Television At A Glance

So here we are with a Real List of things TDFB can flog for the close-out sale of 2011. In addition, we'll pop in a few Good Things just to keep a balance going.

Today's focus is on TV shows: DRAMA

Biggest Disappointment: Dexter. OMG! Could this past season have been worse? According to Dexter message boards – yes – but I must disagree. I could not stand the sloppiness of our once-perfect serial killer. He made so many errors in Season 6 that had I not known the show had been renewed for two more seasons I would have expected a cancellation. It was painful as hell to watch Michael C. Hall and his now-divorced-ex Jennifer Carpenter have more scenes together than any other season. I swear they looked as if they just might kill each other with their glares (until "Deb" turns all googly-eyed in the last two episodes).

And, after all this time, why choose THIS season to bring about a near-lurve connection from Carpenter's character to her adopted brother? Can we spell AWKWARD any other way? Can we say "The weakest overall plot-line to date"? Can we also confirm that Dexter's writers took a creative vacation? Let's hope someone wakes up in time to save the show for next year.  (Showtime)

Best New Drama: Homeland. Love-love-love. Well-written; well-acted by Claire Danes, Damian Lewis, and Mandy Patinkin. Suspense. Real emotional fragility in key characters. Nice twists and turns. Worth the cable bill. (Showtime)

Losing Steam: CSI (Original). Try as they have, no one can compare to William Peterson's Gil Grissom character. I miss his quirky focus on the gestation of Brazilian butterflies and other such oddities. Last season it was Laurence Fishburne taking over the key male role as the quasi-lead investigator. This season it's Ted Danson. Nice try, guys, but I like my forensics crisp, clean and eccentric. And BTW, what kind of marriage do Grissom and Jorja Fox's Sara Siddle have where she can spend entire seasons in Las Vegas while he is off chasing God-knows-what primates or bugs? It's been so long since Grissom was mentioned that most viewers forget where he is and what he's doing. (CBS)

Getting Better: The Good Wife. After a slow yet promising start, this series has become wonderfully complex within its simplicity. A contradiction, of course, yet that element is why I believe the writing, as well as the acting, has progressed. Formerly not a fan of Julianna Margulies, I am warming to her new expressions and her character's dilemmas. Perfectly cast, I hope the show will be around for a while. (CBS)

Stalemate: Criminal Minds. With the exception of character Spencer Reid 's constant hairstyle changes and the always gorgeous and buff Shemar Moore's Derek Morgan flirting with his "Baby Girl" geek over the phone, the series still has a bit of a bite, but something's gotta give in new plot-lines beyond letting Thomas Gibson's Aaron Hotchner finally smile for the first time - evah! (Or the absurd "death" and resurrection of Paget Brewster's Emily Prentiss.) Did someone fall asleep at the network? C'mon, writers. Get crackin'. (CBS)

Still Good: NCIS. Can't get enough of the cast. No one slaps the back of a head better than Mark Harmon. (CBS)

Boring: House. WTF? If it weren't for Hugh Laurie's fine acting, I wouldn't bother.... (Fox)

Always Good: Masterpiece Theatre. How can anyone dislike the consistent excellence of every series? The writing, cinematography, acting? Not me. (PBS)

Hmmm. Did NBC or ABC have anything going on? Not in the "Drama" category - from my point of view. (Though I tried to like Prime Suspect = Meh.)

HBO had Boardwalk Empire - which has been touted as one of the major Emmy contenders. I love the way it looks. The acting is great. I just couldn't get on board. Same with Game of Thrones. When it comes to period pieces, I still love The Tudors. Too bad it's now in rerun-censored hell.

Chow - for now!