Get Lost

So, have any of you heard of this show Lost? I really think it might take off… Okay, maybe I’m just a tad late to the party, but I actually was interested in it from the beginning. I just don’t think I had a DVR yet – and that means all TV viewing was suspect.

Once they started showing the re-runs, however, Lisa and I caught the first few episodes. I wouldn’t say I was instantly hooked, or anything, but it got my attention. Of course that still didn’t get me watching regularly. Instead I downloaded… I mean I procured the entire first season in a viewable format (much easier when your DVD player does DivX and Xvid) and spent much of our “winter break” catching up (especially on New Year’s Day).

I still wouldn’t say I’m totally hooked, but I am enjoying the series. It’s a tad uneven, one episode will be brilliant and leave me anxious for the next one, only to be left indifferent with some of the storylines. Part of that might be the overdone score, which tries too hard to add to the suspense rather than just emphasizing it in the background. Nevertheless, Lisa is bordering obsessive and we’re trying to catch up to the broadcast schedule so we can talk about it in front of everyone not watching… Oops, I wasn’t supposed to reveal that part of the plan.

Anywho, while waiting for Parasite to end and Raptor Island to start (just can’t get enough of those crappy Sci Fi movies), the time seems right (well, overdue) for me to review my viewing habits – for all of you blissfully unaware of what you might be missing. So what is on my DVR these days:

Arrested Development – WHY ARE YOU NOT WATCHING THIS SHOW YET! Anyone who sits back and complains about TV sucking and yet ignores this show is not doing their job. Anyone who wants to make insipid comments about how British TV is soooo much better (sorry, but I find The Office incredibly irritating) needs to shut up and watch this show. And quickly – before they cancel it. I can’t believe Fox even aired Monday’s episode (Save Our Bluths, that’s right, SOB) considering how much they just ripped apart all of the lame programming on the network by including all of the usual gimmicks: someone gets killed, surprise live ending, celebrity cameos, and Andy Richter playing himself and his 4 identical brothers. And the dialogue, oh, the dialogue:

Michael: So, what’s going on with the fundraiser?
George Sr.: Well, I don’t think the Home Builders Organization is gonna be supporting us.
Michael: Yeah, the HBO’s not gonna want us. What do we do now?
George Sr.: Well, I think it’s “Show Time.” I think we have to have a show during dinner.

(Bonus – I just found out Raptor Island “stars” Lorenzo Lamas! Can Saturday get any better)

But seriously, the show’s creators are just having too much fun – even while trying to save themselves. I need to have an AD marathon once we move – you people need to get informed!!!

My Name Is Earl – Thank you, whoever you are, for providing Jason Lee with a quality comedy series in which to shine! And on top of that, they wisely brought in the Rubberband Man from the Office Max commercials – Crabman rocks! And Ethan Supplee’s part (I’m tired of doing IMDb links – look him up yourself) as Earl’s stupid, yet sweet brother Randy adds just enough feelgoodedness (yes, that is now a word) to the show to make it mean something:

Earl: Where’s my car, Joy?
Joy: Oh, I had it towed.
Earl: Towed?
Joy: Yeah. Maybe if you gave me some of that lotto money, I’d back off!
Earl: [voiceover] It was at that moment I realized Joy had no idea that the money was in the car.
Randy: Hey, Earl! Joy had no idea all your lotto money was in the car!

Randy: [Earl and Randy are tied up in their hotel room] Maybe if you call Karma it’ll come and help us.
Earl: It’s Karma, not Lassie.

Randy: But Catalina, winning this car for Joy is my Christmas present to Earl. This is for family – at Christmas. You know – Feliz Naviblah.
Catalina: [shaking her head side-to-side] That means nothing.
Randy: To you, maybe. But to an American it means Christmas in Mexican.

Also, Jaime Pressly plays white trash so well, the exchanges between her character (Earl’s ex-wife, Joy) and Earl are perfect:

Joy: I hope you get nut cancer, you son-of-a-bitch.
Earl: Nice. Do you kiss your illegitimate children with that mouth?

The show could have been the same joke over and over again, but the character interaction and their slow realizations of how to become better people has made it a solid endeavor.

House – Hugh Laurie rocks. That’s all you need to know. Is this show realistic? Of course not. Think of it more as a “What if” – a look at how a renegade doctor with no regard for rules would handle such impossible situations as they toss at him. Amazingly, they have covered multiple topics that I was sure would blow up as too gimmicky (mob-affiliated patient, overbearing new boss, etc.), and yet each one passed with flying colors. Unlike a lot of those medical drama and forensic-based shows (CSI: Miami is one of the biggest pieces of crap on TV), this one actually has solid charcaters that drive the show – not just the diseases they face. Lisa and I really do look forward to each new episode.

Surface/Invasion/Threshold – These three alien invasion shows all came out at the same time. Surface grabbed my attention first, but I decided to record all of them. While the premise and storyline of Surface has been fairly solid, it’s fallen prey to a little too much “OC-ifying.” The subplot with the young boy fell apart too quickly with little love interests and teenage bikini parties. And while I’m not going to complain about seeing Lake Bell in her underwear, the show definitely seems to lean more towards sweeps-like efforts. As for the actual creatures – very good special effects, but they revealed too much about what was going on too early. That killed a lot of my interest, and I think I’d rather just see this be a one season thing. After 20 or so episodes I think I’d be bored.

The funny thing is that Invasion looked like it was going to be the worst, but might actually have the most redeeming qualities. The characters have all developed better, and they’ve shown just enough of the truth to keep you interested (and guessing). A perfect example is the sherrif, who appeared to be a “bad guy” heavily involved with the aliens but has become an unknown as you realize he doesn’t necessarily know as much as he thinks. While the special effects have been questionable at times, the show focuses more on the people and what’s happening to them rather than the glowing creatures in the water. I’m not losing any sleep if this doesn’t make it, but then again I feel about the same as with Lost.

Threshold has the least publicity, and also appears to have the lowest budget. The effects are a little too CG-ish, and some of the episodes are a little too odd. One of those science fiction shows that often appears to just completely ditch the science part, but maintains too much realism to delve into fantasy. Still, the characters keep me somewhat interested, although I feel that they are underutilizing the talents of both Brent Spiner and Peter Dinklage. In the end, I would even consider just giving up on this one and downloading it later at my convenience – it’s fun to watch, but not a “must see”.

There’s other stuff on my DVR these days, but these are the more recent shows I’ve been watching. Besides, this post has obviously gotten way too long, and I’m missing out on Lorenzo taking on dinosaurs…