2011-2012 Television Season Review Part I

Some years it’s almost a relief when the TV season ends. It all depends on how much I am enjoying the season this year and the quality of television that is being produced. It also depends on how well the Tigers are doing at the beginning of the season. Unfortunately, this year they have been a bit of a letdown and now I don’t have any excuses not to watch their continued decent into misery. But lets take a look at what the 2011 – 2012 television season gave us.
Sunday Nights – Sunday has become one of the busiest nights of television for me. There is way to much on that I enjoy watching. In addition to the network shows, cable shows great stuff on Sundays as well with “Sherlock,” “Mad Men” and “Game Of Thrones.” But I’m going to stick with the network stuff for this review.
Fox Animation Block – Another year and another decent season. All of these shows are starting to blend together. Particularly the Seth McFarland block of “The Cleveland Show”, “Family Guy” and “American Dad,” in fact these three blend together so much that “The Simpsons” stands out more as something original. Not bad for a show in its 23rd season. They get a C for the season.
The Amazing Race – To be honest I barely remember the fall race. But I do remember the winter/spring race. It was a good solid race and the team that won was a powerhouse. I didn’t feel like anyone else had a chance and it was difficult to like a lot of the racers since there was so much negativity this year. They’ve earned themselves a B-.
Once Upon a Time – The big freshman hit of the year. I was worried about this show when it began. After all, how long could this curse thing hold our interest? Fortunately, the writers recognized this and gave us a few other storylines that we could invest in apart from the curse. I was pleasantly surprised though when the curse was lifted at the end of the first season. It looks like next season will focus on whatever Gold did at the end of the season combined with Snow and Charmings fight to take back the kingdom in flashbacks. It should make for a fun season. An A- for the freshman year.
Monday Nights:
The Voice – I enjoyed the second season of “The Voice” about as much as I did the first season. In which I started out really liking it and then got bored with it by the end. It would be nice to see them change things up a little for the next round. But with it being in the fall, I’m not sure I really want to watch another round by then. I give them a C.
How I Met Your Mother – The show has really begun to show its age. Every once in a while it has a few moments of genius, but right now I’m watching it for the plot, not the comedy. But they may continue to run the show for as long as they can since it still brings in great ratings. They get a C+.
2 Broke Girls – Another freshman hit. This is probably the most offensive show on TV, but it sure is funny. I don’t really care too much about cupcakes here, I just want more inappropriate joke. That is what will keep me coming back. Both girls bet a B-.
Smash – I was really looking forward to this show all year. It started out great, but then it stalled for a while before picking up again at the end. I’m happy to see that a lot of the really bad subplots have been dropped and I am interested to see how it will be retooled next year. Hopefully it doesn’t stray to far into “Glee” territory. The strong end gets them a B.
Tuesday Nights:

Glee – Sigh, I must be a masochist, otherwise why would I still be watching this show. For every great number that they do, they perform 20 bad ones. The plot makes no sense and I hate the two leads. This season ended with a lot of closure. I have yet to decide if I will be back. It might just be to check out how they plan to handle the story now. I don’t know, maybe it’s best to just cut it. This season gets a C-.

New Girl – Probably the best new show this year. And a show that learned to evolve. It started as a way to just look at the cuteness of Zoey Dechenal. But it evolved into a great and very funny sitcom. I loved the arc the characters took and look forward to seeing if they can repeat it again next year. For Schmidt alone it gets an A.

More to come so stay tuned!