Mid-season Status Report

Ok, I guess it isn’t really the middle of the television season, per se.  But really with how things seem to run these days, how could one truly pin down a mid-point?  Some shows started their season as early as September while others started in January – still others seem to be coming back in March.  So who knows.  The bottom line is that I feel like reviewing the shows that I watch in summary.  So here I go:

• House – 80% – House is House as usual and there has been no real disappointment in the greater story arc so far this season.  While it is hard to keep pace with last season’s finally, this season is keeping things interesting.
• 24 – 75% – Jack Bauer is, well, Jack Bauer.  Once again the fate of the nation is at risk and only he can save it.  While the show ALWAYS has some level of contrived-ness, this season has managed to keep it within reason.
• Chuck – 75% – I like Chuck.  Sure the show is not sophisticated – there is only minor long-term character development.  But Chuck is funny both through character and situational humor (and it doesn’t hurt that Sarah is hot).
• Heroes – 30% – If I were to grade strictly on the most reason set of episodes, that number might be lower still.  The inconsistencies and unbelievable actions and reactions by several of the characters I’ve seen this season have me losing patience.  The only reason that I’ve stuck with it is because I know that something written by Brian Fuller is soon to come (please be the hero we all need).
• Life – 60% – I still like this show in that the police mysteries are interesting and realistic and I enjoy the character of detective Crews as he assesses these cases.  I’m not sure where the larger arc is going, but I’m sticking around for the ride.
• Lie to Me – 70% – This is a new show and I’m taking a liking to it.  It is a bit like Psych and The Mentalist but with a slightly more scientific approach.  I enjoy Tim Roth’s character’s unapologetic approach to everyone.
• Bones – 70% – I started watching this in the first season and dropped off of it for a season or two.  Catching back up to it, I’m enjoying it.  I love the character of Sweets that they added – he makes a great comedic foil.  And as usual I like Bones’ complete lack of social aptitude.
• Smallville – 50% – This has always been a guilty pleasure of mine.  It is kind of sad that I am giving this a better rating than Heroes.  But I have kind of been enjoying this season and I’m curious where they will take it.  My one major issue with it is that I don’t see how they can transition from where they are now to what Superman is supposed to be.  I can accept their non-canonical approach, but I would imagine the goal is for the show to ultimately to trend towards the canon, and I don’t know if they can.
• Terminator – 60% – I enjoy the concept of this show – it adds another layer of depth to the canon that the movies created.  And they do a decent job to keep the story moving in an interesting direction.
• Dollhouse – 85% – Granted, this show is only 2 episodes in so far.  But it is Joss Whedon so I’m in, and I like the moral gray area in which it treads and I can’t wait to see how this house of cards starts to come apart (and again, hotness helps).
• Psych – 70% – This show, like Chuck, tends to be light on the long-term character development, but not entirely.  And this season in particular it has taken strides in that area that were getting close to overdue.  So I’m still on-board and enjoying the ride.  My only complaints are that sometimes the mysteries aren’t all that complex and the case in the most recent episode seemed to come to a close too easily.

There are some other shows that I watch as well, but these are the ones that came to mind that I felt like writing about.  There are also several great NBC comedies that I watch on Thursdays, but there isn’t much I need to say about those – they are just consistently solid.  There are also some shows that sadly have come to a close before this point in the season such as Pushing Daisies and Eli Stone.  There are also shows that have been absent for an oddly long time such as Reaper and Eureka.  In all, I think it is clear that I watch entirely too much television.