Fall TV update

Good news! I’ve spent more time watching some of the season premieres and new shows.

Caveman:  OK, I still haven’t watched it.  But never overestimate the viewing tastes of the American pubic.  It’s viewership has been increasing with each week. All I can say is “ugh.”

Men In Trees: Wow, the creators of “Northern Exposure” ought to sue the people who do this show.  Everything about “Men in Trees” is a thinly disguised rip off of the much better “Nothern Exposure.” Main character is fish out of water in Alaska.  There’s a kooky mismatched couple (in this case played by the wasted John Amos), eclectic radio host, strong but sensitive Alaska native as the love interest, the fun but wholesome bar where everyone meets, the quirky man in the woods who happens to dispense solid advice, and the romantic interest of local police. Sure, it’s easy to see why women love this show…Anne Heche plays a woman rejected in love who goes to Alaska to find herself, but instead becomes attracted to the beauty of the land and the attention of the strong yet sensitive men who can build log cabins while understading a woman’s needs.  I’d rather watch the original Alaska show.

Viva Laughlin: I tried to watch it all the way through. I just couldn’t make it.  This show is bad. The main character is simply unlikeable, the characters breaking into song does nothing to advance the plot, and the premise of securing money to open a casino just isn’t an appealing premise. Melanie Griffith really looks ridiculous trying to look sexy.  When you don’t like the plot, you don’t like the main character, you don’t like the hook of characters breaking into song, and even the actors seem embarrassed to be in the show, you’re going to have a hard time finding an audience. What happens in Laughlin should never have left Laughlin.

Moonlight: The CBS vampire show. It wasn’t as bad as I was expecting. The vamp is an honorable undead. However, I still can’t get past this being another ripoff of an earlier CBS show called “Forever Knight”…which actually had Rick Springfield in the pilot as a vampire who was a policeman fighting crime.  The show ended up joining CBS late night with a different actor as the vampire, and it lasted a few more seasons in syndication.  Just like “Men In Trees”…no creativity. I think it will do well since it follows “Ghost Whisperer”.  But, since the vampire already bites his unrequited love interest in just the second episode, they aren’t leaving a lot of room for the “will he-won’t he” question.

Extreme Makeover Home Edition: More of the same.  I’m really tired of Ty knowing it all. I’m sure the rest of the crew are too. Maybe they could leave Ty behind during their next trip to Sears? You’ve seen one episode of this show, you’ve seen them all. Family waits to run outside when crew drives up. Family goes on vacation.  Old house torn down, new house put up in a week.  Family comes home, expects nothing less than brand new home with flat TVs and computers in each room, and there’s always going to be one bedroom decorated in such a way that the child will get tired of after a few weeks.  I can’t even paint my bathroom in one week.

 There’s still more TV to watch.