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Stuff I’ve been watching (Forever, Scorpion)
Forever: I was kind of hoping I wouldn’t like this show because I already have too much stuff to watch, but I really love it. The cursed-with-immortality thing reminds me of New Amsterdam (which I also loved and was cancelled, so hopefully Forever won’t suffer the same fate). But what really sells me on the show is the shifting father/son dynamic between Henry and Abe. Being physically (if not chronologically) older, Abe often acts fatherly towards Henry, but I especially love the scenes where Henry acts fatherly towards Abe, since after all, Abe is his adopted son. His grumpy old man “you kids and your music” type rant in last week’s episode involving a jazz musician was particularly hilarious. Plus, the actors have good chemistry and I love how much those two characters care about each other.
I also like Henry’s assistant Lucas, played by the same actor who plays the intern Fisher in Bones (the one who’s always depressed). The character is a bit similar, though more cheerful than Fisher.
Scorpion: I was prepared to hate this one, having heard how bad it was. After watching the first couple of episodes, I had to agree that the plots are ridiculously improbable and impossible despite the main character being based on a real person. And I agree with other criticisms that viewers have expressed, like the unfortunate implication that geniuses by nature are socially inept. But--the show is just so darn much fun, that I found myself enjoying it in spite of all that. The characters are heavy-handedly quirky, but still likeable and fun to watch (at least for me). I love Robert Patrick as the team handler and estranged father figure to Scorpion leader Walter. And the genius autistic kid Ralph who bonds with the team is sweet, and the show handles him more sensitively than it does the rest of the oddball characters. Also, the show hits my narrative kink of found families: the members of Scorpion came together because they don't fit in anywhere else, but have found trust and belonging with each other. Which is probably why Happy is one of my favorite characters: despite her name (I assume it's ironic?), she's hardened and cynical, with good reason from what we learn about her very difficult childhood, but she trusts in Walter the way she does no one else. We're gradually getting to see her develop and open up a bit more, so we are seeing some ongoing character development with her. Most of the focus is on Walter, but hopefully the other members of the team will get developed a bit more too, although I'm not expecting this show to become anything more than fun, mindless entertainment.
Bascially, it's a guilty pleasure that's enjoyable if you switch off your brain and forget about logic and any semblance of real law enforcement procedure, which is the same way I watch Hawaii 5-0. It's visual junk food: maybe not good for you, but I find it as guiltily satisfying as eating a bowl of buttered popcorn or a bag of M&Ms.
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Which brings us to stuff that I tried an episode or two of, but gave up on, not necessarily because they were bad, but because they just didn't grab my attention enough to make me fit it into my busy TV watching schedule, for whatever reason.
Gotham: I was looking forward to this, but the first episode was kind of unrelentingly grim and not really my cup of tea. It was interesting, and if I had more time, I'd probably have given it more of a chance, but with so many other shows to watch (I'm already taping or streaming a bunch due to scheduling conflicts), I decided to give it a pass.
Constantine: Not bad, but again, a bit too grim for my tastes. I like the lead actor, and the first two or three episodes I watched were interesting, but it just didn't grab me enough to make it a "must see". Maybe I'll catch up with it online if I get a chance.
Madam Secretary: Watched the pilot because my sister wanted to see it. It was a good show--reminded me a bit of House of Cards with less cynicism. But serious political dramas aren't really my thing, and they were hinting at a vast overreachng conspiracy plot, and I'm pretty burned out on season(s)-long conspiracies plots on shows like Bones.
(Speaking of which, it's obviously not a new show, but I completely gave up on Bones when I heard about the big spoilery thing that happened in the season opener.)