I haven't enjoyed watching television this fall unfortunately. It's not that I haven't watched tv, in fact, I've watched just about every new show and all those old shows that have been even remotely worth checking out.
It's too bad that almost everything has sucked.
Modern Family has been pretty disappointing and meaningless. The Big Bang Theory has been even worse than I expected and the new pilots have been - truth to be told - so bad that they leave me (and I bet others too) rather speechless.
Modern Family has been disappointing for numerous reasons. The characters have become less interesting than they used to be. The plotlines have become weaker and Cam & Mitchell have become caricatures.
However, the biggest problem has been that the writers in some episodes have had five separate storylines. It's something that cannot be pulled off. I think three separate storylines in one episode is pretty much the upper limit.
The Big Bang Theory, as expected, has continued its decline qualitywise even though its rating have been great. The episode in which Raj dates a deaf girl has to be the show's worst. It was not only unfunny but also managed to be offensive. Making fun of impaired people - what were the writers thinking?
The show has had one good episode this season. Not surprisingly that episode involved Sheldon's arch enemy Wil Wheaton. Having a strong antagonist always helps.
The new pilots have been bad and the reason for this is pretty much that all the new shows look cheap, the characters are unlikable and the pilots lack even decent premises.
Fortunately there have also been a couple of good shows on air this fall - so it's not all bad. The two shows that I have enjoyed this fall have been a bit surprisingly David Kelley's Harry's Law and not that surprisingly, South Park.
Harry's Law especially had an excellent episode a couple of weeks ago that reminded me that there's still some honor and dignity left in Hollywood. It felt so good to watch something that respects the viewer's intelligence. I just hope that the show doesn't get canceled.
Because David Kelley still has it in him.
The other good one, South Park, is a show that probably isn't at its best anymore. Some fans have started piling on it and last week's 'deus ex' episode simply wasn't any good. Nevertheless I think it's still a funny and a creative show that manages to remain relatively self-aware and honest.
I mean, I don't know if there is a better example than the episodes (You're getting old & Ass burgers) in which Stan Marsh gets depressed because he feels that today's entertainment industry is literally full of crap.
Not only were these episodes well written and funny but they also contained the truth. What we see on tv today really is mostly full of crap - and to see someone as talented as Trey Parker to agree with me (and I bet with so many others) feels pretty good to be honest.
Even though it totally sucks of course.
