The Ant and the Grasshopper… (Tuesdays at 7 on FOX!)
Greetings again from the WORLD of TOMORROW! (man I miss Futurama, glad it’s coming back)
I thought I’d chime in this fabulous “follow friday” and talk to you about television. Now me personally, I loves me some tv. I spend a good two to four hours daily with a television on. It’s not that I’m lazy or anything. I get work done while I watch. I just love television. I love the notion of characters being portrayed in an infinite number of compelling scenes, there for my entertainment, twenty four hours a day. Television is the great equalizer. It sparks trends in the economy, tells us what’s hip and what’s out of style, brings different cliques together over common interests in sci-fi or drama. It’s a powerful thing. So now I’d like to give you a glimpse into what I’m watching, throughout the week, and what you should be thinking of getting. Now this isn’t the full list, just what I feel are some of the high points.
MONDAY:
Greek - This ABC Family hour long foray into the ups and downs of the college greek system was one of the wife’s picks, and slowly but surely, it’s angst y college charms and promises of cheap beer and togas drew me in, until I was hooked. It’s a solid show with a well rounded cast that will make any late twenty something start to reminisce about the “better” days…
How I Met Your Mother – This was another show I didn’t watch from the start, but after everyone kept telling me I HAD to watch it. Betsy and I netflixed the first two seasons during the writer’s strike and were instantly in love. The real runaway star of this series is one “Sir” Neil Patrick Harris, or NPH if you’re nasty, who as Barney Stinson manages to make every single viewer in America both hate him, and secretly want to either be him or sleep with him. I’d say that it’s one of the best written characters on TV right now.
The Big Bang Theory – This is another one that took me by surprise. At first, the thought of nerd stereotypes and an attractive neighbor just seemed stupid, and it was something I wanted nothing to do with. It took exactly one half of an episode to change my mind on that. Jim Parsons, playing the everyman’s mad scientist Sheldon Cooper, is the star gone supernova in a universe of already impressive talent. This is without a doubt my favorite Monday show, and one of my favorites overall.
Heroes - I honestly don’t know why I’m still watching this after the last few seasons, but for some reason I just can’t look away. Every time a plot hole opens and collapses in on itself, like some black hole of bad writing, and I’m about to change the channel, someone flies into space or shoots a laser beam out of their ear canal and I think “oh, pretty… I guess a few more minutes can’t hurt.” It’s a guilty pleasure to say the least, but at least it’s not crack, right?
House - Hugh Laurie, as Gregory House, is still a dick. He’s still in love with his boss, still tormenting his underlings, and still best friends with his…. well his best friend, who was totally the lead in “My Best Friend is a Vampire”, which was one of the best wacky vampire movies to come out of the 80’s. It’s a great show, but a little formulaic after several seasons.
Castle - You know what I said about the Big Bang Theory? Well, forget it. Castle is the best show on Mondays, and the best show on television. Any time I can catch a glimpse of Nathan “Captain Tightpants” Fillion on the tube I’m a happy camper, so giving him his own show pretty much moved me to the campground. Fillion plays Richard Castle, a “rock star novelist” who is working with the NYPD for book research. He is paired with Stana Katic who plays Detective Kate Beckett, a no bullshit cliche’ of a female cop. Seriously, the show follows every single formula that’s worked for every single show, but apparently if you get actual talented actors, and cram all of the formulas together, you get the best damn show ever. Fillion and Katic are the best team on television, period.
WEDNESDAY:
Glee - I don’t know how to describe Glee in spoken word. Only by singing and dancing in an off Broadway number or runaway pop hit can I truly express the pure, concentrated awesome that is this show. It’s the darker side of high school musical. Which makes sense seeing as how it’s written by Ryan Murphy, who is also the writer for Nip/Tuck. If you’re not watching Glee, and singing and dancing along, you’re not cool. Period. Go to Hulu right now and catch up before the fall break.
Nip/Tuck – Sex, Surgery, and Slater (Mario Lopez… I know, I was reaching) come together for the latest and greatest season of the hit show about two guys who cut people for money. Look, trying to dig out a plot here is like trying to find a single moral value. It’s vulgar, a little gross at times, with a lot of really awkward and uncomfortable sex scenes, but it’s visually beautiful, extremely well written, and brilliantly performed by the cast, who have all paid there dues by now.
THURSDAY:
Supernatural - Sam and Dean, the Winchester brothers, are back again, this time on a hunt to kill the Devil himself in order to prevent war on Earth between Heaven and Hell. What started as your typical “freak of the week” Xfiles-esque scifi program evolved over the course of four seasons into something completely different, which few shows ever do. The character development on this show is what sells it for me. Each week, you get to see almost every character age, learn, laugh, cry, and hurt. Old faces are never too far from the spotlight, and the continuity and canon are never strayed from. That’s a hard task to do, especially in horror or scifi, and this is both. The first few seasons are on sale for under $20 a piece right now, so I recommend getting them and giving a great show a chance.
It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia – If you’ve got the sense of humor, it’s the funniest show on television. If you don’t have the sense of humor, you’ve probably petitioned to have it taken off television. What started as an open call from FX for TV pilots has become a show that will be discussed for decades to come. Insanely funny, morbidly creepy, and terrifyingly awkward are just a few ways to describe it. Every week a new internet meme is born from this show, every week it’s catch phrases are quoted down school hallways and in bars across America. Also, it’s the best use of Danny DeVito since the Penguin in Batman Returns.
HONORABLE MENTIONS (Shows that are to be canceled or currently on break):
Psych - Buddy cops, 80’s references, Corbin Bernsen, and the funniest one liners ever written are why I love this show. I’d write more, but I’ll save a proper review for when it returns in a couple of months.
Dollhouse - R.I.P. Joss, once again the cruel overlords of FOX have killed your dream. Why do you keep working for these people, WHY!?
SNL - Still going strong since 1245AD, SNL is the pinnacle of controversy. Either you love it or you hate it, and most people seem to hate it. Somehow though it continues to pull in strong numbers on what could be considered the worst time slot for a tv show ever created. Make some popcorn, pour a stiff drink, curl up under a blanket with your significant other and laugh your ass off. You deserve it.
Well, after reading this you should be ready to start your journey into the world of being a couch potato. A lot of these shows are getting ready for their four week winter nap, so it’s a good time to Hulu or Netflix one or all of them to get caught up before the new season starts. Just for the record, I know there’s a lot I may have left off, or that you didn’t agree with. Feel free to discuss it on the forum or in the comments section. Maybe you can turn me on to something I have been missing. I didn’t add Dexter or True Blood because you have to pay extra for those shows. I felt it was unfair to include them, even if they are two of the greater programs on TV right now.
I hope a few of you get some newfound entertainment out of weeknights after reading this. As always, Thanks!
~Chuck
