April TV roundup

Since my post at the end of March, even more new TV shows have debuted, so here are my thoughts on them, plus a few other odds and ends.

Cupid-- I'm liking this one just fine. My ex-husband and I used to watch the original incarnation occasionally during our first year of marriage in Chicago*, so I have some pleasant memories from the original but not the baggage that a serious fan would have had. I've been able to watch this one with a mostly open mind, and it almost seems like a totally different show. Cannavale and Paulsen have no chemistry, whereas Piven and Marshall had tons, but I actually appreciate the greater focus on the couple of the week, so I can live with it.

The Unusuals-- I watched the first episode of this, found nothing to hook me, and moved on. I think the show suffers from a problem in tone. Before it premiered, ABC was calling it a quirky comedy, now they're calling it a "crime thriller," and neither is exactly right. Not that I think genre lines are absolutely impassible, but if you're going to cross them, you need to have something compelling, and this show isn't it.

Harper's Island-- I'm still on the fence about this one. I liked the first episode a lot, but the second had a lot more hacking and a lot less plot, so I'm not sure how long I'll be able to stick with it. Everyone knows I don't like scary things! On the other hand, there's been absolutely no feeling of suspense so far, so it's not actually that scary, and that's a sign the show isn't really succeeding anyway. But I have to keep watching because Christopher Gorham is so cute!

Parks and Recreation-- This show isn't as perfect as I'd like. For instance, they've wasted Chris Pratt by making his character totally unsympathetic (and that's pretty hard to do with someone who broke both legs in an accident!) However, I'm going to keep watching until Ugly Betty comes back, because it really does have its laugh-out-loud moments, and because I know someone just like Leslie Knope in real life.

Primeval-- I'd been wanting to watch this show ever since I read about it in Dan's Media Digest a couple of years ago. Dan Owen has always given it a hard time for not living up to its potential, and unfortunately I agree with him. You'd think that a show about dinosaurs coming to the present through a rift in time couldn't miss, but this is no Torchwood or even Sarah Jane Chronicles. Still, I'm going to keep watching it for the time being, because the urge to watch whatever British thing Sci Fi shows on Friday night is just too strong with me.

Surviving Suburbia-- I almost forgot I watched the first episode of this show while I was traveling and had already missed the beginning of Heroes. No, no, and no!

In old business, I'm very intrigued by the latest happenings on Chuck, am more optimistic about Heroes than I've been in a long time, am thrilled that Friday Night Lights will be returning for two more years(!), and am sad that I may never see Life again. (USA Today says it and Reaper are already dead, but I refuse to believe.) Oh, and I gave up on Kings and didn't watch it last night on its first Saturday showing. While I've enjoyed it, everybody knows it's a dead show walking, and I could think of better things to do with my Saturday night.

*Can it really have been 11 years? Time goes by so quickly when you're a grown-up!