Pop Blog

Must-See-TV
These are the shows Lisa and I like so much that we watch them as soon as the PVR has recorded enough to let us skip the commercials.

Heroes - This taps into the deeply hidden (snicker) geek within me in the best possible way. Hiro IS me, with his unfailing optimism and joy about his powers. I love the story, the building drama, and the fact that there are no crappy little weekly subplots to muddy the waters.

Studio 60 On The Sunset Strip - Throw all criticism about this show being Aaron Sorkin's way of getting back at EVERYONE WHO EVER WRONGED HIM. This is a good show that has some outstanding acting. The comedy bits could use some work, but everything else sings. Matthew Perry rocks.

Prison Break - It grabs us and keeps us on the edge of our seats. I wasn't a fan of the whole 'stuck in the river' bit in the last episode -- New TV drama rule of thumb: if you can excise it from the overall story and the arc isn't changed in any way, lose it -- but the rest is gripping stuff.

House - Our favourite asshole. It teaches us that the human body can be damaged in some many, many ways. You may notice we have a thing for misanthropes and those frustrated with societal conventions.

Gilmore Girls - Our arguments over Lorelei/Christopher versus Lorelei/Luke may get heated, but we still love one another. The new season without the show's creator is showing some small changes in the writing, some odd decisions in terms of blocking and lighting, and some really bad ideas (Luke's new hat - ew!). We're very invested in the characters though and the acting is always solid.

Grey's Anatomy - One of Lisa's big picks. The strength of the show is in making us care so much about each character. Even bit characters get massive fan support turning some of them into show regulars.

Survivor, The Amazing Race - Our two reality staples. Well produced, always interesting. Every episode makes me think "If that were me..."

Smallville - For me anyway. While Lisa is frustrated at the meta-jokes and references, it all make me go SQUEEE! It's like the last season of Enterprise, where it is more concerned with fan service and setting up the future than going off in experimental directions. And I like that. Kneel before Zod!

Battlestar Galactica - Phenomenal. They took such a massive risk with the jumps in the timeline, the new Caprica arc, everything. But they made it work. Nothing like this has ever been on television.

Eureka - This show makes us laugh. "Okay guys. Our deadline is now tomorrow. So, uh, we need to step it up, we need to get serious, but mostly we need to cheat." Hah! I can see the town motto: "Eureka, where mad science and common sense are constantly at war".

Second Pick
Shows that may get pushed aside, but we always come back to.

Two and a Half Men, How I Met Your Mother, The Class - Three-quarters of CBS's Monday night comedy block, that all serve as excellent and well appreciated filler while waiting for other shows to tape enough to skip the commercials, or as recovery after too-many hours of serial killers on Criminal Minds. The Class started slowly, and some characters haven't caught us yet, but it has more solid laugh out loud moments than we've seen in a while.

Entourage - We were leery of getting involved in the third season, but this woes-of-the-rich-and-entitled story is oddly compelling.

Boston Legal - The continual cast changes, as well as the show's obsession with guys drooling over Candice Bergen -- I didn't think she was all that hot even back as Murphy Brown -- has dimmed this show for us. More time needs to be spend watching Alan pull rabbits out of his hat. Still. Alan is out second favourite misanthrope and William Shatner rocks my world.

Standoff - Questions remain how many different situations you can put hostage negotiators into, but there's some wonderful chemistry in the show, and they've toned down the SWAT team idiot.

The Nine - I maintain that this can't be more than a two-three season show. There's only so many minutes of the 52 hours these folks spent in captivity that are interesting enough to flash back to during the show. But watching the changes the situation had on them and the lurking unanswered questions keep us watching. John Billingsley is excellent.

Jericho - Still a little too real-life, but I'm now thinking they were just being careful about revealing the mystery. Good choice, because the drama and tension build show after show. This may move up to a Must See if it keeps getting better.

Lost - The mystery of the island still grips me, although I think they're losing Lisa. Too many questions are not getting answered sufficiently before new ones are raised. The shift to the Others has me intrigued, and there's nothing like watching Sawyer going through the hoops for a fish biscuit.

Criminal Minds - We love serial killers and the people who catch them! Very sad that Lola Glaudini is leaving the show, but it has been great at showing the effect of their work on their own lives and emotions.

Bones - I was not enamored by Bones' new boss, but she's grown on me, serving as an excellent foil and centering point. The relationships are being more developed and it's making the show more relatable and something you can root for.

Ugly Betty - It's taking me time to warm up to this show, but Lisa loves it. There is something entirely charming about America Ferrera's Betty and the moral of honesty and self-worth is nicely upheld.

Shark - What did I say about misanthropes? Nice to see some assholes working to put criminals away instead of freeing them. I wish there could be a crossover between Shark and Boston Legal.

My Name Is Earl - The show is losing it's focus, and is dwelling on the supporting characters. Some of this works (Randy) and some doesn't (Joy). On the other hand, I think the cast is clicking better and the maturing acting shows it.

The Simpsons - Still rocking it after all these years. Parts make us scratch our heads, but they can still hit the occasional one out of the park.

Supernatural - Some episodes are so creepy Lisa can't even watch them. Spooky goodness!

Numb3rs - More character development, which is good, but the math seems less central, which is bad. Peter MacNicol is getting the choicest scenes and lines, which is good, but he's going to be missing for a bunch of episodes, which is bad.

Kidnapped - Recently moved to Saturday night, which is grim for it's future. We enjoy it a lot, but honestly didn't notice that it was off for several weeks.

Desperate Housewives - Still focus challenged, and the Coma Mike twists have been as transparent as, well, oxygen. Like the new, tentative bond between Bree and her son, and we'll keep watching to see what Orson does to mess things up. But it's moving down on the list.

Brothers & Sisters - I was hoping to axe this one, just to free the schedule a bit, but it's equal and even treatment of liberal and conservative thinking has wormed its way into my heart. And Skinny MyRibsShowing is proving to be a better actress than I thought.

Dropped
Stuff we no longer watch but stubbornly remain on the air.

The Unit - Cool and well made, but unable to capture any affection for these guys. Maybe when nothing else is on to watch.

Vanished - We didn't fall in love with the characters, and, judging from it's move to Friday nights, no one else has either.