Monday Catch-up

I had such nice aspirations to post on this blog more often than I have, but then the days would pass, and now it’s October and I’ve yet to post anything since August. So here goes…

The fall season is always tricky for a TV whore. Until my TV Prince Charming sets me up with a different cable package, I don’t have to worry about shows on HBO or Showtime until the DVD’s come out. Here’s what I watched last night:

Aliens in America: I’ve heard a few good things about this show, and was moderately intrigued enough to watch last night’s premiere. The main characters were sympathetic and relatable. There were some moments that were a bit sitcom-y, but nothing too over the top. I’m not sure if I enjoyed it because my expectations were low, or if it was legitimately good. I’ll definitely catch next week’s episode before I decide whether it’s worth occupying space on the DVR.

Chuck: If within ten minutes of the show you get a nagging feeling that you’ve watched this all before, odds are, you have. Enter nerd, played by Zachary Levi. A quick IMDB check and the only thing I vaguely remember him from is the ABC Family TV movie, See Jane Date. Then again, I barely remembered Patrick Dempsey in the ABC Family TV movie, Lucky Number Seven, so make your own assumptions.

I watched the pilot last week and wondered why I didn’t enjoy it more. There were elements of parkour, some great music (unsurprising coming from Josh Schwartz), and Levi as a poor man’s John Krasinski with all of the nation’s top secrets in his head. There was also a fight/shimmy dance sequence which, unfortunately, looks better on paper than what was played out.

This week, there was even greater music (Spoon, The New Pornographers), but I couldn’t really get in to it. I enjoy it enough to keep watching, but maybe only as a casual viewer.

How I Met Your Mother: Last week’s season premiere was good, but last night’s episode was…lacking. I hate to think that last season’s “Swarley” and “Slap Bet” were flukes, but I find myself more apathetic than really engaged most episodes. I’ll keep watching if only to see when Neil Patrick Harris gets his last three slaps.

Heroes: I’ll be the first to admit that I’ve only been watching Heroes this season because I’ve been promised Veronica Mars star, Kristen Bell, will appear. I tried giving Heroes a chance last season by watching the first couple of episodes, but I never found myself engaged enough to stick it out. There’s enough eye candy in Milo Ventimiglia and Sendhil Ramamurthy and enough talent and enthusiasm in Masi Oka, Greg Grunberg and Jack Coleman, to hold me until Kristen surfaces (which I’m told will be October 22nd). Please don’t bag on me for my Heroes indifference; I have the DVD’s in my drawer at work. I’m hoping the catch-up will warm me to the other characters.

The Hills: This show is one of the few where I revel in how bad it is. It’s got conniving coworkers that would have been sympathetic if they had drawn the line at office bitching instead of going for petty revenge, emo bad boys that refuse to acknowledge their girlfriend’s friends because one of the them called them out on how pretentious and ridiculous they are (btw, Lo is a goddess!), or a sham of a relationship where the vapid working girl is stuck in an engagement with the privileged, wannabe badass.

The “conversations” are pretty awkward, and last night’s episode had a gloriously bad voiceover, but I’m hopelessly hooked. My one comfort is the fact that as I indulge in my half hour guilty pleasure, my own surroundings feel that much more tranquil.

Phew, until next time…