Two more TV shows (I know you’re wondering where I find the time, and frankly so am I): Knight Rider on NBC – I don’t think I need to tell you what this show is about since it is based on a old TV series (that I never saw) starring the one and only David Hasselhoff. (If you don’t know, it’s basically about this guy and his super-special talking car that can do everything.) I don’t know what the old one was like, but this new version is fast-paced and a little silly at times. However, even though the dialogue is lame and the plots are at times convoluted and shaky, somehow I still enjoy this show. I can’t really explain it. It’s one of those shows you can watch with your brain turned off, or keep your brain working and make fun of everything that happens (if you talk through the dialogue, you won’t miss much). Does Kit really need his driver? How do they honestly fit all those gadgets into that car? Is every episode going to have girls in bikinis? The special effects, I think, are what saves this show. There is no way to guess what new and unrealistic gadget will be required to save the day, or what kind of car Kit will change into next. These special effects end up being the real star of the show since none of the characters are really all that interesting.
The Ex List on CBS: “My Name is Earl” mixed with “Coupling” mixed with every girl show about dating ever. The story is as follows: Bella Bloom is told by a psychic that she needs to get married within a year or else she will never get married at all, and the catch is that she has already met her future husband–he is one of her ex-boyfriend. And so Bella must go one by one through her exes (hence the Ex List to figure out which one is the love of her life that she let get away. Bella’s friends include a male best friend since college (or high school?, don’t remember) along with his roommate and girlfriend.
The first episode was funny, though at times the actress who plays Bella seems poorly casted. Bella has a sarcastic edge to her, but the actress seems too pretty and girly to be right for the part. And the actor who plays the first ex she tracked down (an overly emotional musician) was much funnier than she was. Maybe if they changed her clothing and hairstyle it would help? Also, I referred to this show being like BBC’s Coupling (an awesome show), but really I should say it was trying to be Coupling in that there were attempts at humorous sexual situations, but it goes a bit too far and makes the situation weird and awkward instead of funny. I think I’m going to give this show another chance despite the above flaws and even though I keep calling it X-Files instead of The Ex List. It had the potential to be funny, but just as “My Name is Earl” got old, I’m afraid this one will too. How many boyfriends can she have, really? Surely not more than one season’s worth.