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New Shows (2013): October 21-27

Happy Halloween!
May all your treats be sweet.
Now that the premiere season is more or less behind us, there are far fewer shows to talk about; at least, shows I am going to spend some time with. As is becoming the norm, the best shows this week were the documentaries.

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

MONDAY, OCTOBER 21
@midnight (Comedy at 12:00am)
A “gameshow,” hosted by Chris Hardwick, in which three comedians compete to be the funniest person alive for the next twenty-four hours. The four lampoon social media, which let’s face it, has been done. Are they funny? Probably, if you are significantly younger than I. I just thought it was silly.

Life According to Sam (HBO at 9:00pm)
If you’ve watched any kind of medical drama for more than an episode or two, you have seen an episode about progeria, that extremely rare disease that ages children too quickly. This is a documentary, not only about Sam Berns who has the disease, but his mother who is determined to find a drug that will, at the very least, extend her son’s life. I expected this to be a weepy, self-pitying look at a family’s struggles. It was just the opposite, uplifting and inspiring. Watch this.

Entertainment Tonight Presents: The Katy Perry Experience (TVGN at 8:00pm)
CrazySexyCool: The TLC Story (VH1 at 9:00pm)
Bar Hunters (Discovery at 10:00pm)

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 22
African Americans: Many Rivers to Cross (PBS at 9:00pm)
An examination of the history of African Americans in the US over the course of six hours.  The first hour spanned the years 1500 to 1800 and discussed the beginnings of slavery, why it happened, how it happened and the terrifying reality of it. I was fascinated and was, frankly, amazed at how little I knew about the beginnings of this institution. Based solely on the first hour, I highly recommend this series.

Ravenswood (ABC Family at 9:00pm)
This show is a spinoff of Pretty Little Liars, which I must admit I have never watched. This pilot was one of the worst I have seen this fall. It opens in the middle of the story, so much so that I thought my DVR had misfired. No, the show really begins in such a way that I had no idea who these people were, why they were wandering around in a cemetery or why I should care. I gave the show ten minutes before I realized that counting clichés wasn’t enough to keep me watching for an hour.

Trust Me, I’m A Game Show Host (TBS at 10:30pm)
This is a gameshow based on “Lie to Me,” one of the most fun ways to spend an evening. Two people (in this case, game show hosts) tell the player facts and then expand on them. One is telling the truth and one is lying. The player must determine who is telling the truth. It is a truly fun game, and one that does not need the forced comedy that the hosts brought to this version. This could have been so much better than it was.

Mother Of All Talent (TVGN at 8:00pm)
American Daredevils (History at 10:00pm)
Chasing Nashville (Lifetime at 10:00pm)

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 24
Adam Devine’s House Party (Comedy at 12:20am)
A series of late night stand up routines, which weren’t too bad, with sketch comedy that was truly horrific. Again, I fall outside the young, male demographic they are aiming for, but I didn’t think it was very funny.

Secret Societies of Hollywood (E! at 8:00pm)
Hollywood Death Trip (E! at 10:00pm)
Restaurant Divided (Food Network at 10:00pm)
Scrubbing In (MTV at 10:00pm)

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 25
Springsteen & I (Showtime at 9:00pm)
I am an unabashed rock chick and Springsteen is the Boss. I’ve been a fan of his forever, but my admiration for this man is nothing compared to the people who speak during this documentary. Ridley Scott collected stories from fans across the world and edited it into what can only be described as a love letter to a rock deity. If you are a fan, you will love this. If you are not, I only have one question for you -- why not?

Dracula (NBC at 10:00pm)
Let’s face it, Jonathan Rhys Meyers is a good looking guy who can handle a passable, but not great, American accent. That is about all this show has going for it. Too many plot threads, too many characters, far too much exposition, and a fair amount of misogyny turned me off this show. As it is also occupying the death slot of television programming, this is not one I will choose to invest any more time in.  sunbunny will be posting an expanded review of the pilot soon.

The Hunters (Hallmark at 8:00pm)
Styled to Rock (Bravo at 8:00pm)
Come Date With Me (Cooking Channel at 10:00pm)
Strike Back: Origins (Cinemax at 10:00)
-- This is the British version of the show. The US version is also playing on Cinemax.

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 26
Spooksville (The Hub at 7:00pm)
The Monster Project (National Geographic Wild at 8:00pm)
The Good Witch’s Destiny (Hallmark at 9:00pm)
Zombie Night (Syfy at 9:00pm)

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 27
Civil War 360 (Smithsonian at 8:00pm)
American Blackout (National Geographic at 9:00pm)
The Governor’s Wife (A&E at 10:00pm)
Hiring Squad (Spike at 11:00pm)
Metalocalypse: The Doomstar Requiem (Adult Swim at 12:00am)

5 comments:

  1. Can I just point out that the kitten's hat has tiny holes for his/her ears? Holy crap, that's cute.

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  2. I just can't follow the thread of scriptwriter logic from "Dracula" to "steampunk mad scientist pretending to be an American". Nor can I follow the thread of producer logic involved in casting an Irish actor to play the Romanian Dracula with a bogus American accent. It's really not helping a show that's already confusing for other reasons.

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  3. Oh man did Dracula suck. Pun intented.
    It's so awful I might have to keep watching. Plus they stole the Coppola' Dracula's tagline "love never dies.."..
    Anna

    ReplyDelete
  4. Oh man did Dracula suck. Pun intented.
    It's so awful I might have to keep watching.


    Anna, LOL. I still haven't seen it. For some reason, I just can't make myself.

    ReplyDelete
  5. It's not worth it..unless it magically improves with the next episode. Sigh.
    Anna

    ReplyDelete

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