TV Shows - October 2004
Oct. 17th, 2004 06:53 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
sdelmonteLost You are watching this, right? This new series from JJ Abrams, creator of Alias and Felicity, really is as good as the critics have said. It's not perfect, but it's gripping, well-acted, well-written, and has been fairly unconventional after the first four weeks. Abrams and his ensemble of writers and producers seem to be thinking out what it would be like to be stuck on a desert island, even as they are slowly adding in more intrigue and more fantasy.
Last week's episode was noteworthy in part because it was written by David Fury, formerly a member of Joss Whedon's crew. Happily, he's gotten better still, as the "thing-ness" of his Buffy scripts that stakebait pointed out to me is missing. This, BTW, continues my tendency to only watch shows with former Mutant Enemy staffers involved.
Whether Lost maintains its early momentum, whether it can make all its many characters interesting over more than a few weeks, remains to be seen. But it's a hit at the very least, likely to get the time that so few fantasy shows, especially ones on the Old Three Networks, get.
Oh, and if you care about such things, the cast includes Dominic Monaghan from LotR, and actors from Angel, Smallville, Roswell, and Matrix Reloaded, among others. It's a genre veteran festival!
Veronica Mars This show is not a fantasy. At all. But early comparisons between it and Buffy made me watch. I seem some similarities - blonde teenager with spunk and inner strength doing things a teenager doesn't usually do - but the show is really nothing like Buffy. It is entertaining, however, so far. Veronica is the daughter of a PI, formerly his town's disgraced sheriff, and she helps solve mysteries. This premise cold have been a mess in lesser hands, but so far it's been believable. Kristin Bell has been up the task of carrying the show, though the rest of the cast is also pretty good.
Behind the mystery-of-the-week premise - which so far has actually given the viewer at least tolerable mysteries - is the show's uber-mystery, the case which destroyed Veronica's father's career, ended his marriage, and altered everyone's life for the worse. There are signs that the case could go in a very tawdry direction, but also hints that the story will get to be quite intriguing.
For now, I am watching, cautiously optimistic that UPN will give this a chance to find an audience. Oh, and if you were a fan of "Cupid," that show's creator, Rob Thomas, is also this show's creator.
Smallville Well, the good news is that Erica Durance has been great as a young Lois Lane. The bad news is that the plots so far this season are getting dumber. And now Smallville has serious competition for my time in "Lost." If I am out on a Wednesday, and have to choose one show to tape, it's not "Smallville" anymore.
This week does hold the promise of seeing the Smallville version of The Flash, but little else besides the guest appearance of Ms. Durance and the renewed sparring of Lex and Lionel Luthor sounds exciting. I think that the show is still watchable, but it's getting harder and harder to recommend.
Last week's episode was noteworthy in part because it was written by David Fury, formerly a member of Joss Whedon's crew. Happily, he's gotten better still, as the "thing-ness" of his Buffy scripts that stakebait pointed out to me is missing. This, BTW, continues my tendency to only watch shows with former Mutant Enemy staffers involved.
Whether Lost maintains its early momentum, whether it can make all its many characters interesting over more than a few weeks, remains to be seen. But it's a hit at the very least, likely to get the time that so few fantasy shows, especially ones on the Old Three Networks, get.
Oh, and if you care about such things, the cast includes Dominic Monaghan from LotR, and actors from Angel, Smallville, Roswell, and Matrix Reloaded, among others. It's a genre veteran festival!
Veronica Mars This show is not a fantasy. At all. But early comparisons between it and Buffy made me watch. I seem some similarities - blonde teenager with spunk and inner strength doing things a teenager doesn't usually do - but the show is really nothing like Buffy. It is entertaining, however, so far. Veronica is the daughter of a PI, formerly his town's disgraced sheriff, and she helps solve mysteries. This premise cold have been a mess in lesser hands, but so far it's been believable. Kristin Bell has been up the task of carrying the show, though the rest of the cast is also pretty good.
Behind the mystery-of-the-week premise - which so far has actually given the viewer at least tolerable mysteries - is the show's uber-mystery, the case which destroyed Veronica's father's career, ended his marriage, and altered everyone's life for the worse. There are signs that the case could go in a very tawdry direction, but also hints that the story will get to be quite intriguing.
For now, I am watching, cautiously optimistic that UPN will give this a chance to find an audience. Oh, and if you were a fan of "Cupid," that show's creator, Rob Thomas, is also this show's creator.
Smallville Well, the good news is that Erica Durance has been great as a young Lois Lane. The bad news is that the plots so far this season are getting dumber. And now Smallville has serious competition for my time in "Lost." If I am out on a Wednesday, and have to choose one show to tape, it's not "Smallville" anymore.
This week does hold the promise of seeing the Smallville version of The Flash, but little else besides the guest appearance of Ms. Durance and the renewed sparring of Lex and Lionel Luthor sounds exciting. I think that the show is still watchable, but it's getting harder and harder to recommend.
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(no subject)
Date: Oct. 17th, 2004 08:56 am (UTC)I hope they can maintain the level of storytelling.
(no subject)
Date: Oct. 17th, 2004 09:32 am (UTC)