The Road So Far (aka, My Thoughts on Fall TV Premieres)

Regular readers of this blog (for some value of "regular" that equates to my haphazard posting schedule, of course) know I'm a pretty rabid TV fan these days. It's my vital relaxation/revitalization time, but I'm also seeking good writing and good characterization to feed the evolving author in me. And I'm always full of opinions! So let me offer some on the shows so far:

Revenge
This is the show I watch with my boss. I mean, we both watch on our own, and eagerly go to work the next day to discuss. So far, it's hitting me at the same level the first two seasons did. I thought they did a masterful job sweeping away loose ends from last season. In just a few sentences, we have Nolan out of jail, the Initiative gone, and justice served. We also have Charlotte no longer pregnant and alone, though she's pretty lost.

Nolan is still my favorite character. Emily is really pushing the bounds of likability, though they managed to pull her back just in time (barely, and almost). I don't really want the return to season one that they promised, though. It feels redundant and stale to go backwards. I want her to evolve. How about Emily decides the best revenge is helping people at the expense of those she hates, rather than tearing down people who are actually trying to atone for their sins? And maybe building some relationships of her own, instead of destroying them as fledglings.

I don't buy that Aiden is fully on Victoria's side. All he'd have to do is tell her, oh, everything. He went looking for the box, so why hasn't he just SAID that she's really Amanda?

And then there's Jack. Guh. He did and said the only thing he could do in that moment, but I call BS that he doesn't feel anything for Emily. He's right up there with Nolan as my favorite character.

How I Met Your Mother
So far, so good on the season-long one-weekend concept. Not much to say about this show. It's enjoyable, and I'm glad it's finishing up.

Castle
I've seen pictures of Nathan Fillion on set, and while he's already looking great on screen, I think he's going to be looking even better. But let's not be superficial or anything. :) The show's been hit or miss so far. The serious stuff has been great, but the attempts to make Castle be Castle and have some fun with the crime-of-the-week have been, well, weak. I won't say the storyline has failed, because the relationship stuff has also been great, but I just really want the gang back together.

I'm behind on Bones, but can I just say puh-LEEZE put the Pelant crap to rest? And if they make such a huge deal of Cam's identity theft and then just drop it, I'll be very annoyed.

Sleepy Hollow
I had a few reservations before the season started, but I'm really liking this show. Someone posted somewhere about getting Crane some new clothes. NO THANK YOU. I LOVE LOVE LOVE his period clothing. It's washable, geez! There is a high level of creepiness here, but they've definitely put the right focus on the characters and relationships. Irving is very intriguing to me. He's not the skeptical, hard-assed obstacle typically put in that role. So of course I'm suspicious about his motives.

Supernatural
We've only had one episode so far, but my feelings are mostly good. Mostly. I mean, how many times do we have to visit the "lying for your own good" and "carrying secrets as burdens" territory? That said, I thought they motivated it well. Dean isn't choosing to keep this secret, he has compelling reasons for being forced to. I would like to see a storyline for him, which we haven't had to a strong enough degree since he was the first seal. But I thought Jared did a nice job channeling Tamoh, and he seemed excited to have the opportunity to do that.

I can't wait to see what they do with Crowley, and Misha always does fantastic with whatever they give him, good or bad. I liked to think Cas's pleasure drinking the water was Misha's pleasure getting rid of the damned trench coat. :)

S.H.I.E.L.D.
Because my expectations here were so high, they were also pretty low. So far, I'm enjoying the show. I like all the characters/actors and the storylines have been fine so far. Clark Gregg's tweeting adds an extra dimension, though, that might be influencing me. :) There's definitely room for improvement, of course, as the chemistry develops and everyone settles in, and the writers can get deeper into things now that they're past the initial intros and have familiarized us with the world.

Trophy Wife
I would like to like this better. Characters are all fine, acting fine, love the littlest kid. I just think that putting Kate in a helpless, eager position destined to lead to her failure is going to get very old, very fast. I hope they don't make it the focus of the show.

Brooklyn Nine-Nine
I added this to my DVR because it had big buzz and the concept appealed even if some of the actors didn't. It made me laugh some, and I didn't hate anything about it. But it doesn't stick in my brain much. On the bubble for me.

New Girl, Big Bang Theory, Modern Family, Glee, Hawaii 5-0
These are pretty much status quo for me, with Modern Family leading the bunch.

Revolution
Way behind on this one. Only watched the first episode. Whoa at how dark it's gotten, enough to make me laugh at how everyone wondered if they'd have to lighten it up for the 8:00 time slot. The actors don't seem to have missed a beat over the hiatus.

Arrow
I like the new direction here, and the maturing of all the characters. Felicity is probably my favorite female character on TV right now.

The Tomorrow People
I didn't know much about this show except Robbie Amell's relationship to Stephen and that the kids have powers and Lucifer (aka Mark Pellegrino) is the bad guy. It had more nuance than I expected. I'm sufficiently intrigued.

The Michael J. Fox Show and The Crazy Ones
I freely admit I'm watching both of these for the lead. Nostalgia plays a role, as does missing both Michael J. Fox and Robin Williams on TV. The vehicles give them both a chance to do what they do best. Fox has a better chance, IMO, because it has heart and balances the schmaltz with a bit of edge. Williams is the best part of his show, but the established dynamic might be too grating and I just don't like SMG enough.

How are you feeling about your favorite shows this season? Which new ones do you like best?