Archive for the 'Television' Category

One-season wonders: ‘Harper’s Island’ (2009)

July 16th, 2012, 10:07 pm by jhansen

Going through a bit of “The Killing” withdrawal, I decided to finally check out a rather well-respected murder-mystery summer series from three years ago, “Harper’s Island” (2009, CBS, now available on DVD). It’s unique among one-season wonders in that it doesn’t leave you with the feeling of “Man, I wish it wouldn’t have been canceled!” because it was only intended to last 13 episodes.

Structurally, it’s different from “The Killing” in that the guessing game of “Who’s the killer?” competes with the fact that the culprit is still killing. Both shows had websites where viewers could vote on their top culprit, but while most suspects in the Rosie Larsen murder were still in the running at the end of that case, the “Harper’s Island” list of suspects gradually got whittled down because people kept getting picked off.

Also, there wasn’t as much of a detective element to it, although Sheriff Mills (Jim Beaver) seems to be investigating John Wakefield (Callum Keith Rennie, who is one of two “Killing” connections along with Brandon Jay McLaren), despite the fact that he supposedly killed Wakefield at the close of a murder spree a few years prior.

Our heroine is the sheriff’s daughter, Abby Mills (the likeable Elaine Cassidy), who returns to her hometown island for the wedding of her childhood friend Henry Dunn (Christopher Gorham) to his bride Trish (Katie Cassidy, no relation to Elaine). All the while, she’s dealing with the memories of Wakefield’s murder of her mom. A bevy of colorful groomsmen and bridesmaids, plus a handful of townies — including Abby’s old flame Jimmy Mance (C.J. Thomason) — are on hand to be victims/suspects.

“Harper’s Island” is intrinsically silly, but — considering its genre — quite smart. When watching old horror movies, today’s savvy viewers often pick apart character motives, internal logic and plot points. The characters on this show, however, raise questions at about the same time the audience does. If someone’s acting suspicious, the other characters recognize that. If someone suggests a dangerous plan, other characters call attention to that.

It’s a slight stretch that Washington state law enforcement isn’t swarming all over the island a few episodes in — the 13 episodes take place over about one week. Also, there’s a slight sense that the wedding party members are the only people on the island, since we rarely see the citizenry at large. Sometimes characters are too quick to accept that someone has left the island rather than become the killer’s latest victim. These minor flaws are due to a short-form horror movie concept being stretched over a longer period.

Although the cinematography is straightforward, “Harper’s Island” looks good. Filmed in the Vancouver area, it no doubt makes use of the same woods featured in some “X-Files” episodes.

The most memorable episode is the last one, but I can’t say more than that without spoiling things. At any rate, in stories like these, the most important thing is the journey — rife with dark woods, spooky tunnels, power outages, and grisly slasher-flick-style murders — and this journey is an entertaining one. If you’re killing time before the next case on “The Killing,” “Harper’s Island” is worth renting or buying cheap.

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First episode impressions: ‘Awkward’ Season 2

June 30th, 2012, 6:00 pm by jhansen

There’s a certain coldness to all the characters on “Awkward” (9:30 p.m. Central Thursdays on MTV), which had its Season 2 premiere last week. Even after watching them all of last season, they still seem like pointed stereotypes more so than fully developed characters.

That’s actually what gives the show its unique charm, though. Jenna (the wonderfully gumby-faced Ashley Rickards) goes around being bemused and irked by everyone, and we can immediately relate because we’ve also run into these types of people. I have a smile plastered on my face when watching “Awkward,” but I never find myself looking forward to what will happen in the next episode.

Most of the characters are likable as the cartoons that they are — the jock who likes Jenna, the nice guy who likes Jenna, the hypocritical Christian girl, the Asian girl with strict parents, the wacky best friend, and so forth. I guess the quirky guidance counselor, Valerie, hasn’t really connected with me; she pops up in this episode (which takes place on New Year’s Eve, immediately after last season ended) and — out of the context of the counselor’s office — I did not remember who she was. Sadie (Molly Tarlov), the mean cheerleader with weight issues that make her snappish, is the least likable character; Tarlov totally embraces the caricature-driven style of “Awkward,” but perhaps too much so.

In the center of this maelstrom is Jenna, who is a fine audience surrogate for the reasons I mentioned above. Almost every plot point involves Jenna to some degree, which makes us feel as overwhelmed as our heroine often appears. The biggest question in the offseason was whether Jenna would choose Matty or Jake, and I was glad she chose Jake (the obvious choice, as he is a nicer and less self-centered). But then when the action slowed down enough to give us a dialog-free Jenna-and-Jake dance, it didn’t do much for me, reflecting the thinness of “Awkward’s” emotions.

Another big cliffhanger from last year was Jenna finding out that her mom was the anonymous sender of the list of rules for getting her act together (starting with “Stop being such a (wimp).” That thread is largely set aside in the season premiere, although it promises to heat up in the weeks ahead. It’s an interesting question: Lacey clearly loves her daughter, but is this a good approach to parenting? It’s such an out-of-the-box mother-daughter dynamic that it breaks free from the show’s comforting stereotypes and gives it a story with as much edge as its style.

All told, I think “Awkward” will get better as Season 2 moves forward. I can’t predict exactly how, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing.

Share your thoughts on the season premiere in the comment thread below.

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First episode impressions: ‘Futurama’ Season 7

June 25th, 2012, 3:31 pm by jhansen

“Futurama” (9 p.m. Central Wednesdays on Comedy Central) has been around long enough now that it’s starting to contradict its own backstories. Since most “Futurama” fans are also “Simpsons” fans, we’re accustomed to this. Notoriously — on series where time passes but characters stay the same age — there are stories showing Homer and Marge getting married in the 1970s and the 1990s.

I forgive last week’s season premiere, “The Bots and the Bees,” though, simply because it’s an instant classic. (From Internet research, I’ve found that this is referred to as Season 7, as the past two years on Cartoon Network are considered to be Season 6.) Bender (who had been established as being built in a factory), it turns out, actually had parents, and that’s where he inherited his bending abilities. In a great parody of sex education videos, we learn that robots can reproduce just like humans, and indeed, Bender has a kid with the new beverage machine (named Bev, of course, and voiced by Wanda Sykes) installed at Planet Express.

The result is a classic “Futurama” mix of a touching father-son story (Bender’s offspring is named Ben, naturally) combined with the fact that the entire 22 minutes is completely insane. The image of Fry glowing due to his addiction to Slurm Loco had me laughing every time he appeared on screen.

The second episode of the one-hour premiere, “A Farewell to Arms,” was an example of the not-so-great episodes that filled too much of last season and caused me to bump “Futurama” from its usual perch in my end-of-year top 10. The jokes were more of the fun-with-dialogue variety (Fry: “3012, why does that year sound familiar?” Professor: “Because that’s the year that this is!”), and the overall story of the Earth’s populace fleeing to Mars didn’t pack nearly as much punch as the personal Bender story from the first half-hour.

Still, it wrapped with some unique “Inception”-style visuals where Earth and Mars pass so close to each other that Fry (on Earth) reaches for Leela (on Mars) and they end up having their arms ripped off (the professor grows clone arms for both of them, allowing things to reset next week). In a sweet-and-gory image, we see that clasped arms floating through space. Aw. The gag is another example of “Futurama” in 2012 being more off-the-wall than “Futurama” in 1999, and that’s not necessarily a good or bad thing.

Another nice touch: The “confused Fry” Internet memes have been adopted by the show itself, with Fry thinking “New episode of ‘Futurama?’ Or rerun of episode I watched when drunk?” as the first episode’s teaser. Good stuff.

So it was a bit of hit and miss in week one, but I’m glad to have “Futurama” back. It makes the generally slow summer TV months that much more bearable.

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Rewatching and reviewing the classics: ‘Angel’ Season 5

June 16th, 2012, 3:06 pm by jhansen

“Angel” Season 5 (2003-04, The WB) sends the series out with a bang, ironically because it’s a season of intriguing fresh starts. Unlike with the final season of “Buffy” one year before this, Joss Whedon did not intend for this to be the final season of “Angel” (the WB’s cancellation announcement came while episode 17 was being shot).

The final couple of episodes do a respectable job of giving a grace note to the series while sticking with what I assume was the planned story thrust of a big battle between Angel’s team and the Wolfram & Hart senior partners in Season 6 (which became the “After the Fall” comic-book series). I struggle a bit with Angel dropping his “If nothing we do matters, the only thing that matters is what we do” mantra and opting to kick some W&H butt at the risk of the world as we know it, but it certainly provided an epic note for the unavoidably abrupt end to the series.

Overall, though, “Angel” went out as arguably the best series on TV in 2004, and these are the reasons why:

• The characters of Illyria, the ancient goddess who takes over Fred’s body and becomes an evil fish out of water; Spike, continuing his hero arc from “Buffy”; Harmony, providing comic relief with more screentime than ever; and Nina, a surprising werewolf love interest for Angel.

• The notion of Angel and his team taking over the Los Angeles branch of W&H, as introduced in the Season 4 finale.

• The shift away from the serialized storytelling of Seasons 3 and 4 to more standalones, like in the early days of the series. Although one might not think so at first blush, a collection of standalones actually has more character and thematic depth than a serial, which tends to be intensely plot-oriented.

Also helping Season 5, the writing staff doesn’t have a weak link, as it mixes experience and emerging talent. Overall, this ranks as the best season of “Angel” and the second-best Buffy-verse season, trailing only the near-perfect “Buffy” Season 3.

Here’s how I rank the 22 episodes:

1. “Harm’s Way” (9, Elizabeth Craft and Sarah Fain) — “Angel’s” answer to “The Zeppo” allows Mercedes McNab to showcase her comedic chops as we follow Harmony’s sloppy cover-up of what she thinks is her vampiric murder spree. We also get a sense of the day-to-day challenges of a vampire who just wants to be liked by her co-workers. Classic gag: Harmony keeps apologetically piling her knocked-out victims in a broom closet.

2 and 3. “A Hole in the World” (15, Joss Whedon) and “Shells” (16, Steven S. DeKnight) — In terms of emotionally devastating a viewer, this two-parter chronicling Fred’s death via infection by an ancient demon ranks as one of Whedon’s best “Oh my god, they killed so-and-so!” arcs — simply because it’s Fred. Amy Acker’s transformation from the sweet and lovable Texas gal to a cold and calculating ancient blue-haired goddess is a tour de force, which is of course why Whedon — always an actor’s writer — came up with Illyria. From a writing perspective, Illyria is an outlet to explore the nature of humanity from an entirely alien perspective; I see her observations (and transformation into a more human character) as a more serious answer to Anya’s arc on “Buffy.”

4. “Not Fade Away” (22, Jeffrey Bell and Whedon) — If one comes to terms with the previous episode, where Angel suddenly decides he’s going to take on the big boys (the Circle of the Black Thorn and then the W&H senior partners), this finale is about as perfect as it can be. Everyone gets to spend one last day however they want — the best is that Spike pounds down liquid courage in order to dust off his poetry. On my first viewing, I hated that they killed off Wesley, but there’s no arguing with that final scene where he asks Illyria to lie to him and pretend to be Fred — it’s beautiful and vaguely creepy. All told, I think Alexis Denisof was the show’s best actor.

5. “Unleashed” (3, Fain and Craft)¬ — The return of a monster-of-the-week episode after the serialized Seasons 3 and 4 is refreshing, and as a bonus, it introduces werewolf Nina (the very cute Jenny Mollen), who pursues a relationship with Angel. Similar to Gwen in Season 4, Nina is sadly underused, appearing in only three episodes, making this episode even more of a treasure.

6. “Smile Time” (14, Ben Edlund) — I liked this episode a lot more on my re-watching than I thought I would. The theme of TV taking over people’s minds is deftly understated and the puppet stuff isn’t annoyingly goofy. Remarkably, a key Angel-and-Nina scene takes place when Angel is in puppet form, yet it totally works.

7. “Conviction” (1, Whedon) — The pilot episode for the show’s new direction nicely illustrates the issues that will be explored over the next 21 episodes. In previous seasons, Angel fought evil from the outside. Now, he’s fighting it from the inside. How do he and his teammates avoid being corrupted? Can an evil organization be made good from the inside?

8. “Life of the Party” (5, Edlund) — I didn’t get into the spirit of this purely comedic Halloween episode when it originally aired, but loved it on my re-watching. Denisof and Acker, playing drunks, are the highlight, with the Angel-and-Eve tryst ranking a close second.

9. “Lineage” (7, Drew Goddard) — The best Wesley episode of the series introduces us to his overly critical father — allowing us to realize “Oh, so that’s why Wes turned out the way he did” — then caps it off with a couple of surprising final-act twists.

10. “Time Bomb” (19, Edlund) — After the shock of Illyria killing and taking over Fred’s body, suddenly you have this powerful, displaced ancient goddess roaming around W&H. What to do with her? This episode begins to establish Illyria not as a Big Bad but as an intriguing device for commenting on human emotions.

11. “Just Rewards” (2, David Fury and Edlund) — This twist-filled episode takes advantage of the contradictions in Spike’s and Angel’s characters, and the necromancer — who can transport people’s essences into new bodies — is the best one-off villain of the season.

12. “Destiny” (8, Fury and DeKnight) — The other vampire-with-a-soul moving over to “Angel” allows for more of the deliciously entertaining Angel-Spike rivalry, which has a (decidedly buried) undercurrent of mutual respect. This episode brings it to the fore, with always-welcome flashback scenes featuring Darla and Drusilla and an epic final-act fight in an old church.

13. “You’re Welcome” (12, Fury) — This grace note for Cordelia played better for me on my initial viewing, simply because it was refreshing that the character (and actress Charisma Carpenter) got to depart on a high note after the debacle of Season 4. The script seemed a little thin on my re-watching, although the final scene — where we learn Cordy’s fate — remains powerful.

14. “Origins” (18, Goddard) — In another decent example of tying up a loose end from Season 4, Connor is back and much more likable now that he’s outfitted with a different set of memories and not spewing hatred of Angel all the time.

15. “Underneath” (17, Fain and Craft) — This tonally bizarre episode shows the suburban hell Lindsey has been stuck in, and it ends with Gunn opting to take his place. I didn’t totally understand why the gang was so intent to rescue Lindsey (whom they hate) for the sake of Eve (whom they also hate).

16. “Damage” (11, DeKnight and Goddard) — This episode is cool more for the concept and the tie-in with “Buffy” mythology than the execution. A rogue Slayer named Dana is loose in Los Angeles, and Andrew pops in to pick her up. Oddly and disappointingly, Dana’s arc hasn’t been continued in the comics.

17. “The Girl in Question” (20, DeKnight and Goddard) — Similar to those Season 9 “X-Files” episodes where Mulder is part of the story without actually appearing in it, here we find Angel and Spike pursuing Buffy in Italy. It sounds like a must-see episode until you realize that (of course) Sarah Michelle Gellar won’t actually be making an appearance.

18. “Power Play” (21, Fury) — It’s a necessary set-up episode for the finale, but I’ve always been a bit troubled that Angel drops his “good for the sake of good” philosophy and suddenly wants to go after W&H, killing his ally Drogyn in order to set things in motion. I’ll always wonder if this development was rushed due to the series’ unexpected cancellation.

19. “Soul Purpose” (10, Brent Fletcher) — Notable for being David Boreanaz’s directorial debut, this episode mostly rehashes Angel’s ongoing inner conflict, peppering scenes in a dream world (not my favorite type of storytelling).

20. “Why We Fight” (13, Goddard and DeKnight) — Seeing Angel and Spike caught up in World War II is the highlight of this unusual hour. The arc of the soldier who Angel turns into a vampire — causing him to despise Angel, rather than thank him, as most vampires do — is also quite a twist. But the overall episode doesn’t quite jell.

21. “The Cautionary Tale of Numero Cinco” (6, Bell) — Angel investigates a heroic Mexican wrestler in a forgettable hour that doesn’t achieve the Darin Morgan-esque quirkiness it aims for.

22. “Hell Bound” (4, DeKnight) — So the writers can earn Spike’s return from his demise in the “Buffy” finale, we get to see him psychologically tortured for an hour. It’s the weakest link in an outstanding season.

After this re-watching project, my rankings of the “Angel” seasons are the same as before, although I’m more convinced than ever that the last season is the best. My rankings are: 5, 1, 4, 2, 3.

How would you rank the 22 episodes of Season 5 and how would you rank the five seasons of “Angel?” Share your thoughts below.

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Who killed Rosie Larsen? Place your bets now

June 15th, 2012, 7:42 pm by jhansen

Last week’s penultimate episode of “The Killing’s” (8 p.m. Central Sunday on AMC) second season and the “Who killed Rosie Larsen?” arc placed a lot of emphasis on two members of the Richmond campaign as suspects: Gwen and Jamie. But I think that’s a distraction technique by the writers.

There are two types of mystery shows: The type where we are allowed to follow the clues to our own conclusion (old-school shows like “Columbo,” “Perry Mason” and “Murder She Wrote” were often of this type, as were some episodes of “Monk”), and the type where the clues and what they mean are revealed simultaneously, so we aren’t allowed to get ahead of the characters (the “Law & Order” franchise, “Medium” and most modern cop and law shows fit this category).

Despite being a serial, “The Killing” is also generally in the latter category, which is why I think the key clues that lead to the real killer have not been revealed yet; they will be revealed in Sunday’s finale, at which point we’ll enjoy an “a-ha” moment and then Linden and Holder will get their man or woman (or both).

Still, that doesn’t mean we can’t guess who killed Rosie Larsen. It just means our guesses will be based more on the narrative flow to this point rather than specific clues. “The Killing” has done a decent job of having Linden and Holder go down many wrong paths (the teacher in Season 1, Richmond at the end of Season 1, and — I assume — Gwen and Jamie in last week’s episode) while still allowing us to understand why they took those paths and still respect their cop work. Sure, in a real-world context, the three weeks they’ve investigated the Larsen murder would look like the height of bungling incompetence (both in the bureaucracy of the police department and the cop work of our heroes), but I’m willing to give “The Killing” a little “24″-style leeway in terms of the absurdly compressed timeframe.

“The Killing” holds together due to the connective tissue between all the characters. Gwen, for example, is connected to her dad, who is connected to Mayor Adams, who is connected to the Indian casino, which is a key location on the night of the Larsen murder. Jamie was at the casino that night as well. And speaking of Jamie, his grandpa (whom Richmond, inspired by Jamie’s story, has been using as an example of blue-collar work ethic in his campaign speeches without having met the guy) was introduced in last week’s final scene as not being everything Jamie made him out to be. I think that as we get to know Jamie’s grandpa in Sunday’s episode, we’ll find out he has connections to other characters on the show.

Anyone on this continuum of character connections could be the one who murdered Rosie Larsen.

But I would submit that — due the nature of a compelling TV narrative — none of the people who have been suspected of the murder so far, or any of the people overtly portrayed as bad guys, are the actual murderer. That’s why I’m crossing off Richmond, Gwen and Jamie from my list of candidates, plus the incredibly slimy operator of the casino, plus the absurdly slick mayor. I also would’ve eliminated as a likely suspect Stan’s mob boss, although he was offed earlier this season, making him very unlikely to be the murderer based on the TV tradition where we get to see the detectives collar the bad guy.

I think the murderer will turn out to be someone we know well, but who has some unknown elements. So it probably won’t be any of the main characters — Linden, Holder and Rosie’s parents (although, among these, Mitch is the most suspicious due to her sabbatical immediately after learning of her daughter’s death). However, I think it could be a recurring character.

Consider Terry, Mitch’s sister. We know she was involved with the prostitution ring that Rosie also got caught up in — although, tellingly, that line of inquiry was set aside by both the detectives and a briefly angry Stan — and it’s also been hinted that there’s a bit of a spark between Stan and Terry. Terry has ostensibly been helping the Larsens because she’s family and it’s the right thing to do, but suppose she harbors jealousy of Mitch’s family life?

It’s also worth considering the son of the man who Stan killed in his mob days (even though the kid was investigated and cleared earlier this season). He’s such a cipher of a character that I don’t even know his name. But he did kill Stan’s mob boss, and although he might’ve benefitted personally from that, he also helped out Stan big time, and that suggests a potential twisted emotional connection with the Larsens. Perhaps he was jealous that Rosie had a father, so even though he should despise Stan, he also wishes Stan was his father.

I also am intrigued by the (admittedly out-there) notion of Linden’s fiancé, Rick, being the killer. At the end of Season 1, when many people believed the killer would be revealed (because AMC was not at all clear on whether it was a one-season show or an ongoing show), a friend of mine suggested that it would be cool if it was revealed that Rick’s pressure on Linden to drop the investigation and move to Sonoma wasn’t entirely based on his desire to start fresh with his wife and stepson. Perhaps he wanted her off the case because he was the killer. Rick has been entirely dropped from the narrative now, but keep in mind that each episode represents one day, so it’s only been a couple weeks since he was heavily involved in the story.

I also think that, even though Jamie and Gwen probably aren’t the killers, the detectives’ thoughts about there being one male and one female killer (the male being the one who aggressively beat up Rosie and the female being the one who passively drowned her in the lake) might still hold water. It’s just that the man and woman in question aren’t Jamie and Gwen, but another duo altogether. That gets me thinking about possible combinations: Terry and the mob-hit kid, perhaps? Regi and the detectives’ former lieutenant? Rosie’s former boyfriend and best friend?

Those are just a few random thoughts. I hope that the reveal of Rosie Larsen’s killer will be a “Wow! Didn’t see that coming, but it makes perfect sense in retrospect” moment. But even if it’s a letdown, I gotta give “The Killing” credit for spinning a fine web of intrigue so far. We’ll get our answer on Sunday, but in the meantime, share your guess in the comment thread on who killed Rosie Larsen.

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First episode impressions: ‘Bunheads’

June 1st, 2012, 2:58 am by jhansen

“Bunheads” (8 p.m. Central Mondays on ABC Family starting June 11, with the first episode online now) is refreshingly familiar for “Gilmore Girls” fans in that executive producer Amy Sherman-Palladino brings back the la-la-la background music, the quirky small town and the rapid-fire, witty exchanges. I’ll definitely be coming back for more, but the first episode is also slightly darker and weirder than “Gilmore Girls.”

Eventually, the pilot episode gets to the point where the series’ stage is set: Michelle (Sutton Foster, a stage actress who makes an effortless transition to the screen) is a former Las Vegas showgirl who takes a job as a teacher at a ballet school in the no-movie-theater town of Paradise, California.

But in getting to that point, “Bunheads” is more bizarre than believably quirky. A traveling shoe salesman by the unlikely name of Hubble determinedly keeps asking Michelle out. Frustrated after being turned down for “Chicago” for being too old, she not only gives in, but she marries him. Michelle’s behavior maybe works on the page, but not on the screen, where she seems to be following a script rather than her heart. And although I want to like the self-centered, self-pitying Michelle as much as Hubble does, I can’t, at least not based on what we’ve seen so far. Lorelai Gilmore she is not. (Still, I’m confident I’ll like Michelle more as the show moves forward.)

Eventually, if “Bunheads” becomes a great series, we’ll look back on the first half-hour and think “That was weird.” The next half-hour finally introduces the young ballet dancers, and the pilot’s best scene finds Michelle showing them how an audition works, getting them to use fun, modern dance moves rather than stiff ballet positions. One girl looks kind of like Alexis Bledel, which can’t be a coincidence; she’s the one that doesn’t love ballet, but it comes easily to her. Another girl has a heftier build that hurts her chances of winning roles, but she loves ballet. A couple other characters aren’t really developed yet. Overall, they are a likable group of kids worth rooting for; not as drama-oriented and overly sensitive as, say, the girls on “Make It or Break It.”

Stacey Oristano (Mindy Riggins from “Friday Night Lights”) is on board as Truly, a dress designer who is Michelle’s a rival for Hubble’s affections. This being a Sherman-Palladino show, Truly politely helps Michelle pick out a great outfit for her wedding reception even as she openly cries about losing Hubble. Also returning to TV is Kelly Bishop (Emily Gilmore from “Gilmore Girls”) as ballet studio director Fanny. (I had to look up her character’s name on IMDB. She’s still Emily to me.) Fanny isn’t as abrasive as Emily; she takes a fairly quick liking to Michelle.

Although not every moment of the pilot rings true and “Bunheads” doesn’t have the instant lovability of “Gilmore Girls,” there’s still a lot to like. And it’s a nice feat by Sherman-Palladino that she captures the feel of her trademark series yet doesn’t repeat any of the plot or themes; she’s trying something new, not reliving past glories. I look forward to exploring Paradise more, seeing Michelle find a purpose in her life, and following the four girls through their trails and tribulations.

What were your thoughts on the first episode of “Bunheads?” Will you be back for more?

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My all-time top five Canadian character dramas

May 26th, 2012, 2:05 am by jhansen

Canadian TV gets short shrift in the U.S., where most cable packages offer Univision and BBC America but not CBC. And often when you mention “Canadian TV” people think of “The X-Files” or other American sci-fi shows filmed in Vancouver.

Yet Canada has a strong history of great character dramas; indeed, the “Degrassi” franchise, spanning multiple generations, is the most epic high-school drama ever. Canada’s success rate is probably no better or worse than U.S. TV, yet whenever a cool serial from up north hits our shores, it’s often a breath of fresh air that airs in the summer.

With the latest Canadian import, the excellent “L.A. Complex,” getting ready to wrap its six-episode first season on Tuesday, I thought I’d pick my all-time top five Canadian character dramas. (Obviously, this list is biased toward the western part of the country since I don’t speak French; no snub is intended.)

1. “The L.A. Complex” (2012-present, The CW; Season 1 finale at 8 p.m. Central Tuesday) — It doesn’t reinvent the wheel, but what a fine wheel it makes. All of the plotlines of these struggling young Hollywoodites blend together seamlessly (they’re all friends of friends of friends who live in a Melrose Place-esque hotel-turned-apartment-building), and the show goes to daringly original places: A gay rapper, a dancer who finds overnight success in porn, an actor who hates himself yet rises to the top, and a comedian who thinks he’s better than he really is. “The L.A. Complex” not only tops this list, but it’s my favorite TV show of the moment. Season 1 can be found on Hulu; no word yet on whether The CW will pick up Season 2.

2. “Higher Ground” (2000, Fox Family) — I don’t know if a more lovable bunch of teenage screw-ups has ever been compiled. There’s a certain innocence to the idea of teens going to a wilderness camp to deal with their problems, overseen by the Jedi-like Joe Lando, but there’s also a fair amount of edge what with all the sex, drugs and self-loathing. And what a cast: Hayden Christensen, A.J. Cook and “The L.A. Complex’s” Jewel Staite all launched careers from here. It’s an ongoing shame that “Higher Ground” hasn’t hit DVD or Hulu.

3. “Being Erica” (2009-present, SOAPnet, Season 4 aired in Canada but hasn’t been released in the U.S.) — The combination of the lovable Erin Karpluk, the fact that Erica works as a book editor, and the sci-fi element where she blasts into her own past make this an all-around winner. The first three seasons are on DVD and Hulu, but American fans are now playing a frustrating waiting game for Season 4 since SOAPnet dropped the show.

4. “Falcon Beach” (2006-07, ABC Family) — I don’t get many chances to see my home state of Minnesota on TV or film. This doesn’t strictly fit the bill, but it takes place in the summer lake season in Winnipeg, so close enough. “Falcon Beach” was a breezier, soapier up-north answer to “Dawson’s Creek,” with beautiful, comforting Midwest lakeside settings that aren’t usually seen on TV. Surprisingly, it didn’t propel anyone to stardom, although Morgan Kelly jumped over to “Being Erica.” “Falcon Beach’s” first season can be found on DVD and the whole series can be found on iTunes.

5. “The Best Years” (2007-09, The-N, TeenNick) — This Boston-set college-dorm drama made no bones about being a “Degrassi” for slightly older viewers. One of the characters had a background as a teen star on the “Degrassi”-like “Bel Air High,” and “Degrassi” actor Lauren Collins guest-starred. While many of “The Best Years’ ” plots were standard, it also boasted a shiny night club where everyone hung out and co-ed showers that seemed like they came from an alternate universe. The show’s biggest breakout, Brandon Jay McLaren, has popped up on “Being Erica” and “The Killing.” Both seasons of “The Best Years” are on DVD and six episodes can be viewed on the “Best Years” website.

What are your favorite Canadian TV shows? Discuss in the comment thread below.

Posted in: Television | 1 Comment »

My 10 favorite TV characters at the moment

May 19th, 2012, 2:32 am by jhansen

The 2011-12 TV season has almost faded to snow and the dust has settled from the cancellation carnage. Looking back, I’d say it was a very good season for characters. That’s why I’m resurrecting my formerly annual top 10 favorite TV characters list.

I’ll stick with shows that are currently airing or that will return in the fall, but just allow me one quick shout-out to Bridget Kelly from “Ringer” (the more sympathetic of the twins wonderfully played by Sarah Michelle Gellar) and Faye Chamberlain (Phoebe Tonkin) from “The Secret Circle” (the zestiest of the witches on a show where the writing unfortunately lacked zest).

They’ll be missed, but this list of 10 great characters — seven males, three females, suggesting that there’s still a gender gap on TV (give us some more great female characters, please) — eases the pain considerably.

10. Nolan Ross (Gabriel Mann) on “Revenge” — While everyone else takes things a bit too seriously, Mann knows he’s on a guilty-pleasure prime-time soap. In a world where everyone’s a bit shifty, Nolan looks shifty, yet he’s somehow clearly the one person Emily can trust as she pursues her revenge scheme, and not just because she has no choice.

9. Tom Haverford (Aziz Ansari) on “Parks and Recreation” — The ambitious yet fragile Tom is in tune with the sitcom’s smart/silly vibe, yet he’s also his own man (I think the comic stylings of Ansari have a lot to do with this). I’m totally rooting for him to make it work with Ann. Also adding to Tom’s cachet, there’s this website.

8. Haddie Braverman (Sarah Ramos) on “Parenthood” — The arc where Haddie and her parents had a falling out and she moved in with her grandparents was an honest treatment of the emotions of “teen rebellion.” I could easily watch a spinoff that follows Haddie to college on the East Coast. As it stands, I hope her college journey doesn’t minimize her screentime next season.

7. Walter Bishop (John Noble) on “Fringe” — Walter is a perfect contrast to all the cold, kooky science thanks to his “quirky old guy” traits of not quite getting Astrid’s name right and eating licorice while performing autopsies. Even though he’s almost been responsible for the end of the world a few times and he’s certainly responsible for Olivia’s inconvenient superpowers, Walter is about as lovable as a mad scientist can get.

6. Nick Wagner (Joe Dinicol) on “The L.A. Complex” — The CW’s Canadian import is packed with sharply written characters, but Nick has snuck up on me as the guy I most relate to. Although not particularly shy (he endures heckles at his night job as a struggling comedian), he just can’t click with women, so he just flat out asks one what he’s doing wrong. Then he puts her advice into action, and that doesn’t work either. Oh so true. When he and Abby kissed in the latest episode, I found myself cheering for him.

5. Chloe (Krysten Ritter) on “Don’t Trust the B—- in Apartment 23″ — She’s completely selfish yet not at all mean-spirited (the same can be said for her best pal, James Van Der Beek, humorously played by James Van Der Beek), and while this wouldn’t be appealing in the real world, it works in the weird reality of “Apt. 23.” I like how Ritter brings a natural approach to all her roles, as if acting is easy and fun.

4. Daryl Dixon (Norman Reedus) on “The Walking Dead” — Characters are not the strength of “The Walking Dead” (I’d say the mood, the style and the overarching mystery of how the zombie plague started are the main hooks). Yet it’s easy to pick out the best character. There’s nothing like an undead apocalypse to reveal a person’s true colors. As law-and-order good guys Rick and Shane crack under the pressure, scary biker dude Daryl emerges as a hero. I’d like to see his no-good (but beloved) brother Merle return and go after T-Dog (now Daryl’s friend); it’d be a fascinating conflict.

3. Schmidt (Max Greenfield) on “New Girl” — Like most guys, I originally tuned into “New Girl” for Zooey. But I’ve stuck around for the dudes, particularly Schmidt, who has a heart of gold yet can be verbally uncouth (hence the need for a “d—–bag jar” in early episodes). His burgeoning relationship with CeCe was the heart of Season 1, and I always get a kick out of Schmidt’s turn-ons (such as a clean apartment, fresh linens and a crisp new pair of slacks).

2. Asajj Ventress (voiced by Nika Futterman) on “Star Wars: The Clone Wars” — She has the most clear character arc going on “The Clone Wars” at the moment. Originally a sworn enemy of the Jedi (particularly our heroes Obi-Wan and Anakin), we’ve more recently seen her betrayed by Dooku, leading her to throw in her lot with bounty hunters — and even the Jedi, when they take on Darth Maul. Ventress’ endgame will no doubt be a showdown with Dooku, and whenever it happens, it should be worth the wait.

1. Stephen Holder (Joel Kinnaman) on “The Killing” — There’s never been a TV police detective quite like the baggy-jeans-and-hoodie wearing Holder, who is good enough at his job that he can get away with being himself, yet he’s far from perfect. I love the way he calls Linden’s kid “Little Man” and has some bright spots in his life (he loves his nephew and is on the road back from drug abuse), yet an air of melancholy hangs over him nonetheless. Holder is the personification of everything that’s moodily great about “The Killing,” yet none of the show’s weak points seem to rub off on him (even his stint as a “bad guy” only lasted for one episode, although it seemed longer due to the summer break). Some characters are on this list due to the actor, some due to the writers; the Swedish-American Kinnaman is obviously the one who makes Holder tick, and he’ll be worth keeping an eye on as his career takes off.

What are your favorite TV characters of the moment? Share your thoughts in the comment thread below.

Posted in: Television | 5 Comments »

Ron Swanson: TV’s greatest libertarian character ever?

May 16th, 2012, 10:31 pm by jhansen

Since I’m venturing into politics with this post (which will eventually be about television), I’ll admit my bias up front: I’ll be voting for the Libertarian Party ticket of Johnson-Gray in November. But I think anyone who’s been paying attention knows that the growing distrust of Big Government, Big Spending and Big War is the noteworthy political development of 2012 (with its roots in 2008, when Ron Paul first ran for the Republican nomination).

These ideas are, slowly but surely, starting to be reflected in TV dramas and comedies. Mostly, TV approaches politics like it approaches religion; it doesn’t talk about it. It’s hard to make a list of libertarian TV characters for the same reason it’s hard to make a list of atheist TV characters.

An exception emerges with election storylines (which often emerge in presidential election years) and this is where we now see hints of the libertarian movement. As recently as eight years ago, election-themed storylines tended to toe the mainstream line, chronicling Republicans versus Democrats more so than libertarians versus statists. I wrote a column in 2004 analyzing “Jack & Bobby” and “American Dreams,” two pretty good shows that were only watched by me. (“Jack & Bobby” can be seen at TheWB.com, and the first season of “American Dreams” is on DVD, but not Seasons 2 and 3, unfortunately.)

On “Jack & Bobby,” small-town Missouri college professor Grace McCallister (Christine Lahti) is a staunch Democrat. She and her youngest son are at times walking billboards for Kerry-Edwards. To her credit, she feels marijuana should be legal, a stance associated with libertarianism more so than modern liberalism, where the position is muddled (President Obama is not ashamed to admit he has smoked marijuana, but he’s done nothing to cut wasteful Drug War funding).

Meanwhile, Grace’s boss, Peter Benedict (John Slattery) is a Republican. The show seems to take the approach of “Yes, Grace is a Democrat, but she has flaws” and “Yes, Peter is a Republican, but he’s not such a bad guy.” I’d argue that “Jack & Bobby” has a liberal gaze, but it makes genuine attempts to be balanced.

In the flash-forwards to 40 years in the future, a disillusioned Bobby breaks from the Republican Party and runs for president as an independent. Perhaps there is a libertarian reading to be had here, paralleling Gary Johnson’s break from the GOP to run as a Libertarian this year and Paul’s break with the Republicans for the 1988 election. On my first watching of “Jack & Bobby,” the issues that cause Bobby to go independent didn’t jump out at me; it might be worth another viewing.

Meanwhile, “American Dreams’ ” third season reflects the libertarian versus statist dichotomy more (although it could still be loosely read as Republican versus Democrat if one is so inclined). Patriarch Jack Pryor — who runs for city office in Philadelphia — is outspokenly pro-government, and his daughter, Meg, is anti-government, participating in Vietnam War protests. But here’s the brilliant twist: When Jack’s son J.J. signs up for the Army, Jack doesn’t want him to join. Ultimately, he supports his son’s decision while discouraging Meg’s protests, but I always got a sense that he is conflicted at his core.

Because “American Dreams” is a historical show, it’s hard to assign political motivations to it. Certainly, it’s anti-Vietnam War, but so is pretty much everyone today. However, it did air at the same time that the controversial Iraq War was going on, and I think it reflected citizens’ mixed emotions nicely while ultimately being anti-war (a libertarian position, certainly, but I doubt that was on the writers’ minds).

Two notable elections have been playing out on TV recently. On “The Killing” (8 p.m. Central Sundays on AMC), the matchup for Seattle mayor is Dirty Slimeball Politician (Tom Butler’s Mayor Adams) versus Good Politician (Billy Campbell’s Darren Richmond). One would have to dig pretty deep to find a partisan reading here. The storyline is more notable for it’s absurdity — in the span of the final weeks leading up to the election, Darren has been framed for murder by his opponent, wrongly accused of murder, shot and paralyzed, and then has recovered enough to stay in the race, now confined to a wheelchair. (Despite how silly it sounds on paper, I still enjoy “The Killing.”)

“Parks and Recreation” on the other hand, gives us some stuff to sink our teeth into. In the season that just wrapped up, the main matchup for the city council seat is Leslie Knope (Amy Poehler), the candidate who deeply cares about Pawnee, versus Bobby Newport (Paul Rudd), heir of a candy fortune who has been groomed for politics; he’s a nice guy, but he’s also a naive (OK, dumb) puppet who doesn’t know or care what’s going on. Using a broad brush, Leslie is probably a Democrat in that she believes that public good can come from a government parks program. And although Mitt Romney is certainly more intelligent than Bobby Newport, in both cases we have someone who has been groomed for politics who is willing to let his strings be pulled.

Although the characters’ political affiliations aren’t mentioned (indeed, they probably don’t belong to parties since this is a local election), the episode “The Debate” arguably re-enforces the old idea that races should be between two candidates and that all third-party candidates are kooks.

The three others vying for the open Pawnee City Council include:

• Festor Trimm (played by the guy who played Buddy Garrity on “Friday Night Lights”), the owner of the Gunbelievable Gun Emporium, who gets a lone cheer from the crowd. He says “I want to tell you about my idea for assault rifle vending machines.” Festor might be a libertarian, in that he strongly believes in the Second Amendment, although he’s marginalized here because of his dangerously extreme view on gun accessibility.

• Brandi Maxxxx, an adult film star, who compares herself to Leslie: “I’ve produced and starred in over 400 adult films — this year alone. And just like Leslie, I know what it’s like to be the only woman in a room full of men.” Maxxxx might be a libertarian, but there’s not much to go on here; she’s possibly apolitical.

• Manrico Della Rossa, perhaps “Parks and Recreation’s” Green Party caricature. His stance: “I believe animals are as important as people, and if elected, I will fight for them as if they are my own children.”

What’s wonderful about “Parks and Recreation” is that Ron Swanson (Nick Offerman) is undeniably a libertarian, and should be celebrated by libertarians the same way gays applauded “Will & Grace” and blacks appreciated “Sanford and Son.”

Yes, Ron is a punchline, but so is every other character on the show, from idealistic Leslie to government bulldog Chris (Rob Lowe). Clips of Ron’s greatest moments include some excellent arguments against Big Government (he effectively explains to a 9-year-old how the government takes 40 percent of her money by eating 40 percent of her lunch) peppered in with moments where he goes too far (he wants to eliminate the Pawnee Fire Department, because he’s put out several fires himself at no cost to the taxpayer). And, of course, his awkward station in life — he believes all governments should be abolished, yet he works for the government, trying to cut reckless spending from within — is an ongoing source of humor.

The “Parks and Recreation” writers and Offerman — who plays Ron as a principled man at his core, despite his flaws — deserve credit for bringing an unambiguously libertarian character to mainstream TV and treating him as being no better or worse than the other characters, just someone with different views.

There have been other shows that can be read as “libertarian.” “Jericho,” about a community recovering after an apocalypse, is mentioned a lot online, as is “Firefly,” about a band of rebels in a future where prostitution is legal and regulated by the state. I’d also throw “Dark Angel” into the mix (In 2019, the economy collapses and America becomes a third-world country overnight, reflecting warnings about the escalating debt, the central concern of libertarians). Now that I think about it, “The Walking Dead” shows a group of people living completely outside of governmental control, so maybe there’s something there, too.

But as far as a character who is obviously and proudly libertarian, a guy who would vote for Ron Paul or Gary Johnson (if he voted), Ron Swanson is a true original on scripted TV.

Posted in: Killing • Parks and Recreation • Television | 3 Comments »

Five buzzworthy season finales

May 8th, 2012, 9:21 am by jhansen

It’s that time of year when summer movies start to steal the headlines from TV, but boob-tube fans have one last gasp, at least: The May season finales. Due to the evolving TV calendar, it’s not as jam-packed of a month as it used to be; “Parenthood,” “Star Wars: The Clone Wars,” “Ringer” and “The Walking Dead” had their finales in previous months, while “The Killing” and “The L.A. Complex” will run well into the summer.

That mix of schedules is a good thing, but I also enjoy a little old-fashioned May season-finale buzz. Here are the five I’m most looking forward to (and as a bonus, it looks like all of these shows will return in the fall). To find out when your favorite show is wrapping its season, I recommend checking out TV.com’s calendar of season finales.

All times are Central.

“New Girl” (8 p.m. Tuesdays on Fox; season finale May 8 ) — The writers have played the Nick-and-Jess will-they-or-won’t-they relationship close to the vest, which I admire. Both have become interesting characters on their own, with Nick the 30-year-old underachieving bartender (bank tellers gather around and laugh at his shockingly low credit score) and Jess moving beyond the standard adorable and out-of-reach girl Zooey Deschanel usually plays. So ironically, this fast-improving sitcom doesn’t really need the Nick-and-Jess angle; however, like Luke-and-Lorelai, I wouldn’t mind if we get a big moment every season finale or so.

“Parks and Recreation” (7:30 p.m. Thursdays on NBC; season finale May 10) — This and “The Killing” are the only shows I know of doing an election storyline in this presidential election year, and the one on “Parks” is much funnier, with hilarious political faux pas such as Leslie’s bus crashing her opponent’s father’s funeral. To the show’s credit, they’ve made Bobby Newport (Paul Rudd) into a likable (if incredibly dumb) opponent for Leslie, and I’m not sure how the election will turn out. Will the show have Leslie lose, thus returning to the status quo of the parks office for Season 5, or will she win and become a member of the city council, thus opening up a new realm of humor? I’m leaning toward the latter.

“The Secret Circle” (8 p.m. Thursdays on The CW; season finale May 10) — In the history of TV, there’s never before been such an extreme mix of strong acting and weak writing as we get every week on “The Secret Circle.” In addition to being good-looking, the six members of the circle are all played by talented actors; I think Shelley Hennig has been particularly strong lately. They even cast the great Joe Lando as Cassie’s villainous father who is using the circle ostensibly to fight the witch hunters, but really to create a crystal skull for his own means (generic, cackling evil, I assume). A few episodes ago, an interesting storyline found Cassie (Britt Robertson) still in love with Adam (Thomas Dekker) after an anti-love spell only affects him, but that’s been completely squandered. Hopefully, the plot can gain some focus in the finale, and some new blood will join the writing room for Season 2.

“Fringe” (8 p.m. Fridays on Fox; season finale May 11) — My view on “Fringe” has been the same for a while now: I don’t know precisely what’s going on, but I still enjoy watching it every week. I’m thrilled that it will be back for a final 13-episode season in the fall, but honestly the blockbuster mythology episodes — featuring main characters getting shot and supposedly dead characters popping up to menace our hero science team — are not my favorites. I actually think “Fringe” had it right out of the gates as an anthology about weird science. Fortunately, it still does enough of that to please me. And even if I think it’s overblown, the story of the bad guy (whether it’s Jones or Bell) trying to create his own universe by destroying the two existing ones is at least unpredictable, daring TV.

“Revenge” (9 p.m. Wednesdays on ABC; season finale May 23) — Studies and anecdotal evidence tell us that forgiveness is better than revenge. By seeking vengeance, you may or may not destroy your enemy, but you’re guaranteed to destroy yourself. Emily does not care about this, and that’s why it’s compelling to watch her not only try to take down the Grayson empire, but also to track down and kill the person who murdered her father in prison (it looks like he’ll be played by great character actor James Morrison, best known for “24″). Emily VanCamp is playing the role a little too conservatively for my tastes, but Emily’s friends will help illustrate this story, particularly Nolan, played fascinating scenery chewer Gabriel Mann.

What TV season finales are you most looking forward to? Share your thoughts below.

Posted in: Fringe • New Girl • Parks and Recreation • Revenge • Secret Circle • Television | Post a Comment »

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