Tuesday nights are generally a good night to sit and watch television. It’s the second day of the work week. While Monday was a day to come home, and turn the TV on to kick back and relax. A lot of shows often fall on the same time slots and you are stuck to choose between 2 or 3 of your favorite shows. There is always the possibility that someone else is taking up the television to watch the now in-season Monday Night Football games. Unless you have a DVR then you generally can only watch one show if lucky switch between commercials and catch up what you’ve missed in the last 3-5 minutes. Or you can always stream through sites like hulu, but you’d have to wait until midnight to watch those.
Tuesday nights can sometimes fall into the same category when it comes to having several channels to choose from. However I think this is more preference of show than anything. Whether you want some comedy, a good hearty family story, singing geeks, or action. It’s on you to decide what you feel like on a Tuesday night. Below is a short list, show description and some thoughts: (Warning: Spoiler Alert!)
ABC – No Ordinary Family – I’m hooked from the Pilot episode. I enjoyed watching their powers manifest and dealing with trying to adjust to their new found abilities. The language in the show is pretty interesting, scripted but would be something I would hear on a normal basis between people. Too bad it runs the same time as Glee, it’s a good thing for DVR.
The Powells are about to go from ordinary to extraordinary. After 16 years of marriage, Jim (Michael Chiklis, The Shield Fantastic Four) feels disconnected from his workaholic wife, Stephanie (Julie Benz, Dexter), and two teenage children, Daphne (Kay Panabaker, Summerland) and JJ (Jimmy Bennett, Star Trek). To encourage family bonding time, Jim decides the family will join Stephanie on her business trip to South America. When their plane crashes into the Amazon River, they barely enjoy a moment to celebrate their survival before returning to the grind of everyday life. But they will soon realize that their lives have been forever changed. Each member of the family starts to show signs of new, unique and distinct super powers. Will their newfound abilities finally bring them together or push them further apart?
Jim feels powerless as he realizes his life is not turning out the way he planned. His children are growing more independent, and his wife spends more time at the office than home as she rockets up the corporate ladder. His job as a police sketch artist only furthers his insecurities as he watches his peers fight crime and catch criminals. However, when Jim discovers that the plane crash left him with the power of super strength, he immediately feels a new sense of purpose and empowerment. With the aid of his best friend and confidant, George (Romany Malco, The 40 Year Old Virgin Weeds), he sets his sights on becoming a hero.
Stephanie struggles to balance her family life with working 80 hours a week as an award-winning scientist. Her boss and mentor, Dr. Dayton King (Stephen Collins, 7th Heaven), continues to guide and challenge Stephanie’s research in the lab. While fearful of never finding balance in her life, something remarkable happens. After the crash, she develops the power of speed, which allows her to move effortlessly through her daily responsibilities. Always the scientist, Stephanie immediately questions the phenomenon and demands answers. She entrusts her lab tech, Katie (Autumn Reeser, The OC), with her secret, and the two begin to research the mystery behind the powers.
For 16-year-old Daphne and 14-year-old JJ, adolescence is hard enough. Daphne dreads distraction from her own fabulousness, but that’s exactly what happens when she turns telepathic. Daphne hears other people’s hopes, dreams, fears and joys, whether she cares to or not. Younger brother JJ struggles constantly to satisfy his parents and teachers as he grapples with a learning disability and bad grades. Already feeling inferior to his popular sister and brilliant mom, JJ hits a new low when everyone acquires powers except him – until suddenly JJ’s mental abilities strengthen to a super genius level.
For the Powells, embarking on a mission to understand their new abilities becomes the key to rebuilding their family life, as they learn what defines and unifies them. Despite the fact they can collectively lift a car, run at lightning speed, read your mind and calculate the dimensions of the Eiffel Tower — all before you say “superhero” – they are first and foremost an average family with everyday problems.
FOX – Glee – FOX’s hit show is back for another season. Those singing geeks in glee club are here to rock your socks off once more. With new additions to the show including Filipina star Charice. They’re going for it all from Ke$ha to Brittney Spears and back down to those contemporary young adult hits. I for one hope that Sunshine and Rachel wail it out as they battle with their voices.
Entering its sophomore season, GLEE is a biting musical comedy that has quickly become a pop-culture phenomenon. The highest-rated new scripted series of the season boasts critical acclaim, a loyal fan base of “GLEEks,” two certified Gold albums, more than 10 million song downloads and an incredible 19 Emmy nominations – earning it the distinction of being the most-nominated series of the year. To top it off, the genre-defying, award-winning series has been picked up through its third season.
After GLEE was recognized by the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences with nominations in all major categories, the show took home four awards, including one for Ryan Murphy for Outstanding Directing for a Comedy Series and one for Jane Lynch for as Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series.
In its freshman year, GLEE was also honored with a Peabody Award; a Golden Globe for Best Television Series, Comedy or Musical; a Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series; and a People’s Choice Award for Favorite New TV Comedy. The cast has performed for the President and First Lady at the White House, appeared on “The Oprah Winfrey Show,” sang the national anthem at the World Series and graced the covers of Entertainment Weekly and Rolling Stone.
GLEE follows a group of eager and ambitious students as they strive to outshine their singing competition while navigating the cruel halls of McKinley High. Although New Directions lost at Regionals, they now have their sights set on making it to Nationals and defeating their arch rivals, Vocal Adrenaline.
The glee club’s fearless leader is WILL SCHUESTER (Matthew Morrison), a talented young teacher with hip-hop skills and a heart gold. New Directions’ aspiring stars include RACHEL (Lea Michele), a pitch-perfect singer with an unfaltering determination to be popular; FINN (Cory Monteith), the heartbreakingly cool quarterback who struggles with his personal life; KURT (Chris Colfer), the baby-faced soprano with a fierce eye for fashion; MERCEDES (Amber Riley), a powerhouse vocalist whose diva attitude rivals the greats; ARTIE (Kevin McHale), a physically disabled performer with killer vocals and a dream to dance; and TINA (Jenna Ushkowitz), a goth chick with a soft side. There’s also arrogant and cocky crooner PUCK (Mark Salling); ice-cold queen-bee-turned-teen-mom QUINN (Dianna Agron); and the dynamic dimwitted cheerleading duo of BRITTANY (Heather Morris) and SANTANA (Naya Rivera). With his heart in the right place, Will is determined to help the kids take Nationals, but at every turn he must battle with his nemesis, SUE SYLVESTER (Jane Lynch), the conniving cheerleading coach; and his evil ex-wife, TERRI (Jessalyn Gilsig). Mr. Schuester’s only allies at McKinley are OCD-afflicted guidance counselor EMMA PILLSBURY (Jayma Mays) and supportive parents like Kurt’s dad, BURT HUMMEL (Mike O’Malley).
In addition to the regular cast, GLEE has featured guest appearances by a wide range of talented performers, including Kristen Chenoweth, Idina Menzel, Jonathan Groff, Molly Shannon, Olivia Newton-John and Neil Patrick Harris, who won an Emmy for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series for his work on the show.
The second season of GLEE will include guest appearances by comedy icon Carol Burnett, pop superstar Britney Spears, heartthrob John Stamos, Broadway sensation Cheyenne Jackson, international recording artist Charice and newcomer Chord Overstreet.
FOX – Running Wilde -This show is hilarious. I always liked Will Arnett’s work, and having the lovely Keri Russell on the show doesn’t hurt either. They actually make a good pair, the two of them. The show grows great potential for growth and comedy, so it could be one to look out for.
Running Wilde is a romantic comedy starring Will Arnett as Steven Wilde, a filthy-rich, immature playboy trying desperately to win (or buy) the heart of his childhood sweetheart, Emmy Kadubic (Keri Russell), the über-liberal humanitarian who got away – all told through the perspective of a 12-year-old girl.
Steve Wilde has never performed a selfless act. But why should he? He’s rich! The son of an oil tycoon, Steve hasn’t had to work a day in his life and has always gotten everything he’s wanted – with one exception: the love of Emmy.
The daughter of a former Wilde housekeeper, Emmy is an earnest do-gooder who has spent her adult life trying to save the world. And though Emmy is content living with an indigenous tribe in the Amazon rainforest, her 12-year-old daughter, Puddle (Stefania Owen), just wants to be a normal kid experiencing her adolescence in a normal place. And she would speak up except for the fact that she hasn’t spoken in a few months.
When Wilde Oil’s expansion in the rainforest threatens her adopted tribe, Emmy decides to attend Steve’s self-thrown “Humanitarian of the Year” award ceremony in hopes of convincing him to help her cause… and also maybe because she still has a thing for Steve. But same-old Steve is unwilling to help because fighting Wilde Oil (a/k/a Dad) means putting his meal ticket in jeopardy.
Rather than run the risk of letting Emmy slip away again, Steve pulls out all the stops to win her heart. To do so, he enlists the only other people in his life who can help: Oxford-accented neighbor and “frenemy” Fa’ad Shaoulian (Peter Serafinowicz); Migo Salazar (Mel Rodriguez), Steve’s employee/sidekick/errand-boy; and (reluctantly) the scheming Mr. Lunt (Robert Michael Morris), Steve’s “manny”–turned-secretary as well as the biggest protector of Steve… and his own job.
Despite having everything he ever wanted, Steve knows he can’t buy love and happiness, which falls in sharp contrast to Emmy, who has nothing but love and happiness. So with Emmy committed to doing good for nothing, and Steve being a good for nothing, will this hopelessly mismatched pair ever be able to reconcile their differences?
