TV Times

The Amazing Race is on cruise control and there is nothing wrong with a show that takes you literally around the world. It's fun to be a part of the journey and it's even more fun to watch how the 'little things' like a bad turn or a bad cab driver can mess up the entire race for a team. In some countries the cabs can kill you. But a good booking agent can save the day. I like how I never know how things are going to turn out. It's reality show but it's the least scripted show out there.

The Blacklist is still fun but I can see it becoming the 'bad guy' of the week very quickly. I think they need someone hunting Red as he is hunting them. There is nothing at stake for Red and Agent Keene gets beat up and kidnapped more times in this show than Robin in a Batman comic. I enjoy how smart this show is, however. The way that Reddington made Agent Ressler come up with a lie and come up with it quick to save his own life was a brilliant piece of writing. And Tom Noonan as a killer who liquifies the bodies of his victims? Great casting.

How can Boardwalk Empire get better every single week? I never know where that show is going to go and that especially is true with the ending of last week's episode. The collateral damage that is left in the wake of Nucky Thompson and his operations are always the most interesting story arcs for me to watch. Nobody gets out alive, not even Al Capone, who has become a central focus of this season. This show is like taking a bath in history. Everything is so rich and detailed. And how about that Michael Shannon. His story as a goon for Capone is yet another surprising direction for this most complex of characters.

Is Hostages worth it? I just can't even get behind the concept of the show. I hear it's like 24 but I suspect much filler to get to the end of season one.

Sleepy Hollow missed the mark with me. Too preachy and cryptic and I have had enough of that lately. Where is the action? I don't want to solve puzzles. Always with the puzzles. I might catch up when the season is done. I can do 13 episodes but 24 with much of them being filler? I have better and shorter series to watch. I don't want to be burned all over again. But then again I love the character of the Horseman. He is such a pure monster with only one agenda, taking heads until he finds the one that was taken from him. I can appreciate that focus. But someone tell me how he figured out how to use a machine gun? Little explanations like that go a long way with me with this kind of genre show.

Homeland - I am almost to the point where if I see Carrie cry and lose her shit one more time I am OUT. I want to watch something other than Claire Danes having a breakdown every ten minutes. She needs to make Carrie more sympathetic - in fact ANY sympathetic characters would be nice. Even Saul is an asshole this season. And the ONE guy I think I can count on killed a child and may be on his way to being taken out as well. Last week showing the suffering of confinement for both Brody and Carrie was a chore to watch. I want to be entertained, not made to suffer like the characters on the screen. It's a fine distinction.

The Walking Dead is a show that I have to save up before watching. Maybe four or six episodes. I will try to avoid spoilers but I don't care. I just can't wait a week to see what bad thing will happen to Rick and company next. The comic book has the exact same effect on me. I read that series yearly once I have a dozen or so comics in the pile.

Arrow - I haven't started to watch season two yet. Saving this one up too. I was very happy with season one. It's nice to see the hero fail for once and the bad guy's scheme actually work out like he planned it. Tell me how often THAT happens.

 

 

Moms - I am a big fan of Allison Janey and Anna Feris. Both have the ability to make me laugh out loud with the right material. This show does not have very good material. I groan more than I laughed despite the game efforts of all the cast. Made by Chuck Lorre, the same guy who made the atrocious Two And A Half Men, this sitcom is a waste of time and talent. Really a shame. Not a lot of comedies out there with such a large female cast.

The main problem with this sitcom is how old-fashioned it feels, which is not a huge surprise considering Chuck Lorre is behind it. It has all the earmarks of his typical shows -- multi-camera format, going for the cheap and easy jokes and a distracting laugh track.