The pickings are pretty slim on the traditional networks. The only show that I really enjoy on the networks is the ratings challenged “Friday Night Lights”. I guess people aren’t watching because they still think it is just about football. Not so. This is the best drama on network television with a superlative cast. The first season was perfection, the second season stumbled in the first half but gained its footing to finish strong. Can’t wait for Season 3. I highly recommend renting the first two seasons on Netflix. I also watch “Heroes”, because although they have made some mistakes, they take risks worth taking and the narrative is quite complex for network TV. I gave up on “Lost” in the middle of the second season, but my wife is still a devoted watcher. My wife’s tastes baffle me sometimes. She watches some great shows with me, but then she also watches the family of “CSI” shows and “Grey’s Anatomy” religiously. (For the record: I hate “Grey’s”, the original “CSI” gets props for starting it all but the formula is as stale as year old bread, “CSI: NY” is watchable because of the slumming Gary Sinese, and “CSI: Miami” is terrible beyond words). We’ve been enjoying the first two episodes (episode three airs tonight) of the promising guilty pleasure “Swingtown”. They are still able to ride the novelty of the premise (following a neighborhood of swingers in the carefree sexual 70’s), but it will be interesting to see if they can develop these promising characters. And I like “Reaper”.
ABOVE: "Friday Night Lights" is the best show on network television.
But cable is where it is at for great television. We are still hanging in there with the wildly inconsistent (veering from brilliant to cringe-worthy, often in the same episode) reimagining of “Battlestar Galactica” on the Sci-Fi Channel. So many things are so right about that show, but so many other things are so wrong. Denis Leary’s “Rescue Me” has its ups and downs, but generally it is engaging television. HBO set the standard for great modern TV with “The Sopranos” and “The Wire” (two of the greatest shows in the history of the medium), and we absolutely love “Big Love”, the utterly addictive polygamy drama. Season 1 was fantastic, but Season 2 was a masterpiece of television. One of the best seasons of anything on TV ever. Cannot wait for Season 3. Harry Dean Stanton's polygamist cult/compound leader Roman Grant is the best villain on TV, and one of the most sinister characters to come along in a long time. Showtime has entered the sweepstakes with the very promising David Duchovny drama/comedy “Californication” and the outstanding “Dexter”. (I know they showed a sanitized “Dexter” on network TV, but I do not see how good that can be without the essential brutality of the show, as well as the poetic swearing of Det. Doakes. It would be like trying to edit “The Sopranos” for A&E or something. Oh wait, they do that too).
ABOVE: HBO's "Big Love". Seems like a nice problem to have...but three times the lovin' comes with three times the complications. BELOW: Harry Dean Stanton's Roman Grant is one of the best villains on television
In the reality genre, I am still a devoted “Survivor” watcher, although I understand why many people jumped ship on the show long ago. I just can’t. My wife and I love “Top Chef” on Bravo. Not only is it a well done reality competition, but the cooking and food on the show is fascinating to watch. I like that the competitors have to be skilled at something, vs., say, just living in a house and being filmed acting like jackasses (“Big Brother”, “Real World”, a host of VH1 shows). Season 4 of “Top Chef” just ended, can’t wait for Season 5 in the Fall.
Well, that’s all I can think of right now. What shows are you watching?
22 comments:
We are devoted fans of Survivor, as well. Some seasons have not lived up to expectations, but I thought the last season was one of the best. We also watch The Amazing Race.
We are also avid fans of Grey's Anatomy and Brothers and Sisters.
For comedy, we love Two and a Half Men and also sometimes watch The Big Bang Theory.
My wife is a huge fan of Ghost Hunters.
Those are the main shows that come to mind.
Boy, do I have a link for you!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_sarYH0z948
Stick with it. It proves your point and then some...
"The Riches" with Eddie Izzard. I've only seen four or five episodes, and not in the right order. Nor am I even sure if there's going to be another season. But the show is terrific, and Minnie Driver actually pulls off a totally-believable deep-south accent, which is much, much more than one can say for most American actors, even those from the south.
Oh my God, hoodlumman! I have not laughed that hard in a long, long, long time. Thank you for that link!! You are right, it gets better and better the longer you watch. Could David Caruso be the worst actor on television?
I forgot to include Big Love in my list, as well.
I think Friday night lights is unwatchable. My wife loves it, but for the same reason she loves Gray's anatomy. Pretty looking people and melodrama. I do watch FNL with her sometimes, but I really think there is very little difference between that and Guiding Light.
It is too bad you gave up on Lost. It really has recovered nicely in the last season. Great show.
I try not to watch a lot of TV, but I do watch Lost religiously, the office, and very recently 30 rock after giving up on it originally. I used to like Earl, but not as much anymore. I still catch BSG on TIVO and my guilty pleasure is Southpark.
I pass the time with the Hitler (History) Channel but all the Ice Road Trucker and ax men shows are rediculous.
My wife is absolutely addicted to "So you think you can dance." I have to leave the room. Luckily South park is on in the other room. She has her guilty pleasures. I have mine.
Perhaps I would watch Swingtown, but it takes place in the 70s and I just can't stand looking at that much brown and orange. The wife saw it and thought it a bit over the top.
I don't have HBO/Showtime, etc so I can't speak to those shows.
Good thread
That CSI clip was hysterical!
I love how he always puts his sunglasses on in the middle of his stupid phrase.
Pocky, to compare "Friday Night Lights" to "Gray's Anatomy" is ridiculous. They may both try to travel the same road, but where FNL, by and large, successfully captures the real moments of everyday life, Gray's is completely contrived and panders to the lowest common denominator. I have been forced to watch a lot of "Gray's" against my will, and while they do some things well, I cannot get passed the piss poor dialogue, asinine plot twists and unbearable melodrama. FNL, on the other hand, expertly handles all of its dialogue, the characters earn your sympathy and interest. With the exception of one obvious attempt to boost ratings at the beginning of season 2, FNL has stayed about as true to life as network TV gets. I remember watching season 1 with my wife and commenting to her that they have captured teenage emotions and life better than anything I have ever seen on TV. And the adults are complex and nuanced characters as well. Coach Taylor may be the most likeable and sympathetic character on TV right now.
I just watched that "CSI: Miami" Best of Caruso that hoodlumman suggested again. That is so damn funny.
CSI: Miami is horrific.
FNL is indeed the best thing on TV right now. The Taylors are maybe the best depiction of a married couple I've seen, heard, or read in any medium. They're both just fantastic. And the show is beautifully filmed. The production values are through the roof. More than I can say for "Grey's Anatomy," which is terrible on just about every level. Comparing the two boggles the mind.
Other than FNL (which I'm watching on DVD), I'm a big 30 Rock fan. Past those two, I doubt there's anything on the networks worth watching.
Do you all not watch the office? Or do you not like it? When it is on its "a" game I really do think it is the funniest show ever. Strong word I know. But never in the history of watching tv has a show made me pause my TV just so I can stop laughing
Oh and I have recently caught 2 episodes of rules of engagement. There is some funny stuff on there, but mostly coming from the "Putty" guy from seinfeld. Basically it is a show for him. It is on CBS and I never watch cbs so I missed this show the first time around. But decent laughs.
And fnl is just like greys. Both self indulgent melodrama
Well I've been considering doing a big FNLights post on my blog, but this kind of saves me the trouble.
We just finished the 2nd season; we started watching the show based on the recommendation of Dez and ASWOBA. I thought the first season was outstanding--absolutely one of the best shows I've seen on network TV in years. The depiction of married life, as JMW notes, is one of the most naturalistic and moving of any I can recall. Both actors are superb and just about every scene of the two of them together is fantastic.
The second season, however, was a big disappointment. I realize that the writers had a problem; they couldn't make every season be about football team going to State; they had to expand the show's scope. Unfortunately, in doing so they ended up turning it into a soap opera--a bad soap opera too.
The first episode of the second season tells you all you need to know about what's in store (SPOILER ALERT), when the amiable and feckless Landry KILLS a man and dumps his body in a river.... Come on. So much of what made the first season great was how real it all felt (especially for anyone who knows small-town Texas)--Buddy Garrity, the constant Applebees references, the omnipresence of God. The 2nd season threw all that away. Instead we have murder, pregnancy, a trip to Mexico to see a rogue back surgeon (!!!), drug dealing.... The list goes on. There were still a few good storylines (Santiago, for example) but in general I thought it was a huge comedown.
I hope the 3rd season does a little better. Otherwise, I might have to give up.
To anciant's point, I did not watch with my wife until the second season.
I own the entire British Office series, Pocky, but I haven't really watched the American. I've seen episodes here and there, and they are funny.
ANCIANT, I think you are a little hard on FNL's second season. The murder plot was the real misstep, but the rest was forgiveable. Other than the admittedly silly purpose of the Mexico trip, I thought the actual scenes of the trip down there were fantastic. I enjoyed taking those characters out of Dillon for a little while. And for a guy like Riggins to get involved in drug dealing in a town like that? How does that not feel real? I thought that was a good subplot for the season. Buddy Garrity is a great character, too. Like I said, I think they stumbled out of the gate on the second season, but it recovered nicely in the second half. And for a show that has so much good about it, I'd think you could forgive a few mistakes. But that first season was damn near perfection.
I just watched the Caruso clips for a third time.
OK, I know this is going to frustrate Dez, because he tends to look to me as the television aficionado. But, the truth is that I don't watch much TV anymore. Between my five-year-old daughter and the three hours of studying for the CFA exam that I do each night, I just don't have the time. Don't get me wrong...my TV is almost always on. However, it's usually just background noise for me to listen to and occasionally glance at while I am doing other things.
So, that being said, I tend to gravitate towards mindless reality shows. I actually don't care much about these shows one way or the other, but they are very easy to put on and not pay too much attention to. So, currently, I am "watching" Last Comic Standing, The Mole, Million Dollar Password, Nashville Star, Celebrity Circus, and America's Got Talent. There are also a couple of Japanese game show knockoffs coming up that I am sure I'll be "watching". Oh, and some sort of dog competition, too!
I will actually watch So You Think You Can Dance, if my wife has it on in the background. But, mainly, that's just for the really hot young girls.
I have recorded and saved Swingtown and When We Left Earth: The NASA Missions, but I have not watched these shows yet. If they are anything like the other episodic programs that I have seen in the past, I will watch an episode or two, lose interest, and never watch them again.
As for regular fall-season programming, I watch House every week. The show was fantastic in its first season, but has since developed problems. However, I still love Hugh Laurie and his main character. So, I will continue to support him with my weekly viewings.
I watched Pushing Daisies, while it was on, but mainly that was only because I'm in love with Kristen Chenoweth. I also like the big, black guy from Boston Public. The funny thing about that show is I like the two supporting characters much more than I actually like the main characters.
I am still watching Lost, and I am so glad that I stuck with it. I completely understand why Dez gave up on the show when he did, because there was an extended rough patch there in the middle. However, I think the show has completely redeemed itself, and last season was just as good as the first. Now, that the writers are no longer meandering, and are now working towards a definied endpoint, it will be interesting to see how next season develops.
My top comedies are The Office, 30 Rock, and How I Met Your Mother. That last one is sort of a guilty pleasure, but I'm a huge Neil Patrick Harris fan. Oh, and again, I'm in love with Alysson Hannigan.
I always enjoyed Aliens In America, but Dez tells me it's been cancelled. Oh well, it was fun to watch, but I won't miss it terribly.
I absolutely love Best Week Ever on VH1. Anyone not watching that show should give it a try.
I still watch Saturday Night Live every week. It's got a good cast right now. I think the show is currently at one of its high points. We'll see how long it takes to come crashing down again.
I continue to watch At The Movies With Ebert & Roeper, even though Ebert hasn't been there for two years or so. They've even abandoned the Thumbs Up/Thumbs Down format now, which is kind of sad. Another part of my childhood quietly slips away. Soon, the National League will begin using the DH, and I'll have absolutely nothing left. Thanks a lot, Mr. Chien Ming "I Can't Run From One Base To The Next Without Suffering A Season Ending Injury" Wang! But, I digress...
In the past, I used to watch the following shows regularly, but I have since given up on them: Grey's Anatomy, Brothers & Sisters, and Desperate Housewives. The funny thing about Grey's is I sat down to watch an episode with my wife one night, after a seven or eight-month hiatus, and it was if I hadn't missed a thing. The show had not progressed one bit since the last time I watched!
The one show that my wife has never roped me into watching is Ugly Betty. That show seemed horrible from the very first moment I saw it. So, I have managed to stay away from that one.
I used to watch Meet The Press every week. So, it will be very interesting to see what happens with that now.
There are several shows that I tried to watch, but just didn't stay hooked. I watched Friday Night Lights once, and never gave it another chance. Same thing with Big Love after an episode or two. I actually watched The Riches for four or five episodes, and then stopped watching for some reason. Too bad, really. That seemed like a good show, and I'm a huge Eddie Izzard fan. In fact, I think I probably would have liked all of these shows if I had stuck with them, but it was not meant to be. It's too hard to stay involved with shows like these when you're not really giving them your full attention.
I have tried desperately to get into BSG, but I keep losing interest. I have made it almost all the way through the first season twice on DVD, but I always give up after a while.
I have definitely lost interest in The Amazing Race. If the show concentrated more on the "race" apsect, and less on the contestants yelling at each other, I would be more likely to watch.
Survivor finally lost me this past season. I was a fairly die-hard fan for awhile there, but for the first time, with about a month or so to go, I simply stopped watching.
Big Brother used to be a huge guilty pleasure of mine, but I'm pretty sure I missed weeks at a time during this most recent go-round. Same with Top Chef. I actually really like that show a lot, but I stopped watching this past season after four or five episodes.
So, in summary, the days of "Walter Evans" spending all night on the couch watching TV have come to an end. These days, if I actually have a couple of hours to relax, I'm much more likely to pop in a movie. Sorry, Dez, I know this is probably a crushing blow for you, but life goes on.
Oh, and I just finished watching John Adams on HBO. That was pretty good. You have to like Paul Giamatti!
Walter, that is crushing. You were my go-to-guy for television. But you are right, there are some shows that really do demand (and deserve) your complete attention. "Big Love" and FNL are both like that.
Saxo started but I'll finish it off. The Riches and Mad Men are both worth catching - the NYT magazine has a big piece on the creator of Mad Men, and I recommend it (the article and the show) highly.
I caught about 3-4 episodes of the first season of FNL and really wanted to catch up with it. Maybe on Netflix.
Never seen Big Love, but really want to. Same with Weeds.
Otherwise, we usually catch The Office on reruns on TBS. Top Chef was good this last season, but I didn't keep up with the prior two seasons because the contestants didn't seem to draw me in. We also usually check out Project Runway, but I lost interest this last season halfway through and stopped watching. The designers just seemed very boring this time around.
I used to religiously keep up with PTI, but more so during football season.
I watch Project Runway with some friends, too. We do go through phases of interest and phases of indifference, but mostly it's entertaining. And they're actually doing something. I can't stand 99% of reality shows. Most importantly, you can see what the designers have done. I don't get the appeal of cooking shows. You can't taste anything. What's the point?
Do you cook at all? If so, then it is interesting to see what they are doing. Try out "Top Chef" next season. Very addictive show.
Le chat and Saxo, I'll have to try out the Riches. I've been meaning to get caught up on Mad Men as well. I think the first season is out on DVD next month.
I saw the pilot of Mad Men. I thought it was ok. I like the style but the entire time I kept saying to myself, "it was the early 60s, men were sexists. I get it." Has the show evolved more for that line? I am willing to give it another chance
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