The Return: What I'm Watching Right Now
It's been far too long, and I humbly apologize. However, you know that I would NEVER miss the start of an NBA season, so training camp opening is the perfect thing to shake me out of my malaise. Research has begun in regards to one of the most anticipated NBA seasons ever.
BUT FIRST...
Obviously my life has changed a lot since getting married. Part of that is that I game less and watch TV more, and the TV I do watch has changed. So let's do a quick review of what Kim and I are watching on TV now, and what my thoughts are on the various shows. Be warned: while I'm not going to go into too much detail on any of these shows, there will be spoilers in here.
Eureka
SyFy
Season 5 of Eureka actually just ended...but I definitely needed to talk about this. As big a fan as I am of this show, I must admit that Season 4 sucked. The season was dry, the plotlines were old, there was little to no direction with the characters. As much as I loved Eureka, it looked like it was on its last legs. Only a major shakeup was going to save the show.
So what did they do? Sent the five major characters back in time, had them alter history, and brought them forward in time along with a new regular character from the past into an altered timeline that essentially rebooted the show.
It was a very risky move that paid off beautifully. This might have been my favorite Eureka season. The altered timeline allowed characters to start entirely new plotlines with existing characters, and the changes in personalities to existing characters (Fargo & Jo in particular) played off well. Best of all, Carter and Allison finally ended up together, bucking the established TV trend of "never let your romantic lead couple actually get together in order to drag out the plot to the point that you hate both characters". At the same time, rebooting Jo's (always one of my favorite characters on the show, and someone I felt was way underused) life--especially the romantic side--allowed her to slide in and fill the void of "who is that character going to end up with?" that all TV shows feel they must have. An outstanding job by the show of plausibly reinventing itself, taking it's established characters on refreshing new plotlines, and actually making fans look forward to coming seasons of the show instead of just dreading the steady decline that was inevitable (ala Scrubs starting with Season 6).
Go pick this up as soon as it comes out on DVD if you missed it, because Eureka was excellent.
Let's do a cheesy star rating like on Netflix:
* * * * *
Justified
FX
The last of my "the season is over, go get the DVD" picks, but Justified is way to good for me not to speak about it. A fantastic series based on an Elmore Leonard (we'll focus on the good--Get Shorty--and not the bad--Be Cool) character, Justified was absolutely fantastic from the first episode to the season finale. We finally learned what Timothy Olyphant--who was always one of those, "He seems like a good actor, but I really don't enjoy most of his movies all that much, and he never quite NAILS the character" guys--was born to play: a cowboy, whether it be modern day or Old West. Let's put it this way: this show made not only "I'm buying the DVD the day it comes out" status, but "I need to go watch Deadwood, because I hear Olyphant plays basically the same character there and I want more of that." Add to that excellent storylines and superb acting from a list of, "Hey, it's that guy!" actors, and this is a can't miss show.
* * * * *
Modern Family
ABC
One of the network shows that Kim got me to watch, and I love this show. A fantastic look at three related and truly modern families: the traditional husband and wife with three kids, a gay couple with an adopted daughter, and the older father with his new Colombian trophy wife and her young son. The casting in this show could not be better. Ed O'Neal (Jay)--who I always felt was an excellent actor (if you haven't seen Dutch, go do so)--should finally be able to shake the stink of Al Bundy off of his resume, as he is perfectly cast as the imperfect but loving "father" (as he is the tie that binds all of the families together) of the clans. Gloria (the Colombian trophy wife) is not only played perfectly by Sofia Vergara, but is an interesting character who proves to be a much more committed and loving wife and mother than is expected from a "trophy wife", while keeping the hilarity that goes along with that kind of character. Her son Manny is also outstandingly written as the 11 year old going on 50 who is much more mature and sober than the adults around him. Finally, Cam--the boyfriend of Jay's son Mitchell--is, well, for lack of a better word, fabulous in his role. The flamboyance, energy, and humor he brings to his character without crossing over into the ridiculous Jack from Will & Grace genre brings the show to another level.
Aside from the obvious, what I think I like about this show is that it does stick closer to real life than most. Things don't go over the top either way: things don't ever work out perfectly in the end, but nor do things get so zany or bad that it's unbelievable that that would happen to an average family. It's exactly what it says it is: a funny look at the modern American family, and extremely well done.
* * * * *
Cougar Town
ABC
This one..not so much. I'll give Cougar Town this: it's a lot more entertaining than I thought it would be. It's well acted, but the characters are so unrealistic--which is somewhat forgiveable--and unlikeable--which is not--that you can't really get into the show. Really, I feel the same way about this show as I did when I would go to Cool River in Las Colinas: pity for all of the 40 year old cougars, desperately trying to forget what a sad life they are leading. Is that statement haughty? Probably, but the fact of the matter is that as fun as they make it look, no one says, "Man, I want to be 40, divorced, still single, and have a mediocre job some day!", which is what this show is. Again, the actors and the zaniness of the show make it watchable at times, but it's not anything you're going to want to stop down for once a week no matter what.
* *
Stargate Universe (SGU)
SyFy
This show did for SyFy what Battlestar Gallatica did not: deliver a dark, serious drama that stays entertaining and doesn't get so depressing that it drives the viewer away. I tried to watch BG, and even enjoyed a few episodes, but in the long run I had the same complaint that I did about Homicide: Life on the Streets and ER in its later years: so much bad shit kept happening to those people that I just couldn't bear to watch it anymore. SGU in it's first season--especially the later half--did a good job of putting out a show that isn't zany, and where the good guys don't usually win, and where people have to come together and battle the world around them and their own issues in order to survive while still being positive enough to stay entertaining. The excellent use of cameos by Lou Diamond Philips, and the unlikely arrival of new characters at the end of Season 1 made for a promising start to Season 2. I started watching this show with a "meh" feeling, but was sucked in by season's end.
* * * *
Castle
ABC
We're way behind on Castle--Season 3 just premiered, and we still need to watch Season 2--but Kim and I both thoroughly enjoyed Season 1. The writing isn't great, and the lead detective is a pretty mediocre actress, but the Castle family--Nathan Fillion as Castle, Molly Quinn as his daughter Alexis, and Susan Sullivan expertly playing Castle's playboy socialite mother--carries the show. I'm excited to see Season 2 as I felt the writing and Stana Katic (Beckett, the lead detective) got better as Season 1 went on. As Herm Edwards would say, IF THEY BUILD ON THIS, then the show will be pretty good. If they didn't, then it's disappointing, because there was the opportunity for a good show there.
* * *
House Hunters/House Hunters International
HGTV
Look, I said I was married. Which means I watch HGTV now. So shut it.
That being said, I do enjoy House Hunters, and not just because you see interesting houses and occasionally interesting/stupid people. The reason I like this show the most is because if there was any doubt in your mind that Texas is the greatest place to live on the planet, these shows put that to rest. It's fascinating looking at the carious spots in the world and seeing what qualifies as a "nice house", a "large lot", how many bedrooms makes up a "large apartment", and what a dollar will get you in different parts of the country and in the world. Trust me folks: don't move out of Texas if you live here, and if you live damn near anywhere but here, you're getting ripped off.
* * *
True Blood
Showtime
Yes...we watch True Blood. I'd heard enough about it that I gave it a shot, and we've stuck with it. True Blood is one of those shows that is constantly swinging back and forth on the pendulum: some episodes are fantastic, with interesting stories and great acting. Some episodes are just crap filler with stories that are just made to fill that slot in the season, and the actors know that and mail it in. As a scifi/fantasy expert, there are times that I'm impressed with the subtlety of the way they use the genre, and am impressed with the way they bring in different fantasy elements and make them work together. At other times, it's simply pathetic teenage vampire porn, as Stephen King famously described the Twilight series.
In the end, I like True Blood more than I dislike it, and it's all because of the supporting cast. I've always thought Anna Paquin was overrated as both an actress and a beauty, and this series has done nothing but confirm that for me. Stephen Moyer might or might not be a good actor; I can't really tell as he is so one-dimensional in his role as Paquin's love interest. The true strength of the show lies in Tara, Lafayette, Andy, Hoyt, Terry, Maryann, and Eric: an excellent cast of supporting actors who you have never seen before, but who really carry the series. Finally, something must be said about Ryan Kwanten, who plays Paquin's younger brother, Jason Stackhouse. Jason...how do I put this...Jason is the stupidest son of a bitch that's ever lived. He's the really good looking, good high school athlete who is as dumb as a stone and as arrogant as Narcissus himself who every person in the world hates and can't wait for his life to crash someday...except it never really does, because that person was born under a lucky star. Kwanten needs to win an award (Emmy, I guess?) for his portrayal of Jason, because he not only NAILS that guy, but he does it in a way that A) you don't get tired of the character because you hate him so much, but B) at the same time doesn't overplay it into a likeable character, because there really is almost nothing likeable about that guy. It's a very hard line to walk, and he walks it well, because Jason could easily kill the show if played the wrong way.
* * *
BUT FIRST...
Obviously my life has changed a lot since getting married. Part of that is that I game less and watch TV more, and the TV I do watch has changed. So let's do a quick review of what Kim and I are watching on TV now, and what my thoughts are on the various shows. Be warned: while I'm not going to go into too much detail on any of these shows, there will be spoilers in here.
Eureka
SyFy
Season 5 of Eureka actually just ended...but I definitely needed to talk about this. As big a fan as I am of this show, I must admit that Season 4 sucked. The season was dry, the plotlines were old, there was little to no direction with the characters. As much as I loved Eureka, it looked like it was on its last legs. Only a major shakeup was going to save the show.
So what did they do? Sent the five major characters back in time, had them alter history, and brought them forward in time along with a new regular character from the past into an altered timeline that essentially rebooted the show.
It was a very risky move that paid off beautifully. This might have been my favorite Eureka season. The altered timeline allowed characters to start entirely new plotlines with existing characters, and the changes in personalities to existing characters (Fargo & Jo in particular) played off well. Best of all, Carter and Allison finally ended up together, bucking the established TV trend of "never let your romantic lead couple actually get together in order to drag out the plot to the point that you hate both characters". At the same time, rebooting Jo's (always one of my favorite characters on the show, and someone I felt was way underused) life--especially the romantic side--allowed her to slide in and fill the void of "who is that character going to end up with?" that all TV shows feel they must have. An outstanding job by the show of plausibly reinventing itself, taking it's established characters on refreshing new plotlines, and actually making fans look forward to coming seasons of the show instead of just dreading the steady decline that was inevitable (ala Scrubs starting with Season 6).
Go pick this up as soon as it comes out on DVD if you missed it, because Eureka was excellent.
Let's do a cheesy star rating like on Netflix:
* * * * *
Justified
FX
The last of my "the season is over, go get the DVD" picks, but Justified is way to good for me not to speak about it. A fantastic series based on an Elmore Leonard (we'll focus on the good--Get Shorty--and not the bad--Be Cool) character, Justified was absolutely fantastic from the first episode to the season finale. We finally learned what Timothy Olyphant--who was always one of those, "He seems like a good actor, but I really don't enjoy most of his movies all that much, and he never quite NAILS the character" guys--was born to play: a cowboy, whether it be modern day or Old West. Let's put it this way: this show made not only "I'm buying the DVD the day it comes out" status, but "I need to go watch Deadwood, because I hear Olyphant plays basically the same character there and I want more of that." Add to that excellent storylines and superb acting from a list of, "Hey, it's that guy!" actors, and this is a can't miss show.
* * * * *
Modern Family
ABC
One of the network shows that Kim got me to watch, and I love this show. A fantastic look at three related and truly modern families: the traditional husband and wife with three kids, a gay couple with an adopted daughter, and the older father with his new Colombian trophy wife and her young son. The casting in this show could not be better. Ed O'Neal (Jay)--who I always felt was an excellent actor (if you haven't seen Dutch, go do so)--should finally be able to shake the stink of Al Bundy off of his resume, as he is perfectly cast as the imperfect but loving "father" (as he is the tie that binds all of the families together) of the clans. Gloria (the Colombian trophy wife) is not only played perfectly by Sofia Vergara, but is an interesting character who proves to be a much more committed and loving wife and mother than is expected from a "trophy wife", while keeping the hilarity that goes along with that kind of character. Her son Manny is also outstandingly written as the 11 year old going on 50 who is much more mature and sober than the adults around him. Finally, Cam--the boyfriend of Jay's son Mitchell--is, well, for lack of a better word, fabulous in his role. The flamboyance, energy, and humor he brings to his character without crossing over into the ridiculous Jack from Will & Grace genre brings the show to another level.
Aside from the obvious, what I think I like about this show is that it does stick closer to real life than most. Things don't go over the top either way: things don't ever work out perfectly in the end, but nor do things get so zany or bad that it's unbelievable that that would happen to an average family. It's exactly what it says it is: a funny look at the modern American family, and extremely well done.
* * * * *
Cougar Town
ABC
This one..not so much. I'll give Cougar Town this: it's a lot more entertaining than I thought it would be. It's well acted, but the characters are so unrealistic--which is somewhat forgiveable--and unlikeable--which is not--that you can't really get into the show. Really, I feel the same way about this show as I did when I would go to Cool River in Las Colinas: pity for all of the 40 year old cougars, desperately trying to forget what a sad life they are leading. Is that statement haughty? Probably, but the fact of the matter is that as fun as they make it look, no one says, "Man, I want to be 40, divorced, still single, and have a mediocre job some day!", which is what this show is. Again, the actors and the zaniness of the show make it watchable at times, but it's not anything you're going to want to stop down for once a week no matter what.
* *
Stargate Universe (SGU)
SyFy
This show did for SyFy what Battlestar Gallatica did not: deliver a dark, serious drama that stays entertaining and doesn't get so depressing that it drives the viewer away. I tried to watch BG, and even enjoyed a few episodes, but in the long run I had the same complaint that I did about Homicide: Life on the Streets and ER in its later years: so much bad shit kept happening to those people that I just couldn't bear to watch it anymore. SGU in it's first season--especially the later half--did a good job of putting out a show that isn't zany, and where the good guys don't usually win, and where people have to come together and battle the world around them and their own issues in order to survive while still being positive enough to stay entertaining. The excellent use of cameos by Lou Diamond Philips, and the unlikely arrival of new characters at the end of Season 1 made for a promising start to Season 2. I started watching this show with a "meh" feeling, but was sucked in by season's end.
* * * *
Castle
ABC
We're way behind on Castle--Season 3 just premiered, and we still need to watch Season 2--but Kim and I both thoroughly enjoyed Season 1. The writing isn't great, and the lead detective is a pretty mediocre actress, but the Castle family--Nathan Fillion as Castle, Molly Quinn as his daughter Alexis, and Susan Sullivan expertly playing Castle's playboy socialite mother--carries the show. I'm excited to see Season 2 as I felt the writing and Stana Katic (Beckett, the lead detective) got better as Season 1 went on. As Herm Edwards would say, IF THEY BUILD ON THIS, then the show will be pretty good. If they didn't, then it's disappointing, because there was the opportunity for a good show there.
* * *
House Hunters/House Hunters International
HGTV
Look, I said I was married. Which means I watch HGTV now. So shut it.
That being said, I do enjoy House Hunters, and not just because you see interesting houses and occasionally interesting/stupid people. The reason I like this show the most is because if there was any doubt in your mind that Texas is the greatest place to live on the planet, these shows put that to rest. It's fascinating looking at the carious spots in the world and seeing what qualifies as a "nice house", a "large lot", how many bedrooms makes up a "large apartment", and what a dollar will get you in different parts of the country and in the world. Trust me folks: don't move out of Texas if you live here, and if you live damn near anywhere but here, you're getting ripped off.
* * *
True Blood
Showtime
Yes...we watch True Blood. I'd heard enough about it that I gave it a shot, and we've stuck with it. True Blood is one of those shows that is constantly swinging back and forth on the pendulum: some episodes are fantastic, with interesting stories and great acting. Some episodes are just crap filler with stories that are just made to fill that slot in the season, and the actors know that and mail it in. As a scifi/fantasy expert, there are times that I'm impressed with the subtlety of the way they use the genre, and am impressed with the way they bring in different fantasy elements and make them work together. At other times, it's simply pathetic teenage vampire porn, as Stephen King famously described the Twilight series.
In the end, I like True Blood more than I dislike it, and it's all because of the supporting cast. I've always thought Anna Paquin was overrated as both an actress and a beauty, and this series has done nothing but confirm that for me. Stephen Moyer might or might not be a good actor; I can't really tell as he is so one-dimensional in his role as Paquin's love interest. The true strength of the show lies in Tara, Lafayette, Andy, Hoyt, Terry, Maryann, and Eric: an excellent cast of supporting actors who you have never seen before, but who really carry the series. Finally, something must be said about Ryan Kwanten, who plays Paquin's younger brother, Jason Stackhouse. Jason...how do I put this...Jason is the stupidest son of a bitch that's ever lived. He's the really good looking, good high school athlete who is as dumb as a stone and as arrogant as Narcissus himself who every person in the world hates and can't wait for his life to crash someday...except it never really does, because that person was born under a lucky star. Kwanten needs to win an award (Emmy, I guess?) for his portrayal of Jason, because he not only NAILS that guy, but he does it in a way that A) you don't get tired of the character because you hate him so much, but B) at the same time doesn't overplay it into a likeable character, because there really is almost nothing likeable about that guy. It's a very hard line to walk, and he walks it well, because Jason could easily kill the show if played the wrong way.
* * *
Labels: TV
posted by Michael Pondrom at 7:33 PM
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