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I've watched an unusual-for-me amount of TV lately, especially taking a look at various new shows. The one I've liked best is Undercovers, which I posted about the other day. Here are some quick comments on the others:

Lone Star

Saw the pilot; was annoyed by the constant ominous air of foreboding (and the spooky music). I'm used to con-man shows being lighthearted and fun, and their victims being clearly deserving; this show was going kind of the opposite way. Bob was affable and likeable (he made me think of a young George Clooney crossed with a young John Cusack), but his smile got a little old; it was kind of the star of the show, but I think it would have worn thin after a while. And I found Bob's father kind of annoying and one-note, and I still don't like John Voight. I was kind of intrigued by the plot, but probably wouldn't have continued watching even if the show hadn't been canceled.

No Ordinary Family

Saw the pilot. Had some cute bits, but I don't think I'll keep watching it. Among other things, I felt there were too many “this is the moral of the story” moments, and too many platitudes about family. (But the surprise in the encounter with the bad guy in the parking garage was really cool and very surprising to me; it opened up all sorts of fascinating questions.) Am also a little concerned that it could end up trying to be too much like Heroes and/or The Incredibles.

The Event

Saw the first two episodes. Not going to keep watching. Was delighted to see Scott Patterson (Luke from Gilmore Girls), but didn't think much of his character. In fact, although I found the worldbuilding and backstory intriguing, I didn't much like any of the characters or any of the other actors; in particular, I found Sean annoyingly diffident or callow or something. [Added later: feckless! That's the word I wanted.] Also got really annoyed with the constant flashbacks, though was less annoyed when I finally figured out there were really only about three main time sequences. Also got really annoyed at the first episode being SO VERY MYSTERIOUS; executive producer Evan Katz claims that they won't keep the audience waiting for answers for long (“everything is designed to answer questions so you're not frustrated or feeling like we're making it up as we go along”) but I think it's already too late for that; I'm already frustrated and annoyed. Also, there were a bunch of big plot holes, and some major economy-and-efficiency failures (can you say incredibly elaborate drowning/snorkeling charade for no apparent reason? and having a skeptical agent say “Think of all the people and planning [that would have to be] involved [if you were telling the truth]” doesn't excuse it). Anyway, the short version of all this is that the show doesn't work for me; I'll read plot summaries to find out what happens, but I won't keep watching it.

Hawaii Five-0

I'm actually enjoying this. Parts of the premise are ridiculous (the governor appoints a task force that's completely above the law, hoping it will make her politically popular?), and its handling of race stuff is often kinda disappointing so far, and I'm not thrilled about some of Steve's bad-cop moments; still, it's stylish, and occasionally funny, and it features some great images of Hawaiʻi and some fun banter, and I'm pleased to see Grace Park and Daniel Dae Kim feature prominently, even if not quite as prominently as I'd like. And there are even some good emotional moments now and then. Not sure I'll keep watching long-term, but I'll give it at least a few more episodes.

I haven't yet watched Nikita, but I plan to give that a try.

Forgot to mention in my TV entry the other day that I recently saw an episode apiece of How I Met Your Mother and Modern Family; enjoyed both, but probably won't keep watching either.

So the shows I've added to the the TiVo recording list are Undercovers, Hawaii Five-0, and The Big Bang Theory, but I don't know how long my interest in any of those will last.