If I were the only TV viewer in the world, the Nielsen
ratings would look a lot different. For instance, all those crowd-pleasing
crime procedurals would disappear from the Top 20. Sorry, David Caruso, I’m
just not that into them, so you can stop glaring and put your sunglasses back
on.
With sweeps month in full swing, ratings are a hot topic.
But I’m more interested in issues of quality. Are some of the most buzz-worthy
shows actually having a good season? If you look at nine of them, six are on
track and three are facing creative problems. Here are a quick report card and
some personal, Nielsen-free ratings:
Community: I have a major crush on this new NBC
comedy about an ethics-challenged lawyer (Joel McHale) who forms a study group
with a band of quirky misfits at a community college. Like other great sitcoms
about tight-knit social circles (the workplace one of “Mary Tyler
Moore,” the wartime one of M*A*S*H), Community balances
hipness and warmth and never demeans the oddballs who inhabit it. It gives
McHale a chance to demonstrate that he’s the next Bill Murray, and it’s
introduced the best new supporting character in prime time: pop-culture junkie
Abed (Danny Pudi). A-plus
Mad Men: There’s been grumbling about the glacial
pace and frustratingly loose threads of the third season’s storylines (like
that eye-catching but ultimately head-scratching lawnmower incident). But AMC’s
’60s-era drama finally kicked into overdrive with episodes that turned Don
Draper’s world upside down — as well as that of the entire Mad Men
universe. A
Modern Family: Congratulations to ABC for coming
up with the series that inspires the most enthusiasm when people ask, “So
what are you watching this fall?” A family sitcom for those who find the
genre too sentimental, it has multi generational, diverse characters and smart,
offbeat writing. The biggest laughs usually go to Ty Burrell as a
desperate-to-be-cool dad and Eric Stonestreet and Jesse Tyler Ferguson as a gay
couple with an adopted baby. But another scene-stealer is emerging: Manny (Rico
Rodriguez), the precocious stepson of the gruff patriarch played by Ed O’Neill.
Nice moment: When Manny, upon discovering that his friends drew a beard on his
face at a slumber party, says he thought they were laughing at “my funny
take on current events.” A
Top Chef: The Las Vegas setting has been
gimmicky. The quick exit of Ann Arbor’s Eve Aronoff was a major disappointment.
The we-hate-Robin theme is getting old. Still, it’s hard to think of a previous
cycle of Bravo’s highbrow cooking competition with as much talent and simmering
tension — thanks, on both counts, to the beyond-competitive Voltaggio brothers
— as the current one. By dominating the contest, Bryan V., the calmer presence,
and Michael V., the younger, arrogant sibling, could be bickering their way
into a spinoff. B-plus
FlashForward: Kudos to this mysterious ABC drama
for being good enough to force “Lost” fans to overcome their
reluctance to commit to yet another long, strange trip of clues tossed out like
bread crumbs in a forest. So far, the premise (what would happen if you
glimpsed your future during a mass global blackout) has raised provocative
questions without being pompous. And Joseph Fiennes, as an FBI agent with
sobriety issues, makes a great tortured soul. But the answers and action need
to speed up a bit or else audiences might doze off for, oh, 2 minutes and 17
seconds. B
The Big Bang Theory: The engaging CBS sitcom is
defying TV conventions by letting one of its science geeks, Leonard, have a
romance with Penny, the girl next door. A move that might ruin the fun of
another series is working out here, because it does what Big Bang
always has: It respects the nerds as real people. Even better, the
Leonard-Penny pairing gives Sheldon something else to fret about. And is it
just me, or is turtleneck-addicted, lovelorn Wolowitz becoming adorable? B
30 Rock: Tina Fey has always been the smartest
kid in the class, but the rat-a-tat cleverness of her Emmy-winning sitcom is
starting to grate a little. The self-aware tone is sliding into
self-indulgence, and it feels as if NBC’s critical darling now believes its own
press. Sorry, but 30 Rock was more fun when it was an underdog
somewhat grounded in reality (back when Liz Lemon was thinking about moving to
Cleveland or becoming a mom). But, hey, it’s still the best show-biz satire
around. C
Dancing With the Stars: If America ever needed
the glittery distraction of waltzing B-listers, it’s now. But the magic of the
ABC ballroom seems tarnished this time by the predictability of the casting
(Olympic athlete, NFL star, faded teen celeb, aging Osmond, etc.) and the
absence of a charismatic favorite (the missing Gilles Marini factor). Sometimes
success is all in the casting, which is a polite way of saying that no matter
how superbly Aaron Carter does the jive, it’s just not that compelling. C-minus
Project Runway: In fashion, you’re either in or
you’re out, wondering how you went from fierce to sort of forgettable. It
hasn’t been the best of times for “Runway,” the beloved fashion
face-off that switched from Bravo to Lifetime recently. Chalk it up to a
shortage of likable or memorable designers (even mean-girl Irina could use
lessons in being irritating), a string of yawn-inducing challenges, a
not-so-scintillating move to L.A. and a lack of consistency in the judging
department. Memo to producers: Unless a schedule is worked out so that Michael
Kors and Nina Garcia can judge each episode, fans might be saying auf
Wiedersehen. D
Via McClatchy-Tribune News Service.
