Last night, two of the shows on my list premiered. Which I almost forgot! Clearly I need to print out my own guide to fall TV.
Ringer is one of the few new shows that I’ve truly been looking forward to. Not because I’m such an avid Sarah Michelle Gellar fan. I did watch the first season of Buffy (online, several years after it aired) and loved it. But because I’m such a baby, I knew the subsequent seasons would scare me too much to handle.
The premise of Ringer was interesting, though, and it stars (alongside the apparently beloved SMG) Kristoffer Polaha, who – I’m not [totally] embarrassed to admit – I’ve liked since his days on North Shore.
Yes, North Shore.
Anyway, back to Ringer. Before I could even turn it on last night, I’d read several less-than-impressed-and-even-disappointed reviews of the show. But I watched anyway. And it was . . . not awesome.
It seemed to be filmed cheaply, with weird green screen work and a bizarre fixation on mirrors. And everyone seemed very stiff. And Kristoffer Polaha, it turns out, plays an icky cheating husband.
I’ll give it a few more tries, but considering how crowded Tuesday nights are, I’m not sure this will become a regular watch for me.
Since it first premiered, I’ve been torn about Parenthood. The show is SO good, but SO hard to watch.
What on earth does that mean? Well, the writing and the acting is outstanding. If I imagined how certain situations would play out, they would often look (and sound) very similar to what I see (and hear) on Parenthood. The characters almost always seem so REAL.
And that is why it’s hard to watch. Life is hard sometimes. So we watch TV to escape, right? Well, not with Parenthood. Sure, the show has plenty of lighthearted and funny moments (and completely unrealistic family dance parties that make me smile anyway). But the gritty, real-to-life scenes and dialogue? Sometimes they’re just too much.
But, again, that’s what makes it so good! See? I’m torn.
The season premiere last night was no different than the previous two seasons – so good and, at times, so hard. Although I did notice – or realize – something new. When Lauren Graham’s character gets all worked up and argues with another character, it puts me over the edge.
Not because it’s so realistic. The opposite of that, actually. It’s because she takes me right back to the bad days of Gilmore Girls. You know, when Rory was being a jerk or Christopher was in town? Yeah, when I hear Graham’s voice get all stressed and shrill, I am thrown right back to Stars Hollow. And not in a good way.
I know, I know. I loved Gilmore Girls, too – so much! But there were days . . . seasons . . . well, let’s just say that as much as I always loved Gilmore Girls, the show, I didn’t always love the Gilmore girls, the characters.
So my take on Parenthood is the same as always. It’s a fantastic show. And I’ll probably watch it sometimes.
Have you watched any premieres yet? What do you think?
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