a) "Mad Love"
I like three of the four leads in this show a lot (and Jason Biggs isn't that bad, I guess), so I was willing to give it a chance even though the title and the premise just seem beyond generic. So far it's kind of flat with occasional laughts or moments of genuine charm, but with this cast I'm willing to give it a chance to grow on me. Judy Greer's kind of not her usual wonderful self, though, usually she's more fun even if she's playing kind of a bitter bitchy character like in this.

b) "Mr. Sunshine"
Even with "Cougar Town" seeming like it might have some legs, there's still some pessimism attached to any new show starring a "Friends" alum, and this one even features noted showkiller Andrea Anders, whose multiple canceled series include "Joey." But there was something promising about Matthew Perry creating the show himself, and his hysterical "Daily Show" interview about it seemed like a good omen. Hard to say based on one episode how good it could end up, and it definitely wouldn't surprise me if it doesn't last long, but honestly I really like this so far, good cast, fairly sharp writing.

c) "Traffic Light"
The pilot for this was just really off-putting, similar "this couple does things this way and that couple does things that way" joke structure as "Better With You" and "Perfect Couples," unappealing cast, and a really sentimental reveal at the end of the pilot that just came out of nowhere and felt completely hokey and unearned.

d) "The Chicago Code"
I want to give this a chance just because it's got the same showrunner as "Terriers" but I've really just got gritty cop drama fatigue and have a hard time taking any real interest in shows like this or "Southside," especially now that I'm rewatching "Homicide: Life On The Street" and remembering how much more I like it than these similar new shows.

e) "Let's Stay Together"
Earlier this season there was a "30 Rock" gag about Dot Com creating a black sitcom called "Let's Stay Together," so it was kind of weird and surreal 3 months later to see that BET has a new show with that exact title. The show itself is just kinda OK, characters aren't very memorable but it's at least kinda light and breezy.

f) "Ebert Presents: At The Movies"
After other people ran his show into the ground, it's nice to see Ebert have one more go and relaunching his old franchise and trying to do it right. It's hard to say how well they're doing, since honestly the baseline for a movie critic show is not easy to quantify, but I like the format and the new hosts aren't especially clever or engaging but seem smart and honest enough with their reviews.

g) "Harry's Law"
This show is so fluffy and old-fashioned that it'd be hard to believe it's on an actual network and not some basic cable channel like USA if it wasn't created by a proven hitmaker like David E. Kelly or starred an Oscar winner like Kathy Bates. And honestly it's not bad but it does feel very lightweight and goofy, especially considering that the other fluffy new legal drama that actually is on USA, "Fairly Legal," is way better.

h) "Lights Out"
This coming out at the same time as The Fighter didn't help but I really just rolled my eyes at the prospect of watching anything that seemed to be so loaded up with boxer movie cliches, especially after learning that the main character's nickname is, ugh, Lights. But I went ahead and watched the first couple episodes and they weren't bad. The "this season on 'Lights'" montage at the end of the pilot made the whole thing look really exciting but I don't know if my interest will sustain all the way through it.

i) "Shameless"
This show's appeal is totally in how debauched and giddily taboo-breaking it is, which is a given just from the title, but I'm still kinda feeling out how much fun I'm actually having with these characters and how much I'm just kind of along for the ride but don't necessarily care what happens or feel that entertained by it. Plus it seems like around the 5th episode they suddenly started going really heavy on jumpcuts and splitscreens out of nowhere, which was jarring and annoying, and there are some characters, like Lip, that I wouldn't mind seeing more of, and others I wouldn't mind seeing less of. Definitely one of the better new shows on right now, though.

j) "Justified"
I was always a little unenthused about this show in the first season, but I could feel my enjoyment of it instantly ramp up with the second season premiere, just love where they're going with the new villains and really seeming to have fun with the whole vibe of the show more than ever, "Justified" might be growing the beard in 2011.

k) "Archer"
I still think H. Jon Benjamin is hilarious more often than not, but with "Bob's Burgers" on and me enjoying that more and more, it's just highlighting that I kind of find the writing and the dialogue style on this show plain annoying.

l) "Attack Of The Show"
I'm not ready to join the Olivia Munn fan club or anything, but her occasional good moments on "The Daily Show" and "Perfect Couples" have kind of helped underline how good she was on "Attack Of The Show," and how much emptier this (admittedly already kind of empty) show is with their new replacement bubbly female co-host, who's just kind of boring.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, February 15, 2011 at 10:17 AM. You can skip to the end and leave a response.