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Nov. 28th, 2014 06:24 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
shadowkatWhile people watched football, I binge watched The Arrow - now fully caught up, and have decided to continue watching, although oddly for the female characters not the lead. Felicity, Thea, and Laurel - have interesting arcs and are far more interesting than either Diggle or Oliver, which is odd. Now, if only The Flash had complex and interesting characters - it's a wee bit too comic booky for its own good. Granted it's most likely meant to be comic booky, but the Arrow has a wee bit more complexity.
Also caught up on The 100 which has vastly improved over the previous season, it's expanded it's scope, and now feels far more like an ensemble with various points of view. Plus, the characters are unpredictable and rather complex. Finn, who was anti-violence, and the gentle peacemaker, the previous season...has gone a bit on an insane killing spree - the boy snapped. While Bellamy is turning into a seasoned leader who puts others needs first, much like Clarke. Raven - the mechanic, is also quite intriguing...she's struggling with a damaged leg and her interactions both with her CO, colleagues, and Abby (Clark's mother) - I found compelling. Then we have Isiah Washington and Henry Ian Cussak attempting to hunt a peaceful way of co-existing with the grounders, and running afoul of a culture they can't quite understand, and ironically embraces the same extreme survival tactics they'd utilized but in a different way. This series does what sci-fi does best - it comments on itself and humanity's idiotic tendency to pick whatever it takes to survive, damn the consequences to others or the "easiest" route to survival, if the least unethical and the most likely to bite you in the ass in later episodes. Note - if it requires killing, torturing, or hurting other people to further or achieve your aims? It's probably not a good idea.
As much as I like The 100, it's compelling and the characters are interesting, I can't help but wonder if there are any sci-series on (outside of possibly Doctor Who) who are a bit more positive and a wee less violent? That said, the 100 is admittedly amongst my favorite or go-to tv shows on at the moment, and one of the keepers from last year.
Also watched a bit of Constantine - which, ahem, was that my imagination or did the show referencerip-off Doctor Who in the third episode? (It's bigger on the inside, how is that possible? Oh nifty trick, with the card. It's not a trick, it's a charmed card and can be whatever the holder requires it to be at any given time. ) Also referenced Supernatural - with the Winchester rifle. I can't decide if this is meant to be a homage via the writers, or they just borrowed someone else's mythology?
Constantine is okay, but it reminds me a great deal of Supernatural, but with not as much humor, a better actor in the male lead role (I like Matt Ryan - but then I was a Spike fan so this should not come as a big surprise to anyone), and a female lead (who so far feels a bit weak). The demon mythos feels a bit done to death. I don't know if I'll stick with it or not.
So far the only new series I feel inclined to stick with is Gotham - which continues to surprise me and in a good way. Everything else...I feel a bit meh about.
There are a few interesting mini-series coming up:
1. The Red Tent based on the best-seller - is a two night miniseries on Lifetime with a decent cast. Dec 7th and 8th.
2. Ascension - Syfy miniseries courtesy of Canada (which most of Syfy's series actually originate from so this is sort of keeping with tradition). It's based on a series of sci-fi novels about a murder investigation on a spaceship. Sort of space opera meets noir. It's Dec 15, 16. and 17th.
3. Galavant - a medieval musical comedy that reminds me of Shrek or Robin Hood Men in Tights. With sardonic humor. It's on ABC and starts Jan 6. Runs for 6 weeks or 4 weeks, can't remember.
4. Agent Carter - basically the adventures of Captain America's lost love (lost in that he got frozen back in the 1940s and she had to move on.) She's a secret agent with Shield fighting Nazis. So it's a period peace. For 6 weeks.
Apparently mini-series are in again. It's a bright move, also cheaper.
American TV tends to go on hiatus until the end of January - mainly because everyone assumes no one watches it during this period, and to make room for all the award shows, holiday specials, and football games. American tv does tend to cater to Sports quite a bit - which can be a bit annoying, if you are like me and really not that much into spectator sports. The reason they cater to Sports - is whomever is gifted with the Neilsen ratings box seems to think Sports are their drug of choice. The ratings for Football is off the charts. Actually the top of Nielsens are predictably:
1. Football
2. Singing or Dancing Competition
3. Police or Criminal Procedural - the more mundane and episodic, the better ( NCIS, Scorpion, CSI)
4. Buddy cop show (Bones, Castle, Mysteries of Laura...)
5. (Tough Female Drama) Greys Anatomy, Madame Secretary, or The Good Wife
6. Situation Comedy (Big Bang Theory)
I'm amazed we get the variety we do looking at the ratings. Probably due to the cable networks who care more about demographics than high ratings.
Also caught up on The 100 which has vastly improved over the previous season, it's expanded it's scope, and now feels far more like an ensemble with various points of view. Plus, the characters are unpredictable and rather complex. Finn, who was anti-violence, and the gentle peacemaker, the previous season...has gone a bit on an insane killing spree - the boy snapped. While Bellamy is turning into a seasoned leader who puts others needs first, much like Clarke. Raven - the mechanic, is also quite intriguing...she's struggling with a damaged leg and her interactions both with her CO, colleagues, and Abby (Clark's mother) - I found compelling. Then we have Isiah Washington and Henry Ian Cussak attempting to hunt a peaceful way of co-existing with the grounders, and running afoul of a culture they can't quite understand, and ironically embraces the same extreme survival tactics they'd utilized but in a different way. This series does what sci-fi does best - it comments on itself and humanity's idiotic tendency to pick whatever it takes to survive, damn the consequences to others or the "easiest" route to survival, if the least unethical and the most likely to bite you in the ass in later episodes. Note - if it requires killing, torturing, or hurting other people to further or achieve your aims? It's probably not a good idea.
As much as I like The 100, it's compelling and the characters are interesting, I can't help but wonder if there are any sci-series on (outside of possibly Doctor Who) who are a bit more positive and a wee less violent? That said, the 100 is admittedly amongst my favorite or go-to tv shows on at the moment, and one of the keepers from last year.
Also watched a bit of Constantine - which, ahem, was that my imagination or did the show reference
Constantine is okay, but it reminds me a great deal of Supernatural, but with not as much humor, a better actor in the male lead role (I like Matt Ryan - but then I was a Spike fan so this should not come as a big surprise to anyone), and a female lead (who so far feels a bit weak). The demon mythos feels a bit done to death. I don't know if I'll stick with it or not.
So far the only new series I feel inclined to stick with is Gotham - which continues to surprise me and in a good way. Everything else...I feel a bit meh about.
There are a few interesting mini-series coming up:
1. The Red Tent based on the best-seller - is a two night miniseries on Lifetime with a decent cast. Dec 7th and 8th.
2. Ascension - Syfy miniseries courtesy of Canada (which most of Syfy's series actually originate from so this is sort of keeping with tradition). It's based on a series of sci-fi novels about a murder investigation on a spaceship. Sort of space opera meets noir. It's Dec 15, 16. and 17th.
3. Galavant - a medieval musical comedy that reminds me of Shrek or Robin Hood Men in Tights. With sardonic humor. It's on ABC and starts Jan 6. Runs for 6 weeks or 4 weeks, can't remember.
4. Agent Carter - basically the adventures of Captain America's lost love (lost in that he got frozen back in the 1940s and she had to move on.) She's a secret agent with Shield fighting Nazis. So it's a period peace. For 6 weeks.
Apparently mini-series are in again. It's a bright move, also cheaper.
American TV tends to go on hiatus until the end of January - mainly because everyone assumes no one watches it during this period, and to make room for all the award shows, holiday specials, and football games. American tv does tend to cater to Sports quite a bit - which can be a bit annoying, if you are like me and really not that much into spectator sports. The reason they cater to Sports - is whomever is gifted with the Neilsen ratings box seems to think Sports are their drug of choice. The ratings for Football is off the charts. Actually the top of Nielsens are predictably:
1. Football
2. Singing or Dancing Competition
3. Police or Criminal Procedural - the more mundane and episodic, the better ( NCIS, Scorpion, CSI)
4. Buddy cop show (Bones, Castle, Mysteries of Laura...)
5. (Tough Female Drama) Greys Anatomy, Madame Secretary, or The Good Wife
6. Situation Comedy (Big Bang Theory)
I'm amazed we get the variety we do looking at the ratings. Probably due to the cable networks who care more about demographics than high ratings.
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no subject
Date: 2014-11-29 08:29 am (UTC)Definitely.
no subject
Date: 2014-11-29 10:22 am (UTC)This made me laugh. I can only barely distinguish between the different CSIs (the Miami one features the ginger midget, one of them has Grissom (or used to), and one of them is in NY), and I NCIS because I can remember their names. (CSI... Only Horatio & Grissom.) They're pop corn TV, but given a choice I'd rather have Big Bang Theory. :)
no subject
Date: 2014-11-29 03:29 pm (UTC)But I do enjoy Big Bang Theory. Intermittently, but it is the only sitcom on at the moment that I watch at all or find funny.
no subject
Date: 2014-11-29 11:49 am (UTC)Yes, that's what I like about Arrow. It's really an ensemble show with individual character arcs separate from Oliver's. I'm behind on Gotham but have enjoyed what I've seen so far.
no subject
Date: 2014-11-29 03:22 pm (UTC)I've come to the conclusion that I prefer the ensemble series - if one arc annoys you, you have multiple ones to choose from.
I do watch the non-ensemble ones, but the ensemble series tend to hold my attention far longer.