Midseason Progress Report: Thursday Shows, Part 2

It’s only fitting to finish up the Thursday shows on a Thursday, is it not?

Whitney – C+

Whitney is still chugging along as a sitcom that either belongs on NBC ten years ago or right now but on any other network besides NBC. It can be funny at times, but for the most part it hasn’t sparked the same kind of energy as other new comedies like New Girl and Suburgatory. I do like the supporting characters, but the entire cast hasn’t gelled in the same way as other friend-related comedies. The highlight of the show is, by far, title star Whitney Cummings’s costar Chris D’Elia, who plays Whitney’s live-in boyfriend Alex. He’s had some pretty stellar moments (I still think about his washed jeans dance when I do my laundry) and is consistently funny on the show, no matter what material is being thrown at him. I still don’t think I’d care if this show didn’t make it to a second season, but I’ll enjoy it while it’s on.

Prime Suspect – A

I hate to even review this show since NBC already cancelled it, but I will just say for the record that I really enjoyed it. Was it groundbreaking? No. Did it, like the original series starring Helen Mirren, explore the idea of a woman working in a male-dominated field and the challenges she faced? Only in the pilot. But I liked Maria Bello’s Jane and I really, really adored the supporting characters in this series comprising the band of male detectives working with and around Jane. Every single one of those actors—including Brian F. O’Byrne, Kirk Acevedo, Tim Griffin, and Damon Gupton—somehow managed to create a character that was a street smart, wisecracking detective who was also sometimes charming and sometimes dumb, but also loyal and good at heart. And each was different in his own way. It was really shaping into a fun precinct. I hope these actors find new homes soon.

Person of Interest – A+

This is my favorite new hourlong series of the season. I never in a million years thought that would be the case. In fact, if you recall, I only decided to watch this show at all a mere few days before the fall premieres began. I was just giving it a chance because of Michael Emerson and J.J. Abrams and I was intrigued by Christopher Nolan’s brother, Jonathan, being the brains behind it. So it is with great respect for the series that I say it is my favorite new hourlong of the season. Since I last discussed how much I love POI, particularly the odd couple pairing of Emerson and Jim Caviezel, the show has continued on a steady course. The weekly stories are always thrilling, and they’ve done a remarkable job working in background information on the characters and a longer story arc that ties everything together. I still think Taraji P. Henson’s character is annoying, but the last couple episodes before the winter hiatus were clearly meant to try to correct that so it is clear that I am not the only viewer who feels that way and the production team is trying to address that. So, all in all, POI is fantastic and I can’t wait for new episodes to start up in a few weeks.

Burn Notice – B

I’m actually very glad that I didn’t get a chance to write up my thoughts on my Thursday shows last week because now I’ve had a chance to watch the Burn Notice finale, which was a real game-changer for me. I was prepared to say that Burn Notice, now heading into its sixth season, is starting to really wear on me. How much longer can I care about hunting the people who burned Michael? Even when they changed the story up by bringing him back into the CIA, he was still hunting someone. But now with that finale and Fiona turning herself in to free Michael of Anson’s grip and what not—wow. Things could really, really get interesting here. USA renewed Burn Notice a few years ago through a sixth season, which will be what starts up next summer. So I wonder if they are planning this next season as a big finish for Michael and his crew? Like I said, it could get interesting! Oh, and one more thing—Jesse did not annoy me one single bit this entire season. In fact, he was quite endearing and I enjoyed having him join in on missions and all of his neurotic cover IDs!

Bones – B+

It’s been interesting having Bones back with the big changes that have taken place—namely, that Booth and Brennan have shacked up and are having a baby together. The cases are still pretty meh and I don’t see a big overarching, dramatic storyline cropping up during this season due to the production constraints so the cons I’ve pointed out for the last couple seasons still stand. However, it has been immensely enjoyable to have the will-they/won’t-they thing over and get to enjoy watching the dynamics of Booth and Brennan’s relationship change. Am I still bitter over the death of Dr. Nigel-Murray? A little (but I’m glad Ryan Cartwright was free to join Alphas!). But it’s Bones, and it’s fine.