Noel: There are only a few more shows left to cover, but two of them are pretty strong, I think: 30 Rock, and The Nine (ABC, Wednesdays, 10 p.m. ET). Let's save the sitcom for later and start with the serialized drama, which along with Heroes has me hooked on a TV genre that I'm largely sick of. It's a tricky premise, too: There's a bank robbery, leading to a hostage situation that drags on for two days and ends with some people dead and nine strangers bonded for life; the show follows the strangers as they try to get back to their normal lives, while flashing back to the robbery a little at a time, to show how what happened there changed them. The show's creative team has to find a way to conceal key parts of the backstory while moving the main story forward.
Judging by the huge audience drop-off from the first episode to the second, TV audiences apparently don't want to wait around all season to get through the prologue, but I've found the first two installments pretty deft, as the tidbits of bank action tease us with what went wrong, why everyone's behaving so strangely, and whether one or more of our "heroes" may turn out not to have been so heroic after all. But mostly, what I like about The Nine is the way it captures how an intense, shared experience can leave people feeling wrung out and empowered at the same time, and how those people wish they could relive those moments, as scary as they were, rather than get back to dull old reality. Even if the complex narrative structure of The Nine eventually breaks down, I hope that feeling of loss persists.
Did you see The Nine? And are there any other new dramas I'm missing?
Keith: I did see The Nine, but it didn't really do much for me. It's a neat enough premise, but I'm not sufficiently intrigued to tune in each week to find out what happens. Of the main characters, only John Billingsley's zero-to-hero stood out to me, and I'm really tired of the J.J. Abrams/Aaron Sorkin montage-set-to-wistful-song device, while The Nine apparently can't get enough of it. I think I'm done, but if enough people tell me it gets better, I might check back in later in the season.
Speaking of shows that America is failing to fall in love with, I like Friday Night Lights (NBC, Tuesdays 8 p.m. ET), which (stay with me on this) is a fictionalized TV adaptation of the semi-fictional film adaptation of a non-fiction book about a season spent with a Texas high-school football team. Peter Berg, who directed the movie, is behind the show, which feels much like the film, which floated some well-done, albeit kind of familiar sports drama on top of a dreamy tone and strong, unshowy performances. It's the same here. I appreciate the feel for the high stakes attached to small-market school sports, the knowing take on the high-school caste system, and the details of family life. Also, love that Explosions In The Sky music, which returns from the movie (although sadly, the band won't be scoring the show). I'll admit that I haven't watched episode two yet. It's sitting in my TiVo while I decide whether to get attached to a show that probably isn't going to make it.
So should we talk sitcoms? Or are you still trying to catch your breath after the nonstop hilarity of Twenty Good Years?
Noel: I have to confess that I was all set to mock Twenty Good Years (NBC, Wednesdays 8 p.m. ET), starting with the theme song, the hopefully titled "It's About To Get Good." But it actually doesn't suck, for two reasons: Jeffrey Tambor and John Lithgow. Even when the jokes are dire—and they frequently are—those two are out there plugging. Even with the weird combination of single-camera and three-camera shooting, and the clearly sweetened laugh track, God help me, I think I'm going to watch at least one more episode.
Bravura performances do a lot for Twenty Good Years' timeslot companion 30 Rock (NBC, Wednesdays 8:30 p.m. ET), too, especially with Alec Baldwin throwing his cock around as an NBC network boss, and Tracy Morgan getting his weird on as the crackpot comedy star Baldwin shoehorns into Tina Fey's femme-friendly sketch-comedy show. The jokes are funnier too, and snappily delivered, without leaning on the common modern sitcom crutch of frenetic editing. The cast keeps the pace up.
Like you, I've seen the original pilot of 30 Rock—which featured Rachel Dratch instead of Jane Krakowski as Fey's best friend and star of her show—and it's amazing how much better the revised version works. Not just because of the casting change, but because the scenes run shorter and the jokes come quicker. I've also seen the second episode, airing this week, and the quality doesn't drop off. This is a really fine show, with its own sensibility.
It's tempting to compare 30 Rock to Studio 60 On The Sunset Strip, and to find the latter wanting in a couple of key areas that the former gets right. I can't say whether 30 Rock's actual comedy sketches are going to be better than Studio 60's, because we haven't seen enough of them yet, but 30 Rock does seem to have a better sense of perspective regarding what a sketch-comedy show is and how it works. No one's pretending that the fate of the world is at stake, which is the vibe Studio 60 has been giving off. It's also nice that Fey sets her show on NBC itself, and can make jokes about her own network. Much less phony-feeling.
What's your take on the whole 30 Rock vs. Studio 60 debate? And are there any new fall shows that you feel like you'll still be watching come winter?
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