My TV Premiere Week Recap

Oh what a wonderful time of year for TV junkies. Here is my recap of premiere week:

THE EVENT

NBC has been putting a lot of effort into marketing this potential hit show. Some people are hoping that this mystery-thriller will take over the Lost throne. I doubt it will be as good as Lost, but I was pleased with the first episode. I definitely think it has potential as the sizable early audience means it could be around for a while assuming it doesn't significantly drop off.

I do, however, think that The Event will have a harder time keeping people interested in the same way that Lost did. The main difference that I see so far, is that in Lost almost all of the characters had no idea what “the secret” was, while in The Event a good majority of the characters seem to know “the secret.” It is harder to continue on with using that ploy in this manner because it ends up becoming more aggravating.

It is okay to slowly reveal a secret to both the main characters and the audience at the same time, but if you hold the audience out while the characters know, it makes the audience start to hate the puppet masters.

The “secret” in The Event seems less likely to be sustained over the long haul because of this and that may dampen the show's prospects. I am rooting for it to succeed, however.

UNDERCOVERS

This NBC venture backed by J.J. Abrams seems like a cheeky good time, but is really nothing particularly new or inventive. I think the whole balancing-family-life-with-being-an-awesome spy-thing has been done before.

I am also rather distracted by the bulbous shaved head of Boris Kodjoe (Steven). It is tepid fun and I don't know that this is a show that can hold up over time, especially on a broadcast network.

It seems like something the USA network would have better luck with – although it is nowhere near the fun of shows like Burn Notice or Psych.

HAWAII FIVE-O

The pilot featured some pretty high production values, including tons of stuff blowing up, plenty of helicopters and wonderful cinematography.

This may be a pilot spurge, but I think a new audience should always be concerned about the production costs of a show. It is hard to sustain a show in later seasons if it is not economical.

I thought the pilot was relatively fun, but I think a lot of my fun came from the highly-produced action. Take that away and I am not sure I will enjoy it as much.

The biggest treat of the show so far is Daniel Dae Kim (Lost).

GLEE

I was happy to be back in school for another year of watching the Glee kids and visit with Brittany. She had some priceless one-liners, including “Stop the violence” and “People thought I was on vacation but I just got lost in the sewers.”

Overall, it was a decent episode to set up the second season trajectory.

RUNNING WILDE

This show has probably been overlooked already. I didn't notice it until I saw it on Hulu the other day. It stars Will Arnett (Arrested Development) and Keri Russell (Felicity). I liked the pilot and could see myself getting into this show.

I have to say, however, it was significantly helped by David Cross (Arrested Development) who appeared in the pilot. I say check it out. It is worth 20 minutes on Hulu. Also check out, what seems to be a companion series that will air on IFC this fall, The Increasingly Poor Decisions of Todd Margaret.

That show stars David Cross with a supporting role from Will Arnett.

CHUCK

I am so happy that Chuck is back for another round of mayhem. The premiere hasn't captured me in the same way that it did last season. However, I am excited to see where the show takes us this year.

I very much hope that Chuck and Sarah are together for the entire season. It is time for them to take their relationship to the next level. Maybe a proposal by season's end? Also, Morgan needs a serious love interest for the season (just sayin').

COMMUNITY

Hey, it is America's sweetheart, Betty White doing a guest spot in the season opener of Community! That is a major plus, but the return of last season's breakout hit was sub par.

I was hoping for a little Jeff and Annie relationship fun this year after their make-out session in last season's finale -- doesn't look like we are going to get it though. Still I am glad this show is back because when it is good, it is really good.

30 ROCK

Again, I thought the season opener of this great show was also sub par compared to the standards it has set for itself over the years.

It featured a nice guest spot by Matt Damon, who is Liz's new boyfriend.

BOARDWALK EMPIRE

What can I say about this show which has been so hyped by critics in recent weeks? Nothing much original other than to note that yes it does live up to the hype so far. It is really movie quality entertainment.

It is a must watch.