Poll: What New Shows Are You Still Watching?

[shadowkat]

Because I'm curious - doing a tv poll. Feel free to explain in the comments or not. Sorry can't include the non-US shows, outside of a few British ones, since I don't know them. The US is woefully bad about importing content, but quite adept at exporting it. What can I say? It is, what it is.

The following are the shows I know about, several have already been canned. If you want to know which ones? Ask and I'll tell you. Or someone else very well may.

Hopefully, I'm not the only one who takes the poll - because that's embarrassing and why I'm not overly fond of doing polls.
Interactive posts or posts that rely on interaction can be challenging.

Because the poll may seem a bit long, a la take up too much room in your lj and mine, it's behind the cut.

[ETA: "The Secret History" listed below? Should be THE SECRET CIRCLE. Thank you,petz. I have no idea why I keep wanting to call it the Secret History. Sorry. about that.]



[Poll #1788231]


Oh, there are some new shows starting this weekend and in November. AMC has a dark anti-hero/gritty Western by the same guy who did Deadwood - called Hell on Wheels, and is in the tradition of "Breaking Bad" or that general trope. I don't know if I'll be able to watch it. While I do like Westerns and noire, nasty bullies as the protagonist - is a bit more than I can handle on tv at this point in my life for reasons I won't bore you with. But I will most likely try it - simply because I'm a sucker for a Western, even an revenge flick anti-Western, which this appears to be. The other new show, which I'm looking forward to, because it looks like a lot of fun and the most innovative thing that has popped up so far - and that is Once Upon a Time - by writers from Lost and Buffy and few other shows. This is Jane Espenson's new gig. And it is a somewhat tongue in check look at fairy tales, with a good cast, and awesome production value from the trailers. ABC's been advertising the heck out of it. Also the reviewers who like it, I tend to agree with (they also liked Buffy, Lost, and most cult shows), the one's who hate it - loved Pam Am, adored The New Girl, and thought Ringer was the most exciting thing to come around in a while. While Ringer is admittedly amusing in places, I am wondering what drugs these tv critics are smoking and if I can have any (Robert Bianco, hon? Yes, I'm looking at you.) Ken Tucker from EW is a bit more reliable. He loved Revenge and gave Once Upon a Time a good review. Also lauded Homeland. I confused reviewers, it's the other one. Tucker's the idiot who lauded Pam Am and
The New Girl and thought Ringer was great.

Comments

[buffyannotater.livejournal.com]

I got a chance to see the Once Upon a Time pilot at ComicCon and absolutely loved it. Though it hasn't begun airing yet, it's by far my favorite pilot of the season, and industry friends of mine who've seen the second and third episodes say it only gets better from there. I am chomping at the bit for the next installment.

[shadowkat67.livejournal.com]

Once Upon a Time - I've been looking forward to for quite some time now. Wondered if you'd seen it and what you thought of it. So thanks! Have you seen Grimm? Is it worth a look?

[embers-log.livejournal.com]

I'm definitely curious about 'Grim' and 'Once Upon a Time' but then I was curious about a lot of the others... (and I'll probably stop watching 'Ringer' soon... I fast forward through parts, when they play music particularly, already).

But I adore Suburgatory and the UK version of Free Agents (it is so much funnier than the USA version was, with 200% more Tony Head).

[shadowkat67.livejournal.com]

Free Agents does have more Head in it, I noticed that as well, and better scripts.

[masqthephlsphr.livejournal.com]

None of the above on favorites. It's not that kind of TV for me. Just watchin'.

And I don't watch comedies at all.

[shadowkat67.livejournal.com]

Well, can't say there's much in the way of comedies to watch. Although Big Bang does entertain on occasion.

Also can't say I have a favorite either...Revenge may come closest.

[flake-sake.livejournal.com]

I'm also looking forward to the fairy tale shows.

So far Homeland is my favourite, although the first two normal eps were not quite as good as the pilot and Revenge is getting better and better.

I'm hard to get with comedy. I did not stick with something since Malcolm in the Middle. I tried How to be a Gentlemen (drivel) and Enlightened (ok, but not really interesting enough to dl it every week). I can't even watch HIMYM though everybody seems to love it.

[shadowkat67.livejournal.com]

Right there with you on comedy. I tried Enlightened but...it didn't work for me. I don't understand the appeal of HIMYM any more than I really understood the appeal of Friends. My sense of humor is...well a bit more biting and less sex jokes. ;-)

Big Bang Theory is the only one I've stuck with...and it's often hit or miss.
They all are. I think my favorites tend to be British Comedies for some reason?

You might want to try Hell on Wheels? It's supposed to be well-written.

I can't watch Homeland without paying for Showtime, so am waiting for it to come out on DVD in the summer. Revenge right now is the only keeper I've seen. But the fairy tale shows intrigue me and I'm looking forward to Once Upon a Time - it looks like a lot of fun.

[beer-good-foamy.livejournal.com]

The only new show I'm really interested in at the moment is Homeland. Still watching American Horror Story, but mostly because... I'm not really sure why.

[shadowkat67.livejournal.com]

Still watching American Horror Story, but mostly because... I'm not really sure why.

Probably for the same reason I taped it last night, and am still watching Ringer. Curiousity. Just to see how wacky it gets.

[beer-good-foamy.livejournal.com]

I expect it to be a lot like Nip/Tuck: entertaining as long as it maintains momentum. The second it slows down, loses its "Hey, this is fun, let's toss everything we can come up with into a blender and add blood!" lunacy, it'll be awful. Kind of like a shark: it needs to keep moving to live, and while I don't think it has enough strength to keep moving for long, it's fun as long as it does.

...not that sharks are fun, as such, but you know what I mean.

[shadowkat67.livejournal.com]

LOL! Yes, watching Ryan Murphy feels a bit like a train wreck, you just can't look away...when oh when will he go too far?

I have to admit American Horror Story did scare me - about ten hours after I watched it. Those images stuck in my head.

You might want to try "Hell on Wheels" - it's an anti-Western by David Milch (I think) who did Deadwood and the Shield. On AMC starting in November.

[petzipellepingo.livejournal.com]

That should be The Secret Circle not The Secret History.

[shadowkat67.livejournal.com]

Ack!! Why can't I remember that it is the Secret Circle? I keep putting Secret History. I think it's because it makes more sense to me - what's interesting to me about the series and the big secret is "the secret history of the parents", not the circle (which everyone seems to know about anyhow).
They gave it the wrong title and I keep wanting to correct them (subconsciously). ;-)

[shadowkat67.livejournal.com]

Anyhow thanks for the heads up. Oddly people figured out what I was talking about...LOL!

[dlgood.livejournal.com]

Revenge is great and Suburgatory is pretty strong. 2 Broke Girls has good chemistry between it's leads but could grow into being really good if it stops being so lazy.

Ringer is on probation with me - it benefits from being on the weakest night of TV and needs to step up by the time I have college basketball as an alternative...

[shadowkat67.livejournal.com]

Oh, very much agree. Haven't been watching Two Broke Girls because it's opposite two other shows, although I may ditch Terra Nova any day now and try it again.

But right with you on Revenge, Suburgatory and Ringer. Although...Sub is hit or miss with me, but I'm that way with most sitcoms. I oddly find Ringer funnier than the sitcoms...which makes no sense, I know.

[dlgood.livejournal.com]

You might be put off by "2 Broke Girls" because it's idea of New York / Brooklyn appears to be stereotypical and dated, and because the humor is very crass. It's got great female leads and aces the Bechdel test but is kind of flawed if you aren't predisposed to sitcoms.

And the one Ringer episode with the body in the steamer trunk was filled with all manner of unintentional hilarity. On the one hand, yay funny. OTOH, can a drama survive with too much of that? (and I think there's been less) I kind of want it to go in the Profit (dark, but keystone cops zany) direction, but Profit got canceled after a month so that might be a bad idea...

[shadowkat67.livejournal.com]

You might be put off by "2 Broke Girls" because it's idea of New York / Brooklyn appears to be stereotypical and dated, and because the humor is very crass. It's got great female leads and aces the Bechdel test but is kind of flawed if you aren't predisposed to sitcoms.

That's actually a really good analysis of why I wasn't keen on the pilot episode. Thank you.

And the one Ringer episode with the body in the steamer trunk was filled with all manner of unintentional hilarity. On the one hand, yay funny. OTOH, can a drama survive with too much of that? (and I think there's been less) I kind of want it to go in the Profit (dark, but keystone cops zany) direction, but Profit got canceled after a month so that might be a bad idea...

I don't think it has the same talent behind it that Profit did or production value. I also think Profit may have survived if it were made now and on a network like AMC, F/X or Starz (considering those networks are doing similar series.)

At any rate I agree on Ringer. The problem is that I don't think the comedy is necessarily intentional...which means that sooner or later it could stop being funny/zany and just become dumb.

[embers-log.livejournal.com]

I just saw my first episode of Person of Interest and I think I'm hooked. It's funny, it didn't sound interesting to me until I saw Michael Emerson (from Lost) promoting it on The View.... he made it sound intriguing and it was (kind of like Leverage only without the humor, and with a lot more dangerous/suspenseful edge).

Definitely better than Ringer.

[shadowkat67.livejournal.com]

Well, I don't think you can really compare Person of Interest to Ringer.
One's a procedural, with two maybe three main characters, and the other is well, a soap opera thriller.

I'm surprised you stuck with Ringer that long. You hate soaps.

I might try Person of Interest in reruns - it's right now opposite two shows whose subject matter entertains and comforts me more. ;-)

[embers-log.livejournal.com]

Oh I didn't mean to compare the two shows (except that I consider the writing of Person of Interest to be much better), I meant that in your question of 'favorite new drama' (above) I didn't respond because I hadn't found any dramas that I liked well enough to call it a 'favorite' but now I think I've finally found one that I would have voted for (if I hadn't previously voted).

I was tolerating Ringer because of the humor (intended humor? I couldn't really tell) and the suspense/mystery... and of course for SMG. but I was getting sick of it because of the soap aspects... (and those musical choices). I still haven't watched this last week's episode, it is sitting on my DVR.

[shadowkat67.livejournal.com]

It's funny, I don't tend to notice the music choices unless I a) like the music or b) it gets in the way of the dialogue and voice over. (ie. I can't hear.)

In my opinion the only tv series that ever did music well was Buffy.
All the others are unmemorable and I ignore. ;-)

Hee, I think Ringer is (unintentionally) hilarious. But I also, as you know, love serial dramas. Procedurals on the other hand...

But I am please that you've found a show you enjoy this season, the pickings have been admittedly thin. :-)

[embers-log.livejournal.com]

Actually I'm like you normally: the music isn't important to me and I don't notice it unless it is either beautiful or annoying. The thing is I find musical interludes (long stretches of music while we watch novel writing guy clean up the evidence of his wife's death...) to be an announcement by the writers that we really don't have enough story to fill an entire episode so instead of sparkling dialogue we've decided to play this crappy music....
But there again, if the music was beautiful then I wouldn't mind... but it just seems like filler by lazy writers to me.

OH! Jason Dohring! I'm watching that Ringer right now and I'm hoping they plan to spend a lot of time in the school room now (I'm a fan of Jason Dohring, did you guess?).

[shadowkat67.livejournal.com]

to be an announcement by the writers that we really don't have enough story to fill an entire episode so instead of sparkling dialogue we've decided to play this crappy music....
But there again, if the music was beautiful then I wouldn't mind... but it just seems like filler by lazy writers to me.

Otherwise known as the music video montage. ;-) I've grown used to it (I watch daytime soaps, remember. They invented the music montage. Then people like Whedon, Ron Moore, etc stole it from them.) I only mind when they try to overlay dialogue and voice-over with the music montage - which makes it impossible for me to figure out what they are saying. (Which Grey's Anatomy likes to do, and Revenge for that matter). I tried close-captioning...but it doesn't work, the close-captioning people get confused. They can't decide which to do, the lyrics, the voice-over, or the dialogue. It's actually amusing.

Actually Ringer's aren't that bad - I mean what did you expect them to be doing while he was cleaning the walls of blood? Buffy did the same thing, granted it was usually better music...but teen shows tend to have better music, not sure why.

You didn't know Jason Dohring was cast in it? Hee. Yes, as Juliet's teacher of all things. Sigh. I admit I'm torn. On the one hand we have whiny teen daughter subplot from after-school special cliche hell, and on the other Jason Dohring. Wish he had a larger and more interesting role. Seeing Logan and Buffy in a clinche? Fan worlds collide.