Tuesday, October 03, 2006

Fall Season So Far

Dexter -- nastier than I anticipated, and nicely done. Showtime has become genuinely competitive with HBO, considering HBO's loooooong lead times now on development. Barely can believe this is on American television.

Heroes -- the first episode was laden with the particular disease of non-genre guys writing genre: "Behoooold. I bring you superheroes WITHOUT CAPES! What brave new world of fiction is this? And look, there's even a plotline using a series of pictures as a narrative device. They are called, in the underground, 'co-mic book-es.'" However, as my friend DJ points out, for those audience members who are not of the Initiates -- which would be 99.99999% of the TV audience -- this is pretty fresh, and a good way in.

How Joe Straczynski hasn't gone on a shooting spree, however, I do not have a goddam clue.

That said, a couple genuinely great moments each episode (the levitation reveal was spiffy), good cliffhanger structure, love the Japanese kid, and with more Grunberg for grounding it ... the downside of too many plots (just not digging evil mirror-stripper Mom, sorry) will not strip it from the Tivo list.

Jericho -- over Kidnapped, and I'll be damned. It's lean, Turtletaub's thrown one nice directing set into each ep , and everybody's busy defining character through action. Skeet Ulrich trumps Jeremy Sisto. Who knew?

There are only two problems, and they're more personal quirks.

Nuclear physics was how I got into science, and apocalypse scenarios are my bread and butter. Who the hell got 15-20 hydrogen bombs? I mean, back during the Cold War ...

.. come to think of it, that's it. Jericho is the absolute best show from 1988. And I'm cool with that.

I love the bit about fallout: "We'll just wait it out and then wash everything ... and then strip the soil down 18 inches when we replant ..." annnnnnd I will really enjoy Season Three, with 22 episodes of the "Thyroid Cancer and Birth Defects" arc. That said, I'm willing to let it slide, for now.

Second, the pilot had a serious case of Magical Negro Syndrome. They seem to be implying that the black character does, indeed, know more than he's letting on ... but please note I am able to type "The black character" and not only do you know who I'm talking about if you've seen the show, you know who I'm talking about even if you haven't seen the show, but have seen any television in the last 20 years.

I will eschew the long joke run off the horrible Magical Negro bit in the pilot, and simply say it stays on the Season Pass.

Ugly Betty -- I really dug the epilot, but the one-hour format is awful and unsustainable. I would take a bullet for America Ferrera, but it's just too much for her immense charm to carry this show on her shoulders. Trial run, six episodes.

Studio 60 -- I will endure my apostate status: this is unwatchable. I know Aaron Sorkin's a great writer -- but I kind of demand that my TV show about a comedy show make me laugh. Once. Just once. Even nod appreciatively. Watching Sorkin's snappy (and let's face it, as much as I love him, self-important) prose try to prop up a setting with little or no social relevance is like watching Picasso paint a shed. Even the shocking discovery that Matthew Perry is a really, really good actor does not outweigh this.

30 Rock may have mixed reviews, but I am guaranteed at least one Baldwin-based laugh. That matters.

You may begin the stoning.

That's it. Nothing else new warrants a sentence, personally. I will continue my teen-girlish obsession over Veronica Mars, (I will no longer try to win you over. I will just say you're missing damn fine TV) stay with Lost and Earl, and dream about Battlestar Galactica. I would remind Eureka fans that tonight is the season finale. And Venture Brothers ends far too soon. Venture Brothers makes Baby Jesus smile. Brock Samson is, I say this with all seriousness, almost as cool as Al Swearingen.

But Al cleans up his own blood.

kvetches, debate, recommendations in the Comments.

106 comments:

Dan Guy said...

Twenty minutes into "Heroes" I turned to my wife and asked, "Why didn't they just license 'Rising Stars'??"

I'm glad to see I'm not the only one with that thought.

I imagine the lack of a JMS shooting spree might have something to do with Ron Howard, from what Colleen Doran writes.

Harvey Jerkwater said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
Harvey Jerkwater said...

Alec Baldwin forever earned a pass from me for his "Pyramid of Pain" weight loss infomercial on SNL many years ago. It was mighty.

Not that I'll watch 30 Rock, or Studio 60, or even the real, actual Saturday Night Live. Because I don't care, I don't care, and it sucks diseased monkey ass, respectively.

But dammit, that particular sketch was great. "I will beat you with a shovel, so help me god." Heh. Baldwin, you magnificent bastard.

Cunningham said...

I'm giving STUDIO 60 until ep. 5 - if it hasn't found itself by then it's goodbye.

I like JERICHO and I like the idea of SMITH. You'll note the difference.

DEXTER was creepy cool. I'm looking forward to the showdown.

THE UNIT holds my interest for action sequences, but I'm not digging everything about it.

SPOOKS rocks.

VERONICA MARS makes me feel that there is hope for the CW.

Someone should stop SMALLVILLE now, before its too late.

HEROES needs a new schtick. And yes, JMS's lawyers are probably salivating over it.

I am in deep, deep need for new episodes of HUSTLE.

Geoff Thorne said...

HEROES- Can't take it. Can all the writers lurking out there PLEASE retire the black-guy-in-prison trope? Some of us actually manage to get through a day without tipping a forty or running afoul of the law. Honestly. Enough already. The FX are cool.

JERICHO- So far so good. Good call on the magical negro. Can't get enough of that trope either. Tasty.

STUDIO 60- I dunno, Mr. Rogers. I'm not an Initiate of that genre. And certainly nowhere near an intentionally funny guy, myself. I'm digging the backstage-ness of it. Although, I guess this could be construed as damning by faint praise.

Still waiting for Tina Fey's volley.

Still playing catchup on VERONICA MARS. Oh, man, did I miss that boat.

UGLY BETTY- Already backing away slowly. Sorry. Not my cup.

BSG returns. The LOVELY Eureka! bows for the season with a day-long marathon (tell me they're coming back). LOST returns.

I'm digging SMITH, so far, but strictly on the exhaust from pure escapism. Who knew Amy Smart could pull off gritty sociopath?

Still, THIEF remains the heavyweight version.

And, of course, if you ain't watching THE WIRE, you're missing the Michael Jordan of TV series.

Kilo for kilo, the best show on tv, bar none.

(and, what, 7TH HEAVEN can't get no love? Kidding. I'm kidding.)

Did anybody catch Showtime's DEXTER? That's creepy-licious.

Anonymous said...

The problem with licensing Rising Stars is that it has a great beginning, a shaky middle, and a truly awful ending.  It would need a total restructuring.  Oh yeah, and all those child actors... man.  Heroes is, at least, free to make its own mistakes.

Anonymous said...

I have to disagree regarding Studio 60, as I am perfectly content to see what level of "self important" dialogue Sorkin pulls out next. Who else on network TV has the guts to say "It changed the moment the second plane made a right hand turn into the second tower"?

Not only is it true, but to hear Sorkin express it in such an in-your-face manner that nobody else in TV seems willing to do (save Jon Stewart, maybe), is great.

If I get one laugh out loud funny moment (check) and one jaw-dropping "Did he just say that?" moment (check) each week, then I will sit in front of anything Sorkin hands me with that dialogue of his.

As for Heroes, I haven't bothered because I feel like I've been watching this show for 3 years. It's called "The 4400." Am I just completely wrong in this?

Unknown said...

I'm just not getting the funny. That's what kills me on it. And, of course, just ripping off NETWORK. Even the hat tip to NETWORK doesn't excuse the riff.

4400 is a different kettle of fish entirely. Tonally, different shows. I dig the 400 in its own way. Not enough to make a point fo watching it every week, but I will grab the mini-marathons now and then.

Dweeze said...

STUDIO 60 - I never watched a single episode of West Wing. Not a one. I've been watching Studio 60, though it loses a little bit more of my interest each week. I enjoy some, though nowhere near all, of the acting, but the writing is too full of itself and too "aren't I clever?" for my tastes.

HEROES on the other hand, I'm really liking. I can see the pitfalls ahead, but also see the potential in being able to every now and then kill off current characters as you discover new ones. And as much as I love Rising Stars, I never saw the similarity until you pointed it out. Thinking about it, there's more than enough differences in how powers are obtained and the relationship between each other to be distinctive.

nobodez said...

STUDIO 60 - I like it, but then again, I liked WEST WING from start to finish. Of course, I'm just a 20-something, so what do I know?

HEROES - Another one I like, and I'm going to like it, mainly because it's one of the best shows (imho) you can get without cable.

BSG - I don't have cable, so I'm going to be paying $2 an episode for this. Heck, I was almost willing to get cable for BSG.

VERONICA MARS - I know it's great, but I never got into it, and hope that some day I will be able to, just not now. Maybe once it's over, or once all the season's are on iTunes.

JERICHO - One problem with this one. The Rockies aren't that big from Kansas, or from Limon, heck, they're barely that big from DIA. Plus, the nuke was on the wrong side of the mountains. Aside from that, and that it's this close to THE DAY AFTER, it's still fairly good.

CSI - They're fun, and that's all I need. I don't need "smart" or "accurate", I need "fun" and "interesting". CSI delivers.

Anonymous said...

Lost and BSG airing in the same week ... danger ... danger ...

Heroes looks sharp so far, Hiro is my favorite hehe. I did like the cheese shots of the stripper mom though.

Jericho. Hmm, I'm just not certain about this one though I'm willing to give it a chance. The small town conservative schtick might wear me down over a season, however it was toned down a bit by the second episode I thought.

I'll agree my biggest beef regards the fallout situation though. First, it would have gotten there alot quicker than the next day in a thunderstorm. Prevailing winds alone would have carried it over the town in a few hours (if a storm usually only takes 2 hours to get there). Second, what about the people left outside of the one shelter with a filtered ventilation system? There were the young boy and girl sitting alone in her mansion (with the plastic sheeting flapping in the wind ... wtf?), Skeet and the hottie in a root cellar, the folks in the mine, etc. And yes, basically every surface in the town will need to be scrubbed .. we're talking the paint on houses will need to be removed.

Oh well, I guess it would be a short, unpleasant series if it kept to the real aftermath of a ground burst nuke going off within sight of the mushroom cloud.

Anyway, that's my curse in a nutshell, its so hard to suspend my sense of disbelief with a show set in the "real world".

Also, the lily white complexion of the town is a bit disturbing, I sure wouldn't want to live there. I did get a sense that magical black dude might have known the attack was coming. His wife mentioned that he was a know it all and he said something like, "well you and my son are alive because of that". I thought it a bit odd he had a locked subbasement with a map and a new box of tacks ready to be placed, too.

Todd said...

If any of you have never seen a Veronica Mars episode before, do start watching tonight -- it's a cleanish slate that will be easy to jump in on.

And check out Friday Night Lights (tonight) and The Nine (tomorrow night). Best damn pilots of the season.

Would I lie?

Anonymous said...

Posted from NZ:

I'm pulling S60 off the torrent as I type this, it's the only way I get to seen any of this type of thing before a year after its released, there are some(LOST + PRISONBREAK for example) that make it here fast (LOST was only three weeks behind the US), but for the most part I am not going to see any of the stuff John has listed within a year if I don't pull it myself, hell, DEADWOOD has not even aired here and I can get season two on DVD at the local store, so you can get the idea when I'm looking for cool new TV to watch when I get his after linking through from John's post.

http://www.sho.com/site/dexter/home.do

The networks may coke over here, but this is not the way to build an audience.

Evan said...

I am completely Aaron Sorkin's bitch.

Until two weeks ago I hadn't watched any TV in about three years. (Since Sorkin left The West Wing, in fact.) Now I watch Studio 60. I agree with everything you said about it--it's not working, I'm not buying that these are comedians, they're just not funny. If he were writing it like he wrote SportsNight, it might be spectacular, but he's writing it like The West Wing, and a sketch comedy show just isn't dramatic enough to support that.

(You're right about Matthew Perry being a startlingly good actor, too. I expected to watch this show and be thinking "Hey, what's Chandler doing hanging out with Josh?" Instead I find myself thinking "Hey, who's that new guy hanging out with Josh?" I'm impressed. But that's not enough to carry the show, and I don't think it'll be long for the world.)

All that said, I'm gonna watch it until they cancel it or Aaron Sorkin stops writing it. I just don't care, I'm addicted to his dialogue. It's pathetic, I know.

Anonymous said...

Any opinions on Supernatural?

David Alexander McDonald said...

I had somewhat the thought regarding "Rising Stars" and "Heroes" as well; for all any of us know, JMS and his lawyers are readying the concrete writs. I think there are sufficient variances, though.

The metafiction part of the show strikes me as a tiny bit twee. But my take is not that of a regular audience.

I'm with you on "Studio 60" in that it's going to be difficult for Sorkin to keep pulling the same story off week after week without making it annoying. All of the clever dialogue and snappy acting doesn't cover the rapid arrival of the cheesier soap opera elements. The show is slowly sliding down my watch list and may soon fall off of it the way that "Lost" finally did.

I'm looking forward to the arrival of "Torchwood" at the end of this month.

Stephen Turner said...

I have to say I like Studio 60 -- being in another part of the world and using those... methods... to watch these things early, I have to be very selective about what I grab.

What I've seen so far of Studio 60 I really like. It's all about the Sorkin , because I do think the writing is magnificent again, and I'm willing to give it a long time to see where the characters go. And while you wonder how "important" a comedy show can be, I think the pilot has raised enough "big issues" (red/blue divides, religion and so on), to be weighty as well as funny.

John -- can I possibly suggest that a show that encompasses people working on a TV show combined with standup comedy is just a little too close to home for you? Either it's too much like your real life to be watchable, or it's not enough like your real life to be watchable? I know that doctors hate most medical shows and so on, so maybe the same here?

Jericho -- by some cosmic twist of fate, one of the networks here (Australia) is showing it virtually concurrent with the US airing. I applaud them for combatting Channel Bittorrent directly, and am watching it partially for that reason alone. It's an interesting start, too soon to tell much, but the mystery could be interesting, and I actually like the more direct storytelling (got sick of flashback land on Lost).

I thought the black guy was a bit congruous as well -- thought he was one of the ex-cons in disguise at first until you saw his family, but I guess it remains to be seen how "magic negro" it will be.

As for the other things, love Veronica Mars but am behind (have to buy season 2 on DVD I think). Lost interest in Lost, mainly because I'm just sure it will amount to nothing in the long run, love Battlestar Galactica as well but am behind again.

And wishing Australian TV would produce things even worth talking about, let alone watching...

Anonymous said...

The first time I saw Venture Brothers and heard the name "Brock Samson" I was

SO

JEALOUS

because it's possibly the coolest name I've ever heard. It measures up everything you need to know about the man: Strength. Loyalty. Ladies' Man.

Say it with me: "Brock Samson."

Those bastards.

NY Expat said...

Please, dear God, call Sarah Paulson home.

"But they bake bread there!" Yes, and apparently they insist on programming their high-schoolers to never stand up against authority. See, Sarah, "The Crucible" was only tangentally about Salem, it was really about McCarthyism. It's not always about Jesus, honey, though in that sense your character rings all too true.

For a split second, after Sarah clunked the bear joke for the second time, I thought Perry would say "the Crucible joke stays". I was also hoping that he'd point out the connection to Sarah between the Bush Administration and people who would ban the Crucible, but that would render Paulson's character pointless.

Of course, "render" implies revealing something we didn't know already.

You know who could have done a much better job with Paulson's character? Amy Sedaris. Imagine that, a sketch comedy pro for a sketch comedy show!

Notes on other shows:

Saw the pilot of Friday Night Lights on a flight back to Chicago. I haven't read the book or movie, but the complete obsessiveness of the town towards high school football is very creepy. The ending was crap, though (Don't want to spoil it, but when you see it you'll know what I mean).

Weeds is a guilty pleasure. The ADD-style storytelling gets a little irritating, but it's still worth it. Considering that Kenji Kohan is the sister of one of the creators of Will & Grace, it's not surprising that that show's "we really don't give a shit what you think about what just happened" attitude pervades the show.

Till Death is a really guilty pleasure, but like Pierre, "I Don't Care". I've been married for two and a half years now, and we both laugh with familiarity at moments in that show. Also, each show I've seen has lines where I laugh because I didn't see it coming from quite that direction.

Also, I like Joely Fisher as the wife, even after taking into account that she's being asked to "do" Patricia Heaton.

Bonus guilty pleasure: Beth Lacke as the slutty female friend in "Happy Hour". Her take on Debra Messing is different enough that I enjoyed it on its own merits. Hopefully she'll get something down the line that will allow her to do a similar character, but that won't be cancelled in a couple of months.

That reminds me of one last thing: If you're going to do a show in Chicago, please have the decency to name drop a few things that are outside of the Loop, or one mile North of it. A few suggestions: The Double Door, Hot Doug's, Harold's Chicken, The Music Box Theater. We who live in the number three market in the country would appreciate it.

donna said...

People still watch TV?

Huh.

Anonymous said...

Dude--

I love you like a brother, you know that, but you're huffing gasoline or something, 'cause 60 is sharp and well-structured and moves like a sonofabitch, whereas the JERICHO pilot and its staggeringly awful, staggeringly writerly Gerald McRaney speech near the end made me appreciate MAJOR DAD for the first time in, like, ever.

Fun fact for STUDIO 60 viewers: judging by their one exterior establishing shot from last week, the studio's inside what is, in real life, the soon-to-be-condemned Hollywood Palladium, which is indeed on the Sunset Strip.

And is nine miles away from the Magicopolis store, which is on Fourth and Santa Monica. This did not diminish my love of the candelabra joke.

Anonymous said...

Spot on with most of your commentary, Mr. Rogers, but...

JERICHO? Have our standards plunged so? I suffered through the pilot and labeled it Television For People Who Hate Subtlety. Though I did get a great laugh at the hackneyed emergency tracheotomy scene ("Does anyone have a pen?"), only to be sent into further fits of laughter moments later as the girl calmly looks up at Depp2 with a dozen little sippy straws sticking out of her neck.

HEROES is also occasionally quite cringe-worthy.

And STUDIO 60 would be twice as good if it were set behind a drama, because they have failed to convince me their comedy faux-show is funny when they're actually demonstrating that it's not.

Anonymous said...

Are there really that many similarities between Heroes and Rising Stars? (I admit - I couldn't get past the first two issues of Rising Stars.)

My first impression watching the first episode was actually the White Wolf RPG Aberrant, which itself was just a setting that asked "what if the X-men were done without the superhero trappings?" That's what the show feels like to me, anyway.

towniebastard said...

S60 - Love the show, but I am concerned about how the comedy show is not actually, you know, funny. That whole montage thing last episode was very lame.

If nothing else, it will help people take Matthew Perry in a new light as he's blowing the roof off the place. Which will be good for his next job as I suspect S60 is going to last a season. It finished third on Monday behind CSI: Miami and the last hour of the fucking Bachelor.

Heroes. Ehhh. Seriously, I'm trying, but it's quite blah.

Veronica Mars. I want all the DVD sets now. I don't actually watch the show week to week, just buy the season DVDs when they come out (the mysteries work much better that way). If not my favourite show on TV, pretty damn close.

House. No love for the good doctor? That Hugh Laurie didn't get an emmy nod is beyond stupid when you consider all he has to do in that show.

Smith. Liking it, but no more 15 minute bits of stupidity involving hijacked motorcycles, ok?

Justice. Kind of liking it. Suspect I will get bored of it, but it's not a bad way to kill an hour. Same thing with Bones.

Amazing Race. If I have to watch reality TV, then I inisist on seeing cool places around the world, Americans looking foolish and a beautiful one-legged woman kicking ass. Amazing Race does that for me.

Now if someone could just shoot Howie Mandell for me, all would be right in the world.

You know the scary thing, right now, American network television is pretty good. Not spectacular, but certainly better than it's been in many years.

Matthew E said...

These are the shows I (now) watch regularly:

Heroes: the first episode was a little slow, but the second one picked right up and, importantly, revealed some of the smaller mysteries to us quickly because the show had to move along with the big stuff. Exactly the kind of thing that Lost doesn't do. I'm looking forward to seeing where this is going.

Veronica Mars: Is it true that the CW is going to give it the first six (or so) episodes to prove itself in the ratings, or else pull the plug? That would be a mistake. What else are they showing that's worth mentioning?

Superman and the Legion of Super Heroes: Okay, this is something else the CW is showing that's worth mentioning.

Lost: My wife has lost all patience with this show. I, on the other hand, have plenty of patience.

The Backyardigans: Don't let the fact that you're not three years old throw you off.

Studio 60: I enjoy it. I liked Sports Night, I liked The West Wing, and I like this, despite its flaws.

coltrane said...

I can't get past the CBS stench on Jericho. The characters are just too watered down to be intersting for me, even if the situation is somewhat cool. With regards to the magical negro, my guess is he had a direct hand in the attack, which is why he knows so much. I'll bet the terrorists were domestic, and that they planted their own agents in scattered small towns across America to help reshape society in their desired image. Heroes I'll keep watching just for the Japanese guy. As for being a rip off, for me it's ripping off Lost (in tone and structure) more than anything. It seems every show this year is a Lost or House clone.

coltrane said...

Oh yeah, and with regards to The Backyardigans, I have a 40 year old relative with no kids who watches this show regularly. The music is outstanding. I mean, you gotta love a kids show that samples the beat for James Brown's Sex Machine.

Anonymous said...

Studio 60 is, indeed, using the Palladium for its exteriors, as well as the building next to it as NBS headquarters. And I'm enjoying it, but I don't love it like I did the first seasons of WEST WING and SPORTS NIGHT.

And what was up with the cinematography on VERONICA MARS last night? I'm hoping that it was just the cable feed and that the crisp, cinematic look of the first two seasons hasn't actually been dumped for the muddiness I saw last night.

nolo said...

mark waid, thank you for confirming my reaction to the Gerald McRaney speech in the Jericho pilot. Thanks to channel-hopping, it was actually the only part of the pilot I saw, and my response was, "God, that sucks." You can ask my SO.

Justin Cognito said...

I've heard that Sam Raini's company is looking at a Rising Stars TV series. You know anything about this, John?

Anonymous said...

Raimi's production company is developing "Rising Stars" as a series.

David Alexander McDonald said...

Struck by insomnia last night, I sat down to write about some of the fall shows (as well as the season finale of Eureka, which struck me as a riff on Star Trek's "The city On The Edge Of Forever," in that Carter has to make a major sacrifice even as he's forcing Henry to make a terrible sacrifice) and I was considering your comment about JMS/Rising Stars/Heroes and had the thought that George RR Martin has perhaps more cuase to be aggravated, though again there are major variances...Wild Cards, though, has the New York focus for much of the initial story, and it has a powered politician who creates an important destiny for himself.

The antecedents for Heroes go way back before Martin and JMS though; they're scattered far and wide in science fiction and fantasy, and often don't include a shiny uniform -- I can as well include my own "Empty Barrels" in that list, considering that it's built around a group of powered individuals drawn together by common cause from very disparate backgrounds and locations.

Heroes does seem to use a common event -- the eclipse -- as a trigger (like The White Event in Marvel's New Universe or the Wild Card Virus in Wild Cards) but from the two episodes so far this is a misdirect -- after all, Dr. Suresh was researching these people well prior to that, and Bad Dad seems to have been up to his skullduggery (and is he the one doing the skulldiggery we see?) long before.

Studio 60 needs to file its teeth to points and chew bloody chunks out of the medium it's set in, and it needs to show more of the show-within-the-show...bits of sketches being hammered out and quick shots of Rob Reiner grinning like a loon don't cut it; at least the previous week had the full Gilbert & Sullivan sketch.

Also, at this point Sorkin needs to get the hell off of his coke bust.The "cokeheads don't hurt anybody else" speech was downright embarassing and degrading, not to mention woefully inaccurate, as drugs crime statistics demonstrate rather well.

Anonymous said...

First off, Rising Stars had costumes. And capes.

Rising Stars had two costumes and capes: Patriot (neé Flagg), who was more of a corporate symbol than anything, and Ravenshadow, who was basically living his dream of being Batman.

(OK, if you want to count the police officer's uniform, that'd be three.)

Unknown said...

Waid --

I, too, wanted to punch the writers in the face for that last speech. And the pen tracheotomy is the very, very last refuge of hackdom. I would, frankly, fire the writer who pitched that to me as a show runner.

That said, episode two is far better, and even the pilot has a weird energy to it. In a soft, soft fall season, it gets the shot.

And STUDIO 60 is everything you say it is. Exzcept interesting. or funny. It stays off he list. HA HAAA!

Anonymous said...

Gotta go with the "where's the funny" crowd on S60. With the exception of the G&S bit, *none* of the jokes or skit bits we've seen for the S60 show within S60 have made me even smile. Heck, they all sound like they're being taken from the last few years of SNL. And, as someone pointed out elsewhere, they need more plots and subplots that aren't "Geez, they might cancel S60 and fire Mary Sue, er, Jordan as the network goes down the tubes". Um, since we have the meta-knowledge that cancelling S60 sorta ends the show and Amanda Peet isn't getting fired, it's not really threatening enough to happen to hang the shows so far off of it.

As for Heroes, we've got a crazed fanboy who has a Merry Marvel Marching Society membership card getting teleportation superpowers. I wanna see him 'port into a certain living room and ask Stan Lee for advice. Yes, I do mean an actual Stan guest shot on the show.

Anonymous said...

jer: "'what if the X-men were done without the superhero trappings?' That's what the show feels like to me, anyway."

Marvel's "DP7" is another precedent, as Papa Bear seems to recall. Except that title had set up its "Fugitive" premise by the end of the first issue. I'm still waiting for "Heroes" to declare its intentions, and I'm worried it never will (as is the fashion these days).

Matthew E said...

As for Heroes, we've got a crazed fanboy who has a Merry Marvel Marching Society membership card getting teleportation superpowers. I wanna see him 'port into a certain living room and ask Stan Lee for advice. Yes, I do mean an actual Stan guest shot on the show.

That would be so great.

Anonymous said...

"and then strip the soil down 18 inches when we replant..."

I may not know anything about the current state of television (I have neither time nor access to a TV) but that made me boggle all by itself. Stripping that much soil out is a helluva lot of work even with machines, a serious disposal issue, and (in a lot of places) may not leave much, if anything, for the crops to be grown in. Try growing potatoes in a sprinkling of contaminated topsoil over barren, rocky subsoil.

Ah, well, chalk it up to one more divergence from the real world for Jericho.

I do specifically fetch a couple of shows... and Torchwood is what has me drooling, that's for sure. 'Till then I'll make do with House.

coltrane said...

Jericho went up another notch for me last night when Gerald McRaney went all George Hearst on his political opponent and sucker punched him in the gut.

Anonymous said...

"Ah, well, chalk it up to one more divergence from the real world for Jericho."

I know its hard to believe, but that is exactly what is in government plans for recovery after a nuclear war. Alot of the "hottest" radioactive contaminants have a half life measured in hours or days, but the ones you'd be stripping topsoil for are the ones like strontium with a half life measured in thousands/tens of thousands of years. These elements would be picked up by any food grown in this contaminated topsoil. They even have cute names for some of them, like "boneseekers" because when you ingest them they head straight for your bone marrow.

This is the real reason that those who say a nuclear war would be survivable are just full of shit. Survivable technically yes for those outside of primary blast and radiation zones, but what a fucked up life it would be for survivors. You and your descendants would be literally eating, drinking and breathing radiation.

Again, basically no show would want to show the actual aftermath of a nuclear attack, though The Day After did a pretty good job.

John Seavey said...

'Heroes' vs. 'Rising Stars'...I should probably go back and finish 'Rising Stars' someday. I kinda lost interest after I asked myself, "Wouldn't the mystery killer kill the guy who can talk to dead people but has no other powers first, since he's the obvious person who can finger him?" I was told JMS later papered over that plot hole, but it was too late for me by then. 'Heroes' has a better vibe for me--and the eclipse seems to be a pretty self-evident red herring in terms of the "White Event", because it happened mid-way through the episode and most people were already displaying powers by then.

And how can you not be digging the stripper? Dude, those were the best moments of the episode--the scene where she opens the garage door and realizes Mirror-Lady did the clean-up during her four-hour nap, and the scene where she heads out to bury the bodies and finds out...this may not be the first time she's done this. The implications of that scene alone are keeping me creeped out all week.

And Hiro is, as everyone else has said, great. The "Merry Marvel Marching Society" gag was a great joke-bomb. (Although I was disappointed to see that his dialogue in the comic he read didn't have the little <> brackets and a footnote reading, "Translated from the Japanese.")

Anonymous said...

the pen tracheotomy is the very, very last refuge of hackdom

Except on Wonderfalls.

Anonymous said...

The only time I've seen the pen tracheotomy gag was on M*A*S*H. Perhaps I'm not watching enough TV.

Geoff Thorne said...

EUREKA is coming back.

All's right with the world.

Well. The world of fiction, anyway.

The Minstrel Boy said...

battlestar's coming soon, veronica was strong...the shaver, dick's involvement, her in college, i'm liking the darker side of dad...it's all good...i get guilty pleasure from house...no apologies from veronica...eureka had a strong finish...

Anonymous said...

* Extras - S02 maybe not as stellar as the first season, but Stephan Merchant is still brilliant.

* Lost - after the first ten minutes I tuned out. The flashbacks were an interesting device the first season to explore the characters background. I care what's happening on the island though, not with Jack's ex!

* The Unit - Still the best action on TV, the wives storylines remain stilted though.

* Heroes - Hiro's awesome, everything else, not so much.

* Veronia Mars - How fracking great is the writing?

* The Wire - Best day of the week is Monday when the On Demand episode hits bitTorrent. Worst day is two hours later cause it's the furthest point in the week till the next episode.

* Eureka - great show & season, nice work Monkey.

Anonymous said...

Aaron Sorkin and Peter Jackson should do something together - something where people walk a lot while talking.

Jarlsberg's Chosen said...

Waitaminute...there are people who need winning over to Veronica Mars?

John Seavey said...

Oh, yes, and it's almost being overlooked, but...Doctor Who, series 2, on Sci-Fi, and if you're not watching it, for shame.

"I really don't know what kind of man I am. I don't know when to stop. So when I see a Great Big Terrifying Button That Must Never Ever Ever Be Pressed...I just have to do THIS!"

Liam said...

THE VENTURE BROS actually got weirder, more involved with the characters and a semi-arching plot, and I-might-require-medical-attention funny with this season. There's been one dud so far (State Dinner, imho), but the only word to describe the rest of it is "brilliant." Who knew Hunter S. Thompson worked in the Office of Secret Intelligence?

EUREKA has been enjoyable, though I've only seen a few episodes through iTunes. It should run for a few more seasons at least, so long as the writers continue to work the whole super-science angle in with the character development, instead of the other way around.

I have to agree with others who will watch STUDIO 60 purely for the dialogue. It was - is - Sorkin's greatest gift to television. It makes me sad that so few other shows can even glimpse that level of smart.

Liam said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
Mike Jozic said...

Eureka's Kung-Fu is strong. 13 more episodes strong, to be exact.

Now if Sci-Fi can just get more episodes of Screw-On Head on the air all will be well with the world.

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Harriet said...

I love "Venture Bros" more than any other show, if only because I have so few outlets to express it. (My social circle is small and too thrifty to pay for cable.)

The writing kills me: I loved the careful assignment of Ted Bundy as Fred, Patty Hearst as Daphne, Son of Sam as Shaggy, etc.

But most of all? Most of all I love Brock Sampson.

Anonymous said...

Man i dont know if i should love or hate you guys, I gave up on the toob awhile ago, but you've almost convinced me to check out some of these offerings. Stumbled across "Weeds" recently and got everyone here hooked, but since our only access is through torrents i've gotta be picky over what i try.

Had to use Wiki to see what Dexter was about, cuz Showtimes website is blocked for us, i think our connection is through Australia!

This is the second time I've found your site, from totally different paths (this time i was trying to catch up with Tim Hunter). See ya.

Anonymous said...

The writing kills me: I loved the careful assignment of Ted Bundy as Fred, Patty Hearst as Daphne, Son of Sam as Shaggy, etc.

Thanks for pointing that out! Now that you mention it, "etc" has Velma as Valerie Solanas.

Anonymous said...

Oh, yes, and it's almost being overlooked, but...Doctor Who, series 2, on Sci-Fi, and if you're not watching it, for shame.

It's not being overlooked if you've rabidly devoured the BBC airings via Evil Internet Piracy(tm).

*koff* Or... so I'm told.

Anonymous said...

There's a serious lack of "The Wire" love in here.

If you haven't experienced this show, netflix the season 1 dvds immediately. Scratch that, just run to the store and buy them. I watch a lot of good TV, but there's no show I look forward to as much as the Wire.

Runner ups:

Veronica Mars, The Office, Galactica. Dexter seemed great except that the one cop who could see through him was SO over the top. Heroes is a bit hokey and awkward, butI love the photography and the look of the show in HD. I keep hitting cring moments in the writing. If I hear that 'people use 10% of your brain' cliche ONE MORE TIME...

Geoff Thorne said...

SMITH, cancelled.

Damn.

Anonymous said...

I second the motion on HU$TLE. Great show.

I've become a die-hard fan of House, MD.

I like Eureka, but only when I see it. I haven't made it appointment-tv yet even though David Greenwalt is involved.

I could maybe even get into the 4400 except it's on USA and the amount of time for commercials turns it off for me.

Anonymous said...

And I still miss Space Ghost C2C and Brak, but Harvey Birdman still is good. And Futurama reruns are good even if they won't be showing the four new movies.

nolo said...

I'm wondering if Dexter will hold up through an entire season. Second ep made me think the "serial murderer who does good" schtick might lose its charm once the novelty wears off.

Litcritter said...

From Kansas, the Rockies are indistinguishable from haze on the horizon. But on the other hand, having even one black character on a show set in a small town in western Kansas is pushing the bounds of realism.

I haven't seen the show, so I have to ask: how many Spanish-speaking characters are there? If it's at all realistic, there should be quite a few.

Anonymous said...

Heros is ok, but I find most of the characters not particularly interesting. Hiro is great, the cop and the Indian doctor are ok, and the flying brothers (particularly the crazy young one) and stripper-mom are terrible.

Jericho is better than Heros, but still has some weak moments. At least its about nukes, so it gets bonus points for that.

Studio 60 lost me after the pilot. It's easy to take running the country seriously (West Wing), but not so easy to take a comedy show that way.

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