I don’t know what’s more exhausting — watching all this TV or writing about it. I’m glad I’m not a TV critic. If I had to watch this much TV on a regular basis I think I’d kill myself. And I’m not even subjecting myself to any of the reality crap or the talent shows.
Charlie’s Angels
If by chance I referred to “The Playboy Club” as the worst new show of the season, I would like to apologize to “The Playboy Club.”
Granted, the original “Charlie’s Angels” wasn’t exactly high art, but it did have a certain charm. Most importantly, all the main characters were nice people that you didn’t want to reach into the television set and strangle. Even the movie version didn’t present the Angels as dour bitches. Remember Cameron Diaz dancing around in her Spider-Man underoos? This show could’ve used some of that playfulness.
And why are all the new Angels former criminals? I thought Charlie got them from the police academy. Is this why they’re so unlikable?
Anyway, since the pilot plot is bog-standard stuff, let’s focus on the characters. Annie Ilonzeh plays Kate, and she’s the only one I don’t have a problem with. She’s nice enough and seems like your typical Angel. Rachael Taylor plays Abby, and man, it’s like she was going out of her way to annoy me. Whiny, bitchy, you name it. Minka Kelly is Eve, the latecomer who joins up after an Angel gets blown up in the first segment. Eve smiles even when telling her tragic life story.
And then there’s NewBosley (Ramon Rodriguez). Young, hunky NewBosley. So wrong. Bosley should be older and frumpy. This show doesn’t need another pretty face. This show needs a lot of things — better scripts and better acting being the top two — but it doesn’t need another pretty face.
I don’t even like the new voice of Charlie (Victor Garber).
Let’s not waste any more time on this. Suffice it to say, this show was so bad even multiple bondage scenes couldn’t save it.
Revenge
I hadn’t even heard of this show until yesterday when Yahoo listed it as one of the “hits” of the new season. They aired the pilot again last night so I thought I’d check it out.
I almost turned it off after the opening segment, so bad it was, but then I felt I should stick it out for you (the things I do for you) and I’m kinda glad I did. The show got much better as it went along. It’s everything “Ringer” wishes it could be.
Emily VanCamp stars as Emily Thorne, aka Amanda Clarke, a wealthy young woman who has returned to the Hamptons to wreck horrible vengeance on the people who ruined her father back when she was a little girl.
It’s all very soapy (once again a lead character’s husband is having an affair with her best friend) but not overbearing. Madeleine Stowe plays the Evil Queen of the Hamptons and Emily’s main target. At first I thought she was playing it a bit much but I grew to like her evilness by the end. There are a few other likable characters besides Emily so that’s a plus. And the show managed to go 18 minutes before the first Sad Chick Song came on. Everything looks gorgeous.
The show’s potential drawback is the same one I see for “Ringer.” This is a premise for a mini-series or one-season show, not for an ongoing series. If it’s going to take 10 years for Emily to get revenge, I doubt I will be there with her at the end.
Coming Up: We will conclude our Fall TV Showcase next week (Thank God) with the premiere of “Terra Nova.”
The RROY REPORT 