It’s a new year, and I’ve got a new approach to watching about blogging about TV. No more wasting time on shows I don’t enjoy that much! And when it comes to sitcoms, those shows are How I Met Your Mother, Modern Family and The Big Bang Theory. As of right now I still watch those shows, but my interest in them is waning. Well, my frustrations with HIMYM have been well-documented and I’ll be happy to bid that show farewell in a couple months.
But I find I don’t look forward to Modern Family very much anymore – if I missed it, I might not even seek it out to catch up on. And this season of The Big Bang Theory has felt really stake to me. That’s a shame, since I’ve really loved the cast’s dynamic over the past couple years.
One show I’m on the fence about is Community. Have you guys been watching? Everyone is saying that Dan Harmon has restored the show to its previous glory, but I have a hard time diving back into something that I quit. I don’t break up with shows easily, I’m usually a bitter-ender. Should I try to pick it back up?
The three comedies I find myself consistently enjoying are New Girl, The Mindy Project and Parks and Recreation. So let’s talk about those this week.
New Girl – Clavado En Un Bar
New Girl is one of the few shows (and only sitcom?) on TV right now with such a racially diverse cast, which I think is interesting. The show is still figuring out what to do with an additional character, but I adore Damon Wayans Jr. and am happy to have another Happy Endings alum on my TV every week. I liked this week’s episode because it dealt with a very familiar-feeling late-twenties and early-thirties person problem. Jess got a good job offer, and thus had to make a big career decision. The episode had lots of fun flashbacks as every character reminisced about their own career paths.
The Mindy Project – “Danny Castellano Is My Personal Trainer”
This is the show I most ENJOY right now. That’s different than thinking it’s the best show on TV, because of course. I love The Mindy Project the way I love a good rom-com, which is exactly what Kaling always intended. The Mindy and Danny relationship has been building really nicely lately (that Christmas episode!) and I love their scenes together.
I also think that Adam Pally has really, really found his groove. The cast is working well here, even characters I don’t enjoy as much like Morgan. And I’ll be glad to have Jeremy back as a handsome playboy, not a stress-eating manager.
Danny telling Mindy that she’s beautiful just the way she is, or whatever, might have been a little cliched. But the way the show arrived at that moment was so lovely AND funny that I could care less. Everything, from Mindy declaring “I’m still full from the chia seed I are last night” and comparing herself to “a wolf in a children’s story” to Danny’s Hollywood-themed fantasies to inspire Mindy to exercise – all perfect.
Parks and Recreation – “Second Chunce”
Parks is one of those shows that has definitely already peaked, but remains funny and enjoyable enough that it is still one of my favorites. This was the show’s 100th episode, and it featured Leslie officially leaving the Pawnee city council. It’s a big turning point for the character and for the show, especially given the message at the end of the episode – that the world is Leslie’s oyster, and she can go on to do just about anything right now.
It’s the kind of message you’d expect to get in a final season, especially with major cast members like Rashida Jones and Rob Lowe about to depart. It will be interesting to see where the series goes from here – I’d be surprised if it were canceled, considering how little else NBC has right now.
This episode was just OK plot-wise, but it’s the little moments that crack me up. Like April spraying Andy with a garden hose inside the house.
