Fall TV Report Card (Thursdays Part 1)

Some of my favorite shows on Thursday got a jump start and premiered last week, so I'll review those now and the ones that debut tonight will be recapped later on.

The Office - After struggling to deal with the loss of Steve Carrell last season, this show promises a renewed sense of focus as it heads into its final season. This first episode nicely sowed some seeds for the end game of several of the key characters like Jim and Dwight, which I appreciated. The humor in the episode though was a mixed bag with a handful of decent lines but still too much wacky, physical humor that has weakened some of the characters (Kevin should be dim, but not THAT dim). This show can never recapture the glory of its early days, but it appears that they are going to do their best to give this cast a proper sendoff that will allow us to still think fondly of the show even after it is gone. Grade: B

Parks and Recreation - Last season ended with Leslie's big victory, winning the race for councilman. So in typical mockumentary fashion, we can't let the characters' wins last for too long as we saw here in the opener. Leslie got a wake up call while visiting Ben in Washington about how much she's been a big fish in a small pond for a long time. The storyline was well done, but didn't produce enough big laughs for me. Meanwhile Ron's attempt at throwing a barbeque went in typical fashion. Oddly enough, Rob Lowe's Chris brought the biggest laughs for me from this subplot. It's so nice to see him really integrate into the world and return to his happy self after being depressed for most of last season. Though their time was brief, April and Andy always bring the laughs and I wish we could have seen more from their time together in the nation's capital. I'm not sure if this worked well as a season premiere, but given the Washington bigwigs that had cameos in the episode, I can see why they went with it. I'll definitely be anxious to see everyone back in Pawnee sooner rather than later. Grade: A-

Fall TV Report Card: Wednesdays

Hump day is a slow day for me TV-wise so there won't be much to this post, but things will surely pick up as I go over the rest of the days of the week.

Survivor: Phillipines - Despite the fact that the show once again brought back returning players, there's a freshness to that twist this time. Each of the returning players are individuals who previously left the game for medical reasons, not because they were voted out. This then truly becomes a case of 'what if?' It should be very interesting to see if they remain healthy how far they can go. Thus far, Russell Swan already looks to be in trouble given his bossy nature and weak tribemates. Jonathan Penner isn't too well liked on his tribe either, but he's smart enough to find a way to stay in the game for a while. Plus his tribe looks strong, so they may not be visiting tribal council for a while. Then again, if teammate and former Major League Baseball MVP Jeff Kent's knee is seriously injured, that could dramatically alter the game. Finally, there's Michael Skupin, the infamous Survivor player from Season 2, who severly burned his hands after passing out by the fire. That had been one of the most infamous moments in Survivor history and yet, looking at his performance thus far in this new season, you begin to look at that injury in a new light. In a matter of days, he has suffered a minimum of four minor injuries to himself. I don't want to call the guy accident-prone, but it's looking more and more like that with each passing day. He, however, has the strongest standing within his tribe as he's already been pulled into an alliance. You get the sense though that he would rather be aligned with a different member of his tribe, Lisa Welchel, better known to most as Blaire from The Facts of Life. Though she claims to be a huge fan, it appears that the elements of the game are already getting the best of her. She'll need a dramatic turnaround if she hopes to stay in the game for long.

Overall, while it's way too early to judge how this season will play out, I think they've got a good cast of people who look like they're actually capable of competing rather than just being there because they look pretty or will cause trouble. I also like the Phillipines location, which allows the show to have some more challenges in the water - something that's been lacking in the past few seasons. I also enjoy the three tribe split that they've gone with this year, even if I know it won't last too long if for no other reason then the numbers just won't allow it. Here's hoping to a good season full of outwitting, outplaying, and outlasting. Grade: A-