2007: Continuing the Struggle for Television Writes
An explanation of formal leanings: (The date I began watching the season - the date I finished) Title: Season Number (Year/s of original airing, series creator) Rating out of ***** [Essential episode(s)]; [r] marks a repeat viewing; [i] marks an incomplete viewing of a show I probably disliked, in which case I will designate the episode at which I stopped.
001. (03 Feb - 04 Feb) The Office (UK) Special (2001, Ricky Gervais & Stephen Merchant) **
002. (22 Feb - 27 Mar) Extras s1 (2005, Ricky Gervais & Stephen Merchant) * [1.4]
Guess my fragile personality was ill equipped to handle this undiluted dose of Ricky Gervais' noxious personality. Even six episodes is too many for a show that envisions its characters' lives with naught but self-satisfied snideness and -- this is more surprising, given the critics' admiration for Extras -- weary, pedestrian comedic structure.
003. (27 Mar - 29 Mar) Weeds s2 (2006, Jenji Kohan) ***1/2 [2.9, 2.12]
Both more problematic and more glorious, as second seasons tend to be. When Jenji described the season one finale as a "pilot for the second season", she wasn't kidding: without going into spoilers, the majority of these episodes echo "The Godmother" in strategy, sublimating drama beneath a veneer of satire and calculating its eruption... elsewhere. Fortunately, this works more often than it feels forced, and Mary Louise-Parker has never been given more opportunity to display her talent, the season's most affecting moments forcing her to adopt the facial expression of someone being washed off a sinking cruiseliner into the Atlantic. Also, could Becky Thyre be any funnier? I'll answer my own question: no.
004. (04 Oct - 11 Apr) Friday Night Lights s1 (2006-07, Peter Berg) ****1/2 [1.16, 1.17, 1.21]
005. (04 Apr - 24 Apr) Entourage s2 (2005, Doug Ellin) ** [2.11, 2.12]
006. (11 Oct - 27 Apr) 30 Rock s1 (2006-07, Tina Fey) *** [1.11, 1.13, 1.18]
007. (26 Sep - 15 May) Gilmore girls s7 (2006-07, Amy Sherman-Palladino) ** [7.3, 7.11, 7.22?]
Or more accurately, * for the first half and *** for the second. Note that I do not consider this along with the original six seasons.
008. (21 Sep - 17 May) The Office (US) s3 (2006-07, Greg Daniels) ***1/2 [3.4, 3.20, 3.24]
009. (02 Apr - 05 Sep) This American Life s1 (2006, Ira Glass) *** [1.4]
010. (20 Aug - 14 Sep) Deadwood s1 (2004, David Milch) ***1/2 [1.8, 1.12]
011. (20 Sep - 13 Nov) Curb Your Enthusiasm s6 (2007, Larry David) ***1/2 [6.7, 6.9]
012. (13 Sep - 27 Nov) Weeds s3 (2007, Jenji Kohan) ***
But just barely, because Mary Louise-Parker is a goddess (and I'm a genial guy). The stagnant middle stretch is more like two stars.
013. (02 Aug - 27 Dec) Planet Earth (2007, Alastair Fothergill) What, you want me to rate the earth?