with Shaw and Sarah. Not because I’m a Charah shipper (I am that, too ) but because it didn’t feel real that Sarah would tell Shaw (who just came into her life) things, she didn’t share with Chuck. But now the show is great again, and I can’t wait to see the finale and the fourth season.

(more…)

Categories: Short Review, TV Season 2009/10 Diary
Tags: Bones · Burn Notice · Castle · Chuck · Gossip Girl · House M.D. · How I Met Your Mother · Knight Rider · Leverage · MacGyver · Murder She Wrote · Smallville · Star Trek VOY · The A-Team · The Big Bang Theory · True Blood · Two and a Half Men
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Deutsche Version | Those that came … those that went … those that did both … and those that did neither nor

10 Things I Hate About You

A sitcom that is based on the movie of the same name but soon develops it’s own spin on the events.
It’s not over yet (two more episodes) but I enjoyed it while it lasted. I would have liked a second season.

FlashForward

All people fall asleep for 137 seconds and see their future from six months from now. A task force investigates the cause of that.
I tried. I really did. I wanted to like the show because the premise sounded really intriguing. But it was bore-fest 101. You can’t fill an entire episode with a boring senate hearing. Not in the fourth episode of a new show! I even came back after the (really long) break but at some point I simply gave up.

Happy Town

Mystery murders in a small town.
I was intrigued by the pilot and decided to continue watching it but then it was cancelled and I decided to don’t even bother.

Mercy

Hospital show.
I only watched the pilot episode (because of Michelle Trachtenberg [Dawn in Buffy the Vampire Slayer]). Couldn’t care less.

Paradox

A scientist gets pictures from the future and the police tries to solve the case before the crime actually happens.
Again a show that had a concept that sounded interesting but it simply wasn’t. The characters and the cases were just not that good.

(more…)

Categories: Short Review, TV Season 2009/10 Diary
Tags: 10 Things I Hate About You · Buffy the Vampire Slayer · FlashForward · Happy Town · Mercy · Paradox · Romantically Challenged
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Deutsche Version | Those that came … those that went … those that did both … and those that did neither nor

Dollhouse

The Dollhouse is a place where you can rent an actual person which will be imprinted with anything one desires (from being a professional hit man to being an exceptional escort).
When this show went into its last intermission I kinda lost track of it. I always enjoyed it but somehow I never managed to come around and watch the last five or six episodes. Maybe I’ll do it in the summer.

Heroes

Certain people discover that they have abilities that would be described as “super-human”. They use them to protect us while living in secret.
Once this was a great show (in season one). But ever since then it has been declining and gotten more illogical with every season. I’m not sad that it was discontinued.

LOST

The plane Oceanic 815 crashes on a tropical island. The survivors have to fight against the island, a smoke monster, the Others and several other parties. Not only in their own time, but also in the past and in other realities.
“It’s all about the characters.” From now on I will understand this as “We have no plan were we are going and it will make no sense but at least you’ll see the characters in a lot of emotional turmoil.”. The more distance I get from watching the finale the more disappointed I become. I wasn’t too keen on the Battlestar Galactica end either but at least they had a physical voyage that leads them somewhere in the end. And here? We have only vague hints of what would have happened if Smokey had left or if the island had sunk. Where’s the re-watch value? Why bother to look for clues in the early episodes when you know that there won’t be any answers for which the clues could be useful?
In essence, J. Michael Straczynski is still the only person who actually can pull off a five season arc.

Supernatural

Sam and Dean Winchester fight all kinds of supernatural beings that kill or use people in their plans to bring the Apocalypse.
Technically this show isn’t over. There will be a sixth season and maybe more. But the big arc that has driven the show over the last five years is over now and I’m glad I was on board for it, even though my trip was shorter (I watched the pilot merely a year ago).

Categories: Short Review, TV Season 2009/10 Diary
Tags: Battlestar Galactica · Dollhouse · Heroes · LOST · Supernatural
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Deutsche Version | Those that came … those that went … those that did both … and those that did neither nor

Community

A cool sitcom (without laugh track) about a bunch of students in a Community College.
As with most shows, it needs a few episodes to settle in, but I really liked it from the start. The dynamics within the group is so great because they have such heterogeneous backgrounds. If it weren’t for that college, these people probably would have never met. That’s were a lot of the fun comes from.

Cougar Town

A sitcom (again without laugh track) about a divorced mum, her teenage son, her ex-husband, her neighbour friends and her assistant/friend.
The show started out as exactly what it says on the tin but moved quickly away from it. Which was a good idea. They are probably going to rename it next year. All the characters are very quirky with Jules being the queen.

Glee

The Glee Club at a high school.
I’ve watched the first two episodes but it just wasn’t my terrain. It seems to be a big hit in the U.S. but I simply can’t see the appeal.

The Good Wife

Alicia Florrick is the wife of a former D.A. who has been charged with crimes regarding the misuse of the powers of his office. Now Alicia has to work again and she starts as a junior associate at a law firm of an old friend.
I really enjoyed this year, it was a good drama show with a lot of interesting characters. And it’s never clear-cut, not black/white. Just like reality.

Human Target

Christopher Chance (not his real name) works for people who need a bodyguard of the special kind.
This is a popcorn show. You watch it, you enjoy it and you don’t think about it. If you watch it, you’ll enjoy it most of the time. If you don’t watch it, you haven’t missed anything.

(more…)

Categories: Short Review, TV Season 2009/10 Diary
Tags: Catch Me if You Can · Community · Cougar Town · Glee · Human Target · Justified · Leverage · Life Unexpected · Spartacus: Blood and Sand · Stargate Atlantis · Stargate SG-1 · Stargate Universe · The Good Wife · True Blood · White Collar
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One year ago I wrote an article called “Why the World Doesn’t Need Superman” postings which I called “Smallville is getting nowhere” and “Doomsday for Smallville” because I was so disappointed and frustrated with how the series had progressed in recent years and how that season (eight) ended.

I am still convinced that seasons seven and eight were the worst years in Smallville history because whatever the makers had in mind, it didn’t work in either year. When I randomly pick an episode to watch, it’s rarely an episode from these seasons.

But for me, they redeemed themselves this year. There were still a few bumps in the road (e.g questionable decisions by all characters including Clark) but overall it was much better and it had quite a number of really great episodes in it, starting with the season openers Savior and Metallo, continuing when the Blur gets his own fan club (Idol), then the two-parter Absolute Justice and the following Warrior and in the end Charade and Salvation.

I rarely watched so many episodes twice or more during the year of airing.

Now I just hope they can create a shining final year to give the show a great ending.

Categories: Short Review
Tags: Smallville
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Community @ Wikipedia
Community @ IMDb

Jeff used to be a lawyer until it was found out that he doesn’t actually have a degree. So he goes to community college to rectify that minor mistake. And there he meets a wild assortment of people you’d only meet in a place where you can’t choose whom to meet.

This is one of the heaviest reference-packed shows I have ever seen – and most of it is due to Abed but there are also entire episodes that are direct or indirect references to movies, genres or both. I’ve just watched the first 23(!) episodes of the first season and found it incredibly funny. The actors are all great and I was surprised what diverse talents they’ve shown over the first episodes alone.

Now I’m going to watch the pilot all over again.

Categories: Short Review
Tags: Community
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Happy Town @ IMDb
Happy Town @ Wikipedia

Haplin, Minnesota is a small town where not much happens. At least in the past five years. Before that a serial killer known as the Magic Man killed one person each year for seven years. Then he vanished without a trace – just like his victims who were never found.
But here is something brewing. New people come into town, a man gets brutally killed and the sheriff has some sort of breakdown that is somehow connected to one of the newcomers.

I’m a bit confused. Is this pure mystery? Is there a supernatural element in the story? What’s up with Chloe?
The pilot felt a bit rushed because so many different characters had to be introduced (however briefly) but it certainly looks intriguing and I’ll continue to watch.
The show has quite a number of known faces, among them Amy Acker (Angel, Dollhouse), M.C. Gainey (LOST), Sam Neill (The Hunt for Red October, Merlin) and Abraham Benrubi (Parker Lewis Can’t Lose, ER).

Categories: Short Review
Tags: Angel · Dollhouse · ER · Happy Town · LOST · Merlin · Parker Lewis Can't Lose · The Hunt for Red October
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Romantically Challenged @ Wikipedia

Romantically Challenged @ IMDb

Rebecca was divorced five months ago. She has a teenage son and a sister. And she has two friends.

Yeah, that’s about it. I haven’t figured out yet what her relationship to the two guys is. Maybe I missed it.
What I’ve seen so far is a run-of-the-mill sitcom and I’ve seen nothing (except for Alyssa Milano of course ) that makes this one special. Maybe I watch a few more episodes, maybe I don’t. But I honestly don’t think I’ll miss something if I don’t.

Categories: Short Review
Tags: Romantically Challenged
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Over the past six days I watched Doctor Who Series 2, 3, 4, the 2009 Specials, Series 5 Episode 1 and Doctor Who Confidential for Series 1 and 2.

Ironically the first thing I noticed about the new series was that the TARDIS doors opened outwards which I can’t remember the ever doing before. The plot seemed pretty straight-forward, I can’t say there were any surprises for me (e.g. that the Doctor isn’t the most punctual man has been proven time and time again [e.g. when he brought Rose home for the first time in Aliens of London; The Girl in the Fireplace]; that he challenges his enemies to look him up [e.g. Forest of the Dead]).

Even the threat that silence is descending isn’t a surprise – they need a plot for the season finale.

But I like both characters so far – i.e. I’m willing to give them a chance -, I’m just wondering if we will see any of the old characters ever again (with the exception of Professor River Song who was in the series preview).

Categories: Short Review
Tags: Doctor Who
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