Dawson's Ink

Anyone who knows me well knows that I love television. Dramas, comedies, you name it, I’m all over it. So what kind of person would I be if I didn’t share my love of the medium with you? It’s OK, you can say it. I’d be horrible. And I know it.

(Note: This was going to be a top ten list, but then I realized that I just don’t like that many shows. Heh. It’s also a list of shows that I won’t be watching in May, since I’m unplugging from everything for a month [shout out to my DVR, which will be very, very busy]. There’s too much going on in WillVille right now, and a break from all things online is probably what I need. Granted, you may see some updates on the blog, but that’s just because I can never stop writing. But as for social media, I need a time out. For real.)

So, without further adieu, below are SEVEN TELEVISION SHOWS YOU SHOULD BE WATCHING RIGHT NOW. Just because they’re great and, well, because I say so. And um, there you go.
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Fridays, HBO 10PM E/PT

On any given Friday night, you can tune in to Real Time and see Bill Maher chopping it up with everyone from director Michael Moore to comedian Chris Rock, with an appearance from disgraced doc Jack Kevorkian thrown in for good measure. To say this show runs the gamut would be an understatement. Where else will you see reporters, politicians, former politicians and actors sitting around a table discussing up-to-the-minute topics, all in a forum where anything goes? Bill lets them get their points across, while not hesitating to call them on their fuckery when necessary.

That’s what makes Real Time good. What makes it great comes at the end of the show, when Maher pulls “New Rules” out of his hat. The captions that the writers come up with alone should win this show an Emmy every year.

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Wednesdays, ABC 9PM E/PT

It’s a mockumentary about the Hatchett family, led by patriarch Jay. There are three characters on this sitcom that make me laugh out loud each week. In no particular order, they are ‘Manny Delgado’ (played by Rico Rodriguez), ‘Cameron Tucker’ (played by Eric Stonestreet), and ‘Phil Dunphy’ (played by Ty Burrell). It matters not what situation these three are in, they will make you howl.

The best part about their performances is that they’re true to their characters, whether it be pre-teen Manny, who says things like: “If this so-called Santa Claus doesn’t bring me a burgundy dinner jacket, I’m going to have a big problem;” or Cameron (“This was my Dreamgirls. I was Effie“); or Phil (“The iPad comes out on my actual birthday. It’s like Steve Jobs and God got together and said, ‘We love you, Phil.‘”). Trust me, watch the show. But for now, meet the Dunphys.

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Sundays, HBO 10PM E/PT

At this point in my life, David Simon could sell me on watching just about anything. Seriously, if he produced a show on working at McDonald’s, and had some of the cast from The Wire participate, I’d be on board with the force of 50,000 chipotle snack wraps. That’s how good he is. And that’s how good his new series–set in post-Katrina New Orleans–can be.

It’s titled Treme, named after a neighborhood in the Jazz city, and stars John Goodman, Khandi Alexander, Steve Zahn, Rob Brown and two favorites from The Wire, Wendell Pierce and Clarke Peters. So, you know the acting is on point. And the music? Hypnotizing.

Do yourself a favor and check it out on Sunday nights. While it may not be of Wire proportions (yet!), it has the potential. I can live with that.

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Thursdays, NBC 8PM E/PT

Yes, one of my favorite people in the world is on this show (‘Shirley’ aka Yvette Nicole Brown). She is why I initially tuned in to Community. What made me stay was the crisp writing and quirky acting of Yvette and the entire ensemble, which consists of Joel McHale (‘Jeff’), Chevy Chase (‘Pierce’), Danny Pudi (‘Abed’), Gillian Jacobs (Britta), Donald Glover (Troy) and Alison Brie (Annie) as a crew of misfits at a community college somewhere in Ohio brought together in the name of study group. Throw in their Spanish professor, Senor Chang (Ken Jeong), and the premise is set for extreme comedy.

Like most new shows, it took a few episodes for the group to hit their stride, but now I don’t know what I’d do without them every Thursday night. If you haven’t seen the show yet, don’t fret. They’ve been picked up for a second season, serving as an anchor for a pretty strong NBC Thursday night lineup. To quote my boy AT’s new book, “Community matters!” Below is the moment I fell under the show’s spell.

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Tuesdays ABC, 9PM E/PT

A lot of us are the title of ABC’s veteran show right now: Lost. Not because we’re dumb, but because over the six years of the show about castaways, island magic and “others,” there have way too many plot twists and changes. For real, what started as a story about castaways attempting to be rescued from an island quickly morphed into a thriller about smoke monsters, polar bears and submarines. It’s all too much.

However, with all of that said, there’s still reason to stick with it as the series says goodbye next month. I mean, if for no other reason than we’ve been with it this long. Wouldn’t you want to see some sort of payoff, no matter how they decide to end it? And with this year’s parallel universe arc, isn’t it worth it to see where it leads (if anywhere)? Plus, you care about Hurley and Jack and Kate and Sawyer and Jin and Sun and Sayid and even Locke (err, UnLocke) and Ben. Right?!?!

Well, if so, then you should stay tuned for what will probably be the most polarizing finale in the history of television. I know I am. Peep the latest episode below.

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Tuesdays FOX, 9PM E/PT

When this show first hit the airwaves a year ago, I was taken aback. In a good way. Would network TV dare to air a show about a high school glee club in prime time? Did they really think people would tune in and care about a group of “gleeks” and their quest to win a district-wide glee-off? Well, yes and yes. And thank goodness FOX took the chance with this incredible cast of songbirds, including Broadway vets Matthew Morrison (‘Will Schuester’) and Lea Michelle (‘Rachel’), Cory Monteith (‘Finn’), Chris Colfer (‘Kurt’), Kevin McHale (‘Artie’), Dianna Agron (‘Quinn’), Mark Salling (‘Puck’), the incomparable Jane Lynch (‘Sue Sylvester’) and my absolute favorite Glee club member, Amber Riley (‘Mercedes’).

This ensemble makes you wish random singing was legal in high schools, and their takes on modern-day hits and classics alike is making everyone take notice, including those who purchase music from iTunes, as the music from the show has hit the Top 100 charts hard this week after a recent tribute episode to Madonna. Just an incredible feat from an incredible group of actors/singers. If you’ve never seen the show, you can catch up here. In the meantime, check out my girl Amber showing off her pipes at the White House earlier this month. iLove.

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Fridays NBC, 8PM E/PT

So, I cheated. Big time. NBC will begin airing the fourth season of one of the best serial dramas in the history of television the first Friday in May. I couldn’t wait. I found the shows online (thankfully they were there due to a deal between NBC and DirecTV, which first airs the show in October, with NBC showing them in the spring) and watched every single episode of Season Four in two days. All 13. There, I confessed.

But you know what? I’ll probably still DVR them and watch them all over again. That’s how good the acting is. The show (smartly) centers itself around the head coach of a small town football team in Texas where football means e-v-e-r-y-t-h-i-n-g. Coach Eric Taylor, played to nuanced perfection by Kyle Chandler, is buoyed by his wife Tami (Connie Britton, who should have at least two Emmys by now for her fluid portrayal) as they both face constant challenges from the community. This season, the show digs deep into the underbelly of small town life, showing flashes of The Wire-esque grit and brilliance. Back for more are high school graduates Tim Riggins (Taylor Kitsch) and Matt Saracen (Zach Gilford) as well as senior Landry Clarke (Jesse Plemons), and their performances are phenomenal. Also aboard for the ride are Wire alumnus Michael B. Jordan, who plays Vince, and the excellent Jurnee Smollett, who plays Tess.

I talk about this show too much. PLEASE do yourself a favor and watch this season. I promise you won’t be disappointed. And if you’d like to BORROW Seasons 1-3, hit me up. I might be in a good mood and let you. Right now, check the trailer for the upcoming season, which begins May 7th on NBC.

Popularity: 17% [?]

So many reality shows, so little interest. Seriously, with the amount of supposedly unscripted shows careening into our television screens like NASCAR wrecks, just as if the wrecks actually happened every week, over time you couldn’t help but become numb to it all. That’s how it is with these shows.

Think about it: we’re already loaded with fare from singers like Fantasia, actors like Terry Crews, and “socialites” like the Kardashians, with more on the way from the likes of Brandy and Ray-J, Faith Evans and Martin Luther King III. OK, I made that last one up, but really, would anyone be surprised if that happened? Not me.

Out of all the shows on the air right now, one of the worst, in my opinion, is VH1’s Let’s Talk About Pep. The premise of this “reality” show seems simple: Sandra “Pepa” Denton is looking for love. Surrounded by her “girlfriends,” each week is a rundown of the past week of activity, where cameras followed the foursome on their various dates. Seems OK, right?

Wrong. It’s like a conceivable concept gone wrong, and it rubs me the wrong way like a Johnny Gill remix. Actually, there’s more than one thing, so let’s discuss the FIVE REASONS WHY WE SHOULD NEVER TALK ABOUT PEP AGAIN.

Let’s go… Read the rest of this entry »

Popularity: 100% [?]

To say that Sam Cooke died at the height of his career would be a gross understatement. Gunned down at 33 inside the Hacienda Motel in Los Angeles on December 11, 1964, in what was determined to be a justifiable homicide, the man who once told Dick Clark that he transitioned from gospel to popular music because of his economic situation was gone too soon. After a glorious run of hits that spanned eight years and produced 29 Top 40 hits, including “You Send Me,” “Chain Gang,” and “Cupid,” Cooke was just reaching his apex.

He was just about to soar.

He came up during the Civil Rights era, which put that much more force behind his music. Gave it that much more societal weight. He was an entrepreneur, composing his own material while founding both a record label and publishing company.

Tonight, PBS and its American Masters series (Sam Cooke: Crossing Over, 10pm EST), takes an hour-long look at Cooke and his legacy, focusing on his contributions to the nation on the verge of change. Read the rest of this entry »

Popularity: 27% [?]