Bi-Monthly Power Rankings- Top Ten

Whoah buddy! The fall tv season is upon us, and so are the September Power Rankings here at the Quiet Pool Perspective. Here is your look at what you should be watching, or catching up on if you have missed the boat.

Rank. Show (Last Week) red=moving down, green=moving up

10. Chuck (11) Fridays on NBC
One final go around with the Buy More crew. Let's hope they bring it. This past season was just as weird and funny as ever, but the story lines left something to be desired. Morgan as the intersect? Chuck running his own spy organization? Shaping up to be a great ending.

9. Dexter (9) Sundays on Showtime
I keep hearing that this past season of Dexter was the worst yet, and by a good margin, but how was it any worse than two, three, four and five? Well maybe since it didn't have Jimmy Smits, it wasn't as good as three, but that's about it. This next season still won't measure up with the first one, but it will continue to be exciting.

8. Mad Men (6) Sundays on AMC
As good as Mad Men is, the longer it is off the air, the more I remember it for being boring and the less I recall that fantastic acting and writing. It's going to be hard to compete with the drunken ways of Don Draper from a year ago.

7. Sons of Anarchy (8) Tuesdays on FX
The season four premiere is tonight, and I've heard good things. I can't wait to see what Jax, Clay and company have in store for us this year. I'm mostly pumped for Jackson's new haircut...nothing like a fresh cut.

6. Breaking Bad (3) Sundays on AMC
I was looking forward to writing about how boring this season of Breaking Bad has been, but the past two episodes have pulled the season out of its own downward spiral. Walt has been fantastic throughout, Jesse was great in "Problem Dog" and Gus did the thing this past Sunday. Still, this has been as boring of a season as an all-time great show can have.

5. Community (7) Thursdays on NBC
Michael K Williams. John Goodman. Let's get it started in here!

4. The Office (4) Thursdays on NBC
I enjoyed James Spader in last year's finale as much as anyone, but I don't know how he will do as a leading man on this show. Is his character too weird? We shall see. I'm hoping Jim and Dwight pick it up and become more of the leading men, as long as Jim steps his game up.

3. Game of Thrones (5) Sundays on HBO
Season two is way too far away. I am so jealous of those who have read the books and know exactly what is going to happen when we return. I just wanna see some dragons!

2. Curb Your Enthusiasm (1) Sundays on HBO
Yes, it has been a lackluster season of Curb, so it drops out of the one spot for the first time in a while. Even this most recent episode wasn't an all-time classic, although it was one of the funnier of the year. One ep remaining to redeem itself as the best comedy on tv.

1. Justified (2) Wednesdays on FX
The new champ is here. Justified had one of the best seasons in television history this past spring, and is now the well-deserved best show on television. Will season three be able to compare? Probably not, but I have faith it won't fall like some others have.

Curb Your Enthusiasm 809 Review- You Bucknered It!

Larry- "That's a remarkably idiotic thing that you just said but you know, the fact that you're wearing glasses, I perceive it as a little less idiotic than I normally would."

In a word, the penultimate episode of Curb Your Enthusiasm's eighth season was... enjoyable. With its therapist blunders, sexual accidents, backwards civil rights activism, and heartwarming Bill Buckner moments, "Mister Softee" was an extremely fun half hour of television.

For my money, Fred Melamed put forth some of the best comedic work of the summer in his small role as Larry's therapist. The subtlety he used in blatantly spilling information on his clients, while acting like he wasn't, was absolutely brilliant. He merely mentioned it was an illustrious director Star Wars that frequented prostitutes. That isn't obvious, right?

When LD's broken car seat came into play with Ana Gasteyer having herself a good time in the passenger seat, I wasn't sure if it was going to go to a funny place. But then Susie came running out of the building and towards Larry's car and the game changed. There have been few things as disgusting and as hilarious as watching Susie in the passenger seat, along with LD's reaction while driving that now gross car.

Everyone loves them some Leon Black, but when he tries to take things to another level, he's even better. Like when he pretended to be Danny Duberstein last season. Leon killed it as a Black man with glasses in this episode. Although we didn't get to listen in on his conversation with the security guard or Dr. Thurgood, imagining what he was saying was still funny.

To read the rest of my review of last night's Curb Your Enthusiasm, head over to TV Fanatic.

Curb Your Enthusiasm 809 - "Mister Softee"
Review
Recap
Quotes

Bi-Monthly Power Rankings- 20 Through 11

Whoah buddy! The fall tv season is upon us, and so are the September Power Rankings here at the Quiet Pool Perspective. Here is your look at what you should be watching, or catching up on if you have missed the boat.

Rank. Show (Last Week) red=moving down, green=moving up

20. Parks and Recreation (19) Thursdays on NBC
The more and more I hear people talk about how great Parks and Rec is, the more I want to hate it, but the fact of the matter is that it's still a good show. It's not a top five comedy, and certainly not the best on tv like most critics claim, but it's still in my top 20.

Parenthood crew

19. Parenthood (20) Tuesdays on NBC
It's hard to forget how fantastically emotional this past season of Parenthood was. With Friday Night Lights gone from our screens, I wouldn't be surprised if this Jason Katims series starts to grab some Emmy noms vacated by Chandler, Britton and the show.

18. The Vampire Diaries (-) Thursdays on The CW
Some people laugh when they see this series on the schedule, but that is exactly the problem when you take shows at face value. Yes, it's about vampires, and yes, it's on The CW, but this is a good show and I can't wait to marathon through season two.

17. Survivor (17) Wednesdays on CBS
Bringing Coach Wade back for this fall is a brilliant idea in my book. Is it going to be able to compete with this past spring's glorious run? Doubtful, but I like the attempt. The Dragonslayer will slay this fall on CBS.

16. Big Brother (14) Summers on CBS
This has been a pretty brutal season of Big Brother, and I feel bad for those I have told to watch this show. Between the idiot newbies they brought in this season, and Jeff and Jordan falling off their respective rockers, it's been difficult to enjoy at times.

15. Modern Family (16) Wednesdays on ABC
Soon to be back to back Emmy Champion, Modern Family had a sophomore slump in 2011. Will it prove to be just a hiccup? Or was this series simply a one year wonder? I'm hoping for a third year return to glory for this family sitcom.

The Gang...and Dee

14. Boardwalk Empire (13) Sundays on HBO
I feel like I'm not as excited as I should be for this to return. A lot of stuff went down at the end of the first season, and if it picks up from there, things should heat up quickly in season two of Boardwalk.

13. It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia (15) Thursdays on FX
The Always Sunny gang jumps up two spots for their unbelievably good preview commercials. Will Fat Mac prove to be as funny of a gag as everyone assumes it will be? I hope so. He did put on 50 pounds for crying out loud.

12. The League (12) Thursdays on FX
Football is back, and so is The League. I'm predicting that Kevin finally takes home the championship this year, and that this season is as funny as the second was.

11. The Walking Dead (10) Sundays on AMC
The zombie thriller continues to slide down the rankings simply because it's only working with six episodes to date. Once it returns this October, things may change. The question is, will the loss of Frank Darabont as showrunner hurt the series?

Bi-Monthly Power Rankings- Honorable Mentions

Whoah buddy! The fall tv season is upon us, and so are the September Power Rankings here at the Quiet Pool Perspective. Here is your look at what you should be watching, or catching up on if you have missed the boat.

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

30 Rock (18) Thursdays on NBC
The NBC comedy didn't leave that great of a taste in my mouth after last season, so it falls out of the rankings. It doesn't air again until mid-season, so I doubt it will return any time soon.

Kasey on Bachelor Pad

Bachelor Pad (-) Mondays on ABC
I don't watch Bachelor. I don't watch Bachelorette. But putting all of these crazy people in one house does it for me. This season hasn't had a top group as enjoyable as last year's Dave and Kovacs, but it's been just as fun to hate on Kasey and Vienna.

Entourage (-) Sundays on HBO
I haven't hated this final season of Entourage thus far, but it has been really boring. Other than the episode when Tig blew his brains out, I could really care less about what is going on. I vote for Vince getting back on coke before it's all over. That was the most interesting thing in series history.

Falling Skies (HM) Sundays on TNT
I enjoyed the first season of Falling Skies, but if this was on during the year, it definitely would have started to back up on my DVR. I was never excited to see the next episode, but it was nice to have each Sunday this summer.

Dave and Alex on Happy Endings

Happy Endings (-) Wednesdays on ABC
I just finished listening to Mo Ryan and Ryan McGee wax on about the things they didn't like about Happy Endings. I was visibly angry at them. I really enjoy this series and you all should get on board the Happy Endings train. I'm not sure what the point of airing a new episode in the middle of the summer was, but I was pretty excited to see it.

iCarly (-) Fridays on Nickelodeon
With Hannah, Jonas, and Sonny of the air, Nickelodeon is the current king of teen comedies with iCarly coming into its own. I've enjoyed Miranda Cosgrove ever since School of Rock, but never gave this show a chance until this summer. She and her tv older brother Jerry Trainor kill it on this Nick show week in and week out.

The Lying Game (-) Mondays on ABC Family
I could only get through two episode of Nine Lives of Chloe King, I have seen six of Switched at Birth but not really enjoying it, so The Lying Game is the only new ABC Fam show I am really enjoying. The leading girl is all well and good, but it's her tv sister that I am really loving. This is some nice and light summer fare.

The Mentalist (-) Thursdays on CBS
It took me a while to finish this past season of The Mentalist, but once I got to that finale, I was certainly glad I did. It was some of the most suspenseful and emotional television I had seen in a while. I just don't know where the show goes from here, now that the only long-running story line is basically finished.

Marnie on True Blood

True Blood (HM) Sundays on HBO
This season hasn't been nearly as strange for strange's sake as last year, but I was over the witches from day one...especially Marnie. I can not stand her, and she is ruining the entire season. The only bright spot from this season has been Bill's development into a likable character...well that and the absence of Larry's were-panthers.

Wilfred (HM) Thursdays on FX
I've said enough about Wilfred through my reviews as of late, but I wanted to put it here in Honorable Mentions to note that I was very close to adding it to the Top 20. I have thoroughly enjoyed this first season, and am excited to see the finale.

Big Brother Week 9- Take Me To The Jury

Spoiler Alert...Below are the results and my thoughts on this week's episodes of Big Brother 13. Also, we'll take a look at how Mags', Jaydon's, Larry's and my teams are stacking up on the fantasy side of things. So before reading any further, watch the eps, do something for your true alliance (Tony and Josie), then read what I have to say.

At least the Big Brother producers are of the same mindset as me. There's nobody interesting left in the house, so they are showing more footage of the evicted houseguests than the ones still playing this game. For the first time ever, on Sunday they went back and showed almost half an episode worth of action from before Jeff and Daniele were eliminated. Then, on Thursday, they gave us more Jury House footage than I've ever seen in the past five years. At least they know where the talent lies...Daniele being awesome, and Jeff being an idiot.

I don't know how they are going to deal with show footage of the people they have left in this house. Did you see some of those conversations between Rachel and Jordan? They are some of the dumbest I've ever heard. They speak entirely in cliches, explaining how the Big Brother game works to each other, and pretending like they're pumping each other up to do really good in the weeks to come. Snooze alert.

And with that, I'll turn you over to the fantasy scoreboard, in which Jaydon continues to dominate...

Jaydon

Jeff +51

Rachel +47: Nom (-5), Veto (+15), W9 (+37)= +94

Kalia +89: W9 (+37)= +126

Last Week at +187: Team total= +271

Me

Brendon -14

Lawon -35

Adam +87: Nom (-5), Votes (-4), W9 (+37)= +115

Last Week at +38: Team total= +66

Mags

Daniele +14

Cassie -95

Porsche +41: HoH (+15), W9 (+37)= +93

Last Week at -40: Team total= +12

Lar

Jordan +44: Nom (-5), W9 (+37)= +76

Shelly +28: Nom (-5), Votes (-8)= +15

Dominic -110

Last Week at -38: Team total= -19

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

Wilfred 112 Review- Italian Snausage

Wilfred- "Ryan I've always had your best interest at heart, and I've never asked for anything in return...except for a bunch of stuff."

Love is a willingness to sacrifice.

And "Sacrifice" Ryan Newman did by the end of this episode. He could have gone off to Italy and been happy in the near future, but Jenna is the love of his life, which we have all knew since the first episode. Ryan is willing to sacrifice some of his own happiness for love, and he may be a better man for that.

This was a great showcase for Elijah Wood, who doesn't get nearly enough credit for the fantastic job he is doing on Wilfred. I'm just as much to blame as anyone, but it remains difficult to note his performance when Jason Gann is so hilarious week after week.

Wood has created this character in Ryan that is so screwed up yet so likable, that the audience has no choice but to continue to root for him to get better. Watching Ryan have the best day of his life with his Italian beauty was extremely heartwarming, which made it bittersweet when he ended up choosing to stay with Jenna and Wilfred.

Having said all of that, Gann still knocked it out of the park once again. I mean, can you honestly sit there and think that anyone can do better than "undies on the face?"

To read the rest of my review of last night's Wilfred, head over to TV Fanatic.

Wilfred 112 - "Sacrifice"
Review
Recap
Quotes

2011-12 Season Outlook- NBC

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 NBC…

A Quick Look

Excited For
  1. Smash
  2. The Playboy Club
Interested In
  3. Bent
  4. Up All Night
Holding Out Hope For
  5. Grimm
  6. Whitney
Passaroo
  7. The Firm
  8. Free Agents
  9. Prime Suspect

And Some More Depth

The Firm – Sunday – Spring
Need to Know: It is apparently an adaptation on the book and the original movie, which according to Wikipedia, was a legal thriller. This rendition stars Josh Lucas and the killer in both Harper’s Island and The Killing (spoiler alert).
Quiet Pool Plan: I will not even think about giving this a try.

The Playboy Club – Monday – 10:00 p.m.
Need to Know: Just like Pan Am, this is trying to grab onto the coattails of Mad Men. It stars Eddie Cibrian and some attractive ladies as the Playboy Bunnies.
Quiet Pool Plan: I have been a fan of Cibrian since he was a janitor with one line in an episode of Saved by the Bell College Years. It was that and then Tilt, and I was hooked on him. I will be gung ho on this at the start. We will see if it pans out.

The Playboy Club

Smash – Monnday – Spring
Need to Know: It’s a drama about the making of a Broadway musical. It stars Kat McPhee of American Idol as the young upstart gunning for the lead role. It also stars Debra Messing, Angelica Huston, and Lloyd Simcoe/Commodore Norrington as writer, producer and director of the play, respectively. Critics are loving this one.
Quiet Pool Plan: Well of course I’m in on this. If it’s anything like the only other musicals I know – Newsies and Disney movies – it will be awesome.

Up All Night – Wednesday – 8:00 p.m.
Need to Know: Christina Applegate and Will Arnett are parents of a new born baby, so they are up all night! It’s a mixed bag of reactions to this sitcom so far, but most people are loving Maya Rudolph in the main supporting role.
Quiet Pool Plan: Maya Rudolph really? I didn’t know people actually thought she was funny. I could never stand her on SNL, but I will definitely give this a shot for the other two. Apparently Arnett is the most normal he’s ever been in this. I’m not sure if that’s good or bad.

Free Agents – Wednesday – 8:30 p.m.
Need to Know: Hank Azaria and Adam Scott’s wife in Step Brothers are the leads in this sitcom. Apparently they are in P.R. and are attracted to each other. I think I turned the trailer off half-way through.
Quiet Pool Plan: Do you even have to ask? No thanks.

Whitney – Thursday – 9:30 p.m.
Need to Know: This was the first new season trailer I saw and I laughed out loud at how bad it was. Whitney is strange, and her boyfriend is a bit less strange? It’s a sitcom with a laugh track that comes on at everything that is not funny.
Quiet Pool Plan: Really? This is what you cancelled Perfect Couples for? How dare you! I will give this a chance for two reasons. 1) people think Whitney Cummings is funny. And 2) it’s on NBC’s Thursday night lineup.

Whitney and her tv boyfriend

Prime Suspect – Thursday – 10:00 p.m.
Need to Know: A re-imagination of the British series of the same name starring some lady in a fedora. It seems to be a simple procedural cop show.
Quiet Pool Plan: Once again, this is an obvious skip.

Grimm – Friday – 9:00 p.m.
Need to Know: The second of two fairy tale driven shows this fall, Grimm is of course based off of the Brothers Grimm stories. Unlike Once Upon a Time, which seems to have a nice story telling aspect to it, Grimm might be a police procedural with a fantasy twist.
Quiet Pool Plan: I am going to try it and see what it’s all about, because after all, it’s on Friday. It’s not looking good though.

Bent – Not Sure
Need to Know: A great threesome of Amanda Peet, Jeffrey Tambor and Vance from Perfect Couples star in this romantic comedy.
Quiet Pool Plan: Hope that it gets put on the air.

Don't Forget, there is plenty of great television returning to the screen this season.  Here are some of our favorites on NBC...

1. The Office – Thursday – 9:00 p.m.
2. Community – Thursday – 8:00 p.m.
3. Chuck – Friday – 8:00 p.m.
4. Parenthood – Tuesday – 10:00 p.m.
5. Parks and Recreation – Thursday – 8:30 p.m.
6. The Sing Off – Monday – 8:00 p.m.
7. 30 Rock – Thursday - Spring
8. Saturday Night Live – Saturday – 11:30 p.m.
9. The Voice – Monday - Spring