I figured I should throw something together about this to try to prevent anyone from getting upset at my tweets or posts as we get into TV season. Well, no, it won't prevent that, but at least I can say I warned you.
First: a definition. I feel pretty strongly that a "spoiler" is something that hasn't happened yet. If it's been on TV, I believe it should be fair game. That said, I know people use "spoiler" to mean "any plot point a particular viewer hasn't happened to see yet." Yesterday, someone (half-jokingly) warned me about a spoiler from the year I was born. So, there has to be a middle point negotiated here, or else we can't ever talk about anything.
Real spoilers: I generally don't write about them at all; if I do they'll be really well labeled. (This means if I feel the need to say that I read that a month from now, character A will do xyz. I do NOT generally consider casting news to be a spoiler, though.)
Now, as far as plot details of things that have just aired:
On Twitter:
If I livetweet a show, I will put the show's hashtag at the beginning of each tweet. I won't spoil major things; I will mention non-vital plot details and vaguely allude to more important things.
I won't tweet major things from an episode at least until it has aired on the West coast. Most times, I'll try to wait a day or two, but no promises. I'd guess that I'm more likely to talk about Vampire Diaries and maybe The Secret Circle, Gossip Girl, and Castle earlier than most shows. I realize that people keep things on DVRs for a while - I do it myself, of course - but I don't expect anyone to refrain from discussing things based on my schedule. And it's not like I'll be the only one talking about TV on Twitter. So, basically, if you're going to get really upset about reading a show before you get to it, you probably shouldn't be on Twitter anyway.
Here on the blog:
A post about an episode will have that episode in the title, and anything on the show up to and including that episode is fair game. I'll put in-depth discussion of an episode behind a cut, so if you go to a direct link, you'll see it, but it won't be right on the front page. So don't click on a link if you haven't seen the episode!
If I'm writing something more general, rather than about a specific episode, you can probably assume I'll discuss anything that has aired, but I'll try to spell that out at the beginning of the post.
Does that all seem reasonable? Anything unclear?
Tuesday, September 13, 2011
Tonight's TV Premiere Reminders: 9/13/11
For these first few weeks of fall TV, I'll have quick posts up at 9am each day reminding you of which shows start that night, with times and channels and maybe a quick thought or two. Remember, you can see my whole fall TV spreadsheet here. (All times Eastern.)
8 p.m.:
90210 season 4 premiere, CW
Kansas family moves to Beverly Hills! Yeah, you probably know what this is. And you're probably not going to watch it unless you're already a fan. Which, shockingly, I'm not, my CW love notwithstanding.
9 p.m.:
Ringer series premiere, CW
Sarah Michelle Gellar and Sarah Michelle Gellar play twins with really complicated lives and dangerous people after them and stuff. I wrote a little about it here.
10 p.m.:
Parenthood season 3 premiere, NBC
The Bravermans are back! This show has Peter Krause and Lauren Graham and thus my eternal devotion.
8 p.m.:
90210 season 4 premiere, CW
Kansas family moves to Beverly Hills! Yeah, you probably know what this is. And you're probably not going to watch it unless you're already a fan. Which, shockingly, I'm not, my CW love notwithstanding.
9 p.m.:
Ringer series premiere, CW
Sarah Michelle Gellar and Sarah Michelle Gellar play twins with really complicated lives and dangerous people after them and stuff. I wrote a little about it here.
10 p.m.:
Parenthood season 3 premiere, NBC
The Bravermans are back! This show has Peter Krause and Lauren Graham and thus my eternal devotion.
I actually think you should try Ringer.
So, the much-ballyhooed Ringer premieres tonight on the CW. And I'm sort of torn about this one. On the one hand, I think Ryan McGee makes a lot of good points about the oft-blurred distinction between coverage and criticism, and the level of "OMG SMG! This is going to be awesome no matter what!" has been truly excessive.
But on the other hand, I actually liked the version of the pilot I saw! (No idea how much it has changed since then.) You might want to take my opinion with a grain of salt, because pretty much every critic I've read has disliked it, so I don't know what my issue was (and I'm not much of an SMG fangirl, so it's not that). Maybe it just struck me in the right mood. That's not to say I didn't see the issues that others have cited: there was tons of soapy plot crammed into one episode, the writing was clunky, the characters were pretty one-dimensional, and it took itself way too seriously. But, honestly? Those are points that can be made about many pilots that turned into thoroughly decent shows. As people have said many times, and Alan Sepinwall explained well yesterday, pilots are often the least representative episodes of shows.
Given all that, the main question I ask of pilots is whether they make me want to watch another episode. That's it. Real evaluation can come later. And this one did hook me enough that I want to see more. I love plots involving mysteries, family secrets, and troubled upper-class marriages, and this show has all of that in spades. The writing wasn't great, but there had to be a lot of exposition in the pilot, so I'm willing to give that a little time. It's full of actors whose work I like - Sarah Michelle Gellar, Kris Polaha, Ioan Gruffudd, Nestor Carbonell, Mike Colter, and soon Jason Dohring - and while I agree with Ryan that blind following of anything a favorite actor does isn't really helpful, I will admit that a show having so many good actors makes me inclined to give it more of a chance, both because I trust them to make the most of the material they're given and because I simply enjoy watching them.
So . . . is Ringer any good? No idea. It's hard to tell from a pilot, and there's been so much hype, and now critical backlash to that hype, that the whole question is even more muddled than usual with this one. So is it worth watching the pilot? If the plot appeals to you (or, okay, you really like SMG), then I think it's worth investing that 42 minutes, because this isn't going to be a show that's easy to pick up in the middle. Not much else is on yet this week, so you probably have time. The show may turn out to be actually good. Or it may turn into enjoyable mindless entertainment, which I believe is a perfectly valid and sometimes necessary part of TV consumption. Or in a few weeks, you may decide your time is better spent with your Buffy or Veronica Mars DVDs. But if the show sounds interesting to you, be fair to both the show and yourself: ignore both the hype and the anti-hype and take the opportunity to make up your own mind. I mean, it's not like I'm telling you to watch Work It.
But on the other hand, I actually liked the version of the pilot I saw! (No idea how much it has changed since then.) You might want to take my opinion with a grain of salt, because pretty much every critic I've read has disliked it, so I don't know what my issue was (and I'm not much of an SMG fangirl, so it's not that). Maybe it just struck me in the right mood. That's not to say I didn't see the issues that others have cited: there was tons of soapy plot crammed into one episode, the writing was clunky, the characters were pretty one-dimensional, and it took itself way too seriously. But, honestly? Those are points that can be made about many pilots that turned into thoroughly decent shows. As people have said many times, and Alan Sepinwall explained well yesterday, pilots are often the least representative episodes of shows.
Given all that, the main question I ask of pilots is whether they make me want to watch another episode. That's it. Real evaluation can come later. And this one did hook me enough that I want to see more. I love plots involving mysteries, family secrets, and troubled upper-class marriages, and this show has all of that in spades. The writing wasn't great, but there had to be a lot of exposition in the pilot, so I'm willing to give that a little time. It's full of actors whose work I like - Sarah Michelle Gellar, Kris Polaha, Ioan Gruffudd, Nestor Carbonell, Mike Colter, and soon Jason Dohring - and while I agree with Ryan that blind following of anything a favorite actor does isn't really helpful, I will admit that a show having so many good actors makes me inclined to give it more of a chance, both because I trust them to make the most of the material they're given and because I simply enjoy watching them.
So . . . is Ringer any good? No idea. It's hard to tell from a pilot, and there's been so much hype, and now critical backlash to that hype, that the whole question is even more muddled than usual with this one. So is it worth watching the pilot? If the plot appeals to you (or, okay, you really like SMG), then I think it's worth investing that 42 minutes, because this isn't going to be a show that's easy to pick up in the middle. Not much else is on yet this week, so you probably have time. The show may turn out to be actually good. Or it may turn into enjoyable mindless entertainment, which I believe is a perfectly valid and sometimes necessary part of TV consumption. Or in a few weeks, you may decide your time is better spent with your Buffy or Veronica Mars DVDs. But if the show sounds interesting to you, be fair to both the show and yourself: ignore both the hype and the anti-hype and take the opportunity to make up your own mind. I mean, it's not like I'm telling you to watch Work It.
Monday, September 12, 2011
Which Fall Shows Should I Write About?
In preparation for fall TV starting TOMORROW, I'm doing some planning. I'll be recapping Castle over at TheTelevixen.com, and I don't have time for any more full recaps. (They're really time-consuming.) But I do want to do some regular reviewing, and of course I'll write about random stuff as the spirit moves me. I have time to do weekly reviews of a few shows, and short takes/discussion starts for as many shows as you guys are interested in. So. Please vote!
Returning shows:
ABC: Body of Proof, Grey's Anatomy, Happy Endings, Private Practice
CBS: Blue Bloods, The Good Wife, Hawaii Five-0, How I Met Your Mother, The Mentalist
CW: Gossip Girl, Nikita, Supernatural, The Vampire Diaries
FOX: Bones, Fringe
NBC: Chuck, Community, Parenthood, Parks and Recreation
Showtime: Dexter
USA: Burn Notice, Covert Affairs, Psych
New shows I'm planning to try, but can't commit to sticking with:
ABC: Once Upon a Time, Pan Am, Revenge, Suburgatory
CBS: A Gifted Man, Person of Interest, Unforgettable
CW: Hart of Dixie, Ringer, The Secret Circle
FOX: The New Girl, Terra Nova
NBC: Grimm, The Playboy Club, Prime Suspect
Showtime: Homeland
Starz: Boss
Now that I look at it, that's . . . a lot of shows. Obviously I won't be keeping up with all of them. (Hopefully some of them will be awful and make my decision easy!) But anyway. Which ones would you like me to write about? Let me know in the comments or on Twitter.
Returning shows:
ABC: Body of Proof, Grey's Anatomy, Happy Endings, Private Practice
CBS: Blue Bloods, The Good Wife, Hawaii Five-0, How I Met Your Mother, The Mentalist
CW: Gossip Girl, Nikita, Supernatural, The Vampire Diaries
FOX: Bones, Fringe
NBC: Chuck, Community, Parenthood, Parks and Recreation
Showtime: Dexter
USA: Burn Notice, Covert Affairs, Psych
New shows I'm planning to try, but can't commit to sticking with:
ABC: Once Upon a Time, Pan Am, Revenge, Suburgatory
CBS: A Gifted Man, Person of Interest, Unforgettable
CW: Hart of Dixie, Ringer, The Secret Circle
FOX: The New Girl, Terra Nova
NBC: Grimm, The Playboy Club, Prime Suspect
Showtime: Homeland
Starz: Boss
Now that I look at it, that's . . . a lot of shows. Obviously I won't be keeping up with all of them. (Hopefully some of them will be awful and make my decision easy!) But anyway. Which ones would you like me to write about? Let me know in the comments or on Twitter.
Here we go!
Sorry for the radio silence - I was away dealing with some family stuff last week. But now I'm back, just in time for fall TV to begin! My fall season kicks off tomorrow with the Ringer and Parenthood premieres, and I'll get a little advance review of Ringer up tonight or tomorrow morning.
Friday, September 2, 2011
Paper Clips Everywhere!: Friday Afternoon Link Potpourri
I'm sure you're bored, so here, have the links that didn't make it into any of my subject-specific posts this week:
Please do not call me because my phone number is your license plate. GOD, people, that is SUCH AN AWFUL IDEA. And obviously it infuriates me.
Carpet really is the worst.
If you missed the brief hubbub about this a few days ago: J.C. Penney had a horribly sexist shirt that sent awful messages to kids, but they've stopped selling it. STILL.
This is also on the serious side, but I couldn't figure out where else to put it: Your Friends Are Not Your Audience. This is important, folks.
What are people doing with all those paper clips?
Please do not call me because my phone number is your license plate. GOD, people, that is SUCH AN AWFUL IDEA. And obviously it infuriates me.
Carpet really is the worst.
If you missed the brief hubbub about this a few days ago: J.C. Penney had a horribly sexist shirt that sent awful messages to kids, but they've stopped selling it. STILL.
This is also on the serious side, but I couldn't figure out where else to put it: Your Friends Are Not Your Audience. This is important, folks.
What are people doing with all those paper clips?
The Hottest Broadway Cast Ever & Other Entertainment Links
Bradley Whitford and Matt Bomer are going to be in a play together. I got really excited until I realized that it was one night only and the cheapest tickets were $500. Now I just feel like the universe is playing a joke on me.
Brian Stetler's look at what's it's like to cover a hurricane for the Weather Channel is fascinating, and Linda Holmes contemplates why it's so compelling.
George Lucas ruins everything.
If you missed the VMAs, well, the Fug Girls' live blog is more fun than the actual show anyway.
The BBC and NBC are both broadcasting every Olympic event live in some format, which means I'm going to lose my mind trying to watch it all.
The Longhorn Network presumably plays all UT games, but when it launched no one could watch it.
If the movie InSight is playing near you, you should go see it, because Aaron Ginsburg is my favorite. Here's a review.
How does Dawson's Creek hold up? Now I want to watch Dawson's Creek.
What's going on at AMC?
Brian Stetler's look at what's it's like to cover a hurricane for the Weather Channel is fascinating, and Linda Holmes contemplates why it's so compelling.
George Lucas ruins everything.
If you missed the VMAs, well, the Fug Girls' live blog is more fun than the actual show anyway.
The BBC and NBC are both broadcasting every Olympic event live in some format, which means I'm going to lose my mind trying to watch it all.
The Longhorn Network presumably plays all UT games, but when it launched no one could watch it.
If the movie InSight is playing near you, you should go see it, because Aaron Ginsburg is my favorite. Here's a review.
How does Dawson's Creek hold up? Now I want to watch Dawson's Creek.
What's going on at AMC?
News from the National Archives & Other History Links
P.G. Wodehouse would like you to know that he was not a Nazi collaborator.
In other late-breaking Nazi news, this British teen girl may or may not have been a German officer's mistress.
Archaeologists Discover Roman Port in Wales
The Dyatlov Pass story is really creepy.
The battle of Mons Graupius is surprisingly controversial.
In other late-breaking Nazi news, this British teen girl may or may not have been a German officer's mistress.
Archaeologists Discover Roman Port in Wales
The Dyatlov Pass story is really creepy.
The battle of Mons Graupius is surprisingly controversial.
Thursday, September 1, 2011
Dumb Politicians & Other Political Links
If you feel the need to spend five pages discussing whether a given politician is dumb, I'm not sure the conclusion really matters anymore.
Romney and Perry: Not friends.
Perry and states' rights
Why we don’t — and can’t — celebrate the real MLK.
Romney and Perry: Not friends.
Perry and states' rights
Why we don’t — and can’t — celebrate the real MLK.
Haven Recap: The Tides That Bind
Read my recap of last Friday's Haven, "The Tides That Bind, over at TheTelevixen.
Audrey and Nathan confront Cole and Gwen, the Glendower family leaders, at the compound, but they won’t give up Daniel and won’t let the police on their property without a warrant. Meanwhile, Nathan has to talk the Rev and Mary from getting a posse together to raid the compound themselves. It turns out that the Rev is involved because almost thirty years ago, his wife went missing and Nathan’s father suspected that Cole Glendower was involved. She was then killed in a car accident, but the Rev didn’t believe it was an accident and had been looking for an excuse to go after the Glendowers ever since.
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