TV Review: What I Watched Last Night: 31/01/12

American Dad - "Stanny Tendergrass" (S07 E09) Fox (US) 29th January 2012 
Would it be wrong to say that Hulk Hogan saved this episode? No. It would not be wrong to say it. Hulk Hogan saved this episode. Don't get me wrong, I actually liked the episode as a whole. The premise was sound, Stan works summers at the country club while he saves up for a membership (the CIA is quiet during the summer!). Roger (in a persona that Stan can't see through - apparently everyone in the family has one) is already a member, and tortures Stan. When Stan eventually gets in, he becomes a snob, and Hulk Hogan - complete with "Real American" blaring - comes to sort him out. A good episode made even betetr by the Hulkster.
****

The Simpsons - "Moe Goes from Rags to Riches" (S23 E12) Fox (US) 29th January 2012 
Huh. Jeremy Irons voicing Moe's bar rag could have been a great idea. The execution however, is pretty bad. The rag tells his story, vaguely like Forrest Gump, appearing at various points in history. Sadly, The Simpsons' laziest plot device comes into play, as the chaacters are dropped into historical situations. The B-Plot sucks, and only Irons' performance stops this from being as bad as the last two shown.
**

Family Guy - "Livin' on a Prayer" (S10 E12) Fox (US) 29th January 2012 
When Family Guy cover religion, it can go either way. This one veered towards the poor, but wasn't atrcious. Lois finds out Stewie's new friend has cancer, but due to his parents being Christain Scientists, they don't believe in hospital treatment. Lois ends up kidnapping the child to take him to hospital, sparking a major manhunt. It wasn't great, although Peter randomly dressing as Harry Potter was funny. There's not much in the way of a B-Plot, but there were some decent cutaways for a change. It just feels like Family Guy is going backwards.
** 1/2

House of Lies - "Mini-Mogul" (S01 E04) Showtime (US) 29th Junuary 2012 
This show is great. We're four episodes in and it's going from strength to strength. This episode saw some excellent character development - Jeannie possibly excepted, but we did see Kirstin Bell writhing around in her underwear, so swings and roundabouts - and saw the first real starring turn from young Donis Leonard Jr as Roscoe. The consultancy of the week was rather unimportant compared to the relationships that were being explored. Only Jeannie's engagement story, which seems to have come out of nowhere, fell a little flat, but the aforementioned lingirie scene did a lot to make up for that! Excellent once again.
****