Beyond Dukes of Hazzard

In response to Beth’s comment, I shall blog about TV. Since it is my day job, I watch it all day long. I didn't bother with the obvious ones. You know, the CSIs and Law and Orders. They're reliable standbys when nothing else is on (which is surprisingly more often than you'd expect.) Wendy and I used to spend our Sunday evenings watching Law and Order: CI (more specifically, watching Vincent D'Onofrio), asking ourselves where all the sexy/smart/manly men were. Then we realized we went to Guelph and laughed.

Below are some thoughts and favourites. In no particular order (with the exception of the first one):

1. Lost. It rocks. I was shown the pilot episode in college a couple of weeks before it ever aired on TV, so I like to claim that I was one of its first fans. I’m not usually into the whole sci-fi thing, but this is too well written/acted to ignore. If you’re not into the show, you must rent the first season. Then you will understand. The cast is also pretty. It’s not a prerequisite for great TV, but it certainly helps. Its creator, J.J. Abrams, is my hero (Wrote Regarding Henry and Armageddon, created Felicity and Alias, directed M:I:III. And he's still young. He gets around).

2. Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip. My main beef with this show is that it airs at 10 and I like to go to bed then. Unfortunately, the time slot has kept me from catching too many episodes, but from what I’ve seen, I don’t understand why the ratings aren’t fantastic.
• Exhibit A: Aaron Sorkin. The guy who brought us A Few Good Men, The American President, and The West Wing. That Aaron Sorkin. One of the best writers out there. Gotta love those witticisms.
• Exhibit B: I love behind-the-scenes stuff. I know that historically, fans don’t like these kinds of shows, but I’m not Middle America and I do.
• Exhibit C: There’s a Christian character with a job in the entertainment industry. It’s about time. Oh, and I love Matthew Perry.

3. Project Runway and Top Chef. The best reality shows out there. Why? Because they’re about skill, not eating bugs or hooking up. And because I secretly want to be able to design, sew and cook like that.

4. Medium. It’s coming back soon, people. I know this may be a shocker to you (I’m not really into the whole psychic scene), but this show is so well constructed, I can’t help but be sucked in. I would like to nominate the characters for a “Best Family on TV Award”, with a special award going to actor Jake Weber for “Best Husband on TV Ever.” If I was fictional, I would marry him.

5. Numb3rs. Math is sexy. Who knew?

6. Cold Case and Without a Trace. I actually care about the back stories of the investigators. I enjoy crime shows that are character-driven. And they have awesome guest stars (Ele Keats, the love interest in Newsies, and George Newbern, the fiancé in Father of the Bride and an uber-cool Christian actor, were in last week’s Cold Case.)

I haven't caught Heroes yet (I've been told it's the best new show this season). The Nine, from the couple episodes I've seen, looks pretty cool (the flashbacks don't work as well as they do in Lost, though). Ugly Betty, while it's based on a Columbian telenovela, feels too much like a Devil Wears Prada rip-off to me. It's cute, but not all that compelling.

I'm also well-versed in the crappiest television ever produced from the fifties to today. Not all TV watching is voluntary. That's when the element of entertainment is destroyed.

Off to watch TV...

Off to watch more TV...