Shark
Disappointing. I like James Woods. But this thing starts off relatively interesting, then pulls its punches and goes all sentimental and it all seems very "written."
Smith
Disappointing. I like Ray Liotta and Virginia Madsen, but this thing is just tiresome and calculated and it all seems very "written."

Studio 60 on Sunset
Took me by surprise. Seen two episodes and it has quite a bit of potential.
Your verdict on these and others?

Work is love made visible.
‹ Kahlil Gibran

Legal shows always scream "written". They're never like the law. This one felt close. And I liked how his daughter's choice and the reason for it was obvious (to me) from the moment the custody hearing began. It means all of the preceding scenes worked.
And hey. It's Jimmy Woods, getting to oscillate between his PTSD pacificism and his three-rows-of-teeth, eyes-rolled-back evisceration of those who would *** with the law.

Besides. At some point you know there's going to be lots of Jeri Ryan flesh in this one. Sweeps comes but thrice a year.

There's a theme in your dislikes. Maybe you need more improvisational comedy in your life...
I can't say much about Smith. It got tiresome for me 30 seconds after it started. Lingering shots of Liotta looking intensely distracted make me check the baseball scores.

Two? Where'd you get the second?
The format is self-regenerating, like its inspiration, SNL. If you wear out a character, you replace them in the show-within-a-show and you have a whole new dynamic for everyone.

There's a guy who set his own hours.
Blair

Smith is still in my Tivo. I watched the first ten minutes. May come back to it.
Jericho could go either way. I suspect they won't be willing to get dark enough for it to be really good, but I'll cross my fingers.

Studio 60, I dunno. I can't tell if it's not as good as "Sports Night" (another Sorkin show which I loved) or if I'm just that the Sorkin style is something I've caught up with. I have to say, it's got a strike against it because it's so much about television (which Sports Night wasn't - television was just the background for the story).

I'm inclined to give it a few more episodes, but man, I hope it feels less statementy and self-congratulatory next week.

-Ron