Freddy Highmore plays a new surgical resident with Autism in this ABC medical drama. Another British actor playing an american. I like this show and the light it puts on people with disabilities and unique circumstances. However at times it does border on exploiting those same people. The action centers on the choices the main character makes and those around him as they all deal with his autism. In a sense this is Doogie Howser but instead of age the conflict is autism.
Grade: B+Category Archives: B+
Penn & Teller’s: Fool Us
I not only enjoy Penn and Teller for their magic, but for their stance on several topics that are not appropriate for polite conversation. This show is a chance for magicians to highlight their best tricks and help them get out there. The gimmick is to fool Penn and Teller on how the trick is done. Penn has said on his podcast, Penn’s Sunday School, that the idea of them being fooled was secondary to them and showcasing the talent was the main goal, however now the magicians are very interested in showing their skill and fooling the duo. This is a fun show and if you have an interest in magic it is even more fun, or as my 4 year old would say, “Funner.”
Grade: B+
Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist
I love musicals. For a large portion of my life that is all I was about. I loved TV shows like Cop Rock, Glee, and the occasional musical episode from regular shows like Buffy or even Grey’s Anatomy. What I didn’t like about them is the lack of reasoning for spontaneous singing and dancing. This show solves this problem. Zoey has a brain defect that sees everyone’s emotions through them performing extraordinary show stopping numbers. Everyone in the show is great at singing and the numbers are great and the lead Jane Levy is fantastic. My favorite part of the show though is the inclusion and celebration of the LBGTQA community.
Gold Rush
I have been watching this show since its first season many many years ago. The constant in this reality show about mining gold is Parker Schnabel. He started on the show at about age 14 and now he’s around 26 and very successful as a miner. This show goes through the intricacies of mining in Alaska and the relationships of miner to each other and to the land. The latest season (2021) follows 4 different mining operations: Schnabel’s, Rick Ness, Tony, and Fred. Each with their own level of success and expertise. I really enjoy this show as you can tell by my constant viewing every Friday night for many years.
Scorpion
I am new to programming code, but I am pretty sure </ goes at the end of a line of code and not the beginning as the title of </Scorpion> suggests. That set aside this show was surprisingly good. It starts with lead character Walter O’Brien (Elyes Gabel) hacking NASA as a kid and getting escorted away by homeland security. It is now present day and he a herd of genius’ have started a company with good intentions just not with the business acumen needed.
The government heeds their help in stopping a terrorist attempt in bringing down 52 planes heading for LAX. They end up at a diner with Paige Dineen (Katherine McPhee) who has a young son that appears to be on the autism spectrum and is clearly a genius. The team and McPhee save the day and are hired by the government to continue to save the day.
I enjoy nerdy humor and nerds in action and this show has a lot of that. Putting characters in harms way that you expect not to succeed is always fun to watch.
New Girl
In the season four opener four months have passed for the New Girl roomies. Everyone is single and have attended troves of weddings this summer. Jessica Biel guest stars in this season four first episode, as a wedding guest at yet another wedding and poses as competition for Jessica’s(Zooey Deschanel) prey, the best man. This season has been lauded as the return to the energy and fun of season one with everyone single and Schmidt (Max Greenfield ) going after Cece (Hannah Simone). If this season opener is any sign of what’s to come then I am disappointed. This show can do so much but it jumped the shark last year with Jessica and Nick (Jake Johnson) becoming a couple. This should have been a last season situation, but now we have to live through the awkwardness of this for this season, which they will keep referencing, which dulls the comedy.
Over all the show was good though and I will continue to watch, but I do think there is room to improve.
Red Band Society
Another Hospital Drama…… That’s what I thought going into this. Do we need yet another McDoctor going into the on call room and getting it on with an intern show? Then I watched the pilot episode and to my ecstatic surprise the show was about the patients in the pediatrics ward. I wonder though how long I can root for a protagonist who is in the hospital? Won’t they inevitably get better or unbetter and die? Does FOX really want to put their audience through that? They’re kids. I’m glad I am not making those choices. I was, though, happy I made the choice to watch The Red Band Society. The writing was fresh and it is always good to see young people as the leads in shows instead of those you see in every new drama that gets canned every season(I’m talking to you Christian Slater). The story is told by a kid who is in a coma, this is a neat device in my opinion. But how does he know what is going on outside of his room??….suspension of disbelief…ok. The kids are all kinds…one that needs a heart, needs lungs, has cancer, an eating disorder, and one who needs courage.. Wait no.. that last one was The Wizard of Oz….different kid story. The first episode was mostly exposition. Now that we know the characters, I am excited to see what the next few episode have in store. It officially premiers on September 17, 2014, but you can see it on Hulu until then.