TV Show Reviews
All Creatures Great and Small 1978-1990
Season 4 (3-Disc Series)
4/5
Although what the other reviews on Netflix have said about this year of the series not being quite as good as the previous 3 is true, the heart and soul isn't missing--it's just a little rusty. The "new" Helen isn't a very good actress and doesn't have the chemistry with the others that Carol Drinkwater had, but getting more ACG&S is worth having to watch her. The "regulars"--Timothy, Davison, & Hardy--fall back into place like they weren't apart for 8 years. The kidding and joking is warm and real, and the series' practice of using real people for the farmers and having the actors do vet work is continued here, giving it the old feel of watching real events unfold. If you liked the first 3 seasons, I highly recommend this despite its small disappointments.
Season 5 (4-Disc Series)
3/5
I never thought I would give an ACG&S less than 4 stars, but this season had too much Callum and not enough James/Siegfried for me. Tristan is completely absent, supposedly in Ireland for a few months, and I just didn't care much for Callum's repetitive girl-problem storylines. We still have the new Helen as well, and I also don't care for her. That said, it's still worth watching for the stories and people and animals--Mr. Biggins is back several times, and if you've read the book you'll remember the terminally ill gentleman with the "fainting" cat. Do see if you liked the previous series, just don't expect as much.
Season 6 (4-Disc Series)
5/5
After watching the previous five seasons and being a bit disappointed in the series as it went along in the later seasons, I am very, very pleased to announce that the final six episodes are among the best in the series. After Callum and Deirdre get married and leave it's down to Siegfried, James, and Helen running the practice--just like old times. I definitely missed Peter Davison's presence and I still don't care for Lynda Bellingham as Helen, but those are minor gripes in the overall scheme of things. It's wonderful to see some of the old characters back, including Mrs. Pumphrey and Tricky Woo, Mallock, and others. According to IMDb there is a Season 7, but it doesn't appear to be on DVD so this is it for us ACG&S fans for now. If you've watched any of the previous series, don't miss the last two disks here; the final episode had me in tears.
Season 7 (4-Disc Series)
5/5
This season had less episodes than 6, with the 4th disk being the hour-and-a-half 1990 Christmas special and an episode of a British TV show featuring a reunion of the cast from 2003. I would say see both only if you're a real hardcore ACG&S fan because the Christmas special, while story-wise as good as the rest of the show, has extremely annoying music that irritated me enough that I almost turned it off. The TV show episode is amusing, but not really worth watching unless you really want some behind-the-scenes info and hear the cast reminisce about making the show.
But the episodes are a must-see for fans of the show and books. There's more of favorite characters (Tricky Woo, Biggins, Stuart, more), Tristan is back, and the final episode (not including the Christmas special) is one that anyone who’s read the book will remember regarding the Italian ex-POW and a woman who can’t forgive what his country did to hers in WWII. Yet again I was in tears as the credits ran, I felt like I’d found and lost again my old friends!
Although the weird thing is that this one season seems to have forgotten that Siegfried got married--he’s suddenly back to being single. Other than that, a truly enjoyable final farewell to our friends in the Dales.
The Greatest American Hero 1981-1983
Season 1 (3-Disc Series)
4/5
I had watched this show when it first aired, mostly because I'd had a huge crush on William Katt after having seen him in "Carrie". Not too long ago I happened to hear the title song on the radio, which reminded me of it. I didn't remember much about the show with it being 20+ years later so I decided to rent just the first disk and see if it was worth watching again.
Let me assure you, it is! I've enjoyed every single episode and can't wait for Season 2 to start arriving. While some of the stories are a bit lame and more than one subplot seems to get forgotten, this is mostly worth seeing for the interplay between Katt and Robert Culp, and Culp with Connie Seleca. There are no big sparks between Katt and Seleca, but that's barely noticeable. Katt with the suit is a slapstick lover's dream, and I've barely noticed the bad effects (come on people, it was primetime TV in the early 80s!) while busy laughing at Our Hero crashing through walls and roofs, hanging off helicopters, and smashing into brick walls, trees, and large sand piles. I can only imagine how many stuntmen made entire careers out of this series!
This is one that I highly recommend for both the nostalgia factor and for being a well-acted show with fun dialog and physical slapstick comedy. It's not a great show by any means, but anything that makes me laugh this much can't be bad at all.
Season 2
2/5
Sadly enough, this season lost me after about Episode 5. The fun sparks and snappy dialog were missing, as well as the novelty of Ralph learning to use the suit. Most of the tension now comes from Ralph vs. Bill regarding what they're going to be doing; Ralph always wants to help someone, while Bill wants to use the suit to solve a big case and make himself look better with the boss. If you liked the first one I would say give this one a shot, but I was very disappointed and don't plan to watch anymore, though I will be buying Season 1 to watch over and over again.
Californication 2007-?
Season 1: Advance Preview of Pilot Episode
1/5
This is a very disappointing pilot. I'm a huge fan of David Duchovny's (Evolution is one of my favorite movies of all time) but even seeing him buck-naked most of the show couldn't save it for me--and trust me, that’s saying a lot. It's got a lame plot, insipid writing and outright stupid dialog, and the only reason I watched it to the end is because I kept hoping it would get better. The whole show harped on his getting laid and being unable to write, with lots of R-rated shots of the former.
The worst thing is the bitter, angry bent of the mean sarcastic character, which I simply dislike on a personal level. In fact Duchovny plays him so well that I can’t stand watching “Hank” any more.
Despite a few LOL moments, it was totally dull and boring despite the nudity and sex scenes. Unless you're interested in gratuitous male and female nudity and ho-hum-seen-it-before sex scenes using the same position every time just with different women, don't waste your time on this one--try “Weeds” instead.
Journeyman 2007 - ?
Season 1: Pilot Episode
4/5
I decided to watch this mostly because I enjoyed Kevin McKidd so much in "Rome", and the premise was intriguing as well. They did a good job with a quick setup of the characters in their "normal" situation at the beginning, with no time wasted yet thorough enough that I had no problem following what was going on. By the second commercial break we were deep into the story, which is how the main character goes back in time to alter someone else's life for reasons unknown until the end. It's hinted that he's had some type of mental or substance abuse problems in the past, although exactly what it was is not made clear (probably fodder for another episode). The problems that his disappearances cause with family and job were fairly predictable, though I will admit that the ending of this episode caught me by surprise.
McKidd is just as good as I expected, yet another great British actor that you'd never guess has a strong native accent when he does an American one. Other than Brian Howe, who plays his boss, the rest of the regular cast was adequate but not outstanding or noteworthy.
Well worth checking out, though as with all new shows these days I'd say don't get attached to it--those of us who watched "The Nine", "Drive", and "Firefly" learned our lesson, sadly enough. The stunt we used to bring "Jericho" back doesn't work every time, unfortunately.
(Later note: “Journeyman” was cancelled during the movie & TV writer’s strike of 2008 after 13 episodes, not for bad ratings but because everyone involved had moved on during the strike. Also “Jericho” got cancelled in 2008 after only 7 episodes.)
Eureka 2006 - ?
Season 1
5/5
A friend recommended this show to me, saying that if I liked quirky sci-fi this was something along the lines of "The X-Files" meets "Northern Exposure" with a touch of "Firefly". Of course I couldn't resist it, and my son and I watched the entire first season within 2 days.
This is possibly one of the most unusual shows I've ever seen; the description above doesn't even do it justice. The "fish out of water" bit played by Colin Ferguson as the sheriff is just perfect, as apparently the only person with a normal IQ in this town has to deal with the super-geniuses who not only have personal quirks, but also design things that can change time, blow up the world, or make a house that argues with you. Speaking of S.A.R.A.H., the house, some of the absolute best laughs come from said sheriff arguing with "her", while of course his teenage daughter gets along with it just fine. He also has great chemistry with Joe Morton, who plays the town mechanic who is, more often than not, the only person who can fix whatever doomsday machine the local disgruntled genius has come up with that's threatening to blow up the town.
Worth special note is Salli Richardson as the DOD rep, and Matt Frewer as the town "dogcatcher" which of course means far more there than it does in our humdrum normal situations.
Excellent characters and interaction, with nonstop snappy dialog and lots of funny situations, make this a not-to-be-missed show.
