My Crazy TV Slut Poll

[shadowkat]

Thought I'd do an impromptu poll to test the waters out there - see what the majority loves, hates, etc. Also it's admittedly a way to entertain distract myself at work.
[I took it first, but discovered that I screwed up on the second question. My answer should have read Cable - no premium channels - but with DVR - no didn't screw up after all.]

[Poll #1068794]

Optional questions that require a response or a meme on your own lj:

1. What Show Did you Love last year and have given up on this year?
Boston Legal and possibly Friday Night Lights

2. Name two Premium Cable shows you love or if you don't have Premium Cable you rent on DVD to watch when they become available and/or download?
Weeds. And maybe Dexter.

3. What TV Series are you in love with and have bought on DVD? (Something other than BTVS, ATS, and Firefly and more recent.)
Dresden Files and BSG (possibly)

4. Name one - three (up to three) TV shows that you really wish people would watch or at least try on DVD if they aren't available to everyone via TV? (Try not to mention BTVS and ATS and Firefly)
Battle Star Galatica - because it dicusses what is happening now in an interesting way and is a novel for television.

5. Name one-three (up to three) tv shows that premiered this summer that you loved?
Burn Notice

6. Name TV shows you hate and explain why. Which do you think should be cancelled or have passed their prime - and you'd cancel if you could??
The Bachelor...because I find it demeaning towards women and men.

7. Name a TV show you would bring back from death for at least one more season and name the show on the current schedule you'd kill in order to save it?
Dresden Files. I'd kill Moonlight and put Dresden Files in its place.

Comments

[masqthephlsphr.livejournal.com]

I watch a lot of TV, but it's mostly DVDs.

[kokyu.livejournal.com]

My favorite new show started a couple months ago, AMC's Mad Men. It's brilliant.

My favorite returning series is probably Scrubs. I am also quite fond of The Wire and Eureka.

[ann1962]

I love TV but often don't have time. So I am a tightly scheduled tv slut. Sluttish? Hee

I watched the first 10 or so minutes of Life and loved it. I love the lead, who was in Band of Brothers. He is a great actor. I saw the last 15 minutes of Bionic Woman. Good enough, tempered by what I wish it was, and what it didn't seem to be. I dipped into the last episode of Smallville, after not watching for several seasons and was pleasantly surprised.

I am often interrupted watching shows by putting kids to bed and other stuff. This year I won't be interrupted watching SPN and Heroes. I make sure of that. Interestingly the kids love Chuck. So it seems we are all watching that.

[shadowkat67.livejournal.com]

I've decided DVR's are dangerous things - it has made it possible for me to watch more tv than ever before. Ordinarily I wouldn't have been able to watch anything after 10pm (get up early for work the next morning) or two shows appearing opposite each other. Now? Ugh.

I agree on Heroes and SPN. Really love and look forward to both each week.
Their characters and stories oddly comfort, resonate, and entertain me.
They may be the only two shows I would worry about missing.

Life surprised me. The Newsweek critic *really* hated it. So I went in with low expectations. But have seen two episodes of it, and fell in love.
It reminds me a great deal of Homicide: Life on the Streets. It has that same grainy realism and character focus which is lacking from the current cop/legal dramas. The characters aren't as pretty. But it does require time to watch it.

I do recommend renting last season's Smallville on DVD sometime. I watched it and SPN over the summer and got hooked on both. SPN is far better.
But Smallville surprised me. What they chose to do with Lana, Chole and Lois suprised me a bit. And the acting improved.

Agree on Bionic Woman - it's good enough, but whenever I watch it I find myself oddly nostalgic over the old Lindsey Wagner version and wishing it contained a little of the emotional resonance that series had. The problem with Bionic Woman is it is too focused on the action, it skims over the emotional bits to get to it. Such as Jaime's loss of her fiance, baby, and rehabilitation - which all took place in less than 45 minutes of air time.
It lacks what Alias and Chuck both have - which is the emotional impact. Those two shows handled/handle the juggling act between "superhero espionage" and "ordinary life" far better I think. They are less cliche and less shiny.

[embers-log.livejournal.com]

I just can't afford to spend the $ on cable's premium, besides I can't have digital and use my VCR, so I'm sticking w/basic cable....

1. What Show Did you Love last year and have given up on this year?
I didn't LOVE 'How I Met Your Mother' but I watched it regularly, I've given it up because there is too much competition this year.

2. Name two Premium Cable shows you love or if you don't have Premium Cable you rent on DVD to watch when they become available and/or download?
Um...none?! I've thought about Weeds, but I'm still catching up on all the British TV I've missed (Jonathan Creek, Kingdom, and many more).

3. What TV Series are you in love with and have bought on DVD? (Something other than BTVS, ATS, and Firefly and more recent.)
I'll buy the 3rd & last season of Veronica Mars (I already have the first two), and I've been collecting the British show 'Extras'....
I would like to own Doctor Who, but I need the price to drop... a lot.

4. Name one - three (up to three) TV shows that you really wish people would watch or at least try on DVD if they aren't available to everyone via TV? (Try not to mention BTVS and ATS and Firefly)
I do love BSG, but sorry: the only shows I force my friends to watch are Firefly and BtVS (what can I say?)


5. Name one-three (up to three) tv shows that premiered this summer that you loved?
Eureka and Painkiller Jane

6. Name TV shows you hate and explain why. Which do you think should be canceled or have passed their prime - and you'd cancel if you could??
Virtually of the reality shows, but I'm not watching them so it is hard for me to even know the titles....

7. Name a TV show you would bring back from death for at least one more season and name the show on the current schedule you'd kill in order to save it?
Dresden Files. I'd kill Moonlight and put Dresden Files in its place.
But But Moonlight isn't even on Sci-fi channel...!

I enjoy Moonlight so far, but I would have liked it if Dresden Files could have returned... I would get rid of Buck Rogers, or Smallville, or Dirty Sexy Money, or dozens of other shows I never watch and can't remember the names of.

[embers-log.livejournal.com]

Oh and I really hated 'Big Shots' too, after 10 minutes I just couldn't bear it another second.

[shadowkat67.livejournal.com]

Doesn't have to be a show on the same channel. And Dresden and Moonlight are similar concepts, one just resonates with me better than the other does.

Have you seen Smallville recently? Not what you'd think. (You can't kill shows you've never watched -only ones you have. ;-) )

Oh, it's not Buck Rogers - it is Flash Gordon. And I agree. But no need to worry. Already been cancelled. It won't make it to season 2. Painkiller Jane, Flash Gordon, and Dresden were all cancelled according to what I read.

Sigh, I know far too much about this for my own good. Oh well, it's better than being addicted to crack or alcohol or cigaretts, I suppose. ;-)

[embers-log.livejournal.com]

Sorry (re Smallville) I tried it when James Marsters came on and I really can't like it; I've tuned into both Smallville and Supernatural periodically and I'm just not feeling the love.
I did enjoy Painkiller Jane, and I'm sorry to hear it didn't make it (but not surprised, it was a show primarily about a woman that was primarily written by women).
Moonlight IS silly, but some silly appeals to me, and so far (there have only been 2 episodes so far) this one seems like fun to me.

Different things resonate w/different people...as you know.

[shadowkat67.livejournal.com]

Absolutely.

Re Smallville - the season with James Marsters was amongst the worste - I stopped watching during that season. Actually stopped during the season before it. (Seasons 4 and 5 were truly bad.) But Season 6? Surprisingly good. I gave it a try during the Summer when there was zip on. Same with SPN (which I didn't like previously - the Amber Benson episode was amongst the worste episodes of that series.) It's like anything on TV, there are horrendous episodes and really good ones. (People on my flist got me to try SPN, guy at work got me to try Smallville again, and people on flist got me to give Doc Who another chance (another show that I found too silly at first and wished would go away). As you can see? I tend to change my mind about things. I go from hating a show to liking it and vice versa. Am a very *moody* tv viewer, I'm afraid. Hee.

I don't hate Moonlight (it just makes me miss Dresden). Sort of ambivalent to be honest. Haven't seen the second episode yet - it's still on my DVR. Unfortunately, from what I've read that episode's writer, David Greenwalt, has since left the series. Consider Greenwalt was supposed to be the "producer" and "show runner" along with Ron Koslow (who did Beauty and the Beast) this is not a good sign. I don't know what Moonlight's numbers are, but Women's Murder Club should be premiering soon and it may well kill it. Right now, oddly enough the two highest rated new programs are: Private Practice and Bionic Woman.

Painkiller Jane got axed for the same reason as Dresden, low ratings. It clocked lower than Dresden did apparently. Flash - got the highest ratings of the three programs but still got the ax. Doctor Who right now is the highest rated program on Sci-Fi along with maybe SGA. (Flash got 2.2 in the ratings game. To put this in perspective? Veronica Mars was cancelled after a 2.4/3/4 share. It's all about the numbers in the Entertainment Biz - or any Biz for that matter. )

[embers-log.livejournal.com]

I just heard bad news for Bionic Woman: evidently an 8-10% drop in ratings for the second week is deemed to be okay, but Bionic Woman dropped 20%, which doesn't bode well.
Evidently Heroes is in some trouble too.

Pushing Daisies had a great first week, but according to the entertainment news show I watched the ratings tonight will be the really test.

Oh and Back to You (Kelsey Grammer's new show) had a horrible 2nd week, of course it was up against Pushing Daisies' premier, so we'll see how they both do tonight.

I won't be shocked or upset if Moonlight doesn't last, CBS expects better ratings than CW or even Fox expects, so I'm half expecting it to disappear soon.

[shadowkat67.livejournal.com]

Interesting. According to TV Guide - Private Practice and Bionic Woman are the surprise hits (of course TV Guide is only talking about the premiers and forgetting that premiers can often bring in a bigger audience due to curiosity factor - it's the second and third episodes that tell you if the show will continue. Sigh, time was a tv show would get at least 13-20 episodes before being cancelled. Now we're lucky to get 5. Too much competition, methinks.

I'll be surprised if Pushing Daisies makes it - it's soo different and has a lot of really tough sells. (I loved last night's episode, made me laugh out loud more than once. Particularly Kristen Chenworth's rendition of the old Olivia Newton John Grease song - Hopelessly Devoted. But...will it appeal to the vast majority? )

Moonlight has had a troubled history. It has changed its entire cast at least once. Now it seems to have shake-ups in the creative team. Doesn't bode well.

What will be interesting is the effect that a potential writer's strike will have on everything. That may kill and/or save some programs.

I think Heroes will probably survive another year. NBC tends to like to hold on to shows longer, also it's still in the top ten more or less, which is more than I can say for a good percentage of NBC's shows.
Plus they have Heroes origins in the works.

Bionic Woman and Heroes lower ratings could spell trouble for Life and Journeyman. Those two shows are more likely, unfortunately, to get the ax than BW and Heroes are.

But all of this is just guesswork, no clue what these people will decide.
I keep wishing Private Practice would die in the ratings, really hate that show, but it appears to be doing better than anything else that premiered.
So, with my luck? It'll probably be the only one that survives...which come to think of it might not be such a bad thing - means I watch less tv. ;-)

[embers-log.livejournal.com]

I loved last night's Pushing Daisies too, but I did find myself wondering how long the show will last: this cannot be main stream fare!
It is like the sweet happy bastard daughter of Twin Peaks, which was so off beat and unusual, it had a following and the network kept it on most a a year, but most people weren't trying to watch it because it was too weird.
(that had been appointment TV for me back then).

I think in the old days it took a lot longer before the networks got reliable ratings numbers, the kind of hard figures that would effect how much they could charge for advertising.... So back then it was easier to let the show stay on the air, and if it did find an audience then great (Seinfeld was VERY week in the ratings for almost an entire year).
But now all the computerized/instant data means that over-night they learn that the numbers are weak and the advertisers won't pay much for the air time... And consequently a lot of shows that COULD find an audience never will. sigh

Oh well, I watch too much TV as it is, I can't regret shows I like that get canceled.

I'm really surprised you hate Private Practice, you still like Gray's Anatomy don't you? Is it that different? I don't watch either of them so I don't know anything about what they were doing w/the spin off (except that Marti Noxon is running the new show, isn't she?).

[shadowkat67.livejournal.com]

Re Pushing Daisies - I agree. It does feel like the bright cheery bastard daughter/son or brother of Twin Peaks. Or what Twin Peaks would have been if it had been directed by Brian Fuller as opposed to David Lynch. Twin Peaks was the first series I religiously taped and I did it mostly for my brother who couldn't get the episodes in college. So I'd tape them and let him watch them when he came to visit or just gave them to him outright.

But it was a cult series - that was almost too weird for most viewers. None of my friends watched it. Most didn't even know about it until years later.

What you said about Seinfeild was also true. I remember being amongst the only people I knew that watched that series for a long while. I actually prefer the early seasons of the show before it became so popular. Cheers, Hill Street Blues, St. Elsewhere, and Night Court were all much the same way. Shows that were very low in the ratings and hard to find. Few people watched them to start with. Cheers - the first season? Was in danger of cancellation. (Another show that I preferred the earlier seasons to the later ones.) But in those days networks gave shows a chance. They still do to a degree - all those shows were on NBC and NBC continues to save shows that don't do well right off the bat. Recent examples include: Scrubs, The Office, 30 Rock, My Name is Earl, and Friday Night Lights. NBC has a reputation for nurturing quality tv shows. And you will often get to see an entire season of a show play out NBC. Fox, ABC, and CBS aren't as nice about this. I think it depends a lot on what is going on behind the scenes or internally.

Re Private Practice? It's nothing like Grey's Anatomy. Grey's is about a bunch of struggling surgicial interns and residents - sort of like ER except via the pov of a woman as opposed to a man. It focuses on the juggling act of being a great surgeon and having a life, which is of course impossible. Private Practice on the other hand is about a spoiled, beautiful, rich, and very sucessful obstrician who joins a private practice and whines about not having a baby, she has plenty of sex and hot guys, but if only someone would want to settle down with her in her expensive Malibu beach house and have a kid. (Ugh. I spent most of the last year's pilot - wanting to throw things or bored out of my mind.)
It's basically "Men in Trees" without the quirky characters.

[cactuswatcher.livejournal.com]

I don't hate Bionic Woman, it just isn't as good as the others. I've been told the premiere of Moonlight was really bad. The ep I saw wasn't.

Heroes just never seems to go anywhere. Hiro acts cute. Claire frets. Sylar is all evil. Zzzzzzzzz.

[shadowkat67.livejournal.com]

I've always fond it interesting what resonates for people - what turns them on and turns them off.

For example: I find Moonlight okay, didn't hate it. But found it to be a bit on the silly side. Much as you describe Heroes. But Heroes - I find interesting with layers, I see things in it that you don't. It intrigues me. And Bionic Woman - even though so many people online aren't thrilled with it - is doing fantastic in the ratings along with Heroes.

The frustrating thing - is that if the majority doesn't love the same show we do, it dies. If they love a show we hate? It survives. (Not unlike presidential elections now that I think on it. There are admittedly days in which I wish I didn't live in a world run by majority vote...hee.)

[petzipellepingo.livejournal.com]

I have cable but just HBO and Encore with no dvr. But both televisions have vcrs so, for example. on Tuesdays I watch House and tape Reaper. I don't download, buy or rent dvds on any series (except BtVS) because I don't have the time.
And yeah, like you I'd like to have Dresden Files in place of Moonlight.

[scrollgirl.livejournal.com]

I tried commenting last night but my sister wanted her computer back!

Anyway, to clarify my answers: I haven't actually *seen* Gossip Girl yet, but I want to give it a chance in a "yay, pretty teenagers, I kind of miss the O.C." kind of way. Plus, the blonde girl was in Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, and she was awesome.

For returning shows, I'll probably try to keep up to date with Smallville spoilers even if I don't watch the show. Only things I'm watching are Supernatural and House. (Maybe NCIS? Depending on how bored I am!) Not watching Heroes cuz I'm still way behind from last season, and it's just not capturing my interest.

1. What Show Did you Love last year and have given up on this year?
Heroes

2. Name two Premium Cable shows you love or if you don't have Premium Cable you rent on DVD to watch when they become available and/or download?
None. I don't even know which channels *count* as premium cable. I watch CSI on Spike and L&O and Without a Trace on Bravo. Do those count? But those are more of a "I'm bored, what's on the telly" kind of way. Not *fannish*.

3. What TV Series are you in love with and have bought on DVD?
Supernatural. I don't have to buy House cuz my best friend has them all!

4. Name one - three (up to three) TV shows that you really wish people would watch or at least try on DVD if they aren't available to everyone via TV?
Supernatural. Um, can't really thing of anything else. Star Trek DS9? Or if you're talking current stuff, maybe Smallville even though it sucks so often. But it's still Superman and I'm a loyal bitch ;)

5. Name one-three (up to three) tv shows that premiered this summer that you loved?
Haven't watched anything new yet.

6. Name TV shows you hate and explain why. Which do you think should be cancelled or have passed their prime - and you'd cancel if you could??
Most reality shows. I'm sure some have merit but I hate that reality TV is eating up airtime/money from the stuff *I* enjoy!

7. Name a TV show you would bring back from death for at least one more season and name the show on the current schedule you'd kill in order to save it?
Can't think of one. Probably Angel -- but now that I've had time to properly grieve, it ended on such a powerful note that I'm not sure what a 6th season would've looked like. I'd kill CSI Miami (I assume it was renewed?) because Horatio Caine annoys the hell out of me.

[shadowkat67.livejournal.com]

Thanks for the long reply! On Gossip Girl - it's not as good as the OC and I honestly think the creator's heart is with his other show (Chuck) at the moment. (TV writers don't do well when they try to juggle more than one show at a time, one of the shows seems to suffer.)

One of the problems Heroes has is that it is sooo serialized that it is impossible for a new viewer or a viewer who hasn't kept up with it to watch. Lost sort of has the same problem, but not quite to that degree.
(I lovvve serialized dramas, huge weakness for them. But the downside is you have to keep up with them.)

Oh agree on House and SPN - those two shows have been really enjoyable lately.