Bi-Monthly Power Rankings- Honorable Mentions

I recently finished listing all of my favorite shows of the year, but what about now? What shows that are still on the air are the series you all should be watching? Well that's what the Quiet Pool Bi-Monthly Power Rankings are for. In the first rankings of 2012, we will recognize the shows that have been succeeding as of late, and some that will be returning to our screens for the first time in a while this winter. First up are the honorable mentions, which are not necessarily ranked 21-30 on my list.

Show (Last Time) red=moving down, green=moving up

American Horror Story (HM) Wednesdays on FX
I wasn't the biggest fan of the first season of American Horror Story, but it was definitely interesting, and I can't complain about what they decided to do in the future. I said throughout the first season that there was really nowhere this story could go following the events that were occurring. Making it an anthology, almost a la The Twilight Zone, gives it enough legs to stay on the air for a number of seasons. It was surprising, though, that they didn't try to keep stars McDermott and Britton on for the entire ride.

Boss (-) Fridays on Starz
Kelsey Grammer was fantastic in the leading role of Boss. The series was extremely well made, but lacked a bit in holding my interest overall. It did help that there were only eight episodes in the first season. Also, I will watch anything with Kathleen Robertson.

Fringe (-) Fridays on FOX
I don't even want to say much here, because I am speeding through this series so quickly at this point. Starting with the pilot about 11 days ago, I am now midway through the second season. If given time, I hope to write an entire post about how much I am loving Fringe. I highly recommend catching up on this sci-fi series if you have yet to watch it.

The Good Wife (-) Sundays on CBS
After watching five episodes of the last season before the Emmys, I was impressed by The Good Wife. Now that I've seen the first half of this season, I'm much less impressed. At times I have been bored out of my mind, and there haven't been nearly enough highs to make up for those lows.

Hell on Wheels (-) Sundays on AMC
This AMC series hasn't yet turned the corner of must watch television, but Hell on Wheels has definitely been one of the better new shows of the fall. Cullen Bohannon is a fun lead character, and Common has been a surprisingly strong number two as Elam the slave.

The League (HM) Thursdays on FX
It's had its moments this season, but there is no arguing that The League was a major step down from season two this fall. It came on strong down the stretch, mostly thanks to Kevin going insane over his need to win a championship, but most of the time it missed on a lot of jokes. Sometimes it just became to crude for its own good.

Modern Family (19) Wednesdays on ABC
This is the first time Modern Family has been out of the Top 20 since November of 2009. It has been on a long and slow journey downhill since bursting onto the scene. This year has just been extremely lackluster, and I can't help but not laugh while watching it these days. Phil continues to be the highlight, but other than him and the one sentence Luke gets each week, Modern Family just isn't all that funny.

New Girl (HM) Tuesdays on FOX
Zooey Deschanel has been terrific as Jess on the New Girl, and the show is worth it just to watch her light up the screen, but the rest of the cast is really dragging it down. Schmidt is off and on, Winston has given nothing, and Nick is just the absolute worst. Just make it all Jess all the time.

Once Upon a Time (HM) Sundays on ABC
If you can look past the absolutely awful special effects, Once Upon a Time has a great start to its first season. The story telling is fun. The characters are likable. Most importantly, I can't wait to figure out the inner workings of this universe. That's something that can make a show work so well.

Next Iron Chef (-) Sundays on Food Network
If you enjoy Top Chef, you really should start watching this cooking competition. On this most recent season, the contestants were all ridiculously talented and famous. You don't get all of the terrible food that some of the awful cooks on Top Chef put on the plate, but instead, you get fantastic food by fantastic chefs that you know. And as a bonus, the winner becomes an Iron Chef and joins the pantheon of greats in America.

Bi-Monthly Power Rankings- Honorable Mentions

It's that time again. The Quiet Pool Perspective's Bi-Monthly Power Rankings are back, and a lot has happened since early September here at the Pool. The Weekly Comedy Rankings have been working so well at helping gauge what shows are doing well on a week by week basis, that I might try to start doing the same thing with the other categories. For now, here are the November Power Rankings. Remember these take into account past and present performances, and the Honorable Mentions are not necessarily numbers 21 through 30 on my list. Enjoy.

Show (Last) red=moving down, green=moving up

American Horror Story (-) Wednesdays on FX
This is easily the strangest show on television, which is why I keep coming back for more. In no way is there anything redeeming from American Horror Story, but the shear disgusting, ridiculous, and weird events have me intrigued week after week. I honestly want to find out more about this haunted house.

Big Brother (16) Summers on CBS
This summer series falls out of the Top 20 and loses the top spot among reality shows for the first time in a long time. This season's cast was terrible, which didn't help, but after starting this season's Survivor immediately after Big Brother ended, it was clear which one is currently more entertaining to watch.

Bored to Death (-) Mondays on HBO
It's still nothing to go crazy over, but the third season of Bored to Death has been off to a good start. Jason Schwartzman is great if you can take his, and creator Jonathan Ames', style of humor. The other two leads are what make this show worth coming back to week in and week out. Ted Danson is fantastic, and Zach Galifianakis has done his best work outside of that Jimmy Fallon interview on this show.

Hart of Dixie (-) Mondays on The CW
From the creator of The O.C., Chuck, and Gossip Girl, Hart of Dixie is once again killing it for Josh Schwartz. It is just so easy and enjoyable to watch. Add to that, the fact that it has one of best casts on television, and you have a winner. Summer Roberts, DeShawn Hardell, a new and improved Jason Street, and Roy Martin combine for some very fun tv.

The League (12) Thursdays on FX
T-time has some very interesting ideas as why The League hasn't gotten off to a good start this third season, the one I like best being that they just hit a groove in season two. Aside from the third episode of the fall, which was good by all standards, they seem to have fallen into a habit of being lazy and relying on being dirty just for the sake of being dirty. Don't get me wrong, being dirty can work great, as The League proved last year, and Always Sunny proves time and time again, but you can't just be dirty and think it's automatically going to be funny.

New Girl (-) Tuesdays on FOX
It was a short sample there in the early going, but I loved what I saw out of Zooey Deschanel on the New Girl. Maybe my opinion will be different after the long hiatus due to baseball playoffs, but her Jess is one of the funniest females on television, and I don't see that changing any time soon. The jury is still out on some of the dudes on this show. I enjoy Schmidt so far, but Nick is heading down the wrong path as a character, and the new guy has yet to show anything.

Once Upon a Time (-) Sundays on ABC
Only two episodes in, but it is definitely the better of the two fairy tale shows this fall (Grimm was pretty, pretty boring on Friday). Sure, the acting doesn't seem all that great, and I'm not sure how the flashbacks are going to continue to be interesting as the series moves forward, but I am a sucker for anything dealing with Snow White, Jiminy Crickett, and Malificent (even if they so overtly made us know who that character was by saying her name in dialogue).

Parks and Recreation (20) Thursdays on NBC
I was early on the Parks bandwagon of being a much improved show at the beginning of season two, but I was ready to jump off as soon as Alan Sepinwall and every critic known to man started calling it the best comedy on television. For a while there it was definitely the most overrated comedy on tv, but it was still in my top 20 overall. To start this season, it just hasn't been good at all, and it falls out of the rankings. Rob Lowe saved that show at the end of season two, and most of season three, but his character has dropped off a cliff this season.

Revenge (-) Wednesdays on ABC
Like Hart of Dixie, Revenge is just so fun. I've always been a huge Emily VanCamp fan, but this character of hers takes the cake. It has been fantastic to watch the first half of this season, and I only see it getting better as the second half of this first order continues. The show seems to be becoming more serial as we move forward, which is what did wonders for Justified during its run.

Suburgatory (-) Wednesdays on ABC
Hard to tell what this show is trying to be, but it's enjoyable. Even when it's not funny, it's still a good watch. You can't say that about a lot of comedies, but Tessa and especially George are so easy to like, which is a good sign for the future. Once they get their footing on what they want to do comically, Suburgatory could go places.

2011-12 Season Outlook- Cable

Here at the Quiet Pool Perspective we like to give you a head start on figuring out what to watch heading into a new television season. Although we aren't cool enough to get all of the pilots in advanced, we have seen each and every trailer, have done the research, and have listened to what the critics are saying about all of the new shows for the 2011-12 season. So below are some my opinions on what should be watch, as well as some early insight on what I will be watching this year.

Here’s what’s new on cable…

A Quick Look

Excited For
  1. Luck
  2. Homeland
  3. Hell on Wheels
Interested In
  4. American Horror Story
  5. Boss
Giving a Chance
  6. Enlightened

And Some More Depth

American Horror Story – FX – Premieres 10/5
Need to Know: It comes from Ryan Murphy of Glee and Nip/Tuck infamy. From the title and the commercials it seems to be very creepy. It stars Connie Britton and Dylan McDermott.
Quiet Pool Plan: I am all for the crazy and the creepy so I will give this a whirl. I have been told Nip/Tuck was good before getting too crazy, and I’ve enjoyed Glee to a point, so I’m sure this will start out with a bang, even if it falls quickly.

Britton and McDermott on American Horror Story

Boss – Starz – Premiers 10/21
Need to Know: It’s not Hank. Kelsey Grammer returns to tv after his most recent failure for this Starz drama. He plays the mayor of Chicago with a terrible neurological disorder. It also stars Kathleen Robertson as Grammer’s personal aide.
Quiet Pool Plan: The guy from Back to You and Claire Arnold? That will hook me for a while. Starz doesn’t have the greatest history of scripted drama, but you gotta start somewhere right?

Enlightened – HBO – Premiers 2011
Need to Know: Half hour series starring the Jurassic Park lady and Luke Wilson. That’s all there is to know.
Quiet Pool Plan: It’s HBO, so they’ve earned my attempt.

Hell On Wheels – AMC – Premiers 11/6
Need to Know: It’s a western about a confederate soldier, who is seeking revenge on Union soldiers that killed his wife.
Quiet Pool Plan: Since I am now a southerner, I am all for getting back at those terrible Yankees. And I love me some period drama, so I am in this one.

Homeland – Showtime – Premiers 10/2
Need to Know: It’s the pick by most critics as the best new drama of the season. More importantly, I will be reviewing it this fall for TV Fanatic. It’s a psychological thriller starring Claire Danes as a CIA agent. A marine POW Damian Lewis returns to the U.S. and Danes thinks he was turned by Al-Qaeda and is a threat to the country.
Quiet Pool Plan: Even if I wasn’t getting paid to watch this, I would be excited. It sounds a lot like what Rubicon wanted to be, but failed so miserably at. It should be a good one.

Luck – HBO – Premiers January
Need to Know: This is the one folks. The one I’m probably most excited about. It stars Dustin Hoffman and Nick Nolte, and it’s about gambling at a horse track. It will be run by David Milch of NYPD Blue and Deadwood fame. The pilot was directed by decorated filmmaker Michael Mann.
Quiet Pool Plan: This is as easy as it comes. I am on board. Let’s start the train now folks.

Dustin Hoffman in Luck