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jpashlock
Reviews
Private Practice (2007)
Bad. Just really, really, bad.
This is another show following the formula of Socially awkward doctors helping patients through abnormal dilemmas. Only these doctors are so socially inept that it stretches the boundaries of belief. It's painful watching them struggle to perform the most simple basic task that should be integral to their craft, stalling to the point where you are glad you Tivo'd the show, so you can fast-forward past their ridiculous indecision, to their inevitable saving the day.
I also resent being tricked into watching the "True" first episode as an episode of Grey's anatomy, and I hope that this does not become a common marketing ploy for new shows. It is almost as sleazy as product commercials at the beginning of movies in the movie theater.
The only saving grace for this show is the cast. I love all the actors and actresses. Were it not for them I might not have made it through the pilot episode. However, I hate that their talent is being wasted on this half-assed spin-off of a show that was going downhill already.
I love medical drama's and I have loved Grey's Anatomy first two seasons. But skip this one. Seriously, it's just that bad.
The Shield (2002)
A truly great police drama that will keep you at the edge of your seat.
This is a wonderful show. The action feels intense and real, and it is easy to identify with the characters even when they are doing things that you abhor. It is violent and Perverse and sometimes offensive and indefensible, but so is life, and I imagine this is even more true for big city police. It has been criticized by other users as having poor production values, but this is not the case. They just don't use a steady cam, and that lends a chaotic and voyeuristic quality to the show. But the writing is amazing, the characters are incredible, and the show will shock you no matter how hard you are to shock. There are no good characters and very few evil characters, but instead every character is gray and devastatingly human, complete with greed, lust, prejudices, and fallibility. All in all, it makes for some excellent TV.