It’s no secret that I love good TV. Unfortunately, that’s rarely found on the big networks these days. San Francisco Chronicle/SFGate TV critic Tim Goodman is one critic whose taste seems to match well with mine, and he had several picks these past couple of weeks. Here are my thoughts on the shows I’ve seen.
Modern Family
This is a pretty standard network sitcom: a look into the frequently funny lives of a few families, each with its own “modern” take on the definition of family. I found it to be funny in spots, but not compelling enough to make a season pass.
Cougar Town
Its overt sexuality, especially in the context of women “preying” on younger men, is certainly brash for network TV, and I thought it worked. Courteney Cox still has great comedic timing in my opinion, but she shouldn’t have had whatever surgery she had that stretched her mouth and eyes like that; she was an amazing looking woman that didn’t need it. I’ll get the next episode or two before deciding whether or not to keep it, but it looks positive so far.
Glee
Fox’s new show, which some have been billing as a musical even though it’s not what I’d traditionally consider one, has been really surprising. I figured it was a hyped-up made-for-TV High School Musical clone, and was ready to write it off, even though Goodman thought it was great. I shouldn’t have doubted him. While I thought the second episode was a seriously weak follow-up to a superb pilot, the third episode brought the quality back up. I’ve got a season pass to this one, and would recommend it strongly. Make sure to get the HD version and crank up the volume on the sound system for the musical numbers– with its top-notch production quality, Glee is a lot of fun.
FlashForward
It’s getting compared to Lost for good reason: it starts with a catastrophe that leaves more than a few questions about what the hell happened. The pilot has a lot to set up, and still hits the ground running at a furious and entertaining pace. This one’s a keeper.