A Fallen Star! - Lone Star Canceled

After being hailed as one of the most critically acclaimed shows of the season, Lone Star, after two episodes, has the dubious honor of being the first cancellation of the season.

This makes no sense to me. It was placed on Monday at 9:00 going up against the most hyped show of the season, NBC's The Event and against one of the most highly rated shows ABC's Dancing with the Stars. So instead of putting it on hiatus and bring it back later in the season, or instead of trying to find a less competitive spot for it, it's canceled?

At least a handful of episodes will remain unaired, what a loss! What ever happened to giving a show a chance to find an audience? They didn't have to give it a full 22 episode commitment, but the axe after two episodes? That's idiotic.

So next week, Lie to Me will start its third season early.

Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps

It’s called Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps … but I did, for a good couple of minutes. Oliver Stone is always trying to say something with is films. This time around he’s trying to make a statement about how we got into this financial mess. There is enough blame to go around, according to Stone. Yet, he is saying too much and not doing enough. I’m sorry but watching a bunch of old white guys around a conference table is not exciting.

Wall Street picks up where we think it would. The embodiment of 80’s greed, Gordon Gekko (Michael Douglass) is getting out of prison. A look at the old ‘mobile’ phone he brought in with him is a vivid reminder of how long he’s been away (it’s huge!). He’s out in a different world … one tettering on the edge of financial collapse.

Meanwhile, his estranged daughter, Winnie (Carey Mulligan), is the antithesis of dear old dad; she’s a idealistic do-gooder who runs a politically liberal website. Clearly, she’s got some unresolved issues with Daddy because she’s living with Jacob Moore (Shia LeBeouf) who is an up-and-coming Wall Street trader with his own daddy issues. His surrogate dad is Louis Zabel (Frank Langella), who owns and runs a major brokerage company.

When the markets begin to crash, it’s Zabel’s firm (like Goldman Sachs) that is sacrificed. A despondent Zabel steps in front a subway car, another casualty of the economic disaster. However, there to pick up the pieces is Bretton James (Josh Brolin) an investment banker who is what Gordon Gekko used to be (and maybe still is).

Stone gives Gekko a monologue that updates his Greed is Good speech from the first film. This time around, the speech is Greed Is Legal and ALL of Us Are Guilty of Being Greedy. Basically, I could have left after that speech (several women in my audience did leave well before the end) because it just kept droning on and on and never really took off.

I wasn’t invested in these characters. I was bored. Susan Sarandon as Jacob’s over-extended real estate agent mom is under-used and I never really connected with Mulligan’s Winnie either. Shia LeBeouf was serviceable but not much more. And although this is billed as Michael Douglass’s movie, he was surprisingly absent from about the first 20 minutes. Make no mistake about it, this movie is not Gekko’s story. In his defense, the first film wasn’t about him either. It was about Bud Fox (Charlie Sheen) and his dad (Emilio Estevez). This movie is about Jacob Moore (LeBeouf). The difference is that the story this time around isn’t nearly as compelling or engaging.

Having said that, Sheen makes a cameo as Fox which, for me, was the most entertaining scene in the film. Otherwise, sleep on Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps.

Outsourced

Outsourced (NBC)

Thursday, 9:30 PM

What it’s about: After completing the management training program, a new manager is asked to manage a call center in India.

What I thought about it: Like The Office and 30 Rock, Outsourced is another workplace comedy; but instead of New York or New Jersey this one takes place 10 time zones away in India. I wish I could say it was worth the trip. The elements are there ... fish out of water, culture clashes, and basic workplace drudgery. There is a lot that could be funny ... but it wasn't.

$#*! My Dad Says

$#*! My Dad Says (CBS)
Thursday, 8:30 PM

What it’s about: Based on a Twitter account by Justin Halpern called Shit My Dad Says, it's about exactly what you'd think it'd be about ... funny and inappropriate things a crotchety old man says.

What I thought about it: First off, it's pronounced BLEEP My Dad Says (remember this is CBS and not HBO). The great thing about Twitter is that it's short and sweet and to the point. And on Twitter, Shit My Dad Says is funny. Yet when stretched to a half hour and shaped into common sit-com, it loses some of its zing. I enjoyed William Shatner as the Dad but the rest of the cast was cardboard, formulaic and just not funny.

The Whole Truth

The Whole Truth (ABC)
Wednesday, 10:00 PM

What it's about: A defense attorney and a prosecutor face-off each week on a different case. We get to see both sides and then the whole truth.

What I thought about it: I like the premise: we get to see t he case come together from both sides (prosecution and defense), then after it’s all said and done and the final gavel has been pounded, we get to see a little something that lets us know what really happened. I like the chemistry between the two principals Maura Tierney (ER) and Rob Morrow (Northern Exposure and Numb3rs). Yet, I didn’t really care for the show.

This is a Jerry Bruckheimer production and his trademark fast-pace and fast editing don’t really lend themselves to a legal drama. At some points it was even hard to follow. As a result, I lost interest.

The Defenders

The Defenders (CBS)
Wednesday, 10:00 PM

Where it’s about: Two lawyers in Las Vegas take on the cases that the big law firms won't touch.

What I thought about it: If all we had was television to go on, it would be easy to think that everyone in this country was a cop, a doctor or a lawyer. The Defenders is one of the latest in the long line of lawyer shows. It’s different because it’s set in Vegas … and the new associate (Jurnee Smollett) stripped her way through law school. Jerry O’Connell and James Belushi do a good job playing off of one and you can tell they are having fun. Ultimately though, this show just isn’t memorable or compelling. By this time next week, I’ll have forgotten that it’s still on.

Undercovers

Undercovers (NBC)
Wednesday, 8:00 PM

Where it’s about: A married pair of former CIA agents return to work to beat the bad guys and spice up their marriage.

What I thought about it: J.J. Abrams, the guy who brought us Alias, Lost and Fringe is going down a different path with Undercovers. I honestly don’t think many of his faithful fans will be coming along for the ride. Gone are the intricate plots, the mind-bending twists and turns and all of the mysteries and mythologies. This time around J.J. Abrams just wants to have fun!

I enjoyed Undercovers. It’s fun and entertaining. Boris Kodjoe and Gugu Mbatha-Raw are Steven and Samantha Bloom , a happily married couple who retired from the CIA and are running a successful catering business. Of course they get lured back for one final score and realize that espionage gives their marriage an added boost. The chemistry between Kodjoe and Mbatha-Raw is amazing. I hope the writing picks up in future episodes however. It was a little flat and cliched. I'd like to see a little more wit. So far though, I’m along for the ride.