“Alcatraz” is losing me, offering episodes that are about 3% sci-fi mystery and 97% boring cop show. I think last episode featured a bad guy who used Anton Chigurh's captive bolt weapon. Why? Are the keepers of the timegate big fans of 2007’s “No Country For Old Men”?
The criminals from 1963 are turning out to be a pretty bland (if very handsome) bunch. I think the series is routinely missing opportunities to explore how these convicts from 50 years ago are adjusting to a world full of smartphones, ATMs, night-vision goggles, computer-controlled vaults, the Internet, and so on.
In November, “Lost” vet Liz Sarnoff was replaced as showrunner by veteran screenwriter Daniel Pyne (“Doc Hollywood,” “White Sands,” “Any Given Sunday,” “The Sum of All Fears,” “The Manchurian Candidate”). Portions of unaired “Alcatraz” episodes were subsequently reshot. Hopefully Pyne can inject a little more spark before we all lose interest and before the returning blockbuster CBS comedies drain away even more viewers. ("Alcatraz" was bested by a "Two and a Half Men" repeat last week.)
This week Team Hauser deals with an Alcatraz guard who has been flung into the present.
Mondays, Dec. 26, 2011-Jan. 30, 2012
(Adults 18-49; repeats in gray; older weeks in parentheses)
3.0 (2.9) (4.6) (2.3) (4.5) (2.4) Two and a Half Men
2.9 (3.1) (---) (1.1) (1.2) (0.9) House
2.8 (3.0) (3.3) (---) (---) (---) Alcatraz
2.7 (2.6) (4.6) (2.4) (4.4) (1.9) 2 Broke Girls
2.6 (2.7) (2.4) (2.2) (2.4) (---) The Bachelor
2.5 (2.3) (4.4) (2.2) (3.9) (1.8) How/Mother
2.5 (2.5) (2.3) (2.4) (2.4) (1.9) Pawn Stars
2.3 (2.4) (3.8) (2.3) (3.8) (2.1) Mike & Molly
2.1 (1.8) (1.7) (1.6) (1.8) (1.6) WWE Entertainment
2.0 (---) (1.6) (1.8) (2.2) (1.4) American Pickers
1.7 (1.6) (2.8) (1.6) (2.9) (1.6) Hawaii Five-0
1.7 (1.7) (---) (1.6) (1.5) (1.5) Who’s Still Standing
1.5 (---) (---) (2.3) (2.4) (1.5) Fear Factor
1.4 (2.1) (2.2) (2.3) (---) (0.7) Castle
1.4 (1.6) (1.3) (1.2) (1.3) (---) Real Housewives BH
1.2 (---) (1.3) (---) (1.2) (---) Hardcore History
0.9 (---) (0.7) (0.8) (0.9) (0.5) Intervention
0.9 (1.4) (1.1) (1.3) (1.3) (---) Pretty Little Liars
0.9 (0.5) (1.5) (1.8) (1.3) (1.4) TI And Tiny
0.8 (0.7) (0.9) (---) (---) (---) Being Human
0.8 (0.7) (0.7) (0.6) (0.6) (0.6) Cake Boss
0.8 (1.6) (1.3) (0.7) (1.1) (0.8) Rock Center
0.7 (---) (---) (---) (---) (---) Bad Girls Club
0.7 (0.6) (0.5) (0.5) (---) (---) Colbert Report
0.7 (0.7) (0.7) (0.6) (---) (---) Daily Show
0.7 (0.6) (0.6) (0.2) (---) (---) Gossip Girl
0.7 (0.7) (0.6) (0.7) (1.3) (---) Hoarders
0.6 (---) (---) (0.4) (---) (---) Chelsea Lately
0.6 (---) (0.5) (---) (---) (---) Fashion Police
0.6 (---) (---) (---) (---) (---) FX DVD on TV
0.6 (0.5) (0.3) (0.3) (---) (---) Hart of Dixie
0.6 (0.7) (0.8) (---) (0.7) (---) Tech It To The Max
0.5 (0.6) (0.5) (0.5) (---) (0.6) Diners, Drive-Ins
0.5 (0.4) (0.5) (---) (---) (---) Lost Girl
0.4 (0.6) (0.4) (---) (0.5) (---) Brad Brad World
0.4 (0.5) (0.5) (---) (---) (---) College Basketball
0.4 (---) (0.7) (---) (0.7) (---) Everyday History
0.4 (0.5) (---) (0.4) (---) (---) First Week In
0.4 (---) (---) (---) (---) (---) Heat Seekers
0.4 (---) (0.4) (---) (---) (---) House Hunters
0.4 (1.2) (1.0) (0.8) (1.2) (0.9) Lizard Lick Towing
0.4 (0.4) (---) (---) (---) (---) Love It Or List It
0.4 (---) (---) (---) (---) (---) Next Great Baker
0.4 (---) (---) (---) (---) (---) Stolen Voices
0.4 (---) (---) (---) (0.7) (---) Time Machine
0.4 (0.7) (0.5) (0.4) (---) (---) Watch What Happens
0.3 (---) (---) (---) (---) (---) My House Your Money
0.3 (0.5) (0.6) (---) (---) (0.4) World’s Dumbest
