Trust Me (1.1)

Monday, January 26, 2008 @ 10 PM
TNT
Trust Me - Season 1, Episode #1 - Pilot












http://www.tnt.tv/series/trustme/

Marmot: Much more engaging than the barely watchable Ocean's 11-lite Leverage, Trust Me doesn't seem to know what it's about. It's less a friendship drama set in the exciting world of advertising than it is a procedural for getting "the big account". It's somewhat ironic that the show about advertising seems to be based on advertiser's versions of the working world that are sold to us every year in Super Bowl commercials. It's yet another regurgitation of the Office Space formula, except not funny. However, the leads (Tom Cavanaugh and Eric McCormack) are very likeable, and I can't help that feel that the show would be much better if they were given more interesting things to say. Instead, the dialogue is mired in ad-world lingo that only serves to alienate the viewer. I don't know what the hierarchy is in an ad agency, I don't want to know. Just make me laugh.

Manatee: Trust Me did not keep my attention. I was more interested in my knitting project than this show. I was unable to separate Eric McCormack from his character on Will & Grace (Kind of annoying as you can imagine). When a competing cable station has the highly acclaimed television series, Mad Men, which revolves around ad agencies in the 60s, I'm not sure you should go up against it. TNT was probably hoping that while Mad Men was on break, their audience would tune into Trust Me. Skip it (coming from a Mad Men fan). I'd rather wait till Mad Men season 3 comes back to get my ad fill. Trust Me is not funny, the characters are rather obnoxious, and it does not look very good (looks low budget to me). I have no interest in tuning in for episode two unless someone promises me it gets a million times better.

Gossip Girl (2.16)

Monday, January 19th, 2009 @ 8 PM
CW
Gossip Girl - Season 2 - Episode #16 - "You've Got Yale!"




















http://cwtv.com/shows/gossip-girl/episodes


Hey Gossip Girl fans!

Marmot and Manatee Here.

Marmot: HEARD: Line of the year - Lost Josh Hartnett asks Jon Mayer if he's going to the opera. Jon Mayer says he is. Lost Josh Hartnett: "Yeah, I might go too." Not a pep rally, or someone's house party. The opera. Hilarious.

Manatee: CALLING IT NOW: Jon Mayer (aka Dan) is going to hook up with that thirteen year old English teacher. You could tell the second she appeared on the scene.
Maybe they could go to the opera together.

Marmot: GUESSING: The actress that plays the new English teacher is younger than the actors who play her students

Manatee: OMG, we need to research that stat. I think you are right. Research is in: We're wrong - Serena - 8/25/87; Blair - 4/9/86; Dan - 11/1/86; Nate - 7/18/85; Little J - 7/26/93 (Do you feel old yet?)

Marmot: Yes. Very

Manatee: Chuck - 6/27/87; Teacher - 8/22/83

Marmot: So she's 3 years older than the students she's pretending to be the teacher of so if they're all 22 playing 17, that would mean she's 25 playing...20? A 20 year old high school teacher?

Manatee: Yup. OMG! You know what we are forgetting to discuss here? WORST IDEA EVER BY A STUDIO EXECUTIVE: Lily and Rufus: Flashback to the 80s.

Marmot: I can't believe they're giving Lily a flashback spinoff.

Manatee: Tell me about it. They must be desperate.

Marmot: Let's do the math here...how old are 29 Year Old Dad and the Hot Mom? 40?

Manatee: I think I guessed about 39 per the show math with the 19 year old adopted (fake dead) son.

Marmot: So the spinoff is going to be Lily as a teenager out on the Sunset Strip, so about 22 years ago, or 1987. This is going to be awesome.

Manatee: Why?! Who will want to watch this? If we were teenagers now watching GG, would we want to tune in to see the 80s Bret Easton Ellis style?

Marmot: That is true. But as, um, animals in our, uh...mid? 20s? Sure, mid 20s - I want to see Lily sleep her way through Guns N Roses, Motley Crue, Poison, Whitesnake, Def Leppard...you get the point.

Manatee: When will our TV viewing eyes be blessed with this little spinoff?

Marmot: Hopefully the fall...but there's a rumor going around that we're going to see a flashback episode this season.

Manatee: I can't wait.

Marmot: What I was really hoping for was a flashback with Rufus to his salad days of the early 90s. How awesome would a Buffalo Tom cameo be on GG? (ED Note - Buffalo Tom guest starred on My So-Called Life almost 15 years ago and it was amazing)

Manatee: My So Called Life was 15 years ago?

Marmot: (ED Note 2 - Buffalo Tom was a Boston-based alternative rock band that was around in the 90s. They had a moderate hit with "Sodajerk". Check it out, it's well worth it) August of 1994. Nearly 15 yea - OMG FIFTEEN YEARS?!?!?!

Manatee: I think M & M need to have a little party this August to celebrate the anniversary.

Stick with us here. Until next Monday!

XOXO,

Marmot & Manatee

Flight of the Conchords (2.1)

Sunday, January 18th, 2009 @ 10 PM
HBO
Flight of the Conchords - Season 2 - Episode # 1 - "A Good Opportunity"
http://www.hbo.com/conchords/

Manatee: I think FotC Season 2 is off to a bad start.

Marmot: Really? Why is that?

Manatee: I didn't like the first episode as a season kick off. Plus, there weren't really any catchy tunes, and as much as I LOVE Murray, I wish the first episode wasn't so focused on him. He even had the first song of the new season.

Marmot: I thought his song was hilarious. I have to agree with you, song-wise, the episode was pretty weak. But they did have all of the Season 1 songs for years, and now they've had to write a bunch of new ones over a few months. I thought the episode was pretty funny, though.

Manatee: They had plenty of time to write new songs. There was a strike which delayed most HBO shows. Plus I know for a fact that Bret likes to spend his days lolly gagging around a certain coffee shop in LA. He could have been writing with his partner, instead he was gulping down espressos.

Marmot: He can't write and drink coffee at the same time?

Manatee: Not when Jemaine isn't there!!! Anyhow, I have hopes that it will get better, but I'm just saying, I was disappointed. I was glad to see Mel and Doug make an appearance.

Marmot: I think the music will get better. One major thing I noticed from Season 1 was the increased budget, most noticeably, the move to HD.

Manatee: Yes, I noticed it did appear to have a bigger budget as well. Let's hope that doesn't diminish the charm.

The Beast (1.1)

Thursday, January 15th, 2009 @ 10 PM
A & E
The Beast– Season 1 – Episode #1 – Pilot

http://www.aetv.com/the-beast/index.jsp












I ask you, "Dirty Dancing or The Beast?"

Marmot: Kinda “meh” about The Beast. I feel like all the best stuff was going to be in the pilot

Manatee: I hated the ending! Why does everyone think they need some sort of twist these days? What happened to good old-fashioned storytelling

Marmot: It became stale and boring, so then the twist became something shiny and new, and ultimately, cliche. At least for horror movies. This is a rare example of a twist in a pilot . I feel like it could have been better executed, though. Perhaps if we had seen the FBI folks in an earlier scene? It just kind of felt tacked on otherwise.

Manatee: I just felt like I had seen it before and it was a very weak ending.

Marmot: Its straight out of the movie Breach.

Manatee: They whole premise and storytelling was pretty weak and tired. The only good thing about the pilot was the way it looked, other than that, I'm not really looking forward to the season.

Marmot: Yes. The cinematography was amazing. I also liked that Patrick Swayze shot a missile launcher. I'm pretty sure he never did that in Dirty Dancing.

Manatee: Is Patrick Swayze marketable anymore? Who is tuning in to see him? And did CBS ask themselves a similar question when Caruso thought about signing on for CSI Miami?

Marmot: EVERYONE is watching Caruso on CSI Miami. It's unbelievable. Maybe that was their thinking with Swayze. Or maybe A&E figured people would watch the first episode out of shear curiosity and get hooked.

Manatee: Are you hooked?

Marmot: Not so much hooked as mildly interested. I'm mostly interested in why Patrick Swayze made his brother-in-law shoot himself. Also something that never happened in Dirty Dancing.

Manatee: That personal story felt unnecessary. It seems like that scene and the later one with his sister set up the FBI agents trying to convince the young partner that his older, harder partner is dirty. Each week we should compare and contrast The Beast and Dirty Dancing

Marmot: Similarities to Dirty Dancing? Nobody put baby in a corner.

The United States of Tara (1.1)

Sunday, January 18th, 2009 @ 10 PM
Showtime Network
The United States of Tara - Season 1, Episode #1 - Pilot
Available now at: sho.com















Welcome Back to Manatee & Marmot Destroy TV: The Blog. It's a New Year with new shows out there on the waves. For our 2009 resolutions we promise to be more consistent with our posting on the latest but not always greatest TV series. Oh yeah, we also promise to cut back on the booze. So enjoy!

Marmot: I think I liked The United States of Tara.

Manatee: I did like it. I'd like to see where it is going. Though it's a half hour, I didn't feel like it was a traditional sitcom. And I like the idea of multiple personalities... it's a different take on the typical dysfunctional family

Marmot: This is a family with a real dysfunction and a real situation, unlike most shows where they just make fun of each other. But I wonder how interesting it will be 5 episodes from now. Why are we being introduced to this family and their world at this point? They've lived with this long enough to all be comfortable with it, except for the kids. Who even are okay with it. It's just ruining their social lives, but they're kids, so who cares? Kids are idiots.

Manatee: I felt like that was a question still to be answered. It may tie into my first thought about the episode, why was Tara talking to a video camera in the first scene? Is that part of her therapy? I'm not partial to tricks like that just to get some narration or background going. I wonder if that style will ever be seen again in the series.

Marmot: I had completely forgotten about it by the end of the episode.

Manatee: I thought it was a stupid way to intro the character, unless it has something to do with her therapy but it wasn't addressed again last night. Is it a way for her to 'communicate' with her alters? That was a technique that was used in My Own Worst Enemy.

Marmot: They don't seem to communicate based on this first episode.

Manatee: Well, T did know that Tara had found the morning after pill.

Marmot: I wonder if the "alters" share common knowledge. Does "T" know the same things Tara does? Buck did know how to bowl left handed, which was odd. Odd that it was referenced by the characters. It didn't seem that important.

Manatee: After I watched the show, it did prompt me to Wiki DID (Dissociative identity disorder) - it was a lot to go through. I was under the impression that your alters did not know things about your life, you don't share memories. But I don't know what the left handed importance is. I think what is interesting about DID is not just dealing with it, but what causes it in the first place. And we, the viewers, are being introduced like you said mid stream here.

Marmot: There was an offhand reference to stress inducing an "attack". One of the first questions I had that wasn't addressed was wouldn't she be on medication? I know there are drugs that combat this.

Manatee: Yes, I did catch that too. But the daughter did mention something about being happy her mom was off the meds.

Marmot: Oh, nevermind. I guess I missed that.

Manatee: Even after reading the Wiki, I'm not sure what causes the attacks, but what causes DID is interesting. It's really only common in the US and it's usually a condition started after major trauma or abuse. There is a lot of controversy over whether it's really a medical condition. Enter Tara's sister.

Marmot: It looks like the writer read the Wikipedia page, too. Which brings us to my biggest gripe...

Manatee: I know. I was waiting for this

Marmot: F Diablo Cody. She sucks. Sucks sucks sucks sucks sucks.

Manatee: Tell me how you really feel

Marmot: Nobody talks like she writes. It's so infuriating.

Marmot: Especially in this show. Every character was played fairly straight, as if there were normal people, and then here comes these oh-so-clever witticisms...I hate it. I think that's how I really feel.

Manatee: I didn't think this show was as bad as Juno with that 'clever,' wacky dialogue.

Marmot: That is true. I'm sure Showtime or someone made her tone it down. Maybe it was Spielbergo.

Manatee: Talk about an unlikely duo. Do you think Spielberg will ask Cody to write the 5th Indiana Jones?

Marmot: Oh god. I don't know what's worse, a Diablo Cody scripted Indiana Jones or the idea of another Indiana Jones movie.

Manatee: How involved is Cody with the series?

Marmot: She's already put her name on it. In my opinion - too much.

Manatee: I'm just wondering if someone else is showrunning, maybe the series won't be as wacky as she is.

Marmot: Alexa Junge is ths showrunner.

Marmot: She was a producer on The West Wing, Big Love, Sex & The City and Friends. Quite a pedigree.

Manatee: I don't get Showtime, so I probably won't have the pleasure of seeing this series through, but I must say Showtime is stepping it up. It is almost better than HBO at this point.

Marmot: I have to admit, this does make me slightly more interested in getting Showtime. Still not enough to pay for it, though. I'll probably NetFlix this show once it's on DVD.

Manatee: I may have to join you when you get the NetFlix in. If the show were on ABC I'd definitely watch it. Actually, why isn't it on ABC or NBC? There wasn't much nudity or bad language.

Marmot: It was also edited down, according to the disclaimer right before it started. I wonder what we missed out on.

Manatee: We may never know.

CW Sunday Night

Sunday Night 8-10 PM
CW
Valentine & Easy Money














Manatee here! The Hollywood Reporter has announced that Media Rights Capital's Sunday night CW programming has come to a halt. That means Valentine and Easy Money have been 'shut down' so that writers can 'catch up' on scripts.

Valentine looked cheesy and came across as a mediocre version of the show Charmed. Don't use visual effects if you don't have the proper budget. If MRC was trying to make smaller budgeted shows for the CW, then stick with simple stories and good drama. If hip effects and explosions are what the audience wants, then come up with the cash. But based on the success of CW's Gossip Girl, a great costume designer and some hot 20 somethings a show does make.

I can't comment on Easy Money too much since I deleted the recording after 6 minutes. There was nothing compelling about this series at all. It looked cheap and the actors are terrible. Don't even bother wasting your time on these shows. Production is stopping and though MRC claims they will finish the 13 episodes of each show, you can bet there will not be Season #2's in either's future.

MRC would have done better to produce another teen soap opera or better yet - have picked up MOONLIGHT! Yeah, that's right, you should have picked up CBS's vampire series and you would have hit it big on Sunday nights.

Kath & Kim (1.1)

Thursday, October 9th @ 8:30 PM

NBC
Kath & Kim - Season 1, Episode #1 - Pilot

Recap: http://www.nbc.com/Kath_and_Kim/



















Manatee: So Kath and Kim, lamest comedy of the season!

Marmot: You think so? What about Gary Unmarried and Worst Week? And, um...uh...what happened to comedy?

Marmot: There used to be tons of them on.

Manatee: Let's put it this way, I got through2 episodes of Gary Unmarried before I canceled the DVR and 1 episode of Worst Week. I deleted Kath & Kim after 10 minutes. I didn't laugh once.

Marmot: You should have kept watching. The guy from the David Blaine Street Magic You Tube Edition is her husband.

Manatee: I saw him. He was probably the hightlight. But that's exactly the problem with this show. What actor gets a network comedy off a YouTube project? Granted the Blaine series is hilarious, it's much funnier than Kath & Kim. Molly Shannon and Selma Blair had NO chemistry as mother and daughter. Putting aside that they are actually 8 years apart, I felt they were pretty boring and lame on screen.

Marmot: That was a big problem I had as well, the age difference. I don't buy them as mother and daughter, it just looked like them trying to play younger and older. Honestly, I think I wanted to like this show more than I actually did. I'm going to give it another episode, but not much after that.

Manatee: I also did not like the comedic style. Was it going for an arrested development feel, an office feel, a sitcom feel? I'm not sure what it wanted to be.

Marmot: It was kind of a mess. There was a running joke - serious and combative dialogue between the two that is suddenly interrupted by observation of something completely unrelated - ie, "oh look at this shirt". It was funny once. By the third time, not charming anymore. I can only hope this was a pilot-only thing.

Marmot: But what I'm really wondering is where is this show going to go? Kath gets married, Kim gets back with her husband, then what? That's maybe a season's worth of storyline. How long did the original run?

Manatee: I often wonder about the story line of most comedies. One could ask where are you going when you spend all 1/2 hour in an office? But at least you're laughing! I can't see myself watching this show ever again, I hope it gets canceled tomorrow.