The Hierarchy of Obsessiveness

By on Aug 1, 2009 in Inner Monologues |

The following post was originally published on my old blog on February 4, 2009.  Updates to this post are noted below. Under some pretense of being an organized person (ha!), I keep a very meticulous list of the episodes I have yet to see for all the shows I follow. And I’ve noticed definite trends regarding my level of addiction to certain shows—or the lack thereof—as shown in the following categories. (I should point out that this is nowhere near a comprehensive list!) Must-See TV I want to see it, and I want to see it now. Battlestar Galactica Lost 30 Rock Grey’s Anatomy Chuck Will-See TV I love it, but I might be a few episodes behind. 24 Heroes (Update: Lo, how the mighty Heroes has fallen.) Mad Men Damages Californication Might-See TV I’ve liked what I’ve seen, but I have a serious backlog. Pushing Daisies Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles True Blood...

The Sophomore Slaughter

By on Jul 31, 2009 in Tinseltown |

The following post was originally published on my old blog on January 22, 2009. For some reason, I’m always surprised when shows are cancelled in their second seasons or later. To me, cancellation seems like the gauntlet that first-year shows run, and once they’re past that trial, they’ve earned the right to end on their terms—or, at least, end with a little advance notice. No such luck. ABC reminded me of this misconception a couple of months ago with the sudden (and simultaneous) cancellation of three sophomore series: Pushing Daisies, Eli Stone, and Dirty Sexy Money. I hadn’t gotten into Dirty Sexy Money, but I was a big fan of the other two. And this move by ABC—cancelling three series in one fell swoop—struck me as particularly ruthless. At least when shows are cancelled individually, I can pretend like it was a hard decision for the network to make. But when three shows are...