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The Minnesota Daily

Serving the UMN community since 1900

The Minnesota Daily

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The Minnesota Daily

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Fall TV preview

The school year is now in full swing, which means youâÄôll probably need some television to help you ignore your Macroeconomics homework. A&E takes a look at the good, the bad and the completely unoriginal shows of this yearâÄôs fall lineup. THE GOOD âÄú30 RockâÄù Tina Fey knew what she was doing when she left âÄúSaturday Night Live.âÄù After all, that show hasnâÄôt been funny in years. âÄú30 Rock ,âÄù on the other hand, is one of the funniest shows on television. The show revolves around the semi-autobiographical Liz Lemon, the head writer of an SNL-inspired sketch show, as she deals with the challenges of working with a handful of real-life cartoon characters, which include the literally insane Tracy Jordan (Tracy Morgan) and her hardcore conservative boss Jack Donaghy (Alec Baldwin). The show offers comedy ranging from the everyday quirks of its characters, such as LemonâÄôs love of all things âÄúStar Wars,âÄù to the completely absurd, like JordanâÄôs novelty party song âÄúWerewolf Bar Mitzvah.âÄù While boasting widespread critical acclaim, the show, entering its third season, has been panned over by most viewers in favor of shows like âÄúThe Office .âÄù Only you can make sure âÄú30 RockâÄù doesnâÄôt go the untimely way of âÄúArrested DevelopmentâÄù and fade into the obscurity of DVD sales. ItâÄôs Always Sunny in Philadelphia âÄúItâÄôs Always SunnyâÄù is the worst sitcom in the best possible way. Tagged as âÄú âÄòSeinfeldâÄô on crack,âÄù the show, entering its fourth season, details the adventures of five barfly sociopaths as they commit the most heinous acts against those around them. The gang tackles the complexities of racism, transsexuality and drug addiction, among other things, while never actually growing as human beings. Imagine a real-life âÄúSouth ParkâÄù without a moral at the end. âÄúItâÄôs Always SunnyâÄù is completely unapologetic and will probably make you feel guilty for loving it so much. Entourage After a year-long hiatus, âÄúEntourageâÄù made its glorious return to HBO on Sunday night, giving college guys everywhere the vicarious pleasure of watching Vincent Chase bang hot chicks and buy cool cars. Oh yeah, he makes movies too. The showâÄôs fifth season kicked off with Vince, reeling from the colossal failure of Medellín (his Escobar biopic), hiding out in Mexico. Eric, desperate to save his friendâÄôs career, attempts to pull Vince out of his self-imposed exile with the opportunity of a new project. This season offers a new slant, as, after four years of success, Chase must come to terms with failure. HeâÄôll certainly get back on the horse, but it will be how the gang achieves this end that will be interesting to see. That, along with the hot chicks. THE BAD My Own Worst Enemy NBC is putting a lot of faith into its new psychological spy show, saturating primetime television with the most intolerable ad campaign of the fall. Fortunately, the ads will probably last longer than the show, so one can take solace in the fact that the worst has already passed. Christian Slater stars as Henry, an average suburban Joe, who, unbeknownst to him, is also Edward, a ruthless government assassin. Conflict arises when the constructed mental wall between the two personas begins to break down. Now Henry and Edward must find a way to coexist while fighting bad guys and doing cool spy stuff. The psychological aspect of the show isnâÄôt entirely uninteresting. The same idea was fascinating when it was called âÄúDr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.âÄù Sadly, the original version lacked the explosions and high-tech weaponry needed to captivate an American audience. Ultimately, âÄúMy Own Worst EnemyâÄù is a watered-down âÄúBourne IdentityâÄù without reigning sexiest man alive Matt Damon in the title role. The show will likely flop, but with the renewal of similarly terrible spy show âÄúChuck,âÄù one can only pray that âÄúMy Own Worst EnemyâÄù does not develop a following. All Reality Shows There once was a time without reality shows. It was a time of creativity and new ideas, where people enjoyed watching shows that were funny or made them think. It was a golden era of entertainment. Then âÄúSurvivor âÄù came along in 2000, igniting the powder keg that is the reality-TV revolution, and subsequently turning the minds of the American people into delicious Jell-O pudding. âÄúSurvivorâÄù returns this fall for its 17th season, which will, as always, be filled with unnecessary challenges and Machiavellian deceit, as contestants attempt to survive in a place where people already live. But âÄúSurvivorâÄù isnâÄôt the only show coming back to give America another fistful of recycled garbage. âÄúThe Amazing Race âÄù also returns to try and dazzle us with exotic locations and the prospect of outrageous missions. Luckily, the most generic of reality shows donâÄôt pop up until after December. Then weâÄôll once again be privileged with shows like âÄúBiggest Loser âÄù and âÄúAmerican Idol.âÄù In the mean time there are eight reality shows for you to not watch. Seriously, America, stop it.

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