Surprise Discovery ... My Cat From Hell

Tonight, despite there being so many different programs to watch, I found myself seriously channel-surfing, not really settling on anything.  A lot of movies I've seen many times over were on and I wasn't in the mood for any of them.  Some nets, like ABC, are airing remaining episodes of TV shows they've cancelled and I therefore abandoned. 

But, as has happened before, I stopped on a show I had heard about slightly and maybe chuckled at because if the name, but has ended up being a very engaging little gem to watch (it's how I discovered Storage Wars).  May I present:

 

This Animal Planet show follows musician-by-night, cat-behaviorist-by-day Jackson Galaxy, a bald, goateed, tattooed, pierced cat whisperer who literally helps worked miracles with owners of seriously troubled cats.

I have been a victim of other people's cats and I can tell you, it ain't fun.  I really felt for the people featured as I watched them be attacked, hissed at, struck, scratched, bitten and basically terrorized by their feline foes.  Jackson comes in, interviews the people and watches the interaction issues first hand.  Then he explains what's going on with the cat and assigns homework to be done over the next couple of weeks, which the people videotape for him to watch on his next visit.

At that next visit, you can see first-hand the progress being made, improvements in relationships and control and better moods and dispositions both in owners and cat.  Then Jackson addresses additional or continuing problems if they exist and again assigns homework for the next steps. 

By his last visit, you see a complete 180 in the home and in the cat.  It's really something to watch, and Jackson really knows his stuff!

I can't say I could binge-watched countless hours of My Cat From Hell, but for the few episodes I watched tonight  I was really engaged, I laughed, empathized and thoroughly enjoyed the show and will definitely watch it again.

Catch new episodes of My Cat From Hell Saturdays at 8 p.m. and repeats throughout the weekend on Animal Planet.

A Fond, Far-Too-Soon Farewell ...

James Gandolfini

1961-2013

Hollywood is mourning the sudden loss of James Gandolfini, who has passed away from a supposed heart attack while on holiday in Italy.

Best known as mob boss Tony Soprano in HBO's acclaimed drama The Sopranos (1999-2007), the New Jersey-born Gandolfini won an array of awards for the role that made him a household name, including a Golden Globe, three Emmys, three SAG awards and an AFI award.

Gandolfini is survived by his wife Deborah Lin, daughter Liliana and son Michael.

Review - Twisted

 

ABC Family continues its trend of airing teen-centric, soap-esque dramas - the network is home to Pretty Little Liars (henceforth PLL), Secret Life of the American Teenager and Switched at Birth - with its new mystery series Twisted.  The network gave a sneak preview of the pilot back in March following the spring finale of PLL and has now paired it on Tuesday nights with that show, which has a very popular following and a very rabid fan base.  I'm sure they are hoping viewers will stay for the new series, which looks to feature twists, secrets, danger and lies all its own.

Twisted is centered on Danny Desai (Avan Jogia, Aliens in America), a charismatic 16-year-old with a troubled past - he allegedly strangled his aunt to death when he was 11 and was sentenced to 5 years in juvenile detention - who has returned to his hometown, much to the chagrin of its citizens.  

 

Danny hopes to reconnect with his two female best friends from childhood, who were ostracized after the murder for having been friends with him:  Jo, (Maddie Hasson, The Finder) and Lacey (newcomer Kylie Bunbury). Dubbed "Socio" due to his infamous past, Danny is a pariah in school, even to Jo, herself kind of an outsider, her only friend Rico (stuntman-turned-actor Ashton Moio). Lacey has joined the popular set, led by Regina (Karynn Moore, Jane By Design), though maybe not by her complete choice) and boyfriend Archie (Grey Damon, The Secret Circle, Friday Night Lights). 

When a fellow student is found dead in her home, Danny becomes the prime suspect, and so the mystery begins.  The series co-stars Denise Richards (Starship Troopers, Wild Things), Kathy Najimy (Sister Act) and Sam Robards (Gossip Girl, Treme).

Unlike PLL, which had me hooked from the beginning with its initial murder mystery, beautiful, charismatic young cast, taunting threats-and-taunts-via-text, and more twists than Lombard Street, Twisted doesn't have that same pull for me, at least not from the get-go.  It, too uses texts to convey information, but it seems like a forced tool rather than a part of the story like it is in PLL.  

Clearly ABC Family is a family, being that a lot of the cast has appeared in other series on the network, and most are actually believable as high schoolers and decent actors.  But I didn't find myself wanting to know the why or the whos behind the murder mystery, again as PLL has for me season after season.  

In other words, PLL does it right, Twisted ... not so much.  But again, it's only the first episode.  But again again, it's kind of important to grab you from the get-go to get you to come back for more.  I think the fact that this is a summer series will help, not to mention its very strong lead-in.

Bottom Line:  Catch up and move on with Pretty Little Liars.  As for Twisted, I think you'd have to twist my arm to get me to commit long-term.

Pretty Little Liars airs Tuesdays at 8 p.m., Twisted at 9 p.m. on ABC Family.

Review - King & Maxwell

There's no shortage of TV shows featuring hot, antagonistic, witty banter-happy crime-fighting partners, but there are ones that are SO much better than TNT's new series King & Maxwell.

TNT seems to like ampersand titles - Rizzoli & Isles, Franklin & Bash - but this new drama about disgraced ex-secret service agents-turned-private-eyes is far less entertaining, especially compared to R&I, which is really fun.

THE LOWDOWN

Sean King (Jon Tenney, The Closer) and Michelle Maxwell (Rebecca Romijn, Eastwick, Ugly Betty) are atypical PIs. Their unique skills give them a leg up on conventional law enforcement. Maxwell is a former elite athlete who uses her brains, beauty and Beltway connections to solve cases. King's career in the Secret Service ended when the presidential candidate he was assigned to protect was assassinated, sending him on a downward spiral. Today, King has added a law degree to his arsenal of skills, allowing him to navigate the system in ways a typical private investigator never could. Along the way, King and Maxwell clash over everything, from her garbage-strewn car to his love of wine over beer.

Yep.  Nothing really groundbreaking here, but it's summer and you expect the nets to deliver shows that are light on depth and heavy on sexy and polarizing personalities that clash in an amusing way.  K&M is trying too hard and just isn't fun.  Romijn  is completely miscast - frankly, I have never seen her excel in any role she's done, yet she keeps getting cast.  One of her opening lines, "we're not cops, we're private investigators," is delivered so flatly and unconvincingly, I had to roll my eyes. I in now way buy her as a PI and definitely not as a secret service agent.  Tenney isn't bad, but he has very little to work with.  The premiere case was boring, the supporting cast isn't memorable ... eck.

Honestly, I knew I wasn't going to like this show just from watching the many promos leading up to tonight's premiere.  TNT of course was heralding all the supposedly humorous, playful moments to lure you in, but they fail to do so.  My low expectations were completely met.

If you are looking for a similar show with leads who are both great in their characters and ooze chemistry, look to ABC's Castle (which coincidentally is in massive syndication on TNT) and its stars Nathan Fillion and Stana Katic.  For another fun clashing of partners, check out the aforementioned Rizzoli & Isles, starring Angie Harmon and Sasha Alexander, which returns June 25.

BOTTOM LINE:  Don't bother with this lackluster offering.

King & Maxwell airs Mondays at 10 p.m. on TNT.

The Greatest Events in TV History - AWESOME!!

I just HAVE to share these with you, being that they are re-creations of the opening title sequences of two of my most favorite TV shows from the 80s, Simon and Simon and Hart to Hart.

Adam Scott is a genius, having pulled these off brilliantly - the split-screen shows it perfectly - and I love Jon Hamm and Amy Poehler for playing along.

I have included the side-by-side of S&S here, as well as the hilarious mock "making of" video for H2H (there is a side-by-side of it on YouTube (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ddOWdulCerQ), but for some reason I can't embed it here.  No bother ... the whole thing is worth the watch.

Can't wait to see what they do next!  A-Team?  Knight Rider?  Bring it!

And now, two of the Greatest Events in Television History!

Binge-Worthy Show - Scandal

There are some shows you settle in to binge-watch but need breaks from occasionally because of story and episode overload.  Then there are shows where you curse there not being enough hours in the day (sleep or work comes into play) and have to pause the marathon despite being desperate for the next episode.

ABC's Scandal is so very much the latter. 

I had wanted to catch up on this series from Grey's Anatomy creator Shonda Rhimes because I'd heard it was great.  I'm a big GA fan, so it's not that wasn't interested when it first debuted ... it just didn't fit into my viewing schedule.  When I made a plan for my binge, I had a much shorter time period to fit in the 29 episodes, as season one (7 episodes) is only available on Netflix streaming and season two (22 episodes) on Hulu Plus.  I have been very dissatisfied with Hulu Plus and had cancelled my subscription, which means I had till next Sunday to get through the eps.  So I buckled it ... and got immediately hooked.

Scandal has one of the best pilots I've seen in a while.  Fast-paced, suck-you-in plot lines, great cast, edge-of-your-seat tension and story.  I got all I needed from that first 43 minutes to know this was a show to love and anticipate.

I so want to go into all that happens throughout the first two seasons but I won't because I want you to enjoy it all for yourselves.  That's the fun ... all those "holy s**t!", "WTF??", "They did NOT just ..." moments that make for great television.  I would never take that from you, and you have a whole summer to experience it for yourselves.  But I will give you something:

THE LOWDOWN

Everyone knows Washington D.C. is a town full of dirty little secrets, and every good, juicy scandal needs a fixer ... someone to have your back, get you out of a big, public mess, sideline the press, essentially save your ass.  The best of the best is Olivia Pope (played by the terrific Kerry Washington, Django Unchained, Boston Legal), former White House communications director who has dedicated her life to protecting and defending the public images of the nation's elite and keeping those secrets under wraps. Revered and feared at the same time, she now runs her own prominent crisis management firm featuring a loyal, savvy but ultimately dysfunctional staff with their own individual specialties - and damaged pasts.

 

Self-proclaimed "gladiators in suits," they would follow Olivia anywhere -she saved each of them in some way at one point - and do whatever it takes to secure their clients' bacons.  Harrison Wright (Columbus Short, Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip) is a slick litigator; Huck (Guillermo Diaz, Weeds, No Ordinary Family), is a former soldier-turned-government assassin and a brilliant hacker; investigator Abby Whelan (Darby Stanchfield, NCIS), a red-haired shark with real bite; and Quinn Perkins (Katie Lowes, Easy Money), the office new hire initiated in a trial by fire on her very first day on the job.

 Season one featured Henry Ian Cusick (Lost) as Stephen Finch, but his character did not return for season two.

Harrison has his own way of describing their firm:

"We do our jobs right, we never need to go to court.  The reason we're not a law firm is that we don't need to play by the rules of the law.  We're fixers, crisis managers.  We make the problems of our clients, big or small, go away.  It's not about solving a crime, it's not about justice.  It's about our clients."

 

Olivia's other life - which she is still very-much attached to -sometimes by choice, sometimes not - consists of her former boss, President Fitzgerald "Fitz" Grant (Tony Goldwyn, Ghost, Law & Order: Criminal Intent), First Lady Millicent "Mellie" Grant (Bellamy Young, Criminal Minds, Dirty Sexy Money), Chief of Staff Cyrus Beene (Jeff Perry, Grey's Anatomy) and Assistant State Attorney David Rosen (Joshua Malina, Leap Year, In Plain Sight).  Olivia frequently needs the help and resources of her powerful former collegues - and they hers - but complications often arise, and Olivia has to rely on and utilize her damage control skills on her own behalf more than she likes.

 

Rhimes really knows how to assemble casts that are diverse - all races are on the same equal playing field and never is made an issue - and I love crews like this: teams where each player brings their own talents and skills to the table to work together and kick ass (think Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Firefly, Leverage).  Scandal is smart, twisty, quick, intricate and keeps you engaged scene-to-scene, episode to episode.  I couldn't wait to see what came next and was treadted on more than one occasion to surprises and shocks I never saw coming.  Very exciting TV!

Scandal's third season premieres this fall and will no doubt pick up right where season two left off (at least, I hope it will) - with one hell of a cliffhanger.  It will be going up against CBS' Elementary and NBC's Hannibal, but this show has nothing to worry about.  I have the problem, being that I watch all three.  But I think one of the other two is going to have to be watched online at a later time, cause I'm seriously gonna need to see every ep as it happens!

So hunker down and binge-watch Scandal on Netflix and Hulu Plus now!  And catch it on ABC Thursdays at 10 p.m. this fall.

Review - Mistresses

 

ABC seems determined to be the leader in sexy, scandalous TV:  it was home to the Desperate Housewives, is bringing back Revenge and Scandal this fall and has now premiered its latest sultry series, Mistresses.

Based on the UK series of the same name, Mistresses features a quartet of beautiful women, all friends, who are each on their own roads of self-discovery which are paved with sex, relationship woes, more sex, secrets, affairs and ... yep, more sex.


MINOR SPOILERS AHEAD

 

Alyssa Milano (Charmed), stars as Savannah "Savi" Davis, a "savvy" lawyer on the fast track to partner in her firm who is also trying to get pregnant with her hot Aussie husband (Brett Tucker, Spartacus: War of the Damned).  But when they find out he's practically infertile, it puts a strain on their relationship.  There's also a very flirty colleague of hers, Dominic (Jason George, Grey's Anatomy), who tempts Savi to play with adulterous fire.

Savi's younger sister Joss (Jes Macallan) is REALLY into sex ... at the office, at the homes she's showing (she's a real estate agent), pretty much anywhere.  But she is not at all interested in a committed relationship.  Too bad her boss, who she is indeed sleeping with, wants more ...

Their friend April Malloy (Rochelle Aytes, Work It, Detroit 1-8-7), a widow and single mother to 10-year-old Lucy (Corinne Massiah), is just starting to dip her toe back into the dating pool.  The rub?  She's getting mysterious calls from an unknown person ... and she's convinced it's her late husband on the other end of the line.  Too bad it isn't, based on what she learns later.

Then there's Karen Rhodes (Yunjin Kim, Lost), a therapist who recently had an affair with her married patient Tom (John Schneider, Smallville).  Thing is, Tom was also terminally ill, and after his death, his widow Elizabeth (Penelope Ann Miller, Men of a Certain Age) seeks comfort from Karen, causing major guilt.  Worse, Elizabeth's son Sam (Erik Stocklin, First Day) learned of the affair before his father died and asks Karen to help him determine who it was with ... of course not knowing just how close he is to her.

Now, you can't help but make comparisons to another sexy show about a female foursome: the far superior Sex and the City.  Granted, that was more of a sitcom and Mistresses is a drama, so there was far more humor, but the frank and open conversations between the women of SATC (Sarah Jessica Parker, Kim Cattrall, Kristin Davis and Cynthia Nixon) about their sex lives and relationships were scores more believable than in this show, and far more entertaining.

 

Mistresses is more hot mess than hot.  No question the show is trying to push the envelope with its sex scenes - they manage to show a great deal while still keeping it network-safe.  But it's just not sexy or enticing.  The acting is incredibly stilted, even with veterans like Milano and Kim.  The latter is so incredibly miscast in the role and she seems to be forcing every line, every emotion.  Kim was terrific on Lost and I was so excited to hear she was returning to TV, but man, this is NOT the role for her. 

As for the character of Joss, yeah, we get it, she loves sex.  So did SATC's Samantha (Cattrall). But right now there is not much depth to her, even though I'm sure more will be revealed as the series continues (case in point, temptation from a lesbian who is house-shopping with her girlfriend).  But I kinda don't care.  In fact, I don't really care about any of the characters.  The pacing of the pilot was off for me throughout.  A lot was set up, of course, but having just watched the pilot for Scandal - brilliant, BTW - which gave you so much info yet kept you glued to the screen and story from minute one, I couldn't help but be let down by this one. 

The preview for the rest of the season boasts the words betrayal, temptation, seduction, secrets, deception and the tag "Even when they're coming apart, they stick together" (seriously?), but I'm not at all tempted or seduced or excited in any way.  And I wanted to be.  I was hoping this could be my new Desperate Housewives, a show I thoroughly enjoyed for the most part (yeah, it got kinda silly sometimes ... okay, a lot, but I was always entertained), but it's not.  (ABC did match it up well, though, with The Bachelorette as its lead-in).

Lifetime has another show about sexy women coming up - Devious Maids.  Maybe I'll get my summer hot TV fix there.

Bottom Line:  Don't bother having an affair with these Mistresses.  Instead, go for bingefests of Scandal and Sex and the City.

Mistresses airs Mondays at 10 p.m. on ABC.