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New Shows: May 10-16, 2014

No reason for this photo other than it made me smile.
THIS WEEK: Penny Dreadful — Rosemary’s Baby — The (Dead Mothers) Club — Coming Back with Wes Moore — Riot — Barbara Walters

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

SATURDAY, MAY 10

SUNDAY, MAY 11
Penny Dreadful (Showtime)
Josie reviewed the pilot and thought it had merit. While I agree that the acting and the filming are first-rate, the story fell flat with me and I didn’t manage to connect to any of the characters. They all felt a bit “been there/seen that” for me. This is one show you should definitely watch for a while and decide for yourself.

Rosemary’s Baby (NBC)
The first half of this miniseries reminded me so much of NBC’s complete failure 666 Park Avenue that I kept waiting for Terry O’Quinn to show up. That is not a compliment by the way. It was the same story transplanted to Paris, with identical characters and plot devices. There is no humor and the suspense is killed by a story that is too drawn out. I decided to skip the second half.

MONDAY, MAY 12
The (Dead Mothers) Club (HBO)
A documentary in which women who lost their mothers when they were very young discuss the effect the loss had on their lives. The death of a parent is devastating at any age, but is particularly gruesome when one is young. We know that, so I would have enjoyed this more if it had taken the time to go a little more in depth. I didn’t really connect with any of the people shown or their stories. It wasn’t bad; I just think it could have been so much more.

#BikerLive (Discovery)

TUESDAY, MAY 13
Coming Back with Wes Moore (PBS)
The first in a three part series about veterans returning home and the challenges they face doing so. Incredibly moving, I wept through a lot of this. The good news is that the military is recognizing just how big a problem this is. The bad news is the sheer number of issues with which it is dealing. If you know someone who has served, please watch this.

Riot (Fox)
Celebrity comedians compete in a variety of games, mostly involving improvisation. The difference is that the set on which they are acting is tilted at a 22 degree angle. The first skit was funny, but the humor wore off quickly. By the end, I was watching the clock. This show will work if you are looking for something mindless while you do something else. Otherwise, I would give it a miss.

WEDNESDAY, MAY 14

THURSDAY, MAY 15
The Carbonaro Effect (truTV)

FRIDAY, MAY 16
Barbara Walters: Her Story (ABC)
Say what you will about Barbara Walters, she changed the face of television, shattering the glass ceiling while she was at it. During her fifty years in television, she interviewed simply everyone, including every sitting President since Nixon. This two hour special was a combination of clips from her interviews, people talking about being interviewed by her, and Walters answering some of the questions she had thrown at people over the years. It wasn’t life changing, but it was a great deal of fun.

DON’T FORGET: May Sweeps wrap up this week with the following shows airing their finales:

Sunday, May 18
The Good Wife at 9:00 and The Mentalist at 10:00, both on CBS.
Monster Week kicks off on Animal Planet. Seriously, Monster Week. Here’s the trailer.

Monday, May 19
Bones at 8:00 on Fox.
Warehouse 13 airs its series finale at 9:00 on Syfy.

Tuesday, May 20
Supernatural at 9:00 on The CW.

Wednesday, May 21
Revolution airs its series finale at 8:00 on NBC.
The Americans at 10:00 on FX.
The second season of Motive kicks off at 10:00 on ABC.

Friday, May 23
Hannibal at 10:00 on NBC.

ChrisB is a freelance writer who spends more time than she ought in front of a television screen or with a book in her hand.

3 comments:

  1. Law and Order:SVU has its season finale on may 21.
    Penny Dreadful felt good enough for me to continue with it anyway. I blame Eva Green.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Agree about Penny Dreadful - it should have been great but just felt flat to me.

    ReplyDelete
  3. The trailers for Penny Dreadful made it look a bit like League of Extraordinary Gentlemen: The Series, and I got some of that vibe from watching it. I also got a hint of Dracula (the recent NBC series, not the novel). Regardless, I'll probably watch it a while and see how it turns out. Most shows don't have a pilot episode as strong as (for example) Lost; you have to watch a few episodes and give them a chance.

    ReplyDelete

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