Giving thanks for ‘The Big Bang Theory,’ ‘Homeland,’ JR Martinez – Orlando Sentinel (blog)
J.R. Martinez kisses partner Karina Smirnoff after winning ‘Dancing With the Stars.’ Photo credit: Adam Taylor/ABC
Happy Thanksgiving!
A reader complained this week that there was nothing to watch on Sunday nights, which astounded me. Sunday is the biggest night this fall, the home of “Once Upon a Time,” “The Good Wife,” “The Walking Dead,” “Dexter,” “Boardwalk Empire,” “Hell on Wheels” and “Homeland.”
Those first-rate dramas offer plenty of reasons to give thanks. Here are others:
Comedies are coming back, with “Modern Family” and “The Big Bang Theory” leading the way. “Modern Family” was the biggest program in Central Florida last night, pulling in 184,900 viewers — not a bad showing for the night before Thanksgiving. ”Modern Family” wins best-comedy Emmys, but “The Big Bang Theory” is every bit as enjoyable with its disarming geeks.
This was an above-average fall for new series. Showtime’s “Homeland,” from the “24″ producers, leads the list for its twisty espionage and the gripping performances of Claire Danes and Damian Lewis. But ABC has reason to rejoice for the clever, lavish ”Once Upon a Time.” CBS’ “Person of Interest,” an offbeat crime drama, keeps getting better. The best new comedies — Fox’s “New Girl,” ABC’s “Suburgatory” and CBS’ “2 Broke Girls” — offer captivating characters. (The most promising series this season, NBC’s “Smash,” arrives in February.)
The acting on TV dramas has never been better. Bryan Cranston and his co-stars were exceptional last season on “Breaking Bad.” Julianna Margulies and her colleagues are consistently superb on “The Good Wife”; Sunday’s episode was a bonanza of sharp performances. Just wait till you see “The Walking Dead” this weekend.
I’m thankful for the access that DVDs and new technology provide. Why settle for NBC’s take on “Prime Suspect” when you can see Helen Mirren in all her brilliance in the original? If you don’t like what programmers are scheduling, why not try the DVDs of “Friday Night Lights,” “The Wire” or “Downton Abbey”?
I’m thankful for the fall-back channel of TCM. If you can’t find anything to watch on TV, Turner Classic Movies serves something worth a look every day. “The Lady Eve,” one of my favorite comedies, screens at 10 tonight. Barbara Stanwyck and Henry Fonda are sublime in this 1941 classic.
I’m thankful for J.R. Martinez, the winner of “Dancing With the Stars.” The ABC dance contest may have had an off season, and its controversies were often silly. But the show’s conclusion was thrilling because viewers were pulling for Martinez, a fine dancer and a charming guy who had been badly injured while serving in Iraq. Ricki Lake, his strongest competitor, said she had no problem with losing to a war hero. Seeing a war hero excel in that showcase gave a frivolous show a deeper meaning.
Life can be more enjoyable when you have people to pull for. Television, which succeeds or fails with the stories it tells, has given us many people worth rooting for this year.