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...

Busting a Recap

By on Jul 31, 2009 in In Production |

The following post was originally published on my old blog on January 24, 2009. I wasn’t going to watch the hour-long recap before the season premiere of Lost Wednesday night, but my mom wanted the refresher course. (And actually, I probably needed it, too.) I have to say, I was impressed. Not only did the recap distill four seasons of Lost into one hour, but it did so comprehensively and smoothly—with natural progressions and seamless segues, no less. And I realized why it was so successful: it didn’t burden the viewer with synopses of storylines and profiles of characters that don’t play a part in the upcoming season. It just gave viewers the essential info for the characters that are still around and the storylines that are up in the air. With a show as plot-heavy as Lost is, the recap was essential. And, luckily for us, it did the show proud.

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...

The Woes of Standard Definition

By on Jul 29, 2009 in In Production |

The following post was originally published on my old blog on January 21, 2009. First a pipe burst in my parents’ house. Then the insurance company compensated them generously. Then my parents upgraded my old bedroom to a media center with a beautiful LCD TV. And then, on the next vacation I had from school, I was utterly spoiled. Spoiled not because I could set the DVR to wake me up to Discovery’s Sunrise Earth (one of the most pastoral, minimalistic hymns to the beauty of nature available on basic cable), but because high-definition television is life-changing. Once you go HD, you never go back. So, why, I beg of you, why do networks insist on slumming it by broadcasting shows in standard definition? My mom, lover of dancing shows that she is, recently checked out NBC’s Superstars of Dance. Host Michael Flatley proclaims that it is the “greatest dance competition show on Earth.” Oh,...

The Pros and Cons of Starting “The Mentalist”

By on Jul 25, 2009 in Inner Monologues |

The following post was originally published on my old blog on January 21, 2009. Every fall, I play the television lotto—picking out which shows are worth adding to my (considerable) viewing schedule and hoping that they don’t get cancelled. Sometimes I’m lucky with my choices (read: Heroes and Brothers & Sisters), and sometimes I’m unlucky (I miss you, Aliens in America and The Ex List!). One of the shows I decided to skip this season was The Mentalist, and now that it’s soaring in the ratings, I’m starting to reconsider. So begins the inner monologue/debate: PRO: It’s the highest-rated of all the new shows this season and almost the highest-rated of all shows, new or old. So I could conceivably start watching it without the concern that it will be cancelled the moment I begin. CON: It seems to err too much on the side of the procedural and not enough on the side of the serial for...