The new comedy Mr Sunshine starring Matthew Perry is a bit hit and miss for me. Perry plays Ben, the manager of the Sunshine arena owned by Janney’s Crystal and while I don’t find the supporting cast that appealing, the biggest problem is Perry who is just obnoxious! His lecherous and selfish Ben is just not someone you root for. On the other hand, Allison Janney makes the show worth watching. She has a ball being completely over the top as she attacks children and Smurfs, ice skates and this week duets with James Taylor who plays one of her many ex-husbands. I was pretty impressed with her ice skating the other week, but she shows off a pretty damn great voice in a really lovely duet with the golden voiced Taylor. Some very funny one liners (mainly from Janney) and a very Studio 60 feel has me still quite enjoying this one.
Off The Map has been a show I have stuck up for recently, but I think the cast and crew know the chop is coming. The last couple of episodes have been less compelling and overly melodramatic. This week, growing cocaine is really ok if you have children to feed…yeah right. At first it was believable they were somewhere in South America, these days I look out for the Lost locations in the Hawaiian settings.
Oh Bones, where did it all go wrong! This was a show I used to love. I read the Kathy Reichs books before the show aired and didn’t mind that the tv show really took Temperance Brennan’s name and job and little else. However the tediously tiresome Booth/Brennan will they/won’t they is just boring me rigid! This week we added more emotional manipulation as Angela and Hodgins’ baby is discovered to have the gene that may cause a disease that will mean the baby is blind. Oh come on! Just lazy heart string tugging.
I liked David Boreanaz in Angel – loved him actually, but I think Seeley Booth is one of my least favourite tv characters. Relentlessly macho arrogant, I want to punch him almost every week when he bullies and patronizes people. Brennan was eccentrically scientific at the start of the show, these days she is almost as annoying. The cases are still gory and interesting but I watch out of habit only.
Quick mentions for another strong episode of Pretty Little Liars this week, Harry’s Law being possibly one of the stupidest shows around. (How does Oscar winner Kathy Bates sleep at nights! Maybe because she appears to be sleepwalking through this mess of clichéd characters and just appalling plots.) Fairly Legal is relying on Sarah Shahi’s pretty smile as it is very bland otherwise. Couldn’t bring myself to recap last week’s Fringe after the daft ending of Olivia being possessed by the spirit of Leonard Nimoy. Hopefully this week’s will be better.
My TV viewing highlight of the week is a Danish crime thriller called The Killing which is on BBC4 and I have been catching up with on iPlayer. Extremely good plotting, fascinating characters. I hear there is a US remake coming soon.. is this ever a good thing?