A look back at the best and worst of TV in the past week (Jan. 23-29), and a peek at what’s coming up. Sorry it’s been such a sparse week on the ol’ blog. Between there being not much on TV and too much going on in real life, updates have been few and far between. That should change next week when I go into a “Lost” frenzy.
Highlights
1. “Damages” (FX). Ooooh, it’s back. Patty was as scary as usual, Ellen was less annoying than usual and Tom ended up — well, wow! The supporting cast was great too, especially Lily Tomlin as the ice queen matriarch. This series has a way of grabbing you by the throat and not letting go, and after the jarring (no, literally, I almost jumped) first minute, I was hooked.
2. “Chuck” (NBC). If it was as good every week as it was this week, “Chuck” would be a hit. This was my favorite episode of the season so far, a big improvement over the previous week’s blah episode. The stuck-on-a-plane-with-a-killer angle was played for tension and comedy, both to great effect. And how cool was it that Stone Cold Steve Austin busted out a sword when the cliche would have been for him to rely on his burly fists? The alluring Hannah was a nice touch too, as she toed the line between “is she an evil spy?” and “is she a good spy?” before settling on “oh my god, is she just a real girl who likes Chuck?” Highly entertaining.
3. “Archer” (FX). Sick, sick, sick. And awesome. The dinner-party assassination storyline was good, but it was the one liners that killed me (no pun intended). From “All I’ve had today is, like, six gummy bears and scotch,” to Fister Roboto (if you have to ask, you really shouldn’t know), to the shout out to “What’s the frequency, Kenneth?” it had me busting out laughing and was easily the funniest show of the week. I loved how they disposed of the bodies too, out of sight of the camera.
Lowlights
1. “Live for the Moment” (CBS). Was I the only one who found this kinda creepy and manipulative? Basically a “Make-a-Wish” show featuring a 38-year-old father of two with a terminal disease, it was voyeuristic, preachy (Appreciate what you have! Live for the moment!) and schmaltzy. Oh, and did I mention exploitative? Ehhh, who needs dignity when you can pull in big ratings?
2. “Scrubs” (ABC). Still not funny. And wait, how did Turk become chief of surgery? I’ve obviously missed a few episodes, but didn’t he just become a resident like three years ago? Quite a career path there.
3. “Human Target” (Fox). I’m all for suspension of disbelief, but this week’s hijinks were a little too far-fetched and unbelievable. I know, it’s a dumb action series in the mold of “MacGyver” and “The A-Team,” so I shouldn’t expect too much, but “Burn Notice” does that same genre so well that “Target” suffers in comparison. Still, it’s more realistic than “24.”
Looking forward to . . .
1. “Lost” (9 p.m Tuesday, ABC). Hell to the yeah.
2. “Damages” (10 p.m., Monday, FX). I don’t know where it’s going. But I want to go to there.
3. “Man vs. Food” (6 and 10 p.m. Wednesday, Travel Channel). The two-hour live event (6 p.m. on the West Coast) features Adam in Miami for the Super Bowl trying to choke down a steak the size of an offensive lineman. Feel free to follow along at home.
