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New Shows: January 4 - 10, 2014

My bit of a respite is over and the new shows are coming in thick and fast. Some this week have potential; others do not. Do you really have to ask why I chose a photo of Josh Holloway over a kitten? Really? Keep reading.

The New Shows color code: red means don’t bother; blue means maybe; green means good; magenta means great.

SATURDAY, JANUARY 4
Rev Run’s Renovation (DIY)

SUNDAY, JANUARY 5
Best of Late Night with Jimmy Fallon (NBC)
I don’t watch any of the late night talk shows, so all of these were new to me. Granted, this was the best of his best, but I thought the vast majority of these sketches were hilarious. The one thing that struck me throughout was how much fun Fallon seems to have with his guests. I’m sure that this show was meant to bring in viewers for Fallon’s taking over for Leno in February. Frankly, it may have worked.

Blood, Sweat & Heels (Bravo)
The Curse of Oak Island (History)

MONDAY, JANUARY 6
Wolf Watch (MTV)

TUESDAY, JANUARY 7
Being Mary Jane (BET)
I hated the movie on which this series is based, so I felt no need to watch the pilot.

Intelligence (CBS)
Josie reviewed the pilot and hated it. I didn’t think it was so bad. The comments are fun to read for the recurring theme -- Josh Holloway.

Killer Women (ABC)
One thing I can say about this show, its actors have certainly shown up on this site before. Tricia Helfer and Michael Trucco have left the Battlestar and have found themselves transplanted to San Antonio. She is a Texas Ranger; he is her brother who runs a ranch. Marc Blucas is the DEA agent who is her friend with benefits. Other than that, this show is just bad. It wanted to be “Justified for Women.” It failed on every level, including its numbers which were abysmal. Catch it soon if you must.

100 Days of Summer (Bravo)
Beat the House (HGTV)
Escaping the Prophet (TLC)
The Legend of Mick Dodge (National Geographic)

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 8
Chasing Shackleton (PBS)
Ernest Shackleton is one of my heroes. The story of his open boat sail from Elephant Island to South Georgia and the subsequent trek across the island is the stuff of legend. Tim Jarvis, another explorer, tries to re-create this journey. He has tried to make it as authentic as possible, from the clothes they wear to the boat in which they sail. While the first hour often made me smile (I have been to Ushuia, South Georgia, and Antarctica), I finally couldn’t get too invested. The team had a fully equipped support vessel, something Sir Ernest most decidedly did not.

Chicago PD (NBC)
A spin-off of Chicago Fire, which is soapy nonsense, this tries to be darker and grittier. Every police show cliché I can think of is thrown in, from the possibly corrupt cop who’s good with kids to the cartel member who cuts off people’s heads because he can. Truly awful stuff from Dick Wolf whose shows I usually enjoy.

Mind of a Man (Game Show Network)
Spice of Life with Bal Arneson (Cooking Channel)
Web of Lies (Investigation Discovery)

THURSDAY, JANUARY 9
Spoils of Babylon (IFC)
A comedy miniseries that parodies those of the 1980s. The parody is very good and the cast is amazing, but the joke gets old quickly. I enjoyed the first fifteen minutes or so, but then found it all a bit tedious. This would have worked much better as an hour-long spoof rather than the six hour slog it is.

Appalachian Outlaws (History Channel)
Chopped Canada (Food Network)
You Gotta Eat Here (Biography)

FRIDAY, JANUARY 10
Enlisted (Fox)
This is a sitcom set in the armed forces about a guy who runs a unit in which his two brothers are members. It was meant to premiere in the fall, but Fox pushed it back and is now airing it in the death slot. Too bad as this show has potential. The three brothers are hilarious and have wonderful chemistry together. The supporting players are all fun and diverse enough to generate laughs just by being together. I liked the pilot a lot, but I won’t become too invested. Fox has sent the show here to die.

Going for Gold (NBC)
A series of interviews with actors nominated for Golden Globes. They are all puff pieces in which the actors wax lyrical about how wonderful the roles were, the other actors were -- you get the picture. You’ve seen this many, many times before.

SHAMELESS PLUG: Don’t forget to join sunbunny (@DouxReviews) and me (@ChristineBohner) for the Golden Globes Sunday night. The fun will kick off at 7:00 EST with tweets flying about the show and the fashions. We will post our reactions to the winners and losers, both the awards and the dresses, soon after the show ends.

Helix (Syfy)
A group of scientists from the CDC are sent to an Arctic research station to investigate the outbreak of a truly horrific virus. Borrowing heavily from movies and shows that have come before it, parts of this are gross, and parts are way too soapy. The leads do an all right job, but the supporting cast is bad and the dialogue is clunky in parts. If you like horror and suspense, this may be a show for you. It was all a bit much for me.

10 Million Dollar Bigfoot Bounty (Spike)

DON’T FORGET to set your DVR:
Lost Girl returns Monday, January 13 at 8:00 on Syfy
Being Human returns Monday, January 13 at 9:00 on Syfy

3 comments:

  1. I spent about ten minutes on Killer Women because of the cast, but gave up; it just didn't grab me. Haven't seen Helix yet -- it's waiting on my DVR.

    Great rundown, Chris.

    ReplyDelete
  2. I didn't catch the Jimmy Fallon special but I love him. I don't watch him regularly, but the fun he has with his guests IS the best part of his show. Other talk show hosts just do the self promotey interviews, but Fallon plays pictionary or charades with his guests and that's just insanely lovable.

    ReplyDelete
  3. I've been looking forward to Enlisted for months and hate that it got the death slot. The chemistry between the three brothers is amazing!

    ReplyDelete

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