TV Watch: The New Season

The Girl and I are moving into our Tivo-less television landscape. Honestly, it's a bit frightening. Having to try and watch things when they're actualy on is a bit of a bummer. We're going to be working our cheap little DVD recorder to death. Luckily we discovered that we can record on one channel while watching another.

So what's on our list of shows to watch? Here's the early candidates:

Veronica Mars
We're one disc away from finishing the second season, almost in time for the premiere tomorrow night. This show really is wildly good. Easily mistaken for a candy coated teenage soap mystery - it's actually somewhat complicated and gritty. You'll hate a character at the beginning of an episode and love them by the end of one. Is Weevil a cold blooded killer or a gangster with a heart of gold? Yes, yes he is. The only thing about recommending this show is that I can't recommend it without catching up on the first two seasons first. You're just robbing yourself.

Studio 60
Sports Night remains one of my favorite series of all time. Studio 60, also from Sorkin, rings of a slightly more complicated version of his old show. It's what Sports Night might have been if Dan and Casey had left the show in a flurry of controversy and only returned after Dan had survived some drug addicted rage trip in Bangkok. Well, maybe not quite - but the show follows that wonderful hum that Sports Night managed to hit - so I'm hoping it will be just as good.

Heroes
My jury is still out on this one - but it had a pretty strong premiere. The "real world" heroes concept isn't entirely new (Marvel's New Universe, anyone?) and this is certainly still Hollywood "real world" (where even the poor little hookers or drug addicts are hot as hell). Still, the show had grit and the acting is definately capable of carrying the premise. My only real worry is that it's been hit with the Lost bug and will try and play up it's own internal mystery too much. Already they're straining believability with the amount of character crossover in just one hour of watching. We'll see if it pushes the storyline or simply breaks it.

Doctor Who
I'm already half-way through the second season, thanks to the power of intertubes connected to my walls. While I think Battlestar Galactica is a better show, no show on the air gives me more geek joy than watching The Doctor done properly. It's fun with a dash of serious drama. Hoping Torchwood makes its way just as well.

The StandBys
Of course there is still Earl, The Office, Lost, Smallville and Battlestar. Medium as well, I guess, although Monday is getting awful full at this point. I might have a theory post for Lost before it starts up again this Wed.




tagged: televsion