Have Your ‘Revenge’ — on Your Kindle

Right about now is the time that I’m thrilled that I have a Kindle. Thanks to The Futon Critic, I was just able to download the pilot script for ABC’s upcoming series Revenge for FREE. That’s right. From now until the premiere on September 21, you too can download Revenge‘s pilot script. Just check it out here.

Now, the biggest dilemma here is to go ahead and read it and then write my thoughts or to watch some more promos, write up some impressions (like I did for Hart of Dixie) and then antsily grab up my Kindle for some good beach reading. This will be tough. After all, the full script does sound tempting.

Will it ruin my watching the first episode? Probably not. Reading a script and seeing live action are two entirely different things. But man, kudos to ABC. This is one series I’ve been hearing a lot about, and now I have it in my hands.

Muah-ah-ah-ah!

Yes. That deserves and evil laugh, don’t you think?

Trailer Talk: Hart of Dixie

The Fall is coming! The Fall is coming! And it’s about time I start writing about some of these upcoming series. So for the next couple weeks until premieres actually start, you’ll see me writing some early impressions based on two things: description and trailer. You can decide on your own what you think of a series, but I’ll give you my impressions first.

Hart of Dixie
Series Premiere: September 26, 9/8c on the CW

Fast-talking New Yorker and brand new doctor Zoe Hart has it all figured out — after graduating top of her class from medical school, she’ll follow in her father’s footsteps and become a cardio-thoracic surgeon. But when her dreams fall apart, Zoe decides to accept an offer from a stranger, Dr. Harley Wilkes, to work with him at his small practice in Bluebell, Alabama. Zoe arrives in this small Gulf Coast town only to find that Harley has passed away and left his half of the medical practice to her in his will. She quickly finds that Southern hospitality isn’t always so hospitable – the other doctor in town, Brick Breeland, is less than pleased to be sharing the practice with this young outsider, and his daughter, Lemon, is a Southern belle whose sweet disposition turns sour when she meets Zoe. Zoe’s only allies are the mayor, former football star Lavon Hayes, her bad-boy neighbor Wade Kinsella, and handsome lawyer George Tucker – who just happens to be Lemon’s fiance. Zoe is out of her element and ready to pack her bags, but a surprise visit by her snobby New York mother leads to Zoe’s decision to stay in Bluebell for a while, discovering small-town life and a side of herself she hadn’t known was there.

My Thoughts: I never watched The O.C. It’s not that I didn’t like it; I just never watched it. So nothing in me is super excited to see Rachel Bilson back on TV (well, since her stint on How I Met Your Mother), and from what I can tell, it’s those fans that they’re really hoping to grab with this show.

It’s not that it doesn’t look good. Perhaps I’m just skeptical of anything that depicts the South. I grew up in South Carolina, and while I don’t have a Southern accent (very often), I don’t exactly love seeing the South depicted on the small — or large — screen. For example, did you see the end of The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants? I’m pretty sure everyone thinks that brides in the South wear big fu-fu dresses at backyard weddings like she did. Ok, so some people might, but it’s making a statement for the whole region. (And by the way, that Pants  bride just happens to be the person working the desk at the medical office, Nancy Travis.) And apparently, in Alabama, they wear hoop skirts and dance around a field. It just makes me hesitant.

That being said, Bilson looks adorable in this trailer. Ok, so slightly rude, but also, kinda adorable. And the premise is cute enough. But I’m not as thrilled about the mystery mother connection (you’ll need to watch to the end of the promo to see this). I feel like that’s a storyline that’s way overdone. Why’d they have to incorporate it into this series?

Will I watch it? Well, I might try the first episode. Nothing here is really making me want to check it out, but I’d rather watch something original than another 1970s TV show remake, and it could be cute.

Check out the promo below. Your thoughts?

Just a little taste…of Vampire Diaries season 2

Mmm, yummy.

Last week I saw a lame-o 20-second video promoting the return of Vampire Diaries. It was a lot of clips cut together so fast that you couldn’t really see what was happening. That was probably purposeful, but ew. I didn’t want that. I wanted the real stuff.

Enter: The real stuff.

Take a look at this tasty promo for the new season of Vampire Diaries. Personally, I can’t wait.

Thanks to The TV Addict for bring it to my attention. What I love best? Well, do you knwo what happens to our characters that were in peril? I certainly don’t. And while I’m a little back and forth about Katherine’s presence in the upcoming series, it looks like it could be more than just a little fun.

So what do you think? Is your mouth watering?

Thursday Open Thread: Favorite Fall Show

It’s been a tough week for television. Honestly, with the World Series running amuck, it’s been a sea of reruns and baseball. Plus, with traveling guest writers, the shows that were aired may have a delay in a review post. Whew! What a week.

But a week like this has gotten me to thinking about what I’m missing. What did I watch, and what do I miss? So here’s the question for this Thursday Open Thread:

What is your favorite show this fall?

This can be a veteran series or a freshman, but it must be on the air this fall. I’m a little surprised at my choices. Community is, of course, up there. And White Collar has really grabbed me (and no, not just because of Matt Bomer). But the one that I’m really surprised at is The Vampire Diaries. I might be addicted. After all, I even watched a rerun last night!

But then there are veteran series, which are harder to choose. Sure, I watch One Tree Hill every week, but can I call it a fave? New cast members. Different storylines. I don’t know. And I make sure to tune into The Office but it’s so hit or miss! Now, if Leverage were still on and not on a hiatus, I’d have an easy answer. And of course, I’d be remiss to not mention Dollhouse…but is it my favorite?

So what’s yours? Let me know–and discuss what you think of my thoughts and others’–in the comments.

image from blog.newsok.com

Happy September 1!

It’s finally September. I say that reluctantly because while I love having new TV, I also love summer weather. Fall means that there will be lovely colors all over New England, but it also means winter is looming along the horizon, and I don’t know how much I’m looking forward to that.

Weather aside, fall means exciting things for TV. Mainly, premieres of our new and old shows! So I thought it was about time I gave you all a schedule of premiere dates.

Please note that the shows listed below are just shows that we cover here on Raked–except for those few that we know people are huge fans of and thought you might be interested in. As you can tell, I’ve weeded out a lot of the reality TV.

Tuesday, Sept. 8

90210, 8 p.m. (CW)

Wednesday, Sept. 9

America‘s Next Top Model, 8 p.m. (CW)
*Glee, 9 p.m. (Fox)

Thursday, Sept. 10

*The Vampire Diaries, 8 p.m. (CW)

Monday, Sept. 14

Gossip Girl, 9 p.m. (CW)
One Tree Hill, 8 p.m. (CW)

Thursday, Sept. 17
(It’s going to be a busy night)

Bones, 8 p.m. (Fox)
*Community, 9:30 p.m. (NBC)
Fringe, 9 p.m. (Fox)
The Office, 9 p.m. (NBC)

Monday, Sept. 21
(Also a busy night)

The Big Bang Theory, 9:30 p.m. (CBS)
Castle, 10 p.m. (ABC)
Heroes, 8 p.m. (NBC)
House, 8 p.m. (Fox)
How I Met Your Mother, 8 p.m. (CBS)

Wednesday, Sept. 23

*Cougar Town, 9:30 p.m. (ABC)
*Eastwick, 10 p.m. (ABC)
*Mercy, 8 p.m. (NBC)

Thursday, Sept. 24

*Flash Forward, 8 p.m. (ABC)
Grey’s Anatomy, 9 p.m. (ABC)

Friday, Sept. 25

Dollhouse, 9 p.m. (Fox)
Ghost Whisperer, 8 p.m. (CBS)
Smallville, 8 p.m. (CW)

Sunday, Sept. 27

Brothers & Sisters, 10 p.m. (ABC)
Desperate Housewives, 9 p.m. (ABC)
Dexter, 9 p.m. (Showtime)

Thursday, Oct. 1

Private Practice, 10 p.m. (ABC)

Monday, Oct. 5

*Rita Rocks, 7:30 p.m. (Lifetime)
*Sherri, 7 p.m. (Lifetime)

Friday, Oct. 9

Ugly Betty, 8 p.m. (ABC)

Thursday, Oct. 15

30 Rock, 9:30 p.m. (NBC)

Friday, Oct. 23

Southland, 9 p.m. (NBC)
*White Collar, 10 p.m. (USA)

Tuesday, Nov. 3

*V, 8 p.m. (ABC)

By the way, a full list can be found here. I’ve marked new series with an asterisk (*), and I’ve kept in the ones that we’ll definitely be checking out. If there are others you want us to take a look at, request it in the comments! We’re still deciding ourselves what we’ll watch this fall, and as you can tell from the past, it’s everchanging. Who knows, maybe we’ll cover more!

But if it’s not on this list, don’t forget that there are plenty more shows to watch, so please be sure to check out all the networks and see what’s new this fall!

An early look at ‘Community’

COMMUNITY: 1.01 “The Pilot”

If you haven’t seen Community yet, well, it appears that you’re a little out of the loop. I’ve seen it, and I’m not special. I’m just your average TV-watcher that has an account on Facebook.

That’s right, you can see the entire Community pilot on Facebook. All you have to do is be a fan of the show, and you can watch it!

And you should. Because it’s hilarious. Well, let me clarify: I don’t necessarily think it’s a laugh-out-loud comedy. I mean, you might on some lines (say, when they make fun of Ryan Seacrest–how Joel McHale). But for the most part, you’re looking at very subtle lines and humor that might take you a minute to realize that you just got. And I think that’s fantastic.

I’m tired of shows forcing the humor down your throat. Say, Parks and Recreation? That show so desperately wants to be The Office (which is also losing some of its subtlety), that it’s painful.

But not Community. I mean, think about the one joke that we’ve heard all over the promos:

“I thought you had your law degree from Columbia.”

“Now I need one from America.”

You pause and you get it, but it’s not instantaneous, which pretty much encompasses the show.

Now, you have to understand. You probably won’t like Joel McHale’s character. But that what makes you want to watch him. He’s so despicable. I mean, he’ll do what he needs to do to get by. Anything. Lie. Steal. Cheat. Of course, it doesn’t necessarily all work out in the end, but does it really need to? If it did, where would we have the show?

My favorite part is definitely the characters. Some of the best shows take a group of people with nothing in common and puts them together to see how they interact. Even The Office did it. The only thing these people had in common was that they worked in the same place. This time? That they all take the same foreign language class. And man, these people have nothing in common. They’re fantastic when they all communicate–or don’t, as the case my be.

Anyway, it’s worth checking out. And personally, I’m glad NBC put it online early. Not only does it get great promotion for the show (trust me, you’ll want to keep watching), but it gives it a little competitive advantage over Glee, since we’ve already seen that show, too.

Plus, it’s a great tribute to John Hughes. The Breakfast Club really resonates throughout the episode, which is appropriate since they posted it a week after he died. I wonder if it was purposeful.

Maybe, maybe.

By the way, if you’re worried about Chevy Chase’s performance (as I was), don’t worry. He’s great. Quite fun and underplayed. I think he’ll be great in the role.

Oh Mercy Mercy me

I’m slowly going through the trailers for this fall. It’s not that I’m not excited about the new stuff, but if I go through them fast, I have nothing to write about all summer.

So next up: NBC’s Mercy.

Here’s my one-liner about the show: I was skeptical about this series–and still am to a degree–but I think it will succeed.

NBC’s tapping into an idea audience for them. They’re competing directly with the new TNT series Hawthorne, and actually, this show will probably start right as Hawthorne is ending its season, so people will want to see more shows about nursing. Plus, it’s tapping into the audience of ER, which has recently been cut free. Add in a little romance for the Grey’s Anatomy lovers, and you’ve got yourself an ideal audience-pleaser.

However, there is one problem. Michelle Trachtenberg. As you know, I’m a big Buffy fan. And as a big Buffy fan, I am of the consensus that she was very annoying in Buffy. And to be honest, she’s very young. If not young in reality, she’s at least young-looking. So I really can’t see her as a nurse.

I realize that this is probably her attempt to break out of her itty bitty tweeny roles, but still, it just seems like miscasting. I thought all of this before watching the promo, which you can watch below.

Ok, so it’s a little better. She’s a newbie–a newbie that covers herself in Hello Kitty and cupcake scrubs, one that no one takes seriously. That helps. And she’s cute; that helps, too. I’m still skeptical, though. I think she’s got a better case for being on it, but I’m still seeing her as the downfall to the series. Maybe I’ll be surprised.

I can’t say this is an entirely new premise. It’s just another hospital show to me. I appreciate the Ally McBeal-like relationship, where one person follows their sweetheart, only to discover that they’re happily married (enter tension), but it’s not really new–well, except that she was in Iraq. That’s interesting, though sadly, they probably won’t play it up enough.

I’d say this is a safe show. I think it can–and likely will–succeed. And maybe I’ll check out an episode or two to really see if Michelle can step up or if it’s anything different. But if you’re looking for something spectacular that’s about nurses, I’d probably suggest Hawthorne. I think it will get more to the gritty underbelly of complex plots, while this one’s just a surface crowd-pleaser.

New show I’m excited about: V

We’re hearing all about the new shows that are starting up in the fall, so while we’re in the summer rerun lull, I thought I’d toss in some of my thoughts about some of the new series, based on descriptions, clips and trailers.

First up, V: The Series. I’m completely excited about this show. I don’t know much about it. I never saw the original series (come on, I was two), and if there were movies, I didn’t see those either.

But the trailer has me hooked! See it below.

What’s more, you can watch a couple clips here.

It looks like it could be a really interesting and mysterious series. Plus, adding in Morena Baccarin and Alan Tudyk, both of Firefly and Serenity fame, just adds more to it. Honestly, since these two are in the ‘verse, I think that’s why I’ve seen as much as I have.

Since I know very little, it reminds me a lot of Angel season 4, where Jasmine comes into the picture. People falling head over heels for this new being, only to discover that there might be something dark at its core. What is this resource they need? And when they say “leave the Earth better than it was,” what does that really mean?

My only skepticism is that with big buildups come big expectations. This has already been a failed series once, and though I’ve heard they’ve already signed it on for multiple seasons, I just wonder if it can live up to its promise. Of course, Lost seemed fully able to do so–living up to a multi-season storyline with a mysterious premise and succeeding with its fans–so I’ll keep my fingers crossed. I don’t know if Lost was originally picked up with multiple seasons like I hear this one was, but it certainly had that in mind when created.

Anyway, check out the trailer and clips, and let me know what you think. I think we’ve got some good stuff on our hands.

UPDATE: I just saw this article on TV Squad that mentions that this might be a six-episode mini-series? I’m not sure where my source heard that it’s already been signed on for multiple seasons, but now I’m questioning myself. No clue now if this is a full season, half season, or what. From what I see on the Futon Critic, it looks like it’s a mid-season show (at least it’s not on the fall schedule), so maybe that why there aren’t clear answers. Perhaps the number of episodes are undecided at this time.

Anyway, it looks cool, so check out the clips and share your thoughts in comments!