Daryl Tay.net

My general thoughts so far on the freshman series that have debuted this year: Not bad, but waiting for better. An underlying trend in all of them is that apparently an overarching “mystery” or story arc is the way to go these days (a la Heroes or Lost). The shows in question? Knight Rider 2008, Fringe, The Mentalist and The Clone Wars.

Knight Rider

Knight Rider
I had no idea what this series was about going in, except it involved a car. Well, it doesn’t just involve a car, it’s a freaking transformer! (I use that term lightly). It’s a remake of a 1982 series, so if you were alive then (I wasn’t), it might hold some nostalgia value for you. I watched the pilot and within the first 8 minutes, decided I was going to love the show. It’s a campy show with a couple of agents and a support team, as well as an AI car, KITT. The interactions between KITT and the lead agents are often hilarious, and the mystery between what’s going on with Mike’s memories/history is fairly interesting. Don’t go in expecting too much. This is a fast car, weapons ablazing, hot female lead with clothes coming off kinda show. But it’s fun. My prediction: It’ll get picked up for a full season

The Clone Wars
Coming hot off the Clone Wars movie, Star Wars is back on TV! I need to say I didn’t manage to catch the Clone Wars animated movie because I was traveling, so I’m reviewing this independent of the movie. I am a huge Star Wars fan. About 1/3 of the books I own are Star Wars books. But this animated series just isn’t doing it for me. I get a kick out of seeing Plo Koon and Ashoka in action, but it’s not as fun as the previous animated cartoon that ran on the Cartoon Network. I don’t know if it’s the animation style, or the creators that are responsible for it. I guess essentially if you like the Star Wars franchise, you should watch this just for fun little short adventures in the corners of the Star Wars universe set in the Clone Wars. Just don’t expect too much. My prediction: It’s running for as long as George Lucas wants it to.

Robin Tunney

The Mentalist
I just watched this last night on the recommendation of Jason Gabe, and I was pleasantly surprised. First, the series seems like a serious take on the show “Psyche”, which is a comedy of a guy which superb observation skills that he seems like he’s psychic. Same thing, except this is a serious show. The main character, Patrick Jane, doesn’t really stand out as a unique person, but he reminds me of Charlie Crews from Life. Again, whether it’s the actor or the writing of the character, I’m not sure. The upside is, it’s nice to see Robin Tunney (Veronica from season one of Prison Break) back on tv. I’m not sure I liked her as Veronica, but she’s got a commanding presence on this show. Oh, and the Red John subplot that is going on is the most intriguing one so far. Not going to give too much away, watch the pilot to know what I’m talking about. My prediction: Hard to say. Solid series have been known to be overlooked from time to time. I’m going to say it gets picked up for a full season, but not necessarily renewed.

Fringe
I’ve already talked about Fringe earlier in the season. Suffice to say four episodes in and nothing is changing my mind. The latest episode, in particular was a very very weak effort to shove an explanation for Peter Bishop’s presence into viewer’s faces. Still waiting for it to get better, but for now I feel Lance Reddick is being wasted here and should be back on Lost. My prediction: It’s already been picked up for a full season, I’m betting it gets renewed. C’mon, it’s JJ Abrams.

Any new shows this season I’m missing? I know there’s 90210 and Sons of Anarchy, but there’s too much good stuff right now to start on them. Let me know if there are other hidden gems!