Tuesday, September 20, 2011

Monday Night Lineups

Last night I submerged in the new Fall TV schedule with the first two new episodes of How I Met Your Mother and Castle. Both of these shows were on my rotation the last few years and will remain so this season.

It was a good beginning for HIMYM after what was a disappointing overall effort last year. It was announced months ago that there are two more seasons of the series to go and so fans are not likely to find out who the Mother is anytime soon. But I do like the return of first season's Victoria at the end of last night's second episode. I did like her character before. I'd like her to end up as the Mother, but clues and summer statements seem to make clear that won't happen.

Another good development for HIMYM is the increased activity of Marshall so far this year. He was underutilized last year, which probably had as much to do with Jason Segal being busy as anything else. But a fun Marshall makes for a fun show.

Lastly, I'll ask HIMYM to lay off of the Ohio bashing. It's too easy a target to make fun of the goofy Midwesterners that are too fat and too devoted to their inept football teams. Be more creative writing team.


The second show of the night for me was Castle, the crime/mystery drama featuring Nathan Fillion. I first started watching the show because I liked Firefly and Dr. Horrible and so I wanted to get more Fillion in my life. But I've come to enjoy the show as much as anyone who enjoys a typical cop procedural, such as Law and Order. And the Castle writers always manage to work in some funny lines as well.

The ongoing plots of seasons past continue as Det. Beckett tries to unravel the long-unknown mystery of her mother's death and the resulting conspiracy that seems to be behind it all. And there is the ever-present Will They/Won't They dynamic between Castle and Beckett. It should always be Won't They until the series wrap up. So far that Won't They direction seems firmly in place for now.

Other Shows to Watch on Mondays:

2 Broke Girls: It was described in one article I saw a kind of modern day Laverne & Shirley. For some people I know that is like a shot across the bow. It might be good . . . but then again, its on CBS. The only think that makes me consider watching it is the presence of Kat Dennings, who played opposite Michael Cera in Nick & Nora's Infinite Playlist. CBS, premiered 9/19 @ 9:30.

Two-and-a-Half Men: I've never watched the show and its already into its ninth (9th?!!) season. But the turbulence of the Sheen departure and the Kutcher arrival surely made lots of people take notice during last nights premiere. CBS, premiered 9/19 @ 9.

The Playboy Club: Sure, sure. It's about Hugh Hefner's club where the girls wear bunny outfits. And it's going to get compared to Mad Men, but for all the wrong reasons. I'm just not interested. NBC, premiered 9/19 @ 10.

Terra Nova: Did you like Jurassic Park twenty years ago? Have you ever wanted to see that turned into a TV show? Did you like Wall*E but thought they didn't do enough to highlight the environmental catastrophe that drove that plot in the first place? Then maybe this Steven Spielberg-produced show is up your alley. It reported costs $4 million an episode. (Hey, at least the creative types in Hollywood are employed during this tough economic period.) NBC, premieres 9/26 @ 8.

How I Met Your Mother: CBS, premiered 9/19 @ 8.

Castle: ABC, premiered 9/19 @ 10.

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