Second Chances

I take it upon myself each year to watch every new TV pilot I can get my hands on, and, often times, pilots aren’t entirely indicative of a show’s quality. I tried hard last year to watch the second and third installments of each series, and I’m trying to do the same thing this fall. There’s simply not enough time in the day to watch everything, and there’s certainly not enough time to review it all. In an effort to keep up, I’d like to at least acknowledge the shows that I’ll no longer be reviewing. I couldn’t even get through this week’s episode of “The Playboy Club,” turning it off after fifteen minutes, and when I sat down to watch the full episode again, the only worthwhile thing I noted was the unfortunate presence of Sean Maher of “Firefly” fame, which is sad since he should really be doing better things. The show is hopeless, and worst of all, boring as anything. “Unforgettable,” it turns out, is quite forgettable, in that the structure of the series lends itself to excitement only when Carrie does her thing, which leaves a good three quarters of the episode without any interesting elements. “Revenge” is far too soapy, and while Emily is determined to take down the people who sold out her father, the chronology of his demise does seem highly sensationalized. “Charlie’s Angels” contains such terrible acting and writing that it’s hard to decide which is worse. Out of the whole bunch, however, it’s the most watchable, so I might still tune in on a slow week. “Whitney” was just as unbearable in its second half-hour, and Whitney’s constant desire to try to spice up her relationship in creative ways is grating. “Prime Suspect” is dull and dense, and even the over-the-top rivalry between Jane and the boys has become tame. “A Gifted Man” is too squeaky-clean and sentimental in the resolution of all of its plotlines, and lines like “Does being a ghost make me look fat” make me nauseous. If time allows, I may try to keep up with these shows, but I don’t plan to, which also goes for “Up All Night,” “Free Agents,” and “The Secret Circle,” which bored and annoyed me more than anything in their third installments.