TV Thoughts
Nov. 19th, 2002 08:58 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
sdelmonteDon't fret. No real spoilers here, I think.
1. We are about to fall behind on our viewing as life offers more than TV for us - lots to do with friends and family, plus the return of my Tuesday night Talmud class. So it's likely we won't get caught up on Buffy or Angel or Smallville or Firefly for a while. But then rerun season is about to begin. Funny how part of me wants to watch everything right away to be able to discuss it, and part loves having sometihng to watch when there's nothing on.
2. Word came down from the WB that Birds of Prey has been cancelled. Its once-impressive ratings fell quickly, surprising me despite my disinterest in the show after the pilot. This probably means that the WB will not look to do comic book adapatations every night next fall, that we are very lucky Smallville caught on. But it's worth noting that of the comic book adaptations we've seen on TV, there have been four Superman-based series that lasted - Smallville, Lois and Clark, Superboy, and The Adventures Superman - and only three with other heroes - Hulk, Wonder Woman, and Batman.
As for those who did like BoP, my sympathies go out to you, as I remember how I felt when The Tick was exterminated too soon.
3. I've been catching up on John Doe, but only when Batya is not around. After two episodes, she decided it was a bit bland, with a main character who talked too much and who was more or less Adrian Monk's younger, less-well-acted, brother. But I've kept watching. What seemed like a very fresh series has grown a bit stale. Batya is right in that this show is much like Monk, with mysteries that aren't all that mysterious and a protagonist whose quirks can either charm you or annoy you. While Tony Shalhoub is a stronger actor than Dominic Purcell, I find John Doe to be a bit more fun, if only because I like the supporting cast more and want to know who John Doe really is.
So I keep watching, and find little things to like and little things not to like. Among the things I don't like is John's cutesy assistant. Yes, she's really cute, but otherwise is a bit of a pain. And when she gets to be a suspect so soon in the series, I'm not thrilled. As noted, I also don't like how readily John shares information just to share it. He's like Data was at the start of Next Gen, but no one ever seems to tell him to shut up. And there is the matter of the mysteries. Does anyone on TV remember who to write even a mildly perplexing murder mystery anymore? JB Fletcher, where are you?
But on the plus side, there are the cops. They actually seem competent and intelligent, and when John gives them a lead, they leap on it. They are not well-fleshed-out yet, but they are getting there, and it's nice to see Chicago Hope alum Jayne Brook again. There is Digger, the cynical bartender, who is perhaps a bit too good to be true but serves often as a counterpiont for John's overanalysis. The show has a sense of humor that lurks in some of what John says, and in how odd John's world can be. And sometimes the quirkiness is downright charming.
This is not a great show, and lacks the kind of scripts that make me thing Firefly can be a breakthrough show. But it can be engaging, sometimes. Perhaps if they tried harder with the mysteries, or maybe skipped the mysteries once in a while. But keep in mind, I haven't seen last week's episode yet, so maybe I'm about to learn smoething I wasn't expecting.
4. Saw The Simpsons last Sunday, and couldn't stop laughing. While the story was nothing new - is anything new really possible after 14 years? - it was done well. For three years, I've complained about how much The Simpsons has decayed. I think that the show is noever going to be what it was, but any show that can make me laugh like I did still deserves to stay on the air when so much else that claims to be funny is not.
1. We are about to fall behind on our viewing as life offers more than TV for us - lots to do with friends and family, plus the return of my Tuesday night Talmud class. So it's likely we won't get caught up on Buffy or Angel or Smallville or Firefly for a while. But then rerun season is about to begin. Funny how part of me wants to watch everything right away to be able to discuss it, and part loves having sometihng to watch when there's nothing on.
2. Word came down from the WB that Birds of Prey has been cancelled. Its once-impressive ratings fell quickly, surprising me despite my disinterest in the show after the pilot. This probably means that the WB will not look to do comic book adapatations every night next fall, that we are very lucky Smallville caught on. But it's worth noting that of the comic book adaptations we've seen on TV, there have been four Superman-based series that lasted - Smallville, Lois and Clark, Superboy, and The Adventures Superman - and only three with other heroes - Hulk, Wonder Woman, and Batman.
As for those who did like BoP, my sympathies go out to you, as I remember how I felt when The Tick was exterminated too soon.
3. I've been catching up on John Doe, but only when Batya is not around. After two episodes, she decided it was a bit bland, with a main character who talked too much and who was more or less Adrian Monk's younger, less-well-acted, brother. But I've kept watching. What seemed like a very fresh series has grown a bit stale. Batya is right in that this show is much like Monk, with mysteries that aren't all that mysterious and a protagonist whose quirks can either charm you or annoy you. While Tony Shalhoub is a stronger actor than Dominic Purcell, I find John Doe to be a bit more fun, if only because I like the supporting cast more and want to know who John Doe really is.
So I keep watching, and find little things to like and little things not to like. Among the things I don't like is John's cutesy assistant. Yes, she's really cute, but otherwise is a bit of a pain. And when she gets to be a suspect so soon in the series, I'm not thrilled. As noted, I also don't like how readily John shares information just to share it. He's like Data was at the start of Next Gen, but no one ever seems to tell him to shut up. And there is the matter of the mysteries. Does anyone on TV remember who to write even a mildly perplexing murder mystery anymore? JB Fletcher, where are you?
But on the plus side, there are the cops. They actually seem competent and intelligent, and when John gives them a lead, they leap on it. They are not well-fleshed-out yet, but they are getting there, and it's nice to see Chicago Hope alum Jayne Brook again. There is Digger, the cynical bartender, who is perhaps a bit too good to be true but serves often as a counterpiont for John's overanalysis. The show has a sense of humor that lurks in some of what John says, and in how odd John's world can be. And sometimes the quirkiness is downright charming.
This is not a great show, and lacks the kind of scripts that make me thing Firefly can be a breakthrough show. But it can be engaging, sometimes. Perhaps if they tried harder with the mysteries, or maybe skipped the mysteries once in a while. But keep in mind, I haven't seen last week's episode yet, so maybe I'm about to learn smoething I wasn't expecting.
4. Saw The Simpsons last Sunday, and couldn't stop laughing. While the story was nothing new - is anything new really possible after 14 years? - it was done well. For three years, I've complained about how much The Simpsons has decayed. I think that the show is noever going to be what it was, but any show that can make me laugh like I did still deserves to stay on the air when so much else that claims to be funny is not.
