Get caught up with Heroes

On Sunday night at 7 PM, NBC will be showing the 3 most recent episodes.
I know this show isn't for everyone, but if you watch the episode that airs at 7 you should get a pretty good idea of if it is for you.
These are actually the second, third and forth episodes, but the second episode had a great recap that will catch you up on everything you need to know from the pilot. So far they have done a really great job of keeping the story interesting and unexpected.
I hope I have given you all enough warning to be able to make time to watch it Sunday, or at least enough to be able to set your TiVos. I will try to give more warning next time.

Why I'm not watching that

I am fully aware that I have irrational reasons for not watching shows, but I am usually willing to give a show a second chance. These shows have already been given a second chance and then I cut em loose.

7th Heaven-I am in awe everytime I watch this show nowadays. It is impossibly bad.
I have given it several chances over its 11 seasons. I first started watching it during the second season and probably watched it for 2 seasons before I just couldn't stomach it anymore. I gave it another chance in the 7th season for Jeremy London (I have to support all 'Party of Five' cast members, it just feels right, I mean they lost their parents on the night of the first episode, I feel like its the least I can do for them. WATCH THE NINE). It was actually significantly worse. The acting was always bad with the exceptions of Reverend Camden, Matt and Simon, but the new actors were horrible. The new kids were somehow worse than I thought possible, Peter was catastrophic and the twins were mutants. The "lesson of the week" stories were cheesy and always stretched too far to be enjoyable. Strangely, using a "lesson of the day" is now one of my favorite teaching methods, and I think that is strongly due to 7th Heaven influence.

House-I feel that I already am gruff and irrational, and I don't really need a role model who is also a total asshole. I watched this show when it first started and was unimpressed. Then I saw ads for the show constantly. In each of these ads, House was seemingly just being a dick to be a dick. I think I actually came to the conclusion that I do not like the show, because of the ads. I did give the show another chance at the beginning of season 2, but I couldn't get over my aversion to Dr. House. I am aware that the stories may be good and even inspire hope, but I just can't.

CSI:Blah Blah Blah-The first 2 seasons were great, but at some point it just got boring and a little depressing.
When the first season came out, I thought the show and the reenactments were innovative and interesting. Then someone decided that it was better to make the show shocking, than to worry about the stories. Part of what made the show good was its unique twist on storytelling. Once the injuries became the focus, the show lost steam quickly. and now there are three of them?

Law & Order-I actually really liked the original, but I haven't watched it in about 5 years. I was addicted to 'SVU' for awhile and I thought the first season of 'Criminal Intent' was great. Somewhere along the line I realized that I couldn't take all of the dark story lines and I cut most police/crime TV shows off. The only show that made it through the cut was NYPD Blue. I am aware that all three shows are good and I fully agree that Vincent D'Onofrio is great, but I really don't feel like I need to watch another depressing/senseless/horrible crime under the 'L & O' brand.

American Idol-Okay actually I watch this one, but every year I swear I'm not going to watch it anymore. I check out the auditions for the bad singers and Simon's awesome responses, but I get hooked once I see someone who I think is actually good (This year I thought Paris was going to much better) and then I'm in it till the end. But American Idol is where I draw the line, I don't watch any other gameshow, reality show or contest. The closest thing to this I even condone is 'Extreme Makeover:Home Edition' because they do actually help needy people. Through some strange line of thought, I do however watch all Real World and Road Rules shows on MTV. I know they are bad for me, but it is just a great thing to watch as I'm faling asleep, I swear its not a problem, no really I can stop.

How I Met your new favorite comedy

Man, cheesy titles are so unnecessary.

I was a bit behind on some of my TV viewing this week, and I just watched the most recent "How I Met Your Mother".
Go here and click on the "missed an episode" banner, you can see the episode in question. There is a time crunch though, since there is a new show airing at 7PM Monday and around that time the episode "Ted Mosby, Architect" will be replaced. Just so you can make sure you are watching the right episode, it starts with two first fight conversations.

It is the sort of episode that you don't need much of the backstory to catch up quickly.
This episode is great, the guys reaction to "Field of Dreams" alone is better than most comedies get out of a whole episode.
Go Watch It Now!

What I'm watching

Here is what I am currently watching on network television.
Yellow-I highly suggest, White-Check it out if you have time, Blue-I don't even know why I watch it

Sunday-
Simpsons - Classic show, you almost have to watch it. returns Nov 5th.
Desperate Housewives - Last season was bad, this season is making me realize that I hate soaps and a couple of my shows are getting awfully soapy.
Runaway - Donny Wahlberg isn't really good and the show is not very believable.
Brothers & Sisters - I really only watch it because it is in fact a TV show, but its growing on me(this is how I get in trouble and watch too much TV)

Monday-
Prison Break-This show could fall off fast. returns Oct 23rd.
How I Met Your Mother - really is a well done comedy and NPH is hilarious.
The Class - It is getting better and Jason Ritter is someone I really hope does well.
Two and A Half Men - Charlie Sheen may be the highest paid comedic actor on tv, but its a devalued market(not even close to Friends or Raymond money) and he is funny
Heroes - I really like it(as I've said before) and I'm excited to see where it goes.
Studio 60 On The Sunset Strip - Not enough people are watching this show and it would be an "Arrested Development"-sized disappointment if it gets canceled.

Tuesday-
Gilmore Girls - This show now bums me out, and it used to be so enjoyable.
Friday Night Lights - So far this show has been able to get me excited about High School Football.
The Unit - David Mamet and is the creator/executive producer/writer of this great Special Ops military drama
Veronica Mars - The next "Buffy"? Not quite, but it comes close. I missed the first season but got caught up very quickly due to DVD technology.
Smith - Pulled off the schedule, but not officially cancelled - The first episode was near perfect, the second silly and irrelevant, the third average, and now Ray Liotta will probably go back to doing movies.

Wednesday-
Jericho - Handling an atomic explosion is like the ultimate IPDE application, we must watch so we can learn, we must watch so we can prepare. Or you admit that its just a Sci-Fi show and you sit back and enjoy it, as we all do with our disaster movies.
Bones - Anyone from "Buffy" automatically gets a more dedicated viewing, this show comes in just below a must watch but is a great "CSI"-alternative that is actually good at balancing the crime and the characters personal lives. returns Nov 1st.
30 Rock - Not much to say about the first episode, but I haven't been able to make it all the way though yet, so there may still be hope.
Lost - Seriously, just watch it. It is a very easy show to watch on DVD and its not as frustrating when you don't have to wait a whole week for the next episode. There will be 7 consecutive episodes this fall and then 15 consecutive in the spring.
One Tree Hill - It has happened twice so far this season that during the same episode I have had moments that remind me of why I really like this show and moments that are so cheesy and soapy that I can't stand it.
The Nine - So far I really like it, and there is so much they can do with the unknown events from the 52 hour hostage situation.

Thursday-
Smallville - I can't wait for the Smallville/Heroes crossover.
My Name Is Earl - Great show, When Joy is drunk she may be my favorite character on TV
The Office - By far the best comedy on TV. How in the hell are more people watching "Ugly Betty" than this show.
Supernatural - Weekly Ghost/monster/demon stories that are usually pretty good.
The O.C. - It used to be so good. Why do I still watch High School Dramas? No really, will somebody tell me. Even if I do find the the "Dawson's Creek", I'll still feel a little dirty watching it. returns Nov. 2nd.
ER - The past 2 seasons have been excellent. Pratt and Kovac make a pretty bad ass duo of doctors, and I think it's my favorite cast since about 2000. Right now Ray, Neela and Morris are some of the funniest and most interesting secondary characters the show has had in awhile. I have had a mild obsession with Abby (Maura Tierney has been one of my favorites since her "Newsradio" days) and Sam(I think I've been in love with Linda Cardellini since "Freaks & Geeks"(I have to double parenthesize to make a point about what a great show that was))for quite awhile. And then you add Busy Philipps(she is overacting and annoying, but I still have hope that she can turn it around) and John Stamos(Uncle Jesse) as well as the fact that the show isn't just recycling all the story lines and you can see that this show may actually hitting a peak in its 13th season.

Friday-
Thank God I don't have anything on Fridays to distract me from "Battlestar Galactica", but I may give "Las Vegas" a try again.

Saturday-
The networks don't even try anymore

Okay so I am (admitting to) watching about 22 Hours of TV, and I'm only "highly suggesting" 6 hours. Record some shows and give them a chance when you have some free time.

Underappreciated Holidays.

It has come to my attention that 2 of my favorite holidays are hardly recognized let alone celebrated.
Both have a rich and blurry history, but are truly days to be celebrated.

The first is Friendsgiving, this holiday was held just before the original Thanksgiving celebration. This started out as a way for all of the pilgrims to have a special celebration of their own before they had the official Thanksgiving with the Indians*, while at the same time making sure that everything went according to plan.
The first Friendsgiving was supposedly held about a week before the first Thanksgiving but that subject is up for debate. Typically, most people celebrate Friendsgiving the second weekend of Novemeber, but I have heard of it happening on the first and third weekends as well.
It really is a great way for friends to get together and celebrate without family, inlaws or Indians. Since this was originally a test run for the official Thanksgiving, all of the traditions are the same; Turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, corn and all the normal good stuff.
I have always thought of Friendsgiving as a great way to get together with friends you may not be able to see during Thanksgiving. Also, most of the pressure is off in this "friends" setting and it is a great way to expand your circle of friends.

The second holiday is near and dear to my heart.
The MMBBB, or M&M Triple B.
Unfortunately, much of my research was lost when my hard drive failed so its all up to my fragile memory to piece it back together.
It was started by a group of patriots in the 1930's who thought that pride in Memorial day was fading as the country was lost in the Great Depression. In order to bring back the glory of Memorial day, they thought they needed to create more of an organized event for the day. On the morning of Memorial day in 193?, they brought the once proud day back to its previous glory. The morning started with a bottle of Jim Beam and a brainstorming session. The rough idea of the day is to recreate a breakfast that would have been typical to soldiers, a group all working together to cook a breakfast over an open fire. This was the start of the Memorial Morning Breakfast Barbeque Bash.
Nowadays, the MMBBB is celebrated with pancakes, eggs, bacon, sausage, hash browns or any breakfast food that you like(some of the menus I have seen have been pretty extensive), but it has to be cooked outdoors over a open flame. Currently, the best way to recreate the soldiers' meal is by use of a skillet on an outdoor grill or grills. It is also a must that you uphold the traditions of the MMBBB by enjoying a few adult beverages. You may be a traditionalist and drink only Jim Beam, but I strongly recommend a mixer if you do.
Somewhere along the line, peoples priorities shifted as parades became the "event" of the day on Memorial Day.
I feel that, together, we can bring back this once proud tradition.


*If I offend anyone deal with it, and Indians are welcome to Friendsgiving

Battlestar Galactica

Okay everyone needs to be watching Battlestar Galactica(Friday at 8 on SciFi, with several replays throughout the week).
It is a great show, and all episodes are easily available.
The Miniseries, Season 1 & 2 are all available on DVD and iTunes, so get it in your Netflix que or try a couple out on iTunes. Also all the season 3 episodes will be available on iTunes for $1.99 24 hours after the first airing.

I just saw this hilarious music video about the differences between the original and the new SciFi show.

A Case of the Mondays

I don't have any fancy TV grids yet, but I am sure you can imagine what it would look like.

Monday your #1 priority should be "Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip"(9 on NBC) watch the latest episode here. You can also buy the first 2 episodes on iTunes for just $1.99.
The show is another Aaron Sorkin creation(West Wing and Sports Night) and I believe it is better than both. I thought Sports night was great, but looking back on it, it really was a sketch of things to come. I thought West Wing really set the bar for all ensemble dramas over its first couple of seasons. But as I said, I think Studio 60 is better.
You have a great cast including Matthew Perry(Friends) with his official return to both TV and the network that made him famous. There is also Bradley Whitford(West Wing and Billy Madison), Amanda Peet(The Whole Nine Yards and Jack & Jill), Steven Weber(Wings) and DL Hughley(The Hugleys). The entire cast is very good, the scripts are great and the show is very enjoyable.
For those of you that don't know the show's premise, it's an ensemble drama set behind the scenes at a Saturday Night Live-type show.

It happens to work out that another intriguing show on Monday is also on NBC "Heroes"(8 on NBC). So far they have done a great job of not backing themselves into to a corner with how this could possibly end. This show is using the new Lost-style slow reveal of the story and the characters and so far has constantly left me wanting to know more. Some good news, Heroes was renewed for a full season, so you don't have to worry about watching it just to have it cancelled early.

Also on Monday is CBS's block of comedies, "How I Met Your Mother"(Now at 7 on CBS), "The Class"(Now at 7:30 on CBS) and "Two and A Half Men"(8 on CBS). The Class is a borderline suggestion, 2 1/2 Men is regularly funny and enjoyable but How I Met Your Mother is really good and a must watch. But talk about a stupid move, How I Met will be on DVD November 21 not giving anyone a chance to fully catch up until we are well into the new season. You can see the most recent episode of all these shows on CBS's innertube.

"7th Heaven"(if you like the cheesy writing and remarkably bad acting) and "Runaway"(filled with cliches and pretty hard to believe) on The CW have been switched to Sunday. "Everybody Hates Chris"(a really well done and enjoyable show) and 3 other comedies that I don't even want to list.

"Prison Break" is a great show, or at least was for most of the first season. It is off for the baseball playoffs, but will be back in October 23rd. So far this year it has gotten a little too over the top , but it still is an intense show that usually has great recaps to make it easier to catch up. The first season of Prison Break is available on DVD, so get it in your Netflix que right now. "Justice" is a show that I should really like, but for some reason I have no opinion on it. It stars Kerr Smith(Jack on Dawson's Creek) and Victor Garber(Sidney's dad on Alias) and doesn't let us know how the crime actually happened until the last minute. It's a good concept, but so far everyone has been telling the truth. I want someone, that I totally believe to be innocent, to completely make up their story and get away with it, without giving us all of the little clues that are typical to the spoon fed lawyer shows. Justice will be back with Prison Break on the 23rd.

What do I think of television?

I enjoy a good concept.
I enjoy a well executed story arc.
I enjoy an innovatively shot scene.

This is what I enjoy about television in addition to the whole "liking a show" thing.

Everyone can identify some shows that are "good" to them, and some may even be able to tell you some good shows that they aren't watching. But rarely do they understand why there are so few good shows around.

The downfall of good TV was Who Wants To Be A Millionaire.
I believe this game show came at a point when people were finally starting to demand intelligent and complex shows. Unfortunately when the game show craze hit many excellent shows were overlooked and ignored.
With all of the copycat game shows, there were fewer slots to fill with scripted shows. Some good shows got cancelled like Once and Again and Party of Five, and I'm still really bitter about losing the Salingers so early.
The distraction of stupid game shows has managed to significantly dumb down America, and has also forced many excellent shows to go unwatched and under appreciated.

Sports Night was an fantastic show that really started the careers of Felicity Huffman(Desperate Housewives), Peter Krause(Six Feet Under) and writer/uber-producer Aaron Sorkin(West Wing and Studio 60). Unfortunately this is the first in a series of shows where the only identifiable reason for its failure, is that it was too smart.

Then when game shows fizzled, along came my nemesis.
Survivor.
I watched the first season and enjoyed it. But then the reality fad went crazy and there were even fewer slots for scripted dramas and comedies.
I truly hate reality shows for this very reason. They took away at least 4 or 5 hours of shows every year that could still be on the air right now. The networks found that both of these types of shows were significantly cheaper to produce, since they weren't hiring actors or writers they thought they found a gold mine. The networks also went with safe but stupid shows, which somewhat explains "Yes, Dear".
Fortunately most people tired of the game show, unfortunately too many reality "game" shows are still on.

The simple fact that a genius show like Arrested Development (reairing weeknights on G4 at 10:30) can be allowed to end after 2 1/2 years is amazing. It is the funniest show that has ever been on television, and the only reason it was canceled is that it was too smart for the TV audience.

The long winded point I am getting at is that television has been chasing advertising dollars in the wrong way.
TiVo and DVRs are here, there is no fighting it.
People are going to skip commercials, and not everyone is watching their favorite shows live.
It is time for the networks to get their acts together, and they really are trying.

It seems that just about every new show has an eerily similar companion; "Studio 60" and "30 Rock", "Vanished" and the recently cancelled "Kidnapped", "Ugly Betty" and "Jericho" and to a lesser extent "The Nine" and "Six Degrees".
But at the same time many of these shows are brilliant and shouldn't be missed.
But you shouldn't have to choose between "How I Met Your Mother", the show on the CW that I refuse to admit exists and "Prison Break" but you probably did. Can you really be expected to watch "Jericho", "Bones", "One Tree Hill", "Lost" and "The Nine" all on Wednesday night? If you are cursed enough to watch Survivor, have you also enjoyed My Name Is Earl and The Office?

NBC has full episodes on their website. They also have deleted scenes and 2 minute replays of most if their shows.
Fox has FOX on demand for many of their shows(including the great midseason show The Loop).
CBS has Innertube where you can also watch full episodes of selected shows(watch Jericho to get a glimpse at what I imagine in my Red Dawn fantasy).
ABC has full episodes of most of their shows available.

With all of these options I feel like this is the first time that I can recommend a show without having to personally catch someone up. It used to be that I would play a tape for someone, play from my DVR or just describe the important situations and events.
Now I can say "You should be watching Studio 60, Heroes and Jericho" and you can at least watch the last episode and usually the premiere or at least a extensive recap.
If people are talking about the show and watching it in some form it can only increase the long term exposure of the show and the profit on future seasons and DVD sales(another weakness of mine that I am too embarrassed to get into).

I am hoping to keep this updated enough so that you can at least try all of the shows I believe you should be watching.
So if you can bear with my pointless ramblings I may just help you find your new favorite show.