TV Slut strikes again: Friday Night Lights, Big Bang Theory amongst others

Been watching a lot of tv on and off today. The best and most memorable by far were Big Bang Theory (possibly the only situation comedy show that I've seen in the past ten years that consistently makes me laugh outside of Stephen Moffat's Coupling and As Time Goes By, most sitcoms make me cringe...with the possible exception of the Paintball episode of Community - which was an absurd tour de force, unfortunately the rest of the show hasn't quite lived up to it, although the pillow fort episode did result in quite a few giggles. I also miss it most of the time because it's opposite Vamp Diaries and Big Bang Theory which entertain me more. It should be noted that I have an admittedly odd sense of humor and most physical or humiliation comedy makes me want to switch channels. Situation comedies and criminal procedurals are the two genres that I appear to be extreemly picky about.) and Friday Night Lights (which made me cry, and I rarely cry at tv shows. Character X died on Vamp Dairies or Game of Thrones? Eh. But the scene between Vince Howard and his Dad...tears are silently streaming down my face.)

Friday Night Light's - a tv show that centers on a high school football couch and his wife (who is a guidance counselor) in West Texas is possibly the best scripted television drama series that is not violent and does not center on cops, lawyers, or doctors. Although I'd say it's actually better than most of those. Beautifully written, acted, directed and produced, with a beautiful and quiet musical score - it is perfection. Never quite drops into melodrama. The only season that went off kilter may have been the second. But the last two have been almost perfect. It is one of the few tv shows that realistically portrays high school, sexism, racism and classism in the US. If you have not seen this gem, rent it. Of course, once you do, you'll look at other tv series in the same genre with a bit more of a critical edge.
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Big Bang Theory - was hilarious this week. It isn't always. It does have it's cringeworthy episodes. I adore three of the female characters - Penny, Amy (Sheldon's girlfriend), and
Pria - the Indian Lawyer. ( spoilers )

I also watched Grey's Anatomy - which isn't working for me at the moment, the story lines feel a bit contrived and over the top. More so than usual. I admittedly have a high tolerance for this sort of thing...but it's going through a slump. Let's face it - I watch the show primarily for Cristina Yang and she's been on back-burner status for far too long, so has Alex Kerev and
Chandra Wilson's Bailey. I love Callie and Arizona, don't get me wrong, but their story-line is a bit too melodramatic even for my taste. And don't get me started on what Kim Raver's character is doing. Granted, it probably doesn't help that I watched Friday Night Light's after it.

The Killing - I've given up on. Too bleak and noirish even for me. It's a show that just makes me incredibly tired. No idea what the Danish version was like, although from what my flist states - I'm guessing it at least had a sense of humor in clothing choices. This one is very understated and very bleak.

Upstairs/Downstairs Take 2 was not well done. The third episode did not work at all. Bad casting for King George - he looked exactly like the protagonist, and didn't have a stutter, resembled the head of the household/protagonist so closely in fact that I couldn't tell them apart at first. The sister, Lady Percy, made no sense. The storyline about the protagonist's sister was right out of a penny dreadful. Just didn't hold together and the only interesting characters were given short shrift. After watching Downton Abbey - I found Upstairs/Downstairs to be a bit of a mess.

Nikita - did this get renewed? Because it feels like they are trying to wrap up the entire series in one season. They are moving that fast. ( Read more... )

Breaking In - a show that should be funny and isn't. It's Christian Slater's latest outting, proving once again that Slater like so many others of that generation can't quite cut it as an older actor. He was great in his early twenties and teens. Want to see some good Slater pics? Watch Heathers and Pump up the Volumn. I fell in love with him in Pump Up the Volumn. The show's about a bunch of theives hired by a crazy security guy portrayed by Slater - who has them test various company and government security systems by Breaking in. It's sort of a comedic version of Leverage, except Leverage is funnier and considering it is not a comedy that is saying something. Granted, I don't laugh at most situation comedies - so...it may be a subjective thing. But I found this thing to be silly in comparison to Big Bang. Probably shouldn't have watched Big Bang first.

Off to watch Doctor Who, I think. Not sure yet. Am taping it, and True Blood S3...although I think I missed the first couple of episodes. My first episode is the one where Sookie tries to shoot a werewolf and shoots Eric instead, insisting on going to find Bill - Eric sends Alicide with Sookie to protect her. My difficulty with True Blood is it is almost too over the top - ie. it suffers from the same problem as Glee - more interested in being satirical than in well grabbing my emotional interest. This is in part the fault of the source material - you can't take Sookie Stackhouse that seriously even in the novels...she makes Elena in Vamp Diaries seem like a genius in comparison. That said, there are things I enjoy about True Blood - even liked in the books, but I finally gave up on the books because the writing grated on my nerves. Harris sucks at dialogue, and we'll leave it at that.