People who have read this blog for a while know I don't have television reception at my house, and I'm not a big fan of TV in general. But --- aside from the occasional "Jeopardy!" at my parents' house --- I have been known to enjoy a show now and then in DVD form.
Getting through the last few episodes of "Entourage," season three. The quality has declined some, as a lot of bloggers noted, but I'm still enjoying it. Maybe the real nadir comes in season four; I'm not there yet. Am I alone in my love for Jeremy Piven? I think I'm the only one in America who remembers his TV series "Cupid." Man, I loved that show.
There are very few things in the world that I care about less than football and the ups and downs of teenage relationships, but I am utterly hooked on "Friday Night Lights." I am mainlining the series thanks to Netflix's "Instant Watching" ability. I haven't been this interested in a network series since I first discovered "NYPD Blue" back in oh my lord in heaven nearly fifteen years ago now. I'm not saying it's as good as "NYPD Blue" was in its prime, but it's a very well-crafted show. The acting on "FNL" is astounding, and the combination of terrific direction and cinematography (a sort of quasi-documentary style, and the characters talking over each other in breaks and unfinished thoughts that match natural speech rhythms) makes the drama terribly raw and human.
I also watched a short-lived animated series called "Mission Hill." It's about a cartoonist attempting to live a bohemian lifestyle in a neighborhood akin to Greenwich Village with his roommates, but who also has to act as surrogate parent to his younger brother, who's still in high school. I thought it had just the right blend of quirkiness and poignancy.
And a couple of months back, I polished off the first season of HBO's "Rome," which I watched the second and final season of at my parents' house last year or whenever the hell it was. A fantastic show, meticulously detailed in both the big historical picture and the personal details of the characters. And the ending was supremely satisfying, unlike that very disappointing finale of "Deadwood," which was from its mother channel's schedule untimely ripp'd.
Speaking of HBO, in a couple of weeks the fourth season of the Greatest Drama Ever Made, "The Wire," will be released! It'll be like Christmas in December! Oh wait.
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For Cupid info, read this Alan Sepinwall post.
May I suggest "Wonderfalls"? Thus far, no one who's seen it has disliked it. Made by Bryan Fuller of "Dead Like Me" and "Heroes" fame.
Sounds like good viewing to me.
I've never seen Rome and really wanted to.
Bill, thanks for that link! I guess I was wrong about being the only one.
Dave, Wonderfalls is now on the list! Thanks!
Churlita, you've got to squeeze more quality HBO programming in between video game marathons and make-out sessions.
Oh, how I love Friday Night Lights. And I'm determined to start watching The Wire. I've heard so many good things about it.
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