My Favorite TV Shows (right now) Part 2
Last time I covered my television viewing setup(s) and other technologies that enhance the TV watching experience. In this installment we’ll get into the actual shows themselves.
On With The Show(s)
As I said before, I’m just going to give some brief info about my favorite shows, and may or may not write more in depth info on them in future installments. All of the shows are grouped by where you can watch them (free broadcast, premium channel, Internet, etc). Some have just ended a season, or are in the middle of a season and some that aren’t showing new episodes right now have at least been confirmed to come back this fall.
– Free / Broadcast Television –
The first group is the most accessible since they’re broadcast over the air and anybody with a television can view them for free.
| Show Name: | Lost |
| Channel/Where: | ABC |
| When aired: | Wednesday nights (current season over) |
| Genre: | Drama / Sci-fi / Fantasy |
| Content Rating: | PG |
| Types of content: | Action / Violence / Drug use |
| Age: | One season |
| Cast: | Matthew Fox, Harold Perrineau Jr., Evangeline Lilly, and several others |
| Why I like it: | Great writing, strong characters that you care about, and it’s just a lot of fun to try and unravel the mysteries before the answers are revealed. |
| Improvements needed: | None that I can think of. It’s awesome. |
| Summary: | Lost is about a group of 40 or so airplane crash survivors on an uncharted tropical island. The island (and it’s new inhabitants) have some mysterious qualities and powers. One man, John Locke, was paralyzed from the waste down before the crash, but can miraculously walk after the crash. One child, Walt, seems to have some kind of ESP and things he sees/thinks somehow come to be. The castaways have come across polar bears (remember, this is a tropical island!), giant mechanical “”security”" devices, and a capsule that is somehow locked from the inside, and appears to be a tunnel to further mysteries below. There is also a series of numbers that are frequently referred to that hold some kind of magical power and somehow tie everything together. Through the first season we discover that there is another group of people on the island, who are very dangerous. Somehow they have power, and a boat, and they seem to want to get their hands on babies/children, but we have no idea why. The show focuses on eight or so primary characters and intersperses flashbacks that expand on why they were on the ill-fated flight and offer glimpses into their motivations. It is so well put together and has a perfect pace of offering the answers to head-scratchers, while presenting new ones (the Carnivale writers should take some notes!) |
| Show Name: | Arrested Development |
| Channel/Where: | Fox |
| When aired: | Monday nights |
| Genre: | Comedy |
| Content Rating: | PG |
| Types of content: | Adult humor |
| Age: | Two seasons |
| Cast: | Jason Bateman, David Cross, Jeffrey Tambor |
| Why I like it: | Incredibly funny, interwoven plots with long story arcs and a perfect cast |
| Improvements needed: | None – this show is about as perfect as prime time comedy gets |
| Summary: | I think that this is the best written comedy show on the air today. The characters are very deep, vibrant, and quirky and are perfectly brought to life by the cast. The stories are equally detailed, while still being light and funny. I was astonished when Fox cancelled this show, and was equally relieved when they pulled their heads out of their butts and picked it up for new episodes in the Fall. |
| Show Name: | The Office |
| Channel/Where: | NBC |
| When aired: | Tuesday nights (coming back in the Fall) |
| Genre: | Comedy / Mock documentary |
| Content Rating: | PG |
| Types of content: | Adult humor |
| Age: | Partial first season |
| Cast: | Steve Carell and other people you’ve never heard of |
| Why I like it: | Solid dialogue, and hilariously absurd characters |
| Improvements needed: | Can’t think of anything |
| Summary: | The Office is a mock documentary that follows the employees of a paper company as they plod through menial sales jobs. The key to the show is the quirky and varied personalities of the staff, and the conversations and antics throughout the day. The Office originated in the UK and is the first comedy that’s come across the Atlantic and actually worked (NBC tried to port Coupling, but really missed the mark as they tried to Americanize it). Ricky Gervais who created the original show is an exec producer on this version and, though he doesn’t get involved in the writing, seems to have had a good influence in keeping the feel and humor of the show, while making it accessible to general American audiences. I don’t think that it’s quite as good as the original, but my sense of humor is a bit different than most people. The American cast is about as good as it can get in matching the UK counterparts (something else that missed on Coupling) and while Steve Carrol’s idiot boss is a bit different from Gervais’ David Brent, he is just as much fun to watch. |
| Show Name: | Medium |
| Channel/Where: | NBC |
| When aired: | Monday nights |
| Genre: | Mystery / Sci-fi |
| Content Rating: | PG |
| Types of content: | Mild violence, occasional scary images |
| Age: | One season |
| Cast: | Patricia Arquette, Miguel Sandoval, Jake Weber |
| Why I like it: | Interesting plots and a cool twist on the average detective show |
| Improvements needed: | Episodes are frequently predictable and uses convenient writing (characters don’t notice stuff they should, to stretch stories and fill time) |
| Summary: | This show follows a psychic medium as she helps the District Attorneys office solve crimes and put past wrongs right. She experiences challenges in raising a family, while being compelled and pulled by unseen forces to solve mysteries. The show is excellent at drawing you into liking and caring about the main characters just as you are intrigued by the circumstances and stories behind each murder mystery. |
| Show Name: | Scrubs |
| Channel/Where: | NBC |
| When aired: | Tuesday nights |
| Genre: | Comedy / Drama |
| Content Rating: | PG |
| Types of content: | Some adult jokes and situations |
| Age: | Four seasons |
| Cast: | Zach Braff, John C. McGinley, Sarah Chalke, Donald Faison |
| Why I like it: | Solid dialogue, with deep characters you empathise with. |
| Improvements needed: | None. |
| Summary: | This was my favorite comedy show for a long time (until Arrested Development came around). It follows three young doctors in their first years of medical practice at a hospital. They tackle some heavy subjects with comedy to make you think, without being heavy handed or preachy. It’s a good mix of heart felt, emotional moments and laugh out loud situations with a dash of slapstick. |
| Show Name: | Family Guy |
| Channel/Where: | FOX |
| When aired: | Sunday nights |
| Genre: | Animated / Comedy |
| Content Rating: | PG-14 |
| Types of content: | Very adult jokes and situations, foul language, deviant refernces |
| Age: | Four seasons |
| Cast: | Seth Green, Mila Kunis |
| Why I like it: | Exactly my brand of quirky, funny, surreal comedy |
| Improvements needed: | I think they sometimes actually go a little too far for network television.. but hey, that’s why we have the V-Chip |
| Summary: | Similar to the Simpsons, Family Guy follows a family of seemingly ordinary cartoon people through their daily lives. Though, this family contains and a walking/talking dog, and an evil-genius toddler who builds ray guns, and space ships, and is bent on killing his mother and ruling the world. The show has many similarities to the Simpsons, but is different enough that you don’t feel cheated. It definitely is written for adults with plots, references, and visuals that occasionally rival the depravity of South Park on Comedy Central. Family Guy is interesting in that Fox cancelled it a few years ago, but the DVD sales of the first two seasons were so strong and it became so well known that they were compelled to bring it back! |
| Show Name: | Big Brother |
| Channel/Where: | CBS |
| When aired: | Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday nights |
| Genre: | Reality |
| Content Rating: | PG |
| Types of content: | Physical games/puzzles (obstacle course), mundane conversations and strategizing, some arguments/name calling/angry behaviour |
| Age: | Six seasons |
| Cast: | N/A |
| Why I like it: | Brings out voyeuristic tendencies watching in on a house and it’s occupants as they try to win lots of money |
| Improvements needed: | Not sure.. it can definitely be improved, but I’m not sure how |
| Summary: | This is a reality game show that places a diverse group of people in a house for months without any contact with the outside world. The house guests vote once a week to evict one of the occupants and are put through various challenges for rewards from food, to prizes, to leadership roles in the house and week-long immunity form being voted out. It’s pretty amazing what people will go through for a chance to win a boatload of cash. It’s also fascinating to see their private “”diary”" moments as they explain parts of their strategy, and then see how well they stick to them, as well as alliances and friendships with their other housemates. |
| Show Name: | The Amazing Race |
| Channel/Where: | CBS |
| When aired: | Tuesday nights (coming back in the Fall) |
| Genre: | Reality |
| Content Rating: | PG |
| Types of content: | Physical games/puzzles (obstacle course), mundane conversations and strategizing, some arguments/name calling/angry behaviour |
| Age: | Eight Seasons |
| Cast: | N/A |
| Why I like it: | Breathtakingly beautiful exotic locales and fierce competition makes for a fun evening of television. |
| Improvements needed: | Please, please don’t put past reality show contestants in the mix! I think it ruined last season. |
| Summary: | The Amazing Race follows teams of ordinary people as they follow clues around the world in a globe trotting race for a million dollars. Each leg of the race brings an opportunity to win cash and prizes as well as the possibility of coming in last and being kicked out of the competition. The contestant pairs might be friends, spouses, relatives, co-workers, etc. and come from every walk of life, ethnicity, and age group. The show is fascinating in how it tears some couples apart, while bringing some closer together than they’ve ever been. – showing each other physical, mental, and spiritual strengths they never knew they possessed. |
Stay Tuned…
Looking back, I think it’s best that this get further broken into a much longer series. Next time we’ll delve into the world of Basic Cable/Satellite Shows and hit the remaining categories in coming weeks.
Until next time.. happy viewing!
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