emcoffey3

I wasn't expecting much, but I was really impressed with the first two episodes. If you're a fan of shows like Scrubs, Psych, or Brooklyn Nine-Nine, then you will probably enjoy Sirens.

This year's premiere, while fantastic, wasn't quite as gut-wrenching as the last few years' have been. That being said, Southland is still the best cop show on TV. The premiere seems to be setting up a season with heavy character development, but that's not to say that it won't be heavy on action as well (full riot gear in the first episode is a good sign). The writers are pushing our heroes (or anti-heroes?) closer to the edge again, and it's not really a question of if someone will slip, but a question of who and when.

While Monday Mornings is being billed as a "no-nonsense" sort of medical drama, it still has it's share of nonsense. It suffers from most of the things I typically dislike about medical dramas. This includes a cast chocked full of "pretty people" that look more like underwear models than brain surgeons. I won't name names (partly because I can't be bothered to actually google these people), but a few of the cast members possess acting styles that seem better suited for daytime soaps than a prime time drama. In addition, many of "dramatic" moments feel forced, and a tad silly. This includes the Monday morning morbidity and mortality conferences that is used as one of the show's primary gimmicks. And of course it wouldn't be a medical drama without at least one completely unnecessary romance (so far I count two). And despite all this, I still found myself entertained (for the most part) throughout both of the episodes I've now watched. Monday Mornings is, at it's core, a show about the difficult decisions that doctors have to make every day, and sometimes those decisions don't turn out well. The show offers a slightly more realistic, sometimes unpleasant, glimpse into the lives of surgeons. Medical dramas are at their best when they're interesting, and this is definitely the most interesting thing Monday Mornings has going for it. While I am, at present, not entirely impressed by Monday Mornings, I do think it has the potential to be great. There are definitely problems; some of the characters need to be rounded out a bit. But there's enough substance to keep me coming back for at least the next handful of episodes.

The Following is definitely darker in tone than the average network TV show, which is a fact that Fox tried to capitalize on when advertising it ("You won't believe it's not on cable!"). While it's not as ambitious as some of the shows you'll see on FX or AMC, it is a solid crime drama. The Following benefits from a strong cast portraying an interesting set of characters. Obviously, Kevin Bacon gives a stellar performance, but I'm equally impressed by Natalie Zea and James Purefoy, as well as some of the actors portraying secondary characters. So far, the story line has been fun and entertaining, but I'm not sure it goes deep enough to really be engaging for several years. I suppose if The Following does go for more than a season or two, the writers will cross that bridge when they come to it. Overall, I'm enjoying The Following, and feel that it's worth checking out.

After seeing the previews, I honestly didn't expect to enjoy this show whatsoever, and just happened to catch it one night when I was home and there was nothing else I wanted to watch on TV (I believe this was the second episode). Everything about this show was surprising: it's funny more often than not, most of the jokes land, the characters are generally likable, and the musical segments actually work. The songs add to the fun of the show, and they often come up with some really interesting arrangements. After watching a few episodes, I actually set my DVR to record it... something I almost never do with comedies (the only others being It's Always Sunny and Psych). Wedding Band is definitely worth checking out. I hope TBS gives it at least one more season!

The biggest things Alcatraz has going for it are it's interesting premise and Sam Neill's incredible acting. That being said, the first two episodes were not as good as I had hoped. The dialogue left something to be desired, as did the apparent awkwardness between Jones and Garcia. I have high hopes for Alcatraz, so I'll be back for at least a few more episodes. Hopefully they can round this one out.

Solid first episode of a truly awesome show. They're definitely putting more emphasis on the street cops than the detectives this season, but, as that tends to be the more entertaining part of the show, you won't hear me complaining. And that shootout at the end was totally unexpected! Southland is still the best cop drama on TV.

The pilot episode was dark, disturbing, and thoroughly entertaining. The acting was exceptional, with Connie Britton delivering the stand-out performance. The only problem I had was with some of the "spooky" editing techniques; these came off as more annoying than frightening ("Helter Skelter!"). It appears that critics don't really know what to make of this show, as they seem pretty evenly divided on it. Those who don't like it cite how uncomfortable the show makes the viewer feel as a negative aspect. I view this as a positive, since this is clearly what they are going for. This one might take a few more episodes to find it's audience, but I'm pretty confident that it will be successful.

Terra Nova has an interesting premise, and the pilot episode laid the groundwork for what could be a compelling story. That being said, the show isn't without it's problems. The pilot was rather heavy on teen angst - an element that I'm hoping they don't plan on relying on in future episodes. In addition to the hipster teens, the other characters were also mostly clichÃs - cop dad, doctor mom, war-hardened leader, and rebel chick whose motivations are not yet clear. Of course, the characters that were the most disappointing were the dinosaurs themselves. I don't think they looked quite as bad as some of the other reviews I've read have let on, but I was still not impressed. It's clear that the producers have some big decisions to make regarding the show's visuals and their available budget. Ultimately, Terra Nova will have to rely on having plenty of action beats and keeping the mystery alive if they want viewers to keep coming back. In addition, some more better writing and character development couldn't hurt. All in all, Terra Nova was slightly better than I expected it to be. And, while I'm not totally won over, the pilot was just good enough to convince me to tune in for a few more weeks.