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I, as a matter of principle, do my utmost to avoid actually watching the television experience of sound bites, seizure-inducing-flashes, and banal commercialism (see the quote at the bottom). It is a mind numbing experience and according to some scientific studies, mind numbing can be taken literally. Whenever possible, rather, I will purchase DVD sets for TV series which has captured my attention through other means (usually word of mouth).
Another reason I have given up on television as an experience is the myopic vision of networks which cancels any show that is not an immediate blockbuster. Too often in the past have I delved into a show with great enthusiasm only to have the show cancelled, thereby leaving me unsatisfied and angry (Matthew Perry's
Go On on NBC was the most recent example of a show I loved whole heartily only to be let down by cancellation after one season).
I think I may prefer the BBC style of series which produces - in effect - mini-series, or multi-episode self-contained story arcs (depending on your view point) which negates and minimizes abrupt endings to any show which is not given a green light for further episodes.
At any rate, here is what I am currently making the effort to watch:
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Elementary: Currently showing on CBS, and starring Jonny Lee Miller is modern take on Sherlock Holmes. I find the writing to be masterful, quirky, and clever, with a strong streak of witty humor. In my opinion, Miller's Sherlock is far and away the better depiction of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's character than Benedict Cumberbatch over on BBC's
Sherlock. Cumberbatch's Sherlock comes off as...pardon the French...a complete dick. Miller portrays the character with much more nuance, subtlety, and empathy.
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Grimm: Meanwhile, over on NBC, we have David Giuntoli doing the '
what if fairy tales were real?' deal. It is silly, preposterous, but a ton of fun, and as someone who has done extensive research on fairy tales (a post for another time) I sincerely appreciate the dozens of nods to famous tales that are probably missed by 90% of the audience who are just turning in for monsters and mayhem. I like to believe that somewhere, somehow, Nick Burkhardt and Buffy Summers share many a tale over a cup of coffee.
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Hell On Wheels: AMC's rail road themed western starring Anson Mount is often times seemingly lost in what story it wants to tell, which characters to follow, and if it really wants anything to do with a rail road. Despite this and the occasional 'off' episode, Hell On Wheels is a compelling show and when it is 'on', it is damn near the best thing on TV. The production value of this show has to be seen to be believed.
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Justified: FX produces this Timothy Olyphant vehicle. As mentioned in a previous post, I had heard many good things about the show, gave it a shot, and loved it. This is one of those shows where the writing and character development is top-notch (even for throwaway characters), the plot zigs when you expected it to zag, and it is just all around clever. Walton Goggins receives well deserved accolades for his portrayal of Boyd Crowder, but for my money, Jere Burns as Wynn Duffy is the one to watch.
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Longmire: A&E has Longmire. I first became aware of the show while visiting New Mexico (a post for another day) and visited areas that are used for filming (despite the story taking place in Wyoming). The Robert Taylor starring show, being set in present day, would lose nothing if it were to be removed 150 years into the past. It is a true western at heart. I do not see much mention of the cinematography in other reviews, but the show is filmed like a movie, with the camera sometimes just resting on the landscape. It's a beautiful show.
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Psych: The USA Network produces the James Roday and Dule Hill comedy. It may seem like the odd-show-out, but in truth probably represents what I love best about television: Cleverness and humor (so by that standard, Hell On Wheels is the odd-show-out). Psych constantly leaves me laughing out loud at all the intelligent humor disguised as simple low-brow humor. The best part of the show is how everyone is on board with the show-as-a-show; meaning there are episodes which are direct nods to other shows or movies in loving homage. Never dull. Always funny.
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Sleepy Hollow: Finally, over on Fox, we have Sleepy Hollow starring Tom Mison and Nicole Beharie. It is a freshman show with less than 10 episodes under it's belt at the time of this writing, but so far the show is quite promising despite the preposterous set-up (it does not hurt that Freemasons are depicted as occult warriors for good against evil). The man-out-of-time schtick worried me initially, that either Ichabod Crane would not be given the proper time to develop his future-shock, or that it would spend an inordinate amount of time dwelling on such things. There are those moments, to be sure, but what really sells it is the conceptualizations shock...his anger over the current tax rate, the idea of chemical laden tap water, Starbucks and so on. Good stuff! I hope it lasts.
And that is it (aside from watching Football or Hockey games). I am giving serious consideration to trying
The Blacklist, but we will see.
-Brent
"I must say I find television very educational. The minute somebody turns it on, I go to the library and read a good book." - Groucho Marx
