Thursday, October 27, 2011

Reviews of More New Fall TV Programs

Along with the programs mentioned previously, there are a few others worthy of mention that debuted this fall. The first one I saw is called “New Girl,” with the girl in question being played by Zoey Deschanel. Being a fan of Ms. Deschanel I had high hopes for this series, but was sadly disappointed in the first episode. First of all, it’s kind of hard to believe the character she plays is so socially inept based on her looks alone (someone that pretty you wouldn’t have to remind her to shave her legs and armpits before going out on a date). It just seems a terribly cliché situation her living with three guys, all of which would gladly jump her bones in a second if she wasn’t their roommate and friend (even then…) Hence, I haven’t given the series a second chance, but may see if I can catch an episode or two on Fox’s website or hulu.com.

In a moment of boredom at work recently, I had time to watch several episodes of “Two Broke Girls” on hulu.com, and was pleasantly surprised, enough so to make a point to tune in again and set the DVR. The basic premise (as much as I can surmise from missing the first two episodes), is a new waitress is hired at a NYC dive. This new waitress, Caroline, is the wealthy daughter of an embezzler (father) who is currently in prison, no mom in the picture. Not sure if she left her fancy family apartment by her own free will or order of the court, but somehow she ends up living with the other waitress, Max.

Did I mention Caroline brought along her horse (Chestnut) who lives in the alley beside their apartment? In one scene Max is walking Chestnut carrying a shovel the same way people who walk their dogs carry pooper scoopers and plastic bags. The only difference being that Chestnut is just slightly larger than a dog, but no one seems to give them a second look. I like the way the two characters play off each other as Max is the streetwise Flo-like character while Caroline is definitely more of an Alice (but not as dim witted as Vera). The two also decide to save up their money and go into the cupcake making business together. At the end of each episode a total is given so we can follow their progress toward their goal.

This fall two new fairy-tale like programs premiered, “Once Upon a Time” and “Grimm.” Having not seen “Grimm,” I can’t tell you whether it’s any good, but “Once Upon a Time” is certainly something different (but in a good way!). It starts out kind of slow, but if you just stick with it and want to believe the premise, you won’t be disappointed. Jennifer Morrison plays Emma Swan, a sort of bounty hunter who is tough, has no family and lives alone. A little boy, Henry, comes to her and tells her he’s her son that she gave up for adoption ten years ago. Of course this throws her for a loop, but she agrees to drive him back home to Storybrooke, Maine, where he lives with the evil queen, his adoptive mother. Something about Storybrooke intrigues Ms. Swan and she decides to stay for a week, but only a week. The other fairytale characters are interesting as well and I look forward to seeing more of them each week as the story unfolds.

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