I sore a blood oath (minus the blood) that I would bring loyal readers reviews of all the new Fall shows. So far I’ve reviewed the first 19 premieres to debut, and today bring reviews of “Suburgatory” and “How to Be a Gentleman.” But since two paragraph long reviews of those shows probably aren’t enough, I decided to weigh in on how Ashton Kutcher is improving (or not) Two and a Half Men, James Spader is shaping up on The Office, and Ted Danson is livening up CSI…
(New Fall show number) 20. Suburgatory: On the one hand this show (about a single dad who moves his teen daughter from Manhattan to a horrendously fake suburb) is pretty funny and I deeply admire its ruthlessness. It IS pretty great to watch such a splash of acid on everything that’s wrong with the suburbs right before Modern Family, a truly overrated show that stands for much of what’s wrong with the suburbs. On the other hand, the majority of this show’s cast is less pleasant than the convicted felons on Oz. Seeing all these fake, tan, repulsively shallow individuals gathered in one place, does make me feel sorry for the lead character (its goal) but it also makes me want her to move ASAP instead of spending an entire TV season there. Grade so far: C+ (it’s the rare show where I care about the lead character but want the show to get cancelled to set her free).
21. How to Be a Gentleman: In a weird way, this show is a little like Suburgatory in that the lead character (a “Gentleman” who belongs more in the 1950’s than today, and is ostracized from Jersey Shore, youth oriented society) is also disconnected from his surroundings, but unlike it in that his surroundings are just the time he happens to exist in. [Kevin Dillion shows up as a gym rat meathead to help him better “fit in” with 2011.] You do feel sorry for the lead character, but, once again, is sympathy for a character stuck in a miserable situation really that comical? Grade so far: C
Old Shows Attempting to Be New:
Two and a Half Men: So this show is currently exploding the ratings chart now that it’s attracted 20 million+ viewers curious to see Ashton Kutcher replace Charlie Sheen. The only problem with that? Sheen wasn’t what was wrong with Two and a Half Men, and I’d much rather see the writers replaced than the star the show is built around. Whether it’s Kutcher or Sheen delivering groan inducing lines about sex, bimbos, or farts doesn’t really make a difference, the JOKES are what need to change. In fact, Kutcher might actually make Men worse because the overly metro, overly buff star takes away a lot of the everyman, suburban sleaze Sheen brought to the proceedings. I think it will be hard for Men’s core audience (frustrated, married guys in middle age who live vicariously through Sheen’s conquests) to really relate to the six pack abs and hefty bank account of Kutcher’s billionaire character. Grade so far (and for the last 7 years Men has been on): D+
The Office: Steve Carell is gone from The Office and I must be about the only fan who’s glad. I’m sorry, but Carell’s relentlessly idiotic, self-centered Michael Scott was a dick, a lousy boss, an even worse friend, petty, and generally hogged all the oxygen in the room from a very strong, under-used ensemble. I was looking forward to seeing The Office dynamic without him, but so far they’ve put new manager (Ed Helms’s Andy) front and center as an equally buffoonish replacement. Still, there are signs for hope on the horizon, such as James Spader’s Robert California, the new CEO. Spader supplies a cerebral weirdness and intensity too often missing from The Office (long ago surpassed by Parks and Recreation as the funniest of NBC’s comedies, and now more a sentimental fave than truly funny). Grade so Far (and for years): B
CSI: So a much quieter story than Kutcher’s arrival or Steve Carell’s departure is Ted Danson taking the reigns of CSI from Laurence Fishburne. Now I haven’t regularly watched CSI since the first season (back when television, and myself, were truly different and this show was off the chain) but I have caught sporadic episodes. Still, I’m a big Ted Danson fan and believe he makes every show better he touches from Curb Your Enthusiasm to the otherwise tired Bored to Death to the excellent Damages, where he remains the show’s best (and most weirdly likable) villain. In his first two episodes of CSI he’s almost single handedly lifted the stupor off this procedural drag as the cheery (and mysterious) new head of the CSI team. Grade so Far: B-…If you like CSI: A- Danson’s involvement alone: A-