What I've Been Watching

After a combination of Netflix and Lost reawakened my thirst for television drama, I've been watching quite a few shows. Some have been fantastic, others not as gripping. Here are my thoughts on the shows I've been watching.

LOST

A truly addictive and epic saga. Lost is perhaps one of the smartest and most entertaining stories I've been familiar with. It has everything you could possibly want. It is also very rare to see a show with a mythology as complex as this be so very character driven. It is edgy, complex and one helluva journey. Lost is a show you cannot turn away from and are missing out if you haven't watched it (I guarentee you'll make time for it and fly through it fast.) I am very sad that it is over.

DEXTER

A Showtime drama that puts a new spin on the CSI/Law and Order type of drama by placing a vigilante serial killer in the police department. Many people are repulsed to even try to watch Dexter due to the whole serial killer element. Dexter is probably the goriest show I've seen, but ironically it is also one of the sweetest. Supreme acting by the main cast, clever and intelligent writing, and unbelieveably suspenseful. There are a lot of shows where the audience is either restricted to the side of good or the side of evil by a line. When watching Dexter, you can feel free and are even totally willing to walk back and forth past that line. It is a lot of fun to watch, and it is very fascinating when you end up liking and even loving the deranged but good intentioned Dexter and applaud him when he kills the very worst people.

SUPERNATURAL

Being a childhood fan of Buffy: The Vampire Slayer and Angel, it was good having yet another and even more appealing monster-fighting show running. It's almost as perfect a show for me like Lost and Dexter: two badass rock n' roll enthusiastic brothers drive across America in their classic muscle car full of guns and mystical items all to fight the forces of evil. There is almost never a dull moment. Supernatural is an action-horror series for the books. It is a show that really doesn't get as much praise as it should.

RED VS. BLUE

An internet show that really gave machinima a name. Red vs. Blue has evolved almost as much as Star Trek over the years. Once using edited Halo gameplay and voice acting to tell a story, they have recently gone into the use of CGI which makes for even more astonishing entertainment. Red vs. Blue is also clever and funny as hell while also having an always interesting and growing storyline. Based around a civil war between two teams that consist of very idiotic and lazy anti-heroes, Red vs. Blue isn't what you'd expect when first viewing. I watched it, I stuck with it, and I wasn't disappointed.

BREAKING BAD

A crime drama like Dexter where it deals with characters that are realistic and utterly human despite all of the incredible and bizarre things happening around them. The concept is just terrific: Walter White is an ordinary family man and chemistry teacher, but after learning he has terminal cancer he sets out to make a profit by cooking crystal meth with the help of his former student, hoping to leave the money he makes for his family. It has powerful acting (Bryan Cranston is one of the best on TV) and very smart writing. It's a darkly comedic but often very intense and depressing look at how far people will go to protect what's theirs and also how evil people can be. It is stark, haunting, clever, and always intriguing.

CALIFORNICATION

This is a show that appeals to my latent older self, because I imagine I will be a lot like Hank Moody when I'm older. A down in the dumps, sarcastic, cynical, easily distracted, middle aged struggling author (just minus all of the sex.) This another Showtime series where, despite its dark and graphic overtones, it is still a very sweet and character driven story. Even though Hank procrastinates in some of the most lascivious ways, we are still on his side more or less and want him to succeed in his life. The real juice of this show is David Duchovney's (you know, Mulder from The X-Files) performance. This is a perfect role for him, and with it he makes a perfect character. It's a good little drama. It's like Sex and the City for dudes...no wait, that's Entourage.

DOLLHOUSE

Almost every possible Joss Whedon conception that has hit television has in some way been phenomenal. The only problem is he keeps going back to Fox for show running, guarenteeing his truly amazing shows like Firefly and Dollhouse are sure to be cancelled. Dollhouse however got more of a run than Firefly, lasting two seasons. In those two seasons, I was graced with a very unique science fiction action story. Even though we got more case of the week stories than the overall saga, which was rushed, the show was still a helluva lot of fun.

FIREFLY

This really pisses me off. It is a crime for a show with this much promise to be cancelled in favor of a lot of the other bullshit shows that have gone nowhere on Fox. The few episodes of Firefly released was like TV series crack cocaine, it is utterly addictive and makes all other things seem unworthy of your attention. Perhaps the show was too different to survive, but it was more than likely the fact that Fox put this on the Friday night schedule where everyone would be off work for the weekend and going out instead of spending time watching tv. But Firefly, a show that makes all recent Star Wars spin offs look like a drunken caricature artist's doodles, wasn't even allowed to end off the way Whedon wanted, unlike Dollhouse which was killed by the same problems as Firefly. At least the show was given a little more grace after the release of the spinoff movie Serenity. Watch this show and Serenity back to back and you will not be disappointed.

THE SIMPSONS

Though not as great as it used to be, The Simpsons still holds up as one of America's greatest TV shows and is still pretty funny. I think it relates more strongly to 90s pop culture and though it's parodies of 2000's pop culture is still enjoyable it isn't as good. I just don't think I will ever stop loving it, because honestly it is the first show I ever really loved. So there's that nostalgia factor. It is also still enjoyable because it hasn't really changed its style like Family Guy. The Simpsons lives on forever in my opinion.

COWBOY BEBOP

Combining several familiar action genres (martial arts, western, sci fi, pulp fiction, film noir) into one slick and compelling show, Cowboy Bebop delivers as much wall to wall action and adventure as any other anime out there. Following a group of outlaws in a rickety ship (like Firefly, I know), we are faced with a show that is witty with its characters, intense and fast paced with its action, and classy with its storytelling. Cowboy Bebop is lots of fun.

TRIGUN

Containing the best of any good anime, Trigun delivers an of course unique adventure set in a sci fi dystopia where we follow one man and his endless, yet very unintended cycle of destruction. While appeasing the good natured humor of most people for a lot of the time, there is a deep darkness breaking through the seams of the story. It takes itself seriously and therefore so can we. Trigun is highly recommended and well worth the watch.

GIRLS BRAVO

Existing in the harem genre of Japanese animes, Girls Bravo is a bizarre, crazy, but nevertheless exciting and enjoyable show about one extraordinarily uptight boy and the girls who want him. Despite its huge fantasy elements, Girls Bravo is kind of a satire on teen friendship, sex, and angst. Out of all of the anime shows I've seen, this is without a doubt the most fun, because it is almost so uniquely original as compared to the other shows, great as they are. Aside from nudity and some language (which is only used to a cartoonish affect), Girls Bravo is a sweet and off the wall comedy.

There are many other shows I could talk about, but these were the ones that really appealed to me at the moment. There are some shows that used to be good but have now just become tasteless and reprehensible (Family Guy, American Dad). Shows that had promise but deteriorated due to high hopes for itself or stupid ideas (Flashfoward, Heroes). Shows that are good but aren't really what I'm into right now (Party of Five, Chuck). New shows that are very clearly not going anywhere (Persons Unknown). Shows that I need to get caught up or started on (True Blood, Prison Break, Deadwood). Or shows that I really just grew out of (Friends, Veronica Mars, South Park). So for now I'm sticking with the ones from above, or at least the ones above that are still on.

This has been a little insight into my TV life from Your Modest Guru. Thanks for reading.