Project Reinvigorate

Last night Project Runway returned looking to make amends for its universally disdained LA season that ended what felt like 2 days ago. And there were certainly some improvements already made. Michael and Nina were both back, as they will continue to be for the rest of the season. That's already a big step up right there. The show continually drove in that it's back in New York, from returning to the Atlas Hotel to announcing the challenge in Central Park (with a little stage on the pathway. Not sure why).

But aside from those obvious fixes, the overall vibe I got from the premiere is still meh. While the new crop of contestants at least don't all look like they had intended to audition for The Real World like last year, there's not really anyone immediately jumping out yet either. Sure, there's the crazy physical therapist who likes to design for herself. At least she's something new. There's the requisite obnoxiously arrogant one, whose near-win probably just fuels his fire. And a girl who cries. All the time. Seriously.

Most promisingly, the people on the bottom this week weren't THAT bad. Though the ones on the top weren't that good either. Seems to be yet another season full of people in the middle. Of course, unlike on Top Chef, it sometimes takes awhile for the frontrunners to emerge. But I said that last season too and look what happened. Plus, Nicole Ritchie as the guest judge may actually be a step down from Lindsay Lohan last year. What happened to leaving the LA image behind? I'll stick with it for a little while, but it's looking like a change in location can't hide the fact that this Runway is just not fashionable anymore.

TV Midseason Preview 2010

Hey everyone, happy New Year! I know we're already a few days into 2010, but for the first Zandervision post of the year I thought it would make sense to look ahead to all of the various TV show returns, season premieres, and new shows over the next few months. Many thanks to Entertainment Weekly for essentially already doing this, and if you're curious about a show I don't watch, go there.

Scrubs and Better Off Ted (January 5th, 8-10 PM, ABC)

These shows have been airing straight through the holidays, but starting Tuesday they begin doubling up to expedite the burning-off process. While Scrubs' likely cancellation may be for the best, Better Off Ted just keeps getting funnier. Maybe think about giving it a shot before it disappears for good?

Modern Family (January 6th, 9-9:30 PM, ABC)

The funniest new show of the season returns with Benjamin Bratt guest starring as Manny's father.

How I Met Your Mother (January 11th, 8-8:30 PM, CBS)

Not only is this the date that HIMYM returns, but it also marks its 100th episode with Rachel Bilson guest starring, the promise of actually seeing the mother, and best of all, a big musical number featuring the entire cast in suits.

30 Rock (January 14th, 9-10 PM, NBC)

30 Rock returns with two episodes in a row? I want to go to there.

Archer (January 14th, 10-10:30 PM, FX, NEW SHOW)

I missed the preview during the fall, but this animated comedy for adults from some Adult Swim writers is supposed to be well worth a look.

Project Runway (January 14th, 10-11 PM, Lifetime)

If it seems soon for another season of Project Runway, it's probably to wipe away our memories of last season's disaster. But since this time it's back in New York with all judges present, I'll give it at least a few episodes.

The Golden Globe Awards (January 17th, NBC)

The awards themselves don't mean much (if they gave Nine 5 nods they clearly don't watch the movies), but Ricky Gervais as host should make for an entertaining night.

Human Target (January 17th, 8-9 PM, Fox, NEW SHOW)

A comic book based action show starring Mark Valley, Chi McBride, and Jackie Earle Haley. Sounds cool to me.

24 (January 17th & 18th, 9-11 PM & 8-10 PM, Fox)

Yes! Bauer is back, and this time in New York with a ton of new blood including Freddie Prinze Jr., Starbuck, Indian Regis Philbin from Slumdog Millionaire, and Bubba from Forrest Gump. Plus some old blood in Chloe, Renee, and President Taylor.

Life UneXpected (January 18th, 9-10 PM, The CW, NEW SHOW)

TV Guide Magazine calls it "Gilmore Girls meets Juno." Since it's about a teenager who becomes friends with her biological parents, if you like Gilmore Girls, you'll probably like this. Not my kind of show, but at least it's not yet another remake of something from the '90s

The Office (January 21st, 9-9:30 PM, NBC)

With the sale of Dunder Mifflin, maybe The Office will find yet another way to keep itself relevant in its 6th season. Just as long as they never do something like "Scott's Tots" ever again.

Dollhouse (January 22nd, 9-10 PM, Fox)

Not a return but an ending, as Dollhouse airs its series finale. Since the episode is titled "Epitaph 2," it looks like Echo and De Witt's fight against Rossum won't stop the eventual apocalypse, but we may find out what happens to everyone after tech takes over.

Caprica (January 22nd, 9-11 PM, SyFy, NEW SHOW)

If you want to get a headstart on this prequel series to Battlestar Galactica, you can catch the two-hour pilot on DVD. Having just watched it, I can say it's nowhere up to BSG quality yet and is a lot slower paced, but I still found enough cool and intriguing stuff here to want to check out the show. Seems appropriate to be premiering the night Dollhouse ends, since I could certainly use something to fill the sci-fi void.

Spartacus (January 22nd, 9-10 PM, Starz, NEW SHOW)

This attempt to essentially turn 300 into a TV show is probably far too silly for my taste, but if the idea of Lucy Lawless doing something somewhat back in the Xena realm sounds exciting, this is the show for you.

Damages (January 25th, 10-11 PM, FX)

Heading into its third season, Damages is looking to be just as complex and crazy as ever. This time the case centers on a Bernie Madoff like figure (played by original Sweeney Todd Len Cariou) and his wacky family, including wife Lily Tomlin, son Campbell Scott, and secret keeper Martin Short, in an attempt to go serious. If nothing else, Damages always wins for creative casting.

Lost (February 2nd, 9-11 PM, ABC)

Beginning its final season, Lost is easily my most anticipated return of all of 2010. Since the writers say even a single clip would give away everything, all I can say about season 6 is that Claire's back, a bunch of dead people guest star, and it's going to be awesome.

Parenthood (March 1st, 9-10 PM, NBC)

Originally slated for the fall, Parenthood intrigued me then and still does now that Lauren Graham's starring. Though does that mean I need to see the movie?

Gossip Girl (March 8th, 8-9 PM, The CW)

Why such a long break mid-season? Hopefully the writers are taking their time to come up with something good to close the season, because Dan's threesome and Tripp's bug-eyes certainly don't count. And no, neither does bringing Chuck's mom back from the dead.

V (March 30th, 10-11 PM, ABC)

It's looking like a massive ratings drop is inevitable given ABC's idiotic decision to take a long break after airing the initial four episodes. But if you keep watching, the mistake doesn't have to be fatal.

Glee (April 13th, 9-10 PM, Fox)

Another mind-bogglingly long mid-season wait, but the promise of Sue Sylvester singing and dancing makes it worthwhile. The bigger problem will be what to watch first now that Glee and Lost share a timeslot.

A Finale Worthy of the Crappy Season Preceding It

It's no secret that this season of Project Runway has been objectively bad. I wrote about it, everyone else has written about it, we all know the reasons. There's no real purpose in going over all of that again.

But in spite of everything else, the judges did probably find the three strongest people for the finale (if you don't count Shirin and Ra'mon, that is). And as much as everyone I've talked to has said, "I don't even have anyone I'm rooting for. They all suck," I actually had someone I was rooting for. Carol Hannah had made consistently nice stuff AND managed to spend more time on her clothes than on bitchy comments. Was she up to the standards of past PR winners? Maybe not, but she would still be a very respectable pick.

And that decision was amplified when I saw the collections. Usually everyone brings their A-game, to the point that people you go in hating sometimes cause me to reconsider, and it's hard to figure out who really was on top. But not this year. This year Carol Hannah was FAR AND AWAY better than the other two, who I thought both MAJORLY disappointed. While her collection wasn't "cohesive" if cohesive means "all exactly the same," she was the only one with any memorable individual pieces that actually looked good. And it wasn't all black. Seemed like a no-brainer.

As for the others, Althea's so-called "sportswear of the future" looked like pretty normal clothes you could find on anyone, any time. And even getting past the fact that she went for more casual wear, it wasn't very interesting. Of course, this episode has been sitting on the shelf for over a year now, so maybe "the future" to them was Spring 2009, and this was really cutting-edge back then. I certainly wouldn't know.

Now, I'll give winner Irina the benefit of the doubt for a moment. She said that black doesn't look good on camera, so it's certainly possible that what I saw was nothing at all like what the judges praised. But what I saw was many variations on the same outfit with stupid hats and a couple of the exact same fur things she's already made multiple times before. As for the "warrior" look, they all just looked like ice queens. So when one of the judges said "You know what women you're designing for," I have to conclude he was referring to....Irina.

It wasn't just the decision that made this finale such a let-down. Everything about it seemed second-rate. Michael and Nina often looked apologetic/embarrassed/unconvinced by what they were saying. There were no contestants from seasons past there for the show. The biggest guest judge they could get was...a Susan Boyle look-alike? Plus I spent the whole time wondering if the designers were being blue screened in, since I had heard they weren't allowed to show themselves at the time for spoiler reasons.

Anyway, yes, Carol Hannah was robbed, but the more important thing is that this season is over. Next year is back in New York and back to normal, this LA experiment an unpleasant memory behind us. And if moving back to New York doesn't help, then well, I guess we're even bigger suckers for still watching it.

On a happier note, Glee was so good this week that I almost didn't realize there was no Sue Sylvester. Though that did make for one of the more dramatic episodes, with many honest and emotional scenes and, yeah, some crying. But all of the pregnancy drama with the parents was treated in enough of a realistic and un-melodramatic way that it worked, and made Finn and Quinn both more interesting as characters.

Still, what made the episode worth writing about was the Will and Rachel storyline. First we got a hilariously awkward duet of "Endless Love" in which Rachel chased Mr. Shu around with "crazy eyes" while he made horrified expressions. Then, even better, a mash-up (why are Glee's mash-ups always so good?) from Will of "Don't Stand So Close to Me" and "Young Girl." The more into his message he got, the more excited Rachel (and Emma!) got to be watching him.

Closing out the episode with a feel-very-good group number of "Lean on Me," it was an episode with a lot of music and a lot of heart. Thankfully Sue's back next week to wreak some havoc and bring in the funny, but this episode's more realistic tone helped balance out some of the wackier stuff. Ryan Murphy's come a long way from Nip/Tuck.

Reality Showdown

I only watch 2 reality shows, and even that is probably too much. But while I'm unapologetic in my love for Top Chef, which has bounced back from its so-so Hosea season back to its tasty former self, Project Runway just continues to make me more and more embarrassed to be watching something on Lifetime. I was one of those people who said "I will never watch it on Lifetime. Clearly the change is due to get rid of all straight male viewers. And the producers of The Real World? And in LA? I'm out." But somehow I'm still watching it, and it just goes to show that you should always listen to your first instinct.

When the first episode ended without a single breakout contestant I could remember, it was a bad sign. When Michael and Nina disappeared after the second episode, that was a worse sign. When Ramon, one of the few somewhat talented designers this season that made my early top 3 prediction, got kicked off way early, it got even worse. And somehow we made it to the top 5 with two obvious deadweight contestants (who thankfully were sent home), and nobody all that worthy continuing into the final three.

So what went wrong? So many things. The erratic judging has to make it to the top of the list. Without consistent judges, good people (Ramon, Shirin) got sent home for being unfortunate enough to be declared the glorious fuck-up of the week while Christopher kept scraping by at the bottom with no one to notice. Well, except Heidi, who seems to yield more power than ever this year, and that doesn't seem to be a good thing. Plus, the show's just not as fun without Michael Kors comparing everything to '80s movies and Nina's various facial expressions. By the time the judging panel was all pregnant women, it was clear I was watching Lifetime.

But even getting past the judging, the contestants weren't all that great to start. And the new producers could care less about what they design. Do you realize how little actual sewing and constructing we've seen this season? Yet how many times have we heard Irina trash talk someone or Althea gossip in a corner? That's what happens when you get the team behind The Real World - it's all drama, no design. Obviously people are watching for some drama, but when Irina's confessionals start making up half the show, it's gone too far.

Good news is, it's almost over. Just the finale to go, then next year the promise is back in New York and back with Michael and Nina. It's not even like this season made particularly good use of LA - just a lot of lame celebrity judges and excited talk about "red carpet." I guess I'm rooting for Carol Hannah by default, but it's really not even worth the effort of picking someone to root for. I'll give Runway a break and call this year a failed experiment. But if next year starts following the same pattern, it's Auf Wiedersehen.

In contrast, Top Chef this season has been everything Project Runway hasn't. While on PR it was tough to see who would come out ahead as nobody was all that good, Top Chef had a clear top 4 from the very beginning: Kevin, Jennifer, and the Voltaggios, who have literally taken every elimination win this season between the four of them. Now, Jennifer's had a rough few weeks, and if she was on this year's Project Runway she definitely would have been cut, but the TC judges recognized her overall performance and let her stay. Which will make for a more interesting finale when they all finally get to face each other down (unless something goes wrong this week, which it very well could).

This past week's Reunion Dinner was admittedly kind of lame, but it was airing opposite the final game of the World Series, so they get a pass. Especially after a Restaurant Week challenge filled with inter-Voltaggio drama, Robin annoying everyone, and a group declared the best Restaurant Week team ever. See, the drama on Top Chef may feel just as manufactured and over-emphasized as on Project Runway, but at the end of the day, the food still wins out.

I would be satisfied if any of the top 4 win this year, which makes the chance of a Hosea repeat all the less likely. So yes, I like food a whole lot better than fashion, and I would prefer Top Chef's worst season (5) to Project Runway's best (2). But now that each is well into its 6th year, it's clear which one's got longevity and which may have finally become out of season.

Project Lifetime

I know I'm a little late in getting to the much-delayed and (to some) highly-anticipated Project Runway season premiere, but I guess it wasn't high on my to watch list (still haven't seen the All-Stars special). I was one of those people who said I wouldn't watch it on Lifetime, cause clearly the move signified a desire to lose all straight male viewers (yes, there are some of us), yet somehow, here I am. All I can say is I'm glad I have a DVR. I don't know what kind of commercials they were showing, but I never intend to find out.

The main thing everyone wanted to know going into the season is: would we notice the changes? What changes am I talking about? 3 biggies: 1. LA instead of New York. 2. Lifetime instead of Bravo. And the most worrisome of all: the team behind Real World producing instead of Magical Elves (who also do Top Chef). As for the answer: mixed bag. It still definitely felt like Project Runway. The same format, the same music, the same Tim Gunn. This was no Fashion Show level wannabe.

Yet I can't say it was quite the same. The LA switch didn't cause any major differences, but the whole thing felt just a little....brighter. And seeing that different Mood store was a little jarring. As for the producers, they've said they have no intention of fixing what isn't broken, and that we won't be seeing any hot tub confessionals. Yet I can't help but noting that half the cast seems to be 23, and the general level of attractiveness is higher than in the average season. So did they mix up audition tapes between PR and Real World? Hard to say.

Getting past all the changes, the premiere still did what all reality show premieres do: give us a first look at who the players are this season and let us start guessing who's going to come up on top. So far...I got nothing. I wasn't particularly impressed by anyone from the premiere. I doubt this week's winner will go the distance. Maybe the neurosurgeon will. I can't in any way tell apart the multiple anonymously attractive 23-year-old blond girls. And the third guy in the top 3 was the one who started crying 10 minutes into the show, so I'm already rooting for him to leave.

So...not a great start, but I was prepared for it to be much, much worse. And hey, at least there's no Blaynes this season. I got less of a vibe that everyone was just imitating people from seasons past than season 5 gave me, so maybe all the changes will give the show the fresh start it needs. I just wish they concentrated more on talent than looks when they were casting. Wow, I guess it really did go LA.

Pilot Reviews: Life on Mars and My Own Worst Enemy

So far this season, I have yet to add any new shows. I turned off Sons of Anarchy 20 minutes into the pilot. After 2 episodes of True Blood, I liked it but didn't love it enough to watch during the regular season. Then there's Fringe, which had a numbingly boring pilot yet I still insist I will give a second chance. But despite the weak offerings, I decided to try two more pilots this past week. One was surprisingly good, and the other unsurprisingly bad.

First let's look at Life on Mars, a remake of a British show I've never seen. The show is about an NYC cop, Sam Tyler, from 2008 who gets into a car crash that sends him back to 1973. Once there, he has to deal with the way cops work in the '70s: waiting weeks for a fingerprint match, beating up witnesses, and ignoring the opinions of female cops. He also has to solve a case in 1973 with major repercussions for his last case in 2008. And the voices through TVs and radios from 2008 do nothing to convince him his time in 1973 is more than a dream.

There's a lot about the show to laugh at (which I'll get to), but what's surprising is how much of it works. First off, the 2008 case may seem like standard Law & Order, but is a lot more fun. It would seem a waste to use Lisa Bonet as Sam's girlfriend/cop partner and Clarke Peters (The Wire's Lester Freamon) as a fellow cop for only one episode, so I imagine they'll be coming back. I'm also liking Sam's difficulties being a cop in 1973, as he struggles to figure out how crimes were solved in the 1970s. It's fun to watch him clash with the other '70s cops while solving an enjoyable enough case.

But while I enjoyed the pilot, I'm not completely sold yet on the series. For one thing, the cast has yet to win me over. Jason O'Mara is likeable as Sam, but the supporting cast plays it very broad. Michael Imperioli and Harvey Keitel seem to be in a contest of who can ham it up more, as Imperioli sports ridiculous '70s hair and Keitel speaks in an exaggerated New Yawk accent. Gretchen Mol as the ignored lady cop seems more annoying than cute so far. Then there's the question of how they can sustain a premise that lasted 12 episodes in the UK. The communications from 2008 via TV and radio are promising, but without more of that this could just turn into a procedural. So I like what I've seen so far, but I'm skeptical about how long I'll keep watching.

With My Own Worst Enemy, that decision was a lot easier. In the show, Christian Slater (Heathers) plays two characters - Edward and Henry - who share the same body. Edward is a super spy who kills people. Henry's got a family with Madchen Amick (the unfortunate duchess on Gossip Girl) and a regular job. While Edward supplies Henry with fake memories, Henry has no idea of Edward's existence. But when Henry retains memories of Edward and gets drawn into one of Edward's missions, he finds himself needing Edward in order to survive.

Some of the blame for why the show doesn't work is Christian Slater. As he showed in Heathers, Slater is most convincing playing creepy, which makes him a decent Edward but a terrible Henry. As Henry, he's too annoying and nasal-voiced to be sympathetic, making it hard to care when threats are made on his life. Since most of the hour is spent with Henry, that's a pretty big problem. Then there's the premise. While I suppose the Jekyll and Hyde idea could have been cool, the constant "Are you Henry or Edward" gets really silly really fast. And it's still not clear what the benefit of it all is. Edward's spy scenes are better, but still seem like a cheap Alias knock-off. Add painfully bad dialogue, and there's not much worth watching.

On an unrelated note, a few thoughts on last night's Project Runway finale. I thought Korto had the best collection and overall deserved to win. But Leanne has been perfectly solid and made a nice if somewhat repetitive collection. The important thing is that Kenley didn't win. She had the weakest collection and probably shouldn't have even made it there. It also seemed appropriate to have Tim Gunn judge for the first time in what was essentially a series finale. So all in all, a fine finale for what was still one of the weaker seasons.