What Have YOU Been Watching?

The course of true television never did run smooth, as I've had several incidences with my cable. As such, my television viewing was severely limited. But now, I live in television nirvana since we've purchased a big screen television with HD output. It is amazing what a big screen has done for my overall television enjoyment because I could not have imagined that love could grow. It has, exponentially. And I can pass the enjoyment on to you. Well, possibly not, but I'll write more, so that's a start.

Mondays have become must see TV night at our house. Despite many people's thoughts of Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip, I find that I am LOVING that show. Mainly because I am Matt Albie in real life. I am slightly neurotic about my writing and I can get into a tizzy when it comes to getting it done in time. I am personally and forever thankful I don't have my own countdown clock. The way the characters interact is beautiful, like a dance. It doesn't matter that real people don't talk "like that". It is a television show with interesting and funny dialogue (although my husband points out they laugh very little for being comedy writers and actors). I love the way this fictional set gets along, the flow of conversation, the peeks into their lives and their heads. I enjoy ever installment and I think I will continue to do so. I never fell for the reality show mindset. I like my shows with a lot of unnecessary drama, fantastic character development, moments that make me think or laugh, and people who could never really exist. Which is pretty important because I LOVE Heroes. My husband is growing bored with the show, which is this weird mix of absolutely fantastic moments surrounded by dull pacing and uninteresting character development. Sometimes, it feels as if, each week, the writers find one big moment (recently, the scenes where Peter saves Claire and the interaction of all the characters in that group of scenes) and then try valiantly, most times in vain, to come up with something to put around that moment. That moment makes you hold your breath, the rest of the show makes you roll your eyes. But it is those breath taking moments, those little twists, that make me keep coming back. And Hiro. I love Hiro and can't wait to see him grow from the happy go lucky office worker intent on saving the world to the hardcore badass that visited Peter on the train, truly saving the world. The exposition of last week's show was certainly interesting, putting many things into perspective, but they are certainly nothing we couldn't have figured out on our own. It was nice, however, to put a face to Sylar.

Tuesdays is still an overcrowded night, but I have to talk about three shows. House, Gilmore Girls and Veronica Mars. I don't know why I've seen House as Superman, but I've wanted him to put Tritter in his place and have been increasingly frustrated that he hasn't done so. At the same times, I am absolutely adoring Tritter's ruthlessness. Tritter is also a bully with the exact same mentality as Dr. House. The frustration that Tritter may not get his comeuppance (sans rectal thermometer moment) is what makes House great Tuesday night viewing. Gilmore Girls, on the other hand, I continue to watch strictly out of loyalty to the hours I've put into the series. I had a month long marathon of ingesting Gilmore Girls in time to catch up midway through last season, watching the beginning in re-runs. While I enjoy the other characters in dialogue, especially Lane and her husband, the main characters relationships and dialogue feel flat, like they are just going through the motions, or like they were given lines, but no direction and just can't figure it out for themselves. The addition of two new characters, new friends of Rory, help bring back the spitfire dialogue the show is known for, but not enough to cover how much the main character actors have to think during their sometimes asinine lines. Repetition does not a spitfire dialogue make. Veronica Mars' double mystery adventure continues as the Case of the Hearst Rapist is solved only to be supplanted by the Case of Who Shot Dean O'Dell. Dean O'Dell was a fantastic character. He made a lot of enemies in his nine episodes, but was a perfect foil/complement to Veronica. The money shot was when Logan beats the cop car's windshield in with a bat, gets thrown into the clink so that he can beat the stuffing out of the guy that tried to rape/kill his woman. Logan manned up! I'm interested in seeing this new mystery and I would love to see more Weevil being Weevil. I wish he could get back that veneer of danger though. Overweight janitor does not a street tough make.

Wednesdays is Bones night. Yes, I watch other things like Criminal Minds and Lost (or Daybreak until after the break), but it is Bones all the way. Nevermind my girl crush on Emily Deschanel's character Dr. Temperance Brennan, and the general eye candy (David Boreanaz as Seely Booth, Michaela Conlin as Angela Montenegro and TJ Thyne as Jack Hodgens) and interesting characters that abound in the series, but I love the way that show tells a story. I love the humour, the romance, the derring-do of the characters. I love seeing smart people use their brains. I love the mysteries they get. I love watching the characters grow and learn in this show. I am entertained every week watching Bones and I have not yet come away from the show feeling let down, even when an event disappointed me.

Thursdays is a veritable cornucopia of dual recordings in one room while I watch other shows in another. I'm going to focus on 30 Rock. The show started out pretty rocky, with very little that was funny, but I had a perverse need to see it through and I'm glad I did. This show has become one of the funniest comedies this season. All of the characters work well together to create a funny, funny show. Tina Fey as Liz Lemon is extremely funny while Alec Baldwin's Jack is humour incarnate. While I questioned the choice of Jane Krakowski, I have permanently changed my mind after last week's show. The botox'd face sight gag was extremely hilarious. I have been very pleased with the show and how much I laugh. The Office, of course, has begun to grow past the British show in my mind because it is giving us that squirm worthy office experience and every character is coming into their comedic own. I was somewhat disappointed with Scrubs initial offering, but I still love the show.

Fridays are all about Battlestar Galactica, although soon, Sundays will be all about the BSG. I agree that the move to Sundays is a good move, which now frees up my Friday nights a little more. Don't get me wrong, I am quick to Tivo that bad boy, but there's nothing like experiencing it live with irritating commercials breaks. While the artistic shooting, a la Kubrick, style of the show has been vastly intriguing, the storyline is only stumbling along. There are brilliant moments of course, Adama fighting the Captain to prove a point most especially, but we are just biding time until someone definitively discovers the roadmap to the 13th colony. Numbers is still a smart bit of a show. I really enjoyed watching Megan and Fleinhardt grow close, so it will be a shame that he will be out of the picture for 6 months (although I don't know what that is in show time). It will be interesting seeing Charlie becoming a man as opposed to the self absorbed math professor as he grows in his relationship with Amita. I once scoffed at Numb3rs, but now I find my Fridays are not complete unless I keep up.

Saturdays, of course, are Tivo catch up days, leaving Sundays for Desperate Housewives, which has begun to add back the drama, which I am all for. The psychology of the last few episodes have been excellent, putting our characters back into rare form.

Well, that's it for me and a much welcomed release for myself since I've not been writing about shows. Any other must watches that I should know about?