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TGIM
Spoiler Alert: Some content from last night’s television show premieres are revealed below
The Big Bang Theory
Gotham
Dallas
The Blacklist
These are just a few of the television shows that premiered for the 2013-2014 season last night. The Big Bang Theory was literally a big bang in the ratings with 17.9 million viewers, despite being temporarily moved to a new night. In the age of convenience/DVR watching, that is a damn impressive figure.
Here’s what we learned from The Big Bang Theory:
Penny got a pixie haircut!
Stuart and Mrs. Wolowitz/Deb-Deb are forging a strange, yet hilarious relationship that really can’t be labeled at this point. However, the attempts to do so with the frazzled friend and son Howard will make for some great comedy in the future
Howard is going for his PhD, which is freaking Sheldon out because Pasadena’s most famous NASA engineer may soon be on the same intellectual level as the self-proclaimed genius Dr. Cooper. It’s safe to say that Howard now has Sheldon’s full attention
Bernadette got Penny a job interview with her pharmaceutical company, she freaks out her boss and she continues to be the sweetest bully of all-time
Penny got a job as a pharmaceutical sales representative!
Sheldon traveled across the continental United States on trains and never left the train stations (FYI-did you know mustard and ketchup are popular condiments in train stations?), got everything stolen from him, wound up in the Chuck Lorre sitcom comedy-driven tightie whities and was arrested in Arizona for badgering random train goers for help. It was crazy I mean funny. Once fully clothed and back in southern California, he discovered he was promoted to a junior professor at Caltech. He attempted to teach Howard graduate level physics, but an epic spitball ended that.
Amy is now the popular girl in high school and it’s fantastic!
Oh, and Leonard got a new hoodie (and is owed some serious gas money)
The much-hyped Gotham had a noteworthy 8 million viewers. Not bad for a series premiere. When it comes to drama and/or action shows like The Blacklist and Gotham, the reins for what is deemed acceptable for a network television audience continues to be loosened. Perhaps this is partly due to the reality of having to compete for viewers who watch popular, PG-13 to R-rated shows on HBO, Netflix, FX and AMC.
What does this mean?
Ultimately, studios translate this to mean that the public still has a healthy appetite for rich stories and clever writing all played out in dramatically stunning sets with dynamic, conflicted characters. Plus, unlike going to the movies, television has to work harder to keep an audience throughout a half-hour or one-hour run time. Commercial breaks can offer too many opportunities to change channels. Next day viewing with a DVR has partially dealt with this perceived inconvenience. However, people have a thirst for great storytelling. It’s a universal and timeless truth. And judging by the season/series premieres alone, the teams behind The Blacklist and Gotham have given its audiences high-quality, suspenseful dramas with plenty of grit and imagination to sustain and entertain its viewers for this upcoming television season.
Unfortunately, Dallas is currently hanging out on this writer’s DVR. But it actually aired its season finale last night. It will be fascinating to see where South Fork and its famous residents and guests are after a host of Texas-sized scandals, secrets and seductions.
Monday, welcome to the cool table.
The Man in the Black Fedora
Thanks to the digital magic of the DVR, “The Blacklist” was last night’s feature once the awesomeness of, “The Goldbergs” rocked its final inspiring nostalgic note for the week. Another great half-hour journey back to the ’80s.
The power of the VHS tape…
Focusing back on, “The Blacklist,” this national security mystery added yet another name to the aforementioned list. The diabolical characteristics of the villains continue to shock and surprise, while the anti-hero Reddington remains a constant. However, Reddington is different than most television leads.
Why?
The answer boils down to the actor who plays him…or is it the other way around?
James Spader is weird, smart, sharp, cocky, borderline creepy and full of ambiguous intrigue.
He’s like a perplexing painting in a museum. At first glance, you think you have it all figured out. Then, as you begin to walk away, you take a second look and something’s changed. You gently rub your eyes in a bewilderment, but you’re still convinced something definitely changed. After a minute passes, you don’t want to or think you need to stay in the room, but you’re in a trance. The experience is downright odd, leaving a void of all the answers you seek. You can’t help but continue to look, searching for the exciting answer.
Spader has played lots of memorable roles, but Reddington suits him as perfectly as the three-piece suits he wears (plus the dynamite hats). As crazy and insane as it may read, it’s easy to imagine that James Spader is like Reddington in his spare time. As in that’s how he acts on the weekend. No big deal, just a Thursday-Saturday excursion to the Bahamas to Paris to D.C. with the itinerary consisting of moral dilemmas, beautiful women, breathtaking locations and powerful enemies to manipulate and defeat.
And one cannot forget about a delicious and savory meal in a five-star hotel with a bodyguard.
His eerily reassuring presence is one of the primary reasons why this show has been such a success thus far. Writing and portraying the story lines of, “The Blacklist” for network television without a major motion picture budget has proven to be difficult in the past. Consequently, the final product has come off as campy and, therefore, lacking in believability.
Not “The Blacklist.”
The action is explosive, the suspense is palpable, the settings are realistic, the characters and their movements are precise and gritty and the twists are startling and fun.
“The Blacklist” is accomplishing (so far) what all good television shows and movies achieve, which is temporarily relieving the viewer from his or her reality to fully immerse ones self into the dramatic, comedic and/or action packed world for a short period of time. We’re not simply watching the actors or actresses portray characters, but are instead embracing an engaging, puzzling story unfold through the guidance of a reticent lead.
Who is Reddington exactly? Why does he insist on working with Agent Keen?
We’ll just have to wait until next week for the 6th episode…or viewing.
The good news about a television show and a museum is that there are no visitation limits.
Jimmy's Daily Planet 