stonebender | My television viewing so far

I guess the television season started for some stations (at least Fox) last week and for other stations this week. Monday was an almost impossible television night for me. Way too many previews right up against each other. I had two VHS recorders going at my house and

dbubley will be taping Dancing with the Stars this week. I like to watch Dancing with the Stars with

loracs, so we will be seeing it sometime later.

Here's what I've seen so

Prison Break: I think this season has the potential of being better than last. Even with the surprise twists and turns of plot, last two seasons were structured in such a way that certain things just to had to happen. For example, in a show called prison break, they kind of had to escape from prison at some point. This season has very little expectation for me. They can take the show just about anywhere and so far I've enjoyed where they've taken it.

K-Ville: I have perhaps an unhealthy obsession with New Orleans, so I had to watch the first episode of this cop show set there. I assume this show will get old for me pretty soon, but right now it's engaging. The hook is a policeman who lived through Katrina and uts aftermath. Who has a real commitment to rebuilding his town, his neighborhood while many folk are leaving The Big Easy for good.

Back To You: Feels like a pretty old-fashioned sitcom. Really formulaic, but done by people who know how to do formulaic sitcoms. :-) Kelsey Grammar is basically doing Fraser again. I'll probably catch it if nothing else is on.

Chuck: INMHO You gotta love a television show with a Zork reference! :-) I don't have a lot of hope for the show. Its humor depends a lot on the main character being a fish out of water. I'll enjoy it for now.

Heroes: I loved the first season. Their first episode this year was up to their standards. Right now the only storyline that has me really hooked is Hiro's. I love seeing George Takai (I'm sure I'm not spelling his last name correctly). Just for the record I really hate the Peter Petrelli character and I'm very fond of Ando.

JourneyMan: I liked this show. Probably not as much as I hoped to like it but still. Unless they're very careful this show will get really old, really quickly.

I got through most of the half hour comedy's an CBS. Last year I tried to watch, How I Met Your Mother and never caught it regularly. Their premiere episode was fun. Doogie Howser (yes, I know that's not his real name. I'm making a joke. :-) tears up the scenery quite effectively. Two and A Half Men was actually funny this week. I haven't particularly loved that show, but they are getting their kids ready for high school bullies was funny. I know I may be ridiculed for this but The Big Bang was really funny. I'm definitely going to try to watch the rest of it.

I think that's it for now.

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I've only watched Big Bang Theory and Heroes; I really liked Big Bang Theory, the geeks are funny-true! And I liked Heroes, some, but I think it has problems too.

I have Journeyman on the TIVO and hope it will be fun, I like the guy who played Vorenus.

What bothers you about Heroes?

1. How did Matt Parkman get hired by the NYPD? He was fired for cause last we saw.

2. Oh, yes, I really believe the Company is fooled by you, Mohinder. Mohinder, Man Who Failed Three Times to Kill Evil Supervillain!

3. HRG not good enough at keeping cover to hurt his silly manager? I don't think so. He was good enough for Claire's entire life, why suddenly break cover?

4. Scary Stalker Flying Boy spotting Claire as like him? And apparently he's Peeping Tom, whatever his name is.

5. Peter *cannot* be alive. It's just wrong. He's too strong, he's like Superman--he throws the whole show out of balance.

6. And why did Nathan go on a bender-for-life? Why'd his wife leave him? What about his *other* kids, the ones besides Claire? Did we get a hint that his wife might no longer be confined to wheelchair in one episode?

Well, your first one would be easy enough to explain, but you're right they skipped a few steps.

I'm with you on 2, but then Mohinder hasn't ever been much of a character. He's more the-expository-lump-boy. I'm happier that his lecture was part of a lame plot than if he actually thought the lectures were going to seriously within the context of the show.

3 might get some explanation later.

I'm not sure I get why you're bothered by 4. It's possible that he just has a crush on her and has no idea that she's "different" like he is. If I could fly when I was in high school I just might have tried to take a peek through the window at a crush object. Creepy, yes, but I'm not sure it out of the realm of teenage boy behavior.

I'd be just as happy if Peter had died. I think his ability to acquire other peoples powers (like Siler) does have the potential of screwing up the entire show. I've never been particularly enchanted by superheroes with too much power. I am a Spiderman fan, not a Superman fan.

We completely agree on 6.

We watched the Chuck-Heroes-Journeyman lineup last night. Chuck was fun, the spy spoof, kind of like ED in tone (which was pretty well written for a while) only with the Stanford engineering Graduate instead of an underachieving corporate attorney. I do like a show with honest nerds, and he's such a personable one, with a sort of Get Smart feel to it, and bogus science.

Heroes is a new favorite, quite addictive, although when they start cutting in more ads that could get old. We are five episodes or so short of finishing the first season on DVD, so there was a bit of huh? missed that bit (like how did Peter Petrelli keep from getting capped) but I actually like the comic bookness of it. Also the big paintings. Gonna get me some big canvasses I am.

Journeyman looked better in preview I'm afraid. The script seemed a bit scattered, and I was not entertained by the multiple-lovers-in-the-same-room sort of frisson the way I am supposed to be I guess. We'll see how it develops, but I expect terminal romanticism. He's one of those Guardian Enforcer types who Uses His Power For Good, and it's fun to explore the power and whether he can control it, but can the marriage be saved, ho hum. Nice Bay Area locations but he's no Nash Bridges.

Generally I don't follow a lot of comedies. Mostly cop shows. So I did get the tape machine geared up tonight for Bones, but then we ended up watching NCIS-House-SVU as usual. Tuesdays are good. NCIS is still my favorite, and this one resolved most of the big cliffhanger from last season's end, Armand Assante in his star turn. House had excellent new twistinesses. SVU I had already pretty well figured out from the preview, and multiple personalities are not so interesting in a mere hour format.

Everything that survives comes around in reruns soon enough, so tomorrow night there will be some hard choices.

Heck, I liked Ed. Even towards the end but I have trouble letting go of things. :-) I agree with you on Chuck. I'm holding out for a Journeyman. Often first episodes are very different from the rest of the show. Don't you think that the end of the show took care of whatever problems he might have in his marriage at least around his time traveling. I sort of hope he'll get a little bit of control over his trips.

I watch SVU on occasion, but haven't watched even one episode of NCIS. The one good thing these days is if you want to catch up on a television show there is always DVD's

I watched Journeyman finally off of tape, and I agree with most of your thoughts. I liked the Bay Area views and the references. But it wasn't enough to hold my attention through the other stuff. Like you, I will be bored if the marriage issues are the main theme.

I would like some explanation, why and how is he traveling, and who is in control?

As for House, I was happy with the House-Wilson stuff, but the case stuff i found less interesting. Next week looks more promising though.

I'm with you on SVU also, and I thought it was mostly a waste of Cynthia Nixon's talents.

My television viewing so far

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