How long has it been my friends?  Certainly not because I wanted to, I was forced to put the Clicker on the shelf for a while.  It was just more than I could handle along with everything else, but I am happy to make this attempt to bring it back in a little bit more streamlined form.  Hopefully, you’ve survived the TV minefield without me for the last six months.

NEW SHOW SPOTLIGHT

Ryan Murphy’s latest, Scream Queens, would seem to be the culmination of his recent TV creations.  Campy and fun like Glee, twisted and dark like American Horror Story, what really drives Scream Queens is brilliant casting:  a bitchy-licious Emma Roberts, a Machiavellian Jamie Lee Curtis, a wonderfully demented Lea Michele, and a true breakout performance by Glen Powell.  Add in a whole host of surprising supporting performances (most notably Niecy Nash and SNL alum Nasim Pedrad) and you quickly see why this show is the one true breakout hit among the fall’s new offerings.

If you liked Scream and Mean Girls, you’ll like Scream Queens

YOU SHOULD BE WATCHING. . .

The Knick.  Starting it’s second season on Cinemax, this turn of the century medical drama combines richly drawn characters, a wicked penchant for authenticity and some of the most unique sequences you’ll ever see on television.  Give this one a look.

If you liked Gangs of New York and House, MD (yes, really) you’ll like The Knick.

I’VE MOVED ON FROM. .  .

American Horror Story.  I doubted I’d like the latest installment, Hotel, and I don’t, but it’s not just the absence of Jessica Lange or the gimmicky casting of Lady Gaga, it’s that AHS ran out of story to tell last season when it rehashed it’s various themes in the Freakshow season.  With nothing interesting left to say, Hotel satisifies itself with gross out scares and, well, gimmicky casting.  Pass.

EDUCATIONAL TV

What did we learn from TV this week?  The internet is full of perverts who want to have sex with Tony The Tiger (@Midnight)

LOOKING AHEAD

HBO’s Latin Explosion airs November 16.

Chicago Med debuts on NBC on November 17.

Shining A Light:  A Concert for Progress on Race in America airs on multiple networks on November 20.

TV’s a big place and I haven’t been to all of it yet.  Got a favorite show you’d like me to comment on?  Post a comment below, contact me on twitter at @RobLazlo or shoot me an email:  [email protected].  I welcome your input!