TV: New Series Review Part 1

TV: New Series Part 1

The end of September and the beginning of October brings us the new batch of US TV shows, three of which have already been cancelled. Most of them have managed to get at least two episodes in, here’s my run down of the best and worst.

Top Drama

Ringer

I’m five episodes in and am loving Ringer. The plot never stops which makes this harder to write without spoilers. Almost every character seems to be hiding something, both from the audience and each other. Sarah Michelle Geller does will to play twins, Siobhan and Bridget, where you can instantly tell which one she is playing at any point but still making sure they share enough similarities (other than looks) to still clearly be twins. Each episode is pushing the plot forward, answering some questions while also raising more. The characters are relatively likeable which makes this an easy watch. It has been doing well in the ratings as it has just been picked up for a full season.

Revenge

Revenge follows a similar idea of another of my favourites (Damages). A flash forward at the start shows the death of one of the main characters before going back to show the audience how they reached that point. The main character (Emily/Amanda) has re-invented her life after discovering almost everyone in her former home town set her father up which resulted in prison time for him. With her father dead she is seeking revenge on each one of them in turn. Not by killing them but by ruining their lives, primarily but showing the world the wrongs they have committed. Well worth watching though whether there has anywhere to go in season 2 is unclear.

Homeland

Nicholas Brody, Marine, is presumed dead but is discovered in a hole in Afghanistan 6 months after a CIA agent is informed a US Marine has been turned. Claire Danes who plays the lead is convinced this marine is the one and a terror event is imminent. Her driven attitude leads her to break rules but she is determined not to miss something. She believes that she missed something at 9/11 which she should have spotted. It’s a little early to see where this is heading but it is certainly engaging but just to be warned there has been nudity in every episode so far.

Terra Nova

It’s Spielberg, time/dimension travel and dinosaurs. What’s not to like? There are actually far more similarities between this and the ill-fated BBC drama Outcasts than Jurassic Park. There are clearly some mysteries around the fraction that has broken away from the main site of Terra Nova. Though you are told this is an alternate reality there are hints that it may not be true and Terra Novas main leader’s (Nathaniel Taylor) son is missing but seems to hold the answers. Strange markings on are rocks are heavily protected by Taylor suggests not all is as it seems. The overarching story is moving a little slower than I’d like and is in danger of falling into the trap Lost took after season one but this has potential if it can be realised.

Top Comedy

2 Broke Girls

This was an unexpected surprise for me, it is both funny and contains decent characters that work off each other well. Max works several jobs has very little money and manages to show dark humour but is also strangely quite light-hearted. She works in a cafe with a former socialite, Caroline Channing, who has lost everything as a result of her father being suspected of fraud. Both have lived very different lives but still share some interests and are working on setting up a bakery based of Max’s talent of baking cupcakes. Every episode to date has provided a very enjoyable 20 minutes.

New girl

This has quirky written all over it. Jess (Zooey Deschanel) is the leading lady who has some very odd tendencies which includes her singing of random songs and not really knowing where the boundaries are. Her real life sisters plays the lead in Bones and the similarities are very clear by the awkward moments each others characters get into but they are on the opposite end of the scale of awkward. New girl provides some very light entertainment and there are far worse things to watch.

Last man standing

This is basically Home Improvement but with a family with girls rather than boys. It is still enjoyable and Tim Allen is still a decent on-screen comedy Dad. The addition of a third generation in the house also adds some variety. This isn’t ground breaking but certainly solid TV.