TV and Burgers

Much like the CW, the Fox Network generally offers a heavy dose of crap each fall.  Now, that is not to say that everything they have is bad nor is it to say that they have shows I do not watch.  I love Raising Hope and I have been watching Bones since the beginning, however they also offer up garbage like The X Factor and its twin sister American Idol.  (I still don't know what the difference is between those shows)  And of course Fox has long been known as the home of The Simpsons, which I have still only seen once.  So when I saw the schedule I could easily see stuff that looked good to me and the aforementioned crap.  Let's take a look. Sleepy Hollow: First published in 1820, The Legend of Sleepy Hollow by Washington Irving is an American classic.  Like many of you, I was first introduced to the story by the animated Disney film and like many I was immediately enthralled with the story.  I have read the story and seen many different incarn...

As I began to write my annual fall TV previews I thought that it might be fun to look back at this past season and take a closer look as to what worked for me and what did not.  My tastes do not always match up with the masses and some shows I thought should have been successful were canceled while others I did not like got the call for a second season.  Some shows just outright disappointed me.  And with that in mind we shall start with… Revolution – No network show disappointed me more than this one.  It started out okay and it just went downhill from there.  Due to my appreciation and respect for JJ Abrams I hung in there all season, but I will not be back for Season 2.  I was okay with the implausible plot, but the fact that so many people had these secrets and refused to answer questions when asked just bugged the crap out of me.  Plus it really annoyed me that it turns out a lack of power turned everyone violent.  Why could ...

In 2013 two of my favorite shows will reach their conclusion; Fringe will air its final episode in January and Breaking Bad will finish its run sometime in the summer. I always come to a series finale with some trepidation knowing that I have been burned in the past by some bad finales, but also with a bit of optimism since I have also seen some fantastic finales. How either of these shows will end is anyone’s guess, but all I ask for is an ending that is satisfying so I am not left to wonder or interpret on my own what really happened. Now the first episode of the first half of this season of Breaking Bad began with a flash-forward to Walter ordering breakfast (but not eating it, what a waste) in a Denny's on his 52nd birthday. Walt is using an alias and has a New Hampshire driver’s license. He meets with Lawson in the restroom and is given the keys to a car that has an arsenal in the trunk. The final episode ended with Hank sitting on a toilet in Walt’s house and finally...

I am a dedicated television viewer. If I like a program I will often stay with a program from beginning to end. However, there are times when I just have to say goodbye to shows that I once loved. Sometimes it is easy to do. Take Heroes for an example. It had a spectacular first season that was fun and inventive. Season two was a completely different story. I stuck with it for about half of season two and then I had enough and let it go. It was off my DVR for good and I was not alone. Today I want to share with you three shows that I have dropped from my DVR so far this season. Glee – When this show began I was absolutely enthralled with it. Since I had been in a group similar to New Directions when I was in high school, the show spoke to me. I enjoyed the songs and the dancing. I liked most of the characters and the show was blessed with a great villain in Sue Sylvester. Then at the end of last season the show began to fade. Sue was not as evil as she o...

We have finally reached the end of our fall previews with a look at the offerings from Fox.  Now Foxx is only giving us three new shows this fall followed by two midseason programs.  Of the new fall series I can tell you that I have seen the pilot episodes for them all and two of them are brilliant.  However, before I get to those quality shows I want to start with what may be the biggest piece of crap this fall.  The Mob Doctor – Avid readers know that there are two TV genres that I despise: medical dramas and gangster shows.  This one hour drama unsuccessfully combines them into one dull and unwatchable mess.  Jordana Spiro (My Boys) stars as Dr. Grace Devlin, a brilliant surgeon in Chicago who puts herself, her friends and her loved ones in jeopardy due to a family debt owed to the mob.  Now if Dr. Devlin put her family and friends on Jeopardy to battle an evil Alex Trebek this show might have been interesting for a moment.  In...

“On March 21st, 1963, Alcatraz officially closed. All the prisoners were transferred off the island. Only that's not what happened. Not at all.” – Emerson Hauser By now everyone should know that I am a huge fan of the works of writer/producer/director J.J. Abrams.  For the uninitiated Abrams was the director of Star Trek & Super 8 and is the producer of the latest (and best) film in the Mission: Impossible series.  Abrams is the co-creator of Lost & fringe, which loyal readers know as two of my favorite shows of all time.  The latest show from Abrams’ Bad Robot Productions is Alcatraz and after three episodes I am hooked.  Alcatraz stars the delightful Sarah Jones as San Francisco homicide detective Rebecca Madsen, Jorge Garcia as historian/author/comic book store owner Doc Soto and Sam Neill as FBI agent Emerson Hauser.  When you have a show with a cute blonde, Hurley and Dr. Alan Grant produced by the brilliant Abrams you have a winne...

The Finder is a new show that recently premiered on Fox.  It is a spin off of the once brilliant Bones which has, unfortunately, turned into a wicked mess.  Despite that fact I still watch it as I am somewhat addicted and as a result was very excited for this new show. A little background: Last season an episode of Bones featured the characters heading down to Florida Keys and meeting the characters of The Finder.  It was probably one of the best episodes of Bones in 2011 and thus made for an easy decision to pick up as a series.  In that episode, however, there was a character played by the lovely Saffron Burrows who is no longer a part of the show.  She played a tough bartender and helicopter pilot, but she has apparently been long forgotten.  The setup of the show is fairly simple.  Walter Sherman (Played by Geoff Stults) is a former military officer who suffered some brain damage while overseas.  Due to this he is now paranoi...

As we close out 2011, allow me to wish each and every one of my loyal readers a very Happy Hanukkah, Merry Christmas, Happy Kwanzaa and Happy Holidays.  I thank you for your loyalty and for making TV & Burgers an overwhelming success. It is now time for Sir Griffin’s annual list of his ten best shows of 2011.  Before you read you do have to remember that this is my list, not yours, and thus if you disagree feel free to make your own list, but do not disparage mine.  I list my shows alphabetically and not in any order of favorites.  Also, there are a lot of shows out there that I just do not watch that are often critically acclaimed and since I’ve never seen them I cannot include them no matter how good they are.  I have never seen Mad Men or Breaking Bad so don’t look for those on this list.  So without further ado I bring you Sir Griffin’s Top 10 of 2011. 2 Broke Girls – From the first episode I fell in love with this show. ...

I Hate My Teenage Daughter is, quite frankly, a terrible name for a TV show.  However after just two airings I am hooked.  I will have to say that I did not have high hopes for this series and it may well become canceled quickly, but while it is on the air I intend to enjoy it. IHMTD is the story of two divorced women, Annie & Nikki, who are neighbors and best friends in Austin, Texas.  Annie, as played by Jaime Pressly, was raised in an ultra conservative Christian home and was essentially allowed to nothing fun during her childhood.  Well, unless you count trying to convert the Cohen family or burning records as fun that is.  Annie is somewhat scared of Sophie, her daughter, whom she has allowed to have much more freedom than Annie could have ever dreamed of having.  Her ex-husband is a dope named Matt.  Nikki, played by Katie Finneran, is Mackenzie’s mother and is having an equally difficult time relating to her daughter. ...

So it's time to look at the shows that will be coming to us this fall and mid-season on the Fox broadcasting network.  When Fox started out that put out a lot of crap and I do mean a lot of crap.  Since then they have been just like any other network with their hits and misses.  Well, I can already tell you that there are some hits and misses coming up so let's stop chattering about it and take a look. Allen Gregory:   With the exception of Family Guy I have never been particularly impressed with the animated offerings from Fox.  I watched The Simpsons once and when I stopped vomiting I vowed never to watch it again.  With that in mind I was delighted by the trailer for Allen Gregory.  Allen is a seven year old child who is somewhat of a genius.  He has composed operas, written novels and is a fan of pinot grigio.  Allen lives with his father, Richard, and his life partner, Jeremy, whom Allen does not particularly care for.  Until now ...

Good day my friends, Traffic Light is a new show that premiered on Fox this past week following the ever hilarious Raising Hope.  Previously Hope was followed by a completely dreadful show called Running Wilde and now that has been replaced by the incredibly bland Traffic Light. Traffic Light is the story of three guys in their thirties who have been friends since their college days at the University of Illinois.  Apparently there was at one time a fourth friend who has died as they were dedicating a baseball field in his memory in the opening episode.  Lucky him.  Anyway, the three friends now all live in Chicago and are all at different stages of life.  Let me explain with the ever popular bullet points. Ethan - A single guy who also happens to be British.  He likes being single and seemingly dates a lot of women, but none of them for any length of time.  His British accent made him instantly more intriguing, but we need it to make him funnier....

Good day my friends, 2010 was yet another great year in television.  We saw great shows, lousy shows and more reality shows than anyone ever wanted and yet, through it all we watched.  Sometimes Sir Griffin even watches crap, but I try to avoid too much negativity and don’t post much of that.  So today I am going to give you my Top 10 of 10.  Now you may find my list a bit unusual for the following reason: I will not be using any numbering system for my selections.  I will be placing the shows in alphabetical order as I don’t think ranking them is a good idea.  I enjoy all of these shows individually and to compare them to each other is not fair to me, you or the shows in general.  I like them all.  End of story.  So without further ado I present to you Sir Griffin’s 10 of 10. The Amazing Race (CBS) – Phil does a masterful job raising that eyebrow at every pit stop, but that’s not why this show is on my list.  It is one o...