Brigette Watches The Grinder and Limitless

We're now a month and a half into the new television season, and I've ACTUALLY been watching something new-- two somethings! What's happening?! The Grinder and Limitless both have my heart, but it's not a total slam dunk with either. I'm confused about my feelings for these shows, and I'm wondering if it's only me.

The Grinder

First, the obvious: the cast is amazing. I feel like the show is funny not so much because of the actual lines, but because of how the actors choose to deliver them. And it's really no surprise. Mary Elizabeth Ellis stems from It's Always Sunny, which Fred Savage also directed for years. Fred of course stems from The Wonder Years and is phenomenal and can do anything and I've been in love with him for 25 years (important to note). Then Rob Lowe and Natalie Moralas stem from Parks and Rec, so you've got alumni from three of the best shows of the past thirty years right there. The premise of The Grinder is hilarious as well-- an actor who played a lawyer decides to join his family firm and be a lawyer for real. Too good.

The problem with The Grinder is that so far, it's sort of felt like a one-trick pony. Every episode follows this pattern where Dean takes over one of Stuart's cases, Stuart thinks Dean is going to ruin everything,  but then Dean doesn't, which adds to his own narcism and Stuart's frustration. Cute. But okay, what else can happen? How can that be sustained for seven or eight seasons?

It also irks me that so far, Ellis's Deb is just who Stuart talks to, like she doesn't exist without her family. But again, it's Ellis's line delivery that saves what could easily be a flat, nothing character.

A respite from Grinder's formula came this week, actually, when Dean dated an old girlfriend, played by Christina Applegate. This was the funniest episode so far, and I feel like we finally got to see how this show might develop into something bigger than just playing the same joke over and over. I just hope that they pick this up a little quicker, that they continue expanding so that they don't lose viewers. This cast is too good for just a one season union.


Limitless

I'm not one for action-y stuff, so I was surprised by how much I instantly liked Limitless. Usually, pilots are not so great, but I feel like the pilot was actually the strongest episode so far.  (Not so sure if that's a good thing?) Of course, it helps that this show was originally a movie, so the basic developmental kinks were already worked out.

The good things about Limitless are obvious: the premise is great. It's speculative enough to be escapist but not so much that it's unbelievable. It's complicated enough to be interesting and to create conflict, but not so complicated that you don't understand what's going on. Brian Finch is lovable, and the actor who plays him-- Jake McDorman-- is basically a carbon copy of Chris Pratt, so much so that I wonder if they actually wrote this part for him.

One issue I have with Limitless is that aside from a few continuing plot threads, each episode revolves around a different crazy case, which is always resolved. I totally get that it's following the CBS formula that many viewers expect, but I was much more engaged in the beginning when there was the feeling of a plot carrying over between episodes. I guess when you know there's going to be resolution at the end of every episode, you're less invested in those secondary characters and the stakes don't feel quite so high; everything we be reset nicely for next week.

I think what bugs me the most though is the underutilization of Jennifer Carpenter. Anyone who watched Dexter knows how amazing of an actress she is. Some of her performances were so raw that they actually made me nauseous. But you wouldn't know what Carpenter is capable of just from watching Limitless. Rebecca doesn't really have much of her own story, or her own personality, for that matter. She's very no nonsense and unemotional-- the opposite of Debra Morgan-- which it totally fine, but can we at least know more of why? She's protective of Brian, and he feels loyal to her, so she's valuable to the audience by default. Okay. She's haunted by the fact that her dad died mysteriously after using NZT, but that's her Dad's story, not hers. Everything is about a dude.

One little thing that we do know about Rebecca is she's dating someone who she's not supposed to be dating since they work together, which will probably be a deterrent in the inevitable blooming romance between her and Brian. Oh, and Rebecca's boyfriend is played by Desmond Harrington-- QUINN. So weird.

So, I decided this is what happened. When Deb died on Dexter, this parallel dimension opened up, and she was reborn as Rebecca. She's still with law enforcement like when she was a Morgan, but now she's with the FBI-- movin' on up. In this life, she's just as calm and in control as she always wished she was but never could be. Deb/Rebecca still gets to be with Quinn. Dexter is no where to give her shit, but she's still taking care of a man with a secret: Brian. Basically, she's in the sideways world on LOST.

Anyway, I digress. I enjoy both of these shows, and I'm very glad they got picked up for full seasons. Usually, new shows don't make it, which is frustrating, so that's a good sign. Neither is exactly "must see" yet, but I feel like they have potential to be. Once they find their legs, they could truly run.

What do the rest of y'all think? What's your take on The Grinder or Limitless? What new show have you started watching? What's with women not having their own story lines on these damn TV shows? I'm totally right about Deb in the sideways LOST world, right? You totally see it now, don't you?