Madam Secretary and The Mysteries of Laura
It is officially my favorite time of year - time for new fall shows to start. Usually I pick and choose what to watch based on descriptions and everything, but this year I am trying something different - everything gets two episodes. I will try all of the half hour comedies and all of the hour long dramas and we'll see. One episode is not enough because although pilot episodes are supposed to be awesome and show how great a show can be (like the pilot episode of LOST), sometimes they are just horrible and make you never want to see the show (unfortunately, I am choosing the example for this one to be Hanna Montana - and I chose that because in the pilot episode Miley Cyrus is much too young and it's stupid, but that show is actually really good). First up was Dancing with the Stars, although that doesn't really count because no matter how horrible that show is, I'll still watch it. I can't help it.
The first actually new show of the season was Madam Secretary, starring Tea Leoni (pretty much as Hillary Clinton), Zeljko Ivanek (my favorite actor), Tim Daly (Joe Hackett from Wings) and Bebe Neuwirth (Lillith from Frasier). So far, so good. Not great, but good. I was stupid enough to read some of the twitter comments while watching the show, and people kept referring to the show as a new West Wing or a throwback to that show, and that actually offended me, and would offend Aaron Sorkin too, if he used twitter. The problem with the comparison is that while they are both hour long political dramas, West Wing is like a mini play ever episode - the writing is fast paced and smart and there are always multiple storylines in each episode. In Madam Secretary, not only was it difficult to believe that Tea Leoni all of a sudden gets recruited as Secretary of State while she's shoveling horse poop in a barn, there was just the one story. They hinted at others, but it was almost episodic in it's focus, something I hope they change over time. But it was definitely better than I expected.
On the other hand, The Mysteries of Laura was exactly what I expected, almost to it's detriment. Debra Messing is not really believable as a detective and she's had some weird work done to her face that was totally unnecessary. It's really an hour long dramedy, and overall it was entertaining, but not a great show. The characters are too cookie cutter and there isn't much to build on. Thankfully, at the end of the first episode, her soon-to-be ex-husband becomes her precinct's new captain, and that will be a good twist and something static for them to build on. But overall, it was meh. This one should have been more episodic and it felt more like a plot-driven show than Madam Secretary. Debra Messing is on the bubble, and if things don't improve next week, it's gone.
Next up tonight is The Big Bang Theory (not new for me and they pretty much can't screw it up), Sleepy Hollow (also not new but losing it's appeal), The Blacklist (I hope they replace the main character lol), and newcomers Scorpion and Gotham. I want to like Gotham and assume I'll hate Scorpion. We'll see!
The first actually new show of the season was Madam Secretary, starring Tea Leoni (pretty much as Hillary Clinton), Zeljko Ivanek (my favorite actor), Tim Daly (Joe Hackett from Wings) and Bebe Neuwirth (Lillith from Frasier). So far, so good. Not great, but good. I was stupid enough to read some of the twitter comments while watching the show, and people kept referring to the show as a new West Wing or a throwback to that show, and that actually offended me, and would offend Aaron Sorkin too, if he used twitter. The problem with the comparison is that while they are both hour long political dramas, West Wing is like a mini play ever episode - the writing is fast paced and smart and there are always multiple storylines in each episode. In Madam Secretary, not only was it difficult to believe that Tea Leoni all of a sudden gets recruited as Secretary of State while she's shoveling horse poop in a barn, there was just the one story. They hinted at others, but it was almost episodic in it's focus, something I hope they change over time. But it was definitely better than I expected.
On the other hand, The Mysteries of Laura was exactly what I expected, almost to it's detriment. Debra Messing is not really believable as a detective and she's had some weird work done to her face that was totally unnecessary. It's really an hour long dramedy, and overall it was entertaining, but not a great show. The characters are too cookie cutter and there isn't much to build on. Thankfully, at the end of the first episode, her soon-to-be ex-husband becomes her precinct's new captain, and that will be a good twist and something static for them to build on. But overall, it was meh. This one should have been more episodic and it felt more like a plot-driven show than Madam Secretary. Debra Messing is on the bubble, and if things don't improve next week, it's gone.
Next up tonight is The Big Bang Theory (not new for me and they pretty much can't screw it up), Sleepy Hollow (also not new but losing it's appeal), The Blacklist (I hope they replace the main character lol), and newcomers Scorpion and Gotham. I want to like Gotham and assume I'll hate Scorpion. We'll see!
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