after enduring last year's writer's strike, we enjoyed a few last
episodes before the summer hiatus hit. as of tonight, most shows (in addition to a
few new ones), are back. here's a brief wrap-up on some of what's out there. *beware of spoilers*
gossip girl - oh, how i love gossip girl. three episodes in, it
hasn't disappointed with its drama, slime, money and sex (and given my
longstanding crush on
mädchen amick, the combination of the last two
was thoroughly enjoyed). what i love
most is that the show pulls it off with pseudo upper east side class, intellect and wit running through its dialogue and performances,
topped by a soundtrack that always gets my download on.
(oh, but can i just note that i'm not quite buying the new queen bee
serena? holding my breath, hoping that
blake lively can be as
delightfully bitchy as leighton meester.)
• gossip girl airs on the
cw mondays at 8 pm
ET,
a-channel sundays at 8 pm ET, or catch it online at
ctv.ca.
90210 - in contrast to GG, i found 90210 to be really boring.
once you get over the thrill of seeing
jennie garth and
shannen doherty
reprise good old kelly and brenda, you're left with a show about rich
teenagers running amuck dealing with high school drama. truth is,
gossip girl does the same thing infinitely better, with much nicer
looking sets, better production value, and wardrobe. maybe the show is worth
watching, but i say invest the time in the
original 90210 instead. far more entertaining.
• 90210 airs on the
cw or
global, tuesdays at 8 pm ET, or watch it online at
globaltv.com.
entourage - the boys are back at it again, with a whimperish
bang. it's the usual shenanigans but this time with vincent chase at
his lowest, after the disaster that was
medellin. with a cavalcade of
guest stars (
tony bennett, leighton meester,
fran drescher, and the
ever hot
carla gugino) watching the scramble to put vinnie back on top
is an indulgence. bonus is enjoying ari at his cocky best, with a
bitchslap to match.
(best line so far was uttered by fran drescher's
über rich character
to her daughter at her sweet 16: "candace, don't be a whore." gold.)
• entourage airs on
the movie network, sundays at 8:30 pm ET.
ugly betty -
lindsay lohan makes another appearance as ignacio's
fast food boss, which pretty much makes for the highlight of this
season's premiere. we see some changes in UB's setup with daniel and betty moving
to a FHM style male mag, daniel contending with his new son, and betty
finding a place in the city to call her own. the battle between
wilhelmina and claire continues, with alexis trying to find a balance
for meade. but we can see the setup for alexis' disappearance coming a
mile away. with
rebecca romijn's pregnancy we can only expect the
character to stick around for four episodes. so i'm going to wait on
this show to deliver over the next few weeks.
• ugly betty airs on
abc or
citytv, thursdays at 8 pm ET.
grey's anatomy - premiere was somewhat satisfying. the kinda confusing storyline with the three
women on the way to a gala + shared man had its moments of good, but
wasn't the most moving grey's has offered (though featuring
some pretty kick ass guest stars). also disappointing? cristina's new
love interest, the army surgeon. he's supposed to be all risk taking
hotness, but he's just kinda...blah. but let's see where that goes. major
props, however, on grey's being true to form with the out of nowhere sass from derek's
slighted nurse (what's her name again?), not to mention the end of
the first hour surprise and more than hilarious ensuing scene. overall,
it's nice to hear these well worn characters deliver some well written
beatchy dialogue. here's hoping the rest of the season keeps up, with
some quality lesbian callie/erica fun to boot.
• grey's anatomy airs on
abc or
ctv, thursdays at 9 pm ET, or watch it online at
ctv.ca.
er - er's in its fifteenth and final season this year, which
means you can expect every episode to pack more than its usual intense
punch. this season's premiere certainly set the standard for the year
with a major character development that was completely heart wrenching.
it will undoubtably lend to interesting performances the rest of the
year- the strength of which has long been er's benchmark for quality. on that note, i'm looking forward to
angela
basset joining the cast, as well as the return of favourite characters
from past seasons (sorry people- no
george clooney) as a lead up to the
end of an era in dramatic television. i have to say that er is going to make thursday night television incredibly bittersweet this year.
• er airs on
nbc or
ctv thursdays at 10 pm ET, or watch it online at
ctv.ca.
well, that's all for now. expect a few more premieres around the
bend from the light
kath & kim and
30 rock to the darker
dexter. (exciting!)
until then...
