By Edward Kelly
Fall is here, finally (but tell that to the oppressive heat wave Los Angeles is currently experiencing), which means it’s time for the kids to go back to school, for football to start up again, to bid adieu to the dog days of summer TV dreck, and to grant a warm welcome to new and returning shows. Thankfully, it looks like this season has some strong contenders, and while I’d love to fully recap and nerd out over each one of these individually, I don’t think I’m allowed to (plus, there are actual TV critics who will do that for you). So, instead, I thought I’d offer up my top seven favorite moments of this premiere week. Why seven? Because I’m just nutty for prime numbers.
1. Hank has an intruder (Terriers)
Terriers is easily the strongest new show of the season. As unlicensed PIs, Hank (Donal Logue) and Britt (Michael Raymond-James) bum around the Ocean Beach area of San Diego working whatever odd jobs they can to come up with rent and mortgage money. This week’s episode was an engaging look into who these laid-back beach bums are and why they do what they do. But the got-you-by-the-balls “WTF” moment didn’t happen until the final minutes. After a day that included some illicit sex and a suicide jumper (seriously), Hank retires to his darkened home and absentmindedly plucks a mournful blues riff on his guitar. While the audience waits for the show to fade to end credits, we see something stirring just over Hank’s shoulder. Sure enough, a silhouetted figure slinks from the shadows and silently disappears into Hank’s attic. It was a brilliant “leave them wanting more” gesture that has fans eagerly anticipating whatever’s next.
2. The first “take” is paid (Boardwalk Empire)
With a team that includes Martin Scorsese directing, a script by Sopranos-veteran Terence Winter, and the always-brilliant Steve Buscemi as a lead, it’s no surprise that Boardwalk Empire is the season’s most talked about drama. The pilot doesn’t disappoint. Set in Atlantic City during the first days of Prohibition, the show immediately immerses the audience in the sites and sounds of the seaside locale in that era. The premiere episode is epic in scope and storytelling, with mafia legends like Al Capone casually dropped in as supporting players. Capone’s presence is fitting since the birth of organized crime comes in to play heavily in scenes such as when Buscemi meets with his hotheaded protégé, played by Michael Pitt. Pitt offers Buscemi an envelope full of cash, the result of a hijacking that went violently awry. Buscemi semi-reluctantly pockets the dough, but not before Pitt delivers the line that will doubtless be the show’s ethos: “You can’t be half a gangster.”
3. Donald Glover in Spider-Man PJs (Community)
Last week, I may or may not have made my fanboy appreciation for Donald Glover and Community known. Thus, I’m going to try to remain unbiased when I say that Community is the funniest, most original, best written comedy in the history of stage or screen. Nailed it. Actually, this week’s second season premiere was a little too busy as they wrapped up some dangling plot points and had to give guest star Betty White something funny to do. But the show still had a sharp sense of timing and plenty of meta gags, including a subtle shout-out to the online movement that lobbied to let Glover audition for the Spider-Man reboot. During a jaunty up-and-at-’em opening that cycled through each character’s morning routine, Glover hopped out of bed clad in some ill-fitting web slinger sleepwear that allowed a glimpse into the land of What Coulda Been.
4. The entirety of Lone Star (Lone Star)
Speaking of the mythical land of What Clouda Been, it seems that Lone Star, an under-advertised Fox drama about a con man who literally leads a double life, will soon be joining the melancholy, noble ranks of various “Brilliant But Cancelled” lists. The pilot episode is, quite frankly, amazing. Imagine a cross between a taut Christopher Nolan thriller and a riveting Curtis Hanson psychodrama and you’ll be somewhere in the ballpark. Smartly written, expertly directed, and brilliantly acted, Lone Star is the type of show that probably should have found a home on AMC or FX where it could be an Emmy contender every single year. Sadly, it didn’t, and, unless a couple million people tune in on Monday night, it looks like we’ll never get to find out what happens to the charismatic con man who simply wants it all.
5. The New Danno (Hawaii 5-0)
Sure, I (just like everybody else who tuned in) knew it was coming, but it was still nice to hear “Book ’em, Danno” on TV again. CBS’s sleeker, sexier Hawaii 5-0 isn’t a great show by any means, but it features some well-cast supporting players (James Marsters pops up to sneer and be evil as only James Marsters can). The best part of Hawaii 5-0 is that it knows what it is and isn’t ashamed to deliver weekly shootouts and action set pieces. Well, actually, that’s not the best part. The best part, honestly, is Scott Caan. Now, Caan can be hit-and-miss as an actor but infusing the role of Detective Danny “Danno” Williams with a cocksure swagger and a motor mouth means that I’ll tune in again and probably hear that famous line over and over.
6. “We met at an orgy.” (Modern Family)
Modern Family’s second season premiere alleviated a lot of doubts. The much-hyped sitcom went from trendy mockumentary to critical darling to Emmy winner last season and many fans were wondering if the show’s sophomore outing could live up to the accolades. Thankfully, it did. Clearly, both writers and performers know what they have on their hands and respect the material. Case in point: in the first season, Ed O’Neill played a sometimes-homophobic grandfather who eventually bonded with his son’s husband, played by Eric Stonestreet. In the premiere, the two teamed up to build a playhouse and after O’Neill gently ribbed Stonestreet about how he met his husband, Stonestreet responded with an expert deadpan correction: “We met at an orgy.” Call it “Comedy of Affection” but it’s nice to see small bond-forging moments such as these from a show that trusts the audience to watch and appreciate characters simply hanging out with each other.
7. The Suit (Smallville)
Here’s a little factoid I bet you didn’t know: as this is the 10th season of Smallville, it is officially the longest running American sci-fi series ever. Yeah, let that sink in for a second. Smallville isn’t exactly a show I usually praise, but it has been known to make me geek out occasionally (the Wonder Twins showed up one time! And so did the Justice Society!). According to all involved, the 10th season will be its last and the premiere teased fans just a little more. During last season’s finale, Martha Kent returned and gave Clark a mysterious gift. After three months, we finally got a peek at it: none other than the familiar red-and-blue “S” emblem. Nerdgasms ensued, if only because hopefully now Clark will ditch that weird Matrix get-up.
