May not only brings us season finales, but it also brings the decisions of networks whether to continue our favorite shows or not. My top shows from this season's upfronts:
Show I'm going to miss:
Brothers & Sisters
I've stuck with the Walker clan since the beginning. From Sarah's divorce with creepy Joe, to chasing Tommy to Mexico (should have just followed Sienna Miller's whereabouts), to Kitty's political relationship to smokeshow Rob Lowe, to Justin's marriage to who they thought was their sibling, to Nora's best boyfriend IMO, Danny Glover, I've been through all of it with them. But, alas it was time. I'll miss you the most, Kevin and Scotty. Who will be my favorite gay couple on tv now? (Kurt and Blaine? Probs. They have a lot to live up to.)
Show I'm SO excited is renewed for another season:
Parenthood
Lauren Graham. Peter Krause. + stellar cast that are too many to name. I can't even begin to explain my love for this show. Yay new Braverman baby!!
Happy Endings! The good news is that if you haven't seen any of the past 9 episodes, ABC has renewed it for next season! Set around a group of early thirty something friends dealing with breakups, dating, and marriage, this might be one of the best sitcoms centered around young friends since, well, Friends. The cast is stellar, and the writing feels fresh and new. It literally leaves me wanting more. With gems such as my new motto in life:
and this clip which basically sums up my experience at Emerson:
Probs THE best ep of Parks & Rec to date: The Fight. Tom promotes his new "high end kahlua-style liquor", Snake Juice at his bar the Snake Hole, and everyone gets a liiiitle wasted. After all, Tom made the drink by "mixing a bunch of alcohol together, adding some sugar and coffee, and some other junk and it kinda tastes like kahlua." Schwasted Parks & Rec employees are the best.
After swiftly going through 2 seasons of Party Down (which ended up being hilarious through the end, btw), I managed to swiftly go through 2 seasons of Dirty Sexy Money in a couple of weeks. Don't judge. Although two very different programs, both had quite a few similarities. Each only had about 10-13 episodes each season. Both were abruptly cancelled after their second season. And both had two leading men whom I'm now obsessed with - Adam Scott & Peter Krause respectively. (PS, if I haven't mentioned this before, you need to watch Parenthood. Legit the best show you're not watching. Unless you are. In which case, you're da bomb).
In short, Dirty Sexy Money centers around the Darling family, the richest family in the country (think the Hiltons), with Tripp Darling, played by the excellent Donald Sutherland, at the head of the family, along with his wife, and their 5 adult children. Thrown into the mix is Nick George (Krause), whose father mysteriously dies in the pilot, and happens to be the Darling family lawyer. Tripp hired Nick to carry on his father's legacy and the madness ensues.
Overall, I was totally hooked on this show. From murders, affairs, illness, and scandals, it had all the makings of a great night time tv drama. The characters were strong on their own, including my favorites Brian Darling, the son who became a priest yet has a child out of wedlock and the mouth of a sailor, and Jeremy Darling, half of the twin combo who is a party animal/ladies man who turns into a clever hopeless romantic by the end of the series.
Albeit there were a couple episodes that just plain out sucked, I really enjoyed the show. My one complaint - and complaint for all future tv series i decide to watch - is that it didn't have a real, solid series finale. They weren't sure if ABC was going to pick up the show, so they kind of left it as 'this could be the end, yet we're leaving you with a story line that could continue for another season' (see: gilmore girls, series finale). I guess it's not as bad as leaving the show on a complete cliffhanger, but it's still really frustrating for a tv nerd like me. This being said, if you like drama with an dash of soap opera in your tv shows, add this to your netflix queue. The only thing you'll regret is not having watched it when it was on to save the ratings.
Last September, my roommate Ryan and I made 'Must See TV Lists', which includes shows we've been meaning to watch, shows that we need to catch up on, and shows we have watched that we'd like to watch again (the hashtag on twitter was aptly named #thisiswhywedonthavefriends). I believe we gave ourselves a year to complete this mission, and so far I've crossed off two shows (the marathon that was the complete series of Pushing Daisies and Grey's Anatomy). But thanks to Netflix instant, I'm making my way through my list in a semi-timely fashion.
SO, I've come here to say I've started Party Down. A show produced by Paul Rudd - of Paul Rudd fame- and Rob Thomas - of Veronica Mars, not Matchbox 20 fame -, the cancelled too soon program centers around wannabe actors in Los Angeles who have to earn their wages by working for a catering company. And the hilarity ensues. Check out a scene from the pilot episode which solidified my decision to keep the show on my list. Probably one of the funniest scenes I've ever seen in my life. Are you down with the party?
