TV

I think I've seen enough to start making some calls.

Heres' my list of shows you should be watching:

Returning Shows:

The Wire
Heroes
Weeds
House
Ugly Betty
30 Rock
The Office
Friday Night Lights

New Shows:

Reaper - It's a surprisingly clever mix of action and sly sense of dark humor. They also nicely nail the slacker vibe that is such a miss in the disappointing Chuck.

Pushing Daisies - there's not a lot of middle ground on this one. Either you'll love it or hate it. I'm in the love camp.

Kid Nation - Deal with it!

Gossip Girl - Pure soapy teen angst fun, filling that melodramatic void left behind by the departure of such past favorites as The OC and Veronica Mars. It's not the best-written or best-acted series by a long shot, but I still find myself looking forward to it every week and that counts for a lot.

Life - I'm not a huge fan of the "case of the week" format, but you should watch this for Damian Lewis.

I thought Dan didn't like Gossip Girl?

And quibble on Pushing Daisies, I like it a lot, but don't yet love it.

That's just my list - Dan has to weigh in yet.



I'm not sure I understand the quibble. I like the show, so it's on my Ted-approved list. Your liking or disliking it is of no consequence for this discussion since it's about what I like. Now if we were making a TACO list (Ted approves, Cameron objects) your opinions would carry some weight...

No, I'm quibbling about you saying you either love or hate the show.

Gotcha.

I can definitely get behind Reaper, Pushing Daisies, and Life. Gossip Girl just doesn't look like my thing. I enjoyed the occasional bit of O.C. for the Seth Cohen geek-tastic moments and not so much for the soap in-between.

As for Kid Nation...I caugh the tail end of last week's episode. Not big on reality TV but I may be intrigued enough to watch more. Speaking of "reality" shows, have you had a chance to see America's Most Smartest Model yet? Some absolutely hysterical, trainwreck moments in the first episode.

Also, no love for Journeyman?

I haven't see Most Smartest Model. I'll give it a look.

Journeyman is just ok for me, if I didn't catch an episode for 3 or 4 weeks I don't feel like I'd miss it.

Most Smartest Model would have been tolerable if it hadn't been 90 freaking minutes.

I keep forgetting about GOSSIP GIRL. It's on opposite PRIVATE PRACTICE and BIONIC WOMAN, right? Those both suck, so I could check something else out.

I'm kind of getting my soap fix from DIRTY SEXY MONEY, though.

Dirty Sexy Money was like Arrested Development without the laughs - it was just too over-the-top for me as a drama and would've played better if it had been more hyper-real and comedic like Ugly Betty.

I definitely like GG better.

I can see that, but it's scratching the right itch for me.

Maybe it's the cast -- I like 'em all except whichever Baldwin brother is involved.

I think it's Billy.

Yes, it was a show that was improved by watching it off the DVR. I do think that Ivan Drago: Male Model was the highlight of the show for me.

The only Baldwin I like is Alec.

No love for Pageant Place?

Kidding. The ten minutes I saw of the first episode were excruciating.

Craig

I observed last night when looking at the options on my TiVo that something like 90% of the shows I'm recording are about rich assholes. I think that's part of my disillusionment with the current season. Too many rich assholes. Which is yet another reason I like Pushing Daisies. At least it's different. How many shows do we actually have that aren't about the upper class or police or medical procedurals?

This show was on MTV and VH1 at the same time! I thought reality was caving in on itself.

Oh it's like that???

heh ok let's see what I got so far:

Returning-
The Wire
Weeds
House
Ugly Betty
The Office
Boston Legal
How I met Your Mother

Newbies
Reaper - I like it but I am not ready to TADA it. it is potato chip TV.

Journeyman - This show feels like it is really knocking on the door of great. I need to see them shake out the mythos and maybe find a way to make me care about the weekly stuff a little more. That said the cast and the building of the characters really makes me come back every week after watching 2 hours of borderline uninteresting TV

WED IS MY FAVORITE NIGHT OF TV
Kid Nation - Ok it isn't Lord of the Flies but I am never disappointed in that hour of TV. Waiting for the Jaredism of the week or seeing small children reduced to tears after just imitating adult behavior holds my interest. Plus I make up all sorts of backstories abotu the town.

Pushing Daisies is God head. It shouldn't work but it totally does. Plus if you look at it harder there is so much darkness being hidden in the light of the show. Also Chi McBride is awesome. I realize this is my CODA (Cam opposes, Dan Applauds) but Cam will come around once he stops caring about the mysteries and just enjoys the characters.

Kitchen Nightmares - Anything that repulses me but won't make me change the channel is good tv.

Life - Total tie for my favorite new show. I am so tired of procedurals. So it's nice to see one that doesn't give a shit about the procedure. And that lead is so engaging that i am ignoring a beautiful woman screaming at my tv "I don't care about hot lesbian intrigue, put the convict back on!!!"

I had to take FNL off because I cannot believe that the worst storyline in the world will not destroy the show I loved for a whole season.

So we're in agreement on:

The Wire
Weeds
House
Ugly Betty
The Office
Kid Nation
Pushing Daisies
Life

Journeyman could make my list if it picks up a bit. The same holds for How I Met Your Mother - last season was hysterical, this year it's missing the mark for me so far.

I am comfortable with that list

Of course now I want to see the TACO and CODA lists

You know, I agree with all but three of that.

The three:

Gossip Girl - Just not my kind of show, apparently. And I even like One Tree Hill, sometimes.

Kid Nation - Can't stand reality shows in general, this being no exception.

Friday Night Lights - Heretical. I DON'T think think this is a bad show, but I can't sit through. It's like nails on a chalkboard for me. Don't sure why, but I've given it three or four tries.

What I like that's not on the list:

Journeyman - I like this show a little more each week. Not unlike Life in that the reason to watch it is everything except the case of the week.

I think Gossip Girl gets an extra bump from me for having a very authentic NYC feel. They've made great use of locations in making the city really come alive in the show.

Journeyman I'm still into, it's just not yet to the point where I'd recommend it unconditionally.

That's a pretty good list. I'm definitely on board for The Wire, though I still have to watch S3 and wait for S4 to show up on my doorstep.

Weeds I love with a passion bordering on the filthy.

Betty and Office are both still fun, and I agree with the general consensus around here that Pushing Daisies is the best of the freshman crop.

Life...I didn't want to add another cop show to my viewing list, but this has had such consistently good remarks I'm going to have to catch up on it, I think.

Kid Nation is reality TV. Pretty much not going there. Ever.

House is doctor stuff. TV doctors are to me like TV lawyers are to you.

Still enjoying Chuck but it should be better than it is -- although I get a kick out of the nerd shout-outs (this week's example, Chuck's messenger bag with the Tyrell Corporation logo). Reaper's fun too, but I'm getting a little tired of the demon of the week.

Earl has been uneven, but the gay prison gang leaders episode a couple weeks ago was as funny as the show's ever been.

I want Galactica back. And Lost.

Journeyman is my Gossip Girl. They've done a great job using SF as a character in the show. I've lived in or around the city for most the time periods they cover in the show, and it's a real buzz from week to weeks seeing where they go, both in locations and time periods. Not really must-see-tv, but really enjoyable when I do.

Veronica Mars was like that for me with San Diego, they used almost all of the places I hang out at.

KID NATION - I just... can't. Even a hint of child exploitation would keep me away; a whole show built around it makes my blood boil.

Otherwise, I'm right on board with this season's TADA.

I don't think the kids on the show are being exploited. But hey, to each their own.

I think whoever is writing the show actually spent the past thirty years actually hanging out in Cafe Luna, because it reflects some of the actual changes I remember.

And I love how well they got the feel of the TL and the upper haight in the gambling episode.

yeah if I felt like there was exploitation I ld be against it but it is just kids being kids and most of them get 20 grand. Also it's not like there is no precedent despite what the media woudl like you to believe.

Bug Juice and Endurance are two successful shows in the same vein and I would argue that the Up series is much more exploitative.

But if you just aren't into reality shows then I totally get that.

So would many of the participants. Every year fewer agree to continue.