Midseason Progress Report: Thursday Shows, Part 1

I’m back with the midseason progress report of all my shows. I had that pre-vacation work rush last week to deal with and now I’m basking in the gloriousness of being on vacation and taking things nice and easy. Since I watch a heck of a lot of shows on Thursdays, I decided to break this one up into two posts. So here’s the first batch of shows:

The Vampire Diaries – A+

I don’t know if I will ever have a complaint about this show. The third season of the CW’s Vampire Diaries has been just as complex and action-packed and emotional as the previous two. It’s been very interesting learning about the Original Vampires and getting the history of the Sun and the Moon Curse. And that’s one of the reasons why I love this show so much and am always pleased—they’re constantly finding new material in a story that’s been told countless times. Sure, a human girl and a dreamy boy vampire have fallen in love and there’s always some trouble trying to rip them apart, but TVD always digs deep and finds something interesting to keep the show’s momentum going. And what I’ve grown to love the most about TVD is the explosive second half of the season. Knowing that’s going to begin in just a few more weeks…I’m practically salivating. I really can’t wait to see what they have up their sleeves this year.

The Secret Circle – B+

I think I’ve mentioned before that The Secret Circle is a complete guilty pleasure for me. That is still true—I am definitely still invested in the storyline and enjoy watching the show on a weekly basis. But I think I feel TSC is a GP (while TVD, which is aimed at the same market, is not) because the show isn’t the same caliber television as TVD. It feels young—not that it is made for a young audience, but that it is a show that is standing on new legs that are still wobbly. It hasn’t found its sure-footing yet, but it is heading in that direction. So, at the end of the day, TSC is a fun, often thrilling series about witchcraft and history and family that is consistently improving. Sticking with it is a no-brainer for me.

Community – A+

I’ve said it before and I will say it again: Community is, by far, one of the most hilarious and brilliant comedies currently airing on television. If you are not already a fan and regular viewer but you love to laugh and you appreciate wit on television, please do yourself a favor and start watching this show. So, now that I’ve said that, I’m sure it’s clear that I feel the current season is living up to the amazingness of the past two years. And even if every single episode of the third season sucked so far, there would be one episode that would still make the season rank at an A+ for me overall and that episode, my friends, is “Remedial Chaos Theory” (3x04). If you’ve seen it, then this needs no explanation. And if you haven’t, then you probably aren’t a Community viewer so please refer to my first statement about watching this show immediately.

Parks & Recreation – A+

I can’t get enough of Parks & Recreation. Like Community, I consider it one of the most brilliant comedies currently airing on television. That can be attributed to the beyond talented writers and actors who craft and deliver such wondrous jokes that you honestly cannot tell what was written and what was improvised. And the way multiple people can get into one character’s head and things always sound so genuine is also wonderful. But most importantly, this season has had some seriously brilliant moments that have had a profound impact on my personal life. For now when I go to a Target and I see a new shade of nail polish that resembles two or three other nail polishes I already own but is slightly different, I say to myself, “TREAT YO SELF!” and I spend those five or six dollars on a nail polish I didn’t really need. Parks & Rec touches me deeply, and that is why I love this show always and forever.

The Big Bang Theory – B+

Early in the season, I found myself growing slightly weary of TBBT. Perhaps purposefully expanding my comedy repertoire detracted from my enjoyment of the series. I had other comedies to be amused by, and I think I found I was being amused by TBBT much less than during previous seasons. I’m sure that is due in part to the way the show uses the same tropes over and over again. But I think the fact that TBBT is now in syndication and runs on several networks throughout the day has really helped me fall in love with this show again. I’ve been reliving fond memories from the series and it makes me appreciate the fact that it is still around and they are still finding nerdy material to explore and joke about. Is it the most brilliant comedy on television? Not in my opinion. But the characters are fun and I’m attached to them. I did think it was great when they brought in some new blood with the two female additions last year, but now they need to find a way to reinvigorate the actual storylines.


Up next for Part 2 of my Thursday shows: Whitney, Prime Suspect, Person of Interest, Bones, and Burn Notice.