I assumed The Grinder was going to be a throw away comedy, but I never have enough comedy and I'm always afraid of losing what I've got, so I'm watching every sitcom I notice at least once to interview new contenders, and it was hilarious. Low expectations likely played at least some part in my reaction, and I shouldn't say it least I jinx it, but this could be the Frasier replacement I've been waiting for all these years.
I liked it, too, partly due to the fact that anything with Fred Savage, Rob Lowe and William Devane has got to be zany. Each of them can do serious but they are very good at funny. Devane has always had the best grin - you have to grin right along with him. I have high hopes for this one.
I'll admit, this almost got me to watch a network show. I know how good William Devane can be. And if you doubt the skills of Rob Lowe, just watch "Behind the Candelabra" and watch the horrible cat-person plastic surgeon they turned him into. But no, I generally don't do network shows.
The Doctor is in I won't link to the Mysterious Girl video, I wouldn't do that to you A Doctor Who spinoff is coming Doctor Who Teen Spinoff So many shows starting again, all of the old ones are looking good for the new season. Has anyone watched The Leftovers ? I binged on season 1 and really liked it, it can be a bit violent a few times (only a few) but there are great characters and great acting. It's a different perspective to an oft told tale with good plot. script and acting.I haven't had time to watch the beginning of season 2 yet but I'm looking forward to it. If interested I suggest you watch season 1 first All the best, woz of oz
Made it ~halfway through the Grinder pilot…didn't grab me I've picked up a few of the other new shows, though: • The Player • Quantico • Blindspot
I watch those 3 ......... so far The Player has a very silly scenario but that's ok because it looks like it might be a good full on action show. Quantico looks good so far. I like that style where they take us back in time to find out a little bit more and reveal another piece of the puzzle (or is it?) Blindspot I thought this would be a mystery show where we slowly discovered the truth about the tattooed woman but so much has been revealed in the first 3 episodes it looks like they just want to get the backstory established and carry on as mostly an action show rather than a mystery. Still it's an enjoyable watch. Not sure about Grinder yet, my fave new comedy is Life In Pieces All the best, woz of oz
I agree. The premise of all the 'gambling' on The Player is ludicrous. They should simply have done a revamp of the same formula like The Equalizer, The Human Target, etc.; where the 'hero' saves a person or solves situation. This scenario however does provide Wesley Snipes with the opportunity to drive a Porsche GT3 and pay back the IRS...
The Good Wife How do you make a great show even better ? Add the talented Margo Martindale to the mix, fantasic in everything she does but my faves are Justified and The Americans plus her small but powerful role in Million Dollar Baby. Looking forward to this season All the best, woz of oz
There are two major categories of tv I really love. Scifi and sitcoms. Sadly, not many sitcoms actually tickle me. It took me about 30 seconds (which includes 2nd and 3rd chances) to know without question I could never watch Dr. Ken. Not that I went in with high hopes, but I had low expectations for my top two sitcoms as well, and they knocked it out of the park. Of course, tastes in comedy can vary even more than others, but FWIW, here are my top comedy picks for the fall. It's another bumper crop. #1 Brooklyn Nine Nine - At a roast the star took part in, a fellow roaster ribbed him by asking "What happens when you run out of funny crimes?" It was a funny joke, but also a justifiable concern. Thankfully BNN isn't a comedic police procedural, but more of an office comedy that happens to take place in a police station. As is the case with the next sitcom, there weren't many ways to make this show funny, but they got on the right track early and stayed the course. #2 Last Man On Earth - The early promos and almost the entire first episode made this look like the most boring comedy imaginable. But as (spoiler alert) new characters flowed into the lonely life of the self-centered protaganist, hilarity ensued. Always just around the corner, there seems to be fresh blood ready to come in and wreck what the 'Last Man' has pieced together from the last wreck. If always you love watching Charlie Brown take another ill-fated run at the football, you might love this. #3 TBBT - This is my old reliable. I'm always worried about it getting long in the tooth, and sometimes the overly Friendsesque dynamics do get in the way of being funny, but never for very long. I think this might be the only sitcom I'm watching right now that has a laugh track. It doesn't usually need it. It's also nice to see those fade away. It doesn't help if you're not funny, and it hurts at least a little IMO if you are. It's like telling a joke and then jumping up and down waving a neon sign to make sure people know you told a joke, and sadly, on most shows that have laugh tracks these days, you wouldn't know something was supposed to be funny without it. Dr. Ken, for example. #4 The Grinder - I see this as an up and coming Frasier replacement. It's funny as is, but has lots of room to grow too. Non-physical comedic suffering is one of my favorite subcategories of humor, and Fred Savage takes a beating and takes it pretty well. His character's overflowing stress is about 40% self-inflicted and 60% from those around him. It's a formula that also has shades of Meet the Parents, and while Fred Savage is no Ben Stiller and neither Lowe nor Devane measure up to Owen Wilson or De Niro, that's no slight. #5 Modern Family - Not as funny as it used to be. This is like Frasier in a slightly different way the The Grinder. Modern Family is heavy on word play and with extended tee-ups of long joke scenarios involving intricate misunderstandings that carry on a good space and/or unsuccessful plots by one character to get something past another character. I like the style of humor, but although the show is still funny and the large ensemble cast offers plenty of different kinds of chemistry so potential remains high, it increasingly feels like people behind the camera are phoning it in. Like they've lost interest. #6 Fresh off the Boat - The show is supposed to be mostly about the kid, a la Everybody Hates Chris, but the mom completely steals the show. She may or may not, as with a character from the Grinder, remind me of people I know. I'll never tell.
