What's Playing in the Media Room - September 17th

It's been too long since I last posted, we're a week into the tv season already.  I've already watched a few new shows with very mixed results.  I loved Guys with Kids, by the second episode I'd grown tired of The New Normal and I hated Go On with Matthew Perry.

Let's not waste any time and lets get right into tonight's tv lineup.


CMA Music Festival - 8:00 Three Hours - ABC/CTV
Performers include Carrie Underwood, Brad Paisley, Keith Urban, Martina McBride, Faith Hill, Alan Jackson, Lady Antebellum, Miranda Lambert, Rascal Flatts, Kix Brooks, Scotty McCreery, Blake Shelton, Jason Aldean, Dierks Bentley and Zac Brown Band. Luke Bryan and Kimberly Perry host this recap of the four-day event in June 2012 that also features interviews and late-night jams.


The Voice - 8:00 - NBC - Season 3 Episode 4
Episode Title: Blind Auditions Continued
The "blind auditions" continue and are held in front of the celebrity panel of coaches, who each hand pick vocalists for their individual teams. The strongest vocalists from across the country compete to be selected by one of the coaches and fight for a chance to win the title.

Thoughts from the Media Room: It should be pointed out that The Voice is beating The X Factor in the ratings by quite a bit.


Bones - 8:00 - FOX/Global - Season 8 Episode 1
Episode Title: The Future in the Past
The eighth season begins three months after Brennan went on the run from the FBI, but the Jeffersonian team is doing everything it can to prove that she was framed for murder by diabolical genius Christopher Pelant, and their case gets a boost from an anonymous tip that leads to the discovery of a high-school guidance counselor's remains.

Thoughts from the Media Room: 8th season?!? Wow, are fans starting to get a bit tired with this one or are you loving it just as much as ever?


The L.A. Complex - 8:00 - The CW - Season 2 Episode 10
Episode Title: Make it Right
Kal and Abby search for Tariq; Connor is introduced to a new religion; Beth and Simon get a surprise visitor; Sabrina makes a confession that leads to change.


The Mob Doctor - 9:00 - Fox - Season 1 Episode 1
Episode Title: Pilot
A surgeon is beholden to the Chicago Mafia when she pays off her brother's gambling debts in this drama, which begins with a dangerous dilemma for Dr. Grace Devlin after a crime boss orders her to kill a patient—who happens to be a mob informant in a witness-protection program and about to testify for the prosecution.



Plot:
A young thoracic surgeon becomes indebted to the South Chicago mafia and is forced to moonlight as a mob doctor, while also working full time at Chicago's most prominent hospital.

Thoughts from the Media Room: I'm sorry, but I just don't get the draw on this one. The title alone just kills it for me. Like everything, I'll watch the first episode to see what's up.

Stars Jordana Spiro from Harry's Law, Zeljiko Ivanek from The Event, Damages, 24 Heroes fame, he usually play a dick for some reason so I'm expecting more of the same here. William Forsythe from Boardwalk Empire, Las Vegas, The Untouchables, Dick Tracey plays the bad guy here. I'm sensing a pattern in his roles.

You can check out the Zap2it review of Mob Doctor here.


The L.A. Complex - 9:00 - The CW - Season 2 Episode 11
Episode Title: Now or Never
Kal receives devastating news; Nick is forced to let Sabrina move in with him; Raquel continues to raise money for her film.

Thoughts from the Media Room: I've never watched an episode of this, but when it airs twitter activity goes up quite a bit and most of the tweets I read are very, very positive. I've always considered CW "fluff" and never given it a thought.


Revolution - 10:00 - NBC/CityTV - Season 1 Episode 1
Episode Title: Pilot
The postapocalyptic series begins with Charlie and several others trekking from their pastoral home to Chicago in search of her uncle Miles, whom she hopes will help her rescue her brother Danny, who's been taken by a militia. Along the way, she makes the acquaintance of an archer named Nate, who helps her crew out of a jam. Danny, meanwhile, struggles to free himself from the clutches of the militia.



Plot:
Our entire way of life depends on electricity. So what would happen if it just stopped working? Well, one day, like a switch turned off, the world is suddenly thrust back into the dark ages. Planes fall from the sky, hospitals shut down, and communication is impossible. And without any modern technology, who can tell us why? Now, 15 years later, life is back to what it once was long before the industrial revolution: families living in quiet cul-de-sacs, and when the sun goes down lanterns and candles are lit. Life is slower and sweeter. Or is it? On the fringes of small farming communities, danger lurks. And a young woman's life is dramatically changed when a local militia arrives and kills her father, who mysteriously - and unbeknownst to her - had something to do with the blackout. This brutal encounter sets her and two unlikely companions off on a daring coming-of-age journey to find answers about the past in the hopes of reclaiming the future

Thoughts from the Media Room: Watched this episode at Fan Expo a few weeks back and was crushingly disappointed. JJ Abrams, who if you've followed this blog you know I've got a serious guy-crush on and Jon Favreau and who doesn't love Favreau, are behind this one. I was bored to tears and almost feel asleep a few times, that could have been because the room was warm, but I simply wasn't entertained and at times the acting was downright horrible. I still hold out high hopes for this one as the premise is just too cool to ignore.

We'll find Elizabeth Mitchell from that other Abrams show Lost in this one, as well as a baddie from Breaking Bad Giancarlo Esposito.

Read the ever awesome Doc Jensen article/interview with Abrams and Favreau here.

The Media Room plays, hey, where have I seen XXXX before?
So we're already a week and a bit into the tv season and we've all watched a few shows and thought, wait a second, what show have I watched XXXX in before.

Matthew Perry's Go On premiered last week, while I thought it was horrible it did have former star of Everyone Hates Chris, Tyler James Williams and former annoying girlfriend on Terra Nova Allison Miller as now an annoying co-worker on there as well.

The New Normal started and former Hangover victim Justin Bartha has made the move to network television for this. In the promos I've watched for fall television, I'm very surprised how many "movie actors" have made the jump to television this year.

On another note, Ryan Murphy, producer/creator of Glee, American Horror Story and now The New Normal, enough of NeNe Leakes. She's annoying and you've given her 2 too many chances in your shows. If she shows up in AHS this season, I'm going to lose my shit.

Jimmy Fallon brought us Guys with Kids in to our Media Room's last week and I loved it. Great to see Tempestt Bledsoe of Cosby Show fame back on television. You might recognize Jesse Bradford from the hit movie Hackers in that one.


Repeat Rundown:
9:00 - Boardwalk Empire - HBO

If you missed the premiere last night, don't panic. HBO is re-airing it tonight.


Other Shows Worth Mentioning:
8:00/10:00 - Alphas - SyFy/Space Canada
8:00 - Switched at Birth - ABC Family
9:00 - Hoarders - AandE
9:00 - Major Crimes - TNT
9:00 - The Real Housewives of New York - Bravo USA
9:00 - Warehouse 13 - SyFy
9:00 - Franklin and Bash - Bravo Canada
10:00 - Intervention - AandE
10:00 - Perception - TNT Season Finale
10:00 - White Collar - Bravo Canada
10:00 - Perception - TNT
10:00 - Ridiculousness - MTV
10:30 - The Inbetweeners - MTV

Thoughts from the Media Room: I recently have discovered Collection Intervention, have people watched this? It's basically Hoarders with Nerds but without all the gross stuff that Hoarders has turned into. People with giant collections of cool stuff like action Figures, toys and comics that have just taken over their homes and lives. Airs on SyFy in the States and Slice here in Canada.


Movies Worth Mentioning:
8:00 - Transporter 2 - Spike
9:00 - Salt - Global Canada


Tonight on the CBC:
8:00 - Over the Rainbow
9:00 - The Murdoch Mysteries


Tonight on TLC:
8:00 - Honey Boo Boo
8:36 - Honey Boo Boo
9:12 - Honey Boo Boo
9:52 - Honey Boo Boo

Thoughts from the Media Room: Seriously America, 4 episodes? I don't blame TLC for this, I can't. People really need to stop tuning into garbage like this. You'd be stunned to know just how many millions of people watch this show. People want more of this family and TLC is more than happy to show it and makes lots of money doing it. *sigh*


A Look at Late Night:
Late Show: Actor Joseph Gordon-Levitt; actress Mindy Kaling; Of Gentlemen and Cowards perform.
Late Late Show: TV host Julie Chen; former professional football player Warren Sapp; Lianne La Havas performs.
Kimmel: Actor Matthew Perry; professional baseball player Josh Hamilton; Kreayshawn performs.
Tonight Show: Actor Richard Gere; wrestler Anthony Robles; Rascal Flatts perform.
Late Night: Actress Susan Sarandon; actor Karl Urban; comic Jim Hamilton.
Conan: Simon Cowell; Demi Lovato; Nancy & Beth.


What's Playing in My Media Room Tonight:
8:00 - CMA Music Fest (Mrs Media Room loves her Country Music)
8:30 -
9:00 - The Mob Doctor
9:30 -
10:00 - Revolution
10:30 -

We're basically a week in and already the PVR is sitting at 40 percent full. I have to get that cleared up because next week is going to be chaotic with about 8 premieres every night next week. I'm already giddy with excitement and full of stress.