Do I think NBC's *Smash* is a smash??

I love musicals, love New York City and love TV, so this show should be the ideal one for me.  After the pilot I do have many thoughts on it, mainly I'm scared that I am going to love it and its going to be quickly taken away!

Ok firstly I did love it, of course I did, its a musical TV show set in one of my all time favorite cities New York, with Broadway show tunes, what's not to love!  There was not one original song that I did not love and I was cautious about that going in to this show.  When you know its going to be original Broadway show tunes mixed with a couple you already know it does scare you because this is the type of TV that well people like me want to work.  I did not appreciate Karen (Katherine McPhee) singing Beautiful with a pop voice and it being an amazing thing to do at audition.  Up until that point I did find the show to be more realistic about the industry but  singing a pop song with a pop voice no it just wouldn't no I refuse to believe that would EVER work on Broadway.

So lets start with McPee's Karen.  Not a fan, she is so blumin boring.  Please please please do not make her the lead actress and we are all supposed to route for her to be Marilyn.  McPhee is a brilliant singer and can hold her own (as seen with the finale duet with Ivy) but she is Broadway enough to lead a Broadway show, and she's too clean and boring to be Marilyn.  No Marilyn NEEDS to be played by Ivy (Megan Hilty).  Ivy is already my favorite character she is talented, very talented, and she's not appreciated enough.  That alone was enough for me to love her character but after seeing the previews for the upcoming episodes and how competitive she is going to get, ooo I am already very excited, she could be someone to watch for at awards season. 

The writers Tom (Christian Borle) and Julia (Debra Messing) are a great team.  Straight from the first scene of the pilot you believed that these two had worked together for years and are great friends, it made me want to route for Marilyn to be a success straight away.  Julia's life isn't a complete mess as well, it seems pretty normal. A nice change from most TV show where no married couple can be happy, ever.  Poor Tom though his new wonder assistant Ellis (Jaime Cepero) lets him down in the pilot but I sense it is going to happen again within the season.

The producer Eileen (Anjelica Houston), well firstly Houston is a legend, that's enough to love  her character, its a good thing though that the character is someone you want to see kick her soon to be ex husbands ass.  Eileen is in the middle of a messy divorce where I am guessing she came in with no money but made a lot through her musical producing.  Her current work has gone into stand still until the divorce is finalised and so she needs Marilyn to work.  Its great when nearly everyone is passionate about the project.  Bringing me to my other least favorite character, as well as Karen that is, Derek Wills (Jack Davenport).  He is everything you kinda stereotype for a Broadway director, dick head who is charming but sleazy at the same time.  Of course this makes me dislike him.  I think though what makes me dislike him the most is that he somehow thinks Karen is perfect for the part of Marilyn when he already had Ivy there ready and perfect.  Of course he and one of the writers Tom already have bad blood between them so the ladies in charge of the production (Eileen and Julia) kinda have to sway them both for Derek to be involved.  I know I am only 1 episode in but I am totally already on Tom's side!

With all this being said I am very excited for the next episode, and well the whole season.  I just hope that It continues to be a success!

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I am LOVING the new FOX thriller *Alcatraz*

Alcatraz starts off straight from conspiracy central, and come on we all love a little bit of 'what if that actually happened' ness.  What if when the prisoned closed down in 1963 no one left the island they all just vanished.  If you are one of those believers in the Alcatraz ghost stories or love a good old conspiracy thriller this show is defiantly for you.

I think first up I should mention that I am very intrigued by Alcatraz as it is, a prison that has help some of the most notable criminals from back in the Mafia prohibition days etc, but also its an island.  One day I defiantly want to visit San Francisco and do the tour of Alcatraz.  Mind you from the amount fo footage shown of the prison on the show I don't know if an actual visit is still needed, only joking!

So I am now 4 episodes in and I am a little bit hooked on this show, so much so I have been in my dreams investigating the Alcatraz prisoners along with Dr Diego Soto (Jorge Garcia) and Det Rebecca Madsen (Sarah Jones).  Immediately you are drawn in as they are, we the audience are in just the same loop as these two characters so it can make us feel we are with them in this. 

 The story goes as follow - In 1963 Alcatraz was closed down and all the prisoners were transferred, or so we thought to believe.   When the guards came to transfer the prisoners they found Alcatraz empty, no prisoners and no guards.  Now in the modern day these disappeared of Alcatraz are starting to reappear, and now being free are going back to their criminal ways whilst helping the unknown source that kept them hidden for the past 50 odd years.  The big shocker though is that they all look the exact same as they did in 1963.  Madsen and Soto became involved, by being well a little big too inquisitive but also having the knowledge they do, Madsen who looks a little deeper than everyone else and Soto who is a criminology expect on the Alcatraz prisoners, and published author.  The man in charge of the 'capture the Alcatraz guards and prisoners' is Emerson Hauser (Sam Neil), who seems to be keeping a lot more hidden than what he is sharing.

With being four episodes in quite a bit has happened and some AMAZING shockers along the way, which had me shouting at the screen, I don't want to ruin it too much more by going into detail.  For those of your who think this is kind of Lostesque, that might have something to do with eh fact that its another JJ Abrams show, so you do feel the Fringe and Lost vibe in it but its is a very different show, and set in the city (and surrounding areas) of San Fransico.  

I highly recommend this show to well mostly everyone, there is a little bit of everyone, sci-fi, drama, action thriller, mystery etc.  I hope you enjoy it as much as me :D.

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*Hart of Dixie* offers some easy feel good watching!

I should say ways to watch if it lays of the cheese! Since it is Josh Swartez i have  A LOT of faith in this show, you could say the pilot of The OC and Gossip Girl, even Chuck, were riddled with cheesefesty moments b ut with the pilot you have got to set the scene and the basic big story lines of the season and Hart of Dixie defiantly did so.

First off lets talk about the fact that Rachel Bilson is now back on my TV.  I was a mahooosive fan of The OC back in the day so I get happy when any of the cast are in anything else (well apart from Mischa Barton just because well shes only good as Marissa Cooper), so a  show where Bilson is the leading lady already had me watching for the first couple of episodes.  I gotta say though I might stick this one out it defiantly had an old WB style to it, which again makes me happy, and its guna be nice and easy but probably addictive to watch.  I just dont know how well I am going to buy into this whole Bilson is a doctor thing.

The rest of the cast seem ok for now, I think Wade is going to get quite a bit more interesting, especially more so than George who seems to be a little bit dopey.  Lemon is going to annoy the frick out of me, I mean her name is Lemon for starters!  The Mayor hmmm not sure how I feel about him to be honest.

For now i am going to keep watching up, try and catch fully up this week, I am hoping the narration from Bilson's character Zoe stops though, cannot be dealing with that every episode!

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*ABC's Revenge - Defiantly Served*

Ok 1 episode in and I am a little bit addicted.  Gotta say I wasn't expecting to be, especially as I usually dislike the main actress Emily Van Camp, however it has proven to be a nice guilty pleasure, and better yet its like ABC crossed with the CW.

First off I guess I didn't know much about the show before going into it because I had no idea that the revenge  was from something that happened to her family when she was little, which makes it so much more interesting.  I am uber excited to see how Jack/Amanda develops, I'm really hoping he discovers her a couple of episodes in.  I am a little confused as to where the finances (Daniel) murder is going to happen, midseason or season finale.  Since its a first season, and the didn't have a full season order when they went into making the show, I'm guessing they had it prepared for midseason.

The Grayson family, first off Conrad is a douche can he be killed off, we know Daniel dies before him because he is at the engagement party in the pilot, wait one sec all the big players were which means its going to take a lot of episodes for anyone to truly be revenged on, hmmm.  I cant wait to learn all of Victoria's little dirty secrets like the one we learned at the end of the episode.  The daughter seems irrelevant for now so I will make more of a decision on her later on as the show progresses.

Emily/Amanda what shall we call her Amily? Emanda? I gunna go with Amily tis prettier.  So we have the childhood crush with Jack, the potential romance (which we know becomes an engagement) with Daniel, some weird flirting with Nolan.  Personally after the pilot I am rooting for Jack, although Daniel is a hottie, and her reaction to his death leads me to think she does develop actual feelings for him.  Maybe Amily and Nolan conspire to kill Daniel and she backs out but he continues with the plan, no its gotta be the girl Daniel killed  in the car crash's family coming back for their revenge.

The Porter family, you can tell we will be rooting for them all the way through to come out of financial struggles, to get the girl, they are defiantly the family who deserve happiness, the opposite of the Grayson's, maybe Daddy Porter was good friends with Amily's father and ends up helping her out?

See one episode in and I already have about a gazillion questions, guess I better get catching up so I can answer myself!

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*Suburgatory - Easy A In TV Form*

Finally got round to watching ABC's new comedy Suburgatory and I am thinking that i might just watch all the episodes Iv'e missed in one because its that good.  Think Emma Stone in Easy A taken out of her comfort zone and placed into well the suburbs of NYC!  And that's what this show is!

Ok it helps that the leading girl Tessa played by Jane Levy  kinda looks like Emma Stone and has the same coolness factor probably as her but that's probably what they were going for when they were casting this show.  Tessa is just very New York in her attitude, e.g. I have been brought up to be an individual why should I change myself to fit in, and of course I agree completely with this attitude so i really love this character, and kinda would like to be as cool as her.

What i love most about this show possibly though is how ever cliché about the people in the suburbs is heightened to a scary stepfordness.  Cheryl Hines is hilarious as Dallas, she reminds me a little bit of Amy Pholer in Mean Girls as lead mean girl Regina's mum, probably not as desperate but defiantly as fake.  Her daughter Dalia (is the right way its spelt, not sure) is just so bland boring and robot like that she had me kinda in stitches, or maybe it was the fact in the most monotone way possible that she says exactly what she like.  Imagine Cordelia Chase constantly glued to a mobile phone and not learning how to make expressions in her voice, i assume that's how we would get Dalia

George played by Jeremy Sisto is going to have it hard, single man quite attractive, he will be eaten up by all the single ladies, and well the married ones probably too.  This of course is going to make for some excellent comedy.  At first I was a little concerned about Sisto in a comedy I have only really seen him in Six Feet Under and that's so far from comedy in unreal, and his character in that had Bipolar I think, if not sorry its been a while since i watched it.  However I am pleasantly surprised by this lighter role he has taken on.

So I am off to watch more of this series and I think you all should to! :D

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A Double Bill of *How I Met Your Mother* Followed by New Faces on *Castle*, My Mondays are Back!

The double bill of How i Met Your Mother took us back to that finale moment with  Barney standing their being the groom and also gave us another few teases as to who the bride could be.  On Castle it started off with the aftermath of the funeral shooting, we all knew Kate would survive but what we didn't know is what she would remember and how it would impact her.

How I Met Your Mother - 7x01 The Best Man & 7x02 The Naked Truth

The first hour of HIMYM was all really about Punchy's wedding and Marshall and Lily telling the rest of the gang their news.   Ted was best man at Punchy's wedding and scared to give a toast as he managed to break down at all the other weddings whilst giving the toast and thanks to Punchy had become somewhat of a you tube hit in Finland.  This does scare me sometimes thinking that people could have videoed me and in some other country I am a hit.  However the gang pointed out that this year he hasn't been left at the alter (Stella), he hasn't lost his job in fact he is on the cover of New York Magazine.  Unfortunately when it came to bragging about this to everyone at the wedding their news was better, to Marshall, because they each had families, which leads Ted to serial dating,  usiing the magazine at newspaper stands as a pick up line.  After dating two women successfully Ted was going to carry it on until seeing how much of a fool Barney was willing to be for love, it reminded Ted exactly why he was a sucker for love.  So in the end instead of inviting one of his new conquests to this big architecture ball he takes Robin but end up seeing a very old fling there, it was the return of Victoria/Buttercup from Seaosn 1. 

Onto Marshall and Lilly, I gotta say I kinda love Marshall drunk in both of the opening episodes we see for the better term of it wasted.  In the wedding episode he gets drunk to hide the fact that Lilly is pregnant and well ends up outing the brides pregnancy as well, funny times.  In the 2nd episode his new potential boss (played by the awesomely funny Martin Short) explains they will have to do an internet search and background check but if it all pans out well he has the job.  Which leads them to discovering videos on-line of Marshall in collage as Beercules, and then to try to get the video taken down he ends up doing an updated version just for his new potential boss, who incidentally loved it and hires him anyway.

Robin and Barney had a very seductive dance at the wedding confirming to Lily and Robin that there was still chemistry between the two of them, unfortunately though Barney has all eyes for Nora at the minute.  After disgusting Nora with all his pick up stories he decides to wait in the diner until he gets his second date with her, which works out indeed.

Castle - 4x01 Rise

Castle pick up right where we left off in the finale, Kate gets rushed into hospital after being shot in the chest and Esposito and Ryan promise to catch the shooter. Castle4 and Kate's boyfriend Josh who is also one for the doctors at the hospital come to blows ad Josh blames Castle for Kate being shot.  When Kate wakes up the next day Castle goes to see her and she asks him for some time, I knew here straight away she wasn't gunna call him for months, but I thought It was because she's still angry at him for taking her out of the aeroplane hanger, not because she's not ready to deal.  Kate tells Castle that she cant remember anything form the moment she was shot, which of course is when Castle told her he loves her.

Time passes on, 3 months from what I think they said and Kate is back to the precinct, where she meets the news boss Captain Victora Gates (Iron Gates) who has come from IA (Internal Affairs) so does everything exactly by the book, you know straight away thought that this means she is gunna get caught up in something nasty and that the team are going to have to go well against the book to help her.  Iron Gates we find out has got rid of Castle and has been keeping a close eye on her detectives, she has also shut down the shooting case on Kate as there were no new leads.  Of course this tremendously peeves Kate off and leads her to find Castle apologise and well sneak around the new boss ladies back to continues investigating her shooting, Roy's death and her mothers death, oh I see this ending well, not.   I'm kinda hoping that the continue with this conspiracy case like they have been the past 3 seasons, not making it a big deal until a big lead turns up for one episode.  Or maybe they can solve this conspiracy or at least why her mother was murdered by the end of this season and get Kate and Castle together. 

This première episode was more about introductions and  well getting back to old ways, the murder of the episode was nothing interesting in itself, it lead Kate to question her ability a little bit but that was cleared up by the end. I am not saying it was a bad episode at all because I really enjoyed it, just means I am excited for the rest of the season! I see next episode brings back the humours Castle:

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Will I stick with *The Playboy Club* NBC's new period drama?

I can save the article and write here YES! It may not be as stylish and probably not as historically correct as Mad Men but for me its a lot more enjoyable. 

I don't know if this show will work as a full 22 episode season or if it should be more of a mini series because the story line of the mob murder doesn't feel like it can play out for long, nor can the presence of a young Mr Hugh Heffner, but I gotta feeling I will be gripped for however long its on for.  This is the 2nd of two network shows this season to be focusing on a workplace in the 60's, ABC are looking at the air hostesses of Pan Am and I am looking forward to trying out that but this was the one i was expecting to dislike and I am pleasantly surprised.

The bunnies all have their own story lines we only got to really delve into Maureen's (Amber Heard) in the pilot, who I presume to be the main character along with Nick Dalton (Eddie Cibrian).  Maureen is the new bunny and whilst dancing a man gets a little bit too handsy with her, he then later follows her into the back and after a struggle which Nick walks into and tried to help him off her she end up stabbing him in the neck with her shoe, by accident.  Nick informs her that this is no ordinary business man and that he is in fact a big mob boss so they must cover it up.  We later find out that Nick is in fact one of his protégées who has built himself up into well the future state attorney.  Anywyas nick helps Maureen dispose of the body and the rest of the episode is then denying they know what has happened to this guy and making out they went home together, which i can see is probably going to happen with these two.  

Other bunnies stories we really got to start looking at, and I have a feeling will probably end up being more interesting than the main two, are  Carol-Lynne (Laura Benanti) who is the oldest bunny working in the club but by the end of the episode goes above the club managers head to The Heff himself to become the 'Bunny Mother', another name for the manager of the ladies.  And then there is Alice (Leah Renee) who throughout the whole episode we know is married and her husband, who comes and gets her after work but they are in trouble with the law and kind of in hiding.  We find out at the end of the episode that she is in fact a lesbian and he is gay and they are part of a secret society.  Still not sure what they are raising their money for though.

I'm excited to see where all these stories go but at the same time I am loving the 60's references and in the pilot episode we had Tina Turner (not the real one) making an appearance in the club as the the band that night, which of course make it even more awesome.  I also kinda wish I had been around to go party at the playboy club it looks like fun.

Check out next weeks promo below, which seems to give away even more of the other bunnies stories, oh i am excited:

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CBS adds another comedy show to its Monday block with *2 Broke Girls*

2 Broke Girls (CBS) is a comedy about two very different girls, and when I say different I am not just talking about their looks, I mean language upbringing everything very much the opposite of each other.  This idea has been kinda done to death as well a show about two opposites but of course its been done to death because it always seems to work.

I was sceptical about this show before it started, from all the promos I thought it would be obvious jokes and humour and be easy watching but nothing else but I can honestly say that I am excited to see next week and I think the countdown or count up of money right at the end makes it more exciting too.  

The pilot starts off showing the basic life of Max, and well introducing us the audience to her humour and the characters she interacts with.  It doesnt take long for the audience to realise shes hard (hard as in you wouldn't wanna get on the wrong side of her because she will put you down so badly with her words) and that she works hard as well, doesn't take any of the shiz thrown at her but also knows when to roll with the punches (grabbing sauce from behind co-workers having sex).  

Then we meet the other half of the 2 broke girls with Caroline Channing, I've put in her surname because well we learn it almost instantaneously when Max discovers who she really is.  Caroline comes in with this amazing resume that said she has been a waitress at many a prestigious restaurant which of course makes Max curious about her but after minutes of talking to her discovers she has had waitress experience and that she is in fact the daughter of an Upper East Side  fraudster and so has basically been shunned from money and society.  I didn't think Caroline would have a sarcastic side but she holds her won against Max and almost puts her in her place which leads Max to tell Caroline more about herself than she usually does to new people.  

Both girls have their own smarts as well, Max makes delicious cupcakes for the diner but because of her lack of confidence doesn't know she can charge more for them, which of course is when Caroline comes in with the genius plan of saving up money to build a cupcake business together since she has had the fancy business school education.  This idea works itself into the closing credits when we have the counting of money to show at the end of each episode how much money they have now saved, Caroline says it will take a year to get the $250,000 so that's the aim.

The supporting cast are really kept in the sidelines but the good thing is we don't need more focus on them because both leads are enjoyable to watch, but the supporting team do bring the laughs we have the chef Oleg, the 'recently or not so recently immigrant from China who wishes to be more like the neighbourhood' boss of the diner Bryce (formally Han) Lee,  the I don't actually know what he does but he site at the front of the diner maybe he is the music man but his name is Earl and he seem to be rather cool, and to finish it off the other boss who is a society housewife in Manhattan Peach who is the worst stereotype of bimbo housewife which makes it tragically funny.

I will be sticking with the comedy, its a good companion piece for How I Met Your Mother plus its another show abased in one of my favourite cities in the world NYC! So here is a promo below check it out and see if you would like to enjoy it too:

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One of the most anticipated shows of the season *Ringer* has finally aired!

Before you read on this might be spoilery for you, it depends on how much you have seen from the promos etc.

I have been most excited about this show to air, not just because of the fact the Sarah Michelle Gellar was coming back to a TV leading role but also because i could not work out what the hell it was actually about.  Thankfully the pilot episode did give me answers, and also gave me a lot more questions, mind you what can you expect out of TV these days.

Ringer isn't really like any TV show i have experienced before, when they said its very noir inspired they were not kidding.  I guess the best way to describe it from me is that it has the feel of a TV movie thriller.  Not that its bad because its far from there but because it feels like I am watching a movie yet of course there are too many characters and production is not movie standard so its like a TV movie.  

The Mains

The characters that SMG plays, Bridget & Siobhan, are both very interesting in their own ways.  Bridget seems to have all her issues open and well easy to see.  Siobhan on the other hand I can not understand yet anything about her.  I have enjoying though watching Bridget be Siobhan and getting very confused by her sisters life.

The Men

The men seem very interesting but are very much the support at the minute, I am looking forward to finding out more about Andrew (Ioan Gruffudd), who plays Siobhan's husband, mainly because I dont quite understand their relationship yet it seems more like a business deal.  I am also excited about more interactions between Victor (Nestor Carbonell) and Bridget/Bridget as Siobhan, I might be premature on this but i kinda ship them already, however I'm not too sure if i should be shipping any characters together on this show.  Not too fussed about Henry (Kristoffer Polaha) he just seems to be there to be Siobhan's lover or Gemma's husband. Last but not least Malcom (Mike Colter) needs to get himself to NYC to become more of the story, maybe he can work together with Victor to help Bridget, I see that as a potential friendship.

The Supporting

Which brings me to the other females on this show Siobhan's best friend and lovers husband Gemma (Tara Summers), and the bratty drug fiend step daughter Juliet (Zoey Duetch).  I am not a fan of Juliet already she seems out of place on this show, I mean she belongs on the CW but shes the only thing CW about this show.  Gemma seems interesting, I think she will be more of a friend to Bridget then Siobhan, my theory is Bridget will tell her who she really is and what happened and Gemma will help her, she seems like that kinda woman.

Well thats my thoughts on this pilot episode, to check out whats in store next week on Ringer the promo is just below:

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