Here’s what’s new this week on the tube. Also, in terms of last week’s stuff, I’m TOTALLY in love with both Downton Abbey and Showtime’s hilarious UK-meets-LA series Episodes. Off the Map, while every bit as inane as expected, was actually still kind of fun to watch — pure guilty pleasure (plus, Caroline Dhavernas — I know I keep saying this, but I LOVE HER, and I’m over the moon seeing her with a regular gig again). The Cape, on the other hand: over and out. And I still haven’t had a chance to watch Lights Out, but will get to it this week for sure. What did you guys think? Hit the comments and let me know!
Monday, January 17
Being Human — SyFy, 9-10pm — This series is a “reimagining” of a successful BBC show about a vampire, a ghost, and a werewolf, all three roommates in their 20’s, struggling to keep their true natures a secret from the world. It sounds pretty cheesy, but I’m game to give it a shot. I haven’t seen the BBC series, but it’s available on Netflix, and undoubtedly better than anything Americans can come up with. I’ll check both out soon and let you know what I think. Could be fun!
Harry’s Law — NBC, 10-11pm — This is the latest legal series from David E. Kelley. I’m a total sucker for Kathy Bates, and the premise, about a patent lawyer who abruptly loses her job and is forced, late middle-age, to start all over in a new direction, seems both appealing and timely. Nice to see a gray-haired lady lead a show, at the very least, right? The commercials haven’t totally knocked my socks off, I confess, but I have my fingers crossed Bates will be enough to make it fun.
Skins — MTV, 10-11pm — This is another “reimagining” of a BBC series, and this time, I HAVE seen the original and I’m here to tell you, you ought to too. I first sought it out after seeing Slumdog Millionaire and wanting to watch Dev Patel in more stuff (he’s in the BBC series, though only for the first season, I think), and I was hooked pretty quickly on it. The BBC version is a brazen, authentic look into the lives of a bunch of troubled high school kids — a hard-core partier, a girl with an eating disorder, etc. I can’t imagine the Americanized version being anything but ridiculous, I’m afraid. No interest whatsoever in this one myself. Not when I can watch the original any time I want on Netflix streaming.
Thursday, January 20
Perfect Couples — NBC, 9:30-10pm — Meh, rom-sit-com. Yawn.
Fairly Legal — USA, 10-11pm — The latest USA Network series is a legal show about a professional mediator who, naturally, is great at conflict resolution on the job, terrible at it in her own life. USA series can be pretty hit or miss for me, but when they’re good, they can be pretty fun. This one doesn’t look like it’s going to be on the same level of Psych, but if its more or less at Royal Pains level, I’ll happily climb on board.
Did I miss anything?
megwood.wordpress.com 
January 18, 2011 at 1:11 am |
My DVR is already set for “Being Human.” I hear it doesn’t measure up to its BBC counterpart, but since I’ve never seen the original, I think I’ll enjoy this series. I already laughed at a trailer when the female ghost says to one of her 2 new house-mates, “Are you a werewolf? Gross! It’s all over me!” But be warned: I think it runs just past the 10:00 mark (at least the first week), but I don’t know by how much.
Much though I also love and revere Kathy Bates, I fear she stands little chance against BOTH Alex O’Loughlin (H. 5-0) AND Nathan Fillion (Castle). Maybe the “powers that be” will have pity on her, and give her a better time-slot. No … then, in their “wisdom,” they’ll probably put her up against “The Good Wife.”
Not interested in anything else. IMHO, “Psych” is the best of the USA so called “dramedies,” although that one with Piper Perabo and – ahem – Christopher Gorham was good; is it coming back?
January 18, 2011 at 9:18 am |
I really don’t know why they keep remaking UK shows – it can’t be any cheaper than creating something original, and they hardly ever get renewed (something like one success out of seventy attempts). Somebody must be making some money, I guess…
With Netflix and BBC America and, erm, other means, most UK shows are available to a US audience anyway. So you can compare… and it looks as if all the quirkiness and anti-stereotyping has been stripped out of the remake.
Liz, Covert Affairs has indeed been renewed; the second season will air this summer.
January 18, 2011 at 2:50 pm |
Saw the BBC Being Human, didn’t like it, and really don’t want to give any version of Skins a chance. Just another reason to exploit teen sex, underage drinking and drug use.
So happy Covert Affairs is coming back.
Meg, have you watched Law & Order UK yet?
January 18, 2011 at 5:34 pm |
I was surprised just how much the Cape sucked! I couldn’t even make it through the pilot, and I normally have a pretty wide leeway for shows like that. Shame really. I agree about Off the Map being a guilty pleasure. It was fairly predictable, but at least had a good enough storyline and a potential to build. But it annoyed me how the new doctors seemed to know no Spanish at all. How can they not even have picked up words for ‘house’ and ‘thank you’?
January 18, 2011 at 5:48 pm |
The Cape is terrible, and I’m loving it. There is always ONE good laugh-out-loud line in each episode, which keeps me coming back.
I haven’t seen the original Being Human, but caught the pilot of the new one last night. I’m on the fence. It doesn’t seem to know what kind of tone it’s trying to set. But I’ll probably give it a few more episodes.
January 18, 2011 at 6:34 pm |
You are two episodes behind on Shameless. Shame on you. Do not be drinking liquids while watching. Will lead to ‘bubblege’, promise.
January 18, 2011 at 7:46 pm |
Really? I heard Shameless was unbearably awful. Which kind of went along with my feelings after seeing the ads, so I didn’t bother tuning in at all. What are you liking about it? Maybe I’ll try catching the pilot just to see.
January 25, 2011 at 6:49 pm |
You have to have a very sick sense of humor. Just when you think it’s just plain shameless, it goes over the top shameless. The pink fur handcuffs in the epilogue of the second show, for example.