A Pretty Good Year in Television

I cannot say I like year-end lists, yet I would like to highlight a few shows that demonstrated to me at least that television is alive and well.  Here are some of the new shows of 2010 that I believe are worthy of mention (and watching) in no particular order: 

-- Caprica - This Syfy series sets up the framework for the fine series Battlestar Galactic.  It has been a terrific series of story lines with fine acting from stars such as Eric Stoltz, Paula Malcomson, Esai Morales, and others.  It is worth watching just to see the virtual world created by the young people in the Caprican society, a very real and scary portrayal of how this such a technology may be used in the future by our own young people.  The final episodes of season one will be shown next year starting on January 4.  Sadly, the show is not expected to see a second season.  You can follow the future of the show at The Caprica Times.

--  Justified - Visit my past comments on this FX show.  Season two starts February 9.

-- How to Make it in America - Visit my past comments on this HBO program.  Season two is scheduled to start sometime next summer.

-- Louie C.K. - Visit my past comments here and here on this FX show.  It has been renewed for a second season to be shown sometime next summer.

-- Terriers - Visit my past comments here and here on this FX show.  Unfortunately, FX decided to kill the show, so one season is all we get.  The network executive who canceled the show had this to say: "I don't know if subtlety is something the American public is buying in droves." He added, "When I look at 'Jersey Shore' and the Kardashians and 'Sons of Anarchy' and 'Walking Dead'... I wouldn't say that subtlety and nuance describes the most successful kind of pop content in America today."

-- Rubicon - View my past comments on this AMC show.  The network has officially announced that a second season will not be produced.

-- Raising Hope - View my past comments on this Fox show.  This is the only major network program I included in my list.  It has already been renewed for a second season and new episodes will be broadcast in February.

-- Southland - View my past comments on this TNT show. Season three begins on January 4.

That's it.  Nine new shows in 2010, though three are already dead after their first season, while a lousy show such as The Bachelor is in its fifteenth season.  I would like to say it is the networks that are dumb here, but I am starting to think it is primarily the audience. Nonetheless, I will continue to highlight good TV here.

The New Alf?

Remember the TV show Alf?  Running from 1983 to 1990, the network put out more than 100 of these alien life form (ALF) episodes about a visitor from the planet Melmac who decides to stick around in the Tanner family's living room.

I never believed that prime time could support a puppet show, but I was proved wrong.  In fact, prime time also works for cartoons (e.g., The Simpsons, American Dad,  The Family Guy, etc.).  So I guess anything is possible.

And it appears that Elijah Wood will test that theory.  His new FX series, called Wilfred, will premiere soon.  It is basically an Australian transplant about a man who sees his dog as a man in a dog suit while the rest of the world simply sees a dog.  Elijah has been striking out as a leading man in a number of films, such as Oxford Murders, so he is hoping TV will offer him a new venue.  I cannot say the plot sounds all that intriguing.

Australia just finished viewing season two of their version, so some people seem to like it.  I just read a review of about the Australian version and already know the U.S. may not be ready.  It is defined as "a comedy series about a bong-smoking dog that has sex with a cat and a teddy bear." It is also "peppered with profanity, full-frontal nudity and jokes about rape."  Maybe FX can get away with this.  Stay tuned.   

Update:  The show premieres on June 23, 2011.

Southland Worth Another Look

I recently finished viewing the second season of TNT's Southland series (you can obtain free online episodes at TNT).  Originally broadcast on NBC, it was picked up by TNT when NBC was too dumb to know what it had (this seems to be pretty common with the dinosaur networks - large stumbling beasts with tiny brains).  The first season consists of seven episodes, followed by six episodes in the second season.  Technically, this is not even enough shows for a full season (which is usually 15-25 episodes), but this is what they decided to do.  Nonetheless, I have enjoyed each and every show.

The two leads on the show, rookie Ben McKenzie (officer Ben Sherman) and his partner Michael Cudlitz (officer John Cooper) make a great centerpiece to the show, being the present day Adam 12 team.  Ben McKenzie is a great fit as the "spoiled rich kid" who took to the streets, the modern day version of Platoon.  It's a nice role for McKenzie, who we last saw playing to down-and-out, adopted toughie on The O.C.  The rest of the cast, most as plain-clothed detectives, round out the show and provide the depth we come to expect from such law and order programs.  However, interestingly enough, there has been no courtroom order on this program.  You see what the cops see and that is all.  The only other competing interest is the public relations team, always sure to reroute resources too keep the taxpaying, connected well-to-dos happy.

I was surprised to see C. Thomas Howell in the series.  I did not recognize him at first given the amount he has aged. While he is only about 43 in the show, he looks about 60.  I don't know what has happened to him over the years,* but he gives a great performance as an annoying alcoholic who almost kills his partner.  While I thought he was only going to appear on the pilot, he has been a continuing character.

The last I read, TNT ordered 10 new episodes for season three, which is slated to start in January 2011.   The TNT website advertises a start date of January 4.  I look forward to seeing the cast of characters again for another season.  At least TNT seems to realize what they have here.

* Note:  According to comments in IMDB.com, C. Thomas Howell suffered problems back in 2003:

In 2003 he was hospitalized for 4 weeks because of a ruptured appendix, a very serious illness, fatal if not treated on time. He lost 45 pounds and surgeons had to take out 3 feet of his intestine among other things in order to save his life. That's the real reason behind his gaunt look in all his movies between 2003 and 2005. As of today he has fully recovered. He's currently working out with a trainer and he has already gained 12 pounds of muscles and his face has filled back. He's also following a strict protein and carbohydrate diet.

Who are the Real Zombies?

Is it just a coincidence, or is AMC's The Walking Dead trying to tell us something?  Coming just two days before the national election, I can see some startling parallels to our current situation.  For instance, "zombie" is defined as "...a human being who is being controlled by someone else by use of magic."  Now I don't know if Fox News has any real magic, but I would have to say it has an awful lot of control over a number of scared Americans in this current economy.  In fact, the road sign below was flashing a warning in Texas just last year, so we cannot say we did not see this coming.
And how does one take out a zombie?  Well, I would like to think we can simply break the spell through a more thorough study our current options in this economy and a rational discussion.  I expect tonight's show will have a few more options, as Hollywood always does.  I would also like to think we can simply shame some of the more extreme elements in our society, act like adults, and agree that we all have the same goal but a few different ways to get there.  Yes, reasoning with a zombie, but also taking out the witch doctors controlling them.  I don't even think I am the first one to bring up witches in this campaign season.  So, sit back, enjoy the show, and think about what you can do to break the zombie spell and bring a little bit of sanity to this world.  Hollywood can only do so much.

Rubicon - Modern Day Spying?

I noted in my last update that I enjoy the new show Rubicon.  Well, I have watched the entire season and I hope to see more.  The New Republic had a good article on the show, noting that the show had the feel of a 1970s version of spying rather than our current period:

Yet as that last detail shows, it’s not easy to credibly imagine a '70s-style conspiracy taking place in the 2010s. At a time when the very survival of newspapers is in doubt, the idea that an all-powerful military-industrial cabal would use newspaper crosswords to send a signal feels laughably out of date. Likewise, the show’s attempt to recreate the mise-en-scene of those '70s films meant that practically no one at API—supposedly the most clued-in and powerful part of the intelligence community—is ever seen sending an e-mail or consulting a database; instead, they check out printed reports from a library, or make calls on an (easily traced) landline.  

However, I believe that is part of the charm.  In a time of high-tech gadgets, super computers, smart phones, and twitter, it was a nice change to see a show where the team sat around a conference table discussing motives, geography, and ideas.  You had a sense that each of the team members would be great contestants on Jeopardy.  This came to the surface at the end of the show when the FBI shows up looking for a list of potential terrorist targets and you truly get a sense of how the intelligence teams' collective mind works differently than the "feds" and their predictable approach to a crisis.

The show is unpredictable, well-acted, full of shadows, and always one step ahead of you (similar to their prey).  I will take this over gadgets any day.  I am hoping for a second season, but nothing has been said yet.

The Fall Tsunami

Okay, I am coming out from under the tsunami of fall programming.  I still do not understand the clustering of so many programs.  I probably give up on half of them since I simple do not have time to see them nor room to store them.  To date, I have a list of over 50 television programs that I hope to get back to someday, though I am less than optimistic.

Few of the fall shows have impressed me, and I am still finishing up new shows from the spring and summer, such as Rubicon, which many critics had called slow and dark, and yet it was just what I was in the mood for when it started - a detailed unraveling of a story with a collection of personalities who kept you interested.  TV has not done so well with such stories in the past, but I am glad they are still making them.  I particularly like the main character Will Travers, played by actor James Badge Dale, who was also excellent HBO's miniseries The Pacific, which aired earlier in the spring.

And while we are talking about this pre-fall release of programs, I have already noted my feelings on The Gates, Haven, and Louie.  I liked Louie from the start, whereas The Gates and Haven grew on me a little more slowly.  And this is the point, I had a chance to enjoy these shows in an otherwise boring season of returns.  This is the way to build an audience.

So, as I was saying, this fall season was too much, though I did watch quite a few of the new programs.  As the new season rolled out, I liked Terriers, decided I did not like Nikita, and then found the true gem of the new season - Fox's Raising Hope.  This new show brings together a talented pool of new and known actors to show the modern day mix of Roseanne meets Raising Arizona.  Is it brilliant?  Not at all.  But is it worth 30 minutes at the end of a long day?  Absolutely.  And while it has an odd start with van sex, a baby, and the the execution of the mother, it will grow on you like a fungus (that tickles).

That's about it.  NBC's The Event did not leave me asking "What happens next?"  Instead, I was asking "What were they thinking?"  It was a waste of Jason Ritter's talents, who has not really had a break since Joan of Arcadia.  I was already tired of Lost by the time it ended and I suppose I am not looking for that level of drama again for some time. This is something the networks do not always get.  Just because something worked before does not mean it can be used over and over again.  I believe this was proven with the short-lived FlashForward, which I admit I watched for awhile and yet my interest waned as did that of most viewers.

I have seen plenty of other shows that are worth picking apart for the pure enjoyment of it, but I will try that another time.  Of course, many of these shows are already being canceled, so we shall see which ones will be around to analyze.

The Right Network?

Clearly Fox News is not be enough for the growing Tea Party movement and resurgent Republicans.  As a result, the Right Network is here to add a little more content.  And what does this new network hope to accomplish?  In its own words, we are told:

We seek to present the values and beliefs that America was built upon. We aim to be straight shooters and will always come to the party with a potent point-of-view. But we will not dominate the conversation… we'll stimulate it. And we will listen happily as the many voices of the Right combine. We'll always encourage debate and we will not shrink from the fight, if it's a fight worth having. 

So far the programming is thin, with programs such as short cartoon called "Flatbed & Ned" and "Soapbox Guy."  I enjoyed the first part of a documentary program "Do As I Say," where the narrator does a pretty good version of Michael Moore from the Right.  I am all for duking it out with solid research and a bit of humor.  I just hope there is room for moderate voices from the Right rather than the loony-right, which is where I would put flaky Michele Bachmann who wrote a piece on 9/11 posted to the network site.  If you look at the comments to her piece the individuals are not really all that stimulating in their viewpoints.  Time will tell.