Solid Seasons: Merlin, Downton Abbey, Justified, and Southland

So far I have been pleased with the quality of the latest seasons for a variety of television programs, from British kings and other upper class all the way to American marshals and police.  In the case of Merlin and Downton Abbey, you had happy endings with a marriage and promised marriage (not to give anything away), which could have signaled the end of both programs.  Fortunately, Merlin should be back for a fifth season and Downton Abbey for a third.  That said, things may continue to change. Just as Merlin lost AnthonyHead (Uther) this past season and continued without a significant bump, Downton Abbey may lose Maggie Smith (Lady Violet) after the upcoming season.  While her wit will be sorely missed, the show has enough solid acting and interesting characters to continue. 

As far as Justified and Southland, though the blood-letting was over-the-top at times (e.g., a human head in a SUV's wheel well and a severed arm, to name a few), both shows had solid character development and a cast we cared about.  In Justified, Marshal Raylan Givens (Timothy Olyphant) found another worthy foe in a Detroit mobster (Neal McDonough) affectionately called "babyhead" (don't ask).  Where would Marshal Raylan be without the seasonable bad guy (or gal) who has to be terminated in the season's last episode?  Predictable?  Yes.  Yet good TV nonetheless.  And luckily, it should be back for a fourth season.

Southland also had its moments as we watched officer Ben Sherman (Ben McKenzie) continue to grow in his career while dealing with some of his own demons.  What was hard was watching detective Lydia Adams (Regina King) hiding her pregnancy from everyone, including herself at times, while still trying to be superwoman in a stretched police forth.  And officer John Cooper (Michael Cudlitz) continued with his own recovery from addiction to pain killers while working with a crooked cop (Lucy Liu) looking for the next stripe on her sleeve.  All in all, a great drama that I hope to see return for a fifth season.

Another Modified Title: Apartment 23

Remember William Shatner's $#*! My Dad Says on CBS, where the strange name was almost impossible to find on you cable guide?  And then ABC had Good Christian Bitches, later changed to GBC. Well, now ABC has Don't Trust the B---- in Apartment 23, premiering tonight at 9:30 pm EST. I think we can figure out the "B" in this case as well.


Other than this odd title, what can we expect? Here is ABC's summary of the new show:

A wide-eyed Midwestern girl moves to New York City to pursue her dream job only to find herself living with an outlandish girl with the morals of a pirate. June's (Dreama Walker) well-planned well-organized life takes a drastic turn when she arrives in New York to find that the corporate finance job she moved there for no longer exists. As she tries to navigate her newly single life in the big city, her Midwestern scruples are constantly put to the test by her wild and sophisticated party-girl roommate Chloe (Krysten Ritter) and Chloe's best friend, the actor James Van Der Beek (James Van Der Beek). The two girls form an unlikely friendship that leads them both to unexpected places and often-illegal experiences.


Most of the press has concerned the return of James Van Der Beek, the "star" from the earlier Dawson's Creek.  Admittedly, Van Der Beek has done a nice job making fun of himself recently (see A**hole for Hire on Funny or Die - sorry, I had to play with the title), which has endeared him with past fans who saw him as a one-note character.  The question now is whether his presence on this new show will become a worn-out gag or help the show gain both viewership and staying power.  I have my doubts that this new series will stick around, and would like to say "Don't Trust the Suits in ABC," but I may watch the first episode to see what happens.

And Don't Forget the Return of Nurse Jackie

Showtime broadcasts season four of Nurse Jackie this evening (9 pm EST).  Yes, after everything she has put herself and her family through the first three seasons, she is still with us.  Without giving too much away, let's just say relationships and drugs continue to be a problem for Jackie.  Enough said.  

I like this 2009 New York magazine commentary on the first season (particularly the comparison to Hawkeye Pierce), which equally applies as we go into this latest season: 

It’ll be interesting to see how audiences react to such a female character: Like Mad Men’s Don Draper, Jackie is never entirely knowable. She’s a charismatic cipher, a con woman in the scrubs of a saint—loving but manipulative, with a trickster’s impulses. Hugh Laurie’s Dr. House is one obvious analog; Jackie’s got a bit of Hawkeye Pierce in her too—a sharp-elbowed player who earns her sanctimony with the intelligence of her outrage. But the fact that she’s a woman, and a mother, is unsettling and new for TV: With her hair in flattened porcupine prickles, eyes squinting shrewdly, Falco’s bold, aggressive adult physicality (and her sneaky, bossy sexuality) is a welcome jolt in a universe of coltish supermodels. When the first episode mimics Mad Men’s final-curtain revelation, it’s a jolt to realize that this is a working mom who is perpetually stoned.

Return of the Borgias

Showtime's Borgias returns this evening (10 pm EST), and I am guessing sex, family intrigue, and papal politics will keep all of us interested for another season.  I was not sure if the program would make it past its first season, but I am glad it did.  

The Borgias have grown on me, I am afraid to say.  The antics of Jeremy Irons and his brood bring bright colors to a very dark period for the Catholic Church.  And while Easter Day not be the best day to kick off such a show, as with Game of Thrones we were eagerly awaiting the series' spring return.

I like how The Hollywood Reporter summarizes the the start of the second season, yet the words could just as well summarize season one:

What propels Borgias most adroitly early this season is that for all the scheming Rodrigo Borgia (Jeremy Irons) did to get his hands on the papal robes, he cannot quite fathom how the same tricks might be undoing his own family. Like Tony Soprano, he's got trouble at home.

Let the new season begin.

New Show in April: Starz' Magic City

Starz is trying its own hand at another period piece, this time Magic City.  The new show, starting tonight at 10 pm EST, takes us to the Mad Men period. However, instead of New York Waspish businessmen, we find ourselves with the Jewish mob in Miami.  Starz has done well with gladiators (Spartacus), Chicago politics (Boss), and even kings (Camelot).  Okay, maybe not kings so much, but I am willing to give them a chance on this new show.

Set in Miami Beach in 1959, Starz advertises the story in this way:

As Ike Evans rings in the New Year at his luxurious Miramar Playa Hotel, Havana falls to Castro’s rebels. It’s a turbulent time in Miami, but it’s THE place to be. The Kennedys, the mob and the CIA all hold court here. And Ike, he’s the star of his hotel.

But everything comes at a price.

To finance his dream, he sold his soul to mob boss Ben “The Butcher” Diamond. Ike’s wife Vera, a former showgirl, and his three kids think he’s an honorable man, but he can’t break his pact with the devil. His life is a façade.

In fact, nothing at the Miramar Playa is what it seems. By day, it’s diving clowns and cha-cha lessons.  By night, escorts have secret liaisons with husbands in the family cabanas, while Miami’s seedier residents and the law drift together to hear legendary singers, musicians and comics.

As Ike’s world threatens to implode, he fights for his family, and the Miramar Playa, in Magic City.   

The pilot has plenty of action (you can view the first three shows at no cost on the Starz site).   It also has a nice golden hue, similar to Mad Men, but the location (plenty of sun), cars, and architecture give the series a more upbeat setting, even if the main characters are still running around in dark suits.  Compared to ABC's  failed Playboy Club, Magic City comes across as a fresh story with interesting characters rather than the stereotypical characters of many programs (and I include HBO's Boardwalk Empire as a series that tends to ape rather than expand on the past). In fact, I was thinking the television-version of the mob was limited to dreary New Jersey, whereas Florida is so much more scenic.  Can you picture the The Sopranos poolside in every episode?  I think I will be watching more. 

Update:  I am happy to read in Entertainment Weekly that Starz has ordered a second season of Magic City. 

The Killing Returns

I am one of the unhappy first season viewers of AMC's The Killing (as noted in an earlier posting).  This murder mystery/family drama involved great acting with a riveting story, only to be weakened by a poor ending.  Well, the second season returns this Sunday with a two-hour premiere.  I am hoping the series can get to the bottom of Rosie Larsen's death and continue to develop the story. 


For new and existing viewers, AMC has provided a helpful video summary of the first season, which reminded me again of the high quality of this program.  The network also provided this brief written summary (with more details than the video):

Seattle homicide detective Sarah Linden is partnered with Stephen Holder, a transfer from county narcotics, to investigate the case of Rosie Larsen, a teenage girl who disappeared after attending a school dance. A car is pulled from a lake in Discovery Park; Rosie's body is in the trunk. The vehicle is registered to the campaign of Darren Richmond, a Seattle city councilman who is running for mayor against incumbent Lesley Adams.

Rosie's parents, Stan and Mitch, have no idea who harmed their daughter. An early lead focuses on Rosie's wealthy ex-boyfriend, Jasper Ames, and his pal Kris Echols. Suspicion intensifies after video surfaces of the two boys performing lewd acts with a girl in the high school's secret basement party room on the night of the dance, but it's revealed that the video is a fake, and the girl in the video is Rosie's best friend, Sterling Fitch, not Rosie.

Jamie Wright, Richmond's campaign manager, and Gwen Eaton, Richmond's campaign adviser (and secret lover), urge Richmond to use the case to generate voter sympathy by linking Rosie's untimely end to his own wife's death in a drunk-driving accident. Richmond refuses.

Gwen introduces Richmond to Tom Drexler, a wealthy local entrepreneur with a grudge against Adams. Drexler donates $50,000 to Richmond for a media blitz.

In need of cash to cover the costs of Rosie's funeral and the mortgage on a house he purchased to surprise Mitch, Stan gets a loan from Janek Kovarsky, a mobster he once worked for.

One of Rosie's teachers, Bennet Ahmed, becomes the prime suspect after Holder connects Rosie to an after-school hoops program where Bennet volunteers and Sarah discovers letters from Bennet in Rosie's bedroom.

Bennet tells Sarah and Holder that he was at his apartment when Rosie stopped by to return a book on the night of the dance, but a video proves that Bennet was at the school. Bennet's wife, Amber, tells Sarah and Holder that Bennet's friend Muhammed Hamid has a key to their apartment.

Richmond begins airing a commercial promoting the hoops program that prominently features Bennet. During a televised debate, Adams reveals that Bennet is a murder suspect and hammers Richmond for coddling criminals.

Stan's friend Belko Royce tells him that the police are investigating Bennet. When Bennet shows up at Rosie's wake, Stan offers to drive him home but instead brings him to a dock, though he releases Bennet unharmed.

Adams outmaneuvers Richmond at a City Council meeting, getting Richmond's program defunded. Drexler brags to Jamie about having dirt on Adams.

Sarah and Holder's search for Muhammed brings them to a downtown meat market, where they become ensnared in an FBI anti-terrorism raid. While inside, Sarah spots a pink T-shirt that Mitch later identifies as belonging to Rosie.

Sarah becomes suspicious of Holder after seeing him receive an envelope of cash and follows him to what turns out to be a Narcotics Anonymous meeting, where she learns about his junkie past.

Richmond approves going public with the dirt on Adams provided by Drexler: the mayor got a teenage intern pregnant. Adams denies the affair.

Holder has a wiretap placed on Bennet's phone and tells Sarah that a judge friend of his can issue a warrant for arrest. In a wiretapped conversation, Bennet and a caller discuss passports and "the girl."

Sarah prepares to arrest Bennet, but the judge refuses to sign the warrant. The detectives catch a break when Amber provides Muhammed's cell-phone number and they use his phone's GPS to track him down. Muhammed reveals that the conversation wasn't about Rosie but rather a Somali girl he's trying to help.

After Mitch accuses Stan of letting Rosie's killer get away, Stan and Belko kidnap Bennet. Stan beats Bennet, unaware that there is evidence proving the teacher is innocent. Upon learning about it, Stan surrenders to the police.

Video from a cab places Rosie inside the Larsen apartment after the dance. Belko, who, unbeknownst to Rosie, was in the apartment when she stopped by, recalls overhearing Rosie say, "Adela, I'll be there." Sarah discovers that a local ferry named Adela has a late-night departure for a casino whose logo matches the key chain found with Rosie's body.

Sarah requests a warrant to review the casino's ATM footage but becomes distracted when her son, Jack, goes missing. Sarah and Holder spend the day searching for him.

ATM footage places Rosie, made-up and wearing a low-cut blouse, at the casino. The footage leads the detectives to Beau Soleil, an escort service. Rosie's Aunt Terry tells Sarah and Holder that she occasionally works as an escort and describes hearing another escort's tale of a john with the pseudonym "Orpheus" discussing a drowning scenario similar to Rosie's.

Sarah obtains Orpheus' e-mail from the Beau Soleil database and e-mails him. While visiting Richmond, she sees the e-mails to Orpheus on Richmond's computer. Richmond catches her looking at his computer.

As the detectives seek more evidence against Richmond, rumors surface about his affairs. Richmond issues a public denial but confesses to Gwen that he dated several women after his wife's death.

After hearing that Stan has reconnected with Kovarsky, Mitch refuses to post bail, but Terry does so.
Holder directs Sarah to a gas station whose attendant describes hearing a girl screaming on the night Rosie disappeared. The police search a nearby forest and turn up Rosie's sneaker.

Sarah visits Richmond again and accuses him of murder. Gwen overhears her and withdraws the alibi she previously provided. After Holder produces a tollbooth security-camera photo of Richmond driving the car that Rosie's body was found in, Sarah arrests him.

Stan returns home. "Every piece of this place hurts me," Mitch sobs. Later that evening, she leaves her family.

Sarah receives a call from highway patrol: the tollbooth cameras have been off-line for weeks. The Richmond photo is a fake. Elsewhere, Holder gets into a car and tells an unseen driver, "Photo worked. He's going down."

As police escort Richmond to a car, Belko approaches Richmond and pulls out a gun.

I am trying not to read all the press on the second season until I see it for myself.  However, I have read ahead a little bit and I am glad that some story lines have dropped, such as detective Linden's planned move to California with her son (per HitFix):

Another bad idea, handled poorly last season: the fiction that Linden was always on the verge of heading to the airport with her son Jack(*) to move to California wine country with her fiancé. It's among the oldest tricks on the crime story book, and one presented with the same solemnity as the rest of "The Killing." (Not that this needs to be a light show, given the subject matter, but the only way you can get away with that tired "just one last case" nonsense today is if you're making fun of it.) The premiere abandons the idea almost instantly, and instead focuses on the emotional impact the case is having on Linden. We were told frequently last year that Linden gets too wrapped up in her investigations —yet another ancient cop show trope, by the way — but this year "The Killing" actually shows it to us, and Enos' performance gives fragile life to the cliché.

I look forward to the continuation of this story and reacquainting myself with the characters. 

Update:  While the second season dragged at times,  the mystery was finally resolved in an interesting way.  The acting was superb again during this season, but it was sad to see so many of the characters walking in circles.  I imagine the show lost many followers while it was finding its way.  I have not heard anything about a third season.  In a June 18th interview with People magazine, The Killing actress Jamie Anne Allman provided her opinion:

I don't know why it wouldn't be picked up for a third season. As far as I'm concerned, the Rosie Larson case is wrapped and it's done and none of us are coming back, obviously. As far as I know, there's going to be a new crime introduced and a new cast if it gets picked up for a third season.

Spring is Here, as is A Game of Thrones

At long last we will be able to rejoin the ongoing saga of the Stark family members as they attempt to regain some balance after the loss of their head (literally) of household.  HBO's A Game of Thrones returns on April 1 at 9 pm EST. If you need a quick refresher of season one, you can catch up here.

HBO's saga started last year with A Game of Thrones, the first book in George R.R. Martin's series A Song of Ice and Fire. We now move onto A Clash of Kings, though the HBO series will be keep the first book's title (it is less confusing that way).  You can get a quick preview of the new season here.

And what should we expect?  Well, SFReviews has a nice summary of the book A Clash of Kings, though I expect HBO may play around with the plot points somewhat.  What I expect is another fairly faithful retelling of a great adventure saga, which is something HBO has proven it can do well.  Whether or not A Game of Thrones speaks to our time is a matter of opinion, though I believe any tale that highlights the costs of corrupted power, the sometimes thankless courage against the odds, and the importance of true friendship and family in troubled times is a story for all ages.  Will there be blood?  Absolutely.  Mr. Martin and HBO are not squeamish.  But I believe there has been and will be much more from this story-telling.  And I for one look forward to it.

Update:  On April 10, it was announced that A Game of Thrones has been given the green light for a third season.   With 8.3 million viewers watching the second season premiere, HBO knows when it has a good thing.