A List Of Things Thrown Five Minutes Ago

ON THE IDIOT BOX:  A few quick thoughts on fall TV that we haven't covered here already (starting with Monday):

• Revolution:  I think I'm sold for at least a while longer, though I think the show would be far more interesting if it focused more on the adults and less on the whiny teenagers and more on the adults, perhaps with a more flashback-intensive structure.  I'm fascinated in particular by how Google guy was and wasn't changed by the blackout, and we haven't really explored it at all.
• NCIS:  We don't talk about TV's #1 drama much here, but despite the lack of real consequences stemming from the cliffhanger and the annoying disappearance of Jamie Lee Curtis' character, that was a darn solid season opener.  Particular credit to the writers for making Harper Deering both a legitimate Big Bad who could go toe to toe with Gibbs while not letting him descend into mustache-twirling villainy.
• Private Practice:  I run hot and cold on the show (with the "Charlotte gets raped" plot being the high point), and was both hot and cold on the premiere, but have to give credit for a pretty darn audacious chronological structure in the premiere, which also has the benefit of showing how the show might work without Kate Walsh.
• Vegas:  I'd be much more interested in the cable version of this show, with a clear ending, rather than what it seems like we're going to get, which is "Dennis Quaid kicks ass of crimes which are masterminded by Michael Chiklis."  And creepy to see Ron Butterfield playing a character with moral ambiguity.
• Last Resort:  Man, that was one hell of a pilot, and I can see this spinning a very good yarn for 10 episodes, but spinning it for 22 episodes, much less multiple seasons?  That's a dicey proposition.  The good news is that ratings suggest we're likely not going to see more than 13.  I hope ABC lets Shawn Ryan and his team wrap it up (and gets Andre Braugher an Emmy for Best Actor--Miniseries/Movie next year).
• Elementary--On Sherlock, the title character describes himself as "a high-functioning sociopath."  Here, he's kind of just an asshole, and the show winds up pretty devoid of humor as a result.  I do like the Miller/Liu quasi-bromantic chemistry, though, and it'll get a few more episodes to prove itself.
• Made In Jersey--Filmed in and around my office building, so I felt obliged to watch, but man, that's a show that desperately needs a legal consultant.  The Good Wife manages to wring good drama while still being somewhat realistic about what lawyers actually do, and I wish this show could as well.