| Sep. 10th, 2007 @ 03:14 am F-List Questions: Summer TV |
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Current Mood:  chipper
I mentioned a while ago that I wanted to get to know my f-list better. I thought I'd start that attempt with posts exploring a topic and inviting others to respond. I really would appreciate it if y'all responded.
I thought I'd start with an easy topic: summer TV viewing habits. (I'll probably ask about fall viewing habits later).
What are you watching now? Are you watching current TV or is the summer for renting movies or getting caught up on the series you missed in the regular season? Or do you tend to turn the TV off all together?
Personally, I find that shows fall into one of three categories. There are the shows I really look forward to, the shows I enjoy, and the shows I watch but wouldn't miss if they aren't renewed.
Shows I look forward to
Burn Notice- Burn Notice is new this year. It tells the story of a spy who has been fired is and is trying to find out why. It airs Thursday nights at 10 on USA.
This is an excellent summer show. There's plenty of action and witty dialog. The main character, Michael, doesn't avoid violence, but he also generally tries to find another solution first. He's a smart guy. His girlfriend, Fiona, prefers violence first. Subtle, she is not. And Sam Axe, a retired spy, is just fun.
I'm sure I'd enjoy this show if it were on during the regular season, but it does seem just perfect for summer. I'm very pleased that it's already been renewed.
Eureka - Eureka is the story of an ordinary sheriff in a hidden town full of geniuses. It airs Tuesday nights at 9 on Sci-Fi.
I'm not sure what it is about this show that put it in this category. I certainly enjoyed the show last year, but I didn't look forward to it the way I do now. I think part of it has to do with the story lines. They've done something with one of the major characters that I don't like but I think is entirely believable and I think they're going interesting places with it.
My only concern is that in the last few episodes they've been laying on the "Carter's not a genius" thing a bit thick. No, he's not a genius, but he is very smart and he has more common sense than many people in the town.
Like Burn Notice, I like the major character but I think the minor characters are also very interesting and well fleshed out. It's less serious than Burn Notice and I enjoy the humor of this show as well.
Shows I enjoy
The Closer - The Closer tells the story of Deputy Chief Brenda Johnson, a master of interrogation and head of L.A.'s Priority Homicide Division. It airs on Monday at 9 on TNT.
This show is incredibly well done. The crime of the week is usually interesting and the writing is tight. Brenda may have a throughly disorganized personal life but she is incredibly competent at her job. She's neurotic enough that I'm still not sure why her boyfriend, Frits, is with her.
This show also does a great job with its secondary characters who all seem well fleshed out. In the beginning there was a bit of one dimensionality to some of the characters (Taylor) but I think they've really grown over the seasons.
This is definitely one of the more intelligent crime shows out there.
Psych - Psych is about a highly observant man who passes himself off as a psychic detective. It airs at 10 on Friday on USA.
This is another good summer show because it's light and funny, though at times Shawn's antics wear a little thin (which is probably why it's in this list rather than shows I genuinely look forward to). Still, there's usually a laugh or two and I adore Dule Hill, who really does seem like Burton Guster to me rather than Charlie Young.
The crimes tend to not be as interesting or as well thought out as in The Closer but it's still fun to watch. I suspect someone on the show might be a Numb3rs fan, there was a scene last season when Shawn tried to write his theory on a board like Charlie uses at the FBI because it "always works for that guy on Numb3rs." And Lou Diamond Philips was on this season playing a caricature of men like Ian Edgerton.
Shows I watch but wouldn't mind if they were canceled
4400 - 4400 is about a group of people who were abducted in various points in time by people from the future and returned en masse to earth with new powers. It airs Sunday nights at 9 on USA.
It's an interesting show but it's starting to feel like they're scrambling for story lines. It might be time to wrap the series up.
Entourage - Entourage is about an actor who makes it big and brings his boyhood buddies with him. It's on Sunday at 10 on HBO.
I mostly watch it because I need something to kill half an hour before Flight of the Conchords. It's not really all that interesting.
Flight of the Conchords - Flight of the Conchords is the fictional story of the band Flight of the Conchords and their manager, Murray. It's on Sunday at 10:30 on HBO.
When the show first debuted I really liked it. It was very funny and I've long been a fan of the Flight of the Conchords. Most of the episodes had multiple songs and I usually knew at least one.
Now it seems like they've run out of songs and the whole "completely naive innocent people from New Zealand" thing is getting really old. The characters haven't changed during the course of the season and they've run out of plot lines. Every other week either Bret or Jerome quits the band or is otherwise forced out only to return.
Damages - Damages is the story of a legal associate, a tough as nails attorney, the big case they're working on, and the associate's possible involvement in a homicide. It airs at 10 on Tuesdays on FX.
Both the lead attorney in the case and the accused are so wholly unlikable that it's sometimes hard to watch. I think Patty could be interesting but at times she seems like a caricature of herself. |
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