Writer’s note: You may
know me as the writer for Basements and Bass, Indianapolis’s top source for
local music news (suck it, IndyConcerts). But what you may not know about me,
is just like any average joe, I loves me some television. So when the
Indianapolis music scene leaves me with a little downtime (the gauntlet has
been thrown, Indy bands. Get to work!), I will be using this space to write
about the state of modern television, where I’ll inform you on what you should
be watching (basically the NBC Thursday night line-up and Breaking Bad) and on
where you’re screwing up (basically the majority of CBS).
Television seasons always take a break during the holidays,
just when a lot of viewers’ favorite shows just start getting good, leaving the
average viewer ready and eager for more come the first week of January. Since
there hasn’t been much to dwell on in the last few weeks, it’s time to look
forward to when our beloved shows are returning, and which shows should be
getting the most of your attention.
30 Rock (NBC)
There’s a lot of questions to answer returning to this
comedy that’s been on hiatus since last spring due to star Tina Fey’s
pregnancy. Particularly: How will the show address the death of North Korean
dictator Kim Jong-Il after moving him into place as a possible central
plot-device near the end of the show’s surprisingly good season five? How will
the show, if at all, handle Tracey Morgan’s homophobic tirade from last summer?
Will Alec Baldwin phone it in after expressing his desire to leave the show or
will he continue to bring his A-game to one of the best characters on 30 Rock?
Season six will certainly have a lot on its plate.
Archer (FX)
FX has proved in the last couple years that it can hang with
the best the network giants have to offer, and while we’ll still have to wait a
while for Louie to return this year, the best animated sitcom on television,
Archer, is about to start its third season after a three-part episode featuring
the titular spy becoming a pirate king. H. Jon Benjamin has a golden voice for
comedy, and having several Arrested Development alumni on board helps this
animated comedy remain consistently hilarious, whether or not you may get the
jokes.
Community (NBC)
This one’s a little uncertain as to when it’s coming back
because DEAR GOD WHY AREN’T YOU WATCHING THIS SHOW YET WE NEED MORE PEOPLE WITH
NIELSEN BOXES TO STEP UP BECAUSE IF YOU’RE WATCHING TWO AND A HALF MEN AND THE
BIG BANG THEORY INSTEAD OF COMMUNITY YOU ARE PART OF THE PROBLEM AND I HATE
YOU! CHILIDISH GAMBINO ANNIE'S BOOBS INSPECTOR SPACE TIME!
How I Met Your
Mother (CBS)
It’s still going after seven seasons and only just now
appears to be piecing the final parts of the puzzle together, but How I Met
Your Mother still somehow manages to remain funny and interesting. I like to
call this show the “Lost” of sitcoms because it’s one of the few sitcoms to
maintain a rich mythology throughout its run (Arrested Development is a perfect
example of how to pull this off). It also helps to have Neil Patrick Harris be
the driving force for the central plot of one of the best seasons the show has
seen to date.
Justified and Game
Of Thrones (FX and HBO)
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| RELEVANT |
I’m not going to lie to you. I haven’t watched either of
these shows, though watching the first season of Game of Thrones is currently
on my to-do list. However, both of these shows have received intensely
favorable critical adoration and a lot of people have been talking about how
great there are, so there. I’m going to go back to watching re-runs of Breaking
Bad and Boardwalk Empire.
Misfits (Hulu)
To put it straight, Misfits is the show Heoes wanted to be.
This British series about a group of juvenile delinquents gaining super powers
acts as a comedy, drama, and sci-fi show all in one. The show’s main
anti-heroes deal less with a new villainous threat to the world and more with
finding a place to belong in a society that views them as outcasts, despite
many members of that society also gaining super powers themselves. While not on
American television, Misfits has made its way to Hulu, where the first two
seasons are available and the third season is currently under way.
Parks and
Recreation (NBC)
It’s hard to care about The Office when Amy Poehler and the
rest of the cast of Parks and Rec are living the dream Steve Carrell
accomplished and moved on from last year. Parks and Recreation has rapidly
become one of the funniest, sweetest, and best shows on television in just
three and a half seasons, with fantastic characters that don’t ever feel forced
and great comedic writing. This season has been focusing on Poehler’s
character, Leslie Knope’s attempts to run for city council and her budding
romance with her former co-worker, a romance that’s actually sweet and
interesting to watch unfold, which is something most television shows fail to
pull off.
Portlandia (IFC)
Consider this my pick for sleeper hit of the season. The
first season of this sketch comedy show (which is now on Netflix) headed by
Saturday Night Live’s Fred Armisen and indie band Wild Flag’s Carrie Brownstein,
features the two as various characters living in Portland, Oregon. Many of the
characters are self-important intellectual types like feminist book store
owners and self-righteous alternative punks, but Armisen and Brownstein treat
the show as more of a love-letter than stinging satire. The first episode opens
with a musical number proclaiming “The dream of the 90’s is alive in Portland.”Portlandia aims to celebrate that dream.
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