Open Heart Doesn't Quite Connect

While Degrassi is on hiatus, Teennick is running the show "Open Heart." The shows share the same producers, as well as some writers and actors. I decided to give the show a chance, mainly because Degrassi alumni Dylan Everett, Christine Prosperi, and Justin Kelly would be making appearances.

The premise of "Open Heart" is that Dylan Blake is assigned to do community service at the hospital that her grandparents own and that her mother and sister work at. While she is there, she is trying to find her father who went missing. Foreshadowing tells us that there are major family secrets that are about to be uncovered.

The biggest problem that I had with this show is that the main character, Dylan, is utterly unrelatable. The supporting cast outshines her acting performances. Most of Dylan's airtime make her out to be a whinny princess who never listens to others advice, even when it would be to her benefit.

In many ways, Prosperi and Kelly are the lifelines of the series. The duo work great together and their characters play off eachother nicely, giving the show a much needed comedy aspect. Also, Prosperi's character's cancer background gives her plenty of emotional attachment with her audience.

I predict that this series will not prove to be long lasting. It might do better in Canada (where it is made), but I would be surprised if Teennick will pick it up for another season in the States. "Open Heart" shares a lot of Degrassi's writing and character flaws. For Degrassi, these flaws aren't detrimental because it is a long running franchise. However, with a new show, I think that these flaws will prove to be terminating. 

Degrassi 14A Wrap Up

The first block of Degrassi season 14 is over, and with the break before 14B comes on, it is a good time to reflect on all the drama. 

First, the Eli/Clare/Drew situation. Clare is pregnant and has just found out that the baby is Eli's (she originally thought that it was Drew's. Now that Eli knows this, he wants to be back in Clare's life to help with the baby. Purely on platonic levels of coarse. I predict that the next block of episodes, the pair will figure out that it is impossible for them to be just friends. They will probably try their luck with dating again. Which will probably fail miserably just like the two previous times. 

The mid season finale brought an close to the cheerleading drama. It is officially out of the bag that Zoe is the one behind Degrassi Nudes (the cheerleading squads very illegal way of fundraising). However, she tried to pin the whole thing on Frankie. As revenge, Frankie and Winston trapped Zoe in a room and tried to scare her with costumes and disguised voices. The drama between Zoe and Frankie will definitely continue next block. It is highly unlikely that the two will ever completely make up.

The biggest thing that happened in the finale was Miles burning down the school. Okay, maybe he didn't completely burn it down, but he definitely displayed some pyrotechnics. Miles lit one of his fathers campaign posters on fire to demonstrate his hatred for his abusive father. However, this backfired when the fire wouldn't go out and spread throughout the hallway. Thankfully, everyone was able to make it out of the school safely. The episode ended with all three of the Hollingsworth siblings taking a stand against their father and walking off into the sunset (or to The Dot to get some food). 

Overall, this season had it's ups and downs. I was not a fan of the Degrassi nudes story line or the Imogen/Jaque polygamy struggle. Also, I think that the entire premise of Clare's pregnancy is completely out of character, and basically just a tool to keep Eli in the picture. However, I did enjoy the arc about Miles abuse, because Degrassi hasn't tackled parental abuse since Craig back in the original generation. I also liked the continuation with Maya's struggles with protecting her friends in the aftermath of Cam's suicide. 

Victoria Justice Catches Viewers Eyes

MTV has a new drama, called "Eye Candy," based off of an R.L Stine novel. The show stars Victoria Justice, the former Nickelodeon star of "Victorious." While it has set no records, it has been steadily increasing in viewers sense its premiere in January.

Justice plays Lindy, a tech savvy woman on a mission to find her kidnapped sister. This is a murder mystery for the internet age. Lindy uses computer hacking to trace down "the flirtual killer," a serial killer who murders people who lie about their appearance on their online profiles. Coincidentally, this killer has an interest in Lindy. He believe that she could be the flawless person that he is searching for.

The story is told in hour long episodes. It is filmed much like "Teen Wolf," one of MTV's most successful shows. Each episodes is like a miniature movie, combining elements of drama, comedy, horror and suspense.

Sadly, the show falls into the trap of most murder mysteries' biggest flaw. Conclusions and solutions are pulled out of nowhere, often unrealistically. While the show lacks believably, it is easy to get into. The show succeeds in pulling plot twists over on its viewers. Also, for those who crave horror, there is a good dose of graphic, freak murder situations.

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Glee's Final Season

The sixth and final season of Glee premiered on fox last month. As a turn of events, all the beloved characters from seasons past have found their ways back to McKinley High School to wrap up everyone's character arcs. Now that we are midway through the season, it is time to reflect on what has gone down so far.

Rachel has been shunned from television and has now taken over the New Directions at her Alma Matter with the help of her best friend Kurt. Also, Blaine has taken over the Warblers and Mr. Schue is the new coach of Vocal Adrenaline, making the group rivals.

There is a new batch of students on the show that fill the space of the kids being coached. However, they are more of a plot devise for the alumni, rather than characters of their own. In fact, I can't even recall a single one of their names.

Most of the plot lines this season seem to revolve around two things. 1. Relationships and/or 2. Rachel Berry. The biggest things going on in the relationship side of things are the Santana and Brittany marriage, the budding romance between Rachel and Sam, and lastly the undeniable tension between formally split up Glee power couple Kurt and Blaine. Other than that, the rest of the plots revolve around Rachel getting her mojo back.

The last episode, "Transitioning," was a tribute to transgender people. I think that the episode was well done and talked about important subjects. However, it seemed sort of like a token hard hitting subject. One that they pound out in one episode and never talk about again. This is mostly due to the fact that Glee is strongly based on comedy over continuity. The tone of the show isn't supporting of such a complex and serious subject. I applaud Glee for trying to be controversial, but I fear that they did not present the subject in the best light.

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First Impressions of Fresh Off The Boat

ABC's newest comedy, Fresh Off the Boat, premiered this month. The show follows a Asian American family in 1995. The Huang family has taken the leap from their comfort zone, moving from their Washington DC neighborhood to an all white suburb in Orlando, Florida. The show is narrated by Eddie Huang, a hip-hop loving 11 year old.

The show puts a comedic spin on the family's feelings of being outsiders. The first episode focused around the kids adjusting to their new school. Eddie had problems because the kids thought his homemade Chinese food was gross. Distraught, he convinced his mom to buy him Lunchables, his ticket to normalcy.  However, this didn't work as well as he wished.

So far, I am enjoy this show very much. It is funny with out being watered down. The show still touched on life lessons, without being either too insensitive or too lighthearted. I think that it was the perfect mix.

Also, I was drawn to the characters in the show. Even though there has only been a few episodes, the actors have done a great job of giving their characters individuality. Each episode, you root for the family to figure things out by the end.

Fox Cancels Red Band Society

Last Saturday, the two hour series finale of Red Band Society aired on Fox. This was a bitter sweet event. The terrific writing proved all the reasons why RBS should have been given another season.

Fox had halted production midway through shooting season one. Eventually, the network granted the series four more episodes to wrap up each character arc. Then the show sat in limbo, not being officially canceled, but also with no further production.

The winter finale had left fans on a cliff hanger, with no idea if we would even see the final three episodes. Without much warning, Fox aired those episodes on two Saturday nights,  January 31 and February 7. This came with the news that Red Band Society was officially canceled.

Even though the finale was beautifully done, and wrapped up each arc nicely, it still leaves me, and many other fans, bitter about the networks seemingly premature ruling. It seems like a different time slot or different marketing techniques could have gotten the show where it needed to be.

The show actually has a solid group of followers. The biggest problem, I think, is that Fox is basing their success purely off of Nielson ratings. The problem with this is that it seems like watching live TV is a thing of the past. Especially with Saturday nigh broad cast, many people will miss the original airing and find other methods of viewing the episode (such as online or On Demand).

Another main concern with Fox's approach is that they aren't targeting towards the right audience. They are airing RBS on an "adult" station, at 9:00 pm. I think that if they put it on a more teen oriented station, or at an earlier time, they will capture more of the teen demographic. This should really be the age group Fox should be targeting, because this is the demographic that will connect with the shows story lines.

In the end, losing Red Band Society is a big loss. The writers and cast have worked hard to bring important stories to the screen. Many fans have reached out saying that the show has helped them. Countless teens have reached out saying that Emma's struggles with Anorexia have helped them come to terms with their own disorders. It is a sad thing to take these characters away from their audience that appreciated them so much.

Sources:  Cinema Blend  TV By The Numbers  Enstars

The Golden Globes Recognize The CW's Latest Comedy

Jane The Virgin star, Gina Rodriguez, was a big winner at the 2015 Golden Globes. She accepted her award for Best Actress In A Comedy Series with a tear struck speech. Many people are saying that her's was the best of the night. She proclaimed "this award is so much more than myself, it represents a culture that wants to see themselves as heroes."

Her title is well deserved, too. Every Monday night at 9 pm, Rodriguez captures The CW's audience with her simultaneously humorous and emotional role. Her character, Jane, is a young woman who was actually inseminated and is now pregnant with the baby of Raphael Solano, the son of a wealthy hotel franchise owner. Now, Jane is caught in the family drama that Raphael comes with, as they try to make things work before the baby comes.

If you are looking for a good binge watch, or a show to fill your Monday evening space, I strongly recommend Jane The Virgin. The crazy plot is perfectly accompanied by a narrator who draws you in with his sarcastic commentary. The show is outrageous in a way that it is aware of the absurdity. The writers turn this into one of the selling points.

Soure: ET

Introduction

TV is a way to unwind after a stressful day, but it is also a way to look at the world around you. When we watch TV we get a gimps into other's lives. Even though most of our favorite TV stars are fictional, we can find characteristics we can relate to.

It seems like the popular opinion is that TV is a waste of time. Parents tell kids to turn off the TV or "it will rot your brain." While I agree that too much screen time is a bad thing, watching television doesn't have to be a complete waste of time.

In my opinion, whenever you are consuming a medium with a critical eye you are benefiting yourself. This blog is going to be my outlet for this.I hope to view and critically analyze the TV shows that I like, and the TV shows that are popular at the moment.