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Sunday, September 23, 2007

Reviews: Big Shots, Bionic Woman, Journeyman

Big Shots
Premiere date: September 27, 2007
Airs: Thursdays @ 10 p.m. ET on ABC



I’ve said this before, but whoever is in charge of casting ABC shows deserves a lifetime Emmy award. Seriously. The cast alone in this new dramedy is reason enough to watch. It stars Dylan McDermott, Michael Vartan, Joshua Malina, Nia Long, Peyton List and Jessica Collins. If you’ve read several “serious” TV critics’ take on this show, you’re probably leaning toward skipping this one. I’m telling you, don’t. I was pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed it. Big Shots is a nice mix of comedy and drama, with a delicious dose of eye candy, for both sexes. The characters are strongly developed and easy to forge a connection with. The story follows four men and their crazy relationships with wives, girlfriends and family. There is plenty of male bonding and male bitching. In one scene, McDermott utters this priceless line: “Men: We’re the new women.” Yep, move over Desperate Housewives. If I didn't know better, I'd think the Big Shots lived on Wisteria Lane.


Bionic Woman
Premiere date: September 26, 2007
Airs: Wednesdays @ 9 p.m. ET on NBC


I hate it when a show doesn’t live up to the hype. For me, the pilot episode of Bionic Woman didn’t hit the mark. There were a couple standout moments, one involving the Bionic Woman outrunning a car, but overall I was disappointed. I grew up watching the original Jaime Sommers, so perhaps my judgment is skewed. (Sure, the special effects in the original were cheesy, but the story and actors were strong.) This modern version seemed disjointed to me, perhaps because it was the essential “set up” episode required to establish the story. That said, I’m giving Bionic Woman a few more episodes before I give up on it entirely. I have no doubt that the new Bionic Woman will have a fan following. Those still missing Alias will probably enjoy it. In fact, Bionic Woman reminded me so much of Alias that it was a bit of déjà vu when the heroine emotionally broke down, naked, in a bathtub. Even the casting seems similar to Alias. Michelle Ryan is reminiscent of Jennifer Garner, down to her fresh-faced look and dangling ponytail. If you like action dramas, Alias style, this one will probably appeal to you. But, a more entertaining bet is the loveable Chuck.

Journeyman
Premiere date: September 24, 2007
Airs: Mondays @ 10 p.m. on NBC


A show about time travel isn’t easy to pull off. But, NBC seems to have done it with this romantic mystery drama. Dan Vasser, a San Francisco newspaper reporter, suddenly and inexplicably starts traveling back in time to change people’s lives. He keeps ending up in the 1980s, and lucky for us the ‘80s music is in abundance throughout the show. Journeyman has a different feel than previous time-travel shows. Don’t expect the humor of Quantum Leap or Voyagers. This is a serious drama, heavy on the romance, as Dan is pulled between his present life, with his current wife, and his past life with his former fiancé. (She was killed in a tragic accident.) The story is complicated at times, but if viewers make it through the whole hour, there is a payoff. The overall concept is intriguing. Who wouldn’t want to go back in time at least once? (Frankly, I wouldn’t mind speed warping back to the ‘80s myself. I’d tell ‘80s me to stay away from helmet hair and leggings.) If you like mystery with a healthy dose of romance and drama, than Journeyman may be the show for you.
Coming soon, Tube Talk Girl’s take on Reaper, K-Ville, Aliens in America and Dirty Sexy Money.

10 comments:

Anonymous said...

Wow, I think yours is one of the only positive reviews for Big Shots I've seen. I was gonna skip it, but I usually agree with your TV tastes Tube Talk Girl. (i.e. Veronica Mars, Grey's Anatomy, etc.)I'll try it. Even if it sucks, staring at Dylan for an hour is never a waste of time! :)

Anonymous said...

I'm really looking forward to Journeyman. The promos make it look like my kind of show. Plus, the lead guy reminds me of James Bond. Yummy!

Anonymous said...

I just watched Journeyman. I really like it. Thanks for the recommendation!

Anonymous said...

I just saw Big Shots.
It sucked.
It takes a lot for me to say that because I adore Christopher Titus. But even he can't save stupid dialogue and an absolutely ridiculous plot.

Anonymous said...

Big Shots does have great casting, but because of the negative reviews, I went ahead and skipped it.

Except for the Alias comparisons that didn't cross my mind, I 100% agree with Tube Talk Girl's assessment of Bionic Woman. I'm interested enough to see where it goes, but as nothing but setup, the pilot did not overly impress.

Journeyman has potential. I like the main character and the complications in his love and family life that time travel causes him. I'd like the sci-fi element to get explained a little bit later, but I'm okay with it being a mystery for now. Maybe I was the only one to notice some bad voice dubbing and music drowning out some dialogue, but I hope future episodes have better sound quality.

Anonymous said...

Bionic Woman sucked hard. I was really suprised. Cheesy dialogue and complete Alias ripoff. A lot of blogs and Web outlets have jumped on board with it, thanks for being honest and telling the truth. This show nowhere lives up to the expectations.

Anonymous said...

I loved Big Shots. I'm not sure why everyone hates it. I thought it was really funny.

Anonymous said...

I agree with Todd. I liked Journeyman, too. It's my kind of show, so it will probably get canned!

Anonymous said...

Big shots is pretty bad but I'm going to give it a few more eps b/c I adore Michael Vartan & he is awesome in this as usual. He has not chemistry with the woman playing his wife, however. Christopher Titus is good, too but the other 2 actors, not so much. Dylan McDermott is forcing his part & the other actor is just painful in the part. Try "Moonlight" instead, it's very enjoyable. Bionic Woman is Ok, I like the girl but the guy playing her Dr. boyfriend is pretty bad. We'll see.

Anonymous said...

i'M REALLY LOVING JOURNEYMAN. NOT AT ALL WHAT I THOUGHT IT WOULD BE, IT'S BETTER

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