tand by for a little more sun, a little less rerun. Happily, late winter, early spring is smart season on television.
Away from the crush of fall launches, March-April is when the networks bring out their heavyweight projects. Midseason 2010 means a strong slate of shows for thinking viewers, those who don’t parse the finer points of “Jersey Shore” in their book groups.
Cable in particular will offer award-worthy centerpieces, among them a significant nature miniseries from Discovery, an epic World War II miniseries from HBO and a drama set in New Orleans from the creator of “The Wire,” also on HBO.
Beyond those high-profile projects, a few series deserve attention. “Justified” is as literate as an Elmore Leonard short story, literally. Leonard serves as a producer for the adaptation of the tale of a U.S. marshal in Kentucky, starring Timothy Olyphant. After “Deadwood,” we’d follow Olyphant anywhere. He’s terrific in “Justified,” especially opposite Walton Goggins (“The Shield”) in a guest role.
And “Party Down,” returning in April for a second season on Starz, is the quietly intelligent comedy about cater-waiters, some of whom are overqualified for their jobs. Megan Mullally takes Jane Lynch’s place as Lynch returns to “Glee,” offering a whole new flavor of crazy.
A rundown of the best of midseason
“The Pacific” (HBO, Sunday, March 14) The supremely expensive 10-part Tom Hanks- and Steven Spielberg-produced miniseries is the follow-up to the brilliant “Band of Brothers.” The action follows Marines in the Pacific theater, starting after the bombing of Pearl Harbor. Each hour opens with reflections by veterans and a mini history lesson, before shifting into dramatic re-enactments. The epic, shot in Australia, is based on the memoirs of two U.S. Marines: “With the Old Breed,” by Eugene Sledge, and “Helmet for My Pillow,” by Robert Leckie. The story follows them and one other Marine, Gunnery Sgt. John Basilone (Jon Seda). Pfc. Leckie is played by James Badge Dale and Cpl. Sledge by Joe Mazzello.
The first two hours are every bit as engrossing as the Europe-based “Brothers,” and as bloody and nerve-wracking as you might expect.
“Justified” (FX, March date to be announced) Timothy Olyphant plays Raylan Givens, a modern- day U.S. marshal whose style is very much 19th-century. That old-school style gets him into trouble with his bosses, but it does tend to keep the criminals in check. Developed by Graham Yost (“Boomtown”) and based on the character in several Elmore Leonard books and stories. Olyphant, as we know from “Deadwood,” has the right lawman stuff.
“Life” (Discovery, Sunday, March 21) This one calls out for a big high-definition TV screen. The 11-part landmark nature series from the BBC and Discovery uses innovative techniques to capture stunning video.
Narrated by Oprah Winfrey, it purports to be “the definitive exploration of our planet’s living things.” A bold claim. All I can verify after screening two hours’ worth of “Reptiles and Amphibians” is that the images are truly eye-popping, and it’s not just pretty: The natural science imparted is astounding. A “Making Of” episode relates the incredible patience and skill required of the photographers camping out in the muck. Imagine: The incredible footage of Komodo dragons bringing down a water buffalo took more than two weeks.
“Treme” (HBO, April) The drama is named for one of New Orleans’ neighborhoods, a hub of the local music culture, near the better-known French Quarter. David Simon (“The Wire”) tells the stories of struggling musicians and other locals in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.
The cast includes Wendell Pierce, Khandi Alexander, Melissa Leo, Clarke Peters and John Goodman, along with real-life musicians Allen Toussaint, Elvis Costello and others. The music is a key element, judging by clips. If “The Wire” was about the moral decay and decline of an American city, “Treme” will be about a city’s struggle toward rebirth.
“Party Down” (Starz, April 23) A critical favorite that deserves better ratings, this comedy about out-of-work actors who end up running a catering business should make household names of Adam Scott, Ken Marino and Lizzy Caplan. Word is, Jane Lynch will return for the second-season finale. (A companion series, “Gravity,” billed as a tragicomedy about folks in an outpatient program for suicide survivors, has not yet been reviewed.)
Worth a try
“Undercover Boss” (CBS; premiered Feb. 7) Each week a different corporate titan goes “undercover” to take on menial jobs in his empire to appreciate what the little people do and to understand the business better. Sometimes positive change in the work schedule or job responsibilities results. Essentially, it’s a reality show that feeds every worker’s desire to be better appreciated. Scheduled in the plum post-Super Bowl spot, this passable series was assured a wide initial tune-in.
“Parenthood” (NBC, Monday, March 1) Take Peter Krause from “Six Feet Under,” add Lauren Graham from “The Gilmore Girls,” (who signed on when Maura Tierney had to step down for breast cancer treatments), plus Craig T. Nelson in cranky-dad mode, recycle in a script inspired by a movie from 1989 that was already made into a TV series once — in 1990 — and hope for the best. It’s a sort of “Brothers & Sisters” ensemble drama with the added subplot of the young son’s diagnosis of Asperger’s syndrome, a high-functioning form of autism.
“Sons of Tucson” (Fox, March 14) Tyler Labine (“Reaper”) is winning in this comedy about a loser hired by three brothers to be their stand-in dad while their real one is in prison. The comedy is a twisted take on family values, from some “Malcolm in the Middle” alumni.
The worst of midseason
“Past Life” (Fox; premeired Feb. 11) A paranormal mishmash, part “Medium,” part “Ghost Whisperer” and all convoluted, this lame detective procedural relies on past-life regression theory. Based on the book “The Reincarnationist,” by M.J. Rose.
“The Ricky Gervais Show” (HBO, Feb. 19) After a radio show/podcast in England, HBO figured Gervais and Stephen Merchant are so funny unscripted, sitting around making fun of their pal Karl Pilkington, that they deserved an animated version of a free-form conversation. It doesn’t work.
“The Marriage Ref” (NBC, March 14) Bickering couples in a reality show. If you didn’t know Jerry Seinfeld was attached as a producer, would it be inviting at all? He’s not in it, of course. Standup Tom Papa does the on-camera work. Talk about entertainment on the cheap.
“Miami Medical” (CBS, April 2) Like “Trauma” before it, this by-the-numbers medical drama from Jerry Bruckheimer boasts Andre Braugher in the pilot, but be warned: He’s not a series regular. It takes more than a pretty cast and continual medical emergencies to make a drama.
Joanne Ostrow: 303-954-1830 or jostrow@denverpost.com
