TV Series Recaps

This year saw many new TV shows, some that were instant hits and others that struggled to maintain viewership. Will your favorite be renewed for another season? 

New Girl

For those who have been in love with Zooey Deschanel since the days of “Elf”, you’re in luck!  She stars in Fox’s popular new sitcom “New Girl.”  Deschanel plays Jess Day, a girl who has recently had a bad break-up and moves into a new apartment.  Her roommates are three single guys Nick (Jake Johnson), Schmidt (Max Greenfield), and Winston (Lamorne Morris).  Eventually, through her optimistic personality and the support of her roommates, Jess is able to move on from her past relationship, with many funny experiences along the way.  Aazum Shaikh ’14, a viewer, appreciates that he can relate to the characters because of his youth.  “It’s a funny show and I can understand the plot, whereas older people would not be able to,” he noted.  There are also other aspects of the show that appeal to Shaikh.  “I [can] miss an episode [and still] understand the general plot of the next one because the plot of the show is not directly related to the previous episodes,” he said.  As the first season winds to a close, Shaikh hopes that the show will “end off with a very funny cliffhanger just to make a good end to the first season,” he stated.  “New Girl” airs on Tuesdays at 9/8c.

 Chance of return: Certain

Alcatraz

If you’re an action and thriller lover, then Fox’s new TV series “Alcatraz” may be the show for you. The series is based on an interesting premise: that the closing of Alcatraz Prison in San Francisco on March 21, 1963 was just a cover story created by the government, and that, in reality 302 of Alcatraz’s most infamous inmates and guards vanished without a trace.  San Francisco Police Officer Rebecca Madsen (Sarah Jones) and secretive government agent Emerson Hauser (Sam Neill) are tasked 50 years later with tracking down the missing persons. While the show had a strong debut in January, its ratings have recently dropped, and, as a result, some at SHS are not as fond of it as they used to be.  “I used to watch regularly, but I no longer watch because it got very repetitive,” said World Language teacher José Lamela, adding that “the episodes are the same thing over and over. A person shows up, does something bad, and then they catch him.” Despite his loss of interest in the show, Lamela believes that it may still appeal to “people who have a fascination [with] jails.” “Alcatraz” wrapped up its first season in March and may or may not get a chance at another season next year, so stay tuned!

 Chance of return: Unlikely

 

Awake

Many SHS students get fewer than the minimum hours of sleep per night recommended for teenagers, and, for this reason, any extra time to sleep is incredibly enticing.  For Police Officer Michael Britten (Jason Isaacs), the main character of NBC’s “Awake,” however, a chance to sleep is not nearly as appealing.  “Awake” is a relatively new TV show, which debuted in May of 2011.  In this series, Officer Britten survives a terrible car accident and is subsequently trapped in two different worlds when he goes to sleep.  In one of these worlds, his son Rex (Dylan Minnette) survives the crash, and his wife Hannah (Lauren Allen) dies, and in the other, Hannah survives and Rex dies. The two realities are identified by different colors, green for the one in which his son survives, and red for the one in which his wife survives.  Despite the show’s seemingly unrealistic plot, its “sleepy” theme, allows some SHS students to relate to it.  “As a junior, I don’t get much sleep and it’s kind of cool how [the show] is a combination of how sleep affects your dreams and how it affects reality,” commented Sam Gallagher ’13.  Gallagher also noted that the show may be of interest to some SHS students for another reason.  “I think [the show] would appeal to a lot of people who are really interested in psychology, people who are interested in how the mind works,” he said.  Although Gallagher only watches “Awake” from time to time, in the coming episodes he hopes for “more blurring of the lines between reality and dream.” “Awake” airs on Thursdays at 10/9c.

 Chance of return: Unlikely

 

Touch

Fox’s new TV series “Touch” is incredibly popular right now, notwithstanding its unusual plot. It stars big-name actor Kiefer Sutherland as Martin Bohm and his unique 11-year-old son Jake (David Mazouz), who has trouble connecting with anyone emotionally. Each episode begins with seemingly unrelated people and events around the world, and ends with the discovery of a connection between all of these people and events.   Some SHS students believe that “Touch” has been getting so much attention because of its unusual plot.  “The abnormal concept of the show [is] nothing like anyone has ever seen,” pointed out Henry Korzec ’15, a regular viewer of the show, adding that, “it appeals to me because of the twists and turns the plot takes throughout the show.”  Korzec also believes that the show appeals to a “younger society of people” even though he acknowledged that his parents enjoy the show as well.  Korzec hopes that “the plot will continue to be creative and that the show will never get boring.”  “Touch” airs on Thursdays at 9/8c.

 Chance of return: Likely

 

Up All Night

For fans of “30 Rock” and “Saturday Night Live,” the best new show to watch is NBC’s “Up All Night,” which shares many of the same writers and producers. Emily Spivey, an Emmy award-winning former staff writer for “Saturday Night Live,” created the series.  It stars Reagan Brinkley (Christina Applegate), a producer on a talk show who has a tough and demanding boss named Ava (Maya Rudolph) who is also the host of the talk show.  Reagan is a successful producer and a loving wife to Chris (Will Arnett), her supportive stay-at-home husband who helps a great deal in taking care of their newborn child.  The show is filled with humor as the couple attempts to sort out their new life with a baby.  The series appeals to SHS students for various reasons.  “The show is simple and relatable…[and] it’s only 25 minutes of my time,” stated Carina Spiro ’14, a follower of the series.  Other students enjoy watching “Up All Night” because of its actors.  “[The show is getting a lot of attention] because it has really funny actors from ‘30 Rock’ and also Will Arnett is really popular,” noted Stella Emula ’14, a regular viewer.  Additionally, Emula believes the show appeals to “high schoolers in general.”  Emula’s hope for the future of the show is simple: “for the characters to [continue] to have a good time in life.” “Up All Night” returns to TV on Monday, May 14 at 8/7c.

 Chance of return: Certain

 

Don’t Trust the B—- in Apartment 23

Set in New York City, “Don’t Trust the B—- In Apartment 23” is one of ABC’s newest sitcoms, which debuted earlier this month.  While only three episodes have aired thus far, they have been uniformly mediocre and there does not seem to be much hope for improvement. It stars June (Dreama Walker), a girl from the Midwest who moves to New York City hoping to obtain her dream job in corporate finance.  When she finds that the job no longer exists, she ends up spending a lot of time with her strange, con artist roommate Chloe (Krysten Ritter) and Chloe’s best friend James Van der Beek (James Van der Beek), famous from the hit TV series Dawson’s Creek.  The show’s pathetic attempts at humor inevitably fail due to poor script writing and shoddy, unrealistic acting.  According to Ali Melnick ’14, who used to watch the show, the only reason that it’s getting any attention is “because of James Van der Beek and because everyone loves ‘Dawson’s Creek’…. I thought it would be funny… but it just wasn’t [and] it wasn’t really relatable to me either,” she said. Melnick believes that the show attempts to appeal to “mainly women in high school and college.” “Don’t Trust the B—- in Apartment 23” airs on Wednesdays at 9:30/8:30c.

Chance of return: Likely

 

Switched at Birth

How would you feel if you found out that your parents were not actually related to you?  For Bay Kennish (Vanessa Marano) and Daphne Vasquez (Katie Laclerc) in ABC Family’s hit TV series “Switched at Birth,” the news is not easy to hear. The show is based on two girls who discover that they were mixed up at the hospital where they were born, and accidentally given to the wrong families.  The two girls have, as a result, led very different lives.  Bay is an artistic teenager who lives with a wealthy family and Daphne lives with a single mother in a poor neighborhood. Daphne developed meningitis as a young child and has been deaf ever since. As a result, a good portion of the show is in sign language.  Some SHS students watch the show for this very reason. “I personally like this show because I’m interested in American Sign Language,” noted Brittany Kaplan ’14, a regular viewer.  Kaplan also believes that the series would appeal most to “teenage girls.” She does not have any specific hopes for the remainder of the second season other than, “an entertaining plot line that is not repeated.”  The remaining 10 episodes of the second season, however, will not air until autumn.

 Chance of return: Certain

 

Once Upon a Time 

When people think of fairytales they often think of fictional characters like Snow White and Prince Charming.  While ABC’s hit TV series “Once Upon A Time” involves both of these characters, its plot is nothing like that of a traditional fairytale.  It stars Emma Swan (Jennifer Morrison), a 28-year-old bail bondsperson, who has been virtually alone in the world since she was abandoned as a baby.  However, once her son Henry, who she left 10 years earlier, finds her, everything she thought she knew about her life is radically changed.  She discovers that in the town of Storybrooke, Maine, fantasy has become reality and the characters of a fairytale book have unknowingly been thrust into the modern world after an evil witch puts a curse on them.  Emma also discovers that she is the daughter of Snow White and Prince Charming. The series’ interesting and complex plot appeals to some at SHS.  “‘Once Upon A Time’ combines common fairytales that everyone knows with a twist,” noted World Language Teacher José Lamela, also adding that he likes the show because “there is lots of scandal.”  As the series continues to run, Lamela hopes for “the evil witch to die.” He also suggests that even non-fairytale lovers can enjoy the show because “it appeals to a wide variety of people.” “Once Upon A Time” airs on Sundays at 8/7c.

 Chance of return: Certain

 

Smash

“Smash,” one of NBC’s newest TV series, debuted in early February and is one of the most “buzz-worthy” shows of the moment.  It centers around the creation of a Broadway musical based on the life of Marilyn Monroe.  Drama is incorporated as the characters involved in the production struggle to balance their hectic personal lives with the time-consuming demands of the theater. “It’s the first show of its kind [that] combines theatrics and real-life situations that occur day to day when putting on the production of a show,” noted World Language teacher Nina Kligman, a regular viewer of the show.   The show stars Julia (Debra Messing) and Tom (Christian Borle), a successful songwriting team responsible for the musical around which the show revolves.  It also stars Karen (Katharine McPhee), a hopeful yet inexperienced actress from out of town, and Ivy Lynn (Megan Hilty), a seasoned actress who is Karen’s competition for the part of Marilyn Monroe. As “Smash” continues to air, Kligman hopes for more “drama and scandal.” She stresses, however, that despite these themes, the show appeals to “anyone who’s into theatre, dancing, or music.”  “Smash” airs every Monday at 10/9c.

 Chance of return: Certain

By Jonathan Faust

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