Time to start rolling out the midseason shows…
“Rake” comes on Fox Thursdays and feels like it probably won’t be around next year or maybe that’s just wishful thinking on my part. It stars Greg Kinnear as a “sleaze bag” lawyer with a very messy personal life and that’s pretty much it. The real problem with the show is that Kinnear’s behavior isn’t bad enough, but everyone around him keeps making him feel really bad for it. In the first two episodes, I can’t count the number of times a character verbally chastised Kinnear and it starts wearing you down listening to what a piece of shit the lead character of your show is over and over. Kinnear’s assistant, his friends, his clients, his adversaries, his ex-wife, and even the prostitute he pays to spend time with him all seem to be annoyed with him to varying degrees and it’s a little exhausting. When even a prostitute situation seems like a lot of work but not that much fun, the show has an entertainment deficit. Grade: D+
“Black Sails” on Starz is the latest show to try to make pirates work but at least Starz can show boobs and violence. Boobs and violence is always good. Nothing really sticks out yet, but most Starz shows are best watched in a marathon after the season is over so some patience is required. Grade: B-