Archive Page 4

Premiere Reviews: Grey’s Anatomy, Private Practice and Ugly Betty

Grey’s Anatomy returned on Thursday night but lacked some of it’s usual magic. The whole storyline with Izzy reviving a deer in the parking lot was just completely ridiculous. Grey’s loves to come up with outrageous ailments to shock us, but this was just too far and totally unbelievable.

The Derek and Meredith on again, off again saga continues again. So far they’ve already broken up and gotten together again in just the season premiere.

I’m really liking Meredith’s sister so far and hopefully they’ll expand her story line. How long can they hide that fact that George failed his test from the other interns?

And thank god the preview for next week shows George telling Izzy he loves her. Could George and Callie finally be over? I’d still like to see George and Alex get together!

The series premiere of Private Practice failed to truly captivate me.

I loved Addison Montgomery on Grey’s, but they seem to have completely changed her personality on Private Practice. She was always an extremely strong and smart surgeon who stood up for herself. Now she seems weak and needy and her talents are underutilized.

It just doesn’t make any sense for a world class neonatal surgeon to move to a small practice in LA with almost no advance notice and no job security. Not only that, her coworkers are all a group of head cases.

The Ugly Betty season premiere was phenomenal! The story line involving Santos was so well written out that it truly drew me in and captivated me. I was so happy for he and Hilda and was not at all expecting the big twist.

Mark and Amanda were up to their usual antics again, this time trying to collect a DNA sample from Bradford. Mark is still one of my favorite characters and I hope they continue to give him great scenes.

Oh the drama that is going to unfold now that Alexis is Alex again. Hopefully he/she kept the receipt and can return the sex change!

The Week Ahead: Washington, DC & Premiere Week

I’ll be heading back to Washington, DC for a few days this week, even though I was just out there a week and a half ago.

This week is the official start of Premiere Week for most of the major TV networks. My DVR will definitely be getting plenty of use! I’ll have a run down of what I thought of each of the premieres over the weekend, once I’ve had time to sit down and catch up.

If you’re looking to see what’s hot this season or when your favorite show returns, check out American Peak’s Fall TV Guide.

The Departed

Last night I watched Martin Scorsese’s Academy Award winning movie The Departed. The movie was definitely deserving of the Best Picture award.

The Departed is an action packed drama about South Boston’s Irish Mafia and the Massachusetts State Police units trying to take down the mob boss.

The movie packs a star studded cast, all of whom did an amazing job. Leonardo DiCaprio gave one of his best performances in years, portraying an undercover cop sent in to penetrate the mafia. Matt Damon was excellent as usual, even though I’m not sure I really like him playing the villain. Martin Sheen didn’t get much screen time, but he did great. And Jack Nicholson was the biggest surprise of all. I’ve never been much of a Nicholson fan, but he was excellent in the role of mob boss Frank Costello.

If you haven’t seen The Departed yet I highly recommend it. I actually didn’t even know that it had won any Academy Awards (let alone four) before I saw the movie, but it was deserving of all of them. Check it out!

Rating: ★★★★★

Premiere Reviews: Kid Nation

I finally had the chance last night to watch the premiere of the new CBS reality show Kid Nation. It was somewhat entertaining.

The show follows forty kids as they spend forty days living in a New Mexico ghost town. The kids have to govern and run the town themselves. They also compete in competitions to determine which team performs each of the duties in the town and how much they get paid. The winning team earns the most and doesn’t have to do anything. The losing team clean the latrines and makes almost nothing.

The show was surrounded in controversy before it even aired with many people alleging the children’s rights were being violated. I don’t buy it. The kids are free to leave at any time and in many ways the stuff they do on the show is easier than what I had to do when I was young and in Boy Scouts.

Will I keep watching the show? Who knows. I’ll at least watch one more episode, but I’ve lost interest in reality TV and have better things I could be doing on a Wednesday night. CBS must think it’s going to be a big hit though, they’ve already started casting for Kid Nation 2!

American Peak’s Fall TV Guide

The days are getting shorter, the nights are getting cooler and school is back in session. That can only mean one thing… it’s fall television premiere season!

You’ve waited all summer to see how that cliffhanger finale ends and now you finally get to find out. So get ready to fire up your DVRs - here’s American Peak’s guide to what we’ll be watching on TV this fall.

MONDAY

Chuck
NBC | 8:00pm | Premieres 9/24

Chuck is a normal guy that just happens to open the wrong e-mail. The e-mail contains subliminal codes that download vast amounts of classified government data into his brain. Now, Chuck has unwittingly become one of the US governments most protected assets. Will the show fly? We’ll see. While this makes an interesting premise for a drama, I’m having a little more difficulty seeing it as an action-comedy. I’ll give it two episodes before making up my mind.

Heroes
NBC | 9:00pm | Returns 9/24

Last season’s hottest new show is back for it’s second season. The heroes came together and saved New York, but what lies ahead for them next? How many heroes died in the fight against Sylar? Who are the good heroes and who are the bad ones? What secrets are the Petrelli family hiding? And what is Hiro doing in 17th century Japan?

WEDNESDAY

Kid Nation
CBS | 8:00pm | Premieres 9/19

This new CBS reality show has stirred up quite a bit of controversy and maybe even a government investigation! What happens when you put 40 kids, 8-15 years old, in a New Mexico ghost town for 40 days without parental supervision and let them try to run the town? I’m sure you get quite a lot of entertainment! Who didn’t want to build and run their own city when they were a kid? Of course my dream was more along the lines of a deserted island and Swiss Family Robinson style tree houses, but I guess a ghost town works too.

Private Practice
ABC | 9:00pm | Premieres 9/26

Grey’s Anatomy’s Dr. Addison Montgomery is packing her bags and moving from rainy Seattle down to sunny Santa Monica. This spin-off from Grey’s Anatomy premiered in a one episode pilot last year. The show had a few things that needed tweaked, but overall seemed pretty solid. The only question I have - will they mingle the two show’s story lines and feature cameos? I sure hope so! Let’s hope Addison can find herself a new McDreamy and have that baby she’s always wanted.

THURSDAY

Ugly Betty
ABC | 8:00pm | Returns 9/27

I didn’t pick up on Ugly Betty until season one came out on DVD, but now I’m hooked! Will Wilhelmina ever become Mode editor-in-chief? How will the Suarez family handle their separation and the death of Santos? Will Daniel ever get his life back on track? Will Marc ever get a boyfriend?

Grey’s Anatomy
ABC | 9:00pm | Returns 9/27

Grey’s returns for its fourth season and has a lot in store this year. A new intern class has arrived as the former interns pass their exams and move on… except for George. Burke called off his wedding to Christina and has now skipped town (and thankfully the show!). Derek and Meredith are currently off in their on-again off-again relationship. Callie has been appointed Chief Resident, but can she save her marriage? Addison has fled Seattle to her own Private Practice and left Alex behind to find himself an Ava.

FRIDAY

Numb3rs
CBS | 10:00pm | Returns 9/28

The Eppes brothers are back to solve a whole new season of crime in Los Angeles. How will the team be affected by the shocking arrest of Colby for espionage in last year’s season finale? Will Don ever settle down? Can Megan and Larry really last for another season? I’m sure there’s a mathematical formula to figure it all out, but I’ll just watch the show instead.

SUNDAY

Extreme Makeover: Home Edition
ABC | 8:00pm | Returns 9/30

The Design Team is back for another season of demolition as Extreme Makeover continues its trek across America. This season I’m hoping they get a little more back to their roots: makeovers. While it’s always fun to seeing a house get flattened and rebuilt, I’d like to see them conduct a few more renovations and a few less rebuilds.

Desperate Housewives
ABC | 9:00pm | Returns 9/30

The drama is about to return on Wisteria Lane. Will Gabrielle go though with her wedding to Victor or run back to Carlos? Did Edie really hang herself? Will Susan and Mike finally be able to live happily ever after? Can Bree and Orson pull off the baby stunt? I’m glad to see that Marc Cherry is finally bringing a gay plot back into the show. A gay couple will be moving into the neighborhood this year and if we’re lucky Andrew will finally get some good storylines again.

Brothers and Sisters
ABC | 10:00pm | Returns 9/30

Last year’s new hit show Brother and Sisters is one of the most realistic portrayals of the complex dynamics of a family in many years. The Walkers may not be the typical American family, but they experience the same highs and lows. Justin is preparing to ship off to Iraq. Kitty grows closer to Senator McCallister. Kevin may finally find true love and have a steady relationship with the Senator’s brother while Sarah tries to salvage her marriage. Can Nora hold her family together?