Girls Just Want To Have Fun

Critically acclaimed dramedy “Girls” captivates the lives of four young women struggling to find jobs and love in New York City. In the most realistic rendition offered in a series so far, the Judd Apatow produced show accomplishes the hard task of developing relatable stories without losing its authenticity with the help of great writing. The comedy revolves around Hannah, played by Lena Dunham, who was just cut off from her parents at the age of twenty-four and forced to give up on her dream of becoming a writer by quitting her unpaid internship and getting an administrative position in order to pay her bills. The self proclaimed “voice of her generation” has, like so many recent college graduates, fallen victim to the current economic crisis.

Hannah is sarcastic, self-depreciating and absolutely ridiculous; but you can’t help but root for the show’s protagonist who can’t seem to get it together and stop allowing people to walk all over her including her semi-boyfriend Adam, played by Adam Driver. Hannah’s roommate and best friend Marnie, played by Allison Williams, may seem to have it all figured out as a serious and responsible art gallery assistant, but her main issues derive from her long-term boyfriend who she can’t stand to be with anymore. Zosia Mamet stars as Shoshanna, Hannah’s fast-talking, neurotic friend whose biggest fault is that she is still a virgin. There is also Jessa, played by Jemima Kirke, Shoshanna’s beautiful, British cousin and roommate who recently moved back to New York City and has taken a job as a babysitter.

What was once touted as “a younger ‘Sex and the City'” has blossomed into something that cannot even be remotely related to unless all you have to compare are both shows on paper. The raw and honest tone of the show is refreshing and original and unlike anything ever accomplished in television. It directly displays the true lives of twenty-somethings trying desperately to make it in an overpopulated and underpaid world. The new normal has young people accepting horrible positions with the hopes of gaining a decent salary. Its unattractiveness is its appeal and HBO seems to agree by extending a second season renewal to the quirky series even though it has only posted modest ratings of a little over a million viewers per episode. With an increasing popularity surrounding the show and good word-of-mouth reviews, “Girls” has certainly made quite the impression and has left us with wanting more.

And This Is How We Will End, With You And Me Bent

Little known midseason comedy “Bent” premiered last night on NBC and although the first two episodes which aired back-to-back were hilarious, the show became the least watched series premiere for the network of all time, bringing in less than three million viewers. Even in this day and age of DVR, Hulu and iTunes that number is severely low. NBC didn’t put much faith into the series which stars Amanda Peet as a no-nonsense lawyer who hires a stoner contractor, played by David Walton, to remodel the house she shares with her daughter. Peet’s character is newly divorced and just when you think she’ll end up with the contractor with whom she loathes but secretly pines over; her boyfriend is introduced at the end of the pilot.

This comedy actually earned great reviews with Daily Variety calling it “the kind of charming romantic comedy TV frequently aspires to but seldom delivers.” The supporting cast, which includes a trio of workers and Jeffery Tambor as the contractor’s aspiring actor father, also proved to be laugh-worthy. With great writing and impeccable chemistry between the two main stars, this comedy seemed like a critical darling if it not for the lack of marketing, late spring premiere and back-to-back episode burn off. Something tells me that whatever viewers didn’t see in “Bent” isn’t worth fixing as it will most likely not make it past week two, so here’s to seeing this fantastic cast and great writers in other projects to come.

Fade In On A Girl

The most buzzed about midseason show “Smash” premiered last month on NBC and it seems that the musical dramedy held up its end of the bargain by delivering an amazing cast, great drama and solid ratings for the network. The show earns credit for originality as there is nothing quite like it on television unless you count “Glee,” which also has cast members singing popular tunes. NBC is in dire need of a hit as the struggling network has been stuck in last place for the past few years following the infamous “Jay Leno” experiment. Will “Smash” be as much of a hit as the show it’s creating?

The drama revolves around the production of a Broadway show based on Marilyn Monroe and gives viewers a behind the scenes look at what it takes to put on a show in the Big Apple. The pilot dealt with the thought process behind the idea, introducing the main characters and finding who would play the lead role of Marilyn. After seeing five episodes, it has become clear that this show is one to watch from its fantastic cast to its interesting story arcs including funding and writing issues as well as adultery and backstabbing. What was once a show written off as a “Glee” copycat has grown into its own act that isn’t afraid to break out into song in the middle of Times Square.

In a similar fashion to the show’s plot, a nobody was cast as the lead in the form of “American Idol” reject Katherine McPhee who is absolutely perfect as simple Midwest girl Karen Cartwright. Debra Messing looks amazing as Julia Houston, one of the head writers who has plenty on her plate including a bored husband, an ongoing adoption and an old love affair. Jack Davenport plays the womanizing Derek Wills and director that is having an affair with Megan Hilty’s Ivy Lynn, who just happens to be playing the lead role in his play. Angelica Houston steals the show as the sassy Eileen Rand, the producer who is going through a nasty divorce while also trying to find a way to fund her latest project.

The show premiered to over eleven million viewers thanks in good part to airing directly after “The Voice,” NBC’s blind singing competition which has gained viewers compared to last season after getting the coveted post-superbowl spot. Although viewership for “Smash” fumbled in its second outing, the show continues to gain better ratings as it progresses and critics have fallen in love with it. If you thought that the drama ended with the decision of who will be cast as Marilyn, you are sorely mistaken. The real question is can “Smash” save NBC? Viewers and critics seem to agree on one thing; they are putting on one hell of a show.

Sweets Dreams (Are Made Of These)

Supernatural procedural “Grimm” is the other fairytale drama that made its way to the airwaves this television season and while the show shares a similar premise with ABC’s “Once Upon a Time,” its dark tone and police backdrop make it a completely different experience. Along with its counterpart, the NBC show was held back until October where it scared up over seven million viewers during its premiere just days before Halloween. From the producers of “Buffy the Vampire Slayer,” each episode brings viewers closer to feeling like they are watching long lost episodes of the cult favorite WB show “Angel.”

The series centers on Detective Nick Burkhart, played by David Giuntoli, who just found out that he is a descendant of a long line of Grimms, hunters who protect the innocent from supernatural forces. With the help of his partner Hank Griffin, played by Russel Hornsby, Nick must keep the secret and take on the evil that lives in his town of Portland, Oregon. After his aunt is attacked by a fairytale creature, Nick meets and later befriends Monroe, played by Silas Weir Mitchell, who is one of the creatures he has sworn to hunt, but has chosen to assimilate into human culture and help Nick along the way.

Nick also has his girlfriend, Julliette, to worry about, as well as his Captain, who seems to know a lot more about what is really going on then he perceives. Viewers seem to have taken a liking to the mystery drama bringing in a healthy six million people each week for the Peacock, which has been suffering in the ratings for some time. “Grimm” seems like a safe bet for a second season pickup given that its one of the highest rated shows on NBC’s current schedule. With already ten episodes under its belt, the Friday night drama can be caught On Demand for free in its entirety for Cablevision subscribers.

The series thus far has reintroduced viewers to such fairytale characters as Hansel and Getel, The Three Little Pigs and Little Red Riding Hood. “Grimm” has received many positive reviews and comparisons to “Once Upon a Time,” saying that it puts an interesting twist on an old story and that “on a repeat viewing the craftsmanship and attention to detail made more of an impression.” In the beginning of each episode, a quote from a fairytale is displayed in scriptive writing giving viewers hints about what lies ahead. Check out the pilot along with the rest of the season; you’ll be humming Marilyn Manson’s rendition of the eighties classic for days.

Rumour Has It

With nearly half of its third season underway, musical dramedy “Glee” has finally revealed a glimpse of why viewers fell in love with the show in the first place with the latest episode “Mash Off.” After heavily relying much of senior year on the school production of “West Side Story,” the high school drama prevails by returning to its original formula of incorporating music that has to do with what’s happening to the show’s stars.

FOX’s “Glee” centers on a group of very different high school students who form a singing group with the help of their Spanish teacher, Will Schuester. With a variety of characters in the ensemble cast, many episodes reveal dramatic characteristics about each star including relationships, sexuality, and social issues that result in song. This was shown in last week’s episode, which saw cheerleader Santana Lopez being exposed as a lesbian on television, which prompted her to sing her heart out to Adele’s “Someone Like You.”

After creator Ryan Murphy was criticized for the second season of the hit show, which depended on big guest stars like Gwyneth Paltrow and heavily themed episodes, he vowed to return to a more character-driven storyline. But the season thus far has left much of the show’s best characters like Guidance Counselor Emma Pillsbury in the dark and has given ex-cheerleader Quinn Fabray an odd baby-stealing storyline.

Murphy even went as far as to write off fan-favorite Lauren Zizes and give Sam Evans the boot, but has thankfully welcomed back the ladder who will return in the season’s eleventh episode. But the third season hasn’t been all bad: some highlights include Kurt Hummel’s campaign for Class President; Mercedes Jones’ rival choir group “The Troubletones,” and who could forget Mike Chang’s heartbreaking dance episode.

But was there really anything wrong with “Glee’s” second season to begin with? Viewers don’t seem to think so with last season being its highest rated to date, including a superbowl episode watched by nearly thirty million people. While the second season normally saw upwards of ten million viewers per episode, viewership continues to decline for its third season averaging nearly nine million people.

The FOX show also has an amazing merchandise line that includes soundtracks, concerts, and  last summer’s 3-D film. But with the departure set for show stars Rachel Barry, Finn Hudson, and Kurt Hummel, will “Glee” survive another plot change or will the introduction of new cast members drive viewers away? Maybe they won’t have to: “Rumour Has It” many departing characters will be featured in a spin-off.

That’s Amore

MTV’s reality sensation “Jersey Shore” is starting to run out of steam as the “fresh-to-death” group of guidos and guidettes finish up the fourth season of their hit show. The eight Jersey-ites were brought to Italy this time around where they fought, drank, and learned about the statue of David.

This season seemed to be all about Snooki, from her obvious issues with alcohol that she shares with fellow “meatball” Deena to the laundry list of reasons why her boyfriend, Jianni, should break up with her. Somewhere between The Situation confessing his undying love for Snooki, Jenny’s frightening plastic surgery, and Ronnie and Sammi actually getting along, viewers have started to lose interest.

Premiering in the winter of 2009, “Shore” has become a cultural phenomenon from the catch phrases the housemates have come up with to the lives they live in clubs, gyms, and tanning salons. Fellow cast members Vinny and Pauly D brought their bro-mance to another level in Italy, but even their goofy personalities couldn’t keep viewers from feeling tired of this plot.

This wasn’t the first time the gang left the shore; the housemates were taken to the sunny beaches of Miami last winter for season two. It has been reported that each cast member makes $100,000 per episode, not to mention the countless endorsements, magazine covers, and club appearances.

The ridiculous reality show has been renewed for an already filmed fifth season at the Jersey Shore which will premiere in January; however, it is uncertain whether or not the show will go any further than that. The one-time guilty pleasure has become one of those shows that people put on in the background, while they clean.

Ratings for the show have reached over eight million people within the last two seasons making records for MTV and becoming the network’s most viewed series telecast ever. With two spin-offs set to follow fellow cast members Jenny and Snooki living together on Long Island and Pauly D DJ-ing around the country, it seems as though we’ll have plenty more “Shore” in 2012.

Dirty Little Secret

[youtube.com=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fBoPT8Rebhs]

It may be too late to catch ABC Family’s “Pretty Little Liars,” considering the summer finale aired last night, but that doesn’t mean you can’t watch the series in its entirety before it returns for a special Halloween episode on October 19^th. I know what you’re thinking, this show airs on ABC Family and it’s about four teenage girls, but trust me; you don’t want to miss out on all the mystery and plot twists that this show has to offer.

The dramatic thriller premiered last summer and introduced us to Aria; the artsy hipster who is having an affair with her English teacher, Hannah; the former fat girl who just ruined her father’s wedding, Emily; the lesbian athlete who lied to her mother about a swimming scholarship, and Spencer; the preppy over-achiever who is dating a suspect in Allison’s murder.

Each of the girls have their secrets; some are big and some are small, but it is the mysterious “A” who forces the girls to confront their true feelings by making them do things in order to keep their secrets. “A” knows everything about each of the liars, but the girls still have no idea who “A” is. She communicates with the girls through private texts, letters, and in the latest episode speaking porcelain dolls; creepy.

The series has attracted as many as 4.3 million viewers for ABC Family, which is a pretty solid feat for the network, and has paved the way for new shows like “The Lying Game,” which also airs on the channel. Twelve more episodes conclude the second season this January when the liars return.

It’s a campy blend of “I Know What You Did Last Summer” and “Gossip Girl,” with frightening scenes that will have you on the edge of your seat or rolling on the floor. Within the first thirty four episodes that have aired thus far, Hannah was ran over by a car, Emily was poisoned twice, and Spencer held on for dear life as she dangled from a church tower.

I never said this show was an Emmy winning series, but “Pretty Little Liars” sure knows how to keep things interesting during the dog days of summer, and cold nights of winter for that matter. You can catch the series in its entirety on http://www.tv-links.eu/ and don’t miss the special Halloween episode; looks like a real screamer.

Cruel To Be Kind

If you haven’t checked out MTV’s new comedy “Awkward,” you’re missing out on an extremely honest representation of teenage life. The series, currently in its seventh episode, has already been renewed for a second season and airs Tuesday nights at eleven o’clock.

The show stars Jenna Hamilton, a fifteen year old outcaste who is starting to become noticed by the popular group of kids at her high school. Jenna blogs about her life, issues, and daily occurrences, which is narrated throughout the show. After receiving an anonymous letter explaining the reasons why she will never fit in, Jenna has an unfortunate accident in her bathroom causing everyone to think that she attempted suicide.

“Awkward” mixes sex with sweetness, which is exactly what the recently cancelled and extremely provocative “Skins” got wrong. Viewers don’t tune into a show for sex scenes, they tune in for smart television and sex scenes and “Awkward” succeeds in taking a serious situation and making it actually funny.

Over the summer, Jenna lost her virginity to Matty McKibben, one of the most popular kids at her school who has a strange fetish of smelling his armpits. Unfortunately for Jenna, Matty doesn’t want to DTR (define the relationship) or go public for that matter. Her best friend, Tamara, seeks popularity more than anything else in the world and delivers the most outrageous one-liners I have ever heard.

Unlike this show’s titular character, “Awkward” is not “in need of being rescued” considering its second season begins sometime next spring. The show is progressively increasing in ratings, with the latest episode scoring 2.36 million viewers, a far cry from the 8.3 million people who watch “The Jersey Shore,” but something tells me that more people will catch on.

The breakout character here is Sadie Saxton, Jenna’s arch nemesis and captain of the cheerleading squad. She’s bitchy, conniving, and all around mean, but there’s a twist; she’s overweight. This brings an incredible amount of depth to the villain in a way that has not been shown before. Sadie’s evil doings are most likely because she cannot accept herself, but it sure is entertaining to watch her terrorize the outcastes in the halls of the high school.

The comedy is true to its fans with fast talking abbreviations, melodramatic teen angst, and a great soundtrack that wraps it up in a nice neat bow. The topics brought to life by “Awkward” would probably sound dramatic on paper, but the delivery is nothing short of quirky, ridiculous, fun humor; “you’re welcome.”