chuck - nbc - Zachary Levi - Chuck Bartowskikid nation - cbs - survivor for minors

Earlier today, I told you about the 5 TV shows I’m watching this season, so it’s only fitting that I complete the list by telling you about the shows I just might be avoiding like the plague. Who knows? My opinion might change halfway through the season — as it did with Heroes — but given the material that serves as the basis for this quintet, my hopes aren’t exactly high.

Seemingly unlike the rest of North America, I’ve developed a severe disdain for certain reality TV shows, two of which make an appearance on this list. There is still some good reality TV — Hell’s Kitchen is always entertaining — but most of it is utter garbage. I don’t care about these lame dating shows, even if they feature the former lead singer of Poison. Yup, full HDTV can’t even save these shows for me.

Anyways onto the list. Forget about the top five, here are the bottom five.

  • Chuck: Lame premise, lame actor, lame name. I tried sitting through the pilot episode of this on Monday and I just couldn’t stand it. Zachary Levi as Chuck Bartowski, a Nerd Herd employee at a big box electronics store (Geek Squad, anyone?), receives a video with some highly top secret information and there are people who are out to get him… or rather, to get the video. Sorry, it just didn’t work for me. Furthermore, the “Chuck” name is already taken by two guys way cooler than Bartowski: Mr. Norris and Mr. Liddell.
     
  • Kid Nation: I didn’t catch the pilot, but I saw bits and pieces from what I believe was the second episode. When I first heard about this show earlier this year, I thought that it could be interesting. A Wild West take on the Lord of the Flies. Unfortunately, it isn’t like that at all. Instead, CBS being what it is, just created Survivor for Minors. The children are broken up into tribe-like factions, complete with representative colors and reward challenges.
     
  • Survivor: China: Speaking of Survivor, why can’t CBS just let this franchise die? The first Survivor was an innovative idea, setting the stage for reality TV as we know it. What is completely unbelievable is that their journey to China is actually the 15th season of Survivor. Yes, there have already been 14 bloody Survivors before this. It’s time to move on, because I stopped caring after season 3 or so.
     
  • K-Ville: Speaking for myself, I can’t possibly picture Anthony Anderson playing any character other than the loud-mouthed sidekick for DMX in some poorly conceived action flick. Every time I see him on screen, whether it be the silver screen or the boob tube, I can’t help but be reminded of his famous line from Romeo Must Die: “Name’s Maurice… bitch.” A buddy cop show with Maurice? No thanks.
     
  • Lost: Season 1 was electrifying. It was incredible to see a random smattering of people thrown onto an island, left to fend for themselves and develop some sort of civility. And then it got lame with the hidden hatch and the whole underground enter-the-code fiasco. I tried keeping up with season 2, but eventually lost interest (no pun intended) and never came back. Seeing how John Locke, who plays old man Terry O’Quinn on the show, recently won an Emmy Award for his performance, the show may have picked up some renewed steam, but it’s still not enough to turn me around.

There are several shows that I’m undecided about like Journeyman, Carpoolers, and Big Shots, but if I have a glowingly positive or utterly negative experience with any of them, you’ll be sure to hear about it on Beyond the Rhetoric. Till then, happy channel surfing!