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At least, these are the shows I find worth while enugh to devote inordinate amounts of time to. Is there something else not listed here that I should be watching? Plead your case.
S U N D A Y All the good stuff is on hiatus, such as Sopranos, Six Feet Under, Entourage, and Carnivale. And yes, all of those shows are on HBO. HBO ownz Sunday nights.
M O N D A Y: Take the night off - you're gonna need it. Spend some time with family or friends.
T U E S D A Y WATCH: 8:00 WB: Gilmore Girls. In the words of Herc at AICN, "It's a geek show. It's a chick show." and it's simply some of the best writing and dialogue exchanges on television today. Amy Sherman-Palladino has got it goin' on - to say nothing of Lauren Graham and Alexis Bledel. Yowza. A Hatrack discussion thread for it is already here.
9:00 UPN: Veronica Mars. A smart, hard hitting, intelligent show on UPN with a teenage lead character? Veronica Mars is the daughter of a disgraced private detective in a posh money-talks neighborhood. In school, she's the odd-woman out. She doesn't flash the bling, and she doesn't 'give it out' - in fact, she doesn't even know how she lost her virginity. It happened at a party she didn't even want to go to after she had a coke/rum/roofies spiked drink. She woke up without her pants, and found herself devastated. Plus, about the same time her best friend was murdered, and her sherrif father was disgraced for botching the case. So now, she helps her dad out with her private-eye gigs while trying to maintain dignity in her high school life. Hopefully the fact that it's on UPN won't keep people from finding out the show exists. Should be a real winner.
10:00 F/X: Nip/Tuck: I wrote my thoughts on this show earlier. It's The Good, The Bad, the Ugly, and the Manufactured Beautiful - all wrapped up into a single show. It's harsh - it's explicit. It's a hard show to watch, but also one of the best written, and best performed shows I've seen. Last season got me hooked, this season has me for the duration. My discussion of the show is here, in a thread discussing "Life Lessons From The Immoral".
RECORD/TiVo/DOWNLOAD: 9:00 CBS: Clubhouse: A boy from a single parent home (his father was a compulsive gambler who left when the kid was about 6) achieves his dream, and becomes a batboy for thr world famous New York Empires. Moral conflict comes into play in the first episode when, on his first day, after a misunderstanding which results in him pulled over in a ballplayer's car that's found to contain Steroids, the kid takes the fall for the player, because he doesn't want to damage the game, and to lose the respect of the players for being a snitch. But is this really the right decision? Contains a pretty great supporting cast, including Christopher Lloyd, Dean Cain, and Cherry Jones.
9:00 NBC: Scrubs: Still redefining the half-hour-comedy format. Zach Braff leads a wonderful cast. Check it out!
W E D N E S D A Y Conflict: Two great shows on at 8:00pm.
Smallville, and Lost. The first (on WB) is a new take on Superman's late teenage years as he grows into his powers, and deals with the familial and school relationships a teenager with superpowers (that need to be kept secret) has on his plate. Apart from Tom Wellings's spot on, absolutely perfect portrayal of Clark Kent, the next best things about this show are Michael Rosenbaum's Lex Luthor - the eventual arch villain, now Clark's best friend. Or, more accurately, ex-best friend. In the latest premier, we may have seen Luthor's first real confrontation with Kal-El, possibly the confrontation that will begin the legendary struggle between those two giants. The show is penned by the same guys who had a huge hand in writing SPIDER-MAN 2 - the character development and moral struggles are on the forefront. The supernatural elements are just the playing field - but the Mythology is respected, and fully added upon. It's good TV. Hatrack discussion of the new season is here.
ABC: LOST. It's LORD OF THE FLIES meets THE STAND meets LAND OF THE LOST. And the potential of where it may lead is, well, big. It's from JJ Abrams, who brought us ALIAS. Discussion of this show and its premiere is in this thread.
I'm not gonna tell you which to watch and which to TiVo/Download/Record. Mix it up - but don't miss either.
9:00 NBC: The West Wing. Do I really need to say anything about this show here?
10:00 F/X: Rescue Me. Denis Leary heads up this gritty story of a psychologically damaged NY Firefighter in the post 9/11 world.Irreverent, explicit, poigniant, and funny as hell. See: "Life Lessons From The Immoral".
T H U R S D A Y 8:00 NBC: Joey. Smart and fun followup of FRIENDS' Joey Tribianni, a Spinoff that may actually survive. Plus it's got THE SOPRANOS' Drea deMateo. Any questions?
10:00 NBC: E.R. - Used to be absolutely wonderful. Less so in recent years - but this year is Noah Wyle's last. And It also features Linda Cardellini - the girl all of us who watched FREAKS & GEEKS fell in love with as Lindsay Weir.
F R I D A Y 8:00 CBS: Joan of Arcadia - One of last seasons only surviving Good New Shows That Is Actually As Popular As It Is Good. God talks to Joan, tells her to do things. At the end of last season, Joan was given a reason to believe it's all been hallucinations, and that she's sick. What was once blindly followed, knowing that all would turn out for the good will now probably be fought, a la Nash in the end of A BEautiful Mind - except in this show's reality, the Voices are real. The best 'family show' on television, but intelligent and hard hitting enough for all ages. Things have consequences on this show - good and bad. I talked about the finale and my thoughts on it at length here.
S A T U R D A Y Don't really watch anything here later.
So now - watch what I tell you to watch. Dave will not lead you astray.
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I've been quite enjoying Tru Calling lately. Not sure if it's showing/already shown in the US though.
Posts: 4393 | Registered: Aug 2003
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Awwww, yeah. Another ER fan here! So help me, I love that show. Mr. Opera used to pretend he hated it, but he became noticeably interested when Dr. Green dies. Now he keeps up on the storyline but acts like he doesn't.
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Alas, for those of us with only three channels, the options are severely limited. NBC will get the most of my time with the Law & Order franchise, Crossing Jordan, and ER, followed by CBS with the CSI's and Joan. Lost is the only reason I can come up with to tune into ABC. How I miss cable.
Posts: 1090 | Registered: Oct 2003
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There's not a single show in that list I can watch (well, maybe some of the new ones I'm not familiar with)
I have a family. And even when my kids are in bed I don't like watching shows with explicit sexual content and foul language.
Posts: 14428 | Registered: Aug 2001
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West Wing? I mean, yea, it's a very liberal show but there's nothing objectionable that I've seen.
I just saw an episode of One Tree Hill and I really liked it. i'm not sure, maybe I didn't watch enough Dawson's Creek in high school and it's coming back to haunt me.
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Smallville doesn't have any explicit sex or language that I've encountered. Violence, yes. But very strong morals are projected throughout the entire show. Some even have considered that one of the show's 'weaknesses'.
And Joan is a PERFECT family show. It's a season old, and is beginning it's new season this Friday! Ceck it out! Perfect time for a New Beginning.
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edit: btw, Belle, what was the point of that? You do know that Dave wasn't REALLY telling you what to watch. You don't have to dissent as a counter-measure to oppose his will.
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ALIAS and MONK are shows I've been meaning to check out for a while. I'll eventually get around to them!
Never seen RENO 911.
7th Heaven I saw the first couple seasons back in the day...totally lost interest after I went off to college, and can't really find a good reason to start watching again.
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You forgot Dead Like Me. The second season has started out very promising. Even better than the first season. It's on showtime on sunday, I believe.
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Of course.. Dave has fantastic taste in entertainment.
Oh yeah, and Chibi's on Hatrack now. Hopefully I'll have the nerve to actually post more than, say, once a week.
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A yes, Dead Like Me. I don't have Showtime, but have downloaded the first several epsidoes of Season Two. Wonderful show. If it follows last year's pattern, I think the season's about over now, right?
On Arrested Development: I totally missd that last year, and regret it. Once Season 2 starts, I'll be avidly watching it. The Critical praise has been just too good. Plus someone had the balls to put David Cross on broadcast television.
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My new favorite is Medical Investigations on Friday night. That is about the only night I can watch TV, however, as our schedule is very packed, and TV falls way way down on the priority list.
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Ralphie, my point was that the recommendations were couched in a manner that they are "good" shows. Good is a matter of opinion, and I find nothing redeemable at all about the crap that HBO shows.
Dave is entitled to his opinion, certainly, but am I not also entitled to express my digust at the content in the shows mentioned?
I will say I wouldn't have responded at all if the thread title was "My favorite TV shows"
But instead it was "Dave Tells you What to Watch"
It annoyed me, so I spoke up. Surely to God I'm not the only person at Hatrack who has ever spoken up about a subject because she/he was annoyed by someone's attitude as portrayed in their post?
What is the point of you trying to bait me?
Posts: 14428 | Registered: Aug 2001
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quote:Dave is entitled to his opinion, certainly, but am I not also entitled to express my digust at the content in the shows mentioned?
Absolutely, which is why I followed the tongue-in-cheek title with the caveat, "At least, these are the shows I find worth while enugh to devote inordinate amounts of time to. Is there something else not listed here that I should be watching? Plead your case."
I will say that Joan of Arcadia, Smallville, and Gilmore Girls are shows that I personally think consistently express good values, with very little (if any) 'explicit' content.
I'll admit I come to literature (both written and visual) with different approaches than many do. Surface content doesn't bother me nearly as much as the underlying themes.
People praised the kid-safe "Cheaper by the Dozen" as a wonderful family film. I saw horrific moral ideals portrayed within, and despised the movie with a passion for the message I took from it. But that's another story
Most uses of so called "Harsh Language" don't offend me morally nearly as much they may artistically. I turned off HBO's Deadwood less than 10 minutes into the first episode because of the language. It didn't offend me morally, it just seemed like amateur hour to me, and not worth my time. Since then, I've heard vast critical praise of the show, which has made me consider giving it another chance.
I don't believe all of those shows are for everyone, and there are shows that I would deem of HIGH moral calibre that I would be horrified if people let young people watch - much as letting a 5 year old watch Schindler's List is a BAD IDEA.
If they're not old enough to understand the ideas and concepts behind the images, then all they'll see are the images, and be left with an improper experience of the art.
But I also believe that shows with harsh and would-be-offensive 'surface' elements can contain extremely powerful moral lessons that may be harder to 'punch in' otherwise. Life isn't pretty - and as the post I linked to above explores in detail, I believe one can learn important lessons from seeing characters dealing with immoral decisions and actions - and what better way to nderstand than by seeing it from their perspective?
I don't condemn you for not wanting to watch the shows, Belle - not at all! It may seem like I'm trying to say that "Well, if you're smart enough and in tune, you can get a good message out of anything, and if you can't you're not mature enough."
That's not true at all. And I fully respect your opinions and decisions! I see things redeemable in these shows. You don't. We're different people, and that happens. You're not alone, and I'm not alone.
But that doesn't stop me from continuing to ask the question raised in my caveat - what shows would you recommend, Belle?
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Hey, Belle, how are things going for you these days (actual question, as opposed to social nicety)? I agree with kat that I don't think there was any intentional baiting going on in Ralphie's post.
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Belle, in your first post, I don't know if you were talking about Taal's list or all of the shows mentioned up until your post, but I've heard several people who I consider strict (or even paranoid) parents refer to "Monk" as "clean".
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quote:A yes, Dead Like Me. I don't have Showtime, but have downloaded the first several epsidoes of Season Two. Wonderful show. If it follows last year's pattern, I think the season's about over now, right?
Nine episodes out of fifteen have aired so far. Oh, and people that are easily offended by foul language may want to stay away from this show, although I don't think many would condemn the way in which the underlying moral issues are being explored. It helps to have a certain morbid sense of humour to fully appreciate it, though.
Look, I really like Taalcon. One of the things I like most about him is his passion for the things he likes and loves. It was clear that he was not trying to force his TiVo schedule off on anyone, but merely sharing a bit of himself with others and trying to be helpful, to boot.
In view of that, your post just seemed kind of unnecessarily self-righteous. Especially considering that you were clearly unfamiliar with a number of the programs he recommended. I would hate for that to affect Taal's enthusiasm in a negative way.
Don't worry, Belle. I have absolutely zero interest in baiting you.
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Ralphie, you really made me smile big. Thanks for that.
And don't worry - my enthusiasm hasn't been dashed one notch. I'm gearin' up to watch the premiere of ER right now, and I will continue to point out entertainment I think others could benefit from or enjoy - especially if it's a lesser known show trying to work its way up the viewership ladder.
Firefly and Wonderfalls have taught me that no matter how good a show is, if the networks think no one is watching, they'll can it.
I may not be able to do a lot, but I'll do all I can to make sure the good stuff gets appreciated by as many people as I think would appreciate it, no matter how long the show lasts.
On that note - mark Tuesday at 9pm on your calendars, and make sure to check out next week's episode of Veronica Mars on UPN. Despite a scheduled cameo guest appearance by Paris Hilton ( ), if the episode is written and performed anywhere near as well as the pilot, I think a lot of you'll really enjoy it.
And as I said before, I don't have any hard feelings towards Belle Posts: 2689 | Registered: Apr 2000
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Speaking of Law and Order - I know tons of people who love those crime of the week shows, but they've never really done much for me. The shows I tend to like deal with character development and progression, something these shows (All 20 L&O's and the 30 CSIs, etc) sacrifice in order to cram as much mystery and suspense goodness into a single ep. I'm sure they're wonderful shows - they just don't resonate nearly as much with me.
Posts: 2689 | Registered: Apr 2000
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Saturday afternoon through Monday night: Football.
Tuesday through Friday evening: Off.
Fridays at 8:00 pm CST: Star Trek: Enterprise.
I can't stand most TV, really. Sitcoms don't make me laugh (I've only seen two episodes of Friends [Yes, I know it's off the air], one of The Simpsons, one-half of Will & Grace, and none of them did it for me), dramas don't suck me in, the Alias/CSI/24-type shows can't hold my attention, and nothing else is really appealing. Enterprise is more the remnants of an obsession than holding out for quality viewing - though after fixing Hoshi's hair, the show took an upswing... only to be smashed back down when they re-introduced Nazis. Jerks!
I might tune in sometimes for Lost and for that William Shatner-turned-lawyer show. Then again, probably not.
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It was...okay. Once Carter leaves the show, though (reportedly this season) I think it should end. It began with his appearance, it should end with his leaving. Plain and simple.
That being said, the only seasons of ER I've seen are the first, and last seasons. The first season was focused and BRILLIANT. The last was all over the place and EVERYTHING was FRAUGHT with PORTENT. (bonus points for people who catch my reference .
Posts: 2689 | Registered: Apr 2000
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Please don't spoil for ER yet -- it hasn't even shown on this coast, and even so we won't be watching it until tomorrow evening.
For those (like me) who might be interested, the pilot of Veronica Mars is showing again Friday late night/Saturday morning at 12:30 AM, then again Sunday at 5:00 PM (at least it is out here on the L.A. UPN station). On Taal's recommendation, I plan on watching the pilot, despite the fact that I don't really have time to be watching another show. But hey, Alias isn't back until January or something, so I'll consider this an offset to that until I find a different excuse.
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Man, I thought ER sucked. If it was regular episode, I would have thought it was merely average. As a season premiere, well, I was disappointed.
I agree that the show should end with Carter. He's been there since the beginning, and lately he's the only character with an interesting story arc. I miss the Clooney/Marguilles/Edwards days.
Posts: 1855 | Registered: Mar 2003
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quote:The shows I tend to like deal with character development and progression, something these shows (All 20 L&O's and the 30 CSIs, etc) sacrifice in order to cram as much mystery and suspense goodness into a single ep.
I completely agree. I've caught a few episodes of CSI, and I thought the mysteries were interesting, but they focused too much on the side actors that didn't really matter; that you won't see again after that episode.
Of course, I've thought that about nearly every Star Trek I've seen since TNG.
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