Yes, I know the 2010-11 TV season isn't quite over yet, but cancellations/renewals/new show pick ups are being announced this week.
This was a decent, but not spectacular TV season that just finished. From my perspective, the two heydays of TV were in the mid- to late-1990s (X-Files, The Pretender, La Femme Nikita, Hercules, Xena, among others) and the mid-2000s (24, Prison Break, Battlestar Galactica, Lost, among others).
CBS
CBS has been a remarkably consistent network for the past few years. I don't watch any of the CSI shows any more, but I do enjoy "Survivor" and "The Amazing Race" still, so I'm glad those are coming back next year.
"Hawaii Five-O" has kept my attention. Who can't love seeing Hawaii in HD?
ABC
I liked "V," but its ratings were pretty mediocre, so I can't blame ABC for canceling it. I guess the ending is that Anna won, and we humans are going to be conquered/eaten.
"Shark Tank" is coming back for another short season. I find it a fun show to watch, and sometimes I'm in awe of the ingenuity of the people seeking investments from the Sharks. Kevin O'Leary makes for a good villain on the show.
"Castle" remains what it is -- a star vehicle for Nathan Fillion. The Nikki Heat novel "Heat Wave" (the fiction within the fiction; that is, the novel that Fillion's character Richard Castle wrote) was on sale at Amazon as part of a 4-for-3 deal, so I bought it, and it was "ehhh" for me. It's one thing to see Castle's antics on TV, because Fillion is so expressive; it's just flat to see the Castle-like character Jameson Rook in print. So no more Nikki Heat novels for me, but I'm happy to tune in for the next season of "Castle."
NBC
The regular season of "The Apprentice" was kind of lame. Apart from the annoying Assistant D.A. (who got fired/let go/quit after the show started airing), I remember nothing about what happened or who won. "The Celebrity Apprentice" has been wildly entertaining with Meat Loaf throwing random profanity-filled fits, Gary Busey being a wildman, Star Jones and Nene Leakes going at each other, and best of all, Marlee Maitlin's translator, Jack Jason, who's done an amazing and hilarious job. How does he translate for her when people are talking over each other???
I found "The Cape" entertaining, but I can totally see why it was canceled. It looks like Summer Glau is quickly becoming death for TV series . . . . "Firely," "The 4400," "The Sarah Connor Chronicles," and now this -- all shows that she's been in that have ended before their time. Well, maybe not "The Cape" -- the male lead was just not up to carrying the show, I think.
I wanted to like "Undercovers" (the JJ Abrams show about the married couple who used to be CIA operatives) but it was b-o-r-i-n-g.
"The Voice" has captured my interest, even if I think Blake Shelton made the wrong decision in last week's battle of the voices.
Fox
Too bad "Human Target" was axed. I thought it was a fun, action-packed show with good chemistry among the male actors.
"Fringe" has been outstanding. Its rating were horrible, but Fox nevertheless renewed it. I guess I should be grateful for that.
CW
"Nikita" is coming back. I thought it got better in the last two episodes, not least of which was due to Percy's not being a complete dolt any more. It's always more interesting when the antagonist is a worthy foe for the hero(ine). I still would prefer less screen time for Maggie Q's Nikita and more for Lyndsay Fonseca's Alex, as I think Fonseca is the much better actress.
USA
"Burn Notice" remains entertaining, not unlike "Castle" in terms of what it provides.
We started watching "White Collar" this year and have liked that a lot. It's kind of like a TV version of what happens after the end of "Catch Me If You Can," where the con artist goes to help the FBI catch other cons.
"Covert Affairs" had a charming first season; can't wait for that to come back in the summer.
A&E
"Breakout Kings" has been okay. I like the job that the actors playing Lloyd Lowery (the genius/gambling addict) and Shea (the streetsmart con) are doing, but everyone else is pretty blah to me.
* * *
What about the new shows?
First, I'm surprised that NBC didn't pick up the "Wonder Woman" pilot. I guess it must really have sucked, considering how much Hollywood seems to like remakes/reimaginations of old TV series.
Shows that I'm really excited about so far:
- Fox's "Touch" (unscheduled as of now; midseason replacement?): Kiefer Sutherland's 11 year old son is autistic but develops some kind of precognitive powers. I just hope he gets to shout like Jack Bauer.
- Fox's "Alcatraz": Another entry from JJ Abrams, about criminals mysteriously returning to Alcatraz. Seems like a cross between "The 4400" and "Prison Break."
- NBC's "Grimm": Police detective finds out there are supernatural creatures from out of the Brothers Grimm stories. I have a feeling this could get axed soon, though.
Shows that I'll probably give a chance:
Fox's "Terra Nova": Global warming, pollution, etc. force humans to find another place to live. How about trying our past? What could possibly go wrong with that? Dinosaurs!!! This will probably get too expensive to keep around.
ABC's "The River": Some kind of hunt for a missing explorer in the Amazon jungles.
ABC's "Missing": Ex-CIA agent Ashley Judd's son has been kidnapped in Europe, and she's out to get him back.
I'm a little surprised you didn't mention "Awake" (NBC), which is the show I'm most excited about for the coming season. It's by Kyle Killen, whose "Lone Star" looked great for two episodes until horrible ratings killed it, and I love the "which reality is real" premise. (Everyone says it's "Inception-like", but I'm not buying that, even granted some similar themes.)
Posted by: Jlwoj | May 22, 2011 at 11:03 AM
Hmm, not sure why I skipped "Awake." I think that will go into the "Shows I'll give a chance." I do suspect that it might an early cancellation, though. We'll see if Killen does better with this dual role story than "Lone Star."
Posted by: Tung Yin | May 23, 2011 at 03:14 PM