Good news for "Fringe" fans. Despite less than stellar numbers on the move to Friday nights, it has been renewed for a fourth season. Maybe, the studio has hopes for weaker opposition next year.---------------------------------
Unless you're a reality television fan, there is simply not much to watch most days. I find Tuesday to be a deathland other than "Nor Ordinary Family" is often entertaining if badly written but it doesn't look good as the two leads are already working on other pilots. I may end up watching "NCIS" just out of default. Likewise, Wednesday night only has one good show that manages to be both funny and have some heart to it: "Modern Family". I didn't care for the first two episodes, a little too much of reality tv storytelling with the "character" interviews ala "The Office". The solid cast and writing and true comedy arising from the characters and their foibles and cross-interests won me over. The little interviews come across a little more as a bit of Greek Chorus or George Burns breaking the fourth wall than riffing on reality shows. Part of this is the show isn't overbearing in filming so that it looks like a reality tv show and can easily be watched as the sitcom that it truly is. But, the lead-in comedies such as "The Middle" feels like a retread without really offering much to me that I care to try to watch it each week. It's just a step up from leaving the television off. "Mr. Sunshine" which comes on afterwards looks like one of those shows that are bound to appeal to critics but not capture a broad audience. It's wacky and surreal, but not especially witty or endearing. The characters all feel like character types but not real people. Even Matthew Perry seems like he's just playing himself, a watered down Chandler Bing. I find myself just turning the tv off or switching to the omni-present news or the last half of "Criminal Minds". I've seen several episodes of the spin-off "Criminal Minds: Suspect Behavior" and I couldn't tell you a single thing about any of the characters, even their names, other than one is a sniper. It's as decently plotted as the other has been in the last season or two, ie not as good or engrossing as the first several seasons as it devolved into going more for shock, but still interesting. It just hasn't taken the time to really develop the characters any. Doesn't help that it shares arguably the least interesting but most flamboyant character from the lead show, the tech guru Penelope. Here, her bright colors and attitude tends to completely overshadow the rest of the cast despite screen time.
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David Kelley ("Ally McBeal", "Harry's Law") is bringing Wonder Woman to the small screen. She'll be played by Adrianne Palicki ("Friday Nights Lights", "Supernatural") and not necessarily a bad choice. Some pics of her in costume have been released and for a superhero translation to film, it's not bad. It's closer to the comics than the Batman and X-Men movies have been and the new versions of Spider-man and Captain America. Or the costumes in "Smallville". It actually looks a bit superheroic. It's way better than the sweat-suit costume Cathy Crosby wore. The only drawback to the costume really is the same for several of the others: there are examples of extremely faithful versions of the costume worn in real life and they worked. As good as the latest Batman movies are, all it takes is to look at "Batman Dead End" to see a faithful adaption of the costume and being perfectly believable and workable. The new Spider-man movie needlessly moves away from everywhere Raimi's movies got the costume right. It wasn't Spider-man's costume fans complained about, it was the Green Goblin's. With Wonder Woman, we've seen Linda Carter easily pull off the costume. Emily Deschanel even wore a more faithful version of the costume on an episode of "Bones" despite not having quite the right curves but still managed to not look ridiculous. Average comic convention has women walking around in faithful versions. So, with the proper attitude in filming, I see no reason that it wouldn't work again. I could even see a tweaking of it with slightly more muted colors, going more for a "Xena" look to it where it looks more like leather and metal. What they chose can work, but I don't see where it's all that more acceptable than the one in comics. It still has many of the same hurdles to overcome as the other one. It's just different in that it covers the legs, something most male viewers don't really mind seeing.
What kills interest in the show really is Kelley's involvement. He has cred for strong women characters, but nothing to suggest a strong action show. Then there's the whole set-up of her as a business woman and looking for love and place to belong. What does that really have to do with Wonder Woman? It makes her sound passive and needy instead of powerful and mysterious. We'd have been better off with Bellisario ("NCIS", "JAG", "Magnum, P.I", "Quantum Leap", "Tales of the Gold Monkey") handling the character. He has under his belt shows with strong women, character and action driven, and often featuring military themes as backdrops. Superhero action combined with NCIS seems just the right combination for Wonder Woman. Oh well, wait and see. "Smallville" didn't seem to be that good of an idea and despite barely exceeding ok on occasion, it has proven to be pretty enduring thanks mostly to a strong and appealing cast.
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