Fall TV report card (New shows pt. 2)

Whitney: Comedienne Whitney Cummings is all over the place these days. Not only is she starring in this new sitcom on NBC on Thursdays, she's also co-created 2 Broke Girls, the new sitcom on CBS that I reviewed earlier this week. While I liked 2 Broke Girls, I'm not as sold on this one. The basic premise is that she has a long-term boyfriend but neither of them want to get married. So instead we just get to peer into their lives and see their, primarily Whitney's, take on relationships. I liked both Whitney and her boyfriend. I found them funny and had good back-and-forth. However, there are two major problems with the show. All of the people around these two are complete stock characters who were not funny and added nothing to the narrative of the show. The other big issue was the laugh track. While I typically prefer shows without a laugh track, I tend to not notice the laugh track in the shows I watch that still has it, like The Big Bang Theory. Here though it was SO noticeable and grating. Even worse is that the actor seemed to be taking even more deliberate pauses between lines in order to give time for the laughs. The opening minutes felt as if I was watching a parody of a sitcom. They are going to need to dial down the audience noise a lot if they expect me to stick around. I did manage to audibly laugh at a handful of the jokes though which gives me hope that the show can improve: Verdict: Week-by-week basis Person of Interest: This has been the show I have most strongly connected to thus far. I was prone to like it already given that J.J. Abrams had a hand in its creation and it brought back Michael Emerson (Lost's Ben Linus) back to the small screen. In this drama, Emerson plays Finch, a mysterious, wealthy man who has the ability to know victims of crimes before they occur. He hires former solidier Reese (played by Jim Cavizel) to prevent these deaths from occuring. Watching the show, it felt very much like watching a modern day Batman. It's a detective show with a focus on vigilantism. The connection to Batman shouldn't be surprising since the show was created by Jonathan Nolan, brother of Christopher Nolan. It's unclear whether this show will take on a 'case of the week' format or if a larger mythology will be developed, but either way I'm in. The show had a fast pace with lots of good action and a few good one-liners, mostly from Emerson. Verdict: Earned a season pass