TV #44 of 2022: Happy Endings, season 1 This sitcom launch from 2011 is fine, but somewhat unremarkable. Although it improves over the course of these first 13 episodes — not that original audiences would’ve fully realized, with the season airing all out of its intended production order — I still feel as though I …
Tag Archives: TV aired in 2011
TV Review: Bob’s Burgers, season 1
TV #9 of 2022: Bob’s Burgers, season 1 The 2011 launch to this animated family series is generally charming and funny, yet it doesn’t quite feel fully-formed, especially from a rewatch perspective. (I dropped the show from my regular viewing roster at some point, but I know I’ve seen at least the first nine seasons.) …
TV Review: Fringe, season 3
TV #88 of 2021: Fringe, season 3 This is my favorite era of Fringe, and I am so tempted to give it a full five stars. Picking up on the cliffhanger escape from the parallel world, this run starts with our Olivia Dunham trapped over there, being brainwashed to believe she’s her doppelgänger, while that …
TV Review: Community, season 2
TV #21 of 2021: Community, season 2 A big step up from an already-great first year, albeit not quite the flawless season I thought I remembered and wish it could be. The characters and serialized plotlines are each more complex, and Pierce’s turn as an overt villain in particular is a superb escalation which feeds …
TV Review: Justified, season 2
TV #19 of 2021: Justified, season 2 I like the idea of the Bennett hillbilly crime family — as well as Margo Martindale’s powerhouse portrayal of its cagey yet honorable clan matriarch — but the surrounding plot is messy and uneven, and a number of writing decisions leave me frustrated. I don’t mind making the …
TV Review: The Office, season 7
TV #51 of 2020: The Office, season 7 Theoretically I suppose a modern audience could approach this year of The Office not knowing it was Steve Carell’s last, but since it was crafted by the writers and understood by contemporary viewers as such, I think that remains the key lens with which to consider it. …
TV Review: Star Wars: The Clone Wars, season 3
TV #39 of 2020: Star Wars: The Clone Wars, season 3 Another run of this CGI cartoon that strikes me as largely disposable for the wider franchise plot, although I assume the action sequences are exciting for younger audiences. The most interesting things this year are the complications that develop in the Dooku / Ventress …
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TV Review: The Good Wife, season 2
TV #20 of 2020: The Good Wife, season 2 This legal drama’s sophomore outing is even more fun and confident than its initial run, deftly mixing interesting weekly court cases with some enjoyable political intrigue (both in law firm maneuvering and the actual district attorney’s race). We do spend a little too much time on …
TV Review: Shameless, season 1
TV #12 of 2020: Shameless, season 1 I like most of this large Chicago family, and I especially enjoy the hardscrabble depiction of their poor financial straits, which is pretty rare for TV. The Gallaghers’ lives are precarious in any number of ways, and seeing them cleverly hustle both in and outside of the law …
TV Review: Friday Night Lights, season 5
TV #14 of 2019: Friday Night Lights, season 5 It’s hard to separate my feelings about that excellent finale from the rest of its season, but on reflection I think this last run of Friday Night Lights is maybe just a minor step down from the one before. I appreciate its focus on winning the …
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