The good, the bad and the funny on TV


With school back in the swing of things, there is one question that floats through the minds of most students: What show should I procrastinate with today?

For those who are looking for a light, fun half-hour comedy, The Mindy Project is must-see television.

Mindy Kaling, the mastermind behind The Mindy Project, has become a household name in the world of comedy television and in the The Mindy Project, she certainly continues her reign as comedy queen. Some would even say that the show is better than The Office. If a girl is looking for suspense, Pretty Little Liars is often a popular choice. After their fearless pack leader Alison DiLaurentis (Sasha Pieterse) is murdered, four girls are haunted by people that watch their every move, threaten them and put them in physical danger. It’s a guaranteed obsession — ABC Family style.

TV has more to offer than an over-dramatized, though beloved, show about girls being stalked by an unrealistically connected teenage psychopath, however.

Unfortunately, these shows are often underrated, especially among college students. Still, why not watch something of a little more substance?

One show in particular that is about to blow up in everybody’s faces is Suits.

But it is not very often that one hears a friend say, “Hey! Did you watch the new Suits last night?”

Theories range as to why Suits is not as big as it should be. Perhaps it could be because it truly just has a lousy name. Suits seems like all business and no fun. However, fans of the show know it is just the opposite.

Yes, there are lawyers and plenty of suits, but there are also affairs, schemes, good-looking male leads, good-looking female leads, fast cars and lots of drama and tension. Boring? No. Exciting and well worth the time it takes to catch up on season one? Yes.

Suits is one of the only shows that manages to feel like there is never a dull moment. The show continuously surprise audiences through the dramatic tension between the characters (who knew so much went down in a law office?). Essentially, if you’re a fan of drama and haven’t checked it out yet, you should watch it. As if one needs any more motivation to watch the show, its beautiful star, Patrick J. Adams, went to USC.

If you’re looking for something more rooted in comedy (not that Suits isn’t funny — in fact, the constant banter back and forth between characters leaves many in stitches), Go On starring Friends’ Matthew Perry is one of the best new half-hour comedies of the spring.

In the show, the main character, talk show star Ryan King (Matthew Perry), joins a “life change” group after the love of his life dies in a car accident.

The characters are crazy, loveable and absolutely hilarious. The life change group consists of Mr. K, a creepy bearded man who is not afraid to touch people; Fausta, a woman who refuses to understand that Anne’s wife who passed was Anne’s wife, not husband (as Ryan says in one episode: “I feel like she is choosing to not understand”); and Sonya, the chipper cat lady who is in the group solely because her cat died (of course, later she ends up adopting enough cats to fill her house).

Go On begins with the sad premise of a cynical man with a cool job and turns it into a world of pointed jokes and amusing one-liners. It’s Perry’s best show since Friends.

For those who haven’t started watching, here’s some good news: The show is only in its first season, so there won’t be too much of a backlog to catch up on. It truly is the perfect show to watch during a quick break between classes.

A new show that has had a harder time finding its rhythm is the highly anticipated Sex and the City spin-off, The Carrie Diaries. AnnaSophia Robb had big Jimmy Choos to fill when she stepped into the role of a younger Carrie Bradshaw. So far, Robb has failed in making the character her own. It seems that Sarah Jessica Parker, the original actress who played Bradshaw, is the only one who can nail that part down.

In the first episode, in one of the many cliched journal entries, Robb says, “I’m in the city and I belong.” Excuse me? Many loyal fans of the original show most likely were thinking that Robb and her voice-overs belonged off the screen, far away from the iconic Bradshaw character.

Granted, it’s not the worst thing created, but something as iconic as Sex and the City cannot be redone, especially with cheesy acting and weak character development.

One day, when Parker’s twins grow up, maybe they can fill the huge shoes of their famous mother. At this point, it seems more likely that they will step up to the plate than Robb. Tabitha and Marion, the future of Carrie Bradshaw is in your hands — your tiny, adorable baby hands.

Though The Carrie Diaries does not exactly cut it for now, the good TV options are absolutely endless. Pretty Little Liars is a valid obsession to have, if one does not mind sounding ridiculous talking about the show and how “A” does this or that. And The Mindy Project and Go On are fantastic ways to spend a quick 24 minutes between classes. Lighten the mood, laugh a little and then go back to that calculus homework.

Yet true TV comes in the form of Suits. Watch some lawyerly jargon go down, fall in love with the characters and follow the intense firm drama. Disappointment almost never comes in the form of classy suits and fake Harvard Law degrees.

 

Mollie Berg is a freshman majoring in communication. Her column “Mollie Tunes In” runs Mondays.