I Watch Too Much TV

I'm also all over the Internet today. Here is superficial TV-watcher stuff. At GabWagon I get a little more serious, talking about major changes in the entertainment industry. If you want something lighter, check out my Meankitty interview. It's better than I remember (there've been so many great interviews, I felt dull in comparison), and Frisbee weighed in, too. And finally, I avoided thinking too hard with my Supernatural Sisters post, which is full of our favorite YouTube videos.


I haven't posted about general TV in a while. Here are my thoughts on what I'm watching, in random order:

Holy crap, how long is Prison Break going to be off the air? Seriously, why do networks keep taking shows off the air for so many months? Every time they do, ratings drop. If they know this, why continue the practice?

I watched the premiere of Kyle XY but then let the entire rest of the season go by before I started watching again. I have 4 episodes left. I still like the characters and the storylines, but I'm sick of Amanda and won't miss the show when it's over.

Speaking of not missing, I hate to say it, but I don't miss Pushing Daisies either. It's still on my DVR in case they ever decide to show the last couple of episodes, though. I think there are two left? And they said they might air them this summer.

I do miss Christian Slater and Alfre Woodard, but Dollhouse is satisfying my craving for a big, conspiracy-laden, action-packed show. I can't say it hooked me like Firefly or Supernatural did, but I don't think Buffy was as transcendent as everyone says, and I think we put humongous expectations on someone like Joss Whedon and his team. Impossible expectations. I also never cared for Eliza Dushku, so mine were lower than most people's seemed to be, and it's living up to them. There was a slightly abrupt shift in Paul and Mellie's relationship--it could have used a couple more episodes to shift her from starry-eyed needy-person to actual friend/girlfriend material. Otherwise, I loved the development of that and that she was a sleeper agent. I'm thinking it might be DeWitt on the inside. Or it's Echo and she wasn't programmed with those parameters at all, but has at least some control over her mind.

Dollhouse's partner on Friday nights is Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles. Ever since we got a hint of what Riley's purpose was, the show has been a lot better. The episode where John found and confronted Jessie was amazing. John was suddenly no longer the sullen, rebellious kid, but the leader he was to grow up to be. Derek remained a true warrior, divorcing his feelings from his duty. Jessie wasn't the woman he'd fallen in love with originally. She was someone who had gone through different things, and made different choices, and was someone who would go to lengths he found unacceptable. We still don't know for sure if he shot Jessie. She could resurface.

I wrote the following before watching the most recent episode:
They say a male is going to die. As much as I like him, I want it to be Charlie. Or Ellison, that would be okay. As long as it's not Derek.
I changed my mind. I don't want it to be Charlie! Whhaaaaaahhhh!

Monday is a pretty full night. There's not much to say about Big Bang Theory and How I Met Your Mother. The former is a nice diversion that makes me smile, the latter has Neil Patrick Harris and excellently tight writing. Chuck is still on the bubble for me. I won't care if it gets canceled, but I enjoy watching. It's about freaking time they decided to train Chuck. I don't think Orion is dead, though, he's a very intriguing guy and if the show gets to continue, I have no doubt he'll be back.

Monday wraps up with Castle. I can't say I love it yet, but there are things I do love. Last week's ep kept me guessing. Nathan Fillion continues to be tremendous, but... When you're writing a novel with a female protagonist, especially one with romance in it, the stronger the female, the stronger the male counterpart has to be. I think that's the biggest flaw with Castle. Nathan dims almost everything around him. His daughter is a match, and Kate manages not to fade away. But the rest just doesn't stand out, and if the show fails, that will be why.

I was delighted with his screensaver last week (You Should Be Writing" in huge letters), and I also love the storytelling thing. They established in the pilot (I think--might have been episode 2) that he is a mesmerizing tale-weaver. So in the last ep, when he built a story for the final suspect and got him to confess, it was believable that Kate would let him, despite the fact that he's supposed to be an observer, not a consultant. This one won't be leaving my season pass anytime soon.

Let's see, what else... Reaper is another one I wouldn't miss, but continues to entertain. Sock's "sister" is annoying, but Ben's girlfriend makes me laugh, and Sock vs. Andi is probably the second best part of the show--Ray Wise remains the first.

The Mentalist is actually waning a bit for me. The gimmick is ceasing to be as compelling--maybe they're trying to mix it up too much or something? Or making Jane too flawed? I like it best when he's right and brilliant and cocky. On the other hand, I'd love to see his team get threatened and let us see how much he cares about them, what he'd sacrifice for them. We already saw the opposite.

I don't have much to write about Lost. I'm completely enthralled but for some reason, my brain doesn't dwell on it after I'm done watching. I'm dying to know what happens, but beyond that...

It's a simple happiness.

I've caught up on Bones and I have to say, it captured me much better when I was binging on it than it is now. Rumors of what's coming mostly leave me cold, though one or two details thrill me. We'll see how they play out. I'm with the fans who are annoyed with Fox for telling us we get 11 episodes in a row then changing their minds. Jerks. Moving nights doesn't bother me, because I don't consider it that hard to figure out. When you like a show, you pay attention. I know it's the casual viewers that get lost, but...oh, well.

Private Practice moved nights, too, and I don't think I've watched it since. I have 9 episodes built up on my DVR and not much compulsion to watch them unless I have nothing else to watch. They killed two kids in a row and the preview for the next one implied it might happen again. Unlike some people I know, that doesn't make me automatically stop watching, but it seems to have affected me subconsciously. Though it doesn't help that the other story developments have been less then appealing, themselves. I have less and less sympathy for anyone except Dell, and even he's had his moments.

I think the only other show on my schedule is Numb3rs. I like the woman they added, the former LA cop, and the parallelism of her and Liz with David and Colby. I don't like when it's Colby's turn not to be in an episode, though.

I've added two new shows to try. So far, Better Off Ted is a winner. The commercials they start the show with are brilliant, and the acting and chemistry are well done. They make the ridiculous seem less ridiculous. The jury's still out on other show, In the Motherhood. It's too shrill for my tastes, and people behaving badly has never been my favorite thing to watch.

Still to try are Cupid and Harper's Island. Cupid I'm kind of meh about because I don't care for Bobby Cannivale, though I do like Sarah Paulson. Harper's Island I'd probably never watch if it didn't have Jim Beaver primarily, plus Christopher Gorham (Jake 2.0) and a dozen other actors I like. It has a little too much horror vibe for me, but we'll see how it goes.

Just a few short weeks until the spring season is over and we're into the dull [TV] days of summer. What will you be sorriest to have be over?