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Oh, sorry. I didn't see you there. I must've dozed off.

Human Target shows exactly why Burn Notice is so awesome: the cast/character chemistry - especially IMHO the Michael/Fiona relationship, and the overriding mystery (that, let's be honest, we know is never going to resolve itself until the series finale... if it even does resolve itself then!) These are two aspects of Burn Notice that the viewer - even the casual viewer - can carry away at the end of the episode... and hopefully be brought back for more amusing spy action next week (not to mention all the do-it-yourself voiceover know-how).

Human Target doesn't have those things or anything like them. The regular characters (alpha male, sarcastic man servant, thug/tech guy) are cardboard cut outs. Which wouldn't be so bad... but there is just nothing else to hold onto in this series that, if at least one character truly stood out, I could see people coming back ("at least I'm entertained when X is on screen!"). We're supposed to feel that when either Winston (McBride) or Guerreo (Haley) are on screen, quirkily playing off of each other.

But... that hasn't happened. At least for me.

Let's move beyond mere character traits to plot.

Chance doesn't have a personal life that we've been let into (even if he has a traumatic one in his past... there's nothing in the present). And nothing, week to week, matters. Every week there is simply a protectee, a threat, and a convoluted way to neutralize said threat that throws just about every cliché in that week's genre (to point out a few from pilot / post-pilot... train episode: brake problems, train cars separated, train going to run off the rails; plane episode: pilot incapacitated, fire on the plane, flipping the plane).

Not that the male characters are three dimensional by any means, but there's a severe lack of fully fleshed out women on the show (as in, there are NONE). What would Burn Notice be without Fiona, (even putting aside the romantic subplot)? Think about it. Yeah. And in cases like this third episode, when the protectee is male? There. Are. No. Women (unless, shock! the villain is a woman, look how smart we are, didn't that MAJOR TWIST just turn your preconceptions on their heads?) And, no, that female spy from tonight's episode, even if she does come back, does not alter this trend.

Human Target may only aspire to be the pulpy throwback its credits indicate. Which, okay, fine, that's what it wants to be. But someone should've told Fox, Warner Bros, and all involved in shaping the show that TV has moved on from that.

In short: Michael Weston FTW.

PS - I'm Not Dead

Just very, very bored by the summer ratings. I'm not getting regular / complete cable numbers, so reporting on anything is spotty (and big stuff like the Burn Notice, Royal Pains, Weeds, Nurse Jackie, The Closer, and Raising the Bar premiere data is actually being written up in the trades).

Will get to screener reviews as I can, but have been embroiled in some writing projects that have definitely occupied my time and / or brain.

What can I say? Summer sucks.

On recommendation, I have been watching So You Think You Can Dance for the first time this summer... what a treat last night's performance show was! The audition and Vegas rounds... not so much. Judging the performances from home is very, very different for SYTYCD than it is for Idol. On Idol, you know when there's a missed note or pitchiness or whatever. On SYTYCD all of the dancers are amazing, but the line separating them on any given week or performances seems to be the choreography they're given within the genre they receive, and the amount of personality brought to the performance. It's not like any of the Top 20 wiped out last night (do they ever? Again, this was my first performance show viewing).

Some brief notes on the cable premieres of the last week...

Burn Notice - still a ton of fun, glad to see that even though they sort of seemed to explode the premise for the show at last season's end, the episodes are still very much in the same vein... but with even more sense of danger because Michael is now on the grid. Glad to see USA pushing Donovan and Anwar for Lead Male and Supporting Female Emmys in the trade FYCs.

Royal Pains - the opening 15-ish minutes were a pain and a bit of a buy (what with the hospital board black listing the lead character everywhere in NYC...), and I found the lead character to be very annoying with his repeated protest that he wasn't going to be the concierge doctor in the Hamptons... it's the premise for the show, so it didn't hold any water after his first complaint. Looking forward to the first post-pilot episode tonight, which won't have to deal with setting the premiere up, and hopefully won't have Dr. Hank quite so recalcitrant.

Weeds - I'm not sure why I'm still watching this show. It wasn't funny last season and it isn't funny now. I don't even like any of the characters anymore (even Shane).

Nurse Jackie - the press has gone gaga over this show, and it's good to see Falco in such an interesting (and different) role. looking forward to what episode two has in store.

The Closer - same old summer popcorn background noise. Was kind of surprised at the lack of a post-Brenda's-wedding plotline or even a mention. Much like Burn Notice... business as usual.

Top Chef Masters - fun if different from the Mothership. I didn't warm to Kelly Choi, and definitely miss Padma and Tom. However, if the Mothership wants to bring Gael Greene on as a guest judge at any point in the coming season, I'm all for it.