1. Agents of the Shield
Aired episodes so far: 4
Network: ABC
The pilot episode for Agents of the Shield was, no doubt, exceptional and promising. It delivered what was expected from it, setting the bar for what's coming next. And I guess, that became part of the problem. For all the high expectations for this show, the episodes following the pilot struggled and fell flat. Where did the magic go? This series gave us something good, only to follow it up with a bunch of crappy episodes.
What's lacking from this show? There's too many to pinpoint: The absence of ass-kicking superheroes. The format --- a boring procedural. The lack of character development, as in how much do we know about all of them so far? What do these agents actually do?
The show is taking such a sweet time with giving the viewers a story to hold on to, that I can't help but compare it with The Tomorrow People, which isn't great TV but it had a more interesting flow of the story (2 episodes in on The CW).
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| The cast of Agents of SHIELD |
2. The Blacklist
Aired episodes so far: 4
Network: NBC
Not even a big star like James Spader can sustain the quality level of this show. Much like Agents of the Shield above, Blacklist also suffers with its format. It's too structured and routine to come out with a substantial plot viewers can take from.
Oh, it does give away a few hints now and then --- the story behind Liz's father or Red's daughter, the husband's real identity, why Red chose Keen --- but dangling clues only leave viewers like me frustrated. Because nothing is really happening there. I guess they will save the big reveals when the season ends (in the 22nd episode or so). But you know what...by then, who cares?
The show clearly establishes Reddington as the central character so much that everyone else pales in comparison. The FBI is inept, the other villains and criminals on the list aren't fascinating enough. God forbid they would overshadow Reddington's intimidating presence! Baaah. I've been saying this since the beginning: the show needs to balance out Spader's star power.
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| James Spader and Megan Boone in The Blacklist |
3. Super Fun Night
Aired episodes so far: 3
Network: ABC
It's not the worse in the bunch (Dads is), but it's terribly unfunny. I think Super Fun Night's biggest problem is that it's trying too hard to become something it's not. Like... lose the romantic angle and just let the girls be, alright?
The cast is actually great. I love everyone of 'em. I'm not too familiar with the girl playing Marika, but I love her here. But because the show's writing is weak, it comes off to me as if the actors are just putting up with something just to be funny (and get paid for it...yeah, that too!). What that does is give viewers characters who...well, I'm not even convinced are really having a super fun night.
I'm well aware Rebel Wilson has written all the 3 episodes so far, and she's also the brains behind this show, with Conan O'Brien as her boss (producer). She's taking on too many tasks --- acting, writing, developing the series --- to really excel in one crucial area: making us laugh.
I've just about given up on this show and won't be planning on watching anymore.
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| The rare moment Super Fun Night made me laugh |
4. The Crazy Ones
Aired episodes so far: 4
Network: CBS
It hurts to diss this show because I'm in love with James Wolk. Hehe.
I find some things working here and the show still makes me laugh, which is why I will continue to watch it. But it's not as fun as it was in the pilot episode. The show could be great, but it seems like they're fitting everything all at once, it's coming from all directions. It's messy crazy, but not much fun.
The father/daughter dynamics between Simon and Sydney is touching. But the characters are either too zany or too serious. I think they need to play and blend off each other better, so as not to become off-putting. They're the two leads of the show and they're the ones most likely to turn away viewers. That's not good.
James Wolk (Zach) is the eye candy, but it's Hamish Linklater (Andrew) who makes me laugh the most. He's the show's brightest spot.
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| Andrew is The Crazy One's most valuable character |
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| Cray Cray Crazy Ones |
All photos are not mine. They're from different Tumblr account reblogs.
