The Daily Show is going all out for marketing for its new host, who's taking over starting Sept 28th. It's going to be interesting to see what he brings to this. I was considering not tuning in anymore, but my curiosity will probably get the better of me to at least check it out. Although the rule with late night hosts is that nothing will be settled in their first few weeks- three months in and you get a better feel for what their show will actually be, so it takes some time.
Liv Craves New Brains for Season 2 of 'iZombie'
Yay! One of the shows I'm most excited about returning for its second season this year is iZombie, and the new promo is here for the show, which is premiering Oct. 6th, right after The Flash. That's a pretty good night of programming, isn't it? Well done, CW peeps. Can't wait.
REVIEW: "Jane the Virgin" Season 1
Jane the Virgin was the breakout show for the CW this year that, along with The Flash, placed the network on a newfound course of critical acclaim and cultural buzz in the increasingly packed landscape of television starting to be known as "peak TV," where it's becoming harder than ever to be caught up with anything and everything that just might be worth watching out there. But yes, this is another series that's definitely worth your time, since it's a fast moving, highly inventive riff on telenovelas and an addictive soap in and of itself, mixing campiness and earnestness at equal levels, and filled with a game cast that mostly does its job, with one particular standout on another level entirely, but we'll get to him in a minute. Overall, it's a delightful lark.
Like Ugly Betty about ten years ago, Jane the Virgin is based on an actual telenovela that Jennie Snyder Urman and her writers adapted to a 22-episode network series, but thankfully, unlike Ugly Betty, which began running out of steam and plotlines near the end of its first season, this one shows no signs of fatigue or story burnout despite the rapid pace at which the show is wrought. Gina Rodriguez plays Jane, a 24-year-old devoutly religious young woman who was raised by her mother Xo (Andrea Navedo), who had her as a teenager, and her grandmother, who instilled in her the special virtue of her, well virtue. So Jane has managed to hold out despite being engaged to her boyfriend of two years, Michael (Brett Dier), and despite having the hots for former playboy Rafael (Justin Baldoni), who owns the hotel she works at in Miami, and happens to be the father of the baby she was accidentally inseminated with (a crazy premise, yes, but played for laughs and even sweetness that actually manages to make it work). The setup of the hotel allows for Rafael and his madcap wife and family members to run ragged with plots dragged straight out of telenovelas involving murder, adultery, drug smuggling, scandal, you name it, while the show both acknowledges and embraces the over the top soapiness of it all as it tries to play in those waters.
It does this via the extremely creative use of an all-knowing third person narrator (Anthony Mendez), probably the best and funniest one on TV, who's so involved in the goings on of each and every episode that he feels like a character himself, the most developed one since Ron Howard on Arrested Development (who also got some of the very best punchlines). The jokes come fast and furious from him, but also from the superimposed text onscreen at any and all moments that will tell you who someone is and a sarcastic version of their backstory in quick succession, and then of course there's the fantasy sequences, flashback scenes, Jane's daydreams and/or novels...it can sound exhausting, but this is not a show that you casually watch while doing something else, it actually does demand your attention for forty minutes so as not to miss anything, even as it flies by.
All of those things about the show make it funny and fun, and innovative in the way it mixes genres, and for once I'm going to say that the way this show is put together may actually supercede the cast itself, which is a bit unusual for soap operas. Most of the good ones really require an investment in the characters, and though I like everyone on Jane the Virgin, I'm not sure that I can pick out a favorite character. Wait, strike that, yes I absolutely can. This is probably the place to sing the praises of Jaime Camil, Jane's long lost father Rogelio de la Vega, now a famous telenovela star and one of the funniest and biggest scene-stealers on television. Seriously, people were upset that Gina Rodriguez got snubbed for an Emmy nod, but if there was any justice in the world or those voters were actually watching this series, Jaime Camil would not only be nominated in a heartbeat but would win hands down over anyone else in the category. Rogelio is simultaneously a blowhard, an egomaniac and an overearnest manchild who delivers not just punchlines but random lines of dialogue that would probably never be funny coming out of anyone else's mouth but his- he makes you laugh just by walking on screen before even saying anything. That kind of presence is truly special, and invites comparisons in my mind to one of the great lovable chumps of all time- Ted Baxter himself from The Mary Tyler Moore Show (yes, that's who he reminds me of).
The show doesn't overdo Rogelio's role, as Camil is still firmly a supporting player, but that's going to be extremely hard to resist in the coming seasons, trust me, as he pretty much blows everyone else off the screen. Gina Rodriguez is a kind, spirited and confident Jane, although I sometimes wonder if she may be limited by being a little bit too perfect and good (this is a soap after all), and her relationships with her family members Xo and Abuela are the heart of the series, but the one problem I have with the overarching storyline that drives the plot of the show- that is the love triangle between Jane and her two boyfriends- is pretty major. It would be fine if Jane had chemistry with either of these guys, but the truth is she doesn't. And it would also help if at least one of them was interesting, but unfortunately, they aren't. Michael, the do-gooder detective, is nice and sweet, but incredibly boring (although Dier at least tries to play him with a little bit of humor), and Rafael should be a lot more interesting, considering his rehabilitated playboy past and associations with potential criminal organizations all over his hotel, but Baldoni plays him so flat at times and with so little humor that I sometimes wonder if this role was mistakenly cast in the first place. Especially because I get the feeling he's supposed to be "the one," considering he was the guy from the original telenovela and he's the incidental father of Jane's baby and everything.
So yeah, when you're centering a show around a love triangle, you have to have one of three things going for it. First, our lead should have chemistry with at least one of these guys. Second, the winner in the triangle is so obvious that no one bothers to care about the relationship with the loser, or third, which is the one most people hope for- that there are significant investments in both relationships so that no one knows who she will or should choose and there's real suspense involved (the best example of the latter would be the Felicity/Ben/Noel question that ended the famous cliffhanger first season finale of that show back in 1999- I couldn't sleep for months). The worst possible scenario would be that both guys are lame and there's no interest in the outcome of this contest at all, which is a little bit where this show is headed, I'm afraid. At that point, I think it's best to just pick the guy who wins and go forward with him based on how much drama you can wring from the character's external situation (in which case Rafael is still the better choice because he's tied to the drama of the hotel and the other nefarious characters involved there, while Michael is kind of a pointless outsider to everything). That's too bad, since if we're talking romances, frankly I'd rather watch a show about Rogelio trying to seduce Jane's mom- he's the best.
But the show is still so cleverly written and played out that even something as potentially devastating as a complete dud of a love triangle doesn't really hurt it that much. You know a show is good when it can overcome a hurdle like that and you still look forward to watching it just because it's so much fun. As it stands now, I think that Jane the Virgin is a great comedy that deserves every bit of the critical praise it's earned this year, and everyone should check it out, since the second season is premiering in October and I'm definitely along for the ride.
Grade: B+
Final Season of 'Downton Abbey' Coming September 20th
A trailer for the sixth and final season of Downton Abbey is here, along with a UK premiere date- Sunday, Sept 20th. See all the old gang as they wrap up their time at the big house (not in a prison sense, of course). I mostly am excited to see Mrs. Hughes and Mr. Carson's long awaited wedding this year. I'm sure that's going to be adorable.
Taylor Swift and Lisa Kudrow Bring Back 'Smelly Cat'
In a nod to the continuing and I guess forever, cultural relevance of Friends even today, Taylor Swift caused a viral sensation by bringing Phoebe herself onstage at the Staples Center last night to revive "Smelly Cat" from the show. Have a look:
Carrie and Saul Are Back in New Trailer for 'Homeland' Season 5
It looks to be several years later in this new Homeland trailer, as Carrie and her daughter are living in Germany and Carrie's retired from the CIA. Always the topical show, it looks like the threat in this new season is hackers, which seem to be everywhere on TV these days (and in real life too). Rupert Friend's Quinn is back too, as it looks like we'll finally be getting his and Carrie's long delayed hook-up. Homeland returns October 4th.
Jon Stewart Gets Dropped on WWE
For those who missed this the other day, here's Jon Stewart making the most of his newly retired status by showing up to challenge John Cena on WWE. I don't know why he insists on growing that awful goatee when he's not on the air- I'm telling you, all I can think is Col. Sanders whenever I see it. But aside from that, I am so not the target audience for this wrestling stuff. Arrow's Stephen Amell, a devoted fan, also showed up for his big fight in this episode, but to me this is such a guy thing, I can't even tell you.
The Joker Rises in New Promo for 'Gotham' Season 2
For those who are into Fox's Batman prequel show Gotham, here's a look at the rise of the Joker and other villains they're bringing in for the new season, which starts September 21st. Still not sure why this show is popular, considering fans seem to have so many issues with it, not least of which involves the presence of all these villains in Gotham before Bruce Wayne has even entered his teens. Doesn't seem to make much sense, does it?
Bruce Campbell Returns in 'Ash vs. Evil Dead'
A direct sequel series to Sam Raimi's Evil Dead trilogy, this new Starz sitcom is premiering on Halloween night and sees Campbell returning to his cult role as an older man. It might be worth checking out, although I admit I haven't even seen the original movies yet. I plan to watch them all in October though, so I may or may not be tuning in for this, depending on how much I like the movies. We'll see.
REVIEW: "Rectify" Season 3
Once again, summer brought us a lyrical, haunting and immensely satisfying season of Rectify, which continues to thrive on the Sundance Channel amidst very little glory (aside from the critics of course, whose job it is to find the best stuff on television, and who regularly mark it down for the great show that it is). I'm starting to think this is a series that can do no wrong, as it has never made a real misstep in its somewhat radical manner of storytelling. It continues to hit all the emotional beats of the human spectrum, and the characters continue to live their lives and evolve within the world exactly at the pace they're intended to, almost as if we're watching these people live life on their own, with no regard for the audience watching.
Which isn't to say that Rectify isn't entertaining, at least not for me. I love it and am fascinated by the slow progression of movement within the show's characters, but also by the plot itself, which actually picked up the pace this year more than it ever has, as we have finally solved the rape of Hanna Deen, with no more questions to be wondered about on that front. The murder is another story and continues to linger, but with the way the show dove headfirst into progressing the investigation this year, I'm now fully expecting it to give us some clear cut answers by the end of the series, something I had never expected, nor thought was necessary to the development of the story before. But hey, if Ray McKinnon really does want to tell us what happened on that fateful night, I'd love to hear it. It just won't take anything away from what's already been explored involving the peculiar, preternaturally evolved mind of one Daniel Holden, who continues to be played just right by Aden Young with subtle, odd, and sometimes even humorous layers, no matter what he's saying or doing at any given moment.
This season the show went back to its six episode format that it had originally debuted with, after having a full ten hours last year. It's possible that with such short seasons, the methodical storytelling is greatly enhanced, free of structure and unencumbered by filler of any kind, although this was my favorite show of 2014, so the ten episode order certainly didn't do the writers a disservice last year, as far as I was concerned. But now Daniel has agreed to his plea deal and been officially banished from Pawnee, ordered to move in 30 days after he gets his affairs in order. Of course Daniel has no real interest in doing that, instead deciding to paint neighbor Melvin's pool at the apartment complex where he temporarily moves in with Amantha, an activity that, much like his unfinished kitchen project, holds a deeper, more personal meaning for him. He's been kicked out of his own home by dear old stepdad Ted Sr., who's understandably upset by the discovery of Daniel's assault on Teddy, and the conflict leads to a rift between him and Janet, who also refuses to turn her back on her damaged son for any reason, proving yet again she's the world's toughest and most understanding mom, taking all the knocks Daniel gets in life as her own, and playing mama grizzly to the end. Teddy himself experiences the seemingly final dissolution of his awful marriage to Tawney, a character who finally gets a backstory of her own this season, as we find out what drew her Teddy in the first place, and why Daniel's hold on her seems to have moved her further away from the arms of her controlling husband.
And the investigation, as I mentioned, progresses at relatively lightning speed this time, as Sheriff Daggett (J.D. Evermore) teams up with newly suspicious D.A. Sondra Person (Sharon Conley) to figure out what really happened with the death of George Mason and the creepy Trey Willis' involvement in the sordid Hanna Deen affair. Honestly, the heavy focus put on the investigation this year leads to some very cathartic moments as Daggett finally puts on his intelligence cap and realizes the obvious signs pointing towards Trey and away from Daniel for once. As a longtime viewer, it is nice to see Daniel finally catch a break, which is maybe leading to a full acquittal as more evidence comes to light about Senator Foulkes's corruption after a stroke puts him out of commission, while Jon Stern reapplies himself to exposing the truth. And then there's Amantha (Abigail Spencer) whose story this year leads her towards a position she never imagined, as she tries to move on with a life that had only ever been occupied by one goal, removing her brother from prison. Now that that's over with and Daniel isn't in constant need of her help, what is she meant to do with herself after all these years?
As always, the plot remains secondary to the emotional interaction of the characters, the connection between people and families who've been broken or damaged by life (which is most families to some degree, isn't it?) and the ongoing journey of Daniel Holden to find out who he is and how to live and love as a free man, a man free of the literal prison but not quite his internal one as he steps forth into the world beyond his home town and now his home state. I don't know how long Rectify will last, but I've enjoyed and luxuriated in every graceful and elegiac moment of it, and I fully expect to return to these people next year with the same amount of satisfaction that it gives a devoted viewer every year. It remains truly, truly great.
Grade: A
