TV Lowdown » Glee

Joss Whedon to guest-direct Glee

thetvlowdown — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 12:57:16 +0000

I have to admit, I’m ambivalent about this one (given my somewhat troubled relationship with Glee) but word has spread that Joss Whedon will be guest-directing an episode. I’ll let Mr. Whedon explain…

Hey kids and parents of kids and super-old, like ancestor-old-but-not-dead-yet-type people, just poking my oversized head in to say that the rumors are true… unless something very odd happens in the next few months, I will have the privilege of shooting an episode of GLEE. Why GLEE? Because I love cops, serial killers and gritty urban drama (I haven’t seen the show yet). Why me? Because they’re struggling and can’t afford real directors. And to head off a few queries:

No, this doesn’t mean Dollhouse definitely won’t get a back nine. Our numbers mean that! But I kid. Okay, we’re not exactly saving all the good stuff for 14-22, but nobody’s closed the door. If D’House suddenly busts wide, huzzah, we’ll still bring it, and I’ll still go and direct an episode of Glee, because of my love of cops. These realities can co-exist. And possibly cross over, at least in fiction that I have wri – read. About.

What can we expect from a ‘Joss Whedon’ epsiode of Glee? An episode of Glee. God willin’ and the crik don’t rise, a good one. A television director’s job is, on some level, to be anonymous; to find the most compelling way to present a story without calling attention to himself. I had a wonderful time doing just that on The Office, and hope to again. A guest director can bring a huge amount to the party (we’ve had CRAZY talent on Dollhouse), but the party isn’t his. I just want to work with good people on a show that I like enough to have watched every episode several times. (I lied: I HAVE watched the show. And seriously, when do the cops show up?)

Whom will I kill? When will that go away? Is death really the only thing I’m known for? I’d hope not. You know how many people in the world actually die? ALL OF THEM. You know how many I’ve killed? Statistically, somewhat fewer. Can’t we focus on another element of my work? Having said that, probably Principal Figgins. (No! I kid! God.)

Anyway, I hope that clears things up. I’m going to do my best, and more importantly, I’m going to do my best not to gush like a fanboy for eight straight days on set. Don’t worry. I practiced with Bamber. I’m a pro.

Happy Monday. Especially for me. -j.

Monday poll; when should Dexter conclude?

thetvlowdown — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 09:16:56 +0000

In last week’s poll we asked which your favourite new shows of the Fall 2009 season were, and the results are in! Your top 3 were Stargate Universe (26%), Glee (23%) and FlashForward (16%). Well, two out of three ain’t bad, in my opinion…

Here’s how the rest of the shows stacked up.Now onto this week’s poll…

Showtime’s Dexter, telling the tale of a serial killer who only preys on those who “deserve it”, has been one of the more surprising successes of the last few years, and for good reason. It’s dark, witty, gruesome and engaging, with an almost perfectly cast group of actors and a glossy aesthetic. Whilst some episodes can be noticeably weaker than others the show is, for the most part, very consistently entertaining.

The question is, how much longer can that go on for? The premise of Dexter requires that the police department who employ Dexter never learn of the truth, and presumably the same could be said for his wife Rita and sister Deb. But is it feasible for the show to carry on much longer without (it has to be said) an increasingly sloppy Dexter making a fatal mistake and revealing himself to the wrong person?

The show is currently in its fourth season, and has already been assured of a fifth. Would you happily see the show draw to an end with the finale of its fifth season, or do you think there’s more mileage to Dexter’s story? I personally hope the fifth season is the last, simply so that the show can go out on top and not risk a decline in quality.

What do you think?

Glee 1×03 – “Acafellas” Review

thetvlowdown — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 11:00:46 +0000

Um…

A boyband? Really?

Last night’s episode veered wildly between disappointing and cringe-worthy, with dollops of missed opportunities mashed into it. As much as I may have criticised certain elements of the first two episodes, they nevertheless had a certain spark and energy that was inexplicably endearing. There was enough wit and warmth to carry the cliched storylines, and most of the characters were likeable in their own way.

I finished watching “Acafellas” and just felt blank. Not a good sign.

Will’s abandonment of the club, even temporarily, just didn’t feel believable considering all of the effort he’d poured into it. Rachel’s character has seemingly lost the weird quirkiness and hint of a dark side she had in the first few episodes and has morphed into a bland, stock “good girl” figure. The most heinous character crime of all, however, came in casting Victor Garber in an utterly forgettable role as Will’s father. C’mon, Glee! Garber is better than that. Maybe they’ll do something interesting with him in the future to redeem such a waste of a good actor.

Even the musical numbers this week felt off to me; I’d expected Glee to use the songs in a naturalistic way, with the club performing them (as they have been in the last few episodes.) Tonight’s bizarre hallucinatory car-washing extravaganza was just painful, and seemingly only shoe-horned into the episode to give Amber Riley’s Mercedes a chance to sing and/or have a dozen cheerleaders dancing in skimpy outfits. (Speaking of Mercedes, did that plotline with Kurt make sense to anyone? The boy is so clearly, overtly gay that Mercedes having feelings for him only rings true if she had been portrayed as incredibly naive, which prior to this episode she hadn’t.)

All of it just left me rooting for Sylvester and the Cheerios to destroy them. I don’t think that’s what the writers were aiming for.

I think the reality is that I’m just not the target audience for Glee, and that’s fine. Plenty of people seem to have really embraced the show, and I’m always happy for any scripted series to enjoy success. But, like Finn, I’m thinking of quitting the Glee Club.

Of course, you can have your say by rating the episode below!

So, what do we think of Glee?

thetvlowdown — Sat, 12 Sep 2009 18:02:25 +0000

Matthew Morrison stars as Will Schuester

For those not in the know, Glee is a comedy-musical-drama about a high school choir, or Glee Club, forming together and trying to reach the regional finals. The pilot episode aired way back in May, and the second episode just aired a few nights ago on Fox.

I’ve got to be honest straight away and say that I’m fairly ambivalent about the show; I really want to like it, as it’s pretty different to anything else on TV right now, but I just think there’s something tonally and structurally wrong with the show. Considering that Glee was originally envisioned as a film, that’s probably not much of a surprise. Watching the pilot again I was struck by the fluctuating tone; the early parts of the episode were all-out comedy, but gradually gave way to teen angst and high school cliches. Part of me wonders if this is simply because the show is too long; Glee could probably benefit from being a half-hour comedy, rather than an hour-long comedy-drama.

And the comedy is great; some of it way over the top, and some of it very subtle. I loved the gag in the pilot about the very Caucasian girl Rachel not being sure which of her gay dads (one of whom is white and one of whom is black) was her biological father.

Jane Lynch plays villain Sue Sylvester

The other highlight on the comedy side of things is obviously Jane Lynch’s character Sue Sylvester, the embittered coach of the cheerleading squad, who seems to have the best lines reserved for her – “That was the most offensive thing I’ve seen in twenty years of teaching, and that includes an elementary school production of ‘Hair’”.

The cast are all pretty strong, particularly the adults. Jayma Mays’ obsessive clean freak guidance counsellor stands out, as does Jessalyn Gilsig as the wife of the central character; I worried that she would be an obviously evil character in the show, but as of the second episode she’s actually being written as a lot more nuanced than that.

The younger actors will probably grow into their roles as time goes on, but much as I try, I just can’t seem to care that much about high school cliques and the drama that ensues from it, which brings me back to the point about the comedy; if the tone was far more acidic, which the writers are clearly capable of, then there perhaps wouldn’t be quite so much adolescent naval-gazing.

The musical numbers are generally pretty feel-good (though we can only hope the actors get the hang of lip-synching, because some of that was decidedly shonky) and while the show isn’t perfect it’s not a bad way to spend an hour.

I’ll be sticking with it and hoping it really hits it’s stride, but what do you make of Glee so far?

Dates for your diary; start dates for new and returning shows

tvlowdown — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 15:45:20 +0000

Google is my friend, and has (along with its well-intentioned but occasionally pesky friend Wikipedia) helped me put together this rambling spasm of info for you on when your favourite shows (or most-anticipated newbies) make their debuts this season. Enjoy!

24 – January 17th

30 Rock – October 15th

American Dad – September 27th

The Beautiful Life – September 16th

The Big Bang Theory- September 21st

Bones – September 17th

Brothers – September 25th

Brothers & Sisters- September 27th

Californication- September 27th

Chuck – March 2010 (TBC)

The Cleveland Show- September 27th

CSI – September 24th

CSI: Miami – September 21st

Cougar Town – September 23rd

Criminal Minds- September 23rd

CSI: NY- September 23rd

Curb Your Enthusiasm – September 20th

Desperate Housewives- September 27th

Dexter- September 27th

Dollhouse- September 25th

Eastwick- September 23rd

Family Guy- September 27th

FlashForward- September 24th

The Forgotten- September 22nd

Fringe- September 17th

Ghost Whisperer- September 25th

Glee – September 9th

Gossip Girl – September 14th

Grey’s Anatomy- September 24th

Heroes- September 21st

House- September 21st

How I Met Your Mother- September 21st

Human Target – January 20th

Law & Order- September 25th

Lie To Me – September 28th

Lost – January 2010 (TBC)

Medium- September 25th

The Mentalist- September 24th

Modern Family- September 23rd

NCIS – September 22nd

NCIS: Los Angeles- September 22nd

Numb3rs- September 25th

The Office- September 17th

One Tree Hill – September 14th

Private Practice – October 1st

The Simpsons- September 27th

Smallville- September 25th

Southland – October 23rd

Stargate Universe – October 2nd

Supernatural – September 10th

Three Rivers – October 4th

Ugly Betty – October 9th

V – November 3rd

Vampire Diaries – September 10th

New shows for the Fall 2009 line-up…

tvlowdown — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 15:55:23 +0000

TV Guide have produced a gallery of 23 new shows launching this year and not many of them inspire much confidence. I think it’s fairly safe to assume an awful lot of these shows will meet with cancellation fairly early on but, of the list, which ones are you looking forward to?

Check out the TV Guide gallery here for a little info on each show and let me know in the comments here which shows you’re keeping an eye on this year.

Accidentally On Purpose

The Beautiful Life

Bored To Death

Brothers

The Cleveland Show

Community

Cougar Town

Eastwick

FlashForward

The Forgotten

The Good Wife

Glee

Hank

Melrose Place

Mercy

The Middle

Modern Family

NCIS Los Angeles

Shark Tank

Three Rivers

Trauma

The Vampire Diaries

White Collar