Report from TV's Middle-WasteLand

Contrary to Don's suppositions, I find the bad news from our new administration -and Congress- to be so overwhelming in scope and incidence that I gave up on watching any TV news. I'd be constantly bitching and there's nothing I can do about it other than call attention to the idiocies of our elected.. and those are becoming so self evident that you dont need me to point them out.*
So like most others of the 'un-informed' masses, I gave up and started watching entertainment channels.

And when you do that, and you cant stand Wrestling or 'find the spooks' shows, you end up watching a lot of the big three of cable:

TNT, TBS, and USA Network

Here's my picks: {and 'reality factor' as **}
USA Network. Favorite channel, along with sister channel 'Sleuth' which is really 'USA Classic'.
Program picks:
1. NCIS - Culmination of Bellisario epic tv {which began with Magnum PI}. Apparently he has cornered the market on anything in TV having to do with the US Navy. Say this about the guy, every series he does gets better.
** Draw down on the hero, get your brains blown out!

2. JAG - See Above. Right now USA is showing first season episodes. It's obvious why the Navy Chick, even though she was good and cute as hell, was dropped in favor of a more edgy Female Marine.
** Draw down on the hero, get your brains blown out!

3. Monk - Some of those episodes are good, least liked are the ones which spend too much time on Monk's Obsessive Compulsive foibles... WE GET IT, ALREADY! Also obvious why Sharonna got dumped. She's just TOO freaking edgy to ever have put up with that BS. Replacement is cuter and more believable.
{added}
** Draw down on the hero, get your brains blown out! Not by the hero, of course.. guns are messy and make a loud noise.

3a House - go figger why I forgot this one. It features big in prime time. Maybe because I've been watching it for a couple of years. Will probably be first on most of your lists if you havent watched it much. Otherwise a good case for idea of producers only doing two seasons, max.
** Draw down on the hero, get your life support pulled

4. Burn Notice - I really like this show... EXCEPT FIONA! She aint that hot and she is definitely plagued with several neuroses! I dont know who I would cast instead of her, but I would look at someone who's been in a recent Bochco pilot. Having Bruce Campbell is a positive that helps make up for it.
** Draw down on the hero, get your brains blown out!

4a. In Plain Sight. worth watching .... but in real life she would be in federal prison at the end of second year.
** Draw down on the hero, get your brains blown out!

5. Psych - A distant fifth. At least the last episode has Sean acting a little more like a regular person instead of constant class clown smartass. Maybe he's on some sort meds. Or he WAS on Paxil and dropped it.
- And if I was the guy playing Gus, I'd be pissed. He's the LEAST well drawn character in the series. Writers have him all over the place. I dont think it's the actor.
** Draw down on the hero, get a pie in the face.

- negatives: Walker, Texas Ranger. I didnt watch first run.. dont watch it now. Google all the Chuck Norris jokes on the net. How entertaining is some cop show where you always throw down your loaded firearm to chase down and subdue the bad guy!
** Draw down on the hero, get your arm broke, mebbe.

Sleuth channel - USA Network for Canada. Get your JAG/NCIS fix when USA is showing Monk. Except it also shows MacGyver. If you like your hero to be surrounded by goons with AK-47's and fight back by throwing pine nuts in a campfire, {instead of Martial Arts like Walker} he's your guy. I havent yet found the episode where he uses popcorn and a PA system.


Sleuth also features Canuck series; DaVinci's Inquest and Cold Squad. Both of which conspire to make Vancouver look as unattractive as possible. Guess you save a lot of production costs by using natural light and toning down the luminance.
The characters are pretty realistic. Meaning all of them are dumbass idiots at some time or another.
Lots of 'Brave New World Politics' thrown in. And they AINT critical of them either.
** For a 'coroner', he seems to spend almost NO time meeting with ME's or anything to do with bodies other than at crime scene. I didnt know coroners went to crime scenes.


TNT

1. the Closer - Kyra Sedgwick in a role that seems perfect for her. She sure aint the most attractive hen in the TV coop but the series is definitely fun. And she grows on ya. just like hubby Kevin, who I didnt really appreciate till I saw Tremors.
- Series prolly doesnt have much trouble signing up one-episode actors as every one gets to the 2nd Degree of Kevin Bacon automatically. If Kyra counts as '1st'.
** Draw down on the hero, get your brains blown out! Or talked out of shooting in an annoying texas twang.

1a. Leverage - Now THIS is a fun series. Implausible as hell but doesnt have silly martial arts crap in it. Or ANY crime scene forensics. That makes it unusual in itself. It DOES rip off british series, Hu$tle, starring Robert Vaughn, castmate of Ducky in NCIS in the Man from Uncle circa 1964. all things old are new again.
** Draw down on the hero, get your off-shore bank accounts emptied

2. Saving Grace - Yeah, Holly Hunter carries it. 95 % of it. In fact, she'd have been perfect for 'Fie' in Burn Notice. But that wouldnt have happened in a million.
** Draw down on the hero, get your brains blown out! Then she'll go get drunk and boink her partner to get over it.

2a. Bones - yet another forensics (CSI) retread but fairly original, good byplay in chars.
** Draw down on the hero, get your brains blown out and then dissected!

- BTW CSI didnt invent the 'forensics series' but seems like it did if you're not a geezer. Because the genre was ignored for so long that CSI couldnt miss!
Name the hit tv show of decades ago that DID. Was inspired by a real-life major city coroner. For bonus points name that coroner.
Don, you dont get an entry.

- The usuals:
Law and Order. Yeah, I watch it sometimes as well as the offshoots on USA.
ER - see above

Cold Case - this is pretty good when you have trouble sleeping. If you need something to get you back to sleep, or need something with an interesting plot and outcome, turn this on.

- Eye Candy genre: Las Vegas, Charmed, Angel

James Caan makes you tired just watching him. Hot chicks, though, and I presume the guys in the regular cast.

- ADDHD victims: Bet you cant watch a full episode of 'Raising the Bar'!

 

Call me when you've been highlighting your TV Guide for 8 years.

But let me help you out with some very good programming - here are the best current running shows: 'Mad Men', 'Lost', 'Battlestar Galactica' (not joking), '30 Rock', 'Dexter', 'Curb Your Enthusiasm'.

And for those inclined to catch up on DVD - The Wire (probably the best TV show ever).

 

WTH does that mean. I quit TV Guide decades ago. Not enough info and only good for the very occasional or constant TV watcher. Neither of which I thought I was.

Good picks and I agree:
'Mad Men', 'Lost', '30 Rock', 'Dexter'
- except 'Lost' is too schizo. Overuses flashback. Also disjointed.

Crap Picks, IMO:
'Battlestar Galactica' (not joking),
- I quit watching it after the first seasons as I felt it was getting too dark. Turned out I was right, didnt it! TV to make you slit your throat, at the least cut off your balls so your distant offspring dont have to suffer. I'm not joking either.

'Curb Your Enthusiasm'.
- I dont watch Reality Shows. A day in the life of Larry David, fictionalized or not.... he just plays himself. He's REALLY an idiot!

eh... maybe. I like Heroes and will eventually get the series set. I'm avoiding the Wire totally in view of watching that one non-stop.

Make a note: this is far from comprehensive. I didnt get to TBS or FX. I hate Nip/Tuck; and the Riches, which I loved the first half-season, went to pablum.

 

Bingo! Aint the 'net great! I knew for a fact that Don would reel that off, top of his head because, like me, he's interested in trivia like that.

and the forensics were a lot less far-fetched than CSI, and Interesting that Noguchi was actually more attractive than the tv actor playing him, IIRC.
8)

 

well... I suppose you expect me to reciprocate. Okay, then. And you're more attractive than Skitch, Mitch or Pete Seeger.. too.

Take a fiver and buy a cup of Starbucks with that.

 

Wow, you completely missed my humor there 'Fog.

 

I guess I did! Mebbe my response indicates why.. or not. I'd think someone as 'counter-culture' as you sometimes are might accept that.

 

I wish you would post about this. Obama gives great speeches that I love but they are nothing but lies - look at what is actually being done. I'd be regretting my vote already if it wasnt for Palin - no disrepect to her as an individual, she was just unacceptable as the second in command.

The best show on TV is CSPAN's Washington Journal on every weekday morning

 

6 days later... still getting my NCIS fill Seems like it's almost always on sleuth or USA. It's like I'm on Neilsen... oh wait, maybe I am. Got a questionaire from them and I think I might have said they can look at me thru TW subscription.. did I?

Anyway.. the more I see it, the more it blows away other entertainment drama.

The writing is way better than anything else** on TV other than Law and Order.. and possible past exception of "Homicide: Life on the Streets" {The old Baltimore based crime drama.}

That of course is debatable and it is done:
imdb comments
- especially check out the comments on how the characters are so 'unprofessional'. I want to look those guys up and smack 'em in the back of their pointy heads! Let's talk about 'unrealistic', instead. THERE, Miami CSI is hands down winner.. the redhead who shall not be named would have been fragged after the first season. Wotta Schmuck!

But to compare NCIS unfavorable to the original CSI is laughable.. I quit watching CSI after I could debunk their tech plot vehicles so easily. And dont even MENTION Miami CSI

but NCIS is fun enough for me to overlook the obvious impossibilities*.. it IS entertainment!

* Future reference: GPS is receive only. If a cellphone has a GPS chip it needs to be in tower/signal range to transmit the location.

Whatever, there's enough layers of interest in most episodes to interest you in something

** Meaning mass rerun - Current series excepted, of course. Because I'm not watching them.. so dont start.