• 15Oct 09

  The Ten

  My Top Ten Favorite Current* Series
  
  *On Hiatus/Airing/Returning/Status Unknown with at least two completed seasons (the true test, IMO, should actually be three seasons, but I'll only be left with a top six)
  
  10. 24
  09. Chuck
  08. Damages
  07. Lost
  06. House
  05. Criminal Minds
  04. In Treatment
  03. Dexter
  02. Spooks (aka MI-5)
  01. Breaking Bad
  
  Quick Notes: I'll probably add more of my thoughts (and links to guides) later. Apart from the usual reasons for loving a show (i.e. captivating dialogue, brilliant acting, unique and entertaining characters, interesting storylines, etc.), I noticed overlapping/similar elements among my favorites --

  • protagonist leading a double life (1, 2, 3, 9, maybe 10)
  • my love for spy stories (Alias is on my top 10 shows of all-time; one of my favorite cartoons: Spy vs. Spy -- yes, I'm that literal; although I'm not much into Bond -- James Bond, not S&M bond, not that I'm into that either!)
  • non-scifi/fantasy (except for Lost, which makes this show special for me)
  • preference for serialized over non-serialized/procedural shows
  • dark, disturbing (sometimes depressing) dramas (which makes Chuck special, and Friends too!)
  • not sure if this is relevant... no voiceovers/narration (except for Dexter and quotes from Criminal Minds)
    

  
  Supernatural would've made it if their S1-S3 had the same quality as S4/S5 (reverse scenario for The Office). Medium, Big Love, Grey's Anatomy, and comedies TBBT, 30 Rock, HIMYM are somewhere in the Top 20 (I haven't really thought this through).
  
  Among the 10, I'd say it's only In Treatment that is hard to recommend. It's just a psychotherapist and a patient (five different cases per season/one per day of the week) talking for about 20+ minutes every episode. No special effects. No non-stop action. Not much camera movement. And yet it's still one of the most engrossing TV series I've seen in years. I've actually seen both seasons twice, and I fell in love with the show even more after the second screening.
  
  If you're into NCIS, Alias, The Unit, and 24, I highly recommend Spooks. Just don't check their IMDB listing during the course of watching the series. You'll regret it if you do. Breaking Bad is Weeds on meth (not that I've tried the stuff)! Bryan Cranston winning back-to-back Emmys (as Glenn Close did for Damages) is no fluke. All the rest, I assume you're familiar with.
  
  Which among the ones above make it to your current top 10? Enjoy the coming weekend, everyone!
  
  
  

  • Posted Oct 15, 2009 10:03 pm PT
  • Category: TV
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• 11Oct 09

  EDIT: Telegrams from a TV Junkie (w/ Answers/Possible Spoilers)

  I know I said my next blog was going to be about my Top 10 Favorite Current Series, but random & pointless trumps planned & organized everytime.
  
  Someone sent me these telegrams this past week. Guess which shows are included in the correspondence. One 'STOP' = one show.
  
  

  SLP-DPRIVD SERIAL KILLR LOSES VCTM'S BODY DEXTER BEARD GUY ENDS UP WITH RECESSD PNIS AFTR SHRINK SESSN BORED TO DEATH FMILY MEMBR REALLY SICK BROTHERS & SISTERS COLLGE PROF HAS STRIPPR 4 STDNT CALIFORNICATION HUBBY AND WIFE DINE IN ROME MAD MEN CONGRATS UR FINALLY A REAL ASIAN ENTOURAGE
  
  MYSTRY WRITR LANDS COSMO COVR CASTLE BOWL BOWL BOWL BOWL BOWL HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER DO GOOD GET CHOC THE BIG BANG THEORY ORANGE JUNK ACCIDENT ACCIDENTALLY ON PURPOSE BOY FRM BROOKLYN MEETS MOVIE STAR GOSSIP GIRL BSKTBALL STAR MAKES TBLOID FRNT PG ONE TREE HILL DCTOR DOES MIME DIAGNOSIS HOUSE TIME JUMPR TRIES 2 SAVE JUMPR HEROES GRL WITH D.I.D.: VICTM OR KILLR? LIE TO ME
  
  MUSIC EXEC POSER BUSTD BY GF 90210 U.A.V. GOES HAYWIRE NCIS: LOS ANGELES AGENT DOES UPSIDE DWN MANATEE NCIS LAWYR DEFNDS SON OF FORMR FRND THE GOOD WIFE VEHICLE GOES KABOOM SONS OF ANARCHY BABY JST WONT STP CRYING BEING ERICA
  
  FATHR-SON 'JEALOUS MUCH?' LAND BOAT BONDING COUGAR TOWN WING CRACKD PROPELLR BENT AFTR PLANE CRASH MODERN FAMILY TEAM TRIES 2 CATCH PLANNR AND ENFORCR CRIMINAL MINDS PILLS CAUSE HYPERACTIV SING-OFF GLEE HOT MAMA CAUSES POOL 2 FREEZ OVR EASTWICK
  
  SHIRTLESS DUDE'S GOT NIPS SMALLR THAN HAMSTR'S COMMUNITY CROWS FALL FRM SKY FLASHFORWARD MYSTRY MRDER IN UTOPIC SUBURBIA BONES DADDY NEEDS UR LIVER GREY'S ANATOMY LIKE I SAID 'NICE SHOES' PRIVATE PRACTICE WAR IS COMING TWO SNOWGLOBES COLLIDE FRINGE OUR HERO HAS MAN-IN-DIAPERS 4 A HERO SUPERNATURAL WEDDNG ATTNDEE WEARS WIG AND TISSUEBOX SHOES THE OFFICE OPENED VAULT 2 D TUNE OF UNDR PRESSURE CSI FEMALE CRIMEFIGHTER IS D SUSPECT THE MENTALIST
  
  METRO TURNS INTO RESIDENT EVIL TOWN SMALLVILLE DENIED PAROLE AND JAIL HOSTAGE SITUATN FLASHPOINT CROSS-GENDER BODY SWITCH DOLLHOUSE GIFTD CHILD DRAWS BLOODY RED STP SIGN GHOST WHISPERER 2 ASTRONAUTS COMPETE 4 A JOB MEDIUM

  
  Thanks to everyone who guessed. Have a wikad week, ya peepsies!
  
  EDIT: I counted 41 'STOP's. You can "cheat" (use TV.com, google, TV sites) all you want. Once you figure out why the telegrams are blocked that way, it's much easier to guess the shows.
  
  
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  • Posted Oct 11, 2009 6:14 pm PT
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• 9Oct 09

  This is Your Pilot Sneak-Peeking... Again

  Laziness got the better of me, so it took me a while to follow through with the pilot mini-reviews.
  
  Quick Update: Aside from Glee and Modern Family, I wish to add Community as a new comedy series recommendation. After a shaky pilot, the show keeps getting better and funnier. I especially liked the 3rd episode ("Introduction to Film") -- Abed (Danny Pudi) and Professor Whitman (John Michael Higgins) were just hilarious!
  
  DRAMA PILOTS (in reverse order of preference):
  
  If you're forced to live on a desert island and can only watch three new drama shows while there, I highly recommend the last three on this list! I'm too lazy to write down what the shows are about and my airline seating rating for each. Just know that if you're flying with the first five, don't forget to bring your chutes in case you plan on bailing early. If I were you, I won't even bother stepping onto the plane now. I don't know how, but you can always board when it's flying steady past all the turbulence. [If you're lost with the clumsy airplane metaphors, I can't blame you.]
  
  
  
  
  Amidst the jazillion crime procedurals on TV, a new crime show has to bring something new to the table for it to stand out. Upon seeing the previews, I was already skeptical of this show about identifying John/Jane Does and bringing them home to their respective families. It doesn't necessarily focus on solving the crime (CSI) or preventing another crime (Criminal Minds). The redemption lies in giving a name to the "forgotten" so their families and friends can pay their final respect. I was (at the least) expecting to be moved once the victim's loved-ones achieved some sort of closure, but somehow the pilot failed in this regard as well (at least for me). I'll feel bad for Christian Slater if ABC ends up canceling the show (which is more than likely). I even liked his canceled series from last year (My Own Worst Enemy) much more. I guess it won't be long until this Bruckheimer show lives up to its title.
  
  
  
  
  If you've had enough of the teen-falling-for-conflicted-vampire drama, then you may want to steer clear of this series. Some people have compared it to Twilight although the books from which this show is based came way before Stephenie Meyer's vampire-that-glitters novel series. It was actually a decent pilot, IMHUBO (in my humiliating unbiased opinion). But then again, I can probably stand more crap and cheese than the average TV viewer. On the other hand, I'm not saying the show is crappy or cheesy. So what am I saying exactly? The show has an audience, definitely, and the story and characters are easy to get into. But I have to say no to catching VD, for now. I still have True Blood and Gossip Girl to fill my vampire and teenage drama needs, each viewed separately.
  
  
  
  
  CBS joined the medical drama bandwagon and tried to put a different spin by featuring transplant surgeons at the forefront -- "tried" being the operative word. It's another decent pilot from another safe show. There was nothing awful about it, but then, there was nothing special about it either. And there are only so much just-okay shows you can put on your proverbial plate before you feel the need to puke before taking another spoonful. I also felt Alex O'Loughlin was sort of struggling with his new fangless gig. The show will be better served if it's treated as an ensemble TV series (much like with Patrick Dempsey on Grey's Anatomy) rather than a character-driven show that focuses on its lead (such as the case for Hugh Laurie on House).
  
  
  
  
  The pilot episode opened with an explosive first 6-8 minutes and had me mostly on the edge of my seat for about halfway thru the episode. But then it got real boring real fast after that. It's a medical drama (yes, another one of those) about a San Francisco medical rescue team, so much of the action takes place outside the hospital. Its approach in differentiating itself from all the other medical shows is to provide thrilling, engrossing, and high-powered sequences on the field week after week. Color me cynical, but I don't think a network would risk shelving out the required budget to sustain a costly and a possibly good show. I'm neither holding my breath nor caring enough to cross my fingers for a full-season pickup for this series.
  
  
  
  
  First few minutes into the pilot, my thought bubble read, "Ooh, it's Hawthorne 2.0!". It's hard not to compare when you see several of the characters being carbon copies of the ones from the other nurse-centric show - an overzealous head nurse with a hint of misguided messianic complex (Taylor Schilling), a dashing doctor having a special bond with said nurse (James Tupper), a no-nonsense hospital administrator who disapproves of the nurse's actions, and a young, inexperienced newbie (Michelle Trachtenberg). However, IMO, the show is an upgrade from its predecessor as the lines are less cheesy and the characters are less irritating. Since I already watch and still enjoy Grey's Anatomy, House, and Royal Pains, I will have to pass on this one.
  
  
  
  
  Following in the footsteps of an extremely popular and successful show such as NCIS is a tough act, but after seeing the pilot, I believe this spin-off has enough juice to keep old fans tuning in and draw new fans as well. Some viewers are looking for the sexual tension which existed between Kate and Tony or Ziva and Tony in the original. I think it's good that they're trying to veer away from that and are going in a new direction. IMO, the URST element isn't as exciting when everyone else is doing it (Bones, Warehouse 13, Castle)! LL Cool J and Chris O'Donnell, as co-alpha males, have great chemistry and can get better as the season progresses. The rest of the pack have their moments in adding humor to the show. Also, the series isn't into too much lab forensics, which honestly, is a refreshing sight for this type of show.
  
  
  
  
  I never really knew what this series was about before I viewed the pilot. I didn't even check out the trailer first. So it was a pleasant surprise seeing that it was a legal drama with a dash of family drama. Having loved David E. Kelley's courtroom dramas/dramedies The Practice, Ally McBeal, and Boston Legal, I'm excited that a potentially high-caliber show like TGW is on the air (no disrespect to Raising the Bar). Julianna Margulies does very well as the wife of a disgraced district attorney. She is forced to work as a junior associate after her husband is sent to prison. The cast has a good mix of veteran actors (Chris Noth, Christine Baranski, Josh Charles) and young talents (Archie Panjabi, Matt Czuchry, Graham Phillips). And while the legal case tackled in the pilot may not be too complex, the writing was exemplary and the performances praise-worthy. I can see some Emmy (even Memmy) nominations for this series in 2010.
  
  
  
  
  It's one of the most popular new shows this fall -- with good reason. With all the hype surrounding the show, I'm glad that the pilot didn't disappoint. Although much of the good stuff is already revealed in the previews and trailers, it was interesting to see how the characters are all connected and what their initial reactions were to their visions. One can't help but be intrigued with what's coming in between now and April 29, 2010. I liked Joseph Fiennes (whom I remember most from Shakespeare in Love) and Sonya Walger (whom I'll miss as Penny on Lost) as lead actors and can't complain with the rest of the cast. With Caprica, V, The Prisoner (mini-series), Day One (mini-series), and Lost's final season still to come, this promises to be an exciting season for sci-fi fans. Clicky here for the preview of AMC's The Prisoner.
  
  New Drama Shows Update: Apart from doing well ratings-wise, the last three shows on the list have aired good, if not great, follow-up episodes these past two weeks.
  
  
  
  SHOUT-OUTS:
  

  • Anna (banannie), who left the site nearly two months ago, sends her best to everyone! She says she's busy with college and hockey and misses all of you (or more specifically, the ones she knows).
  • If you haven't greeted Jess (pirateJESS) a happy birthday yet, then you're three days late! And the cakes don't taste as good. Go greet her a belated or wait another 362 days.
  • Do you like Callum Keith Rennie (Battlestar Galactica, Californication, Harper's Island) enough to at least give him an 8.5 or higher TV.com rating? "YES!" Then head over to Ela (mafalada) and Daria's (12678) blogs to support their A-Star-for-CKR campaign (I just invented the name! ).
  • Have a first look at Tina's (nofeartina) first baby and wish her well on her pregnancy.
  • Make a not-too-fashionably late appearance in the 2nd Supernatural Club Meeting presided over by Shane (charmed1102).
    

  
  
  
  TV NEWS BITES:
  

  • Casting -- The OC's Rachel Bilson on HIMYM; 24's Kim Raver on Grey's Anatomy; 24's Reiko Aylesworth on Damages
  • Renewals/Pickups -- Californication (S4); Bored to Death (S2); The Good Wife (S1) and NCIS: LA (S1); The Middle (S1), Cougar Town (S1), and Modern Family (S1); Flashpoint to CBS (S3)
  • Cancellation -- Southland
  • Chuck me, as early as late October!
  • tvbythenumbers' Renew/Cancel index -- Find out if your favorite new shows are safe from cancellation.
    

  
  News articles c/o: THR, HNR, EW, tvbythenumbers
  
  
  Which drama shows have you watched and liked so far? THANKS if you read all that! Have a fantabulous weekend, peepsies!
  
  
  PREVIOUS BLOG: Comedy Pilots Mini-Reviews
  NEXT BLOG: Mack's Top 10 Favorite Series (Current)
  
  
  
  
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  • Posted Oct 9, 2009 1:50 pm PT
  • Category: TV
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