Some People Shouldn't Teach

2 Broke Girls: I think I'm losing it with this show a bit. The stereotyping of anyone who isn't a white female aside, the last episode I watched seemed like a ridiculous endorsement for Law And Order. I get that Max is a fan of the show but did she need to mention it about twenty times throughout the episode though? I did however get some amusement from Caroline predictably succumbing to the side effects of a clinical drug trial. The show is still a guilty pleasure but even I can't deny that it's the two leads and not the writing that makes it watchable.

Bad Education: I literally think that Jack Whitehall is one of these comedians who really shouldn't stick with the acting lark for too long. Not because he's awful (he's okay for the most part) but because, while watching this programme, I couldn't help but think his character from Fresh Meat just became a teacher. A pathetic, posh one who mostly doles out bad advice, is generally incompetent, easily bullied by his own students and is generally rather annoying. There are some laughs here and there and it seems to be a ratings hit with BBC3 but it's not actually really worthwhile viewing.

Once Upon A Time: I am getting seriously into this show that I've now seen as far as the eighth episode of the first season. The revelations keep coming thick and fast, that surprise death really floored me and the growing rivalry between Emma and Regina has been an absolute joy to watch. There are times when Henry is a little too twee but he's not that bad and the 'will they, won't they?' antics between Mary Margaret/Snow White and David/Prince Charming have been interesting to watch. However, it's still Mr Gold/Rumplestiltskin that has proven to be the most compelling character of them all. Overall, this show is definitely better than I thought it would be.

Sinbad: We've had a tiny bit of a game changer in this series in the last few episodes. Getting rid of Akbari and making Taryn into a slightly more interesting character was a wise move and if Nalla really is gone, then Tiger does seem to be a decent replacement for the character. The rest of the characters seem to be developing nicely enough (Anwar especially) but Sinbad himself could do with a bit of a shake up at times though. The show is still a little lacking in some parts but it's actually nowhere near as bad as other critics are making out. I just hope the last three episodes end the first run with a satisfying punch.

The X Factor: Yes, it's back, yes, the ratings are down, yes, the sob stories are still lame and yes, for a ninth year, it ain't gonna produce a global superstar but it's still watchable enough fluff nonetheless and while the guest judges have been a mixed bunch (Mel B - too bitchy, Rita Ora/Anastasia - dull), the regular ones have been adequate enough. To be honest, it's been pretty thin on some true standouts so far, so hopefully in the next few weeks we get some interesting folk.

- France Conroy is returning to American Horror Story, playing an angel of sorts. Not a literal one I think.
- True Blood's sixth season will only have ten episodes instead of the usual twelve with production due to start in January.
- Sinbad will air on SyFy for US viewers from January 2013.
- Hit & Miss has been cancelled after one series. It's a shame but somehow, I'm not surprised.
- Expect songs from Britney Spears, Lady Gaga, Justin Bieber (vomit) and Jennifer Lopez in the first two episodes of Glee's fourth season.
- Robert DeNiro is working on a TV version of his 2006 movie, The Good Shephard.
- Joss Whedon will be doing a S.H.I.E.L.D series for ABC.
- Tricia Helfer will be appearing in the fourth season of Community as Lauren.
- Grey's Anatomy's ninth season will feature an episode that will only feature Meredith and Cristina.
- Dowton Abbey's third series will air on ITV from September 16th.

I Believe In Fairytales

Well, as long as they're interesting ones at the very least but enough of that and here's a look at some of the stuff I've been watching recently.

2 Broke Girls: I'm still enjoying this show as much as I can but I have to admit the racial stereotyping is really beginning to bother me in a big way. It's almost enough that Oleg, Han and Earl have all seemed to stop developing as character but the arrival of Jennifer Coolidge's Sophie, the Polish cleaner in the last few episodes and even the episode where Max and Caroline had to hand over Kosher cupcakes to a Jewish family - well, writers, you need to stop it. Be creative and lay off the lazy stereotyping already.

Once Upon A Time: I know I left this one a bit too late (blame my lack of Channel 5) and catching up will be interesting but having watched the first two episodes - I love this show. Unlike Grimm, this really embraces the fairytale aspects beautifully and the whole series of alliances and rivalries in both fairytale land and Storybrooke are fun to watch. No wonder this has been a success for ABC and with characters like Emma, Sheriff Graham, Regina/Evil Queen and Mr Gold/Rumpelstilskin as well as Henry, I think I'm already addicted to this wonderful gem of a series.

Sinbad: This show is fine at best but it still needs some more work. The writers really need to stop using both Taryn and Akbari in every episode, especially when their scenes aren't actually adding anything to the plot and too many monsters/baddies of the week will make the show too formulaic as well too. On the plus side, at least characters like Nalla, Rina and Gunnar have had moments to shine and the Cook still manages to give me the creeps while still being an intriguing so and so. Sinbad himself does need a bit more development but with the recent threat of his grandmother in danger, I'm sure we'll get that now.

The Newsroom: Simply put - I tried, I didn't like it. The cast is great but I've never been an Aaron Sorkin fan and his writing can often be long winded and OTT and in this show, it seems both of those excesses are tested to the max here. The cast are great but I can't stick with this programme and no, Jane Fonda isn't going to make me sit through any more episodes. Just not my thing, I'm afraid.

White Collar: Fun bunch of episodes recently and it's nice that Neal's love life isn't too dominant at times but more importantly, it was also nice that Diane got some centre stage time too on the show, even if the end results did cost her her love life too. Overall, I have been enjoying the show's fourth year. It's been fun and diverting and with this series, Matt Bomer does seem to be in his element as the loveable Caffrey.

- American Horror Story's second season has the title of Asylum and Jessica Lange's character will be called Sister Jude.
- Whoopi Goldberg will be reprising her role on Glee in an upcoming episode and there will be some core relationships that will come to an end this year.
- Dallas's second season will air on TNT from January 2013. The show's first year will premiere on UK/Irish television from September.
- David Alpay will play a charismatic character named Shane in the upcoming season of The Vampire Diaries.
- Julian Morris has been cast as Prince Philip and Colin O'Donoghue has been cast as Captain Hook for the second season of Once Upon A Time.
- Ciaran Hinds has joined the third season of Game Of Thrones as Mance Rayder as had Iwan Rheon and Burn Gorman.
- Tina Majorino will be guest starring in Grey's Anatomy while Eric Dane will be leaving the series in the first two episodes of it's ninth year.
- Revenge will return with a new Satoshi, this time played by  Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa. JR Bourne will also play a Hamptons resident named Kenny and Michael Nardelli will play a preppy character named Trey.
- ABC will be remaking Sky1 series, Spy.
- Sean Hayes will be appearing in the second season of NBC drama, Smash, playing a TV and movie star named Terrence Falls.

Mommy's Home

And here's a blog on the last couple of shows I've been watching recently ...

2 Broke Girls: Okay, the last few episodes haven't been as funny as the rest of the series so far but there have been some interesting moments. For instance, any where Han is challenged generated a chuckle from me and seeing Caroline develop an obsession with coupons (and the way she kept pronouncing it) was definitely the type of thing that US sitcoms do in their sleep. And we need to see more of Chestnut and less of Max offering tampons to customers (though Han clearly set that one up).

Bedlam: Good finale but sort of a predictable one too. I kind of saw that Max's dad would have a bigger role in things, that Ellie and Eve would be connected with each other and that Ellie would also be Jed's sister after all as well as that outcome for Warren too. That being said though, this has been a largely satisfying second run and hopefully we will get a third batch of episodes next year. The cliff-hanger definitely suggested that Ellie's story is far from done anyways.

Don't Trust The Bitch In Apartment 23: Another solid finale but seven episodes for a US sitcom is too short a run and perhaps we should've gotten a few more episodes to develop the growing friendship with Chloe and June though. Still, I liked the whole comic book subplot and that slight indication that underneath her penchant for chaos, Chloe had some insecurities as well. Here's hoping the second season will produce more fun times for the flatmates and the crazy gang.

Grimm: I've been watching this show off and on over the last few months and while there were times when it felt a little too tame for it's own good, there have also been moments where it's become interesting as well. Monroe is still the best character the show has to offer but Nick has become slightly less bland than when he started out and his attempts of trying to be honest with Juliette about things going bump in the night was oddly amusing. However, the reveal of that mystery woman being Nick's mother only felt obvious in retrospect but it did manage to set up an interesting development for Season 2, so good work there.

Sinbad: Two episodes in and you know what - I really, really like this show. Okay, so like both Robin Hood and Merlin before it, Sinbad has a tendency of sounding rather modern (and even looking it with the costumes) but already, I like Elliot Knight in the lead role, find the crew members and the villainous characters like Akbari, Taryn and Razia intriguing and given that the ratings have been good for it so far, I hope that means a second series will be imminent too. The only complaint I do have is that the CGI can be dodgy in places but I'm sure that's something the show will overcome as it progresses. Definitely one to watch.

White Collar: I don't watch the show religiously but I've seen enough from previous years and let's face it, Matt Bomer isn't exactly hard on the eye either, is he? No, in all fairness the guy's a great actor and as Neal Caffrey, he's managed to come up with a charismatic and sympathetic conman who has been easy to root for. The first two episodes of the show's fourth season did see Neal attempting to escape from the FBI before being recaptured but his scenes with Mozzie and Peter more than made up for it. However, I'm not so keen on Mehki Pfifer's agent character just yet, though he's not as annoying as Rex was in the first half of Torchwood: Miracle Day, but only by a tiny margin. Good start to the season too and nice to see that this show maintains it's ability to be interesting without taking itself too seriously.

- Jennifer Jason Leigh has been cast as Emily's mother, Kara Wilkins in the second season of Revenge. Barry Sloane will also play a character named Ethan, connected to Emily's past.
- Clea DuVall has joined the second season of American Horror Story, though the nature of her role hasn't been revealed yet.
- Adam Lambert will feature in an upcoming episode of Pretty Little Liars.
- John Noble has revealed that Fringe's final season will feature a war with the Observers.
- Aaron Sorkin is replacing the writing staff for the second season of The Newsroom. I have to confess, I wasn't that keen on it when I watched it.
- Grace Phipps has joined the cast of The Vampire Diaries for it's upcoming fourth season, playing a character with connections to Elena and Jeremy.
- Once Upon A Time's second season will introduce Aladdin, Jafar, Ariel, Peter Pan and Captain Hook with Sarah Bolger playing Sleeping Beauty in the upcoming season as well.
- Santiago Carbrera has joined the cast of Dexter, playing a crime writer named Ethan Price who arrives in Miami to investigate for a book about true crimes.

Frozen Yoghurt

It's been a while but here's a jumble of some of the shows I've been watching recently.

2 Broke Girls: It's still a guilty pleasure/dumb fun but this series does provide the laughs and whether it's Caroline having the joy of Christmas sucked out of her or Max actually realising that she likes Chestnut more than she lets on. I still wish some of the male characters were better developed though. Max and Caroline's co-workers are little more than caricatures still (though I like Earl a lot) and Johnny's function is little more than a love interest for Max. Still, it's a diverting 30 minutes.

Bedlam: We're at the point where next week is the final episode of Series 2 and it's overall been an improvement. The dynamics between Max and Ellie have been fun, the Eve mystery has been interesting, both Kiera and Dan have become less annoying and even Warren has greatly improved as a character. Thankfully, also the ghost of the week storylines have shown a bit of variety as well too, so all in all, this has been an improvement for a pretty uninspiring show when it began.

Don't Trust The Bitch In Apartment 23: Another guilty pleasure series for me but yeah, the last few episodes have been a laugh riot. It's still formulaic in the sense that Chloe will do something selfish, June will scowl about it but will see something in her roommate's selfishness that benefits her while James will say something cheesy and Robin will blather on about her obsession with Chloe. Still, I've enjoyed the episodes that have seen June loosen up a little and hopefully tonight's finale will be a good ending for a ridiculously short first season of the show.

Hit & Miss: This show really has lived up to it's title, hasn't it? It's had some excellent moments and less excellent ones too and having Mia's family fall apart all around her (as well as her relationship with Ben) has made the show a bit more enjoyable than usual. I'm still not loving the whole idea of Riley being pregnant but the death of John was pretty damned welcomed and that cliffhanging moment between Ryan, Eddie and Mia really does make me hope that the show is picked up for a second run now.

Veep: I have to admit that despite being a fan of The Thick Of It, watching this show wasn't especially high on my list of things to do but seeing as both shows share the same creator, I thought I'd give it a whirl. It's not bad - Elaine from Seinfield makes a decent, buffoonish vice president in Selina Meyer and I have a certain degree of sympathy for her aides, in particularly Amy (looks like Vada aged really well) but if you've seen the antics of Malcolm Tucker, this this is going to be feel rather light weight by comparison. I might give it a few more episodes though.

- Sky1 have scooped the rights to Arrow while SkyLiving will air Elementary from the Autumn.
- True Blood has been renewed officially for a sixth season with Mark Hudis as the new showrunner for the show.
- John Bradley will feature in the fifth series of Merlin, playing a character called Tyr Seward. The show is due to return to BBC1 from late September.
- Benedict Cumberbatch will provide a voiceover for an upcoming episode of The Simpsons.
- Denis Leary has confirmed that casting has commenced for his version of the axed Channel 4 show, Sirens.
- Tara Fitzgerald has been cast in an unknown role for the third season of Games Of Thrones, which is scheduled to start filming this month.
- Trevor Donovan is returning for two episodes of the fifth season of 90210 for the CW.
- Yvonne Strahovski has talked about her character, Hannah McKay in Dexter being a woman haunted by her past.
- Laura Fraser has been cast in a role for the fifth and final season of Breaking Bad, which premieres in the States next Sunday.
- Both Dallas and Falling Skies have been picked up for further seasons by TNT.

Female Oriented Comedy Shows On The Rise

Yeah, so they have been for a while but at least three of them within the last few months have really generated a lot more attention than usual (though not necessarily for the right reasons at times).

2 Broke Girls: It's been airing on E4 for a while now and thanks to my sister, I got suckered into watching this show and oddly enjoying it, despite the writing being ridiculously amateurish and the depiction of the non-white characters being terrible in places, nearly offensive in others. The premise is interesting enough - ostracised rich girl Caroline (Beth Behrs) and sarky poor girl, Max (Kat Jennings) live and work together in a diner whilst trying to save money in order to set up a cupcake business. It's a pretty simplistic show with the jokes so blatantly obvious at times, a three year old could've come up with something cleverer but the rapport with the two leading ladies is second to none brilliant and there's also the lovely, Chestnut, Caroline's horse, who is probably the best character on the show. It's a fun show but hardly demanding viewing.

Don't Trust The Bitch In Apartment 23: Yeah, I'm an adult and I am not bleeping out a word, even if ABC themselves (and E4) are prone to doing it when promoting this series. There's an element of mean spirited humour to this particular show with Chloe (Krysten Ritter) being the sort of roommate no self-respecting person would want to end up with. In the space of two episodes, Chloe has managed to fleece trusting but not spineless June (Dreama Walker) out of extra money, slept with her boyfriend on a birthday cake and even used June as a pawn against her own parents crumbling marriage. June at least got some payback by selling most of Chloe's stuff and is the better of the two characters by not being too naive or twee to watch. However, the highlight of this series so far is seeing James Van Der Beek (who has aged rather well) parodying himself in epic style as nine years since a particular show's end, he's unable to be seen as anything other than Dawson Leery. A fun enough series that will hopefully maintain it's solidness so far.

Girls: I was going to do an individual blog for this particular show but I changed my mind and although I've only seen a few clips, it does seem to be a Sex And The City for the twenty something audience as our leading lady Hannah Horvath (Lena Dunham, creator of the show too) is an aspiring writer, trying to make it in New York, "one mistake at a time" with her friends, art galllery assistant, Marnie Michaels (Allison Williams) and cousins, British Bohemian Jessa Johansson (Jemina Kirke) and Shoshanna Shapiro (Zosia Mamet), the one who is still a virgin. The show has been something of a mixed bag for US audiences and while the ratings haven't been trailblazing, HBO have already commissioned it for a second season and even James Franco wrote up an interesting article for the series, which I'm linking. I'll give it a proper go when SkyAtlantic get around to airing it.

James Franco On Girls: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/james-franco/girls-hbo-lena-dunham_b_1556078.html

2 Broke Girls and Don't Trust The Bitch In Apartment 23 air on E4, Thursdays at 9pm and 9.30pm while Girls will air on SkyAtlantic from September.