Midseason Progress Report: Tuesday Shows

This week, I'm evaluating every show I've been watching this season by day. We continue our midseason progress report journey today with the Tuesday shows:

Glee – D

I am on the brink of dropping this show for good. The only reason I am still watching it is because I feel obligated to hang on since I know so many people who watch it. But I find no joy in watching Glee anymore. I fast-forward through the musical numbers, I roll my eyes at everything, and I barely sympathize with or care about any of the characters. I don’t want to get too specific about the things I hate because I will get all riled up, but I wouldn’t be surprised if by the next time I do a progress report I’ve officially stopped watching. I yearn for this to have been a canceled-too-soon show that only lasted one season. Sigh.

New Girl – A+

I feel really bad for anyone who isn’t watching this show because they don’t like its female star, Zooey Deschanel, because New Girl’s Jess is much more a member of a fabulous ensemble than a series figurehead. I can’t imagine this show without Jess’ roommates Nick, Schmidt, and Winston (yes, I’ve recovered from the loss of Coach). The cast and writing gelled very quickly; the show’s style of humor and tone were apparent very early on. It’s delivered a very consistent performance and is totally hilarious. I can see myself watching this show repeatedly and laughing every time. I do need to admit something: Schmidt is my favorite. I dream of him running into Parks & Rec’s Tom Haverford and the two becoming besties. Needless to say, Max Greenfield is flawless beyond all reason. I love this show.

Raising Hope – A+

This is a show that I held off on watching last year because I wanted to see if it got renewed before I devoted time to it because, as you know, Fox does not have a great track record with comedies. In addition to being renewed for a second season, which is now on the air, Raising Hope has also received constant praise from critics and earned a few Emmy nominations. So it should not come as a shock that I completely adore this show. It’s kind of like Roseanne meets Arrested Development in that it examines a lower middle class family and makes amazing use of absurd humor. Perhaps some would call it a low-brow Modern Family, but I don’t think that accurately describes the style of comedy and the tone. But, like Modern Family, Raising Hope also strikes a great balance between jokes and ridiculousness and telling an actual story that has ups and downs and resolutions. It’s a very well-done show with a truly enjoyable cast. Anyone who likes shows exploring family dynamics and comedy would enjoy this show.

Ringer – A

Sarah Michelle Gellar is one of the busiest actresses on television this season, playing five different characters on Ringer. I know a few people who didn’t make it past the pilot due to the low budget twin-related special effects. But the primetime noir soap from the CW is still going strong for me. It rests somewhere between a guilty pleasure and a legit drama—it’s juicy and twisty enough to make you feel indulgent while the dramatic acting and story hold it together. Thankfully, everyone who did promo leading up to the season premiere did not lie when they said it wouldn’t be too long before the audience started getting answers. Viewers knew they were signing up for a mystery, but no one wants to be strung alone forever. Ringer has been doing very well in that department—as soon as the curiosity for one thing reaches full capacity, they answer it and set you up with a whole new set of questions. It’s a smart strategy to reward viewers and keep them engaged. I don’t quite think I’ve reached the point where I am completely addicted and would be crushed if Ringer didn’t make it to a second season, but it is definitely one of the first shows I watch when it’s on my DVR.

Parenthood – A+

Currently NBC’s longest running drama aside from Law & Order: SVU, Parenthood is rocking and rolling in its third season. The acting and writing are both still phenomenal, although I think the show still struggles slightly with managing its large ensemble cast. But as a whole, I love this show. I’m always motivated to watch it, which is due in part to the aforementioned ensemble cast. They make it fun because you really never know what kind of a story you’re going to get each episode. This season in particular I have enjoyed the hell out of the Joel/Julia second baby storyline. I also loved that John Corbett came back to do a little baby daddy Seth time with Lauren Graham’s character Sarah. And through the Peter/Luncheonette/third child story, I’ve learned that what I appreciate the most about Parenthood is the way the story can do things that upset and annoy me, but at the end of the day I’m still enjoying watching the show and seeing what happens to these characters. It’s a damn good family drama that’s matched and kept the momentum Brothers & Sisters exhibited during its first season, but quickly lost in favor of going the soap opera route. Something that we know Parenthood, a show so rooted in realism, will never do.

Sons of Anarchy – A+

I have to say that season 4 of SOA has been the most Hamlet-ish season to date with its realignment of mother Gemma to son Jax over stepdaddy Clay. It was also much more reserved than previous seasons, which was clearest during the two-part finale (i.e., they didn’t orchestrate an ambush to assassinate a federal agent), but it was still explosive albeit mostly figuratively. Overall, there were huge changes for the club and it was exhilarating to see how the last three years have lead up to the chain of events that played out. Sadly, the fourth season of Sons of Anarchy just finished last week and now it will be another ten months until its return. While I know that wait is going to kill me (because it always does), I know that’s what it takes for Kurt Sutter and his amazing cast and crew to put together another amazing story and season of brilliant TV. At least I have Justified to look forward to in the meantime.

The midseason progress report will continue with my Wednesday shows tomorrow.