September 14, 2014 – September 20, 2014
* New series in CAPS
* Reviews May Contain Spoilers
Photo Credit: Annette Brown/FOX
VERONICA MARS: PLAY IT AGAIN, DICK (CW Seed) – Episode 1.01
“Oh, I also sing! Triple threat!” – Dick
Veronica Mars is back! Well, sort of. In the first episode (7:42 minutes) of Play It Again, Dick, Ryan Hansen must convince Kristen Bell that a spinoff all about Dick would work while Kristen tries to get Ryan to see that a spinoff focusing on an unlikable character just couldn’t possibly work! Ha! Anyone who has read the million posts about unlikable characters in YA stories will have a good laugh at that. Cut to Ryan pitching the spinoff to The CW execs and them coming to an agreement. Wow. This was funny. I had a blast watching and can’t wait to see more. What a great start to what is sure to be a very entertaining web series!
19 Kids & Counting (TLC)
Episode 14.04 & 14.05 “Duggar Dirty Jobs” & “Duggars Decorate & Diet”
In “Duggar Dirty Jobs,” the younger kids painted adorable pottery gifts for Jill and Derick while Ben was put to work by Jim Bob and we got to see if Ben has what it takes to keep up with the Duggars as well as take care of a household in more ways than one. Good for Jim Bob and Michelle! I absolutely loved seeing Ben put to work. Earning it! Alright! In “Duggars Decorate & Diet,” Josh’s old trainer makes a surprise visit and Jinger takes Jill and Derick’s engagement photos. It’s always so awesome seeing how resourceful this family is. This family sure knows how to save a buck! If you’re not a Christian and need one reason to watch this show, frugal tips is definitely one big reason! You’re welcome. 🙂
New Girl (Fox) – Episode 4.01 “The Last Wedding”
“How did salt get shoved into this tiny, tiny pepper hole?” – Winston
What a return! Read my review of the season four premiere here.
The Mindy Project (Fox) – Episode 3.01 “We’re A Couple Now, Haters!”
“Get your big ass in there now!” – Danny
My favorite comedy is back! Read my review of the season three premiere here.
RED BAND SOCIETY (Fox) – Episode 1.01 “Pilot”
“Oh I don’t smoke, drink, or do drugs.” – Emma
“So unhealthy right? Not like starving yourself.” – Kara
With the cast and crew behind this show that is already intriguing as it is, I knew that I had to check out this show and I’m happy that I did. Octavia Spencer, Dave Annable and all of the fresh faces on this show are so talented and are so grounded in their characters, acing it with such distinct voices not to mention, they all have so much chemistry. It’s hard to get all of that down in the Pilot episode but this cast is killing it! It also must be said that ensemble dramas are my absolute favorite because I love, love, love how the writers balance all of the story lines and this show is an awesome example of great balance.
Yes, at first, these characters are pretty standard, like you’ve seen them all before but hold on. What you see as the Pilot plays out may allow you to fall in love with these characters after all and make it worth the commitment. Octavia’s character, Nurse Jackson is of course one of my favorites. Yes, she’s got the Nurse Jackie vibe which his hard to shake out of my mind during the entire Pilot. But certain lines totally got me and may help me overlook this as time goes on. Nurse Jackson’s honesty, selflessness, and ability to put up with absolutely no BS is what I love about this character and the sum of her parts is not the same as Nurse Jackie, that’s for sure, so it will be interesting see what else we get from this character.
There are also other concerns, of course. Sure, there are doctor shows out there but this is different. This is set at a pediatric hospital where it’s about the patients too. Long term patients. The patients, like the doctors and mentors in their life come from all walks of life, many different family dynamics, and lots of different baggage. That’s where the writers will get us. That’s where they have to dig deep. Because these kids might be sick but the thing is, we’re all sick and broken inside and that, the heart of the matter is what will make this show long lasting. That long lasting mark is what will be remembered. This show is about coping, letting your guard down, keeping your guard up, living, dying. Healing. If you’re cautious about watching this show, you have reason to be. But if the writers play it right (both emotionally and otherwise – including research and accurate portrayals because if this is your setting and your desired platform for awareness, do it right), this show can be so powerful.
It’s interesting because if you don’t know a whole lot about this show, one might assume that it’s a half hour dark comedy but indeed, it’s a one hour dramedy and it’s great. I see what the writers are doing and I think they have nailed the tone of the show from the jump and that is not easy to do. I love that it weaves the lighthearted with such heavy subject matter. It’s beautiful. This show has a clear vision for its characters and their journeys and I’m willing to watch season one to see how everything progresses. Red Band Society is bold, it’s familiar and real, it’s heartfelt. It’s worth watching.
Photo Credit: Justin Lubin/NBC
Haven (Syfy) – Episode 5.02 “Speak No Evil”
Dude! Maura is a BAMF! I love, love, love this woman! She is so evil and Emily Rose continues to ace this role. I am in complete awe of Emily Rose. I didn’t know I wanted to see this from her, I didn’t know she had it in her but look! This is easily my favorite role of Emily’s on this show and I cannot wait to see what trouble Maura continues to stir up. This week was even better than last week and next week looks even better than this week! Also, Duke. Oh, man. Duke accepting Jennifer’s fate. Man. That was tough. Eric Balfour did a wonderful job with his delivery of THAT scene. Wow. Everyone did a fabulous job with this episode. We’re only two episodes in and I don’t know if I said this last week but this season is going to be one of my favorites, I know.
The Biggest Loser (NBC) – Episode 16.02 “The Knockout”
I totally skipped the first hour of The Biggest Loser to watch Haven and then switched over to The Biggest Loser in the second hour. Honestly, I think that’s what I’m going to be doing all season long and if you read last’s week TV Talk, you’ll see why. Plus, this week when I turned, I found one of the contestants having a complete meltdown while having a meeting with Dr. Huizenga. So. If I hadn’t made the decision to skip hour one, I certainly would have anyway. Ain’t nobody got time for that! I watched the rest of the episode, glazing over the elimination because voting people out on a show like this is icky. It was sad to see Vanessa go over on Team Bob as her body fat percentage didn’t make the cut (as all of the eliminations should be!) but I can’t wait to see the results of her hard work come finale night.
Z NATION (Syfy) – Episode 1.02 “Fracking Zombies”
Citizen Z venturing out of his safe area? Bad idea! Thankfully, he’s still alive and well but if he goes loopy again, he might not be so lucky next time. Watching this group travel from New York to California, so far, is keeping my attention but I’m interested in seeing just what problems come there way because there wasn’t a whole lot happening in this episode and well, this show needs to hold its own at every single moment. So. The premiere was more exciting and interesting than this episode but hey, there are only two episodes to compare to each other. What did you think?
Premieres Next Week (September 21, 2014 – September 27, 2014)
GOTHAM (Fox) Monday, September 22, 2014
The Big Bang Theory (CBS) Monday, September 22, 2014
The Voice (NBC) Monday & Tuesday September 22 & 23, 2014
SCORPION (CBS) Monday, September 22, 2014
The Blacklist (NBC) Monday, September 22, 2014
FOREVER (ABC) Monday & Tuesday September 22 & 23, 2014
Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (ABC) Tuesday, September 23, 2014
Person of Interest (CBS) Tuesday, September 23, 2014
The Middle (ABC) Wednesday, September 24, 2014
Modern Family (ABC) Wednesday, September 24, 2014
Law & Order: SVU (NBC) Wednesday, September 24, 2014
BLACK-ISH (ABC) Wednesday, September 24, 2014
Nashville (ABC) Wednesday, September 24, 2014
Grey’s Anatomy (ABC) Thursday, September 25, 2014
Scandal (ABC) Thursday, September 25, 2014
Parenthood (NBC) Thursday, September 25, 2014
HOW TO GET AWAY WITH MURDER (ABC) Thurs, Sept 25, 2014