Two Different Women

My expectations for Cougar Town were exceedingly low so when RTE2 decided to air it two weeks before Living TV, I wasn't going to watch but for some reason, I gave in. Am I glad I did? Not really to be frank. It's not that it's a terrible show (forty something woman getting her groove back by sleeping with younger blokes), but it's a bit ... naff. Some of the dialogue is too cheesy for it's own good, Courteney Cox's character Jules isn't exactly a breath of fresh and it's obvious that the male characters exist to be dolts, so I don't think this is something I will stick with to be truthful.

Somewhat better is The Good Wife. UK viewers are ahead of me but I did catch the pilot episode this week and while it doesn't reinvent the wheel for a lawyer series, is it a lot of fun to watch. Alicia's a likeable enough character as she tries to get back into being a lawyer while dealing with her husband's sex scandals (Mr Big, how could you?). Even the typically annoying mother in law isn't that annoying. This show has a lot of promise.

I haven't caught the finale of Skins yet, so I can't comment on that one but recent episodes have been .... depressing. Emily and Naomi are barely able to tolerate each other, Katie/Pandora/Thomas have naff all to do, Cook seems to be bunking with everyone, Effy's got serious mental health issues and her nutty therapist decided to bash Freddie's head in because he's got a fixation on Effy. I appreciate dark stuff as much as the next person but a bit of lightness certainly would've done this season world of good.

And the advantages of Irish television are being ahead of UK viewers with Desperate Housewives. This year's big disaster was a bloody plane crash and a certain someone had to go and meet their maker. The recent what if episode however was a hoot and a half, even if some of the stuff you could see coming a mile off, like Gabby's relationship with her daughters and Susan still being unbelievably immature for her age.

I'm not really sure what to make of these side-parallels that we're getting with the main characters this season. All the flashbacks and the flashforwards of the previous seasons served their purposes but do this side parallels really do that with Lost? I mean, it's interesting seeing Sayid and Nadia still drawn to each other or Ben being a teacher or Sawyer a cop but it feels like a distraction from the actual stuff on the island. I mean, why is Smokey being so evasive? Will Claire ever be normal again (or Sayid for that matter)? Still, I can't wait for the next episode, which gives us insight into Richard.

- Smallville has been renewed for a 10th season while Supernatural has gotten a sixth one. I can understand the latter but the former really should've ended years ago.

- There's hints of an erotic connection between Sam and Bill in the third season of True Blood, which airs on HBO from June 13th.

- Gilles Marini is becoming a regular for the fifth season of Brothers And Sisters.

- Skins has been renewed for a fifth and sixth season.

- The Sarah Jane Adventures has been renewed for a fourth and fifth season. Torchwood is still unknown.

- Doctor Who will get a Christmas 2010 special and a sixth season. The recent trailer has revealed the Cybermen are returning for Series 5.

- Both John Hensley and Dylan Walsh recently expressed their disappointment with the series finale of Nip/Tuck. UK viewers can see it on FXUK from May.

- Kurt will get a love interest in upcoming episodes of Glee. Neil Patrick Harris will also be appearing on the series.