The Other Shows
OK, we’ve not done an “other shows” for a while. I have to admit that USA has been pushing out the shows of late. They’re all of about the same quality. Good, but not necessarily great. Still, they are often better than what’s on the main networks.
Royal Pains started last year and I gave up on it after a few episodes. Covert Affairs I have been watching. It’s a “bit” more realistic than the typical spy show (i.e. Burn Notice) but still hasn’t quite found it’s vibe. (The way that say FX’s Justified found it quickly) I’m still watching but I’m not committed. Most of these shows really depend upon good guest actors who manage good chemistry with the leads. When it works, it really works. When it doesn’t you start really noticing all the imperfections in the show.
Most of USA’s shows follow a similar formula. It’s not that surprising since most network shows until recently followed a pretty similar formula. All that’s changed on network shows now is that the shows are based upon the Law and Order procedural or the silly CIS pseudo-science procedural. USA has the Monk-like semi-comedic procedural or the Burn Notice version of Highway to Heaven + an ongoing plot that lasts through each half season. Somehow it typically works though. Both Burn Notice and say White Collar are fun but as I said this formula demands a lot from actors. And it doesn’t always work.
Beyond that there’s FX which has quite a variety of shows – much more edgy and indie whereas USA definitely has more of a traditional network feel to it. That said, outside of Justified, there’s nothing on FX I like.
Other than that the only show I like is Dexter on Showtime. That doesn’t start up until fall though.
Posted on August 12, 2010, in Television. Bookmark the permalink. 19 Comments.
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I’m really enjoying this season of True Blood. The pacing has been great, and they’re not afraid to kill off characters. A few deaths a week lately. Such fun and so much better than that other vampire franchise we won’t mention by name.
Other than that I liked the season of Friday Night Lights that just wrapped up on NBC. They introduced a bunch of new characters (since most of the previous cast had graduated from HS and needed to get out of there) and for the most part it worked. Next season will be the last and I’m interested to see what they do.
For the fall I’m mostly looking forward to new Weeds, Dexter and Boardwalk Empire.
Let’s see, this summer I’ve been watching:
Lie to Me – So, so terrible, I love it.
Scream Queens – The actresses this year are actually decent. I mean, a few of them. Most suck horribly. It’s entertaining.
Prjoect Runway – So glad this has started back up. Although so far, the designers don’t seem that great. I mean, they’re all good, but no one really stands out from anyone else. No one is that unique. So far.
21 Jumpstreet – a friend got me the first two seasons on DVD, what a trip to see it again. I didn’t remember it being such a socially conscious show. I’ve been thinking about doing a post about it.
Tosh.0 – It’s soooo disgusting but we just can’t look away.
My sons have been constantly saying “Well that means he’s not a FLIGHT RISK,” thanks to this moment of zen:
The Daily Show With Jon StewartMon – Thurs 11p / 10c<td style='padding:2px 1px 0px 5px;' colspan='2'Moment of Zen – Not a Flight Riskhttp://www.thedailyshow.comhttp://media.mtvnservices.com/mgid:cms:item:comedycentral.com:343657Daily Show Full EpisodesPolitical HumorTea Party
Royal Pains is worth watching.
Burn Notice has gotten really good lately. Much better this season than last.
Covert Affairs is just ok so far.
Rubicon. Seriously cool.
Royal Pains is kinda fun, actually. Love Bum Notice and Psych (which has had some good laugh-out-loud moments this season), of course, and White Collar. And then there’s Eureka, with the time-travel reboot to keep things interesting. And the Closer, still works for us.
Some new shows I like:
Rizzoli and Isles: based on books by Tess Garritsen, one’s a detective, one’s a medical examiner. (Sort of like half of Women’s Murder Club, particularly with the easy-on-the-eyes Angie Harmon.) Has a little bit more of a gore factor than we like, but the books are even worse. (And get this: in the original book we meet Rizzoli in, she’s described as average looking and shapeless.)
Haven: Loosely based on a Stephen King novella (Colorado Kid), this is sort of a detective show with supernatural elements. The main actors are fun to watch, but it’s a really laid back show.
The Good Guys: can’t say enough good about this. From the producer of Bum Notice, I would have to say more comedy than action, and it’s so much fun watching Colin Hanks (sounding like his dad) Great little show.
I’m taping Covert Affairs, but haven’t watched it yet.
Oh, just started watching Warehouse 13, which is just a goofy fun sci fi show. The sort of thing my mother-in-law adores. But it’s nice to have something different that doesn’t take itself seriously.
I think it’s connected to Eureka somehow but I’m not familiar with Eureka.
Rubicon is my favorite show so far this summer. I love the slow pace and the paranoia. It has great acting and a great conspiracy mystery that hasn’t even begun to unfold. It might be worth a weekly recap though I’m not sure anyone besides MCQ and I are watching.
Did Rubicon start? I completely missed it. Is it available online? I thought it started in September.
It started about the same time as Mad Men, and it’s on right before Mad Men on Sunday. Episodes and other info are here:
http://www.amctv.com/originals/Rubicon/
I’ll do a weekly recap if people are interested.
It’s a stripped-down, no sci-fi version of the X-Files. It also reminds me of Redford’s Three Days of the Condor which might be a little more accurate.
Susan: Eureka’s doing a cross-over with Warehouse 13 where one of the W13 characters comes to Eureka. Hilarity ensues.
Three Days of the Condor is right on. The part I like most about it is that every single character seems to have some very odd, individual quirks that make them very real. You want to know more about every character because you catch these fascinating glimpses of a strange story lurking beneath the surface.
Yeah, I was pretty excited by the trailers which suggested a kind of 70′s spy thriller sort. I think that was partially what Covert Affairs wanted to be but was instead cast in the typical USA mold.
I love Louie.
Very odd Mad Men and Rubicon this week. I can’t decide what they’re leading up to with Don on Mad Men, but he’s not a real likeable guy lately. Rubicon had a great speech by the boss regarding why independent intelligence analysts are important. Then there was this exchange:
Boss: You did very well today.
Will: I didn’t speak.
Boss: You have no idea how difficult that is for most people.
Awesome.
I also love how the analysts (without Will) agonized forever over their recommendation on the airstrike, then never were told whether the strike was successful or not. Sounds like most jobs, really.
Brian, I also have been watching Louie, and it’s really funny sometimes, but then other times it’s just soooooo over the top I have to turn it off. Anyone know why Louie left HBO?
I thought Rubicon was awesome this week. It was a good idea to take a break from the overall story arc and do some character development, especially with Will’s team.
The conversations about the necktie and the briefcase were great.
I just got back from vacation and have two episodes of Rubicon on my DVR. I really liked the pilot.If we could get a critical mass of people interested I might consider blogging it.
If you blog it, they will come.
Brian, I also have been watching Louie, and it’s really funny sometimes, but then other times it’s just soooooo over the top I have to turn it off. Anyone know why Louie left HBO?
Are you talking about Lucky Louie? That was his HBO show. It was cancelled after one season. I don’t know which networks made offers on Louie. I know he chose FX for less money because he gets complete creative control. I read an interview where he says the network doesn’t even see the show until he sends them the completed episodes.
Anyway, I think it’s the best show on TV and one of the best shows I’ve ever seen. I don’t really understand what you mean by “over the top.” It’s certainly all over the place tonally, but I think that works to the show’s advantage. I like the really serious stuff (like the second episode’s poker game/discussion of homophobia) bumping up against the absurd hilarious stuff without any attempts to smooth the transition between the two.