2010/2011 TV Season Review

Now that May is finished we can finally move past the 2010 to 2011 television season. Overall I found this to be a rather disappointing season for TV in general. Sure, there were a few standouts, but overall nothing felt fresh and exciting. Some of the pilot descriptions for shows that have been picked up for next year sound good, but we have to wait and see on those. For now I am going to take a look back on how the shows I watch faired this season.

Chuck – I can’t believe this show is still on the air. If NBC was not a struggling network this show would have only lasted two seasons. Instead we are going to end up with 5 seasons. Which I think is just enough. The show has run its course, and this season showed that. I am excited for the premise set up for next season and I am ready to wish it a fond farewell.

How I Met Your Mother – The show went to some dramatic places this season and did it well. However, I hate Zoey. That entire storyline needed to happen and end a lot sooner. The show is starting to show its age and I’m starting to worry about the next two years it has.

The Event – A new show that I tried this year, it’s been cancelled. It was okay, but they didn’t want to create interesting characters and with having multiple points of view, the audience was always 10 steps ahead.

Glee – Not a strong sophomore effort here. I’ve grown to absolutely hate some of the characters and hoping that they somehow die a horrible death. The only things that keep me coming back are some of the jokes and the musical number they do every once in a while that just knocks my socks off. They have some competition in the genre next year so they better step up their game.

Modern Family – Still funny. The show makes me laugh and makes me feel good. That’s all I want or need from it. One of the few shows I watch that doesn’t have any long term arcs and I don’t want one from it.

Community – This season had more hits than misses, particularly in the second half. The crew there is making some of the smartest television I have seen since “Arrested Development.” This is probably the show I look forward to the most every week.

Perfect Couples – Dead. The show had funny moments but I just found myself hating to many of the characters and wondering why the people I liked were friends with them.

The Office – The show is nowhere near as good as it used to be, but I am so attached to these characters I can’t help but watch it. The ending for Michael Scott was perfect. And the rest of the season was pretty good to, they really brought back there A game to send off Michael properly.

Parks and Recreation – Another great season for this show. I will miss Lil’ Sebastian, but I know he is happy now. The show is fantastic and I can’t wait to see what they come up with next.

30 Rock – Meh. This has been the shows weakest season so far. They had a few great episodes but I look forward to the guest appearances more than the actual episodes of the show.

Outsourced – Another failed show. There were a few laughs here, but they seemed to really focus on Gupta, who I hate with a passion. I am not sorry to see this show go as it really wasn’t that good.

Fringe – This season was fun, fresh and intriguing. It also left off in an interesting place and I can’t wait to see where they take it. They have really built three very strong characters for this show and as long as they can keep the connection strong this show will succeed.

Smallville – I have another post up dedicated to “Smallville” go check that out instead.

Saturday Night Live – Still remains the most hit or miss show on TV. I wish that Justin Timberlake and Jon Hamm could just host the show every week. Or just join the cast.

The Amazing Race – I think the race for me is coming to an end. They’ve taken us everywhere around the world and it all just feels the same now. They need to change something up next year or risk losing a viewer.

The Simpsons/Family Guy/American Dad/The Cleveland Show – These shows all feel the same now. I enjoy them but except for “The Simpsons” I wouldn’t be too upset if one of them were cancelled.

The Walking Dead – Had a good first season. But the shortness of that season has me worried that it can’t sustain a full season and that the novelty might wear off.

Mad Men – Brilliant. This season really explored Don Draper as a character. It tore him down completely and then built him back up. This is still the best show that I watch, unfortunately we have to wait until 2012 before we get to return.

Well that’s all for now, there are summer shows that I watch, but I’ll comment on those later. There looks to be a lot of exciting new shows starting this fall. Once I get a chance to see them, I’ll post my thoughts right here.