Fall TV report card, part two: Best In Show

It seems like forever ago that I gave my first impressions of the new fall TV shows. Then a little something called the writer’s strike happened (solidarity!) and screwed up my whole plan to give midterm and final grades for the new and returning shows alike. Turns out that plan was probably more ambitious than I actually am, anyway. But nevertheless, I’m back at it with a quick rundown of the “Best In Show” of the fall 2007/spring 2008 television season. *

BEST NEW SHOW: Reaper

I gave Reaper a B+ when it debuted in October, calling it “surprisingly not terrible.” Nearly a full season later, I’m in love with it, and it just keeps getting better every week. And that can only mean one thing: It’s on the bubble for renewal. (Runners up: Eli Stone, Chuck)

BEST SITCOM: The Office

It’s both the most excruciating 30 minutes of my week (that’s what she said!) and, often, a spot-on representation of the American workplace. This is my favorite show to talk about (and quote) the next day. Can’t-miss TV. (Runner up: How I Met Your Mother)

BEST DRAMA: Lost

By the middle of last season, I just wasn’t that into Lost anymore. I still watched it, but it wasn’t grabbing me like it did in the early days. But this season has been great, and I’m happy to put it back in its rightful place as the best 60-minute show around. (Runner up: Jericho)

BEST SHOW NOBODY WATCHED: Jericho

Jericho came back from the dead and gave us seven powerful episodes about my favorite post-apocalyptic Kansas town. A third season would have taken a miracle, but this abbreviated season left me wanting more. I’m sorry to see it go. (Runner up: Reaper)

BEST CONCEPT GONE HORRIBLY WRONG: Bionic Woman 

How did they manage to screw this one up? Secret identities, government conspiracies, and super-powered heroines are a recipe for geek success, but Bionic Woman never knew what it wanted to be. I wasn’t at all sad to see it go. (Runner up: New Amsterdam)

BEST NEWS EVER: Joss Whedon is returning to television!

(Runner up: He’s bringing Eliza Dushku with him!)

* – I watch Battlestar Galactica and Doctor Who, two perennial geek favorites, on DVD, so I’m a few seasons behind on both. But man, that David Tennant makes a great Doctor!

Fall TV report card, part one: The new shows

Before I settled down and got a real job in 2001, I spent a year of my life bouncing from one doomed entertainment website to another trying to make a career out of my ability to write semi-lucidly about all things pop culture. Definitely not the best career move, but plenty fun except for all the layoffs.

My favorite among the many websites I worked for in those days was called WildWeb, which even at the time sounded like one of those sites you don’t want your wife catching you looking at. While my 9-5 job there required me to play and then write about video games all day long (yes, really), I moonlighted as a TV critic with absolutely no credentials other than that I liked TV.  So I suppose in hindsight I shouldn’t be surprised that WildWeb went out of business.

Anyway, it was at WildWeb that I learned to truly embrace the giddy anticipation that comes with awaiting the fall TV season. (This was back when Buffy was still on TV every week—I haven’t actually been giddy for a TV show since then, with the possible exception of LOST’s first season and the occasional episode of The Office.)

So, in honor of my days as a faux TV critic for WildWeb, I thought I’d take a stab at grading this fall’s new shows. Well, the ones I decided to watch, anyway.

Back To You

This is basically Frasier Lite: Instead of playing a pompous, washed up radio psychiatrist, Kelsey Grammer plays a pompous, washed up TV news anchor. It brings to mind the last few seasons of Frasier—which is to say it’s good for a laugh here and there, but it’s hardly inspired comic gold. Still, it’s funny enough that I’ll stick with it for at least a few more weeks. Grade: C+

Bionic Woman

Here’s a show that really, truly, desperately wants to be Alias. Hot young kick-ass (literally) heroine? Check. Secret identity? Check. Super-secret government agency in charge of the whole operation? Check. Conspiracies, betrayals, and convoluted backstories around every corner? Check, check, and check. Only one problem: Alias did it all better. The writing on Bionic Woman is occasionally good but more often lazy, and Michelle Ryan is no Jennifer Garner. There’s potential here, but it’s just average so far. Grade: B-

Chuck

This show wants to be Alias, too—only a bit funnier, I guess. I wanted to like it. I really did. But so far it’s not funny enough to be a comedy and not exciting enough to be an adventure. And Zachary Levi is definitely no Jennifer Garner, either. On the plus side, it does co-star Adam Baldwin of Firefly/Serenity fame, so bonus points for that. Grade: C-

Reaper

I didn’t really know what to make of Reaper’s premise when I first heard about it: Slacker guy finds out his parents sold his soul to the devil, and now he must act as Satan’s bounty hunter. Hilarity ensues. This could have been awful, but it’s surprisingly not terrible at all. The writing’s crisp and funny, Bret Harrison is passable as the slacker-turned-bounty-hunter, Tyler Labine is legitimately amusing as the sidekick, and Missy Peregrym gets the much-coveted nod as my new TV crush of the year. Grade: B+

Pushing Daisies

Overhyped, overpraised, and over-the-top. I literally can’t bring myself to watch this show again. Grade: D