A look back at the best and worst of TV in the past week (Jan. 16-22), and a peek at what’s coming up.
Highlights
1. “Tonight Show with Conan O’Brien” (NBC). Conan was on fire in his bittersweet final week. Top-tier guests, plenty of bleeped-out curses at NBC, and the return of the Masturbating Bear highlighted a week that saw a relaxed, self-deprecating Conan at ease with his innate goofiness, pushing the envelope and exhibiting the comedic qualities that won him so many fans in his “Late Night” days . If he had been this good for the past seven months, maybe he would have had more viewers and this whole situation never would have happened.
2. “Burn Notice” (USA). It was a welcome return of one of the most consistently fun hours of TV. Breezy banter, stunning scenery, car chases . . . what more could you want? And I liked Tyne Daly’s appearance and subsequent blackmail, throwing a dash of harsh realism into the mix. It’s nice to be reminded there are real consequences to Michael Weston’s below-the-law methods.
3. “Human Target” (Fox). Speaking of a fun hour . . . . “24” is suddenly playing second action banana on Fox now that this new series is under way. Mark Valley is great as a, well, a Michael Weston-type hero helping underdogs. It’s not quite as good as “Burn Notice,” but it’s entertaining, and there are a decent number of thrills. And Jackie Earle Haley is terrific as a tech whiz who oozes creepiness.
Honorable mention: The Golden Globes (ABC) were fairly entertaining and somehow managed to finish on time (take note, Oscars and Emmys); “No Reservations” (Travel Channel) gave an eye-opening look at life and food in Istanbul (I loved the illegal mussel stand); “Parks and Recreation” (NBC) had Ron’s personal plate of hard-boiled eggs and the increasingly hilarious relationship between Andy and April; “30 Rock” (NBC) had some nice Boston insults and Tracy’s anti-slavery rant and “Impeach George W. Ashington” t-shirt was genius.
Lowlights
1. “Spartacus: Blood and Sand” (Starz). “Joey, do you like movies about gladiators?” But even Captain Oveur would turn this mess off. I knew “Spartacus” wouldn’t be good, but . . . .wow, it’s unspeakably bad. Horrible dialogue, worse acting, cartoonish special effects, and despite an overabundance of violence and sex, it’s somehow boring. Even Lucy Lawless can’t make it watchable. At least “Xena” knew it was a D-list series and reveled in its cheesiness; “Spartacus” takes itself waaaaay too seriously, and it’s not even laughably bad. Just plain bad. And how low-budget can a series be if it can’t even afford to shoot scenes outside? The entire thing is shot using cheap CGI, and it looks like a very lifelike video game. (But still not as good as “God of War.”) And it’s already been renewed for a second season! (Was an NBC programming executive somehow involved?)
2. “The Office” (NBC). A clip show? Wow, how lame is that? It was lazy, stupid and an utter waste of 30 minutes. Worst . . . episode . . . . ever.
3. “Chuck” (NBC). OK, it wasn’t terrible, but it seemed like a big letdown from last week’s great opening three hours. The tension level just wasn’t there. I think it would have worked better if Awesome had spent more time in danger. When he wasn’t being threatened with being dropped off a building or getting his head blown off, the stakes just fizzled. And there was virtually no interplay between Chuck and Sarah. There just wasn’t enough heart in the episode. I did like the “Fight Club” storyline though.
Looking forward to . . .
1. “Damages” (10 p.m. Monday, FX). Patty Hewes and the gang are back, this time going after a Wall Street crook who stole millions. The buzz is good, and I’m back on board.
2. “Caprica” (10 p.m. Friday, Syfy). I saw the just-aired series premiere months ago, so I’m looking forward to the first fresh episode. I’m still trying to decide whether or not this’ll make my must-see list.
3. “Burn Notice” (10 p.m. Thursday, USA). Michael gets closer to the mysterious hitman Gilroy. This guy could be a good villain, I’m looking forward to the possibilities.
