It’s
that time of year again – the fall TV season when old favorites return and new
programs try to capture a share of the audience.
I
used to buy TV Guide and get on the internet and look up info on all the new
shows and what was in the cards for my returning favorites. After having a busy
winter & spring where I was out so many evenings (and I’m not one for binge
watching programs), it literally took me all summer to catch up on my recorded programs
(better late than never I guess). Hence, I decided it might be a good idea to
not add any more (or at least not many) new programs to my already full dvr.
I
did, however, make an exception for two newcomers: “The Good Doctor” & “Young
Sheldon” and one old favorite back by popular demand, “Will & Grace.”
“The
Good Doctor” (ABC): According to ABC, “Freddie
Highmore plays Shaun Murphy, a young surgeon with autism and savant syndrome,
relocates from a quiet country life to join a prestigious hospital's surgical
unit. Alone in the world and unable to personally connect with those around
him, Shaun uses his extraordinary medical gifts to save lives and challenge the
skepticism of his colleagues.”
The
pilot was just riveting enough to hold my interest and had just the right
balance of sentimentality to not play with our heart strings too much. It goes
without saying that you have to suspend belief in order to buy into the whole
premise, and there are one or two minor plot points I have to pick at. First of
all, no one asks to see credentials when Shaun is at the airport and about to
operate on a young boy covered in glass shrapnel from a fallen sign. But later
no one will let him in to the hospital, and Shaun never once tells anyone who
he is (that could be down to the autism though). Also, Shaun meticulously sterilizes
the wound and all the tools, except for the knife (unless that was done off
camera).
I
plan to stay tuned for now, but not sure I hold out high hopes for this show
after the failure (last year) of a similar show about a young, revolutionary
doctor with a rare disease that opened a hospital for all the patients science gave
up on, called “Pure Genius.” (CBS)
Since
I love “Big Bang Theory,” of course I was going to tune in to “Young Sheldon,”
as I imagine a high percentage of other fans did the same. It’s a pretty simple
premise, young Sheldon is a genius who doesn’t have the social skills or a
filter between his brain and his mouth to know how to properly communicate with
people. This is often a problem for the more grown up Sheldon in “Big Bang
Theory” too, but thanks to help from his former roommate, Leonard, and his new fiancée,
Amy, he’s learning.
Depending
on the quality of the writing and my time and patience, I plan to stay tuned
for now, but I wasn’t blown away by the pilot, as much as I wanted to be
(perhaps my expectations were too high).
I
eagerly awaited the return of “Will & Grace” (NBC) and I can honestly say
they haven’t lost their touch. The writing is still stellar, the acting spot
on, and the whole package just a joy to take in. Though I’m not really a fan of
our choice of President, if we can attribute his taking office to the reason
for “Will & Grace” returning to the airwaves, then thank you very much DT.
However, I don’t think one had anything to do with the other, but DT provided
much fodder for a very witty first episode.
Loved
the bit when Grace was trying to match a swatch to DT’s hair and pulls out a
bag of Cheetos. “Yep, close enough!” (holding up a Cheeto to the swatch).
Part
of me is really happy the show is back (though only in a limited run), but another
part of me feels like wasn’t 8 years enough? (apparently not). Either way, I
will stay tuned and try to be grateful for this brief resurrection. Can’t wait
for the “Roseanne” reboot next year.
I
love this excerpt from Slate, “…So the best Trump joke of the pilot is not the
hat, nor is it the Cheetos bit, or the impeachment reference. It’s the red-hot
burn of the idea that Trump has so lowered the significance of the Oval Office,
has so utterly deflated our expectations for what takes place in that room, has
so thoroughly diminished any anticipation of respect or awe, that an utterly
normal, irreverent episode of Will
& Grace could be set there. It’s not that there’s no dissonance
whatsoever; there’s absolutely an “I can’t believe they’re doing this” element
to the entire plot, and to all the scenes set at the White House. But that
disbelief doesn’t come out of shock that they’re disrespecting the solemnity of
the office. It comes out of the dissonance of hearing that oh-so-familiar
patter once again, set against a backdrop of gold curtains and a curved wall.
It comes out of how ordinary it all feels, and how ultimately fluffy.”
Also
loved this bit from Slate, “The jokes that land best are the ones that use
Trump as a lens to make fun of our fearless foursome, like when Karen tells
Grace that Melania asked if Grace was pretty and she replied, “She’s no
threat.” Or when Karen was in the Oval Office and asked the waiter to fill up
her martini glass. “Don’t give me the Laura Bush pour. I want the full Pat
Nixon.” The cheapest shots are things like Trump having a Russian-to-English
dictionary on his desk or having the complexion of Cheetos — two jokes
that are so stale that, if they were crackers, not even a starving pigeon would
eat them off the street.”
Have
a great week everyone!
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