Every quarter seems to bring a new TV season these days. So what kept me occupied this summer, in the absence of football, hockey or Orphan Black?
USA’s Mr. Robot has been the critical darling this summer. I’m not entirely sold, but I’m still watching. It’s really “out there” because the story is told from the point of view of the drug-addled, mentally damaged protagonist, Elliot Alderson, played by Rami Malek. The previews made it appear that Christian Slater would be the lead, but he really has a supporting role. Still, it’s nice to see him finally have a hit.
Then there is UnREAL, a dark drama set behind the scenes of a Bachelor-type reality show. You could be forgiven if you missed it because it was on Lifetime. It’s raw and dark, though occasionally funny, and stars two actresses I really like: Constance Zimmer (Boston Legal, Entourage) and Shiri Appleby (Roswell, Life Unexpected).
Denis Leary’s Sex&Drugs&Rock&Roll on FX has been a really pleasant surprise, despite the awfully mispunctuated title and random episode lengths. It gets funnier each episode. This week’s discussion, between two female characters, about the girls equivalent of “cock blocking” broke new ground for TV dialogue. I don’t know how it got by the censors. Former teen star Elizabeth Gillies is particularly strong as Gigi, the talented daughter of Leary’s washed-up front man, Johnny Rock, while Elaine Hendrix steals scenes as Ava, Johnny’s mate/backup singer.
I’ve also really enjoyed MTV’s Scream. It keeps the spirit of the movies – sort of Scream with a dash of Cruel Intentions – but offers its own narrative. I have my own ideas about the identity of the killer, but each episode offers some compelling twists.
If you’d like to binge watch something, try USA’s Graceland. It’s a lush, pretty production (actors and settings), with plenty of action as well. It can tire your brain, however, with all of its convoluted plot shifts.
I enjoy the low-budget, bubble-gum dramas of Syfy’s Friday lineup: Killjoys, Dark Matter and Defiance. There won’t be any Emmys coming out of this bloc, but the shows offer a decent return on investment. Killjoys requires the viewer to suss out a complicated backstory, but Dark Matter is pretty much plug ’n’ play – in a number of ways. I still watch Defiance, but it’s been all over the place this year. I question whether it will return for a fourth season.
TNT’s Falling Skies really has fallen off in its final season, and seems to be raising more questions than it’s resolving as it coasts to its finale. I expect that I’ll watch it to conclusion (two more episodes) simply because I’ve invested so much time already.
TNT has it paired on Sunday evenings with The Last Ship, which has been the better of the two programs since debuting last year. It’s polished Navy porn, produced by Michael Bay, so you can count on some explosions. Seriously, though, who knew Eric Dane (Grey’s Anatomy) could act? Adam Baldwin (Firefly, Chuck) is underused, in my opinion, but The Last Ship has some real talent in its supporting cast. Some of its questions will challenge a viewer’s thinking.
On the reality front, NBC’s Last Comic Standing has gotten off to a good start. This season’s judges are Keenen Ivory Wayans, Roseanne Barr and Norm MacDonald. MacDonald is the real wild card; one never knows what he will say – or if it will make any sense.
Spike’s Lip Sync Battle is hot and cold, depending upon the competitors and the music they choose, but LL Cool J is a solid host and Chrissy Teigen works well as his sidekick. Tiegen is all kinds of awesome, the witty supermodel who likes to eat. I already miss her MTV cooking game show Snack-Off, hosted by Eddie Huang (Fresh Off the Boat).
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Stu Robinson, a college friend of the TV Tyrant, is a writer, editor, media-relations practitioner and social-media guy in Phoenix.