Another CBS “Comedy.” I don’t think there are enough words in the English language to describe the horribleness. This is one of those shows that screams “pitch meeting.” I can picture some bunker at CBS where so called writers are sweating at the 11th hour trying to come up with something, anything to fill 30 minutes on the schedule next seaon aside from CSI: Northeast Side Of Miami. “How about two nerds and a hot chick moves in next door, and instead of ignoring them, takes a hot naked shower in their apartment with no clothes to change into within 20 minutes of meeting them?” Yes, go with it!
Do everything you can to avoid this show. I plan on “adult guard” blocking CBS all together, then attempting to forget the password just to be on the safe side.
Back To You
Frasier gets a new job as a TV anchorman, and the wife from Everyone Love Ray Romano leaves Ray and the kids behind to coanchor. Watching this pilot cemented one thing for me: I don’t think I can do laugh track shows any more. I’ve loved a few in the past like Cheers, Frasier, and Seinfeld, but now in the age of shows like 30 Rock and The Office I just can’t stand that canned laughter, especially when what’s happening just isn’t that funny. On Back To You, there are at least three moments when something mildly amusing happens (like a character walking in with a sweaty shirt) and the “audience” ROARS with laughter. Don’t they have severity settings on those machines?
This show was miles ahead of The Big Bang Theory, but still sucked the funny out the the room like a black hole.
Chuck
OMG It’s the best new show of the season! Of course, that’s like saying it’s the prettiest pig at the 4H barn at the State Fair, but still, it’s surpsingly not a bad show. This one actually does the nerd humor better than the so called “comedy” The Big Bang Theory, and the action stuff is OK too. Be prepared to shut off your computer-person brain though if you have one though. The computer stuff, of course, is ridiculous. But it’s a good show overall. Chuck himself is pretty funny, and the CIA agent is good too (and hotter than the chick in TBBT actually - burn).
I’m going to try and watch Bionic Woman just to see how it is. The previews look pretty lame so far, but I’ll keep an open mind.
Do you know whether the show is filmed before a live studio audience?
Although, even if it were, the “audience reactions” could have been artificially augmented.
Everything I’ve read about this show stressed the fact that it is a traditional, three-camera sit-com, made by people who have plenty of experience with that sort of show.
I don’t know if it’s actually filmed in front of an audience. If it is, that wasn’t mentioned on the iTunes copy.
And yeah, it’s a pretty traditional 3 camera sitcom, and it should be a mild hit. It’s just not for me. I stand by my assessment of The Big Bang Theory though. That one is horrid.
I actually enjoyed Back To You. I was expecting crappy (simply because you’re putting two talented actors together and if there’s no chemistry it ruins everything), but the dialogue was good, the jokes were snappy, and there was just enough there between Heaton and Grammer to make me want to see it again.
I’m looking forward to Chuck tonight–hopefully I won’t be disappointed.
I have mentioned it before, but I have been to pilot episodes of sitcoms and trust me, the writers have asked every family member, friend and passing acquaintance to show up and laugh hysterically at any and everything.
I remember the pilot episode of Perfect Strangers and the guffaws in the back rows got to be so loud, obnoxious and inapporiate, people in the front rows were turning around to see what lunatics had been released from the asylum.
I found the only thing of any interest in the show was naming the two leads Leonard and Sheldon. But I think it would have been a greater homage to one of the best TV producers to come up with a comedy that is funny.
I thought Chuck was good enough for me to want to catch the second episode. I liked that Chuck was a geek, but not a nerd, if that makes any sense. But I’m not yet ready to set a season pass on my ti-faux yet.
Bionic Woman would have been better if the lead actress could act (and they kept the original “bionic” sound effects). I’ll have to take a pass.
Journeyman was so boring I turned it off half way through.
Back to You was OK. Not great, not really bad either. It’s a multitasking show. One you put on while doing something else.
CHuck - Jury’s out. I found a flaw in the episode, but that might only be because I’m stupid, who knows. If Bryce emailed the file deal to chuck, even with the destroyed computer, wouldn’t the file still be on the interweb somewhere?
Big Bang Theory - That’s some funny shit right there. I don’t look for reality in my sitcoms, only humour.
I watched The Big Bang Theory last night for the first time. I really liked it. The only part I didn’t like was the actual dinner date. The youngest daugther from Rossanne had a part. I do not know if this is one time thing or not. She had a kiss with the same guy (too lazy to look up names) she dated on Rossanne. There was no chemistry this time on the show. I will give this series a chance.
I like Big Bang Theory. The two male leads and their two friends really crack me up. I guess part of why I find it funny is that I have a couple of friends exactly like those guys so I can relate to their quirkiness.
I haven’t watched Back to You, Chuck or Journeyman yet but I have those recorded for later viewings.
Reaper is still good. Though I hope it doesn’t turn into the “one bad guy a week” style. It needs some good multi-episode arcs.
Add one more (2 including my wife) to the Big Band fan camp. Wish they’d lose the laugh track and sure the characters and situations are contrived, but we really enjoy the geek references. Don’t think we’d tape it, but if we are home it is a fine way to spend 30 minutes.
No one has mentioned Aliens in America, so I will. It’s pretty good. It’s on Mondays at 8:30pm on “The CW.” The main character is an outsider at his high school in the Midwest somewhere, so his parents volunteer to host an exchange student, hoping for a Scandinavian kid who might improve their son’s standing in school. But they wind up with a Pakistani kid.
Big Bang Theory is weak but I watch it only because it follows How I Met Your Mother. Back To You is also weak, and I only watch it out of Frasier nostalgia (and actually I’d be better off to watch Frasier reruns).
I’d watch more sitcoms but for the laugh tracks. I don’t care for sitcoms filmed in front of an audience either. If the laughs are live, the actors have to pause and wait for it to die down. That’s okay with Craig Ferguson, but not with a scripted show.
We don’t need to be told when something’s funny. Unless we do, in which case it isn’t funny.
So far, the only new show I’m watching is Pushing Daisies.
Reaper, Journeyman, Dirty Sexy Money, Moonlight – they were okay, but I don’t like them enough to add them to the four or five hours I’m already committed to. I’ve dumped Dexter, Heroes, ER, and Boston Legal, although I still read the threads here and at TWOP.
I’ve picked up Cane, Journeyman, Pushing Daisies, and Big Bang Theory. I must admit, BBT is growing on me…the episode last night where they’re all playing some sort of WoW computer game, and Sheldon lets everyone die so he can get the sword and put it on ebay had me rolling on the floor.
Nice touch with the Roseanne alums too.
I don’t know how long these shows will be around. And where the hell is Law & Order: TOS? NBC says it’s on Sundays, but not yet.
Also TWoP doesn’t seem to be e-mailing recaps anymore.
I’ve seen two episodes of Big Bang Theory and I don’t see any evidence that any part of it is done with canned laughter. The whole set is laid out like it would be for a multi-camera shoot in front of an audience, and the laughter sounds as live and natural as such things ever are.
One must be aware that while shots and scenes are being set up, and actors are changing costumes, extremely bad stand up comedians keep the audience riled up and in a fairly silly mood. Also, professional laughers with proven contagious laughs are brought in on many shows. If they are not skilled at blending in the laughter sounds too loud and fake.
I have no doubt some artificial sweetening is used on jokes that fall flat, though.
