Short version, a pair of solid triples, a soft double, and a foul tip.
Hellcats: Yes, a cheerleading show staring teen soap opera actors can actually be good. Ashley Tisdale and Ally Michalka are actually decent actresses, given the right material (they aren't exactly Oscar caliber here, but they're playing college cheerleaders). The supporting cast is great. Gail O'Grady is always impressive. The writing is actually pretty solid, the directing and cinematography are very good. It seems to actually be worth watching. Amazingly, it's in the DVR... yes, seriously.
Terriers: Great cast, great writing, great performances. Donal Logue is perfect here.The writing is sharp, funny, but not over the top. Some questionable choices on editing and cinematography. I predict it will be the next "critically acclaimed FX hit", and will end up being "Cables best new show" etc... etc... It's in the DVR.
Hawaii Five-O: Great cast. At some point Alex O'Laughlin has to have a show that works, because he's great (I thought Moonlight was a really decent effort, but the numbers didnt come). Grace Park is always excellent (and my god, she's 36 but she looks 18), and Scott Caan has something of his dad in him... Unfortunately he's also got something irritating about him, but his character works. The writing is mediocre so far, but I see a lot of potential. The action, and cinematography were good, though I wonder why they chose to mute the lighting and color pallette. This is Hawaii after all. The editing was a bit irritating. Too much quick cut. Overall though, I'm willing to bet it hits. It's in the DVR.
Detroit 187: The elements are all there for a good show, but it's not quite right. They've got story, they've got a couple of solid veteran actors in Michael Imperioli and James McDaniel (both of whom have played cops and crooks too many times), and some new faces who seem alright. The writing is OK... a little lazy cop show cliche there, but some good stuff too. The music is GREAT. The problem is the visual style of the show. It's choppy, it's irritating, it prevents you from getting involved in the story. It might be worth giving a few weeks to, to see if it develops; but right now, it's not getting a slot in the DVR.
More to come as we catch up with the new show premiers.
