Everybody lies

posted on Thursday, March, 26th, 2009 in Thursday Thirteen

I am sure I have mentioned it before: I am a t.v. junkie. Well, no, actually that isn’t quite right. I can’t abide watching the actual t.v. programs. Reality TV and gameshows and all that other crap is not for me. What I love are t.v. series.

And because german t.v. in general sucks to high heaven (although I am sure, my fellow germans would disagree), I only watch american shows – with some good old british classics in between (Blackadder and Monty Python come to mind).

And because german t.v. is usually one to two years behind with showing american shows, I have to get my fix over the internet. So here are my current favorite shows (as usual in no particular order):

Battlestar Galactica

Yes, I am aware that the show is officially over. But even though I am usually up to date with the shows I am watching, I did only get into BSG very late and I did put it on hiatus after I had seen the first 2 seasons.

I love the show to bits, but it got just too convoluted and intricate, so that I hated having to wait a week to get the next episode. So I decided to keep collecting the episodes until the show’s finale (which aired last week) and then have a BSG marathon and watch all 4 seasons in one fell swoop.

I am very much looking forward to do just that in the next couple of weeks.

Dollhouse

Did I fall asleep? Only for a little while…

I must admit, after deliberately avoiding all the buzz around this show before it even started, I started watching it more out of a sense of duty as a Whedon-fan than real interest. The premise of it just didn’t sound all that interesting to me (sorry, Joss!).

But even though Eliza Dushku’s acting is a bit hit-and-miss, the show grew on me pretty quickly and by now, six episodes in, I can say I am totally hooked. Not least because Dollhouse gives me my weekly Tahmoh-fix – he was gorgeous in BSG, and he just continues on in that fashion here. Even shirtless for much of last episode. *sigh* (yes, I am that shallow)

But, honestly, even more than the sex scenes I enjoyed his epic fight scene with Eliza. He was awesome in the boxring in BSG, but this backalley fight I could watch on repeat for fucking ever. So brutal and so much fun.

It is fantastic to be able for the first time to watch a Joss Whedon show while it airs (although there is something to be said for being able to watch whole seasons at one go and patience has never been my strong suit) – for however long FOX will keep it on the air. Considering the ratings, I am still fairly hopeful that they will actually air all 13 episodes that are already shot, but my hope doesn’t really extend towards a second season yet. We will see.

House M.D.

Well, considering the name of my blog and my deep and abiding love for Hugh Laurie, this one’s a no-brainer.

The show, now in its fifth season, has had its ups and downs (the new team for the most part being one of the downs), but just like apparently a lot of other people I just can’t get enough of grumpy and mean Dr. House. Maybe because he is just so much like me – minus the genius in my case, obviously, and the interest for saving random strangers’ lifes, and the limp. But the grumpiness and general disdain for humankind? That’s me to a T. (what does that expression even mean?)

And I definitely have to get me one of those shirts!

24

To say I’m a fan of the show would be a bit of an exaggeration. A friend of mine turned me onto it, because she is a fan – mostly of Mr. Sutherland – and pestered me to give it a chance. Which I did, starting with season 1. Which was frakkin’ boring as hell: too much politics, a snooze-inducing president, an annoying teenage daughter and a lot of patriotism, which always makes me sick, no matter which country it’s for. Plus, Kiefer: not my type. Basically the only thing I liked about him was the way he said “dammit” every five minutes. LOL

The only interesting thing in the show, as far as I was concerned, was Tony Almeida (Carlos Bernard). It is my curse to always fall for the guys in the second row.

Later, a second reason for watching it was added: Bill Buchanan. I have loved James Morrison ever since Space: Above and Beyond and he is another one of those guys who only get better with age.

So I watched my way through all 6 seasons of 24 (is it just me or did season 6 suck beyond words?) and am now following season 7 as it airs. I’m not very impressed with season 7 so far. First they bring back Tony from the dead, which is laudable, but we see him only for the first 6 or 7 episodes then he vanishes for hours, drinking coffee in some roadside café, apparently. Then they kill off Buchanan in some crazy-ass stupid way – what a waste. Now Tony is suddenly back, only to be kidnapped by the bad guys after all of 10 minutes screentime. Honestly? It almost seems like they’re willfully pissing me off.

Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles

If this list was in order of me liking the shows, this one would be pretty near the top right now. I just love this show to bits, especially since the last episode, which was all kinds of awesome.

My reason for starting to watch this back when it started was my love for the Terminator franchise on one hand (I can’t wait for the fourth movie!), but mainly it was Summer Glau. Kicking serious ass as a frakkin’ Terminator. I mean, how much better can television get? Yeah, I know, I am easily satisfied. But Summer is worth watching in anything (hell, I even watched The 4400 for her). Plus, after watching 300 I was curious to see more of Lena Headey as well. And she didn’t disappoint me.

Last week we finally, for the first time, got to see the real John Connor. Not the whining, annoying emo-brat, but John Frakkin’ Connor, the leader of humankind in the fight against the machines. Unfortunately, just as it turned into something awesome, it is pretty much a fact that the show will not get renewed next season. So all I can look forward to are 3 more episodes and a lot of heartbreak over a cliffhanger ending of one of my favorite shows. Great.

LOST

I don’t really have to explain what I like about LOST, do I? Besides shirtless Sawyer, of course.

Even though they almost lost me (ha, ha) during season 3, I am again a dedicated fan since they found their footing again in season 4. Having a fixed end date for the show and shorter seasons with only 17 episodes each has certainly helped the writers focus and made the show a lot more exciting again.

It’s pretty much a given that the ending and the explanation for all the things on the island can only be a disappointment. But I will nevertheless stay glued to the screen for the last 1.5 seasons, even though some of that time-travel stuff makes my head hurt if I think about it too closely.

Castle

This one is still brandnew, only 3 episodes aired so far. The premise wouldn’t have caught my interest, if it wasn’t for one thing: Nathan Fillion.

As with Summer I will watch literally anything that has Nathan Fillion in it. Hell, I even watched the couple of episodes of Desperate Housewives that he was in. Ever since I saw him the first time as Capt. Mal Reynolds in Firefly, the guy can do no wrong in my eyes. Of course it helps that he seems to be such a charming and funny guy in real life as well.

Nathan shines in this show and makes something that would otherwise have been just some mediocre, bordering-on-boring stuff into gold. Ok, maybe I’m biased. But he is definitely funny (I have read non-Nathan-fans write that about him!) and Castle is one of the most entertaining shows for me right now.

Since the ratings don’t seem to be golden, I will try to enjoy it while I still can.

Criminal Minds

I have a thing for procedurals. I have given up on the CSI and Law&Order franchises, but CM is still fun. Serial killers are just more interesting than your typical random run-of-the-mill murder.

Although, who am I kidding, my real reason for watching this show religiously is Matthew Gray Gubler. I feel like a cradle-robber for finding him cute, because he still looks like 18 or something (he is actually 27), but who cares. He’s just pure eye-candy.

Though I have to admit, the rest of the cast is awfully attractive as well. and, as I said, serial killers are just entertaining.

Bones

Yep, another procedural. Another cast of extremely pretty people. And no, I haven’t started watching it because of David Boreanaz. Even though I am a big fan of Joss Whedon’s shows, I never really got into Angel (in fact I am only now slowly watching my way through season 5 for the first time, again out of a sense of duty as a Whedon-fan), and Angel himself with his perennial guilty brooding annoyed the fucking hell out of me most of the time. Additionally I was not a big fan of the books by Kathy Reich that inspired the series originally.

So I was pretty surprised when I found myself hooked on this show after a while, mainly because the show-Brennan was completely different from the book-Brennan – in a good way. Was Booth even in the books? I can’t remember.

Anyway, the show is certainly nothing deep or philosophical, like BSG was, nor is it all that suspensefull. It’s basically just fluff, but funny fluff. And I have grown to like the whole team and their interactions with each other (especially Sweets, he’s just so cute), so the case of the week is pretty much just filler.

NCIS

The same goes for this show. It’s all about the team and their bantering. The cases themselves are completely forgettable. I’m just so glad they finally killed off that endlessly annoying Madam Director (I can’t even remember her name). The show got a whole lot more fun since she’s dead. Although I have to say, I also could do with a lot less Abby sometimes.

But of course my main reason for watching is Gibbs. I just love me some Mark Harmon. He is another one of those guys who just get hotter the older they get, which is totally unfair, but there you are.

Life

This show just started a couple of weeks ago on german t.v. I gave it a shot and so far I am mildly entertained. I’m not sure if the “mildly” comes from the crappy german translation or if the show just isn’t all that witty. In any case it hasn’t made it onto my “have to watch in the original version and therefor download it”-list so far.

The main character isn’t doing much for me yet, but maybe I have to give him time to grow on me. I will keep watching a couple more episodes before I decide if I throw in the towel on this one.

Dexter

No, the fourth season hasn’t started early (I wish!). I was just missing my favorite serial killer buddy, so I started watching the show again from the start. I try to ration myself, so the 3 short seasons will last me until September, but so far that didn’t work out too well – I’m almost finished with season 2 already.

By the way, did you hear that Michael C. Hall and Jennifer Carpenter are married now? I just can’t get that fact out of my head anymore when I watch Dexter and Deborah Morgan. Must be interesting for them to spend their days playing brother and sister and then go home and be husband and wife again.  That just can’t be healthy.

Veronica Mars

No, this one isn’t a current show either. Cancelled before its time, like so many others. But ever since I watched it for the first time a couple months ago, I am completely in love with this show. Within only 2 or 3 episodes it had earned a secure place in my all-time top 5 list, right behind Firefly and tied with Buffy.

And even though it ends on a cliffhanger, it is worth getting hooked on, because at least there are 3 full seasons. It’s not like Firefly, where we only have 14 measly episodes – just enough to fall completely in love and then get your heart ripped out (may the responsible FUX exec rot in hell eternally!). I still think VM was good for another 1 or 2 seasons, but I can live with what we got.

If you have never seen it, do yourself a favor and watch it. Even if you usually never watch Highschool and growing-up shows. This isn’t crap like Beverly Hills 90210 or something similar. This is Veronica Mars. It’s witty, it’s funny, it’s poignant – it could almost be a Joss Whedon show, except that nobody has superpowers and nobody dies in it (Lilly doesn’t count since she is dead when the show starts.

So, considering that you now know my taste in television: are there any other shows (current or already cancelled) I should give a chance? Let me know in the comments.

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