My Completely Biased 10-Second TV Show Reviews

Forever (ABC)—A blatant rip-off of the existing TV show Bones and of one of the main premises in the book Forever, this piece of mediocrity also suffers from completely transparent plots, hack writing, and science and human behavior that are barely believable at times. By the way, the novel Forever is one of the best ever written, in my not-so-humble opinion.

Manhattan (WGN America)—A show about the Manhattan Project, it's a cross between nighttime soap opera and science drama, but manages to work in some odd way. The science, even if it's completely made up, is believable, as are the actions of the main characters, who are well drawn.

Mind Games (ABC)—Though a solid entry, this show about geniuses who help to persuade and dissuade people by use of mental–emotional techniques never developed an audience and was canceled by ABC due to its abject stupidity (and low ratings), though it continues in Japan. With Christian Slater and Steve Zahn, this one has a solid cast, great acting, and quirky, unique plot ideas. Sometimes its supposedly smart characters say things that no smart person would ever say, or make grammatical or pronunciation errors that are egregiously wrong, but those times are rare.

Scorpion (CBS)—Though the show has been panned by quite a few critics based on thin plots and too much science talk (i.e., the characters are accurately smart, and most critics are [accurately] stupid, thus making a mismatch of epic cerebral proportions), I find the whole thing enjoyable, and if anything, the characters are actually believable despite the critical reception. The plots are a little weak, but since 99% of plots in all TV shows and movies are, who really cares? I know I don't; I like the people, and the acting is solid.

Cheers.