Ranking the New Shows: #10 – Royal Pains

Number 10 comes to us from the USA network – a fairly new entrant into the legitimate television drama game.

The show: “Royal Pains”
Synopsis: An unemployed doctor, Hank Lawson (Mark Feuerstein), and his sleazy brother Evan (Paulo Costanzo), enter the realm of the ultra-wealthy when a billionaire in the Hamptons hires Cliff as his concierge doctor.
Debuted: June 4, 2009
Our take: The key ingredients for a great show are here, but it doesn’t quite come together. The dialogue is quick and witty, and Feuerstein and Costanzo have some chemistry and are likeable as the leads. The premise, while not necessarily riveting, is open ended enough to allow a huge variety of stories. The show bogs itself down with some sentimental cheesiness here and there, though, that undermines its strengths. The good guys, even the loser brother, are a little too good. Nobody wants their source of sleazy humor to actually have a heart of gold. My only real complaint beyond that is that the medical details and jargon seem a little careless and melodramatic.
What it would need to do to keep me watching: Tighten it up. If this was just a little more focused on being entertaining and avoided those cheesy manipulative moments, I’d be a fan. Not every disease has to be a super obscure disaster, and the doctor doesn’t always have to ride in on a white horse to stop injustice and save lives left and right. If they made it a little more believable and emphasized the humor, it’d be a good show.

Instant Reaction: Nurse Jackie, “Daffodil” 6/06/09

This week on Nurse Jackie: Coop and Eddie get some toasted goodness from Quiznos.  Hellz yeah! Jackie helps a girl taking care of her sick mom. Also, a man rendered speechless by a stroke uses a flashcard to tell his wife to STFU.  On the whole, this might have been the most consistently entertaining episode so far.

Still, there are strange bits of slapstick comedy that I find jarring (Mrs. Akalitis tazing herself, for example). It breaks the reality of an otherwise believable show, and deflates the meaning more poignant moments. I’ve mentioned in past weeks that Coop (Peter Facinelli) is the comedic powerhouse of the show. Jackie’s nursing student, Zoey (Merritt Wever), is also beginning to provide a more subtle humor.  Both of these could be and should be used more liberally, especially in place of the lowbrow comedy that always falls flat.

The writers continue fumbling with both scale and pace. All of the major plotlines are in a holding pattern with no new developments. They were in a big rush to get the love triangle and daughter’s psych issues out, and now they’re dragging their feet.

And speaking of those psych issues, for a “medical” show, the psychology seems poorly researched.  Jackie’s daughter’s symptoms, which include obsessively watching tv news and circling her desk three times before sitting down so planes won’t crash, sound much more like Obsessive Compulsive Disorder than Generalized Anxiety Disorder. The dour drawings could easily be interpreted as depression.

Ranking the New Shows: #11 – Dollhouse

Fox’s “Dollhouse” was one of the most anticipated new series this year, but many feel it was lucky to be picked up for a second season. It lands just shy of the Top Ten on our list.

The show: “Dollhouse“
Synopsis: The Dollhouse is an underground organization that uses new technology to program “actives” – people that have had their personalities wiped – to fulfill a wide arrange of missions. Contrary to standard Dollhouse procedure, Echo (Eliza Dushku) seems to be remembering more and more of her pre-Doll life, while FBI agent Paul Ballard (Tahmoh Penikett) races to expose the organization and save the girl.
Debuted: February 13, 2009
Our take: “Dollhouse” had a lot of problems before it even aired- a complete halt in production, a pilot that was canned (the original will be available on the DVD), and continuing conflict between the network and creator Joss Whedon. The final product reflects those problems. I spend a lot of my time watching “Dollhouse” trying to figure out what the writers are going for. What is the hook? What is it that they can’t wait to unleash on the audience? Nothing here really grabs me. Whedon’s previous work, like “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” and “Angel“, thrived on quirky humor and major plot twists. “Dollhouse” takes itself more seriously than either of those but doesn’t have the dramatic impact to back it up. The comedy primarily comes through Topher, the nerdy Doll programmer, whom finds himself so amusing it’s way more annoying than funny. The plot twists fail to surprise. I keep waiting for something bigger to happen, but the suspense is non-existent. Perhaps the biggest problem with “Dollhouse” is that the starring role doesn’t fit their lead actress. Dushku doesn’t have the chops to pull off a role that requires her to play a different character every week. She mostly winds up looking constantly confused. It’s highlighted further because the other two Dolls (Sierra and Victor) show tons of range and pull off a variety of characters convincingly and entertainingly. The writers addressed this issue somewhat after the first few episodes by simplifying Echo’s role and focusing more on side characters.
What it would need to do to keep me watching: “Dollhouse” has been a frustrating viewing experience so far, but I stuck with it through the first season, and I’ll give it a chance next year. The show did improve over the course of the first run of episodes, but I’m sticking with it more out of faith in Joss Whedon than anything the show has done.

Instant Reaction: Nurse Jackie, “School Nurse” 6/29/09

Week 4 for “Nurse Jackie” is a mixed bag. On the one hand, it’s not trying as hard as it was in the first couple of episodes, which I mean as a good thing. It’s less forced. On the other hand, I can already see it running the risk of getting boring.

In fact, nothing much has happened in the last two episodes. Jackie’s daughter is showing signs of some sort of mental health problem, but we already knew that. This lack of eventfulness highlights a bigger problem for the show.

Maybe the slow pace would be less of an issue if the show was more focused on the comedy. Nurse Jackie is more of a drama, however, and because of that I think it would be better as an hour-long show. In most cases, wanting a show to be longer is a good thing, but in Nurse Jackie’s case, I want it to be longer because it feels like nothing really happens. There isn’t enough funny to make it satisfying as a half hour comedy. In the dense world of a premium channel drama, 30 minutes is barely enough time to check in on all of the main characters, let alone establish legitimate dramatic interest.

All in all it’s a good show, but it needs more red meat.

Ranking the New Shows: #13 – Better Off Ted

Number 13 is up, and is one of only five sitcoms (and the only not on a premium channel).

The show: “Better Off Ted“
Synopsis: Ted is the head of Research and Development for one of the largest corporations in the country. He deals with zany scientists, a crazy boss, and a wacky girl that steals all the office’s creamer! It’s “Arrested Development” set in a corporate environment, sans all of the funny cast members. (They should have called it “Arrested Research and Development”.)
Debuted: March 18th, 2009
Our take: This might be the most damningly lukewarm phrase you can give a comedy: “Better Off Ted” is mildly amusing. It’s shooting for quirky and silly but has a severe lazy streak. For example, Phil’s (Jonathan Slavin) high pitched squeal that surfaced as a side effect of his experimental cryogenic freezing was maybe-kinda-sorta funny the first time… and not at all the 438 times after that. Casting Portia de Rossi as the shallow, cold, robotic corporate boss is equally lazy. They basically took her role from “Arrested Development” and crossed it with her role in “Ally McBeal.” In fairness, it’s consistently clever, and never suffers from the cringe/groan-inducing clunkers that sink most sitcoms. It’s a watchable show, but it doesn’t make me laugh.
What it would need to do to keep me watching: If they did “Arrested Development” justice, I’d watch. “Arrested Development” was full of surprises and a wide range of jokes- from George Michael’s awkwardness to Tobias’ blustering double entendres. “Better Off Ted” is one dimensional and repetitive in comparison.

Ranking the New TV Shows: #14 – Glee

The 14th best show is something of an anomaly in that the pilot was released this spring, but the rest of the series will not air until next fall. With just one episode to judge, it probably got docked a few points. Looking purely at potential, we could have put it a few spots higher. Either way, from 14 on is a huge step up from the bottom of the rankings. All of the shows from here on out show a lot of promise.

The show: “Glee“
Synopsis: A quirky version of “High School Musical” for Prime Time television from the creator of “Nip/Tuck“. Teacher and all-around great guy, Will Scheuster (Matthew Morrison) fights to keep the Glee Club alive and recruit new talent in a high school focused on popularity, cheerleading, sports, etc.
Debuted: May 19th, 2009 (Official Series Premiere: September, 16, 2009)
Our take: The show is pretty funny, with humor ranging from Jane Lynch’s macho cheer coach to the eccentricities of the nerd crowd.  The primary core of characters each have a distinct voice.   There’s the Quinn Fabray (Dianna Agron), the super achiever who’s got the perfectly contradictory balance of insecurity and overconfidence.  Finn Hudson (Cory Monteith) is the yin to her yang as the nice guy jock who dares to join the uncool Glee Club to the chagrin of his fellow football players. It goes on like that with other characters. Each one has their own idiosyncrasies and comedic style. On the other hand it’s a little black-and-white with the good guys and bad. The puppet strings are obvious. Will is too nice, and his wife is clearly an excuse for an obstacle, not a real person.
What it would need to do to keep me watching: The pilot of “Glee” climaxes, of course, with a big song and dance routine. I felt they missed a huge opportunity to show the talent of the cast by way overproducing it. Earlier musical numbers stood out because they seemed (and were) real. I know they wanted to really blow everyone away with the grand finale, but the outcome was phony. This was a chance to stand out from other tv shows and even movies by having an organic vocal performance that the audience could connect with. They could have had a comedy series with a touch of Broadway. Instead they have a comedy series with a touch of Britney Spears. Will I watch next year? It’s iffy.

Ranking the New TV Shows: #15 – The Life & Times of Tim

We’re back with Number 15, which happens to be our only animated offering of the year.

The show: “The Life and Times of Tim”
Synopsis: Tim is a normal guy (for a cartoon), who finds himself in many an awkward/inappropriate situation. It’s kinda like an animated “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia” or “Curb Your Enthusiasm.”
Debuted: June 2008
Our take: The first episode has a few laugh out loud moments, but there seems to be a lack of editing that drags almost every scene down. It’s clear that much of the show is improvised, which is a blessing and a curse. (If there’s a script at all, I’d guess it’s very loose.) The blessing comes in the form of natural delivery that gives the dialogue an awkward edge. Many of the funniest part of the show are a direct product of that. The curse, on the other hand, is essentially dead air. The stammering, the jokes that fall flat, the bits of small talk- all of it is left in, which leads to scenes that are too long and huge gaps between laughs.
What it would need to do to keep me watching: It needs to be quicker, tighter, and more disciplined. “The Life and Times of Tim” would benefit greatly from an editor that can discern the funny from the not. “Raped by a bum” is funny once or twice, and then it’s time to move on.

A Storm of Stars: Casting HBO’s “Game of Thrones” Part 2

We’re constantly getting new (and in some cases improved) Game of Thrones casting ideas. (Check the original here.) Some are from shows we’re watching now, and some are awesome suggestions from our readers. Here are a few:

Instant Reaction: Nurse Jackie, “Chicken Soup” 6/22/09

It’s week three, and Showtime’s “Nurse Jackie” is starting to settle in a bit.  This week’s episode was a little less eventful (after the first two weeks it almost had to slow some), but it did pack some laughs.  The only major development plot-wise – Jackie’s lover, Eddie the pharmacist, may soon be replaced by a robot.  This is perhaps even more significant as a means of cutting off her drug supply.  The machine would basically account for each and every pill.

There was another development with Jackie’s daughter’s anxiety that could turn into a multi-episode arc.  Unfortunately it came to light through several minutes of characters talking about it and just one 30 second scene actually showing it.  Writing 101, dudes:  show don’t tell.  It means little to me at this point and came across as manipulative.

The self-contained hospital story of the week focused on an elderly couple and chicken soup this time.  It was probably the weakest of Jackie’s run thus far.  Not annoying, but certainly not engaging.  They chicken-fisted it.

The comedy came primarily during an exchange between Jackie and Coop (Peter Facinelli), whom is starting to define himself as the show’s funniest character.  Facinelli’s dimwitted yet enthusiastic doctor plays a nice counterpoint to the hard-nosed Jackie.

Ranking the New TV Shows: #16 – Lie To Me

The countdown continues with another piece o’ poo from Fox. “Lie to Me” is Fox’s “The Mentalist” imitation, hoping to ride the quirky procedural formula to similar ratings success. (To be fair, ABC did also come out with something of a “Mentalist” rip-off this spring in “Castle,” which is a little higher up in our rankings.)

The show: “Lie to Me”
Synopsis: Dr. Cal Lightman (Tim Roth) is an expert in facial micro-expressions and utilizing them to determine whether or not someone is lying. He and his team of fellow lie-ologists use their powers to fight crime.
Debuted: January 21, 2009 on Fox
Our take: The human lie detector idea is not a bad one. Toward the beginning of the episode, Lightman illustrates a point about facial expressions by showing real clips (such as Kato Kaelin at the O.J. trial) where people’s briefest facial expressions betray what they are saying and give a glimpse into what they really feel. I have to say – it was pretty impressive. From there, unfortunately, the show makes the mistake of getting a bit expository with its explanations of ticks and tells, though. In fact, it over explains pretty much everything, with characters needlessly recapping what someone has just explained to them. It also failed on a character and story level. The humor fell way flat, and the characters aside from Lightman were much more annoying than the quirky charm they must’ve been shooting for (something that “The Mentalist” does pretty well, I might add). In the end it comes across not so much as style over substance but lie detector jargon over both style and substance. I finished the pilot with no intention of going back for more.
What it would need to do to keep me watching: The fact that “The Shield” creator Shawn Ryan is taking over the reigns in season 2 is an excellent one. As I said, the basic premise is not bad. The flaws may be too severe to fix, though.

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