As you can probably guess, I spent most of this week watching horror movies. I didn’t watch many television shows but here’s a few thoughts on what I did watch. (For those keeping track, I still need to watch the first episodes of the new season of Survivor and I guess the first few episodes of Doctor Odyssey. Maybe I’ll find the time next week.)
American Sports Story: Aaron Hernandez (Wednesday Night, FX)
This week, Aaron finally made it to the NFL. This episode was well-done and made a point about how sports is big business and how players are expected to have the right image but it was really hard not to feel that, as with so many Ryan Murphy productions, this episode basically spent 50 minutes telling a 15 minute story. Did we have to see every details of Aaron at the combine? Probably not. Did we have to once again hit on all the stuff about Aaron’s family? I mean, most of what was revealed in this episode was already revealed in the previous three episodes. The danger with these shows is that they always drag out the story to such an extent that it’s easy to get bored.
Hell’s Kitchen (Thursday Night, FOX)
Despite all of the talent assembled for the season, the first dinner service was a disaster! Isn’t that always the way? “GET OUT!” Ramsay shouted. If I went to Hell’s Kitchen and my food wasn’t screwed up and if Chef Ramsay wasn’t yelling at people the entire time, I would feel extremely disappointed.
Law & Order (Thursday Night, NBC)
Law & Order is back. The season premiere was bland, disappointing, and heavy-handed but that always seems to be the case when it comes to the premiere of each season of Law & Order. For whatever reason, the season premiere is almost always the weakest episode of this series and the show usually steadily improves afterwards. That said, this is an election year and the partisan atmosphere is exactly the type of thing that tends to inflame this show’s worst tendencies. McCoy is still missed. Why is Maroun even on the show?
One Step Beyond (YouTube)
I watched a few episodes this week and I shared them here on the site as a part of Horrorthon! Be sure to check them out when you get a chance because they’re all pretty entertaining. I like the fact that the show pretended to be based on fact. It was like the Beyond Belief of its day.
Rescue: Hi-Surf (Fox, Monday)
On Sunday morning, I watched the first three episodes of this new Fox show about lifeguards in Hawaii. There was nothing particularly original about this show. It was basically just a remake of Baywatch but without that show’s self-awareness. But the scenery was lovely and some of the rescues were exciting to watch. This is a show that could definitely become a 9-1-1-style guilty pleasure, assuming it survives its debut season.
Square Pegs (YouTube)
With my friend Pat, I watched a Halloween episode of this old 80s sitcom on Friday night. It was amusing enough. A very young Sarah Jessica Parker was apart of the cast and far more likable than she’s ever been on Sex and the City.
Through the Shattered Lens 