Battlestar Galactica

Well, we will finally learn the final pieces of the story in Battlestar Galactica starting later this week (see my earlier link). And you might want to catch the 10 webisodes if you need your fix. While the webisodes are not essential to understand the ongoing story, its a nice way to learn more about the Cylon occupation and Felix Gaeta's role in the whole thing.

I will certainly miss this program. In addition to great writing, it has given us a chance to reflect on the role of civilization. The story lines regarding family, democracy, war and forgiveness are all relevant yet eternal issues, and we get to witness the struggle each week with unique characters that we cannot help caring about.

One positive note about the future is that the creators may take us to the past. A new Caprica series is in the work. I can hardly wait.

Friday Night Lights

Another show going into its third season this month is Friday Night Lights, a terrific series about a football coach and his family in a small Texas town. This award winning program starring Kyle Chandler as Coach Eric Taylor and Connie Britton as his wife is one of the best written shows on TV today. And while we continually hear stories about the "last season" of this show, it has survived in no small part because NBC knows this story is a gem even if the following has not been significant. One thing I do not understand is why FNL started last October on Direct TV. I am sure it had something to do with money, but it was very confusing to fans and a bit too exclusive for those of us without Direct TV. If this is what is necessary for the show to survive, then I guess this is a reasonable price to pay, but I just don't remember this with another TV program. Oh well, enjoy the show. It returns to NBC Friday, January 16, at 9 EST/8 CST.

January Shows

In addition to the second season of Damages, mentioned below, a number of other shows are returning for another season or their last season, including:

Kyle XY, back for its third season, starts Monday, January 12th, on ABC Family at 9 EST/8 CST. While this started as a "family" show, the storyline is pretty interesting and the Tragers are actually a quirky yet fun family to watch.

The Beast, a new show on A&E starring Patrick Swayze as an FBI vet, will premiere Thursday, January 15th, on A&E at 10 EST/9 CST. Given all we have heard about Mr. Swayze's health, I was actually surprised to see him taking on a new show. And isn't his co-star, Travis Fimmel, an underwear model?

Battlestar Galactica, back for the second half of its fourth and last season, starts Friday, January 16th, on Sci Fi at 10 EST/9 CST. The best show on TV should go out with an amazing bang. I think this was one of the first times a non-network really showed its stuff and challenged the Big Boys to take storytelling serious again. Sadly, the large networks will probably go the way of the dinosaurs as they continue to bet their programming on trashy reality shows.

Flight of the Conchords returns for its second season on Sunday, January 18, on HBO at 10 EST/9 CST. This odd little gem is worth seeing for both its offbeat story and outlandish music.

Lost, returning for its fifth season, will premiere on Wednesday, January 21, on ABC at 8 EST/7 CST. While I am not a true fan of this show, it does have its moments and it to did its part to bring story-telling back to TV (complex story-telling I should add).

Trust Me, a new show on TNT starring Eric McCormack from Will & Grace and Tom Cavanagh from Ed, premieres January 26 at 10 EST/9 CST. The previews are not all that encouraging, but it may be worth a look.

HBO Mini-Series

HBO had some terrific mini-series in 2008, and I am thinking of two programs in particular: John Adams and Generation Kill. And what a fascinating contrast it was.

We saw in one instance the birth of this great Nation in the name of democracy and in the next film we then witnessed this great Nation invading another country using these same words. In both cases someone from afar was more likely to see a large nation attempting to crush a smaller one for dubious reasons.

HBO did all of us a great service in showing us ourselves in each struggle, and it was not always a pretty picture. Even so, it was always great acting.

In terms of John Adams, I will forever remember Adam, Franklin and Jefferson arguing politics in the garden. And the scene where a Yankee President visited the slave-built and occupied White House was quite a statement about the foundations of this new country.

In the case of Generation Kill, the despondent look on the soldiers faces when an Iraqi village was unnecessarily laid to waste told us all we needed to know about the situation on the ground in the early days of Iraq (and many would say even today).

I look forward to future HBO mini-series, even though these two will be tough to top.