Quad Blogs

The Event pilot REALLY is dominated by pronouns. Many things happen in the pilot and then a cliffhanger happens. A plane is hijacked. The president wants to do his press conference as planned despite warnings from his intelligence. There are kidnappings. Much mystery surrounds the story. A reporter in the episode even uses the sentence ‘shrouded in mystery’ when discussing something mysterious. I’m not a fan of this show.

Every show that a network marketed as the next LOST failed. The one show that actually marketed itself as the next LOST was Invasion and it bore little resemblance to LOST other than sharing the same time-slot with the show. Of course, the show was cancelled. Each show suffered early cancellation because the writers didn’t understand what JJ Abrams, Damon Lindelof, Carlton Cuse and the rest of the LOST writers did with LOST. LOST began as a character drama and ended as a character drama because the show was always about the characters. Answers didn’t provide the satisfaction that character resolution provided or character moments.

The show opens with Jason Ritter’s character, Sean Walker, on an airplane. Sean is being chased by a group of men and a black SUV. The SUV is driven by a character, Simon Lee, who warns air traffic control that someone plans to use the plane as a bomb. Air Traffic Control tells the pilot to hit the brakes because of the terroristic threat aboard the plane. The pilot doesn’t listen because he is Scott Patterson from Gilmore Girls. Now, Scott Patterson refuses to ground the plane not because he’s angry his beloved hat was taken away post-Gilmore Girls but because, presumably, his two daughters were kidnapped by people who WANT him to take this plane and use it as a weapon to kill the president. The president has to evacuate his mansion because of the threat. Of course, the president’s involved in some immigration cover-up (I think) and Danko from Heroes is the resident evil man who speaks in a low, evil, untrustworthy tone.

The Event provides the illusion of a tremendous amount of things happening when, in actuality, the pilot accomplishes very little. The above paragraph IS the entire episode. The Event shifts between time-frames. Sean brought his girlfriend, Leila, on a cruise in an elaborate trip that would end with a proposal. The proposal is interrupted by a man shouting for someone to save his girlfriend. Sean saves the woman and the two couples become friends. They drink and eat together. As soon as Sean leaves his girlfriend alone with the girl’s boyfriend, she is taken. Sean is soon wiped from the database along with Leila. You see, THERE IS NO SPOON. The disappearance leads to the airplane fun. At Leila’s household, where Scott Patterson (her father) lives with his wife, are attacked by unseen people after their seven year old daughter is taken. Naturally, the scene jumps to the elder Buchanan boarding the airplane as the pilot, thus, a significant chunk of story is missing. Sean pleads with Patterson to NOT crash into the president’s house. Obviously, the people behind the disappearance of his daughters and the murder of his wife made demands so that he could secure the safety of his daughters. But the elder Buchanan is not interested in crashing the plane as much as he is interested in flying the plane into white light and an alternate dimension. Yes, an alternate dimension. Blah.

Nick Wauters, the creator, doesn’t seem interested in an actual story. His interest lies with surprises, twists and mystery. TV writers are taught that a pilot must establish what this series will be. Well, this series is a mess. The pilot does not tell a complete story and story is everything for me. Even Hellcats tells a complete story in 42 minutes. The pilot didn’t make me care about what the Event is nor any of the characters besides Sean. The only likable character is Sean Walker and that’s mostly because Jason Ritter is the only good actor in the entire damn show. No offense to Blair Underwood and Laura Innes. I digress. I don’t care for the obtuseness of Innes’ character nor anything involving the president of the United States. I just don’t care.

I’ll watch next week’s episode and review it. I might continue reviewing it regardless if my disdain for the show grows. Also, another major problem the show experienced: the trailers revealed every major plot point besides the last one.

This might be the worst pilot I’ve ever seen.

THE YOUTUBE CLIP OF THE WEEK

NBC should hope one of their new shows hits with the audience and the critics because they need a hit badly. The crop of returning shows consists of older shows that suffered from mediocre bad seasons. Plus, the age factor exists. How much life do some of these shows have left? Dick Wolf and Lorne Michaels are responsible for half of the primetime schedule. NBC has a show with a cult following in Chuck so the show’s audience is what it is. Most of the returning shows are what they are now. They are set in their ways. Community has the best chance of finding a bigger audience this year and becoming a bonafide hit. Dan Harmon and the writers aren’t afraid to take risks as proved by last year’s terrific paintball episode. But NBC probably will finish fourth overall once again.

For the next couple of days, The Foot’s previewing each scripted series on all five networks. On Wednesday, I previewed every returning scripted ABC series. On Tuesday, it will be FOX’s turn. Today is NBC.

The Show: 30 Rock

What Season?: The Fifth

Returns To Air: September 23, 2010 at 9:30PM

What To Expect: The press release merely states that the show is renewed for a fifth season. Jack Donaghy (Alec Baldwin) is with Avery, the business news anchor who is carrying his child so expect a birth storyline. Matt Damon will be around for a brief time as Liz Lemon’s (Tina Fey) love interest. He plays an almost-astronaut. And Kenneth is being transfered to Los Angeles.

The biggest news surrounding 30 Rock is the live episode that will happen on October 14. The cast and crew will be live for the 9:30PM East Coast airing and they will be live for the West Coast airing.

The show didn’t receive the best reviews for last season but they have their audience, the emmys love the show and the show will easily get a sixth season.

The Show: Chuck

What Season?: The Fourth

Returns To Air: September 20, 2010 at 8PM

What To Expect: No press releases for NBC Preview, folks. I’m sure the masses fell in love with the press release. Don’t worry. The press releases will return on FOX day. If not then, The CW day.

The big news surrounding the show’s fourth season are the guest stars they’re bringing in. Linda Hamilton joins the cast as Chuck’s mother while Dolph Lundgren and the Old Spice Guy will make appearances on the show.

Last season’s finale set the pieces for a sort of reboot as the old base of spy operations was blown up. TWoP said the show took “a quantum leap in a new direction with a cool new base of operations.”

The Show: Community

What Season?: The Second

Returns To Air: September 23, 2010 at 8PM

What To Expect: Community was one of the best comedies on the air last season. It is original and full of tongue-in-cheek jokes while self-aware about sitcom cliches and tropes.

Last season ended with a great twist/cliffhanger. Torn between Britta and Slatter, Jeff finds an expected-but-still-OH-WOW love interest in Annie after she ended things with Vaughn. The first season ended on the image of Jeff and Annie locked in a passionate kiss as Britta and Slatter waited inside for his decision. Professor Chang is no longer the Professor because he never WAS a professor. Chang will become one of the group seemingly. And Troy decided to move in with Pierce after Abed refused to be roommates with him because he didn’t want to destory the friendship. Pierce might be a tough roommate for Troy to handle.

Also, Betty White guest stars in the season premiere as an Anthropology teacher. John Oliver will have a larger role this season as well. Drew Carey and Rob Corrdry will stop by Greendale as well.

The Show: Law & Order: Special Victims United

What Season?: The Twelfth

Returns To Air: September 22, 2010 at 9PM

What To Expect: (From NBC Press Release) “We’re looking forward to launching our 12th season with a special two hours of ‘SVU’ that will take Benson and Stabler through the twists and turns everyone loves,” said Neal Baer, executive producer. “We’re blasting off with a stellar guest cast including Joan Cusack, Peter Strauss and ‘Lost’s’ Henry Ian Cusick.”

What To Expect Part Two: Last season, the medical examiner was shot and the Assistant DA left the show. Jennifer Love Hewitt will guest star in the premiere as a rape victim who fears leaving the house. Overall, expect more crimes to be solved. It usually happens in the world of Law & Order.

The Show: The Office

What Season?: The Seventh

Returns To Air: September 23, 2010 at 9PM

What To Expect: Hm. Is someone leaving this show? Oh yes, someone is. The star of the show. I think it’s a mistake for the show to continue without Steve Carrell. The quality of the show is already dropping. But NBC won’t because they make many terrible decisions, thus, the struggle for ratings.

Last season, Michael told Kathy Bates that he wants Holly back. Well, Kathy Bates will guest star in an episode or two this season. No idea about Amy Ryan. And the biggest storyline will be Michael Scott’s departure and the search to replace him.

The Show: Parenthood

What Season?: The Second

Returns To Air: September 14, 2010 at 10PM

What To Expect: More family drama with all of the characters. My research didn’t find much about the happenings of last season or what to expect for the upcoming season.

The Show: Saturday Night Live

What Season?: The Thirty Sixth

Returns To Air: September 25, 2010 at 11:35PM

What To Expect: No more Will Forte because he left the show; however, SNL hired three new cast members. Among them is a guy who can finally replace Fred Armisen as Obama on the show. Seth Meyers is still head writer and weekend update anchor.

The host for the premiere hasn’t been released but Bryan Cranston will host the October 2 show. Jane Lynch will host the October 9 show.

OTHER RETURNING SHOWS

Sunday Night Football returns September 9 with the New Orleans Saints hosting the Minnesota Vikings.

The Apprentice returns September 16 at 10PM

The Biggest Loser returns September 21 at 8PM

THE YOUTUBE CLIP OF THE WEEK

Last night, my playstation 2 went into a coma. I bought the system with my 8th grade graduation money in the summer of 2001. This morning, I officially declared the console dead. Nine solid years without any problems until recently. I stated, in the past, that my video game career ends when the PS2 ended. Will I stay true to my word? Let’s talk TV.

Today is the final day of looking at new shows debuting this fall on various networks. NBC is the only day split into two parts because they had six new shows and I needed to save material for today. In case anyone forgot, I am evaluating each show based on trailers and premises to determine if an individual show will crack my weekly review rotation. At the end of the entry, I will list every confirmed series that I’ll review along with those on the bubble. Here we go:

Outlaw

Premiere Date: September 15, 2010 at 10PM

Creator: John Eisendrath

Premise: (From NBC Press Release) Starring Emmy Award winner Jimmy Smits (“NYPD Blue,” “The West Wing”), “Outlaw” is a new drama from executive producer John Eisendrath (“Alias,” “Felicity,” “Playmakers”). Cyrus Garza (Smits) is a U.S. Supreme Court justice who abruptly quits the high-level position. A playboy and a gambler, Garza had always adhered to a strict interpretation of the law until he realized the system he believed in was flawed. Now that he’s quit the bench and returned to private practice, he’s determined to represent “the little guy” and use his inside knowledge of the justice system to take on today’s biggest legal cases — and he’s making plenty of powerful people unhappy along the way.

Thoughts: This show earned the Friday Night death slot. Barely any shows survive a Friday night time-slot. I wondered why. I saw the list of executive producers. Conan O’Brian is an executive producer. I’ll assume that is the answer. This show comes from his Conaco productions. I think NBC is still bitter about completely screwing up the late-night lineup and, naturally, want to take it out on the poor guy who only accepted a promotion. I digress. Outlaw is a show I feel like I’ve seen a million times. I expected Conan’s company to produce a show that isn’t so generic. Each episode will have an individual case that Smits’ character will either lose or win in the last second or there will be grey area that will result in generic sad/emotional music. The group Smits’ character assembled will probably function like the team in Bones or House. They’ll get the job done and, on the side, there will be sexual tension. One of the characters will no doubt clash with Smits’ methods while another character will be mentored by Smits. The pretty blonde, who Smits says he only hired for her looks, will become the most integral member of the team. Network television is cluttered with these types of shows. I have zero interest in Outlaw.

Chance Of Weekly Review: 0%

Outsourced

Premiere Date: September 23, 2010 at 9:30PM

Creator: Ken Kwapis

Premise: (From NBC Press Release) “Outsourced” is a comedy where the Midwest meets the exotic East in a hilarious culture clash. The series centers on the all-American company Mid America Novelties that sells whoopee cushions, foam fingers and wallets made of bacon — and whose call center has suddenly been outsourced to India.

Thoughts: Outscored looks awful. I think Kwapis needs to take the Multiculturalism course I did last fall. This is the show that bumped Parks and Recs to mid-season. Critics aren’t fans of the show. A common word attached to the show is racist. Dan Fienberg, a critic at hitfix.com, says the show isn’t racist, rather, the show is xenophobic. Fienberg thinks the show is just ignorant of the different castes, races and ethnicities that exists in a diverse country such as India. He then adds that the show is probably very, very lazy. I’ll agree. The 4 minute preview is awful and the writing hasn’t received great reviews.

Chance Of Weekly Review: 0%

Undercovers

Premiere Date: September 22, 2010 at 8PM

Creator: J.J. Abrams & Josh Reims

Premise: (From NBC Press Release) Acclaimed writer/producer/director J.J. Abrams (“Star Trek,” “Fringe,” “Lost,” “Alias”) serves as co-writer, executive producer – and also directs – his first direction of a TV series pilot since “Lost” in “Undercovers” with executive producer/writer Josh Reims (“Brothers and Sisters”). “Undercovers” is a sexy, fun, action-packed spy drama that proves once and for all that marriage is still the world’s most dangerous partnership. Outwardly, Steven Bloom (Boris Kodjoe, “Tyler Perry’s Madea’s Family Reunion,” “Soul Food,” “Resident Evil: Afterlife”) and his wife, Samantha (Gugu Mbatha-Raw, “Doctor Who,” “Bonekickers”), are a typical married couple who own a small catering company in Los Angeles and are helped by Samantha’s easily frazzled younger sister, Lizzy (Jessica Parker Kennedy, “Smallville”). Secretly, the duo were two of the CIA’s best spies until they fell in love on the job five years ago and retired. When fellow spy and friend Nash (Carter MacIntyre, “American Heiress”) goes missing while on the trail of a Russian arms dealer, the Blooms are reinstated by boss Carlton Shaw (Gerald McRaney, “Deadwood”) to locate and rescue Nash. The pair is thrust back into the world of espionage as they follow leads that span the globe — and Steven and Samantha realize that this supercharged, undercover lifestyle provides the excitement and romance that their marriage has been missing.

Thoughts: I think J.J. Abrams has developed a show for every network besides CBS. I already feel bad for co-creator, Josh Reims, because he will be ignored should the show hit with audiences. For awhile, J.J. Abrams received all the praise during the first season of LOST though Lindelof ran the show himself for six episodes before Carlton Cuse joined the show and co-ran it. I don’t get too excited for Abrams’ show. I watched the Pilot of Fringe when it aired. I didn’t like it. I barely watched Felicity and Alias. Undercovers hasn’t captured my interest because I never cared for spy fiction. As this is an Abrams show, the characters will be central to the series so I expect the two leads to be great. The spy stuff will exist to illuminate elements of the two main characters–most notably, their marriage. I’m going to watch the pilot to see how Abrams’ return to television directing went. Bryan Burk, longtime executive producer of LOST, is an EP on the show. I’ll probably keep watching. Not sure about reviews.

Chance Of Weekly Review: 53%

Allright. The shows are listed and have been discussed throughout the week. It is time to list the actual review rotation followed by the list of bubble shows. I feel like Joe Lunardi.

THE WEEKLY REVIEW ROTATION

No Ordinary Family (which debuts September 28)

The Walking Dead

Hellcats

The Event

THE BUBBLE SHOWS

Detroit 1-8-7

Terriers

Undercovers

Raising Hope has been crossed off the bubble because the show is getting extremely poor reviews. I think I can handle four shows.

Now that the rotation has been set, it’s time to preview what’s upcoming in The Foot.

Yes, the final season of LOST on DVD hits the shelves on Tuesday. Naturally, I’ve made sure I’ll have the DVD the day of the release. Jacob’s Foot returns for the final run on Monday. The duration of this run is undetermined. I’ve thought about a name change for the final LOST run. Instead of Jacob’s Foot, it’d be a suitable name that invovles the character of Jacob. I won’t reveal it until Monday.

So, in the upcoming week, plenty of reviews for bonus content on the LOST season six DVD including the last review I’ll ever write for LOST original content (“The New Man In Charge”). Weekly Man vs. Wild reviews will continue because I enjoy writing about the show. Don’t expect The Quotes section to return in the near future. Non-LOST content will definitely begin September 8th when I write my first Hellcats review.

THE YOUTUBE CLIP OF THE WEEK

A new episode of Man Vs. Wild aired last night on Discovery. For the second week in a row, Bear was located in the Pacific Rim. Specifically, he was in Northern Australia where the biggest threats are saltwater crocs. The episode started slow but the second half-hour picked up with intensity when Bear navigated croc waters. As usual, here are highlights from the episode:

-An episode of Man vs. Wild either ends or begins with Bear chasing a plane, a boat or human beings for rescue or take-off. This episode opened with Bear running after a plane that would fly him to a safe altitude so he could jump into the pre-historic Australian land. He always catches up with the plane but such an opening is so over-the-top and ridiculous; with that said, it’s always awesome. When Bear jumped from the plane, he made sure he did some flips in the air.

-His biggest challenge during the first 30 minutes was the difficult terrain that eroded through the years. At one point, he held onto dear life after rocks gave away as he tried to journey to lower ground. He then told the viewers that a backup plan is always handy.

-Northern Australia is a hot place. The first words out of Bear’s mouth concern the heat and the humidity. He talks about the importance of hydration in an environment like the one he currently is a part of. Early on, Bear finds a shady cavern with rain water. Bear builds a natural filter using grass, coal and his jacket. After pouring the dirty water into his filter, clear water emerges into his cup.

-The trademark survival dining was on the menu again after a rare week when Bear enjoyed the food he had to eat. Bear found a small body of water. He feared crocodiles but became calm after realizing it was shallow. Bear spent about a minute pouring water on himself because of the heat. He talked about the life forms swimming in a shallow body of water. Naturally, Bear’s first target was a large water snake. He caught the snake easily. As he held the snake, he told a story about the Aboriginal women who simply broke a snake’s neck with their teeth. Bear bites and breaks the snake’s neck. I’ll admit to feeling pity for the snake but that is life in the wilderness while trying to survive.

-Bear Grylls makes starting a fire look so easy that even I think I could do it within four minutes. He’s also a pro with makeshift beds.

-Soon enough Bear entered croc territory. Like last week with the sharks, I was on the edge of my seat. Bear noticed one in-land and warned the viewers never assume safety when the land you’re in is populated with over 100,000 crocodiles.

-He needs to cross various rivers because he wants to make it to the coast where humans live. First, he manages to climb over croc waters. Afterwards, he knows he’ll need a mode of transportation. He builds another raft. The raft is better than last week’s. Instead of describing what happens, YouTube can show you:

-After the fun with flesh-eating crocodiles, Bear enters maze-like terrain where he uses a stick so he doesn’t walk in circles. He’s been through a similar situation so not much happens. He eventually finds human footprints and a fisherman, thus ending his adventure in Northern Australia.

Overall, a quality episode of Man Vs. Wild. I remember Survivorman gave the viewer the illusion of danger even though Les Stroud never came close to any large predators like sharks or crocs. I recall his encounter with the jaguar though. By far, the most exciting moment in Survivorman. But this season of Man Vs. Wild is all about Bear coming face-to-face with large, dangerous predators. It’s essentially the illusion of danger as well because Bear will never get hurt but it’s different.

NEW SHOWS FROM NBC FOR 2010-2011 SEASON

Now the time has arrived to dive back into assessing/previewing the new shows on the schedule for NBC. This is the fifth and final network but there is a chance that I will break NBC into two days because they a decent amount of new series. As always, I’m evaluating which shows will crack The Foot’s weekly review rotation. Here we go:

Chase

Premiere Date: September 20, 2010 at 10PM

Creator: Jennifer Johnson

Premise: (From NBC Press Release) “Chase” is a fast-paced drama from Emmy Award-winning executive producer Jerry Bruckheimer (“CSI” franchise, “The Amazing Race,” “Pirates of the Caribbean” films) and executive producer Jennifer Johnson (“Cold Case”) that drops viewers smack into the middle of a game of cat-and-mouse as a team of U.S. marshals hunts down America’s most dangerous fugitives.

Thoughts: I read the premise and thought the show wouldn’t capture my attention or interest. Of course, I watched the trailer. I am now intrigued. The show looks entertaining. The lead, Kelli Giddish, seems great and the show seems like it has substance. Jennifer Johnson is the creator. She wrote for LOST during the first season. I hold the group of writers responsible for the first season of LOST in high regard. The fugitive featured in the trailer seems like a great character. I’m expecting a top-notch pilot; however, I wonder how the show will be on a week-to-week basis with presumably different fugitives each week. I’ll lose interest if the show resembles Criminal Minds or CSI or Bones. We’ll see.

Chance Of Weekly Review: 45%

The Event

Premiere Date: September 20, 2010 at 9PM

Creator: Nick Wauters

Premise: (From NBC Press Release) “The Event” is an emotional, high-octane conspiracy thriller that follows Sean Walker (Jason Ritter, “The Class”), an Everyman who investigates the mysterious disappearance of his fiancee, Leila (Sarah Roemer, “Disturbia”), and unwittingly begins to expose the biggest cover-up in U.S. history. Sean’s quest will send ripples through the lives of an eclectic band of strangers, including: newly elected U.S. President Martinez (Golden Globe nominee Blair Underwood, “Dirty Sexy Money”); Sophia (Emmy Award nominee Laura Innes, “ER”), who is the leader of a mysterious group of detainees; and Sean’s shadowy father-in-law (Scott Patterson, “Gilmore Girls”). Their futures are on a collision course in a global conspiracy that could ultimately change the fate of mankind. Ian Anthony Dale (“Daybreak”) and Emmy winner Zeljko Ivanek (“Damages”) also star in the ensemble drama.

Thoughts: I already dislike the arrogance of the producers behind this show. This is definitely a show in the style of LOST. Many shows, in the past, wanted to be LOST and failed miserably because networks and showrunners don’t seem to understand what made LOST work for six seasons. Nick Wauters, the creator, wants the audience to trust that the show knows what it’s doing. If this show is largely built around mythology and ignores its characters, The Event is going to fail. Quotes from TCA involved some form of attack on LOST. Not cool. The pilot got a huge response at Comic Con but no one knows what The Event is. Wauter says he spent five years crafting the show. But, really, don’t compare your show with LOST. Remember when Tim Kring brought everyone Heroes with promises that he’d never mirror the style of LOST? Well, Tim Kring and his staff wrote about 13 good episodes before the series became bad then worse then terrible then awful then cancelled. Do not insult THEE show that made it possible for copycats to make it on the air. I’m going to watch this show though. I’m also going to review the show. I will be ready at all times to defend LOST. I’m a tiny voice on the large internet but if the show continues its arrogance, I will rant and criticize.

Chance Of Weekly Review: 100%

Law & Order: Los Angeles

Premiere Date: September 29, 2010 at 10PM

Creator: Dick Wolf

Premise: (From NBC Press Release) The new “Law & Order: Los Angeles” is a procedural crime drama that will follow the theme and storylines similar to the “Law & Order”-brand series on the streets of Los Angeles.

Thoughts: I watched one full episode of a Law and Order series. I believe it was the Criminal Intent spinoff. The show featured Emily Vancamp as a guest star. I think she’s great. I don’t care for L&O though. Never have. I only included it to let potential viewers know about the new spinoff.

Chance of Weekly Review: 0%

Thus ends Part 1 of NBC. Tomorrow is the conclusion of NBC and I’ll have the complete rotation set. Three more shows tomorrow.

THE YOUTUBE CLIP OF THE WEEK