Premature Autopsy: Summary Judgement on Half the Premier of "Alcatraz"

Thanks to the Fox marketing department and the fine folks at Frontier Airline, I got a chance to watch the first half of the two hour premiere of “Alcatraz” as I winged my way to Milwaukee a few days ago.

With the proviso that I haven’t seen the second hour and reserve the right to change my mind once I have, I thought I’d give y’all my initial impressions of the JJ Abrams produced drama.  Spoilers abound ahead. 

I swear I went in with the highest of hopes for “Alcatraz.” Love me some Jorge Garcia (and he is, unsurprisingly, the best thing about the first hour). I dig the hell out of “Lost” and “Fringe,” and the setting of Alcatraz Island is just a phenomenal place to center a TV series around.  Throw in the unsettling presence of Sam Neill and character actor extraordinaire Robert Forster and it should be a great mix of mystery and badassery.

So why did I finish that first episode with such a feeling of disappointment?

A Singularity of Awful: In Praise of "Work It"

Last night saw the debut of one of the worst shows in recent memory. Savaged by critics who had seen advanced copies and viewers who had only seen commercials, “Work It” premiered to over six million viewers (a respectable number, no doubt aided by little competition and the rubberneckers who wanted to see what all the vitriol was about). 

It was as bad as advertised. Maybe even worse. And I set a season pass on my DVR.

My Manifesto

Welcome, readers, who are likely finding this well after its original posting, to Prime Time Well Spent, a blog dedicated to the things we do to avoid reality, namely: Watching TV, going to the movies and generally dicking around, rather than making an attempt to take part in society or becoming better people.

I felt that for my initial post to the blog, I should both tell you about me and explain what the title means to me.