Category Archives: Crazy About TV

Parenthood, Season 4
Showrunner: Jason Katims

It deeply saddens me to say that the fourth season of this beautiful show is the weakest one we have seen so far. I’m unsure if it was due to the shortened season order or if showrunner Jason Katims is pressured by NBC to simply not take risks. Why must every Braverman have happy endings? It seems that everything always turns out ok for this family, despite being hit hard by troubling real-life issues like cancer, PTSD, abortion, job insecurity and autism. Whenever the show introduces a new arc for our characters, it’s easy to predict that everything will turn out just fine. “It’s just a two-episode shake up but all will be back to normal soon!” This hurts the show more than anything else. There are no real stakes here.

Despite that major misgiving, season 4 of Parenthood actually had some of the best moments I’ve seen on TV all year. Adam and Kristina juggled the show’s most wrenching plot: Kristina’s cancer. We can always count on Katims’ writing team to deliver such profound and achingly real moments, like when Kristina wanted to send off her son to prom, despite Max’s resistance. When the two danced in the living room while Adam looked on, my heart broke into a million pieces. Or when Adam and Kristina decided to go away, just the two of them, we were witnessing a couple with real hardships and genuine affection for one another. Even when I had so many issues with the show’s other story lines, I knew I could always count on Monica Potter and Peter Krause every week. They really deserve Emmys for their work this season. Hundreds of them!

Other things I loved about season 4:

Mae Whitman. In every scene she was in! Amber is one of the greatest pleasures of Parenthood. She is heartbreaking in her moments with new beau, Ryan (wonderfully played by Friday Night Lights vet Matt Lauria). Ryan is a fragile individual and watching the two perform an emotional, delicate dance every week was a treasure.

Crosby is growing up and that is always fun to watch. With Adam on the sidelines and focused on Kristina, he juggled overseeing The Luncheonette and being a husband and father to Jasmine and Jabbar. Their sincere moments discussing race and religion were quietly powerful. As the character of Crosby grows to become a substantial human being, Dax Shepard has grown to become an engaging performer.

While the outcome was rushed beyond believability, most of the stories involving Joel and Julia’s adoption of Victor were effectively done. You got a real sense of frustration within the Graham household and these arcs provided Erika Christensen and Sam Jaeger some of their best work yet. If he had more episodes to work with, Katims would have fleshed out Victor’s assimilation to the family far more believably than executed here.

Also getting the short shrift? Zeek and Camille, who barely had any screen time. You can never have too much Craig T. Nelson and Bonnie Bedelia in your show, Mr. Katims. Ditto for Miles Heizer, whose abortion storyline barely made a blip in the series. A life event of this magnitude would never have gone away so quickly. Such a waste of great material here. And while I get that Sarah Ramos’s demotion from regular to recurring meant we’d be seeing less Haddie, it doesn’t make sense that Adam and Kristina would lie to her about Kristina’s cancer only to never be brought up again. It’s these inconsistencies that makes me wonder how much tighter this show would be if it had been on Showtime or FX instead of NBC. Makes me wonder, indeed.

The biggest problem with season 4 was the inability to give Sarah (the incomparable Lauren Graham) a backbone. Why does she need a man in her life? All season long, Sarah went back and forth with Hank (Ray Romano) and Mark (Jason Ritter). At the start of the season, I really enjoyed seeing both men in Sarah’s lives until it became inevitable that she would have to “choose” one. Why is this a competition? Why can’t Sarah just be happy with Mark? All of their scenes almost became unwatchable towards the last stretch. I didn’t want to see either of these guys again, which is a shame because Ritter and Romano are such pleasant actors to watch. Graham is usually perfect but she got unlucky with this terrible over-long arc that shouldn’t have lasted as long as it did. Wouldn’t it have been nice to see her deal with the fallout of Drew’s life-changing events, instead of being saddled with that non-story?

All said, Parenthood is still better than most dreck out there and it’s still one of my favorite shows on television. Hey, even Friday Night Lights stumbled a bit before regaining their footing and concluding the series on a high note. Should the show be renewed (and it damned well better!), I have faith in Katims to focus on the show’s strengths. If it means cutting out characters altogether (kill Kristina! Ship Drew off to school! Separate Zeek and Camille!), then perhaps that will allow Katims to step up and push through the longer arcs and play them out properly.

Season 4: B
Series to date: A-

Enlightened, Season 1 (2010)
Created by Mike White and Laura Dern

The most vivid memory I have of Laura Dern is back in 1996 when I saw Citizen Ruth at Kendall Square in Cambridge. I was alone – which was not unusual during those college years where I spent countless hours in the movie theaters all around Boston – and I was enraptured by Dern’s presence. She WAS Ruth Stoops, the drug-addicted, flaky, irresponsible young woman who found herself in the middle of a political debate about abortion. I fell in love with Dern and it had been a long time since I’ve seen her this balls-out good.

That is, until I caught up with season one of HBO’s Enlightened, a half-hour dramedy about a woman named Amy Jellicoe (Dern) who gets a second chance on life and really, really takes advantage of it. You could say that Ruth Stoops has grown up become Amy. After all, Amy has made several irresponsible mistakes and is frowned upon by her discerning mother and exasperated colleagues. After returning from a months-long sabbatical at a treatment facility, Amy has a new outlook on life. She is relentlessly positive and is determined to find her purpose. Even if it makes everyone around her absolutely miserable.

Dern is astonishing here, just as she was 16 years ago in Citizen Ruth. She is full of vibrancy and buzz, as if she is a new star in the making. Where was this magnificent woman all these years? (Judging by her IMDb profile, despite some strong films here and there, Dern certainly kept busy away from the movie biz). And I gotta say, nearing 50, she looks downright fantastic. She is aging naturally and beautifully.

She defiantly anchors Enlightened, even though the brain behind the show belongs to the ever-versatile Mike White. I’ve been a big fan of White’s since Chuck & Buck and The Good Girl 10 years ago. This is the most spiritually rich work I have seen from him. He nails that feeling of going against the tide. For many people, change is a very difficult thing to go through, and when the obstacles are stacked up against Amy (her mother, her junkie ex-husband, her boss, her company), her quest to be a better person is damn near impossible. Fortunately, White doesn’t take it all too seriously. Enlightened is smart, funny, infinitely relatable and strangely moving.

The rest of the cast gels nicely. Diane Ladd, Dern’s real-life mother, plays Amy’s skeptical, hardened mom. Luke Wilson has a meaty role as her ex (their chemistry is remarkable; in their few scenes together, you get a sense that they have a long, troubled history). Then you have Mike White himself playing Amy’s colleague who actually looks up to Amy, despite not having the courage to admit it. The luminous Robin Wright turned up midway in the season for a brief memorable stint (in a pair of episodes directed by the great Jonathan Demme) as Amy’s spiritual friend Sandy. Like Dern, Wright just lights up the screen with her grace and beauty.

Enlightened is a terrific discovery and I cannot wait to see where White and Dern take us next season.

Season 1: A-

Ah, the dog days of summer. A misnomer if there ever was one. It was a terrific summer all around for me, especially in the area of television. I used to despise TV during the summer months. The quality and selection were always lacking. But thanks to cable and their non-traditional seasons, I got to enjoy four shows during these hot months. That’s more than I typically watch during this season. But all of these shows were completely worth it.

Breaking Bad

Season 5 (Part 1): A
Series to Date: A+

What can I say about Breaking Bad that I haven’t said already? This is one of the very best shows in television history; easily the best show running on TV now. The show’s penchant for high quality scripts, superb acting and knockout twists continued with this new half-season that did not disappoint. The second half of this final (boo!) season will conclude in summer of 2013 (boo hoo!). I was hesitant to give it a grade at all since it’s technically not a full season. We got 8 sterling episodes this summer, and they were as great as you’d expect from Vince Gilligan and his crack team of writers. But even though all previous seasons got an A+ from me, I need to shave off the + for season 5 for the reason that 8 is just not enough. I felt short-changed. It’s like they took away my favorite meal before I got to finish it. That being said, when I view the second half, I’ll grade the entire 16-episode season as a whole, and we’ll see if I’m full then. I have no doubt I will be more than satisfied. These guys never let me down.

Highlights of this season so far: Skylar’s harrowing descent into the dark side; Walt’s increasingly arrogant behavior (“It’s over when I say it’s over”); the devastating death of an innocent boy and the gang’s grim handling of it; the life and death of Mike Ehrmantraut, one of the show’s very best characters; two gorgeous montages in the mid-season finale – the prison shanking and the 3-month leap forward; and the final jaw-dropping twist that gives new meaning to the word “info dump.” By the way, Hank was severely underused this season, but judging from that twist, he’ll be in full force in the show’s final run of episodes.

Ten months is a long, fucking time.

Louie

Season 3: A
Series to date: A-

Watching Louie is like witnessing an abstract painting come to life. Your emotions are running off in different directions. At heart, Louis C.K. is a comedian and, like his standup, his TV show is designed to make us laugh. But C.K. is also a observer of life who is so finely tuned to his audience’s expectations and feelings. He is so completely and utterly in control of the tone of his show that it’s like watching a master dramatist at work. The season finale – probably the best half hour of TV I have seen all year – had me endlessly chuckling while remaining in awe of how open and raw Louie’s emotions are. When he started crying because the damn doll wasn’t coming together as he’d like it, I felt so exasperated for him. I wanted to hug him. Then the elevator door closed, his family separated from him… Well, I just wanted to take him home.

It’s ironic that his character is at the lowest point of his life and career, being alone and having failed to get the Letterman gig, but yet C.K. himself is hot off a couple of Emmys and is a respected commodity in television. Season 3 of Louie has some of the best work he has ever done. The fact that he pulled in some great cameos (Williams! Lynch! Poehler! Seinfeld!) is only icing on the cake.

Thanks John Landgraf of FX for giving Louis C.K. complete control of his show. It’s still unlike anything I’ve ever seen on any network. How refreshing.

The Glee Project

Season 2: A-
Series to date: A-

I hate the term “reality show.” When I think of reality TV, I think of The Bachelor or something lame like I’m a Celebrity, Get Me Out of Here! Then when you say reality competition, I immediately think of American Idol or Survivor, which aren’t quite the bottom of the barrel, but still not exactly satisfying television for me. The Glee Project deserves so much more attention than it gets. It’s better than the “reality” sub-genre it’s stuck in. It’s even far better – and far more rewarding – than Glee itself! The Glee Project is a refreshingly honest, intimate talent competition that blows American Idol out of the water, substituting smarmy coke-drinking celebrity judges with creative, nurturing mentors. No studio audience necessary, either — these kids bust their asses for Ryan Murphy, Zach Woodlee, Nicki Anders and Robert Ulrich. These charming, humble contenders answer to no one but them.

The Glee Project is enchanting, uplifting and exciting television. I sincerely hope there is a season 3.

The Newsroom

Season 1: B+

I can’t tell you how thrilled I am to have Aaron Sorkin back on the tube. I’m a big fan of all of his television projects (yes, including the deeply flawed but endlessly compelling Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip). None of his work has come close to the rousing perfection that was his first series, Sports Night. Sadly, not even The Newsroom reaches the heights set by that short-lived triumph. But the potential is definitely there.

The Newsroom, in its punchy, uneven first season, features a stellar cast delivering the finest work in years by esteemed actors like Jeff Daniels, Emily Mortimer and Sam Waterston. The first half of the show was kind of all over the place, unsure of its footing and experimenting with character dynamics. The overall initial feeling I had of this show was sort of schizophrenic (the romantic entanglements of the staff didn’t quite mesh well with the real-world news events), but as the show progressed, each subplot grew more fine-tuned. I’m not quite hinging on the suspense on whether Jim and Maggie will hook up, but I actually liked their characters more and more once the season wrapped up. Ditto the once-flaky, now multidimensional character of Sloan Sabbath (who’s on-air slipup caused a fantastic showdown with network president, Charlie Skinner).

In the end, a lot of things absolutely worked for me, especially the balance of comedy and drama. I knew Sorkin would pull through. Will the show be able to continue its path towards greatness? Whether or not it heads in that direction, I’m easily on board for season 2.

Summer is here! You know what that means? Most of my shows have wrapped up for the year. I’m sad to say that it hasn’t been a thrilling run since two of my favorite shows ended way back in Feb/March (Parenthood, The Walking Dead). This made the last 2-3 months feel a little bit lackluster. With the exception of some strong comedies, there was nothing on my DVR that I had to see immediately. Nothing worth reading about the next day. When The Walking Dead ended, I missed having a water cooler show. That will change soon when summer rolls around and brings us some goodies. Breaking Bad‘s final season (part one) will kick off in July (it’s my first season watching the show live!) and season three of the superb, experimental dramedy, Louie, begins at the end of June. Also, The Newsroom debuts on HBO at the end of the month as well.

Can. Not. Wait.

Despite my misgivings about the lack of fireworks later in the season, there were still some big doings on TV this spring. I started watching not one but two “reality” programs (Shark Tank, Savage U). The horror! A long-running show bit the dust for good (Desperate Housewives). A promising debut blossomed into something pretty special (New Girl). Some of my old-time favorites proved to be smooth, well-oiled machines (Grey’s Anatomy, Parks and Recreation). And on the opposite end of the spectrum, two shows are literally hanging by a thread (Glee, Californication).

Let’s get to it.

The Walking Dead

Season 2: A
Series to date: A-

After a strong but meandering start of the series, The Walking Dead came into its own during the devastating, tension-filled 2-part second season. Many folks complained about the barn setting and how the characters were simply standing around talking about their feelings for weeks on end. It’s true, that’s what they did. But you know, that’s far more interesting to me than going from setting to setting, killing one horde of zombies after another. That would have gotten very old very quickly.

Instead, the writers crafted a nifty little character study where we learned about what makes these people tick. We still know too little about T-Dog and Carol, but they have survived the season and there’s still a good chance the writers will beef up their stature. Gone are Dale, Shane, and a bulk of the Greene clan, and while some of them will be missed, their send-offs are necessary in adding new dimensions to the rest of the cast.

Standout moments of the season include: the grisly and utterly shocking discovery of Sophia; Shane’s grappling with the guilt of Otis’s death; and Dale’s heartfelt, passionate plea to end the senseless killing. I also really enjoyed watching Daryl turn into an intensely likable hardass over the course of the season. And ditto for Herschel going from a territorial protector to a willing team player.

Season 3 couldn’t come any sooner.

Parenthood

Season 3: A
Series to date: A

Ugh. Can this show break my heart any more than it already does? Jason Katims is a master juggler of storylines. He and his ridiculously talented writing team (who are also responsible for the dearly departed Friday Night Lights) give each member of the Braverman clan some time to shine. They have all had remarkable arcs this season.

Zeek mends his contentious relationship with his mother. Sarah builds her bond with Mr. Cyr (the always pleasant Jason Ritter, who I hope joins the cast full-time since his pilot was not picked up). Julia and Joel struggle with the adoption process, which led to some surprising revelations toward the end of the season. Drew has a girlfriend (yay!), and delightfully, awkwardly comes of age. Amber got a new job, only to fall for her boss. Despite that predictable turn of events, the story redeems itself as she and Bob Little rise above the situation. Also, I really loved the small moments between Amber and her cousin, Max, who has Asperger’s. Amber is the only one who truly understands him.

And Max, who has been adapting to school with some difficulty, had some really strong moments this year. The fallout with Jabbar and his running away gave Max Burkholder his most powerful performances since the series began. What an excellent young actor. His folks, Adam and Kristina, are exhaustively attempting to keep everything afloat, including the birth of their new baby girl, Nora, and starting new jobs (Adam with Crosby at The Luncheonette, a perfect excuse to get the great Peter Krause and Dax Shepard in as many scenes together as possible, and Kristina with running Bob Little’s campaign). Their daughter Haddie had less to do this year, since she sadly ended her relationship with Alex (Michael B. Jordan, who really needs to come back to the show). Her expectations needed to be in check, however, when she discovered that her folks wouldn’t be able to afford to send her off to Cornell.

Heartbreaking, heartwarming, endlessly relatable stuff. Parenthood is the best show no one is watching.

Modern Family

Season 3: A-
Series to date: A

Modern Family never fails to make me laugh every week. The writing is so fresh and sharp. The cast gels perfectly; they’ve been firing on all cylinders since the pilot. After three seasons, there is still not a weak performer in the bunch. Not all story structures work, but at this point, that hardly matters (for now), as long as the laughs are there.

However, the show is beginning to show signs of age. These wobbly story structures will eventually collapse and grow more far-fetched as the series runs its course. The blessing of the show is that everyone is so damned talented. The curse is that these characters do not evolve. Their dynamics do not change. If I turned on a rerun of Modern Family, I wouldn’t be able to tell if the episode was from season 1 or season 3. Look at Friends or Roseanne, two of my favorite sitcoms. New relationships are forged. New life-changing struggles are introduced every season. The characters evolve, they grow over time. With Modern Family, it’s like nothing ever happens to these people. That can be troublesome because I don’t want them to become caricatures.

Gloria’s pregnancy reveal at the end of the season may, in fact, reinvigorate the show. It may be just what is needed to start season 4 with fresh material and new challenges. But more twists and dynamics of this kind need to keep fueling this show in the long run. Right now, though, Modern Family is working wonderfully, and I hope the creators don’t run out of gas before it’s too late.

Parks and Recreation

Season 4: A-
Series to date: A-

After the first season, Parks and Recreation established the characters and made a few tweaks as it tried to find its voice. The show was off and running during seasons 2 and 3, which were the high points of the series.  Week after week, this gang never failed to make me laugh. The characters were so well-rounded, the dramatic stakes were heartfelt, and the delivery was pitch-perfect. Season 4 was no different.

Some highlights: The on-again off-again relationship between Ann Perkins and Tom Haverford was ingeniously played out because it was treated like a joke, though the characters were not exactly in on it. These two do NOT belong together and this show knows it. Also, April and Andy continue to grow as individuals, with him going to college and her having more work to do in the office. But they still remain lazy, lovable creatures who have such deep affection for one another. It’s also nice to see a new side of Chris, who is always optimistically chipper. His downward spiral showed us how good of an actor Rob Lowe really is.

The one thing I wasn’t too crazy about this season was the balance between Leslie’s running for office and her workload at the Parks and Rec department. I thought a little too much time was devoted to her campaigning. Now that she won (spoiler alert!) maybe we’ll see more stories involving the improvement of Pawnee, which is where the heart of the show lies.

Shark Tank

Season 3: A-
Series to date: A-

I had seen bits and pieces of Shark Tank during their first two seasons, and I was intrigued. But because I have some kind of an aversion towards “reality” programming, I just couldn’t commit. Well, it so happened that I watched an entire hour earlier this season, and I couldn’t get enough of it. I had room on my DVR and decided to become a full-time viewer. What an addictive series. The premise is simple: entrepreneur wannabes pitch their wild ideas to five business-savvy investors who wish to make their empires bigger than ever. These billionaire investors — sharks, for dramatic effect — fight one another to score the best deal that will make them richer. The foundation is solid. The sharks are entertaining. And, for better or worse, the businessmen and women who sell their ideas with passion and vigor are what makes America a shining beacon of opportunity.

New Girl

Season 1: B+

“Who’s that girl, who’s that girl, who’s that girl? It’s Jess!” Wow, this show has come a long way since it premiered way back in September. After sampling five or six episodes, my wife and I were on the fence about continuing it. Sure, it was cute but it was so offbeat and only occasionally funny. Curiosity kept luring us back to it every week. And I’m so glad we never stopped.

I think it was around the time when CeCe and Schmidt started sleeping together that the show went from a mildly entertaining sitcom to must-see TV. Watching that relationship develop was pretty special, thanks mostly to the show’s MVP, Max Greenfield, whose “Schmitty Cents”, a metrosexual douchebag with heart, has evolved into a wholly interesting, full-fledged character. The show simply drags without him in the front and center. Nick (Jake Johnson) and Jess (Zooey Deschenel, the one who drew me to the show in the first place) have also become more defined and less grating as the season progressed. Winston (the game Lamorne Morris) needs some more work. I feel like they were just beginning to figure him out once the season ended.

I’m really looking forward to seeing this gang return in the fall.

Savage U

Season 1: B+

Another “reality” show on my DVR. What’s happening to me!? I would not be giving this MTV half-hour a moment’s notice if it weren’t for Dan Savage. Savage is a sex advice columnist – and a very good one too – whose podcast gets weekly play on my iPhone. The man tells you everything you need to know about relationships and sex. He’s the male, American, gay version of Ann Landers, but readers/listeners of all walks of life can enjoy Savage’s easy-going, candid nature.

He took his expertise to college campuses around the country and MTV went with him. Savage is joined by his producer and friend Lauren Hutchinson (a sweetheart and a charmer), and together, they answer questions about dating, masturbation, STDs, threesomes, S&M, bisexuality, you name it. Nothing is off-limits here, and the result is a refreshing, wide-eyed look at topics that are not for those who are shy in nature.

My only wish is that Savage U were not so damn short (with commercials, it’s only 20 minutes!). I hope it sticks around. I can never get enough of this guy.

Grey’s Anatomy

Season 8: B+
Series to Date: B

Wow, 8 years! This show has gone through some serious ups and downs over the course of 8 seasons. Izzie’s final season was the show’s lowest point; when she left, I thought “good riddance.” It took some time for the show to rediscover itself, and this season was the show’s finest since the early days. Focusing on the residents’ fifth (and final) year at Mercy Hospital provided plenty of drama. The pressures of passing the big test (masterfully executed towards the end of the season), landing a job, moving to a different part of the country, all while balancing their requisite relationship problems and emotional caseloads — all nicely played out here.

However, the season finale, which saw our core group in a plane crash, reeked of manipulation and lazy plot mechanics. I’m sure the intention was to get our characters in a new emotional place for season 9 (a sort of reboot, if you will). Still, it’s a small misstep in an otherwise very compelling season of a show that once showed signs of weakness and has since found a new lease on life.

Desperate Housewives

Season 8: B
Series Final Grade: B

After 8 wildly uneven seasons, Desperate Housewives should not have lasted this long. There’s nothing intelligent or redeeming about this show. The characters are inconsistent; the arcs are predictable; the season-long mysteries are long-winded and convoluted. In fact, it’s so easy to be critical of this show, and I found myself shaking my head in contempt more often than not. I cannot tell you how many times I almost wanted to end it.

But Marc Cherry and his team managed to bring me back, season after season. While it was never an A-level series or “must see TV,” it was actually a fun soap opera that was easy on the eyes and easier on the brain. It was comfort food that I usually felt guilty about consuming. It required no thinking. If I left the room to get something, I didn’t rewind the show to see what I missed. I folded a lot of laundry during Desperate Housewives.

I’m glad the show ended when it did. I won’t miss it, but I will miss seeing Felicity Huffman on the airwaves. I’ve been a huge fan of hers since the days of Sports Night. Marcia Cross’s Bree Van DeKamp was actually my least favorite character when the show launched back in 2004, but as the show progressed, I began to like her more and more. I could always take it or leave it with Teri Hatcher’s Susan Delfino and Eva Longoria’s Gabrielle Solis; their personas were always about as subtle as jack hammers when it came to characterizations and plot developments.

So long, Wisteria Lane. It was kinda, sorta fun while it lasted, but don’t let the door hit your cleavage on the way out.

How I Met Your Mother

Season 7: B-
Series to date: B

The damn title is bringing this show down. After 7 years of leaving tantalizing clues and teases, the central concept of How I Met Your Mother is now a complete joke. The amount of wrenches they have thrown this series-long arc is ridiculous. Even Lost knew when to put an end to it! And it’s too bad because a) this cast is awesome and b) most often than not, the show is very, very funny.

Not long ago, maybe two or three seasons ago, I vowed not to care about who the mother is anymore. It’s pointless. The show is about the journey, not the endgame. But the creators of the show are making it increasingly difficult to care about Ted and the women he dates, including (and especially) Robin. I love Cobie Smulders. She has created a dryly funny and completely believable character in Robin Scherbatzky. But this season’s big final twist resulted in nothing more than character assassination. Throwing her back together with Ted makes zero sense for either character and brings us further and further from the show’s “endgame.”

All that said, this wasn’t the show’s finest year, not by a long shot. But I did enjoy Lily and Marshall’s transformation from Manhattanite yuppies to parents-to-be Long Islanders. And Barney had some really good moments with his new gal pal Quinn (nicely played by Becki Newton). She’s good for him. It’s nice to finally see Barney so well-matched. And Ted is… Well, still Ted. I’ve always loved him and Josh Radnor’s consistently charming portrayal, so no real complaints here.

They just need to stop jerking us around. Either forget about the mother and move on, or start folding her into the show, like, NOW.

Californication

Season 5: C
Series to date: B

I absolutely love David Duchovny. Because of him, and him alone, I will never stop watching Californication, no matter how clumsy it becomes. No matter how shallow, no matter how sophomoric, no matter how lazy… I will be loyal to the show til the bitter end. It’s strange. The first three seasons have been pretty spectacular. The sexual misadventures of Hank Moody and his friends were frank, funny, and no-holds-barred adult programming. It was dirty in such a good way. But all that sex stuff gets old after a while, and I was returning to the show every week because I really dug the characters. Take the Runkles, for example. Marcy and Charlie were so dysfunctional, but their love for one another was so deep-rooted and palpable. Relationships in “sitcoms” tend not to be multi-faceted, but the Runkles were as real as any couple I’ve seen on TV.

But the last two seasons, and especially this one, our favorite characters have been a joke. Caricatures. Californication has, and will always be, centered around Hank Moody, and he’s still our favorite anti-hero, the ultimate fuckup who insists that his relationship with his daughter is the most important in his life. There’s plenty of juicy material for Hank Moody (and Duchovny never fails to play him so well), but it seems that the writers have given up on everyone else. The Runkles are no more, and separately, they have sunken to such low depths. Could they possibly be more desperate and pathetic? Stu Baggs (the great Stephen Tobolowsky) is a one-joke character, and let’s not even go into the non-threatening antagonist of the season, named Samurai Apocalypse (played by RZA). He snarled, he huffed, and then he laughed it off, only to continue doing so in the exact same manner for 10 episodes. And his girlfriend (Megan Good) is the single most poorly written character in the history of the show. When Kali showed up in the premiere on the airplane, I thought her scenes with Hank generated fireworks. But she turned out to be nothing more than a walking and talking plot device.

Hank and Karen are back together. Hank and Becca have mended fences. Here’s hoping the next season brings the Californication we know and love back on track.

Glee

Season 3: C-
Series to date: C+

After 5 seasons of Californication, Hank Moody is the only character left worth rooting for. After 3 seasons of Glee, there is no one here that I can sink my teeth into. Oh, what a mess this show has become. Every single character has gone from one extreme to another at the convenience of the “theme of the week.” It’s so clearly obvious the writers have written these characters around the songs, and not the other way around. Season 1 was far from perfect, but it was refreshing (and admittedly addictive) to watch these kids at McKinley High sing popular songs while struggling with the challenges of adolescence. As the series progressed, these characters we’ve grown attached to have become stick figures. The storyline involving Quinn’s baby is by far the show’s most disastrous arc. Quinn had become this evil, soulless teenager who conspired to sabotage the relationship between the baby and its adoptive mother (who happens to be Rachel’s birth mom, who happens to strike an affair with Puck, who happens to be the baby’s daddy and Quinn’s on-again off-again lover). This storyline killed any credibility these characters ever had. Quinn later “redeemed” herself only to be struck by a car not long afterwards and I was seriously hoping she did not survive. Needless to say, she did and was dancing on stage in a matter of weeks. Why, of course she did!

I can’t waste my time listing the rest of the cast’s strengths (there aren’t many) and weaknesses (oh, yes, there are a lot). So why do I continue to watch this show? Well, I’m hopeful. This show used to have magic. And there were flashes during this season that showed some promise and some spark. There were stray moments that moved me, almost to tears. I’m also clinging onto the idea that with half the cast graduating, there will be fresh blood in the new season. Maybe Ryan Murphy and his team will inject some sense into the show.

Side note: I haven’t forgiven them for turning Blaine into a boring, oddball character who couldn’t be more out-of-place at this school. He was a breath of fresh air as a recurring part in season 2. But when they moved him into McKinley and made Darren Criss full-time, they essentially sucked the life out of him and buried his appeal.

I hope Kurt Hummel got the hell out of that town and never looked back.

Way, way too much television this season. I’ve made many attempts to cut back over the years, but failed miserably by having 12 (!) rotating shows during this season. Why so much? Truthfully, I’ve been trying to fill the void that was left by Lost two years ago. Despite only running in the spring, that show consumed me all year long. There was enough meat and potatoes in Lost that left me full and satisfied all year round. But while this fall had strong shows, none of them came close to being as satisfying as that island drama. Some came out as big winners, though. In order of preference, it’s time to grade my shows from this fall/early winter season so far.

The most viscerally exciting by far is The Walking Dead. Many critics and fans complained that this show “talks too much;” that for a show about zombies, there seems to be very little zombie action. Well, I completely disagree. The writers did a bang up job tightening the screws and allowing us to get to know our characters. Arriving at Hershel’s farm was a fantastic creative decision. Who are these people we watch every week and what makes them tick? Sure, there are still some weak spots (other than missing her daughter, we still know nothing about Carol and we haven’t seen T-Dog do much of anything since he infected his arm), but the good stuff far outweighs the bad. Daryl, Glenn, Dale, Andrea – they all got some juicy arcs and added much-needed layers to their previously underwritten characters. In the meantime, Rick, Shane and Lori’s series-long story strands came to a thrilling twist when she announced her pregnancy and came clean to Rick about Shane.

The newbies are rather interesting as well. Hershel is a good, conflicted character; he is a man with several shades of gray. I really enjoyed Scott Wilson’s portrayal here. It’s certainly understandable why he wanted everyone out of there. And should they all move on, I would love to see Maggie stick around with us. Lauren Cohan radiates a warm screen presence. And how about that midseason finale? The phenomenal last act was a terrific culmination of all of this season’s story strands. And that final twist was just perfect. Now that I know more about these people, I can’t wait to see what happens to them. February cannot come any sooner. Season so far: 5/5. Series to date: 4.5/5.

Last year’s best show is still just as good this season. Parenthood is in season 3 and everyone involved has found their groove. Early in the run, showrunner Jason Katims would try to force some characters into stories that didn’t quite fit right, but now everything flows naturally. Putting Peter Krause and Dax Shepard together to create The Luncheonette is one example of bringing out the best of both actors. The chemistry between the two brothers is palpable and sincere. Shepard’s character has shown the most growth in the series so far and he’s a pleasure to watch. Also really liking the material they are giving Julia and Joel. They are just good people trying to do right by everyone. And someone please give Lauren Graham an Emmy already! One suggestion for Katims: more stories for Mae Whitman, Sarah Ramos, Miles Heizer and Max Burkholder. As I’ve mentioned in this post last year, these are some of the best teen actors I’ve seen on TV since My So-Called Life. Season so far: 5/5. Series to date: 4.5/5

And speaking of My So-Called Life, Claire Danes is something of a revelation, isn’t she? I always knew she was a terrific actress but last year’s Temple Grandin showed me how great she can really be. Now add Carrie Matheson to her impressive roster of great achievements. She’s breathtaking in Homeland, which is by far the best new show of the season. It started out as an interesting cat-and-mouse thriller and soon escalated into something excruciatingly tense. This is smart storytelling. The creators of 24 wisely took their talents to cable television where their characters were allowed to breathe and plots could unfold in more organic ways. Damian Lewis’s Brody kept us on our toes all season long and his performance in the finale should have him locked for a Best Actor trophy at next year’s Emmys. Also, I can’t forget to mention Mandy Patinkin’s beautifully restrained performance as Carrie’s mentor Saul – he could very well be the soul of the show. Homeland is not perfect, but for pulling off a complicated premise during its debut season, it is a confident, assured thriller and fantastic television. This season: 4.5/5

There’s only one show on TV these days that is guaranteed to make me laugh every week and that is Modern Family. Though it’s not quite as pitch perfect as its first two seasons, this third go-around proves that creator/producer Steve Levitan and Christopher Lloyd know precisely what they are doing. Each member of this cast is a brilliant performer and most of them don’t even need a line of dialogue to make us laugh. My only caveat: it’s season 3 and none of these characters have evolved yet. I think in order to achieve long-term success, we need to see growth and evolution to the Pritchett/Dunphy clans. I’m afraid we’re going to be seeing many of the same plots recycled over and over again. Let’s hope they manage to keep things fresh, and so far, so good. Season so far: 4.5/5. Series to date: 5/5

Modern Family should take notes on how to evolve a sitcom and encourage growth. How I Met Your Mother, a once lengen-waitforit-dary sitcom currently in its 7th season, lost its way a bit in recent years but I’m happy to say the show is experiencing a wonderful resurgance. Lily’s pregnancy, Barney’s newfound desire for commitment and Robin’s courtship with her therapist are all providing rich storylines. Something about this season feels fresh and invigorating. Could it be that the writers have stopped force-feeding us clues about the “mother” of the title? It’s so nice to see Ted just being Ted. Also, the writers are really on top of their game giving us episodes like The Ducky Tie, which gave us a whole new dimension of The Slap Bet, and Tick, Tick, Tick, which hilariously featured Ted and Marshall stoned at a concert. Comedy gold. Season so far: 4.5/5. Series to date: 4/5

Grey’s Anatomy is also on fire this year. My wife and I made a decision to save this season’s first half until the holidays so we can knock them all out during rerun season. Maybe that unbroken viewing pattern helped make this season one of their best and most enjoyable in many years. Webber is ousted as chief, Hunt has taken over, Derek is blacklisted from the FDA and estranged from his wife, and Meredith is trying out motherhood. It’s refreshing to see these four characters in new roles this year. All of the other stories flowed nicely, and we saw some fine guest turns from Debbie Allen, Alfre Woodard and Scott Foley. Like HIMYM, after many years on the air, there’s still life in this show yet! Season so far: 4/5. Series to date: 3.5/5

See, Ryan Murphy screwed up. Before premiering American Horror Story, he should have mentioned that it was going to be a seasonal anthology series. Each season would be self-contained with its own story, cast, theme, etc. Had I known this, I wouldn’t have been spending a lot of time wondering where is this show going? It’s a haunted house story, period. There’s nothing else to it! It was a frustrating experience as the plot kept going in circles (dead people show up, scare the Harmons, disappear, and come back again later), and I just couldn’t get excited about a show that had no driving storyline. But having said that, the show did have its moments of high camp and good twists. The show really took off during the last three episodes where the Harmons were killed off one by one and became latter-day Beetlejuices. It wasn’t until it was all over when I realized what Murphy was up to. Hindsight can be a bitch, but hey, I think I dug it. This season: 3/5

The final season of Desperate Housewives is shaping up to be neither their best season nor their worst. This is actually a slightly above average season featuring some strong arcs and performances (the murder coverup actually works because it keeps our girls together), cleverly bringing back the themes of season one. What brought Mary Alice to suicide? Isolation. The strength of her friendship with the girls wasn’t strong enough to keep her going. Will Bree suffer from the same fate?  Nothing earth-shattering here, but hey, a lot of laundry gets folded in our house during Desperate Housewives. And folding laundry has never been so enjoyable. Season so far: 3/5. Series to date: 3/5

My wife and I tried out two sitcoms with varying degrees of success. New Girl is the best of the two, despite being too cutesy at times. I think Zooey Deschanel is adorable but her character is too cartoonish to really be able to relate to her. Her three male roommates, however, ground her to reality and, as an ensemble, these four young adults entering their 30′s actually gel nicely together. New Girl is inconsistent and has lots of work to do, but I believe time will serve these folks well. Consider me charmed, if only for the time being. Season so far: 3/5

Suburgatory is less successful. I love Jeremy Sisto and the actress who plays his daughter, Jane Levy. They have a beautiful rapport with one another and their scenes together bring a smile to my face. However, the rest of the cast is insufferable. Everyone is a cartoon; shrill, overacted, buffoonish cartoons. I always ask – why do Tessa and George always hang out with them? Maybe in season two they will move back to Manhattan with an all new supporting cast. Hey, one can always dream. Season so far: 2.5/5

Is Ryan Murphy deliberately assassinating his characters on Glee? It seems everyone is making heinous, selfish decisions that don’t seem to gel with the characters we’ve come to love from season 1. Quinn scheming to destroy Shelby in order to get her baby back is as false and manipulative as the idea of Puck shacking up with her. This whole storyline is one of the worst ideas the writers ever had. And Rachel costing Kurt the election by rigging the votes? She’s not that dumb. And is she really that selfish that she will embarrass her good-natured boyfriend Finn because he couldn’t afford any of the items on her Christmas list? And isn’t she Jewish? The outing of Santana was nowhere nearly as emotional as Kurt’s, because the writers made her character so insufferable. How can we possibly care about anything she does or say when she does nothing but hurl empty insults to everyone in her sight? And don’t get me started with Sue. She continues to bring the show down every week. Like Santana, she’s just a mouthful of one-liners. No wonder Chris Colfer gets all of the awards recognition — Kurt Hummel is the only character that feels remotely real.

So what did I like on Glee this year? Giving Mercedes an edge worked wonders for her character (her Effie rendition was phenomenal); Mike Chang got some much-needed depth with a story involving his parents; the first time Kurt/Blaine and Finn/Rachel have sex was actually thoughtfully written and refreshingly honest; and any screen time devoted to Coach Beiste and Burt Hummel is always a good thing, regardless of the dumb stories they are involved in. Oh, Glee. You’re a mess. You piss me off so many times but yet I can’t look away. I’m sticking with you…. for now. Season so far: 2.5/5. Series to date: 3.5/5

Oh, how the mighty have fallen. This season of Dexter was all sorts of clumsy and inept. The religion angle was an inspiring choice of direction for the writers to pursue but the execution was completely ham-handed and lacking in dramatic tension. Introducing Brother Sam (played very well by Mos Def) as a spiritual voice was promising to start with but ended so abruptly and without consequence for Dexter (or the viewer). Colin Hanks was a bore and was entirely unconvincing as this season’s Big Bad (I’ve never seen a respected actor like Edward James Olmos do so little; he brought nothing to the table). The staff at Miami Metro are as clueless and inept as they’ve ever been. The only redeeming thing about Dexter this season was Debra Morgan, played superbly by Jennifer Carpenter. She got promoted, broke up with Quinn and handled some very tough challenges. Debra grew as a character and her metamorphosis was absorbing and fun to watch. So how will this finale’s new twist play out next year? I’ll tune in to watch, of course, but my expectations are very, very low. Perhaps now there’s no where else to go but up? This season: 2/5 Series to date: 3.5/5

I was really sad to learn that TNT was not picking up a third season of Men of a Certain Age. This past summer’s run was every bit as funny, gentle and sweet as its debut season in 2009. The premise was simple yet rife with possibility. Three best friends (Ray Romano, Scott Bakula and Andre Braugher, perfectly cast and looking better than ever) lean on one another as they not-so-gently ease their way past their prime. Joe, Owen and Terry and their coworkers and loved ones will be terribly missed. Thanks for 22 beautiful episodes. Season 2: 4.5/5. Entire series: 4.5/5

Rescue Me, on the other hand, wore out its welcome many years ago. One tragedy after another for Tommy Gavin became too much to bear. His relationships with Sheila and ex-wife Janet became repetitive and utterly tiresome. I know Denis Leary is the star of the show (and its creator and main writer) but sometimes I wish he would spread the wealth on his co-stars more often. I grew weary of “The Tommy Gavin Show” around season 3 (I’m not sure what the last straw was: the death of his brother, his young son or his father). I stuck with it to the end because the show did have its endearingly entertaining moments, most notably in the firehouse with the guys. Their camaraderie was fresh and oftentimes brutally funny. Rescue Me used to be great (especially when it dealt with the effects of 9/11), but it lost its spark too soon. Season 7: 2.5/5. Entire series: 3/5.

I’m thrilled that FX is continuing its relationship with Louis C.K. and his increasingly brilliant and subversive comedy, Louie. This half-hour laugher just wrapped its second season and Louis C.K. is already hard at work for a third go-around next year. Louie is unlike anything else on television – the narrative is fractured, the humor alternates from dark to silly on a whim, and in this groundbreaking season, the emotions ran high as Louie dealt with close brushes with death, a deep longing for Pamela, and realizations on what is important in life. No “sitcom” that I know of dares to be as thoughtful and life-affirming as Louie does. Season 2: 5/5. Entire series to date: 4.5/5.

The Glee Project was a huge surprise. I had low hopes for this reality contest in which wannabe Glee fans audition and compete for a guest spot on Fox’s mega-hit. I’m not a fan of reality programming; I used to dabble in an Idol here or a Survivor there, but my programming regimen is about 98% scripted. But I gave Glee Project a shot and I’m very thankful. It’s easily the best reality program I’ve ever had the pleasure of following and it has enhanced my appreciation and enthusiasm for Glee itself. All of the judges of The Glee Project — Ryan Murphy, Robert Ulrich, Zach Woodlee — are major behind-the-scenes players on Glee, and they are insightful, thoughtful, and more importantly, hugely entertaining to watch. They really cared about these kids. And these contestants are nothing to sneeze at — all four winners are talented, bright individuals who will fit right in the Glee universe. This first season of The Glee Project was filled with twists, surprises and suspense; in other words, it blew American Idol out of the water. Season 1: 4.5/5

The thing I learned as a loyal Curb Your Enthusiasm viewer is that I can’t judge every episode the same way. Sometimes everything comes together perfectly: the plot, the pacing, the amount of laughs, everything. Most often, however, they do not. Sometimes I’ll marvel how wonderfully structured the episode is but find it lacking in the laughs department. Sometimes I’ll laugh all the way through, but plot-wise it just didn’t gel.

This season saw two episodes that were just right: Palestinian Chicken (easily a top 3 episode of all-time) and Mister Softee. Those were classic, perfect Curbs. The other 8 episodes are a mixed bag but now that I think of it, I may have “laughed” more this season than I did during last season’s popular Seinfeld arc. In a nutshell, after 8 seasons (!), it appears to me that Larry David and his band of cynical misfits are as good as they’ve ever been. Season 8: 4/5. Entire series to date: 4/5.