TV and Burgers

Most of you know that I am an avid Survivor fan.  I have seen every episode of every season thus far and I am not about to stop.  We are in the 27th season of Survivor now and I am still a fan.  For many years I wrote a weekly blog about the show and I probably still would had I not gotten tired of doing it. I only like two reality shows; Survivor and The Amazing Race.  You can keep your Kardashians and your Honey Boo Boo.  You can take all your baking and cooking contests and toss them out the window.  You can take any show about hillbillies and ducks and toss them right in the trash for all I care, but do not mess with Survivor.  That said, I can tell you now that there are things I like and dislike about this season. First of all I like the premise.  Normally I am opposed to bringing back former contestants.  I have always found that the best seasons are ones in which we are introduced to a bunch of strangers that know nothing about ...

We conclude our previews with a look at NBC.  Now NBC has been in the doldrums lately and as far as I can see not much of that is about to change.  The experiment with the Million Second Quiz was yet another colossal failure, but then again it deserved to be.  So let us take a look at what NBC will be offering us this fall, shall we? The Blacklist: James Spader stars as Red Reddington, one of the FBI's Most Wanted.  In the pilot he surrenders himself to the FBI, but will only speak to a rookie FBI profiler named Elizabeth Keen.  Why her? Well probably because she's young and attractive, but I am sure there is another reason.  Anyway Red has a list of terrorists, many of which the FBI does not even know exist and he is there to help her find them. Why? Well he obviously has a motive, but that is not going to be quickly revealed.  I Like the premise, I like James Spader and I like Megan Boone.  I think I will like this show.  Though wouldn'...

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...

I can honestly say that there are no shows currently running on the CW that I watch.  It is a pretty safe bet that nothing will change once the fall shows premiere.  I think I tried watching Arrow last fall and I just could not get into it and I have never been a fan of The Vampire Diaries despite the presence of the lovely Nina Dobrev.  The CW has only three show premiering this fall so this will not take long. Reign: A show about the early years of Mary, Queen of Scots.  Do I really have to write anything else? This sounds and looks so boring and so dull it makes me yearn for a remake of My Mother the Car just so I can say that there is something I actually want to watch less than this snoozefest.  I suppose we are lucky in that we will likely not have a prequel about James V or a sequel about James VI.  Chances of me watching? Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz. The Tomorrow People: Here comes a show with the in...

As we continue our look at the fall schedule we head over to CBS which offers up six new shows.  Will they be any good?  Will any of them last?  Let's take a look, shall we? The Crazy Ones: When I heard that my one time dream girl Sarah Michelle Gellar (Buffy) was returning to TV once again I was thrilled.  Then when I saw the preview...not so much.  Buffy stars as Sydney Roberts; a woman that works for her father at an advertising agency in Chicago.  That part sounded a bit bland, but I could deal with that.  Then I saw that her father was played by Robin Williams and all interest was lost. I have watched the preview several times as it has been showing in movie theaters prior to, well, movies, and I can tell you that I have never laughed.  I'm sorry, but the shtick of Robin Williams has grown old and I am sick and tired of it.  Sure, he made a good Genie 20+ years ago, but seriously, who needs his manic nonsense these day?  As a d...

It is that time of year again my friends and I know I am running a little late again this year, but you will all get over it quickly.  You must because you have no choice.  This year, like we probably did last year, we start with ABC. Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. : My friends I am here to tell you that I cannot remember a time when I was so excited about a fall TV show.  We all know that I love Marvel and that superhero movies are among my favorites.  We also know that I consider Joss Whedon to be a genius.  When you combine those things you not only get The Avengers, but an awesome looking TV show to boot.  Phil Coulson is the main character and if you have seen any of the Marvel films you probably know exactly who he is.  The plot is simple; Agent Coulson puts together a team to handle strange cases and find new superheroes in the world.  The casting looks to be terrific with Ming-Na Wen (Mulan) as pilot Melinda May, Chloe Bennet as computer hack...

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 ...

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...

I am taking today to take a look at the offerings from The CW.  Now, The CW is not offering much in the line of new shows this fall, but a look we will take nonetheless.  Let’s see what we can expect to see on The CW this fall… Arrow – As much as I enjoy superhero movies, superheroes on TV have always been a tough sell for me.  I could never get into Smallville; Heroes had a great first season, but quickly declined in quality and The Cape was The Crap from the first episode.  However, I actually think that Arrow looks pretty good.  Arrow is actually The Green Arrow, a DC comic character whose name has been shortened for reasons I do not know.  Canadian actor Stephen Amell will be playing the main character of Oliver Queen/Arrow and he looks pretty good for the part.  I liked the preview and I feel this could be a fun show.  I also realize that superhero shows can go into an irreversible decline very quickly so I must be cautious....

As we all know Sir Griffin is way behind in his fall TV previews, but there is no need to complain.  I will, eventually, get all of them finished.  I realize that some shows may have already been canceled by the time I get this all done, but as always, Sir Griffin will do his best.  We’re taking a look today at NBC and fortunately for you I have already seen several of these shows so I can give some definitive opinions.  I am going to start with the four shows in which I have already seen the pilot.  Go On – Matthew Perry returns with another attempt to headline his own show.  And while I enjoyed Mr. Sunshine, I can tell you that this show is substantially better.  Perry plays sportscaster Ryan King, a widower who has joined a support group to help him cope with the loss of his wife.  I know it does not sound like a particularly funny topic, but I can tell you that it is very humorous.  I loved the pilot and particularly enjoye...

It is time for Sir Griffin to take a look at the shows that will be offered by the CBS television network.  My apologies for taking so long in my fall previews, but I am doing my best and hopefully will have it all said and done before the new shows begin.  But even if I do not you really can’t complain because I do this for free for your pleasure.  So let’s begin our look at CBS with Partners –   From the creators of Will & Grace comes a show about two men; one gay and one straight.  They have been friends since childhood and are now business partners and still best of friends.  The show delves into their lives as they both begin new relationships.  I have to say that I was a huge Will & Grace fan and the preview for this show indicates I will love this one as well.  It looks funny and appears to have the same wacky charm/  Plus, there is a dog named Elphaba and you can never go wrong there.  The show stars David Krumholt...

It's that time of year again my friends.  The new shows will be arriving very soon and due to a vigorous summer schedule Sir Griffin is behind in his previews.  But fear not TV & Burger fans as it is finally time to begin.  We start with ABC. 666 Park Avenue - This is a show about a couple who move into a Manhattan building and learn that it just might be possessed by a demonic force .   The show  stars Terry O'Quinn from Lost and Vanessa Williams as the building's owner and his beautiful wife.  Also starring is Rachael Taylor and Dave Annable as the aforementioned young couple.  This show looks terrific.  Terry O'Quinn has long been one of my favorite actors and any show that has demonic forces will always pique my interest.  Chances of me watching: 100%. Nashville - I have already seen the premiere episode of this show and I can tell you it sucks.  Big time.  It stars Connie Britton as Rayna, a fading country music s...

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. ...