THE TV SEASON IN REVIEW 2014-15: THE CW

It's all about Prison Break, virgins, zombies and resilient Beasts

Writing about this network is always the toughest. Emotions run high, fandoms face each other, there is poll voting, twitter feuds, too many fictional love triangles and lots of tears… Well not so much this year because Mark Pedowitz basically renewed EVERYTHING ahead of time [except for The Messengers and HOD… but come on…]

So let’s look back at what The CW had for us this year:

The CW shares my obsession with Prison Break [and spydaddy]

When The Flash first premiered, I called it “an action packed show with some sweet character moments andsporadic funny dialogue”. I think that still holds. Even though I had a positive first impression, I predicted I would lose interest [as it happened to some extent with Arrow]. However, The Flash actually grew on me. There is a definite sweetness about it that works beyond the genre [the dialogue and twists are spot on too]. Moreover, The Flash probably takes the prize for best guest stars in a freshman season. Not only they had Prison Break star Wentworth Miller, but they went ahead and hired his TV bro Dominic Purcell [AND baddie extraordinaire Robert Knepper]. Add to that the likes of Victor Garber [AKA my favourite morally ambiguous dad] and Mark Hamill [who reprised his role from the original Flash] and you have a very happy viewer. 

The Truth About Jane…

"I am pregnant? But I am a virgin!"

And what about Jane? I’ve discussed this show at length on twitter but as you may have noticed I have [deliberately] not written anything about it. I was afraid I was too biased to write about it [Irrational TV Hatred and all that], but I decided it is time to break my silence.

Full disclosure: I have not watched all the episodes and I am always reluctant to express my opinion when that is the case. However, I think I’ve watched enough episodes to get the gist of it.

Do I like the show? The short answer is “I sooort of do… still a bit on the fence” [I definitely don't love it]. I wouldn’t classify Jane as a “bad show”. In all honesty, it was a LOT better than I imagined it would be after I first heard the premise [even if it hurts me a little to admit it]. My exact words after last year’s upfronts were: “Jane the Virgin has got to have the most ridiculous/unappealing premise ever [Let’s skip the sex and go straight to the pregnancy…] I must admit that even with [what I still think is] the most ridiculous premise, the show is not the most ridiculous show out there.

Jane might not be a “bad show” but it MOST DEFINITELY is an OVERRATED show. The attention and critical acclaim has been completely disproportionate in my opinion. Much better shows than Jane never got an ounce of the love and similar shows were considered ‘sappy dramedies’. I mean… it is not Mad Men. Let me say that again. IT IS NOT MAD MEN.  I can’t help thinking that the over-the-top reception has to do with people celebrating “cultural diversity” [not that there is anything wrong with that].  Personally, I don’t think JTV is the best depiction of Latin culture [seems more like an outsiders’ idea of what latinos are like] but that’s a whole other debate I don’t want to get into [right now].

But let’s see what Jane has going [or not] for it [hint: They are not inventing the wheel]:

The source

Original "Jane the Virgin" Venezuelan telenovela

Jane based on a soap opera AKA “telenovela”, which is not the richest source material. I know telenovelas are deeply associated with the Latin culture. Even if I don’t like/watch them, I know most latinos do. So at least there is a valid reason to pick soaps for adaptations. What Americans have been doing for a while is make primetime comedies that take a satirical approach to telenovelas. The first one I recall is Ugly Betty, which purposefully used telenovela staples like dramatic walks and corny music. More recently, Devious Maids has been using the same devices. And, while not based on a telenovela, Desperate Housewives had all the elements that make a soap a soap [deception, love affairs, crazy suburbanites, dramatic twists, etc.] Moreover, let’s not forget about the true hit of the season Empire. I am not sure why Jane the Virgin receive significantly more praise than Devious Maids [I actually think the latter is a bit cleverer when it comes to the comedy]. It could be related to the next element.

The Style

Pushing Daisies [If you never watched it... WATCH IT NOW!]

This is the core of what makes Jane “special” in the eyes of many. The writers had the very clever idea to make a soap in the style of movies like Amelie and The Royal Tennenbaums. This “style” incorporates a whimsical narrator, freeze frames and fun with superimposed titles. An interesting choice, but hardly a new concept. Wes Anderson has made a career out of this style and let’s not forget the brilliantly made TV show Pushing Daisies. In comparison to these masterpieces, Jane pales a little. Still… it’s a good idea [that works most of the time if not always]. But a show can’t be all about a ‘format’. And at the end of the day… I am not sure I can get behind the premise… and I am not convinced by the cultural implications. Nevertheless those are two very personal choices.

In summary I have no major issues [quite a few minor] with JTV other than the fact that it is overrated. On the other hand, at the risk of being very controversial, I have concluded that I don’t like Gina Rodriguez. I confess, I don’t have a good reason for this. I don’t think she is a bad actress, but something about her does not connect with me. [And before you go ‘there’, let me mention I am more Latina than she is]. This is obviously a matter of taste, but I can’t see what makes her significantly more special than other newcomers out there.

Midseason doom?

iZombie

When a network grants early renewals for 90% of the lineup, things don’t look too good for the yet-to-be-premiered-midseason-shows. I thought the CW’s renewal fever was a bit unfair and premature in this context. Almost like they were expecting iZombie and The Messengers to crash and burn.

However, iZombie, performed very well [better than JTV] and just got renewed for a second season. As a loyal Rob Thomas fan, I’ve been anticipating iZombie since it was announced. And it hasn’t disappointed me. I wouldn’t say it is my new “obsession”, but I am quite pleased with it. Plus the CW had some leftover karma after cancelling Veronica Mars. If anyone deserved an IOU from the CW it was Rob Thomas. [Greg Berlanti certainly got his!]

So… iZombie wasn’t dead on arrival after all. Now… The Messengers, that’s another story. Scheduling a new show on a Friday Night with no big lead in is almost an instant cancellation. And, after watching the pilot, I can’t really say I care.

What about the oldies?

Finally I want to talk about a sophomore show: The 100. Since it premiere last year I have somewhat changed my opinion on it. At first, I thought it was an OK post-apocalyptic show, with some interesting elements but nothing more. However, it came into its own this year. They took it 10 steps further than your average “teen” show. They created compelling stories, not shying away from killing off main characters and having their heroes commit murder or other morally ambiguous actions. Plus the adults are “on the ground” now, so there is more diversity generation-wise. I wasn’t thrilled with the last two eps of this season but overall it was a very good run.

Beauty and the Beast

As for the rest, I am absolutely thrilled the underdog show Beauty and the Beast got an early pick up. Arrow and Supernatural have solid ratings so they were a given. My excitement for The Originals and The Vampire Diaries is not what it used to be and many seem to share my feelings. It will be interesting to see what will happen to TVD without Nina Dovrek next year, but I don’t see it lasting long now. Perhaps they should have planned to end that show sooner when it was still relevant [but I understand fans would disagree with that]. Finally Reign… Just like I always thought Hart of Dixie should have ended sooner [season 2 tops], I think they made a mistake with Gossip Tudor Girl [as I like to not so fondly call it]. I don’t think it is creatively strong, the ratings have been going down and it doesn’t look like it generates a lot of money on other windows. But, I don’t have insider info, so I could be wrong about that.

And that’s it… as usual the CW is anything but predictable when it comes to programming.