HouseTV Review: The Event "Pilot"

After months of waiting, it finally arrives. But after all of the wait and the buildup, did the new show The Event live up to the hype. The answer for now will have to be, "So far, so good."

It's hard to say what the new show has going on. Part of that is not giving away details that might spoil the program in question. But the rest is tied up in the storytelling of the first episode, which bounces back and forth between present and past storylines.

The main storylines revolve around a small handful of characters, but focus primarily on a young man named Sean Walker (Jason Ritter), who gets dragged into a conspiracy that somehow involves an enigmatic woman named Sofia (Laura Innes) and a cover up so elusive that it not even the President of the United States (Blair Underwood) is aware of it at first.

It is here that the episode shows both its strength and its weakness. The sporadic back and forth of the storytelling between the lead characters does work. The unraveling of the initial mysteries behind "The Event " are strengthened by the jerky, but well structured web of a timeline that is created here. But despite enjoying the episode as a whole, I still feel like continuing that pacing for an entire season would be a mistake. It made for a nice hook, but it's not something I'd like to see every week.

What swings the episode into higher favor is the ending, which doesn't answer the big question but does answer a smaller one. It stands to reason that most viewers figured that they may not find out what exactly "The Event" is by the end of the first episode. But the pilot makes a strong point of dancing around the question of what type of event it even is. it isn't until the final moments of the episode that part of that question is answered, along with the question of whether or not there will a scifi element to the show.

Of course, the greatest mystery of the show remains unrevealed. And it is on that note that I've taken a positive, but "wait and see" approach to how I think the show will do. It's all well and good form a small handful of unanswered questions that lead to more questions. But some shows, this one in particular I feel, needs the strength that establishing a clear foundation will bring. I sincerely hope they don't intend to drag out some of the larger mystery points for the entire season, because I think they will lose viewers and their fanbase by doing so.

So if you haven't checked out the show yet, give it a test drive. It might actually be better to pick it up from this week, as apparently this week's episode answers at least a few of the questions presented last week.

Rating: 7.5/10 (It's a solid start, perhaps better or worse depending on how the show continues on.)

5 New Shows That I Am Not Interested In (But Probably Should Be)

With the new Fall TV season right around the corner, there are tons of new shows popping up all over the place. And while the mad TV-phile (is that a real word...?) that I am will no doubt check out dozens of shows this seasons (some of which I’ve already talked about), there are a few that just don’t dazzle me. Don’t get me wrong; some of these shows I fully expect to be good. At the very least, people will ramble about how good they are. But for me, just looking at what’s available on them so far, I’m not impressed.

And so, without further ado, and in particular but not specific order, here are five shows I expect to lose interest in within a few weeks. Assuming I haven’t lost it already...

Honorable Mention

Outsourced (NBC): I don’t know what to tell you. When I first heard the premise for the show, it sounded much less like a comedy and more like a quirky drama series. Hey, it worked for Northern Exposure. I’ll give it points for originality, but this show will either survive on a surprisingly refreshing appeal or fade very quickly into television obscurity.

The List

5) Blue Bloods (CBS): “Hey! You got your cop show in my family drama!” “Hey! You got your family drama in my cop show!” “Hey!” “Hey!” “...heeeeeeey...”

I know point blank that the show will probably be good. You don’t normally get as many big names together on a show as you have with this one only to have it suck. That still doesn’t mean that I want to watch a cop show. Or a family drama. Or even a family cop drama. At least Cop Rock had musical numbers. For all three people that watched Cop Rock...

4) Undercovers (NBC): On its surface, the premise of NBC’s new spy show appears sound. And if J.J. Abrams hadn’t sold me on his ability to spin a good yarn before, his relaunch of the Star Trek franchise certainly would have. (And then there’s those other shows he worked on before, but it’s not like anybody really watched those, right…? Oh…)

But somehow, I just can’t get behind this show like I want to. The premise of a couple that shares (and subsequently has to balance) their married life and their spy life, while interesting, feels too generic for its own good. Granted, it’s got some star power behind it, and It’ll probably be jazzy, thrill-filled, and tons of fun. But it will also probably be the first show on the schedule that I get too busy to check out.

3) Law & Order: Los Angeles (NBC): What? Is there some new rule that says that if a show is really popular, it should not only get a spinoff, but that said spinoff should be based in Los Angeles? Is it just a really cheap way to save on travel expenses? Is LA really that different a place that it warrants its own flavor of L&O?

Still, the California variety of the long-running, Emmy winning drama is prepared to make its entry this fall. But as a longtime fan who has slowly but surely lost interest in keeping up with every variant of the franchise, I’m not sure that a change of venue will be enough to sway my verdict of “wait and see”.

2) Hawaii Five-O (CBS): With regards to this show, there are only two groups of people left in the world. The people who are old enough to remember the original show (and I mean remember as in actually remember plots and characters and the like) will probably find this revamp completely unlike what they saw before. People too young to remember the old show at all may find the show’s premise interesting, but to them it will have nothing to do with the nostalgia factor.

In either case, I expect both groups to do about the same thing: hum a few bars of the theme song, mumble, “Book ‘ em, Danno!” just enough times to make it a short lived internet fad, then promptly forget that this show ever existed. It’s just a theory, though.

1) $H*! Mt Dad Says (CBS): It started as a thoroughly entertaining Twitter feed and has since become a book, and now a television series. Will the net phenomenon about a man and his curmudgeonly witty father stand up as a small screen series?

Probably not. When it’s all said and done, this idea has been done in several... no, a few... sorry... virtually every other sitcom ever made features a cranky dad who mouths off to his kid. It’s a staple of the medium, and hardly something to tout as an original idea. That means that the entire success of the show depends on two things: the ability of net fans to translate into real life fans (which is dicey at best) and the draw power of show star William Shatner (who frankly, I think was the wrong choice for this show).

Let’s face it: Shatner’s only here because they think he’s a draw, and clips I’ve seen of him, while sometimes chuckle-worthy, don’t seem to capture the nature of the actual “Dad” whose quotes were such a welcome diversion from an otherwise dull day. But hey, it is a network sitcom. It’s not like it actually has to be funny or entertaining in order to stay on the air...

So that's that. Without a doubt I'll probably be here again at the end of the year apologizing for doubting at least one of these shows. Then again, I'll probably also be here at the end of the year saying, "I told you so." Such is life. Next time, we cover some of the shows that are returning and maybe even a few that have been around forever (or maybe it just feels that way...)

HouseTV: 5 New Shows That I'm Interested In Checking Out

The Fall TV season is just around the corner, so it's time to list the five new shows in the lineup that I am most interested in checking out. For rules on the what, whys, and hows of this list, feel free to read this. Without further ado, and in particular, but not specific order, here is the list:

Honorable Mention:

The Cape (NBC): One could argue that it is easier now than it was before to put a superhero themed show on the air, but the truth still remains. Despite some success on the small screen, a hero show is hard to pull off, and can be a dicey prospect at best.

So it’s encouraging to see NBC stick with the genre with their new show The Cape. The show follows a police officer and family man who is framed for crimes that he didn’t commit and almost killed. To find justice and to protect his family from retribution, he becomes a costumed crime fighter. Corny, sure. But I’m a sucker for anything that resembles a superhero show, so I’ll at least be curious to check it out. Assuming, of course, that it actually shows up mid-season and doesn’t fall completely off the radar.

The List:

5) Mike and Molly (CBS): I both like and dislike the premise of this new sitcom. On one hand, both of the primaries look like they’ll deliver plenty of laughs as a pair of average (and above average sized) people who fall in love. On the other hand, what does it say about our culture that we have to be bludgeoned with the point that these are “average joe” type people that we can relate to? Please stop acting like you’re tossing us a bone on this one...

4) Outlaw (NBC): I can’t think of a single person that was sitting around saying to themselves, “Boy, I hope Jimmy Smits will come back to television this year...” And yet, this was how NBC decided to market Smits’ new show. It’s shades of Benjamin Bratt in E-Ring, only hopefully someone will actually remember this show in two years.

But despite the folksy, forced feel good that a Supreme Court justice who resigns from the highest judicial level in the land to fight for the little guy is supposed to bring, I still feel like this could be a pretty good show. Because it’s not like there are a ton of procedural dramas based around courtrooms already out ther... oh, yeah...

3) Top Chef: Just Desserts (Bravo): Yes, I promised that this list would be relatively free of reality shows (who should probably have their own list... hey, there’s an idea...). But after catching snippets of Top Chef here and there and following a mini-marathon or two, I know that I usually enjoy the show when I can. So hopefully this new incarnation, based entirely around everyone’s favorite meal course, should produce some truly sweet (pun intended) moments. Now if only it wouldn’t lead to excessive late night dessert munching...

2) No Ordinary Family (ABC): It’s the show I’ve heard described as a “real life Incredibles” by people who probably don’t realize that that film is pretty much an homage to the Fantastic Four. It’s a much better comparison overall, even if it does end up giving the impression that Michael Chiklis is being typecast.

The show centers around Chiklis as the father of a rather ordinary family (at first) that, after suffering a mysterious accident during a plane trip, all discover that they have developed superpowers. And while I’m usually a sucker for any old superhero story, I feel like this show might have enough quirky humor topped with a dash of heart to endear it to any audience. But good luck winning any big numbers in that Tuesday night timeslot…

1) The Event (NBC): By all rights, this is the show that NBC is banking on to create the same kind of buzz that Heroes did when it premiered way back when. But after months of teasing and buildup, can discovering what “the event” really is possibly live up to all of the hype?

Of course it can’t! But with any luck, the storytelling will manage to hold people’s attention long enough for it to build a fan base. But I swear that I will rage profusely if people start to complain about it “not being enough like Lost”. Or anything Lost related for that matter. Seriously, folks, let the show go. It’s over now...

And speaking of over, so is this list. But stay tuned, because when I come back, it's all about the new shows that aren't giving me a buzz. Although oddly with some, I feel like they should be...

HouseTV: Project Fall Preview: Prelude

The new Fall TV season is just around the corner, and as everyone knows, I am an avid TV buff.

(Incidentally, it’s probably the only time the word “buff” can be associated with me, but that’s a whole other story...)

So with that said, it is time yet again for a new set of lists. But it occurs to me, in part because I haven’t done a list in so very long (wow, has it been that long...?), that people may have forgotten the rules for these lists. So I figured I’d spend the first part of this feature explaining just what my philosophy on list-making is (at least the majority of the time...).

My lists are, as it should go without saying, my opinion. They are not intended to be definitive truths. In fact, it’s entirely likely that my own opinion on them would change if I gave it more time. Despite this, I will defend my choices, for better or worse, as being valid.

The lists are made in no particular order, although the top listings are generally better than the lower listings. This is generally because I list things based on my general interest, with the shows with the most detailed write ups ending up at the top. Hence, shows that make it to the top spots of the list are (presumably) the ones I have more interest in (or less, depending on the list).

In short, you should just consider any lists I make to be fun items generated for entertainment or possible discussion. It’s hardly a matter of life or death.

Anywho, here are the lists I’ve been working on, which should come out slowly but surely as the week progresses:


5 New Shows That I Am Interested in Checking Out
5 New Shows That I Am Not Interested In (But Probably Should Be)
5 Returning Shows That I Am Waiting For
5 Reality Shows I Know I’ll End Up Watching (For Better or Worse)

Note that reality TV has its own category mainly to keep a huge pile of reality shows out of the other lists. That doesn’t mean that a few wont’ pop up there, though.

So that’s that. Expect those list to filter out through the next week, presumably before the new season starts and makes them less relevant than they already are...